View Document Frames
Adams, John Quincy. Personal Diary. Adams Family Papers.
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
Washington. Tuesday. 9 March 1841
9. V. Tuesday
Freeman Russel
Bulfinch
Downing Charles
Mr. Downing
Lancaster
Whittlesey Elisha
Fosdick
Mr. Freeman called early this morning to take leave and say that he had seen Mr.
Webster, who assured him that if the appointment of Collector at New Bedford depended
upon his department he would be very favourably disposed towards him--With this cheering
encouragement Mr. Freeman goes home to expectation and disappointment.--The Revd.
Mr. Bulfinch now Pastor of the Unitarian church came to represent his claim to some
office in one of the departments; because having been appointed during my administration,
to a clerkship of 800 dollars, he had under the Jackson rule been unjustly dismissed
for pretended inefficiency in in the performance of his duties--He requested a letter
of recommendation from me, which I declined to give because I give none. Elizabeth
and Mr. Smith rode with me to the Capitol--I waited upon tenter hooks half an hour
for the meeting of theCCcourt--a young man named Charles Hopkins from Vermont came
and requested me to present him for admission as an Attorney and Counselor of the
Court, which I did. He told me he had already been admitted to the Circuit Court--He
was accordingly admitted and sworn--Judge Story delivered the opinions and decree
of the Court in the case of the United States appellants vs. the Schooner Amistad.
It affirms the decision of the District and Circuit Courts, excepting with regard
to the Negroes--It reverses the decision below placing them at the disposal of the
President of the United States to be sent to Africa; declares them to be free and
directs the Circuit Court to order them to be discharged from the custody of the
Marshal--Judge Baldwin expressed some dissent from the opinion which I did not hear
nor did I learn what it was--I went to the chamber of the Committee of Manufacturers
and wrote to Mr. Roger S. Baldwin at New Haven and to Mr. Lewis Tappan of New York
to inform them of the decision of the Court, and gave the letters to Mr. McCormick,
the Postmaster of the House.--The Court had adjourned.--I went into the Senate chamber
and heard a fiery debate on the proposed resolution to dismiss Blair and Rives as
the Printers of the Senate. Henry Clay closed a short and intemperate speech by declaring
some personalities uttered against him by William A. King of Alabama false--untrue--and
cowardly. The Senate shortly after adjourned, but in the meantime Dr. Linn of Missouri
had delivered a note from Mr. King to Mr. Clay, and there was a rumour that King
and Clay were both arrested by warrants from a magistrate. I went to the Office ot
the Clerk of the Supreme Court and wrote a motion for a mandate to the Marshall of
the District of Connecticut to discharge forthwith the Amistad captives from custody--I
called on Mr. Crittenden the new Attorney General to ask his consent to this motion.
He said he saw no objection to it. I had evening visits from Mr. and Mrs. Downing
of Florida and from Elisha Whittlesey with Mr. Fosdick.--I saw Mr. Gales at the National
Intelligencer Office.
