Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 5
1833-06-26
The morning was so bright that I expected a pleasant day to go to town, but it did not so turn out. The wind was quite cold, with occasional threats of rain. The first thing that met me upon my arrival in town was the loss of the key to my Office. How this has happened I am not at present able to divine. I went to Mrs. Frothingham’s to deliver a Note and hoped to find the key returned when I got back but it was not so. I luckily found at a machine shop, a key ready made which with a little doctoring was made to answer. My visit to town was therefore not lost, as I passed my time in copying out a power of Attorney for the Executors of Mr. Boylston which has been in my hands since last week.
Returned to Quincy to dinner. General Jackson has been sick and therefore delayed two days but he proceeds on his Journey today.1 Read a little of Horace, but my afternoon was shortened by my Wife who wished me to accompany her to walk. Evening Cumberland’s Observer—A series of numbers upon Shakespeare, Johnson and Milton which are extremely instructive as well as interesting.
JQA recorded the events of the President’s visit and the circumstances of his illness more fully: “The President, must hasten back to Washington, or he will be glorified into his grave. They fagged him by their reception on Friday, and their presentations and Addresses on Saturday.... Monday Morning there were to be two exhibitions; one putting the Constitution Frigate in the new Dry Dock at the Navy-yard, Charlestown—the other was an Address delivered to him on Bunker’s Hill by Edward Everett; and in the afternoon, he was to receive his scientific honours at Harvard University. He was sick in bed the whole day, under the care of Dr. Warren.... The Bunker’s Hill and Harvard University decorations are postponed.” (Diary, 25 June.)