Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 6
1835-07-28
Morning clear and cool but it clouded in the course of the day. I went out early for the purpose of calling at Sharpe’s to see how my case came on. The man was just smoothing out the boards for the frame.
My No. 6 appeared in the Advocate and Centinel this morning, and I carried down No. 8 together with the copy of Mr. Webster’s Speeches which had been lent, to give them to Mr. Hallett. Conversation with him upon various topics, especially Mr. Everett’s situation as candidate for Governor and Mr. Webster’s. He read me an article upon the first subject which I thought very good. The thing must come to a crisis and my only fear is that this crisis will be the retirement of Mr. Webster. A. H. Everett called upon me this morning and we had some conversation upon this very topic. I think the great effort must be to nail the party down to it’s course, and with that end suggested a paragraph for Hallet’s consideration.
I went to Quincy. Found my little girl well and the family generally. Dinner and conversation. I was occupied a short time only in reading Madame Deffand and assorting some Pamphlets. My father talked a good deal about the French business, which he considers as very far from definitively settled. He criticized Mr. Livingston’s Speech at the Philadelphia dinner as well as his letter.1
In April, Edward Livingston, American minister to France, had been able, despite Jackson’s bellicose statements which the French understood as an ultimatum, to secure from the Chamber of Deputies an appropriation to pay the spoliation claims recognized in the Treaty of 4 July 1831 but remaining a casus belli between the nations thereafter (see notes National Intelligencer, 21 July, p. 3, col. 3; 25 July, p. 3, col. 2.