Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 8
1839-03-03
Snow but cleared off very cold. Exercises as usual. Evening at Edward Brooks’.
I spent half an hour this morning over my cabinet of Medals. Attended divine service and heard Dr. Frothingham preach from Luke 22. 8.9. “And he sent Peter and John saying Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.” A communion sermon. I noticed that the Dr. in his prayer alluded to the threatening political appearances of the day. What a nation of excitements are these United States! Two weeks ago and who would have earned any but a character of a madman in proclaiming the least possible chance of war. Now it is so familiar an idea as to call forth a prayer to Heaven to avert it. I cannot yet persuade myself there is danger, but I find myself very ill informed of the true merits of the question.
Afternoon, I Kings 17. 14. “For thus
Read a sermon of Tillotson. Psalm 119. 60. “I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” Immediate obedience inculcated with calmness and good sense. Evening to see Edward Brooks and his Wife. Found there Dr. Bigelow. Conversation, the frontier question and the fancy ball.
1839-03-04
Very cold. Distribution as usual. Evening at home.
At the Office as usual. Much of my time taken up in examining the question of the boundary which excites such deep interest at the moment. Read the greater part of the Report of the Legislative Committee of this State upon it at the last Session which gives the substance of the question, and I think it pretty conclusive. The debates in both houses are very spirited but unanimous and as usual I see much conceded to my father’s position the moment difficulty occurs.1
Antigone. Crevier and Gibbon. Evening after reading French with my Wife, continued Burr. But my style is slovenly. G. Gorham here.
The long-standing dispute with Great Britain over the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick had reached a level of crisis in consequence of recent intransigent assertions of jurisdiction by both claimants to the territory. The Maine legislature had addressed appeals to the federal government to assert the national interest and to the Massachusetts legislature to support Maine’s case in Congress. After lengthy debate, the legislature in Boston enacted four resolves addressed to Massachusetts’ senators and representatives for presentation to Congress entirely supportive of Maine’s case and opposing submission of the quarrel to outside arbitration. Of the four resolves, the first was passed unanimously, the third and fourth by votes of 28 to 1. Significant opposition was encountered only in the vote on the second, which asserted that “the active measures authorized by the Maine legislature ... were required by the exigencies of the case.” In the course of the debate reliance was placed upon President Adams’ message to Congress in 1828 in which he held that “the claim of exclusive jurisdiction [in the disputed territory] on the part of Great Britain is incompatible with the understanding between the two governments.” What JQA’s position would be on the resolves when presented is not clear (Daily Advertiser, 28 Feb., p. 2, col. 3; 4 March, p. 1, cols. 5–6; JQA, Memoirs
, 9:542).
1839-03-05
Still cold. Time according to custom. Evening at Dr. Frothingham’s. At the Office, I went on with the examination of the papers re-198specting the frontier and obtained a pretty clear notion of the points of controversy. They are very certainly with the United States but the adherence of the British to their side of the matter and the pertinacity with which they have continued to support their claim and push it whenever they reasonably could make the chance of amicable settlement more doubtful than I had supposed. God only knows what the result will be. I cannot believe it will be a war.
Home. Antigone. After dinner, Crevier, the Roman Empire in its decay—Gallienus, Claudius, and Aurelian—still some vigour left. Went in the evening to see Dr. and Mrs. Frothingham and we had a pleasant conversation. Afterwards, creeping with Burr.