John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

12. V. Thursday.

I had visits by Cards from James Fenimore Cooper the Novelist, and from Captain Shubrick of the Navy. After the presentation of Petitions, the question pending yesterday at the adjournment on Polk’s motion to reconsider the vote referring the Report of the Secretary of the Treasury upon the removal of the Deposits to the Committee of the whole on the State of the Union was taken up; and a long Speech was made by Chilton of Kentucky against the motion— He was followed, by Polk, M’Duffie, Cambreleng, Binney, and finally by M’Kinley of Alabama, and Wayne of Georgia, who closed a long Speech not very fairly by moving the previous question. It is not fair because the man who makes it secures the delivery of his own Speech, and cuts off the opportunity of the adverse party to answer him. The question was taken by Yeas and Nays—104 to 107 So that there was not a second— The House then adjourned after an ineffectual attempt by Mr Burges to move an adjournment over to Monday.— I called at Mr Rembrandt Peale’s, and informed him that as the House would be in Session to-morrow, I could not give him a sitting for my Picture; but promised to call for a short time before the Meeting of the House— His Collection of Pictures of his own painting is pleasant. One of them a very good copy of Raphaël’s Madonna of the Chair; a Picture which I always delight to see— There were also several Portraits—one of Rammohun Roy the Hindu Christian recently deceased in England. Peale said he painted it, but a few days before his Death— Also a Portrait of Mrs Oliver, a fat Poetess— I could not write this Evening— The Senate yesterday at the motion of Mr Clay, sent a Message to the President, asking a copy of his written communication, to his Cabinet made on the 18th. of September last, about the removal of the Deposits from the United States Bank; and he has sent them this morning a flat refusal— There is a tone of insolence and insult in his intercourse with both Houses of Congress, especially since his re-election, which never was witnessed between the Executive and the Legislature before— The domineering tone has heretofore been usually on the side of the Legislative bodies to the Executive, and Clay has not been sparing in the use of it— He is now paid in his own coin.