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THE    DIARY 


PHILIP   HONE 


1828-18P 


EDITED,   WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION 


BAYARD     TUCKERMAN 


NEW      YORK 

DODD,     MEAD     AND      COMPANY 

1910 


Copyright,    1SS9 
Bv  DODD,  MEAD   ct   COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved 


INTRODUCTION 


"PHILIP  HONE  was  born  on  the  25th  of  October,  1780,  in 
-^  Dutch  street,  New  York.  Four  years  later  his  father  bought 
a  wooden  house,  on  the  corner  of  Dutch  and  John  streets,  where 
Philip  passed  his  boyhood.  He  received  a  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  at  seventeen  years  of  age  began  his  mercantile  career  as 
clerk  to  his  elder  brother  John.  The  business  was  that  of  an  auc- 
tioneer, which,  at  that  time,  consisted  chiefly  in  selling  the  cargoes 
brought  to  the  port  of  New  York  by  the  fleet  of  American  merchant- 
men. Philip  displayed  so  much  ability  and  fidelity  in  his  work, 
that  in  1799,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  his  brother  took  him 
into  partnership.  The  firm  became  extremely  prosperous,  and 
bore  an  honoured  name  throughout  the  United  States.  On  the 
ist  of  October,  1801,  in  his  twenty-second  year,  Mr.  Hone  mar- 
ried Catherine  Dunscomb,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

In  1820,  Mr.  Hone,  although  only  forty  years  of  age,  had  accu- 
mulated a  fortune  then  considered  very  large.  His  mature  life  still 
lay  before  him,  and  the  choice  was  open  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
it  should  be  spent.  With  no  love  of  money  for  money's  sake,  with 
a  sincere  desire  to  improve  himself  and  to  be  useful  to  others,  he 
retired  from  business,  in  the  flood- tide  of  his  powers  and  his  pros- 
perity, to  enter  a  higher  sphere  of  effort. 

In  1821  he  sailed  for  Europe  in  the  "James  Monroe,"  Captain 
Rogers,  of  four  hundred  tons  burden.  This  journey  to  foreign 
lands  made  a  deep  impression,  and  strengthened  his  determination 
to  devote  his  energies  to  self-cultivation  and  to  objects  of  public 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

interest.  Immediately  after  his  return,  he  purchased  the  house, 
No.  235  Broadway,  just  below  the  corner  of  Park  place,  for  ^25,000. 
This  house  was  one  of  the  largest  private  residences  in  the  city, 
and  was  pointed  out  to  strangers  as  an  object  of  civic  pride.  Its 
windows  looked  out  upon  the  City  Hall  Park,  then  the  principal  park 
in  New  York,  surrounded  by  a  fence  of  wooden  palings,  and  consid- 
ered up  town.  When  installed  in  his  new  house,  Mr.  Hone  began 
his  career  of  social  and  public-spirited  activity.  The  most  able 
and  influential  men  in  New  York  were  his  constant  guests.  Men 
from  other  States,  such  as  Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay,  Harrison 
Gray  Otis,  made  his  house  their  rendezvous  while  passing  through 
the  city.  Foreigners  of  note,  such  as  Lord  Morpeth,  Fanny 
Kemble,  Captain  Marryat,  John  Gait,  Charles  Dickens,  met  with 
a  hearty  welcome.  As  his  children  grew  up  the  house  became  a 
resort  for  the  young  people  ;  and  it  was  an  ordinary  question  for  the 
beaux  and  belles  walking  on  Broadway  :  *'  Shall  we  meet  to-night  at 
Mr.  Hone's,  or  at  Dr.  Hosack's?"  —  these  being  the  two  houses 
in  town  most  constantly  open. 

In  1824  Mr.  Hone  was  elected  an  assistant  alderman,  which 
office  he  held  until  1826,  when  he  became  Mayor.  His  adminis- 
tration of  the  affairs  of  the  city  was  characterized  by  an  intelligent 
public  spirit,  untrammelled  by  party  ;  and  his  mayoralty,  praise- 
worthy as  it  was  for  the  wise  performance  of  duty,  was  especially 
distinguished  in  the  annals  of  New  York  municipal  government  by 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Hone  represented  the  city  socially  as  well  as  po- 
litically. He  entertained  officially ;  and  visiting  strangers  during 
his  term  enjoyed  a  hospitality  which  reflected  credit  upon  the  whole 
community. 

In  18 16  was  established  the  first  bank  for  savings.  This,  the 
best  of  all  philanthropic  institutions,  had  immediately  enlisted  Mr. 
Hone's  cooperation.  On  its  foundation  he  was  appointed  a  trustee 
by  the  Legislature,  and  he  continued  his  gratuitous  labours  on  be- 
half of  the  bank  for  more  than  thirty  years,  becoming  its  president 
m  1 84 1.     For  twenty-one  years  he   served  as  a  governor  of  the 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

New  York  Hospital  and  as  a  trustee  of  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum. 
He  ceased  to  occupy  these  positions  only  when  rendered  ineligible 
by  his  appointment  by  the  Governor  of  the  Stale  as  an  inspector 
of  all  public  institutions.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Clinton  Hall 
Association  and  of  the  Mercantile  Library  xA.ssociation,  of  which  he 
continued  to  be  the  president  for  many  years.  Other  institutions 
and  corporations  of  which  IMr.  Hone  was  an  officer  for  considerable 
periods  are  as  follows  :  Trustee  of  Columbia  College,  of  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Company,  of  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change ;  president  of  the  American  Exchange  Bank,  of  the  Glen- 
ham  Manufacturing  Company ;  vice-president  of  the  Institution 
for  the  Instruction  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  of  the  American 
Seamen's  Fund  Society,  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  of 
the  Fuel  Savings  Society ;  a  director  in  the  Matteawan  Cotton 
and  Machine  Company,  the  Eagle  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the, 
National  Insurance  Company,  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company ;  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  the  Vestry 
of  Trinity  Church ;  a  manager  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical 
Society,  of  the  Mechanics  and  Scientific  Association ;  president  of 
the  German  Society ;  a  founder  and  a  governor  of  the  Union  Club. 
By  his  labours  on  behalf  of  the  insurance  and  manufacturing  com- 
panies, and  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal,  which  first  connected 
the  coal-fields  of  Pennsylvania  with  tide-water,  Mr.  Hone  kept 
abreast  of  the  industrial  interests  of  the  country.  The  positions 
held  by  him  in  philanthropic  institutions  were  never  treated  as 
honorary  titles.  In  each  case  he  worked  with  the  same  assiduity 
that  a  man  could  apply  to  his  own  business.  An  ordinary  day's  oc- 
cupation for  him  was  to  ride  out  on  horseback  to  the  Bloomingdale 
Asylum,  to  return  and  pass  the  afternoon  at  the  Bank  for  Savings, 
thence  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Trinity  Vestry,  or  to  preside  over 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association  He  was  never  voluntarily 
absent  from  a  meeting  where  the  interests  of  others  demanded  his 
presence,  and  many  were  the  good  dinners  which  he  lost  in  conse- 
quence. 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

In  1837,  the  encroachments  of  trade  upon  the  buildings  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  City  Hall  Park  made  Mr.  Hone's  house  there  less 
desirable  as  a  place  of  residence.  He  sold  it,  and  built  the  house 
at  the  south-east  corner  of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  then 
the  ui)per  limit  of  the  city,  where  he  lived  during  the  remainder  of 
liis  life.  The  front  room  on  the  ground  floor,  now  occupied  by 
the  East  River  Bank,  was  liis  library,  and  there  the  greater  part 
of  his  Diary  was  written. 

During  the  prolonged  period  of  commercial  depression,  which 
began  with  the  attacks  of  President  Jackson  upon  the  Bank  of  the 
United  States  in  i<S36,  Mr.  Hone  met  with  financial  losses,  in  con- 
sequence of  assistance  extended  by  him  to  others,  which  com- 
jielled  him  to  return  to  active  business.  He  became  president 
of  the  American  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  which  was  ruined  by 
the  great  fire  of  July  19,  1845,  and  the  affairs  of  which  he  wound 
up  as  receiver.  In  recognition  of  the  courageous  and  honourable 
manner  in  which  he  had  met  his  reverses,  a  number  of  leading 
merchants  placed  in  the  Mercantile  Library  a  marble  bust  of  Mr. 
Hone,  which  Clevenger  began  and  Powers  finished.  In  1849  he 
was  appointed  Naval  Officer  of  the  port  of  New  York  by  President 
Taylor,  which  office  he  held  during  the  short  remainder  of  his 
life. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Hone  was  first  a  Federalist,  and  afterwards  a 
Whig,  ha\ing  given  its  name  to  the  latter  party.  The  Jackson 
administration,  characterized  as  it  was  by  unwarrantable  assump- 
tion of  power  by  the  Executive  and  a  cringing  party  subserviency, 
excited  his  detestation  ;  and  he  was  an  important  factor  in  the 
great  campaign  which  ended  in  the  election  of  General  Harrison. 
He  was  an  able  speaker,  and  his  services  were  called  into  rec^uisi- 
tion  at  all  times  of  public  commotion.  He  presided  with  success 
at  party  conventions,  where  his  fine  presence,  strong  voice,  and 
dignified  language  swayed  and  moderated  great  assemblages. 

He  had  personal  gifts  which  extended  the  influence  due  to  his 
character.     Tall  and  spare,  his  bearing  was  distinguished,  his  face 


INTRODUCTION.  vii 

handsome  and  refined ;  his  manners  were  courtly,  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "  old  school ;  "  his  tact  was  great,  —  he  had  a  faculty 
for  saying  the  right  thing.  In  his  own  house  his  hospitality  was 
enhanced  by  a  graceful  urbanity  and  a  ready  wit.  He  was  fond 
of  riding  on  horseback,  always  had  a  spirited  horse,  and  for  many 
years  his  figure  was  a  familiar  sight  as  he  rode  up  and  down 
Broadway.  His  popularity  as  a  diner-out  is  sufficiently  illustrated 
in  the  pages  of  the  Diary,  and  is  well  remembered  through  the 
institution  of  the  Hone  Club. 

Mr.  Hone's  taste  for  literature  and  the  arts  was  self-cultivated. 
With  few  advantages  in  early  life,  he  owed  his  education  to  his 
own  efforts.  He  was  an  assiduous  reader  of  serious  books,  the 
contents  of  which  he  impressed  on  his  mind  by  copying  striking 
passages  in  his  common- place  book,  with  comments  of  his  own. 
He  took  every  opportunity  of  seeing  good  pictures,  and  obtained 
an  artistic  judgment  by  the  same  system  of  self- instruction  which 
he  applied  to  literature.  Authors  and  painters  were  frequent 
guests  at  his  table,  and  not  a  few  were  assisted  by  him.  He  was 
much  interested  in  the  drama,  owned  a  box  at  the  Park  Theatre ; 
and  when  actors  like  Matthews,  Kemble,  or  the  elder  Wallack 
were  playing  in  New  York,  they  always  enjoyed  his  hospitality. 

As  a  merchant,  distinguished  for  intelligence  and  integrity ;  as  an 
enlightened  philanthropist,  as  a  public- spirited  citizen  and  a  social 
leader,  Mr.  Hone  took  pleasure  in  recording  the  events  which  took 
place  under  his  eyes  during  the  first  half  of  the  present  century. 
He  saw  New  York  grow  from  a  town  of  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants into  a  city  of  five  hundred  thousand ;  he  saw  the  residence 
portion  of  the  city  extend  up  Broadway  to  Union  square,  up  Fifth 
avenue  as  far  as  Twentieth  street.  And  in  this  enormous  growth 
and  all  the  changes  which  it  involved,  he  had  borne  an  influential 
part.  He  had  been  an  American  who  recognized  no  division  of 
North  and  South,  and  a  Knickerbocker  who  gloried  in  the  progress 
of  his  native  city.  In  1847  he  made  a  journey  into  the  far  West, 
the  hardships  of  which   brought  on  an  illness  from  which  he  never 


Viii  INTRODUCTION. 

fully  recovered.       In  1850  he  lost  his  wife,  and  on  the  4th  of  May, 
1851,  he  died,  in  his  seventy-first  year. 


On  the  termination  of  his  mayoralty,  in  1827,  Mr.  Hone  began 
to  keep  a  record  of  various  events,  chiefly  of  a  business  and  per- 
sonal description,  for  convenience  of  reference,  rather  than  as  a 
literary  occupation.  But  his  interest  in  the  life  of  his  day,  com- 
bined with  a  natural  gift  for  expression  which  demanded  gratifi- 
cation, caused  this  record  gradually  to  assume  a  more  elaborate 
character.  In  May,  1828,  he  found  that  he  had  only  to  go  a  step 
further  to  convert  his  common-place  book  into  a  diary,  and  this 
step  he  determined  to  take.  During  the  rest  of  his  life  the  Diary 
became  his  favourite  exercise  and  relaxation.  He  devoted  an 
hour  or  more  daily  to  chronicling  events  of  interest,  to  comments 
on  politics,  literature,  art,  the  drama,  or  industrial  subjects.  He 
wrote  without  any  view  to  publication.  His  thoughts  were  put 
down  as  they  occurred  to  him,  without  previous  preparation  or  sub- 
sequent correction.  Their  expression  was  the  pleasurable  one  of 
an  active  mind  which  is  relieved  by  giving  form  to  ideas.  The 
keeping  of  the  Diary  became  a  rooted  habit ;  so  that,  when  infirmity 
had  curtailed  other  occupations,  he  adhered  to  this  one  almost  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  The  somewhat  fragmentary  character  of  a 
common-place  book  is  discernible  in  the  beginning  of  the  Diary ; 
but  the  reader  will  perceive  a  steady  improvement  as  regards  both 
style  and  continuity. 

In  its  original  form,  the  Diary  consists  of  twenty-eight  quarto 
volumes,  closely  written  on  both  sides  of  the  page.  Not  more  than 
a  (piarter  of  the  work  is  now  published.  Mr.  Hone  made  ex- 
tended comments  on  new  books,  with  extracts  from  them;  he 
made  summaries  of  the  foreign  news  brought  by  the  packet-ships ; 
he  kept  records  of  political  statistics  and  local  political  meetings  ;  he 
copied  extracts  from  the  speeches  of  public  men  and  periodical 
articles  of  interest  at  that  time  ;   he  kept  a  record  of  the  journeys 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

which  he  took  about  the  country  on  business  or  for  pleasure.  Such 
subjects  as  the  above  have  been  omitted  or  abridged.  The  por- 
tions of  the  Diary  relating  to  industrial  changes,  to  political  and 
social  life,  to  public  men  and  other  individuals  of  note,  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  city  of  New  York,  have  been  retained  as  far  as  allowed 
by  the  limits  of  the  two  volumes  here  presented. 

Bayard  Tuckerman. 


PART    I 


THE    DIARY 


OF 


PHILIP   HONE 


1828 

SUNDAY,  May  18.  —  The  tariff  bill,  having  been  returned  from 
the  Senate,  passed  by  that  body  with  various  amendments, 
was  finally  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives  on  Thursday 
last.  This  bill  has  been  warmly  discussed,  and  has  caused  great 
excitement.  It  increases  the  duties  on  all  those  descriptions 
of  manufactured  goods  imported  from  foreign  countries  which 
are  supposed  to  come  into  competition  with  our  manufactures. 
The  success  of  this  measure  will  be  considered  a  triumph  of 
the  manufacturing  over  the  mercantile  interest.  Some  of  the 
Southern  States  view  it  as  hostile  to  their  prosperity,  and  I  much 
fear  it  will  lead  to  violent  measures  among  some  of  the  political 
Hotspurs  of  that  sanguine  portion  of  our  fellow-citizens. 

Ballston  Springs,  Saturday,  July  26.  —  Mr.  Stevenson  told  me 
the  following  anecdote  of  Tecumseh,  which  was  related  to  him  by 
General  Harrison,  and  which  is  descriptive  of  the  Indian's  roman- 
tic character  and  sublime  sentiments.  When  General  Harrison, 
at  that  time  Governor  of  the  Indian  Territory,  was  engaged  with 
the  chief  in  making   the  treaty  of   Vincennes,  a  misunderstand- 


2  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLll' .  JIONE.  [.Klat.48. 

ing  occurred,  and  Tecumseh  gave  the  (jeneral  the  he.  The 
General  was  very  in(hgnant,  and  was  with  difficulty  restrained 
from  chastising  him  on  tlie  spot ;  this,  liowcvcr,  would  have 
been  attended  with  conseciuences  fatal  to  the  pending  negoti- 
ation, and  he  was  prevailed  ui)on  to  signify  to  him  through  the 
interpreter  that  his  offence  was  forgiven,  and  that  he  was  allowed 
the  privilege  of  being  seated  in  the  i)resence  of  the  Governor, 
his  great  father.  The  haughty  chief,  throwing  himself  on  the 
ground,  replied  with  scorn  and  indignation,  "  I  have  no  father 
but  the  glorious  Sun ;  the  Earth  is  my  mother,  and  I  will  repose 
upon  her  bosom." 

Albany,  Tuesday,  Sept.  2. —  After  seeing  three  of  my  chil- 
dren, with  the  horses  and  carriage,  under  way  in  the  safety  barge 
"  Lady  Clinton  "  for  New  York,  we  started  at  ten  o'clock  in  an 
extra  stage  for  Boston,  by  the  way  of  Lebanon,  Northampton, 
etc.  We  gave  seventy  dollars  f  )r  tlie  coach  to  convey  the  party 
of  seven  persons  to  Boston. 

Thursday,  Sept.  4.  —  Left  Lebanon  after  breakfast.  To  Pittsfield, 
seven  miles ;  to  Hinsdale,  nine  ;  to  Peru,  four,  where  we  dined ; 
to  Worthington,  a  neat,  pretty  little  town,  six  ;  to  Chesterfield,  six, 
where  we  lodged. 

Friday,  Sepi.  5 .  —  Fine  westerly  wind  and  clear  weather.  We 
left  Chesterfield  after  breakfast  and  came  to  Northampton,  thirteen 
miles.  P^verything  looks  delightful  in  this  most  beautiful  town, 
which  has  improved  much.  We  visited  in  the  afternoon  the  Round 
Hill  School,  and  were  politely  entertained  by  Mr.  Bancroft.  In 
the  evening  we  went  to  a  pleasant  party  at  Mrs.  Henry  Gary's,  of 
New  York,  who  has  been  passing  the  summer  in  this  place. 

Sunday,  Sept.  7.  —  To  Spencer,  seven  miles;  to  Leicester,  five; 
to  Worcester,  six,  to  breakfast.  Worcester  is  one  of  the  finest 
towns  in  Massachusetts,  and  much  improved  within  a  few  years. 
It  is  the  residence  of  Governor  Lincoln.  The  lilackstone  canal 
commences  at  Worcester.  To  Needham,  eight  miles  ;  to  Newton, 
four;  to  Boston,  by  Brighton,  nine.     We  entered  the  city  by  the 


l828.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  3 

Mill  Dam  road,  about  six  o'clock,  of  a  most  beautiful  Sunday 
afternoon.  I  shall  never  forget  the  delightful  impression  I  received 
from  this  entree.     We  took  lodgings  at  Mrs.  Lekain's,  Pearl  street. 

Boston,  Monday,  Sept.  8.  —  After  breakfast  I  commenced  my 
Boston  rambles,  and  saw  most  of  the  lions  of  this  fine  city.  Mr. 
Quincy,  the  Mayor,  took  us  through  the  new  market- house,  which 
is  his  hobby,  and  well  worth  seeing.  The  length  of  this  splendid 
receptacle  of  beef,  poultry,  and  potatoes  is  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  feet,  its  width  fifty  feet,  and  the  improvement  of  the  vicinity 
consequent  upon  its  erection  renders  it  an  object  of  admiration. 
We  visited  Faneuil  Hall,  the  armory,  the  noble  art  museum,  its 
exhibition  room  (where  at  present  is  exhibited  a  collection  of 
Stuart's  portraits,  for  the  benefit  of  his  family),  the  new  hotel 
building  at  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  School  streets,  the  docks, 
etc.  After  dinner,  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis  called  and  took  me  out  to 
Quincy  to  visit  the  President,  but  we  found  that  he  had  departed 
suddenly  this  afternoon  for  Washington.  We  had,  however,  a 
pleasant  ride,  saw  the  Quincy  railroad  and  quarry  of  granite,  and 
returned  to  town  by  the  way  of  Roxbury.  In  the  evening  I  went 
for  a  short  time  to  the  theatre  in  Tremont  street ;  a  handsome 
theatre,  but  not  a  first-rate  company. 

Thursday,  Sept.  i  i.  —  We  rode  out  after  dinner  with  the  Mayor 
to  see  Quincy,  etc.  The  railroad  and  granite  quarry  are  objects 
of  great  curiosity,  and  are  now  in  fine  operation.  On  our  return 
from  the  quarry  we  stopped  to  see  a  handsome  edifice  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Quincy,  —  a  new  meeting-house,  nearly  finished.  It  is  a 
beautiful  piece  of  architecture,  and  its  massy  columns  of  granite 
are  probably  the  best  specimens  of  that  fine  material  which  have 
yet  been  brought  into  use.  They  are  single  shafts,  formed  each 
of  an  entire  block,  very  perfect,  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and 
twelve  feet  eight  inches  in  circumference.  We  took  tea  with  Mrs. 
Quincy,  and  returned  to  Boston  in  the  evening. 

Friday,  Sept.  12.  —  This  morning  was  employed  in  a  visit  with 
Mr.  Otis  to  the  City  Hospital,  and  to  the  hospital  for  lunatics  at 


4  THE   DIARY   OF    PIIILTP   HONE."  [/Ktat.  48. 

Lechmorc  Point.  The  last-named  establishment  occupies  a  large 
house,  formerly  the  residence  of  Mr.  Barrell,  to  which  spacious  wings 
have  been  added,  and  several  court-yards  for  the  recreation  of  the 
patients.  The  arrangement  of  these  courts  and  of  the  buildings 
admits  of  a  classification  of  the  patients,  which  has  been  much 
wanted  in  our  asylum  at  IMoomingdale.  I  dined  with  an  agreeable 
party  at  Mr.  Otis's,  and  in  the  evening  accompanied  my  daughter 
to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Otis's,  and  another  party  at  Mrs.  Derby's. 

Sunday,  Sept.  14.  —  Went  to  St.  Paul's  Church  in  the  forenoon, 
and  heard  a  sermon  from  Mr.  Alonzo  Potter,  the  pastor  of  that 
church.  This  gendeman  is  son-in-law  to  Dr.  Nott,  President  of 
Union  College.  After  dinner  we  rode  out  to  Colonel  Perkins's, 
at  Brookline,  where  we  took  tea ;  and  in  the  evening  went  to 
Mr.  Otis's.  Colonel  Perkins  has  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the 
neighbourhood ;  his  wall  fruit  and  grapery  are  justly  celebrated, 
and  are  now  in  great  perfection. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  16.  —  We  went  on  an  excursion  to  Waltham, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilden  and  Mr.  Payne ;  visited  the 
celebrated  seat  and  ground  of  Mr.  Lyman,  and  the  splendid  man- 
sion of  the  late  Governor  Gore,  where  we  were  kindly  received  and 
entertained  by  Mrs.  Gore.  This  great  man  has  been  dead  eighteen 
months,  and  his  widow  has  lived  in  retirement  ever  since.  I  dined 
at  Gen.  Theodore  Lyman's,  who  lives  in  very  handsome  style,  and 
has  the  best  library  I  have  seen  in  Boston.  Passed  the  evening 
with  a  party  at  Mrs.  Cunningham's.  This  lady,  who  is  lately 
married,  is  the  daughter  of  Rufus  Amory. 

Friday,  Sept.  19. — We  started  for  Providence  at  twelve 
o'clock ;  came  to  Dedham,  ten  miles,  to  dinner.  A  fine  morn- 
ing, with  fair  wind,  made  the  latter  j^art  of  our  voyage  very 
pleasant,  and  we  arrived  in  New  York  at  twelve  o'clock  noon, 
having  performed  the  voyage  from  Providence  in  seventeen 
hours  and  a  half. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  15.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us: 
Lord  Bishop  Inglis,  of  Nova  Scotia,  his  lady,  and  two  daughters ; 


i828.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  5 

Mr.  R.  Cochran,  Mr.  Henry  Hone,  Mr.  H.  Brevoort,  Mr.  D. 
Lynch,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.  Astor,  Mr.  C.  and  Miss  Brugiere, 
Mr.  Eugene  Cruger.  Declined  :  Dr.  Wainvvright  and  lady.  Bishop 
Hobart,  Chancellor  and  Mrs.  Kent,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  S.  Hone, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Hamilton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Ludlow, 
Rev.  Mr.  Schroeder. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  5.  —  Mrs.  Montgomery,  widow  of  General 
Montgomery,  died  this  day  at  her  residence  on  the  North  river, 
aged  eighty-six  years. 

Saturday,  Nov.  8.  —  This  being  the  day  fixed  upon  for  the 
delivery  of  Dr.  Hosack's  eulogium  on  the  character  of  the  late 
Governor  Clinton,  which  was  prepared  at  the  joint  request  of  the 
Committee  of  Citizens  and  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society, 
I  formed  one  of  a  large  collection  of  gentlemen  who  assembled  at 
the  City  Hall  and  walked  in  procession  to  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church.  The  doctor's  oration  or  memoir  was  extremely  interest- 
ing, and  secured  the  attention  of  a  highly  respectable  audience 
during  the  whole  of  its  delivery,  which  occupied  two  hours  and  a 
quarter,  although  he  left  out  one-half  of  that  which  he  had  pre- 
pared. This  part  will  be  restored  in  the  publication  of  the  work, 
and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Dr.  Hosack  will  add  to  his  literary 
reputation  by  this  elaborate  and  able  production. 

Friday,  Nov.  14. — Visited  the  Asylum  this  morning,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Richards ;  dined  with  Mr.  D.  S.  Jones.  On  my 
return  home,  the  Bishop,  who  had  made  an  appointment  with  me 
at  Mr.  Jones's,  called  at  my  house  and  proposed  in  confidence 
the  plan  of  a  cathedral  to  be  erected  on  Washington  Square. 
The  idea  of  a  magnificent  diocesan  church  is  a  very  imposing  one, 
and  strikes  my  mind  favourably,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  location 
suggested  by  the  Bishop  is  the  best  in  the  city,  and  can  be  ob- 
tained at  a  moderate  price.  Independently  of  the  advantages 
which  our  church  would  derive  from  such  an  establishment,  the 
erection  of  such  an  edifice  would  improve  the  property  in  its 
vicinity  and  render  the  square  the  most  desirable  residence  in  the 


6  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLll'   IIOxNE.  [/Ktat.  4S. 

city.  But  where  is  the  money,  where  the  public  spirit,  where 
the  liberaHty,  to  carry  such  a  noble  plan  into  execution?  Above 
all,  who  will  take  a  lead  in  it  ?  I  cannot ;  I  am  already  engaged 
in. more  business  of  this  kind  than  I  can  do  justice  to,  and  it  has 
been  my  fate  to  be  so  often  repulsed  by  the  cold,  calculating  ob- 
jections of  that  portion  of  my  fellow-citizens  who  have  the  ability 
to  promote  objects  of  public  improvement,  that  I  am  discouraged 
from  attempting  again  to  encounter  them.  I  note  in  this  place 
the  conference  above  mentioned,  as  it  is  possible  that  this  glorious 
project  may,  one  of  these  days,  be  carried  into  effect,  and  I 
believe  this  is  the  first  time  it  has  ever  been  hinted.  Riding  home 
from  Mr.  Jones's  with  Mr.  Martin  Van  Buren,  the  governor-elect, 
I  took  occasion  to  interest  him  in  the  subject  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  canal,  and  hope  he  may  be  induced  to  direct,  in  his  in- 
augural message,  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  to  this  object. 

Saturday,  Dec.  6.  —  Chancellor  Kent  delivered  an  address  this 
day  before  the  Historical  Society,  —  a  most  beautiful  production, 
interesting  in  its  details,  affecting  and  impressive  in  its  style,  and 
read  in  a  chaste  and  elegant  manner.  By  the  exertions  of  a  few 
individuals  this  society  has  been  resuscitated,  its  affairs  relieved 
from  embarrassment,  the  valuable  library  rescued  from  the  neglect 
and  confusion  in  which  it  has  lain  for  years,  the  apartments  cleaned 
and  beautified,  and  the  whole  rendered  entirely  worthy  of  the 
patronage  and  support  of  the  public.  These  important  changes 
have  been  principally  effected  by  the  zeal,  industry,  and  good 
taste  of  Mr.  John  Delafield,  who  has,  for  several  months  past,  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  and  attention  to  that  object. 

Wp:dnesuay,  Dec.  to.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Goold  Hoyt,  and  in 
the  evening  attended,  in  the  circuit  court-room.  City  Hall,  Judge 
Betts's  introductory  lecture  to  a  course  of  commercial-law  lectures 
which  he  has  undertaken  to  deliver  at  the  request  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association.  The  sloop  "Toleration"  arrived  this  day 
from  Kingston  with  a  cargo  of  coal,  the  first-fruits  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  Hudson  canal. 


i828.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  *J 

Thursday,  Dec.  i  i  .  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Lenox,  and  in 
the  evening  Anthon,  Van  Schaick,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  and  their  wives 
supped  with  us. 

Monday,  Dec.  29.  —  The  new  Board  of  Common  Council  was 
organized  this  day,  and  proceeded  to  elect  a  Mayor  for  the  en- 
suing year.  The  following  was  the  result  of  the  first  ballot : 
For  Walter  Bowne,  25  ;  Peter  A.  Jay,  i  ;  Philip  Hone,  i.  Har- 
rison Gray  Otis  was  elected  a  few  days  since  to  the  office  of 
Mayor  of  Boston. 


THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    II(3NE.  [/Ktat.  49. 


1829. 

"XT  7EDNESDAY,  Jan.  14.  —  Being  engaged  from  eleven 
'  ^  o'clock  this  morning  until  nine  in  the  evening  as  a  juror 
on  a  difficult  cause,  I  was  prevented  from  dining  with  Mr.  James 
G.  King,  as  I  intended.  The  officers  of  the  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society  assembled  at  my  house  and  supped,  together  with 
Chancellor  Kent,  Dr.  Matthews,  Messrs.  Morse,  Cole,  and  Sullivan 
as  visitors.  My  detention  in  court  prevented  me  from  being  at 
home  when  the  company  assembled. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  20.  —  The  long-talked-of  fancy  ball  at  Mrs. 
Brugiere's  took  place  this  evening.  We  were  present,  and  much 
pleased.  A  large  proportion  of  the  company  went  in  character ; 
the  dresses  were  generally  appropriate,  some  of  them  exceedingly 
splendid,  and  many  of  the  characters  were  supported  with  much 
spirit.     The  rooms  were  crowded,  but  it  went  off  well. 

Friday,  Feb.  6.  —  I  dined  with  Isaac  S.  Hone.  In  the  evening 
attended  a  fancy  ball  at  Mrs.  Abraham  Schermerhorn's,  —  a  very 
splendid  and  delightful  affair. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  i  i  .  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Maitland, 
and  afterward  met  the  officers  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophi- 
cal Society,  and  supped  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wain- 
wright. 

Tuesday,  Feb.  17.  —  Died  this  morning,  Simon,  the  celebrated 
cook.  He  was  a  respectable  man,  who  has  for  many  years  been 
the  fashionable  cook  in  New  York,  and  his  loss  will  be  felt  on  all 
occasions  of  large  dinner  and  evening  parties,  unless  it  should  be 
found  that  some  suitable  shoulders  should  be  ready  to  receive  the 
mantle  of  this  distinguished  cuisinier. 

Wednesday,  April  i  .  —  A  lot  of  ground  on  the  west  side  of 
Broadway,  nearly  opposite  Bowling  Green,  and  next,  I  believe,  to 


1829.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  9 

Mr.  Brevoort's,  was  sold  at  auction  this  day  for  ^19,500.  Lot 
about  forty-four  feet  by  one  hundred  and  eighteen. 

Monday,  April  6.  —  This  is  the  commencement  of  the  second 
volume  of  my  diary,  which  I  began  on  the  first  day  of  last  May, 
and  have  continued  since,  with  tolerable  regularity.  I  have  occa- 
sionally introduced  matters  of  trifling  importance,  and  have 
omitted  others  which  were  entitled  to  a  place  ;  but  the  employment 
has  afforded  me  some  pleasure,  and  after  its  use  shall  havp  become 
confirmed  by  longer  practice,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  more 
agreeable    and  exceedingly  useful. 

Saturday,  April  i  i  .  —  Weekly  attendance  at  the  Bloomingdale 
Asylum.  Dined  with  Mr.  G.  G.  Rowland,  where  I  met  Mr. 
Jonathan  Meredith,  of  Baltimore,  the  father  of  the  very  agreeable 
young  lady  whom  we  met  last  summer  at  the  Springs,  and  subse- 
quently at  Boston,  and  for  whom  it  is  a  little  expected  that  our 
host  of  to-day  has  conceived  a  tender  penchant. 

Monday,  April  13.  —  Went  with  my  wife  to  Wallack's  benefit  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  —  a  very  great  house.  The  play  was  "Julius 
Caesar  :  "  Brutus,  J.  Wallack;  Cassius,  H.  Wallack  ;  Marc  Antony, 
Hamblin ;  Portia,  Mrs.  Barnes ;  but  notwithstanding  this  strong 
cast,  it  went  off  heavily,  as  this  tragedy  (intrinsically  excellent  as  it 
is)  always  does. 

Monday,  April  20. —  I  saw  this  day  two  celebrated  personages, 
—  the  Indian  chief,  Red -Jacket,  and  the  original  of  the  Harvey 
Birch  of  Cooper's  "  Spy."  The  former  is  a  venerable-looking  old 
man,  with  gray  hair,  and  less  of  the  Indian  in  his  looks  and  counte- 
nance than  I  would  have  expected ;  and  the  latter  is  a  tall  old 
man,  who  looks  in  all  respects  the  character  which  he  has  been 
made  to  assume. 

Wednesday,  April  29.  —  Charles  Kneeland,  son  of  Mr.  Henry 
Kneeland,  was  married  this  evening  to  Joanna  Hone,  only  child  of 
my  deceased  nephew,  Philip  J.  Hone.  He  is  a  fine  young  man 
of  excellent  character,  and  the  union  promises  to  be  a  happy  one. 
The  wedding  was  celebrated  at  my  brother  John's.     A  large  party 


10  THE   DIARY    OF    I'lIILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  49. 

supped,  and  the  evening  was  passed  very  pleasantly  for  a  wedding 
party. 

Tuesday,  May  19.  —  The  venerable,  the  patriotic,  the  virtuous, 
John  Jay  died  on  Tuesday  last,  at  his  seat,  Bedford,  Westchester 
County,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  The  Supreme  Court 
(which  is  now  in  session)  adjourned  at  its  hour  of  oi)ening,  as  did 
the  other  courts  now  sitting.  This  delicate  mark  of  respect  was 
alike  honourable  to  the  feelings  of  the  gentlemen  constituting  the 
several  courts,  as  reverential  to  tlie  memory  of  the  illustrious  de- 
ceased. 

Wednesday,  May  27.  —  Immediately  after  dinner  at  home,  I 
took  Miss  Helen  Kane  to  the  ship-yards  to  witness  the  launch  of 
the  ship  "Erie,"  —  a  fine  vessel,  intended  as  one  of  the  Havre  line 
of  packets,  —  whence  I  went  to  Abeel  &  Dunscomb's  foundry  to 
meet  a  large  party  of  gentlemen  who  were  assembled  by  invitation 
to  see  one  of  the  new  locomotive  engines  in  operation,  which  was 
recently  imported  from  England  for  the  use  of  the  railroad  be- 
longing to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company. 

Thursday,  May  28.  —  The  second  locomotive  steam-engine 
which  was  imported  for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company 
was  set  in  operation  this  afternoon  at  the  works  of  the  Messrs. 
Kemble,  in  presence  of  a  large  number  of  gentlemen,  and  suc- 
ceeded as  well  as  the  one  I  saw  yesterday  at  Abeel  &  Dunscomb's. 

Saturday,  June  6.  —  I  accompanied  the  young  Count  Ney  and 
Count  Girardin  to  dine  with  Mr.  Prime  at  Hurl  Gate.  The  former 
gentleman  brought  me,  on  his  arrival  in  this  country,  a  letter  from 
General  Lafayette,  and  more  recently,  on  his  return  from  a  visit  to 
Count  Survilliers  (Joseph  Bonaparte),  a  letter  from  my  venerable 
friend.  Count  Real.  He  is  the  third  son  of  the  gallant  Marshal 
Ney,  Prince  of  Moskowa,  whose  brilliant  career  in  arms  and  un- 
happy death  have  rendered  him  distinguished  in  the  annals  of 
Europe.  The  count  is  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  is  said  to 
resemble  his  father.  The  Count  Girardin  was  a  distinguished 
officer  in  the  army  of  Bonaparte,  and  has  seen  much  service. 


1829.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  II 

Tuesday,  Aug.  4.^ — The  house  and  lot  No.  49  Wall  street, 
recently  occupied  by  the  Pacific  Insurance  Company,  twenty-nine 
feet  on  Wall  street,  and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  deep, 
was  sold  this  day  at  auction  to  Joel  Post  for  ^38,100. 

Friday,  Nov.  27.  —  The  Hon.  Bushrod  Washington,  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  died  yesterday 
at  the  Mansion  House  Hotel,  Philadelphia,  in  the  seventy-first  year 
of  his  age.  He  had  been  engaged  in  holding  the  Circuit  Court  in 
New  Jersey,  and  was  taken  ill  in  Philadelphia  on  his  return. 


THE   DIARY   OF   rillLir    HONE.  [/Ktat.  50. 


1830. 


T^RII^AY,  Feb.  5. — I  dined  with  Mr.  Charles  McEvers,  after 
■*-  which  I  attended  Professor  Renwick's  first  lecture  on  the 
steam-engine.  This  lecture  was  confined  to  the  doctrine  and  prin- 
ciples of  heat  and  its  application,  and  was  illustrated  by  many 
beautiful  experiments,  in  which  the  Professor  was  assisted  by  Dr. 
Eller.  Professor  Renwick's  clear,  familiar,  and  colloquial  manner 
of  lecturing  is  peculiarly  satisfactory  and  interesting,  and  ex- 
tremely well  calculated  to  impart  instruction  to  his  auditors.  The 
lecture  was  attended  by  a  large  and  respectable  auditory  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen. 

Thursday,  March  4.  —  Died  yesterday  morning.  Col.  Richard 
Piatt,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  This  gentleman  was  a  veteran  of 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  joined  the  army  in  1775  as  lieutenant 
in  Colonel  McDougal's  regiment,  was  in  the  army  which  invaded 
Canada  under  General  Schuyler,  was  acting  adjutant-general  under 
General  Montgomery  in  the  attack  upon  Quebec  on  the  31st  of 
December,  1775,  and  was  deputy  quartermaster-general  at  the 
surrender  of  the  British  army  under  Cornwallis  on  the  21st  of 
October,  1781. 

Tuesday,  March  9.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Gen- 
eral Lewis,  M.  Livingston,  G.  G.  Rowland,  George  Griffin,  P.  A. 
Jay,  R.  L.  Patterson,  A.  Schermerhorn,  President  W.  A.  Duer,  Mr. 
William  B.  Astor,  P.  G.  Stuyvesant,  Henry  Gary,  Chancellor  Kent, 
Henry  Hone,  Richard  C.  Derby,  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright. 

Friday,  March  12. — I  left  this  morning  on  an  excursion  to 
Washington  at  six  o'clock  precisely.  The  steamboat  "Thistle," 
belonging  to  the  Union  Line,  started  from  the  Battery,  arrived  at 
Bnmswick  before  ten,  and  the  passengers  started  immediately  in 
nine  post-coaches.     We   found  the  road  verv  fine,  and  took  the 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 3 

Steamboat  "  Swan  "  seven  miles  below  Trenton,  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania side  of  the  Delaware.  The  Union  Line  has  been  running 
only  nine  days.  It  is  exceedingly  well  conducted,  and  the  accom- 
modations by  land  and  water  are  very  good.  I  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia at  six  P.M.,  and  put  up  at  Head's  Mansion  House. 

Baltimore,  Sunday,  March  14. — The  steam-packet  was  to 
have  left  Philadelphia  at  six  o'clock  yesterday  morning,  but  did 
not  till  noon.  I  then  started,  and  arrived  at  Newcastle  on  the 
Delaware  at  half-past  four ;  from  thence  in  stages  to  French  Town, 
where  we  again  took  a  steamboat,  and  arrived  here  at  half-past  two 
this  morning.  I  am  very  pleasantly  lodged  at  Barnum's  Hotel, 
Monument  square.  The  Washington  monument  in  Howard  Park 
is  nearly  finished,  being  surmounted  by  the  figure  of  the  father  of 
his  country.  It  is  well  proportioned,  and  the  material  —  a  fine 
gray  granite  —  is  beautiful.  The  situation,  on  the  slope  of  a  hill, 
is  well  chosen  to  display  the  grandeur  and  simplicity  of  this  noble 
specimen  of  art. 

I  paid  this  morning  a  visit,  which  I  have  long  been  wishing  for, 
to  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll,  the  only  surviving  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  He  will  be  ninety-four  years  of  age 
next  September.  His  faculties  are  very  little  impaired,  except  his 
sight,  which  within  the  last  few  months  has  failed  a  little,  and  de- 
prives him  of  the  pleasure  of  reading  at  all  times,  which  he  has 
heretofore  enjoyed.  He  is  gay,  cheerful,  poHte,  and  talkative. 
He  described  to  me  his  manner  of  living :  he  takes  a  cold  bath 
every  morning  in  the  summer,  plunging  headlong  into  it ;  rides  on 
horseback  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  ;  drinks  water  at  dinner  ;  has 
never  drunk  spirituous  liquors  at  any  period  of  his  life,  but  drinks 
a  glass  or  two  of  Madeira  wine  every  day,  and  sometimes  cham- 
pagne and  claret ;  takes  as  much  exercise  as  possible  j  goes  to  bed 
at  nine  o'clock,  and  rises  before  day. 

Wednesday,  March  17. —  Continual  rain  during  the  day  con- 
fined me  to  the  house  until  noon.  I  then  walked  out  to  pay  a  few 
visits,  and    dined  with   a   very   agreeable    party   at    Mr.  Robert 


14  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  50. 

Gilmor's.  This  gentleman  lives  in  handsome  style ;  nobody  in 
America  gives  better  dinners  or  more  exquisite  wines.  His  collec- 
tion of  pictures  is  very  fine,  and  his  house  is  filled  with  specimens 
of  the  fine  arts  and  objects  of  taste  and  inrtu. 

Thursday,  March  18. — The  morning  being  fine,  Mr.  Brown, 
one  of  the  acting  directors  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
Company,  called  after  breakfast  to  take  me  out  to  see  the  com- 
mencement of  this  great  work,  which  is  the  cause  of  so  much  pride 
and  such  sanguine  expectations  to  the  Baltimoreans.  Besides  Mr. 
Brown  and  myself,  our  party  consisted  of  Professor  McVickarand  his 
daughter,  of  New  York  ;  Mr.  DeGraffe,  of  Schenectady  ;  Mr.  Derby 
and  two  other  Bostonians ;  and  Mr.  Meredith.  The  wind  being 
strong  from  the  north-west,  we  were  conveyed  with  great  rapidity 
a  short  distance  in  a  car  propelled  by  sails,  a  very  pleasant  mode 
of  travelling. 

Washington,  Sunday,  March  21.  —  I  left  Baltimore  after  break- 
fast, arrived  here  at  two  o'clock,  and  put  up  at  Gadsby's.  After 
dinner,  I  walked  with  Mr.  C.  P.  White,  member  of  Congress  from 
New  York,  nearly  to  Georgetown.  The  weather  is  remarkably  fine, 
and  I  met  many  of  my  acquaintances  in  my  walk. 

Monday,  March  22.  — I  called  upon  the  Secretary  of  State  this 
morning ;  also  upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Mr.  Berrien,  Attor- 
ney-General ;  Mr.  Huygens,  Minister  of  the  Netherlands ;  Mr. 
Vaughan,  British  Minister,  etc.  The  remainder  of  the  day  until 
dinner  was  occupied  at  the  Capitol.  The  Speaker  gave  me  the 
entree  to  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  Mr.  Web- 
ster to  the  Senate  and  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  adjourned  its 
session  while  I  was  present.  I  was  introduced  to  the  judges,  and 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  that  great  and 
good  man,  John  Marshall. 

Tuesday,  March  23.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Vaughan,  the  British 
Minister.  He  lives  in  handsome  style,  and  his  dinners  are  more 
recherche  than  those  of  any  other  person  here.  Our  party  consisted 
of  the  following   gentlemen :    Messrs.  Webster,  Tazewell,  Archer, 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 5 

McTavish,  Cambreling ;  Colonel  Drayton ;  Judge  Vanderpoel,  of 
New  York ;  Professor  McVickar ;  Baron  Stackelberg,  charge  from 
Sweden ;  Pedersen,  from  Denmark ;  Neiderstetter,  from  Prussia ; 
Tacon,  Minister  Resident  of  Spain ;  Mr.  Bankhead,  British  Secre- 
tary of  Legation ;  and  Count  de  Menon,  charge  of  France. 

Wednesday,  March  24.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Webster,  where  I 
met  General  Harrison  ;  Governor  Tyler,  of  Virginia  ;  Mr.  Edward 
Everett  and  Mr.  Silsbee,  of  Massachusetts ;  Mr.  Grundy,  of  Ten- 
nessee ;  Count  de  Menon ;  Mr.  Vaughan ;  Mr.  Devereux )  Professor 
McVickar,  his  daughter,  etc. 

Thursday,  March  25.  —  I  called  this  morning  with  Mr.  Webster 
to  visit  Mr.  Adams,  late  President.  His  health  and  spirits  are 
good,  and  we  paid  an  agreeable  visit. 

Friday,  March  26. —  I  passed  two  or  three  hours  this  morning 
in  returning  visits,  after  which  I  went  to  the  House.  No  business 
of  importance  is  under  consideration,  but  I  have  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  talking  with  all  the  leading  members.  I  infer  from  what  I 
hear  that  the  administration  is  losing  ground.  The  proscriptive 
course  which  has  been  pursued  in  relation  to  removals  and  appoint- 
ments has  served  to  cool  their  friends  and  to  exasperate  their  ene- 
mies, and  the  difficulties  which  exist  in  the  Senate  in  regard  to 
several  important  nominations  is  considered  an  indication  of  public 
opinion.  If  Jackson  succeeds  for  another  term,  it  will  be  owing  to 
the  difficulty  of  agreeing  upon  his  successor,  rather  than  to  the 
popularity  of  his  administration.  If  DeWitt  Clinton  had  lived, 
what  a  chance  New  York  would  now  have  had  for  a  President  !  As 
it  is,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Van  Buren  is  the  prominent  candi- 
date. The  Virginians  say  that  if  he  had  refused  to  take  office  with 
his  present  associates,  or  exerted  himself  to  procure  a  better  selec- 
tion, he  would  have  been  their  candidate. 

Dined  with  Mr.  Stevenson,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, where  I  met  The  following  party :  The  Vice-President ;  Mr. 
Tazewell ;  Mr.  Livingston,  of  Louisiana  ;  Drayton  ;  Poinsett ;  Cam- 
breling ;  General  Harrison ;  Martin  White,  of  Florida  ;  C.  P.  White  ; 


1 6  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lIILIl'    HONE.  [.Etat.  50. 

and  General  Wood.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  ladies'  party  at 
Mrs.  Silsbee's. 

Baltimore,  Monday,  March  29.  —  I  took  my  leave  of  the  mag- 
nificent Wilderness  at  nine  o'clock,  and  a  very  pleasant  ride  of  five 
hours  and  a  half  brought  me  to  Baltimore.  I  passed  the  first  part 
of  the  day  in  walking  and  visiting,  and  dined  at  Mr.  Meredith's 
with  a  very  pleasant  little  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Gilmor, 
Fricke,  Glenn,  John  Hoffman,  Judge  Randall,  and  Mr.  Wirt.  This 
is  the  first  time  during  this  visit  that  I  have  met  the  latter  gentle- 
man.    He  was,  as  usual,  gay,  agreeable,  and  instructive. 

New  York,  Saturday,  i\pRiL  10.  — Married,  on  Tuesday  evening 
last,  Byam  Kirby  Stevens,  to  Frances,  daughter  of  Albert  Gallatin. 

Wednesday,  April  28.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howland,  Mr.  Meredith,  of  Baltimore,  Commander 
Chauncey,  F.  E.  Granger,  Mr.  Charles  Hammond,  Thomas  L. 
Ogden,  Mr.  Abr'm  Ogden,  S.  S.  Howland,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Nath. 
Amory,  James  Stevenson,  A.  Schermerhorn,  Edward  R.  Jones. 
Mr.  Robert  Gilmor  joined  us  after  dinner,  immediately  on  his 
arrival  from  Baltimore.  Mr.  Bradish,  who  was  expected  from 
Albany,  did  not  arrive.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  whist  party, 
and  supped  at  Mrs.  Edgar's. 

Friday,  April  30.  —  I  attended,  with  my  wife  and  daughters, 
the  opening  of  the  Spring  exhibition  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Design.  A  large  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  assembled, 
and  a  collation  was  provided.  The  exhibition  is  better  than  usual, 
but  the  crowd  was  too  great  to  admit  of  the  pictures  being  seen  to 
advantage.  There  are  some  fine  pictures  of  Weir's.  This  artist  is 
improving  astonishingly.  There  are  also  some  good  things  by 
Inman. 

Monday,  May  10.  —  I  went  this  morning  with  my  wife  and  the 
girls  to  take  leave  of  our  friends  who  have  sailed  in  the  fine  ship 
*'  De  Rham  "  for  Havre.  We  went  down  in  the  steamboat  to  the 
ship,  which  lay  in  the  bay  between  Governor's  and  Bedlow's 
Islands.     She  has  about  thirty-six  passengers,  among  whom  are  Mr. 


iSjo.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I7 

and  Mrs.  Depau  ;  Miss  Stephanie  and  Mr.  Louis  Depau  ;  Miss  Mary 
E.  Livingston,  daughter  of  Maturin  Livingston  ;  Capt.  John  B,  NicoL 
son,  U.S.N. ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breese ;  Robert  Cutting;  and  a  young 
son  of  James  G.  King. 

A  match  race  was  run  on  the  Union  course  between  Arietta,  a 
Southern  mare  belonging  to  Colonel  Johnson,  and  Ariel,  belonging 
to  Hamilton  Wilkes ;  and  a  race  between  Slender,  a  Virginia  mare, 
and  John  C.  Stevens's  mare,  Black  Maria.  Both  these  races  were 
easily  won  by  the  Southern  people,  at  considerable  expense  to  our 
sportsmen. 

A  singularly  ridiculous  article  appeared  under  the  signature  of 
Mr.  J.  W.  Webb  in  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer  "  of  this  morning, 
of  which  he  is  editor,  relating  an  account  of  a  fracas  between  him 
and  Duff  Green  in  Washington  on  Thursday  last.  Webb  went  on 
to  flog  Green,  and  the  latter  armed  himself  with  a  pistol,  and  was  so 
unreasonable  as  to  refuse  his  consent  to  let  the  other  pull  his  nose 
and  slap  his  face.  The  public  might  say,  with  lago,  in  relation  to 
this  quarrel, — 

"  Now  whether  he  kill  Cassio, 
Or  Cassio  him,  or  each  do  kill  the  other, 
Every  way  makes  my  gain." 

Friday,  May  14.  —  I  attended  a  meeting  this  evening,  by  invi- 
tation, at  Dr.  Wainwright's,  of  the  Literary  Club,  which  meet  at 
stated  periods  at  the  houses  of  each  other,  consisting  of  Chancellor 
Kent,  Mr.  Gallatin,  the  professors  of  the  college,  and  other  gen- 
tlemen, with  several  strangers  of  eminence  and  learned  acquire- 
ments. 

Monday,  May  31.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  see  Booth  play  lago 
to  Cooper's  Othello  ;  Desdemona,  Mrs.  Barnes.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  ever  seen  Booth,  and  was  rather  disappointed  in  his 
performance.  It  was  respectable,  but  wanted  spirit,  raciness,  and 
point ;  but  I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  for  Cooper  is  a  perfect  wet- 
blanket  resting  upon  all  around,  stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable.     Oh, 


l8  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  50. 

most  lame  and  impotent  conclusion  !  Is  tliis  tlic  man  whom  I 
remember  to  have  seen  in  my  boyish  days  at  the  theatre,  then  in 
Greenwich  street?  We  have  both  grown  older,  but  I  am  only  a 
looker-on  in  Verona,  and  am  not  compelled  to  ol)trude  my  infirm- 
ities upon  the  public  notice.      Taut  mieux  pour  nioi. 

Sunday,  July  4.  —  lam  wearing  the  black-silk  vest  which  was 
presented  to  me  on  the  4th  of  July,  1827,  and  which  was  im- 
ported into  New  York  in  the  year  1776.  The  condition  of  its 
acceptance  was  that  I  should  wear  it  on  every  4th  of  July  during 
my  life,  and  that  it  should  descend  to  my  oldest  son. 

Monday,  July  5.  —  I  dined  with  the  Corporation  pretty  much 
in  the  usual  way,  —  a  mixture  of  public  characters  and  of  persons 
who  should  not  have  been  invited.  A  poor  dinner  poorly  served 
up  and  a  want  of  tact  and  good  management  characterized  this 
annual  fete  of  the  municipality.  The  presence  of  the  new  French 
Minister  gave  occasion  to  some  speeches  and  toasts  mutually 
complimentary  to  his  country  and  its  sovereign,  and  to  the  little 
sovereigns  of  our  city.  In  the  evening  I  walked  down  to  Castle 
Garden  with  Lieutenant  Cooke  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment,  British 
Infantry,  who  has  just  brought  me  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Captain  Hope  at  Quebec.  We  found  this  charming  place  filled 
with  respectable,  orderly  people,  and  witnessed  a  good  display  of 
fireworks.  The  evening  was  fine,  and  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
made  amends  for  some  of  the  disgusting  objects  which  our  streets 
have  exhibited  during  the  day. 

Friday,  July  16. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr.  C. 
Bankhead,  Secretary  of  the  British  Legation,  and  his  lady ;  Baron 
Krudener,  Baron  Stackelberg,  Count  Ney,  Mrs.  Cornwall,  Mr. 
James  Bowdoin,  Dom.  Lynch,  James  A.   Hamilton,   Isaac  Hone. 

Ballston  Springs,  Wednesday,  July  21.  —  We  arrived  in  Albany 
at  six  o'clock  this  morning,  breakfasted  on  board  the  boat,  and 
started  at  eight  o'clock  in  my  barouche  and  a  post-coach,  and 
got  to  Sans-Souci  at  seven  in  the  evening.  Loomis's  House  has 
never  been  so  full   so    early  in   the   season  as   this.     Among  his 


1830.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 9 

boarders  we  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss  Brown,  Chevalier  Huy- 
gens  and  his  family,  Mrs.  Joshua  Jones  and  her  daughter,  Mr. 
Isaac  I.  Jones  and  wife,  the  Misses  Mason,  the  families  of  Messrs. 
Kernochan,  Parish,  and  Suffern,  Mrs.  Charles  Clinton,  Miss 
Joanna  Anthon,  the  Misses  Bridgen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Hamilton 
and  their  family.  Major  Fowler,  Mr.  Hall,  etc.,  which,  with  the 
addition  of  my  large  party,  will  form  a  formidable  array  at  the 
breakfast  table  to-morrow  morning. 

New  York,  Tuesday,  Aug.  3.  —  Commencement  of  Columbia 
College  at  St.  John's  Church  this  morning.  I  attended  during  the 
whole  time  and  was  much  interested  in  the  exercises.  The  young 
gentlemen  generally  made  a  very  respectable  appearance.  The 
first  honours  in  the  senior  class  were  awarded  to  Franklin  Miller, 
son  of  Sylvanus  Miller,  and  in  the  junior  class  to  Robert  Emery, 
who  is  the  head  of  his  class.  The  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  was 
conferred  upon  James  Bowdoin,  Hugh  T.  Dickey,  Benjamin  F.  Fer- 
guson, Lewis  C.  Gusen,  Nicholas  C.  Heyward,  George  Kneeland, 
Jr.,  Edward  Jones,  John  T.  Kneeland,  Henry  Ledyard,  Franklin 
Miller,  Henry  C.  Murphy,  Henry  Nicoll,  Charles  H.  Ogden, 
William  Steele,  Jr.,  William  D.  Waddington,  and  George  Wm. 
Wright ;  also  upon  William  B.  Boggs,  Robert  L.  Cutting,  and  John 
Delafield,  Jr.,  members  of  the  senior  class  who  are  absent  by  per- 
mission. The  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  John 
M.  Forbes  and  Henry  J.  Morton,  the  two  young  gentlemen  who 
were  on  Sunday  ordained  deacons  in  Trinity  Church,  and  also 
upon  Hamilton  Fish,  J.  Trumbull  Backus,  and  Grenville  Temple 
Winthrop.  The  Latin  salutatory  was  delivered  by  Franklin  Miller, 
the  English  salutatory  by  Henry  Nicoll,  and  the  valedictory  by 
Edward  Jones. 

Wednesday,  Aug.  4.  ^  I  left  home  this  morning  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  "Albany  "  with  my  wife,  two  sons.  Miss  Louisa  Fairhe,  and 
Miss  Harriet  Kane,  who  are  to  accompany  us  to  the  Springs. 

Ballston,  Saturday,  Aug.  14.  —  A  fancy  ball  was  given  last 
evening  at  Sans-Souci,  which  was  confined  to  the  boarders  in  the 


20  THE    DTARV    OF    PIIILTP    HONE.  [/Etat.  50. 

house.  It  was  gotten  iij)  at  short  notice,  l)ut  went  off  remarkably 
well.     The  characters  were  supported  by  the  following  ladies  :  — 

Mrs.  James  Thomson,  a  Swiss  peasant ;  Mrs.  Isaac  Jones,  la 
dame  blanche  ;  Mrs.  Talmadge,  a  black  nun ;  Miss  Fairlie,  a  Bohe- 
mian fortune-teller ;  Miss  Lawrence,  brigand's  wife  ;  Miss  Dennison, 
a  Sultana ;  Miss  French,  French  peasant ;  Miss  Mason,  character 
from  La  Rossignol ;  Miss  Sarah  Mason,  Virginia ;  Miss  Margaret 
Hone,  a  white  nun  ;  Miss  Mary  Hone,  an  Austrian  peasant ;  Miss 
Sarah  Livingston,  a  Scotch  lassie ;  Miss  Matilda  Livingston,  a 
Quakeress ;  Miss  Harriet  Kane,  a  French  pedler ;  Miss  Morris, 
a  peasant. 

Gentlemen  :  Mr.  P.  Hone,  Lord  Ogilby ;  Mr.  James  Thomson, 
Uncle  Ben ;  Mr.  Cooper,  Mrs.  Lobden  and  a  tiger ;  Dr.  Greenhow, 
Voltaire ;  Mr.  Van  Zandt,  a  Tryolese  hunter ;  Mr.  Van  Schaick, 
Peter  McGrowler ;  Mr.  John  C.  Hamilton,  an  astrologer ;  General 
Fleming,  a  friar ;  Judge  Morris,  a  fireman ;  Mr.  Vail,  a  French  vil- 
lage bridegroom  ;  Messrs.  Allston,  Schermerhorn,  John  P.  Hone,  and 
John  Kane,  four  Austrian  hussars ;  Mr.  John  Mason,  an  Albanian ; 
Mr.  Washington  Coster,  Scotch  lassie ;  Robert  S.  Hone,  Bob,  the 
sailor  boy ;  Mr.  Carter  Lee,  Paul ;  Mr.  Whetton,  an  old  gentleman. 

New  York,  Tuesday,  Aug.  24. — Died  yesterday.  Col.  Marinus 
Willet,  aged  ninety  years  and  eleven  days.  His  name  is  advan- 
tageously identified  with  the  events  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which  he  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  distinguished  officer.  He  was 
buried  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  his  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation,  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  and  by  the 
members  of  the  Court  of  Errors,  now  in  session. 

Saturday,  Aug.  28.  —  Our  fair  countrywoman,  the  Marchioness 
of  Wellesley,  granddaughter  of  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll,  has 
been  appointed  first  lady  of  the  bed-chamber  to  Queen  Adelaide, 
consort  of  King  William  IV. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  i  .  —  I  went  over  to  the  Park  Theatre  to 
witness  the  first  appearance  in  America  of  Charles  Kean,  the  son 
of  the  celebrated   tragedian.     He   appeared   in  his   father's  great 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  21 

part,  Richard  III.,  and  brought  an  overflowing  house.  But  making 
every  allowance  for  the  disadvantages  of  a  first  appearance,  I 
cannot  perceive  that  he  inherits  any  great  proportion  of  his  father's 
genius,  and  is,  in  my  opinion,  quite  deficient  in  the  requisite 
physical  qualities  of  voice,  figure,  and  deportment.  Booth  is  play- 
ing tragedy  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  be 
greatly  preferred  by  theatrical  amateurs. 

Hyde  Park,  Saturday,  Sept.  i  i  .  —  The  weather  is  delightful, 
and  we  have  passed  the  day  in  walking  and  riding  over  Dr.  Hosack's 
splendid  grounds.  Isaac  and  Eliza  Hone  came  here  this  morning 
from  Poughkeepsie,  and  Mr.  Poinsett,  accompanied  by  Don  Lorenzo 
de  Zavalla,  Governor  of  Mexico,  came  in  the  steamboat.  The 
doctor  and  I  went  to  dine  with  Judge  Pendleton,  where  we  met 
Mr.  Allen,  Judge  Johnson,  Mr.  James  Duane  Livingston,  and  Mr. 
Guilliard. 

Monday,  Sept.  13.  —  After  breakfast,  I  went  with  my  wife  and 
Miss  Eliza  Hosack  to  visit  at  Governor  Lewis's,  Judge  Pendleton's, 
and  Mr.  James  Thomson's ;  this  latter  superb  place  is  in  its  usual 
fine  order,  and  the  weather  enabled  us  to  enjoy  the  splendid 
prospect  to  great  advantage.  Our  visits  were  all  very  pleasant, 
and  our  friends  glad  to  see  us.  We  returned  home  to  dinner, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  among  the  fine  walks  on 
the  doctor's  place,  and  in  the  literary  delights  of  his  splendid 
library. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  15.  —  I  attended  this  evening  at  the  house  of 
my  niece,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  the  wedding  of  Mr.  William  Wood, 
of  Glasgow,  who  was  married  to  my  sweet  young  friend,  Harriet 
Kane.  May  she  be  as  happy  as  she  is  good  and  beautiful !  They 
intend  to  start  on  Friday  on  a  journey  to  Niagara,  and  will  probably 
sail  for  Europe  about  the  ist  of  November. 

Thursday,  Sept.  16.  —  The  funeral  of  Bishop  Hobart  took  place 
this  afternoon,  under  the  direction  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments appointed  by  the  vestry,  of  which  I  was  one.  The  proces- 
sion, embracing  the  governor,  mayor  of  the  city,  Court  of  Errors, 


22  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  50. 

judges,  vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  and  the  other  vestries  of  Epis- 
copal churches,  the  several  religious  and  literary  and  benevolent 
societies  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  the  clergy  of  different 
denominations  to  the  number  of  more  than  one  hundred,  moved 
from  his  late  residence  in  Varick  street  to  Trinity  Church,  where 
the  funeral  service  was  performed  by  Bishop  Moon,  of  Virginia, 
Mr.  Schroeder,  and  Dr.  Lyell,  and  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr. 
Onderdonk.  The  procession  is  said  to  have  contained  five  thousand 
persons,  an  1  the  streets  on  its  route  were  crowded  with  spectators. 
The  church  was  filled  almost  to  suffocation,  but  everything  was 
conducted  with  great  decorum  and  propriety.  The  corpse  is  in- 
terred in  the  chancel,  immediately  under  the  communion  table,  and 
the  grave  is  to  be  walled  up  and  an  arch  to  be  thrown  over  it. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  28.  —  The  accounts  from  France,  which  were 
written  after  the  excitement  of  the  Revolution  had  in  some  degree 
subsided,  are  filled  with  interesting  details,  but  no  part  of  them 
excites  so  much  admiration  as  those  in  which  Lafayette  is  men- 
tioned. It  seems  to  be  allowed  on  all  sides  that  to  this  veteran  sol- 
dier of  liberty  the  king  owes  his  crown.  If  he  had  come  out  for 
a  reiniblic,  his  popularity  was  so  great,  and  his  influence  over 
public  opinion  so  absolute,  that  the  great  mass  of  the  principal 
actors  in  the  events  of  the  27th,  28th,  and  29th  of  July  would 
have  been  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  it,  and,  in  all  probability, 
the  French  people  would  now  have  been  employed  in  cutting  each 
other's  throats  instead  of  being  settled  quietly  down  under  a  liberal 
form  of  government  and  a  patriotic  king,  with  as  much  liberty  as 
the  people  of  this  country  enjoy,  but  under  another  name.  This 
great  citizen  of  France  has  now  seen,  in  his  latter  days,  the  predic- 
tions of  his  former  life  verified,  and  the  glory  and  good  fortune 
which  accompanied  him  in  the  morning  and  meridian  of  his  event- 
ful day  have  not  deserted  him  at  its  close. 

What  a  strange,  eventful  period  in  the  affairs  of  this  world  has 
been  the  brief  fifty  years  during  which  I  have  been  in  it,  and  how 
interesting  a  moment  in  its  history  is  the  present  ! 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  23 

Thursday,  Oct.  14.  —  The  fair  of  the  American  Institute  has 
been  held  yesterday  and  to-day  at  Masonic  Hall.  The  exhibition 
has  embraced  an  immense  variety  of  manufactures,  —  furniture  of 
every  description,  and  every  object  which  the  versatility  of  inven- 
tion and  the  ingenuity  of  our  artisans  and  manufacturers  could 
produce.  In  the  evening  Mr.  Tristram  Burgess,  the  great  cham- 
pion of  the  American  system,  delivered  an  address  before  the 
members  of  the  institution  and  a  large  number  of  spectators,  at 
the  new  court- room  in  the  apartments  formerly  of  the  American 
Museum.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  one  of  the  audience,  and 
was  tired  out  by  a  heavy,  inappropriate  jumble  of  far-fetched 
facts  and  unimaginable  imaginings,  and  left  the  place  before  the 
oration  was  concluded.  I  marvel  much  that  the  members  of  the 
institute,  with  their  professed  aversion  to  importation,  and  their 
encouragement  of  home  manufactures,  should  import  nonsense 
from  Rhode  Island  when  we  have  so  good  a  stock  of  the  indige- 
nous article. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  19.  —  Francis  Child  died  at  Burlington,  Vt., 
a  few  days  since,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  He  established  the  New 
York  "  Daily  Advertiser,"  the  first  daily  paper  in  New  York,  the 
first  number  of  which  was  published  March   i,  1785. 

Monday,  Oct.  25.  —  This  day  completes  my  fiftieth  year,  and 
we  had  a  large  family  party  to  celebrate  it.  The  party  consisted 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  x\nthon.  Miss  Caroline  Anthon,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I.  S.  Hone,  Mr.  Van  Schaick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wood,  Miss 
Charlotte  Kane,  Miss  Joanna  Anthon,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Matthews,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Hone,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Kneeland,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Hovvland. 

Thursday,  Oct.  28.  —  I  rented  the  shop  and  cellar  of  Clinton 
Hotel  for  five  years  from  May  next,  at  $700  for  the  first  two  and 
$800  for  the  last  three  years,  to  Joshua  Leavitt,  bookseller  for 
Mr.  Appleton. 

Thursday,  Nov.  18.  —  One  of  the  locomotive  engines  on  the 
Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railroad  traversed  the  distance  between 


24  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.-Etar.  50. 

the  two  places,  thirty-two  miles,  in  thirty-three  minutes,  —  about 
fifty -eight  miles  an  hour  ! 

Monday,  Nov.  22.  —  Master  Burke,  a  precocious  Roscius  from 
the  Emerald  Isle,  who  arrived  on  Thursday  from  Liverpool, 
made  his  first  appearance  this  evening  at  the  Park  Theatre  in 
"  Norval,"  and  Dr.  O'Toole,  in  the  "■  Irish  Tutor."  I  saw  him 
for  a  short  time  in  the  farce,  and  think  him  a  remarkably  clever 
boy. 

Sunday,  Nov.  27.  —  Yesterday  took  place  the  New  York  cele- 
bration of  the  late  revolution  in  France.  The  procession,  divided 
into  sixteen  divisions,  was  formed  in  Canal  street,  with  its  right  on 
the  North  river  and  extending  up  liroadway.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
line  of  march  was  formed  and  went  down  Broadway  to  the  Park, 
around  the  Park,  up  Chatham  street  and  the  Bowery  to  Broome 
street,  down  Broome  street  to  Broadway,  up  Broadway  to  Fourth 
street,  down  Fourth  street  to  the  Washington  parade-ground.  At 
this  place  a  stage  had  been  erected,  on  which  the  following  cere- 
monies were  performed :  A  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Day ;  an 
address  to  the  French  people,  written  by  Mr.  John  Duer,  was 
read ;  the  oration,  by  Mr.  Samuel  L.  Gouverneur ;  after  which  the 
Marseillaise  hymn  and  an  ode  prepared  for  the  occasion  by  Samuel 
Woodworth  were  sung  by  the  choir. 

I  rode  during  the  day  and  superintended  the  whole  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  arrangements.  The  procession  was  so  long 
that  when  the  right  entered  Broadway  from  Broome  street,  the 
military,  who  formed  an  unusually  splendid  array,  had  not  yet  left 
Canal  street,  and  when  we  arrived  at  the  parade-ground,  the  whole 
were  not  yet  m  motion.  The  whole  route  must  have  been  two 
miles  and  a  half.  The  ex- President,  Monroe,  drove  in  his 
carriage,  as  did  Mr.  Gallatin  and  the  orator  and  reader  of  the 
address.  An  interesting  group  occupied  a  barouche,  consisting  of 
Anthony  Glenn,  who  raised  the  flag  at  the  fort  on  the  retreat  of 
the  British,  25th  of  November,  1783;  John  Van  Arsdale,  the 
sailor  who  mounted  the  staff  to  remove  the  obstructions  :  and  the 


1830.]  THE   DIARY   OF    rillLIP    HONE.  2$ 

identical  flag  itself,  which  has  been  preserved  in  Scudder's  Museum. 
This  group  of  octogenarians  was  completed  by  David  Williams,  the 
survivor  of  the  three  captors  of  Major  Andr^,  and  Enoch  Crosby, 
the  Harvey  Birch  of  the  Revolution.  The  president,  faculty,  and 
students  of  Columbia  College  were  conspicuous  in  the  procession, 
and  the  citizens  of  France,  with  their  splendid  banner,  made  a 
proud  display.  Their  banner  was  formally  presented  on  the 
ground  to  the  first  division  of  artillery.  Among  the  trades  and 
societies  the  most  prominent  were  the  fire  department,  with  their 
beautiful  engines,  badges,  and  other  decorations,  to  the  number  of 
fifteen  hundred  persons ;  the  printers,  who  were  employed  at  two 
places  in  striking  off  and  distributing  among  the  multitude  copies 
of  the  ode,  etc. ;  the  butchers  on  horseback,  to  the  number  of  three 
hundred,  in  leg-of-mutton  sleeves ;  the  cartmen  on  horseback  in 
white  frocks ;  a  steamboat  with  her  steam  up  and  machinery  in 
motion ;  the  famous  Whitehall  boat,  carried  by  the  pilots  and  water- 
men ;  and  a  great  many  stages,  displaying  the  emblems  of  different 
trades,  and  on  which  mechanical  operations  were  carried  on  during 
the  march.  The  procession  was  closed  by  the  military,  who 
formed  on  the  grounds  north  of  the  square  and  fired  ^  fcu-de-joie 
after  the  civic  ceremonies  were  concluded. 

Sunday,  Nov.  28.  —  I  made  a  pleasant  visit  this  morning  to 
Colonel  Monroe,  ex- President  of  the  United  States,  who  is  residing 
with  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  S.  Gouverneur,  in  Prince  street.  Mr. 
Monroe  is  very  feeble  and  appears  in  worse  health  than  usual,  the 
effect  of  a  cold  ;  but  his  mental  faculties  are  unimpaired,  and  his 
manner  and  conversation  are  exceedingly  interesting. 

Saturday,  Dec.  18.  —  Moore,  Giraud,  and  I  went  yesterday  to 
dine  at  Delmonico's,  a  French  restaurateur^  in  William  street,  which 
I  had  heard  was  upon  the  Parisian  plan,  and  very  good.  We  sat- 
isfied our  curiosity,  but  not  our  appetites  ;  and  I  think  are  prepared, 
when  our  opinions  are  asked,  to  say  with  the  Irishman  who  used 
lamp-oil  with  his  salad  instead  of  olive-oil,  that  if  it  were  not  for 
the  name  of  the  thing  he  had  as  lief  eat  butter. 


26  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  50. 

Friday,  Dkc.  24.  —  Mr.  Ball  Hughes's  model  for  the  statue  of 
Hamilton,  on  which  he  has  been  employed  for  a  long  time  past, 
being  now  completed,  the  committee  wlio  were  named  to  decide 
upon  its  merits  assembled  at  the  a/c/ier  of  the  artist,  at  twelve 
o'clock.  Of  that  committee  were  present:  Mr.  ^\'ilkes,  Dr. 
Hosack,  Colonel  Trumbull,  and  myself;  and  of  the  Exchange 
committee,  Messrs.  Woolsey,  Tibbits,  ^Vyckoff,  and  George  Gris- 
wold,  with  Messrs.  D.  ]].  Ogden  and  James  R.  Murray.  The 
fullest  testimony  of  approbation  was  unanimously  given,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  that  if  the  artist  finishes  the  statue  agreeably  to  the  prom- 
ise given  by  the  model,  it  will  be  the  best  piece  of  statuary  in  the 
United  States. 


1831.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2/ 


1831. 

OUNDAY,  Jan.  2.  —  A  decidedly  pleasant  day,  the  first  I  be- 
^^  lieve  during  the  present  autumn  and  winter.  I  paid  a  few 
visits  which  were  left  over  from  yesterday.  The  old  custom  of 
visiting  on  New  Year's  Day,  and  the  happy  greetings  which  have  so 
long  been  given  on  that  occasion,  have  been  well  kept  up  this  year. 
I  am  glad  of  it ;  few  of  those  good  old  customs  remain  which  mark 
the  overflow  of  unsophisticated  good  feeling,  and  I  rejoice  when- 
ever I  can  recognize  any  part  of  the  wreck  which  the  innovations 
of  fashion  have  left  afloat. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  2.  —  The  following  gentlemen  were  on 
Monday  last  elected  officers  of  the  new  university  in  this  city  : 
Albert  Gallatin,  president  of  the  council ;  Morgan  Lewis,  vice- 
president  ;  John  Delafield,  secretary ;  Samuel  Ward,  treasurer ; 
James  M.  Mathews,  D.D.,  chancellor  of  the  university. 

On  the  8th  of  December  a  grand  dinner  was  given 
Lafa^etJ  ^^  ^^^  Americans  in  Paris  to  General  Lafayette,  the 
account  of  which  is  very  interesting  from  the  circum- 
stance of  so  many  Americans  of  my  acquaintance  having  been 
engaged  in  it.  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  of  New  York,  presided, 
assisted  by  Peter  Schermerhorn,  of  New  York,  and  Capt.  John 
Nicolson,  U.wS.N.  Among  the  guests  were  Mr.  Serrurier, 
Minister  to  the  United  States ;  Odillon  Barrot,  Prefect  of  the 
Seine ;  Gen.  Matthias  Dumas,  adjutant-general  of  the  National 
Guards ;  M.  Du  Perron,  grandson- in-law  of  Lafayette ;  Mons.  De 
Remusat,  deputy,  and  grandson-in-law  of  the  General ;  General 
Carbonel ;  Mons.  Joubert ;  Mr.  Rives,  American  Minister ;  Charles 
de  Lameth,  deputy  of  Paris,  who  fought  and  was  wounded  at 
Yorktovvn ;  George  W.  Lafayette ;  Jules  de  Lasteyrie,  etc. 

Tuesday,  Feb.    22.  —  I    went    this  evening   with    my  wife  and 


28  THE    DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  51. 

daughters  to  the  Assembly,  where  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Serru- 
rier,  the  new  French  Minister,  and  conversed  with  him  about  the 
late  occurrences  in  France.  He  si)eaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  the 
conduct  of  Lafayette  in  the  affair  of  the  ex-ministers  of  Charles  X. 
His  firmness  and  courage  contributed  greatly  to  preserve  the  peace 
of  Paris  in  that  interesting  crisis.  Mr.  Serrurier  regrets  his  resig- 
nation of  the  command  of  the  National  Guard,  and  considers  it 
somewhat  hasty.  But  the  General  has  desired  him  to  state  to  his 
American  friends  that  it  did  not  arise  from  any  motives  of  a  per- 
sonal nature. 

Saturday,  March  12.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with 
us  :  Judge  Spencer,  Judge  Irving,  Mr.  John  Hone,  Dr.  Hosack, 
Mr.  Granger,  Governor  Coles,  Judge  Oakley,  General  Scott, 
Chancellor   Kent. 

And  thus  endeth  the  third  volume  of  my  diary.  It  has  become 
a  habit  with  me  to  write  in  it,  and  affords  me  pleasure.  It  is 
not  like  writing  letters,  which  may  be  done  or  let  alone,  and 
becomes,  therefore,  a  task,  and  as  such  is  more  or  less  irksome ; 
but  this  is  part  of  my  daily  occupation.  If  I  should  live  some 
dozen  or  twenty  years  I  shall  enjoy  the  retrospection,  or  my 
children,  if  they  revere  the  memory  of  their  father,  will,  in  turning 
over  the  pages  of  this  book,  have  something  to  remind  them  of 
him,  — something  that  will  "prate  of  his  whereabouts,"  and  inform 
them  how  he  thought  and  what  he  did  "  about  these  times." 

March  15.  —  Went  this  morning  to  see  the  Siamese 
lamese  I^qvs,  who   rctUHied  List  wcek  from   Endand.     I   did 

Twins.  •'  ° 

not  see  them  when  they  were  exhibited  formerly  in  this 
city.  This  astonishing  freak  of  nature  is  exceedingly  interesting, 
and.  the  sight  of  it  is  not  disagreeable,  as  I  expected  to  find  it. 
They  are  now  nearly  twenty  years  old,  kind,  good-tempered,  and 
playful ;  their  limbs  are  well  proportioned  and  strong,  but  their 
faces  are  devoid  of  intelligence,  and  have  that  stupid  expression 
which  is  characteristic  of  the  natives  of  the  East.  They  are  united 
by  a  strong  ligament  of  flesh   or  gristle,  without  bone,  about  three 


1831.]  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLir    HONE.  29 

inches  in  breadth  and  five  in  length.  Their  movements  are,  of 
course,  simultaneous.  They  walk,  sit  down,  play,  eat  and  drink, 
and  perform  all  the  functions  of  nature  in  unison ;  their  disposi- 
tions and  their  very  thoughts  are  alike ;  when  one  is  sick  the  other 
partakes  of  his  illness,  and  the  stroke  of  death  will,  no  doubt,  lay 
them  both  in  the  same  grave ;  and  yet  their  bodies,  heads,  and 
limbs  are  all  perfect  and  distinct.  They  speak  English  tolerably 
well,  and  appear  fond   of  talking. 

Bicheior's  Friday,  March   1 8.  —  This  splendid  affair,  so  long 

Grand  Fancy  the  thcmc  of  couvcrsatiou  and  the  subject  of  prepara- 
^^  '  tion,  took  place  this  evening  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  I 

believe  no  expectations  had  been  formed  which  were  disappointed 
by  the  result.  The  rooms  were  handsomely  fitted  up  with  mirrors, 
curtains,  pier  tables,  and  lamps ;  the  supper  tables  were  splendidly 
and  most  abundantly  furnished.  The  number  of  guests  was  very 
great,  of  which  about  one-third  appeared  in  fancy  dress,  some  of 
which  were  well  conceived  and  supported  with  wit  and  address ; 
and  others  failing  in  those  respects  were  thought  by  some  to  make 
up  in  magnificence  and  lustre.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  go 
into  the  particulars  of  a  catalogue  raisonne,  and  if  it  were,  "  I  am 
not  i'  the  vein,"  and  I  think  my  time  will  be  better  spent  in  read- 
ing Moore's  "  Byron."  My  daughter  Mary  went  as  "  Sweet  Anne 
Page,"  and  looked  sweetly  in  the  costume  of  Leslie's  inimitable 
picture.  The  rest  of  us  went  sans  caractere,  —  my  wife  and  I, 
because  we  were  too  old  to  join  the  "  Masquers  and  Mummies ;  " 
John,  because  a  sprained  ankle  had  prevented  him  for  several  days 
past  from  making  his  preparations  ;  Robert,  because  he  couldn't ; 
and  Margaret,  because  she  wouldn't.  Our  party  was  graced  by  the 
addition  of  our  fair  visitor,  Helen  Kane,  who  was  said  to  look  well 
for  an  Albanian.  Mrs.  Hughes,  as  a  flower  girl,  was  very  naive 
and  lively,  and  distributed  to  each  of  her  friends  an  appropriate 
flower,  with  a  pretty  card  describing  its  attributes,  and  conveying 
her  good  wishes  to  those  whom  she  selected  as  the  recipients  of 
her  favours. 


30  THE    DIARY    OF    I'll  I  LIT    HONE.  [.Etat.  51. 

Monday,  March  28. —  Left  home  on  a  fishing  excursion  to 
Long  Island  with  Giraud.  The  weather  was  doubtful,  but  improved 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  Dined  at  Timothy  Carman's,  and  went 
to  Jackson's,  where  we  lodged.  Mr.  Morris  and  Mr.  Constant  were 
here,  having  overtaken  us  at  dinner-time. 

Friday,  April  i.  — A  gale  from  the  north-west.  We  went  on 
the  pond  after  breakfast,  and  caught  a  fine  mess  of  fish  to  take 
home.  A  deer  crossed  the  creek  near  the  boat  while  we  were  fish- 
ing. Mr.  Giraud  and  I  have  taken  sixty-five  trout.  After  dinner 
we  started  for  home  at  three  o'clock,  intending  to  go  no  further 
than  Jackson's  ;  but  our  horses  were  fresh,  and  we  came  on  to  Tim- 
othy Carman's,  where  we  lodged.  Immense  quantities  of  wild-fowl 
have  been  killed  in  the  bay  this  week.  A  man  had  at  Babylon 
this  evening,  on  his  way  to  the  New  York  market,  six  hundred 
broad-bills. 

Saturday,  April  2.  —  Went  to  dine  at  Isaac's  with  a  party, 
among  whom  were  Messrs.  Sturgis  and  Cabot,  of  Boston.  I  added 
a  handsome  mess  of  fresh  trout  to  the  dinner. 

Wednesday,  April  6. —  Mr.  John  Mason  was  elected,  on  Monday 
last,  president  of  the  Chemical  Bank,  in  place  of  Mr.  B.  P.  Melick. 

Wednesday,  April  20.  — While  I  was  shaving  this  morning  at 
eight  o'clock,  I  witnessed  from  the  front  window  an  encounter  in 
the  street  nearly  opposite,  between  William  C.  Bryant  and  William 
L.  Stone  ;  the  former  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Evening  Post,"  and 
the  latter  editor  of  the  "  Commercial  Advertiser."  The  former 
commenced  the  attack  by  striking  Stone  over  the  head  with  a  cow- 
skin ;  after  a  few  blows  the  men  closed,  and  the  whip  was  wrested 
from  Bryant  and  carried  off  by  Stone.  When  I  saw  them  first,  two 
younger  persons  were  engaged,  but  soon  discontinued  their  fight. 
A  crowd  soon  closed  in  and  separated  the  combatants. 

Saturday,  April  30.  —  A  public  dinner  was  given  on  Thursday 
last  to  G.  C.  Verplanck,  Esq.,  member  of  Congress  from  this  city, 
by  the  literati,  artists,  and  booksellers,  avowedly  for  his  exertions 
to    procure  the  passage  of  the  copyright  law.     Judge  Irvdng  was 


1831]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  3 1 

president,  and  Professor  Renwick  and  Mr.  Dunlap,  vice-presidents. 
Mr.  Verplanck  made  a  long  speech,  which  is  much  praised  by  those 
who  were  present. 

Monday,  May  2 .  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Sir 
William  Campbell,  late  Chief  Justice  of  Canada ;  James  Maury, 
late  Consul  to  Liverpool ;  Luther  Bradish  ;  James  G.  King  ;  Capt. 
James  Rogers  ;  Isaac  S.  Hone  ;  Charles  McEvers  ;  Isaac  Carow  ; 
Rutsen  Maury ;  G.  G.  Rowland  ;  James  Haggerty. 

Thursday,  May  5.  —  It  is  an  interesting  and  gratifying  subject  of 
reflection  that  our  country  at  large,  and  particularly  this  city,  is  at 
this  time  prosperous  beyond  all  former  example,  and  somewhat 
remarkable  that  different  interests,  usually  considered  opposed  to 
each  other,  are  equally  successful.  Foreign  commerce  is  in  a 
thriving  condition ;  vessels  are  worth  fifty  per  cent,  more  than  they 
were  two  years  since,  and  freights  are  nearly  double  ;  real  estate, 
up  and  down  town,  equally  high ;  houses  in  great  demand,  at 
advanced  rents ;  the  dealers  in  imported  goods  doing  a  safe  and 
profitable  business  ;  the  farmer  selling  his  wool  at  seventy-five  cents 
per  pound,  which  two  years  ago  was  worth  only  thirty -seven  and 
one-half  cents  per  pound,  and  availing  himself  of  the  increased 
price  of  bread-stuffs,  occasioned  by  the  brisk  foreign  demand  ;  the 
manufacturers,  both  of  woollen  and  cotton  goods,  fully  employed, 
and  doing  better  than  at  any  former  period ;  and  the  lawyers  doing 
nothing.  This  is  cause  of  great  exultation  to  our  citizens,  and 
should  inspire  them  with  gratitude  to  the  Dispenser  of  all  good 
things.  We  are  more  apt  to  complain  when  things  go  wrong  than 
to  be  thankful  when  they  go  right. 

Monday,  May  9.  —  The  city  is  now  undergoing  its  usual  annual 
metamorphosis ;  many  stores  and  houses  are  being  pulled  down, 
and  others  altered,  to  make  every  inch  of  ground  productive  to  its 
utmost  extent.  Pearl  street  and  Broadway  in  particular  are  ren- 
dered almost  impassable  by  the  quantity  of  rubbish  with  which 
they  are  obstructed,  and  by  the  dust  which  is  blown  about  by  a 
keen  north-west  wind. 


32  THE    DIARY    OF    I'll  1  LI  1'    HONE.  [Etat.  51. 

Saturday,  May  21.  —  I  went  with  the  girls  to  Hoboken  this 
afternoon,  and  had  a  deUghtful  walk  on  the  high  banks  nearly  to 
Weehawken. 

I  received  this  day  a  letter  from  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  dated  at 
Rome,  February  15.  He  informs  me  that  he  has  shipped  for  me 
at  Leghorn  a  fine  portrait  by  himself  of  Thorvaldsen,  the  cele- 
brated sculptor,  and  a  cast  executed  by  that  artist  of  the  "  Triumph 
of  Alexander  the  Great,"  from  the  original  has- relief  made  for  the 
Marquis  Sommariva. 

Tuesday,  May  24.  —  Died  on  the  17th  inst.,  at  Rochester,  Col. 
Nathaniel  Rochester,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  removed  from  his  native 
State  to  Steuben  County  in  this  State  in  1802,  soon  after  which 
he  removed  to  the  village  of  Rochester,  a  great  part  of  which  he 
owned.  It  is  now  a  town  of  considerable  magnitude,  the  wonder 
of  the  western  empire  of  New  York. 

Thursday,  July  5. —  In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  of  the  cele- 
bration of  independence  yesterday,  the  death  of  James  Monroe 
was  announced.  He  died  at  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr. 
Samuel  L.  Gouverneur,  in  this  city.  This  venerable  patriot  has 
been  ill  and  his  life  despaired  of  for  some  months  past,  and  he 
seems  to  have  lingered  until  this  time  to  add  to  the  number  of  the 
Revolutionary  patriots  whose  deaths  have  occurred  on  this  memo- 
rable anniversary.  Of  four  ex-Presidents  who  have  died,  three  have 
departed  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  of  this  number  two,  who  were 
signers  of  the  august  instrument  which  declared  the  political  birth 
of  our  country,  died  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary,  4th  of  July,  1826. 
Mr.  Monroe  has  now  made  the  third,  and  has  closed  his  mortal 
career,  respected  and  honoured  by  his  countrymen.  Measures  will 
be  adopted  by  the  civil  and  military  authorities  to  render  his 
funeral  obsequies  worthy  of  his  character  and  the  important  ser- 
vices he  has  performed  and  the  exalted  stations  he  has  filled. 

Monday,  July  i  i  .  —  The  hard  rains  have  been  followed  by 
bright,  cool  weather  and  clear  skies.     I   attended  by  invitation  a 


1831.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  33 

fete  champcfre  given  by  the  Messrs.  Stevens  at  the  Elysian  Fiel  Is 
above  Hoboken.  This  beautiful  spot  has  been  cleaned,  the  grounds 
laid  out  with  great  taste,  and  a  handsome  pavilion  erected,  as  a 
place  of  public  resort  connected  with  the  ferry.  At  three  o'clock, 
the  company,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  gentlemen,  as- 
sembled on  board  the  steamboat  "  Chief  Justice  Marshall."  Among 
them  were  the  mayor  and  corporation,  and  many  other  public 
characters,  and  a  number  of  the  Stevens's  personal  friends. 

When  we  arrived  on  the  ground,  we  were  conducted  to  a  spot  in 
the  woods  enclosed  by  flags,  and  decorated  in  a  tasteful  manner, 
where  tables  were  spread,  and  a  dinner  of  turtle  soup  and  every 
refreshment  furnished  to  the  guests  which  the  taste  and  liberality 
of  our  entertainers  had  taught  us  to  expect.  Some  time  after  our 
arrival,  the  party  was  increased  by  the  New  York  and  Jersey  City 
Boat  Clubs,  who  came  in  their  several  boats,  dressed  in  white 
jackets  and  trousers,  round  chip  hats,  and  checked  shirts,  the  be- 
coming costume  of  the  clubs.  John  Stevens  presided  at  the  feast, 
with  spirits  as  abundant  and  sparkling  as  his  champagne  ;  and  the 
beautiful  grove,  under  the  branches  of  which  we  were  seated, 
echoed  the  sounds  of  merriment  and  good-humour,  inspired  by  the 
toasts,  the  songs,  and  the  laughter,  to  which  each  guest  seemed  dis- 
posed to  contribute  his  share. 

Monday,    Aug.    i  .  —  Col.  Richard  Varick    died   on 
Death  of  Saturday    night    at    his     residence,    Jersey    City,    in 

the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age,  of  cholera  morbus. 
He  complained  of  lameness  in  his  feet  when  I  last  saw  him,  which 
was  about  a  fortnight  since,  but  his  general  health  was  good.  He 
attended,  as  president  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  the  corporation 
dinner  on  the  4th  ult.,  and  was  a  pall-bearer  at  the  funeral  of 
President  Monroe  on  the  7  th  ult.  Measures  are  taking  to  pay 
great  respect  to  his  memory.  General  orders  are  issued  for  the 
Division  of  Artillery.  The  Society  of  Cincinnati  have  announced 
his  death,  and  the  order  of  the  funeral  ceremonies  under  direction 
of  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  vice-president.      Both  houses  of  the  Com- 


34  THE   DIARY   OF    PIIILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  51. 

mon  Council  and  the  Court  of  Sessions,  which  were  sitting,  ad- 
journed this  morning  on  the  announcement  of  his  death.  The 
pall-bearers  at  Colonel  Varick's  funeral  are  :  Lynde  Catlin,  Peter 
A.  Jay,  Col.  Aaron  Ogden,  Col.  John  Trumbull,  John  Pintard, 
William  W.  Woolsey,  Chancellor  Kent,  Col.  Nicholas  Fish. 

Friday,    Aug.    5.  —  I   left    Albany  this    morning   at 
ara  oga  eii^ht  o'clock,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Charles  Graham, 

Springs.  o  /  X        ^  7 

Lispenard  Stewart,  Fehrman,  and  my  son  John,  and 
after  an  exceedingly  pleasant  ride  came  to  Congress  Hall  and 
got  very  good  colonial  quarters,  near  the  bath-house.  We  were 
delighted  this  morning  with  the  view  of  the  Cohoes  Falls ;  the  rains 
this  season  have  been  frequent,  and  the  river  rushes  in  an  entire 
sheet,  covering  the  whole  face  of  the  rock.  I  have  never  before  seen 
the  water  so  high,  nor  consequently  the  cataract  so  fine.  The 
wreck  of  a  canal-boat  is  on  the  edge  of  the  great  dam,  where  she 
was  wrecked  yesterday.  Her  towing  line  was  broken  by  the  force 
of  the  current  while  passing  below  the  bridge,  and  she  was  carried 
down  to  the  place  where  she  now  lies.  The  only  man  on  board 
and  her  cargo  of  firewood  were  saved. 

Congress  Hall  is  filled  with  company,  amongst  whom  are  many 
distinguished  men  and  fine  women,  and  nearly  about  the  usual 
proportion  of  people  who  are  neither  distinguished  nor  fine,  but 
rich,  and  that,  in  their  opinion,  entitles  them  to  more  consideration 
than  either.  Amongst  the  first  description  of  persons  are  Mr. 
Buchanan,  of  Pennsylvania,  who  they  say  is  to  sui)i)ly  the  place  of 
Mr.  Randolph,  our  extraordinary  Minister  to  Russia ;  Meredith ; 
Gilmor ;  Gibbes ;  HofTman ;  and  Martin,  of  Maryland ;  Jonathan 
Mason  and  George  Blake,  of  Massachusetts ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  How- 
land  ;  the  Cuttings  ;  Carys  ;  my  brother  and  sister  ;  Mrs.  Abbott ; 
Oliver  Kane  and  his  daughters  ;  William  Sullivan,  of  Boston,  and 
his  pretty  daughter ;  Miss  Fulton ;  Mrs.  Davis ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dickenson ;  the  Tayloes,  etc. 

Tuesday,  Aug.  9. — A  party  of  us  went  out  to  dine  yesterday 
at  Barhuyt's,  consisting  of  General  Van  Rensselaer,  Mr.  Meredith, 


1831.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  35 

Charles  E.  Davis,  Morgan  Gibbes,  G.  G.  Howland,  Mr.  J.  Hare 
Powel,  R.  Gilmor,  J.  D.  Dickenson,  T.  L.  Gibbes,  D.  Lynch, 
Crafts,  and  myself.  The  old  man  gave  us  several  dishes  of  his 
little  trout  fried,  two  chickens,  and  that  was  all ;  but  he  charged  us 
well.  The  party,  however,  was  gay  and  the  conversation  brilliant, 
and  Lynch  sang  for  us.  The  fashionables  are  leaving  Saratoga 
in  great  numbers,  and  no  new-comers  supply  their  places.  Some 
go  to  New  York,  some  to  Lake  George,  and  others  to  Lebanon. 

HoNESDALE,  SuNDAY,  AuG.  2  1. —  I  weut  to  church  this  morning, 
and  after  an  early  dinner  left  Carbondale  in  a  wagon  with  Captain 
Goodale  and  Mr.  Archbald  and  came  to  this  place  by  the  way  of 
Canaan.  I  never  witnessed  a  more  reverential  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  than  in  both  these  villages ;  notwithstanding  the  vast 
number  of  workmen,  amongst  whom  are  a  large  proportion  of 
Irish  and  Welsh  people,  who  are  employed  as  miners  and  other- 
wise, all  occupation  has  ceased ;  the  coal  valley  which  resounded 
yesterday  with  the  noise  of  machinery,  the  rattling  of  cars,  the 
explosion  of  gunpowder,  and  the  clinking  of  pickaxes  is  now  as 
still  as  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets ;  and  the  miners  who  were  yester- 
day begrimed  with  coal  and  looked  like  citizens  of  the  nether  world 
are  seen  this  morning  on  their  way  to  church,  clean  and  well 
dressed,  with  long  coats  and  gilt  buttons,  high  shirt-collars,  and 
brooches  in  their  bosoms.  So  much  for  a  good  example ;  the 
company  suspends  its  operations  of  every  sort  on  Sunday. 

New  York,  Thursday,  Sept.  8.  —  A  meeting  was  held  at  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  of  which  Pre- 
served Fish  was  chairman  and  Jonathan  Goodhue  secretary,  at 
which  delegates  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Free  Trade  Con- 
vention at  Philadelphia,  on  the  30th  inst.,  and  resolutions 
passed  disapproving  the  tariff  laws,  and  expressing  a  determina- 
tion to  take  measures  to  procure  a  modification  of  them  by  the 
next  Congress ;  the  following  are  the  names  of  the  delegates : 
Albert  Gallatin,  James  Kent,  Stephen  Allen,  Morgan  Lewis, 
Peter  A.  Jay,  Jacob  Lorillard,  David  B.    Ogden,  James   Boorman, 


36  THE   DIARY   OF    I'lIILlF   HONE.  [/Etat.  51. 

Henry  J.  Wyckoff,  Zebedee  Ring,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  James  G. 
King,  John  A.  Stevens,  James  Heard,  Frederick  Sheldon,  Charles 
H.  Russell,  Stephen  Smith,  Silas  M.  Stilwell,  Moses  H.  Grinnell, 
Preserved  Fish,  Isaac  Bronson,  John  Haggerty,  Thomas  R.  Mer- 
cein,  Isaac  Carow,  John  L.  Crary,  J.  T.  Trimble,  George  Gris- 
wold,  J.  McVicar,  H.  Kneeland,  Jonathan  Goodhue. 

Wednesday,  Seff.  14.  —  A  fatal  duel  was  fought  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  on  August  26,  between  Major  Biddle,  paymaster  of  the 
United  States  Army,  and  Spencer  Pettis,  Esq. ;  the  former  was 
brother  to  Nicholas  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  president  of  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  Commodore  Biddle  of  the  navy,  and 
the  latter  was  recently  elected  a  member  of  Congress.  They 
fought  at  five  feet  distance,  and  were  both  mortally  wounded  on 
the  first  discharge.  Mr.  Pettis  died  on  the  same  day  and  Major 
Biddle  on  the  following.  The  quarrel  originated  in  political  dif- 
ferences and  in  the  publication  of  an  article  written  by  Biddle  to 
operate  against  Pettis's  election. 

Friday,  Sept.   2^.  —  Having  received  an    invitation 

Excursion  to  7  v^  <_> 

Albany  and  to  visit  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad,  I  proposed 
West  Point.      ^^  ^j^^  g|j.|g  ^Q  ^^^^  them  with  me,  and  leave  them  at 

West  Point  until  my  return  from  Albany.  I  started  this  afternoon, 
at  five  o'clock,  in  the  steamboat  "  DeWitt  Clinton."  The  weather 
had  been  bad  all  day,  and  was  still  very  doubtful  when  we  left 
home,  but  soon  became  pleasant.  The  rest  of  the  party  landed  at 
West  Point,  and  I  continued  on  my  way  to  Albany.  I  went  to  the 
American  Hotel,  and  after  breakfast  joined  a  large  party  at  the 
Eagle  Tavern.  We  proceeded  in  carriages  under  the  orders  of  Mr. 
Cambreling,  the  superintendent,  to  the  starting-place  on  the  rail- 
road, about  two  miles  from  the  city.  The  road  from  this  point  is 
finished,  a  distance  of  twelve  and  a  half  miles,  nearly  level.  The 
inclined  planes  at  each  end  of  the  road  are  finished.  The  whole 
length  of  the  railroad  when  completed  will  be  fifteen  miles  and 
a  half. 

Sunday,  Sept.  25.  —  My  intention  of  going  to  church  this  mom- 


1831.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  37 

ing  was  frustrated  by  a  pressing  invitation  from  Cambreling  to  take 
another  ride  on  the  railroad  with  Bucknor  and  Edward  Prime,  who 
came  up  last  evening.  We  started  at  ten  o'clock,  under  the  orders 
of  Cambreling  and  Mr.  DeGrufif,  who  has  been  master  of  the  cere- 
monies on  this  occasion,  and  we  returned  with  the  American  loco- 
motive twelve  and  a  half  miles  in  thirty- seven  minutes,  which  is  at 
the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour,  —  quite  fast  enough  in  all  con- 
science, and  exceedingly  pleasant. 

Monday,    Oct.  3.  — The    anti-tariff,    or   free-trade, 
Anti.tariff        convcution  assembled  in  Philadelphia  on  Thursday  last, 

Convention. 

but  the  accounts  this  morning  state  that  they  had  not 
organized  by  the  appointment  of  officers.  What  can  they  want  ? 
At  least,  what  can  the  delegates  from  New  York  have  to  complain 
of,  in  thus  lending  their  aid  to  the  excited  politicians  of  the 
South  to  destroy  a  state  of  prosperity  unexampled  in  the  history  of 
our  country?  If  the  system  of  protecting  duties  should  be  aban- 
doned, our  great  manufacturing  interests  will  be  prostrated  ;  the 
wholesome  competition  with  foreign  countries  which  now  keeps 
down  the  prices  of  imported  goods  will  exist  no  longer.  Foreign- 
ers will  receive  the  benefit  of  the  reduction  of  duties,  and  con- 
sumers will  be  compelled  to  pay  double  for  everything  of  foreign 
manufacture.  The  opinion  of  New  York  is  not  expressed  in  this 
convention ;  our  meeting  was  gotten  up  by  two  or  three  persons, 
not  to  obtain  the  sentiments  of  our  citizens  on  the  propriety  of 
uniting  with  the  nullifiers  of  the  South,  for  in  that  they  would  have 
failed,  but  the  friends  of  the  measure  only  were  called,  and  dele- 
gates were  appointed,  in  the  number  of  whom  are  many  of  our 
most  respected  citizens ;  but  the  names  of  several  were  used  with- 
out their  consent,  and  although  some  of  them  declined  as  soon  as 
they  saw  their  names  published,  on  the  ground  of  their  opposition 
to  the  proceedings,  the  managers  had  not  the  candour  and  fairness 
to  publish  their  dechnations,  but  were  willing  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  influence  which  the  use  of  such  names  would  exercise  upon 
public  opinion  in  other  States,  where  their  disapprobation  could  not 


38  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [yEtat.  51. 

be  known.  Chancellor  Kent  is  one  of  the  number  of  those  whose 
names,  so  well  known  and  so  much  respected,  are  permitted  to 
stand  on  the  list  of  delegates.  He  was  at  my  house  last  evening, 
and  told  me  that  he  sent  in  his  resignation  immediately,  because  he 
disapproved  of  the  proceeding,  and  was  not  opposed  to  the  tariff. 
But  this  artifice  has  accomplished  its  object,  and  James  Kent  is 
quoted  as  one  of  the  good  and  great  men  of  New  York  who  sanc- 
tion a  measure  opposed  to  the  true  interest  of  our  State  and  city. 
Verily,  we  are  an  unthankful  people,  and  one  that  waxes  fat  and 
kicks. 

MoNDAV,  Oct.  10.  —  The  convention  which  has  been  sitting  in 
Philadelphia  adjourned  on  Friday  evening,  sine  die.  An  address 
was  reported  by  Judge  Berrien,  late  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  the  tariff  laws  were  declared  to  be  unconstitutional. 
This  occasioned  some  difficulty.  Mr.  Gallatin,  from  this  city, 
moved  to  strike  out  that  part,  which  motion  was  negatived.  Of  our 
delegates,  sixteen  had  the  grace  to  vote  for  striking  out,  and  four,  — 
Fish,  Leonard,  Bergh,  and  Kneeland,  —  against  it ;  and  the  address 
was  carried,  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  to  twenty-nine.  Thus  the 
Southern  nullifiers  have  accomplished  their  object,  in  getting  New 
York  to  go  with  them ;  for  although  the  delegates  from  this  city  do 
not  rei)resent  this  community,  and  were  appointed  nobody  knows 
how,  yet  they  will  be  claimed  by  the  Southern  people,  who  had  ral- 
lied all  their  forces  and  out-voted  our  men,  and  were,  in  fact,  rep- 
resentatives of  their  respective  States.  This  is  the  way  we  are 
always  managed.  Such  men  as  Gallatin,  Griswold,  Carow,  and 
King  should  never  have  meddled  in  this  concern,  or  should  have 
protested  and  seceded  from  the  convention  when  a  proposition  so 
monstrous  as  the  denying  to  Congress  the  constitutional  right  to 
pass  these  laws  was  about  to  be  adopted.  Those  gentlemen  thought, 
no  doubt  honestly,  that  it  was  inexpedient  and  oppressive  to  pass 
laws  which  they  considered  unequal  in  their  operation ;  but  they 
are  too  enlightened  to  believe  for  a  moment  that  those  laws  are  un- 
constitutional.    It  is  but  a  short  time  since  they  took  the  lead  in 


1831.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  39 

paying  a  merited  compliment  to  Mr.  Webster  for  his  manly  and 
eloquent  defence  of  the  Constitution  against  the  nullifying  doctrines 
of  the  South,  and  now  we  see  them  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  led 
forth  to  grace  the  triumph  of  his  adroit  competitors. 

Thursday,  Oct.  13.  —  Mr.  Anderson,  who  came  out 
°^^^  ^  lately  from  England,  was  announced  this  evening  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  for  his  first  appearance  in  America,  in 
the  character  of  Henry  Bertram  in  the  opera  of ''  Guy  Mannering." 
The  house  was  filled  by  persons  who  had  prepared  to  assist  in  or 
witness  the  riot  which  was  expected.  He  is  said  to  have  behaved 
ill  on  the  passage  and  abused  the  Yankees,  and  a  quarrel  with  the 
mate  was  settled  after  his  arrival  by  the  latter  giving  him  a  flogging, 
the  effects  of  which  has  prevented  him  from  appearing  until  now. 

Saturday,  Oct.  15.  —  Mr.  Anderson  was  announced  again  for 
this  evening  in  the  part  of  Henry  Bertram.  The  house  was  filled 
very  early  to  suffocation.  When  I  went  in  the  whole  interior  was 
a  solid  mass  of  men.  Not  a  single  female  present,  except  two  or 
three  in  the  upper  tier.  The  first  part  of  the  opera  was  listened  to, 
and  when  Mrs.  Sharpe  appeared  she  was  received  with  the  most 
marked  approbation,  intended,  no  doubt,  as  the  amende  honorable 
for  the  share  which  she  was  compelled  to  receive  of  the  ill-treat- 
ment intended  for  Mr.  Anderson  on  Thursday.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  second  act,  previously  to  the  time  when  he  should 
have  appeared,  Simpson  came  forward  and  attempted  to  read  his 
apology.  This  was  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  riot, 
and  from  that  time  the  disturbance  continued  during  the  whole 
night.  Apples,  eggs,  and  other  missiles  were  showered  upon  the 
stage,  and  although  Barry  announced  that  the  unhappy  wight  was 
withdrawn  who  had  committed  the  unatonable  offence  which 
called  down  the  vengeance  of  the  sovereigns,  and  that  the 
play  would  be  changed,  they  would  not  be  pacified.  They  went  to 
the  theatre  for  a  row,  and  they  would  not  be  disappointed.  The 
only  interval  of  order  was  during  the  time  that  little  Burke  was 
brought  forward   and  played  on  his  violin  in  the  overture  to  "  Guy 


40  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  51. 

Mannering,"  at  the  unanimous  call  of  the  house.  The  street  in  front 
of  the  theatre  was  filled  by  the  mob,  the  lamps  were  broken,  and 
the  interior  of  the  theatre  sustained  considerable  injury,  notwith- 
standing a  strong  force  of  watchmen  and  constables  in  attend- 
ance. 

Monday,  Oct.  17.  —  The  disgraceful  riots  of  Thursday  and  Sat- 
urday nights  were  continued  on  a  more  extensive  scale  last  night. 
During  the  whole  of  yesterday  the  sanctity  of  the  day  was  violated 
l)v  the  collection  of  groups  of  idlers  in  front  of  the  theatre,  and 
soon  after  dark  the  numbers  had  increased  in  a  manner  which 
caused  serious  alarm  to  the  neighbourhood.  Cries,  shouts,  and 
huzzas  marked  the  commencement  of  the  attack,  and  about  nine 
o'clock  I  was  disturbed  by  the  noise  of  the  crash  of  broken  win- 
dows and  the  battering  of  the  front  doors.  This  continued  half 
an  hour  withort  the  interference  of  the  municipal  authorities.  I 
then  went  out  to  find  tlie  Mayor.  He  was  not  at  home,  and  could 
not  be  found.  I  then  went  around  to  the  scene  of  action,  when  I 
found  that  the  whole  of  this  outrage  was  committed  by  about 
twenty  boys,  who  were  instigated  and  encouraged  by  the  mob,  and 
every  crash  of  broken  glass  w^as  followed  by  their  shouts.  At  this 
time  Hays  came  up  with  a  pretty  strong  body  of  watchmen,  and 
order  was  for  a  time  restored.  Several  men  and  boys  were  carried 
to  the  watch-house,  of  whom  nearly  the  whole  were  discharged  in 
a  short  time,  and  several  at  my  solicitation.  The  mob  in  front  of 
the  theatre  continued,  but  no  more  injury  was  done  to  the  build- 
ing. Indeed,  there  was  not  much  left  to  be  done,  unless  the  mob 
could  have  forced  an  entrance,  when  the  scene  would  have  been 
dreadful.  The  American  and  tricoloured  flags  were  exhibited  from 
the  upper  windows  to  appease  the  populace,  which  served  to  allay 
the  tumult ;  but  the  noise  continued  all  night,  and  I  doubt  if  any 
person  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  park  had  what  is  called  a  good 
nighf s  7'est. 

To-day  the  front  of  the  theatre  is  covered  with  transparencies  of 
patriotic  subjects,  —  flags  and  eagles  in  abundance,  —  which  appears 


1831.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  4I 

to  have  propitiated  the  mob.  I  went  into  the  house.  Burke  is 
playing,  and  things  go  on  tolerably  quietly.  The  crowd  in  front  is 
tremendously  great,  but  orderly,  and  there  is  a  large  body  of 
watchmen,  with  the  Mayor  in  person,  so  that  there  is  reason  to 
hope  that  this  foolish  affair  has  come  to  an  end. 

Thursday,  Oct.  27. — The  corner-stone  of  a  hospital  for  sailors, 
on  the  foundation  of  charity  created  by  Robert  Richard  Randall, 
was  laid  yesterday  at  Staten  Island,  by  Chancellor  Walworth.  The 
property  left  by  Captain  Randall  has  increased  greatly  in  value 
within  the  last  year,  and  must  be  ample  now  for  the  objects  of  his 
munificent  bequest. 

Friday,  Oct.  28.  —  I  attended  the  tariff  convention  this  morning, 
and  am  much  interested  in  their  proceedings.  The  salt  of  the  land 
is  there,  and  a  little  pepper,  too ;  but  in  my  opinion  the  cause  must 
be  triumphant.  It  is  the  only  true  national  triumph,  and  the  only 
effectual  bond  of  union.  I  dined  with  Nathaniel  Richards  ;  Robert 
G.  Shaw  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abbot  Lawrence,  and  several 
of  the  Eastern  members  of  the  convention  formed  the  party. 

Monday,  Oct.  31.  —  I  was  highly  gratified  by  a  cir- 
cumstance   which    occurred    in    the    convention    this 

Adams. 

morning,  which  proves  that  good  feeling  and  courtesy 
have  not  yet  been  voted  out  of  fashion  by  the  American  people. 
On  the  appearance  of  the  ex-President,  John  Quincy  Adams,  in  the 
lobby.  General  Talmadge,  one  of  the  vice-presidents,  left  his  seat 
and  handed  him  through  the  body  of  the  house  to  a  seat  on  the 
platform ;  as  soon  as  he  was  recognized,  the  whole  assembly,  in- 
cluding the  spectators  in  the  galleries  and  lobby,  rose  from  their 
seats,  and  received  him  with  plaudits,  which  were  continued  until 
he  became  seated. 

Friday,  Nov.  4. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Hon. 
John  Quincy  Adams,  Mr.  C.  H.  Hammond,  Charles  King,  Charles 
A.  Davis,  Peter  H.  Schenck,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Chancellor  Kent, 
General  Talmadge,  John  Hone,  R.  L.  Colt,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Miss 
Helen   Davis,  Miss  •  A.  Church. 


42  TIIK    DIARY    OF   I'lULIl'    HONE.  [.Etat.  51. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  9.  —  Died  on  Saturday  evening  at  his  seat, 
Westchester,  Gen.  Philip  Van  Courtlandt,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Friday,  Nov.  ii.  —  The  packet  "  New  York"  arrived  yesterday. 
Among  her  passengers  are  Mr.  Jonathan  Ogden  and  his  three 
daughters,  and  young  John  Haggerty,  of  this  city,  and  my  friend, 
Mr.  J.  R.  Poinsett. 

I  do  not  know  when  I  have  been  so  delighted  as  I  was  last 
evening  in  seeing  young  Kean  play  Hamlet.  It  is  a  chaste, 
classical  i)erformance. 

Monday,  Dec.  26.  —  The  East  river  was  closed  by  ice  this 
morning,  and  two  or  three  hundred  persons  walked  across  from 
Fulton  street  to  Brooklyn.  On  the  turn  of  the  tide  the  ice  went 
out,  and  the  steamboats  were  again  plying. 

Henry  D.  Sedgwick,  late  of  this  city,  died  at  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
on  the  23d  inst.,  in  the  forty- seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
man  of  talents,  of  celebrity  as  a  lawyer,  but  eccentric. 


[832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  43 


1832 


THE  New  Year  commences  propitiously ;  the  fine  weather, 
clear  sunshine,  and  lively  appearance  of  the  streets,  covered 
witli  snow  are  emblematical  of  the  happy  state  of  our  country  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  city,  and  I  ought  also  to  add,  of  my  own  situa- 
tion, which  calls  upon  me  for  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the 
kindness  and  bounty  of  Divine  Providence.  Blessed  with  good 
health,  my  wife  and  children  virtuous  and  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  and  happiness,  easy  in  my  circumstances  (although  not  quite 
so  rich  as  I  have  been),  and  enjoying,  as  I  trust  I  do,  the  affections 
of  my  friends  and  the  good  opinions  of  my  fellow-citizens,  I  have 
only  to  pray  that  I  may  not  by  an  act  of  my  own  forfeit  any  of  the 
blessings  I  enjoy,  and  that  succeeding  anniversaries  of  this  day 
may,  like  this,  be  to  me  "a  happy  New  Year." 

Friday,  Jan.  9.— -The  following  persons  have  been  elected 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States :  Nicholas  Biddle, 
John  Bohlen^  Richard  Willing,  Henry  Pratt,  Matthew  L.  Bevan, 
John  R.  Neff,  Horace  Binney,  Edward  Coleman,  Manuel  Eyre, 
William  Piatt,  Ambrose  White,  J.  S.  Henry,  Thomas  Cadwallader, 
of  Philadelphia ;  John  Potter,  of  South  Carolina ;  Robert  Gilmor, 
of  Maryland ;  Isaac  Carow,  John  Rathbone,  Jr.,  of  New  York ; 
Thomas  N.  Perkins,  B.  W.  Crowninshield,  of  Massachusetts.  The 
following  government  directors  were  appointed  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States  :  Nicholas  Biddle,  Joshua  Lippincott,  and  J. 
T.  Sullivan,  of  Pennsylvania ;  James  Campbell,  of  New  York ;  and 
Hugh  McEldery,  of  Maryland.  Nicholas  Biddle  was  unanimously 
reelected  president. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  ii.  —  Halsted  E.  Haight's  property  sold  this 
day.  The  three-story  house  and  lot,  22  Vesey  street,  formerly 
occupied  by  the  late   Bishop   Hobart,  twenty- five   feet  front   and 


44  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

rear  by  about  a  hundred  and  two  feet  in  depth,  bought  by  Mr. 
Ward  for  $18,500.  The  lot  of  ground  next  to  my  residence,  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Park  place,  with  three  tenements,  one  on 
Broadway  and  two  on  Park  place,  the  lot  twenty- five  feet  on 
Broadway,  twenty- four  feet  eight  inches  in  the  rear,  in  length 
on  Park  place  a  hundred  and  twenty- one  feet  ten  inches,  and 
along  my  line  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  six  inches,  bought  by  L. 
Bronson  for  $37,000.  I  bid  for  this  lot  ^^36,750,  and  regret  since 
the  sale  that  I  had  not  gone  further.  It  is  worth  more  to  me  than 
to  any  other  person. 

The  house.  No.  t8  Park  place,  occupied  by  Charles  McEvers, 
was  sold  at  auction  on  Saturday  to  James  J.  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  for 
$14,200  ;  lot  twenty-five  feet  by  seventy-five. 

Thursday,  Jan.  19. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  Wilkes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pendleton  Hosack, 
George  Parish,  Washington  Coster,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Hosack,  D.  Lynch, 
P.  Church,  Mrs.  Maria  Hone,  Captain  Nicholson. 

A   volume    of   beautiful   poetry  by   William    Cullen 
ryan  s  Bryant  has  just  been  published  by  Bliss.     It   contains 

several  pieces  which  have  been  published  in  the  peri- 
odicals before,  with  some  new  things.  Bryant  may  be  considered 
the  best  of  American  poets,  with  the  exception  of  Halleck.  A 
vein  of  sadness  pervades  all  his  writings,  which  is  occasionally 
lighted  up  by  soft  and  beautiful  images.  It  is  sad  and  melancholy, 
but  never  harsh  or  gloomy. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  24.  —  This  distinguished  senator  made 
o  one  ^  j^^g  speech  in  the  Senate  on  Monday,  in  reply  to  Mr. 

Clay's  great  speech  in  support  of  the  following  resolu- 
tion offered  by  him  :  "  That  the  existing  duties  upon  articles  im- 
ported from  foreign  countries,  and  not  coming  into  competition  with 
similar  articles  made  or  produced  within  the  United  States,  ought 
to  be  forthwith  abolished,  except  the  duties  on  wines  and  silks,  and 
that  they  ought  to  be  reduced."  The  publication  of  Colonel 
Hayne's  speech  is  commenced  in  to-day's  papers.     He  comes  out 


1832  J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  45 

as  usual  with  great  force  and  eloquence  against  the  whole  pro- 
tective system  of  duties,  depicts  in  glowing  colours  the  sufferings  of 
the  South,  the  inequality  and  injustice  of  the  system  in  its  opera- 
tion upon  them,  and  deplores  the  fancied  evils  which  will  result 
from  it.  He  is  certainly  a  great  man,  but  has  in  my  judgment 
the  wrong  side  of  the  argument,  and  will  have  giants  to  contend 
against  in  the  Senate. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  25.  — I  attended  a  meeting  this  afternoon  at 
Mr.  Bucknor's  office,  to  confer  with  Mr.  Pugh,  one  of  the  canal 
commissioners  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  who  has  been  appointed  to 
visit  New  York  in  relation  to  raising  funds  to  construct  a  railroad 
from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  river,  a  distance  of 
ninety  miles,  to  Chicago,  near  the  southern  outlet  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. This  project  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  as  it  would  divert  the  trade  of  the  new  Western  States 
bordering  on  the  lakes  from  New  Orleans  to  our  seaport.  The  gen- 
tlemen present,  brokers  and  practical  money-dealers,  did  not  seem 
disposed  to  trust  their  funds  in  an  enterprise  so  far  from  home, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  Mr.  Pugh  will  succeed  in  his  application. 

I  have  been  led  by  the  discussions  arising  out  of  this  con-ference 
to  reflect  upon  the  great  prospects  which  the  settlement  of  the 
new  States  holds  out  for  this  country.  The  tide  of  emigration 
sets  in  that  direction  with  a  force  which  has  been  hitherto  un- 
known. The  country  is  rich  and  productive;  the  settlers  are  a 
hardy,  ingenious,  and  enterprising  race  of  men,  dependent  upon 
their  own  physical  resources,  and  uncontaminated  by  the  curse 
of  slavery,  the  deleterious  effects  of  which  are  felt  so  severely  in 
the  Southern  States.  The  chain  of  States,  consisting  of  New 
York,  and,  stretching  westward,  embracing  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  In- 
diana, Illinois,  Missouri,  and  the  Washington  Territory,  seem  natu- 
rally united  by  their  geographical  position  and  similarity  of 
climate,  productions  and  political  policies,  and  the  time  may 
come  when  they  will  form  a  great  empire  and  control  the  desti- 
nies of  the  Western  world. 


46  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

Friday,  Jan.  27.  —  The  lot,  corner  of  Wall  and  Broad  streets, 
sixteen  feet  eight  inches  on  Broad  street  and  thirty  feet  on  Wall 
street,  was  sold  this  day  at  auction  for  $17,750. 

Thursday,  Feb.  16.  —  I  dined  with  James  G.  King,  where  I 
met  Messrs.  De  Bourmont  and  De  Tocqueville,  the  commissioners 
sent  out  by  the  French  government  to  examine  and  report  upon 
the  prisons  and  prison  discipline  of  this  country.  These  gentle- 
men have  just  returned  from  a  tour  in  the  United  States,  and  will 
sail  for  Europe  in  the  packet  of  the  20th. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  22. — This  has  been  a  jubilee  in 
as  ingons  j^^^^  York,  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 

Birthday.  '  ^ 

Washington,  and  the  day  has,  no  doubt,  been  observed 
in  all  other  parts  of  the  country.  Here  we  had  a  firing  of  cannon 
and  ringing  of  bells.  A  procession  was  formed  under  direction  of  a 
committee  of  arrangements  of  the  Common  Council.  It  left  the 
City  Hall,  and  thence  to  the  new  Dutch  Church,  under  a  military 
escort.  I  walked  as  a  trustee  of  the  college.  The  services  in  the 
church  were  opened  and  closed  with  prayers  by  Dr.  Kuypers  and 
Dr.  Milnor.  Two  odes  composed  by  Woodworth  were  sung,  and 
an  oration  read  by  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  which  was  written  in  good 
taste  and  well  delivered,  and  rendered  peculiarly  interesting  from 
the  advanced  age  and  great  respectability  of  the  orator,  and 
from  his  being  one  of  the  small  band  remaining  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary heroes  who  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  glorious 
struggle  for  independence  in  which  ^\^lshington  was  the  leader. 

Thursday,  Feb.  23. — The  ceremony  of  breaking  ground  for 
the  Harlem  Railroad  took  place  this  day  at  Murray's  Hill, 
three  miles  from  town.  The  usual  jollifications  were  observed. 
John  Mason,  vice-president,  in  the  absence  of  C.  P.  White, 
the  president,  made  a  speech.  He  knows  better  how  to 
make  money,  and  that,  as  the  world  goes,  is  a  more  important 
talent. 

Saturday,  Feb.  25. — The  following  party  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
D.  Lynch,  General  Fleming,  Gen.  J.  J.  Jones,  Mr.  Gibbes,  J.  A. 


1832.]  THE   DIARV    OF   rHILlP   HONE.  47 

Hamilton,  Robert  Ray,  Richard  Ray,  Mr.  Charles  King,  T.  W. 
Ludlow,  S.  Swartwout,  Bucknor,   Henry  Hone,  N.   Low. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  29.  —  We  went  to  an  evening  party  at  Mrs. 
Henry  Parish's,  Barclay  street.  The  house  is  new,  everything 
stylish  and  elegant,  and  the  company  filled  every  part  of  the 
splendid   mansion. 

Phil.\delphl\,  Tuesday,  March  13.  —  We  left  New  York  at  six 
o'clock,  in  the  steamboat  "  Swan ;  "  reached  New  Brunswick  at 
half-past  ten ;  thence  we  found  the  roads  very  bad,  and  when  we 
came  to  Trenton  ascertained  that  the  boat  was  down  at  Bristol, 
having  been  prevented  from  ascending  farther  by  a  freshet  in  the 
Delaware.  The  river  was  swollen  to  a  great  height,  and  rushing 
with  fearful  rapidity  past  the  bridge,  bringing  down  with  it  branches 
of  trees  and  great  quantities  of  drift-wood.  AVe  took  the  boat  at 
Bristol  and  came  to  the  Mansion  House  at  seven  o'clock. 

Baltimore,  Wednesday,  March  14.  —  Left  Philadelphia  at  six 
o'clock  this  morning  in  the  "  Robert  Morris,"  and  came  to  New 
Castle  at  half-past  nine,  where  we  were  transferred  to  the  railroad  ; 
a  pleasant  ride,  which  brought  us  in  an  hour  and  three-quarters  to 
Frenchtown.  The  railroad  is  just  finished,  and  is  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute for  the  bad  roads  which  travellers  had  formerly  to  encounter 
in  crossing  the  peninsula.  The  cars  are  new,  very  handsome,  and 
commodious,  and  are  drawn  at  present  by  horses.  At  Frenchtown 
we  took  the  "  Independence,"  and  arrived  here  this  evening.  The 
weather  during  the  day  had  been  extremely  cold  ;  the  decks  were 
covered  with  ice,  and  on  the  passage  up  the  Chesapeake  bay  the 
wind  blew  so  bitterly  cold  that  the  stoutest  passengers  were  unable 
to  remain  upon  deck. 

Washington,  Thursday,  March  15. —  We  left  Baltimore  at  eight 
o'clock  this  morning,  and  came  on  the  stage  over  a  bad  and  some- 
what dangerous  road,  but  without  accident,  and  arrived  here  at  two 
o'clock. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Pendleton.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  For- 
syth, of  the  Senate  ;    Judge  Wayne,  of  Georgia  ;    Mr.  Cambreling ; 


48  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

Colonel  Drayton  ;  J.  A.  Hamilton  ;  Daniel  Glover  ;  Mr.  Ewing,  of 
Philadelphia ;  James  J.  Jones ;  and  Jones  Schermerhorn.  After 
dinner  we  went  to  the  President's ;  the  rooms  were  all  filled,  and 
the  company  consisted,  as  usual,  of  all  the  varieties  of  rank  and 
station, —  foreign  ministers  and  shopkeepers,  heads  of  depart- 
ments and  dressers  of  heads,  senators  and  office-hunters.  The 
President  was  sociable  and  courteous,  and  the  ladies  of  his  family 
performed  their  parts  with  great  propriety ;  on  the  whole,  it  was 
an  affair  not  to  be  missed. 

Monday,  March  19. — Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  had  an  agreeable 
visit  this  afternoon  from  Mr.  Webster,  who  came  in  after  dinner  to 
drink  a  glass  of  wine  with  us.  He  was  in  a  fine  talking  humour,  and 
of  course  we  were  pleased  and  instructed.  We  went  this  evening 
to  a  ball  at  Mrs.  Bankhead's.  It  is  a  delightful  house  to  visit,  but 
the  New  Yorkers  say  we  have  better  evening  parties  at  home. 
There  were  many  great  folk,  some  clever  folk,  and  a  fair  propor- 
tion of  queer  folk, 

Wednesday,  March  21.  —  The  girls  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bankhead.  The  party  consisted  of  Tslr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston, 
of  Louisiana ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  L.  Smith ;  Miss  Lewis ;  Messrs. 
Webster,  W.  P.  Adams ;  Pageot  of  the  French,  and  Khremer  of 
the  Russian,  Legation  ;  Mr.  Letcher  ;  Baron  Stackelberg  ;  and  Col- 
onel Washington.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  ball  given  by  Mrs. 
White,  of  Florida,  at  which  were  all  the  distinguished  men,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  fine  women,  of  Washington. 

Thursday,  March  22.  —  We  passed  five  hours  in  the  Senate  to- 
day, and  I  do  not  think  I  was  ever  more  interested  in  a  debate. 
The  subject  was  Mr.  Clay's  resolutions,  and  the  whole  strength  of 
the  Senate  was  brought  out.  Sprague,  of  Maine,  made  a  beautiful 
speech.  He  is  considered  a  man  of  fine  talents,  and  is  well  listened 
to.  Mr.  Clay  spoke  several  times  ;  so  did  Mr.  Forsyth,  who  is  an 
exceedingly  eloquent  man,  Mr.  Webster,  General  Hayne,  Gov- 
ernor Dickenson,  Mr.  Wilkins,  General  Smith,  etc.  Hayne  was 
vehement,   Forsyth   graceful,   Clay    triumphant,  Webster   didactic. 


1S32.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   PIONE.  49 

Sprague  argumentative,  Wilkins  confused,  Marcey  concerned, 
Holmes  persevering.  In  the  course  of  the  debate  General  Hayne 
charged  Mr.  Forsyth  with  having  deserted  his  cause,  going  over  to 
the  enemy,  and  pointing  his  guns  against  his  friends.  Forsyth,  in 
reply,  said  he  would  go  as  far  in  opposition  to  the  protective  system 
as  any  man,  constitutionally  and  legally,  but  not  one  inch  farther. 
Hayne  took  fire,  and  demanded  if  the  gentleman  meant  to  insinu- 
ate that  he  and  his  friends  would  go  farther.  He  was  violently 
agitated.  Forsyth  replied  with  dignity  and  calmness.  He  did  not 
allude  particularly  to  the  gentleman  and  his  friends,  but  he  did 
allude  to  a  party  who  were  disposed  to  redress  their  grievances  at 
the  risk  of  the  Union  and  the  Constitution.  The  girls  sat  during 
the  whole  debate,  and  left  the  Senate  only  when  I  was  compelled  to 
go  away,  at  half- past  five  o'clock,  to  prepare  for  dinner.  The  Sen- 
ate adjourned  soon  after  we  left  the  chamber.  It  was  a  great  exhi- 
bition of  talents,  and  we  were  fortunate  in  being  present. 

Baltimore,  Saturday,  March  24.  —  We  left  Washington  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  came  here  to  dine.  A  fine  day,  and  the  roads  much 
improved.  We  had  a  pleasant  ride.  We  had  scarcely  dined  when 
we  had  a  large  number  of  visitors,  and  after  they  left  us  we  passed 
an  hour  sociably  at  Mr.  Meredith's.  We  found  here  most  of  the 
New  Yorkers  who  left  Washington  before  us,  and  Parish,  who  came 
from  Philadelphia. 

Sunday,  March  25.  —  Mr.  Meredith  called  this  morning,  and  we 
walked  out  to  see  the  monument,  the  cathedral,  and  the  Unitarian 
church,  with  a  number  of  fine  houses  which  have  been  lately 
erected  in  that  improving  part  of  the  city.  The  Unitarian  church 
is  a  far  more  beautiful  edifice  than  the  cathedral ;  indeed,  I  think 
it,  as  a  single  room,  the  finest  in  America.  We  returned  to  meet 
Mrs.  Calvert,  who  was  waiting  to  accompany  us  to  St.  Paul's 
church.  The  organ  and  church  singing  is  very  fine.  The  organist, 
a  German,  is  a  first-rate  performer,  and  he  made  his  instrument 
speak  a  language  finer  than  I  ever  heard  in  one  of  our  churches. 

On  our  return  from  church  the  girls  had  a  levee  of  visitors ;  they 


50  Till-:    DIARY    OF    I'll  I  LIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  52. 

receive  the  kindest  attentions  from  all  the  most  distinguished 
persons,  and  our  time  is  already  appropriated  during  the  whole 
week.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caton  having  called  this  morning  to  invite 
us,  we  passed  an  hour  or  two  delightfully  at  their  house  this 
evening.  The  family  were  all  present.  Mr.  Carroll  was  cheerful 
and  talkative,  and  enjoyed  himself  very  much  until  nine  o'clock, 
when,  according  to  his  uniform  practice,  he  took  the  arm  of  Mrs. 
McTavish,  and  quietly  left  the  room.  I  feel  while  in  the  presence 
of  this  venerable  man  as  if  I  were  permitted  to  converse  with  one 
of  the  patriarchs,  revisiting  the  land  which,  in  days  long  gone,  he 
had  enriched  with  his  patriotic  counsels.  He  is  in  his  ninety-sixth 
year;  his  hearing  is  defective,  and  his  memory  of  recent  events 
imperfect ;  but  he  presents  a  beautiful  example  of  the  close  of  a 
well-spent  life,  —  serene,  cheerful,  and  happy  ;  prepared,  it  would 
seem,  '^  to  take  his  rest,  with  all  his  country's  honours  blest."  It  is 
very  probable  I  shall  never  again  see  him  after  the  present  visit, 
and  this  reflection  enhanced  the  value  of  the  delightful  hour  I  have 
just  passed  in  his  company.  I  made  Mary  take  a  seat  by  his  side, 
and  she  has  it  to  say  that  she  conversed  some  time  with  the 
last  surviving  signer  of  the  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Would  to  God  we  had  such  a  race  of  men  in  high  places  at  this 
eventful  period  of  our  country's  affairs  !  But  Providence  took  care 
of  us  in  their  days,  and  as  the  Scottish  ballad  says,  "  it  aye  will 
again." 

From  Mrs.  Caton's  we  went  to  Mrs.  Swan's,  where  we  had  been 
invited  to  meet  a  party  of  the  most  agreeable  people  in  Baltimore. 
This  is  pretty  well  for  Sunday,  and  the  Baltimoreans  are  rather 
strict,  too ;  but  these  parties  were  rational,  delightful,  and  void  of 
offence.  It  is  impossible  to  be  received  with  a  more  frank  and 
hospitable  welcome  than  we  have,  and  if  our  time  does  not  pass 
agreeably  the  fault  will  be  our  own. 

Monday,  March  26.  —  It  rained  all  the  morning,  and  I  did  not 
go  out  until  one  o'clock,  when  I  called  upon  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr. 
Gilmor.     The  girls  rode  out  with  John  Hoffman  to  see  Chatsworth, 


1832.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  5 1 

his  brother's  place.  I  dined  with  a  pleasant  party  at  Dr.  White's, 
and  in  the  evening  we  went  to  a  ball  at  Mrs.  David  Hoffman's, 
where  we  met  all  the  agreeable  people  of  the  place,  and  more 
agreeable  people  aie  not  to  be  met  with  anywhere. 

Tuesday.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Meredith,  with  a  gay  and  pleasant 
party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Gilmor,  uncle  and  nephew,  Oliver, 
Gibbes,  Carroll,  Harper,  Donnell,  two  or  three  Hoffmans,  etc.  In 
the  evening  went  to  a  beautiful  party  and  supper  at  Mrs.  George 
Hoffman's,  where  we  met  the  whole  array  of  Baltimore  beauty  and 
fashion.  The  party  was  given  in  honour  of  my  girls,  and  I  presume 
Mr.  Hoffman's  splendid  house  was  never  more  splendidly  filled. 

Thursday,  March  29.  —  Mr.  Oliver  sent  me  a  horse  this  morning, 
and  at  one  o'clock  we  made  an  equestrian  party,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Oliver,  Meredith,  Charles  Carroll,  and  myself,  and  rode 
around  the  city,  visiting  the  country-seats  of  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr. 
Carroll,  and  seeing  what  was  worthy  of  notice. 

Friday.  —  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  leave-taking  supper- 
party  at  Mr.  Meredith's.  As  this  is  our  last  evening  in  Baltimore, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Gilmor,  the  ladies  of  Mrs.  William  Gilmor's 
family,  and  several  young  gentlemen  were  invited  to  meet  us. 

Saturday,  March  31.  —  At  half-past  six  this  morning  we  went 
on  board  the  steamboat  "  George  Washington."  Besides  our  party 
we  had  Jones  Schermerhorn,  William  Edgar,  Hamilton  Fish,  and 
young  McEwen,  of  Philadelphia ;  Mr.  Meredith  and  his  son,  John 
Hoffman,  and  John  Donnell  politely  accompanied  us  to  the  boat, 
and  we  started  with  their  kind  adieus.  Thus  ended  our  visit  to 
Baltimore,  during  which  we  have  received  the  most  gratifying  at- 
tentions and  the  kindest  hospitality.     I  shall  never  forget  them. 

Thursday,  April  i.  —  The  Historical  Society  having 

IS  onc.i         lately  removed  their  library  to  the  spacious  room  in  the 
third  story  of  the  new  edifice  belonging  to  Mr.  Remsen 
at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Chambers  street,  over  the  one  occu- 
pied by  the  Athenaeum,  it  was  opened  this  day,  and  an  address  was 
delivered  to  a  respectable  assemblage  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  by 


52  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

William  Beach  Lawrence.  It  was  well  written  and  interesting,  but 
his  delivery  is  somewhat  painful,  owing,  apparently,  to  a  difficulty 
of  articulation.  I  presided  as  first  vice-president  in  the  absence 
of  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  the  president.  The  room  is  fitted  up  with 
much  taste,  and  the  books  and  curiosities  skilfully  and  scientifically 
arranged,  for  which  the  society  has  been  as  usual  indebted  to  the 
exertions  of  Mr.  John  Delafield. 
^  J  May  2. — Ogden  Hoffman  made  the  annual  address 

Ogden  ® 

Hoffman's  beforc  the  alumni  of  Columbia  College.  The  high 
Address.  reputation  of  this  gentleman  as  a  scholar  and  an  orator 

caused  the  college  chapel  to  be  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
the  fairest  and  best  of  our  city,  and  no  expectations  had  been 
raised  which  were  not  fully  realized.  I  have  never  heard  a 
production  of  more  taste,  purity,  and  appropriateness,  or  one  de- 
livered with  greater  grace  and  eloquence.  Its  principal  subjects 
were  a  brief  biography  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  in  the  orator's 
time,  and  a  dissertation  on  the  several  branches  of  education 
taught  in  the  college.  In  the  latter,  Mr.  Hoffman  took  a  well- 
chosen  occasion  to  enforce  the  claims  of  classical  learning,  when  a 
host  of  utilitarians  are  springing  up  on  all  sides  preparing  the  pub- 
lic mind  for  a  desertion  of  those  pure  springs  of  knowledge,  from 
which  the  great  and  the  good  in  past  ages  have  drawn  their  richest 
draughts,  and  who  would  annihilate  for  all  future  ages  the  glorious 
language  in  which  Homer  and  Virgil  sang  and  Demosthenes  and 
Cicero  declaimed.  Columbia  College  is  sufficiently  orthodox  on 
this  subject ;  but  when  the  floods  of  innovation  threaten  to  destroy 
the  foundations  of  learning,  the  strongest  barriers  must  be  opposed 
to  their  progress.  On  this  subject  Hoffinan  was  clever,  forcible,  and 
touching,  and  all  the  power  of  the  purest  English  was  employed  to 
protect  the  classical  sanctity  of  the  Greek  and  Latin. 

I  feel  this  subject  deeply,  for  I  am  sensible  of  my  own  de- 
ficiency, and  would  give  half  I  possess  in  the  world  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  a  classical  education.  Oh  that  my  sons  knew  how 
to   appreciate    their   opportunities   of   acquiring   knowledge,   and 


1S32.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  53 

would  profit  by  their  father's  experience  !  The  toils  of  eighteen 
would  be  then  richly  rewarded  by  the  delightful  experience  of 
fifty,  and  the  pleasures  of  prosperity  enhanced,  and  the  sorrows 
of  adversity  assuaged,  by  the  stores  of  intellectual  riches  laid 
up  in  early  life. 

Tuesday,  May  15. — The  annual  exhibition  has  just 
Academy  of     ^^^^    opened    at    the    new    rooms   in    Barclay   street. 

the  Fine  Arts.  ^ 

There  is  the  usual  display  of  horrid  portraits,  like 
enough,  in  all  conscience,  to  the  originals,  who  I  wish  were  hanged 
in  their  places.  There  are  two  most  beautiful  pictures  by  Carlo 
Maratti,  belonging  to  an  amateur  named  Dunderdale.  He  wants 
to  sell  them.  I  should  like  to  buy  them,  but  I  will  not.  The 
Academy  of  Design  are  making  great  preparations  for  their  exhibi- 
tion, which  will  be  opened  in  two  or  three  days,  and  will  be  very 
good.  They  have  six  of  my  pictures  :  Bennett's  **  View  of  Castel- 
amare,"  Heyle's  "Landscape,"  Newton's  "Greek  Girl,"  "The 
Greek  "  and  "  The  Toque  "  of  Weir's,  and  Morse's  "  Thorwaldsen." 
Allston's  new  picture  (I  believe  the  subject  is  taken  from  the  "  Mys- 
teries of  Udolpho,"  or  some  such  startling  romance)  has  been  ob- 
tained from  the  owner.  This  picture  has  made  noise,  and  is  cer- 
tainly fine.  There  is  also  a  noble  full  length  of  Colonel  Varick,  by 
Henry  Inman,  a  splendid  picture.  Portraits,  portraits  enough, 
in  all  conscience  ! 
»    .    ,   ,  Tuesday,    May    22.  —  The    packet-ship   "Havre" 

Arrival  of  '  *^ 

Washington  arrived  last  evening,  having  sailed  from  Havre  on  the 
^'''''"^*  1 2th  of  April.       Among  the  passengers  is  our  distin- 

guished countryman,  and  my  old  friend,  Washington  Irving,  who 
visits  his  native  country  after  an  absence  of  seventeen  years.  I  called 
to  see  him  this  morning  at  his  brother's,  Ebenezer  Irving.  He  has 
grown  very  fat  since  I  saw  him  in  England  in  182 1,  looks  exceed- 
ingly well,  and  is  delighted  to  be  once  more  in  his  native  city.  I 
passed  half  an  hour  with  him  very  pleasantly.  He  talks  a  great 
deal  and  is  in  high  spirits,  a  thing  not  usual  with  him,  except  when 
under  excitement,  as  he  is  at  this  moment. 


54  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 


Cholera  in 
Paris. 


This  dreadful  disease  has  increased  to  an  awful 
degree  in  Paris,  and  the  citizens  are  flying  in  every 
direction.  Irving  hurried  away  in  consequence  of  it. 
Mr.  Van  Buren  went  to  Holland  immediately,  and  was  to  return 
to  England,  whence  he  should  embark  for  America  on  the  ist 
of  June.  Brevoort  and  his  family  have  gone  to  reside  at  Fon- 
tainebleau. 

Wednesday,  May  23.  —  I  have  devoted  nearly  the  whole  day  to 
Washington  Irving.  We  were  invited  by  a  committee  of  the  cor- 
poration to  accompany  them  on  a  visit  to  Blackwell's  Island  and 
Bellevue,  which  has  been  made  up  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  the 
public  institutions  to  General  Santander.  Alderman  Murray  called 
for  Irving  and  me  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  we  rode  out  and  joined 
the  party  at  the  penitentiary  on  Blackwell's  Island.  We  then  re- 
turned with  them  to  the  almshouse,  which,  with  the  workshops, 
schools,  etc.,  was  exhibited  to  the  company.  Besides  General 
Santander  and  his  suite  and  ourselves  there  were  Mr.  LeRay  de 
Chaumont  and  his  son.  Col.  George  Gibbs,  Don  Tomas  Gener, 
Dr.  Bronson,  Mr.  Hoyt,  etc.  At  three  o'clock,  when  they  were 
preparing  to  go  to  dinner,  Irving  and  I  left  them  and  came  to 
town  to  meet  friends  whom  I  had  engaged  to  dine  with  me.  Our 
party  at  dinner  consisted  of  Mr.  Washington  Irving,  Dr.  Wain- 
vvright,  Mr.  Charles  King,  James  G.  King,  Ogden  Hoffman,  J.  P. 
Giraud,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  James  Paulding,  Professor  Renwick, 
and  Captain  Nicolson. 

Saturday,  May  26. —  I  dined  with  Dr.  Wainwright,  and  met 
Irving  and  Newton,  Mr.  Gray,  of  Boston,  and  other  agreeable 
persons.  The  return  of  Geoffrey  Crayon  has  made  old  times 
and  the  associations  of  early  life  the  leading  topics  of  conver- 
sation amongst  his  friends. 
„  , ,.  „.  Wednesday,    May    30.  —  The    dinner    took    place 

Public  Dinner  }  o  i 

to  Washing-     to-day  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  went  off  finely.     About 

rving.       lYiYce  hundred  gentlemen  sat  down.     It  was  a  regular 

Knickerbocker  affair.      There  were   old   New  Yorkers    and  their 


1832.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  55 

descendants  in  goodly  numbers,  who  are  seldom  seen  at  such 
places,  and  among  the  invited  guests  were  many  distinguished  men  ; 
viz.,  the  bishops,  Dr.  Wainwright,  General  Santander,  Baron  de 
Behr,  the  new  Minister  from  Belgium,  Don  Tomas  Gener,  General 
Scott,  Commodore  Chauncey,  the  Chancellor  and  Vice-Chan- 
cellor,  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Edward  P.  Livingston,  Judges 
Hoffman,  Oakley,  and  Irving,  Mr.  Gallatin,  Mr.  LeRay  de  Chau- 
mont,  Mr.  James  Paulding,  Colonel  Trumbull,  and  Mr.  Newton. 

Saturday,  June  9.  —  A  great  meeting  was  held  last 
"  '■  ^'■^  evening  of  persons  avowedly  friends  to  the  union  of  the 

States  and  in  favour  of  such  a  modification  of  the  tariff 
as  would  serve  to  produce  that  effect,  together  with  many  violent 
free-ti-ade  men  (as  they  call  themselves),  who  would  destroy  the 
industry  of  the  country  and  discourage  all  improvement  to  support 
their  opinions  and  establish  their  theories.  The  meeting  was 
called  to  order  and  organized  by  that  mild,  amiable,  and  reason- 
able gendeman,  Preserved  Fish.  James  Kent  was  chosen  presi- 
dent, Stephen  Allen  and  Gideon  Lee,  vice-presidents,  Cornelius 
W.  Lawrence  and  John  A.  Stevens,  secretaries.  The  meeting 
was  addressed  and  the  resolutions  moved  by  Peter  A.  Jay,  and 
they  are  quite  unexceptionable,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  that 
gentleman,  who  is  always  wise,  always  honest,  but  sometimes 
a  little  prejudiced ;  but  would  to  God  the  affairs  of  our  country, 
tariff  and  all,  were  in  the  hands  of  such  men  !  The  meeting  was  so 
large  that  the  room  was  insufficient,  and  all  the  approaches  to  it 
crowded  to  excess.  Great  tumult  and  disorder  were  occasioned  by 
some  tariff  men  who  had  better  have  stayed  away.  Party  spirit  has 
unhappily  been  mingled  with  the  question.  The  excitement  in- 
creases every  day.  Reflecting  men  who  love  their  country  and 
would  preserve  its  institutions  are  full  of  alarm  and  serious 
forebodings.  Both  sides  are  wrong.  It  is  vain  to  talk  of  concilia- 
tion. Prejudice  on  one  side,  interest  on  the  other,  and  intoler- 
ance on  both  will  prevent  them  from  approaching  nearer  to 
each  other.     Mr.  Adams's  wisdom  might  do  something  if  it  were 


56  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  52. 

seconded  by  General  Jackson's  decision.  Happy  would  our 
country  be  if  those  qualifications  were  united  in  one  person, 
and    he    the    chief  magistrate  ! 

Friday,  June    15.  —  The    Albany  steamboat  which 
10  era  in        came  down  this  afternoon  brought  the  alarmint^  news 

Canada.  ^  ^ 

that  the  cholera,  which  has  of  late  been  the  scourge 
of  the  Eastern  ContincMit,  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  made  its 
appearance  first  in  Quebec,  and  from  there  has  travelled  with  its 
direful  velocity  to  Montreal.  It  was  brought  to  the  former  city  in 
a  vessel  called  the  "  Carricks,"  with  a  cargo  of  Irish  immigrants, 
of  whom  many  died  on  the  way.  In  a  few  days  fifteen  cases  and 
eight  deaths  were  reported,  principally  in  the  narrow,  dirty  streets 
of  the  lower  town,  and  the  last  report  gave  seventy  cases.  This 
dreadful  disease  has  not  been  more  mortal  in  any  part  of  the  world 
which  it  has  visited.  The  proportion  of  deaths  to  the  number  of 
cases  is  dreadful.  There  can  be  little  reasonable  ground  to  hope 
for  our  exemption  in  New  York  from  this  dreadful  scourge.  It 
must  come,  and  we  are  in  a  dreadful  state  to  receive  it.  The  city 
is  in  a  more  filthy  state  than  Quebec  and  Montreal,  and  I  do  not 
know  a  European  city  which  is  worse.  The  alarm  is  great  in 
Albany  and  Troy. 

The  accounts  are  confirmed.  They  have  it  bad 
the  ch°oiera  ^nough  at  Qucbcc  and  Montreal,  and  there  are  reports 
of  a  few  solitary  cases  at  Plattsburgh,  but  they  do  not 
appear  to  be  authentic.  Mr.  Bowne,  our  mayor,  has  pubhshed  his 
proclamation  interdicting  the  approach  to  the  city  of  steamboats 
and  other  conveyances  having  passengers  ill  v.ith  the  disease. 
Bishop  Onderdonk  has  published  a  very  sensible  pastoral  letter  to 
the  ministers  of  his  diocese,  urging  them  to  make  a  spiritual  use 
of  the  apprehended  danger,  and  prescribing  a  form  of  prayers  to 
be  used  in  the  service  of  the  Church. 

Monday,  June  18.  —  Prayers  were  offered  up  yesterday  in  all 
the  churches  to  avert  the  threatened  visit  of  the  cholera,  and  ser- 
mons preached  to  prepare  the  minds  of  the  people  for  the  afilic- 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF' PHILIP   HONE.  57 

tion,  which  seems  now  to  be  considered  inevitable.  The  weather 
is  warm,  but  clear  and  pleasant ;  recent  showers  have  refreshed 
the  earth,  and  have  been  succeeded  by  pleasant  southerly  winds 
and  a  bright  atmosphere.  The  reports  of  the  day  are  that  the 
disease  has  increased  in  Montreal  and  Quebec.  The  number  of 
deaths  in  the  former  place  is  said  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  great  exertions  are  made  to  prevent  the  Canadian  emigrants 
from  being  brought  by  steamboats  or  canal- boats  into  our  State. 

General  Scott  has  received  orders  from  the  War 
War  "  '^"  Department  to  proceed  forthwith  to  Fort  Dearborn,  at 
Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan,  to  take  command  of  the 
army,  and  fight  the  Sacs  and  Fox  Indians  who  have  recently  com- 
mitted outrages  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Illinois,  and  murdered 
some  of  the  Menominee  Indians  friendly  to  the  United  States. 
Fourteen  companies  of  United  States  troops  equipped  as  infantry 
are  ordered  to  rendezvous  here  and  proceed  by  the  North  river, 
the  Erie  canal,  and  the  lakes  to  their  destination.  The  cadets 
from  West  Point  who  have  just  now  graduated  are  ordered  on  this 
service.  Henry  Swartwout,  who  is  one  of  them,  called  this  after- 
noon to  see  us,  and  is  delighted,  as  most  of  his  class  are,  with  the 
prospect  of  military  distinction  which  this  expedition  promises. 
I  saw  the  major-general  this  evening.  He  will  wait  for  the  arrival 
of  the  troops,  five  companies  of  whom  are  to  come  from  Old 
Point  Comfort,  Va.,  and  expects  to  embark  the  latter  part  of  this 
week.  He  is  ordered  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  murderers 
of  the  friendly  Indians,  to  compel  the  hostile  Indians  to  observe 
the  treaty  which  was  made  with  them  by  General  Gaines  last 
year,  and  to  take  their  leader,  the  Black  Hawk,  dead  or  alive. 
This  celebrated  warrior  is  said  to  be  as  formidable  as  the  famous 
Tecumseh,  and  peace  cannot  be  restored  to  the  frontier  until  he 
is  captured  or  destroyed. 

Wednesday,  July  4.  —  It  is  a  lovely  day,  but  very  different  from 
all  previous  anniversaries  of  independence.  The  alarm  about  the 
cholera  has  prevented  all  the   usual  jollification  under  the  public 


58  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

authority.  There  are  no  booths  in  Broadway,  the  parade  which 
was  ordered  has  been  countermanded,  no  corporation  dinner,  and 
no  ringing  of  bells.  Some  troops  are  marching  about  the  street, 
"upon  their  own  hook,"  I  suppose.  Most  of  the  stores  are  closed, 
and  there  is  a  pretty  smart  cannonade  of  crackers  by  the  boys ;  but 
it  is  not  a  regular  Fourth  of  July.  The  disease  is  here  in  all  its 
violence,  and  will  increase.  God  grant  that  its  ravages  may  be 
confined  and  its  visit  short  ! 

New  York,  Monday,  July  23.  —  I  left  Rockaway  after  breakfast 
this  morning,  and  came  up  to  the  city.  Miss  Lewis  accompanied 
me.  The  alarm  is  very  great,  but  the  streets  are  more  lively  than 
I  expected.  I  went  to  Wall  street  and  transacted  some  business ; 
there  was  a  considerable  number  of  persons  on  'Change,  and  I 
saw  but  few  stores  closed  in  my  walk.  I  hear  many  dreadful  stories 
of  cholera  cases.  The  end  of  last  week  a  man  was  found  in  the 
road  at  Harlem  who  had  died  of  cholera.  A  coroner's  inquest  was 
called,  and  of  twenty  persons,  jury  and  witnesses,  who  were  present, 
nine  are  now  dead.  John  Aspinwall  told  me  this  story,  who  had 
it  from  Alderman  Murray,  of  the  ninth  ward. 

July  25.  — The  Count  Survilliers  sailed  from  Philadelphia  in  the 
ship  "  Alexander"  for  London.  His  departure  from  his  residence 
at  Bordentown,  on  the  Delaware,  was  marked  by  the  regrets  of  his 
neighbours  ;  among  whom  his  hospitality  and  munificence  hav^e  made 
him  very  popular,  and  he  received  on  his  embarkment  at  Philadel- 
phia the  marked  attentions  of  the  citizens. 

August  8.  —  Joseph  Jefferson,  comedian  of  the  Philadelphia 
Theatre,  died  at  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  on  the  4th  inst.  This  man's 
acting  of  comic  parts  on  the  New  York  stage  is  connected  with  the 
pleasing  recollections  of  my  early  years.  He  was  a  great  favourite 
at  that  time,  and  has  presen-ed  a  high  reputation  ever  since  as  a 
comic  performer. 

Sunday,  :AuQ.  19. —  Margaret  has  a  letter  from  Helq^,.Kane, 
accompanied; by  a  present  of  a  purse  for  me,  which  is  the,  subject 
of  the  following  neat  remark  :   *'  Tell   your  father   that,  although. 


1832.]  THE   DIARY  OF  PHILIP   HONE.  59 

like  my  affection  for  him,  my  poor  little  purse  as  yet  knows  no 
change,  I  hope  it  may  soon  resemble  my  sad  heart  when  absent 
from  him,  and  prove  heavy  and  full  to  overflowing." 

Wednesday,  Aug.  29.  —  We  set  off  to  the  railroad, 
ara  oga.          ^^^  embarked  in  one  of  a  train  of  carriages  ;  arrived 

Springs.  °       ■' 

at  Schenectady,  breakfasted,  walked  a  short  distance  to 
the  commencement  of  the  Saratoga  road,  and  came  in  the  same  way 
to  Saratoga  Springs  by  the  way  of  Ballston,  where  we  arrived  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  I  am  well  accommodated  at  Congress  Hall. 
This  is  a  pleasant  mode  of  travelling ;  not  very  rapid  but  free  from 
fatigue  or  inconvenience  of  any  sort.  The  Mohawk  and  Hudson 
road  is  travelled  by  the  power  of  a  steam  locomotive  engine ;  the 
Saratoga,  by  a  horse-power.  The  latter  road  is  scarcely  in  a  state 
to  be  travelled,  and  has  been  in  operation  only  a  few  weeks. 

The  Springs  have  been  almost  deserted  this  summer,  but  there 
are  now  some  clever  people  here  and  at  Sans-Souci.  We  have 
General  Van  Rensselaer  and  his  sons,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkins,  Oliver 
Kane  and  his  wife,  with  Anna  and  Lydia,  Mrs.  Phil.  Van  Rensselaer, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickenson ;  Judge  Pendleton,  Judge  Woodworth,  Mr. 
Dudley,  William  Laight,  all  with  their  wives ;  Mr.  Huntington  and 
his  family  from  Troy,  with  a  few  beaux,  etc.,  —  in  all  about  sixty 
persons.  The  house  is  clean,  quiet,  comfortable,  and  well  attended. 
I  rode  this  afternoon  with  Dr.  McLean  and  Giraud  to  Riley's,  at 
Saratoga  lake.  S.  Van  Rensselaer,  of  Albany,  and  Philip  Schuyler, 
of  Schuylerville,  came  this  evening. 

New  York,  Thursday,  Sept.  6.  —  The  city  appears  as  lively 
and  the  streets  as  full  of  people  as  it  usually  is  at  this  season.  If 
the  cholera  is  still  amongst  us,  it  proceeds  quietly,  uninterrupted 
by  municipal  regulations,  and  apparently  unheeded  by  those  who 
are  exposed  to  it. 

The  packet-ship  "Pacific"  arrived  on  Monday  last,  having  on 
board  Charles  Kemble,  the  celebrated  comedian,  and  his  highly 
gifted  daughter,  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  who  has  lately  created,  by 
her  fine  acting,  a  great  sensation  in  the  theatrical  circles  of  Great 


6o  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.-Etat.  52. 

Britain.  They  are  engaged  by  the  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre ; 
and  as  the  fame  of  the  father  has  long  since  reached  this 
country,  and  the  daughter  is  said  to  inherit  the  talents  of  a  family 
in  which  were  numbered  a  Siddons  and  a  John  Kemble,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  we  shall  be  furnished  with  a  theatrical  treat  of 
the  highest  order.  VVallack  made  his  first  appearance  since  his 
arrival  on  Monday  evening,  and  was  well  received.  They  ought 
to  do  well  this  season  at  the  Park. 

Friday,  Seff.    7.  —  Mr.  Kemble  called   this  morn- 
,,  ^  ^,  ms   and    left    me    letters    of    introduction    from    Mr. 

Kembles.  ° 

Vaughan,  the  British  Minister  to  this  country,  who  is 
now  in  England,  and  from  Mr.  Price.  I  returned  his  visit  and 
saw  his  daughter  (her  father  was  not  at  home).  She  appeared 
deser\nng  of  all  her  reputation,  —  a  good  figure,  easy  manners, 
sprightly  and  intelligent,  self-possessed,  not  very  handsome,  but 
with  features  animated  and  expressive,  and  calculated  for  great 
stage  effect.  Mr.  Kemble  is  to  make  his  first  appearance  in 
"Hamlet,"  and  his  accomplished  daughter  will  come  out  on  the 
I  7th,  most  probably  in  the  character  of  Juliet,  in  which  she  made 
her  successful  ^A7^///  at  Covent  Garden. 

Mr.  Jones  Schermerhorn  called  to  see  me  yesterday,  and  I  have 
sanctioned  his  engagement  with  Mary.  His  mother  and  other 
members  of  the  family  called  to-day,  and  are  heartily  pleased 
with  the  intended  alliance.  Mr.  Schermerhorn  is  confined  to  his 
country-house  with  indisposition.  My  beloved  child  could  not 
have  made  a  choice  more  pleasing  to  me.  Schermerhorn  is  a 
young  man  of  most  amiable  disposition,  good  morals,  agreeable 
deportment,  and  a  gentleman,  of  a  family  with  whom  I  shall  con- 
sider it  an  honour  to  be  allied.  As  far  as  human  foresight  can 
penetrate,  it  is  a  union  calculated  to  promote  our  happiness. 
May  the  Almighty  smile  upon  it  and  realize  our  expectations  ! 

Jones  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  Gaston,  and  Isaac  Hone  dined  with 
us.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  theatre  and  saw  Wallack  for 
the   first  time.     He  played  the  part  of  Martin  Heywood   in    the 


1832.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  6 1 

new  piece  of  "  Rent  Day,"  —  a  very  effective  part,  to  which  he  sjives 
great  interest.  He  has  been  well  received  and  is  in  good  spirits, 
although  his  engagement  will  be  somewhat  interfered  with  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Kembles  so  soon  upon  his  heels. 

Saturday,  Sept.  15.  —  The  following  party  dined  with  us : 
Charles  Kemble,  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  Miss  De  Camp,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  A.  Davis,  Dr.  A.  E.  Hosack  and  Mrs.  Hosack,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cornwall,  of  Nova  Scotia,  Mr.  Charles  Bankhead,  Mr.  Charles 
King,  General  Fleming,  Mr.  Gaston,  D.  Lynch,  Jones  and  Aug. 
Schermerhorn,  Henry  Hone,  and  James  A.  Hamilton.  Miss 
Kemble,  like  all  young  persons  who  have  become  celebrated,  has 
many  and  strong  admirers.  But  many  dislike  her  on  first  acquaint- 
ance. Her  manners  are  somewhat  singular.  Allowance  should 
be  made  for  the  peculiarity  of  her  situation,  just  arrived  among 
strangers,  with  a  consciousness  that  she  is  viewed  as  one  of  the 
lions  of  the  day,  and  as  such  the  object  more  of  curiosity  than  of 
affection.  Her  behaviour  would  be  attributed  naturally  to  timidity, 
were  it  not  that  at  times  she  appears  to  be  perfectly  self-possessed. 
She  talks  well,  but  will  only  talk  when,  and  to  whom,  she  chooses. 
She  sat  at  my  side  at  dinner,  and  I  certainly  had  no  reason  to 
complain  of  her,  for  I  lost  my  dinner  in  listening  to  her  and  in 
endeavouring  to  make  myself  agreeable.  She  has  certainly  an  air 
of  indifference  and  nonchalance  not  at  all  calculated  to  make 
her  a  favourite  with  the  beaux.  Indeed,  Henry  Hone  and  I  think 
that  she  prefers  married  men.  Her  fault  appears  to  be  an  ungra- 
cious manner  of  receiving  the  advances  of  those  who  desire  to  pay 
her  attention.  This  may  proceed  from  the  novelty  of  her  situation, 
and  may  be  soon  removed.  But  now  is  her  time  to  make  friends 
if  she  wants  them.  She  sang  and  played  for  us  in  the  evening. 
Her  voice  is  not  sweet,  but  has  great  force  and  pathos.  I  am  con- 
firmed in  my  opinion  that  she  has  astonishing  requisites  for  the  stage. 
Her  features  separately  are  not  good,  but  combined  they  make  a 
face  of  great  and  powerful  expression.  She  is  said  to  resemble  her 
aunt,  Mrs.  Siddons.     I  am  of  opinion   that  she   does  not   like  her 


62  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

profession.  It  is  not  her  favourite  theme  of  conversation  ;  necessity, 
rather  than  choice,  has  led  her  to  adopt  it.  Her  father  is  a  gentle- 
man of  fine  manners  and  dignified  deportment,  somewhat  stiff,  — 
for  he  is  a  Kemble,  —  but  evidently  well-bred  and  accustomed  to 
good  society. 

Sunday. — Mr.  and  Miss  Kemble  and  Miss  De  Camp  were  at 
Trinity  Church,  and  sat  in  my  pew.  They  are  evidently  accustomed 
to  attend  divine  service,  a  practice  which  is  not  so  frequent  with 
persons  of  their  profession  as  might  be  wished. 

Monday,  Sefi.  17.  —  Charles  Kemble  made  his  first  appearance 
this  evening  at  the  Park  Theatre,  in  the  character  of  Hamlet,  to 
a  great  house.  He  was  well  received,  and  listened  to  with  great 
attention.  There  were  not  many  ladies  in  the  house,  but  the  audi- 
ence appeared  to  be  critical  and  discriminating.  It  was  precisely 
such  acting  as  my  recollection  of  Kemble  and  my  opinion  of  his 
powers  had  led  me  to  expect.  The  part  was  deeply  studied  and 
well  understood ;  his  reading  is  critically  correct,  his  elocution 
distinct,  and  his  manner  dignified ;  but  he  is  too  formal,  even  for 
Hamlet.  His  pauses  are  too  long  and  too  frequent,  so  much  so 
as  to  make  the  representation  fatiguing ;  and  for  myself,  I  confess 
that,  although  my  judgment  is  perfectly  satisfied,  his  Hamlet  falls 
far  short  of  the  power  to  interest  me  and  give  me  pleasure  of 
Kean's  or  even  Wallack's,  and  he  labours,  moreover,  under  one  great 
disadvantage,  of  which  he  has,  unfortunately,  no  chance  of  amend- 
ment, —  he  is  too  old  by  thirty  years  for  this  part,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  his  face  will  do  better  for  Lord  Townly,  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer,  King  John,  and  other  such  parts.  He  is,  on  the 
whole,  a  fine  actor,  a  good  study  for  the  younger  men,  and  his  visit 
to  this  country  ought  to  improve  the  American  stage.  Fanny 
Kemble  is  to  appear  to-morrow  evening  in  "  Fazio." 

Tuesday,  Sept.  18.  —  Miss  Fanny  Kemble  made  her  first  ap- 
pearance this  evening  in  the  character  of  Bianca,  in  Milman's 
tragedy  of  "  Fazio."  It  is  a  fine  part,  well  calculated  for  a  display 
of  the  strongest  passions  of  the  female  heart,  —  love,  hate,  and  jeal- 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  63 

ousy.  I  predicted  before  we  went  that  it  would  be  no  half-way 
affair ;  she  would  make  the  most  decided  hit  we  have  ever  wit- 
nessed, or  would  fail  entirely ;  and  so  it  proved.  I  have  never 
witnessed  an  audience  so  moved,  astonished,  and  delighted.  Her 
display  of  the  strong  feelings  which  belong  to  the  part  was  great 
beyond  description,  and  the  expression  of  her  wonderful  face  would 
have  been  a  rich  treat  if  her  tongue  had  uttered  no  sound.  The 
fifth  act  was  such  an  exhibition  of  female  powers  as  we  have  never 
before  witnessed,  and  the  curtain  fell  amidst  the  deafening  shouts 
and  plaudits  of  an  astonished  audience.  She  has  some  faults  :  her 
low  tones  are  sepulchral  and  indistinct,  —  and  yet  her  voice  appears 
to  me  capable  of  anything  which  her  judgment  would  lead  her  to 
execute,  —  and  she  is  at  times  somewhat  monotonous,  particularly 
in  the  unimpassioned  passages ;  but  this  may  be  the  defect  of  edu- 
cation. It  was  the  fault  of  John  Kemble  and  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  and 
is  that  of  her  father.  It  runs  in  the  family.  But  on  the  whole  I  am 
quite  satisfied  that  we  have  never  seen  her  equal  on  the  American 
stage,  and  England  has  witnessed  none  since  Miss  O'Neil. 

Died  on  Monday,  at  Kinderhook,  in  the  eighty- sixth  year  of  his 
age,  Peter  Van  Schaick,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  law- 
yers and  accomplished  scholars  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
contemporary  and  fellow-student  of  Governor  Jay,  Chancellor  Liv- 
ingston, Judge  Benson,  and  other  great  men  of  former  times.  He 
has  been  blind  for  the  last  twenty  years,  but  his  intellectual  faculties 
continued  unimpaired,  and  he  was  considered  to  the  last  an  oracle 
of  legal  wisdom  and  literary  endowment. 

Thursday,  Sept.  20.  —  Charles  Kemble  and  his  accomplished 
daughter  appeared  this  evening  in  "  Romeo  and  Juliet."  Both 
parts  were  admirably  performed.  Mr.  Kemble  is  too  old  for 
Romeo,  —  Mercutio  is  his  part,  —  but  this  difficulty  was  overcome 
by  his  perfect  conception  of  the  character,  the  grace  of  his  elocu- 
tion, and  the  eloquence  of  his  deportment.  Juliet  was  something 
beyond  my  powers  of  description.  I  never  saw  a  female  performer 
at  all  to  compare  with  her  in  this  part,  and  I  cannot  imagine  any- 


64  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

thing  to  exceed  it.     She  is  destined  to  fill  the  place   of  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons,  and  make  the  finest  performer  in  the  world. 

The  distresses  of  the  lower  classes  in  England  and  Ire- 
uropean        \^iiq\  havc  caused  emigration  to  America  in  numbers  so 

Emigrants.  *=" 

great  as  to  cause  serious  alarm.  Besides  the  immense 
numbers  which  are  daily  arriving  here  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
United  States,  it  is  stated  that  forty-nine  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  emigrants  have  arrived  at  Quebec  since  the  opening  of 
the  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence  the  present  year.  Of  these,  a 
large  proportion  find  their  way  into  the  United  States  destitute  and 
friendless.  They  have  brought  the  cholera  this  year,  and  they  will 
always  bring  wretchedness  and  want.  The  boast  that  our  country 
is  the  asylum  for  the  oppressed  in  other  parts  of  the  world  is  very 
philanthropic  and  sentimental,  but  I  fear  that  we  shall,  before  long, 
derive  little  comfort  from  being  made  the  almshouse  and  place  of 
refuge  for  the  poor  of  other  countries. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  25.  —  Died  yesterday,  at  Throg's  Neck,  George 
Lorillard,  aged  sixty-six.  He  was  an  old  bachelor,  brother  of  Peter 
and  Jacob  Lorillard,  and  lost  an  immense  sum  of  money  by  dying. 

Saturday,  Seff.  29.  —  Miss  Kemble  drove  out  this  morning  with 
my  daughters  and  me.  The  more  I  see  of  this  wonderful  girl  the 
more  I  am  pleased  with  her.  She  has  rare  talents  in  conversation, 
and  in  her  profession  she  has  already  made  an  impression  which 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  people  of  New  York. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  16.  —  I  rode  out  this  morning  with  Mr.  Richard 
Caton,  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Carroll,  and  father  of  the  Marchioness  of 
Wellesley  and  the  Countess  of  Carmarthen,  who  is  here  on  a  visit 
from  Baltimore.  We  drove  about  the  suburbs,  and  it  was  grati- 
fying to  me  to  hear  the  astonishment  expressed  at  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  city  by  one  who  has  not  visited  it  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years. 

Friday,  Oct.  19.  —  I  went  with  the  girls  this  morning  to  pay 
a  bride's  visit  to  Mrs.  Jared  Sparks,  late  Miss  Allen,  of  Hyde 
Park.     She  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  women  I  ever  saw, — 


1832.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  65 

not  what  would  be  called  a  perfect  beauty,  but  with  a  face  ex- 
pressive as  one  of  Raphael's  Madonnas,  and  a  form  of  Grecian 
mould.  This  lady  writes  well,  paints  beautifully,  and  excels  in 
music.  She  is  going  to  Boston,  where  they  know  how  to  appre- 
ciate  such  characters. 

Monday,  Oct.  22.  —  Ball  Hughes's  monument  to  Bishop  Hobart 
is  ready  to  be  put  up  in  the  chancel  of  Trinity  Church,  and  we 
are  preparing  to  alter  the  pulpit  and  desk  to  suit  it.  Mr.  Hughes 
is  also  engaged  in  making  a  beautiful  altar-table  of  white  Italian 
marble,  and  I  think  the  effect  of  the  whole  will  be  much  finer 
than  anything  of  the  sort  we  have  seen  in  this  country. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  24.  —  Miss  Fanny  Hamilton,  daughter  of 
James  A.  Hamilton,  was  married  last  evening  to  George  Bowdoin. 

Thursday,  Oct.  25.  —  My  birthday.  I  am  fifty-two  years  of 
age.  I  am  much  older  in  feelings  than  I  was  last  year  at  this 
time.  Two  or  three  attacks  of  illness  during  the  last  summer 
have  left  me  weakly  and  subject  to  indisposition.  If  I  indulge 
in  the  good  things  which  are  constantly  tempting  me  I  am  sure  to 
suffer  for  it,  and  am  compelled  to  temperance  malgre  moi. 

Friday,  Oct.  26.  —  I  dined  with  Abraham  Schermerhorn,  where 
we  had  a  clerical  party,  consisting  of  Bishop  Bowen,  Bishop 
Brownell,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Mr.  Creighton,  and  several  laymen  of 
the  convention.  This  body  has  been  engaged  for  several  days  in 
the  discussion  of  an  important  subject;  viz.,  the  acceptance  of  the 
resignation  of  Bishop  Chase,  of  Ohio,  and  the  validity  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Mcllvaine  as  his  successor,  the  question  being 
whether  a  bishop  can  vacate  his  see  in  any  case.  There  has  been 
a  great  deal  of  speaking,  and  the  meetings  of  the  convention 
daily  at  St.  John's  Chapel  have  attracted  crowds  of  people  to 
hear  the  debate.  Mr.  Jay,  President  Duer,  and  Dr.  Wainwright, 
of  the  New  York  delegation,  have  each  made  long  and  eloquent 
speeches. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  7.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  : 
Mr.  Wallack,   Charles    Kemble,    Mr.  Truman,   Mr.   Moore,   I.  S, 


66  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  52. 

Hone,  J.    Howard    Payne,   Mr.    Buckland,    Thomas   W.    Ludlow, 
Robert  Emmet,  and  Henry  Hone. 

Friday,  Nov.  9.  —  This  glorious  light  of  literature, 
,,r.    "o^^"^     which    has    for   some    months    been    flickering   in  the 

Walter  Scott.  ° 

socket  of  existence,  is  at  last  extinguished.  The  pride 
of  Great  Britain,  the  delight  of  all  who  can  read  the  English 
language  and  enjoy  its  richest  treasures,  has  closed  his  brilliant 
career,  and  increased  the  gap  which  the  death  of  Byron  occa- 
sioned to  an  extent  so  great  that  it  cannot  be  filled  during  the 
present  generation  of  mankind.  Both  were  splendid  luminaries 
in  the  world  of  letters ;  but  the  former  passed  over  its  firmament 
like  a  bright  and  transient  meteor,  while  the  latter,  adding  to  the 
influence  of  his  talents  that  of  his  excellent  moral  character  and 
kind  feelings  in  his  intercourse  with  mankind,  shed  around  his 
path  the  genial  warmth  of  the  sun,  enlightening  and  vivifying  like 
his  rival,  but  not  like  him  scorching  and  dazzling  the  eyes  of 
beholders, 

Tuesday,  Nov.  13.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Charles  March.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Henry  Gary,  Mrs.  Wayne,  Dr.  A.  E.  Hosack  and  his  wife, 
Mr.  Van  Buren,  Gambreling,  Lynch,  etc.,  were  of  the  party. 
After  dinner  I  saw  part  of  Fanny  Kemble's  Juliet,  which  she 
played  admirably.  I  saw  her  Julia,  in  the  "  Hunchback,"  last  even- 
ing, —  her  best  part,  and  better  than  anything  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  house  was  full  as  possible,  and  hundreds  left  the  doors  unable 
to  get  seats.  I  then  went  to  the  party  at  Mrs.  Delafield's,  Park 
place.  The  attractions  of  the  evening  were  the  bride.  Miss  Dela- 
field,  daughter  of  John  Delafield,  who  has  married  a  son  of 
Cornelius  Du  Bois,  ami  T/ie  Pcdrottij  the  prima  donna  of  the 
Italian  opera,  wretchedly  out  of  place,  with  her  immense  vulgar 
figure,  staring  eyes,  and  tawdry  dress,  amongst  the  lovely, 
modest,  and  graceful  women  with  whom  she  was  associated. 
And  she  refused  to  sing,  too,  after  Mrs.  Parish  and  Helen 
McEvers  had  kindly  set  her  the  example.  If  she  did  not  sing, 
why  was  she  there?     And  then  the   elegant    amateurs   of  Italian 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  6/ 

music   pretend   to  compare  this  woman  to   Fanny  Kemble ;    nay, 

pretend  to  say  that,  independently  of  her  singing,  she  plays  better 

and  has  more  grace  !     She  is  no  more  comparable  to  her  than  I 

to  the   Apollo  Belvidere,   a  sunflower  to  a  violet,  a  cart-horse  to 

the  Bussorah  Arabian,  an  ale-house  sign  to  a  landscape  of  Claude, 

or  Jane,  our  chambermaid,  to  Mrs.  Gardiner  Rowland. 

Friday,    Nov.    16.  —  The    papers    are    clothed    in 

./^1>  °    ,,       mourning  :  the  venerable   Charles  Carroll,  of  Carroll- 
Mr.  Carroll,  *^  ^ 

ton,  died  at  his  house  in  Baltimore  on  Wednesday 
morning,  14th  inst.,  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of 
his  age.  This  aged  patriot  and  most  respectable  man  was  born 
on  the  8th  of  September,  in  the  year  1737,  at  Annapolis, 
Md.  His  father  died  in  1782,  aged  eighty  years.  Mr.  Carroll 
was  a  patriot  in  the  days  which  tried  men's  souls.  He  was  a 
member  of  Congress  of  respectable  talents  and  great  personal 
influence ;  but  his  celebrity  of  late  years  has  arisen  principally 
from  the  interesting  position  in  which  he  has  stood  before  the 
American  people  as  the  last  of  that  immortal  band  of  patriots 
who,  in  signing  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  took  all  the 
responsibility  of  the  measure  upon  themselves,  and  gave  a  noble 
pledge  to  work  out  the  political  salvation  of  America.  He  has 
been  the  sole  survivor  since  Jefferson  and  the  elder  Adams  died, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1826.  Mr.  Carroll  was  ninety-five  years  old  in 
September. 

His  Excellency,  William  C.  Rives,  American  Minister  at  the 
court  of  France,  and  his  family  arrived  this  morning  in  the  packet- 
ship  "  Sully,"  from  Havre.  Amongst  the  passengers  by  this  ship 
were  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  the  artist,  and  president  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Design. 

Dined  at  the  navy  yard  with  Commodore  Chauncey.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  of  the  party.  He  is  all  the  fashion  at  present.  I 
think  the  pride  of  human  nature  must,  in  the  case  of  this  gentle- 
man, be  fully  gratified.  The  late  election  is  a  prodigious  triumph 
for  him,  and  he  must  be  more  or  less  than  man  if  he  can  avoid 


6S  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

exultation  when  he  assumes  the  Vice-President's  chair,  vacated  by 
the  man  who  gave  the  casting  vote  in  the  Senate  which  recalled 
him  from  his  honourable  station  abroad. 

November  27.  —  The  anti-tariff  convention  of  the  State  of 
Georgia  assembled  on  the  15  th  inst.,  at  Milledgeville.  A  long 
string  of  violent  resolutions  were  reported,  breathing  the  poison  of 
nullification  in  every  line. 

December    3.  —  The    South    Carolina    convention 
°"\.  have  passed  a  number  of  resolutions,  worse  by  far  than 

Carolina.  ^  '  ■' 

the  friends  of  union  believed  it  possible  for  them  to  go. 
It  is  rank  treason,  and  in  my  opinion  the  leaders  deserve  to  be 
hanged.  It  is  well,  however,  that  these  violent  measures  have  been 
adopted  before  the  meeting  of  Congress,  which  will  take  place  to- 
morrow. It  places  the  nullifiers  at  once  in  the  wrong,  and  will 
remove  the  doubts  in  the  minds  of  many  good  men  in  Congress 
as  to  the  necessity  of  energetic  measures  in  the  commencement  of 
this  rebellion,  for  it  can  be  called  by  no  other  name. 

December  12.  —  Very  much  to  the  surprise  of  some, 
resi  ent  s       ^^^^^  ^^  ^y^^   Satisfaction  of  all  our  citizens,  we  have   a 

Proclamation. 

long  proclamation  of  President  Jackson,  which  was 
published  in  Washington  on  the  12  th  inst.,  and  is  in  all  our  papers 
this  day.  It  is  a  document  addressed  to  the  nuUifiers  of  South 
CaroUna,  occasioned  by  the  late  treasonable  proceedings  of  their 
convention.  The  whole  subject  is  discussed  in  a  spirit  of  concili- 
ation, but  with  firmness  and  decision,  and  a  determination  to  put 
down  the  wicked  attempt  to  resist  the  laws.  On  the  constitution- 
ality of  the  laws  which  the  nuUifiers  object  to,  and  their  right  to 
recede  from  the  Union,  this  able  State  paper  is  full  and  conclusive. 
The  language  of  the  President  is  that  of  a  father  addressing  his 
wayward  children,  but  determined  to  punish  with  the  utmost 
severity  the  first  open  act  of  insubordination.  As  a  composition  it 
is  splendid,  and  will  take  its  place  in  the  archives  of  our  country, 
and  will  dwell  in  the  memory  of  our  citizens  alongside  of  the 
farewell  address  of  the  "  Father  of  his  Country."     It  is  not  known 


1832.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  69 

which  of  the  members  of  the  cabinet  is  entitled  to  the  honour  of 
being  the  author ;  it  is  attributed  to  Mr.  Livingston,  the  Secretary 
of  State,  and  to  Governor  Cass,  the  Secretary  of  War.  Nobody, 
of  course,  supposes  it  was  written  by  him  whose  name  is  subscribed 
to  it.  But  whoever  shall  prove  to  be  the  author  has  raised  to  him- 
self an  imperishable  monument  of  glory.  The  sentiments,  at  least, 
are  approved  by  the  President,  and  he  should  have  the  credit  of  it, 
as  he  would  the  blame  if  it  were  bad  ;  and,  possessing  those  sen- 
timents, we  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  firmness  enough  to 
do  his  duty.  I  say.  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  and  so  I  am  willing  to 
say  at  all  times  when  he  does  his  duty.  The  only  difference 
between  the  thorough-going  Jackson  men  and  me  is,  that  I  will  not 
"hurrah  "  for  him  right  or  wrong.  And  I  think  Jackson's  election 
may  save  the  Union.  If  he  is  sincere  in  this  proclamation  he  will 
put  down  this  rebellion.  Mr.  Clay,  pursuing  the  same  measures, 
would  not  have  been  equally  successful.  He  is  considered  the 
head  of  the  American  System  Party,  and  his  political  opponents 
would  have  thrown  obstacles  in  his  way  from  party  motives ; 
whereas  Jackson's  opponents  are  generally  men  of  more  principle, 
and  will  not  withhold  their  approbation  from  him  when  his 
measures,  as  in  the  present  instance,  are  marked  by  wisdom  and 
decision.  A  majority  of  the  people  would  have  gone  with  him, 
right  or  wrong ;  they  all  will  when  he  is  right.  In  this  able  State 
paper  he  addresses  the  deluded  people  of  South  Carolina  with 
tenderness,  but  seems  to  be  gathering  up  his  wrath  to  let  it  fall 
heavily  on  the  heads  of  the  ringleaders. 

December  18. — The  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  was  opened 
on  Monday  on  the  whole  line,  and  passengers  who  left  New  York  in 
the  steamboat  for  Amboy  at  half-past  six  were  in  Philadelphia  about 
two  o'clock.  This  is  expected  to  be  the  best  joint-stock  property 
in  the  United  States. 

December  20.  —  Gen.    Robert     Hayne    has     been 
^"""^^  elected  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  in  place  of  Gov- 

Carolinu. 

ernor    Hamilton,  whose    term    of  office   had    expired 


JO  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  52. 

One  Hotspur  in  place  of  another.  And  John  C.  Calhoun,  the 
present  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  is  elected  to  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States  in  place  of  General  Hayne.  These  ap- 
pointments prove  the  strength  of  the  "  Nullification  "  party.  How 
I  hate  the  word  !  It  is  a  newly  invented  one,  hard  to  write  and 
horrid  to  think  of,  but  the  most  expressive  that  can  be  adopted. 


[833-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  yi 


1833- 


TANUARY  7.  — Anew  periodical,  called  the  "  Knickerbocker,'* 
^  made  its  first  appearance  on  the  ist  of  this  month.  It  is  to 
be  a  monthly  publication,  edited  by  Charles  Hoffman,  assistant 
editor  of  the  "American,"  and  published  by  Peabody  &  Co. 
Bryant,  Paulding,  the  late  Mr.  Sands,  and  a  number  of  other 
eminent  literary  men  were  engaged  as  contributors,  and  the  work 
starts  with  a  subscription  list  of  eight  hundred  names.  Public  ex- 
pectation has  consequently  been  highly  raised,  and,  in  my  case, 
much  disapppointed.  I  do  not  know  what  other  people  may  think 
about  it,  but  in  my  judgment  these  great  guns  have  grievously 
missed  fire.  The  introduction  by  Hoffman  is  long,  laboured,  and 
dull ;  one  of  Paulding's  stories  is  an  unsuccessful  attempt  at  quaint 
humour  (not  an  unusual  thing,  by  the  by,  in  the  works  of  that 
author),  and  the  poetry  a  mere  makeweight,  written  apparently  just 
to  fill  up  such  a  space  on  such  a  page,  to  which  it  has  been  al- 
lotted. The  ^'  New  York  Mirror,"  a  neat  weekly  conducted  by 
Morris,  which  is  a  welcome  visitor  at  my  house  every  Saturday,  is 
worth  a  dozen  of  the  "  Knickerbocker;  "  but  I  am  unkind  in  criti- 
cising so  closely  the  first  number ;  succeeding  ones  will,  no  doubt, 
be  better,  and  I  am  so  partial  to  the  editor,  and  wish  so  heartily 
success  to  the  concern,  that  I  will  not  allow  myself  to  doubt  it. 

Washington,  March  2. —  I  witnessed  an  interesting  scene  in 
the  Senate  this  morning.  Mr.  Clay  arose,  and  with  great  solemnity, 
and  in  that  bland,  engaging  manner  which  in  him  is  irresistible,  ad- 
verted to  an  angry  dispute  which  occurred  a  few  weeks  since, 
between  Mr.  Poindexter,  of  Mississippi,  and  Mr.  Webster,  at  the 
conclusion  of  which  the  former  said,  "  He  felt  the  utmost  contempt 
for  the  gentleman  from  Massachusetts."  These  expressions  were 
attributed  by  Mr.  Clay  to   the  heat  of  debate  and  the  excitement 


72  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [^l^lat.  53. 

of  opposition  at  a  moment  of  peculiar  interest,  and  he  expressed 
the  greatest  anxiety  that  at  the  close  of  the  session,  when  so  much 
had  been  done  to  conciliate  in  other  quarters,  two  gentlemen 
who  had  frequently  acted  together,  and  between  whom  the  best  feel- 
ings had  heretofore  existed,  should  not  be  suffered  to  part  in  anger. 
Mr.  Poindexter  immediately  arose,  disclaimed  any  intention  to 
offend  Mr.  Webster,  and  made  a  gentlemanly  sort  of  apology,  which 
was  received  in  the  same  s})irit  and  ackncjwledged  in  a  short  speech 
by  Mr.  Webster.  The  parties  then  approached  each  other,  shook 
hands,  and  the  affair  was  settled. 

Monday,  March  4. — The  inauguration  of  Andrew  Jackson  as 
President,  and  Martin  Van  Buren  as  Vice-President,  of  the  United 
States,  took  place  at  noon  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives. I  went  up  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  formed  one  of  the 
immense  crowd  who  thronged  the  approach  to  every  door.  The 
wind  was  very  high,  and  the  severity  of  the  cold  unmitigated,  so 
that  the  time  spent  in  waiting  was  not  particularly  agreeable.  The 
President  and  Vice-President  and  their  cortci^e  arrived  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  soon  afterwards  the  doors  were  opened,  when  I  was 
carried  in  with  the  mffianly  crowd,  but  never  got  farther  than  the 
little  vestibule  in  front  of  the  Chamber.  I  am  told  that  the  Presi- 
dent delivered  an  inaugural  address,  and  the  oaths  were  adminis- 
tered by  the  venerable  Chief  Justice.  The  address  is  published  in 
handbills.  It  is  well  done,  not  too  long,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
state  of  public  affairs. 

Friday,  March  29.  — The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Judge 
Wayne,  of  Georgia,  and  his  lady ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Pendleton, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  Wilkes, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Howland,  Sir  Charles  R.  Vaughan,  Mr.  Bankhead, 
Mr.  Thorn,  Marquis  Torrigiani,  Mr.  James  J.  Jones,  Washington 
Irving,  Commodore  Chauncey,  Mr.  Granger,  and  Mr.  D.  Lynch. 

Saturday,  March  30.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  and  in 
the  evening  went  for  a  short  time  to  a  party  of  distinguished  lit- 
erary gentlemen  and  others,  at  Dr.  Alexander  Stephens's. 


1833.J  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  73 

Monday,  April  i  .  —  Mr.  Audubon,  the  celebrated  ornithologist, 
called  upon  me  a  day  or  two  since  with  letters  of  introduction 
from  Mr.  Quincy,  President  of  Harvard  College,  and  Colonel 
Perkins,  of  Boston.  He  is  about  setting  out  on  one  of  his  enter- 
prising excursions  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  in  pursuit  of  informa- 
tion to  illustrate  his  favorite  science,  to  which  he  is  devoted  with 
the  ardour  of  a  lover  to  his  mistress.  He  is  an  interesting  man  of 
about  fifty  five  years  of  age,  modest  in  his  deportment,  possessing 
general  intelligence,  an  acute  mind,  and  great  enthusiasm.  His 
work  on  the  birds  of  North  America,  on  which  he  is  now  engaged, 
is  probably  the  most  splendid  book  ever  published.  I  have  seen 
several  of  the  numbers  in  the  library  of  Congress.  It  will  require 
nine  years  to  complete  it,  and  will  cost  eight  hundred  dollars ;  all 
the  drawings  are  executed  by  himself  or  under  his  special  superin- 
tendence. Wilson's  book  on  the  same  subject  is  deservedly  cele- 
brated, —  beautiful,  no  doubt,  but  comparing  with  Audubon's  as 
the  Falls  of  Trenton  to  those  of  Niagara. 

Saturday,  April  6. —  Subscribers  to  the  Marine  Pavilion  to  be 
erected  at  Rockaway.  The  following  persons  have  each  subscribed 
five  hundred  dollars :  Nathaniel  Prime,  Robert  Ray,  John  A. 
King,  Rufus  Prime,  Philip  Hone,  Alfred  Seton,  John  Haggerty, 
Isaac  S.  Hone,  Edward  Prime,  Thaddeus  Phelps,  John  C.  Cruger, 
Samuel  S.  Howland,  Thomas  Suffern,  Charles  A.  Davis,  Gerard  H. 
Coster,  Reuben  Withers,  Isaac  Jones,  Jr.,  John  G.  Coster,  James 
Boggs,  Goold  Hoyt,  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Lewis  Curtiss,  William  B. 
Crosby,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  Robert  White,  David  S.  Jones,  John 
MacGregor,  Jr.,  Stephen  Whitney,  Rupert  L.  Cochran,  Isaac 
Carow,  J.  Boorman,  Samuel  Glover,  George  Newbold,  William 
McLeod,  James  Monroe,  John  Mason,  John  Gihon,  Henry  Parish, 
Robert  L.  Patterson,  W.  N.  Furniss,  John  Johnston,  John  W. 
Leavitt,  William  Wright,  Herman  Thorn,  C.  H.  Russell,  Joseph 
Walker,  Asaph  Stone,  Samuel  Alley,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Hendrick 
Booraem,  Amos  Palmer,  Gideon  Pott,  Richard  Suydam,  Timothy 
T.   Kissam,  James    Boyd,  Jr.,  Charles  A.    Heckscher,  Brockholst 


74  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

Cutting,  John  F.  Delaplaine,  Charles  Hall,  Gideon  Lee,  Mortimer 
Livingston,  James  Heard,  Peter  J.  Nevins,  Henry  Laverty,  Peter 
G.  Stuyvesant. 

Wednesday,    May    15.  —  The  spring  exhibition    of 
Acadeiii '         ^^^  National  Academy  has  just  opened.     I   have  paid 

it  only  a  flying  visit.  It  is  a  good  exhibition,  and  if 
the  smiling  faces  of  sundry  ''  fat  and  greasy  citizens  "  and  their 
self-complacent  helpmates  were  turned  to  the  wall  instead  of  look- 
ing down  from  their  canvas  habitations  to  fright  the  spectators  from 
"  their  propriety,"  it  would  be  worth  visiting  half  a  dozen  times. 
The  president,  Mr.  Morse,  and  Cole  have  contributed  the  pictures 
which  they  painted  and  brought  from  Europe.  The  former  are 
hard  and  cold  as  ever.  The  warmth  of  the  sunny  skies  of  Italy 
does  not  appear  to  have  had  any  effect  upon  the  worthy  president. 
He  is  an  excellent  fellow,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  principles 
of  his  art,  but  he  has  no  imagination.  He  makes  good  portraits, 
strong  likenesses.  My  portrait  of  Chancellor  Kent,  by  Morse,  is 
very  good,  and  Thorvaldsen  is  excellent,  but  he  cannot  design. 
There  is  no  poetry  about  his  painting,  and  his  prose  consists  of 
straight  lines,  which  look  as  if  they  had  been  stretched  to  their 
utmost  tension  to  form  clothes-lines.  Cole  maintains  his  ground. 
His  pictures  are  admirable  representations  of  that  description  of 
scenery  which  he  has  studied  so  well  in  his  native  forests.  His 
landscapes  are  too  solid,  massy,  and  umbrageous  to  please  the  eye 
of  an  amateur  accustomed  to  Italian  skies  and  English-park 
scenery,  but  I  think  every  American  is  bound  to  prove  his  love  of 
country  by  admiring   Cole. 

Monday,  May  27.  —  Messrs.  Charles  L.   Livingston, 
theFirr^iice    ^^^^P^j  Giraud,  and   I  left  home   last  Tuesday  at  one 

o'clock  on  an  excursion  to  Long  Island.  The  next 
morning  we  rose  early,  and  started  at  five  o'clock ;  a  fine  morning, 
the  country  on  all  sides  looking  bright  and  beautiful.  We  had  a 
very  agreeable  ride,  breakfasted  at  Timothy  Carman's,  and  arrived 
at  Sam  Carman's,  at  the  Fire-place,  at  four  o'clock.     The  following 


1833]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  75 

day  the  wind  got  around  again  to  the  north-east,  raw,  cold,  and 
rainy,  and  so  it  continued  the  remainder  of  the  week,  with  occa- 
sional intervals,  which  allowed  Giraud  and  me  the  opportunity  of 
fishing  every  day  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  we  took  trout  enough  to 
supply  our  table  during  the  whole  of  our  visit.  They  were  very 
fine,  not  very  abundant ;  but,  on  the  whole,  we  had  good  sport,  and 
we  formed  within  doors  a  gay,  pleasant  party,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  stores  we  took  with  us,  we  had  quite  as  much  to  eat  and 
drink  as  was  good  for  us.  On  Sunday  morning  at  eleven  o'clock 
we  left  Carman's  on  our  return.  The  Speaker  and  I  brought  with 
us  a  dozen  trout  which  were  taken  on  the  morning  we  came  away. 
The  weather  was  fine  during  the  whole  of  yesterday,  and  we  came 
to  Van  Cott's,  at  Jamaica,  where  we  lodged,  and  came  away  this 
morning  after  breakfast.  This  is  the  first  day  of  the  races,  and 
there  is  a  great  match  race  between  a  colt  of  Walter  Livingston's 
and  a  Southern  colt  of  Colonel  Johnson's.  Livingston  and  Phelp.s 
remained  at  the  race-course  to  see  the  race,  and  Giraud  and  I  came 
to  Brooklyn,  where  we  arrived  at  nine.  The  road  was  crowded 
with  vehicles  of  every  description  and  pedestrians  of  every  age  and 
complexion.  Brooklyn  was  a  scene  of  bustle  and  confusion,  and  the 
sporting  gentlemen  eyed  us  with  looks  of  compassion  that  we  could 
have  so  little  taste  as  to  turn  our  backs  upon  so  pleasant  an  affair. 

Tuesday,  May  28.  —  My  excellent  old  friend,  Com- 
Navy  Yard.  modorc  Chaunccy,  is  ordered  to  Washington,  to  fill  a 
place  at  the  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners,  and  Cap- 
tain Ridgely  is  appointed  to  our  navy  yard.  This  will  be  deeply 
regretted  by  many  in  New  York,  for  Chauncey  has  a  vast  number 
of  devoted  friends  here.  I  shall  be  a  heavy  loser  myself.  He 
was  ever  a  most  welcome  guest  at  my  table,  and  I  have  j^artaken 
"  many  a  time  and  oft  "  of  his  noble  hospitality.  We  had  a  stand- 
ing compact,  that  each  of  us  was  to  stand  ready  to  obey  the 
other's  summons  at  a  day's  notice,  when  not  otherwise  engaged. 
And  then  his  fine,  old  sherry,  too  !  he  will  have  to  give  it  to  those 
who  have  not  half  so  much  regard  for  him. 


'^6  THE   DIARY    OF   THILIP    HONE.  [^Etat.  53. 

Mr.  Webster  was  at  the  Eagle  Tavern  the  other  day,  on  liis  way 
to  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  was  presented  to  Judge  Buel, 
the  celebrated  agriculturist,  by  the  loquacious  landlord,  Crittenden, 
in  the  following  flowery  style  :  "  This  is  Judge  Buel,  who  cultivates 
the  finest  flowers  of  the  field,  and  this  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster, 
who  culls  the  choicest  flowers  of  rhetoric."  Mr.  Webster  then 
happily  observed  :  ^^  Y owr  fiowers  produce/;-/////  mine,  I  fear,  may 
prove  abortive."  To  this  Judge  Buel,  with  great  felicity,  replied  : 
"My  flowers,  sir,  are  annual 2^\\A  evanescent,  while  yours  promise  a 
perpetual  bloom." 

Monday,  June  3. —  Died  on  Saturday  evening,  in  this  city, 
Oliver  Wolcott,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Wolcott 
was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  Washington.  His  father  was 
a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  He  was  afterward  a  merchant  of  this  city, 
president,  successively,  of  the  Merchants'  Bank  and  the  Bank  of 
America,  in  which  latter  institution  I  was  associated  with  him  as  a 
director.  He  then  removed  to  his  native  State,  Connecticut, 
of  which  he  was  elected  Governor,  and  in  which  office  he  continued 
several  years.  He  came  recently  again  to  New  York,  where  he 
lived  in  bad  health  and  in  perfect  retirement  from  society. 

Thursday,  June  13.  —  The  President  is  certainly  the 
resi  en  niost  ])oi)ular  man  we  have  ever  known.     \\'ashinofton 

Jackson.  *      *  ° 

was  not  SO  much  so.  His  acts  were  popular,  because 
all  descriptions  of  men  were  ready  to  acknowledge  him  the  Father 
of  his  Country ;  but  he  was  superior  to  the  homage  of  the  popu- 
lace, —  too  dignified,  too  grave  for  their  liking ;  and  men  could  not 
approach  him  with  f^imiliarity.  Here  is  a  man  who  suits  them 
exactly.  He  has  a  kind  expression  for  each,  —  the  same  to  all,  no 
doubt,  but  each  tliinks  it  intended  for  himself.  His  manners  are 
certainly  good,  and  he  makes  the  most  of  them.  He  is  a  gourma7id 
of  adulation,  and  by  the  assistance  of  the  populace  has  persuaded 
himself  that  no  man  ever  lived  in  the  country  to  whom  the  country 
was  so  much  indebted.     Talk  of  him  as  the  second  Washington  ! 


1833.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  77 

It  won't  do  now.  Washington  was  only  the  first  Jackson.  Poor 
Adams  used  to  visit  New  York  during  his  presidency.  The  papers, 
to  be  sure,  announced  his  arrival ;  but  he  was  welcomed  by  no 
shouts,  no  crowd  thronged  around  his  portals,  no  huzzas  rent  the 
air  when  he  made  his  appearance,  and  yet  posterity,  more  just  than 
ourselves,  will  acknowledge  him  to  have  been,  in  all  the  qualifica- 
tions which  constitute  his  fitness  to  fill  the  office  of  a  ruler  of  this 
great  Republic,  twenty  times  superior  to  Jackson.  He  wanted  tact. 
He  gave  the  toast  of  Ebony  and  Topaz^  the  ungracious  offspring 
of  a  mind  overloaded  with  study  and  unskilful  in  adaptation.  And 
the  other,  in  a  moment  when  we  were  all  anxious  to  save  the  country 
from  the  mad  schemes  of  visionary  theorists  whose  crude  principles 
of  government  seemed  to  threaten  the  welfare  of  our  federative 
institution,  and  when  we  doubted  what  his  course  would  be,  gave 
in  a  happy  moment  his  toast,  "The  Union  —  it  must  be  preserved." 
It  made  a  difference  of  five  hundred  thousand  votes.  Adams  is 
the  wisest  man,  the  best  scholar,  the  most  accomplished  statesman ; 
but  Jackson  has  most  tact.     So,  huzza  for  Jackson  ! 

June  15.  —  The  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Black  Hawk,  and  his 
companions,  the  prophet  and  his  son,  now  occupy  the  place  in  the 
public  curiosity  which  General  Jackson  filled  during  his  recent 
visit  here.  They  arrived  yesterday,  and  witnessed  the  ascension 
of  the  balloon  from  the  steamboat  in  which  they  arrived.  They  are 
under  the  charge  of  Major  Garland  of  the  United  States  Army. 
The  crowd  was  so  great  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  land  and 
enter  the  garden,  as  was  expected.  They  were  afterward  taken  to 
their  lodgings  at  the  Exchange  Hotel,  in  Broad  street,  and  Black 
Hawk  is  now  the  order  of  the  day. 

Saturday,  June  29.  —  My  estimable  friend,  Colonel  Nicholas 
Fish,  died  during  my  absence,  on  Tuesday,  20th  inst.,  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  gallant  and  distinguished 
officer  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  an  accomplished  gentleman 
of  the  old  school,  and  in  all  respects  an  amiable  and  excellent 
man. 


78  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

Col.  Thomas   H.  Perkins,  of  Boston,  made   a  short 

Munificence  .  .  ,  .  i         -kt  t^       1        1     t        •        ■ 

fjy    ,  time  smce  a  donation  to  the  New  Kndand   Institution 

ol  rJoston.  o 

for  the  Education  of  the  BHnd  of  his  house  and  lot  of 
ground  in  Pearl  street,  worth  ^30,000,  on  condition  that  the  further 
sum  of  $50,000  should  be  raised  for  the  same  object  by  voluntary- 
contributions.  The  Bostonians  went  to  work  with  their  accus- 
tomed spirit,  and  collected  in  a  very  short  time  the  sum  of 
^51,117,  of  which  $11,400  were  the  proceeds  of  a  ladies'  fair. 
This  result  having  been  announced  to  the  Colonel  by  a  committee 
appointed  to  receive  the  subscriptions,  he  made  his  offer  binding  by 
a  conveyance  of  the  splendid  mansion  which  he  formerly  occu- 
pied, and  which  I  should  say  from  my  recollection  of  it  is  fully 
worth  the  estimated  sum. 

July  i.  —  Married  suddenly,  on  Saturday  evening,  Henry  N. 
Cruger,  of  Charleston,  to  Miss  Harriet  Douglas,  the  American 
Madame  de  Stael. 

Wednesday,  July  3.  —  The  celebrated  Colonel  Burr  was  mar- 
ried on  Monday  evening  to  the  equally  celebrated  Mrs.  Jumel, 
widow  of  Stephen  Jumel.  It  is  benevolent  in  her  to  keep  the  old 
man  in  his  latter  days.     One  good  turn  deserves  another. 

Thursday,  Aug.  22.  —  A  very  agreeable  wedding  took  place 
this  day  at  Jamaica.  Henry  Van  Rensselaer,  son  of  Gen.  Stephen 
Van  Rensselaer,  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ray  King,  second 
daughter  of  John  A.  King.  I  was  in  company  one  evening  last 
winter  at  a  party  with  Mrs.  King,  Mrs.  Abraham  Ogden,  and  Mrs. 
Edward  R.  Jones,  and  was  boasting  of  some  fine  x\rrack  more 
than  sixty  years  old  which  I  had  obtained.  I  promised  each  of 
these  ladies  a  bottle  of  it  on  the  occasion  of  a  marriage  of  a 
daughter.  This  is  the  first,  and  I  have  redeemed  my  pledge  by 
sending  Mrs.  King  a  bottle  on  Saturday,  with  my  compliments  and 
congratulations. 

Monday,  Aug.  26.  —  Died  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  on  Saturday 
evening,  Egbert  Benson,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  This  patriarch 
has  held  a  conspicuous  station  in  the  affairs  of  this  State,  —  a  law- 


1833.]  THE   DIARY   O^   PHILIP    HONE.  79 

yer  of  eminence  in  the  early  part  of  his  Hfe,  occupying  a  high 
judicial  station  at  a  more  advanced  period,  a  patriot  and  a  staunch 
Whig  during  the  Revolution.  P"e\v  men  have  been  more  generally 
known  and  esteemed  than  Judge  Benson.  He  has  lived  in  retire- 
ment for  many  years,  and  dies  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

Monday,  Sept.  16.  - — The  drawing  for  boxes  at  the  Italian  opera 
house  took  place  this  morning.  My  associates,  Mr.  Schermerhorn 
and  General  Jones,  are  out  of  town,  and  I  attended  and  drew 
No.  8,  with  which  I  am  well  satisfied.  The  other  boxes  will  be 
occupied  by  the  following  gentlemen  :  Gerard  H.  Coster,  G.  G. 
Rowland,  Rufus  Prime,  Mr.  Panon,  Robert  Ray,  J.  F.  Moulton, 
James  J.  Jones,  D.  Lynch,  E.  Townsend,  John  C.  Cruger,  O. 
Mauran,  Charles  Hall,  J.  G.  Pierson,  and  S.  B.  Ruggles. 

Monday,  Sept.  30. — We  went  this  evening  to  see  Mr.  and  Miss 
Kemble  in  the  "  Stranger."  Mrs.  Haller  is  thought  by  many  per- 
sons to  be  Fanny  Kemble's  best  part.  She  certainly  played  this 
evening  with  the  most  affecting  pathos  and  tenderness ;  and  so  the 
audience  appear  to  think,  for  I  never  saw  persons  more  attentive 
and  more  deeply  affected.  This  will  probably  be  her  last  engage- 
ment, if  the  report  is  true  that  she  is  married  already,  or  about  to 
be,  to  Mr.  Pierce  Butler,  of  Philadelphia. 

Thursday,  Oct.  3.  —  A  notice  appeared  in  the  papers 
ition  ^^  yesterday,  signed  by  Joshua  Leavitt,  William  Goodell, 
William  Green,  Jr.,  John  Rankin,  and  Lewis  Tappan, 
calling  a  meeting  of  "  the  friends  of  immediate  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  United  States  "  at  Clinton  Hall  last  evening.  I  expressed 
great  dissatisfaction  that  the  hall  should  be  let  without  my  appro- 
bation for  any  purpose  not  immediately  connected  with  the  objects 
of  the  institution,  and  my  decided  opposition  to  its  being  used  for 
the  agitation  of  this  most  mischievous  question.  A  great  crowd 
of  people  collected  to  oppose  the  object  of  the  meeting,  and 
hearing  that  they  had  become  tumultuous,  I  went  over  and  found 
that  Mr.  Leavitt  and  Mr.  Olmstead,  the  former  of  whom  had 
granted  the  use  of  the  hall,  had   been  there  and  countermanded 


80  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  53. 

the  permission,  and  locked  the  doors.  The  assemblage  of  persons 
had  adjourned  to  Tammany  Hall,  appointed  Robert  Bogardus 
chairman  and  M.  C.  Patterson  and  P.  P.  Parsells  secretaries,  and 
passed  resolutions  disapproving  the  objects  of  the  meeting. 

Monday,  Oct.  7 .  —  On  the  way  to  Rockaway  my  daughter  and 
I  stopped  at  Snedecor's  to  look  at  Eclipse.  This  noble  animal, 
whose  blood  flows  in  the  veins  of  all  the  finest  horses  in  this 
country,  was  twenty  years  old  last  spring.  His  owner,  Walter 
Livingston,  has  lately  sold  one-half  of  him  for  $4,500  to  Colonel 
Johnson,  of  Virginia,  who  (after  a  year,  during  which  time  he  is  to 
remain  on  Long  Island)  will  take  him  away  to  improve  the  blood 
of  the  South.  Eclipse  looks  as  fine  as  ever.  He  is  under  the  care 
of  a  groom  who  has  had  nothing  else  to  do  for  the  past  nine 
years  but  attend  to  the  grand  sultan,  brush  his  coat,  comb  his 
mane,  make  his  bed,  and  provide  his  meals ;  verily,  the  horse  and 
his  keeper  have  both  an  easy  life  of  it. 

Friday,  Oct.  18.  —  I  regret  exceedingly  that  the  visit 
.  r.  ay  s  ^^  ^^^^  distinguished  friend,  Mr.  Clay,  should  have  been 
made  during  my  absence.  I  knew  he  was  expected, 
but  hoped  to  be  back  before  his  arrival.  He  came  on  Tuesday, 
and  was  received  with  the  most  distinguished  marks  of  respect. 
Crowds  of  people  received  him  with  enthusiastic  cheers  on  his 
landing,  and  he  was  escorted  by  one  hundred  gentlemen  on  horse- 
back to  the  lodgings  which  had  been  prepared  for  him  at  the 
American  Hotel,  the  same  which  "  the  greatest  and  best "  occu- 
pied during  his  visit.  A  public  dinner  was  tendered  to  him,  which 
he  declined,  as  he  had  i)reviously  done  a  similar  compliment  in 
Philadelphia. 

November  2. —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Bucknor,  and  met  Commo- 
dore Chauncey  there.  Dr.  Wainwright  was  of  the  party.  He  has 
determined  at  last  to  accept  the  call  which  has  been  strongly 
pressed  upon  him  to  become  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Boston,  and  will 
leave  Grace  Church  and  his  congregation  here  —  the  most  eligible 
clerical  living,  I  believe,  in  the  United  States  —  from  what  he  con- 


1833]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  8 1 

siders  a  sense  of  duty,  it  having  been  represented  to  him  that  his 
acceptance  of  the  call  is  the  only  means  of  keeping  the  congregation 
of  St.  Paul's,  the  most  respectable  Episcopal  church  in  New  Eng- 
land, from  falling  to  pieces.  But  I  fear  if  they  are  such  a  set  of 
nullifiers  he  will  not  have  much  comfort  amongst  them,  and  his 
departure  from  New  York  will  occasion  a  severe  loss  to  his  congre- 
gation, and  be  deeply  lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  devoted 
personal  friends. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  5 .  —  James  Fenimore  Cooper  and  his  family 
arrived  to-day  in  the  ship  "  Sampson  "  from  London.  This  gentle- 
man has  acquired  a  high  literary  reputation  during  his  residence  in 
Europe  as  the  author  of  several  novels,  but  I  doubt  \'cry  much  if 
the  works  which  he  published  before  he  went  away  do  not  form  a 
foundation  for  his  fame,  of  which  the  superstructure  he  has  subse- 
quently erected  is  scarcely  worthy.  His  late  work.i  hav^e  certainly 
not  added  much  to  his  reputation  on  this  side  of  the  water. 

0  eninrof  MoNDAY,  Nov.  1 8.  —  The  long-cxpcctcd  opening  of 
the  Opera        the    opcra   house   took  place    this    evening,    with    the 

opera,  "  La  Gaza  Ladra,"  —  all  new  performers  except 
Signora  Marozzi,  who  belonged  to  the  old  company.  The  prima- 
donna  soprano  is  Signorina  Fanti.  The  opera,  they  say,  went  off 
well  for  a  first  performance ;  but  to  me  it  was  tiresome,  and  the  au- 
dience was  not  excited  to  any  violent  degree  of  applause.  The 
performance  occupied  four  hours,  —  much  too  long,  according  to  my 
notion,  to  listen  to  a  language  which  one  does  not  understand  ;  but 
the  house  is  superb,  and  the  decorations  of  the  proprietors'  boxes 
(which  occupy  the  whole  of  the  second  tier)  in  a  style  of  magnifi- 
cence which  even  the  extravagance  of  Europe  has  not  yet  equalled. 

1  have  one-third  of  box  No.  8  ;  Peter  Schermerhorn,  one-third ; 
James  J.  Jones,  one-sixth ;  and  William  Moore,  one-sixth.  Our 
box  is  fitted  up  with  great  taste,  with  light-blue  hangings,  gilded 
panels  and  cornice,  arm-chairs,  and  a  sofa.  Some  of  the  others 
have  rich  silk  ornaments,  some  are  painted  in  fresco,  and  each 
proprietor  seems  to  have  tried  to  outdo  the   rest  in  comfort  and 


$2  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.^tat.  53. 

magnificence.  The  scenery  is  beautiful.  The  dome  and  the  fronts 
of  the  boxes  are  painted  in  the  most  superb  classical  designs,  and 
the  sofa-seats  are  exceedingly  commodious.  Will  this  splendid 
and  refined  amusement  be  supported  in  New  York?  I  am 
doubtful. 

Monday,  Nov.  18.  —  The  ill-advised  and  arbitrary  step  of  the 
President  in  removing  the  deposits  from  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States  has,  as  was  predicted,  occasioned  a  collision  between  the 
branches  of  that  institution  and  the  State  banks  which  have  been 
selected  to  receive  the  public  money,  producing  an  awful  scarcity 
of  money,  with  immediate  distress  and  melancholy  forebodings  to 
the  merchants  and  otliers,  who  require  credit  to  sustain  them. 
Stocks  of  every  description  have  fallen,  —  Delaware  and  Hudson, 
from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fourteen; 
Boston  and  Providence,  from  one  hundred  and  fifteen  to  one  hun- 
dred and  three  :  in  both  of  these  I  suffer.  Money  cannot  be  had 
on  bond  and  mortgage  at  seven  per  cent.,  and  I  am  told  good 
notes  will  hardly  be  discounted  at  nine  per  cent. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  19.  —  Mr.  Clay  told  me  this  morning  that  he 
wished  to  visit  Chancellor  Kent,  and  1  called  for  him  and  drove  him 
to  the  Chancellor's,  where  we  paid  a  delightful  visit  of  about  an 
hour,  with  which  they  were  both  highly  gratified.  It  is  a  fine  trib- 
ute to  the  character  of  my  excellent  friend  that  such  a  man  as 
Mr.  Clay,  when  he  visits  New  York,  is  always  desirous  to  see  him. 
There  is  a  virtuous  simplicity  about  him  which  adorns  the  sterling 
qualities  of  his  mind,  antl  leaves  us  in  doubt  whether  we  are  most 
fascinated  by  his  good  heart  or  his  strong  intellect. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Donaldson,  where  I  met  his  distinguished 
father-in-law,  Mr.  Gaston,  Chancellor  Kent,  Mr.  Everett,  Colonel 
Trumbull,  Mr.  Jay,  INIr.  David  B.  Ogden,  etc.  It  was,  of  course,  a 
pleasant  dinner.  I  have  seldom  met  a  man  with  whom  I  was  so 
much  pleased  as  Mr.  Gaston.  He  possesses  a  refined  mind,  culti- 
vated understanding,  and  agreeable  manners,  and  would  be  an 
ornament  to  public  life,  were  it  not  that  he  adheres  with  honourable 


1833]  THE   DIARY    OF   FHILIP   HONE.  83 

pertinacity  to  the  unfashionable  name  and  principles  of  Federalism. 
More's  the  pity  for  the  country  ! 

Wednesday,  Nov.  20.  —  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  the  distinguished 
member  of  Congress  from  Massachusetts,  called  to  see  me  this 
morning,  and  sat  half  an  hour  with  me.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  tal- 
ents, a  good  writer,  and  an  eloquent  orator ;  a  little  pedantic,  but 
his  manners  are  unaffected,  and  his  conversation  instructive  and 
agreeable.  He  is  to  deliver,  this  evening,  the  introductory  to  the 
course  of  lectures  of  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  at  Clinton 
Hall.  It  will,  no  doubt,  be  a  great  treat.  I  ought  to  go,  and 
would  like  to,  but  I  have  engaged  company  at  home  to  meet  Mr. 
Clay.  The  following  gentlemen  supped  with  me  :  Mr.  Clay,  Mr. 
C.  L.  Livingston,  Mr.  Lydig,  Mr.  Phelps,  Mr.  Moore,  Mr.  H. 
Suydam,  Mr.  D.  S.  Jones,  Mr.  Talman,  Mr.  Giraud,  Mr.  L  S.  Hone, 
Mr.  Wynkoop,  Mr.  Bowne,  and  Dr.  McLean.  Mr.  Clay,  as  usual, 
was  exceedingly  agreeable,  and  some  of  my  guests  declared  they 
had  never  spent  a  more  agreeable  evening. 

Wednesday,  Dec.  4.  —  The  language  of  the  message  in  relation 
to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  is  even  more  violent  and  intem- 
perate than  could  have  been  anticipated ;  and  in  an  important 
State  paper,  which  is  read  with  avidity  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
where  our  country  and  its  institutions  excite  the  least  interest,  it  is 
undignified,  because  marked  with  strong  personal  feelings  of  hostil- 
ity, and  unjust,  because  it  abounds  in  charges  which  cannot  be 
proved,  either  by  the  President  or  the  unworthy  advisers  who,  influ- 
enced by  paltry  motives  of  pecuniary  interest,  av^ail  themselves  of 
the  weakness  of  excited  feelings  and  uncompromising  obstinacy  to 
promote  their  own  objects. 

Monday,  Dec.  9. — The  Bank  of  the  United  States  has  pub- 
lished an  elaborate  and  able  report  in  vindication  of  its  measures, 
as  a  reply  to  the  charges  against  it  in  the  report  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  It  concludes  with  a  recommendation  of  the 
adoption  of  the  following  resolution :  "  That  the  removal  of  the 
public  funds  from  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  under  the  circum- 


84  THE    DIARY    OF    PI  1 1 1,11'    liONE.  [/Etat.  53. 

Stances  and  in  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  effected,  is  a  viola- 
tion of  the  contract  between  the  Government  and  the  Bank ;  and 
that  the  President  be  instructed  to  present  a  memorial  to  Congress 
requesting  that  redress  should  be  afforded  for  the  wrong  which  has 
been  done  to  the  institution." 

Friday,  Dec.  13.  —  The  session  of  Congress  has  commenced  in 
a  stormy  manner,  and  the  President  and  his  out-and-out  supporters 
have  been  assailed  in  both  Houses.  The  opposers  of  the  adminis- 
tration are  bold  and  determined,  and  its  friends  unprepared  to 
stem  the  torrent.  A  resolution  offered  by  Mr.  Clay  in  the  Senate 
to  have  the  standing  committees  appointed  by  ballot  instead  of 
being  nominated  by  the  president  of  the  Senate  (the  Vice-President 
not  having  taken  the  chair)  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  five  or  six. 
This  is  understood  to  be  an  indication  of  the  state  of  parties.  Sev- 
eral questions  have  also  come  up  in  the  House  in  relation  to  the 
removal  of  the  deposits,  the  great  question  which  is  to  agitate  the 
country  to  its  very  centre,  in  which  the  vote  has  been  so  strong  in 
opposition  that  there  must  be  some  awful  quakings  amongst  those 
whose  business  in  Washington  is  to  sanction  all  rescripts  from  the 
seat  of  power  and  the  source  of  patronage.  Of  our  four  repre- 
sentatives, White,  Cambreling,  and  Lawrence  have  taken  the  bit 
kindly  and  drive  very  well ;  but  Selden  shows  a  strong  disposition  to 
restiveness,  and  the  collar  does  not  set  easy  upon  him. 

Saturday,  Df.c.  14. —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Edward  R.  Jones. 
Peter  A.  Jay  talks  extremely  well  when  he  has  a  mind,  and  this  day 
he  was  "in  the  vein."  I  do  not  know  when  I  have  been  so  well 
pleased,  and  we  sat  until  ten  o'clock. 

Friday,  Dfx".  27.  —  The  holidays  are  gloomy ;  the  weather  i.i 
bad ;  the  times  are  bad  ;  stocks  are  falling ;  and  a  panic  prevails 
which  will  result  in  bankruptcies  and  ruin  in  many  quarters  where, 
a  few  short  weeks  since,  the  sun  of  prosperity  shone  with  unusual 
brightness.     It  will  be  worse  before  it  is  better. 

Monday,  Dec.  30.  — The  times  are  dreadfully  hard.  The  super- 
erogatory act  of  tyranny  which  the  President  exercised  in  removing 


1833]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  85 

the  deposits  has  produced  a  state  of  alarm  and  panic  unprece- 
dented in  our  city.  The  friends  of  the  United  States  Bank  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  whole  array  of  Jackson  men,  together  with  the 
friends  of  the  Pet  Banks,  on  the  other,  mutually  accuse  each  other 
of  being  the  cause  of  the  pressure ;  and  so  between  them  both,  the 
community  groans  under  the  distress  which  these  misunderstand- 
ings have  created.  "  A  plague  on  both  your  houses  !  "  I  say.  The 
truth  is,  we  are  smarting  under  the  lash  which  the  vindictive  ruler 
of  our  destinies  has  inflicted  upon  us  as  a  penalty  for  the  sin  which 
Nicholas  Biddle  committed  in  opposing  his  election.  My  share  of 
punishment  amounts  to  ^20,000,  which  I  have  lost  by  the  fall  of 
stocks  in  the  last  sixty  days.  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Com- 
pany stock  has  fallen  suddenly  from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
per  cent,  to  seventy-five  per  cent. ;  Boston  and  Providence  Rail- 
road, from  one  hundred  and  fifteen  per  cent,  to  eighty-eight  per 
cent. ;  Camden  and  Amboy,  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent. 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  per  cent.  Delaware  and  Hudson 
fell  twenty  per  cent,  in  two  days,  owing  principally  to  the  failure 
of  Shipman  &  Corning,  brokers,  who  have  been  gambling  in  the 
stock,  and  being  caught  with  heavy  contracts  when  the  fall  took 
place,  were  unable  to  fulfil  them,  and  a  great  amount  of  hypothet- 
icated  stock  was  thrown  at  once  in  the  market.  The  removal  of 
the  deposits  I  believe  to  be  the  great  cause  of  the  pecuniary  dis- 
tress, to  which  may  be  added  the  operation  of  cash  duties  on  wool- 
lens, which  brings  a  large  amount  of  payments  into  the  Treasury. 
The  gambling  in  stocks  which  has  been  carried  on  by  the  brokers 
to  an  extent  disgraceful  to  the  commercial  character  of  the  city  is 
another  cause  of  the  distress.  It  consists  in  selling  out  stocks 
ahead,  as  it  is  called,  where  a  man  buys  and  sells  to  the  amount  of 
millions,  without  owning  a  dollar  of  the  stock,  betting  it  will  fall, 
and  then  taking  pains  by  every  kind  of  lying  and  chicanery  to 
injure  the  reputation  of  the  stock  that  he  may  win.  This,  the 
good  sense  of  the  merchants,  aided  by  the  endeavours  of  the  hon- 
ourable part  of  the  brokers,  may  remedy  in  time,  and  the  effect  of 


86  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  53. 

double  engagements  at  the  Custom- House  will  soon  end,  for  the 
old  bonds  are  nearly  run  out.  But  the  great  cause  of  the  evil,  the 
opposition  of  General  Jackson  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
admits  no  ray  of  hope.  He  has  said  it.  He  takes  the  responsi- 
bility. His  flatterers,  the  sycophants  who  crawl  beneath  his  feet, 
impose  upon  his  weakness  and  flatter  his  vanity ;  they  persuade  him 
that  his  obstinacy  is  firmness,  and  his  vengeance  Roman  dignity. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  31.  —  The  year  1833  commenced  with  brilliant 
prospects  of  national  prosperity  and  individual  happiness,  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  those  prospects  continued 
unchanged,  and  the  fair  expectations  of  those  who  were  reasonably 
sanguine  appeared  likely  to  be  realized.  The  merchants  were 
doing  a  good  and  profitable  business,  and  the  bounty  of  Providence, 
which  gave  plentiful  crops  to  the  farmer,  and  the  state  of  foreign 
and  domestic  commerce,  which  afforded  him  a  good  and  certain 
market,  enriched  the  country  and  enabled  the  merchants  in  other 
States  to  meet  their  New  York  engagements  with  punctuality. 
Real  estate  increased  in  value,  money  was  as  plenty  as  it  ought  to 
be,  and  the  improvement  of  the  city  kept  pace  with  the  enterprise 
and  resources  of  the  citizens.  But  the  change  is  melancholy,  and 
has  fallen  upon  us  so  suddenly  that  men  feel  the  blow  and  know 
not  whence  it  comes.  Public  confidence  is  shaken,  personal 
property  has  no  fixed  value,  and  sauve  qui  pent  is  the  maxim  of 
the  day.  Never  in  any  year  did  the  31st  of  December  fail  so  com- 
pletely to  redeem  the  pledges  of  the  ist  of  January. 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  8/ 


1834. 


TANUARY  I .  —  The  year  commences  with  a  beautiful,  mild,  sun- 
^  shiny  day.  May  it  prove  ominous  of  a  dispersion  of  the  pohti- 
cal  clouds  which  hang  over  the  country,  and  of  the  cheerfulness 
which  will  result  from  a  restoration  of  confidence  among  our 
citizens  and  a  return  of  good  times  ! 

Wednesday,  Jan.  8.  — Anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
It  was  a  proud  day  for  America,  and  the  chief  who  then  "plucked 
up  the  drowning  honour  of  the  nation  by  the  locks,"  well  deserved 
the  gratitude  of  the  people.  But,  alas,  how  has  he  been  overpaid, 
and  at  what  a  sacrifice  have  they  rewarded  his  services  !  Any  arm 
which  has  strength  enough  to  wield  a  hammer  and  an  axe  may 
destroy  the  most  beautiful  work  of  a  Phidias  or  a  Michael  Angelo  ; 
but  where  is  the  artist  who  can  restore  its  desecrated  remains  to 
their  original  beauty,  and  where  the  power  which  can  bid  the  deli- 
cate machinery  of  individual  credit  and  public  confidence  to  resume 
its  harmonious  functions  when  once  deranged  and  put  out  of  tune 
by  the  hands  of  ignorance  and  misdirected  power? 

Tuesday,  Jan.  21.  —  The  commercial  distress  caused  by  the  de- 
rangement of  the  relations  between  the  Government  and  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States  does  not  appear  to  be  alleviated.  On  the 
contrary,  the  sacrifices  which  are  necessary  to  support  individual 
credit  are  becoming  more  oppressive,  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
quarter  of  the  political  horizon  to  which  men  are  to  look  for  a  ray 
of  sunshine.  In  both  Houses  of  Congress  the  all-absorbing  topic 
of  the  removal  of  the  deposits  occupies  the  time,  and  the  members 
on  both  sides  of  the  question  seem  determined  to  have  their  talk 
out.  Mr.  Webster  stands  on.  ground  of  his  own.  He  belongs  to 
none  of  the  political  parties,  —  the  friend  of  his  country  and  the 
supporter  of  the  Constitution.  .  As  chairman  of  the  Committee  of 


88  THE    DIARY    OF    I'llILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

Finance,  he  is  preparing  to  come  out  with  a  report  from  which  much 
is  expected.  His  chance  of  success  in  any  measure  to  settle  the 
present  difficulty  is  better  than  that  of  any  other  man,  from  the 
nature  of  his  position.  It  is  not  impossible  that  he  may  enjoy 
the  triumph  of  saving  his  country.  Mr.  Clay  had  that  trimnph 
last  season  ;  the  effect  of  his  compromise  of  the  tariff  cpiestion  is 
now  aj^parcnt  and  acknowledged  by  all.  For  if  that  question  had 
been  left  unsettled  and  suffered  to  mix  with  those  other  subjects 
which  agitate  the  public  mind  and  fill  the  hearts  of  good  men  with 
alarm  for  the  future,  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  would  have  been 
the  consequences.  But  Mr.  Clay  can  do  nothing  now  ;  the  bitter 
feeling  of  animosity  which  the  President  entertains  toward  that 
patriot  forbids  the  possibility  of  his  exercising  any  influence  over 
the  minds  of  the  party  which  constitutes  the  majority  in  the  lower 
House.  Mr.  AVebster  may  succeed  better.  He  does  not  stand  so 
much  in  the  way,  and  they  may  not  be  unwilling  to  adopt  with 
him  some  terms  of  compromise.  Of  one  thing  we  may  be  certain, 
—  that  the  honour  of  the  country  and  the  security  of  its  institutions 
are  safe  in  his  hands. 

Wednesday,  Jan.  22.  —  The  memorial  to  Congress,  adopted  at 
the  meeting  on  Saturday,  has  received  three  thousand  signatures, 
embracing  nearly  all  the  respectable  merchants ;  and  a  meeting  was 
called  at  the  same  place,  No.  40  William  street,  but  the  numbers 
were  so  great  that  the  meeting  adjourned  to  the  Exchange.  Jona- 
than Goodhue  was  chairman,  and  John  P.  Stagg,  secretary.  The 
following  gentlemen  were  appointed  delegates  to  proceed  with  the 
memorial  to  Washington  :  James  G.  King,  D.  W.  C.  Olyphant, 
James  Boorman,  George  S.  Robbins,  Pelatiah  Perit,  John  Crumby, 
Sam.  S.  Howland,  James  W.  Otis,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Robert  C. 
Cornell,  John  A.  Stephens,  and  G.  P.  Disosway. 

Thursday,    Jan.   23.  —  This  was  the  most    brilliant 
^^^        aff^iir    we  have    seen  in  a  lonsf  time.       "Mr.    Ray  at 

Party.  ^  ^ 

home,     Thursday,     23d     inst.        Quadrilles     at     nine 
o'clock."     The  very  cards  gave  promise  of  quclque  chose  distiii- 


1834.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  89 

guee.  The  fashionable  world  rushed  with  excited  expectation  to 
the  gay  scene,  and  none  were  disappointed.  Mr.  Ray  has  the 
finest  house  in  New  York,  and  if  is  furnished  and  fitted  up  in  a 
style  of  the  utmost  magnificence,  —  painted  ceilings,  gilded  mould- 
ings, rich  satin  ottomans,  curtains  in  the  last  Parisian  taste,  and 
splendid  mirrors  which  reflect  and  multiply  all  the  rays,  great  and 
small. 

On  this  occasion  all  the  science  of  all  the  accomplished  artistes 
was  put  in  requisition ;  decorators,  cooks,  and  confectioners  vied 
with  each  other,  and  each  in  his  vocation  seemed  to  have  produced 
the  ne  plus  ultra  ;  and,  unlike  other  entertainments  of  the  kind, 
the  spirit  of  jealousy  and  emulation  cannot  be  excited  to  an  incon- 
venient degree,  for  as  no  person  possesses  such  a  house,  and  very 
few  the  means  to  show  it  off  in  the  same  style,  it  will  not  be  con- 
sidered incumbent  upon  others  to  attempt  to  rival  this  splendid 
fete,  and  it  will  be  no  disgrace  to  play  second  fiddle  to  such  a 
leader. 

Tuesday,  Jan.  28.  —  The  strong  expression  of  public  opinion 
which  the  circulation  of  the  memorial  to  Congress  has  called  forth 
occasions  great  alarm  amongst  the  Jackson  men,  and  orders  have 
been  issued  from  the  "  Republican  General  Committee "  at 
Tammany  Hall  for  meetings  to  be  held  in  the  several  wards 
to-morrow  evening  and  a  general  meeting  on  Thursday  evening, 
not  of  citizens  interested  in  the  momentous  question  which 
occupies  every  mind,  but  of  the  JacJzson  party,  who  are  to 
approve  all  that  has  been,  or  may  be,  done.  The  sufferings  of 
the  merchants  from  present  evils,  and  the  fearful  apprehensions 
of  the  future,  are  of  no  moment  compared  to  the  preservation  of 
party  disciphne.  Many  of  the  President's  political  friends  regret 
the  ill-advised  and  rash  step  which  he  took  in  removing  the 
deposits,  but  they  dare  not  advise  him  to  make  the  only  amends 
in  his  power,  by  retracing  it.  The  pressure  increases.  Stocks  fall 
every  day;  Delaware  and  Hudson  sold  today  at  sixty- eight  per 
cent. ;   Boston  and   Providence   Railroad,   eighty-three   per  cent. ; 


90  THE    DIARV   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat,  54. 

Mohawk  and  Hudson,  about  the  same.  It  was  wortli  once,  one 
hundred  and  ninety  per  cent.  I  beheve  Cambrehng  sold  out  at 
that,  and  now  he  is  one  of  the  set  who  laugh  at  our  misfortunes, 
and  refuse  to  take  those  measures  for  our  relief  which  are  within 
their  power  as  representatives  of  the  people. 

Wednesday,  Jan.   29. — The   old  line  of  Liverpool 
Packets.  packets    originally    established    by    Isaac    AV'right    and 

Francis  Thompson  has  been  sold  out,  and  Goodhue 
&  Co.  are  to  be  the  agents  in  the  future  ;  the  house  of  Baring 
&  Co.,  of  London,  is  said  to  be  concerned  in  the  speculation. 
Six  fine  ships  have  been  purchased  for  $216,000,  or  $36,000  each. 
The  establishment  of  this  line  of  packets  and  the  punctuality  with 
which  it  has  been  conducted  served  as  a  pioneer  and  pattern  to 
all  other  lines  which  were  subsequently  established  between  this 
port  and  London,  Liverpool,  Havre,  and  la  Vera  Cruz,  and  has 
contributed  more  than  any  other  cause  to  the  commercial  pros- 
perity of  New  York,  and  her  unrivalled  eminence  among  her 
sister  cities.  The  original  proprietors,  Wright  &  Thompson 
(both  of  whom  are  deceased),  were  well  calculated  for  such  an 
undertaking ;  bold  and  enterprising,  they  were  distinguished  for 
habits  of  industry  and  methodical  correctness  in  business,  peculiar 
to  the  religious  sect  (the  Quakers)  of  which  they  were  mem- 
bers ;  and  notwithstanding  the  pecuniary  difficulties  which  one  of 
them,  Mr.  Thompson,  had  to  contend  with,  and  which  terminated 
in  his  failure,  the  line  of  packets  has  been  kept  up  in  its  original  in- 
tegrity, and  its  business  has  been  always  well  conducted  until  now, 
when  it  has  passed  into  other  hands  equally  competent  to  its 
management,  anrl  possessing  in  a  high  degree  the  confidence  and 
good  opinion  of  the  public. 

Friday,  Feb.  7.  — Out  of  forty-six  packet-ships  plying  between 
New  York  and  London,  Liverpool,  and  Havre,  but  two  are  now 
in  port,  both  of  which,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  ought  to 
sail  to-morrow.  Our  latest  advices  from  Liverpool  are  seventy- 
one  days  old,   I^ondon  sev^enty-two,  and  Paris  seventy  five.     This 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  9 1 

has  never  before  happened  since  the  estabUshment  of  regular 
Unes  of  American  packets,  about  forty  years  ago,  it  is  said,  when 
there  were  only  British  packets  running  between  here  and  Liver- 
pool, one  leaving  each  port  monthly.  It  happened  on  one 
occasion  that  the  packets  for  December,  January,  and  February 
all  arrived  here  on  the  same  day. 

A  public  meeting    having  been  called  by  a  notice 
^^^^\  signed    by  many  respectable    names  of  "  the    citizens 

who  are  opposed  to  the  removal  of  the  deposits  from 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  and  who  are  in  favour  of  a  sound 
currency  by  means  of  a  national  bank,"  an  immense  concourse 
assembled  at  twelve  o'clock  at  the  place  of  meeting,  —  the  park. 
The  number  is  computed  at  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand.  I  was 
waited  upon  by  a  committee  and  requested  to  officiate  as  chair- 
man. When  I  came  on  the  ground,  precisely  at  twelve  o'clock,  I 
found  an  immense  crowd  already  assembled,  consisting  principally 
of  the  most  respectable  mechanics  and  others  in  the  city,  —  men  of 
character,  respectability,  and  personal  worth,  with  a  few  miscreants 
who  went,  perhaps,  of  their  own  accord,  but  were  more  probably 
sent  there  to  excite  disturbance  and  disturb  the  proceedings.  The 
rabble  had  gotten  possession  of  the  chair,  and  it  required  some 
hard  thumps  to  clear  the  way  sufficiently  for  me  to  come  forward. 
I  attempted  to  address  the  meeting,  but  the  yells  of  the  mob,  and 
the  noise  of  better -disposed  persons  in  attempting  to  command 
silence,  rendered  all  my  efforts  unavailing ;  so  I  put  the  question 
upon  the  resolutions,  which  were  carried  by  an  immense  majority, 
and  then  adjourned  the  meeting ;  but  the  mob  did  not  disperse 
for  a  considerable  time  afterward.  This  apparently  organized 
outrage  upon  the  freedom  of  the  citizens  cannot  fail  to  strengthen 
our  cause,  for  they  will  not  consent  to  be  muffled,  and  will  con- 
vince their  rulers  that  public  opinion  means  something  more 
than  the  drilled  voices  of  certain  political  friends  of  General 
Jackson,  who  are  pledged,  body  and  soul,  to  support  him  at  all 
events. 


92  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  54. 

Tuesday,  Feb.    i  i  .  —  The  delegates  who  were    ap- 
"  /.^  pointed  to  carry  the  merchants'  memorial  to  Washing- 

ton having  returned,  a  meeting  of  the  signers  was 
called  this  afternoon  at  the  Exchange  to  receive  their  report. 
Such  a  meeting  never  before  assembled  in  New  York.  When  I 
reached  the  spot  at  the  hour  of  meeting,  the  great  room  in  the 
Exchange  with  all  its  avenues,  the  vestibule,  and  the  porch  were 
filled,  and  three  or  four  thousand  persons  occupied  the  street  in 
front,  —  all  firm  and  enthusiastic,  but  orderly  and  decorous  in  the 
extreme.  The  meeting  within  doors  was  organized  precisely  at 
half-past  four  o'clock  by  the  appointment  of  Jonathan  Goodhue 
as  chairman,  and  John  P.  Stagg,  secretary.  The  report  of  the 
delegates,  announcing  the  unsuccessful  result  of  their  mission,  was 
read  by  James  G.  King.  On  motion  of  John  A.  Stevens,  the 
following  resolution  was  adopted  unanimously :  "  That  with  a 
view  to  the  importance  of  combining  mercantile  influence  and 
opinions  for  commercial  and  not  for  party  ends,  and  by  the  exer- 
cise of  this  influence  to  ameliorate  present  distresses  and  to  avert 
future  evils,  that  a  Union  Committee  of  twenty- five  persons  be 
now  appointed,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  confer  with  committees 
of  the  State  and  national  banks,  with  a  view  to  produce  that  entire 
concert  and  harmony  of  action  essential  to  enable  them  to  afford 
the  greatest  possible  relief  to  the  community."  The  following 
persons  were  appointed  and  constitute  the  Union  Committee : 
Albert  Gallatin,  James  G.  King,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  G.  G.  How- 
land,  John  Haggerty,  Nathaniel  Weed,  James  Boorman,  John  W. 
Leavitt,  James  Brown,  David  Lee,  Rufus  L.  Lord,  Fanning  C. 
Tucker,  Isaac  Carow,  Elbert  J.  Anderson,  John  G.  Coster, 
Francis  Olmstead,  Thomas  Brooks,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Herbert 
Van  Wagenen,  E.  G.  Fale,  Joseph  Kernochan,  Philip  Hone, 
John  A.  Stevens,  John  P.  Stagg,  and  D.  W.  C.  Olyphant.  The 
meeting  then  adjourned  into  the  street,  and  the  vast  body  came 
pouring  down  the  principal  avenue  like  a  mighty  rushing  river 
to  mix  with    the  multitudinous    sea  beneath.       The   whole    street 


i834]  Tilt:   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.      .  93 

from  William  street  to  a  distance  below  the  Exchange  was  a  com- 
pact, solid  mass  of  men.  I  was  called  upon  from  all  parts  of  the 
crowd  to  read  the  report  and  resolutions  for  the  benefit  of  the 
out-door  part  of  the  concern,  and  was  placed  in  a  conspicuous 
situation  on  one  of  the  pedestals  at  the  end  of  the  steps  forming 
the  great  entrance.  I  was  received  in  the  most  flattering  manner, 
and  read  them  with  considerable  effect,  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
advantage I  suffered  from  not  having  seen  the  papers  or  heard 
them  read  previously.  I  then  adjourned  the  meeting,  and  the 
great,  the  sublime,  the  intelligent  mass  separated  and  retired  with 
decorum  and  dignity.  Such  an  assemblage  has  never  before  been 
witnessed  in  New  York ;  the  spectacle  from  the  elevation  on 
which  I  stood  was  extremely  imposing,  —  a  solid  mass  of  heads 
with  faces  beaming  with  intelligence,  actuated  by  one  strong 
feeling,  silent,  attentive,  decorous ;  every  sentiment  was  under- 
stood, every  patriotic  expression  in  the  report  and  resolution 
responded  to  with  feeling  and  reflection.  If  this  is  not  a  public 
opinion,  we  may  look  in  vain  for  it. 

Washington,  Monday,  March  3.  —  Our  party,  with  the  Kembles, 
left  Baltimore  at  seven  o'clock  and  arrived  here  at  three,  and  I  got 
a  good  room  at  Gadsby's,  which  had  been  previously  engaged  for  me 
by  Mr.  Selden.  At  five  o'clock  I  went  to  dine  with  Baron  Behr.  He 
has  the  apartments  formerly  occupied  by  Bankhead,  and  the  cook 
also,  an  artiste  of  the  highest  grade.  The  Colonel  and  I  went  to 
the  theatre  to  see  the  Kembles  in  "  Hamlet ;  "  but  Fanny  Kemble  in 
the  Washington  Theatre  is  like  a  canary-bird  in  a  mouse -trap,  and  I 
soon  came  away  and  went  to  a  delightful  party  at  Mrs.  Tayloe's. 
There  I  met  many  distinguished  people  and  all  the  Washington  belles. 

March  4.  —  I  called  this  morning  on  the  Vice-President,  Secre- 
taries McLane,  Cass,  and  Woodbury,  and  several  others.  In  the 
number  was  Sir  Charles  R.  Vaughan,  who,  while  I  was  so  engaged, 
was  at  my  lodgings,  having  with  his  usual  kindness  laid  aside  eti- 
quette, and  called  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  my  being  in  town  to 
engage  me  for  dinner  to-morrow. 


94  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

The  terrible  question  which  agitates  the  whole  country  is  as  far 
as  ever  from  a  happy  termination.  The  late  message  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Pennsylvania,  attributing  the  financial  distress  of  the 
country  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  has  thrown  all  aback,  for 
better  things  were  expected.  The  President  is  more  obstinate  than 
ever,  and  the  Speaker  (Stevenson),  with  whom  I  had  a  talk  this 
morning,  is  as  subservient  as  the  most  docile  man  at  Tammany 
Hall.  How  is  it  possible  that  a  high-minded  Virginian  like  him 
should  consent  to  administer  to  the  vanity  and  prejudice  of  a  weak, 
unreasonable  old  man?  But  my  friend  wishes  to  go  to  England. 
My  first  visit  this  morning  was  to  Mr.  Clay.  He  says  our  only  hope 
is  in  the  elections  in  our  State  and  Pennsylvania.  Let  them  go  for 
us,  and  a  sufficient  majority  will  be  found  in  Congress  to  set  things 
right,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  greatest  and  best.  Our  only 
relief  is  in  the  ballot-boxes.     Is  it  not  worth  fighting  for? 

March  5.  —  I  returned  a  number  of  visits,  walked  up  to  the 
Capitol  with  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Chauncey,  spent  two  or  three 
hours  in  the  two  Houses  (the  ladies  were  too  wise  to  go  in,  but  pur- 
sued their  walk),  and  afterward  went  to  dine  with  Sir  Charles  R. 
Vaughan,  where  we  had  the  Kembles,  Commodore  and  Mrs. 
Chauncey,  De  Behr,  Colonel  McDougal,  etc.  Lynch  dined  with 
us,  but  he   is  on  a  pretty  severe  regimen,  and  looks  poorly. 

March  6.  —  The  proceedings  in  the  House  have  been  more  in- 
teresting to  me  than  heretofore.  I  was  admitted  upon  the  floor,  a 
favour  conferred  so  charily  under  the  present  rules  as  very  much  to 
enhance  its  value.  This  gave  me  a  fine  opportunity  to  converse 
with  all  the  leading  members.  Among  others  I  had  a  long  talk 
about  the  state  of  affairs  with  that  sagacious  man,  John  Quincy 
Adams ;  and  if  I  was  not  instructed,  it  was  my  own  fault.  He 
agrees  with  Mr.  Clay  that  our  only  hope  lies  in  the  elections  in 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  particularly  our  charter  election.  I 
heard  Mr.  Webster  argue  a  cause  in  the  Supreme  Court.  I  say 
with  the  fair  Venetian,  "  Would  that  Heaven  had  made  me  such  a 
man  !  "     Mr.  Preston,  the   new  senator  from  South  Carolina,  is  a 


1834]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  95 

very  interesting  man.  I  had  a  long  conversation  with  him  at  Major 
Smith's.  He  is  ardent  and  romantic  like  his  countrymen,  and 
apparently  well  educated ;  an  eloquent  speaker  (and  saving  the  sin 
of  nullification),  a  wise  and  patriotic  statesman. 

March  7.  —  Contrary  to  my  expectation,  this  has  been  a  great 
day  in  the  Senate.  Mr.  Webster  made  a  glorious  speech  on  the 
presentation  of  a  memorial  in  favour  of  the  bank  and  of  a  restora- 
tion of  the  deposits,  and  Mr.  Clay  introduced  the  proceedings  on 
the  same  subject  of  a  meeting  of  mechanics  concerned  in  building 
in  Philadelphia,  in  one  of  the  most  eloquent  appeals  to  the  feelings 
of  his  audience  that  I  have  ever  heard.  It  was  solemn,  energetic, 
and  impressive,  especially  in  that  part  in  which  he  addressed  the 
Vice-President  personally,  and  exhorted  him  to  use  the  influence  he 
possesses  over  the  President  to  persuade  him  to  a  better  course  of 
measures.  "And  if  I  touch  your  heart,"  said  he,  "and  persuade 
you  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  your  suffering  country,  I  shall  merit 
her  gratitude  and  promote  your  glory."  Touch  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
heart,  —  good  !  Mr.  Webster  beckoned  me  out  of  the  Senate  into 
one  of  the  committee- rooms,  where  we  had  more  than  an  hour's  talk. 
He  unburdened  his  mind  fully  on  the  state  of  affairs  and  future 
prospects,  explained  all  that  has  passed,  and  fully  laid  open  his 
future  plans.  He  will  be  in  New  York  in  a  fortnight,  for  one  night, 
when  he  wishes  me  to  convene  a  few  of  our  political  friends  to 
meet  and  consult  with  him.  His  plans  for  an  extension  of  the 
bank  charter  will  be  laid  before  the  Senate  on  Monday,  where  it 
will  lie  for  a  fortnight.  He  showed  it  to  me,  and  explained  his 
views  and  expectations  in  relation  to  it.  I  was  exceedingly  flattered 
by  this  mark  of  Mr.  Webster's  confidence,  and  certainly  never 
heard  a  man  talk  so. 

March  8.  —  I  dined  with  the  Vice-President,  where  I  met  a 
large  party  of  officers,  diplomats,  and  members  of  Congress. 

March  9. —  I  called  for  Mrs.  Webster  this  morning,  and  went 
with  her  to  the  Episcopal  church  on  President's  square,  where 
Rev.  Mr.  Hawley  preached ;  after   which  Commodore  Chauncey 


96  THE   DIARY    OF   PIIILIl'    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

and  I  drove  out  to  the  navy  yard,  where  we  made  a  pleasant  visit 
to  Commodore  Hull  and  the  ladies.  The  Commodore  presented 
me  with  a  box  made  from  one  of  the  original  live-oak  timbers  of 
the  frigate  "Constitution."  I  dined  with  Judge  Wayne  and  Mr. 
Cambreling,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  evening  with  Mr. 
Clay. 

New  York,  March  15.  —  The  President  has  renominated  to 
the  Senate  the  Government  directors  of  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States  whom  they  rejected  the  other  day,  with  a  threat,  it  is  said, 
that  he  will  appeal  to  the  people  if  their  nomination  is  not  con- 
firmed. It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  this  means,  but  his  hostility 
against  the  Senate  will  lead  him  into  some  extravagant  acts  of  rage, 
which  he  relies  upon  his  popularity  to  bear  him  out  of.  Selden 
has  returned  to  Washington.  He  was  received  by  the  merchants 
at  the  Exchange  with  cheers  and  other  marks  of  their  approval  of 
his  conduct.  Mr.  Biddle  returned  yesterday  to  Philadelphia. 
Crowds  of  people  followed  him  in  Wall  street,  to  gaze  upon  the 
man  who  has  been  made  conspicuous  by  the  unrelenting  hostility 
of  President  Jackson.  The  merchants,  however,  expressed  their 
approbation  of  his  course  by  applause  similar  to  that  which  they 
gave  to  Mr.  Selden. 

March  18.  —  Washington  Irving  acquainted  me  with  a  circum- 
stance to-day  which  occasions  me  the  deepest  regret.  Stuart 
Newton,  the  eminent  painter,  his  friend  and  mine,  was,  at  the  last 
accounts  from  London,  a  lunatic  confined  in  a  mad-house.  His 
poor  wife,  the  former  lovely  Miss  Sullivan,  with  her  child  is  in  the 
greatest  possible  distress,  and  has  written  to  her  father  to  come  out 
and  bring  her  home  when  death  shall  have  closed  her  husband's 
unhappy  calamity.  I  am  told  there  is  a  taint  of  madness  in 
Newton's  family;  his  uncle,  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  great  portrait 
painter,  had  the  character  of  a  very  eccentric  man,  at  least.  It  is 
melancholy  to  observe  how  slight  is  the  division  line  between  the 
higher  order  of  genius  and  the  loss  of  intellect.  Stupidity  is  a  com- 
fortable quality ;  men  grow  rich  and  fat  and  easy  under  it ;    they 


1834]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  9/: 

live  out  their  days,  and  sleep  sound  at  night,  and  do  not  scorch 
their  brains  by  soaring  into  the  bright  regions  of  imagination.  I  saw 
Weir  afterward,  who  told  me  that  he  has  heard  that  Newton  is  dead. 
March  19.  —  The  Committee  of  National  Republicans  ap- 
pointed to  nominate  a  mayor  met  last  evening,  and  nominated  for 
that  office  Gulian  C.  Verplanck.  This  gentleman  was  ousted  from 
his  seat  in  Congress  by  the  Jackson  party,  because  he  would  not 
go  all  lengths  in  his  opposition  to  the  United  States  Bank.  In  that 
point  of  view  he  is  a  good  candidate,  and  his  success  will  be  a 
triumph  for  the  bank  party ;  but  I  do  not  think  him  a  popular  man, 
or  by  any  means  well  qualified  for  the  office.  He  is  not  a  prac- 
tical man ;  learned  he  certainly  is,  and  an  able  writer  on  subjects 
connected  with  belles-lettres  and  the  fine  arts ;  but  he  knows  little 
of  mankind,  and  his  poUtical  course  has  been  unsteady  as  the 
wind.  Still  he  must  be  supported.  The  Tammany  men  have  sent 
a  deputation  to  Albany  to  obtain  Charles  L.  Livingston's  consent 
to  run  as  their  candidate  for  the  mayoralty.  He  is  more  suited  for 
the  office,  and  if  he  had  not  committed  himself  againt  his  judg- 
ment in  the  approval  of  the  ruinous  course  of  measures  pursued 
by  the  administration  in  relation  to  the  bank,  I  would  have  sup- 
ported him  with  all  my  heart.  As  it  is,  I  shall  have  to  make  some 
sacrifice  of  feeling  in  voting  for  Mr.  Verplanck  against  him.  But 
it  cannot  be  helped ;  the  salvation  of  the  country  depends  in  a 
great  measure  upon  the  defeat  of  the  Jackson  party  in  the  struggle 
which  will  come  on  next  month,  and  personal  predilections  must 
give  way  to  the  public  good. 

March   21.  —  Mr.   Livingston  refuses,   it  is  under- 
stood, to  run  as  mayor.     Mr.  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence 

Mayor.  ^  •' 

has  been  applied  to,  and  consents  to  run  as  the  candi- 
date of  the  Jackson  or  Tammany  party.  This  is  a  bold  measure 
on  the  part  of  the  Jackson  men.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  now  their 
congressman,  and  circumstances  have  placed  him  on  prominent 
ground  as  an  opposer  of  the  bank  and  supporter  of  the  meas- 
ures of  the  administration  (against  his  conscience,  as  I  believe  on 


98  THE   DIARY    OF    I'llILU'    HONE.  [.Etat.  54. 

mine).  He  has  been  vilified  by  the  delegates  of  the  merchants 
for  refusing  to  present  their  memorial,  and  his  name  has  been 
hissed  when  it  occurred  in  their  report.  He  is  most  heartily  sick 
of  his  present  situation,  but  he  is  compelled  by  his  i)arty  to  accept 
the  nomination  of  mayor.  This  will  be  a  fair  trial  of  the  issue, 
—  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  man  who  has  for  the  sake  of  party  proved 
recreant  to  the  interests  of  the  merchants,  of  which  profession 
he  is  a  member,  on  the  one  side,  and  Mr.  Verplanck,  who  lost 
his  seat  in  Congress  because  he  would  not  pursue  the  same  course, 
on  the  other.  The  personal  characters  of  both  these  gentlemen 
are  irreproachable.  Verplanck  at  first  declined  the  nomination, 
but  it  is  now  understood  that  he  consents  to  serve. 

March  25.  —  I  availed  myself  of  a  regular  rainy  day  to  stay  at 
home  and  prepare  books  for  binding  and  file  my  letters.  Such  a 
day  once  in  a  while  is  a  jewel  beyond  price. 

April  2.  —  Politics  occupy  all  my  time.  Mr.  Webster  wrote  me 
from  Washington  that  he  would  be  in  New  York  this  afternoon  on 
his  way  to  Boston,  and  agreeably  to  his  suggestion  when  I  saw  him 
in  Washington,  I  invited  a  number  of  our  political  friends  to  meet 
him  at  my  house.  James  G.  King,  G.  G.  Howland,  Giraud,  and 
Isaac  dined  with  us  at  three  o'clock ;  at  four  Mr.  Webster  arrived, 
and  found  the  following  gentlemen  assembled  to  receive  him : 
Jonathan  Goodhue,  Samuel  Ward,  James  G.  King,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  David  B.  Ogden,  John  A.  Stevens,  Joseph  Hoxie,  Jacob  P. 
Giraud,  George  F.  Talman,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  G.  G.  Howland,  David 
S.  Jones,  A.  Chandler,  Samuel  Stevens,  Charles  King,  Hugh  Max- 
well, John  W.  Leavitt,  Philip  W.  Engs,  and  George  Zabriskie. 
We  had  a  full,  free,  and  interesting  conversation,  in  which  the 
great  Massachusetts  senator  detailed  all  his  operations  during  the 
session,  and  confirmed  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  the  declara- 
tion which  he  made  to  me  at  Washington,  that  the  hopes  of  our 
friends  there  to  bring  about  a  favourable  change  in  the  affairs  of  the 
country  rely  mainly  upon  the  success  of  the  great  struggle  which 
is  to  take  place  in  New  York  next  week. 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  99 

April  3.  —  Mr.  Webster  left  New  York  for  Boston  at  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon ;  the  wharf  near  the  steamboat  was  crowded 
with  people,  who  saluted  him  with  repeated  cheers.  Thousands 
pressed  forward  for  a  sight  of  the  defender  of  the  people's  rights 
and  the  supporter  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  country. 

April  4.  —  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor  arrived  yesterday  in  the 
packet-ship  "  Utica  "  from  Havre.  The  news  of  his  wife's  death 
will  be  the  first  to  meet  him.  He  comes  in  time  to  witness  the 
pulling  down  of  the  block  of  houses  next  to  that  on  which  I  live, 
—  the  whole  front  from  Barclay  to  Vesey  street,  on  Broadway,  — 
where  he  is  going  to  erect  a  New  York  palais  royal,  which  will 
cost  him  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Tuesday,  April  8. — The  election  for  mayor  and  charter  officers 
commenced  this  day  with  a  degree  of  spirit  and  zeal  in  both  par- 
ties never  before  witnessed.  This  is  the  first  election  for  mayor 
by  the  people  since  the  new  law,  and  has  acquired  immense  im- 
portance, since  it  is  considered  a  test  of  the  approval  or  disap- 
proval of  the  people  of  New  York  of  the  arbitrary  and  unconstitu- 
tional measures  of  the  President  and  his  advisers,  and  as  it  will 
influence  the  politics  of  the  State  in  the  more  important  elections 
next  fall.  The  number  of  votes  will  be  very  great  (probably  thirty- 
five  thousand)  ;  the  Whig  party,  whose  candidate  for  mayor  is  Mr. 
Verplanck,  are  active,  zealous,  and  confident  of  success.  A  great 
meeting  was  held  yesterday  at  four  o'clock,  at  the  Exchange,  at 
which  Benjamin  Strong  presided,  and  John  W.  Leavitt  and 
Edmund  Penfold  were  secretaries.  The  meeting  was  addressed  by 
John  A.  Stevens,  George  W.  Bruen,  James  G.  King,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  and  Chandler  Starr,  and  several  resolutions  were  passed, 
one  of  which  recommends  to  the  merchants  and  traders  to  omit 
their  usual  attendance  at  the  Hxchange,  and  to  close  their  stores 
and  places  of  business  at  noon  on  each  of  the  three  days  of  the 
election,  in  order  to  devote  their  undivided  attention  to  the  great 
business  of  reform  at  the  polls.  This  last  suggestion  has  been  in 
part  observed ;  many  stores  are    closed  to-day,  and  several  have 


lOO  THE    DIARY    OF    I'liUJl'    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

notices  on  the  doors  ihal  llic  innicates  are  gone  to  the  i)olls  to  vote 
for  Verplanck.  A  very  lari^'e  meeting  was  also  held  last  evening  of 
adopted  citizens  at  Masonic  Hall  to  approve  the  course  of  Dr. 
MacNeven  in  joining  our  party.  After  the  meeting  adjourned  they 
went  to  his  house  and  cheered  him,  and  he  addressed  them,  wish- 
ing the  i)arty  success.  They  came  also  before  my  door  and  gave 
me  some  hearty  huzzas,  but  I  was  unfortunately  absent,  having 
gone  to  the  theatre  with  my  girls  and  Miss  Kane.  My  wife  was 
alarmed  at  the  row,  as  I  had  a  visit  of  another  kind  a  few  evenings 
since  from  a  party  of  the  retainers  of  Tammany  Hall,  and  she  was 
not  able  in  her  fright  to  distinguish  between  the  shouts  of  enemies 
and  the  cheers  of  friends. 

Thursday,  April  10.  —  Last  day  of  the  election;  dreadful  riots 
between  the  Irish  and  the  Americans  have  again  disturbed  the  pub- 
lic peace.  The  Mayor  arrived  with  a  strong  body  of  watchmen, 
but  they  were  attacked  and  overcome,  and  many  of  the  watchmen 
are  severely  wounded.  Eight  of  them  were  carried  to  the  hospital, 
where  I  went  to  visit  them.  The  Mayor  has  ordered  out  Colonel 
Sanford's  regiment  and  a  troop  of  horse,  and  proper  measures  have 
been  taken  to  preserve  order,  but  we  apprehend  a  dreadful  night. 
This  outrage  has  been  instigated  by  a  few  men  in  the  sixth  ward, 
—  George  D.  Strong,  Abraham  LeRoy,  Dr.  Rhinelander,  Preserved 
Fish,  and  a  few  like  him.     Let  them  answer  for  it. 

Friday,  April  i  i  .  —  Such  an  excitement !  So  wonderful  is  the 
result  of  this  election  that  all  New  York  has  been  kept  in  a  state  of 
alarm  ;  immense  crowds  have  been  collected  at  Masonic  and  Tam- 
many Halls,  but  the  greatest  concourse  was  in  front  of  the 
Exchange.  The  street  was  a  dense  mass  of  people.  Partial 
returns  were  coming  in  every  few  minutes,  and  so  close  has  been 
the  vote  that  the  Whigs  at  the  Exchange  and  the  small  party  for 
Jackson  in  front  of  the  office  of  the  "  Standard  "  opposite  shouted 
alternately  as  the  news  was  favourable  to  one  or  the  other ;  and  up  to 
the  last  moment  the  result  was  doubtful,  when,  at  the  close  of  the 
canvass,  the  majority  for  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  Jackson  candidate,  out 


I834-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 01 

of  the  immense  number  of  votes  —  thirty-five  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-one — was  found  to  be  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  we  have  elected  a  majority  of 
aldermen  and  assistants.  The  Common  Council  is  reformed,  and 
we  shall  succeed  in  the  great  fall  election.  It  is  a  signal  triumph 
of  good  principles  over  violence,  illegal  voting,  party  discipline,  and 
the  influence  of  office-holders. 

April  12.  —  The  foUowing  gentlemen  dined  with  us,  all  Whigs, 
and  most  of  them  active  men  in  the  late  contest ;  it  was  a  feast 
of  triumph  for  the  result  of  the  election,  and  we  drank  success  to 
the  cause  in  the  best  wine  I  had  to  give  them  :  Francis  Granger, 
John  Greig,  Bryant  P.  Tilden,  of  Boston,  who  has  just  arrived  from 
Canton,  Sydney  Brooks,  William  H.  Aspinwall,  Simeon  Draper, 
Jr.,  Charles  King,  Charles  H.  Hammond,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Charles 
H.  Russell,  and  James  Monroe. 

April  15.  —  This  was  the  day  of  the  great  fete  at  Castle  Gar- 
den to  celebrate  the  triumph  gained  by  the  Whig  party  in  the  late 
charter  election  in  this  city,  and  it  went  off  gloriously.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  freemen,  full  of  zeal  and  patriotism,  filled  the  area 
of  the  castle ;  every  inch  of  ground  was  occupied.  Tables  were 
spread  in  a  double  row  within  the  outer  circumference  ;  three  pipes 
of  wine  and  forty  barrels  of  beer  were  placed  in  the  centre  under 
an  awning,  and  served  out  during  the  repast.  Many  speeches 
were  made,  regular  and  volunteer  toasts  were  drunk,  and  the  beau- 
tiful little  frigate  "  Constitution,"  which  has  borne  so  conspicuous 
a  station  in  the  late  struggle,  was  placed  upon  the  top  of  the  build- 
ing which  forms  the  entrance  to  the  garden,  from  which  she  fired 
a  salute  during  ih^/efe.  All  was  enthusiasm,  and  the  shouts  from 
time  to  time  rent  the  air.  But  on  a  signal  given  the  immense 
concourse  broke  up  in  good  order,  and  no  excess  or  rioting 
marred  the  pleasure  of  the  day.  Six  or  eight  thousand  men 
formed  a  procession,  and  marched  off  the  Battery,  preceded  by  a 
band  of  music.  Of  these,  a  large  number  went  into  Greenwich 
street.     Having   learned  that  Mr.  Webster  (who  had  declined  the 


102  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

invitation  of  the  committee  to  unite  in  the  celebration  at  Castle 
Garden)  was  on  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Edgar,  they  formed  in  a  solid  body 
before  the  house,  and  called  for  him.  He  made  his  appearance 
at  one  of  the  windows,  and  was  received  with  shouts  that  rent  the 
air.  I  was  admitted  through  the  basement,  and  having  passed 
through  the  kitchen,  came  into  the  front  room  as  Mr.  Webster 
began  to  address  the  multitude.  His  address  was  full  of  fire,  and 
was  received  with  rapturous  shouts.  After  he  retired,  he  was 
called  again,  and  spoke  a  few  words  more,  when  the  mighty  mass 
moved  off  as  they  came,  with  order  and  propriety.  I  walked  up 
with  him  as  far  as  my  house.  He  was  engaged  to  sup  with  Mr. 
Samuel  Stevens,  where  I  was  also  invited,  but  did  not  go. 

April    16. — Giraud    and    I  started    this    morning 
i^ung  on  a  fishing  excursion  to  Long  Island.      We    dined 

Excursion.  '-'  ^ 

at  Timothy  Carman's,  where  we  met  John  Suydam, 
Garrit  Storm,  Edmund  Smith,  and  Augustus  Wynkoop.  We  went 
on  to  Snedecor's  after  dinner,  where  we  found  the  house  so 
full  that  if  we  had  not  taken  the  precaution  to  write  in  advance  for 
beds,  we  might  have  lain  on  the  floor.  There  was  Hamilton 
Wilkes,  William  E.  Laight,  Mr.  Kortright,  Thomas  Morris,  Clinton 
Norton,  and  several  others,  some  of  whom  were  on  their  return 
from  the  Fire-place.  The  weather  was  fine,  with  southerly  wind  — 
a  good  prospect  for  fishing. 

We  came  to  Sam  Carman's  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  took  a  good 
mess  of  trout.  Mr.  Suydam  and  Mr.  Storm  came  to  dine  with  us, 
Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Wynkoop  having  gone  down  to  the  bay  brant- 
shooting.  They  returned  to  Patchogue  after  dinner ;  easterly 
wind  and  cold,  but  the  fish  are  plenty. 

Saturday.  —  Cloudy  weather  and  rain  part  of  the  morning  and 
a  severe  thunder-storm  in  the  afternoon.  Giraud  and  I  went  down 
the  creek  with  Joe  in  the  boat  to  fish,  and  I  took  some  of  the 
largest  trout  I  ever  saw.  One  weighed  two  pounds  seven  ounces, 
and  one  two  pounds.  Joe  Carman  took  the  largest,  weighing  two 
pounds  twelve  ounces.     They  were  a  beautiful   sight.     We  have 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  IO3 

been  rather  unfortunate  in  weather,  but  I  have  never  seen  the  fish 
so  fine  and  so  plentiful. 

Wednesday,  April  23.  —  What  a  pile  of  news- 
Atiiome.  papers  to  read  and  what  a  bundle  of  letters  to  answer, 
and  how  much  news  to  record  in  this  journal  !  The 
Whigs  of  Philadelphia  had  a  grand  celebration  yesterday  at 
Powelton  on  the  Schuylkill  of  our  late  victory.  Philadelphia  is 
not  the  only  city  which  has  celebrated  our  victory.  The  Whigs 
of  Albany  fired  one  hundred  guns.  Buffalo  made  a  great  affair  of 
it  with  guns  and  illuminations.  Portsmouth,  N.H.,  received  the 
news  with  one  hundred  guns,  had  a  town-meeting,  and  made 
speeches.  There  was  also  a  grand  affair  at  Goshen,  which 
brought  all  Orange  County  together.  Baltimore  is  making  prep- 
arations. 

Mr.  Leslie,  the  painter,  sailed  for  England  on  Wednesday, 
having  resigned  the  office  of  professor  of  drawing  in  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point.  On  the  evening  before  his  departure 
he  met  a  large  party  of  artists  and  literary  gentlemen,  at  the  rooms 
of  the  Academy  of  Design.  I  was  invited^  but  it  was  the  evening 
of  the  day  on  which  I  left  town.  Weir  is  an  applicant  for  the 
office  which  Leslie  has  left.  I  wrote  in  his  behalf  to  the  Secretary 
of  War,  who  replied  to  me  in  the  most  frank  manner,  that  if  the 
place  became  vacant  Mr.  Weir  should  have  the  appointment. 

May  I.  —  Mr.  Astor  commenced  this  morning  the  demolition 
of  the  valuable  buildings  on  the  block  fronting  Broadway  from 
Barclay  to  Vesey  street,  on  which  ground  his  great  hotel  is  to  be 
erected.  The  dust  and  rubbish  will  be  almost  intolerable ;  but 
the  establishment  will  be  a  great  public  advantage,  and  the 
edifice  an  ornament  to  the  city,  and  for  centuries  to  come  will 
serve,  as  it  was  probably  intended,  as  a  monument  of  its  wealthy 
proprietor.  I  am  sorry  to  observe  since  Mr.  Astor's  return  from 
Europe  that  his  health  is  declining.  He  appears  sickly  and 
feeble,  and  I  have  some  doubt  if  he  will  live  to  witness  the  com- 
pletion of  his  splendid  edifice. 


104  ^^^^'   DTARV    OF    PIITLTP    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

May  12.  —  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  the  mayor-elect,  made  his 
triumphal  entry  on  Saturday.  The  Tammany  party  determined  to 
make  the  most  of  the  little  they  gained  in  the  late  charter 
election,  mustered  all  their  forces,  hired  a  steamboat,  and  went 
down  to  Amboy,  where  they  received  their  mayor,  elected  by  a 
majority  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  out  of  thirty-five 
thousand  votes,  with  colours  flying  and  loud  huzzas ;  had  a  dinner 
on  board,  when  Jackson  toasts  were  drunk  and  Jackson  speeches 
made  ;  and  on  his  landing  at  Castle  Garden  he  was  placed  in  a 
barouche  with  four  white  horses,  and  attended  by  Walter  Bowne, 
Stephen  Allen,  Preserved  Fish,  and  two  or  three  hundred  of  their 
followers,  paraded  through  the  streets.  I  pity  poor  Lawrence 
sincerely.  He  is  not  suited  to  such  things,  and  will  not  be  suited 
to  the  office  into  which  they  are  about  to  thrust  him.  He  was 
uncomfortable  in  his  seat  in  Congress :  there  was  (as  my  late 
venerable  friend  Dr.  Stanford  once  told  me)  a  ])in  in  the  cushion  ; 
but  he  will  find  pins  and  thorns  enough  in  that  which  he  is 
to  assume  to-morrow,  and  I  am  mistaken  in  the  man  if  he  will  not 
consider  the  shouts  of  a  set  of  mere  party  demagogues  a  poor 
compensation  for  the  forfeiture  of  the  good  opinion  of  that 
part  of  his  fellow-citizens  with  whom  he  has  hitherto  associated. 

May  13.  — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Lord  Pow- 
erscourt,  Jacob  Harvey,  Mr.  Parnell,  George  Barclay,  Captain 
Campbell,  John  Laurie,  Capt.  H.  Hamilton,  Henry  Cary.  Lord 
Powerscourt,  who  has  just  arrived  in  the  United  States,  is  a  young 
Irish  lord  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  appears  to  be  modest 
and  intelligent.  We  were  much  pleased  with  him  at  dinner.  His 
travelling  companion,  Mr.  Parnell,  also  a  young  man,  is  a  nephew 
of  Sir  Henry  Parnell. 

May  15.  —  The  unsightly  wooden  railings  in  the  park  have  been 
removed  and  chestnut  posts  erected  in  their  place,  from  which  iron 
chains  are  to  be  appended,  which  will  improve  the  prospect  from 
my  house.  Mr.  Astor's  buildings  are  nearly  all  removed  ;  the  dust 
from  the  immense  mass  of  rubbish  has  been  almost  intolerable  for 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  IO5 

the  last  fortnight,  and  the  crowds  who  promenade  Broadway  are 
compelled,  like  many  of  the  politicians  of  the  present  day,  to 
change  sides,  with  this  difference^  that  the  one  comes  over  to  my 
side  and  the  other  leaves  it. 

May  20.  —  Something  in  Major  Downing's  style.  Two  or  three 
of  us  were  talking  together  yesterday  morning  on  board  the  steam- 
boat and,  as  is  the  fashion  now-a-days,  abusing  General  Jackson, 
and  marvelling  at  the  undeserved  popularity  which  he  still  enjoys 
in  some  parts  of  our  country,  when  the  subject  was  illustrated  by 
Colonel  Worth  in  the  following  story:  On  the  arrival  of  the  stage 
in  one  of  the  towns  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania,  during  the 
President's  fiir- filmed  journey  to  the  East,  the  crowd  assembled  in 
the  bar-room  of  the  tavern  collected  around  the  driver  with  the 
usual  inquiry,  "  What  news?  "  —  "  ^^hy,  haven't  you  heard  ?  "  said 
the  waggish  driver.  "  The  General  made  his  grand  entry  into  Phila- 
delphia yesterday  in  a  barouche  drawn  by  four  gray  horses ;  and 
the  crowd  pressing  around  him  so  as  to  obstruct  his  progress,  he 
just  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  drew  his  sword,  and  run  one  fellow 
clean  through  the  body."  —  "The  darned  fool,"  exclaimed  one  of 
the  auditors,  "  why  didn't  he  stand  out  of  the  General's  way  !  " 

May  31.  —  Having  been  invited  with  a  number  of  the  stock- 
holders of  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  Company  to  attend 
the  opening  of  a  part  of  the  road  and  the  meeting  for  the  election 
of  directors  on  Wednesday,  I  availed  myself  of  the  occasion  to 
carry  into  effect  an  excursion  to  New  Hampshire,  Maine,  and  the 
White  Hills.  I  brought  with  me  my  daughter  Margaret  and 
Joanna  Anthon,  and  we  embarked  on  board  the  fine  steamboat 
"  Boston,"  the  accommodations  of  which  are  at  least  equal  to  any 
on  the  Hudson  river.  She  has  a  round-house  and  pleasant  state- 
rooms on  the  upper  deck,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  girls. 

Boston,  June  i.  —  The  position  of  Newport  is  superb,  and  I 
was  surprised  to  find  it  so  large  a  town.  The  ride  to  Boston  is 
beautiful ;  we  came  through  Dedham,  by  Roxbury  and  the  Neck, 
and    could    not  avoid  being  delighted  with  the  view    of  the   fine 


I06  THE    DIARV    OF    I'll  I  Lit'    HONE.  [/Ktat.54. 

country,  good  roads,  magnificent  country-seats  and  neat  cottages, 
notwithstanding  it  rained  the  whole  afternoon.  We  got  to  Boston 
at  seven  o'clock,  and  dined  at  the  Tremont  House,  where  excellent 
quarters  had  been  provided  by  the  attention  of  Mr.  Belknap,  who 
called  immediately  to  see  us,  and  my  reverend  and  excellent  friend 
Dr.  Wainwright  sat  half  an  hour  with  us. 

June  2.  —  The  storm  is  over,  and  this  morning  we  assembled  in 
our  pleasant  parlour  which  overlooks  the  extensive  cemetery  of  Park- 
street  church  and  its  ancient  elms.  We  arrived  at  Sharon,  where 
we  met  the  railroad  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Woolsey,  Towns- 
end,  and  Russell,  of  New  York  ;  Jackson,  Wales,  Thomas,  and 
George  Perkins  ;  Loring,  Moran,  Riviere,  and  others  from  Boston ; 
and  Ives  and  Potter  from  Providence,  with  the  gentlemen  of  the 
engineer  department.  We  sat  down  to  a  good  dinner  provided  for 
the  occasion,  with  excellent  wines,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Boston.  We  left  Sharon,  and  after  viewing  several  important 
points  on  the  railroad,  returned  to  Boston  at  nine  o'clock.  I  then 
went  to  the  Mayor's,  General  Lyman,  who  gave  a  soiree  to  the  civil 
and  military  characters  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  election  of 
the  artillery  company,  where  I  met  the  Governor  of  the  State,  Mr. 
John  Davis,  a  distinguished  man,  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  the  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, with  whom  I  was  much  pleased ;  and  many  others 
whom  it  was  well  to  know.  Mr.  Davis  has  been  recently  elected, 
and  the  State  lost  a  most  excellent  and  valuable  representative  in 
Congress  when  they  gained  in  him  a  good  governor. 

June  3. — The  railroad  party  assembled  at  the  depot  to  make  an 
excursion  on  the  road  ;  but  there  was  some  deficiency  in  the  loco- 
motive engine,  and  the  affair  was  postponed  until  to-morrow. 
Many  of  our  friends  called  upon  us  during  the  morning,  and  after 
dinner  Mr.  William  Appleton  called  in  his  carriage,  and  we  took 
one  of  those  beautiful  drives  with  which  the  environs  of  Boston 
abound.  We  crossed  the  bridge  to  Cambridge,  saw  the  colleges, 
and  went  to  Mount  Auburn,  the  great  cemetery  of  Boston,  from 
which  it  is  distant  about  five  miles.     After  leavinii  Mount  Auburn 


1834]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  10/ 

we  drove  to  Bunker's  Hill.  The  monument  which  was  begun  with 
so  much  spirit  eight  or  nine  years  ago  on  the  spot  where  Warren 
fell,  and  where  Great  Britain  was  first  taught  to  respect  the  energy 
and  devotion  of  a  people  determined  to  be  free,  is  still  unfinished. 
It  was  commenced,  as  such  things  usually  are  in  this  country,  upon 
too  large  a  scale ;  the  funds  have  run  out,  and  it  will  require  fresh 
exertions  and  a  new  impulse  to  finish  it  upon  the  original  plan. 

June  4.  — The  directors  and  a  number  of  invited  gentlemen  met 
at  the  depot  of  the  company  at  nine  o'clock  and  made  the  first 
trip  on  the  railroad,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  McNeill,  the 
chief  engineer,  and  his  assistants.  The  train  of  carriages  was 
attached  to  a  locomotive,  and  we  went  on  very  well  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  Dedham,  where  a  collation  was  provided,  with 
champagne,  punch,  etc.  While  we  were  partaking  of  this,  the 
engineers  indulged  the  country  folk,  —  men,  women,  and  children, 
—  by  riding  them  on  the  road  a  few  miles,  after  which  we  returned 
at  an  accelerated  speed,  and  came  in  town,  ten  miles,  in  twenty- five 
minutes. 

June  6.  — The  girls  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  Harrison  G.  Otis  and 
Mrs.  Ritchie,  his  daughter.  They  had  an  exceedingly  agreeable 
party  to  meet  us,  and  our  dinner  was  pleasant  as  possible.  We 
went  from  Mrs.  Otis's  to  a  party  at  Mr.  William  Sullivan's,  where 
we  found  pleasant  company  and  good  music.  Mr.  Sullivan  got  a 
bottle  of  Eclipse  wine  for  my  special  benefit,  of  which  I  had  to 
drink  two  or  three  glasses,  notwithstanding  the  copious  libations  to 
which  I  had  been  tempted  where  I  dined.  This  Eclipse  wine  was 
imported  into  Boston  in  1806,  and  arrived  at  the  moment  of  the 
great  solar  eclipse,  to  which  circumstance  it  owes  its  name,  although 
it  might  claim  it  upon  the  ground  of  its  eclipsing  almost  all  other 
wines.     I  think  it  is  perfection. 

Dover,  N.  H.,  June  9.  —  We  finished  our  delightful  visit  at 
Boston,  and  came  away  in  the  stage  at  eight  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing. Came  to  Newburyport,  by  Salem,  thirty-five  miles,  to  dinner. 
Then   to  Portsmouth.      The   Rockingham   House  has  been  lately 


I08  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  54. 

fitted  up.     It  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Mr.  Woodbury  Lang- 
don,  father  of  the  gentleman  who  married   Miss  Astor. 

June  14.  —  The  old  Yankee  character  appears  to  me  to  be 
nearly  extinct.  I  have  taken  pains  to  bring  out  some  originals 
among  the  persons  I  have  met  since  we  left  Boston ;  I  have  found 
them  generally  civil  and  obliging  and  disposed  to  be  communica- 
tive, but  there  are  no  oddities  such  as  we  used  to  meet  in  former 
days.  The  march  of  refinement  and  the  progress  of  improvement 
which  has  substituted  cotton-mills  and  railroads  for  mountains  and 
cataracts  has  made  men  ashamed  of  those  broad  lines  of  national 
character  which  became  them  so  well. 

New  York,  June  21.  —  The  mail  brought  the  "  Jour- 
^    -  nal  of  Commerce  "  of  yesterday,  which  announces  the 

Lafayette.  ^  ■" 

arrival  of  the  packet-ship  "  Silas  Richards,"  bringing 
news  from  England  to  the  24th  of  May.  My  venerable  friend 
Lafayette  died  at  his  house.  Rue  d'Anjou,  a  few  minutes  before 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May,  in  the  seventy- 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 

June  25. — The  ceremonies  in  honour  of  Lafayette  took  place 
to-day  under  direction  of  a  joint  committee  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil. It  was  the  last  tribute  of  New  York  to  the  last  major-general 
of  the  Continental  army,  the  hero  of  the  American  Revolution,  the 
ardent  apostle  of  liberty,  the  benevolent,  the  virtuous  Lafayette, 
and  everything  was  done  as  it  should  have  been.  An  urn,  covered 
by  the  wings  of  the  American  eagle,  well  done  in  bronze  plaster, 
was  drawn  by  four  white  horses  in  the  centre  of  a  hollow  square 
formed  by  the  Lafayette  Guards  and  followed  by  the  pall-bearers 
in  barouches.  These  were  members  of  the  Cincinnati,  associates  of 
Lafayette  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  their  selection  was 
left  with  delicacy  and  good  taste,  by  the  committee,  to  the  society. 
They  consisted  of  the  following :  Major-General  Morgan,  Col. 
John  Trumbull,  Col.  Simeon  DeWitt,  Maj.  Samuel  Cooper,  Col. 
William  North,  Maj.  William  Popham,  Col.  John  Van  Dyke,  and 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Norton. 


1834.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  IO9 

July  10.  —  Our  city  last  evenihg  was  the  scene  of  disgraceful 
riots.  The  first  was  at  the  Bowery  Theatre.  An  actor  by  the 
name  of  Farren,  whose  benefit  it  was,  had  made  himself  obnoxious 
by  some  ill-natured  reflections  upon  the  country,  which  called 
down  the  vengeance  of  the  mob,  who  seemed  determined  to 
deserve  the  bad  name  which  he  had  given  them.  An  hour  after 
the  performance  commenced  the  mob  broke  open  the  doors,  took 
possession  of  every  part  of  the  house,  committed  every  species  of 
outrage,  hissed  and  pelted  poor  Hamblin,  not  regarding  the  talisman 
which  he  relied  upon,  the  American  flag,  which  he  waved  over  his 
head.  This  they  disregarded,  because  the  hand  which  held  it  was 
that  of  an  Englishman,  and  they  would  listen  to  nobody  but 
"  American  Forrest."  He  assured  them  that  the  object  of  their 
rage,  Mr.  Farren,  had  made  a  hasty  exit,  and  the  mob  retired  to 
enact  a  more  disgraceful  scene  in  another  quarter. 

There  has  been  of  late  great  excitement  in  conse- 
MeetinT  qucncc  of  the  proceedings  of  a  set  of  fanatics  who  are 
determined  to  emancipate  all  the  slaves  by  a  coup  de 
main,  and  have  held  meetings  in  which  black  men  and  women 
have  been  introduced.  These  meetings  have  been  attended  with 
tumult  and  violence,  especially  one  which  was  held  on  Friday  even- 
ing at  the  Chatham -street  Chapel.  Arthur  Tappan  and  his 
brother  Lewis  have  been  conspicuous  in  these  proceedings,  and  the 
mob  last  night,  after  exhausting  their  rage  at  the  Bowery  Theatre, 
went  down  in  a  body  to  the  house  of  the  latter  gentleman  in  Rose 
street,  broke  into  the  house,  destroyed  the  windows,  and  made  a 
bonfire  of  the  furniture  in  the  street.  The  police  at  length  inter- 
fered, rather  tardily,  I  should  think ;  but  the  diabolical  spirit  which 
prompted  this  outrage  is  not  quenched,  and  I  apprehend  we  shall 
see  more  of  it. 

July  18. —  Edmund  Charles  Genet  died  on  Wednesday  last  at 
his  residence  at  Schodack,  Rensselaer  County.  He  was  at  one 
time  an  important  personage.  He  came  as  minister  of  the  French 
Republic  to  this  country,  and  acted  as  became   the  representative 


no  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.^tat.  54. 

of  the  ma(imen  who,  under  the  name  of  Hberty,  were  destroying 
their  country  and  crushing  the  people.  Nothing  but  the  firmness 
of  Washington  prevented  (lenet  from  enhsting  the  people  of  this 
country  in  the  cause  of  the  French  mob,  and  nothing  but  the  per- 
sonal character  of  the  saviour  of  his  country  could  have  availed 
to  check  the  madness  of  the  people.  Genet  was  recalled  on  the 
downfall  of  his  party ;  but  as  he  had  no  fancy  to  risk  the  separa- 
tion of  his  head  from  his  shoulders,  he  stayed  where  he  was,  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Governor  Clinton  (the  elder),  and  became  an 
American  citizen,  and,  I  suspect,  from  his  visionary  notions,  rather 
a  troublesome  one  to  the  neighbourhood  in  which  he  resided. 

July  22.  —  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  has  been  received  with  distin- 
guished honours  on  his  return  to  his  own  State ;  and  Mr.  Sprague, 
of  Maine,  another  of  the  worthies  of  the  Senate,  has  made  a 
triumphant  journey  through  Portsmouth,  N.H.,  and  was  received 
in  the  most  flattering  manner  at  Portland  ;  and  his  entry  into  his 
own  town,  Hallowell,  was  marked  with  the  ringing  of  the  bells, 
firing  of  cannon,  and  patriotic  addresses ;  flags  and  streamers  were 
displayed  from  the  houses,  and  among  the  mottoes  the  following 
prevailed,  "  I  am  no  man's  man." 

August  22.  —  The  spirit  of  riot  and  insubordination 
„'°  ^"  to   the  laws  which   lately  prevailed  in   New  York  has 

Boston.  ■'     ^ 

made  its  appearance  in  the  orderly  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  appears  to  have  been  produced  by  causes  equally  insig- 
nificant, —  hostility  to  the  blacks  and  an  indiscriminate  persecution 
of  all  whose  skins  were  darker  than  those  of  their  enlightened 
fellow-citizens.  A  most  disgraceful  riot  also  occurred  on  the  night 
of  Monday,  the  nth,  at  Charlestown,  near  Boston.  The  populace 
having  been  deceived  by  ill- designing  persons  into  an  erroneous 
belief  that  a  young  lady  was  confined  against  her  will  in  the  Ursu- 
line  Convent,  a  highly  respectable  seminary  under  the  charge  of 
the  Roman  Catholics,  made  an  attack  upon  the  convent,  a  noble 
edifice  near  Charlestown,  and  the  other  buildings  belonging  to  the 
sisterhood,  and   burned  them  to   the  ground  with  all  the  valuable 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   PIONE.  I  I  I 

furniture,  desecrated  the  cemetery,  and  committed  every  species 
of  outrage.  This  act  has  caused  great  excitement  in  Boston.  A 
meeting  was  immediately  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  at  which  the  most 
distinguished  citizens  of  all  parties  attended.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  reprobating  in  the  strongest  terms  the  unworthy  conduct 
of  their  neighbours.  The  Mayor  presided,  and  all  the  magistrates 
assisted  in  the  proceedings.  Large  rewards  were  offered  for  the 
apprehension  of  the  persons  concerned  in  the  riot.  The  venerable 
Bishop  Fenwick  of  the  Catholic  Church  succeeded  in  casting  the 
holy  oil  of  his  eloquence  upon  the  furious  waves  which  were  about 
rising  in  his  excitable  congregation,  and  the  consequences  were 
less  serious  than  at  first  apprehended.  The  active  and  prompt 
measures  which  were  adopted  led  to  the  apprehension  of  several 
of  the  ringleaders,  who  await  their  trial. 

We  had  on  Sunday  last  a  visit  from  a  party  of 
Rockaway.  gentlemen  in  the  new  steam-brig  belonging  to  Mr. 
Cunard,  of  Halifax,  which  lately  came  out  from  Eng- 
land. She  anchored  abreast  of  the  Pavilion,  and  Messrs.  Cunard, 
Cochran,  Charles  McEvers,  Brooks,  and  Dennistoun  came  ashore 
in  the  boat,  and  landed  in  the  surf. 

Hyde  Park,  Sunday,  Sept.  14.  —  We  left  Albany  at  half-past 
six  this  morning  in  the  steamboat  "  Champlain."  There  is  a 
violent  opposition  between  two  hnes  of  boats.  The  fare  to  New 
York  is  fifty  cents.  We  were  contending  with  the  "  Nimrod  "  all 
the  way  down,  and  for  five  or  six  miles  before  we  reached  Hyde 
Park  landing,  the  boats  were  in  contact,  both  pushing  furiously  at 
the  top  of  their  speed,  and  we  and  our  trunks  were  pitched  ashore 
like  bundles  of  hay.  The  people  at  the  landing  being  all  in  favour 
of  the  opposition,  except  Dr.  Hosack  himself,  nobody  would  take 
a  line,  and  we  might  have  drowned  without  an  arm  being 
reached  to  save  us. 

September  16. — We  left  Hyde  Park  and  came  on 
At  Home.        board  the   "  Champion,"  an  opposition  boat,  at  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock.     The  "  Albany  "  passed  the  land- 


112  THE   DIARV   OF   rillLIl'    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

ing  a  few  niiniitcs  in  advance,  but  did  not  stop.  Our  boat  had 
three  or  four  hundred  passengers,  and  such  a  set  of  ragtag  and 
bobtail  I  never  saw  on  board  a  North- river  steamboat  —  the 
effect  of  the  fifty- cent  system.  If  the  people  do  not  rise  in  their 
might  and  put  a  stop  to  the  racing  and  opposition,  it  will  be  better 
to  return  to  the  primitive  mode  of  travelling  in  Albany  sloops.  I 
would  rather  consume  three  or  four  days  in  the  voyage,  than  be 
made  to  fly  in  fear  and  trembling,  subject  to  every  sort  of  discom- 
fort, with  my  life  at  the  mercy  of  a  set  of  fellows  whose  only  object 
is  to  drive  their  competitors  off  the  river. 

October  3.  —  Party- spirit  runs  exceedingly  high  in  every  part 
of  our  country.  Timid  people  begin  to  be  afraid  of  the  conse- 
quences of  the  struggle  which  is  soon  to  take  place,  by  which  the 
question  will  be  determined  whether  General  Jackson,  by  the  aid 
of  his  interested  advisers,  can  sustain  himself  in  his  unconstitu- 
tional assumption  of  power,  and  perpetuate  it  in  the  election  of  his 
favourite,  the  heir  presumptive,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  or  whether  the 
people,  by  a  great  and  simultaneous  effort,  shall  burst  their 
shackles,  rescue  the  Constitution,  and  stand  once  more  erect  in 
their  majesty,  free  and  disenthralled. 

October  4.  —  The  country  is  on  the  eve  of  a  great  political 
contest.  The  party  in  power,  consisting  of  office-holders  and  their 
dependants,  supported  by  the  public  moneys  over  which  they  have 
usurped  the  control,  and  relying  upon  the  personal  popularity  of 
the  President,  —  impaired  certainly,  but  still  exercising  an  unac- 
countable influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people,  —  will  fight 
hard  and  take  many  hard  blows  before  they  surrender  their  power. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Whigs  are  cool,  determined,  and  willing 
to  go  all  lawful  and  reasonable  lengths  to  bring  about  a  state  of 
things  more  honourable  to  the  country  and  advantageous  to  the 
people.  This  month  and  the  next  the  elections  will  take  place 
by  which  this  important  question  will  be  decided.  Pennsylvania 
elects  in  a  few  weeks,  and  our  general  election  in  this  State 
comes    on    in    November.       We    have   little    or   no  hope    of   the 


1834]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  II3 

former,  but  New  York  looks  well,  and  the  Whigs  have  good  hopes 
of  success. 

Sunday,  Oct.  12.  — I  went  this  morning  with  my  daughter  to 
the  Church  du  St.  Esprit  at  the  corner  of  Church  and  Leonard 
streets,  the  first  service  since  its  consecration.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  old  church  in  Pine  street  was  laid  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  ago.  It  was  originally  a  Calvinist  church,  and  continued 
so  until  Mr.  Elias  Desbrosses,  a  member  of  the  church,  left  it  a 
rich  legacy,  on  condition  of  its  joining,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
communion,  since  which  it  has  been  Episcopal. 

October  14.  —  Matthews  made  his  first  appear- 
Matthews.  auce  last  evening  at  the  Park,  in  his  entertainment  of 
the  "  Comic  Annual "  and  "  Mons.  Morbleu,"  and  was 
well  received  by  one  of  the  greatest  houses  I  have  ev-er  seen. 
There  was  a  design  to  make  a  row,  and  a  number  of  disorderly 
fellows  collected  for  that  purpose,  instigated  by  placards  which 
had  been  placed  during  the  day  on  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
denouncing  Matthews  as  a  libeller  of  our  country  and  as  having 
ridiculed  us  in  one  of  his  pieces  performed  in  England  after  his 
last  visit  to  America.  This  ridiculous  attempt  of  some  enemy  of 
the  Park  Theatre  to  excite  the  bad  feelings  of  a  set  of  disorderly 
young  men,  who  stand  ready  for  any  kind  of  mischief,  whether 
it  be  to  attack  theatres,  desecrate  churches,  assault  Whigs,  or 
murder  negroes,  was  met  with  a  determined  spirit  of  opposition 
by  a  most  respectable  audience,  who  received  Matthews  on  his 
return  to  our  stage  with  such  a  burst  of  applause,  that  the  in- 
stigators of  mischief  had  not  a  chance  to  put  in  a  single  hiss  in 
abatement,  and  the  performance  went  off  without  interruption. 

October  18.  —  The  election  in  New  Jersey  has  gone  against 
the  Whigs,  notwithstanding  our  shouts  on  the  receipt  of  the  first 
returns.  x\ll  the  counties  nearest  to  New  York  returned  large 
Whig  majorities,  and  those  were  of  course  first  heard  from ;  but  the 
news  has  been  different  from  that  part  of  the  State  bordering  on 
Pennsylvania,  so  that  the  whole  result  gives  something  more  than 


114  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

one  thousand  majority  for  the  Jackson  worshippers.  We  have 
lost  the  State,  it  is  said,  from  the  opposition  of  the  Hicksites, 
one  of  the  contending  sects  of  the  Quakers  with  whom  that  part 
of  the  State  abounds.  They  have  recently  been  engaged  in  a  law- 
suit with  the  orthodox  party  for  the  possession  of  certain  property 
belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  in  which  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  was 
professionally  engaged  against  them.  His  term  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  is  about  to  expire,  and  the  Legislature  now  elected 
will  have  the  appointment  of  a  successor.  Mr.  Frelinghuysen 
would  have  been  reappointed  if  the  Whigs  had  succeeded,  and 
these  Hicksites,  in  a  spirit  unworthy  of  their  professions  of  meek- 
ness and  disregard  of  worldly  politics,  have  deprived  the  State 
of  the  services  of  one  of  its  most  virtuous  and  enlightened  states- 
men, and  prevented  the  success  of  a  party  who  seek  only  to 
restore  to  the  country  its  just  rights  and  preserve  the  purity  of 
our  republican  institutions.  When  these  people  are  called  upon 
to  perform  the  civil  duties  required  of  them  in  common  with  other 
citizens,  they  are  restrained  by  the  rules  of  their  order.  When 
the  country  is  in  danger  they  cannot  fight  because  their  religion 
forbids  them  to  carry  arms,  and  yet,  forsooth,  they  may  interfere 
in  elections,  and  bringing  their  petty  squabbles  to  the  polls, 
decide  the  contest  in  favour  of  a  party  who  have  no  object  but  to 
strengthen  the  power  of  a  military  ruler,  and  blindly  support  his 
arbitrary  measures. 

October  23.  —  The  Whig  nominating  committee  agreed  last 
evening  upon  their  tickets,  but  the  rank  and  file  out-of-doors 
object  to  one  or  two  of  the  nominees  for  Congress ;  not  that  they 
are  not  good  enough,  but  too  good.  The  proceedings  are  to  be 
reviewed  this  evening ;  the  times  are  critical ;  a  tremendous 
struggle  is  at  hand,  and  most  important  consequences  will  result 
from  the  approaching  election,  and  all  personal  feelings  and  predi- 
lections must  be  sacrificed  for  the  success  of  our  party,  which  we 
say  involves  the  public  good.  We  must  discard  all  other  consider- 
ations, and  without  committing  ourselves  to  vote  for  unworthy  per- 


i834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  II5 

sons,  run    only  such    as  will   obtain    the    most  votes.     Our    folks 
are   not    so  well  drilled    as    their  opponents;   they  will  think  for 
themselves,  not,  like   them,  go  straight   forward,   right  or  wrong, 
as  they  are  bidden. 
,    .  Monday,  Oct.  27.  —  Both  parties  have  been  hurrah- 

Jackson  '  ^ 

Triumphs  and  ing  to-day  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  —  the  Whigs  for 
Merchants'       ^^^  victories  they  have  won,  and  the  Jackson  men  that 

Meeting. 

they  have  lost  no  more.  The  latter  rallied  their  forces 
in  the  upper  wards  from  Brooklyn  and  all  other  places  where  num- 
bers without  regard  to  quality  could  be  obtained,  and  marched 
them  down  to  Castle  Garden,  where  a  feast  (not  of  reason)  was 
prepared,  and  a  flow  of  whiskey  (not  of  soul)  was  served  out  gra- 
tuitously to  the  well-drilled  troops  of  the  regency.  They  fired  guns 
and  exhibited  fireworks,  and  all  in  the  way  of  rejoicing  for  victories 
no/  won,  or  rather,  "  to  keep  their  spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits 
down."  Among  other  causes  of  rejoicing,  as  set  forth  in  the  sum- 
mons to  attend,  was  the  triumph  of  the  administration  party  in 
Ohio ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  news  of  the  day  seems  to  leave  little 
doubt  of  the  AMiigs  having  gained  the  election  in  that  great  and 
patriotic  State ;  but  the  guns,  nevertheless,  were  fired,  the  whiskey 
drunk,  the  congratulatory  speeches  made,  and  the  hurrahs  for  Ohio 
rent  the  air,  exactly  according  to  the  programme  prepared  at 
Tammany  Hall. 

The  merchants  had  a  great  meeting  at  the  Exchange,  —  a  great 
Whig  meeting  in  numbers,  respectability,  enthusiasm,  and  zeal, 
equal  to  any  of  those  which  were  held  in  the  same  place  previous 
to  the  Spring  election,  and  which  led  the  way  then  to  such  encour- 
aging results.  There  was  no  falling  off  there,  "  my  countrymen." 
I  was  unprepared  to  speak,  but  was  compelled  to  go  forward  by  a 
loud  and  unanimous  call  from  all  parts  of  the  room ;  but  I  did  not 
regret  it,  for  it  was  one  of  the  few  cases  in  which  I  succeeded  in 
satisfying  myself,  and  judging  by  the  applause  I  received  I  was  not 
alone  in  my  opinion.  What  a  comforting  thing  it  is  to  have  a  good 
opinion  of  one's  self! 


Il6  rUH    DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

OcTOiiER  30.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Mr. 
Charles  Matthews,  George  Blake,  of  Boston,  F.  G.  Halleck,  Charles 
A.  Davis,  Washington  Irving,  William  H.  Maxwell,  Thomas  W. 
Moore,  James  Monroe,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Henry  Hone.  Matthews  was 
exceedingly  agreeable.  He  did  not  sing  or  recite,  as  he  was  wont 
to  do  at  dinner-parties,  but  he  talked  a  great  deal  and  with  great 
enthusiasm,  and  introduced  occasionally  some  good  stories  and 
amusing  imitations,  particularly  of  Curran,  Shiel,  O'Connell,  and 
other  eloquent  Irishmen,  in  order  to  illustrate  the  different  kinds  of 
Irish  brogue.  He  is  admirable  in  his  Irish  and  French  characters 
in  such  a  company  as  we  had  this  evening.  His  intonations,  so 
rich,  the  versatility  of  voice  to  suit  his  different  characters,  and  the 
admirable  expression  of  his  countenance,  all  tell  with  powerful 
effect  at  my  round-table,  but  are  spread  over  too  large  a  surface  in 
the  theatre,  and  lost  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  audience.  He 
complains  of  this  himself.  The  Adelphi  Theatre  in  London,  where 
he  performed,  is  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  size  of  the  Park, 
and  he  acknowledges  the  difficulty  he  has  in  giving  proper  effect  to 
his  good  sayings  in  so  large  a  space  and  before  so  numerous  an 
audience. 

October  31.  —  The  Whigs  are  raising  liberty-poles  in  all  the 
wards.  I  went  to  one  of  those  ceremonies  yesterday  in  the  tenth 
ward,  at  the  corner  of  the  Bowery  and  Hester  street.  The  pole, 
one  hundred  feet  high,  with  a  splendid  cap  and  gilt  vane  with  suita- 
ble devices,  was  escorted  by  a  procession  of  good  men  and  true  on 
horseback,  and  was  received  at  the  place  of  its  destination  by  an 
immense  collection  of  good-looking  Whigs,  each  of  whom  appeared 
inspired  by  patriotic  feelings  and  a  fixed  determination  to  do  his 
duty  in  the  approaching  contest.  I  came  away  before  the  affair 
was  over,  finding  that  it  was  expected  of  me  to  make  a  speech, 
which  would  have  interfered  with  my  engagements  at  home. 

November  3.  —  First  day  of  the  great  election  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  which  is  to  decide  whether  the  principles  of  General 
Jackson  are  approved  and  ratified  by  the  people,  and  whether  Mr. 


1834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  II7 

Van  Buren  is  to  be  his  successor ;  for  these  important  questions  are 
left  to  the  decision  of  this  State,  and  the  test  will  be  the  result  of 
the  election.  Both  parties  here  are  confident ;  but  the  confidence 
of  the  Whigs  has  gained  strength  daily  for  the  last  two  or  three 
weeks,  and  our  success  in  Ohio,  which  is  now  certain,  has  conduced 
much  to  it. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  4.  —  The  election  continues  with  spirit.  The 
weather  is  fine,  as  it  was  yesterday,  and  contrary  to  the  apprehen- 
sions of  many  of  our  citizens,  we  have  had  no  riots  or  serious 
disturbance  as  yet.  This  is  principally  owing  to  the  excellent 
arrangement  of  the  inspectors,  a  majority  of  whom,  in  each  ward, 
are  Whigs  ;  to  the  precautionary  measures  of  the  Mayor ;  and  above 
all  to  the  awe  with  which  the  mob  have  been  impressed  by  the 
determination  of  the  better  sort  of  people  of  all  parties  to  prevent, 
at  all  hazards,  a  repetition  of  such  scenes  as  disgraced  our  city  in 
the  Spring,  and  more  recently  and  to  a  greater  degree,  our  neigh- 
bours in  Philadelphia.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  an  immense 
collection  of  Whigs  from  Masonic  H^U  went  in  a  body  to  Washing- 
ton Hall,  where  Mr.  Webster  lodges,  and  saluted  him  with  cheers ; 
after  some  time  he  came  out  and  made  them  a  short  and  eloquent 
speech. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  5 .  —  The  election  closed  this  evening.  The 
Governor's  votes  were  canvassed  in  all  the  wards  except  the  sixth, 
and  by  nine  o'clock  enough  was  known  to  satisfy  us  to  our  heart's 
content  that  we  are  beaten,  —  badly  beaten  ;  worse  than  the  least 
sanguine  of  us  anticipated.  The  majority  in  our  wards  (with  the 
exception  of  the  15  th)  have  fallen  off  grievously,  and  theirs  have 
increased  in  an  equal  ratio  ;  the  third  ward  has  fallen  off  two  hun- 
dred from  the  Spring  election.  The  Tories  will  have  between  two 
and  three  thousand  majority. 

Thursday,  Nov.  6. — The  triumph  was  celebrated  last  night  by 
the  worshippers  of  Jackson  with  the  refinement  and  forbearance 
which  might  have  been  expected.  I  had  been  taken  in  the  morn- 
ing with  an  attack  of  vertigo  and  headache,  which  confined  me  to 


Il8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

the  house  nearly  the  whole  day,  but  I  made  out  to  walk  up  in  the 
evening  to  IMasonic  Hall,  where  the  news  I  received  was  not  cal- 
culated to  make  me  feel  better.  I  returned  home  much  indisposed, 
and  retired  to  bed  at  an  early  hour,  where  I  was  kept  awake  during 
the  greater  i)art  of  the  night  by  the  unmanly  insults  of  the  ruffian 
crew  from  Tammany  Hall,  who  came  over  to  my  door  every  half- 
hour  and  saluted  me  with  groans  and  hisses.  This  continued  until 
past  three  o'clock,  and  for  what?  Because  I  have  exercised  the 
right  which,  in  common  with  every  American  citizen,  I  enjoy  (or 
have  enjoyed  until  this  time),  of  expressing  my  disapprobation  of  a 
course  of  measures  which  I  conceive  to  be  dangerous  to  the  liber- 
ties of  the  people,  and  inimical  to  the  free  institutions  of  my  native 
land.  This  I  have  done  with  truth,  zeal,  and  firmness,  but  always, 
I  trust,  with  decorum  and  propriety ;  and  for  this  I  have  been 
insulted  and  annoyed.  I  ha\'e  for  many  years  sacrificed  my  com- 
fort, exhausted  my  time,  and  abridged  my  enjoyments  by  a  devo- 
tion to  the  service  of  my  fellow- citizens.  A  member  of  all  the 
public  institutions,  charitable,  public- spirited,  or  patriotic,  where 
time  was  to  be  lost,  labour  performed,  and  no  pay  to  be  had  ;  my 
own  affairs  neglected,  and  my  money  frequently  poured  out  like 
water ;  the  friend  and  patron  of  the  working-men,  without  regard 
to  party  ;  —  and  now  my  reward  is  found  in  the  revilings  of  a  mob 
of  midnight  ruffians,  among  whom,  I  have  no  doubt,  were  some  of 
the  very  men  whom  I  have  assisted  to  support,  to  the  exclusion  of 
others  who  are  proud  to  acknowledge  themselves  my  personal  and 
political  friends.     I  believe  I  am  rightly  served. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  David  S.  Jones.  Mr.  Webster  was  one  of  the 
party,  and  notwithstanding  the  sad  disappointment  which,  in  com- 
mon with  his  political  friends  (but  in  a  greater  degree),  he  has  just 
now  experienced,  he  was  in  the  vein  to  be  exceedingly  pleasant,  and 
I  have  not  in  many  a  day  enjoyed  a  more  delightful  conversation. 

November  10.  —  I  apprehend  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  his 
friends  have  no  permanent  cause  of  triumph  in  their  victory.  They 
have    succeeded    by  the    means  of  instruments  which    may  work 


1834.]  TPIE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I  I9 

their  own  destruction ;  they  have  mounted  a  vicious  horse,  who, 
taking  the  bit  in  his  mouth,  will  run  away  with  him.  The  agrarian 
party,  who  have  had  things  pretty  much  their  own  way,  will  not  stop 
at  Martin  Van  Buren,  —  they  will  dig  deeper  into  the  swamps  of 
political  depravity,  and  the  good  men  of  our  community,  the  sup- 
porters of  the  Constitution,  and  the  true  friends  of  civil  liberty  may 
be  soon  called  upon  to  unite  in  his  favour,  against  a  worse  man 
and  principles  more  dangerous  than  his.  This  battle  had  been 
fought  upon  the  ground  of  the  poor  against  the  rich,  and  this  un- 
worthy prejudice,  this  dangerous  delusion,  has  been  encouraged  by 
the  leaders  of  the  triumphant  party,  and  fanned  into  a  flame  by 
the  polluted  breath  of  the  hireling  press  in  their  employ.  In  the 
saturnalian  orgies  with  which  our  streets  have  been  disgraced,  the 
unmannerly  epithets  which  were  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  myself 
and  other  peaceable  citizens  for  having  exercised  the  privilege  of 
freemen  in  opposing  a  party  whose  political  doctrines  we  thought 
unfavourable  to  the  true  interests  of  the  nation,  the  cry  of  "  Down 
with  the  aristocracy  !  "  mingled  with  the  shouts  of  victory,  and  must 
have  grated  on  the  ears  of  some  of  their  own  leaders  like  the 
croaking  of  the  evil-boding  raven.  They  have  succeeded  in  raising 
this  dangerous  spirit,  and  have  gladly  availed  themselves  of  its  sup- 
port to  accomplish  a  temporary  object ;  but  can  they  allay  it  at 
pleasure  ?  Will  their  voices  be  heard  when  they  cry  "  Thus  far 
shalt  thou  go  and  no  farther  "  ?  Eighteen  thousand  men  in  New 
York  have  voted  for  the  high-priest  of  the  party  whose  professed 
design  is  to  bring  down  the  property,  the  talents,  the  industry,  the 
steady  habits  of  that  class  which  constituted  the  real  strength  of 
the  Commonwealth,  to  the  common  level  of  the  idle,  the  worth- 
less, and  the  unenlightened.  Look  to  it,  ye  men  of  respectability 
in  the  Jackson  party,  are  ye  not  afraid  of  the  weapons  ye  have 
used  in  this  warfare  ?  It  is  idle  to  plead  the  necessity  of  the  case, 
the  force  of  what  you  call  regular  nominations.  How  came  this 
power  so  strong  among  ye?  Where  was  the  influence  of  the 
Aliens  and  the  Bownes,  the  Bloodgoods  and  the  Alleys,  the  Phelps 


I20  THE    DIARY    OF    ITIILir    HONE.  [.^tat.  54. 

and  the  Van  Schaicks,  when  the  disciples  of  this  man  came  among 
ye,  and  made  the  walls  of  old  Tammany  resound  with  his  appalling 
dictum?     The  dose  was  unpalatable,  but  you  swallowed  it. 

November  12.  —  I  went  to  the  opera,  where  I  saw  the  second 
act  of  "  La  Straniera,"  by  BeUini.  The  house  is  as  pretty  as  ever, 
and  the  same  faces  were  seen  in  the  boxes  as  formerly ;  but  it  is  not 
a  popular  entertainment,  and  will  not  be  in  our  day,  I  fear.  The 
opera  did  not  please  me.  There  was  too  "much  recitation,  and 
I  shall  never  discipline  my  taste  to  like  common  colloquial  ex- 
pressions of  life,  "How  do  you  do,  madam?"  or,  "Pretty  well, 
I  thank  you,  sir,"  the  better  for  being  given  with  an  orchestral 
accompaniment. 

November  13.  — There  is  some  salt  left  in  the  land, 
—  the  late  general  election  in  Massachusetts  has  gone 

setts.  ®  ° 

for  the  Whigs  by  unprecedented  majorities.  Governor 
Davis  will  be  reelected  by  an  immense  vote.  Abbott  Lawrence 
goes  to  Congress  from  Boston. 

November  21.  —  The  President,  since  he  came  into  office  in 
1829,  has  had  four  secretaries  of  state,  two  of  war,  five  of  the 
treasury,  three  of  the  navy,  and  three  attorney-generals.  Tyrants 
are  fickle  in  the  choice  of  servants. 

November  22.  —  Power  had  his  benefit  last  night.  He  appeared 
in  Rover,  in  "  Wild  Oats,"  and  a  piece  called  "  Botheration."  It  was 
a  good  house.  In  the  last  piece  a  little  row  was  raised  by  acci- 
dent. Ritchings,  speaking  of  a  lady  who  wore  a  wig,  says  wigs  are 
out  of  date.  This  touched  a  sore  place,  an(i  was  received  with 
applause  by  one  party  in  the  pit  and  disapprobation  by  the  other, 
and  the  clamour  became  so  long  and  loud  that  Ritchings  was 
under  the  necessity  of  coming  forward  and  disclaiming  all  inten- 
tion of  alluding  to  the  political  party  called  Whigs,  who,  although 
defeated,  are  not  willing  to  acknowledge  themselves  "out  of  date." 

November  24. — The  fine  old  frigate  "Constellation"  arriv^ed 
at  Norfolk  on  Thursday,  in  thirty-eight  days  from  Gibraltar,  after  a 
cruise  of  several  years  in  the  Mediterranean.     She  was  one  of  the 


i834]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  121 

three  ships  built  in  the  year  1797,  "Old  Ironsides"  and  the 
"  U'lited  States  "  being  the  other  two.  She  is  now  commanded  by 
my  gallant  friend,  George  C.  Read.  Commodore  Patterson,  in  the 
"  Delaware,"  was  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  and  Ballard,  in  the 
"  United  States,"  at  Smyrna,  giving  convoy  to  American  vessels. 
The  "  Constellation  "  has  brought  over  two  fine  marble  statues,  by 
Louis  Persico,  emblematical  of  peace  and  war,  intended  to  orna- 
ment the  Capitol  of  the  United  States,  accompanied  by  the  artist, 
who  has  also  a  bust  of  the  hero,  General  Jackson,  who  can  regu- 
late both  peace  and  w\ar,  and  carry  the  Capitol  away  in  his  pocket, 
or  set  fire  to  it  with  his  pipe,  if  he  chooses.  The  "  Constellation  " 
is  ordered  around  to  Washington  with  these  sculptural  trophies.  I 
would  advise  the  "greatest  and  best "  to  have  his  counterfeit  repre- 
sentation set  up  in  one  of  the  high  places  to  receive  the  homage  of 
his  liege  subjects,  a  majority  of  whom  are  unhappily  more  willing 
to  bow  to  him  or  his  image  than  even  his  own  vanity  may  prompt 
him  to  exact  from  tliern. 

November  29. — The  refusal  of  the  French  Chamber  of  Depu- 
ties to  vote  the  supplies  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  Mr.  Rives's 
treaty  of  indemnity  for  spoliations  committed  under  the  reign  of 
Napoleon,  begins  to  cause  an  apprehension  that  our  government 
may  find  it  necessary  to  pursue  a  course  of  hostility  to  coerce 
France  into  the  performance  of  obligations  freely  entered  into  by 
her,  and  the  stipulations  of  which  on  the  part  of  this  country  have 
been  carried  into  effect  with  good  faith.  Congress  is  to  meet  on 
Monday,  and  the  expectation  of  a  hostile  tone  of  the  President's 
message  is  so  great  that  the  sailing  of  the  Liverpool  packet  of  the 
first  of  December  is  delayed  until  the  third,  to  enable  her  to  carry 
out  that  document.  Restrictions  on  the  trade  between  this  coun- 
try and  France  would  be  agreeable  news  for  John  Bull.  The 
American  ladies  must  have  silk  dresses  to  exhibit  in  Broadway  and 
Chestnut  street,  and  if  France  should  be  interdicted  from  supply- 
ing us  with  the  material  it  would  occasion  an  accelerated  motion 
of  the  shuttles  of  Spitalfields.     It  is  to  be  hoped,  however,  that  the 


122  THE   DIARV    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  54. 

matter  may  be  settled  without  a  serious  misunderstanding.  Mr. 
Rives's  five  millions  are  hardly  worth  going  to  war  about,  unless 
there  should  be  some  point  of  national  honour  so  deeply  involved 
as  to  forbid  a  calculation  of  dollars  and  cents.  Louis  Philippe  does 
not  seem  to  have  sufficient  power  over  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
He  is  only  a  king ;  it  would  be  well  for  him  to  take  advice  from 
our  President  touching  the  manner  of  rendering  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  so  called,  subservient  to  his  wishes. 

December  3.  —  Yesterday  at  noon  the  President's  message  was 
communicated  to  both  Houses,  and  it  was  in  New  York  at  two 
o'clock  this  morning,  having  been  brought  on  by  express,  in  little 
more  than  twelve  hours,  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  This  is  a 
great  performance,  and  shows  what  money  can  do;  but  cui  bono? 
the  game  is  not  worth  the  candle.  There  is  not  one  reader  of  the 
daily  papers  out  of  a  hundred  who  would  give  sixpence  to  read 
this  document  four  hours  earlier  than  he  otherwise  might,  and  the 
express  in  this  instance  is  said  to  have  cost  seven  hundred  dollars. 
The  message  is,  as  usual,  too  long ;  but  the  people  have  become 
accustomed  to  take  these  annual  outpourings  of  executive  wet- 
nurses  in  pretty  large  doses,  and  rely  more  upon  the  efficacy  of  a 
bottle  of  Congress  water  than  on  the  concentrated  virtue  of  a  Seid- 
litz-powder ;  and  so  Dr.  Jackson,  who  can  make  his  patients  swallow 
anything,  has,  by  the  aid  of  his  regular-bred  practitioners  in  the 
study,  and  the  green-apron  boys  below,  managed  to  give  the  body 
politic  enough  to  insure  tolerable  regularity  until  his  next  regular 
visit.  This  message  is  interesting  principally  from  the  view  it 
takes  of  our  relations  with  France,  with  whom  we  have  a  knotty 
question  which  may  ultimately  lead  to  something  serious,  and  I 
must  say  that  on  this  subject  the  message  is  quite  satisfactory;  its 
explanations  are  clear,  its  language  dignified,  and  its  sentiment 
manly  and  patriotic.  The  negotiations  of  Mr.  Rives,  for  indemni- 
fication for  the  spoliations  of  France  committed  during  the  reign 
of  Napoleon,  resulted  in  a  treaty  signed  at  Paris  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1 83 1,  by  which  France  agreed  to  liquidate   all   our  claims   by  the 


i834]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 23 

payment  of  twenty-five  millions  of  francs,  in  six  annual  payments. 
This  treaty  was  duly  ratified  in  Washington  on  the  2d  of  February, 
1832,  and  acts  were  passed  by  Congress  to  reduce  the  duties  on 
French  wines,  agreeably  to  the  stipulations  on  our  part,  which  have 
been  continued  in  good  faith.  In  the  mean  time  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  delayed  from  time  to  time  to  make  the  necessary  appro- 
priations for  carrying  the  treaty  into  effect ;  the  draft  of  the  govern- 
ment for  the  first  annual  instalment  which  was  negotiated  through 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States  was  returned  protested,  and  finally 
the  last  action  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  in  the  month  of  April 
last,  nearly  three  years  after  the  signing  of  the  treaty,  resulted  in 
their  refusal  to  make  the  appropriation.  And  so  the  matter  stands. 
All  this  is  fairly  laid  down  in  the  message  in  a  manner  creditable  to 
the  President  and  his  Cabinet ;  but  I  do  not  approve  the  conclusion 
he  comes  to.  He  asks  Congress  to  give  him  power  to  issue  letters 
of  marque  and  reprisals  which  cannot  fail  to  be  considered  by  the 
French  Cxovernment  as  a  menace,  and  will,  I  fear,  counteract  the 
good  effects  of  the  firm  but  courteous  style  in  which  our  claims  for 
justice  are  set  forth  in  the  message,  and  weaken  our  cause  with  the 
lookers-on  in  other  countries.  Besides,  I  am  not  one  of  those 
who  wish  to  place  power  in  the  hands  of  the  President,  and  I 
almost  wonder  that  he  should  have  thought  it  necessary  to  ask  for 
it,  after  some  of  his  late  experiments,  which  must  have  satisfied 
him  that  he  may  take  what  power  he  pleases  and  the  people  will 
bear  him  out  in  it.  The  Constitution  and  the  laws  may  stand  in  his 
way,  to  be  sure,  but  those  are  trifles.  Andrew  Jackson,  depending 
upon  his  popularity  with  the  Jackson  party,  is  superior  to  the  petty 
trammels  which  restrained  the  Washingtons,  the  Jeffersons,  and  the 
Madisons  of  former  times.  The  Jackson  party  are  in  the  majority. 
They  will  support  him  right  or  wrong,  and  it  was  very  pretty 
behaved,  but  altogether  supererogatory  to  ask  the  leave  of  Congress, 
to  do  this  or  anything  else  he  may  think  proper.  William  III.  or 
Louis  Philippe  may  require  legislative  sanction  ;  they  are  only  kings ; 
give  me  the  president  of  a  republican  people  for  a  bold  stroke  of 


124  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [yEtat.  54. 

power.  General  Jackson's  coup  iVetat  would  not  endanger  his 
standing  with  the  people,  much  less  cost  him  his  crown,  as  it  did- 
that  loving,  but  less  fortunate  brother,  Charles  X.  The  language 
of  the  message  in  relation  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  is  dis- 
graceful to  the  President  and  humiliating  to  every  American.  It 
smells  of  the  kitchen,  and  resembles  no  more  that  in  which  the  for- 
eign relations  of  the  country  are  laid  before  the  people  than  a 
scullion  does  a  gentleman.  The  language  is  intemperate,  the 
charges  against  the  bank  false  and  disingenuous,  and  the  measures 
recommended  injurious  to  the  public  interest. 

December  6.  —  Chancellor  and  Mrs.  Kent  and  some  other  friends 
took  tea  with  us.  They  came  soon  after  six  o'clock,  and  we 
passed  a  most  delightful  evening.  The  Chancellor  was  gay, 
cheerful,  and  talkative,  and  not  restless  as  he  is  wont  to  be. 
I  would  "that  Heaven  had  made  me  such  a  man."  This  excel- 
lent man  is  in  his  seventy-second  year,  having  been  born  July  31, 
1 763,  with  his  mental  faculties  unimpaired  and  still  improving, 
by  a  constant  but  not  laborious  employment  of  them  in  pursuits 
which  constitute  his  greatest  pleasure  and  recreation.  His  con- 
stitution sound,  the  ha})py  result  of  good  habits  and  a  cheerful 
disposition,  and  the  consciousness  of  purity  of  heart  and  uniformly 
virtuous  intentions.  I  do  not  know  so  perfect  a  model  as  Chan- 
cellor Kent,  or  a  man  so  much  to  be  envied.  I  wonder  how  he 
came  in  these  artificial  days  to  hit  upon  so  sensible  a  way  to 
pass  an  evening. 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 25 


1835 


'nr^HE  new  year  commences  auspiciously  so  far  as  the  weather 
-^  is  concerned.  There  has  never  been  a  finer  New  Year's 
Day ;  the  air  is  clear  and  pleasant,  and  just  cool  enough  to  pre- 
serve the  snow,  which  gives  facility  to  the  visiting  part  of  the 
population.  I  went  out  in  the  sleigh  at  twelve  o'clock,  and 
visited  until  four,  leaving  several  of  my  visits  unpaid,  which 
delinquency  my  wife  and  I  made  up  in  the  evening.  Broad- 
way, from  morning  until  night,  and  in  the  night  too,  was 
crowded  with  pedestrians,  and  the  music  of  sleigh-bells  was  heard 
without  the  least  intermission.  Smiling  faces  were  seen  on  all 
sides,  and  all  the  cares  and  troubles  of  1834  appear  to  have  been 
forgotten  in  the  joyful  anticipations  of  1835.  The  year  which 
has  commenced  seems  destined  to  be  an  eventful  one,  at  home 
and  abroad.  The  administration  of  General  Jackson  and  the 
continuance  of  his  popularity  will  test  the  strength  of  our 
political  institutions.  If  the  people  continue  to  support  him  in 
his  most  unwarrantable  assumption  of  power,  it  will  be  idle  to 
talk  about  the  republican  principles  on  which  the  government  is 
founded.  But  among  other  difficulties  which  he  has  to  encounter 
during  the  coming  year  is  that  of  the  quarrel  with  France,  in 
which  his  unnecessary  threats  have  involved  us.  The  king  is 
disposed  to  do  us  justice ;  but  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  composed 
of  men  who  like  bullying  themselves,  will  not  submit  to  the  bully- 
ing of  others,  and  I  fear  that  our  government  has  been  committed 
by  the  President  too  far  to  admit  of  any  peaceable  compromise. 
The  wisdom  of  Congress  may  save  us,  and  it  certainly  would,  if 
party-spirit  had  not  more  influence  than  a  regard  for  the  true 
interest  of  the  country.  But  to  the  Senate  we  may  yet  look  for 
patriotism  and  public  virtue,  and  there  we  rest  our  cause. 


126  THE    DIARY    OF    TIIILIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  55. 

January  5.  —  Extracts  from  the  commonplace-book 
K^""bi  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^   (now  Mrs.  Butler)   are  published  in  one 

of  the  Boston  papers  and  copied  occasionally  into  the 
"  Commercial  Advertiser  "  of  this  city.  How  they  got  there  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  Gary  &  Lea,  of  Philadelphia,  say  in  an  adver- 
tisement that  if  they  are  genuine  they  must  have  been  stolen,  for 
they  are  the  only  legal  proprietors  of  the  work  in  this  country.  At 
any  rate,  if  she  has  any  good  feelings,  and  is  at  all  tenacious  of 
her  good  name  as  a  lady  or  an  authoress,  it  must  be  "  a  sorry 
sight"  to  see  herself  thus  served  up  to  the  public  gaze.  There  is 
all  the  light  gossip,  the  childish  prejudice,  the  hasty  conclusions 
from  erroneous  first  impressions,  in  which  the  diary  of  an  imagina- 
tive youthful  traveller  in  a  country  in  which  all  things  are  new  and 
untried  may  be  supposed  to  abound  ;  and  the  style  is  sometimes 
bad ;  and  the  remarks  she  makes  on  the  private  habits  of  persons 
who  received  her  and  her  father  kindly,  and  treated  them  hos- 
pitably, are  all  in  bad  taste.  As  a  literary  production  it  is  unworthy 
of  the  character  of  Fanny  Kemble,  and  its  publication,  now  that 
she  has  become  the  wife  of  an  American  gentleman  and  is  to 
remain  among  us,  injudicious  in  the  extreme.  I  cannot  believe 
that  she  ever  intended  it  should  see  the  light,  and  should  be  led  to 
believe  it  a  fabrication  were  it  not  that  the  facts  related  are  tnie 
(many  of  them  within  my  own  knowledge),  and  of  a  nature  to  pre- 
clude the  possibility  of  their  becoming  public  without  her  knowledge 
and  consent.  For  instance,  she  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
dinner  I  gave  to  her  and  her  fLither  on  the  15th  of  September,  1832, 
—  the  first  occasion  on  which  she  was  introduced  into  American 
society.  It  was  evidently  written  on  the  evening  of  the  very  day, 
and  with  all  the  flippancy  and  want  of  reflection  that  one  might 
expect  to  find  in  the  commonplace-book  of  a  giddy  girl  who  had 
just  returned  from  a  dinner-party  in  which  herself  was  the  principal 
object  of  notice  and  attention,  and  from  which,  I  can  tell  her,  she 
went  away  leaving  no  very  favourable  impressions  behind  her. 
Now,  if  Mrs.  Butler  participated  in  the  publication  of  all  this  tittle- 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  12/ 

tattle  she  is  a  greater  fool  than  ever  I  expected  it  would  fall  to  my 
lot  to  record  her.  Well  was  it  said,  "  Oh,  that  mine  enemy  would 
write  a  book  !  "     Mrs.  Butler  says  : 

"Saturday,   15  th. —  At    five  dressed  and   went  to ,  where 

we  were  to  dine.  This  is  one  of  the  first  houses  here  "  (thank 
you,  madam  !),  "so  I  conclude  that  I  am  to  consider  what  I  see  as 
a  tolerable  sample  of  the  ways  and  manners  of  being,  doing,  and 
suffering  of  the  best  society  in  New  York.  There  were  about 
twenty  people.  The  women  were  in  a  sort  of  French  de mi- toilette, 
with  bare  necks  and  long  sleeves,  heads  frizzled  out  after  the  very 
last  petit-courier,  and  thread-net  handkerchiefs  and  capes,  the 
whole  of  which,  to  my  English  eye,  appeared  a  strange  marrying  of 
incongruities.  .  .  .  The  younger  daughter  of  our  host  is  beautiful, 
—  a  young  and  brilliant  likeness  of  Ellen  Tree  ;  with  more  refine- 
ment, and  a  smile  that  was,  not  to  say  a  ray,  but  a  whole  focus  of 
sun-rays,  —  a  perfect  blaze  of  light ;  she  was  much  taken  up  with  a 
youth,  to  whom,  my  neighbour  at  dinner  informed  me,  she  was 
engaged." 

I  can  excuse  many  of  her  impertinences  for  this  glowing  and 
just  eulogium  upon  my  sweet  Mary.  The  following  contrast  be- 
tween the  delicate  and  interesting  appearance  of  the  ladies  and  the 
ruddy  looks  of  English  women  are,  unhappily,  not  far  from  the 
truth  :  — 

"  The  women  here,  like  those  of  most  warm  climates,  ripen 
very  early  and  decay  proportionately  soon.  They  are,  generally 
speaking,  pretty,  with  good  complexions,  and  an  air  of  fresh- 
ness and  brilliancy,  but  this,  I  am  told,  is  very  evanescent ;  and 
whereas,  in  England,  a  woman  is  in  the  bloom  of  health  and 
beauty  from  twenty- five  to  thirty,  here  they  scarcely  reach  the  first 
period  without  being  faded  and  looking  old.  They  marry  very 
young,  and  this  is  another  reason  why  age  comes  prematurely 
upon  them.  There  was  a  fair  young  thing  at  dinner  to-day  who 
did  not  look  above  seventeen,  and  she  is  a  wife."  (Mrs.  Alex- 
ander Hosack,  I  presume.)      "  As  for  their  figures,  like  those  of 


128  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [  Etat.  55. 

French  women,  they  were  too  well  dressed  for  one  to  judge  what 
they  really  are  like  ;  they  are,  for  the  most  part,  short  and  slight, 
with  remarkably  pretty  feet  and  ankles ;  but  there's  too  much 
pelerine  and  petticoat  and  dc  quoi  of  every  sort  to  guess  anything 
more.  The  climate  of  this  country  is  the  scape-goat  ui)on  which 
all  the  ill-looks  and  ill-health  of  the  ladies  is  laid  ;  but  while  they 
are  brought  up  as  effeminately  as  they  are,  take  as  little  exercise, 
live  in  rooms  like  ovens  during  the  winter,  and  marry  as  early  as 
they  do,  it  will  appear  evident  that  many  causes  combine  with  an 
extremely  variable  climate  to  sallow  their  complexions  and  destroy 
their  constitutions." 

Now  for  the  portrait  of  my  friend,  Dom.  Lynch.     "  There  was  a 

Mr.  ,  the   Magnus  Apollo  of   New  York,   who  is  a  musical 

genius,  sings  as  well  as  any  gentleman  need  sing,  pronounces  Ital- 
ian well,  and  accompanies  himself  without  false  chords,  all  of 
which  renders  him  the  man  round  whom  (as  round  H.  G.,  Lord 
C,  and  pretty  Lord  O.,  in  our  own  country)  the  women  listen  and 
languish.  He  sang  the  *  Phantom  Bark.'  The  last  time  I  heard 
it  was  from  the  lips  of  Moore,  with  two  of  the  loveliest  faces  in  all 
the  world  hanging  over  him,  Mrs.  N.  and  Mrs.  B.  By  the  bye,  the 
man  who  sat  next  to  me  at  dinner  was  asking  me  all  manner  of 
questions  about  Mrs.  N.,  among  others  whether  she  w^as  as  *  pale 
as  a  poetess  ought  to  be.'  Oh,  how  I  wish  Corinne  had  heard 
that  herself!  what  a  deal  of  funny  scorn  would  have  looked 
beautiful  on  her  rich  brown  cheek  and  brilliant  lips.  The  dinner 
was  plenteous  (that  is  the  word)  and  tolerably  well  dressed " 
(Peter  Van  Dyke  ought  to  make  her  ]ialf  2.  bow  for  that  compli- 
ment), "but  ill- served;  there  were  not  half  servants  enough  to  do 
the  work "  (John  Stokes  is  not  very  ornamental,  but  tolerably 
useful,  and  the  others  are  rather  smartish,  I  think,  but  I  have  no 
servants  in  orange-coloured  inexpressibles  with  tinsel  epaulettes ; 
when  she  comes  again,  I  will  endeavour  to  procure  a  bevy  of  them 
from  Colonel  Berkeley,  or  some  other  of  her  distinguished  coun- 
trymen), "and  we  had  neither  water-glasses  "  (in  this  I  think  she 


1835J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 29 

is  mistaken,  we  are  never  without  them),  "nor,  oh,  horror!  that 
absolute  indispensable,  —  finger-glasses.  Now,  though  I  don't  eat 
with  my  fingers  (except  peaches),  whereat,  I  think,  the  abo- 
rigines "  (oh,  for  shame.  Miss  Kemble,  to  compare  Mrs.  Davis, 
General  Fleming,  and  Dominick  Lynch  to  wild  savages  !),"  who 
were  pealing  theirs  like  so  many  potatoes,  seemed  to  me  rather 
amazed.  Yet  I  do  hold  a  finger-glass,  at  the  conclusion  of  my  din- 
ner, a  requisite  almost  to  my  digestion.  However,  as  it  happened, 
I  digested  without  it." 

With  all  submission  I  disagree  with  my  fastidious  guest.  I 
don't  eat  with  my  fingers,  and  therefore  do  not  require  finger- 
glasses.  We  have  them  in  the  house,  but  do  not  frequently  use 
them.  I  think  it  unseemly  to  see  a  company  at  the  dinner- table, 
particularly  the  female  part,  washing  their  hands,  rinsing  their 
mouths,  rubbing  their  gums  with  the  finger,  and  squirting  the  pol- 
luted water  back  into  the  vessel,  as  was  formerly  the  fiishion  in  this 
country,  a  fashion  which  prevails  yet  in  England  in  the  higher 
circles. 

"  After  dinner  we  had  coffee,  but  no  tea,  whereat  my  English 
stomach  was  in  high  dudgeon.     The  gentlemen  did  not  sit  long, 

and  when    they   joined    us    Mr.   ,  as  I    said    before,  uttered 

sweet    sounds.     By  the  bye,  I   was   not  a   little  amused  at    Mrs. 

"   (my  wife   takes  this  to    herself),  "asking   me    whether  I 

had  heard  of  his  singing,  or  their  musical  soirees^  and  seeming  all 
but  surprised  that  I  had  no  revelations  of  either,  across  the 
Atlantic.  Mercy  on  me  !  what  fools  people  are  all  over  the  world  ! 
the  worst  is,  they  are  all  fools  of  the  same  sort,  and  there  is  no 
profit  whatever  in  travelling.  Mr.  B "  (Bankhead,  the  Brit- 
ish secretary  of  legation),  "who  is  an  Englishman,  happened  to  ask 

me  if   I    knew  Captain  ■,  whereupon  we  immediately  struck 

up    a    conversation,    and    talked    over    English    folk    and    doings 

together,  to  my  entire  satisfaction.     The  were  there  ;  he  is  a 

brother  of  that  wondrous  ruler  of  the  spirits  whom  I  do  so  dislike 
in  London,  and  his  lady  is  a  daughter  of  Lord  ."     (These 


I30  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  55. 

are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornwall,  and  she  is  welcome  to  say  what  she 
pleases  of  them.  We  had  better  folk  than  they  in  our  party  that 
day.)  "  I  was  very  glad  to  come  home.  I  s;ing  to  them  two  or 
three  things,  but  the  piano  was  pitched  too  high  for  my  voice ; 
by  the  bye,  in  that  large,  lofty,  fine  room  they  had  a  tiny,  old- 
fashioned,  becurtained  cabinet  piano,  stuck  right  against  the  wall, 
unto  which  the  singer's  face  was  turned,  and  into  which  his  voice 
was  absorbed."  (I'm  afraid  she  is  right  about  the  piano.  I  wish 
she  knew  that  I  bought  it  upon  Dr.  McLean's  recommendation, 
who  has  some  conceit  of  himself  in  these  matters,  and  that  it  cost 
me  seven  hundred  dollars.)  "  We  had  hardly  regained  our  inn, 
and  uncloaked,  when  there  came  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  in  walked 

Mr.  "    (Cornwall  again),  "to  ask  me  if  we  would  not  join 

them,  himself  and  the  ,  at  supper ;  he  said  that,  besides  five 

being  a  great  deal  too  early  to  dine,  he  had  not  half  dinner  enough  " 
(the  Turk  !  he  ate  like  an  ox),  "  and  then  began  the  regular  Eng- 
lish quizzing  of  everything  and  everybody  we  had  left  behind.  Oh, 
dear  !  oh,  dear  !  how  tlioughtfully  English  it  was,  and  how  it  re- 
minded me  of  H ;  of  course  we  did  not  accept  their  invitation, 

but  it  furnished  me  matter  of  amusement.  How  we  English  folk 
do  cling  to  our  own  habits,  our  own  views,  our  own  things,  our  own 
people  ;  how,  in  spite  of  all  our  wanderings  and  scatterings  over  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth,  like  so  many  Jews,  we  never  lose  our  dis- 
tinct and  national  individuality,  nor  foil  to  lay  hold  of  one  another's 
skirts,  to  laugh  at  and  depreciate  all  that  differs  from  that  country 
which  we  delight  in  forsaking  for  any  and  all  others." 

January  6. — Mr.  Adams  delivered  on  Wednesday  last,  at  the 
Capitol,  a  eulogy  upon  the  character  of  Lafayette,  to  which  duty 
he  was  appointed  by  a  vote  of  Congress  at  their  last  session.  It 
is  agreed  on  all  hands  and  by  all  parties  to  have  been  a  masterly 
production.  It  was  a  subject  to  call  out  the  fine  talents  of  the 
accomplished  scholar  and  orator,  and  it  was  precisely  the  kind  of 
"  labour  "  which  Mr.  Adams  "  would  delight  in."  It  would  appear, 
however,  from  the   following  gossip  of  the  "Spy"  in  Washington 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I3I 

that  the  ^'  greatest  and  best  "  and  "  New  York's  favourite  son  "  do 
not  consider  it  good  pohcy  to  bestow  unqiiaUfied  praise  upon 
the  man  whom  they  have  heretofore  united  to  pull  down  :  "  After 
Mr.  Adams  had  delivered,  on  Wednesday  last,  his  masterly  eulogy 
on  General  Lafayette,  a  gentleman  asked  the  President  (Mr.  Van 
Buren  being  present)  how  he  was  pleased  with  the  address.  The 
venerable  Christian,  pausing  a  few  seconds,  coolly  replied,  '  There 
are  some  good  things  in  it,  but  Mr.  Adams  fails  very  much  ;  don't 
you  think  he  does,  Mr.  Van  Buren?'  'Very  much,'  repeated 
echo." 

January  10.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Bishop 
Onderdonk,  Dr.  Hosack,  Bishop  Smith,  of  Kentucky ;  Mr.  Peter 
A.  Jay,  Mr.  Harrison  G.  Otis,  Mr.  W.  Johnson,  Chancellor  Kent, 
Mr.  D.  S.  Jones,  President  Duer,  and  Mr.  P.  Schermerhorn. 

January  14.  —  The  rage  for  speculating  in  lands  on  Long  Island 
is  one  of  the  bubbles  of  the  day.  Men  in  moderate  circumstances 
have  become  immensely  rich,  merely  by  the  good  fortune  of  own- 
mg  farms  of  a  few  acres  of  this  chosen  land.  Abraham  Schermer- 
horn has  sold  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  at 
Gowannes,  three  miles  from  Brooklyn,  at  ^600  per  acre ;  four 
years  ago,  having  got  out  of  conceit  of  it  as  a  residence,  he 
offered  it  for  sale  at  ^20,000,  and  would  have  taken  ^18,000  ;  to- 
day he  pockets  $102,000,  and  regrets  that  he  sold  it  so  cheap  ! 

February  12.  —  Died  on  Saturday  last,  in  Baltimore,  Mr.  William 
Patterson,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  formerly  a 
distinguished  merchant  of  that  city,  the  father  of  Jerome  Bona- 
parte's wife,  who  was  separated  from  her  husband  by  order  of 
Napoleon,  who  did  not  think  it  becoming  when  he  placed  a  crown 
on  his  brother's  head  that  his  throne  and  royal  honours  should  be 
shared  by  the  daughter  of  an  American  republican.  It  is  not  un- 
likely that  about  these  times  the  ci-devajit  king  of  Westphalia 
would  have  no  objection  to  return  to  the  object  of  his  first  love. 
There  is  a  son  by  this  marriage,  who  married  a  Miss  Williams,  a 
handsome  girl  with  a  large  fortune.     They  live  in  Baltimore,  in 


132  THE   DIARY   OF    PIIILTP    HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

very  goo  I  style.  I  have  partaken  of  the  hosi)italily  of  this,  gentle- 
man. It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  three  men  who  held  the 
most  distinguished  place  in  the  great  community  of  merchants 
which  im[)arted  wealth,  splendour,  and  character  to  Baltimore  have 
all  died  within  about  a  year,  leaving  good  names  and  large  fortunes 
to  their  children.  Alexander  Brown,  Robert  Oliver,  and  William 
Patterson  might  at  one  time  have  been  considered  the  royal  mer- 
chants of  America,  as  the  Medici  of  old  were  of  Italy. 

February  14.  —  Dr.  Mott's  dinner  took  place  on  Tuesday  last, 
at  the  City  Hotel.  Dr.  David  Hosack  presided,  and  made  a  good 
speech,  which  was  well  replied  to  by  the  respectable  recipient 
of  the  compliment.  The  vice-presidents  were  Doctors  McLean, 
Stearns,  MacNeven,  A.  L.  Anderson,  S.  W.  Moore,  and  Francis. 
The  toasts,  regular  and  volunteer,  were  given  in  small  doses,  and 
as  the  gentlemen  of  the  faculty  had  to  take  them  themselves,  they 
were  neither  unpalatable  nor  violent  in  their  operation.  They 
toasted  each  other  brown,  and  said  many  pretty  things,  all 
but  Dr.  Rhinelander ;  this  gentleman  is  not  in  very  good  odour 
with  some  of  his  brethren,  from  the  circumstance  of  his  having 
intrigued  with  his  political  friends  in  the  board  of  regents  to  get 
Dr.  Augustine  Smith  removed  and  himself  appointed  to  a  profes- 
sor's chair  in  the  College  of  Physicians.  So  when  his  turn  came 
to  give  a  toast,  he  did  certainly  infuse  a  dash  of  wormwood  into  the 
draught,  which  the  sons  of  Esculapius  had  to  swallow.  Sheridan 
himself  would  have  been  gratified  at  this  new  application  of  his 
joke,  —  ''  The  medical  profession,  when  they  all  agree,  their  una- 
nimity is  wonderful."  By  Dr.  Gilford  :  "  Dr.  Mott,  by  cutting  an 
acquaintance,  he  often  saves  a  friend."     Not  so  bad. 

I  attended  this  evening  a  meeting  at  Washington  Hall  of  a 
number  of  New  Yorkers,  with  a  design  to  form  a  regular  Knicker- 
bocker society,  as  a  sort  of  set-off  against  St.  Patrick's,  St.  George's, 
and  more  particularly  the  New  England.  The  meeting  was  large 
and  exceedingly  respectable ;  there  were  the  Irvings,  Moores,  Mc- 
Vickars,  Renwicks,  Rapelje,  Stuyvesant,  Laight,  Fish,  Wilkins,  the 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 33 

Schermerhorns,  Brinckerhoffs,  Costers,  Golden,  etc., — a  goodly  show 
of  good  fellows  who  will  not  disgrace  their  ancestors.  Bloodgood 
was  chairman  and  Washington  Irving  secretary.  A  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Judge  Irving,  Alex- 
ander Wyckoff,  Hamilton  Fish,  Dr.  Manley,  and  the  president  and 
secretary,  to  report  a  constitution  and  by-laws  to  a  future  meeting. 
I  suppose  we  shall  have  a  few  annual  dinners,  which  will  be  pretty 
much  all  that  will  grow  out  of  this  project. 

February  17.  —  The  proceedings  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  have  become  very  interesting  within  a  few  days.  During  the 
discussion  of  a  bill  brought  forward  by  Mr.  Calhoun  to  restrain  ex- 
ecutive patronage,  which  has  brought  out  the  most  virulent  opposition 
of  the  friends  of  General  Jackson,  Benton,  the  fiercest  tiger  in  the 
den,  insulted  Mr.  Calhoun  by  charging  him  with  falsehood.  The 
accomplished  Carolinian  was  compelled  to  notice  it,  and  Benton 
was  called  to  order.  The  Vice-President,  by  some  casuistical  defi- 
nition of  parliamentary  practice,  pronounced  the  gentleman  not  out 
of  order.  Mr.  Webster  appealed  from  this  decision,  and  his  ap- 
peal was  sustained  by  a  vote  of  24  to  20.  There  is  some  talk 
about  Mr.  Calhoun  challenging  Benton  ;  but  it  cannot  be.  I  would 
as  soon  think  of  challenging  one  of  the  hyenas  in  the  zoological 
institution  for  snapping  at  me  as  I  passed  his  den. 

March  14.  —  The  packet-ship  "Rhone"  arrived  yesterday 
from  Havre,  bringing  Paris  accounts  to  nth  ult.  They  are  highly 
favourable  to  amicable  settlement  of  our  affairs  with  France.  Mr. 
Clay's  able  report,  with  the  resolution  which  accompanied  it  and 
was  passed  unanimously  by  the  Senate  in  January  last,  was  received 
in  Paris  on  the  7th  of  February,  and  had  precisely  the  effect  which 
I  predicted.  It  healed  the  wounded  pride  of  the  French  govern- 
ment and  people ;  it  convinced  them  that  the  menacing  proposal 
to  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal  was  only  the  act  of  the 
President,  and  would  not  be  sanctioned  by  the  legislature  of  the 
nation,  and  there  was  little  doubt  that  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
would  pass  the  Indemnity  Bill.     Thus  has  the  patriotic  majority  in 


134  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

the  Senate  once  more  interposed  to  save  the  country  from  a 
vexatious  and  unnecessary  war,  without  the  sHghtest  sacrifice 
of  national  honour,  although  it  is  quite  likely  that  Jackson  will 
get  the  credit  of  it. 

March    16.  —  The     frigate    "Constitution,"    under 
Old  Ironsides,   commaud    of    Commodorc    Elliot,    got    under    way 

yesterday  morning,  and  went  to  sea.  She  goes  to 
France,  from  which  place,  if  the  Indemnity  Bill  should  not  have 
been  passed,  she  will  receive  on  board  the  American  Minister 
and  his  family  and  return  to  the  United  States,  but  if  the  bill 
should  have  become  a  law  she  will  join  the  squadron  in  the 
Mediterranean.  Commodore  Elliot  went  on  Saturday  evening 
to  the  Bowery  Theatre  to  receive  the  homage  of  his  suburban 
admirers,  and  as  some  opposition  was  apprehended  from  those 
who  were  opposed  to  the  worship  of  the  golden  calf,  or  of 
him  who  set  it  up,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  forty 
marines  with  side-arms  ;  but  it  proved  unnecessary :  not  a  Whig 
was  to  be  seen,  and  nothing  occurred  to  mar  his  triumph,  or  in- 
terrupt the  shouts  of  those  who  went  to  cry,  Huzza  for  Jackson  ! 
Huzza  for  Elliot ! 

I    went  to  the   Book  Club  with   Charles  King  and 
Book  Club.       Davis   at   nine    o'clock.     This   is   a  club  which  meets 

every  other  Thursday  evening  at  Washington  Hotel, 
where  they  sup,  drink  champagne  and  whiskey  punch,  talk  as  well 
as  they  know  how,  and  run  each  other  good-humouredly.  I  have 
been  admitted  a  member  after  having  refused  several  applications, 
for  I  have  already  more  engagements  than  I  wish ;  but  this  is  a 
very  pleasant  set  of  fellows.  They  sit  pretty  late,  however,  for  I 
came  away  at  one  o'clock  and  left  the  party  seated  at  the  supper- 
table.  I  don't  exactly  understand  why  this  is  called  a  Book  Club, 
for  the  book  of  subscription  to  the  .expenses  is,  I  suspect,  the  only 
one  in  the  library.  Our  party  this  evening  consisted  of  about 
twenty ;  viz.,  Davis,  President  Duer,  Charles  King,  Wilkins,  William 
Kent,    Harvey,    Arthur   Barclay,    Isaac    Hone,    Halleck,    Ogden 


I835-]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 35 

Hoffman,  Patterson,   Blunt,   Dr.   Francis,   Baron   Behr,    Mr.    Tre- 
lawny,  author  of  the  ^'  Younger  Son,"  Beverly  Robinson,  etc. 

March    23. —  This    great  work,    which    is    to    cost 
or   an   j^-||^Qj^g  ^f  (Jollars,  was  undertaken  by  a  company  who 

Erie  Railroad.  '  j  r       j 

applied  to  the  present  Legislature  for  a  loan  of  the 
credit  of  the  State  to  the  amount  of  two  millions,  to  aid  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  their  undertaking.  This  application  occasioned  a 
warm  debate ;  promises  were  freely  made  previous  to  the  late  elec- 
tion that  the  bill  should  pass,  whereby  the  votes  of  the  middle  and 
southern  counties  were  secured  to  the  dominant  party,  but  after  a 
severe  struggle  the  question  was  decided  on  Friday  evening  by  a 
vote  of  sixty-one  to  forty-six.  The  majority  may  have  had  good 
reasons,  for  aught  I  know,  but  it  is  understood  that  the  most  pre- 
vailing one  was  that  James  G.  King  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
the  enterprise,  and  he  is  a  Whig;  liberal  he  certainly  is,  and  pub- 
lic-spirited and  enlightened,  but  he  is  a  Whig,  and  does  not  wear 
the  Jackson  collar,  and  it  was  exceedingly  simple  in  the  projectors 
of  this  great  work  to  ask  favours  of  the  present  Legislature  with  such 
an  encumbrance ;  if  the  State-House  was  on  fire  they  would  not 
allow  it  to  be  extinguished  by  a  Whig  fireman.  I  wonder  the 
statesmen  at  Albany  do  not  pass  a  law  to  deprive  all  but  Jackson 
men  of  the  privilege  of  voting  at  elections,  or  holding  real  estate, 
and  making  it  treason  for  the  butchers  and  bakers  to  sell  them 
meat  and  bread. 

March  28. —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster  arrived  in  town  last  evening 
from  Philadelphia.  He  is  going  home  to  Boston  on  Wednesday, 
and  she  will  remain  here  with  her  friends  for  a  week  or  two.  Mr. 
Webster  came  this  evening  and  drank  tea  with  us,  and  delighted  us 
for  an  hour  with  his  conversation.  He  talked  about  trout- fishing, 
Plymouth,  Cape  Cod,  and  Nantucket,  and  his  eloquence  made 
those  trifling  subjects  interesting  as  those  of  more  serious  import, 
which  it  so  ably  illustrates  and  adorns.  He  and  I  agreed  to  make 
an  excursion  together  in  the  month  of  June  next,  from  Boston  to 
New  Bedford  and  Nantucket,  in  which    I    promise    myself  great 


136  THE    DIARV    OF   rillLU'    HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

pleasure.  Mr.  Webster's  description  of  that  part  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  ;  the  primitive  manners  of  the  peoi)le  of  Nantucket ; 
the  homogeneous  nature  of  the  institutions  and  social  customs,  and 
the  isolated  pride  of  their  sea-girt  territory,  —  has  awakened  in  mc  a 
curiosity  which  will  be  gratified  in  this  proposed  excursion,  and  I 
shall  enjoy  in  perfection  the  delightful  society  of  a  man  who,  in 
his  hours  of  relaxation,  is  playful  and  agreeable  as  he  is  great  in 
the  discharge  of  his  public  duties. 

April  2.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Abraham  Ogden.  We  had  a  very 
pleasant  dinner.  Mr.  Webster  was  there,  and  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis,  and 
Meredith.  The  great  senator  has  been  more  uniformly  cheerful 
during  his  present  visit  than  I  have  ever  seen  him,  and  he  is,  when 
"  in  the  vein,"  one  of  the  best  talkers  in  the  world.  Mr.  Otis, 
when  the  tyrant  of  the  limbs  allows  him  to  dine  out,  is  always  a 
most  delightful  companion  ;  his  voice  is  perfect  music,  his  choice  of 
words  scrupulously  nice,  and  talent  gives  a  charm  to  his  narrative, 
which  makes  his  hearers  regret  that  his  longest  stories  should  ever 
come  to  an  end.  He  appears  to  me  sometimes  a  litde  pedantic 
and  too  studious  of  effect,  but  no  man  of  taste  and  feeling  can 
listen  to  him  during  the  social  hours  of  a  dinner-party  without  im- 
provement and  delight.  My  friend  Meredith  is  also  an  excellent 
diner-out,  of  a  more  joyous  temperament  than  either  of  the  above- 
named  persons.  He  laughs  louder,  and  his  flashes,  if  not  brighter, 
are  sharper.  He  is  a  fine  scholar,  a  good  dramatic  critic,  and 
Shakesperian  to  the  very  letter.  He  was  to  have  gone  with  me  to 
the  reading  club  this  evening,  but  was  not  very  well,  and  had  to 
make  preparation  for  his  departure  to-morrow  morning. 

April  8.  —  The  political  aspect  of  the  country  is  worse  than 
ever  :  "In  the  lowest  depth,  a  lower  still  is  found."  General  Jack- 
son's star  is  still  in  the  ascendant,  and  shines  brighter  than  ever ; 
the  returns  of  the  election  in  Connecticut,  which  was  held  last 
week,  prove,  as  far  as  they  have  been  received,  that  his  party  have 
succeeded  in  that  Yankee  State.  Our  charter  election  comes  on 
next  week,  and  I  presume  we  shall  be  beaten.     The  Jackson  people 


I835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 37 

have  rencminated  Mr.  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence  as  Mayor,  and  the 
Whigs  will  not  oppose  him.  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  if  we  do  not  take 
him  we  shall  have  a  worse  man ;  indeed,  I  have  been  well  pleased 
with  his  conduct  during  the  first  year  of  his  mayoralty,  and  he 
would  have  had  my  cheerful  support  but  for  the  circumstance  of 
his  having  recently  vetoed  a  resolution  of  the  Common  Council 
which  recommended  to  the  Legislature  the  passage  of  a  law  to  reg- 
ister the  votes.  This  is  a  measure  so  obviously  proper  to  secure 
the  purity  of  our  elections,  and  so  loudly  called  for,  especially  in 
this  city,  by  all  who  desire  to  preserve  the  peace  and  good  order 
which  ought  to  prevail  at  such  times,  that  nothing  but  a  blind  de- 
votion to  party  could  have  influenced  the  Mayor  in  his  opposition 
to  a  measure  so  salutary.  I  hoped  better  things  from  that  gentle- 
man. Notwithstanding  this  untoward  state  of  political  affairs,  the 
country  generally  is  in  a  prosperous  state,  and  the  city  of  New 
York  peculiarly  so.  All  descriptions  of  property  are  higher  than  I 
have  ever  known  them.  Money  is  plenty ;  business  brisk ;  the 
staple  commodity  of  the  country  (cotton)  has  enriched  all  through 
whose  hands  it  has  passed.  The  merchant,  mechanic,  and  propri- 
etor all  rejoice  in  the  result  of  the  last  year's  operations. 

April  10.  —  The  weather  being  fine  and  spring-like,  I  walked  for 
an  hour  before  dinner  with  my  wife  on  the  Battery.  Strange  as  it 
is,  I  do  not  think  that  either  of  us  had  done  such  a  thing  in  the 
last  seven  years  ;  and  what  a  beautiful  spot  it  is  !  The  grounds  are 
in  fine  order ;  the  noble  bay,  with  the  opposite  shores  of  New 
Jersey,  Staten  and  Long  Islands,  vessels  of  every  description, 
from  the  noble,  well-appointed  Liverpool  packet  to  the  little 
market  craft,  and  steamers  arriving  from  every  point,  give  life 
and  animation  to  a  prospect  unexcelled  by  any  city  view  in 
the  world.  It  would  be  worth  travelling  one  hundred  miles 
out  of  one's  way  in  a  foreign  country  to  get  a  sight  of,  and  yet 
we  citizens  of  New  York,  who  have  it  all  under  our  noses,  seldom 
enjoy  it.  Like  all  other  enjoyments,  it  loses  its  value  from  being 
too  easily  obtained. 


138  THE   DIARY    OF   PIIILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

I   have  passed  a  few   hours   delightfully  in   reading 
The  Crayon     Washinsftoii  Irviiii^'s  "  Tour  on  the  Prairies."     It  is  of 

Miscellany.  °  ^ 

the  very  best  kind  of  light  reading ;  like  the  violet  of 
the  spring,  it  exhales  a  refreshing  mental  fragrance,  which  soon 
passes  away  and  leaves  the  mind  conscious  only  that  it  was  some- 
thing very  sweet.  The  charm  of  the  book  is  the  easy,  graceful 
manner  of  describing  the  events  of  a  tour  of  great  interest,  cer- 
tainly to  such  persons  as  Ellsworth,  Irving,  and  Latrobe,  because 
such  people  seldom  undertake  expeditions  of  the  kind.  Killing 
buffaloes,  hunting  wild  horses,  sleeping  every  night  on  the  ground 
for  a  whole  month,  and  depending  from  day  to  day  for  the  means 
of  subsistence  on  the  deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  bears  which  the  rifles 
of  their  own  party  alone  can  procure,  —  all  events  of  ordinary  occur- 
rence to  the  settlers  of  the  great  West,  but  matters  of  thrilling 
interest  to  comfortable  citizens  who  read  of  them  in  their  green 
slippers,  seated  before  a  shining  grate,  the  neatly  printed  page 
illuminated  by  a  bronze  astral  lamp ;  or  to  the  sensitive  young  lady 
who,  drawing  up  her  delicate  little  feet  on  the  crimson  damask  sofa, 
shudders  at  the  hardships  v/hich  the  adventurous  tourist  has  under- 
gone, "and  loves  him  for  the  dangers  he  has  passed."  The  intro- 
duction to  this  little  bijou  affords  the  author  the  first  opportunity 
he  has  had  since  his  return  from  Europe  to  speak  of  himself,  his 
success  abroad,  the  doubts  which  filled  his  mind  as  to  the  un- 
changed affection  of  his  countrymen,  and  to  the  removal  of  those 
doubts,  and  the  overflowing  of  his  heart  by  the  kind  reception 
which  awaited  him  on  his  arrival. 

April  23.  —  Francis  B.  Cutting  and  Robert  Bayard  bought 
two  or  three  years  ago  the  country-place,  as  it  then  was,  of  the 
late  William  Bayard,  for  a  sum  between  $50,000  and  $60,000 
(a  great  price  at  that  time),  and  sold  it  at  auction  in  lots  the  day 
before  yesterday  for  $225,000.  David  S.  Jones  sold  yesterday 
at  auction,  in  lots,  the  former  country-seat  of  Mr.  Harrison,  which 
he  bought  about  two  years  since,  and  made  a  profit  of  $85,000. 
Real    estate  is  high,  beyond  all   the  calculation  of  the  most  san- 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 39 

guine  speculators.  Immense  fortunes  have  been  made  and  real- 
ized within  the  last  three  months,  and  everything  is  dear  but 
money.  There  must  come  a  change ;  and  when  it  does,  woe  to 
those  who  are  caught !  This  distribution  of  property,  however, 
by  small  lots,  will  divide  the  losses  when  the  evil  day  comes,  and 
they  will  not  be  felt  in  the  same  degree  by  any,  as  the  profits  are 
now  by  a  few. 

April  24.  —  A  great  foot-race,  which  has  occupied  the  mind  of 
the  fancy  for  several  months  past,  took  place  this  day  on  the 
Union  Race  Course,  Long  Island.  It  originated  in  a  large  bet 
between  John  C.  Stevens  and  Samuel  L.  Gouverneur,  that  the 
former  would  produce  by  a  given  time  a  man  who  should  run  ten 
miles  within  an  hour,  for  which  he  offered  a  reward  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  three  hundred  more  if  it  was  performed  by  one 
only.  This  was  the  day  fixed  for  the  exploit,  and  without  intend- 
ing it  by  any  means,  when  I  arose  this  morning  I  found  myself, 
with  Robert,  in  the  barouche,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  dust,  and  our 
faces  lacerated  by  a  north-west  wind  which  came  loaded,  not  with 
ambrosial  sweets,  but  with  a  sort  of  concentration  of  razor-blades, 
on  the  road  to  the  race-course,  jostled  by  every  description  of 
vehicle,  conveying  every  description  of  people.  The  crowd  on  the 
ground  was  as  great,  I  think,  as  at  the  famous  Eclipse  race,  and 
immense  sums  were  betted  by  men  who  find  it  difficult  to  pay  their 
honest  debts,  and  by  hopeful  boys,  who  have  to  square  the  amount 
of  their  losses  from  the  reluctant  pockets  of  fathers  who,  had  they 
been  thriftless  and  improvident  as  their  progeny,  would  have 
brought  them  up  to  qualify  them  for  holding  the  horses  which  they 
now  proudly  drive. 

At  one  o'clock  nine  men  started  for  the  prize.  They  all  came 
around  the  first  three  miles,  each  within  six  minutes,  and  the  first 
five  miles  were  performed  by  five  of  the  number  within  half  an 
hour.  They  then  began  to  give  in,  and  three  only  ran  the  whole 
ten  miles.  One  man  alone  won  the  race,  performing  the  ten  miles 
in    fifty-nine    minutes    forty-eight    seconds.     His    name  is    Henry 


140  THE   DTARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

Stannard,  a  farmer,  aged  twenty-four  years,  born  in  Killingworth, 
Conn.,  tall  and  thin,  weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty- five  pounds. 
He  appeared  to  me  exactly  of  the  size  and  form  for  such  an  under- 
taking, with  much  bone  and  muscle  and  very  little  fat.  He  was  not 
distressed  by  his  effort,  made  a  speech  to  the  populace,  who  cheered 
him  with  loud  applause,  sprang  upon  a  horse  and  rode  around  the 
course  on  which  he  had  gained  his  laurels. 

April  25.  — A  man  named  Clayton  made  an  ascen- 
Baiioonincr.  siou  a  fcw  (hiys  since  from  Cincinnati  in  a  style  of  ad- 
venture more  splendid  than  any  hitherto  attempted. 
He  gave  notice  that  he  meant  to  remain  in  the  air  as  long  as  his 
supply  of  gas  continued.  He  started  at  five  o'clock  P.M.,  went  to 
sleep  at  a  good  regular  hour  in  his  car,  travelled  four  hundred 
miles,  made  fast  his  balloon  at  two  o'clock  to  the  top  of  a  tree  on 
one  of  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  and  then  returned  leisurely  home 
to  relate  his  adventures.  We  run  faster,  sail  smarter,  dive  deeper, 
and  fly  farther  than  any  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

April  30.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Mr. 
Armour,  Dom.  Lynch,  Washington  Irving,  Robert  Ray,  Peter 
Schermerhorn,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  G.  G.  Howland,  James  G. 
King,  and  Isaac  Hone. 

The  return  of  May  brings  with  it  its  usual  accompaniment  of 
pulling  down  and  altering  houses.  The  streets  are  beginning  to  be 
filled  with  rubbish,  and  to  increase  the  troubles  of  our  locomotive 
citizens  a  new  easterly  storm  is  setting  in,  in  which  beds  and  book- 
cases, chairs,  carpets,  and  crockery,  will  be  exposed  to  damage. 

The  rise  of  lots  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  goes  on  without 
interruption  from  any  cause,  foreign  or  domestic.  Mr.  Kane  has 
sold  his  large  house,  corner  of  St.  Mark's  place  and  the  Second 
avenue,  to  Charles  Graham,  for  $35,000.  He  called  this  morning 
to  offer  it  to  me  for  the  last  time,  before  he  closed  the  sale ;  but  I 
do  not  want  it,  nor  indeed  would  I  consent  to  remove  to  any  other 
situation,  unless  I  was  compelled  to  do  so,  by  selling  my  house  in 
Broadway.     Mr.  P>oardman  offered  me,  about  two  months  since,  the 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I4I 

price  I  asked  for  my  house,  $55,000  ;  but  I  was  to  take  in  part  pay- 
ment seven  lots  of  ground  on  the  Second  avenue,  below  St.  Mark's 
place,  at  a  valuation  of  ^35,000.  This  I  declined,  for  I  could  not 
imagine  then,  nor  can  I  now,  that  they  are  worth  so  much  money. 
He  has,  however,  sold  them  since  for  $38,000,  and  the  speculators 
say  they  are  a  bargain. 

May  12. —  I  went  this  morning  to  the  Exhibition  at 
\  ^  T"^  Clinton  Hall.     There  is  a  manifest  improvement  in  the 

Academy.  '■ 

works  of  several  of  our  old  favourite  artists.  Ingham 
has  some  splendid  portraits  ;  Durand  has  several  very  good,  three  in 
particular,  of  President  Jackson,  Mr.  Adams,  and  Charles  A.  Davis, 
are  admirable.  Inman  has  several  fine  paintings,  the  best  the 
"Bride  of  Lammermoor,"  which  he  painted  for  a  Southern  gentle- 
man ;  and  Mount  has  three  pictures  which  would  do  credil  to 
Wilkie.  Weir  has,  as  usual,  some  good  pictures,  but  his  last  does 
not  please  me.  It  is  a  picture  painted  for  Mr.  Verplanck;  the 
subject  is  "The  Landing  of  Hendrick  Hudson." 

May  18. — Yesterday  was  a  pleasant  day,  the  first,  I  think,  this 
spring,  and  being  Sunday  the  streets  presented  a  gay  and  cheerful 
appearance.  The  ladies'  new  French  hats  and  the  gentlemen's 
white  pantaloons  were  exhibited  with  impunity  from  staining  shower 
or  biting  blast,  and  the  air  was  redolent  of  the  tender  grass  and 
opening  lilacs.  During  the  day  and  evening  the  fire-engines  were 
exercised  by  the  boys  with  their  accustomed  alacrity,  and  a  few 
houses  here  and  there  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  were  burned  for 
their  especial  gratification. 

May  21.  —  How  beautifully  expressive  are  the  Indian 
Indian  Names,  proper  namcs  !    Comprehensive  in  meaning,  as  they  are 

lofty  and  musical  in  sound.  I  honour  the  towns,  the 
rivers,  and  the  mountains  to  which  the  good  taste  and  patriotic 
feeling  have  left  the  names  by  which  the  sons  of  the  forest  desig- 
nated them  before  the  white  man  became  their  proprietor,  much 
more  than  I  do  the  Baths,  the  Bristols,  the  Frankforts,  and  the 
Orleans,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  exhausted  gazetteers  of 


142  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLTP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

Europe  ;  or  even  the  Homers,  the  Virgils,  the  Solons,  or  the  Man- 
lius,  albeit  they  have  been  raked  up  from  the  ashes  of  classical 
lore.  Our  lakes  and  rivers  have  been  less  despoiled  of  their  origi- 
nal Indian  designations  than  the  towns  which  they  irrigate  and 
beautify,  and  they  differ  as  much  in  name  as  they  do  in  grandeur 
from  those  of  Europe.  Wliat  can  be  more  expressive  than  "  Alle- 
ghany," clear  water  ;  "  Ohio,"  most  beautiful  of  rivers  ;  "  Connect- 
icut," long  river;  "  Winnipiseogee,"  the  smile  of  the  Great  Spirit; 
" Canandaigua,"  place  of  rest,  etc.!  Such  words  as  Ontario, 
Onondaga,  Tallahassee,  and  Michigan  are  full  of  poetry  as  of  mag- 
nificence, and  the  spirit  of  the  American  people  should  guard  them 
with  as  much  jealousy  from  the  innovations  of  European  refine- 
ment as  they  would  the  hardy  maxims  of  their  republican  insti- 
tutions from  the  insults  of  courtly  forms  of  government  or  the 
errors  of  modern  philosophy. 

May  22.  —  The  Jackson  Convention,  convened  by 
a  imore        grdcrs  from  Washington   to  nominate   Mr.  Van  Buren 

Convention.  '-' 

for  the  presidency,  assembled  at  Baltimore  on  Wednes- 
day, and  appointed  Andrew  Stevenson,  late  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and  rejected  Minister  to  England,  to  preside 
over  them.  No  other  business  was  done  on  Wednesday ;  there  are 
some  difficulties  in  the  way,  such  as  a  double  set  of  delegates  from 
Pennsylvania,  true-blue  both,  but  hating  each  other  nearly  as  much 
as  they  do  honesty  and  the  Whigs,  and  a  little  insubordination  about 
the  choice  of  Vice-President.  Mr.  Rives  and  Richard  M.  Johnson 
have  each  friends  in  the  convention,  w^ho  will  at  first  make  a  little 
show  in  support  of  their  respective  candidate,  but  will  soon  fall  into 
the  ranks  of  "passive  obedience  and  non-resistance,"  and  ratify 
unanimously  the  edict  which  has  gone  forth  from  Washington  and 
been  countersigned  at  Albany.  So  "God  help  the  people  "  !  This 
farce  is  over,  and  their  deliberations  have  terminated  as  was  pre- 
viously arranged.  On  Friday  the  convention  proceeded  to  the 
nomination  of  candidates  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States.    Martin  Van  Buren  was  unanimously 


1835J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I43 

nominated  as  President,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson  was  nominated  as 
Vice-President  by  the  following  vote  :  for  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
178  ;  for  WiUiam  C.  Rives,  87. 

May  26. — The  packet-ship  '' Napoleon"  arrived  yes- 
French  News,  terday  from  Liverpool,  bringing  news  to  the  25  th  of 
April.  The  Indemnity  Bill  passed  the  French  Chamber 
of  Deputies  on  the  i8th  by  a  larger  majority  than  was  anticipated. 
The  whole  amount  of  25,000,000  francs,  with  interest  from  the  date 
of  the  treaty,  was  agreed  to  be  paid.  The  Ministers  assented  to 
the  introduction  of  a  clause  in  the  bill  forbidding  the  payment  of 
the  money  until  after  the  French  Government  shall  have  received 
satisfactory  explanations  with  regard  to  the  President's  message  of 
Dec.  2,  1834. 

What  will  "  Old  Hickory  "  say  to  this?  Apologize?  He  cer- 
tainly will  not,  for  his  flatterers  have  told  him  and  told  the 'people, 
and  they  all  believe  it,  that  his  firmness,  his  vigour,  his  dare-deviltry 
have  extorted  from  the  fears  of  the  French  that  which  we  should 
never  have  gained  from  their  justice,  but  /a  grande  nation  will  be 
satisfied  with  a  few  unmeaning  words  :  "Our  old  allies,"  "Our  faith- 
ful friends,"  "The  compatriots  of  our  Lafayette;"  they  cannot 
suppose,  not  they,  that  any  affront  was  intended,  etc.,  etc.,  and  so 
the  matter  will  be  settled  :  the  louis  will  jingle  in  our  pockets,  Jack- 
son will  get  all  the  credit  for  the  success  of  a  negotiation  which  his 
arrogance  had  well-nigh  defeated,  the  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  on  our 
shores  will  be  responded  on  those  of  France  by  "Vive  Louis  Phi- 
lippe !  "  saltpetre  will  be  used  only  for  the  peaceful  purpose  of  curing 
hams,  and  the  star-spangled  banner  will  wave  as  heretofore  over 
cargoes  of  cotton  and  potashes,  or  serve  to  give  an  impulse  to 
the  Fourth-of-July  celebrations  of  General  Morton's  division  of 
artillery. 

May  27.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  a  grand  supper  at  Washington 
Hall,  given  by  the  members  of  the  Book  Club  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wain- 
wright,  who  is  considered  the  founder  of  the  club.  The  party  was 
larger  than  usual,  and  comprised   several  of  the  elite  of  the   city. 


144  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  55. 

There  were  President  Ducr,  Dr.  Wainwriglit,  Dr.  Jarvis,  Henry 
Brevoort,  Colonel  White,  of  Florida,  General  Scott,  Joseph  Blunt, 
Charles  King,  Ogden  Hoffman,  John  Duer,  Jacob  Harvey,  Arthur 
Barclay,  James  J.  Jones,  Dr.  Francis,  Beverly  Robinson,  Charles  A. 
Davis,  Dr.  A.  E.  Hosack,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  P.  Hone,  Washington 
Irving,  ]\L  C.  Patterson,  and  two  or  three  more  whom  I  do  not 
recollect. 

June  i.  —  All  the  world  (our  world)  is  going  to  Europe.  The 
packet-ship  "  Europe  "  sailed  this  morning  for  Liverpool  with 
thirty- five  passengers;  among  the  number  were  Professor  Ticknor 
and  family,  of  Boston,  and  Lord  Powerscourt,  who  has  been  travel- 
ling in  the  United  States.  His  friend  and  companion,  Mr.  Parnell, 
remains  behind,  having  been  married  yesterday  in  Grace  Church  to 
Miss  Delia  Stewart,  daughter  of  Commodore  Stewart.  He  will  follow 
in  a  short  time,  and  take  his  Yankee  bride  with  him  to  Ireland. 

JUxXEiy.  —  The  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  is  completed 
except  a  viaduct,  and  the  passengers  by  the  New  York  steamboats 
were  carried  over  for  the  first  time  one  day  last  week.  The  time 
was  two  hours  and  a  half,  and  the  Lexington  steamboat  goes  from 
New  York  to  Providence  in  twelve  hours,  so  that  leaving  this  city 
at  six  in  the  morning  travellers  can  unstrap  their  trunks  at  their 
lodgings  in  Boston  by  daylight  on  a  summer's  day. 

June  23.  —  The  U.S.  frigate  "Constitution"  ar- 
oid  Ironsides,  rivcd  ycstcrday  afternoon,  having  on  board  Mr. 
Livingston,  our  late  Minister  to  France,  and  his 
family.  Mr.  Livingston  comes  back  in  a  bad  humour,  and  it  is 
much  to  be  feared  that  he  may  infuse  some  of  it  into  the  mind  of 
the  obstinate  and  weak  old  man  at  the  head  of  our  government, 
and  so  prevent  an  amicable  arrangement  of  the  difficulty  with 
France,  —  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  dreaded,  if  it  should  lead 
to  war.  The  only  hope  is  that  Mr.  Van  Buren's  influence  will  be 
stronger  in  that  quarter  than  that  of  the  Minister,  and  that  his 
chance  of  a  succession  to  the  presidency  may  be  promoted  by 
keeping  the  peace. 


1835]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 45 

We  saw  the  noble  ship  "  Constitution  "  plainly  from  Rockaway 
yesterday  afternoon,  under  a  full  spread  of  canvas,  on  her  way  up 
to  the  city.  She  sailed  from  Havre  on  the  5  th,  and  from  Plymouth 
England,  on  the  i6th  ult.  I  do  not  think  much  of  her  commander, 
have  little  respect  for  the  effigy  on  her  bow  or  the  manner  of  its 
being  placed  there,  and  am  not  exceedingly  proud  of  the  country's 
representative  which  she  now  bears  in  her  bosom ;  but  I  love  her 
for  her  name,  and  honour  her  for  the  share  she  has  had  in  the  pres- 
ervation of  her  country's  glory.     She  is  still  "  Old  Ironsides." 

Wednesday,  July  i  .  —  On  Saturday  evening  last,  during  a 
severe  gale  in  Baltimore,  Mr.  Marshall,  son  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
having  taken  shelter  in  a  building  partially  destroyed  by  fire,  was 
killed  by  the  falling  of  a  chimney.  He  had  just  arrived  from 
Philadelphia,  where  he  had  been  to  visit  his  venerable  father. 
There  is  great  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  shock  of  this  calamity, 
added  to  his  bad  state  of  health,  will  prove  too  much  for  this  most 
excellent  of  men.  I  know  of  no  greater  misfortune  which  our 
country  could  sustain  at  this  time  than  the  death  of  Chief  Justice 
Marshall.  He  is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  Constitution;  pure, 
enlightened,  and  patriotic ;  the  loss  of  such  a  man  would  be  a 
national  calamity  at  any  time,  but  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  think  of 
his  place  being  filled  by  a  man  who  is  willing  to  sacrifice  everything 
we  hold  sacred  to  the  gratification  of  his  personal  feelings  and  the 
aggrandizement  of  his  party. 

July  4.  —  I  dined  with  the  honourable  the  Corporation.  These 
dinners  are  never  very  refined  nor  very  intellectual,  but  this  was  even 
less  so  than  usual.  The  constituents  of  the  members,  who,  like 
some  of  themselves,  are  rather  queer  sort  of  folk,  must  be  invited, 
and  as  the  dinner  and  diners  are  abundant,  they  feed  enor- 
mously, and,  in  utter  disregard  of  the  good  temperance  rules  so 
much  in  fashion,  lay  in  large  stores  of  present  hilarity  and  future 
headache,  and,  as  in  duty  bound,  they  pay  for  their  share  of  the 
municipal  banquet  by  lauding  their  liberal  entertainers,  and  shout- 
ing, at  the  top  of  their  excited  voices,  "  Huzza  !  "  to  all  their  party 


146  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^^tat.  55. 

sentiments,  no  matter  how  violent  or  unreasonable.  The  Presi- 
dent's health  was  received  with  all  the  fire  and  vivacity  which 
brandy  or  champagne  can  inspire,  but  the  great  burst  of  feeling 
was  reser\^ed  for  New  York's  favourite  son,  "  the  Vice-President." 
The 'Uhree  times  three"  which  succeeded  the  announcement  of 
this  toast  made  the  very  cupola  on  the  top  of  the  hall  tremble 
over  our  heads ;  the  deep-toned  bell  which  is  suspended  under  the 
queer-looking  canopy,  Hke  a  toad  under  some  enormous  mush- 
room, to  utter  the  sounds  of  fearful  vibrations,  and  the  four-and- 
twenty  pounders  of  "  Old  Ironsides,"  which  were  at  the  same 
moment  keeping  4th  of  July  on  the  North  river,  could  scarcely  be 
heard  in  the  patriotic  din  which  spontaneously  burst  forth  to  waft 
the  glorious  sentiment  to  the  responsive  heavens.  There,  I  am 
sure  the  "  Times  "  cannot  make  more  of  the  toast  than  I  have 
done.  I  sat  at  the  table  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Mayor,  between 
Commodore  F^lliot  and  Governour  Troup.  A  chair  was  left  in  the 
place  of  honour  on  the  immediate  right  of  the  Mayor  for  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston, who  was  so  ill  that  he  could  not  attend  the  dinner ;  but  the 
place  was  pertinaciously  kept  by  the  Commodore,  who  is  a  great 
glorifier  of  President  Jackson  and  all  that  appertains  to  him,  and 
when  the  cloth  was  removed  and  the  champagne,  like  a  poker,  had 
begun  to  stir  up  the  latent  flame  of  patriotism  in  the  bosoms  of  the 
faithful,  the  name  of  the  Minister  was  announced,  and  he  was  led 
up  with  all  due  formality  to  the  vacant  chair.  This  was  the  signal 
for  three  glorification  cheers,  which  he  would  not  have  gotten  in  a 
regular  way.  His  health  was  given  ;  he  made  a  speech  ;  all  his  actions, 
past,  present,  to  come,  were  fully  approved,  and  '^  No  explanation," 
"  No  apology,"  resounded  through  the  room,  and  divided  the 
echoes  of  the  spacious  dome  with  the  equally  inspiring  shouts  of 
"  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  and  success  to  the  nominee  of  the  Balti- 
more Convention.  This  may  all  have  been  accidental,  but  it 
appeared  to  me  exceedingly  like  management.  It  was  passing 
strange  that  a  person  should  be  too  ill  to  go  out  to  dinner  at  five 
o'clock,  but  able  to  calculate  his  recovery  with  so  much  nicety  that 


I8.35-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 47 

a  chair  should  be  kept  for  him  to  occupy  at  seven.  I  crossed  the 
path  of  the  glorification  toasts  with  the  following  sentiment,  out  of 
place,  to  be  sure,  but  they  dared  not  express  any  disapprobation, — 
"  John  Marshall :  may  his  valuable  life  be  spared  to  his  country, 
while  his  mental  and  physical  faculties  remain,  to  elucidate  and  to 
defend  the  Constitution." 

Death  of  J^^^  ^'  —  ^^^  calamity  which  has  for   some  time 

Chief  Justice  past  threatened  our  country  has  happened  at  last,  and 
Mars  all.  gycry  man  who  admires  talents  and  venerates  virtue 
mourns  over  the  loss  we  have  sustained.  John  Marshall,  the  wise, 
the  virtuous,  the  patriotic,  died  on  the  afternoon  of  Monday  the 
6th  inst.,  at  six  o'clock,  in  Philadelphia,  in  which  city  he  has  been 
for  some  time,  to  avail  himself  of  the  best  medical  advice.  Take 
the  Chief  Justice  for  all  in  all,  he  combined  in  his  character  more 
good  and  great  quaUties  than  any  other  man  in  the  United  States 
during  his  or  any  other  time,  with  the  exception  of  his  friend  and 
associate,  Washington ;  and  his  death  at  this  time  is  a  greater 
national  calamity  than  Washington's  was  when  it  occurred,  for 
reasons  which  I  have  stated  at  a  former  page  of  this  journal,  in 
noticing  the  melancholy  death  of  his  son  at  Baltimore.  Would  it 
had  pleased  Divine  Providence  to  delay  the  stroke  for  a  few  years  ! 
Less  danger  would  be  apprehended  if  the  successor  of  General 
Jackson  had  had  the  filling  of  this  most  important  office,  even  if 
that  successor  were  (as  it  most  probably  will  be)  Mr.  Van  Buren. 
He  will  be  governed  less  by  personal  predilections,  and  if  he  has 
no  more  virtue  than  the  present  incumbent,  he  has  more  policy  and 
less  reliance  upon  his  own  infallibility.  At  any  rate,  I  would  rather 
trust  him. 

In  1797  Marshall  was  appointed  by  President  Adams,  with 
General  Pinckney  and  Elbridge  Gerry,  to  negotiate  with  the  French 
Directory.  They  were  not  received  by  the  French,  and  it  was  in 
this  embassy  that  the  famous  X.  Y.  Z.  correspondence  was  instituted, 
in  which  the  envoys  were  invited  to  bribe  the  Directory  as  the 
means  of  obtaining  justice  for  this  country.     It  was  this  infamous 


^ 


8  THE   DIAKY    OF   TIIILIP   HONE.  [^1^131.35 


proposal  which  gave  rise  to  the  celebrated  expression  so  frequently 
quoted,  "  Millions  for  defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute."  In  1 799 
he  was  elected  and  took  his  seat  in  Congress.  Here  his  talents 
became  immediately  so  conspicuous  that  in  1800  he  was  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  War,  and  on  the  31st  of  January,  1801, 
he  became  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  wliich  distinguished  position  he  continued  to  fill  with 
unsullied  dignity  and  preeminent  ability  until  the  close  of  his 
mortal  career.  All  newspapers  are,  as  they  ought  to  be,  clad  in 
mourning. 

July  10.  —  Charles  King  gave  me,  on  board  the  steamboat,  yes- 
terday morning  the  "  Evening  Post  "  to  read  an  infamous  editorial 
notice  of  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  They  say  he  was  a 
man  of  considerable  talci:ts  !  but  an  enemy  to  Democratic  princi- 
ples, and  used  his  influence  in  the  court  over  which  he  presided  to 
subvert  them,  and  on  the  whole  his  removal  is  a  cause  of  rejoicing. 
This  is  absolutely  a  species  of  impiety  for  which  I  want  words  to 
express  my  abhorrence.  It  is  of  a  piece  with  Duane's  celebrated 
article  published  in  the  "Aurora"  on  the  death  of  Washington, 
beginning  with  the  scriptural  quotation,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salva- 
tion ;  "  and  the  painful  recollection  of  these  two  great  national 
bereavements  will  ever  be  accompanied  in  the  minds  of  all  good 
Americans  by  their  detestation  of  the  sentiments  of  the  two  com- 
peers in  infamy,  who  have  thus  acquired  a  most  unenviable  notori- 
ety. The  "  Times,"  another  of  our  Jackson  papers,  on  the  other 
hand,  has  noticed  the  Chief  Justice's  death  in  the  most  feeling  man- 
ner, and  consecrated  his  memory  by  eulogiums  which  none  but  a 
fool  would  deny,  or  a  knave  withhold. 

July  18. — The  papers  contain  a  report  that  the  President  has 
appointed  Roger  B.  Taney  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  in 
the  place  of  the  lamented  John  Marshall.  Mr.  Taney  is  a  lawyer 
of  high  reputation,  and  except  in  his  slavish  devotion  to  General 
Jackson  and  his   party,  which  led  him   during  his  short  career  as 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I49 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  perform  an  act  of  subserviency  which 
must  "  damn  him  to  everlasting  fame,"  he  was  ahvays  esteemed 
a  respectable  man.  The  act  alluded  to,  the  acceptance  of  office 
solely  to  do  the  President's  dirty  work  of  removing  the  deposits, 
was  sufficient  to  entitle  him  to  this  or  any  other  office  in  his  gift ; 
and  as  none  but  a  person  possessing  that  sort  of  qualification  would 
be  appointed,  it  is  fortunate,  on  the  whole,  that  the  ermine  has  not 
fallen  upon  less  worthy  shoulders.  If  this  appointment  has  been 
made,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren  should  be  elected  President  (of  which  I 
think  there  is  very  little  doubt),  the  remarkable  fact  will  be  dis- 
closed of  the  two  most  exalted  offices  in  the  country  being  held  by 
individuals  whose  nominations  for  other  offices  of  greatly  inferior 
importance  have  been  rejected  by  the  Senate. 

Buffalo,  Tuesday,  July  21.  —  We  arrived  here  in  the  canal-boat 
at  three  o'clock  this  afternoon.  The  boat  was  not  crowded,  the 
weather  was  cool  and  pleasant,  the  accommodations  good,  the  cap- 
tain polite,  our  fellow-passengers  well-behaved,  and  altogether  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  ever  had  so  pleasant  a  nWe  on  the  canal. 
My  hammock,  to  be  sure,  was  rather  narrow  and  not  very  soft,  and 
my  neighbour  overhead  packed  close  upon  my  stomach  ;  but  I  slept 
sound  as  a  ploughman,  and  did  not  wake  until  tapped  on  the  shoul- 
ders by  the  boy,  and  told  to  "  clear  out." 

July  29.  —  At   the   moment   of  my  arrival  I  found 
.  ara  oga  ^-^^  ladics  drcsscd  for  a   ball  at    Conpjress    Hall  and 

Springs.  '^ 

just  entering  the  room.  At  the  solicitations  of  some  of 
my  fair  friends,  whose  solicitations  are  a  matter  not  to  be  dis- 
regarded, I  went  down  to  look  at  the  gay  assemblage.  There  is  a 
large  company  at  Congress  Hall,  but  not  many  New  Yorkers.  The 
Patroon  and  old  Mrs.  Philip  Van  Rensselaer,  Mrs.  Wilkins,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Phelps,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
W.  Otis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Post,  lately  married  (she  was  Miss  Church)  ; 
Mrs.  Otis's  sister,  another  newly  married  couple ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rupert  Cochran,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DePau,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washington 
Coster,    Giraud,    McLean,    Buckland,    McLeod,    Laight,     Pringle, 


150  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

Edward   Heckscher,  Governor  Wolf,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  many 
others,  as  Lord  Duberly  says,  "  too  tedious  to  enumerate." 

August  2.  —  A  terrible  system  prevails  in  some  of 
Lynch's  Law.  the  Southem  and  Western  States  of  late,  which  con- 
sists in  the  people  taking  the  law  in  their  own  hands 
and  inflicting  summary  punishment  upon  persons  who  have  made 
themselves  obnoxious  to  their  high  mightinesses,  beating,  tarring  and 
feathering,  and  in  some  cases  hanging  the  unhappy  object  of  their 
vengeance,  and  this  is  generally  called  "  Lynch's  law."  At  Vicks- 
burg,  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  from  the  6th  to  the  loth  of  July, 
scenes  were  enacted  which  are  calculated  to  make  humanity 
shudder,  and  to  bring  disgrace  upon  the  country.  The  same 
inflammable  spirit  in  our  part  of  the  country  has  caused  excitement 
and  tumult  in  a  less  dangerous  degree.  Finding  more  combustible 
matter  in  the  South  and  West,  it  has  kindled  a  flame  which  may  in 
time  endanger  the  safety  of  our  institutions  throughout  the  Union. 
There  is  an  awful  tendency  toward  insubordination  and  contempt 
of  the  laws,  and  there  is  reason  to  apprehend  that  good  order  and 
morality  will  ere  long  be  overcome  by  intemperance  and  violence, 
and  "  Lynch's  law  "  be  made  a  substitute  for  written  law  and  the 
regular  administration  of  public  justice.  God  forbid  that  the  fair 
inheritance  of  our  flithers  should  be  laid  prostrate  by  the  lawless 
hands  of  their  degenerate  sons,  in  this  early  stage  of  its  existence  ! 
As  for  me,  I  have  no  desire  to  be  ruled  by  the  maxim  of  govern- 
ment so  fashionable  in  the  extreme  south  and  west  part  of  our 
country,  and  I  say,  give  us  no  more  Tennessee  presidents. 

August  3.  —  The  prices  of  property  in  and  about 
Real  Estate,  this  city  and  Brooklyn  keep  up  astonishingly ;  un- 
improved lots  on  this  island  are  higher  than  ever- 
Several  great  sales  have  been  made  at  auction  during  my  absence, 
but  I  think  the  greatest  is  the  property  of  the  late  Mrs.  Ann 
Rogers,  which  goes  principally,  I  believe,  to  her  grandchildren,  the 
children  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Heyward.  It  consisted  of  her 
proportion    of  the   Rose    Hill    estate    left   by    her    first    husband, 


1835]  THE   DIARY  OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I5I 

Nicholas  Crnger,  and  the  country-seat  at  Bloomingdale,  about  six 
miles  from  the  city,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river.  The 
amount  of  the  sales  of  these  two  pieces  of  property  was  ^688,310. 
Fifteen  years  ago  they  would  not  have  brought  $40,000.  The 
money  goes  into  good  hands. 

August  4.  —  Charles  Matthews,  the  comedian,  died 
MTtthews  "-^  England,  on  the  29th  of  June,  of  an  ossification  of 
the  heart.  His  health  was  bad  during  his  last  visit  to 
the  United  States,  and  he  had  a  dangerous  fit  of  illness  while  in 
Boston.  He  dined  with  me  once  during  that  visit,  was  very  agree- 
able, but  not  the  man  he  was  when  ht-re  before.  Even  while 
amusing  the  public  by  his  ludicrous  performances  on  the  stage,  he 
was  moody,  fretful,  and  dissatisfied,  and  left  the  country  for  the  last 
time  in  a  very  bad  humour.  Few  men  of  the  present  age  have 
contributed  so  much  to  the  amusement  of  others,  but  in  his  best 
days  he  was  subject  to  fits  of  discontent  and  lowness  of  spirits, 
and  I  have  seen  him  at  my  own  table  deligliting  and  surprising  the 
company  with  stories,  songs,  and  imitations,  himself  the  only  person 
whose  heart  was  not  light  and  joyous  by  the  merriment  he  caused. 
The  following  diotinguished  gentlemen  have  been 
MiTshaU  ^^^  appointed  and  have  consented  to  pronounce  eulogiums 
upon  the  character  and  services  of  the  late  illustrious 
Chief  Justice  :  Judge  Story,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States ;  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts ;  James  Kent,  of  New 
York ;  Horace  Binney,  of  Philadelphia ;  and  Walter  Jones,  of 
Washington, 

R0CK.A.WAV,  Thursday,  Aug.  6. — We  left  home  this  afternoon 
in  the  Rockaway  omnibus,  with  Miss  Lydia  Kane.  Mr.  Nicholson 
drove  Miss  Helen  Kane. 

The  house  is  not  so  full  as  it  ought  to  be,  but  the  company  is 
exceedingly  agreeable.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Bayard ;  Mrs.  Carroll ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  (Mrs.  Carroll's  other  daughter)  ;  two 
beautiful  Misses  Willing,  daughters  of  Richard  Willing,  of  Phila- 
delphia ;  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McAuley,  of  Baltimore ;  Mrs.-  Davis ;  Miss 
E.  Callender ;  and  an  excellent  lot  of  beaux. 


152  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^:tat.  55. 

August  7.  — The  weather  is  dehghtful  this  morning,  and  we  have 
had  a  day  of  amusement  and  pleasure.  It  was  the  birthday  of  Miss 
EUzabeth  Vv'ilhng,  one  of  the  handsomest  and  lovehest  girls  I  ever 
saw.  Count  Streliski,  who  is  chief  manager  and  the  best  beau  at 
the  Pavilion,  issued  a  programme  of  the  amusements,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  trotting  matcli,  a  champagne  dinner,  birthday  ode,  ball, 
and  supper.  The  trotting  match  took  place  at  ten  o'clock,  on  the 
beach,  and  the  company  from  all  the  houses  assembled  to  witness 
it.  Three  one-mile  heats  were  trotted.  The  race  was  won  by 
Robert  Goelet,  who  was  regularly  invested  by  the  queen  of  the  day 
on  the  ground  with  the  prize,  which  was  a  beautiful  embroidered 
scarf.  This  part  of  the  day's  sport  went  off  well  and  afforded  much 
pleasure.  At  the  dinner,  toasts  and  speeches  in  honour  of  the  occa- 
sion went  their  jocund  round.  The  ball  in  the  evening  was 
unusually  splendid,  for  there  never  were  a  dozen  handsomer  girls 
assembled  in  one  cotillion.  A  part  of  the  arrangement  consisted 
in  my  promising  a  birthday  ode,  which  was  set  to  music  by  Kendal 
and  sung  with  great  effect  by  the  Count.  It  was  well  received,  for 
the  good-humour  which  prevailed  rendered  the  company  indulgent 
critics.  Amongst  the  other  delights  of  the  day  I  had  a  most  luxu- 
rious bath  at  noon.  Why  do  people  go  to  Saratoga  to  mix  in  a 
crowd  of  queer  strangers,  dragging  out  a  tiresome  day  of  artificial 
enjoyment,  when  they  might  come  here  an  1  enjoy  pure  air,  invigo- 
rating bathing,  and  refined  society?  Chacun  a  son  gout.  I  prefer 
this. 

New  York,  Aug.  i  i  .  —  My  beautiful  namesake,  the  brig  "  Philip 
Hone,"  arrived  on  Sunday,  from  the  Pacific  ocean,  to  Rowland 
and  Aspinwall. 

My  poor  country,   what   is  to   be  the  issue  of  the 
Riots  in  violence  of  the  people  and  the  disregard  of  law  which 

Baltimore.  ^        ^  ° 

prevails  in  all  parts  of  it  ?  On  Friday  night  a  mob  col- 
lected in  Baltimore,  instigated  by  inflammatory  handbills,  to  take 
vengeance  upon  several  persons  who  had  been  directors  of  the  Bank 
of  Maryland, — an  institution  which  stopped  payment  something 


iS35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 53 

more  than  a  year  ago,  and  by  which  many  persons  had  lost  money. 
They  attacked  and  broke  the  windows  of  the  house  occupied  by 
Mr.  Reverdy  Johnson,  which  was  built  by  James  A.  Buchanan,  next 
door  to  Mrs.  William  Gilmor,  near  to  Barnum's  Hotel,  and  within  a 
short  distance  of  Meredith's  house.  The  Mayor  interfered,  and  the 
mob  was  addressed  by  several  gentlemen,  and  dispersed  without 
doing  a  great,  deal  of  damage,  but  only  to  renew  the  attack  with 
increased  numbers  and  greater  ferocity.  The  same  scenes  were 
repeated  on  Saturday  night  and  on  Sunday,  when  the  house  was 
pulled  down,  as  well  as  that  of  Mr.  Glenn,  another  of  the  bank 
directors,  who  lived  in  North  Charles  street.  All  the  furniture  of 
both  these  houses  was  thrown  into  the  street,  burned,  and  destroyed. 
The  troops  fired  upon  the  mob,  several  were  killed,  and  a  large 
number  wounded. 

The  accounts  published  in  the  papers  of  this  afternoon  are  up  to 
yesterday  morning,  at  which  time  the  work  of  destruction  was  still 
going  on.  The  scene  is  represented  as  horrible  in  the  extreme,  but 
the  accounts  are  vague  and  contradictory.  About  twenty  persons 
were  killed  and  one  hundred  wounded.  The  house  of  the  Mayor, 
who  had  done  his  duty  well,  was  destroyed  ;  the  troops  had  refused 
to  act  any  further,  and  the  mob  appears  to  have  completely  got  the 
ascendency.  This  is  Lynch's  law,  or  Club  law,  or  Beelzebub's  law, 
or  Jackson's  law.  It  is  the  state  of  things  which  the  editor  of  the 
"  Evening  Post  "  must  have  anticipated  and  wished  for  when  he 
congratulated  his  fellow-ruffians  that  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  law 
and  the  Constitution  was  lost ;  that  the  wise  and  the  virtuous 
Marshall  no  longer  lived  to  control  the  bad  passions  of  the  people. 
Where  will  it  end? 

RocKAWAY,  Wednesday,  Aug.  12.  —  My  feelings  are 
Dreadful  Fire,  excitcd  and  my  heart  is  sick  at  the  scenes  I  witnessed 
this  morning ;  but  I  am  glad  I  happened  to  be  in 
town,  for  it  was  better  to  see  the  work  of  destruction  than  to  hear 
it  described.  At  two  o'clock  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  large  new 
brick  building  No,   115   Fulton  street,  occupied   by  a  number  of 


154  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

bookbinders,  etc.  I  saw  the  fire  from  my  bed,  and  knew,  from  the 
direction  and  the  reflection  of  the  hght  on  the  steeple  of  the  North 
Church  near,  about  where  it  was.  I  did  not  arise  for  some  time, 
until  I  concluded,  from  the  progress  of  the  flames,  that  Clinton  Hall 
might  be  in  danger.  I  then  went  out  and  witnessed  the  awful 
scene  until  seven  o'clock.  It  has  been  the  most  destructive  fire 
which  has  ever  occurred  in  New  York,  with  the  exception,  perhaps, 
of  the  great  fire,  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  at  the  Cofi'ee  House 
Slip ;  because  in  this  case  most  of  the  buildings  were  new,  five 
and  six  stories  high,  and  of  brick.  This  part  of  the  city  w^as 
the  Paternoster  Row  of  New  York,  in  which  two  or  three  thou- 
sand persons  were  employed  daily  in  the  various  departments 
of  book  making,  binding,  publishing,  etc.  Fifteen  or  twenty 
newspapers  and  other  periodicals  were  published  within  its  pre- 
cincts, and  the  stock  of  books,  most  of  which  was  destroyed,  was 
immense. 

The  building  in  which  the  fire  originated,  with  six  others,  occu- 
pying the  whole  ground  on  that  side  of  Fulton  street,  including 
Bliss  &  Wadsworth's  splendid  book  and  stationery  store  and  Abra- 
ham Bell  &  Co.'s  counting-house,  from  the  Dutch  church  minister's 
house  to  the  North  Church,  were  entirely  destroyed,  and  nearly  all 
the  houses  on  the  opposite  side  of  Fulton  street.  The  flames 
passed  through  the  block  to  Ann  street,  and  swept  away  all  the  new 
lofty  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  street,  including  Holbrook's 
store.  Fuller's  gymnasium,  six  stories  high,  and  the  Catholic  church, 
which  was  the  extent  of  the  devastation  in  that  direction.  From 
Ann  street  it  communicated  to  Nassau  street,  where  ten  or  twelve 
buildings  on  the  east  side  were  destroyed  ;  two  of  these,  Nos.  no 
and  112,  were  large  new  warehouses  filled  with  books  and  paper, 
all  of  which  was  lost.  The  houses  on  Nassau  street  were  the  last 
destroyed,  and  at  this  period  the  immense  establishment  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  Clinton  Hall,  and  my  property,  Clinton 
Hotel,  were  in  considerable  danger  ;  but  happily  the  progress  of  the 
flames  was  arrested  and  all  tliis  valuable  property  escaped  uninjured. 


I835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 55 

Five  persons  are  known  to  have  lost  their  lives :  Mr.  Blanchard,  a 
respectable  bookbinder,  and  two  printers  in  the  building  where 
the  fire  originated.  The  former  jumped  out  of  a  window  in  the 
fourth  story  and  died  in  ten  minutes ;  the  others  were  burned, 
and  two  more  were  killed  by  falling  walls.  I  witnessed  the  con- 
flagration from  the  upper  story  of  Clinton  Hall,  and  it  was  astonishing 
to  see  the  rapidity  with  which  it  progressed. 

August  13.  —  Great  excitement  prevails  in  all  parts  of 
tionists"  ^"  ^^^  country  on  the  subject  of  the  attempts  made  by  the 
friends  of  immediate  emancipation  to  excite  the  slaves 
of  the  South  to  resist  the  authority  of  their  masters ;  at  least,  such 
is  the  alleged  tendency  of  the  indiscreet  measures  of  those  fanatical 
persons  who  have  engaged  in  that  cause.  Inflammatory  publica- 
tions have  been  circulated  in  the  slaveholding  States  by  means  of 
the  mails,  and  the  people  of  those  States  have  resorted  to  violent 
measures  to  counteract  their  eff"ects  ;  among  others,  application  was 
made  to  the  Postmaster-General  to  prevent  their  distribution. 
The  reply  of  that  important  functionary  (the  notorious  Amos 
Kendal)  contains  the  following  sentiment,  which  embodies  all  the 
essence  of  the  abominable  doctrines  on  whicli  the  Vicksburgh  and 
Baltimore  riots  were  founded ;  viz.,  that  the  people  are  to  be  gov- 
erned by  the  law  just  so  long  as  it  suits  them,  and  constitutes  them 
the  judges  of  the  time  when  they  may  release  themselves  from  the 
obligation  of  obedience,  and  the  manner  of  substituting  "  Lynch's 
law  "  for  the  written  law  of  the  land.  The  letter  is  addressed  to 
the  Postmaster  of  Charleston,  S.C.  "We  owe  an  obligation  to 
the  laws,  but  a  higher  one  to  the  community  in  which  we  live,  and 
if  the  former  be  perverted  to  destroy  the  latter,  it  is  patriotism  to 
disregard  them."  Every  petty  postmaster  in  the  country  is  thus 
made  the  judge  of  the  cases  which  justify  his  interposition,  and  he 
may  stop  the  circulation  of  pamphlets,  newspapers,  and  letters  too, 
for  aught  I  can  see  to  the  contrary.  These  postmasters  are  to  a 
man  the  subservient  tools  of  Jackson,  Kendal,  &  Co.,  and  may 
consider  it  "  patriotism  to  disregard  the  laws  "  by  preventing  the 


156  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat  55. 

circulation  of  all  publications  opposed  to  the  reigning  dynasty  and 
the  legitimate  succession. 

The  abolitionists,  Arthur  Tappan  and  his  fanatical  coadjutors,  are 
certainly  engaged  in  a  most  mischievous  undertaking,  which  may 
bring  destruction  upon  their  own  heads  and  civil  war  into  the 
bosom  of  our  hitherto  happy  country ;  but  the  remedy  is  worse  than 
the  disease.  If  they  are  punished,  if  their  dangerous  career  is 
arrested,  it  must  be  done  according  to  law.  I  do  not  choose  to  sur- 
render the  power  of  executing  justice  into  the  hands  of  the  slave- 
owners of  South  Carolina. 

August  14.  —  That  affair    is  over.     The  mob  have 
Mob'"°'^^        dispersed  after  pulling  down  five  or    six  fine  houses, 

burning  the  furniture,  and  drinking  the  old  wine.  The 
number  of  persons  killed  was  exaggerated  in  the  first  accounts.  It 
does  not  exceed  seven.  This  was  one  of  Amos  Kendal's  cases,  in 
which  the  people  determined  that  the  "  laws  were  perverted,  and  it 
was  patriotism  to  disregard  them." 

August  19.  —  The  "  Constitution  "  sailed  this  morning 

on  a  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  with  Jackson's  head 

Ironsides.  '  '' 

disgracing  her  bow,  and  Commodore  Elliot  her  quar- 
ter-deck. The  vile  sycophancy  which  caused  the  former  to  be 
placed  where  it  is,  obtained  for  the  latter  a  distinction  which  would 
not  have  been  awarded  to  him  by  any  brother  officer  in  the  navy. 

A  meeting  has  been  called  in  Boston  for  2 1  st  instant, 
^"^|.^''"'''^""  signed  by  fifteen  hundred  persons,  at  the  head  of  whom 
is  Harrison  G.  Otis,  to  express  their  disapprobation  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  fanatics  who  are  seeking  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
discord  among  our  fellow- citizens  of  the  South,  and  to  excite  the 
slaves  to  revolt  against  their  masters.  This  may  be  good.  It  will 
serve  to  convince  the  slave-owners  that  the  number  of  those  who 
seek  to  do  them  harm  is  too  inconsiderable  to  give  them  uneasi- 
ness. I  should  approve  of  such  a  meeting  in  New  York,  if  it  could 
be  conducted  without  violence  and  party-spirit. 

At  Home,  Wednesday,  Aug.  26.  —  The  abolition  question  con- 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 57 

tinues  to  agitate  the  public  mind,  and  acquires  hourly  a  most  alarm- 
ng  interest.  A  great  meeting  is  to  be  held  to-morrow  afternoon,  in 
the  Park,  of  those  opposed  to  the  incendiary  proceedings  of  the 
abolitionists.  The  call  is  signed  by  several  hundred  persons,  of  dif- 
ferent poHtical  parties,  headed  by  the  Mayor.  One  object  of  my 
coming  to  town  is  to  attend  this  meeting,  for  I  am  desirous  that 
persons  of  character  should  be  present  in  the  greatest  possible 
numbers,  with  the  twofold  object  of  convincing  the  people  of  the 
South  that  the  incendiaries  constitute  an  inconsiderable  proportion 
of  our  citizens,  and  to  prevent  any  violence  which  might  possibly 
be  attempted  by  turbulent  persons  ever  on  the  lookout  for  a  row, 
for  it  is  certain  that  in  the  present  state  of  feeling  the  least  spark 
would  create  a  flame  in  which  the  lives  and  property  of  Arthur 
Tappan  and  his  associates  would  be  endangered. 

August  27.  —  The  public  meeting  of  citizens  opposed  to  the 
abolition  society,  and  the  interference  of  individuals  between  the 
masters  and  the  slaves  in  the  Southern  States,  was  held  this  after- 
noon, at  four  o'clock,  in  the  Park.  The  following  were  the  officers, 
and  if  wisdom  is  found  in  a  multitude  of  counsellors  this  must  have 
been  an  eminently  wise  assemblage  :  President,  His  Honor  the 
Mayor.  Vice-Presidents,  Thomas  L.  Oakley,  William  T.  McCoun, 
David  B.  Ogden,  Henry  Parish,  Peter  Crary,  Walter  Bowne,  John 
L.  Morgan,  Luman  Reed,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  Campbell  P.  White, 
Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Philip  Hone,  Edward  Curtis,  Thaddeus 
Phelps,  Joseph  Cowdin,  Daniel  Jackson,  Charles  A.  Davis,  George 
L.  Robbins,  Charles  L.  Livingston,  Reuben  Withers,  John  D.  Wolf, 
Seth  Geer,  Egbert  Benson,  John  L.  Graham,  Isaac  H.  Varian, 
Robert  Center,  William  L.  Johnson,  Joseph  D.  Beers.  Secretaries, 
John  R.  Marshall,  George  Sharp,  Robert  Pitts,  John  L.  Bailey, 
Isaac  Townsend,  Morgan  L.  Smith,  R.  C.  Wetmore,  James  Lee, 
Henry  H.  Elliott,  Seneca  Stewart,  Thomas  C.  Doremus,  George  L. 
Easton.  The  preamble  and  resolutions  were  all  very  temperate 
and  proper,  the  proceedings  orderly,  and  the  large  assembly  broke 
up  without  the  least  indecorum. 


158  THE   DIARY   OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

At  Home,  Tuesday,  Seff.  t  .  —  The  marine  Pavilion  is  now 
"a  banquet-hall  deserted."  This  establishment,  gotten  up  and 
supported  at  so  great  an  expense,  has  been  neglected  by  the  New- 
Yorkers,  with  the  exception  of  my  family  and  connections  and  a 
few  others.  The  house  has  been  encouraged  only  by  Philadel- 
phians  and  other  strangers.  The  fashionable  people  of  our  city 
have  preferred  the  Virginia  Springs,  Saratoga,  Newport,  and  a  place 
they  call  Sachem's  Head,  to  a  house  of  their  own  possessing  advan- 
tages greater  than  any  other. 

We  had  a  pretty  sight  at  Rockaway.     Shortly  before 
Packets.  ^yg  came  away,  the  three  outward-bound  packets  were 

all  in  sight  in  a  line  with  the  beach,  about  a  mile  apart ; 
viz.,  the  **  Toronto,"  for  London;  ''Caledonia,"  for  Liverpool; 
and  "  Utica,"  for  Havre.  The  wind  was  light,  but  fair,  and  these 
noble  vessels,  under  full  sail,  passed,  slowly,  steadily,  and  gracefully 
on  to  their  several  destinations.  May  they  arrive  in  safety  to  "  the 
havens  where  they  would  be  "  ! 

Boston,  Saturday,  Sept.  5 .  —  We  landed  the  New- 
"^  "  port  passengers,  of  whom  Mrs.  Ritchie  was  one,  at  five 

o'clock.  Mrs.  James  W.  Otis  came  on  to  Providence. 
At  eight  o'clock  we  left  Providence  on  the  railroad  and  arrived  here 
at  three-quarters  past  ten.  Dr.  Wainwright  was  our  fellow- passen- 
ger from  New  York.  We  got  a  tolerably  good  bed-chamber  at  the 
Tremont  House,  and  were  regularly  installed  into  the  comforts  of 
Mr.  Belknap's  pleasant  parlour.  I  found,  among  the  inmates  of  the 
house,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Bayard,  Mr.  and  Mme.  Podestad, 
Francis  March,  John  C.  Hamilton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DeWitt  Blood- 
good,  Miss  Mary  Van  Schaick,  and  many  other  acquaintances. 

Speculation  in  real  estate  has  reached  as  great  a  height  as  in 
New  York,  pulling  down  and  rebuilding  in  the  fashion  of  the  day, 
and  it  seems  as  if  all  the  world  had  entered  into  a  combination  to 
exhaust  the  quarries  of  granite  in  the  neighbourhood.  A  company, 
consisting  of  Patrick  T.  Jackson,  Abbott  Lawrence,  and  William 
Appleton,  have  bought  the  ancient  house  and  grounds  of  the  late 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 59 

Gardiner  Greene,  on  Court  street,  and  the  adjoining  property  of 
Deacon  Philips,  at  enormous  prices,  pulled  down  the  houses,  lev- 
elled a  hill  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  made  fifty  or  sixty  building 
lots,  of  which  they  will  make  maps  and  sell  the  whole  at  auction, 
and,  availing  themselves  of  the  present  rage,  will  no  doubt  make  a 
great  deal  of  money. 

September  6.  —  In  the  afternoon  I  visited  and  had  a  delightful 
talk  of  two  or  three  hours  with  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis,  where  I  drank  tea, 
and  went  in  the  evening  to  Mr.  Peter  Parker's,  Mr.  Samuel  D. 
Parker's,  and  Mr.  Sullivan's,  at  each  of  which  places  I  had  been 
invited  to  those  agreeable  Sunday-evening  parties  for  which  the 
Bostonians  are  so  celebrated,  and  which  I  enjoy  so  much. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  8. — The  Legislature  is  in  session.  I  went  this 
morning,  first  to  the  Senate  and  afterward  to  the  House  of 
Assembly.  In  the  latter  chamber,  Mr.  George  Blake,  who  is  a 
member,  placed  me  in  a  most  conspicuous  seat,  near  the  Speaker, 
and  close  to  the  clerk's  table,  in  view  of  the  whole  House,  where  I 
received  the  attentions  of  several  of  the  members  with  whom  I  was 
acquainted.  This  is  an  extra  session  for  revising  the  laws  of  the 
State.  The  number  of  members  is  too  great.  The  House  consists 
of  upwards  of  six  hundred,  of  whom  four  hundred  were  present 
this  morning.  They  are  a  good-looking,  orderly  body  of  men,  and 
their  business  is  conducted  in  a  decorous,  gentlemanly  manner. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Augustus  Thorndike's. 
A  prettier  party,  a  more  tasteful  house,  I  have  never  seen. 
Madame  Podestad  and  the  Count  sang  delightfully.  Mrs.  Thorn- 
dike's  sisters,  Mrs.  Delprat  and  Mrs.  Calvert,  and  their  father.  Dr. 
Stuart,  of  Baltimore,  are  here  on  a  visit. 

September  9. — At  eleven  o'clock  precisely  we  started  on  the 
railroad  for  Lowell ;  arrived  at  a  quarter-past  twelve.  Started  on 
our  return  at  two,  and  got  to  Boston  at  half-past  three.  The  dis- 
tance is  twenty-five  miles.  There  is  a  prodigious  deal  of  travelling 
on  the  road.  They  take  seventy-five  minutes  to  perform  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  punctuality  is  astonishing.     There  was  not  a  varia- 


l6o  THE    DIAKV    OK    PHILIP    HONE.  r^<:tat.  55. 

tion  of  half  a  minute  in  starting  and  arriving  cither  way.  Our  time 
was  rather  short  in  Lowell,  but  long  enough  to  see  this  lion  of  New- 
England  ;  this  ALmchester  of  America  ;  this  city  of  enormous  brick 
factories,  of  canals  and  waste-gates,  of  billies  and  jennies,  of 
jacks  and  spindles. 

I  dined  at  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis's,  and  had,  as  is  always  the  case  in  the 
house  of  this  agreeable  and  hospitable  gentleman,  a  most  capital 
dinner.  Mrs.  Ritchie  (who  came  with  her  mother  yesterday  from 
Newport)  presided  at  the  dinner,  and  imparted  to  it  the  charm 
which  always  attends  her  presence.  The  company,  besides  myself, 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Madame  Podestad,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bayard, 
Messrs.  Belknap,  F.  Grey,  Sears,  Middleton,  J.  G.  Pierson,  of  New 
York,  and  Allyn  Otis. 

September  10.  —  This  day  has  been  devoted  to  a  sailing  and 
fishing  party,  in  the  beautiful  bay  of  Boston,  on  board  the 
"  Dream,"  —  a  pleasure  schooner  belonging  to  a  company  of  gentle- 
men of  this  place.  She  was  formerly  owned  in  New  York  by 
Hosack,  Center,  and  my  son  Robert  and  others.  We  left  Boston 
at  ten  o'clock,  the  party  consisting  of  Messrs.  Brooks,  Belknap, 
Whitwell,  Isaac  P.  Davis,  Colonel  Freeman,  Philip,  and  myself. 
After  we  had  proceeded  twenty  miles  down  the  bay,  and  were  en- 
gaged in  fishing,  we  were  joined  by  the  celebrated  sloop  (formerly 
Mr.  Cushing's  boat),  whose  passengers,  Messrs.  Forbes,  Bryant, 
and  Sturgis,  joined  our  party.  We  sailed  in  company  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  which  wis  passed  in  joviality  and  good- 
humour.  We  caught  about  three  dozen  codfish  and  haddock,  ate 
our  chowder,  drank  any  quantity  of  punch,  champagne,  and  old 
Madeira.  The  weather  was  fine  as  possible,  the  wind  fair  both 
going  and  returning,  and  we  got  home  about  eight  o'clock. 

September  ii.  —  I  passed  this  morning  in  returning  visits.  Mr. 
Sears  called  to  see  me,  and  took  me  to  his  house  to  see  a  number 
of  capital  pictures  which  he  has  lately  brought  from  Italy.  They 
are  copies  from  celebrated  pictures,  and  possess  great  merit.  Mr. 
Sears's  house  is  certainly  the   finest   in  the  United   States.     The 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  161 

front,  on  Beacon  street,  is  one  hundred  feet.  They  say  it  cost 
^175,000;  and  this  noble  house  is  filled  with  treasures  of  art. 
Among  the  pictures  are  the  "Miriam"  and  another  of  Allston's. 
Mr.  Sears  went  to  Europe  for  his  health,  which  was  much  impaired, 
and  returned  quite  well  in  July  last. 

September  12. — This  day  must  be  marked  with  a 
fubik/.'^  white  stone.      It  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  of  my 

life.  I  expected  much  from  it,  but  my  expectation  has 
been  more  than  realized.  At  six  o'clock  Philip  and  I  went,  by  pre- 
vious arrangement  and  breakfasted  with  the  acting  governor,  Sam- 
uel T.  Armstrong.  After  breakfast  we  started  in  his  carriage,  the 
party  consisting  of  the  Governor,  his  military  staff,  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral Dearborn,  Colonel  Winthrop,  and  ourselves.  The  morning  was 
lowering,  but  it  soon  cleared,  and  the  weather  during  the  day  was 
peculiarly  favourable.  On  arriving  at  Lexington,  eleven  miles  from 
Boston,  we  left  the  carriage,  and  visited  the  celebrated  spot  behind 
the  meeting-house  where  the  first  blood  was  shed  in  the  glorious 
cause  of  American  independence,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  A 
granite  monument  has  been  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  bones 
of  the  first  martyrs  in  that  cause  were  interred.  No  description 
nor  drawing  of  the  spot  could  convey  to  my  mind  so  full  an  idea 
of  the  events  of  that  important  day  in  the  history  of  my  country 
as  a  view  of  it,  with  the  detailed  account  I  received  from  my  com- 
panions. 

We  proceeded  to  Concord,  seven  miles  farther  by  the  same  road 
which  the  British  took  after  the  skirmish  at  Lexington,  where  they 
were  opposed  by  the  militia,  and  where  the  first  regular  battle  took 
place.     At  Concord,  therefore,  the  revolution  commenced. 

We  found  the  whole  population  in  motion,  waiting  to  receive  us  ; 
proceeded,  agreeably  to  arrangement,  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Hoar, 
member  of  Congress  from  the  district,  from  whence  we  \vent  to  the 
hotel,  where  a  grand  procession  was  formed,  escorted  by  a  com- 
pany of  troops.  The  procession  passed  through  a  line  of  ladies 
and   children    (the  latter  pupils  of  the  schools),  and  entered  the 


l62  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

meeting-house  in  which  the  exercises  of  the  clay  were  to  be  per- 
formed. These  exercises  were  introduced  by  prayer  from  the 
venerable  pastor,  Dr.  Ripley,  a  hearty  old  gentleman  eighty-four 
years  old,  as  he  informed  me  himself.  Several  odes  were  sung,  and 
an  excellent  oration  spoken  by  the  Rev.  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  a 
young  clergyman  of  distinguished  talents  and  eloquence.  It  was 
full  of  interesting  details  relative  to  the  first  settlement  of  Concord, 
the  first  inland  town  settled  in  the  colony.  The  grant  which  was 
made  to  the  Rev.  Peter  Buckley  and  Major  Simon  Willard  was 
dated  2d  Sept.,  1635,  ^^^^  style.  The  history  of  the  sufferings  and 
privations  of  the  first  settlers  and  their  immediate  descendants, 
their  wars  and  adventures  with  the  Indians,  and  many  facts  illus- 
trative of  those  primitive  times  carefully  collated  from  the  ancient 
town  records  up  to  the  time  when  this  little  republic  of  honest 
Yankees  was  called  to  act  an  important  part  in  the  revolution 
which  separated  the  western  world  from  the  dominion  of  the 
mother-country,  gave  a  vivid  interest  to  the  oration,  the  reading  of 
which  occupied  two  hours.  The  services  all  partook  of  the  spirit 
of  the  olden  times;  amongst  them  was  the  "  107th  Psalm,  tune 
St.  Martin's,"  "  from  the  New  England  version  used  in  the  New 
England  churches  in  1640,"  which  was  sung  by  the  whole  assem- 
blage, the  deacon  giving  it  out  line  by  line. 

The  exercises  in  the  meeting-house  concluded  at  two  o'clock, 
when  the  procession  formed  again  and  marched  to  a  great  pavilion 
on  the  green,  where  tables  and  a  cold  collation  were  spread,  and 
about  four  hundred  as  honest-looking  Yankees  as  ever  sat  down  to 
eat  cold  roast  pig  were  assembled.  Never  have  I  seen  anything  of 
the  kind  so  decidedly  American ;  no  foreign  mfluence  ;  no  grating 
brogue ;  every  man  looked  and  acted  as  if  the  honour  of  his  virtu- 
ous ancestors  was  in  his  sole  keeping.  Mr.  Keyes,  member  of  the 
General  Court  from  Concord,  presided  with  great  ability.  There 
were  no  regular  toasts,  but  the  president  gave  them,  prefaced  by 
some  apt  remarks  calculated  to  draw  out  in  succession  the  distin- 
guished guests.     We  had  speeches  from  Lieutenant-Governor  Arm- 


i835]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 63 

Strong,  Mr.  Everett,  Mr.  Philips,  member  of  Congress  from  Salem ; 
General  Dearborn,  and  Colonel  Winthrop,  of  the  Governor's  staff; 
Judge  Davis,  Mr.  Bradford,  and  Mr.  Emerson,  the  orator  of  the 
day.  I  also  was  called  out  by  a  toast  from  the  Chair,  complimen- 
tary to  myself  and  the  city  of  New  York,  and  replied  in  a  speech 
which  must  have  been  pretty  good,  unless  I  mistook  the  expressions 
of  kindness  to  a  stranger  for  an  approval  of  his  sentiments  and  his 
manner  of  conveying  them  to  the  audience.  I  closed  my  address 
with  the  following  toast :  "  Concord  and  Boston,  the  birthplace  and 
cradle  of  American  liberty ;  good  nursing  has  made  the  babe 
healthy  and  vigorous,  but  she  requires  watching  more  now  than 
ever." 

Our  party  went  from  the  dinner-table  to  visit  the  ladies,  who  had 
invited  us  to  drink  coffee  with  them  at  their  banquet.  The  court- 
house was  beautifully  fitted  up  with  festoons  and  wreaths  of  flowers 
and  evergreens,  and  tables  were  spread  at  which  all  the  ladies  of 
Concord  had  dined.  There  was  not  a  house  in  the  whole  town 
probably  at  which  dinner  had  been  provided  this  day,  and  not  one 
which  contained  an  inhabitant  who  was  able  to  leave  it,  and  here  I 
was,  talking  to  fine  Yankee  women  and  blooming  Yankee  girls  until 
the  Governor's  carriage  was  announced,  which  carried  us  unwill- 
ingly away,  and  we  arrived  in  Boston  at  nine  o'clock.  I  have  been 
delighted  with  this  affair,  for  it  was  precisely  one  of  those  which  I 
have  long  desired  to  witness ;  and  the  honour  which  has  been  con- 
ferred upon  me  on  this  occasion  I  shall  remember  with  gratitude. 

I  had  forgotten  to  remark  that  we  had  amongst  us,  in  the  meet- 
ing-house and  at  the  dinner,  eight  or  ten  old  gentlemen  who  were 
soldiers  of  the  battle  of  Concord  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
They  were  eloquently  alluded  to  by  the  orator  of  the  day,  and 
verbal  laurels  were  showered  upon  their  hoary  heads  in  abun- 
dance by  several  of  the  gentlemen  who  spoke  at  dinner. 

Sunday,  Seff.  13.  —  We  went  this  morning  to  the  King's 
Chapel,  and  heard  a  good  sermon  from  Dr.  Greenwood,  the  Uni- 
tarian pastor  of  that  congregation. 


164  THE   DIARY    OF    I'UILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.55. 

One  of  the  pillars  intended  for  the  portico  of  the  new  court- 
house was  brought  into  the  city  this  evening  from  Quincy.  It 
weighs  between  twenty-eight  and  thirty  tons,  and  was  drawn  by 
forty-lwo  yoke  of  oxen. 

Sefiember  14. — We  went  this  morning  to  see  the  pictures  at 
the  Athen?eum,  principally  a  head  by  Allston,  "  Isaac  of  York," 
which,  notwithstanding  the  praise  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  it 
by  the  Bostonians,  I  do  not  like.  P>ut  there  are  some  fine  pict- 
ures belonging  to  the  Academy  which  required  more  time  to 
examine  than  I  had  to  bestow,  for  I  had  to  return  to  my  lodgings 
to  take  a  luncheon  preparatory  to  my  departure. 

SeptEiMBER  15. — The  Legislature  of  Mississippi  have  passed  a 
law  offering  a  reward  of  ^5,000  for  the  arrest  and  conviction  of 
any  person  "  who  shall  utter,  publish,  or  circulate  within  the  limits 
of  that  State,  the  '  Liberator,'  or  any  other  paper,  circular,  pam- 
phlet, letter,  or  address  of  a  seditious  character." 

September  23.  —  The  plan   for  macadamizing    the 
aving  street    before    my    house    not    having    fully    answered 

Broadway.  •'  n  j 

public  expectation,  the  corporation  have  been  trying 
a  new  experiment  in  Broadway,  in  front  of  the  block  between 
Warren  and  Chambers  streets,  copied  from  a  plan  of  paving  in  St. 
Petersburgh,  Russia.  The  street  is  excavated  to  the  depth  of 
about  two  feet ;  a  layer  of  broken  stone  is  placed,  such  as  is  used 
for  macadamizing,  on  the  top  of  which  a  regular  pavement  of 
round  stones,  the  whole  covered  by  a  compact  course  of  wooden 
blocks,  sexagonal,  one  foot  in  length,  and  placed  vertically.  These 
are  made  to  fit  very  nicely,  the  interstices  (which  of  course  are 
small)  filled  with  liquid  tar,  and  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of  gravel. 
The  street  was  used  yesterday  for  the  first  time,  and  the  multitudi- 
nous train  of  omnibuses,  carriages,  carts,  and  wagons  which  infest 
Broadway  appeared  to  pass  over  the  new  Appian  way  "  pretty 
tolerably  slick."  But  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  hemlock 
timber  is  less  destructible  than  Nyack  stone,  and  whether  three  dis- 
tinct layers  of  road  may  not  peradventure  cost  more  than  one. 


1835.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  165 

September  30.  —  I  took  Mr.  Brevoort,  Mr.  Louis  McLane,  and 
Washington  Irving  out  in  the  carriage  to  dine  with  old  Mr.  Astor, 
at  Hell-gate.  We  had  a  pleasant,  easy,  sociable  dinner,  and 
returned  home  at  nine  o'clock. 

Jones  Schermerhorn  and  Mary  came  in  town  this  morning 
to  stay  with  us  until  they  sail.  The  day  of  their  departure, 
alas  !  approaches  very  fast.  This  day  week  my  dear  girls  leave 
me ;  it  would  be  nothing  to  part  with  them  if  Mary's  health 
were  not  precarious.  If  she  were  the  gay,  jocund,  bright- 
eyed,  and  cherry-cheeked  creature  she  formerly  was,  her  voyage 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  me  as  to  herself;  but  Heaven  will  hear 
my  prayers,  unworthy  as  I  am,  and  return  in  due  time  my 
beloved  child  to  me,  looking  and  acting  and  talking  as  Mary 
Hone   used   to    do. 

October  5 .  —  The  penny  papers  and  the  two-penny  people  of 
our  slander-loving  city  have  nuts  to  crack  in  a  spree  which  took 
place  last  night,  in  which  the  performers  were  the  young  noblemen 
who  are  here.  The  Marquis  of  Waterford,  Lord  John  Beresford,  Lord 
Jocelyn,  and  Colonel  Dundas  dined  yesterday  on  board  the  yacht 
belonging  to  the  Marquis,  got  drunk,  came  on  shore,  made  a  row, 
had  a  battle  with  the  watch,  were  overcome,  taken  to  the  watch- 
house,  and  kept  in  durance  vile  until  this  morning,  when  they  were 
liberated  by  the  Mayor.  The  papers,  with  their  usual  veracity, 
charge  upon  the  Mayor  the  offence  of  entertaining  these  gentle- 
men at  dinner  yesterday  and  making  them  drunk;  but  it  is 
not  true.  Some  of  them  dined  with  him  on  Tuesday,  as  I  know, 
for  I  was  there ;  but  he  is  not  chargeable  with  this  Sunday's 
entertainment. 

October  8.  —  This  has  been  a  day  of  severe  trial 
m^^DirTters  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^  family.  My  daughters,  Mary  and 
Catharine,  with  Mary's  husband,  J.  Jones  Schermerhorn, 
and  Gen.  James  J.  Jones,  sailed  for  Havre  in  the  packet-ship 
"  Poland,"  Captain  Anthony.  Everything  was  propitious.  She  is 
a  noble    ship,    has   admirable    accommodations,    and   a   first-rate 


l66  THE    DIARY   OF    rillLir    HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

commander.  The  weather,  which  has  been  stormy  the  first  of  the 
week,  cleared  up,  and  a  more  beautiful  morning  never  broke  upon 
the  eyes  of  anxious  travellers  and  their  friends.  The  wind,  too,  was 
quite  fair,  and  it  would  have  been  a  holiday  for  us  had  not  my  dear 
Mary's  health  been  so  delicate  that  fears,  anxieties,  and  fore- 
bodings dashed  the  cup  of  enjoyment  from  their  lips  and  ours. 
All  the  relations  and  intimate  friends  of  the  fLimily  called  in  the 
morning,  and  the  anguish  of  parting  and  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  number  of  ])ersons  present  was  too  much  for  poor  Mary,  and 
I  thought  at  one  time  it  would  have  overcome  her,  but  she  went 
off  tolerably  well. 

October  12.  —  The  friends  of  General  Harrison, 
FiTtiv^rr  "^  ^^^  Whig  candidate,  got  up  a  festival  and  dinner  on  the 
5  th,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  in 
which  he  was  the  commanding  general.  This  affair  took  place 
twenty  odd  years  ago,  and  this  is  the  first  time  it  has  been  cele- 
brated in  this  part  of  the  country ;  but  as  glorification  is  the  order 
of  the  day,  the  Harrisonites  thought  it  was  better  late  than  never. 
But  the  best  of  the  joke  is,  that  the  Van  Buren  men  determined  to 
have  a  glorification  of  the  same  event,  in  honour  of  their  candidate 
for  the  Vice-Presidency,  Richard  M.  Johnson,  who  fought  in  the 
same  battle,  and,  as  they  say,  killed  Tecumseh ;  but  he  didn't.  So 
they  had  a  dinner  at  Tammany  Hall  on  the  same  day.  The  Mayor 
presided,  as  a  set-off  against  General  Bogardus,  the  president  of  the 
other  party ;  and  amongst  the  regular  toasts,  and  the  one  hundred 
and  one  volunteers,  of  which  Johnson  was  the  oft-repeated  burthen, 
not  a  single  man  had  the  grace  to  mention  the  name  of  Harrison. 
The  play  of  Hamlet  was  performed,  the  part  of  Hamlet  (by 
particular  desire)  left  out. 

October  13.  —  Miss  Helen  Kane  was  at  our  house  last  evening, 
and  went  home  attended  by  Robert.  A  long  time  afterward  a 
messenger  came  to  incjuire  about  her.  Nicholson,  her  lover,  met 
them  on  the  way,  took  the  lady  from  Robert,  and  one  of  those 
moonlight  walks  so  dear  to  lovers  was  the  consequence. 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 6/ 

October  14.  —  The  gambling  in  stocks  in  Wall 
Gambling.  Street  has  arrived  at  such  a  pitch,  and  the  sudden 
reverses  of  fortune  are  so  frequent,  that  it  is  a  matter 
of  every-day  intelligence  that  some  unlucky  rascal  has  lost  other 
people's  money  to  a  large  amount,  and  run  away,  or  been  caught 
and  consigned  to  the  hands  of  justice.  It  is  one  t.i^:on  from  the 
mass ;  there  is  some  swearing  among  the  losers,  some  regret  on  the 
part  of  the  immediate  friends  of  the  defaulter,  but  the  chasm  on 
the  face  of  society  which  his  detection  and  removal  occasions  is 
filled  up  in  a  day  or  two.  They  go  to  work  again  to  cheat  each 
other,  and  the  catastrophe  of  Monday  is  forgotten  by  Saturday 
night. 

The  Count  Survilliers  (Joseph  Bonaparte)  arrived  yesterday  at 
Philadelphia,  in  the  ship  "  Monongahela,"  from  Liverpool.  His 
visit  to  Europe  was  said,  at  the  time  of  his  departure  from  this 
country,  to  be  in  consequence  of  certain  revolutionary  movements 
in  France,  which  indicated  a  chance  for  the  restoration  of  the 
Bonapartes  to  the  throne.  If  such  was  his  motive  he  has  been 
disappointed,  and  it  is  likely  he  will  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  the  United  States. 

October  24.  —  The  excitement  about  abolition 
" !  ^°"  meetings  is  increasing,  and,  as  I  feared,  the  remedy 
is  becoming  worse  than  the  disease.  The  abolition 
convention  was  to  have  assembled  at  Utica  on  Wednesday,  and  the 
Common  Council  had  granted  to  them  the  use  of  the  court-room 
in  which  to  hold  the  meeting.  This  was  highly  disapproved  by  a 
large  proportion  of  the  citizens ;  the  consent  was  withdrawn,  and 
the  convention  procured  one  of  the  churches.  An  opposition 
meeting  was  held  on  the  same  day,  which  succeeded  in  preventing 
the  convention  from  meeting,  and  compelled  the  members  to  leave 
the  city,  although  in  their  number  were  reverend  divines  and  sage 
judges,  and  a  speech  of  that  ass  Lewis  Tappan  was  cut  short  in  the 
middle. 

October  25.  —  My  birthday.     I  am  fifty-five  years  of  age.     My 


l68  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  55. 

health  is  tolerably  good,  my  faculties  unimpaired,  my  mind  capable, 
I  believe,  as  ever  it  was,  but  less  disposed  to  exertion ;  my  temper, 
I  fear,  a  little  more  irritable  than  it  should  be,  and  I  cannot  jump  so 
high,  nor  run  so  fast,  as  I  did  twenty  years  ago  ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
I  have  not  much  reason  to  complain,  and  am  better  off  in  all 
respects  than  I  deserve  to  be. 

October  26. —  Mr.  Van  lUiren  has  been  in  town  about  ten 
days.  I  called  to  see  him  and  invited  him  to  dine,  but  others  had 
the  start  of  me,  and  he  was  engaged  for  the  whole  of  his  stay  in 
the  city.  He  leaves  town  to-mcjrrow.  He  looks  very  well,  and, 
from  his  ease  of  manner  and  imperturbable  good  temper,  it  might 
be  supposed  that  he  had  less  to  occupy  and  trouble  his  mind  than 
any  man  in  New  York.  His  outward  appearance  is  like  the 
unruffled  surface  of  the  majestic  river  which  covers  rocks  and 
whirlpools,  but  shows  no  marks  of  the  agitation  beneath. 

The  general  meeting  took  place  last  evening,  at 
MtTr*^^^  Tammany  Hall,  to  approve  of  the  nomination  of  a 
member  of  Congress  in  place  of  Campbell  P.  White, 
and  the  Assembly  ticket.  Great  opposition  was  expected  from  the 
anti-  monopoly  agrarian  and  pledge  party,  and  one  of  these  rows 
for  which  Tammany  Hall  is  famous  took  place,  and  great  was  the 
confusion  and  dire  the  din  which  prevailed  in  the  wigwam.  The 
opposition  was  directed  principally  against  the  nomination  of 
Gideon  Lee  for  Congress.  He  is  thought  to  be  a  little  too  much 
of  a  gentleman.  The  regulars,  however,  having  previously  made 
their  arrangements  disregarding  the  opposition,  declared  the  nomi- 
nations agreed  to,  adjourned  the  meeting,  and  put  out  the  lights. 
The  malcontents,  however,  were  not  content  to  grope  thus  in  the 
dark,  but  each  producing  from  his  pocket  a  tallow-candle,  ten  to 
the  pound,  and  a  loco-foco  to  ignite  it,  soon  brought  matters  to 
light  again,  reorganized  the  meeting  by  placing  the  noted  dema- 
gogue, Joel  G.  Seaver,  in  the  chair,  passed  resolutions  condemning 
banks  and  other  monopolies  and  approving  the  system  of  Icgislativ^e 
pledges,  substituted  Charles  G.  Ferris  for  Congress  in  place  of  Mr. 


1 835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  169 

Lee,  put  Job  Haskell  and  three  or  four  others  on  the  Assembly 
ticket,  and  marched  up  to  the  Bowery  to  the  music  of  their  own 
throats  and  the  light  of  their  own  candles. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Native  American  Association,  made  up  of 
different  parties,  and  having  no  other  bond  of  union  than  the  total 
exclusion  of  foreigners  from  office,  have  had  a  meeting  and  nomi- 
nated an  Assembly  ticket,  of  whom  I  do  not  know  an  individual ; 
but  I  like  the  ostensible  object  of  this  association,  and  am  of  the 
opinion  that  times  may  come  and  cases  occur  in  which  its  influence 
may  be  favourably  exercised. 

October  31.  —  The  Native  American  Association  have  nominated 
James  Monroe  for  Congress.  The  split  among  the  Tammany  folks 
is  so  wide,  and  their  animosity  against  each  other  so  bitter,  that 
Monroe  may  very  easily  be  elected  if  the  Whigs  can  be  interested 
sufficiently  in  the  event  to  induce  them  to  go  to  the  polls. 

November  i  i  .  —  I  went  this  evening  to  the  Chatham- 
Oratorios.  Street  chapcl  to  hear  the  oratorio  of  the  "  Messiah  "  per*- 
formed  by  the  Sacred  Music  Society,  and  was  astonished 
at  the  magnificence  of  the  scene ;  the  audience,  of  whom  a  large 
proportion  were  ladies,  must  have  amounted  to  between  two  and 
three  thousand.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  Mrs.  Franklin,  Brough,  and 
Pierson  were  the  principal  singers.  The  chorus  consisted  of  upward 
of  a  hundred ;  the  females,  all  dressed  alike  in  white  and  arranged 
on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  music  gallery,  formed  a  beautiful  and 
interesting  coup  d'ml.  The  ground-floor,  which  is  very  capacious, 
and  two  large  galleries  were  so  crowded  that  I  could  scarcely  find 
standing-room  behind  the  benches,  and  I  came  away  before  this 
rational  and  delightful  entertainment  was  finished. 

How  little  do  the  people  of  such  a  city  as  New  York  know  what 
is  passing  around  them  !  These  oratorios  have  been  going  on  for 
a  long  time,  and  I  have  never  heard  them  spoken  of;  while  if  I 
had  attended  such  an  exhibition  in  a  foreign  country  it  would 
have  been  the  theme  of  a  glowing  and  animated  description,  and 
very  probably  I  should  have  lamented  the  want  of  such  things  in 


170  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [TEtat.  55. 

my  own  country.  So  every  night  we  have  four  theatres  open,  and 
one  at  least,  the  Park,  full  at  every  performance,  and  making 
money  fast  enough,  I  should  say,  to  satisfy  even  Mr.  Simpson, 
the  proprietor. 

The  avidity  with  which  people  crowd  to  hear  these  oratorios,  and 
the  immense  houses  which  ^\r.  and  Airs.  Wood  bring  nighdy  to  the 
Park,  prove  that  the  New  Yorkers  are  not  devoid  of  musical  taste, 
notwithstanding  that  the  Italian  opera  does  not  succeed,  and  the 
proprietors  are  about  selling  their  oi)era-house  (the  neatest  and 
most  beautiful  theatre  in  the  United  States,  and  unsurpassed  in 
Europe)  ;  but  there  are  two  reasons  for  this,  both  of  which  savour 
much  of  the  John  Bullism  which  we  have  inherited  from  our  fore- 
fathers. The  first  is,  that  we  want  to  understand  the  language  ;  we 
cannot  endure  to  sit  by  and  see  the  performers  splitting  their  sides 
with  laughter,  and  we  not  take  the  joke  ;  dissolved  in  "  briny  tears," 
and  we  not  permitted  to  sympathize  with  them ;  or  running  each 
other  through  the  body,  and  we  devoid  of  the  means  of  condemning 
or  justifying  the  act.  The  other  is  the  private  boxes,  so  elegantly 
fitted  up,  which  occupy  the  whole  of  the  second  tier.  They  cost 
six  thousand  dollars  each,  to  be  sure,  and  the  use  of  them  is  all 
that  the  proprietors  get  for  their  money ;  but  it  forms  a  sort  of 
aristocratical  distinction.  Many  people  do  not  choose  to  occupy 
seats  (more  pleasant  and  commodious  than  they  can  find  in  any 
other  theatre)  while  others  recline  upon  satin  cushions,  and  rest 
their  elbows  upon  arm-chairs,  albeit  they  are  bought  with  their  own 
money.  These  causes  have  prevented  the  success  of  the  Italian 
opera,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it.  I  like  this  spirit  of  independence 
which  refuses  its  countenance  to  anything  exclusive.  "  Let  the 
proprietors,"  say  the  sovereigns,  "  have  their  private  boxes  and  satin 
cushions ;  they  have  paid  well  for  them  and  are  entitled  to  enjoy 
them.  We  will  not  furnish  the  means  of  supporting  the  establish- 
ment, but  go  to  the  Park  Theatre,  where  it  is  '  first  come,  first 
served  ;  '  where  our  dollar  will  furnish  us  with  '  the  best  the  House 
affords,'  and  where   the  Woods  will  provide  us  with  that  dollar's 


i835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I /I 

worth    of  something   we    can   understand    without    the    aid    of  a 
bungHng    translation. 

November  13.  —  This  gentleman  (who,  by  the  bye, 
Booth,  the        J  i^^yQ  never  seen)    has  been   playing  at  the  Bowery 

Tragedian. 

Theatre.  He  is  a  great  actor  in  high,  strongly-marked 
tragedy  parts,  such  as  Richard,  lago.  Sir  Giles,  and  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer.  He  is  also  remarkable  for  his  eccentricities,  and  there 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  at  times  his  mind  is  alienated ;  he 
gave  a  proof  of  this  on  Monday  night.  He  was  to  play  lago. 
When  all  was  ready,  the  play  begun,  and  Othello  (Hamblin)  waiting 
for  him,  he  stalked  across  the  stage,  made  an  irregular  exit  by  a 
back  door,  and  was  seen  no  more  that  night  and  for  two  or  three 
following  days.  Some  of  the  audience  got  their  money  back,  and 
the  play  went  on  with  a  substitute  in  the  part.  Poor  Booth  now 
comes  out  with  a  humble  apology  for  the  "  sad  and  unconscious 
act,"  the  excuse  for  which  he  says  "  is  a  serious  visitation,  affecting 
and  enfeebling  my  nerves,  and  a  long  deprivation  of  sleep,  acting 
on  a  body  debilitated  by  previous  illness,  and  a  mind  disordered 
by  domestic  affliction,  occasioning  a  partial  derangement."  He 
prays  to  be  permitted  to  appear  again,  and  says  very  affectingly, 
"  If  I  find  by  your  reception  that  I  have  offended  beyond  forgive- 
ness, I  will  immediately  withdraw  from  that  stage  where  I  have  ever 
been  treated,  both  by  the  public  and  the  manager,  with  kindness 
and  liberality."  Mr.  Hamblin  has  by  this  apology  been  prevailed 
upon  to  consent  to  his  appearance  to-morrow  evening  in  the  part 
of  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  public  sympathy 
will  be  excited  to  fill  the  house  and  give  the  poor  fellow  not  only 
the  forgiveness  of  the  audience,  but  a  kind  and  generous  reception. 
A  meeting  of  the  friends  of  General  Harrison  was 
arnson  held,  ou  Thursday  evening,  at  Constitution  Hall,  to 
recommend  him  as  the  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in 
opposition  to  Mr.  Van  Buren.  I  did  not  attend  this  meeting,  nor 
do  I  intend  to  commit  myself  to  the  support  of  General  Harrison, 
Judge  White,  or  any  other  man,  until  it  is  clearly  ascertained  that 


1/2  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

there  is  no  chance  for  Mr.  Webster.  A  meeting  of  his  friends  is 
soon  to  be  called  in  this  city.  That  meeting  I  w/// attend.  Daniel 
Webster's  claim  is  incomparably  stronger  than  that  of  either  of  the 
other  candidates.  He  is  entitled  to  the  people's  votes,  for  he  is 
their  true  friend,  and  not  the  friend  of  a  party  or  a  section.  He 
merits  the  support  of  his  country,  for  his  patriotism  is  not  of  those 
scanty  proportions  which  will  cover  only  a  part  of  his  country,  and 
the  Constitution  can  never  be  so  safe  in  any  other  hands  as  in  his 
who  has  proved  himself  its  ablest  expounder  and  firmest  supporter. 
I  go,  therefore,  for  Webster  until  it  is  made  manifest  that  he  has 
no  chance  of  success,  and  then  for  the  next  best  man,  Harrison  or 
whoever  it  may  be. 

November  26. — The  following  notice  is  published 
Webster  ^j^jg  momiug  with  one  thousand  one  hundred  signatures  : 

Meeting. 

"  Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  insep- 
arable. The  citizens  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York,  friendly 
to  the  election  of  Daniel  Webster  to  the  Presidency,  are  requested 
to  assemble  at  Masonic  Hall,  on  Friday  evening,  the  4th  of 
December." 

There  are  now  three  candidates  fliirly  in  the  field  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  very  much  to  his  satisfaction,  no  doubt ;  the 
more  the  merrier,  the  greater  the  division  amongst  his  opponents 
the  more  certain  his  chance ;  such  things  do  not  happen  in  the 
party  which  supports  him,  —  they  are  too  well  drilled,  and,  right  or 
wrong,  they  "go  ahead."  Judge  White,  of  Tennessee,  General 
Harrison,  of  Ohio,  and  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts,  are  the 
Whig  candidates  in  opposition  to  the  nominee  of  the  Baltimore 
Convention ;  the  friends  of  each  seem  at  present  indisposed  to 
abandon  their  favourite,  but  I  should  not  be  surprised  if,  in  the  end, 
they  should  give  up  their  own  ground  and  take  to  Clay. 

November  27.  —  The  good  people  of  New  York  are 
Musical  certainly  not  fairly  chargeable  with  a  want  of  taste  in 

music,  or  liberality  in  rewarding  musical  talent,  not- 
withstanding the  failure  of  the  Italian  opera.     That  failure  arose 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 73 

from  causes  inherent  in  its  own  construction,  which  I  have  explained 
in  a  former  part  of  this  journal ;  but  the  citizens  of  New  York,  not 
those  alone  who  constitute  what  is  called  "good  society,"  but  re- 
spectable persons  in  the  middle  walks  of  life,  who  select  with  care- 
ful deliberation  the  kind  of  amusement  which  suits  them  best,  are 
fond  of  music,  and  patronize  it  in  preference  to  any  other  public 
or  theatrical  entertainment.  This  description  of  persons  consti- 
tuted a  large  proportion  of  the  audience  at  the  performance  of 
Mr.  Horn's  oratorio  on  Wednesday  evening,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
proceeds  amounted  to  ^1,600.  In  corroboration  of  my  opin- 
ion on  this  subject,  the  engagements  of  those  beautiful  singers, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  have  been  more  profitable  than  any  former 
one  in  this  country. 

Living  in  New  York  is  exorbitantly  dear,  and  it  falls 
Dear  Living,  pretty  hard  upou  pcrsons  like  me,  who  live  upon  their 
income,  and  harder  still  upon  that  large  and  respecta- 
ble class  consisting  of  the  officers  and  clerks  in  public  institutions, 
whose  support  is  derived  from  fixed  salaries.  I  can  raise  my  rents, 
if  the  tenants  are  able  and  willing  to  pay ;  but  the  increase  of  their 
pay  depends  upon  others,  who  in  their  turn  are  precluded  from  the 
exercise  of  liberality  by  the  fact  of  their  being  the  stewards  of 
others,  who  cannot  be  consulted,  and  who  as  individuals  may  be 
liberal  enough,  but  collectively  are  very  apt  to  verify  the  adage  that 
"  corporations  have  no  souls."  Marketing  of  all  kinds,  with  the 
exception  of  apples  and  potatoes,  is  higher  than  I  ever  knew  it. 
The  sweat  of  the  brow  of  New  York  all  runs  into  the  pockets  of  the 
farmers.  I  paid  to-day  $30  a  ton  for  hay,  and  not  an  old-fash- 
ioned ton  of  2,240  lbs.,  but  a  new-fangled  ton,  invented  to  cheat 
the  consumer,  of  2,000  lbs.  This  is  a  cent  and  a  half  a  pound, 
nearly  three  times  the  ordinary  price.  I  paid  also  for  my  winter 
butter,  400  to  500  lbs.,  $2.14  per  pound.  In  the  long  course  of 
thirty-four  years'  housekeeping  I  never  buttered  my  bread  at  so 
extravagant  a  rate.  Good  butter  is  almost  an  indispensable  article 
in  the  family ;  but  there  are  many  persons  in  New  York  as  good  as 


1/4  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  55. 

myself  who  must  be  content  to  eat  dry  bread  this  winter,  or  at  least 
to  spread  the  children's  slices  confoundedly  thin. 
Governor  Mc        DECEMBER  2.  —  The    messagc  of  the    Governor  of 
Duffle's  South  Carolina  to  the  Legislature  is  published  in  the 

essage.  ^  (^Qfnmercial  Advertiser  "  of  to-day.  It  is  altogether 
worthy  of  the  redoubtable  champion  of  nullification,  it  "out-Herods 
Herod ;  "  it  is  made  up  of  gunpowder  bombs,  blunderbusses,  and 
hand-grenades.  He  has  worked  himself  up  into  an  exterminating 
passion,  and  it  is  impossible  to  read  his  speech  without  shivering 
with  apprehension  and  looking  around  to  see  a  fiery  dragon  issuing 
from  the  crater  of  a  volcano ;  and  all  this  rage  is  excited  on  the 
subject  of  the  silly  abolitionists,  who,  from  mistaken  views  of  moral 
and  religious  duty,  have  been  meddling  in  tLings  which  did  not 
concern  them.  See  now,  infatuated  men,  what  you  have  done  ! 
Crittenden,  of  the  Eagle  Tavern,  used  to  tell  a  story  of  a  Yankee 
miUtia  captain,  who,  in  addressing  his  troops  to  "  screw  their  cour- 
age to  the  sticking  place,"  depicted  in  glowing  terms  the  awful 
consequences  which  would  result  from  the  success  of  the  enemy. 
"They  will,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "lay  your  towns  in  ashes,  ravish 
your  wives,  murder  your  children,  and  pull  down  your  fences."  So 
it  may  be  said  to  the  abolition  meddlers,  only  the  subject  is  almost 
too  serious  to  joke  about,  and  the  application  is  only  to  be  excused 
by  Governor  McDuffie's  rhodomontade  :  — 

"  See,  you  abolitionists,  ye  Tappans,  ye  Thompsons,  see  what  you 
have  done,  —  you  have  sown  the  seeds  of  discord  amongst  friends 
and  brethren  of  different  sections  of  our  hitherto  happy  land ;  you 
have  sought  to  break  down  the  solemn  compact  into  which  our 
fathers  entered  on  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  ;  you  have  caused 
your  countrymen  of  the  South  to  tremble  for  their  safety  and  their 
lives,  and  —  you  have  made  Governor  McUuffie  angry." 

But  in  truth  the  temper  of  this  document  is  ridiculous,  and  its  ar- 
guments absurd.  "  It  is  my  deliberate  opinion,"  says  the  Governor, 
"  that  the  laws  of  every  community  should  punish  this  species  of 
interference  by  deaih  without  benefit  of  clergy^  regarding  the  authors 


iS35-]  THE   DIARY    OF   THILIP    HONE.  "175 

of  it  as  enemies  of  the  human  race."  He  demands  of  the  non- 
slaveholding  States  that  they  shall  pass  laws  to  punish,  in  the  most 
exemplary  manner,  this  nondescript  and  non-enumerated  crime 
against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  South  Carolina ;  and  they  had 
better  be  pretty  quick  about  it.  Governor  Marcy,  when  he  reads 
the  following  sensible  passage,  will  be  derelict  of  duty  if  he  does 
not  anticipate  the  meeting  of  our  Legislature,  and  call  them  together 
to  pass  laws  for  the  hanging  instanter  all  the  vile  miscreants  who 
have  offended  Governor  McDufhe  :  — 

"  As  between  separate  and  independent  nations  the  refusal  of  a 
State  to  punish  these  offensive  proceedings  against  another,  by  its 
citizens  or  subjects,  makes  the  State  so  refusing  an  accomplice  in 
the  outrage,  2.xiA  fitrnishes  2,  just  QdM's&  of  war."  A  pretty  pickle 
we  of  the  North  are  going  to  be  placed  in  !  Louis  Philippe  on  one 
side,  and  Governor  McDuffie  on  the  other.  We  shall  have  to 
apologize  to  both ;  the  same  formulae  will  do  for  both,  with  the 
alteration  of  "  the  State  of  New  York  "  for  **  the  United  States." 

The  course  of  reasoning  in  this  message  is  not  to  prove  that 
slavery  is  unavoidable,  and  cannot  be  abolished  in  the  Southern 
States.  Oh,  no  !  he  scouts  that  idea.  He  goes  the  whole  hog. 
Slavery  an  evil  ?  By  no  means.  It  is  a  positive  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity, sanctified  by  God  and  man  in  all  ages  ;  it  promotes  religion 
and  morality,  and,  what  is  more  wonderful  still,  it  proves  incontesta- 
bly  the  existence  of  liberty  in  its  most  fascinating  shapes.  The  Gov- 
ernor does  certainly  work  himself  up  into  this  absurd  conclusion, 
and  winds  up  his  argument,  like  the  stars  which  coruscate  on  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  sky-rocket,  with  the  following  magnificent  paragraph  :  — 

"  Domestic  slavery,  therefore,  instead  of  being  a  political  evil,  is 
the  corner-stone  of  our  republican  edifice.  No  patriot  who  justly 
estimates  our  privileges  will  tolerate  the  idea  of  emancipation  at 
any  period,  however  remote,  or  on  any  conditions  of  pecuniary 
advantage,  however  favourable.  I  would  as  soon  think  of  opening 
a  negotiation  for  selling  the  liberty  of  the  State  at  once,  as  for  mak-  . 
ing  any  stipulation  for  the  ultimate  emancipation  of  our  slaves. 


1/6  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

So  deep  is  my  conviction  on  this  subject,  that  if  I  were  doomed  to 
die  immediately  after  recording  these  sentiments,  I  could  say,  in  all 
sincerity  and  under  all  the  sanctions  of  Christianity  and  patriotism, 
'  God  forbid  that  my  descendants  in  the  remotest  generations  should 
live  in  any  other  than  a  community  having  the  institution  of  do- 
mestic slavery  as  it  existed  among  the  patriarchs  of  the  primitive 
church  and  in  all  the  free  states  of  antiquity  !  '  " 

This  Hotspur  of  the  South  having  let  off  his  steam  by  the  safety- 
valve  of  this  last  flourish,  and  recovered  his  breath,  turns  suddenly 
around  and  vents  the  residuum  of  his  vial  of  wrath  upon  poor  Jack- 
son. What  he  says  upon  the  subject,  *'  though  I  most  powerfully 
and  potently  believe,"  adds  materially  to  the  ludicrous  wrath  of 
this  furious  message.  After  telling  the  Legislature  that  he  has  not 
much  to  say  on  national  affairs,  and  giving  them  the  comfortable 
assurance  that  the  corruption  of  the  government  will  soon  become 
incurable,  he  adds  :  "  The  chief  magistrate  of  our  imperial  Re- 
public is  at  this  moment  more  independent  of  public  opinion,  and 
wields  a  more  despotic  power,  than  either  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
or  the  King  of  France,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States,  like  the  degenerate  Romans  in  the  time 
of  Tiberius,  will  recognize  his  right  to  nominate  his  successor,  by 
raising  to  the  throne  the  imperial,  though  not  very  youthful,  Caesar, 
who  has  been  already  clothed  in  the  purple  with  due  solemnity,  and 
formally  presented  to  the  people  as  the  anointed  and  rightful  heir 
to  the  succession." 

December  8.  —  I  have  seldom  been  so  much  shocked 

T  T  °c  • ,  by  the  sudden  announcement  of  a  death,  or  have  real- 
judge  Smith.       -'  ' 

ized  so  fully  the  uncertainty  of  life,  as  in  the  case  of 
Judge  Smith,  —  Nathan  Smith,  Senator  of  the  United  States  from 
Connecticut.  Exactly  a  week  ago  I  met  him  at  Nevins  and  Town- 
send's  office  in  Wall  street,  was  introduced  to  and  conversed  with 
him  a  few  minutes.  I  have  always  been  struck  with  his  appearance 
when  I  saw  him  in  the  Senate,  and  was  much  pleased  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  him. 


1S35]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 7/ 

When  I  went  home  I  described  him  to  the  family,  —  a  fine,  hand- 
some, healthy-looking  gentleman,  aged  sixty-six  years,  of  great 
personal  dignity,  and  of  the  old  school  in  his  dress ;  a  remnant  of 
that  race  of  men,  the  very  form  and  fashion  of  whose  clothes  are  a 
passport  to  deference  and  respect ;  his  white  hair  well  powdered ;  a 
handsome  blue  coat  with  shining  gilt  buttons ;  drab  kerseymere 
breeches  and  top-boots,  the  clean  white  tops  of  which  were  well 
contrasted  by  the  elaborate  black  polish  of  the  legs.  Now  that 
this  worthy  man  has  gone,  I  know  of  but  one  such  pair  of  boots  in 
American  occupancy,  and  they  are  at  present  the  admiration  of 
Europe,  on  the  well-formed  legs  of  my  learned  and  excellent  friend, 
Dr.  Mott,  of  this  city. 

I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  Charles  March ;  a  very  pleasant  party, 
but  its  crowning  feature  was  Daniel  Webster.  I  have  never  seen 
him  so  agreeable ;  for  five  hours  he  was  the  life  of  the  company ; 
cheerful,  gay,  full  of  anecdotes,  and  entirely  free  from  a  sort  of 
gloomy  abstraction  in  which  I  have  sometimes  seen  him,  as  it  were, 
envelop  himself.  He  amused  us  with  anecdotes  of  his  early  life, 
stories  of  down- East  and  descriptions  of  down- East  men  and  man- 
ners ;  talked  wisdom  enough  to  let  us  see  that  he  was  wise,  but 
evidently  preferred  the  light  gossip  in  which  he  delights  to  pass  the 
social  hour.  On  public  affairs  Mr.  Webster  avowed  his  determina- 
tion to  support  the  government  in  its  stand  against  France.  He 
says  the  President  cannot  make  any  explanation,  and  the  honour  of 
the  country  is  concerned  in  his  being  borne  out  in  his  refusal.  I 
inferred,  however,  from  what  he  said  on  this  subject  (and  he  was 
quite  free  and  communicative),  that  he  does  not  apprehend  any  im- 
mediate difficulties  of  a  serious  nature,  and  appears  to  think  that 
the  French  will  yet  do  right. 

December  10.  —  Married  last  evening,  December  9, 

Weddings.       Peter   Augustus  Schermerhorn,  second    son    of    Peter 

Schermerhorn,  to  Adeline  Emily,  youngest  daughter  of 

the  late  Henry  A.  Coster.    The  wedding  took  place  at  Dr.  Hosack's. 

We  were  all  there  ;  a  large  company  was  assembled.     The  Scher- 


1/8  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

merhorns,  the  Costers,  the  Hosacks,  and  the  Hones,  all  the  links 
of  several  long  chains,  form  a  goodly  number  when  they  are  col- 
lected together  on  such  an  occasion.  The  ceremony  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sherwood,  the  respectable  pastor  of  the  Episcopal 
church  at  Hyde  Park.  The  wedding  supper  was  sumptuous,  but 
no  part  of  it  so  superb  as  the  products  of  the  doctor's  greenhouse, 
which  graced  the  upper  end  of  the  table. 

Mrs.  Hosack  has  now  married  the  last  of  her  daughters,  and  I 
am  released  from  the  guardianship  of  the  last  of  my  seven  wards. 
I  have  had  the  principal  management  of  their  property  for  the  last 
fourteen  years,  and  am  now  preparing  my  accounts  for  a  settlement 
with  the  last  heir.  The  bride  is  very  young,  only  seventeen  years 
old  on  the  i8th  of  May  last. 

December  i  i  .  —  The  prevalence  of  westerly  winds  during  the 
present  cold  weather  has  deprived  us  of  news  from  Europe.  The 
packet  from  Havre  of  the  24th  of  October  has  not  arrived.  This 
delay,  though  not  unusual  at  this  time  of  the  year,  occasions  some 
anxiety  in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  public  mind  with  regard 
to  the  dispute  with  France.  It  is  understood  that  Mr.  Barton  has 
orders  to  make  a  formal  demand  of  the  indemnity,  and  in  case  of 
refusal,  to  break  off  the  negotiation  by  returning  home,  in  which 
event  Mr.  Pageot,  the  French  Charge  if  Affaires  at  \\'ashington, 
will  hand  in  his  P.P.C.,  and  both  parties  will  draw  off  their  diplo- 
matic forces.  Mr.  Barton  is  expected  to  arrive  in  one  of  the  first 
packets.  I  have,  however,  a  more  interesting  reason  to  note  the 
non-intercourse  with  France  occasioned  by  storms  and  head-winds. 
It  is  sixty-four  days  since  my  daughters  sailed,  and  we  begin  to  be 
anxious  for  news  from  them.  The  first  change  of  wind  will  bring  it. 
December  15.  —  The  practice  of  duelling  has  in- 
Dueiiing.  crcascd  to  such  a  degree  in  the  South  and  West,  and  is 
marked  with  such  savage  ferocity  and  deadly  determi- 
nation, as  to  form  a  stigma  upon  the  national  character.  It  seems 
impossible  to  carry  on  a  political  election,  which  is  in  any  degree 
warmly  contested,  without  an  excitement  of  feeling  leading  to  quar- 


1835]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1/9 

rels  amongst  the  most  active  partisans,  and  most  frequently  be- 
tween the  candidates  themselves,  which  nothing  but  blood  will 
settle.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  our  newspapers  do  not  contain 
accounts  of  some  of  those  sanguinary  semi-barbarous  conflicts, 
and  these  Southern  and  Western  men,  like  the  brant  shooters  of 
Long  Island,  do  not  like  to  waste  powder  and  ball  for  nothing. 
The  order  of  combat  is  such  as  to  preclude  the  chance  of  both  the 
combatants  escaping ;  it  is  not  children's  play ;  one  at  least,  and 
frequently  both,  seal  their  political  faith  and  write  their  title  to 
fame  in  blood  which  could  be  better  employed  in  defending  their 
native  soil  and  supporting  the  liberties  of  their  country ;  and  this 
practice  unhappily  prevails  amongst  the  finest  fellows  in  the  com- 
munity, the  choice  spirits  possessing  all  those  high  qualities  re- 
quired to  develop  the  resources  and  establish  the  institutions 
of  a  new  country.  But  the  vitiated  taste  of  the  people  seems  to 
require  that  a  man  in  that  part  of  the  country  should  fight  his  way 
up  to  public  notice,  and  his  claim  to  serve  his  fellow-citizens  is 
not  so  well  estabhshed  by  talents,  virtue,  and  patriotism,  as  by 
having  "  killed  his  man."  The  foregoing  remarks  have  been  sug- 
gested at  this  time  by  the  publication  in  the  "  National  Intelligen- 
cer" of  a  letter  from  Florida,  giving  an  account  of  a  desperate  duel, 
fought  on  the  21st  of  November,  between  Captain  Everett  White, 
brother  of  Colonel  White,  the  delegate  to  Congress  from  Florida, 
and  Colonel  A.  Bellamy,  late  president  of  the  legislative  council, 
arising  out  of  the  circumstances  of  an  election  in  which  they  were 
rival  candidates,  and  White  had  been  elected.  The  regulations 
of  this  combat  were  such  as  to  render  a  fatal  result  inevitable. 
"  The  parties  were  to  stand  sixty  feet  apart,  each  with  four  pistols, 
and  to  advance  and  fire.  Captain  White  advanced  and  received 
three  shots  without  injury,  and  then  fired  at  a  distance  of  fifteen 
paces.  His  first  shot  passed  through  Colonel  Bellamy's  arm,  the 
next  through  his  body,  and  in  the  act  of  advancing  with  the  other 
two  pistols  he  received  a  mortal  wound  from  Colonel  Bellamy's 


l8o  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [,^tat.  55. 

fourth  pistol.     Colonel  Bellamy  is  not  yet  dead,  but  must  certainly 
die  of  his  wounds." 

In  this  manner  have  the  gentlemen  proved  themselves  men  of 
honour  and  courage,  and  their  fellow-citizens  sanction  the  act  which 
has  deprived  them  of  one,  at  least,  of  their  distinguished  men,  by 
their  expressions  of  sorrow,  unmingled  with  the  slightest  disappro- 
bation of  the  savage  practice  which  occasioned  the  catastrophe. 
The  letter  goes  on  to  say :  "  I  yesterday  performed  the  painful 
office  of  following  Captain  White  to  the  grave.  The  Court  ad- 
journed, and  the  funeral  was  attended  by  the  Bar  and  the  grand 
jury  in  a  body.  Every  testimony  of  respect  and  deep-felt  interest 
was  evinced  by  the  whole  population  of  the  place.  All  the  stores 
were  shut,  and  I  have  seldom  witnessed  a  more  general  and  sincere 
exhibition  of  sorrow  than  was  manifested  on  this  solemn  occasion." 
Unjaraiieied  DECEMBER  1 7.  —  How  shall  I  rccord  the  cvcnts  of 
Calamity  by  jast  night,  or  how  attempt  to  describe  the  most  awful 
calamity  which  has  ever  visited  these  United  States? 
The  greatest  loss  by  fire  that  has  ever  been  known,  with  the  ex- 
ception perhaps  of  the  conflagration  of  Moscow,  and  that  was 
an  incidental  concomitant  of  war.  I  am  fatigued  in  body,  dis- 
turbed in  mind,  and  my  fancy  filled  with  images  of  horror  which 
my  pen  is  inadequate  to  describe.  Nearly  one-half  of  the  first 
ward  is  in  ashes,  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  stores,  which 
with  their  contents  are  valued  at  $20,000,000  to  $40,000,000,  are 
now  lying  in  an  indistinguishable  mass  of  ruins.  There  is  not, 
perhaps,  in  the  world  the  same  space  of  ground  covered  by  so 
great  an  amount  of  real  and  personal  property  as  the  scene  of 
this  dreadful  conflagration.  The  fire  broke  out  at  nine  o'clock  last 
evening.  I  was  writing  in  the  library  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
and  went  immediately  down.  The  night  was  intensely  cold, 
which  was  one  cause  of  the  unprecedented  progress  of  the  flames, 
for  the  water  froze  in  the  hydrants,  and  the  engines  and  their  hose 
could  not  be  worked  without  great  difficulty.     The  firemen,  too, 


1835.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  181 

had  been  on  duty  all  last  night,  and  were  almost  incapable  of  per- 
forming their  usual  services.  The  fire  originated  in  the  store  of 
Comstock  &  Adams,  in  Merchant  street, —  a  narrow,  crooked  street, 
filled  with  high  stores  lately  erected  and  occupied  by  dry-goods 
and  hardware  merchants,  which  led  from  Hanover  to  Pearl  street. 
When  I  arrived  at  the  spot  the  scene  exceeded  all  description ;  the 
progress  of  the  flames,  like  flashes  of  lightning,  communicated  in 
every  direction,  and  a  few  minutes  sufficed  to  level  the  lofty  edi- 
fices on  every  side.  It  crossed  the  block  to  Pearl  street.  I  per- 
ceived that  the  store  of  my  son  was  in  danger,  and  made  the  best 
of  my  way,  by  Front  street  around  the  old  Slip,  to  the  spot.  We 
succeeded  in  getting  out  the  stock  of  valuable  dry  goods,  but  they 
were  put  in  the  square,  and  in  the  course  of  the  night  our  labours 
were  rendered  unavailing,  for  the  fire  reached  and  destroyed  them, 
with  a  great  part  of  all  which  were  saved  from  the  neighbouring 
stores;  this  part  of  Pearl  street  consisted  of  dry-goods  stores, 
with  stocks  of  immense  value,  of  which  little  or  nothing  was  saved. 
At  this  period  the  flames  were  unmanageable,  and  the  crowd,  in- 
cluding the  firemen,  appeared  to  look  on  with  the  apathy  of  de- 
spair, and  the  destruction  continued  until  it  reached  Coenties  Slip, 
in  that  direction,  and  Wall  street  down  to  the  river,  including  all 
South  street  and  Water  street ;  while  to  the  west.  Exchange  street, 
including  all  Post's  stores.  Lord's  beautiful  row,  William  street, 
Beaver  and  Stone  streets,  were  destroyed.  The  splendid  edifice 
erected  a  few  years  ago  by  the  liberality  of  the  merchants,  known 
as  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  city, 
took  fire  in  the  rear,  and  is  now  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  fagade 
and  magnificent  marble  columns  fronting  on  Wall  street  are  all 
that  remain  of  this  noble  building,  and  resemble  the  ruins  of  an 
ancient  temple  rather  than  the  new  and  beautiful  resort  of  the 
merchants.  W^hen  the  dome  of  this  edifice  fell  in,  the  sight  was 
awfully  grand ;  in  its  fall  it  demolished  the  statue  of  Hamilton, 
executed  by  Ball  Hughes,  which  was  erected  in  the  rotunda  only 
eight  months  ago,  by  the  public  spirit  of  the  merchants. 


l82  THE   DIARY    OF    PIIILir    HONE.  [/Etat.  55. 

It  would  be  an  idle  task  to  attempt  an  enumeration  of  the 
sufferers ;  in  the  number  are  most  of  my  nearest  friends  and  of  my 
family ;  my  son  John,  my  son-in-law  Schermerhorn,  and  my  nephew 
Isaac  S.  Hone,  and  Samuel  S.  Rowland  were  all  burnt  out. 

The  buildings  covered  an  area  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  square, 
closely  built  up  with  fine  stores  of  four  and  five  stories  in  height, 
filled  with  merchandise,  all  of  which  lie  in  a  mass  of  burning,  smok- 
ing ruins,  rendering  the  streets  indistinguishable. 

All  the  property  within  the  following  limits  is  destroyed  :  south 
side  of  Wall  street  from  William  street  to  East  river,  including  the 
Merchants'  Exchange,  and  excepting  three  or  four  unfinished  build- 
ings above  Pearl  street ;  Exchange  street,  both  sides,  from  Broad 
street,  crossing  William  to  Merchant  street ;  Merchant  street,  both 
sides,  from  Wall  street  to  Hanover  square  ;  Pearl  street,  both  sides, 
from  Wall  street  to  Coenties  Slip,  with  the  whole  sweep  of  Han- 
over square.  Stone  street,  and  Beaver  street,  nearly  to  Broad  street ; 
Water  street,  Front  street,  and  South  street,  with  all  the  intersect- 
ing streets  and  lanes  from  Wall  street  to  Coenties  Slip,  including 
the  south  side  of  Coffee  House  Slip.  A  large  ])ortion  of  the  valua- 
ble estates  of  the  Jones  and  Schermerhorn  fLimilies  was  within 
these  limits,  and  is  not  now  to  be  found.  The  fire  has  been  burning 
all  day  in  the  direction  of  Coenties  Slip,  and  was  not  fairly  gotten 
under  until  towards    evening. 

A  calculation  is  made  in  the  "  Commercial  "  this  afternoon 
that  the  number  of  buildings  burned  is  570,  and  that  the  whole 
loss  is  something  over  $15,000,000.  The  insurance  offices 
are  all,  of  course,  bankrupt,  their  collective  capitals  amount  to 
$11,750,000  ;  but  those  down-town  have  a  large  proportion  of  the 
risks,  and  will  not  be  able  to  pay  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  losses.  The 
unfortunate  stockholders  lose  all.  In  this  way  I  su.ffer  directly, 
and  in  others  indirectly,  to  a  large  amount. 

The  Mayor,  who  has  exerted  himself  greatly  in  this  fearful  emer- 
gency, called  the  Common  Council  together  this  afternoon  for  the 
purpose  cf  establishing  private   patrols   for  the  protection  of  the 


1835]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 83 

city ;  for  if  another  fire  should  break  out  before  the  firemen  have 
recovered  from  the  fatigues  of  the  last  two  nights,  and  the  engines 
and  hose  be  repaired  from  the  effects  of  the  frost,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  arrest  its  progress.  Several  companies  of  uniformed 
militia  and  a  company  of  United  States  marines  are  under  arms,  to 
protect  the  property  scattered  over  the  lower  part  of  the  city. 

I  have  been  alarmed  by  some  of  the  signs  of  the  times  which 
this  calamity  has  brought  forth ;  the  miserable  wretches  who 
prowled  about  the  ruins  and  became  beastly  drunk  on  the  cham- 
pagne and  other  wines  and  liquors  with  which  the  streets  and 
wharves  were  lined,  seemed  to  exult  in  the  misfortune,  and  such 
expressions  were  heard  as,  "  Ah  !  they'll  make  no  more  five  per 
cent,  dividends,"  and  "This  will  make  the  aristocracy  haul  in  their 
horns."  Poor,  deluded  wretches  !  —  little  do  they  know  that  their 
own  horns  "  live,  and  move,  and  have  their  being  "  in  these  very 
horns  of  the  aristocracy,  as  their  instigators  teach  them  to  call  it. 
This  cant  is  the  very  text  from  which  their  leaders  teach  their  de- 
luded followers.  It  forms  part  of  the  warfare  of  the  poor  against 
the  rich,  —  a  warfare  which  is  destined,  I  fear,  to  break  the  hearts 
of  some  of  the  politicians  of  Tammany  Hall,  who  have  used  these 
men  to  answer  a  temporary  purpose,  and  find  now  that  the  dogs 
they  have  taught  to  bark  will  bite  them  as  soon  as  their  political 
opponents. 

These  remarks  are  not  so  much  the  result  of  what  I  have  heard 
of  the  conduct  and  conversations  of  the  rabble  at  the  fire  as  of 
what  I  witnessed  this  afternoon  at  the  Bank  for  Savings.  There 
was  an  immediate  run  upon  the  bank  by  a  gang  of  low  Irishmen, 
who  demanded  their  money  in  a  peremptory  and  threatening  man- 
ner. At  this  season  there  is  usually  a  great  preponderance  of 
deposits  over  the  drafts,  the  first  of  January  being  the  day  on 
which  the  balances  are  made  up  of  the  semi-annual  dividend. 
All  the  sums  now  drawn  lose  nearly  six  months'  interest,  which  the 
bank  gains ;  these  Irishmen,  however,  insisted  upon  having  their 
money,  and  when  they  received    it  were   evidently  disappointed 


1 84  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  55. 

and  would  fain  have  put  it  back  again.  This  class  of  men  are  the 
most  ignorant,  and  consequently  the  most  obstinate,  white  men  in 
the  world,  and  I  have  seen  enough  to  satisfy  me  that,  with  few 
exceptions,  ignorance  and  vice  go  together.  These  men,  rejoicing 
in  the  calamity  which  has  ruined  so  many  institutions  and  individ- 
uals, thought  it  a  fine  opportunity  to  use  the  power  which  their 
dirty  money  gave  them  to  add  to  the  general  distress,  and  sought  to 
embarrass  this  excellent  institution,  which  had  been  established  for 
the  sole  benefit  of  the  poor ;  but  they  have  not  the  sense  to  under- 
stand, nor  hearts  to  respond  to,  the  benevolent  feelings  which 
prompt  the  managers  of  the  savings-banks  to  devote  their  whole 
time  and  labour  for  the  benefit  of  others.  Now  comes  the  most 
painful  of  all  the  reflections  which  arise  out  of  this  unnatural  state 
of  society.  These  Irishmen,  strangers  among  us,  without  a  feeling 
of  patriotism  or  affection  in  common  with  American  citizens,  decide 
the  elections  in  the  city  of  Neio  York.  They  make  presidents  and 
governors,  and  they  send  men  to  represent  us  in  the  councils  of 
the  nation,  and,  what  is  worse  than  all,  their  importance  in  these 
matters  is  derived  from  the  use  which  is  made  of  them  by  political 
demagogues,  who  despise  the  tools  they  work  with.  Let  them 
look  to  it ;  the  time  may  not  be  very  distant  when  the  same  brogue 
which  they  have  instructed  to  shout  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  shall 
be  used  to  impart  additional  horror  to  the  cry  of  "  Down  with 
the  natives  !  " 

Decemrer  18.  —  I  went  out  this  morning  with  my 
Dr.  Hosack.  -^yifg  to  vicw  the  sccuc  of  the  recent  conflagration  \  but 
we  had  proceeded  only  a  short  distance  when  we  met 
Robert  Benson,  who  informed  us  that  Dr.  Hosack,  the  elder,  had 
been  seized  a  few  moments  previous  with  a  fit  of  apoplexy.  We  of 
course  returned,  and  I  went  immediately  around  to  his  house ;  and 
what  a  scene  was  there  !  What  an  awfiil  instance  of  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life  and  the  instability  of  human  happiness  !  Here  was 
the  doctor  laid  upon  a  sofa,  insensible  to  all  around  him,  his  limbs 
paralyzed,    his   faculties  suspended,   and   his  large  and    estimable 


1835-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I85 

family  surrounding  his  couch,  with  despair  and  anguish  depicted  in 
every  countenance.  Two  days  before,  the  very  room  in  which  he 
Hes  was  the  scene  of  festivity.  The  bride  (Mrs.  Schermerhorn)  was 
receiving  the  visits  of  her  friends,  and  I  was  there,  a  joyful  witness 
of  the  happiness  of  both  families.  Since  that  time,  in  a  space  of 
less  than  forty-eight  hours,  Mrs.  Berryman,  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  G.  Coster,  has  died  suddenly.  The  calamity  under  which  the 
city  now  suffers  so  severely  has  fallen  heavily  upon  every  branch 
of  the  connection.  The  splendid  estate  of  the  bride,  which  I  was 
about  to  transfer  to  her  husband,  has  been  most  seriously 
encroached  upon  by  the  same  cause ;  and  the  highly  respected 
head  of  her  family,  from  being  in  the  full  possession  of  his  bodily 
and  mental  faculties,  lies  extended  on  his  bed  of  death,  pros- 
trated in  an  instant,  in  a  situation  which  seems  to  preclude  all 
hopes  of  recovery. 

Further  DECEMBER  1 9.  —  I  wcnt  ycstcrday  and  to-day  to  see 

Particulars  thc  ruius.  It  is  an  awful  sight.  The  whole  area  from 
of  the  Fire.  ^y^jj  ^^^^^^  ^^  Cocnties  Slip,  bounded  by  Broad  street 
to  the  river,  with  the  exception  of  Broad  street,  the  Wall-street 
front  between  William  and  Broad,  and  the  blocks  bounded  by 
Broad  street,  Pearl  street,  the  south  side  of  Coenties  Slip  and  South 
street,  are  now  a  mass  of  smoking  ruins. 

It  is  gratifying  to  witness  the  spirit  and  firmness  with  which  the 
merchants  meet  this  calamity.  There  is  no  despondency ;  every 
man  is  determined  to  go  to  work  to  redeem  his  loss,  and  all  are 
ready  to  assist  their  more  unfortunate  neighbours.  A  meeting  of 
citizens  was  held  this  day,  at  noon,  at  the  Session  Court- room,  on 
the  call  of  the  Mayor.  A  committee  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  was  appointed,  which  met  in  the  evening  at  the  Mayor's  office 
and  appointed  sub-committees  on  each  branch  of  duty  submitted 
to  them.  I  am  of  the  committee  to  make  application  for  relief  to 
the  State  government.  That  committee  is  to  meet  to-morrow 
evening  at  my  house.  The  utmost  spirit  and  harmony  prevailed  at 
the  meeting,  which  embraced  all  the  best  and  most  influential  men 


1 86  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  55. 

in  the  city.  During  the  evening  intelHgence  was  brought  in  of  the 
proceedings  of  a  great  meeting  held  yesterday  in  Philadelphia,  at 
which  the  Mayor  presided.  Amongst  other  things  a  resolution  was 
passed  calling  upon  the  general  government  to  appropriate  the  sum 
of  ^12,000,000  to  our  relief.  This  is  an  important  step,  for  it  will 
tend  to  remove  the  only  objection  to  such  a  measure,  —  that  of  its 
being  exclusive  and  partial  in  its  operation.  A  body  of  four  hun- 
dred Philadelphia  firemen  came  on  yesterday  to  relieve  our  firemen. 
They  are  to  be  seen  about  the  streets  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  fire,  in  their  peculiar  uniform.  This  is  truly  a  brotherly  kind- 
ness and  charity,  and  will  never  be  forgotten. 

Companies  of  soldiers  are  on  guard  all  the  time,  and  patrols  of 
citizens  are  formed  in  each  ward,  who  are  on  duty  during  the 
night ;  the  exhausted  state  of  the  firemen  and  the  disabled  con- 
dition of  their  apparatus  render  these  extraordinary  measures 
necessary.  A  fire  would  be  awful  at  this  moment.  The  in- 
surance offices  are  all  bankrupt,  and  every  man  is  his  own  under- 
writer. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange  is  held  at  the  Mechanics'  Exchange 
in  Broad  street ;  the  post-office  removed  to  the  rotunda  in  Cham- 
bers street.  The  printing-offices,  of  which  a  large  number  are 
burned  out,  are  distributed  into  different  places,  and  it  is  amusing 
to  see  the  holes  and  corners  into  which  the  merchants  have  stowed 
themselves. 

Mr.  Biddle,  President  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  came  on 
to-day  to  see  what  that  institution  could  do  for  us.  The  first  step 
must  be  to  turn  the  bonds  and  mortgages  held  by  the  insurance 
companies  into  cash,  to  enable  them  to  i)ay  as  much  as  they  can  of 
their  losses.  But  the  unfortunate  stockholders,  what  is  to  become 
of  them? 

The  following  are  the  sub-committees  appointed  at  the  meeting 
of  the  general  committee  this  evening  :  i.  Committee  to  ascertain 
the  extent  and  probable  value  of  property  destroyed,  and  how  far 
the  sufferers  are  protected  by  insurance  :   Nathaniel  Weed,  Gabriel 


1835]  THE  DIARY   OF  PHILIP  HONE.  1 8/ 

P.  Dissosway,  Brittain   L.  Woolley,  George  S.  Robbins,  Walter  R. 
Jones,  Isaac  S.  Hone. 

2.  Committee  on  application  to  Congress  for  an  extension  of 
credit  on  duty  bonds,  and  remission  of  duties,  and  on  such  other 
aid  as  it  may  be  expedient  to  ask  of  the  general  government : 
Albert  Gallatin,  Preserved  Fish,  George  Griswold,  John  T.  Irving, 
Louis  McLane,  James  G.  King,  Reuben  Withers,  Cornelius  W. 
Lawrence,  Samuel  Jones. 

3.  Committee  on  application  to  the  State  and  city  government : 
Enos  T.  Throop,  John  L.  Graham,  John  A.  Stevens,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  Thomas  J.  Oakley,  Philip  Hone,  Daniel  Jackson,  Benjamin 
L.  Swan. 

4.  Committee  on  the  origin  and  cause  of  the  fire  :  James  B. 
Murray,  George  Douglass,  James  Lee,  David  Bryson,  Marcus  Wilbur. 

5.  Committee  on  change  in  the  regulation  of  the  streets  :  Samuel 
B.  Ruggles,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  David  S.  Jones,  John  Haggerty, 
John  S.  Crary. 

6.  Committee  on  the  erection  of  buildings  and  the  arrangement 
of  the  fire  department :  Stephen  Allen,  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant,  John 
Leonard,  Benjamin  Strong,  Charles  A.  Davis,  George  D.  Strong, 
Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Seth  Geer,  George  Ireland,  James  J.  Roose- 
velt, Jr.,  Dudley  Selden,  and  Stephen  Whitney. 

7o  Committee  on  relief,  with  power  to  receive  and  distribute 
contributions  :  Samuel  Cowdry,  Jacob  Lorillard,  Samuel  S.  Howland, 
Benjamin  McVickar,  M.D.,  John  J.  Boyd,  William  T.  McCoun, 
Ogden  Hoffman,  William  L.  Stone,  Jacob  Harvey,  Thaddeus  Phelps, 
John  W.  Leavitt,  James  Boorman,  Edward  Prime. 

December  21, — The  sub-committee  on  the  subjects  of  applica- 
tions to  the  State  and  city  governments  met  last  evening  at  my 
house  and  agreed  to  a  report  recommending  an  application  to  the 
Legislature  to  issue  a  State  stock,  under  the  guarantee  of  the  cor- 
poration, of  six  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee of  five  to  go  to  Albany  and  confer  with  the  Governor  on  the 
facts  to  be  laid  before  the  Legislature.     The  general  committee  met 


1 88  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^^tat.  55. 

this  evening ;  our  report  was  accepted,  but  the  resolutions  amended 
so  as  to  call  upon  the  corporation  to  issue  their  bonds  for  ^6,000,000, 
to  create  a  fund  for  the  purpose  of  buying  up  the  bonds  and  mort- 
gages held  by  the  insolvent  fire  insurance  companies,  and  thereby 
enable  them  to  pay  their  losses  as  far  as  they  may  be  able. 

December  22.  —  The  weather  since  the  fire  has  become  more 
mild.  This  day  is  very  pleasant.  This  is  a  happy  circumstance, 
for  it  facilitates  the  labors  of  an  immense  number  of  workmen  who 
are  employed  in  removing  the  rubbish.  Goods  and  property  of 
every  description  are  found  under  the  ruins  in  enormous  quantities, 
but  generally  so  much  damaged  as  to  be  hardly  worth  saving. 
Cloths,  silks,  laces,  prints  of  the  most  valuable  kinds,  are  dug  out 
partly  burned,  and  nearly  all  ruined.  A  mountain  of  coffee  lies  at 
the  corner  of  old  Slip  and  South  street.  The  entire  cargo  of  teas, 
arrived  a  few  days  since  in  the  ship  "  Paris,"  lies  in  a  state  not 
worth  picking  up,  and  costly  indigo  and  rich  drugs  add  to  the  mass 
of  mud  which  obstructs  the  streets. 

Crowds  of  spectators  (amongst  whom  are  many  ladies)  have 
been  perambulating  the  streets  in  the  neighbourhood,  lost  in  wonder 
and  absorbed  in  horror  at  the  awful  scene  of  destruction.  Many 
curious  facts  are  now  coming  to  light  in  relation  to  the  fire.  A 
note  of  hand  of  fifty-seven  dollars,  in  favour  of  the  Ocean  Insur- 
ance Company,  was  blown,  during  the  fire,  from  a  store  in  South 
street  to  a  garden  at  Flatbush,  Long  Island,  five  miles  distant.  A 
gallant  effort  was  made  to  save  the  statue  of  Hamilton  by  a  young 
officer  from  the  Navy- Yard,  with  a  party  of.  four  or  five  sailors. 
They  had  actually  succeeded  in  removing  it  from  the  pedestal, 
when  the  danger  of  the  approaching  fall  of  the  dome  compelled 
them  to  abandon  it.  The  fire  was  seen  at  New  Haven  and  at 
Philadelphia ;  the  firemen  turned  out,  supposing  the  fire  was  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city. 

December  23.  —  Hopes  have  been  entertained   that 
Death  of  j^j.   Hosack  might   survive   his  attack.     There  was   an 

Dr.  Hosack. 

appearance  of  consciousness  and  a  slight  improvement 


1835]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 89 

in  his  symptoms  during  the  whole  of  yesterday ;  but  it  would  have 
been  better  otherwise,  for  it  excited  false  hopes  in  his  anxious 
family,  which  were  doomed  to  be  destroyed,  for  at  eleven  o'clock 
last  night  he  died.  He  has  never  spoken  since  his  attack,  and  it 
is  quite  doubtful  if  he  has  at  any  time  recognized  those  about  him. 
Thus  has  the  house  of  joy  been  suddenly  turned  into  the  house  of 
mourning. 

Dr.  Hosack  was  born  on  the  31st  of  August,  1769.  He  has 
passed  an  active  and  useful  life,  and  filled  a  large  space  in  society. 
In  his  profession  he  was  learned,  skilful,  and  bold,  and,  in  my 
opinion,  the  best  physician  in  the  city.  I  remember  him  from  my 
earliest  years ;  the  physician  of  my  father's  family,  and  he  has 
always  been  mine.  His  literary  acquirements  were  of  a  high  order, 
and  although  not  a  man  of  great  genius,  his  industry  and  acquire- 
ments had  rendered  him  a  good  writer.  His  style  was  correct  and 
strong,  without  elegance,  and  his  great  experience  will  render  his 
works  respectable  authorities  to  professional  men.  He  retired  a 
few  years  ago  from  general  practice,  and  resided  two-thirds  of  the 
year  on  his  splendid  estate  at  Hyde  Park.  His  wife,  the  widow  of 
Henry  A.  Coster,  is  my  first  cousin,  by  whom  he  became  possessed  of 
a  large  estate.  She  had  seven  children,  of  whom  I  was  appointed 
guardian  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Coster. 

Christmas  Day,  but  not  by  any  means  "  a  merry  Christmas." 
The  recent  calamity  bears  so  hard  upon  the  whole  community 
that  it  seems  unfeeling  to  be  joyful.  Philosophy  enables  many  of 
us  to  bear  our  own  misfortunes  without  repining,  and  hope  spreads 
its  buoyant  wings  over  the  future  ;  but  as  all  are  not  equally  con- 
soled by  the  former,  or  encouraged  by  the  latter,  respect  for 
individual  loss  restrains  all  the  appearance  of  mirth  which  belongs 
to  this  otherwise  happy  season. 

I  attended,  as  a  relation,  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Hosack, 
Dr.  Hosack's    ^^  ^^^  o'clock.     The  service  was  read  in  Grace  Church 

Funeral. 

by  the  Bishop  and  Dr.  Ducachet.     It  was  very  impres- 
sive ;  the  large  family  connection  and  the  great  number   of  friends 


I90  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  55, 

which  attended  filled  the  church.  The  pall-bearers  were,  Colonel 
Trumbull,  Mr.  John  Watts,  Herman  LeRoy,  Edward  W.  Laight, 
Edward  Livingston,  Charles  McEvers,  Chancellor  Kent,  and  Gen. 
Morgan  Lewis. 


[836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I9I 


1836. 

\  LBANY,  Jan.  i.  —  It  makes  me  somewhat  melancholy  to  re- 
-^  ^  fleet  that  this  is  the  first  New  Year's  Day,  except  one,  that  I 
ever  passed  from  home,  and  that  one  was  passed  at  sea,  on  my 
return  from  Europe.  I  am  here  against  my  will.  I  would  much 
rather  have  spent  this  day  with  my  family  and  in  the  society  of  my 
friends  ;  but,  alas  !  it  is  not  a  happy  day  in  New  York. 

The  year  1835  i^  passed ;  it  began  well ;  the  city  prospered,  and 
all  went  on  swimmingly  until  its  close.  But  now  many  aching 
hearts  are  in  our  borders.  What  blighted  prospects,  what  disap- 
pointed hopes  !  The  calamity  of  the  night  of  the  i6th  has  re- 
duced thousands  from  comparative  independence  to  cheerless 
poverty.  Not  the  poorest  class,  for  if  they  were  burned  out,  and 
exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  biting  blasts  of  winter,  a  good 
fire,  a  warm  bed,  and  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  as  a  temporary  relief, 
would  make  them  as  well  off  as  they  were  before  :  "  take  nothing 
from  nothing  and  nothing  remains  ;  "  but  this  loss  falls  upon  those 
who  were  accustomed  to  enjoy  the  comforts  and  little  elegances 
of  life,  which  must  now  be  given  up. 

January  4. —  I  went  yesterday  morning  with  Mr.  Stevenson  to 
St.  Peter's  Church,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  sermon  from 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Potter  that  I  was  induced  to  go  again  in  the  after- 
noon, although  the  hour,  two  o'clock,  affords  but  a  brief  allowance 
of  time  for  dinner.  The  church  has  been  repaired  and  new 
modelled  ;  has  a  new  organ  and  pulpit,  and  the  handsomest,  most 
comfortable,  and  best-arranged  pews  I  have  seen  in  any  of  our 
churches.  There  is  a  large  and  respectable  congregation,  and  if 
their  pastor  is  in  the  practice  of  giving  them  such  sermons  as  I 
heard  yesterday,  they  have  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied. 

January   4. — Whilst  I  was    writing  in  my  room  this  evening 


192  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

there  was  an  alarm  of  fire.  Two  or  three  wooden  houses  were 
burned  in  the  upper  part  of  Market  street.  It  was  quite  a  re- 
freshing sight,  for  it  reminded  me  of  home.  It  was  a  mark  of  civ- 
ihzation  in  a  strange  country,  as  the  traveller  said,  who  saw  a  man 
hanging  on  a  gibbet. 

The  bills  authorizing  the  city  loan   of  six  millions. 
Relief  Bills,     and  for  enabling  the  fire-insurance  companies  to  settle 
their  concerns  and  to  resuscitate  their  businesses,  have 
passed  the  Legislature  with  great  unanimity. 

New  York,  Jan.  16.  —  I  went,  this  morning,  to  dine  with  Mr. 
John  C.  Stevens  at  his  place  on  Long  Island,  about  eleven  miles 
from  Brooklyn,  and  three  miles  from  the  race-course  on  the  South 
road.  Charles  King,  General  Fleming,  and  Cornelius  Low  went 
with  me  in  my  sleigh.  We  arrived  at  Stevens's  about  three 
o'clock ;  had  a  most  capital  dinner,  fine  wine,  good  fires,  and 
plenty  of  laugh,  joke,  and  joviality.  We  found,  on  our  arrival, 
John  A.  King,  Commodore  Ridgely,  Mr.  Botts,  and  Robert  L. 
Stevens. 

At  half-past  eight  we  started  to  return.  It  was  very  dark  and 
had  become  excessively  cold,  and  the  road,  being  but  little  used, 
was  hard  to  be  distinguished.  John  soon  planted  us  in  a  snow- 
bank, from  which  we  extricated  the  sleigh  and  horses  with  some 
difficulty.  King  then  undertook  to  drive,  and  had  not  proceeded 
above  a  mile  when  the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  narrowness  and 
indistinctness  of  the  road,  and  John  Stevens's  good  wine  combined 
to  bother  the  skill  of  our  new  driver,  and  over  went  the  sleigh.  I 
was  slightly  scratched  in  the  face  and  bled  a  little,  but  the  rest  of 
the  party  were  uninjured.  The  sleigh  was  broken  a  little.  We 
now  held  council  of  war,  and  concluded  to  return  to  the  "  place 
whence  we  came."  This  was  accomplished  without  difficulty ;  our 
friends  were  still  assembled,  and  a  few  hickory  logs  added  to  the 
fire,  a  renewal  of  the  bottles  and  glasses,  a  reproduction  of  the  re- 
mains of  the  dinner  to  serve  as  supper,  and  a  cigar  afterward, 
brought  us  to  the  sensible  conclusion  that  it  was  better  to  be  there 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  1 93 

than  in  a  snow-bank.  After  a  few  hours  passed  in  pleasant  con- 
versation John  A.  King  went  home  to  Jamaica,  taking  with  him 
General  Fleming,  Mr.  Low,  and  Mr.  Botts ;  Charles  King,  Com- 
modore Ridgely,  and  I  were  well  accommodated  with  good  beds  in 
the  house  of  our  hospitable  host. 

We  had  breakfast  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  and  started  for 
home.  A  fine,  bright  morning,  but  very  cold.  Charles  King  was 
sick  j  the  Commodore  had  an  unwelcome  visit  from  an  old  acquaint- 
ance,—  the  gout,  —  which  prevented  him  from  putting  on  his  boot, 
and  I,  who  was  the  only  sick  man  who  went  upon  this  pleasant  frolic, 
returned  the  only  well  one.  We  left  the  Commodore  at  the  Navy- 
Yard  and  arrived  in  town  at  eleven  o'clock. 

The  following  party  dined  with  us  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boreel,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Brugiere,  Miss  Helen  Kane,  Captain  Anthony, 
of  the  "  Poland,"  Mr.  Nicolson,  Henry  Hone,  and  Edward  Scher- 
merhorn. 

January  20.  —  I  went  over  to  dine  with  Mr.  John  A.  King,  at 
Jamaica.  Charles  and  James  A.  King  and  General  Fleming  went 
with  me,  in  my  sleigh.  Besides  ourselves,  the  party  consisted  of 
Robert  Ray,  Jacob  LeRoy,  Robert  L.  and  John  C.  Stevens,  and  Mr. 
Nicholas.  The  weather  was  very  fine  and  the  sleighing  admirable. 
On  our  return  we  came  to  Brooklyn  ferry  at  ten  o'clock,  but  found 
two  steamboats  there,  blocked  in  by  the  ice,  which  detained  us 
nearly  three  hours,  and  I  did  not  get  home  until  one  o'clock. 

There  is  an  ill-looking,  squinting  man  called  Bennett, 
'^^^  formerly  connected  with  Webb  in  the  publication  of 

"Herald."  ,  ^  .  .  ^ 

his  paper,  who  is  now  editor  of  the  "  Herald,"  one  of 
the  penny  papers  which  are  hawked  about  the  streets  by  a  gang 
of  troublesome,  ragged  boys,  and  in  which  scandal  is  retailed  to  all 
who  delight  in  it,  at  that  moderate  price.  This  man  and  Webb  are 
now  bitter  enemies,  and  it  was  nuts  for  Bennett  to  be  the  organ  of 
Mr.  Lynch's  late  vituperative  attack  upon  Webb,  which  Bennett 
introduced  in  his  paper  with  evident  marks  of  savage  exultation. 
This  did  not  suit  Mr.  Webb's  fiery  disposition,  so   he  attacked 


194  THE    DIARY    OF    Till  1.11'    HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

Bennett  in  Wall  street  yesterday,  beat  him,  and  knocked  him  down. 
In  the  mean  time  Webb  and  Lynch  maintain  a  relative  position 
something  like  tliat  of  France  and  the  United  States  :  they  carry  clubs, 
but  do  not  strike  ;  and  look  fierce  at  each  other,  l)nt  do  not  speak. 
They  cannot  adjust  their  pecuniary  differences  in  an  lionoiirable 
manner,  for  each  considers  the  other  unworthy  of  his  notice. 
None  but  men  of  acknowledged  honour  and  good  character  are 
entitled  to  the  privilege  of  having  their  brains  blown  out.  If 
Lynch  and  W'ebb  are  both  men  of  truth  they  are  liars,  and  if 
neither  is  to  be  believed  they  are  both  honourable  men. 

The  Opera  House  was  offered  tliis  morning  for  sale 
Opera  House.  ^^  auction,  under  the  direction  of  Gardiner  G.  Rowland 
and  Robert  Ray,  trustees.  It  was  set  up  at  $100,000; 
but  there  was  no  bid,  and  the  sale  was  postponed.  The  articles 
of  association  designated  the  Merchants'  Exchange  as  the  place  of 
sale,  if  ever  it  should  be  found  necessary  to  dispose  of  the  prop- 
erty. As  there  is  unfortunately  no  such  edifice  at  present,  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  have  the  sale  on  the  porch,  which  is  all  that 
remains  of  that  edifice.  It  was  a  melancholy  illustration  of  the 
decay  of  commerce  and  taste  to  witness  the  auctioneer,  mounted 
on  the  ruins  of  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  endeavouring  to  sell  the 
Italian  Opera-IIouse  to  the  highest  bidder. 

:  January  21.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Henry  Gary.  We  had  Irvdng, 
Paulding,  Brevoort,  Gouverneur  Kemble,  Doctor  Stevens,  Pro- 
fessor Renwick,  and  such  literary  and  learned  men ;  and,  as  is 
always  the  case,  it  was  excessively  stupid.  There  were  more 
brilliant  things  said  at  John  Stevens's  the  other  day,  when  it  was  a 
party  of  no  pretension,  than  could  be  elicited  from  these  learned 
pundits  in  the  course  of  a  long  life,  and  one  of  any  of  the  thousand 
hearty  laughs  which  we  had  on  that  occasion  was  worth  all  the 
wisdom  of  such  a  reunion.  AVashington  Irving  was  the  only  man 
who  ventured  to  say  a  good  thing. 

January  26.  —  The  "  Poland,"  Captain  Anthony,  sails  to-day  for 
Havre.     In  her  go  Monsieur  Pageot,  his  lady,  and  their  little  son 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  I95 

Andrew  Jackson,  Mr.  Saligny,  attache^  and  all  the  odds  and  ends 
of  the  French  Mission.  We  are  no  longer  on  speaking  terms  with 
our  dear  friend  and  sister,  France,  and  like  two  rival  dames,  who 
are  desperately  affronted  without  exactly  knowing  the  cause,  we 
stand  pouting,  turning  up  our  noses,  and  tossing  our  disdainful 
heads  at  each  other.  The  Lord  knows  who  is  to  speak  first  now, 
and  woe  betide  the  one  who  first  treads  on  the  other's  corns. 
What  a  ridiculous  and  unnatural  position  ! 

Madame  Pageot  is  an  American  lady,  daughter  of  Major  Lewis, 
who  is  in  one  of  our  public  departments  in  Washington.  Her 
father  being  one  of  the  kitchen  Cabinet  and  a  glorifier  of  "  the 
greatest  and  best,"  and  everything  being  sweet  as  sugar-candy 
between  the  two  countries  at  the  birth  of  her  boy,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  fill  the  measure  of  his  infantile  glory  by  giving  him  the 
august  name  of  "Andrew  Jackson."  This  was  honour  enough  as 
long  as  the  parents  continued  in  this  country,  and  affairs  went  on 
smoothly ;  but  now,  when  the  mighty  brow  of  the  warrior  states- 
man is  kindled  with  rage  against  our  Gallic  neighbours,  and  the 
presence  of  France  in  the  person  of  her  representative's  repre- 
sentative is  about  to  be  removed  from  amongst  us,  the  name  of 
this  young  American  Frenchman  may  not  sound  so  pleasantly  in 
the  ears  of  his  father's  compatriots  as  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  and 
Andrew  Jackson  Pageot  will  not  be  the  best  possible  name  by  which 
to  be  ushered  into  the  regal  halls  of  Louis  Philippe  d'Orleans. 

January  27.  —  Reports  have    prevailed  for  the  last 
"  ^^"  two  or  three  days  of  the  massacre  of  two   companies 

Massacre.  ■'  ^ 

of  United  States  troops  in  Plorida,  by  the  Seminole 
Indians.  It  was  hoped  that  they  might  not  be  true,  but  the  ac- 
count is  confirmed  to-day  by  intelligence  from  Mobile.  Major 
Dade  had  started  with  two  companies  from  Tampa  Bay,  for  Camp 
King,  to  join  General  Church,  when  on  the  morning  of  28th  of  De- 
cember, at  eight  o'clock,  they  were  surrounded  by  a  large  body  of 
Indians,  supposed  to  number  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand 
men,   and  were  cut  to  pieces ;  only  three  men  escaped,  and  they 


196  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

returned,  badly  wounded,  to  the  station  at  Tampa  Bay,  to  give  the 
lamentable  history  of  the  fate  of  their  comrades. 

It  is  also  rei^orted  that  General  Scott  is  to  be  sent  immediately 
to  take  command  of  the  forces  in  Florida ;  the  result  of  all  this  will 
be  that,  after  some  hard  service  and  destruction  of  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  whites,  the  Indians  will  be  exterminated,  and  the 
government  saved  the  expense  of  transporting  them  out  of  our  ter- 
ritories and  providing  for  their  maintenance.  Humanity  may  de- 
plore the  fate  of  the  ret/  men,  and  philanthropists  talk  as  they  will 
about  equal  rights  and  the  oppression  of  power,  but  it  is  inevitable  ; 
the  Indians  cannot  live  amongst,  or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of,  the  whites,  and  this  very  battle  in  which  temporary  success  has 
been  won  by  their  savage  arms  will  be  the  ultimate  cause  of  their 
destruction;  the  blood  of  the  gallant  men  who  have  fallen  in  this 
sanguinary  encounter  will  not  sink  unrevenged  into  the  sands  of 
Florida,  and  the  speculators  in  Florida  lands  will  be  consoled  for 
this  national  disaster  by  the  confirmation  of  their  titles  in  the  final 
removal  of  the  original  owners  of  their  lands. 

February  i.  —  The   war   of  etiquette    between  the 
Peace.  United  States  and  France  is  in  a  fair  way  now  of  being 

averted,  and  the  trusty  sword  of  "  the  hero  of  two  wars," 
there  is  good  reason  to  hope,  will  be  permitted  reluctantly  to 
remain  in  its  scabbard.  John  Bull,  like  a  good,  honest  fellow,  who 
never  likes  any  fighting  to  go  on  and  he  not  have  a  hand  in  it,  has 
interposed  his  good  offices  and  proffered  his  mediation  to  settle  the 
silly  dispute.  He  says  there  is  nothing  to  quarrel  about,  and  he 
does  not  want  his  commerce,  flourishing  as  it  is  at  present,  to  be 
knocked  about  by  new  belligerents,  nor  does  he  wish  to  have  the 
trouble  and  expense  attending  the  preservation  of  an  armed  neu- 
trality between  the  two  most  important  maritime  powers.  So  the 
King  of  England,  the  sailor  king,  writes  a  loving  letter  to  his 
brother,  the  soldier  king  (we  call  him  President),  begging  him  to 
think  a  little  better  of  the  affair  ;  and  I  suppose  that  noble  old  cock, 
Sir  Charles  Vaughan,  has  added  a  postscript,  telling   his  Yankee 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILir   HONE.  197 

friends  (of  whom  he  has  great  store)  that  they  must  not  make 
damned  fools  of  themselves.  (I  use  this  expression,  not  that  I  think 
it  looks  as  pretty  on  the  page  of  a  book  as  a  rose  does  in  a  flower- 
garden,  but  to  preserve  the  verisimilitude ;  for  I  should  hardly  rec- 
ognize my  excellent  friend.  Sir  Charles,  even  when  drawn  by  myself, 
if  he  was  not  ushered  in  by  one  of  those  harmless,  but  very  charac- 
teristic, expletives.)  So  the  king  and  Sir  Charles  send  over  a 
king's  ship  in  midwinter,  "  The  Pantaloons  "  (in  former  times  she 
ought  to  have  gone  to  the  other  side  first,  the  French  being  then 
sans-culottes  ;  her  very  name  would  have  made  them  feel  comforta- 
ble), and  she  brings  a  messenger,  who  confers  with  my  good  friend 
Bankhead.  He  delivers  the  pacific  missives.  The  "  greatest  and 
best,"  albeit  full  of  fight,  his  "ever-pointed"  hair  brisding  defiance 
against  Louis  Philippe  and  all  that  belongs  to  him,  cannot  find  it  in 
his  heart  to  disgrace  such  friendly  wooing,  or  in  his  conscience  to 
send  the  messenger  "  back  as  he  came  ;  "  so  he  becomes  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  amenable  to  reason,  sends  back  a  favourable  answer, 
without  consulting  anybody.  (Why  should  he?  How  can  consulta- 
tion and  advisement  enlighten  the  focus  of  America's  glory?)  The 
vessel  returns  forthwith,  the  business  will  be  settled,  France  will 
pay  the  twenty- five  millions  of  francs  and  America  pocket  it, 
without  any  wear  and  tear  of  national  honour  and  dignity  on  either 
side,  and  England  will  have  the  credit  of  acting  like  a  kind  friend 
and  good  neighbour,  and  keep  clear  of  a  contingent  scrape  in  the 
bargain. 

Nothing  certain  is  known  about  this  business,  for  our  guardian 
angel  with  upright  hair  holds  it  derogatory  to  his  dignity  to  share 
"  responsibility  "  with  anybody.  The  people  need  not  know  any- 
thing about  such  matters  until  it  suits  him  to  tell  them,  and  he  is 
sure  of  their  hurrahs  in  every  supposable  case  ;  but  public  opinion 
seems  to  have  settled  the  question ;  men  have  taken  counsel  from 
their  hopes,  and  cry  Peace  !  Peace  !  God  send  that  it  may  be  so ; 
and  I  cry  Hurrah  for  William  the  Fourth  and  Andrew  Jackson,  the 
mediator  and  the  mediatee  ! 


198  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

February  6. — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us,  and  sat 
honestly,  like  good  fellows,  until  the  "  noon  of  night :  "  Mr.  J. 
W.  Wallack,  George  Barclay,  Samuel  Hay,  Charles  A.  Davis, 
James  G.  King,  Benjamin  E.  Bremner,  Robert  Ray,  William  L. 
Miller,  Frederick  Norton,  Washington  Irving,  Henry  Brevoort,  and 
Henry  Hone. 

February  12.  —  The  "  Erie  "  and  the  "  Rhone  "  arrived  to-day 
from  Havre,  the  latter  bringing  letters  to  the  9th  of  January.  The 
President's  message  had  arrived  in  Paris.  It  was  received  with  joy 
and  exultation  by  the  Americans,  and  is  considered  by  the  govern- 
ment and  the  chambers  as  removing  all  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
carrying  into  effect  the  treaty  of  indemnification.  These  arrivals 
bring  us  letters  from  Paris,  which  we  have  been  without  for  three 
weeks,  owing  to  the  horrible  weather,  which  has  kept  all  vessels 
from  entering  the  harbour.  The  Americans  in  Paris  are  elated  at 
the  eclat  which  attended  the  reception  of  the  message.  Mary 
writes  that  she  intends  to  shout  "  Hurrah  for  Jackson  !  "  as  long  as 
she  lives.  His  usual  good  luck  has  attended  him  throughout  this 
whole  affair,  wrong  as  he  may  have  been  in  the  commencement. 
The  French  have  managed  so  badly  as  to  place  him  on  the  vantage- 
ground  in  every  succeeding  step,  and  circumstances  have  conspired 
to  give  him  the  power  to  trump  the  last  trick  and  win  the  game 
whenever  he  pleased,  without  compromising  his  own  pride  or  the 
national  character. 

February  13.  —  By  the  bye,  I  think  the  merchants  are  wrong 
in  opposing  so  strenuously  the  wishes  of  the  up- town  people  to  have 
the  Post-Office  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the  City  Hall  park. 
The  Custom- House  and  the  P^xchange  are  properly  located  in  Wall 
street,  for  they  are  exclusively  devoted  to  the  merchants,  and  their 
wishes  should  alone  be  consulted  on  the  subject ;  but  it  is  not  so 
with  the  Post-Office.  Many  persons  in  the  upper  wards  are  in  the 
habit  of  receiving  letters,  —  not  so  many,  certainly,  as  the  Howlands 
and  the  Griswolds,  but  enough  to  give  them  a  right  to  a  say  in  the 
matter.     But  the  strongest  argument  is  one  of  policy,  and  in  disre- 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  1 99 

garding  it  the  merchants  are  short-sighted  ;  the  numerical  strength 
of  the  upper  wards  is  so  great  that  they  control  our  elections,  and 
have  on  all  municipal  questions  a  controlling  voice.  They  have 
been  foiled  in  one  or  two  affairs  of  this  kind,  and  are  somewhat 
savage  at  this  determination  of  the  "moneyed  aristocracy"  (for  that 
is  the  term  which  the  cant  of  the  demagogues  applies  to  the  mer- 
chants) to  keep  the  Post-Office  to  themselves;  they  would  consent 
to  a  compromise  which  would  place  this  establishment  near  the 
park  (the  site  of  the  present  Bridewell  would  be  a  grand  place, 
and  a  building  similar  to  the  Record  Office  would  make  a  splen- 
did finish),  and  that  location  would  be  permanent;  whereas  there 
is  danger  that,  if  Wall  street  is  now  agreed  upon,  the  pertinacity  of 
the  people  of  the  first  ward  would  be  punished  by  its  removal, 
before  five  years,  to  the  Bowery  or  Union  place. 

February  18. — The  following  fact,  proving  the  unprecedented 
severity  of  the  present  winter,  and  (I  should  say)  the  folly  of  the 
persons  concerned  in  the  exploit,  I  copy  from  one  of  the  news- 
papers, as  worthy  of  being  preserved  amongst  the  records  of  the 
weather  in  this  vicinity :  "■  A  friend  at  Cow  Neck  informs  us  that 
two  gentlemen  (Thomas  and  Adam  Mott),  on  the  7th  of  this 
month,  crossed  Long  Island  Sound  on  foot,  —  a  distance  of  seven 
and  a  half  miles,  —  on  the  ice,  from  the  mouth  of  Hempstead 
Harbour  to  Rye  Point,  in  Connecticut,  and  then  returned,  mak- 
ing a  distance  of  fifteen  miles." 

February  19.  —  Mr.  Biddle  has  foiled  his  impla- 
nie  a  es  ^^t^-^^  enemy.  General  Jackson.  The  United  States 
Bank  has  been  incorporated  in  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Every  effort  was  made  to  defeat  it  and  the  stale  charge 
of  bribery  brought  against  some  of  its  friends ;  but  it  passed  both 
Houses,  and  the  Governor,  Rittner,  having  signed  it,  "  the  monster" 
is  on  its  legs  again,  and  the  President  must  seek  his  retreat  "  in 
the  deserts  of  Arabia,"  where  he  swore  he  would  go  whenever 
the  bank  was  incorporated.  I  have  no  interest  in  the  matter,  and 
doubt  much  if  the  institution  of  so  great  a  bank  in  a  neighbouring 


200  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

State  may  not  prove  injurious  to  New  York ;  but  if  it  is  the  cause 
of  Jackson  going  to  Arabia  to  stay,  I  rejoice. 

February  23.  —  Twenty  lots  in  the  "burned  dis- 
SaieofLots.  trict,"  the  property  of  Joel  Post,  deceased,  were  sold 
at  auction  this  day,  by  James  Bleecker  &  Son,  at  most 
enormous  prices,  greater  than  they  would  have  brouglit  before  the 
fire,  when  covered  with  valuable  buildings.  This,  at  least,  is  the 
opinion  of  the  best  judges  of  the  value  of  down-town  property. 
The  settlement  of  the  French  question  has  had  much  to  do  in 
producing  this  result,  aided  by  the  spirit  of  speculation  and  the 
sanguine  hopes  of  the  merchants  of  a  great  business  this  year. 
The  lots  were  formed  principally  out  of  the  property  bought  by 
Mr.  Post  from  the  guardians  of  Mr.  Coster's  children,  for  which 
he  gave  $93,000.  They  fronted  on  Wall,  William,  and  Merchant 
streets,  and  Exchange  place,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
site  of  the  old  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  where  a  new  one  is 
to  be  built,  on  a  larger  and  more  magnificent  plan.  The  whole 
brought  $765,100. 

February  24. — The  trades-union  people  have  been 
Riots.  trying  for  some  time   past  to  get  up   a  row,  and   suc- 

ceeded yesterday.  The  journeymen  and  labouring 
men  of  different  occupations  have  struck  for  wages,  and  their 
employers,  in  most  instances,  have  resisted  them  with  firmness. 
The  stevedores  and  other  labourers  employed  along-shore  made  a 
demand  for  an  increase  of  wages,  which  the  employers  consented 
to,  in  consideration  of  the  severity  of  the  weather,  the  increased 
expense  of  living,  and  the  abundance  of  work ;  but  this  concession 
encouraged  further  demands,  and  they  would  not  go  to  work 
without  a  promise  of  the  new  wages  for  a  year  in  advance.  This 
was  resisted  ;  an  immense  body  of  the  malcontents  paraded  the 
wharves  all  yesterday  and  attacked  the  men  who  refused  to  join 
them.  Several  vessels  were  armed  to  protect  the  men  who  were 
willing  to  work.  Captain  Waite,  of  the  ship  "  United  States," 
loaded  a  four-pounder  with  grape  and  canister  shot,  determined  to 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  201 

oppose  their  boarding  the  vessel.  The  Mayor  and  police  magis- 
trates repaired  to  the  spot ;  some  of  the  officers  were  attacked  by 
the  rioters,  one  of  whom,  named  Brink,  had  his  skull  fractured,  and 
his  life  is  despaired  of.  While  this  disgraceful  scene  was  acting  on 
the  wharves,  a  large  body  of  labourers  assailed  the  men  who  were  at 
work  removing  the  rubbish  from  the  ruins  of  the  fire,  with  clubs 
and  brickbats ;  the  police  were  sent  for,  and  succeeded,  after  a 
battle,  in  capturing  four  or  five  of  the  ringleaders. 

The  Mayor,  who  acts  with  vigour  and  firmness,  ordered  out  the 
troops,  who  are  now  on  duty  with  loaded  arms,  ready  for  action. 
These  measures  have  restored  order  for  the  present,  but  I  fear  the 
elements  of  disorder  are  at  work ;  the  bands  of  Irish  and  other 
foreigners,  instigated  by  the  mischievous  councils  of  the  trades- 
union  and  other  combinations  of  discontented  men,  are  acquiring 
strength  and  importance  which  will  ere  long  be  difficult  to  quell. 

The    subscription    for   the    new    Exchange,    on    the 
■^^^  enlarged  plan,  has  been  filled  with  a  liberality  which 

Exchange. 

does  great  honour  to  our  merchants.  It  will  embrace 
the  whole  front  on  Wall  street  from  Exchange  place  to  William 
street,  taking  in  the  whole  block,  and  will  cost  from  ^1,000,000  to 
$1,200,000.  The  certainty  of  the  accomplishment  of  this  magnifi- 
cent project  was  one  of  the  causes  of  the  high  prices  of  Mr.  Post's 
property  at  the  sale  yesterday.  The  location  of  the  Exc^hange  in 
Wall  street  has  made  princely  fortunes  for  the  proprietors  of  lots 
in  the  first  ward.  If  it  had  been  originally  placed  in  the  park  (as 
was  strongly  urged  by  many  at  the  time)  my  house  would  now 
have  been  worth  more  money  than  all  the  property  of  Post's, 
which  has  been  sold  for  $765,100;  without  that  I  do  not  think 
that  it  would   have   brought   the  odd   $65,100. 

March  2.  — The  Fire-king  reigns  supreme  in  this  devoted  city; 
what  with  alterations,  pulling  down  and  burning  up,  the  city  in  the 
aggregate  is  rebuilt,  I  should  think,  about  once  in  seven  years. 

The  Hon.  John  Tyler,  member  of  the  Senate  from  Virginia,  a 
leading  Whig  and  an  influential  member  of  that  patriotic   party. 


202  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

resigned  his  seat,  on  Monday  last,  in  a  very  handsome  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  Vice-President.  It  is  understood  that  this  gentle- 
man has  withdrawn  his  valuable  services  from  the  public  at  this 
important  crisis  when  such  men  are  so  much  wanted,  from 
his  view  (a  mistaken  one,  I  humbly  conceive)  of  his  duty  to 
his  constituents,  who  have  instructed  him  and  his  worthy  col- 
league, Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh,  to  vote  for  the  expunging  resolu- 
tions (as  they  are  called),  in  which  they  are  to  condemn  their  own 
act  when  they  voted  that  the  President,  in  certain  of  his  rash 
measures,  had  transcended  his  powers  and  violated  the  constitu- 
tion. This,  of  course,  they  cannot  do,  as  honourable  men,  and 
Governor  Tyler,  maintaining  the  doctrine  that  the  representative 
is  governed  by  the  instructions  of  his  constituents,  has  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  resign  his  seat,  and,  to  the  gratification  of  the  admin- 
istration party,  leave  it  open  for  one  of  their  own  men ;  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia  having  at  present  (temporarily,  perhaps)  a 
small  majority  of  that  sort  of  folks. 

Thus  it  ever  is.  The  honourable,  high-minded  men,  viewing 
personal  consistency  as  of  greater  importance  than  party  fidelity, 
do  not  hesitate  to  maintain  the  one  at  the  expense  of  the  other, 
and  persons  less  scrupulous  usurp  their  stations  in  the  government. 
Who  ever  knew  a  Jackson  man  to  give  up  his  seat  one  day  before 
he  was  forced  to,  because  the  body  of  his  constituents,  much  less 
an  evanescent  Legislature,  held  political  opinions  different  from  his? 
This  change  will,  it  is  to  be  feared,  place  the  Websters,  the  Clays, 
the  Prestons,  the  Calhouns,  and  the  Leighs  in  a  minority,  and  the 
arm  of  power  will  be  extended  unchecked  over  this  great,  but 
hardly  ridden,  country.  It  is  hoped  the  opinions  of  Governor 
Tyler's  colleague  do  not  coincide  with  his,  and  that  he  will  not 
resign.  If  my  view  of  his  constitutional  obligations  is  correct,  he 
ought  not. 

March  7.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Duncan  of  Canandaigua,  Mr.  George  Grisvvold,  Samuel  Hay, 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  203 

S.  S.  Rowland,  J.  B.  Fleming,  Mr.  B.  L.  Swan,  I.  S.  Hone,  and 
Charles  Clinton. 

March  8.  —  I  have  this  day  sold  my  house  in  which 
Uo  s"^'  ■''    ^^^^'  ^^'  ^^5    Broadway,  to  Elijah   Boardman,  for 

$60,000,  to  be  converted  into  shops  below,  and  the 
upper  part  to  form  part  of  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Hotel,  kept  by  Edward  Milford,  in  which  I  imagine  Mr.  Boardman 
to  be  interested.  I  bought  this  property  on  the  8th  of  March, 
182 1,  after  my  return  from  Europe.  I  gave  Jonathan  Smith 
$25,000  for  it.  I  make  a  large  profit ;  but  the  rage  for  speculation 
is  at  present  so  high  that  it  will  prove  an  excellent  purchase.  The 
house  belonging  to  the  Phoenix  Insurance  Company,  two  or  three 
doors  above  Warren  street,  was  sold  this  day  at  auction,  for 
$40,000.  The  building  is  worth  little  or  nothing,  and  the  lot  only 
twenty-five  feet  by  one  hundred  and  six  feet ;  mine  is  thirty-seven 
feet  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  is  very  cheap  compared 
with  the  other. 

I  am  to  retain  possession  until  the  15  th  of  October,  unless  I 
choose  to  give  it  up  before.  I  shall  leave  this  delightful  house 
with  feelings  of  deep  regret.  The  splendid  rooms,  the  fine  situa- 
tion, my  snug  library,  well-arranged  books,  handsome  pictures, 
what  will  become  of  them  ?  I  have  turned  myself  out  of  doors ; 
but  $60,000  is  a  great  deal  of  money. 

Wednesday,  March  9.  —  After  the  breaking  up  of  the  Board  of 
the  Savings-Bank,  Mr.  Swan  and  I  walked  out  to  the  Second 
avenue,  St.  Mark's  place,  Tompkins  square,  and  Lafayette  place.  I 
am  turned  out  of  doors,  and  he  expects  soon  to  be.  Almost  every- 
body down-town  is  in  the  same  predicament,  for  all  the  dwelling- 
houses  are  to  be  converted  into  stores.  We  are  tempted  with 
prices  so  exorbitantly  high  that  none  can  resist,  and  the  old  down- 
town burgomasters,  who  have  fixed  to  one  spot  all  their  lives,  will 
be  seen,  during  the  next  summer,  in  flocks,  marching  reluctantly 
north  to  pitch  their  tents  in  places  which,  in  their  time,  were 
orchards,  corn-fields,  or   morasses  a    pretty  smart    distance    from 


204  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

town,  and  a  journey  to  which  was,  formerly,  an  affair  of  some 
moment,  and  required  preparation  beforehand,  but  which  consti- 
tute at  this  time  the  most  fashionable  quarter  of  New  York.  We 
did  not  see  any  lots  which  appeared  to  us  so  desirable  as  some  on 
Lafayette  place. 

March  12.  —  The  winter  is  not  yet  over;  the  wind  came  out 
from  the  north-west  last  night;  the  thermometer  is  down  to  18° 
this  morning,  and  the  high  banks  of  ice  in  the  streets  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  solid  walls  of  black  marble.  I  make  these  remarks  so 
frequently  about  the  weather,  because  I  imagine  the  winter  of 
1835-6  will  stand  hereafter  recorded  in  our  annals  as  the  hat-d 
winter  of  modern  days.  I  saw  it  mentioned  in  the  papers  that  the 
ice  has  been  sawed  through  in  Connecticut  river,  opposite  Hart- 
ford, and  found  to  be  forty  inches  in  thickness. 

Everything  in  New  York  is  at  an  exorbitant  price. 
High  prices.     Rents  have  risen  fifty  per  cent,  for  the  next  year.     I 

have  sold  my  house,  it  is  true,  for  a  large  sum ;  but 
where  to  go  I  know  not.  Lots  two  miles  from  the  City  Hall  are 
worth  $8,000  or  $10,000.  Even  in  the  eleventh  ward,  toward  the 
East  river,  where  they  sold  two  or  three  years  ago  for  $2,000  or 
$3,000,  they  are  held  now  at  $4,000  and  $5,000.  Everything  is  in 
the  same  proportion ;  the  market  was  higher  this  morning  than  I 
have  ever  known  it,  —  beef  twenty-five  cents  per  pound,  mutton 
and  veal  fifteen  to  eighteen  cents,  small  turkeys  a  dollar  and  a  half. 
This  does  very  well  for  persons  in  business  and  speculators,  who 
make,  as  the  saying  is,  "  one  hand  wash  another ;  "  but  it  comes 
hard  upon  those  retired  from  business,  who  live  upon  fixed  in- 
comes, particularly  public  officers,  clerks  in  banks  and  counting- 
houses,  whose  salaries  are  never  raised  in  proportion  to  the  in- 
creased expense  of  living. 

March  19.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Louis  McLane.     He 
Mr.  McLane.    occupics  the  housc  No.   I   Greenwich  street,  formerly 

Dominick  Lynch's,  and  more  recently  Abraham  Scher- 
merhorn's,  who  owns  it  still.     Mr.  McLane  is  one  of  the  ablest  and 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  20$ 

most  agreeable  men  I  ever  knew,  and  has  a  delightful  family.  He 
has  occupied  several  of  the  highest  stations  in  our  government; 
originally  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  for  the  State  of 
Maryland,  then  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States ;  in  both  houses 
he  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  members.  In  April,  1829, 
he  was  appointed  Minister  to  Great  Britain.  On  the  breaking  up 
of  General  Jackson's  first  cabinet,  in  April,  1831,  he  was  appointed, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  subsequently,  on  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Livingston,  he  was  made  Secretary  of  State,  which  office  he 
held  until  the  old  chief  made  the  place  too  hot  for  him.  He  re- 
signed, as  was  pretty  well  understood  at  the  time,  because  he  dis- 
approved of  the  removal  of  the  deposits ;  but  he  went  quietly  out 
of  office,  without  assigning  that  as  the  reason.  He  was  soon  after- 
ward elected  president  of  the  Morris  Canal  Company,  with  a  salary 
of  ^6,000,  and  became  a  citizen  of  New  York,  to  the  sincere  gratifi- 
cation of  all  the  New  Yorkers  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance. 

March  24.  —  I  dined  with  the  members  of  the  Reading  Club, 
at  Washington  Hotel.  There  were  about  twenty;  some  bright 
spirits  :  the  Duers,  Irving,  Hoffman,  Charles  King,  Davis,  Harvey, 
Colonel  White  of  Florida,  Fleming,  Patterson,  Halleck,  etc. 

I  bought  this  day,  from  Samuel  Ward,  for  ^15,000,  the  lot  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  twenty-nine  feet  wide  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  deep.  It  is  my  intention  to  build  a 
house  on  this  lot  for  my  own  residence,  after  I  shall  be  turned  out 
of  the  house  I  now  occupy. 

March  26.  —  The    Legislature    of  the    State   have 
Albany  granted  an  act  of  incorporation  to  a  company  to  con- 

struct a  tunnel  under  the  Hudson  river,  from  the  city 
of  Albany  to  the  east  side.  The  directors  named  in  the  bill  are  : 
Joel  N.  Note,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  Jr.,  James  Stevenson,  James 
Vanderpoel,  and  John  Townsend.  The  charter  is  in  perpetuity, 
without  a  reservation  of  the  power  to  modify  or  repeal.  The  width 
of  the  tunnel  is  to  be  twenty-four  feet  and  the  height  twelve  feet, 


206  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  56„ 

the  crown  of  the  arch  eighteen  inches  below  the  bed  of  the  river. 
This  is,  I  believe,  the  first  tunnel  under  water  in  this  country. 
New  York  is  ever  first  in  works  of  improvement  and  enterprise. 

March  29.  —  The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  on 
Mr.  Webster  in  q-j^^j-g^^y  j^^sj-  [^^  convention,  renominated  Mr.  Webster 

Massachusetts.  •' 

for  President,  and  nominated  Mr.  Granger  for  Vice- 
President.  Their  resolutions  are  patriotic  and  uncompromising. 
They  go  for  principle,  not  for  expediency.  A  letter  from  Mr. 
Webster  was  read  at  this  convention  worthy  of  himself.  He  prefers 
to  retire  from  the  contest,  but  will  stand  by  his  friends  and  by  the 
Constitution,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  whether  in  majorities  or 
minorities,   in  prosperous  or   in  adverse  fortune." 

April  4.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  a  party  given  at  Mrs.  Fred- 
erick Sheldon's,  Bowling  Green.  Everything  was  in  admirable 
taste,  and  the  pictures  and  other  works  of  art  which  were  collected 
by  the  host  and  hostess  during  their  late  visit  to  Europe  were 
displayed  to  great  advantage. 

April  5 .  —  This  celebrated    lady   is    now    in    New 
,,'^^.  York.     She   arrived   here    last    autumn,  and  has  been 

Martineau. 

travelling  in  the  Southern  States.  She  brought  me  a 
letter  from  Mr.  MacCready.  Margaret  and  I  called  upon  her. 
She  has  been  at  our  house,  and  this  morning  I  called  again  to  see 
her.  I  was  apprehensive,  from  her  high  literary  reputation,  that  I 
should  find  her  a  little  too  blue  to  be  agreeable.  But  it  is  not  at 
all  the  case ;  she  is  pleasant  and  unaffected,  has  great  vivacity, 
talks  well  upon  all  subjects,  and  is  fond  of  laughing ;  with  these 
qualifications  she  is,  of  course,  an  engaging  companion.  The  only 
difficulty  in  conversing  with  her  arises  from  her  great  deafness, 
which  is  obviated  (at  least  so  far  as  one  speaker  at  a  time  is  con- 
cerned) by  the  use  of  a  trumpet  formed  of  a  tube  of  gum-elastic, 
one  end  of  which  she  places  in  her  right  ear,  while  the  mouth  of 
the  person  conversing  with  her  is  applied  to  the  other. 

April  7.  —  The  Reading  Club  gave  a  dinner,  at  Washington 
Hotel,  to    IMr.   John  Duer,  on  the  occasion  of  his  departure  for 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  20/ 

Europe.  My  engagement  prevented  me  from  going  until  nine  o'clock, 
at  which  time  I  joined  the  party,  and  I  have  seldom  passed  so  agree- 
able an  evening.  I  was  too  late  for  a  speech  from  the  distinguished 
guest,  which  was  agreed  on  ail  hands  to  have  been  admirable,  but 
the  whole  time  until  the  hour  of  breaking  up  (half- past  twelve 
o'clock)  was  a  scene  of  joviality,  wit,  and  brilliancy.  Many  excel- 
lent speeches  were  made,  and  innumerable  good  things  said,  which 
literally  "  set  the  table  in  a  roar." 

Henry  S.  Hoyt,  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Goold  Hoyt,  was  married  at 
the  college,  this  day,  at  noon,  to  Frances,  eldest  daughter  of  Wm. 
A,  Duer,  LL.D.,  President  of  the  college. 

April  8.  —  We  had  a  dinner-party  to-day  consisting  of  the 
following  ladies  and  gentlemen:  Mrs.  and  Miss  McLane  (Mr. 
McLane  is  absent).  President  and  Mrs.  Duer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  R.  Jones,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  A.  Hamilton, 
Mr.  Washington  Irving,  Mr.  Chas.  McEvers,  Jr.,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peter  Schermerhorn,  Miss  Sarah  Duer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  S.  Hone, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  Miss  Mary  Hamilton,  Mr.  Hay,  Mr.  Nicholas 
Low,  Edward  Schermerhorn. 

April  22.  —  I-  this  day  hired  the  house  belonging  to  Mr. 
Bloomer,  the  upper  one  of  the  two  marble  houses  with  porticos  in 
Broadway,  opposite  Washington  place,  for  $1,600  per  annum.  It 
is  a  fine  house,  delightfully  situated,  and  quite  convenient  to  the 
place  where  I  intend  to  build. 

May  9.  —  There  is  much  excitement  in  relation  to 
exican  .^    rcvolt  of  the  pcoplc  of  Tcxas  against  the  Govern- 

ment  of  Mexico.  These  people,  fugitives  and  rene- 
gades from  the  United  States,  having  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion 
(or  revolution,  I  suppose  they  call  it)  against  the  Government  under 
which  they  have  chosen  to  live,  and,  having  been  unsuccessful  thus 
far,  now  claim  the  protection  of  the  Government  of  this  country. 
They  abandoned  America  as  citizens,  and  General  Jackson,  having 
failed  in  getting  up  a  French  war,  seems  determined  to  recognize 
this  sort  of  paternity,  and  have  a  tilt  of  some  kind  before  he  doffs 


208  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

his  knightly  armor  as  Grand  Master  of  the  Columbian  Order.  In- 
structions have  been  given  to  General  Gaines  to  protect  the  United 
States  frontier  bordering  on  Texas,  at  all  events.  This  is  very  well 
as  far  as  it  goes,  but  his  orders  will  warrant  him  in  leading  his  forces 
over  the  Mexican  line,  if,  in  his  oi)inion,  there  should  be  indications 
of  a  hostile  intention  ;  in  other  words,  giving  him  authority  to  com- 
mence a  war  without  the  sanction  of  Congress,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  "  old  chief"  has  intimated  to  him  that  that  course  would 
"  break  no  squares"  at  Washington.  These  facts  came  out  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  on  Friday  last,  on  a  resolution  of  Mr. 
Cambreling  to  appropriate  a  million  of  dollars  for  the  protection 
of  the  Mexican  frontier.  Colonel  White  is  in  town ;  he  told  me 
on  Saturday  that  he  considers  a  Mexican  war  as  a  very  probable 
event.     The  Western  speculators  will  be  all  in  favor  of  it. 

May  14.  —  This  has  been  a  busy  week  for  me.  I  have  done 
more  work  than  in  any  other  week  since  I  quitted  business.  On 
Monday  morning  I  commenced  the  removal  of  the  library;  the 
bookcases  were  taken  to  pieces,  carried  to  the  new  house,  and  are 
now  nearly  ready  to  receive  the  books,^which  are  all  there  lying  on 
the  floor,  tied  up  and  labelled  with  the  numbers  of  the  shelves. 
Having  had  two  wine- closets  and  a  part  of  the  cellar  shelved  and 
prepared,  we  began  on  Thursday  morning  to  remove  the  wine  from 
the  garret  and  wine -room  of  the  old  house,  in  which  a  great  part 
of  it  has  remained  untouched  fourteen  years.  It  went  away  in 
fifteen  cartloads  of  baskets.  I  received  it,  stowed  it  away  nicely, 
and  took  an  inventory  of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty 
quarts  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  half-gallon  bottles  of  Madeira 
and  sherry;  so  that  job  is  done. 

May  28. — There  has  been  another  disgraceful  riot 
Th^^ir  ^^^  at  the  Park  Theatre.  Mr.  ^^^ood,  notwithstanding  he 
sings  so  well,  is  the  cause  of  this  breach  of  harmony. 
Music  may  have  "charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,"  but  not  the 
breast  of  the  pugnacious  Mr.  Webb,  editor  of  "  The  Courier  and 
Enquirer."     This  important  personage  charged  Wood  with  unkind- 


1S36.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  209 

ness  and  a  want  of  gallantry  towards  Mrs.  Conduit,  a  little  woman 
who  sings  well  and  is  pretty,  and  has  been  associated  with  the 
Woods  in  some  of  their  operas.  This  occasioned  Mr.  Wood  to  be 
hissed  ;  he  came  forward  and  denied  the  charge.  Webb  reiterated 
it ;  Wood  challenged  him ;  the  audience  on  a  subsequent  evening 
again  expressed  their  disapprobation,  and  were  not  satisfied  with 
his  explanation.  In  yesterday  morning's  "  Courier  and  Enquirer," 
Mr.  Webb,  in  a  most  reprehensible  article,  calls  upon  the  populace 
to  go  that  evening  to  the  theatre  and  drive  Wood  off  the  stage. 
This,  of  course,  had  the  desired  effect ;  for  when  was  there  a  difficulty 
in  finding  ruffians  enough  not  only  to  break  into  a  theatre  when 
thus  instigated,  but  to  pull  down,  set  fire  to,  and  destroy  the  city 
if  they  had  a  chance  ?  Mr.  Webb  succeeded ;  an  immense  mob 
collected  about  the  theatre,  forced  an  entrance,  and  compelled  Mr. 
Simpson  to  withdraw  the  Woods  and  promise  that  they  would  not 
again  appear.  This  was  the  last  engagement  of  those  charming 
singers  previous  to  their  return,  and  I  and  others  must  be  deprived 
of  the  pleasure  of  hearing  them  because  Mr.  Webb  charges  Mr. 
Wood  with  impoliteness,  and  he  denies  it.  As  well  may  this  pre- 
sumptuous newspaper  editor  exert  the  power  of  the  press  which  he 
conducts  to  the  gratification  of  personal  pique  or  private  resent- 
ment, and  the  public,  the  orderly  part  of  the  public,  must  acquiesce, 
and  relinquish  a  rational  amusement,  or  engage  in  a  disgraceful 
contest  with  the  loafers  and  Five-pointers  who  are  ever  ready  to 
respond  to  such  a  call  as  they  received  on  this  occasion. 

May  30.  —  I  called  yesterday  to  see  an  old  friend.  Dr.  Peter 
Irving,  who  arrived  on  Saturday,  in  the  ship  "  Erie,"  from  Havre. 
He  has  resided  in  France  twenty- seven  years,  during  which  time 
I  have  not  seen  him,  for  I  missed  him  in  182 1  when  I  was  in 
Havre,  owing  to  his  absence  from  home.  He  expresses  some  sur- 
prise at  my  gray  hairs,  but  he  will  find  other  changes  equally 
astonishing.  How  strange  must  be  the  feelings  of  a  New  Yorker, 
absent  so  long,  in  witnessing  the  changes  which  have  taken  place ; 
for  no  description  can  give  the  same  idea  of  it  as  actual  observation. 


2IO  THE    DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [Etat.  56. 

May  31.  —  I  am  a  great  lover  of  flowers.  They  furnish  at  all 
times,  and  particularly  in  the  spring,  enjoyment  of  the  most  refined 
and  delicate  nature,  —  a  species  of  enjoyment  which  ranks  with 
reading  of  poetry,  looking  at  a  fine  picture,  and  drinking  a  glass  of 
Chateau  Margaux,  in  which  the  senses  are  gratified  without  sen- 
suality. 

June  2.  —  There  arrived  at  this  port,  during  the  month  of  May, 
15,825  passengers.  All  Europe  is  coming  across  the  ocean;  all 
that  part  at  least  who  cannot  make  a  living  at  home  ;  and  what 
shall  we  do  with  them?  They  increase  our  taxes,  eat  our  bread, 
and  encumber  our  streets,  and  not  one  in  twenty  is  competent  to 
keep  himself. 

June  3.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Chancellor 
Kent,  Luther  Bradish,  Wm.  H.  Seward,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  Charles 
King,  Charles  H.  Russell,  John  Van  Buren,  Murray,  Isaac  S.  Hone, 
Charles  A.  Davis. 

June  6.  —  In  corroboration  of  the  remarks  which  I 
journeyman      ]^r^yQ  occasiouallv  made  of  kite,  on  the  spirit  of  faction 

Tailors.  '  '  -^ 

and  contempt  of  the  laws  which  pervades  the  commu- 
nity at  this  time,  is  the  conduct  of  the  journeymen  tailors,  instigated 
by  a  set  of  vile  foreigners  (principally  English),  who,  unable  to 
endure  the  restraints  of  wholesome  law,  well  administered  in  their 
own  country,  take  refuge  here,  establish  trades-unions,  and  vilify 
Yankee  judges  and  juries.  Twenty  odd  of  these  were  convicted  at 
the  Oyer  and  Terminer  of  a  conspiracy  to  raise  their  wages  and  to 
prevent  any  of  the  craft  from  working  at  prices  less  than  those  for 
which  they  struck.  Judge  Edwards  gave  notice  that  he  would 
proceed  to  sentence  them  this  day  ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
tinuance of  Robinson's  trial,  the  Court  postponed  the  sentence  until 
Friday. 

This,  however,  being  the  day  on  which  it  was  expected,  crowds 
of  people  have  been  collected  in  the  park,  ready  for  any  mischief 
to  which  they  may  have  been  instigated,  and  a  most  diabolical  and 
inflammatory  hand-bill  was  circulated  yesterday,  headed  by  a  coffin. 


1836.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  211 

The  Board  of  Aldermen  held  an  informal  meetmg  this  evening,  at 
which  a  resolution  was  adopted  authorizing  the  Mayor  to  offer  a 
reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  author,  printer,  publisher,  or  dis- 
tributor of  this  incendiary  publication.  The  following  was  the 
hand-bill :  — 

"  THE    RICH    AGAINST    THE    POOR  ! 

"Judge  Edwards,  the  tool  of  the  aristocracy,  against  the  people  ! 
Mechanics  and  working  men  !  A  deadly  blow  has  been  struck  at 
your  liberty  !  The  prize  for  which  your  fathers  fought  has  been 
robbed  from  you  !  the  freemen  of  the  North  are  now  on  a  level 
with  the  slaves  of  the  South  !  with  no  other  privilege  than  labouring, 
that  drones  may  fatten  on  your  life-blood  !  Twenty  of  your  breth- 
ren have  been  found  guilty  for  presuming  to  resist  a  reduction  of 
their  wages  !  and  Judge  Edwards  has  charged  an  American  jury, 
and  agreeably  to  that  charge,  they  have  established  the  precedent 
that  workingmen  have  no  right  to  regulate  the  price  of  labour,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  rich  are  the  only  judges  of  the  wants  of  the 
poor  man.  On  Monday,  June  6,  1836,  at  ten  o'clock,  these 
freemen  are  to  receive  their  sentence,  to  gratify  the  hellish  appe- 
tites of  the  aristocrats  ! 

"  On  Monday,  the  liberty  of  the  workingmen  will  be  interred  ! 
Judge  Edwards  is  to  chant  the  requiem  !  Go  !  Go  !  Go  !  every 
freeman,  every  workingman,  and  hear  the  hollow  and  the  melan- 
choly sound  of  the  earth  on  the  coffin  of  equality  !  Let  the  court- 
room, the  City  Hall,  yea  !  the  whole  park,  be  filled  with  mourners  ; 
but  remember,  offer  no  violence  to  Judge  Edwards,  bend  meekly, 
and  receive  the  chain  wherewith  you  are  to  be  bound  !  Keep  the 
peace  !     Above  all  things,  keep  the  peace  !  " 

June    7.  —  I  had  a  letter  to-day  from  the   accom- 
johnGait.        plished    author    of    the    "Ayrshire     Legatees"    and 
"  Annals  of  the  Parish  "  and  "  Eleven  Strokes  and  Ag- 
gravations of  Paralysis."     The  latter,  he  says,   "  Have  disabled  me 
from  taking  part  any  longer  in  the  uses  of  the  world  "  ;  but  his 


212  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE:  [.Etat.  56. 

mental   fliciilties  appear  to  be  unimpaired,  and   he   does   me   the 

honour  to  say,  that  unless  I  forbid  him  he  intends  to  inscribe  to 

me  a  "little   book,"   for  which  he  has  been  arranging  materials, 

"that   I   may  have  an  opportunity,"  he  adds,  "of  stating  my  own 

impressions  of  the  United  States,  for  the  topic  now  begins  to  be 

popular  here,  and  favourable  opinions  begin  to  be  appreciated." 

June  9. — Among  the  fleet  of  vessels  which  sailed 

yesterday  and  to-day  were  the  "  Havre,"  havinsj  as  pas- 
Departures.      -^  •'  •'  . 

sengers  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cottenet  and  children,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boreel,  and  Miss  Langdon  ;  the  "  Montreal,"  with  Mr.  Steven- 
son, the  new  Minister  to  England,  his  lady  and  Miss  Coles  and 
Allyn  Otis.  The  "  Sheffield,"  in  which  Mr.  Wallack  went ;  she  was 
ready  for  sea  on  the  24th  of  May,  and  was  prevented  from  day 
to  day  by  the  easterly  storm.  The  "  Montreal  "  was  the  packet  of 
the  first  instant.  Arrived  yesterday,  from  Liverpool,  the  "  Orpheus." 
Temple  Bowdoin  was  one  of  her  passengers. 

June  13.  —  Yesterday  morning  was  clear,  bright,  and  beautiful, 
and  we  enjoyed  in  our  new  residence  \\\)  town  all  the  pleasures  of 
the  country.  The  air  was  refreshing,  the  trees  in  full  verdure, 
the  birds  sang  sweetly,  and  when  I  walked  down  to  Trinity  Church 
(where  I  shall  continue  to  go  at  least  once  a  day),  I  met  and 
overtook  crowds  .  of  well-dressed  persons  on  their  way  to  the 
several  places  of  divine  worship.  It  looked  indeed  as  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Christian  Sabbath  always  should. 

June   17. — A  new  club  is  about  being  established, 
"'°"  at  the  head  of  which  are  a  number  of  our  most  dis- 

Club. 

tinguished  citizens,  to  consist  of  four  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  to  be  similar  in  its  plan  and  regulations  to  the  great 
clubs  of  London,  which  give  a  tone  and  character  to  the  society 
of  the  British  metropolis.  A  meeting  was  held  this  evening,  at 
the  Athenaeum,  to  organize  the  club,  at  which  I  was  earnestly  in- 
vited to  attend,  but  I  could  not  get  away  from  Mr.  Griffin's  in 
time. 

June  20.  —  In  the  ship  "Samson,"  arrived  yesterday  from  Lon- 


1836.]  .THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  213 

don,  came  passengers  Charles  Parish,  N.  P.  Willis  and  his  new 
English  wife,  and  the  Right  Hon.  Edward  EUice.  Greenough  the 
sculptor  arrived  here  a  few  days  since,  and  went  to  Washington. 
I  did  not  see  him.  His  talents  are  an  honour  to  his  country,  and 
his  fellow-citizens  should  be  proud  of  him.  He  is  engaged  in  a 
great  work  by  order  of  Congress,  a  statue  of  Washington,  which 
I  presume  is  the  object  of  his  visit  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Naudian  having  resigned,  his  place  in  the  Sen- 
Senator'^^         atc  of  the  United  States  has  been  filled  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Richard  H.  Bayard,  by  a  vote  of  seventeen 
to  ten. 

This  is  the  gentleman  whose  society  and  that  of  his  charming 
wife  afforded  us  so  much  pleasure  last  summer  at  Rockaway.  He 
is  a  thorough  Whig,  but  the  party  gains  nothing  in  their  number 
by  his  election,  his  predecessor  being  equally  so.  The  little  State 
of  Delaware  is  a  precious  jewel  in  the  political  diadem.  She  has 
always  been  governed  by  good  principles  and  represented  by 
talents. 

Excursion  ALBANY,  JuNE  23.  — A  party  of  gentlemen  consisting 

in  the  of  the  managers  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Company, 

"Novelty."  togctlicr  with  Matthcw  St.  Clair  Clarke,  Colonel 
McKinny,  Mr..  Bradley  of  Washington,  the  Collector,  Elisha 
Townsend,  and  others,  went  on  board  the  "  Novelty  "  this  morning 
at  six  o'clock,  at  the  foot  of  Chambers  street  in  New  York,  and 
came  to  Albany  in  twelve  hours. 

This  was  the  first  voyage  ever  made  from  New  York  to  Albany 
by  a  steamboat  propelled  by  anthracite  coal.  Dr.  Nott  has  been 
engaged  for  several  years  in  contriving  machinery  to  accomplish 
this  important  object,  and  has  now  succeeded  completely.  The 
great  desideratum  was  to  contrive  the  means  of  igniting  the  coal, 
and  producing  a  flame  sufficient  to  create  the  steam.  This  has 
been  effected  by  condensing  hot  air,  which,  by  injection  into  the 
bottom  of  the  furnaces,  accomplishes  this  object,  and  forces  the 
flame  into  a  chamber  in  which  are.  a  great  number  of  iron  tubes 


214  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  56. 

of  the  size  of  gun -barrels,  placed  vertically.  There  are  four  of 
these  furnaces.  The  quantity  of  coal  consumed  on  this  trip  was 
about  twenty  tons,  which  at  five  dollars  per  ton  amounts  to  one 
hundred  dollars.  The  same  voyage  would  have  consumed  forty 
cords  of  fine  wood,  the  present  price  of  which  is  six  dollars,  making 
a  difference  of  more  than  one-half.  Dr.  Nott,  who  was  on  board, 
has  made  experiments  the  result  of  which  is  that  the  difference  of 
exi)ense  on  board  the  "  Novelty  "  during  one  season  will  amount  to 
^19,000.  The  "  Erie  "  left  New  York  an  hour  after  us,  and  arrived 
two  hours  after  our  arrival,  but  she  made  the  usual  stops,  and  we 
came  directly  on,  so  that  their  speed  was  probably  nearly  equal. 
The  tide  was  against  us  all  day,  and  there  is  a  great  freshet  in  the 
river.  Dr.  Nott  has  succeeded  completely  in  this  invention,  which 
establishes  the  certainty  that  coal  will  supersede  wood  in  all  our 
steamboats,  and  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Company  will  hereafter 
be  able  to  sell  all  the  coal  they  can  bring  down  the  canal  at  an 
advanced  price. 

June  30.  —  This  enlightened  statesman  and  illustrious 
^^,  ",.         citizen.  Tames  Madison,  former  President  of  the  United 

Mr.  Madison.  '  •'  ' 

States,  died  on  Tuesday  last.  He  had  been  gradually 
sinking  for  some  time  past.  It  is  a  pity  he  had  not  lingered  six 
days  longer,  that  his  death  might  have  occurred,  like  those  of  Jeffer- 
son and  the  elder  Adams,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  political  birth- 
day of  the  country  over  which  they  had  severally  ruled. 

July  2.  —  Joseph  Bonaparte,  formerly  King  of  Naples 
^*'""*^  and  afterward  of  Spain,  now  bearing  the  tide  of  Count 

Survilliers. 

Survilliers,  after  a  residence  in  this  country  of  twenty 
years,  yesterday  took  his  final  leave  and  sailed  for  London  in  the 
packet  ship  "  Philadelphia."  During  his  residence  in  the  United 
States  he  has  conciliated  the  f^ivourable  opinions  of  all  who  knew 
him,  and  has  left  an  exceedingly  good  name  amongst  his  immediate 
neighbours  at  Bordentovvn,  where  he  has  a  fine  estate,  on  which  he 
has  lived  for  a  great  portion  of  the  time  of  his  residence  among  us. 
July  ii. — The  discouraging  accounts  of  Mary's  health,  and  the 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  21$ 

uncertainty  we  are  in  respecting  the  movements  of  my  children, 
have  determined  me  to  go  to  Europe  on  Saturday  next,  unless  we 
should  receive  letters  before  that  day  rendering  it  unnecessary.  My 
daughter  Margaret  will  be  my  companion.  I  went  on  board  the 
ship  *'  England  "  this  morning  and  engaged  our  staterooms. 

At  Sea,  July  16.  —  We  went  on  board  the  steamboat  this  morn- 
ing at  eleven  o'clock.  Many  of  our  friends  attended  to  take  leave 
of  us,  and  several  accompanied  us  to  the  ship,  which  was  lying  below 
Governor's  Island.  The  party  partook  of  a  luncheon  on  board, 
and  leaving  us  off  Fort  Hamilton,  with  three  cheers  of  encourage- 
ment and  kind  wishes,  we  commenced  our  voyage  to  Liverpool  on 
board  the  good  ship  "  England,"  commanded  by  Captain  Waite,  an 
able  seaman  and  a  gentlemanly  man.  The  "  England  "  is  a  noble, 
fast-sailing  ship  of  731  tons'  burden. 

The  weather  was  bright  at  the  time  of  sailing,  but  the  wind 
northeast,  as  it  has  been  for  so  great  a  portion  of  the  time 
during  the  present  summer,  and  the  departure  of  our  friends  in  the 
steamboat  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for  its  increase,  for  by  two 
o'clock  it  blew  a  gale  from  that  inauspicious  quarter  directly  on 
shore,  with  a  rough  sea,  and  our  ship  pitching  heavily. 

July  18.  —  The  wind  north-east,  blowing  hard  and  cold,  with  a 
heavy  cross-sea.  The  passengers  generally  sick,  but  I  have  recov- 
ered, and  eaten  my  allowance.  I  dined  heartily  on  a  fresh  salmon, 
and  drank  my  usual  quantity  of  wine  at  dinner.  Margaret,  the 
only  lady  at  the  table.  She  is  a  famous  sailor  ;  she  sits  on  the  bul- 
warks, to  which  lofty  station  she  is  assisted  by  me,  or  some  other  of 
the  gentlemen,  and  enjoys  the  wild  scene  as  the  gallant  ship  makes 
her  way  through  the  mountain  billows. 

July  19. — We  have  had  one  of  those  incidents  to-day  which 
sometimes  break  in  agreeably  upon  the  monotony  of  a  sea  voyage. 
A  sail  ahead  was  descried  early  in  the  morning,  which  we  soon 
made  out  to  be  a  large  ship  steering  the  same  course.  We  gained 
steadily  upon  her,  until  it  was  ascertained  to  be  the"  Charlemagne  " 
under  a  great  press  of  sail.     How  she  got  ahead  so  far  to  wind- 


2l6  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

ward  I  could  not  make  out.  She  must  have  gotten  a  streak  of 
more  favorable  wind,  but  we  came  fast  up  with  her.  Captain  Waite 
"whipped  up,"  and  to  his  great  satisfaction  passed  her  to  windward 
at  four  ^'clock  and  hoisted  the  "  star  spangled  banner,"  which  was 
returned  by  the  "Charlemagne."  This  is  certainly  very  interesting, 
and  proves  the  perfection  of  the  art  of  navigation.  Here  were 
two  ships,  starting  together  from  New  York,  after  three  days  sailing 
nearly  five  hundred  miles,  in  gales  of  wind,  come  in  sight  of  each 
other  so  near  that  every  person  on  board  can  be  distinguished  and 
almost  hear  each  other's  voices.  The  "Charlemagne  "  sails  fast,  but 
we  have  certainly  beaten  her  handsomely.  It  was  a  glorious  sight, 
when  we  were  abreast  of  her,  and  saw  her  swelling  canvas  —  royals, 
studding-sails  and  all  —  and  her  bright,  high  sides,  rising  from  the 
waves  like  a  walled  city  and  plunging  again  into  the  glittering  abyss 
of  waters. 

July  28.  — At  four  o'clock  we  were  called  from  dinner  to  see  a 
large  ship  which  was  nearly  abreast  of  us  to  windward.  She  proved 
to  be  the  shij)  "  Kensington"  from  Liverpool  bound  to  New  York. 
The  passengers  exchanged  cheers,  and  the  captain  might  as  well 
have  come  down  to  speak  to  us  as  not.  AVe  were  as  close  to  the 
wind  as  the  ship  could  possibly  steer,  and,  of  course,  could  not  have 
gone  nearer.  This  appears  to  have  been  excessively  cliurlish.  It 
would  have  been  a  great  satisfaction  to  us  to  hear  news,  but  a  much 
greater  to  send  our  greetings  to  those  dear  ones  we  had  left  at 
home.  But  the  "  Lexington  "  cannot  well  avoid  reporting  us  on 
her  arrival,  and  our  friends  will  know  that  on  this  day,  twelve  days 
out,  we  have  made  about  two-thirds  of  our  voyage. 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  witness  these  two  splendid  ships  pas- 
sing each  other,  both  close-hauled,  on  different  tacks.  The  "  Ken- 
sington "  rose  and  sank  on  the  waves  with  the  majesty  of  the  eagle 
and  the  calmness  of  the  swallow.  This  is  always  an  interesting  in- 
cident on  a  voyage,  but  there  was  something  more  beautiful  in  this 
view  than  in  any  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  witnessed. 

July   29.  —  We  have  two  ladies,  passengers,  who   exemplify  the 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  21/ 

two  extremes  in  the  American  female  character.  Mrs.  May,  of 
Boston,  is  a  regular  Yankee,  quick  of  apprehension,  intelligent, 
handy,  self-confident,  a  person  qualified  to  take  care  of  herself  in 
every  situation  in  which  circumstances  could  place  her.  She  is  (I 
undertake  to  say)  in  all  respects  a  helpmate  to  her  husband. 
Mrs.  Hammond  is  soft,  languishing,  and  inert,  and  her  listlessness 
of  manner  proclaiming  her  at  once  a  South  Carolinean,  with  more 
feminine  loveliness  than  the  lady  just  described.  She  appears  to 
be  incapable  of  the  least  exertion,  and  would  starve,  I  verily  believe, 
if  she  had  nobody  to  help  her  to  food.  She  and  her  husband  (who 
is  a  member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina)  lounge  all  day  on 
sofas  in  the  cabin  and  a  mattress  on  deck,  and  neither  of  them 
have  been  at  the  table  during  the  voyage,  except  once  that  the  lady 
made  an  effort  and  dined  with  the  passengers.  This  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  bad  health  of  both  the  husband  and  wife. 
But  Mrs.  May  would  require  to  be  a  great  deal  worse  than  either 
before  she  would  consent  to  give  up.  There  does  not  seem  to  be 
much  congeniality  between  these  two  ladies.  There  is  too  much 
dissimilarity  in  their  habits  and  dispositions  to  admit  of  it.  The 
one  must  despise  the  other  for  her  business-like  qualities,  and  she 
in  return  wonders  how  a  lady  can  submit  to  be  served  by  slaves  in 
matters  which  she  ought  herself  to  attend  to.  My  daughter 
Margaret,  from  having  been  brought  up  on  neutral  ground,  is 
nearer  right  in  those  particulars  than  either,  and  I  am  greatly  mis- 
taken if  all  the  passengers  are  not  of  the  same  opinion. 

July  31.  —  I  arose  early  and  went  upon  deck.  It  was  a  fine 
morning ;  the  ship  sailing  ten  knots  an  hour ;  the  sea  bright  and 
blue,  with  that  sort  of  crispness  in  the  curling  of  the  waves  and  the 
sparkling  of  the  white  foam  which  is  usually  a  concomitant  of 
westerly  wind.  We  shall  make  a  better  run  during  this  twenty-four 
hours  than  any  since  we  left  New  York.  Captain  Waite  says  she 
sailed  faster  during  the  night  than  he  ever  saw  her  before,  and  he 
thinks  her  the  fastest  sailer  in  the  American  merchant  navy. 

Why  is  it  that  the  Sabbath  morning  always  appears  more  solemn 


2l8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   IIOXE.  [/Etat.  56. 

to  me  than  any  other?  There  are  many  things  on  shore  to  produce 
that  effect.  The  hum  of  business  is  hushed  ;  the  streets  deserted ; 
the  world  reposes  in  a  sort  of  conventional  quietude,  but  here  on 
the  ocean  there  are  no  such  marks  to  denote  the  return  of  the  day 
of  rest ;  and  yet  when  I  went  on  deck  this  morning  I  felt  myself 
influenced  by  the  consciousness  that  this  day  was  set  apart  from 
the  others,  and  that  I  was  enjoined  "  to  keep  it  holy."  It  is 
indeed  a  holy  institution.  No  man  who  acknowledges  a  depend- 
ence upon  the  Almighty  Clovernor  of  the  univ^erse  can  avoid  feel- 
ing that  upon  this  day  of  rest  he  is  more  immediately  brought  in 
the  presence  of  his  Maker.  I  hope  I  do  not  mistake  my  own  sen- 
sations, and  attribute  to  an  innate  principle  of  right  the  conscious- 
ness that  one  cannot  help  feeling  of  helplessness  and  reliance  upon 
the  Almighty  when  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  a  sea  voyage,  but  I 
certainly  felt  this  morning  my  mind  elevated  by  the  knowledge 
that  this  was  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  At  the  request  of  the 
passengers,  I  read  the  morning  service  of  our  church,  and  I  trust 
the  manner  was  not  less  acceptable  for  the  reflections  of  the  morn- 
ing, the  result  of  which  I  have  given  above. 

Our  accommodations  are  excellent.  The  most  abundant  pro- 
vision has  been  made,  and  we  have  every  day  as  good  a  table  as 
the  most  fastidious  gastronome  could  desire.  A  sheep  and  a  pig 
were  killed  last  ev^ening,  and  plenty  of  jioultry ;  and  our  larder 
presents  a  most  inviting  appearance.  The  passengers  are  good- 
humoured,  accomuK^dating,  and  jovial,  and  if  I  were  not  anxious  to 
see  my  children  I  should  not  have  any  great  objection  to  prolong 
our  voyage  a  week  beyond  the  time  at  whicli  we  may  expect  to 
arrive,  if  the  wind  hold  on. 

August  3.  — At  noon,  however,  the  wind  died  away,  and  it  became 
perfectly  calm  and  continued  so  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  Not 
a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  to  agitate  the  sails,  and  the  waters  of  the 
variable  Channel  were  smooth  as  a  mirror.  Oh,  for  a  steamboat  at 
such  a  time  !  Genius  of  Fulton  !  if  ever  thou  art  dear  to  the  mem- 
ory of   thy  countrymen  it  must  be  when,  at  the  close  of  a  long 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  219 

voyage,  they  become  suddenly  becalmed  within  a  few  hours  of  the 
port  of  their  destination.  Wind  and  sails  are  nothing  now  com- 
pared to  steam  and  paddles,  and  we  had  the  mortification  of  real- 
izing this  fact  this  afternoon,  by  seeing  a  large  steamer  (I  am  in 
England  now,  and  must  talk  as  the  English  talk)  puffing  and 
wheezing  and  smoking  rapidly  on  her  course  towards  the  Irish 
shore,  while  we  were  flapping  and  rolling  and  making  no  headway. 

August  6.  — And  I  once  more  set  my  foot  upon  EngHsh  ground. 

BooTLE,  Sunday,  Aug.  7.  —  Mr.  Heyworth  took  us  to  town  this 
morning,  where  we  attended  divine  service  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Blind  Asylum,  which  is  the  fashionable  church.  We  sat  in  Mr. 
Brown's  pew.  Coming  out  of  church  Mr.  William  Rathbone 
brought  Capt.  Basil  Hall  to  shake  hands  with  us.  He  and  his  wife 
both  expressed  themselves  in  the  following  terms  :  "  We  are  happy 
to  see  again  a  gentleman  to  whose  kindness  in  America  we  are  so 
greatly  indebted."  Pretty  well,  considering  Mr.  Rathbone  asked 
me  to  meet  Captain  Hall  yesterday  at  dinner  at  his  house.  After 
paying  a  few  visits  in  town,  we  returned  to  dine  and  sleep  at 
Bootle.  I  am  charmed  with  all  I  see  here.  Our  sweet  friend, 
Charlotte  Kane,  has  gotten  a  charming  fellow  for  a  husband. 

Liverpool,  Aug.  12.  —  Having  been  honoured  by  an 
inner  a  e  jj^yjj-g^^-jQj-^  from  the  mayor  to  meet  the  judges  at  dinner, 
Mr.  Rathbone  called  for  me  at  seven  o'clock,  and  we 
went  to  the  Town  Hall.  The  doors  of  my  hotel  (The  Waterloo) 
were  beset  by  a  crowd  to  see  the  egress  of  the  high  sheriff,  a  splen- 
did, fierce-looking  fellow,  in  full  dress,  with  chapeaii  bras 
and  a  long  black  wand.  He  rode  in  a  superb  stage  coach-and- 
four,  with  two  dashing  postilions.  This  gentleman's  name  is 
Standish  of  Standish  Hall,  a  person  of  large  fortune  and  high 
standing  in  the  County  of  Lancashire.  When  we  alighted  at  the 
door  of  the  Council  Hall,  we  were  ushered  by  a  train  of  servants  in 
livery,  by  the  beautiful  staircase  and  vestibule  to  the  splendid 
suite  of  rooms  in  which  the  mayor  received  his  guests,  the  rich 
furniture    being    uncovered    and    everything  arranged    to  suit    the 


220  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

occasion.  The  coup  iToeil  was  perfectly  magnificent.  The  ball- 
room, with  the  splendid  chandeliers,  was  not  in  the  dining  part  of 
the  palace,  but  I  was  taken  to  see  it. 

My  reception  by  the  mayor  (Mr.  Corrie)  was  not  only  flattering 
but  marked  by  extreme  kindness,  and  the  judges,  Mr.  Justice  Park 
and  Mr.  Justice  Coleridge,  to  whom  I  was  introduced  immediately 
on  their  arrival,  were  particular  in  their  attentions  to  me  during  the 
whole  of  the  evening.  The  company  consisted  of  about  fifty  gentle- 
nien,  principally  members  of  Parliament,  country  gentlemen,  and 
barristers  connected  with  the  assizes  which  are  now  being  held. 
A  Mr.  Alexander  seemed  to  be  considered  the  most  eminent 
lawyer  in  the  company.  The  courts,  both  criminal  and  civil,  are 
open  at  the  same  time,  Justice  Park  presiding  in  the  former  and 
Justice  Coleridge  in  the  latter. 

The  dinner-table  was  richly  set  out  with  a  splendid  plateau  the 
whole  length,  and  the  services  of  china  and  glass  suited  to  a 
banquet  of  kings,  and  as  good  a  dinner,  too,  as  I  ever  saw.  Turtle 
soup,  turbot,  grouse  (this  is  the  first  day  for  shooting  them),  and  a 
great  variety  of  pine-apples  and  peaches,  were  among  the  varieties, 
and  the  wines  were  capital.  I  was  seated  on  the  right  of  the 
mayor,  next  but  two.  One  of  the  judges  sat  on  each  side  of  him, 
next  on  the  right  the  high  sheriff,  and  then  myself.  This  latter 
dignitary  and  myself  were  soon  good  friends,  and  he  pressed  me 
with  great  apparent  sincerity  to  visit  him  in  London.  These  folk 
seem  much  pleased  to  come  in  contact  with  a  Yankee. 

August  13.  —  Our  first  visit  was  to  this  princely 
chatsworih.  mausiou  and  grounds.  I  do  not  know  how  to  describe 
it.  It  surpasses  the  highest  reach  of  my  imagination. 
Eton  Hall  is,  I  think,  a  handsome  exterior,  but  the  grandeur,  the 
sublimity,  the  solid  magnificence  of  Chatsworth,  induce  me  to  give 
it  a  preference.  It  stands  rather  low,  embosomed  in  an  am})hi- 
theatre  of  hills,  with  the  river  Derwent  passing  close  to  the  walls. 
The  view  from  every  part  of  the  grounds  is  beautiful.  This  is  one 
particular  in  which  it  has  the  advantage  of  Eton ;     then  there  are 


1836.J  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  221 

a  number  of  fountains  and  cascades,  supplied  by  reservoirs  on  the 
adjacent  mountain,  all  of  which  were  made  to  play  for  us.  One  of 
these  is  a  tree,  which  looks  so  much  like  nature  that  it  did  not 
attract  my  attention,  until  all  of  a  sudden,  hundreds  of  jets  from 
the  ends  of  the  branches  began  a  spirited  cross-fire  which  made 
us  jump  with  surprise.  The  Italian  Gardens  below  the  terraces 
are  beautiful.  Herds  of  red  and  fallow  deer  are  seen  sporting 
over  the  grounds,  and  the  conservatories  and  hot-houses  and 
stables  are  all  fine. 

The  next  object  of  curiosity  was  a  visit  across  the 
HaddonHaii.  country  four  or  five  miles  to  Haddon  Hall,  an  old 
baronial  castle  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Rutland. 
The  contrast  between  this  and  the  place  we  had  just  left  was  singu- 
larly striking.  This  was  erected  before  the  Conquest,  and  displays 
all  the  rude,  grotesque  style  of  architecture  of  those  days  of  feudal 
power.  Towers  and  turrets,  covered  with  the  ivy  of  ages.  The 
banqueting  hall,  kitchens,  with  fireplaces  in  which  wild  boar  and 
the  red  deer  were  roasted  whole  for  the  iron-handed  baron  and  his 
faithful  dependents ;  the  armory,  the  dungeons,  and  the  antiquated 
bed-chambers  hung  with  tapestry,  the  figures  of  which  resemble 
nothing  in  the  heavens  above  nor  in  the  earth  beneath,  —  are  all 
preserved  in  spite  of  the  ravages  of  time,  to  show  Englishmen  how 
their  fathers  lived  a  thousand  years  ago. 

We  visited  this  ancient  place  at  a  peculiarly  favorable  time  :  at 
the  close  of  such  a  day  as  the  poets  of  England  delight  to  describe, 
when  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  throw  the  long,  deep  shadows 
of  the  moss-covered  turrets  and  lofty  pines  over  the  bright  green 
sward,  and  the  beautiful  river  crept  silently  along,  as  if  afraid  to 
disturb  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene.  It  was  an  incident  of 
my  life  never  to  be  forgotten  to  have  seen  Chatsworth  and  Haddon 
Hall  on  the  same  afternoon. 

Le.\mington,  Aug.  16.  —  Warwick  is  handsome,  clean,  and  dull 
as  ever,  but  the  castle  is  even  more  glorious  than  my  recollections 
of  it.     Its  situation,  the  views  up   and  down  the  Avon ; '  its  ancient 


222  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat  56. 

towers,  lofty  hall,  superb  wainscotted  apartments ;  the  venerable 
trees  in  the  park  ;  and  the  Warwick  vase,  the  beau  ideal  of  beauty, 
are  all  there  in  their  former  state,  and  some  of  the  apartments 
(particularly  the  great  hall  of  entrance  and  the  dining-hall)  have 
been  recently  repaired,  and  the  ornaments  retouched  with  great 
taste  and  delicacy.  The  part  of  Warwick  Castle  which  most 
exceeded  the  recollection  of  my  former  visit  is  the  pictures,  which 
ornament  the  walls  in  every  part ;  this  arises  probably  from  my 
having  more  taste  for  pictures  now  than  at  that  time. 

London,  Aug.  18. — The  forenoon  of  this  day  was  passed  in 
visiting  some  of  the  most  interesting  objects  in  Oxford,  the  glorious 
metropolis  of  learning  and  literature.  It  was  delightful  for  me  to 
refresh  my  recollections  of  this  magnificent  city.  This  day's  visit 
has  realized  all  I  have  thought  and  said  of  it  since  I  was  there 
before. 

At  seven  o'clock  this  evening,  just  as  they  were  lighting  the  gas 
lamps,  we  were  set  down  at  the  famous  White  Horse  Cellar,  Picca- 
dilly; amidst  coaches  innumerable,  lords  and  chimney  sweeps, 
ladies  and  blacklegs.  Our  luggage  was  placed  in  one  of  those  de- 
testable vehicles,  a  hackney  coach,  in  which  we  came  to  Mrs. 
Friedman's  boarding-house.  A  comfortable  establishment.  No.  12 
Devonshire  street,  one  door  west  of  Portland  place. 

August  20.  —  Having  been  introduced  yesterday  to 
*^*    "  Lord   Palmerston,   the    minister  for  foreim  affairs,  he 

Parliament.  '  ^  ' 

politely  sent  orders  to  Mr.  Duer  and  me  to  go  into  the 
House  of  Lords  to  witness  the  prorogation  of  Parliament  by  the 
King  in  person,  and  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  very  good 
places.  The  ceremony  was  very  interesting  to  me,  and  the  specta- 
cle exceedingly  magnificent.  The  attendance  of  the  lords  was 
greater  than  I  expected.  I  saw  several  distinguished  noblemen, 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Duke  of  Wellington,  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk, Lords  Melbourne,  Westminster,  etc.,  in  all  I  think  nearly  a 
hundred.  A  great  attendance  of  foreign  ministers  and  a  handsome 
display  of  ladies  elegantly  dressed.     The  king  arrived  at  half-past 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  223 

two  o'clock,  attended  by  a  numerous  and  brilliant  cortege,  and 
ascended  the  throne.  He  is  much  altered  in  appearance  since  I  saw 
him  at  the  coronation  of  his  brother.  He  was  then  a  stout  man 
and  walked  erect ;  he  is  now  old  and  bent,  with  a  tottering  gait, 
and  has  all  the  marks  of  advanced  age.  The  young  Princess 
Victoria  will  not,  from  his  appearance,  have  long  to  w^ait  for  her 
exalted  inheritance.  As  soon  as  the  king  was  seated,  the  Commons 
were  summoned,  the  Speaker  (Abercombie)  read  the  address  in  a 
very  clear  and  distinct  tone  of  voice,  so  that,  notwithstanding,  from 
his  situation  under  the  gallery,  I  could  not  see  him,  I  did  not  lose  a 
word.  The  king  then  read  his  speech,  with  a  little  prompting, 
which  I  also  heard  distinctly.  Parliament  was  then  prorogued 
until  October,  and  the  king  retired  as  he  came,  amidst  a  discharge 
of  artillery  and  the  sound  of  trumpets.  We  got  out  in  time  to  see 
the  procession  leave  the  House.  The  stage  coaches,  with  the  horse 
and  foot  guards,  made  a  grand  appearance,  and  everything  went  off 
well.  I  should  have  regretted  exceedingly  not  to  have  witnessed 
this  splendid  pageant. 

The  manner  of  announcing  the  king's  assent  to  the  several  bills 
is  very  singular,  and  the  bows  of  the  clerks  in  their  robes  and  wigs, 
and  the  formal,  quaint  '^ /e  roi  le  veuf  which  accompanies  each, 
had  a  ludicrous  effect  to  such  of  us  as  had  not  before  witnessed  the 
ceremony. 

We  paid  a  few  visits  before  dinner,  which  does  not  take  place 
until  six  o'clock,  one  of  which  to  Mrs.  Jameson,  the  authoress  of 
"  Characteristics  of  Women,"  gave  me  great  pleasure.  This  gifted 
lady  is  to  sail  for  New  York  next  month  to  meet  her  husband  who 
has  a  legal  appointment  in  Upper  Canada. 

August  21.  —  Margaret,  Mr.  Duer,  and  I  went  to  pass  the  even- 
ing with  Mrs.  Jameson,  where  we  met  our  kind  and  attentive 
friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson,  and  other  nice  persons,  amongst 
whom  was  an  old  lady  seventy-two  years  of  age,  Lady  George 
Murray,  and  her  daughter,  distinguished  equally  for  rank  and 
talents,  preceptress   and  governess  of  the   Princess  Charlotte,  the 


224  THE   DIARY    OF   PIIILir    HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

lamented  "  rose  and  fair  expectancy  of  the  state."  The  young 
lady  is  the  bosom  friend  of  Lady  Noel  Byron,  the  widow  of  the 
immortal  roue  poet.  I  talked  much  with  her  on  the  subject  of 
their  separation.  She  describes  Lady  B.  as  a  perfect  angel,  and 
although  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  some  allowances  for  the  ex- 
aggeration of  warm  female  friendship,  the  high  character  and  intel- 
ligence of  Miss  Murray  forbids  the  possibility  of  her  coming  to  very 
erroneous  opinions  on  a  subject  so  important  and  so  much  disputed. 
Lady  Byron  mixes  very  little  in  society,  but  is  much  engaged  in 
doing  good. 

August  23.  —  I  took  Margaret  this  morning  to  Westminster 
Abbey.  She  was  much  pleased,  and  I  experienced  anew  and  in  a 
greater  degree  the  awe  and  pleasure  which  the  first  view  of  this 
sublime  and  interesting  edifice  occasioned  me. 

This  has  been  a  busy  day.  Mr.  Duer  and  I  went  to  breakfast 
with  Mr.  Rogers,  the  poet,  an  agreeable,  kind-hearted  old  gentle- 
man. He  is  very  rich,  although  a  poet,  and  lives  in  handsome 
style ;  has  a  fine  collection  of  pictures  and  other  pretty  things. 
After  we  left  him  he  sent  me  a  beautiful  copy  of  his  poems  with 
illustrated  vignettes. 

Dover,  Aug.  30.  —  We  left  London  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the  top 
of  the  Dover  coach.  There  was  a  crowd  about  the  door,  attracted 
by  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  carriage.  He  appears  to  be  popular 
here  at  any  rate,  whatever  the  London  radicals  may  think  of  him. 
August  31.  —  Colonel  Cockburn  introduced  me  this 
BencciLt  momincj  to  Colonel  Arnold,  commander  of  engineers 

Arnold.  ^  ° 

and  of  the  garrison  at  Dover.  This  gentleman  is  son 
of  the  infamous  Benedict  Arnold.  He  appears  about  my  age ;  a 
short,  handy  little  man,  and  apparently  a  gentlemen  of  good  man- 
ners. It  seems  to  be  hard  to  apply  the  severity  of  the  Levitical  law 
to  innocent  men  in  these  enlightened  times,  but  I  felt,  while  in  his 
company,  as  if  my  prejudice  was  busied  in  "  visiting  the  sins  of  the 
father  upon  the  child." 

Paris,  Sept.  3.  —  We  started  much  earlier  than  yesterday,  and 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  225 

having  less  distance  to  go,  arrived  in  Paris  at  eight  o'clock  P.M., 
and  came  to  lodge  at  the  boarding-house  of  Madame  Bonfils, 
superbly  situated  in  Rue  de  Rivoli,  opposite  the  gardens  of  the 
Tuilleries,  of  which  I  have  a  fine  view  from  my  chamber  windows. 
Soon  after  we  came,  a  storm  of  thunder  and  rain  announced  to  the 
people  of  Paris  that  we  had  arrived. 

Sunday,  Sept.  i  i  .  —  Horse  race  at  the  Champs  de  Mars  at  one 
o'clock,  and  afterward  to  the  fitc  of  St.  Cloud.  I  am  ashamed  to 
record  it,  Sunday  as  it  was  ;  but  what  is  to  be  done?  If  such  scenes 
are  witnessed  at  all  it  must  be  on  the  day  which  Christians  call 
Sabbath.  We  intended  to  go  to  church  this  morning  to  hear  an 
eloquent  Protestant  clergyman,  Mr.  Athanese  Coquerel,  who  is 
preaching  in  the  churches  of  our  faith  at  present ;  but  until  one 
o'clock  it  rained  very  hard,  notwithstanding  which  the  races  took 
place,  and  the  queen  and  royal  family  were  there,  and  a  tolerable 
concourse  of  people.  It  stopped  raining  at  one  o'clock,  and  the 
men  came  out ;  but  the  course  and  all  the  grounds  around  were  an 
ocean  of  mud.  The  horses  running  looked  like  the  wizard  horse 
of  Leonora,  only  their  halo  was  of  a  less  luminous  nature.  We 
came  away  after  the  first  two  heats,  and  pursued  our  way  to  St. 
Cloud.  A  horse  race  in  Paris  is  not  by  any  means  the  same  thing 
as  an  English  one,  nor  even  one  of  ours.  I  do  not  think  it  a 
favourite  amusement  of  the  French.  It  is  the  only  one  which  does 
not  appear  to  excite  them.  lis  sonf  gais  a  la  incsse,  et  grave  a  la 
coui'se.  The  principal  race  to-day  was  won  by  a  horse  of  the  Due 
d'Orleans,  beating  Lord  Seymour,  who  has  been  in  the  constant 
habit  of  carrying  away  the  purses  from  the  natives.  One  would 
have  thought  there  was  something  exhilarating  in  this,  but  there 
was  no  shouting,  no  triumph  amongst  the  men,  or  flashing  of  bright 
eyes  amongst  the  women. 

The  weather  by  this  time  had  cleared,  and  the  sun  came  out 
bright,  so  that  when  we  arrived  at  St.  Cloud  the  immense  little 
world  was  congregating  fast.  Men,  women,  and  children  in  their 
newest  finery  crowding  to  the  long  avenue,  in  which  booths  are 


226  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

erected.  Such  chattering,  such  a  variety  of  queer  noises,  such 
singular  exhibitions,  so  many  lures  to  attract  customers  to  buy 
their  wares,  to  witness  their  spectacles,  or  to  eat  their  pates,  were 
almost  an  excuse  to  break  the  Sabbath  for  once  to  visit  the/^/^ 
de  St.  Cloud.  I  shall  not  probably  see  another.  We  i)assed  the 
first  hour  in  viewing  the  apartments  of  the  palace ;  the  state 
apartments  are  open  to  everybody  on  Sunday.  These  we  saw,  of 
course,  but  were  further  permitted  to  pass  through  all  the  other 
apartments.  Nothing  can  be  more  magnificent  j  the  pictures  are 
exceedingly  fine,  and  there  are  several  vases  of  Sevres  porcelain 
superb  beyond  imagination. 

I  remember  that  the  king's  bed,  and  those  of  all  the  family, 
even  the  princesses,  are  hard  mattresses,  a  few  inches  thick,  with 
no  paillaisses,  and  the  bedsteads  only  about  a  foot  from  the  floor. 

The  French  are  certainly  Sabbath-breakers,  and  their  religious 
habits  do  not  set  as  close  as  ours,  but  one  thing  I  will  remark  in 
their  praise  :  In  all  this  concourse  of  people  to-day,  formed  prin- 
cipally of  the  lower  classes,  assembled  for  pastime  and  enjoyment, 
when  eatables  of  all  kinds  were  exhibited,  such  as  cakes,  hot 
waffles,  pates,  etc.,  I  did  not  see  a  drop  of  spirituous  liquor,  nor  do 
I  believe  there  was  one  on  the  ground.  No  drink  but  lemonade, 
carried  about  by  old  women  who  carry  as  much  acidity  in  their 
faces  as  on  their  backs. 

September  12.  —  Having  determined  to  leave  Paris  for  Geneva 
to-morrow,  we  have  been  employed  in  making  preparations.  Mr. 
Chazournes  and  I  went  in  pursuit  of  a  carriage,  and  succeeded  in 
getting  a  commodious  travelling  calleche  of  a  Mr.  Panhard,  Rue 
Bergue,  for  which  I  am  to  pay  liim  two  hundred  francs.  We  take 
post  horses,  and  go  by  the  Dijon  route  across  the  Jura  mountain. 
George  W.  Lafayette  is  in  town.  I  did  not  know  it  until  yester- 
day, when  I  called  and  left  my  card.  I  received  a  note  from  him 
this  morning  stating  that  he  was  engaged  with  lawyers  to-day  in  an 
affair  of  family  business,  but  would  be  with  me  to-morrow.  This 
I  interdicted,  and  requested  him  to  postpone  his  visit  until  after 
our  return. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  22/ 

Well,  I  have  seen  Taliogni.  She  danced  this  evening  at  the 
French  Opera,  in  the  ballet  of  the  Sylphide.  It  was  a  single  per- 
formance, and,  fortunately,  fell  upon  our  last  night  in  Paris.  The 
immense  theatre  was  crowded  in  every  part.  Bradford  obtained 
excellent  places  for  us  in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  opera  was 
the  "  Siege  of  Corinth,"  which,  did  not  interest  me  ;  but  the  ballet 
was  certainly  the  poetry  of  motion  and  the  sunlight  of  beauty. 
I  never  saw  anything  of  the  kind  before  which  is  not  routed  horse 
and  foot  out  of  my  recollection  by  the  force  of  this  fascinating 
spectacle.  Not  only  the  calypso  of  the  night,  but  her  attendant 
nymphs  all  danced  and  moved  and  floated  like  beings  of  another 
world.  The  piece  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  gotten  up  in  New 
York  as  an  opera  when  Mrs.  Austin  was  there,  under  the  name  of 
the  "  Mountain  Sylph  "  ;  but,  fortunately,  there  was  no  singing  or 
speaking  here.  It  would  have  been  too  much,  when  one  of  our 
senses  was  completely  absorbed,  to  have  another  invaded,  and  in 
danger  of  being  captured ;  it  might  have  ended  in  nonsense.  The 
whole  affair  was  so  nicely  managed,  the  machinery  worked  so 
well,  the  sylphs  flew  in  the  air,  as  if  their  little  delicate  feet  had 
never  touched  the  ground,  and  when  their  lovely  sister  died,  four 
of  them  enveloped  her  in  a  net  of  gold  and,  each  taking  a  corner, 
flew  up  with  her  into  the  air,  where,  I  take  it  for  granted,  the 
Sylphic  Pere  la  Chaise  is  situated.  Or,  perhaps,  the  beauteous 
beings  of  their  race,  when  defunct,  are  taken  up  to  exhale  in  the 
regions  above,  and  return  to  us  in  the  form  of  dew-drops  to 
sparkle  on  the  leaves  of  the  newly  blown  rose,  or  hide  in  the  vel- 
vet recesses  of  the  fragrant  violet.  Taliogni  is  small,  delicate,  and, 
I  think,  pretty,  and  her  dancing  excels  that  of  any  other  woman 
as  much  as  Mrs.  Wood's  singing  does  Mrs.  Sharp's.  It  is  not  only 
in  great  agility  and  dexterity,  but  it  is  the  perfection  of  grace  and 
beauty,  and  addresses  itself  to  the  imagination,  as  it  is,  in  fact,  half 
the  time  something  behueen  earth  and  heaven.  When  this  pleas- 
ant affair  was  ended,  we  went  to  Tortoni's  and  took  our  ices. 
This  is  the  most  fashionable  house  in  Paris. 


228  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

En  Route,  Sept.  13.  —  We  left  Paris  this  morning  in  our  car- 
riage, with  a  number  of  Httle  comforts,  and  put  ourselves  fairly  cfi 
rouU  for  Geneva.  The  weather  was  bad ;  it  rained  with  short 
intervals  during  the  day,  and  the  uninteresting  country  through 
which  we  passed,  rendered  more  gloomy  by  the  dark  clouds  which 
hung  over  it,  and  the  cheerless,  uncomf(jrtable  villages,  with  more 
mud  and  dirt  even  than  usual,  gave  us  frec^uent  occasion  to  laugh  at 
the  absurdity  of  the  application  of  the  term  "  la  belle  France  "  to 
such  a  country.  It  is  worse  in  every  particular  than  when  I  was 
here  before,  and  we  are  travelling  through  the  very  heart  of  France, 
and  its  most  celebrated  provinces.  Formerly  the  cheapness  of  liv- 
ing in  the  country  was  more  commensurable  with  its  value  (I  speak 
not  of  Paris)  ;  but  now  the  extortion,  the  cheating  of  all  kinds 
with  v/hich  the  traveller  comes  in  contact,  is  greater  than  in  Eng- 
land, and  you  are  not  so  well  served.  The  porter  at  Madame  Bon- 
fils  made  a  regular  charge  of  fifteen  sous  for  every  trifling  errand 
he  performed  for  me.  At  one  of  the  towns,  this  evening,  I  sent 
a  boy  for  two  candles  to  put  in  the  lamps  of  the  carriage.  The 
young  rascal  said  they  cost  him  a  franc,  and  I  had  to  pay  him  ten 
sous  for  his  trouble.  It  is  so  in  everything.  There  is  a  gang  of 
female  harpies  stationed  in  the  lobbies  of  all  the  theatres  in  Paris 
to  prey  upon  strangers.  I  suffer  from  being  prhna  facie  a  John 
Bull,  and  he  is  fair  game  in  France.  They  have  a  double  motive  in 
swindling  him  :  their  cupidity  and  the  dislike  they  bear  to  him. 
France  is  fattening  upon  the  food  she  loathes.  These  polite,  disin- 
terested ladies  make  me  pay  twenty  sous  for  opening  the  box  door, 
and  demand  the  same  sum  for  a  little  programme  which  is  sold  at 
the  door  for  three   sous. 

Geneva,  Sepi'.  17.  —  This  place  is  filled  with  English  and  Amer- 
icans. Our  hotel  is  the  fashionable  resort  of  the  latter,  of  whom 
there  were  thirty- four  a  few  days  since.  There  are  now  here,  be- 
sides our  party,  Abraham  Schermerhorn  and  family,  Mr.  George 
Ticknor  and  family,  of  Boston ;  Horace  Binney,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Otis ;  General  Jones,  Charles  McEvers,  Mr. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  229 

and  Mrs.  Brinkerhoff,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashurst,  of  Philadelphia; 
Charles  C.  King  and  his  brother,  James  T.  Irving,  Jr.,  Mr.  Whit- 
ney, the  Rev.  Henry  Morton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammond,  our  fellow- 
passengers  in  the  "  England,"  and  others,  perhaps,  whom  I  have 
not  met.  From  my  recollection  of  what  Geneva  was  like  when  I 
was  here  before,  I  was  surprised,  until  I  came  now,  that  it  should 
be  made  a  place  of  so  great  resort.  It  was  then  a  dull,  confined 
place  with  dirty,  narrow  streets,  and  nothing  but  the  beautiful  lake 
to  recommend  it.  I  find  it  now  a  splendid,  agreeable  town  ;  streets 
of  handsome  houses  have  been  erected  on  grounds  which  were  for- 
merly the  marshy  shores  of  the  lake,  and  the  course  of  the  clear, 
blue,  rushing  waters  is  confined  in  massive  stone  docks,  with  a 
splendid  bridge ;  a  pretty  island  has  been  formed,  in  which  is  a 
bronze  statue  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau  ;  spacious  public  gardens 
ornament  the  part  of  the  town  remote  from  the  lake.  Immense 
hotels  have  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  hosts  of 
travellers  who  pass  through  on  their  way  to  Italy,  and  the  whole 
has  an  air  of  splendor  and  gayety  which  must  surprise  the  rigid, 
formal  descendants  of  the  reformers  of  John  Calvin's  severe  days. 

I  am  here  with  my  three  daughters  and  son-in-law,  and  sur- 
rounded by  friends  and  acquaintances,  my  window  overlooking  the 
brightest  blue  waters  the  sun  ever  shone  upon  (except,  perhaps, 
those  of  Lake  George)  ;  splendid  new  edifices  on  the  one  hand  and 
the  green  shore  of  the  lake,  with  a  majestic  perspective  of  snow- 
clad  mountains,  on  the  other.  I  think  I  may  say  with  the  patriarch 
of  old,  "  It  is  well  to  be  here."  One  look  out  of  Mary's  bright  eyes 
(and  oh  !  how  much  brighter  than  I  expected  to  see  them),  with 
her  whole  heart  mixed  up  with  mine,  conspire  to  render  the  few 
days  of  my  sojourn  in  Geneva  among  the  happiest  of  my  life  —  but 
how  to  get  away  ! 

The  English  swarm  so  on  the  Continent.  They  are  generally 
vulgar  people,  without  taste,  and  with  their  pockets  well  filled,  and 
the  French  and  Swiss  do  love  so  dearly  to  handle  their  money  that 
the  market  is  spoiled  for  us  Americans,  who  can  better  appreciate 


230  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

the  value  of  the  articles  offered  for  sale.  This  place  has  benefited 
more  by  the  intercourse  of  foreigners  than  any  on  the  Continent. 
It  is  on  the  direct  road  to  Italy,  and  so  pleasant  that  travellers  in 
transit  linger  here  as  long  as  possible,  besides  which,  many  pass  their 
summer  here,  and  several  English  flimilies  have  delightful  villas  on 
the  banks  of  the  lake,  cultivated  so  much  in  the  English  style  that 
the  country  around  Geneva  has  greatly  the  appearance  of  England, 
which  makes  it  a  Paradise  compared  with  the  adjacent  country 
which  the  traveller  must  pass  to  reach  it.  This  all  comes  from 
John  Bull ;  the  substantial  stone  docks  and  lofty  edifices,  the  sight 
of  which  from  my  window  affords  me  so  much  pleasure,  are  all 
based  upon  English  guineas.  I  have  heard  it  estimated  that  four 
millions  of  pounds  sterling  are  annually  spent  on  the  Continent,  and 
Geneva  gets  a  fair  share  of  it ;  the  Americans,  too,  are  spending  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  Europe,  and  unfortunately  there  is  no  reci- 
procity in  the  trade  (except  as  relates  to  England).  How  few  of 
the  dollars  which  we  expend  in  France,  Switzerland,  or  Italy,  ever 
find  their  way  back  again.  The  people  of  those  countries  do  go 
out  to  America  sometimes,  it  is  true,  but  for  what  ?  Not  to  enrich 
the  country,  but  themselves  ;  to  carry  on  business  and  make  their 
fortunes,  if  they  can.  Latrobe  and  Pourtalais  and  a  few  others  are 
exceptions  to  these  remarks,  but  it  is  the  general  course  of  the 
business. 

SEFrEiMBER  24.  —  The  day  of  parting  arrived  at  last.  It  is 
amusing  to  see  how  shy  travellers  (the  English  particularly)  are  of 
each  other.  They  regard  fellow-travellers,  not  as  persons  thrown 
in  their  way,  whose  society  and  conversation  may  afford  pleasure 
and  instruction,  but  who  may  rob  them  of  their  breakfast,  or  antic- 
ipate the  post-horses.  How  different  in  our  country,  where 
travellers  meeting  on  the  road  ask  and  answer  questions,  give  and 
receive  information,  compare  notes,  and  often  form  agreeable  asso- 
ciations ;  and  these  Europeans  have  the  impudence  to  curl  their 
disgusting  mustaches  and  ridicule  those  amiable  traits  in  the  Amer- 
ican character.  Yankee  inquisitiveness  forsooth  !  that's  the  way  we 
come  to  know  so  much  more  than  they. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  23 1 

FoNTAiNEBLEAU,  Sept.  25.  —  We  wcrc  en  I'oute  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  wake  of  a  carriage  and  four  horses  with  a  Count  "  Quelque 
Chose,"  his  wife  and  child,  which  the  etiquette  of  the  road  forbade 
our  postilion  to  pass.  Whilst  we  were  changing  horses  at  Joigny,  I 
scraped  acquaintance  with  our  antecedent  count  (addressing  him 
first,  of  course),  and  found  him  a  sociable  little  man,  and  his  wife 
an  agreeable  person.  "  Don't,  father,"  said  Margaret,  but  I  was 
determined  to  give  him  a  specimen  of  Yankee  freedom  of  manners, 
and  quite  certain  am  I  that  neither  of  us  were  losers  by  the  exper- 
iment. We  travelled  in  company  all  day,  and  are  at  the  same 
hotel. 

Sunday  brings  no  holiday  for  France.  Everything  goes  on  the 
same  as  on  another  day ;  the  labors  of  the  husbandmen  are  not 
suspended ;  the  hammer  rests  not  on  the  anvil ;  the  shops  are 
open,  and  carts  loaded  with  wine  and  other  merchandise  pursue 
their  wonted  course  on  the  roads  where  workingmen  are  employed 
in  breaking  stone.  You  see  no  groups  of  well-dressed  people,  as 
in  England  and  our  own  blessed  land,  responding  willingly  to  the 
summons  of  the  cheerful  village  bell.  I  should  like  to  know  how 
this  suits  our  reverend  gentlemen  who  .are  so  fond  of  visiting  the 
Continent  of  late  —  the  Springs  and  the  Wainwrights,  the  Taylors 
and  the  Mortons.  They  cannot  convert  the  Frenchmen,  that's 
certain.     I  suppose  they  pray  for  them. 

Paris,  October  3.  —  George  W.  Lafayette  made  us  a  long  visit 
this  morning.  He  came  in  town  last  evening  from  La  Grange.  The 
family  are  very  desirous  that  we  should  go  out  to  see  them,  but  our 
time  is  too  short  to  permit  it.  He  looks  very  well,  talked  much 
of  his  father,  and  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  information  about  the 
Trois  Jours,  the  trial  of  the  Carlist  ministry,  and  other  interesting 
events  in  which  the  general  and  himself  bore  conspicuous  parts. 
Our  meeting  was  quite  tender ;  the  style  of  greeting  was  som^ewhat 
amusing  to  Mr.  Ludlow  and  Margaret.  We  kissed  each  other  on 
both  cheeks. 

Havre,  October  7.  —  It  rained  with  little  intermission  all  the 


232.  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lllLll'    HONE.  [.Etat.  56. 

morning.  The  prospect  of  oiir  sailing  to-morrow  is  not  encourag- 
ing. We  went  on  board  the  ship,  the  "  Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  and  a 
splendid  ship  she  is.  My  bosom  swells  and  my  heart  warms  to  see 
my  beloved  stars  and  stripes  floating  over  vessels  in  this  port, 
superior  to  those  of  any  other  nation.  They  are  so  trim  and  neat, 
so  beautiful  and  yet  so  majestic  ;  they  hold  the  same  station  in  the 
commercial  marine  which  their  nation  is  destined  to  hold  amongst 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  This  is  not  bravado  nor  prejudice,  every- 
thing tends  to  it,  and  I  do  'Mnost  potently  believe  it." 

Havre,  October  10.  —  The  storm  continues  with  unabated 
violence,  and  we  are  still  detained  in  this  /ris/c  vestibule  of  "/a 
belle  France.''  I  am  punished  now  for  having  occasionally  used 
this  term  when  I  wished  to  ingratiate  myself  with  Frenchmen  to 
whom  I  was  writing  or  talking.  We  have  certainly  found  nothing 
^^ belle''  about  it,  except  Paris  and  two  or  three  of  the  royal  palaces. 
We  have  found  very  little  comfort  or  enjoyment.  French  polite- 
ness went  out  of  fashion  with  the  Bourbons,  and  ^^ place  ai/x  ef7-an- 
gers  "  means  nothing  more  now  than  a  struggle  amongst  all  classes 
and  professions  to  cheat  the  English  and  Americans  out  of  as  much 
money  as  possible.  The  best  thing  they  have  is  their  noble  king, 
and  his  amiable  f:imily ;  and  Louis  Philippe  can  no  longer  go 
abroad  amongst  his  loval  subjects  in  the  confidential  manner  to 
which  his  manly  frankness  would  prompt  him,  from  the  constant 
apprehension  that  some  vile  assassin  may  be  lying  in  wait  to  blow 
him  up  or  to  })lant  the  ])arricidal  steel  in  his  bosom. 

I  repeat  that  France  is  not  the  country  which  I  formerly  knew. 
Perhaps  I  am  changed  myself.  The  eyes  of  fifty- six  may  not  see 
things  couleur  de  rose  like  those  of  forty ;  but  it  cannot  be.  I 
found  England  improved,  as  I  fancied,  and  I  know  of  no  reason 
for  my  being  prejudiced  in  my  preference.  My  opinion  may  be 
influenced,  too,  by  the  constant  bad  weather  I  have  experienced 
in  France.  I  think  there  has  not  been  a  day  since  I  crossed  the 
Channel  that  it  has  not  rained  some  part  of  the  time,  except  on 
those    five    delicious    ones  which    I    passed   with    my   children   in 


1836.J  THE   DIARY    OF   PIIII.TP    HONE.  233 

Geneva ;  then,  indeed,  the  heavens  seemed  to  smile  in  unison  with 
the  joyous  feeHngs  of  my  heart.  The  wind  here  blows  an  unrelent- 
ing hurricane  from  the  westward.  Oh,  for  one  of  those  north- 
easters which  have  so  often  caused  me  to  fret  while  at  home  ! 
Here  they  come  "with  healing  in  their  wings,"  if  ever  they  do 
come,  which  my  experience  causes  me  to  doubt. 

At  Sea,  October  12.  —  I  was  not  so  much  pleased  as  might 
have  been  expected,  when  we  were  summoned  on  board  the 
"Sylvie  de  Grasse"  this  morning;  for,  although  we  were  about 
to  be  released  from  our  tedious  detention,  the  prospect  was  not 
by  any  means  encouraging.  The  wind  had  changed  a  little  to  the 
southward,  but  the  sky  was  black  and  stormy  in  the  west,  and  there 
was  evidently  only  a  temporary  suspension  of  the  terrible  storm 
which  has  raged  for  a  long  time.  We  came  on  board  a  little 
before  noon,  and  the  ship  was  towed  out  of  the  narrow  harbour  by 
a  steam-boat.  By  the  time  the  pilot  left  us,  the  gale  recommenced 
with  increased  fury,  and  a  more  miserable  set  of  j^eople  were  never 
congregated  together.  Every  hole  and  corner  of  the  ship  is  filled 
with  passengers.  A  dozen  women  and  as  many  children  of  all 
ages,  and  men  of  all  nations,  speaking  every  language.  Sea-sick- 
ness in  its  direst  aspects  attacked  us  all  and  sent  us  to  our  state- 
rooms before  night. 

October  20. — We  amuse  ourselves  so  well  that  the  time  does 
not  pass  heavily.  Eating  and  sleeping,  the  two  great  occupations 
of  a  sea  life,  are  carried  on  with  amazing  spirit,  and  I  perform  my 
part  of  both  without  the  least  defalcation.  Besides  these,  I  read  a 
great  deal,  and  confine  my  reading  to  French,  in  which  I  think  I 
am  greatly  improved  ;  there  are  a  great  many  good  books  on 
board.  Then  we  play  whist,  several  parties  of  which  are  formed. 
Mons.  Tavout,  Mr.  Niles,  Professor  Longfellow,  and  I  make  one. 
We  all  play  pretty  well,  and  our  bet  never  exceeds  a  franc  a  game. 
Some  of  the  passengers  play  on  the  violin  and  other  instruments, 
and  on  Thursday  evening  we  got  up  a  cotillion  on  deck  —  Ainsi  va 
le  temps. 


234  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  56. 

October  28.  —  After  a  night  of  fine  sailing,  with  the  wind  at 
north-east,  which  enabled  the  passengers  to  make  up  the  arrears  of 
sleep  of  which  the  gale  of  the  i)revious  night  had  deprived  them,  I 
went  on  deck  this  morning  at  sunrise,  and  never  did  the  sun  rise 
on  a  more  beautiful  morning.  We  were  on  the  edge  of  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland,  in  about  49  degrees  of  longitude,  the  thermome- 
ter at  50,  immense  numbers  of  aquatic  birds,  including  ducks,  hov- 
ering over  our  heads  or  resting  on  the  waves.  Amongst  the  other 
wonders  of  the  deep  a  whale  gave  us  a  call  and  passed  off  astern. 
It  soon  fell  calm,  and  the  boundless  ocean  presented  a  smooth 
expanse  of  untroubled  waters.  The  horizon  in  the  west  has  a  sin- 
gular appearance.  There  is  a  fog  which  has  an  astonishing  resem- 
blance to  land.  I  can  almost  fancy  that  the  shores  of  our  own 
Long  Island  lie  exposed  to  my  longing  eyes. 

November  3. — At  eleven  o'clock  last  night  I  went  upon  deck. 
The  ship  was  sailing  finely,  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots,  before  the 
wind,  with  studding-sails  all  standing.  At  one  I  was  awakened  by 
the  noise  and  confusion  upon  deck,  occasioned  by  a  dreadful  squall, 
which  commenced  at  about  one  o'clock  and  continued  four  hours. 
Fortunately,  the  studding-sails  had  been  taken  in  before  the  storm 
commenced,  but  it  came  on  so  suddenly  and  with  such  violence 
that  the  main  toi)-gallant-sail  and  the  mizzen-top-sail  were  torn 
away  from  the  masts.  I  was  alarmed,  for  I  supposed  the  wind  had 
changed  to  the  south-west,  and  I  knew  we  were  not  far  south  of 
George's  bank  ;  but  this  was  not  the  case,  the  wind  during  the 
whole  time  was  aft.  The  night  was  very  dark,  and  the  wind  furious 
beyond  description  ;  but  we  have  made  nearly  four  degrees  in  the 
last  twenty- four  hours. 

After  the  gale  of  last  night  had  subsided  tlie  wind  came  out 
ahead,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  calm  until  five  o'clock,  when  it 
began  to  blow  again,  and  there  was  another  violent  gale  which 
lasted  all  night.  The  motion  of  the  ship  was  so  disagreeable  that 
I  went  to  my  birth.  At  ten  I  went  on  deck  for  a  short  time.  The 
ocean  appeared  to  be  on  fire.     I   have   never   seen  this  luminous 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  235 

appearance  to  so  great  a  degree  ;  not  only  the  spray  from  the  ship's 
bow,  but  every  crested  wave,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  ap- 
peared to  be  formed  of  myriads  of  bright  stars.  The  pitching  of 
the  vessel  was  so  great  that  I  could  not  remain  on  the  deck,  but 
returned  to  roll  again  in  my  berth.  These  have  been  two  dreadful 
nights  in  succession,  and  so  near  the  shore  too. 

November  6. — The  wind  is  still  most  obstinately  ahead.  We 
are  within  half-a-day's  sail  of  our  port,  with  no  more  chance  of 
getting  in  until  the  wind  changes  than  we  had  a  week  ago.  We 
have  fallen  more  than  a  degree  south  of  Sandy  Hook.  It  is  like 
being  locked  out-of-doors  on  a  stormy  night,  without  a  night-key 
and  all  the  family  asleep. 

November  8.  —  This  morning  found  us  in  the  same  position.  I 
packed  up  my  concerns  and  made  all  ready  for  going  ashore.  The 
pilot  came  on  board  at  eight  o'clock,  but  it  became  nearly  calm, 
and  the  wind  we  had  was  nearly  ahead.  The  news-boat  boarded 
us,  and  took  off  several  of  our  passengers  at  noon,  but  they  gained 
nothing  by  it,  for  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day.  The  spacious  bay  lay  all  around  us  without  a 
ripple  to  disturb  its  bosom.  Vessels  of  every  description  were  to 
be  seen  immovable  like  our  own,  and  so  we  continued  until  the 
steam-boat  came  down  with  the  "Charlemagne  "  in  tow,  and  after 
separating  from  her  was  attached  to  our  ship.  Another  steam-boat 
with  the  "Pennsylvania,"  the  Liverpool  packet  of  this  day,  took  the 
"Oxford"  (which  had  come  up  with  us  with  the  fair  wind  while  we 
were  lying  to).  It  was  a  splendid  illustration  of  the  power  of 
steam.  Our  noble  ship  was  lying  like  a  log  on  the  water  when  the 
little  steam-boat  took  her  by  the  arm,  and  cantered  off  with  her  at 
the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour.  We  arrived  at  the  dock,  foot  of 
Rector  street,  at  seven  o'clock,  where  we  found  Charles  Brugiere, 
who  had  heard  accidentally  of  our  arrival  from  Mr.  Saligny  (one 
of  our  renegade  passengers),  who  arrived  only  an  hour  before  us. 
Margaret  and  I,  with  Brugiere,  took  a  carriage,  and  at  eight  o'clock 
I  was  in  my  own  house.     I  entered  the  room  in  which  my  wife  and 


236  THE    DIARY    OF    PIIILIP    IIOXE.  [/Etat.  56. 

son  were  without  their  having  the  least  intimation  of  our  arrival; 
for  the  packets  of  the  24th  of  September  and  the  ist  of  October, 
in  both  of  which  were  letters  announcing  our  intention  of  sailing 
in  the  "  Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  have  not  arrived,  and  if  they  were,  the 
case  would  not  have  been  different,  for  no  intelligence  of  our  ar- 
rival had  reached  the  city  until  an  h(jur  before  we  came  to  the 
dock. 

The  surprise  and  the  joy  of  this  unexpected  meeting  were 
almost  too  great,  but  we  were  soon  the  happiest  little  group  in  New 
York.  My  family  and  immediate  friends  are  all  well ;  there  is  a* 
great  deal  of  gossip  which  must  find  a  place  in  this  journal,  but 
not  now.  I  am  once  more  at  home  by  my  own  fire-side,  —  in  my 
domestic  circle,  —  doubly  dear  to  me  from  a  four  months'  absence. 
November  18.  —  The  series  of  five  pictures  by  Cole, 
°^^  which  he  calls  the  '^Course  of  Emi)ire,"  I   have  seen 

Pictures.  ^ 

in  their  progress,  but  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  fin- 
ished was  reserved  for  me  until  this  morning.  I  went  with  my 
wife  to  the  Gallery  of  the  National  Academy,  where  they  are  ex- 
hibited. My  expectation,  great  as  it  was  from  the  parts  I  saw 
before,  has  been  more  than  realized.  The  conception  is  sublime 
and  the  execution  admirable.  Cole  has  immortalized  himself; 
he  has  executed  the  greatest  work,  in  liis  department  of  the  arts, 
which  our  country  has  produced,  and  one  which  would  take  high 
rank  in  the  best  collection  of  Europe. 

November  23.  —  This  charming  actress   arrived  to- 
^^^^  day  in  the  "  Roscoe"  from  Liverpool.     I  saw  her  twice 

at  the  Haymarket  in  August,  and  was  much  pleased 
with  her  acting,  and,  while  I  was  in  London,  Mr.  Price  informed  me 
that  he  had  engaged  her  for  the  United  States.  She  was  playing 
in  a  new  tragedy  by  Sergeant  Talfourd,  which  had  a  great  run  at 
the  Haymarket  during  the  summer  vacation  at  Drury  Lane  and 
Covent  Garden.  I  fancied  I  could  perceive  in  Miss  Tree  the 
resemblance  to  Mary  Schermerhorn  which  Fanny  Kemble  notices 
so  beautifully  in  her  pretty  budget  of  imi)ertinences. 


1836.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  23/ 

December  6.  —  In  the  evening  I  attended  the  anniversary 
meeting  and  dinner  of  the  St.  Nicholas  Society.  GuHan  C.  Ver- 
planck,  the  newly  elected  President,  presided,  with  Washington 
Irving  and  John  A.  King  as  Vice-Presidents.  There  were  not 
more  than  sixty  who  sat  down  to  dinner,  and  it  was  rather  a  forced 
concern.  I  doubt  if  there  will  be  another  anniversary.  There 
is  great  difficulty  in  keeping  up  the  other  societies,  even  with  the 
advantage  they  have  in  forming  a  rallying-point  for  their  respec- 
tive countymen  lately  arrived,  a  sort  of  home  abroad,  affording 
strong  claims  upon  national  sensibility ;  but  in  our  society  there  is 
no  such  bond  of  union,  and  the  zeal  with  which  some  of  its 
founders  entered  into  the  undertaking  has  visibly  subsided. 

December  7.  —  I  dined  with  the  governing  committee  of  the 
Union  Club  at  Windust's.     There  were  twenty-three  present. 

The  committee  consists,  when  full,  of  thirty-five,  to  whom  all 
the  concerns  of  the  club  are  intrusted ;  there  are  two  hundred 
and  fifty  members,  not  a  sufficient  number  to  organize  properly, 
but  it  was  resolved  to  procure  a  house  and  commence  immediately. 
A  sub-committee  of  seven  was  appointed  to  carry  the  plan  into 
effect  and  to  admit  members.  I  am  on  this  committee,  much 
against  my  will.  If  this  club  can  be  gotten  up  like  the  English 
clubs,  it  may  succeed ;  little  short  of  that  will  meet  the  views  of 
the  members. 

December    9. — The    electoral   vote    of    good    old 
,  ^^^^'  Massachusetts  has  been  given,  as  of  right  it  should  be, 

chusetts.  o  7  o  7 

for  Daniel  Webster,  President,  and  Francis  Granger, 
Vice-President.  These  electors  have  done  their  duty,  and  may 
carry  with  them  a  good  conscience.  The  very  thought  (wild  and 
hopeless  as  it  is)  of  having  Daniel  Webster  President  of  the  United 
States  should  make  the  heart  of  every  American  leap  in  his  bosom 
and  cause  him  to  dream  of  the  days  of  George  Washington. 

The  Woods  and  the  Forrests  are  no  longer  to  be  found  in  this 
country,  but  we  have  had  the  Groves  for  some  time,  and  now  a 
Tree  has  been  transplanted  on  our  shores,  and  never  did  a  sweeter 
or  a  lovelier  exotic  grace  our  dramatic  soil. 


238  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  56. 

But  to  quit  bad  punning  and  descend  to  sober  history,  Miss 
Ellen  Tree  made,  this  evening,  her  first  appearance  in  America,  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  in  the  character  of  Rosalind  in  *'As  You  Like 
It,"  and  Pauline  in  a  sort  of  melo-drama  called  "The  Ransom." 
Her  Rosalind  was  a  most  fascinating  performance,  full  of  grace  and 
refinement  and  the  part  well  adapted  to  her  style  of  acting.  The 
play,  admirable  as  it  is,  and  abounding  in  Shakespeare's  finest  pas- 
sages and  most  touching  sentiments,  is  usually  tiresome  in  the  per- 
formance, and  can  be  best  appreciated  in  the  closet ;  but  on  this 
occasion  sweet  Rosalind  was  so  ably  supported  by  all  the  other 
characters  that  it  went  off  delightfully.  The  charming  debutante 
was  well  received  by  a  prodigiously  crowded  house,  and  was  saluted 
by  cheers  and  waving  of  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  I  was  struck 
again,  as  in  London,  by  the  great  resemblance  of  Ellen  Tree  to  my 
daughter  Mary.  Her  profile  is  much  like  hers,  and  her  smile  so 
like  that  it  almost  overpowered  my  feelings ;  they  are  both  pretty 
well  off  for  nose,  neither  being  of  the  kind  called  "snub"  by  any 
means;  "quite  to  the  contrary,  I  assure  you,"  as  Temple  Bowdoin 
says ;  but  Mary's  eyes  are  finer  and  more  expressive  than  Miss 
Tree's.     Fanny  Kemble  was  right  in  this  matter. 

December  14. — This  gentleman  has  written  two 
Mr.  Biddie.  letters,  addrcsscd  to  the  Hon.  John  Quincy  Adams,  on 
the  subject  of  the  derangement  of  the  currency,  in 
which  he  has  exposed  the  fallacious  arguments  of  the  President 
and  his  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  exposed  in  language  most 
eloquent,  and  reasoning  the  most  conclusive,  the  mischief  resulting 
from  the  gratuitous  interference  of  these  functionaries  in  matters 
which  they  evidently  do  not  understand,  and  with  which  they  had 
no  concern.  These  letters  are  published,  and  have  created  a  lively 
interest  with  all  those  who  have  read  and  can  understand  them ; 
but,  alas  !  how  small  a  proportion  of  those  whose  voices  control 
the  affairs  of  the  country  are  of  this  number. 

If  any  man  in  the  United  States  has  reason   to  be  proud   of  his 
standing  in  the  community  it  is  Nicholas  Biddie.     Assailed  as  he  has 


1836.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  239 

been  by  the  malice  and  ignorance  of  unworthy  men  in  high  stations, 
he  has  performed  his  course  with  dignity  and  forbearance,  illumi- 
nating his  official  path  as  by  a  sunbeam,  and  without  the  exulta- 
tion of  little  minds,  overcoming  and  placing  under  his  feet  all  his 
opponents.  If  any  man  but  Andrew  Jackson  had  been  at  the  head 
of  the  government,  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  would  still  have 
been  in  existence,  and  the  check  which  commercial  and  national 
prosperity  has  received  would  not  have  overwhelmed  individuals  in 
its  operation,  and  occasioned  the  present  unexampled  embarrass- 
ments. 

December  16. —  The  anniversary  of  the  great  fire.  It  is  just  a  year 
since  the  desolating  calamity  took  place,  which  destroyed  property 
to  the  amount  of  more  than  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  To  the 
honor  of  the  merchants,  and  as  an  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
city,  the  whole  is  rebuilt  with  more  splendor  than  before.  No 
pecuniary  engagements  have  been  broken  in  consequence  of  the 
losses  attendant  upon  it,  and  all  this  with  no  actual,  effectual  relief 
from  the  general  or  State  governments,  who,  instead  of  extending 
their  protecting  arms  over  their  worthy  children,  are  at  present 
occupied  in  throwing  embarrassments  in  the  way  of  trade,  and 
checking,  as  far  as  they  can  by  impertinent  interference,  the  course 
of  public  improvement  and  individual  enterprise. 

December  30.  —  I  went  this  evening  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Charles 
H.  Russell's,  given  in  honor  of  the  bride,  Mrs.  William  H.  Russell. 
The  splendid  apartments  of  this  fine  house  are  well  adapted  to  an 
evening  party,  and  everything  was  very  handsome  on  this  occasion. 
The  house  is  lighted  with  gas,  and  the  quantity  consumed  being 
greater  than  common,  it  gave  out  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  a  cotil- 
lon. This  accident  occasioned  great  merriment  to  the  company, 
and  some  embarrassment  to  the  host  and  hostess,  but  a  fresh 
supi^ly  of  gas  was  obtained,  and  in  a  short  time  the  fair  dancers 
were  again  "  tripping  it  on  the  light  fantastic  toe."  Gas  is  a  hand- 
some light,  in  a  large  room  like  Mr.  Russell's,  on  an  occasion  of  this 
kind,  but  liable  (I  should  think)  at  all  times  to  give  the  company 
the  slip,  and  illy  calculated  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  a  family. 


240  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLir    HONE.  [.Etat.  -;. 


iS37. 


TANUARY  I.  —  The  beginning  of  another  year.  That  of  the 
^  last  was  inauspicious ;  the  ruins  of  the  great  fire  were  still 
smoking,  to  remind  our  merchants  and  other  citizens  of  the  twenty 
millions  of  dollars  which  they  had  lost,  and  of  which  those  melan- 
choly ruins  were  the  gloomy  monument ;  but  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  the  merchants  soon  recovered  from  the  loss,  and  although  they 
bent  severely  under  the  burden  of  their  affliction,  they  were  too 
proud  and  too  honest  to  break,  and  if  they  had  been  let  alone  by 
General  Jackson  and  the  crew  who  surround  him  and  minister  to 
his  vanity  and  humour  his  prejudices,  they  would  have  recovered 
their  losses  and  been  easy  in  their  affairs ;  but  the  close  of  1836 
has  been  hard,  indeed,  to  those  who  owed  money,  and  depended 
upon  others  for  the  means  of  meeting  their  engagements ;  money  is 
very  scarce,  and  the  usurers  are  fattening  upon  their  two  and  one-half 
and  three  per  cent,  a  month,  which  they  make  indirectly  by  the 
medium  of  bills  of  exchange.  The  poor  borrowers  are  forced  to 
pay  for  the  ingenuity  of  the  lenders  in  av^oiding  the  penalties  of  the 
usury  laws,  and  the  ])rice  of  money  is  talked  of  as  familiarly  as 
that  of  bank  stock  or  cotton. 

During  the  last  year  I,  too,  have  had  my  troubles ;  my  property 
nominally  is  worth  as  much  as  ever  it  was,  but  I  am  largely  in  debt, 
and  cannot  convert  anything  I  have  into  money  but  at  a  sacrifice 
which  I  am  unwilling  to  make.  So  I  am  compelled,  like  other 
poor  devils,  to  bow  to  the  men  who  have  the  money  in  their 
hands.  This  comes  a  little  hard  to  me,  who  am  not  used  to  it ; 
but  I  must  put  my  i)ride  in  my  empty  pocket  and  hope  for  better 
times. 

I  have  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic,  —  an  event  which  I  little 
dreamed  of  at  the  commencement  of  the  year ;  saw  Old  England 


1S37.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  241 

to  great  advantage;  enjoyed  les  deliccs  de  Paris;  passed  through 
France  and  a  small  corner  of  Switzerland  ;  spent  a  few  happy  days 
with  my  dear  daughters  on  the  border  of  the  lovely  Lake  Leman  ; 
had  a  short,  and  tolerably  agreeable,  voyage  back  to  New  York, 
escaping  thereby  many  storms  and  tedious  weeks  endured  by  all 
those  who  sailed  after  us ;  and  arrived  again  in  the  midst  of  my 
friends,  confirmed  in  my  opinion  that  home  is  the  best  place  for  a 
man  of  fifty-six  years  of  age.  On  the  whole,  I  have  great  reason 
to  be  thankful  for  the  blessings  I  enjoy.  My  health  is  good,  my 
family  happy,  and  my  position  in  society  respectable.  I  am  not 
too  old  to  have  a  taste  for  the  enjoyments  of  life,  and  my  circum- 
stances admit  of  a  reasonable  indulgence  in  them.  I  am  fond  of 
literature,  have  a  sort  of  smattering  in  the  fine  arts,  and  perceive 
no  failure  in  those  faculties  which  are  required  for  their  enjoyment. 
The  year  1837  has  commenced  ;  my  prayers  for  better  times  are,  I 
trust,  sufficiently  mingled  with  thanksgivings  for  the  undeserved 
blessings  I  enjoy. 

January  3.  —  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  Mayor,  kept  open  house  yester- 
day, according  to  ancient  custom ;  but  the  manners,  as  well  as  the 
times,  have  sadly  changed.  Formerly  gentlemen  visited  the  Mayor, 
saluted  him  by  an  honest  shake  of  the  hand,  paid  him  the  compliments 
of  the  day,  and  took  their  leave ;  one  out  of  twenty  taking  a  single 
glass  of  wine  or  cherry  bounce,  and  a  morsel  of  pound-cake  or  New 
Year's  cookies.  But  that  respectable  functionary  is  now  considered 
the  mayor  of  a  party,  and  the  rabble,  considering  him  "  hail  fellow 
well  met,"  use  his  house  as  a  Five-point  tavern.  Mr.  Lawrence 
has  been  much  annoyed  on  former  occasions,  but  the  scene  yester- 
day defies  description.  At  ten  o'clock  the  doors  were  beset  by  a 
crowd  of  importunate  sovereigns,  some  of  whom  had  already  laid 
the  foundation  of  ;r^W  glory  and  expected  to  become  royally  drunk 
at  the  hospitable  house  of  His  Honor.  The  rush  was  tremendous ; 
the  tables  were  taken  by  storm,  the  bottles  emptied  in  a  moment ; 
confusion,  noise,  and  quarrelling  ensued,  until  the  Mayor,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  police,  cleared  the  house  and  locked  the  doors, 


242  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.^tat.  57. 

which  were  not  reopened   until  every  eatable   and   tlrinkable  were 
removed,  and  a  little  decency  and  order  restored. 

I  called  soon  after  this  change  had  taken  place  ;  the  Mayor  related 
the  circumstances  to  me  with  strong  indignation,  and  I  hope  the 
evil  will  be  remedied  hereafter.  But  this  comes  of  Mr.  Lawrence 
being  the  mayor  of  a  party,  and  not  of  the  city.  Every  scamp  who 
has  bawled  out  "  Huzza  for  Lawrence  !  "  and  "  Down  with  the 
Whigs  ! "  considers  himself  authorized  to  use  him  and  his  house  and 
furniture  at  his  pleasure ;  to  wear  his  hat  in  his  presence ;  to  smoke 
and  spit  upon  his  carpet ;  to  devour  his  beef  and  turkey,  and  wipe  his 
greasy  fingers  upon  the  curtains ;  to  get  drunk  with  his  liquor,  and 
discharge  the  reckoning  by  riotous  shouts  of"  Huzza  for  our  Mayor  ! " 
We  put  him  in,  and  zvc  are  entitled  to  the  use  of  him.  Mr.  Law- 
rence (party  man  as  he  is)  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  submit  to 
this,  and  sometimes  wishes  his  constituents  and  his  office  all  to  the 
devil,  if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken ;  and  if  he  rejects  (as  he  has 
now  done)  their  kind  tokens  of  brotherly  affection,  they  will  be  for 
sending  him  there  ere  long,  and  will  look  out  for  somebody  of  their 
own  class,  less  troubled  than  he  with  these  aristocratical  notions 
of  decency,  order,  and  sobriety. 

January  7. — The  venerable  Abraham  Van  Vechten 

'^*  /*"  died  yesterday  in  Albany,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 

his  age.  He  was  one  of  the  descendants  of  the  Dutch 
settlers  of  Albany.  A  lawyer  of  the  highest  class,  a  statesman  of 
the  glorious  old  Federal  school,  honest  in  his  politics  and  in  his 
private  character  as  the  sun  which  shone  above  him,  of  a  mind 
strong  and  vigorous  as  the  winter  of  his  native  city,  and  a  heart 
soft  as  the  early  summer  breeze  of  the  South. 

January  12.  —  The  arrangement  which  was  so 
Disturbed*™'''^  happily  effected  a  few  years  since  by  the  i)ublic  spirit 
of  Mr.  Clay,  which  was  understood  by  all  parties  to  be 
inviolable,  and  which  healed  the  wounds  of  Southern  feeling  with- 
out sacrificing  the  great  manufacturing  interests  of  the  country,  has 
now  been  assailed  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  party,  and  our  little 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  243 

representative,  Mr.  Cambreling,  was  the  chosen  instrument  to 
sharpen  the  weapon,  and  give  its  direction.  He  has  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Representatives,  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Ways  and  Means,  a  bill  to  alter  the  tariff  duties  upon  foreign 
manufactures,  so  that  the  reduction  which,  by  Mr.  Clay's  com- 
promise, was  to  be  made  gradually,  is  anticipated  four  years. 
Another  section  of  the  act  takes  off  immediately  the  duties  upon 
salt  and  coals.  If  this  high-handed  measure  is  sanctioned  by  the 
President-elect  (of  which  there  is  very  little  doubt,  for  Cambreling 
is  his  acknowledged  mouth-piece),  a  flame  will  be  raised  which 
may  in  time  endanger  the  union  of  the  States,  prostrate  the  active 
industry  of  the  East  and  North,  and  render  the  whole  country 
dependent  upon  foreigners.  No  wonder  General  Jackson  and  his 
administrators,  executors,  and  assigns  are  popular  in  England. 
They  are  an  admirable  party  for  the  interest  of  John  Bull.  Huzza 
for  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  !  Down  with  the  New  York  Whigs  who 
opposed  the  "  commercial  representative,"  and  were  so  near 
sending  an  honest  man  to  take  his  place  !  These  cries  will  be 
mighty  popular  in  the  "old  countr},"  and  have  more  weight 
and  unction  than  even  "  God  save  the  King  ! "  or  "  Down  with  the 
Bishops  !  " 

January  14.  —  The  ship  "Wellington,"  of  740  tons  burden, 
was  launched  this  day  from  Bergh's  ship-yards.  She  is  intended 
for  Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co.'s  London  Une  of  packets.  The  grea/ 
duke  (as  the  Spaniards  used  to  call  him)  ought  to  be  highly 
gratified  at  this  compliment  from  republican  America.  How  things 
are  changed  !  A  supposed  predilection  for  Old  England,  charged 
upon  the  Federal  party  thirty  years  ago,  lost  them  their  political 
ascendency.  At  that  time  men  were  afraid  to  wear  a  red  watch- 
ribbon,  lest  it  might  be  taken  for  a  symbol  of  Toryism  and  bring 
the  wearer  a  broken  head ;  but  now  the  two  old  women  who  govern 
England  and  America  are  great  cronies,  and  their  subjects  better 
friends  than  they  were  before  the  battle  of  Concord ;  and  the  name 
of  the  Prince  of  Conservatives,  the  greatest  aristocrat  in  Europe, 


244  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLlP   HONE.  [.^tat.  57. 

graces   the  bows  of  one  of  the  noble  ships  of  which  America  has 
reason  to  be  proud. 

February  16.  —  This  terrible  old  man,  whose  term 
Tacksol"  of  office  (happily  for  the  country)  will  expire  in  a  little 

more  than  a  fortnight,  has  been  committing  one  of 
those  acts  of  violence  in  which  he  habitually  indulges,  toward  a 
senator  whose  high  character  has  hitherto  preserved  him  from  the 
personal  insults  of  black  ...  of  meaner  rank  than  his  present 
assailant.  The  "  old  Cleneral,"  as  he  is  affectionately  called  ;  the 
"greatest  and  best,"  as  he  is  foolishly  called;  or  the  "second 
Washington,"  as  he  is  profanely  called  by  the  band  of  sycophants 
who  have  made  him  what  he  is,  —  is  determined  to  die  game  ;  or,  to 
use  an  expression  which  was  brought  into  the  American  vocabulary 
about  the  same  time  that  he  assumed  the  crown  and  sceptre,  he 
goes  "  the  whole  hog  "  in  insulting  the  feelings  of  that  part  of  the 
American  people  who  have  yet  remaining  some  veneration  for 
their  country's  institutions.  Mr.  Calhoun  laid  before  the  Senate 
a  letter  which  he  had  received  from  the  President,  calling  him 
to  account  for  remarks  made  in  debate  in  regard  to  that  most 
mischievous  measure,  the  removing  the  national  deposits  from  the 
late  Bank  of  the  United  States.  The  Executive  arraigning  a 
senator  who  represents  a  sovereign  State,  and  that  the  proud  State 
of  South  Carolina,  and  abusing  him  for  the  exercise  of  a  constitu- 
tional right,  —  the  free  expression  of  opinion  on  the  conduct  of 
another  branch  of  the  government,  delivered,  it  is  to  be  presumed, 
in  a  decorous  and  orderly  manner,  or  his  brother  senators  would 
not  have  permitted  it.  William  of  Orange  would  never  have  worn 
the  crown  of  England  had  Parliament  and  the  people  been  equally 
subservient  to  the  dictates  of  power  as  are  my  dear,  gullible  coun- 
trymen. What  would  the  Hancocks,  the  Adamses,  and  the  Quincys  ; 
the  Jays,  the  Clintons,  and  the  Hamiltons ;  the  Henrys,  the  Ran- 
dolphs, and  the  Madisons,  —  have  said  at  the  bare  suggestion  of  such 
a  radical  defect  within  the  space  of  fifty  or  sixty  years  in  the  fair 
fabric  which  their  patriotic  labours  contributed  to  erect,  as  could  by 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  245 

possibility  permit  such  a  usurpation  on  the  part  of  the  executive 
magistrate  ?  He  could  not  wait  until  his  time  was  out  to  vent  his 
spleen  against  a  political  opponent.  It  was  more  convenient  to 
"  assume  the  responsibility  "  (a  hateful  Jackson  term)  before  the 
fourth  of  March  should  have  taken  from  his  shoulders  the  mantle 
of  official  impunity.  Or,  perhaps,  as  "  the  old  cocks  teach  the 
young  ones  to  crow,"  this  act  was  intended  to  instruct  his  suc- 
cessor and  favourite  in  the  art  of  governing  upon  patent  Jackson 
principles,  and  to  give  him  the  exact  length  and  breadth  of  the 
forbearance  of  the  American  people ;  but,  thank  God  !  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  although  a  wiser  and  a  better  man,  does  not  enjoy  the 
baneful  popularity,  at  least  in  any  important  degree,  of  the  present 
chief  magistrate,  and  cannot  (even  if  he  were  so  disposed,  which  I 
am  far  from  believing)  ever  trifle  with  the  feelings  of  his  country- 
men with  the  same  indulgence.  Mr.  Calhoun,  on  presenting  the 
letter  to  the  Senate,  repeated  the  remarks  which  had  occasioned  it, 
and  with  great  eloquence,  dignity,  and  self-possession  appealed  to 
that  body  to  protect  their  privileges. 

March  4.  —  This  is  the  end  of  General  Jackson's  administration, 
—  the  most  disastrous  in  the  annals  of  the  country,  and  one  which 
will  excite  "  the  special  wonder  "  of  posterity.  That  such  a  man 
should  have  governed  this  great  country,  with  a  rule  more  absolute 
than  that  of  any  hereditary  monarch  of  Europe,  and  that  the  peo- 
ple should  not  only  have  submitted  to  it,  but  upheld  and  supported 
him  in  his  encroachments  upon  their  rights,  and  his  disregard  of 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  will  equally  occasion  the  surprise 
and  indignation  of  future  generations.  The  people's  indifference 
will  prove  that  the  love  of  liberty  and  independence  is  no  longer 
an  attribute  of  our  people,  and  that  the  patriotic  labours  of  the  men 
of  the  Revolution  have  sunk  like  water  in  the  sands,  and  that  the 
vaunted  rights  of  the  people  are  considered  by  them  as  a  "  cun- 
ningly devised  fable." 

This  is  also  the  commencement  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  reign,  the 
first  New  York  President.     He  has  said  that  it  was  "  honour  enough 


246  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [^^tat.  57. 

to  have  served  under  such  a  chief,"  and  will  no  doubt  for  a  time 
speak  with  reverence  of  the  ladder  by  which  he  has  risen  to  the 
summit  of  ambitious  hopes  ;  but  I  do  not  despair  of  him.  He  will 
be  a  party  President,  but  he  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  be 
governed  by  the  rabble  who  surrounded  his  predecessor  and  ad- 
ministered to  his  bad  passions.  As  a  man,  a  gentleman,  and  a 
friend,  I  have  great  respect  for  Mr.  Van  Buren.  I  hate  the  cause, 
but  esteem  the  man  ;  and,  although  I  differ  in  my  expectations  from 
some  of  my  political  friends,  I  am  disposed  to  give  him  a  fair 
chance.  What  a  tide  there  is  in  the  affairs  of  men  !  The  refusal 
of  a  Whig  Senate  to  confirm  his  a})pointment  as  Minister  to  Eng- 
land made  him  President  of  the  United  States. 

March  6. — The  new  President  was  sworn  into 
Inauguration,  office  at  the  Capitol,  on  Saturday,  at  noon.  The  cere- 
mony was  conducted  as  usual,  in  the  presence  of  the 
"  high  dignitaries "  of  the  nation,  foreign  ministers,  etc.,  and  as 
many  of  the  "  sovereigns"  as  could  gain  admittance  to  the  presence 
of  their  "  servant."  Mr.  Van  Buren  made  an  inaugural  speech, 
which  I  think  is  very  good.  The  principles  on  which  he  promises 
to  govern  are  unexceptionable,  and  if  he  had  not  committed  himself 
unnecessarily,  and  I  think  improperly,  on  the  subject  of  slavery, 
by  saying  that  he  intends  to  veto  any  bill  which  may  be  passed  by 
Congress  to  regulate  that  knotty  subject  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  if  he  could  only  have  kept  himself  quiet  about  the  old  lion, 
who  is  now  about  to  drag  his  reluctant  steps  away  from  the  den, 
I  should  have  said,  Hurrah  for  Martin  the  First  !  His  glorifi- 
cation of  the  "hero  of  a  considerable  number  of  wars"  is  too 
good  to  be  lost. 

March  15.  —  This  has  turned  out  a  great  affair; 
r.     c  s  er  s  gygj.y^|-)|j-jor  ^ygut  like  clock-work.      I  arose  at  six  o'clock. 

Reception.  '  ^ 

The  morning  was  raw  and  looked  stormy,  but  soon 
became  bright,  and  it  proved  a  pleasant  day.  At  seven  o'clock 
the  committee  of  arrangements,  consisting  of  myself,  Messrs.  Draper, 
Barstow,  Leavitt,  Johnson,  Smith,  and  Benson,  started  in  the  steam- 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  ^47 

boat  and  arrived  at  Amboy  at  half- past  nine.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  c^rs  from  Philadelphia  we  received  Mr.  Webster.  The  flags 
which  had  been  prepared  were  hoisted  on  his  coming  on  board, 
and  we  started  immediately.  We  arrived  at  the  steamboat  wharf 
near  the  Battery  at  three  o'clock  ;  here  the  crowd  was  immense  ; 
the  dock-houses,  sheds,  and  that  part  of  the  Battery  nearest  the 
place  of  landing  were  covered  with  people.  Mr.  Webster  was 
placed  in  my  barouche,  in  which  also  D.  B.  Ogden,  Peter  Stagg, 
and  myself  were  seated.  An  escort  of  horsemen,  to  the  number  of 
one  hundred,  preceded  the  barouche,  and  the  carriages  with  the 
members  of  the  committee  followed.  Broadway  was  filled  with 
people  from  the  Battery  to  the  American  Hotel  (Mr.  Webster's 
quarters),  and  he  was  cheered  by  the  crowd  on  his  whole  progress 
with  great  enthusiasm.  On  his  arrival  at  the  hotel  he  addressed 
them  briefly  from  a  front  window.  The  committee  escorting  Mr. 
Webster,  with  Mr.  Granger,  Mr.  Abbot  Lawrence,  and  a  few  others, 
went,  at  six  o'clock,  to  Niblo's  saloon,  where  an  immense  concourse 
was  assembled  by  previous  notice.  The  meeting  was  organized 
by  the  appointment  of  David  B.  Ogden,  chairman,  Robert  C.  Cor- 
nell, Jonathan  Goodhue,  Nathaniel  Weed,  and  Joseph  Tucker,  vice- 
presidents,  and  Hiram  Ketcham  and  Joseph  Hoxie,  secretaries. 
The  resolutions  passed  at  the  first  meeting  were  read,  together 
with  the  correspondence.  Our  committee  then  ascended  the  stage 
with  Mr.  Webster,  and  I  introduced  him  with  a  brief  speech. 

The  chairman  then  read  an  address  to  Mr.  Webster,  to  which 
he  replied  in  a  speech  of  two  hours  and  a  half,  —  one  of  those 
glorious  exhibitions  of  talent  for  which  he  stands  unrivalled  in 
America.  He  gave  a  clear  and  forcible  history  of  the  administra- 
tion for  the  last  eight  years ;  laid  open  his  views  and  the  course  of 
his  political  conduct ;  told  the  Whigs,  in  glowing  and  animated 
terms,  the  duty  they  owed  the  Republic,  even  while  in  a  minority ; 
and  sent  home  four  or  five  thousand  as  good-looking  men  as  I  ever 
saw  assembled,  delighted  and  instructed,  and  unconscious  that  they 
had  been  standing  in  one  position  for  nearly  four  hours.     The  use 


248  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

of  the  Governor's  room  in  the  City  Hall  has  been  obtained  for 
Mr.  Webster,  where  he  will  receive  visitors  to-morrow  from  twelve 
until  two  o'clock. 

March  18.  —  Notwithstanding  the  hard  times  and  my  partici- 
pation in  their  effects,  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  having 
Mr.  Webster  to  dine  wilh  mc  to-day ;  so  I  had  a  nice  litde  party, 
and  an  exceedingly  pleasant  one.  "The  man  whom  every  true 
American  delights  to  honour"  (there  is  no  harm  in  stealing  out  of 
my  own  pocket)  was  more  at  his  ease  than  I  ever  before  saw  him 
at  dinner-table  ;  he  was  talkative,  cheerful,  full  of  anecdote,  and 
appeared  to  enjoy  himself  as  much  as  he  caused  others  to  enjoy 
themselves,  and  we  made  a  very  gay  termination  of  an  exceedingly 
sorrowful  sort  of  a  week.  Our  party  consisted  of  the  following : 
Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  David  B.  Ogden,  Chancellor  Kent,  Robert  Ray, 
Mr.  (iranger,  Charles  King,  Mr.  James  Brown,  Simeon  Draper,  Mr. 
George  Griswold,  President  Duer.  The  troubles  in  Wall  street 
kept  away  James  G.  King  and  Morris  Robinson.  A  number  of 
failures  have  taken  place  to-day ;  only  the  forerunners  of  greater 
disasters.  The  names  are  not  worth  recording,  for  such  events 
will  soon  cease  to  be  worthy  of  remark 

March  20.  —  The  prospects  in  Wall  street  are  getting  worse  and 
worse.  The  Josejihs  do  not  go  on.  The  accounts  from  England 
are  very  alarming  ;  the  panic  prevails  there  as  bad  as  here.  Cotton 
has  follen  ;  the  loss  on  shipments  will  be  very  heavy,  and  American 
credits  will  be  withdrawn.  The  paper  of  the  Southern  and  Western 
merchants  is  coming  back  protested.  Why  should  I  be  in  such  a 
scrape  ? 

March  28. — The  general  meeting  of  the  Whigs  was  held  this 
evening  at  Masonic  Hall,  to  receive  the  nomination  of  Aaron  Clarke 
for  mayor.  I  was  there  for  a  short  time.  The  great  hall  was 
filled,  and  great  enthusiasm  prevailed.  I  hope  it  will  not  evaporate. 
A  much  greater  object  is  to  be  attained  than  the  mere  personal 
triumph  of  Aaron  Clarke  over  John  J.  Morgan.  This  will  be  the 
first  important  election  which  has  been  held  since  Mr.  Van  Buren 


I837-]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  249 

assumed  the  reins  of  government,  and  it  will  be  well  to  let  him  know 
whether  the  people  approve  of  his  driving  (as  he  has  intimated  he 
intended  to  do)  according  to  the  Jackson  plan. 

A  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  this  day  at  the  Merchants' 
Bank,  Wall  street,  for  the  purpose  of  agreeing  upon  a  letter  to  be 
presented  to  Mr.  Biddle,  requesting  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
at  Philadelphia,  to  step  forward  in  this  most  appalling  crisis  and 
save  the  commercial  community  of  New  York.  Mr.  Biddle  and 
the  cashier,  Mr.  Jaudon,  have  come  on  purpose  to  ascertain  the 
true  state  of  things,  and,  if  possible,  to  afford  relief. 

I  was  invited  to  attend  this  meeting ;  never  was  seen  such  an 
assemblage  of  woe-begone  countenances.  Despondency  had  taken 
place  of  that  indomitable  spirit  which  usually  characterizes  the  mer- 
chants of  New  York,  and  Nicholas  Biddle,  the  insulted  and  pro- 
scribed of  Andrew  Jackson  and  his  myrmidons,  is  the  sun  to  which 
alone  they  can  look  to  illumine  the  darkness.  Did  ever  man  enjoy 
so  great  a  moral  triumph  ?  He  is  the  only  man,  and  the  bank  over 
which  he  so  ably  presides  the  only  institution,  in  the  country  which 
has  stood  erect  before  the  implacable  hostility  of  Andrew  Jackson. 
Mr.  Biddle,  placing  himself  upon  the  firm  base  of  honour  and  in- 
tegrity, has  retaliated  the  wrongs  which  he  has  received  from  a 
portion  of  his  fellow-citizens,  by  serving  them  whenever  a  suitable 
occasion  occurred,  and  now  he  comes  forward  in  the  day  of  their 
adversity  to  relieve  them  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  He  can  do 
so  much,  and  most  assuredly  will. 

March  31.  —  This  was  the  greatest  dinner  I  was  ever 
Dinner  ^^'  ^^^^^  ^^^  exccptiou,  pcrhaps,  of  that  given  to  Wash- 

ington Irving  on  his  return  from  Europe.  I  had  the 
honour  of  being  an  invited  guest.  The  Association  of  Booksellers  in 
the  principal  cities  of  the  Union  have  a  great  annual  or  semi-annual 
feast,  at  which  eminent  literary  and  scientific  men  are  invited  to 
join  the  trade.  This,  I  believe,  was  the  first  in  New  York ;  it  was 
given  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  was  gotten  up,  arranged,  and  conducted 
in  admirable  style.     At  five  o'clock  yesterday,  the  Association,  with 


250  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [JEtnt.  S7. 

their  guests  (I  should  think  to  the  number  of  fifty),  began  to  as- 
semble, and  when  the  company  was  seated  the  large  dining-room 
was  quite  full.  Mr.  Crittenden  told  me  this  morning  that  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-seven  persons  sat  down  to  the  table.  Mr.  David 
Felt  presided  in  handsome  style,  assisted  by  F.  Harper,  Charles 
Carvill,  W.  Jackson,  and  James  Conner,  as  vice-presidents,  George 
Dearborn,  master  of  ceremonies,  and  John  Keese  as  toast-master. 

Among  the  guests  whom  I  noticed  were  Rev.  Mr.  Schroeder, 
Rev.  Orville  Dewey,  Professor  Follen,  President  Duer,  and  Professors 
McVickar,  Anderson,  and  Renwick,  of  Columbia  College,  Chancellor 
Kent,  Mr.  Gallatin,  Colonel  Trumbull,  Judge  Irving,  Washington 
Irving,  Halleck,  Bryant,  Paulding,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Dr.  McMurtrie, 
Dr.  Gray,  Leggett,  Herbert,  Grenville  Mellon,  Inman,  Weir,  Chap- 
man, Drs.  Ticknor,  Gilman,  DeKay,  and  Francis,  besides  many 
gentlemen  connected  with  literature  in   Philadelphia  and  Boston. 

April  10.  —  One  of  the  signs  of  the  times  is  to  be  seen  in  the 
sales  of  rich  furniture.  Men  who  a  year  ago  thought  themselves 
rich,  and  such  expenditures  justifiable,  are  now  bankrupt. 

Markets  continue  extravagantly  high ;  meat  of  all  kinds  and 
poultry  are  as  dear  as  ever.  The  farmers  (or  rather  the  market 
speculators)  tell  us  this  is  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  corn ;  but  the 
shad,  the  chea]:)ness  of  which  in  ordinary  seasons  makes  them,  as 
long  as  they  last,  a  great  resource  for  the  poor,  are  not  to  be  bought 
under  seventy-five  cents  and  a  dollar.  Is  this  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  corn,  or  are  the  fish  afraid  to  come  into  our  waters  lest  they  may 
be  caught  in  the  vortex  of  Wall  street  ?  Brooms,  the  price  of  which, 
time  out  of  mind,  has  been  twenty- five  cents,  are  now  sold  at  half  a 
dollar  ;  but  corn  is  scarce.     Poor  New  York  ! 

Aprh.  21.  —  An  evidence  of  the  pecuniary  distress  which  pervades 
the  community  is  to  be  found  in  the  reduced  price  of  stocks  and 
unimproved  real  estate.  All  the  local  bank  stocks  have  fallen  below 
par.  Railroads  and  canals  will  not  bring  in  many  instances  more 
than  half  their  value  a  year  ago.  The  Delaware  and  Hudson,  which 
4s  now  in  a  more  prosperous  condition  than  at  any  former  period,  is 


1837.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2$  I 

selling  at  sixty-five  per  cent.,  and  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad 
about  the  same.  As  to  lots  which  have  been  the  medium  of  enor- 
mous speculations,  the  following  fact  will  tell  their  story :  Lots  at 
Bloomingdale,  somewhere  about  One  Hundredth  street  (for  the 
whole  island  was  laid  out  in  town  lots),  which  cost  last  September 
$480  a  lot,  have  been  sold  within  a  few  days  at  $50.  The  immense 
fortunes  which  we  heard  so  much  about  in  the  days  of  speculation 
have  melted  away  like  the  snows  before  an  April  sun.  No  man  can 
calculate  to  escape  ruin  but  he  who  owes  no  money.  Happy  is  he 
who  has  a  little,  and  is  free  from  debt. 

April  25.  —  This  volume  commences  at  the  most  gloomy  period 
which  New  York  has  ever  known.  The  clouds  which  have  been 
for  six  months  hovering  over  us  have  become  darker  than  ever, 
and  no  eye  can  perceive  a  ray  of  hope  through  their  obscurity.  I 
participate  personally,  to  a  great  degree,  in  the  distress  and  em- 
barrassment of  the  time.  The  difference  in  my  situation  and  pros- 
pects between  the  commencement  of  the  last  volume  of  this  journal 
and  the  present  time  is  so  great  that  it  requires  a  good  share  of 
philosophy  and  resignation  to  keep  up  under  the  reflections  which 
flow  from  the  contrast,  and  I  would  throw  down  this  steel  pen 
(which  don't  write  over  and  above  well)  and  give  up  the  task  of 
journalizing  on  the  threshold  of  this  volume,  if  I  had  not  a 
lingering  hope  that  I  may  yet,  one  of  these  days,  have  cause  to 
write  in  a  more  cheerful  strain. 

April  26.  —  A  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  last 
rea      ee  ing  g^gj^^^^^^  ^|.  Masonic  Hall,  "  to  take  into  consideration 

of  Merchants.  °  ' 

the  present  distress,  and  to  devise  suitable  measures  of 
relief."  I  took  the  chair  of  the  largest  and  most  respectable 
assemblage  I  ever  witnessed. 

The  resolutions  are  pretty  well  spiced,  and  some  softening  alter- 
ations were  made  at  my  suggestion ;  as  they  are,  they  contain 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  the  truth  which  in  such  an  emergency 
ought  to  be  spoken.  But  I  understand  some  of  the  Wall-street 
gentlemen  (particularly  the  few  who  owe  no  money)  are  opposed 


252  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

to  the  meeting,  or  any  other  which  may  express  the  feeUngs  of  the 
suffering  merchants  and  traders.  But  those  who  attended  the 
meeting  must  have  perceived  a  spirit  there  which  cannot  be 
quenched.  The  following  committee  was  appointed,  under  one  of 
the  resolutions,  "  to  repair  to  Washington  and  remonstrate  with  the 
Executive  against  the  continuance  of  the  specie  circular,  and  in 
behalf  of  this  meeting,  and  in  the  name  of  the  merchants  of  New- 
York  and  the  people  of  the  United  States,  to  urge  its  immediate 
repeal." 

I  attended  last  evening  the  dinner  of  the  governing  committee 
of  the  Union  Club,  at  Windust's.  Nineteen  present.  The  Execu- 
tive Committee  are  engaged  in  preparing  the  house  and  laying  in 
stores  and  furniture.  They  expect  to  be  ready  in  about  three 
weeks.  This  club  will  be  well  suited  to  the  times.  A  single  gentle- 
man will  be  able  to  get  a  good  dinner  and  his  wine  for  half  the 
price  he  would  have  to  pay  at  a  hotel. 

I  attended  this  evening  an  extra  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the 
Bank  for  Savings,  called  in  conscvpience  of  applications  from  the 
Bowery  and  the  Creenwich  Savings-Bank  to  help  them  in  their 
present  difficulties.  The  poor  and  the  labouring  classes  of  the 
community,  who  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the  depositors  in 
those  institutions,  urged  by  their  necessities,  or  by  a  want  of  con- 
fidence in  all  money  institutions,  are  withdrawing  their  funds  in  a 
most  alarming  manner.  The  two  banks  above  named  will  not  be 
able  to  keep  up,  and  I  fear  that  even  our  great  bank,  with  a  deposit 
account  of  upward  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  will  find  it  extremely 
difficult  to  meet  the  run  which  will  be  occasioned  by  the  suspension 
of  the  others.  Our  funds  have  been  safely  and  judiciously  invested 
in  State  stocks  bearing  five  and  six  per  cent,  interest,  —  good,  if 
anything  in  America  may  be  so  considered  in  these  times ;  but  the 
run  has  already  been  dreadful.  Up  to  yesterday  the  drafts  in  the 
present  month  amounted  to  $280,000.  We  have  sold  a  large 
amount  of  stocks  at  a  very  heavy  loss,  and  every  exertion  is  making 
by  as  discreet  and  able  a  set  of  men  as  ever  had  the  control  of  a 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  253 

public  institution ;  but  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  State  stocks 
of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio  will  not  much  longer  com- 
mand money  at  any  price,  so  entirely  has  confidence  been  destroyed 
in  the  community.  A  panic  amongst  such  people  as  the  bulk  of 
depositors  in  savings-banks  cannot  be  restrained ;  it  goes  on  to 
the  destruction  of  themselves  as  well  as  the  sources  on  which  they 
depend  for  support.  But  there  is  no  reasoning  with  them.  Like 
the  wild  and  frightened  horse,  their  onward  career  cannot  be 
checked  by  a  curb  or  bridle,  and  reason  might  as  well  be  employed 
to  arrest  the  stormy  waves  of  ocean. 

April  28.  —  Mr.  Webster's  great  speech,   delivered 
r.     e  sers  ^^  Niblo's  ou  the    i^th   of  March,  is  published  in  the 

Speech.  ^  '         '■ 

Whig  newspapers,  beside  many  thousand  copies  in 
pamphlet  form.  If  the  people  would  read  this  admirable  address, 
it  could  not  fail  to  produce  the  most  salutary  effects ;  but  they  dare 
not  put  themselves  in  the  way  of  having  their  faith  in  their  idols 
shaken ;  they  heed  not  the  charmer,  "  charm  he  ever  so  wisely." 
Mr.  Webster  did  not  aim  at  a  display  of  eloquence  in  this  address. 
His  object,  as  he  avowed  it  at  the  time,  was  to  make  a  plain  state- 
ment of  the  measures  of  the  late  administration,  and  a  history  of 
the  causes  which  led  to  the  present  unparalleled  state  of  distress 
and  embarrassment  here,  and  in  all  parts  of  this  once  prosperous 
country.  Still  it  contains  occasional  flashes  of  eloquence  in  the 
most  brilliant  style  of  the  accomplished  orator. 

May  2.  — The  number  of  failures  is  so  great  daily  that  I  do  not 
keep  a  record  of  them,  even  in  my  mind. 

May  6. — The  committee  of  merchants  met  at  five  o'clock  to 
receive  the  report  of  the  sub-committee,  who  returned  this  morning 
from  Washington.  Their  interview  with  the  President,  as  was  ex- 
pected, produced  nothing.  He  insisted  upon  a  written  communica- 
tion, to  which  he  sent  a  reply.  He  will  do  nothing  in  regard  to 
the  specie  circular,  will  not  call  an  extra  session  of  Congress,  and 
will  not  take  into  consideration  the  subject  of  the  government  for- 
bearance to  enforce  the  payment   of  bonds.     The  committee  are 


254  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

under  strong  excitement,  and  I  fear  the  consequences  of  a  meeting 
which  is  to  be  held  on  Monday  to  receive  this  report.  But  there 
was  no  resisting  it.  It  is  a  dangerous  time  for  such  a  meeting ; 
combustibles  enough  are  collected  to  cause  an  awful  conflagration  ; 
men's  minds  are  bent  upon  mischief;  ruin  and  rashness,  distress 
and  despair,  generally  go  together,  and  a  spark  may  blow  us  up.  I 
must  preside  at  this  meeting,  for  it  would  be  dishonourable  to  desert 
these  men  now.  If  I  have  influence,  I  will  exert  it  to  prevent 
violence. 

May  8.  —  The  Dry  Dock  Bank  stops  payment  to-day.  There 
was  a  meeting  yesterday  at  the  Mayor's  office  of  the  presidents  and 
cashiers  of  the  other  banks  in  relation  to  the  subject  of  helping  the 
Dry  Dock  Bank.  I  saw  the  Mayor  in  the  afternoon,  who  told  me 
that  they  refused  unanimously  to  come  forward,  on  his  representa- 
tion that  it  was  out  of  the  question.  This  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000,  has  discounted  to  the  amount  of  $1,200,000.  It  is  not  a 
safety-fund  bank,  but  one  of  the  pets  selected  by  the  government 
as  a  safer  depository  of  the  public  money  than  the  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  and  has  a  government  deposit  of  $280,000,  which 
will  go  in  part  payment  of  the  cost  of  the  fatal  experiment. 

But  three  banks  at  liuffalo,  all  safety-fund  banks,  are  under  in- 
junction and  their  doors  closed.  The  Legislature  immediately 
passed  an  act  directing  the  bank  commissioners  to  assume  the  pay- 
ment of  their  notes,  which  will  consequently  be  received  and  paid 
at  the  Manhattan  Bank.  This  will  probably  sweep  away  the  famous 
safety-fund.  The  bubble  will  burst,  and  the  public  creditors  of 
rotten  banks  will  look  in  vain  hereafter  to  that  delusive  hope  for 
protection  from  loss.  Where  will  it  all  end?  In  ruin,  revolution, 
perhaps  civil  war. 

May  9.  —  The  meeting  of  merchants  took  place  last 

^^^.  evening,  at  Masonic  Hall,  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution 

adopted  at  the  meeting  of  the  25th  of  April,  to  receive 

the  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  go   to  Washington.  Great 

anxiety  prevailed   throughout  the  city  in  relation  to  this  meeting ; 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  255 

fears  were  entertained  that  in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  public 
mind,  particularly  of  that  part  of  the  community  of  which  the  com- 
mittee were  a  part,  violent  proceedings  might  take  place,  and 
tumult  and  disorder  destroy  all  chance  of  producing  good  by  the 
meeting,  —  proceedings  which  would  be  an  example  and  sanction  to 
the  lower  orders  of  the  people  when  bent  (as  they  will  soon  be) 
upon  mischief  of  some  sort.  I  partook  largely  of  these  feelings,  and 
determined  to  exert  all  my  powers  and  influence  to  give  a  proper 
direction  to  the  action  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  the 
great  meeting,  and  a  hard  time  I  have  had  of  it.  We  met  at  three 
o'clock,  at  Delmonico's.  The  report  of  the  Washington  committee, 
which  was  prepared  by  Isaac  S.  Hone,  is  exceedingly  well  done.  It 
was  adopted,  with  some  amendment ;  resolutions  were  proposed, 
true  enough  and  very  good  ;  but,  having  been  prepared  under  strong 
excitement  and  a  sense  of  injuries  inflicted  by  the  government^ 
were  so  strong,  in  my  judgment,  as  to  defeat  the  object  we  have  in 
view,  viz.,  to  raise  up  a  party  opposed  to  the  men  who  have  brought 
us  into  our  present  unhappy  situation.  One  in  particular  charged 
the  President  with  statements  "unfounded  in  fact;"  to  this  I 
made  serious  objections,  but  without  avail,  until  I  was  compelled 
to  declare  that  I  would  not  preside  at  the  meeting  unless  the  lan- 
guage I  objected  to  was  stricken  from  the  resolution.  I  prevailed, 
and  was  allowed  to  alter  the  resolution,  which  was  then  adopted. 

The  great  meeting  took  place  at  half-past  seven.  The  same 
officers  were  appointed ;  the  report  and  resolutions  were  read  by 
Isaac  S.  Hone,  who  made  an  excellent  address,  explaining  and 
elucidating  some  points  in  the  report.  Mr.  Bryan  was  loudly  called 
for,  and  made  a  good  speech.  The  report  was  accepted,  the  reso- 
lutions adopted,  the  meeting  adjourned,  and  the  immense  multitude 
retired  without  the  slightest  act  of  indecorum,  much  to  the  mortifi- 
cation of  some  of  the  adherents  of  the  party  in  power,  who  hoped 
that  this  assemblage  of  the  finest  fellows  in  the  State  of  New  York 
would,  by  some  act  of  violence,  destroy  the  influence  which  the 
justness  of  their  cause  begins  already  to  produce  in  the  minds  of 


256  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^'Etat.  57. 

men  of  all  parties,  and  which  will  undoubtedly  rend  the  State  from 
Mr.  Van  Buren  at  the  next  election.  I  am  thankful  that  the  situa- 
tion in  which  I  was  placed  enabled  me  to  infuse  a  spirit  of  modera- 
tion into  the  proceedings.  As  they  are,  they  do  us  credit,  and  will 
have  a  favourable  influence  over  the  minds  of  men  in  other  parts  of 
the  country. 

A  constant  run  was  made  to-day  for  specie  on  all  tlic  other  banks, 
which  will  inevitably  drain  them  all  in  a  week.  The  banks  7vill  he 
C077ipelled  to  suspend  tlic  payment  of  specie,  and  the  Legislature  must 
pass  an  act,  before  they  adjourn,  to  suspend,  for  a  given  period,  the 
operation  of  the  law  forfeiting  the  charters  of  banks  refusing  to  pay 
specie.  Mr.  Van  Buren's  precious  safety-fund  cries  *'  Enough  !  "  on 
receiving  the  first  blow ;  the  rotten  fabric  falls  like  the  walls  of 
Jericho  on  the  first  blast  of  the  trumpet. 
^,    ^  .  .  May    10. —  The    experiment  has     succeeded:     the 

The  Crisis, —  ^  ■' 

Banks  sus-  volcano  has  burst  and  overwhelmed  New  York ;  the 
pended.  glory  of  her   merchants   is  departed.     After  a  day  of 

unexampled  excitement,  and  a  ruthless  run  upon  all  the  banks, 
which  drew  from  their  vaults  $600,000  in  specie  yesterday,  nearly 
as  much  having  been  drawn  on  Monday,  the  officers  held  a  meeting 
last  evening  and  resolved  to  suspend  specie  payments. 

It  was  inevitable  ;  and  the  banks  will  be  sustained  in  this  meas- 
ure by  all  good  citizens.  The  Legislature  must  pass  an  act  imme- 
diately, suspending  the  operation  of  that  part  of  the  safety-fund 
law  which  annuls  their  charters  on  a  refusal  to  pay  specie  ;  other- 
wise we  shall  be  worse  off  than  ever,  having  no  circulating  medium 
at  all.  They  must  also  repeal  the  law  which  forbids  the  issuing  of 
bank-notes  under  five  dollars.  I  regret  the  necessity  for  the  latter 
measure,  having  been  always  in  favour  of  the  law.  It  worked  well, 
and  would  have  continued  to  do  so  but  for  the  accursed  Jackson 
and  Benton  experiment  (the  word  makes  me  sick.  I  wish  it  could 
be  drummed  out  of  the  English  language). 

The  savings-bank  also  sustained  a  most  grievous  run  yesterday. 
They   paid    three    hundred    and   seventy- five   depositors   $81,000. 


[837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  257 


The  press  was  awful ;  the  hour  for  closing  the  bank  is  six  o'clock, 
but  they  did  not  get  through  the  paying  of  those  who  were  in  at 
that  time  until  nine  o'clock.  I  was  there  with  the  other  trustees, 
and  witnessed  the  madness  of  the  people,  —  women  nearly  pressed 
to  death,  and  the  stoutest  men  could  hardly  sustain  themselves ;  but 
they  held  on  as  with  a  death's  grasp  upon  the  evidences  of  their 
claims,  and,  exhausted  as  they  were  with  the  pressure,  they  had 
strength  to  cry,  "  Pay  !   Pay  !  " 

While  we  were  in  session  intelligence  was  brought  that  the 
banks  had  suspended  specie  payments.  Great  fears  were  enter- 
tained that  these  measures  would  produce  serious  consequences 
when  they  became  known,  particularly  those  adopted  by  the  Bank 
for  Savings,  where  there  are  twenty- five  thousand  depositors,  and 
those  generally  of  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  classes.  I  went 
down  this  morning ;  the  notice  was  hung  out  at  the  door  of  the 
bank.  A  crowd  was  collected,  which  continued  during  the  day, 
but  I  do  not  think  there  were  at  any  time  more  than  one  hundred 
persons.  Some  were  a  little  savage,  but  they  seemed  to  require 
explanation  only.  It  was  a  sort  of  recompense  for  their  disap- 
pointment, which  they  were  entitled  to ;  and  when  I  addressed 
them,  and  some  of  the  other  trustees  who  were  present  made  the 
explanations  they  wanted,  they  were  easily  pacified,  and  went  away, 
by  the  tens  and  twenties,  tolerably  well  reconciled  to  their  disap- 
pointment, and  two  hours  before  sunset  the  street  was  cleared. 

In  the  afternoon  the  trustees  met  in  the  Mayor's  office.  I  was 
mortified  to  be  there,  and  expressed  myself  freely  in  reprobation  of 
the  pusillanimity  which  led  them  to  give  up  the  ship  of  which  they 
had  the  command.  I  do  not  know  by  whose  order  the  place  of 
meeting  was  changed  at  this  interesting  moment ;  but  it  was  a 
sneaking  affair,  and  most  of  the  trustees  thought  so. 

During  the  day  Wall  street  was  greatly  crowded ;  but  there  was 
no  riot  or  tumult.  On  the  contrary,  men's  countenances  wore  a 
more  cheerful  aspect  than  for  several  days  past.  The  suspension 
of  specie  payments  will  restore  confidence,  the  men  of  capital  will 


258  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Ktat.  57. 

suffer  by  the  deterioration  of  the  value  of  the  circulating  medium, 
and  John  Bull  (if  he,  too,  has  not  been  compelled  to  adopt  the 
same  measure  ere  this)  will  scold  furiously,  and  stigmatize  the 
Yankees  as  a  nation  of  swindlers  ;  but  honest  men  who  are  in  debt 
and  wish  to  pay,  and  meclianics  who  are  willing  to  work,  will  have 
cause  to  rejoice.  As  for  myself,  I  am  in  the  first  predicament,  and 
cry,  Laus  Deo  !  The  limb  is  amputated,  the  symmetry  of  the  body 
spoiled,  but  the  life  of  the  patient  is  saved.  The  new  mayor  has 
done  his  duty  like  a  man.  The  troops  were  out  (hiring  the  day, 
and  Major-General  Hays,  with  his  regiment  of  Clubadiers,  have 
shown  themselves  at  various  points  in  strong  force.  Thus  ends 
this  most  eventful  day. 

May  II.  —  A  dead  calm  has  succeeded  the  stormy  weather  of 
Wall  street  and  the  other  places  of  active  business.  All  is  still  as 
death ;  no  business  is  transacted,  no  bargains  made,  no  negotia- 
tions entered  into  ;  men's  spirits  are  better,  because  the  danger  of 
universal  ruin  is  thought  to  be  less  imminent.  A  slight  ray  of  hope 
is  to  be  seen  in  countenances  where  despair  only  dwelt  for  the  last 
fortnight,  but  all  is  wTapped  in  uncertainty.  Nobody  can  foretell 
the  course  matters  will  take.  The  fever  is  broken ;  but  the  patient 
is  in  a  sort  of  syncope,  exhausted  by  the  violence  of  the  disease 
and  the  severity  of  the  remedies. 

May  12.  —  The  banks  of  Philadelphia  suspended  specie  pay- 
ments yesterday,  except  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
must  follow.  It  is  impossible  that  that  institution,  mighty  as  it  is, 
and  reluctant  to  enter  into  the  measure,  can  stand  alone. 

The  Baltimore  banks  have  also  suspended.  It  cannot  fail  to 
become  general.  The  commercial  distress  and  financial  embarrass- 
ment pervade  the  whole  nation.  Posterity  may  get  out  of  it,  but 
the  sun  of  the  present  generation  will  never  again  shine  out. 
Things  will  grow^  better  gradually,  from  the  curtailment  of  business, 
but  the  glory  has  departed.  Jackson,  Van  Buren,  and  Benton 
form  a  triumvirate  more  fatal  to  the  i)rosperity  of  America  than 
Caesar,  Pompey,  and  Crassus  were  to  the  liberties  of  Rome. 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  259 

The  London  packet-ship  "Wellington  "  arrived  yes- 
EnTanT""  terday,  bringing  news  to  the  fourteenth  of  last  month. 
Everything  in  England  is  tending  to  a  commercial  crisis 
like  that  in  which  we  are  placed.  The  great  American  house  of 
George  Wildes  &  Co.  has  been  sustained  by  the  Bank  of  England. 
They  owe  the  enormous  sum  of  two  million  pounds.  The  bank 
sustains  them,  because,  if  they  fall,  they  must  carry  all  the  others 
with  them.  The  United  States  must  ruin  all  the  American  houses, 
and  they  in  their  turn  will  cause  such  general  embarrassments  that 
even  the  Bank  of  England  will  not  be  able  to  stand. 

May  19.  —  A  Baltimore  paper,  after  stating  the  report  (which 
does  not  distress  me  as  much  as  some  things  which  I  have  heard, 
seen,  and  felt)  that  General  Jackson  "  has  lost  by  the  recent 
commercial  reverses  so  large  a  sum  as  to  render  it  possible  that 
his  old  age  may  be  one  of  poverty  even,  instead  of  ease  and  opu- 
lence," introduces  the  following  beautiful  extract,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  imagined  more  appropriate  :  — 

•'  So,  the  struck  eagle,  stretched  upon  the  plain, 
No  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again. 
Views  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart 
That  winged  the  shaft  that  quivers  in  his  heart. 
Keen  are  his  pangs,  but  keener  far  to  feel 
He  nursed  the  pinion  that  impelled  the  steel." 

May  20.  —  The  part  of  Beatrice  is,  I  think,  the 
Ellen  Tree,  ^est  of  her  acting.  She  played  it  last  night,  for  her 
benefit,  to  a  full  house.  There  is  a  refinement,  a  grace, 
about  her  which  suits  the  character.  Miss  Tree  has  not  the  force 
of  Fanny  Kemble,  but  more  sweetness.  She  has  less  genius,  but 
more  nature.  The  Beatrice  of  the  former  is  a  virago ;  the  latter 
makes  her  a  spoiled  child  ripened  into  a  wayward,  fascinating  co- 
quette, but  a  lady  always. 

My  daughter  and  I  called  the  other  day  upon  Miss  Tree,  and 
left  an  invitation  to  dinner  for  to-day.  She  declined,  pleading  a 
promise  to  play  this  evening  for  Hill's  benefit.     She  returned  our 


260  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^^tat.  57. 

visit  yesterday.  I  was  not  at  home.  My  daughters  were  exceed- 
ingly pleased  with  her,  and  enjoyed  her  visit  greatly.  All  who 
know  this  lady,  at  home  and  here,  speak  of  her  in  warm  terms  of 
commendation.  She  is  intelligent,  modest,  and  agreeable,  and 
wholly  uncontaminated  by  her  profession. 

The  following  party  dined  with  us :  Captain  Marryat,  I.  S. 
Hone,  Bankhead,  Dr.  McLean,  Hay,  President  Duer,  William 
Johnson,  R.  Freeman,  Henry  Brevoort,  and  Stevenson. 

The  lion.  Captain  Marryat,  is  no  great  things  of  a  lion,  after  all. 
In  truth,  the  author  of  "  Peter  Simple  "  and  "Jacob  Faithful  "  is  a 
veryevery-day  sort  of  a  man.  He  carries  about  him  in  his  manner 
and  conversation  more  of  the  sailor  than  the  author,  has  nothing  stu- 
dent-like in  his  appearance,  and  savours  more  of  the  binnacle  lamp 
than  that  of  the  study.  He  appears  pleased  with  the  little  he  has 
seen  of  this  country,  and  very  desirous  to  see  more  ;  but  the  bad 
times  will  deprive  him  of  much  of  the  attention  and  hospitality  to 
which  his  talents  and  celebrity  entitle  him. 

May  22.  —  The  loss    of   life  by  steamboats  in  this 

earn  oa  country,  and  especially  on  the  AVestern  waters,  is  shock- 
ing in  the  extreme,  and  a  stigma  on  our  country ;  for 
these  accidents  (as  they  are  called)  seldom  occur  in  Europe,  where 
they  do  not  understand  the  art  and  mystery  of  steam  devices,  or, 
indeed,  of  ship-building,  Ijctter  than  we  do.  But  we  have  become 
the  most  careless,  reckless,  headlong  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  "  do  ahead  "  is  our  maxim  and  pass-word  ;  and  we  do  go 
ahead  with  a  vengeance,  regardless  of  consequences  and  indifferent 
about  the  value  of  human  life.  What  are  a  few  hundred  persons, 
more  or  less  ?  There  are  plenty  in  this  country,  and  more  coming 
every  day ;  and  a  few  years  in  the  life  of  a  man  makes  very  little 
difference  in  comparison  with  the  disgrace  of  a  steamboat  being 
beaten  in  her  voyage  by  a  rival  craft. 

May  25.  —  The  English  writers  indulge  themselves 

merican-        greatly  of  latc    in   quoting  out-of-the-way  words  and 

queer  sayings  peculiar  to  the  people   of  this  country. 

'*  I  reckon,"  as  Brother  Jonathan  says  ;  "  go  the  whole  hog,"  to  use 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  261 

SL  Yankee  expression ;  and  other  phrases  of  that  kind  which  occur 
frequently  in  the  novels  and  stories  with  which  the  British  press 
abounds,  prove  that  they  begin  to  take  a  little  notice  of  us,  and  we 
shall  soon  become  as  proud  as  the  happy  individual  who  boasted 
that  the  prince  on  a  certain  occasion  had  honoured  him  by  his 
notice,  and  ordered  him  to  stand  out  of  the  way. 

May  26.  —  A  deadly  calm  pervades  this  lately  flourishing  city. 
No  goods  are  selling,  no  business  stirring,  no  boxes  encumber  the 
sidewalks  of  Pearl  street ;  stocks  have  fallen  again,  but  not  back  to 
the  prices  at  which  they  were  before  the  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments. No  remittances  come  from  other  States,  and  even  where 
debtors  are  able  and  willing  to  pay,  there  is  no  means  of  getting 
the  funds  to  New  York.  The  French  and  English  packets  are 
greatly  behindhand,  as  if  to  give  us  all  the  bad  news  they  will 
bring  in  one  grand  coup.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  city  we  shiver 
under  the  chilly  blasts  of  a  backward  spring,  and  burn  more  coal 
than  we  can  afford  to  pay  for.  Very  few  houses  are  being  built, 
except  in  some  cases  like  mine,  where  we  began  before  the  "  evil 
day "  came,  and  must  go  on.  Lots  which  a  year  ago  were  like 
"  rough-edge  guineas,"  and  brought  any  price  for  fear  they  might 
run  away,  stand  now  in  the  same  places,  and  do  not  look  nearly  so 
pleasant  nor  so  valuable  as  they  did  then.  "  Gold  and  silver  we 
have  none,"  and  there  is  no  change  either  in  our  prospects  or  our 
currency.  No  man  has  anything  to  comfort  him  unless  it  is  he 
who  is  out  of  debt,  and  has  no  sympathy  for  the  misfortunes  of  his 
neighbours. 

May  27.  —  I  dined  with  the  governing  committee  of  the  Union 
Club,  the  first  dinner  in  the  club  house.  No.  343  Broadway. 
The  house  will  be  open  to  the  subscribers  on  Thursday  next.  It  is 
well  fitted  up,  the  furniture  neat  and  handsome ;  the  servants  are 
good,  and,  above  all,  there  is  a  most  recherche  chef  de  cuisine. 
Subscribers  will  get  a  better  dinner  and  pay  less  for  it  than  at  any 
hotel  in  town.  It  is  a  great  resource  for  bachelors  and  men 
*' about  town;"  but  I   do  not  see  how  we  married  men  can  be 


262  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  57. 

induced  to  leave  our  comfortable  homes  and  families  to  dine  "  en 
gargon "  at  the  club,  even  under  the  temptation  of  Monsieur 
Julien's  bon  diners  a  la  Paris. 

May  29.  —  Captain  Marryat  called  to  see  us  this  morning.  I 
like  him  better  than  I  did  at  first ;  but  he  has  very  little  refinement 
of  manner,  and  his  conversation  does  not  partake  of  the  ease  and 
fluency  wliicii  characterize  his  writings. 

May  30.  —  Mr.  Webster,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  is  making  a 
tour  of  the  Western  States.  He  has  been  received  in  all  the  princi- 
pal towns  with  great  demonstrations  of  respect.  Public  dinners  and 
barbecues  have  been  tendered  to  him  in  great  profusion,  and 
speeches  made  and  answered  at  every  place  where  there  was  a  town- 
house  or  hotel  large  enough  to  hold  the  people.  Even  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  General  Jackson's  own  dunghill,  a  public  meeting  of 
the  citizens  was  held,  and  a  deputation  ajjpointed  to  invite  him  to 
partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  the  town.  It  would  be  amusing  to 
see  Mr.  Webster  at  a  Tennessee  barbecue,  with  General  Jackson 
as  one  of  his  entertainers, —  the  man  who  has  done  more  mischief 
to  the  country  than  any  other,  proposing  the  health  of  him  who  has 
done  the  most  to  avert  it. 

Mr.  Webster  is  boldly  nominated  in  many  of  the  Whig  papers 
for  the  next  President  after  the  curse  of  Jacksonism  shall  have  been 
removed  from  the  land.  This  is  premature  ;  but  it  may  be  the 
means  of  keeping  out  of  the  field  second-rate  men,  on  whom  the 
party  cannot  unite.  I  am  clear  for  using  the  best  materials  we 
have.  Webster  or  Clay,  —  nothing  short  of  this.  If  we  cannot 
have  either,  then  let  the  dear  jjeople  have  another  dose  of  Van 
Buren. 

May  31. — We  rode  out  this  afternoon  to  Mr.  Schermerhom's. 
The  weather  is  now  warm  and  pleasant  and  the  country  beautiful. 
The  grass  will  grow,  though  desolation  stalks  through  the  streets 
of  our  city ;  the  trees  will  put  forth  their  leaves  and  blossom,  not- 
withstanding the  suspension  of  all  profitable  business ;  the  flowers 
are  dressed  in  all  their  gaudy  and  smiling  array,  as  if  to  mock  the 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  263 

melancholy  faces  of  the  suffering  merchants ;  and  the  birds  sing 
merrily,  regardless  of  the  sighs  and  groans  of  the  lords  of  creation. 
June  2.  —  My  wife  and  I  drove  out  this  afternoon  to  visit  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Hoyt,  who  are  living  very  pleasantly  at  Mr.  Post's 
place,  at  Manhattanville,  which  belonged  once  to  Lord  Courtney. 
It  is  one  of  the  finest  places  on  the  Island.  President  and  Mrs. 
Duer  were  of  our  party. 
_, .      .     .  Tune  12.  —  This   youthful   scion   of    the    Bonaparte 

Prince  Louis  j  j  sr 

Napoleon  stock,  who  was  cxilcd  for  ten  years  from  France  for 
Bonaparte.  ^  g-^j^  attempt  at  rcvolt  made  by  him  at  Strasburgh, 
after  walking  Broadway  during  the  last  three  or  four  weeks,  sailed 
to-day  in  the  "  George  Washington  "  for  Liverpool.  The  ill-health  of 
his  mother  is  the  alleged  cause  of  his  sudden  return.  He  will  go 
from  England  to  Germany.  He  had  better  have  stayed  where  he 
was,  for  he  is  likely  to  get  into  new  scrapes  where  he  is  going. 
His  formal  attempt  was  not  of  a  nature  to  create  much  alarm,  or 
Louis  Philippe  would  not  have  let  him  slip  through  his  fingers 
when  he  had  him. 

June  23. — The  number  of  new  books  coming  out 
New  Books,  evcry  day  from  the  English  press,  as  well  as  ours,  sets  at 
defiance  the  hope  of  keeping  up  with  those,  even,  whose 
merits,  or  the  circumstance  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
author,  or  other  local  or  individual  interest,  render  it  incumbent 
upon  one  to  read.  Besides  the  standard  French  and  English  works 
which  my  late  visit  to  Europe  leads  me  to  peruse,  I  am  now  reading 
Buhver's  *'  Athens,"  —  a  new  work  highly  spoken  of,  —  when  down 
comes  the  second  volume  of  Lockhart's  "  Life  of  Walter  Scott,"  which 
(as  I  have  read  the  first)  is  irresistible.  Then  comes  the  funny 
"Pickwick  Papers,"  which,  though  lighter,  shoves  aside  the  others. 
Then,  Miss  Martineau's  "  Society  in  America,"  which  some  say  is  very 
saucy,  and  others  very  good,  cannot  be  neglected  if  one  would  be 
in  the  fashion ;  and  every  feeling  of  good  taste  and  friendship  and 
patriotism  calls  upon  us  to  lay  everything  else  aside  and  read 
Washington  Irving's  "  Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville." 


264  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

July  4.  —  The  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  our  country  was 
marked  by  most  delicious  weather.  I  wrote  until  noon,  then 
walked  down  to  see  the  crowd  as  far  as  St.  Paul's  Church.  The 
bells  were  ringing  a  merry  peal  in  honour  of  the  day.  Their  sounds 
proclaimed  the  liberty  and  independence  of  my  country ;  but  now, 
for  the  first  time,  there  appeared  to  me  mockery  in  those  sounds. 
The  glory  seemed  to  have  departed.  \Vc  are  nominally  in  the  en- 
joyment of  the  liberty  which  was  bequeathed  to  us  by  the  men  of  the 
Revolution ;  we  have  the  glorious  Constitution  which  they  framed 
for  us,  but  eight  years  of  misrule  has  left  us  nothing  but  the  empty 
name.  Independent,  too,  we  are  of  foreign  control,  —  and  long  may 
God  preserve  us  so  !  —  but  the  tyranny  of  public  opinion,  supporting 
measures  of  the  most  oppressive  character,  has  destroyed  that  proud 
and  manly  personal  independence  which  was  heretofore  the  charac- 
teristic of  my  countrymen,  and  men  are  governed  by  self-interest, 
or  bound  down  by  a  strong,  but  invisible,  chain  of  party-spirit,  a 
badge  of  slavery  like  that  of  Wamba,  or  the  Serf  of  the  North. 

August  i. — The  packets  which  sailed  to-day  took  out  a  million 
and  a  half  of  gold  and  silver,  and  no  American  passengers ;  this  is 
as  it  should  be.  We  must  not  buy  any  more  goods  or  spend  any 
more  money  in  Europe  until  we  have  paid  all  we  owe  them.  That 
is  the  only  way  to  get  out  of  the  j^resent  scrape.  If  remittances 
continue  in  this  way,  with  the  aid  of  one  or  two  cotton  crops,  and 
the  realization  of  the  present  glorious  prospects  for  the  harvest,  we 
shall  not  only  get  right,  but  the  character  of  our  merchants  will 
stand  higher  tlian  ever  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  ;  for  they  will 
have  evinced  a  determination  to  be  honest  in  despite  of  the  exer- 
tions of  a  corrupt  government  to  make  them  otherwise. 

The  dial  of  the  clock  in  the  cupola  of  the  City  Hall  was  illumi- 
nated last  night,  and  made  a  splendid  appearance  through  the 
foliage  of  the  trees  in  the  park.  It  was  attempted  six  or  seven 
years  ago,  but  soon  discontinued,  for  some  cause  or  other.  A  Whig 
corporation  has  been  more  successful,  in  this  instance  at  least,  in 
enlightening  their  constituents. 


1837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  26$ 

August  9.  —  I  was  one  of  a  party  of  twenty- four  who  dined  on 
turtle  to-day  at  the  Union  Club  House.  The  dinner  was  execrable, 
for  a  French  artiste  de  cuisine  knows  nothing  about  turtle ;  but  we 
had  good  punch  and  wine,  some  excellent  songs,  many  good  jokes, 
laughing  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  noise  not  a  little,  for  we 
had  John  and  Charles  King,  Bibby,  John  Stevens,  Otis,  etc.,  to  say 
nothing  of  myself.  Chancellor  Jones  presided,  who  is  as  punctual 
in  filling  the  seat  at  the  head  of  the  club  table  as  that  on  the  bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court. 

August  31.  —  The  ocean  has,  by  the  accuracy  of  nautical  skill, 
been  almost  converted  into  a  railway  or  turnpike  road.  The  fol- 
lowing circumstance  is  worthy  of  note  :  the  packet-ships  "  South 
America,"  Captain  Barstow,  and  "  Garrick,"  Captain  Robinson, 
sailed  from  New  York  on  the  ist  of  July,  and  entered  the  Mersey 
together  after  a  fine  run  of  eighteen  days.  The  two  ships  were  in 
sight  of  each  other  for  2,000  out  of  the  3,000  miles  between  New 
York  and  Liverpool. 

September  4.  —  Wallack  opened  the  National  Theatre 
Theltre  {^3X0,  the   Italian  Opera  House)  this  evening,  with  the 

comedy  of  "  The  Rivals."  He  has  brought  with  him 
from  England  a  very  strong  company,  several  of  whom  appeared 
this  evening.  I  never  saw  a  play  go  off  with  more  spirit.  Wallack, 
in  the  dashing  part  of  Captain  Absolute,  with  a  handsome  scarlet  uni- 
form coat,  and  his  one  beautiful  leg  (the  other  being  a  little  crooked 
ever  since  he  broke  it  by  being  upset  in  the  stage  at  Brunswick), 
made  a  most  captivating  entree,  was  received  with  great  applause,  and 
made,  at  the  falling  of  the  curtain,  one  of  the  best,  most  graceful,  and 
eloquent  speeches  I  ever  heard  on  such  an  occasion.  But  I  fear  he 
will  not  succeed.  The  National  is  the  prettiest  theatre  in  the 
United  States ;  but  it  is  not  in  Broadway,  and  the  New  Yorkers  are 
the  strangest  people  in  the  world  in  their  predilection  for  fashionable 
locations.  In  Paris  the  theatres  are  scattered  over  the  whole  city, 
and  the  fashionable  milliners,  jewellers,  tailors,  and  all  those  who 
depend  for  their  support  upon  the  gay,  the  rich,  and  the   fashion- 


266  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  [^tat.57. 

able,  are  to  be  found  in  by-streets,  or  in  the  mazes  of  narrow, 
dark  alleys ;  but  our  people  must  have  their  amusements  thrust 
under  their  noses,  and  a  shopkeeper,  if  he  hopes  to  succeed 
in  business,  must  pay  a  rent  of  $4,000  or  $5,000  in  Broad- 
way, when  he  might  be  equally  well  accommodated  for  $600  or 
$800  ten  doors  from  it.  But  there  is  a  greater  obstacle  to  the 
success  of  the  new  establishment  in  the  great  number  of  theatres 
at  present  open  in  the  city,  each  one  of  whom  has  some  "  bright 
particular  star"  shining  to  attract  and  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the 
multitude. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  in  these  times  of  distress,  when  the 
study  of  economy  is  so  great  an  object,  there  should  be  nine  of 
these  money  drains  in  operation  :  The  Park  ;  the  old  Drury,  of  New 
York,  which  has  done  well  during  the  whole  of  the  hard  times ;  the 
Bowery,  with  Jim  Crow,  who  is  made  to  repeat  nightly,  almost  ad 
iiifinitiim,  his  balderdash  song,  which  has  now  acquired  the  stamp 
of  London  approbation  to  increase  its  eclat ;  the  Franklin,  in 
Chatham  square  ;  Miss  Monier's  Theatre,  in  Broadway,  opposite 
St.  Paul's,  —  little  and  weakly,  and  likely  to  die  ;  the  Euterpean  Hall, 
Broadway,  below  Canal  street,  —  short-lived,  also,  I  suspect;  the 
Broadway  Theatre,  next  to  Tattersall's,  which  has  been  handsomely 
fitted  up,  and  is  to  be  opened  next  week ;  Mrs.  Hamblin's  Theatre, 
formerly  Richmond  Hill,  where  the  Italian  opera  first  placed  its 
unstable  foot  in  New  York  ;  the  Circus,  in  Vauxhall  Garden,  nearly 
in  the  rear  of  my  house  ;  and  Niblo's  Vaudevilles,  —  the  best  concern 
of  the  whole  at  present,  with  a  strong  company  playing  little  pieces 
a  la  fran^aise.  Concerts,  and  rope-dancing,  and  other  perform- 
ances of  the  Ravel  family,  consisting  of  eight  or  ten  of  the  most 
astonishing  performers  in  their  line  who  have  ever  appeared  in  this 
city.     If  Wallack  can  stand  all  this,  he  is  immortal. 

September  6.  —  The  President's  message  was  sent  to 

re^i  en  s       Congrcss  ou  Tuesday.     It  is  a  long  document,  written 

with  ability,  but  the  most   mischievous  in   its  tendency 

that  has  ever  been  presented  to  the  American  people.      It  is  loco- 


1837]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  267 

foco  to  the  very  core.  It  echoes  the  opinions  on  the  subject  of 
finance  of  General  Jackson,  Colonel  Benton,  and  Blair,  of  the 
"  Globe;"  recommends  a  separation  of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the 
government  from  all  the  banks,  and  the  substitution  of  the  Treasury 
Department,  and  the  issuing  of  treasury  notes  as  a  national 
currency,  by  which  means  all  power  will  be  concentrated  in  the 
hands  of  the  executive  and  his  myrmidons.  It  abuses  the  mer- 
chants, coaxes  the  agriculturists,  and  tries,  as  usual,  to  humbug  the 
people.  If  the  doctrines  of  this  message  are  approved  and  sup- 
ported by  the  representatives  of  the  people,  adieu  to  the  present 
prosperity  and  future  hopes  of  i\merica  !  If  not,  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
career  is  closed  forever. 

There  are  many  gross  misrepresentations  in  this  message.  The 
President  puts  forth  his  veto  in  advance  on  a  Bank  of  the  United 
States,  and  thereby  deprives  us  of  the  chance  of  the  only  remedy 
(in  my  opinion)  for  the  distresses  and  embarrassments  of  our  mer- 
chants. The  following  paragraph  occurs  on  this  subject :  "  Again, 
to  create  a  national  bank  as  a  fiscal  agent  would  be  to  disregard 
the  popular  will,  twice  solemnly  and  unequivocally  expressed.  On 
no  question  of  domestic  policy  is  there  stronger  evidence  that  the 
sentiments  of  a  large  majority  are  deliberately  fixed,  and  I  cannot 
concur  with  those  who  think  they  see,  in  recent  events,  a  proof 
that  these  sentiments  are,  or  a  reason  that  they  should  be, 
changed."  Now  this  is  not  true,  and  the  falsehood  is  advanced 
with  so  much  boldness  only  to  blind  the  eyes  of  the  people  who  do 
not,  one  in  ten  of  them,  understand  the  subject.  If  the  opinions 
of  the  people  are  to  be  taken  from  those  of  their  representatives, 
they  demand  the  re-incorporation  of  the  late  Bank  of  the  United 
States ;  but  if  General  Jackson,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  withering 
power,  was  not  only  the  government  (as  he  styled  himself),  but  the 
people  also,  then  is  Mr.  Van  Buren's  assertion  correct,  for  he 
defeated  the  intentions  of  Congress  by  vetoing  the  act ;  and  that  he 
was  hostile  to  the  institution,  there  is,  unhappily,  the  most  abundant 
evidence. 


268  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

September  7.  —  There  never  was  a  nation  on  the 
Des"yitch"  ^^^^  of  the  earth  which  equalled  this  in  rapid  locomo- 
tion. The  President's  message  was  brought  on  to  this 
city,  by  railroad,  steamboats,  and  horsemen,  and  carried  from 
hence  to  Boston,  which  place  it  reached  in  the  inconceivably 
short  period  of  twenty-four  hours  from  Washington,  a  distance 
of  five  hundred  miles. 

Poor  Lynch  died  in  Paris,  on  the  31st  of  July.     He 

DeaUi  of  Doin-  .  •  i    •       .1  1  •    1  1  •       -i         1  , 

.  .  ,  -,      ,      IS  said  m  the  pai^ers  which  announce  his  death  to  have 

inick  Lynch,  ^     '■ 

been  fifty  years  of  age  ;  but  I  think  it  must  be  a  mis- 
take. I  always  supposed  him  to  be  about  my  age.  How  deeply 
impressive  should  be  the  decease  of  such  a  man  !  How  many 
happy  hours  I  have  passed  in  his  society  !  No  man  has  ever  con- 
tributed so  much  to  the  refined  enjoyment  of  the  circle  in  which 
he  moved.  He  sang  and  played  beautifully,  was  the  ornament  of 
female  society,  and  infused  spirit  and  joviality  into  the  dinner- 
parties of  his  male  friends,  where  he  was  a  constant  and  favoured 
guest.  He  was  for  many  years  a  wine-merchant,  and  we  are  in- 
debted to  him  for  some  of  the  finest  we  have  ever  had.  He  intro- 
duced the  Chateau  Margaux,  for  which  famous  vintage  he  contracted 
for  several  years,  and  furnished  it  finer  than  we  ever  had  it  before 
or  shall  have  it  again.  We  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  introduction 
of  the  Italian  opera,  and  the  inimitable  Signorina  Garcia,  and  her 
father  and  family  came  to  New  York  under  his  auspices.  He  also 
was  the  master-spirit  who  established  and  conducted  the  musical 
soirees,  a  few  years  since,  —  the  most  refined  entertainment  we  have 
ever  had.  And  now  poor  Lynch  is  gone  ;  his  friends  will  utter  an 
exclamation  of  grief  when  they  hear  of  it,  and  his  family  will  put  on 
mourning,  but  not  a  glass  of  wine  less  will  be  drunk,  nor  will  one 
person,  except  his  immediate  relations,  deprive  himself  of  a  single 
amusement.  Like  a  stone  thrown  into  a  lake  which  agitates  the 
water  for  an  instant,  makes  a  few  retiring  circles,  and  leaves  no 
trace  upon  its  peaceful  surface  ;  so  his  death  will  leave  no  chasm 
in  the  bosom  of  the  society  of  which  he  was  so  great  an  ornament, 


I837-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  269 

and  will  very  soon  be  forgotten  in  the  hurried  progress  of  this 
world's  events.  xA.nd  so  it  will  be  with  me,  and  with  all  of  us ;  and 
it  is  better  it  should  be  so.  This  life  is  too  short  to  be  spent  in 
unavailing  regrets.  Happy  would  it  be  for  the  survivors  to  reflect 
upon  the  insufficiencies  of  the  enjoyments  of  this  life  and  to  prepare 
"  for  another  and  a  better  world." 

I  finished  my  job  of  removing  the  Madeira  wine  to  the  garret 
room  in  the  new  house,  where  it  is  nicely  arranged,  in  an  excellent 
place.  The  quantity  of  Madeira  and  sherry  removed  is  2,023 
quart  bottles  and  237  gallons. 

September  13.  —  Another  of  my  friends,  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful of  my  associates,  died  last  night  at  Windust's  Hotel,  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Leonard  street.  William  Gaston,  of  Savannah,  is  no 
more.  Mr.  Gaston  was  a  merchant  of  Savannah,  of  the  most 
exalted  and  honourable  stamp,  upright  in  his  dealings,  agreeable  in 
manner,  amiable  in  disposition,  benevolent  in  feeling,  and  hospi- 
table in  his  mode  of  living.  His  house  was  the  stranger's  home, 
and  Savannah  acknowledged  him  her  first  citizen.  I  have  passed 
many  happy  hours  in  his  company,  but  none  with  so  much  real 
enjoyment  as  when  I  visited  him  at  a  cottage  which  he  formerly 
owned  on  Long  Island,  at  the  Narrows,  near  Fort  Hamilton.  Here 
he  was  a  host  indeed,  gay,  entertaining,  and  eloquent ;  his  little 
dinners  witnessed  "  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul."  In 
large  parties  his  powers  were  not  always  excited  in  the  same 
degree  ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  know  him  intimately  in  order  to 
know  what  was  in  him,  and  what  might  be  gotten  out  of  him. 
Like  all  persons  of  sanguine  temperament  and  enthusiastic  disposi- 
tion, his  spirits  were  unequal,  and  this  may  also  have  been  attributed 
in  him  to  another  cause,  peculiarly  applicable  to  him.  In  early 
life  he  was  engaged  to  marry  a  young  lady  in  New  Jersey  (Morris- 
town,  I  believe)  ;  he  left  New  York,  full  of  love  and  anticipations  of 
happiness,  to  fulfil  his  engagement,  when  he  found  the  object  of  his 
affection  dangerously  ill,  and  soon  followed  her  to  the  grave  instead 
of  the  altar.     This,  to  a  mind  of  exquisite  refinement  and  the  most 


2/0  THE   DIARY    OF    THILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

acute  sensibility,  was  a   shock  never  to  be  recovered  from,  and  a 
loss  never  to  be  repaired.     He  lived  and  died  a  bachelor. 

September  19.  —  Forrest  made  his  first  appearance  since  his 
return,  at  the  Park  Theatre  last  evening,  in  the  part  of  Othello. 
I  was  there  a  short  time.  The  house  was  crammed  in  every  part, 
and  his  reception  warm  and  enthusiastic.  I  think  him  improving ; 
his  acting  is  more  quiet,  and  in  person,  deportment,  and  voice  the 
Senate  in  its  most  palmy  state  never  had  so  magnificent  a  com- 
mander, black  or  white,  nor  had  ever  Desdemona  so  good  an 
excuse  for  her  misplaced  affection. 

September  21.  —  Congress  are  making  very  little  progress  in  the 
important  business  for  which  they  were  called  together;  the  object 
seems  to  be  to  develop  the  views  of  the  men  who  aspire  to  lead  the 
several  parties  which  hope  to  rise  to  political  power  in  the  turmoil 
which  attends  the  disordered  state  of  things.  Mr.  Rives  comes  out 
as  a  conservative  against  the  administration,  hoping  to  receive  the 
aid  of  the  Whigs  (a  pretty  strong  party,  thank  God  !)  to  hoist  him 
to  power ;  but  the  Whigs  are  not  to  be  had  for  him.  Mr.  Calhoun, 
theoretical  and  visionary  as  he  always  is,  has  hitched  upon  Van 
Buren,  but  will  not  acknowledge  it.  He  goes  South  against  North, 
and  would  support  the  devil  to  lessen  the  political  influence  of  New 
York.  He  has  sagacity  enough  to  discover  that  the  doctrines  and 
the  measures  of  "  New  York's  favourite  son  "  are  most  inimical  to 
New  York,  and  is  willing  to  support  his  suicidal  measures  to  accom- 
plish his  object.  Webster  and  Clay,  true  as  steel  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  country,  pursue  a  straightforward  course.  The 
people  must  come  to  them,  or  the  country  is  ruined,  and  it  really 
looks  now  as  if  they  were  coming  to  them.  Congress  will  do  noth- 
ing effectual  in  the  present  extra  session,  but  hope  is  not  broken. 

September   23.  —  Everybody  complains  of  the  suc- 

Libeis.  cess  whicli  attends  the  publication  of  libels  on  private 

character ;  everybody  condemns  the  depravity  of  the 

times  in  which,  and  the  community  by  which,  they  are  encouraged  ; 

everybody  wonders  how  people  can  buy  and  read  those  receptacles 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2/ 1 

of  scandal,  the  penny  papers,  and  yet  everybody  does  encourage 
them ;  and  every  man  who  blames  his  neighbour  for  setting  so  bad 
an  example  occasionally  puts  one  in  his  pocket  to  carry  home  to 
his  family  for  their  and  his  own  edification.  It  is  only  for  amuse- 
ment, it  will  not  corrupt  his  morals.  It  is  bad  enough,  to  be  sure, 
but  the  sale  of  one  copy,  more  or  less,  will  not  make  any  difference 
in  the  circulation. 

The  foregoing  remarks  are  aptly  illustrated  in  the  following  re- 
marks in  an  English  newspaper,  written  no  doubt  by  one  of  the 
numerous  tribe  of  "  preachers,  not  doers  of  the  word  :  "  "  Charles 
Kemble  cudgelled  Westmacott,  editor  of  a  scurrilous  paper,  called 
the  '  Age,'  for  libelling  his  daughter  Fanny  in  the  character  of  Ju- 
liet, shortly  previous  to  their  expedition  to  the  United  States ;  the 
editor,  however,  consoled  himself  for  these  dry  blows  by  the  pecu- 
niary profit  he  derived  from  the  sale  of  his  scandalous  chronicle, 
which  was  reprobated  by  everybody,  but  was  to  be  found  stowed 
under  the  sofa-cushion  in  every  drawing-room."  I  wonder  who 
cudgelled  Fanny  when  she  libelled  the  Yankees? 

September  28. —  I  attended  this  evening  a  meeting 
Historical        ^^  ^j^^  Historical  Society,  the   first  held  in  their  new 

Society.  ■' ' 

rooms,  in  the  splendid  edifice  erected  by  the  Stuyvesant 
Institute,  in  Broadway,  opposite  Bond  street.  Three  rooms  have 
been  given  gratuitously  to  the  society  for  a  term  of  ten  years.  The 
library  (which  is  the  most  valuable  in  this  country  in  books  and 
manuscripts  relating  to  the  history  of  the  United  States,  particu- 
larly the  State  of  New  York)  has  been  well  and  tastefully  arranged, 
and  as  it  is  now  to  be  kept  open  during  several  hours  of  each  day, 
it  will  no  longer  be,  as  heretofore,  a  sealed  book  to  the  members. 

October  2.  —  I  went  this   evening  to  Vandenhoff's 
Mr.  Van-         benefit,    at    the    National   Theatre.     The    house    was 

denhoff. 

crammed,  for  this  gentleman  has  gotten  into  the  good 
graces  of  the  New  York  audience,  and  my  friend  Wallack,  the 
proprietor,  has  found  him  a  good  card  to  play  against  Forrest  at 
the  Park.     Mr.  Vandenhoff  played  Hamlet,  and  young  Wilding  in 


2/2  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

the  "Liar."  I  did  not  like  him  in  Hamlet.  I  consider  this  charac- 
ter the  most  beautiful  creation  of  the  human  imagination,  and  have 
some  notions  about  the  manner  of  playing  it  which  few  actors  can 
ever  come  up  to.  Cooper  did  in  his  best  days ;  so  did  Kean,  and, 
if  I  recollect  aright,  Conway  did  not  fall  much  short  of  it.  Van- 
denhofif's  Hamlet  wanted  sensibility  and  pathos,  that  part  of  it  at 
least  which  I  saw,  for  I  came  away  in  the  middle  of  the  second 
act ;  but  Isaac  Hone,  whom  I  left  behind,  says  there  was  a  great 
improvement  as  the  play  proceeded,  and  that  it  closed  finely. 
Young  Wilding  was  capital.  Mr.  Vandenhoff's  reading  is  excellent, 
and  he  has,  by  long  practice,  acquired  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
stage. 

October  5 .  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Wallack,  at  the  Astor  House. 
The  dinner  was  given  to  Vandenhoff  at  the  close  of  his  engagement 
at  the  National  Theatre.  It  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  affairs 
of  the  kind  I  have  ever  been  engaged  in.  The  dinner  was  capi- 
tal. I  never  saw  a  table  better  set  out,  better  provided,  or  a  dinner 
better  cooked.  The  party  was  principally  theatrical :  Wallack, 
Vandenhoff,  Rice,  Hackett,  Russell,  of  the  New  Orleans  Theatre, 
Captain  Marryat,  Mr.  Cramer,  Colonel  Webb,  Dr.  Holland,  etc. 
We  had  an  abundance  of  singing,  reciting,  story- telling,  and  imita- 
tions. Rice's  negro  songs  and  melodies  were  exceedingly  fine.  I 
never  heard  them  before  under  similar  advantages,  and  was  per- 
fectly astonished  at  Jim  Crow's  powers  in  that  department.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  entertaining  men  I  ever  met  in  company.  Wal- 
lack gave  us  a  beautiful  recitation.  It  was  a  description  of  a  ship- 
wreck, with  many  affecting  incidents,  as  related  by  two  different 
persons,  a  clergyman  and  a  sailor ;  they  were  as  different  as  the 
pursuits  and  professions  of  the  two  narrators ;  no  two  expressions 
were  alike,  and  yet  the  same  thrilling  incidents  were  described,  with 
the  same  touching  effect. 

There  was  a  fine  scene  between  Wallack  and  Vandenhoff.  The 
former  addressed  the  company  as  Lord  Meadowbanks  presiding  at 
the  theatrical  fund  dinner,  when  he  gave  the  famous  toast,    "  The 


1S37.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  273 

Author  of  Waverley,"  which  brought  out  Sir  Walter,  and  withdrew 
the  veil  from  the  great  "Unknown."  Vandenhoff  rose  as  Scott, 
and  made  the  acknowledgment  in  the  very  words  he  used  on  that 
interesting  occasion.  The  imitation  was  no  doubt  perfect,  for  there 
was  a  vraisemblance  about  it  which  could  not  be  mistaken ;  it  was 
admirable.  I  sat  until  nearly  twelve  o'clock,  and  the  spirits  of  the 
company  were  then  far  from  being  exhausted. 

A  letter  is  published  in  our  papers  which  was  addressed,  during 
the  panic  in  London  about  American  affairs,  to  the  governor  and 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  P]ngland,  by  Lieutenant  R.  F.  Stockton,  of 
the  American  Navy.  This  gentleman  went  out  to  negotiate  a  loan 
for  the  railroad  and  canal  in  New  Jersey,  in  which  he  is  a  large 
proprietor.  What  authorized  him  to  volunteer  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  xA-merican  merchants  I  know  not ;  but  he  is  not  one  of 
the  timid  sort,  and  does  not  often  find  his  modesty  crossing  the 
path  of  his  undertakings.  At  any  rate,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  most 
excellent  sense  in  his  letter,  and  it  is  said  to  have  had  a  salutary 
effect  upon  the  decisions  of  the  bank,  and  done  more  to  enlighten 
the  public  mind  in  London  than  anything  which  has  been  "  said  or 
sung  "  on  the  subject  of  American  affairs.  The  following  paragraph 
appears  to  me  to  contain  in  few  words  the  essence  of  all  that  can 
be  said  about  the  connection  between  the  banks  and  the  people, 
and  places  the  whole  of  the  specie  "  humbug  "  in  a  proper  point  of 
view :  *^  Men  of  wealth  who  hoard  up  gold  and  silver  do  not 
usually  borrow.  The  banks  loan  to  the  industrious  and  working 
classes,  and  cannot  of  course  receive  gold  and  silver  in  return. 
They  loan  on  personal  credit,  or  on  the  security  of  lands  and 
houses.  The  money  so  obtained  from  the  banks  is  paid  to  the 
labouring  classes,  and  the  moment  you  destroy  credit,  and  declare 
that  nothing  is  valuable  in  a  country  but  gold  and  silver,  the  notes 
come  back  to  the  bank  for  specie  which  they  did  not  represent, 
whilst  the  property  which  they  took  in  exchange  for  them,  and 
which  they  honestly  and  fairly  represented,  is  made  worthless  by 
evil  combinations,  and  will  not  be  received  in  payment." 


274  THE    DIARY   OF    PITTTJP    HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

Professor  McVickar,  in  his  most  elaborate  lecture  on  his  favourite 
science  of  political  economy,  never  elucidated  more  clearly  this 
knotty  subject  which  is  now  bothering  the  brains  of  all  the  thinking 
people  in  this  country,  than  this  lieutenant  of  the  navy  in  the  short 
passage  above  quoted,  and  Albert  Gallatin  and  Isaac  Bronson 
might  gather  some  useful  hints  on  banking  and  currency  from  one 
whose  trade  has  formerly  been  to  go  "  down  to  the  sea  in  ships." 
The  "  big  wigs  "  of  the  Bank  of  England  must  have  been  aston- 
ished at  being  schooled  in  such  a  quarter ;  but  the  writer's  maxim, 
like  that  of  his  country  and  his  j)rofession,  is  "■  nothing  venture, 
nothing  gain." 

October   16.     Contrary  to  my  forebodings,  and  the 
Congressional  {q^^s  of  many  honcst  men,  the  famous  sub-treasury  bill, 

proceeding's. 

the  device  which  was  intended  to  place  the  foot  of  the 
government  upon  the  necks  of  the  people,  was  hiid  on  the  table,  on 
Friday  evening,  after  a  long  and  animated  debate,  not  to  be  taken 
up  again  during  this  memorable  extra  session.  Some  of  the  con- 
servatives, the  balance- of-power  men,  held  out  against  the  force 
of  party  discipline.  Congress  will  adjourn  to-day,  having  done 
nothing  but  pass  a  bill  to  extend  the  payment  of  bonds  for 
duties,  for  which  the  merchants  who  are  sliort  of  cash  will  thank 
them. 

In  the  course  of  Friday  evening's  debate  Cambreling  said 
something  saucy  to  Hoffman  about  liis  changing  sides,  and 
alluded  to  his  having  served  in  the  navy,  where  he  learned  to 
"tack  and  veer."  This  attack  brought  a  reply  from  Hoffman, 
in  which  the  "  Commercial  Representative  "  was  absolutely  anni- 
hilated. It  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  scorching 
pieces  of  eloquence  ever  heard  on  that  floor.  Mr.  Adams  rose 
after  Hoffman  finished,  and  declared  that  he  had  intended  to 
reply  to  Cambreling,  but,  tearing  up  his  notes,  said  there  was 
no  use  in  attacking  a  dead  man.  Hoffman  has  immortalized 
himself  during  the  present  short  session,  and  given  earnest  of 
a  brilliant    "  hereafter." 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  275 

October  26.  Broadway  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Red  Brethren,  the  City  Hotcl  has  been  crowded  for  the  last  two  days 
by  curious  spectators,  watching  to  obtain  an  occasional 
ghmpse  of  a  large  party  of  Indians,  who,  after  having  made  a 
treaty  at  Washington,  by  which  their  "broad  lands  "  are  diminished 
in  quantity  by  the  trifling  amount  of  a  million  and  a  quarter  of  acres, 
are  now  making  a  tour  of  the  principal  cities,  receiving  presents, 
and  being  stared  at  for  the  benefit  of  theatres,  fairs,  and  lectures. 
There  are  two  tribes,  amounting  in  all  to  seventy  individuals ;  the 
Sauks  and  Foxes,  who  constitute  the  most  important  part  of  the 
deputation,  are  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  the  Sioux  at  the  National, 
opposite  ;  for  these  two  tribes  are  not  on  a  friendly  footing,  and 
their  white  keepers  do  not  think  it  expedient  to  get  up  a  real  war- 
fight  for  the  edification  of  the  spectators. 

I  went  to  see  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  this  morning,  and  finding 
Mr.  Daniel  Jackson  there,  who  is  a  sort  of  agent  for  the  tribes,  was 
introduced  to  the  principal  chiefs.  The  whole  party  —  warriors, 
squaws,  and  pappooses  — were  seated  or  lying  on  the  ground,  most 
of  them  employed  in  opening  and  dividing  some  pieces  of  colored 
cord,  such  as  is  used  for  hanging  pictures,  which  had  been  pre- 
sented to  them  at  the  fair  of  the  American  Institute,  and  with 
v/hich  they  appeared  much  pleased.  Keokuk,  the  chief  of  the 
confederated  tribes  of  Sauks  and  Foxes,  and  his  f:ivourite  squaw 
were  seated  on  a  small  carpet  separate  from  the  rest.  He  is  a 
fine-looking,  elderly  man,  of  intelligent  countenance  and  dignified 
deportment.  I  have  heard  General  Scott  speak  of  him  ;  he  thinks 
him  a  great  man.  In  the  expedition  against  the  tribes,  a  few  years 
since,  Keokuk  was  friendly  to  the  whites  and  opposed  to  Black 
Hawk,  who  was  then  the  principal  chief.  Black  Hawk  is  with  the 
party  at  present,  but  appears  to  have  lost  caste.  He  sits  with  his 
son  in  one  corner  of  the  square,  enveloped  in  a  bright  scarlet 
blanket,  silent,  surly,  and  picturesque.  The  son  is  a  majestic  man, 
aged  about  thirty,  one  of  the  noblest  figures  I  ever  saw,  —  a  perfect 
Ajax  Telamon. 


2/6  THE    DfAKV    OF    I'lIILIT    HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

I  shook  hands  with  these  Herculeses  and  Apollos  of  the  woods. 
They  are  generally  very  stout  and  athletic,  with  immense  lower 
limbs ;  but  their  arms  and  hands  are  delicate  and  small.  Keokuk's 
hand  feels  like  the  hand  of  a  woman,  while  that  of  young  Black 
Hawk  is  not  so  large  as  mine ;  and  yet  in  other  respects  I  am 
much  inferior  in  size  and  strength  to  either  of  them.  This  charac- 
teristic may  be  accounted  for  from  the  circumstance  that  they 
perform  no  manual  lal)()r,  and  the  stoutness  and  great  size  of  their 
legs  and  feet  are  owing  to  their  constant  exercise  in  the  chase  and 
other  field  exercises. 

At  seven  o'clock  this  evening  a  rap  upon  the  table  in 
rea       ng      ^j^^  lar^e  room  of  Masonic  Hall  tocjk  the  hats  off  the 

Meeting.  '^ 

heads  of  three  or  four  thousand  of  as  fine-looking  men  as 
ever  constituted  the  "bone  and  muscle  "  of  any  community.  They 
were  the  Whigs  of  New  York ;  and  another  rap,  with  a  glorious 
responsive  "  Aye  "  from  this  assemblage,  honoured  me  by  placing 
me  in  the  chair  as  the  presiding  officer.  The  report  of  the  nomi- 
nating committee  was  read  by  Daniel  Ullman,  prefaced  by  a  very 
good  address. 

I  put  the  meeting  in  a  good-humour  by  addressing  them  in 
something  like  the  following  words  :  "  Now,  fellow- Whigs,  I  have 
given  you  your  way  in  all  things.  I  must  have  mine  in  one  :  I  am 
going  to  put  the  final  question,  —  a  course  which  is  not  usually 
adopted,  —  in  a  form  to  please  myself.  Are  you  ready  for  the  ques- 
tion?"—  "  Ready  !  ready  !  question  !  question  !  "  was  the  cheerful 
reply.  *'  Then,  as  many  of  you  as  are  in  favour  of  the  ticket,  the 
whole  ticket,  and  nothing  but  the  ticket,  and  are  determined  to 
exert  yourselves  to  the  utmost  to  elect  it,  will  signify  it  by  saying 
Aye."  Such  a  simultaneous,  thundering,  whole-hearted  Aye  was 
never  before  heard.  "  Those  of  a  contrary  opinion  will  say  No  ;  " 
not  a  voice  responded,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  in  good-humour, 
in  high  hopes  of  success,  pleased  with  their  cause,  their  chairman, 
and  themselves. 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2// 

November  6.  —  The  election  commenced  this  morn- 
The  Election,  ing.  It  Is  thc  most  interesting  one  we  have  ever  had. 
Former  contests  at  the  polls  have  been  struggles  for  party 
supremacy,  and,  sometimes,  for  the  indulgence  of  personal  predilec- 
tions ;  but  on  this  depends  the  continuance  or  the  ultimate  overthrow 
of  a  course  of  measures  which  hav^e  nearly  ruined  our  noble  city, 
and  prostrated  the  energies  of  its  enterprising  citizens.  It  may  not 
be  of  great  importance  in  its  immediate  results,  for  we  can  hardly 
hope  for  such  a  change  as  would  give  the  Whigs  a  majority  in  the 
Legislature.  The  mountain  of  misrule  in  the  State  is  too  mighty  to 
be  overthrown  by  a  single  political  convulsion ;  but  the  ultimate 
effect  of  a  victory  now  would  be  certain,  and  its  influence  in  other 
parts  of  our  country,  conclusive.  The  whole  United  States  look  to 
this  election  as  the  star  to  guide  them  on  to  victory,  and  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  and  his  cabinet,  and  his  policy  must  rise  or  fall  by  its 
result.  The  Whigs  enter  the  field  with  high  hopes  and  a  steady, 
fixed  determination  to  do  their  duty  ;  of  the  respectable  part  of  the 
Democratic  party,  some  have  come  openly  over  to  the  Whigs, 
others  stretch  their  necks  over  the  fence  and  drop  a  few  votes  on 
our  side,  and  none  give  their  party  a  full  and  decided  support.  The 
loco-focos,  the  destructives  of  the  city,  have  regained  possession  of 
Tammany  Hall,  and  the  battle  is  to  be  between  them  and  the  men 
of  character,  intelligence,  industry,  and  sobriety.  Even  Preserved 
Fish  has  joined  us  openly,  and  Jacob  B.  Taylor,  Daniel  Jackson, 
George  Sharpe,  and  many  others  of  the  same  stamp  attend  the 
Whig  meetings.  The  "  Sun  of  Austerlitz "  rose  bright  and 
glorious  this  morning,  and  I  confidently  hope  will  set,  on  the 
evening  of  the  third  day,  upon  a  bloodless  field  of  battle,  won 
triumphantly  by  the  friends  of  good  order  and  the  supporters  of 
the  Constitution. 

November  8.  —  The  battle  has  been  fought  and  won.  The 
election  closed  this  evening  at  sundown,  and  the  Whigs  have 
succeeded  in  their  whole  ticket.  New  York  has  broken  her 
chains    and  stands  erect,    regenerated.     The   moral   and    political 


2/8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  57. 

effect  of  this  victory  will  be  prodigious.  The  eyes  of  the  whole 
United  States  were  turned  to  us.  The  measures  of  the  adminis- 
tration stand  condemned  before  the  nation,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren 
must  alter  his  course  or  sink  to  rise  no  more.  This  contest  has 
been  conducted  on  the  side  of  the  Whigs  from  its  commencement 
in  a  determined  spirit,  and  with  high  hopes.  Our  men  worked 
hard,  but  quietly,  moderately ;  there  was  no  bullying,  no  boasting, 
and  it  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  city  that,  notwithstanding  the 
unusual  excitement  in  both  parties,  and  the  enormous  number  of 
votes  polled,  —  36,500,  —  there  was  no  commotion,  no  riots,  and 
no  call  for  the  interference  of  the  police. 

November  16.  — -I  received  a  warm  letter  of  congratulation 
from  Mr.  Webster,  in  reply  to  one  I  wrote  him  the  morning  after 
our  election,  and  a  paper  containing  the  result  of  the  Massachu- 
setts elections,  which  commenced  on  Monday.  The  victory  there 
is  overwhelming.  p]very  one  of  the  thirteen  senatorial  districts  will 
return  Whigs.  Governor  Everett's  majority  will  be  ten  times 
greater  than  last  year. 

November  17.  —  The  terrible  abolition  question  is  fated,  I  fear, 
to  destroy  the  union  of  the  States,  and  to  endanger  the  peace  and 
happiness  of  our  western  world.  Both  parties  are  getting  more 
and  more  confirmed  in  their  obstinacy,  and  more  intolerant  in 
their  prejudices.  A  recent  disgraceful  affliir  has  occurred  in  the 
town  of  Alton,  State  of  Illinois,  which  is  calculated  to  excite  the 
most  painful  feelings  in  all  those  who  respect  the  laws  and  desire 
the  continuance  of  national  peace  and  union.  Alton  is  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  opposite  the  slave-holding  State 
of  Missouri.  An  abolition  paper  was  established  there,  called  the 
"  Alton  Obser\'er,"  which,  becoming  obnoxious  to  the  slave- 
holders, was  assailed  and  the  establishment  destroyed,  some 
time  since,  by  an  ungovernable  mob ;  an  attempt  was  recently 
made  to  reestablish  the  paper,  which  caused  another  most 
tlisgraceful  outrage,  in  which  two  persons  were  killed  and  several 
wounded. 


1837]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  279 

November  22.  —  Such  a  day  of  continued  excite- 
rea      ug      j^gj^j.    J    have   never    experienced:    for  nearly  twelve 

Jubilee.  X-  ^  j 

hours  every  faculty  of  body  and  mind  has  been  on  the 
utmost  stretch. 

The  out-door  celebration  (except  the  firing  of  the  cannon)  was 
prevented  by  a  villanous  fog,  which  hung  like  a  dark  mantle  over 
us  at  sunrise.  Until  noon  there  were  occasional  symptoms  of 
better  weather,  but  before  sunset  it  turned  into  rain,  and  the  fire- 
works were  "  no  go."  But  the  in-door  operations  were  all  carried 
out  to  the  letter,  and  so  brilliant  and  exciting  a  scene  was  never 
witnessed.  At  eleven  o'clock  I  went  to  Masonic  Hall  to  unite  in 
the  reception  of  the  delegates  from  other  States  and  cities,  who 
presented  themselves  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  and  received 
their  tickets  for  the  dinner.  At  one  o'clock  the  Mayor  took  the  chair 
and  addressed  the  delegates  in  an  excellent  speech ;  they  were 
then  called  upon  by  States,  and  a  member  selected  from  each  State 
addressed  the  meeting.  It  was  perfectly  astonishing  that  in  this 
number  of  speakers,  thus  called  together,  and  most  of  them  entirely 
unprepared,  there  were  no  failures.  All  spoke  well,  —  some  of 
thern  ^yith  surpassing  eloquence.  I  have  never  witnessed  such  a 
display  of  warm,  glowing,  impassioned  oratory  as  some  exhibited, 
nor  so  much  pure,  refined,  convincing  eloquence  as  fell  from 
others.  Colonel  Winthrop's  speech  was  one  of  the  finest  I  ever 
heard,  —  it  would  have  done  credit  to  Webster  or  Clay  ;  but  all  were 
excellent,  and  Granger's  closing  speech  fixed  the  attention  of  an 
assemblage,  who  had  remained  during  five  hours  in  their  several 
places,  and  most  of  them  standing,  wedged  together  the  whole 
time.  At  five  o'clock  we  all  adjourned  to  Niblo's  to  partake  of 
the  dinner. 

Seven  hundred  plates  were  set,  and  the  floor  and  avenues  of  the 
saloon  were  crowded  with  persons  who  could  not  get  seats.  There 
were  many  speeches  and  volunteer  toasts,  but  I  left  my  seat  soon 
after  the  regular  toasts  were  done.  Ten  or  a  dozen  of  us,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  Baltimoreans,  had  a  little  supper  at  Niblo's;  but  I' 


280  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

left  them  soon,  and  came  home  nearly  exhausted  by  the  labours  of 
the  day,  and  intoxicated,  not  by  strong  drink,  but  by  a  strong  and 
unintermitted  excitement. 

This  celebration  will  have  an  extensive  and  most  salutary  influ- 
ence. Never  before  has  there  been  such  an  assemblage  of  Whigs. 
A  bond  of  union  and  good-fellowship  has  been  formed  which  will 
extend  far  and  wide,  and  the  delegates  will  go  home  delighted 
with  their  reception,  filled  with  confident  hopes  of  a  return  of  a 
national  prosperity,  and  with  a  determination  to  restore  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws. 

The  indications  of  public  feeling  during  the  day, 
Henry  Clay,  which  I  havc  watchcd  Carefully,  have  been  in  my 
opinion  decidedly  in  flivour  of  Mr.  Clay  as  the  Whig 
candidate  for  President.  Whenever  allusions  were  made  to  Mr. 
Webster  and  him  they  were  received  with  cheers  and  applause ; 
but  those  for  Clay  were  more  animated  than  the  others.  The 
delegates  seemed  to  say  that  either  of  those  patriots  was  good 
enough  for  them,  but  that  "  Harry  of  the  West "  would  be  the 
most  available  candidate.  The  question  should  not  be  agitated 
now ;  our  duty  is  to  get  Van  Buren  out,  and  then  —    . 

November  2^.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  (iardiner  G.  Rowland,  where 
I  met  Messrs.  Meredith,  Kennedy,  Morris,  and  Dr.  Alexander  of 
Baltimore,  Mr.  Granger,  and  other  gentlemen.  I  have  frolicked 
too  much  this  week,  and  require  quiet  and  temperance,  which  I 
fear  I  shall  not  get. 

November  25.  —  I  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party.  It  was  in- 
tended for  some  of  my  Baltimore  friends  who  attended  the 
jubilee  of  Wednesday;  but  Mr.  Swift,  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia, 
forestalled  me  and  took  them  i/i  transitu ,  all  but  ^vleredith  and 
Kennedy,  who,  like  good  fellows,  stayed  to  dine  with  me.  Our 
party  consisted  of  Jonathan  Meredith,  John  P.  Kennedy,  the 
Mayor,  President  Duer,  Francis  Granger,  Mr.  Graves,  M.C.,  from 
Kentucky,  James  Watson  Webb,  Charles  King,  .Abraham  Ogden, 
and  I.  S.  Hone. 


1837.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  281 

November  28. — A  convention  of  delegates  from  Bos- 
_^"  ton,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  New  York  convened 

Convention.  '  ^  . 

yesterday  at  the  Mayor's  office,  City  Hall.     The  object 
of  this  convention  is  to  deliberate  on  a  resumption  of  specie  pay- 
ment, at  some  time  to  be  agreed  upon.     There  is  great  difference 
of  opinion  on  this  momentous  question.     I  think  they  can't  do  it. 
November  29.  —  The  great  dinner  is  over,  and  I  have 
^^    ^  a  prospect  of  a  day  or  two's  peace  and  quietness.     The 

dinner  was  given  at  the  Astor  House ;  about  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty,  including  the  guests,  sat  down  at  half- past  seven 
o'clock,  and  stayed  all  night  !  We  had  speeches  upon  speeches, 
some  very  good,  but  most  of  them  too  long.  The  principal  speakers 
were  John  Bell  of  Tennessee,  Graves  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  Southard  and 
Governor  Pennington  of  New  Jersey,  Kennedy  of  Baltimore,  Sturges 
of  Boston,  Granger,  etc.  Ogden  Hoffman  presided,  with  eight  vice- 
presidents,  of  which  I  was  the  first.  The  toasts,  which  were  intended 
to  call  out  the  distinguished  guests,  were  severally  given  by  the 
president  and  the  vice-presidents.  Mr.  Bell  spoke  an  hour  and  a 
half;  Mr.  Southard  made  an  excellent  speech,  a  little  too  much 
about  himself;  but  the  great  gun  of  the  evening,  that  which  con- 
stituted the  chief  attraction,  and  kept  the  company  together  to  an 
hour  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  New  York  jollifications,  was 
Daniel  Webster.  He  rose  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  intend- 
ing, in  consequence  of  its  being,  as  he  said,  to-morrow,  to  be  very 
brief;  but  his  auditors  insisted  upon  his  going  on  ;  they  would  not 
allow  him  to  stop,  and  he,  apparently  "nothing  loath,"  kept  on  in 
a  strain  of  unwearied  and  unwearying  eloquence  until  four  o'clock. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  most  of  them  men  of  sober,  steady 
habits,  fathers  of  families,  remained  immovable  in  their  seats,  with 
no  indications  of  fatigue  or  inattention  until  he  finished  at  an  hour 
when  "  night  was  almost  at  odds  with  morning."  There  is  scarcely 
another  individual  in  the  United  States  who  could  thus  have  fixed 
their  attention  at  such  an  unreasonable  hour.  I  looked  around 
frequently,  and  I  verily  believe  not  a  person  left  the  room  while  he 


282  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  57. 

was  speaking.  What  a  wonderful  gift  is  this  pubUc  speaking,  and 
what  gourmands  we  Americans  are  when  we  get  hold  of  a  dish  of 
popular  oratory  ! 

Mr.  Webster  was  clear  and  distinct  in  his  manly  and  patriotic 
surrender  of  personal  claims  upon  the  people,  and  a  determination 
to  abide  in  all  things  by  the  decision  of  a  majority  of  the  Whig 
party.  This  part  of  his  speech  did  him  great  credit,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  much  enthusiastic  applause.  When  he  closed,  at  four 
o'clock,  I  left  the  company  reseating  themselves,  ready  for  more 
toasts  and  more  speeches,  and  I  doubt  if  they  broke  up  before 
breakfast- time.  I  was  glad  to  get  away,  fatigued  and  worn  out, 
but  too  much  excited  to  sleep. 

November  30.  —  Day  of  general  thanksgiving  and  prayer,  recom- 
mended by  the  State  and  city  authorities.  There  are  many  causes 
of  thanksgiving,  some  of  which  our  present  rulers  would  not  be  will- 
ing to  acknowledge  as  such. 

December  5.  —  A  Mr.  Price,  sub-editor  (as  I  am  informed)  of  a 
scurrilous  paper  published  in  this  city,  called  the  "  Herald,"  has 
addressed  me  a  letter  as  chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  Bell  dinner,  to  know  whether  Charles  King  was 
authorized  to  forbid  him  to  take  notes  of  the  speeches  at  the  din- 
ner, on  which  subject  a  correspondence  has  taken  place  between 
him  and  Mr.  King.  The  gentleman  is  bicn  enrage.  He  says  he 
bought  his  ticket  like  other  people,  and  had  a  right  like  other 
people  to  take  notes  or  anything  else  he  pleased.  King,  who, 
I  presume,  thought  he  had  no  right  to  take  anything  but  his  dinner, 
would  not  allow  him  to  proceed,  and,  being  of  the  Hotspur  breed, 
very  probably  showed  him  the  door,  and  the  man  lost  his  ten  dol- 
lars and  his  dinner  in  the  bargain.  For  this  he  called  King  to 
account,  and,  his  explanation  not  being  altogether  satisfactory,  I  was 
appealed  to  by  the  aggrieved  i)arty.  In  my  reply  I  state  that  "  the 
practice  of  reporting  in  the  pubhc  prints  the  doings  and  the  sayings 
of  our  convivial  meetings  without  the  consent,  and  frequently  to  the 
annoyance,  of  the  parties  who  are  thus  unwillingly  brought  before 
the  public,  a  practice  so  entirely  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  our 


I837-]  THE  DIARY  OF  PHILIP  HONE.  283 

citizens,  is  happily  confined  as  yet  to  so  inconsiderable  a  portion  of 
the  press  that  it  did  not,  I  presume,  occur  to  the  committee  to  take 
any  measures  in  advance  to  prevent  it ;  but  that  I  was  of  the  opinion 
that  Mr.  King  was  authorized,  by  the  expressed  sentiments  of  the 
gentlemen  forming  the  committee,  to  oppose  the  introduction  of 
reporters  for  that  object."  This  brought  a  rejoinder,  and  then  the 
matter  ended  between  Mr.  Price  and  me ;  but  the  "  Herald  "  will 
make  two  or  three  columns  of  the  affair  to  dish  up  to  his  customers 
who  like  high-seasoned  dishes. 

December  6.  —  Congress  met  on  Monday;  the 
Aiesl/e  ^  President's  message  was  sent  on  Tuesday.  This  docu- 
ment does  little  credit  to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  I  trust  that 
it  seals  his  political  condemnation.  All  the  abominable  doctrines 
of  his  September  message  are  reiterated.  He  recommends  the  sub- 
treasury  system,  with  its  hosts  of  government  locusts  to  eat  up  the 
people's  substance,  or  if  that  will  not  go,  then  something  else  ; 
but  the  merchants  must  be  deprived  of  the  use  of  any  part  of 
the  money  which  their  enterprise  and  intelligence  have  been  the 
means  of  furnishing  to  the  support  of  the  government.  No 
matter  what  becomes  of  it,  so  that  they  do  not  get  it.  Was  ever 
a  commercial  people  cursed  with  such  rulers  ?  Better  would  it  be 
for  poor  New  York  if  a  volcano  were  to  break  out  in  the  midst  of 
her  than  that  this  suicidal  policy  should  be  adopted  ! 

In  relation  to  the  late  elections  the  President  has  his  usual  cant 
about  the  will  of  the  people.  He  pretends  that  the  late  changes 
are  no  expression  of  their  will.  It  was  owing  to  bank  influence, 
and  the  people  will  go  round  to  him  again,  and  then  they  will  be 
right.  Faugh  !  With  his  usual  sycophancy  and  want  of  indepen- 
dence, he  refers  to  "  his  predecessor  "  eight  times  in  the  course  of 
this  message. 

December  20.  — We  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party,  consisting  of 
Samuel  S.  Howland,  George  Dorr,  James  W.  Otis,  J.  G.  Pearson, 
Robert  Ray,  John  C.  Delprat,  P.  G.  Stuyvesant,  Charles  A. 
Heckscher,  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Samuel  Welles  of  Paris,  and 
William  H.  Aspinwall. 


284  THE  DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.58. 


1838. 


T ANUARY  T .  —  I  verily  believe  there  never  was  so  pleasant  a 
^  New  Year's  Day.  The  sun  rose  this  morning  through  a  deli- 
cious haze,  which  looked  like  impalpable  gold-dust,  and  from  which 
it  emerged  gloriously.  During  the  day  the  air  was  soft  and  balmy, 
and  the  temperature  warm  as  June.  Visiting  commenced  earlier 
than  usual,  and  was  kept  up  with  great  spirit  until  near  night. 
Broadway  was  thronged  with  male  pedestrians,  and  at  the  open 
door  of  every  fashionable  house  a  grinning  domestic  was  seen 
ushering  in  the  visitors  to  the  well-furnished  saloon  in  which  fair 
inmates  were  ready  to  receive  with  smiles  their  homage  and  good 
wishes.  I  began  my  cruise  at  noon,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Bowling  Green,  working  my  way  up,  and  intending  to  visit  my  up- 
town friends  last.  But  when  I  arrived  at  St.  Thomas's  Church,  it 
was  five  o'clock,  and  I  was  compelled  to  make  my  visit  to  Dr. 
Hawks  (the  most  excellent  pastor  of  that  church)  my  last  for  the 
day ;  but  I  made  some  visits  in  the  evening,  and  came  home 
fatigued  with  my  pleasant  exercise. 

Last  evening  we  were  all  assembled  in  the  dining-room,  —  myself, 
my  wife,  my  six  children,  and  son-in-law,  —  a  goodly  family  party, 
gay,  cheerful,  and  happy,  until  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-seven, 
with  hobbling  gait,  took  his  ugly  face  away,  and,  turning  his  ill- 
omened  back  upon  us,  made  way  for  his  smiling,  youthful  successor. 
God  grant  he  may  not  "  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  illustrious 
predecessor,"  except  as  regards  the  weather,  in  which  particular  we 
certainly  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  defunct  !  for  never, 
surely,  was  a  year  of  such  fine  weather  known  among  men.  "We 
have  not  had  equal  to  a  month  of  unpleasant  weather  during  the 
year,  —  a  lovely  spring,  a  cool  summer,  and  the  autumn  and  winter, 
thus  far,  delicious  as  the  climate  of  the  plains  of  Normandy.     But 


1833.]  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  285 

in  other  matters  it  has  been  a  disastrous  year.  The  acts  of  govern- 
ment have  thrown  the  affairs  of  the  country  into  utter  confusion. 
The  enterprise  of  the  citizens,  which,  it  must  be  confessed,  led 
them  sometimes  too  far,  was  suddenly  checked  and  paralyzed  by  a 
sudden  breaking  up  of  all  the  elements  which  gave  life  to  the  social 
compact,  and  excited  the  honest  industry  and  enlightened  enter- 
prise of  our  people.  During  this  year  we  have  lived  upon  each 
other ;  no  wholesome  business  has  been  carried  on  ;  the  sources  to 
which  we  have  looked  for  the  payment  of  honest  debts  have  gen- 
erally failed ;  real  estate,  which  in  good  times  is  the  best  and  surest 
foundation  of  credit,  has  lost  its  value,  and  those  who  have  money 
will  neither  invest  in  it  nor  lend  on  it.  Confidence  is  shaken  to  its 
very  centre,  and  the  springs  of  national  and  commercial  prosperity 
are  dried  up.  Amidst  all  this  scene  of  national  and  individual 
calamity,  one  redeeming  ray  of  sunshine  has  burst  forth,  —  the 
people  have  risen  in  their  might  and  reproved  the  ruinous  schemes 
of  their  rulers ;  the  popular  elections  have  gone  generally  against 
the  administration,  and  nowhere  has  the  voice  of  reproof  been 
more  loudly  uttered  than  in  our  own  State.  If  we  hold  on  in  the 
good  cause  the  same  voice  will  call  abler  and  better  men  to  the 
councils  of  the  nation,  and  better  days  may  dawn,  and  the  Repub- 
lic yet  be  safe. 

During  the  past  year  I  have  removed  to  my  new  house,  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Great  Jones  street,  which  proves  a  most  delight- 
ful and  comfortable  residence.  I  would  not,  if  I  could,  have  it 
altered  in  a  single  particular.  God  grant  that  in  my  prayers  for 
better  times  I  may  be  sufficiently  thankful  for  the  blessings  which  I 
yet  enjoy  ! 

January  5.  —  The  ship  "Pennsylvania"  sailed  from  Sandy 
Hook  at  noon,  on  the  8th  of  November,  and  arrived  in  the  Mersey 
on  the  evening  of  the  23d.  I  think  this  is  the  shortest  passage  as 
yet ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  may  happen  in  this  "  go- 
ahead  "  age.  A  letter  which  I  received  by  the  "  George  Wash- 
ington,"  dated  in  London   15  th  of  November,  from  William  H. 


286  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

Stephenson  (he  who  was  here  on  a  visit  last  summer,  and  to  whom 
we  all  took  a  liking),  states  that  the  new  steamer  intended  for  this 
port  was  to  sail  in  about  a  fortnight.  If  she  succeeds,  this  fifteen- 
day  passage  of  the  *' Pennsylvania  "  may  hereafter  be  considered 
quite  a  dilatory  proceeding. 

January  6.  — The  weather  continues  beautiful  beyond  all  former 
experience,  —  warm  as  June.  If  we  do  not  have  a  change  soon,  we 
shall  want  ice  to  cool  our  champagne  next  summer.  The  North 
river  is  open  to  Hudson.  If  the  weather  continues,  the  navigation 
will  be  unobstructed  to  Albany,  —  an  event  which  I  think  has  never 
occurred  in  the  month  of  January  during  my  lifetime. 

January  22.  —  I  received  to-day  from  Mr.  Webster 
u  -  reasury  ^  ^Qpy  of  the  bill  of  abominatious,  now  before  the 
Senate,  and  have  read  it  attentively.  It  is  worse,  even, 
than  I  supposed,  from  having  given  it  a  cursory  perusal  as  it  was 
published.  It  should  be  called  General  Jackson's  rod  bequeathed 
to  his  successor,  wherewith  to  scourge  the  refractory  merchants, 
and  Mr.  Van  Buren's  vial  of  wrath,  to  be  poured  upon  his  devoted 
city  of  New  York  more  especially,  as  punishment  for  political 
backslidings.  Its  leading  feature  seems  to  be  the  total  preclusion 
of  the  merchants,  whose  enterprise  supports  the  government,  from 
any  participation  in  the  use  of  money  collected  through  their 
means  on  any  security  whatever.  It  directs  it  to  be  locked  up  in 
gold  and  silver  in  the  Custom-House  and  post-offices  in  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  creates  a  host  of  political  locusts  worse  than  those 
who  of  old  overran  the  land  of  Egypt,  devoted  soul,  body,  and 
conscience  to  their  masters,  to  have  the  custody  of  the  people's 
money,  and  to  beg,  borrow,  or  steal  it,  no  matter  how,  so  as  the 
benefit  to  accrue  from  it  shall  be  confined  to  the  faithful.  I  do 
venture  to  assert  that  there  never  has  been  an  instance,  in  the  his- 
tory of  civilized  man,  of  so  much  power  being  vested  in  the  hands 
of  an  executive  magistrate,  call  him  as  you  may,  —  king,  emperor, 
dictator,  autocrat,  or  Tartarian  khan,  —  by  a  legislative  enactment, 
as  this  bill  gives  to  the  Republican  President  of  a  people  who  do 


li^jS.]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  28/ 

actually  dream  sometimes  that  they  are  free.  The  amiable  gentle- 
men above  enumerated  have  occasionally  indulged  in  strange 
freaks  at  the  expense  of  their  loyal  subjects ;  they  squeeze  them 
tolerably  hard,  and  if  they  prove  refractory  cut  off  their  heads ; 
but  they  have  not  the  assurance  to  pretend  that  they  have  law  for 
what  they  do.  The  suffering  people  have  the  consolation  to  know 
that  they  had  no  hand  in  forging  their  chains,  but  here  representa- 
tives of  the  people  (as  they  falsely  style  themselves)  are  about  to 
twist  the  lash,  to  sharpen  the  sword,  and  hand  them  to  their  rulers, 
praying  them  to  use  them  for  the  good  of  their  constituents ;  and 
use  them  they  will,  if  this  ill-omened  bill  passes  the  Senate.  A 
majority  of  that  body  are  the  merest  tools  of  party,  and  will  vote 
for  it ;  but  there  is  some  reason  to  hope  that  honest  men  enough 
will  be  found  in  the  House  of  Representatives  to  stay  the  cause. 

This  gold  and  silver  currency  is  the  prettiest  sceptre  with  which 
to  rule  a  people  who  do  not  give  themselves  the  trouble  to  think 
much  about  public  affairs,  that  a  tyrant  could  desire.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  is  not  exactly  a  tyrant  yet ;  but  wait,  my  masters,  until  this 
bill  passes.  The  late  Dey  of  Algiers  thought  so,  and  he  was  the 
goveriunent.  The  French  found  something  in  his  cellars  besides 
potatoes  and  cabbages ;  the  cellars  provided  in  this  bill  are  more 
numerous  than  those  which  belonged  to  his  turbaned  highness,  but 
the  treasures  they  contain  will  be  equally  under  the  control  of  the 
government,  and,  although  not  intended  to  be  applied  to  the  pur- 
chase of  chibouques  and  slippers  for  the  personal  use  of  our 
revered  chief,  or  laid  out  in  gewgaws  for  the  ladies  of  the  harem, 
they  will  be  the  means  of  corrupting  the  minds  of  the  people, 
blinding  their  eyes  to  the  faults  of  their  rulers,  and  transforming  a 
nation  of  freemen  into  a  herd  of  time-serving  and  man-worship- 
ping sycophants  unworthy  the  name  of  Americans. 

January   27. — I  was  favoured  by  an   invitation  to 

Kent  Club.       meet  the  Kent  Club  this  evening  at  the  house  of  Mr. 

William  Kent.     There  were  about  twenty  gentlemen, 

among  whom  were  Judges  Jones,  Edwards,  and  Tallmadge,  Chan- 


288  THE   DIARY   OF   PIlILll'    HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

cellor  Kent,  President  Duer,  several  eminent  lawyers,  and  a  few 
laymen,  consisting  of  Charles  King,  Webb,  and  myself.  There  was 
also  Mr.  Mackintosh,  son  of  the  celebrated  Sir  James  Mackintosh, 
and  the  author  of  his  well-written  biography,  a  gentleman  who 
came  to  this  country  on  a  visit  during  the  last  autumn.  We  had 
a  handsome  supper,  with  oceans  of  champagne.  I  was  right  in 
calling  it  "  high  jinks,"  for  a  more  jovial,  noisy,  roystering  set  I 
never  met  with.  They  seemed  to  contemn  all  law  but  that  of 
passing  the  bottle,  and  the  counsel  on  both  sides  summed  up 
together  without  regarding  the  admonitions  of  the  court. 

February  14.  —  When  Mr.  Webster  was  in  New  York  he  dined 
on  the  14th  of  December  at  the  Astor  House  with  a  party  of 
good  Whigs.  On  this  occasion  he  invited  the  party  to  dine  with 
him  in  Washington  on  Washington's  birthday,  since  which,  on 
renewing  the  invitation  to  each  of  us,  he  has  altered  the  day  to 
the  2 1  St  inst.,  in  consequence  of  a  ball  which  is  to  be  given  on  the 
2  2d  in  honour  of  the  anniversary,  and  here  I  am  this  evening  in 
Philadelphia,  on  my  way  to  fulfil  the  engagement. 

I  left  New  York  at  half-past  six  this  morning.  It  was  very 
cold,  but  the  admirable  railroad,  go-ahead  mode  of  travelling 
brought  us  to  Philadelphia  by  one  o'clock,  and  I  got  into  good 
quarters  at  Head's.  Mrs.  Davis  came  on  to  surprise  her  hus- 
band, who  has  been  here  two  or  three  days.  I  called  upon 
Mr.  Biddle  at  the  bank,  and  had  a  nice  little  talk  about 
matters    and    things. 

I  was  shown  this  afternoon,  at  the  shop  of  Messrs. 
Fletcher  &  Co.,  in  Chestnut  street,  the  most  superb 
service  of  plate  I  ever  saw,  to  be  presented  by  the 
directors  of  the  old  Bank  of  the  United  States  to  Mr.  Nicholas 
Biddle.  It  is  to  cost  $15,000.  The  inscription  recites  all  his 
valuable  serv^ices  to  the  institution  and  to  the  country  at  large,  and 
among  other  things  his  having  "  created  the  best  currency  in  the 
worlds  He  deserves  all  they  can  do  for  him,  but  the  world  is 
a  big  place.     Fletcher  &  Co.  are  the  artists  who  made  the  Clinton 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  289 

vases.     Nobody  in  this  "world"  of  ours  hereabouts  can  compete 
with  them  in  this  kind  of  work. 

The  portico  of  this  glorious  edifice,  a  sight  of  which 
The  Banking--  ^j^^^y^  Tcpays  me  for  coming  to  Philadelphia,  appeared 
more  beautiful  to  me  this  evening  than  usual,  from  the 
effect  of  the  gas-light ;  each  of  the  massive  fluted  columns  had  a  jet 
of  light  from  the  inner  side  so  placed  as  not  to  be  seen  from  the 
street,  but  casting  a  strong  light  upon  the  front  of  the  building, 
the  softness  of  which,  with  its  flickering  from  the  wind,  produced  an 
effect  strikingly  beautiful.  How  strange  it  is  that  in  all  the  inven^ 
tions  of  modern  times  architecture  alone  seems  to  admit  of  no 
improvement  !  —  every  departure  from  the  classical  models  of 
antiquity  in  this  science  is  a  departure  from  grace  and  beauty. 
Baltimore,  Feb.  15.  —  I  was  within  half  a  minute  of  losing  my 
chance  this  morning  in  the  railroad  cars.  The  omnibuses  leave 
Market  street  at  eight,  and  had  started  just  as  I  got  there ;  but  I 
saved  my  distance.  They  go  to  Grey's  Ferry  on  the  Schuylkill, 
from  where  the  cars  start  on  the  new  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 
Railroad,  which  has  been  in  operation  about  a  week,  and  go  by 
Wilmington  and  Elkton,  —  nearly  the  old  mail-stage  route.  We  got 
here  at  three  o'clock,  an  hour  later  than  usual,  in  consequence  of 
the  ice  and  snow  on  the  tracks.  But  what  a  contrast  is  this  to  the 
old  winter  travelling  between  the  two  cities,  over  a  detestable  road 
and  a  dangerous  ferry,  and  two  days  and  a  night  consumed  on  the 
journey.  The  Susquehanna  at  Havre-de-Grace  is  crossed  in  a 
steamboat  superior  to  anything  yet  produced  in  America.  The 
passengers  descend  by  a  stairway  into  this  floating  palace,  where 
everything  comfortable  is  provided.  The  cars  are  then  brought  on 
a  platform  overhead  level  with  the  road.  The  immense  machine 
then  starts,  breaking  the  ice,  whatever  may  be  its  thickness ;  the 
passengers  then  ascend  on  this  side  by  another  substantial  stair^ 
case,  resume  their  seats  in  the  cars,  and  find  themselves  again  in 
rapid  motion  on  ter?-a  firma,  having,  as  it  were  by  enchantment, 
crossed  this  ferry,  which  was  formerly  one  of  the  greatest  bugbears 


290  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.^tat.  58. 

to  travelling  in  the  United  States  in  the  winter  season.  It  snowed 
when  we  started  this  morning,  and  has  been  the  most  unpleasant 
day  I  have  experienced  during  the  present  winter.  But  the  cars, 
which  held  about  seventy  persons  each,  are  provided  with  stoves, 
which  made  them  (as  Polly  Stymets  said)  a  Utile  too  comfortable. 
The  fare  on  this  capital  road  is  only  four  dollars. 

Washington,  Feb.  19.  —  Called  this  morning,  by  appointment, 
upon  Mr.  Webster,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  Senate  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  obtained  for  me  a  place  on  the  floor,  —  an  exceedingly 
difficult  thing  under  the  present  orders.  The  galleries  were  all 
filled  two  hours  before  the  time  of  the  Senate's  meeting.  I  was 
indebted  for  my  good  place  to  some  hocus-pocus  between  Mr. 
Webster  and  the  sergeant-at-arms. 

Mr.  Clay  rose  to  the  order  of  the  day  (Mr.  Wright's 
a>  s  ^.jj^  commonly  called  the  sub-treasury  bill)  at  one 
o'clock,  and  spoke  until  half- past  five.  It  was  a  great 
speech,  as  all  his  speeches  are ;  but  I  thought  it  too  long.  It  would 
have  borne  a  curtailment  of  an  hour  advantageously.  Mr.  Clay's 
physical  force  was  not  so  great  as  usual,  and  I  thought  he  laboured 
under  the  effects  of  indisposition ;  but  the  close  of  his  argument 
was  the  best  part.  He  belaboured  the  last  and  present  adminis- 
trations, quoting  from  Mr.  Van  Buren's  reply  to  the  nomination  of 
the  Baltimore  Convention,  in  which  he  speaks  of  himself  as  "  the 
honoured  instrument  to  carry  out  the  measures  of  his  illustrious 
predecessor."  Mr.  Clay  said  that  the  meaning  of  the  word 
instrument  given  by  Webster's  Dictionary  is  "  tool,''  and  continued 
to  speak  accordingly  of  the  honoured  tool  oi  (ieneral  Jackson. 

In  the  course  of  the  speech  Mr.  Clay  bore  somewhat  hard  upon 
Mr.  Calhoun  for  his  recent  apostasy,  and  replied  to  his  arguments 
in  favour  of  the  bill,  to  wliich  the  latter  replied  in  a  few  exceed- 
ingly harsh  and  ill-natured  remarks.  He  charged  Mr.  Clay  with 
having  "  misrepresented  all  his  arguments,"  and  threatened  "  in 
his  own  good  time  to  settle  accounts  with  him,"  to  which  Mr.  Clay 
rejoined   that  he  was  "  ready  to  settle  with  the  gentleman  from 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  291 

South  Carolina  in  any  way,  and  at  any  time,"  he  chose.  Mr. 
Calhoun,  hke  all  men  whose  position  is  doubtful  in  their  own 
fninds,  is,  no  doubt,  very  sensitive.  I  thought  there  was  a  degree 
of  acrimony  and  ill -nature  in  his  reply  much  greater  than  the 
occasion  justified.  When  I  shook  hands  with  this  gentleman  this 
morning  I  felt  grieved  that  so  brilliant  a  mind  and  so  gallant  a 
spirit  had  been  cast  away  by  the  influence  of  prejudice  and  paltry 
interested  motives. 

February  20.  —  I  called  upon  the  President  this  morning,  who 
received  me  with  his  usual  urbanity.  He  inquired  about  my 
family  and  other  persons  of  his  acquaintance,  talked  about  the 
weather,  his  habits  and  mode  of  living,  but  asked  no  questions 
about  the  state  of  things  in  New  York,  and,  of  course,  did  not 
touch  upon  politics. 

February  21.  —  The  long-expected  day  arrived  at 

e     ester     j^^^^     Mr.  Webstcr's  great  dinner  to  the  New  Yorkers 

Dinner.  ° 

took  place  to-day  at  five  o'clock.  We  went  in  a  body 
to  his  house,  and  were  met  by  an  equal  number  of  the  most 
distinguished  Whigs  in  the  United  States,  and  some  of  the  greatest 
and  best  men  which  our  country  can  boast  of.  The  dinner  con- 
sisted, as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  of  the  following  party,  —  I  shall 
endeavour  to  put  them  all  down  here,  for  this  was  an  afiair  long  to 
be  remembered  :  The  New  York  party,  fourteen  in  number ;  Mr. 
Webster,  Governor  Davis,  Governor  Lincoln,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Mr.  Robbins,  Mr.  Tillinghast,  of  Rhode  Island  ;  Messrs.  Tallmadge, 
Sibley,  Hoifman,  Curtis,  of  New  York  ;  Meredith,  Wise,  of  Virginia  ; 
Bell  and  Graves,  of  Tennessee ;  Crittenden,  of  Kentucky ;  Bayard, 
of  Delaware ;  Colt  and  Dr.  Alexander,  of  Baltimore. 

Toasts  were  given  and  speeches  made  by  almost  everybody.  Mr. 
Wise  was  eloquent  and  entertaining  ;  Mr.  Webster  very  fine.  Old  Mr. 
Robbins  delivered  a  beautiful  eulogium  upon  Washington,  in  a  soft 
and  tremulous  voice,  and  in  language  classical  and  pure.  It  was  a 
glorious  affair.  When  I  arose  at  the  table  (at  which  I  had  the 
seat  of  distinction)   I  was  awe-stricken,  and  for  a  moment  em- 


292  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

barrassed,  but  recovered  instantly„  I  felt  as  if  in  an  assembly  of 
the  gods.  These  were  men  who  can  and  will  save  the  country.  I 
told  them  so,  and  they  responded,  Amen  !  t 

The  next  thing  in  order  was  the  dinner  which  the  New  York 
party  gave  to  tlie  AMiig  delegation  from  our  State.  One  senator 
(Mr.  Tallmadge,  a  conservative,  with  us  now  heart  and  soul)  and 
ten  of  the  lower  House,  besides  whom  we  had  Messrs.  Clay,  Webster, 
Crittenden,  Wise,  Graves,  Waddy  Thomi)son,  etc., —  in  number  about 
forty.  I  presided,  and  they  all  say  it  was  the  greatest  thing  I  ever 
did.  But  how  could  it  be  otherwise?  I  had  Clay  on  my  right  and 
Webster  on  my  left.  I  felt  inspired  myself,  and  infused  inspiration 
into  all  around  me.  Alluding  to  my  relative  position,  I  made  them 
all  pledge  themselves  to  make  one  of  us  three  President  of  the 
United  States.  How  we  apples  swim  !  At  ten  o'clock  we  broke 
up,  and  most  of  the  party  went  to  the  ball  in  honour  of  Washing- 
ton's birthday,  which  was  a  brilliant  affair.  The  President  was 
there,  and  the  A^ice- President,  heads  of  departments,  foreign  minis- 
ters, etc. 

Mr.  Pontois,  the  French  IVIinister,  has  been  exceedingly  civil  to 
me.  He  wants  to  give  me  a  dinner,  and  appears  greatly  dis- 
appointed that  I  cannot  accept  it.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Howard 
have  pressed  me  very  hard,  as  have  everybody  here  ;  but  we  go  to 
Baltimore  on  Saturday,  where  further  honours  await  us.  I  am 
almost  tempted  to  return  with  Charles  King  and  some  others  of  the 
conspirators,  but  cannot ;  and  perhaps  it  is  better  to  break  off  in 
the  midst  of  my  enjoyment.  I  received  this  evening  a  letter  from 
the  Baltimore  committee,  informing  me  that  an  extra  train  of  cars 
has  been  provided,  to  start  from  here  on  Saturday  at  noon.  This 
is  a  comfortable  and  kind  arrangement,  as  we  should  otherwise 
have  been  compelled  to  start  at  six  in  the  morning,  and  very  con- 
venient for  men  who  sit  every  night  "  carousing  until  the  second 
cock." 

Baltimore,  February  24.  —  A  dreadful  affair  had  happened  at 
Washington    to-day,  which    only  came    to    my   knowledge    a    few 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  293 

minutes  before  I  left  Washington  this  morning.  Mr.  Webb,  the 
editor  of  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  was  attacked  with  great 
violence  in  the  House  of  Representatives  by  Mr.  Cilley,  of  Maine, 
who  took  part  in  the  debate  on  the  subject  of  the  charge  made  by 
Mrs.  Davis  (author  of  the  "Spy  in  Washington")  against  Mr. 
Ruggles,  of  the  Senate,  of  corrupt  and  dishonest  conduct  in  relation 
to  a  patent.  Mr.  Cilley,  in  debate,  asserted  that  Davis  was  em- 
ployed by  Webb,  a  scoundrel  editor,  who  had  been  bribed  by  the 
president  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  etc.  Webb  was  of  our 
party  to  Washington,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  took  measures,  it 
appears,  to  obtain  satisfaction.  He  applied  to  Mr.  Curtis  and  Mr. 
Draper  to  bear  his  challenge,  both  of  whom  very  properly  refused. 
He  then  called  upon  Mr.  Graves,  of  Kentucky,  a  very  fine  fellow, 
who  has  been  with  us  almost  constantly,  and  he  unfortunately  con- 
sented. He  called  upon  Mr.  Cilley,  who  refused  to  accept  the 
challenge,  on  the  ground  that  Webb  was  not  a  gentleman,  and, 
moreover,  that  he  was  not  bound  to  account  for  words  spoken  in 
debate ;  upon  which  Mr.  Graves,  according  to  the  ridiculous  code 
of  honour  which  governs  those  gentlemen,  insisted  upon  his  fighting 
him,  and  after  some  negotiation  it  was  agreed  that  they  should 
fight  this  day.  The  first  suspicion  I  had  of  what  was  going  on 
arose  from  my  meeting  Webb  in  the  passage  at  Gadsby's,  about 
eleven  o'clock,  when  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  take  leave  of  Mr. 
Clay,  who  lives  in  the  same  house  with  Mr.  Graves ;  on  which  he 
said  that  Mr.  Clay,  not  knowing  of  the  extra  train  of  cars  at  noon, 
had  gone  to  Baltimore  early  in  the  morning.  I  went,  however,  to 
their  lodgings,  inquired  for  Mr.  Graves,  and  was  told  by  a  servant 
that  he  had  gone  to  Baltimore ;  but  on  inquiry  found  that  Mr.  Clay 
was  at  home,  and  went  to  his  room,  where  I  saw  and  took  leave  of 
him.  This  circumstance,  together  with  the  mysterious  appearance 
of  things  at  our  lodgings,  caused  me  to  make  inquiry,  and  I  found 
that  Graves  and  Cilley  had  gone  out  to  fight  with  rifles  at  eighty 
yards'  distance,  the  former  with  Mr.  Wise  and  the  latter  with  Gen- 
eral Jones,  of  Wisconsin,  as  seconds ;  both  adepts  in  this  damnable 


294  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

practice,  who  would  carry  things  to  the  utmost  extremity,  and  who 
are  said  to  have  gone  armed  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  any 
person  who  might  come  upon  the  ground  to  prevent  this  most 
unnatural  combat. 

The  friends  of  Graves,  who  is  a  gallant  and  amiable  gentleman, 
who  has  his  wife  here  and  his  children  at  home,  are  doing  every- 
thing to  prevent  the  meeting  and  bring  about  a  reconciliation ;  and 
Webb  is  much  distressed  at  being  the  cause  of  his  engaging  in  this 
quarrel,  which  he  had  nothing  to  do  with,  and  much  reason,  I 
think,  he  has.  This  unhappy  affair  has  caused  a  gloom  among  our 
friends,  and  prevented  the  members  of  Congress  from  coming  on 
to  the  i)ublic  dinner  prepared  for  us  in  Baltimore.  We  came, 
however  (all  but  Webb),  in  the  extra  car,  soon  after  twelve 
o'clock,  and  arrived  here  at  three.  The  party  consisted  of  King, 
Blatchford,  Giraud,  AVard,  Blunt,  Hoxie,  Patterson,  Draper, 
Ketcham,  and  myself.  The  car  on  our  arrival  was  surrounded 
by  the  populace,  who  expected  to  see  Webster  and  Clay,  and  were 
greatly  disappointed  when  they  found  none  but  us  unimportant 
New  Yorkers,  although  we  were  the  honoured  guests  and  they, 
with  the  other  members,  the  adjuncts  of  the  party.  On  our  arrival 
we  were  waited  upon  by  the  committee,  who  escorted  us  to  the 
Eutaw  House  to  the  great  dinner. 

It  was  gotten  up  in  a  most  splendid  style,  and  we  were  received 
by  two  liundred  of  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  Baltimore,  with 
honour  and  distinction  never  to  be  forgotten.  Dr.  Alexander  pre- 
sided, with  a  large  nmnber  of  vice-presidents.  I,  as  chairman  of 
the  New  Y^ork  party,  was  seated  on  the  right  of  the  president,  and 
Colonel  Swift,  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  on  his  left.  It  was,  of 
course,  my  duty  to  reply  to  the  third  toast,  wliich  was  a  compli- 
ment to  New  York.  I  was  alarmed  beforehand  for  fear  I  should 
not  do  well,  for  I  had  no  time  for  preparation,  and  my  mind  was 
engrossed  with  the  duel  at  Washington  ;  but  the  occasion  seemed  to 
inspire  me.  I  spoke  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  all  my  friends 
agree  that  it  was  an  excellent  speech.     I  feel  myself  that  it  was 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  295 

the  best  effort  I  ever  made.  Speeches  were  made  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  by  King,  Gerard,  and  Patterson,  of  our  party ;  by 
Colonel  Swift,  Colonel  Finlay,  Reverdy  Johnson,  John  P.  Ken- 
nedy, Judge  Hanson,  Mr.  Poe,  Mr.  Barney,  Mr.  Ewing,  member 
of  Congress  from  Indiana.  We  had  a  most  beautiful  speech  by  a 
young  lawyer  named  Wallace,  who,  if  he  redeem  the  promise 
given  on  this  occasion,  will  be  a  distinguished  man.  We  broke 
up  at  twelve  o'clock  precisely,  the  arrival  of  the  Sabbath  pre- 
venting us  from  sitting  longer  ;  and  thus  ended  the  most  agreeable 
public  dinner  I  ever  witnessed,  and  the  highest  compliment  I  ever 
received. 

February  25.  —  I  heard  early  this  morning  of  the  fatal  termina- 
tion of  this  savage  rencontre.  Mr.  Cilley  was  killed  on  the  third 
fire.  It  was  reported  that  Webb  and  Mr.  Duncan,  of  Ohio,  were 
to  fight  to-day ;  but  it  is  contradicted  by  a  letter  which  I  received 
this  evening  from  Charles  King,  of  which  the  following  is  an 
extract :  "  The  fatal  issue  of  the  duel  of  yesterday  has  caused  a 
deep  sensation.  There  will  not  be,  however,  in  my  opinion,  any 
more  fighting.  Webb  is  truly  and  deeply  distressed.  He  will 
remain  here  till  Tuesday,  rather  so  as  not  to  appear  to  avoid  any 
consequences,  than  because  there  are  any  consequences  to  be  appre  - 
hended.  Graves  is,  of  course,  sobered  and  saddened,  though  with 
the  consciousness  that  he  had  done  all  that  he  could  have  done  to 
avoid  fighting.  They  fought  about  five  o'clock,  on  the  Annapolis 
road,  and  fired  three  times ;  the  third  shot  from  Graves  passed 
into  the  cavity  of  Mr.  Cilley's  stomach.  He  placed  his  hand  on 
the  wound,  made  a  convulsive  movement  to  his  second,  fell,  and 
died  without  uttering  a  word.  It  is  singular  that  Cilley,  who,  in 
practising  the  day  before,  had  shot  eleven  balls  in  succession  into 
a  space  not  bigger  than  your  hand,  did  not  hit  Graves  at  all.  So 
confident  were  Mr.  Cilley's  political  friends  that  Graves  would  be 
killed,  that  in  the  House,  during  the  day,  there  was,  it  is  said,  man- 
ifest exultation  at  the  idea.  Some  washerwoman  or  servant  told 
Mrs.  Crittenden,  in  the  hearing  of  Mrs.  Graves,  that  Mr.  Graves  had 


296  THE   DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

gone  out  to  fight,  and  she  had  to  pass  five  mortal  hours  in  all  the 
agony  of  suspense.  Mr.  Clay,  whom  I  saw  in  his  bed  this  morn- 
ing, told  me  he  had  had  an  interview  with  her,  so  fearful  that  it 
had  absolutely  kept  him  awake  all  niglit,  and  made  him  so  sick 
and  nervous  this  morning,  from  the  mere  recollection  of  it,  that 
he  cannot  get  up.  The  event  of  Mr.  Cilley's  death  will  be  an- 
nounced to-morrow.  The  funeral  will  then  take  place,  and  of 
course  both  Houses  will  adjourn.  It  is  not  impossible  that  after 
the  death  is  announced  some  discussion  may  arise  upon  the  man- 
ner of  the  death,  and  some  attempt  be  made  to  censure  the  prac- 
tice generally,  and  perhaps  in  this  particular  case  even." 

March  6.  —  A  committee  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
,"'^/"  sentatives  has  been  appointed  to  investigate   the  cir- 

VVashington.  ^  ^  "^ 

cumstances  attending  the  late  duel  between  Messrs. 
Graves  and  Cilley,  with  power  to  send  fur  persons  and  papers.  In 
the  Senate,  Mr.  Prentiss,  of  Vermont,  has  introduced  a  bill  to  prevent 
duelling  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  making  it  death  for  the  sur- 
vivor, and  imposing  ten  years'  imprisonment  upon  all  persons 
concerned  in  sending  a  challenge. 

March  10.  —  The  papers  are  filled  with  this  painful  subject. 
Some  of  the  vile  supporters  of  the  administration  attempt  to  give 
it  a  political  bearing.  These  men,  who  have  always  supported  Jack- 
son and  made  him  the  standard  of  their  religion,  morals,  and 
politics,  are  now  loud  in  their  condemnation  of  the  practice  of 
duelling,  although  the  wooden  god  of  their  idolatry  was  known  as 
one  of  the  most  notorious  duellists  in  the  United  States,  and  even 
had  a  imcontrc  of  the  most  savage  and  sanguinary  character  with 
another  of  their  oracles,  Mr.  Benton,  of  the  Senate.  The  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  consistently  with  the  dignity  of  its 
high  station,  put  the  seal  of  condemnation  upon  the  practice  of 
duelling,  by  refusing  to  attend  officially  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Cilley, 
and  declaring  the  determination  of  the  court  not  to  unite  here- 
after in  the  funeral  obsequies  of  any  person  who  shall  have  falleo 
in  a  duel 


1S38.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  297 

March  15.  —  The  speeches  on  this  all- engrossing 
u^-  reasury  gy|^jg(,|.  -j^  ^j^g  Senate  Still  go  on.  Mr.  Calhoun  has 
replied  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  Mr.  Clay  has  come  in  with 
a  rejoinder.  Mr.  Bayard  has  spoken  with  his  usual  grace  and 
urbanity  against  the  bill,  and  Benton,  with  his  ^^ front  de  boeuf,''  has 
roared  in  its  favour  ;  and  that  admirable  old  man,  Asher  Robbins,  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  charmed  us  at  Mr.  Webster's  dinner  with  his 
eulogy  on  Washington,  has  added  his  testimony  against  the  bill  to 
that  of  his  illustrious  coadjutors,  in  a  short  speech,  pure,  eloquent, 
and  classical  as  usual.  The  giant  of  Massachusetts,  the  defender 
of  the  Constitution,  came  to  the  rescue  on  Monday  last,  on  which 
day  he  spoke  five  hours,  and  finished  on  Tuesday  in  a  continuation 
of  four  hours.  It  is  said  on  all  hands  to  have  been  the  greatest 
speech  he  ever  made,  greater  even  than  his  reply  to  General 
Hayne,  on  Foote's  resolutions. 

The  Hon.  Paine  Wingate,  of  Stratham,  New  Hamp- 
Cockra  I  Tits  ^^^^^'  ^^^^  ^^^^  week,  at  the  age  of  ninety-nine  years. 
He  wasa  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  and  for  several 
years  (since  the  death  of  Dr.  Holyoke)  the  oldest  graduate  of  that 
institution,  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Hampshire  from 
1798  until  1809.  He  was  emphatically  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school ;  the  confidant  and  adviser  of  Washington  while  President. 
His  gait  was  erect  and  his  deportment  graceful.  He  wore  a  cocked 
hat,  breeches  and  top-boots,  and  cambric  ruffles  at  his  breast  and 
wrists.  His  lady  survives  him  at  the  age  of  ninety-five.  She  is 
the  sister  of  the  late  Thomas  Pickering. 

March  16.  —  Died  last  evening,  John  Treat  Irving, 
^\  \°  .         in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his   aa^e,  —  one   of   my  oldest 

Judge  Irving.  ■'  ^    '  •' 

acquaintances  ;  we  were  playmates  forty-five  years  ago ; 
afterward  associated  in  the  literary  institutions,  to  which  I  now  look 
back  as  the  sources  from  which  in  my  youthful  days  I  derived  great 
enjoyment,  and  prospective  advantages  during  my  future  life.  We 
have  ever  since  been  good  friends,  and  the  most  cordial  feelings 
have  subsisted  between  us.     Of  different  professions,  and  disagree- 


298  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

ing  in  politics  at  onr  start  in  life,  the  intimacy  which  commenced  so 
happily  did  not  continue  so  close  as  in  our  early  years,  but  our 
personal  friendship  and  mutual  regard  was  never  impaired ;  and  I 
now  mourn  for  his  loss,  as  almost  the  last  of  the  associates  of  my 
early  years. 

March  24.  — The  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  of  the  House 
of  Assembly  have  made  a  report  on  the  finances  and  internal  im- 
provements of  the  State,  said  to  be  the  production  of  their  chairman, 
Mr.  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  member  from  this  city,  —  one  of  the  ablest 
financial  and  statistical  State  papers  which  has  ever  been  produced 
in  this  country.  It  presents  the  most  glowing  picture  of  the  present 
resources  and  future  prospects  of  the  State,  the  result,  not  of  san- 
guine and  exaggerating  fancy,  but  of  plain  facts  and  accurate 
calculations.  It  shows  the  most  perfect  ability  to  carry  into  effect 
all  the  splendid  plans  of  internal  improvement  which  have  been 
projected  or  advised  by  the  liberal-minded  politicians  of  the  State, 
and  refutes  most  conclusively  the  arguments  of  Silas  Wright,  when 
he  was  comptroller,  and  his  political  hangers-on,  that  the  works 
then  in  progress  could  not  be  completed  without  recourse  to  direct 
taxation.  On  the  contrary,  all  the  facts  and  arguments  of  the 
masterly  report  tend  to  support  the  opinion  expressed  in  the  con- 
cluding resolution  :  "  That  it  is  not  necessary  or  expedient  to  levy  a 
direct  tax."  This  report  appears  to  be  the  result  of  deep  study  and 
elaborate  investigation.  It  is  extremely  well  written,  remarkable 
for  close  reasoning,  and  a  style,  clear,  simple,  and  occasionally 
eloquent.  It  has  no  hard  words,  no  popular  clap-traps,  no  meta- 
physical humbug,  but  is  better  to  read  and  easier  to  understand, 
by  all  sorts  of  people  who  can  read  or  understand  anything,  than 
any  paper  on  the  same  or  a  similar  subject,  extending  to  the  length 
of  eight  close  columns  of  a  newspaper,  that  I  have  ever  read. 

When  Mr.  Wright,  then  comptroller,  in  order  to  convince  the 
people  of  the  State  that  they  were  going  too  far  in  the  works  of 
internal  improvement,  and  would  have  to  resort  to  taxation,  told 
them  that  the  revenue  of  the  canals  at   that  time,    181 7,   which 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  299 

amounted  to  ^150,000,  was  the  true  basis  of  a  prospective  calcula- 
tion for  the  ensuing  ten  years,  and  when  Mr.  Ruggles  now  shows 
them  that  this  revenue  amounted  during  those  ten  years  to  more 
than  ten  milHons,  they  will  begin  to  doubt,  one  would  think,  the 
infallibility  of  their  wooden  oracle.  And  when  they  remember  how 
obstinately  the  wise  plans  and  enlightened  predictions  of  DeWitt 
Clinton,  Gouvemeur  Morris,  and  Jonas  Piatt  were  opposed,  ridi- 
culed, and  thwarted  by  this  same  Mr.  Wright  and  the  men  who  now 
swear  by  him,  until  they  could  no  longer  hope  to  deceive  the  people, 
but  were  compelled  to  come  into  those  great  plans  which  contributed 
so  largely  to  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  the  State,  and  then  un- 
gratefully sought  to  deprive  those  men  of  the  merit  of  originating 
the  plans,  —  when  all  these  things,  I  say,  are  seen  and  reflected 
upon,  it  would  seem  impossible  that  the  people  should  not  turn 
from  their  false  prophets,  no  longer  rely  upon  those  who  have  so 
often  deceived  them,  nor  fail  to  discover  that  Samuel  B.  Ruggles  is 
more  worthy  of  credit  than  Silas  Wright. 

March  26.  —  This  hard-fought  and  long-debated 
u  ^-  reasury  ^.^  p^^ggg^^  ^^iQ  Scuatc  latc  on  Saturday  night.  Every 
senator  was  present ;  but  before  the  finishing  stroke 
was  put  upon  it,  it  was  divested  of  its  most  exceptionable  features. 
It  was  no  longer  the  monster  which  Silas  Wright  introduced,  inso- 
much that  Mr.  Calhoun,  who  has  so  deeply  compromised  his  fair 
fame  in  its  support,  was  constrained  to  vote  against  it  on  the  final 
vote.  It  was  not  bad  enough  for  him.  Its  effects  would  not  be 
so  sudden  nor  so  certain  as  he  wished,  to  break  down  the  North 
and  East.  It  can  be  considered  in  no  other  light  than  a  triumph 
for  the  talents  and  patriotism  of  the  glorious  band  of  Whig  senators. 
The  first  cut  of  the  pruning- knife  slew  the  23d  section,  which 
made  the  dues  of  all  kinds  to  the  government  payable  exclusively 
in  specie.  Mr.  Webster  moved  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  by  inserting 
a  section  providing  "  that  no  distinction  shall  hereafter  be  made 
between  the  different  branches  of  the  revenue,  as  to  the  funds  or 
the  medium  of  payment  in  which  the  debts  or  dues  accruing  to  the 


300  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

government  shall  be  paid  or  discharged."  This  amendment,  which 
was  carried,  37  to  14,  repeals  the  famous  specie  circular,  the  favour- 
ite measure  of  Benton  and  the  other  Loco-focos,  and  is  a  soHd 
triumph  of  the  Webster  policy. 

March  27. — The  administration  men,  who  are  en- 
Dueiiinir.  deavouring  to  make  a  political  use  of  the  late  unfortu- 
nate duel  at  Washington,  are  reminded  by  the  Portland 
"Advertiser"  of  the  opinions  of  their  Grand  Lama,  General 
Jackson,  on  this  subject,  by  the  publication  of  the  following  horrid 
anecdote  relating  to  the  bloody  murder  of  Dickenson  by  Jackson,  in 
1806.  The  account  given  by  Dr.  May,  the  surgeon  of  Jackson,  in 
letters  dated  Nashville,  Sept.  16  and  17,  1817,  states:  "They  were 
to  fire  as  soon  as  the  word  was  given.  When  the  word  was  given 
Dickenson  fired  instantly ;  but  Jackson,  after  Dickenson  had  fired, 
deliberately  buttoned  up  his  coat,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  fired. 
Dickenson  fell  on  his  face,  uttered  a  groan,  and  expired.  In  a 
letter  to  a  friend  soon  after,  Jackson  said  :  '  I  left  the  damned 
rascal  weltering  in  his  blood.'  "  This  is  one  of  the  good  deeds  for 
which  Andrew  Jackson  has  been  rewarded  by  the  people  with  the 
highest  honours  in  their  gift. 

Alp.an\%  April  5.  —  The  weather  being  fine,  and  a  nice  little 
day-boat  called  the  "Vanderbilt"  starting  to-day,  I  came  here  to 
indulge  my  desire  to  see  our  Whig  House  of  Assembly,  and  my 
friend,  the  admirable  Speaker.  If  the  Whigs  are  not  proud  of 
both  the  one  and  the  other,  they  have  not  so  much  pride  in  their 
work  as  they  had  discrimination  in  the  selection  of  the  materials. 
When  I  arrived  in  Albany  the  House  was  in  session ;  there  never 
was  so  hard-working  a  set  of  men  in  any  public  body ;  they  meet  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continue  in  session  until  late 
in  the  evening,  with  an  interval  of  an  hour  to  bolt  their  dinners 
a  P Americaine.  Never  did  men  earn  harder  their  stinted  pay  of 
three  dollars  a  day,  —  about  two  shillings  an  hour  for  working- 
time  ;  a  ])rice  at  which  I  used  to  find  it  difficult  to  hire  labourers 
to  hoist  goods  for  me  at  the  old  corner. 


1838.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  3OI 

The  House  was  in  Committee  of  the  Whole  when  I  went  in,  and. 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  shaking  hands  with  the  Speaker,  and  my 
numerous  other  political  friends,  who  collectively  make  this  House 
a  credit  to  the  State.  I  certainly  have  never  seen  so  good-looking 
a  legislative  body ;  it  comprises  a  large  proportion  of  talents  and 
character,  and  is  marked  for  decorum,  propriety,  patriotism,  and 
zeal  in  the  public  service. 

April  6.  —  The  House  of  Assembly  has  passed  a  general  banking 
law,  which,  it  is  thought,  will  afford  relief  to  the  city  of  New  York. 
It  is  expected  to  pass  the  Senate.  Other  measures  also  will  be 
adopted  for  the  relief  of  the  banks.  The  time  for  the  lesumption 
of  specie  payments  is  near  at  hand,  and  great  alarm  exists  in  New 
York  from  the  fact,  now  ascertained,  that  the  same  measure  will  not 
be  adopted  in  the  other  cities. 

Luther  Bradish  is  the  very  model  of  a  Speaker ;  never  was  a 
chair  so  filled.  With  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  detail  of  legisla- 
tive business,  there  is  a  dignity  of  deportment,  a  suavity  of  manner, 
promptitude  of  action,  and  correctness  of  decision  which  has  se- 
cured for  him  the  affection  of  his  political  friends,  and  the  respect 
of  his  opponents,  in  a  greater  degree  than  any  of  his  predecessors 
have  ever  possessed.  It  is,  indeed,  "well  worth  while,"  as  Ruggles 
said  in  a  letter  which  I  lately  received  from  him,  "  to  take  a  trip  to 
Albany  only  to  see  our  own  Jove  seated  on  his  high  Olympus." 

Mr.  Ruggles  has  gained  great  renown  by  his  admirable  report 
on  "the  finances  and  internal  improvement  of  the  State."  It  has 
worked  wonders  in  the  minds  of  the  members,  and  all  parties  are 
now  striving  to  be  foremost  in  carrying  out  the  principles  of  that 
report.  The  city  of  New  York  has  reason  to  be  well  satisfied  with 
its  delegation,  —  the  best  we  have  had  for  many  years,  —  and  they 
possess  an  influence  in  the  Legislature,  the  want  of  which  has  been 
hitherto  severely  felt.  Silliman,  from  Kings,  and  John  A.  King, 
from  Queens,  are  worthy  coadjutors  of  their  brother  Whigs  from 
New  York.  These  gentlemen  have  taken  a  high  stand  and  are 
much  respected. 


302  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

April  21.  —  Gold  has  flowed  into  our  city,  during  the  present 
week,  in  streams  more  copious  than  has  ever  before  been  known. 
The  influx  of  the  tide  is  greater  than  was  its  reflux.  The  fall  in 
the  exchange  with  England,  and  the  astonishing  accumulation  of 
specie  in  England,  have  caused  shipments  to  the  enormous  amount 
of  two  millions  of  pounds  sterling.  The  Bank  of  England  sends 
out  a  million  of  sovereigns,  the  Rothschilds  250,000,  and  the  rest 
by  other  banking-houses,  while  at  the  same  time  large  amounts  are 
arriving  daily  from  South  America  and  the  West  Indies.  A  great 
proportion  of  the  shipments  from  England  come  to  Prime,  Ward, 
&  King.  It  was  to  effect  this  negotiation  that  James  G.  King  went 
to  England,  and  it  is  presumed  that  he  has  pledged  American 
stocks  for  the  amount  he  has  brought  away.  This  change  in  the 
money  affairs  of  the  country  will  facilitate  the  resumption  of  specie 
payments  by  the  banks  of  our  State,  which  must  take  place  in  the 
middle  of  May,  or  their  charters  will  be  forfeited,  the  Legislature 
having  adjourned  without  extending  the  time  of  suspension  beyond 
that  period.  It  is  also  hoped  that  this  golden  stream  will  force 
open  the  doors  of  the  banks  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  other 
places,  which  have  refused  to  come  into  the  measure,  and  will 
produce  the  desirable  effect  of  a  simultaneous  resumption  at  the 
time  our  banks  have  fixed.  Without  this  the  domestic  exchanges 
will  continue  to  be  ruinous  for  the  New  York  merchants ;  but,  with 
a  unity  of  action  on  this  highly  interesting  subject,  there  is  a 
reasonable  prospect  of  better  times.  All  we  want  is,  that  honest 
men  should  be  enabled  to  realize  the  means  of  paying  their  debts, 
at  least  as  far  as  those  means  are  adequate  to  the  purpose. 

Great  Britain  hastened  the  awful  crisis  in  this  country  by  with- 
drawing suddenly  the  support  of  the  bank  from  the  American 
houses,  and  now  that  she  finds  herself  suffering  for  the  want  of  our 
custom,  our  merchants  being  determined  to  buy  no  more  goods 
until  they  have  paid  their  debts,  she  pours  back  upon  us  of  the 
superfluity  of  her  metallic  treasures,  by  which  she  hopes  (and  with 
good  reason)  to  set  again  in  motion  the  wheels  of  commerce,  and, 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  303 

like  a  kind,  relenting  mother,  to  coax  back  to  her  arms  her  sturdy 
offspring.  Both  parties  seem  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  cannot  do  without  each  other. 

I  went  this  evening  to  a  meeting  of  the  Kent  Club,  at  Mr.  J. 
Prescott  Hall's.  We  had  a  large  party  of  judges  and  lawyers,  with 
Granger  and  Seward,  and  other  distinguished  strangers ;  Charles 
King  and  myself  the  only  resident  laymen.  The  last  hour  of  these 
very  pleasant  reunions  bears  a  pretty  strong  resemblance  to  the 
high  jinks  which  Sir  Walter  Scott  describes  so  well  (and  no  doubt 
from  personal  knowledge)  in  "Guy  Mannering." 

April  23.  —  The    British    steamer   "  Sirius,"    Lieut, 
rnva  o  t  e    j^j(.j^^j.(-:[  Robcrts,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  commander,  ar- 

"  Sinus."  '  J  J  J  J 

rived  here  last  evening,  having  sailed  from  Cork  on  the 
4th.  She  has  performed  the  voyage  without  any  accident,  except 
the  slight  one  of  grounding  at  Sandy  Hook,  from  which  she  will  have 
been  extricated  by  this  time.  She  has  on  board  forty-six  passengers. 
The  "  Sirius  "  comes  out  as  pioneer  to  the  great  steam-packet 
which  is  preparing  to  come  to  this  country.  She  was  to  have 
sailed  on  the  2d  inst.  from  Cork,  and  has  been  looked  for  with 
some  anxiety  the  last  three  or  four  days ;  but  the  wind  has  been 
westerly  during  her  whole  voyage,  and  her  passage  has  been  longer 
than  it  will  be  hereafter.  The  arrival  of  the  "  Sirius  ''  is  an  event 
of  so  great  an  interest  that  the  corporation  of  the  city  appointed  a 
joint  committee  to  receive  and  visit  her  on  her  arrival.  This  com- 
mittee, of  which  Alderman  Hoxie  is  chairman,  have  made  arrange- 
ments with  Mr.  Buchanan  for  that  purpose,  and  they  will  probably 
make  a  jollification  on  the  occasion.  It  is  stated  in  the  morning 
papers  that  the  "  Sirius,"  since  her  departure  from  Cork,  has  used 
only  fresh  water  in  her  boilers,  having  on  board  Mr.  Hall's  con- 
densing apparatus. 

It  was  an  agreeable  coincidence  that  the  great  steam- 

The "  Great        ,  ^      ,  .    ,       ,  ^.    .        ,,  ,.        .  ,       , 

Western."        t)oat  of  which  the  "  Sinus     was,  as  I  said,  the  pioneer, 

should  have  arrived  this  morning  just  in  time  to  have 

the  event  celebrated  and  the  officers  entertained  at  the  anniversar)! 


304  THE   DIARY    OF    I'lIILIP    IIOXE.  [.Ktat.  58. 

dinner  of  St.  George's  Society,  the  red-cross  banner  floating  from 
the  windows  of  the  "  banquet  hall,"  the  Carlton  House. 

The  "  Great  Western  "  (for  such  is  the  rather  awkward  name  of 
this  noble  steamer)  came  up  from  Sandy  Hook  about  two  o'clock, 
passed  around  the  "Sirius,"  then  lying  at  anchor  off  the  Battery, 
and,  proceeding  up  the  East  river,  hauled  into  Pike  slip.  She  is 
much  larger  than  her  avant-courricr,  being  the  largest  vessel  pro- 
pelled by  steam  which  has  yet  made  her  appearance  in  the  waters 
of  Europe.  Her  registered  measurement  is  1,604  tons,  length 
234  feet,  breadth  from  out  to  out  of  the  paddle-boxes  58  feet, 
with  her  engines  and  machinery  of  450  horse  power.  She  is  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Hoskin,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  and  owned  by 
the  "  Great  Western  Steam  Navigation  Company."  She  sailed 
from  Bristol  on  the  8th  inst.,  four  days  later  than  the  departure  of 
the  '^  Sirius  "  from  Cork,  performing  thus  her  voyage,  under  the 
disadvantages  of  new  machinery  and  a  prevalence  of  head-winds, 
in  fifteen  days. 

The  city  was  in  a  ferment  during  the  day,  from  the  arrival  of 
these  two  interesting  strangers.  The  flittery  and  adjacent  streets 
were  crowded  with  curious  spectators,  and  the  water  covered  with 
boats  conveying  obtrusive  visitors  on  board.  The  committee  of 
arrangements  of  the  Corporation  have  fixed  upon  to-morrow,  at  one 
o'clock,  for  the  two  Houses,  with  their  guests,  to  visit  the  "  Sirius," 
where  a  collation  will  be  prepared  for  them,  on  which  occasion  her 
commander,  Lieutenant  Roberts,  is  to  receive  the  freedom  of  the 
city. 

The  passengers  on  board  the  two  vessels  speak  in  the  highest 
terms  of  the  convenience,  steadiness,  and  apparent  safety  of  the 
new  mode  of  conveyance  across  the  ocean.  Everybody  is  so 
enamoured  of  it,  that  for  a  while  it  will  supersede  the  New  York 
packets,  —  the  noblest  vessels  that  ever  floated  in  the  merchant 
service.  Our  countrymen,  "  studious  of  change,  and  pleased  with 
novelty,"  will  rush  forward  to  visit  the  shores  of  Europe  instead  of 
resorting   to  Virginia  or  Saratoga  Springs ;  and  steamers  will  con 


iSjS.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  305 

tinue  to  be  the  fashion  until  some  more  dashing  adventurer  of  the 
go-ahead  tribe  shall  demonstrate  the  practicability  of  balloon  navi- 
gation, and  gratify  their  impatience  by  a  voyage  over,  and  not 
upon,  the  blue  waters  in  two  days,  instead  of  as  many  weeks, 
thereby  escaping  the  rocks  and  shoals  and  headlands  which  con- 
tinue yet  to  fright  the  minds  of  timid  passengers  and  cautious  navi- 
gators. Then  they  may  soar  above  the  dangers  of  icebergs,  and 
look  down  with  contempt  upon  the  Goodwin  sands  or  Hempstead 
beach.  As  for  me,  I  am  still  skeptical  on  this  subject.  It  would 
be  presumptuous  in  this  age  of  mechanical  and  scientific  miracles 
to  doubt  the  success  of  any  startling  experiment,  or  even  to  hint 
the  possible  difficulty  of  a  contrivance  by  which  a  man  might  bite 
off  his  own  nose  ;  but,  after  the  experience  I  have  had  of  such 
ships  as  the  "  England  "  or  the  "  Sylvie  de  Grasse,"  I  should  hesi- 
tate to  trust  to  the  powers  of  the  air  or  the  fire-god  for  my  trans- 
portation and  safe-conduct  over  this  rivulet  of  blue  water  of  three 
thousand  miles  in  width,  which  separates  us  from  the  land  of  our 
fathers. 

April  24.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Messrs. 
Francis  Granger,  William  H.  Seward,  John  A.  King,  Charles 
King,  John  Duer,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Samuel  Welles,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  and  M.  H.  Grinnell. 

April  25.  —  The  arrival  of  the  two  British  steamers, 
irs  .    an  ic  ^^  ^^  Sirius  "  and  the  "  Great  Western,"  is  the  ensjross- 

Steainship.  '  *^ 

ing  topic  of  our  novelty-loving  population ;  but  whilst 
all  honour  is  awarded  to  the  projectors  of  these  voyages,  and  every 
sort  of  compliment  extended  to  the  gallant  commanders,  Yankee 
pride  is  a  little  aroused,  and  the  merit  of  originality  in  the  daring 
enterprise  of  crossing  the  ocean  by  steam  is  successfully  wrested 
from  our  brethren  on  the  other  side.  The  first  voyage  was  made 
in  181 9,  from  Savannah,  in  the  steamship  "  Savannah,"  built  in  New 
York  by  Francis  Fickett,  owned  by  Daniel  Dodd,  and  commanded 
by  Capt.  Moses  Rogers.  She  went  to  Liverpool,  and  thence  to 
Stockholm  and  St.  Petersburgh,  where  she  was  visited  by,  and  the 


306  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLlP    HONE.  [.^itat.  58. 

commander  received  presents  from,  Bernadotte,  Crown  Prince  of 
Sweden,  and  from  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  The  same  vessel  went 
afterward  to  Constantinople,  where  the  Sultan  conferred  on  Captain 
Rogers  similar  compliments.  This  experiment,  it  would  aj)pear, 
however,  did  not  succeed  entirety ;  it  is  certain  that  she  did  not 
make  short  voyages,  which  circumstance  may  account  for  so  long 
a  time  having  elapsed  before  the  attempt  was  renewed. 

The  fact  of  the  Americans  being  the  first  inventors  of  sea 
navigation  by  steam  is  consolatory  to  our  national  pride,  but 
should  not  derogate  from  the  credit  of  the  British,  who  have  now 
proved  so  triumphantly  its  feasibility,  any  more  than  the  immortal 
discovery  and  construction  of  the  steam-engine  by  British  subjects 
should  lessen  the  merit  of  our  own  Fulton,  who  first  applied  its 
power  to  the  most  important  of  its  uses,  the  propelling  of  vessels. 

April  27.  —  Having  received  an  invitation  to  accompany  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation  in  their  visit  to  the  British  steamer 
"  Great  Western,"  I  went  to  the  Mayor's  office  at  one  o'clock, 
where  was  assembled,  besides  the  members  of  the  Corporation,  a 
large  company,  among  whom  were  the  judges,  members  of  the 
Legislature,  Mr.  Webster,  Governor  Mason  of  Michigan,  Mr. 
Bradish,  the  Speaker,  the  editors  of  papers,  etc.  From  the  hall 
we  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  Beekman  street,  where  the  company 
was  taken  on  board  the  barges  to  the  number  of  about  twenty, 
each  commanded  by  an  officer  in  full  uniform,  with  a  fine  set  of 
bargemen  and  bearing  the  American  flag  in  her  stern.  When 
the  company  was  embarked,  the  barges  formed  in  procession, 
a  band  of  music  in  the  first,  the  whole  commanded  by  Captain 
Stringham,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  proceeded  to  the 
steamer,  which  was  moored  a  few  yards  from  the  dock,  off 
Pike  street.  We  were  received  in  good  style  by  Captain  Hoskin 
and  his  officers,  and,  after  examining  the  stupendous  machinery 
of  the  great  vessel,  the  company  were  escorted  to  the  saloon, 
and  seated  (all  who  could  get  seats)  at  a  plentiful  collation, 
arranged  in  excellent  taste,  with  oceans  of  champagne.     Messrs. 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  307 

Bradish,  Webster,  Maxwell,  the  Mayor,  and  other  gentlemen 
made  speeches  and  gave  toasts,  and  the  British  captains,  Hoskin 
of  the  "  Great  Western,"  and  Roberts  of  the  "  Sirius,"  appeared 
to  be  as  happy  as  they  said  they  were.  The  lovely  Queen  of 
Britain  was  toasted  with  enthusiasm  equal  to  any  which  warms 
the  hearts  of  her  own  subjects  in  their  own  country,  and  John 
Bull  and  Brother  Jonathan  were  as  loving  as  a  young  couple  in 
the  honeymoon.  Long  may  these  feelings  continue  !  The 
whole  affair  went  off  brilliantly.  The  day  was  uncommonly  fine, 
and  the  scene  on  the  water,  with  the  crowds  of  spectators  on  the 
whar\^es,  was  not  the  least  exciting  part  of  the  pageant. 

The  vessel  exceeds  my  expectation.  Her  steam-engine  of 
four  hundred  horse  power  and  the  other  machinery  are  upon  a 
magnificent  scale,  and  the  accommodations  for  passengers  in  the 
best  possible  taste ;  the  principal  saloon  is  surrounded  by  forty- 
two  state-rooms,  sufficiently  capacious.  The  ornaments  are  of  the 
quaint,  old-fashioned  style,  and  the  panels  are  decorated  by  ex- 
quisite paintings,  in  the  costumes  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  which 
give  to  the  whole  of  this  beautiful  apartment  the  appearance  of 
a  cabinet  of  old  Dresden  china.  One  of  the  greatest  advantages 
which  this  saloon  has  over  the  cabins  of  the  packets  consists  in 
the  height  of  the  ceiling,  which  affords  light  and  air  equal  to  a 
well-proportioned  dining-room  or  parlour  on  shore.  All  that  is 
now  wanting  to  confine  to  the  steam-vessels  the  patronage  of  all 
the  passengers  going  to  Europe  is  the  assurance  of  safety,  and 
that  will  be  obtained  by  one  or  two  more  passages  across  the 
Atlantic. 

May  I. — The  "Sirius"  sailed  at  one  o'clock,  passed  the 
packets  in  fine  style,  and,  the  weather  being  pleasant  and  the 
sea  calm,  was  soon  out  of  sight  ahead.  The  Battery  was  filled 
with  spectators,  who  gave  repeated  cheers  to  the  interesting 
stranger,  and  she  was  saluted  from  the  forts  on  her  progress 
down  the  bay.  May  she  perform  her  return  voyage  with  as 
much  safety  and  expedition  as  the  voyage  out,  and  thereby  es- 


308  THE    DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

tablish  full  confidence  in  this  admirable  mode  of  communication 
between  Great   liritain   and   the   United  States  ! 

The  most  shocking  disaster  on  board  a  steamboat 
steamboat        which    has    yct    been  recorded  occurred  on  the  25th 

Disaster. 

of  April,  at  Cincinnati.  The  steamboat  "  Moselle " 
started  from  the  wharf  on  her  voyage  down  the  river.  She  went 
up  about  a  mile  to  take  in  a  family  ;  and  during  the  time  of  her 
stopping,  the  steam  was  held  u]),  fjr  the  purpose  of  showing  off 
her  speed  in  passing  the  city,  when,  at  the  instant  her  wheels 
made  the  first  revolution,  the  boilers  burst  with  a  noise  equal  to 
the  most  violent  crash  of  thunder.  The  vessel  was  blown  into 
a  thousand  pieces,  and  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  passengers  on 
board  only  ninety  were  saved.  Most  of  the  persons  on  board 
belonged  to  Cincinnati,  and  in  the  number  were  many  of  the 
most  respectable  citizens,  who  were  thus  destroyed  in  an  instant 
by  the  culpable  conduct  of  the  captain  and  other  officers,  in 
sight  of  their  families  and  friends,  who  were  assembled  on  shore 
to  witness  their  departure.  The  captain  i)ii(l  the  penalty  of 
his  crime,  he  being  of  the  number  killed.  The  papers  are  filled 
with  the  details  of  this  shocking  catastrophe,  which  cannot  be 
read  without  shuddering. 

^NIav  4.  —  The  subject  of  the  late  unfortunate  duel 
epor  on     c   |jgj.^^,^gj^  Mcssrs.  Gravcs  and  Cilley,  which  resulted  in 

Duel  Case.  •'  ' 

the  death  of  the  latter,  was  referred  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  to  a  special  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Toucey  is 
chairman.  To  the  disgrace  of  the  administration  party,  instead  of 
making  this  lamentable  case  the  occasion  of  correcting  the  popular 
code  of  morals  in  relation  to  these  per::onal  encounters,  and 
thereby  removing  as  far  as  practicable  this  stain  of  blood-guiltiness 
from  our  land,  they  seized  it  with  avidity,  and  endeavoured  to  turn 
it  into  part  of  their  detestable  party  capital.  The  Speaker  ap- 
pointed on  the  committee  of  seven,  a  chairman  and  three  other 
thorough  whole-hog  men,  political  enemies  of  Mr.  Graves  and  his 
second  in  the  duel,  Mr.  Wise,  —  fellows  who  would  sell  their  souk 


1838.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  309 

for  their  party,  and  have  no  more  notion  of  political  honesty  than 
they  have  of  the  refined  feelings  of  gentlemen.  This  committee 
has  now  brought  in  a  report,  recommending  that  Mr.  Graves  be 
expelled  and  Mr.  Wise  reprimanded  by  the  House,  —  the  most 
outrageous  proceeding  I  have  ever  known  in  a  legislative  body, 
—  a  grand  jury  trying  the  accused,  convicting  them,  and  awarding 
their  punishment ;  a  greater  violation  (as  Mr.  Adams  told  them) 
of  the  privileges  of  the  House  than  the  offence  itself,  which  the 
committee  were  appointed  to  investigate. 

This  report  has  been  before  the  House  several  days,  and  occa- 
sioned a  warm  debate.  Some  high-minded  gentlemen  of  the 
administration  party  cannot  be  made  to  swallow  it.  Mr.  Adams 
made  a  great  speech,  in  which  he  placed  the  unworthy  conduct  of 
the  majority  in  such  a  point  of  view  as  would  have  made  them 
blush,  if  their  instructions  had  permitted.  On  Monday  last,  Mr. 
Graves  and  Mr.  Wise  both  addressed  the  House,  protesting  against 
this  unparliamentary  course  of  proceeding,  which  would  consti- 
tute four  political  adversaries  their  judges,  and  condemn  them 
unheard. 

Mr.  Graves  closed  his  speech  with  the  following  touching  re- 
marks, which,  while  they  depict  his  sensibility  and  distress  of 
mind  for  the  part  which  he  had  to  sustain  in  that  unhappy  affair, 
portray  in  glowing  colours  the  absurdity  of  the  tyranny  which  is 
exercised  by  public  opinion  over  the  minds  and  consciences  of 
the  people  of  this  country  in  all  things  relating  to  affairs  of  honour, 
as  we  most  unwisely  call  them.  Who  that  read  them  would  ven- 
ture to  decide  that  the  lot  of  the  survivor  in  this  duel  is  better 
than  that  of  the  victim?  And  who  that  knows  as  I  do,  this 
amiable  and  high-minded  gentleman,  would  not  desire  to  pour 
the  balm  of  consolation  into  his  afflicted  bosom,  rather  than  seek 
to  make  the  event  which  he,  in  common  with  all  good  men,  so 
deeply  deplores,  a  subject  for  the  display  of  personal  hostility 
and  a  weapon  of  political  warfare?  "Sir,"  said  Mr.  Graves,  "I 
was  involved  in  the  commencement  of  this  unfortunate  affair  in- 


3IO  THE   DIARY   OF   rilTLTP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

nocently.  I  never  conceived  it  possible  that  such  consequences 
would  have  devolved  upon  me  when  I  consented  to  become  the 
bearer  of  that  ill-fated  note.  Otherwise  I  should  never  have 
taken  upon  myself  the  task.  I  am  not,  and  never  have  been,  the 
advocate  of  the  anti- social  and  unchristian  practice  of  duelling. 
I  have  never  up  to  this  day  fired  a  duelling  pistol ;  and,  until  the 
day  when  I  went  to  the  field,  I  never  took  any  weapon  in  my 
hand  in  view  of  a  duel.  Public  opinion  is  practically  the  para- 
mount law  of  the  land  ;  every  other  law,  both  human  and  divine, 
ceases  to  be  observed,  yea,  withers  and  perishes,  in  contact  with 
it.  It  was  this  paramount  law  of  this  nation  and  of  this  House 
that  forced  me,  under  the  penalty  of  dishonour,  to  submit  myself 
to  the  code  which  impelled  me  unwillingly  into  this  tragical  affair. 
Upon  the  heads  of  this  nation  and  at  the  doors  of  this  House 
rests  the  blood  with  which  my  unfortunate  hands  have  been 
stained." 

Mav  5 .  —  Captain  Marryat,  having  given  lately  at  Toronto  a 
very  injudicious  toast,  complimentary  to  Captain  Drew  and  his 
associates,  who  destroyed  the  American  steamboat  "  Caroline," 
the  wise  people  of  Lewistown  held  a  solemn  town-meeting,  at 
which  they  resolved  to  burn  all  Captain  Marryat's  books  which 
could  be  found  in  the  village.  This  most  ridiculous  resolve 
was  duly  carried  into  effect.  A  bonfire  was  kindled  on  the 
shore  directly  o])positc  Queenstown,  and  all  the  "  Peter  Simples," 
"Jacob  Faithfuls,"  "Japhets,"  etc.,  which  could  be  found  were 
cast  in  the  flames ;  the  officiating  high-priest  at  the  altar  of 
popular  absurdity  pronouncing  aloud  the  title  of  each  as  it  was 
immolated. 

Captain  Marryat,  I  dare  say,  made  a  fool  of  himself  (not  a 
very  difficult  task,  I  should  judge,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  him)  ; 
but  the  Lewistownians  have  beaten  him  "  all  to  smash,"  as  the 
Kentuckians  say.  How  mortified  he  must  have  been  to  hear  that 
his  books  had  been  burned  after  they  were  paid  for ;  and  how 
sorry  the  booksellers,  that  their  praiseworthy  labours  to  enlighten 


1838.]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  3 II 

the  American  people  should  be  so  ungratefully  requited,  and  so 
many  copies  of  their  publications  come  to  an  untimely  end  ! 
What  a  grand  "  flare  up "  of  American  resentment !  What  a 
glorious  ending  in  smoke  of  patriotic  indignation  !  They  ought 
to  have  passed  a  resolution  at  the  meeting  to  burn  all  articles  of 
British  production  or  manufacture,  especially  coals.  The  village 
newspaper,  in  its  virtuous  wrath,  announces  that  " '  Midshipman 
Easy '  would  not  burn,  its  stupidity  rendering  it  fire-proof." 
"  Werry  sewere,"  as  Sam  Weller  says. 

Demrtureof  ^^'^^  7'  —  "^^^^  ^^^  bccn  a  gala-day  iu  New  York, 
the «' Great  The  British  steamer  "Great  Western,"  Captain  Hos- 
kin,  sailed  at  two  o'clock  from  Pier  No.  i,  North  river. 
All  the  city  went  to  behold  the  sight.  The  Battery  was  a  mass  of 
living  witnesses  to  this  event.  Castle  Garden  was  filled,  and  all 
the  adjacent  wharves  and  houses  were  thronged  with  spectators. 
When  the  steamer  started  she  was  accompanied  by  a  dozen  large 
steamboats  with  crowded  decks  and  ornamented  by  flags,  among 
which  the  loving  embraces  of  St.  George's  Cross  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  conspicuous  in  every  instance.  I  went  with  a  party  on 
board  of  the  "  Providence."  The  day  was  very  fine,  and  the  gal- 
lant fleet  presented  a  scene  in  the  bay  not  unlike  that  at  the  great 
Canal  celebration,  when  Dr.  Mitchell  mingled  the  waters  of  Lake 
Erie  with  those  of  the  ocean,  and  I  was  the  fugleman  to  nine 
cheers  so  loud  and  astounding  that  it  is  doubtful  if  the  highlands 
of  Neversink  have  to  this  day  recovered  from  the  trembling  which 
they  occasioned. 

Having  reached  the  bay  below  Staten  Island,  the  "  Great  West- 
ern "  stopped,  and  the  "  Providence  "  went  alongside  and  took  off 
a  large  party  of  gentlemen  who  went  down  in  her,  among  whom 
were  Governor  Marcy,  Mr.  Seward,  and  many  other  distinguished 
persons.  We  then  left  her  with  shouts  and  good  wishes  for  her 
safe  and  speedy  return  to  the  public- spirited  company  who  under- 
took this  enterprise,  and  sent  her  out  a  successful  pioneer.  She 
pursued  her  course  in  fine  style,  and  we  returned  to  the  city  and 


312  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

got  home  to  a  late  dinner.  There  was  a  great  crowd  on  board  the 
"  Providence,"  in  which  were  many  ladies,  and  the  excursion  was 
quite  a  pleasant  one.  An  interesting  incident  occurred  whilst  we 
lay  alongside  of  the  "  Great  Western,"  in  the  bay.  The  ship 
"  Colon,"  from  Havana,  came  in  with  a  number  of  passengers,  with 
all  sails  set.  Sailing  beautifully  on  the  wind,  she  passed  through 
the  fleet  of  gay  steamboats,  cheered  the  "  Great  Western,"  went 
close  under  our  bows,  almost  touching  the  bowsj^rit,  and  passed 
triumphantly  rejoicing  on  her  way  to  the  renowned  city  of 
Gotham  ;  it  was  a  fine  offset  of  sails  and  rigging  against  steam 
and  paddles. 

May  8.  —  Died  yesterday,  in  Philadelphia,  Thomas 
ypeo         Bradford,   successor    to   Dr.   Franklin,   and  the  oldest 

Longevity.  '  ' 

printer  and  editor  in  the  United  States.     He  was  in  the 
ninety-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
„  ,        .  May    12. — The  history  of  the  reign  of  Ferdinand 

History  of  J  !d 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  the  Catholic,  by  William  H.  Prescott,  an 
American,  I  am  proud  to  say,  has  been  published  in 
three  volumes.  I  have  just  been  reading  it,  and  I  think  it  is  en- 
titled to  a  place  alongside  of  Hume,  Robertson,  and  Gibbon.  Great 
care  has  been  bestowed  upon  it,  and  no  modern  work  displays  more 
accurate  knowledge  or  laborious  investigation.  Irving  has  treated 
some  of  the  leading  subjects  of  this  history  in  the  "  Life  of  Colum- 
bus "  and  his  ''Conquest  of  Granada,"  over  which  he  has  thrown 
the  charm  of  his  poetical  style  ;  but  here  is  a  book,  rich  in  all  the 
lore  of  the  Spanish  archives,  diving  deep  into  authorities  with  which 
the  reading  world  has  been  heretofore  unaccpiainted,  and  making 
clear  the  dark  passages  of  that  interesting  period  of  European 
history,  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  commencement  of  the 
sixteenth  centuries. 

May  14.  —  The  Pennsylvania  Bank  of  the  United  States  has 
sent  on  $20,000  to  Charleston  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  by  the 
fire.  This  is  a  monstrous  act  of  munificence,  and  proves  the  dan- 
ger of  such  an  institution   in  a  free   country.     Piddle   must  have 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  313 

some  horrid  design  in  this,  —  nothing  short  of  an  overthrow  of  the 
Government  and  destruction  of  the  Hberties  of  the  people. 

May  18.  —  Our  neighbouring  city  of  Philadelphia 
10  in  1  a-  ^y^g  (jjggj.g^Qgf^  ycstcrday  b}^  a  Tlot,  which  ended  in  the 
destruction  of  Pennsylvania  Hall,  a  place  of  meeting 
for  the  discussion  of  abolition  questions.  A  meeting  was  held  in 
the  forenoon,  and  speeches  were  made  which  exasperated  the  mob. 
Another  meeting  was  to  have  taken  place  in  the  evening,  but  it  was 
prevented  by  the  interference  of  the  Mayor.  The  mob,  still  far- 
ther instigated,  it  is  said,  by  the  wanton  outrage  of  public  opinion 
in  the  exhibition  in  the  public  streets  of  white  men  and  women 
walking  arm  in  arm  with  blacks,  assembled  in  greater  numbers  in  the 
evening,  broke  into  the  hall,  destroyed  everything  they  could  find, 
and  set  fire  to  the  building,  which  was  entirely  destroyed  by  ten 
o'clock.  The  excitement  was  so  great  that  the  Mayor  and  other 
civil  officers  were  unable  to  prevent  the  outrage,  and  some  of  the 
number  (particularly  Mr.  Watmouth,  the  sheriff)  were  dangerously 
wounded.  A  large  proportion  of  the  abolitionists  assembled  in  the 
hall  were  females,  of  whom  several  harangued  the  meeting,  and 
were  foremost  in  arousing  the  excited  populace.  This  dreadful 
subject  gains  importance  every  day,  and  reflecting  men  see  in  il 
the  seeds  of  the  destruction  of  our  institutions. 

May  19.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  Governor 
Mason  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Bullock  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Davis,  Mr.  James  W.  Otis,  Mr.  Delprat,  Mr.  Abraham  Schermer- 
horn,  Mr.  Irving  Van  Wart,  Dr.  McLean,  General  Fleming,  and 
Charles  A.  Heckscher. 

May  31.  —  The  fine  weather  this  afternoon  tempted  my  wife, 
my  daughter,  and  myself  to  go  to  Hoboken.  We  crossed  from 
Canal  street,  walked  to  the  Pavilion  in  "  Les  Champs  Elysees  "  (a 
place  better  entitled  to  the  name  than  the  more  celebrated  one  near 
Paris),  and  returned  home  at  eight  o'clock.  It  is  many  years  since 
I  visited  this  beautiful  suburb  of  New  York,  which  has  been  greatly 
improved.     New  walks  have  been  laid  out,  the  grounds  beautifully 


314  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

arranged,  the  woods  cleared,  and  a  fair  chance  given  to  Nature  to 
show  off  her  charms  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

June  i  .  —  A  resohition  offered  by  Mr.  Webster  to 
Specie  Circular  j.gp^^l  the  spccic  circular  passed  the  Senate  on  the 
28th  by  a  strong  vote  of  thirty- four  to  ten.  On  the 
question  of  engrossing  this  resolution  for  a  third  reading  the  ten  votes 
in  the  minority  were  given  by  the  following  Senators.  It  is  amusing 
to  see  in  what  company  Mr.  Calhoun,  the  great  southern  nullifier, 
has  placed  himself.  What  bedfellows  political  inconsistency  may 
bring  a  man  acquainted  with  !  Nays :  Messrs.  Allen,  Benton, 
Brown,  Calhoun,  Hubbard,  Linn,  Morris,  Niles,  Smith  of  Con- 
necticut, Strange.  Of  these,  five  may  be  called  Yankee  loco-foco 
loafers ;  viz.,  two  from  Connecticut,  one  from  New  Hampshire, 
and  two  from  Ohio,  the  latter  being  virtually  a  New  England 
State,  although  far  from  its  fatherland.  Now,  these  five  men  do 
no  more  speak  the  language  of  their  constituents  than  they  do 
that  of  truth,  honour,  and  patriotism,  and  here  is  Mr.  Calhoun 
amongst  them ;  the  proud,  tenacious,  high-minded  Carolinian, 
Mr.  Calhoun  !  Well,  as  he  likes  best,  so  be  it  !  As  he  sows  so 
he    shall    reap. 

This  resolution  was  taken  up  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on 
Wednesday,  and  carried  through,  without  debate,  in  less  than  no 
time.  The  vote  on  the  question  "  Shall  the  joint  resolution  from  the 
Senate,  repealing  the  treasury  circular,  pass  ?  "  was  carried  by  the 
astonishing,  unexpected  vote  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  to  twenty- 
nine,  and  the  resolution  sent  back  to  the  Senate  in  half  an  hour 
after  the  House  was  called  to  order.  In  the  virtuous  minority,  our 
two  hopeful  city  representatives,  Cambreling  and  Moore,  are  to  be 
found,  of  course  ;  but  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from  running  my  eye  over 
the  Ayes  and  Nays  in  the  newspaper,  very  few  other  members  from 
our  State  were  willing  to  be  seen  in  such  bad  and  unfashionable 
company.  This  great  event,  together  with  Mr.  Biddle's  letter  to 
Mr.  Adams,  written  in  consequence  of  it,  have  infused  a  joyful 
spirit    of  confidence    amongst    our  New  York  folk.     Verily,  AV'all 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  315 

street  rejoiceth  !  Stocks  have  risen  and  domestic  exchanges  fallen, 
and  it  would  seem  that  the  touch  of  Webster  (as  he  said  on  a  cer- 
tain occasion  of  that  of  Alexander  Hamilton)  has  caused  the  corpse 
of  public  credit  to  rise  on  its  feet  and  stand  erect. 

June  8. —  Immediately  after  the  passage  of  Mr.  Webster's  reso- 
lution rescinding  the  specie  circular,  business  revived.  Confidence 
was  restored  to  financial  operations,  and  hopes  were  entertained  of 
better  times ;  but  a  blight  has  come  upon  our  bright  prospects. 
The  evil  influence  of  the  administration,  which  seems  determined 
to  oppose  the  wishes  of  the  people,  has  again  been  at  work.  Mr. 
Woodbury  has  issued  a  circular,  misconstruing  the  intentions  of 
Congress,  and  prohibiting  the  receiving  of  the  notes  of  all  banks 
who  have  since  some  day  in  1836  issued  small  bills,  thereby  "visit- 
ing the  sins  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children."  This  ungracious 
measure  of  the  administration,  together  with  the  tardiness  of  the 
banks  of  Philadelphia  in  declaring  their  intentions  to  resume  specie 
payments,  has  thrown  all  things  back  again.  Stocks  in  New  York 
have  fallen  more  than  five  per  cent.,  and  foreign  and  domestic  ex- 
changes have  risen.  The  administration  and  the  party  which  sup- 
ports them  seem  determined  to  "die  with  harness  on  their  backs." 
If  they  go  out  of  office  they  will  leave  a  ruined  and  bankrupt 
country  to  their  successors. 

June  14.  —  It  has  been  often  said  that  a  man  must 
r^Js^"'^  ^  ^  ^^^^  great  luck  to  get  himself  hanged  in  this  country. 
It  is  certainly  a  melancholy  proof  of  the  depravity  of 
our  morals,  that  the  most  flagrant  offences  against  the  laws,  and  the 
most  atrocious  violations  of  the  peace  and  good  order  of  society, 
go  daily  "  unwhipped  of  Justice,"  by  the  misjudging  lenity,  if  not 
the  base  corruption,  of  men  elected  to  preserve,  as  jurors,  the 
purity  of  our  legal  institutions.  Two  cases  have  lately  occurred, 
not  by  any  means  calculated  to  make  us  proud  of  the  name  of 
Americans. 

Some  time  last  winter  a  personal  dispute  occurred,  during  the 
session  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Arkansas, 


3l6  THE   DIARY   OF    rillLir    nONE.  [/Etat.58. 

between  a  Mr.  Wilson,  the  Speaker  then  presiding,  and  Major 
Anthony,  a  member,  in  the  course  of  which  the  former  came  down 
from  his  chair,  drew  a  large  knife  (a  weapon  which  it  appears 
these  modern  barbarians  carry  about  their  persons),  attacked  his 
adversary  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  Anthony  endeavoured 
to  defend  himself  (he  had  also  his  knife)  ;  but  the  move- 
ment of  the  honourable  Speaker  was  so  sudden  as  to  render  his 
efforts  ineffectual,  and  I  suppose  it  was  "  out  of  order  "  for  other 
members  to  interfere  in  the  parliamentary  (liscii)line  of  their 
presiding    officer. 

Wilson  has  been  tried  for  this  flagrant  outrage.  There  is  a  full 
account  of  the  trial  in  the  newspapers,  taken  from  the  Arkansas 
"  Gazette."  From  the  testimony  it  does  not  appear  that  any  violent 
])rovocation  was  offered  by  the  deceased,  and  the  facts  above- 
stated  were  substantially  proved,  notwithstanding  which  the  verdict 
of  the  jury  was  as  follows  :  "  Guilty  of  excusable  homicide,  and 
not  guilty  in  any  manner  or  form  as  charged  in  the  indictment ; " 
and  the  prisoner  was  discharged  from  custody.  Further  accounts 
state  that  immediately  after  this  mockery  of  justice,  the  jurors, 
with  the  sheriffs  and  witnesses,  had  a  grand  drinking  frolic  at  the 
expense  of  the  defendant. 

The  other  case  has  just  occurred  in  our  own  Court  of  Sessions. 
During  the  last  election  for  Mayor  and  Corporation,  an  affidavit 
was  distributed  at  all  the  polls,  made  by  a  rascally  Irishman,  named 
Edmund  Burke,  in  which  our  respectable  Mayor,  Mr.  Aaron  Clark, 
was  charged  with  having  offered  a  bribe  of  a  quarter's  rent  to 
Burke,  who  was  his  tenant,  if  he  would  vote  for  him  and  the  rest 
of  the  Whig  ticket.  This  fellow  was  instigated  to  commit  the  per- 
jury by  James  Thea  and  other  worthy  supporters  of  the  Van  Buren 
party,  who  carried  him  to  the  magistrate  to  take  his  deposition, 
paid  the  expenses,  had  the  hand-bills  printed,  and  let  the  poison 
work  its  way  into  the  public  mind,  well  knowing  that  the  antidote 
would  come  too  late,  and  knowing  also  that  there  was  not  the 
shadow  of  truth  in  the  charge.     Mr.  Clark   had   never  seen  the 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  317 

man  in  his  life,  owned  no  such  house,  and  the  whole  story  turned 
out  (as  might  well  be  supposed)  an  infamous  falsehood.  Burke 
was  tried  for  the  perjury.  His  worthy  friends  and  coadjutors  ad- 
vised him  to  plead  insanity  and  drunkenness,  which  plea  found 
favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  jury,  and  he  was  acquitted,  to  be  used  again, 
when  occasion  shall  require  him,  to  blacken  the  character  of  some 
other  virtuous  citizen,  and  promote  the  success  of  the  party  which 
Mr.  Van  Buren  calls  his  own. 

June  15.  —  A  great  curiosity  is  to   be  seen  on   the 
stuyvesant's     ^j^.^^  avcnuc,  at  the   corner   of   13th   street.     A   fine. 

Pear-tree.  '  ^  ' 

healthy,  patriarchal  pear-tree,  which  annually  bears 
leaves  and  blossoms,  and  would  produce  fruit  if  boys  would  let  it. 
This  tree,  which,  by  the  regulation  of  the  avenue  and  streets,  is 
now  at  the  corner  close  to  the  curb-stone,  and  has  been  recently 
protected  by  a  substantial  wooden  railing,  was  formerly  one  of  the 
trees  in  the  orchard  of  Governor  Stuyvesant,  a  great  distance  from 
New  York,  but  now  in  the  midst  of  a  large  city  population.  Tradi- 
tion has  been  ransacked  for  its  history,  which  forms  a  part  of  our 
city  statistics.  Grave  essays  have  been  written  upon  its  longevity, 
and  poetry  has  sung  its  praises.  This  tree  was  the  subject  of  con- 
versation at  Mr.  Stuyvesant's  table  to-day.  There  is  no  doubt  of 
the  fact,  I  believe,  which  I  now  record,  that  it  was  brought  out 
from  Holland  by  Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  planted  with  his  own 
hands  on  the  spot  where  it  now  stands.  Governor  Stuyvesant  came 
to  New  York  in  the  month  of  May,  1647  ;  the  pear-tree  is,  there- 
fore, one  hundred  and  ninety- one  years  old. 

June  21. — The  heart  sickens,  and  the  pen  falters,  in 
steamboat        recording  the    dreadful   disasters  which  occur  almost 

Disasters. 

daily  in  the  steamboat  navigation  of  the  United  States. 
I  fear  it  will  soon  become  doubtful  whether  Fulton's  great  invention 
will  not  prove  a  curse,  rather  than  a  blessing,  to  mankind.  It  cer- 
tainly will,  or  the  use  of  steam  in  navigation  be  discontinued, 
unless  measures  are  adopted  to  punish  negligence  and  temerity, 
and  to  insure  safety  by  using  necessary  precautions. 


3l8  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.ii:tat.  58. 

June  22. — The  unworthy  representative  of  New 
Sub-Treasury  york  in  Congress,  Mr.  Cambreling,  brought  forward 
the  sub -treasury  bill  on  Tuesday  last,  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  where  it  has  been  debated  ever  since,  many  con- 
jectures having  been  formed  about  its  fate,  and  calculations  made 
of  the  state  of  the  vote  on  the  passage  of  this  obnoxious  bill.  It 
will  be  exceedingly  close ;  not  more  than  two  or  three  majority 
either  way.  I  confess  I  have  great  fears  of  the  result.  The  Gov- 
ernment is  reckless  of  consequences  ;  determined  to  support  them- 
selves by  the  power  which  this  measure  will  give  them,  they  put  all 
the  screws  upon  their  political  partisans,  and  hold  out  every  sort 
of  corrupt  inducement  to  those  who  may  have  had  occasional 
qualms  of  honesty  or  patriotism.  My  fears  are  excited  in  propor- 
tion to  the  extent  of  the  evil  which  I  apprehended  from  the  passage 
of  the  bill,  and  my  want  of  faith  in  the  ability  of  some  half-way 
Whigs  or  Conservatives  to  resist  the  bribes  which  a  corrupt  admin- 
istration will  not  hesitate  to  offer.  If  these  things  continue,  and 
the  people  do  not  arise  in  their  might  to  rebuke  them,  the  republic 
is  at  an  end. 

June  27.  —  This  odious  measure  of  a  corrupt  administration  was 
rejected  on  Monday  last  by  a  majority  oi  fourteen.  Every  new 
attempt  to  increase  the  President's  power,  and  to  counteract  the 
will  of  the  people,  is  frustrated  by  their  representatives  with  in- 
creased majorities.  The  administration  is  on  its  back.  May  it 
never  rise  again  ! 

July  12.  —  The  members  of  Congress  from  East  and  North  have 
arrived  in  town,  glad  to  be  released  from  the  servitude  of  public 
duty  in  this  scorching  weather.  They  have  been  in  session  ten 
months,  with  the  exception  only  of  the  few  weeks  intervening 
between  the  close  of  the  extra  session  and  the  opening  of  the  reg- 
ular one.  I  called  upon  Mr.  Webster  this  morning.  He  appears 
much  fagged  with  hard  work,  and  pants  for  relaxation  and  sea-air 
at  one  of  his  favorite  resorts  on  the  shore  of  his  own  State ;  and 
well  is  he  entitled  to  that  or  any  other  comfort,  for  well  has  he 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  319 

wrought  in  the  cause  of  the  people,  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that 
noble  band,  who,  although  wanting  in  the  power  to  do  much  good, 
have  succeeded  in  preventing  much  evil.  I  saw,  also,  our  worthy 
representative,  Edward  Curtis,  who  shows  the  marks  of  a  long  and 
distressing  illness,  with  which  he  was  afflicted  at  Washington,  during 
which  he,  also,  suffering  as  he  was  with  the  pains  of  inflammatory 
rheumatism,  was  compelled  to  keep  his  seat  in  the  House  when  the 
vote  of  every  honest  man  was  indispensable  to  counteract  the  mis- 
chievous designs  of  the  administration  party.  Honour  and  praise 
to  the  noble  Whigs  and  Conservatives  !  They  have  saved  the 
country, 

RocKAWAY,  Aug.  10.  —  We  had  a  very  pleasant  ball 
^^.  ^""^  this  evening.  I  had  an  interesting  conversation  with 
Mrs.  Butler,  late  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  who  is  here  with 
her  husband  and  two  little  daughters.  This  lady,  whom  I  greatly 
admired  when  she  arrived  in  this  country  with  her  distinguished 
father,  Charles  Kemble,  has  seldom  visited  New  York  since  the 
publication  of  her  journal,  in  which  she  took  some  foolish  liberties 
with  me  and  my  family  and  others  of  whose  hospitality  she  had 
partaken.  I  was  never  seriously  offended  at  what  she  said  in  this 
book,  but  viewed  it  "  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger ;  "  for  I  thought 
it  a  pity  that  a  woman  so  brilliant,  who  was  capable  of  better  things, 
should  have  compromised  her  literary  reputation  by  giving  to  the 
world  her  inconsiderate,  girlish  remarks  upon  the  daily  events 
which  amused  her  lively  and  excitable  imagination,  when  I  knew 
her  talents  were  worthy  of  better  employment.  This,  then,  was  the 
first  time  we  had  met,  and  she  felt  doubtful  of  what  I  might  con- 
sider our  relative  positions.  As  soon  as  she  entered  the  room  I 
seated  myself  at  her  side,  told  her  I  was  happy  to  renew  an  ac- 
quaintance, the  recollection  of  which  had  always  given  me  great 
pleasure,  and  danced  with  her.  In  the  course  of  our  conversation 
she  said  to  me,  with  great  earnestness  and  solemnity,  and  much  agi- 
tated, "  Mr.  Hone,  I  cannot  express  to  you  how  happy  you  have  made 
me  by  the  notice  you  have  taken  of  me  on  this  occasion.     Believe 


320  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

me,  I  am  extremely  grateful."  I,  of  course,  turned  ifoff  as  well  as  I 
could,  observing  that  she  had  no  reason  to  be  grateful ;  my  motive 
was  selfish,  as  I  sought  my  own  gratification  in  renewing  an  acquaint- 
ance so  congenial  to  my  feelings,  etc.  During  this  conversation  the 
tear  which  stood  in  her  flashing,  expressive  eye  convinced  me  that 
this  highly  gifted  woman,  with  all  the  waywardness  of  thought  and 
independence  of  action  wliich  the  circumstances  of  her  early  intro- 
duction into  life  had  ingrafted  upon  her  natural  disposition,  possesses 
that  warmth  of  heart  which  I  thought  I  had  formerly  the  sagacity  to 
discover,  and  for  which  I  have  never  failed  to  give  her  credit. 

Septkmkek  4. — (Iranger  is  in  town.  I  called  to  see  him  this 
morning,  at  the  Astor  House.  I  told  him  that  I  thought  the 
selection  made  at  the  Broadway  House,  on  Friday  evening,  of 
delegates  to  the  Convention  unfavourable  to  his  chance  of  being 
nominated  Governor,  for  I  consider  them  Seward  men.  He  seems 
to  think,  notwithstanding,  that  he  has  more  strength  at  the  West 
than  Seward.  This  question  must  not  be  suffered  to  create  a 
schism  in  the  Whig  party.  We  have  higher  principles  of  action 
than  any  personal  preferences  between  the  friends  of  Mr.  Granger 
and  Mr.  Seward. 

SEFfEMBER  lo. — The  two  curscs  of  our  country,  or  rather  two  of 
the  curses,  —  for  General  Jackson's  administration  of  the  Govern- 
ment entailed  enough  of  them  upon  us,  —  are  the  fanaticism  of  the 
abolitionists  of  the  North,  and  the  violence  of  the  nullifiers  of  the 
South.  A  late  transaction  which  has  taken  place  in  this  city 
inculpates  some  of  the  former  gentry  most  fearfully,  and  I  should 
not  wonder  if  they  are  sent  to  carry  out  their  doctrines  of  emanci- 
pation within  the  walls  of  the  Penitentiary. 

The  facts  are  these  :  A  negro  boy,  the  slave  of  a  Mr.  Darg,  a 
Southern  gentleman,  who  was  here  on  a  visit,  robbed  his  master 
of  ^7,000  and  absconded  ;  was  harboured  by  a  fellow  called  Ruggles 
and  others,  his  philanthropic  associates,  into  whose  hands  the 
money  got  by  some  means ;  and  a  Mr.  Barney  Corse,  a  man  of 
some  standing,  one  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  was  employed  as 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  521 

plenipotentiary  to  negotiate  a  peace  with  the  master,  the  condi- 
tions of  which  were,  that  on  the  payment  of  $1,000,  which  he 
had  offered  as  reward,  and  the  manumission  of  the  slave,  with  a 
pledge  not  to  prosecute  him  for  the  robbery,  the  remainder  of  the 
money  should  be  restored.  This  he  agreed  to,  and  received  the 
principal  part  of  the  money.  But  the  police,  having  received  infor- 
mation of  the  transaction,  interfered  with  the  high  contracting  par- 
ties, and  annulled  the  treaty.  Mr.  Corse  and  Ruggles  were  arrested, 
and  I  cannot  very  well  see  how  they  are  to  avoid  the  penalty  of  a 
pretty  serious  crime  into  which  their  officious  interference  has 
involved  them.  It  is  not  pretended  that  Mr.  Corse,  at  any  rate, 
was  concerned  as  instigator  or  party  to  the  robbery ;  but  their 
subsequent  conduct  will  bring  them  in  as  accessories  after  the  fact, 
and  the  excitement  of  the  pubhc  mind  on  the  subject  of  abolition 
and  everything  that  relates  to  the  blacks  is  so  great,  that  these 
men  will  have  little  chance  to  escape  the  penalty  of  the  law.' 

September  14.  —  The  Whig  Convention  assembled  at  Utica,  on 
Wednesday,  in  the  court-house.  William  H.  Seward  was  nomi- 
nated Governor,  and  Luther  Bradish  Lieutenant-Governor.  These 
are  excellent  nominations,  and  will  be  supported  with  unanimity  by 
the  Whig  party.  Mr.  Seward  is  a  man  of  superior  talents,  unwav- 
ering principles,  and  popular  manners.  Consulting  my  personal 
predilections  I  might,  perhaps,  have  preferred  my  old  friend,  Mr. 
Granger,  who,  having  stood  the  brunt  when  there  was  little  hope 
of  success,  seems  to  have  had  the  strongest  claim  upon  the  party 
now,  when  the  chance  of  success  is  so  much  better.  But  the 
canvass  shows  the  undiminished  confidence  of  his  friends.  He 
wanted  but  three  votes  on  the  third  ballot  of  being  the  nominee, 
and  on  that  ballot  there  were  five  scattering  votes.  As  for  Luther 
Bradish,  no  man  in  the  State  of  New  York  is  better  qualified  for 
any  office  to  which  the  people  may  call  him. 

September  21. —  Died  this  day,  Mr.  Jacob  Lorillard,  in  the 
sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  —  a  benevolent  man  and  a  good 
citizen;    intelligent  and   active    in  all  the  social  relations  of  life, 


322  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lULlP    HONE  [/Etat.  58, 

and  scrupulously  just  in  all  his  concerns.  He  retired  from  his 
business  (that  of  tanner  and  currier)  a  few  years  since,  having 
amassed  a  very  large  fortune,  of  which  he  made  a  good  use. 
Mr.  Lorillard  and  I  were  associated  together  in  the  German 
Society,  in  the  Presidency  of  wliich  he  was  my  immediate  suc- 
cessor, and  no  person  in  the  city  i)ossessed  more  influence  with 
the  German  population.  I  deeply  lament  the  death  of  this 
excellent  man. 

September    29. — The    ex-king    Joseph    Bonaparte, 
josep  arrived   here  with  a  numerous    suite  on    Saturday,   in 

Bonaparte.  ■' ' 

the  packet-ship  *'  Philadelphia,"  from  London.  He 
left  the  United  States  four  or  five  years  since,  as  was  supposed, 
to  take  advantage  of  some  political  movements  which  seemed 
to  indicate  the  chance  of  a  restoration  of  the  House  of  Bonaparte ; 
but  he  has  returned,  and,  I  trust,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days  quietly  in  this  best  of  all  Yankee  republics.  He  is  a  gentle- 
manly, orderly  man,  and  has  contrived  to  save  out  of  the  two 
crowns  which  he  has  worn  jewels  enough  to  make  himself 
comfortable  and  to  benefit  his  neighbors.  As  for  his  chance  to 
reign  in  France,  it  is  ''  no  go."  If  the  French  get  rid  of  their 
excellent  monarch,  and  overthrow  the  present  order  of  things, 
they  will  have  something  better  or  worse  than  the  "  House  of 
Bonaparte  "  to  rule  them.  The  whole  sap  of  the  family  tree  ran 
into  one  branch ;  the  rest  has  not  fire  enough  to  kindle  a  new 
conflagration,  or  strength  enough  to  put  it  out  if  it  should  be 
kindled  by  others. 

October   3.  —  The    elections   in  the  several  States 
Elections.        which    are  to  settle    the    important  question    between 

the  present  administration  and  the  people  are  now 
commencing.  The  interest  taken  in  these  elections  is  unprece- 
dented, as  well  for  their  own  importance  as  for  the  influence 
which  their  results  will  have  upon  the  great  crowning  contest, 
which  we  are  to  have  in  November. 

October    13. — The    Whigs,    ever    sanguine,    bad     politicians 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  323 

certainly,  discouraged  by  unfavourable  reports,  and  elated  by  the 
news  of  success,  made  up  hastily  from  unreliable  estimates, 
have  experienced  several  severe  disappointments  of  late.  Penn- 
sylvania has  gone  against  us.  Porter,  the  loco-foco  candidate 
for  Governor,  has  beaten  Rittner  by  five  thousand  majority  at 
least ;  Ohio,  which  we  thought  our  own,  is,  I  fear,  all  wrong ; 
but  the  strangest  thing  of  all  is  our  next-door  neighbour.  New 
Jersey.  The  election  was  held  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  last. 
We  had  it  all :  six  members  of  Congress  by  general  ticket,  and 
the  Legislature  by  great  majorities ;  but  yesterday  the  tables 
began  to  change,  our  majorities  were  reduced  and  those  of  the 
Van  Burenites  increased.  Our  air-built  castles  began  to  totter ; 
every  fresh  account  was  less  favourable.  The  Whig  majorities, 
like  Paddy's  candle  placed  before  the  fire  to  dry,  became  smaller 
and  smaller;  the  Tories  began  to  bet,  and  now  our  hopes  are 
reduced  so  low  that  the  most  we  claim  is  fifty  to  one  hundred 
on  the  canvass  of  the  whole  State,  and  it  seems  .probable  that  we 
may  not  get  more  than  one  or  two  Congressmen  out  of  the 
whole  ticket.  Nothing  is  left  for  the  good  cause  but  a  great 
victory  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  already  the  despondency 
which  succeeds  disappointment  has  taken  hold  of  our  friends ; 
we  must  fight. 

Here  the  issue  is  to  be  tried.  I  cannot  think  that  the  great 
work  which  was  so  auspiciously  commenced  last  fall  is  now  to  be 
overthrown.  The  cause  of  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  the 
preservation  of  our  precious  institutions,  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Whigs  of  New  York,  and  there  appears  to  be  zeal  and  spirit  in 
our  ranks  worthy  of  such  a  cause,  and  of  a  motive  of  action  so 
exciting. 

October   15.  —  The   Van  Buren  men    have  agreed 
upon  a    ticket  for  Congress.     Loco-foco  to  the    hub  : 

Congressmen.       ^  ^ 

Cambreling,  Eli  Moore,  John  McKeon,  and  Edwin 
Forrest.  The  latter  is  the  celebrated  tragedian,  with  no  claim, 
that  I  have  ever  heard  of,  to  the  honour  of  representing  the  people 


324  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

of  New  York  in  Congress,  but  that  of  exciting,  by  dint  of  loud 
words  and  furious  stamps,  the  pit  of  the  Bowery  Theatre  to 
raise  their  shirt-sleeves  high  in  the  air  and  shout  Hurrah  for 
Forrest  !  He  may  be  a  leader  of  the  Pitt  party,  but  no  statesman. 
True  it  is  that  these  men  may  ''  steal  a  horse  when  we  cannot 
look  over  the  hedge."  I  remember  well  how  I  was  berated  by 
some  of  my  political  friends,  when,  as  Mayor,  I  assisted  in  the 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  Bowery  Theatre, 
and  made  a  speech  on  the  occasion.  No  act  of  my  public  life 
lost  me  so  many  friends,  and  here  we  have  a  regular-built  actor 
presented  to  the  people  for  their  suffrages ;  and  he  will  probably 
(if  he  should  consent  to  serve)  receive  the  greatest  number  of 
votes  on  their  ticket.  The  Pittites  will,  of  course,  shout  most 
obstreperously  for  him,  but  the  better  sort  of  men,  the  gentlemen 
(the  few  that  belong  to  the  party),  the  moral  men,  as  well  as  the 
Five-point  politicians  and  disciples  of  Fanny  Wright,  will  vote 
for  Forrest  and  Eli  Moore,  without  the  slightest  com])unction ; 
and  why?  Because  they  are  spell-bound,  and  conscience-shack- 
led  by   those  powerful    cabalistic  words,   regular  nominee. 

October    iS.  —  I  attended    this  evening  a  meeting 
''^  ^  o^  leading,  influential  gentlemen  of  the  Whig  party,  at 

the  Astor  House.  There  were  sixty  or  eighty  present. 
I  was  appointed  chairman,  and  R.  M.  Blatchford,  secretary.  The 
object  of  this  meeting  was  to  confer  with  several  of  our  friends 
from  different  parts  of  the  State  on  the  prospects  for  the  important 
approaching  election.  Thurlow  Weed  and  Mr.  Benedict,  of  Albany, 
were  with  us,  and  our  candidate  for  (Governor,  Mr.  Seward.  The 
accounts  were  cheering,  and  a  noble  spirit  pervaded  the  meeting, 
undismayed  by  recent  disasters  in  other  States.  It  was  represented 
that  a  sum  of  about  ;$5,ooo  was  retpiired,  to  be  distributed  in  five 
or  six  of  the  counties.  Subscriptions  were  taken  on  the  spot,  and 
$3,400  subscribed  down,  and  about  the  same  sum  in  addition,  con- 
ditioned upon  the  success  of  the  Whigs  in  the  city  elections ;  in  ad- 
dition to  which  a  committee  of  seven,  including  the  chairman  and 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  325 

secretary,  were  appointed  to  raise  further  contributions.  This  is  an 
irksome  duty  for  me  to  perform,  but,  situated  as  I  was,  I  could  not 
shrink  from  it.  The  committee  consists  of  David  B.  Ogden,  J.  P. 
Phoenix,  Simeon  Draper,  Jr.,  Thomas  Tileston,  Jonathan  Amory, 
Blatchford,  and  myself. 

October  19.  —  The  Committee  on  Collections  met  this  morning, 
and  divided  into  separate  committees  of  two.  David  B.  Ogden 
and  I  sallied  out  in  a  pelting  rain,  in  which  we  paddled  about  for 
upwards  of  three  hours.  We  called  upon  several  of  our  rich  citi- 
zens, some  of  whom  gave  liberally,  and  others,  having  no  regard 
for  their  own  characters,  or  sympathy  for  our  ducked  condition,  re- 
fused to  give ;  but  we  have  done  our  duty,  disagreeable  as  it  was. 
We  shall  get  $5,000,  but  there  is  more  required  for  the  expenses  of 
the  city  election. 

October  20.  — The  following  gentlemen  (a  pleasant,  jovial  set) 
dined  with  us  :  Colonel  Hunter,  Mr.  John  Henry,  and  Mr.  Moly- 
neux  of  Savannah,  Mr.  Power,  Mr.  Nicholson,  Governor  Mason 
of  Michigan,  Mr.  Charles  Heckscher,  Mr.  Edward  Heckscher,  Mr. 
Thomas  Moore,  and  J.  D.  P.  Ogden. 

October  22.  — Ten  gentlemen  met  and  dined  to-day 
the  Hone  Club  ^^  ^^^'  J^^^  Ward's,  Bond  street,  being  the  first  meeting 
of  a  club  which  was  there  organized  to  dine  at  each 
other's  houses  every  Monday,  at  five  o'clock  punctually.  The  pre- 
sent members  are,  Simeon  Draper,  John  Ward,  Moses  H.  Grinnell, 
William  G.  Ward,  John  Crumby,  Roswell  L.  Colt,  Edward  R.  Biddle, 
Jonathan  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  and  Philip  Hone. 

It  was  agreed  to  extend  the  number  to  twelve  by  the  admission 
of  Charles  H.  Russell  and  James  W.  Otis,  to  which  number  the 
club  is  limited.  A  sumptuary  law  was  enacted,  confining  the  dinner 
to  soup,  fish,  oysters,  and  four  dishes  of  meat,  with  a  dessert  of 
fruit,  ice  cream,  and  jelly.  The  host  is  allowed  to  invite  four  gen- 
tlemen, not  members  of  the  club.  The  members  did  me  the 
honour  to  name  the  club  "  The  Hone  Club,"  and  I  was  appointed 
the  President. 


326  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

October  26.  —  This  new  enemy  to  the  peace  of 
Abolition.  mankind,  which  I  fear  is  destined  to  overthrow  the  in- 
stitutions of  our  country,  has  of  late  raised  its  head 
proudly  in  this  State.  The  candidates  nominated  for  office  at  the 
approaching  election,  from  Governor  downward,  have  been  ad- 
dressed in  circular  letters  by  committees  of  the  abolitionists,  pro- 
posing in  rather  a  peremptory  style  certain  questions  regarding 
slavery  and  the  political  disqualifications  of  the  free  blacks.  Such 
of  these  missives  as  were  addressed  to  the  candidates  for  Governor 
and  Lieutenant-Governor  are  signed  by  William  Jay  and  Garrett 
Smith.  Messrs.  Seward  and  Bradish  have  replied  at  length.  Their 
letters  are  published.  That  of  the  former  is  exceedingly  well 
written,  somewhat  evasive,  and  not  by  any  means  satisfactory  to 
his  inquisitors.  Mr.  Bradish  is  much  more  conclusive.  He  comes 
out  boldly  and  answers  all  the  questions  in  the  affirmative.  This 
does  not  by  any  means  prove  him  to  be  an  abolitionist,  but  will  be 
so  construed  by  that  party,  and  will  do  him  great  injury  with  the 
Whigs  in  this  part  of  the  State.  I  regret  it  exceedingly,  because  I 
think  this  gratuitous  committal  was  unnecessary ;  nor  do  I  allow  the 
right  of  a  set  of  men,  standing  upon  their  own  ground,  and  having 
views  and  motives  abstracted  from  the  great  leading  principles  of 
political  faith,  to  propound  questions  of  this  nature  to  the  persons 
set  up  for  the  suffrages  of  the  people,  and  make  their  favourable 
response  the  condition  of  their  support.  Such  a  course  of  inquisi- 
torial scrutiny  into  men's  consciences,  if  persevered  in,  will  have 
the  effect  to  destroy  that  lofty  independence  and  integrity  of  mind 
which  should  characterize  the  representatives  of  the  people,  palsy 
the  executive  arm,  and  sully  the  purity  of  the  judiciary.  Already 
have  I  heard  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  applied  to  my  excellent 
friend  Bradish.  I  know  not  whether  the  votes  he  loses  here  may 
not  be  overbalanced  in  the  West,  where  the  great  strength  of  the 
abolitionists  lies ;  but  I  regret  that  a  man  so  upright  and  intelligent 
should  expose  himself  to  the  reproaches  of  any  portion  of  his  politi- 
cal friends,  by  a  supererogatory  declaration  of  opinions   which  I 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  327 

maintain  no  set  of  men  had  a  right  to  call  for.  The  same  system 
is  in  operation  here.  On  the  announcement  of  my  name  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  Assembly  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  me.  I 
copy  it  at  length,  because  I  consider  it  to  be  the  root  of  a  noxious 
plant,  which  in  its  growth  will  overshadow  the  land,  corrupt  the  soil 
of  republican  America,  and  produce  the  fruits  of  anarchy  and  dis- 
union :  — 

New  York,  Oct.  26,  1838. 
Philip  Hone,  Esq.  :  — 

Sir,  —  We  notice  that  you  are  nominated  to  represent  this  county  in  the 
Assembly  of  this  State.  As  citizens  and  legal  voters  of  this  city,  the  un- 
dersigned, in  behalf  of  themselves  and  others,  beg  leave  to  propound  the 
following  questions  :  — 

Are  vou  in  favour  of  the  immediate  repeal  of  such  laws  of  this  State  as 
permit  slaveholders  to  introduce  slaves,  and  hold  them  here  as  such.? 
Are  you  in  favour  of  enacting  a  law  which  shall  secure  a  trial  by  jury  to 
every  person  claimed  in  this  State  as  a  slave.'*  Are  you  in  favour  of  so 
amending  the  constitution  of  this  State  that  civil  rights  shall  not  be 
granted  or  withheld  according  to  complexion.?  Are  you  in  favour  of  the 
passage  (by  the  Legislature)  of  resolutions  declaring  the  power  and  duty 
of  Congress  immediately  to  abolish  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  to  prohibit  immediately  the  inter-state  slave- 
trade;  and,  also,  resolutions  protesting  against  the  annexation  of  Texas, 
or  the  admission  to  the  Union  of  any  State  whose  constitution  tolerates 
slavery.?  An  early  answer  to  the  foregoing  questions  is  respectfully 
requested,  and  should  you  neglect  to  reply  it  will  be  considered  equiva- 
lent to  a  negative  answer. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 

A.  LiBOLT,  Chairman.  L.  W.  Gilbert, 

Anthony  Lane,  S.  W.  Benedict, 

E.  A.  Lambert,  J.  H.  Colton, 

Thomas  Ritter,  Lewis  Tappan, 

A.  O.  WiLLCox,  Thomas  F.  Field, 

W.  S.  Dorr,  Hiram  Tupper, 

M.  R.  Berry,  John  Jay, 

Thomas  O.  Buckmaster,  P.  B.  Smith, 

C.  S.  Delavan,  Addison  A.  Jayne, 

Adratus  Doolittle,  John  W.  Hill. 
Asa  Parker, 


328  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.-Etat.  58. 

To  this  letter  I  returned  the  following  brief  reply.  I  wish  with 
all  my  heart  that  the  answers  of  Seward  and  Bradish  had  been 
equally  brief.  "  The  least  said,"  particularly  in  black  and  white ^ 
'^  the  soonest  mended." 

October  26,  1S38. 

Gentlemen:  —  I  have  received  your  letter  of  this  day,  propounding 
several  questions  to  me  as  a  candidate  to  represent  this  city  in  the 
Assembly  of  the  State.  I  am  relieved  from  the  obligation  of  answering 
these  questions  (if  such  obligation  exists  on  the  part  of  a  candidate 
toward  a  portion  of  his  fellow-citizens),  by  the  circumstance  of  my  not 
having  accepted  the  nomination  with  which  I  was  honoured  by  my 
political  friends.     I  am,  etc.,  P.  H. 

Messrs.  A.  Libolt,  etc.,  etc. 

October  29.  —  The  meeting  was  held  this  evening 
,,  '^  at  Masonic  Hall  to  receive  the  report  of  the  nominat- 

Meeting.  '■ 

ing  committee.  The  house  was  full  as  usual,  up- stairs 
and  down-stairs  and  round  about.  That  excellent  old-fashioned 
federal  Whig,  David  B.  Ogden,  presided,  with  twenty  vice-presi- 
dents and  four  secretaries.  It  is  refreshing  once  in  a  while  to  see 
a  relic  of  honest  political  principles,  like  David  B.  Ogden,  allowed 
to  take  a  prominent  place  in  public  affairs.  It  is  almost  the  only 
thing  of  the  kind  I  have  seen  in  relation  to  the  coming  election. 
I  cannot  recognize  the  name  on  either  ticket  of  a  leading 
Federalist  or  National  Republican,  —  they  are  permitted  to  work 
and  pay  money ;  they  must  bake  the  loaves  and  catch  the  fishes, 
but  they  get  precious  few  of  them  for  themselves.  Every  man  on 
the  Congress  ticket  was  in  full  communion  at  Tammany  Hall  five 
years  ago.  They  are  generally  good  men.  A  better  fellow  is  not 
to  be  found,  nor  a  more  efficient  Whig,  than  Moses  H.  Grinnell ; 
yet  some  of  us  wlio  have  borne  "  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  " 
are  entitled  at  least,  one  would  think,  to  as  good  "  a  penny  "  as 
the  eleventh-hour  man.  The  tickets  for  Congress  and  Assembly 
went  down  admirably ;  the  meeting  swallowed  Monroe  and  all 
without    a    wry   face.     This    is    all    right;    this    unanimity    'Ogives 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  329 

token  of  a  goodly  day  to-morrow."  We  must  gain  the  victory 
now,  and  afterward  try  to  get  some  of  these  little  matters,  which' 
are  out  of  joint  at  present,  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
good  men  and  true. 

October  31.  —  "Who   reads  an  American  book?" 

American  ,         .  .  .  r  t-.       i-   i  ■, 

Literature        ^^^^  UTipertment  qucstion  of  an  P.nglish  coxcomb. 

Somebody  must  have  read  Prescott's  excellent  "  His- 
tory of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,"  with  delight  equal  to  my  own, 
and  also  Stone's  "  Life  of  Brant,"  which  I  intend  to  read  with 
equal  pleasure  one  of  these  days.  For  of  both  these  popular 
works  three  editions  have  been  published,  and  the  last  edition  of 
the  latter  was  sold  at  an  advance  from  that  of  the  first  of  a 
dollar  and  a  half,  the  original  price  of  three  dollars  and  a  half 
having  been  found  insufficient  to  leave  a  profit  to  the  pubHsher. 
This  is  honourable  to  the  taste  of  our  reading  public.  They  are 
not  mere  works  of  amusement,  but  standard  histories,  recording 
the  events  of  days  and  of  countries  widely  separated. 

November  i.  —  My  journal  partakes  unavoidably  in 
^J^^Y  a   large    degree    of  the  subject   which    occupies    and 

absorbs  the  minds  of  nine-tenths  of  all  the  folks  one 
meets  about  these  times.  Election,  Monroe ;  abolition,  Bradish ; 
nullification,  Calhoun,  —  all  other  topics  run  into  and  are  swal- 
lowed up  by  this  troubled  reservoir  of  party  spirit  and  infuriated 
patriotism.  What  a  happy  country  to  be  so  well  looked  after 
by  its  citizens  !  A  man  is  almost  considered  tainted  with  treason 
toward  the  sovereign  people  who  pretends  to  attend  to  his  own 
business. 

November  2.  —  A  great  meeting  of  Whig  merchants  was  held 
this  day  in  Wall  street,  opposite  the  new  Exchange.  Benjamin 
Strong  presided,  with  a  number  of  vice-presidents.  Spirited  reso- 
lutions were  adopted,  condemning  the  measures  of  the  Government, 
and  inciting  the  merchants  to  union  and  exertion  in  the  approach- 
ing election.  But  it  was  not  required  ;  the  spirit  of  the  Whigs  is 
raised  to  the  highest  pitch.     The  merchants  have  given  freely,  the 


330  THE   DIARY    OF   THILIP    HONE.  [.^tat.  58. 

workingmen  are  prepared  for  action,  and  the  whole  party  well 
organized.  Our  hopes  are  high,  and  every  man  in  the  Whig  ranks 
says  to  his  neighbour,  in  the  words  of  one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  offi- 
cers, "Trust  in  the  Lord,  but  keep  your  powder  dry." 

I  was  appointed  by  the  committee  to  open  the  meeting  and  read 
the  resolutions.  I  spoke  for  about  twenty  minutes,  and  then  read 
the  resolutions  with  all  the  voice  I  could  command.  But  my  posi- 
tion in  the  open  air,  with  the  large  openings  and  broken  masses 
behind  me,  made  the  task  somewhat  painful ;  but  I  believe  nobody 
could  have  been  better  heard,  for  my  voice  is  strong,  and  I  think  I 
read  very  distinctly. 

The  scene,  from  the  elevation  on  which  I  was  placed,  was  exceed- 
ingly picturesque.  The  immense  mass  of  heads  on  the  level  street, 
the  groups  on  blocks  of  granite  and  the  irregular  eminences  of  the 
unfinished  edifice,  the  heads  projecting  from  the  windows,  and  the 
crowds  on  the  stoops  of  the  opposite  side  of  Wall  street,  with  the 
brightness  of  the  weather,  and  the  animated  expression  of  every 
honest  Whig  face  that  beamed  upon  me  while  speaking,  presented 
2i  coup  d' ml  such,  as  no  other  occasion  could  have  produced.  After 
I  finished,  Mr.  Perit  addressed  the  meeting,  when  the  question 
was  put  on  adjournment,  and  the  feelings  of  the  people  were 
so  strongly  and  so  agreeably  excited  that  it  was  fairly  voted 
down.  They  called  for  Hoffman  :  he  was  not  there  ;  for  Chandler 
Starr  :  he  was  out  of  town  ;  for  me  again  :  I  had  spoken  ;  for 
"Anybody,  then!"  shouted  half-a-dozen  voices.  At  length  a 
popular  orator,  Mr.  Reynolds,  came  forward,  made  a  long  speech, 
which  nineteen  out  of  twenty  did  not  hear,  and  the  meeting  then 
adjourned. 

November  6.  — The  Whig  cause  continues  bright  as  ever.  The 
greatest  procession  of  Whigs  that  ever  assembled  paraded  the 
streets  last  evening,  after  the  returns  from  the  wards  had  been  re- 
ceived at  head-quarters.  They  honoured  me  with  a  visit,  and  their 
fine  band  played  several  martial  airs  before  the  house.  I  regretted 
much  that  I  was  not  at  home  to  address  them. 


1838.]  THE  DIARY  OF  PHILIP   HONE.  33 1 

November  7.  —  The  election  closed  this  day  at  sun- 
„    '^  set,  after  the   severest   contest  we  have  ever   known. 

Success.  ' 

The  whole  Whig  ticket  is  elected.  The  official  returns 
are,  of  course,  not  complete ;  but  enough  was  known  by  eleven 
o'clock  to  make  it  certain  that  the  Whig  majority  for  the  Congress 
ticket  is  about  fifteen  hundred,  and  the  Assembly  will  not  vary 
materially  from  that  result. 

The  greatest  excitement  prevailed  during  the  evening.  Masonic 
Hall  was  crammed  full,  and  the  street  from  Pearl  to  Duane  street  a 
solid  mass  of  Whigs,  anxious  at  first  and  exulting  afterward,  but 
orderly  during  the  whole  time.  This  election  probably  determines 
the  question  in  this  State,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren's  chance  of  reelection 
may  now  be  considered  desperate.  The  good  news  of  the  election 
comes  in  from  the  North  and  West ;  the  river  counties  have  turned 
out  better  than  we  calculated.  Dutchess  and  Ulster  have  given  the 
Whigs  thundering  majorities.  We  have,  without  doubt,  secured  a 
majority  of  members  of  Congress,  and  Seward  and  Bradish  are 
elected  by  large  majorities  over  Marcy  and  Tracy.  There  is  one 
alloy  to  this  triumph,  however.  Benjamin  Silliman,  in  Kings 
county,  and  John  A.  King,  in  Queens,  two  of  the  best  members  in 
the  last  House  of  Assembly,  have  lost  their  elections,  the  former  by 
one  or  two  votes,  and  the  latter  by  thirty-two.  The  notes  of  vic- 
tory were  again  sounded  this  evening  before  my  house  by  the 
Whigs.  I  opened  the  window  of  the  library,  congratulated  and 
thanked  them,  and  they  "went  on  their  way  rejoicing," 

November  13.  —  The  dark  clouds  which  covered  the  political 
and  mercantile  horizon  at  the  commencement  of  the  last  volume 
of  my  journal,  and  overshadowed  the  future  prospect  of  individ- 
uals, though  not  entirely  dispelled,  have  been  broken,  insomuch 
that  some  bright  rays  of  sunshine  do  occasionally  burst  forth,  and 
men  are  encouraged  to  hope  for  clearer  skies  and  better  days  to 
come. 

Business  has  revived.  Debts  from  afar  begin  to  come  in  with- 
out the  sacrifice  occasioned  by  ruinous  exchanges.     The  English 


332  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  58. 

and  French  creditors  have  succeeded  in  collecting  their  American 
debts  much  better  than  they  expected.  Mechanics  find  good  em- 
ployment ;  the  suspended  improvements  of  our  city  in  private  and 
public  buildings  have  been  in  many  cases  resumed,  and  to  all  this 
may  be  added  the  glorious  victory  of  the  Whigs  in  the  election 
which  has  just  terminated  in  this  State.  The  returns  of  the  elec- 
tion are  all  in  but  one  or  two  small  counties,  which  will  not  mate- 
rially vary  the  result.  We  have  lost  two  or  three  members  of 
Congress  and  Assembly  by  very  trifling  majorities,  so  that  we  do 
not  stand  quite  so  well  as  was  at  first  reported ;  but  we  have  Con- 
gress 21  to  19  and  Assembly  80  to  48.  Seward  and  Bradish  are 
elected  by  ten  thousand  to  eleven  thousand  majority. 

The  only  improvement  in  my  private  affairs  is  the  increased 
flicility  I  have  found  in  borrowing  money  at  a  fair  rate  of  interest 
on  mortgage  of  my  real  estate,  by  which  I  have  been  enabled  to 
pay  a  large  proportion  of  the  debts  I  assumed  for  my  sons.  But 
the  collections  come  in  very  slowly,  and  I  have  no  reasonable  hope 
that  the  ultimate  amount  of  my  losses  will  be  less  than  I  calculated 
at  first ;  still  I  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful.  My  health  and 
spirits  are  good  ;  my  family  are  all  under  my  roof,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  health  and  happiness.  My  daughters  are  with  us.  Mary's 
health  is  improving  daily.  I  stand  as  high,  I  hope,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  my  fellow-citizens  as  I  ever  did,  and  with  a  firm  trust  in 
God  all  will  yet  be  well. 

The  city  has  been  agitated  to-day  by  reports  of  a 

l.^     ^  '^'     defalcation  in  the  accounts  of  the  late  collector  of  the 

cation. 

port,  Samuel  Swartwout,  to  the  amount  of  a  million 
and  a  quarter  of  dollars.  He  has  taken  the  public  money  and 
engaged  with  it  in  wild  speculations  of  Texas  lands,  gold  mines, 
and  other  humbugs,  which  have  caused  ruin  for  several  years  past 
to  men  of  more  means  and  greater  judgment  than  Mr.  Swartwout. 
A  large  proportion  of  this  abstraction  of  the  public  funds  took 
place  during  the  first  two  years  of  his  collectorship,  and  the  amount 
has  been  increasing  ever  since.     How  it  was  possible  that  so  enor- 


183S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  333 

raous  a  deficiency  should  never  have  been  discovered  until  now  Is- 
perfectly  inconceivable  !  It  is  a  dreadful  commentary  upon  the 
manner  of  conducting  business  at  Washington,  and  it  would  appear 
impossible  that  there  should  not  have  been  connivance  on  the  part 
of  some  of  the  coordinate  branches  of  the  department,  either  there 
or  here.  This  is  a  pretty  illustration  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  hopeful 
sub-treasury  scheme,  by  which  the  collectors  are  made  the  deposi- 
taries of  the  public  money.  Banks  are  not  to  be  trusted.  The 
money  must  not  be  lent,  upon  the  best  securities  in  the  world,  to 
the  merchants  whose  enterprise  has  earned,  and  whose  integrity 
has  paid  it  to  the  Government ;  but  such  men  as  Mr.  Swartwout  may 
take  it  to  speculate  in  land  in  the  moon,  or  elsewhere  not  much 
nearer  home,  or  in  imaginary  treasures  which  the  teeming  earth  is 
supposed  to  hold  withhi  its  womb,  and  as  yet  has  refused  to  render 
up  even  to  such  skilful  midwives  as  our  late  collector. 

President  Jackson,  on  his  accession  to  office,  made  a  great  fuss 
about  public  defaulters,  prosecuted  several  petty  offenders,  whom 
he  got  imprisoned,  and  swore  in  his  usual  amiable  manner  that  they 
should  never  be  released,  and  at  the  same  time  appointed  his  per- 
sonal friends,  who  were  notoriously  irresponsible,  to  offices  of  the 
highest  trust,  whose  claims  consisted  only  in  their  unscrupulous 
devotion  to  him  and  his  party ;  and  when  a  committee  of  Congress 
was  raised  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the  treasury  department, 
which  investigation  would  have  naturally  led  to  the  discovery  of 
this  and  other  similar  frauds,  he  interposed  between  his  servants 
and  the  representatives  of  the  people,  would  not  allow  them  to 
answer  questions,  and  took  upon  himself  the  responsibility. 

The  Hone  Club  dined  yesterday  with  Moses  H.  Grinnell.  We 
had  Hoffman,  Curtis,  Wetmore,  and  other  Whigs.  There  were 
more  guests  and  more  dinner  than  the  law  allows ;  but  I  suppose  it 
must  be  overlooked,  in  consideration  of  this  being  the  first  dinner 
which  our  friend  has  given  since  his  election  to  Congress. 

I  went  this  evening  with  the  Schermerhorns  to  the  farewell 
benefit  of  Mr.  Charles  Matthews,  at  the  Park  Theatre.     It  was  a  full 


334  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

house ;  but  he  and  his  wife  have  not  received  the  encouragement 
which  foreign  stars  usually  receive  in  this  country,  nor  do  I  think 
as  much  as  they  deserved.  They  came  out  upon  a  long  engage- 
ment, which  their  want  of  success  has  suddenly  terminated,  and 
they  return  disappointed,  and  ready  (as  in  the  case  of  Matthews's 
father)  to  abuse  us  for  the  want  of  a  proper  appreciation  of 
their  talents. 

November  15.  — -  Mr.  Webster,  having  invited 
Messrs.  Draper,  Duer,  Blatchford,  and  myself  to  dine 
with  him  in  Boston,  we  prepared  to  go  this  day  ;  but  the 
weather  proving  unfavorable  1  gave  up  all  thought  of  going  until 
I  received  a  note  from  Draper  ordering  me  on  board  the  steam- 
boat at  half-past  four  o'clock ;  so  I  took  an  early  dinner,  and  met 
Draper  on  board  the  "  Narragansett  "  at  that  hour.  Messrs.  Duer 
and  Blatchford  being  prevented  from  going,  the  party  was  reduced 
to  Draper  and  myself* 

November  16,  —  Mr.  Draper  and  I  left  New  York  in  a  north- 
east storm,  arrived  at  Stonington  at  two  In  the  morning,  and  came 
to  Boston,  by  the  railroad,  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  This  is 
a  most  expeditious  mode  of  travelling ;  leaving  New  York  at  the 
close  of  one  day  and  being  in  Boston,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles 
away,  at  the  commencement  of  the  next. 

Mr.  Webster  called  at  the  Tremont  House  as  soon  as  we  arrived 
and  invited  us  to  dine.  He  and  I  walked  out.  In  the  course 
of  our  walk  we  called  upon  Mr.  H.  G  Otis  and  Colonel  Perkins ; 
both  these  worthy  old  sons  are  laid  up  with  the  gout.  We  did 
not  see  the  Colonel,  and  I  afterward  received  a  kind  note  from  him, 
urging  me  to  repeat  my  visit.  Mr.  Otis  wants  me  to  dine  with 
him  to-morrow,  and  in  the  evening  he  repeated  his  invitation  in  a 
note.  Several  other  friends  called  and  invited  me  ,  but  the  weather 
promises  to  be  fine  to-morrow,  Mr.  Draper  must  be  at  home  on 
Sunday,  so  I  shall  not  extend  the  flying  visit  to  Boston  beyond  its 
original  limits. 

We  met  a  pleasant  party  at  dinner  at  Mr.  Webster's  :  Governor 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  335 

Everett ;  Mr.  Winthrop,  the  Speaker ;  Governor  Lincoln ;  Mr. 
Ticknor,  who  has  lately  returned  from  Europe ;  Mr.  Fletcher 
Webster,  of  Illinois,  and  his  pretty  wife,  who  are  on  a  visit  to  their 
father ;  Messrs.  Davis,  Sturges,  etc.     We  sat  until  eleven  o'clock. 

November  17.  —  I  received  the  usual  kind  calls  this  morning, 
and  pressing  invitations  to  dinner,  and  availed  myself  of  a  fine  cold 
day  to  walk  out  and  see  the  Boston  lions  and  make  some  visits ; 
among  the  rest  to  Colonel  Perkins,  who  lives  en  prince,  and  has  a 
fine  collection  of  pictures^  to  which  he  made  many  valuable  addi- 
tions during  his  last  visit  to  Europe. 
,    .    ,   ^  New  York,  Nov.   iq.  —  On   Thursday   last    arrived 

Arrival  of  '  -'  ■' 

the  "Great  the  succcssful  steam-paj::ket  ''Great  Western."  She 
AVestern."  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  Bristol  on  the  28th  of  October;  has  had 
very  hard  weather  and  heavy  winds.  She  has  many  passengers ; 
in  the  number  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Aspinwall,  Mr.  Will- 
iam Heyward  and  his  family.  Rev.  Dr.  Schroeder  and  his  family, 
and  my  old  acquaintance,  Vincent  Nolte. 

November    21.  —  In   the    ship   "President,"   which 
Captain  sailed  yesterday  for   London,  went  passenger  Captain 

Marryat,  not  any  better  pleased  with  the  Americans 
than  they  with  him.  It  would  have  been  better  for  both  parties  if 
the  sailor  author  had  been  known  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  only 
by  his  writings.  When  he  arrived  in  New  York  he  brought  me  a 
letter  of  introduction.  I  called  upon  him,  and  he  dined  with  us ; 
but  neither  I  nor  my  family,  nor  the  friends  whom  I  invited  to 
meet  him,  could  discover  in  his  conversation  any  of  the  talents 
which  his  works  had  taught  us  to  expect,  or  in  his  deportment  the 
ease  and  knowledge  of  the  world  which  is  frequently  to  be  met  in 
its  pages. 

He  is  a  good  seaman  without  doubt,  and  has,  somehow  or  other, 
the  materials  for  writing  good  stories,  and  a  style  well  calculated 
to  give  them  popularity ;  but  he  has  evidently  never  enjoyed  the 
benefits  of  refined  society,  or  intercourse  with  people  of  literary 
talents.     He  is  a  sort  of  Basil  Hall,  without  his  impudence. 


336  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

The    house    at    the    corner    of    Wall    and    Hanover 

et 

St] 
Property. 


\v all-street       st-j-ggts  has  been  sold  to  the  North  American  Trust  and 


Banking  Company,  by  Thomas  E.  Davis,  for  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $223,000;  higher  than  anything  which  has  yet  been 
heard  of.  This  building  is  somewhat  notorious  from  its  having  been 
erected  upon  the  site  of  one  built  by  J.  L.  and  S.  Joseph,  which, 
about  the  time  it  was  completed,  fell  to  the  ground  one  night  with 
a  crash  which  shook  all  Wall  street ;  and  its  fall  was  the  precursor 
of  a  much  more  tremendous  crash  in  that  celebrated  street,  com- 
mencing with  the  failure  of  the  firm  that  erected  it,  and  ending 
with  the  suspension  of  specie  payments,  and  the  bankruptcy  of  one- 
half  of  the  merchants  and  traders  of  New  York. 

November  22.  —  This  gentleman  has  just  been  pub- 
Fenimore         Hshing    two    ncw   works,    "Homeward    Bound"    and 

Cooper. 

"Home  as  Found,"  which  are  reviewed,  and  the 
author  most  unmercifully  scourged,  in  an  able  leading  article  of  the 
"Courier  and  Enquirer"  of  this  morning;  a  more  severe,  and, 
I  add,  a  better  written,  castigation  was  never  inflicted  upon  an  arro- 
gant, acrimonious  writer  than  this.  j\Ir.  Cooper,  spoiled  at  first  by 
the  kindness  of  his  countrymen,  and  inflated  by  the  praise  of 
Europeans,  who  read  his  books  without  coming  into  personal  con- 
tact with  the  writer,  has  returned  to  his  own  country  full  of 
malicious  spleen  against  his  countrymen,  because,  as  I  verily 
believe,  he  could  not  bully  them  into  approving  his  dogmatical 
opinions,  and  liking  his  swaggering  airs  as  well  as  the  patriotic 
principles  and  unpretending  deportment  of  his  distinguished  rival, 
Washington  Irving. 

The  works  now  published,  of  which  copious  extracts  are  made 
in  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  represent  everything  in  this 
country  in  the  most  disparaging  light ;  the  misrepresentations  are 
as  gross,  and  the  uncharitable  temper  as  disgusting,  as  anything  to 
be  found  in  Basil  Hall's,  or  Captain  Hamilton's,  or  Mrs.  TroUope's 
lying  histories,  and  (what  is  more  wonderful  coming  from  such  a 
quarter)  the  style  of  the  works  is  puerile  and  the  incidents  ridicu- 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  337 

lous  ;  more  worthy  of  the  talents  of  a  silly  girl  than  of  the  matured 
genius  of  the  author  of  "The  Spy  "  and  "The  Pioneers." 

November  23. —  In  the  packet-ship  "Siddons,"  which  arrived 
yesterday,  came  passengers,  Mr.  William  Brown  and  his  lady,  of 
Liverpool.  Mr.  Brown  is  the  senior  partner  in  the  great  house  of 
William  and  James  Brown  &  Co.,  of  that  place.  They  have,  I  pre- 
sume, come  out  to  attend  the  wedding  of  their  only  son,  who  is  to 
marry  his  cousin,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  James  Brown,  of  this  city. 

December  5.  —  Congress    met    on    Monday.      The 
ee  ing  o        Housc  is  SO  nearly  divided  that  it  is  not  probable  that 

Congress.  -^  '- 

the  sub-treasury  scheme,  or  any  other  of  the  Govern- 
ment abominations,  can  be  carried  through.  The  President's 
message  was  sent  to  Congress  on  Tuesday,  at  twelve  o'clock,  and, 
by  an  arrangement  made  by  the  post-office  with  the  railroad, 
reached  the  city  of  Jersey,  two  hundred  and  forty-five  miles,  at 
half-past  ten  o'clock  last  evening,  and  was  delivered  at  our  post- 
office.  If  this  is  not  quick  work,  the  deuce  is  in  it, —  twenty- three 
miles  an  hour,  the  whole  distance,  one-half  of  it  after  dark. 

The  message  is  long  enough,  six  newspaper  columns  closely 
printed.  There  is  the  usual  quantity  of  humbug  about  the  power 
of  the  sovereign  people,  although  all  the  world  knows  that  the 
writer  and  "  his  illustrious  predecessor  "  have  done  more  to  crib 
this  power  from  the  dear  people  than  any  who  went  before  them ; 
a  plentiful  use  of  such  pretty,  set  phrases  as  "The  anti- republican 
tendencies  of  associated  wealth,"  "  Vortex  of  reckless  speculation," 
"  Banks  perverting  the  operations  of  the  Government  to  their  own 
purposes,"  and  such  unmeaning  twaddle,  whilst  he  knows  in  his 
heart  and  soul  that  he  and  his  party  in  his  own  State  have  created 
all  the  banks  here  to  subserve  their  political  objects  ever  since 
they  have  had  the  ascendency,  and  now  rail  against  them  when 
their  subserviency  begins  to  fail.  He  does  not  say  a  word  this 
time  about  the  elections,  nor  does  he  seek  to  propitiate  the 
*•' sober,  second  thoughts  of  the  people,"  having  found  that  to  be 


338  THE   DIARV    OF    I'llILIP    HONE.  [.^tat.  58. 

December  6. — The  anniversary  dinner  of  the   St. 
St.  Nicholas      ;^j(,j^q|^^s    Societv  was    held    to-day,  at   the    American 

Dinner. 

Hotel.  Mr.  Cozzens  gave  as  good  a  dinner  as  I  ever 
sat  down  to ;  all  excellent,  hot  and  well  served,  and  the  wines 
capital.  There  was  the  usual  quantity  of  toasting  and  speaking. 
The  President  (Mr.  Verplanck)  made  a  long  address,  in  the  form 
of  an  annual  report  of  the  state  of  the  society,  in  his  (piaint,  amus- 
ing style.  Dr.  Francis,  as  physician-general,  was  very  hap])y.  I 
made  a  short  address  when  called  upon,  and  concluded  with  the 
following  toast :  New  Yorkers,  "  at  home  "  to  all  the  world  ;  let 
them  not  forget  that  they  are  masters  of  the  house. 

William  M.   Price,  the   United   States  Attorney   for 
Another  ■^.     (^[^^^[f^^    another  of   General   Jackson's   pets,  and 

Defaulter.  '  J  l         y 

one  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  depositaries  of  the  public 
money,  "in  spite"  (as  IMr.  Cambreling  said)  "of  the  lamen- 
tations of  the  people,"  took  himself  off  this  morning  "  without 
beat  of  drum."  His  flight  was  not  known  until  an  hour  or  two 
after  the  departure  of  the  British  steamer  "  Liverpool,"  when  Wall 
street  was  in  an  uproar  on  the  receipt  of  the  intelligence  that  this 
faithful  steward  of  the  Government  was  a  passenger. 

These  are  the  men  who,  for  political  services  formerly  rendered 
(and  in  the  case  of  Price  continued  unblushingly  to  the  last),  were 
appointed  to  the  two  most  responsible  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
general  Government,  at  a  time  when  neither  of  them  could  have  got 
the  credit  upon  his  personal  responsibility  for  a  hundred  dollars. 
Here  are  some  of  the  fruits  of  the  corrui)t,  demoralizing  system 
which  originated  with  his  country's  curse,  Andrew  Jackson,  and  has 
been  unscrupulously  carried  out  by  the  puppet  who  thought  it 
"honour  enough  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  illustrious  prede- 
cessor." Price  was  formerly  a  violent,  brawling  Federalist,  and 
when  he  found  he  could  get  nothing  by  that  he  became  a  Demo- 
crat and  Tammany  man,  more  violent  and  brawling  louder  even 
than  he  did  on  the  other  side,  but  with  better  success.  He  became 
the  Marat,  the  Danton  of  the  party,  the   Anacharsis  Clootz,  the 


1838.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  339 

orator,  not  of  the  human  race,  but  of  the  profligate  race  whose  vigils 
were  held  at  Tammany  Hall  and  the  several  subordinate  pandemo- 
niums of  the  respective  wards  ;  supporting  through  thick  and  thin 
the  pernicious  measures  of  his  master,  and  denouncing  all  honest 
men  who  dared  to  doubt  their  infallibility.  A  demagogue  of  the 
first  rank,  he  was  precisely  the  man  they  wanted.  They  knew 
their  Price,  and  he  knew  his,  and  the  unsuccessful  Jacobin  of  the 
Federal  party  became  the  pampered  minion  of  the  Loco-focos. 

The  city  is  in  an  uproar ;  every  hour  brings  fresh  reports.  This 
glorious  election  !  Well  are  we  rewarded  for  time  and  money 
spent  and  services  rendered  in  the  good  cause.  The  light  of  truth  is 
now  penetrating  into  the  dark  recesses  of  corruption.  The  spoilers 
will  be  condemned  to  disgorge  the  spoils  which  they  have  themselves 
"told  us  belong  to  the  victors,"  and,  if  it  be  not  too  late,  honest 
men  may  come  to  their  rights   and  the  Republic  be  saved. 

December  7. — The  breaking  up  of  the  Loco-foco 
^^  ^  forces  in  different  parts  of  the  country  produces  every 

Violence.  ^  -^    ^  ^ 

day  some  new  development  of  party  atrocity ;  a  state 
of  things  exists  in  Pennsylvania  extremely  alarming ;  little  short, 
indeed,  of  civil  war.  The  return  of  the  judges  of  the  election 
for  the  county  of  Philadelphia  being  in  favor  of  the  Whig  candi- 
dates, they,  as  well  as  those  on  the  other  side,  appeared  at 
Harrisburg  on  Tuesday  last,  at  the  organization  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  claimed  their  seats  as  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  The  Whigs,  having  the  returns  of  a  majority 
of  the  judges,  were  entitled  to  their  seats  until  the  house  was 
organized  to  receive  the  protest  of  their  opponents ;  but  this  legal 
course  of  proceeding  was  opposed  by  the  Van  Buren  men,  and  a 
scene  occurred  more  outrageous  than  ever  before  witnessed  in  a 
country  professing  to  be  governed  by  written  law  and  established 
rules.  Both  parties  elected  their  own  Speaker,  and  both  proceeded 
to  business  in  the  same  hall.  Confusion  and  disorder  reigned  for  a 
time,  until  brutal  violence  was  resorted  to  and  the  hall  was  left  in 
possession  of  the  Loco-focos,  supported  by  a  mob  of  ruffians  in 


340  IHE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  58. 

the  galleries.  The  whole  was  a  scene  hitherto  paralleled  only  by 
the  sittings  of  the  National  Assembly  of  France,  or  the  Jacobin 
Club  of  Paris  in  the  horrid  days  of  anarchy  and  bloodshed  which 
ushered  in  the  Revolution  and  led  to  the  destruction  of  everything 
''good  and  lovely  and  of  good  report"  in  that  devoted  country. 
God  grant  that  the  same  causes  here  may  not  produce  the  same 
results  !  Virtuous  men  here  begin  to  fear  the  worst.  Now  is  the 
critical  moment  of  our  country's  fate.  If  the  Whigs  continue  to 
grow  in  numbers  and  remain  firm  in  the  good  cause  they  may  suc- 
ceed in  subjecting  the  rabl)le  of  Loco-foco  Jacobins  to  the  power 
of  the  laws ;  but  if  not,  the  time  is  close,  very  close,  at  hand,  when 
this  nol^le  country  of  ours  will  be  subject  to  all  the  horrors  of  civil 
war ;  our  republican  institutions,  theoretically  so  beautiful,  but  re- 
lying unfortunately  too  much  upon  the  virtue  and  intelligence  of 
the  people,  will  be  broken  into  pieces,  and  a  suffering  and  abused 
nation  will  be  compelled  to  submit  to  the  degrading  alternative  of 
Jacobin  misrule  or  the  tyranny  of  a  Caesar,  a  Cromwell,  or  a  Bona- 
parte. To  return  to  Harrisburg  :  the  mob  having  possession  of  the 
Representatives'  hall  next  attacked  the  Senate,  where  the  Whig  ma- 
jority is  so  large  that  no  dispute  could  possibly  arise.  That  House 
attempted  to  meet  in  the  afternoon,  but  the  same  scene  was  re- 
enacted  there  ;  riot  and  confusion  prevailed  throughout.  The  presi- 
dent's chair  was  usurped  by  a  demagogue  named  John  McCahen, 
who  addressed  the  ruffians  around  him,  instigating  them  to  violence. 
The  senators  were  assailed,  beaten,  dragged  out,  and  driven  from 
their  seats.  The  accounts  do  not  as  yet  inform  us  that  any  lives 
were  lost.  The  Governor  has  issued  his  proclamation,  calling  out 
the  troops,  and  general  orders  are  published  in  the  Pennsylvania 
papers  for  troops  to  assemble  and  march  from  other  parts  of  the 
State  to  Harrisburg,  the  seat  of  war. 

The  times  are  out  of  joint.  The  United  States  are  surrounded 
by  difficulties  and  dangers  requiring  a  strong  arm  and  a  better 
head  and  purer  political  morality  than  are  ever  to  be  found  in  a 
mere    party    manager  and    popular    demagogue.      The    dishonest 


1838.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  34I 

servants  of  a  corrupt  administration  running  away  with  the 
people's  money ;  the  halls  of  Legislature  invaded  in  a  neighbour- 
ing state  by  a  ruthless  faction,  and  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth 
openly  set  at  defiance ;  abolitionism  fomented  by  fanaticism  on 
one  side,  and  restricted  by  pride  on  the  other;  our  misguided 
citizens  meddling  with  other  people's  concerns  on  the  northern 
frontier,  and  running  their  foolish  heads  into  Canadian  halters, 
and  sympathizing  on  the  southern  with  a  band  of  reckless  buc- 
caneers whose  brotherhood  would  lead  to  endless  strife  and  ulti- 
mate disunion ;  the  treasure  and  blood  of  the  republic  expended 
and  spilt  in  an  Indian  warfare  in  tenfold  quantities,  to  remedy 
the  bad  management  of  our  rulers  ;  character,  talents,  and  moral 
worth  rendered  of  no  account  in  competition  with  the  claims  of 
political  services,  —  from  the  effect  of  all  these  evils  ''  Good  Lord, 
deliver  us  !  " 

December    8.  —  The   Legislature   of    the   State   of 
Election  of       jy^iggo^j-i  (\[(\  thcmsclves  the  distinguished  honour,  on  the 

Benton. 

2 1  St  of  last  month,  to  elect  that  prince  of  humbugs 
and  enlightener  of  the  Loco-focos,  Mr.  T.  H.  Benton,  senator  of 
the  United  States  for  six  mortal  years  more. 

The  Baptist  meeting-house  at  Reading,  Conn.,  was 
Anti-abolition  ^^^^^^^  .       gunpowdcr  on    the    night    of  the    28th 

Violence.  i  ./      o        x  ^ 

of  last  month.  A  man  named  Colver,  an  abolition 
lecturer,  had  been  holding  forth  in  the  church,  and  was  to  lecture 
again,  when  a  fanatic  on  the  other  side  of  the  question  placed 
a  keg  of  powder  under  the  pulpit,  and  blew  the  whole  "sky 
high." 

We    had    to   dine   with    us    to-day  Mr.  Christopher 
AnUnex-         Hughcs,  American   charge  at  Stockholm,  Col.  Webb, 

pected  Visitor.  ° 

Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  and  Dr.  Francis.  Whilst  we 
were  at  dinner  there  was  a  ring  at  the  street  door-bell.  The 
boy  Daniel  went  out,  •  and  found  nobody  there  ;  but  there  was 
a  basket  on  the  sill  of  the  door,  which  he  brought  into  the 
dining-room,   and    it   was  found    to    contain   a  lovely  infant,  ap- 


342  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  58. 

parently  about  a  week  old,  stowed  away  nicely  in  soft  cotton. 
It  had  on  a  clean  worked  muslin  frock,  lace  cap,  its  under-clothes 
new  and  perfectly  clean,  a  locket  on  the  neck  which  opened  with 
a  spring  and  contained  a  lock  of  dark  hair;  the  whole  covered 
nicely  with  a  piece  of  new  flannel,  and  a  label  was  pinned  on  the 
breast  on  whicli  was  written,  in  a  female  hand,  Alfred  G.  Douglas. 
It  was  one  of  the  sweetest  babies  I  ever  saw ;  apparently  healthy. 
It  did  not  cry  during  the  time  we  had  it,  but  laid  in  a  placid, 
dozing  state,  and  occasionally,  on  the  approach  of  the  light, 
opened  its  little,  sparkling  eyes,  and  seemed  satisfied  with  the 
company  into  which  it  had  been  so  strangely  introduced.  Poor 
little  innocent,  —  abandoned  by  its  natural  protector,  and  thrown 
at  its  entrance  into  life  upon  the  sympathy  of  a  selfish  world,  to  be 
exposed,  if  it  should  live,  to  the  sneers  and  taunts  of  uncharitable 
legitimacy  !  How  often  in  his  future  life  may  the  bitter  wish 
swell  in  his  heart  and  rise  to  his  lips,  that  those  eyes  which  now 
opened  so  mildly  upon  me  whilst  I  was  gazing  upon  his  innocent 
face  had  been  forever  closed.  My  feelings  were  strongly  inter- 
ested, and  I  felt  inclined  at  first  to  take  in  and  cherish  the  little 
stranger ;  but  this  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  company,  who 
urged,  very  properly,  tliat  in  that  case  I  would  have  twenty  more 
such  outlets  to  my  benevolence.  'I  reflected,  moreover,  that  if 
the  little  urchin  should  turn  out  bad,  he  would  prove  a  trouble- 
some inmate  ;  and  if  intelligent  and  good,  by  the  time  he  became 
an  object  of  my  affection  the  rightful  owners  might  come  and 
take  him  away.  So  John  Stotes  was  summoned,  and  sent  off 
with  the  little  wanderer  to  the  almshouse. 

The  group  in  the  kitchen  which  surrounded  the  basket,  before 
John  took  it  away,  would  have  furnished  a  capital  subject  for  a 
painter.  There  was  the  elegant  diplomat,  the  inquisitive  doctor, 
the  bluff  editor,  and  the  calculating  millionnaire ;  my  wife  and 
daughters,  standing  like  the  daughters  of  Pharoah  over  the 
infant  Moses  in  the  bulrushes,  —  all  interested,  but  differently 
affected,    the    maids    shoving  forward    to  get   a  last   peep ;    little 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   PIONE.  343 

Emily,  the  black  cook,  ever  and  anon  showing  her  white  teeth ; 
James  and  Dannie  in  the  background,  wondering  that  so  great  a 
fuss  should  be  made  about  so  small  a  matter ;  and  John,  wrapped 
up  in  his  characteristically  neat  overcoat,  waiting,  with  all  the 
dignified  composure  which  marks  his  demeanor,  to  receive  his 
interesting  charge  and  convey  it  to  its  destination. 

Dp:cember    12.  —  The    troops     from    Philadelphia, 
enns>  vania    ^^j^^^j.   ^j-^g    command    of    General    Patterson,    having 

Rebellion.  '  ° 

arrived  at  Harrisburg,  something  like  order  has  been 
restored,  and  the  two  houses  of  the  Legislature  have  met  daily,  not 
in  their  usual  place  of  meeting,  nor  for  the  despatch  of  business,  but 
for  the  purpose  of  adjourning  legally.  Commodore  Elliott  has  also 
arrived,  with  other  officers,  under  the  authority  of  the  general  Gov- 
ernment, to  command  the  United  States  forces  at  Carlisle.  These 
measures  may  keep  the  insurrection  under  whilst  the  troops  are 
present ;  but  the  flame  appears  to  be  only  smothered,  to  break  out 
whenever  they  are  withdrawn.  Charles  J.  Ingersoll,  the  author  of  all 
the  mischief,  and  other  leaders  must  be  hanged  to  restore  order. 

December  14.  —  Hospital  in  the  morning,  Savings-bank  in 
the  afternoon,  and,  afterward,  dinner  at  Mr.  Abraham  Schermer- 
horn's.  I  did  not,  of  course,  arrive  at  my  last  post  of  duty 
until  an  hour  after  the  time  I  was  invited  for  dinner,  but  quite 
in  time  for  all  beneficial  purposes.  I  noticed  a  fact  at  the 
dinner  table  to-day,  which  proves  the  increased  intercourse 
between  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  Europe.  Of  a 
party  of  twenty  seated  at  the  table  every  person  has  been  to 
Europe,  although  of  the  number  only  two,  Mr.  Schmidt  and 
Mr.  Maitland,  were  foreigners.  When  I  first  dined  out  frequently, 
that  distinguished  class  oi  learned  pundits  who  had  been  "abroad," 
as  the  term  then  was,  was  so  small,  that  if  we  had  one  native  who 
had  enjoyed  that  high  privilege  in  a  dinner-party  he  was  looked 
up  to  with  profound  respect  and  deference ;  "  a  rare  bird,  and 
somewhat  hke  a  black  swan."  Now  the  streams  of  accumulated 
knowledge  may  be  obtained  at  innumerable  fountains :  the  families 


344  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  58. 

of  Abraham  vSchermerhorn,  of  James  J.  Jones,  of  T.  L.  Gibbes,  of 
Nathaniel  Prime  do  pour  forth  streams  of  intellectuahty  (I  wish  I 
had  the  wheelbarrow  which  Dr.  Francis  alluded  to  at  the  St. 
Nicholas  Dinner,  to  carry  this  long  word)  sufficient  to  assuage  the 
thirst  of  the  most  ardent  and  untravelled  seeker  of  knowledge. 

December  15.  —  A  Loco-foco  member  of  Congress, 
ongressiona    ^^.^^^  Maine,  named  Atherton,  broucjht  into  the  House 

Proceeding's.  '  /  o 

of  Representatives,  on  Tuesday  last,  certain  resolutions 
on  the  subject  of  slavery,  declaring  that  the  subject  was  not  to  be 
touched,  that  no  petitions  should  be  received,  and  that  Congress 
had  no  right  to  meddle  with  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
This  political  tool  was  instigated  to  this  measure  by  his  brother 
Locos  of  the  South,  who  were,  no  doubt,  pledged  to  uphold  him 
in  his  subsequent  course.  The  resolutions  may  or  may  not  have 
been  proper ;  that  is  not  the  question  ;  but  the  outrageous  impu- 
dence of  the  fellow,  and  the  profligate  support  which  it  received 
from  his  unprincipled  party,  were  evinced  in  his  speaking  for 
nearly  an  hour  in  support  of  his  resolutions,  and  concluding  by 
moving  the  previous .  (question,  thereby  precluding  all  reply,  and 
forcing  the  dose  down  the  reluctant  throats  of  men  of  all  political 
parties.  And  to  the  disgrace  of  the  House,  and  the  mortification 
of  all  honourable  men,  the  motion  was  carried  and  the  resolutions 
adopted  without  a  word  of  comment  (even  to  the  phraseology, 
which  John  P.  Kennedy  said  was  so  ungramniatical  that  his 
stomach,  which  had  been  to  school,  could  not  swallow  it),  except 
those  which  the  mover  had  used  in  their  fovor,  which  it  is  pre- 
sumed he  thought  unanswerable,  and  therefore  determined  should 
remain  unanswered. 

I  do  not  recollect  that  this  precise  case  has  ever  occurred  before. 
Its  unblushing  impudence  is  absolutely  amusing.  But  I  would  ask 
the  southern  gentleman  from  ]\Iaine,  whether  some  of  his  sagacious 
constituents  doivn  east  may  not  consider  it  a  sort  of  acknowledg- 
ment of  weakness,  and  dread  of  consequences  a  little  similar  to 
that  of  the  school-boy,  who,  coming  behind  his  companion,  hits 


1838.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  345 

him  a  punk  on  the  back,  and  then  takes  to  his  heels  for  fear  of 
the  counter-punk. 

December  17.  —  Mrs.  Brevoort  opened  her  splendid 
^^\,  1   .      house  on  Saturday  evening^  to  a  larsre   party.     I  went 

voort's  Party.  ■'  °  &       i         J 

with  my  daughter.  It  was  a  grand  affair;  there  is  not 
a  house  in  the  city  so  well  calculated  to  entertain  such  an  assem- 
blage ;  five  large  rooms  open  on  one  floor,  and  a  spacious  hall 
besides,  with  a  noble  staircase.  This  is  the  first  time  all  this  has 
been  shown  to  the  hon-ton,  and  the  capriciousness  of  the  master  and 
mistress  is  so  great  that  it  may  remain  a  sealed  book  for  half  a 
dozen  years,  unless  the  present  freak  should  continue. 

The  "  Utica  "  brings  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Eliza 
Rumpff,  wife  of  Vincent  Rumpff,  minister  resident  at  Paris  from  the 
Hanse  towns,  and  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor.  She  died  at  her 
residence  in  Switzerland,  near  Geneva.  This  lady  leaves  no  children. 
There  are,  therefore,  but  three  children  to  inherit  the  largest  fortune 
in  the  State,  —  William  B.  Astor,  Mrs.  Langdon,  and  a  son  who  is 
not  likely  to  interfere  with  the  claims  of  the  others.  If  William  lives 
to  old  age  he  will  probably  be  richer  than  his  father  now  is. 

December  25.  —  The  club  dined  yesterday  at  Mr.  Crumby 's. 
Bond  street.  Of  the  members,  Messrs.  Grinnell  and  Duer  were 
absent ;  a  good  dinner,  good  singing,  and  plenty  of  wine.  The 
following  ode,  which  I  wrote  for  the  club,  having  been  set  to 
music  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Horn,  was  sung,  for  the  first  time,  by  Major 
Tucker : — 

ODE   FOR   THE   HONE    CLUB. 


Our  club,  like  a  jury  impanelled,  we  view, 
Composed  of  twelve  freemen,  all  good  men  and  true; 
We  have  hearts  for  our  country,  religion,  and  laws, 
And  we  find  a  true  verdict  in  her  holy  cause. 

Answer,  then,  Mr.  Foreman,  are  you  all  agreed? 
President  :  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;    we  are  all  of  one  mind. 

•Fxic  our  country  and  freedom,  our  verdict  we  find. 


346  THE  DIARY  OP^  PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.58. 


Will  you  stand  l)y  her  commerce,  unfettered  and  free? 
Shall  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  still  float  on  each  sea? 
Shall  mercantile  faith  a  just  recompense  claim, 
Protection  at  home,  and  abroad  a  good  name? 
How  answer  you  then?    Are  you  all  agreed? 
President :  Agreed. 
Chorus :  Agreed,  agreed;   we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

To  stand  by  the  merchants,  our  verdict  we  find. 

3- 

In  the  cause  now  before  you,  the  plaintiffs  appear. 
Good  order,  and  Reason,  and  Union  are  here; 
'Gainst  corruption  and  power  they  plead  their  own  cause, 
Relying  on  Truth,  Constitution,  and  Laws; 

Shall  the  good  cause  prevail?     Are  you  all  agreed? 
President  :  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;    we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

In  support  of  the  good  cause,  our  verdict  we  find. 

4- 

Shall  Truth,  Love,  and  Friendship  our  club  still  unite. 
And  the  cares  of  the  day  ne'er  extend  to  the  night? 
Shall  innocent  mirth  and  good-humour  abound. 
And  our  bosom  beat  high  as  each  Monday  comes  'round? 
Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  are  you  all  agreed? 
President :  Agreed. 
Chorus  .   Agreed,  agreed;   we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

P"or  Truth,  Love,  and  Friendship,  our  verdict  we  find. 

5- 

Shall  our  bumpers  be  quaffed  as  the  wine  sparkles  bright, 
And  the  talesmen  join  who  are  with  us  to-night? 
Our  hearts  warmed  bj  friendship,  the  toast  shall  it  pass, 
*'  May  temperance  fill,  and  joy  empty,  the  glass  "  ? 
In  this  honest  toast  you  are  surely  agreed? 
President :  Agreed. 
Chorus  :  Agreed,  agreed;   we  are  all  of  one  mind, 

For  temperate  enjoyment,  our  verdict  we  find. 


i839]  THE  DIARY  OF  PHILIP  HONE.  347 


1839. 


TANUARY  I.  —  The  year  1839  commences  under  more  favour- 
^  able  auspices.  The  commerce  of  the  country  is  much  im- 
proved ;  such  of  the  merchants  as  have  been  only  sadly  bent  are 
considerably  straightened ;  the  broken  ones  remain  broken ;  for 
myself,  although  not  a  merchant,  I  have  been  a  severe  sufferer 
as  surety  for  others.  There  is  an  awful  change  in  my  circum- 
stances, which  can  never  be  repaired.  I  have  lost  two-thirds  of 
my  fortune,  and  I  have  only  to  call  to  my  aid  philosophy  and  resig- 
nation, and  to  be  thankful  for  the  blessings  I  still  enjoy.  It  is  a 
consolation  that  as  yet  I  have  met  all  my  obligations  honourably, 
and  have  no  reason  to  fear  my  ability  to  continue  to  do  so.  My 
children  shall  inherit  a  good  name  from  their  father ;  they  must 
make  the  most  of  it,  for  I  greatly  fear  it  will  be  their  only  inher- 
itance. 

In  a  political  view  matters  have  improved  during  the  last  year. 
The  elections,  in  the  aggregate,  have  been  favourable  to  the  Whig 
cause.  Parties  in  the  present  House  of  Representatives  are 
equally  balanced.  The  next  will  have  a  majority  of  Whigs,  without 
any  reasonable  doubt.  In  the  State  of  New  York  we  have  a  Whig 
Governor,  and  a  majority  of  about  forty  in  the  House  of  Assembly ; 
but,  unfortunately,  we  are  in  a  minority  in  the  Senate  :  that,  too, 
we  shall  correct  in  the  fall  election.  The  city  for  the  first  time  in 
many  years  will  be  represented  in  the  next  Congress  by  four 
Whigs,  and  the  Mayor  and  a  majority  in  both  branches  of  the 
Common  Council  are  on  the  same  side.     On  the  whole,  we  may 

sing 

"  A  requiem  for  thirty-eight, 
And  a  health  to  thirty-nine." 

January  7.  —  The  club  dined  at  Mr.  Russell's,  Messrs.  Duer  and 
Colt  absent.     We  had,  among  the  supernumeraries,  Mr.  Webster, 


343  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

who  is  here  on  his  way  to  Washington.  He  was  in  exuberant 
spirits,  and  more  agreeable  than  I  have  seen  him  on  any  former 
occasion.  We  sat  until  eleven  o'clock,  and  broke  up  after  a  grand 
chorus  of  "  Auld  Lang  Syne." 

Jaiwary   28.  —  I   heard   a  capital  sermon  yesterday 
ro  essor         morniuiz  in  Trinity  Church,  from   Professor  McVickar, 

McVickar.  o  y  7  7 

of  Columbia  College.  He  does  not  often  treat  us  ;  but 
when  he  does,  it  is  a  treat  indeed.  He  comes  with  a  sermon  well 
prepared,  logical,  learned,  of  the  purest  luiglish,  and  a  style  sur- 
])assingly  beautiful.  His  voice  is  bad,  and  it  causes  a  little  pain  to 
listen  so  closely  as  is  necessary  for  one  who,  like  myself,  has  not 
the  sharpest  ears  in  the  world,  in  order  that  no  part  should  be  lost 
of  that  which  is  so  well  worth  hearing. 

Take  this  gentleman  for  "  all  in  all,"  he  is  the  loveli- 
ance  or  ^^^  ^^_^^^^  j  ^^^^^  ]<;new,  and  I  consider  the  ixitimacy  which 
exists  between  us  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  and 
highest  honours  I  enjoy.  He  has  ''  droj)!  in  "  frequently  of  late  to 
see  us  ;  last  evening  he  sat  about  an  hour,  cheerful,  playful,  and 
instructive  ;  such  a  mixture  of  learning  and  simphcity ;  a  head  so 
sound  and  a  heart  so  light ;  a  conscience  free  from  reproach,  and 
an  imagination  poetical  as  that  of  a  youthful  lover  !  And  this 
man  is  seventy-five  years  of  age.  So  much  for  good  habits,  early 
assumed  and  never  departed  from  ;  industry,  sobriety,  a  course  of 
life  void  of  offence  before  God  and  man  ;  an  enthusiastic  love  of 
literature  and  an  habitual  aversion  to  debt,  that  fell  disturber  of 
the  happiness  of  professional  men.  Such  is  James  Kent,  May  he 
live  as  long  as  this  world  and  those  "which  it  inherit  "  shall  con- 
tinue pleasant  to  him  !  As  for  myself,  "  I  wish  that  Heaven  had 
made  me  such  a  man." 

This  excellent  man,  the  contemporary  and  friend  of 
Stephen  Van     j^j^g    Kcut,  I  uow  mention  on  this  l^age,  not  to  record 

Rensselaer.         -"  '  1     &    J 

his  living  virtues,  but  to  mourn  his  decease.  He  died 
on  Saturday  last,  at  his  home  in  Albany,  suddenly,  whilst  seated  at 
the  dinner-table.     General  Van  Rensselaer  has  been  better  known 


1839.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  349 

by  the  familiar  and  affectionate  title  of  "  The  Patroon,"  —  a  Dutch 
word  to  express  "The  lord  of  the  manor,"  from  his  extensive  patri- 
monial estates.  He  has  held  many  important  civil  and  military 
offices.  He  was  a  Federalist  of  "  the  old  school,"  and  the  candi- 
date of  that  party  on  more  than  one  occasion  for  the  office  of  gov- 
ernor. Few  men  were  more  extensively  known  and  beloved.  Of 
gentlemanly  manners,  one  of  "  the  Lord's  noblemen,"  of  an  amiable 
disposition,  great  benevolence,  and  active  public  spirit.  His  ability 
to  do  good,  which  from  his  great  wealth  was  greater  than  that  of 
most  of  his  fellow-citizens,  was  never  sparingly  exerted  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  fellow- men,  nor  for  the  promotion  of  the  public  works 
of  the  State.  He  was  closely  identified  with  the  great  Canal  Sys- 
tem, and  an  early  and  active  coadjutor  of  DeWitt  Clinton  in  the 
great  work  which  immortalized  him. 

January  29.  —  My  wife  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  W. 
Ludlow ;  the  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Ogden, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald 
Gracie,  General  and  Miss  Tallmadge,  Mr.  Gabriel  Shaw,  Mr. 
William  H.  Harrison,  and  ourselves. 

March    18.  —  We    had    an    uncommonly    pleasant 
Hone  Club.       dinner  of  the  club  at  Blatchford's,  — gay,  jovial,  and 

somewhat  noisy.  This  was  caused  by  the  presence  of 
several  distinguished  and  agreeable  guests :  Mr.  Webster,  Mr. 
Southard,  Mr.  Meredith,  Mr.  Hoffman,  Mr.  Curtis,  Mr.  John  A. 
King,  and  Mr.  Young.  We  sat  until  to-morrow  was  near  at  hand. 
March  22.  —  The  rumors  of  war  on  the  north- 
Hard  Times,    eastcm  boundary,  —  burn  the  pine  logs  which  have  set 

it  a-going,  —  together  with  the  bank  difficulties  in  the 
Southern  and  Western  States,  occasioned  by  a  premature  resump- 
tion of  specie  payments,  have  caused  another  panic  in  New  York. 
The  blossoms  of  hope  which  had  sprung  up  in  the  brief  sunshine 
of  confidence  are  again  blighted  by  the  frost  of  suspicion.  The 
pockets  of  rich  men  which  had  opened  a  little  are  now  closely 
buttoned  up,  and  "  No  trust "  is  once  more  the  chilling  maxim  of 


350  THE   DIARY   OF    PIIILir    HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

commercial  dealings.  Stocks  have  fallen  suddenly  ;  trade  is  at  a 
standstill.  New  York  cannot  collect  her  debts,  and  the  banks  are 
looking  to  their  own  safety.  In  the  mean  time  the  markets  are 
higher  than  ever.  Beef  and  mutton  sell  at  eighteen  to  twenty-five 
cents  a  pound,  and  how  the  poor  man  manages  to  get  a  dinner 
for  his  family  passes  my  comprehension.  Suppose  we  succeed 
in  turning  out  Van  Buren  and  his  scurvy  pack,  shall  we  be  any 
better  off  ?     Doubtful,  very  doubtful  ! 

March  29.  —  I  went,  as  usual,  to  church  this  morn- 
Good  Friday,   ing,  and    afterward  into  Wall  street,  where  the  din  of 

business  drowns  the  sound  of  the  bell's  invitation  to 
worship,  and  the  gravity  of  devotion  is  put  out  of  countenance  by 
the  restless,  anxious  looks  of  speculative  men  of  ''  this  world." 
Good  Friday  was  formerly  kept  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
solemnity.  The  banks  and  most  of  the  shops  were  kept  closed, 
and  Episcopalians,  especially,  made  it  a  point  to  abstain  from 
business  as  strictly  on  that  day  as  on  the  Sabbath  ;  but  it  is  now 
scarcely  observed  at  all.  A  few  '*  church  people  "  attend  worship 
in  the  morning  of  the  day,  and  usually  hear  an  excellent  sermon ; 
for  if  there  be  anything  in  the  preacher,  the  sanctity  of  the 
occasion,  and  the  touching  service  of  the  church  for  the  day  can- 
not fail  to  bring  it  ^z///  but  as  for  the  suspension  of  business,  the 
high  rents  in  Broadway  and  the  dearness  of  the  markets  will  not 
allow  the  shopkeepers  to  lose  a  day. 

March  30.  —  The  monster  no  longer  keeps  guard 

at  the   mouth   of  his  den.     The  spectre  which  for  so 

Resignation. 

long  a  time  frighted  old  Jackson  "  from  his  propriety," 
and  subsequently  disturbed  the  slumbers  of  his  successor,  is  "  laid 
in  the  Red  Sea ;  "  or,  to  speak  more  to  the  point,  the  undaunted 
opponent  of  arbitrary  power,  and  the  skilful  regulator  of  currency 
and  credit,  has  retired  from  the  field  of  his  triumph  and  his  labours. 
The  resignation  of  Mr.  Biddle  as  a  director  and  the  president  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States  is  announced  in  the  papers  of  this  day. 
This  event,  unexpected  here,  and  known  only  to  a  few  friends  in 


1839J  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILII'    HONE.  35  I 

Philadelphia,  took  place  yesterday,  in  an  address  to  the  directors. 
He  puts  his  resignation  upon  the  ground  of  a  desire  for  retirement, 
the  necessity  for  which  is  indicated  by  a  delicate  state  of  health, 
which  may  be  attributed  to  most  laborious  exertions  for  twenty 
years  past  in  the  service  of  the  bank.  This  is,  no  doubt,  the  true 
reason,  although  rumor  has  given  out  others,  among  which  is  the 
preposterous  one  of  his  being  called  by  Mr.  Van  Buren  to  the  head 
of  the  Treasury  Department.  A  better  appointment,  certainly,  could 
not  be  made  ;  but  the  President  is  not  in  the  habit  of  doing  magnani- 
mous deeds,  and,  besides,  it  would  not  work  well  for  his  political 
objects.  His  own  party  would  find  it  somewhat  difficult  to  justify  the 
appointment  of  a  man  whom  they  have  been  taught  by  their  mas- 
ters for  the  last  eight  years  to  decry  and  vilify  at  Tammany  Hall, 
and  all  the  outposts  of  the  Loco-foco  army  of  stipendiaries.  Nor 
would  he  get  credit  with  his  political  adversaries  for  honest  inten 
tions,  or  a  desire  to  promote  the  public  good.  The  public  good  ! 
Fudge  !  What  does  it  mean?  The  term  is  often  used  for  purposes 
of  humbug,  but  its  meaning  is  obsolete. 

The  truth  is,  that  Mr.  Biddle  is  a  good  writer,  and  rather  prone 
to  trifle  in  the  flower}  paths  of  poetry  ;  and  now  that  he  has  had 
glory  enough  as  a  financier,  it  is  not  unnatural  that  he  should  seek 
for  literary  distinction.  Besides,  he  possesses  a  beautiful  seat  on  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware,  where  there  is  a  miniature  fac- simile  of  the 
monster's  marble  den  in  Chestnut  street ;  and  he  raises  fine  grapes, 
and  gets  a  good  price  for  them  in  the  Philadelphia  market,  and  has 
as  good  a  right  to  enjoy  otium  cum  dignitate  as  anybody  I  know. 

April  5. — Died  on  Tuesday  last,  at  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
Hezekiah  Niles,  the  conductor  of  "  Niles'  Register  "  (the  best 
statistical  publication  and  record  of  national  events  in  this  coun- 
try), and  the  father  of  the  "American  System."  His  name  stood 
high  on  the  tariff  of  private  worth  and  public  service. 

April  8. — Attended  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  vestry  of 
Trinity  Church.  An  application  from  a  committee  of  the  Histori- 
cal Society  for  the  use  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  which  to  celebrate 


352  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Inauguration  of  Washington,  was 
refused  (improperly,  I  think).  Preparations  are  making  by  the 
society  to  have  a  grand  affeir  on  this  occasion,  on  the  30th.  Mr. 
John  Quincy  Adams  has  consented  to  dehver  the  oration. 

April    15.  —  The    arrival    of  this  packet  has    been 

Arrival  of 

the  "Great  lookcd  for  With  great  anxiety.  She  sailed  on  March 
Western,"  23,  and  arrived  at  twelve  o'clock  last  night,  having 
encountered  on  her  voyage  an  unchanging  series  of  head-winds 
and  severe  gales.  This  is  the  longest  voyage  the  "Great  Western  " 
has  ever  made  ;  but  it  proves,  more  than  any  other,  the  advantage 
of  steam  navigation.  Captain  Hoskin  says  that  a  sailing-vessel 
would  not  (with  the  wind  and  weather  he  has  had)  have  been  now 
more  than  three  days  on  her  way  out. 

The  Hone  Club  dined  at  Mr.  Amory's.  All  the  members  were 
present  except  Mr.  Duer,  —  gone  to  Europe.  In  the  number  of 
guests  was  Mr.  Webster,  jovial  and  agreeable  as  usual.  I  think  it 
not  by  any  means  improbable  that  if  a  special  minister  should  be 
appointed  by  the  President,  under  the  act  of  Congress,  to  go  to 
England  about  the  boundary  question,  Mr.  Webster  may  be  the 
man.  He  told  me  that  the  Governor  of  Maine,  the  members  of 
Congress,  and  the  Legislature  of  that  State  had  united  without 
regard  to  party  in  an  application  to  that  effect,  and  I  am  tolerably 
sure  that  he  expects  it. 

April  20.  —  Died  last  evening,  at  Jersey  City,  Colonel  Aaron 
Ogden,  aged  eighty- three  years.  He  was  one  of  the  noble  band 
of  revolutionary  soldiers,  which  is  now  nearly  extinct.  A  fine  old 
American  gentleman ;  but,  like  many  of  his  class,  his  latter  years 
were  sparingly  cheered  by  the  smiles  of  fortune,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  rely  upon  the  scanty  emoluments  of  the  office  of  collector 
of  the  i)ort,  without  commerce,  of  the  City  of  Jersey. 

April  23.  —  The  frigate  "Constitution,"  the  fine  old 

sides  ""^  "        bull-dog  whose  bark  was  heard  first  in  the  late  war,  is 

now  in  our  harbour,  waiting  to  sail  on  a  cruise,  under 

command  of  Captain  Claxton.     She  lies  at  anchor  in  the  North 


1839]  .  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  353 

river,  off  the  Battery,  in  the  tranquillity  of  strength.  The  "  Mas- 
sachusetts "  steamer,  on  her  return  yesterday  from  the  excur- 
sion to  Sandy  Hook,  passed  up  the  river  close  to  her,  and  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  see  this  noble  arm  of  the  naval  power  of 
the  United  States. 

I   went   this  evening  to  the  Artists'    Supper    of  the 
National   Academy,    to   which    I    was    invited    as    an 

Supper. 

honorary  member.  This  entertainment  was  given  pre- 
paratory to  the  opening  to-morrow  of  the  spring  exhibition.  The 
number  at  table  was  about  fifty,  with  the  estimable  president,  Mr. 
Morse,  at  the  head,  who  returned  from  Europe  in  the  "  Great 
Western,"  and  myself  in  the  post  of  honour,  at  his  right  hand.  Our 
table  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  great  exhibition-room, 
brilliantly  lighted,  and  we  were  surrounded  by  the  beautiful  collec- 
tion of  pictures,  fresh  from  the  easels  of  the  accomplished  artists, 
who  were  partaking  of  the  double  enjoyment  of  the  banquet  before 
them  and  the  well-earned  reputation  derived  from  the  successful 
result  of  their  interesting  labours.  How  insignificant,  in  comparison 
to  these,  would  have  been  the  most  gorgeous  array  of  costly  mirrors, 
luxurious  hangings,  rich  carpets,  and  golden  ornaments  !  These 
are,  indeed,  the  precious  products  of  an  art  the  tendency  of  which 
is  to  refine  the  mind,  enrich  the  imagination,  and  soften  the  heart 
of  man. 

This  will  be  one  of  the  best  exhibitions  of  the  x\cademy.  It  is 
delightful  to  witness  the  improvement  from  year  to  year  of  the 
young  artists,  the  result  of  study  and  practice  under  the  instruction 
and  from  the  fine  classical  models  of  the  Academy ;  and  the  older 
members  grow  richer  and  more  mellow  as  their  talents  ripen  into 
maturity. 

The  school  of  Mount,  the  American  Wilkie,  appears  to  have 
attracted  many  aspirants  after  the  honours  of  that  class  of  subjects 
in  which  he  excels,  and  they  have  produced  several  capital  things. 
Foremost  in  the  number  stands  two  pictures  by  Mr.  Edmonds,  an 
amateur  painter,  —  one  representing  the  reading  of  a  penny  paper  j 


354  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

the  other,  "Commodore  IVumiion  "  and  "Tom  Pipes,"  from 
"  Roderick  Random,"  both  admirable  ;  indeed,  I  prefer  the  latter 
to  a  new  picture  of  Mount's,  "The  Rabbit  Trappers,"  which  he 
has  painted   for  Mr.  Charles  A.   Davis. 

I  am  puzzled  to  know  how  Mr.  Ivlmonds  finds  time,  in  the  midst 
of  his  laborious  occupation  as  cashier  of  the  Leather  Manufacturers' 
Bank,  to  devote  himself  to  an  art  so  foreign  to  his  ordinary  pur- 
suits, and  how,  under  so  great  a  disadvantage,  he  should  have 
arrived  at  such  proficiency. 

Death  of  Gen  ApRiL  24.  —  Mr.  Christopher  Hughes  has  just  heard 
erai  Smith,  of  the  death  of  his  father-indaw.  General  Samuel 
of  Baltimore,  g^^^j^j^^  ^^  Baltimore,  who  died  on  ^londay  last,  in  the 
eighty- seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  death  was  remarkable,  and 
such  as  every  old  man  should  desire.  He  had  returned  from  riding, 
lay  upon  the  sofa  to  refresh  himself,  and  was  found  dead  by  a  ser- 
vant who  entered  the  room. 

General  Smith  was  another  of  the  old  re\'olutionary  officers,  to 
whom  the  country  owes  so  much,  and  pays  so  little.  Happily,  in 
his  case  no  pecuniary  aid  was  requisite  ;  he  was  a  rich  man.  He 
signalized^ himself  on  several  occasions  during  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  has  been  almost  constantly  since  in  public  life ;  for 
many  years  a  representative  of  the  State  of  ALaryland  in  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  frequently  in  the  Legislature  of  that  State,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  ALiyor  of  Baltimore,  to  which  latter  office 
he  was  elected  (although  an  administration  man,  unopposed  by  the 
Whigs)  for  his  gallant  conduct  on  a  recent  occasion  when  the 
peace  of  the  city  was  disturl^ed  by  one  of  those  mobs  to  which 
Baltimore  has  unhappily  been  rather  frequently  exposed. 

April  25.  —  In  the  packet-ship  "  Siddons,"  which  sailed  to-day 
for  Liverpool,  went  passengers,  Mr.  William  Brown  and  wife,  of 
Liverpool ;  their  son,  Mr.  Alexander  Brown,  and  his  wife,  the  daugh- 
ter of  James  Brown,  of  this  city.  These  are  all  partners  or  ad- 
juncts of  the  great  mercantile  houses  of  William  and  James  Brown 
&  Co.,  of  Liverpool,  and  Brown  Brothers  &  Co.,   of  New  York. 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  355 

The  visit  of  William  Brown  and  his  wife  has  been  very  pleasant. 
They  have  married  their  only  son  to  his  cousin,  and  thereby  keep 
the  cash  from  going  out  of  the  family.  They  have  travelled  a 
great  deal  in  the  United  States,  visiting  last  winter  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  passed  considerable  time  with  their  friends  here  and  in 
Baltimore,  and  now  return  in  a  fine  ship,  at  the  most  favourable 
season  of  the  year ;  and  in  twenty  days  probably  the  senior  will 
again  be  engaged  in  making  money,  the  junior  in  devising  plans  to 
spend  it,  and  the  ladies  in  telling  their  friends  and  neighbours  "  all 
about  it." 

April  26.  —  General  Scott  has  returned  from  his  last  excursion 
to  the  northern  frontier,  where  he  was  sent  to  set  matters  to  rights 
between  the  loafer  royalists  of  Canada  and  the  loafer  patriots  of 
the  United  States.  I  do  not  know  how  he  has  succeeded,  for  I 
was  not  at  home  when  he  did  us  the  honour  to  call  this  morning. 
The  girls  saw  him,  and  say  he  looks  very  well,  considering  the  labour 
he  has  performed  within  the  last  two  or  three  months,  during  which 
time  he  has  been  constantly  employed  in  the  public  service,  adding 
to  his  military  renown  the  blessings  which  await  the  "  peace- 
maker." In  the  course  of  this  severe  tour  of  duty  he  has  travelled 
(by  land  principally)  forty-seven  hundred  miles.  He  is  now 
"  the  observed  of  all  observers ;  "  and  who  knows  what  he  may 
be  hereafter? 
^  ,  ,      .       ,       April  ^o.  —  The  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the 

Celebration  ot  '-' 

the  Historical  Inauguration  of  Washington,  which  took  place  in  this 
Society.  ^•j.y  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^l"  April,  1 789,  was  held  this  day,  and 

went  off  triumphantly.  I  was  one  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments, and,  as  the  day  approached,  became  extremely  anxious  and 
nervous,  from  an  apprehension  that  sufficient  interest  had  not  been 
excited,  and  that  the  distinguished  guests  of  the  society  from  other 
States  might  witness  a  failure.  But  my  fears  were  groundless.  It 
could  not  have  been  better. 

The  members  of  the  society  and  invited  guests  assembled  at  the 
City  Hotel,  and  walked  in  procession  to  the  New  Dutch  Church,  in 


356  THE   DIARY    OP^    PHILir    HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

Nassau  street.  The  church  was  filled  on  our  arrival,  and  hundreds 
could  not  obtain  admission,  seats  having  been  reserved  for  the  per- 
sons forming  the  procession.  On  the  stage  erected  in  front  of  the 
pulpit  were  seats  for  the  orator ;  for  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  the  president ; 
for  myself,  vice-president  of  the  society ;  and  for  Judge  Davis,  of 
Massachusetts  ;  Judges  Tliompson  and  Betts ;  Rev.  Drs.  DeWitt, 
Knox,  and  Wainwright ;  Governor  Pennington,  of  New  Jersey;  Mr. 
Southard  and  General  Scott.  The  ceremony  commenced  with  a 
prayer  from  Dr.  Knox,  one  of  the  pastors  of  the  church.  Long, 
dull,  and  inappropriate,  to  which  succeeded  an  ode,  written  for 
the  occasion  by  Mr,  Bryant,  and  sung  by  the  choir  of  the  church 
to  the  sublime  tune  of  Old  Hundred  Psalm.  The  ode,  in  my 
judgment,  is  very  so-so,  considering  it  is  the  production  of  the 
crack  poet  of  New  York. 

Then  came  the  oration,  by  the  venerable  ex- President  of  the 
United  States,  John  Quincy  Adams.  It  was  in  truth  "well  to  be 
there."  It  does  not  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  any  man  to  hear  or 
read  so  masterly  a  production,  eloquent  in  language,  powerful  in 
argument,  refined  in  taste,  glowing  with  patriotism,  and  fraught 
with  instruction.  The  history  of  the  formation  of  the  gov^ernment, 
of  the  desolate  state  of  public  affairs  in  the  dreary  interval  between 
the  termination  of  the  war  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence ; 
the  violent  and  pertinacious  opposition  of  the  Anti-Federalists 
to  the  new  Constitution ;  and,  finally,  the  glorious  consummation 
of  the  principles  of  the  Revolution  and  the  establishment  of 
liberty  and  peace  by  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  the  seal  to 
which  was  affixed  by  the  event  we  were  celebrating.  All  this, 
together  with  some  touching  and  interesting  details  of  events 
attending  the  triumphal  journey  of  Washington,  his  reception  in 
this  city,  and  the  administering  of  the  oath  in  front  of  the  City 
Hall,  —  this  day  fifty  years  ago,  —  were  given  in  a  voice  and  man- 
ner eloquent  and  animated,  but  tremulous  and  feeble.  The  orator 
occupied  a  little  more  than  two  hours  in  reading  it,  and  skipped 
over  many  leaves.     I  am  much  mistaken   if,  when  it  comes  to  be 


1839.]"  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  357 

read,  it  does  not  prove  to  be  one  of  the  most  able  political  papers 
known  in  this  country.  Broad,  old-fashioned,  federal  doctrine, 
strongly  laid  down  and  stoutly  supported,  and  proven  to  have  been 
that  on  which  alone  the  Government  could  be  successfully  formed 
and  happily  maintained. 

The  ceremonies  in  the  church  were  concluded  by  a  truly  apos- 
tolic benediction  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wainvvright,  delivered  with  all 
that  fervour  and  devotional  solemnity  which  characterizes  my  rever- 
end and  estimable  friend. 

Then  came  the  tug-of-war.  At  five  o'clock  the  sub- 
The  Dinner,  scribcrs  to  the  diuucr  and  the  invited  guests  began  to 
assemble  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  a  few  minutes  before 
six  the  company  were  seated  at  the  table.  I  had  been  dragged 
into  this  affair  somewhat  unwillingly,  for  I  doubted  if  there  was 
patriotic  feeling  enough  in  this  busy,  money-seeking,  interested 
community  to  get  up  and  carry  through  a  thing  of  this  sort,  upon 
abstract  principles  of  patriotism,  without  political  excitement  or 
present  popular  impulse.  There  was  no  danger  about  the  cere- 
monies of  the  church.  Admission  cost  nothing,  and  there  would 
be  naturally  more  or  less  curiosity  to  hear  a  gentleman  whose 
talents  all  acknowledged,  and  whose  public  career  has  been  marked, 
of  late,  with  considerable  eccentricity.  There  was  no  ground  for 
apprehension  on  that  subject.  But  the  dinner  —  the  dinner — there 
was  the  rub  ;  and  after  inviting  some  twenty  distinguished  guests,  to 
have  failed  there  and  presented  a  beggarly  account  of  empty  seats 
would  have  been  mortifying  indeed.  Impressed  with  these  feel- 
ings I  worked  tolerably  hard,  toward  the  last,  to  avert  the  conse- 
quence I  apprehended ;  but  my  mind  was  never  at  ease  until  the 
hour  of  assembling,  when  I  found  that  all  was  right.  There  was  an 
assemblage  of  first-rate  men,  large  as  the  saloon  of  the  City  Hotel 
could  conveniently  accommodate.  There  were  three  tables  down 
the  length  of  the  room,  each  containing  sixty-two  places,  all  filled, 
besides  the  cross- table  at  the  top,  at  which  were  seated  the  guests 
to  the  number  of  about  eighteen.     Mr.  Stuyvesant,  the  president, 


358  THE   DIARY   OF   rHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

presided.  I  was  the  first  vice-president,  and  Judge  Betts  and 
Charles  King  the  others. 

The  guests  consisted  of  Mr.  Adams;  Mr.  Southard,  United  States 
senator  from  New  Jersey  ;  Governor  Pennington,  of  Massachusetts  ; 
Rev.  Mr.  Day,  of  Connecticut ;  the  delegate  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Maine ;  Judge  Thompson,  Supreme  Court ;  General 
Scott ;  Commodore  Claxton,  commanding  the  frigate  "Constitution," 
now  in  port ;  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis  ;  Col.  John  Trumbull ;  Rev.  Dr. 
Wainwright,  of  the  Episcopal  Church  ;  Rev.  Dr.  DeWitt  and  Dr. 
Knox,  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church ;  Mr.  Grenville  Mellen ; 
Count  Roenne,  Prussian  charge  d'affaires;  President  Duer,  of 
C^olumbia  College  ;  besides  which  there  were  present,  as  subscribers, 
all  the  city  judges,  many  eminent  lawyers,  and  distinguished  lit- 
erary men.  A  strong  choir,  consisting  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Horn,  his 
son,  Mr.  Sinclair,  and  Mr.  Kyle,  sang  fine  old  glees,  and  occa- 
sionally a  solo ;  and  performed  Non  tiobis^  Domine^  with  great 
solemnity,  immediately  after  Dr.  Wainwright's  eloquent  benedic- 
tion. An  ode  was  also  recited  by  Mr.  Mellen,  which  was  written 
by  him  for  the  occasion.  The  hall  was  decorated  by  Stuart's  fine 
portraits  of  the  first  five  presidents,  the  property  of  Col.  George 
Gibbs,  and  in  front  of  the  orchestra  was  suspended  Pyne's  original 
portrait  of  A\'ashington,  belonging  to  Mr.  Brevoort.  A  transparent 
painting  was  placed  behind  the  president's  chair,  representing  the 
old  Federal  Hall,  formerly  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,  with  the 
ceremony  of  the  inauguration  as  it  was  then  performed.  This  was 
covered  with  a  curtain,  and  was  exposed  to  view  when,  in  the 
course  of  the  proceedings,  the  first  allusion  was  made  to  it. 

Mr.  Adams  replied  to  the  third  toast  in  a  touching  and  eloquent 
speech.  Commodore  Claxton  acknowledged  the  compliment  to 
the  Navy.  Governor  Pennington,  Mr.  Southard,  Judge  Davis,  and 
several  other  gentlemen  addressed  the  company.  The  address  of 
Mr.  Southard  was  particularly  fine;  its  subject,  the  "Judiciary,"  to 
which  important  branch  of  the  government  the  orator  paid  a 
deserved  tribute  of  homage. 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  359 

After  the  regular  toasts  the  president  called  upon  me  for  a 
volunteer.  I  made  a  speech  in  allusion  to  the  great  events  which 
occurred  on  the  day  we  were  celebrating  within  the  gallery  of 
the  old  Federal  Hall,  the  view  of  which  was  directly  in  front  of 
me,  and  read  some  extracts  from  an  account  of  the  proceedings, 
and  from  the  speech  which  was  then  pronounced  by  Washington,  all 
of  which  I  had  previously  obtained  from  the  "  New  York  Gazette  " 
of  May  I,  1789.  I  also  took  occasion  to  pass  a  compliment  upon 
the  veteran  Governor  Lewis,  now  present,  who  then,  as  Colonel 
Lewis,  commanded  the  troops  who  escorted  the  President  from 
his  lodgings  to  the  hall.  I  concluded  my  speech  by  the  following 
toast,  which  was  well  received  :  "  The  old  Federal  Hall :  it  wit- 
nessed the  greatest  contract  ever  made  in  Wall  street.  It  is  our 
precious  inheritance ;  let  us  ever  remember  that  we,  also,  have  a 
covenant  to  perform."  Thus  ended  brilliantly  the  day  which  I 
had  anticipated  with  painful  misgivings. 

May  I .  —  May  day  is  fine,  pleasant  weather,  much  to  the  com- 
fort of  jaded  wives  and  fretting  husbands.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  moving  in  the  streets  out  of  Broadway,  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
city,  but  less,  I  think,  than  usual  amongst  the  tenants  of  good 
houses.  But  the  pulling  down  of  houses  and  stores  in  the  lower 
parts  is  awful.  Brickbats,  rafters  and  slates  are  showering  down 
in  every  direction.  There  is  no  safety  on  the  sidewalks,  and  the 
head  must  be  saved  at  the  expense  of  soiling  the  boots.  In  Wall 
street,  besides  the  great  Exchange,  which  occupies  with  huge 
blocks  of  granite  a  few  acres  of  the  highway  of  merchants,  there  is 
the  beautiful  new  Bank  of  the  United  States  opposite,  still  obstruct- 
ing the  walk.  Besides  which,  four  banks  —  the  City,  Manhat- 
tan, Merchants',  and  Union  —  are  in  progress  of  destruction ;  it 
looks  like  the  ruins  occasioned  by  an  earthquake.  The  house  on 
the  corner  of  Broadway  is  undergoing  alteration,  which  usurps  the 
sidewalk.  My  poor,  dear  house,  235  Broadway,  is  coming  down 
forthwith,  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  home  of  my  happy  days  will  be 
incontinently  swept  from  the  earth.     Farther  up,  at  the  comer  of 


360  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

Chambers  street,  a  row  of  low  buildings  has  been  removed  to  make 
way  for  one  of  those  mighty  edifices  called  hotels,  —  eating,  drink- 
ing, and  lodging  above  and  gay  shops  below ;  and  so  all  the  way 
up ;  the  spirit  of  pulling  down  and  building  up  is  abroad.  The 
whole  of  New  York  is  rebuilt  about  once  in  ten  years. 

May  3.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  William  H.  Aspinwall,  when  I  met 
the  army  and  the  navy,  embodied  in  Cxeneral  Scott  and  Com- 
mander Claxton,  myself  observing  a  sort  of  amphibious  neutrality 
between  the  two. 

May  6.  —  I  went  on  Saturday  evening  to  a  meeting 
Kent  Club.       of  the  Kent  Club,  at  David  B.  Ogden's. 

These  have  been  pleasant  reunions  throughout  the 
winter.  The  club  consists  of  judges  and  lawyers,  who  meet  and 
sup  at  each  others'  houses  on  Saturday  evenings  in  succession; 
distinguished  strangers  are  invited,  and  a  few  laymen,  in  which  last 
number  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  frequently  included.  I 
have  not  always  been  able  to  attend  when  invited,  but  when  I  have, 
the  conversation  of  these  learned  "  luminaries  of  the  law  "  has 
greatly  instructed  and  delighted  me.  The  evening  is  usually 
divided  equally  between  wisdom  and  joviality.  Until  ten  o'clock 
they  talk  law  and  science  and  philosoi)hy,  and  then  the  scene 
changes  to  the  supper-table,  where  lilackstone  gives  place  to  Heid- 
sick,  reports  of  champagne  bottles  are  preferred  to  law  reports, 
and  the  merits  of  oyster  pafcs  and  cliarlotk-russe  are  alone 
summed  up. 
^,     ^,      ,  A    si^ilendid    church    edifice     has    been    erected     in 

New  Church  ^ 

of  the  Broadway,  opposite  Waverly  place,  for  the  congrega- 

^^"''^''-  tion  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dewey,  —  Unita- 

rians, who  worshipped  formerly  in  the  church  corner  of  Prince  and 
Mercer  streets,  which  was  burnt  down.  The  new  church  was 
dedicated  on  Thursday  last,  and  there  was  service  in  it  yesterday 
morning  and  evening.  The  congregation  is  very  large,  which,  with 
a  large  number  of  persons  of  other  denominations,  attracted  by 
the  popularity  of  the  pre:u:her  and  the  beauty  of  the  edifice,  occa- 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  36 1 

sioned  a  crowd  sufficient  to  fill  the  church  and  all  the  approaches 
to  it.  The  building  is  of  stone,  with  a  noble  square  tower,  which  is 
conspicuous  the  whole  length  of  Broadway.  The  interior  is  very 
fine,  and  the  arrangement  of  the  pews,  the  pulpit,  and  the  choir 
novel  and  commodious.  The  walls  are  painted  in  fresco,  giving  a 
solemn  religious  aspect  to  this  splendid  temple,  equalled  by  no 
other  in  the  city.  But,  in  fact,  the  architecture  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  city,  both  in  private  and  public  buildings,  is  so  greatly  im- 
proved, that  the  two  extremes  present  an  appearance  as  dissimilar 
as  that  of  the  old  and  the  new  towns  of  Edinburgh. 

May  14. — During  my  absence  Governor  Seward 
Sc\v7^d.^  has  been  in  town  for  two  days,  Thursday  and  Fri- 
day. He  came  to  attend  the  anniversary  meeting  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  where  he  made  a  speech.  He  did  me 
the  honour  to  call  upon  me.  Blatchford  says  that,  in  speaking  of 
me,  he  said  I  was  one  of  the  few  men  in  New  York  to  whom  he 
was  desirous  to  make  the  first  visit.  I  was  invited  to  meet  him  at 
dinner  on  Thursday,  at  Mr.  Amory's.  Neither  the  sport  on  Long 
Island  nor  the  pleasure  of  my  recent  excursion  was  sufficient  to 
compensate  me  for  the  loss  I  sustained  in  not  meeting  my  good 
friend,  the  excellent  Whig  governor. 

May  15.  —  Loco-focoism  triumphed  yesterday  in 
ew    ommon  ^^^^  result  of  their  late  unrio;hteous  success.     The  new 

Council.  '^ 

mayor,  Isaac  L.  Varian,  was  sworn  into  office  by  his 
"  illustrious  predecessor,"  Aaron  Clark,  who  appears  to  have  per- 
formed the  ceremony  with  an  exceeding  good  grace.  Whether 
the  new  functionary  w^ill  "  follow  in  his  footsteps  "  is  exceedingly 
doubtful.  This,  however,  is  not  so  bad,  except  so  far  as  it  indi- 
cates the  downfall  of  good  principles  in  the  city  government 
generally,  for  I  think  Mr.  Varian  the  best  man  of  his  party.  He 
is  an  illiterate  man,  but  honest  and  of  a  strong  mind,  and  will 
discharge  his  duties  well,  if  his  party  will  let  him.  But  he  will 
be  ashamed  sometimes  of  the  shoulders  upon  which  he  has 
ridden  into  office,  and  the  disorderly  proceedings  of  the  mob  in 


362  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^.tat.  59. 

the  common-council  chamber,  on  the  occasion  of  his  inaugura- 
tion, must  have  given  him  an  unpleasant  foretaste  of  the  charac- 
ters of  his  supporters.  It  was  a  shameful  exhibition  of  riot  and 
blackguardism.  They  rushed  into  the  area  of  the  chamber, 
usurped  the  places  of  the  members,  interrupted  the  proceedings, 
knocked  down  the  officers,  and  even  in  the  sacred  presence  of 
"old  Hays"  himself  didn't  ''care  a  damn  for  Uncle  Barnacle." 
The  work  of  destruction  and  the  distribution  of  the  spoils  is 
not  ready,  but  the  knife  will  be  sharpened,  and  the  rewards  of 
faithful  electioneering  services  prepared  against  the  next  meeting. 
May    20. — The  Church   of   the   Messiah   is   all  the 

The  C'hurcli  of    -.      ,   .  ^m  i  i   •    i  i      •  r^         i 

the  Messiih  l^shiou.  1  hc  crowds  which  attend  it  on  Sunday 
morning  make  our  neighbourhood  exceedingly  gay. 
The  ladies,  in  particular,  pass  by  in  great  numbers,  attracted  by  a 
handsome  new  church,  and  doctrines  somewhat  out  of  the  regular 
track  of  Orthodoxy.  Dr.  Channing,  the  great  apostle  of  Unitari- 
anism,  preached  in  the  morning.  I  promised  my  friend  Grinnell, 
last  evening  at  Hall's,  to  go  and  hear  him  ;  but  the  church  was 
filled  at  an  early  hour,  to  the  exclusion  of  thousands.  I  went, 
however,  to  the  evening  service,  and  heard  the  regular  pastor  of 
the  congregation.  Dr.  Dewey,  who  preaches  very  pretty  moral 
sermons. 

May  30.  —  One  hundred  and  sixty-one  lots,  being 
Sale  of  Lots,  part  of  Henry  Eckford's  property  on  Seventh  and 
Eighth  avenues,  and  2  2d,  23d,  and  24th  streets, 
were  sold  to-day  at  auction,  at  very  high  prices.  The  sale 
amounted  to  $224,045,  being  an  average  of  more  than  $1,500 
a  lot,  and  a  large  part  of  the  property  remains  unsold. 

Among  the  maritime  exploits  with  which  these 
Iron  steamer,  advciiturous  timcs  abouud,  the  arrival,  on  Wednesday 
last,  of  a  little  steam  schooner,  called  the  "  Robert  L. 
Stockton,"  from  England,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  She 
sailed  from  Gravesend  on  the  13th  of  Ai)ril.  She  is  only  ten 
feet  wide  and  seventy  feet  long,  and  her  burthen  is   thirty  tons. 


1839-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  363 

She  is  built  entirely  of  wrought  sheet-iron,  and  intended  as  a 
towing  vessel  on  the  New  Jersey  canal.  The  commander  is  Cap- 
tain Crane.  She  performed  her  voyage  in  forty-six  days,  with  no 
serious  disaster  except  the  loss  of  one  seaman,  who  was  washed 
off  this  little  cockle-shell  by  one  of  the  seas  which  were  con- 
stantly sweeping  her  decks.  Never,  I  presume,  was  the  western 
ocean  crossed  in  so  small  a  craft.  There  was  not  room  enough 
to  lie  straight  nor  to  stand  erect.  This  little  vessel  lies  near  the 
Battery,  and  is  visited  by  hundreds  of  curious  persons,  anxious  to 
realize  the  possible  truth  of  the  nursery  story  about  the  "  three 
men  of  Gotham"  who  "  went  to  sea  in  a  bowl." 
^    .    ,   ^  Tune  i  .  —  This  most  fortunate  of  all  steamers  ar- 

Arrival  ot  -' 

the "  Great  rivcd  here  last  night.  She  sailed  from  Bristol  on  her 
Western.  rcgular  day,  the  i8th  of  May,  making  her  passage  in 

thirteen  days,  —  the  shortest  western  passage  ever  yet  accomplished. 
Captain  Hoskin,  whom  I  saw  in  Wall  street  this  morning,  says 
their  voyage  was  delightful.  One  of  our  North-river  steamboats 
could  have  made  it  in  the  same  time,  and  as  pleasantly. 

This  seems  to  be  incredible.  I  turn  back  a  few  leaves  of  this 
journal,  and  find  there,  that  on  the  2  2d  day  of  April,  just  thirty- nine 
days  ago,  we  accompanied  the  "  Great  Western "  to  sea.  Four 
days  previously  Mr.  Pontois  dined  with  us,  and  this  morning  I 
shake  hands  with  the  captain,  and  have  the  account  of  the  minis- 
ter's arrival.  On  my  way  to  market  this  morning  I  met  Wallack. 
It  is  exactly  six  weeks  since  I  saw  him  act  at  his  farewell  benefit, 
since  which  he  has  been  to  England,  engaged  performers,  made 
all  his  arrangements  for  a  theatrical  campaign  at  the  National 
Theatre,  spent  several  days  with  his  family,  and  here  he  is  again, 
kissing  the  ends  of  his  fingers  to  me  in  Broadway  before  nine 
o'clock.  I  knew  he  was  a  passenger  on  board  the  "  Great 
Western,"  recognized  him  through  the  disguise  of  a  new  pair  of 
moustaches,  but  in  the  realization  of  the  whole  thing  I  was  in- 
clined to  doubt  the  evidence  of  my  senses.  The  steamer  is  full 
of  passengers,  —  about  one  hundred  and  ten,  —  and  in  the  number 


364  THE   DIARY    OF   nilLlP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

are  several  of  our  friends  and  acquaintances  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H. 
Pendleton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douglas  Cruger,  Mr.  Thorn  and  his  son 
Herman,  John  Van  Buren,  and  George  Parish. 

June  6.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us:  Mr.  Rob- 
ert Gilmor,  Jonathan  Meredith,  Herman  Thorn,  Robert  Ray, 
Henry  Brevoort,  and  William  H.  Aspinwall. 

June  18. —  I  went  out  yesterday  with  my  wife  and  daughter  to 
dine  with  my  old  friends,  the  Lydigs,  at  West  Farms,  and  had  truly 
a  delightful  day.  The  beautiful  grounds  on  the  Bronx  river  are 
in  fine  order ;  such  a  profusion  of  roses  and  other  flowers  I  have 
scarcely  ever  seen.  We  had  an  excellent  dinner  :  Lydig's  fine  old 
wine  and  abundance  of  delicious  strawberries,  with  a  welcome 
hearty  as  the  one,  and  unstinted  as  the  other.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Suydam,  with  some  of  their  family,  were  of  the  party.  I-ydig  and 
Suydam  are  both  in  indifferent  health,  and  the  latter  dreadfully 
hipped,  and  prone  to  water-drinking.  But  our  gossipings  about  old 
times,  the  good  cheer  and  lovely  scenery,  set  the  old  gentlemen  on 
their  legs  for  the  time  being,  and  both,  I  am  j^ersuaded,  went  to 
bed  better  than  they  have  been  for  a  twelvemonth.  So  much  for  the 
innocent  enjoyments  which  this  world,  bad  as  we  think  it,  affords. 
June  24.  —  The  state  of  the  markets  in  Europe  for 
the  two  great  products  of  the  South  and  West,  as  re- 
ported by  the  arrival  of  the  ''  Great  Western,"  has  pro- 
duced a  state  of  things  in  our  commercial  world  of  Wall  street  and 
elsewhere,  disastrous  and  gloomy  almost  as  that  of  the  great  crisis 
three  years  ago.  Plour  has  fallen  three  dollars  a  barrel,  and  cotton 
has  become  a  drug  in  the  hands  of  the  holders.  The  quantity  on 
hand  of  both  these  great  articles  is  unusually  large,  owing  to  the 
rapacity  of  the  producers  and  the  speculators,  who,  not  satisfied 
with  regular  business  and  moderate  profits,  must  try  to  get  rich  in 
a  single  year.  Now  many  of  the  millers  and  cotton-planters  are 
mined,  and  their  factors  here  have  suffered  severely.  The  natural 
consequence  of  all  this  is  a  recurrence  of  dreadfully  hard  times. 
The  jobber  cannot  collect  his  debts  nor  sell  his  goods ;   the  capital- 


i839]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  365 

ist  gripes  his  money  with  the  hand  of  death ;  confidence  is  again  at 
an  end.  Stocks  are  low,  and  ordinary  beef  is  selling  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-one  cents  per  pound. 

June  30.  —  Feeling  a  little  in  want  of  exercise,  I  crossed  the 
Christopher-street  ferry  to  Hoboken,  this  afternoon,  walked  on  the 
beautiful  bank  to  the  Elysiaii  Fields,  and  found  a  shady  spot  to 
smoke  a  cigar  and  read  "  Childe  Harold." 

July  3.  —  Mr.  Van  Buren,  agreeably  to  previous  ar- 
rriva  o         raugement,  arrived  in  New  York  on  Tuesday.     The  party 

the  President.  o  /  j  v         j 

have  made  the  most  they  could  of  this  event.  There  was 
a  great  military  parade.  His  arrival  was  anticipated  by  commit- 
tees who  met  him  on  the  way.  The  Loco-foco  corporation,  united 
to  the  faithful  of  Tammany  Hall,  received  him  at  Castle  Garden. 
Mr.  Edmonds,  formerly  of  the  Senate,  an  office-holder  under  the 
government,  addressed  him  j  and  his  reply,  confirming  all  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  abominable  sub-treasury  project,  was  received  with 
shouts  by  his  partisans.  The  military  parade  was  very  imposing ; 
but,  besides  that,  it  does  not  appear  that  there  was  much  to  gratify 
his  feelings,  if  he  estimates  at  their  true  value  the  unbought  atten- 
tions of  gentlemen  and  honest  men. 

July  9.  —  I  called  yesterday  morning  and  paid  my  respects  to 
the  President,  at  his  quarters  in  Washington  Hall.  He  left  this 
morning  to  visit  Mr.  Hunter  at  Westchester,  Washington  Irving  and 
Governor  Kemble  on  the  North  river,  and  after  these  and  other  visits 
to  his  friends,  and  an  affectionate  recognition  of  Kinderhook,  the 
town  that  claims  the  honour  of  being  his  birthplace,  he  intends  to 
pass  a  few  weeks  at  Saratoga,  where  the  faithful  will,  no  doubt,  be 
summoned  to  meet  and  render  homage  to  him.  During  the  Presi- 
dent's stay  in  New  York  he  has  visited  most  of  the  public  places 
in  the  constant  custody  of  a  set  of  men  who  are  not  (unless  he  has 
greatly  changed)  the  sort  of  folks  he  would  have  chosen  for  his 
associates ;  but  party  politics,  like  poverty,  bring  men  "  acquainted 
with  strange  bedfellows."  Moxie  told  me  that  he  saw  him  the 
other  evening  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ming,  a 


366  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

fellow  called  Riall,  and  a  young  lawyer  who  had  been  discharged 
from  the  office  of  Davis  for  dishonesty.  The  old  Republicans  either 
choose  to  stand  aloof,  or  are  not  allowed  by  the  Loco-foco  rabble, 
who  have  gotten  possession  of  his  person,  to  approach  too  near, 
lest  they  might  do  something  to  lessen  their  own  influence.  As 
President  of  the  United  States  he  was  entitled  to,  and  would  have 
received,  the  attentions  of  men  of  all  parties  ;  but  as  he  has  avowed 
that  his  visit  was  intended  for  his  own  political  friends,  and  has 
consigned  himself  to  the  care  of  the  worst  part  of  that  clique,  it  is 
well  to  let  them  retain  possession  of  him.  "  As  he  has  baked,  so 
let  him  brew." 

July  10.  —  My  wife,  my  daughter,  and  I  passed  a  delightful  day 
at  Gardiner  G.  Rowland's,  at  Flushing.  Rowland's  noble  farm  is 
in  superb  order.  The  teeming  earth  groans  under  the  weight  of 
the  golden  harvest,  and  the  whole  face  of  Nature  smiles  with  the 
prospect  of  abundance  which  she  is  about  dispensing  tj  mankind. 
Oh,  if  the  farmer  would  be  satisfied  with  his  crops,  the  merchant 
with  regular  gains,  the  fruit  of  moderate  enterprise,  and  the  profes- 
sional man  with  the  exercise  of  his  legitimate  talents,  and  all  of 
them  keep  clear  of  extravagant  speculation,  how  much  more  happy 
and  independent  we  should  be  ! 

July   16.  —  We  are    here    located   (as  we    Yankees 
s^rL"s*  ^^.VQ  it)   at  the  United  States  Hotel,  and  no  watering- 

place  in  this  or  any  other  country  can  boast  of  a  pleas- 
anter  establishment,  or  one  better  conducted.  We  have  a  suite  of 
two  parlours  and  four  bedrooms,  in  the  delightful  south  wing.  Sev- 
eral additional  buildings  have  been  erected  since  the  last  season, 
and  the  ground  laid  out  in  a  well-mowed  and  well-rolled  lawn,  and 
clean  gravel  walks.  A  large  club-house  and  two  cottages,  in  an  ex- 
ceedingly pretty  style  of  architecture,  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
grounds  and  the  comfort  of  the  visitors.  On  the  whole,  there  has 
never  been  accommodation  so  good  at  Saratoga. 

The  house  is  nearly  full,  but  as  yet  not  many  of  my  intimate 
acquaintances  have  made  their  appearance.     My  excellent  friend,. 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  367 

Mr.  Bradish,  the  lieutenant-governor,  left  Saratoga  this  morning 
much  to  my  regret.  Governor  Seward  will,  however,  be  here  in  a 
few  days,  and  Mr.  Clay  is  expected  on  his  return  from  Quebec. 
With  such  auxiliaries  the  Whigs  will  hold  up  their  heads  "  sky 
high,  sky  high,  Mr.  Speaker."  The  President  was  expected  at  the 
United  States ;  but  it  is  said  that  he  will  go,  on  his  arrival,  to  the 
Pavilion.  We  are  not  Loco-foco  enough  for  him,  or  perhaps  not 
genteel  enough ;  for  it  has  been  proved  lately  that  he  mingles  with 
none  but  choice  spirits,  and  holds  communion  only  with  Riall  gen- 
tlemen. Apropos  of  puns  :  approaching  a  little  knot  in  the  drawing- 
room  this  evening,  I  overheard  Mr.  Mead  saying,  "  If  a  man  had 
five  hundred  wives,  so  and  so."  "What  do  you  think,"  said  St. 
Clair  Clarke,  "  of  a  man  with  five  hundred  wives,  Mr.  Hone  ?  " 
"Why,  I  think,"  I  replied,  "  he  must  be  a  hajrm-scarem  fellow." 

July  17. — -The  papers  give  a  gloomy  account  of  commercial 
aifairs  in  New  York,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  reports  of  our  New 
York  visitors.  Business  is  dull,  stocks  low,  and  money  scarce. 
All  are  looking  with  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  the  great  new 
steamer,  the  "  British  Queen,"  while  none  expect  favourable  news 
by  her.  As  a  set-off  against  all  these  evil  influences,  the  accounts 
of  the  crops  in  every  part  of  the  country  are  extremely  cheering ; 
people  from  all  parts  of  the  Union  are  here,  and  all  agree  that  the 
prospects  of  great  crops  have  in  no  former  season  been  exceeded. 
The  State  of  Michigan,  which,  two  or  three  years  ago,  bought  all  the 
flour  she  used,  will  have  this  year  a  surplus  for  sale  of  a  million  and 
a  half  bushels  of  wheat.  I  do  not  know  what  political  economists 
may  say  to  this,  but  it  does  appear  to  me  that  good  must  come 
of  it. 

July  19.  —  A  ball  this  evening,  but  I  do  not  think  it  was  as 
pleasant  as  the  hop  on  Wednesday  evening.  I  officiated  as  mana- 
ger, with  Colonel  McAllister,  Messrs.  Wilson,  Stockton,  Tevis,  etc. 
The  balls  are  understood  to  require  more  dressing,  and  a  greater 
degree  of  etiquette  prevails,  so  that  the  young  ladies  do  not  engage 
in  them  with  so  great  avidity  as  in  the  hops ;  but,  on  the  other 


368  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lIlLlP    HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

hand,  there  are  champagne,  and  ice-cream,  and  blancmange,  whose 
agreeable  presence  is  confined  to  the  most  dignified  of  these 
amusements. 

An  extract  from  a  St.  Louis  newspaper  states  that 
Buffaloes.  the  huutcrs  had  come  in  with  twenty-four  thousand 
buffalo-robes  and  a  quantity  of  beaver,  worth  altogether 
$100,000.  Twenty- four  thousand  buffaloes  !  what  a  sublime  idea 
for  any  man  who  has  ever  seen  a  buffalo  or  a  drawing  of  one, 
or  heard  him  described ;  only  imagine  a  drove  of  twenty-four 
thousand  oxen  —  but  the  imagination  cannot  keep  pace  with  the 
magnificent  scale  on  which  the  works  of  nature  are  represented  in 
the  regions  of  the  great  West.  I  suppose  that  immense  number 
of  huge  living  animals  would  look  on  the  prairies  like  a  flock  of 
sheep  on  Hempstead    Plains. 

July  23.  — The  "  Great  Western  "  arrived  at  New  York  yester- 
day, having  sailed  from  Bristol  on  the  6th.  The  movements  of 
this  fine  vessel  have  gotten  to  be  as  regular  as  the  rising  and  setting 
of  the  sun,  or  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  tide.  She  brings  intelli- 
gence quite  as  bad  f  )r  the  commercial  world  as  was  anticipated. 
Cotton  has  fallen,  American  stocks  a  drug,  and  the  rate  of  bank 
interest  five  and  a  half  per  cent.,  and  about  to  be  raised  to  six. 
The  United  States  of  America,  by  the  grace  of  Ood,  free  and  inde- 
pendent as  they  vaunt  themselves,  have,  by  a  course  of  extravagant 
speculations,  aided  by  bad  management  of  the  government,  and  the 
indulgence  of  personal  spite  of  "  the  Greatest  and  Best,"  brought 
themselves  into  a  state  of  thraldom  to  their  old  masters  nearly  as 
great  as  that  which  existed  previous  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. All  we  undertake  to  do  is  predicated  on  the  chance  of 
borrowing  money  from  John  Bull.  We  try  to  borrow  so  much,  that 
the  credit  even  of  the  State  stocks  is  impaired.  Cotton,  the  only 
thing  we  have  to  pay  with,  is  placed  at  the  mercy  of  the  creditors, 
and  the  Bank  of  England  becomes  the  arbiter  of  the  fate  of  the 
American  merchant.  All  this  comes  from  the  rage  for  speculation 
here ;  the  desire  to  grow  rich  in  a   short   time,  which  incites  the 


1S39.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  369 

growers  of  cotton  and  flour,  instead  of  selling  at  a  fair  price  the 
bounties  of  God's  providence,  to  hoard  them  up.  By  and  by 
comes  "  a  frost,  a  killing  frost,"  and  then  the  planter  loses  the 
product  of  many  years  of  regular  cultivation,  his  factor  is  ruined 
by  liberal  advances,  and  every  department  of  business  suffers  from 
the  shock. 

July  24.  —  Every  house  is  well  filled.  It  is  com- 
Saratoga.  puted  that  there  are  two  thousand  visitors  at  the  place 
at  the  present  time.  At  Congress  Hall  and  this  house 
there  are  many  distinguished  men  and  fine  women ;  antiquated 
belles  of  a  by-gone  generation,  enjoying  with  gayety  and  cheerful- 
ness the  scenes  of  their  former  triumphs ;  fine  married  women  and 
lovely  girls,  the  ornaments  of  the  present  and  the  hopes  of  the 
future ;  and  men  uniting  as  in  one  brilliant  focus  the  talent,  intelli- 
gence, and  civic  virtues  of  the  various  parts  of  the  country. 

July  29.  —  The  long-expected  steam-packet,  the 
.ri  lb     ^^  British  Queen,"  arrived  in  New  York,  on    her  first 

Qj.jeen.'*  ^7  7 

voyage  from  Portsmouth,  yesterday  morning.  One  of 
her  passengers  came  here  this  morning  in  the  first  train  of  cars. 
This  is  certainly  doing  business  in  great  style.  This  gentleman  left 
England  only  three  days  before  we  left  home  for  this  place,  and 
what  have  I  done  in  that  time  ?  Events  now  pass  like  the  shadows 
of  a  magic  lantern.  The  "British  Queen "  sailed  on  the  12th. 
She  is  commanded  by  Captain  Roberts,  formerly  of  the  "  Sirius," 
the  Columbus  of  steam,  who  first  of  British  steam-men  reached  our 
shores.  She  is  the  largest  steamer  ever  built,  being  of  the  follow- 
ing dimensions:  Length  from  figure-head  to  taffrail,  275  feet; 
length  of  upper  deck,  245  feet ;  breadth  within  the  paddle-boxes, 
40  feet  7  inches ;  breadth  including  the  boxes,  64  feet ;  her  engine 
is  of  500-horse  power;  burthen,  2,016  tons.  The  "British 
Queen"  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  28th.  Her  log  is  published. 
She  had  head-winds  all  the  way.  Her  greatest  distance  in  one  day 
was  two  hundred  and  forty  miles ;  the  least,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles. 


370  THE    DIARV    OF    rillLll'    II(3NE.  [/Etat.  59. 

July     30. — Webb,     of    the    "Courier    ami     En- 
Mr.  Webster,   quirer,"  came  passenger  in  the  "  British  Queen."     He 

went  out  in  the  "  Great  Western  "  on  the  13th  of  June, 
and  has  been  absent  only  forty-five  days.  Colonel  Webb  says  that 
Mr.  Webster  is  the  greatest  lion  they  have  had  in  England,  with 
the  exception  of  Marshal  Soult,  since  the  visit  of  the  allied  sover- 
eigns. He  has  not  breakfasted  or  dined  at  his  lodgings  since  his 
arrival  in  London.  A  great  public  dinner  is  preparing  for  him  in 
I>iverpool,  as  the  friend  of  commerce  throughout  the  world.  At 
this  banquet,  which  is  to  be  attended  by  great  numbers  of  the 
nobility  and  gentry,  it  was  expected  that  "  the  defender  of  the 
Constitution  "  would  come  out  with  his  heaviest  guns. 

July  31.  —  My  daughter  and  I  visited  Her  Majesty 

this  afternoon,  where  she  is  lying  in  state  at  the  foot  of 

Queen,"  '  ^       ^ 

Clinton  street ;  but  God  forbid  that  either  she  or  her 
royal  godmother  should  be  defunct ;  far  from  it,  for  such  a  scene  of 
life,  bustle,  and  animation  in  and  about  her  is  not  often  witnessed. 
This  is  only  the  third  working  day  since  her  arrival,  and  she  is 
preparing  and  will  sail  to-morrow  in  company  with  the  "  Great 
Western,"  which  lies  quietly  alongside  of  her.  It  will  be  a  trial  of 
speed,  and  prodigious  interest  is  excited  in  the  result.  The  friends 
of  both  are  sanguine  of  success,  and  the  death-like  dulness  of  Wall 
street  is  somewhat  relieved  by  the  betting  on  the  race. 

We  were  admitted  on  board,  although  the  wharf  was  filled  with 
persons  who  were  excluded,  and  we  saw  every  part  of  this  levia- 
than of  steam.  Her  cabin  is  superbly  fitted  uj),  and  the  staterooms 
adjoining  it  are  convenient  and  pleasant  as  possible  ;  but  the  sleep- 
ing apartments  below  are  dark  and  confined,  and  I  doubt  whether 
the  whole  amount  of  good  sleeping  accommodations  is  equal  to 
that  of  the  "  Great  Western."  The  scene  on  deck  was  a  "  perfect 
show :  "  discharging  m  one  place  and  receiving  and  stowing  cargo 
in  another  ;  boxes  and  barrels  of  stores  ;  cart-loads  of  fresh  meat ; 
great  lumps  of  ice,  and  George  Haws,  with  his  pleasant,  red  face, 
reeking  with  perspiration,  employed  in  stowing  it  away ;  mountains 


1839J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  37 1 

of  coal  sinking  into  the  crater  of  the  lower  hold ;  live  cows  and 
poultry  wondering  what  part  of  the  pandemonium  is  intended  for 
them  ;  sentinels  employed  in  the  unthankful  office  of  keeping  back 
disappointed  visitors ;  and  officers  more  agreeably  engaged  in 
doing  the  genteel  thing  by  our  more  favoured  selves. 

When  the   committee  of  glorification  were   making 
°  ^^j  arrangements  to  receive  the  President  as    the    chief  of 

their  party,  a  note  was  addressed  to  Governor  Seward  at 
Albany,  to  come  to  New  York  and  join  the  procession.  This  he 
declined  in  a  letter,  which  the  Loco-focos  stigmatized  as  insulting 
and  disrespectful,  but  which  they  refused  to  publish,  although 
urged  by  the  Whigs  to  do  so.  Their  taunts  all  proving  unavailing, 
the  Young  Men's  General  Committee  applied  formally  to  the  Gov- 
ernor for  a  copy  of  the  correspondence,  which  he  furnished,  and 
which  is  now  published.  The  letter  is  long,  and  my  time  is  insuffi- 
cient to  copy  it,  as  I  would  wish ;  but  it  is  admirable.  The  Whigs 
have  reason  to  be  proud  of  their  man.  I  never  read  anything 
more  "germane  to  the  matter."  Soft  as  silk,  but  cutting  as  a 
razor ;  manly  in  sentiment,  but  courteous  in  manner,  —  it  is  no 
wonder  they  refused  to  let  it  see  the  light.  I  am  proud  of  the 
noble  little  Whig  governor,  and  feel  honoured  in  being  allowed 
to  call  him  friend. 

August  i.  —  The  "  Great  Western  "  and  the  "  Brit- 

Sailing- of  the     ■   y^     r\  n  ^    1.  ^.i  •  •  11  ^i 

ish   Queen      went  to  sea  this  mornmg,  as  well  as  the 

Steamships.  ^  *='■' 

packets  for  London,  Liverpool,  and  Havre,  all  filled 
with  passengers.  The  crowds  which  lined  the  wharves  and  the 
Battery  were  greater  than  on  any  former  similar  occasion.  I  went 
to  Castle  Garden  to  see  the  two  noble  steamships ;  but  as  I  could 
not  see  through  my  countrymen,  and  more  particularly  country- 
women, I  had  an  imperfect  view.  The  "  Great  Western  " 
preceded  the  "  British  Queen  "  about  an  hour.  The  weather  was 
very  fine,  and  the  water  as  well  as  the  shores  presented  a  lively  and 
animated  scene.  Giving  the  "  Queen  "  sixteen  days'  passage,  she 
will  have  made  her  voyage  out  and  home  to  Portsmouth  in  thirty- 


372  THE   DIARY   OF   PIllLll'   liONE.  [.i:tat.59. 

six  days,  bringing  out  nearly  two  hundred  passengers  and  returning 
with  one  hundred,  discharging  one  cargo  and  taking  on  board 
another.  Go  ahead !  is  the  impulse  which  now  governs  the 
world. 

August  2.  —  The  times  are  worse  than  ever.  Wall  street  is  in 
a  state  of  consternation  ;  money  uncome-at-able  and  confidence  at 
an  end.  A  national  bank  is  the  only  remedy  (if,  indeed,  things 
have  not  gone  too  far).  That,  with  a  change  of  the  administration, 
are  the  only  straws  we  have  to  catch  at.  Let  us  try  them,  unless 
the  people  are  determined  to  complete  the  ruin  which  hangs  over 
them.     If  they  are,  so  be  it  ! 

Saratoga.  —  In  the  number  of  arrivals  during  my 
The  President,  abscucc  is  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  Mr. 
Secretary  Forsyth,  with  Mr.  Edward  ?.  Livingston  and 
a  few  others  of  the  faithful.  The  President  was  met  some  distance 
from  the  village  by  a  cavalcade,  and  followed  to  his  quarters  in  the 
United  States  Hotel  by  a  motley  group.  The  Whigs  say  it  was  a 
slim  concern,  and  the  Locos  say  otherwise.  But  here  he  is,  con- 
ducting himself  with  his  usual  politeness,  and  making  the  best  of 
everything,  as  he  is  wont  to  do.  I  called  upon  him  yesterday, 
immediately  after  my  arrival,  and  was  most  graciously  received. 
He  hoped  I  would  pass  an  occasional  spare  half-hour  in  his 
apartment.  He  has  been  civil  to  my  wife,  and  sends  his  bottle  to 
her  and  me  to  drink  with  him  at  dinner.  I  have  studied  to  treat 
him  with  all  the  respect  due  to  his  high  station,  and  the  regard  I 
feel  for  an  old  friend,  and  I  acknowledge  the  kindness  with  which 
my  advances  have  been  received.  This  conduct  has  been  pursued 
by  most  of  the  gentlemen,  political  opponents  as  well  as  political 
adherents;  but  there  has  been  one  exception,  on  the  part  of  a- 
lady,  which,  in  my  judgment,  was  equally  at  variance  with  good 
taste  and  proper  feeling. 

August  6.  —  The  President  takes  the  head  of  one  of  the  tables, 
and  the  modest  Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  "  Herald,"  the  other.  The 
President  cannot  help  this,  to  be  sure,  and  the  juxtaposition  is 


1839J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  373 

somewhat  awkward.  Bennett  will  make  a  great  thing  of  this  with 
those  who  are  not  aware  that  any  person  may  take  this  seat  who 
has  impudence  enough,  and  that  it  would  require  a  pretty  smart 
rifle  to  carry  a  ball  from  one  end  of  the  table  to  another.  I  wish 
the  President  would  leave  his  seat,  and  give  the  "  Herald  "  man 
all  the  honours  of  the  table. 

August  7. —  The  village  is  alive  with  preparations 
Mr.  Clay.  for  Mr.  Clay's  reception.  I  received  a  letter  from 
him,  dated  Montreal,  4th  inst.,  and  another  by  a 
messenger  who  was  sent  hence  to  confer  with  him,  dated  on  his 
voyage  to  Burlington,  6th  inst.  He  is  to  lodge  at  Lake  George 
to-morrow  night,  and  will  come  to  Saratoga  on  Friday  afternoon, 
where  apartments  are  provided  for  him  at  the  United  States  Hotel. 
A  programme  of  his  reception  is  published,  signed  by  a  committee 
of  more  than  one  hundred  Whigs.  We  wished  to  repress  this 
public  demonstration,  but  it  could  not  be.  The  movement  is 
spontaneous,  and  the  people  seem  to  be  determined  to  out-glorify 
the  other  party. 

The  Whig  visitors  at  Congress  Hall  have  been  in  a  ferment 
about  the  impropriety  of  bringing  Mr.  Clay  in  contact  with  his 
great  rival  at  the  United  States  Hotel.  Conferences  have  been 
had  and  disputes  held  on  the  subject ;  but  the  difficulty  is  removed 
by  the  President's  determination  to  leave  Saratoga  on  Friday.  He 
is  to  dine  with  the  young  Loco-focos  at  Ballston,  and  go  to  Troy,  to 
be  received  there  by  his  friends  on  the  same  evening,  and  will  not 
return  until  the  first  of  next  week.  This  may  be  accidental ;  but  it 
is  a  happy  coincidence  for  us,  and  I  am  mistaken  if  we  do  not 
model  something  handsome  out  of  this  Clay. 

August  9.  —  The  day  was  ushered  in  by  clouds  and 
Arriva^^  ^       ^^^^'  thundci  and  lightning ;  but   all  passed  away,  and 
the  glorious  sun   shone  out  by  eight   o'clock  and  dis- 
persed the  vapours  from  the  natural,  as  we  trust  the  man  who  comes 
among  us  will  those  from  the  political,  horizon. 

Secretary  Forsyth  took  away  his  discontented  countenance  last 


374  THE   DTARV    OF   rilTLTr    HONE.  [^tat.59. 

evening,  and  Secretary  Poinsett  went  this  morning  to  Cattaraugus 
on  business  relating  to  the  Indian  Treaty.  The  President  also 
went  back  to  ]]allston,  and  thence  to  Troy. 

Arrangements  having  been  made  for  a  number  of  the  visitors  to 
meet  Mr.  Clay  on  his  approach  to  Saratoga,  a  large  number,  on 
horseback  and  in  carriages,  left  the  village  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
went  to  P^merson's  Tavern,  nine  miles  on  the  Glenn's  Falls  road. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  arrived,  accompanied  by  committees 
from  Caldwell  and  Clenn's  Falls ;  and  after  our  salutations  we  sat 
down  to  a  collation,  prepared  under  direction  of  Colonel  Westcott, 
and  served  up  in  rather  homely,  but  hearty  style.  Provisions  had 
been  sent  out  in  the  morning  from  Saratoga,  and  champagne  was 
taken  by  the  gentlemen.  The  company,  which  consisted  of  seventy 
or  eighty,  comprised  many  bright  spirits  and  distinguished  men.  I 
had  the  honour  of  presiding  at  the  feast,  and  it  is  certain  that  we 
made  the  most  of  the  time  allowed  us. 

At  three  o'clock  we  left  Emerson's,  and  came  to  a  place  two 
miles  in  advance  of  the  Springs,  where  the  carriages,  wagons, 
horsemen,  and  pedestrians  who  were  to  form  the  procession  were 
collected  to  receive  us.  Mr.  Clay  was  placed  m  a  new  barouche, 
drawn  by  Gerald  Coster's  four  gray  horses ;  the  other  seats  occu- 
pied by  Judge  Walton  and  two  other  gentlemen  of  the  Saratoga 
committee  on  arrangements.  The  line  of  march  was  then  taken 
up,  preceded  by  Frank  Johnson's  band  of  music ;  and  such  a  cav- 
alcade was  never  seen  before  in  the  county  of  Saratoga.  It  formed 
a  compact  line  a  mile  and  a  half  long.  I  rode  in  a  barouche  with 
Dr.  Duncan,  of  Mississippi,  Mr.  Green,  of  Louisiana,  and  Reverdy 
Johnson,  of  Baltimore.  Our  approach  was  announced  by  the  dis- 
charge of  artillery  from  the  hills,  and  the  line  of  march  preserved 
until  we  came  to  the  United  States  Hotel,  where  quarters  were  pre- 
pared for  "  the  man  whom  the  people  delight  to  honour."  Here 
the  avenues  to  the  hotel  were  blocked  up  with  the  expecting 
crowds,  who  made  the  village  ring  with  shouts  of  welcome.  The 
large  piazza  in  front  of  the  hotel  was  filled  with  ladies,  for  whose 


i839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  375 

exclusive  use  it  had  been  reserved.  It  had  been  arranged  that  the 
address  should  be  made,  and  the  reply  received,  from  the  steps  of 
the  hotel ;  but  this  was  rendered  impracticable  by  the  crowd,  and 
the  horses  were  taken  out  and  the  barouche  dragged  around  in 
front.  Here  Mr.  Clay  was  addressed  by  Mr.  John  W.  Taylor,  for- 
merly Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  replied  in  a 
speech  to  the  assembled  multitude  of  more  than  an  hour  ;  too 
long,  I  thought,  for  the  occasion,  and  entering  too  much  into  polit- 
ical detail ;  but  I  suppose  it  was  unavoidable.  The  towns-people 
had  the  regulation  of  this  part  of  the  ceremony,  and  they  were  not 
disposed  to  let  the  opportunity  be  lost  to  the  people  of  hearing  an 
account  of  the  misdeeds  of  their  rulers  from  the  lips  of  the  oracle  of 
the  day.  After  the  address  Mr.  Clay  was  conducted,  amidst  the  shouts 
of  the  men  and  the  waving  of  the  women's  handkerchiefs,  to  his 
apartments,  fatigued  with  travel  and  exhausted  with  excitement. 

But  the  affair  did  not  end  here ;  the  great  dining-room  of  the 
United  States  Hotel  had  been  fitted  up  during  the  day  with  bou- 
quets of  flowers  and  festoons  of  evergreens,  and  in  the  evening  the 
most  splendid  ball  was  given  that  was  ever  witnessed  here;  eight 
hundred  persons  were  present,  comprising  a  greater  number  of 
distinguished  men  and  fine  women  than  have  probably  ever  been 
collected  in  this  country. 

I  was  the  senior  manager,  and  by  previous  arrangement,  after 
the  first  set  of  cotillons,  Mr.  Clay  and  his  son  were  led  into  the 
room  by  me  and  Mr.  Meredith,  the  band  playing  "  Hail  Columbia," 
and  the  company  opening  to  the  right  and  left  to  afford  us  a  pas- 
sage to  the  upper  end  of  the  room.  It  has  been  a  day  of  prodigious 
excitement,  and  everything  went  ofT  well. 

AuGUSi  10. — The  New  York  papers  contain  everyday  an  ac- 
count of  increased  commercial  distress,  affording  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  gayety  and  extravagance  of  this  place.  More  money  has 
been  spent  here  than  in  any  former  season,  some  of  which,  I  have 
no  doubt,  belongs  more  justly  to  the  pockets  of  creditors  at  home 
than  of  the  hotel-keepers  here. 


376  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [.-Etat.  59. 

August  12.  —  This  is  the  meridian  of  the  Saratoga  season.  All 
the  world  is  here  :  politicians  and  dandies ;  cabinet  ministers  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel ;  office-holders  and  office-seekers ;  hum- 
buggers  and  humbugged ;  fortune-hunters  and  hunters  of  wood- 
cock j  anxious  mothers  and  lovely  daughters ;  the  ruddy  cheek 
mantling  with  saucy  health,  and  the  flickering  lamp  almost  extin- 
guished beneath  the  rude  breath  of  dissipation.  In  a  few  days  this 
brilliant  com])any  will  be  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  land,  and 
who  can  tell  for  how  many  of  them  this  will  be  the  last  season  ? 

A  little  circle  was  formed  this  evening  in  the  grand  saloon,  which 
occasioned  much  curious  speculation.  It  consisted  of  the  three 
prominent  candidates  for  the  next  presidency :  Mr.  Van  Buren, 
who  returned  this  morning ;  Mr.  Clay ;  and  the  gallant  General 
Scott,  whose  star  is  rising  fast.  Each  had  fair  ladies  receiving  their 
attentions,  and  man}'  good-natured  jokes  were  passed  between  them. 

New  York,  Aug.  21.  —  Our  dinner  to-day  was  interrupted  by  the 
great  procession  for  the  reception  of  Mr.  Clay,  which  passed  the  house 
a  little  before  five  o'clock.  Mr.  Clay  came  down  from  Newburgh  in 
the  steamboat  "James  Madison,"  and  by  previous  arrangement  of 
the  Whig  committee  was  landed  at  the  foot  of  Hammond  street, 
whence  he  was  escorted  to  Union  place,  and  thence  down  Broad- 
way to  the  Astor  House,  by  the  greatest  cavalcade  I  ever  witnessed 
on  such  an  occasion.  All  Broadway  was  filled  with  spectators ; 
from  the  windows  handkerchiefs  were  waved,  and  shouts  ascended 
from  the  crowds  collected  at  the  corners.  ^YQ  all  left  the  dinner- 
table  and  went  to  the  balcon}-  in  front  of  the  house,  whence  we 
had  a  fine  view.  A\'e  received  the  salutations  of  Mr.  Clay  in 
passing,  and  I  was  further  honoured  by  a  salute  from  the  band.  In 
the  barouche  with  Mr.  Clay  sat  General  Lynch,  Dudley  Selden,  and 
General  Van  Courtlandt.  On  the  arrival  of  the  procession  at  the 
Park,  and  before  Mr.  Clay  was  taken  to  his  lodgings,  he  was  carried 
to  the  front  of  the  City  Hall,  where  he  was  addressed  by  Mr.  Selden, 
and  re2:)lied  in  a  good  speech  of  less  than  half  an  hour.  In  the 
evening  he  went  to  the  Bowery  Theatre,  where  he  was  received  with 


1839.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  ^'J'J 

new  honour  from  other  thousands.  I  went  down  after  dinner  with 
Gihnore  and  Meredith  to  the  Astor  House,  which  was  filled  like  2 
market-place  with  people  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  honoured 
guest  from  the  theatre. 

Viewing  this  afiliir  as  a  spontaneous  expression  of  public  opinion, 
accomplished  with  no  expense  and  very  little  preparation,  and  un- 
accompanied by  military  parade,  it  exceeded  anything  of  the  kind 
we  have  ever  witnessed,  excepting  the  reception  of  Lafayette.  It 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  patriotic  senator  must  be  the 
favourite  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  the  Whigs  hereabouts  ;  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  he  is,  and  would  stand  a  good  chance  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  country  be  thereby  saved  from  the  further  progress 
of  ruin,  were  we  not  the  most  untractable,  unreliable  party  which 
ever  stood  up  against  corruption  and  bad  government. 

August  24.  —  Mr.  Clay  received  visitors  on  Thurs- 
r.     ays        ^       .^^  ^j_^^  Governor's  room,  City  Hall.     After  an  in- 

effectual  attempt  to  see  him  there  (for  the  room  was 
so  crowded  that  not  one  in  twenty  who  went  could  get  admission) 
I  called  upon  him  at  the  Astor  House,  where  I  saw  and  conversed 
with  him  for  a  few  minutes.  The  civilities  of  the  New  Yorkers 
have  nearly  annihilated  him.  He  is  hoarse  and  fatigued  ;  but  he 
went,  nevertheless,  to  the  Park  Theatre  in  the  evening,  where  he  was 
received,  as  usual,  with  great  applause. 

August    26.  —  We  are    vagrants  now    on    Sundays. 
Church  Poor    old  Trinity  being  nearly  razed    to    the    ground, 

and  a  new  church  to  be  erecteei  on  the  same  spot, 
which  will  require  two  or  three  years  to  complete,  we  shall  be 
compelled  during  that  time  to  hire  a  pew  in  one  of  the  up-town 
churches,  or  quarter  upon  our  friends. 

When  the  committee  of  the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  began 
with  the  edifice,  it  was  intended  to  repair  and  remodel  the  interior 
only,  leaving  the  venerable  exterior  and  the  noble,  dark-looking 
spire  in  their  original  integrity ;  but  in  the  progress  of  the  work 
the  buildinij  was  found  to  be  in  such  a  state  of  decav  as  to  be 


3/8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

rendered  irreparable,  and  the  time-honoured  temple  of  the  Lord, 
the  parish  church  of  New  York,  the  nucleus  of  Episcopacy,  was 
doomed  to  destruction.  I  found,  on  my  return  to  the  city,  a 
shapeless  heap  of  ruins  on  the  spot  where  my  imperfect  devotions 
have  been  performed  for  the  last  thirty -seven  years.  It  occasions 
melancholy  reflections  to  see  the  dark  mass  of  ruins  still  overlook- 
ing the  magnificent  temples  of  mammon  in  Wall  street,  and  to 
think  of  the  changes  which  have  occurred  there  during  the  time 
the  venerable  spire  which  is  now  removed  has  thrown  its  shadow 
over  the  place  ''  where  merchants  most  do  congregate." 

May  I  not  also  see  in  this  dilapidation  a  type  of  my  own  decay 
and  speedily  approaching  removal  ?  AVHien  I  first  went  to  Trinity 
Church  I  was  young,  ardent  and  full  of  hopes,  capable  and  indus- 
trious, and  I  should  now  be  ungrateful  not  to  acknowledge  that  in 
most  cases  my  hopes  were  realized  and  my  industry  rewarded ; 
but  the  storms  within  the  last  three  years  have  beaten  upon  me, 
the  timbers  are  decayed,  the  spire  no  longer  "  like  a  tall  bully  lifts 
its  head,"  and  the  vestry  has  no  funds  to  rebuild  me. 

August  31.  —  There  has  been  great  interest  excited 

Capture  of  a 

Slaver.  ^^^  scveral   days  past  about  a  mysterious  "  low,  black- 

looking  schooner,"  which  was  seen  and  spoken  several 
times  off  Long  Island,  filled  with  pirates,  as  was  said.  This  "  flying 
Dutchman"  was  captured  on  Monday  last,  between  Gardner's 
Island  and  Montauk  Point,  by  Captain  Gedney,  in  the  United 
States  surveying  brig  "  Washington."  She  proves  to  be  very  much 
as  reported.  The  schooner  "  Amistead,"  a  Spanish  vessel.  She 
sailed  from  Havana  bound  to  Guanaja,  another  port  in  Cuba, 
with  fifty-four  slaves  belonging  to  Jose  Ruiz,  a  passenger  on  board, 
who  had  bought  them  at  Havana  from  a  slaver  just  arrived  from 
the  coast  of  Africa,  and  was  conveying  them  to  his  plantation. 

Pedro  Montes,  another  passenger,  had  also  four  slaves.  Four 
days  after  leaving  Havana,  the  blacks  rose  upon  the  crew,  mur- 
dered and  threw  overboard  the  captain  and  a  mulatto  cook,  and 
compelled  Montes  (who  had  formerly  commanded  a  vessel)  to  take 


1839J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  379 

the  helm  and  steer  easterly  for  their  own  country,  under  threats 
of  being  also  murdered.  This  he  did  during  the  day,  but  at  night 
altered  his  course,  and  kept  upon  the  American  coast,  until  on 
Monday  last,  whilst  at  anchor  near  Montauk,  the  blacks  having 
gone  ashore  for  water  and  provisions,  the  schooner  was  descried  by 
the  "  Washington,"  boarded  and  taken  possession  of,  the  whites  re- 
leased from  their  dreadful  state  of  bondage,  and  the  slaves  captured. 
The  vessel  was  taken  into  New  London,  and  an  examination  held 
on  board  by  Judge  Judson,  of  the  United  States  District  Court. 
The  schooner,  with  the  remains  of  her  cargo,  which  consisted  of 
dry  goods  and  other  articles  calculated  for  the  use  of  a  plantation, 
were  taken  possession  of,  and  the  slaves  ordered  for  a  trial  at  Hart- 
ford, on  the  I  7th  of  September. 

The  ringleader  in  this  revolt  is  a  Congo  negro,  named  Joseph 
Cinques,  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  a  fine,  intelligent  fellow, 
who  would  be  exalted  into  a  hero  instead  of  a  pirate  and  murderer 
if  his  colour  was  right,  and  he  had  been  taken  under  other  circum- 
stances. 

I  am  afraid  this  affair  will  be  attended  with  unpleasant  conse- 
quences at  this  time,  when  the  minds  of  men  in  this  country  are 
influenced  by  the  question  of  abolition.  These  poor  wretches  were 
stolen  from  their  homes,  carried  to  a  strange  country,  and  sold  to 
servitude,  from  which  they  sought  to  escape  on  the  first  occasion 
which  offered.  They  committed  murder,  it  is  true  ;  but  their  situa- 
tion may  have  rendered  it  inevitable.  They  spared  their  owner, 
which  would  seem  to  prove  that  human  blood  was  not  their  object. 
If  these  men  are  tried  in  Connecticut,  and  some  condemned  to 
death,  Joseph  particularly  will  be  justified  by  one  party,  and  his 
case  will  excite  great  sympathy.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  revolt 
should  be  considered  only  as  a  measure  of  self-preser\'ation,  and 
the  culprits  escape  punishment,  it  will  be  considered  by  the  slave- 
holding  fanatics  as  a  new  proof  of  the  enmity  of  the  abohtionist 
fanatics  ;  so  that  either  way  it  makes  trouble.  I  wish  they  could  all 
be  sent  back  to  Havana,  and  perhaps  it  may  take  that  course. 


386  THE  DIARY  OF  niiLir  hone.  [yf:tat.59. 

Sefi'EMBer  7.  — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us;  it  was 
a  very  pleasant  party,  as  might  be  expected  from  such  material : 
Charles  Kean,  Lieutenant-Governor  Bradish,  Hon.  Richard  Bayard, 
United  States  Senate,  Hon.  Edward  Curtis,  Hon.  Ogden  Hoffman, 
J.  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Dr.  H.  McLean,  G.  H.  Carter, 
Dr.  Arnoult,  and  Robert  Greenhow. 

Times  are  certainly  hard.     Money  is  scarce  and  pro- 
imes     yjc^jQj-^g   dear.     Goods  won't   sell,  and   customers  don't 

and  Theatres. 

pay.  The  banks  won't  discount ;  stocks  are  down  to 
nothing,  and  real  estate  unavailable.  And  yet,  with  all  this,  the  rage 
for  amusetnent  is  unabated.  Indeed,  men  seem  to  reason  that,  as 
they  cannot  last  long,  a  dollar  more  or  less  will  make  very  little  dif- 
ference either  to  themselves  or  their  creditors,  as  the  case  may  be. 

But  we  are  a  great,  overgrown  city,  full  of  strangers  at  this  season, 
who  bring  money  to  pay  old  debts,  perhaps,  and  furnish  credit  for 
new  ones. 

September  13.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  the  National  Theatre, 
and  saw  Charles  Kean  in  "  Lear."  He  is  so  hoarse  from  a  cold 
that  it  was  difficult  at  times  to  hear  him.  He  is  his  father  all  over 
again  in  this  part ;  but  I  did  not  perceive  many  of  those  thrilling 
passages  which  left  an  impression  upon  my  mind  never  to  be 
effaced.  This  may  be  my  fault,  not  his ;  my  sensibility  is  not  so 
acute  as  in  the  days  of  the  elder  Kean.  The  son  looked  Lear 
admirably,  —  never  was  there  a  more  perfect  little  old  man. 

Sefitimher  17.  —  The  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  has  adopted  plans 
for  the  new  church,  'llie  old  one  is  removed,  and  Wall  street  has 
an  unobstructed  view  of  the  bright  blue  western  sky,  —  the  only 
bright  prospect  left  for  the  thousands  who  daily  visit  that  street. 

September  18.  —  My  wife  and  I  left  home  this  morning  on  a 
gossiping  jaunt  up  the  North  river,  to  Samuel  S.  Howland's. 

September  19. — The  morning  was  delicious.  After  breakfast 
we  drove  out  to  visit  some  of  the  neighbours.  Mr.  Howland's 
house  is  only  about  two  miles  from  Dobb's  ferry,  in  the  midst  of 
the  pleasant  neighbourhood  around  about  Tarrytown.      Our  first 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  38 1 

visit  was  to  Mr.  Sheldon's.  He  has  just  finished  a  lovely  Gothic 
cottage,  which  is  furnished  in  excellent  taste,  ornamented  the 
grounds,  and  among  other  improvements  converted  a  tumbling, 
noisy  brook  into  a  series  of  cascades,  and  made  a  succession  of 
shady  walks  and  rural  seats,  enough  to  turn  the  brain  of  a 
romantic  seeker  after  the  beauties  of  nature. 

We  next  visited  Washington  Irving,  who  lives  with  his  sister 
and  nieces  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Our  friend  Geoffrey 
Crayon's  cottage  appeared  rather  to  a  disadvantage  after  leaving 
its  tasteful  and  elegant  neighbour  a  mile  or  two  farther  up.  It  is 
a  quaint,  Dutch-looking  cabin,  with  small  rooms,  inconvenient, 
and  only  one  story  high ;  but  the  admirers  of  the  gentle  Geoffrey 
think,  no  doubt,  that  one  story  of  his  is  worth  more  than  half  a 
dozen  of  other  people's. 

Mr.  James  A.  Hamilton  next  was  honoured,  when  we  found  him 
and  his  family  (as  in  the  other  houses  we  had  visited)  very  glad 
to  see  us.  His  house  is  large  and  the  rooms  handsome,  but  no 
part  of  the  work  appears  very  substantial.  The  view  from  the 
front  is  splendid,  and  the  want  of  trees  is  not  so  apparent  as 
when  seen  from  the  river. 

We  returned  to  dine  at  Howland's,  and  went  by  invitation  to 
drink  tea  at  Mrs.  Constant's.  This  is  a  noble  place,  formerly 
owned  by  Mr.  Edgar,  about  a  mile  below  Dobb's  ferry.  The 
fine  old  trees  which  line  the  roads  and  surround  the  house  give 
an  air  of  magnificence  to  the  spot. 

October   3. — I  was   invited    to    dine    yesterday  at 
inner  a  Nowlau's  Tavcm,  with  the  president  and  directors  of 

Harlem.  '  ^ 

the  Harlem  Railroad  Company,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
completion  of  a  double  track  the  whole  distance  from  City  Hall. 
A  company  of  about  one  hundred,  including  the  Chancellor,  the 
Court  of  Errors,  Judges  and  members  of  the  Corporation,  partook 
of  an  excellent  dinner,  and  there  were  toasts  and  speeches  in 
abundance,  as  usual.  The  best  speeches  were  made  by  Ogden 
Hoffman  and  Mr.  Brooks  of  the  "  Express."     My  toast  was  "  The 


382  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

locomotive  —  the  only  good  motive  for  riding  a  man  on  a  rail.'' 
The  weather  during  the  day  and  evening  was  delicious. 

October  9.  — Wall  street,  the  commercial  and  polit- 
arm  in  a  .^^^j  barometer,  was  grievously  disturbed  to-day.  A 
great  crash  has  taken  place,  which,  now  that  it  has 
happened,  appears  to  have  not  been  unexpected.  The  Bank  of 
the  United  States  in  Philadelphia  has  suspended  specie  payments, 
and  the  other  banks  of  that  city  will  have  to  follow  its  example. 
Those  in  Baltimore  must  pursue  the  same  course,  and  the  thousand 
rotten  banks  of  the  South  will  be  but  too  happy  to  follow  suit. 
Our  banks  carry  a  bold  front  and  will  not  suspend,  they  say.  In 
order  to  place  themselves  in  a  situation  to  hold  this  lofty  language, 
they  have  been  compelled  for  a  long  time  past  to  squeeze  the  poor 
merchants  to  death.  They  are  placed  under  the  ''nether  mill- 
stone," where  struggling  is  in  vain.  I  hope,  for  the  honour  of  New 
York,  that  all  their  sacrifices  will  not  be  in  vain ;  but  it  is  hard  to 
stand  alone  against  the  shock  of  universal  bankruptcy. 

How  that  old  Jackson  will  rejoice  in  his  unsanctified  re- 
treat at  Nashville,  at  this  catastrophe  !  It  would  have  been  worth 
a  play  ticket  to  witness  his  triumph  on  the  receipt  of  the  news. 
"I  told  you  so  !  "  he  must  have  said,  as  he  dashed  his  pipe  to  the 
ground  with  savage  joy.  "Where  is  Nick  Biddle  now?  —  down! 
down  !  where  I  have  tried  to  get  him  for  so  long  a  time.  Shout, 
my  liege  subjects,  for  your  master's  victory  !  Throw  up  your  caps, 
my  faithful  Loco-foco  supporters,  and  renew  the  yell  so  grateful  to 
my  ears  :  Hurrah  for  Jackson,  and  down  with  the  merchants  !  " 
True,  indeed,  he  did  tell  them  so ;  and  we  Whigs  also  told  them  so. 
This  and  all  the  other  miseries  we  are  suffering  are  to  be  attributed 
to  the  measures  of  hostility  inflicted  by  this  vindictive  man  upon 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States. 

October    10.  — The    Senatorial  Convention  of  the 
Whisfs  of  this  district  was  held  this  day  at  the  Broad- 

Convention.  *-'  •' 

way  House,  at  noon.     The  members  proceeded  to  can- 
vass informally  and  inconclusively  for  a  nominee  to   the   Senate. 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  383 

Observing  my  name  to  be  high  on  the  hst,  I  stated  to  my  col- 
leagues the  difficulty  of  my  position  in  being  present  during  the 
discussion  which  would  naturally  arise.  I  certainly  did  not  desire 
the  nomination,  and  would  support  most  heartily  any  other  candi- 
date who  might  be  selected ;  nor  would  I  decline  it.  I  was  pre- 
cluded from  the  latter  course  by  implied  pledges  made  to  my 
political  friends  last  year  as  the  condition  of  their  consent  to  the 
withdrawal  of  my  name  from  the  Assembly  ticket,  that  I  would 
agree  to  serve  them  this  year  if  they  should  continue  of  the  same 
mind.  In  order  to  be  relieved  from  the  awkwardness  of  my  situa- 
tion  I  requested  and  obtained  leave  to  retire  during  the  discussion. 
After  an  hour's  absence  I  was  sent  for  and  the  balloting  com- 
menced. On  the  first  ballot  I  had  eight  votes,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr., 
seven,  and  Mr.  Jay  one  (my  vote).  Finding  my  name  still  before 
the  convention,  I  declined  voting  again,  and  on  the  third  or  fourth 
ballot  I  received  eleven  votes  and  Mr.  Lord  four.  On  this  the 
question  was  taken  by  ayes  and  nays,  and  I  had  every  vote.  So  I 
am  in  nomination  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  the  Senate  of  the  State 
at  the  ensuing  election.  I  hope  it  will  come  to  good  for  the  cause, 
and  that  I  may  be  elected  now  that  I  am  up  ;  but,  in  truth,  it  would  be 
very  inconvenient  for  me  to  pass  my  winters  in  Albany.  My  oppo- 
nent in  the  convention,  Mr.  Lord,  was  supported  by  the  lawyers, 
who  deem  it  important  to  have  gentlemen  of  their  profession  in  the 
Court  of  Errors ;  but  everything  that  occurred  was  highly  compli- 
mentary to  me,  and  it  is  no  small  gratification  to  have  had  as  my 
principal  competitor  such  a  man  as  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  who,  besides 
standing  at  the  very  top  of  the  New  York  bar,  is,  in  every  respect, 
one  of  the  most  estimable  men  in  the  city. 

The  fearful  apprehensions  of  yesterday  were  realized.  The  banks 
of  Philadelphia  have  suspended  specie  payments.  New  York  stands 
yet  —  but  how  long  ? 

October  14.  —  My  nomination  for  the  Senate  excites  great  in- 
terest with  all  parties.  It  is  somewhat  amusing  to  read  the  com- 
ments  upon   my  character   in   the  newspapers.     The  Whigs,   of 


384  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Ktat.  59. 

course,  express  their  approbaiion,  some  of  them  (the  "Commercial 
Advertiser"  and  "The  Daily  Whig")  in  terms  of  exaggerated 
encomium,  whilst  the  other  party  are  not  sparing  abuse.  The 
"  Herald  "  (Bennett's  paper)  says  I  am  the  most  unpopular  candi- 
date that  could  have  been  put  up.  This  must  all  go  for  as  much  as 
it  is  worth.  I  shall  preserve  these  precious  documents,  and  some 
of  these  days  copy  them  here,  to  show  hereafter  the  discrepancies 
of  party  opinions  on  plain  matters. 

It  annoys  me  a  little  to  be  told  that  some  of  the  Loco-focos  of 
my  own  party  (for  we  have  such  amongst  us)  are  opposed  to  the 
nomination.  "I  am  a  gentleman,"  they  say,  —  very  much  obliged 
to  them  !  —  "  and  no  gentleman  can  succeed."  These  are  the  men 
that  ruin  a  good  cause.  If  they  are  right  in  what  they  say,  the 
party  is  not  worth  sustaining ;  better  would  it  be  that  everything 
should  go  back  to  the  dunghill  of  Democracy,  and  let  us  see  if 
something  better  may  not  spring  from  it.  As  a  set-off  against  the 
annoyance  which  their  reports  have  given  me,  I  have  been  gratified 
by  the  visits  of  several  influential  Whigs  in  the  upper  wards,  who 
assure  me  that  I  shall  run  a  better  chance  than  any  other  person 
could  have  done.  I  have  strong  doubts  of  the  success  of  our 
ticket ;  but  I  should  hate  confoundedly  to  find  that  I  had  been  an 
injury  to  it. 

October  17.  —  Three  of  my  young  female  friends  have  em- 
braced the  willing  chains  of  matrimony,  besides  Miss  Julia  Coster, 
whose  wedding  I  noticed  yesterday.  Miss  Sarah  Ogden  made 
Robert  Goelet  happy,  and  to-day  Miss  Mary  Tallmadge,  loveliest 
among  the  lovely,  weds  Philip  L.  Van  Rensselaer,  son  of  the  late 
excellent  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer.  This  last  niarriage  is  celebrated 
at  General  Tallmadge's  country-seat  in  Dutchess  County,  and  is, 
I  presume,  a  very  satisfactory  union  to  all  parties  concerned ; 
pride  of  birth  (all  that  we  Republicans  are  allowed  to  have  of 
it)  will  be  gratified.  Great  wealth  comes  in  to  make  things 
comfortable,  and  good  character  gives  a  reasonable  chance  for 
future   happiness. 


1839]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  385 

October  22.  —  There  is  great  excitement  in  relation  to  the 
arrest  of  the  two  Spaniards,  Jose  Ruiz  and  Pedro  Montez,  the 
owners  of  the  revolted  slaves  who  were  taken  on  board  the  "  Ami- 
stead,"  and  are  now  in  prison  in  Connecticut.  This  outrageous 
proceeding  is  the  work  of  the  abolitionists,  who,  in  their  officious 
zeal,  have  obtained  affidavits  from  the  wretched  Africans,  who, 
ignorant  of  our  language,  probably  knew  not  what  they  were  swear- 
ing about.  These  affidavits,  charging  their  owners  with  assault  and 
battery,  were  made  the  grounds  of  this  arrest,  and  the  Spaniards  are 
in  prison.  Writs  of  habeas  corpus  have  been  issued,  and  the 
subject  is  now  submitted  to  the  judges,  who,  it  is  hoped,  will  see 
reason  to  discharge  the  men  who  escaped  so  narrowly  from  the 
conspiracy  in  which  the  lives  of  other  white  men  were  sacrificed. 
The  fanatics  are  working  day  and  night  to  make  this  bad  matter 
worse ;  under  the  specious  cloak  of  an  abstract  opposition  to 
slavery,  they  are  blowing  up  a  flame  which  may  destroy  the  Union, 
and  light  up  a  civil  war  between  men  who  have  no  interest  so 
strong  as  to  belong  to  a  brotherhood  of  patriots. 

October  23.  —  jMy  old  friend,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  marries  his 
daughter  Mary,  this  evening,  to  Mr.  Charles  N.  Fearing.  My  son 
Robert  is  one  of  the  groomsmen,  and  Miss  Eliza  Russell  a  brides- 
maid. 

October  26.  —  I  am  fairly  in  for  it;  every  evening  I  am  toted 
somewhere  to  show  myself  to  the  voters,  to  make  a  speech  and 
solicit  their  ^^  sweet  voices,"  not  for  myself,  —  oh  no,  by  all 
means  !  —  but  for  the  cause  of  which  I  am  the  deputed  representa- 
tive and  organ.  This  is  a  distinction  which  requires  some  address 
to  make,  but  the  people  seem  satisfied  with  it.  A  committee 
called  upon  me  yesterday  to  invite  me  to  a  great  Whig  meeting,  at 
the  Military  Hall,  Bowery.  I  went,  was  received  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  greetings,  made  a  tolerably  good  speech,  which  was 
received  with  shouts  and  hurrahs,  and  on  the  whole  made  an 
excellent  hit. 

October  31.  —  I  went,  by  invitation  of  Mr.  Grinnell,  this  morn- 


386  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

ing,  and  partook  of  a  collation  on  board  the  splendid  new  ship 
"  Patrick  Henry,"  intended  for  Grinnell  and  Minturn's  line  of 
packets.  She  is  the  ne plus  ultra,  or  will  be  until  another  ship  of 
her  class  shall  be  built. 

November  4.  —  My  vanity  has  been  tickled  again 
MTetin  ''"^  ^y  ^  ^^^^  signed  by  a  large  number  of  merchants* 
clerks,  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  on  Saturday  evening, 
at  the  Shakespeare  Hotel,  of  "  the  young  men  of  the  city 
of  New  York  friendly  to  the  election  of  Philip  Hone  to  the 
Senate."  This  meeting,  so  flattering  to  me,  was  held  on  Satur- 
day, at  the  appointed  place,  and  was  (I  am  told)  a  great  and 
enthusiastic  assemblage. 

November  6.  —  The  Sun    of  Austerlitz    succeeded 
Dedded  ^^^^    morning   the    violent    storm  of  last    night.     The 

Whigs  hailed  it  as  a  harbinger  of  victory,  but  the 
canvass  this  evening  of  the  senatorial  votes  shows  that  we  have 
suffered  a  Waterloo  defeat.  I  am  beaten  by  a  majority  of  eighteen 
hundred,  and  the  Assembly  ticket  has  no  doubt  fared  equally  badly. 
This  result  is  unexpected  to  me,  and  somewhat  mortifying.  I  feel 
a  selfish  joy  in  having  escaped  the  excessive  labour  and  the  numer- 
ous discomforts  and  deprivations  which  would  have  been  the 
consequences  of  my  election  to  the  Senate  ;  but  I  deplore  deeply 
the  failure  of  so  good  a  cause  as  ours,  and  this  triumph  of  princi- 
ples so  broadly  and  openly  avowed  by  the  successful  party,  which, 
in  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  I  conceive  are  calculated  to  destroy 
the  only  hopes  of  a  recovery  from  the  deplorable  state  in  which 
the  country  is  placed.  Our  hopes  of  the  State  have  been  sanguine, 
and  it  may  yet  save  the  cause  ;  but  they  were  equally  so  of  the  city. 
I  fear  the  worst.  God's  will  ^be  done.  Party-spirit  and  personal 
ambition  and  desire  of  power  rule  the  country,  and  must  rule ;  and 
their  instruments  are  the  worthless  part  of  the  population,  which, 
unhappily,  is  the  most  numerous. 

November  9.  —  I  had  a  dinner-party  of  Whigs,  principally  mem- 
bers of  the  "  Hone  Club,"  invited  "  for  congratulation  or  for  con- 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILIP   HONE.  387 

dolence  as  the  case  might  be,"  which  turned  out  to  be  the  latter, 
—  no  mistake  about  it,  —  so  far  as  the  host  was  concerned  in  this 
rascally  city.  But  congratulation  came  in  for  a  good  share  of  the 
business  of  the  day.  By  the  time  my  guests  assembled  it  was 
pretty  clearly  ascertained  that  the  Whigs  had  triumphed  again  in 
the  State,  and  secured  a  majority  in  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature. 
My  appetite  was  not  injured,  nor  was  my  wine  less  bright,  from  my 
knowledge  that  I  was  to  be  left  at  home  to  enjoy  them  and  other 
greater  comforts,  instead  of  devoting  time  and  labour,  perhaps  with- 
out thanks,  to  the  service  of  the  State  for  four  years  to  come.  It  is 
a  reprieve  for  which  I  ought  to  be  thankful.  We  had  a  pleasant 
dinner.  The  party  consisted  of  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Ogden  Hoff- 
man, Edward  Curtis,  James  Monroe,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  John  Ward, 
Simeon  Draper,  Jonathan  Amory,  W.  T.  Brigham,  S.  B.  Ruggles, 
and  Dr.  Francis. 

Gov  Seward  NOVEMBER  2  1.  —  The  Govcmor  camc  in  town  to 
and  Office-  attend  a  public  dinner  given  to  him  by  the  line  officers 
seekers.  ^^  ^^^  militia,  and  returned  home  yesterday.     He  feels 

now  the  weight  of  his  office.  The  result  of  the  late  election,  by 
securing  a  majority  of  his  political  friends  in  the  Senate,  and  there- 
by giving  validity  to  his  nominations  for  office,  has  opened  the 
flood-gates  of  application,  —  enough  to  sweep  him  away  in  the 
current ;  but  he  seems  to  stand  it  very  well.  His  spirits  are  good, 
his  tact  admirable,  and  he  has  a  good  word  for  each  of  the  crowd 
of  importunate  solicitors  for  executive  favour  who  beset  him  without 
intermission  or  relaxation.  I  have  my  troubles,  too,  in  a  subordi- 
nate capacity.  Having  been  a  candidate  for  office,  and  supposed 
to  be  somewhat  in  His  Excellency's  good  graces,  I  am  beset  all  day 
long  by  office-seekers  to  sign  their  petitions,  to  speak  to  the  Gov- 
ernor, or  to  write  him  letters  in  their  behalf.  We  Whigs  are  cer- 
tainly the  most  disinterested  patriots  in  the  world.  We  have  no 
interested  motives,  —  not  we  !  The  country,  and  the  cause,  and  the 
good  of  the  people  were  our  only  motives  in  working  at  the  elec- 
tions ;  and  now  that  the  loaves  and  fishes  are  to  be  distributed, 


388  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

there  are  not  more  than  about  fifty  baskets  held  out  for  each,  each 
appHcant  having  convinced  himself  that  he  is  the  only  one  qualified 
for  the  office,  and  ready  to  curse  the  Governor  and  desert  the  ])arty 
if  he  should  not  be  successful.  I  have  had  them  every  hour  in  the 
day  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks.  I  do  not  know  of  late  the 
pleasure  of  eating  an  uninterrupted  meal.  I  dread  the  sight  of 
a  square  folded  paper  taken  from  a  whited-brown  envelope.  Men 
are  affronted  if  I  refiise  to  certify  that  they  are  in  all  things  quali- 
fied, when  in  truth  I  know  nothing  about  them,  and  go  off  in  an 
unappeasable  huff  if  I  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  them  qualities  which 
I  do  know  they  do  not  possess.  Persons  apply  to  be  made  water 
commissioners,  who  do  not  know  a  culvert  from  a  bridge  ;  measurers 
and  inspectors  of  grain  and  flour,  who  can  scarcely  tell  the  differ- 
ence between  wheat  and  rye  ;  and  inspectors  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes, 
who  would  have  to  consult  an  encyclopaedia  (if,  perchance,  they  can 
read)  to  ascertain  if  the  article  on  which  they  are  to  pass  judgment 
be  a  mineral  or  a  vegetable  production.  The  poor  Governor  has 
not  now  a  refractory  Senate  opposed  to  him,  as  he  had  last  session, 
on  whom  he  could  lay  the  blame  of  the  failure  of  the  Whigs'  appli- 
cation. He  must  stand  the  brunt  of  the  affair,  and  get  over  as  well 
as  he  can  the  consequences  of  making  one  cool  friend  and  forty- 
nine  enemies  amongst  his  political  partisans  in  the  case  of  every 
appointment. 

November  22.  —  Poor  Wallack  cannot  succeed  with 
Theatre  ^^^  company  at  Niblo's  (his  place  of  refuge  after  the 

burning  of  his  theatre).  His  stock  company  was  good, 
and  his  milky  way  was  not  deficient  in  stars.  He  has  had  Vanden- 
hoff  and  his  charming  daughter,  Charles  Kean,  Forrest,  and  the  best 
opera  corps  in  the  country ;  but  all  would  not  do.  The  theatre 
was  closed  the  first  of  the  present  week.  The  stock  actors  are 
standing  stock  still,  and  the  planets  move  no  longer  in  their  accus- 
tomed orbits.  The  Park  lingers  on,  but  it  is  doing  a  bad  business. 
There  are  but  few  strangers  in  town,  and  the  pockets  of  our  citi- 
zens, for  the  most  part,  are  too  low  to  stand  the  united  demands 


1839]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  389 

of  Fulton   market  and  the  theatres.     Economy  begins    to  follow 
reluctantly  in  the  dirty  footsteps  of  necessity. 

November  27.  —  Mr.  Samuel  Ward,   senior  partner 
M^^w^'^d        ^^  ^^^  great  banking-house  of  Prime,  Ward,  King,  & 

Co.,  died  this  day  at  noon.  There  are  few  citizens  in 
New  York  whose  death  would  have  caused  so  great  a  void  in  the 
circles  of  active  business  and  social  intercourse  as  Mr.  Ward's, 
the  moving  spirit  of  a  great  financial  concern,  whose  ramifications 
extended  not  only  over  all  parts  of  this  country,  but  were  known  and 
felt  throughout  Europe.  Liberal  and  munificent  in  a  degree  greater 
perhaps  than  that  of  any  other  person,  he  employed  a  large  por- 
tion of  his  wealth  in  works  of  benevolence  and  public  spirit.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  good  heart  and  a  sound  head,  he  was,  nevertheless,  too 
much  the  slave  of  systems,  which  he  applied  indiscriminately  to  all 
dispositions  and  characters,  and  measured  all  men  by  the  same 
rules ;  even  his  own  habits  were  subjected  to  a  system  of  govern- 
ment too  rigid  for  his  constitution.  He  became  all  of  a  sudden; a 
total-abstinence  man,  at  a  time  of  life  when  the  experiment  was 
dangerous,  and  drank  nothing  but  water,  when,  in  my  judgment,  a 
moderate  use  of  the  good  wine  which  he  had  in  his  cellar  would 
have  been  more  congenial  to  his  health.  Mr.  Ward  was  about  fifty- 
five  years  old.  He  went  to  live  with  Mr.  Nathaniel  Prime  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  became  in  the  course  of  time  his  partner,  and  con- 
tinued an  active  member  of  the  house,  and  the  senior  since  Mr. 
Prime's  retirement.  Mr.  Ward  lived  in  a  noble  house,  which  he 
built  a  few  years  ago,  on  the  corner  "of  Broadway  and  Bond  street, 
—  the  corner  below  my  house,  —  where  he  had  a  picture-gallery 
and  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  the  city.  He  was  a  rich  man,  and 
made  a  good  use  of  his  money;  and  such  men  are  not  easily 
spared  at  this  time. 

November    28.  —  This   was    the    day    of    general 
Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving,  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State 

ahrftKe' city  authorities,  and  was  very  generally  ob- 
served.    Never  had  a" people  more  reason  to  be  thankful  for  the 


390  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  59. 

blessings  of  Divine  Providence.  The  year  has  been  especially 
marked  by  genial  weather,  abundant  harvests,  and  exemption 
from  war,  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  all  the  minor  evils  with 
which  it  is  the  pleasure  of  the  x\lmighty  to  visit  at  times  his 
unthankful  children.  There  are  troubles  enough,  certainly ;  but 
they  are  *'  the  work  of  man's  hands,"  and  show  how  wayward 
and  weak  he  is  when  left  to  his  own  "  inventions."  Our  constant 
prayer  should  be  that  he  may  not  be  thus  left. 

I  was  forcibly  struck  this  morning  in   examining  a 
Coal.  table    of   the    quantity    of    coals    produced    from    the 

mines  of  Pennsylvania  during  the  last  nineteen  years. 
In  the  year  1820  the  whole  quantity  sent  to  market  was  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  tons  from  Lehigh ;  in  the  present  year 
more  than  a  million  of  tons  will  have  been  sent.  Nine  years  ago 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  made  their  first  ship- 
ments, amounting  to  seven  thousand  tons ;  this  year  they  have 
shipi)ed  to  Rondout  on  the  North  river  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  thousand  tons,  —  the  greatest  quantity  sent  in  any  one  year. 

What  an  argument  is  this  in  fiivour  of  internal  improvements, 
and  what  a  reproof  to  the  miserable  tools  of  party  faction,  who, 
to  secure  their  election  to  the  State  Legislature,  have  bound 
themselves  by  unholy  pledges  to  break  down  these  noble  enter- 
prises, and  to  check  an  experiment  so  eminently  successful !  Here 
is  an  increase  of  an  article  indispensable  for  the  use  of  all  classes 
of  our  citizens,  whether  for  manufactures,  steam  navigation,  or 
domestic  fuel,  to  the  amount  of  six  or  «even  millions  of  dollars, 
and  making  a  reduction  in  price  to  the  consumers  of  as  much 
more ;  an  article  which,  although  known  to  exist  in  an  inexhausti- 
ble extent  in  the  mountains  of  a  neighbouring  State,  was  as 
worthless  as  the  soil  which  covered  it,  until  the  means  were 
adopted  by  the  construction  of  roads  and  canals  to  bring  it  to 
market ;  and  all  these  glorious  benefits,  the  fruits  of  public  spirit 
and  private  enterprise,  were  to  have  been  abandoned  to  secure  the 
influence  of  a  set  of  miserable  politicians,  who  would  sacrifice  all 


i839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  39I 

the  great  interests  of  the  country  to  promote  the  designs  and 
perpetuate  the  power  of  their  leaders.  But,  thank  God  !  the 
pestilential  breath  of  party-spirit  engendered  in  this  rotten  political 
atmosphere  has  not  infected  the  State  at  large,  and  for  one  year 
at  least  its  councils  will  not  be  polluted  by  its  deleterious  influence. 
December  4.  —  I  went  this  morning,  by  invitation 
The  Daguerro-  ^^  Monsieur  Fraucois  Gouraud,  to  see  a  collection  of 

type. 

the  views  made  by  the  wonderful  process  lately  discov- 
ered in  France  by  Monsieur  Daguerre,  which  is  called  by  his  name. 
Mr.  Gouraud  is  the  pupil  and  friend  of  the  inventor,  and  comes  to 
this  country  to  make  known  the  process.  The  pictures  he  has 
are  extremely  beautiful,  —  they  consist  of  views  in  Paris,  and  ex- 
quisite collections  of  the  objects  of  still  Hfe.  The  manner  of 
producing  them  constitutes  one  of  the  wonders  of  modern  times, 
and,  like  other  miracles,  one  may  almost  be  excused  for  dis- 
believing it  without  seeing  the  very  process  by  which  it  is  created. 
It  appears  to  me  a  confusion  of  the  very  elements  of  nature.  It 
is  nothing  less  than  the  palpable  effect  of  light  occasioning  a  re- 
production of  sensible  objects.  The  reflection  of  surrounding 
images  created  by  a  camera,  obscured  upon  a  plate  of  copper, 
plated  with  silver,  and  prepared  with  some  chemical  substances, 
is  not  only  distinctly  delineated,  but  left  upon  the  plate  so  pre- 
pared, and  there  remains  forever.  Every  object,  however  minute, 
is  a  perfect  transcript  of  the  thing  itself;  the  hair  of  the  human 
head,  the  gravel  on  the  roadside,  the  texture  of  a  silk  curtain, 
or  the  shadow  of  the  smaller  leaf  reflected  upon  the  wall,  are  all 
imprinted  as  carefully  as  nature  or  art  has  created  them  in  the 
objects  transferred ;  and  those  things  which  are  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye  are  rendered  apparent  by  the  help  of  a  magnifying 
glass.  It  appears  to  me  not  less  wonderful  that  light  should  be 
made  an  active  operating  power  in  this  manner,  and  that  some 
such  effect  should  be  produced  by  sound ;  and  who  knows 
whether,  in  this  age  of  invention  and  discoveries,  we  may  not  be 
called  upon  to  m.irvel  at  the  exhibition  of  a  tree,  a  horse,  or  a 


392  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  59. 

ship  produced  by  the  human  voice  muttering  over  a  metal  plate, 
prepared  in  the  same  or  some  other  manner,  the  words  "  tree," 
"  horse,"  and  "  ship."  How  gready  ashamed  of  their  ignorance 
the   by-gone  generations  of  mankind  ought  to  be  ! 

December  5. —  My  old  friend,   Henry  J.  Wyckofif, 
vv^  k  °ff    ^'    ^^^^^^  ^^^^  evening,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Wyckoff  was  a  good  man,  actively  and  efficiently 
engaged  in  public  institutions  of  benevolence  and  charity.  He  was 
formerly  a  merchant  of  highly  respectable  standing,  of  the  firm  of 
Suydam  &  Wyckoff,  and,  I  presume,  died  rich.  We  were  formerly 
intimate  companions,  members  of  the  same  club,  and  meeting  at 
dinner-parties  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Thus  another  tie  is 
broken,  and  another  warning  given. 

A  most  outrageous  revolt  has  broken  out  among  the 

tenants  of  the  late   patroon,  General  Van  Rensselaer, 

lenants.  ^  '  ' 

in  the  neighbourhood  of  Albany,  of  a  piece  with  the 
vile  disorganizing  spirit  which  overspreads  the  land  like  a  cloud, 
and  daily  increases  in  darkness.  The  tenants  of  the  manor  of 
Rensselaer,  which  is  in  extent  from  twenty  to  forty  miles,  having 
waited  for  the  decease  of  their  respected  proprietor,  the  late 
patroon,  have  now  risen  en  masse,  and  refuse  to  pay  their  rent  to 
his  son  Stephen,  to  whom  that  portion  of  the  estate  of  his  father 
has  been  bequeathed,  except  upon  their  own  terms,  and  at  their 
own  good  ])leasure.  They  have  enjoyed  their  leases  for  so  many 
years,  upon  terms  so  easy,  and  have  been  treated  with  so  much  len- 
ity, that  they  have  brought  themselves  to  believe  that  the  lands  be- 
longed to  them.  Since  the  death  of  General  Van  Rensselaer  they 
have  had  meetings,  and  resolved  that  in  a  land  of  liberty  there  is 
no  liberty  for  landlords ;  that  no  man  has  a  right  to  own  more  land 
than  his  neighbour,  and  that  they  have  paid  so  little  rent  heretofore 
that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  pay  any  hereafter ;  and  that  master 
Stephen,  with  as  good  a  title  by  inheritance  as  any  known  to  the 
laws  of  the  State,  shall  neither  have  his  land  nor  the  income  of  it. 
This  outrageous  proceeding  of   the  Rensselaerwickers    has    occa- 


1839.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE>  393 

sioned  great  consternation  in  Albany.  The  sheriff  resorted  to  the 
ancient  process  of  summoning  the  posse  comitatus  ;  the  citizens 
were  ordered  out  to  march  against  the  rioters ;  several  hundred 
went,  and  met  the  enemy  in  the  disputed  territory.  The  sheriff, 
with  seventy  followers,  went  forward  in  advance  ;  but  finding  them 
armed  and  mounted  to  the  number  of  several  thousands,  deter- 
mined to  resist,  and  swearing  by  Dunder  and  Plixsen  that  they 
would  pay  no  more,  nor  surrender  their  farms  to  the  rightful  owner, 
he  returned,  to  the  main  body  of  his  forces,  faced  to  the  right 
about,  and  marched  back  to  Albany. 

This  is  alarming,  certainly,  but  nothing  more  than  a. carrying- out 
of  the  Loco-foco  principles  of  the  people  of  the  State,  —  those 
principles  which  prevailed  in  this  city  at  the  late  election,  —  to 
the  support  of  which  the  members- elect  of  the  Legislature  are 
pledged,  and  from  which  the  councils  of  the  State  have  been  lately 
saved  by  the  greater  virtue  of  the  country,  but  which  must,  in  a 
short  time  (perhaps  the  very  next  year),  sweep  away  all  the  wise 
restraints  of  law  and  justice,  and  cause  the  destruction  of  individ- 
ual rights.  Let  it  come,  if  come  it  must ;  the  evil  will  be  remedied 
some  time  or  other ;  but  this  fair  dream  of  Republicanism  will  be 
dissipated  by  its  cure. 

December    9.  —  The    Harrisburg    Convention    on 

ig  omi-  g^|-yj.j^y  completed  their  business,  and  adjourned.. 
The  nomination  is  made,  and  nothing  remains  but  to 
support  it  with  unanimity  and  zeal.  William  Henry  Harrison,  of 
Ohio,  for  President,  and  John  Tyler,  of  Virginia,  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent, are  the  true,  regular  candidates  of  the  Whig  party  of  the 
United  States.  My  preference  was  for  Mr.  Clay.  His  services 
have  been  greater  than  those  of  any  other  person  ;  and  his  devo- 
tion to  genuine  Whig  principles  merited,  and,  in  my  opinion,  should 
have  received,  from  the  party  the  highest  proof  of  its  approbation 
and  gratitude  ;  but  this  tribute  which  a  great  majority  of  the  Whigs 
have  ever  been  ready  to  pay  him  has  been  now  withheld,  from  an 
apprehension  that  the  opposition  of  the  abolitionists  in  the  Western. 


394  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

States,  and  in  a  large  portion  of  the  State  of  New  York,  would 
destroy  his  chance  of  success,  and  that  General  Harrison,  being 
the  favourite  of  the  Whigs  of  the  "  free  States,"  would  run  better. 
This  is  not  the  last  mischief  to  be  apprehended  from  this  quarter. 
The  accursed  question  is  destined  to  mix  up  with  all  national  ques- 
tions, and  in  the  end  to  alter  the  essential  features  of  our  govern- 
ment, if  not  to  cause  a  separation  of  the  States  and  a  dissolution 
of  the  Union.  The  opposition  to  Mr.  Clay  from  this  quarter  is  so 
strong,  that  even  if  nominated  he  could  not  (in  the  opinion  of  a 
majority  of  the  convention)  have  been  elected,  and  it  was  perhaps 
good  policy  to  take  Harrison,  who  may  succeed  if  the  friends  of 
Mr.  Clay  exercise  that  magnanimity  which  it  appears  they  could  not 
calculate  upon  from  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  friends  of  his  riv^als. 
But  the  matter  is  now  settled,  and  I,  for  my  part,  am  determined 
to  forget  that  any  other  candidate  than  General  Harrison  has  ev^er 
been  thought  of,  or  named  to  the  people.  The  informal  vote  on 
Friday  is  understood  to  have  been,  for  Winfield  Scott,  1 6  ;  Henry 
Clay,  90;  William  H.  Harrison,  14S. 

December  10.  —  In  removing  the  foundation  of  the 
Curious  Relic,  towcr  of  Trinity  Church  a  vaulted  grave  was  opened, 
which  contained  the  coffin  and  bones  of  Lady  Corn- 
bury,  wife  of  the  governor  of  the  colony,  who  died  in  this  city  in 
the  year  i  706,  and  was  buried  under  the  original  church,  which 
was  burned  in  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  A  large  plate 
and  fragments  of  the  coffin  were  found,  which  are  now  seen  in  the 
office  of  the  architect ;  the  former  is  perfectly  legible,  and  nearly 
uninjured  by  its  inhumation  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  years. 
The  arms  of  this  noble  lady,  who  was  sister  of  the  Earl  of  Rich- 
mond, and  a  viscountess  in  her  own  right,  are  engraven  on  the 
plate,  with  her  pedigree,  age,  and  time  of  her  death,  etc.,  distinctly, 
but  very  rudely,  written  below.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four. 
This  relic  is  interesting  and  valuable,  as  it  marks  the  period  of 
Lord  Cornbury's  government,  one  of  the  early  English  governors, 
whose  name  is  affixed  to   the   charter   of  Trinity   Church.     How 


1839]  THE   DIARY  OF   PHILIP   HONE.  395 

many  generations  of  men  have  passed  away,  and  what  changes  have 
occurred,  since  this  plate  of  silver,  emblazoned  by  the  hands  of  an 
unskilful  artist  with  the  pompous  display  of  heraldic  pride  and 
the  unerring  record  of  death's  doings,  was  placed  in  its  dark,  cold 
repository,  to  be  brought  forth  again  to  the  light  of  day  to  undergo 
the  scrutiny  of  a  generation  of  men  who  were  not  thought  of  in 
those  days,  and  who  care  no  more  about  the  remains  of  this  branch 
of  the  Richmond  family  than  those  of  the  poor  Indian  chief  who 
was  driven  from  the  spot  before  her  husband  came  to  it  as  the 
representative  of  the  Majesty  of  England  ! 

The  place  where  these  remains  were  interred  was,  at  the  time, 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  city  of  New  York.  The  charter  of 
Trinity  Church  (a  copy  of  which  I  have  in  my  possession)  provides 
for  the  erection  of  a  church  in  that  spot,  near  to  the  city  of  New 
York.  It  has  now  become  in  fact  the  southern  boundary.  The 
solitary  tomb  of  this  young  and  noble  lady  has  echoed  for  more 
than  a  century  the  footsteps  of  busy  men,  ardently  engaged  in  the 
cares  of  business  and  the  pursuit  of  wealth ;  for  it  was  close  to 
Broadway,  opposite  Wall  street.  I  proposed  last  evening,  in  the 
vestry,  that  these  relics  should  be  presented  to  the  Historical 
Society ;  but  it  was  not  granted.  They  determined  to  have  a  new 
tomb  provided,  in  which  they  are  to  be  re-interred. 

The  De  Ruyters,  the  Von  Tromps,  and  the  Stuyve- 
ew    u  c     g^j^|.g    q£  ^^  manor  of  Rensselaer,  remain  still  in  an 

War.  '  ' 

attitude  of  open  rebellion  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 
Equally  opposed  to  good  order  as  to  good  manors,  they  won't  pay 
their  rent  to  him  whom  they  style  the  pretended  proprietor,  oppose 
every  attempt  of  the  constituted  authorities  to  enforce  the  demands 
of  justice,  and  treat  with  indignity  everything  in  the  shape  of  legal 
process.  This  outrageous  proceeding  has  become  so  serious  that 
the  Governor  has  ordered  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred  of  the  infantry 
of  this  city  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  repair  to  Albany  at 
a  moment's  warning,  and  has  provided  two  steamboats  to  transport 
them  to  the  seat  of  war.     Division  and  brigade  orders  fill  a  column 


396  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  59. 

in  the  morning  papers,  and  names  of  major-generals,  A.D.C.'s, 
and  brigade -majors  are  blazoned  in  staring  capitals.  Young  men 
with  muskets,  unconscious  yet  of  murderous  lead,  parade  the  streets, 
"  panting  for  the  fray,"  and  anxious  to  flesh  their  maiden  swords 
in  Dutchmen's  blood  ;  and  many  a  one  whose  nose  looks  red  and 
bright  on  frosty  mornings  may  find  it  turn  blue  when  he  comes  to 
poke  into  the  hostile  camp  of  the  belligerent  Rensselaerwickers. 
But  in  truth  and  soberness  this  is  a  serious  business.  Conduct  so 
disorganizing  must  be  resisted,  and  the  laws  be  maintained  at  all 
events.  The  affair  is  in  good  hands.  Our  excellent  little  Gover- 
nor understands  what  he  is  about,  and  if  the  last  attempts  of  the 
sheriff  in  Albany  county  should  be  unsuccessful,  the  arm  of  execu- 
tive power  will  not  be  raised  in  vain. 

A  correspondence  between  the  malcontents  and  Mr.  Van 
Rensselaer  is  published,  in  which  it  appears  to  me  they  are  all 
wrong,  and  he  all  right.  The  letter  of  Mr.  V.  R.  contains  the 
description  of  the  boundaries  and  extent  of  the  Van  Rensselaer 
patent.  It  is  enormous,  and  such  a  territory  in  the  hands  of  an 
individual  certainly  does  not  conduce  to  tlie  public  advantage. 
At  the  time  of  the  grant  it  consisted  of  little  better  than  wild  land, 
inhabited  by  Indians,  and  unproductive  as  the  prairies  of  Arkansas 
or  the  Rocky  mountains  ;  whereas  it  is  now  the  heart  of  the  State, 
near  the  capital,  and  capal)]e  of  indefinite  improvements  if  the  oc- 
cupants held  it  in  fee.  But  these  men  do  not  go  the  right  way  to 
work ;  they  have  no  more  right  to  refuse  the  payment  of  the  tri- 
fling rent  than  the  tenants  of  houses  in  New  York  have  to  say 
they  will  pay  but  one-half  of  their  stipulated  rent,  or  none  at  all. 
Decembkk  12.  —  The  disturbances  in  the  Rensse- 
Dutch  War.  lacr  mauor  are  in  a  fair  way  of  settlement  without 
calling  in  the  aid  of  the  troops  from  New  York.  This 
effect  has  been  mainly  produced  by  the  firm  and  discreet  course 
of  Governor  Seward,  who  issued  a  very  judicious  proclamation  to 
the  revolted  tribes  of  the  Helderberg,  giving  them  little  to  hope 
from  the  hostile  attitude  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves,  and 


1839]  THE   DIARY   OF  PHILIP    HONE.  397 

much  from  a  suitable  obedience  to  the  laws  and  reliance  upon  the 
justice  of  the  Legislature. 

An  attempt  was  made  during  the  course  of  this  affair,  by  the 
profligate  politicians  who  are  in  the  ascendant  in  this  devoted  city, 
to  get  up  a  meeting  at  Tammany  Hall  to  express  their  horror  at 
the  thought  of  troops  being  employed  to  shed  the  blood  of  their 
fellow- citizens,  and  to  raise  party  capital  by  condemning  the 
measures  adopted  by  the  Governor ;  but  this  cankered  sore  of  Jac- 
obinical corruption  did  not  come  to  a  head ;  their  hearts  were 
black  enough,  and  their  heads  sufficiently  willing  to  carry  out  such 
a  design,  but  it  was  thought  rather  too  radical.  The  time  has  not 
quite  come,  —  it  is  not  far  distant. 

December  13.  —  Great  anxiety  has  prevailed  for  some  time  past 
about  the  French  packet  "Ville  de  Lyons,"  Captain  Stoddart, 
which  has  been  out  about  seventy  days  from  Havre,  with  two  hun- 
dred passengers.  Mrs.  Cutting,  the  elder  Miss  Cutting,  and  the 
wife  and  children  of  Francis  B.  Cutting,  with  a  number  of  others 
in  whose  fate  great  interest  was  felt,  were  known  to  be  on  board, 
and  this  day  apprehensions  were  relieved  by  accounts  being  re- 
ceived that  the  ship  had  just  put  into  Bermuda,  dismasted  and 
otherwise  greatly  disabled  by  severe  weather.  The  perils  and  dan- 
gers of  the  voyage  will  be  likely  to  induce  passengers  to  prefer 
the  steam-packets  in  making  a  western  passage  during  the  winter 
months. 

December  14. —  Mr.  Robert  Lenox,  who  has  been  ill  for  several 
weeks,  died  yesterday,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
formerly  a  merchant  and  magistrate  of  this  city,  and  died  one  of  its 
richest  citizens. 

December  19.  —  Anthony  L  Bleecker  has  been  appointed  mar- 
shal of  this  district,  in  the  place  of  W.  C.  H.  Waddell.  In  this 
appointment  the  President,  it  is  said,  has  given  mortal  offence  to 
the  butt-enders  and  indomitables  who  form  the  elite  of  his  party  in 
New  York.  These  gentry  had  made  up  their  minds  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  Major  Hopkins  to  this  office,  and  sent  a  deputation 


398  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.^tat.59. 

of  their  respectable  order  to  Washington  to  that  effect,  demanding 
that  their  rescript  should  be  obeyed,  and  their  favourite  receive  his 
share  of  the  spoils  of  the  victory  which  their  prowess  had  gained. 
This  demand,  it  would  appear,  was  urged  with  a  degree  of  insolence 
which  the  President  could  not  brook.  He  smiled,  however,  upon 
his  tools,  rough  as  was  their  deportment,  gave  them  soft  words  in 
return  for  rude  enforcements,  bowed  the  unshaven  dignitaries  of  the 
Loco-foco  body-guards  out  of  his  palace,  and  forthwith  appointed 
this  Mr.  Bleecker  to  the  office,  who  is  a  gentleman, —  sufficient,  one 
would  think,  at  this  time  to  disqualify  him.  This  contumelious 
treatment  has  given  mortal  offence  to  the  sovereigns,  and  some  of 
their  ultra  papers  have  gone  the  length  of  abusing  the  President  in 
good  set  terms.  One  or  two  more  such  acts  of  rebellion  against 
the  expressed  will  of  the  party  will  get  Mr.  Van  Buren  out  of  their 
good  books.  He  has  occasionally  evinced  a  disposition  to  act  like 
a  gentleman,  which  will  be  his  ruin  if  he  does  not  take  care. 

December  20. — The  nomination  of  General  Harri- 
Mr.  Clay.  son  works  like  a  charm  among  the  Whigs.  They  said 
that  the  choice  of  the  Harrisburg  Convention  should  be 
the  signal  of  union,  and  that  all  personal  predilections  should 
be  offered  up  on  the  altar  of  patriotism,  and  nobly  have  they 
redeemed  their  pledge.  All  have  forgotten  their  first  choice,  and 
every  man's  banner  is  inscribed  with  the  name  of  Harrison.  In 
this  honourable  course  the  friends  of  Henry  Clay  have  been  the 
foremost ;  and  the  man  of  their  choice,  he  who  has  done  his  coun- 
try better  service  than  any  man  alive,  and  better  deserves  its  highest 
recompense,  was  the  first  to  set  the  glorious  example.  Mr.  Clay 
will  never  be  President;  but  why  should  he  wish  it?  He  has 
reached  a  higher  eminence.  He  has  sacrificed  personal  interest  to 
the  public  good.  Is  he  ambitious?  What  is  there  in  the  title,  or 
troublesome  duty,  or  empty  distinction  of  being  President  of  the 
United  States  for  four  years  (for  that  is  to  be  the  ultimatum  here- 
after) to  fill  the  measure  of  a  reasonable  ambition  equal  to  that  of 
his  present  position  ?     He  has  drawn  off  his  troops  at  a  moment- 


i839]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  399 

when  they  were  ready  to  fight  for  him  to  the  death.  He  has  sub- 
mitted even  to  the  force  of  prejudices,  and  acknowledged  that 
popularity  with  the  people  did  not  follow  from  his  best  public  acts. 
He  has  sacrificed  the  reward  of  a  long  life  of  public  and  private 
devotion  to  his  country  to  the  noble  sentiment  of  the  patriotic  Vir- 
ginian, "  Union  for  the  sake  of  the  Union,"  and  relinquished  the 
doubtful  chance  of  the  enjoyment  for  four  years  of  the  glitter  of 
office,  with  the  vapid,  dull,  and  useless  remainder  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term,  for  the  proud  certainty  of  being  enthroned  in  the 
hearts  of  the  honest,  high-minded  portion  of  his  countrymen  as 
the  disinterested  patriot  who  has  always  served  them  well,  and 
stands  ready  to  serve  them  well  hereafter. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Harrisburg  Convention  many  of  the 
members  went  to  Washington,  where  it  was  found  that  there  were 
one  or  more  delegates  from  eighteen  out  of  the  twenty -two  States 
which  had  been  represented  in  that  patriotic  and  enlightened  body. 
They  called  in  a  body  upon  Mr.  Clay,  to  do  homage  to  the  high 
moral  principle  which  had  influenced  his  conduct.  The  friends  of 
Harrison  and  Scott,  with  those  who  originally  enlisted  for  Webster, 
were  as  ready  to  acknowledge  the  high  claims  of  Clay  to  the  proud 
distinction  of  their  nomination  as  he  and  his  friends  had  been  to 
surrender  those  claims  in  favour  of  a  candidate  who  was  thought  to 
be  more  available.  The  particulars  of  this  touching  ceremony, 
together  with  those  of  the  great  Whig  dinner  given  on  the  same 
day,  are  detailed  admirably  in  the  "  National  Intelligencer." 

December    26. — The    message    was   not    delivered 
President's       ^^iH  Tuesday.     It  is  well  written,  delusive,  and  calcu- 

Message. 

lated  to  strengthen  the  President  with  his  party, — 
thoroughly  Loco-foco.  Two- thirds  of  the  enormous  mass  of  words 
are  used  to  minister  to  the  bad  feelings  of  the  anti-bankites.  The 
President  recommends,  in  the  boldest  and  most  undisguised  terms, 
the  sub-treasury  system,  —  an  exclusive  circulation  for  government 
purposes.  State  banks  are  condemned  without  mercy,  and  the 
plan  of  a  national  bank  is  declared  not  only  unconstitutional,  but 


400  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.59. 

altogether  inexpedient.  The  government  is  to  be  banker,  broker, 
and  money-dealer  for  the  whole  country.  These  doctrines  will 
probably  be  carried  out  in  their  fullest  extent,  and  in  a  few  months 
the  whole  policy  of  the  country  will  be  changed,  and  the  general 
government  (or  rather  the  President  and  his  myrmidons)  become 
the  masters  of  the  people,  and  the  regulators  of  their  private  as  well 
as  public  affairs.  Good -by,  then,  to  all  the  sound  influence  of 
wholesome  credit  and  national  faith. 

December  30.  —  I  called  yesterday  to  see  Mr.  Webster.  He  is 
in  good  health  and  spirits,  and  greatly  pleased  (as  he  could  not 
foil  to  be)  with  his  visit.  His  splendid  talents  and  high  standing 
in  his  own  country  have  been  suitably  appreciated  where  he  has 
been,  and  he  has  met  with  a  flattering  reception  and  kind  treat- 
ment. I  had  half  an  hour's  agreeable  conversation  with  him.  .  He 
does  not  appear  anxious  to  go  to  Washington  immediately,  for  he 
sees  no  chance  of  doing  any  good  there.  His  mind  is  full  of 
gloomy  forebodings  of  the  unhappy  result  of  measures  which  it  is 
too  certain  will  now  be  carried.  The  accession  of  Mr.  Calhoun 
and  his  little  squad  of  anti- federal  nullifiers  to  the  grasping,  reck- 
less policy  of  the  administration,  which  sanctions  any  coalition, 
however  corrupt,  and  consents  to  any  violation  of  the  Constitution, 
however  flagrant,  which  may  serve  to  secure  the  permanency  of 
their  power,  gives  the  death-blow  to  the  patriotic  efforts  of  the 
Whigs  of  the  North  and  the  East.  One  hundred  and  ten  good 
men  and  true  in  the  House  of  Representatives  are  to  be  ruled  by 
eight  or  ten  who  are  neither  good  nor  true,  and  if  anything  is  to  be 
gained  by  an  occasional  assistance  from  that  quarter  it  must  be  by 
a  sacrifice  greater  than  the  object  is  worth.  Mr.  Calhoun's  party 
are  the  worst  politicians  in  the  country,  —  enemies  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, more  dangerous  than  Benton  and  Wright,  Frank  Thomas^  or 
Aaron  VanderpoeL 


PART    II 


THE     DIARY 


OF 


PHILIP  HONE 


1840 


TANUARY  I .  —  Another  year  has  passed,  and  it  would  be  well 
^  if  the  black  lines  of  Benton,  the  great  expunger,  could  be 
drawn  around  1839  in  the  calendar.  It  has  been  marked  by  indi- 
vidual and  national  distress  in  an  unprecedented  degree,  the  effect 
of  improvidence  and  a  want  of  sound  moral  and  political  princi- 
ples on  the  part  of  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  bad  government 
and  a  crushing  down  of  everything  good  and  great  to  subserve 
party  objects  on  the  part  of  the  rulers. 

The  New  Year  comes  in  bright  and  clear.  It  is  by  for  the  cold- 
est day  this  winter ;  the  ground  is  partially  covered  with  snow ; 
the  ice  which  covers  the  walks  in  some  places  is  hard  as  adamant, 
and  the  north-west  wind  blows  up  the  cross-streets  keen  and  sharp, 
as  if  it  had  been  whetted  upon  the  everlasting  ice  of  the  north 
pole.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  gayety  of  the  season  has  not 
been  diminished.  There  has  been  as  much  visiting  as  usual. 
Broadway  was  lively  as  ever,  bright  eyes  and  warm  receptions  in- 
doors, and  blue  noses  and  cold  fingers  without.  I  took  my  "  auld 
cloak  about  me,"  and  trudged  about  for  nearly  five  hours,  paying 


2  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Ktat.  60. 

a  large  number  of  pleasant  visits,  and  leaving  many  more  equally- 
pleasant  unpaid.  The  extent  of  the  visiting  circle  in  New  York 
has  become  too  great  for  the  operations  of  one  day. 

January  7. — The  Cuttings,  who  were  passengers  in 
le       1  e  ( e  ^j^^  uiifortunate  packet  ''  Ville  de  Lyon,"  from  Havre, 

Lyon."  ^  -'        '  ' 

which  put  into  Bermuda  disabled,  after  a  long  and  dis- 
astrous voyage,  have  had  additional  troubles  by  another  long  and 
uncomfortable  voyage  of  twenty-six  days  from  the  latter  place  to 
Savannah,  in  the  British  ship  "Alexander  Grant,"  which  vessel 
they  chartered  to  bring  them  out,  at  an  expense  of  five  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  and  found  themselves.  By  the  last  accounts  they 
were  all  safe  upon  a  plantation  in  South  Carolina,  where  they  will 
remain  for  the  winter.  They  will  not  be  tempted  to  tempt  the  sea 
again  very  soon,  I  am  inclined  to  think.  We  have  had  some  pretty 
severe  gales  and  cold  weather,  but  there  have  been  no  shipwrecks 
near  to  New  York. 

January  8.  —  I  was  reminded  this  morning,  by  see- 
Ode'L"^^'"'''  ing  the  flags  displayed  upon  the  City  Hall  and  Tam- 
many Hall,  that  it  is  the  anniv^ersary  of  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans,  an  event  glorious  in  the  history  of  our  country,  and 
consolatory  to  the  pride  of  every  true  American,  but  one  which 
in  its  effects  has  proved  most  injurious  to  the  present  prosperity 
and  future  prospects  of  the  land,  "and  all  which  it  inherit."  For 
the  laurels  gained  by  General  Jackson  on  that  occasion  and  the 
popularity  which  is  certain  to  follow  a  successful  military  chieftain, 
paved  the  way  for  his  elevation  to  the  Presidency,  made  him  the 
idol  of  the  people,  turned  his  head,  and  gave  him  the  power  io 
indulge  his  personal  prejudices  and  antipathies  at  the  expense  of 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  trample  upon  the  rights  of  the  peo- 
ple who  were  huzzaing  for  him,  and  sacrifice  every  interest  to  pro- 
mote his  own  objects  and  those  of  his  party.  With  a  full  share  of 
the  exultation  which  all  should  feel  in  the  event  of  a  battle  gained, 
and  with  no  desire  to  detract  from  the  well-earned  fame  of  the 
commanding  generals,  I  do  not   hesitate  to  say  that,  in  my  opin- 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  3 

ion,  tne  evils  resulting  from  that  event,  in  its  consequences  as 
described  above,  outweigh  the  benefits  of  fifty  such  battles ;  and  so 
posterity  will  say,  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 

Baltimore,  Jan.  21.  —  I  left  Philadelphia  at  eight  o'clock,  by 
the  railroad,  and  got  here  at  three  o'clock  P.M.  On  my  arrival  1 
found  an  affectionate  note  from  Mr.  Gilmor,  who  in  a  few  minutes 
came  in  person  to  tell  me  that  he  had  a  party  engaged  to  meet  me 
at  dinner,  soon  after  which  Mr.  Meredith  came  and  invited  me  for 
to-morrow;  and  Mr.  McLane,  Mr.  Birkhead,  and  Dr.  Alexander 
all  called,  and  there  is  a  seat  for  me  at  every  man's  table,  and  ap- 
parently a  place  in  his  heart,  and  I  am  received,  as  I  always  have 
been  in  Baltimore,  with  the  most  hearty  welcome  and  overflowing 
hospitality.  We  had  at  dinner  at  Mr.  Gilmor's,  besides  the  host 
and  hostess,  Meredith,  Dr.  Alexander,  Mr.  Birkhead,  John  P.  Ken- 
nedy, David  Hoffman,  Mr.  Pennington,  and  myself.  A  most  capi- 
tal dinner,  and  such  wine  as  scarcely  another  man  can  show  at 
present  in  the  United  States.  There  was  one  bottle  which  I  was 
told  had  been  kept  exclusively  for  me.  I  wish  I  could  think  my- 
self worthy  of  the  compliment  as  the  wine  was  of  the  generosity  of 
the  donor.  I  certainly  never  drank  any  better  in  my  life.  The 
pleasure  of  our  party  was  enhanced  by  the  addition  of  that  excel- 
lent townsman  of  mine,  David  B.  Ogden,  who  arrived  from  Wash- 
ington during  the  evening  on  his  way  to  New  York.  He  is  a  great 
favourite  here,  as  he  is  amongst  all  who  know  how  to  appreciate 
superior  talents  and  honesty. 

January  23. — In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  musical  party  at 
General  Harper's,  where  I  found  a  great  number  of  very  agreeable 
people.  I  certainly  think  there  are  more  handsome  young  married 
women  and  girls  in  Baltimore  than  in  any  circle  of  society  of  the  same 
size  I  have  ever  known ;  but  you  never  see  them  except  at  a  party 
of  this  kind  ;  for  they  are  not  seen  much  in  the  streets,  nor  have  they 
a  Broadway  to  walk  in.  I  had  the  pleasure  to  meet  Mrs.  Caton 
and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Harper,  from  whom  I  received  a  most  friendly 
recognition.      I   called   upon  her  yesterday,  and   received   a  very 


4  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Kiat.  60. 

particular  message,  that  she  was  lying  down,  but  that  I  must  cer- 
tainly call  again.  She  is  old,  not  ugly ;  infirm,  but  exceedingly 
gracious  in  her  manners ;  and  nearly  blind,  but  lively  and  quick 
of  apprehension.  She  was  unquestionably  (as  I  told  her)  the 
belie  of  the  evening.  Every  gentleman,  on  entering,  made  her  a 
bow,  which  she  returned  with  much  grace,  after  inquiring  his 
name  (for  she  finds  it  difficult  to  recognize  her  most  intimate  friends 
except  by  the  voice),  and  every  lady  took  her  hand  in  parting. 
How  much  of  this  arises  from  the  circumstance  of  her  being  the 
mother  of  a  duchess,  a  marchioness,  and  a  countess,  it  might  be 
somewhat  difficult  to  ascertain  ;  but  I  am  quite  sure,  that  if  she  were 
haughty  and  disagreeable  as  she  is  affible  and  ladylike,  this  homage 
would  not  be  paid  with  that  willing  cheerfulness  which  I  witnessed 
and  admired  this  evening.  "  Vou  ouglit  to  be  happy,  madam,"  said 
I,  "  to  find  yourself  so  much  beloved."  —  "  Indeed,  I  am,  sir,"  she 
replied  ;  "  you  can  have  no  idea  how  happy  it  makes  me."  We 
had  fine  music  ;  several  of  the  ladies  sang.  If  we  had  such  parties 
in  New  York  I  would  attend  more  frequently. 

Washington,  Jan.  24.  —  I  left  Baltimore  in  the  four-o'clock 
cars.  On  my  arrival  here,  about  seven  o'clock,  I  found  everything 
handsomely  provided  for  me  at  Gadsby's,  by  my  good  friend  Mr. 
Granger,  with  whom,  and  his  daughter  Miss  Adele,  I  am  to  mess. 
After  tea  I  had  retired  to  my  room,  and  in  night-gown  and  slippers 
was  prepared  for  an  hour's  reading  and  an  early  bedding,  when  in 
"  came  one  in  hot  haste  with  missives  from  the  king,"  informing 
me  that  a  i)arty  was  assembled  to  sup  at  Boulanger's,  nearly  oppo- 
site my  lodgings,  and  that  I  must  report  myself  forthwith.  I  went 
and  found  Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Crittenden,  General  Scott,  Colonel  Daw- 
son of  Virginia,  Lee  of  Maryland,  Gen.  Waddy  Thompson,  Mr. 
Botts  of  Virginia,  and  one  or  two  more.  We  supped  in  Boulanger's 
best  style,  played  whist,  and  talked  politics.  Mr.  Clay  looks  re- 
markably well.  He  is  almost  worshipped  by  the  Whigs  since  his 
late  magnanimous  conduct  in  regard  to  the  nomination  of  General 
Harrison,  and  yet  occasionally  "  this  eagle  towering  in  his  pride  of 


1840.]  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  ^ 

place  "  is  "  by  an  owl  hawked  at  and  pecked."  A  man  from 
Mississippi,  who  is  known  in  common  parlance  and  recognized  by 
the  laws  as  a  senator  of  the  United  States,  by  the  name  of  Walker, 
abused  him  yesterday  grossly  in  debate,  the  cause  of  which  was 
that  Mr.  Clay  refused  to  reply  to  some  of  his  remarks,  but  would 
reply  to  Mr.  Buchanan,  or  some  other  gentleman  of  that  party. 
But  in  truth  an  attack  upon  Mr.  Clay  from  such  a  quarter  is  about 
as  ridiculous  as  Noah  Brown  firing  a  musket-ball  at  the  British 
frigate  cruising  off  Rockaway   Beach. 

I  intended  to  visit,  and  succeeded  only  in  going  to  inquire  about. 
Commodore  Chauncey.  My  excellent  old  friend  is  past  hope.  I 
saw  his  son,  who  gave  me  the  melancholy  intelligence  that  this  will 
in  all  probability  be  the  last  day  of  the  earthly  cruise  of  the  noble 
old  sailor.  I  fervently  pray  that  he  may  find  a  safe  harbour  in  a 
better  world.  Here  is  another  of  my  ties  of  early  friendship  about 
to  be  sundered.  There  are  few  men  to  whom  I  have  been  longer 
or  more  tenderly  attached.  His  son  told  me  that  within  a  day  or 
two  he  has  spoken  of  me  affectionately  as  one  of  his  oldest  and 
best  friends. 

Whilst  in  that  part  of  the  city  I  called  upon  Baron  Marechal, 
the  Austrian  Minister.  I  am  in  the  mess  of  Mr.  Granger  and 
Abbott  Lawrence.  They  invited  three  or  four  members  to  meet 
me  at  dinner.     I  could  not  have  better  quarters. 

January  28.  —  Celeste  commenced  an  engagement  at  the  theatre 
last  evening,  and  I  am  told  had  not  fifty  people  in  the  house.  I 
wonder  why  they  come  here.  Everybody  has  some  better  engage- 
ment, and  you  seldom  hear  the  theatre  mentioned.  I  dined  with 
Mr.  Monroe ;  an  exceedingly  nice  dinner  and  a  gay  party,  con- 
sisting of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grinnell,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis,  Mr.  Hoff- 
man, Mr.  and  Miss  Granger,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoughton  from  New 
York,  Mr.  Saltonstall,  Mr.  Bard  from  New  York,  and  myself. 
After  which  I  went  to  sup  at  Boulanger's,  with  Mr.  Clay,  Mr. 
Crittenden,  Governor  Barbour,  Mr.  Fox,  the  British  Minister,  Gen- 
eral Scott,  General  Thompson,  and  Mr.  Lee.     This  high  living,  or 


6  THE    DIAUV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etal.  Co. 

the  climate,  has  given  me  the  last  two  nights  tlie  most  excruciating 
cramps,  and  I  have  a  very  interesting  touch  of  lumbago. 

William  Cost  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  has  been  speaking  two  days 
on  the  never-ending,  still-enduring,  and  ever-exciting  subject  of 
abolition  petitions.  He  is  a  fine  fellow  and  a  true  Whig,  but  an 
out-and-out  anti-abolitionist  from  ])rinciple,  —  not  as  IJynum  and 
other  such  fellows  are,  to  turn  it  to  i)arty  ])uri)oses  and  make  it  a 
vehicle  of  personal  abuse  against  their  ])olitical  o])ponents ;  and  so 
he  told  them  in  tlie  plainest,  straightforward  manner,  and  rebutted 
in  his  person,  and  by  flat  contradiction,  that  the  Whigs,  as  a  body, 
are  inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  South.  A  resolution  offered  by 
Mr.  Johnson  as  a  standing  rule  was  adopted  after  an  animated  con- 
test by  a  majority  of  six  in  a  full  house.  It  goes  farther  than  any 
former  action  upon  this  vexatious  subject.  It  forbids  the  reception 
of  any  petition  against  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia  or  else- 
where, or  the  entertaining  of  anything  by  the  House  which  relates 
to  slavery.  It  strikes  me  as  an  unfortunate  measure.  It  is  the 
very  thing  to  please  the  abolitionists ;  the  cry  of  persecution 
strengthens  their  cause.  It  is  unjust,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think 
unconstitutional,  and  this  apparent  triumph  of  obstinacy  over 
fanaticism  will  redound,  I  fear,  to  the  benefit  of  the  latter. 

I  spent  a  few  minutes  this  morning  in  the  Supreme  Court.  What 
a  contrast  between  the  gravity  and  decorum  of  that  hallowed  sanct- 
uary of  the  laws,  and  the  levity  and  disorder  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  !  —  the  quiet,  subdued  tone  of  the  former,  and  the 
noisy  declamation  of  the  latter  ;  and  the  reverend  black-silk  gowns 
of  the  judges,  and  the  piebald  costume  of  the  people's  representa- 
tives, 

January  29.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Crinnell,  who  lives  in  handsome 
style,  has  his  family  here,  and  his  carriage,  and  gives  capital 
dinners.  Our  party  to-day  was  a  delightful  one,  consisting  of  the 
e/i'/e  of  the  Whigs,  and  a  more  jovial  set  is  not  often  to  be  met  with. 
It  consisted  of  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Preston,  of  the  Senate,  Mr. 
Btll,    Mr.    Graves,    Colonel    Dawson,  Mr.    Hoffman,  Mr.    Curtis, 


1840.]  THE   DTARV   OF   riTTLir    HONE.  / 

Mr.  Rice,  Mr.  Garland,  Mr.  Granger,  the  host,  and  myself.  Mr. 
Webster  was  in  the  midst  of  his  friends,  and  delighted  us  with  an 
account  of  his  travels,  of  the  places  he  saw,  the  visits  he  made,  the 
attention  he  received,  and  the  result  of  his  deep  searches  into  the 
characters  of  the  eminent  men  of  England.  Preston  is  one  of 
the  most  captivating  men  I  ever  saw.  His  voice  is  like  music, 
and  there  is  a  natural  eloquence  about  him,  and  a  vein  of  jocund 
good-humour  quite  irresistible.  Hoffman  was  in  high  spirits  ;  Bell, 
declamatory ;  Dawson,  gentlemanly ;  and  when  I  came  away 
(which,  in  consequence  of  an  attack  of  lumbago  I  have  had  for  a 
day  or  two,  and  which,  once  in  a  while,  brings  drops  of  sweat  upon 
my  forehead,  was  earlier  than  I  wished),  the  elements  of  good 
fellowship  were  admirably  mixed  up  in  this  little  party. 

,  January    ^o.  —  At   eleven    o'clock    I    went   to   the 

Commodore  •'  ^ 

chauncey's  funcral.  At  the  request  of  Mrs.  Chauncey,  I  followed 
as  a  mourner  in  the  carriage  with  her  three  sons,  and 
am  now  wearing  the  badge  of  mourning  on  my  hat.  She  sent  for 
me  to  her  room,  took  my  hand  on  my  entrance,  exclaimed,  "  Here 
is  my  husband's  old  friend  !  "  and  sobbed  aloud  in  the  bitterness 
of  grief.  I  was  completely  overcome,  and  left  the  room  without 
saying  a  word.  Commander  Morris,  who  had  charge  of  the  funeral 
arrangements,  told  me  that  Mrs.  Chauncey  made  a  point  of  having 
Mr.  Webster  and  me  pall-bearers  until  she  found  it  was  to  be 
a  military  funeral.  The  bearers  were  General  Scott,  General 
Macomb,  Commander  Morris,  Commander  Wadsworth,  Com- 
mander Ridgely,  Colonel  Henderson,  Commander  of  Marines,  and 
the  former  and  present  Secretaries  of  the  Navy,  Messrs.  Woodbury 
and  Paulding.  The  President  and  heads  of  departments  attended, 
with  a  splendid  array  of  naval  and  military  officers  in  uniform,  and 
there  was  a  handsome  escort  of  marines  and  volunteers ;  but  they 
had  a  hard  time  of  it,  the  ground  being  covered  with  ice,  snow, 
and  water,  and  the  rain  falling  at  intervals  during  the  tedious 
march  of  about  three  miles  to  the  Congregational  burying  ground, 
•where  the  remains  of  the  noble  old  sailor  were  interred. 


8  THE   DIARV    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  60. 

I   had   a  high  gratification  in  the  Senate,   where  my 
oquencein     (yQQ(^^j_fQi-{^m-jg    carried    me,   and  I   was  kept  enchained 

the  Senate.  *  '  '- 

imtU  the  hour  of  their  adjournment.  The  whole  Whig 
strength  was  brought  out  in  opposition  to  the  report  of  a  special 
committee,  of  which  Mr.  Grundy,  the  late  attorney-general,  is 
chairman,  —  a  report  suicidal  in  its  tendency,  as  are  all  the  measures 
of  the  party  of  which  Mr.  Grundy  may  be  considered  the  leader  in 
the  Senate  ;  the  object  of  which  is  to  show  to  the  world  the  amount 
of  indebtedness  of  the  several  States,  exaggerated  in  its  statements 
and  uncandid  in  its  conclusions,  charging  the  States  with  improvi- 
dence and  extravagance,  telling  the  creditor,  foreign  or  at  home, 
that  he  has  trusted  too  much,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  he  will  be  paid  ; 
and,  like  a  cruel  step- mother,  the  government  seeking  to  discredit 
her  own  children  and  discourage  their  future  exertions.  But  what 
a  burst  of  eloquence  was  poured  from  ^ur  side  of  the  Senate  upon 
the  heads  of  these  unworthy  forgers  of  lies  ;  these  tinkers  of  govern- 
ment jobs ;  these  false  lights  of  a  misguided  people  !  Speeches 
were  made  by  Crittenden,  Southard,  AVebster,  and  Preston.  What 
a  host  !  There  never  was  a  time  in  the  British  Parliament  when 
four  such  men  made  speeches  upon  one  subject.  They  were  all 
great,  but  I  was  most  pleased  with  Mr.  Preston.  It  was  the  first 
time  I  had  ever  heard  the  eloquent  South  Carolinian.  He  is  a  tall 
man,  of  a  strongly  marked  expression  of  countenance  and  not  very 
graceful  manner ;  but  he  pours  forth  a  flood  of  eloquence  like  a 
mountain  cataract,  —  broad  and  impetuous  at  one  time,  and  clear 
and  sweet  and  beautiful  at  another ;  flowing  deep  and  solemn  now, 
and  again  breaking  into  myriads  of  shining  particles,  illuminated  by 
the  sunlight  of  a  poetical  imagination,  and  reflecting  the  varied  hues 
of  classical  imagery ;  solemn  and  playful,  argumentative  and  satiri- 
cal, by  turns.  His  voice  is  powerful,  with  occasional  touches  of 
surpassing  sweetness  ;  and  then,  in  private  intercourse,  he  is  so  play- 
ful, his  conversation  so  varied,  and  his  spirits  so  buoyant,  that  I  am 
of  the  opinion  at  this  moment  that  T  have  never  met  a  more  lov- 
able man.     I  sat  near  Mr.  Preston  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  whilst 


1840  I  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  9 

he  was  speaking.  He  came  to  me  after  he  had  concluded. 
"  There  !  "  said  he  ;  "I  made  that  speech  on  purpose  for  you.  I 
had  no  idea  that  you  should  go  home  without  showing  you  what 
I  could  do." 

I  am  curious  to  know  what  the  colleague  of  this  noble  gentle - 
m.an,  —  what  Mr.  Calhoun  thought  of  his  position  during  the  deliv- 
ery of  this  and  the  other  speeches  on  the  same  side.  This  is  true, 
honest,  legitimate  State-rights  doctrine  ;  no  nullification,  no  hint- 
ing at  separation,  but  an  honest,  independent  standing-up  for  the 
rights  of  the  States  ;  an  indignant  resistance  to  the  arbitrary  inter- 
ference of  an  unnatural  parent  with  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
her  children.  My  eye  glanced  from  the  towering  height  from 
which  one  of  these  men  launched  the  thunder  of  his  eloquence  upon 
the  unworthy  associates  of  the  other,  to  the  opposite  place,  where 
I  saw  the  dark,  scowling  aspect  of  disappointed  ambition  and 
fallen  greatness. 

January  31.  —  I  dined  with  the  President.  The 
inner  a  ^  e  p^j.^.^  consisted  of  about  fivc  and  twenty  gentlemen;  a 
splendid  affair,  and  I  think  in  good  taste.  The  Presi- 
dent does  the  honours  with  dignity  and  graciousness.  There  is  no 
fuss  in  the  business,  and  every  guest  has  his  full  share  of  the  atten- 
tions of  his  host.  I  thought  myself  particularly  favoured,  and  so  I 
presume  others  did.  The  President  sat  on  one  side  of  the  table, 
with  Mr.  Southard  on  his  right  and  Mr.  Sturgeon,  the  new  senator 
from  Pennsylvania,  on  his  left.  Immediately  opposite  to  him  was 
Mr.  Forsyth,  Secretary  of  State,  with  General  Scott  on  his  right 
and  me  on  his  left,  —  an  arrangement  which  the  Secretary  informed 
me  before  dinner  was  made  by  the  President's  order.  The  Presi- 
dent's first  glass  of  wine  was  drunk  with  General  Scott,  and  the 
second  with  me. 

February  i  .  —  My  son  Robert  writes  me  that  an  awful  state 
of  consternation  exists  in  the  city ;  business  is  at  a  stand ;  all 
description  of  stocks  fallen  still  lower,  and  the  fire-insurance  com- 
panies refuse  to  insure  any  more.     I  should  not  be  surprised  if  the 


lO  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    IKWE.  [/Ktat.  60. 

companies  should  break  again,  and  if  they  do  they  will  never  be 
resuscitated.  Poor  New  York  !  a  garden  sowed  with  sand  running 
fast  into  desolation. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Barnard  ;  a  nice  little  party,  consisting  of  Gen- 
eral Scott,  Mr.  Granger,  Mr.  Grrinnell,  the  host,  and  myself.  I  got 
along  very  well,  notwithstanding  the  pain  and  stiffness  of  my  back  ; 
but,  wisely  I  think,  declined  going  to  Mons.  Bodisco's,  who  ex- 
pected me  to  pass  the  evening. 

New  York,  Feb.  20. — The  fashionable  folk  are 
vorrt'sBaii  remarkably  well  off  just  now  in  the  possession  of 
an  inexhaustibk  topic  of  conversation  in  Mrs.  Bre- 
voort's  bill  costume,  costume  a  la  rigueur,  which  is  to  come  offn^xt 
Thursday  evening.  Nothing  else  is  talked  about ;  the  ladies'  heads 
are  turned  nearly  off  their  shoulders ;  the  whiskers  of  the  dandies 
assume  a  more  ferocious  curl  in  anticipation  of  the  effect  they  are 
to  produce  ;  and  even  my  peaceable  domicile  is  turned  topsy-turvy 
by  the  "note  of  preparation"  which  is  heard.  My  daughters  are 
all  going  in  character,  and  I  am  preparing  to  play  the  harlequin, 
in  my  old  days.  If  Cardinal  Wolsey  don't  astonish  the  folk  with 
his  magnificence,  then  have  I  spent  in  vain  my  money  in  the  pur- 
chase of  scarlet  merino  and  other  trappings  to  decorate  the  burly 
person  of  the  haughty  churchman. 

February    24. — This    venerable    and    amiable    old 
x^^^xt"  gentleman  died  last  eveninnj  in  the  ninety-fifth  year  of 

Mr.  Maury.         ^  a^  J  J 

his  age.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  His  ninety- 
fourth  birthday  occurred  about  ten  days  since.  Mr.  Maury  was 
the  first  American  Consul  at  Liverpool,  appointed  by  Washington, 
a  distinction  of  which  he  was  always  proud.  This  office  he  held 
for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  was  removed  by  General  Jackson  (the 
second  Washington,  as  he  was  sacrilegiously  called  by  some  of  his 
flatterers).  On  his  return  a  great  public  dinner  was  given  to  him 
in  New  York,  by  the  merchants  and  others,  of  which  I  was  a  vice- 
presivlent.  He  settled  here  with  his  sons  and  daughters,  where 
he    has   resided   ever   since,    in    i)eace    and    domestic    enjoyment. 


1S40.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  II 

His  daughter  seemed  to  live  for  him  alone,  —  a  pattern  of  filial 
affection  and  devotedness,  —  and  he  has  now,  full  of  age,  and  en- 
joying the  respect  and  veneration  of  his  friends,  sunk  calmly  and 
without  suffering  into  the  grave  which  seemed  to  have  had  a  natural 
claim  to  him  many  years  ago. 

February  25.  —  There  is  little  dependence  upon  newspapers  in 
a  record  of  facts,  any  more  than  in  their  political  dogmas  or  con- 
fessions of  faith.  If  they  do  not  lie  from  dishonest  motives,  their 
avidity  to  have  something  new  and  in  advance  of  others  leads 
them  to  take  up  everything  that  comes  to  hand  without  proper 
examination,  adopting  frequently  the  slightly  grounded  impressions 
of  their  informers  for  grave  truths,  setting  upon  them  the  stamp 
of  authenticity,  and  sending  them  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind  to  fill 
the  ears  and  eyes  of  the  extensive  American  family  of  the  gullibles. 
The  great   affair  which  has  occupied  the  minds  of 

e  ancy  ^^  peoplc  of  all  statious,  ranks,  and  employments,  from 
the  fashionable  belle  who  prepared  for  conquest,  to  the 
humble  artiste  who  made  honestly  a  few  welcome  dollars  in  pro- 
viding the  weapons ;  from  the  liberal-minded  gentleman  who  could 
discover  no  crime  in  an  innocent  and  refined  amusement  of  this 
kind,  to  the  newspaper  reformer,  striving  to  sow  the  seeds  of  dis- 
contentment in  an  unruly  population,  —  this  long-anticipated  affair 
came  off  last  evening,  and  I  believe  the  expectations  of  all  were 
realized.  The  mansion  of  our  entertainers,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brevoort, 
is  better  calculated  for  such  a  display  than  any  other  in  the  city,  and 
everything  which  host  and  hostess  could  do  in  preparing  and 
arranging,  in  receiving  their  guests,  and  making  them  feel  a  full 
warrant  and  assurance  of  welcome,  was  done  to  the  topmost  round 
of  elegant  hospitality.  Mrs.  B.,  in  particular,  by  her  kind  and  cour- 
teous deportment,  threw  a  charm  over  the  splendid  pageant  which 
would  have  been  incomplete  without  it. 

My  family  contributed  a  large  number  of  actors  in  the  gay  scene. 
I  went  as  Cardinal  Wolsey,  in  a  grand  robe  of  new  scarlet  merino, 
with  an  exceedingly  well-contrived  cap  of  the  same  material;,  a 


12  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  6a 

cape  of  real  ermine,  which  I  borrowed  from  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Lua- 
low,  gold  chain  and  cross,  scarlet  stockings,  etc. ;  Mary  and  Cathe- 
rine, as  Night  and  Day ;  Margaret,  Anncjt  Lyle  in  the  "  Legend  of 
Montrose  ;  "  John,  as  Washington  Irving's  royal  poet ;  Schermerhorn, 
as  Gessler,  the  Austrian  governor  who  helped  to  make  William 
Tell  immortal;  Robert,  a  Highlander;  and  our  sweet  neighbour, 
Eliza  Russell,  as  Lalla  Rookh. 

We  had  a  great  preparatory  gathering  of  friends  to  see  our 
dresses  and  those  of  several  others,  who  took  us  "  in  their  way  up." 
I  am  not  quite  sure  whether  the  pleasantest  part  of  such  an  affair 
does  not  consist  in  'Uhe  note  of  preparation,"  the  contriving  and  fix- 
ing, exulting  and  doubting,  boasting  and  fretting,  and  fussing  and 
scolding,  which  are  played  off  in  advance  of  the  great  occasion ; 
and  perhaps,  after  all  is  over,  the  greatest  doubt  is  "  si  le  jeu  vaut  la 
chandelky  And  if  ever  that  question  is  tested,  it  must  be  by  this 
experiment,  for  never  before  has  New  York  witnessed  a  fancy  ball  so 
splendidly  gotten  up,  in  better  taste,  or  more  successfully  carried 
through.  We  went  at  ten  o'clock,  at  which  time  the  numerous 
apartments,  brilliantly  lighted,  were  tolerably  well  filled  with  char- 
acters. The  notice  on  the  cards  of  invitation,  "  Costiujie  a  la 
7'igueur,'"  had  virtually  closed  the  door  to  all  others,  and  with  the 
exception  of  some  eight  or  ten  gentlemen  who,  in  plain  dress,  with 
a  red  ribbon  at  the  button- hole,  officiated  as  managers,  every  one 
appeared  as  some  one  else  ;  the  dresses  being  generally  new,  some 
of  them  superbly  ornamented  with  gold,  silver,  and  jewelry;  others 
marked  by  classical  elegance,  or  appropriately  designating  distin- 
guished characters  of  ancient  and  modern  history  and  the  drama ; 
and  others  again  most  familiarly  grotesque  and  ridiculous.  The 
coup  d'ceit  dazzled  the  eyes  and  bewildered  the  imagination. 

Soon  after  our  party  arrived  the  five  rooms  on  the  first  floor 
(including  the  library)  were  completely  filled.  I  should  think 
there  were  about  five  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen  ;  many  a  beau- 
tiful "  point  device,"  which  had  cost  the  fair  or  gallant  wearer 
infinite  pains  in  the  selection  and  adaptation,  was  doomed  to  pass 


1840.J  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  1 3 

unnoticed  in  the  crowd  ;  and  many  who  went  there  hoping  each 
to  be  the  star  of  the  evening,  found  themselves  echpsed  by  some 
superior  luminary,  or  at  best  forming  a  unit  in  the  milky  way. 
Some  surprise  was  expressed  at  seeing  in  the  crowd  a  man 
in  the  habit  of  a  knight  in  armour,  —  a  Mr.  Attree,  reporter  and 
one  of  the  editors  of  an  infamous  penny  paper  called  the  "  Her- 
ald." Bennett,  the  principal  editor,  called  upon  Mr.  Brevoort  to 
obtain  permission  for  this  person  to  be  present  to  report  in  his 
paper  an  account  of  the  ball.  He  consented,  as  I  beheve  I  should 
have  done  under  the  same  circumstances,  as  by  doing  so  a  sort  of 
obligation  was  imposed  upon  him  to  refrain  from  abusing  the  house, 
the  people  of  the  house,  and  their  guests,  which  would  have  been 
done  in  case  of  a  denial.  But  this  is  a  hard  alternative  ;  to  submit 
to  this  kind  of  surveillance  is  getting  to  be  intolerable,  and  nothing 
but  the  force  of  public  opinion  will  correct  the  insolence,  which,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  will  never  be  applied  as  long  as  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Davis  and  other  gentlemen  make  this  Mr.  Attree  "  hail  fellow,  well 
met,"  as  they  did  on  this  occasion.  Whether  the  notice  they  took 
of  him,  and  that  which  they  extend  to  Bennett  when  he  shows  his 
ugly  face  in  Wall  street,  may  be  considered  approbatory  of  the 
daily  slanders  and  unblushing  impudence  of  the  paper  they  conduct, 
or  is  intended  to  purchase  their  forbearance  toward  themselves, 
the  effect  is  equally  mischievous.  It  affords  them  countenance  and 
encouragement,  and  they  find  that  the  more  personalities  they 
have  in  their  papers,  the  more  papers  they  sell. 

February  29.  — As  this  brilliant  affair  is  not  soon  to  be  forgotten, 
I  have  gotten  my  girls  to  make  out  from  recollection  a  list  of  the 
characters ;  it  is  correct  as  far  as  it  goes,  and  contains  a  pretty 
good  portion  of  all  who  were  present :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson, 
Turk  and  Spanish  lady ;  Mr.  Austin,  Highlander ;  Mrs.  Brevoort, 
Joanna  of  Naples ;  Miss  Brevoort,  La  Juive ;  and  the  children, 
pages  and  a  brigand ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryan,  Don  Juan  of  Austria 
and  Spanish  lady  ;  Miss  Boggs,  Clemence  d'Isaure  ;  Mrs.  Brancher, 
lady  of  the  old  regime  ;  Mrs.  Burns,  Madame  du  Bourg ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


14  THE    J)IARV    OK    IMIILII'    IIOXE.  [.Ktat.6o. 

George  Barclay,  fox-hunter  and  peasant  woman  ;  Miss  Barclay,  fine 
old  lady;  Miss  M.  Barclay,  Lalla  Rookh  ;  Miss  Bradbury,  of  Bos- 
ton, Diana;  Mr.  Berry,  I'lncroyable  ;  Mr,  Belmont,  German  postil- 
ion ;  INIr.  Bowdoin,  peasant ;  Mr.  Bell,  German  miner ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gerard  Coster,  pirate  and  Clotilda ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton Coster,  Arab  boy  and  Leila  ;  the  Misses  Cruger,  Quakeresses  ; 
Miss  Callender,  Dutch  girl  ;  Messrs.  Gore  and  Stanhope  Callender, 
Spanish  muleteer  and  Highlander ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Constant,  fox- 
hunter  and  Corinna ;  Mr.  Coolidge,  Chinese  ;  Mr.  C.  Davis,  Quaker ; 
]\Irs.  Charles  A.  Davis,  Norman  paysanne  ;  Mrs.  Dutilh,  Miss  De- 
Rham,  and  Mr.  DeRham,  Jr.,  Greeks ;  Mr.  Delprat,  Don  Basilio ; 
Mr.  F.  Dorr,  Don  John  ;  Mr.  Delaunay,  Due  d 'Orleans ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Emmet,  the  former  a  school-girl,  and  the  latter  her  brother ; 
Mr.  Thomas  Emmet,  Dutch  woman ;  Mr.  Robert  Emmet,  Dr. 
O'Toole  ;  Miss  Ehvell,  Greek ;  Miss  Fleming,  Jeffriece  ;  Mr.  Flem- 
ing, Highlander ;  Messrs.  Asa  and  William  Fitch,  Mantilini  and 
Arab  ;  Mr.  Frederick  Foster,  gentleman  of  the  old  school ;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edward  Graves,  peasant  and  Lady  Grand ison ;  Mrs. 
Robert  and  Mrs.  William  Gracie,  Portia  and  La  Dame  Blanche ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  A.  Hamilton,  watchman  and  Quakeress ; 
Misses  Mary  and  Angelica  Hamilton,  Fenella  and  old  lady ;  Mr. 
Alex.  Hamilton,  domino;  Mrs.  Haight,  two  characters,  Jemima 
Jenkins  and  Lady  of  the  Knight  of  the  Polar  Star ;  Mr.  Haight, 
Turk  ;  Mr.  E.  Howland,  mufti ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hills,  monk  and  old 
lady  of  quality ;  Miss  M.  and  Miss  E.  Hills,  Ann  Page  and  Persian; 
Mr.  C.  Hoffman,  friar ;  Mr.  Harmony,  Spanish  muleteer ;  Miss 
Mary  Jones,  Diana ;  Miss  Kearney,  Queen  Esther ;  Mr.  P.  Hone, 
Cardinal  Wolsey ;  Messrs.  John  and  Robert  Hone,  royal  poet  and 
Highlander;  Miss  M.  Hone  and  Miss  C.  Hone,  Annot  Lyle  and 
Day  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  Schermerhorn,  Gessler  and  Night ;  Miss 
Lydia  and  Mr.  Delancey  Kane,  sorceress  and  goldfinch ;  Miss 
Margaret  and  Mr.  Harrison  Lynch,  Night  and  Arab ;  Mr.  D. 
Lawrence,  sportsman ;  Mr.  G.  Livingston,  Greek ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mortimer  Livingston,  each  half  Quaker  and  half  ancient  marquis ; 


iC^o.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 5 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  ^V.  Ludlow,  Court  dresses;  Miss  LeRoy,  Greek; 
Miss  Meredith,  Fair  Star ;  Mr.  Edward  Laight,  Roland  Graeme  ; 
Mr.  La  Forest,  consular  uniform ;  Mr.  Laurie,  Crusader ;  Mrs. 
Anson  Livingston,  Virgin  of  the  Sun  ;  Misses  Langdc^n,  French  pay- 
sannes ;  Miss  Helen  McEvers,  Swiss  paysanne ;  Mr.  Charles 
McEvers,  Spaniard ;  Mr.  Bache  McEvers,  William  Penn,  and 
afterward  Cupid ;  Miss  McVickar  and  Mr.  Messinger,  Greeks ; 
Mr.  Robert  Mason,  old  gentleman  ;  Mr.  McCarty,  French  mar- 
quis ;  Mr.  McKeon  and  Mr.  Major,  Indians  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ALaron- 
celli,  Dante  and  Beatrice ;  Miss  Major,  nun ;  Mrs.  Norrie,  old  lady 
of  quality;  Misses  O'Donnell,  of  Baltimore,  Greeks;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  W.  Otis,  old  gentleman  and  Night ;  Mrs.  Jonathan  Ogden, 
Queen  Catharine  of  Arragon  ;  Miss  Oakley,  Priestess  of  the  Sun  ; 
Mrs.  Rufus  Prime,  Esmeralda ;  Miss  Palmer,  Italian  peasant ;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pendleton,  courtier  and  Spanish  lady ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pearson,  uniform  and  Scotch  lady ;  Mrs.  Panon,  Folly ;  Miss 
Phelps,  Spanish  lady ;  Mr.  William  Robinson,  old  gentleman ; 
Messrs.  Schuyler,  peasants ;  Mr.  N.  Schermerhorn,  Dutch  girl ; 
Messrs.  John  and  James  Schermerhorn,  postilions ;  Mr.  and  Miss 
Russell,  Mameluke  and  Lalla  Rookh ;  Mr.  Steiner,  Figaro ;  Mrs. 
Sheldon,  Spanish  lady ;  Mr.  H.  Sheldon,  Paul  Pry ;  Miss  Seton, 
Greek  ;  ]Miss  Watson,  Greek  ;  Mr.  S.  Williams,  old  gentleman  ;  Mr. 
Wright,  Spaniard  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  Wilkes,  courtier  and  peasant ; 
Mr.  John  White,  Russian  soldier. 

The  "  Herald  "  of  this  morning  contains  a  long  account  of  the 
ball,  with  a  diagram  and  description  of  Mr.  Brevoort's  house ;  but, 
as  it  was  an  implied  condition  of  the  reporter's  admission  that  it 
should  be  decent,  it  was  tame,  flat,  and  tasteless. 

March  7. — The  ancient  mansion  of  the  late  Mrs. 
Real  Estate.  E.  White,  No.  II  Broadway,  opposite  the  Bowling 
Green,  was  sold  at  auction  one  day  this  week,  by  order 
of  her  executors,  and  brought  only  $15,000.  The  lot  is  thirty- 
nine  feet  front  on  Broadway,  twenty-seven  feet  wide  in  the  rear, 
and    extends    through   to   Greenwich    street    nearly  two    hundred 


10  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lIII.Il'    HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

feet.  This  is  the  saddest  prouf  of  the  fall  in  real  estate  in  this 
devoted  city  that  has  been  realized  as  yet.  There  has  been  no 
time  within  my  recollection  that  this  lot  would  not  have  brought 
more  money,  and  before  General  Jackson's  accursed  experiments 
it  would  have  been  worth  double  the  price  it  brought. 
^    .    ,   ,.  At    noon  to-day   this   fortunate  steam-packet  made 

the  "Great  her  appcarancc,  after  a  voyage  of  sixteen  days,  having 
^^*^''*'^'^""  sailed  on  the   20th  of  February.     None  of  her  com- 

petitors have  made  their  trips  with  equal  despatch  and  regularity. 
Owing  to  an  unprecedented  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  regular 
packets,  we  have  been  without  accounts  from  England  for  forty- 
one  days,  which  gap  has  now  been  filled  up  by  the  arrival  of  the 
*'  Great  Western."  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  much 
doing  the  other  side  of  the  water  during  this  long  period.  The 
most  important  event  was  the  marriage  of  the  Queen. 

March  i  i  .  —  My  daughter  Margaret  received,  as  a  present 
from  London,  a  piece  of  the  Queen's  wedding-cake,  enclosed  in 
a  letter  from  Mrs.  Stevenson,  lady  of  the  American  Minister,  and 
brought  in  the  "Great  Western"  by  Mr.  Cracroft,  who  was  intro- 
duced by  the  same  letter.  This  is  all  very  well,  but  nothing  to 
the  present  which  I  am  told  was  received  by  the  same  conveyance 
by  Miss  Rush,  daughter  of  the  former  Minister  from  the  United 
States.  Hers  came  from  the  Queen  herself,  —  a  piece  of  the  cake, 
with  a  letter  enclosed  in  a  beautiful  satin-wood  box,  on  which  the 
letter  V  is  emblazoned  in  diamonds.  This  young  lady  was  proba- 
bly a  companion  of  Victoria's  in  their  youthful  days,  when,  per- 
haps, her  childish  dreams  dared  not  to  soar  to  the  height  of  her 
present  greatness,  and  the  "  Sea  of  Glory "  on  which  she  now 
"  swims  "  had  no  j^lace  on  the  map  of  her  imagination. 

March  12.  —  The  Marquis  of  Waterford  says  that  the  New 
York  watch-house  is  the  most  shocking  one  he  was  ever  in. 

March   19.  —  The  following  is  in  the  "Commercial 

'^'^^  ..   „  Advertiser :  "    "  Among   the  deaths  mentioned  in   the 

and  'Cecilia.'  *^ 

English  papers   we  notice   that  of  Madame  D'Arblay, 


1840.]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  IJ 

better  known  as  Miss  Burney,  author  of  '  Evelina '  and  '  Cecilia,' 
two  excellent  novels  that  were  once  extremely  popular.  She  died 
in  London,  on  the  6th  of  January,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of 
her  age.  Her  husband  was  General  Piochard,  Count  D'Arblay." 
What  a  rush  of  the  recollections  of  old  times  is  here  !  Miss 
Burney,  "  Evelina,"  "Cecilia;  "  their  palmy  days  were  also  mine. 
When  I  was  a  lad,  the  "  young  idea  "  first  beginning  to  put  on 
its  percussion-caps,  —  fond  of  reading  all  things,  but  especially 
doting  on  novels,  —  with  what  avidity  did  I  banquet  upon  "  Eve- 
lina," "  Cecilia,"  and  the  host  of  novels,  all  of  that  class,  with 
which  the  British  press  teemed  !  They  are  dear  to  my  recollec- 
tion as  identified  with,  and  forming  part  of,  the  enjoyment  of 
that  period  of  my  life  when  the  curtain  of  futurity  was  rudely 
drawn  aside  by  my  impatient  hands,  and  I  saw  a  bright  and 
beautiful  world  before  me ;  but  its  brightness  dazzled  the  eyes  so 
that  the  dark  places  were  not  distinguished,  and  beauty  was  more 
pleasant  to  look  upon  than  deformity. 

This  class  of  writings  has  completely  passed  away.  The  plum- 
cake  school  of  novels,  in  which  love  was  the  raisins  and  sentiment 
the  citron,  has  given  place  to  Scottish  oat-cake,  English  ship- 
biscuit,  and  French  rolls.  Walter  Scott'«  glorious  prose  stories,  in 
which  the  substantial  dish  composed  of  traditional  history  was 
charmingly  garnished  by  familiar  dialogue  and  well- known  locali- 
ties ;  and  more  recently  the  multitudinous  offspring  of  the  prolific 
imaginations  of  DTsraeli,  James,  Bulwer,  Marryat,  and  the  incom- 
parable Dickens,  have  created  a  new  and  a  better  taste ;  and 
although  at  this  time  of  day  we  may  go  back  to  Smollett  and 
Fielding  with  some  remains  of  our  first  love,  the  works  of  Miss 
Burney,  Mrs.  Radcliffe,  and  Miss  Porter  afford  no  more  enjoy- 
ment than  do  the  marbles  and  tops  of  boyhood  to  the  middle- 
aged  man  engrossed  by  the  cares  of  this  life. 

March  20.  —  My  wife  and  I  dined  yesterday  at  Mr.  Peter 
Schermerhorn's.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Constant, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.   Henry  Parish,   Mr.  and  Mrs.    Pendleton,  Mr.  and 


1 3  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  60. 

Mrs.  Heckscher,  Mrs.  Brevoort,  General  Jcnes,  Mr.  Khremer, 
Jones  and  Mary  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  Maturin  Livingston,  and 
ourselves. 

Congress  March  37.  —  The  present  session  of  Congress  dis- 

and  the  graces  the  annals  of  the  country.     It  is  a  constant  scene 

Legislature.  ^^  tumult  and  disordcr  ;  an  unscrupulous  majority  rides 
rough -shod  over  the  Constitution  and  laws,  regardless  alike  of  the 
rules  of  parliamentary  proceedings  and  of  good  manners.  The 
decent  Loco-focos  (if  there  are  any)  resign  the  reins  of  party  gov- 
ernment to  the  greatest  blackguards  in  their  number,  and  silently 
record  their  votes  in  favour  of  measures  which  they  are  ashamed 
to  justify  by  reasoning. 

Dr.  Duncan,  of  Ohio,  and  Dr.  Petriken,  of  Pennsylvania,  are  the 
acknowledged  leaders  of  the  administration  party  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  ;  and  surely  never  was  poor  patient  subjected  to  the 
treatment  of  two  such  political  quacks.  Yet  there  are  some  decent 
men,  high-minded  Southerners,  too  (as  we  have  been  wont  to  call 
them),  who  submit  to  the  degradation  of  mixing  the  pills,  cleaning 
the  gallipots,  and  administering  the  glysters  of  this  precious  brace 
of  political  empirics.  Another  of  those  disgraceful  scenes  which 
have  followed  each  other  in  such  rapid  succession  during  the  whole 
of  the  session  occurred  on  Tuesday.  The  Treasury -note  bill  was  to 
have  been  forced  through  without  allowing  the  minority  to  be  hear  1, 
and  a  scene  of  disorder,  vulgarity,  and  personal  abuse  continued 
without  intermission  for  twenty  nine  hours.  The  House  met  at 
twelve  o'clock  on  Tuesday,  and  continued  in  session  until  five 
o'clock  on  Wednesday  evening,  when  they  adjourned  without  taking 
the  question.  These  daily  recurring  scenes  of  violence  and  dis- 
order and  the  protracted  sessions  render  the  situation  of  the  gen- 
tlemen of  good  habits  and  respectable  characters  anything  but 
agreeable,  and  one  consequence  of  the  irregularities  is  the  inroad 
which  it  begins  to  make  in  the  health  of  some  of  them.  That 
excellent  man,  Abbott  Lawrence,  who  is  beloved  by  his  friends, 
and   respected  even  by  his  adversaries,  has  been  at  the  point  of 


I840.J  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  I9 

death.  He  is  an  amiable  man,  and  a  wise  man,  and  a  gentleman, 
and  therefore  unsuited  for  the  society  of  the  Robespierres,  and  the 
Marats,  and  the  Couthons,  who  constitute  the  present  majority  of 
our  modern  Jacobin  Club  at  Washington ;  and  of  such  men  as 
Abbott  Lawrence  the  Whig  party  in  that  House  is  mainly  consti- 
tuted. Never  was  seen  a  contrast  so  great  in  aU  the  qualities  that 
go  to  make  up  a  man  as  is  to  be  seen  there ;  but  the  gentlemen 
cannot  maintain  much  longer  the  contest  with  the  blackguards. 
The  Duncans  and  the  Petrikens  —  God  help  us  !  —  must  prevail. 
Must  things  grow  worse  before  they  get  better?  I  fear  it  greatly. 
If  so  it  is  to  be,  so  be  it  ! 

Whilst  these  scenes  are  passing  in  Congress,  the  Legislature  at 
Albany  is  in  a  state  nearly  as  bad.  The  registry  law  has  passed  the 
Senate,  and  is  now  in  the  House,  unless  it  passed  there  yesterday. 
James  J.  Roosevelt,  the  leader  of  the  blackguards,  in  whose  person, 
as  its  representative,  our  poor  city  is  disgraced,  takes  the  lead  in 
opposition  to  the  law,  and  resorts  to  every  species  of  vile,  disgrace- 
ful conduct  and  language,  in  which  he  is  supported  by  the  whole 
pack.  Order,  decency,  and  subordination  are  openly  condemned, 
and  they  are  supported  and  encouraged  by  meetings  in  Tammany 
Hall,  in  which  such  men  as  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  district  attorney, 
and  John  W.  Edmonds, —  intruders  among  us,  — blow  up  the  coals 
of  sedition ;  and  their  Loco-foco  followers  swear  that  if  the  law  is 
passed  they  will  not  observe  it,  but  vote  as  heretofore,  and  send 
their  own  men  to  the  Legislature  in  spite  of  it,  and  carry  by  per- 
sonal violence  their  men  and  their  measures  against  the  laws,  if  the 
laws  do  not  happen  to  suit  them. 

A  member  of  the  New  York  delegation  named  Lasak,  a  German, 
who  cannot  write,  nor  even  speak  English  correctly,  but  who,  it 
appears,  is  a  litde  more  honest  than  his  colleagues,  had  the  inde- 
pendence the  other  day,  in  a  speech  he  made,  to  differ  from  his 
party  on  some  question  of  national  policy,  —  something  relating  to 
the  currency.  He  slipped  his  neck  for  a  brief  moment  out  of  the 
collar,  when  immediately  he  was  ordered  down  to  Tammany  Hall 


20  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  60. 

to  give  an  account  of  himself;  his  answers  were  not  satisfactory  to 
his  masters,  and  since  his  return  a  committee  has  been  sent  up  to 
demand  his  resignation.  What  my  countryman  will  do  I  know  not, 
but  it  is  tolerably  certain  he  will  not  do  for  his  party. 

March  28. — There  was  a  great  meeting  last  even- 
^^  '"7'  ing  at  Masonic   Hall,  called  by  the  Whigs  to  approve 

the  registry  law.  It  was  made  the  occasion  of  one  of 
those  scenes  of  ri(jt  and  disorder  of  which  we  shall  have  many 
more  unless  such  a  law  is  passed,  A  party  of  Loco-focos,  insti 
gated  by  the  Butlers  and  Edmondses  of  Tammany  Hall,  and  by  the 
accursed  newspapers  supported  by  them,  got  possession  of  one 
corner  of  the  room,  and  on  the  first  movement  being  made  to 
organize  the  meeting  they  commenced  a  riotous  opposition  by 
hissing,  shouting,  and  every  kind  of  violence.  In  the  midst  of  this 
tumult  Alderman  Benson  was  placed  in  the  chair,  with  a  large 
number  of  vice-presidents  and  secretaries.  The  address  and  reso- 
lutions were  read  and  passed  unheard,  and  everything  done  in 
"  most  admired  confusion."  Finally  this  could  be  no  longer  borne. 
The  Whigs,  who  behaved  with  great  firmness,  put  the  whole  rascally 
gang  of  banditti  out  of  the  room,  and  order  was  so  for  restored  that 
Prescott  Hall  was  suffered  to  go  on  with  an  unanswerable  argument 
in  favour  of  the  law,  and  David  (iraham,  being  called  for,  addressed 
the  meeting.  At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  the  room  being 
exceedingly  hot,  I  came  away.  On  leaving  the  hall  I  found  my- 
self in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  several  thousands,  who  filled  Broad- 
way from  the  Hospital  to  Duane  street,  and  one  of  the  friends  and 
disciples  of  Benjamin  F.  Butler  addressing  them  from  a  temporary 
elevation,  and  scattering  firebrands  in  this  mass  of  human  com- 
bustibles. When  the  meeting  in  the  hall  was  about  to  adjourn,  the 
banditti  returned  with  a  strong  reinforcement,  broke  the  furniture 
of  the  room,  and  the  heads  of  some  of  our  people,  and  had  theirs 
broken  in  return  ;  and  so  ended  the  first  scene  of  a  frightfiil  drama 
which  is  to  be  enacted  in  this  devoted  city.  As  for  myself,  "  I  like 
this  rockinu^  of  the  battlements."      I  consider  it  an  evidence  of  the 


1840]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  21 

conscious  weakness  of  the  enemy.  As  long  as  they  felt  strong  in 
the  power  of  numbers  they  did  not  marshal  their  forces  to  inter- 
rupt the  meetings  of  the  Whigs,  and  their  leaders  professed  them- 
selves in  fivour  of  this  most  righteous  law  until  they  found  it  was 
likely  to  be  passed.  We  have  gone  too  far  to  retreat ;  the  word 
must  be  onward  now,  or  we  must  "  ever  after  hold  our  peace." 

March  30.  —  Our  friends  have  been  alarmed  by  a 
TheRe-istry  j-gp^^^-j.^  which  was  brought  down  from  Albany  yester- 
day, that  Governor  Seward  hesitates  in  signing  the  bill. 
It  passed  the  Legislature  on  Thursday,  and  was  not  returned  on 
Saturday.  This  hesitation  gives  new  courage  to  the  opposition, 
and  fresh  ferocity  to  the  bloodhounds  who  are  instigated  to  hunt 
down  the  Whigs.  The  very  delay  is  appalling  to  our  friends  in 
the  city ;  but  if  the  Governor  refuses  his  assent,  he  and  his  political 
friends  are  ruined,  the  State  lost,  and  the  glorious  sun  which  "  gave 
promise  of  a  goodly  day  to-morrow  "  will  set  in  the  darkness  of 
T^oco-foco  misrule  and  party  despotism. 

John  Duer  and  Amory  went  up  this  afternoon.  At  their  request 
I  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Governor,  in  strong  and  urgent  terms,  but,  I 
trust,  a  respectful  one.  This  is  an  alarming  crisis.  Seward  has 
proved  himself  an  able  man ;  but  he  has  in  some  things  evinced  an 
unworthy  courting  of  popularity,  an  affectation  of  independence 
fraught  with  danger  to  his  party,  and  I  fear  he  is  somewhat  obsti- 
nate. He  has  probably  some  doubts  about  the  power  of  the 
Legislature  to  pass  a  law  so  local  in  its  application ;  but  Duer  has 
gone  armed  with  legal  ciuthorities  to  remove  all  constitutional 
scruples.  I  wish  His  Excellency  had  heard  Prescott  Hall  on  this 
branch  of  the  subject,  on  Friday  evening.  They  tell  me  that  I 
have  some  influence  with  him  ;  if  it  be  so,  my  letter  will  do  no 
harm.  The  news  by  to-night's  boat  will  be  anxiously  looked  for. 
Governor  Seward  has  the  destiny  of  the  country  in  his  hands.  God 
grant  he  may  make  a  proper  use  of  his  power  ! 

April  i.  —  To  our  surprise,  this  morning's  boat  brought  the  news 
of  the  Governor  having  signed  the  bill  as  it  passed  the  Legislature. 


22  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  Co. 

April  io.  —  The  Whigs  are  more  ardent  and  active, 
Election.  and,  they  say,  better  organized  than  usual,  for  the  char- 

ter election,  which  is  to  be  held  on  Tuesday.  Im- 
mense meetings  take  place  every  night  at  the  general  and  ward 
places  of  rendezvous.  Processions  parade  the  streets  at  night  with 
music,  torches,  and  banners ;  the  prevailing  device  for  the  latter  is 
the  Ioq-cabi)i ;  and  we  had  hard  cider,  which  has  become  the  foun- 
tain (:>{  Whig  inspiration.  In  an  evil  hour  the  Loco-focos  taunted 
the  Harrison  men  with  having  selected  a  candidate  who  lived  in 
a  log-cabin  and  drank  hard  cider,  which  the  Whigs,  with  more 
adroitness  than  they  usually  display,  appropriated  to  their  own  use, 
and  now  on  all  their  banners  and  transparencies  the  temple  of 
Liberty  is  transformed  into  a  hovel  of  unhewn  logs ;  the  military 
garb  of  the  general,  into  the  frock  and  the  shirt-sleeves  of  a  labour- 
ing farmer.  The  American  eagle  has  taken  his  flight,  which  is 
supplied  by  a  cider-barrel,  and  the  long-established  emblem  of  the 
ship  has  given  place  to  the  plough.  Hurrah  for  Tippecanoe  !  is 
heard  more  frequently  than  Hurrah  for  the.  Constitution  !  "  Behold 
old  things  are  i^assed  away,  and  all  things  have  become  new."' 
Thus  is  it  that  our  opponents  have,  by  their  silly,  disparaging  epi- 
thets applied  to  the  Whig  candidate,  furnished  us  with  weapons 
the  use  of  which  is  understood  by  every  man  in  our  ranks ;  and, 
whatever  may  be  the  result  of  this  election,  the  hurrah  is  heard 
and  felt  in  every  part  of  the  Unitetl  States. 

Albany,  April  19.  —  I  went  to  the  Oovernor's  this  morning,  and 
accompanied  Mrs.  Seward  and  him  to  St.  Paul's  Churcli,  —  a  beau- 
tiful edifice  in  South  Pearl  street,  which  was  formerly  the  theatre. 
The  rector  is  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kip,  son  of  Leonard  Kip  of  this  city, 
and  son-in-law  of  Isaac  Lawrence.  He  gave  us  a  good  sermon, 
and  appears  to  be  a  favourite  of  a  very  respectable  congregation. 
The  temple  of  Thespis  is  greatly  improved  since  it  has  been  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  the  Most  High,  and  sanctified  by  the  name 
of  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  There  is  no  theatre  at 
pr  jsent  in  Albany ;  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  in  this  large 


1840.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  23 

city,  the  resort  of  persons  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  the  seat  of 
the  Legislature  and  of  the  Supreme  Court,  during  a  large  portion 
of  the  year  the  theatre  has  never  been  successful. 

Having  no  other  day  to  give  to  my  excellent  friend,  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, I  dined  with  him  to-day  at  his  lodgings,  at  Mrs. 
Lockwood's,  in  Pearl  street,  and  a  most  delightful  dinner  it  was. 
Our  party,  besides  the  hj.it  and  hostess,  consisted  of  the  Governor, 
who  came  in  soon  after  dinner,  Sibley,  Ruggles,  John  A.  King,  E. 
Townsen(i,  of  New  York,  and  myself.  We  sat  until  nine  o'clock ; 
talked  wisdom  and  nonsense,  law  and  poetry,  puns  and  politics  ; 
drank  deep  of  delicious  wine,  the  venerable  resident  for  thirty 
years  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  wine-room  in  Pearl  street,  near 
our  Battery,  and  broke  up  a  protracted  sitting,  each  with  the 
conviction  that  "it  was  well  to  have  been  there." 

At  Home,  April  20.  —  I  left  Albany  at  seven  o'clock,  in  the 
"  North  America."  She  is  a  fine  new  vessel,  and  burns  Lackawanna 
coal,  which  answers  exceedingly  well,  and  only  costs  half  as  much 
as  wood.  The  use  of  coal  for  steam  navigation  must  inevitably 
become  general ;  all  the  boats  built  hereafter  will  be  adapted  to  its 
use.  Travelling  on  the  North  river  is  cheaper  than  anything  I 
know  of,  except  American  shirtings  at  five  cents  a  yard.  Passen- 
gers are  conveyed  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  a  vessel  with 
every  convenience  and  luxury,  and  get  a  good  breakfast  and 
dinner,  all  for  two  dollars.  I  wonder  people  do  not  live  on 
board  instead  of  going  to  the  Astor  House.  We  arrived  in  New 
York  at  half-past  five  o'clock. 

April  23.  —  One  of  those  scenes  occurred  in  the 
Congress.  Housc  of  Representatives  on  Tuesday,  the  almost  daily 
occurrence  of  which  has,  of  late,  called  up  the  blush  of 
shame  upon  the  cheek  of  every  American  who  retains  the  least  re- 
gird  for  the  honour  of  the  country.  That  superlatively  dirty  dog, 
Jesse  A.  Bynum,  whilst  Mr.  Salstonstall  was  speaking,  left  his  seat, 
went  near  to  that  of  Mr.  Garland,  of  Louisiana,  whom  he  designated 
by  therour/t'(?us  appellation  of  a  "  damn'd   liar,"  whereupon  Gar- 


24  THE   DIARY    OF   PIIIIJP   IIOI^^E.  [^tat.  60. 

land  seized  Bynum  by  the  collar  and  struck  him.  The  latter  seized 
a  knife,  which  he  was  prevented  frum  using  by  the  interference  of 
the  members.  This  new  outrage  upon  the  small  remains  of  dignity 
in  the  })eople's  own  representatives  was  submitted  to  a  special 
committee,  consisting  of  Underwood,  Cooper  of  Georgia,  Briggs, 
Butler  of  Kentucky,  and  CHfford,  with  power  to  send  for  persons 
and  papers,  light  up  a  little  fire  whilst  tlie  indignation  lasts,  and 
then  smother  it  in  ])arty  smoke. 

April  24.  —  My  daughter  and  I  went  last  evening  to  a  party  at 
Mrs.  Van  Rensselaer's,  the  lovely  Mary  Tallmadge  of  other  times. 
They  reside  with  the  (General,  in  Waverly  Place.  The  party  was 
very  })leasant,  and  I  found  many  agreeable  people  there.  My 
going  to  a  party  has  become  quite  a  notable  event. 

Mav  3.  — The  ''  Great  Western"  arrived  this  morning,  in  eighteen 
days  from  Bristol,  with  a  great  number  of  passengers,  among  whom 
are  the  celebrated  opera-dancer,  Fanny  Ellsler,  and  her  sister,  who 
are  engaged  for  the  Park  Theatre.  She  has  been  anxiously  looked 
for,  and  will  create  a  sensation  like  that  which  marked  the  advent 
of  George  Frederick  Cooke.  She  is  second  only  in  P2uroi)e  to  the 
immortal  occupant  of  mid-air,  the  Taglioni.  Madame  la  Comtesse 
de  Merlin,  the  biographer  of  Malibran,  is  also  a  i)assenger,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  F.  Moulton,  Mr.  Cunard  of  Halifax,  and  the  widow  of 
Stephen  Price. 

The  news  by  the  "Great  Western"  is  unfavourable.  Cotton  is 
dog-cheaj) ;  and  American  securities,  owing,  I  suppose,  to  the 
rascally  conduct  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  refusing  to 
provide  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  their  loans,  are  in  bad 
odour  in  England.  It  must  be  an  embarrassing  thing  to  a  true- 
hearted  American  (if  there  is  such  a  one  in  P^urope)  to  know 
how  to  act  when  he  hears  his  countrymen  designated  as  a  nation 
of  swindlers,  to  which  he   must  be   hourly  exposed. 

"  '  lis  true,  'tis  pity  —  and  jMty  'tis,  'tis  true." 

May   II,  1S40.  —  On  my  return  from  Long  Lsland  I  found  two 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  25 

letters,  which  were  brought  by  Fanny  Ellsler,  she  who  has  set  New 
York  agog  for  marvellous  saltatory  exhibitions,  and  whose  heels  are 
to  turn  all  our  heads.  They  are  from  Christopher  Hughes,  at 
Stockholm,  and  Samuel  Welles,  at  Paris.  Hughes  asks  me  to  give 
"  to  this  really  excellent  and  kind-hearted  stranger  the  benefit  and 
the  honour  of  your  kindness  and  protection,"  and  adds,  "  I  can 
assure  you  that  Miss  Fanny  is  as  good  as  she  is  graceful."  Welles's 
letter  is  as  warm  as  Hughes's,  making  the  proper  allowance  for  the 
difference  in  the  temperament  of  the  two  writers.  I  could  not,  there- 
fore, do  less  than  call  and  pay  my  respects  to  the  fair  danseuse  as 
early  this  morning,  after  my  return,  as  possible.  I  went  to  the 
American  Hotel  at  twelve  o'clock,  sent  my  card,  and  was  told  the 
lady  was  not  dressed,  but  would  be  charmed  to  see  monsieur  at  four 
o'clock  ;  now  I  think,  four  o'clock  being  his  dinner-hour,  "  monsieur" 
will  not  find  it  quite  convenient  to  visit  mademoiselle  at  that  hour. 
,  The  papers  are  filled  with  accounts  of  the  great  Whig 

^    '^    .  Convention  held  in  Baltimore  on  Monday  last.      The 

Convention.  ■' 

number  of  delegates  was  prodigious,  —  thirty  thousand, 
it  is  said.  There  was  a  grand  procession,  with  banners,  log- 
cabins,  cider-barrels,  balls  in  motion,  and  every  device  which  the 
fancy  could  suggest.  All  the  States  were  represented,  and  each 
endeavoured  to  outvie  the  others  in  the  loud,  exulting  shout  of 
"  Hurrah  for  Harrison  !  "  Several  distinguished  members  of  Con- 
gress came  on  from  Washington  to  attend  this  affair,  which  is 
represented,  in  one  of  the  accounts  from  Baltimore,  as  "  the  most 
remarkable  assemblage,  in  point  of  numbers,  character,  harmony, 
and  zeal,  ever  gathered  together  in  these  United  States."  Messrs. 
Webster,  Clay,  Graves,  Hoffman,  Cost  Johnson,  and  Salstonstall 
were  of  the  number,  and  made  speeches  in  Monument  square  and 
at  the  Assembly  Rooms,  where  the  meetings  were  held.  It  could 
hardly  be  supposed  that  the  Loco-focos,  goaded  to  madness  by 
such  an  overwhelming  foreshadowing  of  defeat,  could  be  restrained 
from  acts  of  violence.  The  procession  was  assaulted  by  some 
wretches  with  stones    and   brickbats,  and   a  respectable   carpenter 


;26  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.i:tat.6o. 

of  Baltimore,  a  delegate  to  the  convention,  named  McLaughlin, 
was  killed  by  one  of  those  missiles,  and  the  body  of  another,  with  a 
Harrison  badge,  was  found,  with  marks  of  violence,  in  the  basin. 
Amongst  the  other  proceedings  of  the  convention  a  resolution  was 
adopted  to  raise  a  subscription  fur  the  relief  of  McLaughlin's 
family,  to  which  none  were  allowed  to  contribute  more  than  a 
dollar;  and  with  this  restriction  an  amount  of  between  $7,000  and 
$8,000  was  raised,  of  which  the  Massachusetts  delegation  con- 
tributed $1,000. 

A   Van   Buren   Convention  was   organized   in   Balti- 
an    uren       ^Qre,  ou  Tucsday,  at  which  (ieneral  Carroll  presided. 

Convention.  i  j  i  x 

It  appears  to  have  been  a  sickly  concern,  a  creeping 
plant,  withering  under  the  shade  of  the  mighty  Harrison  tree, 
which  overshadows  the  land,  and  keeps  the  sun  of  popular  favour 
from  shining  upon  its  "  unwholesome  neighbour."  At  this  meeting, 
on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Buchanan,  it  was  resolved  to  dispense  with  a 
ballot  for  President,  no  opposition  having  been  raised  to  Mr.  Van 
Buren;  but  not  so  with  the  Vice -Presidency.  On  this  subject  the 
demon  of  discord  had  already  lighted  his  torches.  The  Tecumseh 
killer,  the  present  incumbent,  has  not  by  any  means  so  clear  a  title, 
and  the  claims  of  Mr.  Forsyth  of  Georgia,  and  Mr.  Polk  of 
Tennessee,  presented  obstacles  so  formidable  to  the  necessary 
appearance  of  union,  that  further  drilling  was  thought  necessary, 
and  it  was  voted  inexpedient  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the  second 
office  in  the  government.  This  result  was  so  unpalatable  to  the 
Southern  pride  of  Mr.  Forsyth,  the  Secretary  of  State,  that  he  has 
since  come  out  with  an  address  to  his  party,  under  his  proper  sig- 
nature, in  which  he  retires  from  the  contest  with  a  very  bad  grace, 
snarling  and  showing  his  teeth,  and  retreating  tail  foremost,  like  a 
disappointed  cur  who  has  been  driven  from  the  bone  for  which  his 
mouth  watered. 

May    12.  —  I    called    yesterday    upon    Miss    Fanny 
Fanny  Eiisier.  Kllslcr.     She  is  an  exceedingly  fascinating  person,  not 

verv  handsome.      Her  face   has   lost    its  bright  bloom, 


1840.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  2/ 

and  her  complexion  appears  to  be  somewhat  flided,  —  the  result, 
probably,  of  the  violent  muscular  exertions  which  are  required  in 
the  profession ;  but  her  manners  are  ladylike.  She  is  gay  and 
lively,  and  altogether  the  most  perfectly  graceful  lady  I  have  ever 
seen ;  further  the  deponent  saith  not.  She  is  to  make  her  first 
appearance  at  the  Park  Theatre,  on  Thursday  evening,  in  the  ballet 
of  "  La  Tarantule,"  which  all  the  world  will  witness,  who  can  gain 
admission  to  the  theatre.  Fashion  and  taste  and  curiosity  are  all 
on  tiptoe  to  see  her  on  tiptoe,  and  the  pocket  of  many  a  sober  pa 
will  be  drained  to  furnish  the  means  to  his  wife  and  daughters  to 
witness  her  /as. 

May  14. — K  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette  ys,  something 
b/  kfaT  *^^  ^  of  ^  novelty  in  this  country,  and  the  last  imitation  of 
European  refinement.  This  series  of  breakfasts  given 
by  Mr.  William  Douglass,  at'  his  fine  mansion,  corner  of  Park  place 
and  Church  street,  can  hardly  be  called  an  imitation  ;  for  in  taste, 
elegance,  and  good  management  it  goes  beyond  most  things  of  the 
kind  in  Europe,  and  seems  to  be  placed  as  a  bright  object  in  the 
overwhelming  flood  of  vulgarity  which  is  sweeping  over  our  land. 
The  first  of  these  breakfasts  was  given  last  Thursday,  and  they  are 
to  be  repeated  weekly  until  further  notice.  My  daughters  went 
then,  and  their  favourable  account  induced  me  to  join  the  throng 
of  beauty  and  fashion  this  day.  The  company  assembles  at  about 
one  o'clock,  and  remains  until  four.  Breakfast  is  served  at  two 
o'clock,  and  consists  of  coffee  and  chocolate,  light  dishes  of  meat,' 
ice-cream  and  confectionery,  with  lemonade  and  French  and 'Ger- 
man wines.  The  first  two  floors,  elegantly  furnished,  of  this  spa- 
cious house  are  thrown  open;  the  dining-room  opens  into  a  beau- 
tiful conservatory,  in  which,  amongst  other  pleasant  objects,  is  an 
aviary  of  singing- birds,  the  delicate  notes  of  the  canary  mingling 
sweetly  with  the  shrill  pipe  of  the  foreign  bullfinch,  and  the  whole 
concert  regulated  and  stimulated  by  the  great  leader  of  the  feath- 
ered orchestra,  our  own  native  mocking-bird.  A  band,  also,  of  a 
more   material  nature,  plays  at  the  head  of  the  stairs   during  the 


28  THE    DIARY    OF    PIIILir    HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

whole  time  of  the  entertainment,  and  after  the  young  folk  have 
partaken  of  their  breakfast-dinner,  cotillons  and  waltzes  are  danced 
until  the  hour  of  reluctant  departure.  The  honours  of  the  house  are 
performed  in  good  taste  by  the  bachelor  host,  assisted  by  his  sisters, 
Mrs.  Douglass  Crugcr  and  Mrs.  Monroe,  and  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Kane. 
Many  and  many  a  night  has  passed  since  the  walls 
of  the    Park    have    witnessed    such    a    scene.      Fanny 

Debut.  ^ 

Ellsler,  the  bright  star  whose  rising  in  our  firmament 
has  been  anxiously  looked  for  by  the  fashionable  astronomers  since 
its  transit  across  the  ocean  was  announced,  shone  forth  in  all  its 
brilliancy  this  evening.  Her  reception  was  the  warmest  and  most 
enthusiastic  I  ever  witnessed.  On  her  first  appearance,  in  a  pas 
seul  called  la  Cracoviennc,  which  was  admirably  adapted  to  set  off 
her  fine  figure  to  advantage,  the  pit  rose  in  a  mass,  and  the  waves 
of  the  great  animated  ocean  were  capped  by  hundreds  of  white 
pocket-handkerchiefs.  The  dance  was  succeeded  by  a  farce,  and 
then  came  the  ballet  "  La  Tarantule,"  in  which  the  Ellsler  estab- 
lished her  claim  to  be  considered  by  far  the  best  dancer  we  have 
ever  seen  in  this  country.  At  the  falling  of  the  curtain  she  was 
called  out;  the  pit  rose  in  a  body  and  cheered  her,  and  a  shower 
of  wreaths  and  bouquets  from  the  boxes  proclaimed  her  success 
complete.  She  appeared  greatly  overcome  by  her  reception,  and 
coming  to  the  front  of  the  stage,  pronounced,  in  a  tremulous  voice, 
in  broken  English,  the  words  '*  A  thousand  thanks,"  the  naivcic  of 
which  seemed  to  rivet  the  hold  she  had  gained  on  the  affections 
of  the  audience. 

All  the  boxes  were  taken  several  days  since,  and  in  half  an  hour 
after  the  time  proclaimed  for  the  sale  of  pit  tickets  the  house 
was  full,  so  that  when  we  arrived,  which  was  a  full  hour  bcfjre 
the  time  of  commencing  the  performance,  placards  were  exhibited 
with  the  words  "  Pit  full,"  "  Boxes  all  taken."  This  wise  arrange- 
ment prevented  confusion.  The  house,  although  full  in  every 
part,  was  not  crowded,  and  a  more  respectable  audience  never 
greeted  the  fair  danseusc  in  any  country  she  has  charmed. 


1840.J  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  29 

May  29.  —  This  splendid  estate  on  the  North 
Hyde  Park.  river,  fjrni'^rly  the  property  of  the  late  Dr.  Hosack, 
has  been  sold  by  his  heirs  to  Mr.  Langdon,  Mr. 
Astor's  son-in-law,  for  ;>45,ooo.  The  ground  sold  with  it  is  all 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Post  road,  and  extends  to  the  grounds 
attached  to  the  cottage  which  belongs  to  Mrs.  Hosack.  The 
creek  an  1  water-power  are  reserv^ed  by  the  heirs.  This  is  the 
finest  place  on  the  North  river ;  indeed,  I  never  saw  one  any- 
where which  possessed  natural  advantages  so  great. 

June  2.  — The  career  of  the  infamous  editor  of  the  "  Herald  " 
seems  at  last  to  have  met  with  a  check,  which  his  unblushing 
impudence  will  find  some  difficulty  in  recovering  from.  Some 
of  his  late  remarks  have  been  so  profane  and  scandalous  as  to 
have  drawn  out  the  other  editors  from  the  contemptuous  silence 
which  they  have  hitherto  observed  toward  the  scoundrel.  In  one 
of  his  late  attacks  upon  the  editors  of  the  "  Evening  Signal  "  and 
another  paper,  in  alluding  to  some  personal  deformity  in  each  of 
them,  he  uses  the  shocking  expression  that  they  are  "  cursed  by 
the  Almighty."  The  evil  has  reached  a  pitch  of  enormity  which 
renders  further  forbearance  criminal,  and  a  simultaneous  attack 
is  made  upon  the  libellous  paper,  its  editor,  and  those  who,  from 
fear  or  a  fellow-feeling,  support  it.  The  "Evening  Star"  has 
several  excellent  articles  on  this  loathsome  subject.  Bennett  is 
absolutely  excoriateei  in  the  "  Signal ;  "  and  all  the  other  papers, 
without  regard  to  party,  have  joined  the  righteous  crusade.  This 
is  the  only  thing  to  be  done  ;  the  punishment  of  the  law  adds  to 
the  fellow's  notoriety,  and  personal  chastisement  is  pollution  to  him 
who  undertakes  it.  Write  him  down,  make  respectable  people 
withdraw  their  support  from  the  vile  sheet,  so  that  it  shall  be  con- 
sidered disgraceful  to  read  it,  and  the  serpent  will  be  rendered 
harmless ;  and  this  effect  is  likely  to  be  produced  by  the  united 
efforts  of  the  respectable  part  of  the  public  press. 

June  5.  —  The  steamer  "Unicorn,"  the  first  of  Mr.  Cunard's 
line,  which  is   to  run  from  Liverpool   to   Halifax  and  thence   to 


30  THE    DIAKV    OF    I'UILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

Boston,  arrived  at  Halifax  on  Monday,  the  ist  instant,  and 
departed  thence  the  same  evening  for  Boston,  where  she  ar- 
rived on  We(hies(lay  evening.  She  left  Liverpool  on  the  i6th 
of  May.  This  is  an  important  event  for  Boston.  The  new- 
comer was  received  there  with  firing  of  guns  and  other  rejoicings. 
The  establishment  of  this  line  will  take  from  New  York  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  great  passenger  business,  which  she  has 
heretofore  exclusively  enjoyed.  The  British  officers  can  go  all 
the  way  to  Quebec  in  these  steamers,  and  the  people  of  the 
British  North  American  colonies,  naturally  preferring  an  enterprise 
of  their  own,  and  finding  it  less  expensive,  as  they  avoid  transship- 
ments and  land  travelling,  will  no  longer  spend  their  money  in 
New  York  hotels  or  help  support  the  New  York  packets.  Boston, 
too,  will  come  in  for  a  share  of  this  lucrative  business,  and  with 
the  assistance  of  their  great  railroad,  which  is  nearly  complete  to 
Albany,  will  soon  crow  as  loud  as  we  do  ;  but  it  is  to  be  hoped 
there  is  enough   for  all. 

June  ii. — The  sixteenth  volume  of  this  journal  is  placed 
upon  the  shelf,  and  I  now  open  up  the  window  which  looks  upon 
a  long  vista  of  pages  yet  unsullied  to  constitute  the  seventeenth. 
Shall  I  live  to  fill  them  ;  or,  if  alive,  will  the  ability  and  the  inclina- 
tion remain?  If  the  first  be  granted,  I  fervently  pray  the  latter 
may  not  be  withheld.  Life  without  the  power  of  indulging  in  a 
habit  so  pleasing,  which,  while  it  gratifies  me,  injures  no  one, 
would  scarcely  be  worth  enjoying.  Before  this  volume  is  filled  I 
shall  have  completed  my  sixtieth  year,  and  with  some  cause  for  re- 
pining at  my  altered  circumstances,  I  have  much  to  be  thankful 
for.  My  health  is  good,  except  some  occasional  twitches  of  lum-. 
bago,  which  causes  me  to  grunt  a  little  and  make  wry  faces  when  I 
arise  from  my  chair.  I  live  pleasantly  with  all  my  family  around  me, 
but  it  grieves  me  to  see  three  grown-up  sons  out  of  employment. 

The  hard  times  (of  which  I  participate  largely)  still  continue 
with  unabated  severity.  Business  of  all  kinds  is  completely  at  a 
stand  j   the  productions  of  the  country  at  the  lowest   ebb ;    flour 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  3 1 

four  dollars  a  barrel ;  cotton  a  drug  in  foreign  markets  ;  American 
securities,  by  the  bad  management  of  some  of  the  State  govern- 
ments, are  in  the  worst  possible  repute  in  those  countries  where 
formerly  they  were  relied  upon  with  full  confidence  ;  party-  spirit 
prevailing  over  the  land  and  obstructing  the  course  of  justice  and 
wholesome  legislation  ;  and  the  whole  body  politic  sick  and  infirm, 
and  calling  aloud  for  a  remedy. 

The  only  comfort  in  this  dismal  state  of  affairs  is,  that  a  remedy 
does  seem  to  be  at  hand  in  the  daily  increasing  confidence  that  the 
administration,  whose  bad  measures  lie  at  the  root  of  all  evil,  is 
about  to  be  put  down.  The  Whigs  are  sanguine  in  their  hopes  of 
electing  General  Harrison  to  the  Presidency,  which  happy  event, 
by  restoring  public  confidence,  will  go  far  to  bring  about  a  better 
state  of  things,  and  individual  enterprise  will  naturally  grow  up 
alongside  of  national  prosperity.  If  I  live,  the  volume  I  now  com- 
mence will  record  this  "consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished," 
or  its  pages  will  bear  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  hope  de- 
stroyed forever. 

June  12.  —  Strange  inconsistency  !  It  is  hard  reason- 
Fanny  Eiisier.  ing  against  facts ;  every  word  I  have  said  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages  about  hard  times  and  pecuniary  difficulties 
is  strictly  true,  and  yet  the  fascinating  creature  whose  name  heads 
this  article  finished  last  evening  her  engagement  at  the  Park 
Theatre,  having  danced  fifteen  nights,  and  brought  to  the  house 
something  like  $24,000,  at  the  ordinary  prices,  of  which  sum  she 
puts  $9,000  or  $10,000  in  her  own  pocket.  The  seats  have  all  been 
taken  every  night,  and  it  appears  to  me  if  the  theatre  had  been 
twice  as  large  it  would  have  been  equally  full.  She  took  her  leave 
last  evening  in  the  ballet  of  "  La  Sylphide,"  and  two  of  her 
favourite  dances,  smothered  under  a  shower  of  wreaths  and  bou- 
quets of  flowers.  Amidst  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  three 
full,  thundering  rounds  of  hurrahs,  she  came  and,  in  a  short  speech 
of  sweet,  broken  English,  expressed  her  gratitude,  the  regret  with 
which  she  left  New  York,  and  her  determination  soon  to  return. 


32  THE    DIARY    OF    PI  1 1  LI  I'    HONE.  [/Etat.  60. 

She  is  to  dance  in  Philadelphia  on  Monday  evening,  where  she  has 
made  an  engagement  at  the  moderate  price  of  $500  a  night ;  her  re- 
ceipts here  being  predicated  on  the  amount  in  the  house  each  night, 
and  that  amount  being  greater  than  ever  was  received  for  the  same 
number  of  consecutive  nights,  has  produced  more  than  what  she  has 
stipulated  for  in  Philadelphia.  Her  success  has  been  increased  by 
the  certainty  of  her  stay  being  short.  She  is  determined  to  visit 
Niagara  and  other  places  after  her  engagement  is  completed,  and 
must  sail  on  the  first  of  October,  as  she  is  engaged  in  Paris  the 
middle  of  that  month.  It  is  well  for  us  that  it  is  so.  If  she  were 
to  continue  long  enough  in  this  country,  and  the  popular  fever 
remain  at  its  present  height,  she  would  carry  back  ta  France  all 
the  indemnity  money  which  Brother  Jonathan  squeezed  out  of  his 
*' ancient  ally." 

There  was  a  sort  of  informal  revival  of  the  club 
Hone  Club.  yesterday  at  John  Ward's,  who  succeeds  his  brother 
Samuel,  at  the  corner  of  Bond  street,  The  old  club, 
with  four  or  five  supernumeraries,  dined  together  in  our  ancient 
pleasant  style.  Of  the  members,  eight  were  present :  viz.,  John 
Ward,  William  G.  Ward,  Simeon  Draper,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Ros- 
well  L.  Colt,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  S.  H.  Blatchford,  Jonathan  Amory,  and 
myself.     We  agreed  to  dine  with  Mr.  Colt  at  Paterson  next  Friday. 

June  16.  —  Another  link  is  broken  in  the  chain  of 
M^  *  L  d'  '^y  social  relations,  another  warning  given  of  the  pass- 

ing away  of  my  generation.  My  old  and  valued  friend, 
David  Lydig,  died  this  morning,  at  six  o'clock.  He  has  been  in  bad 
health  the  last  two  years,  but  had  rallied  of  late,  and  appeared  to 
be  gaining  strength  until  his  last  illness.  He  died  in  the  seventy- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  much  older  than  I,  but  an  intimate  friend  and 
associate  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  was  one  of  a  set  who,  although 
my  seniors,  were  my  in*imate  companions  about  the  time  of  my 
entrance  into  society,  and  with  whom  I  continued  in  pleasant  asso- 
ciation until  they  dropped  away  one  by  one,  and  now  I  am  almost 
the  only  one  left.     How  many  good  dinners  I  have  eaten  at  poor 


iS40.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE. 


:)j 


Lydig's  expense,  and  how  many  hours  have  I  passed  in  his  society  ! 
He  was  a  just  man,  prudent  and  careful  in  the  management  of  his 
affairs,  unexceptionable  in  his  deportment,  with  some  old-fashioned 
aristocratic  notions,  an  exceeding  good  liver,  fond  of  fine  wine, 
which,  however,  he  drank  in  moderation,  but  less  prudent  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  other  pleasures  of  the  table.  He  was,  in  short, 
a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  —  a  race  which  is  nearly  extinct ;  for 
as  the  old  oaks  decay  and  die  off,  their  places  are  supplied  by  an 
undergrowth  less  hardy,  majestic,  and  graceful. 

The  great  log-cabin  in  Broadway,  near  Prince  street, 
og-ca  in        ^^^^^  dedicated  this  eveninsr  to  Harrison  and   Reform. 

Meeting.  '-^ 

It  is  a  large  edifice,  constructed  of  unhewn  logs,  in  the 
most  primitive  style,  with  a  large  pavilion  connected  with  it.  The 
whole  occupies  the  entire  area  of  ground,  fifty  feet  by  one  hundred, 
and  will  hold  an  immense  number  of  persons ;  its  capacity  was 
tried  on  this  occasion ;  every  part  of  the  spacious  cabin  was  full. 
The  meeting  was  organized  by  the  appointment  of  General 
Bogardus  as  president,  with  seventeen  vice-presidents  and  three 
secretaries.  There  were  capital  speeches  from  gentlemen  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Kentucky,  amongst  whom  Mr.  Ewing,  the  former 
distinguished  United  States  senator  from  Ohio,  whose  hand  was 
warm  from  the  recent  pressure  of  General  Harrison's,  was  exceed- 
ingly interesting.  Joshua  Spencer,  of  Utica,  was  one  of  the  speak- 
ers. Blunt,  also,  made  a  speech,  and  Hoxie.  The  whole  affair 
was  cheering  and  enthusiastic.  Never  did  the  friends  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren  make  so  great  a  mistake  as  when  by  their  sneers  they  fur- 
nished the  Whigs  those  powerful  weapons,  "log-cabin  "  and  "hard 
cider;  "  they  work  as  the  hickory-poles  did  for  Jackson.  It  makes 
a  personal  hurrah  for  Harrison,  which  cannot  in  any  way  be  gotten 
up  for  Van  Buren,  and  which  will,  from  present  appearance,  carry 
him  into  the  Presidency. 

June  i8. —  It  is  strange  that  this  term,  by  which  was 
Federalism,      designated  in  former  times  the  purest,  the  wisest,  and 

the  most  patriotic  political  party  which  ever  existed. 


34  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.€tat.  60. 

should  continue  to  be  a  term  of  reproach,  and  the  means  of  excit- 
ing the  bad  feelings  and  prejudices  of  the  people,  even  now,  when 
it  has  ceased  to  be  a  bond  of  union  or  badge  of  party,  and  when 
all  but  those  who  use  it  for  sinister  purposes  are  more  ignorant  of 
its  meaning  than  they  are  of  the  Talmud.  The  fact  is,  that  the 
Federal  party,  as  it  was  originally  constituted,  embraced  nearly  all 
the  great  and  glorious  spirits  of  the  Revolution,  and  all  the  real 
friends  of  the  people.  It  numbered  its  Washington  and  Greene  in 
the  field  of  battle,  its  Ames  and  Morris  in  the  halls  of  Legislature, 
its  Jays  and  Ellsworths  on  the  bench,  and  its  Hamilton  and  Mar- 
shall at  the  forum.  But  this  great  party  is  extinct ;  the  disin- 
terested and  patriotic  part  of  its  members  stand  upon  their  original 
ground  as  the  advocates  of  national  liberty  and  sound  principles, 
and  are  opposed  to  the  present  corrupt  administration,  which  sacri- 
fices the  rights  of  the  people  to  the  maintenance  of  the  party's 
supremacy;  whilst  the  men  whose  ultra-tory  principles  brought 
into  disrepute  the  name  Federalist  are  odious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people.  Both  parties  apply  the  word  as  a  term  of  reproach  to 
their  adversaries ;  the  poor  term,  which  abstractedly  means  every- 
thing good  and  gracious  in  America,  and  in  its  application  sought 
only  the  good  of  the  people  and  the  preservation  of  Republican 
principles,  is  bandied  about  like  a  shuttlecock  by  the  pubUc  press 
on  both  sides,  and  by  partisan  declaimers  from  the  Senate  chamber 
down  to  the  log- cabins,  where  the  sovereigns  assemble  to  prove 
their  patriotism  by  abusing  their  political  opponents. 

Even  General  Harrison,  in  whose  support  all  the  good  men  of 
the  country  are  banded  together  under  the  name  of  Whigs  (a 
name,  by  the  bye,  to  which  I  stand  godfother,  having  been  the 
first  to  use  it  at  a  political  meeting,  of  which  I  was  president,  at 
Washington  Hall),  and  on  whose  success  the  permanency  of  Repub- 
lican institutions  mainly  depends,  deems  it  necessary,  in  order  to 
gain  the  favour  of  the  people,  to  repudiate,  as  the  greatest  calumny 
with  which  he  has  been  assailed,  the  charge  of  having  formerly 
been  a  Federalist.     In  his  speech  at  the  recent   great  Whig  cele- 


1840.]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  35 

bration  on  the  battle-ground  of  Fort  Meigs,  where  thirty  thousand 
persons  are  said  to  have  been  assembled,  his  renunciation  of  the 
charge  of  having  belonged  to  a  party  of  which  Washington  was 
the  leader,  was  thus  indignandy  made,  and  thus  responded  to  by 
the  assembled  multitude  :  "  I  have  been  called  a  Federalist  (here 
was  a  loud  cry  of  '  The  charge  is  a  lie,  —  a  base  lie  ;  you  are  no  Fed- 
eralist ! '  )  Well,  what  is  a  Federalist?  I  recollect  what  the  word 
formerly  signified,  and  there  are  many  others  present  who  recollect 
its  former  signification  also.  They  know  that  the  Federal  party  was 
accused  of  a  design  to  strengthen  the  hand  of  the  general  govern- 
ment at  the  expense  of  the  separate  States.  That  accusation  could 
not,  nor  cannot,  apply  to  me.  I  was  brought  up  after  the  manner 
of  Virginian  anti-Federalism.  St.  Paul  himself  was  not  a  greater 
devotee  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Pharisees  than  I  was,  by  inclina- 
tion and  a  father's  precepts  and  example,  to  anti-Federalism." 

June  24.  —  Dined  at  R.  B.  Minturn's,  where  we  had  a  famous 
party  of  Whigs,  with  a  great  deal  of  joviality,  for  we  had  good  wine 
and  good  company;  much  speaking,  for  we  were  composed  of 
congressmen,  senators,  and  lawyers  principally ;  and  entire  unanim- 
ity, inasmuch  as  we  were  all  of  one  mind  on  the  only  subject  which 
divides  men  now-a-days,  and  excites  personal  asperity.  We  had 
Grinnell  and  two  fine  Georgians,  members  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, Dawson  and  King,  Verplanck  and  Sibley  of  the  State 
Senate,  and  a  fine,  fat  fellow,  Swain  of  New  Bedford,  who  goes 
amongst  his  friends  by  the  title  of  "  Governor,"  famous  for  hospi- 
tality and  kind  feelings,  and  all  sorts  of  qualities  for  endearing  him- 
self to  them,  and  with  a  most  authentic  certificate  in  his  broad, 
good-natured  face  of  the  possession  of  all  the  good  qualities  im- 
puted to  him. 

July  3.  — There  is  an  admirable  letter  published  of 

r.     e  sers  a  j-j^g  defender  of  the  Constitution,"   in    reply  to    an 

Letter.  '  ^  •' 

invitation  from  the  Whigs  of  New  Hampshire  to  at- 
tend their  convention,  which  he  declines.  Nothing  more  able 
than  this  letter  has  ever  issued  from  Mr.  Webster's  pen ;  it  is  the 


36  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  60. 

best,  the  clearest,  and  the  most  condensed  exposition  of  the  meas- 
ures of  the  administration,  and  their  effects  upon  the  present  pros- 
perity and  future  prospects  of  the  country,  I  have  seen  from  any 
quarter,  and  must  produce  conviction,  even  in  poor,  misguided 
New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Webster  speaks  in  terms  of  the  greatest 
confidence  of  General  Harrison's  election. 

Albany,  July  17.  —  In  the  morning  I  went  to  see  the  two  glo- 
rious pictures,  which  are  nearly  finished,  of  the  series  my  friend 
Cole  is  painting  for  Mr.  Samuel  Ward's  femily  (they  having  been 
ordered  before  his  death ) .  These  pictures  are  glorious.  The  series, 
when  completed,  will  form  an  allegory  of  the  four  stages  of  life. 

July  22.  —  The  United  States  Hotel,  large  as  it  is, 
.  ara  oga  ^^^|  ^.^p^^^^jg  ^f  accommodatiug  so  many,  is  now  quite 

full.  A  large  proportion,  however,  are  persons  whom  I 
have  never  seen  before  ;  a  few  are  agreeable,  but  much  the  largest 
proportion  consists  of  awkward  women  and  stupid  men.  A  little 
yeast,  however,  has  been  infused  to-day  into  this  mass  of  unintel- 
lectual  dough  by  the  arrival  of  several  of  our  clever  New  York 
lawyers,  who  have  come  up  to  make  niofions,  — not  such  motions  as 
people  generally  make  who  come  here,  but  motions  in  the  Chan- 
cellor's little  house  up  the  road.  There  is  William  Kent,  Dudley 
Selden,  Prescott  Hall,  Charles  O'Connor,  Samuel  A.  Foot,  and 
General  Sanford.  The  first  two  have  brought  their  agreeable  wives 
with  them.  They  are  quite  a  pleasant  accession  to  the  circle  in 
the  ladies'  drawing-room. 

July  23.  —  I  passed  a  couple  of  hours  this  morning 

anc.  or  s      .^_^  ^^^  Chauccllor's  Court,  and  was  much  pleased  ;  it 

Court.  '  '■  ^ 

is  held  in  a  small  office  in  a  wing  in  his  dwelling- 
house,  which  serves  as  a  law  library,  very  extensive,  and  I  should 
judge  well  selected.  His  Honour  sits  at  his  desk,  on  a  platform 
raised  about  a  foot,  his  habiliments  not  remarkably  neat,  panta- 
loons drawn  half-way  up  to  his  knees,  drinking  most  intem- 
perately  of  water  (his  only  drink,  as  he  is  president  of  the  tee- 
totallers),  talking  famiharly  with  the   lawyers  on    points    as    they 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  37 

arise  in  the  case,  and  frequently  interrupting  the  speaker,  in  what 
appeared  to  me  rather  an  abrupt  manner,  which  I  think  must  be  a 
stumbUng-block  in  the  way  of  young  counsellors  ;  but  I  liked  it 
very  much.  There  were  about  twenty  lawyers,  seated  without  order, 
some  at  a  green  table,  but  the  greater  number  on  chairs  with 
their  backs  against  the  wall,  and  their  legs  cocked  up ;  everything 
was  easy  and  unconstrained,  but  quiet  and  decorous.  The 
Chancellor  does  a  great  deal  of  the  talking  himself,  but  is 
treated  with  great  respect.  It  looked  very  like  a  schoolmaster 
and  his  pupils,  only  the  boys  were  a  little  too  big  to  answer  the 
description  of  the  latter. 

The  cause  before  the  court  whilst  I  was  there  was  a  motion  for 
an  injunction  to  prevent  a  man  named  Lance  from  selling  a  famous 
nostrum  called  '^  Brandreth's  Pills,"  or,  rather,  from  using  a  coun- 
terfeit label,  with  a  signature  and  device  of  the  "  real  Simon  Pure." 
Mr.  Muloch  argued  the  cause  for  the  defendant,  and  the  motion 
was  sustained  in  an  able  speech  by  Mr.  O'Connor,  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  New  York  bar,  and  a  very  clever  fellow.  The  na- 
ture of  the  cause  gave  occasion  to  some  mirth,  in  which  even  the 
grave  Chancellor  was  compelled  sometimes  to  join.  In  one  of  his 
interruptions  he  asked  Muloch  some  question  about  the  pills. 
"We'll  take  the  pills  directly,"  said  the  counsellor,  quite  inno- 
cently. —  "  Not  I,"  said  His  Honour ;  "  I  shall  not  take  any  of 
your  pills."  —  "  If  he  does,"  said  General  Sanford  (who  was 
employed  for  the  complainant),  "I  trust  they  will  be  the  genuine 
ones." 

In  the  course  of  the  argument  a  printed  paper  was  produced, 
which  caused  some  amusement.  It  was  one  of  those  stupendous 
puffs  of  Dr.  Brandreth,  in  which  was  enumerated  all  the  diseases, 
fifty-two  in  number,  which  were  cured  by  the  pills,  and  which  leads 
me  to  wonder  why  mankind  should  stupidly  refuse  to  render  them- 
selves immortal  at  so  trifling  an  expense.  To  these  modest  cre- 
dentials was  affixed  the  signature  of  B.  Brandreth,  M.D.,  with  the 
additional    letters    in    capitals,   M.E.V.P.L.V.S.      This  gave   room 


38  THE   DIARY    OF    I'llILlP    HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

for  sundry  learned  and  philological  inquiries  into  the  meaning  of 
these  cabalistical  letters,  which  unfortunately  for  the  cause  of  sci- 
ence led  to  no  successful  results.  Whilst  this  was  going  on,  I  wrote 
with  my  pencil  and  liandcd  to  Mr.  (3'Connor  the  following  solution, 
which  was  handed  amongst  the  lawyers,  and  was  very  near  getting 
up  to  the  schoolmaster's  desk,  —  in  which  event  my  impertinence 
might  peradventure  have  been  rewarded  with  the  ferule,  —  Most 
Excellent,  Veritable  Pills,  Laxative,  Vomitive,  Sudorific. 

On  the  whole,   I  was  favourably  impressed  with  the  colloquial 

manner  of  transacting  business  in  this  great  court  of  little  form,  the 

objects  of  wliich  seem  to  be,  to  elicit  truth  and  administer  justice. 

Ji'LY  27. — The  friends  of  Van  Buren  and  arbitrary 

Sub-Treasury    ^^^^^   j_^_^^^^   j^^^j   ^  crreat   iollification   this  afternoon,  in 

Jubilee.  ^  •*  ' 

Castle  Garden,  to  celebrate  the  passage  of  the  sub- 
treasury  bill.  And  so  they  would,  if  Mr.  Van  Buren,  like  the  Aus- 
trian Governor  Gessler,  had  succeeded  in  placing  his  cap  upon  a 
pole,  to  receive  the  homage  of  his  Swiss  followers.  John  Targee 
presided  at  the  meeting,  and  Aaron  Vanderpoel  and  a  celebrated 
Van  Buren  serf,  Rantoul  of  Boston,  addressed  them  ;  and  a  hundred 
guns  were  fired,  and  caps  were  thrown  up,  and  shouts  rent  the  air 
at  the  prospect  of  the  people  of  these  United  States,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  free  and  independent  as  the  formula  prescribes,  having 
been  brought  under  subjection. 

The  good  people  of  Boston  are  so  delighted   at  the 
T^"hT'^  l)rospect  of  rivalling  New  York,  that  they  are  in  per- 

fect ecstasies  at  the  arrival  of  the  steamship  "  Bri- 
tannia," and  have  made  a  glorification  of  my  little  friend  Cunard, 
the  enterprising  proprietor  of  the  line,  of  the  most  magnificent 
proportions.  He  was  feted  and  feasted,  and  toted  and  toasted,  to 
his  heart's  content.  A  grand  pavilion  was  erected  at  South  Bos- 
ton, where  the  line  of  packets  have  their  wharves.  Two  thousand 
persons  partook  of  the  good  cheer ;  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Grattan 
and  other  eloquent  men  made  speeches  ;  and  Mr.  Cunard  did  not 
make  a   speech,  because  (as  he  said)  he  didn't  know  how.     The 


1840  J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  39 

bright  eyes  of  hundreds  of  the  fair  daughters  of  Boston  enlight- 
ened the  brilHant  scene,  and  the  roar  of  cannon  might  have  been 
heard,  had  the  wind  been  easterly,  by  the  unwilling  ears  of  the  chop- 
fallen  New  Yorkers.  Among  the  toasts  was  the  following,  "  not 
so  bad  either,"  as  Fanny  Kemble  said  of  my  poetry :  "  Mr.  Cu- 
nard,  the  only  man  who  has  dared  to  heat  the  '  British  Queen  ! '  " 

September    i.  —  Power  made   his   first    appearance 
Power.  last  evening,  at  the  Park  Theatre.      I  went  this  evening 

to  see  him  in  a  new  farce,  "  Last  Legs,"  and  enjoyed 
it  most  heartily.  He  is  the  very  life  and  soul  of  genuine,  unadul- 
terated humour,  and  if  laughing  be  wholesome  his  acting  is  a  pana- 
cea of  more  value  than  the  far-famed  pills  of  "  B.  Brandreth,  M.D., 
M.E.V.P.L.V.S."  It  is  a  great  evidence  of  Power's  powers  in  the 
art  of  drawing  that  he  brings  good  houses  now  in  this  dull  season, 
and  when  the  playgoing  people  have  been  so  heavily  dragged  by 
Fanny  EUsler.  But  the  fact  is,  the  roast  beef  and  plum-pudding 
of  Power  does  not  relish  the  worse  for  our  having  feasted  on 
^'volatile  au  supreme'^  and  "  ailes  de  pigeon.'"  His  "  Last  Legs" 
pleased  me  quite  as  much  as  the  last  legs  I  saw  of  the  divine 
danseuse,  and  his  Irish  brogue  is  quite  effective,  if  not  so  fascinat- 
ing, as  her  "tousand  tanks." 

Boston,   Sept.   9.  —  Here   I  am,   to  join  the  Whig 
^    '^    .  Convention  to  be  held  to-morrow  on  Bunker  Hill,  and 

Convention.  ' 

from  appearances  it  will  be  the  grandest  spectacle  I 
ever  witnessed.  I  left  Newport  in  the  steamer  "Massachusetts," 
and  arrived  at  Providence  at  half- past  eight,  having  two  hours  and 
a  half  on  my  hands  before  the  time  of  starting  of  the  cars  for 
Boston.  I  employed  the  time  in  walking  through  the  town  with 
Mr.  Ruggles,  a  gentleman  of  Newport,  and  viewing  the  fine  houses 
and  noble  establishments  of  the  nabobs  of  that  wealthy  and  pros- 
perous place. 

On  my  arrival  in  Boston  everything  was  in  commotion ;  the 
Whig  delegations  were  pouring  in  from  every  quarter ;  the  streets 
were  crowded,  and  happy  was  the  man  who  had  a  permit  to  sleep 


40  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^^Itat.  60. 

in  the  market.  I  soon  found  that  my  good  star  was  in  the  ascend- 
ant. I  had  notes  and  messages  from  several  friends  to  say  that 
they  had  lodgings  provided  for  me ;  amongst  others,  Mr.  Otis 
brought  me  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Cabot.  Mr.  Sargent  was  the 
most  pressing ;  he  had  provided  beds  for  Ogden  Hoffman  and 
me.  Hoffman  accepted ;  but  Mr.  Belknap  having  vacated  his 
room  for  me  in  the  kindest  manner,  I  took  possession  of  it,  and 
remained  at  the  Tremont  House,  where  I  was  lodged  like  a  prince. 
One  of  the  most  remarkable  things  about  this  great  Whig  festival, 
and  which  proves  most  clearly  the  spirit  with  which  it  is  entered 
into,  is  the  noble  hospitality  with  which  the  first  people  in  the  city 
have  opened  their  doors,  spread  their  tables,  and  vacated  their 
bedchambers  for  the  accommodation  of  the  delegates.  Mr.  Otis 
is  to  have  a  table  spread  for  all  comers.  The  committee  of  ar- 
rangements are  constantly  receiving  notices  from  the  most  respecta- 
ble of  the  citizens  :  "  I  have  so  many  beds ;  "  "I  shall  have  a 
luncheon  ;  "  "  Send  me  so  many  strangers  to  take  care  of!  "  It  is 
so  like  Boston. 

September  10.  —  The  great  day  is  over,  and  how  shall  I  attempt 
to  describe  it?  The  weather,  which  was  doubtful  last  night,  was 
bright  this  morning,  and  the  delegates  from  other  States  and  from 
the  different  towns  in  Massachusetts  began  to  assemble  on  the 
Common  at  nine  o'clock,  with  tlieir  standards,  badges,  and  other 
paraphernalia.  The  scene  began  very  soon  to  be  of  the  most 
exciting  character.  Crowds  were  pressing  toward  the  spot  from 
every  quarter.  The  windows  of  the  fine  houses  which  surround 
the  Common  were  filled  with  well-dressed  ladies.  Horsemen  were 
galloping  to  and  fro,  and  old  men  of  the  Revolution  tottering 
toward  the  places  allotted  to  them.  The  marquee  of  the  chief 
marshal,  Franklin  Dexter,  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  Com- 
mon, whence  issued  troops  of  handsome  young  men  on  horseback 
and  on  foot,  with  their  badges  of  ofiice,  conveying  his  orders 
to  distant  points  and  completing  the  general  arrangements.  I  was 
directed  to  join  the  other  invited  guests  at  the  State   House,  where 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  41 

I  met  Webster,  the  president  of  the  day,  and  many  other  distin- 
guished men.  The  procession  did  not  begin  to  move  until  twelve 
o'clock.  It  was  headed  by  an  escort  of  men  on  horseback  to  the 
number  of  more  than  two  thousand  ;  then  followed  forty  or  fifty  car- 
riages, containing  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  some  others  who 
were  too  aged  to  walk  ;  after  which  the  chief  marshal  and  commit- 
tee of  arrangements,  the  president  of  the  day,  members  of  Congress 
and  invited  guests,  and  then  the  different  delegations,  with  flags 
and  banners  "floating  the  skies,"  devices  of  all  kinds,  and  mottoes, 
some  excellent,  others  so-so,  and  others  displaying  more  party 
zeal  than  either  wit  or  good  sense.  Of  those  I  saw  I  was  most 
pleased  with  a  whale-boat  from  New  Bedford,  with  all  the  appara- 
tus for  taking  the  whale  and  extracting  the  oil,  manned  by  six  old 
masters  of  whale-ships,  and  drawn  on  a  car  by  six  gray  horses ; 
and  with  a  colossal  shoe  from  Lynn,  in  which  were  seated  a  num- 
ber of  sturdy  shoemakers  from  that  celebrated  town  of  Massachu- 
setts, in  which  shoemaking  is  the  sole  occupation.  The  procession 
moved  up  Beacon  street  and  down  the  other  side  of  the  Common ; 
thence  through  several  of  the  principal  streets  in  that  part  of  the 
city,  by  Faneuil  Hall,  around  which  it  made  a  complete  circuit, 
and  so  by  the  wharves  and  streets  occupied  by  working-people,  to 
Charlestown  Bridge,  which  it  crossed,  proceeded  through  Charles- 
town,  and  arrived  at  Bunker  Hill  after  a  march  of  two  hours  and 
a  half. 

The  president  and  invited  guests  occupied  a  stage,  and  the  dele- 
gations were  marshalled  in  their  allotted  places  as  they  severally 
came  on  the  ground,  —  a  work  which  occupied  a  long  time,  and 
before  they  all  got  to  it  the  ceremonies  commenced  by  a  short 
address  from  Mr.  Webster.  The  Bunker  Hifl  declaration  (copies 
of  which  had  been  printed  and  distributed  on  the  route)  was  then 
read  by  Mr.  Winthrop,  after  which  several  of  the  distinguished 
visitors  were  introduced  to  the  audience,  and  each,  in  turn,  made 
a  short  speech  much  to  the  purpose.  This  honour  was  conferred 
upon  me.     Mr.  Webster  presented  me  as  his  friend,  and  informed 


:ij2  THE   DIARY   OF   PIIlLlP   HONE.  [/Rtat.  6o. 

the  people  that  I  was  the  person  who  first  distinguished  the  party 
by  the  appellation  of  Whigs.  I  spoke  a  few  minutes,  and  concluded 
by  saying  that  it  appeared  to  me  that  all  the  men  in  the  United 
States  were  present,  and  that  they  had  better  cut  the  matter  short 
by  going  into  the  election  at  once.  "  As  many  of  you,  therefore,"  I 
said,  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  "  as  are  willing  to  have  William  Henry 
Harrison  for  your  President  will  please  to  say  Aye."  This  was 
responded  to  by  a  shout  that  rent  the  skies,  and  I  came  off  with 
flying  colours. 

The  skies,  which  had  been  threatening  for  some  time,  waited  until 
the  ceremonies  were  over,  and  then  burst  into  a  shower  which  set 
the  mighty  mass  scampering.  I  went  with  Mr.  Webster  and  a  few 
other  gentlemen  to  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Pratt,  near  the  place  of 
assemblage,  where  we  had  a  cold  collation,  and  plenty  of  cool, 
refreshing  drink  ;  and,  to  crown  the  whole,  were  waited  upon  by  the 
ladies  of  the  family,  which,  I  understand,  has  been  the  fashion  of 
the  day. 

The  most  remarkable  part  of  this  most  splendid  spectacle  was  the 
appearance  of  the  streets  through  which  the  procession  passed,  and 
the  enthusiastic  participation  of  the  people  in  the  triumph.  It 
was,  after  all,  only  a  party  affair,  not  one  of  general  or  national 
import,  in  which  the  current  of  public  opinion  may  have  compelled 
some  reluctantly  to  join.  We  took  nothing  by  compulsion  ;  nobody 
was  compelled  to  shout,  and  yet  the  whole  line  of  march  was 
enlivened  by  the  cheers  of  the  men  and  the  smiles  of  the  women. 
The  balconies  and  windows  were  filled  with  women,  well  dressed, 
with  bright  eyes  and  bounding  bosoms,  waving  handkerchiefs, 
exhibiting  flags  and  garlands,  and  casting  bouquets  of  flowers 
upon  us ;  and  this,  too,  was  not  confined  to  any  particular  part  of 
the  city,  or  any  class  of  inhabitants ;  young  children  were  exhib- 
ited in  rows,  with  flags  in  their  little  hands,  and,  whenever  their 
greetings  were  returned,  mothers  and  daughters,  old  women  and 
beautiful  young  ones,  seemed  delighted  that  their  share  in  the 
jubilee  was   recognized. 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  43 

The  stores  and  shops  were  all  closed  ;  flags  were  suspended 
over  the  streets ;  arches  were  erected,  with  suitable  devices  and 
inscriptions,  at  the  entrances  into  the  several  wards,  and  "  Welcome, 
Whigs  !  "  met  us  at  the  corners  of  the  principal  streets.  When 
we  had  crossed  the  bridge  and  entered  Charlestown,  the  same 
cheering  spectacles  were  presented,  and  an  arch  of  triumph  and 
welcome,  with  an  extract  from  one  of  Mr.  Webster's  speeches, 
received  the  procession.  It  was  Whig  all  over ;  there  are  cer- 
tainly Loco-focos  in  Boston,  but  I  am  puzzled  to  know  what 
became  of  them  on  this  occasion. 

I  returned  to  town  with  Mr.  Webster  in  a  carriage,  and  went 
at  a  late  hour,  with  Ogden  Hoffman  and  Prescott  Hall,  to  dine 
with  Mr.  Sargent.  In  pursuance  of  the  directions  of  the  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  I  went,  at  seven  o'clock,  to  Mr.  Webster's 
lodgings,  at  the  United  States  Hotel,  where  I  found  a  number  of 
gentlemen,  and  we  accompanied  him  to  Faneuil  Hall,  where  he 
was  to  preside.  When  we  came  to  the  hall  it  was  crowded  to 
suffocation,  and  it  was  extremely  difficult  for  him  or  the  speakers 
to  get  to  their  places.  Mr.  Webster  opened  the  meeting  with 
some  remarks,  and  Mr.  Leigh,  Governor  Pennington,  Governor 
Ellsworth,  and  others  spoke.  It  was  allotted  to  me  to  speak ;  but 
I  was  overcome  with  fatigue  and  the  crowd  and  the  heat  of  the 
room,  and  I  made  my  escape  before  I  was  called. 

September  it.  —  I  found  Gardiner  and  Samuel  Howland  and 
their  wives,  Samuel's  daughter,  and  Lydia  Van  Schaick,  yesterday, 
at  Mr.  Robert  G.  Shaw's.  They  are  on  their  way  home  from  an  ex- 
cursion to  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire.  I  was  invited 
to  dine  to-day  with  Mr.  Benjamin  Welles,  in  Boston ;  but  my  com- 
ing away  prevented  me.  Judge  Warren  and  Joseph  Grinnell  of 
this  place  having  made  arrangements  for  Ogden  Hoffman  and  me 
to  visit  New  Bedford,  we  left  Boston  at  half-past  four  o'clock. 
Judge  Warren  remained  in  Boston,  and  Mr.  Grinnell  and  his  wife 
came  on  with  us.  We  came  on  the  railroad,  with  an  enormous 
train  of  cars,  having  the  Whig  delegates  from  this  town  and  Nan- 


44  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  60. 

tucket,  and  a  large  number  of   those  from   New  York  returning. 
There  was  shouting  and  hurrahing  all  the  way. 

To  counteract  the  effects  of  the  overwhelming  Whig 
meetinoj  all  over  the  countrv,  a  meeting  of  merchants, 

Meeting.  ^  .  '  to  i 

supporters  of  the  administration  and  friendly  to  the 
sub- treasury,  was  held  yesterday,  at  two  o'clock,  in  Wall  street,  in 
front  of  the  new  Exchange.  The  call  for  the  meeting  was  signed 
by  some  dozen  respectable  merchants,  and  filled  up  by  names  never 
heard  of  on  'Change.  A  Mr.  George  Douglass  presided.  The  meet- 
ing was  addressed  by  Silas  Wright,  senator,  and  Benjamin  F. 
Butler,  maid-of-all-work  in  the  administration  kitchen,  who  essayed 
to  convince  the  merchants  that  the  times  are  very  good ;  that  all 
government  has  been  doing  is  good  for  us,  and  that  the  banking 
business  will  operate  very  nicely  when  it  is  all  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Van  Buren ;  that  gold  and  silver  is  more  portable  and  handy  than 
bank  rags,  and  that  the  safety  of  the  country  depends  upon  a  con- 
tinuance in  power  of  the  present  dynasty. 

September  28.  —  The  great  meeting  of  Whig  mer- 
rea  .  ee  ing  ^j^^j^^.^  ioo\i  place  to-day,  at  two  o'clock,  in  Wall  street, 

of  Merchants.  ^  ■' '  '  ' 

at  the  Williams-Street  corner  of  the  Exchange.  I  got 
a  place  in  a  third- story  window  of  the  new  building  occupied  by 
the  city  bank.  I  could  not  hear ;  but  the  appearance  of  the  mass 
of  people  below  was  perfectly  sublime.  It  was  a  field  of  heads, 
occupying  a  space  about  six  times  as  large  as  the  area  of  Washing- 
ton hallj  from  which  I  calculated  the  number  at  fifteen  thousand ; 
all  respectable  and  orderly  merchants  and  traders,  intent  on  hear- 
ing the  words  of  wisdom  and  patriotism  from  the  lips  of  "  the 
defender  of  the  Constitution,"  capable  of  understanding  their 
meaning,  and  determined  to  follow  where  they  led. 

Jonathan  Goodhue  was  president,  wilh  twenty- six  vice-presidents 
and  five  secretaries.  The  resolutions  were  read  by  Moses  H.  Grin- 
nell,  and  at  twenty  minutes  past  two  o'clock  Mr.  Webster  rose  to 
address  the  most  numerous  and  attentive  audience  I  ever  saw  as- 
sembled.    It  was  agreed  by  all  who  heard  him  (which  was,  indeed, 


I040.J  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  45 

a  small  proportion  of  the  number)  to  have  been  one  of  his  very 
best  speeches.  I  have  reason  to  know  that  he  was  better  prepared 
than  usual,  for  I  lost  the  pleasure  of  his  company  at  dinner  on  Fri- 
day, from  his  keeping  close  to  his  task  on  that  day.  He  spoke 
until  five  o'clock. 

As  a  set-off  against  the  merchants'  meeting,  the  ad- 
oco  oco         ministration  leaders  ordered  a  muster  of  their  forces  at 

Meeting 

the  same  hour,  in  the  park.  A  large  number  assembled  ; 
not  one-third,  however,  as  many  as  the  opposition  party,  and  as  in- 
ferior in  quality  as  in  quantity ;  but  they  greatly  outnumbered  the 
Wall-streeters  in  orators.  Their  principal  speaker  was  a  Mr.  Hunt 
from  somewhere ;  but  his  harangue  was  too  dull  to  suit  the  fiery 
tempers  of  his  auditory,  many  of  whom  went  away  whilst  they 
were  yet  awake,  and  the  rest  broke  up  into  squads  to  listen  to 
more  animated  appeals  from  a  Colonel  Hepburn,  —  a  noisy,  frothy 
demagogue  from  Savannah,  —  Colonel  King,  of  the  Custom- House, 
and  that  exemplary  sprig  of  Loco-focoism,  John  T.  Munford, 
each  of  whom  got  up  his  own  little  "  line  of  battle,"  and  all  blazed 
away  at  the  same  time ;  by  this  means  there  were  four  sets  of 
lungs  playing  at  once,  and  of  course  four  times  as  much  wisdom 
went  simultaneously  into  the  ears  of  the  sovereigns  than  at  the 
gathering  in  Wall  street. 

October   i6.  —  The    chairman  of  the  Bunker   Hill 
,,     "      "       Monument  Association   acknowleds^es    the    receipt    of 

nincence.  ^  x- 

a  donation  of  ten  thousand  dollars  from  Amos  Law- 
rence, towards  finishing  the  work,  which,  together  with  the  money 
collected  at  the  fair,  will  amount  to  about  $40,000,  including 
Fanny  Ellsler's  contribution.  The  Bostonians  do  these  things  bet- 
ter than  any  others  in  America,  and  this  family  of  Lawrences  are 
noble  fellows,  and  deserve,  from  their  business  habits,  liberality, 
and  patriotism,  to  be  styled  the  Medici  of  Boston. 
Great  Loco  OcTOBER  23.  —  A  guupowdcr  plot  has  bccu  brought 

toco  Discov  to  light,  of  which  the  horrid  Whigs  were  the  conspira- 
^^'  tors.     The  administration  papers  are  filled  with  awful 


46  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  60, 

details  of  this  nefarious  conspiracy  against  the  rights  of  the  people 
and  the  majesty  of  the  laws.  It  appears  that,  previous  to  the  fall 
election  of  1838,  some  of  the  leading  Whigs  employed  a  fellow- 
named  Glentworth  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  and  procure  men  to  come 
to  New  York  and  assist  in  detecting  illegal  voters,  who,  it  was  un- 
derstood, had  been  brought  to  vote  here.  This  Glentworth  had 
been  appointed  by  Governor  Seward,  with  the  consent  of  a  Loco- 
foco  Senate,  to  the  office  of  tobacco  inspector  (the  only  appoint- 
ment of  his  of  any  consequence  which  was  confirmed  by  that 
Senate),  with  an  understanding,  as  appears  now,  that  he  should 
divide  the  spoil  with  a  man  named  Steverson,  a  devoted  Loco- 
foco  who  had  held  the  office.  How  Seward  should  make  such  an 
appointment  is  not  easily  to  be  understood ;  but  when  Glentworth 
lost  it  he  communicated  to  his  partner  the  fact  of  his  having  been 
to  Philadelphia,  and  falsely  charged  the  Whigs  with  having  sent 
him  to  procure  men  to  vote  at  our  election,  for  which  they  were 
paid  $30  each.  As  soon  as  these  facts  came  out,  a  conclave, 
consisting  of  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  attorney-general,  Jesse  Hoyt, 
collector,  and  John  W.  Edwards,  a  man  formerly  in  the  Senate, 
who  has  been  imported  into  New  York  to  do  the  dirty  work  of 
the  administration,  was  held  at  Hoyt's  house,  where  they  got  Ste- 
venson and  Glentworth,  and  got  from  them  affidavits  charging  the 
crime  of  procuring  illegal  votes  upon  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Simeon 
Draper,  Robert  C.  \\'etmore,  Richard  M.  Blatchford,  and  James 
Bowen.  The  Loco-foco  papers  of  this  morning  are  full  of  the 
horrible  plot,  with  the  addition  that  Governor  Seward  is  arrested, 
and  Grinnell  and  Wetmore  absconded.  The  Recorder,  R.  H. 
Morris,  Attorney-General  Butler,  and  Justice  Marshall  held  a  sort 
of  Star-Chamber  inquisition,  in  which  the  affidavits  are  taken  and 
Glentworth  sent  to  prison.  In  the  mean  time  the  Whigs  charged 
make  their  affidavits  denying  any  participation  in  the  frauds,  and 
produce  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by  them  to  Glentworth,  ordering 
him  to  desist  from  doing  anything  and  to  come  home,  as  soon  as 
they  were  led  to  suspect  that  he  was  exceeding  his  orders  and  get- 


1840.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  47 

ting  men  to  vote,  instead  of  watching  voters.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  excitement  in  the  city.  The  Whigs  were  great  fools  to  em- 
ploy a  lying  coxcomb  like  Glentworth  in  any  business  requiring 
secrecy  and  good  faith,  and  especially  in  anything  which  might  be 
liable  to  misconstruction ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  they  were 
guilty  of  the  crime  imputed  to  them,  and  the  conduct  of  Butler  in 
attempting  to  implicate  the  Governor  and  other  honourable  men  in 
a  disgraceful  transaction,  upon  the  testimony  of  two  scoundrels,  is 
infamous ;  and  so  everybody  except  his  infamous  associates  seem 
to  think.  The  affair  is  an  unpleasant  one,  but  the  Whigs  will  gain 
more  than  they  will  lose  by  it.  It  discloses  a  disgusting  scene  of 
villany  in  the  conduct  of  our  elections,  and  proves  that  universal 
suffrage  will  not  do  for  great  cities.  It  proves  also  the  necessity 
for  a  registry  law,  which  is  a  Whig  measure,  and  has  been  violently 
opposed  by  the  very  men  who  are  now  so  sensitive  on  the  subject 
of  illegal  voting,  when  it  works  against  them. 

October  24.  —  Grinnell,  as  I  have  stated  before,  dechned  a  re- 
nomination  for  Congress  with  Hoffman  and  Curtis,  and  a  new 
ticket  was  nominated  last  evening,  when  the  charges  were  brought 
against  him  which  his  affidavit  so  successfully  repelled.  Tallmadge, 
who  has  consented  to  run,  withdrew  from  the  ticket.  The  com- 
mittee nominated  Grinnell  by  acclamation,  and  went  down  in  a 
body  insisting  upon  his  consent,  which,  urged  by  these  circum- 
stances, he  gave,  and  is  now  before  the  public  for  condemnation  or 
approval.  It  was  an  excellent  move,  which  cannot  fail  to  benefit 
the  party. 

Butler  has  been  addressing  his  followers  this  morning  in  the  park, 
with  his  characteristic,  hypocritical  cant.  He  talked  to  them  about 
the  interposition  of  Divine  Providence  in  making  him  the  instru- 
ment to  bring  to  light  this  wicked  plot.  They  laughed  at  the  im- 
pious assumption,  but  threw  up  their  caps  and  hurrahed  for  Butler, 
and  damned  the  Whigs,  according  to  orders. 

October  25. — My  birthday;  I  am  sixty  years  old.  It  is  no 
cause  of  rejoicing.    I  feel  old,  and  have  certain  pains  which  indicate 


48  THE   DIARY    OF   rHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

that  threescore  is  a  pretty  heavy  score  against  a  man ;  but  as  to 
health  and  strength,  and  preservation  of  my  faculties,  I  have  great 
reason  to  be  thankful.  If  my  circumstances  were  such  as  they  were 
four  years  ago,  I  should  be  a  tolerably  happy  elderly  gentleman  ; 
but  I  am  doomed  to  vexations  and  trouble  arising  from  pecuniary 
embarrassments  for  the  remainder  of  my  life.  God  grant  I  may 
have  firmness  of  mind  and  strength  of  body  to  meet  it  all  ! 

October  26.  —  There  is  a  remark  in  one  of  the  Philadelphia 
papers  about  a  prisoner  in  the  State  prison,  condemned  to  the 
utmost  punishment  of  the  law  for  fraud,  —  if  he  wished  to  escape 
punishment,  he  should  have  committed  murder.  There  is  much 
good  sense  and  truth  in  this  severe  remark.  Any  offence  against 
men's  pockets  is  sure  to  be  punished,  because  every  juror  has  been 
cheated  at  some  time,  and  rejoices  in  an  opportunity  to  revenge 
himself  upon  his  fellow-men.  But  none  has  ever  been  murdered  ;  and 
then  there  is  always  some  provocation,  some  palliation, —  insanity, 
drunkenness,  or  something  of  the  kind,  —  as  if  a  man  must  be  proved 
free  from  vice,  a  stranger  to  habits,  and  not  influenced  by  malevo- 
lent passions,  to  entitle  him  to  the  i)rivilege  of  being  hanged.  The 
truth  is,  human  life  is  not  held  in  as  high  estimation  as  money,  and 
he  v/ho  takes  the  first  has  a  better  chance  of  escaping  than  he  who 
makes  free  with  the  other. 

November  3.  — The  greatest  excitement  prevails  ;  men's  minds 
are  wrought  up  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy,  and,  like  tinder,  a  spark  of 
opposition  sets  them  on  fire.  The  vote  for  presidential  electors 
in  Pennsylvania  is  so  close,  that  out  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  votes  it  is  probable  that  neither  will  have  five  hundred 
majority.  Both  parties  here  claim  the  victory,  and  every  hour 
the  wheel  turns  each  uppermost.  Betting  is  going  on  at  an 
enormous  extent.  Riot  and  violence  stalk  unchecked  through 
the  streets,  and  lying  is  no  longer  considered  a  crime.  A  gang 
of  several  thousand  Loco-foco  ruffians  paraded  the  streets  last 
night  with  clubs,  and  assaulted  and  drove  off  several  of  the  Whig 
processions.     The  police  seem  to  be  afraid  to  oppose  the  majesty 


1840.]  THE    DIARY    OF    nilLIP    HONE.  49 

of  Democracy ;  and  the  Mayor,  with  oracular  wisdom,  says,  "  If  the 

people  will  be  peaceable,  there  is  no  danger."     Right,  Mr.  Sands  ! 

There  was  a  great  meeting  of  the  merchants,  at  two 

ee  ing  in       o'clock,  in  Wall  street,  in  front  of  the  Exchanore,  to  ex- 

^\all  street.  '  ^    ' 

press  their  opinion  in  favour  of  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  the 
commercial  representative  to  Congress,  who  has  been  so  shamefully 
traduced  by  the  district  attorney  and  his  associates  in  the  Titus 
Oates  plot.  James  G.  King  was  president,  with  a  number  of  vice- 
presidents,  of  whom  I  was  one.  The  resolutions  were  presented 
and  read,  partly  by  Mr.  Perit  and  partly  by  myself.  I  introduced 
them  with  a  speech,  as  he  did  also.  An  excellent  speech  was  made 
by  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  and  Mr.  John  R.  Hurd  made  a  short  address. 
Mr.  Lord's  was  in  the  nature  of  a  law  argument  against  the  abom- 
inable proceeding  of  the  recorder  and  his  Star-Chamber,  in  seizing 
the  papers  of  Glentworth  and  exposing  them  to  the  public,  —  a  most 
tyranical  and  illegal  attack  upon  the  rights  of  the  people,  which 
ought  to  subject  him  and  his  coadjutor,  the  Mayor,  to  the  indict- 
ment of  a  grand  jury,  and  the  former  to  impeachment  by  the 
Legislature.  When  the  chairman  put  the  question  for  adjournment 
it  was  clearly  lost ;  the  meeting  would  not  break  up,  but  insisted 
upon  more  speaking.  I  was  called  upon  and  made  a  second  speech, 
short  and  to  the  point,  which  was  well  received,  and  they  went 
away  well  pleased. 

November   4.  —  The    fire    is    out,    the    powder    ex- 
city  Election,   pcndcd,  and  the  smoke  is  passing  away.     The  election 

throughout  the  State  ended  when  the  sun  went  down. 
Ours  was  held  only  to-day,  and,  thanks  to  the  registry  law,  forty- 
three  thousand  men  went  to  the  polls,  voted,  and  came  away  with- 
out confusion,  and  generally  without  riot  or  opposition.  In  some 
of  the  Loco-foco  districts  crowds  of  violent  men  assembled,  but 
not  to  the  extent  formerly  experienced.  This  beneficial  change 
has  been  produced  by  dividing  the  wards  into  election  districts,  so 
that  not  more  than  about  six  hundred  are  taken  in  one  place,  and  all 
in  one  day.     Instead  of  seventeen  polls,  as  it  used  to  be,  there  are 


50  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  60. 

now  eighty  odd,  and  the  elements  of  riot  and  disorder  are  weak- 
ened by  being  divided.  The  polls  are  opened  at  sunrise  and 
closed  at  sunset,  and  by  ten  o'clock  two-thirds  of  all  the  votes  in 
the  city  were  in.  The  number  of  votes  registered  in  the  second 
district  of  the  fifteenth  ward,  in  which  I  reside,  is  six  hundred  and 
seventy,  of  which  six  hundred  and  sixty-four  voted. 

I  was  selected  by  the  general  committee  to  act  as  chairman  this 
evening,  at  Masonic  Hall,  where  the  mighty  mass  of  Whigs  assem- 
bled to  hear  the  reports.  It  is  hard  duty,  and  I  am  hoarse  and 
sore,  and  jaded  as  a  horse  in  an  omnibus.  I  took  the  chair  at 
seven  o'clock.  The  interval  of  time  before  the  reports  came  in 
was  filled  by  speaking  and  singing  Whig  songs.  By  and  by  mes- 
sengers began  to  arrive  with  reports  from  the  several  wards,  which 
soon  satisfied  us  that  we  had  lost  the  battle.  Many  of  our  people 
had  been  sanguine  enough  to  calculate  upon  our  gaining  the  city, 
and  it  was  most  desirable  that  we  should  have  sent  again  to  Con- 
gress a  Whig  delegation,  particularly  Grinnell,  whose  election  would 
have  so  severely  rebuked  the  men  who  assailed  him  on  the  eve  of 
the  election,  and  the  State  senator  and  members  of  Assembly  would 
have  been  a  prodigious  gain ;  but,  although  many  of  us  hoped  for 
such  a  result,  none  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  parties  calcu- 
lated upon  it,  and  the  result  is,  in  fact,  a  cause  of  triumph.  The 
administration  majority  is  not  over  twelve  hundred ;  they  reckoned 
upon  three  thousand.  We  were  beaten  a  year  ago  by  about 
eighteen  hundred ;  that  was  the  majority  against  me  for  the  Senate. 
The  State  will  go  for  Harrison,  I  think,  without  a  doubt ;  but  his 
majority  will  not  be  so  great  as  was  expected.  The  contest  has 
been  violent ;  every  effort  which  a  party,  unscrupulous  at  all  times, 
but  desperate  now,  could  make  to  sustain  themselves  in  power,  has 
been  resorted  to ;  but  it  will  not  do.  The  sceptre  has  departed 
from  Mr.  Van  Buren. 

Scenes  of  violence,  disorder,  and  riot  have  taught  us  in  this  city 
that  universal  suffrage  will  not  do  fjr  large  communities.  It  works 
better  in  the  country,  where  a  large  proportion  of  the  voters  are 


1840.]  THE    DIARY    OF    THILIP   HONE.  5 1 

Americans,  born  and  brought  up  on  the  spot,  and  where,  if  a  black 
sheep  comes  into  the  flock,  he  is  marked  immediately.  But  in  the 
heterogeneous  mass  of  vile  humanity  in  our  population  of  three 
hundred  and  ten  thousand  souls  the  men  who  decide  the  elections 
are  unknown  ;  they  hav-e  no  local  habitation  or  name  ;  they  left  their 
own  country  for  ours,  to  better  their  condition,  by  opposing  every- 
thing good,  honest,  lawful,  and  of  good  report,  and  to  effect  this 
they  have  banded  themselves  into  associations  to  put  down,  at  all 
hazards,  the  party  in  favour  of  order  and  good  government.  A 
mighty  army  of  these  banditti  paraded  the  streets  last  night  under 
the  orders  of  the  masters,  who,  no  doubt,  secretly  directed  their 
movements,  attacking  every  place  where  the  Whigs  met.  National 
Hall,  in  Canal  street,  the  conservative  headquarters,  was  besieged 
by  this  army  of  Jack  Jades,  and  its  appearance  this  morning  is  a 
melancholy  sample  of  the  effects  of  unrestrained  power  in  the 
hands  of  a  mob  of  political  desperadoes.  All  the  windows  of  this 
large  building  are  broken ;  bushels  of  brickbats  cover  the  floors, 
and  the  doors  show  where  the  ruffians  endeavoured  to  gain  admis- 
sion by  setting  fire  to  the  house.  This  evening,  thus  far,  has  been 
quiet  in  my  part  of  the  city.  I  came  home  from  Masonic  Hall  as 
soon  as  the  result  was  known,  and  did  not  witness  any  disturbance. 
Having  beaten  us  in  one  way,  they  don't  think  it  worth  while  to 
do  it  in  another. 

November  5 .  —  The  same  subject  day  after  day  ;  but 
Elections.  this  wcck  Settles  all.  At  present  it  swallows  up  every- 
thing else.  No  business  is  done ;  the  hammer  is  sus- 
pended on  the  anvil ;  the  merchant  neglects  his  counting-house, 
and  the  lawyer  his  office.  Nobody  invites  a  friend  to  dine,  and  no 
topic  of  conversation  is  permitted  but  election. 

November  10. —  The  election  returns  come  in  from  all  quarters 
in  favour  of  Harrison  and  the  Whig  cause.  It  is  thought  that  Mr. 
Van  Buren  cannot  get  more  than  fifty  votes  out  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-four.  In  our  own  State,  though  the  city  went  against  us  by 
a  greatly  reduced  majority,  and  the  first  accounts  from  the  river 


52  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.^tat.  60. 

counties  were  somewhat  discouraging,  all  has  been  redeemed  by 
the  North  and  South.  The  Harrison  electoral  ticket  is  elected  by 
twelve  tliousand  majority.  Seward  and  Bradish  are  reelected,  and 
the  Vrliigs  have  majorities  in  both  branches  of  the  Legislature. 
Seward  runs  behind  the  other  tickets  several  thousand,  owing  to 
his  having  recommended  the  free  bill,  which  has  disturbed  the 
political  consciences  of  the  lawyers  through  their  pockets,  and 
more  especially  by  the  ill-judged  favour  which  he  has  shown  the 
Catholics,  by  which  he  has  lost  many  of  his  friends,  and  not  gained 
the  votes  of  those  whom  he  sought  to  propitiate.  His  motives 
were,  I  believe,  correct ;  but  his  policy  in  this  latter  affair  is  justly 
condemned. 

November  16.  — There  is  a  chasm  of  three  days  in  this  journal, 
and,  gracious  heaven,  how  has  the  time  been  filled  !  My  strength 
fails  me  when  I  attempt  to  account  for  it,  and  yet  I  feel  that  it  will 
afford  me  a  sort  of  melancholy  consolation.  My  heart  sinks  within 
me  whenever  my  thoughts  are  concentrated  upon  the  greatest  grief 
which  has  ever  oppressed  it.  May  the  indulgent  Father  of  mercies 
sustain  me  and  my  bereaved  family  in  our  great  affliction,  and 
teach  us  with  resignation  to  exclaim,  "  Father,  thy  will  be  done  ! " 
My  dear,  beloved  Mary  left  this  world  of  trouble  and  affliction, 
and,  as  I  firmly  and  confidently  believe,  joined  her  sister  angels  in 
heaven,  on  Friday  morning. 

December  2.  —  This  is  the  day  which  decides  the 
resi  en  ici       ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^.^^  Burcu  and  his  administration.     The 

Election. 

electors  of  President  and  Vice-President  meet  simulta- 
neously in  each  of  the  States  of  the  Union,  and  will  quietly,  and  in 
discharge  of  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  people,  deposit  two 
hundred  and  thirty-four  votes  for  William  Henry  Harrison  for 
President,  and  John  Tyler  for  Vice-President,  and  sixty  votes  for 
Martin  Van  Buren  for  President,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson,  or  some 
other  person,  for  Vice-President.  And  thus  the  dynasty  is  changed. 
The  party  which  has  been  in  power  forty  years  yields  the  sceptre  to 
its  adversary,  and  the  policy  under  which  the  country  has  hereto- 


1840.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  53 

fore  been  governed  will  be  abandoned  for  one  more  consonant  to 
the  opinions  and  wishes  of  the  present  majority.  This  is  a  beauti- 
ful illustration  of  the  operation  of  a  popular  government.  If  Mons. 
De  Tocqueville  should  publish  a  new  edition  of  his  excellent  work 
on  the  Democracy  of  America,  he  will  have  in  this  event  a  striking 
confirmation  of  his  principles,  and  our  institutions  will  be  the  sub- 
ject of  a  new  and  merited  eulogium  from  his  able  pen.  The  late 
election,  and  its  consequences,  afford  a  field  for  deep  reflection. 
There  is  not  probably  a  country  in  the  world  where  a  change  of 
such  prodigious  magnitude  could  have  been  effected  in  the  same 
time,  with  so  little  apparent  machinery,  and  in  so  orderly  and  de- 
corous a  manner.  It  does,  indeed,  afford  encouragement  and  hope 
to  those  patriotic  Americans  who  are  Republicans  in  feehng  and 
judgment,  but  may,  at  times,  have  doubted  of  the  continued  practi- 
cability of  the  operation  of  self-government  in  a  country  of  so  great 
an  extent  as  the  United  States. 

Levi  Woodbury,  at  present  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 

Loco-foco  ,  ,         ,  •  1      1         1  1 

Movements  ^^^^''  '^^  ^  good  place  provided  when  he  receives 
notice  to  quit,  which  will  be  as  soon  after  the  fourth  of 
March  as  may  be.  The  State  of  New  Hampshire,  immovable  as 
her  granite  hills  in  bad  political  principles,  has  elected  liira  a  Sena- 
tor in  Congress,  and  thereby  given  him  a  chance  to  vote  on  the 
question  of  his  own  ejectment  from  of^ce.  If  he  makes  as  indif- 
ferent a  senator  as  he  did  a  secretary,  he  will  be  a  suitable  repre- 
sentative of  the  party  which  sends  him  to  Congress. 

The  Legislature  of  South  Carolina  (the  only  State  in  the  Union 
in  which  the  people  are  not  immediate  electors  of  the  presidential 
electors)  have  given  the  vote  of  the  State  to  Martin  Van  Buren  and 
Richard  M.  Johnson  ;  and  this  they  did,  not  from  any  predilection 
for  the  great  rejected,  but  to  be  in  opposition  to  the  Northern  and 
Eastern  States.  The  high-minded  Carolinians  (as  we  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  coaxingly  calling  them)  are  the  most  clannish,  selfish 
people  in  America ;  they  have  no  affection  for  anything  except 
South  Carolina;    their   patriotism    is  centred    in    themselves,  and 


54  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  60. 

Union  means  nothing  more  than  their  own  sticking  together.  Their 
apostle,  John  C.  Calhoun,  would  coalesce  with  the  Devil  (as  he 
has  with  one  for  whom  he  has  not  much  greater  affection)  if  he 
saw  in  such  a  course  the  smallest  chance  of  bringing  down  New 
York  to  the  level  of  Charleston,  and  would  rejoice  in  a  revolution 
of  nature  which  should  cause  the  Atlantic  to  recede  from  our 
shores,  and  leave  her  ships  rotting  in  the  mud  of  her  harbours. 

December  5.  —  A  monument    has  been  erected  at 
The  Rocka-      Rockawav  ovcr  the  remains  of  the  unhappy  sufferers  on 

way  Muse.  •' 

board  the  ships  "  Bristol"  and  *'  Mexico,"  wrecked  on 
the  Long  Island  shore  in  the  winter  of  1836-7.  The  Hempstead 
people  have  done  well  to  evince  their  sympathy  in  this  manner  ;  but 
it  was  too  bad,  after  the  cruel  suffering  and  miserable  deaths  of 
these  poor  strangers,  that  their  memory  should  be  handed  down  to 
posterity  m  such  wretched  poetry  as  the  following  inscription,  which 
graces  one  side  of  the  monumental  stone  :  — 

"  In  this  grave  from  the  wide  ocean  doth  sleep 
The  bodies  of  those  that  had  crossed  the  deep, 
And  instead  of  being  landed  safe  on  the  shore, 
On  a  cold  frosty  night  they  all  were  no  more." 

December  23.  —  Mr  Clay  came  in  town  on  Satur- 
day, to  visit  (as  he  gave  out)  his  grandsons,  who  are  at 
school  in  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  and  returned  on  Tues- 
day to  Washington.  I  passed  half  an  hour  very  pleasantly  with  him 
on  Monday  morning.  He  told  me  some  of  the  arrangements  of 
the  next  Cabinet.  Mr.  Webster  is  to  be  Secretary  of  State,  and  Mr. 
Crittenden,  of  Kentucky,  Attorney-General.  A  glorious  beginning  ! 
The  United  States  do  not  contain  two  better  men  for  those  respec- 
tive stations.  The  other  heads  of  departments  are  not  yet  designated. 
Mr.  Clay  was  offered  by  General  Harrison,  for  himself,  a  carte 
blanche  ;  but  he  declines  office,  proposing  to  retain  his  place  in  the 
Senate,  where  he  thinks  he  can  most  effectually  serve  the  new 
administration,  and  to  be  ready  to  enter  the  field  four  years  hence, 
to  which  I  say,  Amen,  and  success  attend  him  ! 


Visit  of  Mr 
Clay. 


1S41.]  THE  DIARV    OF   PIIILIP   HOXE.  55 


I  841 


TANUARY  I .  —  I  cannot  find  a  spot  on  the  page  of  history 
^  marked  in  the  margin  1840  on  which  to  place  a  "white 
stone."  My  debts  have  increased,  and  my  property  is  reduced  in 
value,  while  those  who  owe  me  cannot  or  will  not  pay,  and  there  is 
but  little  hope  that  they  ever  will ;  for  the  most  sanguine  anticipa- 
tions of  a  return  of  prosperity,  the  result  of  the  late  political  revolu- 
tion, seem  to  be  founded  upon  the  calculation  of  a  sponge  being 
applied  to  all  foregone  engagements  and  a  free  course  to  enter 
again  upon  the  race  of  commercial  speculation. 

Great  as  has  been  the  bereavement  we  have  sustained  in  the 
death  of  our  beloved  Mary,  and  melancholy  the  void  it  has  occa- 
sioned in  my  domestic  circle,  I  am  not  without  many  sources  of 
happiness,  and  have  great  cause  for  thankfulness  in  the  present 
condition  of  my  family.  My  health  is  good,  although  I  have  occa- 
sional attacks  of  gout,  rheumatism,  or  lumbago,  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  my  limbs  have  had  to  submit  to  many  hard  rubs.  I  wish  they 
were  the  only  ones  I  have  to  submit  to.  But  welcome,  1841  !  Let 
not  the  storm  which  marks  thy  advent  prove  prophetic  of  thy 
course. 

January  16. —  Yesterday  was  an  important  day  in  the  money 
annals  of  the  country.  The  banks  of  Philadelphia  were  compelled, 
under  a  law  of  the  State,  to  resume  the  payment  of  specie.  Some 
apprehensions  were  entertained  that  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
from  the  crippled  state  of  her  affairs,  might  find  a  difficulty  in  com- 
plying with  the  law,  from  which  cause  alone  the  other  banks  would 
be  embarrassed  ;  but  that  institution,  having  effected  a  loan  in  Eng- 
land of  500,000  pounds  sterling,  by  negotiating  their  bills,  were 
enabled  to  meet  their  demands,  and  all  things  went  on  well,  so  far. 
Further  south  they  hold  out  yet ;  the  B.dtimore  banks  say  that  they 


56  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.6i. 

can    pay,  but    will  not,    unless    those    of  Virginia    come    into  the 
measure  of  resumption. 

January^  20.  —  I  dined  yesterday  with  Mr.  \Villiam  G.  Ward,  — 
a  sort  of  revival  of  the  ''  Hone  Club,"  with  all  its  pleasant  rules  and 
social  observance.  Dinner  at  five  to  the  instant,  the  stragglers 
coming  in  within  five  minutes  after  the  time,  and  ere  the  soup  was 
gone,  each,  with  watch  in  hand,  disputing  the  edict  which,  like  the 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  never  changes  :  a  strict  observance 
to  the  limitation  of  four  dishes,  so  strict  that  by  gastronomic  soph- 
istry it  extends  to  a  dozen ;  brant  being  transformed  into  fish, 
oysters  coming  under  the  denomination  of  vegetables,  and  veal 
sweet-breads  being  pronounced  of  the  genus  confectionery.  The 
"  Ode  "  was  sung  by  Major  Tucker,  with  a  full  chorus ;  and  other 
songs  and  pleasant  converse  and  good  fellowship  made  us  forget 
the  bad  times  which  have  caused  a  suspension  of  our  meetings. 

January  30.  —  There  was  a  brilliant  ball  last  evening 
City  Ball.  at  the  City  Hall,  —  a  sort  of  revival  of  the  old  city  as- 
semblies, which  were  formerly  held  in  that  time-honoured 
saloon.  It  was  gotten  u])  by  the  young  men.  Heads  of  families 
were  not  allowed  to  subscribe,  but  were  invited,  with  their  wives  and 
daughters.  The  whole  affair  was  conducted  in  a  genteel  manner ; 
the  ball  was  well  attended  by  the  most  respectable  of  our  citizens, 
and  gave  great  satisfaction.  Another  is  to  be  given,  probably  on 
Washington's  birthday.  The  managers  are  Abraham  Schermerhorn, 
Edmund  H.  Pendleton,  James  W.  Otis,  William  Douglass,  Henry 
Delafield,  Henry  W.  Hicks,  Jno.  Swift  Livingston,  Jacob  R.  Le  Roy, 
Thomas  W.  Ludlow,  Charles  McEvers,  Jr.,  William  S.  Miller, 
Charles  C.  King. 

P'ep.ruarv  4.  —  There  is  a  panic  to-day  in  the  money 

".,  '  market.     The  great  bank  in  Philadelphia,  falsely  called 

the  "  United  States  Bank,"  after  having  resumed  specie 

payments  with  the  other  banks  in  that  city,  a  few  days  since,  finds 

itself  compelled  to  suspend  again,  and  has   refused  payments  of 

drafts  from  this  city.     The  effect  of  this,  it  is  apprehended,  will  be 


1841.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  57 

to  compel  the  other  banks  to  suspend  again.  Baltunore,  Charles- 
ton, and  other  Southern  cities  will  have  to  follow  suit ;  and  all 
the  horrors  of  a  disturbed  currency  and  ruinous  exchanges,  of 
which  we  thought  we  were  relieved,  will  be  returned  upon  us  for 
a  period  of  time  for  which  no  one  can  form  any  opinion  of  the 
duration. 

February  5 .  —  The  suspension  of  the  United  States  Bank  is 
confirmed  to-day.  The  stock  of  that  institution  fell  nearly  ten  per 
cent.  Large  quantities  were  sold  at  from  forty  to  forty-two  per 
cent. ;  and,  from  the  opinions  of  persons  better  informed  than 
myself,  I  am  induced  to  believe  that  it  is  as  much  as  it  is  worth. 
Indeed,  it  was  sold  "  ahead,"  as  the  brokers  call  it ;  that  is,  to  be 
delivered  within  a  certain  time,  at  the  option  of  the  seller,  as  low  as 
thirty- four.  Taking  the  cash  price  to-day,  there  is  a  loss  to  the 
stockholders  from  the  par  value  of  $60,  of  $21,000,000,  —  equal 
to  that  occasioned  by  the  great  fire,  to  say  nothing  of  all  that 
was  bought  at  120  or  125  before  the  charter  expired,  and  was 
transferred  into  the  State  institution.  This  enormous  loss  falls 
heavily  upon  the  European  holders,  who  will  not  in  the  future 
be  disposed  to  trust  us ;  but  there  is  a  great  deal  held  by 
widows  and  children,  public  institutions,  and  trustees.  When 
Jackson,  the  old  despoiler,  crushed  the  national  institution  under 
the  iron  heel  of  vindictive  power,  the  plague-spot  upon  commercial 
prosperity  first  made  its  appearance ;  but  the  disease  was  not 
incurable  until  the  bank  attained,  at  an  unwarrantable  expense,  a 
charter  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  to  do  mischief  to  the  nation, 
without  the  ability  or  the  obligation  to  do  good  in  any  but  a  local 
sense.  At  that  time,  if  the  concern  had  been  wound  up  and  rested 
peaceably  in  the  tomb  to  which  party  rage  and  personal  malignity 
had  consigned  it,  the  loss  to  the  stockholders  would  have  been 
comparatively  small,  and  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  establish- 
ment of  a  sound  national  bank  would  have  been  removed  :  a  bank 
solid  and  uncrippled,  whose  benignant  sphere  of  action  would 
have  been  coextensive  with  true  bonds  of  union ;    whose  duty,  as 


58  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.6i. 

well  as  its  interest,  would  have  been  directed  to  the  preservation  of 
a  sound  currency  and  the  accommodation  and  support  of  honest 
commercial  enterprise  ;  and  such  a  one  we  must  have.  The  neces- 
sity becomes  more  apparent  every  day.  The  prejudices  created  by 
the  violent  measures  of  the  Attila  of  Tennessee  and  his  furious  par- 
tisans begins  to  give  way  before  the  light  of  reason,  and  if  the 
downfall  of  the  Pennsylvania  bank  should  be  necessary  to  give 
place  to  such  an  institution,  it  had  better  be  brought  at  once  to  that 
issue.  The  present  vessel  is  rotten  and  unseaworthy,  and  must  be 
broken  up  as  soon  as  may  be,  and  a  new  one,  the  property  of  the 
whole,  and  not  a  part  of  the  partners  in  our  great  national  concern, 
be  set  upon  the  stocks  without  delay,  launched,  rigged,  and  set 
upon  her  voyage  with  none  but  a  nafi'ona/  ensign  at  her  mast-head  ; 
and  if  John  Bull  will  not  ship  on  board  her,  we  must  endeavour  to 
make  the  voyage  on  our  own  hook. 

Februarys. — There  has  been  a  dreadful  panic  to-day  among 
the  brokers  and  "  money-changers  "  in  Wall  street.  The  suspen- 
sion of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  has  been  followed  by  that 
of  the  other  banks  of  Philadelphia.  Some  of  them  continue  to 
pay  specie  for  their  notes  of  $5  ;  but  it  is  only  the  faint  flicker- 
ing of  the  expiring  candle.  Baltimore,  also,  has  suspended  again. 
This  imhai)|)y  state  of  things  has  caused  a  foil  in  prices  of  every 
descri})tion  of  stock  in  New  York.  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
stock,  which  has  nothing  to  do  with  Philadelphia  financial  opera- 
tions, fell  from  ninety-five  to  eighty-eight  per  cent,  A  panic  in 
money  matters  is  like  one  in  an  army  during  a  battle  :  when  a  part 
runs  away,  others  follow  and  prick  onward  with  their  bayonets 
those  who  may  be  disposed  to  stand  firm,  until  a  general  rout  is  the 
consequence.  United  States  Bank  sold  to-day  at  twenty-five  per 
cent.  Here  is  wholesale  ruin.  Here  is  a  loss  from  the  par  value 
of  $26,250,000,  to  be  borne  by  all  classes  of  our  citizens,  and  an 
utter  destruction  of  American  credit  in  Europe.  How  happy  would 
it  have  been  for  all  parties  if,  when  the  national  institution  was 
killed,  it  had   stayed  killed  ! 


1841.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  59 

February  9.  —  General  Harrison  made  a  sort  of  tri- 
umphal entry  into  Baltimore  on  Saturday,  where  he  was 
received  by  crowds  of  citizens,  who  formed  a  proces- 
sion to  conduct  him  to  his  lodgings ;  and  he  made  a  speech  which, 
in  my  judgment,  he  might  better  have  let  alone.  Preparations  are 
making  to  receive  him  to-morrow  with  similar  honours  at  Washing- 
ton, where  he  is  to  remain  two  or  three  days.  He  then  goes  to 
Virginia  to  visit  his  friends,  returns  to  Washington  toward  the  close 
of  the  month,  will  be  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March,  and  then 
his  troubles  (not  few  nor  small)  will  begin. 


"  I  vow  'tis  better  to  be  lowly  born, 
And  range  with  humlile  livers  in  content, 
Than  to  be  perked  up  in  a  glittering  grief, 
And  wear  a  golden  sorrow." 


Saturday,  Feb.   13. — The  day  after  General  Harri- 
^   ^^^  son's  arrival  in  Washington  he  visited  President  Van 

Courtesy.  *^ 

Buren,  who  received  him  with  the  greatest  politeness. 
They  passed  half  an  hour  in  agreeable  conversation,  and  the  next 
day  the  President,  accompanied  by  the  heads  of  departments,  re- 
turned the  visit  at  the  apartments  of  the  President-elect,  at 
Gadsby's  Hotel.  This  compliment  was  the  more  marked  as  the 
etiquette  is  for  the  President  not  to  return  visits.  General  Harri- 
son was  also  to  dine  with  the  President  to-day,  and  the  dinner  will, 
no  doubt,  be  a  very  pleasant  one,  for  nobody  knows  better  than 
Mr.  Van  Buren  how  to  do  such  things.  His  tact  is  admirable,  and, 
whatever  may  be  his  feelings  in  regard  to  the  success  of  his  distin- 
guished rival,  he  will  never  afford  his  poUtical  opponents  the  tri- 
umph of  letting  them  be  known.  Calm  and  unruffled  as  the  bosom 
of  a  lake  under  the  tranquil  influence  of  a  summer's  sun,  there  is 
nothing  to  indicate  the  storm  which  may  have  passed  over  it.  This 
is  in  far  better  taste  than  the  petulant  conduct  of  the  eider  Adams, 
who  left  Washington  in  the  night  to  avoid  the  mortification  of  wit- 


6o  THE    DIARY    OF    PHI  LI  I'    HONE.  [.Etat.6i. 

nessing  the  accession  of  Mr.  Jefferson  ]  or  of  General  Jackson,  when 
the  people  in  an  evil  hour  wrested  the  sceptre  from  John  Q. 
Adams  to  place  it  in  his  ruffian  hands.  General  Harrison  visited 
also  the  ex- President,  Adams. 

Washincton,  Feb.  i8.  —  Left  Baltimore  in  the  nine- 

Tournev  to  .  i  •         i   i  i  i 

wisiniK'ton  o  clock  traui,  and  arrived  here  about  the  openmg  of  the 
houses  of  Congress ;  got  a  tolerable  room  at  Gadsby's, 
that  carav^ansary  of  long,  cold  galleries,  never-ceasing  ringing  of 
bells,  negligent  servants,  small  pillows,  and  scanty  supply  of  water. 
I  am  better  off,  even  in  these  particulars,  than  three-fourths  of  the 
people  in  the  house  ;  but,  if  a  man  wishes  to  appreciate  the  comforts 
of  home,  let  him  come  to  Washington.  As  for  the  eating  part,  I 
am  fortunately  situated.  I  am  regularly  entered  of  Mr.  Granger's 
mess,  with  his  daughter  and  Meredith,  which  promises  well,  if  I 
should  have  any  chance  to  enjoy  their  society. 

I  found  an  invitation  to  dine  with  the  Russian  Minister,  which  he 
had  politely  sent  in  anticipation  of  my  coming,  and  accordingly 
rode  over  to  his  residence  at  Georgetown,  where  I  met  a  large 
party  of  distinguished  gentlemen,  embracing  most  of  the  leading 
Whigs.  The  dinner  was  a  magnificent  affair,  a  ponderous  set  out; 
it  was  like  dining  in  a  gold  mine  ;  immense,  lofty,  and  massy  gilt 
candelabras  on  the  table,  in  which  I  counted  eighty  wax  candles 
l)urning,  besides  others  in  different  parts  of  the  room  ;  rich  orna- 
ments of  every  description  ;  a  great  variety  of  wines,  some  of  which 
were  good,  but  the  cuisine  not  comparable  with  an  every-day  dinner 
at  my  own  house.  Servants  below  stairs  with  gilt-laced  cocked 
hats,  and  surrounding  the  table  with  tarnished  liveries,  which,  from 
their  variety,  would  seem  intended  to  represent  all  the  provinces  of 
Russia ;  but  the  host  did  the  honours  with  great  propriety,  and 
treated  me  with  marked  attention.  The  number  was  about  four  and 
twenty,  of  which  I  remember  the  following  :  Mons.  Bacour,  French 
Minister;  Mr.  Fox,  British  Minister;  Mr.  Stockel,  Russian  Secre- 
tary ;  Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Crittenden,  Mr.  Tallmadge,  Mr. 
Rives,  Mr.  Merrick,  Mr.  Henderson,  Mr.  Bayard,  Mr.  Southard,  Mr. 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  6 1 

Dawson,  Mr.  Gushing,  Mr.  Meredith,  Mr.  Reverdy  Johnson,  Mr. 
Austen  of  Massachusetts,  Richard  Peters,  Mr.  Mangum,  Mr.  Sar- 
gent, and  Colonel  Stuart.  There  was  whist  after  dinner.  I  got  at 
a  table  with  Messrs.  Bodisco,  Fox,  and  Clay,  and  sat  until  we  were 
the  survivors  of  the  large  party. 

February  19. — ^.I  called  this  morning  upon  President  Van 
Buren.  He  received  me  alone  in  his  study,  in  the  kindest  and 
most  gracious  manner ;  talked  a  little  about  the  late  political  con- 
test, professed  an  undiminished  friendship  for  me,  notwithstanding 
my  opposition,  which  he  said  he  had  been  gratified  to  learn  had 
been  unaccompanied  by  the  use  of  any  expression  of  personal  dis- 
respect. He  is  fat  and  jolly,  with  the  same  self-satisfied  smile  upon 
his  countenance.  A  stranger  would  be  greatly  at  a  loss  to  discover 
anything  to  indicate  that  he  was  a  defeated  candidate  for  the  high 
office  which  he  is  about  to  vacate. 

The  Supreme  Court  was  for  two  hours  the  point  of 
Mr.  Webster,  supcrior  attraction.  Mr.  Webster  was  engaged  in  one 
of  those  great  arguments  on  a  constitutional  question 
in  which  he  stands  unrivalled,  the  interest  of  which  was  enhanced 
from  its  being  one  of  the  last  in  which  he  will  be  engaged.  He  has 
resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate,  of  which  he  will  take  leave  on  Mon- 
day, and  on  the  4th  of  March  he  commences  a  new  sphere  of 
action  as  Secretary  of  State  in  General  Harrison's  Cabinet.  The 
Supreme  Court  presented  a  sublime  and  beautiful  spectacle  during 
Mr.  Webster's  argument.  The  solemn  temple  of  justice  was  filled 
with  an  admiring  auditory,  consisting  of  a  large  proportion  of  well- 
dressed  ladies,  who  occupied  the  seats  within  the  bar;  the  nine 
judges,  in  their  magisterial  robes,  attentive  and  thoughtful ;  and  all 
minds  and  bodies  bent  upon  one  great  object,  and  that  object  a 
single  man,  of  commanding  presence  and  intellectual  aspect,  not 
remarkably  correct  in  his  costume  nor  graceful  in  his  action,  but 
commanding,  by  the  force  of  his  giant  intellect,  an  irresistible  con- 
trol over  the  minds  of  all  who  heard  him,  and  enchaining  all  their 
faculties  to  one    point  of  observation  and    attention.     It  was,  in 


62  THE    IHARV    OF    THILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.6i. 

truth,  a  noble  illustration  of  the  power  of  mind  over  the  material 
faculties  of  humanity. 

February  20.  —  I  dined  with  Grinnell  and  Hoffman.  We  had 
a  good  dinner,  fine  wine,  and  a  very  pleasant  party,  consisting  of 
Mr.  Hoffman,  Mr.  Grinnell,  Mr.  Southard,  Mr.  Habershaw,  Mr. 
Bayard,  Mr.  Holmes  of  South  Carolina,  Mr.  Graham  of  North 
Carolina,  Mr.  Sargeant,  Mr.  ^Vinthrop,  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  Speaker, 
Mr.  Tallmadge,  Mr.  Henderson,  Mr.  Lowe  of  New  York,  and  P.  H. 
February  22. —  I  have  been  all  day  in  the  Senate, 
/  ^  ^ '°         and  greatly  interested.     The  principal  business  was  an 

Uie  Senate.  n  j  i  i 

animated  debate  on  a  motion  made  by  Mr.  Crittenden 
to  bring  a  bill,  formerly  presented  by  him,  to  prev^ent  the  interfer- 
ence of  office-holders  in  elections.  This  motion  was  supported  in 
an  eloquent  speech  by  the  mover  and  the  leading  \Vhigs,  and 
opposed  by  Messrs.  Buchanan,  Calhoun,  Wright,  etc.,  and  defeated 
by  a  strict  party  vote.  They  could  not  stand  the  implied  odium 
which  the  passage  of  such  an  act  would  cast  upon  the  party  going  out 
of  power,  nor  acknowledge  the  magnanimity  of  their  successors  in 
binding  themselves  in  advance  not  to  use  the  same  means  to  secure 
a  continuance  of  their  own,  which  have  heretofore  been  employed 
against  them.  Mr.  Preston's  speech  in  support  of  this  measure 
gave  rise  to  an  incident  of  considerable  excitement.  He  closed  his 
speech  with  an  eulogium  upon  Mr.  Crittenden,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  quitting  the  Senate  to  assume  the  office  of  Attorney-General  in 
General  Harrison's  administration.  Never  did  human  voice  utter 
anything  more  beautiful  than  this  well-merited  panegyric.  It  was 
warm  and  glowing,  tender  and  touching,  by  turns.  The  Senate 
was  full,  and  the  galleries  crowded  to  the  utmost.  I  was  seated  on 
the  floor,  behind  the  eloquent  Carolinian.  The  audience  seemed 
to  be  rapt  in  mute  attention  until  the  close,  when  the  effect  was 
irresistible,  and  there  was  a  pretty  general  applause  in  the  galleries. 
This  unwonted  outbreak  gave  great  offence  to  the  Loco-focos.  Sev- 
eral arose  at  once,  and  with  loud  screams  and  violent  gesticulation 
demanded  the  clearing  of  the  galleries.     ''Turn  them  out!"  said 


1S41.]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  6^ 

Clay  of  Alabama,  Sevier  Cuthbert,  and  even  Calhoun.  "  Turn  out 
the  blackguards  !  "  exclaimed  the  refined  Mr.  Benton,  striking  the 
desk  with  great  vehemence ;  and  the  Vice-President,  with  evident 
reluctance,  proceeded  to  give  the  harsh  order.  Mr.  Clay,  with  his 
wonted  suavity,  interposed  to  save  the  ladies.  He  was  "  sure  they 
could  not  have  joined  in  the  offence,  and  ought  not  to  be  included  in 
the  punishment ;  "  and  the  Vice-President,  nothing  loath,  saved  them 
and  the  men  in  their  gallery  from  being  turned  away  to  gratify  the 
spleen  of  half-  a-dozen  demagogues  who  are  forever  talking  about  the 
dear  people,  and  let  no  opportunity  escape  of  affronting  them.  There 
was  an  easier  way  for  them  to  clear  out  the  galleries  :  let  either  of 
them  arise  to  make  a  speech,  and  the  object  is  accomplished  with- 
out a  resort  to  violence.  But  what  a  glorious  triumph  of  eloquence  ! 
I  would  have  given  the  world  at  that  moment  to  have  been  Preston  ; 
but  I  would  have  given  such  worlds  to  be  Crittenden  !  The  latter 
was  greatly  moved ;  those  that  were  near  him  say  that  he  wept  vis- 
ibly. He  is  beloved  by  all  parties.  Mr.  Buchanan,  a  political 
opponent,  but  the  most  gentlemanly  senator  on  that  side,  paid  him 
a  handsome  personal  compliment  in  a  speech  in  which  he  opposed 
his  motion.  This  exhibition  of  vulgar  rage  gave  occasion  to  the 
following  y<f//  if  esprit,  which  was  handed  to  me  the  next  morning 
by  a   senator  :  — 

"  '  Turn  out  the  blackguards  ! '     If  they  do. 
Friend  Benton,  what  becomes  of  you?  " 

As  soon  as  this  affair  was  ended,  a  new  excitement  was  created, 
which  continued  until  the  adjournment.  Mr.  Webster  having 
retired  from  his  place,  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Vice-President 
was  read,  in  which  he  resigns  his  seat,  and  took  leave  of  the  Senate  ; 
immediately  upon  which  a  firebrand  from  Georgia,  Mr.  Cuthbert, 
arose  and  attacked  him.  He  regretted  that  the  senator  from  Mas- 
sachusetts had  not  made  a  verbal  valedictory,  as  he  had  intended 
to  put  certain  interrogatories  to  him  touching  his  doctrines  on  the 
subject  of  the  transmission  of  slaves  from  one  State  to  another, — - 


64  THE    DIAKV    OF    I'HlLir   HONE.  [.i:tat.6i. 

doctrines  which  Georgia's  senator  denounced  as  "  damnable  here- 
sies." He  evidently  desired  to  get  up  a  quarrel.  I  lis  manner  and 
his  language  were  etjually  insulting,  and  there  was  something  so  dis- 
courteous, so  unkind,  in  liis  taking  that  moment  to  vent  his  spleen 
against  the  absent  senator,  when  the  tide  of  generous  feeling  was 
flowing  so  strongly  in  his  favour,  that  there  was  not  an  individual  of 
Cuthbert's  party  who,  1)\-  word,  look,  or  action,  seemed  disposed  either 
to  countenance  or  support  him.  Mr.  Clay  rebuked  the  ruffian  in  a 
manly  and  eloquent  speech,  in  which  the  character  and  principles 
of  his  friend  were  ably  defended,  and  ^Mr.  Rives  and  Mr.  Preston 
followed  in  the  same  strain.  The  former  gentleman  came  in  for  an 
undue  share  of  the  wrath  of  the  Hotspur  of  Georgia  ;  his  manner 
toward  him  was  provoking  and  insulting,  and  met  with  haughty 
scorn  and  defiance.  Mr.  Rives,  at  the  commencement  of  his 
speech,  happened  to  apply  to  Cutlibert  the  |)arliamentary  term, 
"  My  honourable  friend."  —  "No,  sir;  no  friend,"  was  the  uncivil 
reply.  —  "  So  be  it,"  retorted  Mr.  Rives  ;  and  it  is  not  likely  the  term 
will  be  repeated  very  soon.  Mr.  Rives  defended  'Mr.  Webster  with 
great  ability,  api)roving,  though  a  Southern  man,  his  opinions  on 
the  exciting  subject  of  slavery. 

February  26.  —  Rufus  Choate  is  elected  a  senator 
ew   ena.        {^q^w  Massachusetts,  to  fill  Mr.  A\'ebster's  place  :  and 

tors.  '  ^  ^ 

Mr.  Morehead,  after  several  ballots,  was  elected,  by 
the  relinquishment  of  two  of  his  Whig  opponents,  to  fill  that  of 
Mr.  Crittenden,  as  senator  from  Kentucky.  It  is  a  fearfiil  ven- 
ture for  those  gentlemen  to  undertake  to  supply  the  void  occa- 
sioned by  the  setting  of  those  two  ''bright  particular  stars"  of 
the  Senate. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Darnard ;  a  small  and  very  pleasant  party, 
and  an  excellent  dinner  of  French  cookery  and  good  wine.  The 
party  consisted  of  Mr.  John  Quincy  Adams,  Mr.  Richard  Bayard, 
Gouverneur  Wilkins,  Abbott  Lawrence,  Mr.  Jackson  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  myself.  Mr.  Adams  was,  as  usual,  the  fiddle  of  the 
party.     He  talked  a  great  deal ;  was  gay,  witty,   instructive,  and 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  65 

entertaining.  It  is  a  privilege,  and  an  era  in  one's  life,  to  see 
him  as  he  was  on  this  occasion.  A  man  must  be  stupid,  indeed, 
who  can  listen  to  this  wonderful  man  for  three  or  four  hours, 
as  I  have  done  to-day,  without  being  edified  and  delighted. 

We   had   an   account  before   1   left   home    of  some 

The  Presi. 

dent's  Dinner  amiable  passagcs  of  courtesy  between  the  outgoing  and 
to  General  ^hc  incoming  Presidents,  in  which  the  former  had  great 
credit  for  courtesy  extended  to  the  latter,  particularly 
in  inviting  him  to  dine.  I  have  heard  since  I  came  here  some  par- 
ticulars about  this  dinner,  which  have  satisfied  me  that  it  was  not 
the  kind  of  compliment  which  we  gave  him  credit  for.  Instead 
of  inviting  to  meet  the  General  his  personal  and  political  friends, 
such  as  Webster,  Clay,  Crittenden,  Southard,  etc.,  the  party  con- 
sisted, besides  General  Harrison  and  Colonel  Chambers  and  Mr. 
Todd,  his  personal  suite,  of  the  following :  the  cabinet  ministers, 
Mr.  Gouverneur  Kemble,  Silas  Wright,  and  Aaron  Vanderpoel,  —  all 
Loco-focos  of  the  bitterest  stamp,  and  his  most  decided  political 
opponents.  He  was  in  the  camp  of  the  Philistines ;  it  seemed 
as  if  they  were  there  to  take  advantage  of  the  old  man's  kind, 
benevolent  openness  of  disposition,  and  treasure  up  for  future  use 
anything  which  may  have  fallen  from  him  in  an  unguarded  moment. 
They  write  me  from  home  that  times  are  hard  in 
ews  rom  js^g^y  York,  dcspondcncy  prevails  among  men  of  busi- 
ness, and  melancholy  forebodings  of  worse  times  to 
come.  The  State  of  Illinois  will  not  pay  the  interest  of  her 
debt,  and  doubts  are  entertained  of  the  great  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Stocks  have  fallen  very  much ;  Delaware  and  Hudson 
down  to  eighty  per  cent. 

March  i.  —  I  went  yesterday  to  St.  John's  Church,  where  I 
caused  some  remarks  to  be  made  by  my  sitting  in  the  President's 
pew,  for  which  I  had  afterwards  to  stand  some  shots  from  the 
Whigs,  who  have  not  the  taste  to  understand  how  a  man  may 
continue  on  good  terms  with  a  gentleman  whose  election  he  has 
worked  hard  to  defeat.     The  truth  is,  the  President  passed  me  in 


66  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.Ci. 

his  carriage  on  his  way  to  church,  and  when  I  arrived  I  found 
his  son  Smith  waiting  for  me  at  the  door,  to  take  me  to  his 
father's  pew,  —  a  civiHty  which  I  accepted  most  willingly,  and  did 
not  find  my  devotions  interfered  with,  nor  my  political  i)rinciples 
contaminated,  by  the  company  I  had  the  honour  to  be  placed  in. 

March  2.  —  Broadway  on  a  fine  Sunday,  when  the  churches 
are  emptied,  does  not  present  a  more  animated  spectacle  than 
Pennsylvania  avenue  on  this  bright  and  beautiful  morning ;  there 
are  men  here  from  every  State  in  the  Union.  Our  good  city  of 
New  York  has  its  full  proportion.  I  have  remarked,  and  heard  it 
remarked  by  others,  that  there  is  not  a  country  in  the  world 
where  in  such  a  crowd,  so  gotten  together,  there  could  be  found 
so  large  a  proportion  of  gooddooking  and  well-behaved  persons. 
I  was  talking  about  it  with  Mr.  Bell  yesterday,  and  he  remarked 
that  he  was  here  at  the  time  of  General  Jackson's  inauguration, 
when  the  same  objects  and  motions  brought  together  a  greater 
crowd,  and  the  difference  in  appearance  and  deportment  of  the 
people  is  most  striking ;  but  now  they  are  Whigs  and  gentlemen, 
then  Loco-focos  and 

I  was  forcibly  stricken  this  morning  by  a  characteristic  circum- 
stance, of  which  an  American  may  well  be  proud.  Passing 
through  the  crowd  of  which  I  was  just  speaking  was  to  be  seen 
an  elderly  gentleman  dressed  in  black,  and  not  remarkably  well 
dressed,  with  a  mild,  benignant  countenance,  a  military  air,  but 
stooping  a  little,  bowing  to  one,  shaking  hands  with  another,  and 
cracking  a  joke  with  a  third  ;  and  this  man  was  William  H.  Harri- 
son, the  President-elect  of  this  great  empire,  whose  elevation  has 
been  produced  by  a  severe  throe  which  has  been  felt  in  the  most 
remote  corners  of  the  land,  which  has  destroyed  and  elevated  the 
hopes  of  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  which  is  destined  to  effect 
a  change  of  principles  and  policy  to  which  the  whole  world  looks 
with  interest ;  and  there  he  was,  unattended,  and  unconscious  of 
the  dignity  of  his  position,  —  fhe  man  among  men,  the  sun  of 
the   political   firmament.     People   may   say  what   they  will    about 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  6/ 

the  naked  simplicity  of  Republican  institutions ;  it  was  a  sublime 
moral  spectacle. 

March  3. — This  city  is  an  immense  mass  of  animated  Whig 
matter ;  every  hole  and  corner  are  filled  ;  thousands  have  arrived  to- 
day, and  happy  is  the  man  who  finds  "  where  to  lay  his  head."  A 
large  building  has  been  erected  in  the  court  at  Gadsby's,  in  which 
four  hundred  breakfast,  dine,  and  sup;  and  the  dining-room  is  a 
vast  camp-bed.  This  has  been  a  day  of  confusion  ;  everybody  run- 
ning against  his  neighbour,  all  full  of  business,  and  nobody  accom- 
plishing any. 

I  witnessed  the  last  moments  of  the  26th  Congress.  At  twelve 
o'clock  the  refractory  old  lady  terminated  the  career  which  she  so 
naughtily  began.  The  Speaker  sang  a  requiem  to  her  departing 
moments  in  a  very  respectable  speech,  somewhat  too  long  and  a 
little  too  school-boyish.  He  is  an  amiable  man,  and  has  acted  with 
impartiality,  but  no  more  fit  to  be  Speaker  than  I  to  dance  on  the 
tight  rope.  On  the  whole,  the  scene  was  imposing,  and  more  orderly 
and  decorous  than  I  had  anticipated.  The  aforesaid  old  lady  be- 
haved with  propriety,  "  and,  like  immortal  Ccesar,  died  with  dignity." 
March  4.  —  The  affair  is  consummated.  General 
naugu-     Harrison  has  taken  the  oaths,  and  is  President  of  the 

ration. 

United  States.  The  day  was  fine.  A  great  procession, 
consisting  of  several  militia  companies  in  uniform,  Tippecanoe 
clubs,  and  citizens  from  different  States,  under  the  orders  of 
marshals  on  horseback,  with  sashes  and  batons,  escorted  the  Presi- 
dent to  the  Capitol.  He  was  mounted,  and  passed  through  the 
streets  amidst  the  shouts  and  hurrahs  of  fifty  thousand  men,  and 
almost  as  many  women  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  whilst  he,  like 
the  haughty  Bolingbroke,  — 

"  Mounted  upon  a  hot  and  fiety  steed,  • 

Which  his  aspiring  rider  seemed  to  know, 
With  slow  but  stately  pace  kept  on  his  course, 
While  all  tongues  cried,  *  God  save  thee,  Bolingbroke!' 
You  would  have  thought  the  very  windows  spoke." 


68  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

As  for  Van  Buren,  "  No  man  cried,  God  save  him  !  "     He  was  snug 
at  the  house  of  the  Attorney-General,  McGilpin. 

I  attended  the  great  inauguration  ball  last  evening,  at 
naug-ur.i  ion  ^j^^  National  Theatre.  The  crowd  was  very  great ;  all 
the  great  men  of  the  nation  were  there ;  an  exceedingly 
brilliant  collection  of  ladies,  of  whom  Mrs.  Reverdy  Johnson,  of 
Baltimore,  a  mother  of  nine  children,  was  preeminent.  The  Presi- 
dent came  in  about  half- past  ten  o'clock,  with  a  numerous  escort, 
and  was  marched  through  files  of  ladies  up  and  down  the  room. 
This  ceremony,  with  his  previous  visits  to  two  other  public  balls, 
added  to  the  severe  labours  of  the  day,  has  tried  the  old  soldier's 
stamina  ;  but  he  appears  to  stand  it  very  well.  If  the  opponents  of 
the  administration  expect  to  make  capital  out  of  his  imbecility  of 
either  body  or  mind,  they  make  a  woful  mistake.  He'll  do  his 
duty  well  and  foithfully.  The  gentlemen  had  a  supper  in  the  lower 
regions  of  the  theatre,  from  which  in  former  times  ghosts  and  hob- 
goblins and  infernal  spirits  made  their  "  exits  and  their  entrances." 
I  was  escorted  by  the  managers  to  this  subterranean  banquet-hall, 
where  I  found  senators,  cabinet  ministers,  military  officers,  and 
common  men  like  myself,  eating,  drinking,  laughing,  and  joking  in 
a  strain  somewhat  uproarious. 

The  nominations  of  the  new  cabinet  have,  it  is  said,  been  con- 
firmed, all  but  that  of  Mr.  Granger,  against  whom  charges  of  that 
crying  sin,  abolitionism,  having  been  brought  by  the  opposition,  his 
friends  consented  to  let  it  lie  over  until  to-morrow.  This  is  a  base 
and  ungentlemanly  proceeding ;  but  it  will  have  no  other  effect  than 
that  of  misrepresenting  his  principles,  for  he  will  certainly  be  con- 
firmed to-morrow. 

New  York,  March  23.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Blatchford.  The 
dinner  was  given  to  Mr.  Edward  Curtis,  the  new  collector,  who  was 
there,  ifnd  his  brother,  George  Curtis ;  Mr.  Tallmadge,  the  new 
recorder  ;  Grinnell,  Minturn,  Prescott  Hall,  Charles  King,  Ruggles, 
John  Ward,  Bowen,  etc.  There  was  talk  about  the  appointments 
and  other  political  matters.     I  am  pestered  to  death  to  sign  recom- 


1841.]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  69 

mendations  and  write  letters  to  the  collector,  in  behalf  of  applicants 
for  office  in  the  Custom-House.  It  is  distressing  to  see  how  many 
worthy  people  are  compelled  to  be  suppliants  for  little,  contemptible 
situations,  the  emoluments  of  which  are  hardly  sufficient  to  keep 
life  and  soul  together. 

March    24.  —  The   friends   of  the  people ,   the  real 

Mr.  Van 

Buren's  Loco-focos,    had    a    grand    triumphal    entry    of    their 

chieftain,  the  ex- President,  yesterday,  on  the  arrival 
of  the  cars  from  Philadelphia.  The  man  of  the  people,  whom  the 
people  have  rejected  by  an  electoral  vote  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty- four  to  sixty,  was  received  by  the  people  on  foot,  on  horse- 
back, and  on  carts.  The  conquering  hero,  who  was  elected  by  sixty 
votes,  the  other  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  having  been  thrown 
away  upon  one  ^Villiam  H.  Harrison,  was  escorted  up  Broadway  to 
Bleecker  street,  and  down  the  Bowery  to  Tammany  Hall,  where  he 
was  addressed  by  the  people  in  the  person  of  ex- Recorder  Morris, 
that  immaculate  Republican  who,  under  the  sanctum  of  official  sta- 
tion, enters  men's  houses  at  night  and  steals  their  private  papers, 
to  which  address  of  the  people  the  aforesaid  people's  President 
(who  was  elected  as  aforesaid  by  the  unanimous  voices  of  the 
people,  not  counting  those  votes  which  were  improperly  cast  for  his 
opponent)  read  a  feeling  and  suitable  reply,  after  which  he  and 
Mr.  Forsyth,  his  Secretary  of  State  (whose  place  has  been  recently 
usurped  by  one  Daniel  Webster,  an  obscure  individual  from  the 
rebellious  State  of  Massachusetts,  against  the  will  of  the  people, 
expressed  as  aforesaid),  were  escorted,  amidst  the  shouts  and 
huzzas  of  the  people,  to  the  quarters  provided  for  them  at  the 
Carleton  House,  named  in  honour  of  the  Prince  Regent  of  England  ; 
and  in  the  evening  the  people  were  gratified  with  a  view  of  the 
men  of  their  choice,  and  permitted  to  cheer  them  again  at  the 
Bowery  Theatre.  The  worst  of  this  affair  was,  that  it  rained  "  cats 
and  dogs  "  during  the  progress  of  the  procession  ;  but  this  was  as  it 
should  be.  His  reign  being  over  in  Washington,  New  York's 
favourite  sou  was  entitled  to  rain,  here  :  and  he  stood  it,  as  if,  like  his 


•JO  THE    DIARY    OF    PIIILII>    IIOXE.  [/Etat.  6f. 

friend  Benton,  he  had  been  born  a  wcteran.  His  followers,  too,  en- 
joyed the  joke,  albeit  not  a^;jone  ;  their  begrimed  skins  expanded 
and  were  softened  by  the  unwonted  ablution,  whilst  the  spirits 
wifhin  happily  remained  undiluted  by  the  water  without. 

March  27.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  G.  G.  Rowland,  where  I  met  Air. 
and  Mrs.  Abbott  Lawrence,  after  which  Mr.  Lawrence  and  I  went 
to  Moses  H.  Grinnell's,  where  we  had  also  been  invited  to  dine. 
Here  we  met  a  large  party  of  good  Whigs,  "  full  on  mirth  and  full 
on  glee,"  as  Billy  Taylor  says,  and  sat  until  midnight.  There  were 
Mr.  Crittenden ;  Mr.  Berrien,  the  new  senator  from  Georgia ; 
Messrs.  Barnard,  Hoffman,  Ruggles,  Blatchford,  Bowen,  Minturn, 
Griswold,  John  Ward,  Davis,  Prescott  Hall,  Aspinwall,  etc. 

March  30.  —  Mr.  W^ebster  came  in  town  this  morning,  with  his 
wife,  to  see  Mr.  Herman  Le  Roy,  her  father,  whose  long  and 
virtuous  life  is  drawing  to  a  close.  He  is  compelled  to  return  to 
Washington  to-morrow  morning.  I  saw  him  a  few  minutes  this 
evening,  by  his  appointment.  The  object  of  the  interview  was  to 
acquaint  me  that  a  certain  affair  in  which  I  am  deeply  concerned 
might  be  considered  settled,  and  to  my  satisfaction. 

April  2.  —  There  is  a  pretty  good  hit  in  one  of  the 
The  Curtii.  Southcm  papcrs  upon  the  rather  redundant  introduc- 
tion of  classical  illustrations  in  the  President's  inaugural 
address ;  f  )r,  if  there  is  a  fault  in  it,  it  consists  of  a  little  too  much 
interlacing  of  Greece  and  Rome  with  its  sound  principles  and 
honest  professions.  The  writer  says  that  General  Harrison  was 
prevailed  upon  to  consent  to  the  appointment  of  Edward  Curtis  as 
Collector  of  New  York,  by  being  told  that  he  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  the  Curtius  of  Rome. 

April  3.  —  There  was  a  rumour  yesterday  of  the  ill- 
ness  o     e    ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  worthy  President,  General  Harrison,  which 

President.  -^  '  ' 

has  assumed  to-day  a  shape  somewhat  alarming.  He 
has  a  severe  attack  of  pleurisy,  or  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 
The  report  to-day  speaks  of  danger,  which,  until  now,  was  not 
apprehended,   but    adds    that    he    is    better.        God    grant    that 


1841.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  7 1 

he  may  recover  !     His  death  just  now  would  be,  indeed,  a  severe 
national  calamity. 

April  5 .  —  With  a  mournful  heart  and  trembling 
President  '^  hands  I  record  the  sad  and  unexpected  (unexpected,  at 
least,  until  yesterday  morning)  event  which  will  fill  this 
country  with  sincere  grief  and  melancholy  forebodings.  The  noble 
and  virtuous  old  man  whose  recent  elevation  to  the  chief  magistracy 
so  lately  established  the  triumph  of  our  popular  institutions,  and 
lighted  up  the  hope  of  a  dispirited  people  ;  the  honest  patriot,  whose 
acts  during  the  brief  period  in  which  he  held  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment gave  the  fullest  evidence  of  his  intention  to  pursue  that 
policy  which  was  best  calculated  to  redound  to  his  country's  glory 
and  secure  the  happiness  of  her  citizens,  —  has,  by  an  inscrutable 
decree  of  Providence,  to  which  we  are  bound  to  bow  with  cheerful- 
ness and  resignation,  been  called  away  from  the  exalted  station 
which  he  has  occupied  during  the  space  of  one  little  month.  On 
the  3d  of  March  I  took  his  hand  in  Mr.  Granger's  parlour,  at 
Gadsby's,  in  Washington,  and  congratulated  him,  but  more  especially 
his  country,  on  the  auspicious  event  of  his  election ;  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  I  witnessed,  at  the  capitol  of  the  nation,  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  people's  will,  in  his  solemn  pledge  before  the  Almighty 
to  devote  all  his  faculties  to  the  just  government  of  the  Republic. 
And  I  heard  the  accents  in  which  "the  old  man  eloquent "  poured 
forth  the  asjiirations  of  his  honest  heart  for  the  prosperity  of  that 
people,  and  the  preservation  of  the  free  institutions  of  that  RepubHc  ; 
and  in  one  short  month —  one  month  of  unremitted  labour  and  cease- 
less anxiety,  in  which  he  was  taught  the  painful  truth  that  "  uneasy 
lies  the  head  that  wears  the  crown  "  —  that  heart  has  ceased  to  beat, 
the  account  so  auspiciously  opened  has  been  suddenly  closed,  and 
his  virtuous  intentions  now  sleep  with  him  in  the  silent  grave. 

General  Harrison  is  the  first  President  who  has  died  in  office, 
and  Mr.  Tyler  will  be  the  first  Vice-President  who  has  ever  exer- 
cised the  executive  functions.  He  will  be  President,  if  he  lives, 
during  the  long  period  of  three  years  and  eleven  months.     If  he 


72  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  6i. 

carries  out  the  government  on  the  principles  avowed  by  his  illus- 
trious chief,  and  to  which  his  able  cabinet  stands  virtually 
pledged,  all  will  go  well,  for  Governor  Tyler  is  an  able  man  and 
true  patriot  ;  but  there  is  some  danger  that  his  opinions  in  the 
leading  measures,  which  we  in  this  part  of  the  country  consider 
important  to  the  restoration  of  i)ublic  confidence,  such  as  the 
establishment  of  a  national  bank,  and  the  annulling  of  the  sub- 
treasury  system,  do  not  coincide  with  theirs.  He  is  a  Virginian, 
and  we  think  their  policy  on  these  subjects  fraught  with  danger. 
If  this,  unfortunately,  be  the  case,  the  cabinet  must,  of  course,  be 
dissolved,  and  all  our  bright  hopes,  in  their  virtuous  and  patriotic 
administration  of  the  government,  be  overthrown.  May  we  not 
trust  in  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  Heaven,  that  the  blow  we 
have  experienced  may  not  be  rendered  more  afflictive  by  the 
occurrence  of  so  disastrous  an  event. 

General  Harrison,  in  his  last  moments,  expressed  much  solicitude 
on  this  subject,  and  his  last  words  expressed  a  confidence  in  the 
wisdom  of  his  successor.  Governor  Tyler  was  absent  at  the  time  of 
this  melancholy  event,  and  an  express  was  immediately  sent  to  him. 

There  seems  to  be  very  little  doubt  that  the  President's  illness 
was  brought  on,  and  its  severity  increased,  by  the  constant  labour 
and  deprivation  of  comfort  brought  upon  him  by  his  new  duties. 
He  told  his  friends  that  his  time  was  so  much  occupied  that  he 
had  been  prevented  from  performing  the  necessary  functions  of 
nature.  The  sudden  change  from  the  quiet  occupations  of  his 
life  for  several  years  past  to  the  turmoil  of  public  business,  and 
the  sacrifice  of  his  personal  convenience  and  comfort  to  the  im- 
practicable task  of  attending  to  every  man's  business,  had  been 
too  much  for  the  debilitated  frame  of  a  man  nearly  seventy  years 
of  age ;  the  strength  of  the  mortal  covering  of  clay  was  not 
commensurate  with  the  ardour  of  the   immortal  spirit  within, 

April  6.  —  On  the  receipt  of  the  news  here  yesterday  morn- 
ing a  spontaneous  exhibition  of  the  badges  of  woe  was  seen 
throughout  the  city ;  the  flags  on  all  public  places,  as  well  as  on 


1841.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  73 

the  shipping  in  the  harbour  (not  excepting  Tammany  Hall),  were 
exhibited  half-mast,  and  some  of  them  shrouded  in  black.  The 
courts  in  session  immediately  adjourned.  The  newspapers  were 
clothed  in  mourning,  all  but  the  "  Evening  Post,"  whose  malig- 
nant, black-hearted  editor,  Bryant,  says  he  regrets  the  death  of 
General  Harrison  only  because  he  did  not  live  long  enough  to 
prove  his  incapacity  for  the  office  of  President.  Most  of  the 
places  of  amusement  were  closed  in  the  evening.  The  last  words 
uttered  by  the  President,  as  heard  by  Dr.  Worthington,  were 
these  :  "  Sir,  I  wish  you  to  understand  the  true  principles  of  the 
government ;    I  wish  them  carried  out,  nothing  more." 

April  7.  —  This  volume  of  my  journal  commences  at  a  moment 
when  great  grief  overspreads  the  American  nation,  and  doubt 
and  uncertainty,  mingled  with  some  degree  of  solicitude,  has 
taken  possession  of  the  public  mind  in  regard  to  the  political 
prospects  of  the  country,  and  the  bearing  they  must  inevitably 
have  upon  individual  interests.  The  patriotic  ruler  of  this  great 
country,  called  from  the  bosom  of  retirement  to  carry  out  the 
great  measure  which  a  large  majority  of  the  people  deem  essential 
to  their  welfare,  has  just  been  called  from  his  elevated  station  to 
render  an  account  of  his  stewardship  while  upon  the  earth,  the 
most  important  part  of  which  was  comprised  in  the  little  month 
immediately  preceding  his  lamented  decease,  and  which,  accord- 
ing to  my  imperfect  judgment,  was  calculated  not  only  to  secure 
the  approbation  of  all  good  men,  but  to  give  a  bright  presage 
for  a  better  condition  of  things. 

The  mantle  of  rule  falls  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  Vice-President  for  a  period,  if  he  should  live  so 
long,  nearly  equal  to  a  full  presidential  term,  —  for  good,  or  for 
evil.  We  may  be  permitted  to  hope  for  the  former,  of  which  the 
honourable  character  of  Governor  Tyler  would  seem  to  be  a  guaran- 
tee ;  but  the  times  are  so  ticklish,  that  the  effects  of  this  change  are 
looked  to  with  deep  anxiety.  Never  was  there  a  time  when  politi- 
cal measures  were  brought  so  closely  home  to  men's  bosoms,  and 


74  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  6i. 

men  are  compelled  to  be  politicians  in  despite  of  their  -natural  dis- 
inclination. 

The  news  of  the  break-down  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States 
and  of  the  confinement  and  indictment  of  McLeod  caused  great 
excitement  in  London,  and  poor  Brother  Jonathan  gets  all  he 
deserves,  and  something  more,  from  his  brother,  Mr.  Bull.  The 
greatest  dissatisfaction  was  caused  by  the  violent  and  ill-judged 
report  of  Mr.  Pickens,  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  its 
having  been  adopted  by  a  strong  majority ;  but,  if  they  would  only 
suppress  their  rage  and  wait  a  while,  they  would  see  the  gentleman 
who  was  foremost  in  the  opposition  to  that  report  placed  in  the 
cabinet  as  Postmaster- General  under  the  new  administration,  which 
might  be  considered  an  evidence  that  the  principles  of  that  ill- 
judged  report  were  not  to  be  adopted  by  the  present  ruling  party. 
But  the  English  papers  say  that  an  absolute  demand  has  been  made 
on  our  government  to  surrender  the  mischief-making  loafer,  and  in 
case  of  refusal  that  Mr.  Cox  is  to  demand  his  passport.  It  is  also 
reported  that  a  squadron  is  ordered  off  our  coast  to  carry  their 
hostile  measures  into  effect.  If  this  be  so,  the  difficulties  in  the 
case  may  be  greatly  increased  ;  but  it  is  likely  that  the  love  of  mar- 
vellous and  startling  subjects,  which  are  sought  for  with  equal  avidity 
by  British  and  American  readers,  is  gratified  there,  as  here,  by  the 
unscrupulous  writers  for  lying  newspapers. 

This  is  the  day  set  apart  in  Washington  for  the  funeral 
unera  ^^  ^j^^  j^^^  President.     It  has  been  observed  here  with 

Ceremonies. 

great  solemnity,  and  a  sort  of  gloom  has  overspread  not 
only  the  appearance  of  the  city,  but  the  countenances  of  the  citizens. 
In  accordance  with  the  programme  published  by  the  joint  special 
committee  of  the  common  council,  all  business  was  simultaneously 
suspended  at  noon.  The  banks  and  insurance  offices,  with  the 
stores  generally,  throughout  the  city  were  closed.  The  flags  were 
suspended  from  the  public  places,  theatres,  and  hotels,  half-mast, 
and  some  tastefully  enshrouded  in  black.  The  vessels  in  the  har- 
bour bore  a  similar  badge  of  grief  until  two  o'clock. 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  75 

April  9.  —  I  am  invited  by  the  committee  of  arrangements  of 
the  corporation  to  assist  in  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  to-morrow  as 
pall-bearer  at  this  great  affair.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the 
pall-bearers  ;  the  number,  twenty-six,  was  made  to  correspond  with 
the  number  of  States  in  the  Union  :  Gen.  Morgan  Lewis,  John  W. 
Hardenbrook,  Major  William  Popham,  Peter  R.  Livingston,  Stephen 
Allen,  Isaac  Lawrence,  Aaron  Clark,  John  Rathbone,  Cornelius  W. 
Lawrence,  Edward  Taylor,  Walter  Bowne,  Philip  Hone,  Chancellor 
Kent,  George  Griffin,  Richard  Riker,  John  L.  Morgan,  John  Tar- 
gee,  Sylvanus  Miller,  Peter  A.  Jay,  Leffert  Lefferts,  John  Wyckoff, 
Jeremiah  Johnson,  Daniel  Winship,  William  Furman,  Peter  Bonnet, 
Robert  Bach. 

April  10. — This  was  the  day  designated  by  the  joint  special 
committee  of  the  common  council  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  for 
the  grand  funeral  solemnities  to  commemorate  the  death  of  Gen. 
William  Henry  Harrison,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  who, 
after  having  responded  to  the  call  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  wor- 
thily fulfilled  the  high  functions  of  the  exalted  station  to  which  their 
suffrages  have  called  him,  during  the  brief  period  of  a  little  month, 
was  called  by  the  sudden  mandate  of  divine  power  to  lay  down  his 
earthly  honours,  and  seek  in  another  and  a  better  world,  it  may  be 
hoped,  a  brighter  reward  of  his  virtuous  actions. 

The  corporation  of  the  city,  a  large  majority  of  whom  were 
political  opponents  of  General  Harrison  and  his  party,  have  done 
themselves  great  credit  by  the  zeal  and  spirit  with  which  this  great 
affair  was  planned  and  carried  into  execution.  The  arrangements 
of  the  committee  were  made  upon  the  grandest  scale,  and  the  citi- 
zens of  all  ranks,  professions,  and  parties  entered  into  their  meas- 
ures with  a  full  and  spontaneous  expression  of  the  most  profound 
grief.  Business  of  every  description  was  suspended  ;  all  the  public 
places,  markets,  hotels,  the  shops,  and  many  private  houses  on  the 
route  of  the  procession,  were  covered  with  festoons  and  hangings 
of  black,  and  other  mournful  devices.  Minute-guns  were  fired,  and 
the  bells  tolled  during  the  four  hours'  progress  of  the  melancholy 


j6  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

parade.  Flags  were  suspended  intertwined  with  black  crape  across 
the  streets,  and  the  whole  city  was  clothed  in  the  habiliments  of 
woe.  Ours  is  a  remarkable  population  in  such  matters  ;  once  satisfy 
their  judgment  that  the  call  made  upon  them  either  to  mourn  or 
to  rejoice  is  a  proper  one,  and  their  spontaneous  expression  of  feel- 
ing bursts  forth  without  bonds  or  limitation.  On  this  occasion,  as 
in  the  reception  of  Lafayette,  the  populace  seemed  to  take  the 
affair  into  their  own  hands.  The  committee  of  arrangements  pub- 
lished in  advance  an  admirable  programme,  and  the  people,  one 
and  all,  became  the  actors  in  the  great  drama.  All  was  order  and 
regularity  in  the  tremendous  mass  of  humanity  which  formed  the 
greatest  civil  and  military  procession  ever  witnessed  in  the  city,  for 
spectators  occupied  every  window,  and  the  house-tops,  or  covered 
the  entire  streets,  leaving  only  a  sj^ace  sufficient  for  the  passage  of 
the  procession. 

April  17.  —  Mr.  Biddle,  late  president  of  the  Bank 
TT^"   °     *^      of  the  United  States,  he  who  so  lately  was  incumbered 

United  States.  '  -' 

with  the  load  of  his  greatness,  to  whom  men's  knees 
were  bent,  and  the  beavers  came  off  of  their  own  accord,  and  who 
is  now  so  feUen  that  there  are  ''  none  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence," 
—  this  financial  Lucifer  has  published  three  letters  on  the  subject  of 
his  connection  with  the  bank,  in  which  he  seeks  to  prove  (and,  it 
would  appear,  with  tolerable  success)  that  the  ruin  of  the  institu- 
tion is  not  attributable  to  him,  but  to  the  jealousy,  cupidity,  and 
negligence  of  the  directors ;  that  when  he  said^  on  leaving  the 
office  of  president,  that  its  affliirs  were  prosperous,  they  were  so  in 
foct,  and  that  the  loss  of  its  immense  capital  was  all  brought  about 
in  the  short  space  of  time  subsequent  to  his  abdication.  If  this  be 
so,  these  gentlemen  cannot  be  charged  with  a  want  of  industry, 
for  certainly  the  road  to  ruin,  smooth  and  easy  as  it  is,  was  never 
before  travelled  with  half  the  speed.  Railroad  progression  is  a 
snail's  pace  to  this.  These  letters  are  admirably  written,  like  every- 
thing that  comes  from  the  pen  of  the  last  president  of  the  bank,  and 
are  calculated  to  make  warm  blood  in  Philadelphia,  and  to  cause 


1841.]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  7/ 

astonishment  elsewhere.  One  precious  disclosure  is  made  which 
must  brand  with  infamy  the  whole  concern.  Mr.  Biddle  asserts 
distinctly  that  certain  money  operations  planned  and  executed 
sometime  since  by  the  committee  of  directors,  but  since  he  relin- 
quished the  presidency,  were  intended  to  compel  the  New  York 
banks  to  suspend  specie  payments  at  the  time  when  those  of 
Philadelphia  were  compelled  to  adopt  that  measure,  or  rather,  to 
use  Mr.  Biddle's  more  emphatic  language,  "  to  ruin  the  New  York 
banks." 

This  neighbourly  operation  was  to  be  effected  by  drawing  bills  on 
the  house  of  Hottinguer  &  Co.,  in  Paris,  without  funds  and  without 
advice,  and  with  a  knowledge  that  they  would  not  be  accepted  for 
any  amount  beyond  the  funds  in  hand.  These  bills  were  sold  in 
New  York  for  any  price  they  would  bring  for  New  York  funds,  the 
specie  drawn  from  the  banks  to  be  remitted  to  meet  the  bills  ;  and 
thus  the  New  York  banks  were  to  be  broken,  and  brought  down 
from  their  high  and  honourable  position  to  a  level  with  themselves. 
But  the  attempt  was  signally  frustrated  ;  demands  were  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  made  in  one  day  for  $1,200,000  in  specie,  and 
notaries  were  ready  to  protest  the  drafts  if  (as  was  supposed)  they 
could  not  be  promptly  met ;  but  they  were  promptly  met ;  those 
drafts  and  all  others  were  paid  without  a  moment's  demur,  and 
our  friendly  neighbours  were  left  to  mourn  over  their  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  equalize  the  currency,  and  to  make  good  the  loss  upon 
this  hopeful  speculation. 

May  27.  —  Yesterday  the  great  Conservative  dinner 
inner  o    r.   ^^^^  oriyen  to   Nathaniel  P.  Tallmad2:e,  United   States 

Tallmadge.  *  °    ' 

senator,  at  the  saloon,  Tivoli  Gardens.  Five  or  six 
hundred  persons,  Whigs  and  Conservatives,  were  present.  George 
W.  Bruen  presided  ;  the  intended  president,  John  L.  Lawrence, 
being  detained  in  Albany.  A  great  many  toasts  were  drunk, 
speeches  and  letters  of  excuse  from  great  men  read,  and  the 
affair  appears  to  have  gone  off  with  enthusiasm  and  good  feel- 
ing. 


78  THE    DIARY    OF   rillLIP    HONE.  [.Etat.6i. 

June  2.  —  There  is  much  difference  of  opinion 
The  Message,  amongst  the  wiseacres  of  the  Whig  party  about  the 
message  ;  some  say  it  is  not  sufficiently  expHcit  on 
the  leachng  measures  to  be  adopted  by  those  who  rule  the  roost  in 
Congress.  I  think  otherwise  ;  it  is  a  plain,  sensible  speech.  The 
President  says  there  must  be  a  new  fiscal  agent,  a  sort  of  Jupiter  to 
help  the  State  wagon  out  of  the  mud.  Pet  banks,  sub-treasury 
and  treasury  notes  have  been  repudiated  by  the  people,  and  now 
he  leaves  the  matter  with  their  representatives,  and  whatever  they 
agree  upon  shall  have  his  sanction,  provided  he  does  not  deem  it 
unconstitutional.  If  this  does  not  mean  a  national  bank,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  say  what  it  does  mean.  Mr.  Tyler  is  a  good,  old-fashioned 
Republican,  and  with  his  able  cabinet  will  do  all  that  can  be  done 
to  get  things  right. 

I  find,  on  referring  to  my  journal,  that  on  the  i2th 
Great  Storm,  day  of  March  I  dined  with  a  party  at  Mr.  Robert  B. 
Minturn's,  and  remember  well  the  dreadful  walk  I  had 
from  his  house,  pretty  late  that  night.  It  snowed  and  rained  very 
hard,  and  the  wind  blew  with  such  violence  that  I  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  navigate  up  Broadway;  and  to  carry  an  umbrella  was 
out  of  the  question.  In  referring  to  that  walk,  I  have  always  said 
it  was  the  most  tempestuous  night  to  which  I  was  ever  exposed. 

June  io.  —  The  same  party  which  dined  on  Tuesday  at  Mr. 
Russell's  (excepting  ]\Ir.  Kernochan)  dined  to-day  at  James  G. 
King's,  at  Highwood,  in  addition  to  which  we  had  Mr.  Daniel 
Lord,  Jr.,  and  Dr.  Wilkes.  Everything  about  this  magnificent 
place  is  in  the  finest  order ;  our  dinner  was  capital,  the  weather 
superlatively  fine,  and  the  entertainment  in  all  respects  worthy  of 
the  host  and  hostess. 

June  14. — Fanny  EUsler  appeared  this  evening  at  the  Park 
Theatre,  after  her  long  tour  of  triumph  and  profit  to  Havana,  New 
Orleans,  etc.  She  performed  in  the  ballet  of  "  Nathalie,"  and  danced 
the  Cachuca.  The  house  was  so  full  that  it  could  hold  no  more. 
She  was  well  received  and  much  applauded,  and   on  being   called 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  79 

out  after  the  performance  made  a  very  neat  little  speech  in  broken 
English,  which  every  one  in  the  audience  thought  was  worth  his 
dollar.  I  went  with  our  lovely  neighbour,  Eliza  Russell.  Some 
of  the  newspapers  —  the  '^  Commercial  Advertiser,"  "Evening 
Signal,"  and  "Tribune" — have,  with  a  degree  of  insufferable  ar- 
rogance, undertaken  to  write  down  this  amusement,  and  abuse 
those  who  go  to  see  it,  calling  them  fools  and  idiots,  and  lying 
abominably  about  the  proofs  of  admiration  bestowed  upon  this 
graceful  danseuse.  This  sort  of  interference  between  men  and 
their  consciences,  and  dictation  as  to  matters  of  taste,  has  become 
very  common  of  late,  and  people  seem  determined  not  to  submit 
to  it.  I  have  no  doubt  that  many,  like  myself,  went  to  the  theatre 
to  evince  their  disapprobation  of  this  kind  of  impertinence. 

June  15.  —  The  House  of  Representatives  is  all  in 
Congress.  coufusion.  Mr.  Adams  has  thrown  a  firebrand  among 
the  combustibles  of  the  South,  and  Mr.  Wise,  the 
most  inflammable  among  them,  blazes  away,  to  the  utter  destruction 
of  all  that  is  orderly  and  dignified  in  legislation.  The  vote  by  which 
the  twenty-first  rule  was  rescinded,  which  rejected  without  reading 
all  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery  (which  vote  was  carried 
through  by  the  pertinacity  of  Mr.  Adams),  has  been  rescinded,  and 
another  vote  carried,  which  annuls  the  resolution  adopting  the  rules 
of  the  last  session ;  so  that,  after  being  in  session  a  fortnight,  and 
the  most  violent  proceedings  having  taken  place,  the  House  is 
precisely  in  the  same  situation  it  was  at  the  commencement  of  the 
session,  with  no  organization  and  no  rules  to  govern  their  proceed- 
ings. The  Whigs  neglect  the  urgent  business  which  occasioned 
the  meeting  of  Congress  at  this  unusual  season,  and  iinlulge  in 
violence  and  recrimination  against  each  other,  and  the  Loco-focos 
take  every  occasion  to  "  fan  the  embers."  The  South  is  arrayed 
against  the  North.  Mr.  Adams  brings  forward  "  in  season  and  out 
of  season  "  his  anti- slavery  opposition ;  and  Mr.  Wise  drives  over 
friend  and  foe,  calling  the  best  men  of  the  party,  with  which  he 
pretends  to  act,  nullifiers.      He  spoke  yesterday  six  hours  on  this 


8o  THE    DIARY    OF    nilLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.6i. 

exciting  subject,  to  the  bitter  annoyance  of  all  the  members,  who 
wish  to  get  through  the  important  business  of  the  extra  session. 
He  is  either  crazy,  or  has  not  so  good  an  excuse  for  his  conduct. 
He  apes  John  Randolph,  without  a  scintillation  of  the  genius  which 
gave  to  that  talented  and  eccentric  man  so  great  a  i)opularity.  He 
pretends  to  think  for  himself,  and  act  as  he  pleases,  regardless  of 
the  opinion  of  his  friends  and  of  tlie  bonds  which  should  unite 
together  gentlemen  who  are  honestly  engaged  in  a  patriotic  cause, 
and  virtually  pledged  to  honest  measures.  It  would  be  happy  for 
the  country,  and  I  doubt  not  agreeable  to  their  colleagues,  if  the 
fox  of  Massachusetts  and  the  wild-cat  of  Virginia  were  both  tied 
up  in  some  menagerie  ior  tiie  remainder  of  the  session. 

July  5.  —  This  has  been  celebrated  as  the  sixty-fifth  anniversary 
of  American  Independence  :  the  usual  military  parade  ;  booths  at 
the  park ;  ringing  of  bells  ;  firing  of  guns  in  a  regular  way,  and 
"Independence  file  firing"  (as  we  used  to  call  it  in  the  artillery) 
of  muskets,  pistols,  and  crackers  from  the  juvenile  lazzaroni  of  the 
city,  to  the  bitter  annoyance  of  all  persons  of  quiet  habits  and  sen- 
sitive nerves.  Added  to  all  these,  and  the  divers  amusements  at 
theatres,  gardens,  and  other  public  places,  there  was  a  great  pro- 
cession of  temperance  societies,  with  banners,  water-carts,  and 
other  diluting  emblems  and  devices,  with  Benjamin  F.  Butler  in 
the  midst,  who  was  the  orator  of  tlie  day,  and  enforced,  no  doubt, 
by  his  own  precept  and  example,  sound  doctrines  of  temperance,  in 
all  things  but  politics,  and  honesty,  too,  when  it  is  not  crossed  by 
party  discipline.  Another  gentleman,  a  Mr.  Brownson,  delivered 
an  oration  to  another  section  of  the  teetotallers.  This  is  all  very 
well,  and  may  be  made  productive  of  good,  if  it  be  not  perverted 
by  designing  men  to  improper  ends,  or  led  by  mistaken  zealots  out 
of  the  paths  of  cool  reason,  in  which  case  reaction  may  be  produced 
highly  injurious  to  morality,  temperance,  and  good  order.  Gov- 
ernor Seward  came  in  town  to  review  the  troops,  which  ceremony 
I  witnessed  in  front  of  the  Astor  House.  His  Excellency  did  us 
the  honour  of  a  visit  yesterday,  and  I  called  upon  him  just  in  time 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  81 

to  "  see  the  review  "  (as  Caleb  Quotem  says)  from  the  window  of 
his  room.  I  dined  at  Blanchard's  Globe  Hotel,  with  the  State 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  The  dinner  was  capital,  but  the  interest 
of  the  occasion  was  lessened  by  the  absence  of  the  little  band  (only 
five  or  six  in  number)  of  original  members.  Their  venerable  limbs 
have  no  longer  the  strength  to  bear  them  to  the  festive  hall,  and 
the  independence  they  fought  for  must  in  future  be  celebrated 
without  their  presence. 

Webb,  after  sundry  mutterings  of  distant  thunder 
En  uirer ''  foretelling  a  storm,  and  suppressing  with  considerable 
difficulty  an  occasional  outbreak  of  his  mortification  at 
not  being  appointed  postmaster  of  New  York,  has  at  length  broken 
ground  in  his  papers  of  yesterday  and  to-day  in  the  regular  attack 
upon  President  Tyler,  his  cabinet,  and  several  of  the  leading  Whigs 
and  Conservatives.  There  is  certainly  some  reason  to  complain 
of  timidity  and  something  like  a  time-serving  policy  on  the  part 
of  the  cabinet  who  enlisted  under  General  Harrison,  and  do  not 
find  it  so  entirely  conformable  to  their  principles  to  adopt  the  half- 
and-half  Virginia  policy  of  his  successor.  But  it  is  ungenerous  to 
charge  them  with  sacrificing  their  principles  in  order  to  retain 
office.  God  knows  they  sacrifice  enough  in  remaining  where  they 
are,  and  deserve  the  people's  gratitude  for  their  patriotism.  What 
would  be  the  situation  of  the  Whig  party,  and  what  would  become 
of  the  reforms,  which  their  elevation  to  office  gave  the  country  a 
right  to  hope  for,  if  they  were  to  resign  at  such  a  time  as  this  ? 
Every  day  brings  us  fresh  cause  to  lament  the  untimely  decease  of 
the  "good  President."  It  was,  to  be  sure,  the  signal  for  all  the 
discordant  materials  of  the  Whig  party  to  ferment  and  boil  over,  or, 
rather,  the  Conservatives,  for  the  true  Whigs  are  all  true  men  yet ; 
but  the  agitation  is  about  to  subside,  the  scum  and  froth  will  soon 
settle  down,  and  the  political  pot  boil  once  more  heartily  and 
quietly,  notwithstanding  the  Loco-foco  fire  which,  without  the 
slightest  regard  to  the  people's  welfare  and  the  nation's  health,  is 
treacherously  supplied  to  keep  it  in  uneasy  motion.     In  the  mean 


82  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.i:tat.6i. 

time  here  comes  this  Colonel  Webb,  a  soi-(iisant  leader  of  the  AVliig 
daily  press,  a  self-created  fugleman  of  the  party,  who  has  not  been 
long  enough  in  the  ranks  to  entitle  him  to  command,  with  lan- 
guage such  as  this  to  feed  the  flame  of  discord,  and  cause  (so  far 
as  he  has  influence  to  effect  it)  the  pot  to  boil  over. 

July  12.  —  I  was  elected  yesterday  president  of  the 
Savin  r  Bank  for  Savings,  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Pintard,  whose 

resignation  was  accepted  at  the  last  monthly  meeting 
of  the  trustees.  I  cannot  but  feel  gratified  at  having  been  elevated 
by  the  unanimous  vote  of  my  associates  to  the  honourable  station 
of  president  of  the  greatest  associated  institution  in  the  United 
States,  —  greatest  in  the  influence  which  it  exerts  over  the  commu- 
nity ;  greatest  in  the  amount  of  business  which  it  transacts,  and 
by  which  it  is  drawn  into  intimate  contact  with  the  people ;  and 
greatest  (I  think  I  may  from  experience  assert)  in  the  good  which 
it  has  already  done  and  all  it  may  hereafter  (with  a  continuance 
of  the  blessings  of  Almighty  God)  be  the  means  of  doing. 

July  19.  —  On  Saturday,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowland,  my  wife  and 
I,  went  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Thomas  W.  Ludlow's,  below  Yonkers,  — 
a  drive  of  eight  or  nine  miles,  principally  along  the  valley  of  the 
Saw-Mill  river;  a  more  beautiful  drive  is  not  to  be  found  any- 
where. The  trees  are  glorious,  the  lands  diversified  by  hills  and 
valleys,  and  the  whole  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  Mr, 
Ludlow  has  lately  taken  possession  of  his  new  house  on  the  bank 
of  the  Hudson,  —  a  cottage  in  the  true  Gothic  style  of  architecture, 
replete  with  every  convenience  and  elegance,  and  the  situation 
splendid.  We  were  kindly  entertained  by  old  Mr.  Robert  Morris 
and  his  wife  until  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ludlow  returned  home  from  a 
drive.  We  had  a  pleasant  visit,  and  returned  to  dinner,  after 
which  the  same  party,  with  the  addition  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
H.  Aspinwall  (who  were  visitors,  like  ourselves)  and  the  young 
folks,  went  on  another  pleasant  excursion  up  the  valley  to  Tarry- 
town  and  around  by  the  river.  In  the  course  of  our  dri\'e  we 
went  to  see  I\Ir.  Paulding's  magnificent  house,  yet  unfinished,  on 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  83 

the  bank  below  Tarrytovvn.  It  is  an  immense  edifice  of  white  or 
gray  marble,  resembling  a  baronial  castle,  or  rather  a  Gothic  mon- 
astery, with  towers,  turrets,  and  trellises ;  minarets,  mosaics,  and 
mouse-holes;  archways,  armories,  and  air-holes  ;  peaked  windows 
and  pinnacled  roofs,  and  many  other  fantastics  too  tedious  to 
enumerate,  the  whole  constituting  an  edifice  of  gigantic  size,  with 
no  room  in  it ;  great  cost  and  little  comfort,  which,  if  I  mistake 
not,  will  one  of  these  days  be  designated  as  "  Paulding's  folly."  But 
the  situation,  the  prospect,  and  the  form  of  the  grounds  are  all 
admirable  ;  with  good  taste  and  a  great  deal  of  money  it  may  be 
made  to  equal  Hyde  Park.  As  for  the  splendid  marble  house,  I 
would  not  exchange  Rowland's  plain,  respectable,  airy  mansion, 
embosomed  in  one  of  the  most  charming  groves  I  ever  saw,  for  a 
dozen  of  it. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  all  went  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  near 
the  landing,  where  the  service  was  performed  by  the  respectable 
pastor,  my  old  acquaintance.  Dr.  Creighton,  who  officiates  alter- 
nately, morning  and  afternoon,  there  and  at  Tarrytown.  We  found 
a  great  number  of  our  friends,  residents  in  the  neighbourhood,  who 
form  the  congregation  of  this  pleasant  little  temple  of  the  Lord, 
whose  kind  greetings  and  pressing  invitations  gave  us  abundant 
reason  to  believe  that  our  visit  in  these  parts  might  be  very  agree- 
ably and  advantageously  prolonged.  After  a  hasty  dinner  of  cold 
meats,  the  usual  Sunday  fare  at  Rowland's,  we  attended  the  after- 
noon service  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  situated  near  to  that  in 
which  our  morning's  devotions  were  performed,  but  less  to  my  sat- 
isfaction. Returned  home  to  the  well-regulated,  cheerful,  happy 
place  of  our  sojournment,  ate  a  good  supper,  united  in  the  religious 
services  of  the  family,  which  are  performed  in  a  devout,  unostenta- 
tious manner  every  morning  and  evening,  and  retired  to  rest. 

"And  thus  did  pass  away,  brightly  as  it  began, 
A  rural  Sabbath  day." 

AfLer  an  early  breakfast  this  morning,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aspinwall, 


84  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  6i. 

my  wife  an  I  I,  drove  to  Dobbs's  P'erry,  took  the  "  Kosciusko  "  at 
half-past  eight  o'clock,  and  in  two  hours  we  were  at  home.  Our 
visit  has  been  exceedingly  pleasant ;  everything  at  my  friend  How- 
land's  wears  the  aspect  of  comfort,  hap})iness,  and  elegant  hospi- 
tality. God  grant  that  the  estimable  inmates  may  live  long  to  enjoy 
the  blessings  of  which  they  are  so  well  deserving  ! 

JuiA'  30.  —  The  long  agony  is  over.  The  man  who 
Bank  Veto.  was  clccted  by  the  Whigs  to  the  second  office  in  the 
government,  and  has  by  the  death  of  the  good  Presi- 
dent been  unfortunately  elevated  to  the  first,  has  put  his  veto  upon 
the  most  important  measure  of  Whig  policy.  The  bank  bill  having 
been  in  liis  possession  ten  days  was  returned  to  the  Senate  yester- 
day, with  the  President's  objections,  in  a  message,  which,  in  my 
humble  judgment,  is  one  of  the  weakest  and  most  puerile  State 
pa])ers  we  have  ever  had  from  the  Executive  Department.  It  is 
all  his  own  ;  for  every  member  of  the  cabinet  is  opposed  to  its  prin- 
ciples, and  not  one  of  them  (if  it  were  not  so)  would  be  desirous 
to  claim  any  part  of  the  paternity  of  this  confused,  egotistical,  in- 
conclusive argument.  It  wants  more  talent  than  Mr.  Tyler  has 
evinced  in  this  document  to  ''  make  the  worse  appear  the  better 
cause."  "  He  has  always  been  opposed  to  a  bank,"  and  therefore 
to  sanction  one  would  'Mje  to  commit  a  crime  which  he  would  not 
willingly  commit  to  gain  any  earthly  reward,  and  which  would  justly 
subject  him  to  the  ridicule  and  scorn  of  all  virtuous  men."  If  this 
is  not  the  quintessence  of  "  twaddle,"  I  know  not  what  is.  Why 
did  he  accept  the  nomination  for  Vice-President,  involving  the 
dreadful  contingency  which  has  occurred,  opposed,  as  he  says  he 
was,  to  a  national  bank  in  any  form,  —  one  ofihe  cardinal  points  to 
which  was  directed  the  ultimate  success  of  the  pnrty  which  nomi- 
nated him.  Governor  Tyler  has,  however,  succeeded  in  making 
friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness.  Tammany  Hall  was  in 
ecstasies  on  the  receipt  of  the  news.  Mr.  Walker,  of  Mississippi, 
when  that  jackass  Benton  was  making  a  fuss  about  some  fellow  in 
the  gallery  of  the  Senate  who  hissed  on   the  reading  of  the  veto 


1841.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  85 

message,  begged  his  friend  to  withdraw  his  motion.  "  His  heart 
was  so  full  of  joy  and  gratitude  to  the  acting  President "  for  his 
course  in  this  business,  that  he  could  not  bear  to  have  those  feel- 
ings interrupted  by  anything  of  a  less  pleasant  nature.  Poor  Tip- 
pecanoe !  it  was  an  evil  hour  that  "Tyler  too  "  was  added  to  make 
out  the  line.     There  was  rhyme,  but  no  reason,  in  it. 

August  19.  — Washington  Irving  is  very  ill  with  a  bilious  fever, 
at  his  cottage  at  Tarrytown.  I  regret  exceedingly  to  hear  that  his 
case  is  considered  dangerous.  A  newspaper,  giving  an  account  of 
his  illness,  attributed  it  to  his  excursion  with  me  to  the  coal-mines 
and  Honesdale.  It  may  be  so  ;  but  he  certainly  was  never  better 
in  health  and  spirits  than  during  the  whole  time  of  our  pleasant 
trip,  and  he  and  I  separated  on  our  arrival  here,  delighted  with  all 
things  we  had  done  and  seen,  and  with  no  indication  that  either  of 
us  was  the  worse  in  health,  spirits,  or  experience.  As  the  boys  say 
in  such  cases,  he  will  die  after  it,  but  I  should  say,  not,  by  any 
means,  of  it. 

August  26.  —  Died,  on  Saturday  last,  at  the  great  age  of  ninety- 
four,  Mr.  Henry  Brevoort.     He  lived  all  his  life  upon  his  farm,  now 
in  Broadway,  a  short  distance  above  my  house,  which  cost  him  a 
few  hundred  dollars,  and  is  now  worth  to  his  heirs  a  half  million. 
^ ,      ,  „  August  ^o.  —  One  nomination  has  not  been  acted 

Edward  Ever-  ^ 

ett's  Nomina-  upon  by  the  Senate,  and  rumour  says  that  it  will  be 
rejected,  —  that  of  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts, 
as  Minister  to  England.  The  result  of  this,  in  my  judgment,  is  of 
more  consequence  than  President's  Tyler's  veto  of  the  bank,  the 
rejection  of  all  the  great  Whig  measures,  the  dissolution  of  the 
cabinet,  and  all  the  other  mischievous  consequences  realized  and 
anticipated  as  the  fruits  of  Whig  inconsistency  and  Southern  im- 
practicability. If  Mr.  Everett's  nomination  is  not  confirmed  it  will 
be  upon  the  ground  that  he  is  a  Northern  man,  and,  by  the  infer- 
ence, an  Abolitionist.  And  some  general  observation  on  the  sub- 
ject of  slavery  in  the  abstract,  which  was  used  by  the  gentleman 
whilst  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  is  now  brought  up  to  strengthen 


86  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

the  unholy  cabal.  This  rejection  cannot  be  accomplished  except 
by  the  votes  of  two  or  three  soi-disant  Whigs  or  Conservatives  from 
the  slaveholding  States,  united  with  the  unflinching  profligate  pha- 
lanx of  the  opposition,  who  would  reject  the  great  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  if  he  came  before  them  (and  no  doubt  he  would)  covered 
with  the  mantle  of  Whig  principles. 

This  dreadful  question  comes  now  broadly  and  clearly  before 
the  American  people ;  all  extraneous  matter  is  cast  away  from  it, 
and  Edward  Everett  stands  forth  the  embodiment  of  a  principle 
upon  which  is  to  be  made  an  issue  of  the  deepest  solemnity,  one 
on  which  the  union  of  the  States  and  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
depend.  Governor  Everett  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands  to  be 
perfecdy  qualified  in  every  respect  for  the  dignified  appointment 
to  which  he  has  been  nominated.  No  mere  party  objections  can 
be  brought  to  bear  against  him,  for  the  opposition  cannot  hope  or 
expect  by  defeating  him  to  get  a  man  of  their  own  ;  nor  is  it  pos- 
sible that  any  predilections  in  favour  of  Mr.  Stevenson,  the  present 
Minister,  if  such  existed  strong  enough  to  overcome  party  prefer- 
ence, could  have  any  influence  in  this  case,  for  that  gentleman  has 
solicited  his  recall,  and  is  waiting  in  London  for  the  arrival  of  his 
successor.  The  case,  therefore,  stands  in  its  naked  beauty  or 
deformity.  If  the  nomination  is  rejected  it  will  be  by  the  union 
of  pseudo- Whigs  with  exterminating  Loco-focos,  to  punish  a 
patriot  and  a  statesman  because  he  is  in  favour  of  the  right  of 
petition,  which  it  would  be  treason  in  a  public  man  to  deny,  and 
because  he  refused  to  exclaim  with  Mr.  McDuffie  and  the  other 
hotspurs  of  the  South,  that  slavery  is  a  positive  blessing  to  the  land. 
Perhaps  it  is  well  that  this  star  of  baleful  influence  should  appear 
now  when  the  political  horizon  is  enveloped  in  darkness,  and  "  the 
planets  shoot  madly  from  the  spheres."  Let  us  setUe  all  the  hash  at 
once.  If  Everett's  nomination  is  rejected  upon  the  grounds  above 
stated,  and  the  people  of  the  East  and  the  North  and  the  North- 
west submit  to  it,  they  deserve  to  change  places  with  Mr.  Mc- 
Duffie's  troops  in  South  Carolina,  Virginia,  Georgia,  and  Alabama. 


x84i.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  8/ 

September  6.  —  On  my  arrival  in  Albany  I  found 
Second  Veto,  bad  ncws  from  Washington.  President  Tyler  sent  in 
to  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  the  bill  origi- 
nated, his  veto  message  of  the  act  to  create  a  fiscal  corporation,  a 
national  bank,  framed,  as  was  thought,  to  make  it  acceptable  to 
the  fastidious  palate  of  the  accidental  executive.  The  message  is 
weak  and  devoid  of  argument  as  the  former  one.  He  was  always 
opposed  to  a  national  bank,  and  therefore  his  oath  and  conscience 
forbids  him  to  sanction  one.  A  very  good  sort  of  Jacksonian 
argument,  which,  being  the  only  one,  we  are  bound  to  abide  by. 
Congress  has  done  all  they  can,  and  will  adjourn  on  Monday, 
unless  the  measures  necessary  to  be  adopted  in  relation  to  a  dis- 
graceful occurrence,  which  I  am  about  to  have  the  mortification  of 
recording  here,  should  render  a  longer  session  necessary. 

Thursday  is  distinguished  by  another  black  mark  in 
Fracas  in  Con-  ^j^^  cougressioual  procccdiugs  of  the  President's  veto. 

gress. 

On  that  day  a  fracas  occurred  between  two  of  the 
hotspurs  of  the  South,  which  caps  the  climax  of  vulgarity  and 
violence,  so  common  of  late,  and  which  have  rendered  the  Ameri- 
can Congress  little  better  than  the  National  Assembly  of  France 
during  the  reign  of  terror,  when  poissardes  and  sans- culottes  con- 
trolled their  proceedings,  and  the  guillotine  carried  their  bloody 
edicts  into  execution.  In  the  course  of  a  debate  on  the  bill 
making  appropriations  for  diplomatic  services,  a  motion  being 
before  the  House  to  dispense  with  the  charge  at  Naples,  Wise,  of 
Virginia,  whose  conduct  of  late  has  been  that  of  an  infuriated 
madman,  charged  Stanley,  of  North  Carolina,  who  is  nearly  as  rash 
and  hot-headed  as  himself,  with  inconsistency,  and  applied  to  him 
the  gentlemanly  and  parliamentajy  epithets  '^  little  and  contempti- 
ble ;  "  to  which  Stanley,  of  course,  replied  in  language  equally  mild 
and  conciliating ;  soon  after  which  Wise  left  his  seat,  crossed  over 
to  Stanley,  and  renewed  the  dispute  in  vituperative  terms.  Warm 
words  passed.  Wise  invited  Stanley  to  follow  him  into  the  lobby, 
which  he  declined.     Wise  told  him  he  was  *'  beneath  his  contempt." 


88  THE    DIARY    OF    nilLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

Stanley  called  him  a  liar.  Wise  struck  him ;  the  blow  was  re- 
turned, and  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives  was  defiled 
by  a  thumping  match  between  two  men  who  call  themselves  gen- 
tlemen, and  rei)resent  the  chivalry  of  the  South.  The  House 
became  a  scene  of  confusion ;  the  Speaker  in  vain  attempted  to 
restore  order.  Whilst  the  main  battle  was  raging,  several  agreeable 
little  codicil  fights  were  gotten  up  between  the  friends  and  cham- 
pions of  the  combatants,  the  principal  one  of  which  was  enacted 
by  Colonel  Butler,  of  Kentucky,  and  Mr.  Arnold,  of  Tennessee.  I 
blush  to  acknowledge  that  all  four  of  these  ruffians  call  themselves 
Whigs.     Such  a  weight  is  sufficient  to  break  down  any  party. 

After  tlie  fight  was  over,  Mr.  Wise  apologized  to  the  House  for 
his  conduct,  which  he  attributed  to  his  having  received  the  lie 
from  Stanley  (a  pretty  hard  word  to  swallow),  and  offered  to  make 
any  atonement.  Mr.  Stanley  said  he  had  no  apology  to  make  ; 
they  might  do  with  him  as  they  pleased,  or  he  would  resign,  but  he 
gloried  in  having  punished  his  assailant,  and  regretted  that  inter- 
ruption prevented  him  from  giving  him  all  he  merited.  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  investigate  the  circumstances  and  report. 
Many  members  were  in  favour  of  expelling  Wise  sur  Ic  champ, 
which,  in  my  judgment,  would  have  been  the  best  course,  but  not 
that  perhaps  which  comported  best  with  the  dignity  (if  any  may 
be  left)  of  the  House. 

Mr.  Wise's  conduct  and  deportment,  during  the  whole  of  the 
last  and  present  sessions,  has  been  unruly,  arrogant,  and  ungentle- 
manly,  and  if  he  is  not  crazy  he  has  no  excuse  ;  his  expulsion 
would  give  equal  satisfaction  to  all  parties.  He  calls  himself  a 
Whig,  but  he  has  done  the  Whig  party  more  injury  than  any  half- 
dozen  of  their  most  violent  political  opponents.  These  men  may 
escape  punishment,  from  the  anxiety  of  the  members  to  adjourn 
and  return  to  their  flimilies,  after  this  painfid  and  vexatious  session  ; 
but  if  I  were  one,  I  would  never  consent  to  rise  until  this  com- 
mittee reports,  and  the  House  shall  have  taken  suitable  steps  to 
vindicate  their  own  characters  and  that  of  the  country. 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  89 

September  14. — The   prediction  of  Mr.  Webster  is 

Cabinet  Resia^-  •  i  i 

nations.       ^  Verified.      The    cabinet,    with    the    exception    of  Mr. 
Webster  and  Mr.  Granger,  sent  in  their  resignations  on 
Saturday,  which  were  accepted  by  President  Tyler,  and  their  suc- 
cessors nominated  to  the  Senate. 

The  select  committee,  of  which  that  prince  of  demagogues,  In- 
gersoll,  of  Philadelphia,  was  chairman,  reported  on  Saturday  on 
the  case  of  Wise  and  Stanley,  and  Colonel  Dawson  announced  to 
the  House  that  the  business  had  been  amicably  settled  between  the 
parties.  The  House  accepted  the  report,  which  slurred  over  the 
matter  in  the  most  approved  manner ;  the  dignity  of  the  people's 
representatives  remains  insulted,  and  in  future  every  well-behaved 
man,  whose  abilities  and  patriotism  may  entitle  him  to  take  a  part 
in  the  deliberations  of  the  House,  and  is  ambitious  of  serving  his 
country  and  justifying  the  choice  of  his  constituents,  must  do  it  at 
the  risk  of  being  bullied,  brow- beaten,  and  perhaps  otherwise 
beaten,  by  Mr.  Wise  and  other  Southern  hotspurs. 

Sepi^ember  15.  —  Edward  Everett's  nomination  as  Minister  to 
England  has  been  confirmed  by  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  twenty- 
three  to  nineteen ;  so  that  dark  and  portentous  cloud  is  happily 
removed  from  our  distracted  political  horizon.  There  is  enough  to 
excite  angry  feelings,  and  disturb  the  tranquillity  of  the  country, 
without  leaving  that  firebrand  unquenched. 

September  20.  —  The  "  New  York  Herald  "  is  now 
merican  undcrstood  to  bc  the  champion  of  President  Tyler  ;  and, 
if  report  speaks  true,  its  correspondent  in  Washington 
(a  person  named  Parmely)  is  his  confidential  adviser,  enjoys  in 
the  most  enlarged  degree  the  run  of  the  presidential  kitchen,  and 
is  favoured  with  copies  of  his  messages  and  other  public  acts  be- 
fore they  have  been  submitted  to  his  cabinet  ministers.  For  these 
high  privileges  and  distinguished  favours  he,  of  course,  evinces  his 
gratitude,  and  does  his  share  of  the  dirty  jobs  about  the  palace,  by 
abusing  in  the  most  gross  and  vulgar  language  the  members  of  the 
late  cabinet ;  and  Mr.  Ewing,  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 


90  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.6i. 

having  been  the  most  prominent  among  the  abdicators,  comes  in 
for  the  largest  share  of  this  reptile's  venom.  A  long  article  is  pub- 
lished in  the  "  Herald,"  filled  with  the  grossest  vituperation  against 
this  gentleman,  against  whom  the  tongue  of  slander  has  never  until 
now  been  raised. 

September  2.  —  The  ex- Postmaster  General  came 
Mr.  Granger,  to  see  me  ou  Monday  evening,  when  I  was  not  at 
home  ;  and  I  called  upon  him  yesterday,  and  had  a  long 
and  interesting  talk  with  him  about  the  unhappy  state  of  things 
which  had  lately  existed  at  Washington,  and  the  difficulties  and 
mortifications  to  which  he  has  been  subjected  in  the  discharge  of 
his  official  duties  by  the  faithless  and  wayward  conduct  of  Mr.  ac- 
cidental President  Tyler.  To  the  embarrassment  which  this  con- 
duct has  caused  him,  more  than  to  the  famous  veto  of  the  bank 
bill,  the  resignation  of  the  Postmaster  General  is  to  be  attributed. 
The  most  active  and  violent  opposers  of  the  Whig  administration 
have  been  retained  in  important  post-offices  against  his  most  urgent 
remonstrances,  to  serve  the  ulterior  views  of  the  President  and  to 
create  personal  partisans  out  of  political  adversaries ;  by  which 
temporizing  policy  our  friends  have  been  disgusted,  and  their  ac- 
customed exertions  in  the  "good  cause  "  been  paralyzed  and  ren- 
dered ineffectual,  and  for  the  sins  of  omission  the  head  of  the 
department  has  received  all  the  blame.  Mr.  Granger  mentioned 
several  cases  of  this  kind  of  the  most  flagrant  nature.  His  repre- 
sentations have  been  disregarded.  Assurances  have  been  given 
from  time  to  time  and  promises  made,  which  have  been  violated 
and  broken  with  a  want  of  good  faith  and  the  comity  supposed  to 
exist  between  official  characters  standing  in  so  intimate  relations 
with  each  other,  for  which  no  excuse  can  be  found  but  in  the  utter 
inability  of  the  present  Executive  for  the  discharge  of  his  high  and 
responsible  duties.  Among  other  matters,  of  which  I  have  now  been 
for  the  first  time  made  acquainted,  is  one  in  which  I  was  concerned, 
and  which  satisfies  me  that  Mr.  Granger  has  been  true  to  me ;  he 
informed  me  that  on  one  occasion  he  succeeded  so  far  in  obtaining 


iS4i.]-  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  91 

Mr.  Tyler's  consent  to  the  removal  of  Mr.  Coddington,  and  my 
appointment,  that  he  was  about  to  leave  him,  with  directions  to 
send  up  my  name,  when  he  was  called  back  and  told  that  more 
time  was  wanted  to  determine  upon  the  propriety  of  removing  an 
active  and  violent  political  opponent  from  the  important  office  of 
postmaster  of  New  York,  and  putting  in  his  place  a  true  and 
undoubted  Whig.  This  vacillating  and  time-serving  policy 
has  broken  up  the  party,  and  my  friend  Granger  could  not 
remain  in  a  place  where  he  was  exposed  to  contumely  and  de- 
prived of  power. 

September    23. —  Having  received   from  the  Presi- 
dent and  Directors  of  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad 

Excursion. 

Company  an  invitation  to  attend  the  ceremony  of  the 
opening  of  the  first  section  of  the  road  from  Piermont,  on  the 
North  river,  through  the  county  of  Rockland,  to  Goshen,  Orange 
county,  I  was  one  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  guests  who  assembled 
yesterday  morning  on  board  the  steamboat"  Utica,"  and  started  on 
our  excursion  at  eight  o'clock.  Such  a  crowd  of  important  and 
distinguished  men,  official  and  unofficial,  I  have  seldom  or  never 
seen  collected.  An  accident  like  that  of  the  "  Lexington  "  on  the 
Sound,  or  the  "  Erie  "  on  Lake  Erie,  would  have  vacated  more 
offices,  broken  up  more  establishments,  and  broken  more  hearts 
than  a  seven-years  war  or  a  general  conflagration  of  the  city.  We 
had  the  Governor,  judges  of  all  grades,  the  bishop  of  the  diocese 
and  other  clergymen,  the  Mayor,  Recorder  and  members  of  the 
Common  Council,  ex-mayors,  merchants,  bankers,  generals,  dis- 
tinguished men  from  other  States,  Whigs  and  Loco-focos,  pipe- 
layers  and  editors  of  newspapers ;  and  thus  huddled  together,  with 
scarcely  standing-room  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  we  arrived  at 
the  company's  pier  at  Piermont,  twenty- five  miles  from  New  York, 
were  stowed  away  as  close  as  Loco-foco  matches  in  a  box  (but  hap- 
pily not  rendered  equally  combustible  by  attraction)  into  the  cars 
prepared  for  the  occasion,  some  of  which  were  temporary  plat- 
forms with  seats  of  rough  plank,  calculated  for  one  hundred  persons 


92  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    IIOXE.  [.Ktat.  6i. 

each,  and  exposed  to  a  constant  shower  of  sparks  and  cinders  Hke 
those  which  accompany  a  visit  to  Vesuvius  or  Ailmi,  only  not  half 
so  romantic  and  worthy  to  be  talked  and  written  about.  Thus 
placed,  and  /^/<^v/  by  two  whizzing,  snorting,  fire-and-smoke-vomiting 
locomotives,  we  set  off  under  the  discharge  of  cannon,  the  hurrahs 
in  English  and  Irish  of  the  men,  and  the  occasional  waving  of 
handkerchiefs  (when  they  had  them)  of  the  women,  by  w^hich  we 
were  also  saluted  on  the  whole  line  of  the  road.  We  went  on 
rather  slowly,  to  be  sure,  but  fast  enough,  perhaps,  for  so  great  a 
weight  on  a  new  and  untried  road,  and  arrived  at  Goshen,  forty-six 
miles,  at  two  o'clock.  Here  the  cannon  were  firing,  bells  ringing, 
and  such  a  collection  of  peoi)le  from  the  adjacent  country  as  were 
probably  never  before  assembled  in  the  "  land  of  Goshen." 

September  29. — The  noble  steam-frigate  which  was 
ai  ingo     e     |^^jj|{.  jj^  Ncw  York,  on  the  ])lans  and  under  the  direc- 

•  Kamscnatka.  '  ^ 

tion  of  Robert  and  George  L.  Schuyler,  sailed  (I  must 
write  sailed  until  some  other  word  is  invented  ;  but  how  can  it  be 
called  sailing  when  no  sails  are  used?)  this  morning.  I  was  one 
of  a  large  party  of  gentlemen  invited  to  go  down  in  her.  We  as- 
sembled on  board  a  steamboat  at  the  foot  of  Liberty  street,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  whence  we  were  taken  to  the  "  Kamschatka,"  lying  in 
the  stream,  and  by  noon  the  anchor  was  weighed  and  the  tremen- 
dous mass  of  timber  and  iron  put  in  motion  down  the  bay.  It  had 
been  raining  in  the  morning,  but  the  sun  came  out  about  this  time, 
and  her  voyage  down  to  the  Hook  was  very  pleasant. 

Seffemher  30.  —  Mr.  Stanley,  Wise's  competitor  in 
ongressiona    ^^^^    dis^raceful    fracas  which    lately    occurred    in    the 

Lyrics.  '^  •' 

House  of  Representatives,  although  a  clever  man  and  a 
good  fellow,  is  fiery  as  a  Loco-foco  match,  and  as  easily  ignited  by 
hard  rubbing ;  and  so  small  and  boyish  in  his  appearance  that 
Pickens  once  contemptuously  called  him  Cock-Robin,  and  he  in 
return  let  out  a  broadside  of  cannon-balls,  bomb- shells,  and  chain 
shot,  each  apparently  larger  than  the  calibre  of  the  gim  itself.  It 
must    have    been    funny  to  hear  this  little   man  with  a  big  heart 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  93 

boast  of  the  fisticuffs  he  inflicted  upon  Mr.  Wise,  and  what  he 
would  have  done  if  they  had  not  been  separated.  These  remarks 
are  suggested  by  reading  the  following  nursery  lines,  taken  from  a 
Western  paper,  as  a  sort  of  heading  to  an  account  of  the  congres- 
sional battle  :  — 

"  Stanley,  you  should  never  let 
Your  angry  passions  rise; 
Your  little  hands  were  never  made 
To  pummel  Mr.  Wise." 


Columbia 
College. 


October  5.  —  The  Commencement  of  Columbia 
College  took  place  to-day,  in  St.  George's  Church, 
Beekman  street.  I  walked  in  procession  from  the 
college,  and  remained  in  the  church  until  nearly  four  o'clock. 
The  medals  were  presented,  the  degrees  conferred,  and  most  of 
the  other  ceremonies  performed  by  President  Duer,  whose  feeble 
health  and  sickly  appearance  created  a  strong  sensation  of  sympathy 
and  apprehension  among  his  friends  that  he  was  risking  too  far  his 
impaired  powers  ;  but  he  got  through  it,  and  boasted  that  he  was  not 
fatigued ;  but  I  am  afraid  there  was  more  pride  than  sincerity  in  the 
declaration.  The  speaking  was  generally  very  good  ;  the  valedic- 
tory, especially,  was  a  fine  composition,  well  delivered,  but  too  long, 
and  the  music,  a  double  dose.  Thirty-one  of  the  senior  class 
graduated,  of  whom  the  following  delivered  exercises :  James 
Emott,  Jr.,  George  W.  Collord,  Oliver  Wolcott  Gibbs,  James  H. 
M.  Knox,  H.  T.  E.  Foster,  John  J.  Townsend,  John  Rankin, 
Robert  Le  Roy,  Jr.,  T.  B.  Dibblee,  and  Robert  D.  Van  Voorhis. 

October  16.  —  The  following  gentlemen  dined  with 
Picnic  Dinner,  mc  I  Francis  March,  J.  T.  Brigham,  Charles  H.  Rus- 
sell, M.  H.  Grinnell,  J.  de  Peyster  Ogden,  James  W. 
Otis,  Charles  A.  Davis,  Charles  A.  Heckscher,  John  A.  King,  Robert 
Tyler,  son  of  the  President.  This  was  a  picnic  for  wine  ;  each  gen- 
tleman sent  his  bottle  of  Madeira.  I  decanted  and  numbered 
them  in  such  a  way  that  nobody  could  recognize  his  wine  but  by 


94  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.6i. 

its  taste.  There  was  a  great  display  ;  it  is  not  extravagant  to  say  that 
such  another  could  not  be  made  out  of  an  equal  number  of  other 
wines.  After  tasting  around,  a  vote  was  taken,  and  a  bottle  furnished 
by  Mr.  Grinnell  bore  off  the  palm  by  all  the  votes  except  two ;  this 
was  wine  formerly  belonging  to  Mr.  John  B.  Coles.  Besides  this, 
our  board  was  graced  by  Kirby  wine,  March  and  Benson,  1 809  ; 
Butler,  Helicon,  etc. 

Ogden  Hoffman,  Butler  King,  of  Georgia,  Prescott  Hall,  and  Judge 
Kent  were  kept  away  by  sickness  or  business.  The  latter  gentle- 
man is  working  like  a  slave  in  his  new  vocation,  to  clear  away  the 
accumulation  of  business  in  his  court,  caused  by  his  predecessor 
being  less  active  and  industrious  than  himself;  but  I  fear  it  will  be 
the  labour  of  Sisyphus,  —  the  more  work  he  does  the  more  he  will 
make  to  do,  for  there  is  always  burden  enough  for  the  back  of  the 
willing  horse.  Judge  Kent  was  employed  in  the  morning  in  sen- 
tencing one  wretch  to  the  gallows,  and  another  to  the  State  prison, 
and  I  should  have  thought  that  was  grave  work  enough  for  one 
day ;  but  he  proceeded  in  the  afternoon  to  try  civil  causes,  and  so 
lost  his  dinner,  but  sent  his  bottle  to  represent  him.  Mr.  Grinnell 
brought  Mr.  Robert  Tyler,  who,  by  his  request,  I  had  previously  in- 
vited ;  he  is  the  young  man  who  married  Miss  Penelope  Cooper, 
remarkable  for  nothing,  that  I  coukl  discover,  but  a  very  strong 
resemblance  to  his  father. 

Governor  Marcy  said   once,  in    the   Senate   of  the 
Spoils.  United  States,  "  To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils."    This 

is  a  maxim  acted  upon  by  the  political  parties  in  our 
country,  but  not  usually  avowed  so  openly  as  in  this  instance.  But 
the  Romans,  in  the  plenitude  of  the  power  of  the  mighty  republic, 
when  she  was  mistress  of  the  world,  when  monarchs  bowed  at  her 
footstool  and  no  nation  existed  except  by  her  sufferance,  had  the 
prettiest  notion  of  spoils ;  not  such  as  our  American  senator  had  in 
his  eye,  which  are  extorted  from  one  portion  of  the  citizens  to  be 
bestowed  upon  the  other,  but  those  acquired  from  foreign  nations 
as  the  fruits  of  victory,  the  price  of  peace,  and  wages  of  corruption. 


1 841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  95 

This  was  the  time  of  Rome's  greatest  power,  but  not  of  her  great- 
est glory ;  that  had  departed  with  her  Catos,  her  Ciceros,  and  her 
Fabii.  Honour  and  patriotism  had  been  succeeded  by  rapine  and 
corruption,  and  the  Roman  name,  though  still  feared,  was  no 
longer  honoured.  The  only  consolation  humanity  derives  from  the 
lesson  is,  that  the  very  spoils  which  she  wrung  with  their  liberties 
from  tributary  nations  was  the  cause  of  her  downfall. 

October  25.  —  My  birthday,  —  I  am  sixty-one  years  old  ;  and  it 
does  not  require  a  record  in  "  black  and  white  "  to  remind  me  of 
it.  It  appears  to  me  that  I  am  more  than  a  year  older  than  I  was 
last  year  on  this  day.  How  much  faster  we  go  down  than  up  hill, 
and  how  much  less  time  there  is  to  stop  and  gather  flowers  by  the 
way  !  There  are  not  so  many  flowers,  either,  or  perhaps  we  cannot 
see  them,  or  want  the  taste  to  enjoy  them.  Stones  and  ruts  and  jolts 
there  are  enough,  and  sorely  do  our  bones  feel  the  effects  of  them ; 
but  on  we  go  !  The  downward  impetus  cannot  be  resisted,  and  our 
best  hope  is  that  we  may  find  a  quiet,  comfortable  spot  at  the  foot. 
October  28.  — The  new  church  recently  erected  at 
^^  "'^'^ ' "   .      the  corner  of  Tenth  street  and  the  Fifth  avenue  for 

the  Ascension, 

the  congregation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Eastburn,  who  were 
burned  out  in  Canal  street,  is  a  noble  Gothic  building,  upon  the 
same  plan,  but  of  smaller  proportions  and  less  elaborate  workman- 
ship than  the  new  Trinity  Church,  or  rather  cathedral,  which  is 
slowly  raising  its  massive  walls,  its  beautiful  arches,  and  graceful 
turrets,  at  the  head  of  Wall  street.  The  exterior  of  the  Church  of 
the  Ascension  is  of  hammered  stone.  Trinity  is  of  polished  stone, 
and  the  material  more  beautiful ;  but  the  proportions  of  the  former 
are  faultless,  and  the  interior  is  finished  in  a  style  of  appropriate 
solemnity  and  excellent  taste.  The  church  is  so  nearly  finished 
that  notice  is  given  of  the  consecration,  to  take  place  on  Friday 
of  next  week. 

Mr.   Franklin    and    I  went  out  to  the  reservoir  on 
Croton  Murray  Hill,  —  a  short  drive  from  the  city, — which  I 

Water-Works . 

have  not  seen  for  more  than  a  year.     I  fortunately  found 


g6  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    IIOXE.  [.Etat.6i. 

on  the  spot.  Mr.  Thompson  Price,  the  contractor,  who  showed  and 
explained  to  us  everything  about  the  gigantic  work,  which  is  nearly- 
completed  ;  and  the  whole  work  is  in  such  a  state  of  forwardness  that 
the  fourth  of  July  next  is  already  fixed  upon  for  the  ceremony  of 
letting  in  the  water.  The  principal  reservoir,  which  will  contain  a 
surface  equal  to  tliirty  acres  of  water,  is  near  Yorkville,  about  four 
miles  farther  from  the  city,  from  which  the  water  is  conveyed  by 
double  rows  of  enormous  iron  pipes  to  this,  which  is  called  the  dis- 
tributing reservoir ;  of  less  extent,  but  of  more  costly  workmanship. 
This  is  divided  into  two  equal  compartments,  which,  together,  will 
contain  nineteen  millions  of  gallons.  The  walls  are  of  granite,  of 
prodigious  thickness,  finely  wrought  on  the  exterior,  and  affording 
a  pleasant  promeuuade  on  the  top,  from  whence  to  view  these  two 
Mediterranean  seas,  so  well  calculated  to  carry  out  the  object  of  the 
temperance  teetotallers.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  whole 
expense  of  this  great  work,  from  the  fact  that  the  contract  for  this 
one  item  amounts  to  half  a  million  of  dollars.  The  Philadelphians 
may  boast  of  their  Fairmount  works ;  they  are  no  more  to  be 
compared  to  this  than  the  Schuylkill  to  the  Hudson.  I  doubt 
whether  there  is  a  similar  work  in  Europe  of  equal  extent  and 
magnificence  with  the  Croton  aqueduct,  —  its  dams,  bridges,  tun- 
nels, and  reservoirs. 

October   30.  —  The  excitement   in  relation    to  the 
,f  ^"'*^  school     fund,    and    its    distribution    for    the    exclusive 

Alovement. 

benefit  of  the  Catholics,  />er  se  (as  President  Tyler 
would  say),  is  increased  to  fever  heat  by  the  proceedings  of  a 
meeting  of  citizens  of  that  religious  faith  held  last  evening  at  Car- 
roll Hall,  at  which  the  Catholic  Bishop  Hughes  was  the  prime 
mover  and  generalissimo,  and  at  which  he  made  an  inflammatory 
speech,  urging  his  flock  to  come  out  at  the  election  "  upon  their 
own  hook,"  repudiating  the  candidates  on  both  sides  who  were 
opposed  to  the  alteration  of  the  school  system  as  at  present  con- 
ducted, and  presenting  a  new  ticket,  composed  of  those  who  were 
supposed  to  be  in  favour  of  such  a  law  as  they  desire.    The  senators 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  9/ 

on  both  sides  came  under  the  ban  of  the  Right  Reverend  regu- 
lator, and  Charles  O'Connor  and  a  Mr.  Gotzberger  are  nominated 
in  their  places  ;  and  a  ticket  for  Assembly,  containing  the  names  of 
ten  of  the  Loco-focos,  whom  the  Bishop  says  are  favourable  to  his 
views,  and  three  new  ones  in  place  of  that  number  of  impracticable 
heretics.  This  is  certainly  a  most  impudent  interference  with  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  native  Americans ;  an  unblushing  attempt 
to  mix  up  religion  with  politics,  —  an  unpalatable  dish  in  this  coun- 
try,—  but  it  maybe  the  means  of  assuring  the  success  of  the  Whigs, 
particularly  the  Senate  ticket.  Good  may  come  of  evil ;  but  evil 
it  undeniably  is. 

November  5 .  —  The  people  will  be  amused  ;  they 
Lectures.  must  havc  somc  way  of  passing  their  evenings  besides 
poking  the  fire  and  playing  with  the  children.  The 
theatre  does  not  seem  exactly  the  right  thing ;  when  it  revives  a 
little  and  raises  its  head,  the  legitimate  drama  —  good,  honest  trag- 
edy, comedy,  and  opera  —  has  to  encounter  a  host  of  competitors 
ready  to  administer  to  a  vitiated  public  taste.  The  good  is  mixed  up 
with  the  bad ;  Shakespeare  and  Jim  Crow  come  in  equally  for  their 
share  of  condemnation,  and  the  stage  is  indiscriminately  voted  im- 
moral, irreligious,  and,  what  is  much  worse,  unfashionable.  But  the 
good  folks,  as  well  as  the  bad,  must  be  amused,  and  at  the  present 
time  lectures  are  all  the  vogue.  Regular  courses  have  commenced 
at  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  the 
Lyceum,  and  the  Historical  Society,  at  all  of  which  some  of  the 
ablest  and  most  distinguished  men  of  this  and  other  States  have 
agreed  to  contribute  their  learning  and  eloquence.  Jared  Sparks, 
for  the  Historical  Society,  is  engaged  in  a  course  of  eight  lectures 
on  the  "  Events  of  the  American  Revolution,"  to  which  crowds  so 
numerous  are  attracted  that  the  chapel  of  the  New  University  can- 
not hold  them,  and  they  have  had  to  adjourn  to  the  Tabernacle, 
the  omnium  gathemm  and  hold-all  of  the  city.  Concerts,  vocal 
and  instrumental,  are  also  well  attended.  Mr.  Knoop  fiddles  and 
Braham  sings  to  large  audiences,  whose  $400  or  $500  a  night  is 


98  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

made  as  easily  as  a  broker's  commissions ;  and  ladies'  recitations 
come  in  for  a  good  share  of  public  patronage.  This  is  all  right ;  it 
is  more  rational  than  the  expensive  parties  for  which  New  York 
was  formerly  celebrated,  where  friendly  intercourse  was  stifled  in 
a  crowd  of  oyster- eating  parasites,  modest  merit  put  to  the  blush 
by  reckless  extravagance,  and  good  fellowship  voted  vulgar  by 
parvenu  pretension ;  but  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  theatre, 
well  conducted,  should  come  in  for  a  better  share  of  support :  its 
morals  will  always  be  regulated  by  the  countenance  it  receives  from 
the  respectable  part  of  the  community.  Vice  naturally  shrinks  from 
the  contact  with  virtue.  If  good  plays  are  encouraged  and  decent 
theatres  frequented  by  respectable  people,  none  but  such  will  be 
presented  to  the  public. 

November  17.  —  The  rotunda  of  the  Merchants' 
ere  an  s  Exchangc  in  Wall  street,  the  magnificent  room  in  which 
the  merchants  of  New  York  are  to  "  congregate,"  was 
opened  this  day  for  their  use.  The  fagade  wants  three  columns  to 
be  complete,  and  the  offices  are  all  occupied  by  brokers,  banks, 
money-changers,  and  those  who  deal  in  pigeons,  if  not  "  those  who 
sell  doves."  The  following  memoranda  are  taken  from  an  account 
in  one  of  the  morning  papers  of  this  superb  edifice,  which  will  be 
an  ornament  to  the  city,  but  a  very  bad  concern  for  the  stock- 
holders, of  which  number  I  am  one  to  the  amount  of  ^2,500.  I 
may  say  as  Gomerts,  the  Philadelphia  Jew,  said  to  me,  when  I  con- 
gratulated him  on  the  news  of  peace,  "  Thank  you,  thank  you,  Mr. 
Hone ;  but  I  wish  I  had  not  bought  them  calicoes."  The  ground 
on  which  the  building  stands  cost  $750,000.  The  cost  of  the 
building  will  be  about  $1,100,000,  so  that  the  whole  expense  will 
not  be  much  short  of  $2,000,000  ;  and  it  is  doubted  whether  the 
revenue  of  all  kinds,  with  all  the  advantages  of  situation  and  con- 
tiguity to  the  great  centre  of  business,  will  be  more  than  sufificient 
to  pay  the  interest  on  the  foreign  debt  contracted  over  and  above 
the  amount  of  subscriptions  raised  from  such  simpletons  as  myself 
for  the  erection  of  this  costly  temple  of  mercantile  pride. 


1841.]  TFIE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  99 

November  23. — This  nobleman  came  in  town  on 
Lord  Morpeth.  Thursday.  I  called  this  morning,  with  Mr.  Buchanan, 
to  see  him,  at  the  Astor  House,  and  invited  him  to  dine 
with  us  on  Saturday  next.  He  is  a  plain  man,  ill-dressed,  rather 
undersized,  with  gray  hair,  which  makes  him  look  older  than  his 
age  (something  under  forty),  with  fine  teeth  and  good  eyes.  In 
his  manner  he  is,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  fidgety  and  ill  at 
ease,  a  forced  vivacity,  a  desperate  determination  to  do  "  the 
agreeable,"  come  what  may;  all  of  which  would  seem  to  indicate  a 
want  of  polish  which  intercourse  with  good  society  alone  can  im- 
part, did  we  not  know  that  in  this  case  no  such  question  can  arise. 
No  individual  in  England  can  claim  higher  breeding  from  ancestral 
blood,  high  connections,  finished  education,  and  dignified  employ- 
ment. He  is  evidently  what  is  called  in  his  country  "  a  clever 
man."  He  talks  much  and  well,  forms  no  ridiculous  pretensions 
upon  his  rank,  and  is  delighted  with  everything  he  has  as  yet  met 
with  in  this  country. 

November  25.  —  I  was  at  a  dinner  given  by  Mr.  Buchanan,  the 
British  Consul,  to  Lord  Morpeth.  The  party  consisted  of  the  host 
and  his  two  sons,  Lord  Morpeth,  Chancellor  Kent,  Mr.  Morris,  the 
Mayor;  Mr.  Fanshaw,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Mr.  Thomas  W.  Moore, 
Mr.  Jephson,  Col.  Nelson,  a  West  Indian ;  Judge  Oakley,  Judge 
Betts,  Mr.  Curtis,  the  Collector,  and  myself.  It  was  a  pleasant, 
cheerful  dinner.  His  lordship  improves  upon  acquaintance. 
Chancellor  Kent  was  very  agreeable,  and  the  judges  gave  good 
opinions.  I  advised  his  lordship  to  accept  an  invitation  he  has 
received  from  the  corporation  to  the  Joinville  dinner  on  Saturday, 
and  agreed  to  postpone  mine  until  Wednesday  of  next  week. 

The  following  statement  is  copied  from  an  article 
Recor  o  .^  ^^^  '<  American,"  the  object  of  which  is  to  prove 

Ruin.  '  •' 

that  the  ruinous  depreciation  of  personal  property  is 
mainly  to  be  attributed  to  the  party  warfare  which  terminated  in 
the  destruction  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States.  This  frightful 
exhibit  relates  only  to  the  fall  in  the  value  of  certain  stocks  here 


100 


THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE. 


[^tat.  6i. 


in  New  York ;  it  is  even  worse  in  some  of  the  other  States,  in  which 
banks  are  broken,  the  solemn  obhgations  of  the  State  repudiated, 
and  the  mass  of  the  people  standing  ready  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  new  bankrupt  law  as  soon  as  it  goes  into  operation.  And  yet 
the  prostituted  press  of  the  party  which  is  about  to  resume  its 
ascendency  has  the  impudence  to  tell  the  people  that  the  country 


IS  as  prosperous  as  ever. 


To  convey  some  idea  of  the  immense 
amount  of  money  sunk  in  stocks  within  the  last  three  years,  we 
give  below  a  list  of  the  prices  that  a  small  portion  only  of  those 
bought  and  sold  at  our  stock-board  alone,  within  that  period,  have 
ruled  at,  and  their  prices  at  the  present  day.  The  difference,  in 
many  instances,  seems  incredible ;  but  unfortunately  it  is  true." 


United  States  Bank  . 
Vicksburg  Bank 
Kentucky  Bank 
North  American  Trust 
Farmers'  Trust 
American  Trust 
Illinois  State  Bank    . 
Morris  Canal  Bank  . 
Mohawk  Railroad     . 
Paterson  Railroad     . 
Harlem  Railroad 
Stonington  Railroad 
Canton  Company 
Loncf  Island  Railroad 


Prices  within 

Present 

three  years  past 

prices. 

122^ 

4 

.              .              89 

3 

92 

56 

95 

3 

.       113 

30 

120 

nothing 

80 

35 

75 

nothing 

.         76 

^3 

75 

53 

74 

18 

70 

23 

54 

23 

60 

52 

November  27.  — The  great  affair  given  in  honour  of 

the  French  Prince  de  Joinville,  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mott, 

at  their  elegant  house  in  Bleecker  street,  formerly  the 

residence  of  Washington  Coster,  came  off  last  evening,  in  a  style 

of  magnificence  which  we  have  not  witnessed  for  a  long  time.     Cut- 


1841.]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  lOI 

ting  of  limbs  has  been  a  better  business  of  late  than  trade,  and  the 
doctor,  having  been  absent  in  Europe  during  the  dark  days  of  New- 
York,  has  had  no  temptation  to  invest  his  money  in  stocks  which 
have  become  worthless  ;  ^'- taut  mieux  pour  liiir  I  rejoice  in  the 
worthy  doctor's  ability  to  honour  his  royal  guest,  and  do  credit  to 
our  city  in  a  manner  equally  worthy  of  himself  and  the  occasion. 
My  wife  and  daughters  and  myself  were  invited,  but  I  alone  repre- 
sented the  family.  I  called  and  took  Mr.  Hughes  to  this  "  Doc- 
tor's mob,"  for  such,  in  fact,  it  was.  The  house  is  curiously 
constructed,  with  a  great  number  of  small  rooms,  but  none  large 
enough  to  accommodate  such  a  great  crowd ;  and  the  fine  women 
and  lovely  girls,  dressed  in  a  style  of  taste  and  splendour  for  which 
they  are  remarkable,  w^ere  squeezed  in  corners  by  fat  men  in  black, 
and  boys  with  long  beards  which  the  bloodthirsty  Venetian  Jew 
might  have  envied  in  his  day.  And  as  f  jr  dancing,  one  cotillon 
was  all  that  could  find  room,  and  that  only  the  one  in  which  the 
Prince  and  his  happy  partner  w^ere  exhibited  from  time  to  time  to 
the  admiring  multitude  who  gazed  upon  him,  the  tall  ones  over 
the  heads  of  the  short  ones,  and  the  short  ones  under  the  arms  of 
the  long  ones.  I  came  away  before  supper,  which  I  am  told 
was  in  equal  splendour  with  the  rest  of  the  entertainment.  It  was 
a  superb,  hot-pressed  edition  of  New  York's  ''good  society,"  ele- 
gantly bound,  with  gilt  edges  and  rich  illustrations.  Lord  Morpeth 
divided  the  notice  of  the  company  with  the  distinguished  guest 
of  the  evening.  His  society  and  conversation  were  much  courted. 
The  Corporation  of  New  York  gave  a  grand  dinner 
ivic    eas    o  ^j^.^    ^       ^^    ^^^    Prince    de    Toinville,    at    the    Astor 

the  Prince.  -'  •'  ' 

House.  The  company,  for  so  large  a  one,  w^as  very 
select,  including  none  of  the  vulgar  hangers-on  of  the  corporation, 
who  are  apt  to  creep  in  and  ungentlemanize  the  company  on 
these  occasions.  The  company,  about  two  hundred  in  number, 
consisted,  besides  "  their  honours,"  of  the  prince  and  officers  of 
the  Belle-Poule  and  Cassarde ;  the  French  committee ;  officers 
of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States ;  militia  officers  of  the 


I02  THE   DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  6i. 

rank  of  general ;  members  and  ex-members  of  Congress ;  chan- 
cellors and  judges  ;  ex-mayors,  which  dignified  corps  was  confined 
to  C.  W.  Lawrence,  Aaron  Clarke,  and  myself;  Lord  Morpeth ; 
Colonel  Clive  and  Colonel  Percival ;  Mr.  Bacoiirt,  French  minister  ; 
Christopher  Hughes,  charge  d' affaires  at  Stockholm ;  Francis 
Granger,  postmaster-general,  out  of  place ;  Bishop  Onderdonk  ; 
Dr.  Knox  and  Rev.  Mr.  Verrin ;  and  a  fair  representation  of  the 
respectable  gentlemen  of  the  city,  Whigs  as  well  as  Loco-focos. 
The  Mayor,  of  course,  presided,  with  Aldermen  Bennett  and 
Shaler  as  vice-presidents ;  there  was  good  material  in  the  company, 
but  the  president  had  not  the  tact  to  bring  it  out,  until  after  the 
French  guests  retired,  which  was  soon  after  the  regular  toasts  were 
done,  when  affairs  took  a  livelier  turn,  and  the  usual  amount  of 
speech-making  and  toastifying  came  into  play.  The  Mayor,  in  his 
toast,  the  first  after  the  regular  ones,  paid  a  handsome  compliment 
to  Lord  Morpeth ;  to  which  he  replied  in  a  short  speech,  in  excel- 
lent taste  and  fine  language,  evidently  prepared,  however,  and 
committed  to  memory,  and  delivered  in  the  strained,  awkward, 
sing-song  style  of  elocution  which  characterizes  most  of  the  par- 
liamentary orators.  The  handsome  dining-room  of  the  Astor 
House  was  tastefully  decorated  with  the  flags  of  France  and  the 
LTnited  States,  and  devices  and  inscriptions  appropriate  to  the 
two  nations ;  and  the  dinner,  which  cost  the  good  peo])le  of 
Gotham  $2,000,   was  gotten  up  in  Stetson's  best   style. 

December  i.  —  We  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner-party,  consisting 
'of  the  following  gentlemen  :  Lord  Morpeth,  Henry  Brevoort,  Mr. 
Charles  H.  Russell,  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Washington  Irving,  E.  H. 
Pendleton,  John  Duer,  Dr.  Wainwright,  I  )r.  Francis,  Ogden  Hoff- 
man, James  G.  King. 

His  lordship  has  been  so  fe/ed  an;l  lionized  at  large  public 
dinners,  and  has  been  so  thrust  forward  to  make  speeches  and  be 
stared  at,  that  he  declared  himself  delighted  with  the  ease  and 
sociability  and  repose  of  this  little  party  of  talented  and  agreeable 
men.     He   left   at   ten  o'clock  to   attend  an  evening  party  at  Mr. 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  IO3 

Isaac  Jones's ;  but  some  of  my  guests  remained  until  half-past 
eleven.  Lord  Morpeth  grows  upon  us  amazingly  ;  his  fine  talents, 
improved  by  education  of  the  highest  sort,  and  the  frank  urbanity 
of  his  social  intercourse,  makes  us  overlook  his  awkwardness  of 
manner,  and  a  half-hour's  conversation  almost  persuades  us  that 
he  is  a  handsome  man. 

Launch  of  DECEMBER    6.  —  This  being  the  anniversary   of  the 

the "  St.  tutelar  saint  of  the   New    Netherlands,  the    new  ship 

Nic  oias.  1^^^.^^  ^^^  ^  Havre  packet,  which  bears  his  name,  was 
launched,  at  three  o'clock,  from  the  ship-yard  at  the  head  of  Cherry 
street.  The  ceremony  was  delayed  a  fortnight  to  grace  the  anni- 
versary, and  she  was  launched  into  her  destined  element,  with  all 
her  masts  standing,  —  a  beautiful  specimen  of  naval  architecture. 
At  the  appointed  time,  in  fine  style.  Alderman  Benson,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  St.  Nicholas  Society,  in  full  Dutch  costume,  with 
a  cocked  hat  and  orange  ribbon,  performed  the  ceremony 
of  the  christening,  by  pouring  the  mystical  libation  of  Holland 
schnapps  over  her  bows.  The  owners  of  this  noble  vessel  provided 
an  appropriate  banquet  for  the  members  of  the  society,  in  a  ware- 
house from  which  an  excellent  view  of  the  launch  was  obtained. 
We  were  treated  with  coffee,  spiced  rum  (known  in  the  Dutch 
nomenclature  as  hot  stuff),  nice  bread  and  butter,  Dutch  cheese, 
herrings,  doughnuts.  New  Year's  cookies,  crullers,  mince  pies,  and 
waffles.  The  ship  bears  on  her  bow  a  full-length  figure  of  the 
patron  saint,  in  full  canonicals,  and  her  stern  is  ornamented  with 
a  representation  of  the  same  worthy  in  his  better- remembered 
capacity  of  the  friend  and  benefactor  of  our  early  days.  He  is 
represented  here  entering  a  chimney  loaded  with  his  annual  gifts 
for  "  good  children,"  which  he  is  supposed  to  have  brought  from 
Holland,  via  his  aerial  railroad,  in  less  time  than  is  required  in 
these  boasted  times  of  rapid  locomotion  to  get  up  the  steam  of  the 
"  Great  Western  ;  "  and  in  another  portion  of  the  same  carving  we 
see  the  kind-hearted  saint  filling  the  stockings  with  his  far-fetched 
treasures,  the   thoughts   of  which  are  preventing  the  slumbers  or 


104  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  6i. 

employing  the  dreams  of  their   expectant   recipients.     The  latter 

scene   is  copied   from  Weir's   admirable  picture   on   this  subject. 

The  marble  statue  of  Washington,  executed  in  Italy, 

»reenoug   s     ,     ^j^^  American  artist  Greenouc;h,  was  placed  in  the 

statue.  -^  &    >  1 

rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington  on  the  first 
instant.  It  is  pretty  severely  criticised  by  some  of  the  newspaper 
correspondents,  one  of  whom  goes  so  far  as  to  condemn  it  as 
another  of  the  caricatures  which  disgrace  that  spacious  apartment ; 
but  these  folks  are  so  much  in  the  habit  of  furnishing  lies  to  their 
employers  about  living  subjects,  that  they  cannot  tell  the  truth 
when   marble   is   to  be   treated  of. 

December  14. —  Bills  of  indictment  have  been  found 
Mr.  Biddie.      by    a    grand    jury  of   Philadelphia  against  "  Nicholas 

Biddle,  Samuel  Jaudon,  John  Andrews,  and  others  to  the 
jury  unknown,"  for  robbery,  cheating,  swindling,  and  all  the  other 
crimes,  true  and  technical,  known  to  the  criminal  law,  and  described 
in  its  exuberant  phraseology.  ''  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  !  "  The 
great  financier,  the  golden  calf  of  Chestnut  and  Wall  streets,  at 
whose  approach  the  well-brushed  hat  of  the  cosey  millionnaire,  or 
the  businessdike  cap  of  the  money-broker,  instinctively  came  down 
from  its  empty  eminence,  and  the  pliant  knee  could  with  difficulty 
restrain  its  idolatrous  genuflection,  the  ''monster"  of  General  Jack- 
son's imagination,  and  the  very  "  Old  Nick  "  in  the  path  of  Loco- 
foco  politicians, —  "  fallen,  fallen,  from  his  high  estate,"  now  "  none 
so  poor  to  do  him  reverence."  Indicted  for  high  crimes  and  vul- 
gar misdemeanors  by  a  secret  conclave  of  greasy  householders, 
who,  a  few  short  months  ago,  reflected  back  the  complacent  smile 
from  his  good-natured  visage  as  he  ascended  the  marble  steps  of 
the  classical  temple  of  Mammon,  of  which  himself  was  the  high- 
priest,  and,  marking  the  animated  step  and  comfortable  rotundity, 
wondered  and  exclaimed  with  the  jealous  Cassius  :  — 

**  Now,  in  the  names  of  all  the  gods  at  once, 
Upon  what  meat  does  this  our  Caesar  feed. 
That  he  has  grown  so  great?  " 


1841.]  THE   DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  105 

But  these  worthy  men,  influenced,  no  doubt,  by  a  zeal  for 
justice  and  a  regard  for  the  public  morals,  had  each  of  them  a 
sharper  prompter  to  those  holy  impulses  stowed  away  in  his  little 
morocco  pocket-book  in  the  shape  of  an  unredeemed  five-dollar 
note,  or  had  been  compelled  to  write  off  in  his  stock  account  a  re- 
luctant line  on  the  dark  side  of  the  profit  and  loss  account,  where 
first  his  jocund  pen  had  caused  a  ray  of  light  to  play  around  the 
consolatory  word  dividend. 

December  15.  —  I  attended  the  sale  of  Commodore  Chauncey's 
wine,  at  the  City  Hotel,  to-day.  The  fine  old  sherry  of  1786  and 
I  789  brought  four  to  four  and  a  half  dollars  per  bottle,  much  less 
than  I  expected ;  but  I  doubt  if  it  is  the  wine  which  we  used  to 
extol  so  highly.  He  had  several  kinds,  all  good  ;  but  the  great  wine, 
probably,  is  all  gone  the  way  of  all  wine.  I  felt  melancholy  when 
reminded,  by  seeing  this  wine  under  the  auctioneer's  hammer,  of 
the  delightful  days  when  this  liquor  was  an  adjunct  of  the  hospi- 
tality and  good  cheer  of  which  I  have  so  often  partaken  at  the 
table  of  the  noble  old  commodore.  Peace  to  his  ashes,  and 
revered  be  his  memory  !  The  race  is  dwindling  away ;  when  will 
my  turn  come? 

December  20.  —  President  Tyler's  plan  of  a  ma- 
Fiscai  Agent,  chinc  to  go  without  whccls,  a  mill  without  water,  a 
steam-engine  without  fuel,  a  sort  of  bank  and  no  bank, 
has  been  received  and  referred  in  the  Senate  to  the  standing  com- 
mittee of  ways  and  means,  of  which  Evans  is  chairman  ;  and  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  to  the  special  committee,  of  which  Cush- 
ing  is  chairman.  The  Whigs,  who  have  yet  respectable  majorities 
in  both  Houses,  seem  disposed,  now  that  their  own  schemes  to 
regulate  the  currency  and  provide  the  means  to  carry  on  the 
government  have  been  defeated  by  the  President,  to  give  those 
he  offers  a  fair  chance,  and  will  do  nothing  under  the  influence  of 
party- spirit  to  obstruct  the  administration  of  public  affairs.  At 
present,  things  at  Washington  are  calm  and  quiet. 

December  21.  —  I  came  out  last  evening  in  a  character  which  I 


I06  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.6i. 

had  laid  aside  for  a  long  time  :  I  went  to  two  parties  ;  first,  to 
one  at  Mrs.  Hammersley's,  in  the  handsome  new  house,  her  share 
of  the  Mason  row,  above  us  in  Broadway,  where  everything  was 
in  the  finest  style  of  elegance  and  good  taste  ;  and  afterward  to 
Mrs.  Charles  Heckscher's,  where  the  party  was  given  in  honour  of 
the  bride,  Mrs.  Washington  Coster,  late  Miss  Elizabeth  Oakey, 
where  I  found  many  agreeable  peojjle,  a  capital  supper,  and  fine 
wine.  I  was  very  well  pleased  at  both  i)laces  ;  in  these  cases  c''est 
le  premier  pas  qui  coute  ;  the  difficulty  is  in  saying,  "  I  will  go," 
and  going  upstairs  into  a  cold  room  to  dress  at  an  hour  when  you 
ought  to  undress  to  go  to  bed.  I  went  to  Mrs.  Hammersley's  at 
ten  o'clock,  and  found  half-a-dozen  ladies  collected  in  the  receiv- 
ing-room ;  and  at  eleven,  when  I  came  away,  it  was  difficult  to 
make  my  way  through  the  crowd. 

December  23.  — This  society  celebrated  their  anni- 
n<r  an  ^,gj.g^j.y  yesterday,  by  an  oration  at  the  Tabernacle, 
from  Professor  Hadduck,  of  Dartmouth  College,  and 
afterward  a  dinner  at  the  Astor  House.  The  last  was  remarkable 
for  two  circumstances,  —  Yankee  inventions,  —  one  wise  and  in 
good  taste,  the  other  exceedingly  doubtful  in  both  those  character- 
istics. The  tables  were  graced  by  the  presence  of  ladies,  but 
chilled  by  the  exclusion  of  all  beverages  but  water,  —  the  "  pure 
element,"  as  they  call  it.  The  water,  it  is  true,  was  brought  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Plymouth ;  but  the  spirit  of  the  Pilgrims 
has  evaporated  long  since,  and  I  suspect  that  those  on  whom  the 
duty  devolved  of  making  speeches  and  singing  songs  would  have 
gotten  on  better  if  a  substitute  had  been  provided  in  the  shape  of  a 
glass  of  Stetson's  good  Madeira,  or  the  spur  to  intellect  which  is 
found  in  a  sparkhng  tumbler  of  champagne.  The  Pilgrims  could 
not  boast  of  many  such  stimulants,  and  were  compelled  to  drink 
"water  from  the  rock;  "  but  I  shrewdly  suspect  that  if  from  the 
rock  streams  of  champagne  had  issued,  instead  of  water,  it  would  not 
have  been  suffered  to  run  to  waste  or  sink  untasted  into  the  earth. 
There  is  a  scandalous  report  prevailing,  that  after  the  dinner  was 


1841.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  IO7 

ended,  and  the  company  had  dispersed,  the  bar-rooms  and  oyster- 
cellars  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Astor  House  had  an  unusual 
run  of  custom,  and  soon  gave  evidence  that  this  grand  temperance 
jubilee  was  to  them  at  least  an  empty  boast. 

I  dined  to-day  with  Prescott  Hall.  The  party  consisted  of 
Messrs.  Curtis,  Grinnell,  Minturn,  De  Wolf,  Draper,  Gerard  Coster, 
Brigham,  Dr.  Sparks,  etc.  Several  of  these  gentlemen  were  leading 
men  yesterday  at  the  New  England  dinner.  They  made  ample 
amends  to-day  for  their  unwonted  abstinence  on  that  occasion ; 
their  libations  gave  evidence  of  a  "  foregone  conclusion  "  destruc- 
tive to  the  capital  wine  furnished  by  our  hospitable  entertainer. 
This  descendant  of  the  Pilgrims  has  no  particular  predilection  for 
the  '^  pure  element." 


I08  THE   DIARY   OF  I'lIILlP   liONE.  [.-Etat.  62. 


1842, 


TANUARY  I.  —  If  the  moral,  social,  and  political  year  which  has 
^  now  commenced  shall  take  its  features  from  the  earth,  the 
air,  and  the  heavens  this  day,  it  will  be  all  bright  sunshine,  balmy 
air,  and  cloudless  skies.  Never  was  there  a  more  beautiful  New 
Year's  Day,  and  never  did  people  seem  disposed  to  make  more  of 
it.  Broadway,  from  ten  o'clock  until  the  shades  of  evening,  was 
animated  by  pedestrians  of  all  ranks,  sexes,  and  ages,  and  by  every 
description  of  vehicle  that  ever  was  contrived  as  a  substitute  for  legs. 
I  entered  upon  the  spirit  of  the  game,  was  fairly  on  the  go  from 
noon  until  five  o'clock,  and  paid  many  agreeable  visits. 

The  year  comes  in  under  gloomy  auspices  and  discouraging  fore- 
bodings. We  are,  as  a  community,  much  worse  off  than  we  were 
at  the  commencement  of  the  year  which  has  just  passed  off  forever. 
And  the  aggregate  of  individual  loss,  embarrassment,  and  disappoint- 
ment is  most  fearfully  increased.  Real  and  personal  property  is 
diminished  greatly  in  value,  and  the  confidence  which  promotes 
success  in  the  dealings  of  men  seems  to  hav^e  fled. 

Here,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  trade  is  stagnant.  Local  stocks 
are  lower  than  ever.  Real  estate  is  unsalable  at  any  price  ;  rents 
have  fallen  and  are  not  punctually  paid,  and  taxes  have  increased 
most  ruinously.  The  general  government  has,  by  a  course  of  bad 
management  and  corrupt  measures  in  the  last  administration,  and  a 
want  of  harmony  and  concert  in  the  present  one,  been  reduced  to 
bankruptcy ;  there  is  not  enough  money  in  the  treasury  to  pay  the 
members  of  Congress,  nor  patriotism  and  honesty  enough  in  the 
rulers  to  agree  upon  any  feasible  plan  to  make  matters  better.  And, 
to  add  to  this  babel  of  enormities,  several  of  the  States  are  holding 
meetings,  to  deliberate  ui)on  the  propriety  of  repudiating  State 
debts.     Elections  have  gone  in  favour  of  this  damnable  principle, 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  IO9 

and  we  shall  stand  before  a  jury  of  nations,  a  nation  of  swindlers, 
not  entitled  to  the  ordinary  courtesies  of  the  civilized  world,  and  a 
by-word  and  a  reproacli ;  all  of  which.  New  York,  Massachusetts,  and 
Ohio  must  suffer  for  the  rascality  of  Mississippi,  Michigan,  and,  I 
greatly  fear,  Pennsylvania. 

January  17. — Died  in  Philadelphia,  on  Saturday,  in 
ea  o  ju  g^  ^Y\Q  seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  Francis  L.  Hopkinson, 
Judge  of  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  for  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Few  men  in  this  country  have  enjoyed,  during  a  long  life,  so 
good  a  name,  or  deserved  it  more  ;  he  was  a  man  of  taste,  learning, 
and  pubhc  spirit,  an  agreeable  companion,  and  a  gentleman,  as 
such  things  were  formerly  understood  in  this  country,  before  it  was 
Jacksonized.  Judge  Hopkinson  has  been  more  celebrated  as  the 
author  of  the  national  song  "  Hail  Columbia,"  than  for  many  more 
important  services  rendered  to  the  people,  and  higher  evidences  of 
talents. 

January  22. — We  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party  of  young  folk, 
viz.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delancey  Kane,  Miss  Eliza  Russell,  Miss  Emma 
Meredith,  Mr.  Charles  Brugiere,  Genevieve  Anthon,  Edward  Laight, 
Emily  Hone,  Frederick  Foster,  Caroline  Howland,  and  William 
Schermerhorn. 
.    .    ,    r  January  24. — The  steamer  "  Britannia  "  arrived  in 

Arrival  ot  •'  ' 

Charles  Bostou  ou  Saturday  evening,  having  left  Liverpool  on 

Dickens.  ^^^  ^^-^  .^^^^     g^^  brings   news   thirty  days   later  than 

we  had  before.  Among  the  passengers  in  the  "  Britannia  "  are  Mr. 
Charles  Dickens  and  his  wife.  This  gentleman  is  the  celebrated 
"  Boz,"  whose  name  "  rings  through  the  world  with  loud  applause," 
—  the  fascinating  writer  whose  fertile  imagination  and  ready  pen 
conceived  and  sketched  the  immortal  Pickwick,  his  prince  of 
valets,  and  his  body-guard  of  choice  cronies ;  who  has  made  us 
laugh  with  "Mantilini,"  and  cry  with  poor  "Httle  Nell ;  "  caused  us 
to  shrink  with  horror  from  the  effects  of  lynch  law,  as  administered 
by  the  misguided  Lord  George  Gordon,  and  to  listen  with  unmiti- 
gated delight  to  the  ticking  of  "  Master  Humphrey's  Clock."     The 


no  THE    DIARY    OF    I'll  I  LIP    HONE.  [.Etat.62. 

visit  of  this  i)opular  writer  has  been  heralded  in  advance.  He  was 
expected  by  this  packet,  and  I  signed,  three  or  four  days  ago,  with 
a  number  of  other  persons,  a  letter  to  be  presented  t(j  him  on  his 
arrival  in  this  city,  giving  him  a  hearty  welcome  and  inviting  him 
to  a  public  dinner,  which,  from  the  spirit  which  appears  to  prevail 
on  the  subject,  will  be  no  common  affair. 

The  news  by  this  arrival  is  of  a  more  sunny  nature  than  we  have 
been  accustomed  to  of  late.  The  language  of  the  quotations  from 
the  public  papers  is  more  conciliatory,  and  there  seems  to  be  a 
greater  disposition  to  shake  hands  than  to  crack  crowns.  Every 
favourable  symptom  on  this  side  of  the  water  is  made  the  most  of. 
The  temperate  tone  of  President  Tyler's  message  has  contributed 
to  produce  this  effect,  and  Lord  Morpeth's  reception,  and  the 
attentions  he  has  received  in  this  and  other  cities  of  the  United 
States,  have  not  been  without  their  influence  upon  public  opinion. 
But  the  best  evidence  of  a  return  of  good  feelings,  and  a  sincere 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  British  government  to  adjust  the  un- 
pleasant difficulties  between  the  two  countries,  is  the  appointment 
of  Lord  Ashburton  on  a  special  mission  to  the  United  States 
(which  appointment  he  has  accepted)  to  settle,  if  possible,  the 
points  in  dispute.  This  is  an  unusual  piece  of  condescension  on 
the  part  of  our  haughty  elder  sister.  It  will  make  Brother  Jona- 
than feel  his  importance,  and  the  devil  is  in  it  if  it  does  not  put 
him  in  a  good  humour.  Besides  the  gracious  nature  of  the  act 
itself,  the  choice  of  the  messenger  of  peace  may  be  considered 
highly  complimentary.  Lord  Ashburton  is  better  known  as  Mr. 
Alexander  Baring,  head  of  the  great  mercantile  house  of  Baring 
Brothers  &  Co.,  closely  identified  with  American  commerce,  and 
long  known  as  the  bankers  of  the  American  government ;  and  it 
would  be  strange  if  he  had  not  some  predilections  in  favour  of  a 
country  whose  blood  runs  in  the  veins  of  his  children.  Lady  Ash- 
burton being  an  American  lady,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Bingham,  of 
Philadelphia. 

Happy  will  it  prove  for  us  that  Mr.  Webster  has  remained  in 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  Ill 

the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  when  this  special  Minister  shall 
have  arrived,  and  great  will  be  the  triumph  over  those  who  abuse 
him  for  remaining  at  his  post  when  his  colleagues  resigned,  if  he 
shall  prove  to  be  the  happy  instrument  in  settling  the  painful  diffi- 
culties between  the  two  countries  in  an  honourable  manner,  and 
averting  a  war  so  little  desired  by  either.  Let  these  two  men  get 
fairly  together  at  Washington,  and,  if  the  sores  are  not  speedily 
healed,  they  may  be  pronounced  incurable. 

January  25.  —  Isaac  Iselin,  formerly  of  the  house  of  Le  Roy, 
Bayard,  &  Co.,  and  more  recently  connected  with  that  of  De  Rham 
&  Moore,  died  on  the  loth  of  December,  at  his  residence  in  Basle, 
Switzerland,  in  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  I  visited  Mr. 
Iselin,  at  Basle,  in  the  year  1821.  He  was  a  banker,  deal- 
ing largely  through  Paris  in  exchange  and  stocks,  and  lived  in 
the  dull,  aristocratic  style  of  the  dullest  and  most  aristocratic 
city  of   Europe. 

The  House  of  Representatives  presents  every  day  a 
Congress.  scenc  of  violence,  personal  abuse,  and  vulgar  crimina- 
tion, almost  as  bad  as  those  which  disgraced  the 
National  Assembly  of  France  in  the  early  stages  of  the  "  Reign  of 
Terror."  Mr.  Adams,  with  the  most  provoking  pertinacity,  con- 
tinues to  present  petitions  intended  to  irritate  the  Southern  mem- 
bers, and  by  language  and  manner  equally  calculated  to  disgust  his 
friends  and  exasperate  his  enemies,  and  does  something  every  day 
to  alienate  the  respect  which  all  are  disposed  to  render  to  his  con- 
summate learning  and  admirable  talents.  To  those  outbreaks  of 
ill- temper  Wise  replies  in  language  which  the  veriest  demagogue 
of  a  porter  house  would  blush  to  use  to  his  vulgar  associates. 

Among  other  insane  movements  of  the  ex- President,  he  has  pre- 
sented a  petition  praying  for  a  repeal  of  the  Union,  because  the 
petitioners  are  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  agitating  the  terrible 
question  of  slavery ;  and  their  right  to  bring  forward  a  proposition 
so  monstrous,  and  his  to  be  their  organ  of  communication  with  the 
Congress  of  the  nation,  is  enforced  with  the  indomitable  obstinacy 


112  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

which  marks  all  his  conduct  of  late.  Wise  calls  him  "  black- 
hearted traitor;  "  and  Adams,  in  return,  pours  out  the  vials  of  his 
wrath  upon  the  fractious  Virginian.  Happy  would  it  be  for  the 
country  if  these  two  firebrands  were  expelled  from  the  House  ! 
Indeed,  a  motion  has  been  made  to  expel  Mr.  Adams  for  subordi- 
nation of  trc;is;)n  in  the  presentation  of  the  obnoxious  petition 
above  mentioned  ;  and  in  the  present  temper  of  the  members,  it 
will  require  all  the  reverence  which  is  felt  for  his  age,  his  talents, 
and  the  exalted  office  which  he  formerly  bore,  to  save  him  from 
that  or  some  other  signal  mark  of  disgrace.  In  the  course  of  this 
unprofitable  debate  Mr.  Gilmor  made  a  happy  application  of  a 
well-known  couplet  to  Mr.  Adams,  who  expressed  his  regret  at 
seeing  that  gentleman  play  the  second  fiddle  to  Mr.  Wise.  Mr. 
Gilmor  said  he  played  second  fiddle  to  no  man ;  all  he  wished  to 
do  was  to  stop  the  music  of  a  man 

"  Who,  in  the  space  of  one  revolving  moon, 
Was  statesman,  fiddler,  poet,  and  buffoon." 

While  scenes  are  represented  in  one  part  of  the  great  chamber 
in  which  "  the  collected  wisdom  of  the  nation  "  is  presumed  to  be 
assembled,  in  another,  one  of  this  kind  is  enacted  :  "  Mr.  Dawson, 
of  Louisiana  (who,  by  the  bye,  always  goes  armed),  deliberately 
took  his  seat  by  Mr.  Arnold,  and,  after  applying  to  him  a  number 
of  most  violent  and  abusive  epithets,  told  him  that  if  he  rose  from 
his  seat  he  would  cut  his  throat,  at  the  same  time  significantly 
pointing  to  the  bowie-knife  he  carried  in  his  bosom."  How  long 
will  it  be  before  the  people  of  this  abused  country  will  begin  to 
look  with  favour  on  the  sad  alternative  of  a  master?  If  we  had 
a  Julius  Caesar  at  the  head  of  his  victorious  legions,  now  would  be 
the  time  for  him  to  march  to  the  Capitol.  .  .  .  We  are  a 
factious  people  and  a  conceited  people ;  but  we  are  also  a  calcu- 
lating people,  and  have  sense  enough  to  know  that  in  such  a  dan- 
gerous experiment  the  chances  are  fearfully  against  us. 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  II3 

January    27.  —  In  addition  to   the  dinner  which  it 
ecep  ion  o      .^  intended  to  give  Mr.  Dickens  on  his  arrival  at  New 

"  Boz." 

York,  a  grand  ball  is  to  be  gotten  up  for  him  and  his 
lady,  at  the  Park,  where  it  is  proposed  to  have  tableaux  vivants 
and  other  devices  illustrating  some  of  the  prominent  scenes  in  his 
admirable  stories.  For  this  object  a  meeting  was  held  last  even- 
ing at  the  Astor  House,  which  was  attended  by  fifty  or  sixty  very 
respectable  gentlemen. 

The  Mayor  presided,  and  a  letter,  of  which  I  was  selected  to  be 
the  author,  was  agreed  upon,  signed  by  all  present,  and  intrusted 
to  David  C.  Golden  to  be  delivered  by  him  in  person  to  Mr.  Dick- 
ens, in  Boston,  inviting  him  to  the  fete^  and  requesting  him  to 
name  the  day  on  which  it  shall  take  place.  This  is  all  well,  but 
there  is  danger  of  overdoing  the  matter  and  making  our  well- 
meant  hospitaUties  oppressive  to  the  recipient.  We  are  a  people 
of  impulse ;  when  we  get  fairly  mounted  upon  the  back  of  a  lion, 
we  are  apt  to  drive  with  might  and  mane^  until  the  "  royal  beast " 
is  fain  to  escape  from  the  menagerie. 

Jaistuary    31.  —  Another    sign    has    been   exhibited 
igns  o  t  e      .^  ^^  House   of  Representatives  :  another  movement 

Times.  ^ 

toward  the  accomplishment  of  my  recent  melan- 
choly prediction.  That  indomitable,  pugnacious,  wonderful  man 
of  knowledge,  without  tact,  John  Quincy  iVdams,  has  presented  a 
petition  from  some  people  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  praying  for  a 
separation  of  the  Union,  as  the  only  means  of  obtaining  the  right 
of  petition,  the  maintenance  of  which  they  consider  of  more  im- 
portance than  the  union  of  the  States.  A  monstrous  doctrine,  the 
very  whispering  of  which  has  a  sound  as  of  thunder,  more  awful 
than  that  of  foreign  war  !  But,  after  all,  it  is  precisely  the  same 
threat,  founded  on  better  ground,  as  that  made  by  the  Southern 
anti-tariff  nullifiers ;  but  now  that  the  brat  is  born  of  Northern 
parents,  these  patriotic  hotspurs  are  horrified  beyond  all  example ; 
their  indignation  knows  no  bounds.  "Treason!"  "Expulsion!" 
"The  guillotine  '  "  resound  from  the  whole  slaveholding  part  of  the 


114  THE    J)1ARV    OF    I'lIlLir    HONK.  [.Htat.62. 

House,  both  Whig  and  Tory.  \\'isc  vomits  fire  Hke  the  Dragon  of 
Wantley.  Gihiior  and  Marshall  seem  ready,  like  Curtius,  to  spring 
into  the  gulf  to  save  the  Constitution,  when  such  parts  of  it  as 
hapi)en  to  suit  them  are  thought  to  be  in  danger;  and  all  the  little 
dogs  —  Tray,  Blanche,  and  Sweetheart  —  join  in  the  cry,  and  snap  at 
the  heels  of  the  sturdy  mastiff  of  Massachusetts,  who  growls  on  and 
guards  with  pertinacious  obstinacy  all  approaches  to  his  kennel. 
A  motion  to  censure  the  ex- President  is  now  before  the  House, 
with  amendments  more  or  less  violent,  which  he  combats  inch  by 
inch,  and  which  probably,  after  consuming  the  time  of  the  House 
(which  the  people  pay  for)  a  week  or  so,  and  increasing  the  flames 
of  discord,  which  may  be  seen  issuing  from  every  crevice  in  the 
political  volcano,  will  end  in  smoke  and  the  foreboding  sound  of 
internal  thunders. 

February  i  .  —  I  went  to  two  Boz  meetings  last  evening ;  one 
at  the  Carlton  House,  of  the  dinnerites,  at  which  Chief  Justice 
Jones  presided.  A  committee  of  arrangements  was  appointed  and 
the  officers  of  the  dinner  selected.  They  consist  of  Washington 
Irving,  John  Duer,  John  A.  King,  Judge  Betts,  and  myself,  and  we 
are  to  determine  on  the  presiding  officer  and  the  names  of  the  vice- 
presidents.  The  other  was  a  meeting  of  the  ballites,  at  the  xA.stor 
House,  the  Mayor  in  the  chair.  A  long  report  from  the  com- 
mittee was  adopted.  This  affair  is  in  a  forward  state,  and  promises 
to  eclipse  the  Lafayette  ball  at  Castle  Garden. 

February  3.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  George  Curtis,  Washington  place  : 
a  pleasant  party,  good  dinner,  and  fine  wines ;  after  which  I  joined 
the  girls  at  a  party  at  Mrs.  Archibald  Grade's,  Waverly  place. 

February  9.  —  After  I  came  from  the  committee 
'^^  "^  last  evening,  I  went  to  Mrs.  Ray's  fancy  ball,  by 
special  favour,  as  nobody.  It  was  a  beautiful  affliir. 
The  house  and  furniture  and  everything  thereunto  appertaining 
is  new  and  splendid,  —  the  greatest  thing,  by  common  consent, 
in  the  city.  The  party  consisted  of  about  ninety,  all  (with  two 
or  three  exceptions)  in  fancy  characters,  some  of  which  were  mag- 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  II5 

nificent    and  others   highly    characteristic.      The     scene  was    ex- 
tremely brilliant. 

The  vote  of  censure  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 

Mr.  Adams  _  ^  * 

Acquitted.  which  has  caused  so  great  an  excitement,  was  laid  on 
the  table  on  Monday,  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  six 
to  ninety-three.  This  is  a  triumph  for  the  pertinacious  ex-Presi- 
dent, who,  it  is  to  be  feared,  will  be  encouraged  by  it  to  keep  the 
floor,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  business  but  the  presenting  peti- 
tions, for  the  remainder  of  the  session.  The  Southern  men  are  so 
exasperated  at  their  failure  in  the  attempt  to  punish  Mr.  Adams  for 
presenting  a  petition  praying  for  a  dissolution  of  the  Union  (a 
proposition,  horrible  though  it  may  be,  yet  one  which  these  South- 
ern men  have  regarded  with  no  small  share  of  favour  themselves), 
that  some  of  them  are  unwilling  to  work  in  the  same  team  with 
him.  Messrs.  Gilmor,  Hunter,  Rhett,  Proffit,  and  W.  Cost  John- 
son, members  of  the  important  committee  on  foreign  affairs,  have 
been  excused  from  serving  on  that  committee,  because,  as  they  say, 
they  "  are  unwilling  to  work  with  a  chairman  who  has  shown  him- 
self an  unsafe  repositary  of  the  public  trust,  and  who  has  not  the 
confidence  of  the  members  of  the  committee."  All  this  the  old 
hero  takes  very  coolly,  and  moves  for  the  appointment  by  the 
Speaker  of  members  to  fill  the  vacancies. 

Washington  Irving  is  nominated  Minister  to  Spain, 
^"'^  ^^  and  will   be,  or  has  been  by  this,    confirmed  by  the 

to  Spain.  '  ■'  '  •' 

Senate.  In  many  respects  this  is  a  good  appointment. 
Mr.  Irving  has  spent  some  time  in  Spain,  and  some  of  his  best 
works  were  written  in  that  country,  from  materials  collected  on  the 
spot.  The  appointment,  he  says,  was  altogether  unexpected  by 
him ;  but  I  have  no  doubt,  from  his  manner  of  speaking  of  it,  that 
he  is  pleased,  and  will  accept  it.  The  place  has  been  vacant  since 
the  return  of  Major  Eaton. 

February    14.  —  This   impudent   disturber   of  the 
SentT  t^         public   peace,  whose    infamous  paper,  the  ''  Herald," 

is  more  scurrilous,  and  of  course  more  generally  read, 


Il6  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

than  any  other,  has  been  tried  in  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer, 
and  convicted  on  two  indictments  for  a  Hbel  on  the  Judges  Noah 
and  Lynch,  of  the  Court  of  Sessions ;  he  was  sentenced  this  morn- 
ing to  pay  a  fine  of  '^2^0  on  one,  and  $100  on  the  other.  This  will 
do  him  more  good  than  harm  ;  he  will  make  money  by  it ;  the  viti- 
ated appetite  for  slander  which  pervades  the  mass  of  the  people 
will  be  whetted  by  the  notoriety  which  this  trial  will  give  him,  for 
dearly  do  people  love  the  scandal  of  which  themselves  are  not  the 
subject  !  The  court  consisted  of  Hon.  William  Kent,  president, 
and  two  Loco-foco  aldermen,  Purdy  and  Lee  ;  the  two  latter  "  birds 
of  a  feather"  overruled  the  judge  in  making  up  the  sentence,  of 
which  he  took  care  to  inform  Bennett  in  the  address  which  he 
made  to  him  in  announcing  it,  telling  him  plainly  that  if  he  had  had 
his  way  he  would  have  sent  him  to  the  penitentiary,  and  intimating 
that  whenever  he  gets  a  chance  he  may  expect  it  at  his  hands,  on 
the  commxission  of  another  such  offence. 

Old  Mr.  Barhyte  died,  one  day  last  week,  at  his  farm 
mT  Ba"rh  'te  ^*^^^  Saratoga  Springs,  where  he  lived  so  long  that  "  the 
memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  che  contrary."  He 
was  closely  identified  in  my  memory  with  many  pleasant  trout  din- 
ners and  card-parties  at  his  plain  Dutch  house,  situated  on  the 
brow  of  a  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  his  fish-pond,  surrounded 
by  a  beautiful  forest  of  dark-green  pine-trees,  whose  tall,  spiral  tops 
seemed  to  bow  into  the  clouds.  This  was  formerly  a  favourite  resort 
of  Governor  Clinton,  whose  moments  of  ease  and  hilarity  I  have 
often  shared.  Many  a  joke  of  his  have  I  enjoyed,  when  he  laid 
aside  his  state  to  be  a  boy  once  more,  and  many  a  good  dinner 
have  I  helped  him  to  eat  in  the  old  Dutchman's  house.  Here,  too, 
have  I  enjoyed  pleasant  intercourse  with  Mr.  Otis,  Mr.  Van  Buren, 
Colonel  Drayton,  Louis  McLane,  Governor  Lewis,  and  many  other 
distinguished  men ;  listened  to  the  charming  notes  of  poor  Dom 
Lynch,  and  enjoyed  the  enjoyment  of  my  brother  John.  Old  Bar- 
hyte would  permit  us  to  use  his  house  and  eat  his  trout  as  a  special 
favour,  and  charge  us  double  price  for  everything,  with  a  fair  under- 


1842.]  TilE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  II7 

standing,  fairly  expressed  by  him,  that  if  we  did  not  Hke  it  we  need 
not  come  again.  His  civility  was  extended  rather  sparingly,  and 
only  to  those  to  whom  he  had  a  liking,  of  which  number  I  was 
always  one.  Presidents  and  governors,  judges  and  generals,  all 
fared  alike.  He  sold  his  trout,  his  cool  drink,  and  his  pleasant  seat 
on  the  piazza,  only  to  those  who  found  favour  in  his  eyes,  and  as  for 
the  rest,  "  they  might  go  whistle." 

February  15.  —  "The  agony  is  over;  "  the  "Boz" 
g  Jj  "^  ball,  the  greatest  affair  in  modern  times,  the  tallest  com- 
pliment ever  paid  to  a  little  man,  the  fullest  libation  ever 
poured  upon  the  altar  of  the  muses,  came  off  last  evening  in  fine 
style  ;  everything  answered  the  public  expectation,  and  no  untoward 
circumstances  occurred  to  make  anybody  sorry  he  went. 

The  theatre  was  prepared  for  the  occasion  with  great  splendour 
and  taste.  The  whole  area  of  the  stage  and  pit  was  floored  over, 
and  formed  an  immense  saloon.  The  decorations  and  ornaments 
were  all  "  Pickwickian."  Shields  with  scenes  painted  from  several 
stories  of  Dickens,  the  titles  of  his  works  on  others  surrounded  with 
wreaths,  the  dome  formed  of  flags,  and  the  side  walls  in  fresco, 
representing  the  panels  of  an  ancient  oaken  hall.  A  small  stage  was 
erected  at  the  extreme  end,  opposite  the  main  entrance,  before 
which  a  curtain  was  suspended,  exhibiting  the  portly  proportions 
of  the  immortal  Pickwick,  his  prince  of  valets,  and  his  body-guard 
of  choice  cronies.  This  curtain  was  raised  in  the  intervals  between 
the  cotillons  and  waltzes,  to  disclose  a  stage  on  which  were  ex- 
hibited a  series  of  tableaux  vivants,  forming  groups  of  the  characters 
in  the  most  striking  incidents  of  "  Pickwick,"  "  Nicholas  Nickleby," 
"Oliver  Twist,"  "The  Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  "  Barnaby  Rudge," 
etc.  The  company  began  to  assemble  at  half- past  seven  o'clock, 
and  at  nine,  when  the  committee  introduced  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickens, 
the  crowd  was  immense  ;  a  little  upward  of  two  thousand  tickets  were 
handed  in  at  the  door,  and,  with  the  members  of  the  committees  and 
their  parties  who  came  in  by  back  ways,  the  assembled  multitude 
numbered  about  two  thousand  five  hundred.     Everybody  was  there, 


Il8  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

and  every  lady  was  dressed  well  and  in  good  taste,  and  decorum  and 
good  order  were  preserved  during  the  whole  evening.  Refreshments 
were  provided  in  the  saloons  on  the  several  floors,  and  in  the  green 
room,  which  was  kept  for  the  members  of  the  committees  and  their 
families.  This  branch  of  the  business  was  farmed  out  to  Downing, 
the  great  man  of  oysters,  who  received  $2,200.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  "  observed  of  all  observers  "  a  lane  was  opened  through  the 
crowd,  through  which  he  and  his  lady  were  marched  to  the  upper 
end,  where  the  committee  of  reception  were  stationed.  Here  I,  as 
chairman  of  tliat  committee,  received  him,  and  made  a  short  speech, 
after  which  they  joined  in  the  dancing. 

The  author  of  the  "  Pickwick  Papers  "  is  a  small,  bright-eyed, 
intelligent-looking  young  fellow,  thirty  years  of  age,  somewhat  of  a 
dandy  in  his  dress,  with  "rings  and  things  and  fine  array,"  brisk  in 
his  manner,  and  of  a  lively  conversation.  If  he  does  not  get  his 
little  head  turned  by  all  this,  I  shall  wonder  at  it.  Mrs.  Dickens  is 
a  little,  flit,  English-looking  woman,  of  an  agreeable  countenance, 
and,  I  should  think,  "  a  nice  person." 

February  16.  —  Charles  Aug.  Davis  invited  a  number  of  us  yes- 
terday to  meet  Dickens  at  dinner ;  but,  lo  and  behold  !  an  apology 
was  received  from  him,  stating  that  he  was  confined  to  his  room  by 
a  sore  throat,  and  was  inhibited  by  the  doctor  from  going  out.  Two 
very  good-humoured  notes  were  received  from  him,  and  so  we  had  to 
perform  the  tragedy  of  "  Hamlet,"  the  part  of  Hamlet  omitted  ;  but 
we  made  a  good  thing  of  it,  notwithstanding  the  hiatus  in  our  ranks. 
The  major  and  his  charming  wife  were  agreeable,  as  usual,  and  if  any 
party  could  get  along  without  missing  Mr.  Boz  it  would  be  one  formed 
of  such  materials  as  the  following :  Mr.  John  Duer,  Judge  William 
Kent,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  F.  G.  Halleck,  Dr.  De  Kay,  J.  Prescott  Hali, 
William  B.  Astor,  Washington  Irving,  John  A.  King,  Gulian  C.  Ver- 
planck.  Judge  PJetts,  David  S.  Kennedy,  Henry  Pirevoort,  P.  Hone. 
February   19.  —  The   great   dinner  to  Dickens  was 

Dinner  to  .  ,  i         ^-c-         tx         i  i  rr        •  y 

Dickens  givcn  ycstcrday,  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  came  off  with 

flying  colours.     Two   hundred  and  tliirty  persons   sat 


i^?..l  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  II 9 

down  to  dinner  at  seven  o'clock.  The  large  room  was  ornamented 
with  two  illuminated  scenes  from  the  works  of  "  Boz,"  busts  of  cele- 
brated persons  and  classical  devices,  all  in  good  taste  ;  and  the 
eating  and  drinking  part  of  the  affair  was  excellent.  The  president 
was  Washington  Irving  (I  beg  pardon,  "  His  Excellency  ").  "  Non 
Nobis  "  was  sung  by  Mr.  Horn  and  his  little  band  of  vocalists,  who 
gave  several  glees  during  the  evening.  After  the  unintellectual 
operation  of  eating  and  drinking  was  concluded,  the  president  rose 
and  began  a  prepared  speech,  in  which  he  broke  down  flat  (as  he 
promised  us  beforehand  he  would),  and  concluded  with  this  toast : 
"Charles  Dickens,  the  literary  guest  of  the  nation."  To  this  th^ 
guest  made  his  acknowledgment  in  an  excellent  speech,  delivered 
with  great  animation,  and  characterized  by  good  taste  and  warm 
feeling. 

An  unusual  feature  in  this  festivity  was  the  presence  of  a  coterie 
of  charming  women,  who  were  at  first  stowed  away  in  a  small  room 
adioining  the  upper  part  of  the  hall,  and  who,  with  a  laudable  and 
irrepressible  curiosity  to  hear  me,  and  others  equally  instructive 
and  agreeable,  at  the  lower  end,  edged  by  degrees  into  the  room, 
and  finally  got  possession  of  the  stage,  behind  the  president,  to  the 
discomfiture  of  certain  pleasant  old  bachelors  and  ungallant  digni- 
taries, but  to  the  great  delight  of  us  who  profess  to  have  better  taste 
in  such  matters.  This  flying  squadron  of  infantry  consisted  of  Mrs. 
Davis,  Mrs.  Golden  and  Miss  Wilkes,  Mrs.  Dickens,  Miss  Sedgwick, 
Miss  Wadsworth,  the  Misses  Ward,  Mrs.  Burns,  Mrs.  Parish,  Miss 
Anna  Bridgen,  Mrs.  McCrackan,  Mrs.  Brevoort,  and  others,  all  01 
whom  were  greatly  pleased,  and  some  of  whom  seemed  to  regret 
they  could  not  take  a  more  active  part  in  the  business  of  the  even- 
ing. This  dinner,  with  the  ball  on  Monday  night,  is  a  tribute  tr 
literary  talents  greater  than  any  I  remember ;  and,  if  the  English 
people  do  not  repay  it  in  some  shape  to  our  eminent  men,  they  are 
no  great  things. 

Washington,  March  15.  —  Dickens  and  his  wife  are  here.  There 
has  not  been  much  fuss  made  about  him.     They  laugh  at  us  in 


I20  Tin-:    DIARY    OF    PTIIUr    HONE.  [/F.tat.  62. 

New  York  for  doing  too  much,  and  have  gone  upon  the  other  ex- 
treme. He  has  been  invited  to  dine  by  several  gentlemen  to  whom 
he  brought  letters.  Amongst  the  rest  Mr.  Adams  invited  him  and 
his  wife  to  dinner  on  Sunday,  at  half- past  two  o'clock.  (This  early 
hour  was  fixed,  I  suppose,  to  keep  up  the  i)rimitive  beauty  of  New 
England  Republican  habits.)  Some  clever  people  were  invited  to 
meet  them.  They  came,  he  in  a  frock-coat,  and  she  in  her  bonnet. 
They  sat  at  table  until  four  o'clock,  when  he  said,  "  Dear,  it  is 
time  for  us  to  go  home  and  dress  for  dinner."  They  were  engaged 
to  dine  with  Robert  Greenhow  at  the  fashionable  hour  of  half-past 
five  !  A  most  particularly  funny  idea  to  leave  the  table  of  John 
Quincy  Adams  to  dress  for  a  dinner  at  Robert  Greenhow's  !  He  is 
to  be  here  on  Tuesday  or  Wednesday,  and  Kennedy  has  written  to 
Mr.  Gilmor  to  take  charge  of  him  and  keep  him  out  of  bad  hands; 
as  I  also  have  urged  him  to  do,  but  I  don't  think  he  will.  He 
detests  humbug.  Washington  Irving,  Ogden  Hoffman,  and  Moses 
H.  Grinnell  came  here  last  evening ;  the  former  to  receive  his  in- 
structions previous  to  his  departure  for  Spain,  and  to  read  up,  as  he 
expressed  himself  to  me,  to  the  political  state  of  affairs,  and  to  the 
nature  of  his  official  duties.  He  is  a  charming  good  fellow,  a 
feather  in  the  Hterary  cap  of  his  country. 

Mr.  Granger  gave  us  a  grand  dinner  to-day  at  Gadsby's.  I  did 
not  think  it  possible  to  get  up  anything  so  genteel  in  this  house. 
The  service  was  beautiful,  the  dinner  excellent,  the  attendance  un- 
exceptionable, and  the  guests  of  the  highest  grade.  The  party 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Miss  Granger,  Mr.  Webster,  Washington 
Irving ;  Legar^,  Attorney-General ;  Martini,  Dutch  Charge  ;  Rives  ; 
Bodisco,  Russian  Minister ;  Mr.  and  two  Misses  Hone,  Fletcher 
Webster  ;  Lerruys,  Belgian  Charge  ;  Barnard,  Van  Rensselaer,  Grin- 
nell, Cxouverneur  Wilkins,  and  Nordin,  Swedish  Charge. 

Mr.  Webster  was  in  his  happiest  mood  ;  I  had  a  nice  talk  with 
him.  He  is  seriously  impressed  with  the  melancholy  situation  of 
the  domestic  affairs  of  the  country ;  not  entirely  free  from  solicitude 
about  his   own  position,  but  full  of  hope  regarding  the  issue  of  the 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  121 

vexed  questions  between  us  and  Great  Britain.  They  will  be  settled 
before  September,  he  said  to  me,  with  a  solemnity  of  manner  and 
emphasis  of  expression,  with  the  volcanic  fire  flashing  from  out  of 
the  caverns  of  his  dark  eyelashes,  which  struck  to  my  soul  and 
which  I  never  can  forget.  "  They  will  be  settled  if  they  will  give 
me  a  fair  chance  !  "  And  I  believe  it !  All  I  fear  is  that  the  people 
do  not  deserve  such  a  man  as  Daniel  Webster,  and  that  Justice 
rather  than  Mercy  will  be  awarded  to  us. 

We  went  this  morning  to  Mrs.  Webster's  drawing-room,  Tuesday 
being  her  day  for  receiving  company.  It  is  a  good  arrangement ; 
it  makes  one  of  those  pleasant  places  of  resort  for  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen which  serves  to  take  off  the  rough  edge  of  party  violence 
and  Republican  vulgarity.  From  Mrs.  Webster's  we  went  to  call 
upon  Mrs.  Madison,  who  was  not  at  home.  She  is  2.  yoting  lady 
of  fourscore  years  and  upward,  goes  to  parties  and  receives  com- 
pany like  the  "  Queen  of  this  new  world." 

This  has  been  a  day  of  great  business.     After   our 
President's       diuucr-party    broke   up,  we   went    to    the    President's 

Levee. 

levee, —  the  last  of  the  season,  and  the  crowd  was  great. 
The  east  room,  which  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  I  ever  saw,  was 
a  complete  jam  ;  but,  considering  the  facility  of  access,  the  sort  of 
people  who  do  the  honours  and  those  who  receive  them,  the  com^ 
pany  was  highly  respectable ;  the  first  people  in  the  land  were 
there,  and  the  women  were  well  dressed.  I  witnessed  no  gauch- 
eries,  no  vulgarity,  and  I  doubt  if  any  society  in  any  country  so 
organized  could  have  turned  out  so  decorous  and  respectable  an 
assemblage.  As  for  the  host  and  his  immediate  satellites,  they 
seemed  to  be  in  the  situation  of- King  George's  apple  in  the  dump- 
ling, —  wondering  how  the  devil  they  got  there.  It  struck  me  that 
a  majority  of  all  the  men  over  the  age  of  thirty  were  more  fit  to  be 
President  than  Mr.  Tyler.  He  walked  from  one  magnificent 
apartment  to  another,  holding  a  little  child  by  each  hand,  to  show, 
I  suppose,  how  amiable  he  was,  how  simple  in  his  habits,  how 
affectionate  in  his  feelings.     Shades  of  Washington,  Adams,  Madi- 


122  THE    DIARV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

son,  Monroe,  do  turn  aside  your  heads  from  such  an  exhibition  ! 
Even  the  hickory  face  of  Jackson  would  smile,  and  the  courtly 
nose  of  Van  Buren  turn  up,  at  such  an  absence  of  dignity. 

Dickens  was  at  the  levee,  and  Washington  Irving,  and,  as  far  as 
I  could  judge,  Irving  out-bozzed  "  Boz."  He  collected  a  crowd 
around  him  ;  the  men  pressed  on  to  shake  his  hand,  and  the 
women  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment.  Somebody  told  me  that 
they  saw  a  woman  put  on  his  hat,  in  order,  as  she  told  her  com- 
panions, that  she  might  have  it  to  say  that  she  had  worn  Washing- 
ton Irving's  hat.  All  this  was  "  fun  to  them,"  as  the  frogs  said, 
but  "death"  to  poor  Irving,  who  has  no  relish  for  this  sort  of 
glorification,  and  has  less  tact  than  any  man  living  to  get  along 
with  it  decently.  I  was,  however,  rejoiced  to  see  it ;  it  showed 
that  the  refreshing  dew  of  popular  favour  could  be  shed  upon  the 
indigenous,  as  well  as  the  exotic,  plants  of  litt.Tary  talents. 

March  24. —  I  passed  the  morning  in  walking  through  the 
streets  of  Philadelphia.  Notwithstanding  the  dreadful  times  they 
have  experienced,  many  new  buildings  are  going  U}) ;  the  shops 
exhibit  their  accustomed  display  of  costly  merchandise.  The 
markets  are  well  supplied  with  provisions,  and  there  seems  to  be 
no  lack  of  customers.  The  marble  fronts  of  the  houses  in  the 
fashionable  streets  are  kept  bright  and  clean,  as  usual,  and  the 
noble  portico  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  looks  down  proudly 
as  ever  upon  the  ruin  which  the  institution  has  occasioned.  Such 
of  the  banks  as  are  not  hopelessly  crippled  have  resumed  the  pay- 
ment of  specie,  and  the  Philadelphians  clap  their  wings  and  crow 
at  the  triumph  of  exchange  on  New  York  being  a  quarter  per 
cent,  below  par.  But  the  merchants  are  suffering.  There  is  no 
business,  and  the  Western  exchanges  are  worse  than  ever. 

At  Home,  March  25. — We  left  Philadelphia  at  nine  o'clock 
this  morning,  and  got  home  at  three.  Washington  Irving  joined 
us  on  starting,  and  made  a  very  pleasant  addition  to  our  little 
party.  He  is  more  gay  and  cheerful  than  he  is  wont  to  be,  and 
talks  a  great  deal,  enlivening  his  conversation  with   stories  of  old 


1S42.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 23 

times,  literary  reminiscences,  and  pretty  fair  jokes.  He  is  evidently 
much  gratified  with  his  unexpected  elevation  to  diplomatic  dignity, 
and  is  making  his  preparations  to  sail  for  England  on  his  way  to 
Spain,  in  the  packet  of  the   7th  of  April. 

/^PRiL  4.  —  The  anniversary  of  the  death  of  William  Henry 
Harrison,  the  good  President.  The  flags  are  suspended  at  half- 
mast  from  the  Whig  public-houses  and  some  other  conspicuous 
places ;  and  well  may  they  be  !  The  bells  should  be  tolled,  and  if 
the  people  were  to  put  on  sackcloth  and  ashes  such  manifestations 
of  grief  would  not  transcend  the  cause.  The  decease  of  the  good 
old  man,  much  to  be  lamented  by  his  personal  and  political  friends, 
was  to  him  of  small  importance.  He  had  arrived  at  the  summit 
of  a  man's  ambition  in  this  country,  and  could  not  have  died  at  a 
better  time  for  himself;  but  how  little  did  the  American  people 
comprehend  the  extent  of  their  bereavement !  One  year  of  the  rule 
of  imbecility,  arrogance,  and  prejudice  has  taught  them  the  folly 
of  selecting  for  Vice-President  a  man  of  whose  fitness  for  the  office 
of  President  they  had  no  reasonable  assurance.  The  "  New  York 
Herald,"  which  is  said  to  be  high  in  favour  with  Mr.  Tyler,  and 
considered  a  sort  of  semi-official,  says  that  he  is  about  to  resign. 
God  grant  it  may  be  true  !  but  if  he  does,  he  will  gain  no  credit  for 
it.  He  would  undoubtedly  serve  his  country  more  effectually  by 
such  a  step  than  by  all  the  actions  of  his  previous  life,  and  would 
for  once  be  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  his  fellow-citizens ;  but  he 
would  not  receive  it.  No  credit  would  be  given  to  him  for  a  motive 
so  patriotic ;  it  would  rather  be  attributed  to  that  sort  of  patriotism 
which  caused  Hull  to  desert  his  post  and  surrender  Detroit  when 
he  spied  out  in  the  cloud  which  darkened  the  horizon  a  hostile 
force  approaching.  But  the  report  can  have  no  foundation.  It  is 
only  raised  to  keep  Bennett's  hand  in,  who  lives  by  lying.  John 
Tyler  resign  !  Why,  he  is  just  weak  enough  to  believe  himself  the 
strongest  man  in  the  United  States  !  He  has  all  the  self-conceit  of 
him  who  announced  in  the  plenitude  of  his  arrogance  that  ''  he 
would  administer  the  laws  as  he  "  (not  the  Supreme  Court)  ''  under- 


124  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

stood  them ;  "  while  at  the  same  time  he  does  not  possess  a  tithe  of 
his  force  of  mind  and  strength  of  intellect. 

April  5.  — The  British  ship  of  war,  '^  Warspite,"  with 
LordAshbur-    ^^^^^^  Ashburton,  the  special  Minister  on  board,  arrived 

ton's  Arrival. 

at  Annapolis  on  Saturday,  and  his  lordship  was  to  de- 
part immediately  for  Washington  ;  so  that  by  this  time  it  is  probable 
he  and  Mr.  Webster  have  gotten  /<?e  to  foe,  and  put  their  heads 
together,  by  which  means  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  may  reestablish 
matters  on  a  friendly  footiivj^,  and  preserve  their  respective  coun- 
tries from  cracked  crowns  and  bloody  noses.  The  sending  out  on 
this  mission  so  distinguished  a  man,  nay,  the  sending  a  special 
Minister  at  all,  ought  to  be  considered  a  strong  proof  of  the  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  British  government  to  preserve  friendly  relations, 
if  possible,  with  this  country.  So  it  is  distinctly  understood  by  Mr. 
Webster,  with  whom  the  negotiations  will  of  course  be  conducted, 
and  who  assured  me  the  other  day  that  he  had  the  fullest  con- 
fidence in  being  able  to  settle  all  the  differences  with  England 
before  the  first  of  September.  If  these  two  men  cannot  effect  this 
important  object,  none  can,  and  then  the  Lord  have  mercy  upon 
John  Tyler  and   Queen  Victoria,  and  all  their  men  ! 

April  21.  —  A  terrible  hubbub  has  been  going  on  in 
Rhode  Island,  the  rcdoubtable  little  State  of  Rhode  Island  for  some 

time  past ;  a  party  of  disorganizing,  radical  dema- 
gogues, unable  to  accomplish  their  object  of  changing  the  politics 
of  this  steady  State  and  bringing  themselves  into  ofiice,  by  fair 
means,  have  set  about  defeating  the  will  of  the  people  (of  which, 
when  it  suits  them,  they  pretend  to  be  the  champions  and  sup- 
porters), and,  having  made  a  constitution  of  their  own,  have  elected 
a  governor  (one  Mr.  Dorr)  and  State  officers ;  whilst  the  sober  part 
of  the  community,  proceeding  according  to  law  and  the  Constitu- 
tion, have  reelected  the  present  governor  (King)  and  the  State 
officers  as  at  present  constituted ;  so  the  smallest  State  in  the 
Union  is  the  only  one  which  can  boast  of  two  governors,  and  the 
sword  of  civil  commotion  is  likely  to  be  drawn  in  a  quarter  hitherto 


1S42.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 25 

distinguished  for  good  order  and  obedience  to  the  laws.  The  in- 
cendiaries, headed  by  Dutee  J.  Pierce,  and  other  such  warriors, 
many  of  whom  are  auxiharies  from  other  States,  impelled  solely  by 
a  love  of  liberty  and  reverence  for  other  men's  rights,  swear  that 
the  State  belongs  to  them,  and  that  they  will  govern  it ;  whilst  the 
other  party  swear  that  it  does  not,  and  that  they  shall  not,  and  so 
they  are  preparing  to  go  to  blows  about  the  matter.  President 
Tyler,  on  being  applied  to  by  the  regulars,  has  written  a  letter,  which 
is  published,  in  which  he  avows  his  intention,  in  a  manly,  frank 
manner,  to  carry  out  the  duty  prescribed  to  him  in  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States,  by  supporting  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
and  standing  by  the  right,  and,  if  more  gentle  means  are  unavail- 
able, United  States  troops  will  be  sent  to  settle  the  hash.  What 
acts  of  tyranny  are  committed  now-a-days  under  the  name  of 
liberty^  and  how  the  people's  will  is  defeated  by  those  who  profess 
to  be  their  best  friends.  The  Rhode  Island  rebels,  as  well  as  the 
New  York  Loco-focos,  have  no  notion  of  heeding  the  vox  populi^ 
when  that  z'<5'.r  fails  to  raise  the  one  to  power  in  the  State,  or  to 
secure  to  the  other  the  patronage  and  emoluments  of  municipal 
supremacy. 

April  25.  —  This  patriotic  song,  which,  like  the 
Hail  Columbia!  "  Soiig  of  the  Rhine,"  in  Germany,  and  "The  Mar- 
seillaise Hymn,"  in  France,  has  been  adopted  as  the 
national  anthem,  and  still  continues  a  sort  of  "smoke -pipe"  for 
overheated  patriotism,  was  written  by  the  late  distinguished  Judge 
Hopkinson,  who  died  in  Philadelphia  on  the  15  th  of  January  last. 
It  was  first  sung  at  the  theatre  at  the  benefit  of  a  young  actor, 
whom  the  author  was  desirous  of  serving.  This  was  in  the  summer 
of  179S,  during  John  Adams's  administration,  when  a  war  with 
France  was  supposed  to  be  inevitable,  and  party- spirit  raged  with 
great  violence,  the  American  people  being  divided  into  an  English 
and  a  French  party.  The  object  of  the  author  was  (as  he  him- 
self expresses  it  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Rufus  W.  Griswold,  now 
published)    "  to    get    up    an    American    spirit,   which    should    be 


126  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

independent  of  and  above  the  interests,  passions,  and  policy  of 
both  belHgerents,  and  look  and  feel  exclusively  for  our  own  honour 
and  rights."  These  were  the  famous  black-cockade  times,  when  the 
wisdom  and  patriotism  of  Washington  were  insufficient  to  control 
the  "  madness  of  the  people,"  who,  in  espousing  the  quarrels  of  the 
Europeans,  had  almost  ceased  to  be  Am.ericans.  Judge  Hopkinson 
was  then,  and  continued  always  to  be,  one  of  that  noble  "  band 
of  brothers  joined,"  a  true  American  Federalist;  not  of  that 
section  of  the  band  who  have  since  been  Jackson  Federalists,  or 
Harrison  Conservatives,  but  a  true  American  Whig  Federalist, 
born  of  the  Revolution,  educated  in  the  school  of  Washington, 
Jay,  and  Hamilton,  and  acknowledging  no  party  but  his  country. 

April  26.  —  When  I  returned  home  I  found  that  Dr.  Wain- 
wright  had  called  in  the  course  of  the  morning  to  invite  me  to  a 
family  dinner,  to  meet  Mr.  William  H.  Prescott,  of  Boston,  —  the 
accomplished  author  of  the  *'  History  of  the  Reign  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,"  — who  had  just  arrived  in  town  on  a  very  short 
visit.  I  joined  the  pleasant  little  party  after  they  had  dined,  and 
enjoyed  a  highly  intellectual  treat.  The  party  consisted  of  the 
doctor,  Mr.  Prescott,  Henry  Brevoort,  George  Griffin,  John  C. 
Hamilton,  Henry  Gary,  and  myself.  Mr.  Prescott  is  rather  a 
handsome  man  of  about  six  and  forty,  of  intellectual  appearance, 
good  manners,  agreeable  conversation,  and  much  vivacity.  Mr. 
Prescott  reminded  me  that  we  had  met  before,  at  dinner  at 
General  Lyman's  in  Boston. 

April  28.  —  Our  city  was  disgraced  by  a  meeting, 
ncen  lary       ^^^^  evening,  at  Tammany  Hall,  called   by  Alderman 

Meeting.  ^'  J  }  J 

Purdy,  Messrs.  Slamm,  Vanderpoel  and  such  persons 
to  approve  the  proceedings  of  the  insurrectionists  in  Rhode  Island, 
who  are  in  arms  against  the  constitution  and  laws  ot  the  State,  and 
to  encourage  them  in  their  factious  opposition  to  the  constituted 
authorities,  and  their  contempt  for  the  expressed  opinion  of 
the  general  government.  Aaron  Vanderpoel  (the  Kinderhook 
roarer,  as  he   is  familiarlv  called  by   those  who  have  listened  to 


1842.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  12/ 

the  dulcet  tones  of  his  voice  in  the  House  of  Representatives), 
was  most  appropriately  chosen  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and 
addresses  were  made  by  Mr.  Parmenter,  a  Rhode  Island  Jacobin, 
and  Mr.  Davezac,  Mr.  Edmunds,  and  other  New  York  patriots, 
and  resolutions  were  passed  suited  to  the  occasion.  What  would 
these  fellows  have  said  if  the  people  of  Providence  had  held  a 
meeting  to  denounce  the  law  of  the  last  Legislature  of  New  York, 
repealing  the  late  salutary  registry  act,  or  that  which  destroyed  the 
beneficial  influence  of  the  public  schools  to  propitiate  the  Irish 
Catholics  and  secure  their  votes  at  the  expense  of  the  rights  of 
native  Americans?  That  would  have  been  stigmatized  as  an  im- 
pertinent interference  in  other  people's  affairs,  whilst  their  meeting 
last  night  was  a  generous  ebullition  of  patriotic  sympathy  in  favour 
of  the  oppressed  victims  of  official  tyranny. 

This  powerful  agent,   which  regulates  just  now  the 
steam.  affairs   of  the  world ;  this  new  element,  which,  like  the 

other  four,  is  all-potent  for  good  and  for  evil,  —  has 
not  only  almost  annihilated  distance,  and  overcome  the  obstacles 
which  nature  seems  to  have  interposed  to  locomotion,  and  reduced 
the  value  of  most  of  the  articles  in  use  for  which  we  formerly 
depended  upon  the  labour  of  men's  hands,  but  it  has  become  a 
substitute  for  war,  in  the  philosophical  plan  of  keeping  down  the 
superabundance  of  the  human  race,  and  thinning  off  the  ex- 
cessive population  of  which  political  economists  have  from  time  to 
time  expressed  so  much  dread.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  we  do 
not  hear  of  some  steamboat  being  blown  up,  and  hundreds  of 
human  beings  suddenly  summoned  to  give  an  account  of  the 
"  deeds  done  in  the  body,"  and  hurried  off,  "  unanointed,  un- 
annealed,"  to  another  world,  for  which  most  of  them  are  unpre- 
pared ;  or  of  a  locomotive  running  off  the  railroad,  and  thus 
bringing  many  to  an  unexpected  termination  of  their  journey. 
These  are  some  of  the  wholesale  operations  of  steam ;  the  retail 
business  is  of  comparatively  no  importance,  and  we  only  hear  of 
those  cases  which  occur  in  our  immediate  neighbourhood;  but  they 


128  THE    DIARY    OF    TIIILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

are  most  (Ici)lorably  frequent.  One  day  last  week  a  young  man 
jumped  from  the  car  on  the  Harlem  railroad,  to  recover  his  hat, 
which  had  blown  off,  fell  on  the  rails,  and  was  killed  in  a  shocking 
manner ;  and  yesterday  a  fine  lad,  eleven  years  of  age,  son  of  Mr. 
John  Steward,  Jr.,  an  old  ac(iuaintance  of  mine,  was  killed,  near 
P^lizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  by  a  similar  act  of  carelessness,  and  in 
the  same  manner. 

May  2.  — The  following  gentlemen  dined  with  us  :  ]\Ir.  William 
H.  Prescott,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Mr.  Brevoort,  I.  S.  Hone,  W.  B. 
Astor,  D.  C.  Golden,  Lieutenant-Governor  Bradish,  James  G.  King, 
and  Charles  A.  Davis.  Mr.  Prescott  is  exceedingly  pleased  with 
the  attentions  he  has  received  in  New  York,  and  in  truth  he  de- 
serves them  all.  He  is  agreeable  in  manners,  and  bright  in  con- 
versation, free  from  pedantry,  and  modest,  as  we  always  wish  to 
find  a  man  of  such  talents.  He  is  engaged  at  present  in  writing  a 
history  of  Mexico,  wliich  requires  about  a  year  to  be  finished.  His 
"  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  "  has  been  eminently  successful,  it  hav- 
ing passed  through  eight  editions  since  it  came  out  in  1S38,  and  is 
still  a  very  salable  book. 

May  3.  —  To-morrow  is  the  day  appointed  by  the 
Rhode  Island.  Rhodc  IsLind  insurgcnts  for  the  organization  of  their 
pretended  government  under  the  officers  illegally 
elected  by  what  is  called  the  '•'  free  suffrage  party."  In  expecta- 
tion of  the  violence  which  it  is  feared  will  attend  these  insurrec- 
tionary proceedings.  United  States  troops  have  been  sent  on  to 
Providence  from  the  different  stations ;  two  companies  went  from 
Governor's  Islanrl  a  day  or  two  since,  and  yesterday  a  detachment 
from  Norfolk  passed  through  this  city.  General  Wood  is  on  the 
spot  prepared  for  />i/sincss,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  prompt  inter- 
ference of  the  general  government  to  "  keep  the  peace  "  will  pre- 
vent bloodshed  for  the  present ;  but  finally  it  will  result,  as  it  always 
does,  in  the  "  fierce  democracy  "  getting  the  better  of  law  and 
good  ortler.  Downward,  downward,  is  the  tendency  of  all  politi- 
cal affairs  in  this  country  !      If  old  King  George  the  Third,  who  so 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 29 

reluctantly  released  us  from  colonial  bondage,  could  raise  his  obsti- 
nate head,  and  take  a  look  at  us,  how  would  he  rejoice  to  contem- 
plate the  probable  failure  of  our  experiment  of  self-government. 

May   13. — The    Union    Club    is    now    pretty   well 
Union  Club,     settled  in  its  new  quarters,  —  Mr.  William  B.  Astor's 

large  house,  in  Broadway,  higher  up  the  street,  and  on 
the  opposite  side  from  the  former  situation.  The  house  is  ex- 
ceedingly well  calculated  for  the  club,  or  will  be,  after  a  new  build- 
ing is  finished  in  the  rear,  intended  for  the  public  dining-room,  and 
kitchen  below.  It  has  been  newly  furnished  and  put  in  hand- 
some order  at  an  expense  (including  the  new  building)  of  ^7,000, 
—  an  excellent  lounging  place  for  old  and  young  beaux,  each  of 
whom  would  fain  wish  to  be  thought  what  the  other  is ;  where 
horse-racing  and  politics  are  discussed  by  those  who  know  little 
about  either  of  those  abstruse  sciences ;  where  the  *'  young  idea  " 
is  taught  to  shoot  billiard-balls,  and  study  the  mystery  of  whist ; 
and  where  I  frequent,  notwithstanding  the  satirical  tone  of  the 
present  remarks.  Such  is  the  inconsistency  of  man's  desires ! 
Happy  at  home,  I  seek  amusement  abroad ;  and,  preferring  my 
library  to  all  other  places,  I  join  the  society  of  men  who  know 
nothing  of  books  but  "  the  history  of  the  four  kings." 

May  19.  —  The  face  of  affairs  has  changed  in  Rhode 
Rhode  Island.  Island.     Govcmor  Dorr,  the  supernumerary  governor 

of  that  redoubtable  little  State,  who  came  to  New  York 
a  lamb,  and  was  sent  on  to  Providence  a  lion,  by  the  Tammany  sym- 
pathizers, drew  his  sword,  planted  his  cannon,  fortified  his  castle, 
issued  his  proclamation,  and  doomed  to  death,  without  "  benefit 
of  clergy,"  every  man  opposed  to  him.  But  finding  that  his 
friends  fell  from  him,  and  his  enemies  gathered  strength  and  cour- 
age, he  sheathed  his  Durandina,  withdrew  his  bloody  sentence,  as 
he  did  his  own  person,  and,  his  cannon  refusing  to  ^'•6'  off,  went  off 
himself  in  the  middle  of  the  night ;  and  when  Governor  King, 
accompanied  by  the  sheriff,  went  to  arrest  him  yesterday  morning, 
he  had  "absquatulated,"  "mizzled,"   "  made  tracks"    (either  of 


I30  THE    DTARV    OF    niTLir    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

whirli  terms  may  be  used,  each  being  considered  equally  classical 
in  the  slang  nomenclature  of  the  day,  and  particularly  appropriate 
and  expressive  in  the  present  case), — 

*'  And  Governor  Dorr 
Was  seen  no  more," 

The  first  accounts  from  Trovidence  led  us  to  suppose  that,  with 
the  retreat  of  the  leader,  the  opposition  to  the  laws  and  the  con- 
stituted authorities  had  ceased  ;  but  it  appears  that  a  body  of  his 
followers  still  retained  possession  of  the  cannon,  and  had  thrown 
up  a  sort  of  redoubt  for  their  defence  ;  but  this  was  probably  in- 
tended as  a  means  of  securing  a  favourable  capitulation,  and  the 
steamboat  to-morrow  will,  it  is  hoped,  bring  us  the  agreeable  tidings 
that  the  civil  war  is  at  an  end. 

Now,  what  a  pretty  figure  do  the  men  cut  who  encouraged  the 
Rhode  Island  rebels,  and  denounced  the  general  government  for 
the  interference  to  which  it  was  enjoined  by  the  Constitution  ! 
Some  of  them  begin  already  to  back  out.  Stephen  Allen  has  pub- 
lished a  sort  of  half-way  disavowal.  He  only  meant  "  to  advise 
the  President,  not  to  interfere."  "He  did  not  mean  to  take  sides 
with  the  insurgents,"  —  not  he,  good,  easy  man  !  "  He  was  engaged, 
and  did  not  attend  the  meeting."  Most  virtuous  citizen  !  But  he 
did  allow  his  name  to  be  used  by  a  set  of  fellows  of  whose  compan- 
ionship he  was  ashamed,  for  a  purpose  which  he  knew  could  come 
to  no  good  ;  and  so  he  will  again,  whenever  his  tools  say  he  must, 
and  so  will  Walter  Bowne,  and  John  J.  Morgan,  and  Churchill  C. 
Cambreling,  and  Campbell  P.  White ;  but  they  have  done  a  deed, 
the  bad  odour  of  which  they  will  never  be  able  to  shake  from  their 
garments.  If,  hereafter,  any  of  them  shall  go  to  Newport  or  Provi- 
dence, the  finger  of  scorn  will  be  pointed  at  them,  as  incendiaries 
who  threw  from  a  distance  a  brand  to  light  the  flames  of  civil  discord 
in  a  sister  State,  and  put  weapons  in  the  hands  of  misguided  men 
to  shed  the  blood  of  their  brethren  and  neighbours.  I  record  with 
pleasure  the  fact  that  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the   Loco-foco 


1842.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  131 

party  refused  to  be  made  parties  to  this  nefarious  proceeding.  My 
old  acquaintance,  John  Targee  (whose  orthodoxy  nobody  can 
doubt),  told  ms  to-day  that  he  refused  to  sign  the  call  for  the 
meeting,  as  an  affair  which  he  did  not  understand,  and  an  interfer- 
ence which  he  could  not  justify ;  and,  furthermore,  if  they  used  his 
name  he  would  come  out  publicly  and  disavow  it. 

May  30.  —  Robert  C.  Winthrop  has  resigned  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress, as  representative  from  Boston,  in  consequence  of  the  illness 
of  his  wife.  This  is  a  great  loss  at  such  a  time  as  the  present,  but 
one  which  can  be  repaired,  as  it  is  understood  that  Abbott  Law- 
rence, whose  health  is  restored,  will  consent  to  resume  his  place 
if  he  should  be  elected,  of  which,  for  the  credit  of  Boston,  there 
is  no  doubt. 

May  31.  —  Ex- President  Van  Buren,  who  is  on  an 
Rivlir^*"  excursion  to  the  South  and  West,  accompanied  by  Mr- 
Paulding,  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  after  having 
paid  his  respects,  as  in  duty  bound,  to  his  "  illustrious  predecessor" 
of  the  Hermitage,  went  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  where,  as  the 
account  states,  "  he  was  immediately  called  upon  by  Mr.  Clay,  with 
an  invitation  to  go  to  Ashland  (Mr.  Clay's  residence).  On  the 
next  day,  in  company  with  Mr.  Paulding,  he  went  to  Ashland,  in 
compliance  with  Mr.  Clay's  invitation,  where  he  remained  for  a  day 
or  two."  I  wonder  if  they  talked  about  Tyler. 
Departure  of  JuNE  8.  —  Ycstcrday  was  quite  a  day  of  jubilee  with 
the  "  George  me.  On  comiug  down  to  breakfast  I  found  a  kind  note 
ing  on,  fj.Qj^  y^j.  ^^LYnes  G.  King,  to  attend,  with  one  of  my  lady 
folk,  a  parting  breakfast,  given  at  Highwood,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dickens.  Margaret  and  I  went  over  at  ten  o'clock,  where  we  found 
the  Boz  and  Bozess,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald  Gracie,  Miss  Wilkes 
and  the  Doctor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colden,  Miss  Ward,  and  the  charm- 
ing family  of  our  host  and  hostess.  We  had  a  breakfast  worthy  of 
the  entertainers  and  the  entertained ;  and  such  strawberries  and 
cream  !  The  house,  and  the  grounds,  and  the  view,  and  the  libra- 
ries, and  the  conservatory  were  all  more  beautiful  than  I  have  ever 


132  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

seen  them.  Having  been  favoured  with  an  invitation  from  Grinnell, 
Minturn,  &  Co.,  the  owners  of  the  ship  "  George  Washington,"  to 
accompany  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickens  to  Sandy  Hook,  I  left  Margaret  to 
take  Mrs.  Golden  and  Miss  Wilkes  in  the  barouche  to  town,  and 
was  driven  down  to  Jersey  Gity,  where,  by  previous  arrangements,  a 
steamboat  was  sent  to  take  us  on  board,  and  we  embarked  with  a 
"  hurrali  "  from  the  people  assembled  on  the  dock.  We  found  on 
board  the  steamboat  a  large  party  of  gentlemen,  among  whom  were 
the  owners.  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  Drs.  Francis,  Gornell,  and  Wilkes  ; 
Mr.  Chapmm,  Mayor  of  Boston  ;  Judge  Warren,  of  New  Bedford  ; 
Mr.  Crit::en  len,  the  distinguished  Kentucky  senator ;  Gharles  King, 
D.  G.  Gollcn,  Simeon  Draper,  James  Bowen,  Henry  Gary,  J.  Pres- 
cott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  and  his  son,  and  other  gentlemen,  — 
a  right  pleasant  merry  company.  We  went  delightfully  down  to 
Sandy  Hook,  where  the  ship  lay  at  anchor.  Soon  after  we  came 
on  board  a  cold  collation  was  spread,  to  which  and  to  an  infinite 
number  of  bottles  of  champagne  wine  the  utmost  justice  was  done. 
Speeches  and  toasts  and  bright  sayings  went  around,  of  all  which 
Dickens  was  the  most  fruitful  theme.  I  gave  his  health  in  the  fol- 
lowing toast :  "  Gharles  Dickens  :  the  welcome  acquired  by  literary 
reputation  has  been  confirmed  and  justified  by  personal  inter- 
course." At  the  conclusion  of  this  jolly  repast  we  took  leave  of 
the  passengers  with  many  hearty  shakings  of  the  hands  and  good 
wishes,  returned  to  the  steamer,  towed  the  ship  to  the  point  off 
Sandy  Hook,  an  1  having  cast  her  off  and  given  three  cheers,  which 
were  returned  in  proper  style,  she  went  "  on  her  way  rejoicing," 
and  was  soon  out  of  sight,  and  the  party  returned  to  the  city  about 
six  o'clock. 

I  was  invited  to  dine  at  Mr.  Charles  A.  Davis's  ;  but  my  attendance 
at  the  Bank  for  Savings  prevented  my  being  there  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  dinner,  and  I  thereby  escaped  the  dull  part,  that  is,  the 
eating  part,  of  such  entertainments.  The  dinner  was  given  to  the 
great  financial  giants  who  arrived  in  the  "  Great  Western,"  —  Messrs. 
Horsley  Palmer  and  Sampson  Ricardo  ;  besides  whom  we  had  Mr. 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 33 

Labouchere,  and  a  gentleman  whose  hard   German  name  I  cannot 
recollect,  who  represents  the  great  house  of  Hope. 

I  was  placed  by  Mr.  Davis  in  the  lady's  seat  after  she  retired, 
where  I  had  an  opportunity  of  talking  a  great  deal  with  Messrs. 
Palmer  and  Ricardo.  The  former  gentleman  is  the  governing  spirit 
of  the  Bank  of  England,  which  governs  England ;  England  governs 
Europe,  and  Europe  governs  the  world,  etc. 

This  world  was  made  for  Horsley  Palmer;  his  solid,  portly 
presence,  and  the  bright,  shining  face  of  Mr.  Ricardo,  seem  to  be 
the  suitable  representative  and  embodiment  of  the  bank-notes  and 
the  gold  and  silver  of  Great  Britain.  It  is  their  first  visit  to  this 
country,  of  which  they  appear  to  have  favourable  predilections,  not- 
withstanding they  have  pretty  considerable  quantities  of  unpaid 
coupons  for  interest  on  State  loans.  The  rest  of  our  party  consisted 
of  Judge  Oakley,  the  Collector,  William  B.  Astor,  Moses  H.  Grinnell, 
Blatchford,  Parish,  John  I.  Palmer,  Jr.mes  G.  King,  Cornelius  W. 
Lawrence. 

June  14.  —  I  went  from  court  yesterday  to  dine  with  Mr.  Robert 
B.  Minturn.  It  was  a  most  delightful  dinner.  We  had  Mr.  Crit- 
tenden, Mr.  Horsley  Palmer,  Messrs.  Griffin,  Grinnell,  George 
Curtis,  John  C.  Hamilton,  Russell,  Gary,  Depeyster,  Ogden,  etc. 
At  nine  o'clock  Dr.  Wainwright  (who  had  also  a  dinner-party,  to 
which  I  was  invited)  joined  us,  with  several  of  his  guests ;  \az., 
Ogden  Hoffman,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  Mr.  Curtis,  of  Boston,  and  Judge 
Warren,  of  New  Bedford.  The  whole  party  sat  and  drank  fine  wine, 
and  had  conversation  of  the  most  brilliant  kind,  until  the  "  noon  of 
night." 

Fire-place,  June  24.  —  The  weather  being  fine  this  morning  I 
determined  to  make  a  visit  to  my  old  friend  Sam  Carman.  I  got 
Mr.  Crandell  to  send  me  alone,  in  a  nice  little  wagon,  with  a  man  to 
drive  a  pair  of  horses ;  alone,  for  I  could  not  get  a  single  com- 
panion, the  rest  of  the  party  having  planned  another  excursion  to 
the  bay.  Won't  the  blue-fish  be  glad  when  they  are  gone  !  I  got 
here  at  one  o'clock,  tried  for  trout  in  the  pond  before  dinner,  and 


134  ^'^ll'    l^IARY    OF    I'lIILIl'    IIOXIC.  [.Etat.  62. 

again  all  the  afLcrnoon,  and  took  only  two  ;  the  water  is  full  of  grass, 
it  is  too  late  in  the  season,  and,  if  the  truth  was  known,  I  do  not 
believe  there  are  as  many  trout  in  the  pond  as  there  used  to  be  ;  at 
any  rate,  I  will  console  myself  with  the  reason  that  unsuccessful 
fishermen  generally  give  for  bad  luck.  I  had,  however,  a  good 
dinner  and  supper,  and  after  an  hour's  gossip  with  Carman  and  his 
son  Joe,  I  retired  to  a  comfortable  bed  in  the  little  back  room  in 
which  I  have  so  often  in  the  olden  times  courted  "  Nature's  soft 
nurse,"  This  will  be  a  short  visit,  mayhap  the  last.  It  is  about 
forty- five  years  since  the  first. 

June  27.  —  Affliirs  in  Rhode  Island  between  Gov- 
Rhode  Island,  emor  King  and  the  friends  of  law  and  good  order, 
and  the  spurious  Governor  Dorr  and  the  insurgents, 
with  the  aid  of  their  auxiliaries  from  this  State  and  Connecti- 
cut, on  the  other  side,  have  drawn  to  a  crisis.  The  rebellion, 
after  being  apparently  smothered  for  a  while,  has  broken  out 
afresh.  Governor  Dorr,  as  he  is  styled,  is  regularly  encamped  at  a 
place  called  Chessacket,  between  Providence  and  the  Connecticut 
line,  and  about  six  miles  from  the  latter,  with  a  force  of  about  eight 
hundred  ragamuffins,  of  which  a  large  proportion  are  volunteers, 
sympathizers  from  New  York  and  Connecticut,  instigated  by  such 
men  as  Walter  Bowne,  John  J.  Morgan,  and  Stephen  Allen,  none 
of  whom  are  understood  as  yet  to  have  gone  to  the  wars.  Perhaps 
they  will,  when  the  first  heroes  shall  have  been  killed  in  battle,  or 
hanged,  as  they  certainly  will  be  if ''  the  King  "  (I  mean  Governor 
King)  "comes  to  his  right."  The  insurgents  have  twenty  pieces 
of  cannon,  principally  ships'  guns,  planted  on  a  hill  which  commands 
the  Providence  road,  and  the  barns,  cattle-sheds,  and  hen-roosts  of 
the  farmers  are  laid  under  contribution  to  keep  out  "  the  foul 
fiend  "  from  the  stomachs  of  this  heterogeneous  mass  of  rebellion 
and  rapine. 

In  the  mean  time  Governor  King  and  the  regularly  constituted 
authorities  of  the  State  are  adopting  the  most  energetic  measures, 
which  are   nobly  supported  by  the  citizens.      A  proclamation  was 


1S42.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP- HONE.  135 

issued  on  Saturday  by  the  Governor,  declaring  the  State  under 
martial  law ;  banks  are  closed  by  the  same  authority ;  the  students 
of  Brown  College  are  dispersed,  and  the  college  turned  into  bar- 
racks. No  person  is  allowed  to  cross  the  river  after  eight  o'clock, 
to  enter  or  leave  Providence  without  a  permit,  and  all  shops  and 
houses  must  be  closed  before  ten  o'clock.  The  citizens  are  armed 
and  doing  military  duty ;  troops  come  in  hourly  from  other  parts  of 
the  State ;  a  force  of  three  thousand  men  is  organized,  under  the 
command  of  Major-General  William  Gibbs  McNeill,  an  old  ac- 
quaintance of  mine  (and  a  sort  of  cousin,  his  wife  being  Mrs. 
Charles  Cammann's  daughter),  who  has  assumed  the  command, 
with  a  strong  staff  of  the  most  respectable  men  in  the  State ;  and 
the  city  of  Providence,  one  of  the  most  pleasant,  and  hitherto  most 
orderly,  cities  in  the  United  States  is  suddenly  transformed  into  a 
garrison,  and  the  noise  of  drums  and  trumpets  and  the  "  pride 
and  circumstance  of  glorious  war  "  have  succeeded  the  hum  of 
business  and  the  tranquillity  of  elegant  retirement  for  which  this 
capital  of  ^'  the  Providence  Plantations  "  has  always  been  cele- 
brated. 

June  28. — Yesterday  the  ceremony  took  place  of  letting  in  the 
waters  of  the  Croton  river  into  the  upper  reservoir  at  Yorkville, 
from  which  the  city  is  to  be  supplied  with  "  pure  and  wholesome 
water,"  at  an  enormous  expense,  which  is  felt  by  the  present,  and 
will  be  by  all  future,  generations  of  our  posterity. 

June  30.  —  The  civil  war  in  "  the  Providence  Plan- 
Rhode  Island,  tations  "  seems  to  be  suddenly  brought  to  a  conclusion. 
The  friends  of  law  and  good  order,  full  of  fight  and 
good  spirit,  as  they  certainly  were,  marched  out  from  Providence 
to  the  enemy's  entrenchments  at  Chessacket,  but  could  not  get  a 
fight,  because  "they  found  no  enemy  to  fight  withal,"  and  Major- 
General  McNeill  has  gathered  laurels  none  the  less  bright  for  being 
guiltless  of  blood.  On  the  arrival  of  the  troops  at  Governor  Dorr's 
"  headquarters,"  the  hero  had  again  run  away,  and  left  his  adher- 
ents to  shift  for  themselves  and  make   the  best  terms  they  could 


136  '11  IF.    1)1  A  RV    OF    I'll  1 1.  II'    ilOXF.  [/Flat.  62. 

with  the  conquerors.  There  was  some  little  skirmishing  between 
a  portion  of  the  insurgents  and  the  regular  tr(X)ps,  in  which  one 
man  was  killed  and  two  wounded  ;  but  the  camp  was  taken  quiet 
possession  of,  with  the  arms  and  ammunition,  i)owder  and  pump- 
kins, guns  and  geese,  pikes  and  pcjtatoes,  and  by  this  time  the  good 
peoi)le  of  Providence  have  returned  to  their  peaceful  pursuits,  for 
which  happy  deliverance  they  are  mainly  indebted  to  their  own 
gallant  conduct,  and  the  wisdom  and  determination  of  their  rulers. 
Dorr  escaped,  nobody  knows  where.  It  is  said  that  he  has  been 
seen  here  in  New  York,  — not  very  unlikely,  for  he  makes  this  his 
"City  of  Refuge."  Here  are  friends  to  sympathize  in  his  misfor- 
tunes, and  stimulate  him  to  future  ''deeds  of  daring."  Tammany 
Hall  infuses  in  his  manly  bosom  a  certain  quantity  of  valour  with 
which,  from  time  to  time,  he  marches  to  the  field  of  battle,  but 
which,  like  a  Yankee  clock,  is  only  warranted  to  go  for  a  certain 
short  period,  and,  like  a  bottle  of  champagne  manufactured  for  a 
specific  market,  is  sure  to  evaporate  as  soon  as  the  cork  is  started 
at  his  ''  Headquarters,  Gloucester,  R.I." 

The  friends  of  law  and  order  are  indebted  for  this  liappy  and 
bloodless  result  of  the  dangers  with  which  they  were  threatened, 
to  their  own  manly  spirit  and  uncompromising  devotion  to  the  true 
interests  of  their  gallant  little  State  ;  they  marched  out  to  fight  the 
insurgents  with  courage  and  promptness  worthy  of  their  sires,  and 
besides  the  actual  citizens  of  the  State,  many  of  her  native  sons 
resident  in  other  States  rallied  around  her  in  the  "  hour  of  her 
need."  I  saw  young  Blatchford,  who  was  sent  by  Governor  Seward 
to  ascertain  if  any  of  the  arms  or  munitions  belonging  to  the  State 
of  New  York  had  been  surreptitiously  conveyed  to  Rhode  Island, 
or  any  of  our  citizens  taken  in  arms  among  the  insurgents.  He  told 
me  he  saw  my  neighbour,  Charles  H.  Russell,  with  his  sw^ord  at  his 
side  and  spurs  on  his  heels,  serving  as  aidc-dc-canip  to  General 
McNeill,  with  whom  he  rode  out  to  the  camp  of  the  insurgents 
when  a  battle  was  expected,  and  returned  the  same  night  after  the 
enemy  had  fled.     Insurrection    and  rebellion  have  no  terrors  when 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 3/ 

met  thus,  and  boldly  confronted  by  patriotism  and  loyalty,  and  the 
spirit  now  manifested  will  be  the  best  security  from  future  attempts 
against  the  peace  of  the  State. 

July  12.  —  My  wife  and  I  drove  out  this  afternoon 
Croton  Works,  to  sce  the  two  reservoirs  in  which  the  Croton  water 
was  introduced  a  few  days  since.  This  great  work  ij 
thus  completed,  with  the  exception  of  the  magnificent  aqueduct  by 
which  it  is  intended  to  convey  the  water  across  the  Harlem  river, 
where  pipes  are  now  temporarily  laid  down  from  one  bank  to  the 
other  on  a  level  with  the  water.  We  visited  first  the  receiving 
reservoir  near  Yorkville,  consisting  of  two  basins  which  cover  about 
thirty  acres,  a  solid  fabric,  erected  on  a  height  sufficient  to  convey 
the  water  to  the  tops  of  the  houses  in  the  city.  The  outer  walls 
are  of  handsome  wrought  stone,  the  basins  lined  with  a  dry  slope 
wall,  one  twenty  and  the  other  thirty  feet  in  depth.  They  are  at 
present  about  half  full,  and  the  clear,  sweet,  soft  water  (clear  it  is, 
and  sweet,  and  soft ;  for  to  be  in  the  fashion  I  drank  a  tumbler  of 
it,  and  found  it  all  these)  is  flowing  in  copiously,  and  has  already 
formed  two  pretty,  limpid,  placid,  Mediterranean  seas,  of  whole- 
some temperance  beverage,  well  calculated  to  cool  the  palates  and 
quench  the  thirst  of  the  New  Yorkers,  and  to  diminish  the  losses 
of  the  fire-insurance  companies.  There  were  a  great  number  of 
visitors  at  this  place,  —  pedestrians,  horsemen,  railroad  travellers,  and 
those  who,  like  myself,  came  in  their  own  carriages  (which,  if  they 
had  no  more  right  than  me  to  do,  was  very  reprehensible),  —  for  it 
has  become  a  fashionable  place  of  resort ;  and  well  it  may,  for  it  is 
well  worth  seeing. 

We  then  came  down  and  stopped  at  the  lower,  or  distributing, 
reservoir,  at  Murray's  Hill,  about  two  miles  above  my  house,  which 
I  had  not  seen  since  the  arrival  of  the  waters.  The  two  basins  here 
have  about  one-third  of  their  quantity  of  water,  and  the  distributing 
pipes  are  filled  and  the  waters  being  supplied  to  such  places  in 
town  as  are  prepared  for  it.  This  great  enterprise  will  cost 
;^ 1 0,000,000,  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable,  and  an  evidence  of  its 


138  THE    DIARV    OF    I'lIILlP    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

acknowledged  utility,  that  with  the  certainty  of  a  tremendous  in- 
crease of  taxation  consequent  upon  it,  to  the  present  generation 
and  its  posterity,  and  in  party  times,  too,  when  men  are  so  hard  to 
please,  not  a  voice  has  been  raised  against  it,  and  all  parties  hail 
the  advent  of  the  "  pure  and  wholesome  water,"  after  its  journey 
on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and  across  the  watercourses 
of  miles,  as  a  proud  event  for  our  city,  and  one  which  enables 
the  Knickerbockers  to  hold  their  heads  high  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth. 

July  13. — The  splendid  edifice   fronting    on  Wall, 
ew    or         "William,  and  Pine  streets  is  now   entirely   completed, 

Custom-House.  '  J  l  7 

and  has  been  occupied  as  the  New  York  Custom- 
House,  in  all  its  manifold  and  complicated  departments,  since  the 
first  of  May.  It  is  intended  to  collect  the  import  revenue  upon  the 
commerce  of  the  nation ;  but  how  if  it  should  prove  that,  the  com- 
merce being  annihilated,  there  will  be  no  revenue  to  collect?  A 
splendid  reservoir  has  been  prepared,  with  fountains  whose  streams 
are  to  irrigate  the  land  in  all  quarters ;  but  how  melancholy  would 
it  be  to  discover  that,  after  all  these  preparations,  the  springs  are  to 
be  dried  up  and  the  waters  have  ceased  to  flow.  It  looks  awfully 
like  it  just  now.  The  natural  earth  is  sufficiendy  soaked,  in  all 
reason  ;  but  the  exchequer  is  dry,  —  dry  as  powder.  The  waters  are 
stagnant,  but  the  government  runs  in  debt  alone.  The  building  of 
the  Custom-House  was  commenced  in  May,  1834,  and  the  edifice 
finished,  with  its  furniture  complete,  in  May,  1842  ;  cost,  $985,000. 
The-  statement  of  the  cost  of  this  magnificent  winding  sheet  of 
departed  commerce  is  taken  from  an  elaborate  and  well  written 
description  published  in  the  "  Commercial  Advertiser,"  of  this  after- 
noon. A  stranger  walking  from  Broadway  down  Wall  street  would 
laugh  heartily  at  these  lugubrious  expressions  of  mine,  and  be  apt  to 
remark,  "  If  these  are  the  grave-clothes  of  commerce,  of  what  ma- 
terials were  her  bridal  garments  composed?"  With  his  back  to 
"  New  Trinity,"  the  most  beautiful  structure  of  stone  in  America 
(and    I    know    of  none  more  beautiful  anywhere),  he  passes  the 


1842.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 39 

Custom-House,  which  cost  a  million ;  eight  or  ten  banks,  each  a 
palace  for  the  worship  of  mammon ;  and  the  New  Exchange,  with  a 
portico  of  granite  columns  such  as  Sir  Christopher  Wren  had  no 
notion  of;  worthy,  indeed,  of  Palladio  or  Michael  Angelo,  —  an  edi- 
fice the  cost  of  which  sunk  all  the  money  of  myself  and  other  fools 
who  subscribed  for  it,  besides  contracting  a  debt  of  which  nothing 
but  the  interest  will  ever  be  paid  out  of  the  income.  These,  with 
brokers' offices  and  the  "  seats  of  money-changers  "  (there  are  none 
who  "  sell  doves,"  that  I  know  of,  though  there  may  be  many 
pigeons'),  some  of  which  have  cost  extravagant  sums,  would  convey 
to  the  mind  of  the  wayfaring  man  an  image  wholly  different  from 
that  of  commercial  distress  and  pecuniary  embarrassment ;  and  yet 
that  these  do  exist  at  this  moment,  in  a  degree  altogether  unprece- 
dented, there  can  be  no  doubt.  Verily,  the  good  people  of  New- 
York,  and  especially  the  merchants,  like  the  apothecary  in  the 
"  Honey  Moon,"  have  "  new-gilded  their  pestle  and  mortar  in  the 
jaws  of  bankruptcy."  The  cage  is  splendid,  but  the  bird  has  fled. 
The  setting  is  costly  enough,  but  the  jewel  is  lost,  or  has  been 
pawned  or  gambled  away.  There  must  be  a  recuperative  principle 
in  this  great  country  to  restore  things  some  time  or  another,  but  I 
shall  not  live  to  see  it. 

July  27.  —  I  was  grieved  to  see,  in  a  New  York  paper,  that  my 
old  friend,  Goold  Hoyt,  died  at  Sharon  Springs,  on  Friday,  2 2d 
instant.     He  was  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

August    2.  —  Mr.    Webster's    emphatic    declaration. 

Negotiations 

with  which  he  made  to  me  in  March,  that  all  the  negotia- 

Engiand,  tious  between  us  and  Great  Britain  would  be  settled 
before  September,  seems  to  be  in  a  fair  progress  of  accomplish- 
ment. The  ugliest  knot  is  now  said  to  be  disentangled.  Nothing 
official  has  been  published ;  but  it  is  generally  understood  at  Wash- 
ington that  the  basis  of  a  treaty  in  relation  to  the  Maine  boundary 
has  been  settled  between  Lord  x\shburton  and  the  Secretary  of 
State,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  commissioners  who  represent  the 
States  of  Massachusetts  and  Maine. 


I40  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

The  terms,  no  doubt,  are  mutually  honourable  and  advantageous, 
notwithstanding  some  of  the  demagogues  in  Congress  who  would 
consent  to  see  the  ship  of  state  a  wreck,  rather  than  that  she  should 
be  saved  by  a  Whig  pilot,  are  making  a  clamour  about  the  terms  of 
the  settlement  agreed  upon  before  they  know  what  it  is,  and  con- 
demning measures  which  they  could  not  understand,  to  minister  to 
the  morbid  appetite  of  party-spirit.  It  is  reported  and  believed 
that  the  terms  agreed  upon  are  a  cession  by  the  United  States  of  a 
portion  of  the  disputed  territory  sufficient  to  give  Great  Britain  a 
transit  from  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  to  Canada,  for  which 
a  portion  of  land,  I  believe,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Champlain  is 
ceded  to  us.  For  this  relinquishment  Great  Britain  is  to  pay  ^400,- 
000  or  $500,000,  which  will  probably  go  to  quiet  the  two  States 
which  claim  the  territory,  and  there  is  very  little  doubt  that  they  will 
sell  their  worthless  swamps  and  barren  hemlock  lands  at  a  good 
round  price  ;  and,  what  is  of  more  consequence,  a  joint  participa- 
tion in  the  navigation  of  the  St.  John's  river  is  secured  to  the 
United  States,  which,  by  giving  an  outlet  to  the  lumber,  will  increase 
the  value  of  the  remaining  lands. 

In  confirmation  of  the  report  that  this  difficult  question  is  in  a 
certain  train  of  amicable  adjustment,  Mr.  Webster  gave  a  dinner 
the  other  day  to  Lord  Ashburton,  at  which  were  present  the  Presi- 
dent, the  cabinet  ministers,  and  the  commissioners  of  Massachusetts 
and  Maine,  at  which  much  mutual  good- will  was  exhibited,  and  lov- 
ing toasts  and  tender  speeches  were  made  by  the  reconciled  lovers. 
Lord  Ashburton  gave  "The  President,"  with  a  complimentary  senti- 
ment to  "Brother  Jonathan;"  to  which  the  Secretary  responded, 
coaxing  "John  Bull"  through  his  lovely  queen;  and  the  President 
gave  "The  Commissioners,"  with  "Blessed  are  the  peace-makers;" 
from  which  latter  circumstance  it  may  be  inferred  that  no  danger  is 
to  be  apprehended  in  that  wayward  and  unreliable  quarter. 

August  17.  —  A  letter  has  been  published  in  some 

"Boz."  of  our  newspapers,  signed    "Charles  Dickens,"  dated 

July    15,    and    addressed    from  "  Devonshire  Terrace, 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  I41 

Parkgate,"  "To  the  Editor  of  the  '  Morning  Chronicle,'  "  which  con- 
tains some  sentiments  so  derogatory  to  our  country,  in  which  the 
writer  has  been  so  recently  honoured  to  the  full  extent  of  his  deserv- 
ing, that  nothing  is  left  for  Mr.  IJickensbut  to  deny  its  authenticity, 
to  save  himself  from  the  merited  charges  of  wilful  misrepresenta- 
tions and  gross  ingratitude.  I  have  wTitten  him  a  letter,  calling  for 
his  avowal  or  denial  of  this  unworthy  piece  of  splendid  impudence, 
which  is  copied  in  my  letter-book ;  and  he  must  stand  or  fall,  in  my 
estimation,  by  his  answer,  if  he  chooses  to  make  one.  If  the  fol- 
lowing sentiments  are,  indeed,  Mr.  Dickens's,  he  has  proved  himself 
a  slanderer  more  vile  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  in  the  disreputa- 
ble trade  of  misrepresenting  the  United  States  and  their  people  :  — 
*' Though  in  my  travels  from  city  to  city  I,  of  course,  found 
much  to  be  pleased  with  and  astonished  at,  yet  the  total  difference 
between  our  good  old  English  customs  and  the  awkwardness,  the 
uncouth  manners,  and  the  unmitigated  selfishness  which  you  meet 
everywhere  in  America,  made  my  journey  one  of  a  good  deal  of 
annoyance.  I  do  not  think  the  Americans,  as  a  people,  have  much 
good  taste.  To  a  person  brought  up  among  them,  and  in  their 
own  way,  of  course  the  glaring  faults  that  strike  a  stranger  do  not 
appear ;  but  to  any  well-bred  man  from  abroad,  the  effect  of  the 
prevalent  features  of  the  American  character  is  by  no  means 
agreeable."  The  following  is  a  part  of  this  letter,  so  arrogant  and 
so  ungrateful  that  I  am  led  to  hope  the  whole  may  be  a  forgery : 
*'  It  may  be  said  that  I,  of  all  persons,  ought  to  be  blind  to  the 
dark  spots  of  x\merican  character,  treated  as  I  have  been  by  the 
American  people.  I  do  not  agree  with  this  view  of  the  case.  I 
did  not  seek  their  attentions,  their  dinners,  and  their  balls.  On 
the  contrary,  these  things  were  forced  upon  me  ;  many  times  to  the 
serious  inconvenience  of  myself  and  my  party.  The  kindness 
of  a  friend,  if  it  is  troublesome  and  officious,  often  annoys  as 
much  as  the  injuries  of  an  enemy.  The  Americans  have  most  of 
the  faults  both  of  the  English  and  French,  with  very  few  of  their 
virtues.     I  never  thought  that  I  was  petted,  merely  for  myself ;  but 


142  THE    DIARY    OF    Til  I  LIT    HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

as  a  kind  of  monster,  to  look  at,  and  imbue  my  keepers  with 
somewhat  of  the  notoriety  that  enveloped  myself.  I  can  freely  and 
confidently  say  that  this  was  the  case,  almost  without  exception." 

August  23. — This  day  should  be  marked  with  a 
T-'^rif/  ^"  white  stone.  Two  gleams  of  sunshine  have  broken 
through  the  dark  clouds  which  obscure  the  political 
horizon,  and  men  look  round  upon  each  other,  as  who  should  say, 
"  May  not  these  things  lead  to  better  times?"  This  day  we  have 
two  pieces  of  agreeable  intelligence  :  the  treaty  with  England  is 
ratified  by  the  Senate  and  promulgated,  and  the  tariff  bill  has 
passed  the  House  of  Representatives. 

His  mission  of  peace  having  been  accomplished, 
Lord  Ash-        t^jg  distinguished  nobleman,  who  has  "  bought   golden 

burton.  .     .  ,,      i       •  i  •  •  •         iir      i  • 

opmions  durmg  his  sojourn  m  Uashmgton,  came 
this  way  on  a  short  excursion,  previous  to  his  sailing  for  England 
in  the  "Warspite  "  frigate,  which  has  been  lying  in  our  harbour  to 
await  his  departure.  His  lordship  came  to  New  York  on  Monday, 
where  the  "Governor's  Room,"  in  the  City  Hall,  has  been  hand- 
somely appropriated  by  the  common  council  to  his  use  ;  but  which, 
from  his  short  stay,  he  did  not  avail  himself  of.  He  dined  yester- 
day with  a  party  of  gentlemen  at  James  G.  King's  splendid  seat  at 
Highwood,  Weehawken.  Mr.  King  took  much  pains  to  find  me,  to 
partake  of  this  handsome  feast  and  to  pass  the  night  at  Highwood, 
where  I  should  probably  have  gone  if  I  had  known  of  it ;  in  which 
case  I  should  have  avoided  Francis's  dose,  and  perhaps  not  have 
been  so  well  as  I  am  to-day. 

August  26.  —  "The  deed  is  done:"  the  revenue 
Tariff  Bill.       bill,  or  the  tariff  bill,  or  whatever  it  is   called   by  men 

of  different  opinions,  passed  the  Senate  on  Saturday 
evening,  with  some  trifling  amendments,  which  will  probably  be  in- 
stantly adopted  by  the  House ;  and  Monsieur  Veto,  it  is  thought, 
will  not  exercise  his  oft-used  and  abused  privilege  by  refusing  his 
assent.  Laus  Deo,  however,  I  rejoice  that  this  great  question  is 
likely  to  be  settled.     This  and   the  Webster   and   Ashburton  treaty 


1S42.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 43 

will  make  matters  easier  in  this   poor   country,  unless   the   patient 
has  been  brought  so  low  that  no   remedies   can   save   her.     The 
circulation  !   the  circulation  is  stopped  ! 
^.        ^  September  2.  —  The  dinner  to  Lord  Ashburton  was 

Dinner  to 

Lord  Ash-  given  last  evening,  at  the  Astor  House.  Mr.  Peter  A. 
burton.  j^^  presided,  with  James  D.  P.  Ogden  and  Moses  H. 

Grinnell  as  vice-presidents.  Among  the  guests  besides  his  lord- 
ship were  the  following  :  Messrs.  Mildmay  and  Bruce,  of  the  Le- 
gation ;  Mr.  Buchanan  and  Mr.  Grattan,  British  consuls  at  New 
York  and  Boston  ;  Lord  John  Hay  and  the  officers  of  the  "  War- 
spite  ;  "  Mr.  Horsley  Palmer  and  Mr.  Speddings ;  Rev.  Dr.  Wain- 
wright  and  Rev.  Dr.  Potts ;  the  Mayor ;  Hon.  George  Evans, 
senator  for  Maine ;  Colonel  Bankhead,  U.S.  Army ;  and  Commo- 
dore Perry,  of  the  Navy. 

The  dinner  was  exceedingly  good,  and  the  decorations  of  the 
room  in  admirable  taste ;  and  everything  went  off  successfully, 
although  some  of  the  papers  find  fault  with  the  committee  of 
arrangements  for  some  alleged  neglect  to  that  tenacious  body  of 
gentlemen,  the  reporters,  who  went  off  in  a  huff  after  the  fourth 
toast ;  for  this,  and  because  the  toast  to  the  President  was  not 
cheered,  some  of  them  (especially  the  abusive  "  Herald  ")  are 
pouring  out  the  vials  of  their  wrath  upon  the  devoted  heads  of  the 
committee  of  arrangements  as  if  it  was  their  business  to  indicate 
to  the  company  the  amount  of  approbation  with  which  the  toasts 
they  had  prepared  should  be  received  by  the  company,  and  to 
regulate  the  amount  of  their  enthusiasm.  It  is  true  that  a  dead 
silence  was  spread  over  the  room  on  the  drinking  of  that  toast,  and 
it  is  equally  true  that  the  next  one,  '^The  Queen,"  was  differently  re- 
ceived ;  and  I  could  have  wished  it  otherwise.  Mr.  Tyler  certainly 
had  no  claims  upon  the  affection  or  respect  of  the  individuals 
present ;  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  a  sentiment  of  respect  for  the 
exalted  office  he  holds  would  have  prompted  all  present  to  receive 
the  toast  with  the  accustomed  honours  if  the  Chair  had  set  the 
example,  whose  duty  I  think  it  was ;    and   as  there  was   none   of 


144  '^^^^^    DIARY    OV    rillLlP    HONE.  [.Etat.  62. 

that  spontaneous  feeling  in  favour  of  the  individual,  which  some- 
times sets  a  com])any  in  the  humour  to  cheer  and  applaud,  the 
toast  passed  off  witli  the  ominous  silence  which  has  been  com- 
plained of;  but  it  certainly  was  not  the  fault  of  the  committee. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  the  gentlemen  composing  the 
committee  of  arrangements,  —  and  things  ha\-e  come  to  a  pretty 
pass  in  our  heterogeneous  city,  if  such  men,  most  of  whom  have 
devoted  their  lives  to  the  gratuitous  service  of  their  fellow-citizens, 
should  be  thus  abused  by  a  foreign  blackguard,  who  gains  a  liveli- 
hood by  administering  to  the  bad  taste  and  worse  morals  of  an 
ungrateful  public :  James  D.  P.  Ogden,  Prosper  ]\I.  Wetmore, 
James  Lee,  Benjamin  L.  Swan,  George  Griswold,  James  G.  King, 
Robert  B.  Minturn,  Stephen  Whitney,  William  B.  Astor,  Cornelius 
AV.  Lawrence,  and  Theodore  Sedgwick. 

September  14. — The  amusement  of  prize-fighting, 
Boxing.  the  disgrace  of  which  was  formerly  confined  to  England, 

to  the  grief  and  mortification  of  the  moral  and  respect- 
able part  of  her  subjects,  and  the  disgust  of  travellers  from  other 
countries,  has  become  one  of  the  fashionable  abominations  of  our 
loafer-ridden  city.  Several  matches  have  been  made  lately ;  the 
parties,  their  backers,  betters,  and  abettors,  with  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  degraded  amateurs  of  this  noble  science,  conveyed 
by  steamboats  chartered  for  the  purpose,  have  been  following  the 
champions  to  Staten  Island,  Westchester,  and  up  the  North  river, 
out  of  tlie  jurisdiction  (as  was  supposed)  of  the  authorities  of  New 
York ;  and  the  horrid  details,  with  all  their  disgusting  technicalities 
and  vulgar  slang,  have  been  regularly  presented  in  the  "  New  York 
Herald,"  to  gratify  the  vitiated  palates  of  its  readers,  whilst  the 
orderly  citizens  have  wept  for  the  shame  which  they  could  not 
prevent. 

One  of  those  infamous  meetings  took  place  yesterday  on  the 
bank  of  the  North  river  in  Westchester,  the  particulars  of  which 
are  given  at  length  in  that  precious  sheet  and  others  of  a  similar 
character.     Two  men,  named  Lilly  and  McCoy,  thumped  and  bat- 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I45 

tered  each  other  for  the  gratification  of  a  brutal  gang  of  spectators, 
until  the  latter,  after  one  hundred  and  nineteen  rounds,  fell  dead  in 
the  ring,  and  the  other  ruffian  was  smuggled  away  and  made  his 
escape  from  the  hands  of  insulted  justice. 

September   17.  —  The  people  seem  at  last  to  be  a 
Executive        \[\_^\q  arouscd  at  Mr.  Tyler's  tyrannical  and  proscriptive 

Proscription. 

administration  of  the  government.  His  last  act  is  in- 
tolerable, and  if  there  was  any  spirit  in  the  people  it  would  be 
visited  with  impeachment.  He  has  removed  from  the  office  of  Col- 
lector of  Philadelphia  a  fine  old  American  gentleman,  —  Jonathan 
Roberts,  a  man  of  his  own  appointment,  who  has  acted  in  all  things 
upon  the  very  principles  in  relation  to  political  matters  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  official  duties  which  our  inconsistent  President  laid 
down  on  his  entrance   into  the  office  which  he  so  unworthily  fills. 

Mr.  Tyler  orders  the  collector  to  turn  out  of  office  thirty  inferior 
officers,  tide-waiters,  measurers  and  weighers,  for  the  alleged  crime 
of  being  friendly  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  to  appoint  in  their  places  others 
whom  he  designates,  —  Tyler  men.  This  mandate  is  given  in  a 
tone  worthy  of  the  Grand  Sultan,  —  "  for  reasons  satisfactory  to 
myself."  When  Mr.  Roberts  attempted  to  remonstrate  with  the 
President,  saying  that  the  present  incumbents  are  capable  and 
honest,  and  that  they  are  men  of  family,  and  come  up  to  the  Presi- 
dent's standard  of  non-interference  in  politics,  the  savage  order  is 
further  enforced  by  the  sapient  son  and  secretary  of  the  unfeeling 
despot,  who  closes  his  official  rescript  in  the  following  language, 
worthy  of  that  amiable  autocrat,  Paul  of  Russia,  "  He,  therefore  [his 
honoured  papa],  has  ordered  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  desires  the 
requisition  he  has  made  on  you  in  the  matter  to  be  at  once  and  to 
the  letter  complied  with." 

This  is  /e  roi  le  vent  with  a  vengeance.  But  Mr.  Roberts  is  not 
pliant  and  subservient  enough  for  the  times  and  for  Mr.  Tyler.  He 
goes  on  to  Washington,  and,  after  much  contumelious  treatment  from 
the  satrap  of  the  palace,  is  admitted  to  an  audience  by  Kouli  Khan, 
who  cuts  him  dead,  as  the  saying  is,  and  tells  him  plainly,  "■  Turn 


146  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  62. 

these  men  out,  or  I  shall  turn  you  out."  The  old  veteran  does  not 
understand  this  language.  He  refuses  to  obey  the  order,  saying,  in 
his  honest  heart,  "  I'll  see  you  d — d  first."  He  returns  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  has  hardly  arrived  when  a  supersedeas  is  handed 
to  him  by  a  Mr.  Smith,  who  is  appointed  in  his  place,  and  stands 
ready,  no  doubt,  to  do  this  or  any  other  dirty  work  to  which  he  may 
be  ordered.  In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Roberts  is  applauded  for  his 
firmness  and  honoured  for  his  independence.  Meetings  are  held  in 
Philadelphia  to  condemn  the  President  and  to  exalt  his  victim,  of 
whom  it  will  be  said  in  his  retirement :  — 

"  Great  Cincinnatus,  at  his  plough. 
With  brighter  lustre  shone, 
Than  guilty  Ceesar  e'er  could  show 
When  seated  on  a  throne." 


Phelps  in 
Limbo. 


September  30.  —  My  old  friend,  Thaddeus  Phelps, 
having  been  cited  to  appear  before  the  grand  jury  to 
testify  in  the  examination  of  the  facts  in  the  duel  case 
between  Webb  and  Marshall,  appeared,  but  refused  to  give  evi- 
dence, on  the  ground  that  information  was  derived  from  another 
person  in  confidence,  and  that  he  was  in  honour  bound  not  to  betray 
him.  He  stated,  however,  that  his  informant  was  not  Colonel 
Webb,  nor  any  other  person  concerned  in  the  duel.  This,  I  think, 
should  have  been  satisfactory  to  the  grand  jury ;  but  they  thought 
otherwise,  and  Phelps  was  taken  before  the  court,  where  he  per- 
sisted in  his  refusal,  but  disclaimed  any  intentional  disrespect,  and 
was  ready  to  "  bow  to  their  mandate ;  "  on  which  he  was  sent  to 
prison  for  ten  days.  But  his  confinement  is  only  a  technical 
sort  of  affliir,  for  I  find  his  wooden  leg  is  still  stumping  its  way  in 
Wall  street ;   in  custody,  I  presume. 

October  i.  —  Great  interest  has  been  excited  in  the 

e  s  er  s  pQ^jj-j^,^]  circles,  by  a  promised  speech  to  be  made  by 

Mr.  Webster  to  his  friends  in  Boston.     He  had  declined 

the  offer  of  a  public  dinner,  expressing  his  preference  for  a  meeting 


1842.J  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  1 47 

of  the  Whigs,  before  whom  he  might  define  his  position  in  relation 
to  Mr.  Tyler's  cabinet.  This  meeting  took  place,  and  the  great 
speech  was  made  yesterday  in  Faneuil  Hall,  the  cradle  of  liberty, 
and  the  theatre  of  many  of  the  proudest  triumphs  of  the  accom- 
plished orator  and  patriotic  statesman  who  now  appeared  before 
the  assembled  multitude  of  Whigs.  The  speech  is  published  in 
several  of  our  newspapers,  reporters  having  been  sent  from  this 
city,  who  appear  to  have  done  justice  to  the  important  subject. 
It  is  a  great  speech  ;  on  such  an  occasion,  and  from  such  a  source, 
it  could  not  be  otherwise,  but  it  wdll  throw  the  whole  Whig  party 
into  confusion.  Mr.  Webster  defends  his  continuance  in  the  cab- 
inet, and  gives  good  and  sufficient  reasons  for  it,  in  the  labour  he 
has  performed  and  the  success  he  has  achieved  in  the  negotiation 
of  the  British  treaty  ;  and  in  this  all  the  good  men  of  his  party,  and 
all  candid  men  in  the  nation,  would  now  willingly  bear  him  out ; 
but,  unfortunately,  he  goes  further.  He  intimates  pretty  clearly  that 
he  means  to  remain,  and  justifies  in  many  particulars,  to  which  his 
friends  will  not  consent,  the  course  of  Mr.  Tyler's  administration. 
For  these  causes  moderate  Whigs  are  sorry,  and  violent  ones 
abusive ;  and  the  latter  description  of  politicians  are  for  hauling 
neck  and  heels  out  of  the  party  the  man  who  has  heretofore  been 
its  ornament  and  pride,  —  the  theme  of  their  extravagant  panegyric, 
as  he  is  now  of  their  violent  denunciation.  How  uncertain  is  the 
favour  of  the  people  !  How  unsatisfactory  the  calling  of  politics  ! 
Such  a  man  as  Daniel  Webster  may  be  in  an  instant  blown  down 
by  the  same  breath  which  set  him  up.  There  is  no  breathing- 
spell  in  the  popular  voice  between  the  last  vibrating  shout  of  "  Hal- 
lelujah "  and  the  first  appalling  cry  of  "  Crucify  him  !  " 

Mr.  Webster's  recent  movement  will,  no  doubt,  be  prejudicial  to 
the  prospects  of  the  Whig  party ;  but  for  himself  personally  there  is 
much  palliation.  The  flood  which  has  set  in  with  a  force  so  irre- 
sistible for  Mr.  Clay  as  the  next  candidate  for  the  Presidency  can 
never  convey  Mr.  Webster  on  its  bosom  to  personal  honour  or 
political    distinction.      These    two   eminent    men    are    undeniably 


I4cS  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

rivals ;  their  talents,  public  services,  and  exalted  rank  in  the  great 
Whig  army  of  the  Union  have  raised  for  each  a  personal  party,  and, 
their  pretensions  being  equal,  the  elevation  of  one  forbids  that  of 
the  other  ;  the  sun  of  popular  favour  shining  on  one  must  inevitably 
throw  the  other  into  the  shade  ;  and,  whatever  simulated  expressions 
of  good-will  may  pass  between  them,  it  is  impossible  they  should  be 
friends.  It  is,  perhaps,  unfortunate  for  tlie  party  that  it  has  two 
such  men  in  its  ranks  ;  their  political  opponents  are  not  so  troubled. 
Mr.  Webster  is  not  a  party  to  his  unceremonious  ejectment  from 
the  cause,  nor  from  among  the  men  with  whom  he  has  been  so 
nobly  identified  during  his  whole  brilliant  career  of  political  ser- 
vice. He  only  differs  on  the  best  means  of  serving  them  ;  he 
deprecates  the  measures  of  the  administration  in  some  particulars, 
av^ows  his  steady  opposition  to  the  fatal  exercise  of  the  veto  power, 
but  submits  to  his  hearers  whether  the  cause  they  support  and  the 
principles  they  advocate  cannot  be  better  served  by  him  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  cabinet,  than  by  some  other  person  who  may  be  ap- 
pointed his  successor,  less  acquainted  with  their  interests,  and  less 
capable  of  promoting  them.  In  short,  shall  he,  a  tried  friend, 
leave  his  place  at  the  risk  of  seeing  it  filled  by  an  enemy?  Plaus- 
ible, certainly,  if  not  convincing  ;  but,  whatever  may  be  his  deter- 
mination on  the  subject  of  his  own  course  in  relation  to  his 
continuance  in  the  cabinet,  which  constitutes  the  mam  ground  of 
difference  between  him  and  the  other  friends  of  Mr.  Clay,  he  thus 
expresses  himself  proudly  and  emi)hatically  as  to  his  undeviating 
adherence  to  what  he  considers  Whig  principles.  And  if  Daniel 
Webster  does  not  understand  the  meaning  of  the  term,  where  shall 
we  look  for  its  exposition?  "  I  am  a  Whig,  '  he  says  ;  "  I  always 
have  been  one,  and  I  always  shall  be  one  ;  and  if  anybody  under- 
takes to  turn  me  out  of  the  pale  of  that  communion,  let  him  see  to 
it  who  gets  out  first  !  I  am  a  Massachusetts  Whig,  —  a  Faneuil- 
Hall  Whig,  —  breathing  her  air  now  for  twenty-five  years,  and  mean- 
ing to  breathe  it  on  the  spot  so  long  as  God  shall  please  to  give  me 
life."     On  tlie  whole,  this  speech  is  one  of  the  most  important  in- 


1842.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 49 

ciJents  that  ever  occurred  in  the  poHtical  history  of  the  country, 
and  as  such  will  be  referred  to  in  all  future  times  of  the  Republic. 
Daniel  Webster  stands  alone  in  the  Whig  party. 

October   4. — The    annual  commencement   of  Co- 
eg-e    oin.    |^j-^-^|^j.^  Colles^e  was  held  this  day,  in  the  middle  Dutch 

inencement.  '--'  ■'  ' 

Church,  —  an  Episcopal  literary  institution,  endowed 
by  the  church  and  established  upon  its  principles,  compelled  to  re- 
sort to  the  liberality  of  the  seceders  for  a  place  to  hold  its  anniver- 
sary exercises,  because  an  intolerant  bishop  and  a  subservient 
rector  (both  of  whom  are  trustees  of  the  college)  have  made  the 
mighty  discovery  that  such  exercises  are  a  desecration  of  the  holy 
temple  of  God,  the  main  support  of  which  depends  upon  a  suc- 
cessful system  of  moral  and  religious  education,  such  as  is  imparted 
by  Columbia  College  to  the  youth  of  our  country.  The  attendance 
was  greater  than  usual.  Many  distinguished  persons  were  present 
(among  whom  was  the  Governor  of  the  State)  ;  and  the  inauguration 
of  the  new  president,  Dr.  Nathaniel  F.  Moore,  with  the  address 
made  to  him  by  the  president  of  the  board  of  trustees,  Peter  A. 
Jay,  Esq.,  and  his  own  in  reply,  formed  an  interesting  feature  in 
the  exercises  of  the  day. 

Thirty  members  of  the  graduating  class  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  of  whom  fourteen  delivered  orations,  in  the  follow- 
ing order  :  iVbram  Stevens  Hewitt,  William  L.  Kernochan,  Robert 
Jaffray,  Jr.,  William  Henry  Ebbetts,  William  Pinckney  Stewart, 
Robert  M.  Olyphant,  John  Lyon,  Wheelock  H.  Parmly,  David  R. 
Stanford,  Silas  Weir  Roosevelt,  Oliver  Everett  Roberts,  W.  Rodman, 
Zebedee  Ring,  Jr.,  Edward  E.  Potter. 

October  7.  —  I  found,  on  my  return  last  evening,  the  following 
letter  from  Mr.  Dickens,  in  reply  to  one  I  wrote  him  on  the  19th 
August.  It  turns  out  as  I  supposed.  The  scurrilous  remarks  on  the 
United  States,  to  which  his  name  is  subscribed,  and  which  were  so 
promptly  taken  up  by  the  rascally  penny  papers  and  published 
through  the  country,  were  a  base  forgery,  gotten  up  probably  by 
one  of  the  craft  on  this  side  of  the  water. 


I50  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.^tat.  62. 

Broadstairs,  Kent,  England, 

i6th  September,  1842. 

My  dear  Sir  :  —  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  jou  for  your  friendly  let- 
ter, which  I  have  received  with  real  pleasure.  It  reached  me  last  night, 
being  forwarded  from  London  to  this  sea-side  fishing  town,  where  we 
are  enjoying  ourselves  quietly  until  the  end  of  the  month.  I  answer  it 
without  an  hour's  delay,  though  I  fear  my  reply  may  lie  at  the  post-office 
some  days  before  it  finds  a  steam-packet  to  convey  it  across  the  ocean. 
The  letter  to  which  you  refer  is,  from  beginning  to  end,  in  every  word 
and  syllable,  tlic  cross  of  every  /  and  the  dot  of  every  /,  a  most  wicked 
and  nefarious  forgery.  I  have  never  published  one  word  or  line  in  ref- 
erence to  America,  in  any  quarter  whatever,  except  the  copyright  circular, 
and  the  unhung  scoundrel  who  invented  that  astounding  lie  knew  this  as 
well  as  I  do.  It  has  caused  me  more  pain,  and  more  of  a  vague  desire  to 
take  somebody  by  the  throat,  than  such  an  event  should  perhaps  have 
awakened  in  any  honourable  man.  But  I  have  not  contradicted  it  pub- 
licly, deeming  that  it  would  not  become  niy  character  or  elevate  me  in 
my  own  self-respect  to  do  so.  I  sball  hope  to  send  for  your  acceptance 
next  month  my  "  American  Notes."  Meanwhile,  and  always,  and  with 
cordial  remembrance  to  all  friends, 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  faithfully  yours, 

Charles  Dickens. 


Dinner- 
party. 


October  8.  —  Dr.  Doane,  the  health-officer,  sent  me 
a  fine  little  turtle  the  other  day,  which  he  has  had  fat- 
tening for  me  at  the  quarantine,  and  I  invited  the 
following  party  to  assist  us  in  disposing  of  the  delicious  soup  :  Mr. 
D.  S.  Kennedy,  Mr.  J.  P.  Giraud,  Mr.  F.  C.  Tucker,  Mr.  Charles 
A.  Davis,  Mr.  J.  D.  P.  Ogden,  Mr.  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Mr.  R.  M. 
Blatchford,  Mr.  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  Mr.  W.  G.  Ward. 

OcTOUKR  12.  —  Nothing  is  talked  of  or  thought  of 
^°""  in  New  York  but  Croton  water  ;    fountains,  aqueducts, 

hydrants,  and  hose  attract  our  attention  and  impede 
our  progress  through  the  streets.  Political  spouting  has  given 
place  to  water- spouts,  and  the  free  current  of  water  has  diverted 
the  attention  of  the  people  from  the  vexed  questions  of  the  con- 
fused state  of  the  national  currency.     It  is  astonishing  hjw  popular 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 5^ 

the  introduction  of  water  is  among  all  classes  of  our  citizens,  and 
how  cheerfully  they  acquiesce  in  the  enormous  expense  which  will 
burden  them  and  their  posterity  with  taxes  to  the  latest  generation. 
Water  !  Water  !  is  the  universal  note  which  is  sounded  through 
every  part  of  the  city,  and  infuses  joy  and  exultation  into  the 
masses,   even   though  they  are  out  of  spirits. 

October  14. — The  fine  weather,  which  has  continued  without 
interruption  twenty- four  days,  held  out  one  day  longer,  to  smile 
upon  the  great  pageant.  The  other  elements,  with  becoming 
politeness,  united  to  do  honour  to  the  triumph  of  water,  and 
nothing  occurred  in  "the  heaven  above,  nor  the  earth  below,"  to 
mar  the  splendid  scene ;  as  for  "the  waters  under  the  earth,"  they 
were  all  brought  to  the  surface  on  this  occasion,  and  made  a  great 
spouting  about  their  emancipation.  I  was  invited,  as  "  ex-Mayor,  " 
to  take  a  place  in  the  procession,  for  which  purpose  I  went  to  the 
City  Hall  at  nine  o'clock.  At  this  time  the  whole  population  of 
the  city,  and  as  many  more  from  other  places,  were  in  motion.  At 
ten  the  procession  began  to  move.  I  was  placed  in  a  barouche 
with  Aaron  Clark,  another  ex-Mayor  ;  Mr.  Hart,  ex-Mayor  of  Troy ; 
and  Mr.  Murphy,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn.  This  detachment  consisted 
of  about  a  dozen  barouches,  in  one  of  which  was  Governor  Seward  ; 
his  staff  was  under  the  orders  of  Mr.  Morris,  the  Mayor  of  the  city. 
We  went  down  to  the  Battery,  where  we  were  placed  in  the  line 
immediately  after  a  splendid  military  escort,  and  proceeded  up 
Broadway  to  Union  place,  where  the  Governor  reviewed  the  troops. 
Thence  the  procession  continued  down  the  Bowery  to  Grand  street, 
through  Grand  street  to  its  junction  with  West  Broadway,  and 
down  the  latter  street  to  the  Park,  where  the  whole  was  reviewed,  in 
front  of  the  City  Hall,  by  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council. 

The  whole  hne  of  the  procession  extended  about  five  miles ;  it 
embraced,  besides  the  different  regiments  of  troops,  the  firemen,  of 
whom  there  were  fifty-two  companies,  including  several  from  Phila- 
delphia, Brooklyn,  Newark,  and  Poughkeepsie.  This  part  of  the 
procession  was  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  beautiful  it  was,  with 


it 


152  THE   DIARY    OF    nilLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  62. 

the  machines,  banners,  and  other  devices  ;  and  a  finer-looking  set  of 
men,  nor  a  more  orderly  one,  I  never  saw.  Then  there  were  the 
butchers  on  horseback,  the  temperance  societies,  the  different 
scientific  and  civic  institutions,  mechanic  associations,  among  whom 
were  the  printers,  with  a  car  on  which  was  placed  the  identical  press 
at  which  Dr.  Franklin  once  worked.  This  was  employed  during 
the  transit  of  the  procession  in  printing  and  distributing  an  ode 
written  in  honour  of  the  occasion  by  (ieorge  P.  Morris,  which 
was  sung  in  front  of  the  Hall  by  a  choir  of  two  hundred  male  and 
female  performers,  who  were  placed  on  a  stage  erected  for  the 
purpose. 

The  whole  of  this  great  "  turn-out,"  which  embraced  everything 
and  everybody,  did  not  finish  its  round  until  five  o'clock,  when  an 
address  was  made  by  Mr.  Samuel  Stevens,  president  of  the  old 
board  of  water  commissioners,  and  a  reply  made  by  Mr.  John  L. 
Lawrence,  president  of  the  new  board.  Such  of  the  dignitaries  and 
guests  as  had  tickets,  and  could  get  in,  were  then  taken  to  the  large 
court-room,  where  a  collation  had  been  provided,  not  by  any  means 
the  best  feature  of  the  day's  festivities.  Here  the  Mayor  made  a 
speech  and  toasted  the  Governor,  who  made  a  very  good  speech  in 
reply.  By  this  time  it  was  night,  and  the  public  gardens,  theatres, 
and  fountains  completed  the  great  celebration  of  the  triumph  of 
Croton  water. 

It  was  certainly  a  great  affair ;  but  nothing  struck  me  with  more 
pleasure  and  surprise  than  the  perfect  order  and  propriety  which 
prevailed  among  the  immense  masses  of  male  and  female  spectators 
on  the  route  of  the  procession  ;  not  a  drunken  person  was  to  be 
seen.  The  moral  as  well  as  the  physical  influence  of  water  per- 
vaded everything.  Ardent  liquors  were  not  proof  against  its  predom- 
inating power ;  there  was  no  quarrelling,  no  resistance  to  authority, 
no  unruly  behaviour ;  the  people  stood  and  looked  on  delighted  and 
unfatigued  during  the  three  hours  occupied  in  the  passage  of  the 
pageant.     It  was  a  day  for  a  New  Yorker  to  be  proud  of. 

October  25.  —  This  is  my  birthday,  —  I  am  sixty-two  years  old. 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  153 

Sixty-two  years  of  active  life,  not  always,  I  may  hope,  uselessly  em- 
ployed, prosperous  during  the  greater  part  of  this  long  period,  and 
always  in  the  enjoyment  of  more  of  the  blessings  of  this  life  than  I 
was  thankful  for.  Sunshine  Ims  illumined  my  path  for  many  of  the 
years  that  are  gone  by,  and  my  journey  has  not  been  impeded  by 
more  obstructions  than  are  usually  met  with ;  and  even  now,  when 
I  have  my  share  of  the  darkness  which  overspreads  the  land,  I  can 
enjoy  some  rays  of  light  which  are  denied  to  others  who  are  not 
less  deserving  than  myself. 

October  31.  —  Now   that   this  gentleman   is  about 
overnoi  retiriup^  from  office,  the  people  of  the  State  seem  willing 

Seward.  o  ^  j.         i  o 

to  give  him  credit  for  the  talent  which  he  certainly  pos- 
sesses in  an  eminent  degree,  and  some  of  his  own  party  cease  to 
cavil  at  some  of  his  public  acts,  and  pass  complimentary  resolutions 
at  their  political  meetings.  It  has  been  said  (and  I  think  not 
without  reason)  that  he  has  courted  popularity  a  little  too  much, 
especially  in  some  injudicious  concessions  to  the  Roman  Catholics ; 
but  I  believe  he  was  always  influenced  in  those  measures  by  good 
motives,  by  a  sincere  desire  to  serve  the  cause  which  is  supported 
by  his  political  friends,  and  which  we  Whigs  at  least  must  uphold  as 
the  people's  cause.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  of  Governor 
Seward's  talents,  especially  as  a  writer  of  pure  English.  His  style 
is  perspicuous  and  nervous,  free  from  the  tawdry  and  unmeaning 
embellishments  of  our  modern  public  documents,  and  equally  fitted 
for  the  good  taste  of  the  scholar  and  the  comprehension  of  the 
plain  man  of  sense. 

November  2.  —  Mr.  Hamilton  Fish,  the  Whig  can- 
ami  on         (iidate  for  Congress  in  the  Sixth  District,  gave  a  supper 

last  evening  to  the  nominating  committee  and  other 
Whigs.  I  was  one  of  the  invited,  but  other  engagements  prevented 
me  from  going.  It  will  require  sundry  good  suppers  and  something 
stronger  than  his  father's  fine  old  wine  to  make  my  friend  Fish  swim 
into  Congress ;  and,  if  he  should,  I  hope  he  will  not  be  out  of  his 
depth.     These   good  things,  moreover,  would   have  a  more   effica- 


154  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.^.tat.  62. 

cioiis  influence  if  administered  to  the  other  party.  "  Who  cares 
for  our  friends?  —  we  are  sure  of  them."  That  is  the  true  poUtical 
morahty,  of  which  the  Whigs  are  not  unmindful.  But  it  requires  a 
new  miracle  of  loaves  3.ndjis/ies  to  feed  such  a  multitude. 

NovEMP.KK  3.  —  A  noble  shi})  of  one  thousand  one 
Launch.  huudrcd   tous,  built  for  Grinnell,  Minturn,  cv  Co.'s  line 

of  packets,  was  launched  yesterday  morning  with  the 
good  taste  and  patriotic  feeling  of  those  fine  fellows.  They  have 
called  her  the  "Asnburton/'  —  a  handsome  name,  and  a  suitable 
compliment  to  the  British  negotiator  of  the  treaty  with  England. 

November  4.  —  This  has  been  a  great  day  for  the 
Mr.  Webster.   Secretary  of  State.     He  has   recovered   much    of  the 

ground  he  lost  by  his  late  speech  at  Faneuil  Hall,  and 
his  continuance,  against  the  wishes  of  his  Whig  friends  (such  at 
least  as  go  for  Mr.  Clay),  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Tyler.  The 
common  council  having  assigned  to  Mr.  Webster  the  use  of  the 
Governor's  room  in  the  City  Hall  for  that  purpose,  he  received 
the  visits  of  the  citizens  from  eleven  until  two  o'clock.  An  im- 
mense crowd  waited  upon  him,  the  number  of  which  was  probably 
enhanced  by  the  announcement  that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
were  to  attend  his  levee  in  a  body,  agreeably  to  a  resolution  which 
had  been  previously  adopted.  At  one  o'clock  the  members  were 
received  by  the  Secretary  on  the  platform  in  front  of  the  hall,  when 
an  address  was  made  by  the  president,  Mr.  James  D.  P.  Ogden,  on 
presenting  the  resolution  of  the  chamber.  It  was  a  pleasing  coin- 
cidence, that  during  this  interesting  ceremony  one  hundred  guns 
were  being  fired  in  the  Park  on  account  of  the  news,  which  had 
just  been  received,  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  by  Great 
Britain,  which  were  answered  by  an  equal  number  from  several 
other  places  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  This  was,  no  doubt,  a  kind 
of  interruption,  not  less  agreeable  to  the  orator  than  the  ap- 
plause of  the  thousands  of  spectators  who  listened  to  the  address. 
Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Webster's  AMiig  friends  as  to 
his  political  position,  they  cannot  deny  him  the  credit  of  being  the 


1S42.J  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  155 

main  instrument  in  effecting  this  important  measure,  the  value  of 
which  posterity  will  appreciate. 

This  gentleman  having  declined  the  invitation  to  a 
inner  o  r.  p^j^j-^  dluncr,  whlch  was  signed  by  seventy  of  our 
most  respectable  citizens,  a  select  knot  of  four-and- 
twenty  Whigs  had  him  all  to  themselves  yesterday  at  the  Astor 
House.  I  was  one  of  the  fortunate  number,  and  "  it  was  well  to 
be  there."  This  dinner  was  an  event  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 
The  party  consisted  of  the  following  :  Mr.  Webster,  Moses  H. 
Grinnell,  Charles  A.  Davis,  Simeon  Draper,  Ogden  Hoffman,  Ed- 
ward Curtis,  Russell  H.  Nevins,  Mr.  Wetmore,  M.  C.  Patterson, 
Robert  B.  Minturn,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  John  I.  Palmer,  Samuel  G. 
Raymond,  George  Curtis,  Mr.  Lyman,  Mr.  Stone,  Hiram  Ketcham 
and  his  brother,  James  W.  Gerard,  John  Ward  and  myself,  and  two 
or  three  others  whom  I  do  not  recollect.  By  previous  arrange- 
ment, Messrs.  Grinnell  and  Davis  were  placed  at  the  head  and  foot 
of  the  table,  and  Mr.  Webster  in  the  centre,  with  Mr.  Palmer  on 
his  left  hand  and  I  on  his  right.  The  dinner  was  capital ;  Stet- 
son's heart  was  in  the  matter.  The  honoured  guest  appeared  to  be 
delighted,  and  was  in  turn  delightful,  full  of  anecdote  and  pleasant 
gossip ;  his  expressive  eyes  shone  with  unusual  lustre  from  under 
the  dark  canopy  of  his  overhanging  brows,  and  the  infection  of 
his  brilliancy  pervaded  the  whole  table,  and  made  the  occasion  a 
feast  of  reason  and  a  flow  of  soul. 

After  the  cloth  was  removed  there  was  a  temporary  pause  in  the 
conversation,  and  I  was  requested  by  two  or  three  to  say  something 
which  would  bring  out  the  lion  of  the  day.  This  I  did.  After  this 
Mr.  Gerard  made  a  short  speech  in  his  usual  good  taste,  with  a 
sentiment  complimentary  to  the  Ashburton  treaty  and  to  the 
American  negotiator.  Then  the  dark  brow  at  the  head  of  the  table 
became  contracted ;  the  noble  intellect  began  to  arrange  itself  and 
the  bright  eye  to  gather  up  its  lightnings,  piercing  but  benignant 
as  those  which  irradiate  the  darkness  of  a  summer  evening. 

Mr.  Webster,  after  having  gained  the  attention  of  the   company, 


156  THE   DIARY   OF   VllUAV   HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

began  a  /a//^,  not  a  speech,  without  rising  from  his  seat,  with  no 
declamation,  no  oratorical  nor  rhetorical  ornaments  ;  without  gesture, 
in  a  plain,  business-like,  colloquial  strain  ;  but  in  language  pure  as 
the  dew  of  heaven,  and  full  of  such  instruction  as  might  proceed 
from  such  a  mind  as  his  to  the  minds  of  men  to  whom  he  paid  the 
high  com])liment  of  considering  his  equals.  He  gave  a  full  history, 
in  all  its  stages,  of  the  negotiation  which  resulted  in  the  treaty, 
from  his  first  interview  with  Lord  Ashburton  at  Washington.  He 
took  up  each  point  separately  :  the  P^astern  boundary,  the  case  of  the 
"Carolina,"  that  of  the  "Creole,"  the  subject  of  impressment,  the 
right  of  search,  the  sui)pression  of  the  slave-trade,  and  other  inci- 
dental questions ;  stated  the  difficulties  which  had  occurred,  the 
mutual  concessions  arising  out  of  a  sincere  and  earnest  desire  on 
both  sides  to  consult  the  interests  and  honour  of  both  nations  in  a 
spirit  of  good  feeling  and  honest  intention,  rather  than  to  resort  to 
the  exploded  arts  of  diplomacy  or  to  insist  upon  advantages  merely 
technical.  It  was  agreed,  said  the  eloquent  speaker,  that  such  arts 
were  unworthy  of  two  such  nations  as  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States.  They  had  met  in  a  spirit  of  unity  to  settle  important  ques- 
tions, and  went  to  their  work  like  men  of  business.  This  exposition 
lasted  an  hour,  and  left  every  auditor  as  well  acquainted,  in  his  own 
mind,  with  the  treaty,  and  all  that  appertained  to  it,  as  he  who 
made  it.  This  branch  of  his  subject  being  finished,  Mr.  Webster 
turned  to  me,  and,  meeting  my  bow  by  a  graceful  one  of  his  own, 
he  said,  "  And  now  as  to  niy  friend  ]\Ir.  Hone,  and  in  reply  to  his 
allusion ;  if  I  mistake  not,  that  gentleman  gave  its  name  to  the 
Whig  party.  I  was  christened  at  his  font,  and  have  continued  firm 
in  his  faith.     I  am  too  old  to  change  my  politics  or  my  religion." 

He  then  went  on  in  a  strain  similar  to  that  which  had  charac- 
terized his  former  remarks.  He  attributed  the  unhappy  divisions 
which  exist  at  present  in  the  Whig  party  in  relation  to  the  course 
of  the  Executive,  to  the  unfortunate  alteration  of  the  Constitution 
wliich  made  it  necessary  to  designate  in  the  presidential  election 
the  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-President.    Previously  to  this 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  I  57 

change,  which,  Uke  all  others,  has  been  productive  of  great  mischief, 
the  candidates  were  selected  with  reference  to  the  fitness  of  both 
for  the  highest  o.'itice,  to  which  either  was  equally  liable  to  be 
elected ;  and  since  that  change,  the  second  officer  was  usually 
selected  with  a  view  to  personal  predilections,  sectional  interests,  or 
party  preferences,  to  fill  an  office  of  no  political  importance  (except 
in  such  a  melancholy  contingency  as  has  now  occurred)  and  devoid 
of  personal  responsibility.  He  then  defined  his  position  in  relation 
to  Mr.  Tyler's  administration.  In  his  judgment  it  was  better  for 
the  people  and  for  the  Whigs  to  make  the  best  of  existing  circum- 
stances during  the  remainder  of  the  present  term  of  the  President ; 
to  secure  the  appointment  of  wise  and  patriotic  Whigs  in  the  foreign 
diplomatic  department,  rather  than,  by  opposition,  to  throw  the 
Executive  bodily  into  the  arms  of  our  opponents. 

The  whole  of  this  exposition  of  his  sentiments  was  given  in  a 
frank  and  confiding  manner ;  the  interest  excited  was  intense,  and 
a  stillness  prevailed  in  the  room  during  its  delivery  such  that  you 
might  literally  "  hear  a  pin  drop  ;  "  not  a  word  was  lost,  not  a  glance 
passed  unnoticed.  A  sketch  of  the  speaker  and  his  audience  at 
the  moment  when  the  former  said,  "  An  1  now  one  word  for  Mr. 
Hone,"  would  have  been  a  sublime  moral  study,  a  noble  illustration 
of  the  omnipotent  power  of  intellect.  When  he  had  finished,  I 
bowed  low  and  said,  "  Mr.  Webster,  as  one  of  this  delighted  and 
instructed  company,  I  thank  you  for  the  history  you  have  given  of 
your  important  negotiation ;  and,  for  myself,  I  feel  honoured  over- 
much by  the  notice  you  have  taken  of  my  remarks  and  the  expla- 
nations they  have  been  the  means  of  eliciting."  The  company 
continued  in  delightful  session  until  midnight. 

November  7. — The  "Great  Western"    brings    out 
ic  ens  s         ^1^^   much-talked-of  "  Notes  on   America,  for  General 

New  W  ork.  ' 

Circulation,"  by  the  celebrated  author  of  the  "  Pickwick 
Papers."  I  am  much  afraid  that  the  desire  of  the  illiberal  and 
malevolent  penny-paperists  and  other  fault-finders,  who  confidently 
expected  to  find  "  offence  in  it,"  will  be  disappointed.     I  have  not 


158  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Elat.  62. 

read  the  book  ;  but  one  of  the  extracts,  which  is  much  abused  in 
the  "  Herald,"  and  held  up  as  its  greatest  montrosity,  viz.,  a  most 
glowing  picture  of  the  mischief  affected  by  just  such  papers  as  this 
"  Herald,"  and  the  national  disgrace  attending  their  wide  circula- 
tion, is  precisely  to  my  taste  ;  it  is  true,  every  word  of  it ;  and  if 
there  is  nothing  worse  in  the  book,  I  say,  with  all  my  heart,  "  ditto 
to  Mr.  Burke." 

November  12.  —  Mr.  John  Delmonico,  the  respectable  proprie- 
tor of  the  great  hotel  and  restaurant  in  William  street,  died  on 
Thursday  morning,  in  a  strange  and  awful  manner.  He  was  with 
a  party,  deer-hunting  at  Snedecors,  Islip,  L.I.  He  was  placed  on  a 
stand  up  the  creek,  and  a  deer  coming,  he  fired.  The  deer,  badly 
wounded,  took  to  the  water,  and  was  killed  by  one  of  the  number 
on  another  stand.  After  some  time  his  companions,  going  to  join 
him,  found  him  lying  on  his  face  in  the  same  spot  where  he  had 
fired,  quite  dead,  of  apoplexy,  probably  produced  by  the  excite- 
ment which  the  sport  of  deer-hunting  always  occasions  with  per- 
sons unaccustomed  to  it.  Mr.  Delmonico  was  an  amiable  man, 
very  obliging  in  his  house,  and  will  not  fail  to  be  remembered  as 
long  as  good  dinners  dwell  pleasantly  upon  the  recollection. 
"American  NOVEMBER  14.  —  This  is  the  somewhat  singular  title 

°,^.  "'^,    "'  of  Dickens's  new  book,  which  has  jiist  been   received 
tion."  here.     Its  advent  was   expected  with  a  vast  deal  of 

curiosity,  and  no  /lo/t^s  have  ever  had  a  more  prompt  or  rapid 
circulation,  nor,  in  my  opinion,  has  any  writer  been  more  unfairly 
treated  by  my  countrymen.  Lies  were  circulated  in  advance  ;  sen- 
timents were  attributed  to  him  which  he  never  uttered.  His  name 
was  forged  to  papers  which  he  never  saw ;  his  distinct  and  indig- 
nant disavowal  was  refused  the  publicity  which  was  accorded  with 
satisfaction  to  the  slanders  regarding  the  unworthy  character  of  the 
present  work.  These  slanders  have  been  refuted  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  book  itself.  Because  a  few  hospitable  people  here  and 
in  Boston  made  a  little  too  much  fuss  about  him  on  the  occasion 
of  his  late  visit  to  the  United  States,  but  more  especially  because 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 59 

Mr.  Dickens  saw  with  an  unprejudiced  eye  the  horrible  licentious- 
ness of  the  daily  press  in  this  country,  and  uttered  in  the  language 
of  truth  his  denunciation  of  the  stupendous  evil,  and  would  fain 
assist  in  wiping  out  the  foul  blot  from  our  national  escutcheon  (for 
all  which  I  humbly  conceive  we  ought  to  be  greatly  obliged  to 
him),  this  lively  writer,  whose  works  have  been  hitherto  so  popular 
in  this  country,  is  now  vilified  and  misrepresented.  And  so  will 
any  man  be  who  has  the  moral  courage  to  make  battle  against  this 
frightful  monster,  who  stalks  unrebuked  through  the  land,  blasting 
with  its  pestiferous  breath  everything  bright  and  lovely  which  is 
too  sensitive  to  resist  its  influence,  and  receiving  the  daily  homage 
of  those  who,  like  the  men  who  cater  for  their  depraved  appetites, 
have  no  sympathy  for  virtues  and  accomplishments  which  they 
themselves  do  not  possess,  and  whose  insignificance  affords  them 
an  immunity  from  the  attacks  which  they  enjoy  so  much  in  the 
persons  of  their  superiors. 

The  truth  is,  that,  contrary  to  the  predictions  of  the  conductors 
of  the  vile  penny  press,  and  greatly  to  their  disappointment,  Mr. 
Dickens  has  written  a  very  fair  and  impartial  book  about  this 
country  ;  not  very  creditable,  I  think,  to  its  author  as  a  literary  pro- 
duction, and  not  by  any  means  so  amusing  as  might  have  been 
expected  from  a  writer  who,  in  his  previous  works,  has  afforded  us 
so  much  and  such  highly  wrought  and  varied  amusement.  It  is 
written  carelessly ;  his  sketches  are  drawn  from  hasty  observation, 
and  it  is  evident  that  his  volatile  wing  has  not  rested  long  enough 
in  one  place  to  enable  him  to  understand  its  peculiarities,  nor  to 
discourse  wisely  upon  its  characteristics.  But  the  public  institu- 
tions of  the  country,  its  manufacturing  establishments,  hospitals, 
prisons,  courts,  and  colleges  are  praised  and  censured  with  equal 
justice  and  impartiality,  and  not  unfrequently  most  favourably  con- 
trasted with  similar  institutions  in  his  own  country. 

"  Business  is  business,"  as  some  man  says,  in  some 
play.     The  following  notice,  which  was  published  the 

vertisements.  o  7  1 

day   after    the    funeral    of   poor    Delmonico,    is   very 


l6o  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

much  in  the  style  of  the  inscription  on  a  tombstone  in  Pere-la- 
Chaise,  which  runs  somewhat  in  this  form  :  "  Here  lies  the  body  of 
Pierre  Quelquechose,  who  died  so  and  so.  This  monument  is 
erected  to  his  memory  by  his  widow,  who  takes  this  occasion  to 
inform  her  friends  and  customers  that  the  pastry-cook  estabhsh- 
ment  is  continued  at  such  a  number  Rue  Saint  Honor^,  where  she 
will  be  happy  to  receive  their  orders." 

This  is  the  counterpart  :  — 

"  A  card.  —  The  widow,  brother,  and  nephew  Lorenzo,  of  the 
late  much  respected  John  Delmonico,  tender  their  heartfelt  thanks 
to  the  friends,  benevolent  societies,  and  Northern  Liberty  Fire 
Engine  Company,  who  accompanied  his  remains  to  his  last  home. 
The  establishment  will  be  reopened  to-day,  under  the  same  firm 
of  Delmonico  Brothers,  and  no  pains  of  the  bereft  family  will  be 
spared  to  give  general  satisfaction.  Restaurant,  bar-room,  and 
private  dinners  No.  2  South  William  street ;  furnished  rooms  No. 
76  Broad  street,  as  usual." 
T^    .u  r^^-  AVilliam  Kllerv  Channinsf,  D.D.,  the  srreat  apostle  of 

DeathofWin.  ■"  o?  ^  o  i 

EiieryChan-  the  Unitarian  faith,  the  eloquent  divine,  the  philan- 
ning,  D.D.  thropist,  and  the  champion  of  religious  and  political 
freedom,  died  at  Bennington,  Vermont,  on  the  2d  of  October, 
aged  sixty-three  years.  A  funeral  ceremony  was  performed  on  the 
13th  ult.,  in  the  church  of  the  Messiah  in  this  city,  on  which  occa- 
sion a  eulogy  on  the  character,  writings,  and  Christian  labours  of 
the  deceased  was  pronounced  by  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  of 
which  I  received  a  copy  to-day.  It  was  warm,  glowing,  eloquent, 
and  metaphorical,  as  I  am  inclined  to  think  all  the  productions  of 
that  gentleman  are,  and  which  I  suspect  are  the  characteristics 
of  most  of  the  eloquent  divines  of  the  Unitarian  church. 

November  26. — James  Watson  Webb  was  brought 
^  '  ^  up  in  the  Court  of  Sessions  this  dav,  and  sentenced  by 

Sentence.  ^  '  '  ^ 

the  Recorder  on  his  plea  of  guilty  of  tlie  charge  of 
leaving  the  State  to  fight  a  duel,  and  fighting  a  duel  with  Thomas 
Marshall.     The  sentence  was  two  years  imprisonment  in  the  State 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  161 

prison,  —  the  shortest  term  prescribed  by  the  statute.  There  is  very 
kittle  doubt  that  this  sentence  will  be  followed  immediately  by  an 
unconditional  pardon  from  Governor  Seward,  to  whom  petitions  to 
that  effect  have  been  forwarded,  signed  by  fourteen  thousand  citizens 
of  New  York.  In  this  large  number  are  included  most  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  party  in  politics  opposed  to  Colonel  Webb, 
fourteen  of  the  seventeen  members  of  the  grand  jury  who  found 
the  bill,  every  alderman  and  assistant  of  the  city  except  one,  a 
great  many  of  the  clergy,  judges  of  the  several  courts,  and  members 
of  the  bar.  The  roll  was  upward  of  four  hundred  feet  in  length. 
This  is  all  very  flattering  to  the  delinquent  who  has  fallen  into  the 
law's  danger ;  but  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  Governor 
Seward  did  not  require  this  strong  appeal  to  incline  him  to  exercise 
the  most  agreeable  prerogative  of  executive  power.  The  pardon 
is,  no  doubt,  prepared  already,  and  all  reasonable  men  will  justify  it 
on  the  present  occasion. 

November    28.  — The    trial    in    Westchester  before 
FiTters  J^^dg^   Ruggles,  of  SuUivau,    McCluster,  and   Kensett, 

seconds  in  the  battle  fought  at  Hastings  by  Lilly  and 
McCoy,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  latter,  closed  on  Satur- 
day. The  jury  brought  a  verdict  of  "  guilty  of  manslaughter  in  the 
fourth  degree,"  which  will  probably  subject  the  accused  to  two 
years  imprisonment  in  the  State  prison.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  executive  clemency  will  find  the  same  extenuating  circum- 
stances in  this  case  as  in  that  of  Webb.  We  are  deplorably  in 
want  of  an  example  to  break  down  the  ruffianism  which  has  been 
growing  up  amongst  us ;  but  it  will  puzzle  His  Excellency  to  draw  a 
distinction  in  favour  of  a  pistol,  which  in  most  cases  is  intended  to 
produce  death,  and  the  fist,  from  which  it  may  incidentally  occur. 
Webb,  to  be  sure,  stands  acquitted,  by  the  letters  which  he  wrote 
before  the  duel,  from  the  murderous  intent  which  characterizes  such 
meetings  on  ordinary  occasions  ;  and  an  ounce  of  lead  is  an  argu- 
ment so  much  more  genteel  than  a  handful  of  knuckles.  But,  after 
all,  the  "  quo  animo  "  is  not  so  bad  in  the  latter  case  as  in  the  former. 


l62  THE    DIARY   OF    PHTLTP   HONE.  [/Etat.  62. 

I  was  wrong,  the  other  day,  in  stating  that  Lilly,  the  principal  in 
the  fight,  was  on  trial  at  White  Plains.  That  worthy  "  absquatu- 
lated "  immediately  after  the  "  Olympic  games "  were  over  at 
Hastings,  and  the  paper  this  day  announces  his  arrival  in  Liverpool 
by  the  ''  George  Washington,"  on  the  30th  of  October.  He  will 
be  all  the  foshion  in  that  refined  country,  whose  sensitive  tourists 
faint  at  the  recollection  of  the  tobacco  chewing  and  spitting  Yan- 
kees, and  lose  their  delicate  appetites  at  our  vulgar  substitution  of 
the  knife  for  the  fork.  The  man  who  killed  his  man  here  will,  by 
that  heroic  exploit,  have  un-Yankeeized  himself  there.  He  will 
become  an  associate  of  the  magnates  of  the  land.  His  name  will 
be  enrolled  in  the  court  calendar,  with  the  Belchers  and  the 
Springs,  the  Cribs  and  the  Dutch  Sams,  and  his  portrait  will  adorn 
a  page  of  the  elegant  literature  of  British  science ;  the  Yankee 
Lilly  alongsi;le  the  black  champion  in  a  hot-pressed  volume,  in 
superb  binding,  —  one  of  a  set  which  sells  at  a  guinea  and  a  half  a 
volume,  such  as  I  saw  last  evening  at  Prescott  Hall's,  and  which 
occu])y  a  place  in  the  boudoirs  of  the  British  fair  alongside  of 
''Flowers  of  Fancy  "  and  "Mills's  Chivalry." 

December  13.  —  The  late  Minister  to  France  is  all 
General  Cass,  the  fashion  in  Ncw  York.  He  receives  company  in 
presidential  and  gubernatorial  style  at  the  City  Hall. 
He  has  defined  his  political  sentiments  in  a  letter  to  Governor 
Dickinson,  of  New  Jersey,  which  is  published  with  a  flourish  of 
tnimpets  for  the  benefit  of  all  good  Republicans  who  may  have  been 
troubled  with  doubts  and  misgivings  on  that  important  subject. 
He  professes  to  be  a  Democrat  of  the  Jefi'erson  school,  and  opposed 
to  a  national  bank.  The  return  of  General  Cass  at  this  time,  his 
reception,  and  the  declaration  drawn  from  him  in  the  above-men- 
tioned letter  seem  to  indicate  pretty  clearly  that  he  is  to  add  one 
to  the  number  of  candidates  fjr  the  Presidency.  He  will  be  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  whose  chances  will  be  more 
afl"ected  by  this  new  aspirant  than  by  that  of  the  Southern  candidate. 
Whether  all  will  work  together  for  the  benefit  of  the  single  Whig 


1842.]  THE   DIARY    OF   FHILIP    HONE.  1 63 

candidate  remains  to  be  seen.  Il  is  pretty  difficult  for  me  to  find 
out  the  claims  of  General  Cass.  But  in  that  respect  he  stands 
about  on  a  par  with  General  Harrison  at  the  time  of  his  nomina- 
tion. If  Mr.  Clay  cannot  be  elected,  I  do  not  know  that  I  shall 
not  be  prepared  to  hurrah  for  Cass.  Anybody  but  Calhoun,  even 
Van  Buren.  I  am  a  Northern  man,  and  a  New  Yorker.  As  such 
I  can  never  consent  to  be  ruled  by  one  whose  paramount  principle 
is  one  of  opposition  to  the  interests  and  prosperity  of  this  part  of 
the  Union.  Mr.  Calhoun  has  talents  of  a  superior  order.  So  much 
the  worse ;  for  his  enmity  is  the  more  effective.  The  canker  of 
envy,  hatred,  and  malice  against  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States 
lies  deep  in  his  heart.  He  would  prefer  that  the  cotton  of  Caro- 
lina should  go  to  Europe  in  British  vessels  rather  than  in  those  of 
New  York,  Boston,  or  Philadelphia. 

December  17.  —  On  our  return  to-day  we  found  the 
^  ase  o  e  ^.^^  excited  by  the  development  of  a  dreadful  story,  of 
which  there  were  some  rumours  when  we  went  away. 
The  United  States  brig  "  Somers,"  Captain  Alexander  Slidell  McKen- 
zie,  arrived  in  this  port  on  Wednesday  night  from  a  cruise  on  the 
African  coast,  and  last  from  St.  Thomas,  from  which  latter  port  she 
had  only  eight  days  passage.  During  the  whole  of  Thursday  there 
was  a  strange  mystery  about  this  vessel.  She  lay  in  the  bay ; 
nobody,  not  even  the  near  relations  of  the  officers,  was  permitted 
to  visit  her ;  the  brother  of  Lieutenant  Gansevoort  was  forbidden  to 
approach.  The  cause  of  all  this  is  now  explained.  A  dreadful 
mutiny  had  been  formed  when  the  brig  left  the  coast  of  Africa, 
which  was  discovered  soon  after  she  sailed  from  St.  Thomas.  Of 
this  conspiracy,  Philip  Spencer,  a  young  man  of  twenty  years  of 
age,  son  of  the  Hon.  John  C.  Spencer,  Secretary  of  War,  was  the 
ringleader.  The  plan  was  to  murder  the  captain  and  lieutenant, 
convert  the  brig  into  a  pirate,  and  come  to  the  American  coast  for 
the  purpose  of  intercepting  and  robbing  the  packets,  which  were 
supposed  to  have  large  quantities  of  specie  on  board.  The  crew 
of  the  vessel  consisted  of  about  seventy- five  young  men  from  the 


1 64  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  62. 

naval  schools,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  complete  their  education. 
The  muthiy  was  disclosed  by  one  of  the  conspirators,  when 
measures  were  immediately  taken  for  its  suppression.  Two-thirds 
of  the  crew  were  engaged  in  the  plot ;  but  Captain  McKenzie 
appears  to  have  acted  with  the  utmost  decision  and  bravery.  The 
mutineers  were  confined  under  hatches,  a  court-martial  was  held, 
and  young  Spencer,  with  two  of  his  confederates,  were  hungaf  ^/le 
yaj'd-arm  ;  the  rest  of  the  mutineers  put  in  irons,  in  which  situation 
they  were  brought  home,  and  have  been  transferred  to  the  "  North 
Carolina." 

A  messenger  was  sent  to  Washington,  and  nothing  was  allowed 
to  transpire  until  the  return  of  the  mail  from  that  place.  The  im- 
minent danger  of  the  captain  and  lieutenant,  with  so  large  a  propor- 
tion of  the  crew  in  a  state  of  insubordination,  no  doubt  rendered  this 
dreadful  and  summary  exercise  of  power  unavoidable,  as  an  example 
and  measure  of  safety.  If  it  should  so  appear  (as  there  seems  to 
be  no  doubt),  public  opinion  will  support,  and  the  government  will 
approve,  the  conduct  of  Captain  McKenzie.  But  if  it  should 
prove  otherwise,  he  will  have  assumed  an  awful  responsibility,  and 
his  reckoning  with  the  distinguished  individual,  the  father  of  the 
principal  sufferer,  will  be  fearful,  indeed. 

Captain  Slidell  McKenzie  is  a  brav^e,  gallant  young  officer,  son  of 
my  old  friend  Mr.  John  Slidell,  of  this  city,  brother  of  John  and 
Thomas  Slidell,  of  New  Orleans,  the  latter  of  whom  is  husband  to 
Fanny  Callender.  Young  Spencer  was  a  worthless  fellow,  who 
would  have  been  cashiered  for  some  misdemeanour  on  a  former 
cruise  but  from  feelings  of  delicacy  for  the  respectable  character 
and  high  station  of  his  father,  whose  severe  affliction  is  entitled  to 
the  deepest  sympathy. 

December  19.  —  Further  particulars  of  the  mutiny  and  execution 
on  board  the  brig  "  Somers  "  are  published  this  morning,  not  differing 
importantly  from  yesterday's  statement.  The  plot  was  disclosed  to 
Captain  McKenzie  by  Wales,  the  purser's  steward,  on  the  29th  of 
November,  and    the    three    ringleaders   executed    on    the    ist   of 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 65 

December.  The  conduct  of  Wales  is  highly  commended  by  the 
captain  and  lieutenant.  He  pretended  to  give  into  the  plot  until 
he  obtained  all  the  plans  of  the  conspirators,  when,  at  a  risk  of  his 
life,  he  made  the  disclosure.  The  two  men  who  shared  the  misera- 
ble fate  of  Spencer  w6re  Samuel  Cromwell,  boatswain's  mate,  and 
Elisha  Small,  seaman.  Twelve  men  and  boys  are  now  confined  in 
irons  on  board  the  "  North  Carolina,"  awaiting  the  action  of  the  navy 
department.  The  public,  with  the  exception  of  the  editor  of  the 
"  Herald,"  appear  to  approve  the  captain's  conduct. 

December  21.  —  A  statement  is  published  in  the 
The  Mutiny.  "  Washington  Madisonian,"  signed  S.,  which  will  occasion 
some  revulsion  in  the  public  mind  in  relation  to  the 
melancholy  tragedy  on  board  the  brig  "Somers."  This  statement, 
which  the  author  asserts  is  "  not  made  to  excite  prejudice,  but  to 
repel  the  attempt  to  create  it,  and  to  enable  the  American  people 
to  see  what  mighty  principles  are  involved  in  this  unheard-of  pro- 
ceeding," is  evidently  written  by  Mr.  Spencer,  the  Secretary  of 
War.  It  is  one  of  those  strong,  forcible  documents  for  which  he  is 
celebrated  ;  fierce  in  style,  rigid  in  argument,  and  certainly  presents 
the  subject  of  his  son's  execution  in  a  light  somewhat  different  from 
that  in  which  it  was  received  at  first.  If  there  exists  any  reasona- 
ble doubt  of  the  absolute  necessity  for  this  awful  exercise  of  power, 
Captain  McKenzie  may  wish  sincerely  that  he  never  had  been  born 
to  meet  such  a  responsibility.  A  more  dangerous  opponent  than 
John  C.  Spencer  could  not  be  found  in  the  United  States  ;  stern, 
uncompromising,  obstinate  in  temper,  determined  and  energetic  in 
action,  and  with  talents  equal  to  any  effort  which  his  feelings  may 
prompt,  or  his  duty  may  call  him  to  execute.  It  is  officially 
announced  that  the  navy  department  is  not  in  possession  of  infor- 
mation sufficient  to  form  a  statement  for  the  public  eye.  This 
would  appear  unfavourable  to  Captain  JNIcKenzie.  If  his  of^cial 
report  were  not  so  clear  as  to  leave  "  no  hook  on  which  to  hang  a 
doubt,"  the  doubt,  the  hesitation  alone  would  be  fatal  to  him.  If 
the  cabinet  should  take  part  with  the  bereaved  parent,  who  is  one 


1 66  THE   DIARY    OF   riilLlP   HONE.  [/Etat.62. 

of  its  prominent  members,  in  denying  the  existence  of  the  necessity 
for  the  execution  of  the  ringleaders  of  the  mutiny,  and  if  the  laws 
should  not  support  the  measure,  Captain  McKenzie  is  ruined  past 
redemption. 

December  24.  —  The  following  party,  most  of  whom  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Hone  Club,  dined  with  me  to-day,  and  passed  a  merry 
Christmas  eve  ;  we  sat  honestly  until  twelve  o'clock,  and  ate  and 
drank,  and  laughed  and  talked,  as  if  the  times  were  as  good  as 
ever  :  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  John  Ward,  William  G. 
Ward,  Simeon  Draper,  Jr.,  Samuel  Jaudon,  J.  W.  Webb,  Edward 
Curtis,  James  fjowen.  Dr.  J.  W.  Francis,  Robert  B.  Minturn. 

December  28.  —  I  dined  at  Judge  Pendleton's.  The  party 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ham- 
mersley,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Jones,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  J. 
Jones,  Mr.  Ray,  Mr.  Boreel,  Maturin  Livingston,  James  Thom- 
son, and  1\   H. 

December    29.  —  Great    interest  is   excited    by   the 
,^^^-J  proceedings  of  the  court  of  inquiry,  now  sitting  at  the 

navy  yard,  on  the  affair  of  the  "  Somers."  The  first  testi- 
mony was  the  production  of  the  report  sent  on  to  the  navy  depart- 
ment by  Captain  McKenzie,  immediately  after  his  arrival  in  New 
York ;  and  well  would  it  have  been  for  him  if  it  had  never  seen  the 
light.  "  Oh  that  mine  enemy  should  write  a  book  !  "  was  the  vin- 
dictive exclamation  of  some  such  person  as  the  Secretary  of  War. 
I  have  learned  by  experience  and  observation,  that  nine-tenths  of  all 
the  scrapes  men  get  into  are  occasioned  by  writing  or  saying  /oo 
much.  Here  is  a  document  ten  times  longer  than  was  necessary, 
written  without  consultation  with  any  judicious  fiiend,  who,  from 
not  being  immediately  interested  in  the  event,  would  have  been 
better  able  to  look  at  the  consequences,  full  of  public  details  of 
trifling  circumstances  and  irrelevant  conversation,  and  interspersed 
with  sage  reflections  with  which  the  public  and  the  navy  department 
had  no  more  to  do  than  with  the  cogitation  of  the  Emperor  of 
China  on  the  invasion  of  the  ''outside  barbarians,"  or  the  specula- 


1842.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  167 

tions  of  London  stockbrokers  on  the  fall  of  American  securities.  He 
has  aimed  to  be  very  impartial,  and  has  conceded  so  much  that  the 
confidence  of  his  friends  and  the  public,  who  would  fain  be  on  his 
side,  is  shaken  in  the  belief  of  the  imperative  necessity  of  the  dread- 
ful example  which  he  felt  himself  called  upon  to  make. 

Not  only  the  character  of  Captain  McKenzie,  but  that  of  the 
flag  under  which  he  sails  and  of  the  nation  which  he  serves,  is 
deeply  concerned  in  his  making  out  a  complete  justification.  There 
is  no  middle  ground  in  this  business ;  it  was  altogether  right,  or 
altogether  wrong.  And  here,  instead  of  a  concise,  manly  statement 
of  his  proceeding  on  the  discovery  of  the  mutiny,  the  necessity 
which,  in  his  judgment,  existed  for  his  summary  exercise  of  povver, 
and  his  regret  that  he  had  been  called  upon  to  adopt  measures  so 
painful  to  his  feelings,  we  have  a  long  rigmarole  story  about  private 
letters  discovered  on  the  person  of  young  Spencer,  orders  to  blow 
out  the  brains  of  "  refractory  men,"  religious  ceremonies,  cheers  for 
the  American  flag,  and  conversations  with  the  accused,  in  one  of 
which  he  said  to  Spencer  that  ^'  he  hung  him,  because  if  he  took  him 
to  the  United  States  he  would  escape  punishment,  for  everybody 
got  clear  who  had  money  and  friends," —  a  national  reproach,  which, 
even  allowing  it  to  be  true,  came  with  a  bad  grace  from  an  officer 
of  the  American  navy. 

He  makes  an  apology,  it  is  true,  for  this  indiscreet  expression. 
But,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  wonderful,  why  should  he  stigmatize 
himself  by  relating  such  a  conversation  in  a  document  which  will  be 
carried  on  the  wings  of  the  wind  to  the  most  distant  part  of  the 
earth?  The  truth  is,  there  is  much  to  be  seen,  in  this  statement,  of 
the  pride  of  authorship.  Captain  McKenzie,  when  he  was  Alexan- 
der Slidell,  wrote  a  clever  book  called  "  A  Year  in  Spain,"  which 
gave  him  some  reputation  as  an  author,  and  he  disdained  to  take 
advice  in  regard  either  to  the  matter  or  the  manner  of  the  narrative. 
Even  in  this  particular  it  is  a  failure ;  it  will  add  nothing  to  his 
literary  renown. 

The  oral  testimony  of  his  officers  thus  far  is  greatly  in  his  favour, 


l68  THE   DIARY    OK   PHILIP   HONE.  f^Etat.  62. 

and  I  trust  he  will  stand  justified  before  God  and  his  country,  not- 
withstanding his  ill-judged  report ;  but,  as  the  Unitarian  divine  said 
of  St.  Thomas's  exclamation,  '^  My  Lord  and  my  God,"  I  wish  he 
had  not  said  it.  There  is  abundant  testimony  of  the  utter  depravity 
of  young  Spencer ;  but  doubts  are  freely  expressed  by  many  reflect- 
ing people  of  the  guilt  of  Cromwell  and  Small,  and  of  the  sufficiency 
of  the  evidence  on  which  they  were  condemned. 


1843]  THE  DIAIIY   OF  PHILIP  HONE.  1 69 


1843. 


JANUARY  2.  —  Yesterday  was  the  regular  New  Year's  Day  ;  but 
being  Sunday,  it  was  only  observed  by  the  moral  and  relig- 
ious sentiments  which  this  occasion  never  fails  to  inspire,  and 
which  were  inculcated  by  the  Christian  zeal  and  forcible  eloquence 
of  our  clergymen.  My  excellent  pastor,  Dr.  Wainwright,  gave  us 
on  this  occasion,  as  he  did  on  Christmas  Day,  an  exceedingly 
interesting  sermon,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  some  two  or  three  of 
his  congregation  may  remember  to  their  own  edification  and  the 
honour  of  the  reverend  orator,  during  the  year  1843. 

The  festivities  of  the  New  Year  were  reser\'ed  for  to-day,  and 
there  appeared  to  be  no  falling  off  from  the  time-honoured  observ- 
ances of  our  city.  There  were  two  snow-storms  in  the  course  of 
the  morning,  neither  of  which  continued  long  enough  to  prevent  the 
visiting,  and,  as  the  sleighing  was  excellent,  all  but  the  horses  en- 
joyed it  exceedingly.  I  started  in  a  sleigh  at  twelve  o'clock,  and 
made  forty  odd  visits,  which  occupied  me  until  five.  The  ladies 
smiled  and  looked  beautiful,  the  fires  sparkled  and  looked  warm, 
the  furniture  shone  and  looked  comfortable,  the  whiskey-toddy 
smoked  and  looked  strong,  and  everything  was  gay  as  it  used  to  be 
in  good  times.  The  heads  of  the  people  were  ///  to-day,  however 
certain  it  may  be  that  many  of  them  will  be  bowed  down  by  mis- 
fortune, and  some  laid  low,  before  another  year  calls  them  to  similar 
festivities. 

The  old  year  was  marked  by  public  calamity  and  individual 
misfortune,  the  former  relieved  only  by  the  successful  termination 
of  the  negotiations  with  England,  and  the  latter  by  abundant  har- 
vests and  the  consequent  low  prices  of  provisions ;  but  business  is 
unprofitable,  confidence  impaired,  stocks  and  other  personal  prop- 
erty of  little  value,  taxes  nearly  doubled,  rents  reduced,   tenants 


I/O  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

running  away,  debts  wiped  out  by  the  bankrupt  law,  and  Loco- 
focoism  triumphant.  So  ends  the  year  1842,  and  so  begins  the 
year  1843.  In  all  these  particulars  the  latter  will  not  only 
"  tread  in  the  steps  of  its  predecessor,"  but  tread  so  much  harder 
on  the  "  road  to  ruin "  as  to  leave  no  remembrance  of  its  foot- 
steps; or  I  am  a  false  prophet,  that's  all.  Amongst  the  other 
calamities  which  mark  the  adv'cnt  of  the  New  Year,  Governor 
Seward  retires  from  office,  and  leaves  Governor  Bouck  to  fill  his 
place  —  if  he  can. 

January  3.  —  The  survivors  of  the  Hone  Club  had  a  pleasant 
dinner  to-day,  at  Moses  H.  Grinnell's.  The  party  consisted  of  the 
following  old  members  :  Grinnell,  Blatchford,  John  Ward,  William 
G.  Ward,  Draper,  Prescott  Hall,  and  myself ;  besides  whom  there 
were  Robert  B.  Minturn,  Edward  Curtis,  James  Thomson,  James 
W.  Otis,  Ogden  Hammond,  James  W.  Webb,  M.  Brigham,  and 
James  Bowen. 

January  5.  —  I  went  over  this  morning  to  the  navy 

Court  of  In-  i  in  ••^•/-^  i  t->  i- 

yard,  and  after  visitmg  Commodore  Berry,  and  inspect- 
ing, greatly  to  my  satisfaction,  the  library  and  museum 
of  the  navy  lyceum,  I  attended  for  two  or  three  hours  the  court 
of  inquiry  on  board  of  the  "  North  Carolina."  The  cabin  was 
filled  with  spectators  and  newspaper  reporters,  for  the  examination 
is  conducted  by  the  greatest  publicity.  I  was  received  with  flatter- 
ing respect  by  the  president  and  members  of  the  court,  who  in- 
vited me  to  a  seat  at  their  table.  The  i3roceedings  are  character- 
ized by  the  utmost  dignity  and  decorum.  The  witnesses  examined 
to-day  were  Mr.  Leycock,  the  surgeon,  and  Mr.  Rodgers,  senior 
midshipman ;  the  latter  a  fine,  sturdy  fellow,  a  sailor  out  and  out. 
I  was  amused  by  his  seamanlike  reply  of  "  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  on 
two  occasions  when  requested  by  the  judge  advocate  and  com- 
modore to  raise  his  voice.  The  witnesses  are  made  to  give  a  nar- 
rative, in  their  own  words,  of  the  events  attending  the  mutiny  and 
execution  on  board  the  '-'Somers,"  after  which  questions  are  put  to 
them  in  writing  by  Commander  McKenzie,  and  orally  by  the  judge 


1843J  THE   DLVRV    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  17I 

advocate.  Their  answers  are  prompt  and  manly.  The  evidence 
looks  well  for  the  commander.  He  looks  careworn  and  anxious,  as 
well  he  may.     God  send  him  a  safe  deliverance  ! 

January  24.  —  I  was  greatly  surprised  and  pleased 
«' Kent  s  Com.  ^^  jeam  from  the  gifted  and  amiable  ex-chancellor  of 

mentancs."  *-" 

the  continued  sales  and  large  profits  afforded  by  this 
highly  popular  work.  Ten  thousand  copies  have  been  printed  in 
four  editions,  which  are  sold  by  him  at  $9  a  copy.  His  profits  ever 
since  the  work  came  out  have  been  $5,000  a  year,  —  double  the 
amount  of  the  chancellor's  salary,  —  and  from  the  undiminished 
demand  for  the  work  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  as  well 
as  from  England,  where  it  is  established  as  a  text-book,  the  learned 
author  does  not  apprehend  any  diminution  of  the  profits  of  the  sale 
for  twenty  years  to  come.  I  doubt  if  any  American  book  has  ever 
produced  so  much  money.  It  gives  the  author  a  noble  and  most 
honourable  independence  for  life  ;  and  that  God  may  grant  that  life 
to  be  extended  to  its  utmost  term  of  usefulness,  and  to  the  full 
measure  of  his  family's  desire,  is  my  most  sincere  and  fervent 
prayer.  I  venerate  him  as  a  father,  while  I  love  him  as  a  brother ; 
and  the  reverence  I  feel  for  him  as  an  instructor  is  sanctified  by 
my  affection  for  him  as  a  friend.  The  hour  I  pass  in  the  twilight 
of  every  Sunday  evening  with  Chancellor  Kent  and  his  amiable 
family  (including  the  "wise  young  judge"  from  next  door,  and  his 
wife)  afford  me  the  highest  gratification,  and  I  come  away  delighted 
with  my  visit  as  a  young  lover  from  the  society  and  the  smiles 
of  his  mistress. 

January   27. — The   English   papers    do    abuse    us 
.  ationa  shamefully    for   swindling,   repudiation,    cheating,    and 

other  trifling  departures  from  rectitude,  which  abuse  is 
all  the  harder  to  be  borne  from  the  difficulty  we  have  in  many  of 
the  cases  of  contradicting  the  truth  of  the   charges.     A  man  may 

know  his  wife  to  be  a ,  but  if  he  has  the  spirit  of  a  man  he  will 

not  allow  others  to  call  her  so.  We  are  not  the  less  disposed  to 
resent  an  injurious  epithet  from  the  consciousness  of  meriting  it ; 


\'J2  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  63. 

but,  on  the  contrary,  our  revenge  is  stimulated  in  proportion  as  we 
are  deprived  of  the  proud  satisfaction  of  condemning  a  charge  which 
we  know  to  be  false.  John  Bull,  smarting  under  the  loss  of  his 
money,  charges  the  whole  of  ns,  indiscriminately,  as  a  nation  of 
swindlers ;  and  such  of  us  as  are  honest,  besides  defending  our  own 
characters,  are  bound,  by  a  sort  of  family  pride,  to  a  much  more 
difficult  task,  that  of  palliating  the  rascality  of  our  brethren.  Penn- 
sylvania, Mississippi,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  IlHnois  hav^e  more  to 
answer  for  at  home  than  abroad.  It  is  as  much  as  we  in  New  York 
and  hereabouts  can  do  to  keep  on  our  legs,  without  having  the 
burden  to  carry  of  the  disgrace  of  the  dishonest  part  of  the  family. 
February  i.  —  This  is  the  quarter-day  of  the  ruin  of  landlords. 
Rents  are  fifty  per  cent,  lower  and  taxes  fifty  per  cent,  higher ; 
nearly  the  whole  burthen  of  taxes  falls  upon  real  estate,  for  it  is  the 
only  tangible  property.  The  pressure  is  severe  enough  upon  the 
owners  of  houses  and  stores  who  are  out  of  debt ;  but  if  the  prop- 
erty is  mortgaged,  and  the  seven  per  cent,  interest  must  be  regu- 
larly paid,  the  Lord  help  the  owners  !  Several  of  my  tenants  are 
unable  to  pay  the  rent  of  last  year ;  all  the  good  ones  are  going 
away,  and  the  reduction  of  rent  in  the  few  cases  where  they  remain 
is  ruinous.  Clinton  Hotel,  the  lease  of  which  to  Mr.  Hodges,  at 
$4,500  per  annum,  expires  on  the  first  of  May,  is  rented  to  the 
same  person  for  another  year  at  $2,500  ;  but  this  year  must  deter- 
mine the  fate  of  New  York ;  the  patient  is  in  extremity,  and  must 
die  or  be  relieved  before  another  comes  round. 

Fehruaky    14. — The  noble  old  Commodore  Isaac 
e.i  to     oin-  Y{xi\\     the    Hull  of  the    Constifntion,    died    yesterday 

niodore  Hull.  '  .  "^  J  J  J 

morning,  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  has  resided  since 
his  return  from  the  cruise  in  the  "  Ohio."  He  was  the  oldest  officer 
in  the  navy,  with  the  exception  of  Barron  and  Stewart.  lie  it  was 
that  ''plucked  up  drowning  honour  by  the  locks"  on  the  ocean  at 
the  same  moment  that  his  namesake  on  the  land  was  shoving  it 
under.  Hull's  capture  at  Detroit,  and  Hull's  capture  of  the 
"Guerriere,"  stood  side  by  side  in  the  chronicles  of  the  day,  and 


1843]  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  1/3 

the  exultations  of  John  Bull  and    Brother   Jonathan  were  equally 
restrained  by  the  one  and  the  other. 

February  21.  —  I  am  grieved  to  record  the  decease 
ea    o      r.     ^^  Peter  Augustus  Jay.     Few  more  learned  and  accom- 

Jay.  ^  •'    ^ 

plished  men,  and  none  more  upright  and  honourable, 
are  to  be  found  in  this  city  than  Mr.  Jay,  the  son  of  the  illustrious 
John  Jay,  the  purest  of  patriots  and  the  wisest  of  statesmen.  Mr. 
Jay  inherited  a  large  share  of  those  noble  qualities  which  distin- 
guished his  sire.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school ;  he 
adorned  society  by  the  example  of  his  deportment  and  manners ; 
by  his  strict  integrity  he  rebuked  the  corruption  of  the  times,  and 
by  his  religious  principles  he  set  an  example  to  his  professional 
brethren.  I  was  associated  with  Mr.  Jay  at  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Columbia  College,  of  which  he  was  president,  and  as  a  vestry- 
man of  Trinity,  of  which  he  recently  became  a  member.  The 
deceased  was  sixty- seven  years  of  age. 

February  23. — There  is    an    absolute   plethora  of 
Specie.  specie  in  this  country ;  no  more  certain  indication  of 

the  prostration  of  commerce  and  disordered  state 
of  trade.  The  banks  in  New  York  have  two  dollars  in  gold  and 
silver  for  every  dollar  in  circulation,  lying  like  an  ingot  in  the  vaults, 
producing  nothing  and  unable  to  get  into  circulation.  What  must 
be  said  by  the  croakers  about  an  occasional  scarcity  of  specie 
(which  shows  that  something  good  is  doing),  when  they  read  the 
following  list  of  consignees  by  the  steamer  "Acadia"  !  She  brings 
out  200,000  pounds  sterling,  and  the  "Great  Western"  will  have 
300,000  pounds,  —  two  millions  and  a  half  of  dollars  ;  I  wonder  if 
Mr.  Benton  has  a  purse  large  enough  to  contain  all  this  humbug 
personification  of  national  prosperity;  850  pounds  to  Charles  Hill; 
1,700  pounds  to  George  Pratt;  300  pounds  to  Joseph  Shaw;  413 
pounds  to  Heard  &  Welsh;  10,000  pounds  to  Sands,  Fox,  &  Co. ; 
1,250  pounds  to  T.  W.  Ward;  20,000  pounds  to  J.  E.  Thayer  & 
Bro. ;  7,000  pounds  to  J.  Dixon  &  Son;  3,000  pounds  to  Gossler 
&  Co.;  20,000  pounds  to  order;    2,200  pounds  to  J.  Shillaber; 


1/4  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

2,000  pounds  t:)  J.  &  H.  Thayer  &  Co. ;  5,280  pounds  to  Boor- 
man,  Johnston,  &  Co.;  100,000  pounds  to  Bro\v.n  Bros.  &  Co.; 
300  ])ounds  to  De  Rham  &  Moore  ;  1,000  pounds  to  C.  H.  Upham 
&  Co. ;   20,000  dollars  to  T.  Patten  ;  and  several  smaller  sums. 

Fep.ruary  25.  —  The  court-martial  at  Brooklyn,  on  the 
^c  en/.it  s  ^^  Somers  "  case,  drags  along  its  tedious  length  so  slowly, 
and  there  is  such  an  everlasting  sameness  in  the  exam- 
ination, that  the  public  here  appears  to  have  lost  all  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  you  scarcely  hear  an  inquiry  made  as  to  its  progress, 
or  the  probability  of  its  termination.  Not  so  with  our  kind,  officious 
brethren  in  the  "mother  country."  One  universal  burst  of  vitu- 
peration comes  from  the  pack  of  hireling  papers  published  in  Lon- 
don;  not  only  is  Commander  McKenzie  saluted  with  the  epithets 
of  "  murderer,"  *' coward,"  '' fool,"  "bully,"  and  all  others  which 
may  be  supposed  to  be  most  offensive  to  a  gentleman  and  an  offi- 
cer, but  the  navy  is  vilified,  the  civil  institutions  of  the  country 
derided,  and  the  country  itself  insulted  by  the  blackguards  of  the 
British  press,  and  their  coadjutors  and  supporters  here.  The  edi- 
tor of  the  infamous  "  Herald  "  blazons  these  offensive  articles  in  the 
public  view  with  evident  satisfaction,  and  makes  their  publication 
the  ground  of  insulting  remarks  to  the  court.  When  the  court's 
actions  were  subject  to  the  supervision  of  the  American  people  only, 
it  was  not  of  much  consequence  how  the  proceedings  were  con- 
ducted ;  but  now  that  they  come  under  the  notice  of  the  "  British 
press ;  "  that  the  Bennetts  of  St.  Paul's  churchyard  have  honoured 
the  country  by  their  animadversions,  and  established  a  tribunal  in 
the  slums  of  St.  Giles  for  the  trial  of  the  triers,  —  it  behooves  them 
to  be  circumspect.  They  must  blacken  the  character  of  McKenzie 
if  they  wish  to  preserve  their  own,  and  hang  him  if  they  would  es- 
cape the  gibbet  themselves.  So  says  Mr.  Bennett.  The  vile  bribe, 
which  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  has  set  him  in  motion,  shines 
through  every  line  he  now  writes  on  this  melancholy  subject.  The 
interest  of  the  protracted  affair  has  given  place  in  the  public  mind 
to  new  subjects,  and  the  character  of  an  honoured  American  officer 


1S43]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  1 75 

is  left  to  be  worried  and  mangled  by  as  filthy  a  cur  as  ever  barked 
in  foreign  accents  at  the  bidding  of  a  corrupt  employer. 

I  am  not  as  clear  as  I  could  wish  to  be  in  my  opinion  of  the 
absolute  necessity  of  the  dreadful  act  of  discipline  resorted  to  by 
McKenzie,  and  for  his  sake,  as  well  as  for  the  sake  of  national 
justice,  I  sometimes  think  I  should  like  to  have  evidence  of  some 
clearly  overt  act  of  mutiny ;  but  I  do  most  entirely  believe  that  he 
proceeded  in  his  extremity  with  good  motives,  in  a  full  conviction 
of  the  existence  of  the  mutiny,  and  a  persuasion  that  the  execution 
was  necessary  for  the  safety  of  his  vessel  and  the  preservation  of 
his  men.  Be  this,  however,  as  it  may,  I  am  indignant  that  this 
"scum  of  Britons"  should  avail  themselves  of  this  distressing 
occurrence  to  cast  the  contents  of  their  "stink  pots"  upon  my 
country,  and  that  a  wretch  should  be  found  among  us  base  enough 
to  ladle  them  out  to  the  last  loathsome  drop.  But,  abov^e  all,  am  I 
humiliated  that  my  fellow-citizens  should  give  to  this  infamous 
journal  a  circulation  greater  (if  the  mendacious  sheet  may  in 
any  sort  be  believed)  than  that  of  any  other  daily  newspaper 
in  the  country. 

March  6. —  The  House  of  Representatives  and  the 

journmen     ggj-^^j-g  adjoumcd  on  Saturday  :  so  there  is  an  end  of  the 

ot  Congress.  -'  •'    ' 

Congress  which  floated  into  power  on  the  great  Har- 
rison wave  of  1840, —  the  people's  Congress,  from  which  so  much 
was  expected,  but  which,  by  untoward  circumstances,  by  treason, 
misplaced  confidence,  and  unchastened  ambition  has  been  thwarted 
and  checkmated  at  every  move ;  which  has  done  little  to  redeem 
its  pledges,  and  of  that  little  has  undone  much.  Like  a  goodly 
vessel,  the  pilot  lost  overboard,  the  rudder  broken,  and  several  of 
the  crew  in  a  state  of  mutiny,  but  with  timbers  sound,  chart  accurate, 
and  a  voyage  planned  which  could  not  fail  to  prove  profitable  to 
the  owners,  she  was  soon  cast  adrift,  made  no  headway,  and  has  at 
last  returned  into  port  to  refit,  and,  if  possible,  to  recommence  her 
voyage  under  better  officers  and  crew.  Much  of  this,  however, 
will  depend  upon  the  owners,  and  they  are  not  much  to  be  relied 


176  THE   DIARY   OF    I'lllLIP   HONE,  [/Etat.  63. 

upon.  The  closing  scene  in  the  House  of  Representatives  was 
marked  by  less  asperity  of  feeling  than  might  have  been  expected, 
from  the  previous  squabbles  of  the  members.  They  seemed  to  be 
afraid  to  trust  themselves,  and  so,  like  wise  men,  they  opened  the 
galleries  and  laid  themselves  under  petticoat  government. 

March  9.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  in  his  noble 
mansion  in  Lafayette  place,  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  the  city. 
The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Schermerhorn,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Philip  Van  Rensselaer,  General  Tallmadge,  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Bolton  (Mary  Lynch  formerly),  ISIr.  and  Miss  Ward,  Mr.  Havers, 
Dutch  charge  ;   Messrs.  A\'est,  Blunt,  Brevoort,  etc. 

March  10.  —  I  witnessed  yesterday   the   launch  of 
auneio    ,c   ^^^  "  Livcrpool,"  a  noble   ship  of  one  thousand  one 

"  Liverpool.  '  ^  '■ 

hundred  and  fifty  tons,  built  for  the  new  Liverpool  line 
of  WoodhuU  &  Minturn.  She  was  built  by  Bell  &  Brown,  and 
launched  from  their  extensive  dock-yard,  foot  of  Houston  street. 
East  river.  It  was  a  beautiful  exhibition.  She  is  the  largest  packet- 
ship  yet  built ;  her  figure-head  is  a  fine  fuUdength  figure  of  Jenkin- 
son,  late  Earl  of  Liverpool,  in  his  peer's  robes,  taken  from  an 
accurate  likeness  of  that  distinguished  British  minister.  What  must 
John  Bull  think  of  these  superb  specimens  of  Yankee  skill  and 
enterprise,  arriving  in  his  ports  one  after  the  other,  and  each  more 
admirable  than  all  that  went  before  it?  If  we  run  in  debt  in  some 
States  of  the  Union  more  than  we  can  pay,  we  have  something  to 
show  for  it  by  sea  and  by  land,  and,  like  Dickens's  raven,  we  say, 
"  Never  die  yet." 

March  14.  —  Died  last  evening,  John  Rathbone,  aged  ninety- 
two  years.  His  son  died  a  few  weeks  since.  The  deceased  was 
father-indaw  of  Robert  Chesebrough  and  Samuel  B.  Ruggles. 

The  "  Madisonian,"  the  organ  of  President  Tyler  in 
Mr.  Webster.    Washington,  which    speaks  his  language,  supports  his 
doctrine,  and  registers  his  edicts,  has  the  following  semi- 
official notice  on  Saturday:   *OIr.  Webster  has  expressed  a  wish, 
because  of  certain    considerations,  well  understood    between    the 


iS43-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 7/ 

President  and  himself,  and  which  did  not  in  the  least  affect  their 
public  or  private  relations,  to  retire  from  the  cabinet.  The  Presi- 
dent has  been  pleased  to  grant  him  permission  to  i-etiiw  This  fact 
was  publicly  stated  in  the  Senate ;  and  it  was  declared  by  a  senator 
authorized  to  do  so,  that  Mr.  Webster  would  retire  in  thirty  days 
after  IMr,  Cushing's  confirmation." 

0  Gog  and  Magog !  John  Tyler  pleased  to  grant  Daniel 
Webster  permission  to  retire  from  office  !  Daniel  W^ebster,  the 
personification  of  pure  Whig  principles,  consorting  with  treachery 
and  corruption, —  a  giant  shrinking  before  a  dwarf, —  Daniel  Web- 
ster standing,  cap  in  hand,  before  John  Tyler,  like  a  hard-pressed 
school-boy,  asking  from  the  pedagogue  permission  to  go  out! 
But  it  may  be  that  necessity,  which,  we  are  told,  knows  no  laws, 
and  which  bows  the  neck  of  pride  to  the  footstool  of  imbecile 
power,  may  have  something  to  do  with  this  humiliation  of  intel- 
lectual greatness. 

March  21.  —  General  Harrison  was  sung  into  the 
Clay  Ball.  Presidency,  and,  if  Mr.  Clay  should  succeed,  it  will  be 
effected  in  some  degree  by  dancing.  The  voices  of 
the  people  in  advance  were  clearly  in  favour  of  the  former,  and  the 
latter  has  established  a  favourable  footing  with  them.  Clay  balls 
are  quite  in  vogue.  They  answer  a  good  purpose  ;  for  while  they 
assist  by  a  little  surplus  of  funds  to  furnish  the  ways  and  means  for 
electioneering,  they  enlist  the  women  on  our  side,  and  wives  and 
tlaughters  are  famous  auxiliaries  in  a  righteous  cause,  and  good 
supporters  of  a  tottering  conscience. 

1  went  last  evening,  by  invitation,  to  one  of  those  political  jollifi- 
cations given  by  the  Clay  Club  of  the  third  ward,  at  Washington 
Hall.  The  large  ball-room  was  handsomely  decorated  and  well 
filled.  There  was  a  fair  collection  of  ladies,  some  of  whom  were 
fair,  dressed  generally  without  much  pretension,  and  of  modest 
deportment ;  but  the  male  division  of  the  dancing  part  of  the  com- 
pany would  hardly  have  passed  muster  in  former  days  at  the  Bath 
assemblies,  when  Beau  Nash  was  the  a7'biter  elegantiarum,  or  at 


178  THE    DIARY    OF    THILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

present  in  the  courtly  saloons  of  Almack's.  Colored  handkerchiefs 
and  uni)oHshc(l  hoots  declared  the  determination  of  their  wearers 
not  to  be  laid  neck  and  heels  by  the  mandates  of  fashion ;  and,  O 
Terpsichore  I  how  they  did  dance  !  Their  independent  ears 
scorned  to  be  controlled  by  the  arbitrary  measures  of  the  music, 
and  their  pliant  legs  described  every  letter  in  the  alphabet  from 
A  to  Z.  But  it  went  off  very  well.  'J'he  elderly  ladies  were  pleased 
witli  their  children,  the  young  ones  with  their  beaux,  and  the  beaux 
with  themselves.  The  Whig  common  councilmen  and  other  poli- 
ticians gave  their  august  countenance  with  solemn  jocularity  to  the 
affliir,  as  a  piece  of  political  machinery,  and  the  third  ward  gets 
$250  towards  the  charter  election. 

March  22. —  This  interesting  trial,  which  has  dragged 
Court-marticd.  out  a  tcdious  cxistcncc  of  six  wecks,  has  at  last  come  to 
a  conclusion.  As  long  as  hopes  were  entertained  that 
Commander  McKenzie  might  be  brought  within  the  power  of  a 
civil  court  and  jury,  and  the  court-martial  be  thereby  nullified, 
every  artifice  was  resorted  to  by  Mr.  Norris,  the  judge  advocate, 
to  procrastinate  the  proceedings,  exhaust  the  patience  of  the  court, 
and  worry  out  the  accused  and  his  counsel ;  but  now  that  the 
learned  and  virtuous  decision  of  Judge  Betts  has  frustrated  all  hope 
of  revenge  from  that  quarter,  the  judge  advocate  consented  to  let 
the  affair  come  to  a  close,  and  forego  any  longer  his  emoluments  of 
ten  dollars  a  day  and  ten  dollars  for  engrossing  every  fifteen  pages 
of  his  notes  of  evidence,  which  have  extended,  I  am  told,  to  five 
hundred  and  fifty  pages,  nine-tenths  of  which  consist  of  the  merest 
repetitions  and  the  dullest  technicalities  that  ever  helped  to  swell 
a  bill  of  costs.  The  examination  closed  yesterday,  and  as  this  was 
the  day  assigned  for  the  reading  of  McKenzie's  defence,  the  chapel 
in  the  navy  yard,  where  the  court  has  been  held,  was  filled  at  an 
early  hour  by  anxious  spectators,  including  a  large  number  of 
ladies.  My  daughters  went  over  with  Mrs.  Depeyster,  Mrs.  John 
Hone,  and  Emily.  I  also  formed  one  of  the  delighted  audience  ; 
prejudiced,  I  acknowledge,  in  favour  of  the  accused,  and  anxiously 


iS43]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 79 

desirous  that  a  clear  case  of  justification  might  be  made  out,  but 
never  until  now  so  fully  and  thoroughly  satisfied  that  his  inno- 
cence has  been  established  and  the  character  of  the  navy  re- 
deemed. 

The  defence,  which  had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  George  Griffin, 
was  read  by  that  gentleman ;  the  reading  occupied  about  an  hour 
and  a  half.  Never  was  an  audience  more  attentive,  and,  from  all 
the  indications  I  observed,  never  was  there  one  better  prepared  for 
a  verdict  of  complete  and  honourable  acquittal,  —  a  result  of  which 
I  think  there  cannot  be  a  shadow  of  doubt.  Mr.  Griffin  has  done 
himself  immortal  honour  in  this  able  document.  Many  new  and 
striking  points  were  presented,  circumstances  hitherto  doubtful 
were  elucidated,  the  most  convincing  and  appropriate  authorities 
produced  ;  and  occasionally  scope  was  found  for  a  display  of  the 
most  thrilling  eloquence,  while  throughout  the  whole  defence  the 
utmost  taste  and  soundest  discretion  prevailed.  There  were  no  vin- 
dictive charges  against  the  prosecution,  no  angry  recrimination,  no 
seeking  after  technical  or  legal  advantages,  but  a  straightforward 
appeal  to  the  judgment  and  patriotism  of  the  court,  worthy  of  it.i 
dignity,  the  character  of  the  accused,  and  the  professional  reputa- 
tion of  the  learned  advocate. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  recording  here  the  following  thrilling  and 
graphic  picture,  drawn  toward  the  close  of  the  address,  of  the  case 
as  it  might  now  have  stood  if  a  different  line  of  conduct  had  been 
pursued  under  the  awful  circumstances  in  which  Captain  McKenzie 
found  himself  placed.  "  To  enable  the  court  the  better  to  judge 
of  the  necessity  of  the  execution,  permit  me  to  bring  the  case  to 
another  test.  I  suppose  that  the  execution  had  not  taken  place ; 
that  the  unconfined  malcontents  had  risen  and  released  the  prison- 
ers ;  that  the  mutiny  had  triumphed,  and  the  brig  been  turned  into 
a  piratical  cruiser ;  that  the  faithful  officers  and  members  of  the 
crew  had  been  all  massacred,  except  the  commander  alone ;  that, 
from  a  refinement  in  cruelty,  the  pirates  had  spared  his  wretched 
life,  and  sent  him  on  shore  that  he  might  be  forced  to  wend  home 


l8o  ^lllE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  63. 

his  solitary  way,  and  become  himself  the  disgraced  narrator  of 
what  would  then  have  been,  indeed,  '  the  tragedy  of  the  "  Somers."  ' 
With  what  a  burst  of  indignation  would  the  country  have  received 
his  narrative  !  How  would  the  American  press,  with  its  thousand 
tongues,  have  overwhelmed  him  with  exclamations  and  interroga- 
tions like  these:  'You  were  seasonably  urged,  by  the  unanimous 
voice  of  your  trusty  officers,  to  save  their  lives,  the  lives  of  your 
faithful  seamen,  and  the  honour  of  your  country,  by  the  timely  exe- 
cution of  these  malefactors,  who  deserved  to  (be,  and  whose  imme- 
diate death  was  imperiously  demanded  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
case.  Why  did  you  not  heed  the  counsel,  the  earnest  counsel  of 
your  associates  in  authority,  your  constitutional  advisers,  with  whose 
opinion  your  own,  too,  concurred?  You  did  not,  because  you  dared 
not.  You  faltered  in  the  path  of  known  and  acknowledged  duty, 
because  you  wanted  moral  courage  to  tread  it.  On  you,  in  the 
judgment  of  conscience,  devolves  the  responsibility  of  those  mur- 
ders, which  you  might  and  ought  to  have  prevented  ;  on  you  re- 
coils the  disgrace  of  that  flag  which  never  sustained  a  blot  until  it 
was  committed  to  your  charge.'  To  finish  the  picture,  permit  me 
to  fill  up  another  part  of  the  canvas.  I  suppose  that  the 
'  Somers,'  now  turned  pirate,  while  cruising  off  our  coast  had 
been  permitted  by  Heaven,  in  an  evil  hour,  to  capture  some  vessel 
plying  between  this  port  and  Europe,  freighted  with  the  talent  and 
beauty  of  the  land.  The  men  are  all  murdered,  and  the  females, 
including  perhaps  the  new-made  wife,  and  maidens  just  blooming 
into  womanhood,  are  forced  to  become  the  brides  of  pirates.  A 
universal  shriek  of  agony  bursts  from  the  American  people  through- 
out their  vast  domains,  and  the  wailing  is  echoed  back  from  the 
whole  civilized  world  ;  antl  where  then  could  the  commander  of 
the  *  Somers '  have  hidden  his  head,  branded  as  it  would  have 
been  by  a  mark  of  infamy  as  indelible  as  that  stamped  on  the  fore- 
head of  Cain?  " 

The  court-martial  will  require  two  or  three  days  to  read  the  min- 
utes of   evi  lence,  and  close  up   their   work.     Their  decision  will 


I843-]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  l8l 

then  be  sent  to  Washington,  until   which   time   the   anxious  public 
must  remain  in  ignorance  of  these  interesting  proceedings. 

March  30.  —  The  finest  pair  of  capons  I  ever  saw  formed  the 
ostensible  motive  for  a  very  agreeable  dinner  to-day  at  Prescott 
Hall's.  The  guests  were  Robert  B.  Minturn,  Henry  Grinnell,  R. 
M.  Blatchford,  James  Thomson,  Gerard  Coster,  Mr.  Dutilh,  Mr. 
Post,  and  myself. 

March  31.  —  A  similar  call  to  that  of  yesterday,  in  the  form  of 
a  fine  mess  of  trout,  brought  together  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  R.  M. 
Blatchford,  Ogden  Hoffman,  Prescott  Hall,  Simeon  Draper,  and 
myself,  at  a  cosey  dinner  at  Robert  B.   Minturn's. 

April    10.  —  The    agitation  of   the   public   mind  in 
ava     our  -     j.g|^|.|Qj-^  |.q  ^|-^g  ^^.[^1  ^f  Commauder  McKenzie  is  put  to 

martial.  ^ 

rest  by  tlie  promulgation  of  the  decision  of  the  court- 
martial.  The  character  of  the  navy  is  sustained  and  the  majesty 
of  the  laws  vindicated  by  the  full  and  honourable  acquittal  of  the 
accused  from  all  the  charges  brought  against  him.  This  verdict  is 
approved  and  confirmed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  gallant  officer  who  has  been  the  subject  of  those  investigations 
is  relieved  from  the  anxiety  which  his  unpleasant  situation  has 
caused  him,  except  the  painful  reflection  arising  from  the  necessary 
act  of  severe  discipline  which  he  was  called  upon  to  perform  by 
the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  unfortunately  placed.  It  re- 
mains now  to  be  seen  whether  the  vindictive  feelings  of  his 
enemies  can  find  further  means  of  annoyance  and  persecution. 

April    12. —  Tout  perdu,  saiif  riionneiir.     Francis 
The  Election,    the  First,  whcii  beaten  by  the  imperial  Loco-focos  at 

Pavia,  and  a  prisoner  in  the  power  of  his  inexorable 
enemy,  the  Emperor,  Charles  the  Fifth,  had  a  right  to  console  him- 
self by  the  saving  clause  in  this  celebrated  and  often-quoted  pas- 
sage in  his  letters  to  his  mother.  But  the  New  York  Whigs,  who 
have /(^v?///  everything,  have  not,  I  fear,  equal  reason  to  claim  the 
merit  of  having  sauve  even  their  honour.  Certain  it  is  that  in  the 
election  yesterday,  though  deficient  in  odd  tricks,  they  have  revoked 


l82  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

shamefully,  and  lost  the  game,  —  double,  single,  and  the  rubber. 
Morris  is  elected  mayor  by  six  thousand  majority,  and  the  Loco- 
focos  have  carried  twelve  aldermen  and  fourteen  assistants  out  of 
seventeen  in  each  board.  The  first  ward  gives  Mr.  Smith  only 
one  hundred  and  forty  majority,  and  has  elected  a  Loco-foco  assist- 
ant by  a  division  among  the  Whigs.  The  majority  even  in  the 
great  fifteenth  (my  ward)  is  reduced  to  six  hundred.  This  was 
occasioned  by  a  si)lit  on  the  collector ;  but  my  man,  R.  C.  Worten- 
dyke,  got  in  by  a  very  small  majority.  The  eleventh  gives  Morris 
the  unheard-of  majority  of  thirteen  hundred.  There  has  never 
been  an  election  in  which  frauds  have  been  so  openly  and  shame- 
fully practised.  Under  the  present  system  no  restraint  nor  check 
upon  illegal  voting  can  ever  be  rendered  available.  I  am  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  country  to  sustain 
itself  against  the  desolating  effect  of  universal  suffrage.  Public 
virtue  is  the  only  foundation  of  a  republican  form  of  government, 
and  that  is  utterly  swejU  away.  The  edifice  must  fall ;  what  comes 
next?  And  through  what  scenes  of  blood  and  violence  are  we 
to  pass  before  we  settle  down  into  the  death-like  paralysis  of  des- 
potic power?  The  old-fashioned  honest  men  of  both  parties  (for 
there  are  honest  men  in  both)  have  nothing  to  say  in  the  matter. 
The  power  is  in  the  hands  of  a  rabble,  vile  and  savage  as  the 
canaille  of  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine  at  the  commencement  of 
the  French  Revolution  ;  and  in  the  number  of  red-flannel-shirt 
and  turned- up-trousers  men  are  thousands  ready  to  cry  "  A  la 
lantcnie  ' ''  and  Marats,  Robespierres,  and  T.e  Gendres  ready  at 
hand  to  lead  them  on  to  works  of  blood  and  violence  when  the 
time  shall  come. 

April  25. —  I  landed  from  Long  Island  just  in  time 
s   niron  ^^^^^^         engagement  to  dine  with  Moses   H.  Grin- 

Dinner.  *    o 

nell  and  Robert  B.  Minturn  on  board  their  splendid 
ship  the  "Ashburton."  Our  party  consisted  of  Messrs.  (rriimell, 
Minturn,  Golden,  Ogden  Hoffman,  James  Thomson,  Gaptain 
Rogers,   (iibbes,  Draper,  Bowdoin,  Mr.   Barnard  of  Albany,  John 


1S43]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 83 

Stevens^  James  W.  Otis,  James  W.  Webb,  Charles  King,  Nicholas 
Low,  Charles  L.   Livingston,  Captain  Huddleston,  and  myself. 

May  II.  —  A  letter  is  published,  signed  by  three  hun- 
omman  tr  ^^^^^^  merchants  and  others  of  our  most  respectable  citi- 
zens,  addressed  to  Commander  Alexander  S.  McKenzie, 
expressing  their  approval  of  his  conduct  in  the  unhappy  affair  of 
the  mutiny  on  board  the  "  Somers,"  and  their  congratulations  on 
his  honourable  acquittal  by  the  court  of  inquiry  and  court-martial. 
His  answer  to  this  high  compliment  is  much  better  written,  and  in 
better  taste,  than  his  unfortunate  statement  made  to  the  govern- 
ment on  his  arrival.  If  he  had  said  no  more  then,  and  said  it  as 
well,  his  case  would  have  stood  better  before  his  fellow-citizens ; 
particularly  that  portion  of  his  friends  who  lament  the  necessity, 
while  they  justify  the  motives,  of  the  dreadful  act  of  discipline 
which  he  was  called  upon  to  perform.  The  merchants  have  raised 
a  sum  of  money  by  subscription  to  pay  the  lawyers'  fees  and  other 
charges  attending  the  trials  ;  but  this  foct  is  delicately  kept  out  of 
view  in  the  correspondence. 

May  23.  —  Died  this  morning,  at  his  seat  in  Westchester 
County,  iMr.  Peter  Lorillard,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  last  of  the  three  brothers  of  that  name,  himself  the  eldest,  — 
Peter,  George,  and  Jacob,  —  all  rich  men ;  he  the  richest.  He 
was  a  tobacconist,  and  his  memory  will  be  preserved  in  the  annals 
of  New  York  by  the  celebrity  of  "  Lorillard's  Snuff  and  Tobacco." 
He  led  people  by  the  nose  for  the  best  part  of  a  century,  and 
made  his  enormous  fortune  by  giving  them  that  to  chew  which  they 
could  not  swallow. 

May  24.  —  Mr.  \Vebster,  accompanied  by  some  of 
Mr  Webster,  the  Lc  Roys,  wcut  down  on  Long  Island  fishing  yes- 
terday. His  object,  I  suppose,  is  to  get  away  from 
the  crowd  who  press  upon  him  here,  and  to  prepare  his  thoughts 
in  retirement  and  quiet  for  the  address  which  he  i^  to  deliver  next 
month  on  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  completion  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  on   which   occasion  President  Tyler,  the 


1 84  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

heads  of  departments,  and  many  other  distinguished  characters  are 
expected  to  be  present.  Mr.  Tyler's  office-holders  must  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  receive  him  with  all  due  reverence  on 
his  transit  through  New  York,  for  woe  be  to  him  whose  stubborn 
knee  and  ungrateful  neck  refuse  to  do  proper  homage  to  the  mas- 
ter whose  livery  they  wear  ! 

Mav  30.  —  Died  on  Sunday  evening,  at  his  residence, 
We^bsJr  ""^^  -^^^^  Haven,  Conn.,  Noah  Webster,  LL.D.,  in  the 
eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  lawyer,  school- 
master, grammarian,  and  lexicographer ;  a  man  of  great  learning, 
deep  research,  and  laborious  investigation ;  a  patriot  of  the  Revo- 
lution, in  which  he  took  part  as  a  volunteer  while  yet  a  junior 
student  in  Yale  College ;  a  stiff  Federalist  and  Washingtonian,  a 
cause  which  he  supported  by  his  writings  with  great  ability  in  his 
younger  days,  and  in  which  good,  old-fashioned  faith  he  was  con- 
tent to  die.  As  an  author,  he  was  best  known  by  his  works  on 
elementary  education,  and  his  fame  will  rest  principally  on  "  Web- 
ster's Spelling-Book  "  and  "  Webster's  Dictionary." 

June  8.  —  In  the  packet  "  George  Washington,"  which  sailed 
yesterday  for  Liverpool,  went  passengers  Thurlow  Weed  and  Mr. 
Schoolcraft,  of  Albany.  The  former  is  the  able  and  influential 
editor  of  the  ''  Albany  Evening  Journal,"  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
Whig  cause ;  somewhat  of  a  radical,  however,  and  in  AVhig  times 
Governor  Seward's  conscience-keeper. 

June  12. — The  accidental  President,  attended  by 
'^/"Z"  .  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  the  Postmaster-General, 
and  young  Mr.  Tyler,  made  a  triumphal  entry  into  the 
good  city  of  New  York  this  12th  day  of  June,  on  his  way  to  Boston, 
where  he  is  to  be  present  at  the  great  Bunker  Hill  jubilee  and  the 
delivery  of  Mr.  Webster's  oration,  on  the  1 7th.  Great  preparations 
were  made  for  this  auspicious  occasion  by  the  civil  and  military 
authorities.  I  was  honoured  by  an  invitation  from  the  joint  com- 
mittee of  the  corporation. 

But  "  my  arrangements  would   not  permit."      I    did  ;io/  go,  be- 


1843-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 85 

cause  I  did  not  choose  to  pay  homage  to  the  man  who  has  deceived 
his  friends,  and  betrayed  those  who  spent  time  and  money,  and 
comfort  and  hmgs,  to  place  him  where  he  is.  Now,  when  old 
Jackson  visited  New  York,  I  cheerfully  helped  to  swell  the  loud 
hurrahs  in  honour  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  We 
were  opposed  in  politics,  and  had  a  right  to  be.  I  tried  to  keep 
him  out,  and  had  no  right  to  expect  any  favour  from  him ;  and, 
moreover,  with  all  his  tyrannical  notions  of  government,  and  refer- 
ence of  public  matters  to  private  considerations,  there  was  a  man- 
liness of  character  about  the  old  warrior  which  commanded  respect. 
But  this  man  has  played  false  to  his  friends,  and  is  of  no  use  to 
any  but  his  enemies ;  and  well  may  Mayor  Morris,  and  Alderman 
Purdy,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew,  fire  the  guns,  and  ring  the  bells, 
and  make  speeches  to  him,  and  tender  him  the  tenderest  welcome, 
for  in  truth  he  is  the  best  friend  their  party  ever  had. 

June    19.  —  The    papers    are    filled  with    accounts 
un  e.     1       ^^    ^j^^    great    Bunker  Hill    celebration,  on    Saturday. 

Celebration.  °  '  -^ 

The  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  the  works  of  man  all 
conspired  to  render  the  affair  equal  in  all  respects  to  the  anticipa- 
tions of  those  who  planned  and  executed  it.  The  storm  of  the 
preceding  day  (that  on  which  the  President  of  the  United  States 
made  his  entree  into  Boston)  cleared  away  during  the  preced- 
ing night ;  the  sun  rose  bright  on  Saturday,  and  the  lofty  summit 
of  the  monument  erected  on  the  sacred  spot  (the  completion  of 
which  was  the  object  of  the  jubilee)  pierced  the  unclouded  canopy 
of  a  New  England  sky. 

The  procession  was  formed  on  Boston  Common.  The  military 
display  consisted  of  troops  from  all  parts  of  New  England,  and  a 
beautiful  corps  of  National  Guards  from  New  York,  who  went  on 
as  an  escort  to  a  body  of  two  or  three  hundred  Yankees,  residents 
of  this  city,  who  made  (as  they  say  themselves)  a  splendid  appear- 
ance ;  and,  if  anybody  should  be  disposed  to  gainsay  it,  I  will  refer 
him  to  Moses  H.  Grinnell.  Then  there  was  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  John  Tyler,  and  Robert  Tyler.     There  was  enough 


l86  THE   DIARY   OF    rillTJP    HONE.  [.Tltat.  63. 

of  "  Tyler  too,"  but  iinh;i})i)ily  no  "  Tippecanoe  ;  "  Mr.  Ui)ohur, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Mr.  Spencer,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ; 
Mr.  Porter,  Secretary  of  War ;  Mr.  Legart^,  Attorney-General ;  and 
Mr.  Wicklifife,  Postmaster-General ;  and  then  there  was  Mr.  Brim- 
?ncr,  Mayor  of  Boston,  oi'crfloiuing  with  patriotism ;  and  Mr. 
Q/nncv,  whose  throat  was  sore  with  huzzaing  on  the  great  occasion  ; 
and  Mr.  Gushing,  whose  diplomatic  fame  is  about  to  be  emblaz- 
oned in  china.  And  there  was  the  immortal  Dan,  the  orator  of 
the  day,  who  added  the  brightest  and  the  greenest  leaf  to  the 
chai)let  which  adorns  his  brow,  by  the  oration  in  which  he  invested 
with  the  /o;;^a  virihs  the  monument,  the  offsj^ring  of  New  England 
patriotism,  in  strains  of  elotiuence  bright  and  impressive  as  those 
in  which  he  announced  its  birth.  And  there  were  one  hundred 
and  seven  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  of  whom  thirteen  fought  in 
the  batde  of  Bunker  Hill  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775  ;  and  three, 
namely,  A.  Bigelow,  L.  Harrington,  and  P.  Johnson,  were  pres- 
ent and  mingled  in  the  fight  when  the  first  blood  of  the  Revolu- 
tion was  shed  at  Lexington  in  the  month  of  April  preceding,  when, 
in  the  inrspi ration  of  prophetic  patriotism,  Samuel  Adams  exclaimed 
to  his  brother  patriot,  John  Hancock,  "  Oh,  what  a  glorious  morn- 
ing is  this  !  "  x\ll  accounts  agree  that  this  jubilee  was  a  great 
affair,  even  for  Boston,  where  they  certainly  do  excel  in  such 
matters  ;  and  as  for  Webster's  speech,  no  praise  can  do  it  justice, 
no  extract  can  be  fiiirly  made,  no  passage  can  be  selected  as 
unequalled,  while  all  are  unsurpassed  by  others  in  the  same 
great  oration. 

Junk  22.  —  Such  an  Irish  howl  as  we  had  in  New 
.  ^'^.^'\'  *'*' "    York  the  other  day  was  gotten  up  in  Boston  in  honour 

iiig  in  Kostoii.  JO  X 

of  their  "distinguished  visitors,"  and  Mr.  Robert  Tyler, 
son  of  the  President,  heir  apparent  of  his  office  as  he  thinks,  heir 
presumptive  of  his  vanity,  and  heir  de  facto  of  his  talents,  made  a 
violent  inflammatory  speech,  in  which  England  and  her  throne, 
her  government  and  her  constitution,  were  attacked  with  all  the 
fury  of  big  words,  sharp  epithets,  and  senseless  declamation.     The 


1843]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 87 

son  of  the  Executive  of  the  United  States,  under  the  eye  of  his 
father,  and  ars  is  understood  with  his  sanction,  uniting  with  rebels 
and  disorganizers  in  opposition  to  their  government,  and  exciting 
civil  war  in  a  country  with  whom  we  are  on  terms  of  amity  and 
friendship,  is  in  the  worst  possible  taste,  to  say  the  least  of  it ;  but 
there  is  reason  to  fear  it  is  something  worse  than  that.  I  wish 
with  all  my  heart  that  the  people  of  England  knew  what  fools 
these  men  are,  —  fother  and  son;  it  might  be  the  way  to  turn  their 
anger  into  contempt. 

June  23.  —  Died  this  day.  Christian  Bergh,  aged  eighty-one 
years,  the  oldest  ship-carpenter  in  the  city,  the  father  of  that  great 
system  of  naval  architecture  which  has  rendered  the  city  of  New 
York  famous  throughout  the  world.  He  was  the  first  to  send  on 
the  great  waters  the  models  of  packet-ships  which  have  borne  the 
palm  from  all  other  commercial  nations ;  others  have  followed  in 
his  career,  and  of  late  some  may  have  exceeded  him,  but  Chris- 
tian Bergh  was  the  first  to  raise  the  character  of  Yankee  packet- 
ships  to  a  height  which  as  yet  has  been  unapproached  by  any 
foreign  nation. 

July  4.  —  I  spent  a  delightful  Fourth  of  July  at  Mr.  Grinnell's, 
at  Throgs-neck ;  the  old  club  set  had  been  duly  warned,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  Prescott  Hall  and  Gerard  Coster  called  to  take  me  out.  On 
arriving  at  Mr.  Grinnell's  we  found  our  party  engaged  in  pitching 
quoits  under  the  noble  trees,  with  a  flowing  bowl  of  champagne 
punch  to  prepare  them  for  the  labours  of  the  day.  The  party 
consisted  of  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Simeon  Draper,  Jr.,  Edward 
Curtis,  George  Curtis,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  Gerard  Coster,  R.  M. 
Blatchford  and  his  son  Bloodgood,  Ogden  Hoffman,  John  Ward, 
and  myself.  Our  dinner  was,  of  course,  excellent,  and  the  drink 
capital,  and  we  left  the  quantity  of  the  latter  considerably  dimin- 
ished on  coming  away. 

July     12. — This    distinguished    artist    died    at    his 

AUston^ ""     residence,   in   Cambridge,  near   Boston,    on    Saturday 

evening  last,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age.     He 


l88  THE    ])IARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  63. 

was  a  native  of  Charleston,  South  CaroHna ;  was  educated  at  Har- 
vard University,  went  early  in  life  to  England,  where  he  became  a 
pupil  of  BtMijamin  West,  and  an  -  associate  of  Reynolds,  Fuseli, 
and  the  other  eminent  painters  of  the  day.  He  spent  several 
years  in  Europe,  and  returned  to  this  country  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  painters  among  us.  It  may  not  be  too  high  praise 
to  say  the  most  distinguished.  The  last  twenty- five  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  Cambridge,  where  he  has  been  employed  in  his 
profession,  painting  not  much,  but  well.  For  many  years  he  has 
had  in  hand  a  great  work,  "  Belshazzar's  Feast,"  which  was  gotten 
up  by  the  liberal  subscriptions  of  some  of  the  rich  men  of  Boston. 
Great  expectations  were  formed  of  this  painting,  which  was 
intended  as  a  national  specimen  of  American  art ;  but  the  unac- 
countable dilatoriness  of  the  artist  has  left  the  subscribers  nothing 
but  *'  hope  deferred  "  to  repay  them  their  advances,  and  many  of 
them  have  died  without  seeing  the  picture,  as  it  is  feared  the  artist 
has,  without  finishing  it.  Money  spent  does  not  excite  to  exertion 
so  much  as  money  expected.  Mr.  Allston  was  equally  successful  in 
his  literary  as  in  his  artistical  labours.  His  writings  are  marked 
with  the  same  stamp  of  excellence  as  his  paintings.  He  published, 
many  years  since,  a  volume  of  poetry,  which  has  been  well  spoken 
of,  and  a  novel  of  great  merit,  entitled  "  Monaldi." 

Saratoga,  July  21.  —  My  first  glass  of  Congress  water  was 
drunk  this  morning,  at  six  o'clock  precisely,  bright  as  the  sun 
gilding  the  hill-tops  of  Vermont,  and  restorative  as  Brandreth's 
pills.  The  effect  of  my  morning  draught  has  been  found  in  a 
hearty  breakfast  and  good  spirits.  I  am  in  a  mess  with  James 
DePeyster  Ogden  and  Daniel  Giraud,  —  a  pleasant  arrangement. 
The  former  contributes  to  my  intellectual^  as  the  latter  does  to  my 
mate?'ialy  wants ;  the  superabundance  of  words  at  Mr.  Ogden's 
command  makes  up  for  Mr.  Giraud's  taciturnity ;  and  as  for  ideas, 
I  flatter  myself  that,  without  drawing  largely  upon  the  last-named 
gentleman,  the  average  is  tolerable. 

Several  of  my  acquaintances  are  here  :    Bowne,   Haggerty  and 


1843]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 89 

his  wife,  Carow,  James  Thomson,  a  large  lot  of  Le  Roys,  William 
Edgar,  John  Cox  Morris,  D.  L.  Haight  and  family,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Richard  Haight  (by  the  bye,  I  have  taken  a  liking  to  this  lady; 
she  is  conceited,  but  in  truth  she  has  much  cause  for  it).  The 
Haights  have  with  them  a  young  lady  who  is  to  accompany  them 
to  Europe,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Jarvis,  about  twenty-one  years  old, 
an  uncommonly  lovely  girl,  bright,  beautiful,  and  intelligent. 
Then  there  are  Mr.  Wetmore,  the  tall  man,  Mr.  George  Griffin, 
the  taller,  and  Mr.  Sterling,  the  tallest.  The  latter  is  an  old  Ball- 
ston  acquaintance ;  he  might  regulate  the  town  clocks  without 
going  up  into  the  belfry.  There  are  also  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  of 
Rhode  Island,  —  a  charming  woman  she,  and  a  clever  fellow  he  ;  and 
Mrs.  Vandenheuvel  and  Miss  Morris,  Mrs.  McGregor,  Mrs.  Hart, 
Mrs.  Ingersoll  of  Philadelphia,  daughter  of  Jacob  Ridgeway,  the 
millionnaire  who  died  the  other  day.  Last,  but  not  by  any  means 
least  in  anything  but  size,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  and  daughter. 

At  Home,  July  29.  —  Mr.  Ogden,  Mr.  Daniel  Giraud,  and 
I,  after  dining  yesterday  at  the  Springs,  arrived  here  early  this 
morning ;  the  rapidity  of  travelling  astonishing  us  who  remember 
how  it  worked  before  the  use  of  steam  and  the  invention  of  rail- 
roads, when  a  week  was  consumed  in  the  voyage  to  Albany,  and 
it  was  a  day's  journey  (and  a  hard  one,  too)  from  thence  to  Sara- 
toga. Now  we  dine  at  Saratoga,  and  arrive  in  New  York  before 
people  are  stirring. 

Another  great  change  has  taken  place,  one  which  I  do  not  like 
as  well.  The  superior  enterprise  and  public  spirit  of  the  Trojans 
have  drawn  away  travel  from  Albany.  Here  have  I  been  up  the 
river  and  returned,  stopping  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  wharf  in 
Albany,  but  not  even  landing,  and  continuing  my  voyage  to  Troy 
in  going  up,  and  embarking  there  in  returning,  turning  "  a  cold 
shoulder  "  upon  the  good  old  city  of  the  Van. 

Dickens  has  just  published,  as  one  of  the  chapters 


Martin 

it." 

his  hero  in  New  York,  and  what  he  saw,  and  heard. 


.     of  "Martin  Chuzzlewit,"  an  account  of  the  arrival  of 

Chuzzlewit." 


I90  Till':    DIARV    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.  63. 

and  <li  1,  and  suffered,  in  tliis  land  of  pagans,  brutes,  and  infidels. 
I  am  sorry  to  see  it.  Tliinking  that  Mr.  Dickens  has  been  ungen- 
erously treated  by  my  countrymen,  I  have  taken  his  part  on  most 
occasions ;  but  he  has  now  written  an  exceedingly  foolish  libel 
upon  lis,  from  whicli  he  will  not  ()l)tain  credit  as  an  author,  nor  as 
a  man  of  wit,  any  more  than  as  a  man  of  good  taste,  good  nature, 
or  good  manners.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  such  unmitigated 
trash  should  have  (\o\yA  from  the  same  pen  that  drew  the  portrait 
of  the  immortal  Pickwick  and  his  expressive  gaiters,  the  honest 
locksmith  and  his  i)retty  Dolly  of  Clerkenwell,  and  })oor  little  Nell, 
who  has  caused  so  many  tears  to  How.  Shame,  Mr.  Dickens  !  Con- 
sidering all  that  we  did  for  you,  if,  as  some  folks  say,  I  and  others 
made  fools  of  ourselves  to  make  much  of  you,  you  shcjuld  not 
afford  them  the  triumph  of  saying,  "  There  !  we  told  you  so  !  " 
"It  serves  you  right!"  and  other  such  consolatory  phrases.  If 
we  were  fools,  you  were  the  cause  of  it,  and  should  have  stood  by 
us.      ''  Et  til,  Bill  ic  f' 

July  31. — This  glorious  old  man,  the  type  of  the 
"'"  """^  Revolution,  the  apostle  of  pure,  exalted,  genuine  Re- 
publicanism, has  been  making  a  tour,  for  the  first  time, 
to  the  Falls  of  Niagara  an  I  Canada ;  and  to  the  honour  of  our 
people,  and  all  the  people  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact,  he 
has  been  received  wherever  he  went  with  demonstrations  of  respect. 
Committees  have  waited  upon  him  to  usher  him  into  the  bosom  of 
their  respective  communities  ;  honours,  unbought  and  spontaneous, 
have  been  tendered,  and  the  eloquent,  wise,  and  patriotic  old  man 
has  been  petted  and  caressed  by  men  of  all  parties,  and  women 
with  their  hearts  in  their  hands.  Not  like  John  Tyler,  who  has 
offices  to  bestow.  He  had  nothing  to  return  for  the  homage  of 
the  heart  and  the  incense  of  sentiment,  but  the  recollection  of  a 
long  life  spent  in  the  servdce  of  the  country  and  devoted  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  people.  There  is  a  redeeming  grace  about  all 
these  demonstrations,  which  puts  one  in  good- humour  with  the 
popular  impulse.     His  career  of  triumph  began  at  Saratoga,  con- 


1S43]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  19I 

tinned  across  the  lines,  and  has  followed  his  footsteps  on  his  return ; 
he  cannot  be  otherwise  than  gratified ;  it  is  the  only  reward  which 
such  a  man  can  be  ambitious  of  receiving  from  his  countrymen. 
Tribute  to  AuGUST  4.  —  Proud  am  I  to  record  the  proceedings 

Chancellor        of  the    Ncw   Yorlc    bar  in    relation    to  my  venerated 
^^^^'  friend,  Chancellor  Kent.     Here  is  another   octogena- 

rian receiving  the  spontaneous  tributes  of  his  fellow-citizens  with- 
out distinction  of  party ;  the  honours  are  not  so  general  as  those 
lately  bestowed  upon  Mr.  Adams,  but  more  complimentary  even, 
as  coming  from  the  members  of  the  profession  of  which  he  is  the 
acknowledged  ornament,  —  that  class  of  citizens  who  are  best  able 
to  appreciate  his  talents  and  his  virtues.  The  members  of  the  bar 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  being  "  desirous  of  once  more  meeting 
the  venerable  and  honoured  patriarch  of  the  profession,  and  of 
testifying  their  respect,  gratitude,  and  affection  for  his  profound 
learning,  eminent  services,  and  private  virtues,"  have  tendered  to 
Chancellor  Kent  a  public  dinner.  The  letter  of  the  committee  to 
the  Chancellor  is  published,  and  is  signed  by  the  following  New 
York  lawyers  :  David  B.  Ogden,  John  Duer,  George  Wood,  Daniel 
Lord,  Jr.,  George  Griffin,  Beverly  Robinson,  Benjamin  F.  Butler, 
Charles  O'Connor,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  F.  B. 
Cutting,  James  W.  Gerard,  B.  D.  Silliman,  George  W.  Strong, 
Thomas  L.  Ogden,  David  S.  Jones,  Samuel  A.  Foote,  Ogden  Hoff- 
man, James  R.  Whiting,  James  T.  Brady,  David  Graham,  Jr.,  A.  L. 
Robertson,  Theodore  Sedgwick,  John  Anthon,  Murray  Hoffman, 
A.  Crist,  John  W.  Edmonds,  Edward  Sanford,  J.  S.  Bosworth,  A.  L. 
Jordan.  It  is  a  beautiful  letter ;  written,  I  believe,  by  John  Duer. 
August  30.  —  Coming  from  market  yesterday  I  saw 

Licentiousness  r    .  t  ^  i      •         i  i    , , 

^  ^   „  on    one    of  the    corners    a    placard    m    lareje    letters : 

of  the  Press.  ^  ^ 

"  Crim.-con.  Reporter,  for  sale  at  No.  98  Nassau  street. 
Newsboys  supplied  at  four  dollars  per  hundred."  This  is  only  a 
samjDle  of  the  literary  food  supplied  daily  to  the  reading  public  of 
this  great  city,  —  something  worse,  to  be  sure,  than  the  run  of  it ; 
but  the  same  character  prevails  in  all  the  transient  publications  j 


192  THE    1)1  ARV    Ol'    rill  LIP    HONE.  [/Etat.63. 

licentiousness,  no  matter  hf)\v  disgusting,  lies  however  glaring, 
personal  abuse  without  a  shadow  of  foundation,  must  l)e  served 
up  to  gratify  the  taste  of  the  people,  or  the  pai)ers  will  not  sell. 
And  this  is  the  case,  too,  in  a  church-going  community,  which 
boasts  of  its  Sunday-schools  and  temperance  societies.  The  moral 
sense  of  a  majority  of  our  people  is  opposed  to  this  enormous 
evil ;  but  none  have  the  courage  to  come  out  and  assist  in  putting 
it  down.  An  association  for  this  ol)ject,  fearless  of  the  attacks  of 
profligate  editors  and  the  ridicule  of  their  supporters,  would  do 
more  good  at  this  time  than  all  the  societies  for  sending  mission- 
aries among  the  Tartars  and  Scythians,  or  the  total- abstinence  men, 
who  are  working  so  hard  in  their  vocation. 

Septemp.er  2.  —  Bennett,   the   editor   of  the  "  Her- 
ejece   o        ald,"is  ou   a  tour  throusrh   Crreat   Britain,  whence  he 

O'Connell.  '  °  ' 

furnishes  lies  and  scandal  for  the  infamous  paper  which 
has  contributed  so  much  to  corrupt  the  morals  and  degrade  the 
taste  of  the  people  of  New  York.  If  the  following  article,  wdiich 
is  published  to-day  in  the  "  Courier  and  Enquirer,"  be  correct 
(and  it  is  too  circumstantial  to  admit  of  its  being  doubted),  it 
will  require  all  his  impudence  to  get  over  the  effects  of  it.  Such  a 
rebuff,  from  such  a  quarter,  must  have  been  unexpected  as  it 
was  mortifying.  "The  rejected  of  O'Connell"  is  not  an  envia- 
ble title.  The  occurrence  took  place  at  a  great  repeal  meeting 
held  at  Dublin,  on  the  7th  of  August,  at  which  the  "great  re- 
pealer" was,  of  course,  the  most  prominent  actor.  The  statement 
relating  to  Mr.  Bennett  is  as  follows  :  "  A  gentleman,  who  had  for 
some  time  been  sitting  beside  Mr.  O'Connell,  here  addressed  Mr. 
Steele,  and,  handing  him  his  card,  requested  an  introduction  to 
Mr.  O'Connell.  Mr.  Steele  accordingly  presented  the  card,  and 
intimated  that  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  New  York,  was  pres- 
ent. Mr.  O'Connell  replied,  '  He  is  a  person  with  whom  I  can 
have  nothing  to  do.  He  is  the  editor  of  the  "  New  York  Herald," 
one  of  the  most  infamous  gazettes  ever  printed,  and  I  shall  have 
nothing  to  say  to   him.'     This  was  a  reception  that  Mr.   Bennett 


I843-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  1 93 

did  not  count  upon,  and  he  forthwith  proceeded  to  take  his  de- 
parture. The  room  being  very  full,  his  movement  was  much 
retarded  ;  but,  by  the  aid  of  the  chairman,  he  struggled  out  amid 
the  groans  of  the  meeting." 

SeptEiMBER  9.  —  I  went  with  my  wife  and  daughter 
"h  \v^"  "        ^^^^  morning  to  visit  the  last  new  packet,  "  The  Queen 

of  the  West,"  lately  launched  from  Brown  &  Bell's 
yard,  for  Woodhull  &  Minturn.  She  is  taking  in  cargo,  and  will 
sail  for  Liverpool  on  Saturday  next.  The  improvement  in  this  class 
of  vessels  is  so  uniform  that  each  one  is  perfect  until  the  next  is 
built,  when  perfection  itself  becomes  a  convertible  term.  Certain 
it  is  that  "The  Queen  of  the  West"  exceeds  all  others  in  strength, 
beauty,  and  convenience,  as  she  does  in  size.  Her  burden  is 
thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  her  length,  one  hundred  and 
ninety- eight  feet.  The  length  of  the  gentlemen's  cabin  is  sixty  feet, 
and  that  of  the  ladies  eighteen  feet.  The  staterooms  are  double 
the  size  and  better  arranged  than  any  I  have  seen.  But  her  supe- 
riority is  not  confined  to  the  cabin  accommodations ;  those  in 
other  parts  of  the  ship  are  equally  good ;  the  steerage  and  fore- 
castle, the  kitchens,  cooking  apparatus,  and  ice-house  are  admira- 
ble. When  I  went  to  Liverpool,  in  182 1,  with  my  friend  Captain 
Rogers,  in  the  "  James  Monroe,"  we  thought  our  ship  a  splendid 
affair.  She  was  four  hundred  tons  burden,  not  one- third  as  large 
as  "  The  Queen." 

September  16.  —  The  fine  new  packet-ship,  "  Queen 
Commerce        ^^  ^^^^  Wcst,"  Sailed  ou  her  first  voyage  this  morning. 

If  John  Bull  is  not  "knocked  in  half"  by  this  speci- 
men of  Yankee  naval  magnificence  and  extravagance  he  has  no 
sensibility.  He  will  begin  to  think  by  and  by  that  there  may  be 
some  truth  in  the  prediction  of  Monsieur  De  Tocqueville  that 
"  the  Americans  were  born  to  rule  the  seas  as  the  Romans  were  to 
conquer  the  world." 

A  state  of  things  exists  in  the  commerce  of  this  country  unpre- 
cedented, and  worthy  to  be  noted  down  among  the  notable  occur- 


194  THE    DIARY   OF    nilLIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  63. 

rences  of  the  day.  This  ship  has  taken  out  to  England  a  cargo 
consisting  of  articles  all  (with  the  exception  of  the  naval  stores) 
of  Northern  ]:)roduction,  and  the  "  Ashburton,"  which  sailed  a  day 
or  two  since,  has  not  a  Southern  article  on  board.  Not  a  single 
bale  of  cotton  in  both  cargoes.  The  "  Stephen  Whitney  "  has  only 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  bales  of  cotton.  This  fact,  which  may 
be  the  forerunner  of  important  commercial  change,  is  so  extraor- 
dinary that  a  list  of  these  three  cargoes  may  prove  an  interesting 
subject  of  reference.  The  large  shipments  of  provisions  may  be 
accounted  for  by  Sir  Robert  Peel's  new  tariff.  Cotton  is  higher 
here  than  in   f^ngland,  and  rising. 

The  cargo  of  the  "Ashburton"  is  3,650  barrels  flour,  249  boxes 
cheese,  62  bales  hemp,  345  casks  oil,  19  packages  hams,  176 
firkins  butter,  97  barrels  ashes,  8  boxes  machinery,  480  barrels 
lard,  39  packages  beeswax,  50  barrels  beef,  96  packages  tallow. 

Of  the  "Stephen  Whitney  :  "  3,200  barrels  flour,  1,234  packages 
lard,  4  packages  beeswax,  1,900  barrels  turpentine,  1,137  pack- 
ages cheese,    119   bales  cotton. 

Of  the  "Queen  of  the  West:"  4,173  barrels  flour,  274  barrels 
lard,  81  hogsheads  and  30  cases  merchandise,  2,400  barrels  naval 
stores,  19  tierces  beeswax,  212  tierces  rice,  360  boxes  cheese. 

September  16.  —  I  dined  at  Mr.  Jaudon's  with  the  following 
party :  Mr.  Horsley  Palmer,  Mr.  Webster,  George  Griswold,  Sam- 
uel Nicholson,  Charles  A.  Davis,  Mr.  Stebbins,  Mr.  Morgan,  Mr. 
Blatchford,  Mr.  Edward  Curtis,  and  P.  H. 

Mr.  Webster  came  in  town  yesterday,  on  his  way  to  Washington. 
He  goes  up  on  Monday  to  attend  the  cattle -show  at  Rochester, 
when  another  great  speech  will  be  expected,  —  agricultural,  statistical, 
and  perhaps  a  little  political.  It  is  announced  that  ex- President 
Van  Buren  will  be  there,  and  Governor  Bouck ;  but  the  great  Dan 
will  be  the  lion  of  the  day,  and  of  the  thousands  who  go  to  hear 
him  none  wiU  be  disappointed. 

September  21.  —  An  Irish  repeal  meeting  was  held  at  the  Tab- 
ernacle yesterday :    a  convention  from  the  different  States,  to  play 


1843.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  1 95 

into  the  hands  of  O'Connell,  and  encourage  a  portion  of  the  sub- 
jects of  a  foreign  country  with  whom  we  have  relations  of  amity 
and  good-fellowship  to  rebel  against  their  government.  The  whole 
number  of  delegates  was  something  over  two  hundred.  Robert 
Tyler  came  on  from  Philadelphia  at  the  head  of  forty  delegates, 
and  was  appointed  president  of  the  convention.  If  the  disgrace 
of  this  miserable  affair  rested  upon  the  head  of  this  silly  young 
man,  and  his  equally  silly  father,  it  would  be  of  little  consequence. 
But  every  citizen  of  the  United  States  is  concerned  in  it,  and  must 
participate  in  the  shame  brought  upon  the  country  by  this  imperti- 
nent interference  of  the  Chief  Magistrate  and  his  hopeful  son,  whom 
he  is  understood  to  encourage. 

Boston,  Sept.  30.  —  They  are  preparing  to  make  a  railroad  from 
Hartford  to  Springfield,  which  is  a  cheap  and  easy  route.  It  will 
be  finished  next  year,  and  this  twenty- seven  miles  will  make  a 
continuous  road  from  New  Haven  to  Boston,  by  which  means 
travellers  will  come  from  New  York  to  Boston  by  daylight ;  and 
then  good-by  to  Stonington,  Newport,  and  Providence,  and  good- 
by  to  my  stock. 

Boston,  Oct.  3.  —  The  steamer  from  England  ar- 
"  Ar^^d"  ''^  rived  here  early  yesterday  morning.  It  is  a  fact  worthy 
of  being  recorded  here  as  one  of  the  miracles  of  steam 
navigation,  that  Mr.  Dorr,  of  New  York,  who  sailed  from  here  on 
the  first  day  of  September,  arrived  in  Boston  yesterday  morning, 
having  been  absent  thirty-two  days,  of  which  he  spent  seven  in 
England.     What  next? 

Boston,  Oct.  5 .  —  Mr.  Otis  called  in  his  carriage  to  take  us  out 
to  Brookline  to  see  Colonel  Perkins.  I  was  highly  gratified.  The 
house  and  grounds  are  in  the  highest  taste,  the  gardens  beautiful, 
and  the  grapes  and  other  fruits  unequalled.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight 
to  witness  the  meeting  of  these  two  gouty  old  gentlemen,  —  fine 
old  gentlemen  of  the  old  school ;  and  a  capital  school  it  was.  Mr, 
Otis  will  be  seventy-eight  years  old  on  Sunday  next.  We  drank 
his  health  yesterday  in  anticipation  of  his  birthday.     Colonel  Per- 


196  THE   DIARV    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  63. 

kins  is  a  year  older.  We  drove  around  the  beautiful  country  of 
Brookline,  and  called  to  see  a  new  house  of  General  Lyman's.  I 
dined  with  Mr,  Truman,  who  is  flimous  for  giving  the  prettiest 
bachelor's  dinners  in  Boston,  and  has  the  most  exquisite  claret. 
The  party  consisted  of  the  host.  Bishop  Eastburn,  Mr.  Codman, 
Isaac  P.  Davis,  Commander  Nicholson,  and  myself.  In  the  evening 
my  wife  and  1  went  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  H.  G.  Otis's,  — a  travelled 
lady,  a  virtuoso,  and  a  lion-hunter. 

New  York,  Oct.  ir. — There  was  a  handsome  affair  to-day  at 
Highwood,  the  si)lendid  seat  of  Mr.  James  G.  King,  near  Hoboken. 
I  went  over  at  one  o'clock,  vv'ith  my  daughter,  my  son,  and  Miss 
Callender.  But  my  duty  at  the  Bank  for  Savings  compelled  me  to 
leave  the  gay  scene  before  the  company  was  fairly  engaged  in  the 
festivities.  Everything  was  arranged  with  the  good  taste  and  ele- 
gance which  is  to  be  expected  from  the  host  and  hostess.  The 
day  was  fine  as  possible,  the  house  and  grounds  in  perfect  order, 
the  company  large  and  of  the  very  best  quality,  and  everything 
went  off  so  well  that  I  was  loath  to  go  off  myself. 

October   12.  —  Speaking  of  the  United  States,  Mr. 
,'  '^'^Z"  .  ,,     Dickens  says  in  the  story  which  he  is  spinning  out  in 

Chuzzlewit."  ^  •'  10 

one  of  the  London  periodicals,  "  That  republic,  but 
yesterday  let  loose  upon  her  noble  course,  and  but  to-day  so 
maimed  and  lame,  so  full  of  sores  and  ulcers,  foul  to  the  eye,  and 
almost  hopeless  to  the  sense,  that  her  best  friends  turn  from  the 
loathsome  creature  with  disgust."  If  the  scamp  had  no  regard  for 
his  own  character,  he  ought  to  have  had  for  ours,  who  made  fools 
of  ourselves  to  do  him  honour. 

October  14.  —  I  dined  at  Jamaica  with  Mr.  James  DePeyster 
Ogden.  The  party,  besides  the  host,  consisted  of  Mr.  Horsley 
Palmer,  David  S.  Jones,  James  Brown,  Henry  Brevoort,  John  H. 
Hicks,  Gen.  James  J.  Jones,  and  myself.  Mr.  Ogden,  who  always 
does  such  things  in  the  proper  style,  had  an  extra  car  provided  for 
his  company  on  the  railroad,  which  was  in  attendance  to  bring  us 
home  at  our  own  time. 


1843J  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  197 

I  went  last  evening  with  my  daughter  to  the  Park 
Macready.  Theatre  to  sec  Macready  for  the  first  time.  He  played 
Claude  Melnotte  in  the  pretty  play  of  "  The  Lady  of 
Lyons ;  "  but  I  did  not  like  him  as  well  as  I  expected.  The  part 
does  not  suit  him ;  he  is  too  old  for  it.  His  reading  is  good,  but 
his  love  wants  tenderness,  and  his  sorrow  is  too  obstreperous.  The 
last  time  I  saw  this  play  Charles  Kean  pleased  me  more  in  the 
part  of  Claude,  and  I  should  like  Wallack  still  better  in  it.  Lear, 
Macbeth,  Richard,  and  Hamlet  are  better  suited  to  Mr.  Macready. 
When  the  age  is  in,  love  ought  to  be  out. 

October  25.  —  My  birthday,  —  I  am  sixty- three  years  of  age,  a 
great  part  of  which  have  been  prosperous  and  happy  years ;  but 
pecuniary  troubles  and  embarrassments  have  embittered  the  few 
last,  and  rendered  the  recurrence  of  this  anniversary  anything 
but  a  joyous  occasion.  With  the  perversity  of  human  feelings  I 
am  sometimes  tempted  to  forget  the  former  blessings  of  my  life  in 
my  present  deprivations,  and  to  overlook  those  which  are  still  left 
to  me  ;  but  I  struggle  against  this  rebellion  of  my  nature,  and  pray 
that  I  may  be  taught  to  say,  in  heart  and  in  judgment,  "  Thy 
will  be  done."  It  is  a  consolation  to  me  that  my  wife  is  better.  I 
think  that  she  will  be  well  again.  For  this  I  ought  to  be  thankful. 
My  children  walk  in  the  paths  of  honour  and  integrity.  This  de- 
mands my  gratitude.  As  far  as  I  know,  I  am  respected  by  my 
fellow-citizens  and  possess  the  affections  of  my  friends.  Why, 
then,  should   I   despond? 

October  26.  —  The  members  of  the  club  dined  to-day 
Hone  Club.  at  Mr.  Draper's.  We  had  a  pleasant,  jovial  dinner,  in 
true  club  style.  Seven  of  the  old  members  were  present, 
with  a  number  of  other  gentlemen.  The  club  was  reorganized  by 
the  election  of  the  following  members  ;  the  meetings  are  to  take 
place  once  a  fortnight  under  the  old  regulations,  and  each  member 
drew  for  the  day  on  which  he  was  to  give  the  dinner :  Philip 
Hone,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Simeon  Draper,  Jr.,  John  Ward,  William 
(>.  Ward,  J.   Prescott   Hall,   R.   ^L    Blatchford,   Roswell   L.  Colt, 


198  THE    DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.63. 

George  Curtis,  Edward  Curtis,  Jaudon,  Gerard,  H.  Coster,  Thomas 
Tileston,  Spofford,  and  James  Bowen.  Dr.  J.  W.  Francis  is  physi- 
cian to  the  chib.  Daniel  Webster  was  elected  an  honorary  member. 
OcroiJKR  27. — This  fme  old  veteran  of  the  army 
General  ^^  Napoleou,  who  foui^ht  in  many  battles  at  the   side 

Bertnind.  ^  '  °  \ 

of  his  master  and  followed  him  into  exile  ;  true  to 
him  in  adversity  as  in  prosperity,  and  never  forsaking  his  fortunes 
until  death  rendered  his  services  no  longer  necessary,  —  this  steady 
follower  of  the  great  captain  is  now  in  New  York.  He  came  here 
from  the  West  Indies  by  the  way  of  New  Orleans,  on  his  return  to 
Europe.  He  is  a  lion  of  great  magnitude  in  our  wonder-loving 
city.  Civil  and  military  honours  are  showered  upon  him ;  the 
Corporation,  Mayor,  and  all,  wait  upon  him.  He  receives  com- 
pany in  the  Governor's  room  in  the  City  Hall.  Troops  escort  him 
from  place  to  place.  He  visits  all  the  public  institutions;  is 
received  with  military  honours  at  the  naval  and  military  stations. 
The  theatres  are  filled  by  the  announcement  of  his  name  ;  the  fair 
of  the  American  Institute  exhibits  him  among  their  rare  produc- 
tions, and  General  Morris  and  General  Sanford  are  in  most  exalted 
feather  on  the  occasion.  He  sent  me  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Dr.  Niles  at  Paris,  and  I  called  upon  him  this  morning ;  but  did 
not  see  him,  he  having  gone  out  under  the  charge  of  the  com- 
mittee. He  is  described  to  me  as  a  gooddooking  old  Frenchman, 
seventy-one  years  of  age,  plain  in  his  appearance,  with  a  benevo- 
lent and  intelligent  expression  of  countenance,  l)ut  nothing  hero- 
like in  his  deportment  or  manner;  just  such  a  man  as  one  would 
wish  him  to  be. 

October  30.  —  I  had  a  long  and  interesting  visit  yesterday 
afternoon  from  the  friend  and  flivourite  of  Napoleon.  He  came 
to  see  me,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Louis  Peugnet.  There  is  much 
of  the  affability  and  bonJioniic  about  this  veteran  soldier  which 
characterized  Eafliyette,  and  no  more  of  the  warrior  in  his  looks 
or  manner  than  was  seen  in  him.  He  likes  to  talk  about  his  resi- 
dence at  St.  Helena,  and  told  me  so  much  of  the  wonderful  man, 


1843.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  1 99 

to  whose  fortunes  in  adversity  as  in  prosperity,  in  death  as  in  life, 
his  devotion  was  unwavering  and  unceasing,  that  I  could  have 
listened  to  him  all  day  long.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  we  had  been 
acquainted  half  our  lives.  This  fine  old  Frenchman  is  an  inter- 
esting link  in  the  chain  of  recollections  of  modern  events,  and 
revives  in  his  person  the  image  of  his  great  commander. 

November    i  .  —  The    public    dinner   given    by    the 
renc  French  residents  to  General  Bertrand  came  off  yester- 

Dinner.  -^     -' 

day  at  the  Astor  House.  It  was  the  crowning  affair 
of  his  highly  complimentary  reception  in  New  York,  and  was  in  all 
respects  worthy  of  the  occasion.  The  best  speech  of  the  evening 
was  made  by  Charles  King,  in  pure,  correct,  and  beautiful  French. 
November  3.  —  Died  this  morning,  in  this  city,  Edward  P.  Liv- 
ingston, of  Clermont,  Columbia  county,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  formerly  a  senator  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  the  State.  A  gentleman  in  manner  and  deport- 
ment, but  a  regular,  well-trained  Democrat,  with  abilities  not  above 
the  average  of  the  Livingstons. 

November  4. — This  demagogue,  who  has  reigned 
^f"^^    ,,         so  lons^  over  his   discontented   countrymen,   and    has 

O'Coiinell.  ^  -'  ' 

made  himself  the  rallying-point  of  sedition  in  Ireland, 
has  been  stopped  in  his  career  by  an  arrest  for  treasonable  prac- 
tices with  several  of  his  associates,  on  the  eve  of  a  great  meeting 
which  was  to  be  held  in  Dublin.  In  the  mean  time  O'Connell  has 
left  his  favourite  theme  of  repeal,  and  amuses  his  countrymen  by 
abusing  the  United  States.  He  opens  his  battery  upon  our  most 
vulnerable  point,  slavery,  and  advises  his  disciples  here  to  come 
out  from  among  us.  I  wish  they  would  take  his  advice.  There  is 
nothing  "  we  would  more  willingly  part  withal."  But  what  say 
Mr.  Robert  Tyler  and  his  ridiculous  father ;  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
who  harangues  the  repealers  in  a  red  jacket  which  he  ostenta- 
tiously wears  as  a  trophy  of  his  victory  in  the  pretended  killing 
of  Tecumseh ;  and  John  McKeon  and  other  patriots,  who  have 
lauded  this   O'Connell    at    the    expense    of  all    honest    American 


200  THE    DIARV    OF    I'lIILIl'    HONE.  [/Etat.  63. 

feeling?  Let  them  hurrah  in  the  Park  and  harangue  in  the  Taber- 
nacle for  Ireland  and  O'Connell.  But  they  should,  to  be  consist- 
ent, renounce  their  allegiance  to  this  country  of  slaveholders  and 
tyrants,  and  stand  ready,  if  needs  be,  to  join  O'Connell,  if  he 
should  come  over  to  mend  our  manners.  This  Mr.  Tyler  hopes 
to  be  reelected  President,  and  Colonel  Johnson  is  also  an  aspirant 
for  the  same  office. 

November  10. — This  eminent  statesman,  who,  with 
Mr.  Aci:uns.  all  his  siuiplc  habits  and  unostentatious  manners,  is  as 
fond  of  distinction  as  other  people,  was  so  much 
pleased  with  the  honours  which  were  showered  upon  him  wherever 
he  went  last  summer,  that  he  is  now  on  a  similar  tour  to  Cincinnati, 
with  the  avowed  object  of  assisting  in  the  foundation  of  a  public 
work  for  the  promotion  of  scientific  objects.  The  same  glorifica- 
tion attends  him  wherever  he  goes  ;  every  city  and  town  at  which 
he  arrives  sends  out  its  multitudes  to  welcome  *'  the  old  man  elo- 
quent." Guns  are  fired,  bells  are  rung,  branches  strewed  in  his 
path,  speeches  made  and  answers  returned  ;  and  if  eating  and 
drinking  may  be  taken  as  the  criterion  of  glory,  the  first  Adam, 
who  was  the  sole  possessor  of  all  the  good  things  in  the  world, 
made  a  poor  figure  in  comparison  with  the  Adams  of  these  latter 
days.  The  rise  of  the  bright  sun  of  American  patriotism  was 
obscure,  and  its  meridian  splendour  dim,  compared  with  the  efful- 
gence of  its  setting  beams.  He  is  a  noble  specimen  of  straight- 
forward American  Republicanism,  firm  as  a  rock  in  his  principles, 
as  sharp  in  his  angles  and  as  unyielding  in  his  materials,  and  de- 
serves from  the  American  people  all  the  honours  they  are  so  fond 
of  bestowing  and  he  of  receiving. 

DeiUiof  November    13. — Col.  John  Trumbull  died  in  this 

Colonel  city,  ou  Friday  last,  aged  eighty-seven  years.     He  has 

rum  u  .  'been  a  distinguished  man  during  the  whole  of  his  long 
life,  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  a  chevalier  "  sans  pcur  cf  sans 
rrprochf,'"  a  gallant  soldier,  one  of  the  aides  of  Washington,  a 
statesman  and  diplomatist    intrusted  with    important   concerns    in 


1843]  THE   DIAIIV   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  20I 

Great  Britain  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  As  a  painter, 
his  pencil  has  chronicled  some  of  the  great  events  of  the  fearful 
struggle,  the  issue  of  which  was  the  liberty  and  independence  of 
a  great  nation. 

November  17.  —  One  of  the  great  articles  of  expor- 
Sending  Coals  ^r^^^^^-^  |-q  Qj-gat  Britain  at  the  present  time   is  cheese. 

to  Newcastle. 

Every  packet  takes  out  immense  quantities  of  this 
article.  Who  would  ever  have  thought  of  John  Bull  eating  Yan- 
kee cheese  ?  It  sells  in  England  at  forty  to  fifty  cents  per  hundred 
pounds,  which  pays  freight  and  charges,  and  leaves  Brother  Jona- 
than a  pretty  good  profit.  This  is  a  strange  turn  in  commercial 
operations,  but  does  not  illustrate  so  forcibly  the  saying  at  the  head 
of  this  article  as  a  circumstance  of  which  I  am  informed.  The 
"  Prince  Albert,"  Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co.'s  splendid  new  ship, 
which  sails  on  her  first  voyage  on  the  first  day  of  next  month,  takes 
out  as  freight  a  quantity  of  anthracite  coal  !  x\merica  shipping  coal 
to  England  !  Who  knows  how  soon  we  may  fit  out  Chinamen  with 
outward  cargoes  of  tea  consigned  to  the  successors  of  our  old 
acquaintances,  Hougua,  Chinqua,  &  Co.  ! 

November  25.  —  Mr.  Wallack  and  Charles  Clinton  dined  with 
us.  Wallack  delighted  us  with  recitations  and  dramatic  readings. 
He  was  exceedingly  agreeable,  more  so  perhaps  than  he  would  have 
been  in  a  larger  party. 

November  27.  —  I  went  with  Grinnell  on  board  his  splendid 
new  packet-ship  "  Prince  Albert,"  which  is  loading,  to  sail  on  her 
first  voyage  to  London  on  Friday  next.  She  is  equal  to  the 
noblest,  the  best  and  most  beautiful  of  her  unrivalled  class.  This 
vessel  is  taking  in  one  of  those  anomalous  cargoes  which  we  send 
now-a-days  to  John  Bull,  consisting  of  provisions,  oil,  lard,  oil- 
cakes, cheese,  coals,  and  Yankee  clocks.  This  last  is  one  of  the 
triumphs  of  Yankee  skill  and  ingenuity.  Five  hundred  thousand 
clocks  are  made  annually  in  Connecticut.  I  saw  one  of  these 
clocks  the  other  day  in  a  merchant's  counting-house.  It  was  en- 
closed in  a  handsome  mahogany  case,  with  a  looking-glass  plate  in 


202  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  63. 

front,  as  fair  a  face  as  many  of  its  betters  can  boast,  keeps  good 
time  and  goes  well,  of  which  it  gives  striking  proofs ;  and  all  this 
costs  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents.  John  Bull  thought  when 
he  first  traded  in  this  article  at  seven  or  eight  dollars  that  Brother 
Jonathan  had  stolen  them.  They  seized  some  of  them  at  the  Cus- 
tom-House  in  Liverpool,  as  undercharged.  But  Jonathan  told  them 
he  would  supply  them  with  as  many  as  they  wanted  at  half  the  price. 
"  An  eagle  towering  in  his  pride  of  place."  A  circumstance 
occurred  on  Saturday,  which  among  the  ancient  Rom.ans  would 
have  been  considered  an  omen  of  high  importance.  Augurs  and 
soothsayers  would  have  drawn  from  it  presages  of  victory  and  tri- 
umph, and  legions  would  have  marched  with  confidence  under  its 
auspices.  A  large  eagle,  after  sailing  in  the  air  of  this  busy  city, 
so  unlike  his  usual  haunts,  until  his  gyrations  had  attracted  the 
notice  of  a  large  number  of  spectators,  perched  upon  the  truck  of 
the  foremast  of  the  "  Prince  Albert,"  now  preparing  for  her  first 
voyage,  at  the  wharf  in  South  street,  near  Fulton  market.  He  sat 
there  for  some  time,  looking  down  in  solemn  dignity  upon  the  busy 
scenes  beneath  him,  and  wondering,  I  suppose,  how  the  "  unfeath- 
ered  bipeds  "  could  make  such  fools  of  themselves.  After  resting 
himself  sufficiently  he  spread  his  wings  and  took  to  flight  again  ; 
not,  however,  without  receiving  a  shot  from  some  fellow  below 
(privileged  to  kill  game,  I  presume),  which  made  the  feathers  fly  a 
little,  but  did  not  impede  the  progress  of  the  "bird  of  Jove." 

The  ravishment  of  the  musical  dilettanti  had  reached 
oie  Bull.  its  highest  ])itch  by  the  power  of  Monsieur  Artot's  vio- 

lin, when  here  comes  another  performer  on  the  same 
instrument,  with  the  unmusical  name  at  the  head  of  this  article,  —  a 
Norwegian  Bull,  who  drives  monsieur  out  of  the  arena,  and  roars 
so  much  louder  that  his  performance  is  all  "fiddle-de-dee."  The 
last  man  appeared  at  the  Park  Theatre,  on  Saturday  evening,  and 
all  agreed  that  his  performance  is  admirable.  I  presume  he  is  the 
best  violinist  (how  much  prettier  that  word  is  than  fiddler)  now 
living.     ^Vallack  says  he  plays  better  than  Paganini  did. 


I843-]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  203 

December  i  i  .  —  Dined  at  Mr.  Robert  B.  Minturn's,  with  Gov- 
ernor Seward,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  two  Curtii,  M.  H.  Grinnell,  P. 
Hall,  etc., —  fragmentary  parts  of  the  great  Hone  Club,  which  is  the 
best  thing  extant.  They  are  a  set  of  capital  fellows  ;  talk  well,  eat 
well,  sit  well,  drink  well ;  and  Rob.  B.  M.  is  a  good  fellow,  though 
not  a  member. 

December  23. — The  anniversary  of  the  landing  of 
New  ng  an  ^^^  pilgrims  was  Celebrated  in  greater  style  than  usual, 
and  the  ec/af  of  the  occasion  was  enhanced  by  the 
presence  of  Messrs.  Webster  and  Choate,  of  Massachusetts,  and 
Evans,  of  Maine.  The  oration  was  delivered  in  the  Broadway 
Tabernacle,  by  Mr.  Choate.  The  subject,  of  course,  was  the  land- 
ing of  the  Pilgrims,  and  never  has  this  fruitful  and  exciting  theme 
given  scope  to  anything  more  thrilling,  eloquent,  and  affecting  than 
this  splendid  address.  The  other  performances,  consisting  of  sev- 
eral original  hymns  and  choruses,  were  in  good  taste.  The  Taber- 
nacle was  full,  notwithstanding  the  rain,  which  was  hard  and  inces- 
sant. Having  joined  in  the  exercises  of  the  former  part  of  the  day, 
I  finished  at  the  great  dinner,  which  was  given  at  the  Astor  House, 
and  by  one  o'clock  this  morning,  at  which  time  I  came  away,  was 
as  good  a  Yankee  as  ever  ate  pumpkin  pie  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 

There  was,  of  course,  a  great  deal  of  speaking ;  some  very  good. 
Mr.  Choate  was  short,  but  brilliant  and  effective ;  Mr.  Evans,  not 
as  good  as  I  expected  ;  Dr.  Wainwright,  happy ;  and  Mr.  Henry  W. 
Bellows,  the  Unitarian  clergyman,  one  of  the  very  best  of  the  day. 
Being  called  upon,  I  gave  as  a  toast :  "  New  England,  and  New 
England  clocks ;  their  striking  qualities  enhanced  by  the  modesty 
which  prompts  them  to  place  their  hands  before  their  faces.  They 
look  well,  perform  well,  and  speak  well,  and  are  less  expensive  than 
any  others  equally  valuable  of  their  species." 


204  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  64. 


1844. 


^  I  ^HE  new  year  has  set  in  propitiously  so  far  as  the  weather  is 
-■-  concerned.  It  has  been  pleasant  during  the  day ;  cold 
enough  to  make  excellent  walking,  with  bright  skies,  and  no  cut- 
ting winds,  and  the  population  of  our  good  city  of  Gotham  have 
availed  themselves  of  these  favourable  circumstances  to  an  unusual 
degree.  New  York  seemed  to  enjoy  a  general  carnival.  Broad- 
way, from  one  end  to  the  other,  was  alive  with  private  carriages, 
omnibuses,  cabs,  and  curricles,  and  lines  of  pedestrians  fringed  the 
carriage-ways.  There  must  have  been  more  visiting  than  on  any 
former  New  Year's  Day.  I  was  out  more  than  five  hours,  and  my 
girls  tell  me  they  received  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  visits. 

This  fine  old  custom,  almost  peculiar  to  New  York,  does  not 
lose  favour  in  the  eyes  of  our  citizens,  and  foreigners  are  delighted 
with  it.  There  is  so  much  of  life  and  spirit  and  heartiness  in  it, 
that  it  is  to  be  hoped  no  new  freak  of  fashion  will  ever  interpose 
to  prevent  its  observance. 

The  year  which  has  just  closed  was  one  of  trouble  and  difficulty. 
Lessons  of  economy  have  been  more  taught  than  practised ;  but 
people  have,  on  the  whole,  been  wiser  than  formerly ;  they  have 
spent  less  money  than  heretofore,  for  the  plain  reason  that  they 
had  not  so  much  to  spend.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  my  family 
expenses  are  reduced  one- half  from  what  they  were  seven  years 
ago.  The  new  year  commences,  however,  with  brighter  prospects 
than  the  last.  Trade  is  returning  into  its  oil  channels,  commerce 
reviving,  and  confidence  gaining  strength ;  and  if  all  these  encour- 
aging appearances  shall  be  realized,  speculation,  extravagance,  and 
rashness,  there  is  reason  to  fear,  will  follow  in  their  train.  The 
stream,  in  this  busy,  trading  community  of  ours,  may  run  dry  for  a 
while,  but  it  never  returns  without  a  freshet. 


I844-J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE;.  205 

January  16.  —  A  very  good  letter  of  the  Hon.  W. 
'  r.     iveb  s      ^^   Rives   to   oiie   of   his    constituents  is  pubHshed    in 

Letter.  ^ 

the  Whig  papers,  in  which  he  declares  his  determina- 
tion to  support  Mr.  Clay  for  President  in  preference  to  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  and  comes  down  rather  savagely  upon  the  latter  gentle- 
man. This  and  other  circumstances  indicate  that  the  Southern 
Democrats,  and  among  them  Mr.  Calhoun,  intend  to  refuse  implicit 
allegiance  to  the  dictation  of  the  packed  convention  which  is  to 
9  be  held  at  Baltimore.  Such  a  course  would  be  unfavourable  to 
the  ex-President. 

January  18.  —  The  new  ship  ''Yorkshire  "  sailed  to-day  on  her 
first  voyage  to  Liverpool.  Among  her  passengers  was  the  interest- 
ing dwarf,  who  has  delighted  the  citizens  of  New  York,  under  the 
name  and  title  of  "  General  Tom  Thumb."  The  greatest  /i'///e 
man  I  ever  saw,  handsome,  well- formed,  and  intelligent,  eleven  or 
twelve  years  old,  and  not  taller  than  my  knee. 

February    28.  —  Nicholas    Biddle    died     yesterday 
^^    °  '  ^-     mornins;,  at  Andalusia,  his  countrv-seat,  on  the  banks 

Biddle.  ^^  '  "  ' 

of  the  Delaware,  eighteen  miles  below  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  Biddle  was  born  in  1786.  His  father  was  a  worthy  of  the 
Revolution,  and  the  family  have  ever  been  known  as  staunch 
Whigs,  of  the  right  sort.  In  the  year  1804  he  went  out  to  France 
with  General  Armstrong,  studied  law  on  his  return,  was  subse- 
quently member  of  the  Assembly  and  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1 8 19  he  was  appointed  a  government  director  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States,  and  in  1823,  on  the  resignation  of 
Langdon  Cheves,  was  elected  president  of  that  institution. 

The  result  of  this  last  responsible  trust  is  a  matter  of  history, 
and  a  sad  page  it  is  in  the  history  of  this  country :  the  record  of 
ruin  and  distress  to  thousands  here  and  in  Europe,  moistened  with 
the  tears  of  widows  and  orphans,  and  sullied  with  reproaches  and 
vituperations  which  unhappily  attach  to  the  national  character,  and 
of  which  every  American  citizen  is  compelled  to  take  his  share. 
How  much  of  all  this  is  to  be  charged  to  the  ungavernable  passion 


206  THE    DTARV    OF    PTIILIP    HONE.  [/Ktat.  64. 

of  General  Jackson,  and  how  much  to  the  uncompromising  perti- 
nacity of  Mr.  Biddle,  is  a  question  in  which  personal  prejudice 
and  party  predilection  are  so  much  mixed  up  that  the  present 
generation  can  never  come  to  a  just  decision.  Posterity,  not  being 
so  immediately  interested,  will  come  to  better  conclusions  on  the 
subject ;  one  thing  is  certain  :  that  between  them  they  caused  a 
shock  to  be  given  to  commercial  credit,  a  stab  to  national  charac- 
ter, and  ruin  to  innumerable  families,  which  the  grave  cannot  hide, 
nor  party-spirit  palliate. 

The  great  financier  is  no  more.  He  whose  appearance  in  Wall 
street  at  a  certain  period  broke  like  a  ray  of  sunshine  through  the 
clouds  of  financial  difficulty ;  he  whose  word  established  and  over- 
threw banks,  whose  fiat  governed  the  rate  of  exchange  and  regu- 
lated the  price  of  cotton,  is  now  laid  low.  "  x\nd  none  so  poor  to 
do  him  reverence."  He  left,  amongst  a  host  of  enemies,  a  few 
firm  friends,  who  lament  the  misfortunes  which  attended  his  man- 
agement, but  are  unwilling  to  attribute  them  to  his  incapacity  or 
imprudence,  and  entertain  no  doubts  of  his  honesty. 

Bryant,  the  editor  of  the  "  Evening  Post,"  in  an  article  of  this 
day,  virulent  and  malignant  as  are  usually  the  streams  which  flow 
from  that  polluted  source,  says  that  Mr.  Biddle  "  died  at  his  coun- 
try-seat, where  he  passed  the  last  of  his  days  in  elegant  retirement, 
which,  if  justice  had  taken  place,  would  have  been  spent  in  the 
penitentiary."  This  is  the  first  instance  I  have  known  of  the  vam- 
pire of  party- spirit  seizing  the  lifeless  body  of  its  victim  before 
its  interment,  and  exhibiting  its  bloody  claws  to  the  view  of  mourn- 
ing relatives  and  sympathizing  friends.  How  such  a  black-hearted 
misanthrope  as  Bryant  should  possess  an  imagination  teeming  with 
beautiful  poetical  images  astonishes  me ;  one  would  as  soon  expect 
to  extract  drops  of  honey  from  the  fangs  of  the  rattlesnake. 

February  29.  —  Horrible!  most  horrible  !     An  ex- 
^^„  T^.""^^'   press  arrived  at  two  o'clock,  bringing  an  account  of  an 

ton"  Disaster.  ^  J  o      o 

awful  catastrophe  which  occurred  yesterday,  about  four 
o'clock  P.M.,  on  board  Captain  Stockton's  steam-frigate  "  Prince- 


1S44-]  THE   DIARY    OF    THILIP   HONE.  20/ 

ton,"  —  the  vessel  which  was  here  a  few  weeks  ago,  fitted  up  with 
Ericsson's  propellers,  and  carrying  an  enormous  wrought- iron  gun, 
which  threw,  by  the  force  of  forty-five  pounds  of  powder,  a  ball  of 
proportionate  size  three  miles  at  each  discharge.  This  murderous 
projectile  was  called  the  "  Peace-maker  ;  "  and  most  deplorably  has 
it  earned  its  name,  by  making,  in  an  instant,  the  peace  of  several  of 
the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  country,  and  sending  them 
''  where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling."  As  far  as  the  accounts 
have  reached  us,  it  is  certain  that  in  discharging  this  gun  with  a 
ball,  near  to  Alexandria,  on  the  Potomac,  it  exploded  at  a  time 
when  there  was  a  party  on  board  of  five  hundred  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, including  the  President  and  heads  of  departments  (all 
except  Mr.  Spencer),  with  their  families,  naval  and  military  officers, 
senators  and  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  all 
the  distinguished  persons  resident  and  visiting  at  Washington.  The 
effect  of  this  tremendous  explosion  was  the  immediate  death,  under 
the  most  shocking  circumstances,  of  Mr.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  State  ; 
Governor  Gilmor,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Virgil  Maxcy,  late  chai-ge 
d''affai7'es  at  Belgium ;  Mr.  David  Gardiner,  late  State  senator  of 
New  York,  from  Long  Island ;  Commander  Beverly  Kennon, 
United  States  Navy ;  and  some  others  whose  names  are  not  yet 
given.  Several  persons  are  wounded ;  in  the  number.  Captain 
Stockton  dangerously,  Colonel  Benton  slightly,  etc. 

There  were  two  hundred  ladies  on  board ;  but,  fortunately,  they 
were  all  below,  dining  and  drinking  toasts.  The  noise  of  mirth 
and  joviality  below  mingled  with  the  groans  of  the  dying  on  deck. 
By  this  circumstance  they  were  saved.  Not  one  of  the  ladies 
was  injured.  But  oh  the  anguish  of  wives  and  daughters  on 
the  sight  of  the  mangled  remains  of  their  husbands  and  fathers  ! 
Nothing  so  dreadful  has  ever  happened  in  this  country,  except  the 
shipwreck  of  the  "  Rose-in-Bloom  "  and  the  conflagration  of  the 
Richmond  theatre.  The  wife  of  Governor  Gilmor  was  on  board. 
The  story  of  her  woe  is  melancholy  and  touching  in  the  extreme. 
Her  lamented  husband  entered  upon  the   office  of  Secretary  of 


208  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  64. 

the  Navy  a  few  days  since,  and  the  estimation  in  which  he  was 
held  is  proved  by  his  nomination  having  been  unanimously  con- 
firmed without  debate  by  the  Senate.  Mr.  Gardiner's  two 
daughters  were  also  witnesses  of  their  father's  death.  To-morrow 
will  bring  us  more  particulars  of  this  scene  of  woe. 

President  Tyler  gave  a  new  instance  of  folly  and 
Bad  Taste.  bad  taste  in  a  toast  which  he  gave  at  the  entertain- 
ment which  terminated  so  tragically  on  board  the 
''  Princeton."  It  was  :  "  Oregon,  the  '  peace-maker,'  and  Captain 
Stockton."  Oregon  is  the  bone  of  contention  at  this  time  between 
Great  Britain  and  ourselves,  to  settle  which  difficulty  a  new  Minister 
has  just  landed  on  our  shores.  It  is  a  subject  which  requires  to  be 
handled  with  the  greatest  delicacy.  The  '^  peace-maker "  is  the 
great  gun  which  was  to  hurl  defiance  at  Great  Britain,  or  any  other 
nation  which  might  stand  between  the  wind  and  Colonel  Benton's 
popularity ;  Captain  Stockton  is  the  firebrand  which  was  to  ignite 
the  whole  ;  and  in  the  excited  state  of  the  puljlic  mind  on  this 
subject  the  President  gives  this  mischievous  sentiment.  The 
"  peace-maker "  at  the  same  moment  broke  the  peace  in  the 
manner  which  has  been  described,  and  amidst  the  melancholy 
reflections  arising  from  this  fatal  day's  excursion  will  be  mingled 
a  feeling  of  contempt  for  this  act  of  folly. 

March  6.  —  Having  on  my  hands  a  quarter  of  an 
ppearance  o   j^^^^j.  bcforc  cjoing  to  Mr.  David  S.  Kennedy's  to  dine, 

the  Bay.  00  j  ■> 

I  walked  on  the  Battery,  —  a  luxury  which  the  distance 
of  my  residence  from  the  spot  does  not  permit  me  frequently  to 
enjoy ;  and  a  more  delightful  scene  can  nowhere  be  found.  The 
setting  sun  threw  a  bright  glow  over  the  tiny  waves ;  there  was  just 
wind  enough  to  give  motion  to  hundreds  of  vessels  of  all  sizes ; 
a  golden  haze  was  spread  over  the  Jersey  shore  and  Staten  Island ; 
every  now  and  then  a  steamboat  came  puffing  and  blowing  with 
the  speed  of  a  race-horse  across  the  Bay,  or  a  barge  skimmed 
rapidly  around  the  corner  of  the  Battery,  and  vanished  under  one 
of  the  openings  of  the  bridge  ;   groups  of  children  were  sporting 


1844]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  209 

under  the  still  leafless  trees,  and  the  air  was  so  mild  that  one  might 
well  doubt  the  authority  of  the  almanac,  which  points  to  the  6th 
of  March. 

March  18.  —  I  attended  the  funeral  of  Mr.  John  S.  Schermer- 
horn  as  a  pall -bearer;  the  service  was  performed  in  Grace  Church. 
The  following  were  the  pall -bearers  :  Abraham  Ogden,  Edward 
W.  Laight,  Henry  Beekman,  Benjamin  W.  Rogers,  John  Oothout, 
Jacob  R.  LeRoy,  Edmund  H.  Pendleton,  and  P.  H. 

March  19. — The  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United 
Texas.  States  —  a  measure  which  many  of  our  best  and  wisest 

citizens  have  looked  at  with  most  anxious  apprehension 
—  seems  now  likely  to  take  place.  The  Executive  incubus  of  the 
country,  to  gain  Southern  capital  for  his  personal  and  political 
objects,  has  been  for  some  time  past  flirting  with  the  Texan  gov- 
ernment, the  result  of  which  is  said  to  be  a  treaty  of  annexation, 
signed,  and  ready  to  be  submitted  to  the  Senate.  The  belief  in 
this  report,  and  the  dread  that  a  majority  of  the  Senate  will  ratify 
this  alarming  act  of  Executive  power,  caused  a  panic  in  Wall  street. 
Stocks  fell ;  United  States  six-per-cents  fell  four  per  cent. ;  men 
looked  alarmed,  and  shook  their  heads  in  fearful  doubt.  A  war 
with  Mexico  would  be  the  immediate  consequence  of  this  measure, 
and  privateers  would  be  fitted  out  in  the  Mexican  ports  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  to  prey  upon  the  immense  commerce  of  the  United 
States,  having  themselves  little  or  nothing  to  risk  in  return.  The 
Mexican  flag  would  be  made  to  cover  a  predatory  marine  fifty 
times  larger  than  belongs  to  them,  and  I  fear  much  that  many  of 
my  virtuous  countrymen  are  already  rejoicing  in  the  chance  of  expa- 
triating themselves,  to  appropriate  to  their  use  the  treasure  and 
merchandise  of  their  fellow-citizens.  There  are  nice  pickings  in 
that  quarter. 

March    22.  —  I    dined   yesterday    at    Mr.    Simeon 
"The  Man."     Draper's  with  a  pleasant  party    (principally   clubists), 
gotten  up  for  Mr.  Webster,  who  came  in  town  Thurs- 
day.    The  great  negotiator  was  in  one  of  his  happiest  moods.     He 


210  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

talked  like  a  book,  and  was  pleasant  as  the  morning  twilight ;  his 
dark  eyes  looked  like  stars  in  their  deep  caverns.  He  has  none  of 
those  moody  fits  of  abstraction  which  were  wont  to  come  over  him 
at  times  when  his  great  mind  was  overtasked  with  public  or  pro- 
fessional business.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  the  fiddle  of  the  party, 
full  of  anecdote  and  amusing  gossip ;  by  turns  instructive  and 
amusing,  he  found  his  auditors  willing  to  indulge  a  very  natural 
desire  he  has  to  be  well  listened  to  ;  nor  did  he  withhold  his  fair 
quota  of  hearty  laughter  at  the  wild,  enthusiastic  extravagances  of 
our  learned  and  jolly  Dr.  Francis.  Like  the  school-boy  relieved 
from  his  dail\'  task,  the  great  Yankee  statesman  seems  to  enjoy,  "  to 
the  top  of  his  bent,"  his  temporary  release  from  the  cares  and 
responsibilities  of  public  life. 

April    8.  —  The    venerable  Mai  or- General  Moreran 

Deatli  of  Gen-  _  ^  ° 

erai  Lewis.  Lcwis  died  ycstcrday,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  born  in  this  city  on  the  i6th  of  October, 
1754.  He  was  a  son  of  Francis  Lewis,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  (a  glorious  ancestral  trophy),  and  was 
educated  at  Princeton  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1773.  He 
joined  the  army  of  the  Revolution  in  June,  1775,  as  a  volunteer, 
and  assumed  the  command  of  a  company  at  Boston.  In  Nov^em- 
ber  he  was  appointed  first  major  of  the  Second  Regiment,  of  which 
John  Jay  was  colonel.  John  Jay,  a  soldier,  sounds  strangely.  I 
never  heard  of  this  title  of  the  great  statesman  and  jurist  of  the 
Revolution.  Mr.  Jay  did  not,  however,  take  the  command,  and 
Major  Lewis  succeeded  to  it.  He  went  to  Canada  with  Gates,  and 
was  at  Ticonderoga  until  its  evacuation  in  July,  1777  ;  he  was  pres- 
ent at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  and  was  the  officer  who  received 
the  surrender  of  the  British  troops.  He  served  with  honour  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk,  and  accompanied  Governor  George  Clinton 
to  Crown  Point.  After  the  war  he  resumed  the  practice  of  the 
law ;  was  soon  after  appointed  Attorney-General,  Judge  and  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  and  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor, and  afterwards  a  senator.     In  the  last  war  he  also  served 


1844.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  211 

with  distinction ;  was  appointed  quartermaster-general  of  the  army 

of  the  United  States,  and  saw  good  service  on  the  Niagara  frontier. 

April  10.  —  I    am  "spreading   pretty  considerable 

canvas  "  just  now,  as  Captain  Salters  said  of  his  son 

party.  •'  '  ^ 

Nick.  I  dined  yesterday  with  Mr.  David  S.  Jones,  at 
his  house  in  Fifteenth  street.  It  was  a  large,  old-fashioned  party, 
of  seventeen  guests,  consisting  of  a  variety  somewhat  incongmous, 
and  affording  some  striking  contrasts.  There  was  Dr.  Wainwright, 
all  mildness  and  grace,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Niell,  presuming  and  blus- 
tering ;  Vice-Chancellor  McCoun,  portly  and  plain  in  appearance, 
and  the  exquisite  Mr.  Westerlo  Van  Rensselaer;  James  Gerard, 
brisk  as  a  bee  and  loquacious  as  a  whip-poor-will,  and  Thomas  E. 
Davis,  with  head  full  of  lands  and  hereditaments ;  James  G.  King 
and  young  Mr.  Newbold ;  William  B.  Astor,  who  thinks  twice  be- 
fore he  speaks  once,  and  James  Watson  Webb,  who  speaks  a  great 
deal  and  does  not  think  at  all ;  Edmund  Pendleton  and  Charles 
King,  who  laugh  obstreperously  at  their  own  smart  sayings,  and 
Charles  Clinton  and  young  Mr.  Edgar,  whose  position  as  family 
appendages  seemed  to  forbid  their  making  smart  sayings  them- 
selves, or  helping  to  carry  off  those  of  others.  But  the  dinner  went 
off  very  well.  We  drank  the  Judge's  old  wine,  humoured  his 
punctilios,  and  rejoiced  sincerely  in  the  favourable  turn  of  his 
affairs,  of  which  this  dinner  was  one  of  the  evidences.  He  is  an 
honourable,  high-minded  gentleman,  and  his  conduct  in  tempo- 
rary adversity  has  been  such  as  to  render  him  worthy  of  per- 
manent prosperity. 

After  leaving  the  dinner-party,  some  half  a  dozen  of 
"pper-  yg  came  down  on  the  Harlem  Railroad.     The  streets 

party. 

in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  were  alive  with  masses  of 
people  shouting  at  the  success  of  the  Native  American  party  in  the 
charter  election  held  this  day.  The  returns  were  not  all  in  this 
evening ;  but  it  is  certain  that  Harper  is  elected  Mayor,  and  the 
Whigs  and  Loco-focos,  bundled  up  together,  are  thrown  overboard. 
I  am  very  well  pleased  with  the  result ;  but  it  is  the  first  time  I 


212  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  64. 

ever  rejoiced  in  the  success  of   candidates  for  whom   I    did  not 
vote. 

Charles  King,  Webb,  and  I,  being  engaged  to  sup  at  Grinnell's, 
we  went  there  at  the  time  we  ought  to  have  gone  to  bed,  and  found 
a  pleasant  party  of  Curtises  and  Hoffmans,  Bo  wens,  Drapers, 
Blatchfords,  etc.,  with  plenty  of  all  sorts  of  good  things,  provisions 
enough  to  sustain  a  besieged  city,  and  rivers  of  cool  wines  to  tempt 
palates  already  placed  by  previous  indulgence  beyond  the  reach 
of  temptation.  Grinnell  is  an  out-and-out  Native  American  party 
man,  and  this  supper  was  given  to  celebrate  a  victory  which  he 
anticipated  with  great  accuracy,  as  the  event  proved. 

April  i  i  .  —  I  attended,  yesterday,  the  funeral    of 
unci  a  o        General   Lewis,  as   a   pall-bearer.      The  deceased  was 

General  Lewis.  ^ 

Grand  Master  of  Masons  and  President  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  which  caused  a  great  display  at  his 
funeral.  The  Masons,  in  all  their  ancient  paraphernalia,  attended ; 
and  the  Cincinnati,  with  military  officers  and  martial  music,  made 
a  grand  and  solemn  procession.  The  streets  were  full  of  people 
on  the  whole  line  of  march,  from  the  General's  house,  on  Leonard 
street,  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  where  the  obsequies  were  performed. 
The  ceremonies  in  church  were  very  impressive.  After  the  relig- 
ious service,  which  was  performed  by  Dr.  Taylor,  the  whole  body 
of  Masons,  with  their  insignia,  marched  in  single  file  up  the 
aisle,  and,  in  passing,  each  member  laid  a  sprig  of  myrtle  on 
the  coffin ;  after  which  some  silent  ceremonies  were  performed, 
and  they  left  the  church.  The  following  were  the  pall-bearers  : 
Chancellor  Kent,  Chief  Justice  Jones,  Mr.  William  Bard,  Thomas 
Morris,  Walter  Bowne,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  E.  H.  Pendleton,  and 
myself. 

The  most  interesting  spectacle  on  this  occasion  was  the  vener- 
able Major  Popham,  the  vice-president  of  the  Cincinnati  and  the 
only  survivor  of  the  original  members  of  that  time-honoured  institu- 
tion, who  is  ninety-two  years  of  age.  He  sat  in  church  near  the 
coffin,  hale  and  hearty,  deeply  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  the 


1844]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  21 3 

occasion,  but  apparently  prepared  to  follow  his  venerable  friend 
when  the  brief  remnant  of  his  days  shall  be  spent. 

April  13. —  A  most   nefarious  instance   of  the  cor- 
^^  7  ru])t  and  tyrannical  course  of  the  administration  of  the 

removed.  ^  ■' 

man  whom  accident  has  placed  at  the  head  of  affairs 
(doubtless  for  the  sins  of  the  people)  has  just  been  perpetrated. 
Edward  Curtis  has  been  removed  from  the  office  of  collector,  and 
Charles  G.  Ferris,  formerly  Loco-foco  member  of  Congress,  nomi- 
nated in  his  place.  But  it  is  impossible  that  the  present  Senate 
should  ever  sanction  so  gross  an  outrage  upon  public  feelings  as  to 
confirm  the  nomination.  Posterity  will  not  believe  that  the  Amer- 
ican people  would  have,  in  this  enlightened  period,  submitted  to 
be  so  insulted.  Mr.  Tyler's  son  came  on  to  New  York,  with  two  of 
his  toad-eaters,  bearing  the  mandate.  Charles  A.  Clinton  was 
called  upon,  and  the  office  tendered  to  him,  on  condition  that  he 
should  turn  out  every  man  in  the  Custom- House  who  would  not 
pledge  himself  to  support  the  pretensions  of  his  papa  to  the 
Presidency.  This,  Clinton  promptly  and  indignantly  refused. 
(He  ought  to  have  kicked  the  puppy.)  Ferris,  being  more  con- 
formable, was  placed  in  the  gap  ;  and  there  let  him  stick.  Shame  ! 
shame  !     x\s  an  American,  I  blush. 

April  17.  —  I  dined  to-day  with  a  pleasant  party  at  Mr.  M.  H. 
Grinnell's.  The  hospitalities  of  the  famous  back  dining-room 
were,  as  usual,  freely  extended,  and  the  tables  abundantly  spread 
with  everything  good  to  eat  and  drink,  to  honour  especially  John 
M.  Botts,  the  great  Whig  member  of  Congress,  who  does  not  like 
Mr.  Tyler  as  well  as  he  formerly  did.  Our  party  consisted  of 
Messrs.  Botts  and  Taylor  of  Virginia,  Granger,  Edward  Minturn, 
R.  B.  Minturn,  David  Graham,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  Charles  King, 
Edward  Curtis,  Ogden  Hoffman,  James  Monroe,  Simeon  Draper, 
R.   M.  Blatchford,  J.  D.  P.  Ogden,  and  myself. 

In  the  evening  Judge  Jones,  King,  Hall,  and  I  went  to  Dr. 
Wamwright's,  to  a  large  party  of  gentlemen,  assembled  to  meet 
Mr.  Prescott,  the  popular  historian,  to  whom  we  and  the  reading 


214  '^^lE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

world  are  indebted  for  "Fenlinaiid  and  Isabella"  and  "The  Con- 
quest of  Mexico."  We  had  all  the  clergy,  —  Episcopalian,  Presby- 
terian, and  Unitarian,  high  church  and  low  church,  Puseyite  and 
liberal ;  but  there  were  no  Roman  Catholics  on  the  one  side,  nor 
do  I  believe  that  the  tolerant  principles  of  my  reverend  friend 
went  so  far  as  to  invite,  on  the  other,  his  bitter  and  uncourteous 
antagonist,  the  self-sufficient  Dr.  Potts.  It  was  a  pleasant  reunion; 
all  the  literary  men  of  the  city  were  there,  all  the  distinguished 
men ;  the  learned  and  the  wise,  by  their  own  estimate  or  that  of 
their  compeers,  were  assembled  to  honour  the  man  who  has  raised 
so  proud  a  monument  of  the  literary  glory  of  his  native  country. 

April  25.  —  I  attended,  last  evening,  a  great  meeting  at  the 
Tabernacle,  convened  to  protest  against  a  favourite  measure  of  the 
administration,  —  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  Union.  This  is 
one  of  Mr.  Tyler's  electioneering  schemes,  fraught  with  injustice  to 
others  and  danger  to  ourselves.  If  this  measure  is  adopted,  and  if 
the  treaty  which  is  now  before  the  Senate  should  be  approved,  it 
will  lead  us  into  external  difficulties  and  endanger  the  Union  of  the 
States. 

The  venerable  Albert  Gallatin  presided,  with  the  usual  array  of 
vice-presidents.  Good  speeches  were  made  and  strong  resolutions 
passed,  and  all  things  would  have  gone  well  had  not  a  gang  of  ruf- 
fians, headed  by  one  Mike  Walsh,  and  formed  of  prize-fighters  and 
pardoned  felons,  got  possession  of  one  corner  of  the  room  and  in- 
terrupted the  speakers  by  groans  and  hisses  and  exclamations  of 
Hurrah  for  Texas  !  for  Calhoun  !  and  vituperative  epithets  of  British 
gold,  Wall-street  brokers,  etc.;  but  their  number  was  too  small  to 
make  head  against  the  immense  multitude  of  respectable  persons 
who  were  there  to  condemn  the  measure  which  these  "  minions  of 
the  moon  "  are  concerned  in  supporting. 

The  spirit  of  the  "  fierce  democracy,"  a  sample  of 
Con  ress     '"  which  is  rccordcd  in  the  preceding  article,  blazed  forth 
with  more  lustre  on  Tuesday,  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives   at    Washington,  which  is    now  the    "  Five  Points  "    of 


1844]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  21 5 

America.  Mr.  White,  in  defending  the  character  of  Mr.  Clay  from 
the  ribaldry  of  several  of  the  blackguards  who  represent  a  portion 
of  the  people  of  this  happy  land,  was  insulted  by  a  Mr.  Rathbone, 
and  blows  passed  between  these  "grave  and  reverend"  senators. 
A  general  melee  took  place ;  a  man  named  Moore  (not  a  member) 
mixed  in  the  fight  and  discharged  a  pistol,  the  ball  of  which  passed 
through  the  door  and  lodged  in  the  thigh  of  Mr.  Wirt,  one  of  the 
House  police.  How  long  will  it  be  before  this  liberty  of  ours 
becomes  so  licentious  that  we  shall  be  compelled  to  take  refuge  in 
the  arms  of  despotism  ? 

Philadelphia,  April  26. —  In  pursuance  of  my  design  to  attend, 
as  a  looker-on  and  supernumerary,  the  great  Whig  Convention  to 
be  held  at  Baltimore  on  Wednesday  next,  I  left  home  this  morning 
at  nine  o'clock,  and  came  by  the  railroad  to  Bordentown  and 
thence  by  steamboat  to  this  city,  where  I  arrived  at  three  o'clock. 

Washington,  April  27. — The  discomforts  of  my  journey  were 
fully  compensated,  on  my  arrival  in  Washington,  by  the  excellent 
quarters  provided  for  me,  by  the  care  of  my  good  friends  Joseph 
and  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  at  Mrs.  Whitwell's,  on  the  hill  near  the 
Capitol.  I  have  never  been  so  pleasantly  accommodated  in  this 
place.  I  find  myself  in  a  mess  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Grin- 
nell, Mr.  Evans  of  Maine,  Mr.  Winthrop,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cabot,  Mr. 
Bates,  the  two  senators  from  New  Jersey,  Messrs.  Miller  and 
Dayton,  and  some  other  gentlemen  whose  names  I  have  not  yet 
learned.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  went  up  to  Baltimore  this  after- 
noon. The  loss  of  their  company  is  not,  however,  without  some 
consolation,  as  it  gives  me  possession  of  their  apartment,  and  I  have 
the  prospect  before  me  of  an  excellent  bed,  with  which  I  hope  in 
five  minutes  to  be  better  acquainted. 

April  29.  —  I  made  a  delightful  visit  yesterday,  in  the  afternoon, 
to  Mr.  Adams,  who  talked  as  no  man  ever  talked  before. 

Poor  General  Scott  is  in  distress.  I  walked  with  him  from 
church,  and  am  to  see  him  this  morning.  I  cannot  imagine  a  more 
severe  trial,  for  a  heart  susceptible  as  his,  than  that  which  he  is 


2l6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^Etat.  64. 

about  to  undergo.  His  daughter,  a  lovely  young  woman,  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  has  determined  to  take  the  veil  in  the  convent  at 
Georgetown,  and  shut  herself  out  from  the  world  forever.  No 
entreaties  of  her  parents  have  the  least  effect  to  divert  her  from  her 
rash  resolution,  and  their  tears  are  unavailing  to  save  her  from  self- 
immolation.  I  know  what  it  is  to  resign  a  beloved  daughter  to  the 
hands  of  Plim  to  whose  bounty  I  was  indebted  for  the  precious 
gift  ;  but  the  bereavement  had  its  accompanying  consolation  :  she 
died  in  the  faith  of  her  sorrowing  parents,  her  Heavenly  Father 
received  her  back  from  the  arms  of  her  earthly  one,  and  her  dying 
words  were  not  breathed  into  strangers'  ears. 

Greenough's  colossal  statue  of  Washington  has  been 
j.g,-[^Qyg(^  fj-Qj-j^  ^Y^Q  rotunda  and  placed  in  an  octagonal 

\V  ashington,  ^  *=" 

building  erected  temporarily  in  the  beautiful  grounds 
in  the  rear  of  the  Capitol.  I  do  not  like  it  as  well  as  I  did  when 
I  first  saw  it.  It  does  not  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  "  Father  of  his 
Country  ; "  there  is  too  great  an  exposure  of  the  naked  body.  It 
looks  like  a  great,  herculean,  warrior-like  F^v///-f  of  tJie  batJi  ;  a  grand 
martial  Magog,  undressed,  with  a  huge  napkin  lying  in  his  lap  and 
covering  his  lower  extremities,  and  he,  preparing  to  perform  his 
ablutions,  is  in  the  act  of  consigning  his  sword  to  the  care  of  the 
attendant  until  he  shall  come  out  of  the  bath. 

It  strikes  me  that  the  sculptor  has  failed  in  representing  the 
character  by  its  adjuncts.  The  Roman  toga  would  have  done 
better,  —  that  grand  resort  for  artists  in  search  of  the  picturesque ; 
a  suit  of  ancient  armour  even,  obsolete  though  it  may  be,  or  the 
ungraceful  Continental  uniform ;  either  would  have  been  more 
appropriate  than  a  body  naked  from  the  waist  upward.  Washing- 
ton was  too  prudent  and  careful  of  his  health  to  expose  himself 
thus  in  a  climate  so  uncertain  as  ours,  to  say  nothing  of  the  inde- 
cency of  such  an  exposure,  —  a  subject  on  which  he  was  known  to 
be  exceedingly  flistidious. 

Baltimore,  Aprh.  30.  —  Mr.  Grinnell  and  I  left  Washington  at 
six   o'clock   this  morning,  and  came  to   this   city.     We   found  our 


I844-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  217 

kind  host,  Mr.  Morris,  waiting  for  us  at  the  depot,  who  took  us  to 
our  dehghtful  quarters,  at  his  house  in  Mulberry  street,  opposite  the 
Cathedral.  We  had  an  excellent  breakfast,  and  found  ourselves  in 
the  midst  of  every  comfort  which  our  hearts  could  desire. 

May  I .  —  This  has  been  a  day  of  excitement,  of 
Conv^ntLr"^  jostling  and  crowding,  in  the  good  city  of  Baltimore 
beyond  anything  I  have  witnessed  elsewhere ;  and  it  is 
not  difficult  to  account  for  it  in  the  fact  that  the  number  of  males 
within  a  certain  space  is  double,  nay,  within  these  precincts,  quad- 
ruple, that  which  is  usual.  At  ten  o'clock  the  masses  began  to 
move  toward  the  church  in  which  the  convention  was  to  assemble, 
and  by  the  time  I  reached  the  spot  every  avenue  to  the  church 
seemed  to  be  filled,  and  I  did  not  entertain  a  hope  that  I  should 
be  admitted ;  but  by  good  fortune,  or  some  other  cause  more 
flattering  to  my  vanity,  I  found  myself  carried  forward  by  two 
members  of  the  delegation  and  placed  in  the  midst  of  that  august 
body  of  patriotic  Whigs,  in  one  of  the  best  seats  in  the  middle 
aisle. 

After  the  formal  proceedings,  Mr.  Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh,  of 
Virginia,  arose,  and  with  a  few  remarks  presented  the  following 
resolution:  "That  this  convention  unanimously  nominate  and 
recommend  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  Henry  Clay,  of 
Kentucky,  as  President  of  these  United  States." 

The  question  on  this  resolution  was  put  at  ten  minutes  past 
twelve  o'clock,  and  in  the  language  of  the  reporters  of  the  cere- 
monies, "  A  thousand  voices  sounded  Anicn  and  A>?ien,  accom- 
panied by  such  cheers  and  clappings  of  hands  as  the  v/orld  never 
heard  before.  The  cheers  were  prolonged  for  many  minutes,  and 
with  such  deafening  shouts  as  made  the  church  quake." 

This  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  sublime  moral  spectacles  ever 
exhibited  :  the  twenty-six  States  of  the  American  Union,  by  their 
representatives,  consisting  of  the  best  talents,  virtue,  and  patriotism 
of  that  portion  of  the  several  communities  which  constitute  the 
great  Whig  party,  voted  by  acclamation  to  present  to  the  people, 


2i8  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  64. 

as  the  choice  of  the  party  for  the  highest  office  in  the  Republic,  a 
citizen  who  stood  so  prominent  in  their  ranks  as  to  preclude  all  the 
forms  usually  adopted  on  such  occasions,  and  without  a  doubt  or 
the  shadow  of  dissent  to  place  him  before  the  people  as  their  first 
and  only  choice  ;  "  and  the  people  said  Amen."  It  was  all  done  in 
less  time  than  I  have  taken  to  record  it. 

Now  came  the  nominations  for  Vice-President,  and  Theodore 
Frelinghuysen  was  then  declared  by  an  unanimous  vote  the  candi- 
date of  the  convention,  and  the  delegates  from  the  States  who  had 
preferred  other  candidates  gave  their  most  hearty  concurrence  in 
the  choice.  Thus,  in  the  most  perfect  harmony,  ended  this  sub- 
lime and  exciting  ceremony,  the  remembrance  of  which  will  never 
be  effaced  from  my  mind.  I  shall  always  rejoice  that  I  was 
present. 

I  left  the  convention  before  the  speaking  was  over,  to  prepare 
for  dinner,  and  went  to  Mr.  Meredith's,  where  I  joined  the  follow- 
ing agreeable  party :  Mr.  Ewing,  Crittenden,  Granger,  ex-cabinet 
ministers ;  Grinnell  and  Saltonstall,  ex-members  of  Congress ;  Mr. 
Chapman  and  myself,  ex- mayors,  the  former  of  Boston ;  a  large 
proportion  of  ex's,  with  Mr.  Grattan,  an  ex-o\\c  of  rare  fragrance  ; 
Mr.  Kennedy,  of  North  Carolina  ;  Mr.  Quincy,  of  Boston ;  and  Mr. 
Robert  Gilmor.  Meredith's  house  is  so  near  the  scene  of  action, 
Monument  square,  in  which  the  concourse  of  people  was  prodigious 
and  the  speeches  and  shouting  without  intermission,  that  we  were 
scarcely  allowed  to  cat  our  crust  in  quiet. 

May  2.  —  I  went  to  bed  last  night  before  my  com- 
ppari-  p^j^jon,  Mr.  Grinnell,  came  in,  and  was  fast  asleep,  when 
suddenly,  about  half-past  one  o'clock,  I  was  awakened 
by  his  entrance,  accompanied  by  a  man,  who  stood  erect  and  silent 
at  my  bedside.  There  I  was,  stuck  up  in  bed  like  that  "  wicked 
Captain  Smith  "  quailing  before  the  ghost  of  "poor  Miss  Bailey," 
unpacified  by  "  the  one-pound  note."  Is  this  a  constable?  thought 
I,  with  my  companion  in  custody  for  some  nocturnal  irregularity 
committed  in  this  Saturnalia,  and  shall  I  be   his  bail,  if  required  ? 


1844-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  219 

"I  certainly  will,"  continued  I  to  myself,  "  for  he  would  do  the  same 
for  me."  But  my  doubts  were  soon  removed,  when,  with  one  more 
rub  of  my  eyes,  I  perceived  the  dark  brows  of  Daniel  Webster 
hanging  over  me.  "  I  have  no  hat  on,"  said  I ;  "  but  off  goes  my 
night-cap ;  "  and  I  sat  uncovered  in  the  presence  of  the  great  man 
of  the  East. 

The  solution  of  this  spectral  visitation  is,  that  Mr.  Grinnell 
waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  cars  from  Philadelphia  in  which  Mr. 
Webster  was  expected,  and  escorted  him  to  Mr.  Birckhead's,  where 
he  was  to  be  lodged ;  but  at  this  late  hour  access  could  not  be  ob- 
tained, and  he  brought  him  to  Mr.  Morris's  to  put  him  to  bed  in 
my  room,  and  there  he  remained,  enjoying  a  good  sleep,  until  six 
o'clock  this  morning.  Mr.  Webster  comes  to  Baltimore  at  the  so- 
licitation of  his  Whig  friends,  to  give  in  his  adhesion  to  the  nomi- 
nations. And  right  glad  does  he  seem  to  be  to  have  an  opportunity 
to  define  his  position  in  relation  to  Mr.  Clay  and  his  friends,  and  to 
assume  the  lofty  rank  among  Whigs,  from  which  some  have  thought 
he  was  inclined  to  swerve.  But  he  told  them  all  about  it  to-day. 
His  appearance  here  and  the  part  he  has  played  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  incidents  in  the  great  drama. 

Yesterday  was  the   solemn   formula   enacted  by  the 

ai  ca  ion      whicrg  of  the  United  States  in  the  selection  of  candi- 

Convention.  *-" 

dates  for  President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States  ;  but  this  has  been  the  day  of  jubilee.  Ten  thousand  men 
of  the  other  States  came  to  Baltimore  to  ratify  the  choice.  This 
great  mass  of  noble,  fine-looking  fellows,  from  the  granite  hills  of 
New  Hampshire  to  the  green  prairies  of  the  great  West,  formed  in 
procession  this  morning ;  and  each  State  under  its  proper  banner, 
and  each  individual  swelling  out  its  numbers,  with  flags  and  patriotic 
devices,  badges  and  the  weapons  of  peace,  passing  under  triumphal 
arches,  cheered  on  by  the  bright  eyes  of  the  prettiest  young  women 
in  the  world,  for  whose  use  every  window-sash  on  the  route  of  the 
procession  was  taken  out,  and  with  handkerchiefs  waving  over- 
head   and   wreaths    and  bouquets   thrown  at  their    feet,  did    this 


220  THE   DIARY    OF    riilLIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  64. 

mighty  army  march  out  to  the  Canton  race-course.  Being  in 
the  procession  myself,  in  the  New  York  ranks,  I  cannot  judge 
what  appearance  it  made  ;  but  the  street,  the  whole  of  Baltimore 
street,  presented  a  pageant  more  bright  and  brilliant  than  any  I 
ever  beheld.  The  field  to  which  we  marched  is  about  three  miles 
from  that  part  of  the  city  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  The 
weather  was  doubtful  and  the  sun  did  not  shine  ;  the  dust  was  the 
only  annoyance.  But  everything  went  off  well,  and  the  rain  which 
threatened  during  the  morning  had  the  politeness  to  keep  away 
until  nothing  was  left  undone  but  a  few  speeches,  which  are  a 
commodity  so  plentiful  just  now  that  the  people  could  afford  to 
wait.  Of  this  great  meeting  John  M.  Clayton,  of  Delaware,  was 
appointed  president.  Mr.  Webster  was  called  out  by  unanimous 
acclamation,  and  addressed  the  people  in  an  excellent  speech,  ap- 
proving the  nominations  without  the  least  reservation,  and  pledging 
himself  and  receiving  the  pledges  of  all  in  his  hearing  to  an  un- 
wavering, united,  and  zealous  support  of  the  people's  candidate. 
At  six  o'clock  I  joined  a  large  party  at  dinner  at 
inner  a      r.   ^^^^  Reverdv  Tohnson's,  whose  noble  mansion,  on  this 

Johnson's.  J    j  i  i 

occasion,  has  been  the  seat  of  elegant  and  profuse 
hospitality.  We  had  at  dinner,  and  afterward  at  supper,  all 
the  gr-^at  genii  of  the  Whig  party ;  and  such  an  array  was 
never  before  presented  to  my  view :  Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh, 
Judge  Berrien,  Mr.  Webster,  Governor  Morehead,  Judge  Spencer, 
Governor  Metcalf,  Governor  Sprigg  of  this  State,  Mr.  Morgan, 
Mr.  Crittenden,  Butler  King,  Stanley,  General  Dawson,  Governor 
Johnron  of  Louisiana,  Mr.  Ewing,  Mr.  Granger,  Mr.  Kennedy, 
etc.  I  was  never  concerned  in  a  more  jovial  affair,  and  never 
heard  more  small  shot  fired  from  big  guns.  I  was  eight  hours 
on  my  legs  in  the  morning  of  this  great  day,  and  eight  hours  seated 
at  the  table,  and  shall  now  get  eight  hours'  sleep,  if  I  can. 

May  4. — John  C.  Spencer  has  resigned  his  place 
of  th  """^^^  *'^^  "^  ^^^  cabinet,  and  a  pretty  business  he  has  made  of 
Treasury.         it.     Discarded  by  all  parties,  and  spurned  by  the  hand 


1844]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  221 

which  he  basely  condescended  to  hck,  he  will  have  nothing  but 
his  own  bad  feelings  to  feed  upon.  As  his  stern  old  father  said 
the  other  day,  "  He  has  dug  his  own  grave,  and  must  lie  in  it." 
John  Tyler  could  never  tolerate  the  man  whose  father  was  the 
president  of  a   Clay  convention. 

Dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Gilmor.  Our  party  consisted  of  Messrs. 
Kennedy,  Birckhead,  Byron  of  somewhere  South,  Abbott  Lawrence, 
David  Hoffman,  Robert  Gilmor,  Jr.,  Granger,  Grattan,  Thomas 
Oliver,  Meredith,  and  myself.  The  city  has  assumed  its  usual  ap- 
pearance ;  Barnum's  is  approachable  and  traversable,  Reverdy  John- 
son's shut  up,  the  rostrum  in  front  of  the  Court-House  taken  down, 
Loco-focos  beginning  to  peep  out  of  their  holes,  and  friendship  and 
hospitality  assuming  their  usual  quiet  habits  of  entertainment. 

New  York,  May    14. — The    annexation    of  Texas 
Texas.  to  the  United  States  is  now  the  question  which  regu- 

lates all  our  politics,  the  pivot  on  which  party-spirit 
moves,  and  the  stepping-stone  from  which  presidential  candidates 
rise,  or  on  which  they  stumble,  to  rise  no  more.  The  discussion 
of  the  treaty  lately  entered  into  by  President  Tyler  and  his  cabi- 
net with  Texas  has  laid  open  a  scene  of  executive  usurpation 
which  ought  to  subject  the  chief  to  impeachment,  and  such  of 
his  advisers  as  remain  (some  of  them  were  blown  up  in  the 
"Princeton"),  to  disgraceful  dismissal  from  their  offices.  Mr. 
Tyler  has,  in  this  instance,  usurped  the  power  of  Congress  to  make 
war,  by  ordering  naval  and  military  forces  to  carry  out  his  treaty 
before  its  ratification  by  the  Senate,  against  the  anticipated  oppo- 
sition of  Mexico,  —  a  nation  with  whom  we  have  the  most  friendly 
relations,  whilst  we  are  plotting  to  steal  a  valuable  part  of  her 
dominions. 

Here  is  the  great  question  of  severance  between  the  North  and 
the  South,  which  is  one  day  to  shake  this  overgrown  Republic  to 
its  centre.  The  Southern  States  desire  the  annexation  of  Texas 
to  the  Union,  to  strengthen  their  position  geographically  and 
politically  by  the  prospective  addition  of  four  or  five  slaveholding 


222  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat  64. 

States.  We  of  the  North  and  East  say  we  have  already  more 
territory  than  we  know  what  to  do  with,  and  more  slavery  within 
our  borders  than  we  choose  to  be  answerable  for  before  God  and 
man.  So  this  Texas  question  is  brought  up  by  the  man  whom 
accident  has  placed  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  used  by  designing 
demagogues  to  promote  their  personal  objects  at  the  risk  of  a 
separation  of  the  Union,  and  the  downf;ill  of  liberty  in  the 
Western  world.  The  several  aspirants  to  the  Presidency  have 
been  called  upon  to  declare  their  opinions  on  this  distracting 
question.  Mr.  Clay,  with  his  characteristic  frankness,  condemns 
the  project  as  dangerous  to  the  tranquillity  of  the  country,  unjust 
to  Mexico,  and  dishonourable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  Mr.  Van 
Buren,  in  language  less  explicit,  avows  the  same  sentiments. 
These  opinions  have  left  a  door  open  for  other  would-be  candi- 
dates, who  would  struggle  upward  by  means  of  the  most  unscrupu- 
lous conduct.  In  this  number  is  General  Cass,  who,  after  having 
made  himself  ridiculous  by  interfering  in  affairs  with  which  he  had 
no  concern,  comes  out  now  in  favour  of  the  measure  in  all  its 
length  and  breadth,  declaring  war  against  Mexico,  threatening 
Great  Britain,  and  scoffing  at  all  the  old-fashioned  notions  in 
favour  of  union  and  harmony.  This  is  the  horse  on  which  this 
demagogue  would  ride  into  power.  Clay  must  beat  them  all,  for 
the  country  cannot  stand  a  fourth  administration  like  the  present 
and  its  two  predecessors. 

Mav  24.  —  Seeing  in  the  newspaper  this  morning  a 
Old  Times.  Statement  that  in  pulling  down  an  old  house  on  the 
corner  of  John  and  Dutch  streets  some  pieces  of  cannon 
were  dug  up  from  the  cellar,  it  occurred  to  me  that  this  must  be 
my  father's  house.  So  I  went  that  way  to  the  office,  and,  sure 
enough,  the  old  house  in  which  my  youthful  days  were  passed  was 
no  more  to  be  seen,  and  a  shapeless  mass  of  ruins  marked  the  spot. 
I  was  born  in  Dutch  street,  near  by.  My  father  bought  the  house 
at  the  corner  something  like  sixty  years  ago,  and  carried  on  his 
business  there,  and  thence  spring  all  my  early  recollections.     How 


1844]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE,  223 

the  old  house  stood  so  long  (for  it  was  a  slight  building)  I  know 
not,  but  whilst  I  stood  gazing  at  the  ruins  I  mourned  over  the 
departure  of  an  old  acquaintance. 

But  how  came  the  cannon  there  ?  There  are  three  pieces,  which, 
from  the  fixtures  attached  to  them,  belonged  probably  to  a  vessel 
(a  rebel  privateer,  perhaps),  and  were  secreted  in  the  cellar  of  this 
house  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  before  my 
father  bought  the  property.  I  saw  two  of  these  pieces  in  a  black- 
smith's shop  near  by  (the  other  had  been  taken  away),  and  tried  to 
get  one,  as  a  relic  of  old  times ;  and  I  may  yet,  if  the  purchaser 
consents  to  part  with  it.  They  have  been  so  long  in  a  state  of  con- 
finement that,  like  the  old  man  who  was  released  on  the  destruction 
of  the  Bastille,  it  will  be  difficult  to  make  them  go  off. 

One    of  those    incidents  occurred    this  morning  so 

K^^t^*^  "'^       characteristic  of  our    dear    Chancellor.     He  mystified 

me  completely.     Coming  suddenly  into  the  insurance 

office,  with  a  book  under  his  arm,  he  took  a  chair  beside  mine,  and 

the  following  dialogue  took  place  :    '^  Do  you  write  marine  risks?  " 

—  "  Certainly,  sir,  it  is  our  business."—  "  I  want  some  insurance." 

—  "  You,"  asked  I ;  "  what  can  you  possibly  have  to  do  with  marine 
insurance?  " —  "I  have  an  interest  in  a  vessel  which  I  wish  insured 
for  nine  months."  —  "  Very  well,  sir,  what  vessel  is  it?  "  —  "I  sup- 
pose that  I  must  disclose  everything  ?  "  — ''  Certainly."  —  "  Well,  she 
is  as  good  a  vessel  as  ever  floated,  staunch  and  sound ;  but  I  have 
no  confidence  in  the  captain,  and  am  afraid  of  barratry,  which  I 
would  insure  against."  —  "Well,  sir,  what  is  her  name?  "  —  "The 
good  ship  Constitution;  John  Tyler,  master;  will  you  write  her?" 
Acknowledging  myself  completely  taken  in,  I  replied,  "  Change  the 
captain,  stop  up  the  leaks  with  clay,  and  we  will  write  her  upon 
the  most  favourable  terms."  And  off  went  the  bright  and  amiable 
octogenarian  as  suddenly  as  he  entered. 

May  28.  —  The  "Monumental    City"  is    again  the 

Baltimore  ^  ....  ,        .  ,  ,  ,.„ 

Convention       scenc  of  a  great  political  gathering ;  but  how  different 
from  that    I    lately   witnessed    there  !      Then  all    was 


224  THE   DTARY    OF   rillLTP   HONE.  [.Etat.  64. 

union,  harmony,  confidence,  and  enthusiasm.  Now  the  Loco-focos 
have  possession  of  the  ground  ;  and  discord,  suspicion,  doubt,  and 
apprehension  prevail  in  their  ranks.  The  convention  met  yester- 
day. Mr.  Hendricks,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  elected  president,  with 
a  vice-president  from  each  State. 

The  party  does  not  seem  pleased  with  either  of  their  numerous 
candidates.  Mr.  Van  Buren,  heretofore  the  standing  candidate,  has 
gotten  into  bad  smell,  as  the  (^ount  Lowendahl  once  said  to  me, 
when  he  attempted  to  do  maiivaise  odcur  into  English.  Dick 
Johnson  says  he  won't  ride  to  immortality  in  the  same  cart  with  the 
New  York  candidate ;  and,  disgraceful  as  it  would  be  to  the 
country,  there  are  serious  thoughts  of  that  demi- savage  being 
brought  forward  for  the  first  office.  I  would  prefer  that  Mr.  Van 
Buren  should  be  the  man,  for  in  the  present  state  of  parties  he 
would  be  most  easily  beaten  ;  and,  in  the  unlikely  event  of  Mr. 
Clay's  defeat,  I  would  rather  have  him  than  any  other  candidate  on 
that  side. 

]\Iay  30.  —  Van  Buren  is  killed  (politically),  and  Cass  is  no 
better.  The  Loco-foco  Convention  yesterday  threw  them  both 
overboard,  and  nominated  James  K.  Polk,  of  Tennessee,  for  Presi- 
dent, and  Silas  Wright,  of  New  York,  for  Vice -President.  How  it  was 
brought  about  belongs  to  the  Loco-foco  chronicles  of  the  times ; 
but  Polk  and  A\'right  !  Alas  for  poor  Van  Buren  !  He  is  the  best 
of  the  bunch  by  great  odtls,  and  to  be  so  repudiated  by  his  political 
friends  who  have  so  long  been  accustomed  to  swear  by  him  !  Et 
tu,  Brute!  And  then,  the  idea  of  running  Silas  Wright  subordi- 
nate to  General  Jackson's  chief  cook  and  bottle-washer.  Colonel 
Polk  !  Some  Northern  Loco-foco,  speaking  of  the  nomination, 
says  very  smartly,  "  The  ticket  is  like  a  kangaroo,  —  it  goes 
upon  its  hind  legs." 

The  United  States  frigate  "  Constitution  "  (dear  old 
Mr.  Wise.        "  Irousides  ")    sailed    yesterday  for    Rio    de    Janeiro, 
having  on  board  His  Excellency  Henry  A.  Wise,  Min- 
ister to  the  Court  of  Brazil,  and  his  family,  and  Mr.  Sargeant,  his 


iS44-]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  225 

secretary.  Success  attend  the  new  Minister  !  If  he  is  half  as 
troublesome  there  as  he  was  here,  they  will  wish  to  have  my  old 
acquaintance,  Mr.  Hunter,  back.  Some  of  his  colleagues  in  Con- 
gress would  send  him  on  a  mission  to  the  antipodes  or  elsewhere, 
and  keep  him  there,  if  they  thought  there  was  any  chance  of  his 
being  reelected  to  Congress  on  his  return. 

May  31. — Among  the  recorded  deaths  we  some- 
evo  u  lonan  ^^^^^^  g^^  ^■j^^  namcs  of  mcu  whose  services  in  the  Rev- 

Men. 

olutionary  army  must  endear  them  to  the  present,  and 
their  memory  to  all  future,  generations.  Two  are  recorded  in  the 
papers  of  this  day ;  namely,  at  Schenectady,  on  the  23d  May,  John 
Jacobus  Van  Voorst,  aged  one  hundred  and  three  years,  four 
months,  and  four  days ;  at  Fouda,  Montgomery  county,  on  the  1 1  th 
of  May,  Jacob  Van  Allstyne,  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  an  adjutant  and  quartermaster  in  the  Continental  army, 
and  was  in  the  service  at  the  taking  of  General  Burgoyne. 

May  31.  —  The  Polk- Van   Buren-Cass  Convention, 

The  Loco-foco  t-,    ,    .  ^  ^       ^       ■  •       •        1    1 

Convention.  ^^  Baltuiiore,  closcd  their  patriotic  labours  yesterday. 
Silas  Wright,  the  nominee  for  the  Vice-Presidency, 
not  liking  the  position  in  which  he  was  placed,  subordinate  to  one 
so  inferior  to  himself,  and  indignant,  no  doubt,  at  the  ill-treatment 
which  his  friend,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  had  received  at  the  hands  of  his 
party,  peremptorily  declined  the  nomination,  notwithstanding  a 
committee  (of  which  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  the  exponent  of  New 
York  Loco-focoism,  was  one)  went  to  Washington  to  urge  his 
acceptance.  Mr.  Wright  has  done  himself  great  credit  by  refusing 
to  lend  his  name  to  prop  a  sinking  cause  and  give  currency  to 
political  heresy.  In  this  new  dilemma,  the  convention,  after 
floundering  about  in  a  troubled  sea  of  uncertainty,  hoisted  a  new 
signal  of  distress,  and  nominated  as  Vice-President  George  M. 
Dallas,  of  Pennsylvania,  a  man  who,  at  the  first  meeting  of  this 
august  assembly,  was  no  more  dreamed  of  than  John  Tyler.  But  it 
is  so ;  and  now  the  faithful  must  change  their  shout  from  Van  Buren 
to  Polk,  and  from  Wright  to  Dallas.     In  the  midst  of  these  polit- 


226  THE    DIARY    OF    TIIILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

ical  squabbles  at  Baltimore,  the  ridiculous  force  has  been  i:)layed  of 
the  nomination  of  the  present  incubus  upon  the  country.  A  Tyler 
Convention  (as  they  called  themselves),  consisting  of  a  few  office- 
holders and  political  adventurers,  held  a  meeting  simultaneously 
with  the  Polkites,  and  agreed  to  make  Mr,  Tyler  President,  if  they 
can  get  votes  enough.  He  accepts  the  nomination  in  one  of  those 
asinine  manifestos  in  which  the  father's  wisdom  is  so  beautifully 
adorned  by  the  son's  erudition. 

June  i  .  —  A  white  stone  to  mark  the  closing  hours  of 
Picnic  Dinner,  this  wcck  !  Ncvcr  was  there  a  lovelier  day,  a  brighter 
sun,  and  never  was  nature  more  daintily  decked  out 
to  receive  their  embraces  and  profit  by  their  influences.  Never 
was  there  a  nicer  picnic  dinner  than  that  provided  by  John  R. 
Snedecor,  near  the  Long  Island  race-course,  and  never  a  pleas- 
anter  party  than  the  7iine  (not  the  Muses,  but  votaries  and  wor- 
shippers of  their  ladyships)  who  assembled  to  partake  of  it.  Our 
party  consisted  of  Dr.  Wainwright,  Prescott  Hall,  David  C.  Colden, 
Mr.  Macready,  M.  C.  Patterson,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  Francis 
Griffin,  Henry  Brevoort,  and  myself.  We  left  town  at  half-past 
two  o'clock,  sat  down  to  dinner  (i)reviously  engaged  and  the  par- 
ticulars arranged  by  Mr.  Hall)  at  half-past  four,  and  started  for 
home  at  ten  o'clock,  just  as  the  full  moon  arose  from  the  ocean  to 
light  us  on  our  way,  and  unlike  the  lamps  of  us  dull  mortals,  has 
grown  brighter  as  the  oil  consumed. 

Mr.  Macready,  for  whom  this  pleasant  affair  was  gotten  up, 
delighted  us  with  his  conversation,  which  was  occasionally  diversi- 
fied with  his  admirable  recitations  and  dramatic  readings.  The 
reverend  doctor  enjoyed  the  feast,  and  added  to  its  charm  the 
tribute  of  his  intellectual  remarks.  Brevoort  opened  wider  than 
usual  the  lid  of  his  knowledge-box,  and  each  member  of  the  party 
was  ready  and  willing  to  contribute  his  stock  to  the  entertainment 
and  instruction  of  his  companions. 

June  10.  —  Died  on  Friday  last,  at  his  residence,  Geneseo, 
Mr.  James   S.  Wadsworth,  aged   seventy-seven   years.     Mr.  Wads- 


1844]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  22/ 

worth  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
settlement  of  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  to  which 
he  removed  many  years  ago.  His  farm  on  the  Genesee  river, 
above  Rochester,  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  State.  I  liave  been 
at  his  house,  —  a  noble  mansion,  beautifully  situated  in  the  heart  of 
a  country  rich  and  fertile  as  any  the  sun  shines  upon,  —  a  country 
which  not  only  filled  his  garners  with  grain  and  fattened  his  cattle 
on  a  thousand  hills,  but  filled  his  purse  to  overflowing  with  the 
treasure  which  buys  all  things  but  life,  health,  and  contentment. 

June  ii.  —  Mr.   Tyler's  infamous  treaty,  by  which 
reayot         j^^^    hopcd  to  rob  Mcxico   of  her  province  of  Texas, 

Annexation.  ^  ^  ' 

against  the  consent  of  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
to  promote  his  political  ends  with  the  Southern  States,  at  the  risk 
of  plunging  the  country  into  an  unjust  and  discreditable  war,  and 
to  force  the  country  to  assume  thereby  the  enormous  debts  of  a 
set  of  vagabond  adventurers,  has  received  its  quietus  in  the  Senate, 
where  it  was  discussed  in  secret  session  several  days,  and  finally 
rejected  on  Saturday. 

June  14.  —  One  of  those  astounding  Wall-street  stock  revolu- 
tions has  occurred,  which  are  occasionally  gotten  up  by  gamblers, 
and  by  which  the  turn  of  a  day  makes  nabobs  and  beggars,  and 
unsettles  the  minds  of  men  who  watch  the  brokers'  books  with 
anxiety  equal  to  that  which  of  old  attended  the  developments  of 
the  sibylline  leaves.  Within  the  last  week  many  descriptions  of 
what  are  csiWed /a/icy  stocks  were  inflated,  by  the  progress  of  bubble- 
blowing,  to  prices  double  and  quadruple  those  of  the  previous 
week.  Many  who  had  "  sold  ahead,"  as  it  is  called  in  Wall  street, 
were  ruined  by  the  change,  and  fortunes  were  made  by  men  who 
had  not  sense  nor  judgment  to  make  a  living  in  an  honest  calling. 
This  inflated  state  of  things  lasted  three  days,  and  then  came  the 
reverse,  which  always  follows  these  high-pressure  operations.  All 
of  a  sudden,  stocks  fell  back  nearly  to  the  place  where  the  specula- 
tion found  them  ;  the  sellers  became  buyers,  pocketed  their  gains, 
and  laughed  at  their   dupes.       Such  is  the  course  of  stock-jobbing. 


^28  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.ttat.  64. 

— a  most  profligate  and  ruinous  system  of  gambling,  infinitely  worse 
than  any  of  which  the  laws  take  cognizance. 

At  Home,  June  25.  —  Much  has  transpired  during  my  short 
absence.  Congress  has  adjourned  in  "  most  admired  confusion," 
after  a  session  (I  mean  of  the  House  of  Representatives)  more 
disgraceful  to  the  country,  and  humiliating  to  all  who  continue  to 
love  it,  than  any  in  tlie  annals  of  our  National  Legislature.  The 
Whig  majority  in  the  Senate  is  the  salt  which  has  preserved  the 
body  politic.  God  knows  how  long  that  conservative  principle 
may  be  suffered  to  remain  !  President  Tyler,  in  the  madness  of 
his  misrule,  has  made  many  removals  and  appointments  at  the 
close  of  the  session,  some  of  which  were  confirmed,  but  more 
rejected.  What  a  patient  ass  is  the  American  people,  and  how 
well  he  who  rides  seems  to  know  them  ! 

July  2.  —  Mr.  Tyler's  broom  sweeps  clean;  there  is  hardly  one 
important  appointment  made  by  General  Harrison  which  has  not 
fiillen  within  the  scope  of  its  destroying  influence.  He  seems  des- 
titute of  the  ordinary  feelings  of  respect  for  the  memory  of  the 
man  under  whose  mantle  he  was  smuggled  into  office. 

July  27.  — The  road  being  completed  from  Brook- 
Long:  Island       1  .        /^-i  ■         .  •  1        r.  1 

lyn  to  Greenport,  —  its  terminus  on  the  Sound,  —  a 
distance  of  ninety-two  miles,  the  first  trip  was  made 
to-day,  with  the  usual  jollifications  customary  on  such  occasions.  A 
large  number  of  invited  guests  were  taken  down  on  the  cars, 
partook  of  an  entertainment,  and  returned  early  in  the  evening. 
Wonderful  stories  are  told  of  the  speed  of  the  steam-team  on  this 
occasion.  They  went  to  Greenport  in  four  hours  ;  but  if  they  had 
kept  up  the  speed  with  which  they  started,  —  fourteen  minutes  to 
Jamaica,  —  the  distance  might  have  been  accomplished  in  two. 

July  29. — There  is  a  gay,  saucy-looking  squadron 

bT'-'^  of  schooner- yachts  lying  off  the  Battery,  which  excites 

considerable    admiration.      About    a   dozen    of    these 

handsome  little  vessels,  owned  by  gentlemen  of  fortune  and  enter- 

l)rise,  are  preparing  for  a  voyage  to  Newport,  under  the  command 


1844.J  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  229 

of  that  excellent  fellow,  John  C.  Stevens,  as  commodore,  who 
hoists  his  broad  pennant  and  makes  his  signals  in  the  most  ap- 
proved man-of-war  style.  Crowds  of  people,  especially  of  the 
fairer  sort,  go  down  to  witness  this  mimic  display  of  maritime 
glory ;  and  some  of  the  most  favoured  of  our  belles  and  nice 
young  men  about  town  are  invited  to  pleasant  parties  by  the  Jack- 
tars.  The  arrival  of  the  squadron  at  Newport  will,  of  course, 
occasion  a  sensation  among  the  company  there,  and  serve  to  re- 
lieve the  monotony  of  a  tolerably  dull  place  of  sojournment. 

RocKAWAY,  August  9.  —  I  grieve  to  record  the  death 
Coster''  '  ^'  ^^  ^^y  venerable  friend,  John  G.  Coster.  He  died  at 
ten  o'clock,  last  evening,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of 
his  age.  Mr.  Coster  has  done  me  many  kind  services  ;  and  I  never 
asked  a  favour  of  him  which  was  not  cheerfully,  willingly,  and  dis- 
interestedly granted.  I  was  grateful  to  him  living,  and  honour  his 
memory  now  that  he  is  removed  from  those  who  loved  and 
respected  him. 

August  12.  —  Mr.  Coster's  funeral  took  place  yesterday,  at  five 
o'clock.  There  was  a  great  concourse  of  people  ;  for  the  deceased 
was  extensively  known  and  greatly  esteemed.  The  ceremonies 
were  performed  by  Dr.  Wainwright,  in  St.  Mark's  Church,  in  the 
cemetery  of  which  the  body  was  interred  in  the  family  vault.  The 
following  were  the  pall- bearers  :  Major  Popham,  Chancellor  Jones, 
James  McBride,  Maltby  Gelston,  John  Adams,  David  S.  Kennedy, 
Edward  W.  Laight,  and  myself. 

The  "  Commercial  Advertiser  "  comes  this  afternoon 
,  ^^  l"^ ^    ' "   in  mourning,  for  the  death  of  its  editor,  William  Leet 

ham  L,  Stone.  *^'  ' 

Stone,  who  died  at  the  residence  of  his  father-in-law, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Way  land,  at  Saratoga  Springs,  yesterday  morning, 
aged  fifty- two  years.  Mr.  Stone  has  been  editor-in-chief  of  the 
"  Commercial  Advertiser"  since  April,  1820.  I  have  long  thought 
it  one  of  the  best  papers  in  the  State.  Its  principles  were  of  the 
sound  Whig  kind,  its  editorial  writings  sensible,  discreet,  and  moral, 
and  its  matter  generally  entertaining,  without  any  pampering  to  a 


230  THE   DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [A-Aat.  64. 

depraved  popular  taste.  Mr.  Stone  has  written  several  good  books, 
principally  on  subjects  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  State, 
manners,  customs,  and  annals  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  of  the  pub- 
lic institutions  in  which  he  took  an  interest,  and  in  which  he  did 
not  shrink  from  his  share  of  the  work. 

August  22.  —  I  had  a  nice  little  party  at  dinner,  consisting  of 
John  V.  Kennedy,  R.  M.  Blatchford  (who  brought  us  a  basket  of 
delicious  fruit),  William  Wood,  Dr.  Stevens,  our  St.  Croix  friend 
Delprat,  and  M.  H.  Grinnell.  They  came  at  three  o'clock,  and  we 
broke  up  soon  after  six. 

August  30.  —  I  have  read  the  speeches  of  Mr.  Web- 
^    ^^,  ster  and  Tudsre    Berrien.     Both  are    excellent.     I   am 

Speeches.  •'        ^ 

much  mistaken  if  that  of  the  Massachusetts  man  is  not 
the  best  he  ever  made  on  such  an  occasion.  It  is  a  clear,  sound, 
uncontrovertible  argument  in  favour  of  the  Whig  doctrines  of  the 
present  day.  On  the  subject  of  protection  of  American  industry 
it  is  glorious.  It  carries  even  me  beyond  the  highest  point  of  con- 
viction to  which  I  had  ever  reached.  It  proves  that  this  principle 
lies  at  the  root  of  the  federal  compact ;  that  it  was  the  broad,  deep- 
laid  foundation  of  the  fabric  which  could  never  have  been  erected 
upon  any  other,  and  he-  was  provided  with  facts  taken  from  im- 
perishable records  and  statements  derived  from  the  most  authentic 
sources  to  prove  every  word  he  said. 

September    ii. —  We    hear  of   nothing    but    great 
Electioneering,  miss-mectings   (as  they  are  called)  in  all  parts  of  the 

country.  The  Whigs  hav^e  collected  immense  gather- 
ings at  Taunton  and  at  Lynn,  in  Massachusetts,  where  Daniel 
Web.iter,  Rufus  Choate,  Robert  C.  Wintlirop,  John  M.  Berrien, 
Fr.incis  Granger,  John  P.  Kennedy,  and  a  host  of  the  brightest 
spirits  in  the  land  have  been  instructing  the  people  in  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  we  are  contending,  and  of  which  Clay  and  Freling- 
huysen  are  the  index  and  exemplars.  In  New  Jersey,  where  the 
first  State  election  will  take  place,  similar  efforts  are  being  made ; 
and  if  the  sovereigns  do  not  get  enough  of  tariff  and  Texas,  they 


1844]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  2^1 

are  the  most  insatiable  gormandizers  in  the  world.  We  have  beaten 
the  Loco-focos  handsomely  in  Vermont ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
their  majority  in  Maine  has  increased  fearfully.  It  is  not  so  hollow 
a  thing  as  it  appeared  a  few  weeks  since ;  party  discipline  works 
well  for  our  opponents,  and  the  prospect  of  spoils  in  advance  are 
mighty  encouraging  for  both  parties. 

September  19.  —  A  slap  at  Brother  Jonathan.  One  of  the  Eng- 
lish papers  says  that  the  I(?7c>a  American  Indians,  now  exhibiting  in 
London,  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  tribe  of  I.O.C/.'s,  who 
are  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  intimates  that  the  former  are  much 
the  more  respectable  of  the  two. 

September  20.  —  The  go-ahead  principle  prevails  in 

s  onis  ling  ^j^.^  country  to  such  a  degree  that  it  must  be  difficult 
to  prove  an  a/i/n'  in  any  case  in  which  locomotion  is 
concerned ;  for  it  ought  not  to  excite  much  wonder  that  a  man 
should  be  in  two  places  at  once.  The  "  Commercial  ildvertiser," 
v/hich  I  read  this  day  at  two  o'clock,  contains  a  report,  in  three  or 
four  columns,  of  a  speech  made  by  Mr.  Webster  yesterday  afternoon 
at  a  great  Whig  meeting  on  Boston  Common. 

Septeaiber  30.  —  I  found  yesterday,  in  overhauling  old  papers  in 
a  chest  of  my  father's  which  had  not  seen  the  light  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  many  curious  records  of  the  days  of  my  infancy  and 
youth,  and  some  of  a  still  more  remote  period.  In  this  ancient 
cabinet  of  literary  relics  I  found  the  certificate  of  my  father's 
rights  as  a  freeman  of  the  city  of  New  York,  —  an  important  and 
honourable  privilege.  This  document  is  dated  1765,  and  signed 
by  John  Cruger. 

October  9.  —  I    went   yesterday   to   dine    at    Mr. 

inner  an        Blatchford's,  at  Hell-Gatc.     The  party  at  dinner  con- 

Reftections.  -'  ^         -^ 

sisted  of  old  Mr.  J.  J.  Astor  and  his  train-bearer  and 
prime  minister,  Mr.  Coggeswell ;  Mr.  Jaudon  ;  Ole  Bull,  the  cele- 
brated Norwegian  violinist  (we  used  to  call  it  fiddler)  ;  and  myself. 
In  the  evening  the  party  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  Mr. 
Webster,  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Page,   and  Mr.  and  Mrs.   Curtis. 


232  THE    DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

Ole  Bull  had  his  two  viohns,  and  astonished  and  pleased  us  by  his 
wonderful  performance.  Every  note  was  sounded,  from  the  roar- 
ing of  a  lion  to  the  whisper  of  a  summer's  evening  breeze  ;  every 
instrument  of  music  seemed  to  send  forth  its  peculiar  tones. 

After  an  hour  or  two  passed  in  the  billiard- room  I  retired  to 
bed.  When  I  arose  this  morning  at  Mr.  Blatchford's,  I  contem- 
plated the  delightful  scene  :  the  clumps  of  fine  old  trees  clothed  in 
the  gorgeous  foliage  of  autumn,  the  lawn  still  bright  and  green,  the 
mild,  refreshing  breeze,  the  rapid  waters  of  Hell- Gate  covered  with 
sailing-vessels  and  steamboats,  —  all  combined  to  present  a  picture 
of  consummate  beauty.  In  this  place,  so  rich  in  the  beauties  of  art 
and  nature,  in  the  enjoyment  of  pecuniary  independence  and  happy 
in  his  family  relations,  did  the  former  proprietor  commit  suicide  ! 
Mr.  Astor,  one  of  our  dinner  companions  yesterday,  presented  a 
painful  example  of  the  insufficiency  of  wealth  to  prolong  the  life 
of  man.  This  old  gentleman,  with  his  fifteen  millions  of  dollars, 
would  give  it  all  to  have  my  strength  and  physical  ability ;  and  yet, 
with  this  example  and  that  recorded  above,  I,  with  a  good  con- 
science, and  in  possession  of  my  bodily  faculties,  sometimes  repine 
at  my  lot.  He  would  pay  all  my  debts  if  I  could  insure  nira  one 
year  of  my   health  and  strength. 

October  14.  —  A  Whig  meeting  was  held  this  evening,  of  about 
thirty  gentlemen,  at  the  Astor  House.  Great  and  encouraging  were 
the  results.  Can  a  cause  fail  which  is  founded  upon  such  prin- 
ciples as  ours,  and  supported  by  such  men  ?  May  success  be  their 
reward,  and  their  country  know  how  to  appreciate  their  Hberality  ! 
The  first  ten  men  who  took  pen  in  hand  subscribed  $8,100.  Of 
these,  six  gave  $1,000  each,  and  they  have  all  been  giving  to  the 
same  object  every  day  for  months  past.  I  cannot  resist  the  satis- 
faction of  recording  their  names  :  George  Griswold  ;  Prime,  Ward, 
&  King  ;  Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co. ;  John  C.  Greene  ;  Howland  & 
Aspinwall ;  Spofford  &  Tileston.  Benjamin  L.  Swan  gave  $600, 
three  others  $500  each,  and  many  ;?25o ;  altogether  something  over 
$10,000. 


I844-]  THE   DIARV    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  233 

October  29. — The  approaching  presidential  elec- 
The  Election,  tion  engrosses  all  interest  and  occupies  the  minds  of 
all  our  citizens.  We  Whigs  believe  that  the  principles 
involved  in  this  contest  are  of  the  most  vital  importance.  These 
principles  are  well  known  and  openly  avowed,  whilst  our  adversa- 
ries acknowledge  no  motive  of  action  but  the  most  malignant  and 
virulent  opposition  to  our  candidates.  These  are  both  so  strong 
in  the  affections  of  their  political  friends,  both  so  distinguished  for 
talents  and  public  services,  and  both  so  clearly  and  openly  iden- 
tified with  the  principles  of  their  party,  that  every  description  of 
rancorous  vituperation  is  resorted  to,  to  influence  the  minds  and 
gain  the  votes  of  the  ignorant  and  prejudiced. 

October    30.  —  The    great    demonstration    of    the 

ig  emon.  -^y|-,-gg^  which  has  been  in  preparation  for  some  time, 
came  off  to-day.  It  beggars  all  description.  Nothing 
so  great,  so  magnificent,  so  enthusiastic,  was  ever  before  wit- 
nessed in  New  York.  The  several  wards  marched  in  rotation, 
with  all  the  mechanical  crafts  on  stages  superbly  ornamented  and 
employed  in  their  different  occupations,  with  banners  and  flags,  and 
every  device  which  ingenuity  and  zeal  could  suggest.  I  cannot 
attempt  a  description.  It  will  be  sufficient  for  this  record  of  the 
event,  to  say  that  the  procession  was  more  than  five  miles  in 
length,  and  composed  of  the  most  respectable  men  of  every  profes- 
sion, trade,  and  occupation  in  the  city. 

The  fifteenth  ward  did  me  the  honour  to  place  me  in  their  cor- 
tege in  an'open  barouche,  with  Dr.  J.  W.  Francis,  Judge  Hammond, 
and  Mr.  Nevins.  We  left  Constitution  Hall  soon  after  ten  o'clock, 
and  were  detained  in  Canal  street  and  thereabouts  until  two,  when 
we  took  our  place  in  the  line.  We  then  followed  on  down  Green- 
wich street,  around  the  Bowling  Green,  up  Broadway  to  Union 
place,  and  down  the  Bowery,  etc.  I  broke  away  at  Broome  street, 
on  the  downward  route.  After  four  o'clock,  the  weather,  which 
was  pleasant  in  the  morning,  became  raw  and  uncomfortable,  with 
gusts  of  rain  and  hail ;  and  I  was  not  very  well. 


234  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.-Etat.  64. 

This  was  the  greatest  affair  I  was  ever  concerned  in.  The 
houses  on  the  route  were  decorated  with  flags,  Clay  busts, 
wreaths  and  festoons  of  flowers  and  evergreens  ;  and  such  a  wav- 
ing of  handkerchiefs,  and  showering  of  bouquets,  and  flashing  of 
bright  eyes  from  tens  of  thousands  of  animated  female  counte- 
nances, inspired  the  hearts  of  all  Whigs,  sixty- four  years  old  and 
under,  —  and  all  above,  for  aught  I  know  to  the  contrary.  I  came 
in  for  a  large  part  of  the  honours  of  the  day,  being  cheered  and 
saluted  by  name,  by  many  of  the  groups  of  the  assembled  multi- 
tude of  spectators.  My  house,  also,  I  was  informed,  was  frequently 
cheered  in  a  manner  personally  gratifying.  We  were  decorated 
with  flags  and  evergreens,  and  had  a  very  handsome  display  of 
lady  friends  to  set  us  off. 

November  i.  —  Our  opponents  made  their  appear- 
ance  this  evenmg  m  a  great  night  procession,  as  long 
as  ours  on  Wednesday,  but  widely  different  in  the 
character  of  its  members.  Their  appearance  was  low  and  vulgar, 
and  their  banners  avowed  no  political  principles.  ''  Destruction 
to  Clay!"  'M)own  with  the  Coons!"  "Polk  and  Texas!" 
"No  $50,000,000  Bank!"  "Americans  shan't  rule  us!'"  (this 
is  a  feet),  and  such-like  inscriptions  were  emblazoned  on  their 
standards,  and  brought  into  light  by  the  torches  which  sup- 
plied the  want  of  the  daylight,  in  whicli  the  Whigs  were  not 
ashamed  to  be  seen. 

November  8. — Yesterday's  news  from  the  West  and 
All  Gone.  North  has  settled  the  question.  The  State  of  New 
York  has  gone  for  Polk  and  Dallas  by  a  majority  of 
five  or  six  thousand.  This  result,  which  makes  them  President  and 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  has  been  brought  about  by 
foreign  votes,  made  for  the  purpose.  Mr.  Clay  is  again  defeated  ; 
the  people  have  rejected  their  best  friend,  and  repudiated  the 
principles  by  whicli  alone  national  prosperity  and  individual  happi- 
ness might  have  been  secured.  So  let  it  be  !  We  must  submit,  and 
have  only  to  pray  that  the  Almighty  will  avert  from  the  country  the 


1844]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  235 

evils  which,  from  present  appearances,  the  people  have  brought  upon 
themselves,  and  that  the  administration  may  turn  out  better  than 
some  of  us  now  anticipate. 

There  is  a  Whig  loss  in  the  State  since  the  election  of  General 
Harrison  in  1840  of  about  twenty  thousand.  The  slaveholders  of 
the  South  and  the  abolitionists  of  the  North  have  gone  equally 
against  us.  Free  trade  and  protection  have  voted  for  Polk  and 
Dallas.  Mr.  Clay's  talents,  public  services,  and  sound  principles 
are  too  much  for  this  perverse  levelling  generation.  The  beauty 
of  his  character  forms  too  strong  a  contrast  to  their  deformity. 

The  Whigs,  at  this  election,  deserted  their  own  candidates  almost 
in  a  body.  Phoenix,  of  the  first  congressional  district  of  the  city, 
withdrew  publicly,  and  Hamilton  Fish  virtually  ;  by  which  means  the 
Native  Americans  carried  three  out  of  the  four  congressmen,  —  Mil- 
ler, Woodruff,  and  Campbell  (the  first  and  the  last,  by  the  bye,  as 
good  Whigs  as  those  they  succeed) .  Mr.  Folsom  (Native  American), 
whom  nobody  knows,  and  who  has  never  contributed  in  any  way  to 
the  good  cause,  is  elected  to  the  State  Senate  ;  that  sound  Whig 
and  practical  American,  Hiram  Ketcham,  was  also  induced  to  with- 
draw. The  whole  Assembly  ticket  is  elected,  and  all  by  the  com- 
plete cooperation  of  the  Whigs,  in  the  hope  that  a  corresponding 
support  would  be  given  by  their  opponents  to  the  Clay  electoral 
ticket.  It  was  so,  to  a  certain  extent ;  but  the  foregoing  statement 
shows  that  we  gave  more  than  we  received. 

November  13.  —  I  am  sick,  sick  of  election  returns  ; 
ashamed  of  my  countrymen  :  but  I  have  one  brisjht  paofe 

Massachusetts.  J  J  :>  &        1     to 

for  my  journal.  There  is  one  star  in  the  deep  obscurity 
of  our  political  midnight.  Glorious  old  Massachusetts,  the  cradle 
of  American  liberty,  the  last  refuge  of  good  principles,  the  faithful 
among  the  faithless,  has  proved  herself  worthy  of  her  immortal 
sires.  Her  election  was  held  on  Monday ;  she  gives  Clay  and 
Frelinghuysen  twenty-five  thousand  majority ;  more  than  the  aggre- 
gate majorities  for  Polk  and  Dallas  in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Virginia.    Governor  Briggs  is  reelected  by  an  immense  majority. 


236  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.^tat.  64. 

All  her  congressmen  are  Whigs  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three 
districts,  where  the  pertinacious  abolitionists  have  prevented  a 
choice.  The  indomitable  old  veteran,  John  Quincy  Adams,  is  re- 
elected, by  an  increased  majority,  against  the  combination  of  slave- 
holders and  abolitionists,  who  stand  in  awe  of  his  power,  and  shrink 
before  the  light  of  truth.  The  Legislature  is  Whig  three  or  four 
times  over.  Mr.  Webster's  eloquence  has  not  been  lost  upon  his 
own  people,  however  it  may  have  been  contemned  in  other  States, 
where  envy,  hatred,  and  uncharitableness  have  sought  to  keep  him 
down. 

"  Light  of  the  pilgrims,  seen  afar, 

Midst  cloucls  and  darkness  shining  yet ! 

Now,  as  of  old,  fair  freedom's  star, 

The  first  to  rise,  the  last  to  set." 

November   15.  —  The  majority  in  the  State  of  New 
Election  y^^^  ^^^  p^j^  ^^^  Dallas,  out  of  nearly  half  a  million 

Returns.  '  ^ 

of  votes,  is  five  thousand  and  twenty-six.  Fourteen  or 
fifteen  thousand  abolitionists  voted  for  a  Mr.  Binney,  —  a  man  of 
straw  of  their  own,  —  and  many  voted  for  the  successful  candidates  ; 
few  or  none  for  Clay.  If  those  mischievous  men  had  gone  with  us, 
Mr.  Clay  would  have  been  President.  Now  the  Southern  Loco-focos 
claim  a  triumph  over  us  as  abolitionists  ;  this  is  very  provoking, 
but  "  suffering  is  the  badge  of  all  our  tribe."  Mr.  Clay  is  defeated 
by  these  Northern  Ishmaelites,  and  by  naturalized-  voters,  made 
expressly  for  the  purpose. 
^    ..    ,   ^.,  NovEMP.ER  20. — The   Historical  Society  celebrated 

Festival  of  the  •' 

Historical  to-day  their  fortieth  anniversary.  The  members  and 
Society.  ^j^^^.^  guests  assembled  at  five  o'clock,  at  their  rooms  in 

the  University,  whence  they  walked  in  procession  to  the  Church  of 
the  Messiah,  where  an  address  was  delivered  by  Mr.  Brodhead,  the 
gentleman  who  was  sent  out  by  the  State  to  collect,  from  the  archives 
of  Europe,  annals  and  records  and  documents  relating  to  the  history 
of  the  United  States,  and  especially  such  as  concerned  the  settle- 
ment and  early  history  of  New  York. 


1844]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  237 

At  eight  o'clock  the  company,  to  the  number  of  three  hundred 
gentlemen,  sat  down  to  dinner.  Among  the  guests  were  the  vener- 
able ex-President,  John  Quincy  Adams ;  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  ;  Mr. 
Saltonstall,  of  Massachusetts  ;  Mr.  Reed,  of  Philadelphia  ;  President 
Day  ;  President  Moore,  of  Columbia  College  ;  delegates  from  all  the 
historical  and  literary  societies  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and 
Pennsylvania ;  several  distinguished  clergymen  of  this  and  other 
States ;  judges,  etc.,  in  learned  profusion  in  this  array  of  distin- 
guished men.  There  was  a  preponderance,  of  course,  of  New 
England  men.  A  better  convocation  of  learning  and  talents  has  sel- 
dom been  seen  in  New  York,  nor  was  there  ever  more  or  better 
speaking.  The  whole  affair  went  off  famously,  and  the  company 
broke  up  reluctantly  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Mr.  Gallatin  presided  during  the  first  hour  or  two,  with  Mr. 
Adams  on  his  right,  and  General  Almonte,  the  Mexican  Minister, 
on  his  left.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see  the  two  octogenarians, 
Mr.  Gallatin  and  Mr.  Adams,  side  by  side,  with  heads  white  as 
snow  and  full  of  knowledge  ;  these  two  stars  who  shone  together 
formerly  in  the  fiery  heat  of  opposing  politics,  shooting  hostile 
flames  at  each  other,  now  mingling  their  waning  lights  to  illumine 
the  path  of  science,  and  gilding  with  their  declining  rays  the  hours 
of  rational  festivity.  The  vice-presidents,  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
were  Chief  Justice  Jones  and  myself;  at  the  lower  end,  Messrs. 
Lawrence,  Bradish,  and  Benjamin  F.  Butler.  The  stewards  (and 
most  attentive  ones  they  were)  were  P.  M.  Wetmore,  Col.  George 
Gibbs,  B.  R.  Winthrop,  John  Jay,  J.  R.  Bartlett,  T.  Harris,  H. 
G.  Stebbins,  A.  H.  Bradford,  A.  M.  Cozzens,  E.  C.  Benedict. 

November  28.  —  Flying  is  dangerous.     I  never  open 
t^^T^.  a  newspaper  that  does  not  contain  some  account  of  dis- 

Accidents.  ^     ^ 

asters  and  loss  of  life  on  railroads.  They  do  a  retail 
business  in  human  slaughter,  whilst  the  wholesale  trade  is  carried  on 
(especially  on  the  Western  waters)  by  the  steamboats. 

December  5 .  —  I  went  last  evening  to  a  party  at  Mrs.  Charles 
A.  Davis'Sj  where  I  met  many  of  my  travelled  countrywomen  for 


238  THE   DIARV    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

the  first  time  since  their  return.  Most  of  them  seem  to  have  es- 
caped the  foppery  of  foreign  manners  an  1  the  bad  taste  of  anti- 
Americanism.  There  were  the  lovely  Mrs.  Sydney  Brooks,  Mrs. 
Robert  Ray,  Mrs.  Crawford,  her  sister  Miss  AVard,  Miss  Pheli)s, 
Mrs.  Panon,  Mrs.  and  Miss  Barclay,  —  all  American  foreigners  for 
a  short  period.  Take  them  together,  I  do  not  think  New  York  has 
any  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  her  fair  representatives. 

December    ii.  —  Died    in    Boston,  on  Sunday  last, 
Deathofjudge^^  ^^^  about    fourscore,  William    Prescott.       He  was  a 

Prescolt.  ° 

graduate  of  Harvard,  of  the  class  of  1783.  Honoured 
be  his  memory,  for  he  was  of  a  race  nearly  extinct,  and  which  is 
now  seldom  reproduced,  —  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  He  was 
thrice  illustrious  :  in  his  ancestry,  for  his  father  was  Colonel  Pres- 
cott, who  commanded  at  Bunker  Hill ;  in  himself,  for  he  was  dis- 
tinguished by  virtue,  talents,  and  patriotism  ;  and  in  his  posterity,  for 
his  son  is  the  accomplished  author  of  "  Ferdinand  and  Isabella." 

There  is  a  terrible   flare-up  between    the  States  of 
South  Carolina  Massachusetts  and  South  Carolina.     The  former    sent 

in  the  Field. 

to  Charleston  Mr.  Hoar,  one  of  their  aged  and  respect- 
able citizens,  to  make  a  friendly  issue  in  the  courts  of  the  United 
States  in  relation  to  the  tyrannical  and  uncourtecDus  laws  of  the  lat- 
ter, by  which  they  arrested  and  confined  in  prison  free  black  men, 
citizens  of  Massachusetts,  employed  in  their  vessels,  on  their  arrival 
in  Charleston.  This  proceeding  gave  great  umbrage  to  the  doughty 
sons  of  the  Palmetto  State.  Governor  Hammond  charged  a  big 
gun,  in  the  form  of  a  message,  to  the  Legislature  ;  and  they  discharged 
a  volley  of  imprecations,  vituperations,  and  denunciations  against 
the  universal  Yankee  nation  in  general,  and  Mr.  Commissioner  Hoar 
in  particular,  —  which  missiles,  if  their  power  had  been  equal  to  the 
noise  they  made,  would  have  been  sufficient  to  frighten  all  the  cod- 
fish and  haddock  out  of  Boston  bay.  This  catastrophe,  however, 
was  happily  averted.  But  they  sent  the  ambassador  packing.  He 
wisely  preferred  a  sudden  retreat  to  the  tender  mercy  of  a  furious 
mob,  who  were  preparing  to  attack  him,  and  made  his  exit   in  his 


IS44-J  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  239 

own  suit  of  broadcloth,  rather  than  assume  one  of  tar  and  feathers, 
which  was  in  readiness  for  his  equipment.  The  tempest  begins  to 
growl  terribly  in  Mr.  Calhoun's  teapot. 

December     14.  —  Honoured    be    the    State     which 
\'     '^^  knows  how    to   do    honour    to    her    worthiest  citizen  ! 

at  Home. 

The  presidential  electors  of  Kentucky  assembled  at 
Frankfort,  according  to  law,  and  deposited  their  votes  for  Henry 
Clay  and  Theodore  Frelinghuysen.  Their  consciences  are  clear 
of  the  sin  of  a  participation  in  the  national  ingratitude  which  now 
soils  the  escutcheon  of  America.  The  high  and  solemn  duty  being 
performed,  and  the  ceremonials  properly  attended  to,  the  patriotic 
band  of  electors  proceeded  in  a  body,  by  the  railroad,  to  Lexing- 
ton, and  thence  went  on  foot  in  procession,  attended  by  Governor 
Owsley,  ex- Governors  Metcalf  and  Letcher,  and  all  the  honest  men 
of  the  place,  escorted  by  a  company  of  volunteer  troops,  to  Ashland, 
the  residence  of  the  man  of  whom  Kentucky  is  proud. 

Mr.  Clay  being  apprised  of  their  visit,  received  them  on  the 
lawn  in  front  of  his  house,  and  from  the  steps  of  his  door  replied 
to  their  affectionate  address,  in  terms  eloquent  and  impressive,  full 
of  devoted  obedience  to  the  voice  of  the  people  and  prayers  for 
the  happiness  of  a  country  which  has  just  evinced  a  melancholy 
w^ant  of  appreciation  of  his  eminent  abilities  and  patriotic  services. 
The  scene  is  described  by  those  w^ho  witnessed  it  as  one  of  surpass- 
ing interest.  America,  like  other  republics,  has  proved  herself  un- 
grateful ;  but  Kentucky  takes  no  share  of  the  disgrace.  I  would 
rather  be  Mr.  Clay,  with  such  a  vote  and  such  an  expression  of 
the  favour  of  my  own  State,  than  the  President-elect,  with  the 
hurrahs  of  a  misguided,  mercenary  mob,  the  support  of  the 
old  incendiary  of  the  Hermitage,  and  the  fruits  of  successful 
fraud  and  corruption. 

December   20. —  Mr.  Thomas  Ludlow  Ogden  died 
T^L  'o  den     °^"^  Monday  evening,  aged  seventy-one  years ;  a  highly 
respected  citizen,  and   a   lawyer   of  considerable  emi- 
nence.    He  has  been  an  associate  of  mine  in  the  vestry  of  Trinity 


240  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  64. 

Church  ever  since  I  have  been  there,  and  long  before  that  period 
he  was  a  member,  and  clerk  of  the  corporation,  which  office  he 
held,  together  with  that  of  warden,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Abraham  Ogden,  Charles  Ogden,  of  New  Orleans,  and  j\Irs.  Wad- 
dington  are  brothers  and  sister  of  the  deceased.  I  attended  the 
funeral  this  day,  at  three  o'clock,  in  St.  Paul's  Church.  The  pall- 
bearers were  Chief  Justice  Jones,  David  S.  Kennedy,  David  S. 
Jones,  A.  Tredwell,  A\'illiam  Bard,  Edward  ^V.  Laight,  P.  G.  Stuy- 
vesant,  Beverly  Robinson. 

December  27.  —  The  Reverend  Mr.  Torrey,  one  of  the  philan- 
thropic gentlemen  who  go  about  meddling  with  other  people's 
concerns,  and  creating  bad  blood  between  the  different  sections 
of  the  Union,  has  been  tried  in  Baltimore,  and,  after  an  able 
defence  by  Reverdy  Johnson,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  an  im- 
prisonment in  the  penitentiary  for  the  term  of  seven  years  and 
three  months  for  the  crime  of  enticing  slaves  from  their  master. 
This  is  a  tolerably  hard  sentence ;  but  slaves  are  property,  and 
stealing  is  stealing,  and  the  law  gives  it  in  black  and  white. 


I845-]  THE  DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  24I 


1845 


'T^HE  new  year  made  its  appearance  clothed  in  smiles ;  the 
-^  weather  was  fine,  and  the  sun  shone  brightly  during  the 
whole  day,  and,  notwithstanding  the  muddy  condition  of  the  streets, 
Broadway  and  the  adjacent  thoroughfares  were  thronged  with  ani- 
mated pedestrians,  whilst  vehicles  of  all  descriptions  were  in  active 
employment.  It  was  summer  weather,  and .  I  visited  for  six  hours 
without  requiring  a  cloak  or  an  overcoat.  God  be  thanked  for  all 
his  mercies  !  I  have  witnessed  the  close  of  another  year,  and  find 
myself  a  year  older,  certainly,  but  in  no  respect  worse  off  or  less 
happy  than  at  its  commencement.  My  faculties  are  not  materially 
impaired,  my  health  is  good,  and  my  affairs  in  no  respect  less 
favourable.  I  am  employed  pleasantly  and  profitably  as  President 
of  the  American  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  whose  first  year's 
business  closes  this  day.  My  family  are  in  good  health,  with  the 
exception  of  my  wife,  and  she  has  gained  strength  of  late ;  so,  with 
a  firm  trust  in  Providence,  and  a  determination  to  make  a  good  and 
honourable  use  of  the  blessings  I  enjoy,  here  goes  for  a  new  year. 

January  16.  — The  old  new  Dutch  Church,  on  Nas- 
^^  ^^ '  sau.  Liberty,  and  Cedar  streets,  has  not  been  turned 
into  "  a  den  of  thieves,"  exactly ;  but  its  holy  uses  have 
departed  from  it.  The  government  has  leased  it,  and  it  is  con- 
verted into  the  post-office  ;  and  a  splendid  one  it  is.  The  exterior 
is  not  much  changed.  The  clock,  once  famous  as  Time's  criterion, 
the  rule  for  courts  and  schools,  churches  and  banks,  by  pleading 
which,  in  justification,  jurors  escaped  fines,  and  school-boys  flagella- 
tion ;  by  whose  undisputed  authority  the  bells  ceased  ringing  on 
Sundays,  and  protests  were  legalized,  —  this  ancient  chronicle  of 
Time,  old  as  his  hour-glass,  still  performs  its  hourly  and  minutely 
duty,  its  naked  hands  unchilled  by  storm  or  cold,  and  strikes  as 


242  THE   DIARY    0¥   PI  1 1  LI  I'   HONE.  [.^tat.  65. 

hard,  but  with  less  malevolent  intent,  than  the  practised  pugilist. 
The  gallant  cock  which  surmounts  the  spire  still  turns  his  face  to 
the  enemy,  and  warns  the  mariner,  the  ship-owner,  and  the  under- 
writer from  which  quarter  of  the  compass  his  danger  comes.  The 
exterior  of  the  building  preserves  much  of  its  respectable,  church- 
like appearance  ;  but  the  interior  has  no  more  resemblance  to  what 
it  was  when  Dr.  Livingston's  voluminous  white  wig  filled  the  minds 
of  the  worshipping  burgomasters  with  a  holy  awe,  when  the 
eloquence  of  Linn  warmed  for  a  brief  space  their  torpid  imagina- 
tions into  momentary  activity,  or  the  mild,  persuasive  voice  of 
Abeel  "almost  persuaded  them  to  be  Christians,"  —  no  more 
resemblance,  I  say,  than  Gardiner's  shop,  down  Broadway,  has  to 
the  Quaker  meeting-house. 

January  27.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  George  Curtis.  The  party  was, 
Mr.  Webster,  M.  H.  Grinnell,  Austin  Stevens,  Charles  King,  J. 
Prescott  Hall,  R.  I\L  Blatchford,  T.  Tileston,  John  Ward,  Edward 
Curtis,  and  myself.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  met  the  g/ra/ 
senator  during  his  present  visit.  I  was  invited  to  dine  with  him  at 
Blatchford's  on  Friday,  and  at  Draper's  on  Saturday,  but  had  to 
decline  both  invitations. 

February  i.  — This  beautiful  ship  sailed  for  Canton 
bow  "  ^'"  ^^^^  morning  loaded  with  American  manufactures,  —  a 
strange  revolution  in  trade.  The  same  articles  which 
we  formerly  imported  from  China,  and  for  which  nothing  but  dol- 
lars would  pay,  are  now  manufactured  here  at  one-third  of  the  cost, 
and  sent  out  to  pay  for  teas.  The  difficulty  now  is  to  find  sufficient 
returns  for  the  x\merican  cargoes.  We  do  not  send  them  specie,  — 
not  a  dollar.  It  would  be  much  more  likely  to  come  from  there. 
I  went  yesterday  with  Samuel  S.  Rowland  on  board  the  "  Rain- 
bow,"  —  the  finest  ship  in  model,  symmetry,  and  finish  that 
ever  left  this  port.  She  appeared  to  me  like  a  pilot-boat  or  a 
race- horse ;  she  was  so  long  and  slim,  and  everything  about  her 
so  clean  and  taper.  If  she  does  not  sail  fast  there  are  no  fish 
in  the  sea. 


1^45]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  243 

February  25.  — Ah,  well-a-day  !  The  race  is  ahnost 
Patriot"  ^  extinct,  and  modern  vocabularies  preserve  the  term 
only  among  the  obsolete  words,  of  which  the  present 
generation  have  almost  forgotten  the  meaning ;  but  old  Ashiir 
Robbins  was  one.  This  venerable  man,  who  has  been  for  the  last 
half-century  one  of  the  most  prominent  public  men  of  Rhode  Island, 
died  on  Sunday  last,  at  his  residence  in  Newport,  aged  eighty-eight 
years.  He  represented  the  State  for  fourteen  years  in  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States ;  was  a  Whig  of  the  truest  principles,  and  one 
of  the  best  scholars  in  the  United  States.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Newport  during  the  brief  administration  of  General 
Harrison,  and  held  the  office  at  the  time  of  his  death.  If  Tyler 
had  known  how  good  a  man  he  was,  and  some  one  of  his  satellites 
had  wanted  the  office,  the  venerable  patriot  would  not  have  been 
left  in  possession  of  this  small  boon  of   a  grateful  party. 

February  27.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  Henry  A.  Coit.  The  party, 
besides  the  host  and  hostess,  consisted  of  Mr.  Horsley  Palmer,  D. 
C.  Golden,  George  M.  Woolsey,  William  H.  Aspinwall,  John  Hicks, 
Theodore  de  Hon,  J.  D.  P.  Ogden,  Gharles  H.  Russell,  William  S. 
Miller,  George  Barclay,  William  S.  Wetmore,  and  myself. 

March  i  .  —  The  great  question  of  the  annexation  of 
„"^    ^"^         Texas,  which  has  kept  the  public  mind  in  an  unprece- 

Sister  Texas.  '  l  i.  i 

dented  state  of  excitement,  and  the  result  of  which  was 
doubtful  until  the  last  moment,  was  carried  in  the  Senate,  by  means 
the  most  unconstitutional,  on  Thursday  evening.  The  party  who 
elected  Mr.  Polk  was  determined  to  carry  it  through  at  all  hazards, 
and  the  foundations  of  the  Republic  have  been  broken  up  to 
accomplish  the  object.  The  end  of  all  these  things  is  at  hand. 
The  Constitution  is  a  dead-letter,  the  ark  of  safety  is  wrecked,  the 
wall  of  separation  which  has  hitherto  restrained  the  violence  of 
popular  rage  is  broken  down,  the  Goths  are  in  possession  of  the 
Capitol,  and  if  the  Union  can  stand  the  shock  it  will  only  be 
another  evidence  that  Divine  Providence  takes  better  care  of  us 
than  we  deserve. 


244  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  65. 

Miss  Delia  Webster,  who  was  convicted  in  Kentucky, 
o  1  ion  in      ^^^^1  sentenced  to  four  years'  confinement  in  the  peni- 

Kcntucky.  ■'  ^ 

tentiary  for  the  crime  of  abducting  slaves,  has  been 
pardoned  by  Governor  Owsley,  and  sent  home  to  her  mamma  in 
Vermont,  who  probably  did  not  ''  know  she  was  out."  She  will 
now,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  profit  by  the  lesson  she  has  had  to  abstain 
from  meddling  in  other  people's  concerns.  The  sentence  was,  no 
doubt,  just ;  and,  the  law  being  satisfied,  it  was  probably  as  well  that 
the  executive  clemency  should  be  extended  to  the  lady.  But  her 
accomplice,  a  man  named  Fairbanks,  who  was  sentenced  to  fifteen 
years'  imprisonment,  will  probably  not  get  off  so  well.  He  will  be 
indulged,  a  few  years  at  least,  in  reflecting  between  four  walls 
upon  the  danger  of  too  much  zeal  in  the  cause  of  abolition. 
March  4.  —  St.  Polk's  day.  On  this  day  the  new  President  of 
the  United  States  is  inaugurated  at  Washington,  and  Whittington 
was  not  more  astonished  when  the  famous  prediction  of  Bow 
Bells,  "  Turn  again,  Whittington,  Lord  Mayor  of  London  !  "  was 
realized  by  his  investiture  with  the  magisterial  ermine,  than  Mr. 
Polk  must  be  in  finding  himself  "  King  of  the  Yankee  Doodles,"  as 
Cooke,  the  tragedian,  designated  our  President.  Office- hunters, 
demagogues,  and  political  trumpeters  are  now  shouting  at  the  top 
of  their  ''  sweet  voices  "  for  a  triumi)h  to  which  each  of  them  claims 
the  merit  of  having  mainly  contributed,  and  of  whom  many  of 
the  number  will  be  sadly  disappointed  when  they  come  to  find 
that  the  public  swill-pail,  capacious  as  it  is,  has  not  room  for  all 
their  snouts.  As  for  the  Whigs,  we  have  more  cause  to  rejoice 
at  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Tyler  than  to  mourn  over  the  acces- 
sion of  Mr.  Polk. 

March    5. —  The    address    of   the    new     President, 

Inaugural  i  •    i  ... 

Address.  which  was  made  yesterday  at  noon,  \\\  the  ram,  on  the 

steps  of  the  great  eastern  portico  of  the  Capitol,  at 
his  inauguration,  was  here  last  night,  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  is  pub- 
lished this  morning.  It  is  a  plain,  sensible  document,  not  very 
elegantly  written,   but   ajiparently  honest,  and   creditable,    on   the 


1845.J  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  245 

whole,   to  its  author.     He    professes  as  much  as   Mr.    Tyler    did 

when    he    swore    to  defend    the  Constitution    and   administer  the 

government    with   justice    and    impartiality.     God    grant    that    he 

may   redeem    his  pledges  with    truth    and  sincerity,'  as  the    latter 

certainly  did  not  ! 

March  6.  —  I  dined  yesterday  with    a  party  at  Mr.   David    S. 

Kennedy's  ;  the  guests  were  :  Mr.  Horsley  Palmer^  Daniel  Lord,  Jr., 

William  H.  Aspinwall,  J.  D.  P.  Ogden,  John  Gihon,  Mr.  James, 

William    B.  Astor,  Thomas    Dixon,  John  J.   Palmer,  Thomas    W. 

Ludlow,  and  myself. 

April  7. —  The  site  of  Washington  Hall,  in  Broad- 
Relics  of 
Old  Tunes.       '^^'^Y?     bctweeu    Chambers    and     Reade     streets,    was 

lately  sold  by  the  heirs  of  Mr.  John  G.  Coster  to 
A.  T.  Stewart,  who  is  preparing  to  erect  on  the  ground  a  dry- 
goods  store,  spacious  and  magnificent  beyond  anything  of  the 
kind  in  the  New  World,  or  the  Old  either,  as  far  as  I  know.  In 
removing  the  rubbish  which  remained  after  the  hall  was  burned, 
the  corner-stone  was  brought  to  light  and  exhumed  this  morning, 
with  some  formalities,  resembling  in  a  degree  those  of  its  original 
deposition.  Well  do  I  remember  the  ceremony  of  laying  this 
corner-stone  on  the  4th  of  July,  1809,  when  the  Federalists 
were  on  their  high  horse,  and  when  I  subscribed  ^250, — which  I 
wish  I  had  now,  —  and  walked  in  procession  to  the  North  Church, 
where  Gulian  C.  Verplanck  (who  happened  just  then  to  be  a 
Federalist)  delivered  the  oration,  and  Robert  Morris,  Jr.,  father  of 
Robert  H.  Morris,  the  late  mayor,  now  an  ultra- Democrat,  then 
an  out-and-out  Federalist,  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the 
Washington  Benevolent  Society.  These  firebrands  of  that  fine 
old  party  are  now  shining  lights  in  the  Loco-foco  camp,  and  abuse 
their  old  associates  who  continue  to  fight  under  their  original  col- 
ours. How  do  the  very  stones  rise  up  in  judgment  against  them  ! 
In  excavating  the  cellar  of  the  house  to  be  erected 

o 

Another.  by  Johu  C.  Stcvcus  ou  part  of  the  ground  which  he  has 

leased    from    the    college,    at    the    corner    of    Murray 


246  HIE    DIARV    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [Etat.  65. 

Street  and  College  place,  two  pieces  of  cannon  were  found  in  per- 
fect preser\^ation.  They  are  supposed  to  be  of  the  number  of 
those  which  were  captured  on  the  23d  of  August,  1775,  from  the 
king's  troops,  by  '^  the  liberty  boys,"  led  by  young  Alexander 
Hamilton,  with  his  collegians.  The  pieces  were  buried  in  the 
college  grounds,  and  are  now  brought  to  light,  as  two  others  were, 
a  short  time  since,  in  the  cellar  of  my  fiither's  house  in  John  street. 
Overturn,  overturn,  overturn  !  is  the  maxim  of  New  York.  The 
very  bones  of  our  ancestors  are  not  permitted  to  lie  quiet  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  one  generation  of  men  seem  studious  to 
remove  all  relics  of  those  which  preceded  them.  Pitt's  statue  no 
longer  graces  Wall  street,  the  old  Presbyterian  Church  has  given 
place  to  the  stalls  of  the  money-changers,  and  the  Croton  river 
has  washed  away  all  traces   of  the  tea-water   pump. 

April  ii.  —  The  club  dined  with  me  yesterday,  and 
Club  Dinner,  ^j^^  ^-j^y  should  bc  marked  with  a  "  white  stone,"  for 
it  was  one  of  great  enjoyment.  Mr.  A\'ebster  was  with 
us,  and  we  all  agreed  tliat  we  had  never  seen  him  so  agreeable 
and  entertaining.  He  was  rich  in  anecdote  and  story,  and  his  own 
early  history,  and  that  of  his  ancestors  formed  his  most  delightful 
theme.  Our  dinner  and  wine  were  unimpeachable.  The  following 
members  of  the  club  were  present :  Crinnell,  lUatchford,  George 
Curtis,  Spofford,  Edward  Curtis,  John  Wartl,  Colt,  Hall,  Jaudon, 
Draper,  and  Philip  Hone  ;  and,  in  addition,  we  had  Mr.  Webster, 
James  Monroe,  and  Charles  King. 

April  15. — I  am  sorry  that  Nathaniel  P.  Tallmadge  has  been 
removed  from  the  office  of  Governor  of  Wisconsin,  to  which  he 
was  lately  appointed  by  Mr.  Tyler,  and  in  which  he  had  hardly 
settled  himself.  The  system  of  proscription  is  carried  to  a  more 
shameful  extent  now  than  ever.  Some  f^iint  hoi)es  were  enter- 
tained that  this  new  man  of  ours,  having  the  power  to  act  inde- 
pendently, would  not  follow  the  infernal  ])olicy  of  indiscriminate 
remov^als  from  office.  But  whether  the  devil  puts  it  into  his  heart, 
and  he  enjoys  this  exercise  of  abused  power,  or  the  wolves,  who 


1845]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  247 

bay  for  more  carcasses  than  he  can  supply,  have  driven  hnn  mad, 
he  turns  out  all  Whigs,  Conservatives,  and  Tyler  men,  and  bestows 
his  favours  upon  the  most  profligate  of  his  followers.  All  the 
principal  actors  in  the  disgraceful  rebellion  in  Rhode  Island  have 
been  supplied  with  government  places.  The  Collector  of  Provi- 
dence, the  United  States  Marshal,  and  the  District  Attorney  have 
been  removed  from  office  to  make  places  for  leading  Dorrites, 
who  would  accept  a  public  office  now  when  they  may  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  sawing  wood  or  mining  coal. 

May  3. — This   splendid    packet,  the    largest    mer- 
up      cnry    ^.j^^^j^j-j^^j^  j^j  ^j^g  United  States,  is  now  fitted  up  and 

Clay."  '  '■ 

nearly  ready  for  sea.  Her  accommodations  and  the 
magnificence  of  her  cabins  exceed  anything  we  have  yet  seen. 
Her  berths  are  nearly  all  taken,  and  on  Wednesday  next  she  is  to 
sail  for  England.  May  she  prove  worthy  of  her  name,  and  reach 
''the  haven  where  she  would  be  "  with  more  certainty  of  success 
than  her  illustrious  namesake  did  the  haven  where  he  ought  to  be  ! 
I  was  one  of  a  highly  pleased  and  exceedingly  jolly  party  who 
dined  yesterday  on  board  this  noble  ship,  on  the  invitation  of  her 
enterprising  owners,  Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co.  We  poured  a  full 
libation  to  her  success,  and  if  complimentary  toasts  and  speeches, 
hearty  cheers  and  good  wishes,  will  do  the  ship,  her  owners,  build- 
ers, commander,  and  crew  any  good,  they  had  them  all  in  honest 
doses,  not  measured  by  homoeopathic  practitioners.  The  party 
consisted  of  M.  H.  Grinnell,  Henry  Grinnell,  Robert  B.  Minturn, 
Captain  Nye,  George  Curtis,  Mr.  Delprat,  J.  W.  Webb,  Charles 
King,  M.  C.  Patterson,  James  A.  Hamilton,  his  son  Alexander, 
Ogden  Hoffman,  Mr.  Vermilyea,  Mr.  Neil  of  Ohio,  Captain  Rogers, 
George  W.  Blunt,  Mr.  Kinney  of  New  Jersey,  and  myself. 

May  20.  —  Richard  Caton  died  yesterday,  in  Balti- 
Faliir""^        more,  aged  eighty-three  years.     He  came  to  this  coun- 
try when  twenty- one  years  of  age,  and  married  one  of 
the  daughters  of  Mr.  Charles  Carroll.     Mr.  Caton  was  father  of  the 
Marchioness  of  Wellesley,  the  Duchess  of  Leeds,  and  Lady  Stafford  ; 


248  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  65. 

and  his  granddaughter,  Miss  McTavish,  is  now  engaged  to  the 
Hon.  Henry  Howard,  son  of  the  Earl  of  CarHsle,  and  brother  of 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lord  Morpeth. 

The  ladies  of  this  family  (natives  though  they  be  of  Yankee- 
doodle-dom)  seem  to  possess,  in  a  high  degree,  the  power  of 
capturing  the  aristocracy  of  England  ;  and  it  is  said  that  royalty 
itself  was  not  insensible  to  the  charms  of  some  of   them. 

May  22.  —  "  In  the  midst  of  life,  we  are  in  death."  There  have 
been  two  sad  and  melancholy  monitors  of  the  truth  of  this  passage 
of  Scripture.  At  four  o'clock  I  attended  the  funeral  of  Robert  C. 
Cornell,  and  at  six  that  of  Benjamin  E.  Bremner.  Here  were  two 
men,  with  whom  I  have  been  during  a  large  portion  of  my  life  in 
habits  of  almost  daily  intercourse,  both  swept  off,  as  it  were,  in  an 
instant ;  the  smooth,  deceitful  stream  of  human  life  is  suddenly 
disturbed,  as  if  by  the  casting  of  a  stone,  which  sinks  into  the 
depths  of  forgetfulness,  the  waters  close  over  it,  and  the  stream 
rolls  on  as  before.  Poor  Bremner  !  I  saw  him  every  day  at  the 
office,  or  in  the  evening  at  the  Union  Ckib ;  he  was  a  gentleman 
amiable  in  disposition  and  correct  in  deportment. 

The  other  case  is  that  of  Robert  C.  Cornell,  one  of  the  best  men 
in  our  city,  who  has  been  engaged  during  his  whole  life  in  acts  of 
benevolence,  who  has  been  employed  in  season  and  out  of  season 
in  all  the  prominent  charitable  institutions  of  our  city,  and,  unlike 
most  men,  never  blew  the  trumpet  of  his  own  fame.  I  have  been 
associated  with  this  good  Samaritan  more  than  twenty  years  in  the 
Bank  for  Savings,  of  which  he  was  secretary  at  its  commencement. 
He  never  foiled  to  perform  his  duties  with  alacrity  and  fidelity. 
Since  I  have  been  president,  his  place  on  my  left  hand,  at  the  board 
of  trustees,  has  never  been  vacant.  How  lie  will  be  missed  !  I 
was  seated  in  the  office,  talking  with  Mr.  George  Griswold,  on  Tues- 
day, at  three  o'clock,  when  we  saw  Mr.  Cornell  brought  from  the 
office  of  the  Farmer's  Loan  and  Trust  Company  opposite,  of  which 
he  was  president,  and  put  into  a  carriage.  I  ran  over  and  spoke  to 
him  ;  but  he  replied  not,  and  "  word  spake  he  never  more."     He 


1845]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  249 

had  been  stricken  with  apoplexy,  and  died  a  few  minutes  after. 
He  was  a  man  of  deeds,  and  not  of  words;  the  noblest  work  of 
God,  —  an  honest  man. 

May  23.  —  The  city  of  New  York  is  so  overgrown 
Garden  ^^^^  ^^  ^^  ^^^  Upper  rcgious  do  not  know  much  more 

about  what  is  passing  in  the  lower,  nor  the  things  which 
are  to  be  seen  there,  than  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico  or  Grand  Cairo. 
I  wad  informed,  by  a  notice  which  I  saw  accidentally  in  a  news- 
paper, that  the  Italian  Opera  Company  was  to  perform  on  Friday 
evening,  at  Castle  Garden,  scenes  from  "  La  Semiramide  "  and  "  Le 
Barbier  de  Seville."  This  was  the  last  night  of  that  suburban  place 
of  amusement ;  and,  lo  and  behold  !  when  I  entered,  I  found  myself 
on  the  floor  of  the  most  splendid  and  largest  theatre  I  ever  saw,  — 
a  place  capable  of  seating  comfortably  six  or  eight  thousand  persons. 
The  pit  or  area  of  the  pavilion  is  provided  with  some  hundred 
small  white  tables  and  movable  chairs,  by  which  people  are  enabled 
to  congregate  into  little  squads,  and  take  their  ices  between  the 
acts.  In  front  of  the  stage  is  a  beautiful  fountain,  which  plays  when 
the  performers  do  not.  The  whole  of  this  large  area  is  surmounted 
by  circular  benches  above  and  below,  from  every  point  of  which  the 
view  is  enchanting.  Here,  too,  is  an  excellent  company  of  Italians, 
among  whom  are  Signoras  Pico  and  Majocchi,  and  Signors 
x\ntonigni,  Valtotina,  and  Sanguirico,  performing  the  finest  operas  of 
Rossini ;  and  all  this,  with  plenty  of  fresh  air  if  the  weather  should  be 
ever  warm  enough  to  require  it,  for  the  moderate  price  of  fifty  cents. 
May  24.  —  The  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter,  of  Union  College,  Schenec- 
tady, was  elected  yesterday  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  place  of  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Onderdonk.  Dr.  Potter  is  an  emi- 
nent man,  son-in-law  of  President  Mott,  a  Presbyterian  divine.  He 
is,  no  doubt,  a  very  suitable  man  for  the  bishopric  ;  but  he  must  be 
as  much  surprised  at  his  sudden  elevation  in  the  church  as  Colonel 
Polk  was  at  his  in  the  State ;  but  I  beheve  the  church  has  made  the 
best  bargain.  Dr.  Tyng  has  accepted  a  call  from  St.  George's 
Church,  in  this  city,  to  supply  Dr.  Milnor's  place. 


250  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  65. 

May  26.  —  Prescott  Hall  drove  me  out  in  his  carriage  to  dine 
with  Mr.  Blatchford,  at  Hell-Gate.  Our  pleasant  little  party  con- 
sisted of  Mr.  Hall;  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  DeWolf;  Mr.  Jaudon, 
that  fine  old  English  gentleman  ;  Mr.  Horsley  Palmer ;  and  myself, 
besides  the  family.  The  day  was  pleasant,  the  salmon  good,  and 
we  had  a  cosey  time. 

May  28.  —  Gracie  King,  son  of  Mr.  James  G.  King, 
Highwood.       lately  married  Elizabeth  Duer,  President  Duer's  nice 

daughter.  She  is  seeing  company,  as  a  bride,  at  High- 
wood,  her  father-in-law's  lovely  place  in  Jersey.  My  daughter  is 
one  of  a  party  of  young  ladies  who  are  attending  the  bride,  and 
pass  the  week  at  Highwood.  I  went  over  with  my  wife,  Emily 
Foster,  and  Mrs.  Oliver  Kane,  in  Maria  DePeyster's  carriage,  to 
pay  a  bridal  visit. 

June  4.  —  The  ship  "  Muskingum,"  a  vessel  of  three 
Enter^Tise        hundred  and  fifty  tons,  arrived  at  Liverpool  on  the  15th 

of  April,  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  a  cargo  of  pro- 
visions. This  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  ''  Young  America."  The 
place  where  this  ship  was  built  was  unknown  fifty  years  ago.  She 
had  one  thousand  seven  hundred  miles  to  go  before  she  started 
on  her  voyage. 
„    ,,    ^  Tune    17.  —  The    universal    American    nation    is    in 

Death  of  -'  ' 

General  moumiug.     Stripcs,  black  as  those  which  border  certain 

jac  son.  resolutions  in  the  archives  of  the  Senate,  darken  the 

columns  of  the  newspapers.  The  flags  on  vessels'  masts,  liberty- 
poles,  and  public  houses  are  hoisted  at  half-mast ;  the  conscript 
fathers  of  the  city,  overwhelmed  with  grief,  suspend  their  labours,  and 
retire,  sorrowing,  to  their  respective  domiciles ;  the  standard  of  the 
Empire  Club  is  shrouded  in  crape,  and  the  newspaper  boys  blow 
their  horns  and  proclaim  the  news  of  General  Jackson's  death. 
Now,  to  my  thinking,  the  country  had  greater  cause  to  mourn  on 
the  day  of  his  birth  than  on  that  of  his  decease.  This  iron-willed 
man  has  done  more  mischief  than  any  man  alive.  Indomitable  in 
action,  he  carried  the  fury  of  the  warrior  into  the  administration  of 


1845]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  25  I 

civil  affairs,  referring  all  things  to  personal  motives ;  his  iron  heel 
trampled  upon  the  necks  of  all  who  stood  opposed  to  his  political 
measures,  or  dared  to  gainsay  his  dogmatical  opinions.  The  un- 
disputed head  of  a  violent,  proscriptive  party,  himself  constituting 
its  central  power,  he  did  more  to  break  down  the  republican 
principles  of  the  government  and  enslave  the  minds  of  the  people 
than  all  the  rulers  who  went  before  him ;  and  yet  no  man  ever 
enjoyed  so  large  a  share  of  that  pernicious  popular  homage  called 
popularity.  "  Old  Hickory,"  "  The  hero  of  New  Orleans,"  "  The 
second  Washington,"  "The  old  General,"  are  the  endearing  epi- 
thets which  old  women  have  taught  the  "lips  of  infancy  to  lisp," 
and  sturdy  men  have  gloried  in  proclaiming  at  the  top  of  their 
voices. 

Our  Mayor,  in  announcing  this  event  to  the  Common  Council, 
does  not  hesitate  to  call  the  deceased  ex-President  "  the  greatest 
and  best  man  in  the  country."  Great  he  was  in  the  unbending 
exercise  of  his  stubborn  will,  and  good  it  may  be  humbly  hoped  he 
has  proven  himself  in  the  awful  Court  of  Inquiry  where  his  actions 
are  to  be  judged ;  but  it  was  somewhat  bold  in  Mr.  Havemeyer  to 
use  expressions  so  unqualified.  General  Jackson  is  gone,  and  all 
good  people  should  pray  to  be  delivered  hereafter  from  the  effects 
of  popularity  such  as  followed  him. 

General  Jackson  died  at  his  residence,  in  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
on  Sunday,  the  8th,  at  six  o'clock  P.M.,  aged  seventy-eight  years 
and  nearly  three  months.  He  was  born  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement, 
South  Carolina,  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1767. 

June  18.  —  In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  gentlemen's  party  and 
supper  at  Mr.  James  W.  Gerard's  fine  new  mansion  in  Twentieth 
street.  The  party  was  large.  It  consisted  of  the  members  of  the 
Court  of  Errors,  the  Chancellor,  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  and 
of  the  United  States,  the  Recorder,  all  the  eminent  members  of  the 
bar,  and  some  of  the  Hone  Club.  The  host  at  one  end  of  the 
table,  and  Dr.  Francis  at  the  other,  with  sundry  bottles  of  cham- 
pagne, made  considerable  noise. 


252  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.65. 

There  has  been  a  new  organization  of  the  police,  by 
Attempt  at        ^yhich  a  general  superintendent  was  to  be  appointed  : 

Independence. 

a  sort  of  Fouche,  with  powers  less  extensive.  For  this 
office,  the  Mayor,  Loco-foco  as  he  is,  nominated  Justice  Taylor,  a 
Whig,  for  the  old,  obsolete,  and  very  insufficient  reason  that  he, 
being  the  best  qualified  man  in  the  city,  ought  to  have  the  office 
without  regard  to  politics.  So,  also,  thought  the  Aldermen,  for  a 
majority  of  them  voted  to  confirm  the  nomination.  But  this  spark 
of  reason  was  soon  extinguished  by  the  patriotic  Board  of  Assist- 
ants, who  repudiated  the  new-born  liberality  of  their  brethren, 
and  turned  the  nominee  honestly  out  of  doors.  They  non-con- 
curred, and  yesterday  His  Honor  nominated  Justice  Matsell, 
who  suited  them  better.  He  was  confirmed,  and  the  new  system 
goes  into  operation. 

Grace  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Grace  Church.  Rcctor  Street,  has  been  sold  for  $65,000.  It  is  to  be 
converted  into  stores  below,  and  the  upper  part  into  a 
splendid  museum  of  Chinese  curiosities,  which  is  likely  to  prove  a 
good  speculation.  Dr.  Taylor,  the  rector,  preached  the  last  ser- 
mon on  Sunday  last,  in  the  old  edifice.  The  congregation  will 
occupy  a  temporary  place  of  worship  until  their  splendid  new 
church,  at  the  upper  end  of  Broadway,  is  finished.  It  will  be  sec- 
ond only  to  the  magnificent  Trinity,  and  will  probably  be  finished 
about  the  same  time. 

June  26. — Yesterday,  at  twelve  o'clock,  a  party  of  ladies  and 
gendemen,  to  the  number  of  three  or  four  hundred,  assembled  on 
board  the  steamer  "  New  York,"  which  was  chartered  by  Mr.  T. 
W.  Ludlow  to  transport  the  transported  party  to  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  and  well-conducted  entertainments  I  have  ever  witnessed, 
at  his  delightfiil  villa  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  near  Yonkers, 
or  Philipsburgh.  It  was  a  regular  New  York  affair ;  all  the  finest 
married  women  and  the  prettiest  girls  of  the  city  were  there,  with 
judges,  lawyers,  merchants,  and  a  numerous  representation  of  West- 
chesterites,  —  all  like  the  celebrated  Billy  Taylor,  "  full  on  mirth  and 


1845]  THE   DIARY    OF    THILIP    HONE.  253 

full  on  glee."  Tables  were  spread  in  marquees  under  the  trees, 
where  every  delicacy  was  provided  to  eat  and  drink ;  a  fine  band 
of  music  played  during  the  day,  and  on  board  the  boat  during  her 
return  to  the  city.  Cotillons,  waltzes,  and  polkas  were  danced  in 
the  house,  on  the  lawn,  and  on  the  promenade-deck  of  the  steamer. 
Several  private  yachts  enlivened  the  scene  on  the  water ;  and  at 
half-past  seven  we  reembarked  and  got  safely  home  without  acci- 
dent, and  all  highly  pleased  with  our  entertainment  and  the  hospi- 
talities of  our  host  and  hostess. 

Boston,    July    7.  —  I    started    this    morning    from 

Excursion  to       -p,         ,  ,  .  ,         ,  .  >    i       i 

M  hfi  1 1  Brooklyn,  at  a  quarter  to  nme  o  clock,  on  my  excur- 
sion to  Massachusetts,  and  in  exacdy  three  hours  and 
three  minutes  was  at  Greenport,  —  ninety-five  miles  ;  fast  enough, 
in  all  conscience.  Greenport  is  a  pretty  place  in  Poconock  bay, 
on  the  Sound,  and  must  in  time,  I  should  think,  be  a  desirable 
retreat  for  New  Yorkers. 

After  all  this  straining  of  the  limbs  and  nerves  of  the  iron  horse 
we  had  to  stop  here  for  an  hour,  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  steam- 
boat to  carry  us  across  the  Sound.  The  boat  came  to  New  Lon- 
don, and  thence  up  the  Thames  to  Allen's  Point,  where  the  Norwich 
&  V/orcester  Railroad  commences  ;  so  we  came  on  to  Boston  at 
ten  o'clock,  having  lost  another  hour  waiting  for  a  train  at  Oxford. 
It  has  been  a  hard  day's  travel,  as  all  railroad  cantering  is,  and  I 
find  I  have  had  enough  of  the  Long  Island  route.  But  the  mis- 
fortune I  have  met  with  in  starting  has  not  tended  to  put  me  in 
the  best  possible  humour.  I  found  on  arriving  here  that  I  had 
lost  my  trunk  and  dressing-case.  I  saw  them  j^ut  in  the  baggage- 
crate  in  New  York.  My  only  hope  is  that  they  were  left  at  Green- 
port, in  which  case  I  have  taken  measures  to  have  them  sent  on. 

Marshfield  (on  the  broad  waters  of  Cape  Cod  bay),  July  8. 
—  Boston  was  hotter  last  night  —  that  is,  the  little  room  in  the  Tre- 
mont  House  in  which  I  was  baked  —  than  Chabert's  parlour  in  the 
iron  stove  where  he  used  to  take  his  recreation  at  boiling  heat.  I 
was  glad  when  nine  o'clock  came  ;   and,  having  borrowed  a  shirt 


254  'fHE   DIARY    OF   FHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  65. 

from  Mr.  Belknap,  Judge  Warren,  Mr.  Draper  (who  came  on  this 
morning),  and  I  embarked  in  the  pretty  steamboat  with  a  pretty 
name  (the  "  Mayflower  "),  and  came  to  Hingham,  —  a  pleasant 
watering-place,  with  a  large  hotel,  on  the  bay.  We  found  Mr. 
Webster's  carriage  waiting  for  us,  and  soon  started  for  Marshfield, 
sixteen  miles,  where  we  arrived  in  time  to  dress  for  dinner.  But, 
alas  !  my  garments  were  all  borrowed. 

Our  recei)tion  by  the  noble  master  of  the  mansion  and  his 
amiable,  kind,  and  ladylike  wife  was  everything  that  heart  could 
wish.  In  addition  to  all  his  other  great  qualities,  Mr.  Webster  is 
the  very  perfection  of  a  host.  At  one  moment  instructive  and 
eloquent,  he  delights  his  guests  with  the  charms  of  his  conversa- 
tion ;  then,  full  of  life  and  glee  as  a  boy  escaped  from  school,  he 
sings  snatches  of  songs,  tells  entertaining  stories,  and  makes  bad 
puns,  in  which  his  guests  are  not  behind  him. 

The  house  has  been  lately  enlarged  and  beautified,  and  is  fitted 
up  with  great  taste.  The  library,  in  a  splendid  new  wing,  is  such 
a  one  as  might  be  expected  to  appertain  to  Daniel  Webster.  As 
for  my  chamber,  which  is  on  the  first  floor,  adjoining  the  library, 
to  which  it  gives  me  access,  it  is  the  perfection  of  sleeping.  The 
table  is  capital ;  everything  is  given  at  the  top  of  the  heart  j  and 
while  there  is  no  cmprcsscmciit^  every  wish  is  anticipated.  He  ap- 
pears to  like  his  guests ;  and,  for  myself,  I  am  bound  to  him  by 
hoops  of  iron. 

July  9.  —  The  journal  of  this  day  is  as  follows  :  After  breakfast 
Mr.  Webster  drove  Draper  and  me  over  his  extensive  grounds 
down  to  the  beach,  where  his  boats  were  ready  for  a  fishing  excur- 
sion, which  is  one  of  his  greatest  enjoyments.  Here  was  this  won- 
derful man,  on  whose  lips  unsurpassed  eloquence  has  so  often  hung, 
whose  pen  has  directed  the  most  important  negotiations,  and 
whose  influence  has  governed  Senates,  in  a  loose  coat  and  trousers, 
with  a  most  picturesque  slouched  hat,  which  a  Mexican  bandit 
might  have  coveted,  directing  his  people,  —  whose  obedience  grows 
out  of  affection,  and  who  are  governed  by  the  force  of  kindness,  — 


1845]  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP   HONE.  255 

regulating  the  apparatus,  examining  the  bait,  and  helping  to  hoist 
the  sails  and  "  hold  on  to  the  main  sheet."  So  off  we  went  to  sea 
in  the  good  sloop  "  Comet ;  "  and  a  tidier,  more  obedient,  smarter 
little  craft  is  not  to  be  found  in  Massachusetts  bay.  We  had  toler- 
ably good  sport  for  a  couple  of  hours ;  but  the  sea  was  rough,  and 
the  vessel  uneasy,  the  effect  of  which  was  that  I  became  very  sick ; 
but  it  was  some  consolation  to  me  that  the  Lord  High  Admiral  was 
in  the  same  condition.  "  I  don't  wish  it  made  too  public,  sir,"  said 
I ;  "  nor  would  I  have  it  put  in  the  newspapers ;  but  I  am  sick  ! 
sick  !  "  —  "  My  case  exactly,"  said  he  ;  "  and  I  have  tried  to  keep 
this  miusual  circumstance  a  secret ;  but  it  won't  do,  and  we  must 
go  ashore."  So  we  returned,  and  our  health  and  cheerfulness 
returned  with  us  also. 

We  dined  at  half-past  four,  and  here  was  this  hero  of  the 
slouched  hat  dressed  for  dinner,  presiding  at  his  table  (and  a 
sumptuous  meal  it  was)  with  the  grace  and  elegance  of  high 
breeding,  enlivening  by  his  cheerfulness  and  vivacity  the  solid 
hospitality  of  the  feast,  and  mingling  lessons  of  wisdom  with 
unconsidered  effusions  of  good- humour.  Fletcher  Webster  and  Mr. 
Greenough  came  down  from  Boston  and  joined  our  party,  and  two 
Messrs.  Hedge,  of  Plymouth,  were  guests  at  dinner.  We  had  a 
pleasant  game  of  harmless  whist  in  the  evening,  and  retired  at  ten 
o'clock. 

July  10.  —  This  day  was  devoted  to  a  journey  to  Plymouth, 
under  the  charge  of  Judge  Warren.  The  distance  by  land  is  about 
twenty  miles ;  the  drive  was  pleasant,  the  country  of  the  "  old 
colony  "  interesting,  and  Plymouth,  with  the  Pilgrim  Rock  and  all 
the  relics  of  the  forefathers,  a  fruitful  theme,  agreeable  to  them  in 
the  recital  and  to  us  in  the  hearing.  The  two  Messrs.  Hedge, 
brothers-in-law  of  our  friend  Warren,  and  his  aged  mother,  one  of 
those  bright,  intelligent.  New  England  women  who  are  difficult  to 
match,  were  our  entertainers  at  Plymouth.  The  venerable  lady 
showed  us  many  interesting  remains  of  Pilgrim  days  :  the  chair 
which  was   occupied  by   Lady  Otis,  as  she  was  called,  her  grand- 


256  THE    DIARY    OV    Till  1.11'    IKJNE.  [/Etat.  65. 

mother  of  many  generations,  when  a  Pilgrim  passenger  on  board 
the  "Mayflower,"  in  1620;  (lovernor  Winslovv's  chair;  plates 
brought  by  the  Otis  family  from  Holland ;  together  with  most 
interesting  letters  from  (ieneral  and  Mrs.  AVashington  to  Colonel 
Warren,  her  husband,  and  my  friend's  father;  and  especially  one 
from  John  Adams,  written  the  day  after  the  destruction  of  the  tea 
in  Boston  haibor,  beginning  ''The  die  is  cast,"  full  of  patriotic 
exultation,  fearless  of  consequences,  and  confident  of  success.  It 
was  "  all  for  liberty  or  a  world  well  lost." 

Our  drive  back  through  Duxbury,  Scituate,  and  other  pretty 
places  and  towns  of  the  "  old  colony,"  with  fine  weather,  agreeable 
company,  and  the  "  squire's  "  capital  horses,  are  things  to  be  re- 
membered. We  returned  to  Marshfield  to  dine,  after  which  Farmer 
Webster  showed  us  his  capacious  barns,  in  which  many  a  ton  of 
good  Puritan  hay  is  just  now  being  condemned  to  the  rac/c  ;  fields 
of  oats  supporting  their  heavy  heads  upon  slender,  but  healthy, 
limbs ;  cattle  combining  the  advantages  of  foreign  and  domestic 
blood  ;  cows  whose  sleek  sides  bear  the  comfortable  signs  of  milk, 
butter,  and  cheese  ;  every  vegetable,  from  the  diminutive  bean  up 
to  the  unwieldy  pumpkin  ;  while  the  broad  sea  lay  before  him, 
containing   a  certain  harvest   of  piscatory   enjoyments. 

I  am  no  longer  dependent  upon  the  wardrol)es  of  my  friends ; 
my  trunk  and  writing-case  came  down  to  Marshfield  this  evening. 
I  have  not  learned  where  they  "slipped  out  of  the  slings,"  nor  do 
I  care  ;   I  have  them,  to  my  great  satisfaction. 

July  ii.  —  A  day  to  mark  with  a  white  stone.  The  High 
Admiral  ordered  us  out  immediately  after  breakfast.  We  repaired 
to  the  beach,  embarked  in  the  "  Comet,"  and  put  to  sea,  —  Mr. 
Webster,  Draper,  and  1,  with  Dr.  Perkins,  who  came  here  yesterday 
on  a  visit  with  Mrs.  Perkins.  The  wind  was  fivouraljle,  the  weather 
fine,  and  all  things  propitious.  Casting  anchor  five  or  six  miles 
from  land,  we  went  to  work,  and  the  result  of  our  labour  was  the 
capture  of  twenty-six  cod  and  twenty-two  haddock,  weighing  more 
than  three   hundred  pounds.     I   never  had  such   sjjort  and  never 


1845]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  257 

saw  such  "  spoils,"  and  the  sail  home  in  our  beautiful  yacht  was 
delightful.  We  returned  to  a  late  dinner,  of  which  our  fish  formed 
an  important  part,  and  the  cool  wine,  taken  under  the  shade  of 
the  noble  lime-trees  in  front  of  the  house,  to  which  the  agreeable 
conversation  of  our  noble  host  gave  a  zest  of  the  richest  character, 
closed  a  day  to  which  there  was  no  alloy  but  the  recollection  that 
it  was  the  last  we  had  to  spend  at  Marshfield. 

New  Bedford,  July  12. —  Mr.  Draper,  Judge  Warren,  and  I 
left  Marshfield,  at  seven  o'clock  this  morning,  in  Mr.  Webster's 
carriage,  and  came  to  Hingham,  where  we  embarked  in  the  "  May- 
flower," and  got  to  Boston  at  twelve  o'clock,  the  hottest  day  of  the 
summer.  The  good  people  of  Boston,  who  go  beyond  their 
neighbours  in  all  they  undertake,  have  gotten  the  thermometer  up 
to  100,  and  are  gasping  with  heat.  I  determined  at  once  to  go  to 
Nahant  this  evening  to  sleep,  and  to  remain  to-  morrow ;  but  my 
plan  was  suddenly  changed.  Mr.  Joseph  Grinnell  came  in  pur- 
suit of  me,  and  insisted  on  my  going  home  with  him  to  New 
Bedford.  As  this  was  part  of  my  original  plan,  1  did  not  require 
much  persuasion ;  and  so,  having  called  and  made  my  excuses 
to  Mr.  Otis,  whose  kind  invitation  to  dinner  for  to-day  was  sent 
and  accepted  soon  after  my  arrival,  and  having  taken  a  hasty 
dinner  at  the  Tremont,  I  parted  from  my  fellow-traveller,  and 
came  away  with  Grinnell,  on  the  railroad,  at  four  o'clock,  and 
entered  my  agreeable  quarters  at  his  house  before  tea-time, — 
only  fifty-seven  miles. 

July  19.  —  It  is  not  quite  ten  years  since  the  city 
Great  Fire.  of  Ncw  York  was  visitcd  with  the  dreadful  conflagra- 
tion which  laid  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  business 
portion  of  the  city  in  ruins,  anei  destroyed  property  to  the  amount 
of  $20,000,000.  This  day  wiU  also  be  marked  with  lines  on 
the  city's  calendar  not  so  extensive,  but  equally  black.  A  fire 
has  occurred,  the  loss  of  which  is  probably  $5,000,000;  severa? 
of  the  insurance  offices  are  ruined,  and  all  crippled.  My  office 
I  fear,  is  in  the    former  category.     We    have  lost   between    three 


258  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  65. 

and  four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  is  more  than  we  can 
pay.  This  is  a  hard  stroke  for  me.  I  was  pleasantly  situated, 
with  a  moderate  support  for  my  declining  years,  and  now 
"  Othello's  occupation's  gone."  It  is  very  hard ;  and  a  large 
share  of  philosophy  is  required  to  support  it.  But  the  Lord's  will 
be  done  !  I  have  still  much  to  thank  Him  for,  and  trust  that  He 
will  endue  me  with  resignation  to  bear  up  against  this  and  the 
other  misfortunes  with  which  my  latter  years  have  been  visited. 
This  fire  is  not  only  extensive  and  destructive,  but  is  marked 
with  circumstances  of  an  extraordinary  nature.  The  great  fire 
of  1835  occurred  in  the  month  of  December,  when  the  weather 
was  so  cold  that  the  firemen  could  not  work,  and  the  water  from 
the  engines  froze  before  it  reached  its  destination.  This  hap- 
pened about  the  break  of  day,  in  warm,  mild  weather,  with  no 
wind  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  water.  The  firemen  have  done 
their  duty  nobly,  and  the  civil  and  military  police  merit  all  praise 
for  their  exertions.  The  fire  broke  out  in  a  repository  of  salt- 
petre in  New  street,  —  a  narrow  street,  with  high  houses.  There 
was  apparently  no  danger  of  its  spreading,  and  the  firemen  had 
gotten  it  under  when  a  dreadful  explosion  took  place.  A  gas- 
ometer, as  it  is  supposed,  burst ;  some  say  gunpowder,  and  others 
a  thousand  bags  of  saltpetre ;  but  there  are  strong  doubts  whether 
the  latter  article  can  explode  with  such  dreadful  effects.  Be  it 
as  it  may,  here  was  the  cause  of  this  awful  calamity.  The  stores 
in  Broad  street,  some  of  the  finest  in  the  city,  on  one  of  the 
broadest  streets,  were  instantly  overthrown ;  the  flames  were  com- 
municated in  every  direction.  Several  lives  were  lost  at  this 
moment,  of  firemen  and  others,  and  scarcely  a  house  in  Wall 
street,  Broadway,  Greenwich  street,  and  the  other  adjacent 
streets  escaped  injury  by  the  breaking  of  the  windows.  The 
people  on  Staten  and  Long  Islands  were  roused  by  what  was 
thought  to  be  an  earthquake.  Destruction  followed  in  this  rich 
and  populous  district.  All  Broad  street,  with  the  exception  of 
five  or   six  tenements  on  each   side  nearest  Wall  street,  and  ex- 


1845]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  259 

tending  nearly  down  to  the  East  river,  is  a  heap  of  undistinguish- 
able  ruins ;  all  Beaver  street,  from  William  street  to  the  Bowling 
Green,  is  destroyed ;  nearly  the  whole  of  New  street,  Exchange 
place,  and  South  William  street,  with  their  immense  quantities 
of  merchandise.  Like  the  fire  of  1835,  the  progress  of  the  flames 
was  so  rapid,  and  its  approach  so  unexpected,  that  scarcely  any- 
thing was  saved.  All,  all  lies  smouldering  in  ruins.  The  flames 
ran  up  Exchange  place  to  the  Waverley  House,  which  is  a  mag- 
nificent ruin ;  thence  all  the  fine  buildings  down  Broadway  to 
Marketfield  street,  including  Abraham  Schermerhorn's  hotel,  at 
the  corner  of  Beaver  street,  are  gone.  Here  it  crossed  the 
widest  part  of  Broadway  and  burned  all  the  houses  from  Morris 
street,  including  Robert  Ray's  great  granite  edifice,  Brevoort's 
house,  Gardiner  Howland's  three  houses,  and  all  down  to  Edward 
Prime's,  which  is  saved. 

The  number  of  buildings  burned  is  estimated  at  nearly  three  hun- 
dred, a  large  proportion  of  which  were  of  the  most  valuable  class. 
They,  as  well  as  the  goods  in  the  stores,  are  no  doubt  insured ;  but 
it  remains  to  be  seen  how  far  the  offices  can  pay.  We  are  all  in 
confusion  at  the  American.  I  was  at  the  office  until  a  late  hour 
this  evening,  cancelling  fire  and  marine  policies ;  for  I  have  very 
little  doubt  that  the  office  is  bankrupt,  and  I  have  advised  the 
insured  to  cancel  ours,  and  open  new  policies  elsewhere.  There 
is  nothing  left  for  me  but  truth  and  honesty.  There  shall  be  no 
concealment.  My  prospects  are  all  blasted  in  the  destruction  of 
this  company,  but  I  have  nothing  for  which  to  condemn  myself. 
The  fire  insurance  was  especially  my  department ;  there  has  been 
no  want  of  diligence  or .  discretion ;  there  never  was  a  list  of 
better  policies,  taking  into  view  the  nature  of  the  risks  and  the 
character  of  the  insured.  Fortune  is  against  me.  I  must  submit. 
The  Lord's  will  be  done  ! 

July  31.  —  I  have  received  an  exceedingly  kind  letter  of  con- 
dolence, in  my  misfortunes,  from  John  P.  Kennedy,  the  estimable 
member  of  Congress  from  Baltimore,  who  is  at  present  at  Sharon 


26o  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  65. 

Springs,  and  this  morning  received  a  present  of  grapes,  for  my 
wife,  from  Roswell  L.  Colt,  of  Paterson,  accompanied  by  a  note 
full  of  the  kindest  and  most  complimentary  expressions.  There 
is  balm  in  this. 

RocKAWAY.  —  I  came  down  in  the  five-o'clock  evening  train  to 
enjoy  a  couple  of  days  of  relief  from  the  care  and  trouble  of  my 
broken  Wall-street  concern.  The  glorious  ocean  rolls  its  multi- 
tudinous waves  upon  the  monotonous  beach  as  it  has  for  by-gone 
ages,  regardless  of  the  ruined  masses  of  Broad  street  and  Ex- 
change place,  and  recedes  to  its  unlimited  caverns  just  as  it  did 
before  the  American  Mutual  Insurance  Company  was  left  high 
and  dry  on  the  shores  of  bankruptcy. 
.    .    ,   r  August  i  i  .  —  The  sjreat  iron  steamer  "  Great  Britain," 

Arrival  01^3  7 

the  "Great       the  Icviathan  of  Steam,  the  monster  of  the  ocean,  and 
^^  ^'""  unquestionably  the  largest  and  most  magnificent  speci- 

men of  naval  architecture  that  ever  floated,  arrived  here  yester- 
day, at  three  o'clock,  in  fifteen  days  from  Liverpool,  under  the 
command  of  that  fine  fellow  and  successful  navigator.  Captain 
Hosken,  who  has  made  the  "  Great  Western "  proverbial  for 
safety  and  despatch,  and  the  ocean  a  macadamized  road  for  her 
travelling.  The '' Great  Britain  "  has  been  looked  for  with  some 
anxiety.  A  deep  interest,  accompanied  with  some  doubt,  awaited 
her  arrival,  arising  from  her  prodigious  size,  the  novelty  of  her 
construction  (she  being  propelled  by  the  Archimedean  screw, 
instead  of  paddles),  and  the  material  of  which  she  is  con- 
structed, —  solid  iron  i)lates.  The  boast  of  Archimedes,  that  his 
screw  might  overturn  the  globe,  if  he  had  a  place  to  stand  it, 
does  not  seem  so  hyperbolical,  after  all ;  and  iron  is  likely  to  form 
a  better  floating  capital  than  gold  and  silver,  or  even  bank- 
notes. 

The  dimensions  of  this  vessel  are  as  follows :  Her  total  length 
on  deck,  322  feet;  her  breadth,  50  feet;  capacity,  3,000  tons; 
draught  of  water,  16  feet;  her  engines  are  of  1,000  horse-power. 
She  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  wonders  of  this  inventive,  enterprising, 


iS45.]  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  26 1 

scientific  age.  What  would  our  grandsires  have  thought  of 
crossing  the  ocean  on  plates  of  iron,  and  shoving  vessels  ahead 
by  screws  ! 

In  no  city  of  the  globe  does  the  recuperative  prin- 
Enter  rile  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  i^^  SO  great  a  degree  as  in  our  good  city  of 
Gotham.  Throw  down  our  merchants  ever  so  flat, 
they  roll  over  once,  and  spring  to  their  feet  again.  Knock  the 
stairs  from  under  them,  and  they  will  make  a  ladder  of  the  frag- 
ments, and  remount.  It  is  just  twenty-four  days  since  the  great 
fire  ;  the  masses  of  ruins  are  smoking  yet  in  many  places,  and 
flames  may  be  seen  escaping  from  underneath  the  heaps  of  incom- 
bustible matter,  and  in  the  heart  of  this  region  of  desolation 
fine  stores  are  being  built.  I  saw  one  this  morning  in  South 
AVilliam  street,  which  had  reached  the  eaves ;  it  is  built  on  the 
site  of  one  destroyed  in  the  fire,  the  materials  of  which  are  too 
hot  to  be  removed  by  the  naked  hands  of  the  workmen.  So  in 
Beaver  street,  several  phoenixes  are  rising  from  the  ashes,  whilst 
the  masons  pursue  their  labour  in  the  midst  of  the  smoke  of  the 
buildings  which  so  lately  occupied  the  ground. 

September  i.  —  The  "  Great  Britain  "  went  to  sea  on  Saturday, 
with  fifty-four  passengers ;  her  departure  was  quite  a  gala  occasion. 
She  was  escorted  down  the  bay  by  a  fleet  of  fine  steam-vessels, 
bedecked  with  colours  ;  and  the  weather  being  fine,  the  Battery  and 
all  the  piers  on  her  route  were  filled  with  spectators,  who  cheered 
the  "iron  monster,"  and  gave  her  good  wishes  in  abundance. 

Died  on  Tuesday,  26th  of  August,  at  the  Catholic  convent, 
Georgetown,  of  which  she  was  an  inmate,  Virginia,  daughter  of 
Major- General  Winfield  Scott,  in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  her  age, 
—  one  of  the  most  accomplished  young  women  of  our  country. 
A  willing  sacrifice  to  superstition  and  priestcraft,  she  became  a 
Roman  Catholic,  and  shut  herself  up,  from  her  family  and  friends, 
in  a  convent,  where  she  ended  her  days.  I  had  a  long  conference 
on  this  painful  subject  with  the  General  when  I  was  last  in  Wash- 
ington.     He  was  sorely  distressed  ;   but  the  matter  was  inevitable, 


262  THE    DIARV    Ul'    I'lULlP    HONE.  [.Etat.  65. 

and  he  was  compelled  to  acquiesce  in  this  most  unnatural  act  of 
self-will  and  obstinacy.  Her  death,  in  my  judgment,  should  be  no 
cause  of  mourning  to  her  afflicted  friends.  It  is  better  she  should 
be  in  her  grave  than  a  living  example  of  self-immolation. 

September  5.  —  The  country  has  experienced  an- 
justice  story.  Other  scverc  loss.  Judge  Story,  the  pride  and  ornament 
of  the  Supreme  Court  bench,  the  pupil  and  follower  of 
the  great  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  has  resigned  his  seat  in  that 
august  tribunal.  This  step,  so  deeply  to  be  deplored,  is  caused  by 
the  ill-health  of  the  accomplished  judge,  and  it  is  painful  to  record, 
the  fact  of  his  indisposition  being  so  serious  that  there  are  appre- 
hensions that  he  will  not  survive. 

This  creates  a  vacancy  to  be  filled  by  an  administration  which 
will  look  for  no  other  qualification  in  the  successor  whom  they 
shall  have  to  choose  than  the  most  unscrupulous  devotion  to  party 
dictation,  undiscriminating  approval  of  all  the  mischievous  meas- 
ures of  the  government,  and  undeniable  evidence  of  having  voted 
and  electioneered,  and  written  and  spoken,  in  favour  of  a  President 
whom  nobody  thought  of  four  and  twenty  hours  before  he  was 
nominated  at  Baltimore. 

The  Supreme  Court,  pure,  immaculate,  and  wise,  as  it  once  was, 
has  been  falling  off  ever  since  the  evil  day  in  which  Andrew  Jackson 
was  installed  into  the  office  of  President,  and  now  "the  sceptre  has 
departed  from  Israel,  and  a  lawgiver  from  beneath  her  feet." 
Such  a  man  as  Webster,  or  Everett,  or  Kent,  might  supply  Story's 
place  ;  but  they  are  not  Mr.  Polk's  kind  of  men.  He  has  Wood- 
burys,  and  Walkers,  and  Duncans,  who  will  suit  him  better. 

SEprEMDER  12.  —  The  light  of  the  law  is  extin- 
II is  Death.  guishcd  ;  the  worthy  disciple  and  follower  of  Marshall 
has,  like  his  great  exemplar,  descended  into  the  tomb, 
and  has  made  still  wider  the  chasm  which  that  great  man  occa- 
sioned in  the  highest  tribunal  of  law  and  justice  in  the  land.  Judge 
Story  died  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  September  10,  at  his 
residence  in  Cambridge.     He  was   born   in    1 780 ;  was  appointed 


i845-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  263 

an  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  by 
President  ^Madison,  in  181 1,  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  the 
Dane  professor  of  law  in  Harvard  University.  With  such  an  intel- 
lect and  so  great  learning,  his  loss  is  a  national  calamity,  and  he 
died  in  the  prime  and  maturity  of  both ;  for  he  was  the  junior  by 
seventeen  years  of  his  friend  and  brother  in  the  law.  Chancellor 
Kent,  whose  precious  life  may  God  preserve  as  one  of  the  orna- 
ments of  humanity  ! 

September  30. — WiUiam  C.  Schermerhorn,  son  of  Mr.  Peter 
Schermerhorn,  was  married  on  Wednesday,  the  24th,  to  Anne, 
daughter  of  Francis  Cottenet,  and  granddaughter  of  General 
Laight. 

October  18.  —  The  great  iron  steamer,  the  "Great  Britain," 
amongst  other  misadventures  on  her  late  voyage,  came  in  contact 
with  some  substance,  —  a  rock,  perhaps,  or  sandbank  on  Nantucket 
shoals,  or,  peradventure,  a  whale.  By  this  accident  her  propelling 
apparatus  was  injured,  several  of  the  flanges  being  carried  away. 
For  the  purpose  of  repairing  this  damage,  the  immense  mass  of 
iron  —  the  burden  of  the  vessel  being  three  thousand  tons,  and  her 
weight  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar  —  has  been 
raised  by  machinery,  in  the  sectional  dock  at  the  foot  of  Pike 
street,  some  twenty  feet  out  of  the  water,  and  there  she  Hes  in  per- 
fect safety,  with  men  at  work  under  her  bottom.  What  will  John 
Bull  say  to  Yankee  ingenuity  and  mechanical  skill  ?  I  am  told  that 
the  operation  could  not  have  been  performed  in  our  dear  mother- 
country. 

October  21.  —  I  heard  a  pretty  good  anecdote  to-day,  which 
smacks  mightily  of  its  Marshfield  origin :  Mr.  George  Wood  is  an 
eminent  counsellor-at-law  of  this  city,  at  the  tip-top  of  the  bar.  He 
is,  moreover,  of  rather  a  grave  deportment,  and  has  a  habit  of 
closing  his  eyes  when  deep  in  thought,  like  the  owl.  A  person 
called  the  other  day  upon  Mr.  Webster,  to  engage  his  services  in 
an  important  cause,  which  he  agreed  to  undertake.  In  the  course 
of  his  investigations  he  inquired  what  counsel  was  to  be  opposed  to 


264  THE    DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Elat.  65. 

him.  "Why,"  said  the  litigant,  "  he  is  a  New  York  lawyer,  with  a 
common-place,  every-day  name,  which  I  forget."  —  ''What  sort  of 
a  person  is  he?"  —  "Rather  a  sleepy-looking  man."  —  "Is  his 
name  George  Wood?"  —  "That  /s  his  name."  —  "Then  don't 
wake  him  up." 

October  23.  —  A  leaden  pipe  was  successfully  laid  on  the  bed 
of  the  East  river,  to  cross  the  Fulton  Ferry,  from  New  York  to 
Brooklyn,  for  the  conveyance  of  the  wires  of  the  magnetic  tele- 
graph. The  pi})e  weighs  one  thousand  pounds,  all  in  one  piece, 
without  a  joint.  This  is  a  pretty  specimen  of  mechanical  skill,  and 
I  see  no  doubt  of  its  perfect  ada})tation  to  the  object,  except  that 
which  arises  from  the  apprehension  of  danger  to  the  pipe  from  the 
anchors  of  vessels  riding  in  the  stream. 

October  28.  —  My  apprehensions  in  regard  to  the  submarine 
pipe  in  the  P^ast  river  have  been  realized.  The  ship  "  Charles," 
of  Liverpool,  in  weighing  her  anchor  on  Saturday  evening,  dragged 
it  up,  broke  the  pipe,  and  of  course  destroyed  the  connection. 
Some  other  plan  must  be  resorted  to. 

Boston,  Nov.  12.  —  Mr.  Blatchford,  Mr.  Curtis,  and 
Excursion        j  ^^^^  ^^^^  York  yesterday,  at  four  o'clock  P.M.,  in  the 

to  Boston. 

Steamer  "  Massachusetts ; "  were  awakened  from  a 
short  sleep  at  Stonington,  at  midnight  ;  came  from  thence  on  the 
Stonington  and  Boston  &  Providence  railroad,  and  arrived  in  Boston 
at  five  this  morning ;  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  in  thirteen  hours, 
—  a  journey  which  once  occupied  almost  as  many  days  !  This  is 
expeditious  enough,  in  all  conscience  ;  but  a  good  night's  sleep  would 
have  been  worth  more  to  me  than  all  that  is  gained  by  this  anni- 
hilation of  time  and  space.  We  have  seen  Mr.  Healy,  the  artist, 
and  have  conferred  with  him  about  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Webster. 
He  has  made  a  sketch  of  the  Squire  of  Marshfield,  with  his 
"slouched  hat  and  fisherman's  coat,"  under  the  famous  "  Marsh - 
field  tree."  He  is  pleased  with  the  job,  and  Mr.  Webster  not  dis- 
pleased with  being  made  its  subject. 

Mr.  Blatchford  and   I  made   two  pleasant   visits   this    morning; 


1845-]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  265 

the  first  to  Mr.  Otis,  who  is  in  good  health  and  spirits,  and  has  in- 
vited our  Uttle  party  to  dine  with  him  to-morrow ;  the  second,  to 
Mr.  Prescott,  the  amiable  and  accomplished  historian  of  "  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  "  and  "  The  Conquest  of  Mexico."  Mr.  Pres- 
cott is  engaged  in  fitting  up  a  fine  house  in  Beacon  street,  which  he 
bought  lately  from  Augustus  Thorndike.  He  showed  us  his  new- 
library  and  study,  which  will  be  in  admirable  taste,  and  a  number 
of  curious  manuscripts,  autographs,  and  pictures  illustrative  of  his 
two  great  works,  and  collected  with  that  object.  I  have  been  busily 
employed  all  the  morning  walking  about  the  city.  Boston  is  im- 
proved prodigiously,  especially  the  southern  part,  where  the  great 
railroad  depots  are  situated. 

Blatchford,  Curtis,  and  I  dined  at  Mr.  Paige's,  with  all  the  Web- 
sters  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster's  sister-in-law  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Appleton, 
his  daughter,  a  nice,  little  woman ;  Fletcher  Webster,  whose  wife  is 
Mrs.  Paige's  sister ;  Mrs.  Joy,  another  sister ;  and  Mr.  Healy,  the 
painter,  who  is  up  to  the  eyes  in  business,  painting  portraits.  He 
has  just  finished  Mr.  Webster  for  Lord  Ashburton,  Mrs.  Webster, 
and  Mrs.  Paige.  I  am  afraid  that  he  is  so  much  in  vogue  that  the 
time  and  price  required  for  our  picture  may  be  beyond  our  patience 
and  money. 

We  had  a  merry,  pleasant  dinner,  to  which  "  the  Squire  "  con- 
tributed a  full  quota  of  anecdote  and  joke.  He  was  in  his  boyish 
mood,  which  is  always  agreeable.  The  folly  of  a  fool  is  disgusting  ; 
that  of  a  wise  man,  delightful.  After  dinner  we  played  several 
games  of  scientific,  solemn,  two-shilling  whist. 

November  13.  —  We  dined  with  my  venerable  friend  Mr.  H.  G. 
Otis,  the  most  perfect  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance.  Besides  our 
party,  and  the  flimily  of  the  host,  there  were  Mrs.  Harry  Otis  and 
her  son,  a  handsome  young  fellow  of  about  twenty  years  of  age ; 
Mr.  Belknap,  Mr.'  Nathan  Appleton,  and  Mr.  Truman.  Mr.  Web- 
ster was  engaged  in  a  cause  in  the  United  States  District  Court. 
The  dinner  and  wines,  as  usual,  were  excellent,  and  Mrs.  Ritchie 
charming.      I  called  this  morning  with  Mrs.  Webster  upon  Mr.  and 


266  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  65. 

Mrs.  Everett,  the  Paiges,  Mrs.  Fletcher  Webster,  and  Mrs.  Abbott 
Lawrence. 

December  8.  —  John  Cotton  Smith,  the  venerable  president  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  died  at  his  residence  in  Sharon,  Litch- 
field County,  State  of  Connecticut,  on  the  7th  of  December,  in 
the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  in 
1800,  since  which  he  has  been  Governor  of  Connecticut,  member 
of  the  State  Legislature,  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

December   12. — The  faint  hopes  of  the  lovers  of 
regon  peacc  that  the  danger  of  a  serious  collision  with  Great 

Question.  ^  ° 

Britain  about  the  miserable  Oregon  question,  arising 
out  of  the  President's  intemperate  message,  might  be  averted  by 
the  patriotism  and  discretion  of  the  Senate,  are  greatly  diminished 
by  the  announcement  of  the  standing  committees  which  have  been 
elected,  as  they  formerly  were,  by  a  vote  of  the  Senate.  There  is  a 
small  majority  of  Loco-focos  in  that  body ;  but  some  reliance  was 
placed  upon  the  moderation  of  a  portion  of  their  number.  But, 
alas  !  party  discipline  is  stronger  than  judgment,  and  Mr.  Polk 
must  carry  his  object.  Already  had  Charles  J.  Ingersoll,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  committee  of  foreign 
relations  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  a  committee  which  in 
the  present  crisis  has  the  destiny  of  the  nation  in  its  hands,  and 
now  Mr.  Allen,  of  Ohio,  is  elected  to  the  same  responsible  situation 
in  the  Senate.  Two  more  rabid,  uncompromising  demagogues  are 
not  to  be  found  between  Nova  Scotia  and  California,  —  men  who 
will  not  hesitate  to  plunge  the  country  into  a  disastrous  war  to  pro- 
mote their  personal  and  political  views,  who  would  see  every  ware- 
house and  manufactory  levelled  with  the  ground  rather  than  Henry 
Clay  should  be  President,  and  every  ship  sunk  at  the  wharves  if 
thereby  their  chance  of  being  great  men  witii  the  populace  might 
be  secured. 

Our  sister  city  of  the  Bay  State  has  been  without  a  chief  magis- 
trate for  some  time  past,  owing  to  a  triangular  state  of  parties, 
Whigs,  Native  Americans,  and  Loco-focos,  by  which   no  candidate 


1845.J  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  267 

could  get  the  requisite  majority  of  all  the  votes.  They  have  come 
together  at  last,  the  Natives  having  discovered  that  they  and  the 
Whigs  were  of  the  same  family ;  and  they  have  now  elected  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.,  son  of  the  late  president  of  Harvard  University,  him- 
self formerly  the  efficient  and  able  mayor.  The  new  mayor  glories 
in  the  blood  of  the  Revolution  which  runs  in  his  veins,  and  the 
Whig  party  glories  in  him  as  one  of  its  ablest  disciples  and  firmest 
supporters. 


268  THE   DIARY    OF    I'lIILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  66. 


1846. 


^T~^HE  new  year  commences  under  circumstances  of  greater 
-^  general  prosperity  than  the  last;  the  great  fire  of  the  19th 
of  July  was  the  only  serious  disaster  which  occurred  in  its  prog- 
ress ;  in  other  respects  the  blessings  of  a  beneficent  Providence 
have,  as  heretofore,  been  extended  in  a  measure  more  abundant 
than  our  merits.  We,  of  New  York,  have  come  in  for  a  full  share. 
The  bright  star  of  hope,  too,  would  shine  on  the  future  if  the  mad- 
ness of  the  people  did  not  interpose  this  pestiferous  cloud  of  war 
to  intercept  its  rays.  Jealousy  of  rival  interests  and  impatience  of 
the  prosperity  arising  from  commercial  enterprise  have  prompted 
the  men  of  the  West  to  pursue  a  course  ruinous  to  us  of  the  sea- 
board. They  have  gotten  Texas,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
their  accidentally  picked-up  President ;  and  now  they  must  have 
Oregon,  —  the  whole,  they  won't  abate  a  rood,  —  and  California  too, 
and  Cuba  and  Mexico ;  and,  finally,  the  whole  North  American  con- 
tinent ;  and,  moreover,  they  must  have  war  with  Great  Britain,  with 
or  without  a  cause.  If  she  troubles  the  water  above  or  below  us,  it 
is  all  the  same  thing;  she  must  not  drink  out  of  the  same  stream. 

January  7.  —  I  dined  yesterday  with  Mr.  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant, 
in  his  splendid  new  house  in  the  Second  avenue,  near  St.  Mark's 
Church.  Our  party  consisted,  besides  the  host  and  hostess,  of 
David  B.  Ogden,  John  A.  Stevens,  Herman  Thorn,  Hamilton  Fish, 
Henry  Barclay,  John  T.  Brigham,  George  Laurie,  John  C.  Hamil- 
ton, Mr.  Kean,  and  myself. 

Saturday,  Jan.  31.  —  We  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party,  con- 
sisting of  Mr.  Herman  Thorn,  Augustus  Thorndike,  James  Thom- 
son, William  B.  Astor,  J.  D.  P.  Ogden,  Sidney  Brooks,  P.  G. 
Stuyvesant,  J.  C.  Delprat,  Philip  S.  Van  Rensselaer,  George  Curtis, 
and  Charles  H.  Russell. 


1S46.]  THE   DIARY    OP^   PHILIP    HONE.  269 

February  5.  —  The  new  church  at  the  head  of 
Grace  Church.  Broadway  is  nearly  finished  and  ready  for  consecration. 
The  pews  were  sold  last  week,  and  brought  extrava- 
gant prices,  some  $1,200  to  $1,400,  with  a  pew-rent  on  the  esti- 
mated value  of  eight  per  cent. ;  so  that  the  word  of  God,  as  it  came 
down  to  us  from  fishermen  and  mechanics,  will  cost  the  quality  who 
worship  in  this  splendid  temple  about  three  dollars  every  Sunday. 
This  may  have  a  good  effect ;  for  many  of  them,  though  rich,  know 
how  to  calculate,  and  if  they  do  not  go  regularly  to  church  they 
will  not  get  the  worth  of  their  money. 

This  is  to  be  the  fashionable  church,  and  already  its  aisles  are 
filled  (especially  on  Sundays  after  the  morning  services  in  other 
churches)  with  gay  parties  of  ladies  in  feathers  and  mousseliue-de- 
laine  dresses,  and  dandies  with  moustaches  and  high-heeled  boots  ; 
the  lofty  arches  resound  with  astute  criticisms  upon  Gothic  archi- 
tecture from  fair  ladies  who  have  had  the  advantage  of  foreign 
travel,  and  scientific  remarks  upon  acoustics  from  elderly  million- 
aires who  do  not  hear  quite  as  well  as  formerly. 

February  14.  —  I  dined  with  Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  in  his 
magnificent  house,  Lafayette  place.  The  party  consisted,  besides 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss  Astor,  of  the  following  guests  :  David  S. 
Kennedy,  James  D.  P.  Ogden,  Herman  Thorn,  John  W.  Schmidt, 
Robert  B.  Minturn,  Thomas  W.  Ludlow,  Thomas  Oliver,  Gardiner 
G.  Rowland,  Samuel  S.  Rowland,  John  C.  Ramilton,  Gabriel 
Mead,  and  Philip  Rone. 

February  16.  —  Mr.  Southard  declines  to  accept  the 
Trinity  ^^jj  ^^  assistaut  minister  of  Trinitv  Church.      I  regret 

Church.  .  '  ° 

it,  but  did  not  hope  for  a  different  result.  Ris  accept- 
ance would  have  had  a  twofold  favourable  operation.  We  should 
have  had  an  excellent  young  minister,  good  now,  and  of  an  age  and 
disposition  for  improvement.  We  should  also  have  escaped  another, 
who  will  (in  case  of  his  being  chosen  by  party  management,  for 
that  is  to  be  found  even  in  the  holy  places  of  religion)  give  great 
dissatisfaction  to  the  moderate  Episcopalians,  who  prefer  the  word 


270  THE   DIARY    OF    PIIILH'    HONE.  [/Etat.  66. 

of  God  preached  in  the  spirit  of  peace  and  good-will,  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  unessential  dogma,  and  who  wish  the  Scriptures 
taught  in  the  spirit  in  which  they  were  written.  The  rejection  of 
this  offer  is  a  great  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Southard,  which 
cannot  fail- to  endear  him  to  his  congregation.  The  place  he  refuses 
is  in  present  value  one  of  the  most  lucrative  and  honourable  of  the 
church  in  the  United  States ;  and  for  such  a  man  as  he,  so  young, 
so  elo(pient,  and  so  accomplislied  in  his  holy  profession,  an  almost 
certain  reversion  (if  he  lives)  of  the  dignity  of  bishop  of  the 
diocese.  All  this  he  resigns  to  continue  the  charge  of  his  little, 
cottagedike  Calvary  Church,  and  some  $1,500  or  $1,600  a  year. 
If  he  had  their  hearts  before,  he  must  have  them  now,  body,  soul, 
and  all. 

February  17.  —  I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H. 
Aspinwall,  in  their  new  house,  University  place,  one  of  the  palaces 
which  have  been  lately  erected  in  this  part  of  the  city.  A  more 
beautiful  and  commodious  mansion,  or  in  better  taste  in  every 
particular,  I  have  never  seen.  This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  "  mer- 
chant princes  "  of  New  York ;  long  may  he  enjoy  his  prosperity  ! 
He  deserves  it.  He  is  an  upright  and  honourable  merchant,  a 
liberal  and  public- spirited  citizen,  and  a  hospitable  and  right- 
minded  gentleman.  Our  party  consisted,  besides  the  host  and 
hostess,  of  the  following  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Brown,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  W.  Ludlow,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Davis,  Mr.  Henry 
Cary,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Constant,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  B.  Astor, 
Mrs.  Henry  Coit,  G.  G.  Howland,  and  myself. 

February  20.  — The  arriv^al  of  the  steamer  "  Cam- 
Engiish  News,  bria  "  has  been  looked  for  with  great  anxiety,  from 
the  important  bearing  of  the  news  she  brings  upon 
the  great  question  of  peace  or  war.  Expresses  were  sent  on  by  the 
newspaper  establishments  to  anticipate  the  news  at  Halifax  and 
bring  it  on  before  her  arrival  in  Boston.  She  arrived  at  Halifax  on 
Tuesday  morning.  The  express  started  immediately,  and  would 
have   accomplished  its  enterprising  object  had  it  not  encountered 


1S46.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  2/1 

the  great  snow-storm.  As  it  was,  we  had  the  news  here  in  New 
York  yesterday  at  noon  ;  a  rival  express  of  the  "  Herald  "  being  an 
hour  or  two  ahead  of  the  Nova  Scotia  racers.  The  distance  from 
Boston,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles,  was  travelled  by  railroad  and 
steamboat  in  the  astonishingly  short  time  of  seven  hours  and  five 
minutes.  What  a  change  from  the  times  when  the  mail  stage  left 
New  York  for  Boston  once  a  fortnight^  and  consumed  a  week  in 
going  to  Philadelphia  ! 

The  news  by  the  ^^  Cambria "  is,  indeed,  very  important,  and 
things  wear  a  more  smiling  aspect.  Our  cousin,  John  Bull,  is  par- 
ticularly amiable.  Parliament  convened  on  the  2 2d  of  January, 
the  Queen's  speech  (which  the  little  lady  delivered  in  person)  con- 
taining no  bitterness  toward  this  country  in  relation  to  the  Oregon 
question.  I  am  afraid  Mr.  Polk  will  be  affronted  at  the  fact  of  her 
not  being  angry  at  his  threats.  On  the  contrary,  she  makes  light 
of  the  whole  matter.  Sir  Robert  Peel  is  not  apprehensive  of  a  war, 
but  seems  disposed  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  us,  if  possible. 

February  24. — The  Racket  Court  was  opened  to-day  at  noon 
by  a  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette,  —  a  grand  entertainment  of  music, 
dancing,  eating,  and  drinking,  at  which  were  present  the  members 
of  the  club,  with  those  belonging  to  the  Union  and  other  kindred 
associations,  each  gentleman  being  provided  with  four  ladies' 
tickets.  Soon  after  twelve  o'clock  every  part  of  this  beautiful  edi- 
fice —  the  dining  saloon,  reception,  reading,  and  billiard  rooms  — 
was  crowded  with  the  most  genteel  people  in  town.  The  immense 
Racket  Court  appeared,  from  the  upper  galleries,  like  a  garden  of 
moving  flowers,  and  a  band  of  thirty  musicians  left  no  room  to 
doubt  that  the  place  was  a  Racket  Court. 

February  25.  —  I  begin  to  think  that  there  is  no 
Old  Age.  such  thing  as  old  age  ;  that  the  ability  to  perform  the 
tasks  and  duties  of  the  intellect  is  as  perfect  at  four- 
score as  fifty  ;  something  unquestionably  depends  upon  good  health 
and  physical  strength,  but  much  more  upon  the  habits  contracted 
in  early  life.     Industry,  application,  and  perseverance,  whilst  they 


272  THE    DIAKV    OF    PIIILII"    HONE.  [.Etat.  66. 

train  up  the  mind  to  the  performance  of  nature's  miracles,  serve 
also  to  establish  the  strength,  vigour,  and  activity  of  the  body,  which 
are  such  important  adjuncts  in  the  exercise  of  the  powers  of  the 
mind  ;  but  as  for  old  ai^'r,  it  is  a  term  convertible  anil  indefinite. 
Some  men  are  older  at  fifty  than  others  at  fourscore  ;  not  in  wisdom 
or  learning,  but  in  the  failure  of  the  scanty  stock  of  those  commodi- 
ties with  which  tliey  began  the  business  of  life. 

There  is  Chancellor  Kent,  for  instance,  an  octogenarian,  prepar- 
ing a  new  edition  of  his  Commentaries,  —  a  work  without  a  knowledge 
of  which  no  law  education  is  complete,  —  reading  with  ardour,  and 
criticising  with  taste,  all  the  new  books  of  celebrity  and  merit,  his 
mind  being  deeply  laid  with  a  substratum  of  classical  knowledge 
and  the  literature  of  the  former  ages,  active  and  ardent  in  body  and 
mind  as  he  was  twenty  years  ago,  when  the  ermine  of  judicial 
equity  fell  from  his  shoulders,  and  an  absurd  law  of  the  State  pro- 
nounced this  ripe  scholar  and  accomplished  lawyer  superannuated  ! 

And  Albert  Gallatin,  too,  who  is  several  years  older  than  Mr. 
Kent,  in  the  full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties,  has  been  writing 
a  pamphlet  on  tlie  Oregon  question  ;  the  best,  the  cleanest,  and  the 
soundest  which  has  been  presented  to  the  American  people  on  this 
exciting  subject.  Pure  and  vigorous  in  style,  it  betrays  no  marks 
of  age  ;  sound  and  convincing  in  argument,  the  experience  of  a  long 
life  is  brought  in  aid  of  inherent  talents  and  literary  accomi^lish- 
ments.  This  book  is  as  well  written  (and  pr(jbably  in  better  tem- 
per) than  Mr.  Gallatin  would  have  written  it  at  forty  years  of  age. 
March  3.  —  We  drive  the  aborigines  of  our  country 
Civilization,  away  from  the  places  of  their  birth,  from  the  altars  of 
their  '' great  spirit,"  and  the  tombs  of  their  ancestors, 
to  make  room  for  civilization  (another  name  for  land  jnracy)  ;  and 
the  records  of  every  day  present  the  disgusting  accounts  of  personal 
conflicts  among  civilized  "pale-faces,"  which  might  cause  a  Pawnee 
or  a  Comanche  to  blush.  One  of  these  pleasant  encounters,  so 
characteristic  of  "  Southern  chivalry,"  occurred  on  the  morning  of 
last  Wednesday,  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  between  John  Hampden 


1846.]  THE   DIARY    OF   THILIP    HONE.  2/3 

Pleasants,  late  editor  of  the  "  Richmond  Whig,"  and  more  recently 
of  the  "Richmond  Star,"  a  man  fifty-five  years  of  age,  with  a  wife 
and  children,  and  Thomas  Ritchie,  Jr.,  a  twenty-five-year-old  sprig 
of  the  "  chivalry,"  son  of  the  celebrated  Loco-foco  oracle  of  Virginia, 
and  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Enquirer."  These  white  savages  had 
been  exercising  the  "  liberty  of  the  press"  and  edifying  their  readers 
by  abusing  each  other,  when  one  of  them  (probably  finding  the 
truth  come  rather  hard)  resorted  to  the  gentlemanly  mode  in  vogue 
at  the  South  to  justify  himself  and  put  his  adversary  in  the  wrong 
by  cutting  his  throat  (an  effectual  method,  certainly).  A  challenge 
was  given,  and  the  duel  took  place  as  above  mentioned.  The  plan 
of  warfare  was  arranged  by  seconds,  —  honourable  men,  no  doubt, 
members  of  a  Christian  community  who  wear  pantaloons  instead  of 
breech-clouts,  and  carry  walking-canes,  not  tomahawks.  Disgrace- 
ful and  shocking  as  it  may  appear,  the  combatants  were  permitted 
to  go  into  the  combat  with  all  kinds  of  weapons,  —  pistols,  rifles, 
broadswords  and  broadaxes,  tomahawks  and  bowie-knives.  They 
were  placed  at  thirty  paces  apart,  and  at  it  they  went,  blazing  away 
first  with  fire-arms,  and  then  rushing  at  each  other,  hacking  and 
slashing  in  slaughter-house  fashion.  The  account  relates,  pleasantly 
enough,  how  at  such  a  cut  one  lost  three  fingers,  at  the  next  the 
other  had  his  mouth  extended  to  the  ear ;  how  the  abdomen  of  this 
civilized  cavalier  was  laid  open,  and  how  the  thigh  of  that  received 
a  deep  incision.  Finally  the  dispute  was  settled  in  favour  of  Mr. 
Ritchie.  The  truth  was  made  manifest  and  the  argument  decided 
by  the  removal  of  Mr.  Pleasants  from  the  field  of  battle  "with 
twenty  trenched  gashes  on  his  head,  the  least  a  death  to  nature," 
and  his  subsequent  death.  Who  dares  dispute  the  chivalry  of  the 
paladins  of  Virginia,  or  the  efficacy  of  the  "  code  of  honour  "  ? 

March  10. — The  corner-stone  of  the  new  Calvary  Church,  at 
the  corner  of  21st  street,  was  laid  yesterday  afternoon  with  appro- 
priate religious  ceremonies.  The  Bishop  laid  the  stone.  The 
edifice  is  erected  by  the  congregation  under  the  charge  of  the 
talented  and  popular  young  divine,  Mr.  Southard. 


2/4  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.66. 

March    25. — Another  melancholy  and  destructive 
ipwrec         marine  disaster  is  to  be  added  to  the  list.     The  beau- 

again. 

tiful  packet-ship  "  Henry  Clay,"  belonging  to  Grinnell, 
Minturn,  &  Co.,  lies  a  wreck  on  the  fatal  Squan  beach,  about  a  mile 
from  the  spot  where  the  "John  Minturn"  was  lost.  She  went 
ashore  in  a  violent  gale,  last  night,  at  twelve  o'clock.  This  will 
make  Wall  street  groan.  The  ship  was  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
costly  class,  and  at  this  season  of  the  year  it  is  probable  her  cargo 
is  very  valuable.  The  particulars  have  not  come  up  from  the 
beach  ;  but  from  the  accounts  of  the  mate,  who  took  the  railroad  at 
New  Brunswick  and  arrived  here  this  evening,  there  is  strong  hope 
that  of  the  passengers  and  crew,  consisting  of  three  hundred  per- 
sons, a  large  proportion  will  have  been  saved  by  means  of  a  haw- 
ser which  was  carried  to  the  shore.  A  boat,  however,  was  known 
to  have  been  swamped  in  the  surf,  and  six  persons  drowned.  This 
noble  ship  (with  a  great,  but  unlucky,  name)  sailed  on  her  first 
voyage  last  May.  I  dined  on  board  on  the  3d  of  that  month,  with 
a  large  jovial  party,  the  particulars  of  which  are  given  in  this  journal ; 
and  now  all  the  splendid  decorations  of  her  cabin,  so  much  admired 
at  that  time,  and  all  the  perfect  examples  of  naval  architecture  then 
exhibited,  are  left  to  rot  in  the  sands  of  Squan  beach.  Why  is  it 
that  so  many  vessels  are  lost  thereabouts?  W^hen  will  the  ship- 
masters learn  that  there  is  land  there?  And  why  is  not  the 
lead  more  frequently  used  ?  Captain  Nye  is  an  experienced  sea- 
man. But  the  only  way  to  remedy  the  evil  in  these  cases  is  to  say 
to  every  one  of  them,  without  discrimination,  "  Never  more  be 
officer  of  mine." 

April  9.  —  Man  is  the  only  animal  that  man   hates. 
chTvuI"  Other  species  may  excite  terror,  fear,  disdain ;  but  this 

darkest  and  deadliest  passion  of  the  human  mind  is  only 
brought  into  action  against  such  as,  like  himself,  are  made  in  the 
image  of  his  Creator.  The  trial  of  Thomas  Ritchie,  Jr.,  for  killing 
John  M.  Pleasants,  in  that  savage,  barbarous  duel,  has  resulted  in 
his  acquittal,  without   a   moment's  hesitation,  by   the   jury.      The 


1846.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  275 

account  of  the  verdict  closes  with  the  very  compHmentary  and  con- 
solatory remark  that  "  he  has  borne  himself  under  the  whole  trial, 
down  to  the  last  scene  of  the  eventful,  yet  painful,  drama,  with  the 
equanimity  which  became  a  man." 

April  14.  —  The  "Henry  Clay"  came  up  to  the 
ip  ^^  enry  ^.^^  yesterday  from  her  uncomfortable  berth  on  Squan 
beach.  The  result  of  this  disaster  is  a  proud  testimony 
to  the  strength  and  construction  of  the  New  York  commercial 
marine.  This  noble  vessel  has  been  lying  for  the  last  twenty  days, 
broadside  to  the  shore,  on  a  stormy  beach,  the  destroyer  of  many  a 
tall  merchantman,  and  the  grave  of  many  a  hardy  seaman.  Every- 
thing which  has  been  stranded  there  during  the  late  gales  has  gone 
to  pieces  except  this  fine  ship,  which,  like  him  from  whom  she  is 
named,  strong  and  sound  in  materials,  honestly  and  skilfully  put 
together,  though  beaten,  is  not  broken,  and  will  soon  be  ready  for 
a  new  voyage. 

April  16.  —  I  went  last  evening  to  a  pleasant  party  at  Mr.  Har- 
vey's, given  to  show  off  certain  Boston  lions  ;  and  fine  animals  they 
are  :  Messrs.  'George  Ticknor,  William  H.  Prescott,  and  Charles 
Sumner.  The  amiable  and  accomplished  historian  of  "  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  "  is  here  to  consult  an  ocuUst  about  his  eyes,  which 
trouble  him  again.  I  fear  he  will  not  live  to  add  many  more 
leaves  to  the  undying  wreaths  of  his  literary  fame. 

April  16.  — This  is  the  commencement  of  the  twenty-fourth 
volume  of  this  diary.  The  last  is  a  record  of  one  year  of  my  life. 
It  has  been  a  year  of  trouble,  and  the  care  and  anxiety  attending 
the  discharge  of  my  several  duties  have  interfered  with  the  regular 
diurnal  posting  up  of  my  journal ;  nay,  the  same  causes  have  occa- 
sionally made  me  hesitate  about  going  on  with  this  task,  heretofore 
so  pleasant.  But  I  do  persevere,  and  the  beginning  of  this  new 
volume  is  an  earnest  that  my  determination  at  this  moment  is  not 
to  abandon  it.  It  will  probably  be  less  interesting ;  but  I  must 
have  a  safety-valve  for  my  imagination.  I  must  write,  even  if  I  do 
not  write  well. 


276  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  66. 

April  17.  —  The  ship  "Rainbow,"  belonging  to  Hovvland  & 
Aspinwall,  arrived  to-day,  in  seventy-five  days  from  Canton.  This 
beautiful  vessel,  a  perfect  model  of  marine  architecture,  brilliant 
and  bright  as  the  bow  of  Hope,  the  name  of  which  she  bears,  has 
made  two  complete  voyages  to  and  from  Canton  in  the  space  of 
fourteen  months,  just  about  the  time  formerly  consumed  in  one 
voyage.  Everything  goes  fast  now-a-days ;  the  winds,  even,  begin 
to  improve  upon  the  speed  which  they  have  hitherto  maintained ; 
everything  goes  ahead  but  good  manners  and  sound  principles,  and 
they  are  in  a  fair  way  to  be  driven  from  the  track. 

April   25.  —  Healy's  picture   of  Mr.  Webster  came 
e  s  ers  ^^^  yesterday  from  Washington,  where  it  .vas  painted  for 

the  Hone  Club.  This  "  counterfeit  presentment  "  of 
our  honorary  member,  the  distinguished  Massachusetts  senator,  is  a 
great  picture,  —  the  best  by  far  that  has  been  done  of  him.  It  will 
cost,  including  the  frame,  $550,  to  be  paid  for  by  the  fifteen  mem- 
bers of  the  club.  The  picture  is  to  remain  in  my  possession  until 
a  new  president  is  appointed,  and  is  to  go  at  my  decease  to  the 
oldest  surviving  member.  Mr.  Healy  is  an  artist  sent  out  to  the 
United  States  by  the  King  of  France  to  take  the  portraits,  for  his 
gallery,  of  some  of  our  eminent  statesmen.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful ;  but  in  none  more  than  in  this,  which  does  not  go  into 
royal  hands,  but  into  the  hands  of  a  set  of  royal  fellows,  and  when 
Louis  Philippe  comes  to  New  York,  Philip  Hone  will  show  him  as 
good  a  picture  as  any  in  his  American  gallery.  The  great  original 
and  Mrs.  W^ebster  arrived  here  last  evening.  He  is  on  his  route 
eastward.  He  is  in  excellent  si)irits,  pleased  with  the  state  of 
things  at  Washington,  and  not  a  bit  the  worse  for  his  contaminating 
collision  with  the  Pennsylvania  calumniator. 

Mav   7.  —  Affairs   in  this  quarter  wear  an  alarming 
Mexico,  aspect.     If  the  government  intended  by  its  measures 

to  bring  disaster  and  defeat  upon  the  insufficient  forces 
sent  into  that  unhappy  country,  and  thereby  make  popular  the  war 
which  it   is  preparing  to  wage   against   Mexico,  it   is  likely  that  it 


1846.]  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  2// 

may  succeed  ;  but  the  people  will  have  an  awful  account  to  settle 
with  it.  A  war  simultaneously  with  England  and  Mexico  for 
Oregon  and  Texas, — neither  of  which  is  worth  the  blood  of  a  single 
American  soldier,  —  and  without  a  force  adequate  to  carry  out  the 
least  of  those  enterprises,  would  be  pushing  the  forbearance  of  the 
people  to  a  dangerous  length.  But  we  have  reason  to  know  that 
the  tyranny  of  party  discipline  is  more  absolute  in  this  country 
than  the  mandate  of  the  Czar  of  Moscow,  or  the  will  of  the  Khan 
of  Tartary. 

General  Ampudia  has  cut  off  the  force  of  two  thousand  men 
under  our  General  Taylor,  who  had  gotten  where  he  ought  not  to 
be,  and  some  of  our  fine  fellows  have  been  captured  and  killed. 
In  the  number  of  the  former  is  Colonel  Cross ;  and  Lieutenant 
Porter  (a  son  of  the  late  gallant  commodore)  and  three  men  were 
killed,  while  on  a  foraging  party,  by  a  body  of  Mexican  ranchers. 
In  the  mean  time  General  Worth  comes  away  with  many  of  his 
brother  officers,  glad,  no  doubt,  to  escape  from  the  disgrace  which 
is  likely  to  attend  upon  ill- concerted  measures. 

May  9.  —  Worth  is  ordered  back  to  Mexico.  It  is 
Mexico  again,  difficult  to  judgc  of  thcsc  matters,  but  it  seems  to  me 
he  ought  not  to  have  come  away  just  at  this  time. 
Mr.  Polk  and  his  party  have  accomplished  their  object :  the  war 
with  Mexico  is  fairly  commenced.  The  President  (in  violation  of 
the  Constitution,  which  gives  to  Congress  the  exclusive  power  to 
declare  war)  announces  formally  that  a  state  of  war  exists,  calls  for 
volunteers  and  money,  which  Congress  unhesitatingly  grants  ;  and  if 
any  old-fashioned  legislator  presumes  to  doubt  the  authority  of 
Pope  Polk,  or  questions  the  infallibility  of  his  bull,  he  is  stigma- 
tized by  some  of  the  ruffians  of  the  West  as  an  enemy  to  his 
country,  in  league  with  the  Mexicans.  These  charges  he  must 
submit  to,  or,  by  making  a  suitable  retort,  expose  himself  to  the 
necessity  of  fighting  himself  out  of  his  difficulty,  or  leaving  a  vacant 
seat  to  be  filled  by  some  more  subse>rvient  representative  of  the 
magnanimous  American  people. 


2/8  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.€tat.  66. 

This  war  has  commenced  most  disastrously,  as  might  have  been 
expected  from  the  scanty  force  sent  into  the  disputed  territory. 
My  suggestion  of  Thursday  appears  uncharitable  ;  but  it  really  looks 
as  if  this  result  was  anticipated,  and  the  American  blood  shed  was 
to  excite  American  feelings,  and  to  make  the  war  popular.  It  was 
so  in  the  last  war.  The  disgraceful  defeat  and  capture  of  Hull  at 
Detroit  was  the  cement  which  bound  together  friends  of  war  and 
friends  of  peace  into  a  united  band  of  friends  of  national  honour. 
But  it  looks  now  as  if  this  experiment  were  to  cost  too  much. 
Extras  were  published  to-day,  by  all  the  papers,  giving  further 
particulars  received  from  New  Orleans  of  the  dangerous  position 
of  General  Taylor's  little  army  on  the  Rio  Grande.  He  is  cut  off 
by  Arista  from  his  resources  at  Point  Isabel,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and,  although  within  cannon-shot  of  Metamoras,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  he  cannot  send  men  to  attack  it.  These 
disasters  will  raise  the  blood  of  the  American  people  to  the  war 
point,  and  cause  them  to  cease  inquiring,  What  is  this  war  about? 
What  compensation  is  to  be  had  for  the  blood  shed  and  the  treas- 
ures squandered?  and.  How  will  the  national  character  be  re- 
deemed which  we  have  staked  on  this  dreadful  issue  ?  They  will 
thus  be  compelled  to  support  a  cause  which  their  conscience  con- 
demns and  their  judgment  disapproves. 

May    12.  —  The    President's    message,  announcing 
Mr.  Polk's       ^   ^^^^^    ^^  ^^^^   ^^.^j^    Mexico,    was    sent  to  Congress 

War. 

yesterday,  who  forthwith  granted  him  power  to  call 
out  fifty  thousand  volunteers,  and  appropriated  ten  millions  of 
dollars  as  a  small  outfit  for  his  military  operations.  This  is  a 
horrible  state  of  things.  But  a  little  philosophy  can  extract 
grains  of  comfort  even  from  this.  The  tariff  cannot  be  touched 
whilst  such  expenditures  are  incurred,  nor  will  the  sub- treasury 
and  specie  scheme  be  carried  into  effect  with  such  a  war 
impending. 

May  19.  —  We   are  all  agog  with  the  news  of  a  great  victory 
gained  over  the   Mexicans   on   the  great   river.     General  Taylor, 


1846.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  279 

having  left  his  camp  with  a  force  of  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  men, 
to  open  communication  with  his  supplies  at  Point  Isabel,  at  tlie 
mouth  of  the  river,  the  Americans,  under  command  of  Major 
Ringgold,  were  attacked.  This  brought  on  a  general  engagement, 
and  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  enemy,  with  a  loss,  it  is  said,  of 
seven  hundred  men,  our  loss  being  inconsiderable.  This  account  is 
probably  exaggerated,  for  vain-boasting  is  unfortunately  the  vice  of 
our  country ;  every  officer  is  a  hero,  every  raw  recruit  equal  in 
prowess  to  an  ancient  Roman  legionary,  and  in  discipline  to  one 
of  the  old  guard  of  Napoleon,  and  every  skirmish  is  a  battle  of 
Waterloo.  But  there  has  been  a  fight,  and  probably  a  victory,  and 
we  are  bound  to  rejoice. 

May  21.  —  This  day  being  the  Feast  of  the  Ascen- 
Trrnh^^hu'rch  ^^^^^  agreeably  to  the  notice  given  and  the  arrange- 
ments made,  the  new  Trinity  Church,  the  pride  of 
Episcopalians  and  the  glory  of  our  city,  was  consecrated  to  the 
service  of  Almighty  God.  I  was  one  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments, and  have  been  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  most  sedu- 
lously employed  every  day  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this 
office.  The  clergy,  the  rectors,  wardens,  and  vestrymen  of  the 
several  Episcopalian  churches,  the  members  of  the  Theological 
Seminary,  the  present  and  former  mayors,  the  scholars  of  Trinity 
School,  and  invited  guests,  assembled  at  ten  o'clock,  at  Mr. 
Bunker's,  in  Broadway,  and  marched  in  procession  to  the  church. 
At  eleven  o'clock  the  grand  and  solemn  assemblage,  preceded  by 
Right  Rev.  Bishop  McCoskry,  who  officiated  as  bishop  of  the 
diocese  during  the  suspension  of  Bishop  Onderdonk,  entered  dur- 
ing the  impressive  chanting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  clergymen,  in 
white  surplices  and  scarfs,  followed  by  a  most  dignified  and 
respectable  body  of  laymen.  The  consecration  service  was  per- 
formed by  the  Bishop,  assisted  by  a  number  of  prominent  ministers  ; 
and  the  splendid  vaultings  of  the  solemn  temple  resounded  with  the 
notes  of  the  grand  organ  and  with  the  sounds  of  praise  and 
adoration  from   the  voices  of  the  devout  assemblage. 


28o  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  66. 

May  23.  —  The  club  dined  with  me  to-day,  on  the 
Club  Dinner,  occasion  of  the  inauguration  of  Healy's  fine  portrait  of 
Mr.  Webster,  belonging  to  the  club,  which  has  been 
hung  (the  picture,  I  mean)  in  the  dining-room.  Several  gentle- 
men brought  each  a  bottle  of  his  best  wine,  and  such  a  drink 
would  throw  the  nectar  of  the  gods  into  the  shade.  Hebe  would 
have  emptied  the  contents  of  her  goblet  (as  Mrs.  Delavan  did  her 
medicine)  into  the  gutter,  and  Ijacchus  would  have  turned  water- 
drinker  rather  than   stand  the  comparison. 

I  made  a  speech  about  the  picture,  the  illustrious  original,  the 
great  Harrison  cabinet,  and  the  glorious  Congress  of  1842,  which 
I  closed  by  reading  the  concluding  remarks  of  Mr.  Webster  in  his 
speech  made  in  the  Senate  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  April  last.  We 
drank  his  health  with  three  times  three.  The  members  of  the  club 
present  were  M.  H.  Grinnell,  George  Curtis,  Simeon  Draper,  R.  M. 
Blatchford,  John  Ward,  T.  Tileston,  Prescott  Hall,  Dr.  Francis, 
P.  Spofford,  and  J.  W.  Webb.  Absent  were  Bowen,  Edward  Curtis, 
Colt,  and  Jaudon,  whose  places  were  filled  in  part  by  Messrs.  Rus- 
sell, Blatchford,  Jr.,  and  my  old  acquaintance,  Mr.  Van  Wart. 

June  15.  — The  Oregon  treaty  was  signed  this  day,  at 
The  Treaty,  three  o'clock,  for  approval  and  confirmation  to-morrow, 
where  it  will,  of  course,  pass  by  the  same  vote  at  least 
as  that  which  advised  its  ratification.  It  was  a  pleasant  circum- 
stance, and  it  makes  an  interesting  item  in  my  journal,  that  I  should 
have  dined  with  the  British  Minister  on  the  day  on  which  this  joy- 
ful event  occurred,  —  an  event  which  restores  the  prosperity  of 
the  nation,  sets  commerce  again  upon  its  legs,  makes  the  hus- 
bandman's corn  grow  higher  and  his  grass  more  green,  and  would 
equally  rejoice  the  manufacturers,  if  they  would  let  this  unhappy 
tariff  alone.  Mr.  Pakenham's  dinner  was  a  beautiful  affair ;  the 
party  consisted  of  only  seven,  —  he  and  Mr.  Ponsonby,  his  secre- 
tary, Messrs.  Webster,  Curtis,  Ashman,  Colt,  and  myself.  The 
service,  all  but  the  plates,  was  of  silver  which  he  brought  from 
Mexico.     The  dinner  was  excellent ;   I  never  partook  of  a  better ; 


1846.]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  28 1 

good  wine,  good  taste,  and  good  manners.     We  went  at  seven,  and 
came  away  at  ten  o'clock. 

June  24.  —  I  dined  yesterday  as  the  guest  of  Pres- 
Yachtciub.      cott  Hall,  with  the  Yacht  Club,  at   Hoboken.     They 

have  a  club-house,  —  a  handsome  Gothic  cottage,  — 
erected  for  the  use  of  the  club  in  a  pleasant  grove  in  the  Elysian 
Fields,  by  that  prince  of  good  fellows,  John  C.  Stevens,  who  makes 
the  punch,  superintends  the  cooking,  and  presides  at  the  table, 
under  the  appropriate  title  of  "Commodore."  A  choice  company 
of  forty- three  gentlemen  sat  down  to  an  excellent  dinner  of  turtle 
and  other  good  things,  with  capital  punch  and  plenty  of  good  wine. 
The  Commodore,  after  some  remarks  personally  complimentary, 
proposed  me  as  a  member  of  the  club,  and,  the  probationary  term 
being  dispensed  with,  I  was  admitted  by  acclamation.  In  acknowl- 
edgment of  this  compliment  I  gave  the  following  toast,  which 
was  received  with  the  most  marked  approbation  :  "  The  Yacht 
Club  :  river  gods  who  ride  upon  the  waves,  and  sip  their  nectar  in 
the  Elysian  Fields." 

July  6. — The  iniquity  is  consummated.     The    bill 
^^    ^"  to  break  down  the  tariff  of  1842  passed  the  House  of 

Representatives  on  Friday  afternoon.  The  indepen- 
dence of  the  nation  is  now  an  idle  boast.  American  industry  is 
sacrificed  to  party  power,  and  honest  labour  doomed  to  lose  its 
just  reward.  This  nefarious  act  was  consummated  by  a  vote  of 
114  to  95,  and  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  it  will  pass  the 
Senate  by  a  similar  party  vote. 

July    17.  —  The  regatta  of   the   Yacht  Club   came 
Regatta.  off  yesterday.     It  was  a  grand  display,  for  which  great 

preparations  had  been  made,  and  great  expectations 
raised.  Twelve  schooners  and  two  sloops  were  entered  for  the 
race,  viz.:  Schooners,  "Lancet"  (Mr.  Rollins),  "  Gimcrack " 
(Mr.  Stevens),  "  Coquille  "  (Mr.  Jay),  "Minna"  (Mr.  Coles), 
"Brenda"  (Mr.  Sears),  "Spray"  (Mr.  Wilkes),  "Sibyl"  (Mr. 
Miller),    "  Cygnet  "     (Mr.    Suydam),    "  Pet  "     (Mr.     Parsons), 


282  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  66. 

''Northern  Light"  (Mr.  Winchester),  "Siren"  (Mr.  Miller), 
"Coquette"  (Mr.  Perkins).  Sloops,  "  Newburgh  "  (Mr.  Robin- 
son) and  "  Mist  "  (Mr.  Depau). 

The  prize,  a  superb  silver  goblet,  was  won  by  the  sloop  "  Mist," 
belonging  to  Mr.  Lewis  Depau.  The  steamer  "  New  York  "  was 
provided  for  the  members  of  the  club  and  their  guests,  of  whom 
a  large  party  went  down  the  bay,  and  returned  with  the  yachts. 

Springfield,  July  30.  —  "Polk,  Dallas,  and  the  tariff  of  1842," 
—  such  was  the  inscription  on  the  banners  used  in  Pennsylvania  to 
effect  the  election  of  Mr.  Polk ;  such  was  the  subterfuge  by  which 
alone  the  vote  of  that  State  could  have  been  secured  for  this 
faithless,  corrupt  administration;  and  now  the  tariff  of  1842  is 
destroyed,  the  industry  of  the  country  laid  at  the  feet  of  foreign 
competition,  and  national  prosperity  sacrificed  to  party  discipline. 
This  nefarious  act  was  consummated  on  Tuesday,  the  28th  of 
July  (let  the  day  stand  accursed  in  the  calendar  !),  recommended 
and  enforced  by  this  same  James  K.  Polk,  and  carried  by  the 
casting  vote  in  the  Senate  of  this  same  George  AL  Dallas.  Long 
may  their  names  be  recorded  on  the  same  page  with  those 
scourges  of  mankind,  war,  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  the  meas- 
ure they  have  accomplished  be  included  in  the  category  of 
cholera,  small- pox,  and  yellow  fever  ! 

Monday,    August    3.  —  The    President    signed    the 
xecu  IV e         tariff  bill  on  Friday,  and  on  Saturday  sent  in  his  veto 

Execution.  •'  '  ■' 

upon  the  bill  making  appropriation  for  the  improve- 
ment of  rivers  and  harbours.  Thus  is  the  country  equally  cursed 
by  what  this  man  does,  and  what  he  refuses  to  do.  Next  comes 
direct  taxation,  to  carry  on  the  Mexican  war.  This  is  worse  than 
Egyptian  bondage  :  they  take  from  us  the  straw,  and  then  scourge 
us  for  not  making  bricks. 

August  5.  —  I  went  out  yesterday  to  dine  with  Mr.  Thomas  W. 
Ludlow,  at  his  beautiful  cottage  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river, 
below  Yonkers.  Our  party  at  dinner  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  A.  Hamilton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Schuyler,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


1846.]  THE   DIARY   OP^   PHILIP   HONE.  283 

Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Mrs.  Boggs,  Mrs.  Storrow,  Mr.  Bowdoin,  Mr. 
Alexander  Hamilton,  Mr.  Lewis  Morris,  Mr.  Stewart  Brown. 

August  12.  —  Congress  adjourned  on  Monday  night, 
journmen     ^fj-gj.  ^  session  of  nearly  eis^ht  months  ;  the  most  cor- 

of  Congress.  -'        ^  ' 

rupt,  profligate,  and  disastrous  the  United  States  have 
ever  known.  Pliant  and  subservient  to  a  wicked  administration, 
the  Constitution  has  been  violated,  the  industry  and  enterprise  of 
the  people  have  been  sacrificed  to  foreign  influences,  the  currency 
disturbed,  commerce  deprived  of  its  customary  facilities,  the  coun- 
try plunged  into  an  unjust,  unnecessary,  and  expensive  war,  and 
national  honour,  honesty,  and  good  faith  made  the  sport  of  party 
dictation  and  executive  power. 

The  pestilence  is  stayed  for  a  brief  period ;  but  its  victims  lie 
unburied  in  the  sight  of  the  survivors,  or  linger  on  paralyzed  and 
mutilated.  The  storm  is  abated ;  but  its  ravages  will  long  be  seen 
in  the  shattered  ruins  of  domestic  industry.  The  dark  clouds 
which  have  overshadowed  the  land,  late  so  happy  and  prosper- 
ous, are  dispersed ;  but  no  star  of  hope  is  left  to  cheer  the  pros- 
pects of  the  future. 

In  the  midst  of  this  moral  and  political  desolation  Providence 
has  not  abandoned  us  to  the  extremity  of  fate  which  we  have  so 
well  deserved.  The  glorious  Whig  phalanx  in  the  Senate,  erect  as 
the  cedars  of  Libanus,  true  as  the  tables  of  stone,  and  firm  as  the 
sacred  mountain  on  which  their  holy  precepts  were  promulgated, 
have  succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  a  portion  of  their  political  opponents 
whose  immediate  sectional  interests,  happily  for  the  cause  of 
humanity  and  religion,  were  on  this  occasion  identical  with  theirs, 
in  averting  one  of  the  calamities  which  threatened  the  country. 
We  are  at  peace  with  England,  —  thanks  to  Webster  and  Calhoun, 
Evans  and  Benton,  Crittenden  and  Heywood,  and  the  noble  host 
who  united  to  save  their  country  from  a  war,  "  the  cost  of  which," 
to  both  countries,  as  Sir  Robert  Peel  says,  "  every  day,  every  hour, 
would  have  been  more  than  the  whole  value  of  the  subject  in  con- 
troversy." 


284  THE    DIARY   OP^    PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  66. 

August    13.  —  I  passed  a    short    time  yesterday  at 
A  Tall  Trio,     the  Astor  House,  with  three  pretty  considerable  men  : 

Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts ;  John  J.  Crittenden, 
of  Kentucky  ;  and  George  Evans,  of  Maine.  If  three  others  equal 
to  them  can  be  collected  together  in  this  country,  then  we  are 
richer  than  I  thought.  Three  more  such  men  would  save  our 
political  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  —  great,  not  only  here  ;  I  doubt  if 
any  political  combination  could  be  made  in  Europe  superior  to  it. 
Webster,  Crittenden,  Evans;  Polk,  Dallas,  Walker,  —  imagine 
these  men  to  have  changed  positions  during  the  year.  I  dare  not 
think  of  it.  Peace,  happiness,  prosperity,  on  one  side  ;  war,  em- 
barrassment, despair,  on  the  other.     God  help  us  ! 

SEFrEMBP:R     10.  —  Mr.    Stewart's    splendid    edifice 
Extravagance,  erected  on  the  site  of  Washington  Hall,  in  Broadway, 

between  Chambers  and  Reade  streets,  is  nearly  fin- 
ished, and  his  stock  of  dry  goods  will  be  exhibited  on  the 
shelves  in  a  few  days.  There  is  nothing  in  Paris  or  London 
to  compare  with  this  dry-goods  palace.  My  attention  was  at- 
tracted, in  passing  this  morning,  to  a  most  extraordinary,  and  I 
think  useless,  piece  of  extravagance.  Several  of  the  windows  on 
the  first  floor,  nearly  level  with  the  street,  are  formed  of  plate- 
glass,  six  feet  by  eleven,  which  must  have  cost  four  or  five 
hundred  dollars  each,  and  may  be  shivered  by  a  boy's  marble 
or  a  snow-ball  as  effectually  as  by  a  four-pound  shot ;  and  I 
am  greatly  mistaken  if  there  are  not  persons  (one  is  enough) 
in  this  heterogeneous  mass  of  population  influenced  by  jealousy, 
malice,  or  other  instigation  of  the  devil,  bad  enough  to  do  such 
a  deed  of  mischief. 

Seffember  19.  —  Died  on  Thursday  last,  Mr.  James  Swords, 
aged  eighty- two  years,  the  surviving  partner  of  Thomas  and  James 
Swords,  the  oldest  booksellers,  publishers,  and  stationers  in  New 
York.  They  published  the  first  monthly  magazine.  The  first 
article  of  my  writing  which  came  up  in  the  dignity  of  types 
astonished  the  world  in  the  pages  of  this  periodical. 


1846.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  285 

September  26.  —  Strange  and  wonderful  discovery, 
agne  ic         ^vhich  has  made  the    "swift-winced  li^htnin"^ "  man's 

Telegraph.  o  o  o 

messenger,  annihilated  all  space,  and  tied  the  two  ends 
of  a  continent  in  a  knot  !  The  whole  extent  of  this  newly  dis- 
covered phenomenon  was  never  made  so  apparent  to  me  as  on 
the  day  of  the  meeting  of  the  convention  ;  during  the  hour  of  ad- 
journment to  dinner  a  message  was  sent  by  the  telegraph  to  Mr. 
Fillmore,  at  Buffalo.  The  answer  came  immediately,  that  "  Mr. 
Fillmore  was  not  in  his  ofifice,  and  could  not  be  found."  Soon 
after,  another  communication  was  received,  authorizing  the  with- 
drawal of  his  name,  and  expressing  his  satisfaction  at  Mr.  Young's 
nomination.  This  was  handed  to  me  on  my  taking  the  chair,  and 
had  travelled  four  hundred  and  seventy  miles  during  our  short 
recess  of  an  hour. 

October  19.  —  I  heard  to-day,  for  the  first  time. 
Compliment,  of  SL  compHmcnt  which  has  been  made  to  me,  which 
touched  my  feelings  very  sensibly,  and  for  which  I 
cannot  be  sufficiently  grateful.  Twenty  gentlemen  of  New  York 
sent  out  ^500  to  Italy  to  procure  my  bust,  which  was  begun 
by  Clevenger,"  and  finished,  I  believe,  by  Powers.  It  has  arrived, 
and  has  been  presented  to  the  Clinton  Hall  ^Association,  where 
it  is  intended  to  be  placed  in  the  lecture-room.  This  most 
acceptable  manifestation  of  the  regard  of  my  fellow-citizens  is 
rendered  more  grateful  to  my  feelings  by  its  location  in  the  hall 
of  an  institution  with  which  it  has  been  my  pride  to  have  been 
identified  since  its  creation,  and  of  which  I  have  been  for  so 
many  years  the  presiding  officer.  I  do  not  pretend  that  I  am 
not  susceptible  to  flattery,  perhaps  vain  ;  but  there  was  a  delicacy 
about  this  matter,  in  the  keeping  of  it  so  profound  a  secret,  and 
in  the  kind  expressions  of  personal  regard  which  accompanied  the 
act,  that  I  shall  not  very  soon  forget. 

October  26.  —  My  old  friend,  Mr.  Abraham  Ogden,  president 
of  the  Orient  Insurance  Company,  has  sunk  at  last  under  the 
effects  of  a  long  and  painful  indisposition.     He  died  on  Saturday, 


286  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  66. 

in  his  seventy- second  year.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school ;  honest,  intelligent,  and  amiable ;  an  affectionate  husband 
and  father,  an  upright  merchant,  a  true  friend,  and  a  valuable 
citizen.  These  are  the  qualities  which  ornament  human  nature 
during  a  man's  lifetime,  and  after  death  endear  his  memory  to  his 
friends ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  do  not  always  lead  to  wealth  nor 
personal  popularity. 

October  27.  —  I  witnessed  this  morning,  from  the 
^  ^     ^""^        steps  of  Clinton  Hall,  a  scene  which  is  calculated  to 

Case.  '■  ' 

cause  alarm  as  to  future  collisions  between  the  citizens 
of  this  country,  —  a  trifling  incident  in  the  appalling  drama  which 
we  shall  be  called  to  witness,  and  perhaps  bear  a  part  in,  during 
the  course  of  not  many  years.  A  negro  boy,  named  George  Kirk, 
a  slave  from  Georgia,  secreted  himself  in  a  vessel  commanded  by 
Captain  Buckley,  and  was  brought  to  New  York.  Here  he  was  ar- 
rested and  confined,  at  the  instance  of  the  captain,  who  is  subjected 
to  severe  penalties  for  the  abduction  of  the  slave.  The  claim  of 
the  master  to  have  the  fugitive  sent  back  to  Georgia  was  tried 
before  Judge  Edwards ;  N.  B.  Blunt  appearing  for  the  captain,  and 
Mr.  John  Jay  and  J.  L.  White  for  the  slave. 

The  judge's  decision  set  the  boy  free,  for  want  of  evidence 
to  prove  his  identity ;  and  such  a  mob,  of  all  colours,  from  dirty 
white  to  shining  black,  came  rushing  down  Nassau  and  into 
Beekman  street  as  made  peaceable  people  shrink  into  places  of 
security.  Such  shouting  and  jostling,  such  peals  of  negro 
triumph,  such  uncovering  of  woolly  heads  in  raising  the  greasy 
hats  to  give  effect  to  the  loud  huzzas  of  the  sons  of  Africa, 
seemed  almost  to  "  fright  the  neighbourhood  from  its  propriety." 
A  carriage  was  brought  to  convey  the  hero  of  the  day  from  his 
place  of  concealment,  but  it  went  away  without  him.  This  is 
all  very  pretty ;  but  how  will  it  end  ?  How  long  will  the  North 
and  the  South  remain  a  united  people?  Different  interests 
must  provoke  unkind  feelings,  and  charity,  patriotism,  and  mutual 
forbearance    on    the    part    of  reasonable   men  on  both  sides  will 


1846.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  287 

prove    ere   long    insufficient    to    preserve    the  bonds   of  national 
brotherhood. 

Since  writing  the  above,  I  am  informed  that  a  process  has  been 
issued  by  the  Mayor,  on  the  application  of  an  agent  of  the  master, 
and  the  boy,  found  secreted  in  a  box  in  which  he  was  being  con- 
veyed by  his  friends  from  the  place  of  his  concealment,  was  taken 
back  by  the  officers  and  reincarcerated  in  his  old  quarters  in  the 
Tombs ;  so  the  whole  business,  with  its  attendant  excitement,  must 
be  gone  over  again. 

November  ii.  —  Died  in  Washington,  yesterday.  Commodore 
John  B.  Nicholson,  of  the  United  States  navy,  in  the  sixty-third 
year  of  his  age.  Captain  Jack,  as  his  friends  called  him,  with 
whom  he  was  always  a  favourite,  entered  the  navy  as  a  midshipman, 
in  1805,  on  board  the  brig  "  Hornet,"  then  under  the  command  of 
my  old  friend,  the  late  Captain  Chauncey.  He  fought  as  lieutenant 
at  the  capture  of  the  "  Macedonian,"  and  was  first  lieutenant  of 
the  "  Peacock  "  in  her  brilliant  engagement  with  "  L'Epervier," 
which  vessel  he  brought  into  port  a  prize.  He  has  held  important 
and  honourable  appointments.  He  was  commander  of  the  Medi- 
terranean squadron,  and  more  recently  has  been  stationed  at  the 
navy  yard  at  Charlestown,  near  Boston,  where  he  exercised  a  liberal 
hospitality,  alike  creditable  to  the  service  and  himself,  of  which 
I  have  been  the  recipient.  Adieu,  thou  good  fellow  and  honest 
sailor  !  How  often  have  thy  legs  and  mine  been  placed  under 
the  same  mahogany  ! 

November  24.  —  The  honourable  John  Quincy  Adams 
Ad'^  "^^  ^^^^  stricken  by  paralysis  on  Thursday  last,  whilst  walk- 
ing from  his  son's  house  in  Boston.  The  last  accounts 
state  that  he  had  partially  recovered,  his  consciousness  having  re- 
turned and  his  speech  being  restored.  Hopes  are  even  expressed 
that  he  may  be  able  to  go  on  to  his  family,  who  are  in  Washington, 
and  resume  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  This  is  "  a 
consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished."  The  country  cannot  afford 
to  lose  such  a  man.    With  all  his  eccentricities,  prejudices,  and  want 


288  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  66. 

of  tact,  we  have  not  his  equal  in  this  country  for  the  most 
minute  information  on  all  subjects,  technical,  statistical,  ar- 
tistical,  historical,  and  (lii)lomatical.  No  man  knows  so  much, 
nor  so  accurately.  He  has  probed  deeply  into  the  arcana  of 
all  the  sciences,  understands  and  can  exjjlain  all  subjects,  from 
the  solar  system  down  to  the  construction  of  a  tooth- pick. 
He  has  the  Holy  Scriptures  at  his  fingers'  ends,  knows  every 
line  of  Shakespeare,  can  recite  Homer  in  the  original  Greek ; 
could  name,  if  he  had  a  mind  to  do  it,  the  author  of  "Junius," 
and  knows  all  about  Jack  the  Giant  Killer.  He  speaks  on  all 
subjects,  overthrows  his  opponents,  and  bothers  his  friends ;  and, 
in  short,  does  more  work  than  any  day-labourer,  and  this,  too, 
under  some  physical  disabilities.  He  is  so  nervous  that  his 
pen  has  to  be  tied  to  his  fingers.  This  prodigious  amount 
of  labour  is  accomplished  by  early  rising,  exact  method,  and 
the    most    untiring    industry. 

But  Mr.  Adams  cannot  last  forever.  He  is  eighty  years  of  age, 
and  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared  that  the  warning  voice  has  come  to 
him  in  this  recent  visitation.  AVhat  a  pity  it  is  that  on  his  decease 
he  cannot  leave  his  knowledge  behind  him  ;  it  would,  indeed,  be  a 
rich  inheritance. 

November  25.  —  Accounts  from  Washington,  received  last  night 
by  telegraph,  state  that  General  Scott  left  the  city  yesterday  to  take 
the  command  of  the  army  in  Mexico,  and  to  conduct  a  meditated 
attack  upon  Tampico.  If  he  has  a  chance,  he  will  sustain  his  high 
character  for  personal  bravery  and  military  talents,  and  his  "  hasty 
plate  of  soup  "  may  possibly  be  overlooked,  by  the  severe  critics 
who  constitute  the  ''  American  people,"  in  the  glory  of  a  successful 
Mexican  campaign.  Worth  has  completely  recovered  from  the 
effect  of  one  bad  step ;  and  I  trust  that  Winfield  Scott  will 
prove  that  he  is  not  the  man  to  be  laid  aside,  and  all  his 
former  services  forgotten,  for  one  or  two  ill-judged  expressions 
in  the  course  of  a  correspondence  in  which  he  displayed  more 
truth  than  tact. 


1846.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  289 

November  26.  —  This    is    a    day   set    apart    by    the 
an  -sg-iving  authorities    of  the    State,    and    the    rea^iilations  of  the 

Day.  ° 

Episcopal  Church,  to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving to  Ahiiighty  God  for  the  blessings  we  enjoy  as  a  community, 
and  as  individuals  for  our  share  of  the  bounties  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence. It  is  an  interesting  occasion.  The  incense  of  adoration, 
praise,  and  thanksgiving  ascend  from  the  altars  of  sixteen  of  the 
States  forming  this  Union ;  a  simultaneous  abstinence  from  their 
usual  occupations  is  observed,  with  more  or  less  of  the  sincerity  of 
devotion,  by  millions  of  rational  and  responsible  creatures ;  the 
Author  of  all  good  is  acknowledged,  at  least  in  form,  in  every  place 
of  worship,  from  the  solemn,  magnificent  cathedral,  down  to  the 
modest,  unassuming  village  church,  whose  devotion  swells  not  into 
notes  so  loud  and  sonorous,  but  proceeds  from  hearts  equally 
sincere. 

I  went  with  my  family  to  St.  John's,  where  our  good  Doctor 
Wainwright  gave  us  an  excellent  Thanksgiving  sermon.  He  enu- 
merated the  great  national  blessings  we  enjoy,  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  the  abundance  of  all  things  necessary  for  the  subsistence 
and  comfort  of  man,  our  exemption  from  internal  commotions,  and 
our  preservation  from  pestilence  and  other  evils.  He  also  depre- 
cated the  war  in  which  we  are  engaged,  and  the  consequent  shed- 
ding of  the  blood  of  the  brave  men  who  are  engaged  in  it,  and 
urged  that  our  prayers,  as  patriots,  for  the  success  of  our  arms 
should  be  accompanied  by  supplications  for  a  return  of  peace. 
This  is  all  very  well ;  the  reverend  gentleman  could  say  no  more. 
But  it  occurred  to  me  that,  next  to  the  favour  of  the  God  of  peace, 
to  avert  this  calamity,  the  exertions  of  all  good  men  and  sincere 
Christians  should  be  employed  to  remove  from  office  the  men  who 
have  brought  upon  us  this  unjust  and  unrighteous  war,  —  this  war  of 
usurpation  and  aggression,  unsanctioned  by  the  Constitution  and  at 
variance  with  the  moral  sense  of  the  people. 

November  30.  —  My  venerable  friend.  Chancellor  Kent,  who  has 
for  a  long  time  declined  dinner  invitations,  honoured  us  by  becom- 


290  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  66. 

ing  one  of  our  guests  on  Saturday,  and  another  equally  venerable 
octogenarian,  Judge  Spencer,  graced  my  board.  It  was  a  bright 
day  of  joyous  hilarity  and  intellectual  enjoyment,  as  it  could  not 
fail  to  be  with  the  following  party :  Judge  Spencer,  Chancellor 
Kent,  David  B.  Ogden,  George  Curtis,  Luther  Bradish,  Rev.  Dr. 
Wainwright,  Henry  Brevoort,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M.  Blatchford, 
Charles  H.  Russell.  The  Chancellor  was  very  agreeable  until  news 
was  brought  of  his  son's  arrival,  when  he  started  off  with  his  usual 
rapidity,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

December   15.  —  The  better  soi't  have  been  regaled, 

fvkies"^    ^^  ^^  ^^^^'  ^y  ^  grand  wedding.     Mr.  John  J.  Astor,  son 

of  Mr.   William  B.  Astor,   and   grandson   of  Mr.  John 

Jacob  Astor,  married  Miss  Augusta  Gibbes,  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas 

L.  Gibbes. 

The  wedding  was  attended,  at  the  house  of  her  father,  by  all  the 
fashionable  people  of  the  city.  Last  evening  my  daughter  and  son 
went  to  a  grand  party  at  Mr.  Astor's,  and  I  also  was  tempted  to 
mix  once  more  in  the  splendid  crowd  of  charming  women,  pretty 
girls,  and  well-dressed  beaux.  The  spacious  mansion  in  Lafayette 
place  was  open  from  cellar  to  garret,  blazing  with  a  thousand  lights. 
The  crowd  was  excessive ;  the  ladies  (such  part  of  their  exquisite 
forms  as  could  be  distinguished  in  the  melee)  elegantly  and  taste- 
fully attired,  with  a  display  of  rich  jewelry  enough  to  pay  one  day's 
expense  of  the  ^Mexican  war. 


1847.]  THE  DIARY   OF  PHILIP  HONE.  29 1 


1847, 


TANUARY  I.  —  The  old  year  1846  is  gone,  despatched  and  not 
^  to  be  recalled.  The  good  we  have  left  undone,  which  we 
might  have  done,  is  carried  to  the  debit  side  of  our  account,  ar- 
ranged in  broad  standing  characters  alongside  of  the  lines  of  com- 
mission which  are  fairly  chargeable  to  the  account  of  delinquency. 

The  last  year  was  a  wretched  one  in  regard  to  the  political  con- 
dition of  the  country.  If,  instead  of  this  most  lame  and  impotent 
administration,  Mr.  Clay  had  been  elected  President  instead  of  Mr. 
Polk  (which  was  certainly  the  voice  of  the  American  people),  we 
should  have  been,  as  a  nation,  prosperous  beyond  all  former  ex- 
ample, with  no  annexation  of  strangers'  land  to  promote  party 
views,  no  wars  to  drain  the  best  blood  of  the  country  for  an  issue 
which  can  never  redound  to  our  honour,  nor  pay  in  any  proportion 
for  the  loss  of  blood,  treasure,  and  reputation  which  it  will  have 
cost.  The  enterprise  of  the  people  checked,  honest  industry  par- 
alyzed, and  national  pride  humiliated ;  James  K.  Polk  President  of 
the  United  States,  —  can  such  things  be  ? 

January  2. — New  Year's  presents  have  abounded 
The  Bust.  this  year.  This  is  the  Parisian  mode  of  celebrating  le 
jour  de  Van,  and  we  are  getting  into  it  very  fast.  Some 
of  the  houses  where  I  visited  yesterday  presented  the  appearance 
of  bazaars,  where  rich  presents  were  displayed,  from  the  costly 
cashmere  shawls  and  silver  tankard  to  the  toy  watch  and  child's 
rattle.  I,  too,  have  received  marks  of  kindness ;  but  that  which 
forms  the  subject  of  the  following  letter  is  the  most  acceptable  of 
all :  — 

New  York,  31st  December,  1846. 
Philip  Hone,  Esq.  :  — 

My  dear  Sir,  — To  your  inquiry  asking  who  sent  3'our  bust,  by  Clev- 

enger,  to  be  placed  in  the  rooms  of  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  I 


292  THE   DIARV    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

reply  by  attaching  hereto  the  names  of  the  persons  :  James  Brown,  Wal- 
ter R.  Jones,  Samuel  Jaudon,  John  Ward,  G.  G.  Howland,  Jonathan 
Goodhue,  M.  H.  Grinnell,  Samuel  S.  Ilowland,  John  A.  Stevens,  Robert 
B.  Minturn,  William  H.  Aspinwall,  Henry  Grinnell,  Edward  Prime, 
Robert  Ray,  George  Curtis,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Spofford  &  Tileston, 
John  Haggerty,  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Thomas  W.  Ludlow,  J.  Prescott  Hall, 
William  B.  Astor,  James  G.  King. 

High  and  constant  as  are  the  respect  and  attachment  of  all  these 
friends  to  you  personally,  they  had  a  higher  and  more  abiding  motive  in 
this  act.  They  knew  that  your  long  career  of  uprightness  as  a  member 
of  the  mercantile  community  had  been  crowned  in  the  decline  of  life  by 
your  having  voluntarily,  and  from  the  highest  considerations  of  honour 
and  good  faith,  assumed  obligations  in  behalf  of  some  relatives,  and  by 
your  having  been  obliged  to  sacrifice  a  large  portion  of  your  property,  by 
sales  in  adverse  times,  to  meet  those  obligations  with  your  wonted 
punctuality.  To  mark  this  signal  instance  of  self-denial  and  integrity 
some  of  your  fellow-merchants  and  friends  felt  that  an  appropriate  tes- 
timonial was  due,  and  that  no  more  fitting  opportunity  could  have 
occurred  than  the  accidental  meeting  with  this  bust  by  so  distinguished 
an  American  artist  as  Clevenger,  and  that  no  more  suitable  place  for 
depositing  it  could  have  been  selected  than  that  where  the  well-known 
features  of  their  old  friend  and  president  will  derive  an  additional  value 
in  the  eyes  of  the  commercial  clerks,  from  the  example  which  you  have 
set  to  them,  the  future  merchants  of  Nezv  York,  and  from  this  acknowl- 
edgment of  it,  which  we  have  thus  endeavoured  to  render  perpetual. 

I  remain,  etc., 

JAMES  G.   KING. 

January  20. —  Peter  R.  Livingston  died  yesterday,  at  his  resi- 
dence, Rhinebeck,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He  was  originally  a 
Democrat  of  great  powers,  and  played  an  important  part  in 
wresting  the  political  administration  of  the  State  from  the  hands 
of  the  Federalists ;  an  eloquent  declaimer  at  public  meetings ;  a 
demagogue  of  the  highest  class.  Few  could  oppose  him  with 
success.  As  in  religion,  so  it  is  in  politics  :  the  first-fruits  of  men's 
lives  are  given  to  the  propagation  and  support  of  disorganizing 
principles,  and  when  they  become  old  they  turn  to  better  prin- 
ciples, and  exert  themselves  to  eradicate  the  seed  which  they 
assisted  in   sowing.     Mr.   Livingston,  at  the  close  of  his  life,  was  a 


1847-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  293 

leading  Whig,  and  even  when  broken  down  by  physical  infirmity, 
the  bright  Hght  of  early  eloquence  broke  occasionally  through  the 
shadows  of  superannuated  debility.  In  early  life  he  went  out 
with  his  relative,  Chancellor  Livingston,  as  Secretary  of  the  Lega- 
tion, to  France,  where  the  excesses  of  that  capital  left  him  a 
trembling  martyr  to  dissipation  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Thus, 
with  bodily  powers  broken  down,  but  unimpaired  powers  of  mind, 
he  lingered  out  his  life  to  fourscore  years.  He  has  held  many  im- 
portant offices  under  Democratic  administrations,  —  State  senator 
and  member  of  the  Council  of  Appointment,  elector  of  Presi- 
dent, member  of  Congress,  etc.  I  have  played  many  a  game  of 
whist  with  him,  and  whilst  his  tremulous  hand  was  incapable  of 
dealing  the  cards,  he  never  failed  to  make  the  most  of  them. 

January  28.  —  My  children  called  to  take  Mr.  Rus- 
^^  "^  sell  and  me  from  Mr.  vSpofford's  dinner  to  a  party  at 
Mrs.  Robert  Ray's,  away  up  at  the  corner  of  28th 
street  and  the  Ninth  avenue.  The  house  is  one  of  those  palaces 
which  have  lately  sprung  up  in  places  where  a  few  years  since 
cattle  grazed,  and  orchards  dropped  their  ripened  fruits.  This 
magnificent  abode  of  costly  luxury,  now  the  /own  residence  of  my 
good  friend  Mr.  Ray,  stands  on  the  very  spot  where  his  father's 
garden,  away  <?///  0/  town,  flourished  long  since  my  hair  turned 
gray.  This  was  the  party  of  the  season.  Every  luxury  was  sup- 
plied in  abundance,  and  with  good  taste,  to  all  the  elegant  women 
and  fashionable  gentlemen  about  town ;  every  room  was  filled, 
and  even  I  (somewhat  antiquated,  and  not  much  given  of  late  to 
party-going)  partook  largely  of  the  general  enjoyment  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ray's  first  party  in  their  new  house  in  Fitz-i'ay  place. 

January  29. — Our  good  city  of  New  York  has 
^,  ^"^  °  already  arrived  at  the   state  of  society  to  be  found  in 

Society.  ■'  ■' 

the  large  cities  of  Europe  ;  overburdened  with  popu- 
lation, and  where  the  two  extremes  of  costly  luxury  in  living, 
expensive  establishments,  and  improvident  waste  are  presented  in 
daily  and   hourly  contrast  with  squalid   misery   and  liopeless   des- 


294  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLlP    HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

titution.  This  state  of  things  has  been  hastened  in  our  case  by 
the  constant  stream  of  ICuropean  paupers  arriving  upon  the  shores 
of  this  land  of  promise.  Alas  !  how  often  does  it  prove  to  the 
deluded  emigrant  a-  land  of  broken  promise  and  blasted  hope  ! 
If  we  had  none  but  our  own  poor  to  take  care  of,  we  should  get 
along  tolerably  well ;  we  could  find  employment  for  them,  and 
individual  charity,  aiding  the  public  institutions,  m'ght  save  us 
from  the  sights  of  woe  with  wliich  we  are  assailed  in  the  streets, 
and  the  pressing  applications  which  beset  us  in  the  retirement  of 
our  own  houses.  Nineteen  out  of  twenty  of  these  mendicants 
are  foreigners  cast  upon  our  shores,  indigent  and  helpless,  having 
expended  the  last  shilling  in  paying  their  passage- money,  deceived 
by  the  misrepresentations  of  unscrupulous  agents,  and  left  to 
star\^e  amongst  strangers,  who,  finding  it  impossible  to  extend 
relief  to  all,  are  deterred  from  assisting  any.  These  reflections 
upon  the  extremes  of  lavish  expenditure  and  absolute  destitution 
are  forced  upon  me  by  my  own  recent  experience,  I  partook 
yesterday  of  a  most  expensive  dinner,  where  every  article  of 
costly  food  which  the  market  affords  was  spread  before  the  guests, 
and  fine  wines  drunk  in  abundance,  some  of  which  might  command 
eight  or  ten  dollars  a  bottle ;  and  from  this  scene  of  expensive 
hospitality  I  was  conveyed  to  another  more  splendid  and 
expensive  entertainment,  where  the  sparkling  of  diamonds,  the 
reflection  of  splendid  mirrors,  the  lustre  of  silks  and  satins,  and 
the  rich  gilding  of  tasteful  furniture  were  flashed,  by  the  aid  of 
innumerable  lights,  upon  the  dazzled  eyes  of  a  thousand  guests. 
Now  this  is  all  right  enough ;  in  both  these  cases  our  entertainers 
could  well  afford  the  expense  which  attended  the  display  of 
their  hospitality,  nor  is  it  within  the  scope  of  the  most  remote 
probability  that  the  money  of  any  others  than  themselves  can  be 
involved  in  the  outlay  of  their  entertainments. 

It  may  be  painful  to  reflect  how  far  the  cost  of  a  single  bottle  of 
Mr.  Spofford's  wine  or  one  of  ?^Ir.  Ray's  pates  de  foie  gras  might 
contribute  to  alleviate  the  distress  of  those  miserable  objects  who 


i847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  295 

stretch  out  the  attenuated  arms  of  wasted  poverty,  or  display  the 
haggard  countenance  of  infantile  deprivation,  or  the  tattered  habili- 
ments incapable  of  resisting  the  inclemency  of  the  winter's  cold. 
These  gentlemen  are  liberal  and  charitable,  and  no  doubt  do  their 
part  in  almsgiving ;  but  they  have  other  duties  to  perform.  The 
city  demands  that  their  riches  shall  contribute  to  maintain  its 
character  for  hospitality,  and  they  can  no  more  avert  the  evils 
which  are  inevitable  in  such  a  state  of  society  as  exists  in  our  city 
than  they  can  arrest  the  pestilence,  present  a  barrier  to  the  ravages 
of  the  flood,  or  extinguish  the  destroying  flame.  The  accounts  of 
the  sufferings  of  the  poor  wretches  who  were  brought  up  from  the 
ship  "Garrick"  make  me  feel  almost  guilty  in  my  participation  in 
the  luxuries  of  yesterday's  entertainment ;  we  are  told  that  twelve 
of  the  number  died  on  the  passage,  and  several  since  the  vessel 
went  ashore^  and  those  who  were  landed  here  are  perfectly  destitute, 
—  no  clothes,  no  friends,  no  object  in  view.  They  fled  from  star- 
vation at  home  to  starve  here,  or  be  relieved  by  public  or  indi- 
vidual charity.  I  may  philosophize  on  this  subject  forever,  and 
feel  a  little  bad  about  it  sometimes ;  but,  after  all,  I  am  incHned 
to  think  that-  whenever  Mr.  Spofford  or  Mr.  Ray  invites  me 
again   I    shall    go. 

This  nutritious  grain,  food  for  man  and  fodder  for 
Indian  Corn,  evcry  edible  animal,  is  the  great  social  momentum  of 
the  present  day.  The  quantity  raised  in  this  country 
is  so  great  as  to  be  with  difficulty  expressed  by  figures ;  and  now 
that  famine  presents  its  horrid  features  to  the  distressed  poor  of 
Europe,  we  supply  them  with  excellent  food,  after  having  taught 
them  how  to  eat  it  and  to  like  it  as  we  do. 

I  witnessed  on  Thursday  one  of  the  triumphs  of  this  great  Amer- 
ican staple  production.  A  procession  of  twenty  or  thirty  carts,  the 
forward  one  being  drawn  by  six  white  horses  and  decorated  with 
flags,  proceeded  up  Broadway  to  the  grunting  of  martial  music, 
each  cart  loaded  with  four  or  five  enormous  dead  hogs ;  the  whole 
number  was  106  hogs,  weighing  40,262  pounds,  an  average  of  380 


296  THE   DIARY   OF   THILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.67. 

pounds.  These  overgrowTi  animals  were  raised  by  five  farmers  of 
Burlington  county,  New  Jersey,  and  sold  to  a  pork-dealer  here. 
They  were  nearly  uniform  in  size,  with  short  duck  legs,  like  Grant 
Thorburn's ;  little,  twinkling  eyes  peeping  out  between  two  moun- 
tains of  fat,  like  pins  upon  a  pin- cushion ;  and  hams  as  round  as  a 
full  moon  and  luscious  as  a  turtle's  calipash.  There  was  Indian 
corn  written  in  legible  characters  upon  their  jolly  features,  and 
shining  on  their  swelling  sides ;  dead  though  they  were,  they  had, 
out  of  benevolence  to  mankind,  laid  down  their  characters  as 
swine  to  assume  that  of  pork  ;  every  spare- rib  and  every  link  of 
sausage,  as  well  as  the  more  important  parts  of  these  children  of 
Ham,  will  sing  the  praises  of  Indian  corn. 

February  3.  —  Dr.  Johnson  says  somewhere,  "Who 

A  Dangerous 

Auxiliary.  ^'"^^^  ^^'^^  ''^^'^^  succour  from  Bacchus  was  able  to  pre- 
serve himself  from  being  enslaved  by  his  auxiliary?" 
I  am  reminded  of  a  case  in  point,  but  not  attended  with  the  bad 
consequences  imagined  by  the  great  moral  essayist.  Dining  many 
years  ago  with  my  lamented  friend.  Commodore  Chauncey,  at  the 
navy  yard,  I  remarked  to  the  distinguished  statesman,  Mr.  Webster, 
who  graced  our  party,  "  My  dear  sir,  I  observe  that  you  are  not 
altogether  indifferent  to  the  virtues  of  a  glass  of  good  wine."  —  "  By 
no  means,"  he  replied,  "and  I  will  tell  you  how  it  came  about. 
When  I  began  to  practise  law  in  Massachusetts  I  was  honoured 
by  the  notice  and  friendship  of  Christopher  Gore,  who  frequently 
invited  me  to  his  house.  On  one  occasion,  seeing  me  look  pale 
and  feeble,  from  the  effects  of  study  and  hard  work,  he  kindly 
inquired  how  I  lived.  I  told  him  I  fored  rather  poorly  at  my 
humble  lodgings,  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  So  and  So ;  that  I  ate  corned 
beef  and  cabbage  and  drank  water.  '  That  will  not  do,'  said  Mr. 
Gore  ;  '  you  must  drink  a  glass  of  good  wine  occasionally,  and  eat  an 
apple  after  dinner  to  promote  digestion.'  — '  But,'  said  I,  ^  I  cannot 
afford  to  drink  wine.'  — '  I  will  take  care  of  that,'  said  my  liberal 
friend  ;  and  from  that  time  I  received  occasional  presents  of  fine 
old  wine  from  his  well-supplied  garret.     Well,  sir,  it  did  me  great 


1847.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  297 

good.  I  recovered  my  health,  and  was  enabled  to  pursue  my 
studies  and  perform  my  task  with  renewed  ardour.  But,  alas  !  like 
a  beleaguered  city  which  is  compelled  to  call  in  the  aid  of  aux- 
iliary forces,  I  repulsed  the  enemy;  but,  the  auxiliaries  having 
established  themselves  in  the  citadel,  I  have  never  been  able  to 
dispossess  them." 

February  8.  —  Died  yesterday,  Mr.  James  Roosevelt,  in  the 
eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age ;  a  highly  respectable  gentleman  of 
the  old  school,  son  of  Isaac  Roosevelt,  the  first  president  of  the 
first  bank  in  New  York,  at  a  time  when  the  president  and  directors 
of  a  bank  were  other  sort  of  people  from  those  of  the  present  day. 
Proud  and  aristocratical,  they  were  the  only  nobility  we  had  (now 
we  have  none)  ;  powerful  in  the  controlling  influence  they  possessed 
over  the  commercial  operations  of  the  city,  men  could  not  stand 
straight  in  their  presence ;  and  woe  to  them  who  bowed  not  down 
to  the  representatives  of  a  few  bags  of  gold  and  silver,  the  potential 
dispensers  of  bank  favours.  Chancellor  Kent  told  me  last  evening 
that  he  and  Mr.  Roosevelt  were  in  college  together,  and  both 
studied  law  in  Judge  Benson's  office. 

February   12. — There  is  a  great  movement  in  be- 
theidsh  ^^^^^  °^  ^^^    suffering    people    of   Ireland.     A  meeting 

preliminary  to  more  important  movements  was  held  this 
day  in  Prime's  building,  in  Wall  street,  which  was  well  attended 
by  the  right  sort  of  folks.  Mr.  Van  Schaick  presided ;  nine  thou  - 
sand  dollars  were  subscribed  by  those  present,  and  measures  were 
taken  to  collect  the  fund  required  to  freight  a  vessel  with  a  cargo 
of  bread-stuffs  and  other  provisions  and  send  her  to  Cork  or  some 
other  port  in  Ireland.  A  call  was  made  on  the  clergy  to  receive 
contributions  in  the  several  churches,  and  notice  given  of  a  general 
meeting  to  be  held  on  Monday  evening  at  the  Tabernacle.  This  is 
a  good  feeling  and  prompt  action  on  this  interesting  subject. 

In  connection  with  the  above  remarks  I  must  record  a  circum- 
stance which  occurred  yesterday  at  the  club  dinner  at  Ward's,  hon- 
ourable to  the  parties  concerned.     Mr.  Wetmore  stated  that  he  had 


298  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [^tat.  67. 

lost  to  Mr.  Grinnell  a  bet  of  two  dinners  for  the  company ;  that  the 
illness  of  his  wife  prevented  him  from  giving  these  dinners  at  his 
own  house,  and  proposed,  instead  thereof  (if  Grinnell  and  the  com- 
pany approved),  to  commute  the  claim  by  handing  over  to  me  the 
sum  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  which  was  estimated  to 
cover  the  expense  of  two  such  entertainments,  with  fine  wines ;  this 
sum  to  be  appropriated,  in  such  a  way  as  I  might  judge  best,  for 
the  relief  of  the  suffering  Irish.  This  liberal  offer  was,  of  course, 
agreed  to,  and  I  received  this  morning  Mr.  Wetmore's  check  for 
the  amount,  which  I  handed  to  the  relief  committee.  Hereby  we 
dispense  with  two  sumptuous  dinners  (for  which  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  of  us  would  have  been  the  better),  and  the  means  are  furnished 
to  add  fifty  barrels  of  wheat  flour,  or  the  value  in  other  provisions, 
to  the  contributions  of  our  citizens  for  saving  hundreds  of  our  suf- 
fering brethren  in  Ireland  from  starvation.  I  must  add  that  the 
generous  donor  of  this  gift  stipulated  that  this  should  be  independent 
of  any  donation  he  might  think  proper  to  make  otherwise  for  the 
same  object,  and  on  my  calling  this  morning  at  the  office  of  the 
committee  I  found  his  name  as  a  subscriber  for  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. Mr.  Wetmore  is  a  very  rich  man,  and  liberal  in  proportion  to 
his  means.  May  the  God  of  mercy  and  goodness  prosper  his 
riches,  and  continue  his  ability  and  inclination  to  make  a  good 
use  of  them  ! 

February  16. — There  was  a  great  meeting  last  evening  at  the 
Tabernacle,  for  the  relief  of  the  famished  Irish,  called  by  the  com- 
mittee. Myndert  Van  Schaick  presided,  with  a  host  of  vice-presi- 
dents, of  which  I  was  one.  Speeches  were  made  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Wainwright,  Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  George  Griffin,  Charles  King,  and 
Barnabas  Bates.  The  large  building  was  filled  with  a  respectable 
male  audience,  and  an  exceedingly  good  feeling  was  evinced. 

In   the    House    of    Representatives,  yesterday,    the 
mpor.       question  was  taken   on  the  lonaj-contested  amendment 

taut  Vote.  ^  ^ 

introduced   by  Mr.   Wilmot   to  the  bill  granting  three 
millions  of  dollars  to  our  warlike  President  for  the  purpose  of  car- 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  299 

rying  on  the  war  in  a  snug  way.  This  amendment,  which  prohibited 
the  introduction  of  slavery  into  the  newly  acquired  Territories,  was 
carried  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  to  one  hundred  and 
five.  It  is  an  important  measure,  which  may  alter  the  whole  organ- 
ization of  political  parties  in  the  country,  and  defeat  the  great 
objects  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  and  its  consequence,  the  un- 
righteous war  with  Mexico. 

An  interesting  occurrence  took  place  on  Saturday  in 
Jo  in  quincy     ^•^^  Housc  of  Representatives  ;  the  venerable  member 

from  Massachusetts,  ex-President  Adams,  made  his  first 
appearance  in  the  House  since  his  dangerous  attack  of  paralysis, 
and  resumed  his  accustomed  seat,  which  was  courteously  surren- 
dered to  him  by  its  temporary  occupant,  Mr.  Johnson.  On  his 
welcome  advent  the  members  all  arose.  He  was  addressed  by  the 
Speaker,  and  replied  with  deep  sensibility.  At  the  moment  of  his 
entrance,  the  member  who  was  addressing  the  House,  Mr.  Kent, 
suspended  his  remarks,  and,  on  resuming,  alluded  to  the  interest- 
ing event  which  had  caused  their  interruption.  This  was  a  proud 
homage  to  exalted  talents,  devoted  patriotism,  and  long  and  faithful 
public  services.  He  has,  in  the  course  of  his  legislative  career, 
crossed  the  path  of  many  of  those  who  now  joined  in  this  honour- 
able demonstration,  —  a  circumstance  most  honourable,  equally 
creditable  to  the  donors  and  grateful  to  the  recipient,  and  which 
is  well  calculated  to  soften  the  rays  of  the  intellectual  sun  which 
there  is  reason  to  fear  is  about  setting. 

February  22.  —  This  is  the  anniversary  of  the  birth 
as  ingons   ^^  ^.^^^^  wliose  name  is  indissolubly  connected  with  the 

glory  of  our  republic.  "  First  in  war,  first  in  peace, 
and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  his  name  will  grace  the 
brightest  page  of  history  as  an  example  of  disinterested  patriotism, 
unstained  honour,  and  wise  conduct. 

A  small  detachment  of  citizen  soldiers,  calling  themselves 
veterans,  are  at  this  moment  passing  my  window,  clad  in  the  old, 
quaint  uniform  of  the  Continentals,  —  long   blue  coats,  faced  and 


300  THE    DTARV    OF    PIIILTP    HONE.  [.Ktat.67. 

turned  up  with  buff,  with  three-cornered  cocked  hats  and  long 
boots ;  not  by  any  means  a  graceful  costume,  but  interesting,  as  it 
brings  to  recollection  the  days  of  the  man  honoured  by  his  coun- 
trymen and  chosen  by  his  INIaker  as  the  leader  of  the  people. 
What  would  this  man  have  said,  were  he  still  among  us,  at  the 
degradation  of  his  countrymen  in  permitting  a  chief  ruler,  the  acci- 
dental choice  of  a  reckless  faction,  to  exercise  a  power  equally 
arbitrary  and  unconstitutional ;  and  by  usurping  the  people's  rights, 
and  the  sovereignty  of  the  States  delegated  to  their  representatives 
in  Congress,  to  involve  the  nation  in  an  unjust  and  inglorious  war 
of  aggression  upon  a  neighbouring  republic,  which,  if  it  had 
strength  equal  to  its  sense  of  wrong,  would  send  back  our  forces 
dishonoured  and  discomfited.  The  blood  of  many  a  brave  and 
gallant  American  will  be  shed  in  this  contest ;  consecrated,  it  is  true, 
by  personal  bravery,  but  unhallowed  by  the  consolation  of  lamenting 
friends  and  fellow-citizens,  that  the  cause  in  which  they  fell  was  just. 

Shade  of  the  great  and  good  Washington,  look  down  upon  thy 
beloved  country,  and  warn  us  of  the  bad  effects  of  corrupt  and 
unrighteous   councils  ! 

February  25. —  Immense  shipments  of  bread-stuffs  are  made 
from  every  port  in  the  United  States ;  freights  are  enormously  high, 
—  eight  to  nine  shillings  for  a  barrel  of  flour.  The  Liverpool  packets, 
which  have  been  lately  built  of  increased  tonnage,  as  if  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  present  demand,  are  making  unprecedented  profits. 
The  new  packet-ship  "Constitution,"  belonging  to  Woodhull  & 
Minturn's  line,  sailed  yesterday  for  Liverpool,  with  the  following 
enormous  cargo  of  bread-stuffs  :  Ten  thousand  bushels  of  wheat, 
twenty-five  thousand  bushels  of  Indian  corn,  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  barrels  of  corn- meal,  one  hundred  and  sixty  boxes  of  soda 
biscuit,  four  thousand  barrels  of  flour ;  besides  which  she  has  six 
hundred  and  sixty-one  bales  of  cotton,  forty- two  boxes  of  clocks, 
and  nineteen  barrels  of  beeswax.  The  bread-stuffs  are  equal  to 
sixty-eight  thousand  bushels ;  these  will  stop  the  croaking  of  many 
an  empty  stomach. 


I847-]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  30 1 

March  i.  —  The  subscriptions  for  the  rehef  of  the 
Irish  are  kept  up  with  undiminished  spirit.  The  ReUef 
Committee  have  received  upwards  of  $50,000.  Col- 
lections were  made  yesterday  in  several  of  the  churches :  the 
amount  given  in  St.  John's  Church  was  $556;  Grace  Church  col- 
lected the  previous  Sunday  ^1,800.  The  Catholic  churches  have 
given  nobly,  and  every  denomination  of  Christians  has  assisted  lib- 
erally in  the  good  work  :  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  Methodists, 
Baptists,  and  Romanists  are  all  united  as  one  congregation  in  the 
brotherhood  of  charity. 

March  4.  —  The  twenty-ninth    Congress    ceased    to 
ongress         exist  last  uiffht.     It    should   be  a  cause  of  rejoicing  ; 

Adjourned.  '^  J  G  ^ 

for  never  was  a  nation  cursed  with  such  a  body  of  rep- 
resentatives. "  Their  works  will  follow  them,"  bad  as  they  were. 
But  how  do  we  know  that,  in  the  present  downward  tendency  of 
public  affairs,  the  next  Congress  may  not  be  equally  bad?  The 
House  of  Representatives  had  still  their  Winthrop,  Adams,  Ashmun, 
Mosely,  Grinnell,  etc.,  some  of  whom  are  reelected  to  the  next 
Congress.  But  the  great  falling  off  will  be  in  the  Senate.  Evans, 
Archer,  Berrien,  and  several  others  of  the  staunchest  Whigs  and 
ablest  senators,  close  their  labours  in  that  body  with  the  close  of  the 
session ;  some  have  been  reelected,  but  a  large  proportion  must 
make  way  for  such  as  their  Loco-foco  legislatures  may  think  proper 
to  send.  The  House  may  possibly  be  Whig,  but  the  Senate  is 
irrevocably  Loco-foco. 

The  three-million  bill  passed,  without  Wilmot's  proviso  prohibit- 
ing the  introduction  of  slavery  in  newly  acquired  Territories.  This 
proviso  prevailed  at  first  in  the  House  of  Representatives ;  but,  by 
the  force  of  party  drill,  a  majority  was  found  against  it  at  the  last 
moment,  and  this  large  appropriation  is  given  to  Mr.  Polk  with 
which  to  do  what  he  pleases.  Charles  J.  IngersoU  would  have  Mr. 
Webster  impeached  for  some  paltry  sum  of  $1,000,  unaccounted 
for  or  misapplied,  if  that  great  man  had  not  possessed  proofs  of  the 
utter  falsity  of  the  base  insinuation.     Now  this  tool  of  party  votes 


302  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

to  cast  three  millions  into  the  pool  of  executive  corruption.  And 
now  let  us  see  the  compensation  for  this  foul  act.  Polk  nominated 
this  man  on  the  last  day  of  the  session  as  Minister  to  France. 
The  nomination  was  rejected  by  the  Senate,  althougli  a  majority  of 
that  body  are  the  political  associates  of  the  nominee  ;  immediately 
after  which  the  name  of  Richard  Rush,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  sent  in 
and  confirmed.  Mr.  Rush  was  Minister  to  England  when  I  was 
first  there,  in  182 1,  and  I  have  always  been  grateful  for  his  kind 
attentions  during  my  stay  in  London.  He  is  not  a  man  of  much 
force,  but  much  better  than  we  usually  get  in  these  times  of  national 
degradation.  The  escape  of  the  country  from  the  disgrace  of 
Ingersoll's  appointment  might  reconcile  us  to  a  less  respectable 
Minister  than  Mr.  Rush. 

March  9. —  Dined  with  Judge  David  S.  Jones.     The 
'"°^'^"  party    consisted  of  the  followinsr  gentlemen,  and    the 

parties.  ^         -^  o    &  j 

dinner  was  pleasant :  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Henry  Par- 
ish, Charles  A.  Clinton,  John  A.  King,  Paul  Spofford,  William  B. 
Astor,  William  Douglass,  Henry  Brevoort,  Clement  C.  Moore,  Mr. 
Finlay,  Robert  Ray,  Thomas  Tileston,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  and  P.  H. 

March  12.  —  I  dined  at  Mr.  Astor's,  with  the  following  party, 
besides  the  host  and  hostess :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbes,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  J.  Astor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bristed.  The  two  last-named  ladies 
were  Miss  Augusta  Gibbes  and  Miss  Laura  Brevoort ;  their  husbands 
are  grandchildren  of  old  Mr.  Astor,  as  are  Miss  Astor  and  Mr. 
Walter  Langdon,  who  were  also  at  the  dinner.  Besides  these,  there 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Ludlow,  Mr.  Charles  E.  Davis,  Mr. 
Truman,  Mr.  K.  Armstrong,  Judge  David  S.  Jones,  Mr.  Cogs- 
well, and  myself. 

March    31.  — The   news    from    Mexico,  which   has 
Mexico.  been  anxiously  expected  for  the  last  two  or  three  days, 

was  brought  to-day  by  express  from  Washington.  The 
rumours  of  a  great  battle  in  Mexico  between  General  Taylor  and 
Santa  Anna  have  taken  the  form  of  authenticity.  The  conflict 
which  was  foreshadowed  was  realized,  and  a  bloody  battle  fought 


IS47-]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  303 

by  the  Mexicans  and  their  invaders  on  the  2  2d  and  23d  of  Febru- 
ary, at  a  place  called  Buena  Vista,  six  miles  west  of  Saltillo,  the 
result  of  which  extricates  the  American  forces  under  General  Taylor 
from  a  position  of  great  danger.  Five  thousand  of  our  troops 
were  surrounded  by  fifteen  thousand  Mexicans,  and  with  this  dis- 
parity of  force  Taylor  gave  battle.  The  action  was  desperate. 
The  Americans,  as  usual,  fought  with  the  utmost  bravery,  and  the 
contest  was  well  sustained  by  the  enemy.  The  carnage  was  tre- 
mendous :  four  thousand  Mexicans  are  killed  and  wounded,  by  our 
accounts  ;  but  it  is  painful  to  relate  that  the  blood  of  seven  hundred 
to  a  thousand  Americans  was  offered  up  to  the  Moloch  of  war  and 
unjust  aggressive  hostility,  of  whom  sixty-three  were  officers, — ■ 
gallant,  noble  fellows  who  fought  for  their  country,  reckless  of  life 
and  regardless  of  the  merits  of  the  controversy.  As  old  Caspar 
says,  "But  'twas  a  glorious  victory."  Who  shall  comfort  the 
afflicted  parents,  wives,  children,  and  friends  of  the  brave  men  who 
have  thus  "sacrificed  their  lives  to  honour"?  Who  shall  be  the 
first  to  convey  the  melancholy  tidings  of  his  son's  death  to  Mr. 
Clay,  whose  whole  life  has  been  employed  in  the  service  of  an 
ungrateful  people?  They  are  willing  he  should  work  for  them, 
negotiate  for  them,  and  sacrifice  his  time,  talents,  and  property  in 
their  sendee,  and  send  his  sons  to  fight  their  battles  and  die  in  their 
cause ;  but  most  ungratefully  refuse  his  just  reward,  and  bestow 
their  favour  upon  one  who  went  to  bed  one  night  a  man  no  bigger 
than  a  million  of  other  men  in  the  country,  and  rose  the  next  day 
President  of  the  United  States.  One  must  be  struck  with  the  dis- 
parity of  loss,  in  all  the  actions  of  the  present  war,  between  the 
officers  and  privates.  In  the  wars  of  Europe,  where  war  is  brought 
to  a  system  and  practised  as  a  science,  and  where  the  men  are 
formed  into  machines  to  carry  on  the  trade,  their  officers  have  only 
to  set  them  in  motion  and  keep  them  to  their  work ;  and  only  in 
extreme  cases  is  it  necessary  for  the  commanders  of  divisions, 
brigades,  and  regiments  to  put  their  lives  in  jeopardy.  The  loss  of 
one  general  or  colonel  has  a  greater  influence   upon  the  fate  of  a 


304  'illK    DIARY    OF    rillLir    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

battle  than  that  of  a  hundred  men.  Napoleon  risked  his  life  at  the 
bridge  of  Lodi  because  the  emergency  of  the  occasion  required  the 
example ;  but  he  knew  the  value  of  his  life,  and  refrained  from 
exposing  the  property  of  France.  We  have  a  different  kind  of 
warfare  to  wage.  The  troops  now  engaged  in  Mexico  are  princi- 
pally raw  recruits,  undisciplined  and  unpractised,  —  brave  enough 
in  battle,  but  governed  by  impulse  ;  they  recpiire  constantly  the 
example  of  their  officers  to  lead  them  on,  and  this  example  is  never 
withheld.  The  officers  are  a  set  of  the  most  chivalrous,  daring 
fellows  in  the  world.  Most  of  them  of  good  famihes,  they  fight  for 
glory,  and,  knowing  the  risk  attendant  upon  its  accpiirement,  never 
hesitate  to  encounter  it. 

We   had    a    pleasant    dinner-party   to-day,  given  in 
1  lam     .      j-j^j-jQ^j-    Qf   ^i-)g    accomplished    author    of  "  Ferdinand 

Prescott.  ^ 

and  Isabella  "  and  the  "  Conquest  of  Peru."  My  round 
table  was  graced  by  the  presence  of  the  following  guests  :  William 
H.  Prescott,  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  Jonathan  Meredith,  Governor 
Seward,  Francis  Granger,  Henry  Brevoort,  Clement  C.  Moore,  J. 
Prescott  Hall,  James  W.  Webb,  and  Ogden  Hoffman.  I  gave  this 
toast  in  compliment  to  the  principal  guest :  "  Mexico  and  Peru  : 
we  have  conquered  the  one,  and  intend  soon  to  turn  over  a  7iew 
leaf  \\\\\\  the  other." 

The  first  edition  of  the  "  Conquest  of  Peru,"  consisting  of  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  copies,  has  been  purchased,  at  one  dollar  a 
set,  by  the  Harpers.  Mr.  Prescott  reserves  the  copyright,  and  will, 
of  course,  receive  all  the  profits  of  future  editions.  He  told  me 
that  his  works  have  thus  far  produced  him  $8,000.  He  finds  book- 
making  a  good  trade ;  but  few  such  books  as  his  are  made. 

April  17.  — There  is  a  pleasant  account  in  the  papers  of  a  fish- 
ing party  of  the  tallest  kind,  which  '^  came  off"  on  Tuesday  last, 
at  Southampton,  Long  Island ;  a  school  of  whales  made  their 
appearance  in  the  bay  on  Monday  afternoon,  which  proved  to  be  a 
most  unfortunate  visit  (for  the  whales,  I  mean).  As  soon  as  they 
were   descried,  several  boats,  manned  by  the   hardy  and  intrepid 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  305 

whalemen  who  inhabit  that  sea-girt  region,  went  in  pursuit,  and,  in 
full  view  of  the  delighted  and  excited  non-combatants  on  shore, 
attacked,  conquered,  and  landed  four  whales  of  the  largest  kind, 
from  which  they  will  obtain  from  thirty  to  sixty  barrels  of  oil 
each. 

April  27.  —  Mr.  Webster  has  left  Washington,  and  gone  to  the 
South,  where  he  seems  to  be  gaining  "golden  opinions."  We 
already  hear  of  his  arrival  at  Richmond,  and  his  being  received  by 
crowds  prepared  to  escort  him  to  his  lodgings ;  of  a  public  dinner 
being  provided  for  him,  and  every  demonstration  of  respect  during 
his  brief  sojourn  in  the  capital  of  Virginia.  Similar  greetings  are 
prepared  on  the  line  of  his  route.  They  have  heard  of  Mr.  Web- 
ster, but  have  not  seen  him  ;  and  if  he  relaxes  his  iron  brow,  and 
condescends  to  open  out  himself  to  their  inspection,  and  show 
them  that  his  proud  name  was  not  misapplied,  the  Southerners 
may  be  made  to  acknowledge  that  even  the  East  may  produce 
great  men.  It  looks  as  if  the  Massachusetts  senator  was  looking 
out  for  votes.  I  wish  he  may  get  enough  to  make  him  President ; 
but  I  fear  he  will  find  the  Taylor's  measures  more  to  the  people's 
hking  than  the  more  experienced  culture  of  the  Marshfield  farmer. 

May  I .  —  The  great  day  of  domestic  locomotion  is,  happily  for 
the  sufferers,  bright  and  clear.  Spring  carts  are  in  great  request ; 
straw  beds  are  cast  into  the  streets ;  pots,  pans,  and  kettles  are 
seeking  a  new  sphere  of  usefulness ;  women  scold,  children  cry, 
and  the  head  of  the  family  begins  to  find  that  his  notions  of 
personal  importance  are  of  little  consideration  in  the  turmoil 
of  May  day. 

May  3.  —  The  Tallahassee  "  Sentinel  "  of  20th  of 
Prince  Murat.  ,^pj.Q  anuounccs  in  the  following  terms  the  death  of  a 
scion  of  the  Bonaparte  stock,  who  has  resided  in  this 
country,  a  naturalized  American,  for  many  years  :  "  Prince  Charles 
Napoleon  Achille  Murat  expired  at  his  residence  in  Jefferson 
County,  Florida,  on  Thursday  last,  the  15  th  inst.  He  was  the  son 
of  Joachim  and  Caroline  Bonaparte  Murat,  King  and  Queen  of 


3o6  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONK.  [.Etat.67. 

Naples  ;  the  former  the  celebrated  marshal  of  Napoleon,  the  mirror 
of  chivalry  and  valour ;  the  other,  a  sister  of  the  immortal  emperor. 
After  the  expulsion  of  his  family  from  Italy,  Prince  Murat  resided 
in  Austria  until  182 1,  when  he  removed  to  this  country.  He  has 
spent  most  of  his  days  in  Florida,  in  all  the  quiet  and  retirement  of 
a  country  gentleman."  He  was  borne  to  the  grave  in  this  city,  on 
Saturday,  attended  by  his  Masonic  brethren  of  Jackson  Lodge,  and 
by  a  concourse  of  citizens.  Minute-guns  were  fired  during  the 
moving  of  the  procession,  and  he  was  interred  with  all  the  solemn 
ceremonies  of  the  Masonic  order. 

May  7.  —  This  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  ordered  by  the 
tjoicing  an     ^.      ^^,^j|-|^Qj.[j-^gg  |-q  celebrate  the  victories  of  our  armies 

Illumination.  •' 

in  Mexico.  There  was  a  grand  military  display,  sal- 
vos of  one  hundred  guns,  a  general  display  of  flags  from  all  the 
vessels  in  the  harbour,  and  from  every  public  edifice  in  the  city 
which  had  the  bunting  to  show.  In  the  evening  occurred  an  illu- 
mination of  all  conspicuous  houses  ;  the  City  Hall  and  other  public 
buildings,  hotels,  and  club-houses  were  lighted  up,  and  transpar- 
encies exhibited,  in  which  Scott  and  Taylor,  Worth  and  Wool,  were 
blazoned  forth  by  "  inch  of  candle  ;  "  and  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  los 
Palmos,  Monterey,  Buena  Vista,  and  la  Vera  Cruz  were  as  familiar 
to  the  tongues  of  old  age  and  infancy,  male  and  female,  gentlefolk 
and  common  folk,  as  the  places  where  they  were  born. 

I  went  with  my  daughters  and  Mr.  William  Hoppin  to  see  the 
show.  The  crowd  in  the  streets  was  great  beyond  description. 
Broadway,  for  its  whole  length,  was  a  solid  mass,  and  in  the  Park 
it  looked  as  if  humanity  was  piled  three  or  four  deep.  We  went 
along  with  the  tide  (for  returning  was  impracticable)  as  far  as 
St.  Paul's  Church,  and  thence  up  Chatham  street  and  the  Bowery, 
home,  where  we  arrived  tired  and  bruised,  but  gratified  with  what 
we  had  seen ;  and  not  much  the  worse  for  wear,  for,  although  the 
crowd  was  so  great,  it  was  a  good-natured  crowd,  —  a  little  scream- 
ing, some  swearing,  but  more  laughing,  and  no  accidents  that  I 
have  heard  of. 


[847-]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  307 


Another 
Victory. 


May  10.  —  Scarcely  had  the  last  inch  of  candle  shed 
its  rays,  and  the  last  charge  of  powder  sounded  the 
harmless  blast  of  rejoicing  for  battles  fought  and  gained 
by  the  x\mericans  in  Mexico ;  scarcely  had  the  bells  ceased  to  toll 
and  the  drooping  flags  been  hauled  down  from  the  mast,  which 
have  been  the  sounds  and  symbols  of  mourning  for  American 
blood  shed  in  acquiring  these  victories,  —  than  we  are  called  upon 
to  record  another  triumph  of  the  invading  army. 

General  Scott  achieved  a  decisive  victory  over  the  Mexican 
forces  under  Santa  Anna,  on  the  i8th  of  April.  It  was  a  hard- 
fought  battle  ;  the  loss  of  the  Mexicans  was  immense.  They  fight 
bravely  and  die  hard ;  they  are  beaten  again  and  again,  and  will  not 
stay  beaten.  This  battle  was  fought  in  the  mountains  and  amongst 
the  chaparrals.  The  rout  was  complete ;  besides  the  dreadful 
loss  in  killed,  our  army  took  six  thousand  prisoners,  including  two 
generals,  with  ten  or  twelve  other  officers  of  high  importance,  who 
were  all  sent  to  report  themselves  to  our  commandant  at  la  Vera 
Cruz,  and  thence,  by  their  own  choice,  are  to  come  to  the  United 
States.  The  commander-in-chief.  General  Santa  Anna,  had  a 
narrow  escape.  By  cutting  loose  one  of  the  mules  from  his 
travelling-carriage  and  mounting  her,  he  got  clear  into  the  moun- 
tains, leaving  his  equipage  in  the  hands  of  the  victor  (to  whom,  as 
we  have  it  from  high  authority,  "  belong  the  spoils  "),  with  his  rich 
service  of  plate  for  General  Scott's  use,  and  his  wooden  leg,  which 
I  pray  the  latter  may  never  have  occasion  to  use. 

But  now  comes  the  dark  side  of  the  picture.  More  precious 
blood  has  been  shed.  General  Shields,  one  of  the  bravest  of  the 
brave,  was  desperately,  probably  mortally,  wounded.  The  names 
of  the  killed  and  wounded  are  not  given,  nor  is  there  as  yet  any 
official  account.  If  matters  continue  at  this  rate  the  Mexicans  will 
be  exterminated,  our  own  precious  blood  will  be  shed  in  the 
achievement,  and  the  nation  will  gain  nothing  by  the  conquest. 
While  these  victories  are  gained  on  the  land,  the  seaports  in  the 
bay  are  falling  one   after  another  into  the  hands  of  the  navy,  from 


3o8  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

whom  the  army  has  received  the  most  efficient  help  and  harmoni- 
ous cooperation  since  the  fall  of  la  Vera  Cruz  and  its  formidable 
defences.  Alvarado  has  been  captured,  and  this  morning  we  have 
accounts  of  the  Port  of  Tuspan,  sixty  or  seventy  miles  north  from 
la  Vera  Cruz,  having  been  taken  by  the  squadron  under  command 
of  Commodore  Perry.  Among  the  names  mentioned  of  the 
wounded,  incidentally,  in  the  vague  accounts  of  this  battle,  I  per- 
ceive that  of  Lieutenant  McLane,  whom  I  take  to  be  the  son  of  my 
friend,  Louis  McLane,  of  Baltimore,  late  Minister  to  England.  It 
will  turn  out,  I  think,  that  this  has  been  the  most  disastrous  battle 
for  the  Mexicans.  Poor  creatures  !  they  are  paying  severely  for 
the  unpardonable  sin  of  rejecting  the  modest,  unassuming  pleni- 
potentiary, Mr.  John  Slidell.  I  rejoice  that  my  friend  Scott  has 
brought  himself  up  so  finely ;  this  battle  adds  a  broad  leaf  to  the 
laurel  wreath  which  he  gained  at  la  Vera  Cruz. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster  were  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  on 
'"^  the  29th  ult.,  on  which  day  he  partook  of  a  public 
dinner,  the  invitation  to  which  was  signed  by  sixty- two 
names,  comprising  all  the  chivalry  of  Carolina.  The  affair  was 
gotten  up  in  good  taste,  and  marked  with  the  best  sort  of  feeling, 
in  the  preparatory  meeting  and  the  Mayor  of  Charleston  pre- 
sided. The  resolutions  were  proposed,  and  a  highly  complimentary 
speech  made,  l)y  Colonel  Hayne,  in  the  struggle  with  whom  Mr. 
Webster,  in  the  celebrated  debate  in  the  Senate  on  Foote's  reso- 
lutions, acquired  his  brightest  laurels,  and  gained  a  proud  victory 
over  an  opponent  of  his  prowess 

May  13.  —  The  Hone  Club  dined  with  J.  Prescott 
Club  Dinner,  Hall.  The  attendance,  owing  to  absence  from  town, 
sickness,  and  death  in  Himilies,  was  unusually  small,  con- 
sisting of  the  following  members  :  Hall,  John  Ward,  Grinnell,  George 
Curtis,  Paul  Spofford,  Draper,  Bowen,  and  myself;  in  addition 
to  whom  were  Judge  Nelson,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  ;  Judge  Betts,  United  States  District  Court ;  Judges  Beardsley 
and  Jewett,  Supreme  Court  of  the  State ;  and  Mr.  Charles  King, 


i847-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  309 

May  14.  —  We  had  a  pleasant  party  at  supper,  consisting  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  DePeyster,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Hone,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Schaick,  Mrs.  Oddie  and  AHda,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Isaac  Hone,  Dr.  Matthews,  his  two  daughters  and  son ;  Mr. 
Anthon,  his  daughters  ;  WilUam  and  Hamilton  Hoppin,  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Wood  and  Miss  Wood,  William  Ashurst,  Mr.  Muller,  and 
Mr.   Francis  Dorr. 

May    26. — I  received    yesterday   a    circular    letter 
iicago  ^^^^_^  ^j^^  Hon.  William  A.  Mosely,  chairman  of  the  cor- 

Convention.  •' ' 

responding  committee  of  Buffalo,  an  estimable  W^hig 
member  of  Congress,  inviting  me  to  attend  a  great  convention  to 
be  held  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  on  the  5th  of  July,  The  object  of  this 
convention  is  to  put  forward  the  claims  upon  the  government  of 
the  enterprising  citizens  of  the  great  western  lake  country,  and 
consequently  to  rebuke  the  contumelious  treatment  they  have 
received  from  the  person  who  has,  accidentally,  obtained  the  power 
to  defeat  the  wise  and  constitutional  measures  adoped  by  the  peo- 
ple's representatives.  I  have  replied  to  Mr.  Mosely's  letter,  accept- 
ing the  invitation  of  the  committee,  and  promising  to  be  at  Chicago 
on  the  5th  of  July,  my  health  permitting.  This  fits  in  well.  I  have 
been  making  arrangements  to  go  early  next  month  to  Lake  Michi- 
gan, Green  Bay,  and  Chicago ;  and  here  is  an  additional  induce- 
ment. 

May  31.  —  Among  the  liberal  donations  for  the  relief  of  the 
famished  Irish  which  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  the  com- 
mittee was  one  received  last  week,  of  $5,000,  from  Messrs.  Corcoran 
and  Riggs,  of  Washington.  These  gentlemen  have  made  a  princely 
fortune  by  taking  the  whole  of  the  last  government  six-per-cent. 
loan,  and  have  thus,  with  becoming  liberality,  contributed  of  their 
abundance  to  this  good  object.  The  capture  of  la  Vera  Cruz  and 
the  battle  of  Buena  Vista  furnished  the  means  of  sending  a  thousand 
barrels  of  corn  to  Ireland  ;  and  Scott  and  Taylor,  whilst  employed 
in  knocking  out  the  brains  of  Mexicans,  were  unconsciously  the 
instruments  of  saving  the  lives  of  Irishmen. 


310  THE    DIARY    OF    nilLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.67. 

June  i.  —  The  glorious  harbour  of  New  York  pre- 
'  ^^^'  "^  seated  to-day  an  animated  picture.  Vessels  of  every 
description,  from  the  largest-class  frigate  to  the  little, 
fairy  skiff,  with  magnificent  steamers,  carrying  out,  to  its  utmost 
extent,  the  American  go-ahead  principle,  and  noble  merchantmen 
loaded  down  with  the  staff  of  life  for  hungry  Europe,  waiting  for  a 
wind  to  hoist  sail  and  away.  Several  causes  operated  to  increase 
the  usual  animation  of  this  great  aquatic  theatre.  The  new  steamer 
"Washington,"  the  first  government  mail  vessel  intended  for  P^ng- 
land  and  the  continent,  went  to  sea.  She  takes  out  Mr.  Hobbie,  an 
agent  of  the  general  post- office  department,  who  goes  to  establish 
an  international  system  of  postage  with  the  pAiropean  governments. 
A  great  steamboat  race  came  off  between  the  "  Cornelius  Vander- 
bilt,"  which  bears  the  name  of  her  enterprising  proprietor,  and  the 
"  Oregon,"  Captain  Law.  They  went  to  Croton  Point  and  returned, 
seventy-five  miles,  in  three  hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  —  a  rate  of 
speed  which  would  carry  a  vessel  to  Liverpool  in  five  or  six  days. 
The  "  Oregon  "  gained  the  race,  and  Captain  Vanderbilt  was  beaten 
for  once.  The  annual  regatta  of  the  Yacht  Club  was  to  have  taken 
place,  but  there  was  not  wind  enough  to  start  the  boats.  I  intended 
to  have  gone  down  with  my  daughter  in  the  steamer  "  Eureka," 
which  was  provided  by  the  club  to  accompany  the  yachts,  with  the 
members.  The  affair  was  postponed  until  to-morrow.  Among  the 
other  incidents  of  the  day  interesting  to  the  spectators  on  the  Bat- 
tery was  the  arrival  of  the  "Southerner"  from  Charleston,  with 
Mr.  Webster  and  other  distinguished  ])assengers. 

Harrisrurg,  June    10.  —  We    left     Philadelphia    at 
journey  o   ic  g^^^j^  o'clock,  and  camc  to  this  place,  one  hundred  and 

West.  '  *  ' 

six  miles  by  railroad,  at  three  o'clock.  The  weather  is 
warm,  but  a  fine  breeze  made  the  ride  delightful.  The  road  passes 
through  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  best-cultivated  districts  in  the 
United  States ;  but  there  is  not  a  pretty  town  on  the  route,  and 
none  of  any  note  but  Lancaster;  nor  is  Harrisburg,  though  dignified 
by  the  name  of  the  capital  of  the  great  State  of  Pennsylvania,  any- 


I847-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  31  I 

thing  more  than  a  miserable  collection  of  lawyers'  offices  and 
barber-shops.  There  is  not  a  handsome  edifice  in  the  place,  that 
we  could  find,  with  the  exception  of  the  State-House  and  public 
offices,  which  are  in  good  style,  but  constructed  of  the  everlasting 
red  brick  and  white  marble.  The  town  is  beautifully  situated  on 
an  eminence  overlooking  the  Susquehanna,  which  is  here  a  fine 
stream,  and  deserves  something  better  than  this  loaferdooking  city 
to  grace  its  banks.  We  have  determined,  as  a  choice  of  evils,  to  go 
to-morrow  to  Pittsburg  by  the  canal,  although  we  shall  be  three 
nights  on  the  voyage,  in  preference  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  of  stage  travelling  by  Chambersburg,  on  dusty  roads  in  this 
warm  weather. 

June    ii.  —  At    three    o'clock  we  embarked  in  the 
ennsy  vania    (,.^^^.^j.^q.^|.    a  Delaware,"    Captain    Kellar,  on  a    canal 

Canul.  '  '■  ' 

voyage  of  more  than  two  hundred  miles.  The  weather 
is  pleasant,  and  we  have  an  agreeable  set  of  passengers ;  not  too 
many.  The  day  does  very  well,  but  the  sleeping  is  tolerably  un- 
comfortable (there  is  not  much  of  f/ia/,  however):  The  delay  on 
this,  the  first  day  of  our  long  voyage,  is  rather  discouraging ;  there 
has  been  a  breach  in  the  canal,  which  has  caused  an  accumulation 
of  loaded  boats ;  but  the  scenery  is  splendid.  Just  at  the  sun-set- 
ting (a  more  glorious  one  I  never  saw)  we  came  to  the  junction  of 
the  Susquehanna  and  Juniata  rivers,  fifteen  miles  from  Harrisburg, 
where  the  boat  crosses  the  dam,  the  tow-path  being  conveyed 
across  on  a  long  bridge  of  light  and  delicate  construction,  on  piers 
of  massive  and  solid  masonry.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Juniata  is  a 
handsome  mansion  and  fine  estate  of  four  hundred  acres,  called 
Duncan's  Island,  belonging  to  a  lady  of  that  name,  whose  character 
seems  to  be  worthy  of  such  a  position.  Here  we  leave  the  Susque- 
hanna, and  follow  the  course  of  the  Juniata,  —  a  beautiful  stream, 
abounding  in  romantic  and  picturesque  scenery. 

En  Route,  June  12. — The  breach  in  the  canal  caused  us  to 
stop  several  hours  during  the  night,  and  this  morning,  at  sunrise,  the 
'^  Commet,"  a  huge  coal-boat,  had  the   bad   manners   to   get  stuck 


312  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

across  the  canal  (what  better  could  be  expected  from  a  fellow  who 
spells  Comet  with  two  m's?).  Here  I  witnessed  a  gallant  exploit 
of  our  captain,  —  the  raising  a  smc/l,  which  is  thus  performed  :  he 
puts  six  horses  on  the  tow-lines,  backs  the  boat,  and  then,  dashing 
on  with  the  fury  of  the  horses  in  the  hippodrome,  raises  a  swell 
like  the  waves  at  Rockaway.  The  first  onset  removed  the  "  Co?n- 
vief'  a  little  from  her  orbit,  and  the  second  carried  us  triumphantly 
through  the  obstacle.  The  sight  of  this  spirited  display  of  canal 
tactics  compensated  for  the  delay.  We  sat  down  to  breakfast  and 
went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 

Canal,  June  13.  —  This  canal-travelling  is  pleasant  enough  in 
the  daytime,  but  the  sleeping  is  awful.  There  are  two  cabins,  in 
which  the  men-folk  and  the  women-folk  are  separated  by  a  red 
curtain.  In  the  former  apartment  the  sleepers  are  packed  away  on 
narrow  shelves,  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the  boat,  like  dead  pigs  in 
a  Cincinnati  pork  warehouse.  We  go  to  bed  at  nine  o'clock,  and 
rise  when  we  are  told  in  the  morning ;  for  the  bedsteads  are  formed 
of  the  seats  and  the  tables.  "  A  couch  by  night,  a  chest  of  drawers 
by  day  !  "  If  I  should  ever  be  so  happy  as  to  sleep  in  my  own 
bed  again,  my  comfort  will  be  enhanced  by  the  remembrance  of 
my  present  limited,  hard,  sheetless  dormitory. 

June  14.  —  An  extra  car  brought  us  from  Holidaysburg,  at  six 
o'clock  this  morning,  to  take  the  Portage  railroad  across  the  Alle- 
ghany mountains  to  Johnstown, — thirty-six  miles, — which  is  effected 
by  ten  inclined  planes,  five  ascending  and  five  descending,  similar 
to  those  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  railroad.  It  is  somewhat 
exciting,  but  nothing  when  we  get  used  to  it.  The  scenery  of 
these  mountains  is  astonishingly  grand,  wild  beyond  description ; 
and  would  have  been  gratifying  but  for  the  hard  rain  and  extreme 
cold,  which  compelled  us  to  keep  the  windows  closed.  The  delay 
of  the  early  part  of  th's  tedious  voyage  still  follows  us.  Being  an 
extra  train,  nothing  was  ready ;  locomotives  were  to  be  sent  for, 
and  horses  not  to  be  had.  We  have  lost  already  three  days  since 
we  left  Philadelphia,  and  while   writing,  the   new  boat,  the  ''  Louis- 


1847]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  313 

iana,"  lies  at  the  dock  at  Johnstown,  waiting  for  the  passengers  who 
were  a  day  behind  us.  Six  o'clock.  The  cars  are  in ;  an  influx 
of  passengers,  of  not  so  good  a  description  as  the  original  set,  have 
come  on  board,  with  a  fair  quantity  of  crying  children  and  vulgar 
mothers,  and  we  are  off  once  more. 

June  15.  —  Our  canal  voyage  has  been  pleasant,  on  the  v/hole 
though  tedious,  and  longer  than  it  should  have  been  by  a  day 
and  a  night  at  least,  owing  to  delays  on  the  first  night,  which  we 
could  not  recover  during  the  voyage.  But  we  arrived  at  "  the 
Birmingham  of  America  "  at  eleven  o'clock  this  evening.  I  re- 
gretted the  necessity  of  entering  the  city  at  night ;  but  its  appear- 
ance was  quite  a  novelty :  bright  flames  issuing  from  foundries, 
glass  and  gas  works,  and  rolling-mills,  steam-engines  puffing  like 
broken- winded  horses,  and  heavy  clouds  of  smoke  making  the 
night's  darkness  darker,  gave  us  a  grand  ejitree  to  Pittsburg,  where 
we  are  sumptuously  lodged  at  the  Monongahela  House. 

June  16.  —  This  is  one  of  the  most  active,  business- 
At  Pittsburg-,  like  places  I  have  ever  seen,  with  every  appearance 
of  present  prosperity  and  future  greatness ;  manufac- 
tures of  iron,  glass,  and  machinery  are  carried  on  extensively  and 
under  great  advantages  ;  iron  abounds  in  every  valley,  and  bitumi- 
nous coal  of  the  best  quality  comes  cantering  down  from  the 
surrounding  mountains,  and  is  delivered  by  contract  at  four  and 
a  half  cents  per  bushel,  or  about  ^1.20  the  long  ton.  A  place  so 
situated,  with  such  natural  advantages,  must  rise  to  greatness.  I 
have  seen  nothing  like  it  in  Pennsylvania. 

June  20.  —  The  voyage  down  the  Ohio  —  four  hun- 

At  Cincin-  i        i  i       • 

^^^.  dred  and  nmety-six  miles  —  has  been  exceedingly  pleas- 

ant. We  had  a  fine  boat,  excellent  fare,  comfortable 
staterooms,  and  good  company,  and  arrived  here  this  morning  in 
time  to  dress  and  attend  divine  worship  at  Christ  Church,  —  an 
Episcopal  congregation.  Cincinnati  is  a  noble  city,  as  I  expected, 
of  seventy- five  thousand  inhabitants,  with  splendid  private  dwellings 
and  every  appearance  of  prosperity. 


314  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

June  24.  —  Mr.  Clay  sent  us  last  evening  a  note, 

At  Lex 

.^  ^^^^  '  inviting   us    to    breakfast.     Mr.  Crittenden,  Margaret, 

and  I  went  out  this  morning  to  Ashland.  A  more 
delightful  visit  cannot  be  imagined  ;  I  shall  ever  remember  it  as 
one  of  the  bright  spots  in  my  life.  Our  illustrious  host  received  us 
with  the  utmost  kindness.  He  looks  well,  and  talks,  as  usual,  "  like 
a  book."  Recent  events  have  cast  a  shade  of  melancholy  over 
his  expressive  countenance,  without  diminishing  the  warmth  of 
his  friendly  feelings,  but  rather  adding  an  interest  to  their  ex- 
pression. He  talked  much  to  me  about  his  son.  He  was  bap- 
tized on  Sunday,  preparatory  to  his  joining  the  Episcopal  Church. 
After  breakfast  (such  a  breakfast  as  could  only  be  found  in  such 
a  mansion  and  such  a  country)  he  took  us  around  his  grounds. 
I  never  saw  so  fine  a  farm ;  his  crops  of  wheat,  Indian  corn,  and 
hemp  are  in  the  highest  degree  of  i)erfection,  his  trees  (nearly 
all  of  which  were  planted  by  himself)  magnificent,  and  the  stock 
do  credit  to  the  pastures  on  which  they  are  reared.  Why  should 
such  a  man,  so  situated,  desire  to  succeed  in  public  office  a  man 
like  James   K.   Polk? 

After  spending  three  or  four  hours  in  this  pleasant 
Mr.  Clay.  manner,  Mr.  Clay  brought  us  to  town,  and  drove  me 
in  his  carriage  about  the  environs,  to  see  the  public 
edifices,  private  dwellings,  and  beautiful  adjacent  country.  We 
then  parted  (never  perhaps  to  meet  again).  Long  life  and 
honour  to  Henry  Clay  !  I  am  as  deeply  impressed  with  his  hos- 
pitality in  private  as  I  ever  have  been  with  his  talents  and 
patriotism  in  public  life.  How  have  I  been  gratified  with  this 
fortunate  visit,  which  brought  my  daughter  and  me  in  friendly 
communion  with  two  such  men  as  Henry  Clay  and  John  J. 
Crittenden,  not  forgetting  that  prince  of  good  fellows.  Gov- 
ernor Letcher. 

June    25. — We    came   from    Frankfort — fifty-four 

At  Louisville,  miles  —  by  the  stage.     The  day  has  been  very  hot,  and 

we  had  a  heavy  load  of  passengers,  among  whom  was 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  315 

General  Shelby,  son  of  the  celebrated  governor  of  that  name, 
whose  acquaintance  I  made  at  Lexington.  We  stopped  to  dine  at 
Shelbyville,  —  a  pretty  town  twenty-two  miles  from  Frankfort.  The 
road  is  good,  and  the  country  through  which  it  passes,  like  the 
whole  of  western  Kentucky,  beautiful ;  fine  farms,  highly  cultivated 
with  heavy  crops  of  Indian  corn,  hemp,  and  wheat ;  rich  valleys, 
"standing  so  thick  with  corn  that  they  do  laugh  and  sing;  "  and 
forests  in  which  the  handiwork  of  nature  has  left  nothing  for  the 
improvement  of  art.  These  are  the  bright  pictures  of  this  fine 
country ;  I  have  seen  nothing  to  mar  them  either  in  the  State  or 
its  inhabitants.  We  are  lodged  in  the  Gait  House,  under  the 
charge  of  its  gentlemanly  proprietor.  Major  Throckmorton,  the 
acknowledged  prince  of  landlords. 

At  the  last  lock,  the  new  passengers  all  went  ashore  to  see  Porter, 
the  Kentucky  giant.  He  keeps  a  large  hotel,  and  makes  a  good 
living  out  of  the  curiosity  of  travellers  who  stop  to  drink  with  him. 
The  captain  introduced  me  to  the  great  vian.  He  said  he  had 
heard  of  me  in  New  York,  talked  with  me  (the  only  one  of  fifty  men 
present),  and  wished  me  a  pleasant  voyage  and  safe  return.  This 
mighty  piece  of  humanity  is  seven  feet  eight  inches  in  height, 
thirty- five  years  of  age.  I  stood  at  his  side ;  he  stretched  out  his 
arm  at  right  angles  with  his  body,  and  it  was  six  inches  above  my 
head.  He  is  not  so  fine  a  looking  man  as  when  I  saw  him  in  New 
York,  and  complains  of  bad  health.  I  fear  that  this  last  of  the  race 
of  giants  will  have  run  his  earthly  race  ere  long.  These  people 
persist  in  calling  me  Colonel,  notwithstanding  I  tell  them  that  I 
am  plain  Mister.  Well,  I  would  rather  have  the  people's  com- 
mission than  that  of  President  Polk,  or  Governor  Young. 

June  29.  —  I  was  called  out  of  my  berth   by  my  re- 
."!  ^.   '^'      quest  to  the  clerk,  at  two  o'clock  this  morning,  to  wit- 
ness the  union  of  the  "  Queen  of  the  West  "  with  "  The 
Father  of  Rivers."     This  interesting  ceremony  takes   place   at  a 
settlement  called  Cairo,  on   the  extreme  southerly  point    of   the 
State  of  Illinois.     The  moon  being  obscured,  and  my  sight,  from 


3l6  THE    DIARY    OF    rillLll'    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

being  suddenly  called  up,  not  very  clear,  I  ccjuld  only  judge  of  the 
situation  of, the  place,  but  saw  enough  of  it  to  satisfy  me  that  it 
was  not  Gt'cind  Cairo.  We  have  now  followed  the  course  of  the 
Ohio  from  its  commencement  at  Pittsburg,  where  the  confluence 
of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela  forms  its  origin,  one  hundred 
miles,  to  the  spot  where  it  becomes  lost  in  the  Mississippi.  The 
river  is  rising,  there  is  plenty  of  turbid  yellow  water,  and  no  more 
danger  of  getting  aground. 

June  30.  —  We  came  to  this  great  city  (for  such  it 
Atst.  Louis,  truly  is)  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  this  lovely 
30th  of  June,  three  weeks  since  our  departure  from 
New  York,  and  put  up  at  the  Planters'  House,  —  one  of  those  great 
hotels  which  astonish  us  in  the  great  West.  After  tea,  according  to 
my  practice,  I  started  to  perambulate  the  busy  haunts  of  this 
Western  Babylon.  I  walked  the  whole  extent  of  the  front  on  the 
river,  called  (as  is  usual  in  the  Western  cities)  the  levee,  and  my 
astonishment  at  the  scene  there  represented  is  greater  than  I  can 
describe.  Fifty  large  steamboats,  at  least,  lie  head  on,  taking  in 
and  discharging  their  cargoes  ;  some  constantly  arriving  from  New 
Orleans  and  other  ports  on  the  Mississippi ;  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
etc.,  on  the  Ohio  ;  from  the  great  Missouri  and  its  tributaries ;  the 
lUinois  river,  where  we  are  bound,  and  the  whole  Western  and 
Southern  waters,  which  make  this  place  their  mart ;  whilst  others 
are  departing,  full  of  passengers,  and  deeply  laden  with  the  multifari- 
ous products  of  this  remarkable  region.  The  whole  of  the  levee 
is  covered,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  with  merchandise  landed  or 
to  be  shipped  ;  thousands  of  barrels  of  flour  and  bags  of  corn, 
hogsheads  of  tobacco,  and  immense  piles  ot  lead  (one  of  the 
great  staples),  whilst  foreign  merchandise  and  the  products  of  the 
lower  country  are  carried  away  to  be  lodged  in  the  stores  which 
form  the  front  of  the  city.  My  walk  led  me  through  the  Corlears' 
hook  and  ship  yards  of  St.  Louis ;  among  boatmen,  draymen,  and 
labourers,  white  and  black  ;  French,  Irish,  and  Cxerman,  drinking, 
singing,  and  loungin£c  on  benches.     This  was  an  excursion  which 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  317 

few  travellers  would  undertake,  especially  after  dark ;  but  I  like 
it,  and,  as  the  man  said  who  went  to  be  married,  when  asked  by 
the  priest,  "Wilt  thou  take  this  woman  to  be  thy  wedded  wife?"  I 
answer,  "Sartainly;   I  came  for  that." 

July  i  .  —  We  left  St.  Louis  with  infinite  regret,  at  five  o'clock 
this  afternoon,  on  board  the  steamer  "  Domain,"  for  Peoria  and 
Peru,  on  the  way  to  Chicago.  I  have  more  to  say  about  St.  Louis 
than  I  can  find  time  for.  We  have  met  with  here  (as  we  have  in 
our  whole  progress)  the  most  distinguished  attentions.  Many  gen- 
tlemen have  called  upon  me  with  offers  of  services  which  our  short 
sojourn  prevents  us  from  accepting.  Colonel  Benton,  the  Missouri 
senator,  the  great  gun  of  the  great  West,  called  with  his  niece,  Miss 
Brant  (the  daughter  of  Colonel  Brant,  who  has  one  of  the  finest 
establishments  in  the  city),  and  took  us  in  his  carriage  to  see  every- 
thing worthy  of  note  in  the  city  and  its  environs,  —  the  churches 
(which  are  very  numerous),  the  convents,  the  college,  and  arsenal, 
and  market-places,  and  a  number  of  beautiful  country-seats. 

July  4.  —  Chicago  is  truly  the  wonder  of  the  West- 
At  Chicago,  em  world.  It  was  ceded  to  the  Americans  by  the 
Winnebagoes  after  General  Scott's  treaty  in  February, 
1 83 1,  and  now  it  is  a  large  town,  beautifully  situated  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Michigan,  a  transcend ently  beautiful  Mediterranean  sea, 
with  streets  laid  out  at  right  angles,  streets  of  stores,  and  fleets  of 
vessels ;  cottages  for  people  of  taste,  brick  houses  for  people  of 
wealth,  hotels  for  travelling  people,  and  churches  for  good  people. 

July  8.  —  We   arrived  soon  after  daylight  at   Mil- 

At 

Milwaukee,  waukcc,  whcre  we  remained  until  ten  o'clock.  Here  is 
another  wonder  of  the  Western  world,  —  an  xA.laddin's 
palace  on  a  large  scale,  raised  in  a  night,  but  likely  to  be  of  longer 
duration.  The  town  is  well  situated,  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin, 
ninety-five  miles  below  Chicago,  with  a  fine  harbour;  streets  of 
business  filled  with  wagons,  some  conveying  the  merchandise  of 
New  York  into  the  interior  of  the  State,  and  others  bringing  in  neio 
country  produce,  and  taking  out  old  country  immigrants  ;  churches, 


3l8  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

printing-offices,  markets,  and  milliners,  —  and  all  these  in  a  place 
where  twelve  years  ago  there  were  just  three  log-shanties. 

July  10. — My  business  at  Sheybogan  being  accom- 
j^.^^  ""  '  "'  plished,  Margaret  and  I  started  this  morning,  at  seven 
o'clock,  in  an  open  wagon,  with  a  good  pair  of  horses 
and  a  handy  boy  to  drive,  on  this  journey  of  forty-four  miles. 
But  such  a  journey  I  never  suffered  ;  the  road  until  the  last  seven 
or  eight  miles  lies  through  a  dense  forest,  generally  beech  and 
maple,  with  now  and  then  a  clearance,  with  the  trees  still  burning ; 
a  log-cabin,  with  swarms  of  children  ;  pigs ;  a  cow,  perhaps  ;  and  a 
pot  boiling  upcMi  the  cross-sticks.  Every  mile  we  meet  a  family  of 
German  emigrants,  with  their  goods  and  chattels  stowed  away  in  a 
huge  ox-wagon,  with  legs  of  all  sizes  projecting,  from  those  of  the 
mother,  of  the  size  and  form  of  a  horse-block,  to  the  pipe-stems  of 
the  latest  pledge  of  connubial  industry.  The  road,  with  the  exception 
of  the  first  six  miles  to  the  new  and  thriving  settlement  at  the  falls 
of  the  beautiful  Sheybogan  river,  and  the  last  six  on  the  prairies  of 
Fond-du-Lac,  is  abominable;  stumps  and  roots  alternate  with 
stones  so  thickly  sown  that  there  is  no  room  for  the  wheels  to  pass 
between  them  ;  and  occasionally,  that  art  should  come  in  to  dispute 
with  nature  the  credit  of  the  construction  of  this  via  infcrnale^  a 
bridge  formed  of  rough  logs,  of  all  sizes  and  forms,  is  thrown  over 
a  deep  swamp  of  black  mud.  Tlius  we  came  plunging  into  holes, 
and  brought  up  by  stumps,  at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour,  in  the 
hottest  day  there  has  been  this  summer.  Besides  all  this,  we  have 
the  delightful  prospect  of  returning  by  this  road  on  Monday. 
Governor  Tallmadge,  who,  with  his  daughter,  has  been  a  fellow- 
sufferer  in  another  wagon,  kindly  insisted  upon  our  becoming  his 
guests  at  his  log- cabin  three  miles  from  Fond-du-Lac,  and  here  we 
hope  (if  the  mosquitoes  will  let  us)  to  sleep  away  the  fatigue  and 
soreness  of  our  hard  day's  journey. 

July  17.  —  Our  misfortunes  are  not  yet  ended. 
On  Lake  -yy^  ^^^^^.^  (_iinii-ig  at  the  St.  Marie's  Hotel,  when  news 

Huron. 

was  brought  that  the  steamboat,  with  all  our  baggage 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  319 

on  board,  had  started  fifteen  minutes  before  her  time.  We  rushed 
down  to  the  wharf  and  made  signals  to  her.  To  our  great  joy 
she  laid  by ;  we  put  off  in  a  small  boat,  were  nearly  run  down, 
were  hauled  on  board  at  the  risk  of  our  lives,  and  thus  ends  the 
adventures  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  We  are  now  on  Lake  Huron, 
steaming  down  to  Detroit,  almost  home,  —  only  about  twelve  hun- 
dred miles  to  go. 

July  19.  —  Detroit  is  a  busy,  active  city  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants,  with  wide  streets,  handsome  shops,  and 
plenty  of  fine  churches. 

July    20.  —  A   fine    day,    but   very   hot.      x^t    five 
"    ^  ^  o'clock  this    morning   we   came    to   Cleveland,  in   the 

State  of  Ohio,  about  half-way  between  Detroit  and 
Buffalo.  This  is  a  pretty  town,  with  a  good  show  of  busi- 
ness, many  fine  private  buildings,  displaying  a  great  deal  of 
taste   and  neatness. 

July  21.  —  I   find   it   exceedingly  difficult  to  call  to 
At  Buffalo.       my  recollection  the  city  of  Buffalo  as  I  formerly  knew 

it.  Rows  of  warehouses  occupy  ground  which  was 
then  vacant,  and  corn-fields  and  gardens  have  made  way  for 
streets  of  brick  houses.  The  basin  and  harbour  are  so  obstructed 
with  steamboats  and  lake  crafts  that  hours  are  consumed  in  the 
ingress  and  egress. 

July  23.  —  I  went  to  bed  at  the  Falls  last  night  at 
Niagara.  an    early   hour,  fatigued  with  my   day's  exercise,  and 

labouring  under  an  indisposition  of  several  days'  stand- 
ing, which  made  me  less  able  to  stand  the  fatigue.  After  a  rest- 
less night  I  arose  this  morning  very  early,  and  while  sitting  at  my 
window,  from  which  I  had  a  fine  view  of  the  rapids  on  the  Ameri- 
can side,  the  morning  sun  arose  clear,  bright,  and  glorious,  lighting 
up  the  agitated  waters,  which,  foaming  and  tossing  about  in  fan- 
tastic forms,  rushed  with  the  speed  and  fury  of  a  wild  horse  on 
the  prairies  to  the  awful  brink  of  its  grand  descent  into  the  whirl- 
pool  below.     It  seemed   like  a  sea  of  melted  silver   casting  out 


320  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.E:tat.  67. 

myriads  of  sparkling  jewels  to  meet  the  sunbeams'  early  embraces ; 
languid  and  faint,  I  gazed  with  awe  and  admiration,  and  felt  how 
insignificant  an  object  I  was  in  this  glorious  pageant  of  Divine 
power. 

July    25.  —  On    my    arrival    at    Buffalo    I    found    a 
anan-  letter   froui   my  friend  Mr.  Ciranger,  of  Canandai^ua, 

daigua.  ■'  ^      '  o       7 

inviting  us,  in  the  kindest  and  most  pressing  manner, 
to  pass  a  day  or  two  at  his  noble  mansion.  This  chimed  in  so 
well  with  our  arrangements,  and  the  promise  it  held  out  of  an 
agreeable  resting-place,  induced  us  to  accept  the  invitation  without 
hesitation,  and  I  wrote  to  that  effect  previous  to  our  hasty  visit  to 
Niagara. 

Canandaigua  is  widely  different  from  the  youthful  towns  of  the 
West,  where  the  people  do  not  find  time  to  live  as  they  might ; 
taste  is  troublesome,  and  comfort  costs  time  ;  eating  dinner  inter- 
feres with  some  go-ahead  operations,  and  shutting  the  door  re- 
quires the  use  of  hinges  and  locks.  Here,  from  the  princely 
residence  of  Mr.  Grieg  to  the  house  of  the  industrious  mechanic, 
many  of  those  items  are  seen  which  collectively,  according  to  their 
several  conditions,  make  up  the  enjoyments  of  life.  We  had  Mr. 
Mark  H.  Sibley  at  dinner  yesterday,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grieg  on 
their  return  from  Rochester  passed  the  evening  with  us,  and  Mr. 
Wood,  the  antiquarian  and  philanthropist,  came  after  dinner.  I 
am  very  sick.     My  friend  Granger's  hospitality  is  thrown  away. 

July  12.  —  We  have  been  from  home  seven  weeks, 
At  Home.  travelled,  according  to  my  account,  three  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-seven  miles;  seen  everything  for 
the  first  time,  met  with  many  distinguished  persons,  and  received 
everywhere  marks  of  kindness  and  respect,  ever  to  be  gratefully 
remembered.  We  have  accomplished  everything  we  undertook,  by 
the  plan  laid  down,  and  all  has  gone  well,  excepting  my  indisposi- 
tion, under  which  I  have  laboured  for  the  last  three  or  four  weeks. 
I  have  not  permitted  it  to  interrupt  my  travelling,  but  I  return  not 
half  the  man  I  went  forth. 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  32 1 

July  31.  —  Accidents,  disastrous  and  generally  fatal,  are  of  almost 
daily  occurrence  in  this  country  of  rapid  progress  and  reckless 
management.  There  may  be  a  hope  that  these  evils  may  be  reme- 
died in  part  by  greater  prudence,  resulting  from  more  experience 
in  the  use  of  that  dreadful  agent,  steam,  and  the  machinery  used  in 
its  operations ;  but  the  accidents  occasioned  by  racing  call  for  the 
remedies  of  strong  laws,  rigidly  enforced,  and  public  opinion  unde- 
viatingly  directed. 

August  4.  —  I  found  on  my  table,  on  my  return  from 
of  Peru^  ^^^  West,  a   copy  of  Mr.  Prescott's  new  work,  "  The 

Conquest  of  Peru," — a  presentation  copy  from  the 
accomplished  and  amiable  author.  I  anticipate  a  treat  in  reading 
it.  *'  I  roll  it  like  a  sweet  morsel  under  my  tongue,"  and  shall 
reserve  the  gratification  until  I  get  to  Rockaway,  where,  from 
the  preparations  going  on  around  me,  we  are  destined  to  be 
very  soon.  Prescott  has  established  his  claim  to  rank  as  the  histo- 
rian of  the  United  States ;  and  good  taste  and  discriminating  criti- 
cism, now  and  in  all  future  time,  will  not  hesitate  to  assign  him  an 
exalted  place  among  the  most  distinguished  historians  of  Europe  of 
former  or  contemporaneous  times. 

Rockaway,  iVuG.  6.  —  Sick  and  sorrowful,  I  am  trying  a  new  ex- 
periment. Rockaway  air  and  bathing  may  do  that  for  me  which 
the  Franciscan  treatment  has  failed  to  accomplish.  It  may  enable 
my  stomach  to  retain  some  food,  and  restore  in  some  degree  my 
exhausted  strength.  Rockaway  has  not  failed  hitherto.  I  will 
grapple  with  the  enemy ;  but,  alas  !  I  have  no  stomach  for  the 
contest. 

August    18.  —  The    papers  brought  down  from  the 
ea  1  o      r.       .      ^^qj-^j-^jj^  |-}-^g  intelligence,  received  by  the  maj^netic 

Stuyvesant.  ^  &  ?  /  & 

telegraph,  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant, 
which  occurred  on  Monday  last  at  Niagara.  Mr.  Stu)^esant  was  a 
grandson  of  Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  inherited  a  large  share  of  his 
immense  estate.  He  has  no  children.  The  particulars  of  his  will 
are  as  follows :  To  Hamilton  Fish,  Gerard  Stuyvesant,  and  the  son 


322  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

of  Mr.  Rutherford,  who  married  his  ward,  Miss  Chanler,  half  a 
milUon  each,  the  boy  to  take  the  testator's  name.  To  his  widow, 
$12,000  a  year,  with  the  house  and  furniture;  the  residue  of  the 
estate  to  be  divided  among  his  other  nephews  and  nieces,  which 
is  estimated  to  produce  $100,000  each.  How  much  this  gentle- 
man's son  lost  by  never  having  been  born  ! 

SEFrEMBER  1 3. — A  bcautiful   piece  of  statuary,  the 
work    of    Hiram    Powers,    the    celebrated    American 

Slave. 

sculptor  at  Rome,  is  now  being  exhibited  at  the 
National  Academy,  and  attracts  crowds  of  visitors  from  morning 
to  night.  And  so  it  ought,  for  it  is  admirable.  I  have  no  rule  by 
which  to  estimate  the  merit,  or  appreciate  the  faultless  beauty,  of 
this  statue  which  could  guide  me  in  placing  it  below  the  Venus  de 
Medici.  I  have  no  personal  acquaintance  with  Powers,  nor  had  I 
with  Praxiteles ;  but  I  am  not  willing  to  undervalue  my  countryman 
because  he  was  not  born  so  soon  as  the  other  gentleman  of  the 
chisel.     I  certainly  never  saw  anything  more  lovely. 

September    14. — The   anxiety  which  has   prevailed 
J*  .^J  for   several    days    past   to   learn   the   progress    of  this 

glorious,  but  dreadful,  war  is  at  length  gratified,  if 
gratification  it  can  be  called  to  read  accounts  of  the  fiercest  battles 
and  shedding  of  blood  which  have  ever  occurred  on  this  continent. 
General  Scott  has  gained  a  great  victory  under  the  walls  of 
Mexico.  The  modern  Cortez  wades  through  Mexican  blood  to 
conquer  again  the  ancient  city  and  subjugate  anew  the  unhappy 
descendants  of  the  Montezumas.  He  has  gained  a  great  victory, 
but  with  the  loss  of  a  thousand  of  his  own  army,  poorly  compensated 
for  by  that  of  five  thousand  of  the  enemy.  He  attacked  the 
Mexicans  under  Santa  Anna,  who  were  strongly  entrenched  and 
well  provided  with  artillery  and  ammunition,  and  whose  numbers 
are  stated  at  from  twenty  to  thirty-two  thousand,  with  a  force  of 
seven  thousand,  and  drove  them  in  with  horrid  slaughter.  This 
battle  was  fought  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  August,  during  an  uninter- 
rupted and  drenching  rain.     The  details  are  sickening.     Scott  and 


i5?47]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  323 

Worth  have  added  new,  but  blood-stained,  laurels  to  their  already 
over-burdened  brows.  Their  brothers  in  arms  have  well  sustained 
their  former  reputation,  and  the  men  fought  like  tigers ;  but  of  their 
number  enough  have  been  killed  and  wounded  to  satisfy  the  most 
unreasonable  admirers  of  this  unrighteous  war.  The  names  of  the 
officers  whose  blood  now  stains  the  approaches  to  the  city,  the 
object  of  our  cupidity  and  rapacity,  are  published  in  detail,  and  I 
distinguish  many  whose  fate  will  cause  silent  tears  to  fall  from  the 
eyes  of  loving  mothers  and  loud  curses  from  philanthropists  and 
patriots. 

September  25. — The  venerable,  amiable  old  man 
M^-or  Po  ham  ^^^^^  "°^  makc  out  his  century.     The  pale  light  of  the 

lamp  went  out,  the  worn-out  machinery  ceased  to 
move,  the  attenuated  cord  no  longer  retained  its  hold,  and  the  old 
man  of  ninety- five  years  left  this  day  the  generation  of  men,  amongst 
whom  age  had  made  him  a  stranger.  A  man  in  the  prime  of  life 
at  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  he  fought  the  battles  of  his 
country,  and  exchanging,  at  the  termination  of  the  glorious  struggle, 
his  continental  uniform  for  the  habiliments  of  a  Hfe  of  peace,  wit- 
nessed the  rise  and  progress  of  New  York  from  a  handful  to  an 
armful ;  from  a  little  clump  of  ill-built  tenements  of  which  Wall  and 
Broad  streets  were  the  limits,  to  the  magnificent  capital  of  the 
Empire  State ;  from  twenty  thousand  to  four  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants. 

September  28.  —  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  senseless 
West  Point,     clamour  of  ignorant  fools  in   Congress,  who  have  been 

placed  by  constituents  as  ignorant  as  themselves  in  a 
situation  where  folly  becomes  dangerous,  and  ignorance  is  supported 
by  power,  will  now  cease  to  be  employed  against  the  noble  insti- 
tution, the  miUtary  academy  of  West  Point.  The  utility  of  this 
establishment  has  been  proved  to  the  full  extent  of  the  favourable 
predictions  of  its  friends,  and  the  utter  overthrow  of  the  disparag- 
ing prognostications  of  its  enemies.  The  students  of  West  Point 
have  been  foremost  in  the  career  of  glory  in  the  Mexican  war,  in 


324  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.67. 

the  front  of  the  battle,  reckless  of  danger,  adding  to  the  most 
chivalric  bravery  the  benefit  of  military  science  acquired  at  this 
excellent  national  school.  These  lads,  in  gathering  a  rich  harvest 
of  renown  for  themselves,  have  effectually  succeeded  in  rescuing 
the  fountain,  from  which  their  science  and  practice  were  derived, 
from  the  poisonous  effusion  of  the  malice  and  prejudice  of  the 
Aliens  and  others,  worthy  representatives  in  Congress  of  an  igno- 
rant and  prejudiced  constituency.  Among  our  New  York  boys? 
whom  West  Point  has  sent  out  as  samples  to  the  wars,  are  Hamilton 
(John  C.  Hamilton's  son),  Graham  (son  of  J.  Lorimer  Graham), 
Herman  Thorn's  son,  all  of  whom  were  wounded  in  the  battles  of 
Mexico ;  Chandler,  son  of  General  Chandler,  and  Clay,  whose 
testimony  was  sealed  with  their  life's  blood  ;  all  have  done  their 
duty,  and  the  nation  may  be  proud  of  the  seminary  in  which  they 
were  taught. 

October  8.  —  How  the  cavernous  eyes  of  Webster  must  have 
looked  out  from  under  the  heavy  archway  of  his  expansive  brows, 
when,  in  his  late  speech  at  Springfield,  in  which  he  laid  open  with  a 
bold  hand  the  secret  springs  and  corrupt  motives  which  produced 
the  Mexican  war,  he  used,  with  satirical  bitterness,  the  following 
expression.  Speaking  of  the  mysterious  policy  of  Mr.  Polk,  in  fur- 
nishing to  Santa  Anna  a  safe-conduct  from  Cuba,  his  place  of  exile, 
to  his  Government  of  Mexico,  the  Massachusetts  senator  remarked, 
"  That  the  President  must  be  gratified  to  know  that  in  the  subsequent 
battles,  which  have  cost  so  much  blood  and  treasure,  the  command- 
ing general  on  both  sides  was  of  his  own  choosing." 

OcTor.KR  18.  —  The  meeting  of  the  convention  has 
ven'tT"/'  *^'"^"fil^'-'^^  the  city  with  Episcopal  clergymen,  and  our  pul- 
pits with  able  preachers,  very  much,  I  dare  say,  to  the 
relief  of  the  regular  officiators,  whose  new  sermons  (if  they  have 
any)  may  be  laid  aside  for  future  use.  I  heard,  with  great  pleas- 
ure, two  bishops  yesterday,  —  Bishop  McCoskry,  of  Michigan, 
preached,  in  the  morning,  in  Trinity,  and  Bishop  Jones,  in  the  even- 
ing, in  the   Church   of  the   Ascension,  to  crowded   congregations. 


1847.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  325 

One  may  know  these  reverend  visitors  in  the  streets  by  their  good- 
looking,  complacent,  self-satisfied  countenances,  well-brushed  black 
coats  and  white  neck-cloths,  and  gentlemanly,  dignified  deport- 
ment. Some  of  them  may  be  seen  with  neat  little  wives  hanging 
on  their  arms,  well  dressed,  each  with  a  little  satin  bonnet,  a  little 
inclining  to  be  gay ;  and  many  a  wistful  glance  is  cast  at  Beck's, 
and  Seaman  &  Muir's,  and  Rogers'  windows,  and  at  Stewart's  palace 
of  haberdashery,  with  a  suppressed  sigh  of  regret  that  the  doctor's 
stipend  is  so  small.  It  may  be  a  subject  of  doubt  whether  this 
autumnal  visit  to  New  York  will  make  these  worthy  folk  feel  better 
during  the  winter. 

Oci'OBER  2  2.  —  I  dined  yesterday  with  Mr.  Bradish,  the  first 
dinner-party  at  which  I  have  been  since  my  return  from  the  West. 
The  temptation  was  too  great  to  be  resisted,  and  I  went.  Weak  as 
I  am,  I  enjoyed  myself  exceedingly.  Our  party  consisted  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bradish  and  Miss  Hart ;  Bishop  Potter,  of  Pennsylvania ; 
Rev.  Dr.  Taylor,  Grace  Church  ;  Professor  Agassiz,  lately  of  France, 
who  has  been  appointed  Professor  of  Natural  History  on  the  Law- 
rence foundation  of  Harvard  College  ;  Mr.  Joseph  R.  Ingersoll, 
Philadelphia ;  Colonel  Memminger,  Charleston,  S.C. ;  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton Fish,  John  A.  King,  Samuel  B.  Ruggles,  H.  Van  Rensselaer, 
John  C.  Hamilton,  and  myself. 

October  25.  —  I  am  sixty- seven  years  of  age.  My 
My  Birthday,  mind,  thauks  to  my  Heavenly  Father,  is  unimpaired,  as 
I  am  still  encouraged  to  hope  ;  but  I  am  weak  in  body, 
and  labouring  still  under  the  effects  of  the  protracted  illness  which 
I  brought  home  with  me  last  summer  from  the  West.  My  flesh 
has  departed,  but  my  spirit  remains  ;  my  knees  tremble,  but  my 
heart  is  stout ;  as  I  said,  the  other  day,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wood,  of 
Canandaigua,  who  inquired  kindly  about  my  health,  "  I  am  weak 
as  the  argument  of  an  unfeed  lawyer,  thin  as  the  fourth  day's  soup 
of  a  shin  of  beef,  and  cross  as  a  disappointed  barnburner."  I 
think,  however,  I  shall  get  up  again ;  but,  if  it  shall  be  otherwise 
ordered  by  my  Divine  Master,  I  trust  I  shall  have  resignation,  faith, 


526  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLlP   HONE.  [^tat.  67. 

and  hope  to  enable  me  to  say,  in  sincerity  of  heart  and  fulness  of 
conviction,  "Thy  will  be  done." 

General  Scott  entered  Mexico  on  the    14th  of  Sep- 
ap  ure  o         tcmbcr,  after  a  series  of  battles,  in  which  the  greatest 

Mexico.  '  '  o 

gallantry  was  displayed  by  the  Americans,  and  in  which 
the  commander  and  his  officers  covered  themselves  with  glory  ;  but 
the  conquest  was  obtained  at  an  awful  expense  of  American  blood. 
These  victories  and  the  occupations  of  the  city  cost  three  thousand 
men,  killed  and  wounded,  leaving  six  or  seven  thousand  men  to 
sustain  themselves  in  a  conquered  city  of  two  hundred  thousand 
exasperated,  desperate  Mexicans. 

The  particulars  of  the  bloody  engagements  which  preceded  the 
capture  of  Mexico,  the  resignation  of  General  Santa  Anna,  the  as- 
tonishing achievements  of  Scott,  Worth,  Quitman,  Persifor  Smith, 
Pillow,  Twiggs,  and  the  whole  band  of  heroes,  are  all  recorded  in  a 
paper  of  Saturday,  which  I  have  preserved.  Scott's  march  to 
Mexico  with  his  handful  of  men,  through  an  unknown  country  filled 
with  infuriated  bands  of  armed  guerillas,  and  the  occupation  of  the 
city  by  the  American  forces,  is  an  event  equal  to  the  most  brilliant 
recorded  in  history.  But,  alas  !  how  dearly  has  this  glory  been 
purchased  !  The  list  of  killed  and  wounded  is  also  contained  in 
this  i)aper.  The  best  blood  in  the  country  has  been  shed.  Worth 
lost  eighteen  hundred  men.  Thorn's  gallant  son  has  been 
wounded  again ;  severely  this  time.  Thomas  Morris's  young  son 
was  killed  ;  Major  Twiggs  fell  gallantly  fighting  ;  but  the  melancholy 
record  would  occupy  too  much  space  in  my  journal.  National 
glory  is  attained  at  the  expense  of  individual  distress ;  the  tears  of 
the  survivors  may  not  blot  out  the  record,  but  it  will  be  sadly 
defaced.  Colonel  Mcintosh  and  Col.  Martin  Scott,  two  of  Worth's 
brigade,  were  killed  in  the  sanguinary  charge  of  the  8th ;  the 
former  died  of  his  wounds  on  the  24th.  Bravest  among  the  brave, 
the  loss  of  such  men  cannot  be  compensated  by  the  conquest  of  the 
whole  country  we  are  fighting  for.     Cannot  Polk,  and  Buchanan, 


1847.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  327 

and  Marcy  be  prevailed  upon  to  go  and  take  a  hand  in  the  beautiful 
game  they  are  making  others  play  ? 

October  29.  —  In  the  hst  of  noble  young  fellows 
BoyI  ""^  whose  gallant  conduct,  indomitable  bravery,  and  mili- 
tary accomplishments  in  the  Mexican  war  redound  to 
the  glory  of  West  Point,  their  military  alma-mater,  there  are  sev- 
eral New  York  boys,  sons  of  our  friends  and  associates,  who,  if  they 
ever  get  back,  will  come  to  their  homes  covered  with  glory,  jewels 
in  our  city's  treasury,  the  pride  of  their  parents  and  the  children  of 
the  Republic.  These  are  the  fruits  of  a  West  Point  education. 
Shame  on  the  malignant  demagogues  who  have  laboured  to  over- 
throw such  an  institution  !  The  following  are  foremost  in  the  list 
of  young  heroes,  whom  we  claim  as  our  own  :  — 

Schuyler  Hamilton,  son  of  John  C.  Hamilton,  grandson  of 
General  Schuyler  and  Alexander  Hamilton,  is  an  aide  of  General 
Scott.  With  such  blood  in  his  veins,  and  such  a  name,  he  could 
not  fail  to  acquit  himself  with  honour.  Nobly  has  he  sustained 
them.  He  was  badly  wounded  in  a  dangerous  reconnaissance, 
and  was  rescued  by  Lieutenant  Graham,  son  of  Mr.  S.  Lorimer 
Graham,  another  of  our  boys  who  has  signalized  himself. 

Lieutenant  Thorn,  son  of  Col.  Herman  Thorn,  brave  as  the 
bravest,  is  aide  to  Colonel  Garland.  Twice  he  has  been  wounded, 
and  was  always  found  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 

Lieutenant  Alfred  Gibbs,  of  the  Rifles,  was  wounded  in  the  des- 
perate affair  of  the  8th  of  September,  at  the  storming  of  Molino- 
del-Rey.  Ordered  to  the  hospital,  he  refused  to  go,  but  was 
carried  on  the  back  of  a  soldier,  and  entered  the  city  in  the  midst 
of  the  conquering  army.  This  officer,  son  of  Col.  George  Gibbs 
and  grandson  of  Oliver  Wolcott,  is  the  author  of  several  very  inter- 
esting letters  which  have  been  published  on  the  subject  of  the 
Mexican  war. 

Lieutenant  Morris,  the  gallant  son  of  Thomas  Morris,  and 
grandson  of  Robert  Morris,  the  great  financier  of  the  Revolution, 
and  friend  of  Washington,  equally  brave,  was  less  fortunate  than  his 


328  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  67. 

young  associates  in  arms.  He,  too,  was  wounded  in  the  attack  on 
"  Kings-Mill,"  on  the  8th  of  September.  He  was  shot  in  the  leg, 
from  which  wound  a  hemorrhage  ensued,  and  he  died  on  the  13th, 
without  entering  "  the  halls  of  Montezuma."  Alas  !  will  his  gallant 
deeds  and  death  of  glory  assuage  the  grief  of  his  parents,  or  dry 
the  tears  of  his  sisters ?  These  are  the  trophies  of  West  Point! 
Shall  it  not  be  supported? 

November  4.  —  Henry  Wheaton,  formerly  of  this  city,  who  has 
been  American  minister  in  foreign  courts  for  the  last  twenty  years, 
has,  since  his  recent  return,  been  appointed  lecturer  on  Civil  Law 
and  the  Law  of  Nations  in  Harvard  University. 

I  dined  on  Tuesday  with  Mr.  Stebbins,  one  of  the  nabobs  of  the 
Fifth  avenue.  He  is  a  partner  of  Mr.  Jaudon,  lives  in  an  elegant 
house,  and  gives  good  dinners.  The  following  was  the  party, 
besides  the  host,  the  hostess,  and  Miss  Stebbins :  Moses  H.  Grin- 
nell,  Simeon  Draper,  Francis  Griffin,  Mr.  Anderson,  Mr.  De 
Launay,  John  Schermerhorn,  Moses  B.  Taylor,  Mr.  Jaudon,  Mr. 
Brigham,  R.   AL   Blatchford,   George  Curtis,  and   myself. 

November  8.  —  I  have  refrained  of  late  from  keeping  a  record 
of  railroad  and  steamboat  accidents.  I  never  take  up  a  paper  that 
does  not  contain  accounts  of  loss  of  life,  dreadful  mutilation  of 
limbs,  and  destruction  of  property,  with  which  these  reckless, 
dangerous,  murderous  modes  of  locomotion  are  attended.  The 
detail  of  loss  of  hfe  by  boilerd)ursting,  collisions,  and  snakesheads 
is  as  regular  a  concomitant  of  the  breakf^ist -table  as  black  tea  and 
smoked  beef. 

November    13.  —  Grinnell,     Minturn,    &    Co.    are 
The  "Win  c    |^^-yjj^„  ^   f-jj-jg  packet  of  one  thousand  two  hundred 

Scott."  b  1 

tons,  to  go  on  their  Liverpool  line.  I  am  delighted  to 
learn  that  she  is  to  bear  the  honoured  name  of  "  Winfield  Scott," 
—  a  compliment  creditable  to  her  respected  owner  as  it  is  well- 
merited  by  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  army. 

This  noble  ship  will  bear  on  her  bows  the  name  and  image  of 
a  man  whom  the  history  of  our  country  will   place  on  its  highest 


1847.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  329 

and  brightest  page ;  a  merited  distinction,  of  which  party  spirit, 
ignorance,  and  jealousy  have  in  vain  conspired  to  deprive  him.  A 
soldier  accomplished  in  the  art,  and  chivalric  in  the  practice  of 
war,  the  echoes  of  our  country  have  rung  with  the  name  of  Zachary 
Taylor.  He  well  deserves  his  laurels ;  but  I  say  that  Winfield 
Scott  is  "a  better  "  as  well  as  "an  older  soldier."  The  laurels 
that  budded  upon  the  warrior's  youthful  brow  at  Chippewa  have 
preserved  their  freshness  at  all  times  and  under  every  climate. 
Untarnished  by  the  chilling  blasts  of  the  northern  lakes,  or  the 
scorching  rays  of  southern  suns,  they  assimilate  with  equal  grace 
and  appropriateness  with  the  gray  hairs  of  mature  age.  At  all 
times,  "  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  in  the  negotiations  of  peace 
as  in  the  strife  of  war,  in  the  closet  as  in  the  field.  General  Scott 
has  stood  ready  to  serve  his  country,  to  do  all  that  was  required 
of  him,  and  to  do  it  well,  —  a  man  of  letters  and  a  gentleman  in 
the  best  sense  of  the  term  ;  prone  to  vanity  there  is  no  denying,  but 
having  much  to  be  vain  of.  He  does  not  write  as  well  as  he 
fights ;  but  he  seems  to  value  the  triumphs  of  the  pen  more  than 
those  of  the  sword,  and  thus,  in  seeking  to  gain  advantage  by  the 
former  weapon,  he  has  on  some  occasions  committed  himself  to 
opponents  less  able,  but  more  artful,  than  himself,  and  the  fox  has 
seen  with  satisfaction  the  lion  encompass  himself  in  the  toils  which 
he  could  not  have  cast  over  him ;  so  it  was  in  his  late  correspond- 
ence with  the  war  department.  He  was  right  in  principle,  just  in 
feeling,  correct  in  judgment ;  but,  unfortunately,  deficient  in  taste. 
He  aimed  to  out- write  his  adversaries,  and  made  his  pen  so  sharp 
that  it  bespattered  the  ink  back  on  himself.  But  all  is  right  now. 
The  people  have  had  their  laugh  at  the  "  hasty  plate  of  soup  ;"  but 
the  masterly  capture  of  la  Vera  Cruz,  the  triumphal  march,  with 
forces  greatly  inferior  to  those  of  his  enemy,  over  a  hostile  and  till 
then  unknown  country  of  three  hundred  miles,  and  the  gallant 
achievements  which  resulted  in  the  conquest  of  the  Mexican 
capital  by  the  modern  Cortez,  will  entitle  him  to  the  proud  appel- 
lation   of  "  Marshal   Turenne,"  when    the    cause    of  Christopher 


330  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  67. 

Hughes's  invidious  application  of  the  term  shall  have  been  forgot- 
ten, or  perhaps  remembered  with  regret  only  by  its  witty  author. 

November  15.  — "  No  more  study  for  me,"  said  this 
Kent"^  "^  great  and  good  man  the  other  day ;  and  I  fear  the 
bright  light  of  his  intellect  is  very  soon  to  be  removed 
from  the  sphere  which  it  has  irradiated.  I  was  so  unwell  yester- 
day that  I  remained  at  home  until  evening,  when  I  went  to  pay  my 
accustomed  visit  to  Union  place.  The  accounts  are  unfavourable, 
the  lamp  burns  dimly,  the  sun  is  nearly  set. 

November  25.  —  On  this  day  the  incense  of  prayer 
Thanksgiving,  and  thanksgiving  ascends  from  the  altars  of  twenty-one 
of  these  United  States,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  in 
addition,  to  the  Almighty  Giver  of  all  good  things,  for  the  blessings, 
national  and  individual,  which  we  enjoy.  This  simultaneous  action 
of  so  many  States  presents  an  interesting  spectacle  to  the  minds  of 
reflecting  men,  —  a  nation  on  its  knees,  confessing  its  obligations  and 
acknowledging  its  dependence  upon  Divine  goodness  and  mercy. 
No  matter  what  proportion  of  the  mass  may  be  insincere,  or  what 
may  have  been  the  motives  of  a  part  of  the  rulers  who  appointed 
this  religious  festival ;  it  is  a  good  and  wise  measure,  beautiful  and 
interesting,  and  derives  efficacy  from  the  sanction  of  the  civil 
authority.  The  people  are  placed  in  the  right  track ;  it  is  their  own 
fault,  and  they  are  answerable,  if  they  do  not  walk  in  it.  No  nation 
ever  had  more  causes  for  thanksgiving.  Besides  the  innumerable 
positive  blessings  of  our  position,  our  exception  from  two  of  the 
great  calamities  of  human  life,  pestilence  and  famine,  is  a  promi- 
nent cause  of  gratitude ;  if  the  third,  the  sword,  cannot  be  added, 
we  have  ourselves  alone  to  thank  for  it. 

December  7. — The  Thirtieth  Congress  met  yesterday, 
ee  ing  o        rpj^^  state  of  parties  is  so  close  that  the  members  them- 

Congress.  *■ 

selves  were  ignorant  of  their  own  strength,  so  that  the  wish 
to  be  in  time  was  unexampled.  The  whole  Western  world,  from  Lake 
Superior  to  the  Rio  Grande  (Mr.  Polk  says  that  is  the  boundary)  ; 
from  the  turbid  waters  of  the  upper  Missouri  (nay,  from  the  mouth 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  33 1 

of  the  Columbia)  to  the  engulfment  of  the  St.  Johns,  sent  their 
three  hundred  representatives  to  the  common  centre.  Hotels  and 
boarding-houses  were  filled  as  by  a  mighty  rushing  stream,  and 
black  waiters  grinned  at  the  prospect  of  undeserved  quarter-dollars. 
Two  hundred  and  twenty  members  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives answered  to  their  names  on  the  call  of  the  roll  at  twelve  o'clock, 
and  were  sworn  in  by  Mr.  French,  clerk  of  the  last  Congress. 

Robert  C.  Winthrop,  of  Massachusetts,  a  fine  fellow  and  a  true 
Whig,  was  elected  Speaker,  on  the  third  ballot,  by  a  majority  of  one 
vote.  The  rival  candidates  for  the  clerkship  (which  seems  to  be 
a  more  exciting  bone  of  contention  even  than  Speaker)  are  French, 
the  old  clerk  of  the  Loco-focos,  and  Campbell,  Whig.  The  House 
adjourned  without  filling  this  office.  The  President's  message  was 
not  sent  in. 

December  13. — The  bright  light   which  illumined 
-^^    °^    ,      the  paths  of  science   and  literature,  cleared  away  the 

James  Kent.  -^  '  •' 

intricacies  of  legal  jurisprudence  and  shed  a  benign 
lustre  upon  the  relations  of  social  life,  was  extinguished  at  half- 
past  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  Sunday,  the  i2lh  of 
December,   1847. 

Chancellor  Kent  is  no  more ;  his  useful  and  brilliant  career, 
which  was  extended  in  blessing  to  mankind  to  the  protracted 
term  of  fourscore  and  four  years,  has  come  to  a  tranquil  and 
peaceful  termination.  Dr.  Francis  called,  about  five  o'clock,  to 
inform  me  of  his  approaching  dissolution.  I  went  immediately  to 
his  residence,  and  formed  one  of  the  mourning  group  which  sur- 
rounded the  couch  of  the  great  and  good  man,  and  watched  with 
painful  solicitude  the  heaving  of  his  last  breath.  I  did  not  wit- 
ness the  closing  scene,  having  returned  home  a  short  time  before 
it  took  place.  His  death  was  such  as  every  one  must  have 
desired  who  loved  him  (and  all  who  knew  him  did,  and  none 
more  than  myself) .  He  lay  on  the  sofa  in  the  library,  the  apart- 
ment where  he  laboured,  studied,  and  wrote,  and  where  he  most 
enjoyed  the    pleasure  of  social   intercourse   with   his  family   and 


332  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  67. 

friends.  How  different  was  the  scene  from  that  which  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  witness  in  this  place  !  The  hand  which 
formerly  grasped  mine  laid  cold  and  nerveless  at  his  side ;  the 
lips,  from  which  lessons  of  wisdcjm,  interspersed  with  remarks  of 
childlike  simplicity,  were  wont  to  proceed,  uttered  no  sounds ;  the 
eyes  closed  upon  all  surrounding  objects,  the  beloved  octogenarian 
breathing  fainter  and  fainter,  surrendered  his  pure  spirit,  uncon- 
scious of  its  departure. 

Chancellor  Kent  was  born  on  the  31st  of  July,  1763.  I  never 
knew  a  man  whom  I  loved  and  venerated  more  entirely.  Whilst 
I  sat  at  his  side  I  was  led  to  reflect  on  the  transition  which  I  had 
witnessed  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes ;  the  two  extremes  of 
human  life  were  present  to  me.  When  Dr.  Francis  called  it 
rained  very  hard,  and  I  sent  for  a  carriage  ;  before  it  came  I  went 
over  to  Mr.  Russell's,  to  see  my  grandchildren,  and  there  they 
were,  in  my  arms,  full  of  life  and  spirits,  unconscious  of  anything 
but  present  enjoyment :  two  sparkling  dew-drops,  glittering  in  the 
morning  sunbeams ;  two  blossoms  just  expanding  from  the  buds, 
and  beginning  to  emit  their  early  fragrance.  In  a  brief  space  of 
time  I  was  called  to  witness  the  extinguishment  of  a  lamp  v/hich 
had  enlightened  mankind  for  nearly  a  century,  and  to  mark  the 
withered  fruit  falling  from  the  sapless  bough.  "  So  passes  man's 
life  away,  and  he  is  gone."  Happy  should  we  be,  if  at  the  close 
of  such  a  life  we  might  have  a  reasonable  assurance  of  such  a 
death  ! 

December  15.  —  The  remains  of  James  Kent,  the  man  whom 
all  men  delighted  to  honour,  were  interred  this  afternoon,  in  the 
cemetery  on  the  Second  avenue.  The  funeral  procession,  which 
embraced  the  members  of  the  Bar  in  a  body,  the  Common  Council, 
with  their  staves  of  office,  and  countless  hundreds  of  the  most 
respectable  citizens,  proceeded  to  Calvary  Church,  where  a  part 
of  the  funeral  service  was  read  by  the  reverend  pastor,  Mr. 
Southard.  Thence  the  sacred  ashes  were  conveyed  to  the 
vault  of  the  deceased,  and  the  final  ceremonies  performed.     The 


1847]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  333 

pall  bearers  were  :  Chief  Justice  Jones,  Mr.  John  Duer,  David 
S.  Jones,  Sylvaniis  Miller,  George  Griffin,  Thomas  Morris,  Judge 
Oakley,  and  myself. 

Every  demonstration  of  public  respect  has  been  paid  to  the 
memory  of  this  excellent  man.  The  Common  Council  met  on 
the  call  of  the  Mayor,  and  passed  suitable  resolutions,  among  which 
was  one  to  procure  his  portrait.  The  city  standard  and  flags  on 
public  edifices  and  shipping  were  displayed  at  half-mast,  the 
courts  were  all  suspended,  and  all  the  obituary  notices  in  the 
newspapers  are  highly  eulogistic.  The  proceedings  of  a  meeting 
of  the  New  York  Bar  held  yesterday,  at  which  Chief  Justice  Jones 
presided,  were  exceedingly  impressive.  It  seems  to  have  been 
an  expression  of  the  most  fervent  feeling,  an  offering  of  personal 
affection  rather  than  a  public  demonstration ;  and  this  sentiment 
prevailed  throughout  the  whole  proceedings.  Speeches  were 
made  by  Ogden  Hoffman,  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Daniel  Lord,  and 
Hugh  Maxwell ;  eloquent,  of  course,  proceeding  from  such  lips, 
but  rendered  peculiarly  interesting  by  the  prevalence  of  the 
sentiment  above  alluded  to.  I  have  preser\'ed  the  public  report 
of  these  speeches  as  among  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of 
funeral  eloquence  I  have  ever  met  with. 

December  17.  —  Another  old  friend  is  gone.     Peter 

ea  10  1  1.    ^   Mesier  died  suddenlv,  on  AVednesdav  ni^rht,  in  the 

Mesier.  ^  '  -  o      ? 

seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  I  attended  the  funeral 
as  a  pall- bearer  this  afternoon,  from  his  house.  No.  51  Dey  street, 
next  door  to  the  one  in  which  I  was  married,  more  than  forty- six 
years  ago.  The  funeral  ceremony  was  performed  in  Trinity 
Church.  The  following  were  the  pall-bearers  :  Gen.  Edward  W. 
Laight,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  James  Lee,  Gen.  Augustus  Fleming, 
L.  C.  Hamersley,  Garrit  Storm,  Joseph  Tucker,  and  myself. 

December    22.  —  The   New  England    Society  cele- 
New  England  ^^j-^^.^^^  |.|^gjj.  anniversary   yesterday,  by  a  gathering  at 

Anniversary.  ^      •'  j  ?       j  o  cj 

the  Tabernacle,  at  two  o'clock,  and  the  usual  dinner  at 
a  later  hour.     I  attended  the  first,  and  not  the  second,  having  no 


334  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.67. 

regular  call  nor  complimentary  invitation  ;  and  well  it  was  for  me, 
for  the  confinement  to  one  position  for  nearly  three  hours  in  the 
Tabernacle  was  almost  insupportable  in  my  feeble  state,  and  I  was 
placed  in  so  conspicuous  a  situation,  directly  in  the  eye  of  my  friend, 
the  orator,  with  Mrs.  Webster,  Mrs.  Hall,  and  Mrs.  Cutting  directly 
behind,  and  in  gossiping  communion  with  me,  that  I  could  not 
make  my  escape.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  and  I  had  been  wise 
enough  to  secure  a  retreat,  the  oration,  beautiful  as  it  was,  could 
not  have  detained  me.  Prescott  Hall  was  the  orator.  His  ad- 
dress, bating  its  being  a  little  too  statistical  and  too  long  by  half 
an  hour  (two  hours  and  ten  minutes),  contained  some  splendid 
passages,  especially  a  glowing  and  most  eloquent  peroration,  and 
was  read  with  the  grace  which  was  to  be  expected  from  J.  Prescott 
Hall. 

What  strange  changes  have  of  late  come  over  the  spirit  of  the 
times  !  One  of  the  standing  toasts  at  the  New  England  dinner 
was  "  Pius  IX.,  Pope  of  Rome  ;  "  and  Bishop  Hughes,  an  invited 
guest,  occupied  the  seat  of  honour  on  the  right  of  the  President, 
and  made  a  speech,  in  which  he  could  not  avoid  expressing  his 
astonishment  at  finding  himself  in  such  companionship  ;  and  well 
might  he  be  astonished.  The  sons  of  the  Pilgrims  toasting  the 
old  lady,  whom  their  fathers  complimented  with  the  titles  of 
"  whore  of  Babylon,"  "  red  harlot,"  and  such-like  tender  and 
loving  appellatives  !  What  would  the  Carvers  and  the  Brad  fords, 
the  Winslows  and  the  Winthrops,  say,  if  they  could  rise  from  their 
ancient  places  in  the  "  old  colony,"  and  witness  their  descendants 
toasting  the  Pope,  for  whom  no  better  place  could  formerly  be 
found  in  their  celebration  of  the  "  Gunpowder  Plot"  than  as  one 
of  the  respectable  trio  of  Pope,  Pretender,  and  Devil !  All  Hail, 
a  return  of  the  days  of  bulls,  dispensations,  indulgences,  and  ex- 
communications !     New  England  toasts  the  Pope. 

December  28.  —  The  line  of  English  mail  steamers  is  to  be 
divided,  and  one-half  are  to  come  to  this  port  alternately  with  the 
Boston  line.     For  this  purpose  the  "  Hibernia  "  arrived  here  from 


1847]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  335 

Boston  this  morning,  to  take  her  place,  and  sail  hence  on  Saturday. 
A  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  to-day  at  the  Exchange,  at 
which  Mr.  George  Griswold  presided,  with  James  Brown,  Anson 
G.  Phelps,  Jonathan  Goodhue,  Robert  B.  Minturn,  and  William 
Whitlock  as  vice-presidents,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  welcome 
to  Captain  Ryrie,  the  commander  of  the  "  Hibernia." 


33^  THE  DIARV  OF   rilll.ir   hone.  [/Etat.68. 


1848. 


/^^N  the  first  day  of  January,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
^-^  forty- eight,  with  the  opening  of  a  new  year,  I  am  permitted 
to  open  a  new  vohune  of  my  humble  annals.  I  pray  that  the 
gloomy  aspect  of  things  out  of  doors,  the  thick,  foggy  air  over- 
head, and  the  muddy  ways  underfoot,  may  not  be  prophetic  of 
national  or  individual  calamity  ;  but  that  bright  skies  and  genial 
sunshine  may  soon  dispel  the  clouds  of  the  moral,  as  it  soon  will 
those  of  the  natural,  atmosphere. 

The  year  which  has  just  passed  away,  and  is  laid  by  on  the  shelf 
of  time,  like  a  cast-off  garment  to  feed  the  moth  of  tradition,  has 
been  productive  of  events  of  startling  moment  and  fearful  import- 
ance, here  and  elsewhere.  Our  country  is  engaged  in  a  most 
unrighteous  war,  waged  from  motives  corrupt  and  sinister,  with  a 
neighbouring  Republic,  —  a  war  in  which  the  gallant  achievements 
of  our  officers  and  men  have  shone  conspicuously,  but  in  which 
the  blood  of  our  countrymen  has  enriched  the  fields  of  Mexico, 
and  in  which  untold  millions  of  the  nation's  treasure  has  been  ex- 
pended, and  is  yet  to  be  expended,  in  fighting  the  battles  of  a  bas- 
tard branch  which  in  an  evil  hour  was  admitted  into  the  American 
family.  Individual  prosperity  has  increased  in  this  part  of  the 
Union ;  men  have  grown  rich  in  supplying  the  wants  of  the  starv- 
ing population  of  Ireland ;  palaces  have  been  erected  out  of  the 
freights  of  nine  shillings  sterling  for  flour ;  and  the  extravagance 
and  love  of  show,  to  which  our  people  are  prone,  has  had  ample 
scope  in  the  successful  mercantile  operations  of  the  year.  These 
bright  days,  however,  have  in  a  measure  passed  away,  and  there  is 
some  danger  that  some  among  us  may  wish  during  the  year  1848 
that  they  had  not  spent  so  much  money  in  1847. 

In  Europe  the  leading  events  have  been  the  dreadful  state  of 


1848.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  337 

famine  and  destitution,  crime  and  discontent,  in  Ireland  ;  a  civil 
war  in  the  cantons  of  Switzerland,  waged  against  Jesuitical  influ- 
ence ;  a  new  Pope,  who  is  trying  very  hard  to  introduce  salutary 
reforms  in  the  government  of  the  Papal  See,  and  striving  to  make 
his  subjects  happy.  In  our  own  country  a  change  has  taken  place 
in  the  state  of  parties.  The  Whigs  have  recovered  their  ascend- 
ency in  the  public  councils ;  there  is  a  Whig  Speaker  and  a  small 
majority  of  Whigs  in  the  House  of  Representatives  ;  the  Governor, 
and  other  State  officers,  with  a  large  majority  of  both  Houses  of 
the  Legislature,  are  Whigs,  as  are  also  the  Mayor  and  both  branches 
of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city ;  so,  if  things  go  wrong,  we 
must  take  the  blame. 

As  for  myself,  for  the  last  six  months  I  have  been  struggling 
against  the  effects  of  indisposition  contracted  during  my  Western 
tour,  which  has  taken  away  my  strength,  and  reduced  my  flesh  by 
the  amount  of  forty  pounds.  Of  this  disease  I  am  not  relieved, 
but  am  better.  I  have  borne  up  well  under  the  affliction,  and  have 
hopes  that,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  I  may  yet  overcome  it.  But, 
let  the  event  be  what  it  may,  I  hope  to  be  willing  to  leave  the  issue 
in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty  Author  of  my  existence,  and  to  say, 
with  hope  and  confidence,  and  with  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of 
the  blessings  heretofore  derived  from  that  beneficent  source,  "  Thy 
will  be  done."  My  affairs,  to  say  the  best  of  them,  are  not  im- 
proved since  last  year,  nor  are  they  worse.  I  am  deeply  in  debt ; 
but  I  have  the  means  to  pay  all,  and  have  thus  flir  met  every 
engagement  with  undeviating  punctuality.  Let  those  who  are  bet- 
ter off  say  as  much. 

January  12.  —  I  am  feeble,  and  scarcely  able  to  go  abroad  ;  but 
I  am  not  permitted  to  stay  at  home.  The  warm  fire  of  my  domes- 
tic hearth  burns  not  for  me.  I  attended  yesterday,  at  five  o'clock, 
a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  Columbia  College,  and  in  the  even- 
ing presided  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Mercantile  Library. 
This  duty,  always  gratifying  to  me,  was  peculiarly  so  on  this  occa- 
sion, from  the  kind  expression  of  feeling  with  which  I  was  greeted. 


338  THE   DIARV   OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [.'Etat.  68. 


General 
Scott. 


January  13.  —  It  appears  to  be  a  '*  fixed  fact  "  that 
the  great  captain,  (ieneral  Scott,  has  been  recalled 
from  his  command  in  Mexico.  The  ostensible  object 
of  this  disastrous  measure  is  probably  to  give  the  general  an  op- 
portunity to  make  good  the  charges  on  which  the  arrest  of  Gener- 
als Worth  and  Pillow  and  Colonel  Duncan  was  ordered  (as  I  think 
in  an  evil  hour).  These  officers  are  also  ordered  home,  to  meet 
the  court-martial  which  must  be  called  to  investigate  the  charges. 
But  it  is  more  likely  that  the  administration  is  glad  of  an  excuse 
for  preventing  a  further  accumulation  of  laurels  on  the  brow  of  the 
able  and  gallant  commander-in-chief,  for  his  glory  forms  a  contrast 
rather  unfavourable  to  their  claims  upon  the  people's  favour.  They 
hate  him,  and  are  glad  to  get  rid  of  him.  What  a  pity  that  he 
should,  by  his  own  hasty  act,  have  furnished  them  the  means  of 
carrying  out  their  hostility  ! 

General  Scott  has  a  claim  ten  times  stronger  upon  the  gratitude 
and  favour  of  the  American  people  for  services  rendered  to  the 
country  than  General  Taylor ;  and  yet  the  latter  chieftain,  by  the 
exercise  of  more  discretion,  and  manners  more  popular,  would  beat 
the  hero  of  Chippewa,  of  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico,  ten  to  one,  in  a 
contest  for  the  Presidency.  Thus  it  is  in  this  "  land  of  freedom  ;  " 
and  such  things  prove  the  truth  of  the  maxim  that  "  republics  are 
ungrateful."  The  Duke  of  Wellington,  with  no  better  claims  upon 
his  country's  liberality  than  our  Scott,  bends  under  the  weight  of 
merited  rewards ;  jewelled  stars  and  heraldic  orders  cover  his 
breast ;  accumulating  titles  are  emblazoned  upon  his  escutcheon,  and 
domains  and  other  substantial  endowments  attest  a  sense  of  the 
value  of  his  services ;  whilst  our  ripe  and  accomplished  soldier  (of 
whom  I  am  informed  that  the  "great  Duke"  has  lately  said,  the 
campaign  which  commenced  with  the  taking  of  Vera  Cruz  and  ter- 
minated with  the  military  occupation  of  the  Mexican  capital,  was 
one  of  the  most  splendid  achievements  of  modern  warfare)  is  re- 
called to  be  laid  upon  the  shelf,  and  obtain  his  diurnal  "  plate  of 
soup  "  from  the  inadequate  pittance  of  a  government  bureau. 


1848.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  339 

February  8. —  I  dined  to-day  with  Mr.  Blatchford,  at  the  Astor 
House,  where  his  family  is  boarding  during  the  winter  season. 
The  dinner  (as  is  ahvays  the  case  at  that  house)  was  excellent. 
The  controversy  on  the  Clay  and  Taylor  question  waxes  somewhat 
warm.  In  that  company  I  was  almost  alone  for  Clay,  and  had  to 
contend  with  Webb,  Hall,  and  Grinnell,  with  occasionally  a  side- 
cut  from  George  Curtis ;  but  they  know  no  more  about  public 
opinion  in  New  York  than  they  do  of  the  secrets  of  the  Grand 
Seignior's  seraglio.  In  reply  to  Colonel  Webb,  I  read  the  letter 
which  I  had  just  written  to  Charles  King ;  and,  on  the  whole,  sus- 
tained myself  tolerably  well  against  the  professed  friends,  but  secret 
enemies,  of  Henry  Clay.  Our  party  consisted  of  R.  M.  Blatch- 
ford, J.  P.  Hall,  John  Ward,  Paul  Spofford,  T.  Tileston,  M.  H. 
Grinnell,  Daniel  Fearing,  J.  W.  Webb,  R.  L.  Colt,  George  Curtis, 
C.  H.  Russell,  M.  Morgan,  Stebbins,  and  myself;  and  that  noble 
Whig  and  fine  fellow,  George  Evans,  of  Maine,  whose  loss  in  the 
Senate  all  good  men  deplore. 

February  15.  —  Died  on  Saturday,  the   12th,  at  his 
^,         ^  ,     residence,  Kattskill,  Thomas  Cole.     The  death  of  this 

Thomas  Cole.  '  ' 

eminent  artist,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  the  meridian  of 
his  fame  as  a  landscape  painter,  is  a  loss  to  the  arts  and  a  severe 
affliction  to  his  friends,  for  both  suffer  equally  from  the  melancholy 
deprivation.  I  knew  poor  Cole  from  the  first  day  he  came  here 
from  Philadelphia,  —  a  fine  young  fellow,  full  of  undying  ardour  in 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  a  lover  of  nature,  with  a  conscious  ability 
for  the  portraiture  of  her  features.  Modest  and  unassuming,  he 
was  unacquainted  with  the  artistical  quality  of  humbug,  and,  alas  ! 
he  was  not  then  the  fashion.  If  genius  did  not  sometimes  over- 
come discouragement,  here  was  a  case  in  which  it  might  have  de- 
spaired. When  Cole  came  to  New  York  he  brought  with  him  two 
pictures,  original  views  of  the  Kaaiers  Kill  or  Kattskill  mountains, 
and  the  Still- Lake  which  forms  its  head- waters,  with  all  the  beauti- 
ful scenery  of  that  romantic  region,  taken  on  the  spot.  Days  were 
devoted  to  rambling,  sketching,  and  the   results  successfully  trans- 


340  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [.Etat.  68. 

ferred  to  the  canvas  :  the  glowing  impressions  of  a  warm  imagi- 
nation, the  rich  fruits  of  an  artist's  study,  the  children  of  proHfic 
genius  ;  and  these  pictures,  the  labour  of  many  weary  days,  taken 
faithfully  and  with  talent  from  one  of  the  most  beautiful  reposito- 
ries of  nature's  riches,  the  artist  offered  for  sale  repeatedly,  in 
Philadelphia,  for  ten  dollars  each,  without  finding  a  purchaser ;  for 
he  was  not  then  the  fashion.  These  pictures  are  now  mine  ;  they 
adorn  the  wall  of  my  back  parlour. 

Cole  came  here,  poor,  friendless,  and,  worse  than  all,  modest. 
He  was  fortunate  enough,  however,  to  attract  the  notice  of  Colonel 
Trumbull  and  William  Dunlap,  two  artists,  now  both  deceased, 
whose  favourable  opinion  was  of  great  value,  and  was  freely  bestowed. 
They  bought,  each  of  them,  one  of  the  pictures  in  question  for  $25. 
I  was  so  much  pleased  with  them  that  I  succeeded  in  getting  the 
two  for  $125,  and  now  that  my  friend,  whose  recent  death  is  so 
deeply  deplored,  has  emerged  from  the  clouds  of  neglect  and  shone 
out  in  all  the  brightness  of  fashionable  popularity,  it  is  not  an  ex- 
travagant surmise  that  some  of  the  Philadelphia  dilettanti,  who  could 
not  formerly  discover  $10  worth  of  merit  in  these  early  productions 
of  the  artist,  would  now  be  glad  to  buy,  at  a  cost  of  $600  or  $800, 
two  of  the  works  of  his  pencil,  of  no  greater  merit  than  mine.  The 
late  Mr.  Samuel  Ward  gave  him  $2,500  for  a  series  of  four  beautiful 
pictures,  called  "  The  Guardian  Angel,"  and  the  late  Mr.  Luman 
Reed,  a  price  nearly  equal  for  another  series  of  four,  which  he  styled 
the  "  March  of  Empire."  Poor  Cole  !  He  struggled  against  every 
discouragement  to  reach  the  top  of  the  hill,  but  was  not  long  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  his  elevated  station. 

February  24.  —  Poor  Mr.  Webster  !  My  heart  bleeds 
Mr.  Webster,  for  him.  A  few  weeks  ago  his  only  daughter,  Mrs. 
Appleton,  died  of  consumption,  suddenly  contracted 
and  fatally  hasty  in  its  progress ;  and  now,  himself  in  feeble  health, 
he  has  just  received  the  news  of  his  son  Edward's  death  in  Mexico, 
where  he  commanded  a  company  in  a  regiment  of  Massachusetts 
Volunteers.     He  died  of  one  of  those  diseases  of  the  climate  which 


1848.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  34I 

there  is  reason  to  fear  will  be  the  passport  to  a  stranger's  grave  for 
many  a  young  American.  I  passed  a  few  happy  days,  the  summer 
before  last,  at  Marshfield,  with  these  two  young  persons,  whose 
premature  deaths  will  wring  their  parents'  hearts,  and  bring  a  sym- 
pathizing tear  into  the  eye  of  many  a  friend.  Edward  Webster  had 
a  strong  desire  for  military  distinction,  and  would  probably  have 
made  a  distinguished  officer.  He  was  taken  ill  last  summer,  obtained 
leave  of  absence,  and  came  home  ;  whence  he  returned  to  Mexico, 
restored  to  health,  as  he  believed,  but  only  to  add  another  victim  to 
a  destroying  climate. 

John  Quincy  Adams  is  no  more.     Full  of  age  and 
^/^  .^  ?  honours,  the  termination  of  his  even*tful  career  accorded 

Mr.  Adams.  ' 

with  the  character  of  its  progress.  He  died,  as  he  must 
have  wished  to  die,  breathing  his  last  in  the  capitol,  stricken 
down  by  the  angel  of  death  on  the  field  of  his  civil  glory,  —  em- 
ployed in  the  service  of  the  people,  in  the  people's  Senate  house, 
standing  by  the  Constitution  at  the  side  of  its  altar,  and  adminis- 
tering in  the  temple  of  liberty  the  rites  which  he  had  assisted  in 
establishing. 

At  twenty  minutes  past  one  o'clock,  on  Monday,  the  21st,  Mr. 
Adams,  being  in  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  (from 
which  he  was  never  absent  during  its  session),  attempted  to  rise  (as 
was  supposed,  to  speak),  but  sank  back  upon  his  seat  and  fell  upon 
his  side.  Those  nearest  caught  him  in  their  arms.  Mr.  Grinnell 
bathed  his  temples  with  ice-water,  when  he  rallied  for  an  instant. 
The  House  immediately  adjourned,  in  the  utmost  consternation,  as 
did  the  Senate,  when  informed  of  the  melancholy  event.  His  last 
words  were  characterized  by  that  concise  eloquence  for  which  he  was 
remarkable  :  "  Tliis  is  tlie  last  of  eartJi  ;  I  am  coufciity  Dr.  Fries 
of  Ohio,  a  member,  raised  him  in  his  arms  and  bore  him  to  the 
Speaker's  room,  where  he  lay,  with  occasional  indications  of  con- 
sciousness, until  last  evening,  a  few  minutes  before  seven  o'clock, 
when  he  breathed  his  last.  The  intelligence  of  his  death  came  to 
Albany  by  the  telegraph. 


342  THE   DIARY   OF   rilTTJP   HONE.  [/litat.  68. 

Thus  has  "  a  great  man  fallen  in  Israel,"  — in  many  respects  the 
most  wonderful  man  of  the  age  ;  certainly  the  greatest  in  the  United 
States,  —  perfect  in  knowledge,  but  deficient  in  practical  results. 
As  a  statesman,  he  was  pure  and  incorruptible,  but  too  irascible  to 
lead  men's  judgment.  They  admired  him,  and  all  voices  were 
hushed  when  he  arose  to  speak,  because  they  were  sure  of  being 
instructed  by  the  words  he  was  about  to  utter ;  but  he  made  no 
converts  to  his  opinions,  and  when  President  his  desire  to  avoid 
party  influence  lost  him  all  the  favour  of  all  parties.  In  matters  of 
history,  tradition,  statistics,  authorities,  and  practice  he  was  the 
oracle  of  the  House,  of  which  he  was  at  the  time  of  his  decease  a 
member.  With  an  unfailing  memory,  rendered  stronger  by  cultiva- 
tion, he  was  never  mistaken  ;  none  disputed  his  authority.  Every 
circumstance  of  his  long  life  was  ''  penned  down  "  at  the  moment 
of  its  occurrence  ;  every  written  communication,  even  to  the  minute 
of  a  dinner  invitation,  was  carefully  preserved,  and  nothing  pilssed 
uncopied  from  his  pen.  He  *'  talked  like  a  book  "  on  all  subjects. 
Equal  to  the  highest,  the  planetary  system  was  not  above  his  grasp. 
Familiar  with  the  lowest,  he  could  explain  the  mysteries  of  a  mouse- 
trap. 

I  Hstened  once,  at  my  own  table,  with  a  delight  which  I  shall 
never  forget,  to  his  dissertation  on  the  writings  of  Shakespeare,  and 
an  analysis  of  the  character  of  Hamlet, —  the  most  beautiful  creation 
(he  called  it)  of  the  human  imagination.  At  my  request  he 
afterward  sent  me  a  synopsis  of  the  latter  part  of  this  delightful 
conversation ;  a  paper  which  has  always  been  a  treasure  to  me,  and 
which  will  be  more  precious  now  that  its  illustrious  author  is  no 
more.  I  listened  once,  with  Mr.  Webster,  for  an  hour,  at  Mr. 
Adams's  breakfast- table  in  Washington,  to  a  disquisition  on  the  sub- 
ject of  dancing  girls  ;  from  those  who  danced  before  the  ark  and 
the  daughter  of  Jairus,  whose  premature  appearance  caused  so 
melancholy  a  termination  to  her  graceful  movements  in  the  dance, 
through  the  fascinating  exhibition  of  the  odalisques  of  the  harem 
down  to  the  present  times  of  Fanny  Ellsler  and  Taliogni,      He  was 


1848.]  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  343 

ignorant  on  no  subject,  and  could  enlighten  and  instruct  on  all ;  he 
loved  to  talk,  and  was  pleased  with  good  listeners.  Vain,  no 
doubt,  and  not  entirely  free  from  prejudices,  but  preserving  his 
mental  faculties  to  the  last.  His  sudden  death,  even  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty  years,  to  which  he  arrived  in  July  last,  will 
be  acutely  felt  and  deeply  deplored  by  those  who  have  habitually 
enjoyed  the  refreshing  streams  which  flowed  from  the  copious 
fountains  of  his  diversified  knowledge. 

Mr.  Adams's  name  will  be  recorded  on  the  brightest  page  of 
American  history,  as  statesman,  diplomatist,  philosopher,  orator, 
author,  and,  above  all.  Christian.  The  events  of  his  life  may  be 
thus  briefly  enumerated:  John  Quincy  Adams  was  born  in  1767. 
In  1 781  he  was  private  secretary  to  Francis  Dana,  minister  to 
Russia.  In  1794  he  was  appointed,  by  Washington,  Minister  to 
the  Netherlands.  In  1803  he  was  senator  in  Congress  from  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  resigned  in  1 808,  and  the  next  year  was  sent  by 
Madison  as  Minister  to  Russia,  where  he  remained,  until,  with 
Henry  Clay,  James  A.  Bayard,  and  Albert  Gaflatin,  he  negotiated 
the  treaty  of  Ghent  in  18 14,  and  was  sent  as  Minister  to  England. 
He  was  recalled  in  181 7  to  take  the  place  of  Secretary  of  State 
under  Mr.  Monroe.  He  succeeded  Mr.  Monroe  as  President  of 
the  United  States  in  1825.  In  1829,  having  completed  his  term, 
he  retired,  for  the  first  time  in  thirty- six  years,  to  private  life.  In 
1 83 1  he  was  returned  to  Congress  from  his  native  district,  which 
he  continued  to  represent  uninterruptedly  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
February  29.  —  The  subscribers,  members  of  the 
Racket-Court,  gave  a  ball  and  supper  this  evening  to 
the  ladies,  and  there  has  been  nothing  more  recherche, 
nothing  better  arranged,  and  nothing  attended  with  more  complete 
success,  since  the  last  leap-year.  I  attended  during  the  whole 
evening,  first  with  Mrs.  Fearing,  my  wife,  and  daughter,  to  see  the 
preparations,  and  afterward  in  attendance  upon  Miss  Sarah  Duer 
and  my  wife.  There  were  about  three  hundred  subscribers,  at  $10 
each,  and  the  whole   money  was   expended.     The  Racket    Court, 


344  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  68. 

one  him(ired  and  twenty  feet  by  forty,  was  converted  into  a  danc- 
ing-saloon, fitted  up  and  ornamented  in  the  most  perfect  taste,  in 
the  form  of  a  tent,  with  three  thousand  six  hundred  yards  of 
mushn,  divided  into  diamonds  by  strips  of  gold  galloon,  and  inter- 
spersed with  artificial  flowers.  The  orchestra,  with  thirty-five  per- 
formers, was  placed  on  the  north  side  ;  the  supper-table  was  laid 
out  in  tlie  bowling-alley,  where  the  most  am])le  provision  was  made 
for  the  epicures  and  lookers-on.  Pretty  girls,  with  pink  dresses, 
were  attended  by  beaux  with  black  mustaches  and  white  vests. 
All  the  other  rooms  in  this  spacious  edifice  were  decorated  and 
laid  open  for  the  pleased  and  happy  company ;  the  gallery,  which 
looked  down  upon  the  dancers,  was  filled  with  charming  girls  and 
agreeable  cavaliers,  forming,  on  this  occasion  at  least,  from  their 
relative  situation,  the  upper  crust  of  society.  The  affair  went  off 
splendidly,  and  hundreds  of  worthy  people,  employed  in  the 
getting-up,  have  been  made  to  rejoice  in  what  is  called,  by  some 
fastidious  persons,  the  extravagance  of  fashionable  life.  There  was 
a  large  committee  of  arrangements,  and  i\-\^fcte  was  sanctioned  by 
a  committee  of  ladies,  styled  lady- patronesses,  of  which  my  wife 
was  one.  This  dignified  body,  who  did  little  to  earn  their  honours, 
consisted  of  the  following  :  Mrs.  Philip  Hone,  Mrs.  D.  C.  Golden, 
Mrs.  George  Barclay,  jMrs.  A.  le  Barbier,  Mrs.  Robert  Emmet, 
Mrs.  H.  C.  de  Rham,  Mrs.  John  A.  Stevens,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Schmidt, 
Mrs.  Henry  Parish,  Mrs.  J.  Prescott  Hall. 

March    7.  —  This   was  the   day  appointed    for  the 
eccp  ion  (.      ^j-j-jy.^i    Qf   yi^     Clay  from   Philadelphia,  on   a  visit  to 

Mr.  Clay.  ^  ^  ' 

New  York,  as  the  guest  of  the  Mayor  and  the  Corpo- 
ration. The  new  steamer,  "  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,"  which  was 
gratuitously  furnished  by  her  owner  and  namesake,  left  town  at 
nine  o'clock,  with  the  committee  and  members  of  the  Common 
Council  and  a  large  company  of  invited  guests,  which  latter  honour 
I  was  compelled  to  decline.  Pint  I  accompanied  the  Mayor  to 
Castle  Garden,  which  was  filled  on  our  arrival  with  a  mass  of  men, 
equal  in  numbers   and  general  good  appearance   to  the  multitude 


1848.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  345 

which  assembled  in  the  same  place,  on  the  recent  occasion  of  the 
great  Clay  Whig  meeting.  The  boat  arrived  precisely  at  the 
appointed  time,  and  Mr.  Clay  and  his  cortege  mounted  the  stage 
at  two  o'clock.  Alderman  Franklin,  chairman  of  the  joint  com- 
mittee of  arrangements,  then  surrendered  the  illustrious  visitor  to 
the  Mayor,  who  gave  him  a  warm  reception  and  hearty  welcome, 
to  which  Mr.  Clay  replied,  in  one  of  the  most  touching  and  best- 
imagined  little  speeches  I  ever  heard  him  make. 

At  the  close  of  his  speech  he  adverted  to  the  painful  and  im- 
pressive contrast  presented  by  the  rejoicing,  the  shouting,  the 
excitement  of  which  he  was  the  honoured  object,  and  the  mournful 
obsequies  of  the  next  day,  in  which  our  citizens  were  preparing  to 
do  honour  to  the  remains  of  the  truly  great  man  who  had  just  fin- 
ished a  long  life  of  public  services  in  highly  honourable  stations. 
Here  now  were  assembled,  in  one  place,  the  three  principal  nego- 
tiators of  the  treaty  of  Ghent  (the  other  two,  Messrs.  Bayard  and 
Russell  being  no  longer  living).  Of  these  three  the  venerable 
Albert  Gallatin  is  one  of  our  fellow-citizens,  honoured  in  old  age. 
Henry  Clay  was  addressing  us,  and  the  mortal  remains  of  the  third 
we  were  to  speed,  the  next  day,  on  its  mournful  transit  to  the  tomb 
of  his  fathers. 

March  8.  —  The  day  of  joyful  gratulation  and  loud 
Obsequies  of    gj^^^^-jj^or  is  passcd  I  the  recipient  of  the  people's  honours 

Mr.  Adams.  01/  j. 

is  left  to  undergo  the  pains  of  oppressive  hospitality ; 
and,  instead  of  songs  of  triumph  for  a  great  man  living,  our  city  has 
sent  up  the  mournful  dirge  for  a  great  man  departed.  The  body 
of  John  Quincy  Adams  arrived  at  the  Battery,  from  Philadelphia,  at 
three  o'clock,  where  it  was  received  by  a  splendid  military  escort, 
and  accompanied  by  a  civil  procession,  consisting  of  eighteen  pall- 
bearers, of  which  number  I  was  one.  The  Mayor  and  Corpora- 
tion, the  committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives  appointed  to 
accompany  the  body,  the  members  of  the  Massachusetts  delega- 
tion, the  precious  relics  of  the  Cincinnati,  —  everybody  was  in  the 
procession  who   ought  to   have   been  there,    and    everything   was 


346  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  68. 

done  which  the  occasion  required.  The  streets  on  the  line  of 
march  were  filled  to  the  edge  of  the  sidewalks  with  the  greatest 
body  of  men  and  women  ever  assembled  in  the  city.  Unlike  the 
heterogeneous  mass  of  excited  spectators  which  covered  the  same 
ground  yesterday,  these  were  well-behaved,  well  dressed  people, 
of  grave  deportment  and  orderly  behaviour ;  the  streets  were 
relieved  from  the  annoyance  of  omnibuses  and  other  vehicles ;  the 
police  succeeded  in  preserving  order,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  outbreak  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  carriages  in 
which  Mr.  Clay  and  General  Gaines  rode.  The  pall-bearers  were 
nearly  as  follows  :  Luther  Bradish,  David  S.  Jones,  Samuel  Gil- 
ford, Stephen  Allen,  William  B.  Crosby,  Stephen  Whitney,  Egbert 
Benson,  Edward  Laight,  Richard  S.  Williams,  Gulian  C.  Verplanck, 
A.  Van  Nest,  Gideon  Ostrander,  Clement  C.  Moore,  J.  M.  Brad- 
hurst,  George  Tappan,  Anthony  Lamb,  Samuel  B.  Warner,  Philip 
Hone. 

March  ii.  —  Mr.  Clay  survives ;  but  such  a  time  no  man  ever 
had.  This  was  the  day  set  apart  for  his  reception  of  the  ladies. 
Tens  of  thousands  of  females,  with  a  careful  exclusion  of  the  grosser 
sex,  were  presented,  for  each  of  whom  he  had  a  word  of  gallantry. 
They  all  pressed  his  hands ;  many  kissed  him ;  and  one  hand, 
"  more  lucky  than  the  rest,"  prompted  by  a  spirit  of  Amazonian 
hardiness  and  armed  with  "  the  glittering  forfex,"  which,  like  the 
adventurous  baron  who  despoiled  the  lovely  Belinda  of  her  cher- 
ished tresses,  she  had  brought  for  the  nefarious  purpose,  did 
actually  commit  a  new  "  Rape  of  the  Lock." 

March  13.  —  Mr.  Clay  went  yesterday,  with  the  Mayor,  to  St. 
Bartholomew's  Church.  Here,  again,  was  one  of  those  scenes  which 
mark  the  movements  of  this  popular  man.  A  long  time  before  his 
arrival  at  the  church,  the  vestibule  and  the  walks  in  front  were 
filled  with  an  expectant  mass  of  people,  who  received  him  uncov- 
ered, and  on  his  entering  the  church,  the  aisles  and  every  part  of 
which  were  crowded,  the  congregation  arose.  If  their  worship  of 
God  was  ardent  and  sincere  as  that  of  man,  some  good  may  result 


184S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  347 

from  this  Sunday  manifestation.  On  his  leaving  the  church,  with 
Mrs.  Brady  on  his  arm,  and  when  the  carriage  drove  off,  these 
marks  of  homage  were  repeated. 

The  treaty  negotiated  by  an  unauthorized  agent, 
with  an  unacknowledged  government,  submitted  by  an 
accidental  President  to  a  dissatisfied  Senate,  has,  not- 
withstanding these  objections  in  form,  been  confirmed  in  substance 
by  the  decided  vote  of  thirty-nine  to  thirteen,  and  will  be  forwarded 
immediately  to  Mexico,  approved  by  President  Polk.  Parties  have 
not  divided  on  this  question  by  political  boundaries,  as  on  others. 
Cass  and  Crittenden  voted  for,  and  Benton  and  Webster  against,  it. 
The  war,  originated  in  the  vilest  cabal  that  ever  was  set  on  foot  by 
corrupt  demagogues,  has  been  conducted,  so  far  as  the  government 
was  concerned,  with  the  most  reckless  extravagance,  and  owes  now 
a  reluctant  confirmation  to  the  strong  desire  of  a  majority  of  the 
Senate  to  get  rid  of  a  present  evil,  and  avoid  the  future  disastrous 
consequences  of  a  protracted  war.  For  these  laudable  objects  the 
Whigs  voted  for  the  confirmation  of  the  rickety  treaty,  and  the 
administration  party  to  save  their  rickety  cabinet  from  further  dis- 
grace. Mr.  Trist,  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  departments  at  Washington, 
after  his  recall  from  a  special  job  committed  to  his  care,  makes  a 
treaty  "  upon  his  own  hook."  Mr.  Polk,  elected  President  nobody 
knows  how,  submits  it  to  the  Senate  to  get  himself  out  of  a  scrape, 
aud  they  agree  to  it  for  fear  of  something  worse. 

March  24.  —  Dined  with  Mr.  Tileston ;  a  sort  of  a  club  dinner, 
as  in  former  times,  ten  members  being  present.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  George  Curtis,  John  Ward,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  Paul  Spofford, 
Simeon  Draper,  James  W.Webb,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Samuel  Jaudon, 
Thomas  Tileston,  and  myself,  of  the  club  ;  invited  guests  :  Henry  A. 
Coit,  S.  Knapp,  D.  S.  Jones,  Charles  H.  Russell,  Daniel  Fearing, 
Mr.  DeWolf,  Henry  Cary. 

March  29.  —  John  Jacob  x\stor  died   this  morning. 
Death  of  Mr.     ^^    ^^^^    o'clock,  in   the    eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age: 

Astor. 

sensible  to  the  last,  but  the  material  of  life  exhausted, 


348  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  68. 

the  machinery  worn  out,  the  lamp  extinguished  for  want  of  oil. 
Bowed  down  with  bodily  infirmity  for  a  long  time,  he  has  gone  at 
last,  and  left  reluctantly  his  unbounded  wealth.  His  property  is 
estimated  at  ;$20, 000,000,  some  judicious  persons  say  $30,000,000  ; 
but,  at  any  rate,  he  was  the  richest  man  in  the  United  States  in  pro- 
ductive and  available  property ;  and  this  immense,  gigantic  fortune 
was  the  fruit  of  his  own  labor,  unerring  sagacity,  and  far-seeing 
penetration.  He  came  to  this  country  at  twenty  years  of  age  ; 
penniless,  friendless,  without  inheritance,  without  education,  and 
having  no  example  before  him  of  the  art  of  money- making,  but 
with  a  determination  to  be  rich,  and  ability  to  carry  it  into  effect. 
His  capital  consisted  of  a  few  trifling  musical  instruments,  which  he 
got  from  his  brother,  George  Astor,  in  London,  a  dealer  in  music. 
He  sold  his  flutes,  and  set  up  a  small  retail  shop  of  German  toys, 
but  soon  emerged  from  obscurity,  and  became  a  great  and  success- 
ful merchant.  The  fur  trade  was  the  philosopher's  stone  of  this 
modern  Croesus ;  beaver-skins  and  musk-rats  furnished  the  oil  for 
the  supply  of  Aladdin's  lamp.  His  traffic  was  the  shipment  of  furs 
to  China,  where  they  brought  immense  prices,  for  he  monopolized 
the  business ;  and  the  return  cargoes  of  teas,  silks,  and  rich  pro- 
ductions of  China  brought  further  large  profits  ;  for  here,  too,  he 
had  very  little  competition  at  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking. 
My  brother  and  I  found  in  ]\Ir.  Astor  a  valuable  customer.  We 
sold  many  of  his  cargoes,  and  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  a  want 
of  liberality  or  confidence.  All  he  touched  turned  to  gold,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  fortune  delighted  in  erecting  him  a  monument  of  her 
unerring  potency. 

April  i.  —  The  funeral  took  place  this  afternoon,  from  the  house 
of  Mr.  William  B.  Astor,  in  Lafayette  place.  The  following  were 
the  pall-bearers,  ten  in  number  :  David  B.  Ogden,  Judge  Oakley, 
Washington  Irving,  Ramsay  Crookes,  Isaac  Bell,  Sylvanus  Miller, 
James  G.  King,  James  Gallatin,  Jacob  B.  Taylor,  and  myself. 

Saturday,  April  15.  —  The  "  Milwaukee  Sentinel  "  con- 
tains the  following  article,  —  a  most  wonderful  illustration  of  the 


1848.]  THE   DIARV   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  349 

magical  performance  of  the  lightning  post,  the  last  miracle  of  the 
scientific  triumphs  of  the  present  age  :  "At  nine  o'clock  yesterday 
morning  we  had,  by  telegraph,  the  news  and  markets  from  New 
York,  distant  ^ova^  fourteen  hundred  miles,  up  to  three  o'clock  of 
the  preceding  afternoon  !  This  is,  indeed,  a  startling  fact,  and  may 
well  make  us  pause  and  wonder  at  the  agency  which  has  brought 
it  about."  I  was  once  nine  days  on  my  voyage  from  New  York  to 
Albany. 

May   I .  —  I  have   seldom   witnessed  a   more   inter- 
"^^'      estinsr  sisfht  than  that   of  the   old   pear-tree  on  Third 

sant  Pear-tree.  00  i 

avenue,  now  in  the  full  exuberance  of  its  spring  garb  of 
blossoms.  It  is  now  two  hundred  and  one  years  old,  having  been 
l)lanted  by  Governor  Stuyvesant  in  his  garden,  which  embraced 
all  this  populous  part  of  the  city,  on  his  arrival  from  Holland.  In 
laying  out  the  streets  and  avenues,  this  relic  of  antiquity  came  at 
the  corner  of  two  wide  thoroughfares,  where  it  is  protected  ;  its 
wide,  dark  trunk  standing  strong  and  stout,  and  its  branches 
spreading  out  in  fantastic  forms,  and  new  blossoms  vouching,  on 
the  return  of  spring,  for  the  vitality  of  the  ancient  child  of  the 
former  garden,  of  which  it  is  the  sole  memorial.  It  is  now  in  full 
blossom.  Having  expressed  my  admiration  of  the  time-honoured 
tree,  at  IVIr.  Fish's  dinner,  among  the  Stuyvesants,  the  Fishes,  and 
the  Winthrops,  they  very  politely  had  some  of  the  blossoms  gathered 
and  sent  to  me,  which  I  intend  to  preserve  as  a  specimen  of  long- 
lived  vegetation,  and  a  floral  reminiscence  of  the  Stuyvesant  dynasty. 
May  25.  —  I  have  been  glorifying  all  day,  and 
Hail  to  the  returned  fatigued  and  hungry.  General  Scott's  recep- 
tion has  been  splendid  and  enthusiastic.  The  arrange- 
ments of  the  Corporation  were  excellent,  and  everything  well 
conducted  ;  the  people  seemed  willing  to  carry  their  hero  upon 
their  shoulders,  notwithstanding  his  pretty  considerable  bulk,  and 
the  additional  weight  of  his  laurels.  The  sword  had  erased  the 
errors  of  the  pen,  and  the  "hasty  plate  of  soup  "  was  forgotten  in 
the  shouts  of  "  battles  won,"  and  conquests  secured. 


350  THE    ]:)TARY    OF    PIITLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  68. 

May  26.  —  I  (lined  with  a  large  party  at  Moses  H.  Grinnell's, 
in  his  magnificent  mansion  in  I*V)urteenth  street.  It  was  a  dinner 
given  to  the  directors  of  the  Phcjenix  liank,  the  result  of  a  wager 
lost  to  Mr.  Fearing.  All  tlie  delicacies  of  the  present  prolific  sea- 
son,—  turtle,  salmon,  peas,  asparagus,  terrapins,  strawberries,  —  all 
that  could  temj^t  the  epicure  or  satisfy  the  gourmand,  were  spread 
before  the  guests,  and  wine  such  as  Hebe  ne'er  poured  out  for  the 
gods  made  every  man  wish  "  his  neck  was  a  mile  long."  The 
party  consisted  of  James  W.  Otis,  Daniel  B.  Fearing,  Mr.  Corse, 
Paul  Spofford,  Garrit  Storm,  P.  Hone,  Thomas  Tileston,  Henry 
Gary,  Mr.  Henry,  N.  G.  Ogden,  William  E.  Laight,  Charles  H. 
Marshall,  Washington  Irving,  I).  Mills,  and  Mr.  Stebbins. 

June  7. — The  Whig  Convention  met  this  morning, 

igconvcn- ^^  ^j^^  Chinese  Hall,  Philadelphia.  Great  excitement 
prevails.  The  friends  of  General  Taylor  and  of  Mr.  Clay 
are  equally  raised  to  "  fever  heat."  The  former  hav^e  nominated, 
out  of  doors,  their  candidate  to  run  with  or  without  the  sanction  of 
a  nomination,  and  many  of  the  latter  have  expressed  a  determina- 
tion to  support  no  other  but  theirs.  As  for  myself,  I  am  as  much 
of  a  Clay  man  as  the  best  of  them ;  but  if  General  Taylor  gets  the 
nomination  (of  which  there  seems  to  be  a  strong  probability),  I 
will  support  him  to  the  best  of  my  power.  Mr.  Clay  deserves  the 
nomination ;  but  there  is  a  question  beyond  his  success  and  the 
gratification  of  our  predilections.  Shall  General  Cass  be  the  Presi- 
dent? Never,  if  I  can  prevent  it.  His  principles  are  more  dan- 
gerous than  those  of  any  other  man  who  has  been  named  by  his 
party  as  their  candidate.  He  is  an  embodiment  of  political  hum- 
bug and  demagogism,  administering  to  the  worst  part  of  the  com- 
munity. He  made  a  fool  of  himself,  when  minister  to  France,  by 
writing  a  book  of  gossip  about  the  king  and  court,  and  since  his 
return  has  courted  the  populace  by  declaring  war  pretty  much 
against  all  "  princes,  potentates,  and  powers."  The  annexation  of 
Texas  and  the  war  of  Mexico  received  his  hearty  support,  and  he 
now  threatens  to  subjugate  the  whole  of  the  American  continent. 


184S.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  35  I 

Whether  he  would  as  chief  magistrate  carry  out  these  threats  may 
be  doubtful ;  but,  demagogue  or  destroyer,  Oliver  Cromwell  or 
Charles  of  Sweden,  I  want  none  of  him.  "  I  intend,"  said  a  good, 
stiff  Loco- foco,  "to  give  General  Cass  my  unqualified  support."  — 
"  And  if  he  succeeds,"  replied  his  Whig  interlocutor,  "  you  will 
have   an   unqualified  President." 

June  10.  —  The  Whig  Convention,  in  Philadelphia, 

.  '^  onven-  (.Q^p^g^-gd  their  important  business  yesterday,  by  the 
nomination  of  Zachary  Taylor,  of  Louisiana,  for  Presi- 
dent, and  Millard  Fillmore  for  Vice-President.  I  am  disappointed, 
but  I  am  satisfied.  The  Clay  Whigs  generally  are  not  so  easily 
satisfied ;  they  are  exasperated,  and  swear  all  sorts  of  opposition 
to  the  nomination.  They  will  go  for  the  Barnburners ;  they  will 
get  up  an  opposition  candidate ;  they  will  support  Cass,  —  an 
ebullition  of  rage  which  will  lead  them  farther  than  they  wish  to  go. 
Hereafter  I  am  for  Taylor  and  Fillmore.  The  last  was  a  judicious 
selection.  New  York  is  the  great  Clay  State,  and  Mr.  Fillmore 
being  a  Clay  man,  it  will  serve  to  reconcile  the  party  in  a  good 
measure.  Some  will  undoubtedly  remain  refractory ;  but  we  shall 
gain  as  many  from  the  Loco-focos.  Hurrah,  therefore,  for  Taylor 
and  Fillmore  ! 

September   29. — The  Clay  Whigs   are  faUing   into 

oming  ^^  Taylor  ranks,   reluctantly  in  some   instances,   and 

with  a  bad  grace.  Mr.  Greeley,  editor  of  the  "Trib- 
une," who  sets  himself  up  as  the  oracle  of  the  party,  has  concluded 
at  last,  after  deep  deliberation,  and  at  the  expense  of  many  wry 
faces,  to  swallow  the  dose,  and  hoists,  in  his  paper  of  this  day,  the ' 
Taylor  and  Fillmore  flag,  but  thinks  proper  to  make  an  apology 
for  his  course.  He  only  prefers  Taylor  to  Cass,  and  damns  the 
former  with  faint  praise.  This  is  in  abominably  bad  taste,  as  well 
as  impolitic  in  the  last  degree.  But  the  object  is  clear  enough  ;  if 
General  Taylor  is  elected,  and  makes  a  good  Whig  President  (of 
which  I  have  the  fullest  confidence),  Mr.  Greeley  can  say,  "  I  sup- 
ported him ;  look  at  my  paper,  where  his   name  appears   in   large 


352  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [.Etat.68. 

capitals  ;  "  but  if  lie  is  defeated,  or,  like  John  Tyler,  proves  a  traitor 
to  the  party  which  elects  him,  the  same  adroit  editor  will  refer  to 
the  same  paper  to  prov^e  that  he  was  not  his  choice. 

OcTOiiKR  28.  —  The  telegraph  brings  the  melancholy, 
?^^^   °  but  not  unexpected,  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Har- 

Mr.  Otis.  ^  ^ 

rison  (iray  Otis,  of  ?)Oston.  The  brilliant  and  useful 
career  of  this  most  estimable  man  was  brought  to  a  close  this 
morning,  at  two  o'clock.  He  completed  his  eighty-third  year 
about  three  weeks  since,  and  has  gone  to  the  grave  full  of  years, 
loaded  with  honours,  and  rich  in  the  affections  of  his  friends  and 
fellow- citizens.  Mr.  Otis  was  one  of  a  class  almost  extinct,  —  a 
gentleman,  in  the  full  extent  of  the  term  ;  of  shining  talents  and 
the  most  polished  manners.  He  has  held  many  important  ])ublic 
stations  ;  as  a  senator  from  Massachusetts  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  his  eloquence  shone  with  a  lustre  the  rays  of  which 
have  been  transmitted  to  his  illustrious  successors.  As  the  Mayor 
of  Boston,  his  legal  knowledge,  sound  judgment,  and  dignified  de- 
portment imparted  strength  and  grace  to  the  magistracy.  De- 
scended from  a  family  and  inheriting  a  name  sacred  in  the  annals 
of  the  Revolution,  he  was  a  Federalist  in  the  best  days  of  that  glo- 
rious and  abused  party  ;  a  Whig  then,  and  a  Whig  ever  since.  His 
intellect  was  unimpaired  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life,  and  it  is  re- 
markable that  a  few  weeks  since,  whilst  suffering  under  the  pains 
of  a  hopeless  disease,  and  sinking  beneath  the  w^eight  of  fourscore 
and  three  years,  he  wrote  and  published  a  long  letter  urging  his  fel- 
low-citizens of  Massachusetts  to  the  support  of  the  Whig  nominees 
for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice-President.  This  paper  is 
marked  by  all  the  strength  of  argument  and  brilliancy  of  style 
which  characterized  the  productions  of  his  middle  age.  I  have 
again  to  lament,  in  the  decease  of  Mr.  Otis,  the  loss  of  another 
dearly-valued  friend,  whose  uniform  kindness  and  hospitality 
always  constituted  one  of  the  greatest  enjoyments  of  my  visits  to 
Boston. 


1848.]  THE   DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  .353 

November  7.  — This  is  the  day  of  the  great  election 
^■^""'^  to  decide  not  only  whether  General  Cass  or  General 

D'Austerlitz.  ^ 

Taylor  is  to  be  President  for  the  four  ensuing  years,  but 
whether  the  policy  and  principles  of  the  government,  as  established 
by  the  great  fathers  of  the  Republic  and  confirmed  by  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  shall  be  restored 
to  their  first  purity;  or  those  of  the  present  administration,  which 
we  Whigs  hold  to  be  subversive  of  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
and  the  happiness  of  the  people,  shall  be  continued  with  renewed 
energy  and  less  scrupulously,  under  the  man  who  has  "  played 
most  foully"   for  the  prize  he  seeks  to  obtain. 

The  glorious  sun  rose  this  morning  in  a  clear  sky  and  sharp 
atmosphere,  as  if  to  give  the  light  of  heaven  to  the  simultaneous 
action  of  a  whole  population.  It  is  a  grand  and  interesting  subject 
of  reflection,  that  millions  of  men  in  this  widely  extended  country 
are  resorting  on  the  same  day  to  their  respective  polls,  to  decide 
by  casting  in,  each  of  them,  a  little  slip  of  paper,  the  choice  of 
their  rulers  to  control  the  action  of  the  government  for  the  weal  or 
the  woe  of  the  people.  The  sun  which  rose  this  morning  will,  at  its 
setting,  see  the  momentous  question  settled,  and  that  which  rises 
to-morrow  will  scarcely  find  a  vestige  of  the  great  struggle.  Men 
will  resume  their  accustomed  pursuits,  labours,  occupations,  pleas- 
ures, and  strivings ;  and  women  will  buy  new  bonnets,  and  walk  in 
Broadway  with  them,  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  The  hurrahs 
will  have  subsided,  the  guns  will  be  silenced,  the  flags  lowered  from 
their  staffs,  a  few  broken  heads  plastered  up,  and  many  of  us  will 
think  we  had  better  have  minded  our  business.  The  elections 
being  held  on  the  same  day  throughout  the  Union  is  a  wise  pre- 
caution to  prevent  intrigue,  corrupt  management,  and  improper  in- 
terference with  the  people's  prerogative.  Here  in  New  York  "  the 
work  goes  bravely  on." 

November   8.  —  The    sun    of  Buena   Vista    set  last 

The  Battle.       night  upon  the    most  decided   victory  ever   achieved 

in   this  city   by   the   Whig    forces,  —  a    perfect  rout ; 


354  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  68. 

everything  is  gained.  The  Taylor  electoral  ticket  has  a  plurality 
over  Cass  of  9,805,  and  a  majority  over  Cass  and  Van  Buren 
united  of  4,706.     Hamilton  Fish  is  Governor  of  New  York. 

December  16. —  Now  that  the  election  is  over,  and 

Gold  :itul  .  , 

Cholera.  (icncral    Taylor    President    past    peradventure,    Cali- 

fornia gold  and  the  cholera  are  the  exciting  topics 
of  the  day.  These  two  diseases  are  equally  infectious ;  both 
interfere  with  the  honest  pursuits  of  industry,  and,  though  the 
former  does  not  so  immediately  affect  the  health  and  endanger 
the  lives  of  its  subjects,  its  injurious  effects  may  be  of  longer 
continuance. 

Our  newly  acquired  territory  of  California,  having  passed  from 
the  hands  of  Spaniards  and  Indians  into  those  of  the-  enterprising 
Yankees,  who  run  faster,  fly  higher,  and  dig  deeper  than  any 
people  under  the  sun,  has  now  developed  its  riches.  The  region 
of  country  watered  by  the  river  Sacramento  is  found  to  abound 
in  pure  gold  ;  the  shining  tempter  of  mankind  is  found  in  the  land 
and  crevices  of  the  rocks,  and  all  the  world  have  become  diggers 
and  delvers.  The  towns  are  deserted  by  all  but  the  women ; 
business  is  neglected ;  houses  stand  empty ;  vessels  are  laid  up 
for  want  of  hands ;  the  necessaries  of  life  cannot  be  obtained,  and 
the  people  are  starving,  with  their  pockets  full  of  gold.  The  most 
extravagant  stories  are  told  of  the  prices  of  the  ordinary  articles 
in  use  in  this  new  business ;  pick-axes,  spades,  and  hammers  are 
literally  ^' worth  their  weight  in  gold,"  which  latter  commodity 
has  fallen  in  value  from  $18  to  $10  per  ounce,  whilst  the  products 
of  the  neglected  earth  are  producing  a  "  golden  harvest." 
Some  of  the  gold  has  reached  our  part  of  the  world,  and  has 
been  assayed  at  the  mint ;  and  it  is  found,  in  fact,  that  "  it  is  all 
gold  that  glitters."  The  papers  are  filled  with  advertisements 
and  enticements  to  adventurers,  and  California  takes  up  all  the 
commerce  of  the  seaport. 


[849]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  355 


1849, 


TANUARY  20.  —  I  was  at  a  very  delightful  little  dinner-party 
^  at  Mr.  Frederic  DePeyster's,  which  I  enjoyed  exceedingly.  I 
am  not  so  old  nor  time-worn  as  not  to  be  able  to  appreciate  and 
enjoy  the  refined  pleasures  of  female  society,  as  I  found  it  to-day. 
The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  DePeyster,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Philip  Van  Rensselaer  (the  lovely  and  beautiful  Mary  Tallmadge 
of  other  times),  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vail,  Isaac  and  Eliza  Hone,  Miss 
Sedgwick,  and  myself,  to  say  nothing  of  the  men  (who  were  not 
by  any  means  deficient  in  good  sense  and  agreeable  qualities).  I 
take  it  to  be  a  very  difficult  task  to  select  from  the  female  society 
of  New  York  five  finer  women  than  those  who  graced  the  table 
on  this  pleasant  occasion. 

January  26.  —  The  California  fever  is  increasing  in 
Gold!  Gold!  violence;  thousands  are  going,  among  whom  are  many 
young  men  of  our  best  families ;  the  papers  are  filled 
with  advertisements  of  vessels  for  Chagres  and  San  Francisco. 
Tailors,  hatters,  grocers,  provision  merchants,  hardware  men,  and 
others  are  employed  night  and  day  in  fitting  out  the  adventurers. 
John  Bull,  too,  is  getting  as  crazy  as  Brother  Jonathan  on  this 
exciting  subject. 

February  3.  —  I  was  a  guest  at  a  splendid  dinner  to-day  in  Mr. 
John  C.  Stevens's  palace.  College  place.  The  house  is,  indeed,  a 
palace.  The  Palais  Bourbon  in  Paris,  Buckingham  Palace  in 
London,  and  Sans-Souci  at  Berlin,  are  little  grander  than  this  resi- 
dence of  a  simple  citizen  of  our  republican  city,  a  steamboat 
builder  and  proprietor ;  but  a  mighty  good  fellow,  and  most  hos- 
pitable host,  as  all  who  know  him  will  testify.  Twenty  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  besides  the  host  and  hostess,  were  seated,  a  few 
minutes  before  seven  o'clock,  around  a  round  table  of  sufficient 


356  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  69. 

capacity  to  accommodate  them  pleasantly  and  conveniently ;  the 
ornaments  of  the  table  were  magnificent,  and  in  excellent  taste. 
The  dinner  consisted  of  all  the  delicacies  of  a  French  cuisine ; 
the  honours  of  the  feast  were  performed  with  the  utmost  good- 
breeding  and  unobtrusive  hospitality;  and  the  company,  judging  by 
the  constantly  spirited  conversation  which  prevailed,  exceedingly 
well  pleased  with  their  entertainment.  The  party  consisted  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  G.  King,  Mrs.  Clinton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
S.  Miller,  Mrs.  Ledyard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortimer  Livingston,  Mrs. 
Douglass  Cruger,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  A.  Coit,  Mr.  John  A.  King, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  B.  Murray,  Mr.  Anson  Livingston,  President 
Moore,  Mr.  Edwin  Stevens,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Kemble,  and 
myself. 

February  5.  —  The  tone  of  writing  and  speaking  in  Europe  on 
the  subject  of  the  United  States  is  greatly  altered  of  late.  Even  in 
England  the  public  press,  as  well  as  the  popular  orators,  not  only 
speak  of  us  with  a  certain  degree  of  respect,  but  hold  us  up  as  an 
example  to  their  government  and  people.  They  may  occasionally 
abuse  us  as  an  arrogant  people,  grasping  at  extended  territory,  dis- 
regarding the  rights  of  our  neighbours,  invading  peaceful  countries, 
fighting  like  lions,  and  negotiating  like  foxes.  But  the  language 
of  contempt  is  heard  no  more  ;  the  little  foibles  of  Brother  Jonathan 
are  forgotten  in  the  contemplation  of  his  indomitable  courage,  his 
never-dying  perseverance.  The  thought  of  manhood  begins  to  be 
blended  with  the  ardour  and  activity  of  youth.  He  is  growing  to 
be  a  "  big  boy,"  and  must  be  treated  with  a  little  more  respect. 
The  "hasty  plate  of  soup  "  may  do  to  laugh  at,  but  the  conquering 
sword  of  the  hero  of  La  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico,  who  penned  the 
unfortunate  expression,  has  effciced  its  recollection.  The  Yankees 
ncay  be  ignorant  of  the  most  approved  method  of  using  the  knife 
and  fork ;  but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  are  competent  to  make 
a  good  use  of  the  sword  and  musket.  They  eat  fast,  but  they  go 
ahead  wonderfully  ;  they  use  some  queer  expressions,  but  in  defence 
of  their  rights  are  apt  to  talk  much  to  the  purpose. 


[849-]  THE   DIARV^   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  35/ 


Mrs.  Butler's 
Readings. 


March  13.  —  The  fashionable  world  is  agog  again 
upon  a  new  impulse.  Mrs.  Butler,  the  veritable  "  Fanny 
Kemble,"  has  taken  the  city  by  storm.  She  reads 
Shakespeare's  plays  three  evenings  in  the  week,  and  at  noon  on 
Mondays,  at  the  Stuyvesant  Institution,  in  Broadway,  a  room  which 
will  hold  six  or  seven  hundred  persons,  and  which  is  filled  when 
she  reads  by  the  elite  of  the  world  of  fashion  :  delicate  women, 
grave  gentlemen,  belles,  beaux,  and  critics,  flock  to  the  doors  of 
entrance,  and  rush  into  such  places  as  they  can  find,  two  or  three 
hours  before  the  time  of  the  lady's  appearance.  They  are  com- 
pensated for  this  tedious  sitting  on  hard  seats,  squeezed  by  the 
crowd,  by  an  hour's  reading  —  very  fine,  certainly,  for  Fanny 
Kemble  knows  how  to  do  it  —  of  the  favourite  plays  of  the  im- 
mortal bard.  She  makes  $2,000  or  $3,000  a  week,  and  never  was 
money  so  easily  earned.  There  is  no  expense  except  the  room 
and  the  lights,  and  the  performance  is  a  "  labour  of  love."  Shake- 
speare was  never  paid  for  writing  his  plays  as  Mrs.  Butler  is 
for   reading    them. 

March  16.  —  This  gendeman's  influence  with  the 
Mr.  Webster,  ncw  administration  seems  to  be  gaining  strength.  He 
has  not  been  thought  very  friendly  to  the  present  ruling 
powers ;  but  he  likes  them  better  than  he  does  the  Clay  men,  and 
Mr.  Clayton,  the  Secretary  of  State,  knowing  his  importance  in  the 
Senate,  would  like,  no  doubt,  to  have  him  on  his  side.  The  evi- 
dence of  this  revival  of  the  influence  of  the  great  Massachusetts 
senator  is  indicated  by  the  appointment  of  his  son,  Fletcher  Web- 
ster, as  district  attorney  for  Massachusetts,  and  that  of  his  brother- 
indaw,  William  Le  Roy,  as  navy  agent  in  New  York.  This  last 
appointment  sends  adrift  the  brothers  Wetmore,  whose  politics  have 
been  made  subservient  to  the  very  natural  desire  of  retaining  in  the 
family  the  emoluments  of  this  lucrative  office.  One  of  these 
gentlemen  is  a  Whig,  and  the  other  a  Loco-foco ;  so  that,  like 
the  buckets  in  the  well,  when  one  went  down,  the  other  came 
up. 


358  THE    DIARY    OF    I'll  I  LIP    HONE.  [.Elat.  69. 

March    17.  —  This    accomplished    soldier    and  gal- 

General  ,       ,   .       ^ 

y^.^,^j_  lant  commander    made  his  first  appearance  since  his 

return  from  Mexico,  on  Wednesday,  in  Washington, 
when  he  paid  his  respects  to  tlie  President.  And  I  rejoice  to 
hear  that  the  meeting  between  those  "  dogs  of  war "  was 
friendly  and  affectionate,  especially  as  there  have  been  some 
"foregone  conclusions"  which  made  me  doubt,  knowing  Scott's 
disposition,  whether  this  desirable  result  could  be  attained.  I 
went  to  see  General  Scott  the  evening  before  his  departure,  and 
had  a  long  talk  with  him  on  tliis  subject.  I  begged  him  to  let 
"by-gones  be  by-gones,"  and  to  remember  that  General  Taylor  is 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  his  superior  officer.  He 
gave  me  a  long  account  of  his  grievances,  making  himself,  as 
usual,  the  hero  of  his  tale  ;  but  he  knows  my  attachment  to  him, 
and  that  I  love  him,  even  with  his  little  faults,  and  I  should  not 
be  surprised  to  learn  that  his  good  heart  and  sound  judgment 
approved  my   advice. 

April  17.  —  My  new  office,  that  of  naval  officer, 
Naviioffi'r  ^^^^^§^  ™^  carc,  troublc,  and  vexation,  especially  in 
relation  to  applications  for  office,  which  have  showered 
down  upon  me  in  torrents.  It  is  distressing  to  see  how  many 
worthy  persons  look  to  these  small  offices  for  the  support  of 
large  families,  and  to  me  it  is  a  source  of  pain  that  so  many  are 
doomed  to  disappointment.  The  official  patronage  of  the  naval 
officer  is  confined  to  the  clerks  who  are  em|)loyed  about  his  per- 
son ;  the  collector  makes  all  the  appointments  of  officers  who  are 
engaged  in  the  collection  of  the  revenue  ;  my  office  is  advisory 
and  adjunct  to  the  collector.  But,  to  counterbalance  these  draw- 
backs, I  am  pleased  with  the  office ;  and  the  warm  congratula- 
tions I  receive,  from  all  quarters,  all  conditions  of  men,  and  all 
sorts  of  politicians,  leave  me  no  room  to  doubt  the  popularity 
of  my  appointment.  Friends  rise  up  all  around  me ;  I  am  in- 
finitely richer  than  I  ever  supposed  in  these  precious  treasures 
of  the  heart.     If  I    open  one  of  the  numerous  letters  I  receive, 


1849]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  359 

petitioning  for  office  which  I  cannot  bestow,  I  am  consoled  by 
finding  alongside  of  it  another  filled  with  the  kindest  expressions 
of  personal  regard. 

April  20. — Mr.  Charles  H.  Russell  gave  a  dinner  to-day  in 
compliment  to  me  on  my  appointment.  The  party  consisted  of 
the  following  gentlemen,  principally  members  of  the  Hone  Club, 
and  all  my  devoted  friends,  who  rejoice  greatly :  Francis  Granger, 
M.  H.  Grinnell,  George  Curtis,  Edward  Curtis,  Simeon  Draper, 
Daniel  B.  Fearing,  J.  Watson  Webb,  J.  Prescott  Hall,  R.  M. 
Blatchford,  R.  L.  Colt,  Thomas  Tileston,  Hugh  Maxwell,  D.  S. 
Kennedy. 

April     23.  —  Yesterday's    mail    brought    my    com- 
MyCom-         mission    as  "Naval    Officer    for  the   District    of   New 

mission. 

York,"  with  the  broad  seal  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment, signed  by  Zachary  Taylor,  President,  and  countersigned  by 
William  M.  Meredith,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  with  an  order 
to  Mr.  Bogardus  to  march  out  of  the  office,  and  another  to  me 
to  march  in,  both  of  which  will  be  accomplished  this  morning, 
on  or  about  the  hour  of  ten  o'clock.  I  hope,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  to  be  enabled  to  perform  my  duty  with  fidelity,  ability,  and 
integrity. 

April  25.  —  The  painful  part  of  the  duties  of  my  office,  the 
removal  of  the  officers  and  clerks,  has  commenced.  I  have 
removed  the  three  deputies,  Messrs.  Spinner,  Sandford,  and 
Lee,  and  appointed  my  nephew,  Isaac  S.  Hone,  my  son  Robert, 
and  Mr.   Franklin ;    and  the  worst  is  yet  to  come. 

May  8. — Mr.    McCready   commenced    an  engage- 
j^.^^'      '  ment  last  evening  at  the    Opera- House,  Astor    place, 

and  was  to  have  performed  the  part  of  "  Macbeth," 
whilst  his  rival,  Mr.  Forrest,  appeared  in  the  same  part  at  the 
Broadway  theatre.  A  violent  animosity  has  existed  on  the  part 
of  the  latter  theatrical  hero  against  his  rival,  growing  out  of 
some  differences  in  England ;  but  with  no  cause,  that  I  can 
discover,  except  that  one  is  a  gentleman,  and  the  other  is  a  vul- 


36o  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  69. 

gar,  arrogant  loafer,  with  a  pack  of  kindred  rowdies  at  his  heels. 
Of  these  retainers  a  regularly  organized  force  was  employed 
to  raise  a  riot  at  the  Opera- House  and  drive  Mr.  McCready  off 
the  stage,  in  which,  to  the  disgrace  of  the  city,  the  ruffians  suc- 
ceeded. On  the  appearance  of  the  "  Thane  of  Cawdor,"  he 
was  saluted  with  a  shower  of  missiles,  rotten  Qg'^:^,  and  other 
unsavoury  objects,  with  shouts  and  yells  of  the  most  abusive 
epithets.  In  the  midst  of  this  disgraceful  riot  the  performance 
was  suspended,  the  respectable  jDart  of  the  audience  dispersed, 
and  the  vile  band  of  Forresters  were  left  in  possession  of  the 
house.  This  cannot  end  here ;  the  respectable  part  of  our 
citizens  will  never  consent  to  be  put  down  by  a  mob  raised  to 
serve  the  purpose  of  such  a  fellow  as  Forrest.  Recriminations 
will  be  resorted  to,  and  a  series  of  riots  will  have  possession  of 
the  theatres  of  the  opposing  parties. 

May   10.  —  The  riot  at  the  Opera-House  on  Monday 
The  Riots.        night  was  children's  play  compared  with  the  disgraceful 
scenes  which  were  enacted  in  our  part  of  this  devoted 
city  this  evening,  and  the  melancholy  loss  of  life  to  which  the  out- 
rageous proceedings  of  the  mob  naturally  led. 

An  appeal  to  Mr.  McCready  had  been  made  by  many  highly 
respectable  citizens,  and  published  in  the  papers,  inviting  him  to 
finish  his  engagement  at  the  Opera-House,  with  an  implied  pledge 
that  they  would  stand  by  him  against  the  ferocious  mob  of  Mr. 
Forrest's  friends,  who  had  determined  that  McCready  should  not 
be  allowed  to  play,  whilst  at  the  same  time  their  oracle  was  strut- 
ting, unmolested,  his  "  hour  upon  the  stage "  of  the  Broadway 
theatre.  This  announcement  served  as  a  firebrand  in  the  mass  of 
combustibles  left  smouldering  from  the  riot  of  the  former  occasion. 
The  Forresters  perceived  that  their  previous  triumph  was  incom- 
plete, and  a  new  conspiracy  was  formed  to  accomplish  effectually 
their  nefarious  designs.  Inflammatory  notices  were  posted  in  the 
upper  ward,  meetings  were  regularly  organized,  and  bands  of 
ruffians,  gratuitously  supi)lied   with  tickets  by   richer  rascals,  were 


iS49-]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  361 

sent  to  take  possession  of  the  theatre.  The  police,  however,  were 
beforehand  with  them,  and  a  large  body  of  their  force  was  posted 
in  different  parts  of  the  house. 

When  Mr.  McCready  appeared  he  was  assailed  in  the  same 
manner  as  on  the  former  occasion ;  but  he  continued  on  the  stage 
and  performed  his  part  with  firmness,  amidst  the  yells  and  hisses 
of  the  mob.  The  strength  of  the  police,  and  their  good  conduct, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  other  public  functionaries, 
succeeded  in  preventing  any  serious  injury  to  the  property  within 
doors,  and  many  arrests  were  made  ;  but  the  war  raged  with  frightful 
violence  in  the  adjacent  streets.  The  mob  —  a  dreadful  one  in 
numbers  and  ferocity  —  assailed  the  extension  of  the  building,  broke 
in  the  windows,  and  demolished  some  of  the  doors.  I  walked  up 
to  the  corner  of  x\stor  place,  but  was  glad  to  make  my  escape.  On 
my  way  down,  opposite  the  New  York  Hotel,  I  met  a  detachment 
of  troops,  consisting  of  about  sixty  cavalry  and  three  hundred  infan- 
try, finedooking  fellows,  well  armed,  who  marched  steadily  to  the 
field  of  action.  Another  detachment  went  by  the  way  of  Lafayette 
place.  On  their  arrival  they  were  assailed  by  the  mob,  pelted 
with  stones  and  brickbats,  and  several  were  carried  off  severely 
wounded. 

Under  this  provocation,  with  the  sanction  of  the  civil  authorities, 
orders  were  given  to  fire.  Three  or  four  volleys  were  discharged  ; 
about  twenty  persons  were  killed  and  a  large  number  wounded.  It 
is  to  be  lamented  that  in  the  number  were  several  innocent  persons, 
as  is  always  the  case  in  such  affairs.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
mob  being  lookers-on,  who,  putting  no  faith  in  the  declaration  of 
the  magistrates  that  the  fatal  order  was  about  to  be  given,  refused 
to  retire,  and  shared  the  fate  of  the  rioters.  What  is  to  be  the 
issue  of  this  unhappy  affair  cannot  be  surmised ;  the  end  is  not  yet. 
May  II.  —  I  walked  up  this  morning  to  the  field  of 
g^^J  ^  battle,  in  Astor   place.     The  Opera- House  presents   a 

shocking   spectacle,    and    the    adjacent   buildings    are 
smashed   with  bullet-holes.     Mrs.    Langdon's  house   looks  as   if  it 


362  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  69. 

had  withstood  a  siege.  Groups  of  people  were  standing  around, 
some  justifying  the  interference  of  the  military,  but  a  large  propor- 
tion were  savage  as  tigers  with  the  smell  of  blood. 

I  was  one  of  a  large  party  who  dined  to-day  with  Mr. 
inner  at         y,^.,     ^^    j^-^    splendid  mansion,    Fifth    avenue.      The 

Mr.  Villi's.  '  ^ 

dinner  was  sumptuous,  the  table  superb,  the  guests 
numerous,  and  we  dined  at  seven  o'clock.  The  party  consisted 
of  General  Scott,  Mr.  Fearing,  Robert  Ray ;  Mr.  Vail,  of  Troy ; 
Washington  Irving,  Daniel  Fearing,  James  J.  Jones,  Charles  H. 
Russell,  Colonel  Thorn,  Mr.  Bates,  General  Tallmadge ;  Stephens, 
the  traveller;  West,  the  artist;  Hulseman,  Austrian  cJiarge ;  John 
Van  Buren,  Mr.  Mildmay ;  Mr.  Corcoran,  of  Washington  ;  James  G. 
King,  Charles  A.  Davis,  Lispenard  Stewart,  and  myself. 

May  12.  —  Last  night  passed  off  tolerably  quietly,  owing  to  the 
measures  taken  by  the  magistrates  and  police.  But  it  is  consolatory 
to  know  that  law  and  order  have  thus  far  prevailed.  The  city 
authorities  have  acted  nobly.  The  whole  military  force  was  under 
arms  all  night,  and  a  detachment  of  United  States  troops  was  also 
held  in  reserve.  All  the  approaches  to  the  Opera- House  were 
strictly  guarded,  and  no  transit  permitted.  The  police  force,  with 
the  addition  of  a  thousand  special  constables,  were  employed  in 
every  post  of  danger ;  and  although  the  lesson  has  been  dearly 
bought,  it  is  of  great  value,  inasmuch  as  the  fact  has  been  estab- 
lished that  law  and  .order  can  be  maintained  under  a  Republican 
form  of  government. 

June  i  .  —  The  cholera  increases,  the  weather  is 
The  Cholera,  foggy,  murky,  and  damp, —  just  such  weather  as  pro- 
duces and  propagates  this  dreadful  disease.  A  panic  is 
created  ;  vegetables  and  fish,  oysters  and  clams,  generous  wine  and 
nourishing  porter,  are  repudiated ;  foolish  people  run  from  one 
extreme  to  another ;  let  them  live  well  and  temperately,  wear 
flannel,  and  think  less  of  cholera,  and  defy  the  foul  fiend. 

June  30.  —  Died  this  morning,  Cornelius  Low,  aged  fifty-four 
years.    Dr.  Francis  says  it  was  a  regular  case  of  ''blue   cholera." 


i849-]  THE   DIARY   OF   nilLIP    HONE.  363 

This  dreadful  disease  increases  fearfully ;  there  are  eighty-eight 
new  cases  to- day,  and  twenty-six  deaths.  Our  visitation  is  severe, 
but  thus  far  it  falls  much  short  of  other  places.  St.  Louis,  on  the 
Mississippi,  is  likely  to  be  depopulated,  and  Cincinnati,  on  the  Ohio, 
is  awfully  scourged.  These  two  flourishing  cities  are  the  resort  of 
emigrants  from  Europe  ;  Irish  and  Germans  coming  by  Canada, 
New  York,  and  New  Orleans,  filthy,  intemperate,  unused  to  the 
comforts  of  life  and  regardless  of  its  proprieties.  They  flock  to  the 
populous  towns  of  the  great  West,  with  disease  contracted  on  ship- 
board, and  increased  by  bad  habits  on  shore.  They  inoculate  the 
inhabitants  of  those  beautiful  cities,  and  every  paper  we  open  is 
only  a  record  of  premature  mortality.  The  air  seems  to  be  cor- 
rupted, and  indulgence  in  things  heretofore  innocent  is  frequently 
fatal  now  in  these  "  cholera  times." 

August   13.  —  This  man  of  many  generations,  this 

iT-  politician    of   many  parties,  this  philosopher  of  many 

theories,  has  finished  his  long  and  eventful  career.  He 
died  yesterday,  at  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Stevens,  at 
Astoria,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 

Mr.  Gallatin  was  a  native  of  Geneva,  in  Switzerland.  He  came  to 
this  country,  and  landed  at  Boston,  on  the  14th  of  July,  1780.  He 
served  as  a  volunteer,  under  Col.  John  Allen,  at  Machias  and  else- 
where. In  1782  he  was  Professor  of  French  in  Harvard.  He 
went  to  Virginia  in  17S4,  and  thence  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
settled  on  a  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  to  amend  the  Constitution,  in  1789.  In 
1790  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1793  a  sena- 
tor in  Congress  for  that  State.  The  latter  office  he  did  not 
enjoy,  being  ineligible  from  not  having  been  long  enough  in  the 
country  to  entitle  him  to  a  seat.  At  this  period  Mr.  Gallatin  was 
a  violent  Democrat,  and  affixed  a  stain  to  his  political  character  by 
participating  in  the  whiskey  insurrection  of  Pennsylvania,  in  oppo- 
sition to  General  Washington.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  latter 
half  of  his  life  gave  him  frequent  occasion  to  wish  that  the  page  in 


364  THE    DIARY    OF    I'lIILlP    HONE.  [.'Etat.  69. 

the  record  of  the  former  part,  on  which  this  event  was  inscribed, 
could  be  expunged.  In  Congress  he  was  the  great  leader  of  the 
Jeffersonian  Democratic  party ;  on  the  accession  of  i\Ir.  Jefferson 
he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  sent  to  Russia  on 
a  diplomatic  mission.  Thence  he  joined  the  illustrious  board  of 
commissioners  who  negotiated  tlie  treaty  of  Ohent. 

He  has  written  a  great  deal,  and  his  works  will  form  a  valuable 
legacy  to  the  nation.  Industrious,  ardent,  persevering,  he  must 
have  collected,  like  his  contemporary,  John  Q.  Adams,  a  mass 
of  interesting  and  instructive  matter  connected  with  the  history 
of  his  adopted  country.  Amongst  his  other  stations  of  useful- 
ness he  was  the  venerated  president  of  the  Historical  Society, 
the  duties  of  which  his  age  and  infirmities  compelled  him  to 
relinquish  to  ]\Ir.  Luther  Bradish,  the  able  and  accomplished 
vice-president.  Mrs.  Gallatin  was  the  daughter  of  Commodore 
Nicholson.  She  died  a  few  months  since,  at  about  the  same 
age   as   her   husband. 

-p^,^^^^^  SepteiMBER  19. — Another  of  my  friends  and  contem- 

christopher      porarics  gone.     Poor  Christopher  Hughes  died  yester- 
"^  ^^'  day,  in  Baltimore,  aged  sixty- four  years. 

One  by  one  these  companions  of  my  former  pleasant  days  are 
dropping  off,  and  I  begin  to  feel  like  the  solitary,  leafless,  weather- 
beaten  tree,  on  the  sandy  beach  of  Rockaway,  which,  for  half  a 
century,  has  "bided  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm,"  stretch- 
ing out  its  sapless  arms  to  the  ocean  blast ;  its  age,  infirmities, 
and  insignificance  forming  its  best  claim  to  the  forbearance  of 
the   elements. 

September  22.  —  I  wrote,  the  other  day,  to  Mr.  R. 
_,    '    "  L.  Colt,  at  Paterson,  that,  knowinf^   the  value  he  set 

Paterson.  '  ^  ^  o 

upon  his  baskets,  I  would  not  trust  the  one  we  had 
(which  he  had  kindly  sent  to  us  filled  with  delicious  grapes)  to  a 
hireling  hand,  but  be  myself  the  bearer  of  the  important  envelope 
of  the  grapes,  and  should  expect  a  good  dinner  for  my  pains.  So 
he  sent  more    grapes,  and    bade  me    to    a    dinner  on   Thursday, 


I849.1  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  365 

Friday,  or  Saturday,  with  an  injunction  that  I  should  bring  with  me 
two  or  three  good  fellows.  On  this  provocation,  Blatchford,  Fear- 
ing, John  Ward,  and  I  went  to  Paterson  yesterday,  in  the  train,  at 
half-past  twelve  o'clock,  and  arrived  in  less  than  an  hour.  We  ad- 
mired the  swans,  wild-geese,  and  muscovy-ducks ;  envied  the  pigs, 
measured  the  pumpkins,  munched  the  grapes,  gathered  the  flowers ; 
had  a  capital  dinner,  fine  wine,  and  a  farmer's  tea ;  and  at  twenty- 
two  minutes  past  seven  o'clock  (the  precise  time  prescribed  in  the 
railroad  programme)  came  away  from  this  delightful  place,  every 
man  with  a  basket  of  grapes,  the  return  of  which  may  form  an 
excuse  for  future  dinners.     Colt's  hospitality  is  of  the  right  sort. 

October  i  .  —  Mr.  Alexander  Duncan,  who  arrived 
Mr.  Duncan,  this  momiug  from  Liverpool,  is  one  of  the  most  extraor- 
dinary instances  of  good  fortune,  so  far  as  money  is 
concerned,  that  has  occurred  in  this  country.  In  the  winter  of 
1821-22  he  was  a  fellow-passenger  of  mine  on  a  voyage  from  Liv- 
erpool, in  the  ship  "  Amity,"  Captain  ^Laxwell.  He  was  then  seven- 
teen years  of  age  ;  a  rough,  awkward,  shaggy-headed  Scotch  boy,  on 
a  voyage  to  see  his  relation,  the  respected  John  Grieg,  of  Canan- 
daigua,  and  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  "  land  of  cakes." 
There  were  only  three  of  us  in  the  cabin,  Mrs.  Pritchard,  an 
English  lady,  being  the  third.  We  had  a  long,  stormy  passage,  and 
I,  of  course,  became  intimate  with  the  young  Scotchman  ;  and,  un- 
polished as  he  was,  I  took  a  great  liking  to  him.  He  was  bright, 
intelligent,  and  of  good  principles,  and  a  friendship  was  formed 
which  continues  until  the  present  time. 

Young  Duncan,  after  a  few  weeks  with  his  uncle  at  Canandaigua, 
went  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  to  finish  his  education  ;  entered 
as  a  sophomore  in  the  college,  and  improved  his  time  so  well,  that 
by  the  time  he  graduated  he  had  engaged  the  affections  of  a  young 
lady,  whom  he  married,  relinquishing  one  baccalaureate  as  he 
assumed  another.  IMrs.  Duncan  had  two  rich  uncles,  named  But- 
ler, immensely  rich,  and  increasing  in  wealth  every  day ;  for  they 
laid  up  prodigiously  and  spent  nothing,  —  a   method   which,  they 


T)66  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  [.Ktat.69. 

say,  accumulates  amazingly.  One  of  these  worthies  died  a  few  years 
after  the  niece's  marriage,  and  made  her  heiress  to  all  his  property. 
This  induced  Duncan  and  his  wife  to  remove  to  Providence,  where 
they  have  resided  ever  since.  My  fellow-passenger  in  the  "  Amity  " 
bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  richest  men  in  tangible  productive 
l)ro])erty  in  the  United  States.  And  the  best  of  all  is,  that  he  is  a 
liberal,  generous  man,  who  will  make  a  good  use  of  his  money ;  un- 
less, like  many  others,  his  immense  riches  shall  make  him  penurious, 
as  was  the  case  with  the  person  from  whom  he  inherits  this  moun- 
tain of  wealth. 

November  23.  —  Mr.  Clay  remains  in  town,  though 
Mr.  Clay.  people  will  not  indulge  him  in  his  desire  to  enjoy  quiet 
and  seclusion  at  the  house  of  his  friend  Benson.  They 
pester  him  to  death,  haunt  him  by  day,  serenade  him  at  night, 
follow  him  in  his  walks,  shouting,  hurrahing,  Harry  Claying 
him  wherever  he  goes.  Denying  him  the  liberty  he  has  contrib- 
uted in  so  great  a  degree  to  secure  for  them,  they  insist  upon  a 
speech  in  return  for  every  hurrah  which  proceeds  from  their  vul- 
gar throats,  and  compel  him  to  return  the  unmerciful  squeeze  of 
every  dirty  hand. 

December  3.  —  The  good,  orderly  town  of  Boston  is 
ur  ero  .^  ^  ^^^^^  ^^  fermentation  :  the  people  look  asjhast  and 

Dr.  Park  man.  ^  i        i  & 

wonder-Stricken  at  one  of  the  most  horrid  murders  ever 
heard  of  or  read  about.  Thistlewood's  case  in  England,  and 
Colt's  here,  do  not  equal  it  in  atrocity  ;  indeed,  it  resembles  the  latter 
in  some  shocking  particulars.  Dr.  Parkman,  a  respectable  physi- 
cian, son  of  old  Samuel  Parkman,  and  brother  of  Mrs.  Robert  G. 
Shaw,  left  his  house  on  Friday,  23(1  ult.,  and  has  not  been  heard  of 
since.  His  strange  disappearance,  of  course,  occasioned  alarm  and 
consternation.  The  police  were  sent  in  all  directions ;  rivers  were 
dragged,  and  woods  searched.  Mrs.  Shaw  offered  a  reward  of 
$5,000  for  information  to  lead  to  a  conviction  of  the  assassins, 
if  murder  had  been  committed,  and  $1,000  for  the  recovery  of  the 
body.     All  these  measures  were  unsuccessful  until  the  last  of  the 


1849]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  367 

week,  when  circumstances  were  brought  to  Hght  so  awful  as  to  be 
thought  incredible  ;  but  sufficient,  in  my  judgment,  to  prove  un- 
questionably the  guilt  of  the  accused. 

The  horrible  facts  which  have  come  to  light  have  fastened  sus- 
picion, amounting  almost  to  certainty,  upon  Dr.  John  W.  Webster, 
Professor  of  Chemistry  for  the  last  twenty  years  in  the  Medical 
College  connected  with  Harvard  University,  —  a  person  connected 
with  some  of  the  best  families  in  Boston,  who  has  a  wife  and  sev- 
eral children ;  himself  a  man  of  talents,  amiable,  urbane,  and 
hospitable  in  his  intercourse  with  society.  This  frightful  case  is 
similar,  as  I  before  remarked,  but  even  more  atrocious,  than  that  of 
Colt  in  this  city.  Dr.  Webster  was  indebted  to  Dr.  Parkman 
$480,  secured  by  a  mortgage.  The  latter  was  very  rich,  a  j^enu- 
rious  man,  and  a  hard  creditor;  and  his  debtor  in  this  case 
extravagant  (as  scientific  persons  frequently  are),  and  a  bad  man- 
ager of  pecuniary  matters,  consequently  embarrassed  in  his  finan- 
ces. Urged  by  his  creditor,  he  called  at  his  house  on  the  morning 
of  Friday,  the  23d,  and  left  word  that  if  Dr.  Parkman  would 
call  upon  him  at  one  o'clock  he  would  pay  his  demand.  Dr. 
Parkman  called,  was  seen  to  enter,  and  was  never  seen  afterward. 
Things  went  on  without  any  discoveries  until  Friday  last,  when 
suspicions  were  aroused  that  Dr.  Webster  was  the  murderer.  A 
search  was  made  in  his  apartments,  and  there  the  mutilated  remains 
were  found,  partly  consumed  by  fire,  and  disclosing  a  scene  too 
horrible  for  description,  but  proving,  strong  as  circumstances  ever 
can  prove,  that  murder  had  been  perpetrated ;  and,  to  my  mind, 
equally  conclusive  that  this  Dr.  Webster,  so  clear  in  all  his  former 
relations  to  society,  was  the  perpetrator  of  the  dreadful  crime.  He 
is  in  prison  on  the  charge,  whilst  further  investigations  are  going 
on.  The  effects  of  this  wonderful  catastrophe  are  dreadful.  Two 
estimable  families,  with  "  troops  of  friends,"  are  plunged  into  un- 
mitigated grief;  the  whole  community  is  in  a  state  of  the  greatest 
excitement,  and  men  stand  aghast  at  this  new  development  of  the 
infirmity  of  human  nature.    Poor,  erring,  human  nature,  —  the  vie- 


368  TIIK    DIARY    OK    I'lIlLIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  69. 

tim  of  violent  passions  and  uncontrollable  propensities  by  nature, 
and  selfish  desires  and  unreasonable  prejudices  by  education  !  To 
religion  alone,  and  its  benign  innucncc  ujxjn  human  actions,  can 
we  look  for  that  wholesome  restraint  which  is  competent  to  estab- 
lish "  peace  on  earth  and  good- will  to  men." 


1850.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  369 


1850. 


TANUARY  I .  —  With  the  commencement  of  the  new  year  is 
^  that  of  the  twenty- eighth  vokuiie  of  my  journal.  The  records 
of  the  last  are  marked  with  public  and  private  manifestations  of  the 
goodness  and  tender  mercy  of  the  Maker  and  Ruler  of  the  Uni- 
verse, and  the  Father  and  Friend  of  his  people.  It  has  been  a 
year  of  national  prosperity,  under  the  wise  counsels  of  an  honest 
and  enlightened  administration,  which,  with  all  its  claims  upon  the 
gratitude  of  the  people,  has  failed  to  receive  their  support ;  and  the 
force  of  prejudice  and  the  perversity  of  faction  have  produced  in 
the  general  and  State  legislatures  majorities  opposed  to  the  Execu- 
tive and  his  cabinet.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  is  decidedly 
in  the  opposition  ;  and  the  new  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives, who  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  one  vote,  has  evinced  his 
determination  to  carry  out  the  views  of  his  party  by  rejecting  all 
the  leading  Whigs  from  the  important  committees,  and  by  not 
appointing  a  single  chairman  from  among  their  number.  This 
man  owes  his  election  to  the  Speaker's  chair  to  the  magnanimity 
of  the  Whigs,  who  might  have  prevented  it,  if  they  had  preferred 
party  to  peace  and  union. 

With  the  exception  of  a  dreadful  visitation,  during  the  summer 
and  part  of  the  autumn,  of  the  cholera,  that  fell  destroyer  of  the 
human  race,  general  health  has  prevailed  in  a  good  degree,  com- 
merce has  flourished,  peace  prevailed,  and  plenty  abounded  ;  and  if 
the  people  will  vote  wrong  —  why,  let  them.  They  are  the  masters, 
and  have  the  right  to  do  wrong. 

As  to  myself  and  my  concerns,  I  have  much  to  be  thankful  for. 
My  health  has  improved ;  the  disease  which  for  so  long  a  time 
subdued  my  strength  and  wasted  my  flesh  is  greatly  mitigated.  I 
am  stronger,    but   my  flesh    and  good  looks  have    not   returned. 


370  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

However,  I  eat  my  allowance,  drink  as  much  as  is  good  for  me,  and 
sleep  with  a  good  conscience ;  and  so  the  Lord  be  thanked. 

January  7. — The  spirit  of  party  faction  and  disor- 
Congress.  ganization  prevails  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
Their  constituents  sent  them  to  Washington  on  public 
business,  for  which  they  were  to  receive  eight  dollars  a  day. 
They  have  received  it  without  as  yet  having  done  anything  to 
earn  it.  The  same  difficulty  which  for  so  long  a  time  prevented 
the  election  of  ^Speaker  now  exists  in  relation  to  the  clerk.  The 
Loco-focos  and  the  Whigs  proper  are  so  nearly  divided,  that  the 
Free-Soilers  —  the  Ishmaelites  whose  hand  is  against  everybody,  the 
fire-brands  who  are  ready  to  tear  down  the  edifice  of  government  to 
erect  altars  for  the  worship  of  their  own  idols  —  have  the  power  to 
prevent  a  choice  of  clerk,  and  thus  obstruct  the  people's  legisla- 
tion, —  a  power  which  they  exert  with  a  recklessness  without  par- 
allel. Whilst  this  disgraceful  state  of  affairs  continues,  national 
legislation  stands  still. 

January  21.  —  The  noble  mansion  on  the  Fifth  avenue  and 
Ninth  street,  belonging  to  the  family  of  the  late  Henry  Brevoort, 
with  ninety-two  feet  of  ground  on  the  avenue  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  feet  in  depth,  has  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Henry 
C.  de   Rham,  for  $57,000. 

January  22.  —  We  had  a  pleasant  dinner-party.  The  following 
were  the  guests :  General  Scott,  Dr.  Wainwright,  Mr.  George  Ban- 
croft, Mr.  August  Belmont,  Mr.  R.  M.  Blatchford,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Russell,  Commander  Perry,  Mr.  Luther  Bradish,  Mr.  Vail,  Mr. 
Pendleton,   Mr.  Fearing,  Mr.  George   Curtis. 

January    24.  —  By    the    polite    invitation    of    the 

unicipa  Mayor,  I  attended  this  day  the  presentation  of  a 
gold  box  and  the  freedom  of  the  city  to  Captain 
Cook,  commander  of  the  barque  "  Sarah,"  of  Yarmouth,  Nova 
Scotia,  —  the  noble  fellow  who  saved  the  lives  of  three  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  passengers  and  crew  of  the  packet-ship  "  Caleb 
Grimshaw,"  Captain  Hoxie,  burned  at  sea  in  November  last.     This 


1850.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  37 1 

was  a  well-deserved  compliment ;  the  glorious  achievement  was 
performed  at  a  fearful  risk  of  life  and  property.  Eight  days  were 
spent  in  this  "  labour  of  love ;  "  during  a  greater  part  of  the  time 
in  a  severe  gale,  which  made  the  communication  with  the  burning 
ship  a  severe  and  dangerous  service ;  but,  by  the  unequalled  good 
conduct  of  Captain  Cook,  all  were  saved,  with  the  exception  of 
those  who  lost  their  lives  by  their  reckless  insubordination  and 
self-abandonment  in  the  moments  of  despair. 

January  25.  —  Died  yesterday,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his 
age,  Nicholas  Saltus,  another  of  my  contemporaries,  —  a  queer, 
priggish-looking  little  fellow,  a  very  Dr.  Syntax  in  appearance, 
with  more  imagination  than  knowledge,  and  a  dealer  in  fancy  more 
than  in  fact. 

January  26.  —  My  daughter  and  I  went  to  a  dinner-party 
given  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vail,  at  their  superb  mansion  at  the  corner 
of  Fifth  avenue  and  Fifteenth  street.  The  party  was  given 
in  honour  of  Mrs.  Scott,  late  Miss  Cornelia  Scott,  daughter  of  my 
friend,  the  gallant  General ;  she  was  recently  married  to  the  Gen- 
eral's aide.  It  consisted  of  the  following  (and  for  fine  women,  and 
lovely  women,  and  handsome  women  I  should  like  to  find  any 
dinner-party  in  this  city  presumptuous  enough  to  enter  into  com- 
parison with  Mrs.  Vail's)  :  Mrs.  Clinton,  Bishop  Hughes,  Colonel 
and  Mrs.  Scott  {la  belle  inariee')^  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philip  Van  Rens- 
selaer, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sydney  Brooks,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boreel,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Frederick  de  Peyster,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lispenard  Stewart,  Mr. 
Robert  Ray  and  his  daughter  Cornelia,  and  Captain  Hamilton,  her 
fiance,  Miss  Dehon,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hone. 

January  28.  —  I  witnessed  this  morning,  at  nine 
^'  o'clock,  a  novel,  exciting,  and  glorious  exhibition^ 
Three  steam-vessels,  of  the  aggregate  cost  of  more 
than  ^1,000,000,  were  launched  in  succession  from  the  ship- 
yard of  William  H.  Brown,  at  the  foot  of  Twelfth  street.  East 
river.  I  walked  over  at  an  early  hour,  and  saw  the  several 
launches   in  the    following  order :   The  "  New   World,"    intended 


372  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  70. 

for  the  navigation  of  the  rivers  of  Cahfornia.  Her  dimensions 
are  as  follows:  length,  216  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  27  feet; 
depth  of  hold,  loj  feet;  burden,  650  tons.  The  interest  of  the 
transit  of  this  vessel  from  the  land  to  her  destined  element  con- 
sisted in  her  being  launched  with  all  her  machinery  on  board, 
which,  as  soon  as  she  touched  the  water,  was  set  in  motion ; 
the  wheels  revolving,  the  smoke  ascending,  and  the  steam 
whizzing  with  its  usual  vivacity,  she  went  to  see  the  launch  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Point.  A  rush  now  took  place  of  the 
countless  multitude  to  the  yard  of  the  Novelty  Works,  where 
anxious  faces  were  seen  from  every  dock,  vessel,  storehouse, 
and  roof,  looking  towards  the  great  object  of  attraction.  I  was 
so  fortunate  as  to  get  a  place  on  board  the  "Atlantic,"  where  a 
large  company  of  the  best  sort  of  men  and  women  to  be  found 
in  New  York  was  assembled,  by  invitation,  and  admitted  by 
ticket,  issued  by  Mr.  Collins,  the  representative  of  the  enterprising 
owners  of  the  new  line.  I  had  not  these  credentials,  but  my 
reception  was  cordial  and  complimentary. 

Whilst  we  were  waiting  for  the  crowning  glory  of  the  occasion, 
a  noble  steamer,  of  eight  hundred  tons,  called  the  "  Boston," 
took  her  departure  from  the  land  alongside  of  the  leviathan  of 
the  ocean.  She  is  intended  to  run  between  Boston  and  Bangor; 
and,  in  addition  to  her  fine  model  and  tasteful  decorations,  she 
has  the  strength  required  for  that  service,  frequently  so  tempest- 
uous and  dangerous. 

Soon  after  the  "Boston"  left  her  ways,  the  "Arctic"  began 
to  move  slowly  and  gracefully,  heralded  by  the  shouts  of  the 
immense  multitude,  who  had  been  anxiously  looking  for  this 
event.  The  first  movement  of  the  largest  vessel  ever  built  in 
the  United  States,  several  hundred  tons  larger  than  a  first-rate 
man-of-war,  she  sat  so  easily  that  her  bows  did  not  displace 
four  feet  of  water.  This  great  specimen  of  American  enterprise 
and  skill  in  naval  architecture  and  mechanical  science  belongs 
to  CoUins's  line   of   New  York   and  Liverpool,   which   carries   the 


1S50.]  THE   DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  373 

mail  between  the  two  ports.  She  is  to  be  connected  with 
the  "Atlantic,"  "Pacific,"  "Antarctic"  and  "Adriatic."  They 
cost  nearly  $600,000  each.  There  is  nothing  like  it  in  the 
world.  The  dimensions  of  the  "Arctic,"  are  as  follows  :  Length 
on  deck,  295  feet ;  width  of  beam,  46  feet ;  depth  of  hold, 
32  feet;  burden,  3,500  tons.  She  has  95-inch  cylinders,  with 
9-feet  stroke;  wheels,  35  feet  diameter;  12-feet  buckets,  four 
decks,  excellent  sleeping  accommodations,  and  cabins  dec- 
orated with  all  the  splendour  and  extravagance  for  which  our 
Yankee  marine  palaces  are  famous  the  world  over. 

After  the  launch  I  squeezed  myself  into  the  cabin  of  the 
"  Atlantic,"  to  witness,  with  hundreds  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
the  manner  in  which  more  than  half  a  million  can  be  ex- 
pended. If  John  Bull  can  beat  this,  let  him ;  but,  if  not, 
"  Britannia "  must  no  longer  pretend  to  "  rule  the  seas."  The 
vessels  of  Collins's  line  are  so  constructed  as  to  be  convertible 
into  vessels  of  war. 

February  13. — When  we  read  the  accounts  of  the  loss  of 
human  life  by  steam  and  its  machinery,  boilers  bursting,  flues 
collapsing,  running  into  each  other  at  sea,  and  running  off  the 
track  on  the  land,  besides  the  dreadful  shipwrecks,  the  accounts 
of  which  occupy  the  principal  column  of  every  newspaper,  there 
would  seem  to  be  some  reason  to  apprehend  a  diminution  of 
the  human  family.  But  in  a  walk  up  the  Bowery,  in  the  slums 
of  Corlear's  Hook,  or  through  the  classic  region  of  the  Five- 
Points,  the  swarms  of  ragged,  barefooted,  unbreeched  little 
tatterdemalions,  free-born  Americans  (free  enough,  in  all  con- 
science), will  afford  abundant  proof  that  suitable  means  are 
taken  to  keep  up  the  supply. 

February   18. — The   dreadful   question   of  slavery, 

The  Union,      which  has  cast  an  inextinguishable   brand   of  discord 

between  the  North  and  the  South  of  this  hitherto  happy 

land,  has  taken  a  tangible  and  definite  shape  on  the  question  of  the 

admission  of  the  new  State  of  California  into  the  Union  with  the 


374  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP    HONE.  [yEtat.  70. 

Constitution  of  her  own  framing  and  adoption.  The  flame  is  no 
longer  smothered  ;  the  flinatics  of  the  North  and  the  disunionists 
of  the  South  have  made  a  gulf  so  deep  that  no  friendly  foot  can 
pass  it ;  enmity  so  fierce  that  reason  cannot  allay  it ;  unconquer- 
able, sectional  jealousy,  and  the  most  bitter  personal  hostility.  A 
dissolution  of  the  Union,  wliich  until  now  it  was  treason  to  think  of, 
much  more  to  utter,  is  the  subject  of  the  daily  harangues  of  the 
factionists  in  both  Houses  of  Congress.  Compromise  is  at  an  end. 
Mr.  Clay,  the  great  mediator  in  time  of  trouble,  has  been  making  a 
conciliatory  speech,  which  is  applauded  by  all  parties,  and  flying  in 
pamphlet  form  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  But  in  vain  : 
the  charm  of  his  eloquence  is  dissolved,  the  fever  of  party-spirit  is 
beyond  the  reach  of  palliatives,  the  flame  of  faction  has  arisen  to  a 
height  beyond  the  control  of  the  stream  of  reason.  Passion  rules 
the  deliberations  of  the  people's  representatives  to  a  degree  which, 
from  present  appearances,  will  prevent  the  despatch  of  public  busi- 
ness of  any  kind.  When  will  all  this  end?  I  see  no  remedy  !  If 
California  is  admitted  with  the  prohibition  of  slavery  which  them- 
selves have  adopted,  or  if  the  national  district  is  freed  by  the  action 
of  Congress  from  the  traffic  in  human  flesh,  the  South  stands  ready 
to  retire  from  the  Union,  and  bloody  wars  will  be  the  fiital  conse- 
quence. White  men  will  cut  each  other's  throats,  and  servile  insur- 
rections will  render  the  fertile  fields  of  the  South  a  deserted 
monument  of  the  madness  of  man.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
abolitionists  of  the  North  will  listen  to  no  terms  of  compromise. 
Equally  regardless  of  the  blessings  of  union,  they  profess  to  hold 
it  of  no  value  unless  the  power  is  conceded  to  them  of  restraining 
the  extension  of  the  great  moral  evil  which  overshadows  the  land. 
February  22.  —  The  birthday  of  Washington  was 
as  ling  on  b  QJjggj^gj  ^yith  somc  demonstration  of  respect,  —  a  mili- 

Birtnday.  ^  ' 

tary  parade  and  a  procession  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
What  would  the  "  Father  of  his  Country  "  say,  if  he  were  still 
amongst  us,  a  witness  of  the  factions  which  prevail  in  the  councils 
of  the  nation,  of  the  dangers  which  threaten  the  existence  of  that 


1850.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  375 

Union  for  the  preservation  of  which  his  prayers  were  directed  to 
heaven  to  the  very  close  of  his  illustrious  life  !  Have  this  people 
forgotten  so  soon  the  precious  injunctions  of  their  warrior,  states- 
man, oracle,  father?  They  give  large  sums  for  his  paternal  legacy, 
but  they  disregard  the  solemn  truths  which  it  inculcates. 

February  26.  —  There  was  a  great  meeting  last 
"'""  ^  evening,  at  Castle  Garden,  of  men  of  all  political  par- 

ties, to  express  a  determination  to  stand  by  the  "  Union, 
the  whole  Union,  and  nothing  but  the  Union,"  at  all  hazards,  and 
to  support  the  principles  of  Mr.  Clay's  compromise  resolutions. 
General  Scott  was  there.  His  appearance  on  the  stage  was  hailed 
with  the  most  rapturous  applause,  and  every  allusion  to  him  brought 
forth  similar  manifestations  of  delight  and  admiration. 

March  5. — The  South  Carolina  senator,  the  leader 
r.    a  loun  s  ^^  ^j_^^  Southcm  disuuiouists,  the  slave-holders'  oracle, 

Speech.  '  ' 

the  daring  repudiator,  has  made  his  speech.  The 
gaping  gossipers  have  "  supped  deep  "  on  oratorical  horrors ;  the 
quidnuncs  have  something  to  chew  upon.  Mr.  Calhoun  has  been 
ill  during  the  whole  session,  so  ill  as  not  to  be  able  to  deliver  his 
speech,  a  written  copy  of  which  was  read,  at  his  request,  by  Mr. 
Mason.  This  is  probably  his  last  kick ;  and,  if  he  is  to  be  judged  by 
the  sentiments  of  this  effort,  the  sooner  he  is  done  kicking  the 
better.  If  this  manifesto  is  to  be  taken  as  the  text-book  of  the 
South,  all  attempts  at  conciliation  will  be  fruitless.  It  is  a  calm, 
dispassionate  avowal  that  nothing  short  of  absolute  submission  to 
the  slave-holding  States  will  be  accepted  ;  there  is  no  compromise 
proposed,  no  conciliation  offered.  The  prosperity  of  the  North  — 
the  natural  fruit  of  industry,  perseverance  and  skill  —  is  a  mortal 
offence  to  South  Carolina.  New  York  is  more  populous  than 
Charleston.  Boston  notions  sell  better  than  Southern  productions, 
and  New  Bedford  oil  and  candles  shine  brighter  than  slavery 
manifestoes. 

Mr.  Webster  is  to  speak  on  Thursday.     His  position  is  extremely 
delicate  and  embarrassing,  even  to  a  man  like  him,  of  iron  nerves. 


3/6  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  70. 

I  apprehend  some  disappointment  amongst  the  anti-slavery  spirits 
of  the  North  and  his  own  State  of  Massachusetts.  Union  is  his 
paramount  motive,  the  Constitution  the  star  by  which  he  steers ;  to 
preserve  these  lie  will  probably  concede  more  to  the  South  than  the 
fiery  politicians  (Whigs  even)  of  the  North  may  think  expedient. 
Much,  however,  may  be  effected  by  a  conciliating  temper  and  dis- 
creet measures.  Webster,  Clay,  and  Calhoun,  —  these  three  ''old 
men  eloquent,"  —  how  they  labour  with  "  harness  on  their  back  "  ! 
and  Bissell,  too,  who  made  an  admirable  speech ;  and  fiery  Stanley, 
and  steady  Winthrop,  and  a  host  of  worthies,  —  all  praise  to  the 
defenders  of  the  Union  ! 

IMarch  6.  —  There  was  a  great  Union  meeting  on  Monday,  in 
Baltimore,  similar  to  ours  at  Castle  Garden.  The  Mayor,  Mr. 
Stansbury,  presided,  with  a  long  string  of  vices,  among  whom  I 
recognize  the  names  of  Meredith,  Kennedy,  Carroll,  Barney, 
McLane,  Frick,  Morris,  Birkhead,  Monroe,  and  Stewart.  If  his 
Worship  has  no  more  vices  than  these,  he  has  less  to  answer  for  than 
most  men.  The  resolutions  are  very  good  ;  the  orators  required 
to  be  warmed  by  their  subject,  as  the  meeting  was  held  in  Monu- 
ment square,  —  the  coldest,  bleakest  spot  in  America,  except  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Wall  street,  in  our  own  city  of  New  York. 
„  March    12. — Governor    Seward     made     his    great 

Governor  *-• 

Seward's  spccch    ycstcrday,    in    the    Senate,    on    the    California 

^^^'^  *  question.     It  was  able,  of  course,  but  wild  on  the  sub- 

ject which  agitates  the  country;  opposed  to  Calhoun,  dissenting 
from  A\'ebster,  making  battle  against  the  South  ;  uncompromising, 
right  in  some  things,  wrong  in  more,  eloquent  rather  than  argu- 
mentative ;  honey  to  the  Northern  abolitionists,  wormwood  to 
the  Southern  factionists ;  and  so  we  go.     I  go  with  Webster. 

March  14.  —  Mr.  Webster's  late  speech  seems  to  be 

Mr.  Webster's  .  .     .  ,,        ^  ...  , 

Speech.  "  buyuig  goldcn  opmions.       Some  opposition  is  made 

by  the  violent  anti- slavery  men  in  his  own  section  of  the 

country  (the  very  men  who  brought  this  trouble  upon  us,  by  voting 

for  the  annexation  of  Texas),  on  the  ground  of  his  having  conceded 


1850.]  THE    DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  37/ 

too  much  to  the  South ;  but  a  large  proportion  (and  there  is 
reason  to  hope  a  majority)  of  the  discreet,  reflecting  men  of  all 
parts  of  the  Union  approve  the  principles  and  sentiments  of  this 
great  speech,  are  willing  to  make  it  their  text,  and  augur  the  most 
auspicious  results  from  its  dissemination  far  and  wide.  The  exor- 
dium of  this  speech  is  in  every  man's  mouth ;  the  effect  must  have 
been  prodigious.  The  position  which  the  speaker  occupied  in  the 
discussion  of  the  momentous  question,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
man  (I  can  imagine  how  he  looked),  were  things  to  be  remem- 
bered, with  a  sort  of  awful  admiration,  by  the  closely  packed 
audience  who  had  the  good  luck  to  hear  him.  He  began  thus  : 
"  I  rise  to  speak  to-day,  not  as  a  Massachusetts  man,  not  as  a 
Northern  man ;  but  as  an  American,  and  a  member  of  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States." 

March  22.  —  This  Senator  T^*-?*?/*?  seems   to   be  trip- 

Benton  and  .  111  •        i  •  xt        • 

pmg  up  everybody  who  comes  m  his  way.  He  is  a 
pestiferous  demagogue,  bent  upon  kicking  up  a  dust 
whenever  he  gets  a  chance.  This  is  the  same  man  who  had  a 
fight  in  the  street,  the  other  day,  with  Borland,  a  brother  Loco- 
foco ;  and  now  a  most  disgraceful  scene  has  been  enacted  on  the 
floor  of  the  Senate  between  this  loafer  and  Benton,  the  "  Father  of 
the  Senate,"  in  which  epithets  were  applied  to  each  other  in  the 
most  approved  style  of  Five-Points  eloquence.  The  most  vulgar 
language  was  made  the  vehicle  of  personal  vituperation  ;  the  capa- 
cious stern  of  the  Missouri  senator  was  a  spot  in  which  the  bellig- 
erent Foot  might  have  been  placed  to  some  advantage  ;  but  it  did 
not  get  so  far.  How  can  such  men  as  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun, 
Berrien,  Davis,  etc.,  sit  and  listen  to  such  ribaldry  ! 

March  23. —  An  English  newspaper  has  the  follow- 
ewspaper       .^     astouudincj  and  veracious  article   of   intelligence : 

Accuracy.  o  o  o 

"  The  Honourable  Daniel  Webster,  the  great  American 
statesman,  is  to  be  tried  for  his  life  for  the  murder  oi  Dr.  Parker^ 
This  is  worthy  of  the  "New  York  Herald"  or  "Washington 
Union." 


378  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [yEtat.  70. 

April  2,  —  I'he  great  South  Carolina  senator  died 
Death  of  Mr.    -^^  Washington,  0.1  Sunday  morning,  March  31,  of  a 

Calhoun. 

disease  of  the  heart.  Overworked,  terribly  excited, 
the  frail  body  was  insufficient  to  sustain  the  burning,  restless, 
ardent  mind.  One  of  the  great  lights  of  the  Western  world  is  ex- 
tinguished ;  the  compeer  of  Webster  and  Clay  is  removed  from  the 
brilliant  trio ;  the  South  has  lost  her  champion  ;  slavery,  its  de- 
fender ;  and  nullification  and  (we  are  compelled  to  say)  disunion, 
their  apologists. 

Possessing  talents  of  the  highest  order,  irreproachable  integrity, 
and  amiable  deportment,  he  wanted  the  expanded  patriotism,  the 
disinterested  political  morality,  of  his  great  rival, —  Webster.  The 
latter  goes  for  the  country,  the  whole  country,  first,  and  Massachu- 
setts after ;  the  Union,  the  Constitution,  the  principles  of  the 
Revolution,  are  the  stars  by  which  he  steers  his  political  course. 
The  other  great  man  would  sacrifice  all  these  for  the  interest,  the 
aggrandizement,  of  South  Carolina.  The  first  is  a  statesman  in  the 
broadest  sense  ;  the  last  was  the  man  of  a  State. 

What  effect  his  lamented  decease  will  have  upon  the  questions 
which  agitate,  in  so  fearful  a  degree,  the  minds  of  men  and  the 
councils  of  the  nation,  it  is  difficult  to  foresee.  Will  the  withdrawal 
of  the  leader  have  the  effect  of  disbanding  the  forces  of  Southern 
opposition  ?  Or  will  they  rally  under  some  leader  equally  ardent 
and  uncompromising,  but  of  motives  less  pure  and  action  more 
unscrupulous?  God  save  the  Republic  !  should  be  the  prayer  of 
all  good  Americans  in  this  crisis,  pronounced  at  one  extremity  of 
the  Union  and  echoed  at  the  other. 

April  8.  —  I  dined  on  Saturday  with  Mr.  August  Belmont,  the 
agent  of  the  great  house  of  Rothschilds,  at  his  splendid  mansion  in 
the  Fifth  avenue.  The  guests  were  Washington  Irving,  Commodore 
Perry,  Edward  Jones,  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  Daniel  B.  Fearing, 
Bache  McEvers,  William  Kemble,   and  myself. 

April  13.  —  I  went,  last  evening,  to  the  opening  of  the  exhibition 
of  the  National  Academy  of  Design,  at  their  new  rooms  in  Broad- 


1850.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  379 

way,  opposite  Bond  street.  There  was  a  collation,  with  a  large 
party  of  artists,  literati,  men  of  science,  and  men  of  taste  to  partake 
of  it.  The  Academy  has  made  an  admirable  arrangement ;  the 
stables  of  Brown  have  been  converted  into  a  temple  of  the  Muses. 
The  Academy  has  now  a  local  habitation  and  a  name.  They  have 
five  rooms  filled,  for  the  approaching  exhibition,  with  an  unusually 
fine  collection  of  pictures.  The  Academicians  have  made  a  suc- 
cessful effort  to  do  some  work  worthy  of  their  good  name,  and  to 
give  eclat  to  their  new  quarters. 

April  18. — A  personal  conflict,  disgraceful  to  the 
Fracas"'^  parties,  and  humiliating  to  every  good  American  who 
has  been  taught  to  revere  the  exalted  body  in  which  it 
occurred,  was  enacted  yesterday  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  by 
Colonel  Benton,  who  likes  to  be  called  the  flither  of  the  Senate,  — 
but,  as  it  appears  in  this  matter,  does  not  always  act  up  to  the  dig- 
nity and  decorum  of  the  character,  —  and  that  pestiferous  fellow, 
Foote,  who  disgraces  himself,  his  State,  and  the  body  of  which  he 
is  an  unworthy  member.  Benton  appears  to  have  been  the  aggres- 
sor; for  it  requires  more  patience  than  the  Missouri  senator  is 
thought  to  possess,  to  bear  the  attack  of  so  filthy  an  animal.  The 
other  drew  a  pistol,  which,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  interference 
of  the  gentlemen  near  by,  would  probably  have  left  Missouri  un- 
represented, and  the  Senate,  fatherless.  Pistols  in  the  Senate  ! 
This  Foote  should  be  amputated  from  the  body,  of  which  it  is  a 
disgraced  member. 

April  19.  —  I  dined  with  my  friend  Giraud  on  Wednesday,  on 
capital  clam  soup,  and  a  fore-quarter  of  lamb  and  mint  sauce. 
Nobody  understands  the  science  of  good  living,  the  whole  arcana 
of  gastronomy,  better  than  my  old  bachelor  friend  Giraud. 

April  22. —  My  wife  and  I  came  from   home  this 
J^^ . ,°  morning  to  make  a  visit  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander 

Providence.  '-' 

Duncan,  and  to  bring  with  us  my  daughter  and  Miss 
Adele  Granger.  We  left  New  York  at  eight  o'clock,  on  the  New 
Haven    railroad,  came  by  Hartford,    Springfield,  and    Worcester, 


38o  -THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

and  arrived  at  Providence  at  six  o'clock  P.M.,  —  a  ride  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  in  ten  hours.  Mr.  Duncan  and  the  girls  came 
out  to  meet  us  at  Blackstone,  and  brought  us  to  our  pleasant  quar- 
ters, the  honoured  guests  of  our  hospitable  and  kind  friends,  where 
every  comfort  was  prepared  for  us,  and  a  good  night's  rest  followed 
the  fatigue  of  our  railroad  journey. 

April  23.  —  The  unpretending  elegance,  good  taste,  and  admira- 
ble house-keeping  of  Mrs.  Duncan's  establishment  leave  us  nothing 
to  wish  for.  Mr.  Duncan's  immense  wealth  is  judiciously  used  for 
the  enjoyment  of  his  family,  the  gratification  of  his  friends,  and  the 
good  of  the  community,  of  which  he  is  an  active  and  beneficent 
member.  After  walking  with  my  host,  and  visiting  the  interesting 
objects  of  this  pleasant  town,  I  went  to  a  dinner  given  to  me  by 
Samuel  G.  Arnold,  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Moses  B.  Ives,  Mr. 
Whi])ple,  Dr.  Parsons  and  his  son,  Mr.  Charles  Potter,  Mr.  Birkhead, 
Mr.  Duncan,  Mr.  Robeson,  Colonel  Halsey,  Dr.  Mauran,  and  myself. 

April  24.  —  Went  with  Mr.  Duncan  to  return  the  Governor's 
call  j  visited  the  College  Library,  which  has  been  richly  endowed 
by  Mr.  Brown,  the  Athenaeum,  etc.  Mr.  Duncan  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  support  of  these  and  other  similar  scientific  and 
benevolent  institutions,  and  his  literary  taste  has  been  evinced  by  a 
tasteful  and  well -arranged  private  library.  Mr.  Duncan  gave  us  a 
handsome  dinner ;  the  guests,  besides  our  party,  consisting  of  Gov- 
ernor Anthony,  Mr.  Zachariah  Allen,  Mr.  Philip  Allen,  Moses  B.  Ives, 
Dr.  Mauran,  Professor  Gammell,  Mr.  Birkhead,  and  Mr.  Brown. 

April  25.  —  After  another  day  spent  pleasantly  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  a  sociable,  comfortable  dinner,  we  terminated  our 
agreeable  visit,  and  left  Providence  at  six  o'clock  P.M.,  on  the 
Stonington  railroad,  to  return  by  the  steamer  on  the  Sound.  Mrs. 
Daniel  B.  Fearing  joined  our  party,  with  her  children. 

There  is  a  new  carpet  on  the  library  floor,  and  my 
At  home.        books  havc    undergone    a    dusting,   under    Margaret's 
judicious  superintendence. 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Tileston,  on  an  invitation  received  before  I  left 


1850.]  THE    DIARY   OF    nilLIP   HONE.  38 1 

home ;  it  was  pretty  much  of  a  club  dinner.  We  had  Blatchford, 
George  Curtis,  Spofford,  Prescott  Hall,  Jaudon,  Governor  Fish, 
Matthew  Morgan,  Henry  A.  Colt,  two  Messrs.  Brice,  sons-in-law  of 
Mr.  Tileston. 

April  27.  —  The  great  steamer  "Atlantic"  went  to  sea  to-day. 
She  went  off  in  fine  style  ;  but  the  fog  compelled  her  to  stop  three 
or  four  hours  at  Staten  Island.  She  will  create  a  sensation  in  Eng- 
land. If  John  Bull  does  not  open  his  eyes  in  wonder,  and  scratch 
his  head  in  jealousy,  he  will  have  lost  his  usual  characteristics.  Let 
him  beat  her  if  he  can ;   if  he  does,  we  will  try  again. 

April  29.  —  Died  on  the  19th,  at  his  residence.  New  Bedford, 
Cornelius  Grinnell,  father  of  Moses,  Joseph,  and  Henry.  He  was 
in  the  ninety-third  year  of  his  age,  a  hale,  hearty,  cheerful  old 
gentleman,  —  a  fine  example  of  green  old  age.  I  was  at  his  house 
when  at  New  Bedford.  His  son  Moses  arrived  in  New  Bedford  a 
few  minutes  before  he  expired.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  on 
which  his  long  account  with  this  world  was  closed,  he  told  his 
family  that  Moses  was  expected  on  that  day,  and  ordered  some 
champagne  to  be  iced  for  him,  on  his  arrival.  Mr.  Roach,  another 
native  of  New  Bedford,  of  about  the  same  age  as  Mr.  Grinnell,  died 
within  a  few  hours  of  his  decease. 

April  30.  —  I  saw  Mr.  Webster  on  Sunday.  He  is  on  a  short 
visit  to  his  favourite  Marshfield.  He  went  to  Boston  yesterday, 
where  he  was  received  by  his  friends  with  distinguished  honours,  and 
replied,  —  in  front  of  his  hotel,  the  Revere  House,  —  in  his  usual 
style  of  eloquence,  to  the  complimentary  speeches  which  were  made 
to  him.  If  he  does  not  "buy  golden  opinions  "  now,  it  must 
prove  that  the  article  is  scarce  in  the  market.  He  is  no  longer  at 
a  loss  to  find  his  position,  and  seems  determined  to  maintain  it. 

May  2.  —  Another,  and  another,  and  another.     The 

Disasters.        Steamer  "  Belle  of  the  West  "  w^as  blown  up  a  few  days 

since  on  the   Ohio,  below  Cincinnati,  and  many  lives 

lost.     These  are  melancholy  events  ;  but  "it's  of  no  consequence," 

as  Foote  says ;  "  there  were  more  born  on  that  day  to  supply  their 


T,S2  THE    DIARY    OF    TIIILIP    HONE.  [.Etat.  70. 

places."  Steam  has  come  into  the  world  to  do  the  work  of  war, 
—  equally  certain,  and,  in  the  aggregate,  equally  extensive  in  its 
operations  ;  but  it  wants  the  prestige  of  present  glory  and  future 
renown  ;  boilers  burst,  and  so  do  bomb-shells.  Men  are  blown  up 
as  well  by  steam  as  gunpowder.     Death's  doings,  all. 

May  4.  —  Congress  has  passed    the    bill,  and    the 
nnne  President's  signature  has  made  it  a  law,  to  receive  the 

Expedition.  °  ' 

two  vessels  to  be  fitted  out  by  Henry  Grinnell  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  North  pole  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  The  little 
squadron  about  to  be  engaged  in  this  work  of  beneficence  is 
placed  under  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
which  is  also  to  furnish  the  officers  and  men  for  the  expedition. 
Success  attend  them ;  but  I  have  no  faith  in  the  enterprise. 
Captain  Franklin  and  his  companions  will  never,  I  fear,  be  seen 
again.  They  lie  "  five  fathoms  deep  "  in  their  icy  shrouds.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  those  who  go  out  on  this  "  labour  of  love  "  may 
not  meet  with  any  fate  worse  than  frozen  toes  and  red  noses,  and 
return  in  good  time  to  relate  their  adventures  in  the  great  ice- 
house of  the  universe. 

May  23.  —  I  continue  very  ill  and  suffer  excruciat- 
iiincss.  ing   pains  from  the  sores  in  several  jxirts  of  my  body, 

the  effects  of  the  severe  treatment  for  the  dangerous 
disease  with  which  I  have  been  afflicted.  The  erysipelas  is  removed, 
but  I  am  exceedingly  weak  and  emaciated,  and  require  all  the 
unwearied  care  and  tender  nursing  which  are  bestowed  upon  me. 
]>ut  I  have  sorrow,  deep  and  alarming,  beyond  the  apprehensions 
of  my  own  case.  My  beloved  wife  lies  in  her  chamber  above  me,  in 
what  I  consider  a  hopeless  case.  Nature  is  sinking ;  her  strength 
has  departed,  and  a  cough,  with  which  she  has  been  long  afflicted, 
seems  to  be  insurmountable.  Which  of  us  will  be  first  called  I  dare 
not  presume  to  imagine.     The  Lord's  will  be  done  ! 

May  24.  —  My  worst    apprehensions   are  realized. 
^  °  The  crowning  blessing  of  my  long  life,  the  enjoyment  of 

which  the  Lord  has  permitted  to  me  for  a  period  of 


1850.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  383 

nearly  half  a  century  of  uninterrupted  love,  affection,  and  confi- 
dence, He  has  seen  fit  to  resume.  The  most  excellent  partner  of 
my  fondest  associations,  the  best  of  wives,  the  mother  of  my 
children,  my  comforter  in  affliction,  the  participant  of  my  joys,  the 
promoter  of  my  happiness,  my  friend  and  example,  died  this 
morning  at  fifteen  minutes  past  four  o'clock,  —  died  as  angels 
live,  —  peaceful,  serene,  sensible  to  the  last  moment,  free  from 
pain,  and  perfectly  resigned  to  the  will  of  God.  And  there 
she  lies,  with  a  benignant  expression  which  seems  to  impart  sweet- 
ness to  the  flowers  with  which  her  beloved  frame  is  decorated. 
Teach  me,  blessed  Lord,  to  receive  this  chastisement  with  suitable 
resignation  and  submission  to  Thy  will.  Thou  hast  permitted  me 
to  enjoy  for  a  long  period  the  blessing  of  which  Thou  hast  now 
deprived  me,  and  I  have  no  right  to  complain.  Thy  will  be  done 
in  this  as  in  all  other  dispensations  of  Thy  Providence  ! 

May  27.  —  The  last  act  of  our  melancholy  tragedy  was  per- 
formed yesterday  afternoon.  The  mortal  remains  of  my  dearly 
beloved  wife  were  consigned  to  the  vault  in  the  cemetery  of  Saint 
Mark's  Church.  The  following  were  the  pall -bearers  :  President 
William  A.  Duer,  President  Charles  King,  General  Scott,  Luther 
Bradish,  Gardiner  G.  Howland,  Richard  M.  Blatchford,  Benjamin 
L.  Swan,  Jacob  P.  Giraud. 

May  30.  — This  was  the  first  day  of  my  leaving  the 

The  Old  ,  ^,  ,  .  I       1  *       1  1 

Hull  afloat.  housc.  The  weather  is  very  bad.  A  long,  easterly 
storm,  the  end  of  which  we  have  not  seen,  has  retarded 
my  recovery.  I  am  better,  but  my  sufferings  are  extremely  dis- 
tressing. I  went  to  the  Naval  office,  where  I  found  my  faithful 
troops  rejoiced  to  see  me.  I  signed  some  papers,  and  remained 
about  an  hour. 

If  they  do  not  pull  down  the  houses  in  the  annual 
Broadway.       rcnovation  of  Broadway,  they  fall  of  their  own  accord. 
The  large,  three-story  house,  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Fourth  street,  occupied  for  several  years  by  Mrs.  Seton  as  a  board- 
ing-house, fell  to-day  at  two  o'clock,  with  a  crash  so  astounding  that 


384  THE   DIARY    OF   rillLTP    HONE.  [^tat.  70. 

the  girls,  with  wliom  I  was  sitting  in  the  library,  imagined  for  a 
moment  that  it  was  caused  by  an  earthquake.  Fortunately,  the 
workmen  had  notice  to  make  their  escape.  No  lives  were  los<",  and 
no  personal  injury  was  sustained.  The  mania  for  converting  Broad- 
way into  a  street  of  shops  is  greater  than  ever.  There  is  scarcely  a 
block  in  the  whole  extent  of  this  fine  street  of  which  some  part  is 
not  in  a  state  of  transmutation.  The  City  Hotel  has  given  place  to 
a  row  of  splendid  stores;  Stewart  is  extending  his  stores  to  take  in 
the  whole  front  from  Chambers  to  Reade  street ;  this  is  already  the 
most  magnificent  dry-goods  establishment  in  the  world.  I  certainly 
do  not  remember  anything  to  equal  it  in  London  or  Paris  ;  with  the 
addition  now  in  progress  this  edifice  will  be  one  of  the  "wonders  "  of 
the  Western  world.  Three  or  four  good  brick  houses  on  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Spring  street  have  been  levelled,  I  know  not  for 
what  purpose,  —  shops,  no  doubt.  The  houses  —  fine,  costly  edi- 
fices, opposite  to  me,  extending  from  Driggs's  corner  down  to  a 
point  opposite  to  Bond  street  —  are  to  make  way  for  a  grand  con- 
cert and  exhibition  establishment.  All  this  is  very  well ;  men  have 
a  right  to  improve  their  property  as  they  please  ;  but  it  really  would 
be  well  if  more  precautions  were  used  in  pulling  down  and  under- 
propping. Lives  enough  have  been  sacrificed  ;  but  the  inquisitive 
people  require  something  to  gratify  their  curiosity,  and  some  went 
away  from  the  ruins  to-day  a  little  disapi)ointed  that  no  lives  were 
lost.     It  was  nothing  to  the  accident  in  Hague  street. 

June  i.  — This  has  been  a  week  of  festivity  among  the  members 
of  the  old  club  ;  it  arose  out  of  a  reciprocation  of  the  hospitality  of 
some  of  the  Baltimore  gentlemen,  who  were  the  hosts  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  canvas-back  party  last  fall  at  Maxwell's  Point.  Invita- 
tions were  given  and  accepted,  and  a  round  of  dinners  was  the 
consequence.  George  Curtis,  Prescott  Hall,  Moses  H.  (Irinnell, 
and  Samuel  Jaudon  saturated  these  Baltimore  sponges  with  the 
finest  old  wine  in  the  country ;  and  how  it  went !  I  was  not  at 
Maxwell's  Point,  and,  of  course,  not  at  the  result  here.  I  have  no 
interest  in  such  matters.     These  things  will  never  again  delight  me. 


1850.J  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  385 

But  there  is  one  circumstance  about  these  pleasant  reunions  which 
gives  me  a  gratification  far  above  the  festivities  which  my  friends 
enjoyed,  —  a  banquet  of  the  heart,  an  overflow  of  grateful  acknowl- 
edgment, a  tribute,  never  to  be  forgotten,  of  love  and  affection,  and 
this  is  it :  Jonathan  Meredith  refused  to  come  on  with  the  party, 
out  of  tenderness  and  consideration  for  my  affliction  and  that 
of  my  family,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  John  P.  Ken- 
nedy was  restrained  by  the  same  generous  feelings.  The  Lord 
reward  them  for  this  manifestation  of  friendship,  and  teach  me  not 
to  forget  it  ! 

June  14.  —  I  received  an  invitation  from  the  citizens  of  Burling- 
ton, Vermont,  to  attend  the  grand  railroad  jubilee  intended  to  cele- 
brate, with  appropriate  festivities,  the  establishment  of  railroad 
communication  between  the  State  of  Vermont  and  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board. I  declined  this  invitation.  Broken  down  in  health,  and 
sorely  afflicted  in  mind,  I  am  no  longer  the  man  for  such  enjoy- 
ments. There  was  a  time  when  I  should  have  responded  cheer- 
fully to  such  a  summons. 

June  17.  —  As  a  proof  of  my  convalescence,  I  record  the  fact 
that  I  went  yesterday  forenoon  to  Trinity  Church ;  not  walking  all 
the  distance  (I  availed  myself  of  the  Bowery  railroad),  but  I  could 
have  accomplished  even  that  feat.  I  am  weak,  very,  and  thin  as  a 
pair  of  tongs  ;  but  my  sufferings  have  subsided.  Who  knows  that  I 
may  not  be  a  man  again? 

June  28. — There  seems  to  be  no  hope  of  a  settle- 
Cong-ress.  mcnt  of  the  exciting  questions  which  agitate  the  minds 
of  men  at  Washington.  Faction,  violence,  intemper- 
ance, and  ungentlemanly  deportment  prevail  in  both  Houses  of 
Congress.  They  have  been  in  session  six  months,  and  no  public 
business  has  been  accomplished.  Parties  are  so  divided,  that 
either  may  prevent  the  action  of  all  the  rest.  Good  men  begin  to 
despair  of  the  Republic.  The  excellent  Chief  Magistrate,  striving 
as  he  does  to  get  things  to  rights,  is  assailed  by  a  gang  of  despera- 
does, who  hate  him  as  the  infernal  spirits  do  the  angels  of  light, 


386  THE   DIARY   OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [^tat.  70. 

for  the  virtue  and  purity  of  his  character,  the  contrast  of  which 
renders  apparent  their  own  deformity. 

July     10.  —  The    American    people    are    suddenly 
Death  of  Gen.  ^^^j^^^  ^^        ^^  moum  the  loss  of  another  Chief  Magis- 

eral  Taylor.  '■  ^     ^ 

trate  of  the  Union.  The  face  of  the  land  is  clad  in  the 
habiliments  of  woe ;  the  hand  of  death  has  stricken  down  the  good 
old  man,  the  brave  soldier,  the  able  and  successful  commander,  the 
patriotic  citizen,  the  wise  and  discreet  ruler,  whom  the  people,  by 
their  unsolicited  choice,  placed  in  the  highest  office  in  their  gift. 

July  ii.  —  Mr.  Fillmore,  Vice-President,  having  resigned  the 
presidency  of  the  Senate,  was  sworn  into  the  office  of  President  of 
the  United  States,  yesterday,  at  twelve  o'clock,  in  the  Chamber  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  in  the  presence  of  both  Houses. 
Ze  roi  est  mort^  —  Vive  Fillmore  !  The  speeches  of  Messrs. 
Berrien,  Downs,  and  Webster  in  the  Senate,  after  the  inauguration, 
were  marked  by  ability,  eloquence,  and  the  most  touching  sensi- 
bility of  the  nation's  loss  in  the  sudden  death  of  the  excellent 
man  who  has  so  admirably  succeeded  in  his  "  endeavours  "  (to  use 
his  own  words)  *'  to  do  his  duty." 

July  22.  —  The  steamer  *^  Atlantic,"  the  great  favourite  of  the 
Knickerbockers,  in  whose  successful  competition  with  the  navigation 
of  the  whole  globe  our  citizens  of  all  parties  and  professions  take  so 
lively  an  interest,  arrived  yesterday  at  her  berth,  in  this  her  native 
city,  making  her  voyage  in  ten  days  and  fifteen  hours,  thereby  jus- 
tifying the  predictions  of  her  constructors  and  owners  in  making 
the  quickest  passage  yet  known. 

July  24.  —  The  funeral  obsequies,  ordered  by  the 
city  authorities  in  honour  of  the  lamented  President, 
took  place  yesterday,  commencing  at  three  o'clock. 
The  grandest  and  most  numerous  military  and  civil  procession 
ever  witnessed  in  this  city  took  place.  It  was  five  miles  in  length, 
and  was  three  hours  passing  my  house.  The  concourse  of  people 
on  the  whole  route  was  prodigious  ;  250,000  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren witnessed  the    solemnities;  orderly,  decorous,  no  resistance 


Funeral 
Obsequies. 


i8so.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  387 

to  authority  exercised  gently,  no  drunkenness.  All  seemed  to  be 
impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  the  melancholy  event  which  was  the 
object  of  this  display. 

August  5. — Good  old  Commodore  Jacob  Jones  died  in  Phila- 
delphia, on  Saturday  morning,  in  the  eighty- third  year  of  his  age,  — 
the  eldest  captain  in  the  navy,  with  the  exception  of  Barron  and 
Stewart.  The  sting  of  his  "  JVasp,"  in  one  of  the  first  naval 
engagements  with  the  maritime  forces  of  Great  Britain,  stung  their 
^^ Frolic^'  past  recovery,  and  obtained  for  the  gallant  commander 
the  command  of  the  "Macedonian." 

August  6.  —  Mr.  Clay  arrived  yesterday  in  Philadelphia  on  his 
way  to  Newport,  where  he  wishes  to  enjoy  peace  and  quietness, 
which,  notwithstanding  his  earnest  remonstrances,  are  denied  him. 
In  this  he  is  perfectly  sincere  ;  he  hates  humbug,  the  prevailing  evil 
of  the  day,  and  is  satiated  with  popular  applause.  But  the  Phila- 
delphians  shouted  him,  hurrahed  him,  and  made  him  address  the 
multitude,  sorely  against  his  inclination.  Mr.  Clay  will  be  here 
to-morrow,  to  the  gratification  of  the  pohticians  and  sight-loving 
mob,  who,  like  the  famous  giant  in  "  Jack  and  the  Bean-stalk,"  vow 
that,  "  dead  or  alive,  they  will  have  some." 

Two  new  houses  in  the  process  of  erection  fell  down  yester- 
day, —  one  in  Mercer  street,  and  the  other  in  Spruce  street,  near 
Gold  street.  Both  these  disasters  have  been  attended  with  loss 
of  life,  and  dreadful  mutilations  of  the  workmen.  The  shameful 
manner  of  constructing  houses  intended  for  renting  demands  a 
remedy.  Laws  should  be  passed,  and  inspectors  of  buildings 
appointed  with  arbitrary  power,  to  prevent  the  erection  of  these 
man- traps.  I  have  noticed,  especially  in  the  eastern  section  of 
the  city,  blocks  of  new  buildings  so  slightly  built  that  they  could 
not  stand  alone,  and,  like  drunken  men,  require  the  support  of  each 
other  to  keep  them  from  falling. 

August  8.  —  The  value  of  my  friend  Scott's  sendees 

General  Scott,  begin  to    be    appreciated  at  home   and    abroad,   now 

the    veil    is   removed  with   which   jealousy,  cabal,  and 


388  THE   DIARY   OF   rillLIP   HONE.  [^tat.  70. 

intrigue  sought  to  cover  his  well-earned  fame.  He  now  conducts 
the  affairs  of  the  War  Department  until  the  arrival  of  the  new 
Secretary.  "  Now,  General,"  said  President  Fillmore,  on  the  Gen- 
eral's arrival  in  Washington,  taking  his  hand,  "  your  persecutions 
are  at  an  end."  A  motion  has  been  made  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives to  confer  upon  him  the  brevet  rank  of  Lieutenant- Genr 
eral,  which  has  never  been  held  by  any  but  Washington. 

August    15.  —  North    Carolina,  a   Whig    State,   has 
Political  gQj^g  Loco-foco  by  reason  of  the  slavery  question  ;  and 

Changes. 

Missouri, — Loco-foco,  —  Whig,  in  consequence  of  an 
unappeasable  difference  between  the  supporters  and  opponents  of 
Colonel  Benton.  Old  party  lines  are  broken  up.  In  this  State  the 
Democrats  are  all  at  swords'  points ;  the  Old- Hunkers  say,  Whigs 
ratlier  than  Ijarnburners,  and  the  Barnburners  profess  to  prefer 
Whigs  to  Old- Hunkers.  So  it  is  at  present.  We  shall  see  if  the 
never- failing  cement  of  party  drill  does  not  unite  these  discordant 
political  materials  before  the  fall  elections.  In  the  mean  time  the 
Whigs  are  in  no  better  condition.  Between  the  friends  of  Seward 
and  Nullification  in  the  western  counties,  and  the  hatred  of  the 
people  in  this  part  of  the  State  to  the  man  and  his  principles,  it  is 
impossible  to  say  what  is  trumps,  or  how  the  game  is  to  be  played. 
August  30.  —  The  bill  from  the  Senate  to  admit  New  Mexico 
and  settle  the  boundaries  of  Texas  has  been  set  afloat  in  the 
troubled  sea  of  congressional  violence  and  opposing  currents  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  where  it  is  assailed  by  the  furious 
tempests  of  party  malignity,  driven  upon  the  rocks  of  sectional 
jealousy,  and  made  the  prey  of  a  set  of  political  wreckers,  who 
care  not  for  vessel,  cargo,  or  crew,  if  their  own  unrighteous  objects 
can  be  attained.  Hopes  have  been  entertained  of  late  that  this 
dreadful  controversy  would  be  settled  by  the  passage  of  the  bill  ; 
that  there  would  be  found,  among  the  friends  of  Union  in  Congress, 
strength  enough  to  rescue  the  ark  of  the  Constitution  from  the 
hands  of  the  despoilers,  and  preserve  the  sacred  tables  of  the  law 
from  pollution  and  desecration.     But  prospects  are  more  gloomy 


1850.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  389 

within  the  last  day  or  two ;  the  two  extremes  of  reckless  opposition 
have  met  together  in  numbers  sufficient  to  prevent  (it  is  feared) 
the  passage  of  any  measures  to  restore  harmony  and  union  upon 
the  basis  of  compromise  and  concession.  These  men  have  been 
employed  more  than  eight  months,  like  noisome  excrescences  ob- 
structing the  current  of  wholesome  legislation.  The  best  thing 
they  can  do  is  to  break  up  their  unprofitable  session  and  go  home 
to  their  constituents  for  fresh  instructions,  and  if  the  people  approve 
these  doings,  in  God's  name,  be  it  so  ! 

"The  people's  wayward  voice 
Must  be  the  Nation's  choice." 

Seffember  3.  —  "Sing  a  song  of  sixpence,"  at  the 
Jenny  Lind.  rate  of  a  thousand  dollars  a  night.  Our  good  city  is  in 
a  new  excitement.  So  much  has  been  said,  and  the 
trumpet  of  fame  has  sounded  so  loud,  in  honour  of  this  new  importa- 
tion from  the  shores  of  Europe,  that  nothing  else  is  heard  in  our 
streets,  nothing  seen  in  the  papers,  but  the  advent  of  the  "  Swedish 
Nightingale."  Jenny  Lind  arrived  on  Sunday,  in  the  "  Atlantic." 
This  noble  steamer  was  a  most  fitting  fiddle-case,  a  suitable  cage 
for  such  a  bird.  The  wharf  was  thronged  with  anxious  expectants 
of  her  landing. 

SEFrEMBER  5. —  The  committee  appointed  by  Mr.  Barnum  to 
award  the  prize  of  $200  for  the  best  song  to  be  sung  by  Jenny  Lind, 
at  her  first  concert  here,  have  adjudged  it  to  Bayard  Taylor,  for 
his  song  entitled  "  Welcome  to  America."  The  committee  state, 
in  their  report,  that  the  number  of  competitors  for  this  prize 
amounted  to  seven  hundred  ;  a  large  proportion  of  the  produc- 
tions were  "  not  fit  to  feed  the  pigs."  The  committee  to  make 
the  selection  were  George  Ripley,  Jules  Benedict,  L.  Gaylord 
Clark,  J.  S.  Redfield,  George  P.  Putnam. 

September  9. — There   is  rejoicing    over  the  land; 
^,'^^*""!"^"      the  bone  of  contention  is  removed  :  disunion,  flmaticism, 

the  End.  '  '  ' 

violence,  insurrection,   are    defeated.      These  horrible 


390  THE    DIARY    OF    I'llILIP    HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

slavery  questions,  which  have  suspended  the  pubUc  business  for 
more  than  eight  months,  are  settled  ;  but  how  ?  The  lovers  of 
peace,  the  friends  of  the  Union,  good  men,  conservatives,  have 
sacrificed  sectional  prejudices,  given  up  personal  predilections, 
given  up  everything,  for  Union  and  peace  ;  and  for  this  sacrifice 
the  Lord  be  good  to  them  !  r>ut,  although  all  good  men  rejoice 
tliat  tlie  affair  is  settled,  none  are  satisfied.  It  all  comes  of  that 
crowning  curse  of  national  legislation,  the  annexation  of  Texas ; 
and  did  not  Daniel  Webster  warn  the  I>oco-focos  of  all  this?  Did 
not  Henry  Clay  sound  his  admonishing  trumpet?  Did  not  every 
Whig  orator  previous  to  General  Harrison's  election  prophesy  what 
would  be  the  effects  of  this  unnatural  connection  ?  and  did  not  I, 
even  I,  in  my  harangues,  portray  the  evils  to  result  from  this  idle 
assumption  of  gratuitous  trouble  and  vexation? 

But  the  question  is  settled  :  we  have  made  war  upon  Mexico, 
gaining  glory  by  the  gallantry  of  our  warriors  ;  conquered  them  all, 
and  then,  as  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Franklin's  Frenchman,  agreed  to 
pay  for  heating  the  poker.  But  all  is  well.  The  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives on  Saturday  got  rid  of  all  the  vexation  in  a  bunch.  The 
Texas  boundary  bill  was  passed,  California  was  admitted  as  a  State, 
Utah  and  New  Mexico  came  in  as  Territories ;  all  obstructions 
were  removed,  all  amendments  rejected.  They  came  into  the 
House,  determined  to  cast  all  political  differences,  all  sectional 
jealousy,  all  party  violence,  upon  the  altar  of  Union,  harmony,  and 
the  Constitution  ;  and  I  presume  the  rest  of  the  nation's  business 
will  be  hurried  through  head  over  heels,  and  the  people's  repre- 
sentatives will  go  forthwith  to  their  wives  and  children,  their  farms 
and  merchandise. 

September    12.  —  The   Jenny    Find    excitement    in 

Jenny  Linti.      Ncw  York  sccms  to  havc  increased  to  fever  heat.      Her 

second  rehearsal  was   given  with  renewed  spirit    and 

effect,  and  received  with  new  enthusiasm.     Tickets  have  been  sold 

to  the  amount  of  $55,000.     The   good  people  of  New  York  are 


1850.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  391 

anxious  to  part  with  their  mon&y  for  a  song,  and  the  "nightingale  " 
will  make  a  profitable  exchange  of  her  nofes  for  specie. 

September  17. -^Another  of  those  dreadful  railroad  disasters 
which  every  mail  brings  us,  and  the  news-packets  transmit  on  their 
paper  wings  to  every  corner  of  the  country,  occurred  one  day  last 
week  on  the  Western  railroad  between  Albany  and  Boston.  The 
train  ran  off  the  track,  the  cars  were  demolished,  several  persons 
were  injured,  and  three  passengers  killed,  of  whom  one  was  a  young 
lady,  daughter  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Delavan  House,  Albany ; 
another.  Col.  S.  Jones  Mumford,  of  this  city.  So  much  for  railroad 
travelling.  Give  me  the  post-coach  and  seven  miles  to  an  hour.  I 
enjoyed  it  lately,  and  travelled  for  once  again  like  a  gentleman  and 
man  of  sense. 

Jenny  Lind's  second  concert  took  place  on  Tuesday, 
crail  '^  '"  '^^^^  ^^^^  attended  as  numerously  and  enthusiastically  as 
the  first ;  crowds  follow  her  wherever  she  goes.  She 
has  been  compelled  to  leave  the  Irving  House,  in  my  neighbourhood, 
to  escape  from  the  persecution.  This  Siren,  the  tenth  Muse ;  the 
Angel,  as  Barnum  calls  her ;  the  nightingale,  by  which  she  is  desig- 
nated by  the  would-be  dilettanti,  —  has  secured  the  affection  as  well 
as  the  admiration  of  the  mass  of  the  people  by  an  act  of  munifi- 
cence, as  well  as  good  policy.  Her  contract  with  Mr.  Barnum  has 
been  changed.  Instead  of  $1,000  a  night,  she  gets  one-half  of  the 
net  profits ;  her  share  of  which  for  the  first  night,  after  deducting 
the  large  expenses  of  a  first  performance,  amounting  to  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $12,600,  all  of  which,  with  unprecedented  liberality, 
she  distributed  among  the  charitable  and  benevolent  institutions  of 
the  city.  The  list  is  headed  by  the  fire  department  fund,  to  which 
she  gives  $3,00©,  to  the  musical  fund  $2,000,  and  the  balance  is 
divided  in  sums  of  $500  each  to  all  the  other  charities.  The  noble 
gratuity  to  the  firemen  is  a  great  stroke  of  policy.  It  binds  to  her 
the  support  and  affection  of  the  red-shirt  gentlemen,  who  will  go 
to  hear  her  sing  as  long  as  they  can  raise  the  money  to  pay  for  a 
ticket,  and  will  worship   the  nightingale  and  fight   for  her  to  the 


392  THE    DIARY    OF    PIIILTP    HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

death,  if  occasion  should  require.      New  York   is   conquered ;   a 
hostile  army  or  fleet  could  not  effect  a  conquest  so  complete. 

September  20.  —  The  Union  Club  has  removed  to  the  large 
house  belonging  to  Mr.  Kernochan,  opposite  to  me.  The  club 
has  never  before  been  so  well  and  pleasantly  accommodated ; 
it  will  be  convenient  for  me,  also  ;  perhaps  too  much  so,  —  it  may 
cause  me  to  visit  it  too  frequently. 

September  24.  —  The  Knickerbockers  are  crowing  like  the 
lusty  chanticleer  at  the  great  voyage  of  the  "  Pacific,"  one  of 
the  famous  steamers  of  Collins's  line.  She  has  beaten  the  Cunard- 
ers  this  voyage,  which  has  been  made  in  ten  days  and  four  hours 
from  dock  to  dock,  —  the  shortest  yet ;  she  went  to  and  returned 
from  England  in  less  than  thirty  days.  What  wondrous  changes 
hav^e  occurred  in  our  day  and  generation  !  The  summer  after  I 
married  I  was  nine  days  going  in  a  sloop  from  New  Y^ork  to 
Albany,  —  this  voyage  which  is  now  made  in  as  many  hours ; 
then  it  occupied  one  day  less  than  is  now  required  to  make  a 
European  passage.  We  fly  through  the  air,  glide  over  the  bosom 
of  the  ocean,  and  dive  beneath  its  waters  with  the  speed  of 
lightning ;  speed  is  the  ruling  principle  of  mankind ;  the  wind 
is  a  laggard,  and  the  shooting-star  comparatively  slow  in  its 
movements. 

September     27.  — The    Niagara     steamer    arrived 

1  idm  .  ^j^.^  morning  from  Liverpool.  In  her  came  pas- 
senger William  H.  Prescott,  our  eminent  historian, 
and  excellent  good  fellow.  I  had  a  visit  from  him  this  morning 
at  my  office.  He  returns  in  good  health  and  excellent  spirits, 
after  an  absence  of  five  months,  during  which  time  the  greatest 
respect  and  attention  were  paid  to  him  by  the  distinguished  people 
of  England,  from  the  Queen  down ;  as  an  evidence  of  which  he 
told  me  (but  without  any  vainglorious  boasting)  that  he  had, 
during  his  sojourn  in  London,  twelve  dinner  invitations  for  one 
day.  These  highly  merited  compliments  reflect  equal  honour 
on  both  parties. 


1S50.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  393 

October  16. — The  Loco-focos  have  nominated  Fernando 
Wood  for  mayor.  There  was  a  time  when  it  was  thought  of 
some  consequence  that  the  incumbent  of  this  office  should  be  at 
least  an  honest  man.  Fernando  Wood  !  Let  the  books  of  the 
Mechanic's  Bank  tell  his  story.  There  is  no  amount  of  degrada- 
tion too  great  for  the  party  who  expects  to  "  rule  the  roost,"  and 
probably  will.  Fernando  Wood,  instead  of  occupying  the  mayor's 
seat,  ought  to  be  on  the  rolls  of  the  State  Prison.  But  our 
blessed  universal  suffrage  wnll  raise  a  flame  with  this  IVood  to 
drive  away  Whigism,  Conservatism,  and  good,  honest  Democracy 
as   we  formerly  knew  it.     Fernando  Wood,  Mayor  !  ! 

October  19.  —  I  was  at  a  pleasant  dinner  to-day  at  Mr.  Daniel 
B.  Fearing's.  The  party  consisted  of  Francis  Granger,  William 
S.  Miller,  Mr.  Haight,  Thomas  Tileston,  Charles  H.  Russell, 
James  W.  Otis,   George   Dorr,  and  myself. 

October  25.  —  My  birthday,  —  I  am  seventy  years  old  ;  a  mere 
wreck  of  what  I  was.  I  have  lost  my  bodily  strength,  and  dwindled 
away  into  the  "lean  and  slippered  pantaloon."  But,  thanks  to 
the  God  of  Mercy,  the  Physician  of  soul  and  body,  to  whom  I 
should  bow  with  submission  and  resignation,  I  am  still  in  the  en- 
joyment of  many  blessings  j  my  heart  is  good  and  my  mind  sound, 
and  my  home  is  the  abode  of  happiness  and   tranquillity. 

October  26.  —  The  Whigs  have  nearly  completed  their  nomina- 
tions. Ambrose  C.  Kingsland  is  nominated  for  mayor  by  a  strong 
vote,  and  greatly  to  his  satisfaction. 

October  31.  —  I  left  the  Bank  for  Savings  at  six  o'clock,  putting 
my  friend  Conover  at  the  desk  as  my  locum  tenefis,  and  went  to 
make  one  of  a  pleasant  dinner-party  at  Mr.  Fearing's.  The  party 
consisted  of  Mr.  George  Bancroft,  T.  Butler  King,  John  P.  Ken- 
nedy, John  C.  Hamilton,  Mr.  Vail,  Mr.  Henry  Gary,  Mr.  S.  S. 
Howland,  and  myself. 

Castle  Garden  was  filled  last  night  with  thousands,  as 

Meeting.  ^^  ^^^  whcn  Jcuuy  Liud  commenced  there  her  round 

of  enchantments.     But  this  occasion  was  widely  differ- 


394  THE   DTARV   OF   nilLIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

ent ;  no  nightingale  warbled  to  steal  away  the  hearts  and  bewilder 
the  senses  of  the  admiring  multitudes ;  but  stalwart  men,  commer- 
cial magnates,  comfortable  millionaires,  Whigs  and  Loco-focos, 
assembled  to  stand  by  the  Union  and  to  support  the  Constitu- 
tion ;  to  applaud  Clay  and  Cass,  Webster  and  Dickinson,  and  to 
condemn  Seward  and  Weed,  Greeley  and  H\mt,  by  a  tempest  of  vitu- 
peration, and  all  the  Whigs  by  a  side-wind  of  innuendo.  George 
Wood  was  the  president,  with  forty  vices ;  enough,  one  would 
think,  to  screw  the  multitude  up  to  the  proper  pitch.  Speeches 
were  made  by  the  president,  sensible  enough,  doubtless,  but  didac- 
tic and  forensic,  savouring  of  the  bar,  and  redolent  of  the  Court  of 
Errors,  and  long  and  dull,  like  the  galleries  of  "  Lord  Hoppergollop's 
country  house."  Other  addresses  were  made  by  Nicholas  Dean, 
Robert  C.  Wetmore,  James  W.  Gerard,  Charles  O'Conner,  William 
M.  Evarts,  Edward  Sanford,  and  Ogden  Hoffman  ;  and  it  is  reported 
about  town  that  there  was  not  so  large  an  assembly  at  the  close  as 
at  the  commencement  of  this  great  demonstration. 

November  4.  — There  never  was  such  a  set  of  silly  politicians  as 
the  Whigs  of  this  city.  Some  of  them,  who  call  themselves  Whigs,  — 
men  of  wealth  and  character,  merchants  who  have  prospered  in  the 
general  prosperity,  in  which  they  have  participated  without  having 
contributed  to  it  (I  have  met  some  of  such  lately),  —  declare  that 
they  will  not  vote  for  Washington  Hunt.  "  Who,  then,  will  you 
support,  —  his  Loco-foco  opponent  ?  "  —  "  Yes."  —  "  Why  ?  "  — 
"Because  Hunt  is  an  Abolitionist  and  an  Anti-Renter."  —  "That 
may  be  a  reason  sufficient ;  but  where  is  the  evidence  of  it  ?  There 
is  nothing  in  his  public  life,  in  his  actions,  speeches,  or  writings,  to 
justify  such  a  suspicion."  —  "But  he  suffers  the  Abolitionists  to 
vote  for  him."  And  this  is  the  "head  and  front  of  his  offending." 
If  the  Devil,  or  Bennett  of  the  "  Herald,"  were  to  vote  for  me,  if  I 
were  a  candidate,  I  would  thank  them ;  the  vote  of  either  of 
those  worthies  is  just  as  good  as  that  of  the  best  man  in  the 
land  ;  but  the  truth  is,  —  it  has  ever  been  so,  —  these  wise  politicians 
take  their  cue  from  the  infamous  "  Herald,"  which  abuses  the  can- 


1850.]  THE   DIARY    OF    rillLIP    HONE.  395 

didate  for  Governor,  because,  I  presume,  the  other  party  has  paid 
him  for  his  support.  These  men  have  grown  fat  upon  the  general 
prosperity,  and  make  a  show  of  independence  by  opposing  the 
party  to  which  they  owe  their  modicum  of  consequence. 

November  5.  —  This  is  the  general  election.  Parties 
The  Election,  are  SO  broken  up,  mixed  up,  and  scattered,  that 
nobody  knows  what  the  result  may  be.  The  dregs 
have  risen  to  the  top  of  the  pot.  The  Loco-focos  support  Fer- 
nando Wood  —  a  fellow  who  stands  branded  as  a  swindler  —  for 
mayor,  and  Captain  Rhynders  —  a  notorious  bandit  —  for  the 
Legislature  ;  and  both  will  probably  be  elected.  The  want  of  union 
among  the  Whigs  will  deprive  them  of  the  success  which  they  might 
have  achieved.  James  Bowen,  in  the  third  congressional  district,  runs 
against  the  Whig  candidate  ;  by  which  means  Emanuel  B.  Hart,  the 
Loco-foco,  will  be  elected.  In  our  district,  George  W.  Blunt,  from 
personal  motives,  in  the  plenitude  of  vanity  which  belongs  to  his 
family,  sets  himself  up  against  Brooks,  the  present  member,  who 
has  done  his  duty  well  in  Congress,  and  is  the  regularly  nominated 
candidate.  I  voted,  of  course,  the  whole  regular  Whig  ticket, 
wherever  I  could  find  it. 

November  6.  —  The  election  throughout  the  State  was  held  yes- 
terday. The  result  in  the  city  has  been  highly  favourable  to  the 
Whigs,  who  have  succeeded  in  all  their  tickets  except  where  they 
have  been  defeated  by  their  own  perverseness  and  suicidal  policy. 
We  have  elected  thirteen  out  of  the  sixteen  members  of  Assembly, 
by  which  means  there  is  very  little  doubt  that  we  shall  have  majori- 
ties in  both  Houses,  and  thereby  secure  the  election  of  a  Whig 
senator  in  Congress  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Dickinson,  unless  the 
devil  and  the  slavery  question  should  put  it  into  the  heads  of  our 
men  to  split  upon  this  choice.  Ambrose  C.  Kingsland,  Whig,  is 
elected  mayor. 

November  ii.  —  Bennett,  the  editor  of  the  "  Herald,"  was  at- 
tacked and  cow-skinned  on  Saturday,  in  Broadway,  by  a  Mr. 
Graham,  the  unsuccessful  Loco-foco  candidate  for  district  attorney, 


396  THE    DIARY    OF    PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.  70. 

against  Nathaniel  B.  Blunt.  I  should  be  well  pleased  to  hear  of 
this  fellow  being  punished  in  this  way,  and  once  a  week  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  so  that  new  wounds  might  be  inflicted  before 
the  old  ones  were  healed,  or  until  lie  left  off  lying ;  but  I  fear  the 
editorial  miscreant  in  this  case  will  be  more  benefited  than  injured 
by  this  attack.  The  public  sympathy  will  be  on  Bennett's  side ; 
the  provocation  was  not  sufficient,  the  motive  was  a  bad  one,  and 
the  character  of  the  assailant  not  much  better  than  that  of  the 
defendant. 

November  13.  —  The  steamer  "Atlantic"  arrived  yesterday  in 
twelve  days  and  twenty-two  hours  from  Liverpool.  Among  her 
passengers,  of  persons  known  and  distinguished,  are  Mrs.  DeWitt 
Clinton ;  A.  G.  Stout,  wife  and  daughter ;  Mr.  John  Kane,  A.  Bow- 
den  and  wife,  Rev.  Dr.  Bethune,  and  a  young  son  of  my  friend 
Daniel  B.  Fearing. 

November  14.  —  Margaret  and  I  went  this  morning 
„  gg,^j^  „  to  visit  the  new  steamer,  the  "  Baltic,"  of  the  Collins 
line,  at  the  wharf,  foot  of  Canal  street,  where  are  to  be 
seen  at  this  time  the  three  finest  vessels  in  the  world.  The  word 
world  is  in  great  use  with  us  Americans,  when  v/e  would  assert  our 
superiority  and  discourage  competition.  The  best  in  the  world, 
the  handsomest  in  the  world,  the  fastest  in  the  world,  unmatchable ; 
there  is  no  use  in  the  world,  for  the  world  to  try  to  equal  us. 

November  20.  —  Mr.  AVebster  is  here  on  his  way  to  Washington. 
He  was  last  evening  at  Jenny  Lind's  concert,  where  he  was  cheered 
with  great  enthusiasm  ;  and  the  ladies  joined  by  waving  of  handker- 
chiefs with  the  huzzas  of  the  men,  in  honour  of  the  advocate  of 
the  Union  and  supporter  of  the  Constitution.  Washington  Hunt, 
Governor-elect  of  the  State,  by  the  closest  squeeze  ever  known,  is 
also  in  town. 

November  26.  —  N.  P.  Willis  gives  an  account  of 

Mr.  Webster.    Mr.  Webstcr's  appearance  and  deportment  at  one  of 

Jenny  Lind's  concerts,  at  which  he  was  present  with  his 

wife,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt,  the  Governor-elect  and  his  wife.     It 


1850.]  THE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP    HONE.  397 

is  very  flowery  and  Willis-like,  but  graphic  and  amusing.  He 
described  the  Secretary's  appearance  in  the  following  inflated 
terms  :  "  We  raised  our  opera-glass,  with  no  very  definite  expecta- 
tion, and  with  the  eye  thus  brought  nearer  to  the  object,  lo  !  the 
dome  over  the  temple  of  Webster,  the  forehead  of  the  great 
Daniel,  with  the  two  lambent  stars  set  in  the  dark  shadow  of  its 
architrave."  At  this  concert  Mr.  Webster  was  accidentally  heard 
to  say,  "Why  doesn't  she  sing  one  of  her  beautiful  national  airs?" 
This  wish  was  immediately  conveyed  to  the  charming  songstress, 
who  substituted  a  Swedish  melody  for  the  air  set  down  in  the  pro- 
gramme ;  and  her  acknowledgment  of  the  applause  of  the  audience 
finished  by  a  graceful  courtesy  to  the  recipient  of  the  compliment, 
who  arose  and  received  it  with  a  bow  of  recognition. 

December  12.  —  The  annual  time-honoured  Thanks- 
Thanksgiving,  giving -day  throughout  the  State.  No  nation,  ancient 
or  modern,  ever  had  more  causes  for  thanksgiving,  and 
reasons  to  praise  the  Author  of  all  good,  than  the  people  of  the 
United  States.  Yet  there  are  many,  at  the  present  time,  ignorant 
and  unworthy  of  the  blessings  they  enjoy,  who  would  throw  all 
things  into  confusion,  break  up  the  blessed  union  which  binds  the 
States,  and  should  bind  the  individuals  forming  their  population ; 
who  would  destroy  the  harmony,  and  condemn  the  obligations,  of 
Constitution  and  law.  Factionists,  traitors,  madmen, — the  Lord 
preserve  us  from  the  unholy  influence  of  such  principles  ! 

December  31.  —  The  last  day  of  this  eventful  year,  — a  year  in 
which  the  bad  passions  of  men  have  been  employed  to  counteract 
the  beneficent  designs  of  Providence ;  when  the  prosperity  of  the 
country  and  the  happiness  of  the  people  have  been  in  danger  of 
sinking  beneath  the  violence  of  sectional  jealousy  and  the  rude 
attacks  of  factious  demagogues,  who  would  rend  asunder  the  bonds 
of  union  which  have  hitherto  raised  us  to  an  unprecedented  state 
of  prosperity,  and  set  at  naught  the  Constitution  and  laws  on  which 
our  fathers  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Republic. 


398  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Etat.;] 


1851. 

\  NOTHER  year  is  passed,  and  its  successor  is  ushered  in 
-^^^  pleasantly,  and  with  every  inducement  (so  far  as  the 
weather  is  concerned)  for  pedestrians  and  those  who  "  ride  in 
chaises  "  to  please  themselves  and  gratify  their  friends,  by  paying 
in  person  the  cheerful  compliments  of  a  "  Happy  New  Year."  In 
the  midst  of  these  festivities  and  the  friendly  greetings  of  the 
season  my  house  is  closed,  for  the  first  time  in  many  years.  It  is 
still  "  the  house  of  mourning  ;  "  "  the  light  of  other  days  "  has  been 
withdrawn ;  but  we  have  still  a  happy  family,  united  in  the  bonds 
of  domestic  affection,  with  much  reason  to  thank  the  Lord  for  the 
blessings  they  enjoy.  I  have  reason,  in  an  especial  degree,  to  ex- 
press my  thankfulness  ;  though  it  has  been  a  year  of  bodily  infirm- 
ity, and  the  extreme  illness  which  I  suffered  in  the  spring  has  left 
me  weak  in  my  limbs  and  wasted  in  flesh,  it  would  be  sinful  in- 
gratitude to  fail  in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  goodness  of 
God  in  preserving  my  faculties,  and  enabling  me  to  rejoice  in  their 
exercise.  My  health  has  improved ;  I  am  weak  in  body,  but  I 
sleep  well,  eat  well,  and  drink  well,  —  for  all  which  blessings  the 
Lord  be  praised  ! 

January  3.  —  I  broke  into  my  stay-at-home-temperance- 
system  to-day  by  dining  with  Mr.  Blatchford,  at  his  elegant  new 
house,  in  Fourteenth  street.  It  was  a  handsome  dinner,  and  an 
agreeable,  but  somewhat  mixed,  company  ;  and  the  best  of  it  is,  that 
I  feel  well  after  this  indulgence.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr. 
George  Bancroft,  Mr.  Wetmore,  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  R.  L.  Colt, 
John  J.  Palmer,  Stephen  Whitney,  William  S.  Miller,  Robert  B. 
Minturn,    George  Curtis,  William   B.  Astor,  M.   Morgan,  George 

Schuyler,  Dr.  Stevens,  and  myself. 


1S51.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP   HONE.  399 

January    28.  —  My    old    friend,    Benjamin    Strong, 

Another  gone,  died  last  night,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.     He 

was  a  most  worthy,  upright  gentleman  of  the  old  school, 

devoted  to  works  of  benevolence  and  usefulness,  and  the  promotion 

of  public  prosperity  and  individual  happiness. 

February  17.  —  A  negro  riot  took  place  on  Saturday  in  Boston  ; 
a  fugitive  slave  was  rescued  by  the  mob,  and  conveyed  away  by  a 
seditious  process  in  black  and  white.  All  the  better.  It  will 
bring   matters  to  a   head,  in  the  headquarters   of  abolitionists. 

February  19.  —  In  consequence  of  the  late  riotous 
Prociamltion  Proceedings  of  a  mob  in  Boston,  composed  principally 
of  blacks,  in  which  the  marshal  and  other  officers  of 
the  law  were  assaulted,  and  a  negro  fugitive  rescued  and  carried 
away.  President  Fillmore  issued  yesterday  his  proclamation,  call- 
ing upon  the  authorities  of  Boston  to  execute  the  laws  against  the 
offenders,  and  declares  his  determination,  and  that  of  the  other 
officers  of  the  general  government,  to  apply  the  power  of  the  ad- 
ministration to  punish  the  offenders,  and  protect  the  local  author- 
ities in  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 

This  measure  accords  with  the  character  of  our  firm,  energetic 
Chief  Magistrate  ;  he  knows  his  duty,  and  will  not  shrink  from  its 
performance.  How  different  is  the  course  of  this  successor  of  a 
deceased  President  from  that  of  the  man  who  was  placed  by  a 
similar  dispensation  of  Providence  in  the  executive  chair  !  Millard 
Fillmore  and  John  Tyler,  —  how  different  will  be  the  pages  of  Amer- 
ican history  in  which  the  actions  of  those  two  men  shall  be  written  ! 

February  21.  —  I  was  at  a  pleasant  little  dinner-party  at  Mr. 
Daniel  B.  Fearing's,  which  I  enjoyed  much.  The  guests  were  Dr. 
Wainwright,  Mr.  Bancroft,  James  W.  Otis,  Frederick  Prime,  J.  G. 
Pierson,  James  Brown,  and  his  brother,  John  A.  Brown,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  myself. 

March  i  .  —  I  have  been  reading  a  book,  in  one  vol- 

ik  Marvel.       umc,  Called  "  Rcvcries  of  a  Bachelor,"  by  a  very  clever, 

ingenious  writer,  under  the  assumed  name  of  Ik  Mar- 


400  THE    DIARY    OF   PIIILTP   HONE.  [.Etat.  71. 

vel.  I  am  much  ])leased  with  it.  It  represents  imaginary  scenes 
in  hfe  ;  written  in  an  easy,  unpretending  style,  of  deep  pathos, 
causing  tears  to  flow,  and  alternately  bright  with  the  radiant  sun- 
shine of  life.  Mr.  Ik  Marvel  (they  say  his  true  name  is  Mitchell) 
has  furnished  three  hundred  pages  of  as  pretty  amusement  as  can 
be  found  in  any  of  the  numerous  publications  of  the  present  over- 
flow of  the  press. 

March  17.  —  I  perceive  with  pleasure,  in  the  account  of  the 
Queen's  drawing-room,  the  presentation,  by  Mr.  Abbott  Lawrence, 
our  Minister,  of  two  very  nice  Yankee  boys,  —  William  Butler 
Duncan,  son  of  my  friend,  Alexander  Duncan,  of  Providence, 
and  young  Gerard,  son  of  another  friend,  James  W.  Gerard, 
of  New  York. 

March  19.  —  The  exciting  subject  of  the  election  by 
Senator  Fish.  OUT  Legislature  of  a  senator  in  Congress  was  settled  in 
joint  ballot  this  morning  at  two,  by  the  choice  of  Ham- 
ilton Fish,  the  Whig  candidate,  to  fill  the  place  of  D.  S.  Dickinson, 
for  six  years  from  the  fourth  of  the  present  month,  by  every  Whig 
vote,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Beekman,  who  voted  with  the 
Loco-focos,  and  whose  opposition  to  the  Whig  nominee  has  suc- 
ceeded, during  the  session,  in  preventing  the  joint  ballot. 

Governor  Fish  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Beekman  and  two  or  three 
other  Whigs,  because  he  would  not  declare  his  sentiments  in  oppo- 
sition to  Governor  Seward  and  the  Free-Soilers ;  but  I  have  no  ap- 
prehension that  he  will  fail  in  his  support  of  the  administration. 
He  is  a  safe  man,  a  true  ^^'hig,  comes  of  good  blood,  the  son  of  a 
patriot  of  the  Revolution,  who  was  himself  every  inch  a  gentleman, 
and  (what  ought,  in  these  times,  to  have  influence)  a  man  of  inde- 
pendent fortune. 

April  10.  — Dr.  Francis  will  not  let  me  go  to  the  office,  and  my 
migrations  are  confined  to  the  sofa  and  the  large  easy-chair.  My 
appetite  has  failed  me.  I  eat  no  breakfast  and  very  little  dinner, 
which  is  forced  down  against  my  inclination,  —  a  state  of  things  which 
the  best  medical  authorities  inform  us  is  not  the  best  plan  to  pro- 


1851.]  THE   DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  40I 

mote  a  restoration  of  strength.     The  doctor  pHes  me  with  brandy- 
toddy,  milk-punch,  and  other  buttresses  to  my  feeble  frame-work. 

April  i  i  .  —  No  better ;  I  am  constrained  to  neglect  my  office 
business,  and  pass  another  day  in  the  library.  Francis  is  unremit- 
ting in  his  attentions,  and  my  nurses  —  my  daughters  —  watch  me 
with  the  utmost  fidelity  and  anticipate  all  my  desires. 

April  19.  —  A  week  of  distress  and  misery.  I  crept  down  to 
the  office  for  a  short  time,  but  the  weather  is  very  bad  ;  my  feeble- 
ness continues.  I  have  not  eaten  a  morsel  of  nourishing  food  dur- 
ing the  week,  and  am  incapable  of  labour,  physical  or  mental. 
Several  circumstances  have  occurred  during  the  week  entitled  to  a 
place  in  this  journal,  and  for  which  I  have  prepared  suitable  reflec- 
tions.    All  I  can  do  is  to  bring  them  in  edgeways. 

The  Corporation  of  Boston  refuses  the  use  of  Faneuil 
r.  e  s  er  y^^-^^  ^q  ^  Company  of  gentlemen  of  different  political 
parties  for  the  purpose  of  doing  honour  to  Mr.  Webster, 
and  having  an  address  from  him  on  the  state  of  affairs.  The  "  cradle 
of  the  Revolution  "  refused  to  its  favourite  child  !  "  Where  am  I  to 
go  ?  "  asked  the  Secretary,  on  a  recent  occasion.  His  townsmen  have 
told  him  where  he  shall  no/  go.     Webster  ostracized  in  Boston  ! 

April  30.  —  This  volume  of  my  journal,  which  has  only  four 
vacant  leaves  to  be  completed,  has  been  suspended  during  nearly 
the  whole  month  by  continued  unmitigated  illness  and  incapacity  to 
perform  any  act  of  mental  or  physical  ability.  Feeble  beyond 
description,  utterly  destitute  of  appetite,  with  no  strength  in  my 
limbs,  and  no  flesh  upon  my  bones,  shall  this  journal  be  resumed? 
During  this  illness  I  have  gone  occasionally  to  my  office  for  a  short 
time,  and  performed  a  little  pro  forma  business ;  but  it  could  have 
been  performed  by  deputy.  To-morrow  will  be  the  first  of  May. 
Volume  29  lies  ready  on  my  desk.     Shall  it  go  on? 

A  few  years  ago,  during  a  visit  I  made  with  my  dear 

Epitaph.  wife  to  the  Greenwood  Cemetery,  I  was  so  struck  with 

the  beauty  and  simplicity  of  the  inscription  on  one  of 

the  monuments,  —  "  There  is  rest  in  Heaven," —  that  I  was  induced 


402  HIE   DIARY    OF   PHILIP   HONE.  [/Ktat.  71. 

on  my  return  home  to  extend  the  idea,  in  order,  perhaps,  that  it 
might  be  appropriated  to  my  own  use.  It  was  copied  in  the  journal 
at  the  time. 

Has  the  time  come? 

PRAYER. 

Prayer  is  the  soul's  supreme  desire, 

Uttered  or  unexpressed, 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire, 

That  trembles  in  the  breast. 

Prayer  is  the  simplest  form  of  speech 

The  infant  lips  can  try  ; 
Prayer  the  sublimest  strains  that  reach 

The  Majesty  on  high. 

Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 

The  Christian's  native  air, 
His  passport  at  the  gates  of  death  — • 

He  enters  heaven  with  prayer. 

Prayer  is  the  contrite  sinner's  voice 

Returning  from  his  ways; 
Whilst  angels  in  their  songs  rejoice, 

And  cry,  "  Behold  he  prays !  " 

Prayer  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh. 

The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 

When  none  but  Heaven  is  near. 

By  prayer  on  earth  the  saints  are  one, 

They're  one  in  form  and  mind; 
Whilst  with  the  Father  and  the  Son 

Sweet  fellowship  they  find. 

O  Thou,  by  whom  we  come  to  God,  — 

The  Truth,  the  Light,  the  Way; 
The  paths  of  prayer  Thyself  hast  trodj 

Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray  ! 


1851.]  THE    DIARY   OF   PHILIP    HONE.  403 

As  o'er  the  past  my  memory  strays, 

"Why  heaves  the  rising  sigh? 
'Tis  that  I  mourn  departed  days, 

Still  unprepared  to  die. 

This  world  and  worldly  things  beloved 

My  anxious  thoughts  employed, 
And  time  unhallowed,  unimproved, 

Presents  a  fearful  void. 

But,  Heavenly  Father,  wild  despair 

Chase  from  my  labouring  breast; 
Thy  grace  it  is  that  prompts  the  prayer, 

That  grace  can  do  the  rest. 

This  life's  brief  remnant  all  is  Thine; 

And  when  Thy  firm  decree 
Bids  me  this  fleeting  breath  resign, 

Lord,  speed  my  soul  to  Thee ! 

*The  first  seven  stanzas  are  from  James  Montgomery's  hymn,  "What  is  Prayer'"' 
The  hist  four  were  added  by  Mr.  Hone. 


NDEX 


Abeel  &  Dunscomb,  I.  lo. 

Abolition  of  slavery,  I.   79,   109,   155, 

156,  157,  167,  174,   175,  278,  326, 

341;   II.  6,85,  86. 
Academy  of  Design,  I.  16,74,  14T ;   II. 

378'  37^- 
Adams,  John,  II.  256. 
Adams,  John  Quincy,  I.  15,  41,  48,  77, 
'    94,    I30»    356;     11-   64,   III,   113, 
115,  190,  200,  237,  287,  299,  341, 

34^,  345- 

Agassiz,  Louis,  II.  325. 

Allen,  Philip,  II.  380. 

Allen,  Stephen,  I.  35,  55,  104,  1S7;  II. 
75,  130,  346. 

Allen,  Zachariah,  II.  3S0. 

Alley,  Samuel,  I.  73. 

AUston,  Mr.,  I.  20. 

Allston,  Washington,  II.  188. 

Almonte,  General,  II.  237. 

Amory,  Jonathan,  I.  387;   II.  21. 

Amory,  Nathaniel,  I.  16. 

Amory,  Rufus,  I.  4. 

Ampudia,  General,  1 1.  277. 

Anderson,  Mr.,  an  actor,  I.  39. 

Anderson,  Dr.  A.  L.,  I.  132. 

Anderson,  Elbert  J.,  I.  92. 

Anderson,  Henry  James,  I.  250. 

Anderson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  II.  13. 

Anthon,  Miss  Caroline,  I.  23. 

Anthon,  Charles,  I.  7,  23. 

Anthon,  Miss  Genevieve,  II.  109. 

Anthon,  Miss  Joanna,  I.  19,  23,  105. 

Anthon,  John,  II.  191. 

Anthony,  Captain,  I.  165. 

Anthracite  coal,  first  used  on  steam- 
boats, I.  213. 


Appleton,  Daniel,  I.  23. 

Appleton,  Nathan,  II.  265. 

Appleton,  William,  I.  106,  158, 

Archer,  William  S.,  I.  14. 

"  Armistead,"  slaver,  I.  378,  379,  385. 

Armour,  Mr.,  I.  140. 

Armstrong,  K.,  II.  302. 

Armstrong,  Samuel  T.,  I.  161. 

Arnold,  Colonel   James    Robertson,  I. 

224. 
Arnold,  Samuel  G.,  II.  380. 
Arnoult,  Dr.,  I.  380. 
Artists'  supper,  I.  353. 
Ascension  Church,  II.  95. 
Ashburton  dinner,  II.  143. 
Ashburton,  Lord,  II.  no,  124,  139,  140, 

142,  143,  154. 
Ashurst,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  229. 
Ashurst,  William,  II.  309. 
Aspinwall,  John,  I.  58. 
Aspinwall,  William  H.,  I.  lOi,  283,  325, 

360;    II.  82,  243,  245,  270. 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  I.  99,  103;   II.  231, 

347,  348. 
.\stor,  John  J.,  II.  290,  302. 
Astor,  William   B.,   I.  5,   12,   72,  341 ; 

II.  118,   137,   144,    176,  245,  268, 

269,  290,  302. 
Audubon,  John  James,  I.  73. 
Austen,  Mr.,  II.  61. 
.\ustin,  Mr.,  II.  13. 


Bach,  Robert,  II.  75. 
Backus,  J.  Trumbull,  I.  19. 
Bacour,  French  Minister,  11.  60,  102. 
Bailey,  John  L.,  I.  157. 


(405) 


4o6 


INDEX. 


Balloons,  I.  140, 

Balls,  Bachelors',  I.  29;  II.  56;  Mrs. 
Henry  Brevoort's,  II.  10,  11,  12, 
13;  at  Mrs.  Ilamniersley's,  II.  106; 
at  Mrs.  Mott's,  II.  100;  at  the 
Racket  Court,  II.  343;  at  Sara- 
toga, I.  20;  at  Mrs.  Robert  Ray's, 
II.  114,  293. 

Baltimore  &  Ohio  R.R.,  I.  13. 

Bancroft,  George,  I.  2;    II.  370,  39S. 

Bank  for  Savings,  I.  252. 

Bank  of  the  United  Staltes,  I.  43,  82, 
83,  85,  87,  91,  92,  94,  96,  199,  258, 
312;   II.  57,  58,  76. 

Bankhead,  Charles,  I.  15,  18,  48,  61,  72, 
129. 

Bankhead,  Colonel  James,  11.  143. 

Barbour,  James,  II.  5. 

Barclay,  Arthur,  I.  134,  144. 

Barclay,  George,  I.   104,    19S;   II.   14, 

243,  344- 
Barclay,  Henry,  II.  268. 
Barclay,  Miss,  II.  14,  238. 
Barclay,  Mrs.,  II.  238,  344. 
Bard,  William,  II.  5,  212,  240. 
Barhyte,  I.  34,  116. 
Barnard,  Daniel  Dewey,  II.  10,  120. 
Barnes,  INIrs.,  an  actress,  I.  9,  17. 
Barnum's  Hotel,  I.  13. 
Barrot,  Odillon,  I.  27. 
Bartlett,  J.  R.,  II.  237. 
Bates,  Barnabas,  II.  298. 
Battery,  The,  I.  137;    II.  208. 
Bayard,  James  Asheton,  II.  345. 
Bayard,   Richard   Henry,   I.    158,    160, 

213;   H.  60. 
Bayard,  Robert,  I.  138,  151. 
Bayard,  William,  I.  138. 
Beardsley,  Judge,  II.  308. 
Beers,  Joseph  D.,  I.  157. 
Behr,  Baron  de,  I.  55,  93. 
Bell,  Isaac,  H.  14,348. 
Bell,  John,  I.  248;   II.  6. 
Bellamy,  Colonel  A.,  I.  179. 


I  Bellows,  Rev.  Henry  "W.,  II.  203. 
I  Belmont,  August,  II.  14,  370,  378. 
I  Benedict,  E.  C,  II.  237, 

Bennett,  James  Gordon,   I.    193,  372; 
II.  13,  29,  115,  192,  395. 

Benson,  Egbert,  I.  157;   II.  346. 

Benson,  Judge  Egbert,   I.  63,  78;   II. 
297. 

Benson,  l\ol)ert,  I.  184. 

Benton,  Thomas  II.,   I.    133,  341;   II. 

63.317- 
Beresford,  Lord  John,  I.  165. 
Bergh,  Christian,  II.  187. 
Berrien,  John  MacPherson,  I.  14,  38; 

II.  220,  230. 
Berry,  Mr.,  II.  14. 
Berryman,  Mrs.,  I.  185. 
Bertrand,  General,  II.  198. 
Bethune,  Rev.  Dr.,  II.,  396. 
Betts,  Samuel  Rossiter,   1,6;    II.  1 14, 

118. 
Bevan,  Matthew  L.,  I.  43. 
Biddle,  Edward  R.,  I.  325. 
Biddle,  Horace,  I.  43,   151. 
Biddle,  James,  I.  36. 
Biddle,  Nicholas,   I.    36,  43,   96,    186, 

199,  238,  239,  249,  288,  350;   II. 

76,  104,  205. 
Biddle,  Thomas,  I.  36. 
Binney,  Horace,  I.  228. 
Rirkhead,  Mr.,  II.  3. 
Black  Hawk,  I.  77. 
Blake,  George,  I.  34,  116,  159. 
Blatchford,  R.  M.,  I.  305,  325;  II.  132, 

133.  155.  250,  328,  339,  3^3,  398- 
Bleecker,  Anthony,  I.  397. 
Bloodgood,  De  Witt,  I.  158. 
Bloomer,  Mr.,  I.  207. 
Blunt,  Joseph,  I.  144. 
Boardman,  Elijah,  I.  203. 
Bogardus,  Robert,  I.  80. 
Boggs,  James,  I.  73. 
Boggs,  Miss,  II.  13. 
Boggs,  Mrs.,  11.283. 


INDEX. 


407 


Boggs,  William  B.,  I.  19. 

Bohlen,  John,  I.  43. 

Bulton,  Captain  and  Mrs.,  II.   176. 

Bonnet,  Peter,  II.  75. 

Book  club,  I.  134,  143. 

Booksellers'  dinner,  I.  249. 

Booraem,  Hendrick,  I.  73. 

Boorman,  James,  I.  35,  73,  88,  92,  187. 

Booth,  Junius  Brutus,  I.  17,  21,  171. 

Boreel,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.   193,  212,  371. 

Boston,  visit  to,  II.  264,  265. 

Boston  &  Providence  R.R.,  I.  105,  106, 

107,  144. 
Bosworth,  J.  S.,  II.  191. 
Botts,  John  Minor,  II.  4. 
Bourmont,  M.  de,  I.  46. 
Bowden,  A.,  II.  396. 
Bowdoin,  George,  I.  65. 
Bowdoin,  James,  I.  18,  19. 
Bowdoin,  Temple,  I.  212;  II.  14,  283. 
Bowen,  James,  II.  46,  132,  308. 
Bowen,  Nathaniel,  I.  65. 
Bowne,  Walter,  I.  7,  56,  83,   104,   157; 

n.  75,  130. 
Boyd,  James,  Jr.,  I.  73. 
Boyd,  John  J.,  I.  187. 
Bradbury,  Miss,  II.  14. 
Bradford,  A.  H.,  II.  237. 
Bradford,  Thomas,  I.  312. 
Bradhurst,  J.  M.,  II.  346. 
Bradish,    Luther,  I.    16,  31,  210,   301, 

331;  11.23,325,346,383. 
Brady,  James  T.,  11.  191. 
Brancher,  Mrs.,  II.  13. 
Breese,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  17. 
Bremner,  Benjamin  E.,  I.  198;  II.  248. 
Brevoort,  Henry,    I.   5,    54,  144,    165, 

198;   11.85,118,226,302,370. 
Brevoort,  Mrs.  Henry,   I.   345;    II.    10, 

II,  18,  119. 
Brevoort,  Miss  Laura,  II.  13,  302. 
Bridgen,  Miss  Anna,  II.  119. 
Bridgen,  The  Misses,  I.  19. 
Brigham,  J.  T.,  II.  93,  268. 


Brigham,  W.  T.,  I.  387. 
Brinkerhoff,   Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  229. 
Bristed,  Charles  Astor,  II.  302. 
Broadway,  Changes   in,  II.  383,  384; 

paving  of,  I.  164. 
Bronson,  Isaac,  I.  36,  54,  274. 
Brooks,  Sydney,  I.  loi;    II.  268,  371; 

Mrs.  Sydney,  II.  238. 
Brooks,  Thomas,  I.  92. 
Brown,  Alexander,  I.  132,  354. 
Brown,  James,  I.  19,  92,  337;    11,  270, 

335- 
Brown,  John  A.,  II.  399. 
Brown,  Stewart,  II.  283. 
Brown,  Wilham,  I.  337. 
Bruce,  Mr.,  II.  143. 
Bruen,  George  W.,  I.  99;  II.  77. 
Brugiere,    Charles,    I.    5,   8,    109,   193, 

235- 
Bryan,  Mr,  and  Mrs.,  II.  13. 
Bryant,  William   CuUen,  I.  30,    44,   71, 

250,  356;  II.  206. 
Bryson,  David,  I.  187. 
Buchanan,  James,  I.  34. 
Buchanan,  James  A.,  I.  152. 
Buchanan,  British  Consul,  II.  99,  143. 
Buckland,  Mr.,  I.  66,  149. 
Buckley,  Rev.  Peter,  I.  162, 
Bucknor,  Mr.,  I.  2,1,  45.  47>  80. 
Buel,  Judge,  I.  76. 
Buffalo,  II.  319. 
Buffaloes,  I.  368. 
Bullock,  Mr.,  I.  313, 
Bunker  Hill  Celebration,  II,  186. 
Burgess,  Tristram,  I.  23, 
Burke,  Master,  I.  24,  39, 
Burns,  Mrs.,  II.  13,  119, 
Burr,  Aaron,  I.  78. 
Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  II.  19,  20,  44,  46, 

Butler,  Pierce,  I.  79. 

Butler,  Mrs.  Pierce.  See  Kemble,  Fanny. 

Bynum,  Jesse  A.,  II.  23. 

Byron,  Lady  Noel,  I.  224. 


4o8 


INDEX. 


Cabot,  Mr.,  I.  30. 

Cadwallader,  Thomas,  I.  43. 

Calhoun,  John   C,  I.  70,  133,  245,  270, 

299;  II.  9,  54,  375,  378. 
California,  354. 
Callender,  Gore,  IT.  14. 
Callender,  Miss,  I.  151;  II.  14. 
Callender,  Stanhope,  II.  14. 
Calvary  Church,  II.  270,  273. 
Calvert,  Mrs.,  I.  49. 
Camhreling,  C.  C,  I.  15,  47,  243,   274; 

II.  130. 
Camden  &  Amboy  R.R.,  I.  69. 
Campbell,  Captain,  I.  104. 
Campbell,  James,  I.  43. 
Campbell,  Sir  William,  I.  31. 
Canal  travelling,  I.  149;  II.  311,  312. 
Canandaigua,  II.  320. 
Carbondale,  I.  35. 
Carbonel,  General,  I.  27. 
Carman,  Samuel,  I.  74,  133. 
Carman,  Timothy,  I.  30,  74,  102. 
Carmarthen,  Countess  of,  I.  64. 
Carow,  Isaac,  I.  31,  36,  38,  43,  73,  92. 
Carroll,  Charles,  I.  13,  20,   50,   51,  67, 

151;  II.  247. 
Carter,  G.  H.,  I.  380. 
Carvill,  Charles,  I.  250. 
Cary,  Henry,  I.  2,  12,  34,  66,  104,  194; 

II.  126, 132,  133,  270,  347,  350,  393. 
Cass,  Lewis,  I.  69;  II.  162,  350,  353. 
Castle  Garden,  II.  249. 
Cathedral,  Protestant,  I'irst  proposal  to 

build,  I.  5. 
Catholic  school  troubles,  II.  96. 
Catlin,  Lynde,  I.  34. 
Caton,    Richard,    I.  50,    64;     II.    247; 

Mrs.  Richard,  II.  3,  4. 
Center,  Robert,  I.  157,  160. 
Cliancellor's  Court,  II.  36,  37. 
('handler,  A.,  I.  98. 
Chandler,  Lieutenant,  II.  324. 
Channing,  William  LUery,    I.  362;    II. 

160. 


Chapman,  Mayor,  II.  132. 

Chase,  Carlton,  I.  65. 

Chatsworth,  I.  220. 

Chaumont,  Le  Ray  de,  I.  54,  55. 

Chauncey,  Isaac,  I.  55,  67,  72,  75,  80, 
95;   II.  7,  105,  296. 

Child,  Francis,  I.  23. 

Choate,  Rufus,  II.  64,  203,  230. 

Cholera,  I.  54,  56;  11.  362. 

Church,  General,  I.  195. 

Church,  Miss  A.,  I.  41. 

Church,  P.,  I.  44. 

Cilley,  Jonathan,  I.  293,  295. 

Cincinnati,  II.  313. 

Clarke,  Aaron,  I.  248;   II.  75. 

Claxton,  Alexander,  I.  352,  358. 

Clay,  Henry,  I.  44,  48,  69,  71,  290,  373, 
374,  376,  377,  394,  398;  II.  4,  54, 
60,  80,  82,83,88,94,95,131,133, 
177,  217,  222,  234,  239,  242,  270, 
291,  314,  339,  344,  346,  350,  366, 
387,  390. 

Clayton,  John  M.,  II.  220. 

Clinton,  Charles,  I.  203;  II.  201,  302; 
Mrs.  Charles,  I.  19;  II.  356. 

Clinton,  De  Witt,  I.  5,  15,  299;  II.  116. 

Clive,  Colonel,  II.  102. 

Coal,  Use  of,  I.  390. 

Cochran,  Rupert,  I.  5,  73,  149. 

Cogswell,  Joseph  Green,  II.  231. 

Coit,  Henry  A.,  II.  243,  270,  347,  356. 

Golden,  David  C,  II.  113,  119,  131, 
226,  344. 

Cole,  Thomas,  I.  8,  36,  74,  236;  II.  339. 

Coleman,  Edward,  I.  43. 

Coleridge,  Justice,  I.  220. 

Coles,  Edward,  I.  28. 

Coles,  John  B.,  II.  94. 

CoUord,  George  W.,  II.  93. 

Colt,  Roswell  L.,  I.  41,  325;    II.  260, 

339,  364- 
Columbia  College,  I.  19,  93,  149. 
Commerce,    American,     II.    193,     194, 

201,  242,  300. 


INDEX. 


409 


Concord  Jubilee,  I.  161. 

Congress,  Disorders  in,  II.   18,  23,  87, 

92,  III,  113,  214,  379. 
Congress,  State  of,  II.  79,  370,  385. 
Conner,  James,  I.  250. 
Constant,    Mr.   and   Mrs.,    II.    14,   17, 

270. 
"Constitution,"  frigate,  I.  352. 
Convention  at  Baltimore,  I.  142. 
Convention   Episcopal,  II.  324. 
Cook,  Capt.  of  barque  "  Sarah,"  II.  370. 
Cooke,  Lieutenant,  I.  18. 
Cooke,  George  Frederick,  II.  24. 
Coolidge,  Mr.,  II.  14. 
Cooper,  J.  Fenimore,  I.  27,  81,  336. 
Cooper,  Mr.,  I.  20. 
Cooper,  Samuel,  I.  108. 
Coquerel,  Athanese,  I.  225. 
Corcoran,  William  W.,  II.  362. 
Corcoran  &  Riggs,  II.  309. 
Corn,  Indian,  II.  295. 
Cornbury,  Lady,  Tomb  of,  I.  394. 
Cornell,  Dr.,  IL  132, 
Cornell,  Robert  C,  I.  88,  247;   IL  248. 
Cornwall,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  18,  61,   130. 
Corporation  dinner,  I.  145, 
Corrie,  Mayor,  I.  220. 
Corse,  Mr.,  IL  350. 
Coster,   Gerard  IL,  I.  73,  79,  374;  II. 

14. 
Coster,  Henry  A.,  I.  177. 
Coster,  John  G.,  I.  73,  92,  185;  II.  229. 
Coster,  Washington,  I.  20,  44,  149;  II. 

14,  106. 
Cottenet,  Miss  Anne,  IL  263. 
Cottenet,  Francis,  II.  263. 
Cottenet,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  212. 
Cowdin,  Joseph,  I.  157. 
Cowdry,  Samuel,  I.  187. 
Cozzens,  A.  M.,  IL  237. 
Crary,  John  L.,  I.  36,  187. 
Crary,  Peter,  I.,  157. 
Crawford,  Mrs.,  IL  238. 
Crist,  A.,  II.  191. 


Crittenden,  John  J.,   II.  4,  8,  60,  62, 

132,  218,220,314. 
Crookes,  Ramsay,  IL  348. 
Crosby,  Enoch,  I.  25. 
Crosby,  William  B.,  I.  73,  346. 
Croton  Water  Works,  II.   96,  135,  137, 

150,  151- 
Crowninshield,  B.  W.,  I.  43. 
Cruger,  Eugene,  I.  5. 
Cruger,  Douglass,  IL  28. 
Cruger,  John,  IL  231. 
Cruger,  John  C,  I.  73,  79. 
Cruger,  Henry  N.,  I.  78. 
Cruger,  Misses,  IL  14. 
Cruger,  Nicholas,  I.  151. 
Crumby,  John,  I.  88,  325, 
Cunard,  Sir  Samuel,  II.  24,  29,  30,   38, 

III. 
Cunningham,  Mrs.,  I.  4. 
Curtis,  Edward,  I.  157;  II.  68,  70,  155, 

213. 
Curtis,  George,    II.   5,    155,  242,   268, 

328,  339,  347,  384. 
Curtiss,  Lewis,  I.  73. 
Gushing,  Caleb,  IL  61. 
Custom  House,  New,  II.  138. 
Cutting,  Francis  Brockholst,  I.  74,  138, 

397;  IL  2,  191. 
Cutting,  Robert  L.,  I.  17,  19,  34. 

Dade,  Francis  L.,  I.  195. 

Daguerreotype,  The,  I.  391. 

Dallas,  Geo.  xM.,  IL  225. 

DWrblay,  Madame,  II.  16. 

Davis,  Charles  A.,  I.  41,  61,  73,  116, 
134,  144,  149,  157,  187,  198,  207, 
210,  313;  H.  13,  14,  70,  93,  118, 
^33^  ^55'  -37^  270;  Mrs.  Charles 
A.,  I.  129;    II.  119. 

Davis,  Isaac  P.,  I.  160. 

Davis,  Miss  Helen,  I.  41. 

Davis,  John,  I.  106,  163,  291. 

Davis,  Thomas  E.,  I.  336. 

Dawson,  Colonel,  II.  4,  6. 


410 


INDEX. 


Dawson,  General,  II.  220. 

Day,  Rev.  Mr.,  I.  24, 

Dear  living,  I.  174. 

Dearborn,  George,  I.  250. 

Dearborn,  Henry  A.  S.,  I.  161. 

De  Camp,  Miss,  I.  61,  62. 

De  Graffe,  Mr.,  1. 14. 

De  Gruff,  I.  37. 

De  Hon,  Miss,  II.  371. 

De  Hon,  Theodore,  II.  243. 

De  Kay,  James  Ellsworth,  11.  118. 

Delafield,  Henry,  II.  56. 

Delafield,  John,  I.  6,  27,  52,  66. 

Delafield,  John,  Jr.,  I.  19. 

Delaplaine,  John  F.,  I.  74. 

De  Launay,  Mr.,  II.  14,  328. 

Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal,  I.  6,  10. 

Delmonico's,  I.  25. 

Delmonico,  John,  II.  158,  160. 

Delprat,  John  C,  I.  283;    II.   14,  230, 

268. 
Dennison,  Miss,  I.  20. 
Dennistoun,  Mr.,  I.  iii. 
Depau,  Louis,  I.  17;  H.  282. 
Depau,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  17,  149. 
Depau,  Miss  Stephanie,  I.  17. 
De  Peyster,  Frederic,  II.  355. 
De  Peyster,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  II.  309. 
Derby,  Richard  C,  I.  12. 
De  Rham,  Henry  C,  II.  14,  370. 
De  Rham,  Mrs.  Henry  C,  II.  344. 
De  Rham,  Miss,  II.  14. 
De  Rham  and  Moore,  II.  iii. 
Desbrosses,  Elias,  I.  113. 
Dewey,  Orville,  I.  250,  360,  362. 
De  Witt,  Simeon,  I.  108. 
De  Witt,  Thomas,  I.  358. 
De  Wolf,  Mr.,  II.  347. 
Dexter,  Franklin,  11.  40. 
Dickens,  Charles,  II.  109,  113,  119,  120 

131,  140,  141,  149,   157,   158,  189 

190,  196. 
Dickens,  Dinner  to,  II.  118. 
Dickens's  ball,  II.  117. 


Dickenson,  Governor,  I.  48,  59. 

Dickenson,  J.  D.,  I.  34,  35. 

Dickey,  Hugh  T.,  I.  19. 

Dinner  parties,  I.  4,  8,  12,  14,  15,  16, 
18,  23,  28,  31,  41,  44,  46,  47,  48, 
54,  55,  61,  65,  66,  72,  83,  104,  116, 
131,  140,  144,  160,  192,  193,  194, 
198,  202,  205,  207,  210,  248,  260, 
280,  313,  325,  349,  380,  387;  II. 
5,  9,  17,  62,  64,  68,  70,  78,  93, 
99,  102,  107,  118,  120,  126,  128, 
133,  150,  166,  176,  181,  182,  187, 
194,  196,  211,  213,  220,  221,  226, 
230,  242,  243,  245,  268,  269,  280, 
282,  290,  302,  304,  309,  325,  347, 
35o>  355»  356,  362,  31^,  Zlh  2>1^. 
380,  381,  393. 

Disosway,  Gabriel  P.,  I.  88,  187. 

Dixon,  Thomas,  II.  245. 

Doane,  Augustus  S.,  II.  150. 

Dodd,  Daniel,  I.  305. 

Donnell,  John,  I.  51. 

Doremus,  Thomas  C,  I.  157. 

Dorr,  Francis,  II.  14,  309. 

Dorr,  George,  I.  283. 

Dorr,  Thomas  W^,  II.  124,  129,  134. 

Douglas,  Miss  Harriet,  I.  78. 

Douglass,  George,  I.  187. 

Douglass,  William,  II.  27,  56,  302. 

Draper,  Simeon,  I.  325;  II.  132,  155, 
209,  254,  328,  347. 

Draper,  Simeon,  Jr.,  I.  loi. 

Drayton,  William,  I.  15,  48;    II.  1 16. 

Du  Bois,  Cornelius,  I.  66. 

Ducachet,  Henry  William,  I.  189. 

Duels,  I.  36,  178.  179,  293,  295,  296, 
300,  308;  II.  272,  274. 

Duer,  Miss  Elizabeth,  II.  250. 

Duer,  John,  I.  21,  24,  144,  206,  222, 
305;  II.  118,  191,333- 

Duer,  Miss  Sarah,  I.  207;  II.  343. 

Duer,  William  A.,  I.  12,  65,  131,  134, 
144,  207,  250;   II.  383. 

Dumas,  Gen.  Matthias,  I.  27. 


INDEX. 


411 


Duncan,   Alexander,    I.  202;    II.  338, 

365.  379,  380. 
Duncan,  Dr.,  II.  18. 
Duncan,  William  Butler,  II.  400. 
Dundas,  Colonel,  I.  165. 
Dunlap,  William,  II.  340. 
Du  Perron,  M.,  I.  27. 
Durand,  Asher  Brown,  I,  141. 
Dutch  Church,  II.  241. 
Dutilh,  Mrs.,  II.  14. 

Eastburn,  Manton,  II.  95. 

Easton,  George  L.,  I.  157. 

Eclipse,  stallion,  I.  80. 

Eclipse  wine,  I.  107. 

Edgar,  Mrs.,  I.  16. 

Edgar,  William,  I.  41. 

Edmonds,  John  W.,  I.  354;  II.  191. 

Edwards,  Judge,  I.  210. 

EUice,  Hon.  Edward,  I.  213. 

Elliott,  Henry  H.,  I.  157. 

Elliott,  Jesse  Duncan,  I.  134. 

EUsler,  Fanny,  II.  24,   25,  26,   28,  31, 

78. 
ElKvell,  Miss,  II.  14. 
Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  I.  162,  163. 
Emery,  Robert,  I.  19. 
Emigration,  I.  64. 

Emmet,  Robert,  I.  66;  II.  14,  344. 
Emmet,  Thomas,  II.  14. 
Emott,  James,  Jr.,  II.  93. 
Engs,  Phillip  W.,  I.  98. 
ErieR.R.,  I.  135;  II.  91. 
European  travel,  I.  343. 
Evans,  George,  II.  143,  339. 
Everett,  Edward,  I.  15,  83,  85. 
Ewing,  Thomas,  I.  48;  II.  33,  220. 
Exchange,  The  New,  I.  201. 
Eyre,  Manuel,  I.  43. 

Fairhe,  Miss  Louisa,  I.  19,  20. 
Fale,  E.  G.,  I.  92. 
P"aneuil  Hall,  I.  3. 
Fearing,  Charles  N,,  I.  385. 


Fearing,  Daniel  B.,  II.  339,   347,  350, 

393- 
Federalism,  II.  33,  34. 
Felt,  David,  I.  250. 
Ferguson,  Benjamin  F.,  I.  19. 
Ferris,  Charles  G.,  I.  168. 
Fickett,  Francis,  I.  305. 
Fillmore,  Millard,  II.  351,  386,  399. 
Fine  Arts  Exhibition,  I.  53. 
Finlay,  Colonel,  I.  295. 
Finlay,  Mr.,  II.  302. 
Fire  of  August  12,  1835,  I.  153,  154. 
Fire  of  December  17,  1835,  I.  180,  185, 

188. 
Fire  of  July  19,  1845,  II.  257,  261. 
Fire  Place,  I.  74. 
Fish,  Hamilton,  I.  19,  51,  133;  II.  153, 

268,  321,  325,   349,  354,  381,  400. 
Fish,  Nicholas,  I.  34,  77. 
Fish,  Preserved,  I.  35,  36,  55,  100,  104, 

187. 
Fitch,  Asa,  II.  14. 
Fitch,  William,  II.  14. 
Fleming,  Augustus,   I.  20,  46,  61,   129, 

192,  193;  11.  333. 
Fleming,  J.  B.,  I.  203. 
Fleming,  Miss  and  Mr.,  II.  14. 
Follen,  Charles  T.  C,  I.  250. 
Fonddu  Lac,  XL  318. 
Foote,  Samuel  A.,  II.  36,  191. 
Forbes,  John  M.,  I.  19,  160. 
Forrest,  Edwin,  I.  270,  323;   II.  360. 
Forsyth,  John,   I.  47,  48,  49;    II.   9, 

26. 
Foster,  Miss  Emily,  II.  250. 
Foster,  Frederic,  II.  14,  109,  309. 
Foundling,  The,  I.  341. 
P'owler,  Major,  I.  10. 
Fox,  Henry  Stephen,  II.  60. 
Francis,  Dr.  J.  W.,  1. 132, 135,  144,  250, 

341;   11.  132,  210,  233,  251,  332, 

400. 
Free  Trade,  I.  35. 
Freeman,  William  Grigsby,  I.  160. 


412 


INDEX. 


Frelinghuysen,  Theodore,  I,   lio,  114; 

II.  2i'8,  237. 
French,  Miss,  I.  20. 
French  claims,   I.    121,    122,  123,   133, 

143.  17S,  19^- 
Fricke,  Mr  ,1.  16. 
Fulton,  Miss,  I.  34. 
Furman,  William,  II.  75, 
Furniss,  W.  N.,  I.  73. 

Gaines,  Edmund  Pendleton,  I.  58;    II, 

346. 
Gallatin,  All)ert,  I.    16,   17,24,  27,   35, 

38,  55,92,  187;  II.  214,  237,  272, 

348,  2>^3- 
Gait,  John,  I.  21 1. 
Gardmer,  David,  II.  207. 
Garland,  John,  I.  77;    II.  327. 
Gaston,  William,  I.  60,  61,  82,  269. 
Geer,  Seth,  I.  157,  187. 
Gelston,  Maltby,  II.  229. 
Gener,  Thomas,  I.  54,  55. 
Genet,  Edmund  Charles,  I.  109. 
Gerard,  James  \V.,  11. 155, 191,251,400. 
Gerry,  Elbridge,  I.  147. 
Gibbes,  Miss  Augusta,  II.  290. 
Gibbes,  Morgan,  I.  35. 
Gibbes,  Thomas  L.,   I.  34,   35,  46,  51; 

XL  290,  302. 
Gibbs,  Lieutenant  Alfred,  II.  327. 
Gibbs,  Colonel  George,  I.  54,  358;    II. 

237.  327- 
Gibbs,  Wolcott,  II.  93. 
(jihon,  John,  I.  73;    II.  245. 
Gilford,  Dr.,  I.  132. 
Gilford,  Samuel,  II.  346. 
Gilmor,  Robert,  I.   13,   16,  34,  43,  50, 

51  ;  II.  3,  112,  218,  221. 
Gilmor,  William,  I.  51,  152. 
Girardin,  Count,  I.   10. 
Giraud,  Jacob  P.,  I.  25,  30,  54,  59,  74, 

83,  ';8,  102,  149;   II.  150,  383. 
Glenn,  Anthony,  I.  16,  24. 
Glover,  Daniel,  I.  48. 


Glover,  Samuel,  I.  73. 

Goelet,  Robert,  I.  152,  384. 

Gold,  discovery  of,  II.  354,  355, 

Good  Fiiday,  Observance  of,  I.  350. 

Goodell,  William,  I.  79, 

Goodhue,  Jonathan,  I.   35,  36,  88,  92, 

98,  140,  187,247;    11.333,  335- 
Gore,  Christopher,  I.  4. 
Gouverneur,  Samuel  L.,  I.  24,  25,  32, 

I  139- 

Grace  Church,  II.  252,  269. 

Gracie,  Archibald,  I.  349;  II.  114,  131. 
j  Gracie,  Mrs.  Robert,  II.  14. 

Gracie,  Mrs.  William,  II.  14. 

Graeme,  Roland,  II.  14. 

Graham,  Charles,  I.  34. 

Graham,  David,  II.  20,  191,  213. 

Graham,  John  L.,  I.  157,  187. 

Graham,  Eieutenant,  II.  324,  327. 

Graham,  J.  Lorimer,  II.  327, 

Granger,  Francis,  I.  16,  28,  72,  loi, 
206,  237,  247,  303,  305,  320,  321; 
II.  10,  90,  218,  220,  230,  320,  359. 

Grattan,  Thomas  C,  II.  143. 

(jraves,  Edward,  II.  14. 

Graves,    William   J.,    1.   280,   293,  295, 

309- 
Gray,  Francis  C,  I.  54. 
"Great  Western,"  steamc-r,  I.  303. 
(jreen,  Duff,  I.  17. 
Green,  William,  Jr.,  T.  79. 
(jreene,  John  C,  II.  232. 
Greenhow,  Robert,  I.  20,  380;    II.  120. 
Greenough,  Horatio,  II.  104,  216. 
Greenwood,  Francis  W.  P.,  I.  163. 
Greig,  John,  I.  loi ;  II.  320. 
Grey,  F.,  I.  160. 
Griffin,  Francis,  II.  226,  328. 
Griffin,  George,  I.  12;  H.  75,   126,  179, 

Grinnell,  Cornelius,  II.  381. 
Grinnell  expedition,  II.  382. 
Grinnell,  Joseph,  II.  43,  215,  218. 
Grinnell,  Minturn,  &  Co.,  II.  232. 


INDEX. 


413 


Grinnell,  Moses  II.,  I.  36,  73,  325;  II. 
5,46,47'  61,  133,  143,  155.  213, 
230,  283,  298,  302,  328,  339,  347, 

350- 
Griswold,  George,  I.    26,   36,  ;^8,  187, 

202;  II.  144,  232,248,  335. 
Griswokl,  Rufus  W.,  II.  125. 
Grundy,  Felix,  I.  15;  II.  8. 
Guillard,  Mr.,  I.  21. 
Gusen,  Lewis  C,  I.  19. 

Ilaggerty,  James,  I.  31. 

Haggerty,  John,  I.  36,  42,  73,  92,   187. 

Haight,  D.  L.,  ir.  189. 

Ilaight,  Ilalsted  E.,  I.  43. 

Haight,  Mrs.,  II.  14. 

Hall,  Basil,  I.  219. 

Hall,  Charles,  I.  74,  79. 

Hall,   J.    Prescott,    I.  325;   H.  20,  36, 

43,    70,    118,    132,    191,   226,   250, 

2S0,    281,    302,     339,     347,    384; 

Mrs.  J.   Prescott,   II.   344. 
Halleck,  Fitz-Greene,  I.  44,   116,  134; 

II.  118. 
Ilamblin,  Thomas  S.,  I.  9,  171. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,   II.  14,  246,  247, 

283. 
Hamilton,  Miss  Angelica,  II.  14. 
Hamilton,  Capt.  H.,  I.  104. 
Hamilton,  James,  I.  69. 
Hamilton,  James  A.,  I.   5,   18,  47,  48, 

61,  65,  207;  II.  14,  282. 
Hamilton,  John  C,  I.  19,  20,  158,  268, 

269,  325. 
Hamilton,  Miss  Mary,  I.  207;  H.  14. 
Hamilton,  Schuyler,  II,  324,  327,  371. 
Hamersley,  L.  C.,  II.  ;^;^^. 
Hammond,  Charles  II.,  I.  16,  loi, 
Hammond,  Judge,  II.  233. 
Hard  times,  I.  82,   84,  85,   86,  89,   92, 

240,  248,  250,  255,  261,   285,  349, 

368,  372,  380,  382. 
Hardenbrook,  John  W.,  II.  75, 
Harlem  R.R.,  I.  46. 


Harmony,  Mr.,  II.  14. 
Harper,  F".,  I.  250. 
Harper,  General,  I.  51;  11.  3. 
Harris,  T.,  11.  237. 

Harrison,  William  H.,  I.  i,  15,  166, 
171.  349,  393;  II.  34,  42,  59,  65, 
66,  70,  71,  75;  his  campaign,  41, 
48,  50,  52;  his  inauguration,  II. 
67. 

Hart,  Miss,  II.  325. 

Harvey,  Jacob,  I.  104,  134,  144,  187. 

Hay,  Lord  John,  11.  143. 

Hay,  Samuel,  I.  202,  207. 

Hayne,  Robert  II.,  1.  44,  48,  69;  II. 
308. 

Healy,  George  P.  A.,  II.  264;  his  por- 
trait of  Webster,  276. 

Heard,  James,  I.  74. 

Heard,  John,  I.  36. 

Heckscher,  Charles  A.,  I.  73,  283;  II. 
93,  106. 

Heckscher,  Edward,  I.  150. 

Henderson,  Colonel,  II.  7. 

Henry,  John,  I.  325. 

Henry,  J.  S.,  1.  43. 

"  Herald,"  The,  I.  282. 

Hewitt,  Abram  S.,  11.  149. 

Heyward,  Nicholas  C,  I.  19. 

Heyward,  William,  I.  335. 

Hicks,  John,  II.  243 

Hicks,  Henry  W.,  II.  56. 

Historical  Society,  I.  6,  51,  271;  11. 
236. 

Hobart,  John  Henry,  I.  5,  21,  65. 

Iloboken,  L  313,  365. 

Hoffman,  Charles,  1.  71;  II.  14. 

Hoffman,  David,  I.  51;  IL  3. 

Hoffman,  George,  L  51. 

Hoffman,  John,  I.  16,  50. 

Hoffman,  Ogden,  I.  34,  52,  54,  55,  135, 
144,    187,    274;    IL  43,   61,    155, 

191,  333- 
Hoffman,  Murray,  IL  191. 
Holland,  Dr.,  1.  272. 


414 


INDEX. 


Holmes,  John,  I.  49. 

Hone,  Miss  Catherine,  H.  14. 

Hone  Club,  I.  325,  333,  345,  347,  349, 

352;  H.  32,  56,  170,  197,  246,  280, 

308,359;   ode  for,  I.  345. 
Hone,  Miss  Emily,  H.  109. 
Hone,  Henry,  I.  5,  12,  23,  47,  61,  66, 

116,  198. 
Hone,  Isaac  S.,  I.  5,  7,  8,   21,  23,  31, 

41,  54,  66,  73,  83,   loi,   140,    144, 

187,  207,255;   II.  309. 
Hone,  Miss  Joanna,  I.  9. 
Hone,  John,  I.  28,  41 ;    H.  12,  309. 
Hone,  Miss  Margaret,  I.  14,  16,  20;  U. 

314. 

Hone,  Miss  Mary,  I.  20. 

Hone,  Philip,  sells  his  house,  I.  203; 
goes  abroad,  217;  moves  into  new 
house,  285  ;  journeys  to  Washing- 
ton, 288,  290;  II.  3,  5,  60,  310; 
nominated  for  Slate  Senate,  I.  383; 
president  Bank  for  Savings,  II.  82; 
journey  to  the  West,  II.  310;  naval 
officer,  II.  358;  bust  of,  II.  285, 
291. 

Hone,  Mrs.  Philip,  II.  344,  3S2. 

Hone,  Philip  J  ,  I.  9. 

Hone,  Robert  S.,  I.  20,  29,  385;  II.  9, 
12. 

Hope,  Captain,  I.  18. 

Hopkinson,  Joseph,  H.  109,  125. 

Hoppin,  Hamilton,  II.  309, 

Hoppin,  William,  II.  306,  309. 

Horn,  C.  E.,  I.  345. 

Horse  races,  I.  17. 

Ilosack,  Alexander  E.,  I.  44,  61,  56, 
144;   Mrs.  A.  E.,  I.  127. 

Hosack,  David,  I.  5,  21,  26,  28,  131, 
132,  184,  188,  189;  Mrs.  David,  I. 
178. 

Hosack  estate  on  Hudson,  II.  29. 

Hosack,  Pendleton,  I.  44. 

Hosken,  Captain,  I.  352. 

Howard,  Hon.  Henry,  II.  248. 


Howard,  Colonel,  T.  292. 

Ilowland  and  Aspinwall,  II.  232. 

Ilowland,  Miss  Caroline,  II.  109. 

Ilowland,  E.,  II.  14. 

Ilowland,  Clardiiicr  C  ,  I.  9,   12,  16,  31, 

34.  35'  79.  92,  9S,   140,  366;   H. 

43,  70,   269,   383;    Mrs.  G.  G.,  I. 

67. 
Ilowland,  Samuel  S.,  I.    16,   23,  72,  73, 

88,  187,203,283,380,381;  11.43, 

242,  269,  393. 
Hoxie,  Joseph,  I.  98,  247. 
Hoyt,  Goold,  I.  6,  73;    II.  139. 
Hoyt,  Henry  S.,  T.  207,  263. 
Iloyt,  Jesse,  II.  46. 
Huddleston,  Captain,  II.  183. 
Hughes,  Ball,  I.  26,  65. 
Hughes,  Christopher,  I.  341;    11.  364. 
Hull,  Lsaac,  I.  96;    II.  172. 
Hunt,  Washington,  II.  394,  396. 
Hunter,  Colonel,  I.  325. 
Huntington,  Mr.,  I.  59. 
Iluygens,  Chevalier,  I.  14. 

Immigration,  I   210. 

Indian  names,  I.  141. 

Indians,  I.  275. 

Ingersoll,  Joseph  R.,  II.  325. 

Ingham,  Charles  C,  I.  141. 

Inglis,  John,  I.  4. 

Inman,  Henry,  I.  16,  53,  141. 

Ireland,  George,  I.  127. 

Irving,  Ebenezer,  I.  53. 

Irving,  James  T.,  I.  229. 

Irving,    John   T.,    I.    28,   30,    55,    133, 

187,  297. 
Irving,  Peter,  I.  209. 
Irving,  Washington,  I,  53,  54,  72,   96, 

"6,  133,  138,  140,  144,   165,    194, 

198,  207,  237,  365,  381;   II.   115, 

118,  122,  348,350,  362. 
Iselin,  Isaac,  II.  11 1. 
Ives,  Moses  B.,  11.  380. 
Ives,  Thomas  P.,  I.  106. 


INDEX. 


415 


Jackson,  Andrew,  I.  15,  68,  72,  76,  85, 
86,  89,  105,  112,  119,  121,  122, 
123,  125,  131,  133,  136,  143,  146, 
207,  243,  245,  259,  300,  333,  382; 
II.  2,  250. 

Jackson,  Daniel,  I.  157,  187, 

Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  I.  158. 

Jackson,  W.,  I.  250. 

Jaffray,  Robert,  Jr.,  II.  149. 

Jameson,  Mrs.,  I.  223. 

Jarvis,  Dr.,  I.  144. 

Jaudon,  Samuel,  I.  249;    II.  104,  194, 

231,  347- 
Jay,  John,  I.  10,  327;   II.  237. 
Jay,  Peter  A.,  I.  7,  12,  34,  35,  55,  82, 

84,  131;   11.  75,  143,  149,  173. 
Jay,  William,  I.  326. 
Jefferson,  Joseph,  I.  58. 
Jewett,  Judge,  II.  308. 
Johnson,  Colonel,  I.  17,  75,  80. 
Johnson,  Jeremiah,  II.  75. 
Johnson,  Reverdy,  I.  153,  295,  374;  II. 

61,  220. 
Johnson,  Richard  M.,  I.   142,  166;   II. 

199. 
Johnson,  W.,  I.  131. 
Johnson,  William  Cost,  II.  6, 
Johnson,  William  L.,  I.  157. 
Johnston,  John,  I.  73. 
Joinville,  Prince  de,  II.  loi. 
Jones,  David  S.,  I.  5,  73,  83,  98,  118, 

131,  138,  187;    11.   191,  211,  302, 

333^  346,  347- 
Jones,  Edward  R.,  I.  16,  19,  207;   Mrs. 

E.  R.,  I.  78,  84. 
Jones,  Miss  Elizabeth,  I.  207. 
Jones,  Isaac,  I.  19,  73. 
Jones,  Jacob,  II.  387. 
Jones,  James  J.,  I.  46,  48,  72,  79,   144, 

165,  228. 
Jones,  Joshua,  I.  19. 
Jones,  Miss  Mary,  II.  14. 
Jones,  Samuel,  I.  187;   II.  237,  ^^^. 
Jones,  Walter  R.,  I.  151,  187. 


Jordan,  A.  L.,  II.  191. 

Joseph,  J.  L.  &  S.,  I.  248,  336. 

Joubert,  M.,  I.  27. 

Jumel,  Mrs.  Stephen,  I.  78, 

Jury  trials.  Abuses  of,  I.  315;   II.  48. 

Kane,  Miss  Anna,  I.  59, 
Kane,  Miss  Charlotte,  I.  23. 
Kane,  De  Lancey,  II.  14,  109. 
Kane,  Miss  Harriet,  I.  19,  20,  21. 
Kane,  Miss  Helen,  I.  10,  29,  58,  151, 

166. 
Kane,  John,  I.  20;  II.  396. 
Kane,  Miss  Lydia,  I.  59,  15 1;   II.  14. 
Kane,  Oliver,  I.  34,  59;   II.  250. 
Kean,  Charles,  I.  20,  42,  380. 
Kean,  John,  II.  268. 
Kearney,  Miss,  II.  14. 
Keese,  John,  I.  250. 
Kemble,  Charles,  I.  59,  60,  62,  65. 
Kemble,  Fanny,  I.  59,  60,  61,  62,  63, 

64,  66,  79,  93,  94,  319;   her  Jour^ 

nal,  I.  126,  128,  130;   II.  357, 
Kemble,  Gouverneur,  I.  194;   11.  63. 
Kemble,  William,  II.  356,  378. 
Kennedy,  David  S.,  II.  118,  208,  245, 

269. 
Kennedy,  John  P.,  I.  344;    II.  3,  220, 

230,  259,  385. 
Kennon,  Beverley,  II.  207. 
Kent  Club,  I.  287,  303. 
Kent's  Commentaries,  II.  171. 
Kent,  James,  I.  5,  6,  8,  12,  17,  28,  34, 

35>  38,41,  55»  82,  124,  131,  151, 

190,  210,  348;  11.75,99,  191,  223, 

272,  330,  331,  332. 
Kent,  William,  I.  134;  II.  36,  1 1 8. 
Kernochan,  Joseph,  I.  19,  92. 
Kernochan,  William  L.,  II.  149. 
Ketcham,  Hiram,  I.  247;   II.  155. 
Khremer,  Mr.,  I.  48. 
King,  Charles,  I.  41,  47,  54,  61,  98,  loi, 

134,  144,  148,  192,  210,  303,  305; 

II.  132,  199,298,308,  383. 


4i6 


INDEX. 


King,  Charles  C,  T.  229;  II.  56. 
King,  Miss  Elizabeth  Ray,  I.  78. 
King,  Gracie,  II.  250. 
King,  James  G.,  I.  8,  31,  36,  38,  54,  88, 

92,  98,  99,  135,  140,  187,  198,302; 

II.  131,  142,  144,  348,  356. 
King,  John  A.,  1.  73,  78,  192,  193,  237, 

30i»305'33i;  11.23,93.  118,302, 

325- 
King,  Thomas  Butler,  II.  94,  220,  393. 
Kip,  Rev,  Mr.,  II.  22. 
Kip,  Leonard,  II.  22. 
Kissam,  Timothy  T.,  I.  73. 
Knapp,  S.,  II.  347. 
Kneeland,  Charles,  I.  9,  23. 
Kneeland,  George,  Jr.,  I.  19. 
Kneeland,  Henry,  I.  9,  36. 
Kneeland,  John  T.,  I.  19. 
"  Knickerbocker,"  The,  I.  71. 
Knox,  James  H.  M.,  II.  93. 
Kortwright,  Mr.,  I.  102. 
Krudener,  Baron,  I.  18. 
Kuypers,  Dr.,  I.  46. 

Lafayette,  General,  I.  10,  22,   27,    108, 

130. 
Lafayette,  George  W.,  I.  27,  226,  231. 
Laight,  Edward  W.,  I.  190;  II.  14,  109, 

240,  333,  346. 
Laight,    WiUiam    E.,    I.    59,    102 •    II. 

350. 
Lamb,  Anthony,  II.  346. 
Lameth,  Charles  de,  I.  27. 
Langdon,  Miss,  I.  212;  II.  15. 
Langdon,  Walter,  II.  302. 
Langdon,  Woodbury,  I.  108. 
Lasteyrie,  Jules  de,  I.  27. 
Laurie,  George,  II.  14,  268. 
Laurie,  John,  I.  104. 
Laverty,  Henry,  I.  74, 
Law,  Captain,  II.  310. 
Lawrence,  Abbott,  I.  41,  120,  158,  247; 

II.  18,  70. 
Lawrence,  Amos,  II.  45. 


Lawrence,  Cornelius  W.,  I.  55,  104,  187, 

241;  II.  75,  144. 
Lawrence,  I).,  II.  14. 
Lawrence,  Isaac,  II.  22,  75. 
Lawrence,  Miss,  I.  20. 
Lawrence,  William  Beach,  I.  52. 
Leavitt,  John  W.,  I.  73,  92,  98,  99,  187. 
Leavitt,  Josluia,  I.  23,  79. 
Le  Barbier,  Mrs.  A.,  II.  344. 
Lectures,  II.  97. 
Lee,  Carter,  I.  20. 
Lee,  David,  I.  92. 
Lee,  Gideon,  I.  55,  74,  168. 
Lee,  James,  I.  157,  187;  II.  144,  333. 
Leeds,  Duchess  of,  II.  247. 
Ledyard,  Henry,  I.  19. 
Lefferts,  Leffert,  II.  75. 
Leggett,  Dr.,  I.  250. 
Leigh,  Benjamin  Watkins,  II.  217. 
Lenox,  Robert,  I.  7,  397. 
Leonard,  John,  I.  187, 
LeRoy,  Abraham,  I.  100. 
LeRoy,  Herman,  I.  190;  II.  70. 
LeRoy,  Jacob  R.,  I.  193;  II.  56. 
LeRoy,  Miss,  II.  15. 
LeRoy,  Robert,  Jr.,  II.  93. 
LeRoy,  William,  II.  357. 
Leslie,  Charles  R.,  I.  103. 
Lewis,  Miss,  I.  58. 
Lewis,  Morgan,   I.    12,   27,   3^,  35,46, 

52,  190,  358;  II.  75,  210,  212. 
Lexington,  II.  314. 
"Liberator,"  The,  I.  164. 
Lincoln,  Levi,  I.  2,  291. 
Lind,  Jenny,  II.  389,  390. 
Lippincott,  Joshua,  I.  43. 
Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  I.  8. 
Livingston,  Anson,  II.  15. 
Livingston,  Charles  L.,   I.   74,   83,    97, 

157- 
Livingston,    Edward,    I.    15,    69,    144, 

146,  190. 
Livingston,  Edward  P.,  I.  55,  372. 
Livingston,  James  Duane,  I.  21. 


INDEX. 


417 


Livingston,  Jonathan  S.,  II.  56. 
Livingston,  Miss  Mary  E.,  I.  17. 
Livingston,  Miss  Matilda,  I.  20. 
Livingston,  Maturin,  I.  12;  II.  18, 
Livingston,    Mortimer,    I.    74;    II.   14, 

356. 
Livingston,  Peter  R.,  II.  75,  292. 
Livingston,  Miss  Sarah,  I.  20. 
Livingston,  Walter,  I   75,  80. 
Loco- Foco,  Origin  of,  I.  168;  disorders, 

I.  339;    meetings,  11.  44,  45,  69, 
223,  225;  procession,  11.  234. 

Locomotive  engine,  The  first,  I.  10. 
Lord,  Daniel,  Jr.,  II.  49,  191,  245,  3^3, 

383- 
Lord,  Rufus  L.,  I.  92. 
Long  Island  R.R.,  II.  228. 
Longfellow,  Henry  W..  I.  233. 
Lorillard,  George,  I.  64. 
Lorillard,  Jacob,  I.  35,  64,  187,  321. 
Lorillard,  Peter,  I.  64;  II.  183. 
Low.  Cornelius,  I.  192;   II.  362. 
Low,  Nicholas,  L  47,  207;  II.  183. 
Ludlow,  Thomas  W.,  I.  5,  47,  66,  349; 

II.  15,  56,  82,  245,  252,  269,  282. 
Lydig,  David,  I.  S3,  364;  II.  32. 
Lyell,  Dr.,  I.  22. 

Lyman,  Mr.,  11.  15s. 

Lyman,  Theodore,  I.  4,  106. 

Lynch,  Dominick,  I.  5,  18,  35,  44,  46, 

61,  66,  72,  79,  128,  140,  204,  268; 

11.  116. 
Lynch,  General,  I.  346,  376. 
Lynch,  Harrison,  II.  14. 
Lynch  law,  I.  150. 
Lynch,  Miss  Margaret,  IL  14. 
Lyon,  John,  II.  149. 

Madison,  James,  I.  214. 
Madison,  Mrs.  James,  II.  121. 
Macomb,  Alexander,  II.  7. 
Maitland,  Robert,  I.  8. 
Major,  Mr.  and  Miss,  H.  15. 
Manley,  Dr.,  I.  133. 


Maratti,  Carlo,  I.  53. 

March,  Charles,  I.  66,  177. 

March,  Francis.  I.  158. 

Marcy  William  L.,  I.  49,  311. 

Marechal,  Baron,  II.  5. 

Marine  pavilion,  I.  73,  152. 

MaronceUi,  Mr.,  IL  15. 

Marryat,  Captain,  I.  260,  310,  335. 

Marshall,  Charles  H.,  II.  350. 

Marshall,  John,  I.  145,  147. 

Marshall,  John  R.,  I.  157. 

Marshfield,  Visit  to,  II.  253. 

Martin,  Robert  Nichols,  I.  34. 

Martineau,  Miss,  I.  206. 

Mason,  John,  I.  20,  30,  46,  73. 

Mason,  Jonathan,  I.  34. 

Mason,  Miss,  I.  19,  20. 

Mason,  Robert,  II.  15. 

Mason,  Stevens  T.,  I.  313. 

Matthews,  Charles,  I.  113,  116,  151. 

Matthews,  James  M.,  I.  8,  23;   II.  309. 

Mauran,  O.,  I.  79. 

Maury,  James,  I.  31. 

Maury,  Rutsen,  I.  31. 

Marvel,  Ik,  II.  399. 

Maxwell,  Hugh,  I.  98,  250;   II.  333. 

Maxwell,  William  H.,  I.  116. 

May,  Mrs.,  I.  217, 

May  the  first,  I.  359. 

McAuley,  Dr.,  I.  151. 

McCoskry,  Bishop,  II.  279,  324. 

McCoun,  William  T.,  I.  157,  187. 

McCrackan,  Mrs.,  II.  119. 

McCready,  William  C,  II.  226,  360. 

McDougal,  Alexander,  I.  12. 

McDuffie,  Governor,  I.  174. 

McEldery,  Hugh,  I.  43. 

McEvers,  Bache,  II.  378. 

McEvers,    Charles,  I.   12,  31,  44,   ill, 

190,  228. 
McEvers,  Charles,  Jr.,  I.  207;  II.  56. 
McEvers,  Miss  Helen,  I.  66;  II.  15. 
McGregor,  John,  Jr.,  I.  73. 
Mcintosh.  Colonel,  II.  326. 


4i8 


INDEX. 


McKenzie,  Alex.   Slidell,  II.   163,  165, 

166,  174,  181,  183. 
McLane,   Louis,   I.  93,  165,  187,  204; 

II.  368. 
McLean,  Dr.  S.,   I.  59,   83,    130,    132, 

149. 
McLeod,  Wm.,  I.  73. 
McNeill,  Wm.  G.,  II.  135. 
McNeven,  Dr.,  I.  132. 
McTavish,  Mr.,  L  15;    Miss,  II.  248; 

Mrs.,  I.  50. 
McVickar,  Benjamin,  I.  187. 
McVickar,  John,  I.  14,  15,  36,  250,274, 

348. 
McVickar,  Miss,  II.  15. 
Mead,  GaV^riel,  II.  269. 
Melick,  B.  P.,  I.  30. 
Mellen,  Grenville,  I.  250,  358. 
Memminger,  Colonel,  II.  325. 
Menon,  Count  de,  I.  15. 
Mercein,  Thomas  R.,  I.  36. 
Merchants'  Exchange,  II.  98. 
IMeredith,  Jonathan,  I.  9,    14,    16,   34, 

49,51,136;  IL  3,  61,  385. 
Meredith,  Miss,  II.  14.  109. 
Meredith,  Wm.  M.,  II.  359. 
Mesier,  Peter  A.,  II.  333. 
Messiah,  Church  of,  I.  360,  362. 
Metcalf,  Ralph,  II.  220. 
Mexican  war,   II.  276,   278,  300,   302, 

303,  306,  307,  322,  326,  347. 
Mildmay,  Mr.,  II.  143. 
Miller,  Franklin,  I.  19. 
Miller,    Sylvanus,    I.  19;    IL  75,    333, 

348. 
Miller,  William  L.,  I.  198. 
Miller,  William  S.,  II.  56,  243,  356. 
Mills,  D.,  IL  350. 
Milnor,  Dr.,  I.  46. 
Milwaukee,  IL  317. 
Minturn,  Edward,  IL  213. 
Minturn,  Robert  B,,   II.  35,    133,   144, 

155,  203,  269,  335. 
Mitchell,  Donald  G.,  II.  399. 


Mitchell,  Dr.,  I.  311. 

Mohawk  &  Hudson  R.R.,  I.  36,  59. 

Molyneux,  Mr.,  I.  325. 

Monroe,  James,  1.  24,  25,  32,   73,  loi, 

116. 
Montes,  Pedro,  L  378. 
Montgomery,  Richard,  I.  5,  12. 
Moon,  Bishop,  I.  22. 
Moore,  Clement  C,  II.  302,  346. 
Moore,  Nathaniel  ¥.,  II.  149. 
Moore,  Dr.  S.  W.,  I.  132. 
Moore,  Thomas  W.,  I.  116;   IL  99. 
Moore,  William,  I.  81,  83. 
Morehead,  John  M.,  II.  220. 
Morgan.  J.  J.,  II.  130. 
Morgan,  John  L.,  I.  157;    IL  75. 
Morgan,  M.,  II.  339,  398. 
Morpeth.  Lord,  II.  99,  248. 
Morris,  Charles,  II.  7. 
Morris,  George  P.,  I.  71. 
Morris,  Judge,  I.  20. 
Morris,  Lewis,  IL  283. 
Morris,  Lieutenant,  IL  326. 
Morris,  Robert,  IL  82. 
Morris,  Robert  H.,  II.  46,  245. 
Morris,  Thomas,  I.  loi,  327,  ^^^. 
Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  I.  8,  32,  67,  74. 
Morton,  Henry,  I.  229. 
Morton,  Henry  J.,  I.  19. 
Mosely,  William  A.,  II.  309. 
Mott,  Valentine,  I.  132,  177;    II.  100. 
Moulton,  C.  F.,  II.  24. 
Moulton,  J.  F.,  I.  79. 
Mount,  William  S.,  I.  141,  353. 
Murat,  Prince  C.  N.  A.,  IL  305. 
Murphy,  Henry  C,  I.  19. 
Murray,  James  B.,  I.  187;   II.  356. 
Murray,  James  R.,  L  26. 
Murray,  Lady  George,  I.  223. 
Music  in  New  York,  I.  169,  172. 

Naudian,  Senator,  I.  213. 
Neff,  John  R.,  I.  43. 
Nevins,  Peter  J.,  I.  74. 


INDEX. 


419 


Nevins,  Russell  H.,  II.  155,  233.  I 

Newbold,  George,  I.  73, 

New  England  Society,  II.  106,  203,  ;^^2' 

Newspapers,  II.  ii. 

Newton,  Stuart,  I.  54,  55,  96. 

New  York  harbor,  II.  310. 

"New  York  Mirror,"  I.  71. 

Ney,  Count,  I.  10,  18. 

Ney,  Marshal,  I.  10. 

Niagara,  II.  319. 

Nicholas,  Mr.,  I.  193. 

Nicholson,  John  B.,  I.  17,  27,  44,  54; 

II.  287. 
Nicholson,  Mr.,  I.  151,  166. 
Nicholson,  Samuel,  II.  194. 
NicoU,  Henry,  I.  19. 
Niles,  Hezekiah,  I.  351. 
Nolte,  Vincent,  I.  335. 
Norrie,  Mrs.,  II.  15. 
North,  William,  I.  108. 
Norton,  Clinton,  I.  102. 
Norton,  Frederic,  I.  198. 
Norton,  Nathaniel,  I.  108. 
Note,  Joel  N.,  I.  205. 
Nott,  Eliphalet,  I.  4. 
Nott,  Dr.,  I.  213,  214. 
Novels,  Old,  II.  17. 
Nullification,  I.  68,  70. 

Oakey,  Miss  Elizabeth,  II.  106. 

Oakley,  Miss,  II.  15. 

Oakley,  Thomas  J.,  I.  28,  55,  187;   II. 

133,  333,  348. 
O'Connell,  Daniel,  II.  192,  199. 
O'Connor,  Charles,  II.  36,  191. 
Oddie,  Mrs.,  II.  309. 
O'Donnell,  Miss,  II.  15. 
Office-seekers,  I.  387. 
Ogden,  Aaron,  I.  34,  352. 
Ogden,  Abraham,  I.   16,   78,    136;   II. 

285. 
Ogden,  Charles  H.,  I.  19. 
Ogden,  David   B.,   I.    26,  35,  82,  98, 

247,  328,  360;   II.  191,  268,  348. 


Ogden,  James  De  Peyster,  II.  93,  143, 

196,  243,  245,  268. 
Ogden,  Jonathan,  I.  42;  II.  15. 
Ogden,  N.  G.,  II.  350. 
Ogden.  Thomas  L.,  I.  16;   II.  191,  239. 
Oliver,  Robert,  I.  50,  51, 132. 
Oliver,  Thomas,  II.  269. 
Olmstead,  Francis,  I.  92, 
01yphant,D  W.  C,  I.  88,  92. 
Olyphant,  Robert  M.,  II.  149. 
Onderdonk,    Benjamin   T.,    I.   22,    56, 

131;  II.  279. 
Oothout,  John,  II.  209. 
Opera,  Italian,  I.  79,  81,  120,  194. 
Oregon  question,  II.  266,  280. 
Ostrander,  Gideon,  II.  346. 
Otis,  Allyn,  I.  160,  212. 
Otis,  Harrison   Gray,   I.  3,  4,  7,   107, 

131,  136, 156,159;  II.  40,  195,  265, 

352. 
Otis,  James  W.,  I.   88,    149,    158,  283, 

325;  II.  15,56,93,350- 
Otis,  Lady,  II.  255. 

Packet  ships,  I.  90,  216,  243,  265,  285; 

II.  103,  176,   193,  201,  242,  247, 

250,  274,  275,  276,  328. 
Pageot,  Mr.,  I.  48,  178,  194,  195. 
Pakenham,  Mr,,  II.  280. 
Palmer,  Amos,  I.  73. 
Palmer,  Horsley,  II.  132,  143,  243,245. 
Palmer,  John  J.,  II.  133,  155,  245. 
Palmer,  Miss,  II.  15. 
Panic,  Financial,  II.  56,  58,    100,  254, 

255,  256,  257,  302. 
Panon,    Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  79;   II,    15, 

238. 
Parish,  Charles,  I.  213, 
Parish,  George,  I.  44. 
Parish,  Henry,   I.   19,   47,  49,  66,  73, 

157;   II.  17,  133,  302;  Mrs,  Henry, 

II.  119,344- 
Park,  Justice,  I.  220. 
Park  Theatre,  I,  39. 


420 


INDEX. 


Parker,  Asa,  I,  327. 

Parker,  Peter,  I,  159. 

Parker,  Samuel  D.,  I.  159. 

Parkman,  George,  II.  366. 

Parmly,  Wheelock  II.,  II.  149. 

Parnell,  Mr.,  I.  104,  144. 

Parsells,  P.  P.,  I.  80. 

Patroon,  The,  I.  149,  349. 

Patterson,  M.  C,  I.  80,   144;    II.   155, 

226. 
Patterson,  Robert  L.,  I.  12,  73. 
Patterson,  William,  I.  131. 
Paulding,  James  K.,  I.  54,  55,  71,   194, 

250;  II.  7. 
Paulding,  William,  II.  82. 
Payne,  J.  Howard,  I.  66. 
Pearson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  II.  15. 
Pendleton,  Edward  H.,  I.  72;  II.  56. 
Pendleton,  Judge,  I.  21,  59. 
Pendleton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  II.  15. 
Penfold,  Edmund,  I.  99. 
Pennington,  Dr.,  II.  3. 
Pennington,  William,  I.  281,  358. 
Pennsylvania  rebellion,  I.  340,  343. 
Percival,  Colonel,  II.  102. 
Perit,  Pelatiah,  I.  88. 
Perkins,  Thomas  H.,  I,  4,  43,  73,  335  ; 

II.  195. 
Perry,  Commodore,  II.  143. 
Persicoj  Louis,  I.  121. 
Peters,  Richard,  II.  61. 
Petriken,  Dr.,  II.  18. 
Pettis,  Spencer,  I.  36. 
Phelps,  Anson  C,.,  II.  335. 
Phelps,  Henry,  I.  149. 
Phelps,  Miss,  II.  15,  238, 
Phelps,  Thaddeus,  I.  73,  157,   187;    II. 

146. 
Pickering,  Thomas,  I.  297. 
Pierson,  J.  G.,  I.  79, 160;  II.  399. 
Pillow,  Gideon  J.,  II.  326,  338. 
Pinckney,  General,  1.  147. 
Pintard,  John,  I.  34;  II.  82. 
Pitts,  Robert,  I.  157. 


Pittsburg,  II.  313. 

Pius  IX.,  II.  334. 

Piatt,  Richard,  I.  12. 

Piatt,  William,  I.  43. 

Pleasants,  John  H.,  II.  273. 

Podestad,  Mr.,  I.  158,  159,  160. 

Poindexter,  George,  I.  71. 

Poinsett,  Joel  R.,  I.  15,  21,  42. 

Political  changes,  II.  388. 

Polk,  James  K.,  II.  26,   224,   243,  277, 

282,  291. 
Popham,  William,  I.    108;    II,  75,  212, 

323- 
Post,  Joel,  I.  200, 
Post,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  I.  149, 
Post-office,  New,  I,  198. 
Pott,  Gideon,  I.  73. 

Potter,  Alonzo,  I.  4,  191 ;   11.  249,  325. 
Potter,  Charles,  II.  380. 
Potter,  Edward  E.,  II.  149. 
Potter,  John,  I.  43. 
Powel,  J.  Hare,  I.  35. 
Power,  Tyrone,  I.  120;  II.  39. 
Powers,  Hiram,  II.  322. 
Powerscourt,  Lord,  I.  104,  144. 
Pratt,  Henry,  I.  43. 
Prescott,  William,  II.  238. 
Prescott,  William  IL,  I.  312,  329;    11. 

126,  128,  213,  275,  304,  392. 
Preston,  William  C,  I.  94;    II.  6,  7,  8, 

63,  64. 
Price,  William  M.,  I.  338. 
Prime,  Edward,  I.  36,  73,  187. 
Prime,  Frederick,  II.  399. 
Prime,  Nathaniel,  I.  10,  73. 
Prime,  Rufus,  I.  73,  79;  II,  15. 
Prime,  Ward,  <^  King,  I.  302;  II.  232. 
Princeton  disaster,  1 1.  206, 
Prize-fighting,  II.  144,   1 61. 
Putnam,  George  P.,  II.  389. 

Quincy,  Josiah,  I.  3,  73. 
Quincy,  Josiah,  Jr.,  II.  218,  267. 
Quitman,  John  A.,  II.  326. 


INDEX. 


421 


Races,  I.  139. 

Racket  court,  II.  271. 

Railroad  in  Illinois,  I.  45. 

Randall,  Robert  R.,  I.  16,  41. 

Randolph,  John,  I.  34. 

Rankin,  John,  I.  79;  II.  93. 

Rathbone,  John,  I.  43;  II.  75,  176, 

Rathbone,  William,  I.  219. 

Ray,  Miss  Cornelia,  II.  371. 

Ray,  Robert,  I.  47,  73,  79,  88,  140,  193, 

198,  283;  II.  302,  371;  Mrs.  Rob- 
ert, II.  114,  238,  293. 
Raymond,  Samuel  G.,  II.  155. 
Read,  George  C,  I.  121. 
Reading  Club,  I.  205,  206. 
Real,  Count,  I.  10. 
Real  estate,  I.  8,  11,  44,  46,   138,  140, 

150,  200,  203,  204,  205,  336,  362; 

II.  15,  108,  172,  370. 
Red  Jacket,  I.  9. 
Reed,  Luman,  I.  157;  II.  340. 
Registry  Law,  II.  21. 
Remusat,  M.  de,  I,  27. 
Renwick,  James,  I.  12,  31,  54,  194,  250. 
Repeal  meetings,  II.  186,  194. 
Revolution  of  1830,  celebration  in  New 

York,  I.  24. 
Rhinelander,  Dr.,  I.  100,  132. 
Rhode  Island  rebellion,    II.   124,    126, 

128,  134. 
Ricardo,  Sampson,  II.  132. 
Richards,  Nathaniel,  I.  41. 
Ridgely,  Daniel  E.,  I.  75,  192;  II.  7. 
Riker,  Richard,  II.  75. 
Ring,  Zebedee,  I.  36;  II.  149. 
Riots,  I.    100,    no,   152,   156,    313;   at 

theatres,  I.   39,  40,  109,    208;    II. 

359,  360. 
Ripley,  Dr.,  I.  162. 
Ripley,  George,  II.  389. 
Ritchie,  Mrs.,  I.  107,  158;  II.  265. 
Ritchie,  Thomas,  Jr.,  II.  273,  274. 
Rives,  William  C,  I.   27,   67,  121,  122, 

142;  II.  64,  205. 


Robbins,  Ashur,  I.  297. 

Robbins,  George  S.,  I.  88,  157,  187. 

Roberts,  Oliver  E.,  II.  149. 

Robertson,  A.  L.,  II.  191. 

Robinson,    Beverly,    I.    135,    144;   II. 

191,  240. 
Robinson,  Morris,  I.  248. 
Robinson,  William,  II.  15. 
Rochester,  Nathaniel,  I.  32. 
Rockaway  muse,  II.  54. 
Rodman,  W.,  II.  149. 
Rogers,  James,  I.  31. 
Rogers,  Moses,  I.  305. 
Rogers,  Samuel,  I.  224. 
Roosevelt,  James,  II.  297. 
Roosevelt,  James  J.,  Jr.,  I.  44,  187 ;   II. 

19. 
Roosevelt,  Silas  W.,  II.  149. 
Ruggles,  Samuel   B.,  I.   79,    187,  210, 

298,301;    11.23,    118,    191,   226, 

325- 
Ruiz,  Jose,  I.  378. 
Rumpff,  Vincent,  I.  345. 
Rush,  Miss,  II.  16. 
Rush,  Richard,  II,  302, 
Russell,  Charles  II.,  I.   36,  73,  88,  92, 

98,  99,    loi,   187,  210,  239,325; 

II.  15,93,243,268,339,347. 
Russell,  Miss  Eliza,  II.  15,  109. 
Rutherford,  Lewis  Morris,  II.  322. 

Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  I.  41. 
Saint  Esprit,  Church  of,  I.  113. 
St.  Louis,  II.  316. 

St.  Nicholas  Society,  I.   132,  237,  338. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  II,  23,  218,  237. 
Sanford,  Edward,  II.  191. 
Sanford,  General,  II.  36. 
Sans  Souci,  I.  18,  19. 
Santander,  General,  I.  54. 
Saratoga,  I.  366,  367;    II.  36,  149,  188. 
Schenck,  Peter  II.,  I.  41. 
Schermerhorn,  Abraham,  I.   8,    12,    16, 
65,  131,  204,  228;    II.  56. 


422 


INDEX. 


Schei-merhorn,  Augustus,  I.  6i. 
Schermerhorn,  Edward,  I.  193,  207. 
Schermerhorn,  James,  II.  15. 
Schermerhorn,  John,  II.  15,  328. 
Schermerhorn,  Jones,  I.  48,  51,  60,  61; 

II.  12;    Mrs.  Jones,   I.   165,  229; 

II.  14,  18,  52. 
Schermerhorn,  N.,  II.  15. 
Schermerhorn,  Peter  A.,  I.  27,  72,  73, 

81,  131,  133,  140,  177.207;  11.17, 

176. 
Schermerhorn,  William  C,  II.  109,  263. 
Schmidt,  John  W.,  II.  269,  344. 
Schoolcraft,  Henry  R.,  II.  184. 
Schroeder,  John,  I.  5,  22,  250. 
Schuyler,  George  L.,  II.  92,  282,  398. 
Schuyler,  Messrs.,  II.  15. 
Schuyler,  Philip,  I.  12,  59. 
Schuyler,  Robert,  II.  92. 
Scott,  Miss  Cornelia,  II.  371. 
Scott,  Henry  Lee,  II.  371. 
Scott,  Martin,  II.  326. 
Scott,  Sir  W.,  I.  66. 
Scott,  Miss  Virginia,  II.  261. 
Scott,  Winfield,  I.  28,  55,  57,   144,  196, 

355»  356,   394;    11.  4.   7.  9,  215, 
216,  288,  307,  322,  326,  328,  329, 

338,  349,  358,  370,  3^3- 
Sears,  Mr.,  I.  160. 

Sedgwick,  Catherine  M.,  II.  1 19,  355. 
Sedgwick,  Henry  D.,  I.  42. 
Sedgwick,  Theodore,  II.  144,  191. 
Selden,  Dudley,  I.  93,  96,  187,  376. 
Seminole  Indians,  I.  195. 
Senate,  Scenes  in,  I.  48,  71,  95,  133; 

II.  8,  62. 
Seton,  Alfred,  I.  73. 
Seton,  Miss,  II.  15. 
Seward,  Wilham  H.,  I.  210,  305,  320, 

213,324,  331,361,371;  II-  21,22, 

46,  153,  376. 
Sharpe,  George,  I.  157. 
Sharpe,  Mrs,,  I.  39. 
Shaw^  Gabriel,  1.  349. 


Shaw,  Robert  G.,  I.  41;   II.  43. 

Sheldon,  Frederick,  I.  36,  206. 

Sheldon,  II.,  II.  14. 

Shields,  James,  II.  307. 

Siamese  twins,  I.  29. 

Sibley,  Mark  H.,  II.  320. 

Silliman,  B.  D.,  I.  301,  331;   II.  191. 

Silsbee,  Nathaniel,  I.  15,  16. 

Simon,  cook,  I.  8. 

"  Sirius,"  steamer,  I.  303. 

Slavery  question,  I.  321;   11.  238,  286, 

374,  399- 
Smith,  Augustine,  I.  132. 
Smith,  Bishop,  I.  131. 
Smith,  Edmund,  I.  102. 
Smith,  Garrett,  I.  326. 
Smith,  John  Cotton,  II.  266. 
Smith,  Jonathan,  I.  203. 
Smith,  Morgan  L.,  I.  157. 
Smith,  Nathan,  I.  176. 
Smith,  Persifor,  11.  326. 
Smith,  Samuel,  I.  354. 
Smith,  Stephen,  I.  36. 
Smith,  T.  L.,  I.  48. 
"  Somers  "    mutiny,    II.  163,   165,166, 

170,  174,  178,  180,  181. 
Southard,  Rev.  Mr.,  II.  269. 
Southard,  Samuel  L.,  I.  356,  358;    II. 

8,  9,  60. 
Sparks,  Jared,  I.  64;  II.  107. 
Specie,  circular,  I.   314;    consignments 

of,  II.  173;    payments,  I.  382;    II. 

55,57- 
Speddings,  Mr.,  II.  143. 
Spencer,  John  C,  I.  28;  II.  165,  220. 
Spencer,  Joshua,  II.  ^3- 
Spencer,  Philip,  II.  163. 
Spofford,  I'aul,  II.  302,  339,  347. 
Spoils  system,  II.  94. 
Sprague,  Peleg,  I.  48,  no. 
Sprigg,  Governor,  II.  220. 
Stackelberg,  Baron,  I.  15,  18,  48. 
Stafford,  Lady,  IL  247. 
Stagg,  John  P.,  I.  88,  92. 


INDEX. 


423 


Stagg,  Peter,  I.  247. 

Stanford,  David  R.,  II.  149. 

Stanley,  Edward,  II.  88,  220, 

Starr,  Chandler,  I.  99. 

Steam,  Disasters  by,  II.  127,  321,  381. 

Steamboat  disasters,  I,  260,  308,  317. 

Steamboat  racing,  I.  iii. 

Steamers,  Ocean,  I.  304,  305,  306,  311, 

335'  352,  362,  3^3,  369,  370.  37^ ; 
II.  16,  30,  92,  195,  260,  261,  263, 

334.  371.  392. 
Stearns,  Dr.,  I.  132. 
Stebbins,  H.  G.,  11.  237,  328,  350. 
Steele,  William,  Jr.,  I.  19. 
Stevens,  Byam  Kirby,  I.  16, 
Stevens,  Dr.,  II.  230. 
Stevens,  Edwin,  II.  356. 
Stevens,  John  A.,  I.  33,  36,  55,  92,  98, 

99,  187;  11.  268,  344. 
Stevens,  John  C,  I.  17,  139,  192,  193; 

II.  229,  245,  355. 
Stevens,  Robert  L.,  I.  192,  193. 
Stevens,  Samuel,  I.  98. 
Stevenson,  Andrew,  I.  15,  94,  142,  212. 
Stevenson,  James,  I.  16,  205. 
Steward,  John,  Jr.,  11.  128. 
Stewart,  A.  T.,  II.  245,  284. 
Stewart,  Charles,  I.  144. 
Stewart,  Lispenard,  I.  34;  II.  362,  371. 
Stewart,  Seneca,  I.  157. 
Stewart,  William  Pinckney,  II.  149. 
Stilwell,  Silas  M.,  I.  36. 
Stock    Exchange,    gambling,    I.     167, 

227;  quotations,  II.  100. 
Stockton,  Lieut.  R.  F.,  I.  273. 
Stockton,  Captain,  II.  208. 
Stone,  Asaph,  I.  73. 
Stone,  William  L.,  I,  30,  187;   II.  155, 

229. 
Storm,  Garrit,  I.  102;  II.  333,  350. 
Storm  of  March  12,  1841,  II.  78. 
Storrow,  Mrs.,  II.  283. 
Story,  Justice,  I.  151 ;  II.  262. 
Stoughton,  Mr.,  II.  5. 


Stout,  A.  G.,  II.  396. 

Streliski,  Count,  I.  152. 

Strikes,  I.  200,  210,  211. 

Strong,  Benjamin,  I,  99,  187;  II.  399. 

Strong,  George  D.,  I.  100,  187. 

Strong,  George  W.,  11.  191. 

Stuart,  Colonel,  II.  61. 

Sturgis,  Mr,,  I.  30,  160. 

Stuyvesant,  Gerard,  II.  321. 

Stuyvesant  pear-tree,  I.  317;  II.  349. 

Stuyvesant,  Peter  G.,  I.  12,  74, 187;  II. 

240,  268,  321. 
Suffern,  Thomas,  I.  19,  73. 
Sullivan,  J.  T.,  I.  43. 
Sullivan,  William,  I.,  34,  107. 
Sumner,  Charles,  II.  275. 
Survilliers,  Count,   I.    10,  58,  167,  214, 

322. 
Suydam,  H.,  I.  S3. 
Suydam,  John,  I.  102. 
Suydam,  Richard,  I.  73. 
Swain,  Mr.,  II.  35. 
Swan,  Benjamin  L.,  I.  36,  73,  187,  385; 

II.  143,  232,  3S3. 
Swartwout,  Henry,  I.  57. 
Swartwout,  Samuel,  I.  47,  332. 
Swift,  Colonel,  I.  295. 
Swords,  James,  II.  284. 

Taliogni,  I.  227. 

Tallmadge,  James,  I.  41,  349,  384;  II. 

176, 
Tallmadge,  Miss  Mary,  II.  335. 
Tallmadge,  Nathaniel  P.,  11.  60,  77,  246. 
Talman,  George  F.,  I.  83. 
Taney,  Roger  B.,  I.  148. 
Tappan,  Arthur,  I.  109. 
Tappan,  George,  II.  346. 
Tappan,  Lewis,  I.  79,  109. 
Targee,  John,  11.  38,  75. 
Tariff,  The,  I.  i,  35,  37,  38,  41,  44,  45, 

55,  68,  242,  243;  n.  142,  281. 
Tayloe,  Mr.,  I.  34. 
Taylor,  Edward,  II.  75. 


424 


INDEX. 


Taylor,  Jacob  B.,  II.  348. 

Taylor,  John  W.,  I.  375. 

Taylor,  Moses  B.,  II.  328. 

Taylor,  Rev.  Dr.,  11.  212,  252,  325. 

Taylor,  Zachariah,    II.    303,    329,  33S, 

350,  35^  353,  386. 
Tazewell,  L.  \V.,  I.  14,  15. 
Tecumseh,  I.  1. 
Telegraph,  The,  II.  285,  349. 
Texas,  I.  207;  II.  214,  221,  227,  243. 
Theatres  in  New  York,  I.  266. 
Thompson,  Francis,  I.  90. 
Thompson,  James,  I.  20;  II.  268. 
Thompson,  Waddy,  II.  4. 
Thorn,  Herman,  I.  72,  73;  II.  268. 
Thorn,  Lieutenant,  II.  324,  326,  327. 
Thorndike,  Augustus,  I.  159;    II.  265; 

268. 
Throop,  EnosT.,  I.  187. 
Ticknor,  George,  I.  144,  228;  II.  275. 
Tileslon,  Thomas,  II.  302,  339,  347. 
Tilden,  Bryant  P.,  I.  loi. 
Tocqueville,  A.  de,  I.  46. 
Torrigiani,  Marquis,  I.  72. 
Townsend,  Elisha,  I.  79,  213;  II.  23. 
Townsend,  Isaac,  I.  157. 
Townsend,  John  J.,  II.  93. 
Treasury  bill,  1. 286, 297, 299, 318;  II.  38. 
Tredwell,  A.,  II.  240. 
Tree,  Ellen,  I.  236,  238,  259. 
Trimble,  J.  T.,  I.  36, 
Trinity  church,  I.  377,  378;  II.  279. 
Trumbull,  John,  I.  26,  34,   55,  82,  108, 

190;    II.  200,  340. 
Tucker,  Fanning  C,  I.  92. 
Tucker,  Joseph,  I.  247,  333. 
Tucker,  Major,  I.  345;  II.  56. 
Tunnel  at  Albany,  I.  205. 
Twiggs,  Major,  II.  326. 
Tyler,  John,  I.  15,  201,  393;  II.  73,  78, 

84,  87,  90,  105,  121,  123,  131,  143, 

145,  147,  177,  184,  199,   208,  213, 

227,  228. 
Tyng,  Stephen  H.,  II.  249. 


Union  Club,  I.  212,  252,  261,   265;   II. 

129,  392. 
Union,  The,  II.  373,  390. 
Union  meetings,  II.  375,  376,  393,394- 

Vail,  Mr.,  I.  20,  355,  362,  371. 

Van  Allstyne,  Jacob,  II.  225. 

Van  Arsdale,  John,  I.  24. 

Van  Buren,  John,  I.  210. 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  I.  6,  66,  67,  72,  95, 
119,  131,  142,  146,  168,  243,  245, 
246,  267,  283,  286,  337,  365,  372, 
398,  399;   II-  9,  26,  59,  61,  65,  69, 

131- 
Van  Courtlandt,  PhiHp,  I.  42,  376. 
Vanderbilt,  Cornelius,  I.  271 ;    II.  310, 

344. 
Vanderpoel,  Aaron,  I.  15,  400;  II.  38, 

126. 
Vanderpoel,  James,  I.  205. 
Van  Dyke,  John,  I.  108. 
Van  Nest,  A.,  II.  346. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Henry,  I.  78;    II,  325. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Philip,  I.  59,  149,  384; 

II.  176,268,355. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  I.  34,  59,  78, 

205,  348. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Westerlo,  II.  211. 
Van  Rensselaer  rebellion,  I.  392,  395, 

396. 
Van  Schaick,  Miss  Lydia,  II.  43. 
Van  Schaick,  Miss  Mary,  I.  158. 
Van  Schaick,  Mindert,  II.  298,  309. 
Van  Schaick,  Peter,  I.  7,  20,  23;  II.  63. 
Van  Vechten,  Abraham,  I.  242. 
Van  Voorst,  Jacobus,  II.  225, 
Van  Wagenen,  Herbert,  I.  92. 
Van  Wart,  Irving,  I.  313. 
Van  Zanlt,  Mr.,  I.  20. 
Varian,  Isaac  H.,  I.  157. 
Varick,  Richard,  I.  ;^^. 
Vaughan,  Sir  Charles  R.,  1.14,72,93, 196. 
Verplanck,  Gulian  C,  I.  30,  97,99,  237; 

II.  102,  118,  245,  346. 


INDEX. 


425 


Waddington,  William  D.,  T.  19. 

Wadsworth,  Alexander  S.,  II.  7. 

Wadsworth,  James  S.,  II.  226. 

Wadsworth,  Miss,  II.  119. 

Wainwright,  Jonathan  M.,  I.  5,  8,  12, 
17.  41,  54,  55,  65,  80,  144,  145, 
356;   II.  126,  132,  143,  226. 

Waite,  Captain,  I.  200,  217. 

Walker,  Joseph,  I.   73. 

Wall  Street,  II.  138. 

Wallack,  H.,  I.  9. 

Wallack,  James  W.,  I.  9,  65,  198,  265, 
272. 

Walworth,  Reuben  II.,  I.  41. 

Ward,  John,  I.  325;  II.  155,  242,  339, 

347- 

Ward,  Miss,  II.  119,  238. 

Ward,  Samuel,  I.  27,  98,  295,  389;  II. 
340. 

Ward,  William  G.,  I.  325  ;  II.  56. 

Warner,  Samuel  B.,  II.  346. 

Warren,  Judge,  II.  43,  132,  255. 

Washington,  Bushrod,  I.  11. 

Washington,  Colonel,  I.  48. 

Washington,  George,  centennial  anni- 
versary of  his  birth,  I.  46;  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  his  inauguration,  I. 

352,  355,  356. 
Washington  Hall,  II.  245. 
Waterford,  Marquis  of,  I.  165;  II.  16. 
Watson,  Miss,  II.  15. 
Watts,  John,  I.  190. 
Wayne,  Judge,  I.  47,  72. 
Wayne,  Mrs.,  I.  66,  72. 
Webb,  J.  Watson,  I.  17,  193,  208,  209, 

293,   295,  341;    II.  81,    160,  280, 

339,  347- 
W^ebster,  Daniel,  I.  14,  15,  39,  48,  71, 
76,  88,  94,  95,  98,  99,  loi,  102, 
117,  118,  133,  135,  151,  172,  177, 
206,  237,  246,  253,  262,  270,  281, 
315,  318,  370,400;  II.  6,  7,  8,  35, 
41,  44,  60,  64,  no,  120,  121,  139, 
J46,  148,  154,  155,  156,  176,  183, 


209,  210,  21S,  219,  220,  230,  254, 

263,  264,  283,  296,  305,  308,  324, 

340,  357,  375,  376,  390,  396,  401. 
Webster,    dinner,    in    New    York,    II. 

155;  in  Washington,  I.  291. 
Webster,  Edward,  II.  340. 
Webster,  Fletcher,  I.  335. 
Webster,  John  W.,  II.  367. 
Webster,  Noah,  II.  184. 
Weed,  Nathaniel,  I.  92,  186,  247. 
Weed,  Thurlow,  I.  324;  II.  184. 
Weir,  Robert  W.,  I.  16,  103,  141. 
Welles,  Benjamin,  II.  43. 
Welles,  Samuel,  I.  283,  305. 
Wellesley,  Marchioness  of,    I.  20,   64; 

II.  247. 
West  Point,  II.  ^2^. 
Wetmore,  Prosper  M.,  I.  157,  1S7;   II. 

144,  155,  237. 
Wetmore,  Robert  C,  I.  157;  II.  46. 
Wetmore,  William  S.,  II.  243, 
Wheaton,  Henry,  II.  328. 
Whig   conventions,   II.  25,  39,  40,  215, 

217,    350,     351;     julnlee,    I.  279; 

meetings,  I.  329,  330;   II.  20,  27, 

33,  44,  230,  232. 
White,  Ambrose,  I.  43. 
White,    Campbell    P.,  I.    14,  46,    157, 

168;  II.  130. 
White,  Dr.,  I.  51. 
White,  Everett,  I.  179,  180. 
White,  John,  II.  15. 
White,  Judge,  I.  172. 
White,  Martin,  I.  15. 
White,  Robert,  I.  73. 
Whiting,  James  R.,  II.  191. 
Whitlock,  William,  II.  335. 
Whitney,  Stephen,   I.  73,  187;    II.  144, 

346. 
Wilbur,  Marcus,  I.  187. 
Wildes,  George,  &  Co.,  I.  259. 
AVilkes,  Dr.,  II.  131. 
Wilkes,    Hamilton,    I.    17,    26,   44,  72, 

102;    II.  15. 


426 


INDEX. 


Wilkes,  Miss,  II.  119,  131. 

Wilkins,  William,  I.  48,  59. 

Willard,  Simon,  I,  162. 

Willet,  Marinus,  I.  20, 

Williams,  David,  I.  25. 

Williams,  Richard  S.,  II.  346. 

Williams,  S.,  II.  15. 

Willing,  Richard,  I.  43,  151. 

Willis,  Nathaniel  P.,  I.  213;   II.  396. 

Wilmot's  proviso,  11.  298. 

Wine,  Mr.  Hone's,  I.  208,  269. 

Wingate,  Paine,  I.  297. 

Winship,  Daniel,  II.  75. 

Winthrop,  B.  R.,  II.  237. 

Winthrop,  Grenville  T.,  I.  19. 

Winthrop,  Robert  C,  I.  161,  163,  279; 

II.  41,  131,  215,  230,  331. 
Wirt,  William,  I.  16. 
Wise,  Henry  A.,   I.  291,  293;   II.  88, 

93,  III,  224. 
Withers,  Reuben,  I.  73,  157,  187. 
Wolcott,  Oliver,  I.  76,  327. 
Wolf,  George,  I.  150. 
Wolf,  John  D.,  I.  157. 
Wood,  General,  I.  16;  II.  128. 
Wood,  Fernando,  II.  393. 


Wood,  George,  II.  191,  263. 

Wood,  Miss,  II.  309. 

Wood,  William,  I.  21,  23;   II.  230,  309. 

Woodbury,  Levi,  II.  7,  53. 

Woodworth,  John,  I.  59. 

Woodvvorth,  vSamuel,  I.  24,  46. 

Woolley,  Brittain  L.,  I.  187. 

Woolsey,  George  M.,  II.  243. 

Woolsey,  W^illiam  W.,  I.  26. 

Worth,  William  J.,  I.  105;   II.  277,  323, 

326,  338. 
Worthington,  Dr.,  II.  73. 
Wright,  George  W.,  I.  19. 
Wright,  Isaac,  I.  90. 
Wright,  Silas,  II.  44. 
Wright,  William,  I.  73. 
Wyckoff,  Alexander,  I.  133. 
Wyckoff,  Henry  J.,  I.  26,  36,  392. 
Wyckoff,  John,  II.  75. 
Wynkoop,  Augustus,  I.  102. 

Yachting,  11.  228,  229,  281. 

Zavalla,  Lorenzo,  I.  21. 
Zabriskie,  George,  I.  98. 


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