John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

10. V:30. Saturday.

Denny Harmar Pearson H. Denny’s Son Pedrich Ferdinand Todsen George Pickering Smith F. O J. French B. B. and Mrs Frye Thomas J.

I had a smart fever the whole Night, with a burning sore throat, and there was an alarm of fire at Georgetown upon which the Bell of St. John’s church rung about a half an hour in the middle of the Night— Altogether I had little repose, and rose at half past five with heated blood and an aching head.— I had written yesterday to Mr Alexander B. Johnson, after finishing the perusal of his Treatise upon Language, and this day I finished a Letter that I had begun to Chancellor Kent concerning the Dissertations upon the Congress of Nations. Morning visits from Mr Harmar Denny with his Son, and Mr Pearson a member of the House from Pennsylvania, who comes in the place of John Banks— Also from Mr Pedrich and Dr Todsen— Mr Pedrich had engravings of Colossal Statues of Christ and the twelve Apostles and St. Paul executed by Thorwaldsen, and placed in a Church at Copenhagen, and of a monument at Rome in honour of Pope Pius the 7th. — Pedrich said he had a number more of these engravings which he would be glad to show me; and I told him I should be at home every morning from 9 to 11. O’Clock, whenever he would 7would find it convenient to come— Todsen was importunate to know whether Pedrich would succeed in obtaining employment from Congress; but I could not inform him— The man is very needy, but as an artist certainly not equal to Persico— Mr Pickering came again this morning; but I had not found Ira Hill’s Theory of the Earth— Mr Pickering thinks he has made very wonderful discoveries in Geography, and among the rest that the Poles of the Earth have changed their position, from East and West to North and South— He said that Ira Hill had made the same discoveries— That he was a prodigious great man, but within the last year or two had given himself up to dissipation. I returned the visit of Mr Van Buren, with whom I found Walter Lowrie, late Secretary of the Senate.— Mr Van Buren asked me for a copy of my Eulogy upon Mr Madison, to give to Mr Martini the Chargé d’Affaires from Belgium. I called twice at the Department of War, and the second time saw Mr Butler, and left with him two papers relating to the Pension claim of Thomas Vinson— In the interval I walked to Gadsby’s and visited Mr and Mrs Abbott Lawrence, and Mr Phillips, but he was out. I met him afterwards in the Street— I found Mr Gillett of New-York, a visitor at Mr Lawrence’s Apartments, and left Mr Ward there— Elizabeth De Wint was here this morning— Mary and Elizabeth Adams, dined and spent the Evening at Mr W. S. Smith’s, and Thomas J. Frye dined with us.