New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-09-24


IN what remained Of hs public avocatlons az 70 On
closed against the impressions to be received from
the pechborhood of the most refined, brilliant, and
intellectual community in the world. Paris was
Jus, then in that stage Of transition from the Old 10
the new, which is apt to quicken whatever there
NAV be of spriahty in society, without having yet
materially impaired its stability. Literature and
philosophy had become the rage even in fashionable
| circles. And the fippant ridcule of all things
sacred and profane, of which Noltaire had set
fascinating example had supplied in zsst what was
subtracted from the dgnifed properties OF ancient
| France. Mr.. Adams saw something OF the literary
| men of the day, of Marmontel and kaynai, ahd
| De Msbly, and he became quite intimate WIN the
| Abbfs Chalut and Armour, and Count Sarsheid'
men no lived for society, and who were iuiiy aoio
to open to him view of its springs, ordinarily III
| tie obvious 10 foreigners
During this period the social and domestic reia'
| tons of Mr.. Adams were a source Of the most un
mixed enjoyment. with his wife, his eldest son.
John Quincy, then just rising into youth OF the
| greatest promise and daughter in whom any
body would have felt pride, about him, near the
society of cultivated metropolis, into which bis
official position gave him free admission, he had
little TO do but to enjoy the day as 1t passed. heed
less Of the morrow
This agreeable mode of life, however, was inter.
rupted by his appointment as Envoy to the Court
of st. James In May, 1876, he crossed the Chan
mel with his faiNily, and Immediately engaged in the
duties of his new Office The first step was to go
through the ceremony of presentation TO the King
10 stand face to face with the man whom, for the
first forty years of his life, he had habitually re-
garded as master, and who never ceased to look on
him snd the rest of his counrymen only success
ful rebels against his legitimate authority. No wit
ness to the conference was admitted except Lord
Carmarthen, the official Secretary of Foreign Al
fairs. 1.-THE addresses are reported only by Mr.
Adams. That made by himself, as he admits with
visible agitation though concise, appears extremely
appropriate 1t is conciliatory in spirit, without
betrayng any sense of MISUNDERSTANDING OUT
hand as TO friend and not to a patron. George
the Third was not quite so successful. lie De-
tryed that be had learned something OF Mr.. Adamss
lack Of goodwill to the French Court; and this
impression, confirmed by the words OF civiIlty TO
himself as well as the aluson TO ancient ties, ap'
pears to have raised in his mind an implication
which the terms of the address itself did not jus
tify. The difficulty was increased by the fe" SEN
fences atterward spoken to Mr.. Adams. lney
made his position very delicate. 1t WAS OF the
utmost consequence to escape the imputation even
of acouiescng in any idea derogatory to the impair
tial attitude of his countrymen as well as To MS
own. while it was equally important to avoid ap-
pearinc to slight civty. Mr.. Adams extricated
himself with great presence of mind. Apparently
falling in with the sense of the Kings language, no
nevertheless added the significant words; L must
ayOw to your Majesty have no attachment but 10
my own country They naturally harmonzed
with the rectitude of Georges character as Brit
ish statesman and therefore brought from his heart
the immediate reply: An honest man Will never
have any other In this sense two more accOrdant
minds were not to be found in the broad surface OF
both hemispheres. The meeting fifty terminated
here. Seldom has it happened, with the empty
ceremonals Of court presentation, that the indi'
vidualities of the respective actors have signihed
so much"
Mr.. Adams's abors during his stay in Great Brit
ain were confined to fruitess solicitations tor the
execution of several articles of the treaty OF peace
In the relations of the two countries effective nego-
tiation was out of the question. The Government
had decided on hostile policy toward the infant
| nation. Restriction and commercial jealousy were
| the order of the day. The United States were
treated as utter strangers and carefully shut out
| from trade with the colonies. The King, never
reconciled to the triumph of his subjects, became
still less disposed to put restraint on his feeling.
| His example was of course followed. OF the cold
aud formal civility. such as only the English know
| how in perfection to make offensive, there was
| enough. But this was all. Mr.. Adams's mission
had only served to convince him that nothing was
to be looked for in Great Britain but ill-wil. He
returned to this country in the Spring of 17sS, and
at the Presidential election in that year chosen
Vice President of the United States. The second
election passed off with the same result, and on the
third, after warmly contested canvass, he was
| chosen President. His biographer gives a lucid
and instructive sketch of the state of parties in the
United States at that time.
The retirement of President Washington removed
the last check upon the fury of parties Nobody else
stood in the relation to the whole people, and If
his name had lattery proved insufficient to silence
obloquy it very certainly followed that for the future
restraint could be expected in regard to any other
OF course expectation entertained in any quar-
ter that the person about succeed him in Office would
be chosen by any general agreement. He was to be
elected only upon the votes of the other of the
parties into which the country very equally divided
The question then narrowed itself down to choice
between the two men who might be brought forward,
az the repre- sentstyes of those parties with the greatest
prospect of success. The Individual whom the
So rlad MINI
ty was Thomas Jefferson. He had, from
the day of leaving Office, become the very