The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-16
LITER A T U RE.
The Life and Times Of John
Quincy Adams.
795 TO 1 8 4 8.

1 z 9 8 TO i 8 4 g.
The famous diary kept by John Quincy Adams
during the greater part or his long public life has
been ior two generations an object OF pubic curl
oslty. It was known for . long period previous to
his death that Mr.. Adams was keeping such q
diary and his remarkable opportunities. vigorous
talents, great power OF expression and unrivaied
attachments In various departments OF knowledge,
warranted belief that II ever published, It
would be found rich repository OF Information on
the public affairs Of his time. The celebrated
memoirs OF Tsleyrand. which he required to be
withheld until thirty years after his death, did not
excite greater expectation in Europe than
this diary Of John Quincy Adams has
excited in America. Tho volume before rs
Is the nrst instalment Of its long deferred
publication. To how many volumes 1t will extend
the editor has failed 70 inform as, but we have
some data Tor conjecture. The diary, as left In
manuscript, consists OF "nineteen quarto volumes,
averaging 500 pages EACH OF fine writing" Only
the most important and interesting portions OF 1t
are to be Published, and, as nearly as we can make
out from certain notes and Indications the pres
ent volume Ii an abridgement Of the Arst Two Of
the nineteen volumes OF manuscript. Surprising
viii extend to nine or ten volumes. But. as the
interest Of the materials will increase the diary
approaches nearer our own times, there should
naturally be less suppression ~ the publication
proceeds, and the work would seem more ike
10 exceed than fall short OF ten volumes The
growing interest OF the materials ID not only in
ierable from the more important public positions
to which the author rises and his wider connec-
tons with men ana AFFAIRS, but from comparison
founded on the contents OF the present volume
which comprises portions Of the diary during It's
first fourteen years. In this period Mr.. Adams
wrote only two volumes OF the diary, or at the
rate OF seven years 10 volume, whereas he filed
seventeen volumes In the ensuing thirty-nine
years, or almost volume every two years; which
Is explained by the greater importance and null
tpcity OF the authors public duties and his wider
nelds Of observation. We therefore inter that the
present volume valuable as ts ia the least inter-
esttng in the series.
The Adams family is the most remarkable In our
history. We can think OF no other In which strong
hereditary traits are so combined with marked
peculiarities OF individual character. Not even
the Beecher blood has q greater dash OF eccen-
tricity than the Adams blood. The Beechers have
moved In q narrower sphere, their reputation Is
more local. we nave had but two noticeable gen.
erations OF them, while or the Adamses we have
already four. In both families there Is an I'm.
tanable tendency to be different from other clever
people. John Adams the FIRST In time and most
gifted in genius, was an lmpetuous, irascabe, i'm.
patient, strong willed proud imperious man,
who only lacked GOODNESS and self-cOmmand to
make him a statesman OF very high order.
John Quincy Adams had not quite his
1ather's intellect, he was less open In his de-
meanor, less explosive in his temper. but he was
full Of q smouiderlng vehemence which broke out
Affa Ch
provocation. One Of our grave historians called
him "a stormy petrol. incapable OF existing ex-
cept in the surge and foam Of political strife"
Charles Francis Adams has more balance OF char
acter, greater selEcontrol and sounder judy
ment than any other member OF the family, with
less rapldity OF ideas and far less vigor OF Ian
guage than either his father or his grandfather.
But he has, nevertheless. spice OF the Adams I'm
pulsiveness, OF which slight display was made in
the singular letter he wrote in 1872 In relation to
the Cincinnati nomination, and again in the
Seward eulogy in which his seeming recklessness
of statement and perverslty or estimate exposed
him to damaging fire OF criticism from cooler
men. One OF the grear-grandsons who is becom-
ing quite noted publicist, shows in his writings
all the impetuosty of the most ulustr:ous member
OF the family. We have had no other American
family in which there has been such long descent
OF inherent vigor OF character and remarkable
abilities. Webster, Clay, Calhoun were the 1rst
and last OF their line in point OF public distinction,
although they all had sons. The descendants OF
Hamilton and Jay present no example OF men
capable OF acting great part and creating high
reputation by their own exertions Franklin left
nothing behind him that resembled him.. With the
exception OF John Adams, our first five Presidents
never had any sons and the same is true OF
Andrew Jackson. 1t is singular circumstance
that OF our first ten Presidents the only two who
had sons were the two Adamses, that the first
Adams lived to see his son President, and that the
son OF the second Adams barely Jailed Of Pres-
MENTAL nomination at the last election.
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams In editing the writ
ings OF his father. has adopted quite different
plan from that which he pursued with the works
OF his grandfather, published twenty years ago.
OF the ten octave volumes completing the works OF
John Adams less than four consist OF previously
unpublished writings Of that statesman. The COL
lection included all OF his Official papers, the books
he published before he became President and his
fugitive publications afterwards; but the manu-
scripts OF John QUINCY Adams are so very voumin-
Gus that the editor has concluded to PRINT very little
beyond the diary, and even this with large sup
preston OF parts containing personal details OF
no permanent interest and repetitions OF the same
ideas. He says II all the productions Of his father
were published they would be equal In quantity to
the 100 volumes OF voltaire. But he thinks this
example OF voltaire ought to serve as lesson for
warning rather than imitation. 'No reader" he
says 'can dip into his pages without perceiving
how often even SO versatile mind as his repeats
the same thoughts" Mr.. Adams accordingly con-
clades that even after putting aside all the other
manuscripts, an abri dRement OF the diary is indts-
pensabe. Alter giving brief account
of his fathers early years in FIRST chap.
ter mostly written by himself. the editor
supplies nothing further from his own
pen, beyond occasional connecting links
and explanatory foot notes. These are never
obtruded when not necessary. no editor ever
having been more free from the vanity OF making
himself prominent instead Of his author. Pains
taking. diligence sound judgment, faultless taste