New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
DIARY oF IoHN QUINCY ADAMs.
MEMOIRS OF JOHN QUIxcY.ApAMs. coMrRIs

The present volume, when ioIins tho last i'e'"'-
ment of Mr.. Adams's voluminous Diary, reaches
from the year 1874 10 short time previous TO ms
death in ls4s aud VIII be found TO possess no less
interest than the preceding portions Of the work
1t exhibits the veteran statesman in his strength
md his weakness with httle change from the lapse
of wears or the encroachmcuts Of age; al
WAYS vehement, irascible, querulous; never con-
tent with himself and less content with
others; overlooking with suspicion ana Jeai-
ousy Of his rivals in public life with 10 warm
sympathy even for his friends and followers trusting
few apparently loving beyond the pale Of ms DO
nestle circle Of ardent family affection, but with no
sense of universal humanity capable of indignation
and wrath ieIy in its quality and terrible IN It's eN
prosson fearing God, but for the most part hating
man; Of a sombrc saturniue temperament by ma
tGre. and intensely embttered by political disaI-
pointment; with a stern PuTitanic principle OF
Justice which he exercised toward others as
rigidlv rs ne demanded it for himself; prone
to singular depression of spirits, with no turn
for social hilarity conviyid eujoyments'
aud without q CLEAN of humpr; auStefe, sol
emn iuaexible. and to all outward appearance
as cold as q monument in church-yard, but emu
ncntly sensitive 90 public opinion quick 70 take o.
fence sudden in quarrel, implacable towards every
fancied injury, and never forgying tho man az
whose hands he had suffered wrong; with morbid
CONSCIOUSNESS OF MS Own ihp'l't tA'Anf N'''- ~
records in his journal with chdlke simplicity, but
intensely greedy of praise and rejoicing IN the FAINT
est breath Of approval as an air from Paradise; no
power could swcgyc him from his convictions or
tempt him from the path of duty and TO the last
day OF his life he remained an example OF vigorous
manhood lonely uuattTactve, but noble IN his sell
cousecratOn If not lovely tie grandeur oi
old age.
Throughout the whole Of bis Diary, Nh. Adams
expresses his own personal feelings with the same
freedom with which he comments on public events
OF illustrates the character of contemporary states
men. by criticism on their course. In this way, We
obtain frequent glimpses of the affairs o. Che times
whose interest win increase with increasing
wears Thus under date of May. 1874 az the age OF
sevent y-Scyen lac briefly writes -" Ii Il Impossible
for me to describe the auxie;es under which my
soul is oppressed, and which am compelled to sup
press with reliance only upon Superior Power 20
relieve me from them, and with no hope OF other re-
hel than from the close OF life, and the transition TO
another state Of existence. The deepest OF my aiiic-
tons IS the dcgencTacy OF NY country from the prin
cples which gave her existence, and the ruin
irrepaIabe of them all, under the transccndent
power OF slavery and the slave representation"
About the same time We find the following charac-
feristlc paSsage:-" Waddy Thompson has just It.
turned from bis mission 10 Mexico, and greeted ne
with Kindness for Massachusetts, of outward cor
diality-the snake - one Of the grievances Incident
20 high public station is made the subject OF n
pathetic paragraph -" In the midst of the hurry
buIly of closing session of Congress. scene always
sufficient to discompose The serenity Of stcadier
mind than mine. have been distracted with multi
Piled applications for autographs and lines IN
albums, which would DE uugraeious and would be
thought chIllsh to refuse, and yet with which 1t
is insupportab.e 10 comply. For many years have
occasionally written kuacks trihcs uosegays, in the
scrapbooks OK my younger relatives for which 1
have but q wretchcd talent, and ingenuity could
seldom save me from compliance. / once attempted
10 make a collection of these nug1 ajDe,' but l
sekened at the sight Of most of them and gave it
up. A quarto volume price ten dollars, was published
few weeks since, called the " United States Album
with copperplate engraying5 of the arms of AL the
States in the Union aud fac-simile signatures OF the
President of all the members of both Houses OF
Congress and Of all the supreme Court, and then,
blank leaves 10 be written upon. A. H. Stephens Of
Georgia Joshua X. Giddings of Ohio and Hamilton
Fish have each copy Of this book. ana asked me
TO write my name and a few lines in them and
there | was, straning from Aard-boUnd brains
senseloss rhymes like the slipShod Sibyl i'll lofty
madness medtating song"
The frequent illusions to his literary studies,
which form such agreeable episodes III the earlier
portions of MI. Adamss journal, are continued 10
certain extent in Ibis volume. but perhaps with a
diminutIon of interest on the part of the writer.
Thus III October of the same year We have the fol-
lowing entry -" finished reading the life OF Fran
els Bacon Baron NcrulaIn and Niscount St. AbansJ
by David Malet, pgeiXod to the colOn of his works
in i've volumes quarto and began the pcrusu OF
his works. This man was prodigy aud paradox.
He should be studied chTOnOnleter OF d steam
engine should be studied-as piece of moral and
intellectual mechanism. Why did ! not so study
him fifty years ago and of what use will it be for
me to study him now Indulgence of curiosity,
longing thirst for knowledge, refuge from the
sickeuug realities of life aud Responding anticipa-
tons of the future may perhaps carry NE through
this undertaking. The general reflection upon the
life of Bacon is the melancholy aspect of great
vicissitudes Of fortune. His transcendent talents,
rapacious ambition, and disgusting sycophancy COM
bined to raise him to the pinnacle Of opuence, of
honOIs, and Of power. The cause Of his downfall
was his conniya,ce with brbcries practised by his
servants and with whom he shared the plundcr"
Again - called this morning on DR.. Frothing-
ham and lust before reaching his door. met Mr.
Isaac p. Davis who accos,ed me with grleyOus Ia
mentatOn over tue lost hopes of the election. With
Dr. rockingham | examined and construed the
whole sixteenth eegy of the second book Of Pro-
pertius, and found that there is extant in Eng
lish translation in of this author, published
in 1892, without the name of the translator" 4 few
DAYS after the visit 10 the distinguished clts
steal scholar is repeated -" At noon called on DR..
n. l.. rockingham, aud passed al hour with him
examing his PrOpertius-Bu mauu's edItion-the best
exant Ny edition, BaSkerville's quarto, has moth
ing but the text, and the passage quoted in G. ".
Erving's letter is in the twentieth eegy Of the
second book in Burmanus edition is the sixteenth.
Tho III