New-York tribune., 1915-09-25
CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
John Quincy Adams and the Treaty of Chent
Our First Minister to Persia-A
New Popular Life of Goethe

ume is an intimate revelation OF the
rise Of American foreign relations.
We may he glad, then, that these let
terS Of Adams's are SO largely devoted
20 The relation and discussion of public
affairs, and to doing so in a particu-
larly effective and convincing way. HIS
letters 70 Monroe, Crawford. Harris and
others naturally deal with these affairs
but i'm the spirit of the discreet diplo-
mat. Those to his wife, on the other
hand. which arc much the most numer-
Gus of all. and to his father and mother
chiefly devoted to the same public
topics. are marked with less reserve
and with a fuller revelation OF his pri-
vate mind concerning them. In such
letters the man speaks, as well as the
diplomat; never rashly nor thought
lessly, but with fine blending OF
frankness and discretion.
No trait of the whole mass Of corre-
spondence, and of its disclosure of the
man behind the pen, is more marked or
more grateful than Adams's proud,
serene and unfailing patriotism. He had
no illusions and no enthusiasms. With
his great exemplar, Washington, he
held il to be folly to look for disinter-
ested friendship or favors from any
foreign nation. That was not because
of cynicism, which he did not possess,
or of some of the qualities which are,
not always justly, attributed 70
Machisvelli. but rather because he was
a man Of clear, penetrating vision. and
with a mind which. above most others,
realized Huxley's ideal Of "a clear,
cold logic-engine" He earnestly de-
sired peace and friendship with all ma
tions. but he was never tempted to in
trust the welfare Of America to the
keeping Of any but American hands,
nor to accept as a basis of peace and
friendship anything short of the full
est recognition Of American rights and
the equal establishment of interna-
tional justice.
His judgment concerning European
affairs was not inerrant, nor were his
forecasts of events always verified
which was not strange in an era when
scarcely anything but the unexpected
happened Perhaps the most notable
error he made was in his views of Ma
poleon's return from Elba, which hap
pened while he was in Paris; though
with characteristic honesty he con-
fessed that concerning the outcome Of
that unprecedented performance he
could form no rational and confident
anticipation, and that facts had already
turned out so contrary TO his eXpecta-
tions that his confidence in his own
judgment was shaken.
Of both political and personal inter
est are the drafts of several notes
which Adams prepared for transmission
to the British Peace Commissioners,
and from which his colleagues dissent
ed. These reveal the features upon
which that dissent was based, and thus
show the differences in point of view
and in mental processes between Adams
and his colleagues. Concerning one
draft, Clay thought that figurative
language was improper in state paper,
though in fact this contained little Of
it Gallatin wanted to strike out all
expressions which might cause British
offence, of which there were very few.
Russell wanted almost every sentence
reconstructed. and Bayard - whom
Adams usually refers TO as "the Chew
alicr"-while agreeing with all that was
said, wanted to say it all in his own
way. Comparison of Adams's draft
with the final text does not carry con-
viction of the superior wisdom of his
colleagues. Another draft was in reply
to a British note which Bayard thought
very stupid and which Clay thought
should be answered on half page, but
which Adams more justly thought not
stupid, and worthy of long and detailed
answer.
The somewhat jarring relations
among the five American Commission
ers, and the efforts of Gallatin TO keep
peace between Adams and Clay as well
as to make peace between America and
Great Britain. have long been among
the picturesque traditions of American
diplomacy. Adams does not exploit
these internal infelicities in his corre-
spondence, though he does not attempt
to conceal or to disclaim them; but he
chiefly touches upon their lighter and
more humorous side.
Each succeeding volume of this work
confirms the estimate, long since made,
that, when completed, it will be one Of
the most interesting compilations Of
human documents" in the whole rarge
OF American historical literature.