766 MEMOIRS OF JOUN QUINCY ADAMS. 



ance of my report by all the members of the committee 

 who attended the committee meetings gives me some en- 

 couragement ; but, slandered as I now am by hireling 

 snakes of all parties, and in almost every newspaper, I am 

 sure to be reviled for everything that I do or say, and can 

 foresee nothing but censure. Whether this bequest will 

 ever come to anything is much doubted by almost every 

 one. A spurious bastard claimant of the estate is antici- 

 pated, and seems to be threatened, from Mr. Daniel Brent's 

 communications about the family of La Batut. The delays 

 and iniquities of the English court of chancery are foreseen 

 and foretold ; and questions are made in the public journals 

 whether the whole aftliir is not an imposture. All this may 

 be ; but through all this 1 look at the whole romance as 

 officially presented to us, and, presuming all to be true, 

 prepared my report accordingly. A heavy responsibility ; 

 but so be it. 



April 19, 1836. 



When the reports from select committees were called, I 

 presented the report and bill from the Committee on the 

 Smithson bequest message, and moved that the bill and re- 

 port should be printed, and the bill twice read by its title, 

 and referred to the Committee of the Whole on the state 

 of the Union ; which was done. Mr. Chapin moved that 

 five thousand extra copies of the report should be printed 

 for the use of the House. This resolution, by the rules of 

 the House, was to lie over one day. Chapin asked for its 

 consideration by unanimous consent now. Objection was 

 made. Chapin asked the suspension of the rules, but the 

 vote was not quite of two-thirds to sustain him. 



October 14, 1837. 



Mr. Cambreleng moved to lay the bill aside and take 

 up the Appropriation bill ; which was done. Wise moved 

 to strike out an item of ten thousand dollars for the ex- 

 penses of Richard Rush's agency in obtaining payment of 

 the Smithsonian bequest. Cambreleng and Joseph R. In- 

 ge rsoll, who was of his Committee of Ways and Means at 

 the last session of Congress, had attempted to palm upon 

 me the responsibility of proposing this approj^riation, which 

 I had flatly refused. Cambreleng was now obliged to pro- 

 pose it himself. Wise's motion did not succeed, but he 

 afterwards moved in the House to reduce the appropriation 

 to five thousand dollars, and succeeded. Cambreleng, as 

 usual, had nothing to say in defense of the appropriation 



