245 



the 17th of January last, I requested all the papers ; and on the 

 23d of February, the President answered that request, taking more 

 than a month to prepare a copy. 



Mr. Adams says, after commenting upon this, that, *' it will be 

 observed, that nearly two months had intervened, between the 

 report of the Ghent treaty documents to the House, and this se- 

 cond call, which Mr. Russell has admitted was made as his sugges- 

 tion." 



Mr. Adams knew very well, the papers were sent to the House 

 on the 23d of February, and not only ordered to lie on the table, 

 as he states, but likewise ordered to he printed: I had not an op- 

 portunity of examining them until they w^ere printed, which would 

 of course require some days. But in that time, 1 had received 

 intelligence of the afflictions of my family, and Mr. Adams does 

 know, I obtained leave of absence for the remainder of the ses- 

 sion, believing it not possible for me to return. 



I left this city, I believe, about the 13th of March, but my fami- 

 ly being restored to health, I returned to Washington, and arrived, 

 on Sunday, the 14th of April. I v/ent into the House on the 15th, 

 and on the 18th submitted the second resolution, calling specificarlly 

 for i\Ir. Russell's letter ; that resolution was adopted on the 19th. 



The reason of this second call was, that, on examining the pa- 

 pers, I could not find any thing I wanted, though I did perceive 

 from Mr. Russell's letter, dated the 25th of December, from Ghent, 

 that he intended to write fully, and naturally concluded he had 

 done so, as he was a public man, and in the discharge, as I thought, 

 ef his duty ; and too, expected what I wanted was contained in 

 that letter, to wit, touching the value of the Mississippi river. 



I will take no part in the controversy between Mr. Russell and 

 Mt, Adams, nor would I now have written, had not Mr. Adams 

 gone out of his way, in endeavouring to place me in an attitude, 

 which he must know, nothing but his injustice could have exhibited 

 me in. 



I am almost as much surprised at the memory of the friend of 

 the National Intelligencer, as at all the rest of this affair : he has 

 certainly reported to that paper as far as he went " substantially" 

 what happened in that debate ; but the surprize is, that his me- 

 mory fails at the precise point where my justification begins. I 

 recollect what was said, and made these remarks, and nearly in 

 these words : That I had made the previous calls, and had not re- 

 newed it, as the letter wanted had been specifically desired, and 

 the President already knew the wishes of the House, and might 

 send it if he thought proper, as he was the judge of the propriety 

 of doing so ; I did not think another resolution to the same effect 

 would be consulting the dignity of the House ; and if the papers 

 would produce misunderstanding and ill blood, between men high 

 in office and public esteem, which the President, who had the pa- 

 pers seemed to insinuate, I would not be the means of producing 

 that evil. What I wanted was the information, which I supposed the 



31 



