nothing great; closed with much spitefulness. Lewis, Dallas, and Sawyer gave in their evidence on trial of Fries. It amounted to nothing of any weight. Adjourned to Monday.

The Supreme Court began their session on Monday, and continued through the week. Judge Chase was on the bench a part of the time.

Feb. 10, Lord's Day. At the Capitol. Mr. McCormick preached. Marines attended in the gallery. After service, they performed Denmark. The music was excellent. It was said they had only two days to learn the tune. Very full assembly. Many ladies.

Feb. 12, Tuesday. At the Capitol. This day, in compliance with a card received eight or ten days ago, dined with his Excellency, Mr. Merry, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to his Britannic Majesty. Company, 28, 13 members of Congress. Table superb, the plate in the center, and in the last service, the knives, forks, and spoons were gold. Six double-branched, silver candlesticks, with candles lighted. A very pleasing entertainment. Coffee in the drawing-room, immediately after dining. Retired about nine. Six from our family went in a coach, and returned on foot. This day Mr. Dodge put my trunk on board the schooner Alert, at Alexandria, for Boston. Jess goes in the schooner, passage free. He set out this afternoon for Alexandria.

Feb. 13-16. Judge Chase's trial continued. Several interesting witnesses in favor of the Judge.

Feb. 17, Sunday. Mr. Laurie preached at the Capitol. Two pieces of psalmody performed by the band of the Marine corps. They attended in their uniform, about 80 or 100. Feb. 19, Tuesday. Court opened at ten. Witnesses examined, and closed. It is said the number has been about sixty. House sat. Dined at Mr. Merry's-a small com

pany.

Mr. Early, of Geor

Feb. 20, Wednesday. Court at ten. gia, opened on the part of the managers. His plea short, but well arranged-went over the whole ground, and handsomely spoken. He was followed by G. W. Campbell, of Tennessee; long and tedious; did not finish.

Feb. 21, Thursday. Campbell finished at eleven, when Mr.

Hopkinson, of Philadelphia, began on the part of the Judge. He confined himself to the first article, the parts being divided among the five counsel, and spoke three and a half hours. His speech was lucid, pointed, and convincing. Every sentence and every word perfectly in point, and with effect. The elocution had nothing to recommend it, but the language was extremely impressive, and the effect on the auditory prodigiously great.

Feb. 22, Friday. Judge Key made an able, judicious, learned plea, extremely well spoken, and perhaps can not be excelled. He spoke three hours, on three articles, principally on Callender's trial. Mr. Charles Lee, late Attorney-General U. S., followed-was nearly three hours, mostly on legal authorities. He is slow, but not inferior, in the part assigned him, to his predecessors.

Feb. 23, Saturday. Mr. Luther Martin, Attorney-General of Maryland, spoke five hours-did not conclude. Very pertinent, much law knowledge, and much well pointed humor.

Feb. 25, Monday. Mr. Luther Martin spoke nearly three hours, and concluded. Mr. Harper followed. He spoke five hours, and closed on the part of the Judge.

Feb. 26, Tuesday. Mr. Nicholson spoke two and a half hours. Mr. Rodney followed, and spoke about five hours when the Court adjourned, but he had not closed his plea. This evening at the British Minister's, by invitation to "Tea and Cards." General Wadsworth, General Chittenden, and myself, from our family. The company very large. About thirty-five members of both Houses of Congress, all the Heads of Departments, their ladies and daughters, many gentlemen and ladies of the City and Georgetown, and many strangers. The wives and daughters of members also present. I presume the number 150, or 200. Band of music, and a variety of entertainment.

Feb. 27, Wednesday. Mr. Rodney concluded his plea in about an hour. Then Randolph began, and spoke about three and a half hours-an outrageous, infuriated declamation,* which might have done honor to Marat, or Robespierre.

*John Quincy Adams, in his diary, says of this speech of Randolph, that it was, "Without order, connection, or argument; con

Feb. 28, Thursday. Sat long in the House. Attended to sundry preparations for journey home.

Mar. 1, Friday. At 12, the House attended the Court. Sentence pronounced. The President stated the question on each Article, and each member rose, and pronounced, guilty or not guilty. On an average of the votes, he was acquitted. by more than half. Spectators numerous, perfect order. In the House, Randolph made another mad speech, and proposed amendments to the Constitution. Tempest in the House.

Mar. 2, Saturday. Walked 15 miles. Dined at Mr. Merry's, by Mrs. Merry's invitation. She came twice to invite me. Presented me with Darwin. House sat till ten

o'clock.

Mar. 3, Sunday. House sat, but I did not attend till sunset, and left the House at eight. Stowed my trunk, and packed all my baggage, to start at 4 o'clock in the morning.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 1805.

To TEMPLE CUTLER. My Son:The attempt to remove the seat of government, though in a covert way, is renewed. The first step was to re-cede Alexandria to Virginia. This motion was taken up on Monday, and occupied the House four days. There was much spouting, and some handsome speaking. In the course of the debates, several of the more modest Democrats were seriously alarmed, and some expressed their sentiments with a degree of boldness. Out of doors, they conversed freely with the Federalists, who were to a man opposed to the motion. The people through the district were much alarmed, held their meetings, passed spirited resolutions, and petitioned Congress. To take off the ostensible reason which the friends of the motion have held for receding, the people,

sisting altogether of the most hackneyed commonplaces of popular declamation, mingled up with panegyrics and invectives upon persons, with a few well expressed ideas, a few striking figures, much distortion of face and contortion of body, tears, groans, and sobs, with occasional pauses for recollection, and continual complaints of having lost his notes."-Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, volume 1, page 359.

with much promptitude, are preparing to petition for a limited legislation, which would remove the complaint that Congress are obliged to spend much time in Legislating for them. During the debates the galleries were crowded with the people. But their fears are removed for the present. On taking the final question for receding: ayes, 46; nays, 72. An attempt was then made to recede the city, and Georgetown, but the numbers the same. In this business we have another instance of Democratic economy. The daily expenses of Congress, including contingencies, is calculated at about $1.400 per day. This foolish motion must have cost the United States more than $5,000. But it is now threatened to bring up the same question in the next Congress. It is generally believed here, that it is an implacable inveteracy (of hatred) felt against the place and the name of Washington, which is the real cause of all this exertion to remove the (seat) of government.

To DR. TORREY.

Your affectionate parent,

M. CUTLER.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 1805.

Dear Sir:As I have just now only a few moments to devote to this letter, I hasten to give you some further account of the very interesting business of which I began some detail in my last. I do not perfectly recollect where I left off, but I believe it was with the rising of the House on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday morning Mr. Jackson,* of Virginia, was first on the floor, in favor of the claims. He was long and pointedly severe on Randolph. I do not recollect the order, nor is it necessary to mention the speakers. All who were in favor of the claims noticed the outrage and abuse of Randolph. There was, at times, much warmth.

*John G. Jackson, of Clarksburg, Virginia, was a prominent figure in Virginia politics for many years. He was several times a member of the Virginia Legislature; was eight times elected a member of Congress; was appointed Judge of the United States Court for the Western District of Virginia, in 1819. Died, 1825.

Yesterday, as soon as the House came to order, the Speaker read a letter from Granger, addressed through him to the House, conceived in spirited but decent terms, complaining of the attempted attack upon his public and private character by a member, within the walls and on the floor of the House, requesting a public investigation (that is, an impeachment). Much agitation instantly appeared, and no inconsiderable noise on one side of the House. Mr. Varnum made a motion, in writing, for committing the letter to a select committee, to inquire and make a statement of facts. We were, in a few minutes, quite in the style of a French Convention. The Speaker could not keep order. Points of order were disputed. Appeals on questions of order were made from the chair to the House, and the question taken by calling the yeas and nays. But, in every instance, the decision was in favor of the chair, and against Randolph and his party. At length, to calm the tumult, a motion was made to postpone Varnum's motion until Monday, and prevailed. After the violence had subsided, the report on the claims was again called up. Eliot rose again, and redoubled his attack upon Randolph. I wish I could give you the substance of his speech, but neither paper nor time will permit. He took judicious ground, displayed firmness and spirit, and was much applauded by all the Federalists. Some others followed. At length, Randolph rose the second time. I did not note the time, but presume he spoke about two hours-if possible, more outrageous and violent than before. His party, as well as the rest, had an intolerable whipping again. He denounced them for joining the Federalists; told them he took his first Congressional degree in a minority; he had almost constantly, this session, when he was present at a vote, found himself in a minority, and had the mortification to see, in this republican House, those remains of an expiring Federal faction voting in a majority. (The fact is, the Federalists have carried nearly every vote. they have wished to carry; and it is supposed that, in twothirds of the votes, when we were disposed to unite, we were in the majority.)

Thus far the Democrats had occupied the field entirely; not a Federalist had opened his mouth, and the whole of the party