t brig to France, probably to carry
despatches. He has chosen as the bearer of these, one Humphreys, the son
of a ship-carpenter, ignorant, under age, not speaking a word of French,
most abusive of that nation; whose only merit is, the having mobbed and
beaten Bache on board the frigate built here, for which he was indicted
and punished by fine.

April the 25th. At a dinner given by the bar to the federal judges,
Chase and Peters, present about twenty-four lawyers, and William
Tilghman in the chair, this toast was given; 'Our _King_ in old
England.' Observe the double entendre on the word King. Du Ponceau,
who was one of the bar present, told this to Tench Coxe, who told me
in presence of H. Tazewell. Dallas was at the dinner; so was Colonel
Charles Sims of Alexandria, who is here on a law-suit vs. General
Irving.

May the 3rd. The President some time ago appointed Steele, of Virginia,
a commissioner to the Indians, and recently Secretary of the Mississippi
Territory. Steele was a Counsellor of Virginia, and was voted out by the
Assembly because he turned tory. He then offered for Congress, and was
rejected by the people. Then offered for the Senate of Virginia, and was
rejected. The President has also appointed Joseph Hopkinson commissioner
to make a treaty with the Oneida Indians. He is a youth of about
twenty-two or twenty-three, and has no other claims to such an
appointment than extreme toryism, and the having made a poor song to the
tune of the President's March.

October the 13th, 1798. Littlepage, who has been on one or two missions
from Poland to Spain, said that when Gardoqui returned from America,
he settled with his court an account of secret service money, of six
hundred thousand dollars. _Ex relatione_ Colonel Monroe.

January, 1799. In a conversation between Doctor Ewen and the President,
the former said one of his sons was an aristocrat, the other a democrat.
The President asked if it were not the youngest who was the democrat.
'Yes,' said Ewen. 'Well,' said the President, 'a boy of fifteen who
is not a democrat is good for nothing, and he is no better who is a
democrat at twenty.' Ewen told Hurt, and Hurt told me.

January the 14th. Logan tells me that in his conversation with Pickering
on his arrival, the latter abused Gerry very much; said he was a traitor
to his country, and had deserted the post to which he was appointed;
that the French temporized at first with Pinckney, but found hi