Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13
th1799
In your last favour you requested me to point out the appointments
that have been thought improper I undertake the task with much pleasure conscious that I
have no other interest but the good and wellfare of my Country at heart.1 Your hopes with respect to Daubeny are or may be
fulfilled I know him to be well attached to Government but I also know he is an
unskilful Sailor I know he is a Fop and as such regarded by all men of Maritime
knowledge He has suffered much by giving out that he was first Lieutenant of Talbots
Ship. Captain Talbot though an Excellent brave man is not a regular bred Sailor, and it
is therefore necessary his second should be a perfect Seaman.2 I Can easily perceive what difficulties you have
to encounter with nominations, I now give you an instance of what is called
recommendations. The inclosed will show you the real character of a man recommended by
some of the first Characters in this City Col Morton mentioned to me the other day that
he was mortified at having signed his name to a request for appointment for a Mr John Shute, That he did not know the man but was led to it
by seeing the signature of Alderman Furman. The Character of this man Shute you will see
in the enclosed letter.3 I told Col
Morton that if recommendations were signed thus hastily we as a Country should have much
to lament. I then shew him that part of your letter where you mention that no person
well attached to the Government should recommend without a religious beleif of the
propriety of the recommendation He agreed perfectly.
Mr Shute who was formerly a deputy
Sheriff came to me one morning and gave me a paper to sign. Never having seen him before
I requested to know its purport he said it was merely a petition to the secretary of the
Navy. I told him I had never seen him before I had never seen the Secretary of the Navy
and it was rather a curious circumstance he should apply to me. He said he was
astonished that Genl Hamilton had requested him to call on
me and had no idea of a refusall Thus You see in what manner things are conducted I will
give you my honor that whenever an appointment from New York is contemplated to give you
an honest and true account of the merits of the Candidates
With real affection I am Your son
sAdams4
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “The President of the United States /
Philadelphia”; endorsed by William Smith Shaw: “Charles Adams Esqr / Feb 19th rec 20th 1799.”
Not found.
On 11 May 1798 JA recommissioned Silas Talbot
(1751–1813), for whom see JA, Papers
, 11:355–356, a captain in the U.S. Navy, a prelude to his command
of the frigate Constitution from 1799 to 1801. Isaac Hull
(1773–1843), for whom see
CFA, Diary
, 2:130, was appointed second in command under Talbot.
Hull was noted for his seamanship and skills as a commander and served as an officer
on the frigate’s two previous cruises (
DAB
; William M. Fowler
Jr., Silas Talbot: Captain of Old Ironsides, Mystic,
Conn., 1995, p. 152–153).
Enclosure not found. John Shute was probably one of the 62 men
who on 19 March 1799 volunteered their services to Alexander Hamilton to march to
Northampton Co., Penn., to help quell Fries’ Rebellion. Both Gabriel Furman and
Richard Furman were New York aldermen, Gabriel since 1792 and Richard since 1797 (Hamilton, Papers
, 22:557; Historical Sketch of the Board
of Supervisors of the County of New York, N.Y., 1862, p. 13–14).
This is the last extant letter to or from CA.