Referring to this appointment, Mr. Monroe wrote Gen. Jackson as follows, under date of March 1, 1817:—­“I shall take a person for the Department of State from the eastward; and Mr. Adams, by long service in our diplomatic concerns appearing to be entitled to the preference, supported by his acknowledged abilities and integrity, his nomination will go to the Senate.”  Gen. Jackson, in his reply, remarks:—­“I have no hesitation in saying you have made the best selection to fill the Department of State that could be made.  Mr. Adams, in the hour of difficulty, will be an able helpmate, and I am convinced his appointment will afford general satisfaction.”  This prediction was well founded.  The consummate ability exhibited by Mr. Adams in foreign negotiations had elevated him to a high position in the estimation of his countrymen.  His selection for the State Department was received with very general satisfaction throughout the Union.

On receiving notice of his appointment to this responsible office, Mr. Adams, with his family, embarked for the United States, on board the packet-ship Washington, and landed in New York on the 6th of August, 1817.

A few days after his arrival, a public dinner was given Mr. Adams, in Tammany Hall, New York.  The room was elegantly decorated.  In the centre was a handsome circle of oak leaves, roses, and flags—­the whole representing, with much effect, our happy Union—­and from the centre of which, as from her native woods, appeared our eagle, bearing in her beak this impressive scroll:—­

  “Columbia, great Republic, thou art blest,
  While Empires droop, and Monarchs sink to rest.”

Gov.  De Witt Clinton, the Mayor of New York, and about two hundred citizens of the highest respectability, sat down to the table.  Among other speeches made on the occasion, was the following from an English gentleman, a Mr. Fearon, of London:—­

“As several gentlemen have volunteered songs, I would beg leave to offer a sentiment, which I am sure will meet the hearty concurrence of all present.  But, previous to which, I desire to express the high satisfaction which this day’s entertainment has afforded me.  Though a native of Great Britain, and but a few days in the United States, I am for the first time in my life in a free country, surrounded by free men; and when I look at the inscription which decorates your eagle, I rejoice that I have been destined to see this day.  A great number of the enlightened portion of my countrymen advocate your cause—­admire your principles.  And though we have, unfortunately, been engaged in a war, I trust the result has taught wisdom to both parties.  In your political institutions you have set a noble example, which, if followed throughout the world, will rescue mankind from the dominion of those tyrants who jeer at the destruction which they produce—­

  ’Like the moonbeams on the blasted heath,
  Mocking its desolation.’