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Encloses a power of attorney authorizing John Marshall to draw what is due Thomas on account of grandfather Colonel Thomas Marshall's halt pay; discusses Congress and the Nullification crisis; mentions Judge Henry Baldwin's misfortune and that Judge Smith Thompson is in town. Power of attorney granting John Marshall the right to draw the money due Thomas A. Marshall as heir to Colonel Thomas Marshall, Revolutionary War veteran entitled to the half pay pension; signed by Justice of the Peace D.A. Hall.

Sends his respects to the Chief Justice; makes arrangements to see him.

Presents his compliments to Marshall; called at his lodgings twice this morning, but John Marshall was not in; regrets that he will not be able to dine with him due to a previous engagement. Original is located in the Collection of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, on deposit at Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia.

Upset at the news of Rawleigh Colston's loss, and of the postponement of John Marshall's visit to Buckpond, stating "the thoughts of seeing you once more...is a principle means of keeping me alive"; is pleased with his son's "part...in the present Storm"; would like to see his grandsons but fears the journey would tax their youthful constitutions; discusses his potential bequests of his property to the family; mentions he has paid taxes on John Marshall's military land, but not on that which he gave to his grandson, Thomas Marshall in Fayette County, Kentucky; thinks that "the political Horizon [is about] to clear up"; asks Marshall to notify Colonel Edward Carrington that John Marshall has sent Mr. Peyton Shorts's accounts to Mr. Oliver Wolcott.

Has received his letter concerning news of the birth of Margaret Lewis Marshall's nephew; mentions health of his family, including the children's whooping cough; prices in the Alexandria flour market and how the dry weather is affecting crops; writes of his own agricultural efforts, including the operation of a large roller for his corn fields; has been unable to send down the horses; will attend a sale at Westover on Mr. Lewis's request; Mr. Lewis, Mr. Colston, and Mr. Charles B. Smith are not able to take the horses to him or to Aunt Carrington.

Discusses the addition James K. Marshall is making to the house at Leeds for his father John Marshall; mentions Jaquelin Marshall's experiences of housing slaves in basements at Prospect Hill; mentions the weather and growth of crops and the health of Thomas Marshall's daughter Mary; Aunt Elizabeth (Marshall) Colston is in poor health and will probably not visit Richmond this Winter; Thomas Marshall's son John's plans have changed and he has bought Mr. Smith's tract of land; tell Mr. Tiffin that the girls have never received the box of articles he sent to Mr. Cawood by steamboat.

Was lucky he came down on Tuesday, for he found his daughter Nancy ill, which has caused them to postpone their return to Weyanoke, Virginia; has done a little transferring for Father; has been playing chess with Mr. James Taylor of Norfolk; instructs his daughter Agnes to attend to her studies in Richmond; hopes Mary Willis (Ambler) Marshall's trip to Chickahominy did not fatigue her.

Thanks him for a copy of John Marshall's history of the English colonies of North America which Joseph Story delivered a few weeks earlier; quotes Lord Kames (?) from his The Gentleman Farmer; "I disregard the present rebellion of our Americans; for they will soon be reduced to obedience;" discusses present westward movement of the American population and predicts a new western confederacy of the movement of the national capital westward in the next generation; comments upon John Marshall's statements on slavery, mentioning Colonel Edward Carrington's and Mr. Thomas Jefferson's views on miscegenation and the Colonization Society's efforts; discusses Georgia's Governor George M. Troup's detested views on the slaves and Creek Indians, which seem to be held by most Georgians, who would defy the authority of the Union if they dared; that authority rests on "the purity, the intellegence and the firmness" of the Supreme Court; hopes John Marshall long remains at the head.

Has read Mr. William Branch Giles's latest article in the Richmond Enquirer on John Quincy Adams, which attributes his John Quincy Adams's "past conversion to Jeffersonism" to "his own personal promotion and aggrandizement;" Giles claims that Adams's message indicated his intentions to introduce unlimited powers into the government, but Pickering disagrees; discusses Adams's policies regarding internal improvements, a national university, and the promotion of agriculture, all of which Washington recommended, and their constitutionality; discusses Giles, his character, and his political ambitions; writes of James Monroe's and William Pinckney's treaty with Great Britain and their letter to Congress, Monroe's bid for the Presidency, and his subsequent reconciliation with Jefferson; mentions Secretary of the State Robert Smith's correspondence with the British Minister Jackson; his resignation, and published defense; discusses the death of Virginian US District Court Judge Cyrus Griffin and the appointment of his successor John Tyler, ex-Governor of Virginia; which was made to make room for Monroe as Governor; Monroe was appointed to the State Department, "the vestibule to the President's Palace," when Smith resigned; discusses Jefferson's motives for not laying the treaty with Great Britain before Congress; concludes with Joseph Hopkinson's thoughts on Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe.

Is gratified by the compliments Marshall paid to him in his last letter, and hopes to continue his service to the country; has not learned if Serruier is charged with any special orders to the government; Turreau has for some time desired to return to France; asks Marshall for a proper statement of an anecdote concerning Temple Franklin and Benjamin Franklin Bache's unsuccessful attempts to establish a newspaper, which Marshall related to him last year.