Missed Prayers and recitation this Morning, it being the last Exercise in the term. We found the day to be a pretty pleasant one, except that it was likely to be close and hot. I lounged and loitered for an hour or two about the Colleges waiting for the assignment of the parts for the next Exhibition to be declared. I had some interest in the matter myself as I have been talked of for some time as a candidate for one. My rank, I presumed, should have given me one but they did not think so or, from some other motive, I was left out. I was not sorry as I have a contemptible opinion of the exercise and have expressed myself desirous, if the Government would allow it, to be left out altogether. Should this not be the motive, or a desire that I might have an opportunity to rise still farther, I must confess, I should feel a little hurt, for it is depressing me in the opinion of the students and doing me no personal advantage as a recompense. Chapman received the Oration, according to expectation. I went in at different times, to catch a few words of the Exercises. It was a very wretched Exhibition. The parts in my own Class appeared as puerile as those I have seen at School,1 and the Oration fell short most astonishingly. The fact is, I doubt most exceedingly the powerful talents of Wilder, and always have as he, in my opinion, has never been more than a hard student.

This over, I dressed and prepared myself for Parade. We went over to the Captain’s room where we received company, from thence we went to Blake’s, and there formed the Parade. The company looked very well and the Officers were well set off. We went through the ceremony of receiving the standard and, after a recess of fifteen minutes in which we saw company again, we went to Professor Everett’s according to invitation. We were very politely received, I obtained an introduction to Mrs. Alexander Everett2 and had some pleasant 295conversation with her. She is quite an agreable woman. We went away in about an hour, after having spent it very agreably, our troops not in the best state. We marched them some time and then dismissed them before Prayers which I attended in Uniform. We spent the Evening at the Captain’s room in amusement but I was glad to get away to go to bed being much fatigued. X.