Arose and after breakfast sat down to the important business of writing my Journal which has on account of my frequent change of residence lately, gone very much behind hand. I kept myself writing a considerable part of the morning. My account of this month will be rather short however in consequence of this. I am the more inclined to regret this as some scenes there are in the latter part of this month which deserve more full notice. I might have written much more fully even than is my common custom had I not thought I had better not discourage myself and rather keep the book up regularly than risk neglect. In a vacation, there are so many occasions which call a man’s attention off and he himself feels as if he was not to be under restraint, that it is my principal wish to have no more to do than one or at most two day’s, which were as many as ten at that time.

After dinner I determined to have some amusement and therefore walked down to Neponset where I practiced a little while at billiards. Mr. Miller of Quincy and a brother in law of his, a Mr. Nicholson, came in and I played with them. The former is a fat, prosy country gentleman, who could fill in England the place of a fox hunting Squire exceedingly well, but here, he has wealth, a little influence and pleases himself altogether. A little coarseness and much self importance but on the whole not an exceedingly disagreable man. The other appears to be a very gentlemanly man and quite intelligent. A judgment as to this latter character can hardly be made at a billiard table but I was certainly considerably pleased with his manner. He had not the vulgarity, though this is a little too harsh a name, of his companion. We played sometime and came off almost even all round, I believe. I walked home and felt myself somewhat fatigued as this was pretty active exercise. George came out in the stage this Evening and so did Miss Harriet Welsh but my Father did not make his appearance as was expected. I spent the Evening with my Grandfather, he is more fond of conversation now and less of reading than he used to be, and 304this difference is perceptible. After he had retired, I sat up and talked with George on College and all other interesting subjects until very late. XI:30.