The morning opened with another Snow Storm which bid fair to add considerably to the mass that was already upon the ground. It stopped however after heaping up about nine inches. I went to the Office as usual and occupied myself in writing and reading Enfield in whose work I made some progress owing to my quiet. But the History of Philosophy among the Jews and Saracens is of comparatively small interest to me. They had few very great men and my previous notions of them have not been heightened by reading this Account. Mr. Degrand called in for a moment to ask a question or two relative to the state of the Corporation Stock of the City of Washington. I gave him what information I had which was not much, nor very flattering.

Returned home and after dinner tried to sit upstairs but was driven out from the quantity of smoke. I reviewed however the Oration for the Comedian Roscius. Much of it is evidence exploded in our day from Courts of Law. Hearsay, Probability which are lean supports for eloquence. Yet the ingenuity of the argument is wonderful. The Oration is also remarkable for containing the account of the prices paid to Roscius for Acting, which are enormous, and prove to what a state of luxury the Romans had arrived. Evening wasted, excepting progress in the Latin Grammar and two Numbers of the Tatler.