Morning at the Office. Nothing to interrupt me as a Southerly rain had set in which prevented much going out, and threatened to inundate the City. But it stopped in time to prevent much inconvenience. My time was wasted reading the Reports of the different sides of the Committee upon the question of repealing the 25th Section of the Judiciary Law.1 I think neither of them have much merit. The question itself is a plain one and supports itself by it’s own strength.

I received a letter from my Mother in very good spirits, which I was delighted to find.2 Returned home and passed the afternoon in reading the first Oration against Verres, being the only one which Cicero 416delivered. I did not have time enough to finish it though very short. The Law questions are puzzling. In the evening I looked over Buffon’s Theorie de la Terre3 but did not finish the paper upon it. After which I went on with the Port Royal Latin Grammar and read the usual numbers of the Tatler.