Fine day. I went to town, and passed my time as usual in Commissions and lounging. Took up a volume of Gibbon but found that I had so lost the connection of his book as to make it difficult to pursue, and not interesting. I therefore passed an hour at the Athenaeum, reading the Newspapers, and the Documents added to the Bank Report.1 The Alarm about the Cholera seems to be subsiding.

Returned to Quincy and on the whole passed rather an idle Afternoon. I wrote a little upon my Essay, imagining it on the whole to be better to employ myself in some manner upon it, than to lose all my ideas upon the subject. After tea, I went down to the Water and took a bath. It was warm enough, but there being no wind the weeds came up and made the surface appear stagnant. Evening quiet at home.