Morning cloudy but it afterwards cleared away. We now have regular winter weather and with no trifling severity. It snows almost every night. Office. Time given to business and Diary. Mr. Degrand called with an offer of some Suffolk Insurance Stock which I closed with as reasonable for Thomas B. Adams.

Walked into State Street. The President of the Office Mr. Perkins asked me if the report was true that my father was selling off Insurance Stock for fear of war with France. Such is the world! What could give rise to this unless conjecture! Could it be a casual remark of mine to the President of the Fire and Marine Office upon my sale of that Stock? This strange notion actually depresses the price of Insurance Stock.

Took my usual walk. After it read Ovid, Roman mythology and quite dull. Afternoon, reviewing and clearing up the rubbish of Papers, accummulated. Evening, d’Israeli and Oberon.