Morning clear and cool. I went to the House with a view to meet the surveyor1 who was coming out to measure the work. He came and was occupied all day. The house was this day vacated by all but the painters who are now going over all the inside work. I went over it and regarded it on the whole as what I wished, though I should have been as well satisfied with less. The road is also going on slowly.

Home but unable to fix upon anything, tried to write but failed. Afternoon, partially wasted. Read however some of Humboldt and with the children in the evening playing Loto. Miss Beale and Miss Wales came in and had been setting half an hour when I perceived through the window a light which spread gradually until it looked like a conflagration. On going out, I perceived it was from the shavings piled up by me in the valley west of my house, to which some mischief loving person had applied a match. I felt uneasy and went up the hill to watch its progress. Many town people attracted by the light. The conjecture appeared to be that somebody had caused this with a view to break up an abolition lecture to be delivered by Mr. May. I did not hear whether it succeeded.

There was a Convention of Representatives of towns in the 12th Congressional District, here today approving of my father’s course. I did not attend it. Home by eleven and all going out.