Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 8
1839-01-25
Mild and pleasant. Division as usual. Evening at Dr. Frothingham’s and Governor Everett’s.
The cold proved but a short blast of the keen polar wind, and today was mild again. My time was taken up in part by finishing arrears of business at the Office and by a wild goose chase in quest of one of my departed tenants, who has not merely vacated the house but like the dog in the manger policy refuses to let any one else into it.
Continued the review of Electra and after dinner finished the remainder of the Athenaeum collection of coins. This has been a very long work and I am not sorry it is well over.1 I propose to number them and send them home.
Evening I went to Dr. Frothingham’s and there talked until nine o’clock when I crossed over to the house of the Governor’s to a meet-179ing of the members of the Legislature by invitation. As I had no acquaintance with most of them I felt disposed to make my visit very short. And I got back in a few minutes. Home by ten.
CFA had completed the “Catalogue of Brass Coins of the Roman Empire belonging to the Boston Athenaeum” in 120 pages and would dispatch it, along with the coins “assorted” and “in covers,” and a letter to the Trustees on 31 Jan. (MBAt). On 11 Feb., Nathaniel I. Bowditch, secretary pro tem. of the Athenaeum, wrote him on behalf of the Trustees that the “Gentlemen were very much pleased with the manner in which the coins were arranged and directed the Standing Committee to have the catalogue bound” and that the board had ordered recorded their thanks for the “skilfully prepared” catalogue (Adams Papers). The catalogue remains at MBAt; a photocopy is in MHi.