Morning cold and Cloudy, making quite a dull day. I went to the Office as usual and was quite uninterrupted all the morning. My father’s Affairs trouble me considerably for now I have all my Tenants in arrears, and they do not come to me to make settlement but leave me to go to them, which is mighty disagreeable. Mr. Gay came to tell me that Whitney had put his case in their hands, and to beg that I would compound for three hundred dollars. I told him I thought it hard, but he said that I had better take it. Upon reflecting and consulting Mr. Kinsman I thought I would take 350 and will make the proposition tomorrow, as a final one, if rejected I then will refer it to my father and finally to arbitration, which will prevent going to Law. This is a monstrous disagreeable business but so it is.

I passed most of the morning in reading Williston and finished most of the Speeches of modern time in Congress, many of which hardly 177merit insertion in a Collection of Eloquence. The Speech of Mr. McDuffie however is an able effort, it stands well compared with the rest.1 Mr. Webster’s second part reached us this morning.2 It is better than the first and really powerful, but I cannot help feeling regret at the occasion being so small. As my Wife passed the day at Mrs. Frothingham’s, I went to dine there and had a time pretty much as usual. Returning to my room, I resumed Demosthenes but after such an interval that my relish for it today was injured. I completed my usual quantity however. The abuse of Aeschines is a little in bad taste, according to our present notions. He speaks of his Mother in a manner which would in these days provoke a duel. In the evening, I finished reading to Abby, Romeo and Juliet, and commenced King Lear, but my voice was so husky that I hardly did it justice. Afterwards I continued Lord Kaimes. Beauty of language.