The North West wind makes our weather exceedingly cool, but it keeps it clear. I went to the Office. Read the History of the United States, the first volume of which I finished. It is a poor superficial affair. A good deal of time taken up in little Commissions of various kinds. To the Athenaeum and thence to walk. Went to South Boston which is a dreary walk. Home to dine.

Afternoon, finished the Memoirs of Cardinal de Retz. On the whole, they present no pleasing picture. He makes himself out a man of not very agreeable character to that of his profession, and he no doubt varnishes his case as far as possible—At least so says his Companion Guy Joli, whose memoirs come next. I do not know what has induced me to take to this line of reading. Perhaps I should do better to drop it. I have a hundred other things to learn of more consequence.

Evening at home. Read the Bible, Mrs. Genlis’ second volume of les Parvenus, and Mrs. Trollope. The latter is really too absurd. Afterwards I resumed German but being tired of Dr. Follen’s German Reader which I am satisfied is a very poor book for beginners, I took up at once Schiller’s History of the Thirty years war which I found easy.1