Morning at the Office, and in the Supreme Court where I listened to a case of not much importance. This is the day upon which Genl. Jackson takes upon himself the responsibility of government. It is the day consummating the triumph of his party, and was celebrated accordingly by his partisans here who have never been numerous in this 353quarter, but who were anxious to make some display on this occasion. Guns were fired, the troops paraded and so forth. My father is now a private citizen after a long life of public service. I hope he will feel pleasure in the circumstance, but have yet to see how the change will become him. Four years since, the scene was different and I took my part in the pride and in the pleasure. Now I feel little regret, and little interest in the matter. I could not help thinking that it might be a trying day at Washington though it was not so here.

Afternoon, engaged in writing and reading on the subject of the Banks, and copied very clumsily my Note of the Argument in the morning. I will make an attempt to open the first subject distinctly, and therefore passed a part of the evening arranging and digesting it.

Morning at the Office and in the Supreme Court. Arguments to unimportant Cases. The weather rainy at first, which afterwards changed to a snow storm. Nothing occurred in the afternoon and I did not pass it very busily, although I reflected upon the subject of Banks. The evening was got through with a very dull manner at home, I being uncommonly heavy and sleepy.

Morning at the Office and in the Supreme Court. Heard an argument in the case of the N.E. Ins. Company against D’Wolf, which I heard in the trial at Nisi Prius. It was interesting and I took a Note of it.1 The weather cleared up in the afternoon. I went home earlier than usual and looked over a File of my Letters to my Mother written last year. They were exceedingly interesting and I did not cease until I read them through. This occupied until late in the evening, and I did nothing else.

I attended in the Supreme Court as much as I could but was exceedingly interrupted divers times during the morning. This I regretted the less on the whole as there was not much of interesting matter going on. Indeed I cannot say I lost any thing. But my time passed rapidly. The afternoon was occupied in arranging my materials 354for what I should say, and the usual duty of writing to my Mother, which was not so interesting as usual because from some reason or other, I cannot find so much subject to write about. In the evening, I attended the meeting of the Debating Society and opened the subject. The attendance was thin and I did not feel inspired, the subject passed much as usual. I was dis-appointed in regard to the animation of the subject and the subject. The other members of the Committee overruling me.