Morning cloudy, but it cleared up afterwards and became warm. Rode to town. My horse gave me a great strain as he took to running after being so unlucky as to trip. An affair attended with no little 297danger and fatigue. On the whole this horse of my father’s is not troubled with many good qualities. At the Office where I wrote my Journal and read Hutchinson. Went upon Change and heard the news of the King’s death from England.1 A circumstance which may produce important results in Europe.

Being tired of hunting after investments I concluded to purchase some of the Boylston Insurance Stock after consulting Mr. J. H. Foster. I was compelled to give eight and a quarter advance but even at that rate I think it cheaper than nearly all other stock. So I bought fifteen shares for my father and three for myself.2

John came in from Quincy with my father and spent an hour at my Office. At the usual time, he went out with me to Medford. My father and Robert Buchanan went to Medford through Charlestown. Mr. and Mrs. Everett came also, and with the family constituted the Company to dinner. It was tolerably pleasant and in the afternoon we went over the grounds. They left us at six o’clock to return. John and Robert are both going next week. The latter looks quite sick. Evening warm and quiet. I felt extremely fatigued.

Morning sultry. I did rejoice at the recurrence of this day, as somehow or other I was excessively tired from the labour of last week. This rambling life is a little too disagreeable, yet my Wife is not pleased in being alone, particularly when all the rest of the family are out of town.

Attended divine service and heard Mr. E. B. Hall in the morning and Mr. Stetson in the afternoon. The former succeeded very well. His manner is good, his delivery uncommonly proper in the Pulpit. He manifested today the evident superiority this gives to a man in other respects not remarkable. The latter gentleman exhibited precisely the reverse of the proposition.

The day was very warm. In the afternoon I read some of Dr. Parr’s Life and felt more interest in it, though on the whole I am yet disappointed. It is not well arranged. Heard my wife’s lesson of French which also took up time. We had a thunder shower in the evening. Mr. Jonathan Brooks and Dr. Swan paid a visit in the evening, and the former amused us as usual with his Yankee shrewdness.