Beautiful day. I was very much occupied this morning so as to make it entirely impossible for me to execute my promise to Mr. Ladd. My Accounts just at this time are always somewhat important and my arrears of Diary always grow with my occupations. I have succeeded in assorting all the correspondence of Washington and Jefferson with my grandfather and took them this morning to the binder’s to be done up. This is something.

I send away daily a few more numbers of my Appeal. But no one yet 241does me the favor to intimate there is any such thing in existence. Can this last? Have I written and published entirely in vain?

Walk, which I am now driven to make short, and home. Afternoon taken up in writing. I continue my practice of copying such papers of a valuable character as I have found in the course of my examination of these papers. This took my Afternoon. In the evening I remained at home and read to my Wife from Beckfords little sketch of a visit to a couple of Portuguese Monasteries.1

Fine day. My father and Mr. Price Greenleaf were in the parlor when I got there. They had walked in from Quincy and were proposing to take breakfast. After this Meal was over, the latter took his leave while I accompanied my father on his way to return some visits. I called at my house 5. Acorn Street to see the Tenant who wished some repairs done. She was very reasonable. This made it very late before I got to the Office.

The Newspapers too were full of matter this morning. The Morning Post has at last come out in decided commendation of my Appeal.1 So far, so good. The Globe has also a Manifesto from the friends of Mr. McLean seceding from the Whig ranks,2 and at the presentation of the vase of silver last evening, Mr. Webster took occasion to repeat his ground upon the Executive Patronage bill as a sort of answer to my Pamphlet.3 I called to see Mr. Hallett and discoursed the matter over with him. He had seen and observed none of these things. This conversation made me so late that I did not find time to do any thing at the Office. Returned home.

According to engagement, Mr. Everett and Mr. Hallett dined in company with my father. Conversation chiefly political and an exposition of my father’s policy in the present state of affairs. He is as independent as he ever was and presents one of the singular instances in this Country where superior ability makes it felt in the policy of the Country. I do not think he can be imitated in this by any body. I certainly have no fancy for so thorny a path.

At seven, I left my company and went to the Theatre with my Wife, to see the Maid of Judah a piece founded upon Ivanhoe, the music of Rossini. It is a scene of constant clatter and motion, with music much too loud for my taste and without any decided character. The 242best portions of it were a concerted piece during the trial scene of the Jewess, a little chorus of Robin Hood’s men, borrowed however and inferior to those in the Freyschutz, and one or two of her songs. The roughness of a first representation was also a disadvantage.4 The omission in the Opera of the black knight strikes me as a great mistake. Mr. Wood as Ivanhoe, Mrs. Wood as Rebecca, Cedric of Rotherwood, Mr. Brough, who seemed to me out of voice. We sat with the Millers. The piece finished at ten and we returned home finding Mr. Hallett not gone. He went soon after however.