Christmas day. A mild and cloudy day which ended in settled rain. I amused myself with Voltaire’s Correspondence. The letters to the Marquis d’Argental are particularly good. Then out. But as there was no fire made in the Office, I took a walk and then to the Athenaeum to take a look at the periodical literature of the time of which I have lately lost sight. Found nothing but some letters of Coleridge which only satisfy me more that he was not the great mind he tried to imagine himself. When a man is always complaining of the poverty of language in the face of Shakespeare who never had studied it, and of Milton who had, the inference is rather against himself than the object of his complaint.

Returned home and read Persius finishing the sixth Satire. I propose now to take up the prose writers, and as one of the principal, 292Livy’s History. This will be a luxury instead of the task. Juvenal and Persius are both hard authors not so much from the construction as the perpetual allusion to the local customs which require a thorough acquaintance with the economy of the people. Afternoon, at work upon my former undertaking of copying out passages from my Grandfather’s papers. This whole business goes on so very languidly I fear it will never be accomplished. I will resume the business of assorting and binding after New Year.

Evening, To the Play with my Wife. Massaniello. This part of the Fisherman by Mr. Wood. Princess Elvira, Mrs. Wood. Pietro, Mr. Brough. The music of this piece is prodigiously brilliant. The Choruses are very magnificent and were better executed to night than I have ever known them. But the female character is not one for display, and he though generally a better performer did not give the same effect to the last scene as Mr. Sinclair used to.1 The House was crowded. A ludicrous farce before the Opera—My fellow Clerk.

Mild with heavy and settled rain all day. I went to the Office and occupied myself with accounts. Mr. Walsh came in. The news from Washington is that the question of Slavery is driving every thing else out of view. My father has opened upon it rather to my regret although not to my surprise.1 The excitement seems to be so intense as to threaten the worst consequences. This comes in the midst of Accounts portending a rupture with France. Our statesmen and politicians of the present day are small in calibre. The passage of six years has already involved the Country prodigiously. And six more, according to present appearances will hardly pass without making the people sensible how much they have paid for their whistle.

Mr. Hallett called in and sat a couple of hours. His object to disclose to me the result of an interview by request with Mr. Everett. It seems that the Pennsylvania nomination proves the death blow to the hopes of Mr. Webster, that under the indignation consequent upon it, as well as the sense of his own danger in perseverance, he and his friends wish now to come in under the shelter of Mr. Van Buren’s influence, and that Mr. E. is anxious to make an effort to consolidate a party which made up of Whigs and Antimasons shall enable him to resist the decided attack that will next year be made upon him. In 293addition to these preliminaries in this quarter, comes a letter from one of the National Antimasonic Committee, Mr. Ward, very strongly intimating that the seceders from the Harrisburgh Convention friendly to Mr. Webster are disposed to take up Mr. Van Buren and for that end have nominated thirty two delegates to the National Convention, which at the same time the National Committee have announced as to take place in May at Philadelphia. Above all the injunction laid upon Mr. Hallett is to say nothing or do nothing against Mr. Webster, as that might affect the plan. This whole apparatus gives an entirely new aspect to political affairs and is calculated to throw me back as far as ever from any influence upon them. I have been all along dreading this event which will if followed out have the result of reestablishing the tyrannical and treacherous domination which the election of this year had completely shaken. Mr. Webster through his friends has certainly committed himself most desperately against the course he now inclines to pursue; that he changes so readily only shows the extreme flexibility of his character, and principles. After consulting the matter over, we came to the conclusion in the first place to refuse to acknowledge the self elected delegation from Pennsylvania as the true representatives in Convention of that State. Indeed the idea that ten seceders from a Convention of 140 and more, from all the Counties in the State, six of them from a single burrough of Pittsburgh, assuming the ground that the body exceeded their powers in nominating a candidate for the Presidency, when the six had been instructed to support Mr. Webster, can represent the Antimasons to the exclusion of the Governor and all the men of Official influence of the State together with a formal vote of this full Convention declining to be represented, is the height of absurdity. Considering then the formal vote alluded to as an expression of the real opinion of the Majority, it put Pennsylvania out of the proposed Convention. Rhode Island has also declined being represented there. And Massachusetts has refused to acknowledge delegates from New York and Ohio where the party organization has not been kept up. Thus a Convention becomes merely a meeting of Massachusetts and Vermont delegates to confer upon general matters having no bearing upon the Presidency. Thus I hope the idea of a Webster-Van Buren-Antimasonic Convention will fail. The next point is to ascertain how Mr. Van Buren stands disposed to receive Mr. Webster. If he does, the Antimasons will inevitably be crushed and I must bid good bye to a troubled sea the floating upon which at all makes me very often qualmish. If he does not, why then Mr. Webster and his friends must stand aloof in our 294places. I am very indifferent about the result. And in the mean time, take some gratification in looking back upon a few past months and observing how even handed justice has commended the poison prepared for others back to their own lips. A miserable scheme has most miserably ended.

The conference ended and I went home but I must see Alex. H. Everett about it’s subject matter. He is, I fear, not in a situation beyond the whistle of the Webster party. They can promise him what he wants, bread to eat. I went home and forgot politics in Livy’s Preface and commencement of the History.2 The Afternoon was consumed in finishing my work of pasting my last Essays and a few labels. Evening finished the first Volume of the works of Madame Junot. A pleasant variety to me who have against my usual habit been out so much this week.