Cold and slight snow. I went to the Office. Received some letters, one from my father detailing the preceding acts of Congress, and his own position which is somewhat between parties.1 I remained but a short time at the Office, as I thought I would go down and have a little conversation with A. H. Everett upon the information given to me by Mr. Hallett.

I found him at home and after returning to him the letter which he had lent me from my father, I disclosed to him the substance of the Saturday’s conversation. Mr. Hallett had already been with him so that the greater part of it was not new. But I found there was a much greater softening of the details of the conference with E. Everett. I suppose there must have been an object in this, but I was obliged to communicate its substance in order to secure my object. I however did not state it nearly in so positive a manner as I received it. My main design in seeking this conference was to see what Mr. E’s own disposition is. I know his circumstances must be very much straitened, his present support, nothing at all; he has been a little blown upon by the men who rule the Jackson party here and has as yet no certainty of support from any Quarter. In any projected change of course on the part of Mr. Webster and E. Everett the first step would necessarily be an admission of wrong to Alexander and a desire to conciliate both him and the Antimasons. A promise to provide for him would therefore be easily made. The course of the Jackson party might make this alternative the only one. But I found there was feeling in the matter. The evidence of the change was all canvassed, and the urgencies from Pennsylvania. After which his opinion was freely expressed that we should go on. Keep up the fire under which it is evident Mr. Webster’s friends are quailing.

Mr. Everett proposes to go to Washington in a few days and there to see Mr. Van Buren. I hope he will do better, although this is a warning example of the folly of men in embracing a political career 296without money to support them. The horrors of dependence upon the popular breeze. The horrors of poverty in the midst of wealth and of corruption. I pity Mr. Everett, Mr. Webster and all that race of men whose ambition runs away with their principle and prudence. For the rest, Mr. Everett thought less of the evidence upon which I formed my opinion than I did.

Home to read Livy. Afternoon occupied in writing an answer to my father which did not satisfy me. Evening, read to my Wife aloud from that ever interesting old Novel, Gil Blas.2

Day mild. I went to the Office, where I was engaged for the most part in looking over the Quarter’s Accounts and bringing down the affairs of my Agency as usual. This took some time, after which I went out to pay various Accounts I was anxious to clear off previous to New Year. I meant to have taken a walk but was disappointed as happens more often than not. Called in to see Mr. Brooks and inquire how Mr. Everett’s child is. It is Grace, the third who is suffering from a disease in the head hardly ascertained. The Accounts are not encouraging.

On my return to my Office, I found there A. H. Everett. He called only to know if I had any further information relative to the subject discussed yesterday. He had not seen the editorial column of the Atlas which has today no leaning to Mr. Van Buren, on the contrary intimates a determination to persevere with Mr. Webster until the election goes to the House when Harrison or any person might be selected to the exclusion of Mr. Van Buren. At the same time, the Globe of this morning’s mail has a biting Commentary upon Mr. Webster’s Antimasonic Letter.1 This is all the new evidence and is satisfactory so far as it goes.

Mr. Everett had hardly gone before Mr. Hallett came in with Letters from some of the seceders in Pennsylvania who want to get up a National Convention, for their own special benefit. Mr. Irwin and Mr. Gilleland are both connected with the Pittsburgh Times and were delegates from that place to the late Convention. They write under the excitement of defeat and mortified pride. The tone is bad and the subject matter is not good enough to make up for it. The substance is an urgent call upon us to give over hostilities to Mr. Webster—deserted on all sides, they say he seeks shelter with the Antimasons. Joined with this are projects in plenty ingenious but utterly without basis, evidently straws at which these drowning men are catching. They have committed a folly and must now set about repenting to which they are ill disposed. Mr. H. read to me his reply which I thought extremely judicious. He then read to me a letter from Dutee J. Pearce in which he mentions the fact that Mr. Blair, Editor of the Globe is a bigotted Mason which satisfactorily accounts for a great many things. Also some propositions to encourage the Advocate founded upon Patronage. I told him that if he could make the paper go on without it, it would be better, but if not, better take it, than lose that. I saw no principle in the way. For the rest, we again talked over the proposed course which we agreed to be, not to acknowledge the seceders as the party, to discourage a National Convention but not absolutely to refuse to go into it. This conversation consumed all my time devoted to the Classics and intrenched even upon the dinner hour.

Home. Afternoon, continued my reply to my father’s letter, a very poor thing and not such as I ought to send but my time is not sufficiently abundant to allow of writing over. I shall hardly be able as it is, to copy and despatch it before New Year.2

Evening, I went with my Wife to the Theatre. The new Opera of the Somnambula or the Sleepwalker—Music by Bellini a young man who died a martyr to his musical enthusiasm. The plot is simple. Amina, (Mrs. Wood) is betrothed to Elvino (Mr. Wood) on a day when the Lord of the territory Count Rhodolpho (Mr. Brough) happens to come to the Inn. He is shown to the haunted chamber. Amina walks into it in her Sleep and falls on the bed. She sings however a song which leads Rodolpho to respect her mistake and leave the room. The tenants coming at dawn to salute their Lord find in his place and bed Amina. This produces a breach, which is only healed by a subsequent strong evidence of her tendency and by Rodolpho’s decided testimony. The piece then ends happily. The music is sustained throughout, full of melody and character, occasionally passionate and 298then pathetic with some extraordinarily poetical conceptions. The Chorus is fine and for once very well done. On the whole, a very delightful piece. Such a one as I love to hear. It is delicious.3