Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 6
1836-01-15
Mild weather. Office—Papers as usual. Nothing important. Called upon T. K. Davis and asked him to dine with me tomorrow. His acceptance made it necessary for me to hunt about for company to 310meet him, which I did. This took off time which might have been better spent.
Called at the Advocate Office about my fourth number, but they are all there at a stand still. The Editor means to make a pamphlet of the numbers, and to write a preface. He thus hold in type so much of the material of the Office that the rest cannot be made out.1
Walk to the Athenaeum and round home. Afternoon. Continued the work upon the Papers and finished the arrangement of all which I have relating to the Department of State. These alone would make two volumes and are evidently incomplete. Mr. Brooks passed a couple of hours here with us and took tea. Nothing new however. After he went we did not do much. The remainder of the evening devoted to Goethe and his strange book of Wilhelm Wanderjahre.
The passage’s meaning may be approximated: Because the editor intends to publish my series of letters when complete as a pamphlet, he has kept standing in type at the office the three numbers which have already appeared. This has caused such a shortage of type that the fourth and succeeding numbers cannot be made up, or set.
Publication of the series was not resumed until 2 Feb. and was concluded on the 16th (see note to entry of 4 Jan., above). Perhaps because of the exigencies of the printing house, the standing type had to be sacrificed. In any event, there is no record that the series did appear as a pamphlet.
1836-01-16
Morning very cold again with indications of the usual progress of the winter. I was quite occupied at Market and elsewhere in getting up my dinner. Afterwards at the Office where Mr. W. Spear from Quincy called in and paid me a sum for Rents due and remained some time to talk. Mr. Hurlbert called also and I went up to see Mrs. Fuller—So that I made some pretty heavy collections today. This with the accounts necessarily attendant kept me well occupied all my time. Home, intended to have spent an hour upon Livy but had to devote it to curing a smoky chimney.
My company to dine, Mr. Frothingham and Mr. Lothrop, Mr. T. K. Davis, T. Dwight and H. Inches. Mr. Peabody entirely disappointed me. Pleasant enough. I found Mr. F. however the great support of the company. He was more amusing than I ever knew him to be. The company separated early and in very good order. I procured in this case one or two improvements. The mixture of serious company while it enlivened the conversation checked the tendency of my younger friends to drinking, which I have sometimes found a little excessive. 311I was myself very moderate, and spent the evening quietly reading Voltaire’s Correspondence.