Morning dark and misty as usual. I went to the Office and was occupied partly in reading, and Diary and Accounts. Nothing of consequence. The capture of General Santa Anna appears to be confirmed1 –A strange reverse of fortune and only going to show how near one extreme in this world is to the other. The consequences of this state of things to the United States remain yet to be developed. I do not pretend to foresee them.

Home earlier than usual and read a good part of Livy’s twenty third book. Afternoon, Mackintosh whose book is a treat. Procrastination and literary indolence appear to have been his besetting sins. How pardonable when one contrasts them with such as usually disfigure the world. How pardonable by me who am so liable to similar influences. Read a Chapter of Sismondi and Ariosto. Nothing further.

It is now quite a week since the cloudy weather set in during which we have not much rain but a great deal of comfortless weather. I went to the Office and was met first by Wm. Spear who had some little to do and much to talk about, and afterwards Harvey Field came in.

He was in a fever about the Quincy Bank. The payments are to be made on Wednesday and the Stockholders fail him. I told him that I thought he ought to have given me some notice of the subscription—That I had disposed of every particle of money that I could raise in the belief that my aid which had been offered to him had not been found necessary. He admitted his negligence and begged hard. He said he had put my father’s name down for ten shares and mine for as many but that as there were in consequence of the great pressure failures in taking other shares he wished me to go as high as fifty. After talking and calculating all the resources I could command, I told him I would for the sake of the town engage for thirty and no more—And to do this I must put myself to very great inconvenience. He seemed satisfied that I could do no more and relieved that could do so much.

I strongly suspect his course to have had some very little motives. He wanted to be in the direction and was perhaps a little afraid of the weight of our shares and influence if we had thought proper to exert any. He thus kept back even the information I had any shares assigned to me until after every arrangement is made and trusts to luck when he is obliged to call. I cared nothing about all this and his tactics might if he had known me have been spared. He has consulted my best interests without knowing it, for in these days Bank direction is to be avoided.

Received two letters from Washington, one from my Father which exceedingly alarmed me for the fate of our organization in Massachusetts.1 I went down to see Mr. Hallett and talked with him on the subject. I explained to him as clearly as I could do the situation in which my father felt himself placed, and how far it might conflict with the present course of parties. Mr. Van Buren had in some degree brought upon himself the storm which had been directed against Webster, by the agency of the articles in the Globe. I was fearful that the Slavery question would bring my father up in aid of Mr. Webster 397again and that thus the State would be swept out of our hands just at the moment we were likely to seize it. Mr. Hallett seemed to have apprehended this result and his ideas seemed to be only to gain time. If we could postpone the question until after the election, then we might act with far greater effect. But at this moment, Mr. Van Buren’s election is hazarded and our own position is nearly destroyed. Any hasty action at this time drives him into the very course from which we wish him to be preserved. I said I would write to my father my opinions and we then parted. This result is what I foresaw to be possible and justifies my caution about committing my name.

Home to dinner. Afternoon, finished Sismondi’s Literature of the South of Europe which has pleased me although I find nothing very striking in it. Read more of Sir James Mackintosh with continued pleasure. Evening devoted entirely to writing a reply to my father which I nearly finished.