Morning very cloudy with a cold sharp East wind. After paying a visit to the House to see how they get along, and finding they would finish the remainder of the wall today, I drove to town with my father in company and setting him down at Mr. J. D. Williams’ went off upon various commissions of my own.

We were in so late that I had little time to do more, although at the Office I had a few minutes conversation with Mr. Everett who had expected to see my father, but he did not come until too late. I explained to him my father’s present position as well as I could and intimated to him that Mr. Hallett would not be able to avail himself of the shelter of his name much longer. Mr. E. said that Mr. Hallett was seeking for persons to come in as Proprietors, taking the place of the discontented ones, and had applied to Mr. Foster as one. He did not however add, with what success. I hope this business will come to a crisis, for as it stands at present, I hold Mr. Hallett’s course to be a fraud upon the Proprietors.

At a little after one, I went with my father to Medford to dine with Mr. Brooks. We stopped on the road for half an hour at Mr. J. Angier’s, to see his wife who seemed very well, and then joined the company collected. It consisted of the Agricultural Society and guests. Judge Story, President Quincy, General Wadsworth, Mr. Welles, Col. Baldwin, Governor Everett, Mr. Stetson, J. C. Gray, Judge Heard, B. Guild, H. Inches, H. Codman, Josiah Quincy Jr, A. Lawrence, T. L. Winthrop, my father, E. Brooks and myself. No lady at table. The dinner passed off well, Judge Story engrossing the whole conversation excepting now and then a pretty keen hit at him by my father. We started at six to return and got home by eight, the weather having turned out more dry than we anticipated although very cold. To bed early from fatigue.

Clear but with a very cold East wind all day. I occupied myself in the morning with writing and with Schiller’s Song of the bell. Attended divine service and heard Mr. Lunt from 1 Kings 19. 12. “After the fire, a still small voice.” This is part of a very remarkable chapter in which the Lord in communicating with a prophet is supposed to have slighted the ordinary modes of displaying power through the elements in order to show how superior his will was to all the products of his creation. The voice Still and small yet needed no aid to make it 259effective. It is the force of contrast which impresses the mind with awe upon this occasion, removing at once all standard by which we are accustomed to estimate in this world. Mr. Lunt’s Sermon was sensible but not powerful. His difficulty was in the text which however it’s sublimity may be felt, will try the powers in explanation.

F. Frothingham came from Boston with the Wales’ but dined with us. Afternoon 3. Romans 1. 2. “What advantage then hath the Jew? Much, every way: chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” The value of the Bible. My mind was not as easy upon it as it should have been. Attention in a Meeting house is to me the most difficult thing I have to do.

Afterwards a Sermon of Sterne’s. 2 Kings 4. 13. “And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.” The duty of content with the example of the Shumanite woman very briefly but very prettily commented upon. Perhaps there is not on the whole a thing that will less bear the application of moral causes in the way of influence. Temperament and circumstances have sway which reason cannot always correct although there ought to be the effort. Evening, there were a considerable number of visitors to see the ladies, who went before nine. Nothing remarkable.