My Wife requested me to drive to Mrs. Seaver’s, in order that she might be left there to spend the morning, but we met her just starting for town with her husband, and therefore went on to town. My time taken up in the same regular way, Accounts, and commissions. This left me little leisure for any thing else, called to see T. K. Davis twice but without success.

Returned to dinner. Afternoon as usual superintending Kirk whom I now keep busy upon the road, and at the house where they are endeavouring to finish this week, but I very much doubt whether they will 297effect it. There is yet much to be done and only about two months to do it in.

Evening, I finished the first volume of Simon le Borgne. The family sat down to a new German game of which however we did not entirely decypher the directions.

I remained at home today, and having paid my usual visits to the house and to the road and exercised myself not a little upon the latter, I nevertheless had time to read about eighty lines of Homer and to review the three hundred and fifty lines of the whole book. I have never before had any very adequate idea of the power and beauty of this great poet. A mixture of simplicity with vigor and elegance which is hardly to be found in any other part of literature. Afternoon, a little of Lessing and some of Humboldt. But I find the want of something to follow up. Evening, the family with the children at loto lotto and afterwards conversation.

The day damp with fog, but it cleared away at night and a beautiful moonlight evening. I remained at home and passed time much in my usual way, partly at the house, partly in inspecting Kirke’s work on the road which he follows up diligently. It now remains to attend to the details of the place, the grounds about it &c.

I read today an hundred lines of Homer including the celebrated passage of the meeting of Hector and Andromache. It is life at any day. Afternoon, read Lessing and Humboldt’s New Spain. The ladies went into town to take tea and did not come out until late. I walked with the children to the house, and afterwards played Loto with them.

I am this day thirty years old. Half of the ordinary period of man’s life is gone, and I am as yet somewhat of a drone upon the earth’s surface. My position is one of some delicacy and difficulty. But in looking back over the past year I have much to be thankful for and nothing to repine at. My situation is the same as it was at the outset but I feel that the time has not been entirely wasted either for myself or for others. May a Kind providence still continue to vouchsafe to me and mine evidences of its bounty, such as I do not pretend to merit but will 298endeavour to prove worthy of. Happy as I have been during the first half of my pilgrimage, I look forward with hope and fear to the other.

Went to town in a drizzling mist. At the Office where I wrote to Mr. Hallett a final letter stopping my subscription.1 I have adopted this course as an alternative the most mild towards him and yet sufficient to preserve my consistency. I regret that it has happened because I had been accustomed to regard that press as the most independent and the most friendly to my father of all those in the State, and such is the state of things I can hardly look to any other for support in case of emergency. This is however degenerating so rapidly into a violent ultra radical Administration paper that it might be more productive of harm than good. At any rate, this is a decisive step on my part.

The remainder of my day taken up in commissions tolerably numerous. Then home to dinner. Afternoon, after the usual visit to the house and road, I occupied myself with Humboldt and Lessing. But symptoms of head ach which developed themselves early in the morning became so decided by an early hour of evening that I slipped away from the family and went to bed.