Clear and cold. To town. Afternoon at home. Evening, visitors and to the Mansion.

I went to town to day taking my man Albert with me to work at the house for the day and return in the carriage in the afternoon. My time taken up in performing the endless number of little preparations essential to the commencement of housekeeping.

Met I. P. Davis and conversed with him about the Representative business. The ticket is out today and is neither bad nor good. Happening to go to my grocer’s to purchase articles for the house, the first thing he did was to accost me about the opinions I held respecting the license law. He thought I was still on the ticket. He told me that the grocers meant to get the sentiments of each side and to select indiscriminately from among those friendly to their object of a repeal of the law. Of course, here would have been the first rock for me and Governor Everett’s great vote would have vanished into thin air. I congratulated myself therefore upon my good fortune in having avoided a great whirlpool of vexation about very small things.

If I am to go into political life at all, which is by no means an object that any man of good sense should desire, it shall be when my services will be wanted and when I can do the country some effective good service. That time may indeed never arrive. And my ambition may have no scope for it’s exercise. Well, I shall have avoided great trials of my impetuous temper, some exposition of human weakness and perhaps disgrace. My confidence is great that I shall be enabled by the guidance of divine mercy to walk the path which may be allotted me, whether that path be high or low. I have at least jumped over this difficulty, and it has not been a small one.

Home to dine. My father dined with me alone as my Wife instead of going to town as she had arranged went to the other house to stay with Fanny. She, poor child instead of growing better grows worse and my father tells me he despairs of her recovery. I had hoped it is not yet quite so bad as that.

Short afternoon, spent out of doors in the useful business of attempting to burn my corn stalks, in which after much effort I failed. Mr. and Mrs. Lunt called in the evening and sat an hour after which they joined us in a visit to the other house for a short time.

At home. Fine day. Evening at the Mansion.

We are all in a state of great depression of spirits from the declining condition of Little Fanny. Even my Wife who has heretofore retained her cheerfulness about it appears now to despair. This makes our stay here quite melancholy.

I was occupied a greater part of the morning upon my article for Mr. Hunt which I brought well forward to completion. It is not what I intended but the time prevents my doing more. And indeed my disposition also which is a little fatigued by the long service I have now been in. Since the early part of last November my pen has been running almost without cessation.

The afternoon was passed in making all the preparations for removal. The day had been very fine but it clouded towards sunset and appeared very threatening. After a visit from Mr. I. J. Carr1 I called as usual at the Mansion and sat with the family.

Clouds in the morning but it cleared. To town. Evening, Lecture.

The night was a very stormy one and the morning opened so unpromisingly I had great doubt whether we should be able to go. After some wavering, we finally concluded to go and our decision was confirmed by the result for it cleared away.

The morning was very much consumed in the various duties which removal makes necessary, sending off the small stock of luggage and 322putting the house in order. At last I left about 11 o’clock accompanied by Albert and reached town in time to give the necessary orders before my Wife came in. She remained in order to shut the house up. I went to the Office and devoted some time to business. Home at a little after one, where I found all the family at length arrived and the removal accomplished with far less of trouble than I have ever experienced before. Yet we were necessarily in confusion again replacing clothes &ca.

In the evening I was engaged to deliver to the Franklin Association my Lecture. This is a Society which assemble at a Chapel in Pitts Street the situation of which I had never before been acquainted with.1 It is a nice place and the assembly was just about respectably full. I knew very few of the faces however and could not help thinking how strange it was that in the same town so many human beings should pass through life without ever being conscious of meeting each other. The Lecture appeared to tell as well as usual. This is the fifth time of it’s delivery. Returned home at nine and retired rather earlier than usual.