Clear and fine weather. Time as usual. Evening at E. Brooks’.

The Storm appears to have cleared the air and given us fine winter’s weather. I was at the Office but had no opportunity to go on with my letter which must be abandoned. Two Tenants, came and overpowered me with words. Walk to the Athenaeum and thence round home, but I 344neglect my exercise a great deal too much. Read about seventy lines of Oedipus Tyrannus.

After dinner looked over Pinkerton on medals and the first volume of the Memoirs of the Academy of Inscriptions.1 Read with my boy John as usual. Evening paid a visit to Edward Brooks and his Wife. Nothing very new. Then went on with the Lecture.

Cold and clear. Time divided as usual. Evening at home.

The account from Washington is that a Speaker has been at last chosen, Mr. Hunter of Virginia, a young man never spoken of at the commencement of the session. This has been done by the union of the Nullifying interest of Mr. Calhoun, dissatisfied with the hostility to them of Mr. Benton by which Mr. Pickens and Mr. Lewis were successively rejected as candidates for the situation, with the Whig party which threw it’s whole force with remarkable energy and precision. What the result of this movement may be, it is not possible to foretell, but the blow is a severe one against the Administration and may lead to it’s downfall. I do not know what to think of it in other respects, for Harrison is a poor creature as a leader enough.

At work at Office. Short walk. Oedipus Tyrannus which as usual furnishes me with my pleasantest reading. How much pleasanter than the excitement of political contest.

After dinner finished the articles upon medals in the first volume of the Memoirs of the Academy of Inscriptions as well as something of Pinkerton. My Wife was quite sick with a bad head ach all day so as to be obliged to go to bed, and I wrote all the evening upon my Lecture.

Cold but clear. Division as usual. Evening at home.

I do not know whether I have said that my occupation for one hour after breakfast every morning is in making a catalogue of my Cabinet of my Cabinet of coins and medals. This is interesting as connected with the fine set of Roman Silver which I have acquired.

Then to the Office where I received some letters from my mother and felt bound to do my best to answer them. So I sat down and de-345voted my remaining time and continued at home in the Afternoon until it was a very poor letter finished.1 An hour of Greek as usual. Read some of Pinkerton. Evening Walpole and the Lecture which goes on increasing when too long already.