There was not much of a holiday for me today. I found myself under a necessity to answer two notes of Lord Russell, each of which is a little irritating. The News of the morning in a notice of the published correspondence respecting the Alabama comments315 rather sharply on the acrimony perceptible on both sides. Perhaps this may be just, though I am not aware of having done more than to repel with spirit the very improper and irrelevant attack of his Lordship, on myself as well as my government. At any rate it is well for me to be upon my guard against such a tendency. I therefore close today with originating any thing, and take shelter in all future movements under instructions. I also wrote a letter to Mr Bayard Taylor in answer to a curious communication of his to me of a rebel Despatch intercepted by him, touching certain possible proposals by European powers to give guaranties to prohibit the slave trade. It is a curious specimen of Mr Benjamin’s special pleading, and utter indifference to all moral considerations whatever. A dexterous juggler’s trick to blind to eyes of Foreign Nations to the real game of the rebels. This is just the level of the Southern Statesmanship of the present day. This was given to Mr Lamar who is on his way to St Petersburg. In that meridian he can make little out of such material. I and Mrs Adams dined with Mr and Mrs Forster The company consisted, so far as I could tell, of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton and his Wife, Colonel and Mrs Benson, a Mr and Mrs Arnold, and two others, one of whom was a nephew of Lord Brougham. Not much conversation of interest.