A pretty hard day of work. I had some additional draughts of Despatches to make and several private letters to write in addition to my regular ones to my children so that it was five o’clock before I left my table. I then received a note from Lord Russell which worried me so much that I had little comfort in the close of my labour. As time goes on and difficulties thicken, I feel more and more the pressure of the situation. Thus far my patience has borne up well, but it now begins sensibly to affect my spirits. I must pray for support from on high. I reflect that twenty five months of this Administration have passed away, and the war is certainly in its last stages, unless the flame be revived by artificial or accidental causes. But this does not restore my serenity. Would that I were at home quietly engaged in my old literary occupations, writing of my father’s career, and perhaps making a few notes of my own. No visits today. Good Friday, which is observed generally, much as Fast day is with us. Read a little of Russell’s Diary.332