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1863
Jan.

tion of some of his adventures in Germany & Switzerland. Speaking of the monotonous life passed by the peasants of those countries he said he asked an old woman living in one of the mountain passes how far she had ever been from her home. She said she thought she has been as far as two hours walking could take her. Speaking of the Alps He said he had been taken by his guide to the top of the Sonnenberg to see them He had been left there with some traveling companions before sunrise, daylight came but no alps. The great mountains were not to be found. Just as they were turning away thinking the guide had deceived them certain clouds in the valley & above them seemed to Prof Hosford to [[congeal?]] ^he had not noticed before that they were motionless with here & there dark specks. They were the glaciers. The alps that now broke upon him in all their beauty.

29th. Thurs. 10. A.M.  Prof Hopkins has just been here he has received a letter from his son who is under Gen Foster at New bern. He writes that the army there is about to make a movement further South & should they do so there will be hard fighting.

30th. Friday A.M.  Father saw Gen. Franklin yesterday He said he did not know but he might [[be?]] called before a Court Martial as well as Gen. Porter. He says the army is terribly [[disprited?]]. Father also so Mr. Bancroft the historian, who was terribly [[strikeout]] but [[strikeout]] blue about the country. Last eve
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1863
Jan.   Mother & I went to Mrs. Peale's Father & Dr. [[Parker?]] stopped for us on their way from Gen. [[Loffen?]].-- Senator Salisbury who behaved so disgracefully in the Senate a few days since has apologized for his offence & will not be expelled & was [[mortified?]] I feel an interest in his fate having met him last summer & found him agreeable. -----

Father after our return from Mrs. Peale's read us a letter from one of the Turkish Cadi to Mr. Layard commencing "My illustrious friend & joy of my liver." then came a discussion upon the study of words & language between Prof Hosford which I have not time to write out & a laugh over ^some of Dr. Johnson definitions Such as "Network something [[reticulated?]] or [[decusated?]] ^at equal distances with interstices between the intersections." Oats [[strikeout]] [[meant?]] [[strikeout]] "a grain which in England is generally given to horses but in Scotland supports the people." Pronouncing the Dr. & old wag we went to bed.

11 h. P.M.  The Prof did not have many people at his lecture on account of the storm. Gen Casey came in after lecture. He says Gen. Franklin is to be court martialed next week. Mrs. Gilles was here this morning with her son who came from Fredericksburg a few days since He says 11 more Officers of the Army of the Patomac are to be removed. 

31st.   Mrs. [[?]] has presented Father with a self-
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