Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
In the forenoon Mr. D. went to take a walk. After dinner I went to a booksellers and bought a Latin and French Dictionary.1 Cloudy weather.
110 109This is possibly Jean Boudot, Dictionarium Universale Latino-Gallicum, Paris, 1774, or his third edition, Paris, 1775, both of which contain JQA's earliest bookplate, but no date of purchase. During his first month in St. Petersburg, he bought for “8 RLe Grand dictionnaire royale en trois langues, savoir, la françoise, la latine et l'allemande, 2 vols., Augsburg, 1767 (
Catalogue of JQA's Books
).
Went in the forenoon with Mr. D. to a bookseller's and bought the King of Prussia's works.1 Mr. D. went to take a walk after dinner. Mr. Hoogwerst came to pay us a visit. Mr. Artaud dined out. Cloudy weather all day.
Frederick the Great, (Oeuvres du philosophe de Sans-Souci, 4 vols., Neuchatel, 1760, with JQA's notation: “bo't St. Petersbourg, Feby. 16/27, 1782 ... 3 RCatalogue of JQA's Books
).
In the forenoon I received a letter from Holland, from my Father;1 and another From America.2 Mr. D went to take a ride after dinner. Stay'd at home all day. Cloudy weather. Finished the first volume of Mrs. Macaulay's history of England 420 pages and begun the 2d.
That of 5 Feb. (
Adams Family Correspondence
, 4:282–283), which JQA says he “receiv'd three days agone” (JQA to JA, 4 March, same, p. 286–287).
The only possibility, from evidence in surviving letters, is Elizabeth Cranch to JQA, May 1781 (same, p. 146–148), which JQA states he received “some days agone” in his reply to her of 17 March (same, p. 297).