Very cold. A tremendous gale of wind brought a cold temperature indicated by my glass at 8° of Fahrenheit. Whilst at work on my documents I had a visit from Governor Chase and Mr Montgomery Blair. The former evidently came to sound me about my disposition towards the measures of the House. He advocated delay until after the new government should come into power, when without the fear of menace it could act magnanimously.67 I replied that nothing would be better than delay. If it could be effected, very surely I should do nothing to disturb it. He said he hoped the Connection would consent to see it in that light. Mr Chase is either blind or weak. If he supposes his opponents to be so easy as not to press the republicans to terms in the very moment of their utmost weakness, he is not likely to get very far to a solution of the troubles. They detained me so long that I was half an hour late at the Capitol. The usual course of business until we resumed the discussion of the report of the Committee of thirty three. Mr Kellogg of Illinois made a new exhibition of himself by declaring his readiness to adopt the principle of excluding liberty from the territory south of the compromise line. This man is the harlequin of our present drama. Puffed with importance he came into the Committee with a plan of settlement which vanished on the second day under the influence of an accidental letter from Mr Lincoln. He was then among the straitest sect in opposing all our joint propositions which the committee adopted, and was almost of leaving the committee on account of my laxity. He stimulated all the telegraphic reports that went out against me during the sessions of the Committee. Then he flew to Springfield to see which way the wind set there, and came back after my speech, full charged with a plan that surrendered all the principle we contended for. And this announced in the most turgid style of burlesque oratory. He ended with loud congratulations from the democrats of the north west, and as loud jeers from his colleagues on our side of the House. Such is the comic side of this fearful crisis. At home Mr W P Phillips dined with me. I had seen him at Church on Sunday but not since. Afterwards I went down by invitation to Mr Montgomery Blair’s, to meet the Commissioners from Massachusetts. Messr Goodrich, Crowninshield, Waters, Chandler and Boutwell and Forbes were here with Messr Sumner and Wilson of the Senate, and Messr Train, Gooch, Burlingame of our delegation, Preston King and one or two others. I had little conversation with the delegates, and that upon indifferent matters. If they desire to talk with me, they must invite discussion. I had a little conversation with Sumner, who was friendly, but avoided all but a single allusion to the commission.68