No news from America, and the speculations upon it and greedy anticipations of evil to us swarming more thickly than ever. It is these occasions that being out the latent feeling of the higher classes. The consciousness of the presence of this sentiment aggravate much the painful character of this situation. I drew up my Despatches as usual. But the pain of this suspense is growing service. My thoughts could with difficulty be divested from the banks of the Rappahannock and the probabilities of the issue of the strife. I took a lovely walk around the park and mused. There were stories current in the city of a capitulation by Hooker in which Mr Delaine of the Times is reported to believe. It was just so last year with McClellan. The wish father to the thought. Company to dinner today. Lord and Lady Wensleydale, Lord and Lady Taunton, Sir Roundell and Lady Palmer, Sir Robert and Lady Phillimore, Mr and Mrs Reeve, Mr & Mrs Hawkey, Mrs and Miss Mansfield, Mr Howard and Mr Evarts. They remained until so late that we could not go to any reception, either at Lady Dirby’s or Mrs Bruce’s.372