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Wednesday, June 18th

Waterloo Day, but no pomp or circumstances of glorious war to remind our quiet town or island of the event. Hamilton cleaned his gun, which was the nearest thing to military tactics that occurred. I wrote letters all day. Henry helped the men in commencing and going on with a ditch and bank, the first commencement of our enclosures. Bell's Life (lent to me by Mr Townsend), The Spectator and Chambers' Journal, make the evenings pass very pleasantly and profitably.

'Tis pleasant through the loopholes of retreat To peep at such a world—to see the stir of the great Babel

far pleasanter than to be mingling with and adding to it in foggy progress from Conduit Street to the Temple.