[Boston—Sunday, 30 April 1865]
Sunday April 30. A day of perfect beauty. Walked about Roxbury in the morning and revelled in the exquisite blossomy loveliness. In the evening Mr Brownell, Mr & Mrs James, Mrs Chapman & her sister, Mr & Mrs Whipple, The Governor & his wife came to tea.
Mr Brownell is a spiritualist, a seaman, a poet, a true man. He has injured his eyes reading with too strong a light upon the paper. He has a life of Farragut under way which he says would outvie Southey’s Life of Nelson in interest had he but eyes to finish it. He visits but 4 places in Hartford and in Bristol where his mother has a box by the sea he sees no one but John Herreshoff who is blind but a wonderful machinist and man of affairs.
