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                       Philade  July 14th
                                      1861

My dear Son,

        Dr. Dillard of the 

US [?] to Old point Comfort tomorrow & promises if I will write you an open letter to transmit it to you, by a flag of truce. I avail myself of the opportunity to give you the latest news of us.

        We are still in the city

though your mother proposes going to the farm in the course of the coming week. She is in her usual health, but of course neither she or myself can feel very cheerful in the present unhappy condition of our country. Agnes, Beverley & the children are well, as was Edmund when we last heard from him. You have no doubt learned in this that he has removed & will probably make New York his permanent residence. He com- -mences under very favorable auspices in the office of Mr. William Custis [Noyes?], an emi- -nent member of the bar there, & thinks from present appear- ances that he will in the course of two or three years at farthest obtain a practice adequate to his support.

          The Bay Company de-

-clared their usual dividend of five per cent last Wednesday & directed the dividend accruing to the Seaboard Company to be paid to Mr. [?Savage] & myself for the purpose of enabling me to pay the dividend & interest due here on the 1st of June last. Af- -ter paying that which will pro- -bably be called for here, the balance remaining will be re- -tained by me to aid in paying that which will be payable here on the 1st of September. In the meantime the interest due in New York in the 1st of August will be [?] for & the object of this is to ascertain whether the coupons of bonds held by myself & friends would be paid in Virginia funds at Portsmouth. If they would I would get the amount north by your simply collecting it & paying it over on my account to your [cousin?] [?} in Richmond, with whom I have an arrangement to have money payable to him in Pennsylvania for coal [?] giving him in place of it money [?] in Virginia

          You may in the same

way put me in possession of any spare money you may wish to transmit me, that is to say by paying it over in my account to your cousin [Will?] at Richmond. The amount would in this way be received by me without risk or loss of exchange in Phila- -delphia & placed to your credit here. As you have probably some balance due you by the company for [?] I would ad= -vise your making this disposi= =tion of it, which would at the same time be a convenience to me &, make it an interest bearing fund to you.

       You speak of my sending

you my proxies "to represent me & to draw my dividends". my proxies you have in the Richmond & Fredricksburg & Richmond & Peters- -burg RR Co's & there will be no meeting of the Seaboard Company until February next when if if I should be unable to at -tend it, I will send you my proxy to represent me. I have thought it in the meantime scarcely probable, that the receipts of the Company would admit of a dividend being declared at the usual time (the 1st of September) [?] hope from what is said in your letter that it may be otherwise. Let me hear from you particularly on this point. If the receipts of the com- -pany will admit of a dividend on the Common Stock on the 1st of September & the company cannot be [?] by the Company to pay it here, I will send you a power of attorney to collect more at Portsmouth.

 Has a dividend yet been decl-

-ared in the stock of the Richmond & Petersburg RR Co for the 30th ult. If [?] the funds are here to pay the Philade stockholders & I will collect & place to your credit that in the stock standing in your name. Which can be paid either here or at Richmond.

      Farewell for the present

my beloved Son & write us when you can. Your mothers thoughts & mine are constantly with you-

          Your fond father
             M Robinson

[PS?] Present our best [remembrances?] to Mr. & Mrs Tazewell Taylor & Miss Sally Taylor when you see them. PS A party here wishes to sell $5000 of the dividend funds of the S & R RR Co. Pleas ascer- -tain what they would now com- mand in Virginia funds. also what the 1st and 3rd mortgage bonds would bring in the same money, say $2000 of each. Mr. Walke can probably tell you.

  I send with this letter

for Mr. P V Daniel & Mrs Daniel which please seal & mail at Portsmouth or Norfolk, & one for Henry. You have not mentioned Henry in your recent letters. Let me know when you write if he is improving & useful whether he is [learning?] anything also as to his health.