.NDM3.NTk0
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[Marginalia]
June Minimum Maximum 3 64 69 4 57 71 5 59 1/2 72 6 60 1/2 68 7 59 1/2 70 8 57 71 9 60 1/2
Mortality Week end[ing] 30 May 347 6th June 350 1862 7th June 315 [18]’61 8th June 375
via Asia [underscored] 4th St. Monday night 9 June [18]’63
Dear Ann
There has been nothing from you or Mytton since your letters via Persia, nor any from other “absent members” of the family, since I dispatched my last to you, except the follow- =ing which reached me at noon on Saturday, without date, but postmarked Stamford [CT] 6 June & therefor written on Friday [underscored] the 5th. –
“My dear Uncle Rutson – I suppose you will all feel anxious to hear that I arrived all safe & sound at Stamford. – Miss Dunning I found very forlorn & very weak; but I hope she will be better tomorrow. – With love to all believe me your af= =fectionate niece – Sarah F[ontaine] Maury.” –
The writer of this brief epistle is now beside me, having returned, as expected, at 7.20 this evening, when W[illia]m & Walker were in waiting at 27th St. to escort her & her small portmantle to 4th St. –
On going, she did not find the little carriage in waiting for her at Stamford [CT]: & so she must either have trudged afoot, weighted with the portmantle; the 3 miles to Dunnington, or have hired a carriage (at an expense of $2!) or waited for the accommo= =dation train to ride on it to “Lockwoods Corner.” Very happily, however, on getting out a Stamford, she found a Mrs Mason who had travelled in the same train from N[ew] York, bound on a call upon Miss Dun =ning, & who hired a vehicle, & took Sarah & her portmantle along with her; - all which shows to me that Miss D[unning] did not [underscored] expect so prompt [underscored] an acquiescence to her request. – Miss D[unning] was too unwell to see Mrs. Mason longer than 5 minutes.
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But when Sarah left today, she was “very much better.” –
Soon after Sarah returned this evening, & just as I had settled down in your arm-chair, to take a nap before T[ea] (which I did) Daniel Draper called & sat a while with Sarah. He handed me the following note from his Sister V[irgini]a whose previ- =out acknowledgement of mine has never reached me yet.
Sunday – June 8th My dear Mr. Maury I am really grieved to hear that you did not receive the answer I sent to your kind letter. – You must have thought me lost to every feeling of gratitude – indeed incapa =ble of any feeling whatever, [underscored] if it was possible that I could be insensible to the delicate attention shewn to me in sending news, which might have removed much anxiety from my mind
I replied almost immediately (last Monday) thanking you for your kindness; - for tho’ I re= ceived a letter from abroad by the same post which brought me yours; yet I felt none the less your kind [underscored] thoughtfulness towards me.
I have myself been daily looking for an ans= =wer to the invitation sent to you in my letter, for yourself and Sarah to come and see the next moon through the telescope. – The best time will be Saturday [underscored] the 27th of this month. ['27...month’ underscored]
It is a mystery where that letter can be, Unfortunately I did not send it to the house, but to your office. This, however, you will be sure to receive; for Brother has promised to take it himself. – I am quite unfortunate about
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about my letters: - for on Friday I had one from Mytton, in which he does not mention having received any letter from me; and I had sent one on the Saturday steamer, three days after he left, -but I trust all will be right eventually. yours affectionately Virginia Draper
There is a pleasant train which leaves 30th St. at 4 o clock PM
I suppose I have nothing to do but accept this invitation on behalf of Sarah as well as myself; but altho’ I handed her Miss Virginia”s note (which I had not opened until return= =ing home after 2 mile’s walk since T[ea]) & she read it directly after I had, I forgot to consult her as to acceptance or not [struck-through] non-acceptance.
This evening, after T[ea], I called for a few mo- =ments on Irving Place, to tell them that Sarah had returned & would accompany me to-morrow to dine there at 1/2 past 5, when we are to meet two London gentlemen, a Mr. Ellis & Mr. Skinner; who came over in the Per= =sia, & brought us a letter of introduction from Mr. Harold Littledale. Their mission is in connection with that new “Exchange Bank” which has just been organised at L[iver]pool to carry on an Exchange business like that of
as I suppose
the Browns, with all parts of the world ^; & their special object is to select a suitable Mana= =ger for a branch office in this city. They had many letters besides the one to us, & after their interview with Matthew at our office one day last week (whilst I was occupied in the other room at our Books), they told him, they would
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[Page 4 of the letter is missing]
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(5)
as usual
even at work ^ over the back-gammon board, so I merely shook hands with her. I did not stop, more than 3 minutes, or so. Besides delivering Sarah’s acceptance (I did not say that she would gladly be excused, [‘glad...used’ underscored] as is the fact with both [underscored] of us)
I enquired whether they were supplied with
& found they were
the L[iver]pool [underscored] Sherry ^. Speaking of Mary, E[lizabeth] told me she had encountered no adventures on the journey, & had said that all the people [‘all the people’ underscored] in the same car with her seemed aware of her intended landing at Tacony, [Philiadephia] & interacted therein – “even down to the candy-man”! [‘candy-man’ underscored]
I have had no acknowledgement of my anonymous communication to Cousin Jody. William is intending to pay him a visit this week, & talks of setting out tomorrow or Wednesday. He thinks, for some reason or other, that Jody was absent from Wilmington [Delaware] when I [struck-through] my letter got there.
After dispatching our letters to the “Etna” on Saturday, I set to work & scribbled off 3 pages, quarto, [underscored] & rather closely written, to Mrs. Cox, as there was a steamer leaving for N[ew] O[rleans] whose bag closed at the P[office] O[ffice] at 2 p. m. – I wished to acknowledge her 3 [underscored] last, very long [‘very long’ underscored] letters that I had rec[eive]d within 24 hours of one another; & I was in a good vein for the task. I also wrote to Rutson to enclose my letter & tell him of the pay[men]t of his $100 d[ra]ft, the rec[eip]t of his 2 pages (“after 31 day’s silence!”) - & the rec[eip]t of your terra-ferma letters via Persia – all which I did within the compass of 1/2 a page of this size.
I then entered upon compiling, & copying into the Day Book, some fresh entries that required
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a little more reflection & calculation & [s...ting?] than usual. That done, I told John [Russell] he might go home, & I remained at the office, posting up the Ledger, until 5.10 p.m. when I felt somewhat like an emancipated Slave, [‘emancipated slave’ underscored] as I locked the outside street [‘outside street’ underscored] door; for my task was thoroughly & satisfactorily concluded, & henceforward to devolve upon Walker. – Thus I rode home joyfully in the R[ail] R[oad] car, & found the 2 W’s [William and Walker] awaiting me, & a nice little dinner for us; - a small piece of roasted loin of lamb, roast potatoes, asparagus, & a dish of strawberries. – I took a good nap after dinner; & having had but 1 mile’s walk, (tho’ tired enough with standing on my feet the whole time between breakfast & dinner, save a seat in the car as I rode home) I turned out after T[ea], & took a walk of 3 miles [‘3 miles’ underscored] to 30th St. & back, - and I came in from it feeling very fresh & frisky. –
W[illia]m had informed me at dinner that in the afternoon, he & Walker had called at the Western Hotel, in Courtland St. & paid a long & interesting visit to old Mr. Bond of N[ew] O[rleans] – of whom I think you must have
me speak
heard ^ occasionally. – Formally he was a rich man, worth about $100,000, [underscored] and carrying on a pleasant business in N[ew] York: but at that ill fated period, when all looked so sun= =ny & flourishing, prior to the approaching commercial & financial convulsions of [18]37 – [18]39 etc., he was invited to become a partner
[Marginalia – left side] Mr. Bond sailed in a steamer from N[ew] O[rleans] subsequently (I think0 to the date (23 May) of Rutson’s
[Marginalia – right side] last letter to me. He told W[illia]m he had seen both J[ame]s & Rutson immediately before he sailed & that they were both in excellent health, & he said the same (I think) of Louisa too & little Sarah. –
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in the house of McLoskey Hagan & Co. at Mobile, [Alabama] in [18]’35 or [18]’36, & take the place of Mr. [Majse?], who had gone over to open a house at L[iver]pool. He lost every shilling he had! The harder he worked, the deeper he sunk in the quick sands; & I remember well the despairing tone of his talk with me at Mobile, in 1840, when I ran down there, in the summer, to look after our heavy claim in Norris [underscored] & Boykin. - [underscored] On my resuming my annual visits to N[ew] O[rleans] [‘N.O.’ underscored] I found him there, [underscored] in [18]’43 or [18]’44 or thereabouts. He had come to settle there, & scuffle [underscored] for a living as a cotton-broker. - [underscored] The same sort of ill-luck seemed to follow him, as in the case of our late & worthy friend, George Pollard; & he was much the same kind of man. – I always felt very sorry for him, therefore. – He is now old, & broken down, [in][struck-through] not only in fortune; but in health & spirits; & like an old horse [‘old horse’ underscored] he is now going over to England or Ireland – the latter being I be- -lieve his native land – to pass the rest of his life there. – He is to sail on Satur= =day, in C.H. Marshall’s ship “Albert Gallatin
Thinking over what W[illia]m had told me of his visit, I determined to ask him to come up on Sunday, under W[illia]m’s convoy in the cars, & take a quiet family dinner with me yesterday; - & I wrote him what I wished him to feel a kind [underscored] note of in= =vitation - & I think it was [underscored] such. – W[illia]m took it as he went down to Trinity church in the morn[in]g. But Mr. Bond could not come.
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He was then packed up, & settling his bill at the Hotel, preparatory to removing to the house of some friend, out of town, where he is to stay until he embarks. – I had said in my note that I was sure Matthew [underscored] would be glad to see him at our office. – In declining the invitation to dinner, he asked W[illia]m to tell me he would call on me at our office today.
I was very late in getting there; & so missed him; but Matthew saw him & had the talk -& was rather amused when he told me that, at first, Mr. Bond took him for me, [‘took...me’ underscored] & complemented him upon his still looking
(younger indeed than when he last saw me in [18]’56!)
so fresh & so young ^: - and I dare say such is the fact, as compared with Mr. Bond himself.
Walker, after breakfast, went to Staten Isl[an]d yesterday, but returned in the evening to T[ea]
I found Mr. Ogden in our Pew, & made him useful in finding for me the Psalm & Hymn. There was a collection; & not knowing its object, I handed him paper & pencil, & thus learnt it was “for parish uses during” the summer – & I contributed what I thought fit, “& not grudg- =ingly, or of necessity, but cheerfully.” – Matthew & J[ame]s [Russell?] came to the house after morning service & stayed until W[illia]m returned – without Mr. Bond – & without any letters.
Thus W[illia]m & I had the dinner all to ourselves yesterday. It was my [underscored] ordering, & consisted of a tender [underscored] piece of roast beef, [?] Potatoes, green peas, a rice pudding, “plumb-[?],” & sponge cake. – Whilst waiting for W[illia]m when it was 1 p.m., - I observed that (owing to my omission to inform the Miss Nugents that I
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(9) expected a gentleman to dinner) the table cloth was on that had been in use for sever=
far
=al days, & it bore ^ too many evidences of the fact. – I at once went down to the basement where Ann was sheking the Peas, & asked her to call Mary; where I made known the cause of my dismay, & enquired if she knew where the table linen was kept. Ann speedily appear= =ed with me, & with my assistance the table was dismantled, & spread afresh, with surprising [underscored] celerity. [underscored] But we had all our trouble for nothing.
During dinner I informed W[illia]m it was my intention to leave about an hour afterwards, & pay a visit to Highwood. – I left it altogether to his own choice to accompany me or not; & he said he would go. He took a pipe & I a cigar on the porch; & then he retired to his room to read & “loll’ on the bed; & I was sitting down to read, & perchance to sleep, when I destroyed that chance by taking a seat, at the oval table & making a neat copy to send to Mrs. Cox of those “Lines on a Skeleton,” that I admire so much. It was nearly 1/4 past 4, when my task was ended, & I went up to W[illia]m’s room & found him dozing on the bed; but he was soon ready, where we started in the cars to take the ferryboat from Barclay St. – We had not long to wait for a boat; & on the other side we took our seats on the top [underscored] of a car, & at a cost of 5c each, rode to the foot [underscored] of the hill; & then quietly walked
seated with
on. We found Mrs. King ^ in the porch ^ Dr. [Neills?] J[ame]s G. King, & Gracie King & some of the children of the latter two. – We stayed about an hour. I took our my ear-trumpet [underscored] forthwith, as I took
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my seat beside Mrs. King; - & she made frequent
it
use of it, but did not manage ^ very well. All my time was spent with her, & William’s with J[ame]s King & the Dr., Gracie leaving soon after we arrived. It was almost too cool to sit in the port, so Mrs. King named an adjournment for herself & me into the house. She said she was sorry we had not come earlier, so as to have taken dinner with her; & she proposed I should take some Wine, or wine & water; but I declined. – She did not seem to me to take as discouraging a view of Mrs. Duer’s case as I had expected; said she did not seem worse than when you left, except in being weaker, [‘except...weaker’ underscored] & spoke of the swelling of her limbs.
Mrs. King herself looked to me rather jaded. She certainly was not looking as well as
her
when I saw ^ one day; when seated in this room with you. –
We talked on a variety of topics, & among the rest I told her of the recent movements as to St. Tho[ma]s - [church] which she had not been aware of. – She wished me, or Matthew, to have a talk with her brother Archie a= =bout it; - & I today named this to Matthew.
After spending about an hour, I took my leave -& as W[illia]m & I walked together, I found that he & James King had been having a political [underscored] discussion, which I regretted. – I ought to have warned W[illia]m against it. – This entire difference of sentiment as to No[rth] & So[uth] had not pleased W[illia]m; & he said he thought the Dr. a much pleasanter gentleman than the Judge.
It was a cloudy afternoon; but good for exercise, & W[illia]m enjoyed the scenery within
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the grounds. – We walked all the way back, & reaching the ferry at 10 minutes before 7, were just in time to jump aboard a boat for Christo=
pher St. as the chains were cast off & the pad
=dles in motion! – We found Walker waiting for us & at once had T[ea]. – After T[ea] I asked Walker if he had ever seen those lines I had [?]. He had not, so I placed the manu= =script in his hands. – I saw he was struck with them, I asked his opinion. He seemed averse to giving it. He said he had [underscored] his opinion, but preferred keeping it to himself. I then asked him if he thought that they deserved the offer of 50 guineas to discover the author: & he replied “I certainly do.”- [‘I...do’ underscored]
Having had walking enough, I spent the rest of the time before I went to bed in reperusing Mrs. Cox’s 3 letters; & answering, [underscored] in short [underscored] order, her various queries & other matters, that I had not touched upon on Saturday; & I was glad when my task was at an end. It took a long time, tho’ the replies occupied but one sheet of note paper, smaller than this.
Today I was employed chiefly in concocting a letter to Mr. Sam Smith, the Cotton-broker, [underscored] in acknowledgement of his meritorious labours in investigating so thoroughly this India Cotton
I gave
question; & in giving [‘in giving’ struck-through] him some of my own views as to Cotton on this [underscored] side. –
Walker was at his old post today. – Matthew set him to work, first thin, by sending him to pay the annual Croton Water Taxes, & then in copying an Invoice into the proper book,
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for some Cotton now on the way to us from Liverpool. – I also placed my 1st. May Bal=
him
=ance Sheet before ^ & requested him to balance
books
them [‘m’ struck-through] now, after the [‘after the’ struck-through] before he makes any new entries into the Ledger; - & he began upon this job, but about 3, laid it aside & went off some =where with W[illia]m. As they had not returned at 20 minutes to 5 I [sided?] up the papers on his desk & told John to lock up the Books, & lock up the office too, & go home. – As I crossed Han =over St. I met them both coming to the office, & told them what I had done; so it was “right-about-face” with them, & they walked off homewards. – I turned into Gilpin’s Room for a few moments. – They [underscored] rode home in a car, to avoid the crowd, s there was a grand turn out to receive & review 2 of the returned Regiments – McLellan reviewing one opposite 5th Av.[enue] Hotel & sickles the other in the Park. I entirely avoided the crowd, by walking along Centre St. & coming into Broadway via Bleecker St. – W[illia]m said he
the odour [underscored] [from?]
could not stand ^ coming into contact with the Democracy – they offended his olfactories. I said that the odour of mankind, both democr= =racy & aristocracy, was far more offensive to [stuck-through] to the South than at the North; - & such is the fact beyond all question. (But of course it was the sight & scene rather than the smell [underscored] that offended him )
The spelling out & copying of Miss Lippetts “Strictly Confidential” [strictly Confidential’ underscored] communication, as [was?]
to a very late hour
enclosed to you, occupied me ^ on Saturday night. It is a very strange [‘very strange’ underscored] as well as very very sad [‘very very sad’ underscored, sad double underscored] history ! – I have not replied to it nor shewn it to any one. – I wait until I hear further from her. before I write to her on the subject Yours affectionately R[utson] Maury
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(1) Copy of Miss Lippett’s letter to me, rec[eive]d Saturday morn[in]g [underscored] 6 June, but not read – for want of time – until late on Saturday night
June 4th Strictly Confidential [ ‘Strictly Confidential’ underscored]
My dear friend, I should have acknow- =ledged the receipt of your letters, if I had not been waiting to get news of some merchants in Boston relative to ships direct to Cal= =cutta. – Mr. Duane (Rector of St. John’s church) is very much interested in getting all information of opportunities to carry this Lady to her home. – There is a vessel to sail from Boston to C[alcutta] the last of this week, ex= =pecting to carry Missionaries to India. If so, we shall try to get this Lady to accompany them. – As briefly as I can, I will tell you her unfortunate situation. – She left C[alcutta] at the age of 16, to accompany a married Sister to travel – the Sister marrying an English= =man by the name of Wynter, in London.
18 months after travelling to several places, a Cousin of her brother in law was introduced to Miss B , & after months of acquaint= =anceship, they came to America, where the cousin of Mr. W[ynter] was in business. – Every thing about the Gentleman seemed fair &
highly
honorable, intelligent & ^ moral was repre= =sented. – Miss B & Mr. Wynter were married by H. W. Beecher in Brooklyn. After a little sojourn here, they all returned to Eng =land, where her sister died. Mrs. H. Wynter
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(2) returned to America with her husband, he saying – to settle up his business, to go with her to her own home. – One morning a Lady presented herself to Mrs. H. W[ynter], saying she was the lawful wife of him. [underscored] She called her husband – shewing the Certificate of her Marriage. The villain [underscored] acknowledged the fact & said he preferred her to his real [underscored] Wife; & would gladly have convinced his dis= second =carded [‘discarded’ struck-through] Wife that he loved her, & would do every thing to make her happy, if she would not leave him. – Her indignation was intense; & she banished her from her presence; & told him she would not bring him into trouble, if he let her alone. She returned all the gifts he presented to her – she not willing to ac= =cept one dime for her support – Her brother -in-law, she felt, before her Sister died, was a very unprincipled man; & his family were entirely uncongenial. He brought her to P_, where he engaged board for her, saying to the kind Landlady, he would be respon= =sible for her board, which he has failed to do; - and she has been sewing, to try & pay it herself. He now declines to do it.
She wrote to her Mother (her Father hav= =ing died when she was very young) to send he money to get home. – If you will call on the E. Consul, he will tell you he has “ \ I cannot make out the 2 next words clear =ly, or make the sentence parce properly, but it seems like \ “been confidence in’ [‘been...in’ underscored] by Mrs. W[ynter] who now resumes here, [underscored] & will hereafter, her
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(3) maiden name. –She is only 19; - a Christian, & very intelligent, & modest & dignified. –
If from any unforeseen occurrence, her Mother did not get her letter, & the money not com =ing, as soon as she gets home, it will be faithfully remitted to the one who will advance the requisite sum, to pay her passage
you
I will write ^ again in a day or two Your Sisters letter came safe to hand Your sincere friend L. A. Lippett
P.S. Miss B (as we call her here) will “ \\ I cannot make in the next work, but think it is in purport [underscored] \\” allow me to enclose the E. Con= =sul’s notes to her here, shewing at least there is no deception there and, as I believe, in no respect – She describes her Mother as being rich. and at 21 she comes into possession of her own [underscored] property. – excuse writing. “ –
Notes by R[utson] M[aury] – Miss Lippett writes the full ^ maiden surname [‘maiden surname’ underscored] of this lady in the two cases where I, from being unable to make it out, have only given the initial [underscored] “B” – It looks to me like “Breen” or “Buen.” –
It strikes me as strange that no sure [underscored] means have been adopted of tracing out her Mother, who has, as I should imagine, changed her abode, & so never has received her daughter’s letter, - else one would suppose -granting the young lady’s story as narrated
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(4) by Miss L[ippett] to give in all essential [underscored] partic=
ulars the “whole [underscored] truth” – it would be impos
=sible [‘impossible’ underscored] for her to act so cruelly. [underscored] –
It is indeed a very [underscored] sad story, and I am not surprised at Miss Lippett, with her kind heart & romantic temperament, taking so warm an interest in poor Miss B______; for I did not read her letter further than the first few words, ‘ere I began to copy it off legibly, as I spelt [underscored] our each word -
the
feeling pretty soon of ^ general features of the case ‘ere I arrived at them - & feeling also much as tho’ I was reading, in indistinct type one of the most exciting chapters of “Jane Eyre” & her married [underscored] lover! – She too, was to have gone off as a Missionary [underscored].
I do not approve of that scheme in this case, unless the young lady herself desires it. To become a Missionary, merely for a mainten- ance [‘maintenance’ underscored] is not a proper motive. – It seems to me a rash step, & one to which she (very like Jane Eyre) feels repugnance. – But who has the custody of her property? and how is she to get at it, when she is 21? – It may be that the Trustee lives in Calcutta. –
The whole story is too imperfect for a prop =er understanding of the case with the view to practical treatment in some useful & prop= =er way; - but certainly enough, & far more than enough, is stated to excite one’s interest & one’s sympathy too. –
[Marginalia] Some clever & enthusiastic Lawyer, [underscored] it seems to me is the kind of friend Miss B_ most needs at present.
