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5 Hanover St New York Thursday Afternoon 8 Sept '64

My Dear Mrs. Lewis, Your letter postmarked 1st inst reach ed me in due course with the enclosure for Mrs. C. which I read and dispatched to her with a few lines of my own on the same day - 3rd inst; - and I have several times been upon the point of replying but hitherto have been withheld either from be ing too busy or too tired with ever much writing; and if I can help it, I never write to a lady unless I am in good [trim?] for the task.

I am rather struck with your [?] um of "multum in parvo" as applica- ble to the last note I sent you as that is foreign to my general habit; - My style being [diffuse?], whilst that of my brother is in the opposite extreme of [?]. It was only recently I had a letter from him, in which, whilst reproving me for writing such long letters, he reminded me of a story related of an ancient friend of ours, now deceased, but for many years the leading American banker in London.

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He was, without any fault, removed from office by [?] Jefferson; but it was a "[blessing?] in disguise," as his [?] [?] as a merchant only commen- ced after he left [Hamburgh] and went to settle in London. My Father and he were very warm friends, as I wish were still the case between the worthies of Virginia and Massachusetts. Through him Maury [?] [?] acquired a large business with the merchants of Boston [?] [?]; and it was thus that my brothes and [?] and I became as well acquainted with socity in Boston as with that in Richmond, and acquired equal regard and esteem for both, and like our Father have always been free from the miserable contempt ible prejudices and [sectional?] feelings that have plunged the Country into this horrid and needless war.

But to return to the anecdote that Matthew referred to - Sam Williams was the person with whom the yan kee shipmasters mostly deposited

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the balances of their freight money on leaving Liverpool. And they were often directed to consult with him as the bank er and friend of their "Owners," in any case of emergency. - And it was said that one of these captains, being in great perplexity whether carry back a cargo of salt or not addressed a long letter to him on the subject, covering a whole sheet of paper with all the pros and cons and requesting his advice: whereunto the reply was in these words: - "Salt won't do. Yours truly, Sam Williams"

Nevertheless, after his return to this country [?] succeeded in extracting from him more than one letter, I think, covering 3 quarter pages. - He was a noble char acter; and his figure and visage and dignified deportment were all in keeping with