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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 brothers and [?] and I became as well acquainted with society 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 and reminded one of the later full length portraits of Gen'l Washington.

I was glad to find by [Nan's] last flag of truce letter, begun 5th of Augt but ended in a week or 10 days later that her brother Fontaine's head quarters are now with our worth and venerable cousin "Steady Reuben."

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Mr. Sam Williams, an old bachelor whose house and [counting?] were at No. 1 Finsburg Square. - He was equally taci turn in speech and on paper. He carried an enormous amount of business corres pondence, wrote every letter himself, and had I think but one clerk. He was very hospitable, however, and kind and liberal to his fellow countrymen - especially the young er chaps, who went to England to make their living with their pen or pallet - such as Irving, Leslie, Newton, etc. - and when I was a school boy at the "Charter House," I was sometimes one of his Sunday guests. - He was a true and noble Yankee, born and bred at Salem, Mass. And he never crossed the Atlantic but twice - once in his early life, when appointed U.S. Counsel at Hamburgh, or prior to that appointment and afterwards when he came back in his old age, some years after my Father's return. - The ship in which he went to Europe was run down in the night by another one, whose rigging he clung to, and was the only person saved!

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I had a message for you from the Father of Dick & Johnny in a letter of 12th August in these words: - "My love and friendship to Mrs. Lewis when you write." - since which I have had another dated 23rd - in the former he said in reference to his visit to the sea- side 3 weeks previously: - "I had been there to get the benefit of the dear West winds, just from - and fresh air from the sea: - they did me a "heap of good," and I have felt very well since." And at the later date, (when he was expecting a visit from [?] before sailing for N. York) he observes: - "I have occasional signs of my ob stinate malady, but generally feel well. I hope therefore I am getting the upper hand of the wretched creature." - What is the nature of of said malady I don't know, but I fancy it is something arising from an over work ed brain.

I think it is since [Ann?] wrote to you last that she has rec'd 2 letters of 30 Augt and 1 Sept from our neice Harriet under her own hand giving a continued good report of herself and baby; and from her brother Wm I have a note of 4th inst of the same purport. Within less than a week after the birth of her child she was gladdened - as we are too - by her having a letter from her husband who had safely reached Ft. Benton on his way to Idaho and saying he expects to

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be home again by Xmas - The meaning of the passage, "Miss Sarah holds on to [Darienington?]" - is that our niece S- was still staying with her dearly beloved and in valid friend Miss Dunning, whose abode is near Darien, Conn; on the New Haven R.R. We call the place "[Darienington?]" therefore for short She wrote thither on 1st July and none of us have seen the light of her countenance since. She seems to have forgotten that she has a home in New York and we are disinclined to remind her of her home duties.

I suppose that Miss Gilpin has returned hither to-day at the conclusion of her so journ at Cornwall - between West Point and Newburgh: - and after passing 2 or 3 days in the city she is to go to her brother Richard's near West Chester, Pa to remain there un til the return of the Irving Place trio from their travels. - Two days ago we had letters to 26th also from the trio. Matthew and Mary having accomplished their [scotch?] tour. All 3 were for the present at Miss [Didworth's?], but about to leave for Liverpool, as soon as in formed that lodgings had been engaged for them. And Elizabeth was to remain in these lodgings whilst Matthew and Mary devoted 3 weeks or so to London and the So of England. She (E) having no fancy for long R.R. journeys or a round of sight seeing.

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We have no recent letter from [?] nor has he told us what day he intended to sail from Liverpool; but I suppose It was yester day; - and we suppose that the trio will sail about a month after him.

Another member of this traveling family left home 8 days ago - vizt Matthew's only son, James, in company with 2 young friends who are also only sons. They left home in a steamer for Portland, Ma to spend a few weeks in hunting, fishing, etc. in the woods and wilds of Maine and were rigged out accordingly for camping out etc. Ann was a good deal occupied one whole day assisting Master James in his outfit, cut ting his hair himself, which has always been his and her fancy since he was a child.

Then was a long pencil letter from him to his father announcing his safe arrival at Portland and describing his first experien ces of a sea voyage during a smooth and de lightful passage of 36 hours - of which letter it [devolved?] upon Walter to make a copy for the edification of his two Aunts, [in?] the original went over the ocean to his father.

As I used to be plagued with vertigo of the severest kind, perhaps my experience might be useful to your friend Judge Milligan.

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4th St - Thursday night - I had to break off there somewhat like "Schcherizaide," but like her I must continue the story: Vertigo [?] usually from insufficiency of sleep, from over- working one's head and under - working one's heels - and is often attended with [dyspefsia?], and acidity of the stomach. To correct the last, take carbonate of soda, and avoid [?] stuff. Lay aside, for a while at least, the use of wine or spirits and pay particular attention to keeping the bowels open. But for permanent riddance of the disorder, take more sleep and more bodily exercise, and lessen as far as possible, the work for the head. After a long and active walk, you will find the veins around the feet much swollen, and then there never can be too great a concentration of blood around the brain, which is what occasions vertigo. Blood-letting brings relief, but it is not permanent. More sleep, more bodily exercise, and less mental effort and all then in conjunction. The only radical remedy. Don't work immediately after meals, especially after dinner and help digestion by sitting in L position, the feet being raised to a level with the hips by stretch- ing your legs upon an extra chair, or on a sofa as that increases the flow of blood to the stomach. The blood always flows to that part of our frame that is under exercise. - The older I grow the more I value Boerhaave's grand principle for bodily health [vizt?]: "Keep the head cool and the feet warm." If compelled to sit up at night for writing or study, and the weather is cold or cool, you will find your head becoming warmer and your feet cold and icy. In such cases, before you commence the task, wrap a shawl or blanket around you from the hips down to the feet. - If anyone wish es to keep well and have nothing to do with the Apothecary or physician, let him read that admirable little

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book: "The Principles of Physiology Applied to the Preservation of Health." by Comb. The chief use of doctors in this country, or their chief employment, is to enable people, as far as possible, to set the Laws of Health at de fiance! I have learnt much that is useful for health in summer or warm climates from a short treatis entitled, "Liebig's Animal Chemistry." - He explains that wonderful fact that in the absence of fever, the human blood is at the same temperature in all climates, and why we need more and richer food in winter than in summer - he looks upon a great coat and a beef-steak as almost convertible terms! Of all civilized people on the face of the earth, those of this country, whether North or South, East or West, are the most ignorant of the Laws of Health. - and for one reason of the mala dies most prevalent, our climante is a bad one, as it indisposes us for taking a suffici- ency of bodily exercise all the year round be- cause our winters are so cold and our sum- mers so hot. - China is the exact counter part of North America Eastward of the Rocky Mountains. Only that the extremes of heat and cold are still greater than they are here. Hence we might borrow much from the Chinese: For example, they have plenty of ice, but they do not drink iced water. Their beverage is most ly tea. And as our cousin Lewis has told me they seldom drink plain water, and when they do they drink it warm! - But many years before I heard this, I had discovered that iced drinks

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in the summer only made one hotter and more thirsty and that a large bowl of warm tea relieved one almost immediately, as it brought the heat to the surface and expelled it by perspiration - whilst the iced drink had just the opposite effect.

When I left the house this morning Ann was busy at the kitchen stove with a huge pan of plums that she was preserving. - And when I got home to dinner I found [Miss?] [Gilpen?] here fresh from Cornwall - I brought a letter for her which [proved] to from her and my nephew James written 5th inst on the border of Moosehead Lake where he intends to remain until 23rd inst. He writes in fine spirits after his land journey from Portland; and the sporting was to commence next day with the aid of a couple of guides. [Miss Gilpen?] also gave me Mary's last journal letter of 12 pa ges to read, and I found it a much pleasanter task than you will to peruse all that I have now inflicted upon you. - she begins with the visit to [?] [cave?] and ends I think with the Fall of [?]. - She has yet to write of what she saw of Loch Katherine, Sterling, Edin burgh, [?], York, etc. But Matthew has given us, in his concise way, in 4 pages a very full account of what they saw and did from the time they left Lancaster until their return and much besides that in the narrative.

Two days ago when I had to write for the English [steamer?], I rec'd 2 universally long

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