.MzE5.NDY2

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by the [steamer] Edinburgh Liverpool [England] 11 March 1862 Office 1 p.m. Tuesday

Dear Ann

I rec[eive]d yesterday morning only that letter from Matthew of the 22nd Ult[im]o [11 February] which Fontaine set ashore at Queenstown [England] on the night of the 6th It [?] 1d stamp & was postmarked Queenstown 7th & L[iver]pool even[in]g of the 8th. On opening it I was dis =appointed at finding nothing within it from you [‘nothing...you’ underscored]

Fontaine said to me on Saturday that the [steamer] “Teutonia” was the regular mail boat of 22nd from N[ew] York; so perhaps you wrote by her instead of giving your letter to him; & I believe [‘I believe’ struck-through] she has not arrived yet. –

The [steamer] Asia’s letters are here today, & I have one by her from Matthew, but I have nothing from you. He says; - “I have written to Gair, and Ann to Mr. Rathbone Sen[io]r about trying to get a berth for Tobin in Birley & Co[mpany]’s house in China: - he will probably await the answer to it here. Ann says that [Munson?], she thinks, is dead. You know he was a partner in that House.” –

I did not know anything about it and this is the first intimation I have of Tobin having a de= =sire to go to China. – In the absence of express information to the contrary it strikes me as a very unpromising scheme. – I always consider that there is no field equal to the U[nited] S[tates] for a young man of steady & industrious habits &enterprising withal. And thus if Tobin would follow my advice, he would

                                or

remain where he is for the present ^ until North & South shall have settled their differences.

I have not seen anything of William or Fontaine since Saturday afternoon. – They called here, both yesterday morning & this morning, before I appeared at the office but have not presented themselves at a later hour, when they would have found me in. – Thus, I know nothing of their proceedings since Saturday afternoon.

At noon today I sent a note to Horatio Hughes’ office

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                                 to

-addressed to W[illia]m & Fontaine ^ say I have a note for the latter by the [steamer] Asia from Walker & that I want to see William as soon as he can call today.

I writing on 27th ult[im]o [27 February] to Mr. John Gilmour formerly of Richmond V[irgini]a & now residing within 2 miles of Helensburgh [Scotland] (near Glasgow) – I told him that I expected one of my nephews here who had recently come on to N[ew] York from N[ew] O[rleans] [Louisiana] & Richmond, after spending 5 weeks or more at Richmond, & that he could doubtless give him news of interesting character as to what is going on in Richmond. – Yesterday Mr. Gilmour’s reply of 8th reached me & he asks me to tell him when W[illia]m has arrived as he will come here to see him unless (as he would prefer) W[illia]m should choose to pay him a visit, where he would have a hearty welcome. – Mr. Gilmour also give me – as he had already done more than once – a most kind & pressing invitation to come & stay with him. –

I wrote yesterday to him that W[illia]m had come but that I had not seen him since rec[eip]t of his letter of the 8th; & that I thought it would not be conveni- =ent for to go to Scotland, but would ask him & let Mr. G[ilmour] know positively today. – I am thus kept indoors today wanting for the chance of a second call from William or Fontaine. –

I have seen a letter today to Cropper Hodgson & Co[mpany] from my namesake dated N[ew] York 26th ult[im]o [26 February] in which he informs them he was released on parole on the 22nd [underscored] – just as I expected after hearing of the general order for the release of such prisoners as himself. – He asks for copies of has it [‘has it’ struck-through] any corres- =pondence that may have passed between Mr. Henry C. Wainwright and Cropper Hodgson & Co[mpany] – which

[Marginalia]

I have rec[eive]d last week a book & a small roll containing Music etc. from Mrs. Frances Edgeworth – as well as a letter, enclosing one for Mr. Ellen Mordecai.

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Mr. Hodgson is having drawn out for him – and also for his A/current with C[ropper] H[odgson] & Co[mpany] hoping there may be a balance in his favour, as he wishes to draw

                                                     some 2 or 3 weeks ago

for the same. – C[ropper] H[odgson] & Co[mpany] had already sent him ^ under cover to Maury Bro[ther]s this A/- leaving about £10 only [‘£10 only’ underscored] as the balance at his [underscored] cr[edit], & at the same time they sent him copy of Maury & Welder’s A/- which shews a bal[an]ce of about £70 in favor of M[aury] & W[elders].

(Welfield Place [Liverpool] at night) About 3 p.m. when I had written thus far, W[illia]m & Fontaine presented themselves, as requested in my note; & they gave me a satisfactory account of themselves. They spent Sunday by going over to Liscard [Wallasey] attending church at John Tobins church, where he officiated. They made themselves known to him, & dined with his family & took the opportunity of revisiting the Locusts, -

They have at last found lodgings, by aid of Mr. Henry Lowndes, at No. 12 Bloom St, [Myrtle?] St ( in the vi =cinity of his house) & were to move into them this evening. – They have 2 bed-rooms on 1st floor up stairs , & a parlour on the ground floor; & the cost is 6/- p[er] room p[er] week, or 18/- in all, which seems moderate enough. I told them I should call & see them in these quarters ere [struck-through] before long; as I wish to see how they are fixed.

I introduced them today to Mr. Weed, & I hope they & he will be intimate. He lives at No. 84 Myrtle St.; so that he must be a near neighbour of theirs. – I had already invoked his aid, & not in vain, on Friday when he drank T[ea] with us at the Dingle, in finding lodgings for W[illia]m –

They left the bottle of Peach preserve, & the little [packet?] of baby’s socks at the office yesterday morning, & I took these things in my pocket to Mary Bold on riding home to dinner in the omnibus yesterday.

Today I walked home to dinner, & there found your

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long letter of the 22/26 ult[im]o [22/26 February] by the [steamer] Asia, directed to Welfield Place, but I did not open it until after T[ea] for being very tired & sleepy, I took a good long & sound nap in the arm chair usually occupied by Laura, who had not returned from her daily visit to her niece, Mrs. Foster. She is to go tomorrow to the Addisons to spend about a week with them; a visit that I think will be refreshing to her besides giving the opportunity of seeing her dar- =ling son. – She expressed her decided approbation of the tone & spirit of Tobins letter to me of the 25th enclosed in yours. - \\ I have kept the major part of your letter to myself [‘to myself’ underscored]; but when the rest had gone to bed, I told Mary Bold somewhat of your Ecclaircissement [Eclaircissement] with Rutson on the 22nd, & she in turn told me of of your remarks to her (in your little note this even[in]g) as to Fontaine resuming his engineering profession in the old world, instead of returning to N[ew] O[rleans] -

If I had rec[eive]d your hint about Fontaine’s taste for expence & self indulgence, I might have with[h]eld the £10 I gave him on Saturday. But it seemed to me the best to be impartial in my favors to him & William.

As uncle Horatio declined housing W[illia]m, & as Fontaine came here too, it seem will that they now room to- =gether. – William said he would have no objections to go to Scotland, as invited by Mr. Gilmour, after a while, but was not in the mood for it just now. And I sent a line therefore to Mr. G[ilmour] today to say that W[illia]m could not leave L[iver]pool conveniently just [now?]

I had the two lads talking with me for about an hour between 3 & 4 this afternoon; - & I was glad of it as I was quite at leisure. – I took the opportunity of introducing them to Mr. Hodgson then, as I did on Satur =day to Mr. J[ohn]. W[akefield]. Cropper. – Fontaine, unasked, gave me Walker’s note to him to read, at which I hope Walker will not be shocked. – He told me he wished to buy a couple of handsome English books, as presents to his friends Mr. Wallis, & the Consul’s chancellor Mr. Edwards & asked my advice as to the best shop to buy them at.

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I said there was time enough to consider about this before the [steamer] Edinburgh now sailing; was back here a month hence. – He told me that the officers on board that vessel were very kind & cordial towards him, & would do anything of this sort to oblige him. He said they were the same [sett?] who had been on board the [steamer] Etna when Rutson crossed in her; & that in his becoming ac- =quainted with them, they told him how much they were struck with the contrast between the two: that they liked him, but that R[utson] had made himself most disagreeable to everybody on board. – I did not like this remark, because it was so unbefitting in one brother speaking of another; & yet I was sorry to see that it seemed to chime in with William’s feelings. But I was not in mood for administering reproof. – William ob- =served that it was not a matter to be regretted, however long Rutson was prevented rejoining his wife: for that “the old woman was getting along very well in Alabama, notwithstanding her being a pawn there.”

During all this talk Fontaine seemed about as cheer= =ful as William – I was glad to observe from Walker’s note that he suggests the inexpediency of Fontaine publishing his grievances. Uncle Horatio told me he should tell Fontaine that if he did so, nobody would read them. – There was a letter from Rutson to Mr. Consul Mure of N[ew] O[rleans], enclosed in his letter of 26th rec[eive]d today by Cropper Hodgson & Co[mpany].

I approve entirely of your suggestion that Fontaine should offer his services as a R[ail] R[oad] engineer to the Russian Gov[ernment]. – I shall have a talk with him on this point by & bye. At present I have no idea what are his views as to his future career, or whether he may not insist upon returning to his last employment as a cotton-broker at N[ew] O[rleans] – I also intend talking on this point with his uncle Horatio. Perhaps F[ontaine]’s friend Mr. Walters or Mr. McLane could aid F[ontaine] in this Russian

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scheme by getting letters from Mr. Winans at Balt[im]o[re] who was so successful in that profession in Russia. – It also struck me that perhaps our cousin [Matthew] F[ontaine] M[aury] at Richmond, if he could be reached in any way, might also be able & willing to put in a word on behalf of his namesake, to some of the head men at St. Petersburg [Russia]. But the first point is to find out how F[ontaine] himself is inclined. – We know he is fond of novelty; & I think he had already grown sick of Cotton brokering. –

I am sure you must have suffered great pain & have been, as you say, “much shaken” during that Ecclaircissement [Eclaircissement] with Rutson; but I am glad you had the courage to do through with it. – What he is to do now for employment & support, I cannot at all foresee. – I am most truly sorry for him, in having thus thrown himself away & blasted all his four prospects for life. –

I will see Mr. Gair, as soon as I can, as to the chan =ces for Tobin with Birley & Co[mpany], tho’ I don’t like the scheme at all. – I honour his motives; but I do not think he is on the right track for securing an independence. – His plan [...als?] to mind that of Sam[ue]l Pollard. –

Mary Bold tells me that young Ambrose Littledale, whom I met at the marriage of Emily Addison, & who was so [general?] a favorite here, has since then made an arrangement with some house here in the China trade, & gone out thither to be absent for 5 years. I believe his destination is Shanghai. It is in my opinion sheer nonsense, to go out to China, India, Brazil, Australia etc. in quest [underscored] of employment.

It is indispensable that a prior & [positive?] engagement [‘prior...engagement’ underscored] be entered into at head quarters, with the home [underscored] estab=

lishment before starting just as I told Sam Pol

=lard some 18 years ago. – Tobin’s ideas seem now to me just as vague & indefinite as did those of

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Sam Pollard on that occasion. – It is like sending a ship to sea without any definite object. –

If Tobin starts on this embassy, I may perhaps get some aid for him through our friend Edgar Cor= =rie J[unio]r – for “Birley” [underscored] was the name of the house with whom he was a partner in India. – And yet what benefit did he get from all his wanderings in either the Eastern or Western World? Twice [?] he was driven home to his native land by the insupporta =ble heat of the climate & was thus twice at death’s door!

I am glad that Walker & Tobin were pleased with their English clothes, & that the stockings are likely to suit you, & that Mrs. McLane’s ribbons were in good order. – I hope that Dr. Nevilles’ photographs were also uninjured. –

As Laura took great [underscored] pains to get those [?] studs for Walker; I think he ought to have sent her a few lines expressive of his obligations.

The enclosed letter from Emma Bryan came to me after I last wrote to you.

David Hodgson, his wife & another lady were in the pew with me on Sunday morning. - In the even[in]g I crossed over to Birkenhead & drank T[ea] with Jessie & her brother – the only members of the family who were at home. – Tom Bold was in London – his third trip [‘third trip’ underscored] thither since Parliament met! He was to return last night. – Jessie thinks that W[illia]m & Fontaine must be quite Lions here. She asked me to bring them over some day & introduce them to her.

Young Mr. Hodgson (C[ropper] H[odgson] & Co[mpany) was back from London, & at his post at the office yesterday morning.

He has not yet informed me the nature of his plans for the future. – Yesterday (no, it was Friday) Mr. Cropper Sen[io]r was having a talk with me [in?] [?] little [room?] as to Am[erica]n Stock, finance etc; and at

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the conclusion of it, he alluded to Mr. Hodgson’s retire= =ment, by saying – “I suppose you have heard of the proposed change here?” – I told him that Mr. H[odgson] had informed me of it, without stating the cause, or his future plans. – He said that he too was en =tirely ignorant as to those plans. He spoke very highly of Mr. H[odgson], but did not throw any light on the cause of his retiring, & it did not seem fit for me to ask him, but I remarked that his son John would have to devote less time pro bono pub- =lico [for the public good], & more to counting house affairs, if the L[iver]pool house was to be kept up. He agreed to this & said it was to be kept up, & that John would have another partner to aid him here: but he did not say who that partner is to be. – I can only say that I regret that change because I have all along, from the first interview, been very much pleased with Mr. Hodgson in every respect, & he has shewn a very warm interest with the welfare of all of our nephews. – I never met with a more kind & obliging man.

William gave me the photograph of poor Nan & her lost child. – I have not yet found time to shew it to Mrs. Cropper, but I may perhaps make and effort to do so tomorrow morning, as I wish it to reach Miss Katie Loundes as soon as can be. I am glad to hear of Harriets welfare, & I hope she may like the new house, & that they may all have good luck in it.

On Sunday, one of the Hymns was that of [C...sser?] -“Give me a calm & thankful heart etc.” – It served to rebuke my murmurs at recent Cotton disap= =pointments. With kind love to all, I remain Yours Affectionately R[utson] Maury

[Marginalia] Read Earl Russell’s speech on Blockade in today’s Times. –

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(9) 12 March – Office (2 1/2 p.m.)

I have been very busy this day – & still are.

After breakfast I walked to the Dingle & sat more than 1/2 an hour with Mrs. Cropper. – I shewed her the photograph of Nan & her baby, & she was pleased with it, & said it was a very sweet looking child. I gave her 2 of your 4 last photographs – one for her- =self & the other to be sent to Mary Wakefield (N[ota] B[ene] I keep one for myself & have given the other to Mary Bold, and if you have 2 or 3 copies to spare, Mrs. Addison, Mrs. Hamilton, & Mrs. T H. Bold would, I am

      very

sure be ^ glad to have them.)

I wish you would ask Walker, or Tobin , or Mytton to buy, at my expence, a copy of [William] Sewalls book on the Br[itish] W[est] Indies & send it to me by the purser of the st[eame]r Edinburgh, who I am sure will gladly take charge of it to oblige Fontaine. - [‘oblige Fontaine’ underscored] I want to make a present of it to Mrs. Cropper. –

Mrs. C[ropper] had a letter from Sedgwick this morn[ing], giving not so good an account of Mary Wakefield as latterly. –

We talked over the Engineering plans for Fontaine & the China scheme for Tobin. – I read her Tobin’s letter to me, & some portions of yours, & of what I wrote to you last night. – She thought there was little chance of F[ontaine] finding such employment in this country, but hoped we would apply to M[atthew] F[ontaine] at Richmond for letters of recommendation to head quarters at St. Petersburg; & I think you could manage to word a letter skillfully on this subject to Nan, by flag of truce, & that M[atthew] F[ontaine] could also man =age to send the letters quickly to N[ew] York by the

[Marginalia][follows marginalia on right side of page 12]

occasion & for the grand steeple chase – Ladies don’t go to steeple chases.

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“under ground railway.” – Mary Bold said last night that Mr. Mattherson, Mrs. Cropper’s son in law, was connected, she thought, with a house in China. – I asked Mrs. C[ropper] this morning: when she said the China house in question was Loyd Matterson of London, that the Mattherson of that concern was of the same family as her son in law, but that there was no business connection between them. He is a T[ea] broker [underscored] only.

It was nearly 1/2 past 11 when I left the Dingle to walk to town; & I steered straight for Mr. Stewart’s in Rodney St. (Berend’s sucessor) to make an appointment with him, as the stuffing came out of one of my teeth this morning. – I was lucky

          him

in finding ^ disengaged; & he there & then entered on the task – (with a beautifully bright day) – & skillfully doctored 2 of my teeth, at an expence of £1.1/-. – I reached the office before 2 p.m. & found William there, & I gave him Nan & babys photograph to give to Katie Loundes, who happens to be here for a week. – I had talk with him for over an hour, on various topics, mostly about Fontaine. He thinks that if F[ontaine] should return to N[ew] Orleans, his life would not be worth more than 5 year’s purchase! – all which I fully understand. He prefers that I should propound the Russian scheme to Fontaine. – I will first try & have a talk with uncle Horatio about it. – I propose, however, that W[illia]m should write to M[atthew] F[ontaine] at Rich- =mond on the subject: - if, as he expects, he finds

[Marginalia – left side of page] The two lads like their new quarters , & their landlady. –

[Marginalia – right side of page] Uncle Horatio has allotted a part [?] in his very large & [....able......t?] the exclusive use of William & Fontaine. He has a cold, & so was not in town yesterday nor today.

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means of doing so [North-about?], thro’ some one here, who is in connection with the underground R[ail] Road].

At 3 p.m. I left W[illia]m, & went to Rathbone Bro[ther]s office in Water St. – Both Mr. Gair & Mr. [Lane?] Rath -bone were absent for the day: - both had gone, like all the rest of the world, to the grand steeple chase to-day (Neither of our lads are going however: - they are both to dine with Richard Lowndes today – & at 11 Welfield Place tomorrow)

But I found old Mr. W. Rathbone at the office & had a very pleasant interview with him for 1/2 an hour. – Birley & Co[mpany] are their house in China, & his son Sam Rathbone is trustee for the widow of Mr. Munson, who is now in this country. Mr. Rathbone had rec[eive]d your letter, & will do his best to second it, by his influence with his son Sam.

It was agreed that I should call & see the latter the day after tomorrow at the office, & that his father, if he can find the opportunity, shall speak to him on the subject in the meanwhile. – Sam is the one who specially overlooks the China & India branch of R[athbone] Bro[ther]s & Co[mpany]’s business. Mr. Rathbone asked whether Tobin had yet rec[eive]d a commercial education, such as being up to keeping books & accounts. I said he had not, & Mr. R[athbone] remarked that that might be an insuperable obstacle: for that, in China & India etc., the houses wanted ready-made [‘ready-made’ underscored] clerks, & not to have the trouble of teaching them ab initio [‘from the beginning’]. I said that h[struck-through] when a young man was willing &

                    do

industrious, ready to ^ all he could that was asked of him, & had set his heart [‘set his heart’ underscored] upon steadily follow- =ing a certain path in life, he was certain to become very soon competent for his duties. He

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acknowledged the force of this. And he said he would do all he could to second Tobin’s wish.

He spoke of old times, of the days when his brother Richard was an apprentice with our father in Paradise St.; of his own extreme regard for our father; & of his very high regard also for

                   the

you; - dwelling upon ^ good part you had so zealously taken & followed out in bringing up the children. He expressed his extreme regret now, as he did the other day, when I was at Green bank [London], at his not having known that he [struck-through] you were in England in 1860; for he & his wife would have been so much pleased to have seen you & rendered you every attention in their power.

How is son Sam may feel disposed, I expect to inform you in my next. – But, as you will see, my interview with his father was every way most pleasant & satisfactory, whether it end in anything or not.

The idea has just struck me that perhaps it would be as well if William were to place his Lard in the hands of Rathbone Bro[ther]s & Co[mpany.

On my return I found W[illia]m & Fontaine talking at the street door with Mr. Hodgson. Presently James Buchanan came alone, & I took them across the street with me & re[underscored –introduced them to him. – The meeting seemed mutually agreeable, & I left them, having along talk – This morn[in]g I provided a carriage to carry Laura (at my own suggestion) to pay a [p.p.c?] visit to her niece, & bring her back, & then to carry her, with Elizabeth & Mary to the [continues on left side marginalia]

[Marginalia – left side of page]

New Brighton steamboat. The 2 latter were to return to a 6 p.m. dinner in W[elfield] Place

[Marginalia – right side of page]

It is a most beautiful day both for this [continues on Marginalia on Page 9