.NTA5.Njc0
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By the [steamer] China 4th St[reet] New York 4 Oct[ober] 1863 M [struck-through] Sunday evening
Dear Ann
In my pencil P[ost] S[cript] yesterday morning I said I had rec[eive]d a further remittance of $100 for Mrs. Pollard from Sam: but afterwards in looking at the letter & bill, I found it was only a duplicate [underscored] & I can not say I felt sorry at the discovery.
I wrote 2 pages to James by the N[ew] O[rleans] [Louisiana] steamer before 2 p. m.; & with one thing or another that I need not partic =ularize, my time was so cut up that I had none left for working at the Day Book or Ledger before closing the office at 4 p.m.: whereas I had in the morning flatter =ed myself with the idea of doing great things in the shape of Day Book entries that day. –
At my suggestion, Walker wrote a letter to Ja[me]s which went under my envelope; & he thus antici= =pated James’ request in a letter of 26 Sept[ember], that I got out of the P[ost] O[ffice] on my way to dinner. – In that letter he says, “Yesterday Louisa had another “attack – a sort of bilious cake, with very great “pain & vomiting & purging. – It was not so
in
“violent as the last attack; but the pain ^ the Stom= “=ach was very severe indeed; it required 25 drops “of Battley’s Sedative to stop it. Of course she is very “weak again & put on short allowance of food. 3 “biscuits, 3 cups T[ea] & 3 cups strong Beef T[ea], for the day “Dr. Adler has just been, & given me leave to go out, “from which you may judge she is better today. The “juvenile takes it all quietly; & to the astonishment “of everybody, he gains & prospers under all difficulties.”
In speaking of the fine Bananas in his garden he says – “I cut a very fine bunch 3 days ago, & delighted Miss Fedler with a couple last night. She came to see Louisa, & asked particularly after you & Aunt Ann.” – He had not yet heard of Fon =taine’s intention of embark from L[iver]pool; [England] [?] he say [?] wrote [?] Matthew pe[struck-through] please say to him [?] [ ? ] of [ ? ] will write to him [ ? ]
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I receive his next.” \ That letter of 28 Aug[us]t came open to me ^ but all written on that day was in cy=[‘cy’ underscored] =pher tho’ there was a P[ost] S[cript] of 29th [underscored] of a few lines, not [underscored] in cypher, mentioning, that he had just that moment rec[eive]d my letter informing him of Walker’s accident. – Perhaps that intelligence, which I had supposed would at once stimulate Fontaine to seeking in earnest for employment (tho’ it con- -tained no hint of the kind from me) may have been instrumental in starting him upon his mad-cap expedition to this side. – At any rate it must have been a very sudden determination I think, & was probably not intended up to 31 Aug[us]t, when he dined with you at the Dingle. [Liverpool, England] \
The last sentence in James’ letter is: “If not “too much trouble, will you let Walker buy & ship “me a barrel of Rye Flour. – I cannot get any “here fit to eat. Rutson shall draw short for “the amount of cost.” – Of course I shall make him a present [underscored] of it, & send it freight free. [‘freight free’ underscored]
I left the office early to get home for dinner at 5 (as bespoken for me thro’ Mr. Spence) in order to go down town afterwards to get the letters by the [steamer] Eu- =ropa, which were to arrive at 5; & since 1st Oct[ober] the P[ost] O[ffice], as usual , closed at 6 1/2 instead of 7 p.m.
Walker went with me as far as the Park; & there we parted company, he to go & see Dr. Wilkes, & I already laden with a basket of Peaches to add a fresh box of 3¢ cigars to my burthen by calling for it at the head of William St[reet]; & I then rode home (as I had already ridden down in the morning) in a yellow car. – When I got home I remembered that James was to dine with [ ? ] he had not [been? [?] of the [house?] [ ? ] to 5 in [ ? ]
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6. However we did not wait either for him or Walker. Walker appeared whilst David [Spence], Sarah & myself were in the midst of eating our dessert, & just as I was leaving the house at 20 minutes to 6, in came James, & he looked heated, somewhat like his Aunt Mary when she had been occupied in a fruitless hunt after “the one-eyed Perch.” – He seem start =led, & rather annoyed, when I opened the front door for him, & told him he was “just in time for pudding;” [‘just...pudding’ underscored] but I console him by adding that he had Walker to keep him in countenance. –
Only a small part of the Europa’s letters were assorted for distribution before the P[ost] O[ffice] closed. The fruits of my journey were, 1st, that after getting out of the cars I filled my pockets with 10 Peaches from the same vendor, where I had bo[ugh]t 25 in the morning, & 2nd that I got but one [underscored] letter (from Horsfall & Addi- =son in answer to ours sending Power of Attorney & advising us of the sale of about one fifth part o f the stocks; the letter was written by Mr. Horsfall & at its close says: “It is our painful duty to an “=nounce the death of our Mr. Addison, which took “place very suddenly in Ireland on the 6th inst[ant] [6 September])
On my return from the P[ost] O[ffice] I walked home, for the sake of the exercise, taking it leisurely, then had a good [nap?] before T[ea], & after T[ea] a walk to 23rd St[reet] & back. – thus after all I secured upwards of 4 1/2 miles walking yesterday; - 4 miles being my minimum in the 24 hours. \ No, I am wrong, my night’s walk was as far as 31st St[reet] – thereby securing 5[underscored] 1/2 miles \ During my night’s walking I was cogitating over matters, nation =al & personal, which, before I went to bed, I put on paper as a letter for [struck-through] to Matthew for him to read on Monday; & if the letter will yield a press copy I may perhaps hand it to you herewith.
Walker woke me up this morn[in]g soon after 8, & we were all 3 assembled for prayers & breakfast [at 9?]. The [ ? ] of his [visit?] [ ? ] even[ing] to Dr. [Wilkes?] [ ? ] [ ? ] himself?] [ ? ]
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not at home, he left a mem[orandu]m for him on his slate to come & see Sarah today, which was more than she intended. – She merely wanted Walker to tell him that she had a boil coming on the other leg, & to ask him what she should do for it; she did not wish the Dr. to pay her a visit for so trifling & unimportant a matter. –
David accompanied me to St. Tho[mas] [Church], & we were in good time, - before the clergymen had come out of the vestry. They were the Dr’s [Dr. Morgan] assistant & some stranger who preached for 25 minutes: - James was in his father’s pew. – The church was well filled, tho’ the forenoon was cloudy. – There was a collection, & in my handing a pencil & back of a letter to David – “What’s the collection for?” he wrote “Hospital & something else,” & as there were 2 objects -tho’ neither of them intelligible to me – I gave $2 in the dark. – I did not sleep during the sermon, but as pretty near it – the weather being “cloose.” [underscored]
On coming home I employed myself in going up up [struck-through] to the garret with 6 decanters & filling 3 with No. 1 and 3 with No. 2 Sherry, as there was none down stairs, & had not been for a week past or more.
I performed (for the first time) with a syphon [underscored] that I found in the middle closet between your room & mine. – It was a dirty, unpleasant labor= ous undertaking, & involved many journeys up & down stairs; it was 1 1/2 p.m. & dinner was on the table by the time my task was ended & I had washed myself after it. – David dined out today & did not come home until 9 p.m., when he joined me & Mr. Van Ness in a glass of No. 1 Sherry: - but with Walker & James, Sarah & myself we had the 4 sides of the table occupied
We had a rump of Beef [?] was very tender & [ ? ] [& accomp...?]
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(5) ly boiled Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes sliced & baked or stewed, & Lima Beans: & for dessert a sponge cake, a few Peas & an abundance of Peaches, which are still very good & [not?] [dear?] as the Pears are. – After dinner I put 4 peaches on my plate to regale the Misses Nugent.
Dr. Wilkes called whilst we were at church. He told Sarah that what she thought was another boil coming, was nothing; & he looked at the sore place on the other leg & told her to cease further application of the oxide of Zink ointment, & let it dry up.
Walker went down to Trinity Church, & brought back a budget of letter – 3 business ones that are unopened & 2 for myself: - one of which
you
is from Cousin Belle, [‘Cousin Belle’ struck-though] & the other from cousin Belle dated Washington 2nd Oct[ober] – as follows:
“Dear Cousin – Your last letter was duly rec[eive]d “& should have been replied to sooner: but I was “waiting for Superintendent [William P.] Wood who has charge “of the Old Capital Prison, & who was absent at “the time your letter reached me. He only return ‘=ed a few days ago; & John went up to ask him “if Edward R. Stamps was there; & he looked care “=fully over the Register without finding the name. “Perhaps he had an assumed name. – I have “not written to Nan, because I could not give “her the information she wrote for. – I truly “wish I could relieve the mind of his anxious “mother; for I well know how to sympathise “with her \ Ellen rec[eive]d a flag of truce letter “from Will on 26th Sept[ember] dated 10 Sept[ember], saying they “were all well, & that they were drinking coffee twice “a day notwithstanding the Blockade. \ Mr. Carlisle “returned a few days ago: but I have not been “able to see him \ I was glad to hear of the im=
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“=provement in Walker’s wound, & hope ‘ere this, he “has entirely recovered. \ Belle talks of making “Mrs. Armstrong a visit as soon as she meets with “an escort. – We have been expecting a visit “from Charley Gregory for the past week; but busi “=ness detains him. I hope he will be able to come “the end of
this week. Give much love to Sarah & William
“from Belle & myself – Y[ou]rs very truly Isabel Maury”
I think that we – W[illia]m cousin Belle, & myself – have taken trouble enough to hunt after E[dward] R. Stamps, which as I said at once on reading Nan’s letter would be like hunting after a needle in a hay stack! But I will yet wait a few days for the chance of reply from Dr. Frank Taney, ‘ere I write to Nan as she desires.
Had there been anything very seriously amiss in Nan’s household, such as the death of her son Charley, I presume cousin W[illia]m would have
he
named it, since ^ would certainly have known it, thro’ his uncle Rob[er]t who by 10 Sept[ember] must have returned, I suppose, to Richmond [Virginia] from the Spring’s.
Who Mrs. Armstrong is I don’t know.
Before W[illia]m went off, I learnt from him that cousin Bell[e]’s son John has commenced busi =ness in Wash[ingto]n in the Banking line, under the firm of Maury & Co[mpany].
Sarah had a letter 2 days ago from Cousin Sallie, dated Wilminton 1st Oct[ober], - giving some account of their travels & of persons they had met at Saratoga etc., enquiring about Walker & speaking of the great pleasure that she & Jody had in their visit to us. She asks Sarah to come & pay them a quiet visit after you have returned home. – She says “Mabel” “Bayard was married this morn[in]g to Dr. Kane.”
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And now for your own letter: - I was not a little surprised at its being dated from Edin =burgh [‘Edinburgh’ underscored] [Scotland]: but I was much pleased thereat, as poor Mrs. Clunas would be quite disconsolate if you embarked without seeing her - & further I think the journey there & the visits that I sup =pose you will make on your way back, are cal =culated to do you good. Two months – from 8th Sept[ember] to 7 Nov[ember] – is too long a time to have been devoted entirely to Liverpool. – When I had finished read =ing your letter, leisurely seated after dinner in L position (but not sleepy) I handed it to Sarah to read, exclaiming as I did so – “Hurrah for “Aunt Ann! – you will see she has gone on a “frolic into Scotland after all.” – And Sarah then proceeded to read the letter aloud for the joint edification of James & herself. – I then went into the porch where Walker was smoking his pipe & gave him permission to read your letter & cousin Belle’s when he pleased. – He soon left, & I know not what became of him between that time & T[ea] except that he was locked up inside of his bed-room when I went up stairs in search of Sarah at 1/4 past 5. – I smoked a cigar after dinner & amused myself twisting & train= =ing convolvulus shoots, & whilst so employed I was pondering over, with some indignation, that remark you quote of Miss Hughes’ friend, who spoke of “those Maurys,” as such a drain upon Horatio Hughes’ purse! I believe it is his intention of let our nephews & nieces inherit some of his money after he is death; & so I suppose that out of regard for their pecu =niary welfare, one had best be silent. But when I thought how much money Maury & Sons had lost by both W[illia]m Hughes & Horatio
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Hughes, how much their Father was indebted to our Father for recommending him as a partner to old Mr. [Rathborn?]; how much money I had myself saved to Horatio Hughes by forego =ing the execution of a position [underscored] order for some 1500 or 2000 bales of Cotton in [18]’45/6 when I took so unmercantile a course simply to serve him, - so saving him £3 or £4,000, for which I never got one word of thanks - & only a grin [underscored] when I reminded him afterwards of his [remissness?]: - and then the immense mischief he did both to W[illia]m & to Maury Bro[ther]s in Sept[ember [18]’57 by recommending W[illia]m to resume pay[men]t, when I recommended just the reverse. – When I thought of all this, & that impertinent remark, it made me feel savage [underscored] -for I knew that the lady in question could have got her idea about “those Maurys” [‘those Maury’s’ underscored] from on one else but Horatio or his Sister. – But when my cigar was ended, I came in , & took a nap & did not give the matter another thought until now when writing to you.
It was 5 p.m. when I woke up from my nap
few
& then I wrote a ^ lines to Mr. & Miss V[an] Ness, which I left at No. 19 G[rea]t Jones St[reet], asking them to take T[ea] with us at 7. A few moments after I had left the note I met them in Lafayette Place returning from church & I told them of the note & pursued my walk, going as far as 50th St[reet] - & I performed the distance so fast that on getting back exactly at 7, I spent 1/4 of an hour in my room, exchanging a very wet flannel shirt of a dry one, & drying myself with a rough towel. – Cha[rle]s V[an] Ness only came to T[ea], his Sister being too tired. \ - I greatly admire Ja[me]s vigorous appetite; for at his meals he downs more than twice what any one of us does. – His Mother is not to come to Irving Place
[Marginalia] until Thursday next & I desire him to persist in dining & tea-ing in 4th St[reet] in the interim
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(9) 5 Oct[ober] Monday night. – We have quite a change of weather: it occurred last night & I found I had not covering enough in bed with 2 blankets. Tonight I shall add the heavy cotton quilt. – Walker woke me at 1/2 past 7 & we were all assembled at 1/4 past 8.
I walked both ways to-day, & I had 1/2 an hour’s walk after Cha[rle]s & Matilda Van Ness (who of their own ac= =cord came to T[ea] at 8) had gone home at 1/4 past 10. I thus made out about 5 1/2 miles today. – After T[ea] I entertained our guests by reading to them Tobins 21st July letter, & the last two from you. – At the close Matil- =da V[an] Ness desired me in writing to you, to give her love.
Walker amused himself by making the T[ea] for us, tho’ he did join us at the T[ea] table – I employed him this morning down town in getting the bbl [barrel] of Rye Flour for James. the cost is $6, drayage 38¢, freight to N[ew] O[rleans] $2.62 by the steamer Geo[rge] Washington, making the total $9 -; &it is already on board of that ves- =sel, to sail on Saturday; so James will only have the drayage to pay from the Levee to his house.
This morn[in]g, when opening the business letters to Maury Bro[ther]s I unintentionally opened one for James Maury & Co[mpany] N[ew] O[rleans] from J. B. Thomson & Co[mpany] (the suc =cessors of Ewart Myers & Co[mpany] & thus learnt that they, on Fontaine’s application on 2nd Sept[ember], paid him the sum of £25. – I enclose a copy of their letter. I shall send the original (in itself a duplicate) to Ja[me]s by the [steamer] Geo[rge] Wash[ingto]n on Saturday: & tell him how I happened to open it: - & shall also volunteer to refund this £25 to J. B. Thomson & Co[mpany], in case James informs me that, before making that pay[men]t, they had nothing at the cr[edit] of J[ames] Maury & Co[mpany]. – That was the house in whom Fontaine bought on the bill of Exch[an]ge for £120, when he came from N[ew] O[rleans], which bill was duly accepted & paid when sent forward to L[iver]pool by Maury Bro[ther]s.
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I shall tell James that when I was leaving L[iver]pool in June [18]’62, I directed (in writing) Cropper Hodgson & Co[mpany] (since Cropper Ferguson & Co[mpany]) to continue paying weekly £2 each to William & Fontaine, if required, until fur =ther order from me: & likewise, if so required to pay the passage of each of them back again to the U[nited] S[tates]. – I told each of them of this, I am very sure, before I left L[iver]pool (tho’ W[illia]m says he was unaware of my having given order to pay his passage back, - else- as I inferred – he would have sponged on me to that extent, in the same way that he took that £5 under you[r] instruct =tions to Mary Bold) – and I never revoked or alter =ed these orders of June [18]’62 afterwards; for when writing to Fontaine by the st[eame]r of 15 Aug[us]t last, I purpose =ly forbore to write at all on that subject to C[ropper] F[erguson] & Co[mpany], out of regard to his feelings.
I don’t like this £25 transaction: but I shall not lay my views about it before Ja[me]s further than I have already stated on the preceding page. –
Matthew came to town today, as usual, & bro[ugh]t me the note from Elizabeth to myself & the letter from her to Elizabeth or Mary Bold, - both of which I now enclose. – I enclose press copy of the letter I laid before him, which occupied me on Satur- -day night. He read it; but has made no comments on it.
Without any cause, in intelligence from any quar= =ter, gold which closed on Saturday at 143 1/4, closed to-day at 145, & Sterling at 158 c 159.
The £5000 unfortunately withdrawn from England at 142 [underscored] Ex[c]h[an]ge, is not in our possession at present as we employed the larger part of it, first in remitting Hodgson Mather & Co[mpany] for 101 bales Cotton
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for them on the 18th Sept[ember]; & when we had been reimbursed by receiving payment for the Cotton we then gave T & H Littledale & Co[mpany] the use of it (& more too), by remitting them a week ago £10,000 when their funds in our hands were but about £4,400 [underscored] thus advancing to them against Cotton sold, but not paid for, the equivalent of £5,600. [double underscored] But we shall be reimbursed this week by pay= =ment in full for all the 468 bales we sold for them on 28th ult[im]o [28 September] – And then will come up the question of how to employ our money.
Matthew & James dined with us today. to= =morrow Matthew goes back as usual to Cornwall [New York], but Elizabeth & Mary are to come with him on his return to the city on Thursday.
By the [steamer] City of London (23rd Sept[ember]) we had this morn= =ing a second letter from Horsfall & Addison advising further sales of our English R[ail] R[oad] Stocks, & I suppose the [steamer] Persia, due tomorrow or Wed[nesday], will inform us of the sale of the residue thereof.
David Spence is to embark by the [steamer] City of London on the 17th inst[ant] [17 October]; so you will see him, I presume, before you embark. – He seems quite well now. – It is my intention to make him the bearer of the great-coat for old Callaghan & 3 sealed glass jars preserved Peaches, which you can dispose of as you like. If I can put a 4th jar into the box I shall pack them in. I may do so & ask you to present it with my kind & grateful remembrances to Mrs. Da=
Spence
=vid Hodgson. - \\ N[ota] B[ene] David ^ don’t like taking over any of these things & would decline doing so, if he could do it decently; - but he can’t. [‘but he can’t’ underscored] – this is entrez vous [‘entrez vous’ underscored] \\ I wish I had Tobin here to fix up a wooden box to carry these Presents to England.
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Tuesday night 6 Oct[ober] – I was glad to learn that Jessee’s brother had found a safe & healthy em =ployment at Victoria, tho’ so utterly different in this nature from what he had contemplated. If he had the energy to become a [‘boss’?] [underscored] gardener then he might in a few years make far more money than necessary to his support, if one may judge from the results in California.
Yesterday, when Matthew was at King’s Sons, he asked, as I requested, about Mrs. King; & “the Judge” said she was better & had that day left her room & come down stairs. – He observed that he thought it had been something of the nature of an inter= mittent – just as Dr. Wilkes had told Sarah.
I walked down & up today & since T[ea] walked also to 31st St[reet], so making 7 miles walk for the day.
At the office I had plenty to occupy me until 1/4 past 5, when Walker & I walked home together, but as usual, had no talk [‘no talk’ underscored] on the way. – At dinner he produced a letter for Sarah, But I heard no- -thing about it until after T[ea], when she informed me it was from Mytton & contained one for Walker. Both of them, as I understand, were written after he had heard from you of Walker’s accident. She offered me the perusal of hers, but said the hand =writing is so small & faint that I should find it difficult to read at night; & so I defer the at= =tempt until daylight. –
Walker this afternoon copied off the Account Sales of 101 bales Cotton to send to Hodgson Mather & Co[mpany] by this steamer (& I have noted the fact in wri= =ting to them.) It is quite as neat or more so indeed than the Accounts he was in the habit of drawing out with his right hand, to send to our friends abroad. – There is at present plenty for him to do without working at the Day Book & Ledger =plenty of out-door [‘out’ underscored] work as well as in-door. [‘in’ underscored]
I have elsewhere given you some account of the visit I had today, at the office, from your friend Rev[eren]d Jno [John] H. Egar.
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I enclose copy of the letter I rec[eive]d this morning from Chief Justice [Roger B.] Taney. – Perhaps his autograph [underscored] would be the more interesting to you, inasmuch as the whole is written under [struck-through] by himself, & the address upon the envelope too. He follows the same plan as our Father, of answering letters on the day he receives them. [‘on...them’ underscored] But tho’ he wrote on the 2nd inst[ant] [2 October] he did not post [underscored] his letter until the 5th.
He has done more for me, I think, than an English Lord Chancellor would under similar circumstances.
I acted on his suggestion today, & wrote a short note to Capt[ain] Andrews at F[or]t McHenry [Baltimore, MD] for this after =noon’s mail – asking him, first, to hand the [‘hand the’ struck-through] let Dr. [Frank] Taney have the enclosed letter, if still there, & if in accordance with the rules; or 2ndly if he has gone elsewhere, to tell me himself, if he can, anything respecting Serg[ean]t Stamps; or 3rd if Dr. T[aney] has left, to tell me where he has gone to & how a letter should be addressed to him.
If I hear anything in reply form Capt[ain] Andrews or Dr. Taney, I shall probably send you a copy thereof. – I think, as I observed in writing to Harriet this afternoon (where I enclosed to her your 2 last letter & the one form cousin Belle) that W[illia]m & I have done our best to execute faith =fully Nan’s most troublesome commission respecting Serg[ean]t Stamps. – I enclosed to Harriet
a manuscript copy
also another press copy of the C[hief] J[ustice]’s letter to me ^ & of mine to him. –
When I had got thro’ this correspondence today, I drew out, in the rough Sales Book, the A/Sales that Walker copied off, & made out the A/current for the transaction; & Matthew went across the street to Wothers poon & Co[mpany]’s & engaged from them a bill for the exact Balance £111 17 2 at 60 [?] & at 162 1/2 Exch[an]ge: for Gold went up as high as 147 3/8 at 2 p.m. to day, &
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at 5 1/4 t had subsided to 146 3/8%.
If instead of drawing for that £5000 last month at 142, we had drawn today at 162, we would have been richer by $4,444 44/100 than we are.
I have never spoken to Walker about the letter I wrote him [underscored] on this subject (& sent to you [underscored] in= =stead) & don’t intend
There is nothing in the military intelligence from [Union General William Starke ] Rosecrans or elsewhere, to account for the rapid rise in Gold; the simple cause is depre= =ciation of the Currency, & the prospect of that con =tinuing for some 12 mo[nth]s to come – as I say.
There will be an awful crash, [‘awful crash’ underscored] I suppose, when the War is ended & pay-day [‘pay-day’ underscored] comes round – alias the preparation to return to Specie payments. Of course the more expansion & depreciation in the meanwhile, the worse must be the collapse at the day of settlement. The large fortunes so rap- =idly amassed in Stock gambling etc., will melt away far faster than they have been made.
In the past 9 months the amount of gold shipped from N[ew] York to Europe & other foreign ports is $32,846,494 [double underscored] & it has been derived as follows:
1st by reduction of balance in sub-trading & by depletion of amount in our Bands - $1,824,543 2nd by receipts from California $ 9.603,732 (whereof in Sept[ember] only [‘Sept only’ underscored] $750,000. [double underscored] 3rd by import of Gold from abroad 1,228,121 [underscored] 10,831,853 (whereof in Sept[ember] $78,000] [double underscored] 4th (but first [underscored] in its importance gathered in from hoards [‘gathered...hoards’ underscored] 20,190,098 [underscored] [whereof in Sept[ember] $3,786,000 [double underscored] $32,846,494 [double underscored]
The amo[un]t gathered in from hoards in Sept[ember has been larger than any previous month this year. The amount shipped off in Sept[ember] has been $3,480,385
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which is, however, only about the same as the average monthly amount in the las [struck-through] preceding 8 months.
I think we are entering upon a long period of a much larger monthly export of Gold, as the result of expansion & depreciation of Currency, wild Specu= =lation in trade [double underscored] (as well as Stocks) - & the lessening of Exports [‘Ex’ underscored] of Produce & Merchandize & enlarging of Imports [‘Im’ underscored] thereof, which is the natural, or I may say inevitable, [underscored] result. – The Wheat Harvest in the West has been abundant & excellent in quality; & for 4 weeks past the rec[eip]ts thereof at Chicago [Illinois] & Milwau =kee [Wisconsin] have been about 50% larger than last year. But England’s wants from abroad will be far less in the next 12 mo[nth]s than in the past 12 mo[nth]s, & the price there is lower by 20% than it was a year ago. Bread must be cheap here [underscored] in the ensuing winter -very [underscored] cheap, if measured by Gold, [‘measured by Gold’ underscored] tho’ not so in its paper [underscored] price.
The crop of Ind[iana] Corn in the West must of course be a short [underscored] one, after so very dry [underscored] a season.
I look for much discontent in the West from these causes & the absence of commercial advantages from the reopening of the Missi[ssippi] [River]. – In the East the depreciating Currency will not lessen employment, but it must be a fruitful [underscored] source of “strikes” for higher wages. – Strange to say the time for dis= =tress among our labouring class will not come com[struck-through] until we have Peace, [underscored] or an assurance thereof; -for pay-day [‘pay-day’ underscored] will come along with Peace; and all classes will suffer except those who have sure [underscored] & fixed [underscored] incomes. –
For any good we are to do (Matthew & I) as Export merchants, trading on our own [‘our own’ underscored] account from this time forward until Peace, we might just as well take down our sign & shut up our office. But after Peace, if we are then alive there will be as fine a career for us as we could desire.
I see that at last [dates?], say 1st inst[ant] [1st October], at Richmond [Virginia] Gold was bought by the Brokers at $11 in paper for $1 gold
[16]
& sold by them at $12 1/2, & of course prices of commod =ities were in proportion. Flour $37 c $40 p[er] bbl. [barrel] Corn meal $9 1/2 to $10 p[er] bushel. Bacon $2 1/2 p[er] lb. [pound] Salt 50 c 55¢ p[er] lb. [pound] [‘Salt...lb.] underscored] Common brown sugar $2 3/4 c$3 p[er] lb. [pound] Rio coffee $7 1/2 p[er] lb. [pound] Whiskey $35 p[er] gallon. [$35 p gallon’ underscored] Beef $1 1/4 p[er] lb. [pound] Mutton $1 c 1 1/4. Duck $5 1/2 c $6 p[er] pair. Chickens $4 c $5 p[er] pair. etc. etc.
Cousin Belle says W[illia]m write her (but I have already given you copy of her letter) –
I was thinking, suppose I should hear of E[dward] R. Stamps, advance him (if so permitted) $50 ) [‘)’ struck-through] & make Nan a present of my claim on his parents for the equivalent, she ought then to receive from them some $500 [underscored] or $600 [underscored] in Confederate money!
It is the state of the Currency at the South that seems to me of all others the most cogent reason there for Re-union & Peace. – And the Northern depreciation must also operate to the same end, I think.
What a pity but we could now [underscored] have a new elec= =tion for the Presidency instead of having to wait for it for 12 mo[nth]s – But I feel sure that the longer we wait, the more overwhelming will be the majority against the Republican candidate.
This morning, after breakfast, I was reading parts of a full report of Mr. W[illiam]. E[edward] Forster’s Speech at Leeds [England] & was much pleased with it. – I trust the Eng= =lish Gov[ernmen]t has too much good sense, as well as high principle, ever to permit Laird’s Rams to leave the Mersey. England will bitterly repent it if they should.
Mr. Lincoln appoints 26 Nov[ember] for Thanksgiving day. John Egar told me his mother is still living
very
at Milwaukee. His countenance is a ^ pleasant one to look at.
Yours affectionately Rutson Maury
Much love to all the Bolds Addisons etc. –
