.NTAw.NjY1

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via [steamship] City of N[ew] York [‘city...York’ underscored] 4th St[reet] [New York, NY] 16 Sept[ember] 1863 – Wednesday night

Dear Ann

Yesterday & today I walked to the office, but remained down town too late to admit of walking home to dinner, but I made it up after T[ea], by walking 3 miles last night & 2 tonight, & so made out 5 1/2 miles yesterday & 4 1/2 today. – Last night I wrote a letter to cousin Belle, asking for information on various points, preparatory to my writing a flag of truce letter to Nan. She has yet to be informed of Walker’s accident. –

By last evening’s mail I sent to Walker Miss Lippett’s letter to me of the 14th, & desired him to shew it to Sarah. I told him it seemed to me un= =likely that Miss L[ippett] would ever leave her bed again; & observed that for her to be making enquiries about [?] [struck-through] him, under such circumstances, there [struck-through] was clear proof what a warm place he held in her affections. – I ask him to shew [‘I...shew’ struck-through]

I saw by this morning’ s Times that that “slow-couch, “ the [steamship] City of Manchester, had at last arrived; and when I got to the Office, I found, as I expected, your letter of 30/31 Aug[us]t. enclosing one of the latter date to Walker, & a little note of the 1st Sept[ember] to Elizabeth, all of which I read eagerly, & was glad to learn that you had decided to await further intelligence from me as to Walker’s condition, before determining whether to leave earlier than 7th Nov[ember] or not: & so I presume now that you have determined to remain until that date.

I sent off your letter to Walker before 1/4 to 1, & accompanied it with a short note of my own. – I added a P[ost] S[cript] to my letter to cousin Belle in reference to you; and wrote one to Harriet that went via mail at 3 1/2 p.m.

I then locked up the office at 4, & went to Gilpins’ Room where I was busily occupied until 5.10, posting up 4 weeks of arrears of English Statistics as to Finance & Breadstuffs , which had been at a stand still since Walker’s accident; & I completed the task satisfactorily. – It has been a much warmer day than for some time past, & the heat disin= =clined me for labouring at Day Book entries, of which none have been made since Walkers last one, dated about 6 weeks ago! [‘6 weeks ago’ underscored]

David Spence had a good night & seemed very much better this morning; but when I came home to dinner he was again complain =ing of his head, & said he felt nervous. – After dinner he went out to see D[octo]r Van Kleeck, who lives on our side of 4th St[reet], in Albion Place, & who recommended him to abstain from physic for 24 hours, & then to come & see him again. – I had discouraged his going to see the D[octo]r at all this evening, as I apprehended that the D[octo]r would be administering some more physic: & I said that the sudden fall of temperature this afternoon with a change of wind, had probably caused the return of head-ache & nervousness. – The D[octo]r’s prescription to do nothing for the next 24 hours has, therefore, raised him in my estimation. – As David has no appetite, & hardly touches anything besides T[ea], & a morsel of dry bread, I bethought me of our old friend D[octo[r Frances’ favorite plan of restoring the taste for food by “something salt,”[‘something salt’ underscored] for breakfast; so, by my orders, Mary has today bought & boiled a Tongue for breakfast tomorrow.

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17th. To begin with the end [underscored] – instead of the “beginning,” [underscored] – we have had another warm day – max[imu]m 78 [degrees] yesterday, & 78 1/2 today, with 71 [degrees] min[imu]m last night, & it seems just as warm tonight, for we are looking at the Therm[omete]r below the [Bur..?] since midnight (as it now is) it stands at 76 [degrees] or more; but it all agrees with me very well, & I have had plenty of exercise & without intending it, 3 [underscored] hours sleep since dinner! – I walked down to the office, warm as it was, but rode home to dinner, in order to have it over soon enough to admit of my making a second journey down town afterwards to get the [steamship] Arabia’s letters (5th Sept[ember]). She was report =ed as having arrived at Boston [Massachusetts] at 6 a.m., & her letters sent off so as to arrive here at 5 p.m. – But from some cause or other, they did not come; & so I had my journey to the P[ost] O[ffice] for nothing. I walked back again & got home at 7 p.m. – heated & much tired & so laid myself out L position & as I thought for 2 hours nap; but before 8 I was awakened by the ravages of Mosquitoes on my hands.

It was useless to attempt sleep against such odds; so I went upstairs & lay on my bed there, protected by the M[osquito] - bar; & no one awakening me, I slept until 9.45 – or later. – I then came down & made T[ea] for David & myself; and at 10.10 I turned out & walked to Union Place & back – thus completing 6 miles walk today; & since I came in I have been reading the Express very thoroughly, & have posted up the day’s marketing & the weather book.

                                                              days ago.

Mary today preserved a second batch of Plums – as agreed upon some

David is decidedly better today. He slept well, but had very little appetite for breakfast. He did not fancy the cold tongue – excellent as I found it, but ate a small – very [underscored] small piece – as he afterwards told be, to oblige me, [‘oblige me’ underscored] & said he had much difficulty to retain it in his stomach. He told me this when I came home to dinner, re= =marking that salted meat does not agree with him. But during the day he sallied out into Broadway to some Chop-house, near the Metropolitan,

                                                he said

& had a couple [underscored] of chops cooked, which ^ he ‘managed to eat.” At dinner, at 1/4 past 5, he ate a moderate slice of a warm roasted Leg of Lamb. In the evening he went to see his D[octor], & had not returned when I encircled myself with the Mosquito bar. – The D[octo]r gave hims [‘s’ struck-through] something that he took there & then to make his interior feel more comfortable after the violent effects of the Pill he took 2 nights ago, told him to take no more physic of any kind -that Nature would bring him round. When I was about to make T[ea], he asked to have a slice of bread toasted. [underscored] It was not a very small piece, & he ate it all, & apparently with satisfaction. The moral [underscored] effect of his consultation with the D[octo]r this evening has been favorable. His nervousness seems passing away, & I may add his irritability [underscored] too. – I expect he will be all right tomorrow, & that he will go down town, which he has not done yet, since he returned from the country on Monday.

Matthew remarked to me this evening (on my return from the fruitless journey to the P[ost] O[ffice]) that he thinks of going to Greenwood [Green-wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY] on Monday to see what progress has been made in building the Vault. – He did not bring me any note from Elizabeth today. She had been busy writing letters & told him to tell me that she had nothing very particular to say.

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Tomorrow I think I shall follow her example, & be content with letting the Peaches speak for me. – M[atthew] said she had received a pleasant letter from Walker. – I have had no tidings from Walker or Sarah since William’s return from Dunnington [Darien, Connecticut] 3 nights ago. And I shall not write to either, I think, until I hear from one or other of them.

I wrote 2 pages to James at N[ew] O[rleans] [Louisiana] by a steamer that sailed this afternoon.

I had much work with my pen from my pencilled statistical extracts & completed the whole. – I made out & copied off an A/Sales of 25 bales Cotton, because Matthew had made out the last one: & I thought he could employ his time better. – It was noon [underscored] before John Russell made his appearance at the office today. He was rigged out in a new suit of clothes, & thus presents a more tidy appearance.

I told Matthew today that I thought everything indicated an up= =ward tendency in Gold, & that it seemed to me that the best thing we could do with the proceeds of the £4000 sold 6 days ago, & now lying idle in Bank, would be to re-invest it in Sterling bills, tho’ at a higher price now by 3 or 4% than we sold at. – I said I thought the only ^ barrier to a rise in Gold would be a series of brilliant successes in the field: - & he remarked: - “And that’s just what we may expect” = wher[e]at I expressed some incredulity. – I told him further, that I expected to be consulted before he invested the money now lying idle in Bank, as I wished to have a voice in the matter. – All this was said in good temper. –

Mr. Lincoln’s Proclamation suspending the Habeas Corpus as respects Mili

cant upon. – The motive is to prevent the action of State [underscored] Courts in re

=leasing persons who have been drafted. – It is one of those necessities growing out of the War; & I cannot say that it gives me any appre= =hensive that we are in danger of losing our liberty. – I feel far more anxiety lest we should have a rupture with England, in consequence of these [Raves?] – Lord John Russell requires evidence that cannot be fur =nished, tho’ there is not an intelligent person in England who entertains the slightest doubt as to their object. – And the London Morning Post, Lord Palmerston’s mouthpiece justifies the granting of permission for these [Raves?] to depart; even if evidence of undeniable character were fur =nished. – I believe it is too generally the opinion in England that the U[nited] S[tates] have not the courage [underscored] to go to war with them, because we backed out in the Trent affair. It would certainly be leaping out of the fry =ing pan into the fire, but when a man is boiling over with rage & fury he is apt to be deaf to reason.

The siege of Charleston [South Carolina] is not [underscored] making as much progress as expected, & [its?][struck-through] it is understood that [Union General Quincy Adams] Gil[l]more & [Union Commodore John A.] Dahlgren are at

loggerheads.

We have still 18 months to wait for Peace, I say: but Matthew thinks

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we may have it next winter. – There have been so many articles lately in the Richmond [Virginia] papers against “Reconstruction,” that I look this as evidence that there is a strong party at the Sough in favor of it.

The newspapers here are occupied very much now in electioneering for the next Presidency: - & it seems as if Lincoln will be re-nomina =ted by the Republicans. – It may be that neither party will elect their man by the popular voice: but it is too soon yet to discuss this point.

18 Sept[ember] Friday night – I have yours to the 4th inst[ant] [4 September] via [steamer] Arabia; & Matthew has taken it up with him Cornwall [New York], to read on the voyage up & edify the family there, & for the latter purpose I also gave him your letter of 30/31 Aug[us]t via [steamer] City of Manchester rec[eive]d 2 days, altho’ you wrote a note specially to Elizabeth by her, which he also takes with him. – I sent no note by him to her, but a bountiful supply of most beau =tiful peaches – 5 thereof being monstrous in size & cost 4¢ each.

He has been very busy today & so have I, arising from our selling between 1 & 2 p.m. 101 b[a]l[es] cotton for Hodgson Mather & Co[mpany] & buying bills at 146 3/4 [cash down] for £4570 for probable nett proceeds which we remit by this st[eame]r, tho’ it will be 10 days ‘ere we are paid for the cotton; but we had this money (& $9,000 besides] lying idle in Bank, & M[atthew] assented to my suggestion that it should be thus temporarily employed.

It was a most tremendous rain when all this was going on – i.e. when M[atthew] went out to enquire after the bills; but it was fair when he left the office at 3 p.m. & has been so ever since. – It was nearly 6 when I left the office. Fortunately I walked down this morn[in]g & have had 3 miles since T[ea] (during which I fell in love with & bo[ugh]t a magnifi =cent bathing sponge for 60¢ almost as big as my head!) I have thus walked 3[struck-through] 5 1/2 miles today, & had a good nap before T[ea]. – I had another sight d[ra]ft from S[an] Francisco [California] to-day payable in gold [‘payable in gold’ underscored] (a great bother) for $100 which I sold for $133, & I send Mrs. Pollard $150 in lieu of the $133 by a st[eame]r that sails tomorrow. \\ - I am quite taken by surprise (as you must have been too) by Fontaine coming out in the [steamer] Arabia. – As yet I know nothing more than his letter (of which I enclose a copy) tells me. If he has dated his letter properly it was written after the Arabia left Hali fax [Nova Scotia] & was on her way to Boston, where she arrived 6 a.m. on the 17th but W[illia]m thinks he proceeded no farther than Halifax in her. I often think he is at times out of his mind; & this needless sudden departure for this side can only be accounted for [?] by his being “cracked!” - \\ I enclose copy of a long letter from Walker & a short one from Sarah rec[eive]d to-day & must let both letters speak for themselves. \\ This morn[in]g, David said he was coughing all the night & had ahd no sleep. – Nevertheless, he went down town today, for a while, & he seems to me (in your palaver) “better of himself.” He went to bed hours ago [.....................line cut off ...................]”all right” tomorrow I expect. [.............line cut off.....................]

[Marginalia]

[..cut off..] : - that of poor Capt[ain] Maude is very very sad indeed. Yours affectionately R[utson] Maury