.NDgy.NjQ3

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via [steamer] City of New York [underscored] 365 4th St[reet] [New York, NY] 6 Aug[us]t 1863

Mr. Lincoln’s Thanksgiving day 10 1/4 p.m.

Dear Ann

As soon as one steamer is off, if I do not at once lay the keel for another letter to you, I usually direct an envelope to you, into which, like a carpet travelling bag, I put anything for you just as I may get it; & thus I find a great saving of trouble or at least of the tax on one’s memory. Thus I now hand to you 1st the copy of a note to you from Miss Morell [struck-through] Morrell & of my response yester= =day, with the requested $50 - ; 2nd a characteristic note to me from Mrs. King, which is [inferribly?] better of its kind than my letter of condolence to her; 3rd a letter from Harriet rec[eive]d today announcing their safe arrival at St. Louis [MO] on the Saturday morning 1st inst. [1 August] – and lastly, what you will prize most of all, a note I rec[eive]d to- =day form Major Mordecai, giving us good news of Nan & about 2 mo[nth]s later than

                                   [him?] properly

we had before - & for which I have thanked ^

When I went to the office yesterday morn[in]g I found 2 California letter for me – one from Sam Pollard at San

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Luis Obispo [CA], & the other from a house at S[an] Francisco [CA], enclosing, for his account a check for $52 26/100 (payable in Gold [‘pay...gold’ underscored] which is now in my pocket) & which I am directed to remit – or its equivalent in “Greenbacks” – to his Mother, after stopping out a certain portion to pay 6 mo[nth]s sub= =scription to 2 newspapers which he asks me to order to be sent to him. – This remittance is intended to pay for his Father’s tombstone. – He says he would have sent a larger sum, but is prevented by the inability at present to sell his crop of sheep’s-wool, for which he had expected to obtain 25¢ p[er] lb [pound], & thus have realized $1,000; but the doings of C[onfederate] S[tates] privateers have destroyed the market, & in the absence of neutral bottoms, the price has dropped to 15¢. Neverthe= =less, tho’ a sufferer in this way he says he rejoices in these doings, & he sees in them & in [General Robert E.] Lee’s invasion of P[ennsylvani]a, a fair prospect of an early peace, because Yankees have no Patriotism when it involves pecuniary sacrifice.

He encloses me two letters open, & with

out envelope, which I suppose he in

=tended me to read before forwarding – one is to his Mother & the other to

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his sister V[irgini]a, which last he expects me to forward to her at Richmond [VA], as he understands there is now constant & regular communication between Rich =mond & N[ew] York; but his letter to his sister is unfit to go by Flag of Truce via Old Point Comfort [VA]; so I shall send both to his Mother at N[ew] O[rleans] [LA] – He has a claim of $198, that he bought some 2 years ago upon the U[nited] S[tates] Gov[ernmen]t at Wash[ingto]n [DC] but his agent at Wash[ingto]n has neglected it, & he asks me to select some one in Wash[ingto]n who will attend to it prompt =ly & when collected, I am to send the money to his Mother: - all very pleasant occupation for me in this “dog-days” – is it not? How =ever I have to day been passing much of my holiday in writing on the subject of this claim to Mr. Carlisle & to cousin Belle, to whom I enclose the letter to that gentleman, asking her to give it to him & to back my appli= =cation, or to refer me to some one at Wash[ingto]n who can & will attend to this matter. – Such commissions as these remind me of the numerous similar labours of love imposed, in our younger

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days, upon our Father. But I cannot say that I am able to bear them with anything like the patience [underscored] that he did; & I must confess that when I read Sam Pollard’s letter yesterday, it gave me a complete “moral stomach-ache” [‘moral...ache’ underscored] & filled me with utter dismay. –

I am glad to see by his letter to his Mother that he has some chance of a large acquisition of property. He some how discovered that a certain party has what he thinks a good title to a most valuable lot of land in the very centre [‘very centre’ underscored] of San Francisco [CA], & the party agrees to give him half of it, if

                     or establish

he will follow it up & recover ^ the title; - & the lawyer, whom he has employed at San Francisco, is very confident of suc =cess! – I can only say I “wish he may get it;” – but it will be a matter of sur =prise to me if he does. –

Yesterday morning, after breakfast, whilst smoking our respective pipes & cigars, Walk =er informed me that he & W[illia]m & Sarah intended leaving by 4 1/2 p.m. train for “Dunnington” & to return on Friday morn[in]g 7th Instant [7 August]. I had no object =ion; for I expected that the trio

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would, as a matter of course, go off some =where, both for the sake of recreation & to avoid Thanksgiving for what they look upon in just the opposite light. – When I reached the Office I found from Walker that Mr. Gardner had called & given him a not from Miss Dunning to Sarah. W[alker] said he had asked Mr. G[ardner] whether they would be “de trop” [too much] for Miss D[unning] & Mr. G[ardner] said she was very sick, & that he had intended himself returning to her today; but if they were going yesterday to stay till Friday, he would postpone his re =turn until Friday, & he wanted to know how it might be decided after S[arah] had read Miss D[unning]’s note: so , (to my inconvenience ) John [Russell] was sent up to 4th St[reet], & was also the bearer of a little baasket of Peaches that I fell in love with on my way to the office, & bought the same for 75¢, as a present for Miss D[unning]. John Russell returned at 2 p.m. & [?] a verbal message from Sarah that she was still intending to go; whereupon W[alker] saw Mr. G[ardner]. But when the time came for W[alker] to go up & meet Sarah & W[illia]m at this house, there were so many

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things of imperative necessity to be attend= =ed to , that he told me he could not go .

I therefore imagined I was to have the honour of his company at dinner, & I waited at the office that we might ride up together; as I wished to get thro’ dinner in time for him or me to go down town afterwards to get the letter[s] via [steamer] Arabia. – He was at work as busy as a bee running in & out; & at last he bundled up his books & papers in a hurry at 1/4 to 5, & handed a slip of paper to John [Russell] to hand to me as he rushed out of the Office – “I am off to Orange [underscored] [NJ] to be back Friday A.M.” –

When I got to 4th St[reet] I was surprised to find W[illia]m & Sarah here. They had agreed to wait for Walker, & as W[illia]m & Walker were to amuse themselves by going a fishing together, it spoiled the whole plan. – I hurried thro’ my din= =ner & went down town, & got said letters via [steamer] Arabia. – In the even[in]g, after T[ea] I asked Sarah what was now [underscored] the programme for W[illia]m & herself for Thanks giving day. She said they thought of going off to Staten Island [NY], to see

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whether old Mr. Ludlow & party had arrived. – I then pointed out to her, in a calm & quiet way, that whether W[illia]m accompanied her, or not, I thought that looking at Mr. Gardner’s report of Miss D[unning]’s condition, & at their having been the means of preventing his return to her on Thursday instead of Friday, as now fixed, I really thought that if she had a proper consideration for her friend, she ought by all means to start this morn[in]g via 8 a.m. Express train, & that I would gladly pay for a carriage for he to ride from Stam= =ford [CT], & would also frank W[illia]m to & fro, if he chose to accompany her.

Sarah acceded at once to my rea =sonable suggestion; & we accordingly breakfasted today at 7, & both she & W[illia]m went off by the 8 train –

This early movement suited me very well, because service was to begin at S[ain]t Tho[ma]s [Church] at 1/2 past 9. – I went there & was shocked to see so poor an assem- =blage. As well as I could count, there were not over 60 [underscored], if so many!

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I found myself repeating the Text, “Were there not 10 cleansed, but where are the 9.” [Luke 17:17] – Dr. M[organ] was not there; & we had no sermon. Thus we were dismissed before 1/2 past 10, I think; & I then rode down to the P[ost] O[ffice] & got Harriet’s letter & some others.

I was agreeably surprised to receive last evening your long letter via [steamer] Arabia written 22nd July from Oxford [England] & 23rd from Winchester [England] – I am reflecting upon your advice to cut [Matthew] Fontaine [Maury] down to 25/ - p[er] week, but have not decided about it yet.

The “non est inventus” as to the record at Salisbury Cathedral [England], is certainly a ‘poser.” – I still think they must be married, tho’ it clearly was not there. I think also that they were married at a Cathedral [underscored], & would suggest Hereford [England] [double underscored] for your consideration, inasmuch as a Sister , a Miss V[irginia?], lives at Hereford. That I know [underscored], because I saw a letter to her from R[utson] so addressed in [18]62 after my return from England in that year. Walker had laid it in the desk with other letters to go by the steamer, & that was the way I happened [underscored] to see it.

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But I doubt whether you ought to give yourself any farther trouble: the “onus probandi” ought to rest with Rutson. –

My belief is that that Marriage Certificate, rec[eive]d by Walker & sent, unseen, to Rutson, was in some particulars a fabrication; & was not shewn to you or me, because R[utson] would know that we should be certain to take a copy of it, & have it verified. – It was got up to show other persons – those who might feel curious about it at N[ew] O[rleans] or other parts of the South. –

Sarah startled me last evening by asking me the result of your researches at Salisbury; for I sup- =posed that she knew nothing about it; but she said you had told her of it before you left. – I therefor gave her the substance of your report, & W[illia]m (in the porch – as she I were in the dining room) was equally edified I suppose. – It only remains for me to give Ja[me]s the substance of your report; - & after he shall have

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had an ecclaircissement with Rutson. I will tell you what he says. – It is just possible, tho’ improbable, that

                   to Louisa

Elizabeth may have named ^ some other [underscored] “cathedral.” – I hope it was so for her own sake. –

7 Aug[us]t Friday night. – Matthew came to town to-day, & left again at 3 p.m. – I asked him to stay over until tomorrow, as there was, or seemed to me to be much to be attended to; but he would not, because, as he said, it is so uncomfortable travelling up on the boat on Saturday’s. – He was in a hurry & bustle all the time. I enclose a letter he brought from J[ame]s to Tobin. – I managed to write a short note by him to Elizabeth, in which I told her somewhat of family movement, & of family news – such as Harriet’s letter of 2nd Aug[us]t & the 2 mo[nth]s later tidings of Nan. I gave him your letter to me via [steamer] Arabia to read on his way up, or before his return, telling him it contained private [underscored] matter.

                                          today.

Walker & I had the dinner table to ourselves ^ I expected W[illia]m & Sarah to return before T[ea]; & they would have done so, but the Engine gave out a little on this side of Stamford [CT], & so delayed them an hour & a half. The peaches arrived in good condition & Miss D[unning] sent her thanks. Her sickness was merely head-ache. – Mr. Gardner arrived there about noon, Sarah, I suppose, told him that she considered I am in want of

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a real holiday for a week or two; so he told her to give his love to me, & say that that he & Mrs. G[ardner] were now alone at Ferry Hill, & would be glad if I would come & stay with them. He said he should be leaving Dunnington on Monday by the same train that leaves N[ew] Y[ork] at 8 a.m., & should expect to find me in that train when he joined it at Stamford [CT]. But he will not [underscored] find me. Perhaps I may go there after a while; but I cannot go then [underscored].

After dinner Walker & I had a long talk. – I told him of the “non est inventus” at Salisbury; & asked him if he knew where that Certificate was issued from that passed thro’ his hands to Rutson. He said he did not; -whereupon I said I believed that in some essential particulars, that Certificate was a forgery. [underscored] – That part of our talk did not last long. – He took a seat beside me in the yard & we had a very long talk about himself & his behaviour & feelings towards me, as well as the behaviour of W[illia]m & Sarah & others of them towards me & you: - it was all in a calm & quiet way; & he took my observations apparently in good part; & perhaps [double underscored] we may hereafter get on better to- =gether than heretofore. It was he who began the talk; in consequence of a pointed remark I made a dinner on Tuesday for which W[illia]m undertook after dinner to take me to task in a way that made me most excessively angry & him too.

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Walker, at my right-had, had taken the stopper out of the bottle [struck-through] decanter of Port, uninvited, to help himself. I stopped him & said it the part of the master of the house to start the wine; - and then I observ= =ed, & said I intended it for all three [‘all three’ underscored] that “so long as I am master of the house, I expect [struck-through] intended to keep so.” – Nothing further was said at the table; it was when I was in the porch after dinner that W[illia]m demanded [underscored] an explanation of what I meant; - & it was his manner [underscored] that an- =gered me, - & he got so much heat in both of us. – But the storm ended in a calm.

I have not yet decided what to do as to [Matthew] Fontaine [Maury]. – If I act on your suggestion, I shall not implicate you or any one else; -& I think I shall not write to Cropper Fer =guson & Co[mpany] on the subject, but leave it to himself to ask them for a smaller weekly sum. He must surely see that his no= =ton of a speedy termination to the War as he had fancied, by [General Robert E. ] Lee capturing Phil[adelphi]a [PA] or Balt[im]o[re] [MD] & Wash[ingto]n [DC] is “all fiddlesticks, & thus that his [?][struck-through] own triumphant return to N[ew] O[rleans] [LA]by embarking late in Oct[ober], as was his plan, is also all fiddlesticks.”: - but I do not suppose he will write to me &

                                 one

say so. – In some [struck-through] ^ of his letters, since you returned from Sedgwick [England], he talked of ending his trouble by poison! But you have told me to vie no head to such intimations

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because he used to write to you years ago in that silly way from Tennessee.

If he is low spirited, I doubt not that it is from idleness. [underscored] – I should be too, if like him, my sole occupation were that of killing time. –

When I write to him, I shall send you a copy of the letter. –

The Vault-builder called at the office on Wednesday before I was there. Walker saw him, & as directed by Matthew, he fixed with him to call again on Monday between 12 & 2 –

Yours affectionately Rutson Maury