Transcription
Nevis Sunday Aug’t 12th 1843
How the summer seems to have run round dear Alex with / out any thing very particular to mark it; except your absence + your / occasional letters which are eras in our lives; tho last that were / received were to Mary + G.L.S. from the Pyrenees where it would / seem you had passed your time most agreably, George was some / what disappointed that you did not give a more minute account of his / friend Mrs. Loundes, is she still witty? + sharp as she was said to hav e/ been? Me of course think of you now quietly ensconced in your own / apartments, though we shall all be most happy to have our / suppositions confirmed; for as ma says “there is no knowing in there / troublous times what might happen, should you be mistaken for / an Englishman.” thought I suppose it is quite an insult to think that / the Secretary of Legation could be mistaken for any body but him - / self _ poor Espartero is the object of interest + Compassion here , for / how is all this confusion to end, that he should [^ can] be the gainer / I cannot conceive. just before your last letters arrived Bo had / brought us up a book written by a Mr. Vaux, describing his / visit [^ tour] to the Pyrenees so that we felt quite familiar with the / places you visited, I have been trying to read Beckford’s travels / in Spain + Portugal, but we find them to egotistical to be amusing. / I am quite disappointed as I had formed an exaggerated opinion / of them, + had expected great pleasure _ As to our movements / there is little to be told, though we do contrive to be on the move / yet the circle is small; Mary has come off in a most pelting rain / highly ludicrous, we had appointed the day some time before / invited the Minturns, prepared the baskets, + accordingly though / the clouds looked lowering set sail without any wind + / drifted up to Silver [brook?] when there we thought it was best to /
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Try for the [in–??s] of the cottage, so Bow was deputed a committee / of sixteen + succeeded in bringing off two Miss Irvings + Miss R-[??] / with a small but choice addition to the repast, the best loaf / of bread in the world; we then crossed over to try + get the [Hoffman’s?Kaufmans?] / but in rain, by this time, the cooks commenced operations, Pa / + Minturns, we had a capital dinner + a great deal of fun / when in the midst of all; down came the rain in torrents the cab[in?] / became warm, the sky light had to be taken off to admit the / air, + the water of course followed we laughed a great deal / not withstanding, for the Angelic [^Mrs.] Minturn is very funny on such. Occasions + he is a truly good fellow, full of interest + infor - / mation upon every thing that is going on, so it ended in us all / coming ashore at the cottage + Pa’s sending the carriage down / for us; their going immediately home + the Irvings passing the / night with Mrs. Minturn, We have written to you, constantly about / the drought, you will now have to hear about the flood, it com - / menced raining in the evening of Saturday, (a week ago), + in / the morning (though it was clear, we found all the bridges / carried away between Tarry Town + Dobbs Ferry our southern / entrance impassable + Mr. Irvings lane still in such a / condition that they cannot use it [^ Eliza’s] the cottage was unhurt / owing to the drains, a great triumph to George who was laughed / at, when he built them _ the Minturn’s were / up all night baling out __ I was in town last week, + saw our Uncle + Aunt Phil at their new house, it is the smallest / box you can imagine it appears so to us who are accustomed / to moderate sized houses, what will you say, after the palace / however, palace or cottage, there never was a more complete / picture of happiness or delight seen than the worthy dolittle’s / face, smiling + showing every thing off. The wife including / as he always calls? [^ calls] her _ with the greatest glee.
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She is of course less excited though very happy - she has / been with us a little this summer, + I fear, she shall not / have much more though he has behaved very well + urged her / to stay when she was here; poor [Sue?Lew?] left us to join his / ship [^ at Norfolk?] looking like a ghost, I trust the sea air may restore him / Mrs. S + Bow, have been passing a fortnight with us, they are / going down in the Dream to day when the tide makes, at three. _ / Mary is going with them _ then in the railroad tomorrow to Fordham / to pass some days, from there to Aunt Fans, + so home, Fanny + I propose / going down the end of the week to [??-iture] G. Bowdoin join us / there in the Dream, drink tea with Aunt Mary [^ who is] in her new house / pay the Schuyler’s a visit + in short do us a good deal of [^ Mary] / odd trifles of that kind _ They were [Aunt Fan + Uncle] expecting Mr. + Mrs Lewis Livingston / to pass a few days with them but I rather suspect that his business / at the particular moment will not permit him to go; as he [page torn] / much averse to visiting; the pretty miss who is engaged to h–? / cousin Lyman has been staying at Mrs. Sheldon’s, who groans at / the stupidity of the country + Fred + [David?] Lears are off to the / springs, Boston, + Newport, David is a man 6 feet 2 inches, very / gentlemanly, good foot + hand though the face plain, just returned / from China, upon which subject he was unmercifully pumped / the evening he passed with us. Mr. + Mrs Constant are off to Newport / which is the great place of fashion this year, Aunt Schuyler has / returned from Boston came up with Mr. [Laroyer?Sawyer?] to the cottage / on Saturday, he went down with George this morning, she re - / mained, though I doubt wether her restlessness will allow / her to stay long, for you know the disease + can appreciate / her feeling _ Fanny’s dear little baby is just beginning to walk / she is so small that it appears very cunning _ We had a / glimpse of John Bryant last week he is completely bitten / with the steamboat + railroad mania, he is a director + came / on on business, drole + dry as ever _ he says he is going to Europe in the /
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Fall to pass the winter in Italy, the Spring in Madrid, I wish we could / induce him to reverse it, as it would be much more agreable / for you to see him directly from home, you see me calculate upon / a prolonged absence, that is I do not flatter myself that / we shall see you soon, as I should hate to be disappointed / It seems to me best to think of your evening as a thing at a distance / then the sooner the better, of the picture the picture when are we / to see that. I want your face as it now is with the additions / of moustaches +c, I was interrupted by the sound of wheels _ it / proved to be McKensie + his wife + Mrs. Perry, we were there a / few days ago, + found a Mr. Dexter from Boston there, who was sent / to take his bust; Allston’s picture has been opened, + is found / complete except the figure of Belshazzar, which had been / rubbed out, it is said when he first opened it, it was finished ex - / cept some unimportant strokes, but that he tried to improve several / of the figures + had not finished the king _ the Philadelphians / have sent the sword to McKensie which is said to be very handsome -
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We saw the silver box from Boston, it is / about twelve inches by eight with his name on the / top + the little [m] manuscript inside _ you have / heard or will read of the church quarrel. There has / been an opposition papa stated called the / Protestant Churchman _ the first number came / out last Saturday _ its style is moderate, but / no talent as yet, Papa takes the greatest / interest is very anxious to be sent as a delegate / but of course has no chance _ Mrs [Creighton?] / is quite [P??-yistic?] thinks the doctrines of Mr. p-[??] / [l–ou?] on the Eucharist the doctrices of the church / and advocates strongly, peaces + m-[??] discussion / it is as yet a division between the laymen + the /
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clergymen _ this is a lively summer’s day _ a / fine south wind blowing which makes it delightful / to remain in the house, for the sun is still very / hot _ I don’t say a word about the steamboat / they will be much better described by George / who I hope means to write by they packet / I have nothing more to day but that we are / all very well + enjoying ourselves very much / the grass + trees have recovered from the drought / + are waking green again _ + Mr. Harvey who / was here yesterday afternoon says, that he things / if there was no Hyde Park this part of the county / would be the most beautiful in on the / river _ _ he had written to you I believe / cherish it for he looks as if he would not be / able to write much m-[page torn] on this world /
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I am writing this on Monday the 13th I hope / you will have later dates from town; As I do / not think it would be safe to keep this / any longer _ Ma’s best love to Mr Irving / + our remembrances _ Ma + Pa are both looking / as well as I ever saw them _ yours ever
Angelica
[ADDRESS]
From Angelica
Aug’t 14t 1843
_________
Alexander Hamilton
Sec’y Legation U.S.
Sec
MadridTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
