Name/Title
Letter from Alexander Hamilton III to Mary (Molly) HamiltonEntry/Object ID
HHV 005.72Tags
Accessioned objectDescription
Letter from Alexander Hamilton III to Mary (Molly) HamiltonSubject
5 weeks of “confinement” with illness, fêtés and decorations for, mail steamer The [Barker?], “The Diligence” (boat), seasickness, new carriage of French chargé, walk on the sea shoreSubject Person/Organization
Alexander Hamilton III, Mary Morris Hamilton Schuyler, Washington Irving, Isabella II, General Baldomero Espartero, Lady Calford Jones, Carroll LivingstonSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Biarritz, France, Cauterets, France, Pau, France, Bayonne, France, Madrid, Spain, Paris, France, Pyrenees, Baden-Baden, GermanyCollection
Hamilton CollectionCataloged By
Tara R. IacobellisCategory
Documentary Artifact
Communication Artifacts
Letter Details
Letter Date
Aug 27, 1843Postmark
Date and Time of Postmark
[RED WAX SEAL - indecipherable imprint] [POSTMARK 1 = red ink, circle] NEW YORK SEP 21 [POSTMARK 2 - red ink, circle] TARRYTOWN SEP 23 N.Y. [POSTAL NOTATIOn - purple ink] 12Sender
Name
A.H.Address
Par steamer
5-Sept.
James A. Hamilton Esq.
(for Miss M. H)
Nevis
Westchester County
Dobbs ferry New YorkAddressee
Name
James A. Hamilton Esq. (for Miss M. H)Primary Language
EnglishTranscription
Transcription
Biarritz Sunday August 27h 1843.
My dearest M.
I’m once more upon the shore; the point / from which I set out on my wanderings and with my unplea: / :sant experience of the mountains I enjoy the cool breezes and / the glorious surf exceedingly _ five weeks confinement to my / bed; a great part of the time in more pain than I have yet / suffered in my life were a lame conclusion to a fortnight’s en: / :joyment _ however its all over now I hope and I have to / congratulate myself that instead of hired nurses and strangers / I was in the kindest hands: at home and this is saying ever / thing, I could not have been watched more carefully _
I left Cauterets on Wednesday last with the / Livingstons who about move, were induced by my movements / to bend their steps this way _ we had a private carriage, and / a pleasant ride to Pau where we found the town all agog with / the preparations for the fêtés in honor of the Duc de Montpensier / the Kings youngest son : Louis Phillipe tries hard to buy a little / popularity for his family and on this occasion spend in one day / 50.000 francs _ the Park attached to the old castle where Henri Quatre was / born was to lighted in the most brilliant manner with variegated / lamps suspended by delicate wires which at night would be invisible; / thousands in every direction + in the most graceful curves : the chateau / itself has been restored + repaired in the old style and is gorgeous with / Carving and gilding _ it is I think with the associations one of the most / interesting I have seen in any country.
[END OF PAGE 1]
The [Barker?] produced a huge bundle of letters / which had been collecting at Madrid for a month - [^ among them] one from you and / one from Angel : I was particularly happy to receive the last which / was like herself so good + considerate : the last few lines were written just / before setting off on a second trip up the sound : I hope to hear from at / Madrid that she continues to improve : I shall write to her at once on my / arrival : _ I was bewildered with so many at once, and it was not / until the second or third reading that I could arrange dates +c to my satis: / :faction : the family indeed has wriggled so continually that it was hard / work to follow through all the windings. /
We left Pau in a red hot day on Thursday morn’g in the Dili: / :gence and arrived at Bayonne after a very unpleasant ride at 4 in the af: / :ternoon _ all suffered from the heat but mysen [sic?] which I accounted for by / my being in a low condition; the blood somewhat thin and nothing to spare / to fire up very strongly _ we dined at Bayonne and rode on inthe Ev’g / to this place _ since our arrival we have had delicious weather; fresh / breezes from the sea, and bright sun or what is even better at this season / a covered sky without rain _ the place is crowded as we found to our cost / in the difficulty of establishing ourselves; the now after two or three changes, the / party in comfortably settled _ A very disagreeable incident the morning after / our arrival : as we opened our windows we saw on the beach a large crowd / and the whole populations hurrying to the same spot : the report came in a few / minutes that 3 men had been carried off by the undertow and drowned _ this was / much exaggerated, as when the bodies were rescued, two still breathed, and were / saved; the third a young merchant of Bayonne 35 years of age was past all aid: / he had been very ill and came here for strength + to recruit _ his sisters were / living in a village near him _ I bathed when I was here before every day in / the bay where he was lost and thought the stories of its being dangerous quite / absurd:
Monday August 28th:_ I am to return this Evening at 6 to Bayonne /
[END OF PAGE 2]
To sleep there and set off at 6 tomorrow morning : There is a new carriage to be / sent to the French chargé at Madrid of which I hope we shall make the first / trial. Thus you see I may anticipate a comfortable journey _ : the four days I / have passed here have recruited my strength and I feel fully equal to a ride of / two or three days duration _ the only evidencing of my illness are pale cheeks, and / a pair of whiskers that took advantage of my weakness to get the start of me :
You cannot think with what pleasure I hear of your frolics / and expeditions _ I have a sort of deferred enjoyment of them which is very agreable. /
Mr. Irving writes me that before the little Queen was moved to the / Country palace the Court Ceremonies were very numerous + brilliant _ under the / quiet reign of Espartero we only buckled on our Court armour three or four times in / a year this winter we shall not be let off so easily _ he says that during the siege / of Madrid he was very much excited and was on his legs day + night, running about / town point to point, until the fatigue brought on a bilious attack + slight relapse / of his malady, from which however he had recovered : I shall urge him, tho i-[page torn] / late in the season, to [^ ex] change the air of Madrid for a more temperate one : /
I was overwhelmed with kindness by the English at Cauterets, who / were continually sending to inquire about me _ the Duke of Devonshire wrote from / Pau, on her way from to Paris, that there was a report I had been promoted to a very / high post, and is it was said Mr. Irving had resigned, she supposed I was to succeed him!
I have seen in a paper the following announcement among the / arrival at Baden Baden : “Lady Calford Jones, avec fam. Angleterre”; you see / we have already lost our interesting countrymen. The other branch of this illus: / trious family is also there _ young Helen surrounded by a crowd of gentleman out at / the pockets, if not at the elbows:
I wrote to Robert from the Pyrennees, and am delighted to hear that / he is so pleasantly situated _ he seems indeed quietly moored in the Haven which / he talks about _ it would be funny if he should subside into a quiet young / Benedick so early after beginning so inauspiciously :
If my Books are in Madrid I shall go to work steadily / for the autumn + winter, and I hope in the Spring to set out on my /
[END OF PAGE 3]
Return to you _ the exact time of my departure will depend upon arrangements / Papa may be able to make for me; you will readily conceive my impatience / that it should be at the earliest period.
I am going now to take my last walk with Mad’e Livingston / on the rocks + sea shore and shall close my letter before dinner _ yours ever A.H. /
3 P.M. I have just returned from the sea shore where I have taken my last / whiff of salt air for some time : I gazed upon the foam + spray and wide waste of / waters in the hope of fixing [^ them] so clearly on my memory that I may recall them /
[BOTTOM OF PAGE 4]
Amidst the dust + dryness of Madrid : vain effort; for you know _ but I won’t / quote about “frosty Caucasus” _
I’m off at 5 with Carroll for Bayonne and / shall deposit this letter myself _ [tought?] in the ‘Poste’ on my arrival: _ I under: / :stand the French Courier is only stopped by the Gentlmen of the road on his / way back; so that like the knife grinder, I shall have no story to tell : / This won’t prevent my sending off by the next steamer some [^ well-fitted] sheets to the / family _ for want of something better, I’ll give you accounts of the last / political [somerset?]; second hand from Mr. Irving -
I send a sea of love to you all, your affectionate / A.H.
[ADDRESS]
Par steamer
5-Sept.
James A. Hamilton Esq.
(for Miss M. H)
Nevis
Westchester County
Dobbs ferry New York
[RED WAX SEAL - indecipherable imprint]
[POSTMARK 1 = red ink, circle]
NEW YORK
SEP
21
[POSTMARK 2 - red ink, circle]
TARRYTOWN
SEP 23
N.Y.
[POSTAL NOTATIOn - purple ink]
12Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
H 907General Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
Condition: FairCreated By
tiacobellis@hudsonvalley.orgCreate Date
July 31, 2024Updated By
cmonaco@hudsonvalley.orgUpdate Date
October 17, 2025
