Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3043 C
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE March 30, 1835
AUTHOR Eliza Storrs (New York)
RECIPIENT Emma Nicholas (Hamilton)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE Ann Nicholas, Matilda Nicholas, Throop Martin, Cora (the cat),
Cornelia Livingston, Mary Stevens, Mama and Henry Randolph Storrs, Mary Rhinelander, Jenny Renwick, another Mary Rhinelander, Phil Rhinelander, Phil Paulding, Willy Renwick, Mr. Adrian, Charles Fenno Hoffman, Julia Hoffman, Alice King, Molly Moore
PLACES Hamilton, NYC, Philadelphia, Hell Gate, Zoological Institute,
EVENTS Nicholas family to come to NYC in April (six weeks), party for the
bride Mrs Van Rensselaer, party at Cornelia Livingston’s, Mr. Adrian’s “magical tricks”, trip to zoo, Charles Fenno Hoffman’s “Winter in the West”, thoughts on love
43rd
Addressed to Miss Emma Nicholas
Care of Professor S.S. Whitman
Hamilton
Madison County
N.Y.
New York March 30th 1835
Your letter reached me this afternoon and / I was in such haste to know the contents that I could hardly wait to go / through the usual process of reading it. I answer it immediately, first / because I so much wish to, and second because I have much to tell / you. How can I wait until the middle or last of May before I see / you, do try and come sooner, I have been depending upon beholding / and holding you the last of April certainly,; however if it must be / so I will be reconciled. Why my dear Emma are you so melancholy / with until the clouds of adversity arise and overshadow you before / you are dejected.
“Then dash this idle gloom away
And be again the gay & free.”
Disappointed as you have do often been my beloved friend I cannot / be surprised that “the ardour common to youthful imaginations is / gone” but why should “faint and sickly hope be left” your feelings/ might be more subdued but still placid and serene, and now / particularly when we are all expecting you with so much pleasure / and shall be so happy to receive you, why should you suffer this / gloom to embitter your cup of pleasure; do not search for this / thorns look at the rose and enjoy its beauties. One thing you will / regret it is that Mary Rhinelander is going to Hell Gate to live soon, / but you will see her. What will become of Phil I don’t know for / I have not heard any thing about his arrangements. Since I / wrote last I have seen the cousinhood several items, I will /
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Begin with the first interview and tell you the whole story. Last Tuesday / Mary Stevens. Her father & mother, & Papa & I went to the Zoological / Institute, I returned and drank tea with Mary, saw Mary R / a few moments, and Phil spent the evening there. I had a / pleasant evening we talked about Milton!! Quite a grand subject / He told me he had received a letter from you giving him direction /how to write a letter, I will ask him more particularly when I see / him again. Friday evening I had a little party, Mary Stevens / Jenny Renwick (a sweet girl) [?dr?], Mrs. Stevens and a few more. Phil & I / Mr Renwick and a few gentlemen. They seemed to enjoy themselves / and went home at twelve. I have Phil a piece of poetry [^to] learn & / foolishly promised to write twelve questions for him to ask / ladies when he is introduced to them to avoid talking about / the weather etc. etc. etc. I have written four, but fear I shall never / accomplish the rest. I invited Mary Rhinelander & “thereby hangs / a tale” too long to write. Nothing of much consequence. Saturday / morning I went up to Mary’s to talk over the night before, & there / met Mary Rhinelander & Jenny Renwick. I walked down with / them, and in the afternoon went to Jenny Renwick’s to tea and / Mary Stevens came down and we all went to see Mr. Adrian perform all manner of magical tricks, Phil and Phil Paulding, Willie / Renwick and Henry were all there. Mr. King’s family and Mary Rhinelander / friends Alice King, and Molly Moore you used to write poetry about. We / had a fine time did not get home until past 11. I did not tell you / that on Friday evening I brought down your profile showed it to Phil / and Mr Martin who was here, and put it on the sideboard where it / stood all the evening. It it had only been yourself, you would not / have been there long I am sure.
Julia Hoffman has gone to / Philadelphia, she has been there a week or two. Have you seen / Mr C Hoffman’s “Winter in the West”? I presume you have a copy.
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As to my heart, my dear Emma, it is still / mine own. I will not deny, or rather venture to say that it / might not have been women, as no one has ever attempted to / gain it. Indeed I am inclined to think that I shall be an / old maid, for as I possess neither riches or beauty and am / altogether destitute of attractions, such a person as I should / admire would unfortunately not admire me, and I have no / idea of falling in love first. As to those young gentlemen you / refer to they are all such gentlemen as I like to associate with / and hope ever to retain as friends. Particular attention I neither / receive or bestow, so you see there is no arrow in my heart / yet; and I do not believe I shall ever find one who can / transfix one there. I love my friends most dearly, you ardently / but do not condemn me as hard hearted or cold if I tell / you that I [^am] helf and rather more than half a disbeliever / in the doctrine of loving a gentleman so much as to be / willing to give up every thing [sic] for him; what is called the / tender passion I think I shall never feel. But I cannot speak / too decidedly for I do not know what may be the case should / any one ever regard me with any other feelings than that of / friendship. This love is a beautiful theory, I admire it, / its perfect devotion, forgetfulness of self and even its / disappointments are all so romantic that sometimes I / think I would like very well to experience it. But I have / written enough to convince you that I have found no one yet / to adore and enough to fatigue you with reading [crossed out] / You are one of my “beau ideals” and at present I am satisfied / with loving you. Now “good bye Cupid, and all your [?train/pain?]” / I have written much more than I intended & you will think / much more than is necessary. But have patience /
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I have taken cold my throat feels most uncomfortable and I / am half sick. Give my love toa ll the family - write to me / soon and come yourself as soon as you can to gladden / the heart of your
Affectionate
ElizaTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
