Transcription
Nevis Friday eve’g October
43
Our last from You was to Pa giving an / account [^ of] risings and rebellions all over the Country / + of an expected change perhaps of the entire govern- / ment it is sad to think of a people where the / quiet, orderly peace loving must be sacrificed / so entirely to the ambitious, brutal, + restless. Your / own time dear Alex seemed to be passed most / usefully but alone, I suppose before this You have / had changes even in your small household but / I doubt if Your chef has got [^home] as we last heard of him / with his feet up in Sarah Storrow’s comfortable / quarters. Storrow was not up here long enough to be / able to offer him any [crudities?] George Schuyler tried / hard in town to get him, but it was in vain. Pa / has been off to Bridgeport all this week, we expect / him home to morrow, George Schuyler walked in / upon us night before last at about twelve having / left George Bowdoin in the Dream at the dock. / We came up with the offer of an excursion, the / [Curetta?] again herself was to be up here the same next / morning at eight to take on board Mrs Schuyler / + Eliza at New York + push on to Bridgeport to / join Pa + Robert, we were easily persuaded /
Juliette McLane who is with us had never seen / the East river + by times in the morning we were / on the dock, but the confounded boat did not / get here until eleven, which rendered it too late / for the sound, + we let George trip on board alone, / he assuring us first from Rockwell that she was / all right -
[END OF PAGE 1]
Sunday 29th We did not get Pa home ‘till this / morning He + Robert have worked away at Bridge - / port and accomplished all they wished; the [Euretta?] / has taken her place, + will I hpe now do her / work without giving any more trouble. Pa made / different speeches, and is much pleased at having / gained his point, We have had to day one of the / most lovely fall calms, we three girls drove up / to the Tarry Town church, and walked to our own / little stone one this afternoon, the Constant’s / Howlands, + Livingstons were the only representatives / besides ourselves, + the good Creighton most / faithfully gives us all sorts of good advice.
Pa + Ma have gone off to bed already about / eight o’clock, [Geccy?] + Juliette are talking of / Robbery + housebreaking until I shall be as ner - / vous as a cat. We have Kept ourselves as busy / + merry as possible all this week reading / Sully’s memoirs + Walter Scott out loud, + setting / up ‘till twelve or one, Pa says he must be off again / on Tuesday + Ma wants to make a visit to / Fordham, so we girls think of bestowing ourselves / on Aunt Bay for a little while, but I day say / Ma will give up, if so we will stay home too. / You see there is a great dearth of domestic news, / Cousin Alex was here last week, and gave us / detailed accounts of his farm, it is one of a hun - / dred acres of Long Island opposite Bridgeport, we / think it is put in trust for his wife, at any rate /
[END OF PAGE 2]
He is nominal lord and is to live there winter + / summer. It is a rich farm with plenty of game + / fish, + in the neighbourhood of her relations. The / third Miss Nicoll is engaged to another army officer / by the name of Blair. Harry Wayne + his wife / have a nice little home of their own at the Point, / while on this subject I may as well finish. Miss / Pearson is to be married on the 16th Nov’r + will / take charge of her father in law’s household im - / -mediately, a pleasant change for James K., to / have that graceful pretty creature at the head of / his house. His door has long looked as if the house / wanted a mistress. Aunt Fan and Uncle / are at length without a house in town, they have / rented theirs furnished to that Thorndyke family / Pa & George knew in Paris (do you remember!) for / 750 for the 6 months. The [?Tintomiles?] will prob - / ably stay in the Country ‘till February and then / go to the South for a couple of months. They are / fat + well + as kind and hospitable as ever. You / may not know that your Uncle Wm. Morris has / moved in his new nice house in the Country + / is there settled for winter and summer. A [Angelica] + I / passed a day there lately, it is a thick walled / warm house with every luxury. We had a nice / visit. I shall send with this some “Intelligencers”, / we only take them ½ weekly, + they do not seem / to me to be very regular at that. It is certainly the / best paper in the Country, I feel stupid to night / and can think of nothing pleasant to write about / perhaps tomorrow may sharpen [^my] faculties, so I /
[END OF PAGE 3]
Will wish you a bonne bonne nuit + stop for the present / Geccy is in the land of dreams with a very good book . in her hand. Monday eve’g 30th I have nothing to / add to my news but that we have heard firing all / day from the City, which the papers tell us us in / honor of General Bertrand, who is making the grand / tour accompanied by the Mayor + + that old man / has been all round the Country - My letter must
[BOTTOM OF PAGE]
Go tonight, Pa has been off all in a political meeting / at Tarry Town goes again Wednesday Morning for / rail road business. We ladies have been sewing / + walking + going through Edith’s woes and the [noble?] / Richard’s caprices; thanking Scott all the while / for the pleasure he gives us. We heard the steamboat / bell ring as she passed and have sent the waggon / down, I expect from the time that has elapsed that / there is some mistake. Lee + [Sirius?] are /
[END OF PAGE 4]
[CROSSED ON PAGE 1]
Now fully established as roadsters. _ I play two of / the spanish waltzes constantly they are very much / admired We are all well + miss / dreadfully your winter / visits
Your attached / sister Marie
[ADDRESS]
Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of Legation of the U.S.
Madrid
Care of
John Miller
U States despatch Agent
13 Henrietta St.
Covent Garden
London
[REVERSE OF ADDRESS]
From Molly
October 30th 1843
Received Dec. 7th
[POSTMARK - black ink]
Received / and Forwarded by / Y. [?] S. / R. G. Beasley / H. S. Consul / Havre
[BROWN WAX SEAL - broken, gold flecks?]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
