Transcription
Nevis 28 June 1843
My Dr. Boy
This being the 81 Anniversary of your grand parents Birth / day, no period in life more appropriate to affectionately address an / absent grand son, upon whose future prospects however flattering he / in [^ the] course of nature has is unable to flatter himself with a future / injoyment [sic], and who therefore may be excused from imbracing [sic] the / pleasing anticipations of the future, and tho perhaps a little extravi- / gant [sic] yet the [field?] is opin [sic] for its most [sanguine?] [expectations?] whom / we consider the splendid example of him of whom I have the / honour of standing with your on equal affinity and by your / good mother’s arrangement we are here on this occasion that is /
On the 28 of June in fine and pleasant weather /
Where nature’s beauties all in bloom that we have met together /
To celebrate [sic] the festive day and join in thanks for ever /
That we are permitted this to meet, and not allowed to [savor?] /
That your parents [dost?] be not forgot [--quired?] in its measure /
may you injoy [sic] deserved or not that first of human treasure
This however old is no less in continuation still here, and should not / trouble you with this ancient ditty did I not anticipate the pleasure / the pleasure it would afford you, for it is an old saying that truth / will bare repeating, I feel in discharging this pleasing duty / in some measure your good Mother [ -mis - ? commences?] and / being with her on the spot where your domestic fealings [sic] / excite some natural anxiety I am only to [regret?] more / inability to be more particular (In promises) your father / and George left us two days ago for Boston on some Rail Road / business the particulars of which I am unable to say more / only a suspicion that your Fathers professional exertions is to / be called into action, Eliza and family move up to the Cotage [sic] / in a Day or two in their usual good health + spirits as is / to the best of my knowlide [sic] is all in which [yourself?] are interest-?? /
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While on this subject and on a ramble with your mother she points / to a tree as you turn into the path heading to the garden of your / [patiens?] protection as now speaks well of your fostering care and / presents a promising example in a future day to grow into / note and respectability, a few days since a small notice appeared in / one of our daily papers of which we are unable any validity / that a Mr. Hicks who [lived?] in[to?] [e–verly?] [place?] but a [close?] pr two from / your Uncle Williams and who died last winter had has left a ligacy [sic] / to Washington Ervin [sic] and who from a want of Health would soon/ be on his way home, and from naturally feeling very much / interested in the fact of this publication, news made all [mindfull?] / inquiry as yet unsatisfactory and induced to believe that there / is not foundation yet from [whince] and from what could it / have originated, [polies?], Envy, or affection, could not be drought into / action and villany could find no Interst whatever, and we are / all at a stand for a more satisfactory explination [sic], as our mutual / friend is more immediately interested, it is within the [ri-??] of / possibility that a more satisfactory solution may come across / the Atlantic through your next Letters, speaking of Letters permitt [sic] / me to tank you for the satisfactory one [h–essed?] me from you / with a hope that I may be continued in Health to receive and / acknowledge yet several, we left Mount Fordham a few days / ago and its happy inmates as well as indearing [sic] affection can / anticipate, their yet solitary proginy [sic] is as promising as the most / extravigant [sic] fondness can picture, of which in a future day I / flatter miself [sic] you may [have?know?] a more comprehensive view / Your Uncle R. H. Morris appears as much the man of the / multitude as now, you may have been informed of his popu - / larity, [modesty?] for which my reputation [sic] on John Tiler our [pr—tint?] / has very [recently?] Honoured New York with his presence + N. York / have almost [???] themselves in [notices?] and display / + + which our papers will [show?] me the troubles attempting to
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deliniate [sic] if I could be able of which as I was not a witness I much / doubt my ability from which good cause you will excuse me /
Your Uncle Rob’t was consequently the officer of the Day and as / I have not yet seen him, and [^ as] his Father any information I / could have received was necessarily varnished over and from / which cause I forbare [sic] to be this studious, your old partner and / if possible more [sp??] [Bride?] are now on a [parintal?] visit / south from which cause you will excuse my further silince [sic] / we had Aunt fan + Uncle Tom with us part of two days all / well and i find in his own estimation at least a good Farner / and only exceeded by [Dor’t] [Beebe?] who must have studied agricultor [sic] / in conjunction with Phisick in N. York, some years ago, I did / intind [sic] from the scribble of my first page to make a more ligible [sic] / coppy for I am at a loss to account for my inability but upon / more mature reflection your good Mother has so crammed us / with strawberrys morning noon and night with eerie concomi- / tant inducement that I now no longer am at a loss to know / the cause of my inability and when you find a difficulty / in Reading you will find where to lay the blame yet my son / duly appropriate the motive, you are apprised on your Father’s having / changed his Farming Harness and am authorized to say is / much gratified with the change as yet -
Since writing the above and happily finding that your good / Grandmother had put your affectionate Letter in her Baggage I / find that I have not half answered it and tho I have made / a long Ditty, I will attimpt [sic] to amuse you a few moments / longer, saying nothing of the Heart felt pleasure I have your / good Mother by handing her your Letter to me, on which a / fond Mother’s natural affections was very apparint [sic], your / discription of the Farming operations of that Country and the / national avertion [sic] to the [cooling?] shades of which our country /
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In every direction considers it as one of the smiles of a Kind / providence not to be dispinsed [sic] with, and which has a tendency / if possable [sic] to draw me nearer to the Land of my Nativity, and the / marauding Bandit, in [ha–?ness?] on my mind the value of our / Blessed Constatution [sic] for such villany here would soon meet its / due reward, our Croton water is daily increasing in publick / estimation, Fountains are erecting in all our pulick squares / and the supply is so abundant that its force [use?] [meets?] with no / [che–?] from its [const–lished?] authority and the the [sic] great expense / has been the topic for some time since, yet now contrasted with / its overwelming [sic] advantiages it commences a silence on the Cost / My as yet last grand son of which I number near 40 [Fordum?] / tho last is not least and if can opin florid expressions may be / considered as an Index of a flattering [per–turity?], I may be allowed / to amuse you with what I cannot expect to witness miself [sic], I have / long been taught from experience that from the Human express= / =ion of Countenance you can learn more than the [illegible, crossed - owner can?] / express, at my introduction I stated that I was at Nevis your / mother and Angelica only at Home, having disposed of your / Father Eastward, Tomorrow Eliza and family are to join us / and to participate in a superabundance of as fine strawberries / as was ever witnessed in any Country, and an equal supply / of Cream, and if we did not feel confident that you [was much?] / more profitably imployed [sic] we would wish you with us, It is true / that I am now in the emidiate [sic] neighbourhood of all most interest - / =ing to our mutual friend Ervin and regret my inability to / say more than that I understand that they are all as well / and as Happy as his absince [sic] permitts, my better Half, your / mother, and Angelica beg to join me in every affection to you / and a greatfull remembrance to our mutual friend Mr / Ervin ever affectionately yours +c +c
Rob’t Morris
[flourish design]
Alex’d Hamilton Jun’r
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From Grandpapa
June 28th 1843Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
