Transcription
Washington . June 8th = 1844
My dear Will.
My delay in answering / your last letter has not been owing / to any spirit of retaliation + much less / to a feeling of indifference to you, but / to my having been excessively occupied / for a month past in preparing to go north, / in [mend]ing + making things for Sanders, / that he may be comfortable while I am / absent I think your doubt as to the continua- / nce of my [off–?] rather implies that you / consider me of a capricious disposition + let / me assure you that I [never] change without good - / cause, + you certainly cannot think that I / blame you for leaving the sea life [^ for] which / you are unsuited, when it was by the ad- / vice of our dear brother Pierre. If in a / [v-??] [moment?] dear Will you will recall / to your mind that many instances of affec- / tion + devotion every member of your / family have given you, you would soon / see the injustice of your harbouring for /
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An instant a thought of them not caring / for you. All they wish is to see you happy / + [running] things in the right light; you / must remember that [man?] is a free agent / + the [cer-??] of his own destiny. No doubt / you will think I am giving you a lecture, / but I do not mean it as such, I only / wish to have you see things as they are. / I hope soon to see you all, as I leave / next week for the north; I shall be but / two day in New York, as my escort Judge / [Carroll] is anxious to get home as soon as / possible, I regret that I shall not be able / to go to the Cottage, but must defer that / pleasure until fall. I shall stay at Edgar’s / when in New York, you will hear from / him when I am there, + I shall expect / to see you at once. I now feel so badly / of leaving Sanders + anxious as I am to see / all my dear friends at home, had I my own / way I do not think I would leave him this / summer, but having been so very ill all the / winter Sanders is [op-?-ed] to have me here / during the extreme hot weather. The Spring
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Has passed very pleasantly, we have been / out almost every evening to social- / ble parties, which I enjoy so much more / than the splendid + crowded enter- / tainments. At these little gatherings we / [meet] generally the same persons, + they are / mostly the residents of the city so that / one [??] [??-tion] a lady, a [g-?] lad with / them, + always find them kind + hospita - / ble; indeed we have every reason to be / found of Washington _ we are so. Last night / we were at a small party at Mrs Wilkes, / she is a daughter of Mrs [Brunswick’s] + a / very lovely woman. This party was given / for the Rev. Dr. [Se-?-by?] of England, he has / one of the largest parishes in that country / + is vicar of [G–?- for]. Capt. [??] Wilkes / invited a number of the most agreeable fami- / lies here to meet him. Dr [Putm-???s] (the English / minister) + his Legation were there. Mr [Col- / ??]; Mr [Briton?] + a number of distin- / guished individuals. Dr [Se-r-by?] made / himself very pleasant, going about _ talk / ing to every one. I hope you have been
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To see my friends the Campbells they would I / know be happy to see you. They are very lovely / girls indeed. I suppose they are [passing]
[INCOMPLETE]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
