Letter from Washington Irving to Julia Irving
Name/Title
Letter from Washington Irving to Julia IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.769Description
Letter from Washington Irving to Julia IrvingSubject Person/Organization
Washington Irving (1783-1859), Julia Tunis Irving (1818-1861)Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Madrid, Spain, SunnysideCollection
Irving Manuscript CollectionLetter Details
Letter Date
Aug 28, 1842Transcription
August 28, 1842 Page 1 (annotation at upper left top of first page in another hand): “Sunnyside Oct. 6/ 43 . 6 Pan” (annotation at upper right top of first page in another hand): “ Washington Irving to Julia Irving Madrid Aug. 28/42 Sand. Janr. 15/42” Madrid Aug 28th – 1842 My dear Julia I have just received your affectionate letter / of the 20 July, and sit down at once to answer it. It is / very kind on (sic) you to write to me so often, and I know you are not accustomed to letter writing and that it is an irksome task to you & if you only are aware, however, of the great pleasure your letters give me, I am sure / the task would cease to be irksome. Your accounts of the / domestic concerns of dear little Sunnyside, of your rural / walks and drives, and country visitations, of the state of the / garden and the strawberries and the brooks and the flowers / all have the sweet flavor of home to me, and give me / somewhat of the enjoyment which the poor hungry fellow / experienced who was permitted to peep through a window at / a city fest, and, though he could not sit down at the / table, regaled himself exceedingly with a distant smell of / the meats. I am very much gratified with the good account all your letters / give me of your new neighbors the Minturns. I felt persuaded they would prove just the kind of neighbors suited to the / Cottage. I hope they will continue to make Silver Spring their / summer resort. I am now looking forward to an account of / the family visit to the Grinnell establishment on the sound / It will be quite an expedition. Had I been home I should have / delighted in such an expedition. I know the old country that / they inhabit, and the country round about it. It was / one of the resorts / of my younger days, before I had left off dancing / and I remember a delightful country ball in the old / mansion, when I figured in quadrilles with some very pretty / girls, who are now respectable old ladies. Dont (sic) mention this, / however, to your sister Mary, as it might seem to imply that I / am grown rather old myself, a fact which she will not allow / not even to insinuate. I have given in recent letters so many particulars about / my domestic establishment and mode of life that I have / little on that hand to communicate, excepting that my / head servant Benjamin, the colored man, has had a severe /attack of pleurisy; a complaint very frequent and dangerous, / at Madrid. I called in good medical aid, however, and by / bleeding and leeching, checked the malady when in a state / of high progress; and I have the satisfaction to see him once / more able to crawl about {illegible word} / He proves a very quiet, / orderly faithful servant, and {illegible word} my household in a / satisfactory manner. Every thing goes on smoothly. / Carson Breevort keeps the accounts of the establishment and / regulates the expenses, and is almost as competent in that / department as is your sister Sarah at Sunnnyside. I think it / possible I shall soon change my residence, having hopes of getting / very eligible quarters in the other end of the town, near to / the public walks; the places of amusement, and the /residences of the diplomatic corps. My only regret at leaving / my present abode will be leaving the immediate vicinity of my / fair and amiable countrywoman Madame Alberquerque. / PAGE 3 who has proved a most agreeable neighbor. My young gentlemen form a most agreeable household for me / Alexander Hamilton is as bright as a sun beam both in mind, in looks / and in manners; he is the life of the house , and so quick and / observant in his intercourse with society that he never goes / abroad without bringing home a font of amusing conversation. / Carson Brevoort is full of information of variously accomplishes (sic) but he wants confidence and enterprise to put himself forth / and shew (sic) what he is worth. He resembles his father in that respect / but, like his father, is an invaluable companion to those who know / him well. He and Hector are great friends and always together / and I think Hector will profit greatly by the companionship. They / both have delightful tempers; indeed in this / respect I have been / most fortunate in the members of my diplomatic household. Tell your father I have been thinking lately of the propriety of / having the cottage & barn insured, a measure of security / which has been too much neglected by us & considering how all important / that little family nest is to our well being. Alex Hamilton tells / me there is an excellent insurance company instituted lately in / New York, on the “mutual {illegible word} plan, of which one of the Pells is secretary & Goodhue & others members. He had better {illegible word} in that. Sept. 1 – since I commenced this letter I have received a long / one from Helen and Pierre M. Irving dated Aug. 4 & 5 giving me accounts / of their visits to Sunnyside, Julia Grinnell / Grinnells and Craigville. It is full of / interesting matter and shall be answered by the next carrier. I have succeeded in getting a delightful habitation. A part of / an {illegible word), just renovated and put in complete order, belonging / to the Marques de Mos. It is close to the public walks (?) and all of the /pleasant places of resort, and my windows look into a garden and / some of them command a prospect of the {illegible word} prospect. The rent will / PAGE 4 be less than the house I now inhabit and the accomodations far / superior. I expect to be able to move into it in the course of eight or / ten days. I shall then have a pleasant house & pleasant walks at hand / and be able to take more exercise than I have since my / arrival in Madrid. [ADDRESS SECTION:] 69 Orgo Miss Julia Irving Care of E. Irving Esq Tarrytown New York [POSTMARK] 5 I shall be looking by the next arrival for the letter which / you gave me reason to expect from my dear Charlie. I am glad to / hear that she is improving in the knowledge of household affairs / and that she and Mary have distinguished themselves lately / in the art of cake making. I have no doubt Charlie will / turn out a first rate housewife, which in this “{illegible word) / {illegible word}” is a jewel of inestimable value. Give my love to “all bodies” Your affectionate uncle Washington Iriving Miss Julia Irving"Other Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 3428W 3428 a-c