Transcription
New York January 9th 1845
My dear Sister
I wrote a letter to you some two weeks / ago intending to send it by a Mr [Mowzinski] who / was to have call at the house for it. Your sister Mary / desired to add a few lines and I put under her care / to see it duly forwarded. I have lately learned that the / gentleman has not made his appearance since and / consequently the letter I believe has not reached its / destination. Mary I think intends sending it to you / by the bearer of this Mr Howe and tho’ its news may / be rather aged , still it will serve to shew you that / I do not wait for answers to mine ere I write.
I was really sorry to see you were so much out / of spirits as your letter of 27th last month would seem / to indicate. I trust that long ere this you will have / gained your wonted equanimity. I can sympathise / with you, for I cam one too much given to low spirits / myself not to be able to fee for others. Previous to me / marriage many moments did I have when I truly / [dreamed] that life was purchased at a cost beyond its
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Value, but since, I can truly say the tables have been reversed, / not that life is now all a summers day, for mortals, let / [their?] cares be what it may, will have troubles and trials / to contend with. My own experience tells me, however, / that much, very much of our peace of mind depends upon / ourselves, that there are none so favoured but require a / little schooling for their minds.
Your sister Mary + my wife are both present while / I write, engaged in dressing little Florence for a Ball / and between them have little chance to me to throw ideas / enough together to write a letter. Florence goes to a / Ball at the Apollo Rooms with a Mr Whittmore / a gentleman of our household. Caroline is also bound / to a Ball at Mr [Chouards] Rooms and [Mrs Leland] / and Mr Ryckman go to the Theater. This you see / some of the inmates of 342 are participating in / the disipations of this gay city. As for myself I / am not much given that way and myself and / little wife had a very quiet matter of fact way / of life. They tell me Sarah was formerly very / find of the innocent disipations of the world . / if so she has wonderously changed since her marriage / for I never hear her with a wish to participate /
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In any of them indeed she seems to be quite content / so long as she can be with me, and it is some little trouble / that I even get as far as the reading room of an / afternoon. I have never as yet passed an evening away / from her since we were married. Don’t you think / I am a very dutiful husband? Perhaps you will say / too much so, and may fear that I am more at home / than most wives would wish. I flatter myself however / that I have a little too much discernment not to Know / when such ideas are entertained . should I discover / Sarah en-[?page torn] -taining such opinions she need not fear / but that I will make my company correspondingly / scarce, yet I hope it may be a long day ere that / time should come. The trial of Bishop Onderdonk / has given scandal a fine feast and the forthcoming / evidence of the trial is looked for with some anxiety. / To me as being in a manner connected with that / Church, it has considerable interest. Opinions are won = / derfully divided as yet upon the justnefs of the / verdict, if you would like to see the report of the / trial I will send you a copy, when it is published / which will be in about ten days. I don’t know /
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Whether you are able to decipher my scribbles _ In writing / letters ideas come upon me too rapidly too admit of careful pen = / manship, and as to copying _ if I should wait for that, you / would never get a letter from me. Seriously, you must / tell me if my epistles are too illegible to be decyphered, and
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If so, I must endeavour to dot my ‘i’s and crofts my t’s with / more care. Sarah is very well and desires much love to all. / Mary I believe writes a few lines by this same opportunity /
Afftectionately your brother,
William Irving
[DIFFERENT HAND]
P.S. / Sarah says that Mary says that she says she will / write you in a few days, as long a letter as the one she received / for you yesterday
[ADDRESS]
Mrs George Wales
67 Temple Street
Boston
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Politenefs of / Mr HoweTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
