Transcription
Washington May 6th 1849
My dear Sue
As it is possible we may delay our return / a day or two longer than we at first anticipated I send / you a line that you may not be uneasy on our account. /
We reached Washington late on Friday evening after passing / a day in Baltimore, which we left on Thursday morning / at 9 o’clock for Harpers ferry on the Potomac, at which / we arrived about noon, passed that afternoon + the next / morning till 1 o’clock rambling along the banks of the / Potomac + Shenandoah + climbing the mountains. The scenery / at the confluence of the two rivers is probably some of / the grandest to be found on our continent and Sarah / enjoyed it exceedingly. I really did not think there / was so much “entusumy” as Lord Byron calls enthusiasm / in her composition. At 1 o’clock Friday we took the / [down?] train and had to retrace our steps to within / seven miles of Baltimore, when we joined the / Cars for Washington which we reached pretty well / fatigued at 7 o’clock. We got our supper and soon / after put ourselves comfortably under the [“Linens”?] pretty / well tired out with our long rail road ride. Yesterday / after a good nights [rests?], we rose early had breakfast / at 7 ½ o’clock and immediately after set out for a stroll / It was a lovely morning, [??] even to summer, so
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Much so that Sarah found her thin summer drefs most / acceptable. We walked up to the Presidents house and / strolled about the beautiful grounds for a couple / hours, took a look at some of the fine Buildings of / the Government Departments situated in the same / section of the city, when we returned home for a / rest–??-ing little rest. The morning was so beautiful / ‘tho: a little warm, we did not remain in the house / long, but put out again in the direction of the / Capitol, which lies at the opposite extreme of the / city from the Presidents House, about a mile apart. / We found the grounds here still more beautiful than / those around the President’s, tho: it was so warm / we could not ramble much. We went all over / the Capitol, in the room of the House of Representatives / the Senate, the Library, +c looked at the paintings / in the panels of the Rotunda, ‘till we were again / pretty well tired out. While we looking at these we / found on emerging upon the terrace, that our beautiful / day was likely soon to come to an end; the wind had risen and in the [west], fast making their way / to the city heavy black clouds with flashes of lightning / told us it was time to get under cover. We had / scarcely reached our Hotel ere down came the / rain in torrents. We had hoped it would only be a / shower + that the afternoon would be still more / pleasant than the morning, from the shower cooling / the atmosphere, but we were destined to disappointing / the wind changed to the North East and a
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Regular old fashioned storm set in , which has / continued up to this time. With the change of / weather has come change of temperature, yesterday / uncomfortably warm and to day fires all over / the house. Should the weather promise a change / before bed time tonight we will probably remain / ‘till Tuesday evening + be at home with you on / Wednesday night about 10. O’clock, however, should / it be unpromising on going to bed tonight I think / we will leave in the train which starts from here / at 5 o clock tomorrow morning + be at home by 10 the / same night. I hope Mother will stay till we get back. / Another reason for my remaining is that it is only within the / last day or two I have felt benefitted by my trip, the trav= / velling was most too much for me. I doubt your being [faded] / to read my writing. Sarah is very well + I think enjoying herself / very much; to be sure the little ones will come to her mind / pretty often when she wants very to see them, still she / knows they are in good hands _ will be well taken care of.
Your aff Wm Irving
My Dear little Kitty
Father wants to see his dear little girl very much. He hopes / she has been a good girl whilst he has been away. When his little / Kitty grows to be a young Lady, then Father will take her with him / to see all the fine cities and [^ beautiful] country places. She must be a good / girl and attend to what Father says to her. She must learn her book/ so that she can read and Know all about the places which she / would like to visit. Father hopes they [^ allow] his little Kitty [^ to] play Hoople / some times, and play in the front yard in good weather. Tell Sue / she must give Kitty a good hearty Kifs for him Father, and also to little Willie
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[ADDRESS]
Miss Susan Mann
Care of William Irving Esq.
No. 29 Chelsea Cottages
24th St between the 9th + 10th Avenues
New York.
[POSTAGE STAMP - red ink, circle]
WASHINGTON CITY
MAY 6
[?DC?]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
