Memoirs Of Aaron Burr, Volume 1, Matthew L. Davis [book club suggestions .txt] 📗

To William Paterson.

 

 

Middletown, February 16Th, 1780.

 

 

Your Friendly Letter Of September Has At Length Found Its Way To Me. I

Am Once More A Recluse. It Accords With My Feelings. I Should

Doubtless Be Happier If I Enjoyed Perfect Health And The Society Of A

Friend _Like You_; But Why Do I Say Like You? No Likeness Could

Compensate For The Absence Of The Original.

 

 

I Am Something At A Loss How To Regulate My Motions For The Coming

Summer. The Prospect Of Peace Is Still Distant. It Is An Object Of

Importance With Me To Be Not Only Secure From Alarms, But Remote From

The Noise Of War. My Present Situation Promises At Least Those

Advantages. Perhaps Yours Does Equally. Events Only Can Determine.

 

 

My Health, Which Was Till Of Late Very Promising, Seems To Decline A

Little. This Circumstance Will Oblige Me To Alter My Course Of Life. I

Shall Be In Your State In May Or June, Perhaps Sooner. If You Have A

Prospect Of Tranquillity, I Shall Have No Thought Of Returning.

Colonel Troup, A Worthy, Sensible Young Fellow, And A Particular

Friend Of Mine, Wishes To Know Where I Shall Prosecute My Studies, And

Is Determined, He Says, To Be My Companion. A Gentleman Who Has Been

Long Eminent At Your Bar, And Whom We Both Know Perfectly Well, Had

Made Troup Some Polite Offers Of His Service As An Instructor. He Was

Pleased With The Scheme, And As He Knew The Gentleman Was Professedly

My Friend, Urged Me To Put Myself Also Under His Tuition. I Mentioned

To Him In A Late Letter The Objections Which Had Been Decisive With

Me, And I Fancy He Will View Them In The Same Light. He Is The

Companion I Would Wish In My Studies. He Is A Better Antidote For The

Spleen Than A Ton Of Drugs. I Am Often A Little Inclined To _Hypo_.

 

 

My Best Respects Attend Mrs. Paterson. Speak Of Her In Your Letters. I

Would Not Feel Indifferent To One So Near To You, Even If No Personal

Acquaintance Had Confirmed My Esteem. You Would Have Heard From Me

Sooner, But No Post Has Rode This Fortnight. I Have Been Pursuing The

Track You Marked Out For Me, Though Not With The Ardour I Could Wish.

My Health Will Bear No Imposition. I Am Obliged To Eat, Drink, Sleep,

And Study, As It Directs. No Such Restraint Interrupts Your Bliss. May

You Feel No Bonds But Those Of Love And Friendship--No Rules But Those

That Lead To Happiness. Adieu.

 

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XII Pg 179

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

Philadelphia, 29Th February, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Burr,

 

 

Your Favours Of The 1St And 5Th Inst. Came To Hand Last Night, And Are

Both Before Me. I Am Very Much Indebted To You For Your Candour In

Stating The Objections Which Are Against Princeton, As Well As Mr.

Stockton. I Had Anticipated Them All. They Are Far From Being

Groundless. But My Situation Was Peculiar When I Determined To Live

With Mr. Stockton. In My Last A Principle Of Delicacy Induced Me To Be

More Reserved Than Is Consistent With The Sincerity Of Our Affection

For Each Other. Forgive My Criminal Reserve. I Will Be Plain With You

Now.

 

 

By A Strange Kind Of Contracted System, Which Pervades All The Civil

Establishments Of Congress, I Was Reduced To The Necessity Of

Resigning My Office At Least Six Weeks Sooner Than I Expected. Though

I Laboured Both Day And Night, With As Much Drudgery As A Negro On A

Plantation In The West Indies, The Board Of Treasury Did Not Think

Themselves Authorized To Report A Warrant In My Favour For Money To

Answer The Common Demands Of Living. They Confined Me To My Salary Of

_Ten Thousand Dollars_ [3] Per Annum. Finding That I Had Not The Most

Distant Prospect Of Getting A Decent Support While I Continued In

Office, And That I Was Obliged To Pay Four Or Five Thousand Dollars

Out Of My Own Private Purse For _Necessaries, I Cursed And Quit Them_

The Beginning Of This Month.

 

 

Being Thus Out Of Office, I Thought It Would Be Prudent To Settle

Myself At The Law Without A Moment'S Delay, Both On Account Of The

Heavy Expense Of Living In This City, And The Loss Of Time, Which Is

Of The Greatest Consequence To Me. I Did Not Forget Mr. Paterson When

I Gave The Preference To Mr. Stockton. The Private Character Of The

Former Is Infinitely Superior To That Of The Latter, And So Is His

Public. But He Is Immersed In Such An Ocean Of Business, That I

Imagined It Would Be Out Of His Power To Bestow All The Time And Pains

On Our Improvement We Would Wish. Besides, I Was Afraid Of Being More

Confined To The Drudgery Of Copying In His Office Than I Ought. This

Is Inseparable From An Office In Which There Is A Good Deal Done,

However Well Disposed A Lawyer May Be To Promote The Interest Of His

Clerk. You Observe That His Present Office Expires Next Summer. I

Grant It. Yet He May Be Chosen Attorney-General Again; And This I

Believe Will Be The Case, For There Is Not A Man Of Sufficient

Abilities In The State, Except Him And Morris, To Whom The People

Would Give The Office. Morris, I Fancy, Will Not Accept It If Offered

To Him, As He Has Lately Resigned His Seat On The Bench; And I Will

Venture To Predict That Paterson Will Be Continued, Though Against His

Inclination.

 

 

Upon The Whole, Then, I Feel Extreme Regret In Telling You That I Must

Go And Sit Down At Princeton The Latter End Of This Week At Farthest.

The Die Is Cast. My Honour Forbids Me To Act Contrary To The

Engagement I Have Entered Into With Mr. Stockton. Had I Received Your

Kind Letter Before My _Absolute Determination_, I Should Certainly

Have Followed Your Advice. Our Plan, Therefore, Will Be Frustrated.

Painful The Reflection! You Would Hurt Me Exceedingly If You Came To

Live At Princeton, And Subjected Yourself To The Inconveniences You

Mention, Merely To Please Me.

 

 

I Am Glad To Hear Your Health Is Mending, And Should Be Still More

Happy If It Was Unnecessary To Make Use Of The Mineral Springs In The

Clove. I Have Always Suspected That The Law Would Disagree With Your

Delicate Constitution. It Requires The Most Intense Study. Your

Ambition To Excel Will Stimulate You To The Closest Application, And I

Dread The Effects It May Produce. You Should Therefore Be Cautions.

Health Is A Source Of More Substantial Pleasure Than The Most

Cultivated Understanding.

 

 

A Few Days Ago Dr. Edwards Left A Bundle Of Bills, Amounting, As He

Says, To One Thousand Pounds, At Dr, Rush'S For Me, To Be Sent To You.

I Have Not Yet Counted It, But I Suppose It Is Right. To-Day Or

To-Morrow I Shall Leave A Receipt For It At Dr. Rash'S. I Believe I

Shall Presume So Far Upon Your Friendship As To Borrow A Part Of It

For My Own Use For About A Fortnight. I Am Much Disappointed In

Receiving A Small Sum To Pay My Debts In Town. I Sold Two Thousand

Dollars In Certificates To Mr. Duer Just Before He Left Town, And He

Gave Me An Order Upon A Lady For The Money. I Find She Will Not Be

Able To Pay It For Some Time Hence, And I Am So Pressed For Cash That

I Have Written To Duer, At Baskenridge, For The Certificates Or Money

Immediately. I Expect An Answer Every Moment; And, Till I Receive It,

Shall Consider Part Of Yours As My Own. The Remainder I Shall Transmit

You By The First Safe Conveyance. I Think It Would Be Wrong To Trust

The Post With It.

 

 

I Thank You Sincerely For Your Offer Of A Horse. The Present State Of

My Finances Is Such That I Cannot Afford To Keep One. If I Could It

Might Detach Me From My Studies. Beware Of Temptation, Saith The

Scripture, And So Saith My Interest.

 

 

I Suppose You Have Read The King'S Speech. He Makes No Mention Of His

Rebellious Subjects In America, Or Of Any Allies, And Is Resolved To

Prosecute The War. The Debates In The House Of Lords, As Well As

Commons, On The Motion For An Address Of Thanks, Were Very Warm. Lord

North, In One Of His Speeches, Makes No Scruple Of Declaring That They

Have No Allies To Assist Them. That They Can Get None. That The

Combined Fleets Have A _Decided Superiority_; And That It Would Have

Been Highly Dangerous For The English Fleet To Have Fought Them Last

Fall. The Bills On Spain And Holland Sell Very Fast. They Will All Be

Disposed Of In A Very Short Time. There Are Large Arrivals In Virginia

And Maryland; And There Are Several Vessels Below, Waiting For The

River To Be Cleared Of Ice, Which Will Be In Three Or Four Days. Poor

_Continental_ Is Still Going Down Hill. _Fifty-Eight_ Was Refused

Yesterday; And I Have No Doubt It Will Be _Seventy_ For _One_ Before

Ten Days Hence. Adieu. As Long As You Are Aaron Burr, I Will Be

 

 

Robert Troup.

 

 

 

 

 

From Major R. Alden.

 

 

I Intended To Have Wrote You A Letter In Answer To Your Last, But

Neither Head Or Heart Will Enable Me At Present. Although I Am

Answerable For My Conduct, Yet I Cannot Govern The Animal Fluids. I Am

So Much Of A _Lunatic Thermometer_, That Both _Moon_ And _Atmosphere_

Very Much Influence My _Aerial_ Constitution. My Brain Is Subject To

Such Changes, And So Much Affected By _External_ Objects, That I May

Be Properly Compared To A _Windmill_. You May Make The Similitudes As

You Please. I Have Not A Single Sentiment In My Head, Or Feeling In My

Heart, That Would Pay For Expressing. At Any Rate, My Mill Will Not

Grind. What Is All This Says My Friend Aaron? The Pleasure I Enjoyed

Yesterday In Feasting In Good Company, And In A Variety Of Other

Agreeables, At The Nuptial Anniversary Of Our Dear And Happy Friends,

Mr. And Mrs. Thaddeus Burr, Has Deprived Me Of That Common Share Of

Sensibility Which Is Generally Distributed Through The Days Of The

Year, And Rather Destroyed The Equilibrium. I Set Out For Camp The

Last Of This Week; May I Expect Letters From My Friend? Be Assured Of

My Warmest Friendship, And Make Me Happy By The Like Assurance, As It

Will Afford The Sincerest Pleasure To,

 

 

Yours, With Affection,

 

 

R. Alden.

Chapter XII Pg 180

From William Paterson.

 

 

Rariton, April 14Th, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Burr,

 

 

I Take The Earliest Opportunity Of Acknowledging The Receipt Of Your

_Dateless_ Letter, And Returning You My Best Thanks For It. Mr. And

Mrs. Reeve [4] Have Been So Kind As To Tarry A Night With Me. We

Endeavoured To Prevail Upon Them To Pass A Few Days With Us, And

Should Have Been Happy If We Could Have Succeeded. This Letter Goes

With Them. That Circumstance Cannot Fail, Of Making It Still More

Welcome To Your Honest And. Benevolent Heart.

 

 

I Wrote You The Latter End Of January From The Hermitage, And

Intrusted The Letter To Mrs. Prevost. It Was A Mere Scrawl. This Is Of

The Same Cast. However, I Promise, The