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

Very First Leisure Hour, To

Devote It Entirely To You In The Letter Way. Although I Do Not Write

Frequently To You, Yet, Believe Me, I Think Frequently Of You. Oh,

Burr! May You Enjoy Health, And Be Completely Happy; As Much So As I

Am--More I Cannot Wish You. Nor Will You Be Able To Attain High

Felicity Until You Experience Such A Union As I Do. Mrs. Paterson Is

In Tolerable Health, And Gives You Her Best Respects. I Wish Her

Safely Through The Month Of May, And Then I Shall Be Still More Happy.

 

 

When You Come To Jersey I Shall Certainly See You. If I Do Not, It

Will Be Treason Against Our Friendship.

 

 

Peace Is Distant. There Is No Prospect Of It In The Present Year. Nor

Do I Think That Britain Will Come To Terms While She Fancies Herself

Superior On The Ocean. The War, However, Goes Southward, And There Is

Some Hope That We Shall Be More In Quiet This Year Than We Have Been

Since The Commencement Of Hostilities. On The Opening Of The Campaign

We Shall Be Able To Judge Better. Adieu.

 

 

William Paterson.

Chapter XII Pg 181

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

Princeton, April 27Th, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Burr,

 

 

I Wrote To You Yesterday, And Happened To Put The Letter Into The

Postoffice A Little After The Post Had Gone. In That Letter I

Requested You To Come Here As Soon As Possible, For It Was Highly

Probable That I Should Leave Princeton Entirely, And Determine To

Follow Our Original Plan. The Event Has Confirmed My Conjecture. I

Came Here From General Morris'S Yesterday, And Exerted All The

Influence I Was Master Of To Get New Lodgings, But Could Not, Without

Lodging In The Town, Which Would Be Disagreeable To Me On Many

Accounts. I Have Now Given Over All Thoughts Of Staying Here; And,

Having An Excellent Pretext For Changing My Ground, I Shall Write To

Mr. Stockton, Who Is Still In Philadelphia, And Acquaint Him With My

Intentions Of Going Away. Nothing Is Therefore Wanting But Yourself,

With A Horse And Chair, To Make Me Completely Happy. I Wish To God I

Could Push Off Eastward Immediately, But I Cannot. I Have No Horse,

Neither Is It Practicable To Borrow Or Hire One. I Must, Then, Wait

For You; And I Request You, In The Most Pressing Terms, To Lose Not A

Moment'S Time In Coming For Me At General Morris'S, About Six Miles

From This, Near Colonel Van Dyke'S Mill, On The Road To Somerset,

Where I Shall Wait Impatiently For You.

 

 

I Am Extremely Uneasy Lest This Letter Should Reach You After You Have

Left Home, And Begun Your Journey Northward. In That Case I Shall Be

Very Unfortunate; And, To Prevent Too Great A Delay, I Write To Mr.

Reeves At Litchfield, And Enclose Him A Letter For You, And Desire Him

To Forward It To You, Wherever You Are, With All Expedition. I Shall

Likewise Enclose Another For You To Mrs. Prevost, Who Will Be Kind

Enough To Give It To You The Moment You Arrive There.

 

 

If We Once Get Together, I Hope We Shall Not Be Soon Parted. It Would

Afford Me The Greatest Satisfaction To Live With You During Life. God

Grant Our Meeting May Be Soon. You Have My Best And Fervent Wishes For

The Recovery Of Your Health, And Every Other Happiness. Adieu.

 

 

Robert Troup.

Chapter XII Pg 182

To Colonel Troup.

 

 

Fairfield, 15Th May, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Bob,

 

 

I Wrote You From This Place The 12Th Inst. This Follows Close Upon It,

That I May Rest Assured Of Your Having Heard From Me.

 

 

I Go To-Morrow To Middletown, From Whence I Shall Hasten My Departure

As Much As Possible. No Trifling Concerns Should Command Me A Moment;

But Business Of Importance, And Some Embarrassments Too Serious To Be

Laughed Out Of The Way, Will, I Fear, Detain Me This Month. But The

Month Is Already Gone Before You Can Receive This. I Hope Your

Philosophy Will Not Have Forsaken You. Far From You Be Gloom And

Despondency. Attune Your Organs To The Genuine Ha! Ha! 'Tis To Me The

Music Of The Spheres; The Sovereign Specific That Shall Disgrace The

Physician'S Art, And Baffle The Virulence Of Malady. Hold Yourself

Aloof From All Engagements, Even Of The _Heart_. We Will Deliberate

Unbiased, That We May Decide With Wisdom. I Form No Decision On The

Subject Of Our Studies Till I See You.

 

 

I Write From The House Of Our Friend Thaddeus, In A World Of Company,

Who Are Constantly Interrupting Me With Impertinent Questions. Your

Summons Came Unexpected, And Found Me Unprepared. Nevertheless, My

Assiduity Shall Convince You That You May Command

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XII Pg 183

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

At General Morris'S, Near Princeton, 16Th May, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Burr,

 

 

I Wrote You, About Three Weeks Ago, A Very Pressing Letter, And

Requested You To Come For Me Here As Soon As Possible. My Anxiety To

See You Is Extreme, And, Lest My Letter Should Have Miscarried, I

Cannot Help Troubling You With Another. Every Thing, My Dear Burr, Has

Succeeded To My Wishes. I Have Left Mr. Stockton Upon The Most

Friendly Terms Imaginable, And I Am Still At General Morris'S To Avoid

Expense, But Am So Situated That I Cannot Study. I Assure You, My

Future Prosperity And Happiness In Life Depends, In A Greater Measure

Than You May Imagine, On My Living And Studying With You; And The

Sooner We Get Seated In Some Retired Place, Where We May Live Cheaply

And Study Without Interruption, The Better. I Know Myself--I Think I

Know You Perfectly. I Am More Deceived Than Ever I Was If We Do Not

Live Happily Together, And Improve Beyond Our Most Sanguine

Expectations. Delay Not, Therefore, A Single Moment, My Dear Burr, But

Come For Me Yourself. A Horse Or A Chair Without You Will Be

Unwelcome. I Want To Consult You About Several Matters Of Importance

To Me Before I Leave This State. I Say Leave This State, For Our

Original Plan Of Studying With Mr. Osmer Appears The Most Rational To

Me On Many Accounts.

 

 

I Am So Much Attached To You, My Dear Burr, And Feel Myself So Much

Interested In Every Thing Which Concerns You, That I Believe, And Hope

Sincerely, It Will Be Many Years Before We Separate If We Can Once Sit

Down Together. As Long As My Slender Fortune Will Permit Me To Live

Without Business, We Will, If You Find It Agreeable, Enjoy The

Pleasures Of Retirement. And When We Enter On The Theatre Of The

World, Why Not Act Our Parts Together? Heaven Grant That We May. I

Repeat It Again, My Dearest Friend, Lose Not A Moment'S Time In Coming

For Me. It Is Painful To Trespass So Long Upon General Morris'S

Bounty, Though He Be My Friend, And I Have Not Any Means Of Stirring

An Inch From Him Unless I Walk. For Fear You Should Not Be At

Middletown, I Shall Enclose A Copy Of This Letter To Mr. Reeves, And

Request Him To Forward It To You Immediately If You Should Not Be With

Him.

 

 

With What Pleasure Did I Receive Yours Of The 24Th Ult., At Princeton,

The Other Day, When I Went To Pay Mr. Stockton A Visit After His

Return From Philadelphia. I Cordially Congratulate You On The

Improvement Of Your Health By Rash Experiments. May It Be As Well

Established As My Own, Which Is Perfectly Capable Of The Closest

Application. But I Was Not A Little Mortified To Find You Say Nothing

About Your Intention To Ride To Jersey. Let Me Entreat You Once More

To Set Off As Soon As Possible. Every Moment Is Precious, And Ought To

Be Employed To Advantage. I Shall Wait For You With The Greatest

Impatience; And, In The Meantime, I Am, What I Always Wish To Be,

 

 

Your Affectionate And Sincere Friend,

 

 

Robert Troup.

Chapter XII Pg 184

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

Society-Hall, General Morris'S, 23D May, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Aaron,

 

 

My Patience Is Almost Exhausted. I Have Been Waiting For You This

Month Past. Here I Am, A Pensioner Upon The Bounty Of My Good Friend

General Morris, And Am Likely To Continue So, Unless You Are Kind

Enough To Come And Carry Me Away. This Is The Fifth Or Sixth Letter I

Have Written You On The Subject. What Can Be The Reason Of The Great

Delay In Forwarding Letters By The Post? Your Last Was Above A

Fortnight Old Before It Got To Princeton; And, Upon Inquiry, Daddy

Plumb Informs Me The Riders Are Ordered To Ride _Forty Miles_ A Day

During The Season. Must I Attribute It To The Fatality Which Has

Already Separated Us, And, I Fear, Is Determined To Put An Eternal Bar

To Our Junction? Such An Event Would Blast All My Hopes Of Future

Happiness. My Dear Aaron, I Want Words To Express My Pleasure In

Anticipating The Satisfaction Of Retiring From The Cares Of The World

With You, And Living In All The Simple Elegance Of Ancient

Philosophers. We Should Make A Rapid Improvement In Every Branch Of

Useful Literature; And When We Came To Act Our Parts On The Theatre Of

The World, We Might Excite Admiration, And, What Would Be Infinitely

More Pleasing To Us, We Should Be Better Men And Better Citizens.

 

 

After Mr. Stockton Returned From Philadelphia, I Communicated To Him

My Situation And My Intentions. He Approved Of My Determination To Go

Away, And Gave Me Some Advice, Which You Shall Know When You See Me.

Thus I Have Left Mr. Stockton Without Causing The Least Uneasiness,

And I Am Now Ready To Enter Upon Our Old Plan, Which Appears The Most

Consistent With Our Present Views. As I Said In All My Letters