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

To You

On The Subject, I Am Here From A Principle Of Economy; But It Is

Disagreeable To Stay So Long As A Visitor, And I Am Therefore Obliged

To Request You To Alter Your Intention About Coming Here, And Set Off

The Moment You Receive This. I Have No Horse, And Depend Entirely Upon

You. Besides The Time We Lose By Postponing Our Settlement, I Have A

Matter Of Great Importance To Us Both To Communicate To You, That Has

No Connexion With Our Studying, And Which Makes It Necessary For Me To

See You Immediately.

 

 

Poor Mr. Stockton Is Incurable. He Cannot Survive The Summer.

 

 

Yours,

 

 

Robert Troup.

Chapter XII Pg 185

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

Baskenridge, June 27Th, 1786.

 

 

My Dear Aaron,

 

 

After A Very Disagreeable Ride Indeed, I Came Here The Day Before

Yesterday In The Afternoon; And Yesterday Morning, Just As I Was Going

To Mount My Horse, I Was Seized With A Violent Fever, Which Lasted

Till Sunset. This Morning I Feel Much Better, Though I Am Exceedingly

Weak. In A Few Minutes I Shall Take An Emetic; After Which I Suppose

The Bark Will Be Necessary. The Fever Seems To Be Of The Intermittent

Kind, And, I Think, Is Occasioned Principally By Riding In The Hot

Sun. I Am So Agreeably Situated Here, That I Shall Stay Till I

Recover, Which I Hope Will Be In Three Or Four Days. The Family Are

Very Polite And Attentive To Me, And Dr. Cutting, Who Quarters In The

Neighbourhood, Is Both My Physician And Apothecary.

 

 

The Miss Livingstons Have Inquired In A Very Friendly Manner About

You, And Expect You Will Wait Upon Them When You Pass This Way. Since

I Have Been Here, I Have Had An Opportunity Of Removing Entirely The

Suspicion They Had Of Your Courting Miss De Visme. [5] They Believe

Nothing Of It Now, And Attribute Your Visits At Paramus To Motives Of

Friendship For Mrs. Prevost And The Family.

 

 

Wherever I Am, And Can With Propriety, You May Be Assured I Shall

Represent This Matter In Its True Light.

 

 

I Have Obtained A Few Particulars Of -----, Which I Was Before

Unacquainted With, And Which I Cannot Forbear Communicating. He Is The

Son Of The Vice-President Of Pennsylvania, Who I Always Understood In

Philadelphia Was A Respectable Merchant, And I Believe Is Worth A

Moderate Fortune, Though I Am Not Certain. His Family Was Not Ranked

In The Genteeler Class Before The War; But At Present May Be Called

Fashionable, Or _A La Mode_. The Girls Here Think Him Handsome,

Genteel, And Sensible, And Say Positively He Is No Longer Engaged To

Miss Shippen. He Has Frequently Spoken To Them In Raptures, Latterly

Of Miss De Visme, And Once Declared He Was Half In Love With Her. I

Have Taken Care To Touch This String With The Greatest Delicacy.

 

 

How Is Your Health? Better Or Worse? Pray Neglect No Opportunity Of

Writing To Me. Present My Most Respectful Compliments To Mrs. Prevost

And The Family, And Also The Ladies On The Hill.

 

 

Miss Susan Governor Livingston Desires Her Compliments To You And The

Two Families. So Do Susan And Eliza Baskenridge.

 

 

Yours Affectionately,

 

 

Robert Troup.

Chapter XII Pg 186

From Peter Colt. [6]

 

 

Weathersfield, 7Th July, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

Will You Allow Me That Appellation, Who Have So Long Neglected To

Inform You Of The Situation Of Your Affairs Left In My Hands? But

Figure To Yourself The Thousand Embarrassments That Have Attended Me

In Conducting My Public Concerns _Towards A Close_, And You Will Be

Led To Put A More Favourable Construction On My Conduct Than I Should

Otherwise Expect.

 

 

My Last Informed You Of The Loss Of The _Hawk_, Being Chased On Shore

The Back Side Of Long Island. It Was A Few Days After She Went Out On

Her Last Cruise, And Before She Had Any Success. Of Course, About

L20,000, The Amount Of Her Last Outfits, Were Thrown Away. I Fear This

Will Make Her Die In Debt. Though All Her Goods Are Either Sold Or

Divided, Yet Her Accounts Are Not Settled. I Wish I Could See A

Tolerable Prospect Of Their Being Speedily Closed. But The Agents Are

Embarrassed. As Soon As I Can Get Her Accounts, Will Inform You Of The

State Of This Unlucky Adventure. There Is On Hand Some Clothing, Some

Duck, And Rigging, Out Of Which I Hope To Raise Hard Money. What Shall

I Do With The Other Articles, A Small Parcel Of Glassware And Rum, And

The Money Arising From The Sales Of The Vessel'S Sea-Coat, &C.? I Am

Advised To Sell Every Thing For Continental Money, At The Present

Going Prices, And Exchange It For Hard. What Is The Exchange With You?

With Us It Is From Sixty To Seventy For One. Let Me Know What I Am To

Do With Your Money When I Get It Into My Hands. I Have Not Settled Any

Of Your Accounts But Stanley'S.

 

 

Your Friends Are Generally Well, And Wish To Hear From You. Miss

H----- Has Been Quite Unwell Since You Left Us, As She Tells Me She

Hears You Are. You Will Not Be Vain When I Add, She Has More Than Once

Lamented _Your Ill State Of Health_, And Expressed Some Fears That It

Was Not Growing Better. The Sallys Beg Me To Make Their Best Wishes

For Your Health And Happiness Acceptable To You. Shall I Add, Their

Love Also?

 

 

Friend Wadsworth Has Engaged In The Supplies For The French Navy And

Troops. I Think It Will Keep Him Employed, And Much To His Advantage.

 

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

 

Peter Colt.

Chapter XII Pg 187

From Peter Colt.

 

 

Weathersfield, July 16Th, 1780.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Have To Acknowledge The Receipt Of Your Polite And Friendly Letter

Of The 1St Inst. My Little Family Would Have Been Too Much Elated With

Your Attention To Them Had You Not Dashed The Pleasure With The

Account Of Your Ill State Of Health. Pray Be More Attentive To The

Recovery Of It, Even Should It Interfere With Your Study Of The Law.

Let Your Diet And Exercise Be Simple And Regular; Directed By

Experience. The Former Not Too Low. It Is A Good Old Maxim--Be

Religious, But Not Superstitious. So Respecting Health, Be Exactly

Attentive, But Not Whimsical. Excuse The Term, For Invalids Are But

Too Apt To Be Governed By Whim Rather Than Reason And Experience.

 

 

Enclosed You Have An Account Current With The Agents Of The Hawk.

Indeed, Take It Altogether, It Is But A Poor Adventure. I Shall

Endeavour The Settlement Of Your Account With Friend -----, And Remit

You. In The Meantime, It Will Not Be Amiss To Send Me An Account Of

Money Advanced To Him.

 

 

As To News, Must Refer You To The Newspapers, Where You Will Get A

Large Supply. I Wish _Our Printers_ Did Not Deal So Much In The

Marvellous. It Is In Vain For Them To Attempt Copying Rivington. [7]

They Had Better Stick To The Truth.

 

 

Yours, &C.,

 

 

Peter Colt.

Chapter XII Pg 188

From Colonel Troup.

 

 

Rariton, July 18Th, 1780.

 

 

My Dear Burr,

 

 

Mr. Paterson Went To Brunswick Court This Morning. The Few Lines By

Dr. Brown Are The First I Have Had From You Since I Left Paramus;

Where The Other Letters You Refer To Stay, I Know Not.

 

 

I Am Charmed With My Present Situation In Every Respect. It Could Not

Be More Agreeable To My Wishes. I Shall Have Reason To Thank You, As

Long As I Live, For My Change. The Man I Lodge With Is An Able

Farmer--Has A Large House--Is Fond Of Me, And Is Possessed Of Every

Thing A Reasonable Person Could Expect Or Wish For. I Study

Attentively, And Have No Interruption Whatever. There Is An Agreeable

Neighbourhood In This Part Of The Country, And, When I Choose, I Can

Unbend Myself In Very Genteel Company.

 

 

I Am Reading Wood At Present. I Have Almost Done With His 4Th Chapter,

And Am Looking Over His Chapter On Courts. I Confine My Whole

Attention To The Practice, For Reasons I Will Tell You When We Meet. I

Am Translating Burlamaqui'S Politic Law. Reading Robertson'S Charles

V., Dalrymple On Feudal Property, And Swift'S Works. The Morning I

Devote To The Law. I Am Up Sometimes Before, Generally At Sunrise.

From Two To Half After Three In The Afternoon, And From Nine To Eleven

In The Evening, I Apply To Other Matters. I Am In A Fair Way, If

Public Affairs Will Suffer Me, To Be Retired.

 

 

Paterson Is The Very Man We Want. He Is Sensible, Friendly, And, As

Far As I Am Capable Of Judging, Profound In The Law. He Is To Examine

Me On Saturday Or Monday On What I Have Read, And I Am Preparing

Accordingly. I Have Heard Him Examine Noel Yesterday On The Practice,

And I Find His Examinations Are Critical. In A Couple Of Months I

Expect To Be As Far Advanced In The Practice As Noel. I Cannot Bear

That He Should Be Before Me. It Must Not, It Shall Not Be.

 

 

My Health Is Perfectly Restored, And I Am Now As Well As Ever I Was. I

Am Happy To Hear You Grow Better. May You Soon Be Well Enough To Join

Me. The Weather Is So Intensely Hot, And I Am So Closely Engaged In

Study, That I Cannot Determine When I Shall Pay You A Visit.

 

 

Yours, &C.,

 

 

Robert Troup.