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

Chapter XIV Pg 231

From Judge Hobart.

 

 

June 17Th, 1783.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

Your Favour Has Been Received. However Pure Your Views May Be, I Fear

You Must Be Contented With The Character Of A Private Gentleman So

Long As You Determine To Avoid A Competition; For I Am Told There Are

Long Lists Of Applicants For All The Offices In The City And County Of

New-York.

 

 

With Great Respect, Yours,

 

 

John Sloss Hobart.

Chapter XIV Pg 232

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, August 14Th, 1783.

 

 

How Unfortunate, My Dearest Aaron, Is Our Present Separation. I Never

Shall Have Resolution To Consent To Another. We Must Not Be Guided By

Others. We Are Certainly Formed Of Different Materials; And Our

Undertakings Must Coincide With Them.

 

 

A Few Hours After I Wrote You By Colonel Lewis, Our Sweet Infant [3]

Was Taken Ill, Very Ill. My Mind And Spirits Have Been On The Rack

From That Moment To This. When She Sleeps, I Watch Anxiously; When She

Wakes, Anxious Fears Accompany Every Motion. I Talked Of My Love

Towards Her, But I Knew It Not Till Put To This Unhappy Test. I Know

Not Whether To Give Her Medicine Or Withhold It: Doubt And Terror Are

The Only Sensations Of Which I Am Sensible. She Has Slept Better Last

Night, And Appears More Lively This Morning, Than Since Her Illness.

This Has Induced Me To Postpone An Express To You, Which I Have Had In

Readiness Since Yesterday. If This Meets You, I Need Not Dwell Upon My

Wish. I Will Only Put An Injunction On Your Riding So Fast, Or In The

Heat, Or Dew. Remember Your Presence Is To Support, To Console Your

Theo., Perhaps To Rejoice With Her At The Restoration Of Our

Much-Loved Child. Let Us Encourage This Hope; Encourage It, At Least,

Till You See Me, Which I Flatter Myself Will Be Before This Can Reach

You. Some Kind Spirit Will Whisper To My Aaron How Much His Tender

Attention Is Wanted To Support His Theo.: How Much His Love Is

Necessary To Give Her That Fortitude, That Resolution, Which Nature

Has Denied Her But Through His Medium. Adieu.

 

 

Theodosia

Chapter XIV Pg 233

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

New-York, March 22D, 1784.

 

 

My Aaron Had Scarce Quitted The Door When I Regretted My Passiveness.

Why Did I Consent To His Departure? Can Interest Repay The Sacrifice?

Can Aught On Earth Compensate For His Presence? Why Did I Hesitate To

Decide? Ten Thousand Fears Await Me. What Thought Suggested My Assent?

The Anxiety He Might Suffer Were He To Meet With Obstacles To Raising

The Sum Required; Should His Views Be Frustrated For Want Of The

Precaution This Journey Might Secure; His Mortification; Mine, At Not

Having The Power To Relieve Him, Were Arguments That Silenced My

Longing Wish To Hold Him Near Me; Near Me For Ever. My Aaron, Dark Is

The Hour That Separates My Soul From Itself.

 

 

Thus Pensive, Surrounded With Gloom, Thy Theo. Sat, Bewailing Thy

Departure. Every Breath Of Wind Whistled Terror; Every Noise At The

Door Was Mingled With Hope Of Thy Return, And Fear Of Thy

Perseverance, When Brown Arrived With The Word--_Embarked_--The Wind

High, The Water Rough. Heaven Protect My Aaron; Preserve Him, Restore

Him To His Adoring Mistress. A Tedious Hour Elapsed, When Our Son Was

The Joyful Messenger Of Thy Safe Landing At Paulus Hook.

 

 

Stiff With Cold, How Must His Papa Have Fared? Yet, Grateful For His

Safety, I Blessed My God. I Envied The Ground Which Bore My Pilgrim. I

Pursued Each Footstep. Love Engrossed His Mind; His Last Adieu To

Bartow Was The Most Persuasive Token--"Wait Till I Reach The Opposite

Shore, That You May Bear The Glad Tidings To Your Trembling Mother."

O, Aaron, How I Thank Thee! Love In All Its Delirium Hovers About Me;

Like Opium, It Lulls Me To Soft Repose! Sweet Serenity Speaks, 'Tis My

Aaron'S Spirit Presides. Surrounding Objects Check My Visionary Charm.

I Fly To My Room And Give The Day To Thee.

 

 

Theodosia.

Chapter XIV Pg 234

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, October 29Th, 1784.

 

 

Mr. Watts This Instant Acquaints Me That He Is Just Setting Off For

New-York. I Run From Court To Waft You A Memorandum Of Affection. I

Have Been Remarkably Well; Was Fortunate In My Journey. The Trial Of

Livingston And Hoffman Is Now Arguing. It Began On Thursday Of Last

Week, And Will Not Conclude Till To-Night. No Other Business Has Been

Or Will Be Done This Term. All This Cursed Long Absence For Nothing.

 

 

I Cannot Leave This Till Sunday Or Monday. Then To Westchester Court.

The Return To Joy And Theo. Cannot Be Till Thursday Or Friday, And

That Depending On My Business In Westchester. Miss Yates Is On Her

Passage To New-York To Spend Eight Or Ten Days.

 

 

I Read Your Memorandum Ten Times A Day, And Observed It As Religiously

As Ever Monk Did His Devotion. Yesterday I Burnt It. To Me It Seemed

Like Sacrilege.

 

 

I Fear I Did Not Caution You Enough Against Sleeping In The New House.

For Heaven'S Sake (Or Rather For My Sake), Don'T Think Of It Till I

Come And Judge. I Left You An Immensity Of Trouble, Which I Fear Has

Not Promoted Your Health. Kiss Our Dear Little Flock For Me. Adieu.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XIV Pg 235

Late In The Autumn Of 1783 Colonel Burr Removed From Albany Into The

City Of New-York. In The Spring Of 1784 He Was Elected A Member Of The

State Legislature. At That Early Period Political Parties Had Not

Assumed Either Form Or Shape. The Simple And Intelligible Terms Of

Whip And Tory Were Universally Used. Colonel Burr'S Mind Was Occupied

With His Professional Business. The Legislature Met In The City Of

New-York. He Attended Two Sessions As A Member. The First Commenced On

The 12Th Of October, 1784. He Was In The House Only A Small Portion Of

The Time, And Never Interfered In What Might Be Considered The

Ordinary Business Of The Day. On Great Questions He Took An Active And

Decided Part. His Character For Sagacity, Discrimination, And

Firmness, Was Well Established; And He Would, Therefore, Have

Possessed Great Influence, If Such Had Been His Object; But His

Ambition, At This Time, Was Not Political; Or, If It Was, He Had

Determined To Smother It "Until A More Convenient Season."

Chapter XIV Pg 236

The Second Session While He Was A Member Commenced On The 27Th Of

January, 1785. During This He Was More Attentive Than At The Preceding

Session, But Governed By The Same System Of Policy, Acting Only When

Great And Important Questions Were Under Consideration. On The 14Th Of

February A Joint Committee Of The Two Houses Was Appointed To Revise

The Laws Of The State. Colonel Burr Was Chairman Of The Committee On

The Part Of The House. He Introduced, On Leave Granted Him, Several

Important Bills. One In Relation To The Public Lands, Another Relative

To The Titles To Real Estate, &C. On The 25Th Of February A Bill Was

Pending For The Gradual Abolition Of Slavery Within The State Of

New-York. It Provided That All Born After Its Passage Should Be Born

Free. Burr Moved To Amend, And Proposed To Insert A Provision, That

Slavery Should Be Entirely Abolished After A Day Specified. His

Amendment Being Lost, He Voted For The Bill As Reported. He Was A

Member Of The Legislature, And Supported The Law In 1799, By Which,

Ultimately, Slavery Within The State Was Abolished.

 

 

The Question Upon Which He Took The Most Prominent Part Related To An

Application Of Some Tradesmen And Mechanics In The City Of New-York

For An Act Of Incorporation. The Advocates Of This Bill Had United

Their Interest With Certain Land Speculators, And By These Means It

Was Supposed Both Bills Might Be Carried Through The Legislature.

Both, However, Failed. Colonel Burr Was The Only Member From The City

Of New-York That Opposed What Was Termed The Mechanics' Bill. His

Opposition Produced So Much Feeling And Excitement, That A Man Of Less

Firmness Would Have Been Driven From His Course. Riots Were

Threatened, And By Many It Was Supposed His House Would Be Assaulted.

His Friends Volunteered Their Services To Protect Him, But He Declined

Receiving Their Aid, Averring That He Had No Fears Of Any Violation Of

The Laws By Men Who Had Made Such Sacrifices As The Whigs Had Made For

The Right Of Self-Government, And That He Could And Would Protect

Himself, If, Contrary To His Expectations, It Should Become Necessary.

That He Was Prepared To Resist Any Attack Was Universally Known, But

None Was Attempted, And Perhaps For That Reason.

 

 

The Mechanics' Bill Passed The Legislature Late In February, And Was

Sent To The Council Of Revision. At That Time The Chancellor And The

Judges Of The Supreme