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

Chapter XV Pg 268

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

New-York, Wednesday, November, 1787.

 

 

My Health Is Better. As I Fondly Believe This The Most Interesting

Intelligence I Can Give Thee, I Make It My Preamble. What Would I Not

Give To Have But Those Four Small Words From Thee? Though I Had But

Little Hope, I Found Myself Involuntarily Counting The Passing Hours.

My Messenger Met The Stage At The Door. I Need Not Relate His Success.

I Fancy Many Ills From The Situation Of Your Health When You Left

Home, And Pray Ardently They May Prove Merely Fanciful. I Have Still

Three Tedious Days To The Next Stage, When A Line Of Affection Shall

Repay All My Anxieties. Ireson Returned To-Day. The Poor Boys Have

Really Been Models Of Industry. They Write All Day And Evening, And

Sometimes All Night, Nor Allow Themselves Time To Powder.

 

 

I Feel As Though My Guardian Angel Had Forsaken Me. I Fear Every Thing

But Ghosts. Tell Me, Aaron, Why Do I Grow Every Day More Tenacious Of

Thy Regard? Is It Possible My Affection Can Increase? Is It Because

Each Revolving Day Proves Thee More Deserving? Surely, Thy Theo.

Needed No Proof Of Thy Goodness. Heaven Preserve The Patron Of My

Flock; Preserve The Husband Of My Heart; Teach Me To Cherish His Love,

And To Deserve The Boon.

 

 

Theodosia Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 269

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Poughkeepsie, 28Th June, 1788.

 

 

This Afternoon The Stage Will Pass Through This Place. Your Letters

Will Not Come To Me Till The Morning, So That I Can Only Thank You For

Them, And The Kind Things They Contain, By Anticipation. I Have

Already Read Them In The Same Way, And Therefore Do Thank You For

Them, _De Plein Coeur_. I Have A Convenient Room For My Business In

One House, Board At A Different House, And Bad Lodgings At A Third

House. This Is, Indeed, Not So Convenient An Arrangement As Might Be

Wished; But I Could Not Procure These Different Accommodations At Less

Than Three Houses In This Metropolis And Seat Of Government.

 

 

As The Boys Will Wish To Know Something Of The Progress Of Business

Here, Tell Them That The Cause Of Freer And Van Vleeck Has Been This

Day Put Off By The Defendants, On Payment Of Costs, On An Affidavit Of

The Want Of Papers. In Noxon'S Cause I Have A Verdict For Thirty-Four

Pounds. The Evidence Clearly Entitled Mr. Livingston To Three Or Four

Hundred Pounds, And So Was The Charge Of The Judge; But Landlords Are

Not Popular Or Favoured In This County. I Am Now Going To Court To

Defend An Action Of Trespass, In Which I Have Been Employed Here; And

Shall Try Mr. Lansing'S Cause To-Morrow, Which Will Close My Business

Here. With How Much Regret I Shall Go Further From Home. Kiss Our Dear

Children.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 270

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Poughkeepsie, 29Th June, 1788.

 

 

I Have Sat An Hour At The Door Watching The Arrival Of The Stage. At

Length It Comes, And Your Dear Packet Is Handed To Me Just In Season

To Be Acknowledged By Mr. Johnstone. He Will Tell You Of The Further

Progress Of My Business And My Intended Movements. I Go This Evening

To Rhinebeck. How Wishfully I Look Homeward. I Like Your Industry, And

Will Certainly Reward It As You Shall Direct.

 

 

My Time Is Much Engrossed. My Health Perfectly Good. You Say Nothing

Of Yours; But Your Industry Is A Good Omen. You Can Write To Me By

Monday'S Stage, Directed To Be Forwarded To Me From Rhinebeck. I Shall

Be Then At Kingston. Much Love To The Smiling Little Girl. I Received

Her Letter, But Not The Pretty Things. I Continually Plan My Return

With Childish Impatience, And Fancy A Thousand Incidents Which Render

It More Interesting. Reserve Your Health And Spirits, And I Shall Not

Be Deceived.

 

 

Affectionately,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 271

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, August 7Th, 1788.

 

 

Oh Theo.! There Is The Most Delightful Grove--So Darkened With

_Weeping Willows_, That At Noonday A _Susceptible_ Fancy Like Yours

Would Mistake It For A Bewitching Moonlight Evening. These

Sympathizing Willows, Too, Exclude Even The Prying Eye Of Curiosity.

Here No Rude Noise Interrupts The Softest Whisper. Here No Harsher

Sound Is Heard Than The Wild Cooings Of The Gentle Dove, The Gay

Thresher'S Animated Warbles, And The Soft Murmurs Of The Passing

Brook. Really, Theo., It Is _Charming_.

 

 

I Should Have Told You That I Am Speaking Of Fort Johnson, Where I

Have Spent A Day. From This _Amiable_ Bower You Ascend A Gentle

Declivity, By A Winding Path, To A Cluster Of Lofty Oaks And Locusts.

Here Nature Assumes A More August Appearance. The Gentle Brook, Which

Murmured Soft Below, Here Bursts A Cataract. Here You Behold The

Stately Mohawk Roll His Majestic Wave Along The Lofty Apalachians.

Here The Mind Assumes A Nobler Tone, And Is Occupied By Sublimer

Objects. What _There_ Was Tenderness, _Here_ Swells To Rapture. It Is

Truly _Charming_.

 

 

The Windings Of This Enchanting Brook Form A Lovely Island, Variegated

By The Most Sportive Hand Of Nature. This Shall Be Yours. We Will

Plant It With Jessamines And Woodbine, And Call It Cyprus. It Seems

Formed For The Residence Ol The Loves And The Graces, And Is Therefore

Yours By The Best Of Titles. It Is Indeed Most _Charming_.

 

 

But I Could Fill Sheets In Description Of The Beauties Of This

Romantic Place. We Will Reserve It For The Subject Of Many An Amusing

Hour. And Besides Being Little In The Habit Of The Sublime Or

Poetical, I Grow Already Out Of Breath, And Begin To Falter, As You

Perceive. I Cannot, However, Omit The Most Interesting And Important

Circumstance; One Which I Had Rather Communicate To You In This Way

Than Face To Face. I Know That You Was Opposed To This Journey To Fort

Johnson. It Is Therefore With The Greater Regret That I Communicate

The Event; And You Are Not Unacquainted With My Inducements To It.

 

 

In Many Things I Am Indeed Unhappy In Possessing A Singularity Of

Taste; Particularly Unhappy When That Taste Differs In Any Thing From

Yours. But We Cannot Control Necessity, Though We Often Persuade

Ourselves That Certain Things Are Our Choice, When In Truth We Have

Been Unavoidably Impelled To Them. In The Instance I Am Going To

Relate, I Shall Not Examine Whether I Have Been Governed By Mere

Fancy, Or By Motives Of Expediency, Or By Caprice; You Will Probably

Say The Latter.

 

 

My Dear Theo., Arm Yourself With All Your Fortitude. I Know You Have

Much Of It, And I Hope That Upon This Occasion You Will Not Fail To

Exercise It. I Abhor Preface And Preamble, And Don'T Know Why I Have

Now Used It So Freely. But I Am Well Aware That What I Am Going To

Relate Needs Much Apology _From_ Me, And Will Need Much _To_ You. If I

Am The Unwilling, The Unfortunate Instrument Of Depriving You Of Any

Part Of Your Promised Gayety Or Pleasure, I Hope You Are Too Generous

To Aggravate The Misfortune By Upbraiding Me With It. Be Assured (I

Hope The Assurance Is Needless), That Whatever Diminishes Your

Happiness Equally Impairs Mine. In Short, Then, For I Grow Tedious

Both To You And Myself; And To Procrastinate The Relation Of

Disagreeable Events Only Gives Them Poignancy; In Short, Then, My Dear

Theo., The Beauty Of This Same Fort Johnson, The Fertility Of The

Soil, The Commodiousness And Elegance Of The Buildings, The Great

Value Of The Mills, And The Very Inconsiderable Price Which Was Asked

For The Whole, Have _Not_ Induced Me To Purchase It, And Probably

Never Will: In The Confidence, However, Of Meeting Your Forgiveness,

 

 

Affectionately Yours,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 272

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 26Th October, 1788.

 

 

I Wrote You A Few Hours Ago, And Put The Letter Into The Postofflce.

Little Did I Then Imagine How Much Pleasure Was Near At Hand For Me.

Judge Hobart Has This Minute Arrived, And Handed Me Your Letter Of

Monday. I Cannot Thank You Sufficiently For All The Affection It

Contains. Be Assured It Has Every Welcome Which Congenial Affection

Can Give.

 

 

The Headache With Which I Left New-York Grew So Extreme, That Finding

It Impossible To Proceed In The Stage, The View Of A Vessel Off

Tarrytown, Under Full Sail Before The Wind, Tempted Me To Go On Board.

We Reached West Point That Night, And Lay There At Anchor Near Three

Days. After A Variety Of Changes From Sloop To Wagon, From Wagon To

Canoe, And From Canoe To Sloop Again, I Reached This Place Last

Evening. I Was Able, However, To Land At Rhinebeck On Thursday

Evening, And There Wrote You A Letter Which I Suppose Reached You On

Saturday Last.

 

 

My Business In Court Will Detain Me Till Saturday Of This Week, When I

Propose To Take Passage In Sloop. I Have Just Drunk Tea With Mrs.

Fairlie, And Her Daughter, Five Days Old. Thank Bartow For The Papers

By Judge Hobart. When I Wrote Him This Evening I Had Not Received

Them.

 

 

Yours,

 

 

A. Burr.