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

The Nomination Was Confirmed. This Office Was Rather Professional

Than Political. It Was, However, At The Time, Highly Important, And

Imposed The Most Arduous Duties Upon The Incumbent. Under The New

Constitution Of The United States, After The Organization Of The

Government, Many Intricate Questions Arose. To Discriminate Between

The Claims Upon The Respective States And Those Upon The Federal

Government, Often Required Close Investigation And No Inconsiderable

Degree Of Legal Astuteness. The Claims Of Individuals Who Had Been In

The Service Of The State During The War Of The Revolution, Or Who Had

Otherwise Become Creditors, Were Now Presented For Adjustment. There

Were No Principles Settled By Which Their Justice Or Legality Could Be

Tested. All Was Chaos; And The Legislature Was About To Be Overwhelmed

With Petitions From Every Quarter For Debts Due, Or For Injuries

Alleged To Have Been Sustained By Individuals Who Had Been Compelled

To Receive Depreciated Money, Or Whose Private Property Had Been Taken

For Public Use. In This Dilemma The Legislature Passed An Act

Authorizing The Appointment Of Commissioners To Report On The Subject.

The Commissioners Were Gerard Bancker, Treasurer, Peter T. Curtenius,

State Auditor, And Aaron Burr, Attorney-General.

 

 

During The Period That Colonel Burr Was Attorney-General, The Seat Of

Government Was In The City Of New-York. His Official Duties,

Therefore, Seldom Required His Absence From Home, When His Private

Business, As A Professional Man, Would Not Have Rendered That Absence

Necessary. His Correspondence, Although More Limited, Lost None Of Its

Interest, And Miscellaneous Selections From It Are Therefore

Continued.

Chapter XV Pg 280

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 21St October, 1789.

 

 

My Dearest Theodosia,

 

 

I Have This Moment Received Your Letter Of Sunday Evening, Containing

The Account Of Your Alarming Accident And Most Fortunate Rescue And

Escape. I Thank Heaven For Your Preservation, And Thank You A Thousand

Times For Your Particular And Interesting Account Of It.

 

 

I Left My Sloop At Kinderhook On Monday Morning, And Came Here That

Day In A Wagon. I Wrote You On The Passage, And Attempted To Leave The

Letter At Poughkeepsie, But The Wind Not Permitting Us To Stop, I Went

On Board A Rhinebeck Sloop, And There Found Mrs. Peter R. Livingston,

Who Offered To Take Charge Of My Letter.

 

 

I Am Relieved From Much Anxiety By Your Management Of Certain

Arrangements; I Am Glad M. W. Is Content. Mrs. Witbeck Met With An

Accident A Little Similar To Yours; But She Lost Only Her Cap And

Hair.

 

 

I Am Delighted To Find That You Anticipate As A Pleasure That By This

Post You May Write As Much As You Please. If You Set No Other Bound To

Your Pen Than My Gratification, You Will Write Me The History Every

Day, Not Of Your Actions Only (The Least Of Which Will Be

Interesting), But Of Your Thoughts. I Shall Watch With Eagerness And

Impatience The Coming Of Every Stage. Let Me Not Be Disappointed; You

Have Raised And Given Confidence To These Hopes. We Lodge At A Neat,

Quiet Widow'S, Near The Recorder Gansevoort'S. Sill Invited Us Very

Friendly.

 

 

Affectionately,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 281

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 24Th October, 1783.

 

 

With What Pleasure Have I Feasted For Three Days Past Upon The Letters

I Was To Receive This Evening. I Was Engaged In Court When The Stage

Passed. Upon The Sound Of It I Left Court And Ran To The Postoffice;

Judge Of My Mortification To Find Not A Line From Your Hand. Surely,

In The Course Of Three Days, You Might Have Found Half An Hour To Have

Devoted To Me. You Well Knew How Much I Relied On It; You Knew The

Pleasure It Would Have Given Me, And The Disappointment And Chagrin I

Should Feel From The Neglect. I Cannot, Will Not Believe That These

Considerations Have No Weight With You. But A Truce To Complaints. I

Will Hope That You Have Written, And That Some Accident Has Detained

The Letter.

 

 

Your Misfortunes So Engrossed Me, That I Forgot To Inquire About

Augustine'S Horses; And To Give A Caution, Which I Believe Is

Needless, About The Blank Checks. Do Not Part With One Till You See It

Filled Up With Sum And Date. T. P. Is Apt To Make Mistakes, And Once

Lost A Check Which Was By Accident Detected Before It Was Presented

For Payment. This Is My Fourth Letter. Perhaps I Write Too Much, And

You Wish To Give Me An Example Of Moderation.

 

 

Yours Affectionately,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 282

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 28Th October, 1789.

 

 

The History Of Your Sufferings, This Moment Received, Is Truly

Unexpected And Affecting. My Sympathy Was Wholly With Your Unfortunate

Left Hand. The Distressing Circumstances Respecting Your Face Must

Certainly Be Owing To Something More Than The Mere Misfortune Of Your

Burn. I Cannot Help Feeling A Resentment Which Must Not Be In This Way

Expressed. I Am Sure Your Sufferings Might Have Been Prevented. I Had

Promised Myself That They Were At An End Many Days Ago.

 

 

Forgive My Splenetic Letter By The Last Post. I Cannot Tell You How

Much I Regret It. When I Was Complaining And Accusing You Of Neglect,

You Were Suffering The Most Excruciating Pain; But I Could Not Have

Imagined This Unfortunate Reverse. Impute My Impatience To My Anxiety

To Hear From You. I Am Pleased At The Gayety Of Your Letter. Do Not

Think A Moment Of The Consequences Which You Apprehend From The Wound.

Let Me Only Hear That You Are Relieved From Pain, And I Am Happy. This

Is My Fifth Letter. Frederick Is The Laziest Dog In The World For Not

Having Written Me Of Your Situation.

 

 

Yours, Truly And Affectionately,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 283

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Claverack, 27Th June, 1791.

 

 

I Have Just Arrived Here, And Find Mr. B. Livingston About To Return

To New-York. He Informs Me That He Left Home On Saturday, And Sent You

Word That He Was To Meet Me Here. It Was Kind In Him. I Cannot Say As

Much Of The Improvement You Made Of His Goodness.

 

 

It Is Surprising That You Tell Me Nothing Of Theo. I Would By No Means

Have Her Writing And Arithmetic Neglected. It Is The Part Of Her

Education Which Is Of The Most Present Importance. If Shepherd Will

Not Attend Her In The House, Another Must Be Had; But I Had Rather Pay

Him Double Than Employ Another. Is Chevalier Still Punctual? Let Me

Know Whether You Are Yet Suited With Horses, And How?

 

 

In Your Letters, Speak Of Brooks And Ireson'S Attendance. I Wish You

Would Often Step Into The Office, And See As Many As You Can Of The

People Who Come On Business. Does Young Mr. Broome Attend? Other And

More Interesting Questions Have Been Made And Repeated In My Former

Letters; I Will Therefore, At Present, Fatigue With No More

Interrogatories. Adieu.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 284

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

New-York, 30Th June, 1791.

 

 

My Letter Missed The Post Yesterday Not From My Neglect. It Waited For

Brooks'S Packet, Which Was Not Ready Till The Mail Was Gone. Mr. B.

Livingston Just Handed Me The One You Intrusted To Him. I Was The More

Pleased With It, As He Accompanied It With The Most Favourabie Account

Of Your Health I Have Received Since Your Absence, And Promises To

Forward This In The Afternoon.

 

 

The Edwardses Dine With Me; They Had Taken Lodgings Previous To Their

Arrival, In Consequence Of A Report Made Them By The Little Bodowins

(Who Were At Mrs. Moore'S Last Winter), That My House Was Too Small

And Inconvenient To Admit Of A Spare Bed. I Esteem It A Lucky Escape.

It Would Have Been Impossible For Me To Have Borne The Fatigue.

Charlotte Is Worn Out With Sleepless Nights, Laborious Days, And An

Anxious Mind. Hannah Constantly Drunk. Except William, Who Is A Mere

Waiter, I Have No Servant.

 

 

My Guests Are Come To Dinner. I Have Solicited Them, And Shall Again,

To Stay Here; But, If They Positively Decline It, I Will Go To

Frederick. I Will Steal A Moment After Dinner To Add Another Page.

 

 

 

July 2D.

 

 

The Person Mr. Livingston Expected To Forward My Letter By Did Not Go,

Nor Could I Hear Of An Opportunity, Till, This Moment, Mr. Williams

Offered To Take Charge Of This. I Had Arranged Every Thing To Set Out

For Frederick This Morning, When A Mortification Was Found To Have

Taken Place On Charlotte'S Child, And She Could Not Be Moved. As I Had

Carted Every Thing On Board, Which I Assure You Was No Small Piece Of

Business, I Sent Natie With The Three Younger Children, And Kept

Louise And Theo To Go With Me, Whenever This Disagreeable Event Is

Past.

 

 

Theo Never Can Or Will Make The Progress We Would Wish Her While She

Has So Many Avocations. I Kept Her Home A Week In Hopes Shepherd Would

Consent To Attend Her At Home, But He Absolutely Declined It, As His

Partners Thought It Derogatory To Their Dignity. I Was Therefore

Obliged To Submit, And Permit Her