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

To Go As Usual. She Begins To

Cipher. Mr. Chevalier Attends Regularly, And I Take Care She Never

Omits Learning Her French Lesson. I Believe She Makes Most Progress In

This. Mr. St. Aivre Never Comes; He Can Get No Fiddler, And I Am Told

His Furniture, &C. Have Been Seized By The Sheriff. I Don'T Think The

Dancing Lessons Do Much Good While The Weather Is So Warm; They

Fatigue Too Soon. I Have A Dozen And Four Tickets On Hand, Which I

Think Will Double In Value At My Return. As To The Music, Upon The

Footing It Now Is She Can Never Make Progress, Though She Sacrifices

Two Thirds Of Her Time To It. 'Tis A Serious Check To Her Other

Acquirements. She Must Either Have A Forte-Piano At Home, Or Renounce

Learning It. For These Reasons I Am Impatient To Go In The Country.

Her Education Is Not On An Advantageous Footing At Present. Besides,

The Playfellows She Has At Home Makes It The Most Favourable Moment

For Her To Be At Liberty A Few Weeks, To Range And Gain In Health A

Good Foundation For More Application At Our Return, When I Hope To

Have Her Alone; Nay, I Will Have Her Alone. I Cannot Live So Great A

Slave, And She Shall Not Suffer. My Time Shall Not Be An Unwilling

Sacrifice To Others; It Shall Be Hers. She Shall Have It, But I Will

Not Use Severity; And Without It, At Present, I Can Obtain Nothing;

'Tis A Bad Habit, Which She Never Deserves When I Have Her To Myself.

The, Moment We Are Alone She Tries To Amuse Me With Her Improvement,

Which The Little Jade Knows Will Always Command My Attention; But

These Moments Are Short And Seldom. I Have So Many Trifling

Interruptions, That My Head Feels As If I Had Been A Twelvemonth At

Sea. I Scarcely Know What I Speak, And Much Less What I Write.

 

 

What A Provoking Thing That I, Who Never Go Out, Who Never Dress

Beyond A Decent Style At Home, Should Not Have A Leisure Moment To

Read A Newspaper. It Is A Recreation I Have Not Had Since You Left

Home, Nor Could I Get An Opportunity By Water To Send Them To You.

Albany Will Be A More Favourable Situation For Every Conveyance. But I

Don'T Understand Why Your Lordship Can'T Pay Your Obeisance At Home In

This Four Week Vacation. I Think I Am Entitled To A Reason.

 

 

Brooks Attends Regularly. Ireson From Six To Twelve, And From Two To

Six, As Punctual As Possible. I Should Have Made The Office More My

Business Had I Known It Would Have Been Agreeable To You. I Shall Be

Attentive For The Future. Bartow Is Here Every Morning. Most People

Either Choose To Wait For Him, Or Call At Some Appointed Hour When He

Can Be Here. Mr. Broome Is Here Every Day.

 

 

God Knows The Quality Of This Epistle; But The Quantity I Am Certain

You Won'T Complain Of. 'Tis Like Throwing The Dice--A Mere Game At

Hazard; Like All Gamblers, I Am Always In Hopes The Last Will Prove A

Lucky Cast. Pray, In What Consists The Pleasure Of A Familiar

Correspondence? In Writing Without Form Or Reflection Your Ideas And

Feelings Of The Moment, Trusting To The Partiality Of Your Friend

Every Imperfect Thought, And To His Candour Every Ill-Turned Phrase.

Such Are The Letters I Love, And Such I Request Of Those I Love. It

Must Be A Very Depraved Mind From Whom Such Letters Are Not

Acceptable.

 

 

Neither The Packet You Left At Kingston, Nor The Money And Greatcoat

By Colonel Gausbeck, Have Yet Reached Me. I Wish You Could Have Passed

That Leisure Four Weeks With Me At Frederick'S. How Pleasant Such A

Party Would Have Been. How Much Quiet We Should Have Enjoyed.

 

 

 

July 3D.

 

 

I Was Interrupted Yesterday By The Death Of Charlotte'S Child. Though

A Long-Expected Event, Still The Scene Is Painful. The Mother'S Tears

Were Almost Too Much For Me. I Hope Nothing New Will Occur To Impede

My Journey. I Set Off To-Morrow Morning.

 

 

I Am Not So Sick As When I Wrote You Last, Nor So Well As When You

Left Me. I Confess I Have Neglected The Use Of Those Medicines I Found

Relief From. The Situation Of My Family Has Obliged Me To Neglect

Myself, Nor Can I Possibly Use Them At Frederick'S. We Shall Be Too

Crowded. I Will Nevertheless Take Them With Me. I Live Chiefly On Ale.

I Buy Very Good For One Dollar Per Dozen. I Have Had Twenty-One Dozen

Of Your Pipe Of Wine Bottled. I Think It Very Good.

 

 

I Thank You For Your Remembrance Per Post Of 30Th June. It Was

Acceptable, Though Short. How Is It Possible You Had Nothing More To

Write? I Know The Head May Be Exhausted, But I Was In Hopes The Heart

Never Could. I Am Surprised At Your Not Getting My Letters. I Fear

Several Have Either Gone To Albany Or Are Lost. I Shall, From This

Day, Keep The Dates. I Wrote You Last Sunday--So Did Ireson.

 

 

You Can Have No Idea How Comfortable The House Seems Since The Small

Tribe Have Left It. A Few Weeks' Quiet Would Restore My Head. It

Really Wants Rest. You Can'T Know How Weak It Is. I Cannot Guide A

Single Thought. Those Very Trifling Cares Were Ever More Toilsome To

Me Than Important Matters; They Destroy The Mind. But I Am Beginning

Another Sheet; I Am Sure You Must Be Tired Of This Unconnected Medley.

I Will Bid You Adieu.

 

 

Theo. Has Begun To Write Several Letters, But Never Finished One. The

Only Time She Has To Write Is Also The Hour Of General Leisure, And,

When Once She Is Interrupted, There Is No Making Her Return To Work. I

Have Nothing More To Write, Except That I Am Yours Affectionately,

 

 

Theo. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 285

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 17Th July, 1791.

 

 

I Returned Yesterday From Johnstown, Worn Down With Heat, Fatigue, And

Bad Fare. It Is Some Small Consolation That These Tedious Journeys Are

Not Wholly Unproductive.

 

 

At Johnstown I Was Very Unexpectedly And Agreeably Surprised By Your

Letter Of The 21St June, Which Was Addressed To Me At Kingston. It Had

Been Intrusted To An Irishman, Whom I At Length Met Pretty Much By

Accident. It Informs Me Of The Villany Of Frederick'S Servants, And Of

His Wanting A Rib. The Latter I Have Equally At Heart With You, And

Never Lose Sight Of It; But, Really, The Big Mother Will Not Do; The

Father Is Not Much Better--Reputable And Rich, But Coarse And

Disgusting.

 

 

On My Return To This Place I Found Your Letter Of Wednesday Morning. I

Fear The Bad Road Near Pelham Will Discourage You From Riding. As You

Are Likely To Make Considerable Use Of It, Would It Not Be Worth While

To Have A Few Days' Work Done On It? About An Hour After The Receipt

Of The Last-Mentioned Letter, I Was Made Happy By The Receipt Of That

Of The 10Th Instant, Which Came By Sloop. You Seem Fatigued And

Worried, Your Head Wild And Scarcely Able To Write, But Do Not Name

The Cause. Whatever It May Have Been, I Am Persuaded That Nothing Will

So Speedily And Effectually Remove Such Sensations As Gentle Exercise

(Or Even If It Is Not Gentle) In The Open Air. The Extreme Heat Of The

Weather, And The Uncommon Continuance Of It, Have, I Fear, Interrupted

Your Good Intentions On This Head, Especially As You Are No Friend To

Riding Early. I Wish You Would Alter This Part (If It Is Any Part) Of

Your System. Walking Early Is Bad On Account Of The Dew; But Riding

Can, I Think, In Such Weather, Be Only Practised With Advantage Early

In The Morning. The Freshness Of The Air, And The Sprightliness Of All

Animated Nature, Are Circumstances Of No Trifling Consequence. I Have

No Letter From You By The Last Post, Which Put Me Almost Out Of

Humour, Notwithstanding The Receipt Of The Three Above Mentioned

Within Forty-Eight Hours, Of Which, However, The Latest Is A Week Old.

 

 

I Hope Theo. Will Learn To Ride On Horseback. Two Or Three Hours A Day

At French And Arithmetic Will Not Injure Her. Be Careful Of Green

Apples, &C.

 

 

I Have Been Persuaded To Undertake A Laborious Piece Of Business,

Which Will Employ Me Diligently For About Ten Days. The Eloquence

Which Wrought Upon Me Was Principally Money. I Am Now At Wages. What

Sacrifices Of Time And Pleasure Do I Make To This Paltry

Object--Contemptible Indeed In Itself, But Truly Important And

Attractive As The Means Of Gratifying Those I Love. No Other

Consideration Could Induce Me To Spend Another Day Of My Life In

Objects In Themselves Uninteresting, And Which Afford Neither

Instruction Nor Amusement. They Become Daily More Disgusting To Me; In

Some Degree, Perhaps, Owing To My State Of Health, Which Is Much As

When I Left New-York. The Least Fatigue Brings A Slight Return Of

Fever.

 

 

Your Exercise, Your Medicine, And Your Reading Are Three Subjects Upon

Which You Have Hitherto Dwelt Only In Prospect. They Must Be All, In

Some Degree, Within Your Power. I Have A Partiality For The Little

Study As Your Bedroom. Say A Word Of Each Of These Matters In Your

Next.

 

 

Continue And Multiply Your Letters To Me. They Are All My Solace In

This Irksome And Laborious Confinement. The Six Last Are Constantly

Within My Reach. I Read Them Once A Day At Least. Write Me Of All I

Have Requested, And A Hundred Things Which I Have Not. You Best Know

How To Please And Interest.

 

 

Your Affectionate

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 286

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Pelham, 23D July, 1791.

 

 

I Have Just Now Received Your Welcome Letter Of The 17Th Inst. The

Pleasure Imparted By So Flattering A Testimony Of Your Good-Will, Was

Tempered With A Large Portion Of Alloy In The Confession Of Your Ill

Health. I Was Apprehensive Travelling In The Heat And Bad

Accommodations Would Check Your Recovery. Do Return Home As Soon As

Possible; Or, Rather, Come To Pelham; Try Quiet, And The Good Air, And

The Attention And Friendship Of Those Who Love You. You May Command

Bartow'S Attendance Here Whenever It Suits You, And You Have A

Faithful Envoy In Frederick, Who Will Go Post With Your Commands As

Often As You Wish. It Is, Indeed, Of Serious Consequence To You, To

Establish Your Health _Before You Commence Politician_: When Once You

Get Engaged, Your Industry Will Exceed Your Strength; Your Pride Cause

You To Forget Yourself. But Remember, You Are Not Your Own; There Are

Those Who Have Stronger Claims Than Ambition Ought To Have, Or The

Public Can Have.

 

 

Why Did You Undertake That Very Laborious Task You Mention? 'Tis

Certain I Have A Great Pleasure In Spending Money, But Not When It Is

Accompanied With The Unpleasant Reflection Of Sacrificing Your Health

To The Pursuit.

 

 

Theo. Is Much Better; She Writes And Ciphers From Five In The Morning

To Eight, And Also The Same Hours In The Evening. This Prevents Our

Riding At Those Hours, Except Saturday And Sunday, Otherwise I Should

Cheerfully Follow Your Directions, As I Rise At Five Or Six Every Day.

Theo. Makes Amazing Progress At Figures. Though Louisa Has Worked At

Them All