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

Winter, And Appeared Quite An Adept At First, Yet Theo. Is

Now Before Her, And Assists Her To Make Her Sums. You Will Really Be

Surprised At Her Improvement. I Think Her Time So Well Spent That I

Shall Not Wish To Return To Town Sooner Than I Am Obliged. She Does

Not Ride On Horseback, Though Frederick Has A Very Pretty Riding Horse

He Keeps For Her; But Were She To Attempt It Now, There Would Be So

Much Jealousy, And So Many Would Wish To Take Their Turn, That It

Would Really Be Impracticable. But We Have The Best Substitute

Imaginable. As You Gave Me Leave To Dispose Of The Old Wheels As I

Pleased, I Gave Them As My Part Towards A Wagon; We Have A Good Plain

Dutch Wagon, That I Prefer To A Carriage When At Pelham, As The

Exercise Is Much Better. We Ride In Numbers And Are Well Jolted, And

Without Dread. 'Tis The Most Powerful Exercise I Know. No Spring

Seats; But, Like So Many Pigs, We Bundle Together On Straw. Four Miles

Are Equal To Twenty. It Is Really An Acquisition. I Hope You Will See

Our Little Girl Rosy Cheeked And Plump As A Partridge. I Rejoice With

You At The Poor Major'S Return. I Grow Lazy, And Love Leisure; And,

Above All, The Privilege Of Disposing Of My Own Time With Quiet And

Retirement When It Suits Me. I Have Also Made Choice Of The Little

Study For My Own Apartment; But With So Large A Family, And So Few

Conveniences, There Can Be No Place Of Retirement. The Vacation Hours

Of School, And Sunday, There Is A Constant Hurlyburly, And Every Kind

Of Noise, Though It Is Really Much Better Than I Feared. I Take All

Things As Philosophically As I Know How; Provided I Have No Real Evil

To Struggle With, I Pass On With The Tumult. I Am Now Writing In The

Midst Of It. The Variety Of Sounds Almost Dim My Sight; But I Write

On, And Trust To Good Luck More Than Reflection, I Find So Much To Say

That I Need Not Hesitate For Matter, Though I Might For Propriety Of

Speaking. My Spirits Are Better: As To Industry, It Is Of A Very

Flighty Kind, And So Variegated That It Will Not Bear Description. It

Required Some Attention To Get Matters _En Train_: It Was Like Moving.

My Disorder I Have Not, Nor Am Not Able To Attend To; 'Tis Attended

With So Many Disagreeable Circumstances That It Is Not Practicable At

Present; But My General Health Is Greatly Improved, And My Head Much

Relieved. The Hint You Give Respecting A Rib For Frederick Is More

Elating Than I Can Express. You Say Nothing Of B. That Part Of My

Petition Was Not Less Interesting. I Humbly Pray Your Honour May Take

Into Consideration The Equity And Propriety Of My Prayer, And Grant Me

Not Only A Hearing, But Deign To Give Due Consideration To The Prayer

Of Your Humble Petitioner, Being Confident She Will Find Grace And

Mercy From Your Tribunal, With A Full Grant Of All Your Endeavours To

Reinstate Her In That Desired Tranquillity Whose Source Is In Your

Breast, To That Happiness Which Is Suspended On Your Will.

 

 

The Heat And Drought Exceed All Recollection. The Town Is Extremely

Unhealthy. It Is Fortunate We Are Here. There Is Always Air--Never

Heat Enough To Incommode One. I Am Certain The Child Would Have

Suffered In Town; She Was Much Reduced; Her Voice And Breast Were

Weak. Adieu. I Think You Must Be Tired Before This. Attend To

Yourself. If You Love Us, You Will. You Will For Your

 

 

Theodosia Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 287

From Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Pelham, 27Th July, 1791.

 

 

I Have Lost Some Of Your Letters, And I Make No Doubt Some Of Mine

Have Met The Same Fate; For This Reason I Am Discouraged Trusting Any

More To The Stage. I Am Obliged To Wait With All The Patience I Can

Command Till The Boat Returns From Town. I Have No Prospect At Present

Of Forwarding This. I Write To Repeat My Thanks For Yours Of The 17Th.

It Is The Last I Have Received. I Read It Frequently, And Always With

New Pleasure. I Was Disappointed At Not Having A Line From You By The

Saturday'S Mail. It Is Not Fair To Stand On Punctilio, When You Know

The Disadvantages Attending My Situation Here. You Ought To Be Doubly

Attentive _Pour Me Soulager_. It Is Not So Practicable To Send Some

Miles From Home Twice A Week As You Imagine.

 

 

Poor Dr. Wright Had His House Two Days Ago Burnt To The Ground, And

All The Furniture, With Every Article Of Clothing Both Of Themselves

And The Children. She Is Very Disconsolate, And Much To Be Pitied. We

Certainly See The Old Proverb Very Often Verified. "That Misfortunes

Never Come Singly," That Poor Little Woman Is A Proof. They Talk Of A

General War In Europe; In That Case _Le Moulin_ Will Be An Object. We

Wait Your Return To Determine All Things. The Emperess Of Russia Is As

Successful As I Wish Her. What A Glorious Figure Will She Make On The

Historical Page! Can You Form An Idea Of A More Happy Mortal Than She

Will Be When Seated On The Throne Of Constantinople? How Her Ambition

Will Be Gratified; The Opposition And Threats Of Great Britain, &C.

Will Increase Her Triumph. I Wish I Had Wit And Importance Enough To

Write Her A Congratulatory Letter. The Ladies Should Deify Her, And

Consecrate A Temple To Her Praise. It Is A Diverting Thought, That The

Mighty Emperor Of The Turks Should Be Subdued By A Woman. How Enviable

That She Alone Should Be The Avenger Of Her Sex'S Wrongs For So Many

Ages Past. She Seems To Have Awakened Justice, Who Appears To Be A

Sleepy Dame In The Cause Of Injured Innocence.

 

 

Am I Dreaming, Or Do You Leave Home Again Before You Go To

Philadelphia? Tell All Your Intentions; I Love To Plan And Arrange.

Our Blind State Here Is One Of Our Most Vexatious Evils; That State Of

Uncertainty Damps Every View, And Converts Our Most Pleasing Hopes

Into The Most Disappointing Reflections.

 

 

Hy! Ho! For The Major. [1] I Am Tired To Death Of Living In A Nursery.

It Is Very Well To Be Amused With Children At An Idle Hour; But Their

Interruption At All Times Is Insupportable To A Person Of Common

Reflection. My Nerves Will Not Admit Of It. You Judge Right As To The

Roads On The Neck.

 

 

Theodosia Is Quite Recovered, And Makes Great Progress At Ciphering. I

Cannot Say So Much In Favour Of Her Writing. I Really Think She Lost

The Last Month She Went To Shepherd. She Has Not Improved Since Last

Spring. She Is Sensible Of It, Is The Reason She Is Not Very Desirous

To Give You A Specimen. We Now Keep Her Chiefly At Figures, Which She

Finds Very Difficult, Particularly To Proportion Them, And Place Them

Straight Under Each Other.

 

 

I Will Conclude My Scrawl In The Hope That Frederick Will Be Able To

Forward It For Me. Adieu. Remember To Answer All My Questions, And To

Take All My Prayers In Serious Consideration. Be Attentive To Your

Health, And You Will Add To The Happiness Of Your

 

 

Theodosia.

Chapter XV Pg 288

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Albany, 31St July, 1791.

 

 

At Length Expectation Is Gratified, And My Hopes--Even My Wishes,

Fulfilled. Your Letters Of The 16Th And 23D Came Both By The Last

Post. Their Ease, Their Elegance, And, Above All, The Affection They

Contain, Are Truly Engaging And Amiable. Be Assured That Petitions So

Clothed And Attended Are _Irresistible_.

 

 

I Anticipate With Increasing Impatience The Hour Of Leaving This

Place, And Am Making Every Possible Exertion To Advance It. The Delay

Of Two Days At Red Hook Is Indispensable, But Will Cost Me Much

Regret.

 

 

I Finished On Monday Last, Tolerably To My Own Satisfaction, And I

Believe Entirely To That Of My Employers, The Business So Often

Mentioned To You. I Received In Reward For My Labour Many Thanks,

Twenty Half Joes, And Promises Of More Of Both Of These Articles.

 

 

The Last Post Is The Only One I Have Missed Since I Left Esopus. I Was

In Court Upon A Trial Which Gave Me Not A Moment'S Intermission Till

Ten O'Clock That Evening. Though I Do Not Pay You In Quality And

Manner (For Yours Are, Without Flattery, Inimitable), I Believe I Am

Nothing In Arrear In Number Or Quantity. The Present Is Indeed A Poor

Return For Your Two Last; But Though You Miss Of The Recompense In

This Sheet, You Will Find It In The Heart Of Your

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 289

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 27Th October, 1791.

 

 

I Have This Day Received Your Letter Dated Sunday Morning. It Came,

Not By Mr. Sedgwick, But By The Post, And Was Not Put Into The

Postoffice Until Tuesday. It Was Therefore Wicked Of You Not To Add A

Line Of That Date. I Am Surprised To Find That You Had Not Received My

Letter From Brunswick. The Illness I Then Wrote You Of Increased The

Next Day, So That I Did Not Arrive In Town Until Sunday. I Am Still At

Miss Roberts'S, And Unsettled, But Hope To Be To-Morrow In Tolerable

Winter-Quarters. I Have Had Some Trouble On That Head, As Well Because

I Am Difficult To Please, As Because Good Accommodations Are Difficult

To Find.

 

 

I Receive Many Attentions And Civilities. Many Invitations To Dine,

&C. All Of Which I Have Declined, And Have Not Eaten A Meal Except At

My Own Quarters. You See, Therefore, How Little Amusement You Are To

Expect. I Called At Mrs. L.'S (The Elder), But Have Not Seen Either

Her, Or As Yet Called To See Her Daughter. I Have No News Of Brooks,

And Am Distressed By His Delay, Having Scarcely Decent Clothes. I

Prudently Brought A Coat, But Nothing To Wear With It, And The

Expectation Of Brooks Has Prevented Me From Getting Any Thing Here.

Send Me A Waistcoat, White And Brown, Such As You Designed. You Know I

Am Never Pleased Except With Your Taste.

 

 

I Wrote You The Day After My Arrival Here, But It Being Past The Post

Hour, Kept It Till Tuesday; Made A Small Addition, And Gave It To Mat.

To Carry To The Office. He Put It Into His Coat-Pocket (I Suppose With

His Pocket-Handkerchief, Which You Know Be Has Occasion To