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

Flourish

Along The Street). On The Day Following, With A Face Of Woe, He Told

Me He Had Lost The Letter, But Had Concealed It From Me In Hopes To

Have Found It. I Hope It May Fall Into Good-Natured Hands, And So Got

Eventually Into The Postoffice. It Was Short And Stupid; Unusually So,

Which Perhaps Vexed Me The More For The Loss. Be Assured You Have

Nothing To Regret.

 

 

This Letter Can Have Nothing To Recommend It But Good-Will And Length,

Though The Latter, Without Some Other Merit, Ought To Condemn It; And

It Would, I Am Sure, With Any But You, Who Will Give The Best

Construction To Any Thing From Your

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 290

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 30Th October, 1791.

 

 

I Am At Length Settled In Winter-Quarters. The House Stands About

Twenty Yards Back From The Street, And Is Inhabited By Two Widows. The

Mother About Seventy, And The Daughter About Fifty. The Latter,

However, Has Her Home In The Country, And Comes To Town Occasionally.

The Old Lady Is Deaf, And Upon My First Coming To Take Possession Of

My Lodgings, She With Great Civility Requested That I Would Never

Attempt To Speak To Her, For Fear Of Injuring My Lungs Without Being

Able To Make Her Hear. I Shall Faithfully Obey This Injunction. The

House Is Remarkably Quiet, Orderly, And Is Well Furnished. They Have

Never Before Taken A Person To Board, And Will Take No Other.

 

 

The Honour Which I Have Always Done To Your Taste, And Which Indeed It

Merits, Ought To Have Assured You That Your Advice Requires No

Apology. I Shall Adopt Your Ideas About The Wheels. If At The Same

Time You Had Caused The Commission To Be Executed, You Would Have

Added Civility To Good Intentions.

 

 

Theodosia Must Not Attempt Music In The Way She Was Taught Last

Spring. For The Present, Let It Be Wholly Omitted. Neither Would I

Have Her Renew Her Dancing Till The Family Are Arranged. She Can

Proceed In Her French, And Get Some Teacher To Attend Her In The House

For Writing And Arithmetic. She Has Made No Progress In The Latter,

And Is Even Ignorant Of The Rudiments. She Was Hurried Through

Different Rules Without Having Been Able To Do A Single Sum With

Accuracy. I Would Wish Her To Be Also Taught Geography If A Proper

Master Can Be Found; But Suspend This Till The Arrival Of The Major.

 

 

It Is Remarkable I That You Should Find Yourself So Soon Discouraged

From Writing, Because You Had Written One Letter Before You Had

Received One. I Had Written You Two Before The Receipt Of Your First.

But I Shall In Future Expect Two Or Three For One, As The Labour Of

Business Will Prevent My Writing Frequently.

 

 

Remember The Note To Be Put In The Bank On Wednesday. If Bartow Should

Not Arrive, Send Strong For Willet. Adieu.

 

 

Yours,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 291

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 14Th November, 1791.

 

 

I Recollect Nothing Of The Letter I Wrote To You, And Which Is

Referred To In Yours Of The 9Th. You Have No Forgiveness To Ask Or To

Receive Of Me. If It Was Necessary, You Had It Even At The Moment I

Read Your Letter. You Mistake The Nature Of My Emotions. They Had

Nothing Of Asperity; But It Is Useless To Explain Them. I Did It

Partially In A Letter I Wrote Soon After That Which I Sent You In

Answer To Yours. It Was Not Such A Letter As I Ought To Have Written,

Or You Would Have Wished To Receive; I Therefore Retained It. In What

Way, Or To What Degree, I Am Affected By Your Letter Of The 9Th, Will

Not Be Told Until We Meet. Be Assured, However, That I Look Forward To

That Time With Impatience And Anticipate It With Pleasure. It Rests

Wholly With You, And Your Conduct On This Occasion Will Be A Better

Index To Your Heart Than Any Thing You Can Write.

 

 

I Enclose You A Newspaper Of This Evening, Containing A Report By Mr.

Jefferson About Vacant Lands. When You Have Perused It, Send It To

Melancton Smith. Take Care, However, To Get It Back And Preserve It,

As It Is One Of Freneau'S. I Send You Also Three Of Freneau'S Papers,

Which, With That Sent This Morning, Are All He Has Published. I Wish

Them To Be Preserved. If You Find Them Amusing, You May Command Them

Regularly. Adieu.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 292

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 14Th November, 1791.

 

 

I Am To-Day In Much Better Heart Than At Any Time Since I Left

New-York. John Watts Took Me Yesterday A Long Walk, And, Though

Fatigued, I Was Not Exhausted. He Takes Every Occasion To Show Me

Friendship And Attention. I See No Reason For Your Delaying To Make A

Visit Here. The Roads Are Good And The Season Fine. If You Do Not

Choose To Come Directly To My Lodgings, Which Are Commodious And

Retired, I Will Meet You Either At Dr. Edwards'S, Two Miles From The

Red Lion, Or At The Red Lion, Which Is Twelve Miles From This City.

Your First Stage Will Be To Brunswick, Your Second Trenton, And Your

Third Here.

 

 

I Expressed Myself Ill If I Led You To Believe That I Wished Any

Evidence Or Criterion Of Theodosia'S Understanding. I Desire Only To

Promote Its Growth By Its Application And Exercise. Her Present

Employments Have No Such Tendency, Unless Arithmetic Engages A Part Of

Her Attention. Than This, Nothing Can Be More Useful, Or Better

Advance The Object I Have In View. Other Studies, Promising Similar

Advantages, Must, Perhaps, For The Reasons You Mention, Be For The

Present Postponed.

 

 

I Hope This Weather Will Relieve You From The Most Depressing Of All

Diseases, The Influenza. Exercise Will Not Cure, But Will Prevent The

Return Of It. I Prescribe, However, What I Do Not Practice. You Have

Often Wished For Opportunities To Read; You Now Have, And, I Hope,

Improve Them. I Should Be Glad To Know How Your Attention Is Directed.

Of The Success I Have No Doubt.

 

 

To The Subject Of Politics, Which Composes A Part Of Your Letter, I

Can At Present Make No Reply. The _Mode_ Of Communication Would Not

Permit, Did No Other Reasons Oppose It.

 

 

I Have No Voice, But Could Undoubtedly Have Some Influence In The

Appointment You Speak Of. For The Man, You Know I Have Always

Entertained Much Esteem; But It Is Here Said That He Drinks. The

Effect Of The Belief, Even Of The Suspicion Of This, Could Not Be

Controverted By Any Exertion Or Influence Of His Friends. I Had Not,

Before The Receipt Of Your Letter, Heard Of His Wishes On The Subject

You Mention. The Slander, If Slander It Be, I Had Heard Often And With

Pain.

 

 

Sincerely Yours,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 293

To Miss Theodosia Burr. [2]

 

 

Philadelphia, 1St December, 1791.

 

 

Enclosed In Bartow'S Last Letter Came One Which, From The Handwriting,

I Supposed To Be From That Great Fat Fellow, Colonel Troup. Judge Of

My Pleasure And Surprise When I Opened And Found It Was From My Dear

Little Girl. You Improve Much In Your Writing. Let Your Next Be In

Small Hand.

 

 

Why Do You Neither Acknowledge Nor Answer My Last Letter? That Is Not

Kind--It Is Scarcely Civil. I Beg You Will Not Take A Fortnight To

Answer This, As You Did The Other, And Did Not Answer It At Last; For

I Love To Hear From You, And Still More To Receive Your Letters. Read

My Last Letter Again, And Answer It Particularly.

 

 

Your Affectionate

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 294

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 4Th December, 1791.

 

 

I Fear I Have For The Present Deprived You Of The Pleasure Of Reading

Gibbon. If You Cannot Procure The Loan Of A London Edition, I Will

Send You That Which I Have Here. In Truth, I Bought It For You, Which

Is Almost Confessing A Robbery. Edward Livingston And Richard Harrison

Have Each A Good Set, And Either Would Cheerfully Oblige You.

 

 

To Render Any Reading Really Amusing Or In Any Degree Instructive, You

Should Never Pass A Word You Do Not Understand, Or The Name Of A

Person Or Place Of Which You Have Not Some Knowledge. You Will Say

That Attention To Such Matters Is Too Great An Interruption. If So, Do

But Note Them Down On Paper, And Devote An Hour Particularly To Them

When You Have Finished A Chapter Or Come To A Proper Pause. After An

Experiment Of This Mode, You Will Never Abandon It. Lempriere'S

Dictionary Is That Of Which I Spoke To You. Purchase Also Macbeau'S;

This Last Is Appropriated To Ancient Theocracy, Fiction, And

Geography; Both Of Them Will Be Useful In Reading Gibbon, And Still

More So In Reading Ancient Authors, Or Of Any Period Of Ancient

History.

 

 

If You Have Never Read Plutarch'S Lives (Or Even If You Have), You

Will Read Them With Much Pleasure. They Are