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

In The City Library, And

Probably In Many Private Ones. Beloe'S Herodotus Will Amuse You.

Bartow Has It. You Had Better Read The Text Without The Notes; They

Are Diffuse, And Tend To Distract The Attention. Now And Then They

Contain Some Useful Explanation. After You Have Read The Author, You

Will, I Think, With More Pleasure Read The Notes And Remarks In Course

By Themselves.

 

 

You Expressed A Curiosity To Peruse Paley'S Philosophy Of Natural

History. Judge Hobart Has It. If You Read It, Be Sure To Make Yourself

Mistress Of All The Terms. But, If You Continue Your Gibbon, It Will

Find You In Employment For Some Days. When You Are Weary Of Soaring

With Him, And Wish To Descend Into Common Life, Read The Comedies Of

Plautus. There Is A Tolerable Translation In The City Library. Such

Books Give The Most Lively And Amusing, Perhaps Much The Most Just

Picture, Of The Manners And Degree Of Refinement Of The Age In Which

They Were Written. I Have Agreed With Popham For His Share In The City

Library.

 

 

The Reading Of One Book Will Invite You To Another. I Cannot, I Fear,

At This Distance, Advise You Successfully; Much Less Can I Hope To

Assist You In Your Reading. You Bid Me Be Silent As To My

Expectations; For The Present I Obey. Your Complaint Of Your Memory,

Even If Founded In Fact, Contains Nothing Discouraging Or Alarming. I

Would Not Wish You To Possess That Kind Of Memory Which Retains With

Accuracy And Certainty All Names And Dates. I Never Knew It To

Accompany Much Invention Or Fancy. It Is Almost The Exclusive Blessing

Of Dullness. The Mind Which Perceives Clearly Adopts And Appropriates

An Idea, And Is Thus Enlarged And Invigorated. It Is Of Little Moment

Whether The Book, The Time, Or The Occasion Be Recollected.

 

 

I Am Inclined To Dilate On These Topics, And Upon The Effects, Of

Reading And Study On The Mind; But This Would Require An Essay, And I

Have Not Time To Write A Letter. I Am Also Much Prompted To Convince

You, By Undeniable Proof, That The Ground Of Your Complaint Does Not

Exist Except In Your Own Apprehensions, But This I Reserve For An

Interview. When I Am Informed Of Your Progress, And Of The Direction

Of Your Taste, I May Have Something Further To Recommend.

 

 

There Is No Probability Of An Adjournment Of Congress During The

Holydays, Or For Any Longer Time Than One Day. The Possibility Of My

Being Able To Leave The Business Of Congress, And Make A Visit To

New-York, Diminishes Daily. I Wish Much To See You, And, If You Are

Equally Sincere, We Can Accomplish It By Meeting At Trenton. I Can Be

There On Friday Night, But With Much Greater Convenience On Saturday

Noon Or Forenoon, And Stay Till Monday Morning At Least. Congress

Adjourns Every Week From Three O'Clock On Friday Until Eleven O'Clock

On Monday Following. If, Therefore, You Write Me That You Will Be At

Trenton At The Times Above Mentioned, You May Rely On Seeing Me There:

I Mean At Mrs. Hooper'S. This, Though Very Practicable At Present,

Will Not Long Be So, By Reason Of The Roads, Which At Present Are

Good. If You Make This Trip, Your Footman Must Be On Horseback; The

Burden Will Be Otherwise Too Great, And I Must Have Timely Notice By

Letter. Mr. And Mrs. Paterson Have Invited You To Make Their House

Your Home At Brunswick.

 

 

Mat. Laughs At Your Compliments, As You Know He Does At Every Thing. I

Expect Theodosia'S Messages To Be Written By Herself. I Inquire About

Your Health, But You Do Not Answer Me.

 

 

Yours Affectionately,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 295

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, December 13Th, 1791.

 

 

I Regret The Disappointment Of The Trenton Visit, But Still More The

Occasion Of It. Are You Afflicted With Any Of Your Old, Or With What

New Complaint?

 

 

Tell Bartow That I Have This Evening Received His Letter By Vining,

Who Arrived In Town Last Monday. Beg Him Never Again To Write By A

Private Hand About Business When There Is A Post. After The Lapse Of

Five Or Six Days Without An Answer, He Should Have Sent A Duplicate.

You Have Herewith The Note For 4500 Dollars.

 

 

I Was Charmed With Your Reflections On The Books Of Two Of Our Eminent

Characters. You Have, In A Few Words, Given A Lively Portrait Of The

Men And Their Works. I Could Not Repress The Vanity Of Showing It To A

Friend Of _One_ Of The Authors.

 

 

The Melancholy News Of The Disasters Of Our Western Army Has Engrossed

My Thoughts For Some Days Past. No Public Event Since The War Has

Given Me Equal Anxiety. Official Accounts Were Received From General

Sinclair On Sunday. The Reports Which Preceded, And Which Have

Doubtless Reached You Before This Time, Had Not Exaggerated The Loss

Or The Disgrace. No Authentic Estimate Of The Number Of The Killed Has

Yet Been Received; I Fear It Will Not Be Less Than Eight Or Nine

Hundred. The Retreat Was Marked With Precipitation And Terror. The Men

Disencumbered Themselves Even Of Their Arms And Accoutrements. It Is

Some Small Consolation To Have Learned That The Troops Which Fled To

Fort Jefferson Have Received A Supply Of Provisions, And Are Secure

From Any Attack Of The Savages.

 

 

I Approve, And Hope At Some Time To Execute, Your Plan Of Literary

Repose. Tell Bartow To Send A Deed For Me To Execute To Carpenter,

Pursuant To Our Contract. Pray Attend To This; You Will See That It

May Be A Little Interesting To Me.

 

 

Yours Truly,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 296

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 15Th December, 1791

 

 

The Post Which Arrived This Afternoon (Thursday) Brought The Mail

Which Left New-York On Tuesday, And With It Your Sprightly And

Engaging Letter Of The 12Th. I Thank You For Your Attention To My

Friend, And Still More For The Pleasure You Express At His Visit. Your

"Nonsense" About Voltaire Contains More Good Sense Than All The

Strictures I Have Seen Upon His Works Put Together.

 

 

Next To Your Own Ideas, Those You Gave Me From Mr. J. Were Most

Acceptable. I Wish You Would Continue To Give Me Any Fugitive Ideas Or

Remarks Which May Occur To You In The Course Of Your Reading; And What

You Call Your Rattling Way Is That Of All Others Which Pleases Me The

Most.

 

 

In Short, Let The Way Be Your Own, And It Cannot Fail To Be

Acceptable, To Please, And To Amuse.

 

 

I Enclose This Evening'S Paper. It Contains _Strictures On Publicola_,

Which You, Perhaps, May Find Worth Reading.

 

 

 

From An Attentive Perusal Of The French Constitution, And A Careful

Examination Of Their Proceedings, I Am A Warm Admirer Of The Essential

Parts Of The Plan Of Government Which They Have Instituted, And Of The

Talents And Disinterestedness Of The Members Of The National Assembly.

Adieu.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XV Pg 297

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 18Th December, 1791.

 

 

Mr. Learned Arrived Yesterday With Your Letter Of The 15Th. He

Appeared Pleased With Your Attentions, Which You Know Gratified Me.

 

 

I Cannot Recollect What Hint I Gave To Major P. Which Could Have

Intimated An Expectation Of Seeing You In New-York During The _Current

Year_; Unless, Indeed, Some Of Those Wishes Which I Too Often Cherish

Should Have Escaped Me. We Shall Have No Intermission Of Business

During The Holy-Days. If I Should Find It At Any Time Practicable To

Absent Myself For A Few Days, It Will Most Probably Be About The

Middle Of Next Month. You Have Indeed, In Your Last Letter, Placed

Yourself Before Me In The Most Amiable Light; And, Without Soliciting,

Have Much More Strongly Enticed Me To A Visit. But For The Present I

Must Resist. Will It Not Be Possible For You To Meet Me At Trenton,

That We May Travel Together To New-York? If You Assent To This, I Will

Name A Day. Yet Do Not Expose Your Health. On This Subject You Leave

Me Still To Apprehension And Conjecture.

 

 

Your Account Of Madame Genlis Surprises Me, And Is A New Evidence Of

The Necessity Of Reading Books Before We Put Them Into The Hands Of

Children. Reputation Is Indeed A Precarious Test. I Can Think At

Present Of Nothing Better Than What You Have Chosen.

 

 

I Am Much In Want Of My Maps Of The Different Parts Of North America.

It Will, I Believe, Be Best To Send Them All, Carefully Put Up In A

Box Which Must Be Made For The Purpose. You May Omit The Map Of

New-Jersey. The Packing Will Require Much Care, As Many Are In Sheets.

Ask Major P. For The Survey He Gave Me Of The St. Lawrence, Of

Different Parts Of Canada, And Of Other Provinces, And Send Them Also

Forward. They May Be Sent By The Amboy Stage, Taking A Receipt, Which

Transmit To Me.

 

 

You Would Excuse The Slovenliness, And Admire The Length Of This

Scrawl, If You Could Look Into My Study, And See The File Of

Unanswered, And Even _Un_Perused Letters; Bundles Of Papers On Public

And On Private Business; All Soliciting That Preference Of Attention

Which Theodosia Knows How To Command From Her

 

 

Aaron.

Chapter XV Pg 298

To Mrs. Burr.

 

 

Philadelphia, 27Th December, 1791.

 

 

What Can Have Exhausted Or Disturbed You So Much? You Might Surely

Have Given Some Hint Of The Cause. It Is An Additional Reason For

Wishing You Here. If I Had, Before I Left New-York, Sufficiently

Reflected On The Subject, I Would Never Have Consented To This Absurd

And Irrational Mode Of Life. If You Will Come With Mr. Monroe, I Will

See You To New-York Again; And If You Have A Particular Aversion To

The City Of Philadelphia, You Shall Stay A Day Or Two At Dr.

Edwards'S,