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

Wine; And If More Of Any Thing To Eat Or Drink Is Offered,

Decline It. If They Ask A Reason--Papa Thinks It Not Good For Me, Is

The Best That Can Be Given.

 

 

It Was With Great Pain And Reluctance That I Made This Journey Without

You. But Your Manners Are Not Yet Quite Sufficiently Formed To Enable

You To Do Justice To Your Own Character, [4] And The Expectations

Which Are Formed Of You, Or To My Wishes. Improve, Therefore, To The

Utmost The Present Opportunity; Inquire Of Every Point Of Behaviour

About Which You Are Embarrassed; Imitate As Much As You Can The

Manners Of Madame De S., And Observe Also Every Thing Which Mrs. Penn

Says And Does.

 

 

You Should Direct Your Own Breakfast. Send Cesar Every Morning For A

Pint Of Milk For You; And, To Save Trouble To Madame De S., Let Her

Know That You Eat At Breakfast Only Bread And Butter.

 

 

I Wish You Would Read Over Your Letters After You Have Written Them;

For So Many Words Are Omitted, That In Some Places I Cannot Make Out

The Sense, _If Any They Contain_. Make Your Figures Or Ciphers In Your

Letters, But Write Out The Numbers At Length, Except Dates. Adieu,

Affectionately Adieu,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 369

To Theodosia.

 

 

Albany, 14Th August, 17 94.

 

 

My Dear Theo.,

 

 

Last Evening'S Mail Brought Me Your Letter And Journal From The 1St To

The 11Th Of August, According To Your Dates, Which, However, Are

Wrong.

 

 

The Account Of Your Time Is Very Satisfactory. You Really Get Along

Much Better Than I Expected, Which Is Infinitely To The Credit Of Your

Good Sense, That Being Your Only Guide. From The Attentions You

Receive From Mrs. Penn And Her Family, I Judge You Have Been So

Fortunate As To Gain Her Esteem, And That Her Prejudices Are Turned

Into Prepossessions, Which I Assure You Gratified Me Not A Little.

 

 

Your Invitation To The Z.'S Was, I Confess, A Very Embarrassing

Dilemma, And One From Which It Was Not Easy To Extricate Yourself. For

The Future, Take It As Your Rule To Visit Only The Families Which You

Have Known Me To Visit; And If Madame De S. Should Propose To You To

Visit Any Other, You May Tell Her What Are My Instructions On The

Subject. To The Young Ladies, You May Pretend Business Or Engagements:

Avoid, However, Giving Any Offence To Your Companions. It Is The

Manner Of A Refusal, Much More Than The Refusal, Which Gives Offence.

This Direction About Your Visits Applies Only To The Citizens Or

English Families. You May, Indeed It Is My Wish, That You Should Visit

With Madame De S. All Her French Acquaintance.

 

 

I Go This Afternoon To Attend A Court At Ballston, And Shall, On

Monday, Attend One At Troy, Which Will Probably Last About Three Days;

After Which I Shall Take Passage For New-York, Proposing, However, To

Pass A Day At Kingston, And Another At Poughkeepsie, With Citizen

Hauterieve, So That I May Be Expected Home Some Time In The Week After

Next; But You Will Hear Often From Me Before That Time. You Must Not

Send Me Any Letter After Those Which Will Come By The Mail Leaving

New-York On Monday Next; Yet You Must Continue Your Letters And

Journal As Usual, For My Amusement On My Return.

 

 

In Future, Write No More On The Little Paper, But Let The Letters And

Journal Be Together On Paper Of This Size, Or Common Letter-Paper. Set

Apart Every Day Half An Hour Or An Hour To Write To Me, And I Must

Again Entreat You To Write At Least Legibly: After Great Pains, I Am

Wholly Unable To Decipher Some Of The Hieroglyphics Contained In Your

Last.

 

 

Four Pages In Lucian Was A Great Lesson; And Why, My Dear Theo., Can'T

This Be Done A Little Oftener? You Must, By This Time, I Think, Have

Gone Through Lucian. I Wish You To Begin And Go Through It Again; For

It Would Be Shameful To Pretend To Have Read A Book Of Which You Could

Not Construe A Page. At The Second Reading You Will, I Suppose, Be

Able To Double Your Lessons; So That You May Go Through It In Three

Weeks. You Say Nothing Of Writing Or Learning Greek Verbs;--Is This

Practice Discontinued? And Why?

 

 

I Wish You To Go Oftener To The House. You May, If You Like, Go Any

Morning, To Take An Early Breakfast There, Giving Notice The Day

Before To Mr. Leshlie, That He May Attend At The Hour Of Your Return,

When I Know You Can Readily Make Up The Lost Time.

 

 

Do You Continue To Preserve Madame De S.'S Good Opinion Of Your

Talents For The Harp? And Do You Find That You Converse With More

Facility In The French? These Are Interesting Questions, And Your

Answer To This Will, I Hope, Answer Fully, All The Questions It

Contains. Vale, Vale.

 

 

A. Burr

Chapter XVII Pg 370

To Theodosia,

 

 

Albany, 16Th August, 1704.

 

 

Another Post Has Arrived, And Brought Me No Letter From You. It Is The

Last Omission Which I Shall Readily Pardon, And This Only In

Consideration Of Your Not Having Then Received My Last. I Returned

This Day From Ballston, And My Principal Business To This City Was To

Receive And Answer Your Letters. Judge, Therefore, Of My

Disappointment.

 

 

Mr. And Mrs. Witbeck Made Many Inquiries About You, And Appeared Much

Mortified That You Did Not Accompany Me.

 

 

I Hope You Will, Before This Can Reach You, Have Answered J. Yates'S

Letter. Once More I Place My Expectations On The Arrival Of The Next

Post.

 

 

Let Me Know Whether Mrs. Penn Has Left Town, How Often You Have Been

With Her, And What Passed. I Need Not Repeat My Anxiety To Know How

You And Madame De S. Agree, And What Progress You Make In Music,

Dancing, And Speaking French. She Promised To Give You Now And Then A

Lesson On The Forte-Piano; Is She As Good As Her Word?

 

 

Having Failed In Your Promise To Write By Every Post, You Cannot

Expect Me To Return Within The Month--One Promise Being Founded On The

Other.

 

 

Your Affectionate Papa,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 371

To Theodosia.

 

 

Albany, 18Th August, 1794.

 

 

Yesterday I Received Your Letter And Journal To The 13Th Inclusive. On

The 13Th You Say You Got Nine Pages In Lucian. It Was, To Be Sure, A

Most Surprising Lesson. I Suspect It Must Have Been The Second Time

Going Over; And Even Then It Would Have Been Great, And At The Same

Rate You Will Be Through A Second Time Before My Month Is Up. I Should

Be Delighted To Find It So. I Have Not Told You Directly That I Should

Stay Longer Than A Month, But I Was Angry Enough With You To Stay

Three Months When You Neglected To Write To Me For Two Successive

Posts.

 

 

I Am Very Sorry To See So Many Blank Days With Mr. Leshlie. If He Is

Not At Your Room Within A Quarter Of An Hour Of His Time, Cesar Should

Be Forthwith Sent Off Express For Him. Let Cesar, Therefore, Call On

You Every Morning At The Hour Mr. Leshlie Ought To Come.

 

 

I Left New-York On The 28Th Of July. My Month, Therefore, Will Expire

On The 28Th Of August, So That You Cannot Complain Until That Day Is

Past. The Court At Troy Will Probably Detain Me The Whole Of This

Week, Which Is Three Days Longer Than I Expected.

 

 

I Long To Hear What You Contributed Towards Madame De S.'S _Jour De

Fete_. No Letter Yet For John Yates. Why Do You Delay It So Long? You

Have Had Several Leisure Days; For This Delay There Should Be Some

Apology In Your Letter.

 

 

Affectionately Your Papa,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 372

To Theodosia.

 

 

Troy, 21St August, 1794.

 

 

My Dear Theo.,

 

 

I Sent Alexis In The Rain To Albany For Your Letter Of The 18Th And

Journal, Which He Has Just Brought Me. Your Letters Are My Only

Consolation During This Afflicting Absence--For It Is To Me A Real

Affliction. I Have Forborne To Express To You My Impatience, Lest It

Should Increase Yours.

 

 

The Business I Have Undertaken Here Will, Contrary To All Expectation,

Detain Me Till Saturday Night. I Hope To Be On My Return On Monday,

When You Must Begin To Pray For Northerly Winds; Or, If You Have

Learned, To Say Mass, That The French Roman Catholics Rely On To

Procure Them All Earthly And Spiritual Blessings. By-The-By, If You

Have Not Been To The Roman Chapel, I Insist That You Go Next Sunday,

If You Are Not Engaged In Some Other Party.

 

 

I Am Very Happy To Receive A Letter For John Yates. I Shall Send It To

Him To-Day; It Is Very Handsome, And Will Please Him Much. I Will

Indeed Return With All Possible Speed. Continue Your Journal. Adieu.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 373

To Theodosia.

 

 

Philadelphia, 21St December, 1794.

 

 

I Obeyed Faithfully The Command In Your Letter