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

Which Bade Me Read The

Journal First, And I Read It With Great Eagerness, Hoping To Find What

I Did Find In The Last Sentence. That 16Th Was Really A Surprising

Day. Three Hundred And Ninety-Five Lines, All Your Exercises, And All

Your Music. Go On, My Dear Girl, And You Will Become All That I Wish.

 

 

I Keep Carefully Your Letters And Journals, And When We Meet You Shall

Read Them Again, Which I Am Sure You Will Do With Pleasure. It Is

Always Delightful To See And Correct Our Own Errors.

 

 

Monsieur Maupertuis Is Highly Mortified That You Should Suppose Him So

Ignorant As To Have Lost Himself On The Road. It Seems He Only Went A

Little Off The Highway _From Curiosity To See The Country_.

 

 

I Hope You Like Terence. Can'T You Lug A Scrap From Him Now And Then,

Apropos, Into Your Letters? It Will Please

 

 

Your Affectionate Papa,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 374

To Theodosia In Philadelphia.

 

 

New-York, 5Th January, 1795.

 

 

You See Me Safe Arrived In New-York. I Have Passed But One Hour At

Richmond Hill. It Seems Solitary And Undesirable Without You. They Are

All Well, And Much, Very Much Disappointed That You Did Not Come With

Me.

 

 

Pray Write To Mrs. A., If But One Line; She Expects And Deserves It. I

Was There Last Evening For The First Time. Your Picture Is Really Like

You; Still It Does Not Quite Please Me. It Has A _Pensive,

Sentimental_ Air; That Of A Love-Sick Maid! Stewart Has Probably Meant

To Anticipate What You May Be At Sixteen; But Even In That I Think He

Has Missed It.

 

 

Bartow Has Grown Immensely Fat. Mrs. A. Has Recovered And Walks About.

There Has Been A Serious Attempt To Institute Masquerade. It Has Not

Succeeded, Nor Is It Yet Abandoned.

 

 

We (You And I) Have Both Neglected One Duty Of Civility. Some Weeks

Ago Mrs. Jackson Was Polite Enough To Call On You, With Miss Jackson

And Miss Brown, Who Left You Cards. You Have Never Returned The Visit.

I Beg You To Do It Without Delay. Doctor Edwards Will Probably Make

Time To Go With You For A Few Minutes. It Is At Doctor Jackson'S In

Third-Street, Between High And Arch.

 

 

Our House In Partition-Street Is Very Neatly Finished, And Pleases Me

Much; So Much That I Propose To Inhabit It Upon Our Return From

Philadelphia, At Least Until The Hot Weather.

 

 

You Are Now In The Arms Of Somnus, Or Ought To Be; For Though I Date

My Letter The 5Th, It Is In Truth About Half Past Eleven At Night Of

The 4Th. So Wants Half An Hour Of The 5Th. Dream On. _Salutem_.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 375

To Theodosia.

 

 

Bristol, 14Th September, 1795.

 

 

Saturday Night I Lodged At Elizabethtown, And, After Two Wettings,

Dined On Sunday With General Freelinghuysen. Madame (Late Miss Yard)

Asked Much After You, As Did Maria, The General'S Daughter. The Family

Is A Picture Of Cheerfullness And Happiness. At Princeton (To-Day) I

Met Le Mercier, Who Is Well, Except A Broken Scull, A Face Disfigured,

And Some Bruises About The Ribs--Considerable Deductions, You Will

Say, From The "Corpore Sano." They Are The Effects Of A Very Huge

Beating Bestowed On Him (Gratis) By Two Gentlemen Of The Town. He Had

Some Difference With One Of Them, Who Had Challenged Him, Which Le

Mercier Refused, Not Being A Christian-Like And Clerical Way Of

Settling Differences. So The Challenger, With A Friend (For L. M.

Could Have Thrashed Him Singly), Took An Opportunity To Catch Poor Le

Mercier Alone, And Discussed The Subject With Him In The Manner Above

Stated.

 

 

Your Friends Miss Stockton And Miss Smith Said Some Civil Things About

You, And Send Abundance Of Love, Which I Promised Them I Would Forget

To Deliver.

 

 

My Journey Thus Far Has Been Wonderfully Fortunate, Having Only

Overset Once And Broken Down Once, Which, Considering That I Am

Seventy Miles On My Route, Is, For Me, A Very Small List Of

Grievances; But I Shall Count It Full Measure If I Am Prevented From

Entering Philadelphia To-Morrow, Which Is A Little To Be Apprehended.

 

 

You Must Pay Off Meance And Hewlet For Their Attendance On You And

Natalie. [5] They Must Be Paid Regularly At The End Of Each Month. I

Forgot It. Get Their Accounts, And Give Them An Order On Strong For

The Amount. When Either Of You Want Money, Roger Strong Will Furnish

It. Pray Settle Also Your Account With Madame Senat, And Write Me That

These Things Are Done.

 

 

Tell Mr. Martel That I Request That All The Time He Can Spare You Be

Devoted To Latin; That I Have Provided You With A Teacher Of French,

That No Part Of His Attention Might Be Taken Off. I Will Send From

Philadelphia The Certificate He Requested, Which Escaped My Memory

While At New-York.

 

 

I Fear It Will Puzzle You All To Decipher This. You May Show To Mr.

Martel The Clause Which Relates To Him. Salutem, Chere Theodosia.

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter XVII Pg 376

To Theodosia.

 

 

Philadelphia, 17Th September, 1795.

 

 

By This Post I Received A Letter From Colonel Ward, Requesting Leave

To Remove His Family Into My House, Richmond Hill. He Lives, You May

Recollect, In The Part Of The Town Which Is Said To Be Sickly. I Could

Not Therefore Refuse. He Will Call On You To Go Out With Him. You Had

Better, Immediately On Receipt Of This, Go Out Yourself, And Apprize

Anthony And Peggy.

 

 

Your Letter To Kersaint Is Much To The Purpose. It Came By This Day'S

Mail, Though Put In The Postoffice On Tuesday, But After The Closing

Of The Mail. With It I Have Also Received Your Letter, Written, I

Suppose, On Tuesday Evening, Because It Speaks Of The Circus; But, As

Usual, Without Date. I Beg That, When You Sit Down To Write A Letter,

You Will Begin By Putting A Date At The Top; This Will Then Presently

Become A Habit, And Will Never Be Omitted.

 

 

I Am Sorry, Very Sorry That You Are Obliged To Submit To Some Reproof.

Indeed, I Fear That Your Want Of Attention And Politeness, And Your

Awkward Postures, Require It. As You Appear Desirous To Get Rid Of

These Bad Habits, I Hope You Will Soon Afford No Room For Ill-Nature

Itself To Find Fault With You--I Mean In These Particulars; For As To

What Regards Your Heart And Your Motives Of Action, I Know Them To Be

Good, Amiable, And Pure. But To Return To The Subject Of Manners, &C.

I Have Often Seen Madame At Table, And Other Situations, Pay You The

Utmost Attention; Offer You Twenty Civilities, While You Appeared

Scarcely Sensible That She Was Speaking To You; Or, At The Most,

Replied With A Cold _Remercie_, Without Even A Look Of Satisfaction Or

Complacency. A Moment'S Reflection Will Convince You That This Conduct

Will Be Naturally Construed Into Arrogance; As If You Thought That All

Attention Was _Due_ To You, And As If You Felt Above Showing The Least

To Anybody. I Know That You Abhor Such Sentiments, And That You Are

Incapable Of Being Actuated By Them. Yet You Expose Yourself To The

Censure Without Intending Or Knowing It. I Believe You Will In Future

Avoid It. Observe How Natalie Replies To The Smallest Civility Which

Is Offered To Her.

 

 

Your Habit Of Stooping And Bringing Your Shoulders Forward On To Your

Breast Not Only Disfigures You, But Is Alarming On Account Of The

Injury To Your Health. The Continuance In This Vile Habit Will

Certainly Produce A Consumption: Then Farewell Papa; Farewell

Pleasure; Farewell Life! This Is No Exaggeration; No Fiction To Excite

Your Apprehensions. But, Setting Aside This Distressing Consideration,

I Am Astonished That You Have No More Pride In Your Appearance. You

Will Certainly Stint Your Growth And Disfigure Your Person.

 

 

Receive With Calmness Every Reproof, Whether Made Kindly Or Unkindly;

Whether Just Or Unjust. Consider Within Yourself Whether There Has

Been No Cause For It. If It Has Been Groundless And Unjust,

Nevertheless Bear It With Composure, And Even With Complacency.

Remember That One In The Situation Of Madame Has A Thousand Things To

Fret The Temper; And You Know That One Out Of Humour, For Any Cause

Whatever, Is Apt To Vent It On Every Person That Happens To Be In The

Way. We Must Learn To Bear These Things; And, Let Me Tell You, That

You Will Always Feel Much Better, Much Happier, For Having Borne With

Serenity The Spleen Of Any One, Than If You Had Returned Spleen For

Spleen.

 

 

You Will, I Am Sure, My Dear Theodosia, Pardon Two Such Grave Pages

From One Who Loves You, And Whose Happiness Depends Very Much On

Yours. Read It Over Twice. Make Me No Promises On The Subject. On My

Return, I Shall See In Half An Hour Whether What I Have Written Has

Been Well Or Ill Received. If Well, It Will Have Produced An Effect. I

Have Sent Alexis With Your Letter To Kersaint While I Write This.

After Closing Of The Mail I Shall Present Myself. To-Morrow Morning I

Take Stage For Baltimore; Thence To Washington, &C. You Shall

Certainly Hear Often From Me. You Have Not Yet Acknowledged The

Receipt Of My Letter From Bristol. R. Strong Has Received His, Written

At The Same Time. Having Many Letters To Answer By This Mail, I Cannot

Add Any Thing Sprightly To This Dull Letter. One Dull Thing You Will

Hear Me Repeat Without Disgust, That I Am Your Affectionate Friend,

 

 

A. Burr

Chapter XVII Pg 377

To Theodosia.

 

 

City Of Washington, 23D September, 1795.

 

 

I Write From The House Of Our Friends, Law And Duncanson, Where I Make

My Home. Miss Duncanson, Who Is Mistress Of The House, Is A Very

Sprightly, Sensible, Ladylike Woman. My Remarks On