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

Expected Alexis And

John; But The Stage Has Arrived Without Them, And Without A Line

Explanatory Of The Cause Of Their Delay.

 

 

On Alighting From The Stage Yesterday, I Found At The Door Of My

Intended Lodgings A Number Of Persons Who Were Impatiently Expecting

My Arrival. I Perceive That I Shall Be Day And Night Engrossed By

Business. If I Should Write To You Less Or Less Often Than Usual, You

Will Know The Cause.

 

 

The Ideas, Of Which You Are The Object, That Daily Pass Through My

Mind, Would, If Committed To Writing, Fill An Octavo Volume; Invent,

Then, And Teach Me Some Mode Of Writing With The Facility And Rapidity

That We Think, And You Shall Receive By Every Mail Some Hundred Pages.

But To Select From A Thousand Thoughts That Which Is Best And Most

Seasonable; Of The Variety Of Attitudes Of Which Every Object Is

Susceptible, To Determine On That Which Is Most Suitable For The Thing

And The Occasion; Of All Possible Modes Of Expression And Language, To

Discern The Most Appropriate, _Hic Labor, Hoc Opus Est_. Yet Have We

Both Known Persons Of A Moderate Grade Of Intellect Who Could Write

Whenever You Would Put A Pen In Their Hands, And For Any Length Of

Time You Might Please, Without One Moment Of Reflection Or

Embarrassment. Pray Explain To Me This Phenomenon. All This I Confess

Is Not Very Applicable To You Or To My Present Occupation, For I

Generally Write You What First Offers, Without Considering Whether It

Be The Best; And If Many Obtrude Themselves At Once, I Write You, As

At Present, Of--_Nothing_. Indeed, My Dear Theodosia, I Have Many,

Many Moments Of Solicitude About You. Remember That Occupation Will

Infallibly Expel The Fiend Ennui, And That Solitude Is The Bug-Bear Of

Fools. God Bless And Aid Thee.

 

 

A. Burr

Chapter XVII Pg 385

To Theodosia.

 

 

Albany, 30Th January, 1800.

 

 

At Length John And Alexis Have Arrived; But What Gratified Me More,

And What I Looked For With Much More Impatience Was, A Letter. I

Selected Yours From The Number Which They Brought Me. I Was Not

Disappointed. It Merits All The Eagerness With Which I Had Expected

It.

 

 

You Reflect, And That Is A Security For Your Conduct. Our Most

Humiliating Errors Proceed Usually From Inattention, And From That

Mental Dissipation Which We Call Heedlessness. You Estimate Your

Situation With Great Truth. Many Are Surprised That I Could Repose In

You So Great A Trust As That Of Yourself; But I Knew That You Were

Equal To It, And I Am Not Deceived.

 

 

You Do Right To Stay Much At Home. It Will Scarcely Be Worth While To

Go To V. P.'S. C. Is Excluded From All Rule. I Am Quite Oppressed With

The Kindness And Friendship Of _B. B._ Towards You. How Fortunate You

Are In Such A Friend. If Their Invitations Should Be So Frequent As To

Interrupt Your Lessons, You Will Do Well To Refuse Even Them. There Is

A Measure To Be Observed In The Acceptance Of The Good Offices Even Of

Our Best Friends; And At Your Age, To Prefer Duty To Pleasure When

They Are In Collision, Is A Degree Of Firmness Rarely Exhibited, And,

Therefore, The More Calculated To Inspire Respect. I Perceive That I

Am Not Very Explicit; But You Will Reflect And Discern My Meaning.

Montesquieu Said He Wrote To Make People Think, And Not To Make Them

Read--And Why May Not A. Br. Perhaps, However, There May Be No

Collisions; And Then Your Good Sense Will Teach You Not To Wear Out

Good-Will.

 

 

You Indicate A Very Pleasant Mode In Which You Suppose I May Make You

Happy; But You Do Not Estimate Things Rightly. What You Imagine To Be

Symptoms Of Love Are The Mere Effusions Of Politeness, Added To

Respect And Esteem.

 

 

I Forget The Plan We Projected, But There Can Be No Better One Than

That Of Your Last Letter, To Which, Therefore, You May Adhere, Unless

Indeed You Can Invent A Better.

 

 

You May Tell C. That As She And I _Are On Ceremony_, I Shall Expect

The First Letter. She Knows Well That The Bare Sight Of Her

Handwriting Would Drive Le Guen And The Parchments To The Antipodes. I

Do Thank You For Your Constancy About The French Ball. Do Not Be

Alarmed Lest I Expect Too Much. I Know Your Force, And Now Feel

Assured That I Shall Have Reason To Be More Than Satisfied Both With

Your Discretion And Your Attainments. I Shall Not Again Find Time To

Write You Two Pages; So Do Not Expect It. Nevertheless, You Will

Engross Much, Very Much Of The Thoughts And Affections Of

 

 

A. Burr

Chapter XVII Pg 386

Previous To The Year 1800, Slavery Existed In The State Of New-York.

Colonel Burr, At Different Periods, Was The Owner Of Slaves. All Those

That Remained In His Family For Any Length Of Time Were Taught To Read

And Write. During His Absence From Home It Was His Practice To

Correspond With One Or More Of Them. As A Master, He Was Beloved. A

Few Letters Are Here Given As Specimens Of This Correspondence. They

Are Copied _Literally_.

Chapter XVII Pg 387

To Colonel Burr.

 

 

New-York, 3D December.

 

 

Honoured Master,

 

 

I Received Your Letter December 1St, And We Are All Happy To Hear That

You Are Well. Harry Has Taken The Chair To The Coachmaker'S, And Has

Gave Him Directions According To Your Orders. I Have Asked James To

Write To You To Know How The Venison Was To Be Done; But I Will Now

Have It Cured As You Have Ordered. The Sashes Of The Windows Were

Nailed Down The Day That You Went Away, And The Ladder That You

Mention Belongs To Mr. Halsey, And Be Has Taken It Away. All The

Papers That Have Any Writing On Is Put Into The Drawers, And I Will

Take Care Of The Ink That It Does Not Freeze. Colonel Platt Was Here,

And Has Taken The Four Red Cases That Was In The Wine-Room; And He

Asked Me For A Square Box, And As You Had Not Told Me Of It, I Said

That I Had Never Seen It. There Is Nothing In The Stable; But Don'T

Know What Is In Sam'S Room, As He Has Locked The Door. We Are Happy To

Hear That Sam, And George, And The Horses Are In Good Order, And All

The Family Gives Their Love To Them.

 

 

Peggy Gartin.

Chapter XVII Pg 388

To Colonel Burr.

 

 

New-York, 17Th December.

 

 

Honoured Master,

 

 

I Received Your Letter, And Am Happy To Hear That You Are In A Good

State Of Health. Harry Went To Mr. Alston'S Farm The Day After I

Received The Letter, And The Man Had Gone Away The 11Th Day Of

December. Stephen Was Not At Home When He Went There, And By What He

Could Understand There Was A Great Difference Between Daniel And

Stephen; And Harry Says That For The Time That He Has Been There He

Had Not Neglected His Work. But, Master, I Wish To Beg A Favour Of

You; Please To Grant It. I Have Found There Is A Day-School, Kept By

An Elderly Man And His Wife, Near To Our House, And If Master Is

Willing That I Should Go To It For Two Months, I Think It Would Be Of

Great Service To Me, And At The Same Time I Will Not Neglect My Work

In The House, If You Please, Sir.

 

 

Peggy.

Chapter XVII Pg 389

To Colonel Burr.

 

 

New-York, 29Th December.

 

 

Honoured Master,

 

 

I Received Your Letter, Which Has Given Me No Satisfaction Concerning

Your Health; And As There Has Been A Report In The Paper That You Was

Wounded, It Has Made Us Very Uneasy, Supposing It To Be True; But I

Hope That It Is Not So, As I Hear That People Gives No Credit To It. I

Go To The School, Since Master Is Willing, And I Like The Teacher Very

Much. He Pays Great Attention To My Learning, And I Have Teached Nancy

Her Letters Ever Since You Have Been Gone, Which I Think Will Be Of As

Much Service To Her As If She Went To School. We Are All Well At

Present, And I Hope That You Are The Same.

 

 

Peggy.

Chapter XVII Pg 390