Auburn July 11^th 1838
My dearest Henry,
I have this morning received
your kind letter written last Sunday. I began
to feel very anxious about you not having heard
from you since the 2^d of July. You have by
this time received the letter I wrote last Sunday
and may have gone to Florida. I think it singular
if your Father was so extremely ill that George
living so near had heard nothing of it. I do not
know but I should have written to Julia telling
her you were not at home but I thought my
letter to you would answer every purpose and
would sooner arrive at its destination - beside
I thought it probable you had actually gone there
I hope they will not esteem it unkind or incon-
siderate on my part. I commenced a letter to
Cornelia some days ago which remains unfinished
as I did not like to send it until I could receive
some assurance of your fathers convalescence.
I am very sorry you have so many sources of vexation
but it is the lot of all particularly those who are
in any way distinguished - the higher the eminence
the more thorny the path. You are better calculated
to hear all this than most men you have an equanimity
of temper which is better than all the philosophy in
world - and then the comfort of a good conscience
"What stronger breast plate than a heart untainted" ? —
You may be sure jaded and harassed as you are with
cares and perplexities you "sleep more sweetly and wake
more merrily" than your calumniators.

I am feeling very lonely about this time - dear little
Fred is my only companion - Clara and Augustus
have gone to Canandaigua to spend a week - they set
out yesterday morning in the stage after waiting
in vain for more favourable that is cooler weather.
We have had no summer like this in many
years. I think it will hardly be necessary for
philosophers to endeavour to account for the change
in the seasons here after - wherever the sourse of heat
may be it is pretty certain there is no great dim-
inution. Mrs Hall went yesterday morning to
visit Mrs Bostwick and has not returned - she
will go home some time this week. Was there
a clerk in the office by the name of Tappan when
you went away - a nephew of Arthur Tappan's ?
Well there is one now - he seems to have found favour
in Pa's eyes - he is here about half the time riding
sometimes with Pa in the wagon sometimes on the
pony and always talking incessantly - he is a flibberty
jibbet looking animal but I should think intelligent
not oppressed with modesty. He seems to fancy
that his presence is somewhat essential at the
Utica convention - but there might have been some
reasons for this which were unknown to me as I
only heard part of the conversation. Mc Clallen
says the convention is well attended from the village[ . ]
What story can he have fallen upon - he says W.W. has told
a number of your friends that you are not a candidate
for a disputed honor but that you are very anxious to
become President of a Bank (no one knows what banks
and that you have gone East for the purpose of
securing that situation. I suppose there has some
thing been said less preposterous perhaps but it is
difficult to ascertain what it is —

I spent part of an evening with Mrs Lucas one night
this week - the principal subject of conversation seemed
to be the consequences of Miss Beach's marriage one of
which was the expulsion of Smith from the Seminary
and another the disagreement of Mr Hosmer with the
Trustees of the Female Seminary because he refuses to
dismiss Hamilton and Smith - which it is said will
terminate in Mr Hosmer's dismssal - all of this appears
very absurd to me more particularly as now while
the town are all quarreling about the suitablness
of the match a the Mrs Isham and her fathers
family are on good terms again. Miss Lord the cousin
who is a warm hearted intelligent girl was very
eloquent in Mr Hosmers defence. I joined her as
I could see no right the trustees could posess to legislate
over another mans conscience in that way. Mrs Lucas
did not exactly know what she did think but th
believed Hamilton should have resigned his situation
voluntarily. I did not see Mr Lucas long enough
to ask him about some work, on the atonement which
was the particular object of my visit. I mentioned it
to Mrs Lucas however and the next day Mr Lucas
sent me two ponderous volumes by Magee professor
of a college in Dublin written 1815. I think
they will afford me reading for a long time. I am
wonderfully delighted with Scotts life - how very inter-
esting it is - have you read it ? and does ^he^ not in his early
years bear some resemblance to our dear little Fred - do you
know it is of late a relief to my mind to hear of instances of pre-
cocity of intellect envied by those who afterwards lived to come
to maturity. The cherries are getting ripe fast we shall not half
enjoy them if you do not come home to help us eat them. Freddy
is very lonesome without his brother - your own Frances

William H. Seward
Care of the American Trust Company
N.Y.
AUBURN N.Y.
JUL 12
hF.A.Seward
July 11. 1838.