Sunday night June 27^th
My dearest Sister I am still in Albany and sometimes
almost despair of ever getting home again — We did not get
home from Boston until late Thursday evening of course it
was impossible for me to arrange my affairs to leave
on Saturday — I have until this evening supposed I should
go tomorrow morning but Henry is so unwell that I
cannot leave him — he has not been up to day — I found
dear Willie well when I come home and Brown no worse
I think I wrote last Sunday from Worcester — we spent that
evening at Governor Davis where we met about 30 people
who were very agreeable — there is a warmth and cordiality
in the manners of the New England people which forms
a strong contrast with the cold formality of the Albanians
I felt very much like being in Auburn among old friends —
Previous to going to Mr Davis we went to return the call
of Mrs Lincoln who was a fat stately dame not
unlike Mrs John Townsend — she had two daughters and
a daughter in law with her — the latter very pretty and
agreeable — Dr Canfield became suddenly enamored with
Gov– Lincoln’s eldest daughter and concluded to remain

[top Margin] his father and his 'ladie love' — Miss Spencer

Unknown

— but he will tell you
all about it himself — he says he has written you three letters
and hopes for an answer to one — I was disappointed in not
finding a letter from you but suppose you
have sent it to Auburn where you may direct the next as I
think I shall get there this week — your own Sister

another day at Worcester that he might visit her again — So we
left him in bed when we took the cars at 6 oclock Monday
morning for Boston — Gov– Lincoln, who is the present
Collector, accompanied us and I take occasion now to
retract any thing I may had said of him conveying an
unfavourable impression — he was so polite and attentive
to us the whole time of our stay in Boston that I should be
ungrateful not to do so — With a stiffness and precission
of manner not unlike Mr Bradish he combines a
disposition to serve and oblige others which if it is minor
benevolence is certainly very amiable — We reached Boston
in 2 hours going at the rate of 25 miles an hour — The
rail roads in Massachusetts are much superior to ours —
the rail being entirely iron they can travel much more
rapidly without increasing the danger — There is a solidity
about them which is perceived in the slight motion
of the cars and produces a feeling of security very agreeable
Boston is a beautiful city and the environs as charming
as we have been always imagined them — Sick as I was a
great part of the time I should have found my visit one
of the most agreeable had you been of our party — A
letter from Maryann assured us of the health and comfort of our

little boy so that I was induced to prolong my visit another
day — we did not leave until We Th Wednesday afternoon —
All the particulars of our visits to Cambridge — Mount
Auburn — Cushing’s garden — Bunker Hill – Quincy — the Capitol
the Atheneum — the Asylum for the blind etc etc must be
deferred until I come to Canandaigua on the new rail road
which is so soon to be completed — Tell Frances we saw
at the Asylum a little girl (Laura Bridgeman) of 11 years
blind deaf and dumb, without the sense of smell and a very
imperfect sense of taste — and yet this poor child deprived
of every sense but one is happy and cheerful with a heart
full of affection and kindness and an object of painful
interest to all who see her — she has a sweet face — her eyes
were covered with a shade — she has been taught to write
on raised lines and talks with great facility to her teacher
with her fingers — the ^questions &^ replies are communicated to her in
the same way but conveyed to her mind only by the touch
the teacher in making the letters puts her fingers into Laura’s
hand and it is astonishing to witness the quickness of apprehension
which enables her so readily to understand what is so comm-
unicated — Her nervous organization is so exceedingly delica[ te ]
that she cannot see many strangers in the course of the
day the excitement opererating unfavourably upon her health —
The pupils generally appeared so cheerful and contented that
blindness which I have always looked upon as one of the
most grievous afflictions is divested of half its terrors — At Quincy
we saw the residence of John Quincy Adams formerly occupied
by his father — it is an ^large^ old fashioned comfortable looking house
with pretty grounds in good order — We took tea at Mr
Quincy’s country residence — son of the president of Harvard Univer-
sity — The Dr did not come from Worcester until the last 2^d
day of our stay in in Boston — he was there in the ‘full tide
of successful experiment’ courting Gov- Lincolns daughter —
Henry says he has never seen a man who seemed so happy
in retaining his situation in some Governors family — He went
back to Worcester the morning of the day that we left in-
tending to join us again in the afternoon but at Worcester I received
a note from him saying he had concluded to take the Norwich
cars and proceed immediately to N. York — So I am ignorant of
the success of his amour — Mr Blatchford and Mary parted

from us at Boston — they taking the Stonington we the Worcester rail road
at the same hour — We reached Springfield 95 miles in four hours
here we remained all night and the next morning at 6 oclock
continued on the rail road to Chester which is distant 28 miles
and is as far as the road is completed — From there we came
to Pittsfield 24 miles by stage over the mountains where there
the beautiful scenery was some compensation for a poor stage
with 10 passengers — exceedingly warm and dusty — and travelling
at the rate of 3 miles an hour — Pittsfield is so pretty a town
that I was not surprised at Mrs Hill's partiality — here we dined
disposed of half our passengers and came on through Lebanon
to Albany —
I was very glad to get home again and divest myself of my dusty
habiliments — Willie talked all the time and had improved vastly
I do wish you could hear him talk he is rather the most amusing
affair I have seen — He came this afternoon to tell me "Nick's shorse
was crying" he had heard the horse neigh because his mate was out
of the stable — My things are all packed but I cannot tell when I shall
leave — Henry is not well and exceedingly depressed in his spirits
his pecuniary affairs are
Mrs Alvah Worden
Canandaigua
ALBANY NY
JUN 28
in a condition infinitely worse than he has ever imagined
at present he sees no way through — this is èntres nous —
Blatchford Weed and Cary are all consulting together on
the subject — I should not care if Henry were not so
unhappy — Sam came home Friday morning much
pleased with his visit to Washington — he was to accompany
me to Auburn — He is at present in a strait between