Auburn Sep 16^th 1844-
My dear Augustus,
The arrival of your letter
last evening relieved me from much anxiety
it being a week over your usual time
I of course fancied you were ill –
I hope you new course of studies will become
more easy as you proceed – The method
of teaching Geography of which you speak is
that now pursued all over Europe, at least so
says the report of Mr Horace Mann, superin-
tendent of common schools in Massachusetts –
It undoubtedly is calculated to give a much
more thorough knowledge of the science and
when commenced early I presume is not
any more difficult than the old plan – I
wish it were possible for you to have shorter
lessons but that is beyond our control.
I remember when I was at school at Windsor
V^t – how awkward were our representations
of countries drawn from memory but the
lessons became much more easy by practice –

In Europe drawing is also made an essential part
of every boys education – With this as almost
every other art some have a natural bias
which enables them to draw more easily
than others – all will improve by practice
unless like Capt – Taylor, they do not try,
because they think themselves deficient in
genius – You use the word "emerge" for
"immerge" or "immerse" – I mention this
not because I suppose you do not know
the difference but to caution you to write
with care as you would find such mis-
takes troublesome in a composition to be inspected
So much for studies, of which I suppose
you think you have enough without having
mothers letters filled with them –
Willie came home last Tuesday with his
father – I was very glad to get him home –
Fred grows unsocial – I tell him sometimes
he will forget how to talk if he does not
practice occasionally – Clarence goes to
Geneva Wednesday, he is very impatient
for the time to come – I think he will
be obliged to study more than he has
done with Mr Hopkins if he remains

there long – Aunt Clara went last
Sunday to Romulus – she did not intend
to be gone more than a three days but she
does not come yet – I hope she will
make a good long visit – it is a great
while since she has been there – A letter
from Aunty to day, says that Frances is to go
East, probably to Boston, with her father, after
Mary Sibleys wedding which is to come off
this week – Thursday I believe – The Sibleys
have moved into their new house and as
Aunty says "are immersed" in satin, velvet
and blond" – Samuel Blatchford is
to be married to a fashionable heiress, of Bosto[ n ]
Miss Appleton – I believe the match is
on which meets the active approbation of
his parents – Sam himself appears to be in
a high state of complacency –
A letter from Goshen informs us that Grandma
Seward is better again – You do not tell
me who is your room mate I cannot find out
in any other way, pray write – Do you find time
to read the papers – I will tell you a secret which
you may not know – Henry Clay is injuring himself
by his injudicious letters respecting Texas and Slavery
his election is, I think, becoming doubtful – The

abolitionists will not vote for him after what he has
written – many would have done so had he remained
silent – I think these letters are not all
published in the Journal – They are in the Argus
Croswell will not allow them to pass unnoticed –
Write once in two weeks if you can – it is
one essential point in the happiness of your
Mother –
Augustus H. Seward
At the U. S. Military Academy
West Point –
AUBURN
N.Y.
SEP 17