Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward III, February 4, 1871

  • Posted on: 9 May 2018
  • By: admin
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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward III, February 4, 1871
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:nwh

student editor

Transcriber:spp:srr

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1871-02-04

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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward III, February 4, 1871

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location:
Unknown

receiver: William Seward
Birth: 1864-11-10  Death: 

location: Auburn, NY

transcription: nwh 

revision: crb 2018-03-22

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Editorial Note

Letter written by Olive Risley Seward for William H. Seward
Bay of Bengal
in Asia
Long. 98" E.
Lat.5" N.
Feb. 4. 1871.
My dear Willie,
You are a very good
little boy, and it was very thoughtful
in you to write and let me know
that the good, old eagle of which
I am so proud, has come home again
to live. I have seen eagles within
the last six months, in China, and
in the island of Java, as I have
heretofore seen eagles in Mexico, but
there is no eagle that is so noble as
our own bird which I brought from
Alaska.
What do you think I saw this
morning? It was a battle in the sea:
the battle field right off from
the side of our ship, A shoal of
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fine large fishes, was traveling
under the water from the West
side of the Bay of Bengal, in-
tending, I suppose to reach the
sea of Java through the straits
of Malacca. Two great sharks rushed
into the midst of the shoal and
began to gobble the fishes up
a great deal faster than we
can take the little perch in
Owasco lake or eat them up after
they are cooked. The fishes did
not know how to escape. by going
backwards or forwards or to either
side, and so they threw them
selves upon the top of the water,
where of course no fish can ever
live. The sea was disturbed by
this commotion, nearly as much
as if a hurricane passed over it.
I don't know how many of the
fishes were eaten up, but I think
that the sharks had a good
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breakfast. How I did wish that
the old eagle at Auburn might
fly into such a shoal of fish in
the fountain within the garden
always provided they be not
gold fish. Would you believe it, my
dear, little boy, they raise gold
fishes to sell in the temples in
China, and then they support
the priests. Will you not tell your
mamma that I think that by
raising gold fish in the fountain
to sell, you might get some
money, to contribute toward the
cost of Mr. Fowler's
Birth: 1824 Death: 1872
new church.
My dear Willie, we are this
day just half way around the
world, if you ask Cora Richardson
Birth: 1845-01-15 Death: 1890-12-10

she will put your finger right
on the spot in the globe which
indicates the place where Olive
Birth: 1844-07-15 Death: 1908-11-27

is writing this letter for me, to
you. I think it is a nice
little letter, just such a
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one as you will like to receive
from your grandfather.
I rather suspect that Olive
will want to take the credit
of the letter to herself, but by
way of proving it to be my own,
and not hers, I require her to
write at the bottom of it, the
name of your affectionate
grandfather, who sends his love
to Nellie
Birth: 1862-09-11 Death: 1921-10-05
, and hopes to see you
both before long, and to find
the eagle at the same time
tame enough to be set free
and gentle enough to keep his
clutches for fishes and vermin.
William H. Seward
by Olive
To. Willie Seward
Auburn