I had it in my mind to write to you immediately, when we heard that John had a boy, but somehow I didn’t, & of course somebody else did. And I won’t repeat. If Charley didn’t, you will have John’s letter with all the particulars, mental, moral, physical & medical.

He has a boy, though, if you didn’t know it, & his name by a tyrannical law of the mountain republic is Charles. Drink to him at tea time. Fine fellow, very handsome, looks like me & if they could have had their own way they would have called him after us. Has a scowl (of course Charley told you this) “as if he already found life a bore.”

Mary was all right and was eating steaks & chickens enough for two ordinary sized mortals. The baby got mad at her in five minutes after he was born, snatched her up, laid her over his knee, & spanked her so she had to give it up on natural depravity; but thinks there may have been something in the air of Geneva.

My second volume published day before yesterday—& second edition of the first & the two bound in one. The latter a splurgy, thick book—which I will send you if you’ll tell me how. The two volumes only take 4 weeks of our summer walk—& I could make another volume or two, better than these are, out of it if I choose to. But I shall not.

It was at the printer’s in July. Ought to have been issued 15th August, but Putnam had others advertized in advance. So it is only just delivered—three months in labor (Mary was some 70 hours; tedious but not very hard).

I have thoughts of going South this winter. Partly to save my throat the winter’s trial here, & mainly with the idea that I could make a valuable book of observations on Southern Agriculture & general economy as affected by Slavery; the condition of the slaves—prospects—tendencies—& reliable understanding of the sentiments and hopes & fears of sensible planters & gentlemen that I should meet. Matter of fact matter to come after the deluge of spoony fancy pictures now at its height shall be spent.

I should value your advice as much as anybody’s I know. And you must give it [to] me extensively. If I should conclude to go I shall try to get up to see you, if you can’t & won’t come here. Should calculate to leave middle of December & return early in March.

I made acquaintance of some Virginia families at Philadelphia this fall. Liked them & they liked me & I should want to visit them. Farmersburgh (or ville) Prince Edward, I think, County (I’ve got it upstairs). Then I should go to see your uncle (with the Scripture name—which I can’t think of now—yes) Abner & then—tell me where, will you? Down eastways to South Carolina & the cotton country below? Or by Kentuck, Tennessee to New Orleans? And generally, what do you think of it & what could I do?

[83]

I am not a red-hot Abolitionist like Charley, but am a moderate Free Soiler. Going to vote for Scott & would take in a fugitive slave & shoot a man that was likely to get him. On the whole, I guess I represent pretty fairly the average sentiment of good thinking men on our side. The way I look at it you will see in my second volume, page 106, rather awkwardly.

How do you like that chapter & how the chapter on prisons? It is a little beyond me, I am afraid, to do that sort of thing. But the stage coach ride I think I did pretty well out of the whole cloth. Don’t you like it?

Land rising rapidly in value on the upper part of the island & much speculation. Great many fine houses building & moving this way.

Farm about as usual. Nursery business good. Have orders for $400 worth of trees already. Pear speculation promises well, too. Have tried the market with all my orchard sorts & been offered 3 to 5 dollars a bushel. Sold a dozen Bartletts for 50 cents to a Broadway confectioner & one Duchess for 25 cents and was offered 12~ cents each for several more.

Trees have grown finely & fruited fairly. Have had larger fruit & finer-flavored than is usual from my varieties in other localities. I understand the business—have a system of cultivation of my own that succeeds well & believe I can beat the world at it.