Having been absent from town for a few days, yours of 22d reached me only yesterday.

You give quite as much consideration to my arguments as I could expect under the circumstances. I supposed it too late but as both yourself & Mr Wilcox seemed to think it possible to carry the second building to the Southward instead of the Northward, notwithstanding the action of the Trustees, I did not feel justified in withholding from you a distinct, (private) expression of my impressions. The obstacles to the change which I urged did not seem to me to be as great as to that which you seemed to think might even yet be practicable, otherwise I should not have thought it worthwhile to take up your time with a discussion of the question.

Norton writes me that his wife is to be confined in July, which will oblige him to remain at his summer residence in Ashfield, at the time of the Phi Beta festival at Cambridge, on which occasion I had been in hopes I should meet Curtis & yourself with him.

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I enclose a note just receivd from Charles W. Elliott requesting an introduction to you. I have given it to him. He is at times a most charming and entertaining man. He has written a few exceedingly pretty little sketches—a series “about Barns,” “about Garretts” &c in Putnam’s Monthly I remember with most pleasure—and a number of very heavy and unsuccessful books, [“The History of New England,” being the]—I beg pardon. The New England History being the most formidable. He is very crochety, likes to be thought original, abounds with projects, has started on several careers, each of which has been suddenly abandoned; is somewhat soured & maliciously disposed toward the world because of the mortification of his literary ambition. I did not feel justified in complying with his request without telling you this, but for all I have said, it is quite likely if you meet him, you will find him a delightful companion and that he may offer you some plans within which you will find seeds of practicable schemes worth cultivating.

Is your professorship of Political Economy filled? If you could take a Free Trader, I could give you a capital candidate for it. I don’t know your views. Fisk & I talked of it a little and we agree in thinking that the Free Traders have a mortgage on the future here, as good as that of the Democrats in Europe.

I put myself at your orders in any battle with the sectarians but don’t count on me as one of the “Ready Writers”. I am the slowest and heaviest and sickest dragoon that ever was pushed into the bogs of literature. A single day’s writing knocks me up for a week. But in all that I am good for, I am at your service.