I am still tonight confined here and in the doctors’ hand. I should have insisted on going to the Exposition Office this P.M. but for a small blizzard’s coming. I have telegraphed Eliot to come here from St Louis instead of meeting me Monday morning at Detroit as before arranged.

I must have a day or two to bring a few of the many matters waiting to conclusion. I don’t know but that we had better fail evy where else better than here.

It looks as if the time had come when it is necessary for you to count me out. Phil has just brot me your letters of 14th & 15th. I am expecting to go to Detroit. Erie is another matter. I doubt if I ought to part company with Eliot on the way home. I doubt if it is judicious to crowd him with duties any more than can possibly be helped, at present. He is overcrowded now, very much. The situation is a very grave one for you. Do give your best serious thought to it. I think that you had better write the Kirkwood Land Co. that I am lying disabled by illness at Chicago and that oweing to my illness and Mr Codman’s death they cannot depend on our advancing their work before any given near day. If they wish our resignation under these circumstances they can have it. The fact is upon a cursory examination of their plans I am doubtful if I can meet their requirements without further discussion on the ground—rather I don’t think I understand their requirements and I don’t like to put a lot of precious time & work into a drawing and then find that it has been thrown away. Moreover, I shrink from taking the responsibility of advising the only thing of much importance that I am inclined to do there, feeling that if, on any account, there should be fever and ague there afterwards, it would make a great row and we should be held accountable for it. I think that you had better write them a judicious letter, making plain the fact that under present circumstances, in the state of wreck in which Mr Codman’s death & my illness has cast us, we are not confident that we shall this spring be able to meet what would otherwise be their just demands, and we therefore offer our resignation. We must have time to turn round and get more firmly on our feet. Be thoroughly respectful but let it plainly appear that we would prefer to be relieved of a duty that we cannot at once feel sure of meeting to their satisfaction.

I don’t know what you cd have done better in the sad Weidenmann matter but David will be sure to find that the business arrangements made by W. are not sound and that they will be expecting much more from them than it is possible for him to obtain. You could not refer them to Vaux— Vaux wd have nothing to do with Weidenmann. They were not on friendly terms. If you have a fair occasion to write to Mrs Weidenmann explain to her that I am [598]detained here and disabled by illness. This wd explain my not writing personally on the business (I have had two letters from her, or in her behalf, besides what you send).

I do think that we shall have to decide on throwing up a lot of our business. I am not to be depended on. Eliot has a weak constitution with proclivities to lung troubles and in our first conversation he said that he must look out for his own health. It is very bad policy for you to be hurried and run risks of doing work not creditable as I am going off. You shd above all things aim to keep up and advance the reputation and the character of the House. Better make little money and live low for a while rather {than} fail in that. Matters of chief importance with reference to permanent professional standing are Boston Parks, Boston Metropol. Parks, Columbian Exposition, Biltmore, Bay Ridge, Louisville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Rochester, Buffalo. The two Newport Places, Lenox, Monmouth Co’ place, N.J. I wish that we cd drop the three last—and everything else. I am sure that what I have named above will be too much for us to do ourselves justice upon.

The doctor intimates that I had better be as I am than to have had pneumonia, and speaks of this as a safety valve, and keeps warning me to go slow.

I say again common prudence requires that you should lay out your course, not counting on me.

It is very plain that as things are we are not going to be able to do our duty here. Every day questions come that it is not well should be left to Ulrich or settled by Architects & Engineers.

Address Russell House Detroit after today, until Monday but telegraph Monday if important rather than trust to letters.

Affcty.

I have sent a long letter to the Sun, in aid of Vaux’s position. Dana telegraphed twice for it. I did not like to do it, and did not feel that I was surely sound as to my facts or my position. But it seemed due to Vaux and to Dana that I should try.