I wrote shortly to Father, yesterday, and now reply to yours of 18th instant.

I note what you say about Alsop’s and trees. I intend to plant (trans-) but few ornamental trees and with them to take great pains. Until I know where to put my house exactly, I can not arrange the lawn very well. The Lawn is to be the grand feature of my gardening. The ground is naturally graded and finely adapted for a broad smooth green plat (X) broken only by a few trees or clumps. Along on the rear edge of it and so circling towards the shore, some low thick shrubbery (a) is wanted. Back (cornering on b.) I suppose will be a good place for an orchard (beyond the proposed barn). ’Tis there we are carting our manure now and mean to plant corn & potatoes this year.

I expect Davis will move in next week. We are going over to trim apple-trees, &c. this week, and to cart rock weed as fast as Roberts brings it in any quantity. It’s very unfortunate that I must pay for all my manure so. About four loads of seaweed, though, I got from the Rossiter-lot-beach for the trouble of carting. Potatoes are selling here now at 95 cents a bushel. At this rate, seed is going to cost something.

Tom never would answer my purpose, I am confident. That is, I should kill him or he will kill me. Still, perhaps I ought to take him as discipline to my impatience. If Father thinks so I’m content; (but I actually [294]would for the sake of comfort rather have no horse at all.) Charles (Leete) has a very pretty mare; the neatest beast under a saddle I most ever rode—i.e., she rides easy, trots free, & capers or (now having not been out of her stable in a month) is playful. She is nine years old, and I suppose he would sell her cheap as he has no use for her.

The cow (“Tilly”) I have bought is nothing remarkable. Mr. Griffing got her for me. I buy her of Hubbard (a cattle jockey) for $30.00 to be kept till 1st of April. Had not she better rather be named “Mother Hubbard”? She has a very handsome dark red bull calf by her side. Give him a name. Bartlett seemed inclined to back out from selling me his best cow for $30.00. I don’t want her or any of his, because any of them would teach my whole stock to cross the flats and be off by the bathing house road.

I don’t hear from Mr. Ayres yet, nor from Geddes or Van Bergen. I don’t get papers now. What a shameful, rascally, inconvenient, & tyrannical law this new Newspaper postage is. It has gone into operation now, too, the postmaster tells me, not waiting till July as the papers say. Papers coming from New York being paid 3 cents. My postage on the Tribune from New Haven would be $9.00 a year. Repeal! Repeal!

Try Nimrod again.

If you return this way to New Haven, let me know, if possible, a day or two before-hand that I may not be gone to New Haven myself. The copper-boats are life-boats. How long the (two) chambers would remain tight in ordinary usage I can not tell. But if they should happen both to get stove or cracked a little, it would take a good while to exhaust the air from them. Mr. Norton’s boat—only 12 feet long—will carry 10 persons easily inside and dry. Water logged, they would not sink with most anything. No ordinary ballast begin to take them down, and one will float as many men as can get hold of her. I think it is quite a consideration.

There were eleven sail put into the Head, one night, last week. While we were at work there there were forty sail in sight at once.

You have wonderfully improved your writing hand. I’d no idea it was yours until I had read some ways. This secret of it is—large letters.

I can’t get anybody to make my lighter’s sail. I propose to have it a lug as I shall seldom want to beat her and it will have a look. She is to be twenty feet long. What sized sail would you give her? This sail is easiest to hand & reef—least in the way. The mast holes to the surf boats I suppose are placed forward—or perhaps I would rig thus:

“Nep.” flourisheth.

He does not mind very quick, but improves. Griffing says these dogs never do mind very well. That Rossiter beach is complete for bathing, at any time of tide. Long clams are real good, well cooked. Round don’t compare with them.