I arrived here Saturday, 8th, after a rather dismal week at Norfolk—stormy, wet & chilly, but my health good.

In coming from Weldon to Gaston (see my letter that will be published, giving amusing account of it), coach turned over; was not hurt any, but [112]

The Journey through the Seaboard Slave States, 1852–1853

From northern Mississippi, Olmsted returned to the North “along the eastern base of the Appalachian Chain in the upper parts of the States of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia . . .” (“’The South” number 44).

[113]

I have spent all my money and drew on McC. A. & S. this morning for $50 to take me to Charleston. It has cost me $2.00 a day, besides travelling expenses, ever since I left N.Y.

I have found but one man at home that I had letters to—(Fred Kingsbury’s uncle, the school teacher at Petersburg.) Here I expected to have a good acquaintance in Mr. Deveroux? The landlord says he lives a hundred miles from here—only occasionally here, & not now.

I shall stay here several days, writing, and shall finish as many as twelve letters, so I shall pay my expenses. I think I have done pretty well. I have not fully determined my route—the roads never were so bad & lots of people here mud bound. Think I shall leave here Thursday and go by Guilford Co. House, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury to Charlotte, the gold district. Have a letter to Superintendent of Mint, there. I should like to go across from there to Chattanooga, Tennessee—North Alabama—Memphis (New Orleans) so as to return by Savannah & Charleston. Because if I get behindhand, I can return by Steamer at any time direct to New York.

I would rather lose South Carolina—than any other state—as I can examine both cotton & rice before I get there. Then I would be very glad to get more time if I could afford it in the Spring to look over this section & the Atlantic shore more thoroughly than I dare to now, lest I shouldn’t have time for Louisiana.

But this plan makes necessary 400 miles of stage coaching night & day. Hazardous & awfully tiresome and 8 cents a mile. So it’s hardly likely I shall adopt it. If not, I go by Columbia, S. C., to Charleston & shall try to arrive there by Sunday week (23rd January).

I gave Mrs. Andover two long, heavy letters about Dismal Swamp, &c., & shall make two of it for Times.

I shall make a book of 500 pages octavo—and shall want Mary or Bertha to copy and collate for me next summer. I shall take at least $300 from Raymond, which will just about cover my expenses. I omit several letters, not having time now to take up the topics—shall add them after I return (out of place).

I shall be very anxious when the letters begin to be printed to have my friends opinion of them. I wish you would buy an extra copy every day when they appear, make remarks along the margin, or on slips pinned in—indicating doubtful assertions, opinions, errors of fact or calculation, infelicities of expression &c., that I may have the advantage of them in revising.

The first two letters are the poorest of the lot. Those most interesting are those that cost me the least labor. Most of them are written very rapidly, as fast as I have written this.

I received letter from you at Norfolk. Robert, William, & C. L. B. are all charged to take care of the trees. I can not make more definite [114]arrangements. C.L.B. must call on Bossange. It would take a sheet to tell him, what, his judgment is as good as mine for—and that is worth $4 to me.