I have been looking for you every day for about a fortnight past.

I had to borrow the money I let mother have on Saturday of Parke Godwin, as our bank was dry and Edwards was abed with a dysentery. I thought I should be able to return it the same day but have received nothing.

The Magazine sold a trifle more last month than it had for a month or two previously. No additional numbers of any consequence were ordered and our first printing is not quite exhausted. The number seems to have created no sensation, nor is much note taken of the change, except in connection with the “America” article which has been reprinted very extensively. A translation of it with notes appeared last week in the Staats Zeitung. The Express and the New Orleans Crescent have had long Editorial commentaries upon it, condemning it, and a great many papers expressing satisfaction. By the way, how is non-enfranchising the adult foreign-born citizens to send their children to the free schools? How will any of the Know Nothing proposed measures remedy the evils you complain of? I think they will rather tend to increase them.

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The June number, I sent you with the names of the writers of most of the articles. The authors of those not marked were Elliott & Rose Terry. I think the number is a very capital one. Briggs, the old Editor, wrote us it was better than any that had preceded it (since the Magazine was started). We have materials for the July number, which will, I think, make it fully as good a one, if not better. We have about 40 accepted articles on hand and half a dozen engaged to be written by persons of ability, on special subjects. There is no doubt that there will be a great improvement in the quality of the Magazine, which cannot fail, I hope, to improve its circulation, sufficiently to return on capital.

The best writers seem already to have acquired confidence that we can be depended upon to do our duty strongly & boldly and that the Magazine is to be more than ever the leading magazine and the best outlet of thought in the country. This is more than half the battle. If we can get the writers, there is little fear but that we shall get the readers. It is generally understood that we have capital enough at command and shall pay generously & promptly, and the consequence is that we are now declining every day manuscripts that we should have accepted during the first month.

If we had capital enough, we could engage immediately in the Book publishing business extensively. As many as eight books have been offered us. We have agreed to publish this “Twice Married,” when it is completed in the Monthly. Have you read it? From this on, the manuscript is said to be much better than what has gone before, & it is thought the best description of New England people—the best enletterment of their talk—ever published. Who is the author? Philleo, a lawyer of Hartford? Stewart, a member of Parliament formerly—the author of the criticisms on Forrest & others in the Tribune, which have made a good deal of talk & been much admired by some—wished us to publish a small popular book of similar matter. Actors of Our Time it might be called. We have concluded to decline it because we did not wish to use the capital which we might need for the Monthly or other more important purposes. Godwin has two books on the tapis which we shall be glad to publish & probably shall, the Putnam has long been a personal friend of his and we shall not urge it. Our English publisher offered to sell us a copyright of a new Life of Goethe, to be published simultaneously here & in London. Declined. A small book of Letters of a Lady from the Salt Lake City & descriptive of the tour thither we may probably publish in the fall. She was the wife of the U.S. Commissioner, & we have some of the matter accepted for the Monthly.

Our Editor’s incognito is still perfectly preserved. I think no one suspects who he is.

I believe that I never told you that we bought of McElrath the whole back stock of Household Words. It was a big lot and costs something but leaves room for a large profit on all we can sell, and the sale though small is constant & rather likely to increase. Edwards found it necessary to get a book-keeper, a very dry, trusty sort of man he seems to be. His salary is $800 a year & we [354] discharge at the end of this month, the young man he had depended upon to assist him, but who proved incompetent. His salary has been at $400.

Our offices & packing rooms have been reconstructed & put in good order & are now quite pleasant & convenient. Dr. Moffat has also painted my room last week, and) find it very pleasant & a capital place to work for the city.

I got on finely with my book, last two weeks.

Was at the farm yesterday. Things looking finely, especially the trees, but a great pity the orchard has not yet been manured or tilled—the men having all been engaged about the house, hedge, road &c.) hope it will be this week but there is “heaps” of other work that needs doing. The doctor looks blue & thinks all the time about selling off land or house to pay for his improvements. Mary better than usual and babies fine. Really the young one begins to look flesh and bloody. The garden is particularly satisfactory; thanks to Louis.

Tom Day must be a paltry vulgar man. Nothing could be in worse taste than his notice of the Monthly—but it was not only in bad taste.) would write to him about it if) were not pretty sure that if he attempted to correct his impertinence he would make matters worse. The Courant seems to me to have become much poorer than ever under his administration. It is positively bad now—before, it was mainly negatively good. Flippancy is worse than dullness. The tone of the paper is constantly insulting to its readers. The Editor takes the patronizing position of a schoolmaster or clergyman towards them. The Times is far more gentlemanly.

When shall) see you? You will stay with me, will you not? I can make you tolerably comfortable, if you can get up so high. It is quite cool & quiet here.