“You can have your table placed in the corner, and amuse yourself with preparing an article for the N.A., Thus you will discharge a double duty to your country; one to its political interests, and another to its department of letters.  Whatever preparations are necessary at your place, can be made in the winter, under directions left there when you come down, and such as could be more conveniently made here, you shall have every aid in forwarding.  The fact is, I see not a single objection, I cannot see one, and more than that, I won’t.  This I conceive to be the only rational view to be taken of the subject, and, of course, it follows like the consequence to the minor of a syllogism; the only one you take.  So don’t say any more about it, but come along down, and then you shall, with more pleasure, satisfaction, and comfort, go along up.  It is, in fact, just as clear, as that one and one, you and me, will make two.”

SOCIAL INTERCOURSE,—­Maj.  W. writes (21st Aug.):  “I was sorry, on my return, to find you gone, for we have left undone that which I hoped to have done, with your assistance, that is, the arrangement of our museum.  But circumstances were unlucky.  Cases were made wrong, or not made in due time, and absences took some folks away (an allusion to the trip to Niagara), and the council would adjourn, &c.  You are, however, I understand, to be down here New Year’s day, to which time, for the special accommodation of the up-country members, I presume the council, as it is said, has adjourned.  An appropriation for snow shoes ought to have been made.”

SANILLAC.—­“I made an arrangement in Boston for the printing of my MSS.  As I found I was to bear the brunt of the expense, I determined to make it as small as I consistently could, and have, therefore, made the volume somewhat smaller than was in my original plan.

“Mr. Ward showed me a hasty note from you relative to the address (before the Historical Society).  I have examined it as published, and I told him your suggestions were out of the question.  There is not an error that I could detect that is not clearly typographical; and your fears, that either yourself or the society will be discredited, are all idle.  I do not recollect any of your books which, I think, do you more credit.”

GOSSIP.—­Mr. Ward writes:  “We have but little news.  The governor and Elizabeth are off to Utica and Troy, and we hope the springs.  Mr. Cass, Lewis, and Isabel to the Maumee.  Major and Mrs. Kearsley to New York and Philadelphia, with Miss Colt in keeping.  For all persons else, one note will answer.  They eat drink, and sleep as they did, and are ’partly as usual.’”