The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-13

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The Kindsrhook Ssati,xl publishes the fol-
Lowing letter Of Washington Irving, written 10
his friend, Jesse Merwin, Of that town, the
original Ichabod Crane" of the Sleepy Hol-
low" legend
T. Z @SuSNY SIDE. February IL. 1881.
" You must excuse me, my good friend Mer-
win, for suffering your letter to remain sosfong
unanswered. You ean have no idea how many
letters ] have, to answer, besides tagging with
! my pen at my own literary tasks, SO that it is
impossible for me To avoid being behindhand in
my correspondents. Your letter was indeed
most velcoue-calling up, an it did, the recol-
lection Of pleasant scenes and pleasant days
passed together Ia times long since, ut Judge
Van Nesss, in Undertook. Your mention Of
the death of good old. Dominic Van Ness, re-
calls the apostolic zeal with which he took our
little sinful Community in hand, when he put up
for day or two at the Judges; and the whole
some castigatioR he gave US all on Sunday, be-
ginning with the two country bellies who came
fluttering into the school-house during the SER
mon, decked out in their city finery and ending
with the Judge himself in the stronghold Of his
own mansion. How soundly he gave it to US !!
how he peeled off every rag Of selfrighteous-
ness with which we tried to cover ourselves,
and laid the rod on the bare backs Of our con-
sciences! The good plain-spoken. honest old
mani How | honored him for his simple,
straightforward earnestness !; his homey SINGER
ity! He certainly handled us without mittens
but trust we are all the better for it, How
hnx l~.~1 Il 4
icient little apostle who cantered up to the
Judges door day or two after; who was so
full of himself that he had no thought to be-
stow on our religious deinqucncies; who did
nothing but boast Of his public trials of skillin
argument with rival preachers OF other denomi-
nations, and how he had driven them of the
field, and crowed over them. You must remem-
Der the busting, self-confdent little man, with
tin trumpet in the handle of his riding whip.
with which presume he blew the trumpet in
Zion!
DO you remember our fishing expedition in
company with Congressman Van Allen to the
little lakes few miles from Undertook and
John Moore, the vagabond admiral of the lake,
who sat crouched in heap in the middle of his
canoe in the centre of the lake, with fishing
rods stretching out in every direction like the
long legs Of spider? And do you remember
our piratical prank, when we made up for our
bad luck in fishing by plundering his canoe of
its fish when we found it adrift And do YOU re-
member how John Moore came splashino along
the march on the opposite border of the lake,
roaring at us, and how we finished our froic by
driving off and leaving the Congressman to
John Moore's mercy, tickling ourselves with
the idea of his being scaped at least!
All, wella day, friend Merwin, these were
the days of our youth and folly. trust we
have grown wiser and better since then; we
certainly have grown older. | don't think we
could rob John Moores fishing canoe now.
ny the way, that same John Moore, and the
anecdotes you told of him, gave me the idea of
vagabond character, Dirck SCHUYLER. in INV
Knickerbocker history of New York, which /
was then writing.
"You tell me the old schoo-house is torn
down, and new one built in it's place. | am
sorry for it. should have liked to see the old
school-house once more, where, after mymorn.
lngs literary task was over, used to come and
wait for you occasionally until school was dis
missed, and you used to promise to keep back
the punishment Of some little, tough, broad bot
toned Dutch boy, until should come, for nv
amusement-but never kept your promise. ]
don't think ! should look with friendly eve
on the new sclIoolhouse, however nice il
might be.
"Slnce | saw you in,New York, have had
severe attacks of bilious intermittent fever.
which shook me terribly; but they cleared out
my system, and have ever since been in nv
usual excellent health, able to mount INV horse
and gallop about the country almost as briskly
MS when was youngster Wishing you the
enjoyment OF the same inestmable blessing,
ana begging you to remember me to your
daughter who penned your letter, and to your
son whom out of old Kindness and companion.
ship you have named after me.
remain ever, my old friend,
Yours very truly and cordially,
WASHINGTON IRVING.
Jesse MERwIN, Esq. ar.