The morning times., 1895-11-10
Clarendon Hotel.

New York. April 8, 1858.
MY dear Mrs. Bayne, l received your
kind letter at washington, here PASSED
some three W ecks pleasantly enough aHnong
the great folks OF the Republic, and re-
ceiving a great deal of hospitality from
them and our Minister. Mr.. Champion. ihe
the mcst hospitable OF all possible dlpio-
matists.
Il saw the two Presidents fthey came
together TO my lectuTel, and Gincd at tie
White House in the reign OF the late Sover-
eign, Nr. Fillmore. Then " snt way into
Virginia, crossing the pretty Rappahanna
" here you know the EDMOND family had
their large estatesl.
1t gave me a queer sensation TO see the
place and iancied The story was actually
true for minute or tWo-and that one
might ride over yonder hills and come
upon the old Mansion House here the
little colonel lived with his jealous wife.
But W hat am talking OF? Colonel Esmond
is forgotten in this country, and, ] sup
pose, in ours.
Here The reign of novels is for very
brief season indeed, and MY Novel" and
'.yillette" have long since had The better
OF Mr.. Esmond and his perig igged oompan-
ions. i have not made a fortune In four
months, but snug little sum of money,
" hich Will grow, let US hole, now l have
made a beginning. Perhaps / may come
back another year with another venture.
but all this depends upon the Fates and To-
morrow, of which no man is the master.
AT Charleston l net your young kins-
man Rankin, who met with misiiap poor
fellow, at the hotel. where he was robbed
of ego. a great slice out of a subalterns S
travelling supply. / shall see him again in
Montreal next eek most probably, where
l shall find winter still lingering in the
lap of May, having left spring. and almost
summer, fortnight since at Savannah and
Charleston.
II come away from the South not so
Mortified as perhaps / ought to be with
slavery, which in the towns is not by any
means horrifying institution. Tue negroes
in the good families are the happiest,
LATEST. cUmfortab blest race of menials
They are kept luXuriously in working
time and cared for most benevoiently in
old age-one white does the work of four
of them, and one negro that can work has
his old parents very likely a. nd young chil-
dren that ca nit. 1t is the worst of econo my,
slavery, that can be. the clumsiest and
most costly domestic and agricultural
machine that ever was devised.
Uncle Toms Cabin and the TRADES
of the abolitionists mayn't destroy it,
but common sense infaliibly will before
long, and every proprietor would be rid
of his slaves II he could. not in the CO ton
growing States / mean but in households
and common agricultural estates.
ut is drearily unpicturesque country
for the most part. have not seen dozen
picluresque-yiew through all my wander
ings nor ever cared TO use a pencil ex-
cept to sketch negro or two; and these
are wonderful for their grotesquen ness.
oddity, and pathetic drollery, SO to speak
.Oh, what a comfort it will be to see
the old country again and to slut up these
wearisome lectures! / am so sick of them
that / vow to revolt day after day. 1t is
only the thought of those young ladies at
Paris that makes me continue this ambula-
tory quack business
II have made many kind and pleasant
friends, some whom 1 hope to like and re-
member all mylife. Thereare Just as good
not so many-ladies and gentlemen here as
with us, and have lost my heart twice or
thrice quite satisfactorily, and recovered
it, too, not In the least injured by the
temporary abstraction, during my stay here.
1.-The luxury of this city is prodigious, aud
surely Solomon in all his glory or the Queen
of Sheba when she came to visit him In
state was not arrayed so magnificeDtly as
these New York damsels. / send my very
best regards to all our kinsfolk and friends,
and that judicious critic who preferred read
ing about Marlborough to seeing yelling
tons cbsequies. 1 hope, ID. ", to be home
before many months are over, and am al
ways yours. most sincerely.
wv II. THACKERAY."