MY DEAR SIR/ TO DR. BLAKE.' WHEATLAND, 25 December, 1867. I owe you many thanks for your Biographical Sketch of Dr. Jones. I have perused it with great interest and pleasure. It is a worthy tribute to an excellent man. At the request of the first Mrs. Webster and Mrs. George Blake, I accompanied them to the house of Mrs. Mattingly a few days after the alleged miracle had been performed, and heard her own relation of all the circumstances attending it from her own lips. I have, also, to thank you for the report of the Secretary of the Treasury. Thank God! my own health is now pretty good, quite as good as a man of my age has any reason to expect. I have been cheered by the company of the Misses Pleasonton, and after their departure by that of two of my nieces, the daughters of my brother, & Miss Baker, who are still with me. They have made the house gay and agreeable. I have no local news to communicate which would be of any interest to you. I saw a Telegram, some weeks ago, announcing the death of Mrs. Eustis, and sincerely sympathize with her father on account of his sad bereavement. I presume the interest due on the Virginia bonds on the 1 January next will not be paid. Should I be mistaken, please to inform me of it so that I may send you a draft on John B. Martin, Cashier, for $220, as I did before. Wishing you with all my heart long life, health, and prosperity, I remain, ever very respectfully, DR. JOHN B. BLAKE. Your friend, JAMES BUCHANAN. Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Curtis's Buchanan, II. 661. MY DEAR SIR/ TO MR. HART.1 WHEATLAND, near LANCASTER, I have received your favor of the 23d Instant, and regret to say that I feel quite unable to prepare such a paper concerning the political & social life of the late General Cass as would be worthy of "incorporation in your work." This would involve an amount of labor which I am unwilling to undertake at my advanced period of life and in my present state of health. Besides, I never served with the General in the Senate, and it so happened that I never was on terms of personal intimacy with him whilst in the prime and vigor of his intellect, nor until after his appointment as Secretary of State in the 75th year of his age. Wishing you all the success you can desire in the preparation of a work worthy of its distinguished subject, I remain Yours very respectfully CHARLES H. HART, ESQUIRE. JAMES BUCHANAN. 1 1 Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Mr. Hart's letter was as follows: THE NUMISMATIC AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA. 1819 Chestnut Street, To HIS EXCELLENCY THE HON. JAMES BUCHANAN. MY DEAR SIR/ I trust you will pardon the liberty I take in addressing you, but I am about preparing a Memoir of the late Lewis Cass for the above Society, and knowing your close relations with him for so many years, thought you would be willing to give me your recollections and reminiscences of him both political and social, for incorporation in my work. Hoping you will feel disposed to aid me, I am, with every sentiment of esteem & regard, Your friend & obd. Servt. CHAS. H. HART. MY DEAR NIECE/ 1868. TO MRS. JOHNSTON." WHEATLAND I January 1868. I I have received yours of the 27th ultimo, and am rejoiced to know that your health is good as well as that of Baby. sincerely and ardently pray for your [boy] long life, happiness, and prosperity; and that he may become a wise and a useful man, under the blessing of Providence, in his day and generation. Much will depend on his early & Christian training. Be not too indulgent nor make him too much of an idol. . 2 Miss Emily's party passed off very well. She is gay, sprightly, and agreeable and has much more information than I had supposed. Her father is my best and most useful friend, who is always ready to serve me, and I wished to treat his daughter kindly. Harriet and Henrietta are still with me, but the former, I regret to say, will leave some time next week. 3 We have no local news of interest. The Nevins and myself get along kindly, as usual. With my kindest regards to Mr. Johnston, I remain yours, with great affection, JAMES BUCHANAN. 1 Buchanan Papers, private collection; Curtis's Buchanan, II. 662. 2 A paragraph is here omitted, in which Mr. Buchanan comments unfavorably upon the plan made for a certain youth to discontinue his education and go into business, as if money were "the chief good." Mr. Buchanan adds, "I dislike to think of it." A paragraph is here omitted, which relates partly to the unfortunate experience of Mr. Buchanan with Judge Black's son-in-law, Mr. Shunk, who went to Wheatland to aid Mr. Buchanan in the preparation of his memoirs, but failed to put into form the materials which were furnished to him largely by Mr. Buchanan's dictation. See, supra, pp. 438-9, 448-9. MY DEAR EMILY/ TO MISS BAKER.1 WHEATLAND I January 1868. I have received your kind note of the 30th, and can assure you we all missed you very much and I was almost brokenhearted at your departure. Still, I think I shall survive in the hope that you may visit us again during the winter. I thank you for the Church Journal. It must be a paper according to your own heart. I think I can see you standing gracefully on the highest pinnacle of Ritualism and taking your flight over to Romanism. You will not have a difficult passage to the dome of St. Peter's. John Strube has, I believe, got a place for the winter; but I have no doubt he will gladly go to your father as a gardener in the Spring. The two girls and Miss Hetty send their kindest love to you. With my very best wishes for your health, prosperity, & happiness, I remain respectfully & affectionately MISS EMILY N. Baker. Your friend, JAMES BUCHANAN. Please to tell your father that I have not heard of or from Mr. Reed, although in his last letter he stated positively he would be here last week after Christmas, when there would be holiday at his son's school. MY DEAR SIR: TO MR. CAPEN.2 WHEATLAND, January 11, 1868. Many thanks for your kind New Year's greeting! The friendship and good wishes which you express for me are cordially reciprocated. May you live many years in health, peace and 1Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Curtis's Buchanan, II. 662. prosperity, and may your great work prove to be a triumph for yourself and a lasting benefit for your country! I think you were right in not turning away from it to write a volume of four hundred pages, as a political hand-book for the next Presidential campaign. Such a volume would be highly useful and important, but it may well be prepared by Messrs. Burke and Gillet. Should they undertake the task, I would suggest that you recommend to them a careful perusal of the debates and proceedings of Congress during the extra session, after the election of General Harrison (first Session of 27th Congress, 1841). Mr. Burke was then a member of the House. Thank God! I now enjoy reasonably good health. NAHUM CAPEN, ESQ. JAMES BUCHANAN. TO GOVERNOR BIGLER.' WHEATLAND, near LANCASTER, MY DEAR SIR/ Although my age and position prevent me from taking any active part in politics, they do not prevent me from feeling the deepest interest in the success of the Democratic party at the approaching Presidential election. It is for this reason I now address you. I have not been able, I confess, to feel that degree of confidence in our success which would seem everywhere to prevail. It is true, from the result of recent elections and the justice of our principles, we have good reason to hope for victory; but is there not cause to fear that we have passed from too much despondency to too much confidence? Much will depend on the character of our nominee. He ought to be such a man as would not be exposed to attack, whether justly or unjustly, for his past 1 Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. |