I am glad to learn that you intend to publish your narrative and
descriptive writings, in a collected form. I have read parts of them
as they were published separately, and the great pleasure derived from
the perusal makes me desirous of having the whole in my possession.
They carry us into the fastnesses of our mountains, the depth of our
forests, the watery wilderness of our lakes and rivers, giving us
pictures of savage life and savage tribes, Indian legends, fishing and
hunting anecdotes, the adventures of trappers and backwoodsmen; our
whole arcanum, in short, of indigenous poetry and romance: to use a
favorite phrase of the old discoverers, “they lay open the secrets of
the country to us.”
I return you thanks for the delightful entertainment which your Summer
rambles have afforded me. I do not see that I have any literary advice
to give you, excepting to keep on as you have begun. You seem to have
the happy, enjoyable humor of old Izaak Walton, and I trust you will
give us still further scenes and adventures on our great internal
waters, depicted with the freshness and skill of your present volumes.