To William Cullen Bryant, Esq.
SHEFFIELD, Feb. 25, 1850.
MY DEAR BRYANT,--You will remember, perhaps, our conversation when
you were last up here, about our Club [216] of the XXI. You know my
attachment to it. The loss of those pleasant meetings is indeed one of
the things I most regret in leaving the city. I cannot bear to forfeit
my place in that good company. In this feeling I am about to make a
proposition which I beg you will present for me, and that you will, as
my advocate, try to explain and show that it is not so enormous as at
first it may seem. I pray, then, my dear Magnus,{20} that you will turn
your poetical genius to account by describing the beautiful ride up the
valley of the Housatonic, and this our beautiful Berkshire, and will
put in the statistical fact that it is but six hours and a half from
New York to Sheffield,{21} and then will request the Club to meet at my
house some day in the coming summer. I name Wednesday, the 9th of June.
I propose that the proper Club-meeting be on the evening of that day.
The next day I propose that we shall spend among the mountains,-seeing
Bashpish, and, if possible, the Salisbury Lakes. And I will thank you,
as my faithful solicitor, that, if you are obliged of your knowledge
to confess to the fact of my very humble housekeeping, you will also
courageously maintain that with the aid of my friends I can make our
brethren as comfortable as people expect to be on a frolicking bout,
and that I can easily get good country wagons to take them on a jaunt
among the mountains. You will tell me, I hope, how my proposition is
received; and by received, I do not mean any vote or resolution, but
whether the gentlemen seem to think it would be a pleasant thing.
{FN 20: Mr. Dewey was wont to call his friend "our Magnus
Apollo."}
{FN 21: Now lessened to five hours.}
And when you write, tell me whether you or Mrs. Bryant chance to know
of any person who would like to [217] come up here this summer and
teach French in my sister's school an hour or two a day for a moderate
compensation. It must be a French person,--one that can speak the
language. Her school is increasing, and she must have more help.
With mine and all our kindest regards to Mrs. Bryant and Julia and
Fanny, I am, as ever,
Yours truly,