The writing of Miss Gould resembles that of Miss Leslie very nearly.
It is rather more _petite_—but has the same neatness, picturesqueness
and finish without over-effeminacy. The literary style of one who
writes thus is sure to be forcibly epigrammatic—either in detached
sentences—or in the _tout ensemble_ of the composition. Paper very
fine—wafered.
{602} LETTER XXVIII.
_Dear Sir_,—Herewith I have the honor of sending you what you desire.
If the Essay shall be found to give you any new information, I shall
not regret the trouble of having written it.
Respectfully,
[Illustration: T. R. Dew]
JOSEPH D. MILLER, Esq.
The MS. of Professor Dew is large, bold, very heavy, abrupt, and
illegible. It is possible that he never thinks of mending a pen. There
can be no doubt that his chirography has been modified, like that of
Paulding, by strong adventitious circumstances—for it appears to
retain but few of his literary peculiarities. Among the few retained,
are _boldness_ and _weight_. The abruptness we do not find in his
composition—which is indeed somewhat diffuse. Neither is the
illegibility of the MS. to be paralleled by any confusion of thought
or expression. He is remarkably lucid. We must look for the two last
mentioned qualities of his MS. in the supposition that he has been in
the habit of writing a great deal, in a desperate hurry, and with a
stump of a pen. Paper good—but only a half sheet of it—wafered.