_Dear Sir_,—I have not the pleasure of your acquaintance, but thank
you for the great interest you seem to take in my welfare. I have no
relations by the name of Miller, and think you must be in error about
the family connection.
Respectfully,
[Illustration: W. Gilmore Simms]
JOSEPH G. H. MILLER, Esq.
The MS. of Mr. Simms resembles, very nearly, that of Mr. Kennedy. It
has more slope, however, and less of the picturesque—although still
much. We spoke of Mr. K.'s MS. (in our February number) as indicating
“the eye of a painter.” In our critique on the _Partisan_ we spoke of
Mr. Simms also as possessing “the eye of a painter,” and we had not
then seen his hand-writing. The two MSS. are strikingly similar. The
paper here is very fine and wafered.
{603} LETTER XXXI.
_Dear Sir_,—I have received your favor of the —— inst. and shall be
very happy in doing you the little service you mention. In a few days
I will write you more fully. Very respectfully,
Your most obedient servant,
[Illustration: Alexander Slidell]
JOSEPH I. K. MILLER, Esq.
Lieutenant Slidell's MS. is peculiar—very neat, very even, and
tolerably legible, but somewhat too diminutive. _Black lines_ have
been, apparently, used. Few tokens of literary manner or character are
to be found in this writing. The _petiteness_, however, is most
strikingly indicative of a mental habit, which we have more than once
pointedly noticed in the works of this author—we mean that of close
observation in detail—a habit which, when well regulated, as in the
case of Lieut. Slidell, tends greatly to vigor of style. Paper
excellent—wafered.