Your ever affectionate daughter, E. S.
Medford, Jan’y 9th, 1798.
My Good Father:
The contents of your letter surprised me at first; it may sometimes be
of service to me, for while I have such a monitor, I never can act
contrary to such advice. No, my Father, I hope by the help of Heaven
never to cause shame or misery to attend the grey hairs of my Parents
nor myself, but on the contrary to _glad_ your declining years with
happiness and that you may never have cause to rue the day that gave me
existence. My heart feels no attachment except to my family. I respect
many of my friends but _love_ none but my Parents. Your letter shall be
my guide from home, and when I again behold our own peaceful mansion
then will I again be guided by my Parents’ happiness,—their happiness
shall be my pursuit. My heart overflows with gratitude toward you and my
good Mother. I am sensible of the innumerable obligations I am under to
you. You mention in your letter about my pieces, which you say you
imagine are purloined; I am very sorry if they are, for I set more by
them than any of my pieces; one was the Mariner’s Compass, and the other
was a Geometrical piece. I spent Thanksgiving at Mrs. Little’s and
Christmas here. I have finished my large Manuscript Arithmetic and want
to get it bound, and then I shall send it to you. I have done a small
Geometry book and shall begin a large one to-morrow, such a one as you
saw at Mr. Wyman’s if you remember. It is the beginning of a new year;
allow me then to pay you the compliments of the season.—I pray that this
year to you may prove a year of health, prosperity, and love. My quarter
will be out the 8th day of next month, it will be in about four weeks. I
wish you would write me soon how I am to come home—for I wish to know.
I should be very glad if _you_ could make it convenient to come for me,
for I wish _you_ to come. Give my love to Irene and tell her I believe
she owes me a letter; if you please you may tell her that part of my
letter which concerns school affairs.
My love is due to all who will take the trouble to ask after me. Tell
Mamma I have begun the turban and will send it as soon as I finish it.
When I see her I will tell her why I did not do it before.
Accept my sincere wishes that My Parents may enjoy all the happiness
that ever mortals know.
Still I hope I am
Your _dutiful_ Daughter,
ELIZA SOUTHGATE.
Robert Southgate, Esq.
Boston, Jan. 30, 1798.
My Honored Father:
By Capt. Bradbury I was informed that you wished me to come home with
him, which I should have complied with, had not I have seen my Uncle
William[9] to-day, and he informed me that you had concluded to let me
spend some time in Boston, which I was very glad to hear. I shall now
wait until I hear certain, which I wish you to send me word by the next
post.—I shall enclose in this a card of Mrs. Rawson’s terms which you
may peruse; until then I remain with the same affection,
Your dutiful Daughter, ELIZA S.
Boston, February 13, 1798.
Hon. Father:
I am again placed at school under the tuition of an amiable lady, so
mild, so good, no one can help loving her; she treats all her scholars
with such a tenderness as would win the affection of the most savage
brute, tho’ scarcely able to receive an impression of the kind. I learn
Embroidery and Geography at present and wish your permission to learn
Musick. You may justly say, my best of Fathers, that every letter of
mine is one which is asking for something more; never contented—I only
ask, if you refuse me, I know you do what you think best, and I am sure
I ought not to complain, for you have never yet refused me anything that
I have asked, my best of Parents, how shall I repay you? You answer, by
your good behaviour. Heaven grant that it may be such as may repay you.
A year will have rolled over my head before I shall see my Parents. I
have ventured from them at an early age to be so long a time absent, but
I hope I have learnt a good lesson by it—a lesson of experience, which
is the best lesson I could learn.
I have described one of the blessings of creation in Mrs. Rawson, and
now I will describe Mrs. Wyman as the reverse: she is the worst woman I
ever knew of all that I ever saw; nobody knows what I suffered from the
treatment of that woman—I had the misfortune to be a favorite with Miss
Haskell and Mr. Wyman, she said, and she treated me as her own malicious
heart dictated; but whatever is, is right, and I learnt a good lesson by
it. I wish you, my Father, to write an answer soon and let me know if I
may learn music.—Give my best respects to my good Mother, tho’ what I
say to my Father applies to my Mother as much as to my Father. May it
please the disposer of all events to return me safe home to the bosom of
my friends in health safely. I never was happier in my life I think, and
my heart overflows toward my heavenly Father for it; and may it please
him to continue it and afford it to my Parents, is the sincere wish of
Your ELIZA SOUTHGATE.
Robert Southgate, Esqr.
Boston, May 12th, 1798.
My dear Parents:
Now at the end of the week, when my hopes are almost exhausted of seeing
my brother, I attempt to address you,—a task which was once delightful
but now painful since my Mother’s last letter. I see my errors, and if I
can hope they will no longer be remembered by my Parents, I shall again
be happy.
My Mother’s letter greatly surprised me after having received so
different a one from my Father. Indeed, my Parents, did you think I
would any longer cherish a passion _you_ disapproved? After expressing
your disapprobation it was enough, your _wishes are_ and ever shall be
my commands. I have spent a week of painful expectation; no letter, no
brother, no father have come, and I am now in anxious expectation to
receive a letter to-night, but I dare not hope it to be so. Do, my
Father, as soon as you receive this send for me as soon as possible, for
my quarter at Mrs. Rawson’s was out last Saturday, and as circumstances
are, I thought it proper not to go to Mr. Boyd’s. I beg of you to send
for me home directly, for I only board at Mrs. Rawson’s now, for I am in
expectation of seeing or hearing every day and therefore I have not
begun any more work. My time is spending without gain. I am at Mrs.
Frazier’s and have been here ever since Thursday. I shall go back to
Mrs. Rawson’s to-night and there wait for further orders. Time hangs
more heavy than ever it did before. I am with the most sincere Respect
and affection
Your daughter ELIZA.
R. & M. Southgate.
Scarborough, Dec. 16th.
I am sorry to have given Aunt Porter such an opportunity of charging me
with neglect in executing her commission, but I can easily convince her
I did not deserve censure; for until last Friday I never received yours
of Nov. 22nd, and I shall execute that part of Aunt’s request which I
can in Scarborough—the gown patterns I shall enclose. The one with a fan
back is meant to just meet before and pin the Robings, no string belt or
any thing. The other pattern is a plain waist with strips of the same
sticked on, and for white, laced between with bobbin or cord. I have a
muslin done so with black silk cord, which looks very handsome—and I
have altered my brown silk into one like the other pattern. I was over
at Saco yesterday and saw one Mary [King] had made in Boston. It was a
separate waist, or rather the breadths did not go quite up. The waist
was plain with one stripe of cording let in behind and the rest of the
waist perfectly plain—the skirt part was plaited in box plaits 3 of a
side—which reached to the shoulder strap and only enough left to meet
strait before, as is one of the patterns I have sent. You ask so many
questions that I hardly know how to answer them. Isabella is almost
recovered—her family well. The baby I believe will be named Charles
Orlando. The assemblies begin next Thursday—as also do Saco assemblies,
and on Friday I go to the Saco assembly—probably I shall go to next
Portland assembly. You ask how Mr. Little and Laura do? A strange
question. Laura is well or was last Thursday, and Mr. Little is soon to
be married to Miss Bowman of Exeter.
Papa has been confined to the house a week yesterday by a wound on his
leg which he made with an axe, he wounded the tendon which leads from
his great toe up, he cut it a little above the ankle—it has been very
painful. Give my love to Aunt, tell her I shall not be able to come down
this winter, for my next visit will be to Boston. Write me the next
opportunity respecting the sables, and the time and how Uncle goes to
Boston that I may be in readiness.
Family all well.