S. S. MCCLURE, ESQ., _New York_.
_My Dear Sir_: I have yours of 19th inst., accompanied by an engraving
of an early picture of Abraham Lincoln. Please accept my thanks for
your kindness. The picture, if a likeness, must have been taken many
years before I saw him and he became the central figure in our
country's life. Indeed, I find it difficult to see in that face the
features with which we are all so familiar. It certainly is a valuable
contribution to any biography of Mr. Lincoln, and I wish that in some
way the date at which it was taken could be accurately determined.
Yours truly,