Memoir of John Howe Peyton Part 13

This, however, will not be the case in the latter part of the session when bills of more importance are sent to us.

Who will be Senator or Governor is as yet altogether uncertain--numbers are nominated for each station, of course, many must be disappointed.

The wound inflicted on Dr. Stribling and the death of the Rev. James C.

Wilson have filled me with grief. I do not think the Superintendent of the Hospitals should permit the lunatics to carry arms and wander about town. You know that I have more than once expressed apprehensions as to our connection Towles.[15]

[15] He was an inmate of the Asylum but allowed to go at large.

I have not seen Anne Robertson since my return. I was invited to an evening party at Judge Robertson's to-day, but declined.

Many enquiries have been made by Susan's friends as to her reasons for not coming down with me. Rumor a.s.signs as the season that she is to be married. I have contradicted it and asked Anne Robertson to do so.

If Channing declines going to my Calf Pasture farm, I will rent it to Crawford. If you see Crawford tell him so, and ask him to call on me when I return. Tell Brown not to let slip this opportunity or he may not hereafter be able to fill the ice house. Give my love to all and accept the same,

From your affectionate husband, JOHN H. PEYTON.

JOHN H. PEYTON TO HIS WIFE.

Charlottesville, Oct. 11th, 1840.

_My Dear Wife_:

I reached here on my return from Richmond, where I received your letter of the 6th of October. The reports you have heard are true in part and in part false. It is true I had my pockets picked as soon as I reached Richmond, which was between 12 and 1 o'clock on Sat.u.r.day, but it is not true that I had so large a sum of money with me as rumored. I had only $500 with me, which was stolen, together with my umbrella, tobacco bag, pipe, etc.

It occurred thus: My trunk was in the baggage car of the train, with my overcoat and umbrella strapped on top. The cars were crowded to overflowing, and on reaching Richmond the younger part commenced cheering for "Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too." The station was surrounded by an immense crowd when the train arrived, which cheered l.u.s.tily by way of welcome to us. About this time the Fredericksburg train arrived, which increased the crowd, the noise and confusion. After leaving the train, I pressed forward to secure my baggage. This I succeeded in doing as to the trunk, which was, however, _minus_ the overcoat and umbrella, and, placed it in charge of Tom Preston,[16] who was traveling with me.

I then returned to the cars in search of the lost articles, though it was very difficult to get through the ma.s.s of human beings, and when in the densest part of the crowd felt a man pus.h.i.+ng me forward from behind and one in front pressing me back. The one in front interfered with my progress so much that I seized him with both hands and dashed him out of the way, at the same time demanding what he meant by his conduct. He apologized humbly, saying it was an accident due to the crowd.

Re-entering the cars I heard the conductor crying out "beware of pickpockets." Upon which, feeling my pocket, I discovered that my purse and pocket-book were gone. I have no doubt my pocket was robbed while I was between the two scoundrels outside. Many others fared no better than myself. Next morning a man was arrested while his hands were in a gentleman's pocket. I visited this fellow in jail with Mr. Seymour, and he was very much the size and appearance of the man I thrust out of my way, but I could not identify him fully. He said he was an Englishman and had only been three months in America--was in Baltimore when Mr.

Webster came to Virginia, that Mr. W's fame in England was so great that he felt a strong desire to hear him speak, and came on to Richmond for that purpose; that he had no acquaintances in Richmond nor other business there, and had brought no baggage. His extraordinary account satisfied me that he was one of a gang of professional pickpockets from abroad, who had come here to plunder during the excitement of our Presidential election. I have no hope of recovering my money or any part of it, which I much regret as I intended purchasing you a new carriage.

We must use the old one a little longer.

[16] Thomas L. Preston, of Abingdon, and brother of Hon. Wm. C. Preston, of South Carolina.

Your sister Sarah arrived here the same day with myself. She looks grave and depressed. The term of the court will be short, so that you may expect my return soon. With love to Susan and the rest of the family,

Your affectionate husband, JOHN H. PEYTON.

SAME TO SAME.

Richmond, January 8th, 1841.

_My dear wife_:

I send as presents to you and my daughter Mary, two of the most superb cloaks that I have ever seen and such is the opinion of others who have seen them. Yours is grave, elegant and becoming, Mary's is rich, magnificent, das.h.i.+ng and unsurpa.s.sed for beauty, and is of the kind now all the rage. She will look beautiful in it.

I carried the old toddy spoon and the broken silver spoons to Mr.

Mitch.e.l.l, and he agreed to let me have in exchange a half dozen silver spoons. He has also agreed to let me have a dozen silver table spoons and a dozen small spoons, and some forks, but I do not know what they will cost.

The Senate after altering the t.i.tle of the bill for shortening the sessions of the legislature, a bill to reduce the wages of the members of the legislature was introduced and pa.s.sed unanimously.

Sarah Lewis and Miss Lewis have been visited by all my brother's family and by the Governor and family, and perhaps others.

I hope to send your cloaks by Mr. Valentine, who proposes to leave here on Tuesday in the cars. I have them boxed and ready. They cost heavily, as you will see from the bills in the box, viz: $58.93. Woodville is here, and is with Judge Allen, Judge Baldwin, and myself every day.

I purchased at auction to-day a Pier gla.s.s with a Marble top, to occupy the place in front of the mirror in the drawing room, as you requested.

It is handsome, and the mirrors below the table I think will fit the place precisely.

The affectionate leave-taking we had on the morning we parted, sank deeply into my heart, and I shall long recollect it. Present me affectionately to my dear children and accept my sincerest regard.

Your affectionate husband, JOHN H, PEYTON.

P. S. Gen'l Baldwin and myself are to visit Miss Deborah this evening.

PEYTON.

SAME TO SAME.

Senate Chamber, March 15th, 1841.

_My Dear Ann_:

I shall leave here, if no accident occurs to prevent, on Thursday next, on my return. I will stop in Charlottesville on Friday to confer with Cochran on business matters, and expect to reach home on Sat.u.r.day. I regret to leave before the Senate adjourns, as this is a period of interest as to our general legislation, but I have paired with Carter, and I have an engagement at home which is imperative. I feel great anxiety to see you and the dear little stranger who has never seen her father. Would not Virginia be a good name for the child, as I was denied the pleasure of seeing her earlier, in the service of the State. I submit the matter, to you.[17] Farewell till we meet. Love to all.

In haste, your affectionate husband, JOHN H. PEYTON.

[17] The child was named Virginia Frances, and is, in 1894, the widow of Col. Joseph F. Kent, of Wytheville, Va., and the mother of three fine children.

FROM JOHN H. PEYTON TO HIS SON, JOHN LEWIS PEYTON.

Richmond, Dec. 29th, 1841.

_My Dear John_:

Your letter of the 23d of December is before me. It is true that I have been unwell with a cold, but this has not confined me at any time to my room, and I am now much better. As to your plans, it was not my wish or intention that you should resume your studies until after the holidays.

You entirely misunderstood my letter to your mother, if you suppose that I am opposed to your continuing the study of Greek, Latin or French. In my letter to your mother, I was contrasting the benefits to be derived from a study of the languages, ancient and modern, with those to be derived from the Mathematics, in which I gave a decided preference to Mathematics. I did not intend that you should infer that I was opposed to your acquiring the languages. So far from this, I have no idea that a man can have any pretensions to the character of a scholar without a knowledge of them as well Mathematics. It is my wish, therefore, that you should devote yourself to these studies under the care and direction of Mr. Waddell. If you have time to read at home, I wish you to peruse: 1st, Gillie's Greece; 2d, Rollins' Roman History; 3d, Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; 4th, Hume's History of England, and postpone Philosophy and Chemistry for the present. At a later period, I will give you a list of authors you should read, in the order in which they should come, for it is true, as Locke says, to quote him as near as I can from memory, "educations begins the gentleman, but reading, good company, and reflection, must finish him." I may remark here, that in a course of reading, you should pursue method, and in order to make yourself familiar with the literature of a country and people, say our mother country, England, you should confine yourself for a time to the authors of a particular era, such as the Anglo-Saxon period; then the Anglo-Norman period, which will bring you down to about 1350, when the character styled Black-letter, or Old English, was used, and so on. You will find a fund of historic lore in Hall's History of the Houses of York and Lancaster, Hollingshead's Chronicles, Stowe's Chronicles, Camden's Britannia, Lord Bacon's Henry VII., nearly all of which is in my library.

There is one thing, my son, that is indispensable now, and you will find it equally so in all your undertakings through life--and is something in which you are wanting, that is industry and a firm resolution to make yourself master of every study or pursuit in which you engage. Have unity of aim, perseverance, and you must succeed. Most of the miseries and vices of mankind proceed from idleness and a wrong direction given to their energies. I ardently desire your success and the progress you make now will decide whether or not I shall be gratified or disappointed. Address yourself anew to your books, and though from your previous neglect and want of training, you may progress slower than you would wish, and than some would do in your position, I know enough of your parts to feel a perfect conviction that you can reach the goal as certainly as the brightest of your youthful companions. A word more as to your studies. While I consider a knowledge of the languages essential to a gentleman, I regard mathematics as essential to a liberal education, and as, indeed, the most important part of it, mathematics is the perfection of reason, and its peculiar excellence consists in the fact that its principles are demonstratable--especially is this the case in geometry, the most general and important of the mathematical sciences. Every proposition that it lays down is subjected to the most accurate and rigid demonstration. Mathematics is, in fact, the only science whose truths are clearly demonstrated, and whose results are conceded by all rational beings. If you state a proposition in morals, philosophy, in law, politics or religion, which you think correct, you will find few of your listeners willing to acknowledge its truth. You debate the question, but you have no means of deciding who is right. Not so in mathematics. There demonstrations are so clear and conclusive that all rational men yield to them. Hence it has been called the science of certainty. By acquiring mathematics then you acquire a science that you know to be founded upon correct reasoning, and when you are disputing a point of law, politics, theology or morals, you will be enabled to ascertain more certainly those arguments that lead to a correct conclusion, and at the same time with the more ease to discover those that are fallacious and sophistical. He who gives a portion of his time and talents I have somewhere read, to the investigation of mathematical truth, will come to see all other questions with a decided advantage over his opponents. He will be in argument what the ancient Romans were in the field; to them the day of battle was a day of comparative recreation, because they were each accustomed to exercise with arms much heavier than they fought with; and their reviews differed from a real battle in two respects, they encountered more fatigue, but victory was bloodless. Therefore determine to make yourself a mathematician, as well as a linguist--a thorough scholar. The pursuits of knowledge lead not only to happiness but to honor. "Length of days is in her right hand and in her left are riches and honor." Even in the most trifling species of knowledge, in those which can amuse only the pa.s.sing hour, it is honorable to excel--how much more so to excel in those different branches of science, which are connected with the liberal professions of life, and which tend so much to the dignity and well-being of humanity.

Such excellence raises the most obscure to esteem and attention, it opens to the just ambition of youth, some of the most distinguished and respected situations in society; and it places them there with the consoling recollection, that it is by their own industry and labor, under Providence, that they are alone indebted for them.

Remember me to the family and such persons as may be visiting you.

I am your affectionate father, JOHN H. PEYTON.