p.

(Private)
Richmond, Jan. 23, '37.

My Dear Friend,

It has been entirely out of my power
to answer your kind favor of the 17th 'till to-day.

Betwixt my office and my domicile, my
whole time has been consumed — i.e. ever since
my return to Richmond. At last, my poor wife
seems to be better — and we begin to think
we may yet conquer the disease, which is
pronounced by the physicians cancer in her
womb. She has had already a 5 months siege
of it. My hands are once more at work
but their "strike" has been a serious drawback
as well as a great injury to me in a pecuniary
point of view — one that will cost me months
of hard labor to recover from.

By tomorrow night's mail I will send you
rough sheets of my Jan. No. in which you will find
your article on the "Rights of Authors," though not
in the part of the Messenger I promised you
it should be placed. This was, however,
intended I assure you, in no ways as a mark of
disrespect. But its getting where it now stands,
was unavoidable, in consequence of arrangements
which had been previously made by others — as
well by the fact of my attention being called
from my office when it was made up. This, I
hope, will be an ample apology on my part.
You will nevertheless find yourself in both
good and enlightened company. You came