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in an unfashionable part of the city, + I was assured all his expenditures for living were in keeping with his residence, while he is a man of wealth + owns several fine houses + by birth + education might rank with the aristocracy of Boston. All this, with all the worldly distinc tion and greatness, which, by reason of his surpassing eloquence + talnt only awaits his taking, he lays upon the altar of Humanity, dedicating all he has + all he is to the cause of the [perishing?]. I know not another instance of such entire [consideration?].
I notice with minged emotions of pleasure + pain, of hope + fear thy account of the several mem bers of thy dear family. I trust thou my [?] finds comfort in the reflection that they are all in the hands of one able to shelter + protect then + that however thou may differ from some of them in judgment as to their pursuits, yet they are all conscientiously + faithfully following their own convictions of duty, + hence their reward will be sure + will be [peace?]. I do not know how much longer our dear [Rob?] will be restrained from joining the army Nothing keeps him back now but my great unwilling ness to let him go + if he should be drafted I suppose nothing will induce him to offer an excuse + yet he could very probably be excused for unsoundness. I say to him + all others - I do not regard it the duty of any man of our young men from the North to sacri fice their lives in Southern swamps in carrying on this semblance of a war, when there are enough there on the ground ready + anxious + only wait for the word to put
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[Upside down at top of page] I knew it would be very lonely here, but I did not realise the feeling in its bitterness until it was experienced We may truly say none can fully sympathise with us but those who have had a similar [loss?]. I found things more comfortable as to living than I expected + the dear boys are as kind as I can wish.
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Ferrisburgh 8th [M.?] 10th 1862
Dear Cousin Rachel
Thy letter of 7 [M.?] was handed me on my reaching home after a much longer absence than I contemplated but my visits were all made so agreeable by the cordial welcome which every where greeted me (unless there is a greater amount of well-played [deceit?] in the wicked world than I am willing to believe) that the time passed way almost imperceptibly so that I did not [reach?] the poor old lonely home till the 27th of last month.
My last to thee was from [Waterloo?], I think, I do not recall much of its contents but suppose I gave thee some account of matters + things there - how the family was getting along + how greatly Sister Ann was improved in health + strength. I had never seen her so strong + healthy since she first came into our family. I left [Waleston?] the 3rd of [?]. Sister going with me as
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Please to tell us what proportion of black wool to use for stockings [for?] the boys [and?] send love if they [been?] [here?] Mine is to them + all Thy affectionate Cousin [Ro? T Robinson?}
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far as Syracuse, for the purpose of visiting A. Orvis + family, where I left her on the 5th to find her way back when sh should complete her visit + [?] N.Y. on the morning of the [20th?] I made my headquearters at [Ward H. + Niobe?] [Blackler's?] ([Hoger's?] sister) until, by pre-rrangement they were obliged to shut up house for the summer + retreat to the country, where I took lodgings with Cousin Emma, except spending two nights + a day on Staten Island with Edward & Agatha Mayer + Gertrude Newman + on the 17th took the Fall River boat back for Newport - Spent about a week thereabouts - mostly at Thos. R. Hazard's - 6 miles out of town, went by stage to Fall River, thence by rail to Boston, spent one day there + then home. I too found a melancholy pleasure in looking at the old land marks + [tracing?] the footpaths once so familir to a long line of my ancestors - all now the denisons of another +, I trust, better city. The old house at the point has three of the rooms below unchanged except the painting + windows, [were?] modernised, the other lower rooms, which I
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had the privilege of going over, are somewhat altered + enlarged. In my enumeration I did not include the front hall, which is also the same as when I first saw it at least fifty years ago. The same old Ostrich Egg hangs in the Beaufet just as it did then. On getting on the stage at Portsmouth for Fall River I found myself seated between two genteel looking [col?] young men, one of whom I found to be Jos [Joseph] Turpin - the little boy who, with his sister was for some years somewhat under my care + boarded + went to school at brother Nathan's. Thou will recollect them; their father was the Freedman of Wm Turpin a rich man in N.Y. by whom he -Jos' father - became possessor of a considerable property. I found him very intelligent + well informed, had married + lost his wife + was now a resident of Liberia where he was a merchant trading to New York.
Among the many interesting objects to be seen in Boston, no other was so striking to me as the resi dence of Wendell Phillips - an [unpretending, inferior looking house - though doubtless quite comfortable, standing
