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POLK Letters : June 27, 1859
1859, June 27
Bishop Polk, New Orleans, La., to Mrs. Elliott, re: Bishop Elliot's recent visit to New Orleans, his apparent good health and his enjoyment of all the hospitalities that were tendered him; leaving New Orleans for Georgia with immediate intent to change the time of the convention from June to May; promising to write immediately to inform him of his success and also and especially of the probability of his return to Mississippi and Alabama to raise funds for the endowment for the University; having failed to hear from him since he left in Jan., his fear that some mishap may have fallen on him; beseeching her to let him know if he had arrived home safely. 4 pp. ( 1 mss. original and 1 typed copy, 1 Photostat).
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{encircled 22}
New Orleans
June 27. 1859.
My dear Mrs Elliott,
Knowing the tender regards in which you hold your estimable husband, & the very great importance of his valuable life to his young family, to say nothing of the Church of God, I dare not longer conceal from you the fact that an unusual degree of solicitude for his formal safety is entertained by his friends in Louisiana.
You are aware that he came to us from Georgia on a mission connected with the endowment of the University of the South. He arrived about the 22'd Jany & was my guest during his stay in this city. I had never seen
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him looking better, or indeed in better spirits. I may say in truth, that he appeared to enjoy the hospitalities that were tendered him with an unusual degree of cheerfulness, & with marked interest in the parties who were invited to meet him.
This, as I now remember, was strikingly the case of a select party at Dr {illegible}, at which Gen'l Scott & Col Forest all were present. But indeed there was no evidence of any other than the most happy impressions made upon his mind by all that he saw & experienced during his stay in our city.
I exceedingly regretted that the character of his & my engagements was of so pressing a nature as to restrict his knowledge of things in this region -- so far
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as the {illegible} -- life is concerned, to {illegible: side?} from my own dwelling -to Magazine Street & the St Charles Hotel. My wish was to have taken him on an excursion on the {illegible: Fallin?} of waters, as well as to have shown him some of the beauties of our Bayous meandering through "the jungles," but his duty to his {illegible: post?} & diocese & family, as he informed me, constrained him to terminate his visit before this was practicable.
He left me therefore, & the duty he was upon, I am satisfied, with great regrets, assuring me that he would return immediately to Georgia & attempt to change the time of the meeting of his Convention from June to May, & that he would write me immediately{underlined} on his return informing me of his success & also & especially, of the proba-
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bility of his return to the state of Miss: or Ala: to resume his work of raising the endowment.
Having more than once deplored to use the{underlined} infrequency{underlined} of{underlined} our{underlined} intercourse{underlined} by{underlined} letter{underlined}, & being so notable among his brethren for his general {illegible: ...plitude} as a correspondent, & especially aware as he could not but be, of our anxiety for his safe return to you & your children, I am constrained to the conclusion that some mishap must have betided him, since we have not had the {illegible: scrap? scrape?} of a {illegible: pen?} from him since his departure.
The solicitude of my whole family, to whom he endeared himself while with us, but especially that of my little Lucia is {illegible: ----fully?} excited for his safety. You will therefore greatly oblige us if you will say whether you have had any tidings of him. Very truly yours
Leonidas Polk