File:Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Mary (Longfellow) Greenleaf, 22 May 1850 (e82b57fe-5876-42b5-b627-43069665358c).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-020#017

Washington. May 22d 1850.
Dear Mary,
After my long silence I write you from this curious city, which may amaze you if you have not heard from Portland of our intended journey. The desire to meet my father, who was not well enough to undertake New Orleans & the West, & to escape a month of east winds so disagreeable to me last year, induced us to accompany Mrs Appleton here, where we have passed a week very pleasantly, not having yet found summer weather, but something much better than we should have had at home. My father arrived here a day before us from Charleston, looking very thin after his Cuba visit, & with more cough than we hoped to find, but feels well & has only bronchial troubles to contend with. Jewett has proved a most admirable nurse, for poor papa was reduced very low in strength from a bilious attack at Havana, & we all feel [p. 2] very grateful for his devoted care. This weather is quite autumnal with a bright sun & fresh air, & the invalid will remain a week or two longer, but we must turn our faces homeward tomorrow, as Henry cannot longer desert his duties. The children are with us & have gained greatly on corn bread & good air, for Charley was miserably thin with repeated colds before we left, & much enjoy all the new sights & the freedom they have in these airy corridors. They went with us, the other morning, to the White House, & the old General shook hands with them much to their delight. They dictate a journal to their papa & some day will be entertained by its contents.
We have seen Mrs Wadsworth several times, & took Louly with us to the President’s Levée in the evening. She is now a very pretty girl of 16 – with all the dignity of that age. Mrs W. looks better, I think, than when at the North, more lively & with a shade more color, but the poor Commodore was a most painful sight to us – such death in life must be [p. 3] very hard to bear as well as to witness. He sits almost motionless & without speech, with only a kind of spasmodic laugh now & then, but hears perfectly, & enjoys, they say, the conversation going on about him. We have called at the other houses in Franklin Row but have only seen Mrs Smith. We have had our time pretty well filled up with calls & engagements, & I have not attempted the Senate, it is so crowded if anything worth hearing is going on. Henry stood several hours to her Mr Soulé & was well repaid for his fatigue. He thought he made an admirable speech for cleanness of argument &c tho’ of course he cannot agree with him. We have seen Madame who is certainly a belle Créole. We have had a beautiful dinner at the Calderons (the poor man is very nervous about Cuba) a charming breakfast at the Websters, a party at Mr Winthrops where we dine again today with the Bulwers & Bodiscos. Henry was yesterday at a grand dinner at Mr Corcorans & many more could we accept if we chose, but I do not desire [p. 4] gaiety having been so quiet all winter. It is very amusing here for a short time seeing such varieties of people & hearing politics discussed with such frankness & freedom. Mr Clay has the next parlor to ours & often favors us with a chat. He is impatient to have his compromise acceded to, but there seems little promise of any speedy decision on these important matters – all dread a long summer session. We have a lively widow here with a pretty daughter, Mrs Ashley, from St. Louis. I dare say you have heard of her & of her many flirtations. Edward Austin arrived last night & reports Boston as freezing. There was music yesterday in the Capitol grounds & such swarm of pretty children – my chicks enjoyed it much! The President we found very cordial, & hearing my name he darted at Henry saying “This must be Mr Longfellow, I remember him well” which amused us greatly as they never met before! Carry Greenleafs wedding-cake reached me before I left home. I should like to see her as a young bride. The poor Websters we left still living upon hope of the Gov’s pardon & their faith in their father’s innocence. The trial has been most unfairly abused & if a new one was had I fear the Dr would have even [p. 1 cross] less chance of exciting sympathy, so many bad stories have come out against him since, & he has shown such frivolity & falseness during the other. We wanted to bring Annie with us but I believe the sight of the Commodore would be too sad for her. Our love to James & Anne Sophia & many kisses from the chicks –
ever yr affte
Fanny E.L.

• Keywords: correspondence; long archives; frances e. a. longfellow papers (long 20257); frances elizabeth (appleton) longfellow; people; document; washington dc; united states; places; subject; social life; travel; Correspondence (1011/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001); (LONG-SubseriesName); 1850 (1011/002.001-020); (LONG-FileUnitName)