File:Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Mary (Appleton) Mackintosh, 29 November 1858 (57851712-d07b-4e67-8c44-d7d3fea5c042).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-028#012

Cambridge. Nov 29th /58.
Dear Mary,
Young Mr Holland goes out by this steamer & I hope he will go & see you & report of us. Professor Childs, of our College, goes also to wed Miss Sedgwick, who is with her mother at Nice, her health having broken down in some nervous way, not the mother’s but the young lady’s, which is not very encouraging to the excellent & jovial Childs, who has already been unfortunate in being once betrothed to Miss Everett – broken off by papa & with the young lady’s consent. The Bangs girls left the Sedgwicks & are almost arrived, if not quite.
Henry has been more ill than I [p. 2] have ever known him with a severe attack of Influenza, which has been very prevalent, & kept his bed two days with wretched pain & fever. It came unfortunately in Thanksgiving week, so I had to go in to Papa’s without him, which saddened this pleasant festival to us all. But as it is the only day in the year I ever take in all the children (except Xmas) he insisted we should go & not disappoint Grandpapa. We paid our annual visit to Aunt Sam, & found there all her family, & the little Bangs running about in a blue gown, as fat as when a baby, & a great pet in that house. Her mother has another little girl, so was not present. Sue Lekain asked warmly after you, as did they all. Tom was in very good spirits at the dinner, & said many droll things. He is quoted I see, under the name of Tom Pearton, in a new novel, Ernest Canole, which we [p. 3] rather guess to be written by Henry Greenough. Mrs Horatio Greenough, after working hard all summer as Vice Regent for the Mt Vernon Fund, (perhaps you are not aware that the women all over the country are busy getting money to buy Mt Vernon & secure it as national property) has sailed for Europe – for Nice, as her little girl has rather delicate lungs.
You ask about the Chapel. It was built entirely from Uncle Sam’s bequest – hence its name.
I have seen Mrs Charles Amory & her daughter (at Mary Warren’s wedding visit who made a pretty but too youthful bride,) & she spoke feelingly of your kindness & especially of Robert’s. He seems to have greatly charmed all these wandering Americans.
I am wading thro’ Carlyle, & cannot let it go, provoking as it often is. The proposed marriage of the Crown Prince with an English Princess, reminds me of the present success of that project. I had forgotten Fredericks youth was so [p. 4] stormy, & that he underwent such a terrible Papa. I have never read Whilelmina’s [sic] book – it must be interesting.
Our billiard-room is not yet finished workmen are so slow & the plaster refuses to dry in this damp weather.
Henry has just received a charming photograph of a drawing of the bridal procession of Priscilla & John Alden. The artist who did it, Mr Ehninger, is to make a series for Xmas, which will be very pretty, I am sure. Ames is engaged, by a gentleman in N. York, to paint him a picture of the same scene, which, if well managed, will be very good, as it suggests fine color – the white steer with the scarlet cloth, the autumn woods &c. The book has had a great success, & the largest sale a book of poetry ever had, I believe. Henry needs all of it, he is so sensitive to any fault finding – but I believe a poet never has his work criticized as he would like, that is with just praise and censure, & his idea in it understood, & the good things brought out, instead of the usual flippant, careless eulogy which is no compliment.
[p. 1 cross] The Mayor promises to flood the Parade Ground on the Common for the skaters, so there will be a fine display of red petticoats from Beacon St. I hope Ronny wont lose his heart among those fair damsels you speak of.
Augustus Thorndike has just died in Boston (the senior) – Mrs Kemble & Sally have gone I suppose. Mrs Beevor writes that you are looking much better than usual. I hope it is true. With love from all
Yr ever affte
Fanny –
We drank “the absent members of the family” at Thanksgiving.
[p. 2 cross] Aunt Dorothy writes me from N. Y. that she cannot find an escort to N. O. so will return to Pittsfield.

• Keywords: correspondence; long archives; frances e. a. longfellow papers (long 20257); frances elizabeth (appleton) longfellow; people; document; social life; family life; subject; health and illness; Correspondence (1011/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001); (LONG-SubseriesName); 1858 (1011/002.001-028); (LONG-FileUnitName)