Tuesday, February 13, 2024

John Tyler to Julia Gardiner Tyler, March 24, 1861

Mr. Bruce has the floor for Monday. The Peace Conference plan has gone the way of all the Capulets. The committee makes it the basis of a new scheme, and Baldwin yesterday made an appeal to me to sustain it, as they had sought to make it conform to my views. I shall most probably present my own project. The public mind is undergoing great changes. Summers' speech will be out on Monday, and mine the next day. They are called the great speeches of the session. Tyler, of the Enquirer, tells me that the demand for mine increases daily, while that for Summers' falls off. I shall distribute copies freely throughout my district. Have you any information of what is the sentiment of Charles City? New Kent is right.

I stopped just here to await the mail, under hope of a letter from you. The mail has arrived and my hope is realized. You can scarcely imagine the anxiety with which I opened it. I have not heard from home before since I left. The storm had cut off all intercommunication until Friday. By Capt. Hill I wrote you Saturday, sending down a box containing the lace. I hope you received it. I dined on Friday at J. T. Brown's, son-in-law to Mr. Willcox, of Petersburg. Mrs. B.'s father, Mr. Southall, is a member of the convention. Mrs. Brown discharged the duties well, —— made many enquiries about you. I wrote you that I had been up to see Julia. Mrs. Pegram speaks highly of her. Mr. McFarland, on hearing she was at Mrs. Pegram's, said he would send his daughter to see her. He has been very attentive. I hope she will be here to-day to see me. . .

I forgot to say that Mr. Ritchie showed me a letter from Mrs. Ritchie, expressing high praise of my letter of a month ago. Le Pays comes to me regularly. I send a letter from Robert to Gardie. Read it for him.

SOURCE: Lyon Gardiner Tyler, The Letters and Times of the Tylers, Volume 2, p. 629

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