Franklin, August, 19, 1851.
MY DEAR SIR,—Although
I date this letter at Franklin, and shall send it thither to be mailed, yet, in
truth, I write it among the White Mountains. I stayed at Franklin until the
cars, passing and repassing every few hours, began to bring me many daily
visitors; and as I wished for quiet and privacy, I took my own conveyance and
came off in this direction. There are few inhabitants in these mountains, and
no company, except tourists, who pass along rapidly, and disturb no one's
repose. The weather has been fine, and my health improves daily; yet it is not
perfect, as the complaint which attacked me at Harrisburg, still more or less
annoys me. I have never had confidence that I should be able to avert entirely
the attack of catarrh; but I believe that at least, I shall gain so much in
general health and strength as to enable me, in some measure, to resist its
influence, and mitigate its evils. Four days hence is the time of its customary
approach. Within that period I shall fall quietly back on Franklin.
Mr. Letcher's
instructions were duly revised, signed, and despatched, and an instruction
given about the expulsion from the Isthmus, of Major Barnard and his
associates, the surveyors. I also wrote a private letter, giving such
suggestions as I thought might be useful.
Mr. Forward writes,
that being a candidate for an election as judge, he wishes to be recalled, and
I should like to receive your directions in relation to this subject. I suppose
it may be as well that he should be permitted to return, and that the mission
should remain vacant till the next session of Congress. We have no affairs of
importance pending at Copenhagen. If his request be complied with, early notice
should be given to him, as he might wish to leave the Baltic by the middle of
October.
Mr. Corwin's purpose
to resign ere long is, I fear, fixed, although I should devoutly wish that he
would reconsider it. Where would you look for a successor? You could hardly go
to Ohio, even if a proper man were to be found there, if Mr. Goddard is to go
to China. This last appointment appears to me of more doubtful propriety than
it did when I wrote you last, since Ohio has already one full mission.
Sir Henry Bulwer has
gone to England, and Mr. Marcoleta, I presume to Nicaragua, so that all
Nicaraguan affairs must remain in statu quo, till
October. No important papers have been received from the Department, expect
those which relate to Mexico. All the rest of the world is quiet. Indeed,
Mexico is, at present, the main point of interest in our foreign relations.
Lord Elgin, you notice, has accepted the Boston invitation for a great
celebration in September. I trust you will be present.
Hoping that you are
as happy among crowds as I am here in solitude, and enjoying health better than
mine, I remain, my dear Sir, always yours truly,
DAN'L WEBSTER.
SOURCE: Fletcher
Webster, Editor, The Private Correspondence of Daniel Webster, Vol.
2, pp. 463-4
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