Washington City
Feb 4. 1844
Mary, I was gratified with receiving, last
evening, yours of Monday last. I had entertained
some anxiety in relation to the epidemic & was
gratified to hear it was not, apparently, making
much progress. Heaven grant it may be stayed
& subdued. You say Mrs. Hutchinson was a case of
relapse & now most of the fatal cases in Norwich
last winter were so. I cannot but feel for the
Howe family; express my [Word] to Mr Howe
in his trouble.
Last Wednesday noon Edwin Wright
arrived here & called on us at the Capitol. I
there introduced him to the gentleman for whom
I sent for him. The usual way of going to his
place of destination from here is down the Poto-
mac River in a steam boat but the river is now
frozen so hard that the boat cannot go. This is
unusual & it was hoped would continue but two or
three days & Edwin was advised to stay. That
evening he called at my room & we went to our
parlor & he spent the evening with the mess. Next
morning I went with him to the Patent Office & show
ed him the curiosities there & showed him the vari-
ous rooms, pictures & library in the capitol un-
til I had to go to the house at 12 o clock. He
spent the evening at my room. It continuing
extremely cold & an opportunity offering to take
passage by land Edwin left here at two o clock
Friday morning on the offward & felt well.
He had brought on a box for Helen Anderson
but going on unexpectedly he left it with me.
Yesterday I look in to fun at Georgetown. Helen
was saved unwell with a sore throat but was
was able to come down and see me. They have
a great examination at their school next week
& her sister informed me that at its conclusion
she should visit Baltimore next Saturday. I
see Mrs Mayheay; so I occasion to send
my respects.
You ask for a description of the party
at our house. It has been indefinitely just
found by the illness of two of the [Word] in
the mess who are now better.
No doubt you hear & read in papers
much of the discarding & irregularity of our
House of Representatives. It is indeed a dis-
orderly body, that is, it is not silent & atten-
tive to what is being said. It is difficult
to hear & very few men or subjects will en-
gage attention. Most of the members are engaged
in reading, writing letters, documents or
in private conversation, not generally in whis-
pers. But these are not the irregularities of
which I speak. It is the personality abuse
& superciliousness in which some indulge. Our
topic of irritation is abolitionism & on this the
abuse is principally levelled at Mr Piddings, of
Ohio, Mr Adams being too old a man to be the
object of personality. But the truth is the dem-
ocratic party which has much more than two
to one of the whigs in this house has a very
considerable number of bullies & rowdies in the
house & whatever you read & hear of personal
abuse is almost entirely confined to them. It is
also true that quite a large proportion of the
Speech making in the house is by such men or
by men more distinguished for strengths of
lungs & vociferation than for superior intelligence
But the instances of personality are, after all,
infrequent & quiet over & the disgraceful to
those concurred very little disturb the general harm-
ony of the body & the accounts of them by
letter writers are much exaggerated. So far
as my observation extends I think a member
or speaker of ordinary prudence will seldom
be attacked with personal abuse. You say you
wish me to send home more newspapers, I will
attend to the suggestion.
I perceive by all the papers from the
north that you are having a winter of great
severity, & it has been quite cold here a few
days. I regret the loss of your house plants
that reminds me to tell you there is in the
back yard of the Patent Office a grand house
containing hundreds of choice & beautiful flowers.
I visited there with Edwin Wright & we found
great numbers in full blossom, but I think
the air in it very hot moist & unwholesome.
Say to your mother that I recd. a few
days since a letter from Mr Cutter at
Claveland .He says he suffers much with the
asthma that Mrs Cutter is well & sends
her love, for Mrs Collamer.
I hope you will find your new cooking
stove convenient. You know it requires some
practice to get the hang of a new cooking
stove.
I wish Ellen to inclose me in her next
letter one of her marks, worked in her best morning.
I have written this on a larger sheet in
order to give you a sample of the different
kind of paper which is furnished us.
Give my respects to Mr wright also
to Mr Cushing, when you next see him also
to Capt Simmons and to Elizabeth Wright &
Mary Williams.
Inclosed are two ten dollar bills. They
were sent me to pay to the patent office but
would not go there so I had to furnish other
money of my own & I now send them to my
family.
With my love to my wife & children
& grand children I must conclude
Your affectionate Father
J. Collamer
Miss Mary Collamer
I have this merional ore. A letter for
Mr. Wright for which touch view. T. L
wide quereus A soon