.MzMy.NDgx
Tuesday night
Dear Ann
I have already written to Matthew
this afternoon, via Borussia, announcing my return
with Elizabeth Bold last night from our Welsh trip,
& acknowledging his letter of 19 & 23 April via City of
Balto. and Asia, & yours of 17/18 and 20/23rd: via Portland
str. & Asia. – I found so many letters awaiting
my return (not having had any sent after me into
Wales) that it took me upwards of an hour to read
them all this morng. –
I have not yet seen William or Fontaine since my
return, but I put on the chimney piece the letters for
them & Font recd: in mine today, & he called at the
office whilst I was out & got them.
I feel Tobins attention in writing me the short
note you have enclosed: it is as follows; -
“Dear Nunx – This is the eve of departure. I just
want to write good bye to you; and if sometimes I
have seemed unkind in not considering you as I
ought to have done, on account of your deafness,
please forget it. – I never knew the value of kind
-ness until lately, when I have had just a taste of
men as business machines & no longer friends &
companions – affectionately yours.
Tobin Maury”?
He will no doubt find this experience of the value
of a kind home all the stronger the farther he travels
from it, & often indeed wish himself back again.
My best wishes will follow him wherever he goes, like
those of the old gentleman with whom I parted at the
Menai-bridge on Wednesday last; but I must still
think he has embarked upon a mad, boyish freak, &
must encounter very serious & needless difficulties for
want of the requisite acquirements as to counting
house duties &c:, tho’ I hope there are good Samaritans
among the Americans or English in the China ports
who will have pity upon him & give him the helping hand.
I am obliged to you for the copy of Nan’s welcome
letter of 31st: March. – When we were in Snowden 4
days ago, the guide was giving Miss Barbara Jones the
history of her being lost, & he pointed out the spot where
she was said to have been found. – He was not a guide
at that time, but had learnt all the particulars from
others. – he was also telling of an old guide who within
the past 12 mos. was stretching himself out to gather
a fern of a rare kind growing below the edge of a preci-
=pice on Snowden, when he lost his balance, & was
dashed to pieces!
We had quite a pleasant ramble over the spots
you must well remember, & we were favored with
good weather just at the places where we most wish
=ed for it. – On Thursday morng. we rode by Railway
to Caenarvon, spent ½ an hour or more in seeing the
old Castle, when I climbed up the Eagle tower, whilst
Elizabeth who had tight boots to pinch her feet, sat
with Miss Jones until I had ended my explorations.
The abundance of wall-flowers in bloom brightened
the effect. – I laid out 8/– in 7 stereoscopic views &
a history of the Castle. – About noon we started from
the Uxbridge Arms (the house we were driven to with
our Father & Mother where Matthew under the postboy
to drive on to “the Goat”? – now no longer a tavern)
– but we had hardly left the door in our open
car, when it began to rain furiously, which seem-
=ed ill starved enough, but it cleared up in a few
minutes, & remained fair till with glimpses of sun
=shine till we reached Beddgelert, about noon 2 p.m.
The Goat Inn is still the only one there, but it is now
greatly enlarged, & has some very pretty shrubbery &
walks lying in front of it. We slept there on Thrus=
=day night : - but after dinner that day we started
in bright sunshine for a drive of 6 miles on the road
towards Capel Curig, & ther views were most enchanting.
Before we got home it began to rain, & it continued raining
& storming until long after dark. The Barometer fell much
& continued falling until I went to bed, thinking over the
spoiled excursion to the “Island in the Lake of Dambia.”?
I rose at 6 & found it fair, but cloudy & rather cold.
I walked below the bridge at Port Aberglaslyn, & came
home by the time the ladies were ready for breakfast, &
was encouraged by a rising Barometer. – I then ordered
an open car at 10 to take whither I had walked in the
morng.: & then to LLanberis. Whilst the car was getting
ready we inspected the little primitive church at Bedd-
=gelert inside as well as out: – parts of it, Miss Jones
said, are 900 years old. – The weather mended all
the time after we took our seats in the car, & we had
hardly bid good bye to B.gelert when it was very
bright & sunny for the rest of our ride. –Elizabeth
had exchanged her tight boots for an easier pair,
so we occasionally walked as we climbed the hill
above Lyn Gwynant. – The scenery around both those
two lakes was exquisite; & the sky became more &
more cloudless as we preceeded; thus the Pass of Llan
-beris, thro’ which a fine carriage road now runs,
was seen in its highest perfection: - & it was then
that I was fixed with the idea of ascending Snowden,
& proposed it to the ladies who (neither of them
having ever been up) were nothing loth to make the
attempt. – I bespoke a guide & 3 ponies, & lunch; &
it was 3½ p:m: when we started & 8¼ when we
got back. – We could not have had a finer day.
- not a cloud was to be seen in any direction during
those 5 hours. But the fatigue was great, arising
from being unaccustomed to riding on horseback.
Elizabeth was the most done up, for she had not
been on horseback since she was in Portugal: nor
had I indeed for many years. – A good night's
rest at the sumptuous hotel at Llanberis – only
second to the George Hotel at Banger Ferry – repaired
the damage to our wearied limbs, & we set out at 11
a.m. with another fine day to re-ascend the Pass of
Llanberis, in our car for Capel Curig. There was a
haze in the atmosphere, the wind being East, but
the view of Snowden & the other hills, as
seen from
C. Curig was as fine as ever. We merely alighted
at the little inn there – which looked just as when
I first saw it; & then we took another car for
Llanrwst. We stopped by the wayside, & walked
down to the pretty cascade of Rhaidr y wenol.
We ordered a warm lunch at the Eagle Inn
at LLanrwst, & whilst it was getting ready in
=spected the famed 3 arch bridge of Inigo Jones
& went inside of the old church, where there was
much of interest in old monuments &c: to repay us.
Among the rest was an old crusader’s touch, that
of Lewellyn the Great, & various interesting brass tablets.
We vastly enjoyed our meal, & then drove to Con
=way, where we put up at the old inn called
the Castle Hotel, to remain there for 2 nights.
As there was still sufficient daylight we went
to the Castle itself, where we found a very in=
=telligent guide, who explained all matters most
completely, & not by rote only: – He pointed out
the spots on the opposite hill where the batteries
were planted that besieged the Castle & took
it in Cromwell’s time. – The siege was directed
by an officer called “Mytton”? – a friend of Crom
-well. – Altogether this story struck me all the
more form being in keeping with the present
struggle in America. -
5
We took the Railway train yesterday morning
at 8¾ for from Conway for the station at the
Menai Bridge. – As we were waiting for the
train there were about half a dozen men
there rigged up in fantastic style for doing the
honours of the month of May as Morris dancers,
– so the old customs are not extinct yet
in primitive spots like Conway. – From Menai
bridge we took a car to Beaumaris to leave
Miss Barbara at her own home. The ride be=
=tween there & the bridge is most beautiful &
the day was most beautiful too. We spent
2 hours at Beaumaris, when we went inside
the old Castle, Miss Barbara acting as guide
& then she took me to some most beautiful
views, whilst lunch was getting ready. – We
left Beaumaris with a hearty interchange of
good bye, at 1 p.m., Elizabeth & I intending
to take the train for Lpool at 1¾ p:m:
that would land us here at 5.111; but by
some blunder of mine in consulting Brad=
=shaw we were just in time to miss that
that train & had to wait 1¾ hour for the
next, & thus it was all but 9 when we
reached Welfield Place. –
I feel particularly obliged to Miss Barbara
for her company, as otherwise Elizabeth & I
would have got on but poorly together. – She was
the life of the party, & I believe that she too had
quite a pleasant time of it. – The whole ex-
-pence of the journey was about £22-
The next journey is to be this one was Mary Bold
to London; & it is intended to be entered upon
on the 19th inst. She is trying to persuade me
it is best for her not go to London until after I
shall have embarked on 7th: June, as she would
wish to be here, whereas if she goes with me to London
she would remain there until after I have sailed.
But I say she must go up to London when
I go, & that I can manage very well without her
aid at my departure. –
I have my work before me to try & execute these
orders for Matthew for the two oil paintings;
as well as some other commissions. But
I must not go to bed as it’s near day break!
7th May – 5¼ p:m: I have been as busy
as a bee all day. – I called yesterday at H.N.
Hughes office, but he was out. Today I had
an hour’s talk with him. He manifested inter=
=est in our common relatives. Very unexpect
=edly to me he manifestedafterwards sent
me a note of which I enclose a copy
as to aid in getting my namesake liberated.
I have not seen Wm: yet since I got back from Wales.
Mr. [S...?] has given me his consent (as
Prest. of Amn. C. of Commerce) to lend me the
original portrait to have a copy made of it. -
I have written to day to Mr. Weston & have en-
-closed copy of my letter in a note to Mary
Wakefield. – I have not time to read over
the forgoing 6 pages – not any time to write to
Matthew today. yrs. affectionately R Maury
(Copy) 13 Hargreaves Buildings
Chapel St.
Liverpool 7th May 1862
Rutson Maury Esq
Dear Sir
However great the folly of
Rutson Maury Jr: may be, still I do not
wish hereafter to reflect that I failed him
at a pinch. –
I understand both these lads got out
last time without payment of any fine,
and that (as far as I know at any rate)
the credit I gave you on their behalf
has not been used, in whole, or in part;
–and if I am right in that impression, you
are at liberty to devote the credit of two
hundred & fifty dollars – say $250 – to
further his release from the new arrest &
difficulty into which you this day informed
me that hopeful Nephew has been entangled.
And the bill of your firm at New York for
the whole or any part of the sum, in further-
- ance of his release, shall meet due honour
at the hands of
yours very truly
(signed) Horatio N. Hughes