Washington 10th of Dec 1820My dearest friend,

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Your letter of the 29th of Nov. is just received, and I am thankful to learn by it that you are all still the inhabitants of this earth - I assure you, [    ] considering what frail beings we are, and how many accidents are daily occurring, I never open a letter having the post mark of Craftsbury without emotion - and fearing [lest] it be the bearer of some unpleasant information. So far, and I desire to be grateful for it, I have received no unfavorable account. You inform me that you have received no papers by the last mail & conjecture that I have given them another direction - I need not inform you that those conjectures are not well founded because before this can reach you, you will received the papers regularly directed to you, unless some person without any permission or authority from me, shall take the liberty of detaining them. So soon as I arrived here, I took my papers and after reading them have [        ] them to you or to Samuel, who I have presumed is with you before this - There has nothing of much interest transpired at Washington since I last wrote, worthy of communicating - We have for three days past been discussing the subject of admitting the new state of Missouri - There is far less excitement and invitation this year, than there was last year when that subject was before Congress - And it is the general belief that it will be decided in the course of the present week, and, I believe against its admission into the union, with its present constitution. Altho' the Southern members will probably

all vote for the admission, yet there is much more union among the Northern members, then last year -

Uncle Sam, as well other people, find the times hard, and many [      ] - and is very much freet to it to continue ways & means to raise enough to pay the current expenses of the government. We talk [venue] strongly of reducing our pay to six dollars - and of reducing the pay of all the other offices of government, in the same proportion, upon the army & navy, and try hard to live within our income - There are projects before Congress, and will, I believe, receive a pretty strong support - However, as it is mush easier to acquire habits of profusion, [       ] or indeed, any other bad habits, than to get rid of them when acquired, I very much fear that we shall do but little with reform more than to talk about it.

I have made no visit nor attended any party since I have been here; but I have received an invitation to dine at the Presidents, on next , and am not yet determined whether I shall accept or not - If I attend I will in my next give you a particular account of it as I can do in a letter - particularly how the ladies are dressed, if there are any ladies there - which is sometimes the case - my health remains as usual, good -

S.C.C to E.C.
Dec. 10. 1820

Mrs E Crafts

I wish to be affectionately to Samuel & Mary - and to all friends - shall write soon to them - And in the mean time I remain affectionately your faithful friend etc. Samuel CCrafts