Washington Nov 19th 1820My dear friend,

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Your hind letter of the 8th has just come to hand; for which I tender you my most sincere acknowledgments. Altho' it has been sometime on its passage it communicates the agreeable intelligence that you and the family were well, at least one week later than I had heard from you; and I pray God that among the unavoidable troubles my absence must necessary subject you to, that your health may be preserved, and that of our dear children. As to my own I have [             ] to apprehend, [      ] than trifling indispositions, & with which I am sometimes troubled, which never give me any concern as their . It is true as you heard by Mr Gibb that I had something of the prevailing cold or influenza by the time I reached Burlington, but in its mildest form, which continued until I arrived at this place; but it has entirely left me. I have received much more trouble from an ugly bile which formed on the back of my right hand soon after I left home, and continued to inflame & for several days - it has at lest broke and discharged a great deal of matter & is now free from pain and is fast healing. It was so painful for a number of days, as to prevent me from sleeping. Otherwise my health has been perfectly good.

I gave you an account of my journey as far as Albany in a letter written from that place, which I presumed reached you on the 12th, and from there to this place, which in a letter written on the 12th, and which I expect will reach you before this. After arriving in Washington I put up a tavern, as is usual, until I had an opportunity to look round among the different boarding houses to select a suitable place. And after spending two days, we came to

a conclusion that we could not be so well accommodated, all things considered, as to taken our old lodgings at Capt Burches - So we formed a mess, consisting of Mr Richards & myself, Judge Palmer & Col. Rich of Vermont, Judge Livermore of N.H. Mr Phelps & Mr Stevens of , with 3 from South Carolina, one from Virginia & one from Kentucky - Mr Richards & myself have taken a room together as usual, and we agree to pay the same price for board that we gave last winter - which is the common price at all the boarding houses. Three are some indications that the present session, like the last will not be a very pleasant one. In the very outset it took almost three days to choose a speaker; the contest was not so much about the qualifications of the persons voted for, as whether he should be from the free, or slave states - the free states have at last succeeded. I should expect that we should now proceed with the common business with considerable harmony through the session, if it were for the Missouri question being again to be agitated. Missouri has formed a constitution which not only tolerates slavery in its fullest extent; but it excludes any free person of color from even living in the said state. They have sent on their Senators & Representative to take their seats in Congress, I believe the Northern members are determined not to admit them; I have not learned the sentiments of the Southern members particularly on the subject; they will be probably disposed to admit them - how the subject will be decided I am not able yet to predict.

I wish you would ask Mr Corbin when he returns from Boston to select 3 or 4 hundred of as good pork as he shall take in at his store and let you have it & I will forward to you the money to pay for it next week, and also to pay for what butter you may think necessary to purchase - I think pork will not be over 5 or 6 dollars the hundred; this is considerable over the New York

prices, where pork will not bring only from three dollars & an half to four dollars; and the best of fall butter only from 10 to 12 cents the pound, while ? butter is considerably less. I expect as Mr Corbin will take in pork, in payment of store debts, he will be willing to let us how it at the same price for money - I spoke to him before he went to Boston upon the subject and he told me he would like to accommodate us in that way. As he was then pretty much engaged in purchasing his drove, he may have forgot the conversation - But if he has I have no doubt that he or Mr Clarck would either of them be very willing in that way to turn their debts into money & avoid any ?.

I have received a letter from Samuel dated the 11th in which he writes me that his health is good and that his cold, which was considerably troublesome when I saw him, had left him. I have written to him this day & have sent him some papers, & shall continue to send the papers to him until he returns home - Samuel writes me that the snow fell at Burlington on the 12th 7 or 8 inches deep; I expect you have plenty at Craftsbury also - It fell about 8 inches in New York, a foot in Hartford, and as much at Boston, so that there has been good sleighing from Boston to New Haven during the last week. It snowed here all day on the 11th but in the evening it turned to rain & continued the greater part of which carried off what snow had fell, the weather was cold for two or three days, since which it has become quite pleasant. I am pleased to hear that Mr Kendall has finished the roof - I began to fear the weather was so bad that he would be obliged to leave it as it was - I think from your accounts of the new society of Craftsbury, that the town will soon be well peopled - I am rather sorry for ? Young, that his wishes should not be fully gratified - But I would advise him not to despond

that the present fortunate event ought to inspire him with a belief, that his next efforts will prove successful.

You ask me to burn your letter after I have read it. This is asking a favor I am, under my present circumstances, very unwilling to grant. I have pretty much determined not to come to a conclusion upon the subject until I see you again, when perhaps you may persuade me to do it; but until that occurrence shall take place, I shall preserve it, with many others which I hope you will write me, as memorials of the good wishes of one, who holds the first place in my affections.

S.C.C. to E.C.
Nov. 19. 1820

Mrs Eunice Crafts
No 8 1820

Wishing you and our dear children all possible happiness,
I ? myself your affectionate &
faithful friend,Sam C Crafts