Schenectady, January 30^th 1849
My dear Willie,
I laid your letter away when I first received it, and
entirely forgot that I had not yet answered it, until I was reminded
by seeing it to-day, that I ought to have written to you, some
time ago. I am very glad to see that you are beginning to write
your letters yourself, and that you write them so well.
I have not yet seen any kids, in harness, in Schenectady,
but if I meet with such a pair as you describe, I will certainly
purchase them and bring them up to you in the spring, when
I come home. I have seen several deer, but unfortunately they
were dead and of course good for nothing – but dinner. The
snow is too deep, too, for kids to draw anything in, so I think
you will have to content yourself, for this winter, with driving Bruno
and Johns pony.
I saw four boys, with skates on, the other day, harnessed
to a sled, on which another one sat, and going at a great rate
over the ice. The boys here have a very good place to skate,
a river very broad and very firmly frozen.
There is a long hill, too, down which they
slide. It is nearly a quarter of a mile long and is covered
from morning till night with boys and their sleds, which

they call by all manner of names. I saw the "Fire-Fly," the
"Will o' the Wisp", the "Catch me if you can", the "Antelope",
the "Reindeer and I don't know how many more. One was named
like yours at home, the "Gazelle."
Please tell Mother that I received my letters
and am very much obliged to her for sending them.
Your affectionate brother,
Frederick.
Master William H. Seward Jr
Auburn.

h F.W. Seward