Letter from William Henry Seward to Frederick William Seward, December 7, 1870
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frederick William Seward, December 7, 1870
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:pxc
student editorTranscriber:spp:jjh
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1870-12-07
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frederick William Seward, December 7, 1870
action: sent
sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
location: China
receiver: Frederick Seward
Birth: 1830-07-08
Death: 1915-04-25
location: UnknownUnknown
transcription: pxc
revision: crb 2018-03-21
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Page
1
e
Original letter dictated by William Henry Seward and
transcribed by Olive Risley Seward to Frederick William Seward. Letter Copied by
Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward and mailed February 01, 1871.
Shanghae, China
Dec. 7th 1870
My dear Frederick
We have had an interesting
instructive and very useful visit
at Peking where we were received
with all kindness by the Government
and we have stood upon the Great
Wall of China.
Tomorrow we ascend the
[ Yankkchiang ]
Alternate Text: Yangtze to the central region
of the Empire. On the 20th
inst. we proceed to Hong Kong
and Canton, and thence around
the world –
Your kind letters up to
the 20th October are received. They
gratify me much. You will
address letters until further
Page
2
instructions to Madras
care of U.S. Consul
I was disappointed in
receiving no letters from William
but I infer from that failure
that he has been on a visit
with Janet
We have occupied ourselves
steadily and assiduously in
making notes of our hotels and
observations, with a view to
rewriting them at a future day.
Having only two hands
to do the work of two heads we
have found it impossible to
gratify our friends at home
with descriptive letters, but I
hope that our journal will
prove to them an ultimate
compensation.
My health is better than
Page
3
when I left, and seems about
the same as it was in Mexico
I endure fatigue and do not
find it necessary to shrink
from exercise or labor which I
performed there–
I have thought it just and
convenient that Olive Risley
who stands with me now as
she has for a long time past
in the relation of a daughter
shall assume the family
name. She affectionately
assents and in future corres-
pondence she will so write
herself and be spoken of by me.
I shall not be able to
write other letters by the next
mail, but you will doubtlessly
transmit this to the family
at Auburn who will be at
Page
4
liberty to show it to my dear
sister Mrs Worden
other friends who may
inquire about us to all of
whom I commend myself
with fond affection.
William H. Seward
by Olive Risley Seward
To
Frederick W. Seward, Esq.
copy by J.W.S.
Page
5
e
Editorial Note
Dec. 7th 1870
My dear Frederick
We have had an interesting
instructive and very useful visit
at Peking where we were received
with all kindness by the Government
and we have stood upon the Great
Wall of China.
Tomorrow we ascend the
[ Yankkchiang ]
Alternate Text
of the Empire. On the 20th
inst. we proceed to Hong Kong
and Canton, and thence around
the world –
Your kind letters up to
the 20th October are received. They
gratify me much. You will
address letters until further
instructions to Madras
care of U.S. Consul
I was disappointed in
receiving no letters from William
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
but I infer from that failure
that he has been on a visit
with Janet
Birth: 1839-11-18 Death: 1913-11-09
to Iowa.We have occupied ourselves
steadily and assiduously in
making notes of our hotels and
observations, with a view to
rewriting them at a future day.
Having only two hands
to do the work of two heads we
have found it impossible to
gratify our friends at home
with descriptive letters, but I
hope that our journal will
prove to them an ultimate
compensation.
My health is better than
when I left, and seems about
the same as it was in Mexico
I endure fatigue and do not
find it necessary to shrink
from exercise or labor which I
performed there–
I have thought it just and
convenient that Olive Risley
Birth: 1844-07-15 Death: 1908-11-27
who stands with me now as
she has for a long time past
in the relation of a daughter
shall assume the family
name. She affectionately
assents and in future corres-
pondence she will so write
herself and be spoken of by me.
I shall not be able to
write other letters by the next
mail, but you will doubtlessly
transmit this to the family
at Auburn who will be at
liberty to show it to my dear
sister Mrs Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01 Death: 1875-10-03
and to
allother friends who may
inquire about us to all of
whom I commend myself
with fond affection.
William H. Seward
by Olive Risley Seward
To
Frederick W. Seward, Esq.
copy by J.W.S.