Letter to Abner Benedict, Sherbrooke, District of St. Francis, Lower Canada. Benedict family papers, box 1 folder 7

Burlington Jan. 28. 1827

Dear Brother;

Your letter of Dec 16 had a pretty long passage not arriving till Jan. 7^th . I should have answered it forthwith but I was so engaged on my lecture on Electricity that I hardly knew how to spare an hour from them. Your letter gave us much pleasure - both from the description of your journey & the state of things & society in Sherbrooke & the information of your safe arrival & agreeable situation in the family of Mr. Goodhue.

I hope you will continue to find things as agreeable as you anticipated. As for ourselves - Providence smiles on us. You left us on Sabbath morning. The next Sabbath morning Eliza was safely delivered of a healthy son. We call him George Grenville. She is now nearly well & rode out a few days since & would have been able to do so many times, had not the continued cold have prevented. The boy - now 7 weeks old is large & vigorous - grows fast - begins to smile & notice the faces & attentions of those about him. Charles is so delighted with him as to hardly keep from devouring him. He rides horse - goes to mill - to church & around the house driving most of the time - Reads however a few words at a time 3 or 4 times a day - manages plain words of two syllables pretty easily. He often speaks of you - says you are to bring him a “swirrel” (squirrel) from Canada.

The weather has been cold much of the time ___ since you left. The coldest was last Sabbath morning, when at 7 o’clock the therm. Was at - 20 ½ . Yet at Troy it was at - 30 & at several places between here & there -25. It seems to have been very irregular indeed. A greater fall of snow here 4 weeks since than the oldest inhabitants recollect. It was very little by then three feet of pretty solid snow - all at one fall - & a few days after 14 inches more were added in one night. Yet in some towns east & south of us considerably more fell that did here. It made the traveling difficult in the extreme. Last Sabbath the lake froze over so as to be passable for horses - a thing not usual so early in the season. Now we have a thaw upon us though I judge it will be cold by morning again.

I mentioned my lecturing on Electricity. I thought to earn a few dollars perhaps by proposing a few lectures on so popular a subject to the gentlemen and ladies of the village. I delivered 8 on Electricity - one on Galvanism & shall one more tomorrow evening on the last subject. I have studied & written very hard this vacation. You may judge when I tell you that the lectures I have written occupy about 120 closely written - foolscap quarto pages. I have indeed done nothing else but study this subject. I believe I now know something about it. I certainly knew but little before, though I thought I was I was not quite so ignorant as I was. I shall not, after paying the expenses - have much money for my trouble - as I hired a roomer at Mr. Thomas - but then I have ten or a dozen what I think just first rate lectures prepared shall not have that to do again very soon. My electrical apparatus is a grand one. I have made during vacation several additions to it of small but useful articles. I have made an electrometer - that I would not take $10 for. The glass tube which I spoke of using for that purpose I shall also make into one of a smaller kind I think. Since the receipt of your letter, I have new letters from Father ______. Both spoke of receiving letter from you. Father does not know what to do. I advised him to arrange his business as soon as possible that he may leave Chatham - to call together as he can his creditors & give them his property. He fears to ask for a ____ till some prospect is visible of his gaining support somehow. I shall write soon to him. If Aunt Lois was provided for, the way would be easier I think. I hardly know what to do myself in the matter. Where I able to support father and mother in my house (which I am not) I should be unwilling to do it on one account. Like all old people especially grandparents - they would ruin my children. I wish you would put down any truth that may occur to you on this subject. I must write Erastus ____ the matter, for something must be done ere long. ____ and ____ not labor there as he does. Erastus says in________ answer to a bit of a lecture which I gave him, that he ____ will become a member of the College of Nat. Hist. I hope you will be able not only to do much for me, & yourself; but for our institution also. Anything about which you may collect , will be useful to us; & any communications on any topic besides on the subject of Nat Hist I will be patiently acceptable. I send you a copy of the Presidents Address. By the ___ Prof. Porter has accepted an appointment of Prof Language at M_s College - will go in the spring. I think he has done a foolish act in so doing & will yet be sorry for it. They give him something of a higher salary: but I should rather live here that there by $300 a year. O

On telling Charles that I was writing to you, he said “tell him I want he to come here and spend his time in our house”. He says he sends a “kiss” to you. We all feel a deep interest in your happiness & welfare.

Prof. Eaton’s wife is dead.

With much love and gratitude,

G. W. Benedict.