Title: Letter from Richard H. Lewis to Emma Lewis, August 20, 1825: Electronic Edition.
Author: Lewis, Richard Henry, 1806-1857
Editor: Erika Lindemann
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Erika Lindemann
Images scanned by Mara E. Dabrishus
Text encoded by Brian Dietz
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 13K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005
The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-05-12, Brian Dietz finished TEI/XML encoding.
Part of a series:
This transcribed document is part of a digital collection, titled True and Candid Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students in North Carolina
written by Lindemann, Erika
Source(s):
Title of collection: John Francis Speight Papers (#3914), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Richard H. Lewis to Emma Lewis, August 20, 1825
Author: Richard H. Lewis
Description: 2 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 3914 (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Topics covered:
Education/UNC Curriculum
Examples of Student Writing/Letters
Travel and Entertainment/Vacations
Personal Relationships/With Family Members
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Transcript of the personal correspondence. Originals are in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
Letters, words and passages marked as deleted or added in originals have been encoded accordingly.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see Dr. Erika Lindemann's explanation under the section Editorial Practices.

Document Summary

Lewis regrets that he was unable to visit his sister during the vacation, but he tells her what he is studying in the new session.
Letter from Richard H. Lewislink opens in a new window to Emma Lewislink opens in a new window , August 20, 18251
Lewis, Richard Henry, 1806-1857



Page 1
Chapel Hill N. C. August 20th 1825

Dear Sisterlink opens in a new window ,

You cannot, indeed I know you will not be displeased, when I come to tell you that it was utterly impossible for me to come to farmwell, during my vacation, to see you. The day that I had set aside for that purpose and almost on the very eve of departure the horse that I intended to ride was taken sick, and by that means placed it beyond my reach to pay you a visit. You may rest assured that want of love to you was not the cause of my not coming: for you know that I have always cherished for you the most lively affections which a brother could cherish for a sister.
I spent the whole of my vacation at Mount Prospect and went no where save to Sisters Elizabeth's and Mary's and to Aunt Powell's. Indeed, Sisterlink opens in a new window , there was no need of going any where. For where could I find a place more delightful than Mount Prospect, or company better than that of our parents. With them I could spend every hour of my life: for where can kinder parents be found. I answer no where.
I returned to the University about four weeks ago since which time I have not heard from home. I fear very much that either Papalink opens in a new window , Mammalink opens in a new window or both of them are sick, as it is about this season of the year that sickness is very prevalent in that part of the country and if I do not hear from them soon I shall be very uneasy.
My studies are much more laborious than what they were last session. They are as follows: Geometry, Logarithms, Plane Trigonometry, Cicero de Senectute, and Blairs Lectures. In addition to these we study Paley's Theology 2 on Sunday. Altho you are unacquainted with any of these studies, yet you can easily judge, from the number of them, that they are very laborious. Six studies pursued at one time are enough to confuse almost any person's mind. Yet we need not complain: for they serve to exercise and improve the mind the more. And this is what we all aim at, viz. the improvement of the mind. (Excuse me for mentioning my studies to you, since I consider it unpolite in the extreme to talk to a person about any thing, of which3 that person is ignorant).

Page 2
I shall expect an answer to my letter soon. You must write me a long letter. and tell me all the news that you know. Write me what your studies are. what improvents you have made and whether you expect to go to school any longer: than this year &c &c &c. Accept, dear Sisterlink opens in a new window of my best love and believe me as ever your affectionate Brother

Richard. H. Lewis link opens in a new window

Saturday evening [unrecovered] Min. of [unrecovered] oclock Augt 20th

Envelope page

Endnotes:

1. John Francis Speight Papers, SHC. The letter is addressed "Miss Emma Lewislink opens in a new window /Sycamore Alley Mount Prospect/ Halifax County/ No Ca ." The postage endorsement is faint; "Chapel Hill" is legible in the upper left corner but the date on which the letter was mailed is unrecovered. The amount of postage written in the upper left corner is "12 1/[2]"; below the postage someone has written "forwd" and added "6" cents to the postage, for a total of "18 1/2" cents.

2. William Paley, Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (London: R. Faulder, 1802).

3. Lewislink opens in a new window wrote "of which" on top of several unrecovered characters.