]> <hi rend="bold"> Letter from Alexander J. Davis to David L. Swain, March 4, 1850:</hi> Electronic Edition. Davis, Alexander Jackson, 1803-1892 Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title. Text transcribed by Bari Helms Images scanned by Bari Helms Text encoded by Brian Dietz First Edition, 2005 ca. 10K The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2005

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 David L. Swain Papers (#706), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Letter from Alexander J. Davis to David L. Swain, March 4, 1850 A. J. Davis 3 pages, 3 page images 1850 Call number 706 (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

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 </bibl> </taxonomy> </classDecl> </encodingDesc> <profileDesc> <langUsage> <language id="eng">English</language> </langUsage> <textClass> <keywords scheme="unc_history"> <list> <item> Any special keywords assigned for this project </item> </list> </keywords> </textClass> </profileDesc> <revisionDesc> <change> <date>2005-08-03,</date> <respStmt> <name>Brian Dietz</name> <resp/> </respStmt> <item>finished TEI/XML encoding.</item> </change> </revisionDesc> </teiHeader> <text id="unc02-68"> <body> <div1 type="official letter"> <pb id="unc02-68-p01" n="1"/> <head>Letter from <name key="pn0003045" reg="Davis, Alexander Jackson" type="person" rend="yes">Alexander J. Davis</name> to <name key="pn0001638" reg="Swain, David Lowry" type="person" rend="yes">David L. Swain</name>, March 4, 1850</head> <head type="original"><name key="name0003072" reg="Belmead, VA" type="place">Belmead, Va.</name> Residence of <name key="pn0003291" reg="Cocke, Philip St. George" type="person" rend="yes">Philip St. Geo. Coske</name>, Esq.</head> <opener> <dateline> <name key="name0000731" reg="New York, NY" type="place">N.Y.</name> <date>Monday, March 4, '50</date> </dateline> <salute>My dear Sir:</salute> </opener> <p>I have been so overwhelmed with business that I could not tell when I might visit <name key="name0000165" reg="Chapel Hill, NC" type="place" rend="yes">Chapel Hill</name>, and therefore contented myself by writing to Gov.<name key="pn0001229" reg="Morehead, John Motley" type="person" rend="yes"> Morehead</name> begging to put off the visit to <name key="name0000934" reg="Raleigh, NC" type="place">Raleigh</name> until April or thereabout, trusting that you would learn of him as to the probable time of my visit. I have had but this one day to devote to your new building, since seeing Mr.<name key="pn0001179" reg="Mickle, Andrew" type="person" rend="yes"> Mickle</name>, and tomorrow he is to leave.</p> <p>I have prepared this day the drawings I now send and they seem to me to be all you will want to enable you to go on with the mason's work, and in the mean time, (or perhaps time enough when I visit the <name key="name0001060" reg="The South" type="place">south</name>) I can explain and makeout such other details, as the carpenter may require.</p> <p>It seems to me that it will be doing your town a<pb id="unc02-68-p02" n="2"/>wrong, to copy any building that you may have already in it; besides the <hi rend="underscore">church</hi> is <hi rend="underscore">too grave</hi> and simple to express the purpose of an assembly room. I have therefore made a front, <hi rend="underscore">still similar</hi> to the church but lighter in the details with a Corinthian column, and richer cornice (from an example at <name key="name0000050" reg="Athens, Greece" type="place" rend="yes">Athens</name>). The height is the same in both, but the cornice does not project so much in the latter, and there might be four columns instead of two, and not <hi rend="underscore">more</hi> than 4 ft or 4 ft. 7 inches apart. This would leave a free space for passage and you may judge if the front would be more elegant, or express the "Library and Assembly Room." This room is small enough already; so is the portico; and therefore if you would enlarge the front anti-rooms beyond 7 ft. of — add as much more to the length of the building as you please. Or if 4 columns be decided, <hi rend="underscore">fill the corner</hi> by extending the 7 ft. room into it, as shewn by the flap — returning to the two columns, but adding <hi rend="underscore"> <gap reason="[unrecovered]"/> </hi> in place of the two <hi rend="underscore">outer</hi> columns.</p> <p>I keep a sketch of the plan, and as you may decide upon the leading parts write me if you require other details or explanations. <hi rend="underscore">The floor of great room</hi> will require a wall in cellar under the middle of same for support.<pb id="unc02-68-p03" n="3"/>The ceiling I make nearly flat, shewing the principal trusses of roof running across <hi rend="underscore">furred to</hi> and <hi rend="underscore">plastered</hi>, the part below is in two inclined planes thus: A. B.</p> <p><figure id="ill1" entity="unc02-68-ill1" rend="center"><head>[<name key="pn0003045" reg="Davis, Alexander Jackson" type="person">Davis's</name> Sketch of Ceiling Plan]</head></figure></p> <p>This is the cheapest mode of breaking up the flat surface of ceiling, and would be more in <hi rend="underscore">pure</hi> <hi rend="underscore">Greek</hi> style than the arch. I think we must give up the arch on account of expense and want of height in side walls, and so of the sky light, which will not be wanted either for light or ventilation.</p> <closer> <salute rend="right">Yours respectfully & truly,</salute> <signed> <name key="pn0003045" reg="Davis, Alexander Jackson" type="person">A. J. Davis</name> </signed> <salute> Gov.<name key="pn0001638" reg="Swain, David Lowry" type="person"> Swain</name> </salute> </closer> </div1> </body> </text> </TEI.2>