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By Root 16693 0

have written each, of all your letters to me. It should have reached me by Saturday-night’s mail, as usual, but didn’t until Tuesday-night’s — therefore I couldn’t reply till now, Thursday; for the mail to-morrow morning — so if you wait for my answer you will hardly start for the West — South rather — on the 10th. — Your letter — I supposed, by not seeing any notice in, the papers of your prospectus of the Stylus, that you had not issued it to the public, I and should not therefore have acted in regard to the circulation of it if I had been in a condition to act. The time has not yet come for me to do any thing I understand? I expect it will be hard work to get the Stylus taken in our state. We are like our brothers, the Frogpondians, as you style the Bostonians, in many of our tastes for reading, only more so — we value nothing that we cannot discover through our bodily senses — all is nothingness, like your globe of globes, unless we can feel its attraction and repulsion.

I promised that in my next I would give my plan of the best course for the circulation of the Stylus among us — but I don’t know, — I am fatigued somewhat already, and I suppose it is not particularly necessary as yet — guess I won’t.

I think Colton liked you, as a writer and as a friend. I have stopped taking “Graham” — about when will the “Rationale of Verse” probably appear? — I must have the number containing it at all events.

I am certainly glad to hear of the abstemiousness of your private life heretofore, and that you now have done drinking forever — I put full confidence in your word upon it.

The “Weekly Universe” professes to be now in its third year. It was originally published under the title of the “Weekly Dispatch,” but changed a few months ago to its present one. It is a large paper, as large as most of the two dollar papers, and the price but one dollar — pretty good paper, I think — There is yet something connected with it which I don’t exactly understand — I have noticed that articles which were published in it as original were copied into other papers, and credited to the Sunday Dispatch, a paper which I have never seen. I(t) professes to be published by Williamson & Burns. They, Williamson &: Burns, tell me the names of their editors and contributors, then say “All this is communicated in the strictest confidence.” So I considered that they wished it kept secret — at least, I have kept it secret thus far; but I will impart it to you — you will of course not have occasion to tell it to anyone — The editors are William Burns, Thos. L. Nichols, James E. Legare, and Chas. P. Stenman, and its regularly engaged contributors are Chas.” W. Webber, B. B. Constable, Edward Magone, and — A. Bangs — the first initial I could n’t make out — besides foreign correspondents?

I guessed “the most distinguished of American scholars” was Anthon after I asked you who it was.

Of course I could not see many “newspaper reports of your lecture” being sick. I saw only one, in the Boston Journal taken in the family with which I am boarding, a paper which, I notice, often takes occasion to sneer at you. After quoting from the Courier & Inquirer it says — “Mr. Poe is already a great man. If he establishes this theory to the satisfaction of learned and philosophical astronomers, his greatness will be greater than ever.” — Praises you but don’t intend it for praise.

Am pleased to see by the slips that the New York papers appreciate your effort as they do — the slips I will return, in my next — I would like to have them awhile longer — suppose you don’t want them to carry to the South with you.

I think I get a correct idea of the point of your lecture from the summary you have furnished me. I like the way the matter is disposed of. To be sure, there is a chance for opposers of the theory to say that the starting point, the foundation, is but an offspring of the imagination after all — it is, and can be t1one other if it is in the right place — therefore the offspring that can be supported to full maturity, can be carried through all the winding ways, and