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Judge Brackenridge’s MS came safely to hand and has been transmitted to the Messenger, from whose editor I received all kinds of a courteous letter —

I looked in my trunk in hopes of obtaining an autograph of Prentice; but I find I have none by me — I have written to Louisville and wonder I do not hear from there, from him. He, however is a careless personage in answering letters I suspect —

Poe, I have commenced the study of the French language, and wish that you would give me some advice as to the best manner of pursuing it — do you consider its acquirement very difficult? — No it could not have been difficult to you, as you have such a talent for languages; but it will be I fear very much so to me — I am anxious to have your advice on the subject —

Can I be of any service to the Magazine here? Command me if I can — Have you heard from John P. Kennedy since I wrote you — His Whig “Manifesto” I suspect, has “used up” as we say in the West, all the influence he might have had at the White House — Can’t you slip on here and see us —

I have not succeeded in being permanently fixed yet in any situation — I receive so much while engaged; and if absent from my desk, for instance, for a day, that day brings me nothing — If I had a permanent situation, which I am promised, I could get leave of absence, my salary still continuing, and I could slip on to the City of Brotherly love and shake you by the hand, which I certainly should — I long to have a talk with you, Poe — On my conscience I know no man whom I would rather meet than you — No! I would rather meet you than any “feller” as Sam Weller says that I know —

Write to me soon — Make my warmest regards to your wife and mother; and believe me truly and sincerely your friend

F. W. Thomas

Edgar A. Poe Esqr Philadelphia —

Edgar Allan Poe to Frederick W. Thomas — November 26, 1841

Philadelphia, Nov. 26 — 41.

My Dear Thomas,

I am astonished to hear that you have not yet received the music, as, upon receipt of your last, I procured it of Willig, and put it into the hands of Burgess, our Magazine agent here, who promised to >>follow<< forward it to Taylor the Magazine agent in Washington. Taylor was to deliver it to you. You had better call upon him. It is the same man upon whom you had the draft.

You need not put yourself to trouble about Prentice’s autograph, as we have now closed that business. I suppose you have not the December number yet — it has been ready for several weeks. The January no: is nearly prepared — we have an autograph article in each. Should Prentice send on his signature, however, I would be glad to get it.

In the Dec. no: you will see a notice to the effect that a Mr Richard Bolton, of Pontotoc Miss.i, has solved Dr Frailey’s cypher. You must put no great faith in this announcement. Mr Bolton sent me a letter dated at a period long after the reception of our Magazines in Pontotoc, and fully a month after the preparation of the number containing the answer by myself. He pretends not to have seen my solution — but his own contains internal evidence of the fact. Three blunders in mine are copied in his own, & two or three corrections of Dr Frailey’s original, by myself, are also faithfully repeated. I had the alternative of denying his claim and thus appearing invidious, or of sharing with him an honor which, in the eyes of the mob at least, is not much above that of a bottle-conjuror so I chose the last and have put a finale to this business.

Touching your study of the French language. You will, I fear, find it difficult — as, (if I rightly understood you,) you have not received what is called a “classical” education. To the Latin & Greek proficient, the study of all additional languages is mere play — but to the non-proficient it is anything else. The best advice I can give you, under the circumstances, is to busy yourself with the theory or grammar of the language as little as possible & to read side-by-side translations continually,