The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe - Edgar Allan Poe [1503]
Yours Sincerely,
F. W. Thomas
Edgar A. Poe, Esq.
New York.
Edgar Allan Poe to Frederick W. Thomas — May 14, 1845
New-York — May. 14. 45.
My Dear Thomas,
Yours of the 12th has just reached me & I hasten to send you a translation of the cipher as desired — although I fancy it will turn out to be of no particular importance. It runs thus:
“In September 1843, our respected friend Colonel T. C. Gardner, auditor of the Post Office Department, applied at the Land Office with his warrant. His patent did not render it necessary to reside at the place.
Richard Douglas.
Lieutenant Brewster (or Shrewstead)
Brooklyn Long Island
25 September 1843.”
This cryptograph has been written by some barbarously ignorant person who spells “necessary” >>for<< [”]neseserri” “post office” “puwst ofis” “to” “tuw” <”Brooklyn” “Bruklin”> etc. His name is signed “Rithard Duglas.” You will perceive,, therefore, that absolute accuracy, in decyphering the cryptograph, is impossible — but I have made it as clear as such a letter would have been out of cypher. The words which follow “Lieutenant Brewster” I have not made out & although they may be “United States Marine”. If more accuracy is required, please forward the original. In copying, abundant errors seem to have been made.
I was delighted to hear from you. Do write soon again. (I have not seen Dow yet. Willis is well & going to England next month.) I will write you more fully in a day or two. Yours truly but in haste.
Poe.
The obverse side of this letter carries the following note by F. W. Thomas: “A gentleman in the land office in Washington inspecting [???] in some papers in which he found a letter in cipher, and having heard me to get him to decipher it which I did. T.”
Frederick W. Thomas to Edgar Allan Poe — July 10, 1845
Washington July 10, 1845.
My dear Poe —
I should long ere this have thanked you for your speedy translation of the cypher I sent you, but that I hoped to do it more pleasantly than by letter — I hoped to shake you by the hand. I expected to visit New York on my way to Boston, but I have been compelled to make up my mind for a summer in Washington —
Many thanks for your translation — It comports with the facts in the case — it made you quite the talk among the officials — I have obtained your book published by Wiley and Putnam and have been delighted with it — I have just loaned it to a lady friend of mine who is an admirer of yours.
I have had a correspondence with Wiley & Putnam about publishing a volume of sketches of mine — I sent them my MS on their writing me that they had no doubt that their reader (who is he) would approve of it, and that they would be glad to publish it — Since which I have received a letter from the saying “We hoped to find them”) (the Sketches) “more full and approaching nearer to a memoir of the different individuals. We are afraid of making the series slight and fragmentary and need for the most part complete entire books” &c. A polite way of saying, you know, that they don’t think the sketches will sell. — As I have got them ready I should like to publish them — do you know of any bookseller who would undertake them? Poe, if I do not give you too much trouble I should be glad if you would obtain the MS from Wiley & Putnam, and put it in a safe place for me — If any of the sketches suit your journal they are very much at your service — If this gives you the least trouble let me know and the MS can remain with Wiley & Putnam until I can get some travelling friend to bring it on to me — The franking privilege is abolished & I do not wish to pay postage on it — Should you see the MS write me frankly what you think of it — One or two of the sketches I think you have seen —
Do you know a gentleman