I thank you for the interesting information you communicate and for your sympathies towards myself as a candidate. Upon the latter point, I am scarcely in a safe situation to be trusted, or to trust myself, to speak. I certainly feel an interest in this contest proportionate to its importance, so far as I am capable of such feeling; and yet I am so deeply impressed with the personal conviction that defeat would be the best thing for me, that I am unable as yet to experience any of that trepidation and sensitiveness which sometimes renders the position to all personally an unpleasant one. It may be, too, that I have inspired myself with too much confidence to leave room for the anxiety and trepidation; for, to use a homely phrase of our friend Flagg, "I have felt it in my bones that we should beat," ever since the moment I heard that you had nominated Polk at Baltimore. You must believe me, when I tell you that I am not so vain or weak as to suppose that my name upon the ticket in this State is one vote better than any other name upon which the convention should have united, and it may turn out some votes weaker, though I seriously hope not; for I certainly am not willing to be the cause of losing our State in this crisis.

I have great confidence in the judgment you have formed and express as to our western counties, and the more that your opinion coincides with that of other calm, cool, discreet men who reside in those counties, and occasionally give me their views of things there.

This day has brought us the final news from Maryland and Delaware, and it has inspirited our friends and depressed the Whigs very much. Our confidence is based upon the observation, that the same great popular impulse appears to be at work equally strongly in those States where we looked for the faintest evidences of it, even if it should be visible at all. We do not forget that yesterday was a fearfully important day, and that we know nothing of its fruits; but we think, if this resistless power has done so much where so little was expected, it cannot have deserted our friends in the old Keystone, and that if we can get that securely tight again, which has been rather loose a little too often for the last six years, we can bear some heavy blows without being prostrated. We hope in reference to New Jersey and Ohio, but not without fear and trembling; the first we suppose a sort of freak is to decide, and that the

chances are with us, while the importance is trifling in compar. ison with the last; that we think the most legitimate fighting ground for both parties in the Union, and that our friends will whip if they can keep out the pipe-layers, and the abolitionists do not cheat themselves too badly. Still we think the danger from both these sources fully equal to the better mettle of our men, and therefore that the result is perfectly doubtful. We think we can lose both these States and save the Union, if their loss does not create too much panic among our men in this State and some others, though we know it will make the fighting from this time onward most desperate; and if we can carry both, it appears to us that the coon must be fairly treed.

These are substantially our speculations at this moment; and as to our own prospects, they appear to be very fair in this county, and our reports very good from all others; and yet we see here that our Whigs are abandoning everything else to perfect their coalition with the abolitionists, and we think they will succeed with it to a very great extent, if not perfectly. They will give them the county ticket, of which there is no hope anyhow, and any and every thing else they ask but the electoral ticket. They will probably ask nothing but the county ticket. Whether the same success will attend these efforts in other counties we do not know, but that they will be made we do not doubt, and I suspect in too many cases with too much success. You are doubtless right that the next phase of federalism is to be, to drop the names of "Whig" and "Abolitionist," and adopt that of "Liberty Party," and try us under a banner of black and white, that is, if we beat them now.

It will afford me pleasure at all times to hear from you, and if I do not prove a punctual correspondent, it will be because my correspondence does not allow me the time, and not because the disposition does not exist to reciprocate your favors.

Yours truly,

SILAS WRIGHT

MR. DICKINSON TO MARY S. DICKINSON.

WASHINGTON, January 8, 1845,

Mrs. Hamilton's, Pennsylvania Avenue.

MY DEAR LITTLE MARY STEVENS-I learned by Manco's let

ter yesterday that your eyes were "sparkling bright with tears" because your dear mother was ill. It is well to be kind to your dear mother, and feel for her suffering. I hope you are quite cheerful again by this time, and making pictures and playing with your dolls.

Give my love to mother and all the children.
Your affectionate father,

D. S. DICKINSON.

MR. DICKINSON TO VIRGINIA E. DICKINSON.

WASHINGTON, January 13, 1845.

MY DEAR VIRGIE-I received your kind letter a few days since, and this morning one from Lydia and Mary S. I showed yours to Mrs. Foster; she was very much pleased, and sends her love to you all.

There is no snow here, and the weather is mostly pleasant, but changes from "grave to gay, from lively to severe." I dined on Saturday with the Rt. Hon. Sir Richard Pakenham, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary, &c., near the American Court. The service was gold, &c., &c., of the finest I ever saw. But, although the dinner was very sumptuous, it was good and substantial; Englishman-like, "pudding, beef, and beer." You know I had never seen him before, though we had “ exchanged cards." He gave me the "s at of honor" by his side, though there was a large party of magistrates and some foreign ministers present. I could stand it all very well but the servants who waited were dressed à la militaire, and with tight small-clothes, stockings, knee-buckles, &c., and at this I very much wanted to laugh. Sir Richard is a plain, sensible, gentlemanly man, so well-bred as not to have his politeness constantly in the way of others. On the whole I was very politely treated, and much pleased with my visit.

I am extremely glad to hear from your mother that you are kind and helpful to her, and deny yourselves pleasures for her sake. It gives me very great satisfaction, indeed, and I shall not forget it, I assure you.

all.

Continue to cheer and console your dear mother. Love to
Your affectionate father,

D. S. DICKINSON.

REV. MR. MITCHELL TO MR. DICKINSON.

BALTIMORE, January 23, 1845.

VERY DEAR SIR-Will you permit an old and very much obliged friend to congratulate you on your recent promotion to the truly honorable and responsible post of United States Senator. I always hope to be able to rejoice in the prosperity of all, and more especially of those whom I am permitted to remember under the endearing appellation of " friends." I have the good or ill fortune to be in my predilections in opposition to the party through whose suffrages you have been raised to your present exalted station. This fact enables me to defend the talents and virtues of my old friend with greater force and more of disinterestedness, in appearance at least, than I could do, did we rank under the same political banner. I have with some emotion said to one of my friends to-day, that New York will have no reason to be ashamed of her distinguished son, nor to regret his election. I want to hear from you and your family and our old friends in Broome. I know you are much occupied, yet I hope you will favor me with a good long epistle. My wife, your old friend Alice, is well, and so are the children. We have lived in Baltimore over six years. My residence is 59 South street. Have the goodness to call when you visit our city.

Mrs. Mitchell unites in love to yourself and family.

Yours affectionately,

JOHN S. MITCHELL.

MR. JOHN L. STEPHENS TO MR. DICKINSON.

NEW YORK, March 10, 1845.

MY DEAR SIR-It has been difficult to keep up with you of late years. You have now attained what I have always considered the most honorable station, except one, in our country; and my congratulations, though they may be rather late, are not on that account the less sincere. But high up as you may be, you are not entirely out of reach, and doubtless you often find old acquaintances tugging at your skirts, if not to pull you down, at least to help themselves or their friends up.

I admit myself to be one of the latter disposition, or rather of the last branch of it. I write in behalf of an old and valued friend, Mr. S―, a merchant of this city, who is applying for the consulate at Havre. Gen. Dix knows him personally, and I, with due regard to all the responsibility of your position, assure you that he is in every respect qualified, and every way worthy of all your influence in his favor. The more particular object of this, however, is to introduce him to your personal acquaintance; the consequence of which I hope will be, that you will see the propriety of fixing him at Havre, so that when you take a breathing-spell for your Continental tour, you may find him on the pier ready to receive you, and take you to his house, and get you over your sea-sickness, and pass you on to W. H., who, I hope, is to be consul at Paris.

Very sincerely,

Your friend,

JOHN L. STEPHENS.

MR. DICKINSON TO MRS. DICKINSON.

WASHINGTON, March 12, 1845.

MY DEAR LYDIA-I am now, as you will see, getting a little more leisure. We have not yet adjourned, but I hope and pray we may this week. If the time is as long to you as it is to me, if you do get out of patience I cannot blame you. I have definitely made up my mind never to leave you and the children again, unless absolutely unavoidable.

My love to each and all.

Affectionately yours,

D. S. DICKINSON.

FROM GENERAL ROOT TO MR. DICKINSON.

DELII, 27th March, 1845.

DEAR SIR-I read the speech you sent me with much pleasure-with much pleasure, I say, because it was so very like my friend Dickinson himself. There are many pretty things in it, and prettily said, besides the pretty excerpts of poetry,