1839 March 3, Baltimore, to Father, Philadelphia

              Baltimore 3rd mo 3rd 1839Dear FatherAgreeably to my promise before I left the city I take the first opportunity of writing to you and letting you know how & where we are and in what manner and way we got here. With respect to our journey perhaps it would be better if I should relate the various incidents in chronological order. So I shall make a regular Journal of it. Thee will recollect that the day we left the city was much more pleasant than we had reason to expect the evening before. We found it however cool enough on board of the boat for cloaks and coats not to be uncomfortable. We took the same route that we took when we went with thee to Baltimore but if I recollect right about our former trip did not arrive at Baltimore at as early an hour. We had reason to insist that we should get there at 2 o’clock but instead of that we did not get there till nearly 4. It was then time for the cars for Washington to start but we found there would be time enough for us to get something of a dinner while they were changing the baggage. They have a very good plan on this line for taking charge of the baggage. They fasten on the trunk a ticket with a number on it and hand another ticket with the same number to you and before you can obtain your baggage this ticket must be given to them. The great advantage of this arrangement is that it gives you time to attend to some other matters before you get your baggage-- We left our tickets with the agent for the Washington cars & he attended to having the trunks removed from one car to another while we eat some tough cold chicken at a little house in the neighborhood