1850 April 8, Washington, to My dear Cousin

              Washington April 8th 1850

My dear Cousin,

Hast thou long since concluded that (let me begin right now, I have begun) I have forgotten the existence of such a person as thyself, or at least forgotten that certain promises relative to certain documentary epistles were made in some indefinite past time? If either of these conclusions has taken possession of thee, I hope the present document, which before I have done I hope will assume the shape of some sort of letter, will effectually conceal it. I have begun on a new quire of paper; the first sheet will go to thee & the whole quire was bought expressly with a view to writing to thee though after reading this scrawl I know thee will most willingly excuse me from filling up all the rest of it to thy direction.

I can hardly tell what to write to the Clemmie for of all dull lives that ever I led, this I think is the dullest, simply because I cant go out much. The air in the Senate & house is so bad that I cant stay there & I have consequently heard very little of the exciting debates which have been going on for some time. I have been there however several times the best speech I have herd as Mr. Dayton of N.J.