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The Charles P. McIlvaine letters were written in the 18th and 19th century and therefore may contain language that we understand today as harmful or offensive. You may encounter paternalist descriptions of Native Americans, racial slurs, or sexism. For more information, see our policy page.
Date
5-22-1862
Keywords
letter, McIlvaine, Bedell
Recommended Citation
McIlvaine, Charles Pettit, "Letter to Bishop Bedell" (1862). Charles Pettit McIlvaine Letters. 318.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/mcilvaine_letters/318
Rights Statement
Transcript
London May 22, 1862
My dear Bishop,
On getting to Cologne last Monday the 19th I received your welcome letter from Cleveland I had previously written you that I had concluded to sail in the first week of July. Notwithstanding the kind expressions of your letter about my staying longer * not returning during the heat of summer, I have since concluded to take the packet of the [?] [Lune], the Alma from [?] of June 4th in order that I may attend the Commencement & Convention. That of the following week would make it difficult to get there in time. My daughters & I will stop on our way to Cincinnati going out by Pittsburgh.
Expecting to see you or soon after this will reach you I need not write about any matters in your letter, except that concerning Grace Ch. Cleveland. I am very much gratified with Mr [Cater’s] spirit & will be quite ready to [?] it, as a [?] me. So far as I understand your account of what is proposed to do with the [corp], I make no objection to it, though my private opinion is against such things. But had it been in such a place originally, I should have made no objection. I am not so sure that I understand what is proposed as to the [?]. I should much prefer that all the panels be open, but if it be desired to have one enclosed or that it may have the letters I.N.D. I hope it will be but once.
[?] shall rejoice to get home again. Great as have been the [?] & kindness to us here, England never seemed less attractive to me, as during these troubles of our beloved country.
I had written the above before receiving your letter by the [?] which brought a second from Mr. M. on the subject of our time of departure, unless after she had heard your news & indicating cheerful concurrence. I am exceedingly obliged to you for your kind consideration of my health. But my daughters entirely agree with me that we had better act as mentioned above. The great [?] is the Convention. I could not find it in my heart to stay till September * my friends would not allow me. To stay as we had intended late 1st of July would be in gain as to hot weather, & would cause [me] to lose the Conv. My friends here on all attentiveness, & then kind requests & urgencies that I will spend two with them, can pass in [?]. But I feel a call to go home. My conscience will be better satisfied. The Bp. of [?] is expecting me to preach at his ordination in June, but I must disappoint him. [?] [?] goes by the Penn tomorrow, & I shall try to get this * those letters to her at Queenston or else it will go in the usual way. I have seen nothing in him but what I liked & we have led a great deal of pleasing [?]. His views are [modest] & my own about the [?] of the country. This good cause, [?] acquaintance with no affairs & history plain unpretending & get dignified [?], great diligence & [?] have enabled him to be very useful here. He has been rec’d much in the highest circles & very much [?] to & confided in. We have workers in perfect harmony. But Mr. Weed cannot [write] speech & once I had to do it for him.
I expect to reach N.Y. about the 15th. The Alma is a fast ship. I shall spend a day or two there, one in Phil[adelphia], take Washington to course my way, & expect to reach Gambier for the Commencement. I will thank you to have a letter awaiting me, care of B.R. McIlvaine, N.York, saying what day the Commencement is, as I have forgotten the arrangements [?] at the last Convention. I will thank you also to write Dr. Brown & ask him to send me to the same address, the usual annual ticket or the Sandusky Mansfield & Newark Road, unless it has been already sent, & if he in consideration of our [?] can get a special one also for the one trip [?] my daughters I will be glad. I write in in haste as the change of plans causes much work to get ready.
Yours very Affectionately,
C. P. Mc.
Of course, I need not now write about the [?] [?] your last.