WCP1265

[1]¹

Montpelier²

Jan^y 3^rd 1845

Dear William³ & John⁴

This brings my first day at school again I have spent a very pleasant vacation principally with M^rs. Price who is a most charming woman about my own age[.] She is married to a widower with two infant boys, she has no children and is quite a mother to them & appears as ^much attached as if they were her own; children, There is a kindly feeling towards strangers in this Country much more than in our own, the Americans have a great many good traits in their character particularly [2] that of hospitality[.] I have read Mamma's⁵ letters at last which cheered me up a little for I had been here 3 months and only had one letter. I hope you spent a merry Christmas[.] I have spent that day in four different countries without counting Wales as one. Our Episcopal Church at Macon was nicely ornamented with white roses and evergreens it was a lovely warm day and ever since it has been like spring, the violets & Cape Jessamine buds are in flower. I will now answer a few of Alfred's⁶ questions as I suppose this will be sent him at Leicester "We have cows & sheep[,] pigs & poultry of all kinds on the lot, also "Oxen, we have a good garden with plenty of Vines without Walls "but they do not attend to them properly. I hope Alfred will bring his book on the culture of the Vine[.] That will be useful here[.] We have also apple and Peach orchard besides many fruit trees in the Garden which is large, The mocking bird is common here and many others, the squirrel is the only live animal I have yet seen & it is very tame, snakes are sometimes found on the lot[.] The poor Indians are driven beyond the rocky mountains, you should read "Calkins⁷ book"⁸ of the description of his travels among the North American Indians & there are good maps in it you will then see where we are situated — where the Cherokees used to live.

Adieu dear Brothers & believe me your ever Affectionate| Fanny⁹