Voices of the Eastern Shore

powers enable them to form it in the right mould. Mrs Sedgewick was, I believe, one of her earliest friends.

Time and circumstances are working changes here; our mercantile world is in great confusion, occasioned by the failure of some of the prominent houses; all attributed to the ongoing obstinacy of your friend the hermit ex president, for you know they say, he was a great favorite with the ladies, and of course I suppose that you admire his friendly successor, upon the principle of "love me love my dog" or rather as you know, he wants against to cut the Gordian knot and then to tye it once more in an indissoluble cord chain which the Lady of his affections is to hold till the last link is broken; so that you must espouse his cause, attend his public and private levees and then invite us to your wedding. My flame, by the bye, is not to be forgotten, altho' I don't take any more of those twilight walks in order as you said to evade your presence, still I am as devoted as ever and hope to be so 'till death us do part. I feel much for her as she has now for some time been suffering from a severe cold, which you are depreses the spirits as well as the health. She is about to leave Mrs Smiths. Mrs E. M. has a most interesting little girl, a remarkably pretty [babe??bale??], but the affliction of her recent loss seems to be opened afresh by any occurrence which revives the recollection of her little darlyng, and it seems as tho'

notwithstanding the powerful resource which she finds in religion, that nothing can remove the weight of distress that oppresses her.

We have had Robert Taylor and his pretty wife with us. She has not altered in the slighest degree excepting that her loquacity is greater than formerly and when she now speaks, she throws about her pretty eyes, that were she not as they say "upon the shelf" I believe she would have made a great many hearts feel funny. -- Our church affairs I must inform you as churchwoman, are at present in excellent train. Parson Do catch it according to Gauter is still prebendary of St Stephens, with its painted glass.

[pencil note middle of page: Mention of Cousin [illegible] Teackle (Priory)]

To cut matters short, Cousin [E. J.??] goes as ever in with Mrs Austin. Her [3 illegible words] is partly the [object?] her visit. her decrepit [lover?] is in my opinion a very [shabby ??] fellow. She was to have met him here. Cousins Chauncey with uncle are well. Cousin: S was at a little party Nelly gave to her little friend. ^and [illegible]^ We had a dance to gether I wished much you had been with us. We are all very well at present. All unite in their love to you. Will you remember us affectionately to Cousin Mary and to William and C. Elisabeth S. &c and to Mr Eyre. Present my best regards to cousin Mary Eyre and tell her I often think of her kindness to me, and that we hope she may deign when she next leaves home, to pay us a visit with cousin William and little [illegible]. Begging you not to forget the wedding.

Believe me your affectionate nephew W. W. Bancker.

P. S. V. received Miss A. Floyd's letter, through the politeness of Lieut: Barns, who also handed in your two.

Enrolled and Exam^d Littleton D. Teackle List of Negroes brought from Virginia Filed 24^th March 1801 Fees paid.

March the 24th Day anno Dom. 1801 then was delivered unto me the subscriber the within written Certificate in order to be Enrolled among the records of Somerset County which said certificate is accordingly recorded among the same records in Liber N folio 104. Per Wm. Done Clk.

1 John Laws

1808

Con 1

1807

Teacle L. D. Tomlinson's Hotel 31st Jany 1814 Sir Upon my arrival in the City I was informed that the subject of a National Bank was about to be discussed in Congress, and considering the scheme proposed by its projectors, as designed to compass a vast monopoly, and an important source of revenue without an equivalent I took occasion cursorily to draw up a plan of Finance embracing that subject, which appeared in the National Intelligencer and has been republished by several prints of various political character but in the ardour of my zeal to submit that vision to your consideration before the matter should have been disposed of by Congress, it escaped me to notice a most essential [auxiliary?] to the plan. to wit, the extension of emissions upon the security of national domains, redeemable at a distant date, say five years, with interest annually at the rate of 1 1/3 cents [pr?] $100 [pr?] day equal to $4 80/100 [?] [pr Anm?] for such facilities a capital of Sixty millions might be readily commanded as computing the aggregate of Bank stock at seventy-five millions, whereof 1/5 in specie is amply sufficient to discharge any demand that in the common course of commerce could be presented and which is equal to the average portion of specie in the different Banks, and nearly equal to their notes in circulation - the remaining 4/5 or sixty millions in public securities bearing interest and intrinsic solidity obviously preferable to the notes of State Banks, of which that portion is now composed, would consequently be thus invested the correctness of this position is well known to Gentlemen 21.949

conversant in fiscal operationsThe burthen of interest sustained by the present system of Treasury - Notes, is needlessly great, and the limitation tends to reduce their value whilst issues on the plan herein suggested would lessen the rate of interest and expense of emission, and be universally esteemed a more elejible facility-" Supposing the sum assumed to be taken up by individuals [?] Banks, in anticipation of or to replace the like amount of funded stock, as recently contracted viz say --60.000.000 ... at 7 50/100= $4.500.000 --60.000.000 ... 4 80/100- 2.880.000 the difference would be --- $1.620.000 a fund sufficient to build and equip annually a force of two 74's & two Frigates of the first class

There is nothing more certain than that Hook funded at so extravant a rate of interest will find its abode in Foreign Countries, and produce the pernicious effect of a constant drain beyond the requisite supply of specie for the com merce of Asia - Some preudo-Financiere have advocated the policy of foreign loans, but nothing can be more deleterious in operation - for illustration I will suppose the debt of England, due to another Country, and by resorting to their public documents we perceive, that the means to meet its interest, and cover their public charges, exceed by two fold the aggregate of their exports, and hence

impoverishment & ruin, would enivitably follow -but the debt being among themselves, operating as a stupendous ingine for every purpose of Na tional prosperity - a result diametrically dif -ferent succeeds in due course

- The assimilation of individual, to public expenditure, is a common error - the liberality of the one dissipates his substance and destroys his estate; whilst the diffusion of public wealth, -under a liberal and judicious appropriation, propels every useful enterprize for the general benifit-

The odious system of Farmers general, is in effect revived by the mode adopted for letting out the late loans, and those Farmers, expert in the subtile Arts of cultivating the fields of Foreign Finance, have kept, and are now reaping the most exuberant crops from our virgin soil - - it is only necessary to glance an eye to the [preci] current for Stocks on the eve of a new loan & a most ominous depression appears - The object and design of which cannot be doubted - -The like game is now playing off, and in addition it is rumoured, that an augmented loan cannot be obtained without an increase of terms; but the end of these tricks, and the fallacy of these rumours will be manifested by the sudden appreciation of the scrip, after the com -pulsion of the subscription - the fact is, that the means of supply are enlarjed, as the proceeds of precious land exported to Europe and returned 21,557

[Richm]ond Dec 23rd 1815

Well, the court has been cleared, (rather unusual in such cases) the criminal arraigned, and the indictment read to him. He rejects with becoming dignity, all propositions for a compromise, acknowledges submissively the jurisdiction of the court, and to his indictment, pleads not guilty, and of this he puts himself upon the country. The attorney for the prosecution being heard, the prisoner, by leave, makes his own defense in the following words. "May it please your worships or your honours, or gentlemen of the jury, I am accused of high crimes and misdemeanours by a lady who knows a thing or two, because it is plain she has read Ossian^{1Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a series of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson.}. I acknowledge she has stated correctly the contract which I am accused of violating, but I in no sort admit that she is equally correct in her accusation. May it please you, how could that be? None but lunaticks violate contracts which are obviously to their advantage, and from which they reasonably expect great pleasure. Now, am I a lunatick? A question not to be asked! And even if I were, I can prove by Bate's Almanack which is considered the most learned Almanack extant, that the moon has been in the wane for more than a week. Is not this presumptive proof irresistible? But I crave your credence my learned judges, to "a plain tale" which will soon [put] this matter at rest. Some three or four [torn page] I deposited in the Post Office a certain [torn page] such as is mentioned in the indict[ment] [torn page] which was another sealed paper of [torn page]