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New York Sept. 7th [18?9]

Dear Durand

The Board of health has announced that the cholera is no longer an epidemick in this City. but recommends caution in living.  Now as the cholera has gone into the [[underline]] country[[/underline]], the best thing you can do is to move into the city, the fine weather is almost over, & you will be safer here than where you are, besides we want you here.  after this year you can stay as long as you like in the country, but now we are struggling for existance, and the time and talents of every member are required to preserve the independence of the profession, and keep it from becoming the humble follower of the [[underline]] Art Union [[/underline]]  Cummings despairs entirely, but I do not, if the Artists will exert themselves  The review Exhibition is a dangerous experiment, and may if not properly managed still further involve us, but it must be tried for we have announced it.  & not sooner did our advertisement appear than our deadly enemies of the Art Union put forth a notice of [[underline]] their [[/underline]] forth coming exhibition in their new room.  

We want you here for several reasons, we want you to gather in your pictures, but we want you more particularly for the building business. I find that in voting against Cummings motion for lowering the floor of the Vestibule, I did so under a misapprehension of the state of the case, I had not examined the floor, & thought it had of course been built, as I designed it, but I find that the builder or architect has placed it [[?]] inches higher than it ought to be, and that by this means the hall is spoiled, it being only 9 feet high, while it is 8 feet broad so that is appears nearly [[image: drawing of a square]]  now this low ceiling has a very bad effect. Gray