Viewing page 48 of 190

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[start page]]
1865
Jan
to be immediately erected. Father is himself again to day. The warm sympathy of the Regents & friends of Inst has been very grateful to him  Mr. Patterson told us the Senate was [[strikethrough]] discloses [[/strikethrough]] discussing a very important bill when it was announced that the Inst was on fire and immediately adjourned. The Supreme Court [[abeys?]] [[?]] its session. People came from George Town to witness the conflagration. The loss of his letters is a very great trial to Father but he has hardly mentioned it thinking much more of the library & private papers of Bishop Johns entrusted to the care of the Inst. Father letters were written with very great care & were in answer to questions upon almost every subject  They had been all prepared with the greatest care not a letter ever left the Inst but a copy of it was taken. It is next to losing Father to have them go  It is a calamity I have no resignation to meet. It [[seems?]] so very hard to [[end page]]
[[start page]]
1865
Jan
save our furniture and other things wich are so valueless in comparison with [[those?]] when we would so gladly give them in exchange.
31st The bells have been ringing to day & guns [[firing?]] in honour of the passage of the bill for the ^anti slavery amendment of the constitution. Admiral Davis here to night warm in his sympathy for Father.
Feb 4th  We are reduced to order again after the fire [[and?]] were it not for the meloncholy [[view?]] would find it difficult to realize how much that is valuable has been destroyed. The loss to the Inst is estimated at $20 000 not including the roof which Father thinks is well destroyed as it was badly constructed and must have taken fire some time  Better now than later when more valuable material would have been collected. Father bears the misfortune with the utmost patience & sweetness one remark in a letter to Dr. Torrey this morning touch[[ed?]] me. Speaking of the loss of papers he said  A few years ago such a misfortune would have paralyzed me for future effort but in my present view of life I take it as 
[[end page]]