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age. [[Cary?]] has been collecting books to day to send to him.

Thursday July 3rd    Mr. Welling has just left us. He saw the Count de Paris to day. He ^the Count says that the army before Richmond is full of hope & courage but out numbered by the Southerners who have three times as many men. He arrived in Washington to day & Mr. Welling thinks has enough of the war for the present The papers announced yesterday he had taken a prisoner. Mr. W. asked Father's opinion of the President's plan for liberating the slaves Father approved of [[colonization?]] He thought the experiment ought to be tried. but to liberate the negro [[strikeout]] before they are ready for freedom [[strikeout]] ^[[underlined]] or ever in this country was certain death to the race. The state of Finances was discussed Mr. W. said the currency had deteriorated 10 per cent ^or to use the popular phrase was "10 per cent above par." Sec. Chase has declared the war must be carried on it cannot stop even if we have to pay $100 for a breakfast. Father says in the time of the Revolution paper money went down to 1000 for one. Mr. W. says Mr. Pearce is suffering very much from gout. Father has been giving us a speech of Lord B since Mr. W left It is rather prosy but closes with some favorite lines of Father's which he is now reading with
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great gusto

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July 4th.    The Nation's Birth Day. 86 years old Loving America still compared with the grey [[heading?]] countrys of the Eastern world. Laugh low little children restrain your mirth on this her holiday she is young but the Fever heat of war is upon her. Do you hear her heart [[strikeout]] throbs. [[strikeout]] ^They are quick & heavy Will she die? God only knows. ----- 1048 wounded have come in to day. They were engaged in the battle of Friday We went to the steamboat  landing ^this evening after most them had been brought off the boats saw two or three who had been slightly wounded one poor fellow was without an arm. We hoped to learn something of A.W. & other of our friends but could here nothing. We were amused by some contrabands who came off one of the vessels. Their importance & the ^air of conscious elegance with which one of them sported an old cap of her mistress was very comical. The expression of one of them touched me. She was pressing her ebony babe to her bosom with a mother's [[?]] [[fondness?]] &
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