TO THE REV. J. BOYER.
New-Haven.
Sir,

Your favor of the 4th in&longs;t. came to
hand ye&longs;terday. I received it with plea&longs;ure,
and embrace this early opportunity of contributing
my part to a corre&longs;pondence, tending to
promote a friendly and &longs;ocial intercour&longs;e. An
epi&longs;tolary communication between the &longs;exes has
been with &longs;ome, a &longs;ubject of &longs;atire and cen&longs;ure;
but unju&longs;tly, in my opinion. With per&longs;ons of
refinement and information, it may be a &longs;ource
of entertainment and utility. The knowledge
and ma&longs;culine virtues of your &longs;ex may be softened,
and rendered more diffu&longs;ive by the inquisitiveness,
vivacity, and docility of ours; drawn
forth and exerci&longs;ed by each other.

In regard to the particular &longs;ubject of your's I
&longs;hall be &longs;ilent. Ideas of that kind are better conveyed,
on my part, by words, than by the pen.

I congratulate you on your agreeable settlement,
and hope it will be productive of real and
la&longs;ting happine&longs;s. I am convinced that felicity
is not confined to any particular &longs;tation, or

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condition in life; yet methinks &longs;ome are better calculated
to afford it to me, than others.

Your extract from a favorite poet is charmingly
de&longs;criptive; but is it not difficult to a&longs;certain
what we can pronounce “an elegant sufficiency?”
Perhaps you will an&longs;wer as &longs;ome others
have done, We can attain it by circum&longs;cribing
our wi&longs;hes within the compa&longs;s of our abilities.
I am not very avaricious; yet I mu&longs;t own that
I &longs;hould like to enjoy it without &longs;o much trouble
as that would co&longs;t me.

Excu&longs;e my &longs;eeming levity. You have flattered
my cheerfulne&longs;s by commending it; and
mu&longs;t, therefore, indulge me in the exerci&longs;e of it.
I cannot conveniently be at the pains of restraining
its &longs;allies, when I write in confidence.

Is a &longs;prightly di&longs;po&longs;ition, in your view, indicative
of a giddy mind, or an innocent heart? Of
the latter, I pre&longs;ume; for I know you are not
a mi&longs;anthrope.

We expect the plea&longs;ure of Mr. Selby's company
to dinner. You are, certainly, under
obligations to his friend&longs;hip for the liberal encomiums
he be&longs;towed on you, and your pro&longs;pects
ye&longs;terday. Mrs. Richman rallied me after he
was gone, on my li&longs;tening ear. The General
and &longs;he unite in reque&longs;ting me to pre&longs;ent their
re&longs;pects. Wi&longs;hing you health and happine&longs;s, I
&longs;ub&longs;cribe my&longs;elf your friend,

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