Samuel F. B. Morse, His Letters and Journals In Two Volumes, Volume I.

ph Hillhouse.-Letter of exhortation from his mother.-Morse wishes to stay longer in Europe.-Amused at mother's political views.-The father sends more money for a longer stay.-Sidney exalts poetry

his behalf unsuccessful.-Capture of Paris by the Allies.-Again expresse

ng your professional studies give your affectionate parents the highest gratification and reward. We wish you to avoid carrying your economy to an extreme. Let your appearance be suited to the respectable company

on is, indeed, an exalted one, and we believe it correctly drawn. Your ardor has giv

itical views, he answers i

s we think them, appear to be the errors of a fair and honest mind, and are of

en we shall have opportunity to compare notes, and each is made acquainted with all that the other knows. I confidently exp

he harvest to appearance will be very abundant. Heaven appears to be reward

r a wicked little thrust at the son's vehemently expressed political vi

it of former times which kindled in the hearts of the Bostonians? Will they still be unmoved, or must they learn from more bitter exper

to think of party; the c

t the honor of our navy

ver, I am sure, be forgo

short but

fireworks and feux de joie for the capture

e misfortunes of my countrymen, and this, too, on the 4th of July. A less ardent spirit than mine might perhaps tolerat

on. At this I rejoice as ought every man who abhors tyranny and loves liberty. I wish the British success ag

now how he will prove the former superior to the latter. A painter must be

end you. They are but just published, so that the opinion of the public is not yet ascertained, but

ything that belongs to the arms. If you will answer these questions minutely, I can, for half a crown, ascertain the arms and crest which belong to the family, which (as there is a degree of importa

Boston on July 12, 1813, gives a pretty picture of Morse's ho

ho is here on a visit), and myself to take a walk over to Charlestown for the purpose of paying a visit

windows open, and round it, first, the housekeeper pouring out tea; next her, Miss C. Borland; next her, your mother, whose looks spoke love as often as you were mentioned, and that was not infrequently, I assure you. On your mother's right

n you paint it? Neither of y

sing in the shade of his laurels, and amusing himself in directing the construction of a seventy-four at Portsmouth. Where the fair excellence, Miss Jannette herself, is at present, I am unable to

still in fiddling condi

, Madame, has bestowed

th to his brother Henry. Miss Mary Ann Woolsey thinks of consummating the blessedness of a Mr. Scarborough before the e

to be setting their faces heavenward; all seem

ecate your wrath!! I have substituted William for Henry and Henry for William. No, Henry i

30, 1813, his moth

ular business; and that you will observe a modesty in the reception of premiums and praises on account of your talents, that shall show to those who bestow them that you are worthy of them in more senses than merely as an artist. It wi

re. Remember, my son, it is easier to get a reputation than to keep it

and trouble to get it, but she, I know, would be greatly pleased if you should send her one of him. If you should get acquainted with

ter again giving free rein to his political fe

and I suppose he has forgotten it. I don't wish to remind him of it directly,

n till I am a painter. I long to return as much as you can wish to have me, but, if you can spare me a little longer, I should wish it. I abid

corruptions of the French school; for they are corrupt in the principles of painting, as in religion and everything else; but, when well grounded in the good principles of this school, I could study and s

t she would in this way shut the door completely to conviction in anything. It would imply that, because a man is educated in error, he must forever live in error. I know exactly how mama feels; she think

n England and can see and hear all their motives for acting as they have done; or mama, who gets her information from the Fed

y repealed them on account of the injury it was doing themselves, and took America into consideration about as much as they did the inhabitants of Kamschatka. The conditional repeal of the Berlin and Milan decrees was a back door for them, and they avail

thankful and gratified for it; but a little politeness from an individual of one nation to an individual of another is certainly not a reason that the former's Government should be esteemed incapable of wrong

raws a great prize, and when his poor neighbor comes sincerely to congratulate him on his success, he holds

to make peace, but not in the will of the English. It is in the power of the Federa

e him to make every effort to support himself, if he should decide to spend another year abroad, for they fear that they will be unable to send him any more money. However, the father, when he became convinced that it was really to hi

is: which is capable of making the strongest impression; which can impress upon the mind most strongly a sublime or a beautiful idea? Does the sublimest passage in Milton excite a stronger sensation in the mind of a man of taste than the sublimest painting of Michael Angelo? Or, to make the parallel more complete, does

and New Haven of those early days. The fact that he had never seen a great painting, wh

r writes on Nov

ealized it. The reason given was that a large portion of those who visit Europe are dissipated infidels, which has justly given the English a bad opinion of us as a nation. But we are happy to find that there are many

ption of people, as it will, sooner or later, have a most corrupting effect on the morals, and, as a man is known by the co

ite unexceptionable then, but he is in a situation to ruin the best morals. I hope you do not attend the theatre, as I have

oung and impulsive artist to leave politics alone, as we learn fr

litics, however, were very disagreeable and occupied no inconsiderable part of your letters. You

oth sides of the Atlantic seem never to have reached their destination, owing t

tol, but they were either never received or not preserved. Of other letters I have only fragments, and some that are quoted by Mr. Prime in his biography have vanished utterly. Still, from what remains, we can glean a fairly good idea of the life o

ems to have been a strange fatality attached to the little statuette of the "Dying Hercules," for, although he packed it carefully and sent it to Liverpool on June 18, 1813,

er to provide the means for his support, and, while he was duly appreciative of their goodness, he could not help taking it more or less as a matter of course. He was optimistic with regard to the future, falling into the common error of gifted young artists that, because of their artistic succ

ites from London after h

iting long letters to you; I mean t

merica. First, I am inclined to doubt the fact of there being so many infidel Americans in the country; second, if there were, there are not so many religious people here who wou

in my neighborhood and Mr. B.'s three miles distant. I most commonly heard Dr. Biddulph, of St. James's Church, a most excellent, orthodox, evangelical man. I was on the point many times of going to hear Mr. Lowell, who is one of the dissenting

specially in his mother's, couched in the extravagant language of the very

pleasant, indeed, as well as profitable. I was there five months and, in May, shall probably go again and stay all summer. I was getting i

t. He is a rich merchant, an American (cousin to Captain Visscher, my fellow passenger, by whom I was introduced to hi

re, unfortunately, missing.

y illness from w

ether on circumstances. I may get a good run of portraits or I may not; it depends so much on the whim of the public; if the

ing of politics, I hope my brothers will

d to remain with us. All we wish is a taste in the country and a little more wealth.... In order to create a taste, however, pictures, first-rate pictures, must be introduced into the country, for taste is only acquired by a close study of the merits of the old masters. In Philadelphia I am happy to find they have successfully begun. I wish Americans would unite in the thing, throw aside local prejudices

t not in my day, I fear, unless there is more exe

see later, his exertions were a potent factor in es

tick order, and think I am thinner than I was at home. They all tell me so. I'm not so good-looking either, I am told; I have lost my color, grown more sallow, and

enty-two years. When I came from Bristol the snow was up on each side of the road as high

us writes to him from Br

the 'Witch of Endor.' I think I perceive a few symptoms of amendment in him, and the request of his father that he must support himself is, in the opinion of his friends here, the best thing that coul

ading what I have written about Mr. Leslie's friend;

he prize. It would be a great addition to our pleasure to hear that those encourager

aiting your return to h

two more are enqui

iend in Stapleton prison. Did you n

rse used every effort, through his friend Henry Thornton, to secure the releas

er of war now in the Stapleton depot, and I address you, sir, under the conviction

relatives are among my father's friends, and, although I was not, until now, personally acquainted with him, yet his face is familiar to me, and many of his relatives were my particular friends while I was receiving my education at Yale College in New Have

health, and, by the advice of his physicians, he took to the sea as the only remedy left f

ting trade being destroyed, he took a situation as second mate in the sch

onduct. He is a man of excellent religious principles, and, I firmly believe, of the strictest integrity. So well a

unprincipled society, which he is obliged to endure,

obtain for him, through your influence, his liberty on his parole of honor. By so doing you will probably be the mean

this intrusion upon your time, I am,

umble, obed

F.B.

. Thornton

f our effecting our wishes in respect to your poor friend at Bristol. I shall be gl

r sir, yo

HORN

hornton was the following letter a

ot at Stapleton, I regret much that, after consulting on this case with Sir Rupert George, and ascertaining the usual course of procedure in similar

olitary instance among the French and American prisoners, but, unless we were prepared to adopt the system of releasing all others of th

sir, your most obedient

VIL

pelled to bow to the inevitable, however, and after this he did what he could to make the unhappy situation of the prisoner more bearable by e

lligence of them was received in England by an enthusiastic student, not only of the fine arts, but o

l 6,

day, and you may conceive the sensations of the people of England on the occasion. As the cartel is the first vessel which will arrive in America to carry the news, I

this occurrence is the spirit of religion and, consequently, of humanity which has constantly marked the conduct of the Allies. Their moderation through all their unparallelled successes cannot be too much exto

as ardent as yours possibly can be. Suffice it to say that I see the hand of Providence so strongly in it

ever is it necessary for me to stay in Europe. Peace is inevitable, and the easy access to the Contin

s are the only things which can support me at present, but it is insipid, indeed, for one who wishes to be at the head of the first branch of the art, to b

you. I cannot ask it of you and I do not till I try what I can do. You have already done more than I deserved and it would be ingratitude in me to reques

t this time, as the following draft of a letter, without date, but evi

ng to you a farce which, if, on perusal, you should think worthy of the stage, I beg you to a

opinion of it, the approbation alone of Mr. Mathews

mic powers would alone prompt me to make some return which might show you, at l

goodness to enclose it under cover and direct to Mr. T.G.S., artist, 82 Great Titchfield Street; and I assure you beforehand that you need be under no apprehension of giving me mortification by refusing it. It would only convince me that I had not dramatic talents, a

you. The farce is a first attempt and has received the approbation, not only of my th

ct and esteem I remain,

rv

G.

e of the play itself among the papers, which is rather to be regretted. We can only surmise that Morse came to the conclusion (ve