Washington City
April 4th, 1814.
Harriet,
I have received no letter from home this
week, the last was from Edward (28th March) but
I have one dated 3d April from Mr. Barrett on
business, saying "no news", so all well.
I have dipped my pen in ink to write
you a letter but have no notion of what the letter
is to contain. Mr. Foot returned last
Thursday evening from NY with his wife and
has taken lodging in Pennsylvania Avenue
nearly opposite to my boarding house. He yesterday
gave us our invitation to call & see his lady of
which invitation I shall early avail myself.
The ladies of the members of whom there are many
here, have very little association except those at the
same boarding house. They spend their time in
their own chambers a very large part of the times
They go occasionally to the parties of the public officers.
It is now spring and the public grounds around
the Capitol are highly decorated and the grass is very
green & the early flowers are out but, the leaves
have not appeared on the trees. These ornamented
grounds include within the on the
east & west front about thirty acres. It has a very
great variety of trees, shrubbery & flowers & it has
extensive walls, fountains & jets of water. In
these grounds the ladies walk in pleasant [Word]
& many have children with them. The ladies every
week & sometimes every day visit the galleries of
the Capitol & listen to the debates. They also occupy
much of their time in folding &
for their husbands their documents & papers to
their constituents but, they have much time to read.
Now do you think your mother would be content
to spend the next winter with me here? I should be
very glad to have her with me, if I thought she could
be content to submit to it & be happy.
Parties have pretty much ceased now since the
melancholy affair of the Princeton. Mr. Adams has
had a party & I attended about two hours. It was
much like all parties except that it was entirely
whigs & their ladies, except foreign ministers & they
attended without their court dresses. The rooms were
two parlors, not larger than ours, below, well filled
& one rather larger up stairs nearly as full. In
that upper parlor were two card tables in operation.
Lemonade, wine, cakes & ice cream handed round
Ice cream is in very great use here.
You are sensible that I notice but little
the fashion of formal affairs but, as a general thing
I say that cushioning seems in no way diminishing
& that the bonnets are the pretty form they
have lately had & are cut away at the sides of the
face so as to bring the lower corners back too far.
Bonnets are almost all silk that is, very few straw.
The American Institute, an association of gentlemen
for scientific objects is in session here and many gen-
tlemen of scientific pursuits are congregated & lecture
are delivered or papers read. Among them
is Dr. Nott, who I heard the last Friday evening
read a paper on the Earth, its structures, age
& end, geologically, chronologically & scientifically.
It was really an interesting performance. I wrote
you this latter information that you may commu
nicate it with my respects to Mr. Wright & tell
him I shall write on the subject to Edwin
At the Baltimore Convention it will be
a perfect crowd & Mary Joshua must not
think of stopping at Baltimore but must calcu-
late to come directly here where I will see she
has a room until she can go to Virginia.
I wish Mr. Johnson to inform me
whether the Louisville Journal and Washington
Intelligencer & duly recd. by the Clay Club & tell
him I shall occasionally send them papers &c.
With love to your mother & my children & yours.
I remain affectionately
Your Father
J. Collamer
Mrs. Harriet A. Johnson