Washington City
June 30. 1848
Harriet,
I have been sometime indebted
to you a letter but take this time rather to
acknowledge the debt than to repay it.
I am very much occupied with duties which
[devotes]upon me as a member of the committee
on Public Lands and the weather has become
most oppressively hot and I am not inclined
to put forth any very severe efforts, but as far
as practicable, consult my health.
I am as well as usual but I long for the
green hills of Vermont & the lights of the
countenances of my wife & children. I dare not
promise to visit home until the session closes,
the time of which close is entirely uncertain, but there is
no good reason now to expect it will be until
August, but it is not improbable that I may visit
home in July.
I cannot without going at great lengths
now explain the difficulties and objections to
my leaving here before the close of this session, but
the difficulties are great, & I may not be able
to overcome them.
Much to my surprise Mr. Billings appeared
here the other day, and is still here. He has been
to see me every day but is entirely occupied in
relation to the business on which he came here &
he is already very sick of the city, but I leave
him to tell his own story express & his own opinions.
I feel more curiosity than anxiety to see
& know the feelings of the people of Windsor
County & of the State of Vermont as to their political
course but of this I know you will realize little
& I ought perhaps not to mentioned it to you.
You must be sensible that the atmosphere
around me is entirely political and therefore I
cannot, sitting at my desk, at this moment, in the
House of Representatives, with gentlemen debating
on warmly exciting political topics around me
sequester my thoughts to such suggestions as might
be interesting to you. Nor have I anything of
news to write.
I therefore close with the usual but
with the sincere expression of my love to my
wife and children and friends.
Your father
J. Collamer