ionately,
F. A. B.

... I was at first a little disappointed that my baby was not a
man-child, for the lot of woman is seldom happy, owing principally, I
think, to the many serious mistakes which have obtained universal sway
in female education. I do not believe that the just Creator intended one
part of his creatures to lead the sort of lives that many women do....
In this country the difficulty of giving a girl a good education is even
greater, I am afraid, than with us, in some respects. I do not think
even accomplishments are well taught here; at least, they seem to me for
the most part very flimsy, frivolous, and superficial, poor alike both
in quality and quantity. More solid acquirements do not abound among my
female acquaintance either, and the species of ignorance one encounters
occasionally is so absolute and profound as to be almost amusing, and
quite curious; while there is, also, quite enough native shrewdness,
worldly acuteness, and smattering of shallow superficial reading, to
produce a result which is worthless and vulgar to a pitiable degree. Of
course there are exceptions to this narrowness and aridity of
intellectual culture, but either they are really rare exceptions, or I
have been especially unfortunate....

My dear Dorothy, this letter was begun three months ago; I mislaid it,
and in the vanity of my imagination, believed that I had finished and
sent it; and lo! yesterday it turns up--a fragment of which the Post
Office is still innocent: and after all, 'tis a nonsense letter, to send
galloping the wild world over after you. It seems hardly worth while to
put the poor empty creature to the trouble of being sea-sick, and going
so far. However, I know it will not be wholly worthless to you if it
brings you word of my health and happiness, both of which are as good as
any reasonable human mortal can expect....

Kiss dear Harriet for me, and believe me,

Very affectionately yours,
F. A. B.

BRANCHTOWN, March 1st, 1836.
DEAREST H----,

Are you conjecturing as to the fate of three letters which you have
written to me from the Continent? all of which I have duly received, I
speak it with sorrow and shame; and certainly 'tis no proof that my
affection is still the same for you, dear H----, that I ha