SOLON ROBINSON, 1850 369 



Letter to Mariah Robinson 



[Ms. in Harry Robinson Strait Papers, Gary] 



Lancaster Co. Va. May 9^^ 1850. 

 Mrs. Mariah Robinson. 

 My Dear Wife. 



Knowing from sad experience how very unpleasant it 

 is to be cut off from all communication with you, I must 

 not neglect any longer to let you hear from me, as I can 

 get a letter away tho' I cannot get one sent to me because 

 I cannot fix upon any point ahead where one can be sent 

 to me from New York, and I have had no communication 

 from Mr. Allen since I left Fredericksburg Apl. 22. and 

 shall not be able to unless I take a steam-boat to Balti- 

 more on purpose, which I am inclined to do, as I find it 

 very impolotic for me to leave this part of the country as 

 soon as I expected, as I am engaged in doing a very large 

 business for the firm, of which I expect to reap a fair per 

 centage of profit to myself. I have sold within the last 

 ten days Tiventy Thousand Dollars worth of merchandise, 

 mostly Guano, which is extensively used as a manure for 

 wheat in several counties here. 



You may judge that I have been pretty busy & if I 

 have neglected to write you it is because I had such an 

 amount of business on my hands. I wrote some 20 letters 

 last Sunday, and have been engaged in writing almost 

 every night until 12 O'clock, except last night I went to 

 bed early with a bad cold which has nearly given me the 

 ague to day, as it was scalding hot forenoon & then a 

 shower & chilly this evening: so much so that I stopt 

 before night, as usual at a gentleman's house where I am 

 always welcome, and treated with great respect & kind- 

 ness. 



The best of wheat here now is knee high. Corn nearly 

 all up & some being plowed the first time. Peaches about 

 as big as large peas. Apple blossoms off. Forest trees 

 all in green leaves. Strawberries in bloom. And it is 

 called a most unusual backward spring. 



