548 LETTER TO [PART III. 



untrue, that it is not without a great deal of 

 difficulty that all my respect for you personally 

 can subdue in me the temptation to treat it 

 with the contempt due to its intrinsic demerits. 

 999. I shall notice only a few of the items. 

 A house, you say, " exceedingly convenient and 

 " comfortable, together with farm-buildings, 

 " may be built for 1500 dollars." Your own 

 intended house you estimate at 4500, and your 

 out-buildings at 1500. So that, if this house of 

 the farmer (an English farmer, mind) and his 

 buildings, are to be " exceedingly convenient 

 " and comfortable," for 1500 dollars, your house 

 and buildings must be on a scale, which, if not 

 perfectly princely, must savour a good deal of 

 aristocratical distinction. But, this ^relieves 

 us ; for even your house, built of pine timber 

 and boards, and covered with cedar shingles, 

 and finished only as a good plain farm-house 

 ought to be, will, if it be thirty-six feet front, 

 thirty-fourfeet deep, two rooms in front, kitchen, 

 and wash-house behind, four rooms above, and 

 a cellar beneath ; yes, this house alone, the bare 

 empty house, with doors and windows suitable, 

 will cost you more than six thousand dollars. I 

 state this upon good authority. I have taken 

 the estimate of a building carpenter. " What 

 " Carpenter?" you will say. Why, a Long 

 Island carpenter, and the house to be built 



