112 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



i 

 You kindly inquire for my welfare ; you may perhaps be 



surprised to know that my house has again a female head. 

 My situation was peculiarly trying ; not an individual of my 

 family remained under my roof; I was absolutely alone, and 

 must either break up or go on with hirelings. I might have 

 been compelled to one or the other course, had not a kind 

 Providence directed me to a very dear friend of my late 

 wife, a relative also, both being lineal descendants from the 

 good Governor Trumbull, the friend of Washington ; and 

 she was already in habits of affectionate intercourse with all 

 my children, and her age and character in all respects were 

 fitting and proper. The marriage took place at Woodstock, 

 Connecticut, her native place, September 17, 1851, the 

 anniversary of my marriage at Lebanon, forty-two years 

 ago with my late beloved and revered wife. My present 

 wife was Mrs. Sarah J. Webb, the daughter of John Mc- 

 Clellan, Esq., one of our most respectable old men now 

 verging on eighty-four. My house is now reestablished 

 in all its former comfort, and the present Mrs. Sillirnan's 

 habits and principles of action are so in unison with those 

 of her predecessor that there is no change in our domestic 

 condition. 



My tour in Europe was undertaken for the gratification 

 and advantage of my son. Our party was seven, and our 



courier on the Continent added another In our 



entire tour all were well, and we met with no accident or 

 molestation whatever. My son and Mr. Brush managed 

 all business concerns, and left me all my time, and I wrote 

 constantly, and finished five quarto volumes, containing 

 fourteen hundred pages and more, with numerous illustra 

 tions of prints inserted in the books. I wrote now for my 

 children, as I formerly did for my brother. You will 'infer 



that my physical power is not impaired If I have 



written too much about myself, I believe I must charge it 

 to your kind solicitude to know something of my history for 

 later periods. 



