REMINISCENCES 297 



votion to you, it would have occurred long ago. And 

 what is true of me, is time of you. Your love, so tender, 

 so unwavering, so immense, remains unchanged. There 

 have been moments, when I doubted the sufficiency of my 

 own love for you, but yours ! I never questioned and never 

 shall ! I therefore do not wish for a renewal of your love, 

 which I know will accompany me beyond the grave and 

 I am unable to make new wishes for I love you beyond 

 measure. 



If you were to ask of me a well-worded letter of New 

 Year's congratulations to one or the other Privy Coun- 

 sellor, I should gladly send you ten instead of one, well- 

 written and well-constructed according to the latest dic- 

 tates of grammar and rhetoric not to mention a superb 

 orthography but, when there is a question of such a letter 

 to you, deaT parents, or to you, my only sister — my eyes 

 seem veiled, the writing appears crooked, and of orthog- 

 raphy or rhetoric we had better not speak. I could 

 never accomplish such a task. Let it suffice, that I love 

 you! 



Farewell, a thousand times! 

 (Signed) FRANZ LECOUVtfEUR. 



The 30th P. M. 

 Have just accepted an engagement at J. Jensen 's, San 

 Jose', or Santa Clara. My salary as steward will be sixty 

 dollars a month and travelling expense. I shall leave to- 

 morrow morning. F. L. 



From the Diaey. 



December 31st, 1853. 

 One of our many proverbs in the Fatherland teaches us 

 that: "All is well, that ends well!" I wonder whether 

 this will come to pass in my case and as regards this lat- 

 ter-day venture in the old year of eighteen hundred and 

 fifty-three, which has really been pretty good to me. 



