Philad^a November 23^rd 1860

 

Dear Brother,

                        I received your letter from Key West, and was very much pleased to hear that you were well, and that you were about to cruise on a much pleasanter station. From all that I have heard read and heard from men who have been upon that station, it must be the finest in the world. I hope you will conduct yourself well, and take good care of yourself. Always remember you are an American, and conduct yourself as such. I suppose you will consider that this is about sermon enough for the present. So I will let you know something about home. In the first place, all hands are very well at present, and I hope this letter will find you in good health. Your namesake, Hugh, talks about you all the time, and he says he is going with you, if you go away in a big ship again. Kate, and all of the rest of the family, are well. William Cooper and his family are well. All the boys about the Engine house are as well as ever.Tom Slaven requested me to name him to you particularly, and he says stick to the ship, and behave like a man, and see if it does not turn out better than whaling. 

 

Mag Lee is dead, and Phil Young has got the house that she lived in, and has filled it up and opened a tavern. He is getting along very well. James Miller has been sentenced to be hung on the seventh of next month. Wash. Eddis was sentenced to twelve years in the Eastern Penitentiary for that affair up at the creek. There has been very exciting times in this country for the last two months on account of the Presidential election, and since the result of the election has been known, it has been a great deal worse. Some of the Southern States, and making a terrible noise about secession. How it will all end, it is hard to tell yet. But one thing is certain, we are going to have a very hard time of it this winter, on account of so many people being thrown out of work, occasioned by this excitement in the South. Manufacturers and the business men of the South North cannot make their collections from their creditors in the South, and, as a matter of course, there will be very hard times here this winter.

 

            I send you, with this letter, some papers, so that you can see what is going on over this side of the fishing pond.

 

            When I wrote to you at Brooklyn, I told you that I had received a letter from Captain Smith, of the Desdemonia, in regard to your share of the voyage. I sent an answer to him, requesting him to have it settled at once, and / report to me the result, but I have never received any answer from him, so you can calculate that they have settled it to suit themselves, and you will never hear any more from him or the owner.

 

            Write to me as soon as possible after receiving this letter, and let me know if you get the papers I send to you. If you receive the papers, I can mail them often to you; but if you do not receive them, it is no use to pay postage on them.

 

            On the 22^nd of this month the banks of this city suspended specie payments, and the banks of other cities are making preparations to follow their example.

                                                                       

Your affectionate brother

Thomas Hatton

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