That truly has been and is one of the
possessions of my life in this perverse epoch of the world....
I have sent off by John Chapman a Copy of the _Life of Sterling,_
which is all printed and ready, but is not to appear till the
first week of October.... Along with the _Sheets_ was a poor
little French Book for you,--Book of a poor Naval _Mississippi_
Frenchman, one "Bossu," I think; written only a Century ago, yet
which already seemed old as the Pyramids in reference to those
strange fast-growing countries. I read it as a kind of defaced
_romance;_ very thin and lean, but all _true,_ and very
marvelous as such.
It is above three weeks since my Wife and I left London, (the
Printer having done,) and came hither with the purpose of a month
of what is called "Water Cure"; for which this place, otherwise
extremely pleasant and wholesome, has become celebrated of late
years. Dr. Gully, the pontiff of the business in our Island,
warmly encouraged my purpose so soon as he heard of it; nay,
urgently offered at once that both of us should become his own
guests till the experiment were tried: and here accordingly we
are; I water-curing, assiduously walking on the sunny mountains,
drinking of the clear wells, not to speak of wet wrappages,
solitary sad _steepages,_ and other singular procedures; my Wife
not meddling for her own behoof, but only seeing me do it.
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