[Letter from Andrew D. Campbell to Elizabeth Upshur Teackle, August 22, 1810]

My very dear friend

A few days ago I wrote a letter to Littleton expressing the great pleasure I had received in being informed of his intention of revisiting Britain and adding that neither my Mother, my Sisters or myself, would accept of any apology whatever for his not bringing yourself and your little darling girl along with him. [But] most shockingly unreasonable and unconscionable for me to think of allowing you to lose so favorable an opportunity of seeing this country, altho’ your residence here should only be for a very few months. For my own part, I am quite surprised at his even thinking of it and hope that it was but a momentary idea which has long since passed away. And you have been suffering I am sincerely sorry to hear from Rheumatic affliction, painful indeed they are and must be sincerely so to one so delicately formed as you are. At least you had no appearance which [ ] had the pleasure of seeing you of increasing much in corporeal magnitude. Nothing can tend more

renovate health than travelling, change of country of air, and etc. To say nothing of the great additional glow which variety of new objects, new characters, and new scenery give to the spirits, but of this I am sure you do not stand in need at this must be some great change upon you in this respect, not only since I saw you, but since I had last the pleasure of hearing from you. That however is such an immense long time ago, many important changes may have since taken place, but I do not expect anything of the kind in you. Your heart is too warm and your fancy too lively to admit of it. I must not blame you much for your very long silence as your husband tells me it has been partly owing to your illness. I sincerely trust that cause has ceased to exist and that a few lines from your own hand will soon tell me so. Communication betwixt [our] countries being again more open we must certainly not again allow so long an interval of want of correspondence. But I shall reserve great deal of what I have to say until I have the pleasure of seeing you here. I have told my friend L. that

although still a Bachelor and [illegible] I fear still, for some time at least, to continue so, I depend upon and require your making my house your residence. One of my sisters will do the honors, and they will all assist to render Scotland as agreeable to you as they can. My establishment is not upon a great, but I hope you will find it upon a comfortable scale. A word which you know it is thought the inhabitants of this island particularly will understand. Besides your little dear Eliza is now of an age both to enjoy fully and profit largely by such an excursion. In that you are upon no account to hesitate in coming over with your “Guid man” as we say here, and allow me the pleasure of renewing and cementing a friendship which has always suffered me much real pleasure. I shall have so much to hear from you and so much to tell you that the few months prepared will hardly be sufficient. I have told Littleton that I will accompany you to my part of Scotland which you may be [desirous] of seeing and if you return by the way of London,