Letter from John A. Morton
							                    Bordeaux
                                                               28th Sept. 1812
Mrs. Mary Morton (Widow)
Prince Edward County
Virginia

My Dear Mother

     I have already written to you by several opportunities, informing you of my
safe arrival in France after a pleasant pafsage of 28 days, but our conveyances to
the United States are so uncertain since the war that I cannot count on your
receiving many of my letters.  You can easily conceive & I am sure that you will
heartily participate my joy, at finding my Dear wife & beloved children in perfect
health.  My children have grown much in my absence, & all of the, except Washington,
recollected me perfectly.  He is a very fine boy, remarkably stout for his age, &
if we can judge of his future abilities by the dawn of his genious, they will be
superior.  The children often ask me if you look like French women of your age, &
when I tell them you look much better, they say they wish they could see you.  So
do I with all my heart, & I hope the day will come when I can indulge their wishes
and mine.  We are now living at my country seat called Virginia, & this favourite
name constantly brings to my rememberance my beloved Mother & the many Dear rela-
tions by whom you are surrounded.  How happy I should be, if I was also near you, &
could give you daily proofs of my attachment & affections.  But since our sepera-
tion for a certain time appears to be indispensible for the prosperity & happinefs
of my family, I must submit to it with suitable resignation & as long as my reasons
for remaining in this country are so intimately connected with my welfare, I know my
Mother will neither complain nor blame me.  I will endeavour, notwithstanding the
difficulty of communicating with the United States, to write you frequently, and I
hope that some of the family will inform me as often as opportunities may occur of
the state of your health and that of my other relations.          
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     John And'n Morton is in good health & spirits, & will give his parents regular
& detailed information respecting his situation & prospects which will naturally
become more agreeable when he has made some progrefs in the French language.
I hope that neither he nor his parents will ever have any cause to regret that he
came with me to France.  Charles & George Morton are progressing well in their
education & will one day, I hope, be a great consolation to their excellent Mother
for the severe affliction which she has experienced.  Sister Patty, Brother Obadiah,
Campbell & Polly Morton all promised to write me & I hope they will not disappoint
my anxious expectation to hear from you all by an early opportunity.  Any letters
forwarded to Mr. George Williams at Baltimore will be conveyed to me by the vefsels
engaged in the Bordeaux Trade.  I think the war into which the United States are
forced by the injustice of the British Government will not be of long duration, &
when Peace is made, our intercourse with America will be regular & safe.  I can
then not only write to you as often as I wish, but I shall also be able to send
 over many things that will be useful & acceptable to the family & which cost but
little in this country.  I have several times mentioned to you in my letters, & now
repeat to you, that I desire nothing more ardently in this world than to contribute
to your comfort & happinefs, & I most earnestly entreat you never to deprive your-
self of any thing that money can purchase.  My friends Mefsrs.  S. W. & Wm. L.
Venable have my instructions to furnish you everything you may want, & you cannot
afford me a more heartfelt pleasure than by accepting whatever may be conducive to
your comfort & convenience.

     Remember me affectionately to the families of Sister Woodson, Brother James,
Brother Hezekiah & Benjamin, & to all my other Brothers & Sisters, when you have
opportunities.  I also request Obadiah & Patty to give my best compliments to the
 families of Messrs. S. W. Rich'd, N. & Wm. L. Venable, Mr. L & H. E. Watkins &
Ch. Dillon & to afsure them that I preserve a lively recollection of their kind &
friendly attentions to me whilst in Virginia.  Patty & Obadiah living with you will
of course read my letters as though addrefsed to themselves.  Farewell my Dear
Mother.
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                                         I am as ever your
		                                 affectionate Son

                                               John A. Morton

P.S.  I have 3 or 4 copies of my letter made by J. And. Morton to ensure your
getting some of them.

Note: John Archer Morton, son of Captain John Morton, was Minister of France.