We arrived here last evening after a very agreeable ride, having had a great deal of pleasant weather—1 I sent immediately to the Post-office hoping to receive a letter from your Aunt Susan, but as there was none, I flatter myself I shall receive one by the next Post, & another by the 12th. of May at Boston—if your Aunt shd. hear when Mrs. Dalton passes thro’ New York, I’m sure she wd. take charge of a letter for me with pleasure—2

I hope my dear, that you & your sister behave well and attend to your Aunt’s directions; if you do (and I should be very sorry to think otherwise) you may both begin to learn to dance of Mrs. Graham as soon as she is ready to teach in our Neighbourhood, & if when I return I find your progress in dancing & in those studies you are to pursue under the direction of yr. Aunt equal my expectation, you shall then learn some other branch of Mrs. G—in the mean time take great pains with what you are now learning, practise your dancing & don’t forget St. Aivre’s directions for I have a great opinion of his skill in his way— it will give me particular ^pleasure^ if I find on my return that you and yr. sister stand high in Mrs. Graham’s favor on account of your polite & very attentive behavior—3 as I expect great pleasure from the conduct of yourself & sister when I return, I will endeavour [illegible] to amuse you both by a short detail of occurrences since I left you— After passing a week at Rye we went to Bedford where we stayed until last wednesday, when we set out for this place, & as the weather was fine, & we were not hurried, we travel’d leisurely, and have been very fortunate in putting up at good houses, where we found civil people, clean beds & good fare— at Norwalk we lodged at a good Inn, situated near a Mill dam which is on a pretty stream, & the fall of the water from thence, together with ^the^ view renders the place very rural: but what I fancy wd. have delighted you & Nan is a very pretty spring which the Land lord has stoned round & put trout in, whom he keeps tame by feeding & you may at any time see them by throwing some crumbs into the spring which they immediately catch at— The Country in genl. thro’ which we have pass’d abounds wh. pretty towns & fine views— The most beautiful View however is at the brow of a Hill about two miles [mutilated] from this place, which I think presents the [most v]aried & the richest prospect that can be imag[ined. It is?] too beautiful for me to pretend to [describe. All I have?] seen of this place pleases me much [torn] rain I must defer walking ’till m[orning?] [text missing] to your Aunt & sister, tell them I sha[ll write?] to each alternately— May I my dear flatter myself with the hopes of receiving a letter from? if you cannot write well enough yet, I hope you will soon— Embrace Nancy & William for Yr. Papa: Peter & myself & they must return the embrace on our part to you— believe me my dear daughter to be your Affectionate mother,

Mrs. Hamilton can inform Mrs. S. that her husband is well— Yr. brother will I hope write to Essex, but least he shd. presume that Essex will accept the will for the deed, do you remember us to him—