San Francisco  Decm 26th 1862


Dear George


     Your letter of Sept 21st came duly to hand.  I am
now comparatively speaking, “a Man of leisure” & without excuse for
any further inattention to your favour.  Free’d, as I certainly am from
the cares and angciities [anxieties] of business I do not yet realize all the comforts
or leisure that retirement proposed to our imaginations in anticipation of
a retire life.  With nothing to do I generally feel that I have not time on hand
to accomplish any special object.  Time glides from hour to hour & day to
day.  While those things the determined on to be done within the periods
are still undone & feel her procrastination to the morrow & the morrow.
This may probably arise, in degree, from a natural inactivity of body
and mind, and consequent in susceptibility to the onerous duties of life.
Be the feeling what it may it certainly is infused in my present effort
at response and seemingly I can find to write about.
Letters from home of late have been few & far between & methinks
that some of the folks have taken offence at some casual remarks in
regard to our national difficulties & would neglect me in punish-
ment for my proclivity to southern rights.  Our privilege is, or
ought to be, to differ in politics, religion and ethics, and if this is the
actual cause of their silence I can devise no remedy for the resto
ration of their favours for I am tenacious of Right.  You letter has
the embodiment of all I know of home and I cannot reciprocate
in intelligence from hence.  We withdrew from business, fairly,
on the 1st of Nov., declining house keeping at the same time for
economy sake.  We board with Mr & Mrs Kent formerly of Cincinnati
and pay 50 dollars per month, without washing, having two comfortably
rooms to ourselves & privileges of parlour etc.  This is
much under the cost of housekeeping in San Francisco.  To instance