PAPERS OF }lrnABEAU BuoNAPX°nTE LA)1An
351
No. 2549. HARRIETTE FANNING READ TO LAMAR Washington City Nov. 2d 1857. In placing at your disposal, General, the accompanying letter to Gen- eral Villamil, three years since minister from Ecuador to the U. S. permit me to trespass on your time by a few introducto:i:y words. The General is a native of N. 0. of a Spanish Creole family of importance, and is a man of finished education of head & heart. At a very early age he threw himself, heart, hand, & fortune into the S. A. struggle for liberty, and has served his adopted country by sea and land and in the Cabinet. As a statesman his watchful & zealous republicanism makes him keenly alive to the necessity that the S. A. republics should cultivate the closest bonds of friendship and commercial enterests with the U. S. He sees with alarm the increase of European influences in S. A- France & England are not fond of republics- Gen. V-believes that they exercise influences in S. A- which may yet be fatal to freedom; and he thinks that the U. S. has a vital interest in doing all that con- stitutionally can be done to avert such a risk. He is therefore greatly desirous to see an American line of Steamers in the S. Pacific, connect- ing with our present northern lines- and it is his opinion that our govt should have a strong squadron-in that . [mutilated] , Himself one of the fathers and defenders of the republic, general, you will better appreciate and realize the anxieties of such a man for the immortality of a cause which has been his life-long hope and. labor, than would almost any other who might have been appointed i;o a S. A. republic. For the same reason permit me to hope you will be able to excuse this intrusion of so insignificant a stranger on your at- tention, and accept my assurances of the high respect & consideration, with which I remain Yours, \ HA~RIETTE FANNING READ
Hon. Mirabeau B. Lamar U. S. Minister &c [Endorsed:] H. F. Read Washington No 2/58
No. 2551. VIRGIL H. HEWES TO LAMAR
Cambridge Nov 23 1857
Gen LAMAR DEAR Sm
In conversing with a gentleman the other day, I learned that you are in the city of Washington although I have occasionally heard of you, during the past thirty odd years, and been highly gratified to hear of your good fortune in various places of honorable distinction I have not known where you have been since I was informed of your Marriage with the daughter oi an old personal friend Mr Moffitt I became ac- quainted with him and some of his family soon after my return fro)Il Alabama in the [year] 1823 and knew him well ever after until his· death And now a word as regaTds myself personally. My own life since I made your acquaintance in Alabama when we boarded together at old uncle Curtis' in Cahawba has been marked by no National interest
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