Lowell History: Mill Boy Letters

                                              Dunstable, Oct. 28, 1832

Friend Alfred

   It is a long time since I have seen or heard from you only by chance, but by chance I have heard from you several times, in a number of places, in Boston, Bangor, etc. Why have you not written to me in some of your peregrinations. I have looked for a letter from you this being time, but in vain, have you forgotten your old Friend, or did you think he had forgotten you , if so you have greatly mistaken me, never can I forget a friend with whom I have been in so many different scenes in prosperity and in adversity, and one whom I always found a true Friend indeed, no Alfred, and I cannot think that you have forgotten me, but perhaps new friends and acquaintances have, for the time made you put me out of your mind or maybe some sweetheart, oh dear, I wish you some my troubles with them,----Alfred they have jilted and humbugged me till I have almost sworn off from them entirely but if you have got them to deal with, why
I will excuse your not writing to me. I understand that you set up a printing office in Lowell, for Book & Job printing, and intend publishing a paper for the special benefit of the Ladies, now if I envy you your talk, that is if you are not better at Iit than I am, however I wish you success in your undertaking and not only in this but in all others in which you may engage. Parson Shallon has got up a new paper in this place, as is supposed, and has got Mr. Beard of the Telegraph to print it in his name, but I think they will make but
A sorry job of it, as the old man has but very few friends in this place now, and every one thinks that he is at the bottom of it- as for myself I am at work for Col. Hunt and have Rrather low wages at present and pretty hard work I intend to have more wages soon or I shall leave Nashua for some other quarters. I shall have worked here six months the first of November when I shall settle with Mr. Hunt and tell
him that he must raise my wages or look out for other help. My health has been very good, I intend visiting Lowell soon. You must write me immediately after receiving this, or I shall think that you are never going to notice me again, tell me how you succeed with your new establishment, if you realize your expectations and if you and Mr. Billings have settled about your wages, etc.-

Yours, etc.
Paul Morrill

Write often and I will answer your letters

                        Nashua Dec. 17 1832

Dear Alfred

   I have been obliged to delay visiting Lowell until next Saturday on account
of our issuing the Presidents’ proclomation in our Extra, when I shall be there without fail, I can give you no definite answer in respect to working for you till then, Mr. Hunt is much opposed
to my leaving him, but I think that he will not come to my
terms in haste.

Yours etc.
Paul Morrill

                       Nashua Feb.12, 1833

Esq. Alfred

   You requested me in your last to ask Mr. Beard if he was in want of any help. I have done so and he says he is in want of a hand but did not tell me what he would give or how long he wanted one, but said he did
not want to pay Journeymans’ wages. I think if Blanchard should come up or write to him immediately
telling him what he should ask etc. he would stand a pretty good chance of getting employ. I will do all I can to help him to the place.

Yours in great haste,
Paul Morrill

N.B. I shall answer your last as soon as possible 

                       Nashua  March 3, 1833

 Friend Alfred

   When I wrote to you a few days since in compliance with your request that I would make some inquiries
of Beard for your friend Blanchard, you will recollect that I added by way of a P.S. that I should answer your last letter the first convenient opportunity. When I wrote that I expected the “convenient opportunity” would have arrived before now, but business is business, you know, and I must give that as the excuse for not writing before. There has nothing occurred in this place of any consequence since my last. In your last you gave me a bit of a touch about my political notions and said some Thing about the object of Nullification and Jacksonism being the same, the reduction of the Tariff, but look ye, friend Alfred, if you can reconcile Clays’ course in regard to the Tariff thus will I say Nashua is Nashua yet, dispite of “Nullification and Jacksonism”. But you know the old saying “the less said soonest mended’, which I believe will apply very well
in this case, but still I should like to convert you to the true faith.

   The “Uncle John” affair is I believe, pretty much cooled down, as I have heard nothing said about it of late. I believe on the whole you’re answer to the article in the Gazette had a very good effect, although 
I thought differently in the time of it.

   I have not heard whether Blanchard has got employment or not but suspect he has as he has not been up here. I wish you to write me whether he has or not.

    You ask me how I and the softer sex agree now-a-days? Try-the bye I believe you had better have said harder sex! Why, we get along about so-so. “No sign of repentance, ha?” No not a whit. “Don’t be bashful etc. Egad, I am afraid of showing them too”bold a front,” that’s all. the young men of this vuillsge are about to establish a Lyceum for the purpose of mutual improvement: I think, if they get a good one it will be an excellent thing, I shall do what I can to make it go while I am in this place, we shall have a meeting soon for the purpose of organization, and the choice of officers to.

     I want to know if the Observer office is moved into the building that you occupied, and if so, if they hurt your business any-you must write short of a fortnight so as to make up lost time.   

Yours, &c
P. Morrill, not Esquire exactly

                        Nashua  Aug. 7, 1833

Dear Alfred,

I have some friends here from New York and am about going into country with them and I wish you to print me some cards with your script type as we have none in this place- I shall want two packs-print them on gilt edged cards, and send them up by the bearer together with your bill and I will remit the amount of
the same-There is no news here-Beard is whining about job work as you will see by his paper-write me if you hear any news-while I am writing this, [-----?] is reading the Journal and tells me that Sleeper & Weld have dissolved and has read to me Weld valedictory-pray tell us the why if you know it.
Yours in great haste

Put on 1 pack of the cards
Paul Morrill

Simply my name, and on the other Nashua NH

 
                      Nashua  January 14, 1833
 
Friend Alfred
 
I have received two letters from you one about a week since and the other today and here I am seated at an old table to answer them “according to promise”. Well, what now shall I write, O, in the first place I am pretty [d-lish?] tired, well what is that to me, It may not be much to you but it is considerable to me though.-I have tried to get the young man that you sent to me, employment, but could not, Mr. Hunt has
sufficient help for the present, and Mr. Beard says he does not want him. I am sorry for it as he appears to
be a very civil clever young man, but there is not much chance for printers in this place to let themselves-
We get on pretty well here with working hard, but that is what I have been used to, so that I do not mind
it much. You say business is very good with you and I hope it will continue so. Your paper has come
to me once which is the only time it has been received in this office, you say you directed it to “Gazette”
but it was not received, probably there was some mistake, if you will direct it to “Gazette” in future
it will save me some few coppers, and I can have the same benefit of it that I can if it comes directed to me, and you shall have a “Gazette” in exchange-You say you do not know whether to answer the piece in the last Gazette, about “Uncle John” or not. By answering it you might offend some of our “good folks” up here, and probably you would not like to do that, so upon the whole I think you had better answer it,-I do not know who wrote it. Beard is about enlarging his paper, and I understand he’s bought Meecham’s type-Rogers say the [telegraphs?] office is pretty much split up-and I shall be pretty well “done up” to-
morrow if I don’t stop writing for to night so I will just say I remain your friend Paul Morrill