Saratoga Springs
Aug. 27. 1850

My Dear Col:
Julia and myself with our little family arrived here early in the month and took up our lodgings with your mother who had rented the rooms of a comfortable house for the accommodation of all. The time has passed very pleasantly with us except indeed that it has been interrupted by two of her habitual attacks of headache on the part of your mother. From one she is now recovering and I hope that another day will find her as well as usual. For the remarkable fact exists that these attacks, however violent, are ephemeral in this nature, and seemingly make no [?] upon her Constitution. This is greatly to be rejoiced at. Margaret is gradually recovering from the terrible blow she has experienced having borne up under it with Christian fortitude. Alexander looks at every girl of note that falls in his way - makes up his mind for a moment to be pleased with some one, but soon discovers some defect and relapses back into his previous state of old bachelorship. Julia is pronounced by those who see her, as being more Queen-like

Saratoga Springs
Aug. 27. 1850

My Dear Col:
Julia and myself with our
little family arrived here early in the month
and took up our lodgings with your mother
who has rented the rooms of a comfortable
house for the accommodation of all. The
time has passed very pleasantly with us
except indeed that it has been interrupted
by two of her habitual attacks of headache
on the part of your mother. From one she
is now recovering and I hope that another
day will find her as well as usual. For
the remarkable fact exists that these attacks,
however violent are ephemeral in this
nature, and seemingly make no [in...ad]
upon her Constitution. This is greatly to be
rejoiced at. Margaret is gradually recovering
from the terrible blow she has experienced
having borne use under it with Christian
fortitude. Alexander looks at every girl of
note that falls in his way - makes up his
mind for a moment to be pleased with 
some one, but soon discovers some defect
and relapses back into his previous state
of old bachelorship. Julia is pronounced
by those who see her, as being more Queen-like

than formerly from the fact of her having grown
somewhat larger, and as to myself I am often
pronounced younger in appearance than I was
ten years ago. For my own part I cannot
disguise the fact that age will tell, and
a sexigenarian is not whatever others may
say of it as young as he was at thirty.
Margaret's boy is small but tall and is
in good health and is sprightly in his intellect.
Your namesake is growing apace and his
brother Alexander falls not far behind while our
little Julia is the brightest and best thing I ever
saw. Thus have I presented you a coup d'oel of
our household. Margaret and myself regularly
visit the fountain of health before breakfast
while Julia grows fat on sleep, and
Alexander manages to reach the breakfast
table in time for his cup of tea. The rest of
the day is taken up in strolls about the
village either on foot or in the carriage
and in making and receiving visits - many
of your old acquaintances are here or have
been whose names you will see in the
Herald as attendants on the Fancy Ball
at which Julia and myself were gazers
at a distance. The village has been crowded
to excess, so much so that the large and
capacious hotels have had to colonize many
of their visitors. But the crowd is rapidly

dispersing and the streets will soon be deserted
by the gay and bright throng of fashionable
beaux and belles and dashing equipages. For
myself as the time arrives for us to depart
on our way to Old Virginia, I look to
my agricultural employments with renewed
and increased pleasure. But a new work
is to be made by the fashionables before September
papers [away?]. All ears are already strained
to catch the earliest notes of "the [Savadirk?]
Nightengale" Jenny Lind who is according
to the papers already on the waters of the
Atlantic and is expected to arrive early
in September. Barnum is building a new
Musical saloon of dimensions to accommodate
5000 persons and the papers announce that
every place is taken at $5 a seat. What
think you gold diggers and dealers in merchandise
of this mode of making money-
penny for a hundred nights gets $186,000
and Barnum will most notably realize
his $200,000. So, in her case, the advantage
of voice over hands - of song over labours. We
shall not return to Virginia without participating
in this fervor of song. And now my 
Dear Col. how are you getting on at your City 
of San Diego. Does the sound of lumps of gold

which fall upon your counter make sweeter
music in your ears than the notes of fifty nightengales united to as many mock-birds.
I confess that the sound of the chink has something
a vast deal more substantial in it. And then
it is in the pocket ready to make other music
whenever you may please to put it in requisition.
Now all writing apart, while I know
that you are aware of what best becomes you,
yet I may venture to say that if your business
is profitable and holds out the prospect of
future wealth I would not abandon it, or
too soon give it up. If you conclude to visit
us can you not do so, and trust the conduct
of the business to your partner. If you had
Tazwell with you, you and your partner
might come and go at pleasure. I venture
nothing in saying that he would be diligent
and as true and faithful as you
could desire. He is moreover perfectly amiable
and possesses a strong desire to be doing
something for himself.
Alexander leaves us this evening
for New York. He is most troubled
by not hearing from you. His several 
shipments were consigned to you and
he gets nothing from you. It occurred
to me to mention this, so as to multiply
the chances of you hearing from him so he has brought
himself to think that his letters have miscarried.

All join in love
Yrs Truly
J Tyler

J. Tyler
Col. David L. Gardiner
San Diego
California
By Mail
Steamer