Letter from
University of North Carolina
student to his female
cousin, Febuary 8
th, 1817.
[Unknown]
Page [1]
Chapel
Hill
Febuary 8th 1817.
D. Cousin
I now set down to write to you, as you are one of the fair sex, I shall direct my
subject chiefly upon them I will point out to you the description of the girls
on the Hill, some of them have mouths capacious enough to take in a punch
bowl that holds about a quart, some are so gigantic as when moveing appears like
some huge monster or other, some of them, could easily, with a small wand, sweep
away the cloud from above them, they are of such height, there is not a single
handsome girl on the Hill, as I have seen since I have been here, the description I have
given of them I must confess I have exaggerated a little, but take them all and
all they are ugly, curious animals.
They are not like some I could mention there, I must pass some eulogiums, on a
certain girl, you must guess her name. O! eulogiums did I say, she will not
admit of eulogy without the greatest merit. Her height is common, elegantly
formed; her figure of the most exact symmetry; her face that of a Hebe, blooming
with life and spirit
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"Oh! No pen can trace,"
"No words can show the beauties of her face!"
"There all the little Loves and Graces meet"
"And every thing that's soft, and ev'ry thing that's
sweet!"
Her age I will not mention; she is in the full perfection of beauty. Her eyes
sparkled with life and good humour. — Her cheek glowed with the
freshness of the morning rose; her hand and arms were of the most polished
whiteness
"For she was fair beyond the brightest bloom,"
"Fair as the forms that, wove in fancy's loom,"
"Fled in light vision round the poet's head."
A celestial smile irradiates her whole countenance; her voice is ever musick to
my ear, and whose smile had power to soothe and lull to rest all my pains. She
was educated in the lap of affluence and luxury. her language is impressive,
bold, and energetic; light gay and elegant, or full of point and dazzling wit,
according to the subject on which she converses. O if I could have my arms
entwined around her most beautiful neck and could imprint on her vermilion lips
the kiss of affection. By Heavens! I would think it an easy task to pluck bright
honor from the pale face moon. Her temper was unalterably sweet; But her talents
bears no proportion to the goodness her heart.
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She is as pure as the snow just fallen from the sky
Tell my cousin, that, either way, I shall present to her esteem the most
accomplished of human beings; but I warn her not fall in love with him, neither
in propria persona, nor with his private character. Tell her, he is a bright and
particular star neither in her sphere, nor in any other womans.