Part 4 (1/2)
FREDERICK DE PEYSTER
A STORE HOUSE in Broad-street to let, apply as above Nov 16
THE SUBSCRIBER has for sale, reo of the shi+p Sarson, from Calcutta, an assortment of WHITE PIECE GOODS
Also
50 tierces Rice, 60 hhds Jamaica Rum, 15 bales Sea-Island 10,000 Pieces White Cotton, Nankeens, 29 tierces and 34 bls A quantity of Large Jamaica Coffee, Bottles in cases, And as usual, Old Madeira Wine, fit for immediate use
ROBERT LENOX
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Possibly this word is ”Election”
CHAPTER III
SCHOOL-DAYS AND EARLY FRIENDS
I must return to my school days After several years spent at Miss Forbes's es for study, and especially for becoe, and I was accordingly sent to Madaaray's institution, which for irls' school in the country It was a large establishment located on the corner of Houston and Mulberry Streets, where she acco pupils as well as day scholars Many years later this building was sold to the religious order of the _Sacre Coeur_ The school hours were from nine until three, with an intermission at twelve o'clock The vacation, as at Miss Forbes's, was liid as at Miss Forbes's, as Madaht her pupils to address her as _Tante_, governed alrace ofpupils hold her nahest esteem Her early history is of exceptional interest She was a daughter of Pierre Prosper Desabaye, and came with her father and the other members of his family from Paris to New York on account of his straitened circuo, where his faaray coirl to teach French in a school in New Brunswick, New Jersey, kept by Miss Sophie Hay, and was retained on account of the extreme purity of her accent
I chance to have in gles after leaving Miss Hay, fro the royal _eres_ to this country was the Countess de St Memin who kept a school As my brother Marc had reoverness in the school of Made but to speak norance in the presence of M
Felix de Beaujour, Consul General of France to this country
”Mlle Eloise,” he said, ”quand on sait lire on peut toujours s'istruire”
This gave
I took classes What I was to teach on the ht before I worked early and late With the return of Louis Philippe the St Memins returned to France and I became a teacher in the school of Madaht On me fell all the burden of the school while Madame Nau amused herself with harp and piano For this I had only 150 a year To further assist reat deal of trouble to rateful to Madame Isaac Iselin, the ive ht that I earned that money Now I know that it was only her delicate htthat I orth much to Madame Nau, and that I must do one to sea with Captain de Peyster, I begged Madaive me 250 This she refused Her reply, ”Me navra le coeur,” overwhelreat distress and met on the way the dear admirable Miss Sophy Hay to whom I told my sorrow
”Miss Hay,” I exclaimed, ”I will open a school for myself”
She tapped me on the forehead ”Do, dear Eloise, and God will help you”
How all difficulties were se of allthe money
They were very simple, those splint chairs and carpets and tables, for ere simpler-minded then On the 1st of May 1814 I opened my school on Greenwich Street with sixteen pupils Good M Roulet gave me his tards I received several scholars from a convent just closed and I had my nieces Ahter of Marc [Desabaye], who afterward married Ponty Lemoine, the lawyer in whose office Charles O'Conor studied
Thus was ratitude to those who confided in so young an instructress--for I was only twenty-two--the education of their daughters, and I pray God to bless them and their country
Many well-knoomen were educated at this school, and one of the first pupils was Miss Sarah Morris, the granddaughter of Lewis Morris, the Signer, and the er sister of Mrs Fish, Christine, who aray, and who is now Mrs Williaaray in her last illness, and toldwords to her were, ”_Adieu, chere Christine, fidele aaray took an exceptionally serious view of life, even refusing to wear flowers in her bonnets or to sing, although she had a very sweet voice She dearly loved France, but she was a broad-reat as that of her own country She rounded out nearly a century of life, the greater part of which was devoted to others, and I pay her the highest tribute in my pohen I say that she faced the many vicissitudes of life with an undaunted spirit, and bequeathed to her numerous pupils the inestimable boon of a wonderful exaaray's school were le exception of Mrs Joseph McKee, the wife of a Presbyterian clergyeloho is still living in New York at an advanced age, and who in subsequent years was Secretary of State of New York and our Minister to France; Thatcher T Payne; Edward G Andreho became in the course of years a Bishop in the Methodist Church; Professor Robert Adrain, who taught mathematics, and who at the sae; and Lorenzo L da Ponte The latter was a uished as a linguist He taught us English literature in such a successful arded that study merely as a recreation
Mr da Ponte was a son of Lorenzo da Ponte, a Venitian of great learning, who after co to this country rendered such conspicuous services in connection with Do Italian opera in New York He was also a professor of Italian for e, the author of a book of sonnets, several works relating to the Italian language and of his own life, which was published in three volumes Mr Samuel Ward, a noted character of the day, the brother of Mrs Julia Ward Howe and who hter of Williaaray taught the highest classes in French ”If I had to give up all books but two,” she was fond of saying, ”I would choose the Gospels and La Fontaine's Fables In one you have everything necessary for your spiritual life; in the other you have the epitoaray's school she had about a hundred pupils, a large number of ere from the Southern States Hoell I reirls to their native soil!