Edgar Allan Poe to John Allan — 1831-01-03

Edgar Allan Poe to John Allan — 1831-01-03 Historical letter date: 1831-01-03. Source edition: Mary Newton Stanard, Edgar Allan Poe Letters Till Now Unpublished, 1925, letter twenty-four. This is repository machine OCR of the printed transcription; spelling and recognition errors remain. Consult the accompanying local scan excerpt and manuscript facsimile. The transcription prints 1830 in the dateline; the edition contents and supplied checklist identify this West Point letter as January 3, 1831. The historical printed wording is retained. [Source scan page 289] LETTER NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR Weft Point, JanX 3^ 1830. Sir, I suppose, (altho ? you desire no further communica- tion with yourself, on my part,) that your restriction does not extend to my answering your final letter. Did I, when an infant, sollicit your charity and protection, or was it of your own free will, that you volunteered your services in my behalf? It is well known to respectable individuals in Baltimore, and elsewhere, that my Grandfather (my natural protestor at the time you interposed) was weathy, and that I was his favourite grand-child But the promises of adoption, and liberal education which you held forth to him in a letter which is now in possession of my family, induced him to resign all care of me into your hands. Under such circumstances, can it be said that I have no right to expert anything at your hands ? You may probably urge that you have given me a liberal education. I will leave the decision of that question to those who know how far liberal educations can be obtained in 8 months at the University of Va. Here you will say that it was my own fault that I did not return You would not let me return because bills were presented you for payment which I never wished nor desired you to pay. Had you let me return, my reformation had 253 [Source scan page 290] 254 EDGAR ALLAN POE LETTERS been sure as my condud: the laft 3 months gave every reason to believe and you would never have heard more of my extravagances. But I am not about to proclaim myself guilty of all that has been alledged againft me, and which I have hitherto endured, simply because I was too proud to reply. I will boldly say that it was wholly and entirely your own mistaken parsimony that caused all the difficulties in which I was involved while at Charlottesville. The expenses of the institution at the loweft estimate were $350 per annum. You sent me there with $i 10. Of this $50 were to be paid immedi- ately for board $60 for attendance upon 2 professors and you even then did not miss the opportunity of abusing me because I did not attend 3. Then $15 more were to be paid for room-rent remember that all this was to be paid in advance with $110. $12 more for a bed and $12 more for room furniture. I had of course, the mortification of running in debt for public property - against the known rules of the institution, and was immediately regarded in the light of a beggar. You will remember that in a week after my arrival I wrote to you for some more money, and for books You replied in terms of the utmoft abuse if I had been the vilest wretch on earth you could not have been more abusive than you were because I could not continue to pay $150 with $110. I had enclosed to you in my letter (according to your [Source scan page 291] LETTER NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR 255 express commands) an account of the expenses incured amounting to $149 the balance to be paid was $39 you enclosed me $40, leaving me one dollar in pocket. In a short time afterwards I received a packet of books consisting of Gil Bias, and the Cambridge Mathematics for in 2 vols: books A which I had no earthly use since I had no means of attending the mathematical lectures. But books muft be had, if I intended to remain at the institution and they were bought accordingly upon credit. In this manner debts were accumulated, and money borrowed of Jews in Charlottesville at extrava- gant interest for I was obliged to hire a servant, to p