John W. Wroth to Walt Whitman, 27 October 1889

 loc_vm.01569_large.jpg Hda de El Rosario Jesus Maria Chihuahua Mex October 27 de/891 My dear Mr Whitman

Your kind package of photos just received they were quite a long time on road I was delighted I assure you to get them and they occupy the foremost place in my picture gallery—

I send you by this same mail a few photographs that I had obtained. They are not very good but I thought that they might give you an idea of the country—

I have been hoping to go East the end of the year so that I could see once more—some of the old familiar faces—but I seem to be hoping against fate—as the manager here will not accept my resignation, but wants me to agree to stay another year instead—& am afraid that I will have to do so. While I appreciate his valuation of my services I would prefer to go East—but have been treated too kindly here to go against the wishes of the Company—

Everything here is still green—& oranges, lemons & bananas—are very plentiful I wish that I could only send you some—as I know that you would enjoy them so much—& we have  loc_vm.01570_large.jpg so many—I have just come from a trip to one of the mining properties belonging to this Company—situated some forty miles off through a most picturesquely wild country that I ever saw—the mine is situated at the bottom of a cañon running from fifty to two hundred feet deep by forty-five to fifty feet wide, & the only access to it is down a notched stick for fifty feet till you strike a narrow ledge of rock hung over an immense waterfall & along that slender ledge you have to lower yourself by aid of ropes. I have been through it once but not for all the mines in Mexico would I go down it again—Life is too short & sweet to attempt it a second time. Mexico is improving greatly foreign capital is coming in daily—mines are being opened—the value of Mexican dollars is higher than it has been for a long time & a general feeling of better times prevails—as the mail is going out & as our mails here here are so uncertain. I will have to send this off hoping you will pardon the short letter, but I did not want anytime to pass before I acknowledge yr photographs so kindly sent—so acknowledge them by this same mail that they came in on

Hoping that every day will bring you  loc_vm.01571_large.jpg improved health & strength—is the sincere wish of

Your Young Friend J. W. Wroth  loc_vm.01572_large.jpg JW Wroth

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Notes

• 1. The year of Wroth's letter is uncertain. It has been transcribed here as 1889, but it might be 1887. [back]