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  No. 9 Spruce Street, New York, (NEAR PRINTING-HOUSE SQUARE.) Office of the N. Y. Saturday Press, New York, Mch​ 27 1860 My dear Walt:

I am so busy that I hardly have time to breathe; moreover I am in the greatest possible difficulties on a/c​ of one or two past liabilities still.

This must explain my not answering yr​ letter promptly.

Do write and let me know about when the book is to be ready.

I can do a great deal for it.

 

I meant to have done more last week, but followed yr​ advice and made a modest and copyable announcement. The papers all over the land have noticed your poem in the Atlantic and have generally pitched into it strong; which I take to be good for you and your new publishers, who if they move rapidly and concentrate their forces will make a Napoleonic thing of it.

It just occurs to me that you might get Messrs.   T. & E. to do a good thing for me: to wit, advance me say 100 dollars on advertising account—that is if they mean to advertise with me. Or if they dont​ don't​ , to let me act for them here as a kind of N.Y. agent to push the book, and advance me the money on that score.

I must have $100 before Saturday night or be in a scrape the horror of which keeps me awake o' nights. I could if necessary give my note at three mos for the amount and it is a good note since we have never been protested.—

 

Of course I know how extremely improbable it is that Messrs T. & E. to whom I am an entire stranger will do anything of the kind: but in suggesting it, I have done only my duty to the Sat. Press, and, as I think, to the cause of sound literature.

Yrs​ truly H Clapp Jr.

I need not say we are all anxious to see you back to Pfaff's, and are eagerly looking for your proposed letter to the crowd