Concord,³ Sept. 22, 1835

My dear Sir,

                       In reply to your letter of the
19th I have to say that I am to be engaged
after a few days in the preparation of
some lectures for the “Diffusion etc.” Society in Bos-
ton next winter; but I fear they will be of
a character unfit for your association,
as they are to be on “topics connected with 
English literature.” Such as they are, they
will take all the time I have to spare
for lecture writing this fall. Meantime
I have nine or ten lectures which I
have already read at Boston elsewhere,
two on Italy, three on Natural history,
six on Biography,/any of which I could
bring to Lowell, but that I fear these topics
may suit you as ill. If either of these
would be of any service to your society, I
would come to Lowell on any evenings of
October or November, for $12. a lecture.
I am sorry I can offer you nothing
better as it would give me great pleasure
if I had time to prepare some lectures
for your Institution.

                      Yours respectfully
                      R.W. Emerson 

  ^{1Ralph Waldo Emerson b: 25 May 1803, Boston, MA 
     d: 27 Apr 1882, Concord, MA; author.
  2Lowell, Massachusetts – lecture series.
  3Concord, Massachusetts.}