Roxbury, March 7th, 1848.

This, my dear boy, is your old grandfather's birthday. I am 64 years old this day. The return of this day reminds me that I have not yet redeemed my promise to you. My last letter, I find, was dated Jan. 15th. I must make better progress or my glass will be run out before my work is finished. Well, I will go on and leave blots, bad spelling, interlineations, etc., etc., for you to amend and correct, if you think it worth while, when you feel competent to the task. At that time, these old manuscripts, I am afraid, will be hardly worth reading.

I last left my ship embargoed in Gloucester Harbour. That was, I think, in the autumn of 1807. Having so recently passed through many, severe trials and afflictions, and feeling quite alone in the world, this embargo, which subjected me to a life of inactivity, was a great trial to my patience. - Without a kind friend to participate in my joys, or relieve me of my sorrows, my life was altogether too dull, and as soon as a suitable opportunity, I formed a connection, and on the 18th of October 1808 was married to Hannah Dane Coffin, the daughter of Doct William Coffin of Gloucester. We took a small house and went to housekeeping with everything comfortable about us. Doct Coffin's family was large, and at the time I am writing about, extremely lively, agreeable and happy. I was received and treated by every one of the family with the greatest kindness and looked upon more in the light of an own son and brother than as a son and brother in law. As I shall not have time to give minute particulars, I must pass on from one event to another, leaving the space between to be filled by your own imagination. The next event to be recorded is the birth of our first child, Amelia Bernard, This took place July 21st, 1809. I am a little too fast, however; the embargo was taken off in the spring of 1808, and I sailed in the brig Cincinnatus for Lagania on the Spanish main, and was absent on that voyage, at the time the above event took place. This voyage was a short, pleasant and profitable one. I arrived home the last of July, found my wife as well as could be expected and delighted to see me. With these double blessings of wife and child, you may be assured I was a truly happy man. - The summer passed without anything happening to mar our happiness. In the autumn, I went in the brig Cincinnatus to Alexandria in Virginia, with an assorted cargo, which I sold there, loaded the brig with tobacco and flour and returned to Gloucester and found all well. On the 8th of April 1810, I sailed from Gloucester in the brig Cincinnatus bound for St. Petersburg with a cargo consisting of coffee, sugar, rice, tobacco and logwood. After a continual succession of hard gales, hard winds and high seas, on the 30th of May passed Fair Isle and entered the North Sea on the 5th of June; arrived on the coast of Norway on the 6th, saw the coast of Jutland, June 7th; at 2 P.M. was boarded by an officer from the British Gun Brig Sylph and informed that the Danes were capturing all the American vessels that were passing the sound, detaining and in many instances condemning them at Copenhagen. This intelligence caused me not a little anxiety. At St. Petersburg passed the Lcaw light with a brisk breeze blowing up the Cattigat. It now became necessary for me to decide either to go to Gottenburg or proceed on through the sound and run the risk of being captured and taken to Copenhagen. About midnight, I was up with Wingo Beacon, the entrance of the harbour on Gottenburg, surrounded by quite a fleet of vessels lying to, many of them probably as undecided as I was as to the best course to pursue. I finally concluded, as I was bound to St. Petersburg and the United States was not at war with Denmark, there was no good reason for my being afraid to proceed on my way to Elsimon, so I continued on my way and arrived there in the afternoon of the 18th of June. I went on shore for the purpose of paying the customary sound dues, to obtain a pilot to take me through the grounds, procure refreshments, etc. My papers being examined and found all right, I received my sound pass and got all things in readiness to sail for the Baltic. The wind was blowing from the N.W. directly up the Baltic, and increasing to a gale. Now, you must know, the system pursued at this time by the Danish privates, was, to capture all American vessels immediately after they sailed from Elsinore, and take them into Copenhagen, where they were condemned by the Danish courts, under the unjustifiable Milan and Berlin decrees, issued by the Emperor Napoleon for an explanation of which I must refer you to the history of events in Europe at that time. My only chance of avoiding capture was to make a run for it, so, after obtaining a pilot, I went on board. By this time the wind had increased to a violent gale, and my pilot said all he could to discourage my getting underway. - I told him, all I wanted of him was to direct the course of the vessel, and I would do the rest. All this time the privateers were watching us, but it blew so hard they were afraid to venture out of the harbour. The way being now clear, and the wind fair, I was determined not to lose the opportunity of making an effort to escape, although in doing so, I had to pass close to a heavy battery bristling with cannon.

Your affectionate grandfather,

Epes Sargent.