September, 1819 brings some travel from Boston to visit family on the North Shore. For the first visit, Gallison arrived in Salem by horse or coach, at sunset on the Saturday of what we now think of as Labor Day weekend. Walking into the darkness, he reached his father’s house in Marblehead in about an hour and a half.
The following Sunday, while meeting with family members, he attended two churches. This was not unusual for him, although in this case he hesitated before going to one, because of some controversy surrounding the guest minister’s invitation. Gallison does not specific whether that stemmed from his being Irish, or his missionary activity in Hayti, or some other cause, but he eventually put aside his doubts and found that Mr Morton possessed ‘genius & eloquence.’
Other quick items include several updates on his discussions of privateering with the Peace Society, a charming piece of gossip concerning Daniel Webster in his days at the Phillips Exeter Academy, and his devotion of a stormy Sunday evening to reading the ‘Report of the Am[erican] Colonization Society.’