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 THE RANDALL FAMILY 1 3

Rev. Jones Very, known to many as a poet of rarest delicacy and beauty of thought, sent this note of acknowl- edgment :

Mr. John W. Randall.

Dear Sir, — I feel much indebted to you for the volume of your Poems which I received through our common friend Mr. Whipple. Mr. Whipple presented me with a copy of your volume not long after its publication, which I read with much pleasure and highly prize. I sent a short notice of it to the Salem " Gazette " with extracts, wishing to call the attention of others to the work. The "Ode to Conscience" I think striking and sublime. "A Last Word to < The Waterfowl ' " and others please me. I shall value highly the copy you have sent, especially as containing your last corrections. I hope the opportunity will be given us of becoming personally acquainted.

Your friend,

Jones Very.

Salem, Jan'y 26th, 1857.

��Mr. Epes Sargent, who had won distinction in almost every branch of literature, acknowledged receipt of a copy of the book in the following terms : —

RoxBURY, Jan. 22d, 1856. My dear Randall,

Accept my thanks for your beautiful volume of poems. I have read many of the pieces (and expect to read all) with the sincerest pleasure. The opening stanzas (" Dedi- cation ") seem to me very beautiful and touching. I have read that and the " Ode to God," together with the two

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