With pain and difficulty do I make the effort of offering a friendly, but limited communication. I am sorely afflicted with a severe pain in my head and an aching of my back and limbs, which make me nervous and unsteady, and therefore I am in a bad situation to write. My shoulder aches and my hand is so unsteady, that it appears that I can not [cannot] write without blotting, and I regret to send a letter to a friend, which looks, as though a blacksmith had written it with a hand spike.

But you must make allowances for this one, owing to the state of my health. I am unable to study any of consequence, for the anguish of my head is so severe, that it seems that I can not [cannot] bear to steady at any thing [anything], much less to retain. I have not been in a recitition [recitation] [added: room] to-day [today], and if I do not get better I think that I shall not recite anymore, but endeavor to get home. My mind is so confused that I am troubled to grasp any thing [anything] to reveal to you which may interest you, at all, and I am hard enough pressed in my best moments to produce subjects of importance and interest.

I consider that we have, but little if any thing [anything] here to communicate, which deserves a high appreciation. We have a new student, who arrived here recently from Mississippi and we have got him into our building, though he has not joined our society; yet I think that he will for I think that we have obtained the right side of him. I have taken considerable pains with him by treating him friendly and familiarly, and he seems to be very much pleased with me so far, and also he seems to pleased [added: with] some of the other members. I am not like the Ph.'s when I wish to get a student in our society, for I beleve [believe] that they begin about the first thing to talk about their society; but I wish to gain a student's good will first.

The members of our hall conduct themselves very badly in debate. On Saturday night last they were very disorderly, and [added: after] the close of debate, the resolution, which was past [passed] on Saturday [added: night] previous to invite the Faculty into our hall, was brought up and voted down by a large majority. —

Parshall has quit college and gone home, though I imagine that his departure will [added: not] produce much sorrow with the students. — Charles and long Kirk I believe are well, and the health of the students generally is good; also their demeanor is considerably better than was it some time since. I had just got so that I could study to some advantage and was advancing much better in my studies; than I have done I believe all of the first part of the session; but I fear that this misery in my head will nearly, if not entirely break up my studying during this term.

I am informed that Miss. Haverly is to be married to McKee , one of the editors of the Tribune.

I have nothing more at present to offer to you; but to ask you to excuse my badly composed and badly written epistle.

I am your true friend,

R. M. Moore

To. J. [John] D. McAdoo