Since the last Letter I recd from you dated April 12th 1 poor Sukey compleated the Journey of Life and is gone to the World of Spirits through the whole of her Sickness, few have exhibited a greater 30 Degree of Firmness, Patience & Submission to the divine Will, She has left us the consoling Hope of her enjoying a blessed Immortality— Mrs. Tufts by her long attendance upon her seems to be much relaxed— For a Number of Days in the latter End of April & beginning of this month, I suffered much with a Pain in my Side & Breast, attended with great Soreness, which reduced my Strength greatly— I have got somewhat recruited—

Revd. Wm. Clark wishes to continue in the House he now lives in another Year, if you have no Objection to it, I will engage it to him He is punctual in his Payments— I forgot whether I informd You of Soules Sickness— a Younger Brother of his has supplied his Place— after Soul got so well as to ride, He went home, and has send Word that He shall return next Week. Young Soul wishes to be hird on the Farm— I am at a loss to know what Help will be wanting this Summer the addition of Mr. Cranchs Farm will make an Addition to the Labours at present we are rather behind hand (as the common Phrase is) of the Business, indeed the Season has been unfavourable for the early Management of Business in the farming Way— Terrell has mov’d into Braintree the Garden has been managed by Stetson & Bass and is in a tolerable good Way, tho yet very moist— Gardens have sufferd much in the Winter past— Many Roots destroy’d— Peach Trees &C I do not observe any of the latter hurt in your Garden— one of the Beds of Strawberries was ruind— Our Apple Trees have a large blow and the Blossoms begin to fall—but very few Caterpillars are seen this year—

You desire me to give you an Estimate of the Probable Expence of the Building— I suppose it will amount to between 6 & 700 Dollrs— it is however but a Guess—for I have found that when we begin to build we know not where the Expence is to end—more especially when we undertake to make New Works & old unite— I imagine with 2 or 300 Dollars more I shall be in Cash, sufficient to answer necessary Demands till July— there are however continual Expences for Supplies, Labourers, Repairs & I know not what— I have paid Porter in full for last year & Billings more than 1/3d. of his years Wages— The Taxes which amount to $156.37. are unpaid— We have got 100 Bushells of Oates in the Crib and hope We shall have Hay enough for your Horses till mowing shall come on,

I have been at Quincy once or twice almost every Week, since You left it and found sufficient to take up my Time, Advice, Directions, Settlement of Accounts, Payment of Bills &C &C call for dayly Attention and after all many Things will be neglected—

It would have been agreable to have extended the Roof of the new Building over the Wash House, but I found that such a Number of Stones and other Materials were necessary for the Purpose, as would have entirely prevented any farming Business being carried on, the Scituation of the Ground on the back of the House, requird a vast Number of Stones, & kept the Team & several Hands employd for a fortnight or 3 Weeks including carting of Lumber Sand &C The Weather & other Disappointments have retarded the Business but by the Middle of June I hope to have the Building in such a State as will admit of a safe Lodging for Porter & Family—

Mr. Norton gave us a very good political Discourse, on fast Day, he delineated the Conduct of France towards America from our first Connection with them to the present Time in a fair & just Point of Light— Tis said that Parson Osgood on fast Day congratulated his People, “That We had not a French Atheist nor a Virginian Deist to preside over us”—2 The numerous Addresses to the President altho highly gratifying, must it appears to me, in connection with a Multitude of Business devolved upon him, prove almost too burdensome to him

We shall soon be well united, if no untoward Circumstance should arise to prevent it, the only dispute with many who are well affected to the Interest of their Country is, whether it is best to permit our Vessells to Arm or not— I hope Congress will pass a Sedition Bill before it rises and provide for Contingences that may arise in Case of a War—

Has Mr. J. Q. A. any personal Property in Boston— The Times are precarious— hint not to anyone who asked the Question—

Will You be so good as to find out whether there is any Birth for a Commercial Agent or Consul on the Mediterranean or beyond the Cape of Good Hope— I have a particular Reason for this Request which I will open to you hereafter—3 I must break off & beg You to accept of Mine & Mrs. Tufts best Wishes for Your Health & Happiness And am / Your Affectionate Friend

Though the kind remembrance I have of my Sister is imprinted upon my heart, as with a point of a diamond, & can never be erased while vital spirits remain, yet I know not when I have written to her.—1 The cares & anxieties, the hopes, & the fears, that I should do too much, or not enough for my poor Betsy, I did not wish to 33 trouble you with, or to tell you that my mind has been so agitated least the fatal messenger was on the wing, commisioned to waft her to that world, from whence no traveller returns, that I have scarcely been fit for the duties of life, & though I wish to be resigned to the will of heaven, & to “think like a saint,”2 yet such is the frailty of our nature, that we all feel the imperfections of humanity in a most powerful, & humilating degree— I believe I told you in my last that she was getting much better, & she really was, but has never been two days without a fever, & a bad cough— In March she caught new colds when her Sister was moving, from which I fear she will never find releif. Her disorder seems to baffle all medicine; yet she has many favourable systoms, no fixed pain in her breast or side, but I fear I shall always have cause to lament her not being bled at first, it might have removed that straitness of breath which ever since she has felt; but the Dr thought then it would go off without— he is sorry since he did not— When I look upon her, I feel as if my heart would burst— She is a young, I cannot say a thoughtless Child. She has all that phylanthropy, all that was amiable in her Father. That cheerful happy temper, that unreserved manner, which if regulated by discretion endears & gains the love & confidence of our fellow creatures, she possesses in no small degree, & was every day rendering her more pleasing to her acquaintance, & those inate good qualities, which had been almost destroyed by some wrong management, with gratitude she feels that you reared them up, gave them new strength & vigor, & I am happy to say have ever since been growing into useful life— pardon a mothers partiality— If I should be deprived of her, I must say, it is the heaviest stroke I have ever yet experienced, & should I be called to so severe a trial, may I have that temper which can say “thy will be done”—as I ought— Since you left us very many of our Friends have paid the debt of nature, & are sleeping in their original dust. The much esteemed Mrs Quincy, the amiable Debby Perkinks,3 & Sukey Warner, the Rev. Mr Clark who, himself was a noble comment upon the heavenly doctrines he taught, exemplifying in his life, & conversation the purity, excellence, & benevolence of the Gospel— the aged Mr Carter, full of days satisfied with life, has been gathered to his fathers, & the dear little Mary Smith has been recalled by her heavenly Parent, from pain, & trouble, from the snares & temptations of a vain world, & secured we trust by him, who when upon earth “called little Children, blessed them, & said, of such is the kingdom of heaven.”—4

Sister Cranch says she writes to you, & receives letters from you almost every week—& I presume has been particular in giving an account of events, as they occur— I have a heart that would communicate every thing interesting, or that would afford you pleasure if I had time—but the business of the Family presses so hard upon me, that when I feel determined to write, coats, jakets & Stockings call so loud for my attention, that my purposes are quite altered— So one day has followed on after another without one line—partly hoping they might bring you more welcome news—for when I sat down to write, I have been obliged to lay my pen aside, finding myself unfit for thought— You need not tell me I do wrong, I am very sensible of my error— But overwhelmed as I am at times with Grief, yet do not think me so absorbed in my little Self, as not to feel for my Country, to feel for you, & upon the alter of my heart, have presented many fervent petitions for the safety, peace, & happiness of my much loved Sister; & with united america have implored the richest of heavens blessings to rest upon our cheif magestrate, that he might have wisdom as an Angel of God, perseverance, & magnanimity to guide this backsliding generation, who without investigating truth, or things as they ought will one day “cry hosanna, & another crucify”—5 What must you not all have suffered when those Sons of Belial collected round your house?6 no doubt all the execrable deeds done in Paris rushed into your mind—but thanks to kind heaven, all religion is not yet lost, we have still some love of virtue, some moral sense, & are not yet “all sold to do iniquity”—7

It gives me pleasure to hear from your Children, though I am grieved they have suffered so much in a foreign land— In the Cup of human happiness, a large portion of pain, & trouble is thrown in, no doubt for wise purposes, as a necessary alloy— Cousin Betsy Smith has been with me for a month. She is more cheerful than I feared she would be, but even now is more gloomy than Betsy— She has contracted a certain habit of reserve that injures the feelings of friends. I feel the tenderness of a mother, but never mean to pry into any of her secrets, if secrets there must be they will lie unexplored by me— she forgets the sentiment of Young on friendship, “Reserve will wound it; & distrust destroy. Deliberate on all things with thy friend”—8

She is notwithstanding this singularity a most excellent Girl— My Son did not leave Cambridge in the vacation— heaven bless him & make him useful— You may easily conceive I have a thousand 35 anxieties for him, as the season fast approaches when he must leave Harvard, & try his unfledged wings—

Your Grandsons enjoy good health, & behave exceeding well— they are good tempered fine Children— We should all be almost unhappy without them— We have a dancing School opened by Mr Ducare, who kept here Summer before last, they both attend, & are delighted with the Idea of learning so pleasing an accomplishment—9 Will you pardon me if I cannot tell whether I have written to you since I received a letter from you by Judge Blodget, accompanied by a beautiful Shaul,10 if I have not acknowledged it before, accept now my Sister of the thanks, & love of your affectionate