Boston Novmb. 15. 1749 Dear Brother,

Dear Brother, I Cant describe the pleasure I felt at reading your kind Endearing letter, that I Received last evening, the transports of love & Friendship are better felt than describ'd and thesse pasions equally reign in my breast toward My Dear my only Brother in whom I've plac'd So much hopes of of happiness for the remainder of our day which I hope we shall Spend in perfect love and Friendship and not at So great distance.

You may easily judg that I'm under great Concern about our affairs when I tell you that our Dear F——1 Expects to Sayl on Fryday or Saturday. The thoughts of parting with our only parent under So many agevating Curcumstances as his declining years & health and the distance he intends to go affords me many Malencholy reflections, but Since tis not in my power to hinder his going nor to find out the determination of providence in this affair I endevour to quiet my Self by Commending the Case to him who is the great Orderer of all our Changes and who only has the power to Command health & Safety on Sea or land. From him alone we derive all the good we injoy and where else shou'd we go under our troubles but to him, this great truth I hope we are both sensible of and both make it our practice to repair to him and Strive to Submit with Satisfaction to his Divine pleasure.

I am under great Concern for S——r,2 I know not where she is to live for there is nothing done yet. F—— intends to Speak to Doctr. Sewall but whether he'll Succeed I question and if he does not I Suppose he'll Chuse to Leave her with us wc. I nor Mr. ——3 has nothing against but shou'd be desirous of, if she Chose it but, it seems she does not for what reason I know not, but when Mrs. —— kindly invited her to go (by Fathers desire) she Said she intended to be Contented wherever F—— plac'd her and had no more to Say. I wish I could See her pleas'd but I fear if she tarrys with me twill bring many troubles upon us all, but I shall Say no more than I have against it. Her youth and the many temptations that she Stand expos'd to makes her an Object of our pity and prayer wc. is all the Service we can do & I hope we are not wanting in this Duty.

F—— affairs look Smiling; he has escap't Some dificultys in business wc. he fear'd. He has told Several friends of his intended voyage and they aplaude it highly. He Speaks of it frequently but takes no pains to perswade his hearrers to belive it So that tis not Commonly Credited.4 He dont allow us to own it so that we have a hard task to preserve the truth while we Conceal it.

I Expect to meet with many Dificultys in geting my nesesarys for house keeping but my partner wont allow me to be uneasy at it and F——s kindness to him & me wou'd make it highly ungenerous to Complain.

Father often Speaks of you with all the kindness of a tender parent to an only Son. He was much gratified with your letter. Pray write to him again by the first opertunity for we ought to make all the returns in our power to so tender a parent.

Dear Brother, I've wrote a long incoherent letter but you may judg that tis only a picture of my mind and lest I shou'd omit any thing esensial I wrote as I thought with out Striving for method, I Commit it to your Candid perusal and pray acccept the Sincerity and overlook failings.

I hope to See you here before Spring and you may depend upon being received with joy and finding me ready to assist you in any thing within my power in the mean time you have my best wishes for your welfare both as to time & Eternity.

I need not ask your Remembrance of us in your petitions for the Blessing of Providence and Grace for I trust that our prayers often assend united to throne of Grace for each other & for our friends. May we be also united at the end of our lives in Blessing & praising our Great 76 Redemer & Benefactor which is the hearty desire of your Constant Oblidg'd Friend & Loving Sisster,

ABIGAIL GREENLEAF

RC ; endorsed.

1.

Father.

2.

Sister.

3.

Greenleaf.

4.

Thomas Paine's known business reverses prompted many of his creditors to believe that he was taking this voyage not to better his health but to escape his debts. See Joseph Greenleaf to RTP, Dec. 6, 1749.

Lunenburg Novr. 25. 1749 Kinde Sir,

Accept a few lines as the Product of Freindship, from him who if he was nott encumbred wth. writing many letters in a little Time, would present you with a more formall Epistle. I have a multitude of things to say to you, far more matter than Time; and therefore must dismiss all but a few perticulars to be the fruitfull subject of conversation wn. face to face. My Freind we have been absent some considerable time, & I as I have many things treasured up, so I doubt nott but you have still many more, & as you have more time so be nott slack in writing. I must tell you I a little wonder that among all the letters I've rec'd from Boston, I've received none of yrs. Leave me nott to my self to make any hard conclusion but relieve me quickly. Surely if you've forgott me I have nott you nor can you Argue it from my neglect of writing.

As to the Boards we talked About; the Saw-Mills do Nott as yet go, & so Nothing can be done, & as for a Team to bring down a quantity they'll ask, to go & come loadned £25: to go loaded & return light £15 or 20. & they'll carry between 2 & 3 Thousand feett &c.

As for Cards1; att present I can't find out that they'll Answer to send up, but will enquire farther into the Matter.

I would have you to write me yr. Mind about these things; of what Prizes yr. Cards are for I've forgott all about it.

77

I write to you Uncertain Whether Mr. & Mrs. Palmer be in the Country. If they are my respects by all means & tell them Uncertainty only kept back a line or two. If Mr. Palmer be nott gone do desire him to bring over a watch for a freind of mine & Mr. Freeman will give him the Old Tenor .2

My Service to Mr. Palmer & ask him if he ever heard of or knows an Instrument us'd in Navigation call'd the Hemispheres: the best description I can give of them is this Vizt. They are a thing design'd to answer the end of the Coelestial Globe, in form & fashion like a map in a circular form Near 20 inches to fold in a Book like a Sea-mans chart. On these (one design'd to represnt the Stars & Constellations in the North of the Ecliptick, & the other the South) are design'd the Various Circles & constellations as they are in the Heavens.

I should be glad if he would enquire & know about them att home. What Price &c. & if Any thing of my Catalogue fail to procure them in the stead &c.

If they are nott as yett Sayld give my Love & Service to yr. Brother & Sister3 tell them I wish them Prosperity even that Prosperity wch. maketh wise. I live in hopes of Seeing yr. Brother Again but tis Uncertain Whether ever I see yr. Sister again; & tho' our Bodies take different paths for employment & Subsistence in the World yet may Our Souls travail together in the same narrow Path wch. leads to the Heavenly Jerusalem. In my Name take a freindly leave of them.

And now my Freind my letter has swelld much beyond expectation. I beg You to excuse scrabbling writing & bad inditing for my Hurry is great. If you have any New Schemes write me word of them. 'Tis full time for me to conclude by Subscribing Your faithfull Freind & Well-wisher & humble Sevt.,

ROBERT TREAT PAINE

P:S. My Service to Mr. Brown and tell him that by reason of the difficulty of raising money this year People are nott willing to buy Clocks, but I'm ready to serve him in any thing &c.

P:S. Be pleas'd to Send me word what the Diameter of the Face of yr. Watch is & wt/ the thickness of the Watch. If you Answer this Speedily you may send it by the Bearer.

RC ; addressed: "For Mr. Richard Cranch living att Boston These"; endorsed. Signature and part of endorsement clipped from letter.

78 1.

Cranch was manufacturing cards which were instruments with iron teeth used to separate the fibers in wool, hemp, and other raw materials.

2.

Old tenor. "In 1737 there was a simultaneous issue in Massachusetts of two classes of Province Bills. One being identical in form with those which were already in circulation, while those of the other class stated that they were to be received on the basis of twenty shillings for three ounces of silver, troy weight. Bills of these forms were for a long time thereafter distinguished under the titles of 'old tenor' and 'new tenor'" (DOA; Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts 3[1900]:8).

3.

Joseph and Mary (Cranch) Palmer planned to return to England at this time but were prevented through non-receipt of debts. See Mary Cranch Palmer to RTP, Nov. 29, 1749.