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never received a single line from her
since she left me tho' I have urged
her in every letter of mine to her not
to let any opportunity slip of writing
to me. You will no doubt be
much concerned to hear of our number
being reduced by the lamented death
of Mr. Scott. He finished his course
on the 9th. of Feby. and entered into
his rest, being taken off by a bowel
complaint in a few days. I was at
the time just recovering from a violent
attack of my own disorder by which
I was struck, as it were, over the years,
and this melancholy event affected
my mind exceedingly, and led me to
resolve on a more diligent improvement
of my short remaining portion of time,
& preparation for my [indecipherable] change.
It pleased the Lord soon after this
to restore me to a better state of health
than I had enjoyed for some time, and

208
also my dear partner, which, with the
consideration of our number being reduced
and other things, led me to relinquish
the thought I had entertained of leaving
these Islands and determine by the help
of God to continue my labours at least
until I should feel myself under more
urgent necessity to remove. I have
since been enabled to perform two
preaching tours around this Island
in which I trust I enjoyed the
special [original crossed out] presence of the Lord and his
blessing on my poor labours. I was accompa-
-nied on my first tour by Mr. Backnall, and
on my latter by Samuel it not being convenient for any other to accompany me.
Received no insolent taunts or jeers as
formerly on such tours; and in stead of
that difficulty we formerly experienced
in collecting the people together to instruct
instruct them, arising from their aversion
to the truths & doctrines of Christianity, &c. we
now happily witnessed a general readiness
to assemble & a becoming seriousness and