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Sir J. E. Smith to Mr. Roscoe. 



Norwich, March 27, 1820. 

 My dear and very kind Friend, 



I blame myself for not having sooner replied to 

 your welcome and consolatory letter, received above 

 a month since. 



I am truly thankful on my dear mother's account 

 that she " fell asleep " so happily, as really never 

 to have known what death was, — nor did she ever 

 know the fear of it : her religion was of the most 

 cheerful kind, — no gloom, no uncharitableness 

 had any share in it. She was quite prepared, and 

 had talked to me about every thing connected with 

 her departure, long ago. I had been in the habit 

 of almost daily calls, to chat a minute or two with 

 her, and I miss her with a degree of sadness I did 

 not expect. I vainly thought I had fortified my- 

 self beforehand : my only resource is the reflexion 

 that I have nothing to regret for her sake, and I 

 am thankful she did not survive me, which her 

 unimpaired health and the probability of her living 

 as long as anybody ever does, made me often dread 

 for her. She also sometimes dreaded it, — not from 

 any alarms about my health, but because of her 

 own probable long life. 



March 28. — I have just learnt by a letter from 

 my wife, who is at LowestofFt, that her excellent 

 mother is no more ; — such are the ravages of such 

 a severe winter ! 



I would add a word of literature. I send today 



