19 
in the tenderest parental feelings and the deep sense 
of piety and virtue which influenced and pervaded 
his mind. 
Mr. Smith to Mr. James Edward Smith. 
My dear Son, Norwich, Oct. 27, 1781. 
We received your letter with all the joy that our 
concern and anxiety for your welfare had prepared 
for us in the gratification of our wishes; and I can- 
not refrain from giving you the pleasure of receiving 
a letter from me before you may expect it. I am 
afraid you had an unpleasant journey to Sheffield, 
though you make the best you can of it; but ’tis over 
safe, and the remembrance of it will be pleasant 
hereafter. I can never regret the journey I took 
with you, as it has left some of the tenderest ideas 
my mind is possessed of, and although anxious and 
serious were the minutes, they were precious indeed. 
What would I not give for such another morning 
as we passed at Wansford! It is true the separa- 
tion and the rest of that day was cutting, and as 
much as I could well bear; but every reflection on 
the prospect that attends you is a balm to heal the 
wounds that absence gives the mind. It is obvious, 
that in proportion to the difficulties we encounter 
in the pursuit of laudable acquirements, whether of 
riches, honours, or knowledge, in adequate propor- 
tion is the pleasure of overcoming them, and the 
enjoyment of the rewards we have obtained. 
Our return home would have been very pleasant 
indeed, if our separation had not been so recent. We 
ch? 
