LETTER II. TO [PART III. 



pounds, appears to me to admit of no other 

 apology than an unequivocal acknowledgment, 

 that the inviter is mad. Yet yonrjfifteentk Let 

 ter from the Illinois really contains such an in 

 vitation. This letter is manifestly addressed to 

 an imaginary person. It is clear that the cor 

 respondent is a feigned, or supposed, being. The 

 ' letter is, I am sorry to say, I think, a mere trap 

 to catch poor creatures with a few pounds in 

 their pockets. I will here take the liberty to in 

 sert the whole of this letter; and will then en 

 deavour to show the misery which it is calcu 

 lated to produce, not only amongst English 

 people, but amongst Americans who may 

 chance to read it, and who are now living hap 

 pily in the Atlantic States. The letter is dated, 

 24th of February, 1818, and the following are 

 its words : 



1021. " Dear Sir, When a man gives atlvice 

 " to his friends, on affairs of great importance 

 " to their interest, he takes on himself a load of 

 ** responsibility, from which I have always 

 " shrunk, and generally withdrawn. My ex- 

 "ample is very much at their service, either for 

 " imitation or warning, as the case may be. 1 

 * ' must, however, in writing to you, step a little 

 u over this line of caution, having more than 

 " once been instrumental in helping you, not 

 "<m# of your difficulties, but from one scene of 



