LIFE OF WILSON. 
xxiii 
free and plentiful country, after so many years of painful separation, where the 
bare necessaries of life were all that incessant drudgery could procure, and 
even that but barely! Should even sickness visit you, which God forbid, each 
of you is surrounded by almost all the friends you have in the world, to uurse 
you, and pity and console you ; and surely it is not the least sad comfort of a 
death-bed, to be attended by afiectionate relatives. Write me positively by 
post, two or three times. My best love to my sister, to Isabella, Alexander, 
John, the two Maries, James, Jeauy, little Annie. God Almighty bless you 
all. 
" Your ever affectionate friend, 
" Alex. Wilson." 
To Alexander Duncan. 
" October 31st, 1802. 
" Dear Alexander. 
" I have laughed on every perusal of your letter. I have now deciphered 
the whole, except the blots, but I fancy they are only by the way of half 
mourning for your doleful captivity in the backwoods, where there is nothing 
but wheat and butter, eggs and gammon, for hagging down trees. Deplorable ! 
what must be done ? It is a good place, you say, for a man who has a parcel 
of weans /***** 
" But forgive this joking. I thank you, most heartily, for this your first 
letter to me ; and I hope you will follow it up with many more. I shall always 
reply to them with real pleasure. I am glad that your chief objection to the 
country is want of money. No place is without its inconveniences. Want of 
the necessaries of life would be a much greater grievance. If you can, in 
your present situation, procure sufficient of these, though attended with par- 
ticular disadvantages, I would recommend you to persevere where you are. I 
would wish you and William to give your joint labors to putting the place in 
as good order as possible. A farm of such land, in good cultivation, is highly 
valuable ; it will repay all the labor bestowed upon it a hundred-fold ; and 
contains within it all the powers of plenty and independence. These it only 
requires industry to bring forth, and a small stock of money to begin with. 
The money I doubt not of being able to procure, next summer, for a year or 
two, on interest, independent of two hundred dollars of my own, which I hope 
to possess on or before the middle of March next. C. S. is very much at- 
tached to both your brother and me ; and lAs the means in his power to assist 
us — aud I know he will. In the meantime, if you and William unite in the 
undertaking, I promise you as far as I am concerned, to make it the best plan 
you could pursue. 
"Accustom yourself, as much as you can, to working out. Don't despise 
hogging down trees. It is hard work, no doubt ; but taken moderately, it 
strengthens the whole sinews; and is a manly aud independent employment. 
An old weaver is a poor,' emaciated, helpless being, shivering over rotten yarn, 
and groaning over his empty flour barrel. An old farmer sits in his armchair 
before his jolly fire, while his joi.sts are crowded with hung beef and gammons, 
and the bounties of heaven are pouring into his barns. Even the article of 
