xxviii LIFE OF WILSON. 
affectionate relatives. Write me positively by post, two or three 
times. My best love to my sister, to Isabella, Alexander, John, 
the two Maries, James, Jeany, little Annie. God Almighty 
bless you all. 
Your ever affectionate friend, 
“ Alex. Wilson.” 
TO ALEXANDER DUNCAN. 
October 31, 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 capti- 
vity in the back woods, where there is nothing but wheat and 
butter, eggs and gammon, for hagging down trees. Deplora- 
ble! 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 5 and I hope you will follow it up 
with many more. I shall always reply to them with real plea- 
sure. 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 particular disadvantages, I would recom- 
mend you to persevere where you are. I would wish you and 
William to give your joint labours to putting the place in as 
good order as possible. A farm of such land, in good cultiva- 
tion, is highly valuable; it will repay all the labour 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 dol- 
lars of my own, which I hope to possess on or before the mid- 
dle of March next. C. S. is very much attached to both your 
