
          Theopolis 12 Sept 1844


 Dear Kind friend


 Your letter came to hand this morning.
 I do not design sending off an answer to it at present
 but I prefer beginning an answer while my feelings
 are fresh. I feel very grateful for your attentions
 & sorry that I have failed of receiving any of
 your letters except the one through Dr Mead.


 You express surprise that I am not in the
 regular work of preaching. I am very sorry to inform
 you that the want of educated preachers is
 no way proportioned to the need for them.


 There are in this Presbytery 16 Preachers. Not one
 receives a comfortable support. I think only one is
 paid by his people for preaching all the time & only
 about 8 are receiving any thing from any congregation
 for their services. My gratuitous services I may say
 without vanity are in good demand & not unacceptable
 even at Quincy - the Mercer Street of the west. But
 nothing was ever offered me for preaching but once.
 This was $2.50 for traveling 100 miles & preaching a
 sabbath. This I declined receiving myself but gave
 it to the Institution in which I was laboring.


 My plan now is to give the bluffs & bottoms a
 final scouring in the spring & bring the results
 to you_ to seek employment in teaching botany in
 the city next summer & after that follow the leadings 
        