Ottawa, May 30th, [59?]
My Dear Brother
This is one of our Illinois wet
[-----?] [days?], which prevents me from doing
anything out doors [------?] [I?] will therefore
embrace the opportunity of chatting a [-----?]
across the distance with you as I am in considerable
[------?] us-ge with my letters I must begin and
[------?] cancel my --bts [debts?] before they
accumulate any more and as you are [------?] oldest
creditor I must begin with you,
I have had a very severe long winter followed by a
[------?] cold backward spring. however, nature is
again [-----?] th--t in the rich verdure of green
and spring with all [------?] [its?] beauty and
grandeur has again visited us
Though we had a severe snow storm as late as the 12th
of [------?] yet our crops look well considering the
lateness of the season You are aware that I rented
[------?] farm this [faded], I have nearly
thirty acres of wheat sown, 13 acres oats and
20 of corn all this I done myself with one [-----?]
with the exception of five or six days work I hired
[-------?] [you?] can guess from this how we wish when
spring [faded] . Markets are high at present. Corn is
worth [------?] cents per bushel Wheat 40 cents oats 65
Do [Ditto?] --thattoes [potatoes?] $1.50 per bushel this
we call very high for this [------?] [part?] of the
country, I have told you what I am doing [------?] [I?]
will now tell you about my earthly tabernacle [------?]
it bears up under the pressure of work. I never [------?]
stronger than I do this spring. I have not been sick
requiring medical aid for upwards of a year
for which I have great reason to be thankful,
for of all earthly blessings there is none comparable with
that of health especially when in a strange land, this at
least is my experience I would like to see you John
very much I often think about you I think you dont have
a very pleasant field to labour in I would much rather
live with the redman of the forest than with
the Irish where you are. I never saw genuine Irish untill
[until?] I came to this country and I assure you I dont
think it strange that they are everywhere spoken against
and looked on upon with a certain degree of suspicion. I
would not advise you to come to this country for several
reasons in the first place the climate might not agree with
you and secondly you would find every thing strange to you
customs are entirely different here from what they are at home
you would not find so many grades in society for instance
clergymen at home are respected and looked upon as superiors
as a grade higher in society than farmers so also physicians
lawers [lawyers?] [-?] but here character
makes the man not the profession he follows all men
are respected that will respect themselves live at least
morally and improve their minds by study and reading so
as to be fittest for society. Of course this does not include
the low Catholic Irish and dutch for to a man they are
addicted to drinking and loafing round rum shops such
men are oppossed [opposed?] here as in every other civilized
community
In view of these facts I would say if you are willing to
give up all things for the cause of Christ, come, here is a
large and open field of labor the harvest is plenty but the
laborers are few we have a Presbyterian minister preaching
for us now he is a very fine man his name is --emings
[Flemings?]
he belongs to the old school, he has been talking with me
about you he says you ought to come here as there is more
of a scarcity of ministers than in the old country, the
population increases much faster by such an immense tide
of emigration that ministers cannot be supplied fast enough
to feed all the flock, if you should happen to take a notion
to come to this country by giving your certificate to the
presbytry you would be taken a year on probation and
then if found worthy would be admitted as a regular
brother clergyman, the reason for keeping
foreign ministers a year on trial is this, clergymen that
in the old country had been by their own misconduct
unfitted for their ministerial duties, and been expelled
by the presbytry has in many instances come to this country
and been admitted as regular ministers while they were only
wolves in sheeps clothing doing an injury to the cause
they were professing to build up. thus you will see the
propriety of keeping all a year on trial untill [until?]
they prove themselves worthy of the vocation wherewith
they are called
I recieved [received?] a letter from home some time ago
times are changed since I left Father has now all the care
and trouble himself it is a remarkable providence that since
Robert has been laid aside he has been strengthened to pursue
the labors of the farm. I hope this summer will do much
towards restoring Robert to health and strength I feel
thankful for the [------?] you sent me I am very much
pleased by it. I will now tell you about [--------?]
family John and Helen have just come on a visit about
five minutes ago, the [they?] are both well they live
twenty miles from here. John and Amy Hunter
are well Amy had another girl last winter which makes
two they are fine children. Margaret his uncles
fourth daughter was married on wensday [Wednesday?]
last I was grooms man his name is Silas Bates a steady
young man, [faded] this houses three yet Sarah Phebe
and Mary Jane.
I am sorry to inform you that my Uncle has been
quite sick for nearly a half year he is up about
half time his disease is bronchittes [bronchitis?] on
the lungs the warm summer may [recruit?] him a little but next
winter will go hard with him, you have had some
changes with you my much respected Cousin Jane
is now numbered with the silent dead one by one
my old associates are dropping of [off?] the stage of life
and yet I am spared unworthy me in dangers by
land and sea have I been preserved and permitted
to enjoy a reasonable degree of the comforts of this life
yet what do I deserve more than others, surely God is good
for his mercy endureth forever (in ways that I have
not known hath he led me) yet after all we are
apt to forget our kind benefactors, indwelling sin is
always ready
[following parts attached to tops of pages:]
...spring up like weeds in the field to choke the [-----?]
You will think that I closed my letter rather abruptly
but I made a mistake I thought I was only at the bottom
of my third page, when it proved to be the fourth so I was
forced to stop. AG [Andrew Greenlees?]
