know. Bell's Book of Travels, by the Abbe Robin, is | a paltry performance, by an uninformed chaplain in the French army: there is genuine French vivacity in the stile, but the man has miserably mistaken facts. I cannot form an opinion of Mr. McMurray's map, having no acquaintance either with him or his character. Mrs. H. joins me in respects to yourself and Mrs. Belknap. I am, my dear sir, Yours affectionately, Eben. Hazard, BELKNAP TO HAZARD. Oct. 4,1783. My Dear Sir, — I have heard nothing from you since August 27th. I do not complain of it, because I suppose the old excuse, "I have married a wife/' is good in this case; and I am willing to deny myself so far as to wait one revolution of the moon, from the 11th of September. I am happy all this time in thinking that you have much superior enjoyment. You have herewith the 9th chapter of my MS. The number of subscribers in my district somewhat exceeds 500. I have heard nothing yet from England, but am daily expecting. No opportunity yet presents itself for my son; but there is a prospect of a vessel's going from this river soon, when I shall endeavour to get him a passage. We hear of a great sickness in Philadelphia and the places adjacent: if this be so, it may be best for Mr. Aitken not to have an addition to his family, nor for Jo to be absent from home, till it is abated. We are as healthy here as ever; but most of the seaport towns have been visited with mortal sickness, in a great degree. Wishing you all health and happiness, in which Mrs. B. most cordially joins, I am, dear sir, Your affectionate and obliged friend, Jer. Belknap. [Written on the outside of the letter.] I wrote per last post that Mr. Jo. Russell, of Boston, had promised to forward you bills or bank notes to the amount of <£20 of our lawful money. HAZARD TO BELKNAP. Philadelphia, October 8, 1783. My Dear Sir, — By the last post I received yours of 20th ult., with the 7th and 8th chapters. You go on very well. I have thought about the contents of the loose piece of paper, and see no impropriety in printing them, as they will certainly serve to give a true picture of the temper and language of the people at that time, which, you know, is one design of history, and in a philosophical point of view it is important. Nor will it be inconsistent with the gravity and decency of an History, because it has been thought worthy to be made matter of public record, and was delivered in evidence accompanied with the solemnity of an oath. I shall therefore make the mark of reference as you desire, and print the extract. We have no news. Mr. Aitken has lately refused an apprentice, and is anxiously expecting Josey's arrival, as he now wants him. I called to see Ulysses the other evening: he asked me, according to custom, if I had heard lately from you; for, you must know, I have frequently highly entertained him with parts of your letters. I told him I had, and that one of your sons was coming to be an apprentice to Mr. A. I then mentioned some difficulties you laboured under about sending him here, particularly that he had not had the small-pox, and what I had said about the expence of inoculating him. Ulysses immediately told me that, from the opinion he had formed of Mr. B., he should be happy in rendering him any service in his power, and, when his son was to be inoculated, he would chearfully do it gratis. I expected this would be the case. Present Mrs. H.'s and my respects to Mrs. B., and be assured of the warmest attachment of Your friend, Eben. Hazard. BELKNAP TO HAZARD. Dover, Oct. 12, 1783. My Dear Sir, — This comes with part of my 10th chapter: the rest of it, which is as much as this, shall be copied this week, if I can get time from my Indian harvest to do it; so wet a season as we have had greatly retards that kind of work. I thank you for yours and Mr. Aitken's of 24th ult. We have had truly formidable and alarming news of an epidemical sickness in your city. Last week, I was told by a gentleman of character, whose information seemed direct, that it was a, yellow spotted fever, and that great numbers had died. The papers mention, under the N. York head, that the stages were stopped by reason of it. These accounts, you may well think, have affected the minds of parents concerned for a son whom they are about sending thither; but they have not retarded his going, because there has been yet no opportunity. Your letters relieve me in some measure, for in the first place you say nothing of the sickness: then you write that you have moved your wife into town so lately as the 18th ult., which you would not have done if the infection had been alarming j and another comforting circumstance is, that Mr. A. mentions nothing of it; and surely, if the pestilence were raging to the degree we have heard, he could not desire an addition to his family, nor to have me send one of mine into the midst of it. Prom these considerations, I conclude either that the sickness has not been so great as we have heard, or that 'tis on the decline, as is the case in our Eastern great towns, where there has been a great mortality this fall season. Mr. Sheaffe, of Portsmouth, is preparing to send a vessel to your port, and I have the promise of timely notice; so that I hope it will not be long before Jo comes. I thank you for your goodness in saying " he shall have all the friends I can procure him/' There is a distant relation between a family in Philadelphia and my mother. My grandfather Byles, had a brother Thomas, who lived and died in Philadelphia. He was a pewterer, and lived in Market Street: he had a son Daniel, who is dead, and left a son who, I am told, has been a Major in the army in this war. He, i.e. Thomas, also had' a daughter married to a physician in Philadelphia, but I cannot learn his name, unless I was at Boston: all I know of them is, that they have no children, and were very kind to some of my relations who moved from Boston thither in the time of the late siege. If by this description you can fina that you have any knowledge of these persons, and will be so kind as to assist Josey, when he comes, in introducing himself to an acquaintance with them, I shall be exceedingly obliged. It will be a comfort to him to find anybody that has the, name of a relation; and, from what I have heard of that family, they will not be displeased at finding him near them. Mrs. B. begs you will present her very respectful compliments to Mrs. Hazard, and accept the same yourself; and 1 am, dear sir, Your affectionate and obliged friend Jer. Belknap. HAZARD TO BELKNAP. Philadelphia, October 15, 1783. Dear Sir, — By last post I was favoured with yours of 29th ult. As we have not began printing yet, your not sending any copy last week will produce no inconvenience. I will send you a receipt, as you desire, when the bill from Mr. Russel comes to hand. He has acted a very friendly part in engaging 100 copies; "and this leads me to observe, in the next place," that Ulysses is at work for you. It popped into my head that, as his business at this season of the year leads him to see many people, he might procure you a number of subscribers, and I asked him to carry a subscription paper in his pocket, and produce it as occasion offered: to which he immediately consented, in a way which convinced me he entered fully into my views. He was at my house t'other evening, and shewed me subscriptions for 22 books. He told me " he felt an ambition to procure them for 100, and hoped to be able to do it." He is not apt to be sanguine, and therefore I expect it. Both country and city have been very sickly this season, but here there have been but few deaths. A fever has prevailed, but has not proved mortal: indeed, considering the number of inhabitants, I believe few places are more healthy than Philadelphia; and, when you recollect that the same Providence takes care of the Philadelphians and Dover people, and that we have the advantage of you in point of medical abilities, I think you need not make yourself uneasy about Josey. A woman died here in child-bed yesterday, but I think it probable he will be safe enough on that score. However, it is natural for parents to be anxious about their children, when absent, even though they have the highest confi |