St. Croix, Nov. 11, 1769.
This serves to acknowledge the receipt of yours per Capt. Lowndes,
which was delivered me yesterday. The truth of Captains Lightbowen and
Lowndes’ information is now verified by the presence of your father and
sister, for whose safe arrival I pray, and that they may convey that
satisfaction to your soul that must naturally flow from the sight of
absent friends in health; and shall, for news this way, refer you to
them. As to what you say respecting your soon having the happiness of
seeing us all, I wish for an accomplishment of your hopes, provided
they are concomitant with your welfare, otherwise not; though I doubt
whether I shall be present or not, for, to confess my weakness, Ned, my
ambition is prevalent, so that I contemn the grovelling condition of a
clerk or the like, to which my fortune condemns me, and would willingly
risk my life, though not my character, to exalt my station. I am
confident, Ned, that my youth excludes me from any hopes of immediate
preferment, nor do I desire it; but I mean to prepare the way for
futurity. I’m no philosopher, you see, and may justly be said to build
castles in the air; my folly makes me ashamed, and beg you’ll conceal
it; yet, Neddy, we have seen such schemes successful when the projector
is constant. I shall conclude by saying, I wish there was a war.
P. S. I this moment received yours by William Smith, and am pleased to
see you give such close application to study.