It is of grief till I saw my dear wife expire, now about three months since she died; and I feel my loss more deeply than when I followed her to the grave. I trust that this very afflicting stroke of Providence has been sanctified to me. I feel more like a pilgrim and stranger on earth, and I long to finish my work and be away. But I must not spend time in describing my feelings on this mournful occasion-you can easily imagine all that I would say, I have one request to make of you--comfort. our dear mother. Tell her that her dear Harriet never repented of any sacrifice she had made for Christ; that on her dying bed "she was comforted with the thought of having had it in her heart to do something for the Heathen, though God had seen fit to take her away before we entered on our work." Tell that dear woman, that HARRIET's bones have taken possession of the promised land, and rest in glorious hope of the final and universal triumph of Jesus over the gods of this world. Give my love to all our friends. How glad should I be to see you all! Tell little Aaron about my dear babe--we called her Harriet Atwood in her baptism. Poor thing, she found a watery grave. Mary, my dear sister, do not grieve too much for Harriet, she is well now. O may we be counted worthy to meet her fin the mansions of the blessed. Dear creature, she comforted me with this hope on her dying bed; and this blissful hope is worth more to me than all the wealth of India Farewell- SAMUEL NEWELE." Extracts of a Letter from Mr. Newell to Mrs. Atwood. Jaffna, (in the Island of Ceylon, ) Sept. 19, 1813. "My ever dear mother, "FORGIVE me, that I have written whole page, without mentioning that name, which is dear both to you and me. Believe me, it is not through forgetfulness.-No; the name of Harriet will never cease to excite the deepest sensations in my heart, nor will her image ever be effaced from my memory. "Sweet spirit, if thine airy sleep, Nor sees my tears, nor hears my sighs, "Oh then, I'll weep, in luxury weep, Till the last heart's drop drown my eyes." "The affecting news of her death has doubtless reached you before this time.In the long letter I wrote, (bearing date, Isle of France, Dec. 10, 1812) I have given you a par ticular account of the exercises of her mind during her sickness. If this should fail, I shall embrace the first opportunity to send you her Journal, &c. At present, I can only say, that she bore her sickness, which was extremely painful, with a remarkable degree of meek and quiet submission to the will of God. She died in the full possession of that peace of God which passeth all understanding, and desired most earnestly to depart, that she might go to her long wished for home. Never shall I forget the solemp scene! She seemed for seyeral days before her death to be already in heaven. Every earthly wish and feeling seemed to have left her, and her mind was com. pletely with eternal things. She mentioned by name her dearest mother, and all her dear brothers and sisters, a few hours before her She has gone, I doubt not, death.to join the blessed spirits around the throne. I can never discharge the debt of gratitude I owe to you, my dear mother, for giving me such a companion. May God support you under this heavy affliction; and may we soon meet our dear departed Harriet in that better world, where we shall rejoice forevermore.' Extracts of a Letter from Mr. Newell to Mrs. Atwood, dated November 9, 1813, Point de Galle, in the island of Ceylon. "My dear, dear mother, It seems too much to believe, that this paper will ever reach Haverhill, and be read in that peaceful dwelling, where I have spent so many happy hours. But your letters have safely reached me, and gladdened my sorrowful, desponding heart, in this distant region; and why should not mine be safely conveyed to my beloved mother? I hope this will reach you, and remind you of one-on whom you have bestowed the greatest blessing, which any person on earth could bestow. That blessing, alas, how transient!--It was resumed by that sovereign God, from whom is every good gift, and I am jeft to mourn:--Yes, my dear mother, within ten short months from the day you gave your Hartiet to me, I saw her sicken, waste away, and expire. In a strange land, without one' friend to weep with me, I followed her, a soli in a retired spot in the burying ground in Port Louis, under the shade of an evergreen. I often visited the spot with mournful satisfaction, during the three remaining months of my residence in the Isle of France. Till Christ shall come to rouse the slumb'ring death. Oh Harriet, Harriet, my heart bleeds afresh at the sound of thy name; and yet I love to repeat it, and to dwell upon the sound. How often did I wish, my dear mother, for your presence during Harriet's illness,in the closing scene, and especially the night after her death, which I spent with no person in my house but my negro man, while the remains of our dear Harriet lay enclosed in the gloomy coffin before me. The end of this month will bring around the anniversary of this solemn, trying scene, But the revolution of years can never obliterate the impression which it made on my heart. The packet of letters sent me by the Alligator, went first to Calcutta, thence to Bombay, and thence to Colombo, where I found it, as I came from Jaffna, Oct. 30, nearly a year from the date. Those which were directed to Mrs. Newell, I opened and read with sensations of mingled pleasure and pain. They came, alas! too late for her-While. you were writing them, she was dictating her last farewells to me to be transmitted to you. But she stands im no need of letters or mortal friendship now. She enjoys, I doubt not, what she so often spoke of on earth, "the light of Emmanuel's countenance," and the friendship and converse of angels and saints. Yours affectionately, S. NEWELL." ERRATA. p. 36, 1. 7, from t. read your for you. p. 16, l. 13, from b. for overflowing read overwhelming. p. 29, 1. 2, from b. for wfiling read willing. p. 55, l. 11, from b. for. read, p. 45, 1. 10, from b. erase; after approach. p. 46 1.9 & 10, from t. read, we may not have to regret that we were undutiful. p. 54, transpose the Summary Account to p. 63. p. 71, I. 4, from b. for aking read acting. p. 92, l. 12, from t. read H. A. p. 105, l. 7, from b. for Newton read Cowper. |