appears so unfavourable. Nothing shall be wanting on my part towards it.

As to the chemical lectureship, I am now convinced I could not have acquitted myself in it to proper advantage. I had no difficulty in giving a general course of chemistry at Hackney, lecturing only once a week; but to give a lecture every day for four months, and to enter so particularly into the subject as a course of lectures in a medical university requires, I was not prepared for; and my engagements there would not, at my time of life, have permitted me to make the necessary preparations for it; if I could have done it at all. For, though I have made discoveries in some branches of chemistry, I never gave much attention to the common routine of it, and know but little of the common processes. On the whole, I am satisfied that I can never appear at Philadelphia, as a Unitarian preacher, if I have any thing else to attend to; and to this object I am determined to devote my time, and all my resources, whenever I get into a settled way of living.

Here I have most leisure for writing and experimenting, by which I have done the most. I have composed and transcribed about another volume of my Church History, and hope to complete the whole in less than two years; and I do not think I could employ my time to better purpose. I shall likewise give constant attention to every thing that relates to the evidences of Christianity.

Having suddenly heard of this opportunity of sending to Philadelphia, I cannot now write to the Duke of Grafton, but shall, the next, and probably you will receive both the letters at the same time. I cannot but say that the benefaction is seasonable, my expenses so much exceed my idea of them. However, I thank a kind Providence, I shall do very well.†

* I have found this exemplary devotion thus estimated in America, twenty years after Priestley had rested from his labours:

"It seems to us, that if there is one man to whom, more than to any other, Unitarians can look with confidence, and point with pride, as the honest, zealous, pious, unwearied, distinguished champion of their principles, Dr. Priestley is that man." See "Unitarian Miscellany," Baltimore, (1824,) VI. 208.

↑ Orig. MS.

DEAR SIR,

To REV. T. BELSHAM.*

Northumberland, June 18, 1795.

You make me very happy by your letters, and if I do not write so often in return, it is only because I take it for granted Mr. Lindsey will communicate to you every thing in my letters to him that will interest you, and that will be almost every thing I say to him. Nothing is wanting to my complete satisfaction here, but such society as his and yours. You are continually in my thoughts, and your letters, and the papers and pamphlets you send me, are a chief part of my entertainment. But my distance from Philadelphia, and the want of a ready communication with it, not for letters, but parcels, is a great obstruction to it. This, however, we hope will soon be removed by the erection of a stage coach.

I am very glad that you have taken up the subject of prophecy, which, indeed, must interest, in a particular manner, all who have any faith in the subject at this critical time. I had no doubt but when you particularly attended to the Revelation, all your doubts about it would vanish. I also have been giving a good deal of attention to the subject of prophecy, and find, or think I find, less difficulty with respect to the Revelation than I expected. I have found Jurieu† in many respects an excellent work. But I find the greatest difficulty in the interpretation of the eleventh chapter of Daniel; and the more I think, the more puzzled I am. If you can give me any light, pray do.

I wish much for a copy of your Academical Lectures. If I give lectures on the same subjects, I shall not compose any of my own. But I have some presentiment, that as soon as they will be wanted, you will deliver them yourself here. The idea is too pleasing to me to be given up.‡

* New College, Hackney.

+"Il osa prédire, dans son Accomplissement des Prophéties, (1686,) 2 V. 12mo, qu'en 1689, le Calvinisme seroit rétabli en France." Jurieu died, 1713, aged 76. Nouv. Dict. Hist., (1789,) V. 68, 69.

Orig. MS.

DEAR SIR,

To MR. SPURRELL.*

Northumberland, July 12, 1795. I AM very much affected by your kind letter, and blame myself for not writing to you before, though I always intended doing it. For we are frequently speaking of you, and shall never forget the many obligations we are under to you, or the pleasure we have had in your society. The satisfaction I had at Clapton was in a very great measure owing to it. How happy should I be to have your company here, where I want it still more! but I cannot, at present, at least, give you any encouragement to come. If I could, I should have written to

you long ago.

This would be a good situation for manufactures, were it not for the high price of labour, and the great expense of carriage for raw materials of any kind. Indeed, the price of provisions, and all necessaries, is suddenly and astonishingly raised; nearly one-third since we came hither, and they have doubled in the last three years. Where this will stop we cannot tell, but it is very alarming to those who live on fixed incomes. But here every housekeeper has a garden, out of which he raises almost all he wants for his family. They all have cows, and many have horses, the keeping of which costs them little or nothing in the summer, for they ramble with bells on their necks in the woods, and come home at night. Almost all the flesh meat they have is salted in the autumn, and a fish called shads in the spring. This salt shad they eat at breakfast, with their tea and coffee, and also at night; for they have no supper distinct from their afternoon's tea. We, however, have

* Alton, Hants. With Mr. Spurrell my acquaintance commenced in 1792, among the "Friends of the People;" and I enjoyed his society and friendship till his decease, in 1822, aged 79. He was deservedly esteemed as a liberal politician, and an enlightened and consistent Christian.

It has been justly remarked, that though Mr "Spurrell spent all the years of his life in the occupations of commerce, he found leisure for mental cultivation, and so improved his understanding by habits of reading and reflection, as to have rendered himself no uninteresting companion to men of great talents and attainments, some of whom he had the satisfaction to rank among his personal and particular friends." See Obituary by the Rev. E. Cogan, M. R. XVII. 375, 376.

not yet laid aside our English customs, and having made great exertions to get fresh meat, it will soon come into general use.

All persons who come here must have farms, and cultivate them themselves for the most part, as the natives do. This is what my three sons do now. My youngest son, Harry, works as hard as any farmer in the country, and is as attentive to his farm, though he is only eighteen. We have not much society except among ourselves.

As to religion, we are like you, having a service in our own house, at which only two or three persons out of it, and those from England, attend. I shall get a place where I can preach more publicly, but it must be at my own expense. We are, however, about to establish a college in this place, and then I can make use of the common hall for that purpose.

I propose to spend a month or two every winter in some of the towns. There, however, I could not live. It is dearer in all respects than in London, and all towns themselves very disagreeable. Here the climate is excellent. We hope in a little time to have agreeable society, and be better accommodated in a variety of respects than we are at present.

We are much affected by the many afflictions you have met with. They have, indeed been uncommonly great; but your Christian principles will, I hope, carry you through them all. Peace, I think, you must have, from choice or necessity; for this destructive war cannot last always. In this case of peace, I do not wholly despair of once more seeing my friends in England; and among the first of them, yourself and your family. Nay, I sometimes flatter myself, that if there should be an unfavourable turn in public affairs, you and others of my friends may find an asylum here. Nothing would make me so happy. It is, indeed, almost all I want. Do not fail to write to me, and if you should look this way, all that we can do shall be done for you. Believe me to be, with much gratitude and esteem, dear Sir, yours sincerely.

My wife joinsin best respects to you and your family.†

* Mrs. Spurrell died in 1794. See ibid. p. 375.

+ Orig. MS., obligingly communicated by Mr. Spurrell's family.

TO REV. T. LINDSEY.*

DEAR FRIEND,

Northumberland, July 12, 1795.

I CANNOT express my feelings when I open any of your letters, and to this the distance I am from you contributes not a little. But that we can correspond at all, is one of the greatest satisfactions I enjoy. I have just received yours of May. You will find that I had written to Mrs. Rayner. To the Duke I wrote; but without inclosing the letter to you, and now I shall write to Mr. Tayleur; but from the account you gave me of him, I had concluded that it was too late to write to him at all.†

Mrs. Rayner's benevolence is peculiarly seasonable; though I hope, in a year or two, to do without any. Harry proceeds with so much spirit and industry, that I must give him all the assistance I can. Considering his youth, for he is not eighteen, his conduct is thought by every body to be extraordinary. Harry drives his horses and cart, and works with his men, like one of them, and here there is little difference between master and servant. Indeed, those terms are unknown. If there was more subordination, it would be better for them all. There are no beggars here, or in the country; but though they are miserably housed, hardly clothed, and feed no better than their cattle, they will not go to service.

I am exceedingly glad that you have, at last, got my answer to Mr. Paine, and that you like it. I wish to see your preface. It cannot give more pleasure to you than it does to me,

Essex Street.

↑ Mr. Tayleur died May 6, 1796, aged 83. See I. 215, note ||||.

See several extracts, on the purpose of this pamphlet, W. XXI. 596. Mr. Lindsey's preface thus commences:

"The well-known author of this tract will ever rank high, as one of the very few, in different ages, distinguished of heaven, who, by superior powers of mind, and the virtuous and indefatigable exertion of them, has extended the limits of human knowledge, and advanced the useful arts and comforts of life; and who, at the same time, by his various researches and writings, has contributed to the virtue and happiness of mankind, especially by helping to dispel the mists of ignorance and superstition which had stifled and