---

Revd Sir,

Tis with pleasure I embrace the Present opportunity of acquainting you that the clergy of No. Carolina are, at length favor'd with legal encouragement, the assembly met at Wilmington this last spring & passed a vestry act thro' the influence of our worthy Govr to whom the clergy in this Province can never sufficiently express their gratitude. His life is dear & precious to us & the good state of health he appears at present to enjoy gives us no small hopes that his days will be considerably prolonged, we have great reason indeed to offer up our most fervent prayers for his preservation & health for we can never expect a more sincere friend in his exalted station to the real interest of the christian religion.—About the first of April I recd a box of Books via Edenton, directed to the Revd Mr. McDowell of Brunswick, and as Mr. McDowell some time before his decease, had acquainted me that he had received letters, relative to the Books & that there were some of them particularly intended for my distribution, I made bold to open the Box & found a Package of small tracts directed to Myself which I took out & for which I return my sincere thanks to the society. For tho' the heat of the Methodists be considerably abated, yet the distribution of such tracts will be of

great service, in confirming the wavering & preventing the People from running into extremes for the future, the remainder of the Books intended for Mr. McDowell, I have directed to the Govr of which I sent him advice about 2 months ago & since that time have been waiting for a conveyance. We have now a prospect of a very flourishing school in the town of New Bern & which indeed has been greatly wanting for several years past, in Decr last Mr. Tomlinson a young man, who had kept a school in the county of Cumberland in England, came here by the invitation of his brother an inhabitant of this Parish on the 1st of Jany he opened a school in this Town & immediately got as many scholars as he could instruct & many more have lately offered than he can possibly take to do them justice, he has therefore wrote to his friends in England to send him an assistant and a subscription for a school house has been lately carried on, with such success, that I have got notes of hand payable to myself for upwards of £200 this currency (Equal to about £110 Sterl) to build a large commodious School House in New Bern & which I shall endeavour to get, completed as soon as possible, for during 11 years Residence in this province I have not found any man so well qualified for the care of a school as Mr. Tomlinson. He is not only a good scholar but a man of good conduct, has given great satisfaction to the Parents of such children as are under his care & will be of infinite service to the rising generation. I have the happiness further to inform you, that this last spring has been as favorable as the autumn was destructive to my health, I have rode my long circuit twice with great satisfaction. My congregations have been greatly crowded My number of communicants increased & the return of my health made my duty not only easy but a real pleasure I have likewise taken care of St John's Parish, which sickness would not permit me to do last autumn & have visited it twice once at the court house where I baptized 24 children, again at a private house where I baptized 11 children & again at the chapel upon Newport River, where I baptized 14 children and administered the sacrament of the Lords Supper to 36 communicants. I am Revd Sir with the utmost deference & Regard your,

---