Silas Downing letter to Thomas Rotch, Cedarswamp Long Island, 3rd Mo 1806

              B-51-3
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                                    Cedarswamp L.I 3rd Mo 1806
   I now take my pen hastily to inform my beloved friends of my safe arrival at my pleace of abode a few days past, in good bodily health and as comfortable in mind as I have reason to expect, and found my family pretty well tho not wihout compaints of cold etc, but have nto heard any thing from you either on my way homewards from your state or since my arrival here, which I had hoped for since I wrote the few lines from Danbury to inform a little f my then situation and since my getting hope was glad at the opporunity of perusing of dear Charity's letter to my dear P, but affected wish the ease of poor M.B. as therein represented the case is very sorrowful and truly a cause of mourning, can nothing be done for her help and recovery I do pitty her very much, and notwithstanding you have been unkindly treated my dearly beloveds by her poor husband, do not let in discouragements from using your influence to the utmost of ability afforded to reclaim the poor, and I fear deluded creature, deluded or allured by her deceiving husband. I have been informed by a friend lately with you, that but few are or have been permitted under the roof of the poor apostate Abel, but that Charity ourtenderly loved sister had as yet the way open for admittance, if the way is yet open for thee my dear friend, I beseech thee fail not to do what thy hand may find to do, in the ability truth may inspire, what pitty the poor and much tried creature in days past, should be quite lost, as to the savour of good, which has in days past appeared to be very precious to her then afflicted mind, which was tender toward the good and much preserved from error, how sorrowful that she should become like a degerate plant of a strange vine, in which state her soul must be poor and very distressed for want of the comforter, or consoling presence of him who is the alone consolation of the true seed forever. Well my dear and well beloveds I will now in brief tell you that in my late visit in the borders of Connecticut, we had in about ten days twelve or thirteen Meetings in the townships of Stamford, Norwalk, Wilton, Redding Newtown Danbury and several at Middlesex, and in some places the openness among the people was such that it would have afforded your precious minds consolation to have been partakers of the persons has now come by whom I send this farewell, Silas Downing
Perserve to you and others in freedom particularly N. T. from whom we want to hear.  I will write you soon.