Silas Downing letter to Thomas and Charity Rotch, Cedarswamp L.I. 9th mo 9th 1817

              B-51-18
page 1

Beloved Friends           Cedarswamp LI 14th of 6th mo 1818
T & C Rotch

                    Once more I attempt writing my dear friends, tho it is now a considerable length of time since I have recieved a line from either of you, we were disappointed by not seeing you at our yearly meeting, we looked untill near the last of it, having heard ye talked much of coming on, of at or near the last of ours and so on to Newport, we further were by some means informed your intention was if ye did not get on this spring to come during the Summer ensuring we hope when ever it may be to have opportunity of seeing your faces, and if it might be at our own dwelling which would be very congenial to us, and should that be inadmissible we hope to be informed so timely as to afford opportunity of seeing you at New York, where we should willingly come if in health to spend a little time with you. I expect our dear friends Mary Naftil and Stephen Grellett will sail this day for Liverpool, Stephen has a very extensive prospect in view, may he experience the Shepherd of Israel to conduct through all difficulties and dangers, to the honour of his own great name. A near neighbour of ours is expecting soon to set out on a Journey far west of your place to visit some near relatives, who left here last fall and we learn have procured a dwelling at EdwardsVille in the Ilonoise territory a little eastward of the Messissipa River, by him I propose forwarding this, a kinsman of mine has lately set out on a Journey to seek out some land he has purchased it may be not far from you, he informed me it