provement in India, and I trust they will do good. They know nothing of my "Memoir," nor any one else but Mr. Brown.

The B.'s here are affectionately concerned in my recovery, and pay me every attention in their I do not know whether I shall go to Engpower. land next year or not; I am now a desolate old man, though young in years. But my path will,

I doubt not, be made " clear as the noon-day."

By your late letters I see that you are flourishing like a palm-tree! How often have you passed the palm-tree in India, without comparing it to the righteous man?

My dear Mary's name and character was latterly well known among the excellent of the earth; and her memory has left a fragrance for years to come. Yours affectionately,

C. BUCHANAN.

LETTER XXXVII.

REV. ANDREW FULLER, after the death of his wife, (under peculiarly affecting circumstances,) to his father-in-law, MR. GARDINER.

DEAR AND HONOURED FATHER,

Aug. 25, 1792.

You have heard, I suppose, before now, that my dear companion is no more! For about three months back, our afflictions have been extremely heavy. About the beginning of June, she was

seized with hysterical affections, which, for a time, deprived her of her senses. In about a week, however, she recovered them, and seemed better; but soon relapsed again: and during the months of July and August, a very few intervals excepted, her mind has been constantly deranged. In this unhappy state, her attention has generally been turned upon some one object of distress: sometimes that she had lost her children; sometimes that she should lose me. For one whole day she hung about my neck weeping; for that I was going to die, and leave her! The next morning she still retained the same persuasion; but instead of weeping for it, she rejoiced with exceeding joy. "My husband," (said she,) "is going to heaven-and all is well! I shall be provided for."-Sometimes we were her worst enemies, and must not come near her; at other times she would speak to me in the most endearing terms. Till very lately, she has been so desirous of my company, that it has been with much difficulty that I have stole away from her about two hours in the twenty-four, that I might ride out for the air, my health having been considerably impaired. But lately her mind took another turn, which to me has been very afflicting. It is true, she never ceased to love her husband. "I have had," she would "" say, as tender a husband as ever woman had; but you are not my husband!" She seemed for the last month really to have considered me as an impostor, who had entered the house, and taken possession of the keys of every place, and of all that belonged to her and her hus

band. Poor soul! for the last month, as I said, this and other notions of the kind have rendered her more miserable than I am able to describe! She has been fully persuaded that she was not at home, but had wandered somewhere from it; had lost herself, and fallen among strangers. She constantly wanted to make her escape, on which account we were obliged to keep the doors locked, and to take away the keys. "No," she would say to me, with a countenance full of inexpressible anguish, "this is not my home-you are not my husband-these are not my children. Once I had a good homeand a husband who loved me-and dear children -and kind friends-but where am I now ? I am lost! I am ruined! What have I done? Oh! what have I done? Lord have mercy upon me!" In this strain she would be frequently walking up and down, from room to room, bemoaning herself, without a tear to relieve her, wringing her hands, first looking upwards, then downwards, in all the attitudes of wild despair! You may form some conception what must have been my feelings, to have been a spectator of all this anguish, and at the same time incapable of affording her the smallest relief.

Though she seemed not to know the children about her, yet she had a keen and lively remembrance of those that were taken away. One day, when I was gone out for the air, she went out of the house. The servant missing her, immediately followed, and found her in the grave-yard, looking at the graves of her children. She said nothing; but with a bitterness of soul, pointed the servant's eyes to the wall,

where the name of one of them, who was buried in 1783, was cut in the stone. Then turning to the graves of the other children, in an agony, she with her foot struck off the long grass, which had grown over the flat stones, and read the inscriptions with silent anguish, alternately looking at the servant and at the stones.

About a fortnight before her death, she had one of the happiest intervals of any during the affliction. She had been lamenting on account of this impostor that was come into her house, and would not give her the keys. She tried for two hours to obtain them by force, in which time she exhausted all her own strength and almost mine. Not being able to obtain her point, as I was necessarily obliged to resist her in this matter, she sat down and wept, -threatening me, that God would surely judge me, for treating a poor helpless creature in such a manner! I also was overcome with grief, and wept with her. The sight of my tears seemed to awaken her recollection. With her eyes fixed upon me, she said, Why, are you indeed my husband?" "Indeed I am!" "O! if I thought you were, I could give you a thousand kisses." Indeed, I am your own dear husband." She then seated herself upon my knee, and kissed me several times. My heart dissolved with a mixture of grief and joy. Her senses were restored, and she talked as rationally as ever. I then persuaded her to go to rest, and she slept well.

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About two in the morning she awoke, and conversed with me as rationally as ever she did in her

:

life said her poor head had been disordered; that she had given me a deal of trouble, and feared she had injured my health; begged I would excuse all her hard thoughts and speeches; and urged this as a consideration: "Though I was set against you, yet I was not against you as my husband." She desired I would ride out every day for the air; gave directions to the servant about her family; told her where this and that article were to be found, which she wanted; inquired after various family concerns, and how they had been conducted since she had been ill: and thus we continued talking together until morning.

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She continued much the same all the forenoon : was delighted with the conversation of Robert, whose heart also was delighted, as he said, to see his mother so well. Robert," (said she,) we shall not live together much longer." "Yes, mother," (replied the child,) " I hope we shall live together for ever!" Joy sparkled in her eyes at this answer: she stroked his head, and exclaimed, " O bless you, my dear; how came such a thought into your mind ?"

Towards noon she said to me, "We will dine together to-day up-stairs." We did so. But while we were at dinner, in a few minutes her senses were gone; nor did she ever recover them again. From this happy interval, however, I entertained hopes that her senses would return when she was delivered, and came to recover her strength. On Thursday, the 23d instant, she was delivered of a daughter; but was all the day very restless,