ceeded. * We had many difficulties to contend with, and much opposition to encounter, espe cially from one lady, the particular friend of Mrs. E., a woman of good understanding, and from whom it might have been least expected. We could not discover her motive, unless it were that the plan did not originate with herself; a narrowness of mind, of which I have since seen many instances. instances. I shall have occasion again, to mention this Institution, which has lately been in great danger of being entirely ruined.

Whilst we were busy in this undertaking, we The late were likewise engaged in another. philanthropic Mr. Hanway had published a work, entitled, "A Farmer's Advice to his Daughter," in two small volumes, price six shillings. It was very pious, and contained much good counsel, but was written, as his manner was, in a desultory way, and contained much extraneous matter; which made the price too high for the purpose of giving away. It struck me that an abridgment of this work, would be very useful among our Mrs. E. approved the idea, and young women. I wrote to the worthy author, to obtain his consent. His answer, in the true spirit of philanthrophy, was warm from the heart. He not only gave permission, but ardently wished us success; both in respect of our proposed abridgment, and also in the establishment of that Institution, for the use of the members of which it was prin

* See a particular account of this Institution, in my vations on Charity Schools," &c.

"Obser

cipally intended; adding with much gallantry, that if he had been a younger man, he would have come into Yorkshire, on purpose to have assisted as a waiter at our first meeting.

We completed our abridgment, and had it printed at Wakefield, in one small volume, price one shilling and two-pence. This was my first literary attempt, if so an effort inay be called, which manifested rather the good meaning, than the powers of the unlettered editors. Mrs. E. assisted to the utmost of her ability, but so totally unaccustomed was she to any thing like an attempt at composition, that it was the labour of hours to write even a short letter; yet was her mind uncommonly vigorous, and her judgment and powers of discrimination, rarely surpassed. We were together some part of almost every day during some months, whilst these matters were in agitation; and I once spent several days with her at Lazencroft, in order to meet a benevolent widow lady from Leeds, a friend of Mrs E.'s, with whom I must bring my readers acquainted.

The understanding of this lady, was by no means equal to that of Mrs. Eamonson, neither was it more cultivated. She could compose however, in her own way, and write with much greater felicity; but one misfortune constantly attended her labours; that so far from being legible to others, they could not be read even by herself. She once sent me several sheets closely written, to decypher, which she meant as an address to the soldiers quartered in Leeds, to dis

suade them from their too common practice of profane swearing; and which she designed to print as a small pamphlet, and disperse among them; but unfortunately, I could not decipher a single page. Her whole income consisted of a jointure of £100 per annum, of which she contrived to give away above one half; it being her daily practice, after attending morning prayer at the Old Church, to go about doing good; visiting the sick and wretched, relieving their distresses to the utmost of her power, and when she had nothing left to give, representing their necessities to her more opulent acquaintance and friends, and endeavouring by this means, to obtain assistance for them. Her piety was so wholly free from any mixture of moroseness or gloom, that she was uniformly cheerful, approaching sometimes even towards liveliness of temper; and as an extraordinary proof of the contentedness of her spirit, I shall recite the following anecdote of the way in which she was affected by a heavy loss which befel her, a few years after the time of which I am now speaking.

The person failed in whose hands the money was deposited, from the interest of which she derived her little stipend, and she was reduced from £100 to about £30 per annum. When her friends condoled with her on her misfortune, she thanked them and said, that it was indeed a trial to her, but not precisely on the ground on which they probably imagined.-That as all events were in the hands of God, this could not have happened to her but by his appointment, who

had doubtless seen, that affliction was good for her; but, that as she could be contented with very little, she had not felt it as a great affliction; and therefore, was troubled lest by this easiness of temper, she should counteract the designs of Providence, and become guilty of " despising the chastening of the Lord." Being comforted however on this head, she soon recovered her usual tranquillity, took a smaller lodging, parted with her servant, and still continued her advice and personal services, whenever they could be useful, notwithstanding she had no longer any money to bestow.

I do not recollect that I ever spent any portion of time more pleasantly, than these few days with this good woman and Mrs. E. at Lazencroft ; where the express object of our meeting was to do all the good we could possibly devise ; a plan in which we were joined by another lady, who was a strict Methodist. Mrs. E. and her Leeds friend, were strongly attached to the Church, and Miss regarded Mr. Wesley

as little less than inspired; yet this did not interrupt our harmony, for the genuine, benevolent spirit of real Christianity, was powerfully effectual to destroy all rancour of party distinctions, and made them willing to co-operate even with an heretical Unitarian, in every work and labour of love.

Unpromising as had been our prospect of much comfort, when my mother and myself consented to take up our abode at Stank-house, I now considered the situation there as being upon the

whole, greatly preferable to that of Bedale; and we should have found ourselves very happy and contented, had it not been for the apprehension that my brother's farming prospects were going on from bad to worse, and that they would probably soon terminate in his utter ruin. He had been entirely deceived in the nature of the farm he had undertaken, and for which, as I have already intimated, he had agreed to give a much higher rent than it was actually worth; and finding it not likely to answer, he determined to keep the estate in Craven, on which was my mother's jointure, in his own hands also, and to send cattle from one farm to the other. This he did, with the intention of improving both; but in the actual result, he lost continually by his farm at Stank-house, and received little or nothing from the estate in Craven; so that my mother had hardly sufficient to pay her house-rent at Bedale, and to supply herself with necessary apparel. It cannot be imagined that this was a situation free from anxiety. My dear mother however, hoped the best;-in fact, she did not know at that time, some of the most threatening circumstances; and in the meanwhile, although I could not do any good in our own affairs, I was truly thankful that it was permitted me to be of some use in respect to those of others.

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