John Foster, Stapleton, to John Ryland, Jr., [Bristol], Wednesday, undated [c. 1825].

Stapleton, Wednesday.

My dear Sir,

        I am obliged for the pamphlet you have sent. – I do not think it will be worth while to intermit the settled course of the lecture –concom. – If done without cause assigned it will seem an odd freak, and if cause were assigned it would but make the matter worse – approaching to the ludicrous. If I do any thing about the slavery-discourse, it must be so much in the slow protracted way that there would be just as much propriety in omitting a number of lectures as one.

        Indeed, when I consider how long it will take me to make any thing of a written discourse,  (for the press) I very much doubt whether a thing deferred so long after what may be called (for this year at least) the crisis of the affair, – I really question whether it would be labour well bestowed. It would be a task of many weeks at the best. – I will look into the notes to see how far it may seem feasible to make out a decent thing of the fibres there. – I am not, for this language and feeling about it, the more[1] sensible to the testimony of respect implied in the friendly application which my excellent friends have made to me on the subject.

                    I am Dear Sir,

                                yours truly

                                            J. Foster

Address: Mr Ryland

Postmark: none

[1] In the manuscript, the word “less” is written above the word “more”, that latter being circled by small dots.

Text: John Foster Folder, RG 1107, American Baptist Historical Society Archives, Atlanta.