Charles Stuart, Edinburgh, to Andrew Fuller, Kettering, 27 January 1803.
My Dear Friend
Do not suppose from my irregularity in reply to your letters that I do not value them. I recd both – the 1st of the 30 ult. the 2d with the welcome remainder of the tract & with the no less welcome No X. Accept my best thanks – Now that you know me I wonder that you shou’d pay me such attention. I have not been studious to conceal my infirmities from you & I hope you knew to bear with what God has borne – many a year & still bears. May we abide in Xt then we shall [be] presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing & have confidence before him at his coming. Your exercise on the 30th of Dec. wh Mrs F. is a fit example to me – May the Lord dispose us to it the more by what has taken place; for the purpose of acquainting you with which I now write – My wife has lost her worthy father. [Revd John Erskine (1721-1803)] He died on the 19th about 4 oclock in the morning – We have been all much confused by the event which was very sudden – altho’ his age & infirmities might have taught us to look for his dissolution not long hence. The unimpaired condition of his mind – vigorous to the last & his eye sight as strong as in youth with the habit of untressing[?] his debility daily made his family forget the prospect of his death. I think he continued from the time you saw him not very different in health – he was down stairs every day at all his Meals – & had family worship every evening even to the Lords day Evening, not fifty hours before his death – the last week I thought him declining more And on Monday the 17th he had considerable pain in his bowels with an occasional spitting up (not vomiting) a fluid like Coffee grounds – On Tuesday morning some strangling[?] which was reliev’d by a little medicine – he kept up stairs that day – but when I called between 9 & 10 [on] him he was so well that I desired he might not be disturbed – he was busy that forenoon so that when I sent him No X just recd (as I had done the Copy of Mr Carey’s letter sent me by Mr Morris on the Lords day evening,) he had not leisure to look at it but a very little & wrapp’d it up addressy it to me. The occupation he was engaged in was arranging & copying matter for some Connecticut Mage & German books for another No of his religious intelligence, his readiness to send which to press he had mentioned in a note to Ogle the day before – & at this he was working at 9 pm – I was called up to him about 4 on Wednesday morning but not to see him alive – his eldest daughter Ann left his bedroom after 1 am having seen him in bed – & the housekeeper was then directed ^by herself^ to have an egg boiled for him next morning to breakfast as he had eaten nothg almost the whole day. He wou’d not allow any body to sit by him but uneasy at the state of his health, the house keeper watchd next room & another Servant in the room immediately below his bedroom hearing him stir about 2 am the housekeeper went in & said she was afraid he was not well or that his pain had return’d – he said he was not in pain – was displeas’d at her being troubled on his Account – (indeed he was ever averse that any one shou’d have any trouble or fatigue on his Accot) said he was restless when his daughter came in & she with the housekeeper adjusted the bedcloaths which had been rumpled & gave him at his own desire 40 drops of Laudanum which he had been desired to take if he did not sleep – they left him as he insisted upon their doing so but hearing him make some noise about 3 am the housekeeper went in & found he had got out of bed & sat on the side of it rather reclining – she help’d him into bed (I imagine he had got out to make water) but he did not speak – but sigh’d – not very heavily – she was alarmed & raised her family – [they] applied heat – volatile &c but without effect & sent off some – but the spirit had return’d to God who gave it – his warfare was concluded – there lay upon the table his Bibles full of marks – a German book & above it the Practical Uses of Baptism!!! The last I do not wist to have mentioned but to yourself & the friend for whose eye I intend this & on whose accot I write so minutely – His body was committed to the earth on the 25th at 2 pm attended by about 80 relatives & friends among whom if there were any who did not regard him wh affection there were none who did not reverence him – Mrs E. is wonderfully tranquill – & his daughter confident that to die was gain to him are soothed tho’ not without sorrows – Dr Davidson will preach next Lords day the 30th in his pulpit but you know funeral Sermons are not here so particular as with you. Upon searching his repositories we found that his estate is left to his Son subject to his Mother's jointure & failing her to my wife – all his other funds are divided equally among his three daughters – My wifes share makes a considerable change in the circumstances of my family – May the Lord dispose her to use it for his glory! – She desires with all my family to be most affectionately rememberd to you & Mrs F. & yours. No paper has been found Committing his M M S or his Church patronage (of two parishes in Fife) to any friend – the former if none be found will be in the hands of his daughters – the latter of his son. I have been much indisposed & confined to bed for some days & unable to be at Laurieston [Falkirk] & have looked at nothing – Will you address this to Dr Ryland when you have read it which will save him a little postage & me some writing for which I am not able at present & cannot procure a frank just now – My last converesation almost with him was about the Bengal Mission towards which he express’d the warmest attachment & admiration – So he did to my daughter Christian[a] in the warmest manner – I wish he had left you some money & books best of which cou’d have spared – I have got the Enyclopaedia from Peattee[?] for £18 complete in boards – a friend of mine goes to Calcutta appointed to a medical situation there – He expects to sail by the end of February on the Calcutta Capt Maxwell – I have thot of committing the box containing this – Parks travels &c & some books I will send Mr Carey for myself, with a letter to my friend who is an amiable youth – but I will send it off in a few days to Mr Burle’s care so that if it be not properly addressed & packed I hope he will be able to put it to rights – I will desire my friend who is now in London to call for it there – What cause of thanksgiving are the last Accots? I hope to write soon & fully of the tract – I send a long letter to Mr Morris D. V. in two days. My son tells me among his [Erskine’s] papers he observes extracts from & remarks on your Memoirs of Pearce & has left a copy of Wolfii Curae & Clark’s Bible all written over in notes.
Adieu! The Lord be wh you & your faithful friend
Cha Stuart
P. S. Js Haldane’s family have been very ill eldest daur bad fever – 3 children in measles Mrs H. just about to lie in – all this does not interrupt his activity he has written 150 folio pages to be printed on the time on Church orders
Note in the hand of Fuller, written for John Ryland in Bristol to whom the letter was sent by Fuller:
Dr bror I recd this but on Lds day the 6th – What a blessed end is this compared with that of B. of Birm. Who seems to have ended his miny tho’ not his life. I have done about what I shall do in stating my Sentiments – Morris has them to Copy. The India Letters Journal shd be sent soon to Button’s directed for Morris.
Original Address: Mr Andew Fuller | remaining portion marked through and unreadable
Second Address: Dr Ryland | Bristol
Postmark: 9 February 1803 London
Note (in Ryland’s hand): Dr Stuart’s Acct | of Dr Erskine’s | Death to | Mr Fuller | & me
Text: University of Edinburgh, Special Collections, DC 4.103.