Most of the English merchants have been compromised in this instance, as well as the physicians, for the disease was not at first suspected to be plague. I myself received letters which he brought, without fumigating them, although I fumigate in almost every instance. And it is very remarkable that in those instances in which I have neglected to take this precaution, I have been exposed in a very unusual degree* Truly there is but a step between us and death."

In writing to his friend, Judge Cooke, at the beginning of the following year, he took up the record of the pestilence just where he had left it, giving further accounts of the perils through which he and his family had passed in the intervening year.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Jan. 1, 1838.

MY DEAR SIR, — And the plague did not stop there, — I mean where I left it last year. No; it came on still nigher to us. It entered some of our own families. And not only were all the fifteen souls of those two families within the walls of that one house compromised, but my own family was compromised most fully, for we were daily receiving letters from them, without taking the usual precautions. And not ourselves only, but Mr. Farman, the English missionary here, and his whole family, were also exposed, and likewise three German missionaries, one with a wife and two children, who were all passing through the place at the time, and two of whom, as well as the family of Mr. Farman, visited at Mr. Dwight's, some of them spending the night there, after the pestilence had already seized upon his two victims.

Thus every missionary, and every missionary family, of whatever society, as well those that were only tarrying in the place as it were for the night as those stationed here, were all exposed to the contagion in a very unusual manner and to a very unusual degree. It was truly marvellous. God seemed to be saying to us that He could dispense with all of us entirely, and carry on His work without us. We all kept quarantine, not only family with family, but, as much as possible, individual with individual. We felt that we might be living our last days on earth.

Looked upon the beautiful sky

When we walked abroad, and looked upon the beautiful sky, and upon the beautiful scenery around Constantinople, we felt that we might be walking the streets and beholding the beautiful prospects of this world for the last time. And, though they never appeared more beautiful than now, yet I believe most of us could say, " Farewell, all ye beautiful prospects! There are infinitely more beautiful ones in the bright world above! "

Whomever we met in the streets, we felt kindly towards him, and prayed for him. And in the family, oh, how kind were our looks, and how tender were our tones, and how sweet were our words, and how fervent were our prayers! In fine, we tried to live together, as we hoped to live together for ever in heaven. And it was no bad way of living, I assure you. No; there was no sadness, no melancholy, no unhappiness whatever in this way of living. Would that we could always live so! Yea, and a thousand times better!

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