Marshall and Janet Hamilton, both persons of a pious character. She was born in the Shire of Lanark, in Scotland, on the 29th of July, 1742, and spent her childhood and youth at Eldersley, in the neighbourhood of Paisley. She had no precise recollection of the period at which she first experienced that the Lord was gracious; even in childhood she took delight in pouring out her soul to God, and under a bush in the woods of Eldersley, she was enabled to devote herself to Him, through faith in her Redeemer, before she had attained her tenth year. At the age of seventeen she was admitted to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, by the late Doctor Witherspoon, then pastor of a church in Paisley,* under the establishment of the church of Scotland.

* Afterwards President of Princeton College, New-Jersey.

About the year 1765, Mrs. Graham was married to Doctor John Graham, then a practising physician in Paisley, and upon his being appointed surgeon to the second battalion of His Britannic Majesty's 60th, or Royal American Regiment, removed with him to Canada. It may be proper here to state, that Mrs. Graham was the second wife of Doctor Graham. His three children by his first marriage were left in Scotland; his two sons, Samuel and James, he placed under the care of Mr. John Davidson, rector of the grammar school of Paisley, and his daughter Jean remained with her maternal grandfather, Doctor Stevenson, of Edinburgh. Both these sons were liberally educated, and the eldest, the late Lieutenant General Samuel Graham, and Governor of Stirling Castle, studied medicine previous to his entering the army; both served during

the revolutionary war in America. James when a Lieutenant was wounded at the siege of Charleston, South Carolina; he married, settled, and died in that place.

At their earnest request, Mrs. Graham left her first-born son and only child, with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall.

As Mrs. Graham's first letter, giving an account of their voyage, has not been found, one from Doctor Graham to Mr. Davidson has been selected as a proper commencement to the series.

JOANNA BETHUNE.

NEW-YORK, May, 1838.

LETTER I.

TO MR. JOHN DAVIDSON, RECTOR OF THE GRAMMAR

SCHOOL, PAISLEY.

Quebec, Aug. 27, 1767.

DEAR SIR,

I AM certain, long before this can reach you, something from us has been expected, especially as Bell was flattered, before she left Greenock, that letters might be sent while at sea, and, for the most part, kept one ready; but hoisting out the boat and raising a splutter, unless the captain be very different from what they generally are, is not so easy in short, we could not accomplish it, which gave poor Bell much concern

mother's account.

on her

Without further preamble, you shall have a short journal from our parting to our arrival here.

:

We left Greenock on Wednesday the tenth of June for five days had fine weather, and got clear of land, and began our reckoning from Cape Clear; then we had westerly winds, when our direct course ought to have been westerly for ten or twelve days we made no direct distance worth mentioning. The patience of every one on board was tried, in short, we thought nothing could be worse than contrary winds, but very soon we found it otherwise. The vessel sprung a leak, which terrified us all. The captain was in very great distress; we would have given any thing, or every thing, in our possession, to be within a hundred leagues of land. A consultation was held, whether, if any vessel for Britain or Ireland should come in view, we should return-the passengers I mean. For some days two hands were constantly at the pumps-no carpenter. The master afraid to meddle, lest he should make it worse; tried many simple things; at last it sucked a little oakum, which saved the men for some days; but we were all very unhappy except Bell. She knew nothing of our danger. She knew that it was fatigueing for the sailors, and felt for them; but nothing further till near the end of the voyage.