Page:Memoirs of a Huguenot Family.djvu/172

 166 dared to make the attempt, because their means would not allow them to offer a sufficient stipend.

God had vouchsafed to bless my labors, and I felt myself independent, therefore this opportunity, of preaching the Gospel without remuneration, was most pleasing to me, and I agreed to return to Cork and take charge of the Church, as soon as I could wind up my affairs in Taunton and remove my family.

I met with two very poor French families in Cork, who were almost in a state of starvation from want of employment; they were weavers by trade. My sympathy was much excited by their condition, and I was anxious to help them, and as the most feasible plan for doing so appeared to me to give them work in their own trades, I bought worsted and dyes for their use, and deposited £25 with Mr. Abelin, an Elder of our Church, and I directed him to expend it in whatever appeared requisite to enable them to manufacture such stuffs as they had been accustomed to make in France. He kept a shop, and I requested he would receive their work and sell it for them as fast as it was finished, and out of the proceeds furnish them with fresh materials, and at the same time keep a sort of general supervision over their families until my return. He attended to my wishes, and I had the satisfaction of finding, when I returned to Cork, that they had been comfortably supported, out of the profits upon their labor, during my absence, and the little capital I had deposited with Mr. Abelin was undiminished.

On my return to Taunton we set to work most vigorously to prepare for removing to Ireland, and the packing up our goods, and closing my manufacturing concerns, occupied about six weeks. We took twelve horse loads of furniture and