Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/74



Fort Vancouver 16th Feby 1836

My Dear Uncle

John has written me a Very contrite letter But as he is spending so much More Money that considering what he has already cost, if he felt any Sincere contrition for his Misconduct he would spend, as I am informed that instead of applying himself Zealously to qualify himself for his profession he is Neglecting his Studies I do not write him and you will hand him the Inclosed or suppress it as you think proper I am My Dear Uncle

NB I regret much that you sent John to my poor Mother. He may give her trouble I would have preferred that you had sent him to Board at some Priests or some Respectable House in the Country. But I hope that you have not left him in town Unless he was Employed. Pray why did he not go last year on his arrival to see his sister. What I mean by leaving it optionable with you to give the Inclosed or not is that if his conduct is improper I do not wish him to have it as in that case I do not wish to hold any correspondence with him if his conduct is such as you wish let him have it

J McL

[La Pointe Lake Superior 11th Octr 1836]

My Dear John

As this is perhaps the last time that I can be able to write you for a length of time so I profit of it. I wrote to you before leaving the Sault St Marie which I hope you have received long before this, stating what happened to me in crossing the Lakes, but in this you find more of hardship that I have gone [through] figure yourself in a common bateau with twenty men costing a lake of 500 miles long living on corn and pork (and not of the very best) exposed to cold this in only a pleasure trip I anticipate more yet which will be worst these men that I had was the worst of all those living under the face of Heaven I could not get them to work without hard treatment, I assure you that before I get to red river I shall break some of their bones, and I will do it with the greatest pleasure for they deserve it, they give me more trouble than they are worth. The weather