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CORRESPONDENCE OF DR. CHALMERS.

[So great an interest has been expressed in Dr. Chalmers's Correspondence with Mr. James Anderson and Mr. Thomas Smith, that we commence this volume by completing that Correspondence. Dr. Chalmers's answers to Mr. Anderson's last letters unfortunately have not been preserved, but these letters appeared to have merit enough of their own to warrant their insertion.]

No. I.-DR. CHALMERS TO MR. JAMES ANDERSON.

KILMANY MANSE, 22d February, 1812. MY DEAR SIR-It grieves me to disappoint the hopes I had myself raised, but the truth is, that I overrated my strength when I last wrote you. I was very much fatigued on the night of my arrival, but expected to be quite fresh and active next day; instead of which I felt myself quite powerless and exhausted, and am still in a very useless state. I am too well aware of the effects of a Sunday's exertions upon me to think, in these circumstances, of attempting Dundee on Monday at all.

I regret it the less, that I find you have every prospect of matters going on as they should do. Had I been in possession of the requisite strength, I meant to prepare myself for resisting the proposal of a Scottish Bible Society, in case it had been made by Dr. Nichol or others. Be strong, I beseech you, on this head. When I meet you I will go over the mystery of this society at greater length. In the mean time, it may well be illustrated by the following comparison:

Suppose the town of Dundee to be in want of water, and a general subscription proposed for bringing it in pipes from a good and copious spring at a distance. Each individual sub

scription tells for the benefit of the whole. Some inferior spring is discovered in the Seagate, which can only supply

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