Letter from Reverend Horace Lyman on misplaced letters and traveling to Oregon

East Hampton Aug 16th 1846

My Dear Mary.

Yours mailed Aug 6th came to hand about a week sinceand I would have immediately noticed it by writing you again, had not I then expected to be at Castleton this week. I now find that I shall not be able to arrive there before next week, and hence I have concluded to drop a few lines. You must excuse me though for wri-ting a short letter, as I have really such a very short time to write.

I rejoiced greatly to receive a letter from you at last; and to know that you had read mine, and was made happy thereby. It always does me good to know that I have made others happy, and I trust it ever will. I waited long and with a good deal of anxiety for your promised communi-cation. I concluded that mine was misdirected, or had miscarried as you have doubtless learned [?] this by receiving a second letter from me. I wrote a second letter something more than a fortnight since and directed it to the care of your nephew at Keesville, requesting him to send it to you wherever you might be. On the sup-position that my first was misdirected, I could not devise a better way to ensure that you should receive the sec-ond. Whether or not you have rec.d it re-mains unknown to me. I rather ex-pected you would write me again, when you rec.d that letter.

You are no doubt excited to know definitely when we are to sail. I have not heard from the Secretaries since I left New-York, and hence I can say no more than I then said in regard to it. It will be wise no doubt for us to be in readiness to sail in Oct. From what I have seen and heard about the steamer however, I have more expect-ation that we shall go by there then I had when I wrote that letter. We should know in a few weeks. My choice is de-cidedly to go by the steamers, if there is nothing in crossing the [?], or in any other part of that way, wandering is decidedly difficult. We shall not sail be-fore Dec. if we take the steamers.

I have heard nothing since I saw you of Bro Atkinson: neither have I heard anything much more definite or later from Oregon respecting the Indian difficulties. We shall no doubt have definite news soon.

You inquire, in case we take the route by the Cape, (giving as it doubtless will op-portunity for study), 'will you not be my teacher, and will we not together study the strangely varied volume of nature spread out before us.' Yes if need be I will be your teacher: but I would rather say, we will be mutual teachers; we will aid eachother as much as possible in un-folding + understanding the mysteries and wonders of Nature; We will strive to make each other happy, and to fit each-other for usefulness. But time admon-ishes me that I must close. You may expect to see me soon.

Yours unchanged.
Horace