East Hampton Aug 16th 1846<br/><br/>My Dear Mary.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>Yours unchanged.<br/>Horace

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