Straits near Beaufort 13^th Sept 1815

Dear Brother,

David Hellen was with me today and informed me that he was going to New York and I immediately set about writing a letter which has become a very uncommon thing with me.

I rec`d a letter from brother Leffert dated at Wilmington the 29 of May last who informed me that he was loading a ship for Liverpool but did not let me know whether he was going there himself or not, his like the rest of his Letters was short barely informing me that he believed our friends in general were well.

The prospect before us here is very discouraging we were visited with a storm on the 3^rd & 4^th of this instant which raised the tide to such a tremendous height that it overflowed all the low lands on the Seaboard and altho` the lower floors of our houses are generally 2 feet or more above the ground yet I have heard of but very few but what had the tide on the floor . The Sea made a fair beach over the land wasting away fences and every thing that would float which was carried in large rafts over the Corn fields laying every thing waste in their progress, great numbers of stock are drowned, and without some unexpected relief I fear many of the poorer class may suffer the effects of famine.

I have seen a number of Hurricanes during my residence in this country but never saw such an inundation before and I could have wished that I might have been permitted to have finished my pilgrimage before it happened. I am within a few weeks of finishing my 79^th year and altho` I am blessed with a good degree of health the infirmities of age are daily reducing my strength and I can perceive my mental powers also are fast declining there fore you need not be at a loss to account for the imperfections of my letter.

As my eyesight is much impaired of late I shall attempt to write but one Letter making use of you as my proxy to deliver my most cordial respects to all my dear relations and friends warning them that this is likely to be my farewell address.

The surviving members of my family here generally in tolerable health but some of them I fear will suffer severely by the common calamity above described as they are in low circumstances & have large families of small children.