San Felipe de Austin Oct. 25. 1828

Dr Sister

I rec.d your kind and affectionate letter the other day and sent it down to Brother—he came up a few days since with his wife and is now here—he informs me that he wrote you by way of Orleans just before he left home—

I truly sympathise with you on the loss of your infant—tho I have seen so much trouble and misery amongst my fellow beings that I doubt wheither we should too deeply grieve for the departure of innocence and purity from this wretched world— There is another and a better one, to doubt it would be to convert the shadows which surround us in this life into the most horrible darkness

I send this by Mr Brown of St Charles and he has only a few moments to wait being now on his way therefore cannot write you a long letter. I wish you to inform me what plan you have adopted or think of adopting as to Joel and Austin—

Brother is about engaging in the Mercantile business and I think will soon be enabled to do an extensive and profitable one—

I am as yet at work at colonization and shall necessarily be tied down here for some time to come—it is a troublesome business and re- quires much more preserverance and patience than any one can imagine who has not tried it— But I will go through with it—

You ask me how I like my sister in law— I am very well pleased with her, and think Brown has made a happy choice— they live very happily together and have the prospect of an heir this winter or early in the spring, tho I presume he has written you relative to his family matters—

I wrote you to send me the old Lead book kept by Ballard during the year I worked the mines in partnership with Butler. M.r Ballard knows that nothing was cleared that year. I sent a statement of the a/cs. to Butler, but he pretends to claim (as I am informed) Many thousand Dollars I know not exactly what kind of a man Ballard is but have always thought him an honest man and I do not think he will forward Butlers unjust claims to injure me— I wish Mr Perry to sound him as he may deem prudent on the subject— The truth is that the mines cleared nothing the year Butler and myself worked them in partnership and I therefore owe him nothing on that score

This country has been very healthy this year and we are getting on pritty well in every respect— I will pay you a visit some time but cannot tell when, it shall be as soon as possible— I know you cannot visit me and I do not wish you to take such a journey— It is too long, and exposed to some dangers— Remember me affectionately to Mr Perry and all old friends and acquaintances

S. F. Austin [Rubric]

[Address:] Mrs Emily M. Perry Potosi Missouri Mr J Brown