Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I will not ask you to forgive my dustiness, my selfishness, but only assure you that this is my very last. James returned home in the summer of 1831; and, as soon as the settlement of affairs allowed, informed his friends of his resolve to abandon for ever the mercantile profession. After full consideration of his prospects and aims, he determined to try his fortune, and in some way test his powers, in the great valley of the West. Thither we will now follow him, and see how the character formed in Youth developed itself in Manhood. The views which guided him in emigrating to Ohio are explained in a letter addressed to his former teacher, Timothy Walker, Esq. Boston, December 5th, 1831. Sir, ? I have for some time been thinking of going to the Westward in search of employment, for that which I have here is too sedentary for my taste or health; but as I knew no one who could give me any information respecting the proper mode of starting in your part of the world, I have put off the coming to the point from time to time, for the last twelve months. I now take the liberty of writing to you, hoping that, without inconvenience to yourself, you may be able to give me the information I want; which is, simply, whether, if I should reach Cincinnati in mid-winter, say January, I could probably find immediate employment in some active, outdoor business, with a compensation sufficient to give me a support until I could form some permanent arrangement. For this purpose it must be a place which I can leave at any time, with a short notice. My intention is to purchase land somewhere in Ohio, and undertake the care of an estate; but I wish to get some employment which will give me a bare sustenance, while I am gaining some insight intothe matter of farming, of which at presen…