| Description | /1: Letter written from Berne, 21 April 1837: has been able to preach in English to a small congregation of 20 to 30; Mr Marier, the English ambassador, opened a subscription list for him so he was able to live comfortably with his family.
/2: Letter written from Esslingen, near Stuttgart, 29 November 1837: health is improving; proposes spending another summer continuing medical treatment and preparing for ordination and then leaving his family and returning alone to Egypt in autumn 1838.
/3: Letter written from Esslingen, 14 March 1838: had he realised that CMS would no longer employ him he would never have left Switzerland where there is much better hope of finding work; does not want to be chaplain at Alexandria; wife had son 17 February.
/4: Letter written from Biel, Canton Berne, 11 January 1839: his wife is dying; his two children are well.
/5: Letter written from Wabern near Berne, 15 May 1839: wife died of consumption 14 January; left his two children with his mother-in-law at Bienne and has been teaching at Dr Bouterwek's boarding school at Wabern; elder daughter has just started school.
/6: Letter written from Bienne, 1 January 1840: has returned to Bienne and given up work at Wabern because of ill-health.
/7: Letter written from Bienne, 23 March 1840: answers proposal that he should go as chaplain to the [Niger] expedition; gladly accepts; asks what will happen to his two children if he dies; will he be allowed to bring his German and Arabic books to England.
/8: Letter written from Messina, Sicily, 15 August 1843: arrived 10 August to take up duties as minister; asks for supply of tracts and books.
/9: Letter written from Messina, 6 November 1843: has been forced to hand in his resignation of the post as Mr Barker, the consul and some others objected to having a German as their minister; as he had no letters of introduction he decided to leave; asks for instructions as to whether to return to Switzerland or England. |