Julia Griffiths Crofts to Frederick Douglass, December 10, 1863

15. Grove. Terrace. Leeds. Dec^r 10^th/63

My dear friend Frederick,

Never was a long-looked for letter more welcome to anxious friends than your's of 18^th Nov: which reached us on last Monday morning—We are all thankful that you are still in Rochester & that the dangerous talk of recruiting in the South is given up! You must please bear in mind my friend, that now the welcome & ever looked for "F. Douglass' paper" is given up our only news of your well being must come from letters to your friends. so pray write often, if but briefly. The rumour of Confederate doings in Canada communicated by Lord Lyons seemed to us to render your towns near the lakes, in some jeopardy—but I trust all that

danger is over the plot fully discovered & never to be renewed. Poor dear Lewis—I trust he will soon recover, give him my kind regards, with sincere sympathy & commendations of his bravery. I feel that I should like to see him & them all again. Remember me kindly to Mrs. Douglass & to Rose. Who is she to be married to? I hope you and her mother approve the match? I shall always be glad to hear of her welfare, & shall like her "carte" to accompany your's, if she will send it, with your's. With this you will receive my "carte" & Lizzie's; I hope you approve the likenesses of both. You have a likeness of the Doctor. He has had no other taken. Be so kind as to send us two likenesses of yourself—since Lizzie & I have books & one in my book will not satisfy her. The children are starting books of their own, for "cartes" & I expect they will each want a likeness of the never forgotten "Uncle Fredrick", for whom little Martha

prays, as usual, every night.

I have great pleasure, my dear friend, in sending you the enclosed Bill for £27-10. £20 of this comes from our ever active working friend M^rs Robberds of Liverpool, for your own disposal, in what way you please. £7-10 is from Sheffield to be divided between your work & the Contraband Relief Asso: I advise your handing over £3-10 of it to the Washington Society, when you go there to lecture, & my dear friend when you send me the acknowledgment of these donations, make reference again to what you are now doing, in the way of lecturing; as well as to the Washington Relief asso: for which ask our aid direct. I will calculate what you write to me on these points. I find that some of our Anti-Slavery Societies are completely stultified, & make great

mistakes—I send you the Glasgow Paper! alas! for their ignorance A new female Secretary- & poor John Smith dead—& above all the belief that you are gone to fight in the South, & for that purpose have left your paper are great stumbling blocks—You were dear Frederick, too hasty with that valedictory—quite too hasty. I have worked so hard, & tried so hard to keep our Quaker friends, that of course I feel grieved they should now turn aside—You & I see eye to eye—that there are more frightful evils than war, & that Slavery is one of those evils—but, your work, has been, & still is, so extensive, in behalf of yr people, that the work of recruiting under such dangerous circumstances, you could well afford to leave to others—now you have no paper. I don't see how you can reply to the Glasgow Society's new statements.

5. Time makes great changes in us all, outwardly; & when you & I meet we shall I doubt not, see each other looking much older; & the Doctor works so hard & thinks so closely, that he is aging fast also; & you very dear friend, Frederick, are travelling so continuously, up & down that vast country & seem to rest so little that, I feel very sad when I think of the perpetual wear & tear you must have & all the bitter disappointments too that have come with the reign of President Johnson: Henry Ward Beecher's defection is talked of by my liberal friends—& viewed differently. Some blame him—others refer to "law & order" & even vindicate Johnson; Saying he could not do differently; I had a long & fierce argument