Anna H. Richardson to Frederick Douglass, December 5, 1862

Westmoreland Terrace

Decr 5^th 62

We were very glad my dear friend to receive your prompt rejoinder & that our papers have copied your interesting appeal to [loyal?]

For Myself I have been vexed and discouraged by the want of more out-spoken Anti-slavery feeling in England of late, but I think our people have also been "vexed and discouraged" by thinking that the American people and government were not so much fighting for freedom as for the maintenance of their beloved

"Union"—and then there was a discrepancy I naturally discovered in looking forwards to the coming month and seeing that the rebel States are to be free and the loyal one, still to possess their Slaves, & those slaves to be comparatively under the wing of your government.—Had this Hand been taken at an early stage of this horrible war it would have been a waring hailed in England, but to take it now was considered like talking of doing a thing when your Governmental power over the rebel states was gone & consequently

that you were aiming at what could not be done—

Let all this pass however—-Most [illegible] will the sensible & thoughtful portion of our people rejoice if great feeling can be maintained between the Federal States & this Country—and O my friend, our hearts do indeed beat high, to think that you & we may be permitted to live to see the jubilee of your race—I had hardly dared to anticipate this & we desire now devoutly to give God thanks if, out of the sea of trouble your feet do instead at length gain a fair footing in the land beyond it—

in, back once pronounced, here to be suffering "from an attack of acute bronchitis the consequences of which might have been serious had it been I neglected longer"—She has been under his care for a fortnight but the unfavorable symptoms still linger— Tomorrow she feels inclined to try a change of air at her favourite Cullercoats but we cannot but feel very thoughtful about him—She wishes to be most kindly remembered to you with many thanks for your [loving] sympathy in her deep bereavement.

Sorrow came upon sorrow to us. Our honoured brother in law Thos Dumphry—Our much loved father & the elder son of the former (Leo. M. Dumphry) all being taken to their heavenly home within 10 short weeks, the latter leaving

a sweet young wife to whom he had only been merried 14 months & a dear little infant—Still our sorrow has been mingled with thankfulness, for the full evidence in each case of the sorrows of earth having been but exchanged for the joys of heaven. Thanks be to Him who has opened the everlasting portals & given to his servants the seed of their eternal inheritance.

I am listening each minute for the footsteps of a coloured man who was at our door this morning when I happened to be out—Henry has seen & been pleased with him. He says he is an escaped slave from Baltimore & is wishing to reach Africa—Very few of your people have been moving about England of late.