71

Charleston Oct'r 3'd 1860

Dear Sir,

I beg leave through you
to express to the Executive Committee
my thanks for the flattering & tempting
invitation which you have communi-
-cated to me: and I am sorry to be
obliged to trouble you further by requesting
you to convey to them my regret that I
shall not be able to be present on so inter-
-esting an occasion as the taking of the
first step towards the inauguration of
this new scheme of home education
which will doubtless exercise so import-
-ant & beneficial an influence upon
the youth of the South.

Could I have made it convenient,
it would have given me great pleasure