1830 October 16, Woodbourne, to Brother, Philadelphia

              Woodbourne, 10 month 16 1830

Dear Brother,



I wrote to thee on the 20th ult. by James Cockburn's stepson, & have received thine of 16 ult. by Geo. Walker, accompanying my account, stated to 8 mo 23-'30 with Thomas P Cope & Sons (old firm), for which I am obliged.+- like thyself I have had misgivings with regard to a favourable result of the recent French revolution, but at ye same time, have been surprised at ye magnanimous conduct of the French people. Such moderation & forbearance when in power, was hardly to have been looked for from a mob, I have also a more exalted opinion than ever of La Fayette. His expressions on the subject of ye punishment of death, as well as some others, show him to be a man of enlarged, benevolent & enlightened views. I was rather prepossessed in favour of the late King, both his personal appearance, & from his having used power with moderation & clemency. But I think it is clear that the present age is too enlightened to submit to ye control & influence of bigotry, or to consider Kings & rulers as super human beings. On ye subject of anti-masonry as recently agitated, I have been slow in forming a decided opinion, considering that the tyranny of ye people may be as great as that of ye monarch, & being much averse to all species of intolerance, whether practiced by rulers or people. Therefore, though I have no partiality whatever for the Masonic Institution or Society, I think it admits of consideration & reflection, whether ye mode adopted for attempting to put it down, is ye most proper, admitting that it may be ye most effectual. There are cogent reasons for objecting to all secret associations, but this, does not appear to interfere with the rights of others. In ye Morgan case,