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                                                                                            Bradford N.H. Aug. 19. 1849

Dear Brother Joseph

    You had better write to me if only in self defence: for if I do not hear from you I shall keep inflicting my letters upon you till you will find it less trouble to write yourself. I set out to write this letter on account of your not knowing where to direct letters to me, as I had not learned where my Post Office was to be when I wrote to you last, immediately upon my arrival at Goffstown:  But on thinking over matter I come to the conclusion that a letter which I inded to send to Eliab & Lucy when I first arrived at Bradford or soon after, was by some strange mistake addressed to you instead of to Eliab. If that be the case, there is little need of my writing to you at this time. If that letter did go to you I hope you sent it back to them as soon as possible.
 I do not know as I have really any thing to write except that the survey is commenced, and I guess we shall have a pretty tolerable party after I get them fairly broken in which takes some little time.
 This is a great country, full of all Lakes & Ponds, and hemmed in by Mountains of all sizes, from old Hearsarge & Sunapee down. The Abundant Mountain Brooks are full of Trout, and the Ponds of Pickerel etc. The Sportsmen talk of taking one & two hundred Brook Trout per day.