Ann Bull letter to Charity Rotch, Hartford, March 23, 1822

              B-238-4 
	
	My Dear friend,                 Hartford, March 23rd, 1822
			  I feel a satisfaction in finding myself really
	seated to tell you, that at times I think myself quite unworthy
	of your friendship by neglecting the previledge I possess of
	writing to you, I will not waste time by making idle excuses
	but this request I must make that you will ascribe my silence
	to any thing but a diminution of affectionate regard for you.
	Our mutual friend J J  Welt has repeatedly asked me have you
	written to Charity Rotch yet, and truth obliging me to answer in
	the negitive so often, I told him I should be ashamed to see him
	again till I had discharged my mind of this weight, for such I truly
	felt it,  to a person of your mind this will appear very weak,
	But did I my Dear friend possess a small share of your activity
	and strength of mind it would not be thus with me, I should
	then ever feel a readiness to do what my affection prompted.  I have
	in imagination held frequent converse with you and laid open all
	my heart to you but like airy visions it ended in nothing for I
	could not have in return your soothing counsel and conversation. 	
	to tell you the truth my beloved friend I have been very much
	depressed in mind for some time past, owing partly to temporal
	partly to spiritual concerns, but we have so much of  earth about us that
	too often the former swallows up  & overpowers every thing that
	can be suggested by the latter, as respects our worldly concerns
	our sky to be sure is quite powring but I endevour to combat
	the unhappy feelings arising from it as much as possible and at
	times thank I can realize the Blessed Apostles meaning when he
	says  cast down but not in dispair   In a word, could I describe
	to you the various conflicts of my mind, you would read what is