\n-\n
\nReverend and very honored Confrère,\n
\n-\n
\nRecently we had a visit from Mr. F., the Bishop of Nancy, from Ste. Geneviève. He came to the Seminary from there; we had been together at Cape Girardeau. He seemed very pleased with all that he saw. At the Cape he confirmed several [persons], but not at the Seminary or elsewhere, because his arrival had been unexpected. I was forced to leave him in order to return from the Cape before he had carried out the confirmations. Passing through Kaskaskia, he sought to reconcile two parties of Catholics who were very opposed to each other. They would not give way, but they did agree to leave the matter to my judgment as arbitrator. Thus I was obliged to leave the bishop in order to go there myself.\n
\n-\n
\nI have just written to N. T. H. P. [\"notre très honorè Père\"] on the subject of our negroes. I fear that the discomfort of my situation on board the boat at the moment of departure made my letter little worthy of being presented to T. H. P. [\"très honorè Père\"], perhaps even making it difficult for him to understand me well. Here is the matter. When we first acquired slaves, our confrères believed they had reason, given the circumstances of the country and the difficulty of finding servants, to request them. Since then everything has changed, and this change will only continue to advance, making it easier to hire workers. And the fact is that, considering the price of a slave at 4,000 to 5,000 francs, the risks, the clothing, etc., it is cheaper to employ whites than to have slaves—especially for priests, who cannot supervise them as other masters do, and who cannot dismiss them when they are lazy. We have always had, and will always have, disagreements between the brothers and the slaves; and in terms of religion we cannot watch over these people as they are watched over in the good Catholic families of our diocese. Thus we have the mortification of seeing that our slaves are less attentive to their religion than the slaves of the good Catholics around us. Furthermore, female slaves are always an object of danger and suspicion in a College. But an even stronger reason is public opinion, opposed to this kind of property, which is slowly but surely spreading from North to South and West. Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri form the border toward the North of the right of slavery.
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\nThis January past I sent you a note for 388 Bank shares -- and shortly after Mr. Odin addressed to you 15 shares that were in his name--403 shares in all. I inquire if they have arrived securely to you. Be so good as to apprise me of the subject and to deign to pray for,\n\n-\n
\nWith the most profound respect\n
\nYour very humble serv. and confrère\n
\nJ. Timon in. p. d. e. Gd. C.M.\n
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\nI have forgotten to say that I have already given orders to Mr. Boullier to sell to a good Catholic the ones I bought, without having asked permission from the Sup. Gen., and for those we have not yet paid. All of the board, with the exception of Mr. Tornatore and Mr. Paquin, are pleased with this.
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