Nor were these conclusions made hastily. I am on the ground, and here for the express purpose of examining into this vital matter, instructed particularly by the Board on this very subject to enquire and report. Such enquiry was made and the report acted upon by the Board favourably. But presently along comes Captain Gelston his representations differ from those of the Superintendant as darkness from light and the Board of Managers of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal take his hasty illadvised representations in preference to those of the Superintendant and immediately retraces its steps. This is wrong, and these lines are penned with the sincere hope that this thing will come to a "perpetual end." Captain Gelston is a good brother in my opinion, and honest, talented, pious man but he prejudges everything. The majority of men would not come to their conclusions, more correctly than he, if they all travelled the same road. He arrives at them all by the process that Logicians call a "Jump" no man. will regret more than he the evil results of his blunder in this case; I received a letter from him when I received yours in which he details his representation before the Board I have replied to him expostulating with and telling him I want no better advocate than he, provided he will come and patiently investigate the entire subject.
You will be surprised when you learn the Captain was never in the building at all, and not within a hundred yards of it He started from Oregon City with Capt. Crosby rode to the house of Brother Wilber (which is within 300 yds of the Institute) a distance of 50 miles in less than a day rested a while and just before night the horses were again saddled they rode down to Salem, and around a little while looking at a distance from their horses (and the Capt had'nt his glass) at the Institute returned at dark, and next morning rode down to Oregon City and that is all the Captain was ever on the ground or saw of the buildings. But enough of the Captain. It is a question of grave importance as to what the Board ought to do when some transient letter-writer who goes through the country on a gallop, expresses views that are contrary to the representations of their otherwise agent. Doubtless there are and will be letter-writers whose communications are by no means intended to edify Methodism in Oregon If our friends occasionally miss
