These objections were made by some of those who came over on private enterprise, and had returned home as before mentioned; they were of the same kind as those the last letter mentions. I shall record them here, with the answers made to them and sent over at the return of this ship. The fault-finders were so confounded that some confessed, and others denied what they had said and ate their words; some have since come over again, and have lived here to convince themselves sufficiently. Obj. 1. Diversity of religious beliefs. Ans: We know of no such diversity, for there has never been any controversy, either public or private, to our knowledge, since we came. Obj. 2. Neglect of family duties on the Lord’s day. Ans: We allow no such thing. They who report it, would have showed their Christian love more if they had told the offenders of it kindly, rather than thus to reproach them behind their backs. But, to say no more, we wish they themselves had given a better example. Obj: 3. Want of both the sacraments. Ans: The more is our grief that our pastor is kept from us, at whose hands we might enjoy them. In Holland we used to have the Lord’s supper every Sabbath, and baptism as often as there were children to baptise. Obj. 4. Children are not catechised, or taught to read. Ans: Neither is true—several take pains with their own, as well as they can. We have no common school, for want of a fit person hitherto, or means to obtain one; though we hope now to begin. Obj. 5. Many of the private members of the colony will not work for the community. Ans: This also is not wholly true: for though some do it unwillingly, and others not honestly, still all do it. The worst of them gets his own food, and something besides. We do not excuse them, but try to reform them the best we can,—or else quit the settlement of them. Obj. 6. The water is not wholesome. Ans: If they mean not so wholesome as the good wine and beer in London, which they so dearly love, we will not dispute them; but for water, it is as good as any in the world, so far as we know, and it is wholesome enough for us who can be content with it. Obj. 7. The ground is barren, and grows no grass. Ans: Here, as everywhere, some ground is better, some worse. The cattle find grass for they are as fat as need be; we wish we had but one beast for every hundred that there is grass to keep. This objection, like some others, is ridiculous to all here who see and know the contrary. Obj. 8. The fish cannot be salted, to keep them sweet. Ans: This is as true as writing that there is scarcely a fowl to be seen, or a fish to be caught; things likely to be true in a country where so many ships come fishing yearly! They might as well say that no ale or beer in London can be kept from going sour. Obj. 9. Many of them steal from one another.