What made me desirous to see, and curious to examine this young Lady, was a Sentence that was dropt yesterday by a respectable Person in our Family, intimating a Desire that I may, on seeing Miss Lee, after having known, by Report, her faultless Character, be so far pleased with her Person, as to try to make her mine, & settle in this Colony--That kind Person who is for making me happy by setling me in Virginia, & connecting me with one of the best Families in the Government little knows how painful it would be, if I was indeed compell'd by any Accident of Fortune, to spend the Remainder of my Days in Virginia, if it is the Pleasure of Providence, that I am to continue for any Length of Time in the World. "_Strong_, & _sweet_ are the Bands which tye us to our Place of Nativity; If it be but a beggarly Cottage, we seem not satisfied with the most rich & splendid Entertainment if we are separated totally from it. "But if a Princess should ask me to accept together with herself, 50,000, £ Sterling pr Annum; I declare with as great Pleasure as Truth that the Esteem and Fidelity which I possess for my ever-dear Eliza would make me, without Reflection, evade & refuse the Offer." This is not strained Panegyrick; it is still the faintest Image of my Heart, tho' the Sentiment may seem strong & improbable. PHILIP. V FITHIAN. [LETTER OF PHILIP V. FITHIAN TO PRISCILLA CARTER] Philadelphia Octr. 12th. 1775. MADAM. It gave me high satisfaction when I saw your brother first in our province. I was cordially glad.--He came unexpected, and that circumstance increased my pleasure at seeing him at all. He is now in this city--Has been in several parts of East and West Jersey--Has tolerable health--And a steady cheerfulness, which I am willing to believe, arises from pretty constant entertainment. I hear with much surprise, that none of my letters, since I left your family, have been so fortunate as to arrive safe. I impute this to the jealousy of the public, concerning the contents of letters passing through the continen[t]. Mr Peck carries you, with these, my best wishes--That you may rise rapidly in the early improvement of your mind in each useful and ornamental undertaking to which you may be directed--That you may have much real unmixed happiness in the friendships which your age and rank will soon lead you to form--And that the transporting scenes which at a distance, you discover to be painted on your future life, may, as they rise before you one after another, give you as much peaceful enjoyment as so great imperfection can bestow. You will please to give my best duty to your dear Mama.