Dr. Wollaston, the eminent physician at Bury, has been consulted; he
gives little hopes, but advises a milk and vegetable diet, and said
that sea air and a humid mild climate would be good. I next wrote to
Dr. Thornton, who recommended an egg and meat diet; and Mr. Martyn,
in a letter, desired me to try the inhaling of ether; in fact, all
has been done that the urgency of the case required, but, alas! she
is past the assistance of all human power. After remaining a week at
Troston I wrote into Lincolnshire for a house at Boston, with a view
to be near the sea, in case she should be able to support a short
voyage; and the air of that low place is reckoned preferable to the
keen air of Bradfield. We travelled with slow and short journeys on
July 5 to Bradon—still more exhausted; on the 6th to Wisbeach—no
alteration yet from the change of air; on the 7th only to Long
Sutton—worse, greatly fatigued, and a very bad night. Oh! the
lacerated feelings of my wounded heart! To see the child of my
tenderest affection in such a state! growing hourly weaker and more
emaciated, during the last week being even unable to stand. It is
beyond my power to describe what is struggling within me! My sorrow
has softened me and wrings my very heart strings! How hard does it
appear submissively to bow to that text—‘He that loveth son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ I have but one
consolation, which prevents my utter depression and despair. I trust
in the goodness of her Almighty Creator and in the merits of her
blessed Redeemer, that They will, in the mercy of omnipotence,
pardon what slight offences she may have been guilty of, and receive
her into that heavenly mansion which I humbly hope her innocence may
expect. I pray fervently for Their mercy, and only wish that I was
worthy of being heard. May my future life be such as to make an
hereafter the great view, aim, and end of my remaining life! The 8th
we reached Spalding, too much fatigued to go on, thinking that an
air so different from what she had left might have given some ease.
Vain hope! No effort of the kind appears. The 11th we arrived at
Boston, and she bore the journey well. Alas! it was her final stage
in this world!
The next day she was still worse, but even now gave one of those
traits which displayed her delicacy, for upon finding that her
mother was detaining Dr. Wilson with questions, she reminded her of
it by saying, ‘Mamma, you forget there are other ladies wanting the
doctor.’ On the 13th the crisis of her sufferings was approaching;
she whispered to me as I sat by her bedside, ‘I hope you pray for
me.’ At about eleven o’clock she asked her sister Mary to read a
prayer as usual, and attended with apparent fervour, putting her
hands together in the attitude of devotion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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