CORRESPONDENCE 459
rangements to devote all my time to the agency. Br. Read is now disengaged from the school and I hope soon to see him situated where he can take care of one or more churches. I hope he will meet the wishes of the brethren at Marysville. I look upon this place as the most surely available point of importance for the Baptists above Oregon City. I gave you a brief description of the place and its position in point of trade. Although it is difficult at this period in the history of our country to decide with certainty what may be the de- velopments of a country rich with agricultural resources on one hand, while on the other new and rich discoveries of gold mines are being made almost monthly, yet such are its rela- tions to the whole of these resources that it seems hardly pos- sible that it should fail of becoming the first town of import- ance in the Willamette Valley. I spent the Sabbath with this young church on the llth of this month, at which time three valuable members were received by letter and one related her experience and was received as a candidate for baptism. On the second Sabbath in next month on my way to Ump- qua and Rogue rivers I shall probably baptize two and re- ceive one more by experience. On the third Sabbath of this month and the two preceding days I attended the yearly meeting of the Lebanon church. This was a scene mingled with joy and: grief. Here I found a young married lady, whom the church had expected soon to receive by baptism, lying at the point of death and she expired on Saturday, en- joying a comfortable hope of a blissful immortality beyond the grave. On Sabbath I baptized one young man into the fellowship of the church who found the Saviour precious last month. One young brother was received by letter. In the afternoon the church for the first time received the ordi- nance of the Lord's Supper. Elder Sperry, 265 our itiner- ant, was with me through the meetings. This church is small, as you will see by referring to the minutes, and in the
265 This was Rev. William Sperry (1811-1857). He was born in Kentucky, moved to Ohio and to Iowa and came to Oregon in 1851. He was at this time the missionary of the Willamette Association (Baptist). In 1854 he was pastor of the Pleasant Butte Church in Lane County. Mattoon, Bap. An. of Ore., 1:86, 19.
