companion
from me. My trouble was indeed great, and my affliction was profound;
but thou wast still with me, Oh, my child! and all my affections were
concentrated in thee. "With thy caresses thou didst dry my tears; thy
smile was like that of thy mother, and thy beautiful features reminded
me of her, and in thee I found her again. But to-day, alas! I have
lost you both. What a void! Oh, God! what a solitude! Oh! I ought to
die in this room which is the depository of all my misfortunes. Here I
bewailed my poor brother; here I closed the eyes of my daughter; here,
also, Anna, when dying, bade me, bathed in tears, her last adieus;
and here, at last, thou, my son, they tore thee from my arms, to lay
thee near the ashes of thy mother.

"So many afflictions and so many troubles for one man! Oh, God of
goodness and mercy, will you not restore to me my poor child? Alas! I
scarcely feel that I am mistaken: but He will pity my bewilderment--he
who has been beloved and who has seen carried off, one by one, all
the elements of his happiness. As for me, an isolated being, and
henceforward useless on this earth, it matters little where I shall
sink under the weight of my afflictions. If it was not from the hope of
seeing my mother and sisters, I should terminate my wretched existence,
my grave should be with you--you all!--whom I loved so much. I should
remain near you, and during the rest of my miserable existence I should
every day visit your tombs! But no; a sacred duty obliges me to leave
you, and to separate for ever from you. Cruel! Oh, cruel indeed will
be the hour when I shall depart from you. And thou, my beloved, my
good, excellent wife, my Anna, thy last words shall be accomplished. I
will set out, but regret and grief accompany me during the voyage; my
heart and my memory will remain at Jala-Jala. Oh! land bedewed with
my sweat, with my blood, and with my tears! when fate brought me to
thy shores thou wast covered with dismal forests which this day have
given place to rich harvests: among thy inhabitants order, abundance,
and prosperity have taken the place of debauchery and misery. My
efforts were crowned with full success; all was prosperity around
me. Alas! I was too happy! But while misfortune strikes me down and
overwhelms me, it will have stricken me alone, my work will outlive
me. You will be happy, Oh, my friends! and if I myself have been so
in contributing to your welfare, let a thought sometimes awaken your
fe