March 24th 1808 Dear Brother Having to do with such an honourable man as yourself, it never entered into my head that you ought to be reminded of the annual return of your season of Benevolence. You want to know what you can say. I answer – that the Society is “nobly” passive, till God opens the way for being “nobly active”: but, in the mean time, is proceeding surely. I send you the last Circular Letter, lest you should not have seen it: and also Mr Scott’s account of the four students under his care. Of this last you will make what you think prudent, and then return it to me. We are in daily expectation of advices from Sierra Leone that the Four Missionaries there are actually settled among the Senoos, or some other native Tribe. Mr Marsden will, next meeting, bring before us a proposal to establish a settlement in New Zealand, both the islands of which country contain, it is supposed, 500,000 people. The African Institute and the Abolition of the Slave Trade contribute to render that part of Africa to which our present attention is turned particularly interesting. And I think we may be [f] considered to have made some serious advance and laid firm foundations of future usefulness, in having fixed in Africa four Ministers, and having four others so promising training under such a good guide. I think I have given you points for a sermon, which in your hands, will produce us the usual round sum from Bentinck. I return the Advertisement, seeing no occasion to alter it. As to my preaching one of the sermons, that is out of the question as I have no idea of acting as a foil to you, and begging £10 out of the hundred, while the other £90 is reserved for you. With kind regards, Believe me, Ever yours, J. Pratt