[Julia Griffiths Crofts] to Frederick Douglass, April 15, 1864

15. Grove Terrace Leeds, 15^th April

My dear Friend,

Many of your friends have been very anxious about you for some time past; & very welcome was your letter of 23^rd March, which did not reach us until this morning—It seems to have been longer on the road than usual—& I began to fear you had ventured too far South— Be ever careful when you are near the borders of slavery, I pray you—The contents of your letter my dear Friend are most interesting—& encourage us to hope that all is going forward in the right direction—I mark all you say; & shall send an extract from your letter to the Leeds Mercury, as I did before— & then I ordered two dozen copies & circulated them in all directions

The particulars of the checque I now enclose are inscribed on the paper in which it is folded—I wish the sums were larger; but I expect to send you more soon—& having had the Edinburgh money by me for some time, & the Aberdeen also, I will send without further delay, though I fear you will be off to Maine before this reaches Rochester—

Please hand the £5— to our friend Mis Porter, with my kind regards—it is from the Edinburgh Society—I felt myself but ill pleased when their last Reports came to me, without a line, & without one word in their report of the founder of their Society, without whose devotion to their interests this cause would never have brought before the British friends at all, & without whom consequently they would never, as a Society have received any donations from the old country—Some of them seem to me strangerly to have forgotten this!!—There is great difficulty to obtain any donations for any other object than the "Freedmen"—but I have marked what you say concerning the "Washington Freedman's Aid Society"—& the money now sent you for "Contrabands," please, send them, if you still approve that Society— a few lines about them that I may copy & send round to some of the friends will be very acceptable—The Aberdeen folk are very strict & will expect a receipt from head quarters for their £6—I mean from the Washington Secretary, or Treasurer—

In looking over my papers with accounts of moneies sent I find that at two separate times,

the sums of £3—17—6 & £3—15—6 towards the proposition you made concerning the piano—From the present amount I have deducted £7—10— making, in all £15—3— towards the proposed £40—I have been blamed by [Aunt?] very much about the piano—& I blame myself that I did not deduct the whole in 4 instalments, as you requested—but be that as it may all will be quite right I doubt not—there is a sad blank in the loss of the paper— and so many friends enquire & still will have it that you are gone south to fight, that I have much to do to assure them you yet live in Rochester—& lecture, as usual—A letter to me relative to this would help me in my efforts in your behalf very much— I do wish you would resume the paper—its stoppage was a great mistake—I hope you have let the Halifax friends know, by the same mail that

Donations Sent—April 15^th /64 For Rocheseter A. S. Society— £—S d. From the Edinburgh Society 5—0—0

For F. D's Mission— Liverpool A. S. Society— 7—10—0 Coventry A. S. Society— 2—0—0 Edinburgh A. S. Society— 3—0—0

For F. D. in aid of "Contrabands"— 5—0—0 From M^rs Blair—

In Aid of Washington Relief Society— Aberdeen A. S. Society— 6—0—0 Edinburgh A. S. Society— 5—0—0 £33—10—0

£26—sent—