Skolla thanks Lefevere for the letter containing the draught addressed to Messrs. Biddle and Drew for the sum of $100.00, which sum he received from the above mentioned firm. Skolla has not answered sooner because of the unexpected and urging jobs he had to do, and because he waited for the receipt of part of Mrs. Sophie Graverod's salary, the schoolteacher at St. Ignace. He has already written to her on account of it, but it has not yet arrived. Skolla thinks that she will write to Lefevere probably asking him for an increase of her salary, but he thinks that her salary is adequate. She cannot expect more than $100.00 which will be given to her when her term expires. Up to now she has received the $48.46 which Lefevere had sent last year for the first half of the year, and which has not yet fully expired. The rest, namely $52.00 she will receive at the end of her contract which will be on Dec. 1, 1844, the day she began to teach. About the people of Mackinac in general, they are a stubborn nation, with no submission, no charity, no sincerity, no zeal for the church. Water runs into the church and into the sacristy in different places; the stove is all rusty and the pipes are full of holes. On Sunday very few assist at Mass and on weekdays one rarely finds one, or at most two, persons but most of the time there is none and Skolla cannot say Mass without an assistant. But what grieves him most is that the schoolteacher who would have time enough to go because Mass begins at 8:00 and the school at 9:00, and who lives right under the same roof, and that for nothing, goes about once every 2 weeks on weekdays. Concerning the church singing, Skolla wants to introduce in Mackinac and in St. Igance, the songs of Baltimore instead of the Canadian songs. For the hymns and feastdays of Canada are greatly different from those of Baltimore, and therefore on the great feastdays the singers here can sing only the Sunday vespers. Dr. Baron, the doctor of the fort, a Catholic and a very agreeable man and Mr. Abbot are of the same opinion as Skolla. The doctor, who is also acquainted with ecclesiastical singing, proposed to select some Catholic soldiers from the fort for the singing and having chosen different voice they can build up to give modest but a pleasing concert. For the same reason he ordered several books for choral singing from Baltimore. Augustine Hamlin, who went away to Detroit to stay there, was the best singer. He knew the church songs well, but there are only 2 now who do not even read well, and one of them is Mr. Mayet, the man who was first married by a registrar, but again married by Skolla according to the rites of the Church with the Bishop's dispensation. But Skolla intends to get rid of this man in a quiet way because he is not quite recommendable. He is bold and tries even to harm the priests. Even Father Francis Pierz knows him sufficiently. The servant of Mr. Abbott comes several times on Sundays to serve at the altar during vespers and follows his own ceremonies as Skolla narrates. Some even insisted that the people should be incensed. That is all the respect he gets from this miserable world. He asks the Bishop's pardon for having delayed so long in answering and begs him to write a letter to the congregation which he can read to them in church reprimanding them to do their duty, especially concerning point 1, and concerning point 2, Skolla wants to have a better arrangement made with the Bishop's approval and authority. :: III-2-h A.L.S. French 3pp. 8vo.