I can't make sense of an 1863 letter

[antiqueone]

I keep thinking I can read every letter and word but I can't work out what the writer is trying to say. Can anyone help?

"very sorry to hear of your great
Loss butt its what we must all
Come to sooner or Later so I hope
they are all better provided for
in as [  ] To [] of
had nott received yours butt the
reason why i did nott write sooner"

[ShaunJ]

in as [  ] To [] of

i was just going to write if..

[Karen McDonald]

When I enlarge it on my screen, the word after "To" looks exactly the same as the "write" before "sooner".

I also think (like Shaun) that it is "if" and not "of".

And I'm probably waay out, but I keep seeing something like "find ageing" - which makes no sense. I wondered if it should be "agreeing", but nothing here seems to make much sense.

Any idea what the bracket is on the right side? (After "provided for".)

Best regards,
Karen

[mckha489]

I see “in as just agiving”
Agree re “if”


Perhaps “Just agreeing“. Or “agoing”

[Erato]

I see "first agreeing to work"

[Bookbox]

in as [  ] To [] of

i was just going to write if..

I agree with ShaunJ, except I think she has written agoing, which might instead have been written as a-going.

i was Just agoing to write if i had nott received yours ...

ADDED - the i is joined to was and had.

[Karen McDonald]

Oh, my giddy aunt... 

I was wondering why Shaun's reply looked so weird! I thought he was just trying to say it should be "if"! 
I couldn't see "i was" - I could only see "in as".

It's so obvious when you know. 

Thanks, boys 'n girls.

[antiqueone]

Thank you to all of you. As Karen has said it's obvious when you know.