Dumfries April 7th 1793
My dear father,
I have received your Letter by Jupiter and am truly concerned to be informed that the account I had from Cassius, respecting your reestablished health, was premature, however as the warm weather comes on I flatter myself much you will find both strength and health return and so well established that you will long enjoy them.
Your statement, of the ballance due you by your Tenants &c if you will examine it, will appear different from that quoted to me in your last Letter, you observe rightly that on the 5th of August 1792 the then Ballance of
Cash & Tobacco was thus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £79:16:4& 13516
Cash & Tobo. rents for the year 1792 . . . . . . . . . . . “47:01:4& 19434
Cash & Tobo. hire of Negroes for 1792 . . . . . . . . . “11:00:0& :500
_____________________
making in all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £137:17:8 & 34450
Cash paid Mrs. Charles Lee & your order . . . . . . £7:12:0 & 59.60
Cash sent you by Mrs. Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26:06:0 & £15.16
Do. now subject to order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:06:0 & 6.6 for 21 dols.
Tobo. paid you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5076
Do. now subject to order . . . . 4024 to be deducted . . . “ 44:04:0 & 9100
Remains now due . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £93:13:8 & 25350
In your Letter you say you have credited me for £6:6 sent by Mrs. Lee before Christmas; if you will have reference to my Letters sent with the money you will see it was £26.61 & this may be strengthened by your own memory, that independent of the silver there was Gold also. The £7:12 is what I paid Mrs. Charles Lee by your order in a Letter delivered by herself as she went up early in Decr. last. The date in my book when paid is the 3rd of Decr. Mattux, as I informed you when in Westmoreland; has been distressed for the whole of what he owes and on his replevy Bond dated the 9th of last January now in my profession I shall get a judgment at the next fauquier Court. Respecting Hulls Lett it is true I told you Carpenter Spicer had made me such and such offers & that you authorized me by power of Attorney to make the lease to him, but when I was so authorized & see him, he required to have the place one years rent free, saying when making his first propositions he expected to have been able to gett the ground enclosed for a Crop this year, his hopes of enclosing it for that end was, on gaining leave from Mr. Digges to join his fence to that of Mr. Digges’s for a time, this has been refused him, the cause you may see as well as myself, again he Spicer, says, he has been thwarted by others about the Court house who are displeased at his intention of renting the Land because they want it to lay out for pasturage. Now when he made me the first proposition it was necessary for me to gain your approbation, on my geting that he then made another proposition from the change of circumstances puting it out his power to conclude the first, it then became necessary to know your opinion about it, that being now obtained I shall when I go up to Court conclude with him if I can or rather if he will. This last proposition of Spicer to have the place one year rent free caused my Letter to Colo. Gaskins, for on every principle of justice & equity, in my opinion, Colo. Hulls estate ought to be answerable to you for the rent until you can gett a similar rent at least from some one else, for it was Colo. Hull’s People & Tenants who have putt your property in the desolate situation it now is. In answer to what you observe about the money judgment obtained, it is for hire of Negroes as well as the expected one indeed almost the whole of the money now one is on the same account. I know very well that no Tenanant can take advantage of the twelve Months replevy Law.
The wheat shall be sold as you desire and as I receive from Mr. Digges or other either Tobacco or money you shall be informed of it & have it sent by the first safe conveyance after the receipt. If in the transaction of your business I have in any instance been of disservice to your interest I assure you it has not been willful but proceeding from error of judgment in the end of obtaining that interest and wish which I ever have felt & hope ever shall feel in giving you satisfaction. I have now endeavoured to answer your Letter as satisfactorily as possible the Postscript excepted to which I observe that I should not hesitate closeing with your proposition but that I am fearful on account of the uncertainty of conveyances in geting the linnen seasonably conveyed to you. This I will engage to do, either to pay you so much Cash per annum or the Linnen subject to your indulgence on account of want of conveyance of October as can be, either the one or the other to be fixed on now; I should prefer, if as agreeable to you, to pay the Cash. The bargain to end with the death of either. Your Letter for Fenwick & Mason has been sent on by Post, the one for Mr. Digges I shall deliver myself when I see him next, which will be at fauquier Court should he not come to settle before that time. Mrs. Lee joins me in love to all at Chantilly & I remain my dear father inalterably affectionate Son & humble servant
Thos. Lee Jr.
Negroes hire for 1792
Toby- 1000 lbs Crop Tobo.
Nan- 500 lbs Do.
1500
Fieling- £5 Cash
Cloe- “ 2 Do.
Bett- “ 2 Do.
Maria- “ 2 Do.
£11:0:0
Source: The Archives of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation, Papers of the Lee Family, Box 2, M2009.083, Jessie Ball duPont Library, Stratford Hall
Transcribed by Colin Woodward, 2016 April 6
