(Livingston Manor, July 13, 1721;
received by Robert in New York: June 15)


In the Manor of Livinghston, July 13, 1721

My Dear Husband,
This is going with our yacht. I hope this will find you in better health.
Alida Veets has arrived here with those maids, but [she is] very ill. They came along with her on Tuesday-morning1) and stayed till the next day and went up. But Alida wanted to sit up somewhat that day but caught cold fever and hot fever, very seriously; and [she] would have liked to go with our yacht, but she is too weak because of the fever and is very ill thereby. She is lying completely flat in bed now. I have described it in great sadness on your request.
I can see, all right, that Syoin2) is not so poor; those are people who have married for money. But if we had got a good harvest now, we could certainly have helped her somewhat. It grieves me that he has spoken to you like that for the sake of my daughter. She beats too much for his liking. Nobody knows her like the people who are dealing with her. Pay him what you owe him and [tell him] that you and Alida have been lying at home. He will not sell the house. He and his father have broken Omers so much that he was worth 36 hundred lb. when he was to have our daughter, but nevertheless, let him sell his own but not hers. And we will do for her what we can do if we can get in our debt. Well, let our daughter come up together with you if she can come. I am sending you 10 tons of flour, 1 ½ tons of cornel – nothing more has come down – and a bag for trash.
Please, bring 600 tacks for the joiner. We need molasses and rum and sugar – but [it must be] very good. I am sending you 19 kegs of butter. That is all I have got; there’s a great scarcity of butter here. And [I] send you 37 ½ lb. of wax, I say: 37 ½ lb. of wax.3)

In the left margin
Write to Kornel4) Veest5) that his daughter is too weak to go to sea. [For Naetye van Hoorn a basket with morelloes; for Robbert and Ghysbert each a basket with morelloes; and your bed and kombeers, 6 chickens [and] one ham.

Herewith [I will] break off and commend you in the protection of the Most [High].
Your Beloved Wife
Alida Livinghston.

Notes:
1) Alida writes: “dinsdagh sundaghs” = “on Tuesday on Sunday”, obviously a slip of the pen. She may have intended to write “dinsdagh sochtens” (= “Tuesday-morning”), which sound more or less similar.
2) = possibly: “John”.
3) Alida writes this twice, because the first time she made such a mess with her ink that she apparently thought Robert would not be able to read it.
4) “Kornel” = “Cornel” = “Cornelis”.
5) In all other letters spelled “Veets” or “Vetch”.