Mayville Tuesday noon
20 March [ 1828 ]
My dear Brother Henry
I have obtained, as you see Mr Tews Certificate. He squirmed about it a
good deal – talked about there being Mort-
gages made & entered upon record earlier
than ours, & the impossibility of his know-
ing whether ours were taken in every care
for purchase money &c &c (all which may
have meant, am I to get any pay – for
you must know that I think this some
prank of yours & if mine too is very selfish)
but after all he has written as you see and
has recieved his dollar.
But the principal object of my
letter relates to the state of my finances.
If there has been an hour since you told
me what my compensation was to be, in
which I have not had this matter on my
mind, it must have been when I was
asleep or over occupied in business. My
mind is still oppressed with it. You will
excuse me if I write you a long letter
about it, since in your engrossing cares
while here, I thought it not proper to

to take up your time about it.
In the first place, I beg to repeat
that in using the funds entrusted to my
care, I had no thought of using them
any further than I had a right to use
them. I hope I may not be considered by
the Proprietors as having embezzled their
money: and if you have occasion to speak
of it, I reply upon you to do me the justice
to save me from so great a reproach.
In the next place I see not
that I can ever refund this money.
I regret, exceedingly, that I used it – but
regrets are unavailing. I had vainly
immagined myself entitled to live freely
& have spent too much in support of
my own fancied consequence and yours
more substantial. I have also paid some
debts: but I owe nothing now except to
debts: beyond one individual $200. I have
wherewithal to pay this & to pay you, but
a sacrifice of $1000 has some time since
been sought to enable me to do so, but
property will not sell. The expenses of
my removal, the payment to Gregory

and to you – the change in value of my
affairs in consequence of my removal, added
to my wasteful expenditure at home, all taken
together have ruined me off in a sad manner.
But I will do what I can to retreve
myself – the work of retrenchment has com-
menced: I called my boys both home the
day I heard of my fall. If McClurg
will take his place, on his arrival in
May with such pieces of large furniture
as may be useful to him, I will cut my
affairs down at once – if not I will
take misses in my board, attending school.
I know that I can live on the sum
you mention, I can live on $500
and if Providence opens the way for
nothing better for me, it is my duty to
be content. But if I should undertake
afterath the time this, it must be in
some situation where I can board
my children at home while receiving
and my education.
Having written so much while waiting
for dinner, & hearing now the bell
I close wishing you great success in
your negotiations & a happy deliverence
from P. J Van H.
Your grateful Brother B.J.S.

Wm. H. Seward Esq
now in Batavia
New York
Mayville N.Y. MAR 20
B. J. Seward
March 20, 1838