Albany, March 24, 1697/8

My dear husband

This one goes with Madam Inghelsbie I sent you with Abraham Schuyler a letter and enclosed the letter which came from Canada Jan the Frenchman said that when you buy those pieces of 11 guilders you should be sure they don’t look copperish or pinkish for they are worth as much as a French crown in Canada and weigh as much but you should not tell anyone else do sell a case (?) beavers if ships arrived there for my desire is great that milord should have arrived (it saddens me to be without your comfort in the condition than I am but I will find my consolation the in God) I have spoken with Hansoom concerning the Assemblymxxx he said there is a chance for it but not before milord has arrived so that should be included I hope that for your long wait you will have your service to your contentment I have given Robbert in a bag to hand to you 214 heavy pieces of eight of 17 penny width 75 of 16 penny width 20 of 15 penny width that is all that I now have here in money that is very scarce At present I receive in a whole week so little that it doesn’t amount to a piece of eight Domenie is strongly amazed that the community wants to have his land which he says came to him by rights he thinks he is being done a great injustice but putting it all together they see now quite how they have been misled the community do send as soon as possible the linseed oil and the whitewash brush an ounce orange silk it should have a yellow ..... (henck) on the underside it has to be sewing silk everybody is busy here to xxx get their land ready we don’t yet have a tenant on our land Johannes has gone to speak to Robbert Teunesse if he would like to do it

will reach an accord with him here is nothing else but that the French governor said that Albany is being governed by Dutchmen and that they can not believe that it an English government is for they say a blackcoat who governs sends his instructions in dutch so the French mock us I hope their reign will have an end soon
Your loving wife
Alida Livinghston
Madam Inghelsbie will tell you all about what the French do say about our Domenie