Brother Livingston, New York, October 5, 1691.



Last Saturday [I] would have sent you the money for which you had written, but, contrary to his
promise, Harpert Claesz. did not come to pick it up. So now I send with cousin Schuyler one
hundred and ten pounds in heavy money. It cost me at Mr. Philips at 8 per cent £118.16.-.
[I] couldn’t get it anywhere but from him. I selected some more whole pieces of eight from
your money and mine to have them made heavier, but the silver-smiths tell me now that, if [I]
can exchange them at 6 per cent, it is better than having them made heavier since the expenses
are high. The Assembly has made a law that 150 more men will be raised to lay at Albany. Messrs.
Wessels, Schaick and Rensselaer requested the Governor and Council that the inhabitants of
Albany victual them They 1) asked me what I thought about it. I said I was satisfied with that.
So the Major2) said they would do it on the same condition as we did, i.e. giving him as much
advance as what had been agreed upon with Governor Slaghter3). This displeased Mr Wessels;
[and?] 4) thereupon [he] walked out of the fort dissatisfied, so that the Major is saying we are the
ones who have to do it. It will be a heavy burden to us since we have no provisions and have not
received a single stuiver5) yet. Also, it will be difficult to send up so many provisions before the
winter. [I] will soon have made out my account with Captain Hin [and will] ride into the
counties myself and collect the money and do whatever is possible. The Council has ordered
that 2 to 300 schepels of maize be bought up to be given to needy natives6) in order to stimulate
them to stay with us. [I] will immediately send you the money I’ll receive, so that you can buy as
much pork ... 7) as you can get. This one is in a great hurry. Along with Pieter Bogardus [I] will
write further on what is happening here. Meanwhile, [I] remain,

Your Obliging Brother,

S v. Cortlandt.

My regards to Mother Schuyler, [your] sister and brothers, to Captain Bradshaw, Theunes and
Fipps, together with all [other] friends.

When you write something, either to the Major or to someone of the Council, you should always
mention the Major therein since he is very incensed when he is not thought of.
in the left margin:
Remember William Loveridge and the brewer’s widow at Schenectady as well as Rensselaer’s
negro-boy.

Notes:

1) viz.: the Governor and Council.
2) = Major Richard Ingoldesby, interim Governor in 1691-1692
3) = Sloughter.
4) One word is missing because of a hole in the parchment; “and” is a hypothesis on my part.
5) I am not absolutely sure about this name’s spelling.
6) Van Cortlandt writes “wilden” = “savages”
7) I think Van Cortlandt writes “cossy”, but I have not been able to determine what this word means.