Letter to "Brother," 1806

Dear Brother
this is the first my replying to your two last kind favours, the receipt of which afforded me so much pleasure, as you therein expressed so great satisfaction from the accounts you had receivd from different persons who had been in New-York, as well as what I had written myself, there has been no exaggeration in this, as I hope your own judgement will convince you of, if ever we should have the pleasure of seeing you. My Daughters, who are old enough to show their friends what they have to expect from them are held up as a pattern by the parents of those they associate with; my eldest son George is with a teacher that was recommended by the Professor of the College, where he improves in all the branches to fit him for that Seminary. William is at a School, where he improves as well, but I think they would both be better to board with some middle aged Gentleman of genteel manners and good morals, that would keep them in more strict subjection than the tenderness of a Mother can do with Boys; this is a plan that is generally adopted by people in this City, and except you think it proper to send for them to be under your own care, I shall try to make up my mind to adopt this plan also, provided it meets your approbation, under which sanction I should have been happy to have taken every step that I have done, as it respects the Children and the Estate, and as it is, I am sure you will approve of what has been done; I speak in full confidence as one who has been influenced by the warmest affection, together with the most strict integrity to do justice to the confidence placed in me in the charge of this vast Estate, the statement of which, I had prepared to have sent you seven months ago, together with a reply to your last acceptable letter, but for the unhappy reasons I shall now state to you. I shall therefore address you under the same impression I ever had of your character, as to judgement, justice, candour, and a proper deliberation on every case you should decide on; all this I know you possess without flattery, I want no greater justice than this, it is seven years next October, since I have had the charge of this Estate and Family devolved on me, which duty I have discharged with every attention to the comfort and respectability of it, and the increase of the Estate, which when you come to examine, you will find could not have accumulated so much in any other hands but mine. Who could feel that interest for the property of the Children like the parent? and my every wish has been to promote their comfort, and they are truly deserving of it.—In this happy situation we have lived, and my greatest comfort has been in the pleasing gratification of fulfilling my duty in every respect; those endeavours have been smiled on by Heaven with great success, and what I wanted in judgement, I made up in caution by getting the best advice; it was all I had to attend to, it was my Business and my pleasure; I had the happiness to have the applause of all my fellow citizens, and Envy itself can alledge nothing to the contrary; in this happy situation we were until November last, when, to my astonishment, Mr Troup my Councellor called upon me, and said that Mr. Scott and Doctr Tillary had been with him, and expressed their wish to have Guardians for this estate, I exclaimed all amazement at the ingratitude and injustices of this, and immedeately asked him if it was possible he had changed his opinion, he said no, and that he had always thought me the best Guardian for the Children & Estate, and that he still was of that opinion, and owned that he had given me that advice. Immediately after your Brother's death I sent for Mr. Scott, he advised me to take Mr. Troup for my Councellor, I accordingly sent for him, and Informed him that he was chosen for that purpose, I gave him a genteel Fee and asked his advice, he recommended to me in the strongest manner to administer on the Estate, and not to think of Guardians, for many families had been ruined by them to his knowledge, and that the Ward's property was at a risk with the Guardians, and must go to pay his Creditors in case of failure, hearing this opinion, I determined to adopt what he advised; Mr. Scott had previous to this, in a slight manner, mentioned my having Guardians, but Mr. Troup had been so warmly recommended by him as Councellor, I conceived it no offence to take any advice he might give, he did not appear to oppose it in the least, and as the Business for several years has gone on with so much advantage to the Estate, and my name so well established for good management, I thought there was no dissenting voice, untill these two Gentlemen have surprized and distressed me with their propositions; I never knew that I was under any obligations to Mr. Scott for being my Security, untill Doctr. Tillary told me three years after it took place, or I should have acknowledged it with thanks; I know not why it was kept from me, neither did I know of Doctr. Tillary's being the same, untill he came forward with this distressing proposition and alledged his right to demand it for his own Security, since which time they have both acknowledged themselves to be entirely safe as to pecuniary risk. In the Winter, two or three months previous to this cruel request, I sent for Mr. Troup and told him it would be very gratifying to me to have the Books examined, he said it was his wish also, as he was in such bad health, and was going to live in the Country; he not being well it was neglected for a while, but when this affair took place, I insisted on Mr. Scotts choosing an Accountant and examining them at his own house, which was done, and a Certificate given by the Accountant and Mr. Troup that every Shilling was made the most of, and the Books kept in the most correct manner, and the Estate increas'd far beyond their expectation, but this you will see by the Statement I shall enclose, just as the Accountant gave it to Mr. Scott for me, also Mr. Troup's letter which he said I ought to have as a testimony of my good management, all of which I should have sent you early last Winter, but I had every reason to suppose that Doctr. T. & Mr. S. would put this business into execution immediately; after begging as for my life, I prevailed on them to give me leave to write to you, at which I was rejoiced, and hasten'd the Accountant to get the papers ready to send with the letter, when to my astonishment Doctr. Tillary told me some