Florida 9^th March 1835
My dear Henry
Yours of the first inst. was duly
received, in which you stated that the
Judgment of the Supreme Court in the
road cause would be pronounsed that
week and that you would inform me
of the result. The expectation of this
information has caused my delay
in writing. I have anxiously examined
every Mail until friday last, like a Bee
from the hive I crawled out in a very
pleasant day to Goshen. Van Duser tells
me it is not and probably ^will not^ be reported
until May, and that there is like to be
enormous bills of Cost. Will you attend
to this – see that Justice is done – and write
me as soon as the result is settled, I have
made Van Duser some payments.
We lament very much your not
writing, our anxiety has been so great
to learn the state of health of our dear F,
that we hardly know how to wait[ . ]

You state that after the marriage of A. Clara
the cares & business of the family devolved
on her. My dear children this ought not to
be. It will never do – feeble and diseased
as she is, the least exercise or strech of mind
is calculated to debilitate and throw her
back. At whatever expense it may be
it is your duty to provide suitable per-
sons to take charge of the house[ . ] You seem
impresed with a belief that traveling
will be beneficial – This under any circum-
stances of your business ought to be attended
to. I have become so well convinsed of
it in referance to Mama and myself that
if I live through the inclement spring I
intend to close my business as early as
possible – spend the summer west north
and east, and the winter at the South[ . ]
And nothing would give us so great
pleasure as to have Judge Miller Frances and
yourself with us. I have been this whole
winter confined to the house. This for
me is the hardest work I ever did. I am
now so debilitated that I can stand nothing
I daily see the necessity of your supervision
and attentions to my business think of this.

After the receipt of your letter, as before,
I took the greatest possible pains to assertain
from G.W. the extent location & nature of the
debts against him. This information he has
to this moment neglected and refused to give
me. I have talked and advised with him
in the most fealing manner I possibly could
have prevailed on him to sell at vendor $407
worth of young Cattle have [ bot ] some Cows of
him myself & Saturday before the snow
they started to Dr L. to ask assistance with a
promis from me that I would lend a help-
ing hand and more to set him erect.
This I could do most cheerfully if I could
discover the least prospect of his being be-
nefited by it – but without a total change
in his habits a mint of money would be no
use to him. He is generous kind hearted
ready to assist all his neighbors ready to
visit all his friends, to attend every meeting
of every description far & near to buy any
thing his eyes looks upon and promises to pay
but never ready to take caire of his proper-
ty or do anything for himself. In the spring
of 1833 he had a farm in the best repair & cul-
tivation – would rent for $600 per an; Flocks
and implements worth $1200 and an unbound-
ed credit. Now his farm out of repair – his pro-
perty reduced to nothing, not provisions to

last a month and according to the best
information I can get a $1000 in debt – and
the Idlest carelessest man I ever was acquainted
with. This you will say affords but a
poor prospect for assistance. If your bu-
siness calls you to A. or NY this spring I thought
you might be of some Service adieu SSSeward
E.P. Is a Tide Waiter at B. Town Salary $14 moves
his family first of April. His farm rented at 325
dol per an. In our absence his rent sold for nothing
destroyed and drunk up almost the whole tim-
ber that was on the two farms. Demands against
him are now continually coming in. The end of this I
know not you may have to see it, I shall not[ . ]
William H Seward Esq
AuburnCayuga Co
Florida March 9th Mail
S.S. Seward 9 March 1835