Your Letter of the 17th. Inst.1 came to hand Yesterday. On my Return from Schenectady the Day before, I recd. yours by Capt. Bogart— the Ice still detains his Sloop below—

Mr. Church may change the Glass at my Expence, but I should prefer having it done in the Spring ^rather^ than during the Winter, for I think it would then be better done. Let the carriage way by the Gate be paved with square Stone as you propose; and that either by the workmen of the Corporation, or others, as on Enquiry you may find most advantageous. I am satisfied with Mr. Green’s arrangemt for paying his Bond.

We are much obliged by Mrs. Cortlandt’s ready and friendly Attention to your Sister’s Cloak— if the Money you advanced should be insufficient, pay the Balance—or in other words, settle the Account. I doubt your having an opportunity of sending them by water— If not bring them with you, unless a very good opportunity of sending them should sooner offer— Delay is generally better than Risque— Your Punctuality and attention give us all much Pleasure. Little Sally is delighted with your Letter—2 Wm. seems a little hurt at what he thinks a Preference in favor of Sally— he has been dictating to Mama a Letter to You, which one of these Days will be finished and sent to You.3

I wrote to You lately by Mr. Wills—4 among other things for another Franklin, which I ^now^ suspect the Ice will not permit any of the Sloops to bring here.5

The Impressions made at New York by the late Proceedings of the Directory are similar to those which I find are made here, and probably throughout the U.S. in greater or lesser Degrees. That Transaction justifies Conclusions which strike me as being important—vizt. If the great and influential Leaders of the vanquished Party are perjured Traitors, it evinces that an extensive and corrupt Defection exists in France. If they are innocent, it follows that the Govt. of that Country is possessed by Men who do not deserve the Confidence either of that or of any other Country … In either case, there must be in the Republic an unprecedented & unparalled Degree ^want^ of virtue—

Remember to pay Capt. Farquhar what I owe him— I also owe yr. uncle Fœdy above £100, and he doubtless wd. be glad to recieve any part of it on acct.— Pay ^him^ as you find yourself in cash, and by no means expose yourself to Inconveniences on that head— You can depend only on what you have in Hand— future Payments like most other future things may be prevented or delayed by Contingencies not in our power to foresee or obviate— Your uncle can have no Reason to complain of Delay, even if he shd. not be pd. this winter. I am Dr Peter your affte. Father