Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER V 1740 A
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE November 14, 1834
AUTHOR Richard R. Voris
RECIPIENT Pierre Van Cortlandt II
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE William Underhill, Philip G. Van Wyck, Jere. Lewis,
PLACES Ossining (“Sing Sing”),Albany, Peekskill
KEYWORDS influenza, meadows, dykes, repairs of dykes, ravages of rats on
dykes, “unusual high tide”, storm of 1833 destroyed dykes and
ruined meadows,
Gen’l R Van Cortlandt Sing SIng Nov 14 1834.
Dear Sir
For the last week + more, I have been almost / laid up with the influenza; but have made out to get over to the Point,, + have had an interview with Mr. Underhill. / William seems to be willing to state frankly his Knowledge / on the Subject of inquiry; But, I must confess, I was ?so / affected? Rather disappointed in the relation he gave me, + / more Especially, his own news + opinions on the subject / of the Meadows + dykes: He recollects calling on you in the / winter of 1833, respecting the dykes, + informing you that they / wanted repairing the next Spring; And that you requested / him to Examine, + see to the repairing of them +c — and he / says, he tried to see Philip Van Wyck about the repairs, but / he could not obtain an interview; nor did he have / any communication with VanWyck, himself, on the Subject; / But he says, that Jere: Lewis told him that Van / Wyck was going to repair the Dykes, and upon that / he write to you; and he thinks, he probably, wrote you that Philip Van Wyck said he would repair them himself / without saying to you that he had this from Lewis. /
Then he goes on to say: that Philip V Wyck did g–? / ?? repair the dykes that Spring but how thoroughly /
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He does not know; but says, that Van Wyck has Lewis / + other men then at work at the dykes for, off + on, for / several months, – + refers to Lewis, who he says, can tell more / about the condition + repairs of the Dykes then any other / person - But Underhill said that in the fall of that / year (1833) after Philip had made the repairs, then came / an unusually high tide, and rushed in upon the meadows / + tore up the Dykes, + Left then in a very ruinous / condition, since when, Van Wyck has done nothing to / them – + he says it will cost many 100s Dollars to / repair __ this tide he describes as very unusual / one __ Underhill seems to be impressed with the idea, / himself, that the dykes cannot he kept up, of latter years, as formerly, he says, the Muskrats abound so / much more, + so work in, + make holes continually, / that it is almost impofsible to guard ag’t the injury / they produce __ I urged him, that your brother / was able to keep up the dykes + protect the meadows: / tho’ he admits, with some qualification, [viz. then?] / in the latter part of his life, he says, the increased / ravages of the rats, made head so far ag’t repair, / that the meadows in many places had consider / -ably deteriorated.
To my Enquiries, [distinctly] made, / whether Van Wyck had taken the same care __ repaired /
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The dykes to the same Extent + [Effisently], as your / brother did in his life time __ he can answer no / further, he says, than that Van Wyck has worked / more or less Every year, till this; but how much he / can’t tell; + refers to Lewis _ Underhill volunteered / the observation, that in his opinion Van Wyck / had never received as much profit from the meadows / as he had been at Expense of repairs __ I have Endeavor / -ed as far as I can, in this mode of Communication, to / give you the substance of Underhill statement –
I am afraid he w’d be but a poor stick of a witness / the man seems to be set against such kind of meadows / say-[page torn] his own, he can’t keep up _ the rats plague him / and [page torn] such stuff _ not that his opinion would [counter/coulor?] / the question __ But his unfavorable imprefsion against the / meadows, makes him view Philip Van Wyck’s conduct / in a more favorable light, I think, than he w’d other / wise __ and inclines him to attribute the disaster to / the Dykes lefs, to Philip’s neglect, than he w’d if he / had a different opinion of the praticability of Protecting / the meadows by fair + proper repairs. __ but when / we meet I will more fully comment __ Lewis I have / not be able to see yet _ but shall in a day or two – / The [Proofs] in Part’: but, has been served on / all here; + is but to Albany to serve on / Mr. V. Renssalear +c —
Most respectfully your +c
R. R. Voris
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[ADDRESS]
Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Peeks KillTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
