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I have not answered your last letter & now wish to do so,
or rather to say that you ought to continue to write whether answered
in regular order or not. I will not however renew the old
complaint of your neglect of home interests, inasmuch as you have
so intirely concentrated your affections at another point. I wish
however to give this letter a business complication & will at once
get upon the course. I will first say that I am somewhat dissatisfied
at the delay on the part of the parties concerned in the matter
of the reports of sale of Morven. They I understand were not
made. Who is in fault I am not advised. I certainly expected to
have the sale confirmed in the report at the late session of court
Edward says in a late letter that the surveyor had not his report
ready. I shall feel reluctant to move out before the sale is confirmed.
Please in your next inform me when the next session of yr
superioir court will take place. I shall even hesitate to do much
upon the farm untill the court acts upon the sale. I had intended
to send out during the winter a lot of fruit trees to have a new
orchard planted, but will now decline doing so. I expect to come
out to the sale, all things favouring my journey & will perhaps
get to Charlottesville on the Friday or Saturday preceeding the
sale, say the 11th or 12th inst. I forgot to enquire about the
prospect of hiring farm hands in your county, the rates etc. If yo [OMITTED]
have any means by which to gain information upon that subject try
& be able to inform me. I shall perhaps purchase at the sale a
portion of the servants, but owing to the high preces, not so many
as I may want. There is a report here that a considerable decline
has taken place in the prices of servants in the cities. I think
however that it will be safer to hire hands at 100$ pr An. than to
pay 1000$ for them, looking alone at profits, but there are other
considerations operating quite as potent.

I dont know that I have informed you of the sale of my
town property. I sold home to Dr. Mott for 1950$ & the adjoining
Brick at 700$. Our stock of goods is being run off at cost etc
pretty fast, & I am in treaty for the sale of broad run, & perhaps
Goshen may be sold before we leave. I think myself fortunate in
the time of sale. Lands are up & wheat etc. all in the ascendant.
Our friends express much regret at our contemplated move. I believ [OMITTED]
many are very sincere. Some have declared a desire to go with us.
W. H. Gray said he would sell out & go & thought Albemarle the
most desirable place in the State. The Hardings are quite discons [OMITTED]
late etc etc ad in.—

I write Mary a longish letter which I thought would bring
a prompt response, in that I have been so far frustrated.

I am glad to hear by Edwards letter that your health is
improving, & that you are getting on admirably. If your position
will promote your happiness and will afford you the means of dispensing
happiness to others, and of advancing moral improvement,
my highest wishes will be gratified, & the measure of my ambition

will be filled. Let your great success stimulate you to greater
effort, feeling all the time your dependence upon, as well as
your vast obligation to, your Heavenly Father, who has so signally
blessed you.

Accept my increasing love for yourself & our dear Mary
& let Edward share a large portion. from yours