It is peculiarly unfortunate that the Treaty has not yet reachd Ameria. on the 19 November it was sign’d, and the vessel which brings the King of Englands speach left London 5 Jan’ry in that he announces the conclusion of a Treaty with America, and that the States General of the united Provinces were carrying on negotiation with France for Peace.1 I believe he will find however dissagreeable that his Ministers must enter into negotiations with the ruling powers—or have the whole Force of France leveld against his kindom

I inclose our Sons Letters to you [I wo]uld have done it before, but I thought as JQA mentiond publick [dis]patches by this vessel from Rotterdam, that it was likly he had written to you, and then I wishd to keep them to answer them by a vessel going to Hamburg which I have done. just as you are about to rise a flood of Buisness will pour in upon you. Col Humphries’s arrival portends some matters of concequence

I should have been exceeding happy to have had you here at the time mentiond, but think your reason just, and judicious for remaining at a Time of such expectation as you will not be here, I shall go to Town, and accept one or other of the pressing invitations I have received from thence to keep thanksgiving there. You cannot but remark that each of our Thoughts run in the same channel. in many instances we have been expressing the same sentiments at the same time as may be calld the Tellegraph of the Mind— if it were not for the altercation which the Jacobin clubs occasion, we should have an unruffeld scene throughout the united states. all our Country growing Rich, except the publick Drudges, and the Ministers of the Gospel.

I have so little interesting to communicate to you in my Letters, that your anxiety to receive them, can arise from no other Scource than a desire to know weekly that I am not Sick. even the canker worm and Caterpillar do not yet furnish a Subject. I believe our 387 388 present Tennants mean to remain an other Year I have directed them to cut & cart to each House two cords of pine wood which they have nearly compleated. that with the Brush they may get will supply them for the Dairy Buisness

Dr Tufts meets with difficulty in procuring the fenceing stuff, as the Swamps have not been sufficiently frozen to get it out. there is a vessel now going to Philadelp[hia] the Abbe captain Davis, by which mr Brisler may ship such things as I wrote for2

I yesterday received yours—29 Janry Febry 1 & 2 together with mr Jays Letter. the contents are agreable

The Weather here is mild the Ground Bare. Febry has been a cloudy Month ever since it came in. my Love to mrs otis cousin Betsy &c—and my Respects to Mrs Washington

Your ever affectionate

I received your favor of the eleventh yesterday. Mrs Smith has quite recovered from her illness and is doing very well

Our electioneering campaign was opened in due form last monday that is to say that The Freeholders of this City were called together to hear who were the men whom Ricd Harrison Robt Troup and Josiah Ogden Hoffman would chuse to have made Govr and Lt Govr of the State.1 The next evening there was another meeting where The Livingstons proposed their officers. The result is that on one side Mr Jay and Mr Van Rensalaer are started and on the other Messrs Yates and Floyd;2 nothing now remains to be done but for 389 each party to endeavour to out lie out villify and out detract the other To crop laurels e’en from the brows of friends to adorn the heads of their respective candidates Mr Yates though Chief Justice of this State is a man of no respectability of character He will sit tipling from morning to night in the dirtiest bar room of a tavern playing backgammon or checkers with the lowest of its inhabitants yet he is a great favorite with many people and will have more votes perhaps than Clinton had at the last election. Mr Floyd I need say nothing of you know him much better than I do. But where is Mr Bur[r?] I am inclined to believe he has some deep […] scheme to outwit them all or that he does not intend to stand his election. The Livingstons hate Burr and he hates them so that there will be no cordiallity between those Champions.

We shall send you as Representative from Washington and Saratoga District one Genl Williams who a few years since was turned out of our State Senate for perjury and peculation but who has been since constantly returned as a Senator and is now elected by a very large majority.3 what a glorious specimen of the virtue of the State of New York!!!

The contemplation upon such elections affords nothing but melancholy reflections. I do not suppose the people will grow more virtuous or have less knaves to deceive them hereafter than they have at present.

With real affection I am your son