Utica November 3d. 1830

Dear Brother

Your very acceptable present of Grapes and Pears arrived here on Saturday last. Thus have we again been favored with the valuable products of your Garden. The Letter accompanying the box which continued the account of your Susan's indisposition however threw a gloom over us while at the same time we found that the cause of our regret had been the means of depriving us of the pleasure of seeing you& our Friend the Judge at Oriskany. It is now too late in the Season to indulge a hope of the visit even if we were still at our old dwelling but in consquence of the wishes of our Children and Friends & other causes we have been induced to leave Oriskany for the Winter and taken up our residence with our Son Bleecker, in this place having left the care of the House & to a faithful Englishman & his Wife who live in the Kitchen & who have both been in our service before they were married, for some time, so that from our knowledge of their integrity and care we thought we could confide in them; I have to acknowledge Dear Brother, with some degree of contrition, that the Letter which came with the first Box of Fruit, still remains unanswered, and to confess the truth I had put off writing an answer from Day to Day, until I felt ashamed to write so long after the receipt of your kind present, for which culpable neglect I can now only crave your pardon. Having left that unanswered letter at

... is correct, it contains a gross & unfounded libel, for it sarcastically states, and with considerable acumen, that I fell overboard on my way trip from Albany whereas I can adduce abundant proof that while standing on the towing path near the Canal the tow Rope caught my legs and I fell in the Canal partly under the Boat. Your Letter therefore totally misstates the fact, for it is eviden that I fell under Board instead of .

Mary joins in Love to Susan and all the members of the family both in, and out of Albany.

Your affectionate Brother

G.G. Lansing

Note:
Gerrit Lansing was able to return to Oriskany, dying there the following June 8th, at the age of 70.