“I send you, dear sister, by Lady Lansdowne this letter, accompanied with the only present that was ever sent me by that monster.  I beg you to return it immediately.  I am told he is preparing to come to London.  Let him know that ’tis not at all necessary for receiving his money or examining my accounts; he has nothing to do but to send a letter of attorney to whom he pleases (without exception), and I will readily deliver up what I have in my hands, and his presence will not obtain one farthing more:  his design then can only be to expose my letters here.  I desire you would assure him that my first step shall be to acquaint my Lord Stair[4] with all his obligations to him, as soon as I hear he is in London; and if he dares to give me further trouble, I shall take care to have him rewarded in a stronger manner than he expects; there is nothing more true than this; and I solemnly swear, that if all the credit or money that I have in the world can do it, either for friendship or hire, I shall not fail to have him used as he deserves; and since I know this journey can only be designed to expose me, I shall not value what noise is made.  Perhaps you may prevent it; I leave you to judge of the most proper method; ’tis certain no time should be lost; fear is his predominant passion, and I believe you may fright him from coming hither, where he will certainly find a reception very disagreeable to him.”

[Footnote 4:  John Dalrymple, second Earl of Stair (1673-1747), British Ambassador at Paris, 1715-1720.]

“September 6, 1721.

“I have consulted my lawyer, and he says I cannot, with safety to myself, deposit the money I have received into other hands, without the express order of Remond; and he is so unreasonable, that he will neither send a procuration to examine my accounts, or any order for me to transfer his stock into another name.  I am heartily weary of the trust, which has given me so much trouble, and can never think myself safe till I am quite got rid of it:  rather than be plagued any longer with the odious keeping, I am willing to abandon my letters to his discretion.  I desire nothing more of him than an order to place his money in other hands, which methinks should not be so hard to obtain, since he is so dissatisfied with my management; but he seems to be bent to torment me, and will not even touch his money, because I beg it of him.  I wish you would represent these things to him; for my own part, I live in so much uneasiness about it, that I sometimes weary of life itself.”

[October (?) 1721.]

“I cannot forbear (dear sister) accusing you of unkindness that you take so little care of a business of the last consequence to me.  R. [Remond] writ to me some time ago, to say if I would immediately send him L2,000 sterling, he would send me an acquittance.  As this was sending him several hundreds out of my own pocket, I absolutely refused it; and, in return, I have just received a threatening letter, to print