He told me he could not tell exactly to what degree the plantation was improved; but this he knew, that my partner was grown exceeding rich upon the enjoying his part of it; and that, to the best of his remembrance, he had heard that the king’s third of my part, which was, it seems, granted away to some other monastery or religious house, amounted to above two hundred moidores a year: that as to my being restored to a quiet possession of it, there was no question to be made of that, my partner being alive to witness my title, and my name being also enrolled in the register of the country; also he told me that the survivors of my two trustees were very fair, honest people, and very wealthy; and he believed I would not only have their assistance for putting me in possession, but would find a very considerable sum of money in their hands for my account, being the produce of the farm while their fathers held the trust, and before it was given up, as above; which, as he remembered, was for about twelve years.
Circa poi ad obbiezioni per tornare a possesso del vostro, mi pare fuor di dubbio che non ne incontrerete, tanto più che vive il vostro socio per attestare il vostro diritto, e d’altronde il vostro nome e iscritto nel registro di popolazione di quel paese.» A mio maggiore conforto aggiunse, che gli eredi de’ miei fidecommissari erano persone da bene e ricchissime; onde non solo m’avrebbero assistito negli atti da farsi per la ricuperazione delle mie sostanze, ma avevano del mio nelle mani una ragguardevole somma, formata dalla metà delle rendite della mia piantagione ricevute dai padri loro prima della morte, onde, come si è detto, i diritti su tali proprietà vennero ceduti a nuovi usufruttuari.