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appear, that the arrears which became due to her Ladyship during the said five years, did not, on an average, amount to 800l. a-year, whereas the arrears which became due to her Ladyship during the minority of her son, amounted on an average to more than 1100l. a-year.—It was a fact, and in proof, that Lady Rachel herself never interfered in business, from the time her son came of age, till his death in July 1763; and during the said period of five years, she was so ill as to be totally incapable of attending to any sort of business; and that though her health grew much better, during the latter part of her son's life, her son, or his steward Mr. Bryan, had the sole direction of her Ladyship's affairs till July 1763. That they settled her housekeeper's accounts, and concealed from her Ladyship the pressing demands of her tradesmen, and the slowness and scantiness of the payments made to her use; so that no neglect or laches could possibly be imputed to Lady Rachel before her son's death. It was a fact, and in proof, that Mr. William Morgan grew every year more and more distressed in his affairs; that besides various sums borrowed by him on bond, he in the year 1762 mortgaged the manor of Peterstone, and a small estate of inheritance, both together, not then of the gross value of 300l. a-year, for securing the re-payment of 2000l. although the estate, so mortgaged, stood at that time charged with a clear annuity of 200l. a-year to his tutor.—It was a fact, and in proof, that so far was William Morgan from paying the large annuity of 2000l. a year regularly to his mother, that on the contrary, he did not even pay the above small annuity of 200l. to his tutor, of which last annuity there was an arrear due of 600l. at his decease; which arrear, together with the annuity growing due afterwards to the tutor, to the amount of 1800l. in all, had been paid off by Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who had likewise paid off the said mortgage of [46] 2000l. and its interest.—It was a fact, and in proof, that Mr. Bryan left Lady Rachel's tradesmen two years unpaid at a time, and that the rent of the bouse in which her Ladyship lived, was often upwards of three years in arrear; and that her housekeeper complained in vain of the cruelty of this usage.—It was a fact, and in proof, that Mrs. Brompton became her Ladyship's housekeeper in the year 1756; that in a letter dated the 29th of May 1762, to Bryan, there are the following passages: "It is not in my power to comprehend which way my Lady Rachel's jointure is to be paid, when I do not draw for near the whole sum." And at the end of the said letter, she says, "It is using my Lady Rachel very cruelly." That in another letter to Bryan, dated the 10th of August 1762, there is the following passage: "It is hard my Lady Rachel's credit should suffer so much, when her Ladyship does not for six years past spend near her right." That in another letter to Bryan, dated the 2d of October 1762, there is this passage: "Since I had the honour to serve the family, you are in arrear to my Lady Rachel Morgan betwixt 4000l. and 5000l." That in a letter dated the 16th of December 1762, from Mr. Elcock to Mr. Morgan, concerning the rent of the house in which Lady Rachel lived, there is the following passage: "Many applications have been made for the payment of it, without effect; and the reason given for not discharging this demand is, your steward's not paying what is annually due from you to her Ladyship, by which means there are many demands unsatisfied, and her Ladyship greatly distressed." That in another letter from Mrs. Brompton to Bryan, dated the 15th of January 1763, there are the following passages:
If her Ladyship was to know that I cannot get money to pay her bills in two years, nor any but what I am obliged to borrow, to pay for a hundred things in a year, besides the landlord is so pressing to be paid the house-rent at his house, that I am not sure what the consequence may be, as there is two years to pay last 25th of December; and he informed me, that he had wrote to Mr. Morgan, but had no answer, which makes him greatly out of patience. I, for my part, am quite tired out, and with all my heart, that I could have nothing to do with it; his Honour, when last in town, was pleased to say, money should be remitted up constantly to pay every bill, and enough to carry on the year; if her Ladyship was to know how she is used, I don't doubt but she would take a method to right herself; but I am kept under hatches, lest acquainting her Ladyship, it should give her great trouble, which I should be very sorry to do; but it may be obliged to come to that when I have nothing to do with it, as my good Lady is very sensible, that she has wherewith to please herself if duly paid, and to do justice to every one, and a great deal more than her Ladyship spends; therefore it's too bad that her credit should suffer as much as it does.—
And it was a fact, and in proof,
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