The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-09
THE RENssELAERwYCK TROUBLES.

A correspondent Of the New York Tribune, gives
the following history of the facts connected with the
recent refusal Of the tenants Rensselaer, lands TO
pay their rents
The Van Rensselaer, family having acquired title
TO what is known as the Manor of Rensselerwyck
offered to lease the (subJivded into farms or
lols In perpetuy reservlng certain rents and subj CT
TO other covenants and agreements perfectly consis
tent with the laws Of the Government then and
since. No consideration paid by the tenant TO
the landlord nor was any TO be paid until after
years, when the stipulated rent was TO be paid One
of the privileges to the tenant was, that he should
Joy the land for the first years, upon the pay
ment Of pepper barley corn, if demanded ; and
after the expiration of the seven years, then the sill
pulated rent became payable. The wealth of the
ale PATRON enabled him TO live and to carry out 10
certain extent his benevolent purposes, and his in
come, if his rents had been rigdy exacted and paid
every year, would have been abundant for all the OBJ
ecs which claimed his charities But his rents were
not paid and yet he did not withhold his benev Violence
He borrowed the money TO fulfil all his express i'm
piled charitable engagements; and this was the be-
ginning of his indebtedness, which has from year To
year increased until the time Of his death, confident
that if the arrears OF rent were paid his debts could
be paid from that source alone. Upon the money
thus borrowed he paid interest, but did not at that
time exact UT receive interest on his rents. The
interest thus paid amounted to large sum aDnu-
ally; as payment of this interest would not have
been necessary, If his rents in arrear had been paid
1t was in fact paying the amount Of that interest
annually for his tenants. Thus ii will be
that he ndulyent-indeed indugent to his
own injury, and his devisees reapng the bit
ter fruits of this indulgence by refusal of many
(no ally of the tenants to pay their of rent,
and from the censures of some not conversant with
the merits of the case, who assume upon themselves
not only to sympathise with the tenants, who array
themselves against the due execution of process is
suing out Of our courts, and resist the fufment Of
their legal obligations, and thus aggravate, rather
than aay, the unwa rantable excitement existing
among many of the tenants.
The PATRON by his will gave the West Manor to
Stephen and the East Manor to William, and be-
queathed the rents specifically for the pay
ment OF his debts and if the arrears Of rent when
collected should prove insufficient for the payment Of
his debts, then the deficiency charged upon the
SAID Manors. The PATRON died in January 1890
his will was duly proven, and letters testamentary is
sued thereon and notices published in all the news
papers printed in both the counties Of Albany and
Rensselaer, requesting all indebted to the estate to
pay such ind btedness which notice also posted
IN all the taverns and other public places in both cou-
ties; and letters also addressed TO most of the
tenants by name, requesting them to in and pay
their arrears Of rent, and which have been repeated
at least ten times in many The tenants IN the
county OF Albany who refused to pay their arrears of
rent, alleged that the PATRON had no title
to the land at the time he leased or that his title eI.
tended but TO twelve miles each side of the river
not before committee of tenants was appointed
to take the legal opinion of eminent lawyers in the
city OF Albany on the question of title and also Of
Daniel Cady, Esq who then resided in Johnstown;
and all the opinions concurred in pronouncng the II
tie perfect Yet many of the tenants refused to pay
and then alleged that the covenants in the lea es
were grevous and oppressive.