Scope and Contents He only received his mother's letter of 10 September 1804 8 days ago; he hopes that this letter will not take as long as the last to arrive. He recounts the bad luck he has had with the seven casks of wine she sent him: some was lost at sea, and the rest was mostly taken by the exorbitant fees that apply to this kind of merchandise in the colony. He also suspects that his mother was cheated in the purchase, judging from the bill. He is no longer in New Orleans. For about five months he has...