Captain Lachlan Macquarie,
to the
former Dutch Governor of Galle,
Dietrich Thomas Fretz.
29 March 1796.

Colombo 29th. March
1796.

My dear Sir,

I was honored with
your very friendly and most polite
letter of the 23d. Instant three days
ago; and beg you will be pleased
to accept of my most sincere thanks
for the very flattering and friendly
expressions of regard it conveys.

I consider myself peculiarly
fortunate in having gained and
Secured the friendship of so very
respectable a character as yourself;
and you may rest assured, Sir,
I shall ever have particular
pleasure and Satisfaction in
cultivating and maintaining
a friendly correspondence with you.

The friendly, kind, good wishes,
you have been pleased to
express for the welfare and
happiness of Mrs. Macquarie and
myself, are highly gratifying
and flattering; and you
may believe me they are
perfectly reciprocal on our
part towards yourself and
every individual of your
amiable Family; to all
of whom I sincerely wish every
success and Prosperity
through life. — I shall gladly avail
myself, when any occasion
requires it, of your polite and
friendly offer of good offices in
this part of the World; — and
I shall be happy, if ever you
should have occasion to
honor me so far, to return
these good offices, either at
Bombay or wherever else
I may happen to be stationed hereafter
in India. —

It affords me a very great
pleasure to find, from a late conversation
I had the honor of having with General
Stuart, that he has been able to allow
your own Civil Court of Justice
to take Cognizance of your Daughter's
present very unpleasant and unhappy
situation with her Husband Mr.
Vanspall; and I trust an
eternal separation will very shortly
be the consequence. — Genl. Stuart,
when I last had the honor of
dining with him, was so good
as to say to me, that he would
go great lengths to oblige you, as
he had a very great respect
and esteem for your character.

I have been a good deal
hurried ever since my arrival
here, and I am still very much
so, owing to my speedy approaching
departure from Hence. —

The Jane Transport arrived
here yesterday from Galle, and
sails again tomorrow for
the Malabar Coast. — The Left
Wing of the 77th. Regiment, which
I have the honor to command,
embarks and proceeds on her
to Calicut; whither the
Right Wing is already gone.

The hurry I am in, I hope, will
apologize to you for the shortness
of this Letter; but I shall endeavour
to make amends by writing you
a longer one from Bombay
on my arrival there. —

In the meantime, with Sentiments
of sincere esteem and regard, I have
the honor to be,

Sir,
Your Obliged and
faithful Hble. Servt.

L. Macquarie.

To
D. F. Fretz Esqr.
late Commandeur,
&c. &c. of Galle.

Source:
Lachlan Macquarie to Dietrich Thomas Fretz: 29 March 1796.
Original held in Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW [Sydney].
ML Reference: A788 pp. 213-216 [CY Reel 304: #451-#454].

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