Sherwood Forest
May 21. 1852

My Dear Sir;
Mr Saml B. Carey who is directly
from the vicinity of the land in Kentucky
and in fact is a principal agent in the 
working of the adjoining coal mines, will
bear this letter to Richmond to be there
mail'd.  He gives me a description of 
the coal deposits on the land vastly exceeding any
thing I had supposd.  He says that there
are some 500 acres underlaid with coal
and that he thinks and in fact has no 
doubt but that there are from 5 to 7 strata
of coal of the finest quality from the first stratum
beginning near the surface and the last 
being some 300 feet below.  Three different
seams he says have been disclosed by 
himself independent of a vien of Kenel
coal.  I had supposed that a single seam 
of 5 feet constituted the whole of it.  He estimates
the coal on the land at 50,000,000 bushells.
If a sale cannot be affected I think strongly
of letting the mines be worked at half a cent
per bushell by a company if one can be
organiz'd.  This would yield $1000 per acre
and a million of bushells could be rais'd

annually.  All this however does in no degree
vary my desire to sell the property, and if $20,000
can be got it is better it should be sold.  The 
interest accruing is large, and a few years delay
would augment the outlay and interest
on the sums expended to a larger amount
than it might command. The bargains offerd
to capitalists in the purchase never was
greater.  Of that I am sure.
I thought I would give you the above
information derivd from Mr Casey as it
would enable you more successfully to 
operate in the matter.  My health I
hope is gradually improving, altho I am
still an invalid.  We have sufferd excessively
in our crops for the want of rain and
the fly had threatend sad havoc with
our wheat but a rain two nights ago
has given a new face to things, and I begin
to hope for better results than were anticipated
by my brother farmers a few
days ago. I hope that little Henry 
has got the better of the measles and that
all are now well at Staten Island.  With 
best and affectionate regards to all

Yrs Truly
J. Tyler

Col. D.L. Gardiner

J. Tyler

Col. David L. Gardiner
Castleton
Staten Island
New York