To George Washington from William Ramsay, 30 July 1757
From William Ramsay
Alexandria July 30th 1757
Dr Sir
I wrote you in answer to both yours about the Mines to which referr1—I am now to address you on a more interesting, but a more disagreable Subject.
Know Sr that I have been extreamly unfortunate in all my affairs, which has greatly emberrass’d me, in Ordr to remedy which, I have made Application to the Monied ones My Ld Fx, Mr Speaker, Mr Corbin, Mr Cary & many others without success, which I put to the Account of my perverse fortune, not their want of ability to serve me.
As I hope a share in your friendship, permit me to request of you the loan of Two hundred or £250 before or at Octr Gen. Court next, for which you shall be secur’d; you will do a very singular service to me without prejudice I hope to your self & also add to the many obligations I am already under, from your great inclination & desire to serve me, & tho. hitherto without success, yet calls for my gratefull acknowledgemts.2 We may now depend on the Arrival of the Fleet at Halifax. A report prevails with great probability of truth that Prusia has taken Prague in which he found 250 p[iece]s of Cannon & made Upwards of 12000 Prisrs. May Fortune attend him & victory wait his Banners ’till he humble the proud & crush the ingratefull & that you may triumph over your Enimies & succeed in all your enterprizes is the sincere wish of my Dr Sir Your very Afft. H. Servt
Wm Ramsay
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Neither of GW’s letters has been found. Only one letter from Ramsay referring to the mines, that of 15 July 1757, has been found.
2. According to GW’s ledger, he lent Ramsay £80 on 22 Aug. 1757 and £70 on 20 September (, folio 48). For GW’s earlier unsuccessful attempts to have Ramsay made commissary for the Virginia Regiment, see GW to Dinwiddie, 9, 24 Nov. 1756, and Dinwiddie to GW, 16 Nov., 15 Dec. 1756. When Ramsay was made contractor for the troops in Frederick and Hampshire counties in early fall, GW seems not to have had a part (see John Kirkpatrick to GW, 17 Sept. 1757).