To George Washington from David Stuart, 7 January 1793
From David Stuart
Ge: town 7th Jany 93
Dear Sir,
Agreeable to your request in your late letter to me, I now send you a list of all the sales both public & private, which have been made in the city of Washington.1 The persons whose names are opposite to the red crosses, bid at our desire: these lots of course remain with us—The square bought by Mr Blodget, was in the same situation, ‘till his last visit here, when he agreed to take it on himself, and gave us reasons to expect he would set about improving it immediately—It is yet doubtfull, whether he may not allso take those opposite to N:B: in red2—It was my wish to have sent you the list at the first of our meeting; but our Clerks have been so much engaged, that I have not been able to get it made out sooner. I am with the greatest respect Your affecte Servt
Dd Stuart.
ALS, DLC:GW. GW received this letter on 10 Jan. (see 7).
1. Stuart apparently was responding to a request that GW had made in his letter to Stuart of 30 November. Although the enclosed list has not been identified, GW already had received a considerable amount of information about the sale of lots in the Federal City. For the sale of October 1791, see Stuart to GW, 19 Oct., nn.1–2, and D.C. Commissioners to GW, 21 Oct. 1791. For a summary of the sale of October 1792, see D.C. Commissioners to GW, 13 Oct. 1792, n.1. For “private bargains” agreed to since the public sale in October 1792, see Stuart to GW, 10 Dec. 1792, and note 3.
2. For Samuel Blodget, Jr.’s purchase of square 688 near the proposed site of the U.S. Capitol, see D.C. Commissioners to GW, 13 Oct. 1792, and note 2. Nathan Bond was one of several Boston speculators who had purchased lots near the site designated for the President’s House (see Stuart to GW, 10 Dec. 1792, and note 3).