To George Washington from William Washington, 20 April 1793
From William Washington
Sandy-Hill [S.C.] April 20th 1793
Sir
Finding it impracticable to remit the balance due for the covering of Royal-Gift in Bills from the Branch of the Bank of the United States established in Charleston, I have herewith forwarded a Bill drawn by Prestman & Calhoun upon Wm Bell of Philadelphia for six hundred & seventy eight Dollars & 64/100. I have also enclosed Mr Freazer’s list of the Mares & Jennies sent to Royal-Gift together with his charges & those of James Allen.1
Royal-Gift has not & am apprehensive that it will be a considerable time before he will be entirely recover’d from the effects of his journey to this Country. He has been affected with a stiffness in his joints & a periodical lameness ever since his arrival here except about four weeks last Fall, to which may be ascribed the impossibility of getting him fat notwithstanding the greatest care & attention has been applied. To his not being in good order may also be attributed a large proportion of the Mares & She-asses which were sent to him last Season not being in Foal, altho he apparently performed very well the services required of him. This circumstance has diminished considerably the rage of sending Mares to him. He has been stiff in his joints, lame & poor all the Spring, in so much that I have not advertis’d him for covering; but as he is now getting in better order, am in hope that he will be in a situation to perform the duties which will be demanded of him in the Month of June. If it should be your wish as I am sure it will be your interest to let him remain in this Country untill he gets perfectly sound I shall with the greatest pleasure take charge of him: with respect to the trouble I don’t consider it any & as to the expence it is too trifling to be noticed.2
Mrs Washington3 joins me in best Respects to you & your Lady. I am Sir with much Respect yr Very Obedt Servt
W. Washington
ALS, PPRF; ALS (photocopy), DLC:GW.
1. For GW’s instructions to William Washington, who was responsible for the care and breeding of GW’s jackass Royal Gift, see GW to W. Washington, 30 Jan. 1793. William Prestman and William Calhoun were merchants and business partners in Charleston, S.C. (see also William Washington to GW, 6 Jan. 1794, PPRF; [photocopy], DLC:GW). GW successfully secured payment from Philadelphia merchant William Bell (see GW to William Washington, 9 Feb. 1794, ADfS, DLC:GW, and LB, DLC:GW). John Freazer (Frazer; Fraser) owned a tavern and land on the Ashley River in St. Andrew’s Parish near Charleston (, 6:133–34). For Freazer’s involvement in the care and breeding of Royal Gift, James Allen’s role in transporting Royal Gift from Mount Vernon to South Carolina in the fall of 1791, both men’s bills, and the fee for Royal Gift’s covering service, see William Washington to George Augustine Washington, 15 Oct. 1792, in note 1 of GW to W. Washington, 30 Jan. 1793. Freazer’s “A list of Mears and Jeney Sent to the Roil Gift at five guineas a Mear and Six guineas Ech Jeney” of 12 April 1793, which delineates the number of coverings and identifies the owners of each female serviced, indicates a gross income of £269.14. This list was accompanied by the 14 July 1791 account of James Allen’s expenses of £38 and Freazer’s bill for £73.7. William Washington’s calculations show a profit of £158.7 that was equal to $678.64 (Accounts and Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Royal Gift, 1792–95, ICHi; [photocopy], ViMtvL).
2. Royal Gift remained in South Carolina until his death in 1796 (see William Washington to GW, 23 July 1796, ALS, PHi: Gratz Collection).
3. William Washington’s wife was Jane Reiley Elliott Washington.