Friday 5th. Thermometer at 50 in the Morning—70 at Noon and 67 at Night. Clear all day with the Wind at South.
Rid to all the Plantations. Having finished sowing Rye at Dogue run, 22½ Bushels, sent one of the Plows to Muddy hole. The rest of the horses, & hands, were employed in treading out wheat—the Fodder there being also secured.
Finding it in vain to attempt following the whole of No. 4 for Wheat, I quitted breaking up any more till the whole should be crossed, and accordingly set all the plows to the latter work.
In the Afternoon Mr. Alexr. Donald came in.
On 12 Nov. 1787 Alexander Donald wrote to Thomas Jefferson of this visit: “I staid two days with General Washington at Mount Vernon about Six weeks ago. He is in perfect good health, and looks almost as well as he did Twenty years ago. I never saw him so keen for any thing in my life, as he is for the adoption of the new Form of Government. As the eyes of all America are turned towards this truly Great and Good Man, for the First President, I took the liberty of sounding him upon it. He appears to be greatly against going into Publick Life again, Pleads in Excuse for himself, His Love of Retirement, and his advanced Age, but Notwithstanding of these, I am fully of opinion he may be induced to appear once more on the Publick Stage of Life. I form my opinion from what passed between us in a very long and serious conversation as well as from what I could gather from Mrs. Washington on the same subject” (, 12:345–48).