George Washington Papers

To George Washington from Alexander McCabe, 26 June 1786

From Alexander McCabe

Elizabeth Town [N.J.] June the 26th, 1786

Sir

I take the liberty to write to your Excelly about a gentleman that I have some letters for from Ireland, the Revd John Wallace. I am informd by a letter I recd a few days ago, that he is under an appointment of yr Excellency’s as presedent of an academy in Verginea, I shall therefore be much Oblig’d if your Excellency will be so good to inform me what part of Verginea he is in.1

I hope your Excellency will excuse the freedom I take in enclosing a letter of Colonel Persse’s of Roxborrow a gentleman of extensive fortune a particular friend & well2 wisher of yours, was so the most precarious times in Ireland I could tell yr Excellency many Anecdotes of the Colonels good Sentiments love & Esteem for you. one in particular every day after dinner the first toaste was his Excy George Washington, he has compell’d yr greatest Enemies to do the same. There is no beautifull spot on his Estate but will bare your memory to the latest ages as they have some appellation from every Victorious Engagement your Excellency was in.3

Coll Persse begs to know how you are I am convinc’d he would rather receive a line from your Excellency than any honour the first Monarch in the universe could Confer on him I will write to the Coll when I receive your Excellencys ansr relative to Mr Wallace, will be much oblig’d if your Excellency will enclose back Coll Persse’s letter to me. I am yr Excellency’s most humble & most Obedient se⟨rvt⟩

Alexander McCabe

P.S. Please to direct to the Care of Jacob Cooke Esqr. Lancaster, State of Pennsylvania.

ALS, DLC:GW.

Alexander McCabe has not been identified.

1John Wallace is probably the man who stayed at Mount Vernon from 30 Mar. to 3 April, and again on the night of 8 June (see Diaries description begins Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976–79. description ends , 4:301–3, 344, and GW to Edward Newenham, 10 June, n.1).

2McCabe wrote “fell.”

3The letter from William Persse, whose estate Roxborough was in county Galway, has not been found, but see Persse to GW, 11 Oct. 1788, and GW to Persse, 2 Mar. 1789. A daughter of Persse married a son of Edward Newenham.

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