To George Washington from James McHenry, 29 June 1796
From James McHenry
War office 29 June 1796.
Sir.
I beg you to sign the within authority to borrow for the use of the City of Washington and to have it returned to me with a power signed by the three commissioners. You may recollect that the one sent me for a duplicate contained only the names of two of them vz. Mr Scotts & Mr Thorntons. The Willinks may consider that power as imperfect as the law and your authority have reference to three.1 With the greatest respect I have the honour to be Sir Your most obt St
James McHenry
ALS, DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW; copy, DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Received. The copy is misfiled at 29 Nov. 1796.
1. Gustavus Scott and William Thornton, commissioners for the District of Columbia, wrote McHenry from Washington on 12 July to inform him that his letter to GW and the enclosed document had been forwarded to them, but that Alexander White’s absence prevented “remedying the defect” until his return. They inclosed a “Triplicate, with every necessary document to effect the loan” and requested McHenry “to have them put under cover for Messrs Willink & forwarded by the earliest Ship to Amsterdam, or any other convenient port.”
Scott, Thornton, and White subsequently wrote McHenry on 20 July: “We do ourselves the honor of inclosing to you, a quadruplicate Copy of the power to Messrs Willink; with the Presidents assent to the intended Loan: the other necessary papers, to be had only at Philadelphia we beg the favor of you to procure and forward, together with the power, by the earliest conveyance to Holland” (both letters, DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent). For GW’s certification, see Commissioners for the District of Columbia to GW, 13 May, n.1.