George Washington Papers
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From George Washington to Lund Washington, 12 February 1783

Newburgh 12th 1783—Feby

Dear Lund,

Your letter of the 29th of Jany came by the last Post—You do not seem to have considered the force & tendency of the words of yr letter, when you talk of the probability only of sending me "the long promised account" "the irregularity of them"—not you add "for want of knowledge in keeping them but neglect." "your aversion to writing &ca &ca."—These are but other words for saying, "as I am not fond of writing, and it is quite immaterial whether you have any knowledge or information of your private concerns, or whether the accts are kept properly or not I have delayed, and do not know how much longer I may continue to delay bringing you acquainted with these accts irregular as they are."

Delicacy hitherto, and a hope That you long ago would have seen into the propriety of the measure, without a hint of it from me, has restrained me from telling you that annual Accts of my Crops together with the receipts & expenditure of my money, & State of my stocks &c. ought to have been sent to me as regularly as the year came about. It is not to be supposed, that all the avocations of my public duties great and laborious as they have been—could render me totally insensible to the only means by which myself & family—and the character I am to maintain in life hereafter—is to be supported—or that a precise acct of these matters would not have been exceedingly satisfactory to me. Instead of this, except the Accts rendered at Valley forge in the year 1778 I have received none since I left home—and not till after two or 3 applications in the course of last year could I get any acct of the Crop of the preceeding one; and then only of the Corn by the Post on Sunday last.

I have often told you, & I repeat it with much truth—that the entire confidence which I placed in your integrity made me easy, & I was always happy at thinking that my Affairs were in your hands—which I could not have been if they had been under the care of a common manager—but this did not exempt me from the desires which all men have, of knowing the exact state of them. I have now to beg that you will not only send me the Account of your receipts & expenditures of pecie—but of every other kind of money subsequent to the Acct exhibited at Valley Forge, which ended sometime in April 1778. I want to know before I come home (as I shall come home with empty pockets whenever Peace shall take place) how Affairs stand with me—& what my dependence is. I wish to know also, what I have to expect from the Wheat of 1781 & 82, as you say the two Crops are so blended that they cannot be rendered seperately? How are settlements to be made with and justice done to the several Parties Interested under these circumstances?

DLC: Papers of George Washington.

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