541From George Washington to John Francis, 25 August 1799 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 17th instant in answer to mine of the 14th, has been received. I have already given you the specific terms on which I propose to rent my houses in the Federal City, and from which I shall not depart an iota; because I fixed them as low as any, with whom I conversed, though⟨t⟩ I ought to ask, and much lower than many seem disposed to take. It is true I did not give you the...
542[Diary entry: 13 August 1797] (Washington Papers)
13. Wind rather variable with Showers in the afternoon. Mer. 79. General ⟨L.⟩ & ca. went away & Mr. Bourne and Mr. Lear came. mer. : GW has inadvertently written “Mer.” twice in the MS. Mr. Bourne may be Sylvanus Bourne, who was vice-consul in Amsterdam about 1794 and in June 1797 was appointed consul general to the Batavian Republic. A notice in the Alexandria newspaper on 7 Nov. stated that...
543[Diary entry: 3 September 1797] (Washington Papers)
3. A sprinkle of rain for a few minutes—Wind at No. Wt. Mer. at 79. Mr. & Mrs. Fitzhugh went away after breakfast & Mr. Lear came to dinner.
544From George Washington to William Thornton, 28 August 1799 (Washington Papers)
I would thank you for requesting Mr Blagden to give me as early notice of the time, and amount of his next call upon me, as he can, that I may prepare accordingly. With great esteem & regard I am—Dear Sir Yr most Obedt Servt ALS (photocopy), NjP . Presumably GW intended to write “Sir.” GW on 30 Aug. wrote William Herbert, president of the Bank of Alexandria, that he wished to extend the...
545From George Washington to Alexander Hamilton, 12 December 1799 (Washington Papers)
I have duly received your letter of the 28th ultimo, enclosing a Copy of what you had written to the Secretary of War, on the subject of a Military Academy. The Establishment of an Institution of this kind, upon a respectable and extensive basis, has ever been considered by me as an Object of primary importance to this Country; and while I was in the Chair of Government, I omitted no proper...
546[Diary entry: 14 January 1799] (Washington Papers)
14. Heavy Morning but No Rain & but little wind. Mer. at 38. Foggy & thick through the day.
547From George Washington to William B. Harrison, 5 March 1799 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 21st Feby ⟨ha⟩s ⟨bee⟩n received. I do not know what quantity of Land you hold adjoining me. I have heard it called three, and sometimes 400 acres. But suppose a medium between the two, that is 350 acres, the interest of twelve dollars an acre would make a Rent of more than £75 pr Annum. If there is any person, or persons, who can afford to give this, from any thing the land...
548[Diary entry: 4 February 1799] (Washington Papers)
4. Lowering in the Morning. Wind at the same place. Mer. 24. Calm clear & pleasant afterwards.
549[Diary entry: 1 October 1799] (Washington Papers)
1. Morning a little lowering. Mer. at 55 and air from the No. West. Clear afterwards. Mer. 65 at high. Mrs. Fairfax sister & daughter and Mrs. Herbert & Mrs. Nelson—Mr. Jno. Herbert & two of Mrs. Washington of Fairfields Sons dined here. Mrs. Fairfax &ca. went away after dinner—the others remained. Mrs. Herbert was Sarah (Mrs. William) Herbert, mother of the John Carlyle Herbert mentioned...
550From George Washington to James McHenry, 5 July 1798 (Washington Papers)
Private My dear Sir, Mount Vernon 5th July 1798. I am perfectly satisfied that the duties of your Office were not diminished by the business thrown upon it in the course of the present Session of Congress; and far was it from my wish to add to the trouble of them. I expected no more than a simple acknowledgment of my letters, and with respect to the proposed Arsenal at the confluence of the...
551From George Washington to Alexander Spotswood, 14 September 1798 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 11 th came to my hands yesterday. Two causes, indeed three, prevented my answering the first, after your return to New Post sooner; namely—debilitated health, occasioned by the fever, wch deprived me of 20 lbs. of the weight I had, when you & I were at my Mill Scales, & rendered writing irksome; the expectation of hearing from you again, relative to the Carpenter & Farmer,...
552[Diary entry: 26 July 1799] (Washington Papers)
26. Mer. at 74 in the Morning—85 at highest & 84 at Night. Doctr. Craik went away after breakft.
553[Diary entry: 16 August 1799] (Washington Papers)
16. Mer. at 71 in the Morning—No wind & clear—82 at highest and 78 at N. Young Mr. McCarty dined here. young mr. mccarty : probably Daniel McCarty (d. 1811), son of Daniel McCarty (1759–1801) of Cedar Grove ( SPROUSE [4] Edith Moore Sprouse. Mount Air, Fairfax County, Virginia . [Fairfax, Va.], 1970. , 15–20).
554[Diary entry: 30 July 1799] (Washington Papers)
30. Morning perfectly clear and calm. Mer. at 78—at highest & 85 at Night—a breeze from So. Wt. latter part of the day. A Major Riddle (a British Officer) Colo. Fitzgerald, & Mr. James Patton—and Mr. B. Bassett came to Dinner. The first three went away afterwds. James Patton (Patten) took an oath of citizenship and was licensed as a merchant in Alexandria in 1791 ( Fairfax Index Edith Moore...
555From George Washington to Bryan Fairfax, 26 November 1799 (Washington Papers)
In the early part of this month, I went up to Difficult-run to examine with more accuracy than I had ever done before, the small tract of Land you were so obliging (many years ago) to accomodate me with, for a Stage for my Waggons whilst I had plantations in Berkeley County; to see if it would now (having many years since removed my people from those Lands) answer for a small Farm; those...
556[Diary entry: 6 September 1799] (Washington Papers)
6. Much rain fell in the Night, without wind, thunder or lightning—making the ground wetter than it has been since March. Mer. 65 in the Morning—68 at highest and at Night 68. Cloudy & heavy with a light breeze from the No. Et. At Night began a drizling rain. Mr. B. W. & wife went after breakfast. Doctr. Craik who was sent for in the Night to Mrs. Washington came early this Morning. doctr....
557[Diary entry: 20 August 1799] (Washington Papers)
20. Mer. at 69 in the morning. About ½ after 5, it began a fine, rain, with the wind at No. Et. & continued to do so until near 11 oclock when it ceased, but recommenced about ½ after 3 & contd. raining slow & fine until 9 oclock when I went to bed. Mer. 65 at Night. The rain this day must have been welcome to GW, who wrote to Robert Lewis 17 Aug. that the drought had caused his oat crop to...
558[Diary entry: 31 May 1798] (Washington Papers)
31. Cloudy more or less through the day but no rain fell here. Wind Southerly. Mer. 64 at Nigt. Colo. Morris & family left this after breakfast—and Mr. Herbert & Son—the Revd. Mr. Addison a Mr. Rogers of Baltimore—Mr. Delius of Bremen & a Mr. Pekmoller of Hamburgh dined here & returned afterwards. Mr. William Herbert became president of the Bank of Alexandria in 1798. His two sons were John...
559[Diary entry: 10 September 1799] (Washington Papers)
10. Morning heavy again—but abt. Noon the weather broke away warm, and had the appearance of being fair. Wind still Easterly. Mer. 70 in the Morning 75 at highest & 72 at Night. Mrs. Washington & her granddaughter went away after breakfast. Doctr. Stuart came to dinner, & Doctr. Craik (sent for) came in the afternoon.
560[Diary entry: 30 October 1797] (Washington Papers)
30. Wind brisk from No. Wt. & cold. Mer. at 54. Doctr. Stuart went away after breakfast. Mr. Cottineau & Lady, Mr. Rosseau & Lady, the Visct. D’Orleans, & Mr. De Colbert came to Dinner & returned to Alexa. afterwards. A Mr. Stockton from N. Jerseys came in the afternoon. mr. cottineau & lady : Denis Nicholas Cottineau de Kerloguen (c.1745–1808) was a Breton officer who had served with the...
561From George Washington to William Augustine Washington, 14 February 1799 (Washington Papers)
Mr H: Washington affords me a very good opportunity to inform you, that if your Crop enables you to supply me with a hundred Barrels of Corn over and above the quantity Contracted for, I shall be willing to take it on the terms I do the Five hundred Barrels; and that I shall be willing to receive a part of the whole at any time you may find it convenient to forward it, as the danger of Frost,...
562[Diary entry: 16 June 1798] (Washington Papers)
16. Morning—Calm, clear & Warm. Mer. at 72. Clear all day & calm till the afternoon then a brisk Easterly Wind. Mer. 80 at N. & 72 at N.
563[Diary entry: 19 November 1797] (Washington Papers)
19. Clear & very pleasant—Wd. Southerly. Mer. 50 & 44—Mr. White came. Mr. White is Alexander White, commissioner of the Federal City (see entry for 31 Dec. 1789 ).
564[Diary entry: 6 July 1798] (Washington Papers)
6. Morning Clear—Mer. 70 Wind Northerly. Pleasant & clear all day. Doctors Thornton & Dalson—Mr. Ludwell Lee, Lady & Miss Armistead, & Mr. David Randolph & a Son of Colo. R. Kidder Mead came here to Dinner. The two last proceeded to Alexa. afterwards. William Thornton (1759–1828), born in the Virgin Islands, raised in England, and educated in medicine in Scotland, came to America in 1787 and...
565From George Washington to James Welch, 15 February 1799 (Washington Papers)
The first of January is past, and February half gone, without my receiving any money from you; seeing you; or even hearing any thing from you, on this subject. I am in real want of it, and depended upon your repeated assurances of punctual payment at the time the first Rent became due. I hope I shall not have occasion to remind you of this matter again. I am—Sir Your Very Hble Servant ALS...
566[Diary entry: 20 June 1798] (Washington Papers)
20. Morning—heavy, a good deal of Rain fell in the Night. Wind at East Mer. 70. Variable through the day. Mer. 76 at Night—80 at highest.
567[Diary entry: 9 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
9. Wind cold again from the No. Wt. Mer. 24 a . Mr. Law & family & Doc. Stuart went away after breakfast & Mr. Welch came to Dinner & returned afterwards. James Welch had come to Mount Vernon to deliver his final proposal for the Kanawha lands. There had been correspondence back and forth since his original proposal on 29 Nov., and GW had received some rather disquieting reports about Welch....
568[Diary entry: 26 March 1797] (Washington Papers)
26. Wind varying from No. Et. to So. Et. and blowing very fresh.
569[Diary entry: 23 November 1797] (Washington Papers)
23. Such a day as yesterday but more rain. Mer. as above. Mr. Bassett & Fanny Henly went away. Mr. Bassett is probably Burwell Bassett, Jr. He wrote GW from Richmond three days later indicating that he had recently talked to GW about a cook and housekeeper for Mount Vernon ( DLC:GW ). fanny henly : Nelly Custis wrote a friend, “My cousin left me this morning for her Home. I regret the loss of...
570From George Washington to Foster & May, 7 May 1798 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 30th ulto with the A/c annexed, have been received—and I shall confess, with surprise. It is a very unusual thing for me to be presented with old accounts, and in the present instance it is extraordinary, because Mr Pearce had the command of my money which he himself had deposited in the Bank of Alexandria, and had been directed over & over again, months before he left my...