To George Washington from William Gordon, 16 January 1796
From William Gordon
St Neots Hunts [England] Jany 16. 1796.
My dear Sir
This will be presented to You, as I hope, by the nephew of Mrs Gordon, Mr Oliver Field; who from right principles emigrates from Great Britain, that he may become a citizen of the United States, & secure to himself, & family & posterity, those sacred & civil rights, that he cannot enjoy in his native country.1 He prefers the American Constitution to all others: & from conviction of its being calculated to preserve the privileges of all under a good government will necessarily support it by practice & influence, & discourage all that anarchy which is baneful to the well being of society.
With pleasure I markt the contents of your late speech to the Congress; & observed, that you had passed over, without noticing, the irregular & intemperate proceedings of town & city meetings, regarding matters of State, in which they had no right to interfere. The publications of Curtius & Camillus I have perused in Fenno’s Gazettes with satisfaction, & promise myself they have answered the valuable ends proposed by the writers. Was astonished that Judge Rutledge should express such violence: & could not but approve of the manner you had silenced him, by heaping coals of kindness upon his head.2
My nephew settled at Worcester, where he was in business for many years, till the present removal; & maintained an irreproachable character, & was much respected. He has not determined where to settle; but sails with his wife & two children immediately for Philada, from whence he thinks of making excursions to New York & other places.
We have had hitherto the most open & mild & blowing winter, with the wind chiefly at west & southwest, that ever was known in the memory of man. The body of the nation are now panting heartily for peace; & from the cessation of hostilities between the French & Austrians in Germany, many are willing to hope, that it is at no great distance.3 In my opinion the British ministry & Sovereign will make no peace, till they have tried their utmost in the East & West Indies, against the French & Dutch settlements; & that their demands will be such at present that the French Directory will not agree to. Nor am I sanguine in my expectations of peace between the French & Austrians, unless the latter, through fear of losing all their Italian dominions, should be willing to agree to French stipulations regarding the Netherlands & the Rhine. The slaughter & devastations occasioned by the present war have been horridly excessive. May a kind & gracious God overrule them for the good of mankind at large—the liberating them more & more from under sacred & civil tyranny! O’ highly favored & blessed United States of America, that have enjoyed the calm & enriching prosperity of peace, while a great part of the world has been convulsed, impoverished, & destroyed! May America ever understand the things that make for her peace & happiness!
I hope your Excellency, & your Lady have enjoyed a comfortable share of ease & health. Mrs Gordon joins me in wishing you both every blessing through the decline of life; & future blessedness through the merits of our Lord Jesus, when the present mode of existence is terminated. I remain Your Excellency’s sincere & affectionate Friend & humble Servant
William Gordon
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Oliver Field (1761–1835) was the son of the noted apothecary John Field, Elizabeth Gordon’s brother. Prior to his removal to America, he was a linen draper at Worcester (Gentleman’s Magazine, 80 [Sept. 1796]: 792; James Waylen, The House of Cromwell and the Story of Dunkirk [London, 1880], 47, 49).
2. Gordon is referring to GW’s annual address to Congress of 8 Dec. 1795 and to the many meetings held in opposition to the Jay Treaty. Treaty supporters Alexander Hamilton and Rufus King wrote thirty-eight articles titled “The Defence” and signed “Camillus” that appeared in New York newpapers from July 1795 to January 1796. Twelve essays by “Curtius” (attributed to Noah Webster) in “Vindication of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation, with G. Britain” appeared in the American Minerva; An Evening Advertiser (New York) in July and August 1795. Both series were reprinted in pamphlets and other newpapers, including John Fenno’s Gazette United States (Philadelphia). For John Rutledge’s criticism of the treaty, see Edmund Randolph to GW, 29 July, n.1. The kindness was GW’s appointment of Rutledge as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
3. About the truce, see James Monroe to GW, 3 Jan., and n.6.