To George Washington from William Loughton Smith, 5 September 1791
From William Loughton Smith
New York, 5 September 1791. Encloses for GW’s perusal a letter from Arnoldus Vanderhorst, the intendant of Charleston, recommending his uncle Elias Vanderhorst as consul for the port of Bristol—“I beleive the Intendant would not recommend any person unworthy of the Station”—and calls “attention to Col. Motte, as Successor to Mr Hall, & to Mr Bounetheau for the place of Naval Officer: From my own knowledge & inquiry I beleive the latter gentleman eminently qualified for it.”1
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. GW appointed Elias Vanderhorst consul at Bristol the following spring (GW to the U.S. Senate, 3 May 1792 [first letter]). For the death of the collector of Charleston, George Abbott Hall, and the promotion of naval officer for the port, Isaac Motte, see Pierce Butler to GW, 3 Aug. 1791, n.1. Tobias Lear informed William Loughton Smith on 9 Sept. at GW’s command that GW had appointed Isaac Holmes collector at Charleston before receiving Smith’s letter, as Motte had expressed a wish to be continued as naval officer (DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). Smith had previously recommended Peter Bounetheau to GW as federal loans commissioner or revenue inspector (Smith to GW, 17 July 1790).