From George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, 24 February 1793
To Thomas Jefferson
[Philadelphia] Sunday 24th Feb. 1793.
Enclosed is a letter from poor Madam La Fayette! How desirable it would be, if something could be done to relieve that family from their present unhappy Situation.1
Colo. Smith, yesterday, gave me the enclosed extract of a Letter from the House of Warder & Co. to one of the Partners in this City. Whether it is founded in fact, or with design to affect the prices of provision in this Count[r]y—I know not.2 Nor whether it was a Comm[unicatio]n for public or private information to myself, I am equally uncertai⟨n⟩.
AL, DLC: Jefferson Papers.
1. GW received the letter from the marquise de Lafayette of 8 Oct. 1792 on 20 Feb. 1793. GW recently had sent money to assist her during her husband’s imprisonment (GW to Nicholas van Staphorst, 31 Jan. 1793, and enclosure). GW responded to her letter on 16 March. For the imprisonment of Lafayette, see Marquise de Lafayette to GW, 12 Mar., and notes 3, 7.
2. GW is referring to William Stephens Smith, who had recently put forth an offer that involved sending provisions to France to help pay the American debt to that nation (see Alexander Hamilton to GW, 1 Mar. 1793, n.1). The enclosed extract from the London brokerage house of John Warder & Co. has not been identified.