To George Washington from the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 9 December 1795
From the Commissioners for the District of Columbia
City of Washington 9th December 1795.
Sir,
The enclosed letter you will observe is requested to be forwarded to you, we know not why, but do not think ourselves at liberty to refuse the request; the answer also accompanies the Letter.1
Mr Law is at all times entitled to our best attention, but our finances will not at present permit the laying out money in levelling streets or making highways. Nothing new has occur’d since our last;2 if there is a more empty Treasury in the United States than ours, we sincerely pity its Calamitous situation. We have the honor to be with sentiments of the highest respect, Sir, Your Obedt Servts
Gusts Scott
Wm Thornton
LB, DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent.
1. The enclosures have not been found, but a letter-book copy of the commissioners’ answer to Thomas Law of this date is in DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent. The commissioners informed Law that “the directions to open Pensylvania Avenue does not go so far as to include the making the grounds cover’d by that Avenue practicable through all its parts for carriages; nor is it expected that any thing of consequence can be done to forward that object in the course of the present winter. We shall at all times be happy to forward New Jersey and every other Avenue in the City which may facilitate the easy conveyance of materials for buildings The securing the materials about the public buildings yet occupies all the public Labourers and will continue to do so for some time. When this work is finished it is probable some of them may be spared to work on the Avenues.” They also wrote that “The bridge intended to be erected over Rock creek will be paid for out of private and not public money.”
2. The commissioners are referring to their letter to GW of 30 November.