To George Washington from Pierre Roussilles, 12 August 1787
From Pierre Roussilles
Bordeaux [France] 12th Augt 1787.
Sir,
Permit me to address the enclosed memorial to you, which will show the justice of my complaints & demands, your great heart will not be insensible to it & on you alone have I placed my hope.1 I am respectfully Sir, Yr most Hble & obedt Servt
P. Roussilles.
Translation, in Tobias Lear’s hand, DLC:GW; ALS, in French, DLC:GW. At the end of his letter Roussilles (Roussille) wrote: “Mon adresse maison de Mme Lamontagne V[euv]e Renart, rue Bragart Psse St Eloi à Bordeaux.”
1. See enclosure. GW responded from Mount Vernon on 8 Jan. 1788: “Sir, I have received your letter & memorial of the 12 of Augt and in answer to them can only say, that however just & reasonable your demands may be, and however desireous I am to assist the injured in obtaining justice, it is not in my power to do any thing more than appea[r]s, by your memorial, to have been already done, that is, to refer you to the boards and offices which take cognizance of matters of that nature—As I have, long since, lain aside all publick business and live 300 miles from New york where the Congress sits and the publick Offices are established, I cannot, with any degree of propriety, interfere in your case. I am Sir Yr Most Obedt Hble Sert G. Washington.
P.S. I return your original documents which you may have occasion for” (LB, DLC:GW).