To George Washington from the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 29 June 1796
From the Commissioners for the District of Columbia
Washington 29th June 1796
Sir
We had your favor of the 26th Inst. inclosing your approbation of the proposed alterations in the manner of improving in the City of Washington—We have given the necessary Instructions for their publication in the public prints of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, City, George Town, Alexandria, Richmond and Charleston;1 if you think the publication ought to be more general, we shall readily give the necessary directions—We presume, that by the superintendant, our principal overseer and contractor, Capt. Williams, is meant; he is the only Officer of the City, residing in George Town to whom the Presidents sentiments on the subject of residence had not been made known—He has long been in public service & has gained the entire approbation of the board and every person connected with us—The contents of your Letter have been communicated to him2—With respect to ourselves, we know not that we have any thing new to add, being differently circumstanced, and perhaps, entertaining different views—All hopes of Messrs Morris & Nicholson seem to be done away—No answer has yet been received from either the Secretary of the Treasury or the President of the Bank of Columbia; nor can we yet say what may be the success of the applications We enclose you a Copy of our Letter to the Bank3—We have been lately, a good deal surprised, by receiving a Letter from Mr Hadfield, giving us notice, that he should at the expiration of three months, agreeably to his Contract, quit the public employment—We next day informed him that he was at liberty to quit the business as soon as convenient to himself, & that a sum equal to his passage to Europe, should be paid to him; since the delivery of this Letter, he seems to have considered the subject better & has applied to withdraw his notice, promising every attention to carrying on the Capitol, as approved of by the President—In consequence, we have consented to his continuance till the expiration of the three months, but by no means relinquishing the advantage of the notice; on the contrary, expressly declaring the contract at an end, and only to be renewed by consent of parties, at that time, if thought proper4—The board have made the necessary arrangements for the recess of a Week, which harvest will occasion—we hope and expect no possible inconvenience can arise from it5—We have the honor to be &c.
G. Scott
W. Thornton
A. White
LB, DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent.
1. The commissioners wrote GW a second letter on this date: “To insure a safe conveyance to the advertisements of the proposed alterations of the conditions of improvements, & to save expense; we have enclosed them to you, to be franked, which we the more readily do, as the alteration is the Act of the President, and not of the board” (LB, DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent).
The commissioners had authorized on 28 June the publication of GW’s executive order dated 25 June, and it appeared in The Washington Gazette for 29 June. Newspapers in other cities printed the executive order by 14 July (see also GW to Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 26 June, n.2).
2. The commissioners employed Elisha Owen Williams as overseer of the Federal City laborers from 1792 to 1799.
3. The enclosure has not been identified, but for the letter from the commissioners to the Bank of Columbia, see Commissioners for the District of Columbia to GW, 22 June, n.3.
4. George Hadfield had written the commissioners on 24 June stating his intent to resign (DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Received). The commissioners replied to Hadfield on 27 June: “The board have had your notice of the 24th Inst. under consideration, & also the conversation which past at the board; and supposing your present situation at the Capitol to be an unpleasant one, they feel every disposition to relieve you from it—As you are to quit the Capitol at the end of 3 months, & this fact is well known among the people; we Suspect it will be difficult to keep up due authority among them; and that it will be best for both the public and yourself that you should be relieved from your present situation immediately; and that the board should pay your passage to England, or thirty five Guineas, in lieu thereof, instead of paying you three months Salary” (DNA: RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Letters Sent). No subsequent correspondence has been identified; the arrangement reported to GW presumably came about through conversation.