1To James Madison from William Grayson, 31 August 1787 (Madison Papers)
Inclosed is a Stragling letter which has found it’s way to this place. I have recieved your favor & shall pay every attention to the case of Majr. Turner: his chance with respect to the Secretaryship is absolutely desperate; he must therefore be nominated for a Judges seat. This he has agreed to himself as appears by a letter to Mr. Carrington. Judge Symms of Jersey yesterday made an...
2To George Washington from William Grayson, 30 June 1787 (Washington Papers)
I do myself the honor of introducing Doctor Johnson of Connecticut, a gentleman of great abilities and worth, who has been lately appointed one of the Convention: I am very happy to hear you have recovered your health & remain with great respect yr Affectionate friend & most Obed. Serv. ALS , DLC:GW . William Samuel Johnson, a delegate from Connecticut, arrived at the Convention on 2 June.
3To James Madison from William Grayson, 24 May 1787 (Madison Papers)
I am much obliged by your kind favor and am sorry I have little to communicate from this quarter worth your acceptance; We have been a caput mortuum for some time past except the little flurry that was kicked up about Philada. Carrington I presume has giv’n you full information on that point; during the contest, the Enemy wanted to raise a mutiny in our camp by proposing to go to Georgetown at...
4Madison and William Grayson to Rufus King, 11 March 1787 (Madison Papers)
Mr. M & Mr Grayson present their complts to Mr. King and beg leave to inform him that the doors of the Assembly were shut on a letter from Col Carrington & Col. Lee, which Mr. Grayson saw but did not sign for reasons irrelative to the present subject. Mr. M. was in the Legislature at the time and knows the cause was very different from the one mentioned to Mr. King. Both of them are satisfied...
5To James Madison from William Grayson, 22 November 1786 (Madison Papers)
Your kind favor has come to hand, & since that I have heard of my being again appointed in the delegation of our State. I am sorry to inform you that my health still continues in a languishing way. I am nearly in the same situation as when you left me; I hope however that the cold weather & exercise with proper medicine will produce an alteration for the better. We have little news here. There...
6To James Madison from William Grayson, 28 May 1786 (Madison Papers)
Your letter has come safely to hand; & I should have wrote to you sooner but could not find any thing to communicate worth your acceptance: till lately Congress have been perfectly inactive: for about a fortnight past we have had a tolerably full representation; however Delawar has grown uneasy & left us, and Connecticut having prevailed on Congress to accept her cession moves off tomorrow. It...
7To George Washington from William Grayson, 27 May 1786 (Washington Papers)
I should have done myself the honor of writing to you sooner, if any thing had occurred at this place worth communicating: There has been a great dearth of foreign news, & till within a short time the representation has been so thin as to render it impracticable for Congress to undertake any matter of importance, although there are many which require their serious attention: Of late there has...
8To James Madison from William Grayson, 22 March 1786 (Madison Papers)
I should have done myself the pleasure of writing to you sooner, but really nothing occurr’d here of sufficient consequence to communicate. Congress from the small number of States that have come forward have remained in a kind of political torpor. They have of course taken no active steps, till lately that they have addressed the States on the subject of commerce. They were not long since a...
9To James Madison from William Grayson, 28 November 1785 (Madison Papers)
I am very busy preparing to decamp for Virginia. Of course I shall not lay you under the trouble of reading a long letter from me this Post. There is one thing very singular in Adam’s correspondence. He is always pressing the necessity of commercial restrictions; says no treaty can be had without them, and yet he decidedly acknowledges, that in the prosecution of this commercial war there is...
10To James Madison from William Grayson, 22 November 1785 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you by the last Post, since which other letters have arrived from the gentleman therein mentioned. They came by the last packett; and one is dated as late as the 15th. of September last. In it however there is no mention of the Algerine War. Mr. Jefferson has also wrote by the french packett, but his letter is of an old date. There has been a conference with Mr. Pitt. That gentleman...
11To James Madison from William Grayson, 14 November 1785 (Madison Papers)
On inquiring at the Office for F. A. I find it is uncustomary to give copies unless by special direction of Congress, a circumstance I did not advert to, when I was writing to you last. I shall therefore give you the best information in my power from memory. Mr. A. says that a Commee. of merchts. from Glasgow waited on him in London & told him their business was to lay the affair of the debts...
12To James Madison from William Grayson, 8 November 1785 (Madison Papers)
The President being this moment about to set out for Virginia obliges me to be very short at present. We have no authentic advices from Europe respecting the Algerine War, although the Papers speak of several captures of american vessels. Nothing new from Mr. Adams respecting the debts. I will again look at his letters, & give you the necessary information in confidence. You will then judge...
13To James Madison from William Grayson, 14 October 1785 (Madison Papers)
I have recieved your letter dated at Philada. & shall forward the in-closure to France in the manner you direct. Since your departure, we have been under great anxiety for the fate of Mr. Hardy. On a party to Haerlem heights about ten days ago, he unfortunately bursted a blood vessel, and from frequent hemorrhages, has been in extreme danger till about three days ago, when matters have taken...
14To George Washington from William Grayson, 3 October 1785 (Washington Papers)
The requisition is at length finished, & which I have now the honor of inclosing; the article of 30,000 dollars for fœderal buildings at Trenton is expunged; & I think the opposition to that measure is gaining strength. Some of the Southern States begin to view it in a different light. Congress have passed a resolution authorizing the Post Master general under the direction of the Board of...
15To James Madison from William Grayson, 16 September 1785 (Madison Papers)
I opened your letter directed to Colo. Monroe in the first instance, & forwarded the inclosed letters to France, in the public Mail, as I could not hear of any private gentlemen going to whom I could with propriety intrust them. I have recieved your letter from Philada. & I heartily wish it may suit your Convenience to visit this place, as it will give me particular satisfaction to have the...
16To George Washington from William Grayson, 5 September 1785 (Washington Papers)
I had the honor of your favor by Post: The hounds you allude to arrived here in the midst of a hot war against their fraternity: they were not however friendless: your Acquaintance Doctr Cochran took very good care of them while they remained at this place & has sent them by Capt. Packard’s sloop to Mount Vernon. I make no doubt that they have got there safe. We have little news from Europe or...
17To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry and Others, 23 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
We have the honor of addressing this by our worthy friend, the honorable Mr. Sayre, who was formerly Sheriff of London. The active part, which at the commencement of the revolution, he took in favor of America, is, we presume, too well known to you, to require a relation: and the loss he sustained, in consequence of his opposition to the british ministry, is not less a matter of general...
18To James Madison from William Grayson, 21 August 1785 (Madison Papers)
Your favor of has come to hand; I am sorry to hear the doctrine of paper money begins to rear up it’s head in our State. This subject has been so well investigated at different periods that I can hardly think any reasonable man can advocate it, unless for the purpose of advancing some object of interest; I remember in the old Government that our exchange rose to 65 P Ct. This alarmed the...
19To George Washington from William Grayson, 25 July 1785 (Washington Papers)
The inclosed letters were handed to me the other day by young Mr Adams, son of Mr John Adams, who has arrived in the last packett, and no private opportunity offering, I do myself the honor of transmitting them by Post. Congress are informed by a letter from Mr Adams, that he has been introduced to the King of G.B. in due form, and recieved, as a public Minister from the U.S. of America. They...
20To James Madison from William Grayson, 27 June 1785 (Madison Papers)
I have recieved your favor of the 29. May acknowledging the receipt of my first letter, though making no mention of the last, which I presume has not yet come to hand. Since the date thereof the affair of the treaty with the Western Indians which was decided on the 18th. March last, has been opened again & very much canvassed; the result however is that the treaty is to be held; & for the...
21To James Madison from William Grayson, 28 May 1785 (Madison Papers)
I did myself the pleasure some time since of writing to you; and I expect by this time you have recieved my letter; since which nothing has happened of any consequence except the passage of the Land Ordinance & the arrival of Don Diego de Gardoqui at Philadelphia. I inclose you a copy of the Ordinance: & if it is not the best in the world, it is I am confident the best that could be procured...
22To George Washington from William Grayson, 27 May 1785 (Washington Papers)
The Ordinance for the disposal of the Western territory was pass’d three days ago, & I take the earliest oppertunity of inclosing you a copy. I have the honor to be with the highest respect yr Affect. fd & Most Obd. Sert ALS , DLC:GW . The Land Ordinance of 1785 for dividing the Northwest Territory into townships to be divided into lots of 640 acres for sale was passed on 20 May ( JCC,...
23To George Washington from William Grayson, 4–8 May 1785 (Washington Papers)
I have recieved your letter of the 25th of Aprill, for which I am much oblig’d to you; I am sorry for the melancholy occasion which has induc’d you to leave Mount Vernon, and for the affliction which the loss of such near relations must involve Mrs Washington in. The Ordinance for disposing of the Western territory has been under consideration ever since I wrote you last & has underwent...
24To George Washington from William Grayson, 5 May 1785 (Washington Papers)
Mr King one of the delegates of Massachusets bay, & a gentleman of great worth has particularly requested me to introduce to you, Mr Prince & Mr Darby, the former a Clergyman of amiable character, the latter the son of a respectable Merchant: They are travelling to Virginia & have a desire of calling at Mount Vernon. I therefore hope you will excuse the liberty I take in presenting them to...
25To James Madison from William Grayson, 1 May 1785 (Madison Papers)
I am afraid my silence since I came to this place has giv’n you some reason to suspect me to be impregnated with that vis inertiæ, which has been so often attributed to me. The only apology I have to make, is that I wish’d to have some thing to write to you worth your acceptance. However as there would be some danger in risquing a farther delay, I shall give you what I have in the manner. The...
26To George Washington from William Grayson, 15 April 1785 (Washington Papers)
I did myself the honor of writing to you by Post the 10th of March last in answer to your favor of the 22nd of January, & I hope my letter has before this got safe to hand. On my being appointed one of the Commee for draughting the Ordnance for ascertaining the mode of disposing of lands in the Western territory, the President was kind enough to furnish me with an extract of your letter to him...
27To George Washington from William Grayson, 10 March 1785 (Washington Papers)
I had the honor of your favor of the 22nd of Jany just as I was setting of from Dumfries, and I should have answered it from Mr Orr’s in Loudoun, where I was detained some time on account of Mrs Grayson’s illness, if I had not wish’d for more time to reflect on the subject matter of it: It would have giv’n me great pleasure (if my particular situation would have permitted) to have waited on...