From George Washington to William Tilghman, 10 March 1794
To William Tilghman
Philadelphia 10th March 1794
Dear Sir
Your favor of the 1st instt with its enclosures, I have duly received.
I shall, by this days Post, write to the representative of Colo. Carlyle (agreeably to the suggestion in Mr Chalmers’ letter) to know if he (Mr Herbert) can throw any light upon the payment of £100 which Mr Chalmers conceives he must have made, on acct of Mr Sidney George’s Bond.1 When I receive the answer it shall be forwarded to you. ’Till then, the draught on Mr Chalmers may be suspended.2
I have no other object in this business than to bring every thing, which relates to it, to a speedy & equitable close so far as it respects the parties interested; and to a justifiable one, as it concerns myself. On these principals I should hope Mr George would not require (having an attested copy of it) the original bond in the possession of Mr Chalmers—especially as the receipt for the money might recite a statement of the fact, for his indemnification.
It is of moment, however, to me, to have it ascertained whether the sum of £100 recd by Mr Chalmers—& the bond due from Mr George for the payment of £90 ought not to be discharged with interest. The Administration accts which have been settled, will shew that interest has been paid by the estate of Colo. Colvill (Miss Andersons is an instance of it) and judgments in behalf of the estate have been obtained, in Virginia, with interest.3 To act safely is all I aim at, for I neither gain or lose by the transaction. I am—Dear Sir Your Most Obedt & Very Hble Servant
Go: Washington
ALS, RPJCB; ALS (letterpress copy), NN: Washington Papers; LB, DLC:GW.
1. GW wrote William Herbert, the representative for the estate of John Carlyle, on this same date.
2. GW’s letter to Tilghman of 16 March 1794 has not been found, but for Tilghman’s response to it, see his letter to GW of 23 March.
3. For the financial accounts for the estate of Col. Thomas Colvill, of which GW was an executor and which was not finally settled until 1796, see , 13–15, 25. For the payment of the legacy due Harriet Rebecca Anderson, see Tobias Lear to James Keith, 14 July 1793, and n.1 to that document.