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[Diary entry: 16 November 1785]

Wednesday 16th. Thermometer at 58 in the Morng. 66 at Noon and [ ] at Night.

A large circle round the Moon last night—a red & angry looking sky at the Suns rising and a brisk Southerly Wind all day with rain in the Evening and Night.

Finished the Arch over my Ice House to day.

Went early in the Morning to take an acct. of My Stocks &ca. at Dogue run & Muddy hole Planns.

At the first Horses Height Age Dabster a grey 14¼ 8 Workers Buck Bay 14 6 2 Nancy Bay 14 old Workg. Mares From Camp Ditto 14¼ Fly Ditto 13 8 Brandy Ditto 13½ Fancy Black 13 old — Sorrel 13 old — Ditto 13 Bonny Bay very old 8 Englh. Hunter Brown 15 old Old M. Grey Mare bot. at Bristol Do. Dray Black Camp Do. 3 Bay likely in foal 14 6 Bay Roan—white face 14 5 Sorrel 14½ Black—Snip on the nose 13 Unbroke Mares Iron grey—dark 14 3 Black—from Hunter 2 Black Star & Snip likely 2 Bay—white face 1 Black—long star 1 Bay near hind foot wh[ite] 1 Bay small Star 1 Bay (blood) near hind f[oot] W[hit]e 1 Bay—star & snip 1 13 A Grey snip 14 3 ✻Bay Roan wh. face 1 Unbroke Horses ✻Sorrel Snip 1 ✻Dark Grey 1 Grey Colt frm. Bristl. M[are] Sp[rin]g ✻It is not certain whether these are horses or Mares not having distinguished them on the Spot at the time 5 In all 31 Cattle Working Oxen 7 Fatting Steers in Meadow 2 Cows 15 Heifers 4 yrs. old 5 3 yrs. old 3 2 yrs. old 6 1 yr. old 2 Spring Calves 6 22 Steers full grown 7 3 years old 1 2 yrs. old 2 1 yr. old 7 Spring Calves 5 22 Bulls 1 Total 69 Sheep Rams 7 Ewes 32 Weathers 7 Ditto in Meadow fattg. 7 14 Total 53 Old Cows in the Meadw. 2

N.B. The Tools not being got up no Acct. was taken of them at this time.

Muddy hole Plantation Horses height age Jockey . a black 13½ 14 W.H. Diamond . Ditto 14 10 2 Rankin 14 10 Workg. Mares Fly a Grey 14¼ 2 Jenny . Brown 13¼ 8 Finwick . Dun Sorrel 13½ 7 Fancy . Grey 13¼ 9 5 White 13 7 Bay . small Star &ca. 13 5 Bay . long blaze 13 5 unbroke Mares Bay . very small Star 13 5 Dark Bay sml. star & snp. 13 Dark Brown Simpson 13½ 3 Bay . midlg. likely 1 Bay . small Star Spring Black . sml. star Spring 9 Brown Bay . crookd blaze . 13 hands high 5 yrs. old unbroke Hors. Grey . unlikely 2 Bay . sml. star . unlikely Grey . natural pacer spg. 4 Total 20 Cattle Working Oxen 4 Cows 10 Heifers 1 yr. old 1 Cow Calves this spring 1 Steers full grown 8 2 years old 2 1 year old 1 11 Male Calves 4 Total 31 Sheep Rams 5 Ewes 39 Lambs 11 Total 50 Tools & Implements A good oxe Cart—2 Oxe yokes & Iron Rings—Compleat 1 Oxe Chain 1 Bar shear plows 3 Iron Traces . pairs 6 Haims, Collars, Bridles &ca. Compt. 2 spare Colters 2 Mattoxs 5 Axes—includg. 1 at the Home Ho[use] 4 Iron Wedges . pairs 1 Hilling Hoes 11 Pitch fork 1 A Wheat Fan 1 Half Bushel 1

The Hogs at all the Plantations running in the Woods after the Mast, no Acct. could be taken of them.

Richard Henry Lee, lately President of Congress; his Son Ludwell, Colo. Fitzgerald, and a Mr. Hunter (Mercht.) of London came here to Dinner & stayed all Night.

The Stock at the Ferry not being got up, Postponed taking the Acct. of them until they shod. be got together.

Richard Henry Lee’s son Ludwell Lee lived at Shuter’s (Shooter’s) Hill near Alexandria.

Mr. Hunter was a son of Robert Hunter, a Scottish merchant living in London and trading primarily with Canada. Hunter’s son Robert Jr., or John, as he is identified in some sources (Pa. Mag., 17:76–82), was only 20 years old when his father sent him to America in 1785, at a time when representatives of British mercantile houses were swarming into the country to collect pre-Revolutionary debts. In Montreal young Hunter met Joseph Hadfield, who was also collecting debts for his family’s firm, and the two joined forces for part of their journey through the states (see 31 Jan. 1785). Hadfield, who had visited Mount Vernon in January, remained in Baltimore while Hunter went to Alexandria and Mount Vernon. Among the subjects discussed during Hunter’s visit was navigation of the Potomac River. GW “gave success to the navigation of the Potomac for his toast, which he has very much [at] heart. . . . He is quite pleased at the idea of the Baltimore merchants laughing at him and saying it was a ridiculous plan and would never succeed. They begin now, says the General, to look a little serious about the matter, as they know it must hurt their commerce amazingly” (WRIGHT description begins Louis B. Wright and Marion Tinling, eds. Quebec to Carolina in 1785–1786: Being the Travel Diary and Observations of Robert Hunter, Jr., a Young Merchant of London. San Marino, Calif., 1943. description ends , 193).

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