From George Washington to Joseph Habersham, 8 August 1796
To Joseph Habersham
Mount Vernon 8th Augt 1796
Sir
You were obliging enough a few Posts ago, to send young Mr Lafayette a dead letter, which had been deposited in your Office (from his friends in Europe).
As his anxiety to hear from, or of his Parents, can only be exceeded by his uneasiness at their unhappy situation;1 I pray you to direct the deputy Post masters in the Sea Port Towns, if any letters with his Superscription thereon, or that of Mr Frestal (to whose care he is committed) should get to their Offices, to put them under a cover to me.
This would avoid delay—insure their safe delivery—and might be a source of consolation to the young Gentleman. With esteem I am Sir Your very Hble Servt
Copy (docketed by GW), DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW.
Habersham replied to GW from Philadelphia on 11 Aug.: “I am just honoured with your Letter of the 8th Instant, and I shall give the necessary directions to the Deputy Post Masters of the Sea Port Towns to forward all Letters that may be deposited in their Offices for Mr La Fayette or Mr Frestal, in the manner you have desired.
“If I am not much mistaken the dead Letter I sent the young Gentleman was directed to Mr Motier; it may be proper for him to inform me if it was, and whether Letters from Europe are usually directed to him by that name?
“It will afford me great pleasure to be in the least instrumental in securing the safe delivery of Mr La Fayettes Letters; and I have given particular instructions to the Clerk in this Office, who examines the dead Letters to be careful in preserving any that may be for him, or his friend Mr Frestal. Whenever any such Letters are found here, they shall be immediately forwarded to them” (ALS, DLC:GW; LB [dated 10 Aug.], DNA: RG 28, Letters Sent by the Postmaster General, 1789–1836).
1. Lafayette remained in prison (see Justus Erick Bollman to GW, 1 April; GW to Francis II [Holy Roman Emperor], 15 May; La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt to GW, 25 July; see also Thomas Pinckney to GW, 31 July, and Ségur to GW, 4 August.