To George Washington from Lund Washington, 12 May 1771
From Lund Washington
Mount Vernon May 12th 1771
Sir
We have fish’d none since last Wednesday it is thought Mr Adam has upwards of Eight Hundred Barrls we have sold 250000 at home1—our Mill is once more in a bad way, the Wall between the water Pit & Cog pit, is falling down, which has occasioned the Floor with the Wt of Flour on it to settle down about 3 Inches—the Husk which is supported by that wall is settled 3 or 4 Inches—the Forebay settle down upon the wheels. this happend or the greatest part on Fryday Night I went there Yesterday Morning to diliver some Flour which I had sold, & as soon as I discover’d what a situation things were in, I had the Mill stop’d (which was then grindg) & the water run out of the Forebay & it properly supported, a post fix’d under each of the stone bearers, & shores against the Wall—I intend to have a Frame fixd in the Log Pit so as to support the husk without the wall, & likewise one in the wheel pit to bear up the Fore bay, & then I dont know but I will take the wall down least it shoud Fall & break the wheels—give your self no uneasiness or anxiety about the Mill, you may depend I will use every precaution I am capable of to prevent further damages2—I have sold 200 Barrels of Flour to Capt. Chisholm at 12/ pr C. to be pd for in three months Wt 36997—& have taken his note for £236.19.8 as also 10. barrels more which he had on accompt of Mr Adam Wt 2254—I have let Mr Adam have 38 Barrels of Ship Stuff at 8/4 pr C.3 Flour sells in Alexandria at 10/6—we have between 2 & 300. Bushels of Wheat yet to grind, I suppose we shall not grind for 2 or 3 days to come—I think our wheat Fields look more promising than common at this time of year, there is nothing I can recollect worth informg you off relative to our plantan our people are well—my leg is better & I am Dr Sir your Faithfull servt
Lund Washington
ALS, ViMtvL.
1. GW notes in , folio 326, in May 1771, the delivery this season to Carlyle & Adam of 679,200 herring for £101.17.7 and 7,760 shad for £32.6.8. See Robert Adam to GW, 24 June 1771, in which Adam complains about the condition of some of the herring.
2. GW had completed a few months earlier a new mill and millrace. See Cash Accounts, April 1770, n.6, and August 1770, n.9. Also see GW to Charles West, 6 June 1769, n.4, GW to Charles Washington, 25 Jan. 1771, n.4, and , 2:218, 222, 232–34, 243–45, 335. Lund Washington seems to have made temporary repairs at this time. On 4 Sept. GW noted in his (3:59) that “The Mason’s began to work on the Mill Walls.” In October 1771 GW paid Con McCarty £9.2.6 for “36½ days Work done at my Mill,” and in November he paid William Bawn, Michael Clark, Benjamin Mason, and Thomas Tayler £15.15, £4, £7.2.6, and £8.10, respectively for their work on the mill during the late summer and fall of 1771 (, folio 343, and Cash Accounts for November 1771).
3. William Chisholm, a Norfolk merchant engaged in the West Indian trade, in May 1771 gave GW his “Note of hand” for £236.19.8 “for the payment of 200 Barl of Flour,” and he paid GW that amount in cash at Williamsburg on 2 Nov. 1771 (, folio 338). GW in May debited Carlyle & Adam £13.10.15 “for 10 Barl of fine flour delivd Captn Chisholm” and fifteen shillings for the ten casks (, folio 326). He at the same time charged Robert Adam & Co. £42.6.5 for thirty-eight barrels of “Ship Stuff” and £3.16 for thirty-eight casks (, folio 341).