To George Washington from David Stuart, 11 July 1796
From David Stuart
Hope Park [Va.] July 11th 1796
Dear Sir,
I am informed by Mr Lyon whom I found at my house on my return home on Saturday,1 that Mr Dawson2 passed through Ge: town on friday, on his way to Philadelphia—This is the second visit he has made there in the space of three months. Mr Lyon further says, from the extraordinary speech3 Dawson made last fall, which you have heard, no doubt is entertained by people in general that a correspondence is carried on by his means with the French Court. My motive in informing you of Dawson’s jaunt is, that you may judge of the propriety of writing to some persons in Philadelphia, to watch his conduct, and those with whom he associates. Perhaps it might be usefull that the Post Master, or his Clerks should attend to the direction of his letters; tho’ it is probable that those intended for France will be entrusted to the French Minister alone4—Governor Brooke I learn from Mr Lyon, was allso to have gone to Philadelphia about the close of the Session of Congress; but could not get accomodated with money for his journey, tho’ he was bold enough to try the unjustifyable expedient with which you was charged by the calm Observer of raising it by an anticipation of his salary, which he says has been severely noticed in some of the Richmond papers.5 I am with great respect Your Affecte Servt
Dd Stuart.
P:S: If there be any reality in the opinion, that a correspondence is held by any party in this country with France, I think it probable at this time, that their dispatches will contain the result of their deliberations, and their future plan of operations—It is allso I think not improbable that Dawson may visit his friend Mr Burr.6
D:S:
ALS, DLC:GW; extract (in GW’s writing), MHi: Pickering Papers. GW enclosed the extract when he wrote Secretary of State Timothy Pickering on 13 July. It suppressed Mr. Lyon’s name and omitted a portion of the last paragraph (see n.4 below).
1. The previous Saturday was 9 July.
2. GW inserted an asterisk on the extract at this point to identify John Dawson in a marginal note as “one of the Executive Council of Virginia.”
3. GW inserted a symbol here on the extract to reference an explanatory note: “This speech was in the Council chamber (Virga), but in private conversation (overheard by a third person). It was supposed by Mr Dawson’s friend, in this conversation, that Mr R——ph would now become a very useful man to them—He answered No! they had a much better channel thro’ which to carry on their foreign Correspondence.” The note probably is referring to former Secretary of State Edmund Randolph.
4. GW omitted the remainder of this paragraph from the extract.
5. A letter from “A Calm Observer” that appeared in the Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia) for 23 Oct. 1795 charged GW with submitting warrants for illegal extra compensation (see Alexander Hamilton to GW, 26 Oct. 1795, n.1).
6. For an earlier political exchange between Dawson and Aaron Burr, see Burr to Henry Tazewell, 11 Oct. 1795, in 1:229.