91To George Washington from Tobias Lear, 17 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
Your respected favor of the 13th instant reached this place last evening, and should have been answered by return of the mail; but I had been absent for some days at the Great Falls, on the business of the Potomac Company, and did not get home till this day. I trust, my dear Sir, that after knowing my reasons for not having sooner acknowledged the receipt of your kind letter of the 14th of...
92To George Washington from Hannah Fairfax Washington, 17 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
This will be presented to you by my Son Fairfax Washington, who I have sent to Phliadela with a view of reading the Law under Mr Charles Lee, and of improving himself, by being introduced into good company. Depending on the friendship you, & your good Lady, have allways express’d for his Father & myself, I make free to beg your countenancing him, & the favor will be gratefully acknowledg’d by...
93To George Washington from Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, 16 Jan. 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, 16 Jan. 1797 . GW wrote Fergusson on 5 March and acknowledged her “very polite and obliging favour of the 16th of January” (see Papers, Retirement Series W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series . 4 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1998–99. 1:6 –7).
94To George Washington from Samuel Nicholson, 16 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
It is with much reluctance I trouble you with the present application, but a great anxiety to provide for a numerous family, must be my appology. It has been the practice in the British, and I believe all other Navies, to admit as Midshipmen a Small proportion of Young Men who have not had any experience as Seamen. I am very desirous to have my two eldest sons Samuel aged 14 years, & Joseph...
95To George Washington from Elkanah Talley, 16 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
Altho’ I have not the honor of a personal acquaintance with you; yet I presume you will pardon my taking the liberty of addressing you on a subject which relates to some of your property in this Neighbourhood. The property alluded to is the Land you had of Mr Dandridge, which was formerly a part of Bristo’s confiscated estate. Within these 2 years, repeated trespasses have been committed on sd...
96To George Washington from Henry Knox, 15 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
Possessing as I do a thousand evidences of your friendship, I am persuaded that you will readily beleive me, when I say that my silence of late, has been the effect of my unwillingness to intrude, lest I should for a moment prevent the consideration and different views, you give to the important subjects incessantly before you. Although the same cause continues to prevent my interruption, yet...
97To George Washington from Marie-Jeanne-Jacqueline-Antoinette Pernot, 12 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
allow an ancient inhabitant of America, who has had the honor of knowing you, when she was at Philadelphia, to break in one moment upon your important business, to claim from you the Justice, which She is threatened not to obtain from the tribunals. as president of congress your are to cause the laws of your country to be faithfully executed: and it is their strict execution I claim. give me...
98To George Washington from Timothy Pickering, 12 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
I have the honor to return the address of the Senate of Pennsylvania, with the draught of an answer in terms which I imagined would correspond with your feelings, and which unsullied honor and the dignity of truth would authorize you to express. If however you prefer any other sentiments, by receiving the draught thus early, there will be time for alterations. I sent the intended letter to Mr...
99To George Washington from James Anderson, 11 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
Refering to my last of 2d have now to hand You Report of last week. As said in my last I have now brought my Family here, which with Mr Pearce sickness has put it out of my power to send You Inventory of every Article I find here. It is however nearly compleat And will certainly forward it in my next—which I intend by Monday, instead of this days post, I have been at all the Farm’s various...
100To George Washington from Alexander White, 11 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
Previous to Mr Scotts setting out for Annapolis, it was mentioned by him and not controverted by Doctor Thornton, that a full Board would not be necessary till about the tenth of this month, and that I might with propriety remain in Virginia till that period, unless something should occur to render my presence sooner necessary, in which case they would give me notice. By a letter put in the...
101From George Washington Parke Custis to George Washington, 7 January 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from George Washington Parke Custis, 7 Jan. 1797 . GW wrote Custis on 11 Jan. : “I hasten to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 7th instant.”
102To George Washington from Timothy Pickering, 7 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
The Secretary of State with great pleasure lays before the President of the United States the inclosed letters just received from Colo. Talbot, which confirm the utility of his mission, & the good-will of the British naval officers. ALS , DNA : RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters. No reply to Pickering from GW has been found. The letters to Pickering from Silas Talbot, the U.S. agent in the West...
103To George Washington from Timothy Pickering, 6 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
To the President of the United States, The Secretary of State respectfully makes the following brief representation of the affairs of the United States in relation to Algiers. When Colonel Humphreys left America in April 1795, he was accompanied by Joseph Donaldson Esqr. who had been appointed Consul for Tunis and Tripoli; and him Colo. Humphreys was authorized to employ in negociating a...
104To George Washington from James Anderson, 3 January 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from James Anderson, 3 Jan. 1797 . GW wrote Anderson on 8 Jan. : “Your letter of the 3d instant” was “received by me yesterday.”
105To George Washington from William Pearce, 3 January 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from William Pearce, 3 Jan. 1797 . GW wrote James Anderson on 8 Jan. , acknowledging his letter “of the 3d instant, & Mr Pearce’s of the same date.”
106To George Washington from the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 2 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
We have your favor of the 26th Ulto, covering the opinion of the Attorney General —It is by no means, our wish that any alterations should be made in the published plan of the City —It may, with great truth, be asserted, that every change occasions infinite trouble to the Commissioners, and creates confusion with the proprietors—We are yet without a full board, and are therefore prevented from...
107To George Washington from David Humphreys, 1 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
I would not trouble you with an acknowledgment of your friendly letter which I received by the hand of Captn O’Brien, because I could only repeat my sensibility of your kindness & my unalterable attachment to you. I wished not therefore to consume your time in reading a letter which contained only what you knew before. At present, the season of annual festivity seems to encourage me in...
108To George Washington from W. S. Webb, 1 January 1797 (Washington Papers)
As the voice of your Country proclaims you the Friend and Defender of the liberties & Happiness of your fellow-creatures—A defenceless Stranger, persecuted, bowed down by misfortune , and on the very brink of misery — this to you for refuge. Nothing but the necessity of his Case, & the peculiar circumstances attending it—could have induced Him to take this liberty; but, apparently neglected by...
109To George Washington from Timothy Pickering, 31 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
The Secretary of State respectfully lays before the President of the U. States, a letter from Colo. Humphreys dated Octr 6. just received, with inclosures from Mr Barlow. There is but too much reason to fear for the fate of Capt. O’Brien. He sailed from Lisbon the 4th or 5th of August for Algiers, with 225,000 dollars on board. The Secretary has also received to-day another letter from Colo....
110From George Washington to the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 30 Dec. 1796 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : to the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 30 Dec. 1796 . The commissioners’ minutes for 4 Jan. 1797 read: “Letter of the 30th Ulto received from the Prest of the U. S. enclosing his approbation endorsed on the Resolutions approving the Loan made of the State of Maryland” ( DNA : RG 42, Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, Proceedings, 1791–1802).
111To George Washington from Anna Welsh, 29 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
I once had the Honor to Address you when in Private Life, you was pleas’d to Say as a Private Citizen you could not do anything for me without the appearance of assuming too much —as this is the last Sessions your Excellency Sees fit to Set as President, permit me once more to Address your Excely—pardon me Sir for this intrusion troubling you on a matter in which I am deeply Interested, the...
112To George Washington from Jason Hand, 28 December 1796 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from Jason Hand, 28 Dec. 1796 . Hand wrote GW on 27 Oct. 1797 : “You will doubtless remember an address which I wrote to you dated the 28th of December 179[6]” (see Papers, Retirement Series W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series . 4 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1998–99. 1:432 –33).
113To George Washington from the Pennsylvania Freemasons, 27 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
Having announced your Intention to retire from Public Labor to that Refreshment to which your preeminent Services for near Half a Century have so justly entitled you, Permit, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at this last Feast of our Evangelic Master St John, on which we can hope for an immediate Communication with you to join the grateful Voice of our Country in Acknowledging that you have...
114To George Washington from Benjamin Walker, 27 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
I did not get your Letter of the 24th inst. with its inclosure, until after the post of yesterday had departed. the Ship Swan Joseph Woodham Master sails tomorrow for Liverpoole and I shall put your Dispatch into his bag. no Vessell is going shortly to London, indeed if there was I should prefer this conveyance as more safe not having to pass thro’ the channell. Mrs Walker joins in respectfull...
115To George Washington from the Commissioners for the District of Columbia, 26 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
The State of our funds will not admit of delay in disposing of some part of the Stock borrowed of the State of Maryland —Our Labourers and Mechanics will have a month’s wages due, on monday next; and, also, there will then be one quarter’s Salary due to all the Officers, who are paid by the Year —The Rules of the public Offices do not permit any transfer of Stock until the first of January,...
116To George Washington from Francis Deakins, 26 Dec. 1796 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from Francis Deakins, 26 Dec. 1796 . GW wrote Deakins on 15 Jan. 1798 : “I ought also, though late … acknowledge that your obliging letter of the 26th of Decr 1796 came safe to my hands” (see Papers, Retirement Series W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series . 4 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1998–99. 2:23–25 ).
117To George Washington from Benjamin Pemberton, 26 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
The enclosed sent me by a Friend with direction to deliver it myself I received sometime since, but however desireous I might be to avail myself of the Honor it intended me, I cou’d not think of intrudeg, on you when I knew how fully and importantly your time must be engaged, nor should I have troubld you with it now, but that I conceive you may think the following communication of sufficient...
118To George Washington from Landon Carter, 24 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
I am now to give you some account of an Arrangement which I rather wish to adopt, than one I have in real practice. The untowardness, so often complained of as a fatallity, may always be traced to some error in the Man himself, immediate or remote: Howsoever this may be, an untowardness has unceasingly marked my Life. My Plan requires appropriate Farm Houses, Utensils, and inclosures; and I am...
119To George Washington from the North Carolina Legislature, 23 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
The General Assembly of North Carolina, apprized of your intention to retire from office, feel it a duty, for themselves and their Constituents, to express the high sense they entertain of the vast advantages derived from your exertions, to the cause of freedom of America, and of mankind. To Secure this national blessing of peace and Independance, to rescue a people from Slavery on the one...
120To George Washington from Thomas Hartley, 23 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
When I had the pleasure of seeing you on Wednesday, you were pleased to desire me to give my opinion of the present value of Lands situate between the Susquehanna and the Potomac. I cannot answer with actual certainty at the moment but imagine that the following extract of a Letter dated the 24th September 1791 which I had the pleasure of sending to you, may be very properly taken into view—as...