From George Washington to Clement Biddle, 3 December 1787
To Clement Biddle
Mount Vernon Decr 3d 1787.
Dear Sir,
Your letters of the 23d of Septr & 15th of Novr came duly to hand.1 You may inform Mr Haines that my Barley, this year, shared the same fate with my other crops. The drought during the summer was so excessive that I cannot form any just opinion of what it might produce in a seasonable year; it yielded about 14 bushls to the acre which was a proportionate crop to any other kind of Grain which I sowed; and if I judge of its success from this circumstance it must be favourable. This information I would have given you sooner had I been able to have ascertained the quantity of Barley that was made.2
I have requested Thomas Smith Esqr. of Carlyle, who, I expect, has, or will recover some money which is due to me in the Western Country, to put it into your hands, unless he has an opportunity of forwarding it directly to Alexandria; if you should receive it I will thank you to deposit it in the bank for me, & send me the notes that I may negociate them here as I have occasion for the Money.
I enclose to you a letter to Mr Smith which I will thank you to forward in as safe & expeditious a manner as you can.3
As I imagine you have, by this time, recd the interest due on my warrant in your hands, or if you have not, Mr Smith will, upon receiving the enclosed letter, forward some money to you, I must request you to pay Mr Charles Pettit’s bill for 4 Backs &8 Jambs sent to me, which amounts to £18.5–1.4
I will thank you to inform me the lowest prices for which good fresh Clover, Timothy & Orchard Grass seed can be purchased with you. I am Dear Sir, Yr most Obedt Hbe Servt
Go: Washington
P.S. The Leopard skin sent by Captn Steward arrived safe.5
LS, PHi: Washington-Biddle Correspondence; LS (“duplicate”), PHi:Washington-Biddle Correspondence; LB, DLC:GW. Both LS’s are in the hand of Tobias Lear and were docketed by Biddle. GW enclosed the duplicate in his letter to Biddle of 24 Jan. 1788.
1. Biddle’s letter of 15 Nov. 1787 has not been found.
2. See Biddle to GW, 23 Sept., and note 2 of that document.
4. For Charles Pettit’s charges for these items, see Pettit to GW, 6 Nov., n.1.
5. Steward may be the ship captain Aaron Steward, who as the master of the Dolphin had brought goods to GW from Biddle in the past.