Having held the land sale at a spot convenient to buyers from both sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains, GW was now auctioning off the slaves, stock, and tools which were gathered together at the main Mercer plantation for examination by the bidders. GW was disturbed at finding “only 90 instead of 110 Negroes, and a proportionate difficiency of Horses and stock; and few or no Plantation utensils” (GW to John Tayloe, 30 Nov. 1774, WRITINGS description begins John C. Fitzpatrick, ed. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745–1799. 39 vols. Washington, D.C., 1931–44. description ends , 37:508).