To George Washington from John Carlyle, 22 August 1758
From John Carlyle
Alexr. Augt 22d 1758
Dr Sir
I Was favd with yours of the 9h & 20t. Int.1—In Answer to the former you have A Letter from Me to Mr Simons.2 Yr Other covers the recet of my two last3 & am Glad I had it In my power to give you the Satisfaction of Copethorns safe Arrivall, the Generall Accounts of Sales for Tobacco this Yr has been from 7 to 10 £ ⅌ hhd & its the received Opinion it must be higher, the Prospect at Preasent being So bad that All Agree this Whole Collony will Not make more than 10,000 hhds & those that Can will keep up their Tobacco for A Price & by All Accounts from home their is No Quantity on hand.
The Preasent Prospect of any Thing being done this Year To the W’ward Seems very bad but as I am a prejudiced Person Agt Sum of the Gt Men on that Command, I dare not find fault Least I Shoud not make Proper Allowances, I am greatly Obliged to you for Yr Account of Affairs, & heartily am Sorrey for Yr & many other Gentn Seituation Who If they had Leave wou’d be of Service to A Country that has done all (nay more then was) In Their power to Carrey on The Warr to Advantage.
Coll Fairfax has Wrote You lately, as Also has Jno. Pattinson relateing Your Buildings, It Must be from Sum Currious Eye or Sumthing of that kind that hinders Your Not receiving Letters from him, for I have Seen Severall & have forwarded Sum As to Knight I cannot Say So much for As I donot So Often Converse With him only In General I am told You’l make A Good Crop & what of It I have Seen You have the best Corn & Tobacco In This County & dare Say Jno. Pattinson has your Interest At heart as much As If it Was his own.4
Nothing New has happen’d here Since You left this the Ladys here & at Belvoir desires their Compts to You—They Joyn Colo. Fairfax (who is here) Mr Dalton & Me5 In heartey Wishes for Yr Health & Safe Return to A Life of Ease & Plenty & am Dr Sir Yr obliged Hble Servant
John Carlyle
P.S. Mr Ramsay is Much Wanted At Winchester & here, & dayly Expected. Yrs &c. J.C.
The Inclosed Letter for Mr Ramsay Contains Matters of Moment to him & Us & If hes Come Away Wch We Are In hopes he is We desire Youd Inclose it back to Us. Excuse this Trouble from Yrs &c. C[arlyle] & D[alton]
ALS, DLC:GW. Carlyle addressed the letter to GW at Fort Cumberland “To the Care of Liet. [Charles] Smith at Fort Loudoun.”
1. GW’s letters of 9 and 20 Aug. have not been found.
2. When writing to GW on 1 Sept. Carlyle refers to his letter to Simons in such a way as to suggest that Simons was with GW at his camp near Fort Cumberland. There was an older soldier in Robert McKenzie’s company in 1758 named Joel Simons (Simonds).
3. These were probably Carlyle’s letters to GW of 4 and 8 August.
4. John Patterson’s letter of 13 Aug. reveals that at least one previous letter from him to GW either did not get to GW or has since been lost, and on 2 Sept. Patterson assured GW that he had been a faithful correspondent. For his part, Humphrey Knight, the manager of GW’s farms at Mount Vernon, wrote GW on 2 Sept. that he could “make it apear” that this was the sixth letter he had written, four of which have been found.
5. Carlyle’s wife was Sarah Fairfax Carlyle, sister of George William Fairfax who lived with his wife and sister Hannah, among others, at Belvoir near Mount Vernon. John Dalton was Carlyle’s business partner.