To Thomas Jefferson from Leighton Wood, 3 January 1781
From Leighton Wood
Richmond 3rd January 1781.
Sir
This Morning to my mortification I received the inclosed Letter from Mr. Everard which I beg leave to lay before your Excellency and Council. From the nature that I conceive of my late appointment I cannot be too early in applying myself to the duties of that Office and wished to qualifie therefor on Monday next tho’ should it appear necessary that I should continue to act as an Auditor on account of the present Invasion will defer it for a few days.
I have to request from your Excellency and Council a direction where to keep an Office and doubt not but that reasons will readily occur to point out the necessity of being near the Auditors.
I am with the greatest respect Sir Your most Obt. & very hble Servt:,
L. Wood Jr.
RC (Vi); addressed and endorsed. Enclosure: Thomas Everard to Leighton Wood, 2 Jan. 1781 (Vi), declining to serve as an auditor of public accounts.
On 30 Dec. 1780 the Assembly had appointed Wood to the post of solicitor general, and on 1 Jan. appointed Everard to serve as an auditor of public accounts in the place of Wood, who had been serving in that capacity (, Oct. 1780, 1827 ed., p. 76, 78). On 31 Jan. the Council appointed Bolling Starke to replace Everard until the next session of the legislature (Va. Council Jour., ii, 282).