George Washington Papers

[Diary entry: 16 December 1771]

16. At home all day. In the Evening Mr. Adam Mr. Belmain, Mr. Campbell & Price Posey came here.

Robert Adam was about to make a voyage to Great Britain, and GW recently had given him several “little Commission’s to execute” there (GW to Robert Cary & Co., 22 Nov. 1771, DLC:GW). Adam was to have a gun repaired for GW and was to buy a gold-headed cane with the Washington arms engraved on it, 400 or 500 bookplates also engraved with the Washington arms, and for Jacky, a white agate stone set in a gold socket and engraved with the Custis arms. Also, GW had instructed Adam to try to buy the bounty land rights of two former Virginia Regiment officers who had gone to Britain after the war and, if the opportunity occurred, to engage “a good Kitchen Gardner” for Mount Vernon. Adam apparently sailed for London a week later aboard his and Thomas Adam’s new ship Martha (see main entry for 14 Mar. 1771; GW to Robert Cary & Co., 8 Jan. 1772, DLC:GW).

mr. belmain: probably William Balmain (d. 1784), the Alexandria merchant.

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