From George Washington to Capel & Osgood Hanbury, 10 August 1760
To Capel & Osgood Hanbury
Mount Vernon 10th Augt 1760.
Gentn
By my friend Mr Fairfax I take the oppertunity of acknowledging the receipt of your favour pr Captn Wa[l]ker & once since of later date by Captn Chew—I am very sorry for the Account (given in the latter) of the Deliverance being lost. All the Tobacco I had on board her was JC and I dare say woud have disgracd no Market whatever—but accidents of this Nature are common & ought not to be repind at.1
We had a very favourable prospect sometime ago of making large Crops of Tobacco, but a continued series of Rain for near 4 Weeks has given a sad turn to our expectations and now I verely believe that unless some very surprising change happens for the better again the Crops will be very short—A great deal of Tobo being Drownd, and the rest spotting very fast, which is always a consequence of so much Wet Weather.
I hope you will have receivd for the Books retaken in Captn Downs before this Letter can reach you: they were not intended for ourselves for which Reason I must get the favour of you to State an Acct of the Costs with proper Credits that I may know how to settle for them here.2 I am Gentn Yr Most Obedt Hble Servt
Go: Washington
LB, in GW’s hand, DLC:GW.
1. For the shipment of tobacco and the loss of the Deliverance, see GW to Capel & Osgood Hanbury, 25, 30 Nov. 1759, and Capel & Osgood Hanbury to GW, 4 April 1760.
2. In , folio 66, among the half dozen entries under November 1759 in his account with Capel & Osgood Hanbury, GW noted: “To Cash Recd for Goods retaken in the Supply and sold at Bristol—for [£]5.13.” The Hanburys wrote Martha Custis on 26 Dec. 1758: “We have wrote Thee ⅌ the Packet & sundry other opportunitys, One of wch was ⅌ the Supply Capt. Downs who was so unlucky after sailing wth Convoy as to be seperated therefrom & to be taken, was afterwards retaken and carried into Bristol, & insteed of our Letter to thee geting to hand in due course it was sent us a few Days agon & comes enclosd. The Law Books were also sent ⅌ that Ship vallue £17.18⟨.0⟩ as soone as their Affairs can be setled the Estate shall have Credit for a moiety of the net amount of the Sale thereof as all the Goods are to be sold at Publick Sal⟨mutilated⟩ bespoke other Books to replace them & wch intend to ⟨se⟩nd ⅌ the Dispatch in a short time if a sutable Convoy offers, as it seems likely that the Virginia Fleet will not sail untill late in the Spring” (ViHi: Custis Papers). See also GW to Richard Washington, 10 Aug. 1760, n.5.