From George Washington to Samuel Powel, 25 July 1787
To Samuel Powel
Market Street [Philadelphia]
Wednesday Afternoon 25th July [1787]
Dear Sir,
I pray you to accept my thanks, for the trouble of your enquiries into the prices for Painting, and lining Carriages. Your letter coming to me whilst I was at Dinner, prevented an immediate acknowledgment of it, & previous thereto having heard a Mr Clarke (Coachmaker in this Square) well spoken of—having seen some of his work—and having received the strongest assurances of fidelity and diligence in the execution of mine, I have committed my Chariot to him—induced thereto by the further consideration of seeing every day as I pass his workshop the progress he makes1—My obligation to you, my good Sir, is not lessened thereby but with sentiments of great esteem and regard I am Dear Sir Yr most Obedt & obliged
Go: Washington
ALS, ViMtvL.
1. David & Francis Clark presented on 14 Sept. its itemized bill for £51.13.5½ for refurbishing GW’s “Chariot,” and on 17 Sept. David & Francis Clark certified that the company had “Received the Contents in full.” GW also entered this amount paid on 17 Sept. in his Philadelphia Cash Accounts, 9 May–22 September. Clark’s bill included these charges:
| For taking off boath Chariot Axels linning them in all the Armes with iron & steel setting them hoping up. boxing the wheels axels screwed in the ends and 4 new nutts Cutting & walding the bands of hubbs 4 new washers fixed on shoulders of axels fasning the loose bolts of Carraige | £ 3. |
| anew pole with new ringe for Do | 1. |
| apaire of new pole pices | .17.6 |
| 1 new Spoke putt in awheel | . 4. |
| 2 new pannels and 2 Sadle Cloaths | 1. 8. |
| 2 pair of new Safe Colars with brass buckles neet Straps and belley bands | 2. 5. |
| repairing Glass frames with 2 new Stmutilatedile and brass Cornar plates | . 7.6 |
| For 6¾ Yards of yellow Super fine Cloath at 37/6 pr | 12.13.1½ |
| laces hand strings Glass Do and foot man holders | 5.15.1 |
| 6 lb. of Currald hair for stuffing Cusion at 2/8 | .16. |
| ¾ of a yard of Rusia Sheetting for bottom to the Cusion | . 2.9 |
| making and putting in the Linning & nails pistole-holsters stuffing & nails | 4. 5. |
| anew Wilton Carpet for the cotton bound round the ends | .18. |
| making up the foot man holders with 2 new brass bucke | . 2. |
| Painting ground Coular & varnishing Chariot boady | 2.10. |
| Mantlings and Coats of Armes | 3. |
| mutilated | 4.10. |
| mutilatedper pannels Ruff and butte | 3. |
| mutilatedaige and wheels | 2.10. |
| Repairing the harnes with 8 new trace berars & 6 new Do to the pades. 12 new back band straps 4 breast plate Do | 1. 0. |
| mending atrace with 4 inches leather anew taile to abreching 10 inches long 11 new billets to bridles & rains picing arain—2 feet longe picing tow Chuck braces with 8 inches leather | .10. |
| 4 new ends to the Chick of bridles 6 inches longe each one new Crupper & 2 new Crupper straps putt to the Sadle | . 7. |
| 2 new Gurthes for the Sadles with 8 buckles | . 5. |
| 2 new brass adges putt round 2 winkers & 1 torrit for the pade | 7.6 |
| £51.13.5½ |
The bill is in the possession of the New London (Conn.) County Historical Society.