From George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, 22 November 1793
To Thomas Jefferson
22d Novr 1793.
Dear Sir,
I think Colo. Humphrey’s in one of his letters to you, refers to his to me, for some article of News. I see nothing therein that we have not had before; but send it nevertheless, for your perusal.1
Can any thing be said, or done, respecting the Marquis de la Fayette? I send the letter that you may give it another perusal.2 I send a letter also from a French Gentleman in New York offering his Services as Engineer &ca.3 We may want such characters! A civil answer therefore may not be amiss to give him, although he cannot be employed now, nor never indeed 4 he is well qualified.
Are resignations deposited in the Office of State? If they are I send one just received.5 Yours always
Go: Washington
ALS, DLC: Jefferson Papers; ALS draft, PPRF; LB, DNA: RG 59, George Washington’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State. Jefferson docketed the ALS as received on 22 November.
1. In David Humphreys’s letter to Jefferson of 13 Sept., he wrote: “I write the general News, which is of great importance, to the President” (, 27:106–7). GW here enclosed Humphreys’s letter to him of 13 September.
2. For a translation of Lafayette’s letter of 15 March to the princesse d’Hénin, sent to GW in John Barker Church’s letter of 16 Aug., see Jared Sparks, The Life of Gouverneur Morris with Selections from His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers (3 vols., Boston, 1832), 1:406-10.
3. This enclosure has not been identified.
4. On the ALS draft, GW wrote “unless” instead of “indeed,” and the LB also has “unless.”
5. This enclosure has not been identified.