George Washington Papers

From George Washington to Jedediah Morse, 6 April 1795

To Jedidiah Morse

Philadelphia 6th April 1795.

Sir,

Your favor of the 24th ulto, accompanied by two discourses delivered on the day of the National thanksgiving, came duly to hand.1 For your politeness in sending them to me I pray you to accept my thanks. with esteem and respect I am—Sir Your obedt and obliged Servant

Go: Washington

ALS, PHi: Dreer Collection.

1This letter has not been found. The national day of thanksgiving took place on 19 Feb. (see GW’s proclamation about that event, 1 Jan.).

A sermon by Morse titled The present Situation of other Nations of the World, contrasted with our own. A Sermon, Delivered At Charlestown, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, February 19, 1795; being the Day Recommended by George Washington, President of the United States of America, For Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer (Boston, 1795) remained in GW’s library at the time of his death, bound with other pamphlets marked “‘Political Sermons.’” The second discourse Morse sent to GW may have been A Discourse, Delivered February 19, 1795. The Day Set Apart by the President for a General Thanksgiving Through the United States (Boston, 1795), a sermon by David Osgood that was printed by the same publisher that printed Morse’s sermon and was included in the same bound set of pamphlets (see Griffin, Catalogue of the Washington Collection, description begins Appleton P. C. Griffin, comp. A Catalogue of the Washington Collection in the Boston Athenæum. Cambridge, Mass., 1897. description ends 98, 145).

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