To George Washington from Benjamin Lincoln, 3 April 1799
From Benjamin Lincoln
Boston [April] 3d 1799
I received yesterday, My Dear General, your favour of the 17th Ulto—I have seen the Manufacturer of Glass and have given to him the different sizes you have written for and the Number of each. He cannot accomodate you, at this moment, with the largest panes of the best kind of Glass he therefore wishes three week in which time he will have the whole ready boxed for Shiping; After I [s]hall embrace the earliest opportunity of forwarding it.
I conversed respecting the place of payment thereon, found that if the money should be paid at Baltimore it would be equal to its being paid here. With the Acct you will have the name of the house there to which it is to be paid.1 With the greatest esteem I am my dear General your most obedient servant
B. Lincoln
ALS, DLC:GW. The letter was incorrectly dated “May 3d.” GW wrote below the docket, “Ought to have been 3d April 1799.”
1. Lincoln wrote from Boston on 2 May: “I have the pleasure to inform you my dear General that your glass is packed & ready for Shiping and that I shall take the earliest oppy of forwarding it to you It will be recommended to the care of Mr [Thomas] Porter. My friend Mr Crocker will call pay his respects & deliver this line” (DLC:GW). Lincoln wrote again on 11 May: “I have the pleasure of Shipping on board the Schoner Lucy[,] Daniel Howes Master[,] bound to Alexandria two boxes of Glass for you I have requested our friend Mr [Thomas] Porter to receive it & pay freight As soon as I receive the bill I will forward it” (DLC:GW).
On 4 June, the same day that GW wrote William Thornton that the glass had arrived in Alexandria from Boston, Lincoln wrote to GW: “The Glass maker has this moment mentioned to me that he has discovered a mistake in sending on your Glass that one of your boxes 12⅝ by 12⅝ was left behind and an other box with different glass sent in the place of it, By the Schooner Nancy[,] Frost master[,] you will receive the right box—By the enclosed bill you will know the expence and at the foot of it you will learn the house to which payment is to be made. N.B. The Glass must be set Convex out” (DLC:GW). GW wrote Thornton on 16 June about the mistake in the shipping of the glass and gave him instructions about returning the box containing the wrong glass.
GW’s correspondence regarding his payment for the glass is printed in note 1, GW to Lincoln, 1 July.