Your favor of the 14 Sept. reached Alexa. after I had left home. A copy of it has lately been forwarded to me, at this place, by a friend who I authorised to open my letters during my absence, and I beg leave now to thank you for the communication which it conveys.

     Referring to your father's letter to you I have to observe that I cannot agree with him in opinion that as executor of Genl Washington or otherwise I have any power over the letter in question altho it should have been a private & confidential one as to which I have no knowledge whatever except what is derived from the Statement in your fathers letter. Neither do I concieve that I have the most remote right to interfere in the extraordinary suit instituted by Mrs Hamilton to which your letter refers. And I beg leave further to add that if my right in either or both of these cases was incontestable, I should not condescend to exercise it. If Mrs Hamilton² in claiming for Genl H. thro the medium of a Court of Justice or otherwise the authorship of the farewell address,³ (the validity of which claim is by no means admitted), supposes⁴ that the establishment of the fact will do honour to his memory,⁵ I shall throw no impediment in her way, but leave her to pursue her own course.

     There is one mistake into which your father has been led by some person which it becomes me to correct. He states that, if not misinformed, "Mr J. Washington had been called upon to search for and deliver to Mrs Hamilton letters supposed to be in his possession, written by Genl Hamilton to Genl Washington, respecting his farewell address." I have no hesitation in affirming that the information he recd was without foundation.⁶ Mrs Hamilton with a son & daughter did me the honor, some years ago, to visit me at Mt Vernon where they spent some days. She requested of me as a favor, or perhaps repeated a request before made by letter, to collect for her Genl H.'s letters to Genl W. of which copies had not been kept by the former, promising to have them copied & to return me the originals. She furnished me with a list by dates of those which were wanted. I chearfully engaged in the search, which employed parts of many days, and delivered to her every one mentioned on the list which I could find. To the best of my recollection the farewell address was never alluded to, even in conversation, and I feel considerable confidence in stating that it was not until after this visit, that I was informed in Phila., by a friend, that the authorship of that address was attributed to Genl H. in whispers by certain persons in N. york & Phila. As to dates, my memory may possibly mislead me, but I cannot, I think, be mistaken in saying that no demand or request resembling that above referred to was made by Mrs H.⁷ I will add further, that I have never, at any time, met w<ith any> letter or copy of a letter amongst the papers of Genl Washington which could warrant the conclusion⁸ that Genl H. wrote the farewell address— I am authorised by Chief Justice Marshall, who had possession of all the papers for some years, whilst writing the life of Washington, to aver⁹ that he never met with any such letter. This statement, I have thought it due to his & to my character to make, that it may be communicated to your respectable father, to whom I pray you to present my thanks for his kind & considerate letter on this unpleasant subject. I have the honor to be very respectfully Sir yr mo. ob. Servt