I had the pleasure of receiving your letter written immediately after your return from Philadelphia and am much obliged by your kind enquiries for “The Calm Observer.” I now believe that those papers were never in the pamp[h]let form, or if ever so published, are no longer to be found. I will thank you, if General Washington ever took & preserved that precious deposit of democratic patriotism.

I have expected to hear from you since you have had an opportunity to look into the trunks and chests last sent up for the volume of letters containing those which have not been copied, and am uneasy at not receiving a letter from you. I have been apprehensive that you have been prevented by indisposition. Still, as I have not heard of your being sick I will flatter my self that some accident has prevented your looking into the trunks, or has prevented your writing.

I returned from the upper country too late to answer your letter of the 29th of August previous to your providing on your circuit.

The copies which I mentioned to you may be carried to Washington in Feb. when they may be placed with the others which I shall endeavour to carry with me. Meanwhile I shall try to arrange them as we both think most advisable. It cannot be made complete but I shall endeavour so far to complete it as to free it from any striking impropriety.

Soon after receiving the box containing the correspondence copied at this place I commenced a careful reperusal of it & have just finished that part which concerns the old war of 1754. I find that the last letter is dated the 25th of July 1758 & consequently breaks off in the midst of the interesting transactions which preceded the capture of fort Du Quêsne. Before I made this discovery I had packed up all the books & sent them to you so that it is not in my power to supply this chasm. The last letter is to Colo.

I received your letter expressing your wish to know the principle decided in the case of the Bank of the U.S. v Dandridge’s securities. The case will be carried before the Supreme court & I am very glad of it, as the law on the subject ought to be settled.

I did not receive your letter of the 22d. till yesterday.

I recollect but very indistinctly to have seen among the papers of Genl. Washington a letter from some foreigner respecting lands or to have seen Genl. Washingtons answer to the letter I forget which. I am now much occupied in court, &, when the term is over, will examine for the letter.

I had the pleasure this morning of recieving your favour of the 20th. I am heartily rejoiced at hearing of any proposition to print a 2d. Edition of the Life of Washington as it is one of the most desirable objects I have in this life to publish a corrected edition of that work.

I thank you for the kind solicitude expressed in your letter of the 3d.

I had imprudently mounted a young horse who started & threw me as I was riding him to my farm. I was much hurt but no bone was broken & I shall be able to attend the court at Raleigh to which place I shall set out the day after tomorrow.

I had the pleasure of receiving on my return from the upper country your letter dated in August. I had not seen Brown¹ & had formed an opinion of the civil admiralty jurisdiction from the character of a case of piracy not from precedent A pirate being an enemy of the human race & at war with the civilized world I had considered a libel for the condemnation of his vessel as partaking rather of the character of a prize cause than of one belonging to the civil admiralty side of the court. But I bow to precedent.

I received on my return from North Carolina your favor inclosing a check on the bank of Virga for $500 being my share of the third instalment from Mr Wayne.

In the letters lately addressed to you I have forgotten to mention a circumstance which deserves some attention. In the old books from which I extracted the facts composing the first volume I found our bay spilt thus—Chessapeake. Without any examination of the orthography I believe I have gone on to spell it in the same manner.

I have just received your letter inclosing your notes on the parts of the life which you have read. I am sorry they are not more ample – but I hasten to advert to the circumstance mentiond by Mr. Wayne which is of real importance. I had designed barely to hint at Braddocks defeat in the first volume & to detail the circumstances minutely in the second & thought I had done so, but on looking into what I believe is the 12th chapter I find I have been much more particular than I thought myself or woud wish to be.

The day after I wrote to you I was informed that a Mr Davidson of this place was setting out for Philadelphia & woud take charge of a box to you.¹ I thought it most advisable to send it tho I had not had it in my power to examine the second copy, or to correct the first. There is a part about which I wish you to be particularly attentive, as, on reading it over I had designed to change it, but the opportunity of sending it was so sudden that I have omitted to make the corrections I intended.

I recd your letter, and have been disappointed in not seeing you here agreeable to your promise. I am glad that you have determined to give your undivided attention to Mr Wayne's business, & he will no doubt make the allowance of a dollar per day as before agreed upon, in case he feels satisfied of your prompt attention to the obtaining subscriptions – Certainly no time is now to be lost as the first vol. will soon be in the press. – I hope you will set out immediately to the Southward where you will have fine winter quarters & cannot fail of success in your undertaking.

Should Mr Wayne not be in Phila you will oblige him by sending the enclosed to him immediately by express, as it is important that he should meet me at Frankfort the day after tomorrow. The letter is sent under cover to you at his request – excuse the trouble I give you & believe me Sir very respectfully yrs