Four of the Judges recd the other day an invitation from the President to dine today which we accepted— Judges Livingston & Story inform us that the President requested them to dine with him tomorrow with their associates. We are under some embarrassment in consequence of this information, & I now take the liberty of asking whether the President expects us today or tomorrow? Our brethren are probably mistaken. I am very respectfully yr mo ob. servt

The Case of the Grotius

     I return you, my dear Sir, my sincere thanks for your favor of the 6th Ulto, and particularly for the kind and friendly interest which you are so good as to take in the Safety of myself & family during the late invasion of this part of the Country by the Enemy. I am happy to have it in my power to say that I escaped in person and property all kind of injury and loss. The squadron lay off this place some days in its ascent and on its return, and yet I do not believe that during the whole time a single barge approached this Shore.

     Soon after my return home from Phila., I copied into my note book all the written decisions which were delivered, & which constituted about two thirds of all the cases which were tried.

I had the pleasure a few days ago to receive your favor of the 31 July. I sincerely regretted I assure you that we were in Richmond under circumstances which forbid our meeting as frequently as we wished & should otherwise have done. The business of the Convention occupied most of my time in the day, and, being a member of the standing committee, I was under the necessity of attending at the Bishops during the evening. I write most cordially with you in the hope that we shall yet meet again, and at no place could it be half so agreable to me as at Mt Vernon.

     "I have followed the author you mention in the pizé buildings I have constructed. The foreman of my carpenters is a very intelligent man, and after frequently reading to him what appeared necessary for him to know, he made the frame & piroirs with great skill, & proceeded to build a large barn, the walls of which he completed with about 5 hands, in a day less than a month to the best of my recollection. He may sometimes have had a hand or two more than I have mentioned.

     During my late Circuit at Phila. I met with Doct. Caldwell, the present editor of the Port folio, who expressed to me an anxious wish to obtain a biographical Memoir of Chief Justice Marshall to insert in one of the members of that work. He requested me to procure such a Sketch for him, which I promised to do if in my power. I thought of you at the time, but was apprehensive that your other engagements might oppose serious Obstacles to your undertaking it.

     I had the pleasure, my much loved wife to recollect yesterday your exceptional letter of the 20th and intended to answer it in the morning after my return from Court, so that it might go off by the mail of today. But I was detained by a cause under trial so late at night, that this could not be done; I did not return to my lodgings until near 11 o'clock. You complain my dearest love that I do not write often enough to you; but this is indeed without cause.

     There is a question now under the consideration of the Circuit Court, which turns altogether upon the practice and general opinion of legal men in this state, to which it is the wish of this court to conform, after clearly ascertaining what that practice is.

     After thanking you for having waited so long for the money due upon my nephew's first bond last July, I have to inform you that if you will send it to your agent in Alexandria with an order on Mr Nob. Herbert to pay it, he will do so on Sight. Your further indulgence as to the other bond will oblige me, as I am not sure of recieving funds for its discharge before the 1st of Jany next, when the second payment for Laurel Grove, (which I have sold to Mr Morson) will become due.

     Having sold Laurel Grove & recieved in Cash one half of the purchase money, I have it in my power, & am ready at any moment to pay a moiety of the Judgment which you recovered against my nephew. I presume you would wish it paid at once to Mr Barnett, & if so I will make the remittance to him as soon as I receive your directions to do so.

     Mr Bushrod Crawford being desirous to enter into the navy of the U.S. has requested me to introduce him to your notice. This I do with the less reluctance, having known him from his infancy, and feeling perfectly satisfied that he will not disappoint the expectations of friends, or those which his Country will have a right to form of him. He is a young gentleman of uncommon merit, & cannot fail, I think, to make a valuable Officer should he be gratified in his wish of obtaining an appointment. I have the honor to be Sir Yr mo. ob. Sevt

The grand Sachem, one of your acknowledged Uncles, not having been much accustomed to admiralty proceedings has propounded a question to me, about which he entertains some doubt, and wishes to know whether it has occurred in any of the Courts of my Circuit. I informed him that you would be the most likely of all our brethren to have met with the case & perhaps decided it, & I promised to mention it to you.

I have some surveying to do at this place which I should be very glad to get you to execute & this as early as your convenience will permit, as I wish to lay off my ground before I fallow for my wheat crop.

Please leave a letter in the post office mentioning at what time I may expect you. I am Sir yr mo. ob. Servt

     Since my return to Virga, I observed by one of our papers, that our Legislature at its Session in may, had passed a law for the relief of all persons whose lands had become forfeited by omissions to enter them on the Commissioners books, or to pay the taxes due on them. I immediately wrote to chief Justice Marshall requesting him to call upon the auditor, & to obtain for me all the information necessary to enable me to secure your Son's tract of land. I have now recieved his answer, the purport of which I take great pleasure in communicating to you.

     Your last letter, in addition to the statement made me by Geo. Washington, will induce me to dismiss Bushrods Suit against you, & to take the provision made by his fathers will in discharge of the Sum which Colo. Washington recd as his guardian from the Executors of Genl Washington. I shall do this, not because I am at all clear that the provision is equal to his claim, but because I wish to settle his affairs as speedily as possible, and the difference, if any, against him, cannot I presume be considerable.

Whilst I was in the City Mr Key called upon me, & upon my informing him that it was our wish to sell the City property, he stated that he had no doubt that he could obtain at least $10,000 for it, which he would endeavour to do if we would write him to that effect. In that case, he would have the money paid into Court & then get an order for paying it over to us so as to render any bond from you unecessary. I am clearly of opinion that this will be our best plan, & if you concur in it, I will write Mr Key accordingly. I am Dear Sir Affectly yrs

     I recd your letter of the 2d— My nephews imprudent purchases at the sale of his father's estate cannot, I presume, have frustrated your purpose of his encumbering Laurel Grove from the mortgage, further than the amount to which those purchases extended, and to that amount I am willing that the land should continue liable, until it can be ascertained, on whose side is the balance of account. All I ask, or can expect is, that you will pay the balance of the mortgage, leaving this sum, for the present, for me to pay out of the Trust property.

     My nephew Bush. Washington having conveyed all his estate to me for the payment of his Debts, I shall be compelled in the first place, and as soon as possible to sell his land in Westmoreland, upon which I understand there was a mortgage for a considerable sum of money given by his father to Mr Barnet.

     The indulgence asked for my Nephew until I could dispose of his property, having been refused, I have been compelled to borrow the money to satisfy your present claim. I requested my friend to call at the Farmers bank this morning to discharge the bonds, when to my great disappointment he was informed that they had not been placed there for collection.

     In my letter to you of the 4th Novr I mentioned that I would send you a deed to Mr Minton for the 120 acres of land which he has purchased, & expressed my willingness to sell him¹ our interest in the other tracts either by the acre as stated in the Deeds or by survey to be made.

Some days ago my nephew Bush. Washington conveyed property to me in Trust for the payment of his debts. Since then I have met with a notice in the Alexandria paper signed by Mr Timms & Mr Mitchel advertising his Westmoreland land for sale on the 8th of feby to satisfy a debt due to you. This debt consists I understand of the sum of $1417.50 due 1s. Sept. last, & of $1060.12 due 1st of this month.

     I returned from Phila. the day before yesterday when I had the pleasure to recieve your favor of the 30 Sept.

I take the liberty to introduce to you Mr Wm E. Horner of Virginia who is attending for the second winter, I believe, the medical believer in Phila. He is a young gentleman of respectable connections, good talents and most amiable in his disposition & deportment.

     I am very respectfully Dr Sir yr mo. ob. Serv.

I cant make off a correct statement of Colo. Washingtons account without knowing the amount of my order on your brother Robert in favor of the Colo., as I sent him a blank one to fill up with such a sum as would make $8000 in all. Will you write to your brother & enquire the precise sum? I should suppose from the Copy of one of my letters it was $157.14 which with Mr Parks debt $4537.86 & Rusts bonds $3305 principal make exactly $8000.