The bearer will deliver you a letter from my nephews in which they propose renting Rockhall another year provided the parties concerned will consent to take a share of the Crop. I think they would be imprudent to keep it on any other terms, and I am of opinion that it will be best for us to accede to their proposition. They are both of them industrious & they have an excellent overseer to manage for them. I have written to them to this effect provided you & Mr. Alexander consent. I am dear Sir very sincerely yrs

On Wednesday last I walked to the hospital to see Charles. As on the former occasion, he expressed great pleasure at the meeting, & appeared pleased with my company. I found his general health very good, but in mind very much the same as when you left him. I communicated your letter or certain parts of it to him which induced him to say that he should like to return home about the time I informed him I should depart. I asked him if I should offer his love to you & the family which he requested me to do.

I did not return from Trenton 'till the night of the 6th— yesterday afternoon I walked to the hospital to inquire respecting your son. He appeared very much pleased to see me and at once accosted me by my name. His general health appears better than when he went there, having taken some medicines & lost blood. His state of mind is much the same. In answer to questions which I put to him respecting his treatment & situation, he expressed himself well pleased & satisfied.

     Your favor of the 16th I recd last night. The first house I attempted to build in pisé work was commenced in September 1810 when we had the art to learn, & I accomplished it, that is the walls were completed, in a day less than a month, without allowing for interruptions on account of bad weather. I undertook it with my Carpenters, say about six in number, & I am nearly certain that we had not more than that number on an average during the time that we were engaged in the work.

     I had the pleasure this day, to recieve your favor of the 12th. I congratulate you very sincerely upon your safe return to the United States with recovered health, & hope that the advadvantage derived from your absence may be permanent.

     I have left the letter to Mr Barbour with you, asking the favour of you to present it, and also to use your influence towards getting the appointment for Mr Macrae. From what I can learn at the war department the success of applicants will depend much on personal application, and I am assured that if the application be made in this way by gov. Barbour our object will be attained. As both capt. Macrae & myself feel greatly interested in getting this appointment I hope you will excuse the trouble we have given you. with much respect & esteem, Yr ob. St

I should have been much gratified if Mrs Story would have done us the favor to retain the flowers & fruit which she was so obliging as to bring for us from Mt V. And Mrs W. & myself beg that she will now do us the favor to accept a part of them, which we return by your messenger.

     I have not been unmindful of Mr Lunell's request that you would obtain for him something, however valueless in itself, which had been attached to the person of Genl Washington. After some reflection, it has occurred to me that I have in Philadelphia an article which will probably be more acceptable than any other to your friend, and that is, the flannel morning gown which was worn by my uncle to the time of his death. I have constantly used it since, so that it is not only old but perhaps tattered.

     I had yesterday the pleasure to recieve your acceptable favor of the 6th enclosing a Dft on Mr Swepson for $2000 the dividend declared on the share held by the Exectr of Genl Washington in the Dismal Swamp Co.— This is indeed a very pleasing proof of the prosperity of the Company,¹ as well as of the judicious² management with which its affairs are conducted. I confess that the amount of dividend, but for your former favor, would greatly have exceeded my most sanguine expectations.

     All that you have to do is to get your Uncle to ride up to Court & acknowledge the mortgage, provided this has not already been done. Then get the Clerk to certify on the back of the deed the acknowledgment in order to its being admited to record in the county where the land lies which he will see by inspecting the Deed. Bring the deed so certified to me.

I¹ am much indebted to you for your favor of the 5th inst.

     Crisaps bill states that in 70 or 71 his father made a settl[men]t on the round bottom adjoining below land claimed by Tomlinson— In 75 he died & devised this land to his daughters under whom plf. claims— all the children including the plf. infants of tender years when he died. In 1781 a Certificate in right of Cresaps settlt was obtained which was surveyed 24 feby 1784 returned 5 april 84—29 July 85 Caveated by Genl Washington which in april 87 was dismissed & a grant issued.

     Your letter of the 5th instant is now before me. The credit which you speak of in your offer, (if I am to consider it as an offer) will be very inconvenient to me, & will not answer my purpose. When I first offered those lands to Col. McDowell I requested him to say, what he would give for them in cash—but he did not do it. I have now to make the same request of you—that you will say, explicitly, upon what terms you will purchase them, putting it in my power either to accept or to reject, on or before a specified day.

The day before I left Philadelphia, Mr Tilghman & Mr Rawle called at my room with the papers in the Suit of Tatham agt you that I might have an opportunity to consider the case & make a decree during the vacation.

Your letter of the 12th was not answerd whilst I was in Phila. in consequence of my not receiving until a day or two before I left it, a conclusive reply from Mr Waln to my application respecting your sons.

Know all Men by these presents that whereas Henry Lee of Stratford in the County of Westmoreland by deed bearing date the twenty eighth of January seventeen hundred & ninety eight did grant bargain & sell unto me Bushrod Washington now of Mount Vernon in the County of Fairfax all that tract or parcel of land lying & being in the County of Westmoreland on Potomack river commonly called & known by the name of Cabin point then in the possession & occupation of Mrs Mary Smith during her life containing about eleven hundred acres or thereabout together with

     Your favour of the 12th enclosing the rec[eip]t for the taxes paid on mr Turners land was received yesterday the amount of which together with your former advance for the same land I will settle with your Uncle. I hope to see him in a day or two when I will get his Signature to the power of attorney which accompanies this letter authorizing you to sell the Kentucky lands belonging to the devisees of Genl Washington.

     Genl Lee has written again to me for his bond & contract together with a statement of the payments made by him. Let me beg you to make another search for the bond & contract, & if not amongst your papers, be so good as to ride down to Mt Vernon & search among mine. There is one bundle endorsed "Dismal swamp papers" in which they may possibly be found, tho I think I have searched them myself. My nephew John will assist you. The Generals papers are in a long box in my study.

     The County Court of Fairfax has appointed Mr Moore to settle our executors accounts, and he will attend us h<mutilated> any time we wish. I wish it were possible that we <c>ould have a meeting previous to this business being taken up by the Commr in order to agree upon a mode of stating & in fact to state the general account. I am prevented by company from going to your house which I intended to do as soon as it should be in my power. Suppose you come down someday next week and dine with us, and let us devote the morning to this business.

     I understand that Mr Richard Forest of Washington is a candidate for the consulate at Tunis, and having I believe gained the good Opinion of the President by correct conduct and attention to the duties of the Office which he has hitherto filled, it is not improbable that he may be nominated. Should this be the case, it will no doubt be the wish of those who are to sanction or to reject the appointment to have some knowledge of his character.

I recd last night your favour of the 31st Augt and lose no time in assuring you that nothing but some unforeseen cause shall prevent by attending the Court at Trenton, it was my intention to go on before your letter came to hand. I shall make my arrangements to be at Phila., the last of this month, or perhaps on the 29th. I am dear Sir very respectfully yr mo. obt Sert

I have Just understood from a friend of Mr Edmund Lee of Alexandria,² that it is his wish to fill the vacancy on the bench of the District Court of Columbia occasioned by the death of Judge Ducket. I have for some years past had the pleasure of more than a common acquaintance with this gentleman and believe that I may with perfect confidence safely introduce³ him to you as a sound lawyer, and a man of the strictest⁴ integrity. 

I have the honour to be with very great respect Sir yr. mo. ob. Servt. 

     At sight pay to Charles Simms on order for value recieved eight hundred & seventy five dollars being for so much due me as one of the Justices of the supreme Court of the United States.

     You have no doubt been informed, that our testator, some time before his death, sold his Dismal Swamp property to Gen. Lee, without however, having made a deed for the same. Some part of the consideration money was paid, but the exact amount is not now recollected.

     I recd your letter my dearest wife of the 15th many days after the date of it, and have been not a little puzzled to decide whether it would be best to address mine to you at Rippon Lodge or Mount Vernon, as you intended to remain only a few days with your mother; I shall however direct this to the latter place presuming that before this time you have returned.