Since my return from Washington the trunk in my possession, containing letters to & from the General, has been carefully examined, and the enclosed have been taken from the bundles found in it. Not doubting but that a much larger number of your letters are in the trunks at Richmond, I have written to the Chief Justice to request that he will in the course of the summer look over those bundles and enclose to me all that he can find from you to the General.

     I got nearly as far as your mill today to take leave of you & Mrs L. before our departure from home, and also to see you on the business to which the accompanying letter relates; but was informed by your ditchers that you & Mrs L. had not returned from Georgetown, but were expected today. as I shall leave home on Saturday and shall be very much employed in the mean time in making my preparations, I am not sure that I can visit W.L.

     I recd your letter & now, she much hurried, sit down to acknowledge it.

     I enclose you the Copy of my letter to Mr Lee & his answer recieved yesterday, for your information in settling with Alexander. You will see what were my propositions, which, as I understand Mr Lee, are accepted. As you are not much acquainted with business of this kind, I think it will be best for you to meet Mr Alexander in Alexandria, if your health will permit, and get Mr Hewett, the lawyer I employed to sue Alexander, to draw the necessary writings.

     It has been my intention for some days past to dine at Woodlawn, provided the weather should be such as to render it not imprudent to turn out with a bad cold on me— Instead of being allowed this gratification, I have been confined to the house for at least a fortnight, and now the time has just come when I must take my departure for Washington— You & my friend Mrs L. must therefore take the will & the wish for the deed.

     I have postponed answering your favor of the 18th Ulto until this time hoping that a more favorable change in the weather & the removal of a Cold which I have had for some time would have permitted me without imprudence to go into an outhouse where my papers are kept and to select those you want. In both of these respects I have been disappointed, and as I must leave home in a day or two for Washington, it will be out of my power to collect the letters & forward them as you request until after my return.

     After my return from Philaa I recd your favour of the 9th Octr and soon afterwards as it was in my power, I consulted with Majr Lewis upon the proposition it contained— The delay which has taken place in returning you an answer has not proceeded from an indisposition in us to grant to you & Mr Alexander the indulgence asked for, but from the difficulty of arranging the business in such a way as to render the estate we represent & ourselves individually perfectly secure— That we [s]hould proceed with circumspection in a matte

     I have endeavoured to read and to understand Mr Diggs facetious letter but I must acknowledge that I very indistinctly comprehend it. Mr Stones, I do, and I clearly agree with him that we ought to refer the suit, and I would advise you to write to him to that effect, and to have the reference made a rule of Court. We can have no objection to either of the gentlemen he mentions, or to any other man of character in Alexandria.

     I recd a few days ago your favor of the 28 Augt and in answer thereto, I beg to assure that it will give me pleasure to furnish you with the letters you request, or such of them as can be found; for the papers sent to the Chief Justice, and which are still at Richmond, have been very extensively mutilated by rats and otherwise injured by damp as he not long since informed me.

     I purchased 10 barrels of Corn the other day, out of which I will supply the free Negroes with the quantity you mention, that is a bushel per month to each. I shall have to purchase more to last Bushrod & myself to the end of the year & will at the same time lay in for the free people. I presume they carry it themselves to the mill— if they cant do this, I must send it for them. Affectly yrs

     I recd a few days ago your favor of the 13th and have only to express to you the entire Satisfaction it has afforded me. The postponement until the middle of September can be of no material consequence, if no time is lost afterwards, which from your assurances will not, I am persuaded, take place. Mr Peters can, in the mean time, proceed with his volumes.

     I have stated the accounts of the purchasing legatees, as far as the papers in my possession will permit. I am satisfied that they are very imperfect & in some instances perhaps erroneous, but I hope your papers will enable you to supply omissions & to correct mistakes. In going over them, I wish you to compare them with the Commissioners former account, from which my statement differs in some instances beyond my capacity to explain.

     If I am not mistaken, my nephew, Mr George Washington informed me that my note for Three hundred dollars was discounted at your bank; and as it will soon become due, I send you above a check on the Bank of Alexa. for the amount. Should I have misunderstood him, may I ask the favor of you to cause an enquiry to be made at the other George town Bank & wherever it is to pay it off? The note, you will enclose to me at this place. I am Dear Sir very respectfully & sincerly yr mo. ob.

     I did not sufficiently understand the business stated in your letter to return you an immediate answer. I now perceive that the money is deposited to your credit in the valley Bank at Charlestown, and as it is all to be paid to persons residing near the Bank, I think it best for us not to negotiate the Check in Alexandria, but for you to enclose to Bushrod C.

     As the money paid by Ransom ought to be appropriated without delay to pay debts so as to stop interest, I have out the statement underneath to show how much is to be paid to Mr Turner out of Saml Washingtons half of the sum you are about to distribute— The residue of that half is to be paid to Doctr Scholly & the other half to Thornton Washington. I think the sooner this is done the better. I am very sincerely & affectly yrs

     I have recieved the paper sent me & will correct Mrs Custis’ account in the way you suggest.

     I have to acknowledge the rect of your favor of the 3d accompanied by the bill "further to extend the Judicial System of the U.S."

I yesterday recd your letter of the 28th Ulto which I hasten to acknowledge. your conduct in relation to the sale of Rock hall meets my entire approbation, and entitles you, in my opinion to the thanks instead of the complaints of mr Alexander. your right to bid cannot as I think be questioned, and if, by doing so, you have raised the price of the land, I can easily concieve why other bidders should feel displeased, but I am altogether at a loss to imagine upon what ground the heir of Colo. Lee can be disatisfied at such a result.

     I have Just returned from Phila. when your favor of the 28th Sept. was put into my hands.

     I presume upon the acquaintance which I had the pleasure to form with you at Mount Vernon some years past, to solicit a favour, which, if consistently with propriety, you can conveniently grant, will lay me under very singular obligations to you.

     I have Just recd a letter from Mr Ludwell Lee in which he requests that we will agree to postpone the sale of Rock hall to about the middle of November, and to agree to sell for one fourth of the purchase money down, he & Mr Alexander agreeing to give the bond which will accompany this letter. To the first proposition I have agreed but not to the last, & have drawn the bond for him & Mr A. to execute.

     The sale of the Rock hall estate is, I am pretty sure, fixed for the 15th next month. I have looked in the Alexa. paper for the advertisement but can’t find it. You will however see it in the Winchester paper.

     Since my last, I have had a conversation with Majr Lewis, upon the proposition which you made relative to the sale of R Hall. We are both anxious to swell the piece of the property to a sum at least sufficient to cover our whole demand, not only on account of Colo. Lees estate but to render unnecessary our application to the Chancellor to subject that estate to the payment of the deficiency.

     I had the pleasure some days ago to receive your friendly letter of the 20th Ulto which company, at that time & for many days afterwards, prevented me from sooner answering.

Mrs Hamilton has passed a fortnight with us lately & recd from me the letters in the enclosed list which are marked by a Cross.¹ I had no others. Will you have the goodness at yr leisure to look amongst the letters in your possess. for the balance & forward them to her?