Enclosed are Deeds from me to General Lee, and from him to me. They were copied from his original Deed to me, without my previous examination of it, supposing (I understood it was drawn by Mr Charles Lee) that it was correct in all its parts. When we were about to execute the New ones I found that his title to the old one was not recited— whether this is essential to the conveyance I know not, as the Lands are accurately described and he has, as he says, Doctr Skinners conveyance to him wch he will send me.

     Without reciting here, the substance of the correspondence between Mr Robert Carter and his Sons & Sons in Law respecting the disposition of his Virginia estate amongst them, I will only observe that I have read & considered it. My opinion is, that the engagements therein made are obligatory upon him, and that a Court of Equity will compel a specific execution of them. They are entered into upon consideration deemed good in Law, and also upon a valuable consideration.

Your letter of the 1st instant came to my hands by Saturdays Post; with the Auditors Receipts. If no bad consequences flow from the delay, in that Office, it is immaterial when I obtain the result of his investigation of the state of my taxes, on the Western Waters; but to prevent it, let me request you, to keep his enquiries alive. The tract of 587 Acres lyes I presume, in the County of Harrison; or if divided, in the part taken therefrom, below, on the River Ohio, lying about 15 miles below Wheeling. The other tract, on the Ohio, is situated 3 or 4 Miles below the Mo.

     I had heard with much concern, before your letter of the 21st instant was received, of your illness; and congratulate you on your recovery. Be careful in guarding against a relapse, by taking cold.

     I hope my letter of the 19th of this month got safe to your hands (by the Post); contained therein, were $120 to enable you to do the needful relative to the taxes of my Western Lands; accompanied by some statements which might assist in the investigation of that business.

Your letter of the 8th instant came to hand opportunely, as Mr Augustus Woodward (in whose favour the Sheriff of Kanhawa had drawn for the taxes of my lands in that County) was here on his return from Philadelphia, and received the full amount of his draught.

I am perfectly at a loss to know what is meant by the Auditors A/c as coming from "The Sheriff of Greenbrier who says he has returned a tract of land the property of Genl George Washington Esqr., amounting to 15,940 Acres for non-payment of the Revenue tax due thereon, for the year 1789. The tax is £35:17:3."

When you send me the Auditors Account of the taxes due on my land in Kanhawa County, be so good as to forward, at the same time, Genel Lee's Deed of conveyance to me, of two tracts of land in the State of Kentucky, one for two, and the other for 3000 acres. They were, I believe, included in one Deed of Bargain and Sale, and recorded in the General Court Office. It is the original Deed I ask for.

     We are all well, and send best wishes to you, and yours. I am your sincere friend and Affectionate Uncle

     I have at length procured from the Auditors office a rough Statement of Yr Taxes in Kanawa for the 6 years mentioned in Aldersons order, by which you will discover that they differ £1.11.7 from the amount there stated. But as the difference is trifling, and the Auditor may very probably have made a mistake in the calculation (for he did it in a hurry) it would probably be better to pay it, (tho' too much) than run the risque of a forfeiture or having them sold.

     In tracing the title of the protestant Episcopal Church to the Glebes, churches, and other property appertaining thereto I do not deem it necessary for its advocates to rely upon the laws which passed upon the subject posterior to the formation of our constitution.

Your letter of the 26th Ulto came safe in the usual course of the Mail, and about a week ago Mrs Forbes arrived; and from her appearance, and conduct hitherto, gives satisfaction to your Aunt. Having, as she says, obtained ten dollars of you, to defray her expences to this place; I herein return them, with thanks for the aid it afforded to get her here. and as you may have paid for the copies of sundry papers taken from the Records of the General Court, let me know the amount, and it shall be remitted also.

I was very much surprized yesterday, to meet with Mrs Forbes at my office.

     I had no doubt of her having been long since at Mount Vernon.

Your letter of the 13th instt has been duly received, as I believe all your Others have.

     I now enclose you my opinion upon the points stated in your letter of the 9th.

     As you may possibly wish to submit it to the consideration of your Counsel, I have left out of it, such parts of the subject as are unconnected with the cause, & need only be communicated confidentally to yourself.

     I recieved your favor by last post for which accept my grateful acknowledgements. I shall make the necessary enquiries, and then pursue such steps as may insure to me the benefit of your bounty.

     You have not informed me what or whether any thing has been done in the Court of Chancery (in this State) for bringing the accts of my Administration of Colo. Colvills Estate to a close, that my hands may be entirely clear, of it. I therefore give you the trouble of this enquiry; as I am extremely anxious to be acquitted. The balance due from me, (and at present lodged in the Bank of Alexandria) is ready to be applied in any manner and at any moment to the Chancellors order.

     My opinion upon the case you submitted to me at Fredg has been long since forwarded to you, and it is probably in the post office at Fredg or Culpepper if you have a post to yr County. Should it not have reached you let me know.

     I rec: your letter of the 10th with a bundle of papers which I have examined. I had before issued a Subpœna from the Court of Chancery, and I wish to file the Bill, during the present Session that I may be enabled to obtain an order to be inserted in the Gazette warning the residuary Legatees to come forward with their respective pretensions. Your great object I know is to close this business, and obtain a quietus from all parties concerned.

     Inclosed is a copy of so much of a record of a suit between Crisp and Holiman in Cumberland County Court, as contains the point now in controversy, and which is submitted to you, on this question—Can judgment of the Court on the verdict in this case be staid or arrested, because of the blanks in the declaration, on the plea of not guilty, after verdict?

     Recd of Bushrod Washington Notes of James Swan to Robt Young for $10,909 which I promise to retain in my hands untill Robert Young & Co. have executed a deed or <pa>rchment to sd Swan for 130,000 Acres and also as Covenant to warrant the Title sent them by B. Washington.¹

     Your suit will probably be tried this Court. One of the pleas is fully administer'd. It will be necessary for you to furnish me with your administration Account Inventory appraisement vouchers &c. If you have settled any Account with the Court send me those likewise. I send you a subpena in case you should have witnesses to summon. I am Sir Your Obt Sert

     I wish I could give you the Satisfaction you wish as to the time when your case will be finally decided. We must proceed regularly and there is no rule by which to guess when the case will come on in its turn which it must do if defended with a view to delay.

     Some months ago a subpoena in Chancery at the suit of mr Banks¹ was served on me as former governor of Virginia, calling on me & others not named (but I suppose the Counsellors of that day) to appear— presuming it was for some act done on behalf of the commonwealth I wrote to the governor to know whether I must defend, or whether the executive would not undertake it for the Commonwealth, as they were possessed of the records & materials of defence. in his answer he assures me it shall be defended by the executive.

     I received your Favor on Saturday last inclosing an Attachment & two Dedimus's against my troublesome Neighbor George Chapman for which I am exceedingly obliged to you, as I expect it will put a Stop to the Sale of a Negro belonging to the Estate of Mr Philip Alexander's Orphans, which he executed some Time ago, under a Supposition that I intended (as I conceive) to rest satisfied with the Dissolution of my Injunction against him but as it is in my Power to pro[ve] that the Money which he unjustly demands from me has been honestly discharged by Robt Alexander, I a

     You will now receive enclosed the Power of Attorney altered and put exactly in the form you desired, which I have been very much puzzled to get done in time to go down by Mr Jones— After I had picked out the Sheep & Cattle at Bushfield that were to go down by your Man, and had settled the mode of conducting the Journey, I satt of[f] for Haywood upon the above business, leaving orders with my Overseer to deliver your Man four of our likeliest Cows which he seemed to think he could very easily drive; however, on my return from Haywood, I meet the drove from Bushfiel

     I wrote you a long letter in February last but do not know whether you recieved it. in case you should not, I will trouble you with the subst<a>nce of it, as it may perhaps be necessary to be pr<e>pared by September Court <mutilated>t all events with respect to the ne exeat <mutilated> it be necessary to do any thing in that business.

     Upon a full consideration of the papers which have been laid before me & of the situation in which the Swearingens are placed by the several decrees in the case of Hite and others agt Fairfax

I am of opinion