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.

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

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.

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

     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.

     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

     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

     Your letter of the 22d instt came to my hands yesterday afternoon. I thank you for the information contained in it, and for your kindness in offering to draw my answer to Henshaws Bill, now in the high Court of Chancery; before whom it seems, I am to appear.

     It is really hard that I am so often called before Courts in matters in which I have no interest; but am continually saddled with the expence of defence.

     Your letter of the 13th instt with the enclosures, came duly to hand. I thank you for draughting the answer which I have put my signature to; and with the Bill, now return.

     If I mistake not, my renunciation of the Executorship of Colo. Fairfax's Will already stands on record in the Genl Court, on some former occasion; be this however as it may, I have always refused, & never intended—directly nor indirectly, to have any agency in the Administration of the affairs of that Estate.

     This is the third Letter I have wrote to you, directed to Richmond, but have not recieved an answer, in one of which, I Enclosed Hodsons Rect for £5.6— agreeable to your directions, I also wrote to Mr Tinsly Enclosing him, an attested Copy, of Release of Errors, the original filed in our Court, you will greatly oblige me $PR Return of Mr Chs Alexander Junr to inform me in what manner I am to proceed. and at what time you think the Trial will come on, I wish also to be informed, as the debt for which I was Executed is an open acct as to Mr P.

     I am sorry to think I have cause to accuse you of inattention to my requests. When you were at Mount Vernon last, I told you I had been informed that, the Assignees of Semple, against whom I, as the Surviving Exr of Colo. Thos Colvill had obtained judgment on a Bond, either had thrown, or was about to throw the matter into Chancery; and I desired if this was, or should be the case that you would unite with Mr Chs Lee to bring the matter to issue as soon as possible: and at any rate, that you wd let me know the true state of the case.

Owing to some new arrangement of the Post Office, your letter of the first instant did not reach my hands until yesterday afternoon.

I leave it to yourself to prosecute the trespassers upon my four mile run tract in my name (if it is necessary to make use of it) & in Whatsoever manner you shall think most effectual.

     I have long suspected—but, such has been my situation for some years back, that I have not been able to ascertain the fact—that a tract of about 1200 acres wch I hold on four mile-run near Alexandria has had the wood thereon dealt pretty freely with by unauthorised persons in its vicinity.

     E[ncl]osed you have an attested Copy of the Notice give[n] Weston, <mutilated> be pleased to request of the District-Court of De<mutilated> award of Commissioners with Liberty to either of the Parties o<mutilated> Notice to claim a Dedimus for taking Evidence in Philada and <mutilated> otherwise I fear I shall never come at tryal.

I find that I have so fully investigated the Subject of the lost Pier, that I cannot add any thing for illustration to the Papers denominated "Statement of incontrovertible Facts, strictures relating to a Pier—and suggestion respecting the Pier—Since they were written I have investigated the Causes of the fate of said Pier and my sentiments have been confirmed by Thomas Davis an Thomas Connavor Simon of Philadelphia, and Jesse Hollingsworth of Baltimore by Prontin having built several, they will each Prove that the defects in Workmanship as well as principle rendered

     Mr Packet handed me your lettr of the 20th— In one thing my sentiments perfectly coincide with your own— and that is, to manage our Virginia Estates well there cannot be a divided attention— for with all the attention that can be bestowed, they are seldom productive.