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 letter of the 26 Septr never reached me until last monday, or I should have acknowledged the receipt of it before now— I am exceedingly obliged to you for the trouble you have taken respecting my advertisements, and especially for your Solicitude about my Affairs— Many Applications have been made to purchase, lease & rent my Farm, but none of them were wrorth my attention— I am just informed that there are two Gentlemen desirous of purchasing it, and I am inclined to believe that I shall shortly be able to contract with one of the two for it, but whether I di

     We are in the deepest Distress at this place at this Time— poor Judy Blackburn who was deliver'd about ten Days ago of Twins, died Yesterday about Noon at the Mother's just as Mrs Blackburn & I had got to Dumfries to see her— Poor Richard, as you may well conceive is inconsable. He is now, with all his little Ones, but one of the Infants (the other is dead) with us— Your Prudence will direct You to break this Matter with Caution to Nancy & Sally whose Tenderness of Heart will¹ be much shocked at this News.

     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 presume I am not mistaken in supposing that an injunction is the proper and most effectual mode of preventing a person from drowning a millseat of mine by raising his dam below it. with this view I have prepared the inclosed bill & documents, and trouble you with them to procure & send me an injunction. the def. being very actively employed at present in raising his dam, the case was too urging for me to wait till our next court (monday sennight) to compleat my order, on which there will be no dispute.

     I should have written to you long ago, but my Wife has been so weak & unwell ever since we came home that I could not leave her long enough to ascertain with tolerable accuracy the number of Fruit Trees at Bushfield— The Overseer, who has counted the large peach Orchard by my directions, says it contains 1350 Trees— there is also a small orchard of them near where Stonum lived, and a great variety in different parts of the farm— There are two Apple Orchards that have bee<n> bearing a considerable time, and a young one of Bo<mutilated> Genetin

Your Affe letter came to hand just now, Mr Lee set off very early this morning to Fauquier on particular business, we are delighted to hear that we shall see you before we leave Virginia, & send a young carriage horse to bring you to Dumfries, your Sister who is still low & sick is most joyful in thinking to see you, she begs her most Affe love to you & says she can very readily believe that your tender love & concern for her is great indeed— she sends the only horse on the land at present for you, but is sorry he gos so hard— we intend certainly (should th

     Tomorrow being the day of our election I have written a short letter to you in expectation of its meeting with a conveyance from that place to the Fredericksburg district court where I suppose you will be now my dear Bushrod I must give you an account of my intended Journey to Parkgate, a fortnight ago I set off from this place on the above route, not at all in good health which indeed I have not been for several months past, but quite in tip top spirits at the idea of seeing yourself & my dear Nancy at Parkgate, but at one stay my maids horse fell sick, this I so

     I have been flattering myself for some months past that I should soon get the various business in which I am concerned so arranged as to have been permitted to have spent some little time with you at your own house; but all my exertions to accomplish this favourite scheme have been bafled by sickness in my own and my good friends families— Our dear Mother has been very unwell for some months past with a breast Complaint, which, thank God, has in a great measure, yielded to her great care, and the Docrs prescriptions— Our very worth[y] friend and relation of Haywood, h

     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 had the happiness to receive both yours & my dear Nancys affe letters—& rejoice to hear of your healths— the mistake of my thinking Mr Lee & Mildred at Belvedere, & addressing my letters to them there & they not hearing from me at all—which time they were perparing to visit you convinced them that I was sick indeed too ill to write— they wrote down for my horses & their uneasiness at my suppos'd silence— this they hope will apologize for not visiting you now— I had 50 lb. cotten packed in a flour barrel for you but Toney said tha

     Your letter by Mr Walter Jones covering the Transfer &c.

Your two kind letters, one by Mr Newton and other of a prior date, came to my hands soon after the[y] were written, and would have been duly answered had an Opportunity offered; but I live so retired that I very rarely hear of any of the very few that go from our County to your Town— My very long silence previous to the receipt of the two above mentioned letters can only, and very justly too, be attributed to the cause mentioned in one of your brotherly & friendly letters; indeed, if I had not been so perfectly acquainted with your generous and considerate disposition

     I have been disappointed by sickness in taking the deposition of Mr Nathaniel Hunter a second time; who (after taking his first deposition) I discovered could prove that his father Dr Hunter had received from Mr Robt Alexander a flatt in full discharge of the balance which he and his brother Philip as Executors of Gerard Alexander owed old Mrs Chapman Administratrix of Nathaniel Chapman on the Judgment which the sd Nathaniel Chapman recovered agt the said Gerard Alexander in his life time.

     Expecting you & Nancy daily for some time past up among us has been the cause of my not writing to you both— last night Mr John Grayham informed me that me dear Nancy was at her fathers, & that you did not come up— we are in great hopes here that Nancy will visit us soon— indeed unless she dos, I am afraid that I shall miss seeing her altogether, as probably I may return home in a short time— your Sister of the farm will lay in about September, before which time I expect to be sent for on the occasion— the coming winter with Gods leave I intend to gratify my m

     Since I saw you Mr Chapman has taken several Depositions among the suit Robert Alexander Son to Robert Alexander Decd whom the execution Levied on me, was against— he swares that there are accounts on his Fathers Books against John Hunter Specifying Moneys and Tobaccoes paid by his Father to the said Docto. John Hunter and on the credit side he says to the Judgment obtained by Nat. Chapman agt my Fathers Estate so much but the said Credit has several scratches made across it.

Know all Men by these presents that I Henry Lee of the City of Richmond am held and firmly bound unto Bushrod Washington his Executors admtrs and assigns in the sum of Sixteen hundred pounds to be paid to the said Bushrod Washington his executors admtrs or assigns to which payment I bind myself my heirs Exectrs & admtrs firmly by these presents sealed with my Seal and dated this [<2m#>] day of July one thousand seven hundred & Ninety four.

     Inclosed you will receive a Copy of a Letter which I addressed to George Chapman in order to obtain from him Liberty to inspect the Books of Robert Alexander, which I am certain from the deposition of Charles Alexander, will shew in what Manner the said Alexander had discharged the Execution which was issued, in order to Levy the Judgment, which Nathl Chapman recovered from Gerd Alexander, but notwithstanding all these Books were in the Possession of the sd George Chapman, yet he refused to suffer my Brother to take such Abstracts from them as I required, as will appe

     Enclosed you will receive the affidavits of John Luke and myself respecting the Loss of the Depositions of Genl John Dent and Mrs Susanna Chapmans‑ It is absolutely necessary to put off the Trial untill they can be found, or a Didemus sent up to take them over again, I have taken several Depositions which with those that are lost will set the contest in a clear point of view‑ I have sent them Down by Mr Charles Lee‑please‑let me know in as short a time as possible whether it will be put off or not, Mr Charles Alexander will write you from the District Court respecting

     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.

     On enquiry I am informed that Dick the Negro who was taken in Execution as is stated in my Bill of Injunction on a supposition that he was the property of Gerard Alexander decd, actually belonged to Philip Alexander in his private right— I think I shall not only be able to prove this fact, but that the Jury impanneled by the Sheriff to ascertain whose property he was, had no other Evidence before them to establish Gerard Alexanders right, except that of a Mullatto to which I objected before the Jury— With respect to this Negro Dick I can now prove by General Joh

     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.

     Inclosed are the papers I had selected for Mr Lee & yourself some time past, for the defence of the suit brout against me by Mr Braxton, & will I hope be sufficient in the Settling of the Business. The trouble Writing gives as my Sight fails, makes me Wish to see you, & suppose you will attend the Court at Dumfries, if so, beg you will <illegible> us hear, & if Possible I will meet you. Unless you should be coming up to this Neighbourhood when we should claim a Visit Exclusive of Business.