I condole most sincerely with you, my Sister & family, on the death of my Brother. I feel most sensibly for this event; but resignation being our duty, to attempt an expression of my sorrow on this occasion would be as feebly described, as it would be unavailing when related,

Your letter of the 31st of Octr in reply to mine of the 30th of Septr came safe to hand.

     It was not the intention of my former letter either to condemn, or give my voice in favor of the Patriotic Society of which you are a member. I offered observations, under the information you gave of it, the weight of which were to be considered. As first thoughts they were undigested, and might be very erroneous.

     I was from home when your Servant arrived, found him in a hurry to begone when I returned, have company in the house, and am on the eve of a journey up the river, to meet the Directors of the Potomack Company. These things combining, will not allow me time to give any explicit answer to the question you have propounded.

     If royal gift will administer, he shall be at the Service of your Mares, but at present he seems too full of royalty, to have any thing to do with a plebean race. perhaps his stomach may come to him— if not, I shall wish he had never come from his most Catholic Majesty's Stables.

     Your Papa has not been here, yet. I am just come in from a ride— the Dinner bell rings— and your Man says he must go off after it— so offer me affectionately to all— and believe me to be sincerly Yrs

     Know all Men by these Presents that I John Augustine Washington of the County of Westmoreland and Parish of Cople for and in Consideration of the natural Affection which I bear unto my Son Bushrod Washington of the County and Parish aforesaid as well as for and in consideration of five shillings to me in hand paid by the said Bushrod Washington before the sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged.

 To erase from your Mind any Suspicions that I am indifferent as to your Concerns I am induced to break through an established Rule of never writing to a Gentlemam that does not correspond with Mr Powel. I thought your knowledge of what is proper & your Attachment to him would have rendered it unnecessary for me to give you any Intimations on such a Subject. I cannot ascribe your Silence to any other Cause than a misplaced Diffidence. Had you, attentively, read the Note you received by Govr. Morris this Explanation would have been altogether unnecessary.

     Your letter of the 20th Ulto did not come to my hands until the 31st— Whenever you have occasion to write to me from the line of the Post, always put your letter into the Mail. all other conveyances are uncertain; at best, irregular.

     The enclosed letter was brought here some days ago. I desire you will present Mr Ryan's note to him for payment; which, if not immediately made, or such assurances as you can rely on, that he will make in a very short time, return it to me or to Mr Rumsey, if he is in Richmond, as I do not incline to transfer the debt from him to Ryan. It was not my intention to receive an order upon any one, for the Sum contained in the note.

     Mrs Powel's most friendly Compliments to Mr B. Washington. Tho' Mr Powel has never had the Pleasure to hear from him, since his departure from Phila., yet as Mrs Powel considers every Promise of hers as inviolable, even on the most trifling Occasions, she has sent him the Book that she once recommended for his Perusal.

     I received your obliging letter; and shall take pleasure in doing any kind office for your brother. I have a note of hand of yours, sir, for payment of some tobacco, which mr Cabel, of whom as I understand you received the tobacco delivered to me. Mr Madison also received 1000 lbs. of tobacco from one of his pupils, one half of which was due to me; but I consented that he should retain the whole, upon his agreeing that I should receive what might be due from you to him.

     My letter by Mr Nevison, of an old date, (occasioned by the impossibility of crossing Potomack) has undoubtedly reached you before this, and renders it unnecesary to repeat the unhappy circumstances there related— Jerry is a day later in setting of for Baltimore to meet you then was intended from the circumstance of bad weather and very unecpected— possalby he may be in time as I do not know when Mr Nevison reached Baltimore, and through whose means you were to recieve my letter— Mr Nevison rode a saddle of Billy Washingtons to Baltimore which I was to have had if wan

     I hope it is unnecessary for me to recommend to your Philosophy and good Sence, fortitude and Christian patience under misfortunes, especially those inflicted by Providence, it may be unnecessary on another ground, as tales of Woe are generally rapped in their progress, before this reaches you, you may have heard of the untimely and accidental death of yr poor Brother Augustine—a young Man at Delemear Academy trifling with a loaded gun she went of, and yr Brother setting before the fire recd the whole load in his breast of which he expired in a few minute

     I wrote you by Mr McClure as Merchant of Baltimore about three weeks past in which letter I think I inform'd you that I return'd from Berkley abt the 21st of decr.

Your Mama Mildred and my Self came to this place better then a weak past, and did intend to have stretched as far as Fredericksbg to visit our relations, but the weather has proved so intensely cold and frosen that we have given over all views except that of returning home as soon as the frost will permit— I have had the pleasure of recieving yr Letter by Doctr Thom<mutilated> pleased that you had an oppertunity of seeing th<e> evacuation and taking possession of New York by our troops with the &c. &c.

     I have received your letter of the 22d Ulto— the former one, accompanying my Trunks, also came safe.

With this you will receive the letter of your Aunt Lewis, to me. Altho' I believe the ground she is proceeding upon, has more of the ideal than real advantages which she expects from it, yet I have no objection to the experiment being made, & pray you to pursue the dictates of her letter, & communicate to me the result as soon as the necessary enquiries are made.

Some days past I heard that Colo. Richd Henry Lee was going to Philadelphia & wrote immediate a letter to you and sent it to Chantilly, since I have seen Colo. Lee and understood that this day he was to set out, I sent yesterday to desire Colo. Lee would call here as he went along if he does call this letter is intended to go by him if he does not, it will be sent by a vessel that is going to the head of Elk— in my letter which Colo.

     Inconstant fortune after a long scene of frowning, has at last assumed a smile & blessed me with an opportunity of presenting my dear brother with a few lines the dictates of a sincere breast always afflicted with the most piercing stings of grief when he is subject to the least pain, & puff'd up with the most exquisite pleasures when he is happy, & in short never enjoying any diversion fully, unless he is in great degree a partaker.

     I am still in this place but hope to get away today, I wrote you by Genl Williams on the 21 or 22 inclosing you a Bill for £75 which I doubt not you have recd before this, it was unlucky I did not think to write to you by the first Stage from this place, as by that means I should have been shore to have heard from you before I left Baltimore, and as it is, there seams to be little or no prospect— I had hopes when I came here that I could have fixed it down with some Merchant of this place that upon my shiping them Tobo to have intitled you to draw on them, but there i

     <I> recd your Letters that came by Lawrence Washington (who I have the pleasure to inform you has been acquited by the examining Court of King George, his conduct being considered as self defence) these letters are all we have recd since those I got in Berkley, I was much consernd to hear you were indisposed,¹ but flatter myself that you must have recovered as some Gentlemen in this Town inform me that they had seen you since the date of your Letter and that you were well— my principal business in comeing up here was to bring up a little Tobo to try t

     I wrote you on the 1st Inst by one Mr Danl Jackson who was imploy'd by Colo.

     I got to this place this day too late to write by the post but a Servant of Mr Chas Carters is this instant setting of to Philadelphia after a Chariott as I am told— I am short of time to say more then that I am thus far on my way to Berkley to settle some plan for regular remittances (but if your affairs will not admit of waiting till you recieve remittances or hear from me from Berkley) you must close with Mr Mead upon his terms till I can fix a plan more conducive to yr happiness and my interest— having wrote you full

I had the pleasure to recieve your favour of the 21st Jany by Mr Lee which he was so obliging as to send by a Servt on the 8th Inst— it gives us infinite pleasure to hear from you frequently and to hear you are well, I have not the smallest doubt but that you apply your time properly, in persuit of knowledge and that the future advantages you will gain by it will amply repay you for your present labours, gladden the hearts of your parents, and be of service to your Country, inducements strong enough excite exercion in a less reflecting mind then you

The last of Decr or very early in Jany I wrote you a letter which went immediately by a Special Messeng.

You will be surprized perhaps at receiving a letter from me—but if the end is answered for which it is written, I shall not think my time miss-spent. Your Father, who seems to entertain a very favourable opinion of your prudence, & I hope, you merit it: in one or two of his letters to me, speaks of the difficulty he is under to make you remittances.