I received this morning yours of the 26th. The cases which will come before you in Philadelphia, if the indictments are drawn on the last act of Congress must depend, if the accused are guilty, on the very point I have adjourned to the supreme court, because that question whether, in any case whatever, a communication can take place under that act. In the trial at Richmond the evidence was perfectly clear & the case was unequivocally a case of piracy according to the laws of every civilized nation.

     In looking over my papers with a view to a better arrangement of them, I find that in the correspondence with General Washington copies of much of it, must have been lost, or were not retained. I flatter myself that I do not take too great a liberty in requesting that I may be enabled to ascertain & fill up the chasm from the originals understood to be in your hands as far as they were thought worth preserving by your Uncle.

You will receive with this some printed reports which are all that I can get on the subject of your enquiries. I learn that the affairs of the society, so far as respects the country, are in a very deranged state; but I have no personal knowledge from which I can speak. The fact however is generally beleived, & is supposed to be notorious. I have heard that applications on account of losses have been made without success, but I know of no particular case.

I expected these numbers would have concluded my answer to Hampden¹ but I must write two others which will follow in a few days. If the publication has not commended I would rather wish the signature to be changed to “A Constitutionalist.”

     I reced your letter of the 9th inst. a few days since informing me you had placed in the Bank of Alexa. for our benefit $2318..56 which is very acceptable at this time as it is very difficult to collect money in our country one third of the above amt you may inform Mr Herbert I have paid for the Estate—one third to Bushd and one third to myself.

The storm which has been for some time threatening the Judges has at length burst on their heads & a most furious hurricane it is. The author is spoken of with as much confidence as if his name was subscribed to his essays. It is worth your while to read them. They are in the Enquirer under the signature of Hampden.

I received a few days past your letter inquiring whether the defence of the opinion had been correctly republished in the Alexandria paper. I went to the coffee house for the purpose of reading it best. the papers had been mislaid & I was disappointed. I cannot therefore say whether they have appeared in an inteligible shape or not & therefore am not desirous that any farther effort should be made to get them before the public.

Your power of Attorney to represent you at the late meeting of the D.S. Land Compy of Suffolk arrived in time, and I now enclose you, draughts on the treasury of the Company, who lives in Norfolk which I hope will arrive safe and give satisfaction.

I have given you a great deal of trouble to very little purpose, & am now about to add to it, perhaps to as little. Our friend Mr Bronson has made a curious piece of work of the essays he was requested to publish. He has cut out the middle of the first number to be inserted into the middle of the second; & to show his perfect impartiality, has cut out the middle of the second number to be inserted in the first.

     In consequence of the death of Mr Henderson, it becomes my duty, to affirm you, of the period of annual Meeting, of the Dismal Swamp Land Company, which is fixed on the 15th present Month. Should you not be enabled personally to attend, you will be so good as appoint an agent, or attorney whose power must be presented to the board, and should you desire it, I will cheerfully represent you in the meeting.

The Revd Ichabod Nichols of Portland being about to pass through Philadelphia, I have taken the liberty of introducing him to your acquaintance— He is a gentleman of very high reputation for talents, for literary & theological acquirements & for unaffected piety— He intends in his tour to visit Mount Vernon; & I regret most sincerely that he cannot have the advantage of your presence to increase the interest of the scene— I am sure that you will be greatly interested in the conversation of this gentleman, than whom no one can be more worthy of your atten

I left this place the day after I wrote to you & did not return till to day. I cannot account for the inaccuracy you state otherwise than by supposing that I read the latter part of the sentence under an impression that instead of the word "deny" in the former part some affirmative word had been used & the correction was made in a hurry without taking time to examine the whole sentence. Undoubtedly the alteration you mention ought to be made. I hope you have made it. If not I wish Mr Bronson to publish the correction.

     Knowing your reputation for integrity and benevolence of character induces me to confide my situation to you, which is truly mortifying to me I have led a very sedentary life waiting for Father to get an Appointment not wishing to degrade myself by letting the World know my uncomfortable situation. having no near relation to appeal to am at lenght compelled to apply to some great man, concluded it should be you to whom I would take the liberty, of asking to releive me from my unhappy situation.

I have a knephew a son of Major Taylor who is at school in Kentucky under the direction of my brother Doctor Marshall. He has written to me for some books which I cannot procure here, & which if I had them could not without much difficulty be conveyed from this place. I take the liberty to ask the favor of you to purchase them for me in Philadelphia & leave them with the bookseller packed up to be delivered to the order of Doctor Marshall.

This is doubtless one of the finest Islands in the West Indies, whether we consider its general Soil, ... capable of bearing all the productions of the Tropics in the richest abundance; its variety of Climate, ... furnishing many temperatures, by reason of its useful proportion of Mountains, rivulets & rivers; its Salubriety, ... from a genial atmosphere; or, its extent of Territory, so great as to supply all the reasonable wants of a great population.

     With great pleasure I communicate, by order of the Philadelphia Southern Society, that, at a meeting of last evening, you were proposed and unanimously elected an honorary member of that association.

I have this instant received yours of the 24th.

With much respect for your personal character & with such freedom, as I may presume to take with your official character as President of the Colonization Society, I now address you.

Your letter of the 5th Inst. accompany'd by the Bond drawn by you as executed by Mr Ludwell Lee and Gerard Alexander was handed to me last evening, I highly approve of the arrangement you have made, it will no doubt be very advantageous to Mr A. as well as us— I am persuaded very few persons would have been at the Sale, in consequence of a report that the debt had been settled, and no Sale was to take place— Mr Alexander in his letter to me of yesterday begs that the 20th day of November may be made the day of Sale, and thinks it will be unnecessary to advirtize it in the Alexa.

     I believe we have recd from the Genls Estate $3326..70 out of which my brother Richds Estate recd $926..70, Bushd $600 & myself $600, therefore my brother's Estate is entitled to $182..20, Bushd to $508..90 & myself to $508..90 which sums will make the above amt including the last $1200 you deposited in the Bank of Alexa. to our credit.

your very Obliging letter I received a few days agoe, and shall gratify my self of the friendly privilege you give me of seeing you and Mrs Washington at your House.

I shall leave this on the 10th as the weather is warm I shall travil sloely, with great respect to your self and Mrs Washington I remain with great Esteem & &

     I have this day returned from a meeting of the Proprietors of the Dismal Swamp land Company, & now forward to you the managers Draught of twelve hundred Dollars for the Dividend declared at the annual Meeting.

I have delayed makeing a reply to your friendly letter of the 14. supposing that your time was still Occupyed by your Juditial avocations.

     from the politeness that you made me when at your house at Mount Vernon, and the friendship that subsisted betwen your Uncle President Washington and my Hamilton I feel persuaded, had he out lived General Hamilton, he would have Aided me by Communications and papers in his possesion, that would be of great service to me, and from the above impression, I presume to make a request from you, that you, would let me, have such letters and papers, as will be of great valieu to me, you haveing long since had that Estimable work Compleated in rel

     Many thanks my friend for the letters forwarded to me by Judge Livingston, most of the drafts marked on my list I find in the Original Also to Shew how desirious my Hamilton was that these measures should be adopted that he believed would be of Service to the Country he drafted the famious speach that was so celebrated and delivered in the house of representitives by Mr Smith of South Carilina yourself and two or three others only know how much he did and accomplished for our Country but I trust a few years will give to the world the exertions he made I have heard of your haveing been