I am instructed by the Committee of Arrangements to inform you, that the next annual meeting of the American Bible Society will take place in this City, on the second Thursday in May ensuing. In the name of the Committee & of the Managers, I have the honour to request your attendance on that interesting occasion, if not in too great a degree inconvenient to you.

Your three letters of the 25th Jany, 6 & 22d february have been recd, but not duly, the first written having been detained at the Alexandria post office until three days ago, when it was forwarded to me. As to the one containing observations upon the case of Conn. vs. Penn., I must postpone an answer until I can look again over my notes, which I left at Mount Vernon, as also the opinion in extenso.

     I am Just informed of your kind invitation to the Judges to dine with you today, & am requested to accept the same in their names. I am Dr Sir with great respect yr mo. ob. Servt

Last Monday was the commencement of my stated February session. It was also the day to which the Circuit Court stood ajourned. All the Lawyers concerned in the Penn. causes were engaged in the State Courts. I sent Mr Caldwell to inquire if they had anything to do in the Circuit Court; & particularly in the Case of Conn. & Penn.

     On receipt of your Last letter I wrote to Mr Doddridge requesting to know at what time & place I could see him, when I would attend with the papers for his inspection, that he might make up his mind whether he would engage as counsel in our suit.

     As soon as I hear from him I shall attend to the business.

     I have recd a letter from Mr Dodridge in which he does not positively decline advocating your side of the Cause & promises to write me again after he has read the bills. He recommends the employing of the Mr Alexander Caldwell of Wheeling as Counsel— This for your information. I am Sir yr. ob. Servt. 

I returned home from my Circuit on the last day of Novr, since which, I have, as far as the various calls to which a farmer is exposed, have afforded me time for Study, been employed in preparing an opinion in the equity case of Conn. vs. Penn. the argument of which consumed nearly a fortnight of our last Term. I hope to make a final decree in this case in April, and never again to be plagued with it, unless an appeal should be taken.

    After some conversations with the late secretary and chairmen of the naval committees concerning the surgeons' department, to save time, they requested my ideas in writing, which are now laid before you. A copy was presented to Mr Mercer Cast winter, to submit to the naval committee, if he thought proper to do so. These, together with some other communications on the same subject, were not presented in a formal manner, to remain in the department, but to serve as memoranda for the moment, in which light I beg they may be now considered.

Your letter of 3d inst. has just come to hand. Enclosed are copies of Tomlinson's bill & Cresap's Decree nisi. The copy of George Cox's deposition in Cresap's case is mislaid & I cannot at this moment lay my hand on it. You have seen it. Tomlinsons deposition however contains all the material testimony of the other; and perhaps the substance of all that can be exhibited. Mark Hardin's deposition has I suppose been taken in Kentucky & John Jeremiah Jacobs's in Oldtown; but no copy of either has yet been received by me.

I was extremely sorry to learn from your last that you were again indisposed. This has been generally the most sickly season I have ever known, but I will hope that the frosts have had a favourable influence on your health as they have had on that of most others. You were certainly right to return, and I hope your endeavours to meet your brethren in February will succeed.

    At the time I received yours by Mr Archd McClean, and untill within a few days, <mutilated> was so afflicted with an injured knee, leg<mutilated> uncle, that I realy do not recollect wheth<er> I wrote you or not.

    My relation, Mr John Lewis, who represents this County in the Virginia Assembly, has promised to take charge of this letter, & forward it from Richmond by some private conveyance if it can be sent with.

It was fully my intention to have attended the meeting of the Legatees on the first of Novr in Alexa had I not been prevented by a violent attack of the Bilious fever which still keeps me in a very Ill state of health, & as I cannot see what use it would be for my attendance your having employed the prs Taylor, & Swan, to act for me at my request & through your desire, as well as with my own approbation; they will attend to the business fully which I hope you will be friendly enough to inform them of, & shd it be necessary for me to attend I hope you will in time

    Your favor of the 18th, my dear Sir, is this moment recieved. I board at Mrs Wharfe's S. 2d street, next door but one to the Corner of Spruce on the west side, where it will afford me great pleasure to see you (and I hope perfectly restored to health) as you pass thro' the City. My Court hours are from 10 to 3’. I am very truly, my dear Sir your friend & ob. Servt. 

    I avail myself of this oppertunity to say that I have missed my chills and improving fast. Mary the Children and myself ride out to day the weather is fine I saw West from Mt Vernon this morning he says that the people are improving and things going on well his health is greatly improved all freinds are well the Corn is healthy Miss Mary Mundeville is much better Mr Thomas Crawford was in Town on Saturday he said that his friends were in good health I recently heard from Jefferson all hearty there Mary and the children unite in love to Mrs W. & yourself they are very healthy.

I returned from the upper country too late to answer your letter of the 29th of August previous to your providing on your circuit.

The copies which I mentioned to you may be carried to Washington in Feb. when they may be placed with the others which I shall endeavour to carry with me. Meanwhile I shall try to arrange them as we both think most advisable. It cannot be made complete but I shall endeavour so far to complete it as to free it from any striking impropriety.

    I have put off answering your letter of the 30th ulto till now because at the time I received it I could have given you no information concerning your affairs that would have afforded you pleasure. I am happy, now to state, that all your people at Union farm are well, your Rye sound, and we are having complete shelters made in the manner you directed. The ten bushels of timothy seed from Fauquire, which Major Innes procured for you, have been received and will be taken care of.

This is to inform your Honour that I am now living in this County near the great road leading from Lexington to the mouth of Hickman Creek. That I am happily rescued from the clutches of Davis & his wife, and that they are justly hanged for their crime in stealing me away, and cutting open my head. The wound which I received in the head and arm are healed and I am at this time fat and well and weigh 164 lbs. Remember me to my mother Sisters and brothers, and send for me as soon as possible, that I may come and receive the money & negroes which you have for me.

Your letter of the 11th July found me upon a bed of sickness, from which I was not very soon relieved. I had scarcely become convalescent, before others of my family were taken down— finally, I determined to abandon the Country, which was becoming universally sickly, and to take refuge with Mrs W. in this place, which has, thus far, been unusually healthy. I trouble you with this account of my past troubles, as it furnishes the only legitimate apology for my long Silence since the rect of your favor.

    You will, I am sure, confer an obligation upon the persons in whose behalf you spoke to me relative to the Loudoun land sold to them by Mr Crawford, by informing them that the deed they left with me has Been duly executed & certified, & is deposited with Mr Maurice Herbert of this place to be delivered to their order.

    I have been waiting with some impatience to hear from you in relation to Cresaps suit against you, and to recieve a Copy of the bill, without which I can do nothing towards the defence of the suit. I shall depend upon your promise to forward me a Copy as soon as the bill is filed. With respect to the selection of a lawyer I must rely entirely upon you as I am unacquainted with the members of the bar in your part of the Country. I can only observe generally, that attention to business is almost as indispensable in an advocate as talents.

Soon after receiving the box containing the correspondence copied at this place I commenced a careful reperusal of it & have just finished that part which concerns the old war of 1754. I find that the last letter is dated the 25th of July 1758 & consequently breaks off in the midst of the interesting transactions which preceded the capture of fort Du Quêsne. Before I made this discovery I had packed up all the books & sent them to you so that it is not in my power to supply this chasm. The last letter is to Colo.

I have received the box of letters by the steam boat.

    I recd a letter from chief Justice Marshall dated the 12th Ulto which I have been prevented by sickness from sooner attending to— The following extract was intended for your inspection. "I have reflected a good deal on the subject of the Life, and have come to the Conclusion to seperate the introduction from the other volumes & to publish a small edition of it at my own risk, if I may be permitted to do so by Mr Wayne & yourself without being charged with the copy right.

I have just received a Communication of the 4th Inst. from Messrs Thos Swan & R. I. Taylor of Alexa, stating that a Suit has been recently instituted in the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Columbia by the Legatees against the Executors of the late Genl Washington. having for its Object not only a Settlement of the Executorial Accounts generally, but, also the Accounts of the Legatees individually with the Executors.