Having been unexpectedly called to this place to visit a sick Friend has prevented me from acknowledging the Receipt of your Favor of last Month. I will willingly act as your Attorney at the Meeting of the Proprietors of the Dismal Swamp Company to be held at Suffolk on the first Thursday in May next, or in any other manner I can serve you.

I¹ am much indebted to you for your favor of the 5th inst.

     Crisaps bill states that in 70 or 71 his father made a settl[men]t on the round bottom adjoining below land claimed by Tomlinson— In 75 he died & devised this land to his daughters under whom plf. claims— all the children including the plf. infants of tender years when he died. In 1781 a Certificate in right of Cresaps settlt was obtained which was surveyed 24 feby 1784 returned 5 april 84—29 July 85 Caveated by Genl Washington which in april 87 was dismissed & a grant issued.

     Your letter of the 5th instant is now before me. The credit which you speak of in your offer, (if I am to consider it as an offer) will be very inconvenient to me, & will not answer my purpose. When I first offered those lands to Col. McDowell I requested him to say, what he would give for them in cash—but he did not do it. I have now to make the same request of you—that you will say, explicitly, upon what terms you will purchase them, putting it in my power either to accept or to reject, on or before a specified day.

B. Washington Esqr.

     Bo[ugh]t of Hugh Smith 4 cc Chambers. 2/– £0.8.

     Recd payt for Hugh Smith

I have been waiting since the Reciept of your kind Letter for the Return of my Son who is out on a Summer Excursion, & as the Weather has been bad, I expect he will prolong his Absence. When he returns I will endeavour but I do not believe it will be possible for me to give any extensive Account of my Responsibilities in the Country. I have abandoned the Hope of accomplishing it, as they are scattered thro' every Quarter of the State, & no regular or any Account kept.

The day before I left Philadelphia, Mr Tilghman & Mr Rawle called at my room with the papers in the Suit of Tatham agt you that I might have an opportunity to consider the case & make a decree during the vacation.

Yesterday I selected out of a Neighbor's Flock, having none in my own fit for Transportation, a Number of Tunis Sheep, to be sent to S. Carolina by Mr Vaughan, for several Friends there. I set apart the best Ram & Ewe for you. The Ram was desired for the Carolinians, & would have been readily taken. I could have obtained a younger Ram—but of less Blood. I have been obliged to allow 40$ for the Ram; as he is rising 4 Years old; & fit for immediate Bussiness. The Ewe is at the usual Price of 25$.

I have succeeded in obtaining for you the services of George Cooper, the bearer of this letter, should you be able to agree with him on terms. He can stay with you six weeks, during which time he will be able to make an excellent groom & coachman of any of your own servants, whose genius does not lie in an opposite direction.

Your letter of the 12th was not answerd whilst I was in Phila. in consequence of my not receiving until a day or two before I left it, a conclusive reply from Mr Waln to my application respecting your sons.

Know all Men by these presents that whereas Henry Lee of Stratford in the County of Westmoreland by deed bearing date the twenty eighth of January seventeen hundred & ninety eight did grant bargain & sell unto me Bushrod Washington now of Mount Vernon in the County of Fairfax all that tract or parcel of land lying & being in the County of Westmoreland on Potomack river commonly called & known by the name of Cabin point then in the possession & occupation of Mrs Mary Smith during her life containing about eleven hundred acres or thereabout together with

     Your favour of the 12th enclosing the rec[eip]t for the taxes paid on mr Turners land was received yesterday the amount of which together with your former advance for the same land I will settle with your Uncle. I hope to see him in a day or two when I will get his Signature to the power of attorney which accompanies this letter authorizing you to sell the Kentucky lands belonging to the devisees of Genl Washington.

I did not recieve your Letter of the 22d Feby 'till yesterday. I am much obliged by your Attention to my Request relative to the Enquiries on Plaister of Paris. I find that taking an Airing, or indeed a Gallop, now & then on some of my old Hobby Horses, relieves me from the small & sometimes the great Maladies of the Mind. If I can make these Excursions useful to others, a double Purpose will be answered. The Account given by Mr L. Lewis is exactly as I expected. Your Land is not of the Quality calculated for Plaister.

     I have search'd every paper, both of my own & of the Estates & cannot find Lee's Bond or contract I have also look'd amongst your paper to no purpose— I will recollect having given you the bond & Contract at the time we determined to bring suit a gainst Genl Lee for the Amt— did you never put these papers into the hands of a Lawyer for this purpose.

     Genl Lee has written again to me for his bond & contract together with a statement of the payments made by him. Let me beg you to make another search for the bond & contract, & if not amongst your papers, be so good as to ride down to Mt Vernon & search among mine. There is one bundle endorsed "Dismal swamp papers" in which they may possibly be found, tho I think I have searched them myself. My nephew John will assist you. The Generals papers are in a long box in my study.

I interrupt your agreeable Law Engagements with a Bagatelle. Our agricultural Society have desired me to review my little Book on Plaister of Paris, for Republication; as it [is] out of Print. I wish to add all the modern Facts I can procure, but find everybody lazy & uncommunicative. I have been 2 Years endeavouring to collect Facts out of Loudon County Virginia (as there must be some Balm in Gilead) but have hitherto failed. It is only when the Maggot bites, or to relieve Ennui, that I get at such Subjects.

I am extremely sorry to be compelled again to take up yr time & attention. But I cannot avoid it, as I must get to my family let the sacrifice be what it may. I was very desirous of closing all honest claims satisfactorily. Inded such expectation has made me bear all the ills I suffer. Yrself I expected to have found foremost in contributing to such a result.

     The County Court of Fairfax has appointed Mr Moore to settle our executors accounts, and he will attend us h<mutilated> any time we wish. I wish it were possible that we <c>ould have a meeting previous to this business being taken up by the Commr in order to agree upon a mode of stating & in fact to state the general account. I am prevented by company from going to your house which I intended to do as soon as it should be in my power. Suppose you come down someday next week and dine with us, and let us devote the morning to this business.

     I understand that Mr Richard Forest of Washington is a candidate for the consulate at Tunis, and having I believe gained the good Opinion of the President by correct conduct and attention to the duties of the Office which he has hitherto filled, it is not improbable that he may be nominated. Should this be the case, it will no doubt be the wish of those who are to sanction or to reject the appointment to have some knowledge of his character.

I recd last night your favour of the 31st Augt and lose no time in assuring you that nothing but some unforeseen cause shall prevent by attending the Court at Trenton, it was my intention to go on before your letter came to hand. I shall make my arrangements to be at Phila., the last of this month, or perhaps on the 29th. I am dear Sir very respectfully yr mo. obt Sert

I have Just understood from a friend of Mr Edmund Lee of Alexandria,² that it is his wish to fill the vacancy on the bench of the District Court of Columbia occasioned by the death of Judge Ducket. I have for some years past had the pleasure of more than a common acquaintance with this gentleman and believe that I may with perfect confidence safely introduce³ him to you as a sound lawyer, and a man of the strictest⁴ integrity. 

I have the honour to be with very great respect Sir yr. mo. ob. Servt. 

     At sight pay to Charles Simms on order for value recieved eight hundred & seventy five dollars being for so much due me as one of the Justices of the supreme Court of the United States.

     yours of the 13th inst. is recd. I take this early opportunity, to give my consent, to your acceptance, of Genl Lee's proposition, (as detailed in your letter) respecting the dismal swamp property, he purchased, of the late Genl Geo. Washington. I am satisfied, the interests of the legatees will be promoted thereby, & consequently, approbate the course, you wish to pursue. I am Gentn with respect &c.

     You have no doubt been informed, that our testator, some time before his death, sold his Dismal Swamp property to Gen. Lee, without however, having made a deed for the same. Some part of the consideration money was paid, but the exact amount is not now recollected.

     I recd your letter my dearest wife of the 15th many days after the date of it, and have been not a little puzzled to decide whether it would be best to address mine to you at Rippon Lodge or Mount Vernon, as you intended to remain only a few days with your mother; I shall however direct this to the latter place presuming that before this time you have returned.