Your two letters under the dates of Dec 22 & Dec. 27, came to hand in course of the mail. I have recently receivd two letters from the Chief Justice, in which he permits me to conclude the first vol, at the end of the 13th Chapter, terminating with the War of 1763, & to carry the Surplus to the 2d vol. He also desires me to strike out two or three long notes, which he designates & requests me to suggest to him such others as I think might be dispensed with. I write to him, next Mail, fully on the subject.

Duly estimating the importance of Mr Weems going off immediately to the Southward, that the opportunity might not be lost of meeting the legislatures of those states in Session, I sent for him to meet me here yesterday. To my request that he would commence his Journey immediately, he replied that he was ready at any moment and only awaited your answer to two propositions – the one, the renewal of his diurnal allowance, & the other, an agreement not to hold him responsible for broken setts.

     I have been applied to by Judge Reeve one of the most virtuous and respectable men in Connecticut, for assistance in a matter, in which his feelings are deeply interested.

Your favor of the 16 came to hand this evening as did also one from the Chief Justice covering the title page & preface to the history. I communicate to him by this post your sentiments respecting the proper period at which to close the 1st. vol. and also as to the name of the Author being inserted, upon both which points I entirely concur in opinion with you. I have therefore urged the necessity of adopting them. – But as he has commenced his Journey to Raleigh, my letter must follow him there, & of course I cannot expect his answer in less than 8 or 10 days.

Your letter of the inst came to hand in course of the mail, but as I had to write to Mr Marshall & to await his answer, I have not been able sooner to acknowledge it. – The complaints which you mention on account of the delay in the publication, give me great pain, particularly as it is unavoidable, and were the subscribers still more clamorous than they are, the work could not go on faster. If they had any conception of the labour & time required to examine many trunks of papers, they might perhaps be more considerate, tho' of this I should doubt.

I recd your letter, and have been disappointed in not seeing you here agreeable to your promise. I am glad that you have determined to give your undivided attention to Mr Wayne's business, & he will no doubt make the allowance of a dollar per day as before agreed upon, in case he feels satisfied of your prompt attention to the obtaining subscriptions – Certainly no time is now to be lost as the first vol. will soon be in the press. – I hope you will set out immediately to the Southward where you will have fine winter quarters & cannot fail of success in your undertaking.

Enclosed you will find the original letter written by the General. Mr. Hamilton, editor of the Lancaster Journal, informs me in his letter to me says, – "It was found among the papers of the late Dr. Smith of your City, and was handed to me by his son Charles Smith Esq" Mr. H. has not informed me to whom it was written, nor can it be discovered by the letter itself, but it may be fairly presumed it was addressed, under cover, to the late Rev. Dr. — I hope it may be useful. — 

Sometime time ago you published a letter from Gen. Washington to a friend of his, written during the Indian War. you introduced the letter by observing that it was copied from the “original” & that if the compiler¹ of the Hist. desired would be furnished with it on application. I sent the printed letter to Judge Washington & he has this day wrote to me as follows, viz

Extract

["]Mount Vernon Nov. 24, 1803

I have the satisfaction to acknowledge the Rect. of your esteemed favour of the 24th. I regret to learn I sincerely & learn with regret the loss you & Mrs. Washington have Sustained by the demise of the worthy Col. Blackburn. – The moment I recd. your letter I addressed a letter to the Editor of the Lancasr. Journal. – I assure you that all the Seaport towns from Norfolk in Va to Portland in Maine have been visited by active agents beside most of the large inland towns; Mr.

Mr. Marshall requests that you will endeavour to procure for him from the editor of the Lancaster Journal or of the federal paper in that place the original letter from Genl Washington, which he has published.

Your letter of the 3d. inst. I have received, and hope that my acknowledgment of one or both of your former letters has reached you before this. If I have not been as punctual in answering letters for a month past as usual, the painful sickness & death of Major Blackburn to whom my whole time was devoted must be my apology.

The first vol. will be copied this month & if it were not necessary to take another copy for Mr Morgan it would be immediately sent on. I expect however that the delay from this circumstance will not be considerable. I shall write Mr Marshall upon the subject & will let you know when you may expect it. The 2d vol. Mr M. will bring with him to Washington in February.

Our Journey to Westmorland, was productive of no good— on examining the chain of Title, we found it imperfect. The deed fm Ludwell Lee & Flora his Wife to Genl Lee, we could not find. The Sale was consequently suspended.

As soon as I can procure the lost deed I will advise you very respectfully

The yellow fever in Alexandria prevented me from recieving your favor as soon as I otherwise should have done.

     I wrote to you a few days ago begging to know if you would do me the favour to represent me on the 20t inst. to manage the sale of 2800 acres of lands Westd which under a deed of trust I am to dispose of.

Whereas by deed bearing date the 17h day of April in the year of our Lord 1798 between Henry Lee and Ann his wife of the first part, Bushrod Washington of the second part and William Ludwell Lee of the third part; the said Henry Lee and Ann his wife did convey to me the said Bushrod Washington & my heirs amongst other parcels of land all that tract or parcel of land containing twenty eight hundred acres or thereabouts called and known by the name of Hollis's Marsh in the County of Westmoreland which said tract was purchased by the said Henry Lee from Ludwell Lee, Richa

By a Mr. Wessels of Baltimore, who goes to that city in the Mail Stage of this day, I have sent to the care of Mr. G. Hill, Bookseller, Minots History, in 2 vols. with a request that he will immediately forward them, to Alexandria, as directed. I have written to David Poe Jun. P. Master Up. Marlboro Md, Four times & cannot get an answer from him relative to the Sunscribers he has obtained. This day I shall take a house for my Office. I have made a [illegible] contract for a Supply of Paper. Mr. Morgan has written to you.

I have Just time to acknowledge your letter of the 29th Augt. & to request that you will have the goodness to send me both vol. of Minot's hist.¹ by stage (directed to the care of Joshua Riddle Alexa) in case you should meet with some person coming on who will take charge of them. I will pay you this month when I see you in Phila.

I shall expect to hear from Mr Morgan – I thank you for the publication from the Lancaster paper & Am very sincerely yrs   

     On the receipt of your letter I did immediately inform you, that I had no knowledge of, or interest in the land you mention. As my Brother Francis is the residuary Legatee, & only acting Executor of our Father, Mr. Thomas Walker, I have procured, & now inclose you his letter on the subject, to which I beg leave to refer you. I am very respectfully Sir Your obedt Huml.

     Yours of July 27th was sent to Charlottesville instead of Milton, & therefore did not reach me untill yesterday.

     The land in quetion fell to my Brother Francis as my Father’s residuary Legatee; and as he is the only acting Executor, I have sent your letter to him, with a request that an immediate answer may be forwarded. I am with respect Sir Your obed: huml. Servt.

     I am happy to find that you have at length got fixed at your new purchase, and I sincerely hope that in every respect, but more especially as to its healthiness it may surpass your strongest expectations.

    I think I mentioned to Mr Dallas in April last, that you were engaged in preparing for publication reports of the decisions in the Supreme Court since the removal of the Govt. to Washington, and regretted that there would be a chasm between his last volume & your work unless he would fill it up. – He said that he should not publish those cases, but would with pleasure furnish you with his notes of them.

     I take the liberty of enclosing an Account against the Executors of the Will of the late General Washington, for services rendered after the General's death on account of his Estate. I have hitherto forborne exhibiting this account, hoping that the Executors, who knew of my employment, would have spoken to me on the Subject, and that a settlement would have taken place 'ere this.

     Your letter to Mr Custice was put into my hands a few days ago. The Tracts on the Mohawk lie in Montgomery County in a patent granted to Danl Cox in the township of Coxborough & Corolan, contain about 2000 acres one half of which belongs to the estate of Genl Washington & the other half to Govr Clinton‑ By a letter from Govr Clinton to the General I find them to be described as follows

Lot No. 8      in the    1st Division        105 acres     

Recd from Mr George Lewis by Mr Grimes Vessel Capt. Bob one hundred and fifty one bushel of Corn & three barrels with pork.

James W. Colquhoun

for Judge Washington

delivered Capt. Bob 5 lb pork and peck meal to Last him home as he was out of provisions.