Since I came to Virginia, I have generally been so buryed in Retirement as to want opportunities of writing to Philadelphia— You Sir, are the first, to whom my respects are due; permit me to return you my sincere thanks and acknowledgment for the attention and politeness with which you favored me whilst under your care, but most of all for those advantages which I derived from your friendly and instructive Communications in the line of my Studies— Favors which associate in them both utility and complaisance make the deepest impressions on my heart, and fill it with affecti

     I Engaged Mr Donnison who went from yeocomico to Baltimore, to bring my Library to Virginia, and my Father wrote you a Letter upon the Subject, but he returned without it, much to my dissapointment, and assigned as a reason the Danger of the Frost— I feel the want of it sensibly— I must request the favor of you to interest yourself particularly in discovering the most expeditious mode of conveying them to me— A Vessel coming immediately to this place would be the most desirable opportunity, but If a previous one to yeocomico, or Nomony on Potowmack, or to Leeds Town o

     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.

     I had the pleasure to see Mr Byrd at Westover a few weeks past, and spent near¹ a week there very much to my satisfaction‑ I wish I had time to write as much about this family as I could wish, but I am compelled to relinquish the pen in a few minutes‑ The reason of my writing at present is to inclose you two Letters which when I undertook to convey, I expected to deliver personally; but some unexpected events has prevented me‑ I hope to see you in the winter, when I shall have a great deal to tell you‑ Present my affece compliments to your Family, to Mr &am

     The Captain of the Boat who delivers this, will return directly to Mattox Bridge and will offer a very, safe and speedy Conveyance for my chest and other articles from Philadelphia if fortunately they should have arrived— If they should not, you will much oblidge me by taking the earliest opportunity of sending them down— The articles which I left to be sent from Philadelphia, were 1 Chest—1 Saddle Box—1 Hatbox—1 Umbrella—1 Sword stick— I am with Esteem Dr Sir your Obt H. Servant

     Had I not a great deal of fortitude to leave Philadelphia on Good Friday, although so much happiness was promised me if I had staid?

     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.

     I recieved a Letter from Colo. Ball a few days past, in which he requested me to inclose to you his land Warrants, in order that you may have them conveyed to the Surveyor General by Feby to entitle them to the privilidge of first location— I now send them— I am sorry that it has not been in my power to dispose of them as advantageously as Colo. Ball wished— The price which at present is given currently for them is nine pence, an offer which cannot even be listened to, unless <mutilated> who make them objects of Speculation.

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.

Without attempting to make an apology for allowing your two last favours to remain so long unanswered, I will at once inform you my reasons for it, and submit the validity of them to your Judgment— Your first Letter came to hand whilst Colo.

     There is no one to whom I am so much indebted in the Letter way as yourself, and I'll assure there are few Debtors who take so much pleasure in discharging these accounts As I do when you are Creditor— I am not only contented with repaying you Letter for Letter, but the Bargain always turns out so much in my favor, that I think myself called upon by Gratitude to acknowledge the superior obligation You confer.

     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 had the happiness to recieve your last letter, and permit me to return you many thanks for the favor— I am pleased to find that you have had the goodness to admit of my apologies for my long silence, and I am determined that I will not in future give you any reason to condemn your own generosity, or to suspect my sincerity— The incertainty of your place of abode was always a discouraging circumstance, and raised in me the fears of a miscarriage, than which nothing can be more disagreable, or more destructive of a free and easy Correspondence.

After having so often neglected to write you for some time past rather from necessity than inclination, and from a sense of your goodness in forgiving me, and in admitting those excuses which one less generous would have been more tenacious of, I am determined to shew myself not entirely unworthy of your benevolent disposition towards me, by omitting to embrace any opportunity which can afford safety to my Letters— I say, safety, because I never can meet with any conveyance which goes nearer to you than Fredg where they are necessarily left to the conduct of Chance,

I have had the Honor to receive a very polite Address from you; &, tho' I have not the Pleasure to be personally acquainted with you, I beg Leave to assure you it was very acceptable to me from the Mother of Mr Bushrod Washington. I suppose I am indebted to his too generous & gratefull Heart for this Instance of your Attention. He was introduced to Mr Powel by his Uncle, whose Recommendation alone would have given him a sufficient Title to our Respect, but his own Merit confirms his Claim to our Regard. Your Reasons for having sent him to Phila.

Yes, it is a long year indeed, and by a Son's Calendar two, since he has known the happiness resulting from the company and instructing conversation of his beloved Parents— He often sees them in idea, and their sentiments remain impressed on his mind; but ideal Pleasure is a poor substitute, for real, nor is the expression of the Pen equal to that of speech— The Prospect before me is pleasing, perhaps too much so—to attain it, I rather hurry, than make haste— A few months will alter my situation from Infancy to Manhood— I would wish that my studies should terminate with th