I trouble you with this letter merely to request that you will let nothing prevent you from attending the Court in Alexa. on friday where I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you. Believe me sincerely & affectly yrs
Your letter of the 12th Sept. came to my hand sometime during the present month in consequence of my long absence from home; & being one of a large bundle of letters which had been accumulating, it has only been perused within the last hour. This, I trust, will be accepted as a satisfactory apology for my silence.
I shall write to the Chief Justice today & state to him your proposition; as soon as I receive his answer, you shall hear from me conclusively, & I hope satisfactorily. I am very respectfully Sir yr mo. ob. Servt
The petition of Bushrod Washington & Lawrence Lewis executors of George Washington decd respectfully showeth that there yet remains of the residuary estate of their testator to be sold an undivided third part of Eleven hundred & nineteen acres of land or there abouts in the County of Nansemond belonging to the estate of their testator & the pan or representative of Fielding Lewis & John Walker both decd — one brickhouse in the town of Alexandria conveyed by Archibald McClean & a small tract of land containing about one
I have just returned from Clarksburg while there I examined the record in the case of Cresap vs. M Lean, which I find is complete. The six months having elapsed within which it should have been sent up, & as it is uncertain whether it will soon be sent, as there is some misunderstanding between Cresap & his Council in relation to the costs of appeal— I have procured & herewith send you, a certificate in order that you may have the appeal dismissed.
My letter to you, before my last was directed to you in Jefferson, & my last w<as> to the post-office the day yours of the 26th Sept was received. In each of my two last letters I acknowledged the recpt. of your favors & the checks—viz one for $100 handed to <me> by Mr Cazenone & two from Jefferson, one <mutilated> & the other for $75— I also stated in my last letter, which I expect you have got by this, t<hat> the money had been applied.
I am satisfied from the enqueries my friends have made for me that The Calm Observer, if ever published in a pamphlet, is no longer to be found in that form. Mr Hopkinson was kind enough to make the enquiry for me and to communicate the result. In my answer acknowledging the receipt of his letter I requested him to look into the files of the Aurora & to let me know the date of the first & of the last number. He has never noticed this letter, & I have suspect1 that it has miscarried.
Your favor of March 13th, declining to aid me in a publication of General Washington's Works, was duly received. I had already made such progress in the undertaking, that I could not reconcile myself to the idea of abandoning it, although compelled to prosecute it under many disadvantages. Since that time I have visited all the southern and middle states, examined thoroughly the public offices in each, and procured copies of all General Washington's letters, and the replies of the Governors.
I duly recd your letter mentioning the officits claimed by Mr Hooe against his first bond. Whether they are correct or not is more than I can say; but it was surely very officious and improper in him to settle demands against Mr T. & myself without our authority. It is calculated to introduce confusion not only as between Mr. Hooe and us, but between Mr. T. & myself. We are determined therefore to disallow all similar claims in future.
Your letter of the 17th ult. was not received untill a few days ago on my return home, after an absence of several weeks.
I owe you an apology for my long silence & especially as I have two letters of yours unanswered. My Cirt. did not end until the latter part of June, & I have ever since been overwhelmed with pressing private or public concerns, which have obliged me to postpone all other business. In addition to my other labours I have been obliged to prepare a Discourse to be delivered this month before a Literary society (the P. B.
Know all men by these presents that I Bushrod Washington of Mount Vernon have constituted & appointed & do by these presents constitute & appoint William Herbert of Alexandria my lawful attorney for me & in my name & for my use to lease my fishery at the Mouth of Dogue Creek for a term not exceeding five years reserving such rent & stipulating such terms as he can agree for hereby ratifying whatever my Said attorney may lawfully do in the premises, As witness my hand & Seal this 25th July 1826
Understanding that you are the acting executor of your illustrious relative the late Genl Washington, I take the liberty respectfully to ask of you some information in relation to a bequest contained in his last Will. Feeling no personal interest in it, I had not seen his will or rather that part of it, which contains the bequests to individuals. Accidentally meeting with it a few months since, I was surprised to find an item to this effect; viz, "To Sally B. Haynie, a distant relation of mine I give and bequeath three hundred dollars."
In the name of God Amen I Bushrod Washington of Mount Vernon do make this my last will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made.
Imprimis I give to my dear and most excellent wife and her heirs the following negroes— viz: Nan Louisa and the children she now has a may here after have, Sam. Jessy, Clark and Silvia his wife and Lucy their daughter with all the future increase of the females and also Jenny who I purchased from W. Turner.
Yesterday afternoon I recd your favour of the 16th mentioning Mr Chews wish to become a candidate for the office lately rendered vacant by the death of Mr Griffith. Within a day or two after the demise of that gentleman, I was applied to by a particular friend to whom I promised my vote, and accompanied it by letters of recommendation to my brethren. I think I cannot have recieved, since that time, fewer than 30 or 40 similar applications from others.
The first information I recd of the death of Mr Griffith was from a particular friend, who is an applicant for the vacant office, and was so prior to the appointment of that gentleman. Satisfied that he was well qualified to fill it, I gave him to understand that he might expect my vote, which was accompanied by letters of recommendation to the other members of the bench. I am dear Sir very sincerely your mo. ob. servt
Not knowing the address of Mr Rosa, I take the liberty to send the enclosed letter to you, & to request the favor of you to give it its proper direction & then to put it into the post office. I am with great regard dear sir yrs very sincerely
Your favor of the 17th Ulto announcing the decree in Cresap's suit has afforded me the most sincere gratification. I have written to Mr Chapman Johnson to Join Mr Wickham on the side of McLain in case the appeal should be prosecuted, of which I will thank you to inform me when the fact is ascertained. I am also anxious to hear whether Tomlinsons suit has been revived.
I have been prevented by sickness from making an earlier acknowledgment of your letter of the 23d Ulto. covering all Hooes bonds to Mr Turner & my self except the first, payable on demand.
Mr Parks bill of injunction was obtaind in the court of Chancery for the District of Green Brier.
Mr John Brown is the chancellor.
I am myself for counsel but as yet I know not of any person by character to fix upon.
I wish to employ some gentleman of the bar to attend to Mr Parks suit, for the executors of Genl Washington, but not having a full Copy of the bill, I do not Know in what Court it is depending. Will you be so good as to inform me? And if you can recommend to me a respectable gentleman of the profession who practises in that Court, you will much oblige me. I think it will be best for the different Setts of defendants to employ different lawyers. I am very respectfully Dr Sir your mo. ob.
I had the pleasure of receiving your letter written immediately after your return from Philadelphia and am much obliged by your kind enquiries for “The Calm Observer.” I now believe that those papers were never in the pamp[h]let form, or if ever so published, are no longer to be found. I will thank you, if General Washington ever took & preserved that precious deposit of democratic patriotism.
Some years ago there was a freindly suit in equity brought in your Court by the executors of Genl Washington, agt the devisees, or some of them, or by the devisees, or some of them, agt the executors. the object of which was to obtain a decree for the sale of certain City lots &, I believe, to confirm2 sales of other lots which had been made by the executors. I have a very indistinct recollection of this business, but remember that Mr P. B. Key was the solicitor on both sides— It now appears that Mr Geo. C.
I should not notice a statement made in the “National Journal” of the 16th inst.
You had hardly left the lawn before I recollected that I had not signed my name to the check I gave you on the Bank of Potomack for $619.79 as “executor of George Washington.” This is to authorize you to make that addition to the check & you will please deliver this note to the Cashier as your authority for so doing. yrs affectly