To George Washington from James Gibbon, 17 July 1792
From James Gibbon
Petersburg, Virga July 17th 1792
Sir
Coll Carrington as Supervisor of the district of Virginia having been obliging enough to suggest to me the resignation of Coll Newton as Inspector of the th4 Suvey and that twas his intention to recommend me to succeed him—I have taken the liberty, in aid of his good offices in my behalf to trouble you with my own application[.] Having already acted under the Supervisors orders it is left for him to say how far I may be Entitled to yr favour in this case.1
The office of Surveyor of the port I have held with a hope that some compensation adequate to its duties wou’d have offerd in ⟨illegible⟩ tho I’ve heretofore been disappointed in this I’m not altogether without hope that a proper representation will yet effect it.2
As the duties of Inspector of the th4 Suvey and that of Surveyor of the customs are in a great degree combin’d and I belive in no instance incompatible so I shall feel myself happy if you Sir shou’d think proper to combine them3 in the instance of him who is with very great respect Yr Oblig’d Humb. Servt
J. Gibbon
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. No written recommendation from Col. Edward Carrington to GW concerning James Gibbon’s appointment as inspector of the fourth survey has been found.
2. Gibbon was appointed surveyor of the port of Petersburg, Va., in August 1789, and in March 1792 he became port inspector (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 3 Aug. 1789, 6 Mar. 1792 [third letter]; 1:14, 104). For Gibbon’s earlier request that he be appointed to a more remunerative post, see Gibbon to GW, 24 Jan. 1790.
3. GW did not accede to this request. On 19 Nov. 1792 he nominated Gibbon inspector of the fourth survey, and the Senate consented to Gibbon’s appointment two days later (ibid., 125–26).