From George Washington to Alexander Hamilton, 22 April 1794
To Alexander Hamilton
Philada the 22 day of April 1794
Sir,
Upon examining my letter to you of the 27 June ’93, and my two powers of the 8th of August 1793, the one for making a loan of one million of florins,1 and the other for making a loan of 1,515,[0]98 dols. & 11 Cents,2 I wish to have some explanation upon the subject of your letter of yesterday’s date.3 The questions which arise are these: whether the million of Florins, to be borrowed for the instalment, payable to Holland in June next, be not already appropriated for that purpose; and whether the appropriation now proposed of the three millions of florins will not in some measure be contrary to the appropriation contained in my power of the 8th of August 1793. For it appears to me, that I have directed the money to be borrowed under that power, to be applied to the purchases of the public Debt.4
Geo: Washington
LB, DLC:GW.
1. GW’s second letter to Hamilton of 8 Aug. 1793 authorized him to borrow 1 million florins “to be applied to the payment” due on 1 June for the Dutch loan of 1782.
2. In his first letter to Hamilton of 8 Aug. 1793, GW authorized a loan of $1,515,089.11 and stipulated that it “be applied to purchases of the public debt.”
3. GW apparently questioned the contents of Hamilton’s letter of 21 April, after receiving Edmund Randolph’s letter of 22 April, which reads: “E. Randolph requests the President to let him see the instructions, which he gave to Colo. Hamilton in the course of the last summer for borrowing more money. If E.R. is not greatly mistaken, there was some special appropriation made of it there” (DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters).
4. For Hamilton’s reply, see his second letter to GW of 23 April.