31From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 27 March 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 21st & 23d instant have filled us with pain and anxiety, from which, probably, we shall not be relieved before tuesday; tho’ we shall hope, on that day, to hear that both Fanny and Maria are much better, if not entirely recovered. Upon receipt of the first of the letters abovementioned, I made immediate enquiry in what train the business respecting the arsenal on Potomack...
32From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 21 March 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 14th Instant did not get to my hands before Saturday. Mine dated the 13th acknowledging the receipt of your favors of the 26th Ulto & 2d Inst. must, I presume, have been received in due course of the Post, and therefore to repeat the contents of it is unnecessary. A Mr Summers of Alexandria, is very desirous of purchasing my vacant lot in that Town, and having been told that...
33From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 13 March 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 26th Ulto and 2d Instant, came safe to hand, after some delay. The first, with the Will of Harper, has been put into the hands of the Attorney Genl, to aid him in the conveyances. To such parts of the second, as require it, I am about to reply; first expressing my satisfaction at the happy termination of the business which you undertook, in behalf of the Public. Having no...
34From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 15 February 1796 (Washington Papers)
On thursday last I received your letter of —— (now in the hands of Colo. Pickering, & date not remembered). The business relative to the Arsenal at the mouth of Shenandoah, has been shamefully neglected: and, (but under the rose I make the observation) I fear with design; for I was continually reminding the Officer whose duty it was to carry the measure into effect, of the improvident delay;...
35From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 26 December 1795 (Washington Papers)
This letter will be handed to you by Captn Myers, of whom I have made mention in a former letter. Being desirous of knowing whether the Directors of the Potomack Compa. are disposed to employ him as an Engineer & Superintendant of their lock navigation, and on what terms, he has resolved to wait upon them for those purposes. The testimonials of his skill as an Architect, and of his knowledge...
36From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 25 December 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your several letters relative to the state of the applications to the Assemblies of Maryland and Virginia, on the business of the Potomack Company, and the result thereof, have been duly received. The last, dated the 21st, I directed Mr Dandridge to shew to Mr Myers, (knowing the suspence in which he was held) and to add that, if upon the strength of the information therein, he inclined to...
37From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 2 December 1795 (Washington Papers)
Since writing to you on Monday, I have seen and conversed with Mr Myers; who is desirous of employment, and of removing from this place; which (having a pretty large family) he finds very expensive. He professes to understand perfectly, the various matters set forth in the card I enclosed you in my last; and was employed, according to his own account, in the Lancashire navigation, in England,...
38From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 30 November 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 17th instt came safe to hand, but not before the 26th. I intended to have written to you by Colo. Rochfontaine, but he went off unknown to me. Upon a second view of the site at the conflux of the Rivers Potomack and Shenandoah, with the explanations he will receive from Colo. Gilpin and yourself, I hope & expect the advantages of that spot will strike him more favorable than...
39From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 2 November 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 19th & [ ] Ult. came duly to hand; and I expected ’ere this to have been decisive upon the contents of them; but the case being otherwise, I shall postpone writing fully to you until the next, or another Post. It may not be amiss however, briefly to observe, that Colo. Rochfontain (being in this city) was asked how it came to pass, as he had seen the site at the confluence...
40From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 5 August 1795 (Washington Papers)
It is my intention, at present, to be in Georgetown to morrow; but as I have been sending to the post-Office in Alexandria every day since friday last, for letters, without having received any from the Officers of Government; and may, by this days mail find such an accumulation of them, as to make it impracticable for me to give them proper attention—prepare answers against Saturday...
41From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 15 June 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 3d & 4th instt (in the date of the latter, I presume there is a mistake) with several accounts enclosed in the first, have been duly received; as was the certificate of the shares which were bot in the Banks of Alexandria & Columbia on my behalf. Your preference of the former for the appropriation of the balance which remain in your hands, is accordant with my ideas; and...
42From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 4 June 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 26th & 29th Ulto have been duly received, but not adverting in time, that the Post returned on Wednesday I could not answer the latter, until this day. I pray you to continue your purchases in either of the Banks of Alexandria, or Columbia, or both; as you shall deem best; so far as the appropriated sums in your hands, belonging to me (to which add the three thousand...
43From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 4 March 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your favor of the 23d instant came duly to hand. The letters which I write to acquaintances, or friends, are done at no great expence of time, or thought. They are off-hand productions; with little attention to composition or correctness; and even under these circumstances, are rarely attempted when they interfere with my public duties. From what you have written, and from what I have heard...
44From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 18 February 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 13th instt came to me yesterday. previous to which your other letters of the 24th & 30th Ulto had been duly received. About a fortnight ago, I saw and spoke to Mr Weston myself, respecting his visit to the Falls of Potomack; and wished, if he was able, that he would name the time he would, or expected, to be there. He answered, about the last of this month. That he had to...
45From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 12 January 1795 (Washington Papers)
On friday last I wrote you a few lines, and assigned reasons for not writing more fully. In addition to what I then said, which was only to inform you that permission had been given, by the Canal Company of this State, for Mr Weston to visit the falls of Potomack, and that he might be expected at the federal city about the first of next month, I shall notice with concern—it being contrary to...
46From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 9 January 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 1st instt has been received, but not so soon after the date of it as might have been expected; & not recollecting in time, that this was Post day for the Southward, I shall confine myself to a single point—namely, to inform you, as I have been informed myself, that in a late meeting of the Canal Company of this State, permission was given to Mr Western to visit the Lock...
47From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 22 December 1794 (Washington Papers)
Looking into an old Portfolio, which I had not seen this many a day, I found the papers which accompany this note, relative to the River Potomac. I do not know that any of them will be useful to you; but as well for the purpose of keeping them together as to afford you an opportunity of deciding for yourself, they are now forwarded to you. I also send you the sketch which has been presented to...
48From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 21 December 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 17th instt was received yesterday, and I am glad to find that an act of the Virginia Assembly has been obtained, for prolonging the term for the completion of the inland navigation of the Potomac. The like I hope has been, or will be obtained, this Session, in the Assembly of Maryland. A good opportunity presenting itself on thursday last, I embraced it, to enquire of Mr...
49From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 14 December 1794 (Washington Papers)
The day following the one on which I wrote to you last, your letter of the 10th instt was received. It is to be regretted, exceedingly, that delegated powers are, oftentimes, so little regarded; and that trusts of an important nature, the neglect of wch may be attended with serious consequences, should be suffered to sleep in the hands of those who ought to carry them into activity. such, from...
50From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 12 December 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 5th instt, and the Receipt for the second payment of the lots I purchased on the Eastern branch, in the Federal City, came duly to hand. You are perfectly at liberty to examine my Presses and Trunks at Mount Vernon for any papers I may have respecting the transactions of the Directors of the Potomack Compa., or any matters & things which may concern the navigation of that...
51From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 31 August 1794 (Washington Papers)
On the 28th. I wrote you two letters. In one of them I intended (but forgot it) to have made a request that you would enquire after the lad that used to wait at Suter’s (William I think his name was) whose servitude had expired, and if disengaged and his character good, as well as handy, to engage him for me at eight Dollars P. Month, (with the other allowances known to you) being what I am...
52From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 28 August 1794 (Washington Papers)
Mr Johnson & Doctr Stuart having resolved to withdraw themselves as Commissioners of the Federal City, & not to act after the meeting which is proposed to be held on the 15th of next month, it has become necessary to appoint two others in their places—One of whom, it is said, ought to possess a considerable stock of legal abilities; as cases are frequently occurring to render Law knowledge...
53From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 28 August 1794 (Washington Papers)
It gave me very sincere pleasure to find by your letter of the 22d instt (which by the by did not come to my hands until the evening of the 26th; not time enough to acknowledge the receipt of it by the Post of next day) that you had arrived in good health at George Town with a valuable cargo of Goods, & that you had arranged your business to your satisfaction in England, Scotland and Holland....
54From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 6 May 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 26th of Jany with a Postscript of the 30th of the same month, by Captn Truxton, and another of the 12th of Feby by a Vessel to New York, I have safely received. But neither the one from Glasgow (with the box) nor the other by the Peggy, referred to in the above letters, are yet come to hand. The Watch, and Portrait of the Earl of Buchan, were received in very good order. The...
55Isaac Mansfield, Jr., to Tobias Lear, 16 April 1794 (Washington Papers)
Early in the late War, James Mugford Commander of the Schooner Franklin was killed in an Engagement in taking the Powder Ship; the Powder Ship at that time you may recollect was a very important Acquisition. The Administrator on Mugford’s Estate has applied for a Bounty provided for in such Case; the application was dated in December last, we received an answer from Treasury Department...
56From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 8 November 1793 (Washington Papers)
I arrived at this place at the time appointed—to wit—the 1st inst. but did not receive your letter of the 3d until yesterday for want of a regulr Comn with the P. Office and this too at a time when as you have well suppos’d I was immerced in the consideration of Papers from the different Departments after a seperation from the heads of them almost two Mo. I have, however, run over your...
57From George Washington to Tobias Lear, 25 September 1793 (Washington Papers)
I have not written to you since we parted, but had just sat down to do it when your letter of the 13th instt was brought to me from the Post Office in Alexandria. It gave Mrs Washington, myself and all who knew him, sincere pleasure to hear that our little favourite had arrived safe, & was in good health at Portsmouth—We sincerely wish him a long continuance of the latter—that he may always be...
58Henry Knox to Tobias Lear, 28 August 1793 (Washington Papers)
Please to submit to the President of the United States, a letter from Mr Harrison district attorney of New York, and also the draft of a letter thereon to Governor Clinton —The draft of a letter to Governor Moultrie is also submitted. I am—Dear Sir—Your’s sincerely— LS , DLC:GW ; LB , DLC:GW . The letter to Knox from Richard Harison, the U.S. attorney for the District of New York, has not been...
59Henry Knox to Tobias Lear, 27 August 1793 (Washington Papers)
Please to inform the President of the United States, that it is understood, that David Allison is not the Secretary of Governor Blount, but that he has been occasionally employed by him. That in all the money transactions, or payments, in which Mr Allison has been employed, he has settled his accounts to the entire satisfaction of the Accountant. And that he has now given bonds for the...
60Henry Knox to Tobias Lear, 24 August 1793 (Washington Papers)
Will you please to submit the enclosed letters of the 27th and 30th July from the Secretary of the South Western Territory, and their enclosures to the President of the United States. I am Sir with great esteem Your humble servant LS , DLC:GW ; LB , DLC:GW . Daniel Smith’s letter to Knox of 27 July, from Knoxville, reported that the unauthorized attack on some Cherokee Indians by a party of...