From George Washington to Robert Cary & Company, 6 October 1773
To Robert Cary & Company
Mount Vernon Octobr 6th 1773.
Gentn
I am almost ashamed to trouble you in the same year with such frequent orders for Goods; but as I am under a necessity of making some Repairs to, and alteration in my House, and did not get an Acct before, from the Undertaker of all the materials wanting, it must plead my excuse for requesting you to send me the under mentioned Articles—as also for the following Books for the use of Mr Custis, to whom they are to be charged.1 I am Gentn Yr most Obedt Servt.
Go: Washington
For Geo: Washington | For Mr Custis2 |
100 Sqrs. best Crown glass 9 by 11 | Wollastans Relegion of Nature delin: |
A Cask of Whiting | Hutchinson’s Ethicks, Law of Nature, Moral Beauty &ca |
400 Wt of White Lead grd in Oyl over & above the last Order | Beattie on Truth |
30 lb. red Lead—2 lb. Lampblack | Reid on the Human Mind |
100 lb. Yellow Oaker. 10 lb. Umber | Ferguson’s Institutes |
20 Gall: best Brittish Lintseed Oyl for Inside Painting | Vattels Law of Nature |
9 pr best dovetaild Mortice Hings middle sized | Grotius de Jure Belli & Pacis |
3 pr Do larger | Bynkershoek |
9 Common brass cased Locks | Turnbulls Moral Phylosophy |
3 dble Do Springd Do best | Fordyce’s Do Do |
3 M 2d. Brads 3 M3d. Do 6 M 4d. Do 6 M 6d. Do | King on the Origin of Evil |
8 M claspd Nails—instead of Brads for Flooring | Turnbulls Heineceius |
40 M 4d. Nails. | Brown’s Characteristicks |
100 lbs. of Lead for Window Weights | Smiths Moral Sentiments |
50 Fathom of Sash Line | Montesquieus Spirit of Laws |
25 lbs. best Glew | Lock on Government |
half a Ton of unprepard Plaister of Paris | Coneybear’s defence of the Christian Religion |
Go: Washington
ALS, Bodleian Library, Oxford; ALB, DLC:GW. The letter is docketed: “Received 30 November 73 Goods Entd 105 Folo 386,” and “Received 30th Novemr Goods Abstd fol. 386.” The letter was sent “pr the Sophia Capt. Richardson.”
1. As is the case with the other orders sent to Cary in 1773, there is no listing or invoice in GW’s letter book of items received from Cary after 1772 and he does not indicate in his account with Cary in that any shipments from Cary were received in 1773 or afterward. But see note 2 and GW to Cary, 10 July 1773, Enclosure: Invoice to Robert Cary & Co., 10 July, source note.
2. Clearly these were books to be used by John Parke Custis in his studies at King’s College, which he never resumed. Although no record can be found of GW’s receiving any shipment from Cary, most of the titles appear in the inventory of Custis’s estate after his death in 1781 (see Fairfax County Will Book D—1, 278–85, ViFfCh). Among the works that GW ordered are: William Wollaston, Religion of Nature; Francis Hutcheson, Introduction to Moral Philosophy; James Beattie, Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth; Thomas Reid, Inquiry into the Human Mind; Adam Ferguson, Institutes of Moral Philosophy; Vattel, Law of Nations; Hugo Grotius, De Jure Belli au Paces; George Turnbull, Principles of Moral Philosophy; David Fordyce, Elements of Moral Philosophy; William King, Essay on the Origin of Evil; Johann Heineccius, Methodical System of Universal Law, trans. by George Turnbull; John Brown, Essay on the Characteristics; Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments; Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws; John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, and John Conybeare, A Defence of Reveal’d Religion.