To George Washington from Clement Biddle, 2 October 1788
From Clement Biddle
Philada October 2d 1788
I have to answer your favour of 16th Ulto. I had not Purchased the Winter Barley altho’ I had secured it in Case you had not provided it elsewhere—I have spared no Pains I have not been yet able to sell the Herrings & shad except a few Barrels by Retail but have the promise from two french Houses to take some for Hispaniola on the Course of this month & hope to get them off1 I expect to do this without any inconvenience to replace the small Balance now Due me & I have paid Mr Powell 13/4 for the Chair per his receipt to your Debit2 The Letter to Mr Smith at Carlisle was forwarded by the first post which now goes thro’ there to Pittsburg.3
C. Biddle
LB, ViMtvL.
1. In his letter to Biddle of 16 Sept. 1788 GW wrote: “I should be glad to have the Herrings & Shad which are in your hands disposed of if it can be done without making an unreasonable sacrifise of them, that you may receive the Balance which is due upon your Acct and have money of mine in your hands to procure any articles that I may have occasion for from Philadelphia, should you not be able to dispose of them immediately I will remit you a Bank Note.”
2. In August 1788 GW’s friend Samuel Powel of Philadelphia shipped him a chair to be used as a pattern for a set of chairs at Mount Vernon (Powel to GW, 9 Aug., 9 Sept. 1788, GW to Powel, 15 Sept. 1788), and in September GW requested Biddle to remit payment to Powel for the pattern (GW to Biddle, 16 Sept. 1788).
3. In his letter to Biddle of 16 Sept. GW requested him to forward a letter to Thomas Smith, who often handled GW’s legal affairs in Pennsylvania.