From George Washington to Daniel Jenifer, Jr., 15 July 1798
To Daniel Jenifer, Jr.
Mount Vernon 15th July 1798
Dear Sir
Your favour of the 6th, enclosing notes for two hogsheads of Tobo paid you by Mr Dunnington on a/c of Rent due me, has been received; and a receipt given to him for the same.1
For your continued trouble in this business, I thank you; and although I am in real want of the amount of the Bond he gave, payable last January; yet, if he will exert himself to discharge it in the course of the year I shall waiting that time to a suit2 for the recovery of it as you conceive he means fair; otherwise it would be only gaining on his, and loosing time on my part.
If you should have occasion to visit the Neighbourhood where my land lyes, I would thank you to visit, and give me your opinion of the adequacy of the Rent for the present rent is altogether of Mr Dunningtons own fixing. If you should not have any call into those parts, it is yet possible that you might obtain this information from others who know it well; and the relation it bears to the Rent of other Tenements of similar size & quality of Soil there abouts and at what price it would sell by the Acre giving a credit, payable in Installments, with interest—With esteem I remain Dr Sir Your obedient Hble Servt
Go: Washington
ALS (letterpress copy), DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW.
1. Letter not found. George Dunnington was a tenant on GW’s land in Charles County, Md.; Daniel Jenifer acted as GW’s rental agent there. See GW to Jenifer, 7 June 1797, and note 2 of that document See also GW to Thomas Peter, 15 July 1798.
2. GW obviously inadvertently omitted words here. What he may have intended to say, or may in fact have said by inserting words in the letter that he sent, is: “. . . I shall not object to waiting that time to enter a suit. . . .”