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Subject Area: Political Theory
Topic: The American Revolution and Constitution

TO JOHN FRANCIS MERCER. - George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, vol. XII (1790-1794) [1891]

Edition used:

The Writings of George Washington, collected and edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1890). Vol. XII (1790-1794).

Part of: The Writings of George Washington, 14 vols.

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TO JOHN FRANCIS MERCER.

Mount Vernon, 23 July, 1792.

Sir,

Your favor of the 10th did not get to my hands until Saturday last, although I sent to the Post Office regularly, every Post day since I came to this place for the letters which I expected.

Your letter conveys no specific assurance of the time, or manner of discharging the bal’e which is due to me.—I am placed on no better, indeed on no worse ground, than I stood years ago with respect to this debt; and you cannot have forgotten that these were my apprehensions, which I expressed to you upon more occasions than one.—Why then should I be told at this late day, after every endeavor on my part to accommodate matters to your convenience, of your intention of offering all your property for sale when part of it ought to have been applied to my use years since?—or to what purpose (for me I mean) is it that you should offer property for sale, if the price set thereon will admit no purchasers,—or if sold that the money is to be converted to other uses than for my benefit? The latter you must be sensible I know to have been the case, and the other, as it respects negroes which you offered to me formerly, and from other circumstances, I have no reason to disbelieve.

It is not from inclination, that I become acquainted with any Gentleman’s circumstances, and far is it from my practice to investigate what he owes; but you must excuse me when I tell you that I have heard enough of yours to give me some uneasiness, as well on your acct. as on mine.—To two facts I shall glance.—A Gentn. in Phila., without having the least suspicion (I believe) how matters stood between you and me, was enquiring into the value of your Marlborough Estate; and through another channel I understd. the reason was that your debt to him was considerable; and that that was the mean by which he was to be secured.—The other is the agency of Mr. Montague, who I know is determined to push the settlement of that business.—Others I have also heard of: but nothing, I beg you to be persuaded, Sir, but my own interest in the case would have induced me to mention them to you.—Hard indeed then would it be upon me, if after twenty odd years endulgence and receiving any thing and driblets as they were offered, which dissipated NA as inscru bly as the morning dew, that I should be still postponed, or put off with vague promises, until perhaps you and your property may have parted.

There can be no difficulty in settling this, or any account where the debits and credits are regular, and the intentions of the parties are fair; and I am persuaded if you will be at the trouble of riding to this place, a few hours will ascertain the bal’e which is due to me—Or in case a disagreement should arise on any point, it might be so stated as that an impartial umpire might decide it for us, witht. trouble or lawsuit.—Besides, I have at this place a number of Letters, Papers, and the Mill Books, which might throw light upon things which to you may seem to want explanation, and cannot be had elsewhere. Other matters also might be more clearly explained, and better understd. by oral conversation than is practicable by letter.—I know of nothing (at present) that will call me from home soon, unless I should go to the New City the first day of next month; of which I gave the Commrs. some, but no positive intimation.—However if you are inclined to comply with this request, and will name the precise day you will be here, I will not be from home.

I beg you to be assured, that it will be extremely irksome and painful to me to go into a Court of Justice for the recovery of what is due to me, and for which I have with very great inconvenience and disadvantage to myself, waited so long; but it must be the case unless it can be averted by some measure wch. possibly may be adopted at the meeting, wch. is now proposed, and which it may be well for you to think on previous thereto.

I have not yet been called upon legally to answer the complaint of Henshaw; but shall be ready to do it whenever it shall be found necessary or expedient, and for that purpose shall keep the Bill, and the answer which you have drawn until I either see you, or hear from you again.—The answer as drawn mistated a fact with respect to the power vested in Mr. Lund Washington.—The truth of that matter stands thus—the sale as you have recited, was made in Novr., 1774, on 12 month’s credit.—In May following, I went to the second Congress, as a member thereof, without giving Lund Washtn., then or at any time thereafter NA powers, fully expecting to return as soon as the business of the session should close; but being chosen to commd. the Army, I proceeded to Cambridge and from thence—as soon as it became apparent to me that my absence from home was likely to be of much longer continuance than I had calculated upon, I wrote to Col. Tayloe informing him thereof, and desiring him to take the sole management of the trust wch. had been commitd. to us, upon himself, as my situation would no longer permit me to pay any further attention to it, and because I should not consider myself responsible for any transaction subsequent to the sale—previous to which he had thrown the whole burthen upon me, and nothing remained for him to do but appoint a collector (if he did not chuse to be at the trouble himself), and submit the money to the decision of the court, agreeably to its decretal order—What he did—or rather what he neglected to do, would be tedious to relate, and I presume can compose no part of my answer.—And with respect to the particular instance of depreciation as stated in the answer my memory is not furnished with the circumstance at present. I am, Sir, Yr. most obedt. Hble. Servt.