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

TO DAVID STUART. - 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.

About Liberty Fund:

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.


TO DAVID STUART.

Philadelphia, 21 September, 1794.

Dear Sir,

Your letter of the 14th inst. has been duly received. As it was, and is, my earnest wish to discharge my obligation to Mr. Lund Washington and all other debts, it will prove inconvenient to me to apply the money which you have lodged in the Bank of Alexandria, for my use, to the purpose of paying the debt due from my brother Samuel’s estate to that of Mr. Custis’, yet I cannot, whilst there are means at my command, see the estate of the former arrested from his representatives, and suffer them to be involved in difficulty—perhaps in distress and not apply them in prevention.

The estate of my Brother Samuel being involved, and left under wretched management, has already proved a heavy tax upon me.—Land which I sold twenty odd years ago to Colo. Phil. Pendleton, falling into his hands, and he thereby becoming paymaster to me, has (as I never intended, under the view I had of his affairs, to ask payment) sunk me more than £800.—For the board, education, and other expenses of his two sons I am in a further advance for it, upwards of £1,000 more, besides the support of his Daughter Harriot, since she was given over to me by Mrs. Fendall, without receiving a single sous towards it.

For the past I expected no return, but it will be hard (especially as I thought my advances, except for Harriot, was at an end) to launch out a thousand pounds more with as little prospect of a refund as for that which has gone before it.—Yet, and for the reason I have mentioned, I shall not suffer the remains of the estate to be sold without lending my aid to prevent it.—I must therefore leave the thousand pounds in the Bank of Alexandria, which you say is appropriated for my use, to your own disposal.

But it is my wish, and desire that the process against that estate may not be arrested short of its coming to actual sale, at which point I would stop it; without the least intimation of my intention previous thereto, to do so; for the following reasons—1st, because George and Lawrence Washington do not appear to me to be sufficiently impressed with the incumbrances on their estate; 2d, because both of them seem to entertain too high an opinion of the value of the property they are possessed; 3d, under this mistaken idea, or from proneness to show, they are not, nor will not be restrained from indulgencies until they either feel, or have a nearer view of the necessity, for imposing those restraints; 4th, because they are not sensible, I believe, of the inconveniency to me, of the advances I have made for their accommodation; and 5th, because the estate may (unknown to me) have made some provision to meet this demand—at least in part; and might slacken its exertions or divert its funds, if another source is contemplated, through which the debt is to be discharged.—If all, or any of these things can be effected by concealing my intention, until the period above mentioned, it may be serviceable to all, and injurious to none.

You will have found that as Doctr. Thornton’s Commission bears equal date with your letter, of course it was too late for the purpose mentioned in the latter.

With great esteem & regard, I am, &c.