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Lot 288: Account of Washington Unity Tour

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Lot  288: Account of Washington Unity Tour
<b>Autographs</b><hr><b>Excellent 1789 Dated Account Of WashingtonÕs 'Unity' Tour Through New England! </b>

<b>(GEORGE WASHINGTON).</b>
1789. An Exceptional Account, By A Prominent Bostonian, Of The First Presidential Tour, Describing In Detail 'His Majesty The PresidentÕs' Visit To Massachusetts. Autograph Letter Signed, in the hand of Joseph Barrel (d. 1804), a leading Boston merchant and patriot, 7 pages, 7' x 9', Boston, November 1, 1789. To Revolutionary War General Samuel Blatchley Webb (1753-1807) who, during the war, was an aide-de-camp and private secretary to Washington. Choice Very Fine; some minor paper loss, a few partial separations at the folds, and a little tape repair do not detract from the handsome quality of this boldly-penned missive. One sentence quoted in Flexner. In part: 'For the last ten days we have done nothing but prepare for, and enjoy the Visit of the best of men, I am sure after this title it will be needless to mention His Majesty the President who does in a wonderful manner unite all Hearts in sincere respect. To give you in detail of our proceedings would be only repeating the Accounts already published, but I am persuaded both Jackson and Lear [Tobias Lear, WashingtonÕs private secretary] will inform you, that every Attention that was paid, appeared to be, and I have no doubt was the Effusions of the Heart.

' I had the honor...to be appointed a Committee from the Town [Boston] to wait on the good Man at Worcester, to make the arrangements for his Entrance into Town, and we were determined to go in taste, in a Coach of 4 Horses...We were received with that politeness, and dignity, which marks every action of that Illustrious Character. After settling our business, we set off for Boston and arrived in 9 hours & half...I am told His Majesty the President was much pleased with the order and regularity of the procession, saying it could not have been better had a soldier been posted by every citizen to keep them in order. I had the further honor to dine with him at Faneuil Hall, as at Governor BowdoinÕs, who was so polite as to suffer me to send a Bishop [mulled and spiced wine] of the Satisfaction wine...hoping for the honor of his drinking it at my house, but this was impossible as it is clearly the last time we expect to be Honored by so great & so good a man...In the evening of this day, we were honored at the Assembly by his Presence. The Hall was elegantly decorated, behind his Majesty was hung my handsome Tapestry & before him a Carpet...He was seated with the Vice President...The ladies were very handsomely dressed...The next morning at 8 oÕclock he left us attended by a number of gentlemen in Carriages & on horseback...His Majesty while here went to the Manufactory of Sail Cloth, and was exceedingly pleased. The spinning for this Manufactory is done by a number of girls who were dressed clean...His Majesty made himself merry on the question, letting the answer be he believed he collected the prettiest girls in Boston. The lard manufactory he also visited...and as anything that promises advantages to America must be pleasing to our friends there can be no doubt he was pleased...'

When a president takes to the road these days, it is usually to put over some program or other but this was not always, or even originally, the case. As this letter about the first presidential tour shows, what Washington wanted to see was how the country was doing, and how its people felt towards their new government. To this end he set out then, just six months into his presidency, with two aides and six servants, to visit Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Of particular interest to him were the infant factories along his route - such as the sail manufactory discussed here. After visiting Portsmouth, the northernmost point of his trip, Washington considered his official duties over, and traveled home as an ordinary citizen. The roads, he noted, were dreadful; even worse, he complained, no one up north knew how to give directions.

Those collectors interested in watermarks will want to note that this letter is written on English paper featuring the KingÕs initials, 'G R', his crown and a powder horn.