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Washington, George - ALS To Tobias Lear

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:10,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
Washington, George - ALS To Tobias Lear
<Our item number 118592><B>Washington, George.</B> &#40;1732-1799&#41; 1st President of the United States &#40;1789-1797&#41;. ALS &#40;&#34;Go: Washington&#34;&#41; as President, 2pp, recto/verso of one sheet, with integral leaf docketed by Tobias Lear on verso, Georgetown, 1791, Mar. 28. To his secretary, Tobias Lear &#40;who is unnamed in the letter&#41;. Incredibly fresh for a letter over 216 years old; one slight mend at upper left corner. <BR><BR>Washington was in Georgetown to attend a conference finalizing the boundaries for the new District of Columbia, which was decided two days later. In this very rare letter to Tobias Lear, Washington complains about the man he had hired to manage some of his frontier land in western Virginia and Pennsylvania, Col. John Cannon. The President had heard nothing for months from Cannon, whose job it was to secure proft from rentals and the sale of timber and agricultural products. Washington had a great knowledge of commodity values and we see from this letter that he was not a man to be trifled with. He writes with great agitation to Lear to complain of this agent who had obviously cheated him.<BR><BR>In part: &#34;…<I>I return some letters to be filed; one from Colo. Blaine to be given to Genl. Knox, to be acted upon as he pleases; he is as well acquainted with the man as I am, & knows the want of such a character better than I do; another letter from Colo. Cannon, which I may venture to say proves him to be, what I will not call him; and I need never look for any Rents from him. I pray you to say to him, if he does not come to Philadelphia during my absence, that his own statement, given at New York, does not justify his pres</I>[en]<I>t report - and that I am too well acquainted with the prices of grain and the dem</I>[an]<I>d for it last year in his own neighbourhood to be imposed upon by such a tale as his letter exhibits. In a w</I>[or]<I>d that I am by no means satisfied with his treatment of me; for sure I am I shall get nothing from his b ut assurances of improvement, whilst he is either applying my Rents to his own use, or suffering the tenants to go free from the payment of them. <BR><BR><I>One of the Pads to the Waggon harness was left, it seems, at Mr. Clarks - send it by the stage to Alexsandria; if it comes too late the matter will not be great. I am not able to say yet, how long I shall be detained at this place, where I arrived before breadfast this morning. I am - Your affect</I></I>[ionat]<I><I>e Go: Washington</I>.&#34; <BR><BR>The President adds a P.S.: &#34;<I>I send with my best remembrance a Sermon for Mrs. W</I>[ashingto]<I>n - I presume it is good, coming all the way from New Hampshire, but do not vouch for it not having read a word of it. It was one of your Enclosures</I>.&#34; <BR>Estimated Value &#36;20,000-30,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 118592<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/43jpegs/118592.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>