f '"  -'.: "i^ifofcMM* ..
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From the Library of
JULIAN HENRY STERLING
1865 S.
Gift of
ELIDA BEDELL STERLING
1924

This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in
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FAC SIMILES OF LETTERS

PROM HIS EXCELLENCY

GEORGE WASHINGTON,

TO

SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, BART., M. P.

Endraved by J.Sanain

EAC SIlflLES OF LETTEKS

FROM HIS EXCELLENCY

¦~iW" '
GEOEGE WASHINGTON,

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

TO

SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, BART,, M. P.

ON

AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER INTERESTING TOPICS;

ENGRAVED FROM THE ORIGINAL LETTERS, SO AS TO BE AN EXACT FAC SIMILE
OF THE HAND-WRITING.

WASHINGTON:
PUBLISHED BY FRANKLIN KNIGHT.
E. G. DORSEY, PRINTER, PHILADELPHIA.
1844.

Cb 36.020

TO
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, ^

THE FOLLOWING

LETTERS,

WRITTEN BY

THE ILLUSTRIOUS WASHINGTON,
WHO MUST EVER BE REVERED,

AS

AN HONOUR TO THE COUNTRY WHERE HE WAS BORN,

AND

AN ORNAMENT TO HUMAN NATURE,
ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,

BY

THEIR SINCERE FRIEND, AND WELL-WISHER, JOHN SINCLAIR.

PREFACE.

A variety of motives, which it may be proper briefly to state, have induced me
to submit the following Letters to the attention of the public.
It could not but be highly gratifying to me, to be possessed of so many interesting
communications from such a distinguished character as the President of the United
States ; and it was natural to suppose, that the public at large, but more especially
those individuals who revered his memory, would wish to have in their possession
copies of a correspondence which displayed to such advantage the superior talents,
the generous views, and the unbounded philanthropy of that celebrated statesman.
The peculiar predilection which General Washington has so strongly and so
frequently expressed, in the subsequent letters, for agricultural improvement, which
he preferred to every other pursuit, is another circumstance which I was anxious
should be recorded for the benefit both of the present and of future times, from a
desire that it may make a due impression upon the minds of those who might
otherwise be induced to dedicate themselves entirely, either to the phantoms of
military fatnej or the tortures of political ambition.
The praises which this distinguished statesman has bestowed on the establishment

8
of the British Board of Agriculture, (" an Institution," he remarks, " of the utility
of which he entertained the most favourable idea from the first intimation of it;
and that the more he had seen1 and reflected on the plan since, the more convinced
he was of its importance, in a national point of view, not only to Great Britain, but
to all other countries,"*) I was solicitous to record, as one means of protecting that
valuable establishment from the risk to which it may be exposed from the ignorance
or inattention of future ministers, who, incapable of estimating the merits of such
an Institution themselves, or conceiving the advantages that may be derived from
it, might heedlessly, either diminish the sphere of its utility, or terminate its
existence. The wishes which the founder of the American Republic has expressed for
having a similar establishment in America, I also judged it expedient to publish, in
the hope that the recommendation of so great a man will ultimately be adopted
as soon as the necessary arrangements for that purpose can be made by the
government of the United States.
It may now be proper to give a brief account of the origin of the following
correspondence. About the year 1790, 1 began to be engaged in those extensive inquiries relating
to the general state of my native country, and the means of promoting its
improvement, which were not only interesting to Great Britain, but to every
civilized part of the world; and having resolved to send the first papers, which were
* See Letter No. III., 10th July, 1795.

9
printed on those subjects to several distinguished characters in foreign and distant
countries, I could not think of neglecting an individual so pre-eminently conspicuous
as the President of the United States of America; In answer to the first letter I
had the honour of addressing to him, I received the communication No. I., dated
the 20th day of October, 1792.
I embraced every opportunity of transmitting, from time to time, the additional
papeui which were afterwards printed on the subjects of our correspondence,
accompanied by letters, of only one of which I have a copy, in which I endeavoured
to demonstrate the advantages which might be derived from establishing a Board
of Agriculture in America. Of that letter, I beg leave to subjoin the following
extract, as it tends to explain more fully General Washington's answer of the 6th
day of March, 1797, stating the circumstances which at that time prevented the
immediate adoption of that measure.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM SIR JOHN SINCLAIR TO GENERAL WASHINGTON,
DATED WHITEHALL, LONDON, 10th SEPTEMBER, 1796.
" The people of this country, as well as of America, learn, with infinite regret,
that you propose resigning your situation as President of the United States. I
shall not enter into the discussion of a question of which I am incompetent to
judge; but, if it be so, I hope that you will recommend some Agricultural
establishment on a great scale before you quit the reins of government. By that I
mean a Board of Agriculture, or some similar institution, at Philadelphia, with
Societies of Agriculture in the capital of each state, to correspond with it. Such
an establishment would soon enable the farmers of America to acquire agricultural
2

10
knowledge, and, what is of equal importance, afford them the means of communi
cating what they have learnt to their countrymen.
" I scarcely think that any government can be properly constituted without such
an establishment. As mere individuals, four things are necessary: 1, food; 2,
clothing; 3, shelter; 4, mental improvement. As members of a large community,
four other particulars seem to be essential; namely: 1, property; 2, marriage; 3,
laws for our direction in this world; and, 4, religion to prepare us for another.
But the foundation of the whole is food*, and that country must be the happiest
where that sine qua non can be most easily obtained. The surest means of securing
abundance of food, however, is by ascertaining the best mode of raising it, and
rousing a spirit of improvement for that purpose, for both of which the countenance
and protection of the government of a country, through the medium of some public
establishment, is essential. The trifling expense for which such an institution might
be supported is another argument in its favour.
" I am induced more particularly to dwell upon this circumstance, as it might be
in my power, on various occasions, to give useful hints to America, were I satisfied
that they would be duly weighed, and if approved of acted upon. For instance, you
will herewith receive some Egyptian wheat, which produces at the rate of one
hundred and eighty bushels per English acre. Indeed, without such a grain, so
narrow a country as Egypt could never have fed such multitudes of people as it
did in ancient times. I have no doubt of its thriving in America equally well. It
also recently occurred to me, that in the southern states, trther plants, as the New
Zealand kind of Hemp, might be raised in great perfection. But to introduce any
new article of produce, the countenance, and in some cases the assistance, of the

11
government of a state is necessary. When once, however, the practicability of
cultivating any article is ascertained, it cannot be of any real advantage to a nation
if it stand in need of legislative aid.
"But I have already tired your Excellency with too long a dissertation, which I
am persuaded you will attribute to its real cause, enthusiasm in favour of
Agriculture, and respect for so valuable a friend to it as General Washington.
For other particulars, I must refer to our intelligent frjcnd Doctor Edwards, to
whose charge I have taken the liberty of delivering a parcel, with some papers we
have lately printed, &c.
" It will give me much pleasure to be of any use to Mr. King, Mr. Gore, or Mr.
Pinckney,, during their residence in England. Indeed, I have always felt a strong
desire of showing every attention in my power to any American gentleman who
may have visited this country; for though our governments are now distinct, the
people are in fact the same, without any possible inducement to quarrel, if they
knew their respective interests, and with every reason to wish each" other well, and
to promote their mutual prosperity.
" Before I conclude, permit me to ask, is there no chance of seeing General
Washington in England? I should be proud of his accepting an apartment in my
house, and I am sure that he would meet with the most flattering reception in every
part of the Island, but from, none with more real attachment and regard^ than
from, &c." v :
As it is a singular circumstance, that a person in such an exalted situation as

12
General Washington, should have leisure to write, with Us own hand, so many
letters to an entire stranger, and some of them of considerable length, I have been
induced to have them engraved in order to represent the hand-writing of their
celebrated author: they are exact copies of those received by me. It is proposed
to deposit the originals in the British Museum, as the precious relics of a great
man, fit to be preserved in that valuable repository.
It may be proper to add, that the following collection contains all the letters I
have received, with the exception of two, the first of which was marked private, and
is mentioned in General Washington's letters of the 15th of July, and 6th of
November, 1797. It is a long and interesting paper, which, however, it would not
be proper to publish at this time. The other letter was of a late date, and alludes
to circumstances of a nature which it would be improper at present to communicate
to the public.
To conclude, I hope that these letters will not only furnish much satisfactory
information to the reader, as containing the sentiments of General Washington on
agricultural and other important _ subjects, but will also display, to peculiar advan
tage, the character of the much respected author; and with the profits of the
publication I trust it will be in my power to pay a proper tribute of respect to the
memory of one, who, though the immediate cause of the separation between Great
Britain and America, yet is the person to whom, in a great measure, is to be
ascribed the good understanding which now so happily subsists between the two
countries; and whose character must ever be revered, even by those with whom he
contended, either in war or politics, as containing as much good, with as little alloy,
as that of any individual whose memory is recorded in history.
London, 29 Parliament Street, 1st March, 1800.

Since this Work was sent to the press, I find that one of General Washington's
most interesting letters has been lost. There is fortunately, however, an extract
from it in the first volume of the Communications published by the Board of
Agriculture, (p. 374,) a copy of which I beg leave to lay before the reader, from
that publication.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM HIS EXCELLENCY GEORGE WASHINGTON, DATED
PHILADELPHIA, 10th DECEMBER, 1796.
" The result of the experiments entrusted to the Care of Dr. Fordyce, must be as
curious as they may prove interesting to the science of husbandry. Not less so
will be an intelligent solution of those queries relative to live stock, which are
handed to the public.
"A few months more, say the 3d of March next, (1797,) and the scenes of my
political life will close, and leave me in the shades of retirement; when, if a few
years are allowed me to enjoy it, (many I cannot expect, being upon the verge of
sixty-five,) and health is continued to me^ I shall peruse with pleasure and
edification the fruits of the exertions of the Board for the improvement of
agriculture; and shall have leisure, I trust, to realize some of the useful discoveries
which have been made in the science of husbandry.
"Until the above period shall have arrived, and particularly during the present

14
•
session of Congress, which commenced the 5th instant, I can give but little
attention to matters out of the line of my immediate avocations. I did not,
however, omit the occasion, at the opening of the session, to call the attention of
that body to the importance of agriculture. What will be the result, I know not at
present; but if it should be favourable, the hints which you will have it in your
power to give cannot fail of being gratefully received by the members who may
constitute the Board."

EXTRACT FROM GENERAL WASHINGTON'S SPEECH ON THE OPENING OF
CONGRESS, 5th DECEMBER 1796.
"It will not be doubted, that, with reference either to individual or national
welfare, Agriculture is of primary importance. In proportion as nations advance
in population and other circumstances of maturity, this truth becomes more
apparent, and renders the cultivation of the soil more and more an object of public
patronages. Institutions for promoting it grow up, supported by the public purse;
and to what object can it be dedicated with greater propriety? Among the means
which have been employed to this end, none have been attended, with greater
success than the establishment of Boards, composed of proper characters, charged
with collecting and diffusing information, and enabled by premiums, and small
pecuniary aid, to encourage and assist a spirit of discovery and improvement.
This species of establishment contributes doubly to the increase of improvement, by
stimulating to enterprise and experiment, and by drawing to a common centre, the
results everywhere of individual skill and observation, and spreading them thence
over the whole nation. Experience accordingly has shown, that they are very
cheap instruments of immense national benefits."

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ON THE CHARACTER OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Whoever has perused the preceding Letters will, I trust, concur with me in the
following reflections.
1. That nothing could possibly place the character of this distinguished statesman
in a more estimable light, than that of beholding the same individual, whose
military exploits had spread his fame over the universe, and who had been invested
with supreme power in the country where he was born, in the midst of all his
various public avocations, carrying on an extensive correspondence with the native
of a distant country, on agricultural and other general inquiries of a similar nature.
2. That those who are blest with a reflecting and philosophic mind, must
contemplate with pleasure and delight a person, elevated by the voice of his fellow-
citizens to the summit of political authority, who, instead of wishing to aggrandize
himself, and to extend his power, was anxiously bent to quit that situation, to which
so many others would have fondly aspired, and to return to the comfort and
enjoyment of private life; belying thus the insinuations of those malignant spirits
who are perpetually railing against the talents and virtues which, conscious of
wanting themselves, they do not believe that others can possess.
3. Is there, on the whole, any individual, either in ancient or modern history,
who has prouder claims to distinction and pre-eminence, than the jrreat character
7

62
whose letters this volume contains? His military talents were early celebrated;
first in the service of Great Britain, and afterwards in that of America. His
powers as a statesman, and as the founder of a Constitution, which, with British
prejudices, I may consider as inferior to our own, but which promises to secure the
happiness of the great nation it was formed to govern, cannot possibly be
questioned. His public virtue, as the uncorrupted magistrate of a free people, who
reluctantly received supreme authority, when it was judged necessary for the public
good for him to assume it, and who anxiously wished to resign it into their hands,
when it could be done with public safety, can hardly be equalled in history. His
literary endowments were unquestionably of a superior order. His letters in this
collection, his addresses to the American Congress, and his farewell oration when
he quitted, for the last time, the Presidency of the United States,* are models of
each species of composition. His closing a well-spent life, after a short illness,
without having his strength or faculties impaired by any previous disorder, or any
untoward circumstances having occurred that could materially affect his feelings, or
could possibly tarnish his fame, is an uncommon instance of good fortune. The
scene in which he acted also, and the object which he achieved, are the most
memorable which history furnishes: For it was such a man alone, who, by
combining the force and commanding the confidence of thirteen separate states,
could have dissolved those ties which subjected America to Europe, and to whom
the political separation of two worlds is to be attributed. But, above all, what
distinguished this celebrated warrior and statesman is, that to all those military and
public talents, and to those literary endowments, which are so rarely united in the
same person, he added the practice of every virtue that CQjdd adorn the private
individual. It were in vain for me to attempt adequately to express the ideas I
entertain of a character, in every respect so peculiarly splendid. The pen of the

63
immortal Shakspeare is alone competent to the task, and on the tombstone of the
illustrious Washington let it be engraved —
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to, all .the world, — This was a man,
 .  take him for all in all,
We shall not look upon his like again*
* Julius Caesar, Act V. Scene 5 ; and Hamlet, Act I. Scene 2.

A TRUE AND BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT

OF THE

CHARACTER OF GENERAL WASHINGTON,
Br THE
LATE HONORABLE GEORGE CANNING,
PRIME MINISTER OF ENGLAND.
I
General Washington was, we believe, in his sixty-eighth year. The height of
his person was about five-feet eleven; his chest full, and his limbs, though rather
slender, well shaped and muscular. His head was small, in which respect he
resembled the make of a great number of his countrymen. His eyes were of a
very light grey colour ; and, in proportion to the length of his face, his nose was
long. Mr. Stewart, the eminent portrait painter, used to say, there were features
in his face ^totally different from what he had ever observed in that of any other
human being; the sockets of his eyes, for instance, were larger than he had ever
met with before, and the upper part of the nose broader. All his features, he
observed, were indicative . of the strongest passions, yet, like Socrates, his
judgment, and great self-command, have always made him appear a man of different
character in the eyes of the world. He always spoke with great diffidence, and
sometimes hesitated for a word, but it was always to find one particularly well
calculated to express his meaning. His language was manly and expressive. At

65
levee, his discourse with strangers turned principally upon the subject of America;
and if they had been through any remarkable places, his conversation was free and
particularly interesting, for he was intimately acquainted with every part of the
country. He was much more open and free in his behaviour at the levee than in
private, and in the company of ladies, still more so, than when solely with men.
Few persons ever found themselves for the first time in the company of General
Washington, without being impressed with a certain degree of veneration and awe;
nor did those emotions subside on a closer acquaintance; on the contrary, his
person and deportment, were such, as rather tended to augment them. The whole
range of history does not present to our view, a character, upon which we can
dwell with such entire and unmixed admiration. The long life of General Wash
ington^ is not stained by a single blot.
He was indeed a man of such rare endowments, and such fortunate temperament,
that every action he performed, was alike exempted from the character of vice or
weakness. Whatever he said, or did, or wrote, was stamped with a striking and
peculiar propriety. All his qualities were so happily blended, and so nicely
harmonized, that the result was a great and perfect whole; the powers of his mind,
and the dispositions of his heart, were admirably suited to each Other. It was the
union of the most consummate prudence, with the most perfect moderation. His
views, though large and liberal, were not extravagant; his virtues, though compre
hensive and beneficent, were discriminating, judicious, and practical; yet his
character, though regular and uniform, possessed none of the littleness which may
sometimes belong to those descriptions of men. It was formed a majestic pile, the
effect of which was not impaired, but improved by order and symmetry; there was
nothing in it to dazzle by wildness, or surprise by eccentricity. It was a higher

66
species of moral beauty ; it contained everything great and elevated, but it had no
false and tinsel ornament; it was not the model cried up by fashion and circum
stance; its excellence was adapted to the true and just moral taste, incapable of
change from the varying accidents of manners and opinions.
General Washington is not the Idol of a day^ but the Hero of ages! Placed in
circumstances of the most trying difficulty at the beginning of the American contest,
he accepted that situation which was pre-eminent in danger and responsibility.
His perseverance overcame every obstacle, conciliated every opposition; his genius
supplied every resource. His enlarged views could plan, revise, and improve every
branch of civil and military operation. He had the superior courage which can act,
or forbear to act, as true policy dictates, careless of the reproaches of ignorance,
either in power, or out of power. He knew how to conquer by waiting in spite of
obloquy, for the moment of victory, and he merited true praise by despising
unmerited censure.
In the most arduous movements of the contest, his prudent firmness proved the
salvation of the cause which he supported. His conduct was on all occasions
guided by the most pure disinterestedness. Far superior to low and grovelling
motives, he seemed even to be uninfluenced by that ambition which has justly been
called, the instinct of great souls. He acted ever as if his country's welfare, and
that alone, was the moving spring. His excellent mind needed not even the stimulus
of ambition, or the prospect of fame. Glory was but a secondary consideration.
He performed great actions, he persevered in a course of laborious utility, with an
equanimity that neither sought distinction, nor was flattered by it; his reward was
in the consciousness of his rectitude, and in the success of his patriotic efforts.

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As his elevation to the chief power was the unbiassed choice of his countrymen,
his exercise of it was agreeable to the purity of its origin; as he had neither solicited
nor usurped dominion, he had neither to contend with rivals, nor the revenge of
enemies. As his authority was undisputed, so it required no jealous precautions,
no rigorous severity. His government was mild and gentle; it was beneficent and
liberal; it was wise and just; his prudent administration, consolidated and enlarged
the dominion of an infant republic.

In voluntarily resigning the Magistracy which he had filled with such distinguished
honour, he enjoyed the unequalled satisfaction of leaving £> the state, he had
contributed to establish, the fruits of his wisdom, and the example of his virtues. It
is some consolation amidst the violence of ambition, and the criminal thirst of
power, of which so many instances occur around us, to find, a character whom it is
honourable to admire, and virtuous to imitate. A conqueror for the freedom of his
country! a legislator for its security! a magistrate for its happiness! his glories
were never sullied by those excesses into which the highest qualities are apt to
degenerate. With the greatest virtues, he was exempt from the corresponding
vices. He was a man in whom the elements seemed so blended, that "Nature
might have stood up to all the world," and owned him as her work. His fame,
bound to no country, will be confined to no age.
The character of General Washington, which his contemporaries regret and
admire, will be transmitted to posterity, and the memory of his virtues, while
patriotism and virtue are held sacred among men, will remain undiminished !
Peace to the memory of a man of Worth !

APPENDIX.

No. I.

the following is an official and particular account of the illness and death of
the illustrious washington, as published by the physicians who attended him.
Some time in the night of Friday, the 13th December, having been exposed to a
rain on the preceding day, General Washington was attacked with an inflam
matory affection of the upper part of the windpipe, called "in technical language,
cynanche. trachealis. The disease commenced with a violent ague, accompanied
with some pain in the upper and fore part of the throat, a sense of stricture in the
same part, a cough, and a difficult rather than a painful deglutition, which were
soon succeeded by fever, and a quick and laborious respiration. The necessity of
blood-letting suggesting itself to the General, he procured a bleeder in the
neighbourhood, who took from his arm, in the night, twelve or fourteen ounces of
blood. He would not by any means be prevailed upon by the family to send for
the attending physician till the following morning, who arrived at Mount Vernon at
about eleven o'clock on Saturday. Discovering the case to be highly alarming,
and foreseeing the fatal tendency of the disease, two consulting physicians were
immediately sent for, who arrived, one at half after three, the other at four o'clock
in the afternoon. In the. interim were employed two copious bleedings, a blister
was applied to the part affected, two moderate doses of calomel were given, and an
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injection was administered, which operated on the lower intestines — but all without
any perceptible advantage, the respiration becoming still more difficult and dis
tressing. Upon the arrival of the first of the consulting physicians, it was agreed, as there
were yet no signs of accumulation in the bronchial vessels of the lungs, to try the
result of another bleeding, when about thirty-two ounces of blood were drawn,
without the smallest apparent alleviation of the disease. Vapours of vinegar and
water were frequently inhaled; ten grains of calomel were given, succeeded by
repeated doses of emetic tartar, amounting in all to five or six grains, with no other
effect than a copious discharge from the bowels. The powers of life seemed now
manifestly yielding to the force of the disorder. Blisters were applied to the
extremities, together with a cataplasm of bran and vinegar to the throat.
Speaking, which was painful from the beginning, now became almost impracticable;
respiration grew more and more contracted and imperfect, till half after eleven
o'clock on Saturday night, retaining the full possession of his intellect, when he
expired without a struggle.
He was fully impressed at the beginning of his complaint, as well as through
every succeeding stage of it, that its conclusion would be mortal; submitting to the
several exertions made for his recovery rather as a duty, than from any expectation
of their efficacy. He considered the operations of death upon his system as coeval
with the disease; and several hours before his decease, after repeated efforts to be
understood, succeeded in expressing a desire that he might be permitted to die
without interruption.

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During the short period of his illness, he economized his time in the arrangement
of such few concerns as required his attention, with the utmost serenity, and
anticipated his approaching dissolution with every demonstration of that equanimity
for which his whole life has been so uniformly and singularly conspicuous.
JAMES CRAIK, Attending Physician.
ELISHA C. DICK, Consulting Physician.

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No. II.
The melancholy event of General Washington's Death was announced to the
President of the United States in the following Letter from Mr. Lear, who is
mentioned by the General in his Letter of July 20th, 1794.
Mount Vernon, Dec. 16, 1799.
Sir, It is with inexpressible grief that I have to announce to you the death of the
great and good General Washington. He died last evening between ten and
eleven o'clock, after a short illness of about twenty-four hours. His disorder was
an inflammatory sore throat, which proceeded from a cold, of which he made but
little complaint on Friday. On Saturday morning about three o'clock he became
ill. Dr. Dick attended him in the morning, and Dr. Craik, of Alexandria, and Dr.
Brown, of Port Tobacco, were soon after called in. Every medical assistance was
afforded, but without the desired effect. His last scene corresponded with the
whole tenor of his life. Not a groan, not a complaint escaped him in extreme
distress. With perfect resignation, and a full possession of his reason, he closed
his well spent life. * TOBIAS LEAR.
The President qf the United States.
It is unnecessary to add, that the intelligence of this distressing event was
rapidly spread throughout all America, and received with the deepest symptoms of
sorrow and regret; nor was there any part of Europe, where those who felt any
respect for integrity and virtue, did not consider the death of General Washington
as a public calamity.

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