When Mr. Blagden came here yesterday with your favor of the 25th Inst. and the plans, specification &c. of my houses I was out on my usual ride about my farms, and when I returned home, I found company which prevented my answering your letter by him. The sketch of an agreement enclosed in your letter, comports fully with my ideas-I have made one or two trifling alterations in it in consequence of some conversation with Mr. Blagden, and I now take the liberty to enclose two copies of the agreement and an additional copy of the specifications, the agreements are drawn in unstamped paper, but I presume it may be stamped in George Town if it cannot be done there Doctr. Thornton will be so good as to have new agreements drawn for me on stamped paper. I pray you Gentlemen to accept my best thanks for the trouble you have had in this business, which I assure you I should not have given, had I not been induced to build these houses more with a view to promote the necessary improvements in the City than for any expectation of private emolument from them. With Great respect & Esteem I am Gentn., &c. L. C., Letter Book 16, p. 197. TO WILLIAM THORNTON. MOUNT VERNON 28th. Octr. 1798. Dear Sir, When Mr. Blagden came here on Friday I was engaged in my usual ride; from which I only returned a little before dinner and found Mr. & Mrs. Law with Govr. Crawford and his lady here.-these circumstances and Mr. Blagden's return immediately after Dinner, allowed me no time to acknowledge the receipt of your obliging favor of the 25th. Instant.— For the information you have been so kind as to give me relative to Genl. Lee's City property I thank you; but I had no Idea for allowing him more for half lots, than whole ones were to be obtained at. If you have determined to build a house or houses of similar elevation with those I am contracting for, you shall be extremely welcome to avail yourself of my end wall and to run up your chimney accordingly without any allowance being made therefor (which I cannot accept) as, the kindnesses I have received from you greatly overpay any little convenience or benefit you can derive from my wall.-If Mr. Frost is disposed to build a house immediately, or very soon, and will give it an accordant elevation it would be agreeable to me that he should errect chimneys on the south end similar to yours on the north end of my buildings. With respect to your own accomodation you will please to give Mr. Blagden such instructions when he enters upon the walls as to suit your views perfectly.— Whether as there is water so handy it will be necessary to sink a well, is a matter that circumstances must regulate.-If one should be dug I would range it with the partition walls of the buildings that if ever they are occupied as distinct houses, one pump with two leavers & pipes may subserve both.— I am in sentiment with you and Mr. Law that a five feet area is too narrow? but whence the remedy? if the regulation will not allow more and cannot be altered, it must be endured or the buildings must recede from the street, which would be exceptionable in another respect.— Although the Commissioners have been obliging and ready throughout the whole of this business to render me every aid I could wish and am persuaded would continue to do it ;yet as I shall be bound by contract (with Mr. Blagden) to supply his wants agreeably to the conditions of it, and this can be accomplished with more ease by an individual, than by the Board the setting of which at times may be impeaded by the absence of some of its members, when most inconvenient for his calls & as you reside in the City and always there & have more over been so obliging as to offer to receive the bills and pay their amount (when presented by Mr. Blagden) I will avail myself of the kindness:-and accordingly send a check upon the Bank of Columbia which will carry a credit of five hundred Dollars, (left there) when I was in the City last, to be drawn for by you for the above purpose as occasion may require and at all times on notice being given, the Bank shall be replenished and subject to your draughts, to satisfy the bills of expence, of which you will be so good as to inform Mr. Blagden. Upon conversing more fully with Mr. Blagdin, upon the frontispiece of the Door, & considering that to make them of Stone instead of wood will add durability to the work, I have agreed to allow the difference viz-$150.-that they may be erected with the latter-and as he represented in strong terms, the wishes of Mr. Francis that a part of the cellars should be vaulted for the benefit of wine I have agreed to this also.-he thinks the additional cost may amount to $100. more; but having made no estimate thereof it shall be charged at what it really stands him. Whether he begins or not to lay the foundation of the buildings this autumn, he ought by all means to have the stone & sand on the spot to begin early in the Spring. The carting is so much better than it will be then,—that he must find this an eligible measure, the lime too ought to be secured, and his flooring plank to be good and provided early-tied up & seasoned or the floor will sink With very great esteem and regard I am Dear Sir L. C., Letter Book 16, p. 213. Dear Sir, TO GENERAL LEE. MOUNT VERNON 4th Novr. 1798. Tomorrow (being requested thereto by the Secretary of War) I shall set off for Trenton.-This of course, will de prive me of the pleasure of seeing you while you are on the promised visit to this Country. It is unnecessary therefore I shd. inform you that, no report (as indeed I expected would be the case) has been made by Mr. Jesse Simms relative to Major Harrisons Land, adjoining my Mill.—And that, to my surprise, when I came to examine the details of your City property, more attentively than it was in my power to do in the hurried manner in wch. the list of it was presented, and to make enquiry into the value thereof,-I found that instead of lots of the Standard size (as I took it for granted they were) that each of those lying on Pennsylvania Avenue have been split into two parts (having only 25 feet front to them) and for these half lots, that I am asked more than lots equally convenient sell at. To receive payment on such terms, when my object was solely to accomodate you, could hardly be expected. If you are disposed to part with your land near Harpers Ferry, your land in Loudoun any unincumbered property in the City or in short, almost any other that can be rendered productive at a reasonable valuation by disinterested men of good character, I would accept it in payment rather than make difficulties, or be involved in disputes;-although you well know that nothing will answer my purposes like the money, of which I am in extreme want, and must obtain on disadvantageous terms. But it is not to be expected from hence that I will receive the former at an arbitrary price, which every well informed person knows it cannot command. Lossing. DIARY, NOVEMBER, 1798. November 5. . . . I set out on a journey to Philadelphia about 9 oclock with Mr. Lear my Secretary-was met at the Turnpike by a party of horse & escorted to the Ferry at George Town where I was received with Military honors lodged at Mr. T Peters [returning] 18... lodged at Mr. Laws in the Federal City 19 Stopped at Doct'. Thorntons and Mr. Peter's & dined at home L. C., Letter Book 16, p. 219. TO WILLIAM THORNTON. MOUNT VERNON Dear Sir, Enclosed is a check on the Bank of Alexandria for Five hundred dollars, to enable Mr. Blagden by your draughts, to proceed in laying in materials for carrying on my buildings in the Federal City. I saw a building in Philadelphia of about the same dimensions in front and elevation that are to be given to my two houses, which pleased me.-It consisted also of two houses, united Doors in the center, a Pediment in the Roof and dormer windows on each side of it in front, skylight in the rear.If this is not incongruous with rules of Architecture, I should be glad to have my two houses executed in this style. Let me request the favor of you to know of Mr. Blagden what the additional cost will be. I am dear Sir, &c. L. C. To GEO. W. LAFAYETTE. MOUNT VERNON 25th. Decr. 1798 I recollect no material change that has taken place in men, or things, since you left America.-Alexandria continues to thrive, and the Public buildings in the federal City go on well -and many private ones are commencing for the accommodation of the members of Congress, & Officers of Government, preparatory to the removal of the Government to that place. |