Selections and Excerpts from the Lee Papers, Part III [pp. 428-439]

Selections and Excerpits fjom the Lee Papers.
much more circumstantial and satisfactory than I am used to receive from Virginia. But I do and shall continue to feel
much uneasiness for my daughter Nancy,
whose situation from your state of it, is
by no means a favorable one for her. The
measles taking her with a fever and sore
Breast already upon her, may endanger
her greatly. Relieve me from my anxiety
on her account as soon as you can.
The letter you mention to have written,
declaring yourself and desiring that I
would write to Pickett and others, I have
not received. I got one from you, desiring me to inform our Cousin R. B. Lee,
that he had declared you prematurely
(which he denies having done) but in that
you seem not fixed about standing yourself. However, I will write to Col. Pickett
shortly. Since my illness a feebleness is
left behind, that renders writing hurtful
to me.
The President has certainly been dangerously ill, but he is fortunately recovered, so well as to attend to business;
and has been for 3 or 4 days past at the
Hook for benefit of Sea air or amusement.
This place however, seems not favorable
to his health, any more than it is to most
of the Southern members of Congress.
Yet we have been defeated, after a strong
attempt to remove from hence Sixteen
Majority for it in the House of Representatives. In the Senate 11 for and 13
against it. The Assumption has been
frequently rejected in the other House,
yet it is to be again pushed. The funding Bill is with us, which proposes to
fund the old Continental money at 75 for
1. Tis probable that we shall make it an
hundred for one. And instead of land
and the various alternatives for paying
the debt of the U. S. it seems probable
that all w ill be refused, but the simple
plan of paying with money the interest
at 4 pr. C. and part of the principal, leaving the land to be sold by the Land office
and the imioney applied to the debt. You
will see that our old friend S. Adams still
retains his attachment to the State Governments by his speech in one of the enclosed papers. Have this republished in
the Alexandria paper and get Ludwell to
send it to Davis in Richmond to publish
The enclosed letter sealed with black
was this da y give n to me a t the Levy by
a gentleman just arrived fr om England,
who said Lord Lansdowne desire d him to
deliver i t to you. The other letter was
given me by I kn o w not whom at present.
Yo u desire informat ion how our Representatives voted last year o n the quest ion
of Instructions. I have enquir ed but
cannot learn; do you not think however
that in Canvasses like yours it wi ll be
well to apply the Law maxi.m, "That
claim should be founded on the strength
of your own title, not on the weaknessof
your Adversary's." It seems to me that
this will be th e mo st suc cessful method
and cer tainly the least except ionable.
You will receive enclosed the Secretary's
estimates of the sufficiency of the funds
for paying the interest of the foreign and
domestic debt, if the ways and means bill,
now under consideration passes, which
will probably be the case-provision for
paying the interest of the 21,500,000 assumed for State debts, will not be made
until the next session-the present being
to end the last of this or the middle of
next week.
I have not received any answer from
you yet to my last stating the present
price of Finals, and of their Interest, and
desiring to know your ultimatum on the
subject of selling or funding yours. A
Broker told me yesterday that Finals now
sold, principal for 1* and the interest for
7-6 or 8d., I forget which. But then they
allowed nothing for Interest, since the
old Congress ceased to make provision
for paying Interest. A bad reason.
438
LDECF,MBER
it in his paper. We have no news here.
The Packet brought none, but the probability of the war continuing in the North
of Europe.
Your affectionate Brother.
.My love to -ill my friends with you.
Please look to Cassius now and then, and
urge his attention.
IVew York-, August 5, 1790.
My DEAR BROTHER.