The Sun.
London, England, 1804-09-20 00:00:00

GENERAL WASIMVOTON.

We have been favoured with the following Original Letter
front the late General WA:tin:crow ,to, his LADY. It
was intercepted by the British during the War. and tell
into the hands of an Officer whose Family resides in the
neighbourhood or-Liverpool. it certainly exhibits the cha-
racter of that great Itian in a very favourable light.

" TO MRS. WASHINGTON.

" MY DLARZ3! Litt AND LODZ,

"' You have hurt me, I know not how much, by
the insinuation in your last, that my letters to you
have been- less.frequent because I have felt less con.
rein for you. The suspicion is most unjoast—may I
tint .add it is most unkind. Have welived now near a
lore of years in the closest and dearest conjugal
intimacy to so little purpose, that on an appearance
only of inattention to you, which you might have
accounted for in a thousatid ways more natural and
probable, you should pitch upon that single motive
which alone is injurious to me ? I have not, I own
wroteic, ynu-so often as I wished, and as I ought ;
but think of my situation, and then ask your heart
it-I
be without excuse?' We are not, my dearest,
its circumstances the most favourable tr.) our happi.
nese but let us not, I beseech you, jdly mike them
worse, by indulging suspicions and apprehensions
which minds in di cress are too apt to give way to.
I" never was, as yOu have often told me, even-in my
better. and more disengitgod day?, so attentive to the
little puottilios of friendship, as, it may be, became
rise; but my h'ear.t7.tells Tn.!, -there never-was a mo.
mertc in my life, since I first- knew you, in which
I did trot cleave and cling to you -with:the warmest
affection; and it must cease to heat ere it can cease
to wish fur your inilipincLs ahn've every thing on
earth..

• " 7 congratulate yo 4 most cordially on the fair
prospe6 ot recovery of your amiable daughter-in.
law nor can I wonder that, ibis second loss of a
little, one should affect you. • I fear the fatigues of a
journey, and the perpetual 'agitations of a camp,
were to much for her ; they are, however, both
Young and healthy, so that there can be little doubt
of their soon repairing the loss.
" And now will my dearest love permit me, a
liti'e more earnestly than I have ever yet done, to
press you to consent to that necessary, so safe, and
• an easy, though so dreadful a thing,' the being ino.
culated l It was always advisable, but at this juncture
it,seems t(s be altusst absolutely necessary. I
far ligta being Sure that that restless madman. •our
quondam G. )vernor,
.from the mere lust of doing
mischief, will not soon betake himself to the carry..
ing on a predatory war on our rivers ; and as Poin-
;Hack
_will certainly be thought most lavotirable for
his porposes, as affording him scope to.keep without
the reach of annoyance, I have little reason to 4,1..
ter myself that it would not be particularly pleasiog
to him to vent his spite ar my house. Let
Would affcci you as it might affe ; and for this
reason, among others, .I wish you nut of his reach.
'Yet think I would not have you quit your house
professedly from an apprehension. of a visit from
them. An arpearance of timidity and fearfulness,
even in a woman of my family, might have„u .bad
eft cl; hut I must be something more oOessiban
tool not to wish you out of the way of danger ;
which, to say the least, must be disagreeable to you,
.and would do good to no one. All this makes for
your going to Philadelphia, a place of mica secu.
Illy., and it would almost he worth while to be
ittottilated; •if it were only for the fair pretence it
furoi.hed you with of quilting Virginia, at a time
when I could not but he exceedingly uneasy at your
"'mining in it. But I flatter m) self any further ar.
aliments will be unoecessary,.when I shall add, as I
now do, that till you have had the .small.p,a, how.
ever anxiously I Might otherwise wish for it, I never
!an think of consenting to your .passing the winter
:„ele ih Thirters with me. I would have LUND
."tinToN immediately remove all, the uninar.
and suspicidtis of the slavei,' to the quartets in iSdetick.
Let The harvest must he got in by hirelings.
him not keep any large stuck of grain trod ow,
"Pecially at the mill or within the. reach of water.
carriage ; and in particular, let as little as may be,
be left at CLirron's Quarters, It 'will not be too
late' even in the first week of July to sow the addl.
I,ti"nal supply of hemp and flax-seed which' Mr.
Avila FL
bolas
foi me in Philadelphia, and
Vlich I hope will he with you befdre this litter.
'nt obvious reasons you will not sow it on the
nor by the water.side ; but 1 hope you will have a
22k1 account ot your crup on the Ohio. If Bit t D.
V dimt hums teltitelory and' riotous, though I know
Yoti cin ill spare hint, let him by all means be sent.
as I hole JACK Cowes's buy Jou already is,
his• il,:iness at CaMbridge.
th attention is. this moment called ofF to
di3evvery, or pretended discovery, of a in lit
we'll and daring plot. It is impossible as yet
ornuirelnpe the mystery in which it either is,
onlylnc
v /ets aIV a
osed to be involved ; thus. much,
an
fine field f out with certainty, 'that it will be
it will in Zr a war of lies on both sides. No doubt
a
there e good deal of noise in the country 8
° .the f Are some who think it useful to have the minds
Nowt
of ►! • - b &opt constantly on the fret by rumours
-jaiikrtttisperio.nrctipa,ny
e Fur illy
part, I, who am said to be the
aimed at in it, find myself perfeftly
frotY east ; and I have mentioned it to you, only
not Tis an aPPtehension that hearing it from others.and
r°lll ins you might imagine that'l was In the
danger that I knew not of. The perpetual
hi
iiel.ttuoe of Your poor heart about me, is certainly
bgillYllattering to me, yet I should be happy to
e auk to quiet your fears. Why do you complain
tttAof toy reserve,
either ►ourrh°w could you imagine that I dis
.
th
prudence or your fidelity 1 have
tee hi yo ghest.opinion or them both. But why should I
".
.44. e You with tedious details of
fahem4, and views.
1.'16 are perpetually varying, and which, therefore;
(11.i:reit t?nt_iinprobably mislead where I meant to in.
1) M you. Suffice it that I sa, what 1 have often he.
!,te told you, that as far as I have the controul of '
• lislie!Til all do
PfeParations'of War aim only at Pence.
ofe.lPiet 'Jo ace at this moment the least likelihood
this season 13ing e9nsiderable military operations
season, told" not in this season, Certainly in no.-
and quiet of
°tiler* It is impossible to suppose that in the leisure
winter quarters, men will not virtue i•
and to listen to the didates of ►plain common Sense.,
have the
sober teas I • " is of- both
tides ireason. •'_ on y .true Inures
3 a reconciliation, nor can there be a point in

the world clearer, than that both sides must be 'losers
by War in a manger which even Peace Will not soon
cOmPertsate for. We trnsst at last agree and be frieettla,
for axe cannot live withont thew, and they. Hill not
without us ; and a bystander might well he puaileal
to find out why as good terms might. not be-gi_vert
and taken now as when we shall have well nigh
ruined each other by this mutual madness of cutting
one another's throats. Fur .all these reasons, sYllic!i'
cannot but be as obvious to the English Commis.
sinners and to ours as they are, to me, I am at a loss
to imagine hula, any thing can arise to obstruti a
Negotiation, and .of consequence a Pacification.—
You, who know my heart, know, that there is not a
wish nearer to it than this is ; but I am prepared
for every event, one only excepted—l mean a dis.
honourable Peace. Rather titan that, lit me, though
it be with the loss of every thing else I hold dear,
'continue this horrid trade, and by. the most unlikely
means, be the unworthy instrument of preserving
political security and happiness to
.them as well as
to our.etves. flow unfortunate, that this cannot be
accomplished without affixing on me the sad name of
Rebel; I love my King ; you know I do ;- a sol-
dier, a goad mall cannot but love' him ;--how pecu.
liarly hard then is our fortune, .to he deemed Trai--
tors to so good a King 1 but I am not without hopes
that even us will yet see cause to do me justice;
posterity I am sure will. Meanwhile I comfort my.
self with the refi-etton, that this has been the fats
of the 'best aid bravest men, even of the Barons
wlio.obtairted Magna Challa, whilst the dispute
was
.:.depeeding. This, however anxious I. may
wish for it, it is not mine to command. I see
my duty, that. of standing up fur the Liber.
ties of my Country, and whatever difikulties and
discouragements lie io my way, I dare not shrink
from it ; and I rely on that Being who has not left
to us the choice of duties, that whilst I conscienti-
ously discharge mine, I shall not finally loose my
reward. If lam not really a bad man, I shall not
long be so set down,
" Assure yourself I will pay all possible attention
to your recommendations; but happy as I am io an
opportunity of obliging you even in the smallest
things, take it not amiss that I use the freedom with
you, to whisper in your ear to be sparing of them.
You know how I am circumstanced ; hardly the pro-
motion of a Subaltern is left to me, And free and We..
pendent as I am, I resolve to remain so. -owe the
Congress no obligations fur any personal favoutadone
to myself; nor v, ;II I runin debeien them for favours
done to others. Besides, lam mortified to hare to
ask of them what in sound policy (if other motives
had been wanting) they mien to have granted me
unasked. I cannot describe to you the inconveniences
this Army suffers fur want of this consequence being
given to its Commander in Chief. But as these
might be increased were my' peculiar situation in this
respett,' generally known, I forbear, only enjoining
your Cautious silence on this head. • In a regular
Army,. -our Virginia young men would certainly, in
general, make the best Officers; but I regret that
they have not now put it in my power justly to pay
' them that:compliment. They dislike their Northern
Allies ; and 'this. dislike is the worse of infinite mis-
chiefs and .vexations to me. In the many disputes
and quarrels of this sort that we have had, one thing
-has.partieularly str.ock me. 'My Countrymen are
'nor inferior in understanding, and are certainly so-
in that distinguished spirit and high sense of
honour which should torn} the charader of an Officer.
Yet somehow or other, it for ever happens that in
every altercation they arc proved to be in the
wrong; and they.exped of me attentions. and par.
tialifies which it is not in my power to shew them..
4' Let me rely that your answer to this will,be
in Philadelphia. If lam not very busily engaged
(which I hope will not bethe case) perhaps I may
it'd ways and means to pay you a visit of a day or
two; btu this I rather hint as what I wish than what
I dare bid you expeft. If you still think the frag.
tents 01. the set of greys I bought of Lord B 0111.•
TOURT unequal to the journey, let LUND WASH.
INDIC:01i sell them
,singly, or otherwise, as hesao, to
the hest advantage, and purchase a new set of bays.
I could, is you desire, get than here, and perhaps
on better terms; but I have a notion (whether well
or ill founded I know.not) that they never. answer
in Virginia,
41, I beg to be affalionately remembered to all
our friends and refations ; and that you will continue
to believe-tne to be your most faithful and tender
husband. G. W."