The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-07-29

Editors Dispotch La your issue of Mon.
dav. Julv l2;h, you publish letter taken
from The Hurper's Weekly which claims to
he y letter OF Washington. In some prcfa-
to,y remarks the Weekly tells Us that The
letter was written by Washington 10 his
nephew, Lund Washington. Nov, those
vino have taken pains 10 be informed about
the Washington family need not be told that
land Washington was not only not q
neohpw of the General, but that il there was
any relationship between them at all 1t was
very distant. Washington had come in con-
| tact with Lund incidentally, and being Ia
yorsbly Impressed, employed him. Finding
him faithful and honorable, he gave him his
respect and confidence. They were mu-
ru,ljv of benefit to one another, and know
not that any ia: ever took place between
them. EXCEPT mat Lund was ut one time
sharply chided TOR sending'a contribution OF
provisions TO the British IN order to secure
t1e safety Of Mount Vernon.
| As for the letter itself, should have to see
SOME very good proof before | could believe
that it was written by Washington; and my
reasons for this doubt are, think. very SUBJ
stlntial. In the first place, there are words
| i / it. which Washington was not IN the habit
Of using. In the next place, have selles OF
spurious letters upon which Washington,
| over his own signlturr; in 1871, put the seal
Of his condemnation and one or two OF
these bear very close resent lance to the
letter Of the vcracious Weekly. 10 the third
Mace. and rs 4 still higher class of evidence.
I quote extracts from some letters well
known to have been written by Washington
at dates not remote from that Of the scare.
lesslv written letter" OF the Hdrpers. These
letters have repeatedly read in full. but
| nave them not now ut band. The extracts l
take from Irvin.'s Life Of Washington. The
| first eXtrac. is from letter to Luud Wash.
iuytop, and speaks of Mount Vernon atfars
| in 4 manner very different from that OF the
notable one Of the Hcehiy:
"It is the greatest, indeed it is the only
comfortable, reflection | have on this score
! hat my business is in the hands OF person
concerning whose integrity | have not
doubt, and on whose care can rely. Were
| il not for this should feel very unhappy on
account of the situation Of my affairs. But
am persuldcd you will do for me Us you
| would for yourself. Let the hospitality OF
the house with respect to the Door be kept.
| LIT no one 20 hungry away. II any OF TINS
| k I'D OF people b.. in want of corn. supply
| tn"ir necessities, provided 1t does no! en-
courage them in idcnes> and have no OBJ.
lection to your giving my money to the
amount Of forty or liity pounds year when
y,u think it will be we'll bestowed. What
IN ,au by having no objection *. that it Is my
desire it should be doGc. You are 10 con-
s.!er hat neither myself nor wife Is now IN
he way to do these @old Offices
This extract, | think, gives good account
both of Washington and his agent. The
next is taken from letter sent by Washing
Mo pytroft il hrlPf.
but is quite sufficient for orr purpose. In
it. referring to Mas,s chusetts, Washington
says:
:'lli' unhappy and devoted province has
been 50 long in Il state Of anarchy, and the
yoke has been laid so heavily upon il, that
great allowances are to be made for troops
| raised under such circumstances"
| Two notes in conclusion. a. That WASH
| ip"toa was careful observer Of his own in
| terests need not be denied, for ht was care
| full OF all interests that fell into his bands,
| but that his careiulnesS WIS OF The sort lndl-
Gated in the letter OF the Weekly is totally In
! consistent with the first extract have in
| PRODUCED, which is well confirmed by thou
| sand facts and circumstances and that be
| should think Of putting his wife ana taiua-
ha papers in q kitchen in Alexandria just
when he was inviting her 10 join him at
! Headquarters exceeds all belief. Then, Us to
any sectional considerations, suppose that
! 40 man put his face more resoluteiy against
Them than did George Washington. A
worthy son of Massachusetts, who was CO.
laborer in the work on hand, might find as
ready access to his regard As any; aud if he
took liberties with any Of the baser sort from
any province, suppose he would be more
rigid with those Of bis own Virginia than
with any otbcrs. co. am surprised that
our southern journals so readily accept the
utterances Of Harper's Weekly and such like
periodicals, when never seem so pleasantly
employed as when OBTAINING some southern
man or southern interest.
| made the above notes about the 18th Of
the month, intending to rewrite, and per-
haps otfer for publication. was, however,
taken with q severe spell of sickness, and
could not return to the subject in time. /
send the rough draft that you may see that
some one doubts the story of'the Ha1pe7'S
Weekly.
am, very respectfully,
j. Il. kYlSINGHAM.
! U,na,roU Vu,or1r July 81 1S75