St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-09
SOME RARE LETTERS.
Unpublished Ones of Wash
ington, Lafayette and
Others.
One Of the Musty Old Mis-
sives From Sir Philip
Francis.
The Latter Thought to Have
Originated Phonetic
Spelling.
The Letter Of Lafayette In
dieates the Noble Spirit
Of the Man.

Philip Church, of Genesee Valley
whose father was private seer etary to
Alexander Hamilton, has brought to
New York some curious old letters
which he had discovered in searching
among his fathers papers. Among
them was a letter written in 1898 by
Washington inviting the elder Church
to accept the hospitality of Mount
Vernon. The paper is well preserved,
and the signature of Washington is
legible and distinct. Philip Church says
that authentic letters of Washington
bring as high as $1,000. Those which
he has, however. are not for sale, saws
the New York Herald.
Another curious letter is from Lafay-
cite to Col. Stewart, who, at the time of
the writing. was at Princeton. COL
Stewart was the maternal grandfather
OF Mr.. Church, and the paper came into
the possession of the Church family in
that way. The letter bears reference to
quarrel which had occurred between
some OF Washlngton'S generals, and
which Lafayette was anxious to smooth
over. The letter is as follows:
YOUNGSTOWN, Jan. z, 178O.-To Col.
Alexander Stewart, at Princeton-Dear
Sir: L take this opportunity of inquir-
ing from you what are your present
prospects of settling the unhappy and
dlsgracing dispute which has taken
place. Having nothing to do here, in
the presence of Gen. ST. Clair, | should
like to have stayed with you. Whatever
has been said by him OH this occasion l
cannot yet believe that the soldiers of
your line. and particularly those of the
light infantry, have forgot their seDti-
ments for one whom they must know to
be their friend. However dissatisfied l
IN xvi ftNaIr 10
duct, which makes me more unhappy
than anything l have experienced, /
shall try to render them service if it
comes within the reach of my power.
Gen. Washington is expected here at
every minute. What he must feel you
will easily feel. [ am sure he will be
disposed to do anything that may prove
'serviceable to the soldiers. But thew
ought to be sensible of his disposition
and therefore apply to him through
lyour mediation.
r With most sincere affection, l am,
yours, LAFAYETTE.
2 Lafayette felt very badly over that
/ misunderstanding" said Mr. Church,
whatever it may have been, but his
grand nature is evidenced by his re-
mark that Notwithstanding the 'un-
happy and disgracing dispute he would
render service TO those who were en-
gagged in it if it comes within the reach
of my power Through the mediation
of my grandfather, Col. Steward, the
quarrel was happily settled"
pa LETTER FROM SIR PHILIP FRANCIS.
p But the most curious of all the letters
was one from Sir Philip Francis, the
reputed author of ''Junius." That Sir
Philip was the author of "Junius'' Mr..
Church had not the least doubt. "He
told my father so himself" was his
assertion, land my father was the only
man to whom Sir Philip ever made this
admission" Certainly, if Sir Philip
Francis was the author of the cele-
brated letters of "Junius," his editor
must have assisted him most ex-
tensively in the matter of spell
ing or else Sir Philip was the first
prominent man to make use OF sound
spelling in his private correspondence.
The joining of two words such as that"
and 'y0n" into the compound "thatu."
which is exactly the form in which the
outline of these words is written in
photography or shorthand, might indi-
cate that Sir Philip had been interested
in one of the attempts to invent such
system of writing, the first of which
was made in England during the time
OF Samuel johnson, although not per-
fected until the days OF Isaac Pitman.