Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 6.djvu/74

60 Such a club, rightly organized and rightly conducted, is a tremendous social force; it can set fashions, institute reforms, wield public sentiment on men and measures, and reach out with a powerful grasp into an almost unlimited field of usefulness.

In the October number of the appeared a sketch of Col. Lear, to which we refer; the following was necessarily omitted on account of the length of the main article. The additional letter, here inserted, indicates the high estimation of Washington for his secretary.

Col. Lear visited England in 1793, and Washington, in a letter to Arthur Young, the celebrated agriculturist, dated Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 1793, said: "The bearer, Sir, is Mr. Lear, a gentleman who has been a member of my family seven years, and until the present moment my secretary. He is a person of intelligence, and well acquainted with the states, from New Hampshire, inclusive, to Virginia, and one in whom you may, as I do, place entire confidence in all he shall relate of his own knowledge, and believe what is given from information, as it will be handed with caution. Mr. Lear has been making arrangements for forming an extensive commercial establishment at the Federal City, on the river Potomac, and now goes to Europe for the purpose of taking measures there to carry his plan into effect. I persuade myself that any information you can give him respecting the manufactures of Great Britain will be gratefully received, and, as I have a particular friendship for him, I shall consider any civilities shown him by you as a mark of your politeness to, Sir, your most obedient and very humble servant G° WASHINGTON."

Joseph M. Toner,, of this city, has a letter, written by Washington, addressed on the outside,

G° WASHINGTON."

The letter was mailed at "Alex, Va.," bearing that postmark, and is rated "Free." It was written at Mount Vernon, July 2, 1799, and toward its close Washington writes that he would inclose a check on the bank of Alexandria for one thousand dollars, for the purpose of paying Mr. Blagdon the expenses incurred on Washington's building "in the Federal City." This house, which was once occupied by Alexander Hamilton, is situated near the Capitol, on North Capitol street, and is now known as the "Hillman House."

Washington, when writing to any one at the seat of government, directed the letter to "Federal City," it being the name he selected for the national capital. His modesty prevailed to the last, for the letter directed to Mr. Thornton was written in the year of his death.

Another peculiarity, — he was never known to write his name in full. George was always abbreviated as above indicated on the face of the letter.

In the October number of this magazine, a history of Col. Lear and his family is given, but the notices which appeared in the Portsmouth papers relating to them may be interesting. We copy from the New Hampshire