Washington, George, 1732-1799. The writings of George Washington from the original manuscript sources
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To THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS

   Head Quarters, July 16, 1783.

    Sir: Your Excellency's Letters of the 3d and 8th are received. The Judge Advocate was gone on by my Directions, before the hint you gave me in that of the 3d.

    It would seem there has been some capital neglect, or Miscarriage in the transmission of the Act of Congress of the 12th of May. I never had the least Intimation of it, until the 7th instant, when I received it from the War Office. Baron Steuben is furnished with my Letters and Instructions, and will depart on his mission, as soon as possible.

    The inclosed Memorial was handed to me, from some Officers of Hazens Regiment, Refugees from Canada; 5 anxious for their Relief from the most distressing Situation, and finding myself without the Means or the power of doing it, I beg leave to refer their Circumstances to the particular Attention and Regard of Congress; these with many others are the Men, who as they will say, have left their Country, their friends, their Substance, their all, in support of the Liberties of America; and have followed our fortunes thro' the various Scenes of a distressing Contest, untill they find it to have terminated in the happiest manner for all, but themselves. Some provision is certainly due to those people who now are exiled from their native Country and habitations, without any mention made of them in the Treaty, any Stipulation for their return, or any Means for their Subsistence in a country which their Arms have contributed to secure and establish. When Congress recollect the Encouragements, the promises and Assurances, which were published by them and their Orders, in Canada, in the Years 1775 and 6, I am persuaded they will take into their most serious Consideration the Case of those unhappy persons who placed Confidence in those proclamations, and make ample amends by some effectual provision for their Sufferings, patience

[Note:A translation by Benjamin Walker of this memorial, ill the Washington Papers under date of July 14, is indorsed by Trumbull: "Original in french sent to Congress 16th." The committee books of the Continental Congress show that this letter was referred on July 23 to James McHenry. Arthur Lee, and James Madison, who reported (July 26), but no record of this is found in the Journals of the Continental Congress . ]
and perseverance. I would not presume to dictate. But if Congress cannot procure funds for their Compensation and Subsistence from the ample Confiscations which are makg within the different States, I would think a grant could be made to them from the unlocated Lands in the interior parts of our Territory and some means advanced, to place them on such a Tract; this perhaps might prove satisfactory, and would enable them to form a Settlement which may be beneficial to themselves and useful to the United States. I will say no more, but repeat my recommendations of their case to the grateful remembrance of Congress, and beg, that a speedy Attention may be given to their Application, which I have advised them to make without Delay.

    Finding myself in most disagreeable Circumstances here, and like to be so, so long as Congress are pleased to continue me in this awkward Situation, anxiously expecting the Definitive Treaty, without Command and with little else to do, than to be teazed with troublesome Applications and fruitless Demands, which I have neither the means or the power of satisfying; in this distressing Tædium, I have resolved to wear away a little Time, in performg a Tour to the Northward, as far as Tyconderoga and Crown point, and perhaps as far up the Mohawk River as fort Schuyler. I shall leave this place on Friday next, and shall probably be gone about two weeks, unless my Tour should be interrupted by some special recall. One Gentleman of my Family will be left here, 6 to receive any Letters on Commands, and to forward to me any Thing that shall be necessary. With great Respect etc. 7

[Note:Lieut. Col. Jonathan Trumbull, jr. ]
[Note:The draft is in the writing of Jonathan Trumbull, jr.

   On July 16 Washington wrote to Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, that before the receipt of his letter of July 7 the Judge Advocate had set off to join Howe, "I hope that by this time you have got thro' this troublesome business." This draft is in the Washington Papers . ]