that with the utmost deference and humility. To this the Speaker of the House of Burgesses alludes, in the following language, addressed to Washington, in reference to Dinwiddie's contemplated departure for England.

"We have not yet heard who is to succeed him. God grant it may be somebody better acquainted with the unhappy business we have in hand, and who by his conduct and counsel, may dispel the cloud now hanging over this distressed country. Till that event, I beg, my dear friend, that you will bear, so far as a man of honour ought, the discouragements and slights you have too often met with, and continue to serve your country, as I am convinced you have always hitherto done, in the best manner you can, with the small assistance afforded you."

Thus did he continue to bear his difficulties, and labour unceasingly for the good of his country, till the close of the year 1758, when the war and his service ended together.

Writing to Richard Washington, a friend in London, under date of "Mount Vernon 20th October, 1761," he thus expressed himself in reference to his dress:

"On the other side is an invoice of clothes, which I beg the favour of you to purchase for me, and to send them by the first ship bound to this river. As they are designed for wearing apparel for myself, I have committed the choice of them to your fancy, having the best opinion of your taste. I want neither lace nor embroidery. Plain clothes, with gold or silver buttons, if worn in genteel dress, are all that I desire. I have hitherto had my clothes made by one Charles Lawrence. Whether it be the fault of the tailor, or of the measure sent, I cannot

say, but, certain it is, my clothes have never fitted me well. I therefore leave the choice of the workman to you. I enclose a measure, and, for a further direction, I think it not amiss to add, that my stature is six feet; otherwise rather slender than corpulent."

During the Revolutionary War, the same spirit of self-denial seems to have attended him. In a letter to the President of Congress, dated New-York, 22d April, 1776, he thus writes:

"I give in to no kind of amusements myself; and consequently, those about me can have none; but are confined from morning till evening, hearing and answering the applications and letters of one and another, which will now, I expect, receive a considerable addition, as the business of the northern and eastern departments, if I continue here, must, I suppose, pass through my hands. If these gentlemen (his aids) had the same relaxation from duty as other officers have in their common routine, there would not be so much in it. But, to have the mind always upon the stretch, scarce ever unbent, and no hours for recreation, makes a material odds. Knowing this, and at the same time how inadequate the pay is, I can scarce find inclination to impose the necessary duties of their office upon them. To what I have here said, this further remark may be added, and it is a matter of no small concernment to me, and in its consequences, to the public; namely, that while the duty is hard and the pay small, it is not to be wondered at, if there should be found a promptness in them to seek preferment, or in me to do justice to them by facilitating their views; by which means I must lose their aid, when they have it most in their power to assist me."

During the darkest period of the war, he wrote his brother John A. Washington, date, "Camp, near the Falls of Trenton, 18th December, 1776:

"You can form no idea of the perplexity of my situation. No man, I believe, ever had a greater choice of difficulties, and less means to extricate himself from them. However, under a full persuasion of the justice of our cause, I cannot entertain an idea, that it will finally sink, though it may remain for some time under a cloud."

About eight days after this letter was written, the battle of Trenton was fought; in which Providence once more smiled upon the American cause, and dispelled the heaviest cloud that had ever frowned upon our hopes of freedom. The relief to the Commander-in-Chief was as great as his preceding anxieties had been bitter.

To Doctor John Cochran, Surgeon and Physician General, he wrote from West Point, 16th August, 1779:

"I have asked Mrs. Cochran and Mrs. Livingston to dine with me to-morrow; but am I not in honour bound to apprize them of their fare? As I hate deception, even where the imagination only is concerned, I will. It is needless to premise, that my table is large enough to hold the ladies. Of this they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is usually covered, is rather more essential; and this shall be the purport of my letter.

"Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham, sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head of the table; a piece of roast beef adorns the foot; and a dish of beans, or greens, almost inperceptible, decorates the centre. When the cook has a mind to cut a figure, which I presume will be the case to-morrow, we have

two beef-steak pies, or dishes of crabs, in addition, one on each side of the centre dish, dividing the space and reducing the distance between dish and dish to about six feet, which without them would be near twelve feet apart. Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to discover, that apples will make pies; and it is a question, if, in the violence of his efforts, we do not get one of apples, instead of having both of beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates, once tin, but now iron, (not become so by the labour of scouring) I shall be happy to see them, and am, dear Doctor, yours," &c.

To Major-General Greene he wrote, from HeadQuarters at Morristown, 22d January, 1780:—

Appearances and facts must speak for themselves. To these I appeal. I have been at my present quarters since the first day of December, and have not a kitchen to cook a dinner in, although the logs have been put together some considerable time by my own guard. Nor is there a place at this moment, in which a servant can lodge, with the smallest degree of comfort. Eighteen belonging to my family, and all Mrs. Ford's, are crowded together in her kitchen, and scarce one of them able to speak for the colds they have caught.

"I have respeatedly taken notice of this inconvenience, to Major Gibbs, and have as often been told, that boards were not to be had. I acquiesced, and believe you will do me the justice to acknowledge, that it never has been my practice to involve the public in any expense which I could possibly avoid, or derive benefits, which would be inconvenient or prejudicial to others. To share the common lot, and participate the incon

veniences, which the army, from the peculiarity of our circumstances, are obliged to undergo, has with me, been a fundamental principle; and while I conceived this to be the case universally, I was perfectly content. That it is not so, I appeal to your own observation; though I never intended to make the remark, nor should I have done it, but for the question which involuntarily drew from me the answer, which has become the subject of your letter.

"Equally opposed is it to my wishes and expectation, that you should be troubled in matters respecting my accommodation, further than to give the necessary orders, and furnish materials, without which orders are nugatory. From what you have said, I am fully satisfied that the persons to whom you entrusted the execution of the business are alone to blame; for certain I am, they might by attention have obtained, equally with others, as many boards as would have answered my purposes long ere this. Far, very far is it from me, to censure any measure you have adopted for your own accommodation, or for the more immediate convenience of Mrs. Greene. At all times I think you are entitled to as good, as circumstances will afford, and in the present condition of your lady, I conceive that no delay could be admitted. I should therefore, with great willingness, have made my convenience yield to hers, if the point had lain there, being very sincerely, your obedient and affectionate servant," &c.

In regard to the simplicity of his dress the following anecdote will serve for illustration :

"One day, Colonel Meade, a valued friend of Washington, was met by Mr. Custis, the then youthful grand