Washington, George, First President

Autograph letter signed ("Go: ^{Washington"), 2 1/4 pages (9 7/8 x 8 in.; 251 x 201 mm), paper watermarked Posthorn | GR, Mount Vernon, 30 November 1799, to Lord Fairfax (Bryan Fairfax, Baron Fairfax of Cameron); with separate address panel; second leaf of letter and address panel inlaid.}

Writings, ed. Fitzpatrick 37:447 [from Letterbook copy]

Autograph letter signed ("Go: Washington"), 2 14 pages (9 7/8 x 8 in.; 251 x 201 mm), paper watermarked Posthorn | GR, Mount Vernon, 30 November 1799, to Lord Fairfax (Bryan Fairfax, Baron Fairfax of Cameron); with separate address panel; second leaf of letter and address panel inlaid.
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One of Washington's last letters. Like many of the letters written in the last weeks of his life, the present one is deeply concerned with the state of Washington's lands. Washington discusses his holdings of some 275 acres "on Difficult," a portion of which is threatened by one Lewis's older patent. Washington's proposed remedy was fated not to occur: "As you hold the Land on the North & East of my tract and ... Mr. Ferd^o. Fairfax [son of Bryan Fairfax] possesses that which is on the South & W. nothing remains to be done but in the settled and temperate part of the ensuing Spring ... for your Lordship Mr. Fairfax & myself to repair to the scene—agree upon—and mark our lines of seperation to prevent encroachments on either side in future." In the next days the Fairfaxes and Washingtons exchanged visits at their respective seats of Mount Eagle and Mount Vernon. The Fairfaxes left Mount Vernon on 11 December, and on 14 December Washington died. Lord and Lady Fairfax—he had assumed the family's title in 1793—were among the few close friends invited to the funeral by Mrs. Washington.

This is one of the latest Washington autographs obtainable. Of 18 letters subsequent to this one published by Fitzpatrick, three are in the hand of his secretary Tobias Lear, and at least ten of the autographs are in institutional collections. Since 1970, apparently, only one later autograph of Washington's  has appeared at auction, a letter of 7 December 1799 (sold in 1974 and again in 1982).