[80] Philadelphia, February 18, 1782. Washington papers, Library of
Congress.
[81] Same letter.
[82] March 1, 1782. Washington papers.
[83] Brother of the minister to the United States, New York, December
10, 1787; unpublished. Archives of the French Ministry of Colonies.
[84] Mentioned before, p. 21.
[85] Brevet 14,302. Archives of the Ministry of War, Paris.
[86] Steuben writes him from West Point on July 1, 1783, sending him "a
resolution of the convention of the Cincinnati of June 19, 1783, by
which I am requested," he says, "to transmit their thanks to you for
your care and ingenuity in preparing the designs which were laid before
them by the president on that day." Original in the L'Enfant papers, in
the possession of Doctor James Dudley Morgan, of Washington, a
descendant of the Digges family, the last friends of L'Enfant. To him my
thanks are due for having allowed me to use those valuable documents.
[87] December 18, 1783. Rochambeau papers.
[88] Asa Bird Gardner, _The Order of the Cincinnati in France_, 1905,
pp. 9 ff.
[89] An undated memoir (May, 1787?), in the Hamilton papers, Library of
Congress.
[90] Text annexed to L'Enfant's letter to Rochambeau, June 15, 1786.
(Rochambeau papers.) On August 1, 1787, however, Francastel was still
unpaid, for at that date one of L'Enfant's friends, Duplessis, _i.e._,
the Chevalier de Mauduit du Plessis, who, like himself, had served as a
volunteer in the American army, writes him: "J'ai vu ici M. Francastel
le bijoutier qui vous a fait une fourniture considérable de médailles de
Cincinnatus et qui m'a dit que vous lui deviez 20,000 livres, je crois,
plus ou moins. Je l'ai fort rassuré sur votre probité." (L'Enfant
papers.)
[91] Only his orthography is corrected in the quotations. Orthography
was not L'Enfant's strong point in any language. His mistakes are even
worse in French than in English, the reason being, probably, that he
took even less pains.
[92] Unpublished, n.d., but probably of 1784. (Papers of the Continental
Congress--Letters, vol. LXXVIII, p. 583, Library of Congress.) His
ambition would have been to be asked to realize his own plan, "as
Brigadier-General Kosciusko, at leaving this continent, gave me the
flattering expectation of being at the head of [such] a department."
[93] On this visit, see below, p. 225.
[94] New York, 3d November, 1785. Papers of the Continental
Congress--Letters, I. 78, vol. XIV, p. 677.
[95] October 13, 1789.
[96] Taggart, _Records of the Columbia Historical Society_, XI, 215.
[97] Thomas E.V. Smith, _The City of New York in 1789_, p. 46, quoting
contemporary magazines.
[98] _Ibid._
[99] C.M. Bowen, _The Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of
George Washington_, 1892, pp. 15, 16.
[100] "Mr. Lear does himself the honor to inform Major L'Enfant that
Mrs. Washington intends to visit the federal building at six o'clock
this evening.--Saturday morning, 13th June, 1789." (L'Enfant papers.)
[101] Martha J. Lamb, _History of the City of New York_, 1881, vol. II,
pp. 321 ff.
[102] Ten had already voted the Constitution, which made its enactment
certain, for Congress had decided that an adoption by nine States would
be enough for that. As is well known, there remained in the end only two
dissenting States, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
[103] To James Madison, August 12, 1801.
[104] Number of July 24, 1788.
[105] Martha J. Lamb, _ibid._
[106] July 26, 1788.
[107] _New York Journal_, July 24.
[108] To his brother, Philadelphia, November 17, 1806. _Revue des Deux
Mondes_, November 15, 1908, p. 421.
[109] Original (several times printed in part) in the Library of
Congress, _Miscellaneous--Personal_. The rest of the letter treats of
the necessity of fortifying the coasts.
[110] To David Stuart, November 20, 1791.
[111] W.B. Bryan's _History of the National Capital_, 1914, p. 127.
[112] _Records of the Columbia Historical Society_, II, 151.
[113] April 8, 1791. Hamilton Papers, vol. XI, Library of Congress.
[114] September 30, October 24, 1791. _Correspondence of the French
Ministers_, ed. F.J. Turner, 1904, p. 62. "Salente," the ideal city, in
Fénelon's _Télémaque_. During the War of Independence Chevalier Jean de
Ternant had served as a volunteer officer in the American army. He was
at Valley Forge, at Charleston, took part under Greene in the Southern
campaign and was promoted a colonel by a vote of Congress.
[115] To Jefferson, March 11, 1791.
[116] To Hamilton, April 8, 1791.
[117] Same letter to Hamilton.
[118] L'Enfant's _Observations Explanatory of the Plan_, inscribed on
the plan itself.
[119] First report to the President, March 26, 1791.
[120] For he was depended upon for that, too: "M. L'Enfant," Ternant
wrote, "aura aussi la direction des bâtimens que le Congrès se propose
d'y faire élever." September 30, 1791. See also the documents quoted by
W.B. Bryan, _History of the National Capital_, 1914, p. 165, note.
L'Enfant actually made drawings for the Capitol, the President's house,
the bridges, the market, etc., which he complained later the
commissioners to have unjustly appropriated. _Records of the Columbia
Historical Society_, II, 140.
[121] March 25, 1798.
[122] L'Enfant's _Observations Explanatory of the Plan_, inscribed on
it.
[123] Conclusion of his third report.
[124] "Opinion on Capital," November 29, 1790. _Writings_, ed. Ford, V,
253.
[125] Which agreed perfectly with L'Enfant's constant desire to ever do
things "en grand." Washington writes to him that, "although it may not
be _immediately_ wanting," a large tract of ground must be reserved. The
lands to be set apart, "in my opinion are those between Rock Creek, the
Potowmac River, and the Eastern Branch, and as far up the latter as the
turn of the channel above Evens's point; thence including the flat back
of Jenkins's height; thence to the road leading from Georgetown to
Bladensburg as far easterly along the same as to include the Branch
which runs across it, somewhere near the exterior of the Georgetown
Session. Thence in a proper direction to Rock Creek at or above the
ford, according to the situation of ground." Mount Vernon, April 4,
1791, Washington's manuscript _Letter Book_, vol. XI, Library of
Congress.
[126] Same letter.
[127] To the Commissioners, December 18, 1791.
[128] Philadelphia, March 12, 1793.
[129] March 31, 1791.
[130] April 8, 1791. Hamilton papers, vol. XI.
[131] To David Stuart, November 20, 1791.
[132] Report to the President, August 19, 1791.
[133] December 2, 1791.
[134] L'Enfant papers.
[135] March 9, 1792. _Records of the Columbia Historical Society_, II,
137.
[136] To the Commissioners, November 30, 1792.
[137] Morris had bought for it a whole block, limited on its four sides
by Chestnut, Walnut, Seventh, and Eighth Streets.
[138] May 9, 1793. (L'Enfant papers.)
[139] He seems to have tried to help the financier rather than to be
helped by him. Ill-satisfied as he was with the house, for which he,
apparently, never paid l'Enfant anything, Morris wrote: "But he lent me
thirteen shares of bank stock disinterestedly, and on this point I feel
the greatest anxiety that he should get the same number of shares with
the dividends, for the want of which he has suffered great distress."
Written about 1800. W.B. Bryan, _History of the National Capital_, 1914,
p. 181.
[140] S.C. Busey, _Pictures of the City of Washington in the Past_,
1898, p. 108.
[141] Memoirs of 1801, 1802, 1813, in the Jefferson papers, Library of
Congress.
[142] Letter from his cousin, Destouches, Paris, September 15, 1805,
greatly exaggerating, as shown by the letter mentioned below, his
mother's state of poverty. (L'Enfant papers.)
[143] From his cousin, Mrs. Roland, née Mallet, whose husband had a
modest position at the Ministry of the Navy; Paris, May 5, 1806. The
mother's furniture and silver plate was valued at 1,500 livres. Allusion
is made to L'Enfant's deceased sister and to her "mariage projeté avec
Mr. Leclerc." (L'Enfant papers.)
[144] To David Stuart November 20, 1791.
[145] Hugh T. Taggart, in _Records of the Columbia Historical Society_,
XI, 216.
[146] _Voyage en Amérique_, VI, 122 ff.
[147] May 22, 1911.