UNITED STATES, _December 19, 1799_.
_Gentlemen of the Senate and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives_:
The letter herewith transmitted will inform you that it has pleased
Divine Providence to remove from this life our excellent fellow-citizen,
George Washington, by the purity of his character and a long series of
services to his country rendered illustrious through the world. It
remains for an affectionate and grateful people, in whose hearts he
can never die, to pay suitable honors to his memory.