The Receipt of your kind favour of the 2^d of this Instant afforded
me unspeakable pleasure as I am convinced I am still in the Memory
of so Worthy a friend a friendship I shall ever be proud of
Increasing you gave me the more pleasure as I receiv'd it amongst a
parcel of Barbarians and an uncooth set of People the like favour
often repeated would give me Pleasure altho I seem to be in a
Place where no real satis: is to be had since you receid my Letter
in October Last I have not sleep'd above three Nights or four in a
bed but after Walking a good deal all the Day lay down before the
fire upon a Little Hay Straw Fodder or bearskin whichever is to
be had with Man Wife and Children like a Parcel of Dogs or Catts
& happy's he that gets the Birth nearest the fire there's nothing
would make it pass of tolerably but a good Reward a Dubbleloon is
my constant gain every Day that the Weather will permit my going
out and some time Six Pistoles[55] the coldness of the Weather will
not allow my making a long stay as the Lodging is rather too cold
for the time of Year I have never had my Cloths of but lay and
sleep in them like a Negro except the few Nights I have lay'n in
Frederick Town.
[Footnote 55: A Pistole.--This coin was worth, at the time
Washington wrote this journal, about $3.60. A doubloon was worth
twice that amount.]
Mem To Survey the Lands at the Mouth of Little Cacapehon[56] &
the Mouth of Fifteen Mile Creek[57] for the Gentlemen of the Ohio
Com:[58]
[Footnote 56: Cacapehon, now generally written Capon.--There
are two streams in the same vicinity known by this name, and to
distinguish them, one is called "Great Capon" and the other "Little
Capon." Both are tributaries to the Potomac.]
[Footnote 57: Fifteen Mile creek rises in Maryland and flows in a
south-easterly direction, emptying into the Potomac river between
Sideling Hill creek and Town creek, about 15 miles above Hancock,
Md.]
[Footnote 58: "The Ohio Company" grew into existence out of efforts
by Virginians, dated as early as 1746 or 1747, to secure a share
in the lucrative Indian trade, and with the prospect of opening to
settlement the lands on the upper waters of the Ohio. An early move
in this direction had been made by Colonel Thomas Cresap, a man of
courage, judgment and enterprise--qualities required for trading
successfully with the Indians. He had erected his cabin at Oldtown,
Md. About 1746 Lawrence and Augustine Washington, after making
some cautious business ventures in the Indian trade, with others
assisted to organize "this Ohio Company." Thomas Lee, whose second
son, Richard Henry Lee, was to become so conspicuous a patriot of
the Revolution, and John Hanbury, a wealthy London merchant, were
original members of this company, into which still other men of
substance and standing were admitted, and to which, in 1749, the
British government gave a charter, as "The Ohio Company," with a
grant of half a million acres of land, to be located between the
Monongahela and Kanawha rivers, on the south side of the Ohio.
With but twenty shares of stock at first issue, the company's
prosperity seemed assured, and both Governor Dinwiddie and George
Mason, at a later date purchased an interest in it. Among the early
Washington manuscripts appears the above memorandum of a survey
for this company. Although this entry is without date it must have
been earlier, judging from its position in the note-book, than the
charter. This document imposed, as conditions of the land grant,
that the company should at once survey two hundred thousand acres,
and within seven years secure the settlement of not less than one
hundred families, erect forts, and maintain a garrison against the
Indians,--conditions on the fulfilment of which they were to be for
ten years exempt from the payment of quit-rents. Mr. Christopher
Gist was employed as the company's agent, and on October 19, 1749,
entered upon his duties of inspecting the country, contiguous to
the Ohio river, reporting upon the character of the lands, making
surveys, keeping a journal of his observations, drawing plans of
the territory, etc. In 1750 the company built a small store-house
at Will's creek and stocked it with goods from London to the value
of £4,000. In 1752 Mr. Gist held a council with the Indians on the
Ohio in behalf of the company, and secured their permission to
lay out a town and erect a fort at McKee's Rocks at the mouth of
Chartier's creek, upon the east side of the Ohio, a few miles below
Pittsburg. Washington, in his diary, alludes to this, and says of
the position: "I think it greatly inferior, either for defense or
advantage, especially the latter: For a fort at the forks would
be equally well situated on the Ohio, and have the entire command
of the Monongahela." In 1751 the company began making a road to
the mouth of the Monongahela, but for lack of adequate resources,
made only slow progress. The company looked upon the lands around
Will's creek as being within their grant. They also erected a
store-house at the mouth of Redstone on the Monongahela and began
some improvements at the forks of the Ohio, immediately after
completing those at Will's creek. At the latter place they had
the adjacent lands surveyed on both sides the stream, above and
below the forks, and laid out a town to which they gave the name
of Charlottesburg in honor of the Princess Charlotte, afterward
wife of King George. The French and Indian war, with other stirring
political events, compelled the company to be cautious and to
contract its operations, but, its embarrassments increasing from
the course pursued toward it by the English government, prompted by
envious rival interests, the consent of its agent, George Mercer,
Esq., was finally gained to merge the Ohio Company into a Grand
Company, under what was known as the Walpole Grant or Company.
Their proposal was as follows: "We, the Committee of the Purchasers
of a Tract of Country for a new Province on the Ohio in America,
do hereby admit the Ohio Company as a Co-Purchaser with us for two
shares of the said Purchase,[A] in Consideration of the Engagement
of their Agent, Col. Mercer, to withdraw the application of the
said Company for a separate Grant within the Limits of the said
Purchase.