"The habitual moderation of Washington; his firmness, which was ever calm and well-timed; his prudence, which neither difficulty nor paffion, neither hope nor fear, could fhake; his fuperiority to all artifice and intrigue; and his artlefs politics, dictated by a juft eftimation of times, men, and things; have never degenerated for a moment. Placed at the head of an infant Republic, he acquired all the dignity ufually beftowed on high offices by the force of cuftom and of ages; and he preferved it as if he had ruled America for a century: his administration was better fupported by refpect and confidence, than by laws or armies.

"He has not been charged with a vice or a weaknefs. No one has railed a doubt of his integrity or his difinterestedness. Free from ambition, he never would have fought fuperior rank, or have been anxious to make a figure he was led to them by his fervices, the general efteem he attracted, and by circumstances. In him fuperiority was pardoned; the jealoufy of his equals vanished before

In

the admirable fimplicity of his manners, the purity of his morals, and the rectitude of his conduct. fhort, neither a vain love of glory, nor the defire of diftinction, nor any perfonal view, ever gave a bias to his patriotifm, which was the principle of all his thoughts, and the spring of all his actions.

"If the title, fo much abufed, of a great man, ought to be referved for one whofe fucceffes never injured justice or honour, and in whom great virtues united with great talents, who shall refuse it to Washington?

"The national gratitude of America has honoured the memory of Washington by public teftimonies of grief, and by folemnizing the funeral of her illuftrious Chief in the most diftinguished manner.

"Washington has quitted life without the flighteft diminution of this glory, tranquillity, and happiness. He died on fields cultivated by himself, in the bofom of his country, of his family, of his friends; and the veneration of America accompanied him to the grave."

AND now, having gone through thefe fpecific devifes with explanations for the more correct understanding of the meaning and defign of them, I proceed to the diftribution of the more important part of my estate in manner following:

Firft.-To my nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs (partly in confideration of an intimation to his deceafed father, while we were bachelors, and he had kindly undertaken to fuperintend my eftate during my military fervices in the former war between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall therein, Mount Vernon, then lefs extenfive in dominion than at prefent, fhould be

come his property,) I give and be queath all that part thereof, which is comprehended within the following limits, viz.-Beginning at the ford of Dogue Run, near my mill, and extending along the road, and bounded thereby, as it now goes, and ever has gone fince my recollection of it; to the ford of Little Hunting Creek, at the Gum Spring, until it comes to a knowl, oppofite to an old road, which formerly paffed through the lower field of Muddyhole Farm; at which on the north fide of the faid road, are three red or Spanish oaks, marked as a corner, and a stone placed; thence by a line of trees to be marked rectangular to the back line or outer

boun

boundary of the tract between Thompfon Mason and myfelf; thence with that line easterly (now double ditching with a poft and rail fence there on) to the run of Little Hunting Creek; thence with that run, which is the boundary between the lands of the late Humphrey Peake and me, to the tide water of the faid creek; thence by that water to Potomac River; thence with the river to the mouth of Dogue Creek; and thence with the faid Dogue Creek to the place of beginning at the aforesaid ford, containing upwards of four thousand acres, be the fame more or lefs, together with the manfion houfe, and all other buildings and improvements thereon.

Second-In confideration of the confanguinity between them and my wife, being as nearly related to her as to myself, as on account of the affection I had for, and the obligation I was under to their father, when living, who, from his youth, had at tached himself to my perfon, and followed my fortunes through the viciffitudes of the late revolution, after wards devoting his time to the fuperintendence of my private concerns for many years, whilft my public employments rendered it impracticable to do it myself, thereby affording me effential fervices, and always performing them in a manner the most filial and respectful; for these reasons, I fay, I give and bequeath to George Fayette Washington, and Lawrence Auguftus Washington, and their heirs, my eftate Eaft of Little Hunting Creek, lying on the river Potomac, including the farm of three hundred and fixty acres, leafed to Tobias Lear, as noticed before, and containing in the whole, by deed, two thousand and twenty acres, be it more or lefs; which faid eftate it is my will and defire should be equitably and advantageously divided between them, according to quantity, quality, and other circumftances,

when the youngest shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years, by three jutdicious and difinterested men; one to be chofen by each of the brothers, and the third by thefe two. In the mean time, if the termination of my wife's intereft therein fhould have ceafed, the profits arifing there from are to be applied for their joint ufes and benefit.

Third And whereas it has always been my intention, fince my expectation of having iffue has ceafed, to confider the grand-children of my wife in the fame light as I do my own relations, and to act a friendly part by them, more efpecially by the two whom we have raised from their earliest infancy, namely, Eleanor Park Cuftis, and Geo. Washington Park Cuftis. And whereas the former of these hath lately intermarried with Lawrence Lewis, a fon of my deceafed fifter, Betty Lewis, by which union the inducement to provide for them has been increased:Wherefore I give and bequeath to the faid Lawrence Lewis and Eleanor Park Lewis, his wife, and their heirs, the refidue of my Mount Vernon estate, not already devised to my nephew, Bushrod Washington, comprehended within the following defcription, viz. All the lands north of the road leading from the ford of Dogue Run to the Gum Spring, as defcribed in the devife of the other part of the tract, to Bufhrod Washington, until it comes to the Stone and three Red or Spanish Oaks on the knowl, thence with the rectan gular line to the back line (between Mr Mafon and me); thence with that line wefterly along the new double ditch to Dogue Run, by the tumbling dam of my mill; thence with the faid run to the ford aforementioned, to which I add all the land I poffefs Weft of the faid Dogue Run and Dogue Creek, bounded Eafterly and Southerly thereby; together with the mill, diftillery, and all other

houses

houfes and improvements on the premifes, making together about two thousand acres, be it more or less.

Fourth-Actuated by the principle already mentioned, I give and bequeath to George Washington Park Cuftis, the grandfon of my wife, and my ward, and to his heirs, the tract I hold on Four mile Run, in the vicinity of Alexandria, containing one thousand two hundred acres, more or less, and my entire fquare, number twenty-one, in the City of Washington.

Fifth-All the reft and refidue of my estate, real and perfonal, not difpofed of in a manner aforefaid, in whatsoever confifting, wherefoever lying, and whenfoever found, a sche dule of which, as far as is recollected, with a reasonable estimate of its value, is hereunto annexed, I defire may be fold by my executors at fuch times, in fuch manner, and on fuch credits (if an equal, valid, and fatisfactory diftribution of the fpecific property cannot be made without), as in their judgment fhall be most conducive to the intereft of the parties concerned, and the monies arifing therefrom to be divided into twenty-three equal parts, and applied as follows, viz. To William Auguftine Washington, Elizabeth Spotwood, Jane Thornton, and the heirs of Ann Ashton, fon and daughters of my deceafed brother Auguftine Wash ington, I give and bequeath four parts, that is one part to each of them; to Fielding Lewis, George Lewis, Robert Lewis, Howell Lewis, and Betty Carter, fons and daughter of my deceased fifter, Betty Lewis, I give and bequeath five other parts, one to each of them; to George Steptoe Washington, Lawrence Auguftine Washington, Harriot Parks, and the heirs of Thornton Washington, fons and daughters of my deceafed brother, Samuel Washington, I give and bequeath the other four parts, one part to each of them; to

Corbin Washington, and the heirs of Jane Washington, fon and daughter' of my deceased brother, John Augustine Washington, I give and bequeath two parts, one part to each of them. To Samuel Washington, Frances Ball, and Mildred Hammond, fon and daughters of my brother Charles Washington, I give and bequeath three parts, one part to each of them; and to George Fayette Washington, Charles Augustine Washington, and Maria Washington, fons and daugh ter of my deceafed nephew George Auguftine Washington, I give one other part, that is, to each a third of that part. To Elizabeth Park Law, Martha Park Peter, and Eleanor Park Lewis, I give and bequeath three other parts, that is, a part to each of them; and to my nephew Bushrod Washington and Lawrence Lewis, and to my ward, the grandfon of my wife, I give and bequeath one other part, that is, a third thereof to each of them. And, if it should fo happen that any of the perfons whofe names are here enumerated (unknown to me) fhould now be dead, or fhould die before me, that in either of thefe cafes, the heirs of fuch deceafed perfons fhall, notwithstanding, derive all the benefits of the be queft, in the fame manner as if he or he was actually living at the time; and by way of advice I recommend it to my Executors not to be precipitate in difpofing of the landed property therein directed to be fold, if, from temporary caufes, the fale thereof fhould be dull, experience having fully evinced, that the price of land (especially above the falls of the rivers, and on the western waters) have been progreffively rifing, and cannot be long checked in its encreafing value. And I particularly recommend it to fuch of the Legatees (under the claufe of my will) as can make it. convenient, to take each a fhare of my ftock in the Potomac Company, in preference to the

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