University of Virginia Library

TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Dear Sir,—I was favored on Saturday with your
letter of the 7th. instant, along with which was covered
the printed letter of Colonel R. H. Lee to the Governour.[37]
It does not appear to me to be a very formidable
attack on the new Constitution; unless it
should derive an influence from the names of the
correspondents, which its intrinsic merits do not entitle
it to. He is certainly not perfectly accurate in

the statement of all his facts; and I should infer
from the tenor of the objections in Virginia that his
plan of an Executive would hardly be viewed as an
amendment of that of the Convention. It is a little
singular that three of the most distinguished advocates
for amendments; and who expect to unite the
thirteen States in their project, appear to be pointedly
at variance with each other on one of the capital
articles of the System. Colonel Lee proposes that
the President should chuse a Council of Eleven and
with their advice have the appointment of all officers.
Colonel Mason's proposition is that a Council of six
should be appointed by the Congress. What degree
of power he would confide to it I do not know. The
idea of the Governour is that there should be a
plurality of co-equal heads, distinguished probably
by other peculiarities in the organization. It is
pretty certain that some others who make a common
cause with them in the general attempt to bring
about alterations differ still more from them, than
they do from each other; and that they themselves
differ as much on some other great points as on the
Constitution of the Executive.

You did not judge amiss of Mr. Jay. The paragraph
affirming a change in this opinion of the plan
of the Convention, was an arrant forgery. He has
contradicted it in a letter to Mr. J. Vaughan which
has been printed in the Philadelphia Gazettes.
Tricks of this sort are not uncommon with the Enemies
of the new Constitution. Col. Mason's objections
were as I am told published in Boston mutilated

of that which pointed at the regulation of Commerce.
Docr. Franklin's concluding speech which you will
meet with in one of the papers herewith inclosed, is
both mutilated & adulterated so as to change both
the form & spirit of it.

I am extremely obliged by the notice you take of
my request concerning the Potomack. I must insist
that you will not consider it as an object of any further
attention.

The Philada. papers will have informed you of the
result of the Convention of that State. N. Jersey is
now in Convention, & has probably by this time
adopted the Constitution. Genl. Irvine, of the Pena.
Delegation, who is just arrived here, and who conversed
with some of the members at Trenton tells me
that great unanimity reigns in the Convention.

Connecticut it is pretty certain will decide also in
the Affirmative by a large majority. So, it is presumed
will N. Hampshire; though her Convention
will be a little later than could be wished. There are
not enough of the returns in Massts. known for a final
judgment of the probable event in that State. As
far as the returns are known they are extremely
favorable: but as they are chiefly from the maritime
parts of the State, they are a precarious index of the
public sentiment. I have good reason to believe
that if you are in correspondence with any Gentleman
in that quarter, and a proper occasion should offer for
an explicit communication of your good wishes for
the plan, so as barely to warrant an explicit assertion
of the fact, that it would be attended with valuable

effects. I barely drop the idea. The circumstances
on which the propriety of it depends, are best known
to, as they will be best judged of by yourself. The
information from N. Carolina gave me great pleasure.
We have nothing from the States South of it.