brisk from the Southward-A very large hoar frost this Morn."- Washington's Diary. On this day (December 10) Washington completed a plan or system, which had been under consideration for some time, for the management and cultivation of the Mount Vernon farms for several successive years. In this paper, which occupies thirty closely written folio pages, the most minute and detailed instructions are given as to the cultivation of the land, with tables designating the rotations of the crops. This was accompanied by a letter of the same date to James Anderson, his manager, with a request that the instructions be "most strictly and pointedly attended to and executed, as far as the measures required will admit.” As an example of his remarkable powers of application and life-long attention to detail, and also as showing the soundness and vigor of his intellect at this period of his life, the document possesses considerable interest. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11. At Mount Vernon: "December 11.-But little wind and Raining-Mer 44 in the Morning and 38 at Night.—About 9 oclock the Wind shifted to N° W & it ceased raining but cont Cloudy.-Lord Fairfax, his Son Tho' and daughterM Warner Washington & son Whiting-and M2 Jn° Herbert dined here & returned after dinner."- Washington's Diary. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12. At Mount Vernon: "December 12-Morning Cloudy— Wind at N° E' & Mer 33—a large circle round the Moon last Night.-about 1 o'clock it began to snow-soon after to Hail and then turned to a settled cold Rain-Mer 28 at Night.”—Washington's Diary. On Thursday, December 12, the General rode out to his farms about ten o'clock, and did not return home till past three. Soon after he went out, the weather became very bad, rain, hall, snow falling alternately, with a old wind. When he came in, I carried some letters to him to frank, intending to send them to the post-oɗice in the evening. He franked the letters, but said the weather was too bad to send a servant to the office that evening. I observed to him. that I was afraid be had got wet. He said. No, his great-cost had kept him dry. But his neck appeared to be wet, and the snow was hanging upon his hair. He came to dinner (which had been waiting for him) without changing his dress. In the evening he appeared as well as usual."-TOBIAS LEAR. (Sparks, vol i. p. 555.) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13. At Mount Vernon: "December 13.-Morning Snowing & ab 3 Inches deep *-Wind at N° Et & Mer at 30-cont Snowing till 1 oclock-and ab* 4 it became perfectly clear— wind in the same place but not hard-Mer 28 at Night."— Washington's Diary. This, the final entry of the Diary of 1799, was the last piece of writing executed by Washington. On the following morning, Saturday, December 14, between two and three o'clock, he was taken seriously ill from a cold incurred on the morning of the 12th, while taking his usual ride, and died that night of quinsy, between ten and eleven o'clock. At three o'clock in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 18, 1799, all that was mortal of George Washington, soldier, statesman, and patriot, the foremost man in American history, was deposited with Masonic ceremonies in the family vault at Mount Vernon. He had passed from the sight of man; but his fame, so long as virtue, truth, and sincerity shall be guiding principles, will increase with the gathering years! * "A heavy fall of snow took place on Friday, which prevented the General from riding out as usual. He had taken cold, undoubtedly from being so much exposed the day before, and complained of a sore throat. He, however, went out in the afternoon into the ground between the house and the river to mark some trees, which were to be cut down in the improvement of that spot."-TOBIAS LEAR. INDEX. Abbot's Tavern, 159 Abert's Tavern, Alexandria, 347 Abingdon, the Stuarts reside at, 359 Adams, Henry, owns Washington's por- Adams, John, declared Vice-President, 120, 249; dines with Washington, 144, Adams, John Quincy, 203; extract from Adams, Samuel (Gov.), 153 Adams, Thomas, 381 Adams, Thomas Boylston, 203 Adams, William, 380 Adams' Mill, 28 Adet, Pierre Auguste, presented to Wash- Aimes, see Ames Alexander, Philip, 48 Alexander, Robert, 111 Allen, Misses, present at presidential Alston, Capt. William, 215 American Philosophical Society, Wash- Ames, Fisher, 131, 167, 181, 186; is Anderson, James, 336, 392; Washington Anderson's Tavern, 30 Andrews, Robert, 142 Andriani, Count, visits America, 208 Annapolis, Md., General Assembly of England, visits Mount Vernon, 67 Armistead, Miss - 362 Armstrong, Rev. James F., accompanies Army, Washington appointed Command- Arnold, Benedict, near Detroit, 185; oc- Articles of Confederation, Washington Asbury, Francis, visits Mount Vernon, Ash, John B., 178 Ashe, Col. John B., invites Washington Bartram, John William, Washington Bassett, Col. Burwell, 32, 33, 39, 366; visits Bassett, Fanny, 23, 34, 38, 39, 44; mar- Bassett, Richard, 144, 169, 174 Battery, the New York, frequented by Bauman, Col. Sebastian, 141, 146; regi- Bayard, Miss Baylor, John, 29 Beach, Dr. Abraham, 142 Beatty, John, Speaker of House of As- Belmont, in Fairmount Park, residence of "Belvoir," residence of George William Benson, Egbert, 128, 131, 164, 175, 181, 184 131 Biddle, Charles, his opinion of Washing- Biddle, Clement, Tobias Lear to, on the Bingham, Hon. William, 75, 80, 82, 83, Bingham, Mrs. William, request of, to Bishop, Thomas, death of wife of, servant Bishop's History quoted, 338 Blackburn, Capt. -, 368, 383, 384 date for presidential elector, 116 Blackwell, Dr. Robert, 311 Blair, Hon. Judge -, accompanies Washington on visit to Rhode Island, Blair, John, 91, 92, 171 Blanchard, —, the aeronaut, 248 Bland, Col. Theodoric, 60, 128, 147, 171, Blidenberg, ———, 180 Bond, Phineas, 306, 350 Boston, Washington at, in 1789, 153; citi- Boudinot, Elias, 128, 168, 173, 178, 184 Bowen, Mr., exhibits wax-works, 146 Boyd, 237 Boyd, Robert —, 131 Bradbury, Theophilus, to Mrs. Thomas Bradford, (insurgent), escapes to Spain's territory, 290 Bradford, Jr., William, acts as escort to Brant, Joseph, induced to visit Philadel- Breck, Samuel, extract from writings of, Brehan, Marchioness de, at Mount Ver- tavern of, 157 |