Philadelphia August 27, 1785. My dear General, Major Dunn writes to me from Providence that he had seen you at Boston, and that he left you well — I need not repeat to you the pleasure, which every relation of your happiness conveys to me — impressed with sentiments of affection and esteem, which no length of time, or change of circumstance can lessen, I shall ever continue to cherish the remembrance of your friendship with pride and satisfaction, and to regard your goodness with encrease of gratitude. I am now to communicate to you, my respected friend, an alteration of intention relating to myself which will [undecipherable] your concurrence and approbation. The general embarrassment of commerce, which, at this moment affects even the merchant of established credit and extensive capital, have determined me, with other considerations, to retire from business while I can do so with advantage — Unwilling to [undecipherable] a life of speculation under such precarious circumstances as now govern the trade of this country — and Still [more] disposed to involve others who, with views of friendship towards me, might share in any unfortunate event. I have yielded to the [undecipherable] requests of all my friends here, and to propensities of my own, which have likewise compelled me — and I have resolved to add me more to the already redundant list of lawyers. Among those Gentlemen, who have pressed me to this pursuit are President Dickerson, Doctor Rush, General St. Clair, and Mr Wilton, who becomes my Instructor — "all of them assure me that a dispensation of the term prescribed for studying the law will readily be obtained in my favor, whenever I am found qualified — and Mr Wilton does not hesitate to pronounce that eighteen months close application will bestow the requisites of a Counsellor —— Perhaps I am flattered by delusive self love, when I imagine my literary attainments are not inferior to a [undecipherable: majority] of our lawyers — and I may be equally mistaken in the estimation of my mental powers when I presume to rate them by a similar standard — but whatever my aptitude, or my retentive faculties may be — I dare venture to vouch, with confidence for those acquirements, which an effectual application will confer. Arrived at an age when the levities of youth have lost their influence, and the conscious necessity of unremitted attention has established itself. my friends will have nothing to apprehend for me on that score —— You, my dear General, are perhaps better empowered than any other person to decide upon the probability of my success — you have had an opportunity of observing my inclinations, and of tracing my talents from their dawn (if they may be said to have dawn) — The one, I trust, you have at no time found vicious — and the other I hope you have held to be susceptible of science —— Such opinions as these have outweighed the opposite suggestion of taking up a profession at twenty seven — and the probable mortifications to which so late an hour of Study may be obnoxious. I have reasoned in this manner — My health is, or appears to be, well established — This will capacitate close application — and close application, unless self love has greatly abused me, must [undecipherable] an equal quantum of knowledge with many of my competitors — perhaps enable me to outstrip some of them — This procures practice — practice produces wealth — wealth creates consequence — and that last of consequence too, as being the combined result of property and knowledge, which no other vehicle in society appears to promise —— These are conclusions, which I cannot consider as either unnatural or improbable — and supposing them to be completed within Ten years — I shall certainly have attained a superior station in the community than any, even the most successful, line of commerce could have led to in the same time. I could not enter upon so entire a change of object without communicating my intentions to you — I shall be happy to learn that your opinion gives them an additional sanction — for in whatever situation the events of life may surprise me — I shall ever esteem it amongst the most grateful of my privileges to subscribe myself with all the reality of truth and affection, my dear General, Your sincerely obedient Servant W. [undecipherable] [Philadelphia Aug 27^th 1785]