Autograph Letter Signed

Asks for Housing, General News

Murray writes a friend letter to McHenry, discussing his need for a boarding house during the session, as well as political news from Baltimore, French politics, and casual greetings.

1796

10

09

Philadelphia

James McHenry

William Murray

Winchester

French

John Adams

Jones

Thomas Jefferson

Jacobins

Fauchet

Colonel Harrison

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Madrid

France

London

campaign

boarding house

seeding plow

elector

London paper

lodgings

government

"it is the most irksome and troublesome thing in the world to have friends."

1796100940001

1

5

My dear Jem,

Can you descend so far from the
minister of the cabinet to be the minister of my
winter accommodation? -- In fact the ex:member
must have a boarding house this winter & he
knows of no house except the house where he
was all last session - at the close & on [undecipherable]
Settlement he [undecipherable] in <ins>two days</ins> from [M?] Jones
but suppose that would hardly [undecipherable] a
ground of compl[undecipherable] to the old lady. If you
could send to know if [undecipherable] would take it for
this session I shall be most obliged & if you [undecipherable]
[undecipherable] really grateful as we shall be near you.
You perceive as I have often perceived that it is the most irksome & troublesome thing in this world <ins>to have friends</ins> -- it really is so -- but in this life it can not be avoided and as it is my last campaign I hope you will help me into so eligible a position.

The accounts from Baltimore that reach this place are all in favour of W. J. -- & the party [undecipherable] w^d have us believe that all men of that town are for him, but I hear that Howard is to be their <ins>elector</ins> & he will be right -- I hear not one word of <ins>Winchester</ins> as an Elector -- however I hope always for the best --.

The French drive on wonderfully. Their memorial to the [undecipherable] of Madrid is well worthy of circulation in U. S. It
<ins>2</ins> sets out with a flat contradicti to the material of the Jacobins of [undecipherable] country & those of the French [undecipherable] who for three years, Fauchet included, have harassed our politics. The favourite position of such & in particular of Fauchet, has been that, in the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] & only these [undecipherable] among Republics was in a <ins>Similitude of political form</ins> of [undecipherable] -- In this exquisite memorial is the [undecipherable] emphatically said -- That this is not the best basis -- that interest is the best [undecipherable] I had not seen it til I met with it some days since in a London paper belonging to Col. Harrison -- it is of March or May last & ought to be in [undecipherable] M.'Adams indeed in 81 chose that principally as the basis of his memorial to the S.S. -- & it helped him out much -- It would [undecipherable] to our innocent & [undecipherable] philanthropy [undecipherable] the French out
in different places, [undecipherable] diferent principles -- & in Madrid language fight at symptoms without fixed theory -- this is temporary good to them & very bad for others who [undecipherable] too warmly.

But my man says my seeding plough is broken & I must seed my corn ground --. So I conclude with a hope that I shall hear from you by [undecipherable] time in [undecipherable] if you have time to do me this favour.

I am affectionately

always [undecipherable]

WJMurray

Oct 01, 1796