From Patrick Henry to George Washington, 11 March 1786
From Patrick Henry
Richmond March 11th 1786
Dear Sir.
Three Gentlemen, two of them from France, the other from Geneva, have taken up a large Body of Land, on the Waters of Ohio near to some of yours—They propose to settle it by white people, chiefly from Europe—whither one or more of them is going soon, for the purpose of getting Settlers—This very interesting Business I have long wished to see going on, as there seems to be nothing which can more essentially promote the public good. Mr Savary & Mr Gallatin, two of these Gentlemen I have been acquainted with for twelve months & more, during which they have been labouring at this Scheme, but the Indian Depredations have retarded its Execution—Now, when there is a prospect of these ceasing, it will be resumed by them with Spirit I believe1—Mr Charton who will probably have the Honor to deliver you this, is the other partner, I’ve known him but a short Time, but I concieve well of him, & cannot but wish him well, on Account of his Undertaking.2
I have taken the Liberty to introduce him to you judging that it would be agreable to you to be acquainted with a Subject of this Nature—If any thing was said concerning the Climate, Soil, or Situation of these Lands, or if any of their natural Advantages were explained, it would no Doubt have Weight with Foreigners inclined to come over. Mr Gallatine, of whose Merit I have a high opinion, & who has often described these Lands to me with his Hopes of settling them, has explored them thoughroughly & is pretty sanguine of succeeding in his Veiws—I beg pardon for giving you the Trouble of this, & wish the highest Estem & Regard I am dear Sir your most obedient Servant
P. Henry
ALS, ViBrRh. No reply to Henry from GW has been found.
Patrick Henry (1736-1799), a famous orator and statesman, was a native of Hanover County, Virginia. Henry represented Virginia in the First and Second Continental Congresses and was governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and again from 1784 to November 1786.
1. Albert Gallatin of Geneva and and Jean Savary de Valcoulon of Lyon, France, had met in 1783 and became partners in a land speculation scheme in which they claimed 120,000 acres near GW’s land on the Ohio River. Savary had purchaed warrants for the land and allowed Gallatin a quarter share of the purchase. Henry had approved of the scheme and provided Gallatin with a letter of introduction by 1785. The latter soon established a store and farm on the Monongahela River in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. In order to stimulate land sales and create a demand for their land, Gallatin and Savary proposed giving 100 families 200 acres each. However, financial difficulties and Savary’s business failures eventually caused the partnership to end in 1789. Gallatin, who later bought out Savary’s shares, faced further hardship when he sold the land to a debt-ridden Robert Morris. For more on this matter, see Henry M. Dater, “Albert Gallatin—Land Speculator,” , 26 (June 1939), 21-38.
The New-York Journal, or the Weekly Register for 4 May 1786 printed a report about both the land purchase on the Ohio and rumored Indian depredations in the area: “GALLATIN . . . became acquainted with a Mr. Savary de Valcoulan, who had purchased several thousand acres of uncultivated land, joining the river Ohio, and who made him a partner in this purchase, on condition, that Mr. Gallatin should take upon himself the expertise of having these lands surveyed. It is not known whether the design of clearing this land was viewed with an evil eye by the Indians of that district; but in July 1785, it was announced . . . that seven persons had been surprised by a small party of Indians, between the great and the little Kanhawa, which empty into the Ohio . . . that five of the seven had been killed and scalped, and that among the five were Mr. Gallatin.” The report about Gallatin’s death was erroneous.
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (1761-1849) came to the United States in 1780. He served in the Pennsylvania legislature from 1790-92 and briefly in the U.S. Senate from December 1793 to February 1794. Gallatin represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1795 to 1801. Treasury Secretary in the Jefferson and Madison administrations, Gallatin subsequently held diplomatic positions abroad before becoming president of the National Bank of New York.
Jean Savary de Valcoulon (died c.1816) came to the United States in 1783 to recover from the state of Virginia debts claimed by a Frenchman. After his partnership with Gallatin dissolved, Savary remained in the United States and engaged in land negotiations with GW (see Savary de Valcoulon to GW, 19 March 1795, and GW to Savary, 25 March 1795.
2. GW wrote in his diary for 18 March 1786: “On my return [from a ride to the Mount Vernon farms] before dinner found a Mr. Charton (a french Gentleman) here introduced by a letter from Governr. Henry.” Henry Charton left Mount Vernon “after dinner” on 19 March (, 4:295-96). During his visit, Charton evidently discussed the possibility of purchasing GW’s lands on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. Apparently, no agreement was reached (see GW to Charton, 20 May and 22 July 1786).