then staying at Mount Vernon], he fears, is not far from that place whence no traveller returns; he is but the shadow of what he was; has not been out of his room, scarcely out of his bed, for six weeks; has intervals of ease which flatter us a little, but he, the General, has little hope of his surviving the winter.  It is so he writes of this nephew, adding that the subject gives him much distress.  Concludes, “with sincere and affectionate regard I am always your friend, G.W.”

The third is dated Mount Vernon, October 1, ’92.  In the expectation that this letter will find Mr. Lear again in Philadelphia, he wishes him to begin in time to compare all his former speeches to Congress with the subsequent acts of that body that he might see what parts of them passed altogether unnoticed or had been only partially noticed, that thus he might be enabled to judge whether any and what parts should be brought forward again.  He requests him also, as before, to note everything that may occur to him as fit to be noticed in his communication to Congress this year, as he desires to have all the materials collected for his consideration in preparing his speech.  He speaks again of the illness of “poor George,” and says that others of his family are unwell.  Concludes in his usually kind and affection manner.

[This session of Congress—­the short session—­came to its regular close on the 3d of March, 1793.] The General is again at Mount Vernon in April, and writes to Mr. Lear on the 8th of that month on some of his private affairs.  He tells him that his letter of the 3d had been received transmitting Mr. ******’s rental, and Mr. *****’s profession of his inability to discharge his bond.  The latter he thinks more candid than the former, but supposes that he must be satisfied with both, knowing he will never get better terms from either.  He intimates that before doing anything with respect to the lands the latter had from him, he wishes Mr. Lear to have some conversation with * * * * on a point he (the General) did not clearly understand, as he would not “put it in the power of malice itself to charge him with any agency in measures that could be tortured into impropriety in this matter.”  In regard to the former person [the same mentioned in his letters of March 28 and April 3, ’91, as having the charge of some of his property], he requests Mr. Lear to endeavor to find out through members of Congress, if he can, the name of some individual in the State in question who would be likely to make him a faithful agent, as it would not do to leave his concerns in the hands of ***** any longer; he was too dependent, he feared (besides other objections to him), for his election to the legislature to fix his rents at a just medium, or collect them in the manner he ought to do.  The conclusion of this letter has reference to the will of his deceased nephew, Mr. George Lewis, who had died at Mount Vernon.

Mr. Lear had now ceased to be his private Secretary; but the most intimate correspondence was still kept up with him.  On the 21st of June, 1793, there is a letter to him from Philadelphia [Mr. L. then being in Georgetown], which the General writes on purpose to say that he considers it a very kind and friendly act in him to go to Mount Vernon.  The letter finishes with a few lines of allusion to his private affairs.