Handwritten DS, one page, 7 x 4, December 19, 1784. Document written entirely in Washington’s hand is a receipt for expenses. Document reads, “Mount Vernon, December 19, 1784. Received from George Washington one Guinea for the purpose of bearing my Expenses with public dispatches from the Assembly of Virginia to the Gov. of Maryland. Dan. Thompson, X, Mark.” This receipt is an important link in the on-going advancement of Washington’s Potomac scheme and the race to the West. Washington’s ‘grand idea’ or obsession was a navigable roadway from the shores of the Atlantic to the valley of the Mississippi. A commercial highway that would bind the New West to the Old East and create a continental nation to rival anything in Europe. Washington was haunted by fear over the possibility that the country was so fragmented that it might fracture into competing territories and self destruct. On December 19, after Washington had a chance to review documents from Virginia, Daniel Thompson set off on his journey with a letter from Washington to Governor Paca. But before Thompson departed for Maryland, Washington paid him a guinea for his expenses and wrote out a receipt for Thompson to sign. Document is affixed to an 8.25 x 5 off-white sheet. Consignor notes on the same date as this receipt, Washington mentions this messenger's delivery in a letter to Thomas Blackburn. In fine condition, with some scattered light toning, a few stray ink marks and slight show through from docketing on reverse. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
