Mrrccr's close attention to tin- iwitiii.ii |j|i<iiom(iia 

 around him i)C(;an with his illness in 1 7lit). ( )n 

 January 4, only a few days after he had become ill, 

 he installed a thermometer in his room, and eii>lit 

 days later moved it to his otiice. Ret;ularly, 

 from then until the close of. his journal, except when 

 he was absent from Marlborough, he recorded the 

 minimum and maximum readings. One has only to 

 look at the figures for the winter months to realize 

 that "heated" rooms, as we understand them, wen- 

 little known in the 18th century. Only on C:hristnui> 

 Eve in 1767 did the temperature range from a low 

 of 41° to as high as 63°, because, as Mercer noted, 

 "A good fire raised the Thermometer so high."' 



.\lthough Mercer apparently found surcease from 

 his cares in the peaceful surroundings at Marlborough, 

 his responsibilities went on nevertheless. The cost of 

 keeping slaves remained an enormous and wasteful 

 one: "Every negroes cloathi, bedding, corn, tools, 

 levies & taxes will stand yearly at least in £5," he 

 wrote to George. In his letter he placed an order 

 through George for clothing, which included 25 

 welted jackets "for my tradesmen & white servants," 

 indicating the large number of white workmen on his 

 staff. It also included 20 conmion jackets, 45 pair of 

 woolen breeches, 1 dozen greatcoats, 5 dozen stock- 

 ings, I '.J dozen for boys and girls, 4 dozen "strong felt 

 hats & 600 Ells of ozenbrigs. We shall make \'irg* 

 cloth enough to cloaih the women and children, but 

 shall want 50 warm blankets & 2 doz of the Russia 

 drab breeches." Against the advice of his merchant 

 friend Jordan, he declined to order a superior grade 

 of jacket for his Negroes that would last two years, 

 since "most negroes are so careless of their cloathes 

 & rely so much on a yearly support that I think such 

 jackets as I had arc cheapest & last the year very- 

 well." 



He ordered George to buy new sheeting for family 

 use, including "84 yds of such as is fit for comp*," 

 inasmuch as "my wife is ashamed of her old sheets 

 when any strangers come to the house." He al.so 



pi... 



W<"l 1 



Norfolk. 



K which 



,,.,ia u- 



.\ly millwri^h(« Hirrt(ion« vtcre 

 Ihr Oil I fi inches bf 



The Icii 

 .\ .Suit I 1 



pn>vitl iiHi ! 



Ill .lull It lun. Ill' (M(l<-|('<l ll.lll-t. . fi ' 



a yard wide, for the malt kiln, a 

 bra.ss seed Ixixcs for wheat, turnips, lucarii peav- 

 &c," and a considerable nunil^cr of books. |).irlir- 

 ularly for his children. "Bob. Newl>er\ !t i!v 

 Bible & Sun in S! Paul's churchyard ^ 

 furnish you at the cheapest rate with ' 

 adapted to the real instruction as well :: 

 of children from two to six fci ' 



The long letter was finally fiiuMKu un j.mu.iM .... 

 1768, its great length partly dictated by the fact 

 that the river had frozen, immobilizing the posts. 

 He noted in his journal that on February 16 he was 

 in Fredericksburg and "dined at my Sons l)eing my 

 birthday and 63 y" old." On the 24th he attended 

 a meeting of the Ohio Company at Stafford court- 

 house and on March 14 returned there for a court 

 session. The next day he went home to Marlltorough. 

 perhaps never to leave again. The journal ended at 

 the close of the month. The next that we hear of 

 him appeared in Rind's Virginia Gac^llr on October 27: 



On Friday, the I4ih ii' 

 .SiiilFiMd C/)unty. John Mi i 

 the law with great success in 



forty years. He was a <: 



.-ibilitirs inspired by an c\ 



in his |)r<)fcs.<ioii ' 



lilerauire. He « 



dis|x)sition, a f.ice(iou$ companion, a warm Inrnd. an 



all. husband. ' '— ' ••■ indulgcni 



ni.i 



59 



