THE FOUNDING OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 239 



William Cranch, afterwards Judge of the District Court, ad- 

 vertised for " a sober, industrious woman who understands 

 housework. Good wages will be paid. N. B. No objection 

 will be made as to color." As this notice stood for six weeks, 

 free labor must have been scarce in Washington. J. V. Thomas, 

 bookseller, advertises book-binding in all its branches. Lund 

 Washington, postmaster of the city, brother of the President, 

 advertises the Washington letters uncalled for. A runaway- 

 negro is advertised at a reward of eight dollars, rather cheap 

 for a human being held in absolute fee simple. Rude wood- 

 cuts, depicting a negro running, with stick and bundle, abound. 

 The Sheriff of Prince George County advertises frequently 

 runaway slaves in custody, who will be sold to pay charges, 

 unless their owners take them away. The editor records the 

 finishing of twenty houses, begun by Robert Morris and J. 

 Nicholson, which those gentlemen celebrated by treating a few 

 acquaintances, the architect and workmen, some two hundred 

 in number, to a barbecue on the spot. "We do not recol- 

 lect ever to have seen a greater appearance of social glee on a 

 similar occasion." These houses stood on South Capitol street, 

 corner of G street. Blodget's hotel and his lotteries were 

 the butt of many gibes. "We understand that Mr. Blodget 

 draws lOO tickets per week ; now, as the wheel contains 50,000 

 tickets, the lottery will be drawing ten years. We, therefore, 

 advise all holding tickets to mention them in their wills, as they 

 may become important possessions for the good of their heirs." 

 Again: "Wanted. — A number of patient sportsmen to pur- 

 chase the unsold tickets in Washington Lottery, No. 2. Gen- 

 tlemen of fortune would be preferred." And again: "At 

 Philadelphia the tickets in Blodget's lottery are held at one dol- 

 lar, at par; but at Georgetown, where information is better, 

 they may be got at under par, and on a long credit." This 

 notable 'Washington Lottery, No. 2,' was first schemed in 

 December, 1794, and the criticisms here cited appeared in 1796. 

 The lottery prospectus was headed : ' For Improvement of the 

 National Capital,' and read : " It is hoped that the friends to 

 a National University and the other National objects may con- 

 tinue to favor the design." 



