5l8 APPENDIX. 



to the general financial depression, the commissioners resorted to a 

 lottery, which was drawn in the latter part of the year, and yielded a 

 moderate sum for the use of the new city. A second lottery was less 

 fortunate, and it resulted in claims which embarrassed the commission- 

 ers and their agent for years afterwards. Mr. Blodget ascribes the 

 losses and misfortunes of the new city then and subsequently to the 

 refusal of Congress to guarantee any loans or make any appropriations 

 for erecting the public buildings or laying out the city. Even after the 

 seat of government was duly established there, in iSoo, the same neglect 

 continued, and Mr. Blodget found himself, as did other proprietors, 

 actually unable to continue the payment of taxes on the large number 

 of lots and squares, placed at a high valuation, but wholly unsalable. 

 He paid taxes on much the largest amount of property in the city from 

 1 79 1 to 1S07; most of the speculative purchases by Robert Morris, 

 James Greenleaf, Nicholson and others, were not kept up by the pur- 

 chasers, and ultimately reverted to the city, and other proprietors were, 

 as Mr. Blodget was, nearly ruined by the burden of carrying large 

 properties which could not be sold.* 



At this time, or more particularly in 1804 to 1S06, Mr. Blodget pub- 

 lished several editions of a statistical and financial volume, which had a 

 wide reputation and was frequently quoted in standard European works. 

 This work was published in the completest form in 1806, under the 

 title " F^conomica; A Statistical Manual for the United States of Amer- 

 iea,'" pp. 202, with Appendix, containing the first general tables of 

 poimlation, commerce, industry and social statistics, prepared for gen- 

 eral circulation. This work has been frequently quoted as an excellent 

 authority for events of its time.f 



From 1793 ^^ 1814 Mr. Blodget resided chiefly at Washington, al- 

 though he was much at Philadelphia, and had large business interests 

 there. He was active in promoting the business interests of both cities, 

 was a large stockholder in the first insurance company, marine and fire, 

 founded in Philadelphia, and which sustained heavy losses from the 

 French spoliations. He had an estate in Mantua, West Philadelphia, 

 which continued in possession of his family. In Washington the fine 

 mansion on his original purchase was located just north of the junction 

 of Rhode Island and Massachusetts avenues. Thirty-eight entire squares. 



* The assessed value of his estate in Washington in 1803 was 57Sii99, embracing 

 5606.903 sfjuare feet of cily lots. 



f At page 96 of this volume will be found a letter of President Washington to Samuel 

 r>lodgel, Jr., written about the time of his appointment as Supervisor at Washington, 

 complimenting him on his services to the city, and sending his good wishes to his 

 venerable father at Concord, N. 11. 



