72 



. No. II. 



THE melancholy event of General WASHINGTON S Death was announced to the 

 President of the United States in the following Letter from Mr. LEAR, who is 

 mentioned by the General in his Letter of July 20th, 1794. 







MOUNT VERNON, Dec. 16, 1799. 

 SIR, 



IT is with inexpressible grief that I have to announce to you the death of the 

 great and good General WASHINGTON. He died last evening between ten and 

 eleven o clock, after a short illness of about twenty-four hours. His disorder was 

 an inflammatory sore throat, which proceeded from a cold, of which he made but 

 little complaint on Friday. On Saturday morning about three o clock he became 

 ill. Dr. DICK attended him in the morning, and Dr. CRAIK, of Alexandria, and Dr. 

 BROWN, of Port Tobacco, were soon after called in. Every medical assistance was 

 afforded, but without the desired effect. His last scene corresponded with the 

 whole tenor of his life. Not a groan, not a complaint escaped him in extreme 

 distress. With perfect resignation, and a full possession of his reason, he closed 

 his well spent life. 



TOBIAS LEAR. 



The President of the United States. 



It is unnecessary to add, that the intelligence of this distressing event was 

 rapidly spread throughout all America, and received with the deepest symptoms of 

 sorrow and regret; nor was there any part of Europe, where those who felt any 

 respect for integrity and virtue, did not consider the death of General ^WASH^ 

 as a public calamity. 



