March 5-December 31

1753

January 1-October 30

Diaries missing, or not kept. (Numbers are not assigned to these periods as it is extremely doubtful that diaries were kept.)

Regents of Mount Vernon No. 3

1753-1754 October 31-January 16

[The Journey to the French Commandant.]

The original rough notes made by Washington on his journey, during the winter of 1753-54, to the French Commandant at Fort Le Bouf (near what is now the town of Waterford, Pennsylvania), have not survived.

On reaching Williamsburg, Washington was surprised by a request from Governor Dinwiddie to write up his notes into a connected narrative that could be presented to the Virginia Legislature. This had to be done in a single day, and Washington was still further surprised when he learned that this hastily written narrative had been handed to the public printer for publication. This first printed edition (Williamsburg, 1754) is now so rare that but two copies are known to exist. The diary here printed is from that found in Worthington C. Ford's Writings of Washington, 1, 11 et seq., which was taken from an English reprint (London, 1754) of the Williamsburg copy. I have availed myself of Mr. Ford's careful comparison and critical labor.

The original Williamsburg edition was by William Hunter, 1754. The English edition was by T. Jeffery. A copy of each of these is in the Newberry Library, Chicago. The italics are those of the Williamsburg edition.

ADVERTISEMENT

As it was thought advisable by his Honour the Governor to have the following account of my Proceedings to and from the FRENCH on OHIO, committed to Print; I think I can do no less than apologize, in some Measure, for the numberless Imperfections of it.

There intervened but one Day between my Arrival in WILLIAMSBURG, and the Time for the Council's Meeting, for me to prepare and transcribe, from the rough Minutes I had taken of my Travels, this Journal; the writing of which only was sufficient to employ me closely the whole Time, consequently admitted of no Leisure to consult of a new and proper Form to offer it in, or to correct or amend the Diction of the old: Neither was I apprised, nor did in the least conceive, when I wrote this for his Honour's Perusal, that it ever would be published, or even have more than a cursory Reading; till I was informed, at the Meeting of the Present General Assembly, that it was already in the Press.

There is nothing can recommend it to the Public, but this. Those Things which came under the Notice of my own Observation, I have been explicit and just in a Recital of: - Those which I have gathered from Report, I have been particularly cautious not to augment, but collected the Opinions of the several Intelligencers, and selected from the whole, the most probable and consistent Account. 1

G. WASHINGTON.

'This 'Advertisement' was prepared by Washington after he learned that his narrative was being printed. It was published at the beginning of the original Williamsburg edition and is here given for its explanatory value.