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is a triumph impossible of accomplishment except through high ideals and sympathetic understanding. There is now to be added to this the obligation created by the patriotic publication of these diaries; for, as it is impossible to realize George Washington without visiting Mount Vernon, so it is impossible to understand him without reading his diaries.

To Dr. Worthington C. Ford I am indebted, as always, for valuable aid and advice. Dr. Ford made a beginning in editing the diaries, but an unfortunate and unexpected illness forced him to relinquish the task. Such notes as he had prepared were generously turned over to me and are justly credited to him. The editor, better perhaps than any one, is fully aware that it is regrettable that the entire work could not have been carried to completion under his scholarly direction.

To Mr. Fairfax Harrison, of Virginia, I am doubly indebted for much valuable information respecting the people and places of the tide-water country and back counties of Virginia. He gave freely of his valuable time and great store of information, solely in the interests of historical accuracy, and the notes on Virginia and the Virginians are the richer for his extensive knowledge.

To Mr. John Gribbel, of Pennsylvania, sincere thanks are due for his prompt generosity in permitting the diary for 1797, which he owns, to be copied for this publication, and to Dr. J. Hall Pleasants, of Maryland, I am indebted for valuable information regarding Maryland and the Marylanders.

Most of the notes credited to the late Dr. Joseph Meridith Toner have been revised and rewritten in the light of the more exact information now available, and some explanation respecting these seems fitting. Dr. Toner was a Washington enthusiast who freely spent himself and his substance in accumulating data concerning the First

PREFATORY NOTE

American. His accumulations are large in quantity and include a vast number of transcripts, the originals of some of which are no longer available, if indeed they exist at all. Dr. Toner died before the present-day methods of historical criticism had been well developed, and he was, in addition, handicapped at times by a too worshipful enthusiasm; but no serious study of the available Washingtoniana can be made without the investigator becoming deeply impressed with the tremendous and valuable work done by Dr. Toner. The editor takes pleasure in paying tribute to the Doctor's industry and freely acknowledges his indebtedness for much lightening of drudgery and for many time-saving clues to be found in the indefatigable efforts of this sincere admirer of George Washington.

To acknowledge the cordial coöperation of Houghton Mifflin Company, throughout the entire course of publication, is but simple justice. Their appreciation of the character of the work has been complete, their expert craftsmanship ungrudging and tireless, and their critical editorial watchfulness has been highly helpful at all times.

Last, but by no means least, the editor takes pleasure in voicing for the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union and for himself, the acknowledgments due to Dr. Herbert Putnam, the Librarian of Congress, for the unrestricted use of the diaries in his custody, without which courtesy this publication would not have been possible. J. C. FITZPATRICK

WASHINGTON, D.C.

NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS

THE frontispiece to Volume I is reproduced by permission from the original Stuart portrait in the possession of Mr. Walter Jennings, of New York. (See note to the diary entry for January 7, 1797.) The frontispieces to Volumes II and III are facsimiles of pages from the original diaries in the Library of Congress. The 1768 page shows the form of the diary record in the interleaved Virginia Almanacs, while the 1785 page illustrates the appearance of the diaries recorded in the blank note-books. The facsimile of the Youthful Survey of Hell Hole in Volume I is also from the original in the Library of Congress. The print of Mount Vernon reproduced for the frontispiece of Volume IV is from the engraving issued in 1798 by the erratic London publisher John Stockdale, and is one of the very few pictures of Mount Vernon published during Washington's lifetime.

THE COMPLETE LIST OF THE DIARIES OF

GEORGE WASHINGTON

This being the first publication of a complete list of the diaries, they are numbered, arbitrarily, for convenience in reference. This consecutive numbering is applied to the diaries that exist, the diaries known to have existed, and the diaries reasonably conjectured to have existed all traces of which have now disappeared. These last are included on the chance and with the hope that some, at least, have survived and will come to light in the future.

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1752, Mar. 5-Dec. 31.

1753, Jan. 1-Oct. 30.

Missing, or not kept.
Missing, or not kept.

4. Journey to Barbadoes. Original in the Library of Congress.

(Badly mutilated. The part here printed is from Oct. 4, 1751 to Mar. 4, 1752, as far as decipherable.)

Missing, or not kept.

Missing, or not kept.

3. 1753, Oct. 31-1754, Jan. 16. Journey to the French Commandant. (Exists

1754, Jan. 17-Mar. 30.

4. 1754, Mar. 31–June 27.

1754, June 28-Dec. 31. 1755-1759.

5. 1760, Jan. 1-Apr. 11.

6. 1760, Jan. 1-May 22.

1760, May 23-Dec. 31. 1761, Jan. 1-May 23. 7. 1761, May 24-Oct. 22.

in printed form only. First edition, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1754.)

Missing, or not kept.

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Missing, or not kept.

REGENTS'

NUMBER

8. 1763, Mar. 2-Nov. 18.

1763, Nov. 19-Dec. 31. 1764, Jan. 1-Mar. 28. 9. 1764, Mar. 29-Oct. 18.

1764, Oct. 19-Dec. 31. 10. 1765, Jan. 1-Nov. 13.

1765, Nov. 14-Dec. 31. 1766, Jan. 1-Jan. 13. 11. 1766, Jan. 14-Oct. 29.

1766, Oct. 30-Dec. 31. 1767, Jan. 1-Jan. 31.

12. 1767, Feb. 1-Nov. 20.

13. 1767, Nov. 21-Dec. 31. 14. 1768, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 15. 1769, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 16. 1770, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 17. 1771, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 18. 1772, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 19. 1773, Jan. 1-Dec. 31.

20. 1774, Jan. 1-Dec. 31.

21. 1775, Jan. 1-June 19.

1775, June 20-Dec. 31. 1776-1780.

1781, Jan. 1-Apr. 30. 22. 1781, May 1-Aug. 14.

23. 1781, Aug. 15-Nov. 5.

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