Griffin, Cyrus (1748-1810) to Burgess Ball
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04377.01 Author/Creator: Griffin, Cyrus (1748-1810) Place Written: London, England Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 3 May 1775 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; 23 x 18.4 cm. Order a Copy
Griffin, managing Ball's affairs in England, states "we are finishing on your affairs with all imaginable dispatch ... Some of the Estates are considerably out of order- others are in tolerable good repair. I really can give no guess how they will sell, but they shall be sold by public Auction to the highest purchaser, it is the safest and most advantageous method..." States that he drew money from Dunlop and Wilson upon Ball's account. Comments that Ball is likely to profit from sending tobacco to England. Offers regards to Ball's family, requesting that Harry "remember me to all the Prachey's" in Richmond, Virginia. States "nothing new in the political world- only the People here seem to ridicule the Idea of resistance from America." Asks if Ball or his wife "have any inclination to tempt Fortune still farther."
Ball was the husband of George Washington's niece. In the American Revolution, Ball served as a volunteer aide to Washington, Captain of the 5th Virginia Regiment of Foot, and as a colonel. Griffin, educated in Britain as a lawyer, served as a member of the Virginia State house of delegates in 1777, 1778, 1786, and 1787. He was a Continental Congressman 1778-1780 and 1787-1788, serving as Congressional President in 1788.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.