Note 49 — JOURNAL.

This appears to have been a study for a letter to some youthful companion. Even to the close of his life it was the habit of Washington, in writing important letters and papers, to make rough drafts of them as a study. However, in copying them off, he frequently changed expressions and amplified their contents as his judgment approved. The original drafts of many of his letters are preserved in the Department of State at Washington and illustrate this fact. Hence the transcripts in his letter-book are not always true copies of either his drafts or his original autograph letters. These drafts were kept by him as memoranda, rather than as exact copies. It is also probable that there are many drafts preserved of letters which were never actually sent. In some cases he endorses this fact upon drafts of letters.