“Yesterday and to-day George and I have been planning a farm for you, either in the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah, in the state of Virginia, not far from Federal City and even Mount Vernon, or in the lovely fields of New England, within reach of the town of Boston, for which you know my fancy. I do not conceal from myself, dear Adrienne, the fact that I, who complain of the serfs of Holstein as a sad surrounding for a friend of liberty, should find negro slaves in the valley of the Shenandoah; for if in the northern states there is equality for all, in the southern it exists only for the whites. It is true that, with our ideas of Cayenne, we might console ourselves somewhat. I should, however, prefer New England, and at the same time I feel all the reasons which ought to draw us near Mount Vernon and the seat of government. But we only want the first dollar to buy our farm with.” Notwithstanding the painful anxieties which filled his mind, consequent upon his own uncertain position, La Fayette was ever keenly alive to the interests of others, especially of his friends. The following letter was written by him during his own exile, to the Directory, in behalf of his friends who had been his companions in prison:— “CITIZEN DIRECTORS: Permit a citizen who owes his liberation to the government of his country now to avail himself of that obligation to demand of you an act of justice. I am not about to speak of myself; and though my heart and my reason equally remind me of my rights, I appreciate the circumstances which keep me still at a distance from my country; but in offering up my prayers for her liberty, her glory, and her happiness I purpose to speak to you of the few officers who, on an occasion, the responsibility of which belongs to me alone, thought themselves obliged to accompany their general and were made prisoners by the enemy. Their patriotism, which has been tried from the beginning of the Revolution, has been preserved in all its ardor and purity, and the Republic cannot have more faithful defenders. “Salutation and respect, “LA FAYETTE.” While General La Fayette was at Witmold, just after his release, he received the following letter from the illustrious Alexander Hamilton, who, six years after, fell in the fatal duel with Aaron Burr:— “NEW YORK, April 28, 1798.