2,
when only fifty-eight years old, had held the office of postmaster in
1799.

General James Maccubbin Lingan, a tobacco shipper, who was the first
collector of the port ... "1790 and before," had had a very remarkable
career in the Revolution.

Colonel Charles Beatty owned a ferry which did a thriving business
between the Virginia shore and the foot of Frederick Street at Water
Street.

Ebenezer Dodge had come from Salem, Massachusetts, and built up a
successful coastwise trade with the East Indies, his younger brother,
Francis, coming in 1798, of whom I shall have a great deal to say in
another chapter.

Peter Casanave was much in evidence in business deals.

John M. Gannt was a prominent merchant; also, William King, whose name
is still known in business here.

Among the lawyers were Philip Barton Key and Joseph Earle.

Doctor Magruder is spoken of over and over again. He seems to have been
"the doctor" at that time. Doctor Weems also had a good practice.

From _The Virginia Gazette_ of January 14, 1775, is taken this note in
regard to a project much in the minds of the business men of George Town
at that time:

At a meeting of the Trustees for opening the navigation of the
Potomack River held in George Town December 1, 1774, Thomas
Johnson, Jr., Attorney at Law, Wm. Deakins, Adam Steuart, Thomas
Johns, Thomas Richardson, merchants of George Town, appointed to
hire slaves for cutting canals around the Falls of the River, etc.

Of course, George Town, like every other town in the country at that
time, was peopled largely by negroes. Some owners hired out the ones
they themselves did not need, either for work of this kind or for
domestic service. A delightful story is told of how one of the
shipowners sent a "likely" young negress back to Scotland on one of his
vessels, as a present to his mother. Many weeks later when the vessel
returned, on it was Chloe with a note thanking "my dear son" for his
gift, but saying, "I have had her scrubbed and scrubbed, but as it is
impossible to remove the dirt and stain, I am returning her."

In 1788 Thomas Corcoran, who that year came to George Town from
Baltimore, intended to go on to Richmond, but instead stayed and
established a business in leather, says: "There were then in harbor ten
square-rigged vessels, two of them being ships and a small brig from
Amsterdam taking in tobacco from a warehouse on Rock Creek." The mouth
of the creek at that