GW at Mount Vernon, where he wrote Richard Conway, an Alexandria, Va. merchant and shipowner, explaining his current financial difficulty. He attributed his lack of funds to both poor crop seasons and his assets being tied up in undervalued land. GW asked Conway for a loan of £500, something he had never done before. The loan would allow him to pay his debts in Alexandria. GW acknowledged Conway’s prompt compliance with his request in another letter written two days later.