es of America in
Congress assembled, I take the earliest opportunity of laying a
copy of it before you."

(Signed) "GEORGE WASHINGTON."

Some extracts from the communication referred to are annexed:

"State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, _In General
Assembly, September Session, 1789_.

"_To the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives
of the eleven United States of America in Congress assembled:_

"The critical situation in which the people of this State are
placed engages us to make these assurances, on their behalf, of
their attachment and friendship to their sister States, and of
their disposition to cultivate mutual harmony and friendly
intercourse. They know themselves to be a handful, comparatively
viewed, and, although they now stand as it were alone, they have
not separated themselves or departed from the principles of that
Confederation, which was formed by the sister States in their
struggle for freedom and in the hour of danger....

"Our not having acceded to or adopted the new system of
government formed and adopted by most of our sister States, we
doubt not, has given uneasiness to them. That we have not seen
our way clear to it, consistently with our idea of the
principles upon which we all embarked together, has also given
pain to us. We have not doubted that we might thereby avoid
present difficulties, but we have apprehended future
mischief....

"Can it be thought strange that, with these impressions, they
[the people of this State] should wait to see the proposed
system organized and in operation?--to see what further checks
and securities would be agreed to and established by way of
amendments, before they could adopt it as a Constitution of
government for themselves and their posterity?...

"We are induced to hope that we shall not be altogether
considered as foreigners having no particular affinity or
connection with the United States; but that trade and commerce,
upon which the prosperity of this State much depends, will be
preserved as free and open between this State and the United
States, as our different situations at present can possibly
admit....

"We feel ourselves attached by the strongest ties of friendship,
kindred, and interest, to our sister States; and we can not,
without the greatest rel