e Harbour and fished for Cod; but it
not being a proper time of tide, we only caught two." After his serious
sickness in 1790 a newspaper reports that "yesterday afternoon the
President of the United States returned from Sandy Hook and the fishing
banks, where he had been for the benefit of the sea air, and to amuse
himself in the delightful recreation of fishing. We are told he has had
excellent sport, having himself caught a great number of sea-bass and
black fish--the weather proved remarkably fine, which, together with the
salubrity of the air and wholesome exercise, rendered this little voyage
extremely agreeable, and cannot fail, we hope, of being serviceable to a
speedy and complete restoration of his health."

Washington was fond of cards, and in bad weather even records "at home all
day, over cards." How much time must have been spent in this way is shown
by the innumerable purchases of "1 dozen packs playing cards" noted in his
ledger. In 1748, when he was sixteen years old, he won two shillings and
threepence from his sister-in-law at whist and five shillings at "Loo"
(or, as he sometimes spells it, "Lue") from his brother, and he seems
always to have played for small stakes, which sometimes mounted into
fairly sizable sums. The largest gain found is three pounds, and the
largest loss nine pounds fourteen shillings and ninepence. He seems to
have lost oftener than he won.

Billiards was a rival of cards, and a game of which he seems to have been
fond. In his seventeenth year he won one shilling and threepence by the
cue, and from that time won and lost more or less money in this way. Here,
too, he seems to have been out of pocket, though not for so much money,
his largest winning noted being only seven shillings and sixpence, and his
largest loss being one pound and ten shillings.

In 1751, at Barbadoes, Washington "was treated with a play ticket to see
the Tragedy of George Barnwell acted: the character of Barnwell and
several others was said to be well perform'd there was Musick a Dapted and
regularly conducted." This presumptively was the lad's first visit to the
playhouse, but from that time it was one of his favorite amusements. At
first his ledger shows expenditures of "Cash at the Play House 1/3," which
proves that his purse would bear the cost of only the cheapest seats;
but later he became more extravagant in this respect, and during the
Presidency he used the drama for entertaining, his ledger givi