Henry Jackson To Henry Knox Warning About The Size And Cost Of His House 27 March 1794

Informs Knox he will deliver Captain [Thomas] Vose and Mr. Ebenezer Dunton their letters once he copies them. Cautions Knox on how large and costly his house will be. Writes the house will be much larger than a Country meeting house and with all the economy & attention probably it will cost more money than you have an Idea of or ought to be expended on a house in that country - besides which, the frequent alterations you have made and are daily making are attend'd [sic] with very great expense & will increase the bills... Explains the inside of the house is almost complete and they are waiting for the frame of the house to be set. Asks him to put aside his last minute changes. Mentions he does not believe Knox realizes the actual cost of his house and asks what he believes it is. Notes if Knox is correct, the house will have twenty four fire places, and all your rooms pretty large - I doubt whether either of the College's at Cambridge has more - if so many - it's a very large house that has ten or twelve, and but few such to be found in this Town, or even on the Continent - Requests he writes him back with further instructions.