George Washington sought honest British workers over 'slovenly' Americans

FILE PHOTO: A statue of George Washington on a horse is pictured outside the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia, U.S, February 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jay Paul

LONDON (Reuters) - George Washington, the first president of the United States, praised the honesty of British farmers and sought to entice some to his estates because local tenants were so "slovenly", according to a handwritten letter he wrote in 1796.

In a three-page letter to the Earl of Buchan, Washington asks the Scottish nobleman if he knew of any "honest and orderly" farmers who would like to emigrate to the United States to work on his land.