Book checked out by Washington returned

NEW YORK, May 20 (UPI) -- Staff at a New York library said members of George Washington's estate have returned a book he borrowed from the facility 221 years ago.

Charles Berry, the New York Society Library's chairman of the board of trustees, accepted a copy of "The Law of Nations" from the estate of the first U.S. president during a ceremony at the library Wednesday, bringing an end to the story of the book borrowed from the collection Oct. 5, 1789, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"I hereby absolve George Washington and his representatives for any overdue library fees incurred," Berry said. "The library was not about to pursue a fine, but we were delighted to learn that a copy of this book was coming back to us."

Berry said the book is not the exact copy borrowed by Washington, but is another copy of the same edition purchased by Washington's Mount Vernon estate for $12,000.

"We express our gratitude for your patience ... and for your generosity in erasing the considerable funds that were probably owed by George Washington," said James Rees, executive director of Washington's Mount Vernon Estate. "He did not do his public duty."

Officials estimated Washington's late fees for the book would have been about $300,000, adjusted for inflation.