they wrote -- i knew it was roger chew wightman, dragged into the white house by the admiral as they were preparing to burn the white house, and the check was made out by james madison to wightman 23 days before burning the white house. it's probably for books, because wightman was a book seller and he was dragged in to represent the humiliation of the americans. he was the only american in the white house, the british bandit, and so i knew knowing more about the providence of this check that it was going to be very valuable. of the fact that wightman was the only person in the white house who wa an american. he later became mayor of washington. he was a notable grand mason, and so that's why i brought it. >> how long had washington been the seat of government by 1814? how long had it been the -- >> 1800. john adams came down in 1800, because the capitol ual used to in philadelphia, and he was the first president to live in the white house. every president has lived there except george washington. >> what was the city like in 1814? >> it was a mere embryo of what testimony aspired to