Thomas Jefferson Papers
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From Thomas Jefferson to Jacob Hollingsworth, 18 February 1793

To Jacob Hollingsworth

Philadelphia Feb. 18. 1793

Sir

You desired in a former letter to be informed when Congress should provide for lost certificates which might be proved by other vouchers. I am not certain whether the inclosed act passed and printed a few days ago may come up to your view. But under the possibility that it might, I send it to you by the first post since it was printed.

I have not yet received any letter from Mr. Biddle. I wish he could find tenants enough for 2000 acres, that being the whole I wish to rent in that part of the country. It would enable them too to settle the different lots among themselves more to their mind, and to proportion the rent of each to it’s comparative value, so as that while I should receive a quarter of a dollar the acre upon the whole, they should pay some more some less according as their lot should be more or less good. In like manner, they might then have the whole of the laborers now on the lands, paying me 50. dollars a year1 for every man and woman of the whole, but they dividing them to their mind, and contributing more or less according as each should have the more or the less valuable laborers in their lot. This I think would be just and satisfactory to all. I shall not pass Elkton so early as March but will give Mr. Biddle notice when I do pass, in time to meet me. I will trouble you to communicate these things to him and to let him know I shall be glad to receive information from him by letter. I am Sir your very humble servt

Th: Jefferson

PrC (DLC); at foot of text: “[Mr.] Hollingsworth.” Tr (ViU: Edgehill-Randolph Papers); 19th-century copy. Enclosure: An Act relative to claims against the United States, not barred by any act of limitation, and which have not been already adjusted … (Philadelphia, 1793). See Evans, description begins Charles Evans, Clifford K. Shipton, and Roger P. Bristol, comps., American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of all Books, Pamphlets and Periodical Publications Printed in the United States of America from … 1639 … to … 1820, Chicago and Worcester, Mass., 1903–59, 14 vols. description ends No. 26305.

Hollingsworth had mentioned the subject of lost certificates in his [9] Dec. 1792 letter to TJ. The inclosed act, approved on 12 Feb. 1793, dealt with the disposition of unsettled claims for various services rendered to the United States before 4 Mch. 1789 (Annals description begins Annals of the Congress of the United States: The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States … Compiled from Authentic Materials, Washington, D.C., Gales & Seaton, 1834–56, 42 vols. All editions are undependable and pagination varies from one printing to another. The first two volumes of the set cited here have “Compiled … by Joseph Gales, Senior” on the title page and bear the caption “Gales & Seatons History” on verso and “of Debates in Congress” on recto pages. The remaining volumes bear the caption “History of Congress” on both recto and verso pages. Those using the first two volumes with the latter caption will need to employ the date of the debate or the indexes of debates and speakers. description ends , iii, 1413–14).

1Preceding two words interlined.

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