Thomas Jefferson Papers

From Thomas Jefferson to John Condit, 14 April 1804

To John Condit

Monticello Apr. 14. 04

Sir

Being here for about a fortnight longer, I recieved at this place yesterday your favor of the 2d. inst. and immediately wrote to Washington to have the cyder recieved & bottled. you have not mentioned the price. be so good as to do it, & the money shall be immediately remitted, with many thanks for your kind attention to this matter.

I have just recieved information that Capt. Preble has taken a Tripolitan vessel with 70. men, and hope when the 4. frigates ordered there as a reinforcement shall get to the place, they will render us a good account of our captives. Accept my respectful salutations & esteem.

Th: Jefferson

PrC (DLC); at foot of text: “Dr. Condit”; endorsed by TJ in ink on verso.

wrote to washington: TJ to John Barnes, 14 Apr. (not found, but see Barnes to TJ, 20 Apr.).

price: TJ paid $100.685 for eight barrels of New Jersey cider (MB description begins James A. Bear, Jr., and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767-1826, Princeton, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1152).

TJ received Joseph Barnes’s letter of 4 Feb., which contained a report of the capture of a tripolitan vessel, on 13 Apr. (Vol. 42:396, 397n).

The four frigates were the President, the Congress, the Constellation, and the Essex. A fifth frigate, the John Adams, was being prepared for use as a transport (NDBW description begins Dudley W. Knox, ed., Naval Documents Related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers, Washington, D.C., 1939-44, 6 vols. and Register of Officer Personnel and Ships’ Data, 1801-1807, Washington, D.C., 1945 description ends , 4:88, 114-15; TJ to the Senate and the House of Representatives, 20 Mch.; Madison to TJ, 19 Apr.).

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