From Thomas Jefferson to Joel Barlow, 19 January 1804
To Joel Barlow
Washington Jan. 19. 04.
Dear Sir
Permit me to introduce to your friendly attentions the bearer mr Harvie. he is a young gentleman of the first order of talents, education, standing, and prospect in our country. he is the son of my particular friend, and with a view to prepare him for the public scene on which he will shortly enter, I invited him to become a member of my family for about a twelvemonth, in order that he might gain a general view of our affairs. he has lived with me as a secretary, and avails himself of a special occasion of making a short visit to France & England, & to return in autumn. he is a discreet & highly honourable young man. he can give you perfect information as to the state of politics & parties here. in particular he can satisfy you that federalism is in it’s last agonies, & that we want nothing now but for you to come & write it’s history. a more instructive lesson can never be offered to our country. and this is the spot where alone it can be written. Marshal is engaged in writing a libel on republicanism under the mask of a history of Genl. Washington. the antidote is reserved for you. you will find this a pleasant residence, good society, living in a plain unexpensive way: and the climate really excellent. in hopes it will not be long before you see us, I tender you my friendly salutations and assurances of great esteem & respect.
Th: Jefferson
RC (MH); addressed: “Joel Barlow esq. Paris”; with notation “by mr Harvie,” which TJ canceled with notation “mr Harvie has declined going”; endorsed by Barlow. PrC (DLC). Recorded in SJL and connected by a bracket with entries for Robert R. Livingston, Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours, and Fulwar Skipwith at 19 Jan. and George W. Erving at 20 Jan.; TJ later canceled the Livingston, Skipwith, and Erving entries.
As indicated by TJ’s note on the address sheet, Lewis harvie, in the end, declined going to Paris. His decision was known by 4 Feb., when Gallatin queried TJ on how the stock should be sent. On 7 Feb., Gallatin informed Joseph Nourse that it “not being practicable for Harvie to go to France,” John B. Nicholson, a Navy midshipman, would give a receipt for the stock certificates and deliver them to Lieutenant James T. Leonard in New York. Robert Smith gave Nicholson his assignment on the same day, noting that if Leonard could not carry the dispatches, “you are to proceed with them to France yourself, under such instructions as you may receive from the Secretary of the Treasury.” On 7 Feb., Gallatin also informed Madison of Harvie’s decision and noted that he needed passports for Nicholson and Leonard as soon as possible, as Nicholson was directed to depart for New York the next day. On 13 Feb., Leonard gave Nicholson a receipt for the stock certificates. Leonard delivered the stock to Robert R. Livingston on 25 Apr. He also delivered the correspondence and dispatches he carried to Paris for TJ and Madison, including this letter to Barlow (Gallatin to Nourse, 7 Feb. 1804, in DNA: RG 56, PFLP; receipts signed by Leonard and Livingston in same; , 3:396; , Sec. of State Ser., 8:575-6; Barlow to TJ, 26 June; Leonard to TJ, 8 Aug. 1804).
my particular friend: John Harvie of Belvidere (Vol. 39:363n).
For TJ’s 1802 attempt to convince Barlow to write a history to counter John Marshall’s Life of George Washington, see Vol. 37:400-1 and Vol. 38:406-7.