To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 27 December 1803
From Albert Gallatin
Treasury Department
December 27th: 1803.
Sir,
It appears by a letter of the 16th: instant, that the Light house at Smith’s Point is completed: the Contractor has left a young man on the spot to take care of the buildings; and as he will probably make a charge for his attendence, the propriety of appointing a Keeper is respectfully submitted. As a supply of Oil was ordered from Nantucket in November, it has probably already arrived at Norfolk, from whence the Collector may ship it to Smith’s point as soon as a keeper shall be there to receive it.
I have the honor to be Very respectfully Sir, Yr. Obedt: Servt:
Albert Gallatin
RC (DLC); in a clerk’s hand, signed by Gallatin; at foot of text: “The President of the U States”; endorsed by TJ as received from the Treasury Department on 28 Dec. and “Keeper Lt. Ho. Smith’s Pt.” and so recorded in SJL.
contractor: in early February 1802, Elzy Burroughs signed an agreement to build the lighthouse on Smith Point on Chesapeake Bay (Vol. 36:506).
Gallatin requested that when the oil for the new lighthouse arrived from Nantucket, William Davies, the collector at Norfolk, should forward it “with all possible dispatch” (Gallatin to Davies, 31 Dec., FC in Lb in DNA: RG 26, LL).