1From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 6 February 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose, for the use of my grandson a draught of the bank of the US. here on that at Philadelphia for 56. D. having added to the usual sum 6. Dollars, which I pray him to call & pay to mr Dobson for me, for books lately recieved from him. I begin already to be much occupied in preparing for my departure to those scenes of rural retirement after which my soul is panting. I salute you...
2From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 15 January 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I take up my pen to inform you that the box with the vase & bridle bit arrived safely last night, & to save the trouble of the search you propose to make in your’s of the 10th. you therein say that ‘when my Polygraph is done you shall leave it to my choice to take either one or the other.’ this, my dear Sir, will be putting my delicacy to severe trial. I find the one I am now writing with, in...
3From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 7 January 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Dec. 23. was duly recieved, and I am in hopes the Polygraph got safe to hand, & that you found it in good condition except so much as concerned the writing of the upper part of the page. I believe I mentioned to you in a former letter that if the one of yours with which I am now writing was not for your own use, I should be contented to retain it instead of mine, paying whatever...
4From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 28 December 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 23d. is recieved. it was never till this day that I have been able to know of any person going to Philadelphia in the stage, so as to put the Polygraph under their care. Capt Jones of Philadelphia was so kind as to take charge of it. he left this this morning in the mail stage, & consequently the Polygraph will have arrived there one day before you recieve this. in the same box...
5From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 4 December 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose a draught for 60. D. to meet the current expences of my grandson, including two or three little debts of 2. & 4. D. of mine which I write to him to pay. I make these remittances for him merely by guess, and ready to enlarge them the moment you inform me that they are deficient. My Polygraph has been packed some time, & waits to find some passenger in the stage who will attend to...
6From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 15 November 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 12th. is recieved. the circumstance which has guided us in fixing on the subjects of study for my grandson has been the exclusive possession of Philadelphia of your Museum, the Anatomical dissections & mr Hamilton’s garden. add the Surgical operations at the hospital. I thought these would fill up his whole time; but as it is thought they will leave him time to attend the...
7From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 7 November 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his friendly salutations to mr Peale and sends him a recruit for the fund of his grandson of fifty dollars in an order of the US. bank here on that at Philadelphia. he will take care to do the same monthly, and if at any time it shall be necessary to enlarge it, he will do it on the first intimation recieved from mr Peale. DLC : Papers of Thomas Jefferson.
8From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 12 October 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
My grandson Th Jefferson Randolph is now here, and will leave this place so as to be in Philadelphia on Tuesday the 18th. he will immediately repair to the quarters you are so kind as to offer him. I have arranged with his father to supply all his expences, except for clothes & pocket money. these were excepted merely because, altho’ I have entire confidence in his prudence and governableness,...
9From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 24 August 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
It was the wish of mr Randolph & myself the last summer to send his son T. Jefferson Randolph to Philadelphia to attend lectures in those branches of science which cannot be so advantageously taught any where else in America: these are Natural history with the advantage of your Museum, Botany aided by mr Hamilton’s garden, and Anatomy with the benefit of actual dissections. we did not propose...
10From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 13 March 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of Feb. 21. was recieved in due time. a public vessel will be going to France & England once in every month during the embargo, on board of which mr Rembrandt Peale can obtain his passage by application to the Captain as usual. very soon after I came into office I found it not only proper but necessary that I should make it a rule never to write letters of recommendation to persons...
11From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 6 February 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you Capt. Pike’s account of the two bears. I put them together while here in a place 10. f. square. for the first day they worried one another very much with play: but after that they played at times, but were extremely happy together. when separated & put into their small cage again, one became almost furious. indeed one is much crosser than the other. but I do not think they have...
12From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 6 January 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
The bears went from this place in good health about a fortnight ago, and I hope are with you by this time. this is the first moment I have had as much leisure as to notify you of it. they were in a cage which they had outgrown, & suffered a little for it. I had them in larger quarters till their departure. they are perfectly gentle, knowing no other benefactor than man from the time of their...
13From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 5 November 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have recieved from Capt. Pike two cubs of the Grisly bear taken on the Rio Bravo. they were taken when too young to eat without being fed, have been ever since with the men on their journey, generally at large in their camp & perfectly gentle. they are now in a cage, & appear quite good humored. they are male and female. They would certainly be more in the way of extending information if...
14From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 5 October 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night yours of the 2d. on my arrival here on the 3d. I found the Stylograph with which I now write. you have rightly conjectured it’s principle. the impression both on the missive & copy retained is from a paper blacked on both sides, perhaps with coal, as they call it Carbonated paper. the method is so new to me that I am as yet awkward with it. it is not pleasant in it’s use,...
15From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 24 September 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I am to return you a thousand & a thousand thanks for your letter of Aug. 30. & particularly your kind offer to recieve my grandson into your family. I consider him as thereby placed in the best school of morality & good habits which could have been found for him, & secured against the only fears we entertained for him in your city. on the subject of his habits & dispositions they are exactly...
16From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 29 March 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 12th. is duly recieved, and I have no doubt the idea you suggest is perfectly sound that the glasses of spectacles should perfectly accord with one another. the surfaces of every lens for a spectacle should be a portion of that of a sphere, and not only should the two convexities correspond in position, but also with the lines of vision from the two eyes. my improvements in...
17From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 13 February 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Nothing would be wanting to fill up the measure of dissatisfaction with my present situation, but to see my friends adopt a stile of formality & distance towards me. be assured that your communications are always welcome, & the more so when the most frank. I shall make a proper use of that in your letter recieved last night. I will thank you to procure for me a pair of the inkholders of ¾...
18From Thomas Jefferson to Jonathan Williams, 12 January 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I am again to return the tribute of my thanks for the continued proofs of favor from the American Philosophical society; and I ever do it with sincere gratitude, sensible it is the effect of their good will, and not of any services I have it in my power to render them. I pray you to convey to them these expressions of my dutiful acknolegements; and to accept yourselves thanks for the favorable...
19From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 21 December 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I have safely recieved my Polygraph, with which I am now writing, and find it to answer well every where except a small place in the N.W. corner, which is of little consequence. in fact none of them probably can be perfect in every point of the whole field which their dimensions can cover. I now inclose you the 10. D. for the silver pens, & am sorry you did not enable me to judge of the cost...
20From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 22 November 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved your letter of July 2. in due time, & soon after that the apparatus for making the inkpots in mr Hawkins’s polygraph moveable, so as to render the dip easy. but in the mean time I had thought of a contrivance which I had executed at Monticello, and which a three months use has proved to be as perfect as it is simple. each inkpot is set in a square saucer of very thin brass, ¼ I....
21From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 27 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 22d. is recieved, & at the same time mr Hawkins’s small Polygraph, with which indeed I am charmed on account of it’s small size. the drawing the paper up to the pen is a beautiful contrivance, & I do not see why it might not be used in all the Polygraphs to reduce their size. I shall have the improvement of screw-pencases &c. put to this of mr Hawkins; but I find your idea...
22From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 19 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I am persuaded I shall be pleased with mr Hawkins’s portable Polygraph, because of it’s small size, & it’s simplification by omitting one of the horizontal parallelograms, the stays or suspenders, & probably the vertical parallelograms & gallows, for I see no use for the two last if the suspender be omitted. the pencases I shall be able to have arranged to my mind by an excellent workman here....
23From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 18 February 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
One of the polygraphs bespoke being intended for the Bey of Tunis himself, & the other two for his officers, it may be well to distinguish one of them by silver boxes in the way you propose. there will be no occasion for a plate to engrave any thing on. when done, they are to be sent here; and they will be less liable to injury coming by water, if a conveyance occurs. I salute you with...
24From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 24 January 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his friendly salutations to mr Peale, & acknoleging the reciept of his favor of the 21st. on the subject of mr De Peyster, informs him that on the 23d. of December mr John Lyle had been nominated to the Senate, approved & commissioned as Consul for the island of Curaçoa. PPAmP : Sol Feinstone Collection.
25From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 23 January 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I take the first moment in my power of replying to your favor of the 12th. for writing with our 4to. letter paper of 8.I. by 10 I. I should think a length of 18 I. & breadth of 11 I. the most perfect for the polygraph; all size beyond that occupying space on your table uselessly & consequently inconveniently. but I believe the Moors write on a small folio paper: at least all the letters I have...
26From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 1 January 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved your letter of Nov. 28. and the apparatus for carrying mr Hawkins’s pen-case. but I have tried an expedient which I think is better. that is to make the moveable pen case longer, that it may recieve a longer knib & have more spring. they hold the knib as firmly as possible, & they unite the advantages of your adjusting screw, & the being left in the ink holder while the polygraph is...
27From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 17 December 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have only a moment to inform you that I send by Majr. Wingate for the Philosophical society a Prickly lizard living, which I recieved from Louisiana, and a box containing the bones and mineral substances described in the inclosed letter from Dr. James Brown of Kentucky. Accept my friendly salutations. PPAmP .
28From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 13 November 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night your favor of the 10th. and in reply observe that an adjusting screw to the pen is absolutely indispensible in my writing. if such an one can be adapted to the whole pen, it will be preferable to the nib because it will be steadier, and I think it may be done in the way you propose by making the outer tube screw into the brass arm instead of being soldered into it. the...
29From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 21 October 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The day before yesterday I sent to Alexandria 1. a large box containing skins, skeletons & horns 1. small box containing the Polygraph 1. do. with minerals for the Phil. society to be presented in capt Lewis’s name. a cage with a living magpie. These were delivered to Capt Elwood as you will see by the inclosed reciept & the freight paid. he promised he would sail yesterday & I hope you will...
30From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 9 October 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Capt Cormac’s departure is deferred, and Capt Elwood not yet arrived. of course I cannot yet announce to you the departure of any of the objects destined for you. by the former will go the Marmotte & a bag of skins: by the latter a large box of skins, skeletons & horns for you, a small box of minerals for the P. Society, a cage with a magpie & a box with the Polygraph. when I wrote you on the...