Thomas Jefferson Papers
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Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Milligan, 28 March 1815

To Joseph Milligan

Monticello Mar. 28. 15.

Dr Sir

By a letter from Mr Saml H. Smith I am informed that the President had engaged you to come on here as soon as I should be ready to examine and pack the library, and that mr Dougherty was to superintend the transportation. I have been a fortnight laboriously engaged in revising the books, & placing them on their shelves every one in the place and order in which it stands in the Catalogue. this I shall finish the next Saturday (Apr. 1.) we shall then have only to paste the numbers on the books corresponding with the catalogue, which will be a work of 3. or 4. days say to Apr. 5. or 6th1 and I should be glad if you could be here as soon as that is done, say in the latter half of the ensuing week. there can be no better packing boxes than the pine cases in which they stand. not a book need be moved. only a leaf of paper be put between every 2. volumes, paper parings stuffed in the interval between the tops of the books and shelf above, and sheets of waste paper spread over the whole face of the press over which the lid is to be nailed. the presses are of the proper size to lay in a waggon, except 2. or 3. which we can easily cut. you must bring the waste paper and paper parings, as they cannot be had here, and as I presume a waggon must come on with them, we can load her back with books, now ready. for carrying the rest of the library I have recommended to take the waggons of this neighborhood, which can be had for 4.D. a day.—The library not having been revised for 20. years before, I expected great losses. they are not less than expected. some can be recovered, some replaced, and the rest more than countervailed by the many books which had by accident been omitted to be catalogued. when the President, while Secretary of state, was engaged in writing on Neutral rights, I lent him Wynne’s life of Jenkins, 2. large folios, and a work in Latin entitled ‘Scriptores de jure maritimo, sc. Stypmannus, Kuricke, Loccenius, et Heineccius.’ 4to. they were never returned, and are now probably with the books in the office of state, if they were saved from conflagration. will you be so good as to enquire, and if there, have them brought on with the waggon? many of those wanting I think you can procure in Washn & George town at my cost, and have them brought on also. the waggon should arrive here the day after you. I am very anxious to get thro your part of this business, the packing and nailing up, because my affairs in Bedford call for me distressingly, & I shall set out the moment you are done. Dougherty may then take off the presses at his leisure. I state below the books I wish you to try to get & bring on.

Accept the assurances of my esteem and respect

Th: Jefferson

RC (NjP: John Story Gulick Collection of American Statesmen); with MS of enclosure subjoined. PoC (DLC); on reused address cover of William Caruthers to TJ, 4 Mar. 1815; with PoC of enclosure subjoined; at foot of first page: “Mr Milligan”; endorsed by TJ.

James Madison borrowed William wynne’s The Life of Sir Leoline Jenkins, 2 vols. (London, 1724; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 374), and the scriptores entitled Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus (Halle an der Saale, 1740; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 2122), consisting of works by Franz Stypmann, Reinhold Kuricke, Johannes Loccenius, and Johann Gottlieb Heineccius. Madison cited these publications in his An Examination of the British Doctrine, which subjects to capture a Neutral Trade, not open in Time of Peace (1806; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 2116), 117–9, 180.

1Preceding six words interlined.

Index Entries

  • An Examination of the British Doctrine, which subjects to capture a Neutral Trade, not open in Time of Peace (J. Madison) search
  • books; on neutral rights search
  • Dougherty, Joseph; and transportation of TJ’s library search
  • Heineccius, Johann Gottlieb; Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; catalogue of search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; loans books search
  • Kuricke, Reinhold; Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus search
  • Library of Congress; TJ prepares books for transportation search
  • Library of Congress; TJ’s catalogue of books sold to search
  • Loccenius, Johannes; Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus search
  • Madison, James (1751–1836); An Examination of the British Doctrine, which subjects to capture a Neutral Trade, not open in Time of Peace search
  • Madison, James (1751–1836); borrows books from TJ search
  • Milligan, Joseph; assists with packing and transportation of TJ’s library search
  • Milligan, Joseph; letters to search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); TJ plans visit to search
  • Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus (F. Stypmann, R. Kuricke, J. Loccenius, and J. G. Heineccius) search
  • Stypmann, Franz; Scriptorum de Jure Nautico et Maritimo Fasciculus search
  • The Life of Sir Leoline Jenkins (W. Wynne) search
  • Wynne, William; The Life of Sir Leoline Jenkins search