Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 19 June 1817
To William Short
Monticello June 19. 17.
Dear Sir
Mr Higginbotham having mortgaged to you the lands he purchased as a security for the paiments stipulated, & those payments being made, he thinks there should be a release of the mortgage on your part, for which purpose I inclose you an instrument with a note of the manner of acknolegement.
My letters from France inform me of the death of the Abbé Rochon, and that of his daughter a few hours before him. he left an unfinished history of steam-boats. a company is formed there to settle an agricultural and commercial colony on the coast of Senegal. two vessels with emigrants for that destination had already sailed & a third was ready to sail. the tide of military emigrants was setting chiefly to S. America; whether to increase the happiness of that people or not, is still a problem. I have lately had a visit from Baron Quenette, from whom I have recieved much interesting information as to the proceedings while the emperor of Russia and K. of Prussia were there. he appears to me a very sensible, well informed and able man, neither a friend to their late military tyrant nor to the ancien regime, but wishing and hoping for a limited monarchy and representative legislature. I hear of a critique commenced in some of the French journals on Franklin’s letters on political grounds.
We have nothing here worth communicating to you. we are endeavoring to establish a college in Albemarle, if we can get sufficient funds; but our chief hope is to draw to it the University which the state proposes, and for which liberal funds are provided. I set out for Bedford in a few days to be absent 3. weeks, and propose also to pass the months of August & September there. ever and affectionately yours
Th: Jefferson
RC (ViW: TJP); at foot of text: “W. Short esq.”; addressed (cut): “William [. . .]”; franked; postmarked Milton, 21 Ju[ne]. PoC (DLC); on verso of right half of reused address cover of Aaron Clark to TJ, 28 May 1817; endorsed by TJ. Enclosure not found.
The king of prussia was Frederick William III.
Index Entries
- Alexander I, emperor of Russia; in France search
- boats; steamboats search
- Central College; as state university of Va. search
- France; and colonization in West Africa search
- France; emigrants from search
- Franklin, Benjamin; correspondence of search
- Frederick William III, king of Prussia; in France search
- Higginbotham, David; and W. Short’s land search
- Indian Camp (W. Short’s Albemarle Co. estate); sale of to D. Higginbotham search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; and W. Short’s property search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Quinette de Rochemont search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); TJ plans visits to search
- Quinette de Rochemont, Nicolas Marie; visits Monticello search
- Rochon, Alexis Marie; death of search
- Rochon, Alexis Marie; work on steamboats by search
- Senegal; and Société Coloniale Philanthropique de la Sénégambie search
- Short, William; and Indian Camp search
- Short, William; letters to search
- South America; immigrants to search
- steamboats; A. M. Rochon on history of search