Thomas Jefferson Papers
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Thomas Jefferson to John W. Campbell, 1 October 1809

To John W. Campbell

Monticello Oct 1. 09.

Sir

I recieved last night your favor of Sep. 19. and being about commencing a journey which will keep me from home some time, I answer it immediately. I think you have done well to restrict your intentions to the

Summary view,
Reports as Secretary of state &
Messages to Congress.

as I do not know that a copy of the Summary view can now be found any where else, I send you a volume of the pamphlets of that day (1774) containing it. I had written it hastily at home, & hazarded some things not certain, because I expected to ascertain them on arriving at the convention. but as I was stopped on the way & the piece was published by others, before I knew of it, it went forth with it’s errors uncorrected. on recieving the copy in this volume I made the M.S. corrections which you will see in it, & which, in the republication, should be made in the text.

2. Reports as Secretary of State. having had all these bound into a volume for my own use, & supposing it would be difficult for you to collect them, I send the volume. you will doubtless omit the Report of the Census, & the French originals of the correspondence with Genet. these two volumes making part of a collection of value & constant recurrence to myself, I need not recommend them to your particular care, & to be returned as soon as you can make the necessary use of them. I never before suffered them to go out of my own hands.

3. Messages to Congress. these can be obtained correctly only from the Journals of Congress from Dec. 1801. to Mar. 1809, a copy of which I presume you can procure from some of the gentlemen who are or have been members of Congress. the copies published in the newspapers were generally very incorrect.

Hoping that these volumes will get safely to hand by post I present you my salutations & respects.

Th: Jefferson

PoC (DLC); at foot of first page: “Mr Campbell”; endorsed by TJ.

The enclosed volume of the pamphlets of 1774, including TJ’s revised copy of A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 3085), survives at DLC (Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends nos. 3084–94). His reports as secretary of state as bound for my own use (Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 3164) is lost or dispersed, but evidently included A Message of the President of the United States to Congress Relative to France and Great-Britain (Philadelphia, 1793; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 3167), which included correspondence with Edmond Charles Genet. Campbell returned the volumes to TJ more than two years later (Campbell to TJ, 20 Dec. 1811). report of the census: PTJ description begins Julian P. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen, John Catanzariti, Barbara B. Oberg, and others, eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, 1950– , 31 vols. description ends , 22:227–8.

Index Entries

  • A Message of the President of the United States to Congress Relative to France and Great-Britain (George Washington) search
  • A Summary View of the Rights of British America (Thomas Jefferson) search
  • Campbell, John Wilson; letters to search
  • Campbell, John Wilson; proposes to publish TJ’s public papers search
  • Census, Report on (Thomas Jefferson) search
  • Genet, Edmond Charles; correspondence with TJ search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Correspondence; publication of papers search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Public Service; as secretary of state search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; A Summary View of the Rights of British America search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; messages to Congress search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Report on Census search
  • Messages to Congress (Thomas Jefferson) search
  • Washington, George; A Message of the President of the United States to Congress Relative to France and Great-Britain search