Thomas Cooper to Thomas Jefferson, 21 June 1819
From Thomas Cooper
Philadelphia June 21. 1819
Dear Sir
Mr Vaughan has written to you that he will see to the Stoves & have them duly shipped. When I receive the acct I will pay it.
I have had much trouble in fixing on a Minerva. None to be found in Tooke, Spence, or any french Pantheon on authority. I examined Monfaucon, but I could find none worthy of being copied. I found the Minerva of Velletri in the Museum Napoleon, but one arm is french, & the anatomy not correct.
Mr B: Otis has taken the best likeness I have seen of you, and I engaged him to make me a drawing; I took the Minerva of Velletri as a standard, but I do not like either his drawings, or his alterations. I then looked over the Recueil des sculptures, & all the medallion Seals in our Academy of Arts. I fixed at length upon the design of one which I got Mr Sully to draw for me. It is the largest herewith sent. He recommended me to M. Rasch to get it engraved, who asks 50 Dollars. A young man to whom I applied will engrave it for 15 or 20, I send you an impression of one of his engravings for which he charges 15 Dollars in Brass.
Send back to me such as you prefer, or suggest to me any alterations: & say to which of the two artists shall I apply. I have selected 3000 minerals, for I shall want duplicates for the purpose of teaching; the purpose I presume for which the visitors want the collection, & not merely for show. I shall charge them half a dollar a specimen, which I hazard nothing in saying is not more than half their value. They will be valued, as being very reasonable at 75 per Cents per Specimen; so the judges here say. They have not yet all signed that report, but when they have, I will transmit it. I consider them as the best collection for the purpose of instruction in this Country. I hope it will be the commencement of a Museum. Has M. Correa de Serra, written to you concerning Mr Nuttal as Botanist? I am sure we can get none better, & I greatly doubt wher we can procure any one, from any where, half as good. I say so because he is indisputably better versed in American plants than any other man. Pray bear the suggestion in mind. I wish a botanical garden was established, for it grieves me to see the annual present of Seeds from the Jardin des Plantes to the agricultural Society here, so negligently thrown away.
The times here are deplorably bad, not merely to mercantile people but to every class. I had three offers made me when I last wrote to you: one to edit a selection of english reporters; but as I could not finish it during my Stay here, I gave it up to Mr Ingersoll who has undertaken it at 500 Dlrs a volume, for about 12 volumes.
I accepted of the editorship of a new agricultural dictionary in 10 V. 8vo because the proprietors wd permit me to finish it in Virginia: but the scarcity of money and credit came on so heavily, that I could not help acquiescing in having the contract rescinded, for money could not be readily found to carry it on, or sale be found for the work when finished.
I was next employed to publish a digest of all the Virginia reporters, but that too I found myself bound in conscience to advise Mr Webster to give up for the present; for I am sure he will not be able to dispose of it for 2 Years to come.
I know not what will be the effect of paper swindling ultimately. Cash does not exist here or in Europe to take up outstanding bank paper. I am reflecting on the Subject, but I cannot make up my opinion.
I shall have two papers in the next Analectic Magazine, one on the present movement among the Manufacturers, and another on Lithography. I am hostile to the application of the Manufacturers, for reasons there given. I remain always with very great respect Dear sir
Thomas Cooper
RC (ViU: TJP); endorsed by TJ as received 30 June 1819 and so recorded in SJL. Enclosures not found.
museum napoleon: the Louvre. The young man was Robert Lovett. The July 1819 issue of vol. 14 of the analectic magazine contained articles on “American Manufactures” (pp. 39–47), signed by “Indagator,” and on “Lithography” (pp. 67–73), signed by “C.” The former article argued against an application by the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of National Industry for “heavy imposts, amounting to a prohibition … on foreign manufactures, for the purpose of giving effectual encouragement to our own” (p. 39).
Index Entries
- Adam, Lambert Sigisbert; Recueil de Sculptures antiques Greques et Romaines search
- agriculture; books on search
- banks; currency issued by search
- books; on agriculture search
- books; pantheons search
- botany; University of Virginia professorship of search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); andAnalectic Magazine search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); and botanist for University of Virginia search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); and mineralogy search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); and paper currency search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); and seal for University of Virginia search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); and stoves for University of Virginia search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); letters from search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); on domestic manufacturing search
- Cooper, Thomas (1759–1839); proposed editorships for search
- Corrêa da Serra, José; and University of Virginia search
- currency; paper search
- drawing; by B. Otis search
- drawing; by T. Sully search
- gardens; Jardin des Plantes search
- household articles; stoves search
- Ingersoll, Mr. (editor) search
- Jardin des plantes et Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; seeds from search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Portraits; B. Otis’s painting search
- law; books on search
- Louvre; Pallas of Velletri (sculpture) at search
- Lovett, Robert; as engraver search
- L’Antiquité Expliquée et Representée en Figures (B. de Montfaucon) search
- manufacturing; protection of U.S. interests in search
- mineralogy; and T. Cooper search
- Minerva (Roman deity); and University of Virginia seal search
- Minerva (Roman deity); Pallas of Velletri (sculpture) search
- Montfaucon, Bernard de; L’Antiquité Expliquée et Representée en Figures search
- museums; Louvre search
- Nuttall, Thomas; proposed University of Virginia professorship for search
- Otis, Bass; drawing of Minerva search
- Otis, Bass; portrait of TJ search
- Pallas of Velletri (sculpture) search
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia) search
- Philadelphia; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts search
- Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture; seeds sent to search
- Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of National Industry search
- Polymetis: or, An Enquiry concerning the Agreement Between the Works of the Roman Poets, And the Remains of the Antient Artists (J. Spence) search
- Pomey, François Antoine; The Pantheon, Representing the Fabulous Histories of the Heathen Gods (ed. and trans. A. Tooke) search
- printing; lithography search
- Rasch, Mr. (engraver) search
- Recueil de Sculptures antiques Greques et Romaines (L. S. Adam) search
- sculpture; at the Louvre search
- seeds; sent to Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture search
- Spence, Joseph; Polymetis: or, An Enquiry concerning the Agreement Between the Works of the Roman Poets, And the Remains of the Antient Artists search
- stoves; for University of Virginia search
- Sully, Thomas; drawing of Minerva search
- taxes; on imports search
- The Analectic Magazine search
- The Pantheon, Representing the Fabulous Histories of the Heathen Gods (F. A. Pomey; ed. and trans. A. Tooke) search
- Tooke, Andrew; edits and translatesThe Pantheon, Representing the Fabulous Histories of the Heathen Gods (F. A. Pomey) search
- Vaughan, John (1756–1841); and stoves for University of Virginia search
- Virginia, University of; Board of Visitors; and faculty recruitment search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; stoves for search
- Virginia, University of; Establishment; seal of search
- Virginia, University of; Faculty and Curriculum; botany and zoology professorship search
- Virginia, University of; Faculty and Curriculum; T. Cooper as proposed professor search
- Virginia; laws of search
- Webster, James; and publication of law reports search