Fernagus De Gelone to Thomas Jefferson, 3 August 1821
From Fernagus De Gelone
New York 3. August 1821.
Sir.
having not found any encouragement for my new institution in this place, and as I am promised to receive $30,000. in Martinico, in order to establish a School on general principles, according to the rules of Lancaster, which were those of The Military School of Paris in the time of Louis the 15th I am on the point of Starting. I like America, but I have lost 24000. dollars in it. I am Sorry to leave a country in which I have been living for 17. years.—
If I do not remain in Martinico, I Shall go to join my old friend Mr Bonpland, the Collaborator of My friend Mr Humboldt, up the Plata, on the Uraguay.
My idea is now to form a normal school on the plan of the Polytechnical School, in South America, not from any Sense of interest, Just to make my fellow-Comrades useful to Society.
If You are fond of plants, Sir, I will now and then Send you Something fine, through Richmond.—
I have a beautiful little garden.1 I am very Sorry to leave it.
I will also Send to you Some Shells and Minerals.
I expect to remain in town five or Six days more. Doctor Mitchill or Mr Gahn, the Swedish Consul, would take care of my letters.
| fernagus De Gelone |
| Allié du Major-General Berthier, Prince de Neufchatel et Wagram. |
RC (MHi); at head of text: “Thomas Jefferson, Esqre”; endorsed by TJ as received 12 Aug. 1821 and so recorded in SJL.
In 1821 the French botanist Aimé bonpland attempted to establish a settlement for the production of maté on former Jesuit lands at Santa Ana, Argentina, but he was detained later that year and imprisoned for almost a decade in Paraguay (Stephen Bell, A Life in Shadow: Aimé Bonpland in Southern South America, 1817–1858 [2010], 60, 62, 64).
allié du: “Relation by marriage of.”
1. Omitted period at right margin editorially supplied.
Index Entries
- Berthier, Louis Alexandre, Prince de Neuchâtel; family of search
- Bonpland, Aimé Goujaud; and South America search
- École Militaire (Paris); educational plan of search
- École Polytechnique (Paris); educational plan of search
- Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; as educator search
- Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; finances of search
- Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; letters from search
- Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; plans to relocate to South America search
- Fernagus De Gelone, Jean Louis; proposed school in Martinique search
- Gahn, Henry; as Swedish consul at New York search
- gardens; in New York City search
- Humboldt, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander, Baron von; as A. G. Bonpland’s collaborator search
- Lancaster, Joseph; educational system of search
- Louis XV, king of France; and École Militaire search
- Martinique; schools in search
- mineralogy; of South America search
- Mitchill, Samuel Latham; forwards letters search
- plants; South American search
- schools and colleges; École Militaire (Paris) search
- schools and colleges; École Polytechnique (Paris) search
- shells search
- South America; minerals of search
- South America; plants of search
- South America; schools in search