To James Madison from Joel Barlow, 5 December 1811
From Joel Barlow
Paris 5 Dec 1811
Dear Sir
I take the liberty of recommending to your particular friendship & protection Mr. Corea,1 a Portuguese of great learning & Science whom I have known for many years a most amiable & honorable man. He is member of most of the learned Societies in Europe, & of that of Philadelphia.
He has now chosen the United States for his country, & I feel an interest in his finding friends & other comforts worthy of him. With great respect & attachment your obt. Sert.
J. Barlow
RC (DLC). Docketed by JM.
1. José Francisco Correa da Serra (1750–1823) was an eminent Portuguese botanist and diplomat. He arrived in the U.S. in late February 1812 and presumably presented Barlow’s letter of introduction to JM sometime in early March. He took up residence in Philadelphia and later served as Portuguese minister in Washington from 1816 to 1820. For an account of his life and times, see Richard Beale Davis, “The Abbé Correa in America, 1812–1820,” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, n.s., 45, pt. 2 (1955): 87–197.