1From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 6 September 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his friendly respects to Mr. Rittenhouse. He has two young ladies at his house whose time hangs heavily on their hands, and the more so, as their drawing master cannot attend them. If Mr. Rittenhouse then does not take his Camera obscura with him into the country, Th:J. will thank him to permit them the use of it a few days, that they may take a few lessons in drawing...
2From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 1 August 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I do myself the honour of inclosing you a printed copy of the report on measures &c. You asked in your letter whether the papers I had sent you were to be kept or returned. They are now useless and therefore may be done what you please with. They were only copies of what I had retained. Congress will rise this week, and I hope to be able within a fortnight after them to leave this place for...
3From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 1[5] June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclosed you, the day before yesterday a rough draught of the report I had prepared on the subject of weights and measures. I have this morning recieved from Mr. Short a proposition made by the Bishop of Autun to the National assembly of France on the same subject, which I inclose you, and will beg the favor of you to return it by post after you shall have perused it. He mentions that the...
4From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 22 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson will be obliged to Mr. Rittenhouse to inform him who has the best assorted shop of Mathematical instruments in town. RC (Miss Elizabeth Sergeant Abbot, Philadelphia, 1954). Not recorded in SJL . TJ’s inquiry was made in behalf of George Wythe (see Wythe to TJ, 10 Jan. 1791 ; TJ to Wythe, 14 Mch. 1791 ).
5From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 8 June 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson incloses to Mr. Rittenhouse the first criticism which has come to his hands on the rod-pendulum as a standard of measure. It is from a clergyman of Scotland. The author’s language is so lax, that it is difficult to know with precision what idea he means to express. It is particularly so in the following sentence at the bottom of the 1st. page. ‘It is therefore impossible to fix...
6George Washington to David Rittenhouse, [9 July 1792] (Jefferson Papers)
Having had under consideration the letter of the Director of the mint of this day’s date, I hereby declare my approbation of the purchase he has made of the house and lot for the mint, of the employment of Mr. Voight as Coiner, of the procuring fifteen tons of copper, and proceeding to coin the cents and half cents of copper and dismes and half dismes of silver: and I leave to his discretion...
7From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 11 April 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
I received yesterday your note on the subject of Michaud’s instructions, and think it would be better to have a meeting of the society that they may accept the charge proposed to them by the subscribers, and may appoint a committee to draw instructions, and a person to collect the fourth of the subscriptions and pay it to Mr. Michaud. My attendance on the society will be precarious, as it must...
8From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 30 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 25th. came to hand last night, for which I give you many thanks. The conversion of 36.71428 pouce[s] into 39.1923 inches was an error in division, and consequently the mean taken between that and Graham’s computation is wrong. It has rendered it necessary for me to suppress the note on that subject, and to put it into the form now inclosed. In this I state the reaso[n] for...
9From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 20 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclosed you on the 17th. the alterations I had made in my report in consequence of the Bp. of Autun’s proposition which had come to my hands two days before. On the 18th. I received from Mr. Cutting in London a packet of newspapers, among which were the two inclosed, containing the speech in parliament of Sr. John Riggs Miller on the subject of weights and measures. I observe he states the...
10From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 8 May 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
You mentioned to me once, information which you had recieved and which satisfied you that the pouch of the Opossum disappeared after weaning the young. As I knew that Mr. Randolph intended this spring to make observations on that animal I communicated to him your information that he might pay particular attention to it. You will see what he says. Tho a single observation is not conclusive, yet...
11From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 12 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I know not what apology to make for the trouble I am about to give you. I am sure I must call your publick spirit in aid of your private friendship to me. You will see by the head of the inclosed report, that the house of representatives have instructed me to lay before them a plan for establishing uniform weights, measures and coins. Five and twenty years ago I should have undertaken such a...
12From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 7 January 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson, beginning to pack his useless furniture, finds nothing more so than the article he now sends to Mr. Rittenhouse. He wishes he could propose it to his acceptance for a better reason: but if two bad reasons will make one good one, to that of the uselessness of the thing he will add (what will be equally useless to him) the sincere affection of the giver ; as a testimony of which...
13From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 3 July 1796 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed letter has been misdirected to me. The services therein offered are for the Philosophical society and I therefore think it my duty, by a transmission of the letter to you, to put it in their power to avail themselves of them if they find occasion. I think it proper to mention to you shortly at this moment a discovery in animal history of which I hope ere long to be enabled to give...
14From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 12 August 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
At my departure from Philadelphia, I said nothing to you about the Equatorial instrument , because the payment of my bills had left me with little more than would safely bring me home, and the inclosed note from Mr. Lieper for 238.58 Dollars was not put into my hands till the moment I was setting out. I now inclose it to you, merely to secure to myself the purchase of the instrument; for an...
15From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 24 February 1795 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed letter to mr Madison covers two to the President & secretary of state, which were left open to be perused & then delivered by him. but as he may have left Philadelphia before they get there, & it is important they should be delivered without delay I take the liberty of putting the whole under cover to you, and open for your perusal as the subject will interest you. if mr Madison...
16From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 26 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 21st. came duly to hand, and I admit all your corrections with great thankfulness. The first was an inaccuracy of expression. I meant to say that there existed not in nature any one species of body or thing, such as a digit, palm, span, foot, cubit, barley corn &c. which furnished us with a constant uniform dimension. I have corrected it accordingly. The statement of the...
17From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 6 November 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
You will recieve herein inclosed the bill of lading and invoice for between 9. and 10. tons of copper shipped by Mr. Pinckney on board the Pigou for the use of the mint, for the reception and charges of which you will be pleased to give proper orders. It has been understood that Mr. Wright our engraver is dead. If this be the fact, will you be so good as to recommend for the office such person...
18From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 19 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I have to regret that having rode into the country yesterday afternoon, I did not return till it was too late either to take tea with you, or to go to the society, where I should have been pleased to hear Mr. Barton’s paper read. Will you be so good as to express to him my regrets? I send for your acceptance some sheets of drawing-paper, which being laid off in squares representing feet, or...
19From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 4 April 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Th:J. returns to Mr. Rittenhouse the treatise of De la Sauvagere and Keith’s pamphlet which he had presented him before, as he had also De la Lande which he insists on his keeping, as he has copies of them all. The other books received from Mr. Rittenhouse belong to the Department of state, but more immediately are for the Mint. He therefore returns them for the use of the Mint, to which also...
20From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, 21 March 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson with the approbation of the President begs leave to draw the attention of Mr. Rittenhouse to the latter part of the 1st. section of the inclosed act , and to request that he will take measures for collecting samples of foreign coins issued in the year 1792, of the species which usually circulate in the US. to examine by assays at the Mint whether the same are conformable to the...
21From Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse, [21 March 1791] (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson sends to Mr. Rittenhouse Bp. Watson’s essay on the subjects of chemistry, which is too philosophical not to merit a half an hour of his time, which is all it will occupy. He returns him Mr. Barton’s papers which he has perused with great pleasure. He is glad the subject has been taken up and by so good a hand. He has certainly done all which the scantiness of his materials would...