4501From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 7 March 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Feb. 26. has been duly recieved. I think I mentioned in a former letter that experience had shewn me that I could not pay more than 1000. D. a quarter without sensible distress. sometimes & indeed generally, I find it most convenient to pay it in moieties; sometimes the whole sum at once. the latter has been the case for the present quarter. I now accordingly inclose you a...
4502From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 27 January 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 28th. was recieved on the 24th. although mr Skipwith’s error in fact (that the Comptroller’s place was vacant) might supercede the necessity of saying any thing on the subject, yet a desire that he may not refuse what has been offered him, under delusive expectations, induces me to go into explanations with you, in hopes you may find opportunities of rectifying his ideas,...
4503From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 15 April 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 2d. was recd on the 7th. & that of the 12th. last night. as you had informed mr Barnes not to write to you to New York after the 4th. and me, that you would notify me of your arrival in Philadelphia, I was awaiting that to answer your letter. I now do it at hazard & shall address it to you at Philadelphia to be kept in the post office till called for. I have not time at this...
4504From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 19 August 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letters of the 7th. & 10th. were recieved on the 15th., communicated to mr Madison & recieved back from him yesterday. we relinquish the idea of a direct passage to St. Petersburg, and adopt that of a general communication to the government of France through which you will pass. mr Madison will be here within a few days in order that we may arrange and finally expedite whatever is...
4505From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 19 April 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
The present occasion by mr Dupont is so favorable, that tho constantly immersed in business or society, without a moment’s intermission, Congress being in session, I cannot omit to drop you a line; whether it will be long or short will depend on the interruptions. my last to you were of the 17th. of March and 3d. of Oct. of the last year: since which I have to acknolege the reciept of yours of...
4506From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 20 September 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
According to the desire in your letter of July 19. & that to mr Price , I have settled the rents of Indian Camp to the end of 1783. either from a defect of my instructions to mr Lilly or his understanding them, he had proceeded in the collection of the rents for that year and made considerable progress before I knew & stopped him. I some time last autumn sent you a supplement to our accounts...
4507From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 4 May 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of Apr. 24. came to hand some days since, and I now return you the calculation of interest & paiments therein inclosed. the principles of this are understood & approved, and altho my occupations have not permitted me to investigate the calculations in detail, yet I have no doubt of their correctness. I have therefore inclosed you an acknolegement of the balance due Feb. 12. with a...
4508From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 2 December 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night the inclosed letter, which tho’ not signed I know to be from John Bartram . you will percieve by it that he has prepared the plants seeds &c which I ordered for M. de Liancourt at your request. I write to Bartram to day to deliver them to you and that you will pay him for them. while in Philadelphia you will readily get a hack to carry you to his gardens, about a mile on...
4509From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 8 February 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I am now able to resume my paiments , which have been interrupted by the great expences of the season: and which indeed experience has proved to be unavoidable at times, by an accumulation of calls beyond ordinary expectation. I inclose you a draught of the bk US. here on that at Philadelphia for 500. D. we had been in hopes that the ceremony of the impeachment now going on at this place would...
4510From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 31 January 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 27th. was recieved last night. those of Nov. 25. & Dec. 29. had been recieved in due time. the pressure of business had prevented my acknoleging them. I shall be happy to see you here, and repeat my hope of your taking your daily soup with us when not otherwise engaged. I have just recieved information that Russia has interdicted to her subjects all intercourse with England,...
4511From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 16 July 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Congress have appropriated a sum of money to the procuring books for their use. about one half of it was laid out the last year, but at prices which could not be approved. mr Duane is employed this year to make the importation, partly from Paris, partly from London, and to execute the details. but, as I am anxious to shew that the public money must be laid out with as rigorous economy as that...
4512From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 12 January 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Lilly having lately sent me the materials for the account of your rents for the year 1802. recieved by him in 1803. I am now enabled to send you an exact account of them from 1796. to 1802. inclusive; those subsequent to 1802. will be recieved by mr Price. the inequalities in those rents are to be explained. when the lands were purchased the tenants were on a fixed annual rent, & could run...
4513From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 18 August 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
In hopes of seeing you before this in Virginia I had [rese]rved the inclosed out of funds in Richmond, where I had supposed it might not be inconvenient for you to recieve it, and where it was more convenient to me, my funds in Washington being otherwise called for. hearing nothing of your being in motion this way, I now inclose it to the care of mr Taylor who I presume will know where you...
4514From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 5 May 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Apr. 28. came safe to hand with the watch chain and seal, which are entirely to my mind, and I now inclose you an order of the bank of the US. of this place on that at Philadelphia for 20. D. the amount of the two articles. I am now in all the hurry & bustle of preparation for departure this evening if I can be ready, or tomorrow morning at farthest, and having not a word of news...
4515From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 12 December 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 2d. inst. has been duly recieved; but I have not had it in my power to make you the inclosed remittance of 500. Dollars till this day. it can only reach you on the evening of the 14th. which I hope may be in time to answer your purpose. Mr. Eppes happened fortunately to have left here the two books he had purchased from mr Barnes. he has returned to him the Atlas to Reynal’s work,...
4516From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 29 August 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 7th. & 10th. inst. were acknoleged in mine of the 19th. Mr. Madison is now with me and is preparing instructions for you. we now very much wish we had asked you to take a trip here. it is impossible to give on paper so intimate an expression of our views as in conversation, and more difficult in this case than in others because in addition to the general objects of cultivating...
4517From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 14 June 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of May 15. was recieved in due time. you will now recieve inclosed a draught of the US. bank here on that at Philadelphia for 500. D. if I rightly estimate the calls which will come on me the beginning of July I am afraid they will disable me from making the remittance for that month. an unexpected one from Albemarle has deranged the calculations I had made for that epoch. after...
4518From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 6 July 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
What I now write you must be as secret as the grave. there is at length an unanimity of opinion as to a mission to Petersbg. but some difference as to the time, whether now or not till the meeting of the Senate. but the latter opinion will I think give way to the importance of the mission being so secret that it shall be suspected by no mortal until it is arrived in Petersburg. I write you...
4519From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 14 June 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of the 11th. was recieved last night. in the mean time mine of the 12th. had crossed it on the road, and I hope conveyed safely to your hands the order for 750. D. by the statement inclosed in yours the balance of the 22d. of May was 1537.D78 to which adding 6.15 for interest to the 15th. (by which day the order will be in your hands) and deducting the 750. D. amount of the order,...
4520From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 11 March 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favors of Feb. 14. & 26. are now before me, and answering first to the former, I inclose you a copy of the cypher as well as of the cyphered letter therein referred to. I have examined the two statements of our account. the first is perfectly intelligible, & right in principle. I have not attempted to examine the calculations, being on the point of departure for Monticello, & not doubting...
4521From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 15 November 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of the 6th. has been duly recieved. on the subject of your location for the winter, it is impossible, in my view of it, to doubt on the preference which should be given to this place. under any circumstances it could not be but satisfactory to you to acquire an intimate knolege of our political machine, not merely of it’s organisation, but the individuals & characters composing it,...
4522From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 12 October 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
On my arrival here I found your letter of Sep. 27. with an accumulation of business which has prevented my answering till now. the paper it inclosed I have destroyed as you desired. it’s contents shall now be answered with that frankness which has always existed between us, and an entire confidence that the whole subject will remain confined to ourselves alone. the two facts on which the paper...
4523From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 9 July 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Barnes & myself have been long sensible that the passing my pecuniary affairs through his hands gave him a great deal of trouble, and at the same time increased mine. it sometimes too occasioned delays, he being very far from the US. bank here, and I close by it. we have at length therefore ceased that circuity and I have opened a direct intercourse with the bank. I consequently this day...
4524From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 2 August 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
On the reciept of your letter of July 23. I wrote to mr Madison expressing my ideas on the several points it presented, and recieved his in return which I now inclose you as containing our joint opinions on them. that which respects the direct voyage will, I am afraid, not be so agreeable to yourself, yet I believe it is indispensible. secrecy is essential, that obstacles may not be prepared...
4525From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 8 July 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you an order of the bank of the US. at this place on that at Philadelphia for five hundred Dollars on the usual account. I shall leave this place about the latter part of the month for Monticello & after a few days rest there proceed to Bedford from which place however I shall be returned to Monticello by the middle of August. this will be before the time by which you expected to...
4526From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 13 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
My letter, written the day before yours of the 10th. will in some degree have anticipated your enquiries in that, but to be more particular, I shall leave this about the 21st. of July for Monticello, shall proceed about the 1st. of Aug. to Bedford, & after a few days there return to Monticello for the residue of that and the month of September. here, there & every where I shall be always glad...
4527From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 6 September 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I avail myself of the last moment allowed by the departure of the post to acknolege the reciept of your letters of the 27th. & 31st. ult. and to say, in answer to the last, that any one of the three persons you there propose, would be approved as to their politics, for in appointments to office the government refuses to know any difference between descriptions of republicans, all of whom are...
4528From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 23 March 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of the 10th. came to hand two days ago only. I will carry with me to Washington the whole bundle of your papers, so as to be able to put into your hands any particulars of them. I informed you in my last that in the first week of this month 500. D. would be left in mr Barnes’s hands for you, and the same sum monthly until the whole of my balance should be paid up. I am disabled from...
4529From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 30 August 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 23d. was recieved by the last post, and I sincerely regret that we are not likely to have the pleasure of seeing you here: and still more the cause. yet I am inclined to believe that the cause ought to have brought instead of detaining you. the only remedy I believe which can be relied on for relieving an obstinate diarrhea, or weak bowels, is long journies on a hard trotting...
4530From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 20 July 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I have put off writing to you to the last moment, and must therefore be short as I am just setting out for Monticello. yours of the 15th. is recieved. we fix your departure by the next vessel we send which will be in about 6. weeks. it will not be necessary for you to visit this place as mr Madison leaves it on Saturday. we highly approve the idea of calling your secretary our messenger & your...
4531From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 19 May 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I returned to this place three days ago, which being later than I had expected, has retarded my sending the inclosed order of the bank of the US. here on that at Philadelphia for 500. D. my crop of tobo. falls considerably short of it’s usual amount, so that altho’ I have not lost hope entirely that it may enable me to pay the whole of my balance the next month, yet I doubt it. in any event I...
4532From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 6 April 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I now inclose you a draught of the US. bank here on that of Philadelphia for 500. D. and early in the ensuing month shall make a similar remittance. I had before observed that in the months of April & May, when my tobacco of the last year would be coming to market, the balance remaining due to you would be within the reach of that, after taking from it 1000. D. particularly engaged, and I had...
4533From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 8 [i.e. 9] October 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of the 5th. came to hand yesterday evening after the departure of the post. this can go only this afternoon, & tomorrow is Sunday . I sincerely regret it is not in my power to furnish any thing in aid of your brother till the epoch I had mentioned to you. the close of the year calls for the paiment of all hired laborers, of my workmen, the year’s provision of corn & this during the...
4534From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 9 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I observed to you in a former letter that I had found from experience that I could not pay you more than 1000. D. a quarter without recurring to extraordinary measures which your indulgence had dispensed with. this has been done by remittances of 500. D. two months in the quarter, or of 1000. D. in one month. according to this I should now have sent 1000. D. and have intermitted the next...
4535From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 22 July 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I am just winding up for my departure and therefore have only time to inform you that I have left with mr Barnes the means and the instructions to make you the usual remittances in the forepart of the months of August & September, during which I shall be absent, and that we shall not be altogether without the hope of seeing you at Monticello. Accept my affectionate salutations and assurances...
4536From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 6 November 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of Oct. 25. from Prestwood came to my hands last night. it is the first knolege of your motions I have had since you set out for Kentucky: and having long expected you were on the road back, I knew not how to write to you. this has been the cause of my keeping a letter recieved for you from France a considerable time ago: & I do not send it now lest you should have left Richmond, where...
4537From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 6 May 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of the 3d . was recieved last night. the uncertainty where you were has alone prevented mr Barnes from remitting to you the April 500. D. I have this morning informed him you were in Philadelphia, and it is probable he will defer writing to you till Tuesday (10th.) because on Monday he will draw the May 500. and remit both together. remember you are to inform us to whom these monthly...
4538From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 12 June 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Jefferson not having compleated the sale of my tobacco, I am enabled to send you on 750. D. only which I now do in a bill of the bank of the US. here on that at Philadelphia. it will therefore be another month before the balance can be liquidated. I am in hopes that that will be in time for your departure; but should it not, you may direct the disposal of it with the same certainty as if...
4539From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 3 October 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my letter of Mar. 17. by mr Dawson I have recieved your favors of Apr. 19. & June 9. the vouchers accompanying the last I yesterday deposited in the Secretary of state’s office, sealed as they came, and desired a reciept to be made out & sent to me. whenever a settlement of your accounts shall take place, I will take care that the explanations of your last & other letters shall be given....
4540From Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 12 August 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of July 28. from Norfolk reached me here on the 5th. inst. I immediately wrote to mr Barnes at Washington & mr Jefferson at Richmond to furnish you with any sums of money you might want, and to the latter I inclosed a letter to yourself recommending to you to get from the tide waters as soon as you could, in consideration of the season, and pressed your coming and making this your...
4541From Thomas Jefferson to John Sibley, 27 May 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been some time a debtor for your letters of Mar. 20. and Sep. 2. of the last year. a constant pressure of things which will not admit delay prevents my acknoling with punctuality the letters I recieve altho I am not insensible to the value of the communications & the favor done me in making them. to these acknolegements I propose to add a sollicitation of a literary kind, to which I am...
4542From Thomas Jefferson to Augustin Francois Silvestre, 11 February 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved duly your favor of Sep. 8. and with it the 10th. volume of the Memoirs of the society of Agriculture, for which I pray you to accept my thanks. I shall always recieve their continuation with pleasure. my future address will be ‘Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, near Milton, Virginia.’ According to the desire of the Society, communicated to me in your letter I procured 10. bushels of...
4543From Thomas Jefferson to Augustin Francois Silvestre, 15 July 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I had recieved from you on a former occasion the four first volumes of the Memoirs of the Agricultural society of the Seine, &, since that, your letter of Sep. 19. with the 6th. 7th. 8th. & 9th vols, being for the years 1804. 5. 6. with some separate memoirs. these I have read with great avidity & satisfaction, & now return you my thanks for them. but I owe particular acknolegements for the...
4544From Thomas Jefferson to Augustin Francois Silvestre, 29 May 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have recieved, through the care of Genl. Armstrong, the medal of gold by which the society of Agriculture at Paris have been pleased to mark their approbation of the form of a mouldboard which I had proposed; also the four first volumes of their Memoirs, and the information that they had honoured me with the title of foreign associate to their society. I recieve with great thankfulness these...
4545From Thomas Jefferson to Charles Simms, 22 January 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night your letter of yesterday, and this being a day in which all the offices are shut, & the case admitting no delay, I inclose you a special order, directly from myself to apply for aid of the militia adjacent to the vessel, to enable you to do your duty as to the sloop loading with flour. but I must desire that, so far as the agency of the militia be employed, it may be with...
4546From Thomas Jefferson to Jesse Simms, 25 November 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
I have learned with real regret that my bill for the Canvasbacks you were so obliging as to furnish me the last year, had been suffered to remain unpaid. I took it for granted my Steward had taken care to pay it in time. immediately on finding it had not been done I desired mr Barnes of Georgetown to remit you 57. D. the amount which I hope has been done. Colo. Brent had promised he would...
4547From Thomas Jefferson to Sir John Sinclair, 30 June 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
It is so long since I have had the pleasure of writing to you , that it would be vain to look back to dates, to connect the old & the new; yet I ought not to pass over my acknolegements to you for various publications recieved from time to time, and with great satisfaction & thankfulness. I send you a small [one] in return, the work of a very unlettered farmer, yet valuable, as it relates...
4548From Thomas Jefferson to Tompson J. Skinner, 15 June 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
After waiting the time which had been concluded as proper from the rising of Congress, I directed your commission to be made out. but mr Gallatin represented that if the predecessor was so disposed, he might embarras his successor much, on an appointment so near the end of the quarter, when all the calculations are to be made in the shortest time possible, or the creditors delayed & rendered...
4549From Thomas Jefferson to Fulwar Skipwith, 4 May 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
I am about to ask from you the execution of a troublesome commission, without being able to encourage it’s undertaking by an assurance that it may not be repeated hereafter. the meanness of quality, as well as extravagance of price of the French wines which can be purchased in this country have determined me to seek them in the spot where they grow. when in France I visited all the remarkeable...
4550From Thomas Jefferson to Fulwar Skipwith, 11 July 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
This will be handed you by Genl. Armstrong appointed the successor of Chancellor Livingston at Paris. being the brother in law of the Chancellor, between whom & yourself he learns there has been some misunderstanding, he expressed to me apprehensions lest you should imagine he succeeded to the animosities of the Chancellor as well as to his office. I undertook therefore to remove that fear by...