1From 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...
2From 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...
3From 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...
4From 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...
5From 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...
6From 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...
7From 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 ).
8From 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...
9From 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...
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...