Richard Claiborne to Thomas Jefferson, 29 [August] 1818
From Richard Claiborne
New Orleans apl [Aug.] 29th ’18.
Very dear Sir
Within 2 or 3 days of each other, I received your friendly favor of the 10th of May last, and one from the Marquis De Lafayette. Such a working of feelings as took place within my breast, at the occurrence, you may very well1 imagine. Reflecting too that we were among the few remaining characters of old revolutionary times, I was filled with a serious degree of melancholy. But providence disposes of things for the best. Were we to live to uncommon ages, we might meet with public mortifications we little expected. I will Say however that I shall die with one consolation, and that is, that I did live to see the 4th of March 1801!!
The enclosed paper will be continued to you until my Essay on Steam Navigation shall be finished; and when I get my plates executed, and my pamphlet published, a copy shall be sent to you. I am now going through a course [of]2 trials with my boat, which have turned out to my own satisfaction—and if I succeed in my mathematical experiments, the Invention will likely be carried up to Steam Power. “Old brooms are thrown aside, and new brooms sweep clean.”3 So it will be with the Wheel and the Duckfoot Paddle.
The Steam boats which now run in the Misisipi and its waters, are as follows:
The City of New Orleans is very healthy.
R Claiborne
Trouble not yourself to write to me. Only suffer me [to?] make my communications to you.
RC (DLC: TJ Papers, 213:37960–1); misdated; mutilated at seal; addressed: “Tho. Jefferson Esquire Monticello V.a.”; endorsed by TJ as received 29 Sept. 1818 and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure not found.
TJ was sworn in as president of the United States on the 4th of march 1801.
1. Manuscript: “will.”
2. Omitted word editorially supplied.
3. Omitted closing quotation mark editorially supplied.
Index Entries
- Ætna (steamboat) search
- American Revolution; reflections on search
- boats; steamboats search
- Buffalo (steamboat) search
- Cincinnati (steamboat) search
- Claiborne, Richard; and duck-foot paddle search
- Claiborne, Richard; and steam navigation search
- Claiborne, Richard; letters from search
- Constitution (steamboat) search
- Eagle (steamboat) search
- Franklin (steamboat) search
- General Jackson (steamboat) search
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- Governor Shelby (steamboat) search
- Harriet (steamboat) search
- inventions; duck-foot paddle search
- James Monroe (steamboat) search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Public Service; as president search
- Kentucky (steamboat) search
- Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de; letters from mentioned search
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