From Thomas Jefferson to John Beckley, 12 June 1798
To John Beckley
Philadelphia June 12. 98.
Dear Sir
In consequence of my undertaking to mr Trigg, I wrote to my manager near Lynchburg to know if he could pay him 240. Dollars the 1st. of July. he has informed me he could not; but that, according to my directions in that case, he had engaged a merchant of Lynchburg to do it, in exchange for my draught for that sum in Richmond. I have accordingly made provision for the payment in Richmond. on collating my bills here with my resources, (as I shall leave this place the beginning of next week) I find I can have some of them deferred beyond the 1st. of July, if it will be a convenience to you to accept my order for the sum payable at some further day suitable to you, rather than to provide the money for the 1st. of July as proposed in one of your letters to me. it would have given me greater pleasure to have let it lie, sine die, but that my bills, on being collected, call for all the means I have. I am with great esteem Dr. Sir
Your most obedt. Servt
Th: Jefferson
PrC (MHi); at foot of text: “Mr. Beckley”; endorsed by TJ in ink on verso. Not recorded in SJL.
I wrote to my manager near Lynchburg: according to SJL, TJ wrote Bowling Clark, his overseer at Poplar Forest, on 19 Apr. 1798. TJ received Clark’s reply of 8 May on the 26th, but neither letter has been found. On 26 June TJ gave John Trigg an order on Clark for $100, part of TJ’s payment as security for Beckley. To complete the payment to Trigg, TJ sent Clark an order for $140, which he entered in his account book on 31 July ( 2:988). According to SJL TJ wrote Trigg on 26 June and Clark on 1 Aug., but neither letter has been located. one of your letters to me: see TJ to Beckley, 17 Apr. 1798 (first letter). A letter from Beckley to TJ of 14 June 1798, recorded in SJL as received the same day, has not been found.