Thomas Jefferson Papers
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From Thomas Jefferson to Albert Gallatin, 7 August 1801

To Albert Gallatin

Monticello Aug. 7. 1801.

Dear Sir

Your favor of the 3d. came to hand yesterday. in it I recieved the list of warrants issued from your department as I did from the Secy. of the Navy those of his & the war department. none came from the office of state. perhaps mr Madison forgot to direct it, or mr Wagner to execute. a word from you to the latter will probably suffice. I think you expressed a wish to1 see weekly this communication. this shall be done regularly after my return, and in the mean time if you desire it, by forwarding the originals as I have no Secretary here for copying.—I inclose you the act establishing Michillimakinac as the port of entry & delivery for that district.—you did unquestionably right in giving a Mediterranean pass to the vessel, tho foreign built, chartered for carrying our stores to Tunis. I have no doubt that all vessels owned by American citizens are entitled to such passes.—I imagine the Danish minister has been sent to engage us in the Northern confederacy. he never would have been soon enough to obtain our consent, & is now too late to bring even their own.—I return you mr Mason’s letter. at the time he wrote it he had not seen the New haven papers. I think these will satisfy him. as to S. Carola, mr Pinckney was so particular in his observations to me that it was impossible to mistake him; & I have a note of what he said, at Washington. mr D’oyley is a most respectable republican, & his opinion of weight. but as mr Pinckney promised to write to me on the subject after his return, & I have some hopes that Genl. Sumpter will do the same, we had better wait. their election does not come on till at the end of two years, and mr Doyley does not explain what harm can be done provided the proper changes are made in time to prevent official weight from being then thrown into the federal scale. he is one of those destined for office. surely if we can wait till Congress meets, it will be better that arrangements should be made on the broad counsel we can then have, than on the very limited information we now possess.   I conversed with mr Madison on the subject of Rodney’s letter. we both think that as the appointment of mr Lewis is made, we ought not to meddle in it. if he offers to resign, certainly we may accept it; but not propose it to him. he is admitted to be a good republican, & not a word alledged against his moral character, nor any reason given why he should be removed but that he is disagreeable, without saying for what. I think it would shew too great versatility in us to be the first movers for the purpose of undoing what has been done. mr Madison promised to write to you on this subject.—I have proposed the Marshalsea of the Western district of Virginia to Colo. Moore, and taken measures to fix on the next best character if he declines. I suppose the place will be filled in a fortnight from this time.—accept assurances of my affectionate attachment & high respect.

Th: Jefferson

RC (NHi: Gallatin Papers); at foot of first page: “The Secretary of the Treasury”; endorsed by Gallatin. PrC (DLC). Enclosure not found.

The Warrants for the Navy and War Departments, enclosed in Robert Smith’s short transmittal letter to TJ of 3 Aug., have not been found (RC in DLC; in a clerk’s hand, signed by Smith; at foot of text: “The President”; endorsed by TJ as received 6 Aug. from the Navy Department and “warrants” and so recorded in SJL).

Northern confederacy: the armistice Great Britain imposed on Denmark in April 1801 and the convention between Russia and Britain in June had undermined the Baltic states’ league of armed neutrality (David Humphreys to TJ, 8 May 1801; Paine to TJ, 9 June 1801).

For Pinckney’s observations on South Carolina appointments, see Memorandum from Charles Pinckney, printed at 17 Mch. 1801.

For Caesar A. Rodney’s letter to Madison concerning the appointment of Joel Lewis as marshal of Delaware, see enclosure at Gallatin to TJ, 29 July (third letter). Madison promised to write to you: a letter from the secretary of state to Gallatin has not been found, but on 6 Aug. Madison informed Rodney that “any thing short of resignation” by Lewis “would involve the idea of removal, and as a removal without adequate objections personal to the officer, would exhibit the Executive under a disadvantageous appearance, the least embarrassing course would be to trust for a proper result to some voluntary arrangement that may grow out of the case” (Madison, Papers, Sec. of State Ser. description begins J. C. A. Stagg, ed., The Papers of James Madison, Secretary of State Series, Charlottesville, 1986–, 8 vols. description ends , 2:19–20).

1TJ canceled “know.”

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