31To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 8 February 1786 (Madison Papers)
My last letters have been of the 1st. & 20th. of Sep. and the 28th. of Oct. yours unacknoleged, are of Aug. 20. Oct. 3. & Nov. 15. I take this the first safe opportunity of inclosing you the bills of lading for your books, & two others for your name sake of Williamsburgh & for the attorney which I will pray you to forward. I thank you for the communication of the remonstrance against the...
32To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 9 February 1786 (Madison Papers)
In my letter of yesterday I forgot to inclose one I have received on the subject of a debt due to mr Paradise, and I wish the present letter may reach the bearer of that in time to go by the same conveiance. The inclosed from Doctor Bancroft will explain itself. I add my solicitations to his, not to ask any thing to be done for mr Paradise inconsistent with the justice due to others, but that...
33To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 25 April 1786 (Madison Papers)
Some of the objects of the joint commissions with which we were honoured by Congress called me to this place about six weeks ago. Tomorrow I set out on my return to Paris. With this nation nothing is done; and it is now decided that they intend to do nothing with us. The king is against a change of measures; his ministers are against it, some from principle, others from attachment to their...
34To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 16 December 1786 (Madison Papers)
After a very long silence, I am at length able to write to you. An unlucky dislocation of my right wrist has disabled me from using my pen for three months. I now begin to use it a little, but with great pain; so that this letter must be taken up at such intervals as the state of my hand will permit, & will probably be the work of some days. Tho’ the joint seems to be well set, the swelling...
35To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 30 January 1787 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of the 16th. of Dec. since which I have received yours of Nov. 25. & Dec. 4. which afforded me, as your letters always do, a treat on matters public, individual & oeconomical. I am impatient to learn your sentiments on the late troubles in the Eastern states. So far as I have yet seen, they do not appear to threaten serious consequences. Those states have suffered by the...
36To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 7 February 1787 (Madison Papers)
I leave the inclosed open for your perusal & that of your Collegues & others to whom you may chuse to shew it; only taking care that neither copies nor extracts be taken. Be so good, when you are done with it, as to stick a wafer in it and forward it to the Governor. I am with sincere esteem Dr. Sir Your friend & servt P. S. I do not know whether you are acquainted with young Bannister who...
37To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 20 June 1787 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you last on the 30th. of Jan. with a postscript of Feb. 5. Having set out the last day of that month to try the waters of Aix, and been journeying since till the 10th. inst. I have been unable to continue my correspondence with you. In the mean time I have received your several favors of Feb. 15. Mar. 18. 19. & Apr. 23. The last arrived here about the 25th. of May, while those of Mar....
38To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 2 August 1787 (Madison Papers)
My last was of June 20. Your’s received since that date are May 15. and June 6. In mine I acknoleged the receipt of the Paccan nuts which came sealed up. I have reason to believe those in the box are arrived at Lorient. By the Mary capt Howland lately sailed from Havre to N. York I shipped three boxes of books one marked I.M. for yourself, one marked B.F. for Doctr. Franklin, & one marked W.H....
39To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 August 1787 (Madison Papers)
A gentleman going from hence by Lorient to Boston furnishes me an opportunity of recommending to your care the inclosed letters which I could not get ready for the last packet. Pray inform me in your next whether letters directed to your foreign ministers or franked by them are free of postage. That they ought to be so, is acknoleged substantially by the resolution of Congress allowing us to...
40To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 17 September 1787 (Madison Papers)
My last to you were of Aug. 2. & 15. Since that I have sent to Havre to be forwarded to you by the present packet 3. boxes marked I.M. G.W. and A.D. The two last are for mr. Wythe in Williamsburgh, and mr. Alexr. Donald merchant in Richmond. The first contains the books for yourself which shall be noted at the close of my letter, together with the following for mr. Rittenhouse; viz. la Chymie...
41To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 8 October 1787 (Madison Papers)
The bearer hereof the count de Moustier, successor to Monsr. de la Luzerne, would from his office need no letter of introduction to you or to any body. Yet I take the liberty of recommending him to you to shorten those formal approaches which the same office would otherwise expose him to in making your acquaintance. He is a great enemy to formality, etiquette, ostentation & luxury. He goes...
42To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 20 December 1787 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of Oct. 8. by the Count de Moustier. Yours of July 18. Sep. 6. & Oct. 24. have been successively received, yesterday, the day before & three or four days before that. I have only had time to read the letters, the printed papers communicated with them, however interesting, being obliged to lie over till I finish my dispatches for the packet, which dispatches must go from...
43To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 6 February 1788 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you last on the 20th. of December since which your’s of the same day and of the 9th. have come to hand. The apples & cranberries you were so kind as to send at the same time were all spoiled when they arrived at Havre, so that probably those articles will not keep during the passage. The box of plants is arrived at the Custom house here, but I shall probably not receive them till after...
44To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 8 March 1788 (Madison Papers)
The bearer of this letter is mr. Francis Adrian Van der Kemp one of the late victims of patriotism in Holland. Having determined to remove himself & his family to America, his friend the Baron de Capellen, another of those expatriated worthies, has asked of me to give letters of introduction to Mr. Van der Kemp, recommending him for his extraordinary zeal in the cause of liberty, his talents,...
45To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 1 May 1788 (Madison Papers)
The bearer hereof, Monsieur de Warville, is already known to you by his writings, some of which I have heretofore sent you, & particularly his work sur la France et les etats unis. I am happy to be able to present him to you in person, assured that you will find him in all his dispositions equally estimable as for his genius. I nee[d] only to ask your acquaintance for him. That will dispo[se]...
46To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 3 May 1788 (Madison Papers)
Mine of Feb. 6. acknoleged the receipt of yours of Dec. 9. and 20. Since that, those of Feb. 19. & 20. are come to hand. The present will be delivered you by mr. Warville, whom you will find truly estimable, & a great enthusiast for liberty. His writings will have shewn you this. For public news I must refer you to my letter to mr. Jay. Those I wrote to him from Amsterdam will have informed...
47To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 25 May 1788 (Madison Papers)
The inclosed letter for mr. Jay being of a private nature, I have thought it better to put it under your cover lest it might be opened by some of his clerks in the case of his absence. But I inclose a press copy of it for yourself, as you will perceive the subject of it referred to you as well as to him. I ask your aid in it so far as you think right, and to have done what you think right. If...
48To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 31 July 1788 (Madison Papers)
My last letters to you were of the 3d & 25. of May. Yours from Orange, of Apr. 22. came to hand on the 10th. inst. My letter to mr. Jay containing all the public news that is well authenticated, I will not repeat it here, but add some details in the smaller way which you may be glad to know. The disgrace of the Marquis de la Fayette which at any other period of their history would have had the...
49To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 4 August 1788 (Madison Papers)
The bearer hereof, mr. Dobbyns, a native of Ireland, having it in contemplation to dispose of his estate in that country, & to remove with his tenants to America, I have advised him, before he carries the measure into entire execution, to go thither himself, to fix on the part of the country which from climate, soil, & other circumstances would best suit his views, and even to provide a place...
50To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 18 November 1788 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of the 31st. of July: since which I have received yours of July 24. Aug. 10. & 23. The first part of this long silence in me was occasioned by a knoledge that you were absent from N. York; the latter part, by a want of opportunity, which has been longer than usual: mr. Shippen being just arrived here, and to set out tomorrow for London, I avail myself of that channel of...
51To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 12 January 1789 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of the 18th. of Nov. since which I have received yours of Sep. 21. and Oct. 8. with the pamphlet on the Mohiccon language, for which receive my thanks. I endeavor to collect all the vocabularies I can of the American Indians, as of those of Asia, persuaded that if they ever had a common parentage it will appear in their languages. I was pleased to see the vote of Congress of...
52To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 March 1789 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you last on the 12th. of Jan. since which I have received your’s of Octob. 17. Dec. 8. & 12. That of Oct. 17. came to hand only Feb. 23. How it happened to be four months on the way, I cannot tell, as I never knew by what hand it came. Looking over my letter of Jan. 12th. I remark an error of the word ‘probable’ instead of ‘improbable,’ which doubtless however you had been able to...
53To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 11 May 1789 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of the 15th. of March. I am now in hourly expectation of recieving my leave of absence. The delay of it a little longer will endanger the throwing my return into the winter, the very idea of which is horror itself to me. I am in hopes this is the last letter I shall have the pleasure of writing you before my departure. The madness of the king of England has gone off, but...
54To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 18 June 1789 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of May 11. Yours of Mar. 29. came to hand ten days ago: and about two days ago I received a cover of your hand writing, under which was a N. York paper of May 4. & a letter from mr. Page to Mazzei. There being no letter from you makes me hope there is one on the way which will inform me of my Congé. I have never received mr. Jay’s answer to my public letter of Nov. 19. which...
55To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 22 July 1789 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of the 18th. of June. Within a day or two after, yours of May 9. came to hand. In the rest of Europe nothing remarkeable has happened; but in France such events as will be for ever memorable in history. To begin where my last left them, the king took on himself to decide the great question of voting by persons or by orders, by a declaration made at a Seance royale on the...
56To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 29 July 1789 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you on the 22d. Since that I have received yours of the 23d. of May. The president’s title as proposed by the Senate was the most superlatively ridiculous thing I ever heard of. It is a proof the more of the justice of the character given by Doctr. Franklin of my friend [:] always an honest man often a great one but sometimes absolutely mad . I wish he could have been here during the...
57To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 28 August 1789 (Madison Papers)
My last to you was of July 29. Since that I have received yours of May 27. June 13. & 30. The tranquillity of the city has not been disturbed since my last. Dissensions between the French & Swiss guards occasioned some private combats in which five or six were killed. These dissensions are made up. The want of bread for some days past has greatly endangered the peace of the city. Some get a...
58To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 6 September 1789 (Madison Papers)
I sit down to write to you without knowing by what occasion I shall send my letter. I do it because a subject comes into my head which I would wish to develope a little more than is practicable in the hurry of the moment of making up general dispatches. The question Whether one generation of men has a right to bind another, seems never to have been started either on this or our side of the...
59To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 17 September 1789 (Madison Papers)
I have sent to Havre the following packages, with directions to send them by the first vessel to New York to your address. TI. No. 29. A box of books. These were packed before I took a list of them, therefore I cannot inform you of it’s contents. I believe the whole are for you; tho’ should it be otherwise the person’s name will always be found written on or in the book. TI. No. 33. TI. No....
60To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 9 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
I wrote the inclosed letter to you a little before I left Paris, & having no occasion to send it, I brought it with me. I mentioned it to you when I had the happiness of possessing you at Monticello, but still forgot to give it to you. After so long lying by me, and further turning the subject in my mind, I find no occasion to alter my mind. I hazard it therefore to your consideration. I...