61To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 1 November 1824 (Madison Papers)
I recieved yesterday from La Fayette a letter confirming his movements as stated in the Enquirer of Friday last. He says he will be here on Thursday next, and expresses his hope to meet you here. I presume you also have heard from him, but hope, at any rate, this will reach you in time to be with us on Wednesday. If mrs Madison will accompany you it will be the more welcome to us all. There is...
62To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 November 1824 (Madison Papers)
I would have accompanied the General to-day but for two reasons, I have not strength, and I should only have added to your embarrasmts. He leaves you Friday morning to partake of a dinner and ball at Fredsbg. on Saturday. The miss Wrights are detained here by the sickness of one of them. They go hence to the Natural bridge and return to Washington by Staunton, Winchester & Harper’s ferry. No...
63To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 20 November 1824 (Madison Papers)
Gilmer is arrived in N. York sick of a fever which he has had thro’ the whole voyage of 35. days and likely to remain there some time in the hands of the Doctors. He has engaged 5. Professors to wit George Long, Antient languages. George Blaetterman, Modern do. Thos. H. Key, Mathematics. Charles Bonnycastle (son of the Mathematician) Nat. Philos. Robley Dunglison Anatomy &c. This last wishes...
64To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 30 November 1824 (Madison Papers)
I detained the inclosed letters awhile to enable me to write my letter of informn. addnal. to our Report to the Governor, and then in expectation some of the Visitors might call on their way to the legislature and wish to read them. None have called however, and I now inclose them for your perusal. On the reciept of Gilmer’s letter of Sep. 15. from London which came to hand 3. days after those...
65To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 10 December 1824 (Madison Papers)
I send you the sequel of Gilmer’s letters recd. since my last to you. Torrey you will see does not accept. I had before recd. from the Secy. at War the inclosed letter to him from mr. Emmet the father recommending his son Doctr. John Patton Emmet, for Professor of Chemistry. Considering that branch as expected by Doctr. Dunglison I had given an answer that the place was filled. But learning...
66To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 26 December 1824 (Madison Papers)
I inclose you a long letter from mr. Cabell and a long answer from myself, not much worth reading, but that it is well you should know every thing. No letter from Gilmer since my last, but he is believed to be now in Richmond. Long and Blaettermann are here located in their pavilions as drawn by lot. The former is a fine young man and well qualified. The latter rather a rough looking German,...
67To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 23 January 1825 (Madison Papers)
I inclose you a letter from mr. Cabell and a copy of the bill I prepared and sent him as he requested. I send you also a letter from mr. Gilmer, by which he seems determd. not to undertake our professorship. What are we to do? I abhor the idea of a mere Gothic lawyer who has no idea beyond his Coke Littleton, who could not associate in conversation with his Colleagues, nor utter a single...
68To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 1 February 1825 (Madison Papers)
I concur with you in the favorable opinion of mr. Barber; and altho’ I should prefer Preston, as rather of a more academical cast, yet I could readily give a first vote to Barber. His reputn. in Congress would be of service. In most public seminaries a text-book is prescribed to the several schools as the Norma docendi in them; and this is frequently done by the Trustees. I should not propose...
69To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 12 February 1825 (Madison Papers)
I concur with entire satisfaction in your amendment of my resolution, and am peculiarly pleased with your insertion of Genl Wash’ns addresses, which had not occurred to me or I should have referred to them also. I send you another letter of mr. Cabell’s which I think you will read with pleasure. Affectionate salutations. RC ( DLC : Rives Collection, Madison Papers); draft ( DLC : Jefferson...
70To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 February 1825 (Madison Papers)
Mr. Cabell’s last letter to me, of Feb. 11. says that if the Professors do not arrive before the assembly rises, they (the Visitors there) shall disperse and a regular call will be necessary; but if they arrive, he and mr. Loyall will come up, from that place, by way of New Canton, and probably in Friday’s stage. Should the former be the case, I should propose, if you approve of it, that as...
71To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 22 February 1825 (Madison Papers)
Our Colleagues on the legislature have called a meeting of the Visitors for the 4th. of March. I presume they have notified you of it by mail, but lest they should not have done so I have thot it safe to inform you. Our newly arrived Professors will come up in the stage of the day after tomorrow. Mr. Cabell writes me that they were much pleased with them in Richmd. We are much so with the two...
72To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 10 March 1825 (Madison Papers)
Considering Chr. Tucker’s acceptance as absolutely desperate, the reasons he assigned being of an immovable character, and the hopeless state in which we should be if Barber also declined I took advge. of his being at our court to ask him to call on me. He did so. I entered with him on the subject of his undertaking our chair of Law. He stiffly maintained at first the preference of his present...
73To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 22 March 1825 (Madison Papers)
George Tucker accepts, as you know, and will be in place early in April. Emmet accepts and will be here about the same time. Henry St. George Tucker declines, expressly on the grounds of the local attachments of his family, with abundance of thanks Etc. to the Visitors; Barbour throws a greedy grapple at both places. I inclose you his letter and my answer. I have still some hope that when he...
74To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 29 March 1825 (Madison Papers)
Not knowing whether you may have obtained mr. Barber’s acceptance in the visit you proposed, I have thought of a proposition which it has been suggested to me would reconcile him to our offer. If therefore he has not accepted that of joining us at the end of his first circuit, and you would approve of giving him a year on his assurance that he will then accept, be so good as to forward him the...
75To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 April 1825 (Madison Papers)
I have received a proposition from Mr. Perry the owner of the lands which separate the two tracts of the University which I think of so much importance to that institution as to communicate to the visiters by letter in their separate situations. The University tract of 100 acres is ¾ of a mile distant from that of the Observatory of 153 acres. The water which supplies the cisterns of the...
76To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 13 May 1825 (Madison Papers)
Every offer of our Law chair has been declined, and a late renewal of pressure on Mr. Gilmer has proved him inflexibly decided against undertaking it. What are we to do? The clamor is high for some appointment, we are informed too of many students who do not come because that school is not opened, and some now with us think of leaving us for the same reason. You may remember that among those...
77To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 4 August 1825 (Madison Papers)
Circular Chancellor Tucker, Mr Barbour, Judge Carr, as you know had declined accepting the law chair of the University, and yesterday I received a letter from Judge Dade finally declining also; Mr Gilmer, our first choice had declined on account of his health, very much deranged by his voyage to Europe. That is now in a great degree reestablished, and he is willing to accept. What shall we do?...
78To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 10 September 1825 (Madison Papers)
Circular The state of my health renders it perfectly certain that I shall not be able to attend the next meeting of visitors (Oct. 3) at the University. Yet I think there is no one but myself to whom the matters to be acted on are sufficiently known for communication to them. This adds a reason the more for inducing the members to meet at Monticello the day before, which has been heretofore...
79To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 18 October 1825 (Madison Papers)
Every thing is going on smoothly at the University. The Students are attending their schools more assiduously, and looking to their Professors with more respect. The authority of the latter is visibly strengthened, as is the confidence of those who visit the place, and the effect, on the whole, has been visibly salutary. The Professors are all lecturing, the two Cantabs however somewhat in the...
80To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 24 December 1825 (Madison Papers)
I have for some time considered the question of Internal improvemt as desparate. The torrent of general opinion sets so strongly in favor of it as to be irresistable. And I suppose that even the opposition in Congress will hereafter be merely formal, unless something can be done which may give a gleam of encoragement to our friends, or alarm their opponents in their fancied security. I learn...
81To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 2 January 1826 (Madison Papers)
I now return you Ritchie’s letter and your answer. I have read the last with entire approbation and adoption of it’s views. When my paper was written all was gloom, and the question of roads and canals was thought desperate at Washington after the President’s message. Since that however have appeared the S. C. resolns., Van Buren’s motion, and above all Baylie’s proposn. of Amdmt., believed to...
82To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 20 January 1826 (Madison Papers)
Circular It is with the sincerest regret I inform you that we are likely to be again at default for our Professor of law. Mr. Gilmer’s situation is become decidedly pulmonary and hopeless. He has not yet been made sensible of the real character of his case and therefore only notifies me in a letter that it is certain he shall not be in health for the commencement of the term, and suggests the...
83To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 17 February 1826 (Madison Papers)
My Circular was answered by Genl. Breckenridge, approving, as we had done, of the immediate appointment of Terril to the chair of Law, but our 4. colleagues, who were together in Richmond, concluded not to appoint until our meeting in April. In the meantime the term of the present lamented incumbent draws near to a close. About 150. students have already entered, many of those who engaged for...
84To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 21 April 1826 (Madison Papers)
Mr. Wirt declined the offices proposed to him. Mr. Lomax has accepted the Professorship of Law, and will open his school on the 1st. day of July. He has paid us a visit, and his appointment appears to have given the highest degree of satisfaction to every body, Professors Students, Neighbors, and to none more than to myself. We have now 166. students, and on the opening of the Law school, we...
85To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 3 May 1826 (Madison Papers)
I have percieved in some of our Professors a disinclination to the preparing themselves for entering on the branches of science with which they are charged additionally to their principal one. I took occasion therefore lately to urge one of them (Dr. Emmet) to begin preparations for his Botanical school, for which the previous works necessary furnished unoffensive ground. His answer confirming...
86Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 10 March 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
Besey calling on me for some seed allows me just time to write a line, to await your arrival at home, requesting your attendance as a visitor of our proposed college on Tuesday the 8 th of April, being the day after our election. you will of course, I am in hopes come here the day or evening before, that we may have some previous consultation on the subject. I shall also request Gen l Cocke &...
87Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 13 April 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of Feb. 15. having given me the hope you would attend the meeting of the Visitors of the Central college near Charlottesville I lodged one for you at Montpelier notifying that our meeting would be on the day after our April court. a detention at Washington I presume prevented your attendance, and mr Watson being sick, only Gen l Cocke , mr Cabell
88Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 15 April 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
I sincerely congratulate you on your release from incessant labors, corroding anxieties, active enemies & interested friends, & on your return to your books & farm, to tranquility & independance. a day of these is worth ages of the former. but all this you know. yours of the 10 th was delivered to me yesterday. mine of the 13 th had been sent off the moment it was written. we are made happy by...
89Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 22 June 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
In two packages, distinct from this letter, I return you your father ’s meteorological diaries , which you were so kind as to lend me, and a piece on paper money recieved from you some time ago. from the former I have made out tables of rain and snow, and a calendar of animal and vegetable matters announcing the advance of seasons. having now compleated 7. years of observations since my return...
90Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 23 July 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
The promptitude & success of our subscription paper , now amounting to upwards of 20,000.D. with a prospect much beyond that renders the decision immediately necessary of some important questions which I had thought might have laid over to our periodical meeting the last of September. having an opportunity of writing to Gen l Cocke , I invited him to join me in a visit to you on Friday the 25...