1From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 26 October 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
My friend mr Thomas Digges of Warburton whom you met here the first evening I had the pleasure of seeing you here, being about to send his two nephews, mr Fitzgerald & mr Carroll to Philadelphia for the study of medecine, wishes for the benefit of some information or counsel from you on their subject. apprehensive that the momentary view you had of him here may not sufficiently justify his...
2Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 10 June 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of May 20. has been recieved, and with it the specimen of the letters of Doct r Franklin which we are likely to have published. I wish we may have all ; but I am not yet relieved from the fear of suppressions. the anecdotes of his life would also be pleasing and instructive, and would place him in still another, and more amiable attitude before us. I shall be glad indeed if you...
3From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 7 June 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson returns his thanks to Doctr. Wistar for the copy of Segur’s Frederic which he shall read with great satisfaction knowing the author to be a man of talents and information. Baron Humboldt, Doctr. Fothergill and their companions arrived here some days ago. the Doctr. was already known by his works, and the emigration of such men as he & Priestly to end their days with us is an...
4From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 15 February 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed papers, with some eggs of the silk-worm of Italy were sent to me from Siena, by mr Robert K. Lowry travelling in that country. the eggs I have disposed of in their proper climate: and I do not know that I can better second the benevolent views of the writer than by committing his papers to the A. Philosophical society. should they deem them proper for publication, their benefit...
5From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 4 December 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the pleasure to inclose for communication to the society observations made on a lunar eclipse at the Observatory of Philadelphia on the 21st of Sep. last by messrs. Patterson & Ellicot. Also some extracts from a letter I recieved from mr Dunbar of the Natchez with Meteorological observations for the year 1800. made there by him, and remarks on the soil, climate & productions of the...
6Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 22 October 1815 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 9 th is received, and I am much amused with the anecdotes of Logan , and other circumstances relative to the Indians. it is a great pity, and indeed a scandal that we let that race of men disappear without preserving scarcely any trace of their history. what an opportunity Hawkins has had to have given us the history of the Creeks during the period he has been with them: to...
7From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 14 July 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 10th. of Apr. in answer to mine of Mar. 22. satisfied me perfectly as to Doctr. Barnwell whom therefore I then concluded to appoint to the hospital of N. Orleans, if established. but learning afterwards that Doctr. Bache had determined to remove to the Missisipi, I could have no hesitation to offer the place to him, as eminently qualified for it. I did so, and he has accepted...
8From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 4 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. T. M. Randolph being desirous of perusing the work of Faujas which I sent you some time ago, if you are done with it, I will ask the favor of you to inclose it to me by post: but if you have any further use for it, he will wait your convenience. have you seen a work of Morveau’s Sur les moyens de desinfecter l’air &c? it is a work of great interest to cities subject to infection, to...
9From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 20 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
While visiting some parts of Europe, I thought it might be useful to bring home some specimens of the different coins I met with, some of copper, some of silver, & others of a mixture of both called billon. having then a mint to established I supposed they might furnish subjects for consideration, & sometimes imitation. to these have been since added some other coins & some medals which have...
10From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 28 February 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed sheets may contain some details which perhaps may be thought interesting enough for the transactions of our society. they were forwarded to me by mr Dunbar with a couple of vocabularies which I retain to be added to my collection. What follows is to be perfectly confidential. I have at length succeeded in procuring an essay to be made of exploring the Missouri & whatever river,...
11From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 25 February 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 19th. has been recieved, as was a former one proposing mr Hassler to be employed in the survey of the coast. I have heard so much good of him as to feel a real wish that he may find the emploiment of a nature to which his physical constitution & habits may be equal. I doubt it. in yielding this as to mr Hassler, I transgress a principle I have considered as important in making...
12From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 18 February 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
Having recieved the inclosed essay on public education from it’s author, the revd. mr Knox , &, as I presume with a view that it should be communicated to the Philosophical society, I take the liberty of putting it under cover to you for that purpose, and to present you my salutations & respect. RC (William Reese Company, New Haven, Connecticut, 2001); at foot of text: “Doctr. Wistar.” PrC (...
13From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 3 February 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
According to your desire I wrote to Chancellor Livingston on the subject of the bones. the following is an extract from his letter dated Jan. 7. ‘I have paid the earliest attention to your request relative to the bones found at Shawangun, & have this day written to a very intelligent friend in that neighborhood. I fear however that till they have finished their search there will be some...
14From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 15 December 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson with his friendly salutations to Doctr. Wistar incloses him a paper for the Society from Dr. Mitchell on the ice-islands. By mr Wingate who goes on in a few days he shall send for the society addressed to mr Peale a horned or rather thorny lizard, living. it comes nearer to the Lacerta amphibia of Linnaeus than any thing else. it differs materially in the tail which is conical &...
15From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 16 December 1800 (Jefferson Papers)
Having lately recieved from Count Rumford , one of the managers of the Royal institution of Great Britain a prospectus of that institution, with a letter expressing their desire to cultivate a friendly correspondence with the American Philosophical society, I have now the honor of forwarding them for the society. the application of science to objects immediately useful in life, which seems to...
16From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 13 April 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his friendly salutations to Doctr. Wistar and incloses him a letter from the Vice President of the Agricultural society of N.Y. on the subject of uniting all the Agricultural societies of the United States by the link of a Central society at the Seat of the Genl. government: to be communicated to the American Philosophl. society. he has recieved Dr. Wistar’s letter of...
17From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 6 July 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you a pamphlet from mr Biot a member of the National institute which he desires to have presented to the society. I inclose also his letter containing a request, which perhaps was meant to be addressed to the members individually, or such of them as might have an opportunity of making the observations he wishes for. Accept my friendly salutations & assurances of esteem & respect. PPAmP .
18From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 22 March 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
What I am now to write about will be in perfect confidence between ourselves. the legislature is likely to establish a marine hospital at New Orleans, where we lose about 400. boatmen & seamen annually by sickness. I think it probable that we shall have a run on us, of recommendations of young men, just from their lectures, unsettled, and without experience, to obtain the superintendance of a...
19From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 24 September 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I am much indebted for your favor of the 4th. & for the information & kind offers of attention to my grandson. it was much the wish both of mr Randolph & myself that he should have gone this autumn to Philadelphia, & it had been decided on. but mr Ogilvie, his present tutor has been so earnest in his desires to keep him another year that it has been consented to, in the expectation that he...
20Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 17 August 1813 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved your favor of June 29. by mr Correa , it’s bearer. I found him what you had described in every respect; certainly the greatest collection, and best digest of science in books, men, and things that I have ever met with; and with these the most amiable and engaging character. the only alloy to the pleasure of his society was the reflection that we were never more to enjoy it. it is a...
21From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 27 March 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night your favor of the 22d. and believe it will be as well to send the books from Cepede by one of the vessels which habitually ply between Philadelphia & this place. Capt. Hand often brings things for me. I send you by post herewith an interesting volume of Faujas de St. Fond on the great fossil bones, which after reading may be returned either with La Cepede’s or otherwise...
22Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 29 May 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
On my return from a journey on the 22 d inst. I found here your letter of the 9 th and lost no time in communicating it’s object to the President . mr Matlack is among my oldest acquaintances, dating from the year of Independance when he was an assistant Secretary to the old Congress . I have ever since known him to be a steady republican and as correct in his morals as politics. I have...
23From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 30 April 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have recieved from a scientific gentleman in Copenhagen a box containing 150. pieces of Roman coin in bronze of different sizes from the reign of Augustus to that of Theodosius, comprehending a space of 400. years. though addressed to me personally, I am sure I shall better fulfill the enlarged views of that gentleman by placing them where they may be of more extensive use. I ask permission...
24From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 12 October 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
This will be handed you by my grandson Th Jefferson Randolph who goes on to Philadelphia to attend the lectures in Anatomy, Natural history & Surgery during this winter, and of Botany in the spring. those of Anatomy & Natural history, in the winter course, are to occupy his attention almost exclusively and he will attend the course of Surgery merely to get the outlines of the doctrines, and to...
25From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 21 June 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have a grandson, the son of mr Randolph, now about 15. years of age, in whose education I take a lively interest. his time has not hitherto been employed to the greatest advantage, a frequent change of tutors having prevented the steady pursuit of any one plan. whether he possesses that lively imagination, usually called genius, I have not had opportunities of knowing. but I think he has an...
26From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 8 March 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I wrote you on the 19th. Dec. my expectations of the arrival at this place of the big bones which General Clarke had dug from the lick & forwarded to me. they arrived last night, and now I must repeat my hope that you will think the object worthy of a visit to this place in order to select for the society whatever is unpossessed by them. it is only the duplicates of what they possess which I...
27Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 25 August 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
It seems an age since I have had particular occasion to recall myself to your memory; and to that circumstance must be ascribed my long silence; and not to any abatement of my great esteem for you. perhaps the desire to say so may have entered somewhat into the motives for giving you the trouble I am now about to propose. we are desirous of establishing in my neighborhood an academy, on a...
28From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 15 October 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you a letter from Doctr. Brown by which you will percieve that the bones which are the subject of it, are likely to go to some other destination. but I think you will also be sensible from the letter as well as from an extract of a newspaper inclosed, that it will be in the power of the society to have procured for a much less sum than these would have cost any particular bones which...
29Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 31 March 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
My grandson being on his return to attend the botanical lectures gives me a safe opportunity of forwarding a livraison of a botanical work of M. Tussac for the Philosophical society
30From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 24 April 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I sincerely regret the postponement of your departure till the 12th. of May. Congress will rise tomorrow, and I shall leave this on the 5th. of May. if you could have left Philadelphia on the 1st. I might have had the pleasure of being with you here 2. or 3. days. if this be impracticable, and your journey to Pittsburg should be such as to prevent your return before the 11th. of June (by which...