1To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 8 June 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
The many instances of politeness and indulgence I received from you, during my continuance in your office, demand my sincere acknowledgments. There are some of them, in particular, which conferred the highest obligations, and will ever be remembered with sentiments of gratitude and respect. I have reason to suppose, that the arrangements which will probably be made in the office of the Clerk...
2To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 17 April 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Philadelphia, 17 Apr. 1792 . John Roney, a former lieutenant in the Virginia line of the Continental Army, and Michael Ford, who was trained in a merchant’s counting house and writes a very good hand, both clerks to the Commissioner of Loans for Virginia who were formerly in the office of the Commissioner of Accounts for that state, regard their employment as precarious and wish to obtain...
3To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 23 May 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to enclose a letter to me from Mr. Beckley , which, as it fully explains the motive of my coming to this place, will probably have more weight than any thing I could say for myself, should a vacancy happen in any of the Executive departments which I might be thought competent to fill without interfering with the pretensions of others who may have a better claim than myself....
4To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 15 December 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to transmit to you some calculations I have lately made for determining the longitude and latitude of a place near the President’s house in this city, and have endeavored not only to render the work as accurate as I could from the elements assumed, but also to make it so plain that any person acquainted with the principles of astronomy cannot fail to understand it.—If you...
5To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 26 December 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor to receive this morning, with the high respect it deserves, your very friendly and polite communication of the 22d. instant. Since I submitted to you the result of my calculations, I have ascertained with a degree of precision which may be confidently relied on, the latitude of the place of observation, which I find to be 38:° 53.′ 30.9″, or in whole numbers 38.° 53.′ 31″, from...
6To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 14 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I beg leave again to submit to your inspection, some calculations for ascertaining the latitude and longitude of the Capitol in this place, according to methods which have been suggested by yourself . It is my intention to have a number of copies printed at my own expense, by Mr: Samuel H. Smith; but I shall not commit myself so far, until I obtain the opinion of a competent judge of the...
7William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 14 March 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
As you are now retired from the important and dignified station of Chief magistrate of the United States of America , the duties of which you have fulfilled with the deserved approbation of all well disposed and discerning citizens, permit me to congratulate you on the magninimity you have evinced, in thus voluntarily relinquishing the highest and most responsible office in the power of the...
8William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 13 June 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I received yesterday your friendly letter of the 28 th ult o in answer to a communication of mine, dated the 14 th of March ;—and with great pleasure accept the apology you have been pleased to make for a delay in its’ acknowledgment;—for as well as I now recollect its’ contents, (having kept no copy) it might have remained in the hands of one of our self important would-be great men , an age,...
9William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 23 July 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
In my last communication to you, I stated my intention of entering into astronomical calculations for the purpose of fixing a first meridian for the United States at the permanent seat of their government. It is, perhaps, to be regretted, that a dependence on Great Britain , for a spot of ground from which American navigators and geographers have been hitherto in the habit of estimating their...
10William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 4 September 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
Some time since, I addressed a letter to you on the subject of a first meridian for the United States at the permanent seat of their government, to be effected by ascertaining the longitude of the Capitol in this city from Greenwich observatory, in England , being the spot from which many, if not the whole of our mariners are in the habit of reckoning their departure. It is proper that the...
11William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 17 September 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I have received your esteemed favor of the 10 th inst t in answer to former letters of mine, and am much gratified by the approbation you have shewn of my undertaking to ascertain the difference of longitude of the Capitol in this city from Greenwich Observatory , with due precision, for on that circumstance will depend the establishment of a first meridian of our own, and also, the adapting...
12William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 19 September 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose a table which has been constructed with great care to every 3 minutes of intermediate time between 0 and 12 hours, for computing the Moon’s motion for 12 hours in longitude, latitude, &c. from which the true place may be easily obtained: it was intended to be as fair , as it is accurate , but some parts of it have been stained by accident, before it was finished. The second series...
13William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 25 September 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
The last paragraph of your letter of the 10 th instant , respecting the conduct of a certain European nation to us, as well as to others with whom it has any commercial intercourse, plainly evinces Your strong, unbiassed attachment to the true interests of the country which gave you birth. It is much to be regretted, that too many natives of this favored land are pusillanimous and unprincipled...
14William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 5 December 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I acknowledge with sincere gratitude and respect, the receipt of your obliging note , inclosing a vote of thanks from the American Philosophical Society for a table of the Moon’s motion, transmitted to you, some time since, as their President. Truly sensible of the instances of friendship with which you have been pleased to favor me, I shall endeavor to reciprocate, so far as I may have it in...
15William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 8 December 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to transmit herewith, two astronomical tables; one for computing the Moon’s longitude, latitude, Etc. for every hour, and the other to find the Moon’s hourly velocity at any intermediate time between 0 and 12 hours, by which the motion for a given number of minutes and seconds between the hours, may be accurately obtained. The table which I formerly presented to you, was...
16William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 19 April 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose two copies of the report of a select commit tee of Congress , and of several papers relating to the establishment of a first meridian for the United States , one for your own use, the other for the American philosophical Society at Philadelphia , of which you a re President. Several errors and omissions have been corrected with the pen, which may be avoided, should another edition be...
17William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 19 May 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
I wrote to you some time ago , and transmitted a printed copy of the report of a select committee of Congress on my papers relating to the establishment of a first meridian for the United States , intended for your own use. The late period of the Session at which this report was made, was the cause (perhaps the only one) of postponing a decision until the next meeting of the national...
18William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 24 July 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of the 16 th instant , had been probably in the post-office in this city a few days before I received it; and as I consider it as an evidence of respectful attention due to those persons whose character in public and private life, and intrinsic merit, deserve my esteem, I am generally prompt in the answers I return to the communications with which I may be favored by them. I am...
19William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 8 January 1811 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose for your acceptance, a printed copy of my answer to the Critical Reviewers of Boston , in Massachusetts , who have, in their review for the month of October last, published a number of remarks against my papers submitted to Congress at their last session, relative to the establishment of a first meridian for the United States . Altho’ I dislike much to appear before the public in the...
20William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 14 November 1811 (Jefferson Papers)
The President of William and Mary college having lately sent me the result of your observations of the solar eclipse of Sept r 17 th at Monticello , I have calculated the longitude from Greenwich , using the first and last contacts, which will always give a near approximation to the truth, if the apparent times and latitude of the place have been correctly ascertained. I have taken great pains...
21William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 22 November 1811 (Jefferson Papers)
The observations relating to the solar eclipse of the 17 th September last , were made in this city opposite Rhodes’s hotel , North 71.º West, 1. ⅜ . m American measure, from the Capitol . The apparent times of the principal appearances, to the nearest second, are as follow:— h. m. s. Beginning of the Eclipse, 0. 22. 9.
22William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 8 January 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to transmit an abstract of the calculation of the longitude of Monticello west of Greenwich, founded on the apparent times of the internal contacts of Sun and Moon on the 17 th of September last, as contained in your letter of the 29 th of December ; and having ascertained the elements with scrupulous exactness, tested by various rules, the accuracy of the result, according to...
23William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 9 January 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed abstract of calculation relative to the longitude of Monticello from Greenwich by the apparent times of internal contacts of Sun and Moon on the 17 th of September last, will, it is hoped, be accepted by you as an accurate result, admitting the data to be correctly stated. Having in a former communication, given rules for ascertaining the altitude and longitude of the nonagesimal,...
24William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 20 April 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
By a letter from M r John Garnett , Editor of the American impression of the Nautical Almanac, at N. Brunswick , in New-Jersey , it is stated, that an error has been discovered (probably at Greenwich ) in M r M. de la Place’s computations relating to the true form of the Earth, which being corrected, the ratio of 320 to 319, of the equatorial diameter to the polar axis of the Earth, seems now...
25William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 23 April 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
I transmit to the American philosophical Society , an abstract of such calculations as I have hitherto made to determine the longitude of the Capitol in this city from Greenwich observatory, in England . The variation in the results will be found, on examination, to arise more from probable errors in the data, or in the lunar tables from which the positions in the Nautical Almanac have been...
26William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 16 July 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
The Secretary of State having early in the present month, reported to Congress on the subject of a first meridian for the United States , in which he has recommended the establishment of an Observatory as of essential utility to ascertain the position of the Capitol in this City with due precision, permit me to send some rules by which the parallaxes in longitude and latitude may be found with...
27William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 24 June 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
The reformation of the Julian calendar by pope Gregory XIII , in the year 1582, is so near the truth, that it will not want correction until 3600 years after the change of stile took place. It has been found by a series of observations noticed in Vince’s astronomy, that the tropical year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 48 seconds; if this be multiplied by 3600 years, the product will be...
28William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 10 October 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to inclose, for your acceptance, two printed copies of abstracts of calculations to ascertain the longitude of the capitol in this city, from Greenwich observatory , in England , and to be, with great respect, RC ( DLC ); endorsed by TJ as received 17 Oct. 1817 and so recorded in SJL . Enclosures: two copies of Lambert , Abstracts of Calculations, to ascertain the Longitude of...
29William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 27 July 1819 (Jefferson Papers)
The certificate with which I was favored, relative to my conduct as a clerk in the department of State , while you acted as head of that department, has been unfortunately lost, with some other papers of value to me. It is with regret, that I am obliged to state a circumstance that may be justly construed into a want of due care in the preservation of those papers. Relying on the friendship I...
30William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 18 March 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to inclose herewith, two printed copies of a report made to the President of the United States , relative to the latitude of the Capitol in this city , and to its longitude from Paris and Greenwich Observatories, in Europe ; one of which is respectfully offered to your acceptance; the other, you will please to present to the president, or other proper officer at the seminary...
31William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 28 June 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
The method of determining the longitude of any place by occultations, and solar eclipses, has been, and perhaps, always will be considered among the best for that purpose. It must be acknowledged, that the process is tedious and laborious; but the accuracy of the results, when due care is taken in the operation, will amply compensate for the trouble of computing the necessary elements. In this...
32William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 6 July 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
In reply to your friendly and much valued note of the 2 d instant , received this morning, I request you to be assured, that it is not my intention to fatigue you unnecessarily with the investigation of astronomical rules and process connected with the report made in November last, relative to the longitude of the Capitol in this city ; but it appears a duty incumbent on me to explain such...
33William Lambert to Thomas Jefferson, 11 July 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
Having in the last communication I had the honor to make to you, explained the motive which induced me to transmit sundry astronomical calculations for the use of the University of Virginia , the inclosed is offered to their acceptance, thro’ you, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of a branch of science, which, if properly attended to, may hereafter be beneficial to the American...
34To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 4 October 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed Table being constructed with great care, and on correct principles, may be usefully applied at the University, or Seminary of learning near Charlottesville. On that supposition, I take the liberty to present it to the President of that Seminary, or such professor as you may think proper. ViU .
35To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 2 December 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
Your communication of the 29 th ult o was received this morning. The Equatorial is an instrument with which I am unacquainted; but if it enables an observer to ascertain the horary angle, or time from noon, with sufficient accuracy; or if it be so Constructed, as to show the true azimuth from the north or south points, and the latitude of the place, together with the Sun’s declination be...
36To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 3 December 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
On a further examination of your communication of the 29 th ult o I observe that you state—“If two persons at two points of the same hemisphere, (as Greenwich and Washington, for example) observe the same celestial phenomenon at the same instant of time, the difference of the times marked by their respective clocks, is the difference of their longitudes, or the distance of their meridians”....
37To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 29 May 1823 (Jefferson Papers)
Since the close of the last session of Congress, I have turned my attention to a strict examination of such parts of my astronomical calculations, given in abstract, as relate to solar eclipses and occultations of fixed Stars by the Moon, by various methods and rules, referring to the equator, as well as to the Ecliptic, that the results contained in the report made in November, 1821, might be...
38To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 6 July 1825 (Jefferson Papers)
The form of the Earth having been ascertained by various experiments in Europe and South America, to be that of an Oblate Spheroid; and it being now admitted, that the ratio of the equatorial diameter to the polar axis is as 320 to 319, the measure of a degree in any latitude, according to that ratio, claims our attention; and the following calculations connected with this subject, are...
39To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 31 July 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed copies of calculations relative to the latitude and longitude of the Capitol in this city, are offered to your acceptance. If the liberty I have taken of dedicating the work to you, without asking your permission, be considered presumptuous or improper, I beg that the high estimation in which your talents and character are justly held, may be received as my apology. This edition...
40To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 21 March 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Having constructed a table on the same principles with the inclosed, to every quarter of an hour between 0 and 12 hours, for bishop Madison, of Virginia, I request your permission to present this to you, extended to a less interval, and accompanied with a rule to reduce even that interval to one minute of time:—the odd seconds may be found by simple proportion. If it is favorably received by...
41To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 27 March 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I should be wanting in the respect due to your Character, if I did not reply to your polite note of the 25th. instant; and in doing so, permit me to express the genuine dictates of my heart, unalloyed with the base mixture of sycophancy or adulation. The hint you have given of “ returning to studies after which you are panting ”, is well understood, and allow me to add, regarded with sincere...
42To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 2 April 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Some days since, I had the honor to transmit to you a table for computing the Moon’s longitude, latitude, &c. at any intermediate time between 0 and 12 hours, which may be called Table I; and I now beg leave to request your acceptance of the inclosed table for ascertaining the Moon’s hourly motion or velocity, as Table II, connected with, and essential in practice, to the former. I have never...
43To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 20 June 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Having, with the assistance of some respectable inhabitants of this city, made some observations relating to the Solar Eclipse of the 16th. instant, I have the honor to transmit the result found by computation from the data we have been able to obtain, as follows:— Latitude of the place of observation on the Church hill, in view of the Capitol, (assumed) 37°.38’.30"N. Longitude from Greenwich,...
44To Thomas Jefferson from William Lambert, 7 January 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
Among the numerous visitors who assembled at the President’s house to congratulate you on the commencement of a new year,— to eat your cake, and drink your wine, I did not make my appearance,—not because I had less veneration for your talents and character than any one of the company; but that I had good reason to suppose, a few of them, imitating the fashion of European courts, ventured to...