To Thomas Jefferson from Thomas Munroe, 7 July 1804
From Thomas Munroe
7 July 1804
Mr. Soderstom assignee of Mr L’Enfant wishing to take Lots for his claim, or considerable part thereof, has written, to T Munroe on the subject desiring a Statement of the Amt. T Munroe respectfully begs the President to have the goodness to look at the enclosed papers, and to say whether it is perfectly clear that Interest ought to be allowed—The late board of Coms. it is true say they will pay Intt. but as the money was always ready for Mr. L & his not having recd it was his own fault TM1 thought when the Coms wrote the letter of 5th. December 1801 the offer of Interest was more than Justice & the circumstances of the case required of them—T.M. is also in doubt as to which of the enclosed letters the Committee had before them, and is refer’d to in the Act of Congress—
RC (DLC); addressed: “President”; endorsed by TJ as received 7 July and “L’Enfant’s right” and so recorded in SJL. Enclosures not identified, but see below.
Pierre Charles L’Enfant had rejected the offer of the District of Columbia’s Board of Commissioners to pay him 500 guineas plus interest for his services in devising a plan for the City of Washington and appealed directly to TJ and to Congress for a more substantial award. The House Claims Committee made three reports on L’Enfant’s appeal, and in an 1804 supplementary act related to Washington, Congress authorized Munroe to pay L’Enfant “in the manner, and on the terms heretofore proposed by the said commissioners” (Letter from the Secretary of State, Transmitting Sundry Documents Relative to the Claim of Peter Charles L’Enfant, for Planning and Laying out the City of Washington, in Pursuance of a Resolution of This House of the 24th Ultimo [Washington, D.C., 1803], 9-11; , 4:486; , 2:297-8; Vol. 35:562-8; Vol. 36:88).
1. Initials interlined in place of “I.”