1William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 19 April 1828 (Madison Papers)
I beg leave to present to you the Revnd Mr. Jasper Adams, Principal of the Charleston College in South Carolina, a gentleman highly commended to me for his learning & worth by those who have the pleasure of his acquaintance. Mr. Adams proposes a visit to our University, & on his way thither, is desirous of paying his respects to you. With my best salutations to Mrs. Madison, I beg you to...
2William C. Rives to James Madison, 26 June 1828 (Madison Papers)
As the period for the meeting of the visitors of the University is now near at hand, I take the liberty to remind you of your promise, & of our hopes, that, on your way thither, you will do us the favour to spend a day with us. We hope that Mrs. Madison will find, in the pleasure her society would afford to numerous friends in this county, a sufficient inducement to accompany you; & in this...
3William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 23 September 1828 (Madison Papers)
I had hoped to have had it in my power, before this time, to be at Montpelier; but having been deprived of that pleasure by a recent absence of four or five weeks from home, I trouble you with this communication only to say to you that we shall hope to have the pleasure of seeing you here, on your way to the university. If it should not consist with your arrangements to spend a day or two with...
4William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 31 December 1828 (Madison Papers)
Major Hamilton arrived here yesterday, & I had the pleasure, to-day, of placing in his hands the letter for him, which you committed to my care. Since the receipt of your obliging letter of 20th instant, for which I take this occasion to make you my acknowledgments, I have read, with equal pleasure & instruction, your two letters, recently published in the National Intelligencer, on the powers...
5William C. Rives to James Madison, 3 February 1829 (Madison Papers)
The heavy pressure of some public duties here recently, & the occupation of my mind, at the same time, with some painful circumstances of a private nature, have prevented me from heretofore making my acknowledgments to you for the two interesting letters, with which you favoured me in the course of the last month. I had, previously to the receipt of your last communication, investigated the...
6William C. Rives to James Madison, 5 June 1829 (Madison Papers)
It gave me great pleasure, on my return from Washington some days ago, to hear that your health had very much improved. I trust it is now nearly re-established. I found on my arrival in Washington that there would be profitable employment for me among the archives of the State Department for several weeks, & I concluded, therefore, to return home, (after a few days spent in looking over the...
7William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 8 July 1829 (Madison Papers)
Since my arrival here, I have endeavoured to obtain all information respecting the character, designs & claims of Mr. Cooley, (whose letter & papers are herewith returned), that I thought likely to be interesting or useful to you. The impression here is very far from being favorable to him, in any of these regards. The Government is thoroughly possessed with the conviction that his claim is...
8William C. Rives to James Madison, 6 December 1832 (Madison Papers)
It is a great sacrifice & disappointment to us to pass so near you, without having it in our power to pay our respects to Mrs. Madison & yourself. We are travelling in the public stage, with a brood of little ones doubled in number since we had the pleasure of seeing you, & with a cumbrous accumulation of baggage, which render a deviation from the highway entirely impracticable for us. We are...
9William C. Rives to James Madison, 5 March 1833 (Madison Papers)
I take the liberty, at the moment of leaving here, to send you a printed sheet containing some observations made by me on a recent occasion of considerable interest in the Senate. It is not, without great diffidence, that I submit any attempt of mine to interpret the true doctrines of ’98 & ’99, & the just theory of our constitution, to the discriminating view of their founder; an indiscretion...
10William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 18 April 1833 (Madison Papers)
I have trusted to your goodness to suggest the existence of involuntary & uncontrolable causes for the delay which has occurred in acknowledging your kind & most gratifying letter of 12th ult. Immediately after the adjournment of congress. I went to join my family in the county of Nelson, where I had not yet seen, since my return to the country, a numerous circle of friends & relations. In...
11William C. Rives to James Madison, 22 May 1833 (Madison Papers)
The long continued rains have, for the last fortnight, deprived us of the pleasure of our contemplated visit to Montpelier, & the horrible state in which they have left the roads compels us, with regret, still to postpone it, for a few days. We look forward, however, with confidence, to the enjoyment of this satisfaction, in the course of the next week. In the mean time, I send you, in the...
12William C. Rives to James Madison, 28 July 1833 (Madison Papers)
I found it a matter of more difficulty than I anticipated to procure a pamphlet copy of Mr. Tyler’s Speech, which I have now the pleasure to send you. After repeated ineffectual searches for it among my own collections of the last winter, & the failure of other efforts to obtain a copy, I, at length, wrote to a friend in Washington, who with difficulty procured that, which I am much gratified...
13William C. Rives to James Madison, 1 August 1833 (Madison Papers)
Permit me to introduce to you my friend Dr. R. C. Mason, a gentleman of distinguished intelligence & patriotism residing in the county of Fairfax, who is desirous of paying his respects to you, & at the same time, of presenting to you his friend Mr. R<...> of Philadelphia. Dr. Mason, you will doubtless recollect, is the gentleman who received so flattering a testimony of the high estimation of...
14William C. Rives to James Madison, 4 October 1833 (Madison Papers)
I had the satisfaction, on the eve of our departure for the Springs, to receive your kind letter of 2nd Aug. Having just returned home, I avail myself of the earliest moment to express to you the great pleasure I derived from the intimation it contained of your purpose to point to the errors of Mutius & others in their views of a political career, which had conferred so many inestimable &...
15William C. Rives to James Madison, 21 November 1833 (Madison Papers)
The constant hope, from day to day, of being able to make the visit to Montpelier, on which Mrs. Rives & myself have so long set our hearts, has prevented me from troubling you with a written acknowledgment of your most valuable favour of 21st ult. It has so happened, however, that an uninterrupted series of detentions, arising chiefly from the calls of friends, has as constantly occurred to...
16William C. Rives to James Madison, 4 April 1835 (Madison Papers)
I beg leave to present to you my friend Mr. Niles, who was associated with me as Secretary of Legation during my residence at Paris, & was afterwards our Chargé d’affaires there. After spending a few days with us, he is now on his way to the North, preparatory to his return to Europe, & would deem his visit to Virginia altogether unsatisfactory & illusive, without an opportunity of paying his...
17William C. Rives to James Madison, 10 March 1836 (Madison Papers)
I desired very much to have had the pleasure of paying my respects to yourself & Mrs. Madison on my way to Washington, but the necessity of my being there with as little delay as possible & the almost impassable state of the roads, (which has compelled me to leave Mrs. Rives behind, to follow me when she can), have deprived me of that satisfaction. It has given me great pleasure to learn that...
18William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 15 June 1836 (Madison Papers)
Lieut. Hudson of the Navy has just given me in charge for you the enclosed Diploma of Honorary Membership of the United States Naval Lyceum, which, admitting of convenient transmission thro’ the mail, I have now the honor to forward to you. We have seen, with great concern, from some recent notices in the news-papers, that your health, of late, has not been as good as usual. I trust, however,...
19William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 20 November 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
An unexpected call from my friends has rendered it necessary for me to leave this neighbourhood before your return from Bedford . In consequence of this event I am prevented from delivering that portion of your books, which I have already read. I intend, however, to return after a few days, when you shall receive them.—Permit me, sir, to avail myself of this opportunity of expressing the...
20William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 3 December 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
You will receive from the bearer of this note the books, whose names are subjoined.— I have read Dalrymple on Feudal property, but as a recurrence to it may sometimes become necessary, I have retained it.—It was my wish to have waited on you this morning, but preparations for my departure from Milton , and the constant expectation of the stage’s arrival, detain me here. 2 nd Vol. Kennets Hist....
21William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 4 June 1811 (Jefferson Papers)
W. Rives offers his most respectful compliments to Mr. Jefferson, & informs him that he is at present unable to communicate the precise amount of the costs of Mitford’s Greece & Mrs. Macauley’s England , but will procure the agent of Brown & Rives in this place to obtain a particular statement of them from the house in Richmond . The manner in which Mr. Jefferson proposes to discharge these...
22William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 30 August 1811 (Jefferson Papers)
Since I had the pleasure of being at Monticello , the unsettled state of my health has totally disqualified me for intellectual exertion. Indeed, for the last two years, either the incapacity resulting from this cause, or the avocations of business have materially obstructed my desire of knowledge, by taking away the physical power of obtaining it.— The former evil being now partially removed...
23Thomas Jefferson to Henry Dearborn, 17 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
I present to you mr Rives , the bearer of this, an eleve of mine in law and politics. he is able, learned, honest, & orthodox in his principles. being just about to enter on the stage of public life he wishes first to see something more of our country at large. he will be one of the distinguished men of our state , & of the United States . in taking him by the hand while in Boston you will...
24Thomas Jefferson to John Langdon, 17 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
I present to you mr Rives , an eleve of mine in law and politics: honest, able, learned, & true in the holy republican gospel. bestow on him your native kindness, not only for the gratification of your own benevolent dispositions, but to shew him the degree of estimation in which you hold your RC ( DLC : William C. Rives Papers); addressed: “The honorable John Langdon Portsmouth by mr Rives.”...
25Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 17 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
The bearer mr Rives , the son of one of our wealthiest citizens and of the neighboring county of Amherst , is an eleve of mine in law & politics. before he commences practice he wishes to visit the country North of us. an honester, abler, or better informed man could not be presented to you. make him sensible of my high estimation of him by the kind offices which you as my friend may render...
26Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 18 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
This will be handed you by mr Rives a young gentleman of this state and my neighborhood. he is an eleve of mine in law, of uncommon abilities, learning and worth. when you and I shall be at rest with our friends of 1776. he will be in the zenith of his fame and usefulness. before entering on his public career he wishes to visit our sister states and would not concieve he had seen any thing of...
27Thomas Jefferson to Daniel D. Tompkins, 18 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
Altho’ I have not had the honor of a personal acquaintance with you, yet our respective public duties have heretofore produced an intercourse of letters which rendering us not entire strangers furnish the grounds of addressing this letter to you. it will be handed by mr Rives , a young gentleman of this state, an eleve of mine in the law, of great abilities, learning and worth, and one who...
28William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 20 January 1819 (Jefferson Papers)
I have it in my power to congratulate you, at last, on an event, which constitutes a proud epoch in the history of Virginia . The Bill for the establishment of an University at the Central college was passed on yesterday in the House of Delegates by a majority of 141 to 28. Altho’ the previous votes taken in the committee of the whole had left little doubt as to the final success of the...
29William C. Rives to Thomas Jefferson, 3 April 1819 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the pleasure of receiving, thro’ Col. Randolph , last evening, your kind invitation for myself & my wife to spend the day at Monticello . I regret very much that arrangements previously made, involving the convenience of others as well as ourselves, prevent us, at this time, from paying you a visit, which my own feelings would have promptt prompted me to do, without an invitation. But we...
30To Thomas Jefferson from William Cabell Rives, 19 December 1822 (Jefferson Papers)
It affords me great pleasure to inform you that the temper of the present Legislature, so far as it can be collected from conversation with its members, is one of improved liberality towards the University. The great difficulty we have to encounter is a repugnance on the part of many gentlemen, otherwise friendly to the University, to undertake, at this time, the erection of the additional...