1To James Madison from John Stevens, 15 April 1803 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 15 April 1803. Mentioned in William Thornton to Stevens, 29 Apr. 1803 (listed in the preliminary volume of Calendar of the Stevens Family Papers [Newark, N.J., 1940], item 244), as dealing with Stevens’s boiler invention. In 1996 the New Jersey Historical Society was unable to locate Thornton’s letter. On 11 Apr. 1803 a patent for “a new and useful improvement In producing...
2To James Madison from John Stevens, 30 December 1811 (Madison Papers)
The great importance of the subject of the following communication must be my apology for intruding on your time. A bill respecting the naval establishment has, I find, been reported in the house of representatives, by which, among other things, it is provided that Dollars be appropriated to the purpose of establishing a dock-yard for repairing the vessels of war in such central and convenient...
3To James Madison from John Stevens, ca. 4 June 1812 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
Ca. 4 June 1812. “Considering the enclosed Pamphlet to contain matter w⟨or⟩thy the serious attention of the General Government ⟨I⟩ now take the liberty of addressing one to you for your perusal.” FC ( NjHi : Stevens Family Papers). Undated; date assigned here on the basis that the FC is written on the verso of the FC of a 4 June 1812 letter from Stevens to Samuel L. Mitchill. The enclosure to...
4To James Madison from John Stevens, 11 January 1815 (Madison Papers)
The enclosed copies of letters, together with the certificates of Com. Decatur and Cap. Porter will give you some idea of the nature and importance of the shells with which the experiments therein mentioned were made. If I do not grossly deceive myself, these Shells are calculated ultimately to produce an entire revolution in naval and military tactics. A few heavy guns will be sufficient to...
5To James Madison from John Stevens, 21 June 1815 (Madison Papers)
Intending shortly to embark for some port in France, and to proceed thence with all convenient speed to Paris, I now take the liberty of advising Your Excely. thereof—and should the Secretary of State have occasion to transmit any dispatches to our Ministers in Europe I shall be happy to have the honor of taking charge of them. My Son and myself have now finished a most satisfactory series of...
6To James Madison from John Stevens, 8 November 1815 (Madison Papers)
In pursuance of the directions of the Secretary of the Navy a number of experiments were made at Fort Columbus, on Governor’s Island near New York, with elongated shells, in the presence of Capn. Samuel Evans Supt. of the Navy Yard. His report, with some other documents, I had the honor to put into the hands of your Excellency yesterday. Commodores Rodgers and Porter, Coms. of the Navy Board,...
7To James Madison from John Stevens, 22 November 1815 (Madison Papers)
The enclosed is a copy of a letter addressed to the Secretary of war. As I have received no answer to it, I am to conclude that the object is not considered of sufficient importance to attract the attention of Government. Suffer me, however, to say that nothing short of a most thorough conviction of the immense importance of this business could ever have induced me at my advanced age to have...
8To James Madison from John Stevens, 9 March 1816 (Madison Papers)
The difficulties, dangers, delay & expense of transportation, experienced by the public as well as by individuals, during the late war with Great Britain, have fully demonstrated the necessity of effecting, if practicable, facile, cheap & expeditious means of communication generally throughout the Union, but more especially between the Eastern & Southern States parallel with the Sea Coast. But...
9To James Madison from John Stevens, 7 November 1818 (Madison Papers)
The vast importance, in my humble opinion, of the subject matter of the communications herewith enclosed must be my apology for the liberty I now take in requesting your perusal of them. Should the object proposed to the consideration of the general government meet your approbation, or be considered by you of sufficient moment to induce you to favour me with an expression of your sentiments...