31To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 28 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I am this moment returned from the Cape Henry Light House. The Triumph, & Patriot, came in last night, & took their Station at their accustomed place, in Lynhaven Bay, in Blockade order. No small vessels seem to be molested; but it is uncertain what is done to the outward bound. This morning the Patriot went out, & seemed to be cruising off the Light House, as usual, when I left it. Fifteen...
32To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 29 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
My Whale Boat returned last night, from Smiths Island & the Eastern Shore at Cape Charles.— From the account given by them, & the guard near Cape Henry, signals were given (in vain) for Her capture. My Men report as follows.— On Saterday evening they left me (say 4 to 5, O.Clock at Lynhaven Inlet; & that night at Ten O.Clock, anchord in “ Fisherman’s ” Northampton)—At Daylight on Sunday...
33To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 1 July 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
By inclosing to you authentic documents concerning the late inestimable discovery of the Life-Boat , which has been introduced into full practice, in saving the crews of vessels wrecked amidst the most tremendous Breakers of this coast, I acquit myself of a duty to my fellow Citizens and to my country. I flatter myself this contrivance will be found of great use on the Jersey coast, such...
34To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 6 August 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to inform You that I am thus far on my way to the Southward, having in vain spent the best part of the year, at great expence, without any thing conclusive with the Secretary of the Navy. I beg leave to state to you Sir, nevertheless, that, if that Naval department is designed to exist, there seems to be an Auxiliary one much needed: It should comprehend the economy of our...
35To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 7 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Your Proclamation reached this place last night, was printed this Morning, & is gone to London. I presume, by this time, His B. Ms. Ships in the road have it; & they must recieve it as they please! I regret that we cannot draw a line between the duty & inclination of some of their Officers, whose hearts (I really believe) would join us in bringing Admiral Berkley to justice, for an...
36To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 27 March 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
The Atty. Genl. will have advised you that Mr. Burr left Fredricksburgh, in a Stage, for Richmond yesterday morning, & would be safe lodged there last Night. Mr. Rodney arrived at Fredricksburgh this morning, quite fatigued; & so soon as his dispatches were ready, I left Fredricksburgh about Nine, & my Servant is dispatched, fifteen Minutes ago on fresh Horses (per Post Masters) to deliver the...
37To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 24 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
This morning has produced nothing very material that we yet know of. The Triumph, Leopard, & Melampus appear to occupy their yesterdays station; which Capt. Decatur says they shall not continue to hold. The Tenders occupied as usual. Capt. Decatur has rounded the Inlet, out as far as the Tideway in front of the British Ships; & will communicate his sentiments to You on such subjects as we...
38To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 11 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to inform you that I am already at the Station assigned me, from whence you will be regularly advised of what passes.—A British Seventy Four & Frigate are just now reported to me to be at Anchor here; & we presume the other two remain quiet in Hampton Road; but they are out of sight.—A large Merchant ship is gone up the Bay unmolested. I have arranged matters to send an...
39To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 1 November 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Colol. Monroe will afford me an Opertunity of sending a Power in the buisiness of my Map; and I allso take the liberty of sending one for Mr. Short, and one for Mr. Skipwith: leaving the Propriety of forwarding them to Your own choice. Conscious how much the Public concerns must engage Your Attention; I wish it to be understood that I am not solicitous to intrude my private buisiness on Your...
40To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 30 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
The Patriot went out again yesterday, & in the evening stood close in near the Light House, Cape Henry, from whence I am this moment returned: She is supposed to be cruising off the Cape. The Gun Brig, mentioned yesterday, has been beating all night towards Hampton road, & seems to be, at present, some distance below Willoughbys point: She seems to be a vicious looking thing; & is, I presume,...
41[To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 5 October 1788] (Jefferson Papers)
[[5 Oct. 1788 . Recorded in SJL Index, but not found. See William Tatham to TJ, under 1 Dec. 1789.]]
42To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 15 August 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
[ Richmond ,] 15 Aug. 1791 . Mr. Ross and himself, in pursuance of TJ’s proposals for a western post, dispatch his brother to “form Contracts and Arrangement to the North Fork of Holston agreable to your Plan.” He has also set on foot a subscription among merchants, hoping “some Man of enterprize … may be dispos’d to engage in pushing the Matter as far as possible.—This will probably produce a...
43To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 16 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
The moment I dispatched my Express with my letter to You of yesterday of 8. o Clock—I went to rest for an hour; on waking galloped down towards the Beach, near Lynhaven, where I found one of the Brittish Tenders, with her—of My Boat, had just been on Shore: Capt. Reid with two, Mr. Nimmo’s of Princess Anne, & a Mr. Bowman, went down & conversd with three officers who landed, & Capt. R. is said...
44To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 24 August 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
On the 21st. Instant I was enabled to obtain an ultimate settlement of the accounts for current expences accruing near the British Squadron in the Chesapeak Bay, up to the 14th. Instant, to which time they were rendered:—Seven days delay are therefore unnoticed in the accounts, but I submit it to you whether that addition ought not to be all owed me. The accts. are transmitted to the Secy.—...
45To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 25 March 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I do myself the honor of transmitting herewith a tolerable correct Fac-simile of the Tomb of Ferdinand Columbus; which, I presume, will be deemed worthy of a place in that valuable repository The Transactions of the Philosophical Society . On my landing in Spain, in January 1796, I was at considerable pains to procure information concerning the great discoverer of this Western Continent. At...
46To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 17 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
The moment I dispatched my express of Yesterday, I set out in my Whale Boat to arrange the extension of my line of daily communication to Cape Henry; by the help of some of the leading Characters of Princess Anne. Capt. Reid, who dined at the same house ( Mr. Christian’s ) Lynhaven, & Mr. Christian, mounted their horses at the same moment; & on my respecting & interogating the object of their...
47To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 4 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
The perpetual anxiety which subsists here, to hear speedily from the Federal City, has induced me to submit to Your consideration the adoption of a public, & commercial , Tellagraph, in some plan similar to the idea transmitted. I would recommend the adoption of the following method vizt. [GRAPHIC IN MANUSCRIPT] As these numerical Characters are competent to denote any extent in Numbers, some...
48To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 30 November 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
I have directed Mr. Bonsal, Sir, to transmit to you the second printed Pamphlet on the subject of the Canal which I have the honor to propose from this port to Carolina, by way of Kempsville & the North Landing; embracing also a latteral naval cut from Kempsville to Lynhaven river, designed for bettering the defence of this place & the United States in general. I have also persevered, under...
49To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 20 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
After recollection !. I forgot to say that, on the 18th. instant, a Negroe, in a Canoe, passed out at the Inlet of this haven under pretext of fishing, & went on board the British Squadron: We have no information that this fellow, or three others have ever returned. It has determined me to be strict; & yesterday, I stopped a very fine Pettimajor with two Negroe fellows in the Inlet. They...
50To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 15 June 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
W. Tatham’s Compts. to the President—He has written to Messrs. Learmonth’s & Berry, (the House he is concerned for) Merchts. in London, for a Camera Obscura for the President’s use, to be made as elegantly Plain as possible, by the best Workmen, with spare Glasses of several focuses, Diagonal Head, &c, compleat.—It will be paid for out of W.Ts own private Monies in the Companies hands; but he...
51To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 9 October 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I am just inform’d that You will certainly be at Alexandria the 17th. Inst. on the business of the federal City, and the hopes I had entertain’d of seeing You here is vanishd. It wou’d have given me great pleasure to have consulted You on my several objects in pursuit of general utility: as it is; and the Virginia Assembly so near at hand, your knowledge of my singular situation will plead a...
52To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 22 May 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Trivial circumstances sometimes produce great ends:—You mentioned; yesterday after Dinner, your wish that some person would invent a means of facilitating the passage of your decanters round the table. I will engage to furnish you one, in a few days, which shall afford an useful lesson in the public economy of our Country; and it can no where else be so happily introduced. It shall be cheap,...
53To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 4 April 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
The declaration you were pleased to make yesterday at my Office, that, so soon as The Topographical surveys were completed, you felt disposed to transmit them to Mr. Aaron Arrowsmith (a London Geographer) for his use, renders it my duty to request, in the most serious & respectful manner, that you will suspend any determination on that subject till a relaxation from a pressure of business...
54To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 29 October 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
You will have recieved Your Camera Obscura, which was sent from hence to Alexandria a few days ago, I understand, by Palmers Packet. It was opened at the Custom house, as was also the working drawings of a Seventy four of the latest improved British Construction, which I have found means to come at directly from the Navy office: had Mr. Smith treated me with that gentlemanly respect which I...
55To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 17 February 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
In hopes an opportunity may offer this week to Monticello, I shall embrace it to solicit Your Patronage and assistance in a business [to] which I have turned my attention till something of greater moment may offer thro’ the channel I consulted you about before you left us. I have in view two objects, the first a map of the southern division of the United States, including all to the southward...
56To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 13 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Mine by last post will account to you for my being this day in Town, without seeing the British Ships: this days Report ( I mean rumour ) states that they are gone; but neither Commodore De Catur nor myself mean to trust to mere appearances, or retrograde possibility. He has dispatched a tender, he writes me, to watch their motions; & he has added, to politeness, a disposition for mutual...
57To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 21 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Capt. Decatur & Capt. Hull will be with me tomorrow, at Lynhaven, in order to examine that place touching the Gun boat service: My whale boat, which arrived here yesterday morning at two O’Clock, will therefore return to meet them in Lynhaven; without pursuing her intended destination to Cape Charles, & its neighbourhood, at present. I regret that a severe rain, all this Forenoon, has so...
58To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 13 July 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I lament your going away, at this time, exceedingly; as I am fearful the Secretary of the Navy has too many delicate Scruples to close with me on any ground. I am summoned, by a letter from my Counsel in Carolina, to attend to an important Case where I have the Dfdt. on Sp[ecia]l. B[ai]l. by origl. attachment: If no arrangement is now made, I cannot leave my cumbersome baggage behind me; & to...
59To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 27 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have this minute arrived on shore from the L. House Cape Henry.— The Ship hitherto called the Triumph , I now find, is the Leopard; the Bellona & Melampus gone some days ago; & the Triumph & Patriot cruising just Southward of Cape Henry.— The Triumph & Patriot were close in with the Light House last night; &, in the early part of the evening fired heavy guns (they say at the L.H.) on some...
60To Thomas Jefferson from William Tatham, 10 July 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
This morning I recieved yours, inclosed to Mr. Bedinger—I obey your orders immediately, & am mounting for Lynhaven & Cape Henry. Last night, I rode to Lamberts Point: two of the British Ships lay in Hampton Road; &, today, I learn that two others are in Lynhaven Bay. Our Small Vessels seemed to pass among them unmolested; & a Square ryged Vessel was standing up James Rivar, apparently...