1From John Jay to Francis Corbin, 4 July 1788 (Jay Papers)
Two Days ago I had the pleasure of rec g your obliging Letter of the 16 th ., and this morning that of the 25 Ult. The accession of Virginia made an ^ was ^ is an Event most welcome to our Fœderalists, and it cannot fail to make a deep Impression on the other Party. Our Convention proceeds with singular Temper and Moderation. The opposition however ^still^ continues very inflexible, and to...
2To James Madison from Francis Corbin, [21 October] 1788 (Madison Papers)
Without making any apology for the Liberty I am about to take in commencing a Correspondence which I have been long desirous of holding with you, being well satisfied that the motive will be it’s own Excuse, I proceed, sans ceremonie, to request, My Dear Sir, that you will have the goodness to forward to me, if they can be procured, the Acts of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts respecting the...
3To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 12 November 1788 (Madison Papers)
I have this moment received your Letter, and, tho’ in a state of perplexity, about the measures necessary to be adopted with respect to the Circular Letter &c which are to be the Subjects of Tomorrows Debate, yet I cannot, flattered as I am with a prospect of Establishing a Correspondence no less beneficial to our Common Country than pleasing and instructive to myself, forego the pleasure of...
4To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 25 October 1791 (Madison Papers)
It is a long time since I did myself the Honor of writing to you: a gratification of which I have been deprived by a concurrence of cross and untoward circumstances. The Accident which happened in my family last year, the ill State of my health for three years past—the multiplicity of private—and the perplexity of the Occasional public business in which I have been engaged have more than...
5To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 22 November 1791 (Madison Papers)
The determination of Congress with respect to the Ratio of Representation gives no small degree of satisfaction to a certain description of persons here—and will be, I believe, highly instrumental in promoting the adoption of the remaining Amendments to the Constitution. These Amendments we always intended to consider during the present Session—so that your conjectural Explanation was, in...
6To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 7 December 1791 (Madison Papers)
I embrace the first oppy. to inform you that your Conjectures with respect to the motives of the Virga. assemy. for sending forward to Congress only One of the 12 Amendts. to the Consn. were well founded. So that your object—whether it was to save our federal Credit, or to promote our adoption of those Amendments—has been fully Accomplish’d. The multiplicity of Local business before the House...
7From James Madison to Francis Corbin, ca. 10 December 1791 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. Ca. 10 December 1791. Alluded to in Corbin to JM, 15 Dec. 1791 . Informs Corbin that the Senate has amended the apportionment bill, lowering the ratio of representation from 1:30,000 to 1:33,000.
8To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 15 December 1791 (Madison Papers)
I sieze the earliest moment to inform you that all the Amendments to the federal Constitution have at length pass’d the Senate. The Bill for the arrangement of Districts lies upon our Table to be Engross’d: but your Information this Evening will render it necessary for us to new model the whole System. The Assembly have determined to rise on Saturday—but unless they make an unjustifiable...
9To James Madison from Francis Corbin, ca. 10 January 1793 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. Ca. 10 January 1793. Mentioned in Corbin to JM, 29 Jan. 1793 . Requests JM “to write to the old judge Pendleton upon the Subject of the Ensuing Election to Congress: and to intercede with him in my behalf.”
10To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 29 January 1793 (Madison Papers)
Two or three weeks ago I wrote to you and requested you to write to the old judge Pendleton upon the Subject of the Ensuing Election to Congress: and to intercede with him in my behalf. Having heard nothing from you since—and being under some apprehensions that Mr. J. Taylor has interfered to injure me, by infusing his Antifederal Spirit into one or two men here, I have thought it well again...
11To George Washington from Francis Corbin, 20 February 1794 (Washington Papers)
The office of Collector on this River—(Rappohannock) I am told, is vacant. A desire to introduce to the public service a man of long tried worth is the best apology I can make to you, who are in the habit of rewarding merit, for my requesting your patronage of Mr George Turner. He is desirous to supply the vacancy—and he is competent, in Ev’ry way, to the discharge of his Duties should he be...
12From Alexander Hamilton to Francis Corbin, 17 June 1794 (Hamilton Papers)
[ Philadelphia, June 17, 1794. On July 20, 1794, Corbin wrote to Hamilton and referred to “your favor of the 17th: of June.” Letter not found. ] Corbin, a member of a prominent Virginia family, had served in the Virginia Assembly in 1787. See Richard Bland Lee to H, March 6, 1794 .
13To Alexander Hamilton from Francis Corbin, [20 July 1794] (Hamilton Papers)
An absence from home of three Weeks has prevented me from returning an earlier answer to your favor of the 17th: of June. I feel myself under many obligations to you for your attention to my Request in favor of Mr. George Turner, because it proves that you have done me the justice to impute my Recommendation of him to the proper motives—not less to a Wish to serve the public than to serve him....
14To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 15 January 1797 (Madison Papers)
It is a long time since I had the pleasure of writing to you, and as the Subject of this Letter will not be of a political or public, but altogether of a private and confidential kind, I ought, perhaps, to apologise for it. But I have always relied very much on your goodness and, I assure you, my opinion of it is still exalted and still undiminish’d. An excuse, therefore, would be...
15To George Washington from Francis Corbin, 7 July 1798 (Washington Papers)
Having been absent from home, for three Weeks, your favor of the 17th June did not reach me till this day, otherwise it should not have remained one moment unanswered. The State of my health obliged me, two years ago, to remove from the County of Middlesex, where I formerly resided, & to fix in this interior and more salubrious part of the Country. In the hurry and confusion attendant on that...
16To George Washington from Francis Corbin, 18 July 1798 (Washington Papers)
When I did myself the Honor of replying to your favor, a Week or two ago, I did not imagine that our Country would be ever again bless’d with you as the Commander in chief of her Armies, and therefore I was less reserved in communicating my Father’s sentiments, when he delivered me your letter, than I should otherwise have been. But finding, Sir, that you are again placed in that (for us...
17From George Washington to Francis Corbin, 24 July 1798 (Washington Papers)
I have been duly honored in the receipt of your favours of the 7th & 18th Instant. The first of which, would have received an early acknowledgment had I not been occupied with very unexpected business, which has kept me pretty closely engaged for the last ten or twelve days. I ought not indeed to have delayed it so long—1. because the Gentleman on whose behalf (Doctr Belknap) I troubled you, I...
18To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 30 July 1806 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
§ From Francis Corbin. 30 July 1806, Georgetown, District of Columbia. “I intended, not merely as a matter of Etiquette, but from motives of sincere Respect and Esteem, to have waited on you tomorrow, previous to my return to Virginia, the next day. This intention is strengthened by the Receipt of a letter this morning from my friend Mr. Brett Randolph, the Contents of which require that I...
19To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 29 October 1808 (Madison Papers)
Although it is more than probable that some of your friends have sent the inclosed paper to you before this time, yet I feel it particularly incumbent on me to transmit it, because it goes a great way to confirm some of the communications which I made to you several months ago. The policy of a certain description of persons, when speaking of you and another, then was, "Spargere ambiguos voces...
20To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 6 April 1812 (Madison Papers)
Although in my retired situation it is impossible to form any correct opinion of your policy in regard to the two great Belligerents, yet, I think, I can discover enough to believe that, notwithstanding the loud and daily assertions of your political opponents to the contrary, you are still anxious to preserve the Peace of our Country, not with France only, but with G. Britain also. If we have...
21To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 13 September 1812 (Madison Papers)
I did myself the Honor to write to you some time ago, and inclosed my letter to Mr. Monroe, for reasons, which, at that conjuncture, will be obvious to you. As I have never been favored with any Answer, I am inclined to suppose, either that the letter was never received, or, if received, that the weight of business then upon your Shoulders prevented you from replying to it. I embrace this...
22To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 11 July 1813 (Madison Papers)
Your friends in this part of the State, and none more than myself, rejoice to learn, from the National Intelligencer, that you have recovered from your late indisposition. Their rejoicings, generally, proceed from only one source—love of Country. Mine from two: From that, and from another, which a felicitous acquaintance of twenty seven years will best explain. To both you will be pleased to...
23To James Madison from Francis Corbin, [December 1813] (Madison Papers)
I fear you will think me obtrusive, for, in truth, I feel that I am so. Yet still I rely on your goodness to excuse my solicitations, when you know the motives with which they are urged. It is now ascertained that my unfortunate and much loved Nephew Major G. L. Corbin is rendered totally unfit for all future military service, by the patriotic wounds he received at Hampton, in his noble and...
24Francis Corbin to Thomas Jefferson, 30 April 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
I have just heard of M rs Paradise’s death. M r Wales , M r Waller , and my Father were Col: Ludwell ’s
25Thomas Jefferson to Francis Corbin, 20 May 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Apr. 30. was re is just recieved and conveys the first information of the death of mrs Paradise . it finds me on the eve of a journey of length, on which I shall be a month absent, and the preparations for which permit me only to give you my first thoughts on the subject of your letter. I happen to possess an outline of the marriage settlement between mr and mrs Paradise ,...
26To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 17 January 1815 (Madison Papers)
If the War continues, my family connections will go a great way, I believe, to recruit both our Army and Navy. My Nephew Major Gawin, L. Corbin seems to have gathered fresh military ardour from his wounds, and, like Hannibal, has sworn his Son to take up, and never to lay down his Arms against the Enemies of his Country. He is very desirous to get a birth for this Son in the Military Academy...
27To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 30 January 1815 (Madison Papers)
I intended that my Son Robert should have done himself the Honor to have presented the inclosed to you. But the intense Cold Weather and bad Roads have caused me to postpone his Northern journey for some days. I have, therefore, thought it advisable, knowing the impatience of my friends of King’s Creek to hear from me, to forward it with all expedition by mail. This I am further induced to do...
28To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 5 July 1815 (Madison Papers)
Mrs. Corbin of King’s Creek, for whose Son Peter Beverley Randolph I took the liberty to solicit a midshipman’s Warrant some time ago, is here, and importunes me to remind you of that request. She has two Sons in Commodore Decatur’s Squadron, and is anxious that a third should partake, with his Brothers, of the glory to be acquired in the Expedition against Algiers. If a Warrant should be...
29To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 3 April 1816 (Madison Papers)
Orders, it is said, have been issued to the Collectors of the Federal Taxes and Excise to receive none but Virginia Notes, although more than one half of the people, in this central part of the State, sold their Crops, previous to such orders, for the Bank Notes of the Chartered Banks of the District of Columbia, from a belief that, as those Banks were established by Congress, and are under...
30To James Madison from Francis Corbin, 5 May 1816 (Madison Papers)
Some days ago I requested my friends Genl. Mason, Mr. R.B. Lee, and Col: Tayloe to wait upon you with my respects, and to acquaint you that I would act as a Commissioner of the Subscriptions to the Bk. of the U.S. in Richmond, on the first of July next, if you thought proper to appoint me. To those gentlemen I suggested some Reasons for thinking that you could not make an appointment that...