To Thomas Jefferson from James Lyle, 3 August 1802
From James Lyle
Manchester August 3d. 1802
Dear Sir
I have not had the pleasure of hearing from you, since you enclosed me the order on Messrs. Gibson & Jefferson for £300—which was paid the 8th of April 1801. this with £29–12–from Mr. Clark your Attorney in Bedford is all I have received since I sent you a statement of the different payments, by that you would observe that a balance of principal on the fourth bond of £99,2,8¾ remained. I hope you have examined that state, and that the mode met your approbation. Our Company are continually pressing me in the most earnest manner for remittances; I know you are as anxious to have the debt wholly paid off, as we are to receive it, therefore I shall say nothing on the subject farther than that. I expect soon to hear from you. Christopher Clark the Attorney in Bedford promised to send me a state of the bonds put into his hands by you, it have not yet come to hand when it does I will forward you a copy of it. I am with the greatest Regard
Dear Sir Your Mo hul Servt
James Lyle
RC (MHi); at head of text: “His Excellency Thomas Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 6 Aug.
Lyle’s STATEMENT of TJ’s bonded debt with Henderson, McCaul & Company has not been found but was enclosed in his letter to TJ of 18 Aug. 1800. There had been no recorded communications between the two since TJ had paid $1000, calculated above as £300, toward his BALANCE with the firm (Vol. 32:107, 458–9). During the previous decade TJ hired CHRISTOPHER CLARK to collect payments on several bonds he had issued to people who owed him money and to remit any collections to Lyle (Vol. 28:108–9).