Horatio G. Spafford to Thomas Jefferson, 28 February 1822
From Horatio G. Spafford
Ballston Spa, N.Y., 2 Mo. 28, 1822.
Thomas Jefferson, Respected Friend:—
Permit me again to recall thy recollection to the poor old literary drudge, who has constantly experienced the kindness of thy regard, & no small share of the ‘Calamities of Authors.’1
After devoting 3 years to my new Lands in the Western part of Pennsylvania, expending as many thousand dollars, raising their value from 50 cents to 3 dollars an acre, an unfortunate difficulty about the title, compelled me to resort to the Laws for redress: & this, with a paralysis of the right leg, compelled me to abandon my Settlement until the validity of title should be tested. I returned hither, am using these Waters, & have experienced some relief. A cripple, poor, far advanced in a premature old age, (at the age of 44,) I have returned to my ‘first love,’ from necessity, and am again ardently & zealously engaged in literary labors. I am, to use the figurative style of our Aborigines, an old horse, turned out, in December, to graze the common!
My first object, is a second edition of my Gazetteer, the copy for which requires a good deal of labor, & will probably be ready for the press by May next. A 3 dollar 8vo., & I think I shall make something by it.
The next, an abridgement of this Work, for a School Book, to succeed it within a year.
The third, a Work on which I want thy opinion, the chief object of this Letter. It is now pretty well advanced, & will be ready for the press by the time the others are published. I copy, on the other side, its title-page, & beg of thee to favor me with thy views. Canst thou suggest any improvement? I hope I shall be able to have thy examination of a printed copy. Until it is published, I do not want a knowledge of it to get out.2
The
containing,
besides the usual Exercises in the Rudiments of English Literature,
all the Tables in Arithmetic,
that ought early in life to be engraven on the Memory,—
a brief Epitome of the Arts & Sciences,
and of the
chief branches of knowledge that come into the every-day business of life,
with Collections of Words, & Phrases, of common occurrence,
from the Greek, Latin, French, &c.
correctly accented & translated:—
Designed for the use of Apprentices in the Mechanic Arts,
Farmers’ Sons,
and all those who have not an acquaintance
with the learned Languages & the higher branches of Learning.
By Horatio Gates Spafford, LL.D.
The title will acquaint thee with all my object. I need not say anything about the want of such a work; for though thou hast never known the want of such an one thyself, thou hast seen the many thousands who have.
I should be exceedingly glad of thy opinion of the usefulness & propriety of such a Work, suppose it to be well executed. The weight of thy opinion, with the public, makes me very anxious to have it.
If I outlive thee, I still propose a Biography of Thomas Jefferson, for a School Book, in a sort of American Plutarch.
My History of this State, 2 8vo. Vols., A Nat. & Civil History, advances slowly, & I look forward to the completion of our 2 great Canals as the era for its appearance. Dr. Williams’s Vermont, is my model. He was my Precæptor. I am afraid I have trespassed too long on thy time. With profound regard, thy friend,
H. G. Spafford.
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 14 Mar. 1822 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with Dft of TJ to Peter P. F. Degrand, 24 June 1824, on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, Va.”; franked; postmarked Ballston Spa, 1 Mar.
calamities of authors alludes to Isaac D’Israeli’s work of that name published in London in 1812. Spafford appears to have published neither his apprentices’ spelling book, nor a biography of TJ, nor a nat. & civil history of New York, although he did produce A Pocket Guide for the Tourist and Traveller, along the line of the Canals, and the Interior Commerce of the State of New-York (New York, 1824). Spafford’s model was Samuel Williams, The Natural and Civil History of Vermont (Walpole, N.H., 1794; no. 457).
1. Omitted closing quotation mark editorially supplied.
2. Recto ends here.
Index Entries
- A Gazetteer of the State of New-York (H. G. Spafford) search
- A Pocket Guide for the Tourist and Traveller, along the line of the Canals, and the Interior Commerce of the State of New-York (H. G. Spafford) search
- books; biographical on TJ search
- books; on history search
- books; on N.Y. search
- books; on spelling search
- books; on Vt. search
- Calamities of Authors (I. D’Israeli) search
- D’Israeli, Isaac; Calamities of Authors search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Descriptions of; biographies of search
- New York (state); works on search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; A Gazetteer of the State of New-York search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; A Pocket Guide for the Tourist and Traveller, along the line of the Canals, and the Interior Commerce of the State of New-York search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; health of search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; letters from search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; moves to Pa. search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; proposed biography of TJ by search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; proposed history of N.Y. by search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; proposed spelling book by search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; The school boy’s introduction to the geography and statistics of the state of New-York: designed for the use of common schools, under the patronage of the Legislature search
- Spafford, Horatio Gates; visits springs search
- springs; therapeutic search
- The Natural and Civil History of Vermont (S. Williams) search
- The school boy’s introduction to the geography and statistics of the state of New-York: designed for the use of common schools, under the patronage of the Legislature (H. G. Spafford) search
- Vermont; history of search
- Williams, Samuel (1743–1817); The Natural and Civil History of Vermont search