1To James Madison from John Taylor, 10 September 1800 (Madison Papers)
When Majr. Lindsay died, I have heard that you interested yourself on behalf of Mr: F. Taylor, as his successor. Colo. Byrd is now dead, and I take the liberty of informing you, by the request of Mr: Taylor, that he is again soliciting the naval officer’s place at Norfolk. I have heard Mr: Taylor frequently spoken of by merchants on this river, of opposed political principles, in terms of the...
2From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 26 November 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Wirt, who is of my neighborhood, offers himself a candidate for the clerkship of the H. of Repr. and being known to few of the members, his friends are naturally anxious that what may be said of him with truth should be said. I only fulfill a duty therefore when I bear testimony in this as I would in any other case. he has lived several years my near neighbor, having married the daughter...
3From James Madison to John Taylor, ca. 1 April 1799 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. Ca. 1 April 1799. Mentioned in John Taylor to Creed Taylor, 10 Apr. 1799 (ViU: Creed Taylor Papers). JM agrees to be a candidate for the Virginia General Assembly. It may have been in this letter that JM requested Taylor to ask Edmund Pendleton to return the letters JM wrote him from Congress (see John Taylor to JM, 4 Mar. 1799 , and n. 1; and Edmund Pendleton to JM, 12 May...
4To James Madison from John Taylor, 4 March 1799 (Madison Papers)
Yesterday I received a letter from the southward of this state, written by a gentleman upon whom I can rely, containing the following sentence. “Mr: Henry has certainly declared for the next Assembly, in obedience to the call from General Washington, who has called on him to step forward and save his country —this is laughable; after the abuse formerly lavished upon that character, they now...
5To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 15 February 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter concerning a successor to Mr. Tazewell , took the rout to Richmond, and found me at home a few days past, for the assembly had risen before its arrival. It was my wish to have tried Colo. M. against Wood at the last session, of which I informed Colo . Nicholas previous to its meeting, but it was prevented by a doubt of success. This however would have been a pledge for my exertions...
6From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 24 January 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Tazewell died about noon this day after an illness of about 36. hours. on this event, so melancholy for his family & friends, the loss to the public of so faithful and able a servant no reflections can be adequate. The object of this letter (and which I beseech you to mention as from me to no mortal) is the replacement of him by the legislature . many points in Munro’s character would...
7To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, [before 11 December 1798] (Jefferson Papers)
It would be happy indeed for us, if agriculture and farming still continued to be interesting subjects—but alas! can we, when our house is on fire, be solicitous to save the kittens? How long is it to burn, or will it ever be extinguished? I would be almost content to save a single apartment. If a sufficient spirit had appeared in our legislature, it was my project, by law, to declare the...
8From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 26 November 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
We formerly had a debtor & creditor account of letters on farming; but the high price of tobo. which is likely to continue for some short time, has tempted me to go entirely into that culture and in the mean time my farming schemes are in abeyance, and my farming fields at nurse against the time of my resuming them. but I owe you a political letter. yet the infidelities of the post office and...
9To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 25 June 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
The observations contained in yours of the 4th. instant, upon my letter to Colo. New, induce me to say something respecting our political situation, explanatory of one idea in that letter, of which you evidently disapprove. Convinced of the caution imposed on you by the malevolence of party, I have forborne the liberty I am now about to take; but considering your interrogations as permissive,...
10From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 4 June 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
I now inclose you mr Martin’s patent. a patent had actually been made out on the first description, and how to get this suppressed and another made for a second invention without a second fee was the difficulty. I practised a little art in a case where honesty was really on our side & nothing against us but the rigorous letter of the law, and having obtained the 1st. specification, and got the...
11To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, [before 13 May 1798] (Jefferson Papers)
Having removed to some distance from Mr: Martin’s, his consideration of your letter of the 6th. of April, and the drawing it covered, has been somewhat delayed. He says, as indeed you will discover, that his amended machine, of which a drawing was lately sent you, has anticipated several of your objections, by having dispensed with the screw, and some of the wheels—that he had in the course of...
12From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 6 April 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
I had just recieved from New York the box containing mr Martin’s model of the hand-threshing machine, & the drill, when your favor of Mar. 25. came to hand, and I had nearly compleated a drawing to be filed in the Secretary of state’s office. I suspend further proceeding till I hear from you. in the mean time mr Bingham had communicated to me a model which he had recieved from England. I think...
13To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 4 April 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
I now take the liberty of inclosing you the papers accompanied with a drawing to obtain Mr: Martin’s patent , having by a reference to the law, discovered the error in having before omited this drawing. Mr: Martin wishes the former papers to be withdrawn or to remain unnoticed, not only on account of this error, but also because several essential improvements have been added by him, since the...
14To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 25 March 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr: Martin, for whom I solicited you to obtain a patent for a thrashing machine, has made several important improvements upon the model forwarded to you, and therefore wishes the taking out of a patent may be postponed, until his application can be so amended, as that it may include these improvements. For this End I will very shortly take the liberty of inclosing you the proper papers,...
15To John Adams from John Taylor, 10 January 1798 (Adams Papers)
At the time when the contest for the Presidency, produced a general discussion relative to the political opinions of the gentleman proposed for that office, I mentioned to Genl. Lee a conversation I had with you in the Senate chamber some years past, and he now calls upon me for a statement of what I then said. I think there would at this time be an impropriety, in giving it, except for the...
16From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 23 December 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Novemb.—did not come to my hands till Dec. 13. It had awaited my arrival here: and the ordinary affairs of business and ceremony prevented my applying to the patent office till Dec. 21. I then paid at the treasury the 20. Doll. bill you inclosed adding 10. Dollars, the price of the drill, as you had mentioned. The petition and description are lodged in the patent office. But a...
17To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 19 November 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
Herewith I have forwarded to you the drill you requested, packed into a crate basket, in a secure manner. This machine is an improvement upon that heretofore sent you, in having cups cut into iron rollers, instead of being fixed to bands. The effect, is perfect regularity in the sheding of the grain, because no change will be produced by the quantity in the box—because these cups must fill...
18To Thomas Jefferson from John Taylor, 14 October 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
A model of Martin’s machine for seperating the grain of wheat from the straw, is now before me, and yet simple as it is, I have no hopes that my mechanical knowledge is equal to a description so perspicuous, as to enable you to erect one. For it probably bears a very distant analogy to the Scotch machine or to Booker’s, neither of which had ever been seen by Mr: Martin, when he invented his....
19From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 8 October 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
We have heard much here of an improvement made in the Scotch threshing machine by Mr. Martin, and that you have seen and approved it. Being myself well acquainted with the original geered machine, and Booker’s substitution of whirls and bands (as I have one of each kind) it will perhaps give you but a little trouble to give me so much of an explanation as will be necessary to make me...