To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 12 July 1793
From Thomas Jefferson
[Philadelphia] July 12. 1793.
Th: Jefferson has the honor to send to the President Dr Thornton’s answer to mister Hallet’s objections this moment received, & which he has not had time to read. perhaps the President may think it worth while to communicate them to mister Hobens & see what he thinks of them, for which reason he sends them to the President in the instant of receiving them.1
AL, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; LB, DNA: RG 59, George Washington’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State.
1. For a description of William Thornton’s plan for the Capitol, see Thornton to D.C. Commissioners, 10 April 1793 (, 242–49). The “five Manuscript Volumes in folio,” in which architect Stephen Hallet criticized Thornton’s plan, has not been identified. For Thornton’s defense of his plan, see his letter to Jefferson of 12 July 1793 (, 26:489–95). On Hallet’s criticism, as well as that made by others, and for GW’s reaction, which included a call for a meeting at Philadelphia to review the plan, see GW to Jefferson, 30 June (second letter), and notes 1–2, 4, and GW to James Hoban and Hallet, 1 July, and notes 2–5. See also Hoban to Jefferson, 10 July 1793, ibid., 462–63. Jefferson submitted Hoban’s observations to GW on 13 July (, 195). For the results of the 15 July meeting at Philadelphia, see Jefferson to GW, 17 July 1793; ibid., 198–99.