1From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 5 January 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I am obliged to return you the inclosed with a request to send me duplicates of them; because I have to lay them before each house of Congress, and they must be equally original . would a copy have sufficed without a failure of respect to either house, I would not have given you this trouble. I salute you with affection & respect ICN .
2From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 28 April 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved yesterday your favor of the 18th. with Doctr. Moore’s letter inclosed. by a mistake of the member of Congress who proposed the appropriation for the missions to explore Louisiana, 3000. D. only were given instead of 10, or 12,000. which were deemed necessary. for I had proposed to send two such missions. this error reduced me to a single one, & I fixed on that of the Red and Arkansa...
3From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 17 April 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 12th. is duly recieved. mr Barnes will write by the present post to his friend mr Michael Roberts inclosing funds to enable him to pay the bill for the Hadley’s quadrant and thermometers, which I will pray you to direct the person from whom they are bought to have packed properly: but first to have a stand accomodated to the quadrant: for tho’ at sea the hand is the only...
4From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 17 October 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 14th. was recieved last night. as to the salaries at the mint which are to be fixed by yourself with the approbation of the President, you are so much the best acquainted with what is proper, and my confidence in you so entire, that I shall approve whatever you advise, and I consequently approve of the addition of 200. D. to the salary of mr Eckfeldt as you propose. I am glad...
5From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 5 November 1806 (Jefferson Papers)
I thank you for the Nautical almanacs, and for the two small tracts sent me since. it is only when science is contracted into the volume of a nutshell, as in these tracts, that I can indulge myself with a look into it. having no means of sending the fractional sum of 2. D 50 c the cost of the Nautical almanacs, I inclose a 5. D. bill which will pay for them & for those of the years 9. & 10....
6From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 16 November 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
When Capt Lewis’s mission was under contemplation, and it’s principal object the obtaining a correct map of the Missouri, I recommended to him the making himself thoroughly acquainted with the practice of the Lunar observations for the longitude. but fearful that the loss or derangement of his watch, on which these were to depend, might lose us this great object of his journey, I endeavored to...
7From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 16 October 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed is merely the letter of form communicating the paper it covers to the society. but I promised Capt Groves to write you a private & more particular one. he has proposed a new method of observing the eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites at sea. you will percieve that he is not expert at explaining his ideas. he has invented an instrument too for making the observations, but what are...
8From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 2 March 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
I am now able to inform you, tho’ I must do it confidentially, that we are at length likely to get the Missouri explored, & whatever river heading with that, leads into the Western ocean. Congress by a secret act has authorised me to do it. I propose to send immediately a party of about ten men with Capt Lewis, my secretary, at their head. if we could have got a person perfectly skilled in...
9From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 18 October 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Two men have been taken up in Kentucky and are confined, on suspicion, merely because they cannot make known who they are, not speaking a word of any language understood there. the inclosed letter from a mr Nash contains all I know of them: but the writings in Arabic characters are supposed to contain their history, as stated by themselves. here we have nobody who understands either the...
10From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 13 October 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
This will be handed you by my grandson Th: Jefferson Randolph, who goes to Philadelphia to attend a course in Natural history, Botany, & anatomy. mr Peale’s museum, mr Hamilton’s garden & the anatomical preparations & dissections give to Philadelphia advantages in those branches of science which are to be had no where else in America. other branches being well taught in Williamsburg he will go...