2491From Thomas Jefferson to Reuben Lewis, 4 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved last night the inclosed letter for Capt Lewis; and at the same time information from St. Louis that on the 19th. of August he was 850. miles up the Missouri. no accident had happened & he had been well recieved by all the Indians on his way. it was expected he would winter with the Mandans, 1300. miles up the river, about Lat. 48.° from whence he would have about 1000. miles to the...
2492From Thomas Jefferson to John Lithgow, 4 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Dec. 4 . has been duly recieved. mr Duane informed me that he meant to publish a new edition of the Notes on Virginia, and I had in contemplation some particular alterations which would require little time to make. my occupations by no means permit me at this time to revise the text, and make those changes in it which I should now do. I should in that case certainly qualify...
2493From Thomas Jefferson to João F. Oliveira Fernandes, 4 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Newton having been so kind as to furnish me with a sample of your Port wine, and informed me that you have also some Bucellas, old, & of first quality, I presume to ask the favor of you to furnish me a quarter cask of each, to be forwarded in double cases to Richmond to the care of Gibson & Jefferson, merchants there. they will forward it to Monticello, where it will be wanting on my...
2494From Thomas Jefferson to Caspar Wistar, 4 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. T. M. Randolph being desirous of perusing the work of Faujas which I sent you some time ago, if you are done with it, I will ask the favor of you to inclose it to me by post: but if you have any further use for it, he will wait your convenience. have you seen a work of Morveau’s Sur les moyens de desinfecter l’air &c? it is a work of great interest to cities subject to infection, to...
2495From Thomas Jefferson to Littleton W. Tazewell, 5 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of December 24. never came to my hands till last night. it’s importance induces me to hasten the answer. no one can be more rejoiced at the information that the legislature of Virginia are likely at length to institute an University on a liberal plan. convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, & that they are not safe unless enlightened to a...
2496From Thomas Jefferson to Mathew Carey, 6 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th Jefferson presents his compliments to Mr. Cary and will thank him if he can advise him of the address of his brother John Cary, whom he presumes to be still in London PoC ( MHi ); endorsed by TJ.
2497From Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 6 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Dec. 26. has been duly recieved, and was recieved as a proof of your friendly partialities to me of which I have so often had reason to be sensible. my opinion originally was that the President of the US. should have been elected for 7. years, & for ever ineligible afterwards. I have since become sensible that 7. years is too long to be unremoveable, and that there should be a...
2498From Thomas Jefferson to Lewis Waugh, 6 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
In answer to your letter of Dec. 18. I have to inform you that no land office being as yet opened in upper Louisiana, no one is permitted to settle on the public lands there, and that the military is specially charged with preventing it. but the country of Kaskaskian on the opposite side of the river is open to acquisition, yields to the other side in no single circumstance, and is far...
2499From Thomas Jefferson to William C. C. Claiborne, 7 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
My last to you was of Dec. 2. since which I have recieved yours of Octr 27. Nov. 1. 4. 10. 19. & 25. in mine went two blank commissions for the legislative council, and the Secretary of state will by this mail send you two others. you will fill them up at your discretion as nearly as you can on the principles before explained. this of course includes my approbation of the appointments...
2500From Thomas Jefferson to Martha Jefferson Randolph, 7 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
A letter from mr Randolph to mr Coles informs him he shall bring you here, but does not say if with or without the family. I shall rejoice my dear to receive you here, and them, or as many of them as you can bring. I feel much for what you will suffer on the road for such a spell of severe weather we have not known for years. the thermometer has been down, of mornings at 14. 12. 10. and once...
2501From Thomas Jefferson to James Bringhurst, 9 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his salutations to his antient acquaintance and friend mr Bringhurst, and thanks him for the book he has been so kind as to send him , which will occupy some of his leisure moments agreeably and usefully. he prays mr Bringhurst to recieve the assurance of his constant esteem & respect. PoC ( DLC ); endorsed by TJ. so kind as to send him : Bringhurst to TJ, 3 Jan.
2502From Thomas Jefferson to Mr. Grillette, 9 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his salutations to mr Grillette and incloses him the statement of the Secretary at war as to the case of Made. Conway , which will let him see that it is not in the power of the executive government to give any relief. if he shall be so kind as to convey this information to Made. Conway he prays him to convey also the expressions of the regrets of Th:J. that the case...
2503From Thomas Jefferson to John Langdon, 9 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I congratulate you, my dear & antient friend, on the wonderful things which have come to pass in our time. we entered young into the first revolution & saw it terminate happily. we had to engage when old in a second more perilous, because our people were divided. but we have weathered this too & seen all come round & to rights. when we parted last, you had to go home and work against wind &...
2504From Thomas Jefferson to Philippe Reibelt, 9 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The Manuel of the Museum & Aldini with the engraving of the K. of Prussia & the map of the US. came safe to hand. as the Annals of the Museum & the Gallery will probably cover most of the same subjects, I decline taking the Manuel, as also Aldini. the engraving is not in a line in which I meddle. the Secretary of state keeps the map and will direct paiment. the other objects are delivered to...
2505From Thomas Jefferson to John P. Van Ness, 9 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have had under consideration and consultation the petition praying that the legal prosecution against mr Peacock may be arrested by a Nolle prosequi. were I to yield to my own feelings on behalf of his family & friends, or were I free to consider only what would be due to so many respectable persons as have signed the petition, my path would be easy. but on mature consideration the opinion...
2506From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 10 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The bearer hereof mr Cosa is an Italian Physico-mechanic. he employs himself chiefly in instruments of glass, and executes ingenious things in that line. he has been here about a month, during which time, as far as I have learnt, he has conducted himself correctly. being desirous to go to Philadelphia where he expects to find more employment, he has asked to be made known to some one who might...
2507From Thomas Jefferson to Thomas C. James, 12 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have duly recieved your letter of the 4th. inst informing me that at a meeting of the American Philosophical society of that day for the annual election of officers, they had been pleased to reelect me as their president. I beg leave, through you Sir, to return my sincere thanks to the Society for these repeated proofs of their favor to me, and to express the particular satisfaction derived...
2508From Thomas Jefferson to the Senate, 14 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I nominate the several persons named in the inclosed letter from the Secretary at War for the promotions and appointments in the army of the United States therein proposed for them respectively. PoC ( DLC ). Recorded in SJL with notation “Military nominations.” Enclosure: Dearborn to TJ, [11] Jan. I nominate : on the same day, Isaac A. Coles delivered TJ’s message to the Senate, where it was...
2509From Thomas Jefferson to William Keteltas, 15 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson requests the favour of Mr. Keteltas to dine with him on Tuesday 15th at half after three, The favour of an answer is asked. RC (Donald A. Heald Rare Books, New York, 2018); undated, but see below; printed form, with blanks filled by Isaac A. Coles reproduced in italics; notation by Coles in lower right corner: “Wm Keteltas Counsellor at Law.” Tuesday 15th : although New Yorker...
2510From Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Paine, 15 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Yours of the 1st. instant came to hand on the 7th. the present state of things in St. Domingo is certainly very interesting to the US. but to intermeddle in it requires great caution. so many interests are in opposition that it is difficult to move without shocking some of them. with what temper France will hear a proposition for a modified liberty in that island, is unknown, and especially...
2511From Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin H. Latrobe, 16 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you the bill appropriating 110,000. D. for the South wing of the capitol & 20,000. for the North wing & other public buildings as it has past the H. of R. with only 17. dissenting votes. I have no reason to suppose it will fare worse with the Senate: but till it passes them it will not be safe to take any positive steps. I will endeavor to have it hurried there, and as soon as it...
2512From Thomas Jefferson to William Lambert, 17 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson presents his compliments to mr Lambert & returns him his paper on the longitude & latitude of Washington, he has gone over it with as much attention as his time and familiarity with the subject would admit: but he has been too long abstracted from the process of calculation in this line, to undertake to review it critically. he is satisfied at the same time it does not need it....
2513From Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Brown, 18 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I was told last fall that the road to and from Lacey’s ford on Bull run was so destroyed by the rains of last summer that a carriage could not pass there, and that they had not been repaired. will you be so good as to write me word whether a carriage can pass them now, as I shall be going that way the first week in March, and shall be unwilling to attempt the Centreville road, which at that...
2514From Thomas Jefferson to William Branch Giles, 18 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
See the stat. 24. G. 3. (1784.) c. 47. made against smuggling- armed vessels and forfieting the vessels. the 7th. sectn. latter part provides that it shall not extend to vessels having arms or ammunition put on board for the necessary use & defence of such vessel, by license from the Lord High Admiral of G.B. or the commissioners of the admiralty.’ this shews that English vessels cannot arm...
2515From Thomas Jefferson to Philippe Reibelt, 18 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
La continuation de Landon vols 4. & 5. except some livraisons of the 5th. and Les promenades au jardin par Poujoulx came to hand, and I shall keep them. I have not recieved Piranesi. having obtained consent at the stage office to have your two boxes forwarded one at a time when they should have small loads, I had them brought back from the navy yard, & deposited last night at the stage office....
2516From Thomas Jefferson to James Oldham, 19 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved yesterday your letter, of the 11th. and observe you are fitting up a Corinthian room for mr Gallego. I am glad to learn it, because a single example of chaste architecture may guide the taste of the city and especially when they find that that system of architecture which has now been the delight of the world for three thousand years costs no more than the barbarous & tawdry fancies...
2517From Thomas Jefferson to Martha Jefferson Randolph, 21 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of the 11th . was recieved and gave me the first intimation of your illness. it has filled me with anxiety respecting you, and this is increased by your not having communicated it to me. because in endeavoring to spare my feelings on your real situation it gives me the pain of fearing every thing imaginable; even that the statement of your recovery may not be exact. let me pray you...
2518From Thomas Jefferson to Philippe Reibelt, 23 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Piranesi has been recieved, as also a box of books directed to me as I presume from you altho’ not noted in any of your letters. from these I have selected the following. Correspondence de Rousseau . 3. v. p.f 2. Hist. nat. des Mineraux. Patrin 5. v. p.f. 6. 64 Hist. de Catharine II. par Austera. 3. v. 8vo. 6. 78 Recueil sur les salines par Struve 12mo. . 75 Voyage de Terracine a Naples 12mo....
2519From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Smith, 23 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Reibelt, bookseller, St. Patricks’s row, Baltimore having sent me a box of books to select such as I should chuse, I observe one which I think would be useful for your office or for our young eleves. tho the French are behind the English in the practice of the Nautical art, they are, from the excellence of their institutions, far before them in the theory. The price of the book is 10 D. 8....
2520From Thomas Jefferson to Philippe Reibelt, 25 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter inclosing the two notes on the bank of deposit at Baltimore came safely to hand. I am sorry my error in putting my endorsement on the wrong note should have prevented their paiment. the bills are now re-inclosed with that error corrected. I inclose you also the invoice of the books last forwarded in a box, that you may test by it my statement in my last. the Secretary of state...