To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 15 June 1804
From Thomas Jefferson
June 15. 04.
Th: J. to mr Madison.
Can mr. King’s report in his dispatch No. 57. Dec. 10. 97. be seen?1 The question is whether it was worth £50. sterl. Every person who undertakes to expend money for secret service, must take on themselves the risk of being approved or not by the government, on view of the nature of the service, which can only be judged by a knolege of what it was. This kind of expenditure is susceptible of such abuse, that a strict eye should be kept on it.
A commission to be issued to Peter P. Schuyler as Collector at Fort. Stoddert.2
RC (DLC); FC (DLC: Jefferson Papers). FC does not include postscript.
1. For Rufus King’s dispatch, see Memorandum to Thomas Jefferson, 14 June 1804, and n. 3.
2. Peter P. Schuyler was appointed an ensign in the U.S. Army in 1797 and rose to the rank of colonel, to which JM appointed him in 1812 (, 1:250, 2:230; Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903 [2 vols.; Washington, 1903], 1:867).