Samuel H. Smith to Thomas Jefferson, 30 January 1815
From Samuel H. Smith
Jan. 30. 1815.
Dear Sir
I am happy to advise You that the bill authorising1 the purchase of Your Library has passed the two houses of Congress. I enclose for Your satisfaction a copy of the bill. It now rests with the Library committee to make the final agreement. The sum stipulated is precisely that estimated by Mr Milligan. I shall, doubtless, in a few days hear from the Committee, when I will again write You.
We have had a most rigid spell of weather. The mercury in my thermometer was yesterday morning2 one degree below zero, and the ice in our streams is already a foot thick. The cold and storm without have probably driven you into the retirement of Your closet, where You must experience a fine contrast to the roaring3 winds without. It is on such occasions that man feels the reason he has to exult in his civilisation & philosophy.
I am with great & sincere respect & regard
Sa H Smith
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 5 Feb. 1815 and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: “An Act to authorize the purchase of the library of Thomas Jefferson, late President of the United States,” 30 Jan. 1815 (, 3:195).
rigid in this context means “severe” ().
1. Manuscript: “authorisig.”
2. Manuscript: “mornig.”
3. Manuscript: “roarig.”
Index Entries
- An Act to authorize the purchase of the library of Thomas Jefferson (1815) search
- Library of Congress; and library committees of Congress search
- Library of Congress; TJ sells personal library to search
- mercury; used in thermometers search
- Milligan, Joseph; and sale of TJ’s library to Congress search
- scientific instruments; thermometers search
- Smith, Samuel Harrison; and sale of TJ’s library to Congress search
- Smith, Samuel Harrison; letters from search
- Smith, Samuel Harrison; reports on weather search
- thermometers; mentioned search
- weather; cold search
- weather; ice search
- weather; wind search