Thomas Jefferson Papers
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-06-02-0479

John E. Hall to Thomas Jefferson, 15 November 1813

From John E. Hall

Baltimore 15th Nov. 1813

Sir

I was fortunately enabled to procure a copy of “The Proceedings” &c from Judge Cooper, and have Sent it to my printer. It contains a few Ms. notes, which, being in your hand-writing, will be attended to in the new edition. It has just occurred to me that you might wish to avail yourself of such an opportunity to make further alterations & therefore I trouble you with this letter. If you have no further use for the plate, from which your engraving is made, I should be glad to have it, as it would save the expense of a new one. Mr Livingston has given me a reply to your pamphlet. The two will form the first two numbers of the Law Journal—about 300 pp. My friend, Mr Duponceau, has been kind enough to undertake the revision of the proofsheets—the printing being done at Philad: From his great accuracy, I have no doubt your pamphlet will be faithfully copied. The errors in punctuation, I do not think we have a right to meddle with, excepting in very evident cases.

I am, Sir, yr obt Servt

J. E. Hall

RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 13 Dec. 1813 and so recorded in SJL.

The printer of Hall’s American Law Journal was William Fry, of Baltimore. TJ provided corrections in some of the copies of his 31 July 1810 Statement on the Batture Case that he published in 1812 and distributed to friends and public officials, one particularly comprehensive example being at DLC: Rare Book and Special Collections. The pamphlet and Edward Livingston’s reply, An Answer to Mr. Jefferson’s Justification of his Conduct in the Case of the New Orleans Batture (Philadelphia, 1813; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 3507), were published in the first and second issues, respectively, of the American Law Journal 5 (1814). TJ wrote in the copy of his batture pamphlet now at DLC: Rare Book and Special Collections that the typesetter had introduced errors in punctuation so “innumerable” that “no correction of them will be attempted.”

Index Entries

  • American Law Journal (J. E. Hall) search
  • An Answer to Mr. Jefferson’s Justification of His Conduct in the Case of the New Orleans Batture (E. Livingston) search
  • Cooper, Thomas; and TJ’s batture pamphlet search
  • Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen; and TJ’s batture pamphlet search
  • Fry, William search
  • Hall, John Elihu; American Law Journal search
  • Hall, John Elihu; letters from search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston search
  • Livingston, Edward; An Answer to Mr. Jefferson’s Justification of His Conduct in the Case of the New Orleans Batture search
  • The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston (Thomas Jefferson); printer’s errors in search
  • The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston (Thomas Jefferson); reprint of search