To Thomas Jefferson from William Hamilton, 16 January 1803
From William Hamilton
The Woodlds. 16th. January. 1803.
Mr. Hamilton presents his respectful compliments to the President, & with great pleasure, sends him a few seeds of the mimosa farnesiana, being all he saved during the last year.
Lest these should not vegetate, Mr. H. will, as soon as they ripen, forward some of the present years growth to the president, who will confer a favor on him, in naming any seeds or plants he may wish to have from the Woodlands collection.
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received from the Woodlands on 27 Jan. and so recorded in SJL.
TJ shipped some specimens of the sweetly fragrant mimosa farnesiana from France in 1789 and described the plant as “the most delicious flowering shrub in the world.” On three separate occasions, in the spring of 1800, July 1806, and March 1808, TJ requested its seeds from Hamilton, a Philadelphia horticulturalist and owner of the Woodlands estate (, 322, 366; Vol. 15:376; Vol. 23:355; Vol. 31:535).