184201Drafting the Annual Message to Congress: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
At the close of the first session of the Seventh Congress in May 1802, the House of Representatives and the Senate adjourned to the first Monday in December, which would fall on the 6th ( Annals Annals of the Congress of the United States: The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States…Compiled from Authentic Materials , Washington, D.C., Gales & Seaton, 1834-56, 42 vols. All...
184202List of Appointments, with Notes by Gallatin and Jefferson (Jefferson Papers)
August 2 Commissions 25— George Wentworth Surveyor for the District of Portsmouth and Inspector of the Revenue for the same. { do. Joseph Farley—Collector for the District of Waldoborough and Inspector of the Revenue for the same. do. Joseph Wilson, Collector for the District of Marblehead and Inspector of the Revenue for the same— 28th. do. Abraham Bloodgood, Surveyor for the Port of Albany &...
184203Gallatin’s Notes on Appointments, with Jefferson’s Orders (Jefferson Papers)
The enclosed list contains all the alterations which seem necessary in the President’s list , so far as relates to this department. The errors in that list were 1st. That in every case where an officer is at once, either collector & surveyor of a port, and inspector of the revenue for the same port; he receives two distinct commissions, one as collector or surveyor, as the case may be, and the...
184204From Thomas Jefferson to the House of Representatives: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Among the papers that Jefferson sent to the House of Representatives on 22 Dec. was a copy of William C. C. Claiborne’s letter of 28 Oct. to Manuel de Salcedo, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, questioning the suspension of the deposit at New Orleans. The State Department received a copy of Salcedo’s reply to Claiborne by 30 Dec., and on that day Jefferson wrote a brief message to the House...
184205Circular on the Winchester Triumph of Liberty (Jefferson Papers)
for the enlargement, encouragement and continuation of the Winchester Triumph of Liberty and more particularly for the desirable purpose of procuring a Quantity of beautiful long primmer type—We , whose names are hereunto annexed, agree, to pay in advance the respective sums, by us subscribed, to accomplish the above laudable design. The object of the Editor is, to raise the sum of One Hundred...
184206Plan of a Dry Dock (Jefferson Papers)
Discription of the Drawing A The wet Dock, B twelve dry Docks, each to contain one Ship, C the upper Lock, by which the Ships are to pass in and out of the wet Dock, F the Canel to supply the Docks with water, E a branch of it leading into the wet Dock, D two other branches which surrounds the dry Docks and by gates opening into each, any one of them can be filled without the others. The water...
184207Description of the Physiognotrace (Jefferson Papers)
Explanation of Mr. Jno. I. Hawkins Physiognotrace A is a board that mooves up and down in the frame B, B. which is fastened to the wall with brackets C, C,— This moovement is convenient to suit the heigth of different persons, and it is secured to its place by means of a screw on the back part,—D, is a hollowed board projecting 2½ Inches, to allow the Pentagraph to moove behind it. The person...
184208List of Groceries Wanted from Marseilles (Jefferson Papers)
50. ℔ de Maccaroni. 50. ℔ de meme composition de differentes façons pour les potages. 6. paniers d’huile de la meilleure qualité. 8. caisses d’olives. 4. idem de capres fines. 2. idem d’Anchois. 20. ℔ de thon mariné. 8. douzaines de petites boetes historiés de 6. ou 7. fruits. 3. caisses de pruneaux. 3.
184209To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On 12 Mch., Robert R. Livingston began a letter to the president that reported on his activities in general terms, mentioning his efforts to influence Napoleon Bonaparte about Louisiana, his discussions with the Spanish ambassador concerning the Floridas, and French attitudes toward the United States and Great Britain. The next day, a Sunday, Livingston interrupted his writing to attend an...
184210Drafting Instructions for Meriwether Lewis: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
A brief, undated set of four comments jotted in pencil by James Madison is the earliest evidence of Jefferson’s drafting of official instructions to Meriwether Lewis for the expedition to the Pacific ( Document I ). Due to an alteration that Jefferson made in his endorsement on that document, the date of its receipt is not clear but could be as early as 12 or 13 Apr. Jefferson’s practice,...
184211Preparations to Negotiate an Alliance with Great Britain: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On 8 Apr., the president posed a question to the four heads of departments and the attorney general: was it time to make “overtures to England” to ensure American access to the Mississippi River waterway? The French government had not given Robert R. Livingston assurance that the 1795 treaty between the United States and Spain—particularly those sections that pertained to American commerce...
184212Cipher for Meriwether Lewis: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In his instructions for the expedition to the Pacific, Jefferson anticipated that Meriwether Lewis might find opportunity to send dispatches back by way of western army posts, “putting into cypher whatever might do injury if betrayed” (see Document IV of the group of documents on drafting instructions for Lewis, at 13 Apr. above). Two undated manuscripts, in Jefferson’s handwriting and among...
184213Notes on William Eaton’s Accounts: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In the spring of 1802, confronting an expenditure by William Eaton of $16,000 primarily for the charter of a vessel to carry dispatches to the United States, James Madison wrote to remind the consul that he must submit a full statement of his accounts. Eaton complied reluctantly, agreeing in November 1802 to send the information but contending that he could not always obtain receipts, even...
184214Constitutional Amendment on Louisiana: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
“I think it will be safer not to permit the enlargement of the Union but by amendment of the constitution,” Jefferson wrote to his secretary of the Treasury in January 1803. The president was responding to Gallatin’s rebuttal of arguments from the attorney general about the desired purchase of New Orleans and the Floridas. Jefferson, Levi Lincoln knew, thought that an amendment to the...
184215Queries on Louisiana: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
EDITORIAL NOTE The news that had arrived on the evening of 3 July, of the cession of Louisiana to the United States, confirmed for the Jefferson Administration the correctness of its pacific approach to the crisis in the West. Much uncertainty remained, however, on just what the acquisition would entail. The exact boundaries of the vast territory, a very different expanse than that initially...
184216Party Affiliation of Federal Officeholders: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Spurred by dissension in Republican ranks in Philadelphia over Federalists who remained in lucrative offices, Jefferson decided to study the party affiliation of those who had received presidential appointments. Writing Peter Freneau on 20 May, he reviewed his administration’s patronage policy, noting that when he took office the Federalists “possessed all.” By removing those Federalists who...
184217The Boundaries of Louisiana: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
The geographic limits of the purchase of Louisiana were ill-defined. Although Jefferson could rightly rejoice that Americans now controlled the entire Mississippi valley, including of course the prize of New Orleans, little else was known about what bounded the acquisition. The purchase treaty merely quoted the vague language of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, which defined Louisiana by “the Same...
184218Drafting the Annual Message to Congress: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Jefferson’s summoning of the new Congress to convene on 17 Oct. and his desire that the legislators be ready to take up the acquisition of Louisiana without delay meant that he would have to prepare his annual message earlier than had been the case in 1801 or 1802. He could, however, rely on the procedures for building the message that he had honed in the previous years. As he had done in...
184219Jefferson’s Letters to David Williams: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Joel Barlow introduced David Williams to James Monroe “as an old friend of Dr. Franklin.” On 20 Sep., Monroe informed the president that he was forwarding Williams’s 1802 London publication, Claims of Literature: The Origin, Motives, Objects, and Transactions of the Society for the Establishment of A Literary Fund . Monroe agreed to present any response Jefferson wished to make to the author....
184220Canons of Official Etiquette: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
After Jefferson hosted the newly arrived British Minister Anthony Merry and his wife, Elizabeth, for dinner at the President’s House on 2 Dec., a debate over diplomatic protocol ensued. The British consul took umbrage when the widowed president did not accompany his wife to the dining room, but instead escorted Dolley Madison, whom he seated at his side. Secretary of State James Madison...
184221Bill in Chancery of Craven Peyton against John Henderson and Others: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In late April and early May 1804, in the aftermath of the death of his daughter and with other matters also demanding his attention, Jefferson faced obstacles in his efforts to begin operation of a new flour mill on the Rivanna River. By the end of the summer of 1803, he had determined to exercise a right given to him by the courts to dismantle an illegally constructed milldam that was part of...
184222To Thomas Jefferson from George Twyman (Jefferson Papers)
{Published in print edition Vol. 44:31 dated [before 3 July 1804]. Redated in June 2020 to [3 July 1809]. To be inserted in Retirement Series Vol. 1. in Rotunda and Founders Online.}
184223Bill for Preservation of Peace in Harbors and Waters: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In the late spring and early summer of 1804, two incidents demonstrated the relative weakness of civil authorities to compel foreign vessels to comply with state and federal law in U.S. territory. The first, in May, involved a French privateer refusing a court order to release a prize that it had illegally seized in American waters. The second, in June, occurred when the British frigate...
184224Bill to Regulate the Clearance of Armed Vessels: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In the spring of 1804, Jefferson began receiving reports that owners of U.S. merchant vessels trading in the West Indies were arming their ships. Owners and masters argued these actions were necessary to protect vessels from pirates and French privateers. French minister Louis André Pichon complained that such actions violated neutrality laws and were a thinly disguised attempt to enable trade...
184225Annual Message to Congress: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
By October 1804, composing the annual message to Congress was a part of Jefferson’s autumn routine. As in previous years, the president circulated a draft among the heads of the executive departments for comment before submitting his final version to Congress. In 1804, however, this review process did not include the attorney general, Levi Lincoln, whose departure from Worcester on 26 Oct....
184226Enclosure: Letter of “McGillda” (Jefferson Papers)
as I have not the honor of being Personally Acquainted with you—you will have the goodness to pardon me for the liberty I here take in Addressing myself to the Chief Majestrate of the United States—And permit me to lay before you a heart which is no Stranger to the joys of our fellow Citizens thus far in your public Administration—(He whoes daring and luminent pen drew the declaration of...
184227Second Inaugural Address: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Before noon on Monday, the 4th of March, Jefferson mounted his horse—probably Wildair, his prized bay saddle horse—and rode the mile and a half up Pennsylvania Avenue from the President’s House to the Capitol. Augustus John Foster, the 24-year-old secretary of the British legation in Washington, left a record of the details he observed on that day. The president, who “affects great plainness...
184228Carriage License: Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On 25 May 1803, the Washington city council approved an act, to begin “1 July next,” that required annual licenses for the private use of carriages. Cost of the license was determined by carriage type, ranging from $15 yearly for a coach, “whether driven with a box or by postillion,” to an annual fee of $2 for four-wheeled carriages “resting upon wooden spars.” The statute did not pertain to...
184229Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In crafting his response to James Fishback’s letter of 5 June 1809, Jefferson completed a draft that argued passionately and at length against intolerance and forced conformity in religion. Possibly reflecting that his letter was outspoken enough to create controversy and that he knew very little about Fishback or his discretion, Jefferson then substituted a briefer and less revealing version,...
184230Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
James Madison was on poor terms with James Monroe after the latter’s abortive bid for the presidency in 1808 and accompanying flirtation with the Richmond Junto and the Tertium Quids led by John Randolph of Roanoke . Ever since his final departure from Washington , Jefferson had been anxious to see an end to this rift. He assured Madison on 30 March that Monroe had severed most of his ties to...
184231Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In composing his response to William Baldwin’s letter of 7 Jan. 1810 , Jefferson completed a draft that forthrightly criticized the practices of organized Christianity and accused the Society of Friends of hypocrisy, if not treason. Recognizing the controversial nature of what he had written and unable to count on the discretion of Baldwin , with whom he had not corresponded previously,...
184232Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Using the French manuscript that he received from the author in 1809, Jefferson undertook to see into print an English edition of Destutt de Tracy’s commentary on Montesquieu’s Esprit des Lois . He recruited Philadelphia printer and journalist William Duane for the task with the letter and sample translations printed below. Duane engaged his own translator, even for the portions Jefferson had...
184233Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
The material printed below documents the failure of Edward Livingston’s attempt to make Jefferson personally liable for the loss Livingston had sustained when the president ordered him expelled from the Batture Sainte Marie in New Orleans in 1807. Ever since Livingston had filed a lawsuit in May 1810 claiming $100,000 in damages, Jefferson had been anxiously gathering evidence and legal...
184234Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
By the latter part of the 1790s Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had become bitter political opponents. The friendship they had forged as congressional and diplomatic colleagues, fellow revolutionaries, and members of George Washington’s administration did not survive the strain of Jefferson’s victory in the 1800 presidential election. Adams left the nation’s capital just before Jefferson’s...
184235Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In the summer of 1805 William Wirt asked Jefferson to supply him with information for a prospective work on the famed Virginia revolutionary Patrick Henry . In his reply Jefferson agreed to help but warned that his evaluation of his onetime friend and later political adversary would bear a “mixed aspect.” Although he regarded Henry as “the best humored man in society I almost ever knew, and...
184236Enclosure: Thomas Jefferson’s Account with Craven Peyton for Purchase of Henderson Lands, 14 July 1801 to 7 January 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
Craven Peyton in account for Henderson’s lands, with Th: J. D r
184237Enclosure: Thomas Jefferson’s Account with Craven Peyton for Corn, 28 January 1804 to 25 June 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Craven Peyton on a contract for corn in acc t with Th: Jefferson D r
184238Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Thomas Jefferson had long advocated sending an American-sponsored expedition to explore the region between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean . Although frustrated by the inability of George Rogers Clark in 1783–84, John Ledyard in 1788, and André Michaux in 1793 to fulfill this mission, Jefferson finally saw his dream become a reality with the dispatch in 1804 and safe return two years...
184239Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On 12 Jan. 1803 the Virginia General Assembly passed “An Act to establish an academy in the county of Albemarle , and for other purposes.” Although it never educated a single student, the Albemarle Academy is important because it served as midwife to one of Jefferson ’s proudest achievements, the founding of the University of Virginia a few miles west of Monticello . The legislature named...
184240Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Having learned through the newspapers of the British destruction on 24 Aug. 1814 of the 3,000-volume Library of Congress , Jefferson quickly decided to offer his large personal library as a replacement. On 21 Sept. he sent his proposal and a manuscript catalogue to his old friend Samuel H. Smith , federal commissioner of the revenue and former publisher of the Washington National Intelligencer...
184241Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In composing his response to Peter H. Wendover ’s letter of 30 Jan. 1815 , Jefferson completed a draft that criticized the discussion of public affairs from the pulpit by religious leaders. Realizing the controversial nature of what he had written and being unable to count on the discretion of its intended recipient, with whom he had not corresponded previously, Jefferson wrote a briefer and...
184242Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In composing a letter to his boyhood friend James Maury , a longtime expatriate serving as United States consul at Liverpool, England , Jefferson included a request that Maury locate an agent who could purchase books for him in Great Britain. The retired statesman was seeking to rebuild his collection after the recent sale of his library to the United States Congress . He intended to supply a...
184243Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In the latter part of 1815 Jefferson made two lengthy visits to his Bedford County estate, Poplar Forest , a principal goal of which was observing and calculating the height and latitude of the nearby Peaks of Otter . This group of travel receipts documents a portion of the first of these trips. Jefferson had arrived at Poplar Forest on 21 Aug. 1815 for a prolonged stay. On about 10 Sept. he...
184244Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Following his September visit to Bedford County and surrounding areas with José Corrêa da Serra and Francis W. Gilmer , Jefferson returned in November 1815 to expand on his earlier scientific observations and make more extensive geometrical calculations of the altitude of the Peaks of Otter . For this purpose he brought surveying tools from Monticello , including a theodolite made by the...
184245Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
While drafting his 10 Jan. 1816 response to Horatio G. Spafford’s letter of 25 Dec. 1815 , Jefferson digressed from comments on Spafford ’s enclosed manuscript to what he here describes to Thomas Ritchie as a “tirade” on a religious publication sent to him by Benjamin Waterhouse on 14 Dec. 1815 . The work in question, Lyman Beecher ’s pamphlet On the Importance of Assisting Young Men of Piety...
184246Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Virginia adopted its first written constitution by a unanimous vote on 29 June 1776 at a convention held in Williamsburg . Not surprisingly, considering the new state’s experiences as a British colony, the charter greatly restricted executive power and gave the legislature the authority not only to pass laws, but to appoint the governor, Council of State , attorney general, and all state...
184247Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
In 1806 an act of the Virginia General Assembly established the Rivanna Company in order to improve the navigation of the Rivanna River between Milton and Charlottesville . This section of the river included property owned by Jefferson. After receiving title to this tract under his father ’s will, he spent many years and thousands of dollars building a canal, mills, and a dam along the Rivanna...
184248Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
The bill establishing Central College became law on 14 Feb. 1816, and on 25 Mar. of that year Frank Carr , who had served as secretary for the trustees of the Albemarle Academy , submitted recommendations to Virginia governor Wilson Cary Nicholas for appointments to the new college’s Board of Visitors . Carr told Nicholas that several former Albemarle Academy trustees had drawn up the list,...
184249Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
On or about 13 Aug. 1817 Jefferson set out from Poplar Forest to visit Natural Bridge with his granddaughters Ellen W. Randolph (Coolidge) and Cornelia J. Randolph . Jefferson had most recently visited his Rockbridge County possession in 1815 with his friends José Corrêa da Serra and Francis W. Gilmer . On that occasion Jefferson measured the latitude of Natural Bridge
184250Editorial Note (Jefferson Papers)
Following the chartering of Central College early in 1816, the purchase the next summer of land just west of Charlottesville , and an ongoing subscription campaign to raise funds for the educational institution, construction began in the summer of 1817. Rather than building one large edifice, Jefferson designed an “academical village” with two rows of pavilions and student dormitories flanking...