Henry Bry to Thomas Jefferson, 14 October 1821
From Henry Bry
Ouachita 14th Octbr 1821–
Sir!
I can hardly presume that you can remember my visit at Monticello on the 28th of June last which I shall never forget. Since I left your hospitable mansion I travelled through the Northern & Eastern States, went in Canada viewed the falls of Niagara; by far the grandest Sight I have beheld in the Union; I crossed lake Erie to Portland and the State of Ohio diagonally where I Saw a wilder and newer Country than even this remote part of the State of Louisiana. As far as Columbus, it is quite in the Cradle and a rough and poor one it is: My observations through these States would afford you nothing new; you are better informed than myself about the countries I visited. I Shall only mention that after Seeing our most renown’d Colleges, I found but one Institution of that kind which pleased me—That is West Point Academy, and there I intend to place my Son in one or two years If I can get him admitted.
While I was with you; you expressed a wish to get Some cuttings of a kind of Rose which I represented as a valuable plant to make a very handsome and excellent hedge: We looked on Some of your Botanical Books to Identify the Species—We could not: Since my arrival here having the plant before me, I have been able to ascertain it—It is “The Rosa Sinica, germinibus Subglobosis, glabris; pedunculis aculeatis, hispidis; caule petiolisque aculeatis; calicinis foliolis lanceolatis, Subpetiolatis. Lin. Syst. Veget. 394.”—“The Rosier fleuri. Rosa Semperflo[rens”] of Lamarck—I mention this that you may Ascertain if it is already cultivated in your neighbourhoo[d.]
I Shall at all events (unless you Should direct me otherwise) forward the cuttings I promised you in January or1 begg of February—I Should be very glad (I would almost Say very proud) If our country can afford any thing you would wish, I would procure it with pleasure—With the highest Esteem & Consideration I am Your obt Servt
H. Bry
RC (MHi); edge trimmed; endorsed by TJ as received 1 Dec. 1821 and so recorded in SJL. RC (MHi); left half of address cover only; with TJ’s Account with Youen Carden, [ca. 14 June 1824], on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jeffe[rson] [. . .] Mon[ticello] Charlottesville [. . .]”; postmarked.
Bry’s son, Henry M. Bry, was admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1823. Two years later the elder Bry petitioned for his son’s reinstatement as a cadet after he had been dismissed for inattention to his studies (Patrick G. Wardell, Genealogical Data from United States Military Academy Application Papers, 1805–1866 [2002], 1:102, 123).
The description of the rosa sinica comes from the section on rosier fleuri in Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck and Jean Louis Marie Poiret, Encyclopédie Méthodique: Botanique (Paris, 1783–1808; for this work as a whole, published 1782–1832, see no. 4889), 6:283. TJ received the seeds of this plant, the Cherokee rose (rosa laevigata), from John Milledge late in 1803 and had it planted at Monticello the following spring ( , 42:30; , 291, 293).
1. Manuscript: “of.”
Index Entries
- books; on botany search
- botany; books on search
- Bry, Henry; and roses search
- Bry, Henry; letters from search
- Bry, Henry; travels of search
- Bry, Henry; visits Monticello search
- Bry, Henry M.; and U.S. Military Academy search
- Cherokee rose search
- Encyclopédie Méthodique: Botanique (Lamarck and Poiret) search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; TJ’s personal search
- Lamarck, Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de; Encyclopédie Méthodique: Botanique search
- Milledge, John; and roses search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Bry, Henry search
- Niagara Falls; praised search
- Ohio; described search
- Poiret, Jean Louis Marie; Encyclopédie Méthodique: Botanique search
- roses; Cherokee search
- United States Military Academy (West Point, N.Y.); students at search