From James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 4 July 1809
To Thomas Jefferson
July 4. 1809
Dear Sir
The inclosed letter1 accompanied the skin of an Animal, not named by the writer, which belongs to the Region of the Rocky Mountains. The bundle being too large for the Mail, I shall forward it by some other oppy; perhaps as far as Orange, by a waggon I shall soon have on the return thither.
You will have seen that a re-nomination of J. Q. A. for Russia, has succeeded with the Senate.2 In framing his Credence, it will be proper to adapt it to that given to Mr Short,3 which deviated from the beaten form; and it appears that the original in that case passed on to Mr. Short, without being opened at the Office of State. No copy therefore exists but the one retained by yourself. Will you be so good as to lend me that, sending it to Orange Ct. House to await my arrival there; which will probably be at an early day next week. We continue without news from Europe later than the rumour from Holland of a defeat of the Austrians. Yrs. truly & respectfully
James Madison
RC (DLC). Docketed by Jefferson, “recd. July 10.”
1. Letter not found.
2. JM expected Jefferson would remain abreast of the ordinary business of government by reading the National Intelligencer, published by their mutual friend, Samuel Harrison Smith. The Senate vote on John Quincy Adams was reported in the National Intelligencer, 28 June 1809.
3. Jefferson wrote in the left margin opposite this sentence: “Aug. 29. 09 [08].” When the Senate rejected his nomination of William Short as U.S. minister to Russia, Short had already carried to Paris Jefferson’s letter of credence drafted 29 Aug. 1808 to Czar Alexander I (draft fragment in JM’s hand [DLC: Jefferson Papers]; draft [ibid.], printed in Paul Leicester Ford, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson [10 vols.; New York, 1892–99], 9:206–7).