Peter Laporte to Thomas Jefferson, 9 December 1819
From Peter Laporte
Charlotteville le 9 Decembre 1819
Monsieur
Ce n’est qu’a la Derniere Extrémité que je prends la liberté De vous représenter que la 2e Demi année de la pention des quatre jeunes Mrs que vous protégez a Commencé le 4 du présent mois; et qu’il n’y a que la plus Extrême néssésité, qui puisse m’obliger a en Solliciter le payement, Selon la regle que vous avez Etablie.
il ne me reste aucune autre resource pour Exister D’ici à la fin de la vaqueri[e] Sans quoi, Monsieur, je ne vous importunerais pas par une Demande, qui afecte infiniment ma delicatesse
ayez je vous prie, Monseur, la bonte de prendre en considération, le désagrément momentané de ma position et de me Croîre avec le plus profond respect
p. Laporte
| p. S. | Mr Dawson que j’ai vu il y a quelqu[e] tems m’a promis d’attendre, pour le remboursement de largent qu’il m’a prété jus qu’au milieu de février |
p. L.
Editors’ Translation
Charlottesville 9 December 1819
Sir
Only as a last resort do I take the liberty of reminding you that the second semiannual payment for room and board for your four young protégés has been due since the 4th of this month. Only the most extreme necessity could force me to solicit the payment, according to the rule you established.
I have no other resource on which to live from now until the boarding term ends. Otherwise, Sir, I would not trouble you with a request that greatly offends my sensibility
Please be so kind, Sir, as to consider the unpleasantness of my position at this time and believe me to be, with the most profound respect
p. Laporte
| p. S. | Mr. Dawson, whom I saw some time ago, promised me that he would wait until the middle of February for the reimbursement of the money he lent me |
p. L.
RC (MHi); dateline between signature and postscript; edge trimmed; endorsed by TJ as received 9 Dec. 1819 and so recorded in SJL. Translation by Dr. Genevieve Moene.
Index Entries
- Baker, John Wayles (TJ’s grandnephew); room and board payment for search
- Dawson, Martin; P. Laporte’s debt to search
- Eppes, Francis Wayles (TJ’s grandson); room and board payment for search
- French language; letters in, from; P. Laporte search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; and Laporte’s boardinghouse search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; as security for P. Laporte search
- Laporte, Peter; letters from search
- Laporte, Peter; TJ as security for search
- Laporte’s boardinghouse (Charlottesville); boarders at search
- Laporte’s boardinghouse (Charlottesville); charges for boarding at search
- Randolph, James Madison (TJ’s grandson); room and board payment for search