To Thomas Jefferson from James Lyle, 18 August 1800
From James Lyle
Manchester Augt. 18. 1800
Dear Sir
I was favord with a letter before you left Philadelphia; since that, I have not had the pleasure of hearing from you.
In order that you may see how matters stand between you and our Company I have made out a statement, which I now enclose, & hope on examining, you will find right. if any error, you will of course notice it. You will observe the first second & third bonds are paid, & part of the fourth, of this last there remained £99.3.8¾ principal with Interest from Novr. 12. 1798 due, also the fifth and sixth bond, besides that for your Mothers debt. I have never been able to get payment from Coll. John Bolling (now decd) for the bond you put into my hands for R Harvie. Colo. Bollings sons assured me they are proposing to pay off all the Debts the Estate owed.
I was sorry to see by your last letter that you lost so much by not selling your Tobo. before the price fell. Yet on the whole I think you made the most of it; by selling at Phila.
I have Just now recd. an order from Christr. Clark for £29.12—which will be brot. to your Credit
I am with great Regard Dear Sir Your Mo hml st
James Lyle
RC (MHi); at head of text: “The Honl. Thomas Jefferson Esqr.”; endorsed by TJ as received 28 Aug. and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure not found.
A letter before you left Philadelphia: TJ to Lyle, 17 Mch. 1800.
For TJ’s payments on his debt to Henderson, McCaul & Co., the firm Lyle represented, see Vol. 29:202–4. TJ questioned the accuracy of the 1775 bond of Richard Harvie, which included an amount from TJ’s mother to him that was later assigned to Henderson, McCaul & Co. Although the amount was reduced in 1803 to £132.12.0 principal and TJ made payments toward it, the debt was never paid in full during TJ’s lifetime ( , 1:393, 751).