Thomas Jefferson Papers

To Thomas Jefferson from Thomas Newton, 29 December 1800

From Thomas Newton

Norfolk Decr. 29th—1800

Dr Sir

I Receved your favor of the 20th Mr Patricot is not here at present, he is at New York the letter shall be deliverd him or Doctr Toret his friend, in case I leave this before he arives, to assure you that it will give me pleasure to execute any of your commands, I hope is not wanting, beleive me I shall with pleasure obey—we have the French treaty at length from Brittain here, wch is not so disagreeable as expected from reports;—my wish is that it may be agreed to, war above all things if to be avoided, (without giving up the most desireable object independance of our Country) is my utmost wish. I still hope that no embarasmts. may happen to the Candidates for Prisedincy & that all will1 be right & that we shall have you at our head, which appears to be the desire of the people. things are in our favor I belive in Europe, an Arival here, in 38 days brings intelligenge, that Brittain is excluded the Congress at Lunenville, which is removed to Paris; you can best Judge the Effects of this movement. I pray you present my best wish to Mr. W C Nicholas, & accept the same from

Yrs. most respectfully

Thos Newton

RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 6 Jan. 1801 and so recorded in SJL.

On 4 Jan. 1801 Newton wrote TJ a brief communication from Richmond, returning TJ’s letter to Patricot of 20 Dec. and stating that its intended recipient had become a resident of New York City, where Patricot could be reached through the firm of merchant Stephen Jumel. Newton also advised TJ that he would remain in Richmond through the session of the General Assembly (RC in DLC; endorsed by TJ as received 10 Jan. and so recorded in SJL).

Congress at Lunenville: in October as the talks between Austria and France were about to open, Bonaparte attempted to relocate the negotiation to Paris and exclude the British. The Austrians insisted on returning the discussions to Lunéville, but the British, their coalition against France crumbling, never sent a representative. In the aftermath of the French victories and Austrian capitulation of December, Austria and France concluded the Treaty of Lunéville on 9 Feb. 1801. In addition to affirming peace between the two countries, the pact guaranteed certain provisions of the Treaty of Campoformio and made additional territorial changes, including the cession of the left bank of the Rhine to France (Roider, Thugut description begins Karl A. Roider, Jr., Baron Thugut and Austria’s Response to the French Revolution, Princeton, 1987 description ends , 354–9; Ehrman, Pitt description begins John Ehrman, The Younger Pitt: The Consuming Struggle, London, 1996 description ends , 388–90; Clive Parry, ed., The Consolidated Treaty Series, 231 vols. [Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., 1969–81], 55:475–82).

1MS: “will Will.”

Index Entries