To Thomas Jefferson from Philippe Reibelt, 2 February 1805
From Philippe Reibelt
Baltimore le 2 Fevr. 1805.
Monsieur le President!
J’ai recu hier Soir Votre billet du 31 du passè, par le quel Vous demandez:
1) 2 Exemplaires du Nouv. Testament &c. sur le text grec
2) 11 petits Ouvrages latins, d’edition Elzevir
3) 1 Ex. de la Bible in 8vo., qui est annonceè sur la page 58 du Catal. de fond de l’an XII de la Maison a Paris.
Conformement a çes Ordres
ad 1) J’ai fait partir aujourd hui les 2 Exempl. du Nouv. Testament—a 80 Cents—Sa 160. Cents
2) Je Vous enverais demain ou apres-demain ces petits Ouvrages Latins—
3) Je Vous observe, que çette Bible n’a pas encore parue—et que—aussitot que j’en recevrai, je m’empresserais de Vous presenter l’Exemplaire, que Vous desirez
N’aimerez Vous pas d’avoir un plan de la Ville de Rome en 4 feuilles in Gr. folio—a 50 Cents le tout, et: Europe, Asia, Africa et America—Poly-Glotta—Linguarum Genealogiam, cum Litteris, Scribendique Modis exhibens in 4 feuilles in 4to.—à 10 Cents l’ensemble.
Daignez Agreer mes profonds respects.
Reibelt
Editors’ Translation
Baltimore, 2 Feb. 1805
Mister President!
Yesterday afternoon I received your note of the 31st of last month in which you requested:
1) Two copies of the New Testament etc., based on the Greek text.
2) 11 small Latin works published by Elzevir.
3) One copy of the Bible in octavo, which is advertised on page 58 of the catalogue from the French office for year 12.
In accordance with these requests:
1) I sent the two copies of the New Testament today; at 80 cents = 160 cents.
2) Tomorrow or the next day I will send the small Latin works.
3) I call your attention to the fact that the Bible has not yet come out; as soon as I receive some I will hasten to furnish the copy you wish.
Would you not like to have a four-page map of Rome in large folio for 50 cents? Also the Polyglotta, Linguarum Genealogiam Exhibens for Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, four pages in quarto for 10 cents?
Please accept my deep respect.
Reibelt
RC (DLC); above signature: “Le Depot Americ. General de Levrault, Schoell et Comp. Imprim. Libraires a Paris”; endorsed by TJ as received 3 Feb. and so recorded in SJL.
Linguarum Genealogiam: Reibelt was offering a series of maps produced during the first half of the eighteenth century that charted linguistic areas. The first, Europa polyglotta, linguarum genealogiam exhibens, una cum literis, scribendique modis, omnium gentium, was followed by similar maps for Asia, Africa, and the Americas (Henry Robert Wilkinson, Maps and Politics: A Review of the Ethnographic Cartography of Macedonia [Liverpool, 1951], 8-10).