Jean Baptiste Petry to Thomas Jefferson, 22 July 1805
From Jean Baptiste Petry
Baltimore le 22. Juillet 1805.
Monsieur
En mettant en ordre et mes papiers et mes livres j’ai trouvé une lettre de M. Valentin avec une Brochure intitulé, Resultats de l’inoculation de la Vaccine &c qu’il m’a chargé de vous remettre et que j’aurois joint à son traité sur la fievre jaune, si j’avois mis moins d’empressement à vous l’adresser, je supplie votre Excellence d’agréer ce motif comme une Excuse de ma negligence et des delais de cet Envoi.
M. Deforgues, Commissaire des Relations commerciales à la Nouvelle Orleans, qui est un de mes amis, aura l’honneur de vous remettre ce paquet.
Je suis avec un très profond respect Monsieur De Votre Excellence Le très humble et très obéissant serviteur.
Petry.
Editors’ Translation
Baltimore, 22 July 1805
Sir,
While sorting my books and papers, I found a letter from Mr. Valentin with a brochure entitled Résultats de l’inoculation de la vaccine etc. that he asked me to give you. I would have included it with his treatise on yellow fever if I had been less prompt in sending that to you. I beg your excellency to accept this as an explanation for my negligence and delay in sending this.
Mr. Deforgues, commissioner of commercial relations in New Orleans and a friend, will have the honor of bringing you this packet.
With deep respect, Sir, I am your excellency’s very humble and obedient servant.
Petry
RC (ViW: Tucker-Coleman Collection); endorsed by TJ as received 11 Oct. and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: Louis Valentin to TJ, 28 Dec. 1803.
joint à son traité: see Petry to TJ, 10 July.
TJ signed an exequatur dated 26 July for François Louis Michel Chemin Deforgues. Deforgues delivered this letter from Petry along with Valentin’s of 28 Dec. 1803, Dominique Joseph Garat’s of 23 Apr. 1805, and Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours’s of 23 Apr. to TJ on 11 Oct. Deforgues and his father-in-law, Louis de Tousard, were dinner guests at the President’s House on 14 Oct. (FC in DNA: RG 59, Exequaturs; , 9:339n; Appendix II).