Thomas Jefferson to James Dinsmore, 31 October 1805
To James Dinsmore
Washington Oct. 31. 05.
Dear Sir
I find by Latrobe & Mifflin’s account that on the 7th. of Aug. they shipped for me from Philadelphia 2. boxes of sheet iron weighing 7C–2Qrs–16℔ has it ever been recieved? be so good as to inform me by return of post as I am called on for paiment. I never sent to them for sheet iron but twice. the question is then whether we have recieved a supply of sheet iron1 once only, or twice. best wishes
Th: Jefferson
RC (Goodspeed’s Bookshop, Boston, 1946); at foot of text: “Mr. Dinsmore.”
return of post: a letter of 8 Nov. from Dinsmore, recorded in SJL as received 12 Nov., has not been found. Subsequently, TJ recorded writing to Dinsmore on 17 Nov. and receiving from him a letter of 7 Dec. on 10 Dec. Neither of these letters has been found.
An account in TJ’s hand of his transactions with the rolling mill firm of Benjamin Henry Latrobe and Samuel Mifflin indicated that he paid $330 for six boxes of “bent & painted” sheet iron in 1803 and $178.25 for two boxes in May 1805. TJ owed the firm for its third shipment, priced like the second one at $265 per ton, $101.27 and an additional $3 for the boxes (MS in MHi; undated; entirely in TJ’s hand; at head of text: “Messrs. Mifflin & Latrobe”).
1. Preceding five words interlined.