Philippe Reibelt to Thomas Jefferson, 6 November 1805
From Philippe Reibelt
Baltimore le 6 Nov. 1805.
Monsieur!
Mr. S. m’a repondu, qu’il lui repugnoit absolument, de prendre de Vous plus qu’on avoit offert, et qu’on auroit pû obtenir d’un autre.
Je ne suis au reste plus compromis envers lui, parceque—par votre Lettre du 3 il voit clairement, de quoi il s’agit—et même, si je le serais encore, j’ai meritè une petite punition par la faute, d’avoir acceptè, sans Vous en avoir auparavant fait mon rapport, quoique je ne devois pas meconnoitre les Motifs, par lesquels Vous refusiez. J’aurois cependant pour ma defense encore une ou deux observations a faire, mais je puis m’en dispenser, etant persuadè d’avance, que Vous ne me condamnerez pas si severement, et que Vous ne me conserverez pas Moins Votre bienveillance, qui est, comme Vous avez bien dû lire sur ma figure, d’un prix infini pour Moi. Enfin la Chose a pris une autre façe, par ce, que j’ai achetè de Mr. S. en bloc et le buste en question, et ses deux frères moins grands, dont j’ai fait present a deux Amis: Mr. Arcambal le Consul, et Mr. Du Catel. Vous n’avez maintenant a faire, qu’avec Moi seul, et Vous avez, je me flatte, l’opinion de Moi—que Votre Volonté est la mienne—decidez donc en trois Mots, comme il Vous plaira, si faût garder çe Corpus Delicti ici, ou renvoyer a Richmond?
J’ai bien fait a Mr. Latullaye, l’observation que Vous me marquez—mais il m’a repondu, qu’il alloit finir sa Carrière de Jardinier le printems prochain, et que Vous trouverez sans doute pour la Conservation et reproduction de ces semences—de la place dans les Jardins de Mss. vos gendres ou d’autres Amis.
Le petit Livre çijoint etant un de çeux, qui merite de faire partie de Votre bibliotheque—je Vous prie, de lui permettre, qu’il puisse y passer de la mienne, avec les revoirs de mon Ami Ochs.
J’ose Vous presenter mes profonds hommages avec ceux du Citoyen Virginien Mr. Lapoype.
Reibelt.
Editors’ Translation
Baltimore, 6 Nov. 1805
Sir!
Mr. Schwarze replied that he absolutely refuses to accept more from you than he was offered or might have received from someone else.
I did not negotiate any further with him, because he fully understands, from your letter of the third, what is at stake, and even if I were still in a position to negotiate, I deserved a minor reprimand for my error of having accepted his offer without first consulting you, especially since I should have known the reasons that prompted you to refuse. I could make one or two observations in my defense but will forgo them, knowing in advance that you will not judge me too severely or be less benevolent toward me. As you could see from my face, your judgment matters infinitely to me. As it turns out, the affair has taken on another dimension because I bought a lot from Mr. Schwarze, including the bust in question and its two smaller brothers, which I gave to two friends: Mr. Arcambal, the consul, and Mr. Ducatel. Now you are dealing only with me and I flatter myself that you understand: your wishes are mine. Simply decide, as you please, in three words, whether to keep this corpus delicti here or send it back to Richmond.
I did not fail to communicate your observation to Mr. La Tullaye, but he replied that he was going to end his gardening career next spring, and that you will undoubtedly find space to keep and cultivate your seeds in the gardens of your sons-in-law and other friends.
Since the small book enclosed deserves to belong to your library, I pray you to allow it to go from mine, with revisions from my friend Ochs.
I dare present my deep regards along with those of the Virginia citizen Mr. La Poype.
Reibelt
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ. Recorded in SJL as received on 7 Nov. Enclosure not identified, but see below.
Vous me marquez: see TJ to Reibelt, 12 Oct.
Reibelt may have enclosed a work connected to Peter Ochs, a Swiss politician and writer he likely would have encountered while working for the Helvetic Republic (Dictionnaire historique & biographique de la Suisse, 7 vols. [Neuchâtel, 1920-33], 5:176-7; Vol. 39:95n).