John Graham to Thomas Jefferson, 1 August 1816
From John Graham
Dept of State. 1st Augt 1816.
Dear Sir
It was not until yesterday that I had the pleasure to receive your Letter of the 19th Ulto covering one for mr appleton at Leghorn.
I am happy to inform you that I shall soon have it in my power to forward the Letter to Mr appleton by a safe conveyance, as there is now a Public Vessel waiting at New York to take Despatches to the Mediterranian. These would have been ready before this time; but they have been delayed by the difficulty of getting a translation of a Letter from the Dey of Algiers to the President. That difficulty is now surmounted or soon will be, as we have found a Person who reads the Arabic and Turkish Languages in both of which the Letter is written. The Vessel will therefore, I presume, sail before the Middle of the Month or about that time. Should you have other Letters for that part of the World, they will yet be in time for this conveyance; and if you do me the favor to send them to me, I will take care to have them forwarded in the way most likely to ensure their safety.
I beg to offer my best wishes for the continuance of your Health: and the assurance of the sincere & Respectful Regard with which
John Graham
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 11 Aug. 1816 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Fitzwhylsonn & Potter, 12 Oct. 1816, on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr Monticello Virginia” via “Post Office Milton”; franked; postmarked Washington City, 2 Aug.
The transmission of despatches to nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea was delayed in order to accommodate President James Madison’s 21 Aug. 1816 response to a letter of 24 Apr. 1816 from Omar bin Muhammad, dey of algiers (Gardner W. Allen, Our Navy and the Barbary Corsairs [1905], 335–9).