Joseph Milligan to Thomas Jefferson, 6 February 1818
From Joseph Milligan
Georgetown February 6th 1818
Dear Sir
This day I have Sent to the care of Mr W. F Gray of Fredericksburg a Box of Books contents as ⅌ Enclosed Memorandum your account is also Enclosed
I am preparing to republish the little treatise on Garddening published Some years ago by S. H: Smith. I would wish to make it as Extensively useful as I can possibly do it to sell at a dollar; least you should not have a copy of the book I have Sent one in your box. If you should have any useful hints in that way or if you know of any useful Work from which a few more practical hints might be usefully Extracted you would do the world a kindness to point them out as I wish to extend the book to 300 pages If you know of any useful Vegetable or Root that is not in General Culture that through such a book might be brought to public notice you would Confer an obligation by letting me know of it
Dear Sir, in this matter If I should have obtruded any thing on your valuable time which I should not have done I pray that you will take no notice of the matter as I know that Every moment of your time is already appropriated to Some good & useful purpose.—
I trust that I Shall have political Economy before the public Ere the Close of the present session of Congress; I have sent you the volume by mail as far as it is printed judging from what is already done the whole manuscript will make 384 pages so we are now half done I trust that I will convince you by pushing the business now that it has not been altogether my fault that it was not out before this time—
In your box you will find two 18mo the Life of Cook they are for Mr Carr (your1 kinsman) Mr Walsh has put in 16 vols of the Baron de Grimm of which no doubt he has advised you At the request of Dr Thomas Ewell I have Sent you a Copy of his Edition of Humes Essays as they are a present from him you will please notify him that you have received them he now Resides in Georgetown
Joseph Milligan
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 15 Feb. 1818 and so recorded in SJL; with note by TJ at foot of text relating to his reply to Milligan of 18 Feb. 1818: “books recd Ewell. Carr. Walsh. acct books now sent Hepburn.” RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to John Hollins, 5 Apr. 1818, on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr Monticello Milton via [i.e., Virginia]”; franked; postmarked Georgetown, 11 Feb.
The enclosed memorandum listing the books sent this day has not been found. The little treatise on garddening was John Gardiner and David Hepburn, The American Gardener, containing ample directions for working a Kitchen Garden, Every Month in the Year (Washington, 1804; no. 809; , 6 [no. 274]), the printer of which was Samuel H. smith. Destutt de Tracy’s Treatise on Political Economy ultimately ran to 284 printed pages (excluding the title page), not 384 pages.
mr carr (your kinsman) was probably John A. Carr, who had recently been appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy. The unidentified work sent to him was likely a biography of the famed English explorer Captain James Cook.
1. Omitted opening parenthesis editorially supplied.
Index Entries
- A Treatise on Political Economy (Destutt de Tracy) search
- books; biographical search
- books; of correspondence search
- books; on criticism (literary) search
- books; on gardening search
- books; on moral philosophy search
- books; on politics search
- books; published by J. Milligan search
- books; sent by J. Milligan search
- Carr, John Addison (TJ’s grandnephew); books sent to search
- Congress, U.S.; adjourns search
- Cook, James; biography of search
- Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique (F. M. Grimm) search
- criticism (literary); books on search
- Destutt de Tracy, Antoine Louis Claude; A Treatise on Political Economy search
- Ewell, Thomas; and D. Hume’sPhilosophical Essays search
- gardening; books on search
- Gardiner, John (author); The American Gardener search
- Gray, William Fairfax; and transmission of packages to and from TJ search
- Grimm, Friedrich Melchior, baron von; Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique search
- Hepburn, David; The American Gardener search
- Hume, David; Philosophical Essays on Morals, Literature, and Politics search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; works sent to search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; account with J. Milligan search
- Milligan, Joseph; account with TJ search
- Milligan, Joseph; and Destutt de Tracy’sTreatise on Political Economy search
- Milligan, Joseph; letters from search
- Milligan, Joseph; publishes books search
- Milligan, Joseph; sends books to TJ search
- moral philosophy; works on search
- Philosophical Essays on Morals, Literature, and Politics (D. Hume) search
- political economy; works on search
- Smith, Samuel Harrison; as publisher search
- The American Gardener (J. Gardiner and D. Hepburn) search
- Walsh, Robert; and F. M. Grimm’sCorrespondance littéraire, philosophique et critique search