Peter S. Du Ponceau to Thomas Jefferson, 14 February 1818
From Peter S. Du Ponceau
Philada 14 Feb. 1818.
Dear Sir
I have the satisfaction to inform You that the Volume of the Society’s Transactions now in the Press will be out in the Course of next Week. In the mean while I have the honor of enclosing to you the Printed sheets which contain a Report of the Historical Committee, in which you will find a feeble expression of their gratitude for the patronage with which you have honored them & the favors which they have received at your hands, Since the beginning of their institution.
Peter S, Du Ponceau
RC (DLC); at head of text: “Thomas Jefferson, Esqr”; endorsed by TJ as received 26 Feb. 1818, but recorded in SJL as received a day earlier. FC (PPAmP: Historical and Literary Committee Letterbook).
The enclosed report of the American Philosophical Society’s Historical and Literary Committee, which was read to the society at its 9 Jan. 1818 meeting, contains the following paragraph: “Among those enlightened and truly patriotic citizens, they beg leave, in the first place, to name the late President of this Society, Thomas Jefferson. From the first establishment of this committee, he was pleased to honour us with his valuable correspondence, and has spared no exertions to forward the objects of our institution. To him we are indebted for many important MSS. documents, calculated to throw light on the history of our country, on the customs, manners, and languages of the Indian nations, and various other interesting national subjects. He has lately directed to be placed in our hands several as yet unedited MSS. volumes of scientific notes and observations by Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, made in the course of their journey to the Pacific Ocean. The names of the authors of these volumes sufficiently vouch for the interest of the matter which they contain” ( , Transactions, new ser., 1 [1818]: xi–xv, quote on p. xiii).
Index Entries
- American Philosophical Society, Historical and Literary Committee; reports of search
- American Philosophical Society, Historical and Literary Committee; TJ sends works to search
- American Philosophical Society; and papers of Lewis and Clark Expedition search
- American Philosophical Society; Transactions search
- astronomy; and observations of Lewis and Clark Expedition search
- Clark (Clarke), William; and papers of Lewis and Clark Expedition search
- Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen; and Historical and Literary Committee of the American Philosophical Society search
- Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen; letters from search
- Indians, American; languages search
- Indians, American; TJ’s vocabularies of search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; sends manuscripts search
- Lewis, Meriwether; papers of search
- Lewis and Clark Expedition; and Indian vocabularies search
- Lewis and Clark Expedition; astronomical observations of search
- Lewis and Clark Expedition; journals of search
- Lewis and Clark Expedition; maps of search
- maps; of Lewis and Clark Expedition search