John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, 19 February 1819
From John Adams
Quincy Feb’y–19th 1819
Dear Sir
As you know I have often been ambitious of introducing to your acquaintance some of our literary characters, I now send you in the same spirit, some mathematical papers by our Mr Bowditch who has translated La Place’s mechanique coeliste & has written commentaries upon it as voluminous as the book—; which are thought by our scientific people to be one of the greatest astronomical productions of the present age: I hope the public will soon see it in print. I would write you news if I had any—but this is “the piping time of peace” I am as ever your friend and humble servant—
John Adams
RC (DLC); entirely in Harriet Welsh’s hand; endorsed by TJ as received 1 Mar. 1819 and so recorded in SJL. FC (Lb in MHi: Adams Papers).
The enclosed mathematical papers were probably duplicates of those sent to TJ the preceding year by their author (see Nathaniel Bowditch to TJ, 30 Mar. 1818). the piping time of peace derives from William Shakespeare, Richard III, act 1, scene 1.
Index Entries
- Adams, John; letters from search
- Adams, John; on N. Bowditch’s astronomical writings search
- Adams, John; sends works to TJ search
- astronomy; books on search
- books; on astronomy search
- books; on mathematics search
- Bowditch, Nathaniel; andTraité de Mécanique Céleste (P. S. Laplace) search
- Bowditch, Nathaniel; Mathematical Papers search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books and Library; works sent to search
- Laplace, Pierre Simon, marquis de; Traité de Mécanique Céleste search
- Mathematical Papers (N. Bowditch) search
- mathematics; books on search
- Shakespeare, William; Richard IIIreferenced search
- Traité de Mécanique Céleste (P. S. Laplace) search