Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson to Frederick A. Mayo, 11 February 1820

To Frederick A. Mayo

Monticello Feb. 11. 20.

Sir

I have been very painfully in arrears with you for the balance of D.28.37½1 my last account. yet I assure you I have not been in fault. the general failures which took place in early summer exhausted at once my funds there, and a drought which commenced in July kept our river so low that no produce could be sent to Richmond to replenish them. it has never been till three days ago that our boats could be run. I avail myself of the first moment it is in my power to inclose you an order on mr Gibson for 40.D. I have a smart parcel of books which have been wanting to be bound for some time, but thought it but decent not to send them until I had paid the former bill. I will pack them soon and send them. in the meantime I will thank you to send me by mail a copy of Munford’s digested Index of the Virginia law-authorities. I salute you with esteem and respect

Th: Jefferson

PoC (MHi); on verso of reused address cover of Joseph C. Cabell to TJ, 8 Feb. 1819; at foot of text: “Mr Mayo”; endorsed by TJ. Enclosure not found.

A missing letter from Mayo dated Richmond, 27 Sept. 1819, is recorded in SJL as received two days later. On 10 Apr. 1820 TJ wrote Mayo a letter, not found, that he described in SJL as concerning “Epict. Scient. dial.,” presumably referring to a work by Epictetus and Jeremiah Joyce’s Scientific Dialogues, intended for the Instruction and Entertainment of Young People, 1st ed., 6 vols. (London, 1800–05; Poor, Jefferson’s Library description begins Nathaniel P. Poor, Catalogue. President Jefferson’s Library, 1829 description ends , 7 [no. 298]).

1Amount interlined.

Index Entries

  • A General Index to the Virginian Law Authorities, reported by Washington, Call, Hening and Munford jointly, and Munford separately (W. Munford) search
  • banks; distressed situation of search
  • boats; carriage to and from Richmond search
  • books; binding of for TJ search
  • books; classical search
  • Epictetus (Greek philosopher); works of search
  • Gibson, Patrick; and payments made for TJ search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; binding of books search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; orders books search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; account with F. A. Mayo search
  • Joyce, Jeremiah; Scientific Dialogues, intended for the Instruction and Entertainment of Young People search
  • law; books on search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; and books for TJ search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; binds books for TJ search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; letters from accounted for search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; letters to search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; letters to accounted for search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; TJ pays search
  • Mayo, Frederick August; TJ’s account with search
  • Munford, William; A General Index to the Virginian Law Authorities, reported by Washington, Call, Hening and Munford jointly, and Munford separately search
  • Richmond, Va.; boat carriage to and from search
  • Rivanna River; water level of search
  • Scientific Dialogues, intended for the Instruction and Entertainment of Young People (J. Joyce); TJ requests search
  • weather; drought search