Thomas Jefferson to Peter Derieux, 25 September [1822]
To Peter Derieux
Monticello Sep. 25.
Dear Sir
Your favor of the 10th was not recieved till the 20th instant, and I regret that it is not in my power to send you the Egyptian wheat which is the subject of your letter. I recieved it while I lived in Washington, and having no means of taking care of such things there, I generally sent them to some one of my careful neighbors. I do not recollect to whom of them I sent this particular article, but I remember that the result was that it was not of advantageous culture in our climate & was therefore abandoned. with my regrets for this incident accept for mrs Derieux & yourself the assurance of my esteem & respect.
Th: Jefferson
PoC (DLC: TJ Papers, 222:39758); on verso of reused address cover of Hiram Haines to TJ, 25 June 1821; partially dated; at foot of text: “Mr Derieux”; endorsed by TJ as a letter of 25 Sept. 1822 and so recorded in SJL.
In 1803 Derieux gave TJ wheat seed that he had acquired in France while delivering copies of documents related to the Louisiana Purchase. TJ sent some of these seeds to Robert Bailey in Washington, D.C. After TJ reported to Derieux in 1805 that the seeds had failed, Derieux forwarded him additional grain seeds in that and the following year (, 40:413n, 41:345, 346, 486–7; TJ to Derieux, 31 May 1805, Derieux to TJ, 16 June 1805, 10 Apr. 1806 [all in DLC]).
Index Entries
- Bailey, Robert; and wheat search
- Derieux, Peter (Justin Pierre Plumard); and wheat search
- Derieux, Peter (Justin Pierre Plumard); delivers documents search
- Derieux, Peter (Justin Pierre Plumard); letters to search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Public Service; as president search
- Louisiana Territory; TJ’s role in purchasing search
- seeds; sent by TJ search
- seeds; sent to TJ search
- seeds; wheat search
- wheat; Egyptian search
- wheat; seeds search