Thomas Jefferson to James Pleasants, 23 December 1822
To James Pleasants
Monticello. December 23. 1822.
Sir
According to the requisitions of the law, I now transmit to the President and Directors of the Literary fund, for communication to the legislature, the annual Report of the Visitors of the University of Virginia, bearing date the 7th of October last. at that date the regular books were not yet compleated which were under preparation for the purpose of exhibiting a clear and methodical view of the application of all the monies which have been recieved and employed on this institution. from the best view which, before that time, had been taken of the affairs of the University it was expected, as is stated in this Report, that the buildings now prepared would be compleatly paid for by the subscriptions still due. these books have been since compleated, and the result (as appears by the certificates herewith inclosed) is
that the institution has recieved from the beginning to the 23d of the last month, in the whole, & from all funds, the sum of | D | C | |
199,159. | 98½ | ||
and is still to recieve of subscriptions unpaid | 18,343. | 43½ | |
217,503. | 42 | ||
that there has been paid, within the same period for the purposes of the institution the same sum of | 199,159. | 98½ | |
and there remains to be paid of debts settled & unsettled about | 27,001. | 63 | |
226,161. | 61½ | ||
being more than the arrearages of subscription will pay by | 8,658. | 19½ |
which sum must therefore necessarily come from the annuity of the ensuing year. some finishings, of small amount, to the garden walls & pavements also are still wanting, and there will be some loss of subscriptions by bankruptcies and removals, though not considerable in proportion to the whole sum subscribed. a Collector, employed some time since, gives reason to believe that the arrearages which are sperate will be generally paid up in the course of the ensuing spring.
The accounts of the Bursar and Proctors1 have been examined, from the beginning to the same date of November 23. by a member of the board of Visitors, appointed a Committee for that purpose, have been tested by their vouchers, and the result certified in the books by the Committee, as is shewn by the certificates, copies of which accompany this Report. from these it will appear that, in a course of so great expenditure, every article (a single one excepted of 75. cents only) has been satisfactorily vouched as faithfully applied to the purposes of the institution, with the sanction of the Visitors. the Bursar and Proctor will proceed without delay, with their accounts and vouchers, to settle with the public accountant the trust which they have so far and so correctly executed. the Proctor’s last semiannual account, not ready at the date of the Report, is now transmitted.
An estimate made by the Proctor at an early period, supposed that the last building called for by the Report of 1818. and not yet executed, would probably cost the sum of 46,847.D. but this did not include two considerable appendages necessary to connect it with the other buildings. an estimate, including these, now recently made by the principal undertakers and executors of the other buildings raises it’s amount to about one third more.
It is by instruction from the Visitors that I communicate facts which resulting from investigations not concluded at the date of their Report, and consequently not known to them, constitute an important supplement to the matter of their report; to which I add the assurance of my high consideration.
Th: Jefferson Rect[or]
MS (ViU: TJP-VMTJ); entirely in TJ’s hand; one word, partially obscured in right margin due to tight binding, supplied from VMJCC. Tr (ViU: TJP-VMJCC). Tr (ViU: TJP-VMJHC). Tr (ViU: TJP-VMJB). Printed in Richmond Enquirer, 7 Jan. 1823, and Charlottesville Central Gazette, 10 Jan. 1823. Enclosures: (1) University of Virginia Board of Visitors Report to Literary Fund President and Directors, 7 Oct. 1822, and enclosures. (2) Documents 1–7 in a group of documents on the Inspection and Settlement of Accounts of Central College and University of Virginia, printed above at 23 Nov. 1822. (3) Enclosure no. 1 in Arthur S. Brockenbrough to TJ, [received 19 Dec. 1822].
, 5,In a letter to Linn Banks, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, dated Richmond, 2 Jan. 1823, Peter V. Daniel conveyed the enclosed annual report with “the accompanying documents, illustrative of the several statements comprised therein.” Daniel noted that, “in the absence of his excellency governor Pleasants,” he had received the above items and was sending them to the legislature in his own capacity as president pro tempore of the board of directors of the Literary Fund ( , unpaginated frontmatter; at foot of text: “The honorable the Speaker of the House of Delegates”).
The collector was John L. Thomas. A sperate debt has some likelihood of being repaid ( ). John H. Cocke was the member of the board of visitors, appointed a committee. The last building called for was the Rotunda. The report of 1818 was the Rockfish Gap Report of the University of Virginia Commissioners, printed above at 4 Aug. 1818.
1. MS and : “Proctors.” Trs: “Proctor.”
Index Entries
- Banks, Linn; as speaker of Va. House of Delegates search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
- Central College; inspection and settlement of accounts of search
- Central College; subscription for search
- Cocke, John Hartwell (1780–1866); and inspection of Central College and University of Virginia accounts search
- Daniel, Peter Vyvian; as director of Va. Literary Fund search
- Garrett, Alexander; as University of Virginia bursar search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Rockfish Gap Report of the University of Virginia Commissioners search
- Literary Fund; and annuity for University of Virginia search
- Literary Fund; University of Virginia Board of Visitors reports to search
- Pleasants, James; and University of Virginia search
- Pleasants, James; as governor of Va. search
- Pleasants, James; as Literary Fund president search
- Pleasants, James; letters to search
- Thomas, John L.; as collector for University of Virginia search
- Virginia, University of; Administration and Financial Affairs; funding for search
- Virginia, University of; Administration and Financial Affairs; inspection and settlement of accounts of search
- Virginia, University of; Board of Visitors; annual reports of search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; building costs search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; gardens search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Rotunda (library) search
- Virginia, University of; Establishment; and General Assembly search
- Virginia, University of; Establishment; commissioners’ report search
- Virginia; General Assembly search