William J. Coffee to Thomas Jefferson, 27 March 1823 (second letter)
From William J. Coffee
New York March 27–23.
Honorabl Sir
I receved Valuued favor a few howers after I sent to you my Last letter and am sory I have given you that Trouble.
I also recved a Letter from Mr Brockenbrough of which I Cant help saying that I am not only Very much astonished but much disapointed, your Condesention to peruse the Inclosed letter will Inform you of my dissatisfaction, you be so kind as to Inclose as soon as you & mr B. has seen the original Contract. and cause it to be returned back to me, the Confeidens I Place in you Honor is to any amount.1 I am sory to say that the Loss of time & som Contract which in Consequns shall not be Able to fullfill—owing to the delay of time that now must take Place will be of som Considerabl disadvantage to me.
The Composition Ornaments are not of the nature of Potters ware still they hav been hardend by fire. and should you at any time wish to have others I must beg to dicline at those Pricees yet any kind of Ornaments for Inside or out side to stand any Climate. Eaquel to2 marble can be made in this Composition ajusting the Composition to the Situation Caps of all kind can be don in it finer then can be Cut in Stone of any kind
and as to the adhesion to wood, stone or Brick—nothing is so sure the only thing is Care and atention—no other Composition can recve so delicate work and at a less Price then any other mater. one half Less then Led or stone
As to my Place of Location I Can not at this moment Infom you but will take that liberty soon you will
W. J. Coffee
NB as soon as I recve mr Peyton Infomation I Shall Inform you
RC (DLC); dateline between signature and postscript; endorsed by TJ as received 5 Apr. 1823 and so recorded in SJL. RC (MHi); address cover only; with Dft of TJ to Thomas Mann Randolph, 4 Jan. 1824, on verso; addressed: “The Honbl Thomas Jefferson Monticello State of Virginia”; franked; postmarked New York, 29 Mar.
The inclosed letter from Coffee to Arthur S. Brockenbrough has not been found. It contained Coffee’s copy of his original contract of 18 Mar. 1822 with Brockenbrough as proctor of the University of Virginia, printed below as an enclosure to Brockenbrough to University of Virginia Board of Visitors, 7 Apr. 1823.
1. Omitted period at right margin editorially supplied.
2. Manuscript: “to to.”
Index Entries
- architecture; architectural ornaments search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; contract of, with W. J. Coffee search
- building materials; bricks search
- building materials; composition search
- building materials; lead search
- building materials; marble search
- building materials; stone search
- clay; used in sculpturing search
- Coffee, William John; contract for work on University of Virginia search
- Coffee, William John; fashions ornaments for University of Virginia search
- Coffee, William John; letters from search
- Coffee, William John; TJ pays search
- lead; architectural ornaments of search
- Peyton, Bernard; payments made for TJ search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; ornamental work search