Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 15 November [1823]
To James Madison
Monticello Nov. 15.
Dear Sir
I return your letter to the President, and that of mr Rush to you, with thanks for the communication. the matters1 which mr Rush states as under consideration with the British government are very2 interesting. but that about the navigation of the St Laurence and the Missisipi, I would rather they would let alone. the navigation of the former, since the N.Y. canal, is of too little3 interest to be cared about, that of the latter too serious, on account of4 the inlet it would give to British smugling, and British tampering with the Indians. it would be an entering wedge to incalculable mischief, a powerful agent towards separating the states.5
I send you the rough draught of the letter I propose to write to F. Gilmer for your considn and correction, and salute you affectionately
Th: Jefferson
RC (CSmH: JF); partially dated; addressed (trimmed): “James M[. . .].” Dft (DLC); on verso of reused address cover of William Short to TJ, 12 May 1823; fully dated; endorsed by TJ as a letter to “Madison James.” Enclosures: (1) enclosures no. 3 and 4 to Madison to TJ, 11 Nov. 1823. (2) TJ to Francis W. Gilmer, 25 Nov. 1823 (first letter).
The n.y. canal was the Erie Canal.
A missing letter from Madison to TJ of 21 Nov. 1823 is recorded in SJL as received three days later from Montpellier.
1. In Dft TJ here keyed with an asterisk a note at foot of text reading “
| to wit | 1. our commercial intercourse embracing navign of St Laurence & Misipi |
| 2. suppression of slave trade. | |
| 3. Northern boundary. | |
| 4. fisheries on W. coast of N. F—land [i.e., Newfoundland] | |
| 5. points of Maritime law | |
| 6. Russian Ukase as to N.W. coast of America |
2. Dft: “verily.”
3. Word interlined in Dft in place of “small.”
4. Preceding three words interlined in Dft in place of “for.”
5. Sentence interlined in Dft.
Index Entries
- Canada; and U.S.–Canada border search
- canals; Erie search
- Erie Canal search
- Gilmer, Francis Walker; and recruitment of University of Virginia faculty search
- Gilmer, Francis Walker; University of Virginia professorship proposed for search
- Great Britain; and Indians search
- Great Britain; and U.S. search
- Indians, American; as British allies search
- law; maritime search
- law; University of Virginia professorship of search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); and foreign affairs search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); and J. Monroe search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); letters from accounted for search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); letters to search
- Mississippi River; and navigation rights search
- Monroe, James (1758–1831); and J. Madison search
- Newfoundland; fisheries search
- Rush, Richard; as minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain search
- Russia; and northwest coast of America search
- Russia; and U.S. search
- Saint Lawrence River; and navigation rights search
- slave trade; suppression of search
- United States; and Great Britain search
- United States; and Russia search
- United States; and U.S.–Canada border search
- Virginia, University of; Faculty and Curriculum; law professorship search
- Virginia, University of; Faculty and Curriculum; recruitment of faculty search