1From James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 29 May 1827 (Madison Papers)
I owe an apology for not sooner thanking you for the copy of your Speech in the House of Reps. on the 20th. of Feby. last. It came to hand when some engagements of my time, which were protracted beyond my anticipation, did not permit the attention due to it. Without expressing an unqualified concurrence in all the sentiments embraced by the range of your observations, I can, without...
2William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 19 April 1828 (Madison Papers)
I beg leave to present to you the Revnd Mr. Jasper Adams, Principal of the Charleston College in South Carolina, a gentleman highly commended to me for his learning & worth by those who have the pleasure of his acquaintance. Mr. Adams proposes a visit to our University, & on his way thither, is desirous of paying his respects to you. With my best salutations to Mrs. Madison, I beg you to...
3William C. Rives to James Madison, 26 June 1828 (Madison Papers)
As the period for the meeting of the visitors of the University is now near at hand, I take the liberty to remind you of your promise, & of our hopes, that, on your way thither, you will do us the favour to spend a day with us. We hope that Mrs. Madison will find, in the pleasure her society would afford to numerous friends in this county, a sufficient inducement to accompany you; & in this...
4James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 1 July 1828 (Madison Papers)
I have received your very kind letter of the 26. Ult. We had neither changed our purpose, nor forgotten our promise, to take Castle Hill in our way to the University. We hope for the pleasure of being there on the forenoon of Tuesday the 8th. inst., proceeding the next day, to our destination. In the mean time we pray Mrs. Rives & yourself to accept our best respects & our cordial salutations....
5William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 23 September 1828 (Madison Papers)
I had hoped to have had it in my power, before this time, to be at Montpelier; but having been deprived of that pleasure by a recent absence of four or five weeks from home, I trouble you with this communication only to say to you that we shall hope to have the pleasure of seeing you here, on your way to the university. If it should not consist with your arrangements to spend a day or two with...
6James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 29 September 1828 (Madison Papers)
I have been duly favored with your very kind letter of the 23d. It was our intention to take Castle Hill again in our way to the University, for which the former experienced welcome was more than a sufficient inducement. But I am under the disagreeable necessity of saying that a late indisposition has left a prolonged feebleness in the state of my health, which will deprive me of the pleasure...
7James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 2 December 1828 (Madison Papers)
On turning to my bundles of Old Pamphlets, I picked out the inclosed duplicate Nos. of Debates in Congress during a period for which copies are now scarce. I am sorry I could not find more. They may perhaps be of some aid in making up complete sets as opportunities occur. We had the pleasure of Mrs. Rives’ company till yesterday morning, when she left us in the good health she brought with...
8James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 13 December 1828 (Madison Papers)
J. Madison with his respects to Mr. Rives, requests the favor of him to have the letter herewith inclosed handed to Majr. Hamilton, if in Washington: or if not there, nor soon expected, to add to the address, the place where he will be found, & then have it put into the post office. RC and enclosure (DLC: Rives Collection, Madison Papers) . Enclosure is JM to James Hamilton, Jr., 13 Dec. 1828.
9James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 20 December 1828 (Madison Papers)
The last mail brought me your favor of the 17th. accompanied by a copy of the last Southern Review, for which I thank you. The disproportion of polemic politics which distinguishes it, tho’ derogating from the literary character of such works, might, if conducted with ability & good temper, be pardoned, at a moment and on topics peculiarly interesting. I have looked very hastily over the...
10William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 31 December 1828 (Madison Papers)
Major Hamilton arrived here yesterday, & I had the pleasure, to-day, of placing in his hands the letter for him, which you committed to my care. Since the receipt of your obliging letter of 20th instant, for which I take this occasion to make you my acknowledgments, I have read, with equal pleasure & instruction, your two letters, recently published in the National Intelligencer, on the powers...
11James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 10 January 1829 (Madison Papers)
Your favor of the 31st. Ult. was duly recd. You have not mistaken my idea of the Constl. power of Congs. to regulate trade: and it gives me pleasure that you take the same view of it. "The power to regulate trade" is a compound technical phrase, to be expounded by the sense in which it has been usually taken, as shewn by the purposes to wch. it has been usually applied. To interpret it with a...
12James Madison to William C. Rives, 23 January 1829 (Madison Papers)
I have recd. under your cover, the newspaper containing the explanatory remarks on the two letters relating to the power of Congress to encourage domestic manufactures. The writer of the letters is laid under great obligation by the opportune & apposite interposition in their behalf. The strange misconstructions which continue to be put on the occasion & object of them, would produce surprize...
13William C. Rives to James Madison, 3 February 1829 (Madison Papers)
The heavy pressure of some public duties here recently, & the occupation of my mind, at the same time, with some painful circumstances of a private nature, have prevented me from heretofore making my acknowledgments to you for the two interesting letters, with which you favoured me in the course of the last month. I had, previously to the receipt of your last communication, investigated the...
14William C. Rives to James Madison, 5 June 1829 (Madison Papers)
It gave me great pleasure, on my return from Washington some days ago, to hear that your health had very much improved. I trust it is now nearly re-established. I found on my arrival in Washington that there would be profitable employment for me among the archives of the State Department for several weeks, & I concluded, therefore, to return home, (after a few days spent in looking over the...
15James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 16 June 1829 (Madison Papers)
I inclose the promised letters to the Baron & Baroness de Neuville to which is added one to Genl. Lafayette. In this last, I have interwoven what will make you properly known to him and Mrs M. has subjoined what will equally introduce Mrs. Rives. We offer to you both our affectionate respects, & a repetition of all our good wishes Draft (DLC) .
16William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 8 July 1829 (Madison Papers)
Since my arrival here, I have endeavoured to obtain all information respecting the character, designs & claims of Mr. Cooley, (whose letter & papers are herewith returned), that I thought likely to be interesting or useful to you. The impression here is very far from being favorable to him, in any of these regards. The Government is thoroughly possessed with the conviction that his claim is...
17James Madison to William Cabell Rives, 13 July 1829 (Madison Papers)
I recd. by the last mail yours of the 8th. but not in time for an answer by its return. I hope however a letter to Mr. Gallatin which I inclose with pleasure will not be too late for the object of it I thank you, Sir, for your attention to the case of Cooley; and am very glad that you will be able to put Genl. Lafayette at ease agst. the threatened litigation. Your postscript relating to Dr....
18William C. Rives to James Madison, 6 December 1832 (Madison Papers)
It is a great sacrifice & disappointment to us to pass so near you, without having it in our power to pay our respects to Mrs. Madison & yourself. We are travelling in the public stage, with a brood of little ones doubled in number since we had the pleasure of seeing you, & with a cumbrous accumulation of baggage, which render a deviation from the highway entirely impracticable for us. We are...
19William C. Rives to James Madison, 5 March 1833 (Madison Papers)
I take the liberty, at the moment of leaving here, to send you a printed sheet containing some observations made by me on a recent occasion of considerable interest in the Senate. It is not, without great diffidence, that I submit any attempt of mine to interpret the true doctrines of ’98 & ’99, & the just theory of our constitution, to the discriminating view of their founder; an indiscretion...
20James Madison to William C. Rives, 12 March 1833 (Madison Papers)
I have recd your very kind letter of the 6th. from Washington; and by the same mail, a copy of your late speech in the Senate for which I tender my thanks. I have found as I expected, that it takes a very able and enlightening view of its subject. I wish it may have the effect of reclaiming to the doctrine & language held by all from the birth of the Constitution, & till very lately by...
21William Cabell Rives to James Madison, 18 April 1833 (Madison Papers)
I have trusted to your goodness to suggest the existence of involuntary & uncontrolable causes for the delay which has occurred in acknowledging your kind & most gratifying letter of 12th ult. Immediately after the adjournment of congress. I went to join my family in the county of Nelson, where I had not yet seen, since my return to the country, a numerous circle of friends & relations. In...
22William C. Rives to James Madison, 22 May 1833 (Madison Papers)
The long continued rains have, for the last fortnight, deprived us of the pleasure of our contemplated visit to Montpelier, & the horrible state in which they have left the roads compels us, with regret, still to postpone it, for a few days. We look forward, however, with confidence, to the enjoyment of this satisfaction, in the course of the next week. In the mean time, I send you, in the...
23William C. Rives to James Madison, 28 July 1833 (Madison Papers)
I found it a matter of more difficulty than I anticipated to procure a pamphlet copy of Mr. Tyler’s Speech, which I have now the pleasure to send you. After repeated ineffectual searches for it among my own collections of the last winter, & the failure of other efforts to obtain a copy, I, at length, wrote to a friend in Washington, who with difficulty procured that, which I am much gratified...
24William C. Rives to James Madison, 1 August 1833 (Madison Papers)
Permit me to introduce to you my friend Dr. R. C. Mason, a gentleman of distinguished intelligence & patriotism residing in the county of Fairfax, who is desirous of paying his respects to you, & at the same time, of presenting to you his friend Mr. R<...> of Philadelphia. Dr. Mason, you will doubtless recollect, is the gentleman who received so flattering a testimony of the high estimation of...
25James Madison to William C. Rives, 2 August 1833 (Madison Papers)
Your favour of the 28 ult was, my dear Sir, duly recd. I thank you for Mr. Tylers pamphlet with the accompanying News-paper: and I thank you still more for the friendly disposition you express on the subjects of them, as they relate to me. If I mistake not Mr. T. has omitted in his pamphlet a passage in the Newspaper Edition of his speech, which was levelled agst. the Virginia deputies to the...
26William C. Rives to James Madison, 4 October 1833 (Madison Papers)
I had the satisfaction, on the eve of our departure for the Springs, to receive your kind letter of 2nd Aug. Having just returned home, I avail myself of the earliest moment to express to you the great pleasure I derived from the intimation it contained of your purpose to point to the errors of Mutius & others in their views of a political career, which had conferred so many inestimable &...
27James Madison to William C. Rives, 21 October 1833 (Madison Papers)
Your favor of the 4th. was duly recd. I had not forgotton the intimation of which I am reminded by it, but unabating interuptions, added to my crippled health, had produced a delay which I could not avoid; and since I had notice of your return from the springs, the same causes have operated. I found also on the trial, more of tediousness in consulting documents and noting references, than was...
28William C. Rives to James Madison, 21 November 1833 (Madison Papers)
The constant hope, from day to day, of being able to make the visit to Montpelier, on which Mrs. Rives & myself have so long set our hearts, has prevented me from troubling you with a written acknowledgment of your most valuable favour of 21st ult. It has so happened, however, that an uninterrupted series of detentions, arising chiefly from the calls of friends, has as constantly occurred to...
29James Madison to William C. Rives, 15 February 1834 (Madison Papers)
I have recd. the Copy of your Speech on "the removal of the Deposits," kindly forwarded in pamphlet form. It has certainly treated the questions embraced in it with the distinguished ability which was looked for. Whilst I feel a pleasure in doing it this justice, I must not forget, as I presume you aware, that some of them are not viewed by me in the lights in which your reasonings present...
30William C. Rives to James Madison, 4 April 1835 (Madison Papers)
I beg leave to present to you my friend Mr. Niles, who was associated with me as Secretary of Legation during my residence at Paris, & was afterwards our Chargé d’affaires there. After spending a few days with us, he is now on his way to the North, preparatory to his return to Europe, & would deem his visit to Virginia altogether unsatisfactory & illusive, without an opportunity of paying his...