To Thomas Jefferson from John Clarke, 19 July 1793
From John Clarke
Richmond July 19th 1793
Hon’ble Sir
As I am uncertain whether or not you will require of me a power of attorney in Appointing Arbitrators, I have Sent one, with a blank for the name of the person you please to appoint. I rather suppose it will be unnecessary, for According to the latter part of the ninth section of the new Law, if the parties do not all unite in Chooseing three Arbitrators, The power rests with you to appoint three Arbitrators for the purpose And I sincerely hope you will appoint them. If the inclosed power of Attorney is unnecessary it may be destroyed. I am Honble Sir Your most Humble Servant
John Clarke
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The Hon’ble Mr Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 25 July 1793 but recorded in SJL as received a day later. Enclosure: Power of Attorney of John Clarke of Powhatan County, Virginia, 19 July 1793, authorizing the appointment of an arbitrator “to decide a matter of Controversy between my self and two Other Men Concerning the invention of An improvement in the art of building and Constructing of Mills by means of Valves or hinged buckets” (MS in DLC; in an unidentified hand, signed by Clarke and witnessed by William Pasteur, Lew Jones, and Robert Watkins).
Letters from Clarke to TJ of 14 Dec. 1793, received from Richmond on 23 Dec. 1793, and of 12 Mch. 1794, received 2 May 1794, as well as a letter from TJ to Clarke of 6 May 1795, are recorded in SJL but have not been found.