1From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 22 March 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved your favor by mr Engles . the place desired for him is not given by commission from me, but is a mere appointment by letter from the Secretary at war, and consequently rests solely with him, without my interposition. nevertheless I sent him your letter, and afterwards stated to him the weight of your testimony. you have no conception of the number of applicants for this office. the...
2From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 17 April 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 12th. is duly recieved. mr Barnes will write by the present post to his friend mr Michael Roberts inclosing funds to enable him to pay the bill for the Hadley’s quadrant and thermometers, which I will pray you to direct the person from whom they are bought to have packed properly: but first to have a stand accomodated to the quadrant: for tho’ at sea the hand is the only...
3From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 16 October 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
The inclosed is merely the letter of form communicating the paper it covers to the society. but I promised Capt Groves to write you a private & more particular one. he has proposed a new method of observing the eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites at sea. you will percieve that he is not expert at explaining his ideas. he has invented an instrument too for making the observations, but what are...
4From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 2 March 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
I am now able to inform you, tho’ I must do it confidentially, that we are at length likely to get the Missouri explored, & whatever river heading with that, leads into the Western ocean. Congress by a secret act has authorised me to do it. I propose to send immediately a party of about ten men with Capt Lewis, my secretary, at their head. if we could have got a person perfectly skilled in...
5From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 28 April 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
I recieved yesterday your favor of the 18th. with Doctr. Moore’s letter inclosed. by a mistake of the member of Congress who proposed the appropriation for the missions to explore Louisiana, 3000. D. only were given instead of 10, or 12,000. which were deemed necessary. for I had proposed to send two such missions. this error reduced me to a single one, & I fixed on that of the Red and Arkansa...
6From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 10 January 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The bearer hereof mr Cosa is an Italian Physico-mechanic. he employs himself chiefly in instruments of glass, and executes ingenious things in that line. he has been here about a month, during which time, as far as I have learnt, he has conducted himself correctly. being desirous to go to Philadelphia where he expects to find more employment, he has asked to be made known to some one who might...
7From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 27 April 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
I have learnt indirectly that mr Boudinot will shortly resign the office of Director of the mint. in that event I should feel very happy in confiding the public interests in that place to you. will you give me leave to send you the commission in the event of mr B’s resignation? I pray you to consider this as confidential, as what you write me shall be. Accept my friendly salutations. P.S. I...
8From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 13 June 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
Having now recieved notice from mr Boudinot that he resigns his office as Director of the mint, on the last day of this month, you will recieve the commission to succeed him in due time to recieve from him whatever he may have occasion to deliver over in form. I write to him on the subject, so that you may now enter into communication with him thereon, and consider the matter henceforward as...
9From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 2 July 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
The failure to send your commission has been an act of forgetfulness of my own, as it should have been with you in time I have directed it to be made out to-day & sent by this evening’s post, under date of the 1st. inst. so that you will recieve it by the mail which carries this letter. Accept friendly salutations and assurances of great esteem & respect. DLC : Papers of Thomas Jefferson.
10From Thomas Jefferson to Robert Patterson, 16 November 1805 (Jefferson Papers)
When Capt Lewis’s mission was under contemplation, and it’s principal object the obtaining a correct map of the Missouri, I recommended to him the making himself thoroughly acquainted with the practice of the Lunar observations for the longitude. but fearful that the loss or derangement of his watch, on which these were to depend, might lose us this great object of his journey, I endeavored to...