ellen W. Randolph (Coolidge) wrote to Dolley Madison from Monticello on 15 Oct. 1819 regretting her inability to reciprocate Mrs. Madison’s recent visit by coming to Montpellier with her mother, Martha Jefferson Randolph, and explaining that any such trip had been postponed due to “a close attendance upon my dear Grandfather, who after a sudden and violent attack, has been within this last two days, declared, by his Physicians, entirely out of danger. Although relieved from all present apprehensions on his account we cannot expect that at his age his recovery will be a very rapid one; some time must elapse before he regains his usual health & he has decided to give up all thoughts of a visit to Bedford for this season. His complaint was a violent and obstinate cholic lasting about thirty hours.  A Physician in whom we have great confidence, (Dr Watkins) has engaged that if Grandpapa will only stay at home and take care of himself, during this winter, that the return of warm weather, shall find him restored to the health he enjoyed, before his unfortunate visit to the Warm Springs. The first part of the prescription is practicable enough, but I much fear that he does not know how, to take care of himself, to be very attentive to his diet, to use less exercise, and to avoid all fatigue of body or mind & especially to give up letter-writing, are the points on which the doctor most insists.” She added that she still hoped to visit Montpellier “before the roads become impracticable” (RC in MCR-S: Mary Estelle Elizabeth Cutts Papers; printed in David B. Mattern and Holly C. Shulman, eds., The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison [2003], 236–7).

The french pamphlets have not been identified.