1To James Madison from George Lee Turberville, 20 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
An opportunity occurring to a post office—enables me to consign a few lines to you—to assure you that I am still sensible of the obligations that Myself my posterity & my fellow citizens are under to you—who have devoted Your life hitherto to the formation of such measures as tend to the promotion of general happiness. I was not a little disappointed that you did not visit Richmond during the...
2To James Madison from David Rittenhouse, 19 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
I beg leave to recommend to your favorable notice Mr. Francis Bailey, printer, of this City, as a Gentleman of abilities in his profession and an amiable Character. I understand he intends to apply for something in the way of his business, either to the Treasury or elswhere. His mechanical Genius must in some respects give him advantages superior to any other printer of my Acquaintance. He...
3To James Madison from the Governor of Virginia, 9 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
In pursuance of the Directions of the General Assembly, I do myself the honour to transmit to you an Act—Concerning the erection of the district of Kentucky into an Independant State. I have the Honour &c. FC ( Executive Letter Book Executive Letter Book, manuscript in Virginia State Library. ). Addressed to the Virginia representatives and senators in Congress. In a clerk’s hand. Enclosure...
4To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 9 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
I wrote the inclosed letter to you a little before I left Paris, & having no occasion to send it, I brought it with me. I mentioned it to you when I had the happiness of possessing you at Monticello, but still forgot to give it to you. After so long lying by me, and further turning the subject in my mind, I find no occasion to alter my mind. I hazard it therefore to your consideration. I...
5From James Madison to George Washington, 4 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
After being detained 8 or 10 days beyond the intended commencement of my Journey, by the critical illness of my mother, I am now subjected to a further delay by an attack on my own health. A slight complaint in my bowels which I first felt on the day of my arrival here (friday last) very suddenly took the form of a pretty severe dysentery. With the aid of Docr. Stuart who has been good eno’ to...
6To James Madison from Thomas Underwood, 4 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
I take the liberty to inclose you a copy of a rect. given me by Mr. John Hopkins for ticketts deld. him in order that he might draw money or Certificates for the prizes which I am entitled to recieve havg. bought the Ticketts of Mr. Massie. Mr Hopkins deld. the Ticketts to Mr. Rd. Claibourne who sed he would do the business but fail’d and has gone to Europe and carryed my Ticketts so that I...
7To James Madison from Jacquelin Ambler, 1 January 1790 (Madison Papers)
Colo. Heth has at length brought the Money, and taken up your dr[a]ft for £100. which enables me to transmit your Bond, and the Auditor’s receipt. It will ever give me satisfaction to serve you, being with very great esteem & regard, Dear Sir Your obedt Servt Know all men by these presents that I, James Madison Junior of the County of Orange in Virginia, am held and firmly bound to his...
8To James Madison from Edward Carrington, 20 December 1789 (Madison Papers)
I have not until very lately known with certainty where I could address a letter to you. Mr. Beckley told me he left you in New York and that you was shortly to set out for Virginia, but Mr. Jones’s return to Richmond from his trip to Orange gave me the first information of your having got home. But for this uncertainty I should before now have made you my most grateful acknowledgments for...
9To James Madison from John Dawson, 17 December 1789 (Madison Papers)
I take the liberty of forwarding to you two resolutions which have pass’d both houses, on the subject of the permanent seat of the General Goverment. To the first of these there was considerable opposition from the South side of James river, under an apprehension that it woud not be advantageous to that part of the State; and from some of the Antis who considerd it as a favour to Congress—they...
10From James Madison to George Washington, 5 December 1789 (Madison Papers)
Since my last I have been furnished with the inclosed copy of the letter from the Senators of this State to its Legislature. It is well calculated to keep alive the disaffection to the Government, and is accordingly applied to that use by the violent partizans. I understand the letter was written by the first subscriber of it, as indeed is pretty evident from the stile and strain of it. The...
11To James Madison from Hardin Burnley, 5 [December] 1789 (Madison Papers)
Since the date of my letter to you which I wrote a few days ago the resolutions of the Committee on the amendments proposed by Congress have been reported. Those which respected the ten first were agreed to with even less opposition than they experienced in the Committee, & that wh. passed on the 11th & 12th. was rescinded by a majority of about twelve. The amendments with the resolutions on...
12To James Madison from John Jay, 2 December 1789 (Madison Papers)
A few days since I received a Letter from Mr. Jefferson, dated at Cowes in the Isle of Wight the 17th. October last, in which he mentioned that he expected to sail from that Place the next Day in a Vessel bound to the Chesapeake, and enclosed a Bill of Lading, a Copy of which I have the Pleasure of herewith sending to you. In case the Packages mentioned in the said Bill of Lading, arrive...
13To James Madison from Hardin Burnley, 28 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
A few days ago I wrote a letter to Majr. Madison giving him some information on the general business of the present Session, which I suppose he has probably communicated to you. I now take the liberty of obtruding on you a short communication on the same subject. The revenue bill which proposes a reduction of the public taxes one fourth below the last year’s amount is with the Senate. Whilst...
14To James Madison from Henry Lee, 25 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Mr. Burnley will convey this letr. by some one of the many of your county people now here with their tobacco. In it you will receive a letr. sent to me from Alexa. by Mr C Lee on the presumption that you was or would be here. The assembly have gone thro most of their business, & are now engaged in consideration of the amendments proposed by Congress, to the constitution. Some time ago Mr....
15To James Madison from William Irvine, 23 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Captain Bunyan arrived here this morning from London in 29 days. A Mr Trumbull came passenger—they are now at Brakefast with us. They say that Mr. Jefferson sailed from Cowes, on the same day they did, in a Ship bound for Norfolk in Virginia. Unless he has a remarkable passage indeed, this information may be the first you can receive of his destination—which is my motive for giving you this...
16From James Madison to George Washington, 20 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
It was my purpose to have dropped you a few lines from Philada. but I was too much indisposed during my detention there to avail myself of that pleasure. Since my arrival here I have till now been without a fit conveyance to the post office. You will recollect the contents of a letter shewn you from Mr. Innis to Mr. Brown. Whilst I was in Philada. I was informed by the latter who was detained...
17From James Madison to Alexander Hamilton, 19 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
I was too much indisposed for some time after the receipt of your favor of the 12 Ocr. to comply with the request in it, and since my arrival here and recovery I have till now been without a conveyance to the post office. The supplemental funds which at present occur to me as on the whole most eligible are 1. An excise on home distilleries. If the tax can be regulated by the size of the Still...
18To James Madison from William Short, 17 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
I recieved some time ago by Mr. James the letter of introduction you had given him for me. I hope I need not tell you how readily I am disposed at all times to do whatever may be agreeable to you—& particularly with how much pleasure I should have rendered any services in my power to Mr. James, had he remained here—the confusion & disorder which prevailed in Paris during the few days of his...
19To James Madison from William Irvine, 15 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Your favor from Fredericksburgh, covering a letter for Mr. Jefferson came to hand & I will either deliver it or leave it in the office of foreign affairs, in case of absence, which may probably happen, as I am informed the County in which I live have elected me for the State Convention, which is to meet at Philadelphia on tuesday week. The inclosed was sent to me yesterday from the office of...
20To James Madison from [André Limozin?], 13 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 13 November 1789, Havre de Grace, France. Mentioned in JM to James Madison, Sr., 21 Jan. 1790 (IaU) and JM to Jefferson, 24 Jan. 1790 ( Boyd, Papers of Jefferson Julian P. Boyd et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (19 vols. to date; Princeton, 1950—). , XVI, 126). Reports scarcity of bread and prices of wheat and flour. French government is offering bounty on wheat,...
21To James Madison from Joseph Jones, 2 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
My excursions during the sickly season deprived me of the pleasure of continuing our correspondence which should have been sooner resumed on my part after my return had I not expected on the adjournment of congress you wod. have left N. York—but hearing you were not returned to Virginia I take occasion by Mr. Griffin to drop you a few lines. The Assembly are as usual moving slowly in the...
22To James Madison from William Lambert, 2 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Mr. Reuben Burnley, having been for some time past, a Clerk in the Commissioners Office for stating the Accounts of Virginia against the United States, is desirous of continuing at the seat of the general Government after the business in which he is at present engaged, is completed, and to be employed in the Office of the Secretary of State, should Mr. Jefferson accept the appointment. As that...
23To James Madison from George Nicholas, 2 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Your favor dated in July came safe to hand, I thank you for the communications contained [in] it. I shall not trouble you with any remarks on any of the subjects as my observations will be of no use but will confine my self to the giving you such information respecting this district as may enable you to form a proper judgment of her situation; and as I shall never write any thing to you the...
24From James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 1 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
In the letter left for you in N. York on my leaving that place I omitted to mention to you three names which solicit a Clerkship in the office which will be under your direction. They are Mr. Fisher, Mr. Smith, & Mr. Orr. The first has vouchers of his pretensions which will enable You to decide readily on them. The second is a son of Merriwether Smith. I am not personally acquainted with him,...
25To James Madison from Philip Schuyler, 1 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Agreable to your request I called on Mr. Taylor, on the subject of your letter of the 5th Ult. He informed me that he had called twice at Mr Cortwrights but had not been able to see Mr Munro. That he is ready to execute a deed for the lands in question on the payment of the remainder of the money. He is a man of strict probity, and informs me that the lands will now sell for at least 2½...
26From James Madison to William Irvine, 1 November 1789 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 1 November 1789, Fredericksburg. Acknowledged in Irvine to JM, 15 Nov. 1789 . Encloses JM’s letter to Jefferson of 1 Nov. 1789 .
27Memorandum on an African Colony for Freed Slaves, [ca. 20 October] 1789 (Madison Papers)
Without enquiring into the practicability or the most proper means of establishing a Settlement of freed blacks on the Coast of Africa, it may be remarked as one motive to the benevolent experiment that if such an asylum was provided, it might prove a great encouragement to manumission in the Southern parts of the U. S. and even afford the best hope yet presented of putting an end to the...
28To James Madison from William Irvine, 19 October 1789 (Madison Papers)
The post with the letters brought by the British Packet passed me at Brunswick, on saturday morning at five o clock, so that you would receive every information brought by that conveyance the same evening. I went to Lloyds house on saturday afternoon, he was not at home, I left a note for him informing what I wanted, he called on me yesterday & said he had sent the paper you wished by a Mr...
29To James Madison from Alexander Hamilton, 12 October 1789 (Madison Papers)
I thank you My Dear Sir for the line you was so obliging as to leave for me and for the loan of the book accompanying it; in which I have not yet made sufficient progress to judge of its merit. I dont know how it was but I took it for granted—That you had left town much earlier than you did; else I should have found an opportunity after your adjournment to converse with you on the subjects...
30To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 10 October 1789 (Madison Papers)
I am this moment labouring under a violent relapse into the ague and fever, which I supposed to be past; and should not [have] incurred the uneasiness of writing, but to convince you, that the arrangements, made in the higher and subordinate branches of the judiciary department, are sanctified in my judgment by the strictest propriety; and, so far as I am concerned, contain what is probably...