“
could do it, & I am become too lazy with the pen, & too much attached to the plough to do it myself . . .”
On January 12, 1796, Jefferson sent to Wythe volumes 1 to 7, with instructions as to the binding: “
I recieved last night your letter on the subject of the laws, and certainly will trust you with any thing I have in the world.
a waggon was going off this morning from hence to Varina, and I have exerted myself to send them by that. as I have always
intended to have my copies bound up so as to make as complete a set as I could, I thought it best to do this now, before you
begin to make use of them. I have therefore arranged them in to 7. volumes, and propose to make the revisal of 1794. the 8
th. as you will see by the directions to the book binder. I have ordered the box to be delivered to you, merely that you may
open it, see it’s contents, and by delivering them to the book binder acquire a right of pressing him to expedite his work.
as to all the expences I shall provide for them through the channel of m
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Randolph. when done, take the whole collection, & keep it till it has answered your purpose. I mean to write you a particular
statement, of the contents of my collection & it’s deficiencies; but this requires more time than the departure of the waggon
allows me. it shall follow by post because I am not without hopes you may have some duplicates from which you can spare copies
to fill up the chasms of mine.
"
P.S. m(
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Bran has formerly done a good deal of binding for me, and would take pains to serve an old customer well.”
On the same day Jefferson wrote to Thomas Mann Randolph with instructions as to the eighth volume, and to the binding of the
whole: “
. . . the weather having broke away we are trying to get the waggon off before the river becomes impassable. I put on board
her a box for m
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Wythe containing my whole & precious collection of the printed laws of Virginia, to be bound as noted to m(
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Wythe who has occasion to keep them some time for his use. I have taken the liberty of saying you would answer the charges
of the binder (Bran) for binding, and procure for him an unbound copy of the collection of 1794, which is to make the 8
th. volume of the whole . . .
”
An unsigned notation by Randolph at the foot of the letter reads:
March 21. 96. Deposited with Brend a copy of the laws of 1794. note. Brend says it must be a considerable time before he can
bind them.
In a letter to Jefferson on July 27, 1796, Wythe mentioned: “Brend tells me he will finish the binding of your books in two or three weeks . . .”
On February 1, 1797, Wythe wrote to Jefferson: “. . . Brend, notwithstanding his repeated promises, to bind your acts, had not begun the work when you gave me leave to publish
your letter dated the 16 of ianuary, in the last year. i then desired him not to procede without further orders; supposing
you would not wish to have your copies bound, if the general assembly should consent to the complete edition proposed . .
. your copies are in my house, and shall be bound, if such be your desire . . .”
More than two years later, on May 29, 1799, Jefferson wrote to Wythe: “
In order to relieve you, my very dear & antient friend from the trouble of the volumes I sent you in 96. I have desired my
friend & relation George Jefferson to call & recieve them, if you have no further use for them. he is to get them bound. I
think I had arranged them into volumes, & labelled each, but that in a subsequent letter to you I wished a change of some
of the labels. I inclose him a copy of that letter, so that I am in hopes he will be able to direct the binding without troubling
you . . .
”
For Jefferson’s letter on the change of labels, see no. 1842.
The volumes were not all delivered to Congress at the same time, and Vol. V, the
Fugitive sheets, not until 1820.
On May 7, 1815, Jefferson wrote to George Watterston, the Librarian of Congress: “
. . . I gave to m(
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Milligan a note of three folio volumes of the laws of Virginia belonging to the library which being in known hands, will
be certainly recovered, and shall be forwarded to you. one is a MS. volume from which a printed copy is now preparing for
publication . . .
”
On October 13, Watterston reported the non-arrival of the books:
