“ your friendly assistance in assuring the society of the sentiments of affectionate respect & gratitude with which I retire from the high and honorable relation in which I have stood with them, & that you will believe me to be ever and affectionately your’s ”

On the same day, in a letter to Caspar Wistar jun., one of the Vice-Presidents of the Society, Jefferson mentioned: “ . . . I forward, by this mail, my resignation of the chair of the A. P. Society. I have long been conscious it was the right of others, and been kept in it by a respect for the will of the society, and a desire to give time for their opinions to ripen & concur in the just choice of a successor. I hope that period is now at maturity, and that there will be little difficulty in concentrating their choice; and I ask your friendly aid in satisfying the society of the sentiments of affectionate respect & gratitude with which I resign the high & honorable relation with them in which it has been their pleasure so long to continue me . . . ”

The American Philosophical Society had been deeply disappointed on hearing that Jefferson’s library was to be sold to Congress, and on October 21, 1814, the day following that on which the measure was passed empowering the Joint Library Committee to contract for the purpose, a letter was sent to Jefferson signed by Jonathan Williams: “After the Society was adjourned a number of members (all your particular Friends,) were conversing on various subjects, when the proposed Sale of your Library to Congress was mentioned. It can hardly be supposed that in this Room surrounded by a Library consisting of Donations, with your almost animated Bust looking full in our faces, we could avoid expressing our regret that the rich collection of so many years of scientific research should be devoted to a political Body where it cannot produce any benefit to them or to the World. Works of History, Law, Government, Finance, political Oeconomy and general Information may with propriety be so deposited. But such Books as would adorn our Library and aid this Society in the “promotion of useful Knowledge” must there become motheaten upon the shelves.

"I cannot resist an impulse which induces me to communicate this sentiment of regret to you, especially as your own recollection will assist me in the belief that, when you were a resident among us, you encouraged the expectation that your last Will would contain a handsome increase of our stock of Science.

"If this Letter should offend you I shall be sorry, but I shall console myself in the reflection that it is the effect of an honest zeal which under opposite circumstances would not offend me.”

For an account of Jefferson and the American Philosophical Society, see the article by Gilbert Chinard in the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 87, Number 3, July 14, 1943.

The Société d’Arcueil was founded in his home in that town by Count Claude-Louis Berthollet, q.v., French chemist. Berthollet had in Arcueil a well equipped laboratory where were accustomed to meet the most distinguished scientists of the day. Their proceedings were published in three volumes in 1807, 1809 and 1817, of which Jefferson had the second volume only. The members for the year 1809 are listed on the leaf following the title: MM. Laplace, C.-L. Berthollet, Biot, Gay-Lussac, Humboldt, Thenard, Decandolle, Collet-Descostils, A.-B. Berthollet, Malus.