Jefferson’s name appears in the list of Subscribers: Thomas Jefferson, esq. President of the United States and of the Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia. Other names in the list of subscribers include: Doctor Benj. S. Barton, professor of Materia Medica, Natural History, and Botany, in the University of Pennsylvania; James Carey, Philadelphia; Mathew Carey, bookseller, do. 8 copies; Wm. C. C. Claiborne, esq. M. C. from Tennessee; Tench Coxe, esq. Secretary of the land office of Penns.; Jona. Dickenson, Philadelp.; Ths. Dobson, bookseller, Philadelphia; Wm. Duane, editor of the Aurora , Philad.--6 copies; And. Ellicott, merch. Baltim.; Oliver Evans, Philad.; Mr. John Logan, Philadelphia; Wm. Pritchard, Bookseller, Rich. Virg.--7 copies; David Rittenhouse, Washington city; Gen. John Shee, Philadelphia; Samuel H. Smith, Washington City--2 copies; and many others whose names have appeared in this catalogue. The Library of Congress has Volume III of the copy subscribed for by Samuel Chase junior, with his name stamped on the title-page, and has also Volume I of the copy belonging to Robert Patterson, Baltimore, with his autograph signature and the date 1801 written on the title-page, but whose name is not in the list of subscribers.

A copy was sent to Jefferson by the author, who wrote from Philadelphia, June 13, 1801 (received by Jefferson on September 3): “I have, for some time past, been anxious to find an opportunity of presenting you with a copy of my geographical dictionary. The opportunity now offers, and I embrace it with pleasure. The copy will be delivered to you by M ^r. Cummings, a respectable magistrate of this State. Your acceptance will be highly gratifying to my wishes. If, by the geographical dictionary, I have contributed to diffuse a more general and correct knowledge of the soil, productions, &c. of our country than has hitherto been done; or if my vindication of the character of the Citizens of the Southern States, will remove those ancient prejudices, lulled by the friendly intercourse of a glorious revolution, but lately awakened by the monkish bigotry of an Eastern geographer, I will consider myself as having fulfilled a share of that duty, which is incumbent on every Citizen who has the opportunity. No doubt you will find many errors in my dictionary; but then, Sir, I have this consolation that I am persuaded your candour will distinguish between those which properly belong to me, and those which are almost unavoidably connected with typography . . .”

Jefferson replied from Monticello on September 11: “ Your favor dated June 13. came to me at this place only one week ago. it is probable that m( ^~ r) Cummings has deposited for me at Washington the copy of your geographical dictionary which you have been so kind as to send me, for which I pray you to accept my thanks. I anticipate with pleasure the satisfaction I shall recieve from it, and am happy that we are to see at length contradicted the miserable libels which have been published on the Southern states. I pray you to accept assurances of my esteem & high consideration. ”

The Eastern geographer, whose “monkish bigotry” was referred to by Scott in his letter to Jefferson quoted above, was Jedidiah Morse, the author of the American Geography and the Universal Gazetteer [qqv.], first published in 1789 and 1797 respectively. In his Preface Scott writes of him: Among the writers, whose errours I have noticed, there is one, of whom I have said some things, that the reader may probably think unconnected with the subject; but the strong prejudices, which he has, in his principal publications, manifested against the citizens of the middle and southern States, waving all consideration of his errours, led directly to every remark I made respecting him. But to him I owe no apology. To slander, or wantonly represent a fellow citizen as immoral and irreligious in his conduct; in fine, to rob him of his private character, and render him hated and despised by his neighbours, is unquestionably highly criminal; and