“ to be hazarded without the presumption of rendering essential service to the historical concerns of our country.
"The second volume of American Annals is just out of the press; a copy of which I shall forward to you by the first vessel
for Alexandria (to sail in a few days from Boston), and wish it may be worthy your acceptance.”
Jefferson acknowledged this on December 26, with explanations as to the delay in forwarding the
Memoires de l’Amerique: “
Your favor of the 15
th. with the book, has been safely recieved. the Memoires de l’Amerique were packed in a box & sent from Monticello in May last:
but owing to the extraordinary fall of the river & the drought which continued till Winter, the vessel on board which they
were was stopped about midway to Richmond, & the books were left there till November, when for the first time the navigation
became practicable. they have since been sent off this place, and I have for some time been on the look out for some vessel
bound to Boston. they shall be sent by the
very first I can hear of. I am really sorry they have been so long delayed . . .
”
The volumes were finally sent on March 20 in the following year, 1807, on which day Jefferson wrote: “
Th: Jefferson presents his compliments to the rev
d. M
r. Holmes, and informs him that he forwarded to him lately by a vessel from Alexandria a box containing the Memoires de l’Amerique,
which he was prevented from sending him by the long continued ice of the winter . . .
”
To this Holmes replied on May 5: “M
r. Holmes presents his respects to President Jefferson, and gratefully acknowledges the reception of the Memoires de l’Amerique,
which he was so obliging as to forward to him from Washington. Although M
r. Holmes has completed his Annals, he is desirous of examining the Memoires with care, and therefore begs the indulgence of
the loan of them for a few months. After the examination of them, he will take special care to have them safely returned.--
The same cause, which prevented the earlier arrival of the Memoires, delayed the arrival of a box of the 2
d. volume of American Annals at Washington; but M
r. Holmes hopes it arrived in season for the President to receive the copy designed for him. He offers the President his most
respectful salutations.”
On November 9, 1808, Holmes returned the books: “I now return to you the
Memoires de l’Amerique, which you did me the honour to send me in aid of my compilation of American Annals. Although the books arrived too late
for the purpose for which you most obligingly intended them, I could not forbear to examine so important a collection of authentic
and official documents, pertaining to the history of our country. On examination, there appeared so much confirmatory and
illustrative of that history, as to induce me to make considerable extracts and references, that, in case of a future impression
of the Annals, they may have the benefit of these illustrations, and the sanction of this authority . . .
"Your early approbation of the plan of my work, and your valuable contribution of materials towards its execution, were a
great encouragement to me during the labours of it. In the favourable reception which it has met abroad, as well as at home,
I cherish a grateful sense of the patronage afforded it by the literati of our own country, and particularly by the President
of the United States.”
The
American Annals is complete in two volumes, though Jefferson’s manuscript entry, as above, copied in the 1815 catalogue, anticipates the publication of more. It is arranged chronologically, and the name
of Thomas Jefferson occurs in several places, his various appointments from Commissioner to France to President of the United
States being duly noted under their proper dates. The Index of Authors cited includes
Thomas Jefferson,
Notes on Virginia, Philadelphia, 1794. 8vo.
Abiel Holmes, 1763-1837, father of Oliver Wendell Holmes, was a native of Woodstock, Connecticut. This book contains important source
material for the history of America, and abounds in interesting facts for each year. The setting up of the first printing
press in America at Cambridge in 1639 is noted, and in 1683 the order of Lord Effingham, Governor of Virginia,
