“ certain restrictions you politely stated were at my service I want urgently at this moment; and I pray you to instruct me when and in what manner I must apply for the temporary possession of the first and for the inspection of the last. The copy of laws in particular will be of signal benefit in the obscure & dreary period embraced within the suppression of Bacon’s rebellion and the year 1752 . . . Would it be convenient Sir, to have those papers enclosed to Governor Page, or Doctor Shore of this town . . . My book is on the even of going to press and every hour of my time is employed in endeavours to make it as useful and interesting as my talents & opportunities will permit . . . My second volume is allready written: but the use of those papers, if I am fortunate enough to have an opportunity of seeing them in season, will yet enable me to mingle their contents either in my notes or narrative . . .”

Jefferson replied from Washington on June 1, and gave a list of his law books, arranging to have them sent to Governor Page: “ . . . My collection of newspapers is from 1741. downwards. the vol( ^~s. ) preceding 1752. shall be sent with the other to Richmond to be used by you either there or at Petersburg according to your convenience. these also being the only collection probably in existence, I purchased & cherish it with a view to public utility. it is answering one of it’s principal objects when I put it into your hands . . . I will immediately write to m ( ^~r ) Randolph to take these books from the library at Monticello, of which he has the key, & to have them safely conveyed by water to Gov ^r. Page at Richmond to whom also I will write on the subject. altho’ I have not yet had time to peruse the volume you have published (for indeed my occupations permit me to read almost nothing) yet occasional recurrence to parts of it, & the opinions of others who have read it, occasion me to regret that I am not in a situation to give you the benefit of all my materials. were I residing at home I could do it, & would with pleasure: and should a 2 ^d. edition be called for after my return to live at Monticello, I am persuaded it will be in my power, as it is certainly in my wish, to furnish you with some useful matter, not perhaps to be found elsewhere . . . ”

Jefferson wrote to Governor Page and to Thomas Mann Randolph, and the books and papers were sent for delivery, to the care of George Jefferson, with a request from Jefferson, written on June 12, 1805, that he would have them returned to him “ when m( ^~r ) Burke is done with them.”

These papers were never recovered by Jefferson, who realized their loss on application being made for them by Skelton Jones for use in the continuation of this work. In a letter to Skelton Jones dated from Monticello July 28, 1809, Jefferson wrote: “ . . . the collection of newspapers which I lent to m( ^~r ) Burke I have never been able to recover, nor to learn where they are. they were all well bound, & of course have not probably been destroyed. if you can aid me in the recovery you will oblige me. I consider their preservation as a duty, because I believe certainly there does not exist another collection of the same period . . . ”

More than a year later, on October 29, 1810, Jefferson wrote to George Jefferson: “ In 1805. John D. Burke asked of me the loan of my volumes of newspapers from 1741. to 1752. and of the antient laws of Virginia, which he proposed to be lodged with Gov ^r. Page to be open to his inspection. I accordingly sent to Gov ^r. Page the laws desired, and 3. vol ( ^~s ) of Virginia gazettes from 1741. to 1760. permitting m( ^~r ) Burke to take the newspapers home, tho not the laws. a letter of June 2. 1805. which I wrote to Gov ^r. Page will explain this. M ^r. Burke took home the newspapers, and after serving him in the matter of his history, they were returned, as I was informed, to Gov ^r. Page, while still living in Richmond; and I imagine have been supposed his own, and sent with his books to Rosewell. as m ( ^~r ) Gregory Page is living in Richmond, I must ask the favor of you to engage him in the recovery of these volumes of newspapers, which I set great store by, as they are the only copies now existing. I purchased them of Parson Wiley’s executors before the revolution, and paid their original cost for them which I think was £30. for the whole collection down to his death. if m ( ^~r ) Gregory Page should find them at Rosewell & will be kind enough to pack them in a box & send them by the stage to Richmond, you will be so good as to pay their transportation and forward them to me . . . ”