Details
JEFFERSON, THOMAS, President. Autograph note signed ("Th:Jefferson"), in third person, to [David] Gelston, Collector of the Port of New York, Monticello, 14 November 1811. 1 page, 4to, 220 x 180mm. (9 x 7 1/2 in.). Fine.
JEFFERSON ON STEAMBOATS: "THIS INVENTION WILL MATERIALLY IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF OUR COUNTRY"
Jefferson thanks Gelston for having supplied statistical information on the use of the newly invented steamboat on the Hudson River and in the New York area; as Port Collector, Gelston would have easy access to this type of information. "Th[omas] Jefferson presents his salutations to Mr. Gelston & his thanks for his statement of the tonnage of steamboats now actually employed. [H]e has no doubt that this invention will materially improve the condition of our country. [H]e avails himself of this occasion of assuring Mr. Gelston of his constant esteem & respect..." Robert Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, had made its first successful Hudson River voyage in 1807, and although the technology was still in its infancy, the first steamboat on western waters, also a Fulton craft, was launched the same year as this letter.
David Gelston (1733-1828), an early supporter of independence, was driven from his home by the British and later represented Suffolk County, New York at the New York Constitutional Convention. Jefferson appointed him Collector of the Port of New York in 1801, an office he held until 1820 when he retired, "with the universal respect and esteem of his fellow citizens."
JEFFERSON ON STEAMBOATS: "THIS INVENTION WILL MATERIALLY IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF OUR COUNTRY"
Jefferson thanks Gelston for having supplied statistical information on the use of the newly invented steamboat on the Hudson River and in the New York area; as Port Collector, Gelston would have easy access to this type of information. "Th[omas] Jefferson presents his salutations to Mr. Gelston & his thanks for his statement of the tonnage of steamboats now actually employed. [H]e has no doubt that this invention will materially improve the condition of our country. [H]e avails himself of this occasion of assuring Mr. Gelston of his constant esteem & respect..." Robert Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, had made its first successful Hudson River voyage in 1807, and although the technology was still in its infancy, the first steamboat on western waters, also a Fulton craft, was launched the same year as this letter.
David Gelston (1733-1828), an early supporter of independence, was driven from his home by the British and later represented Suffolk County, New York at the New York Constitutional Convention. Jefferson appointed him Collector of the Port of New York in 1801, an office he held until 1820 when he retired, "with the universal respect and esteem of his fellow citizens."