 | Documentary History of the Construction of the Buildings at the University
of Virginia, 1817-1828 |  |
Thomas Jefferson to Robert Mills
I have duly recd. your favor of Feb. 15. and with it your beautiful map of S.C. which I place
among the many other testimonies of your frdshp and with the acceptableness they ever
ensure. your general plan will constitute a valble work. even indpdtly of the Statistic adjunct
you propose.--[853]your idea of the Obelisk monument is a very fine one.[854] I think small
temples would also furnish good monumental designs, and would admit of great variety. and
on a particular occn I recommended for Genl. Washington's that commonly called the
Lanthern of Demosthenes of which you once sent me a drawing handsomely done by
yourself. I wish your travels should some day lead you this way, where from Monto. as your
head quarters, you could visit and revisit our Univty. 4. miles distant only the plan has the
two advantages of exhibiting a specimen of every fine model of every order of Architecture
purely correct, and yet presenting a whole entirely new and unique. I hear with particular
pleasure that your family enjoys health in a climate not generally believed to be friendly to it
and that mrs Mills and your bror do me the favor of thinking kindly of me.[855] my own
health is quite broken down. for the last 10. mo. I have been mostly confined to the house,
and now nearly ending my 83d. years, my faculties, sight excepted are very much impaired.
the dislocn of both my wrists has so far injured the use of my hands that I can write but
slowly & laboriously. the less so however when I have occn to assure you of my great
esteem & respect
Th: J.
ADftS, DLC:TJ, 1p, with TJ docket "Mills Robert. Mar. 3. 26."; printed, Washington, D.C.,
Daily National Intelligencer, Wednesday, 25 October 1826. The printed copy is headed
"Extracts of a letter from Mr. Jefferson to Mr. Robert Mills, of South Carolina," and is
accompanied by a letter to the editor that reads: "Gentlemen: As the following letter from
Mr. Jefferson to one of his confidential friends, accepting of a splendid work of the State of
South Carolina, may, at this time, be acceptable to the friends of that great man, it is
perfectly at your service for publication. M."
853. Following this material in the draft TJ struck out phrases that reads: "an Atlas which
should give each county or other district on a distinct 4to sheet would be very convent. our
state has been at the expence of a general map and I wished much they would have had
whole sheet maps of every county on the same scale. but could not prevail. every man wd.
have bought the sheet of his own county, and many of the adjacent counties who has no
place on his walls large enough for the general one."
| Documentary History of the Construction of the Buildings at the University
of Virginia, 1817-1828 | |