# James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1809 CITATION: “James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0046. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 72–73.] URL (original): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0046 URL (fetched, Wayback Machine capture): https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0046 DATE FETCHED: 2026-09-14 TRANSCRIPTION: scholarly edition text (Princeton, Papers of Thomas Jefferson / Madison Papers, as published on Founders Online); text below is verbatim from the fetched page, including the editors' source note and footnotes. Superscripts are flattened by the HTML-to-text conversion (e.g. 'Oct r' = Oct^r, '11 th' = 11^th). NOTE: Madison reports he has written to Neelly ('Maj r Neele') as TJ suggested; returns Neelly's letter. ---- VERBATIM TEXT (Founders Online page) ---- James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1809 From James Madison Washington Dec r 11. 1809 Dear Sir I duly rec d your two letters of the 26. & 30. Ult: The State of Col. Monroe’s mind is very nearly what I had supposed. His willingness to have taken a seat in the Cabinet, is what I had not supposed. I have written to Maj r Neele, according to your suggestion, and shall follow it also as to the distribution of Gov r Lewis’s papers when they arrive. Fayette in a letter to me has been equally urgent on the subject of his land 1 titles which are required as the basis of a loan. Owing to delays incident to the distance & the nature of the proceedings in consummating land titles, and more particularly to the miscarriage of a mail containing instructions from M r Gallatin, which was long unknown to him, the business has never been compleated. I have renewed my efforts to accelerate it; and have so written to Fayette, by the Ship Jn o Adams , which carries a remittance from the Treasury to Holland, and will touch at France & England for collateral purposes. It was found cheaper to make the remittance in this way, than by Bills of Exch: at their present rate. The papers will tell you what Cong s are about. There is not as yet any appearance, by which their course can be foretold. The Republicans as usual are either not decided, or have different leanings. The Federalists are lying in wait, to spring on any opp y of checking or diverting the tide now setting so strongly ag st them. The wound rec d by M r J. G. Jackson, is thought at present to wear a very favorable appearance. As the Ball however remains in him, and the Hip bone, is much broken, it is not certain that he may not be left somewhat of a Cripple. Be assured always of my high & Affec e esteem James Madison I return the letters from Armstrong and Maj r Neele RC ( DLC : Madison Papers); at foot of text: “M r Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 14 Dec. 1809 and so recorded in SJL . Enclosures: (1) John Armstrong to TJ, 19 Sept. 1809 . (2) James Neelly to TJ, 18 Oct. 1809 . Lafayette’s most recent letters to Madison about his land titles were dated 17 Sept. and 26 Oct. 1809, the second of which Madison had not yet received. On 4 Dec. Madison wrote Lafayette that he would try to bring the business to completion ( Madison, Papers description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, John C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison , 1962– , 29 vols.: Congress. Ser. , 17 vols.; Pres. Ser. , 5 vols.; Sec. of State Ser. , 7 vols description ends , Pres. Ser. , 2:38–40, 106–7). 1 . Word interlined. Index Entries Congress, U.S.; duel between members of search Federalist party; and American foreign policy search Gallatin, Albert; and Lafayette’s La. land search Jackson, John G.; duel with J. Pearson search John Adams (ship); carries letters to and from Europe search Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de; land of, in La. search Lewis, Meriwether; and J. Neelly search Lewis, Meriwether; papers of search Madison, James; and J. Monroe search Madison, James; and Lafayette search Madison, James; letters from search Madison, James; M. Lewis’s papers sent to search Monroe, James; and J. Madison search Neelly, James; and M. Lewis’s effects search Republican party; and foreign relations search The Netherlands; and U.S. finances search Treasury Department, U.S.; remittance of to Holland search United States; and the Netherlands search Permanent Link What’s this? https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0046 Note: The annotations to this document, and any other modern editorial content, are copyright © Princeton University Press. All rights reserved. Back to top You Are Looking At Source Project Jefferson Papers Title James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1809 Author Madison, James Recipient Jefferson, Thomas Date 11 December 1809 Reference Cite as “James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0046. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 72–73.] More between these correspondents Preceding From Jefferson to Madison [7 December 1809] Next From Jefferson to Madison [25 March 1810] All All correspondence between Jefferson and Madison