# Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 6 October 1810 CITATION: “Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 6 October 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0091. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 3, 12 August 1810 to 17 June 1811 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, p. 150.] URL (original): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0091 URL (fetched, Wayback Machine capture): https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0091 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: Retirement Series vol. 3; on Lewis's family and the return of the manuscripts. ---- VERBATIM TEXT (Founders Online page) ---- Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 6 October 1810 To Benjamin Smith Barton Monticello Oct. 6. 10. Dear Sir I lately recieved a letter from Professor Vater of Konigsberg inclosing the packet now forwarded to you, with a similar one for myself. they came thro’ the channel of Professor Adelung & mr Harris our Consul at S t Petersburg. not understanding a word of 1 German the book is lost on me, tho’ Vater explains it’s general object, and would, I find, be much gratified by having it translated here. my canton furnishes no means for this. perhaps you can have it done in Philadelphia. When we had the pleasure of possessing you here, you expressed a wish to have some of the Ricara snap beans , and of the Columbian Salsafia brought from the Western side of the Continent by Gov r Lewis. I now inclose you some seeds of each. the Ricara bean is one of the most excellent we have had. I have cultivated them plentifully for the table two years. I have found one kind only superior to them. but being very sensibly so, I shall abandon the Ricaras. I have not yet raised enough of the Salsafia to judge of it. Gov r Lewis did not think it as delicate as the kind we possess.—his family cherish his memory with all the fondness his singularly valuable qualities merited. to them he was ever most affectionate and devoted. they are very anxious, when his work shall have been published, & the MSS. of course no longer necessary for that, to recieve them back to be preserved in the family as a kind of relick. it is one of the most worthy families in our state, and one which it is a singular pleasure to me to gratify & serve, especially in whatever relates to my late friend the governor. if you can be instrumental towards having the Manuscripts preserved & returned to the family, I shall feel it as a very particular obligation. Accept the assurances of my constant esteem & respect. Th: Jefferson PoC ( DLC ); at foot of text: “D r Benj. S. Barton”; endorsed by TJ. Enclosure: Johann Severin Vater, Untersuchungen über Amerika’s Bevölkerung aus dem alten Kontinente (Leipzig, 1810; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson , 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 443). TJ experimented with numerous seeds collected during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, planting the Arikara snap beans at Monticello in 1809 and wild salsify (Missouri or columbian salsify) between 1807 and 1812 (Peter J. Hatch, “‘Public Treasures’: Thomas Jefferson and the Garden Plants of Lewis and Clark,” Twinleaf Journal & Catalog [2003]). 1 . TJ here canceled “English.” Index Entries Adelung, Friedrich; forwards packet through L. Harris search Arikara bean search Barton, Benjamin Smith; and J. S. Vater’s work search Barton, Benjamin Smith; letters to search beans; Arikara search food; salsify search Harris, Levett; and F. Adelung search Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; receives books search Lewis, Meriwether; and publication of journals search Lewis, Meriwether; seeds brought by from the West search Lewis and Clark Expedition; plants from search Lewis and Clark Expedition; seeds from search plants; specimens from Lewis and Clark Expedition search salsify, Missouri (wild salsify) search Untersuchungen über Amerika’s Bevölkerung aus dem alten Kontinente (Vater) search Vater, Johann Severin; Untersuchungen über Amerika’s Bevölkerung aus dem alten Kontinente search Permanent Link What’s this? https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0091 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 Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 6 October 1810 Author Jefferson, Thomas Recipient Barton, Benjamin Smith Date 6 October 1810 Reference Cite as “Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 6 October 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-03-02-0091. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 3, 12 August 1810 to 17 June 1811 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, p. 150.] More between these correspondents Preceding From Barton to Jefferson [13 July 1810] Next From Barton to Jefferson [16 October 1810] All All correspondence between Barton and Jefferson