In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, preeminent surveyor Andrew Ellicott writes to President Jefferson accepting his request to tutor Meriwether Lewis in taking celestial observations. He advises that the calculations derived from the collected data be made after the expedition.
Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820)
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. [1]“Andrew Ellicott.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed 24 May, 2022. digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-8f04-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
Ellicott was appointed Surveyor General of the United States in 1792 and had traveled via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to survey the U.S. and Spanish Florida border. In 1798, he sent a coded letter to the State Department describing information he had secretly received of payoffs by Spain to four Americans, including Lewis’s own commanding officer, General James Wilkinson.
Lancaster March 6th. 1803.
Dear Sir
Your agreeable favour of the 26th. Ult has been duly received, and the contents noted.—I shall be very happy to see Captn. Lewis, and will with pleasure give him all the information, and instruction, in my power.—
Mr. Lewis’s first object must be, to acquire a facility, and dexterity, in making the observations; which can only be attained by practice; in this he shall have all the assistance I can give him with aid of my apparatus.—
It is not to be expected that the calculations can be made till after his return, because the transportation of the books, and tables, necessary for that purpose, would be found inconvenient on such a journey.—
I have the honour to be with great respect and esteem your friend and hbl. Serv.
Andw. Ellicott.[2]Andrew Ellicott to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0020 accessed 11 May 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas … Continue reading
Notes
| ↑1 | “Andrew Ellicott.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed 24 May, 2022. digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-8f04-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Andrew Ellicott to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0020 accessed 11 May 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 40, 4 March–10 July 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 15–16.] |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).