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Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Churchman, August 8, 1787

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<title>Letter to John Churchman, August 8, 1787 [a machine-readable transcription] </title>
<author>Jefferson, Thomas </author>
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<title>Letter to John Churchman, August 8, 1787 </title>
<author>Thomas Jefferson </author>
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<dateLine>Paris  <date n=1787-08-08>Aug. 8. 1787.</date></dateLine>
<lb>
<salute>Sir</salute>

</opener>
  
<p>I have duly received your favor of <date n="1787-06-06">June 6.</date> and immediately <lb>
communicated <orig reg="its">it's</orig> contents to a member of the Academy.  <orig reg="He">he</orig> told me <lb>
they had received the other copy of your memorial which you mention <lb>
to have sent <abbr expan="through">thro'</abbr> another channel, that your ideas were not <orig reg="conveyed">con- <lb>
-veyed</orig> so explicitly as to enable them to decide finally <unclear>on their merit,</unclear> <lb>
but that they had made an entry in their journals to <unclear>preserve</unclear><lb>
you the claim to the original idea.  <orig reg="As">as</orig> far as we can conjecture it<lb>
here, we imagine you make a table of Variations of the needle for all the <lb>
different meridians whatever.  <orig reg="To">to</orig> apply this table to use in the <orig reg="voyage">voiage</orig> <lb>
between America & Europe, suppose the variation to increase a degree<lb>
in every 160 miles.  <orig reg="Two">two</orig> difficulties occur.  1. <orig reg="A">a</orig> ready & accurate method of <lb>
finding the variation of the place.  2. <orig reg="An">an</orig> instrument so perfect as that <lb>
(<abbr expan="though">tho'</abbr> the degree on it shall represent 160 miles) it shall give the parts <lb>
of the degree so minutely as to answer the purposes of the navigator.  <lb>
<orig reg="The">the</orig> variation of the needle at Paris actually is 20°W.  I make no <lb>
doubt but you have provided against the doubts entertained here, <lb>
and I shall be happy that our country may have the <orig reg="honor">honour</orig> of <lb>
furnishing the old world what it has so long sought in vain. </p>
  
<closer>  
<salute>  
I am with much respect Sir<lb>
your most obedient humble <abbr expan="servant">servt</abbr>.
</salute> 

<signed><abbr expan="Thomas">Th:</abbr> Jefferson</signed>
  
<seg type="recipient">Mr. John Churchman Philadelphia.</seg>
 
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<p>Th. 4-16</p>

<p>Mr. John Churchman<lb> 
Philadelphia</p>
 
<p>Thomas Jefferson</p>
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