CHAPTER XXIX.

CLOSING SCENES IN THE LIFE OF MR. JEFFERSON-THE PHILOSOPHER AND HIS FAMILY-DEATH LIB

MR.

ERATES THE MASTER AT MONTICELLO.

R. JEFFERSON'S letters still continued to be very numerous and to embrace nearly every subject, but letter-writing was becoming a great burden to him. Hundreds of letters, received from utter strangers during the six last years of his life, asked unreasonable and extensive labor on his part.

Beyond the political affairs of the country, his great theme finally became education, and especially as connected with the last dear scheme of his life, that of establishing the University of Virginia. After succeeding by great effort in obtaining a charter and the necessary aid from the Legislature, he took an active part in the erection of the buildings at Charlottesville on the remains of the "Central College," which had itself been a successful school partly under his management. He had a great deal of extravagance and impracticability about his ideas of architecture, as of farming and other things, and under him the University buildings were made to cost $300,000, thus creating a "hue and cry" against his course. But in 1825 the institution actually went into operation under a faculty of Englishmen, who, according to Mr. Jefferson's fancy, were all imported especially for

the purpose. He himself served as the first rector; and he had the great pleasure of seeing this pet scheme of his life start out in a noble manner, quite up to his highest hopes.

Mr. Jefferson had for many years suffered some disadvantage from a strain of his right wrist, and in 1822 he actually had the misfortune to break his left arm by a fall.

One of the events of 1824 to Mr. Jefferson was the visit of General La Fayette to this country, and the pleasure he had in not only embracing him at Monticello, but aiding in leading Congress to compensate him liberally for his services and losses in the cause of this country in the struggle for independence.

The last year of Mr. Jefferson's life was weighed down by his debts and the thought of leaving his family portionless, but of this load he was finally relieved by the generous gifts of his countrymen, which he was glad to receive as a just and affectionate recognition of his long public services. In the beginning of the year 1826 he sent his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, to the Legislature of Virginia, with an appeal to that body for the privilege of disposing of a part of his estate by lottery, so as to enable him to pay his debts. Deeming the lottery method honorable, he believed by that means he could save Monticello to his family, and realize enough on the other lands to pay his debts. His proposition greatly disturbed the Legislature, many members being unfavorable to the plan, and others indisposed to submit one of their greatest men to such mortification in his old age.

But the lottery scheme was finally adopted by the Legislature and a committee appointed to appraise his property. In the mean time, however, the country was apprised of his extreme pecuniary embarrassments, and of what steps were in progress in his own State to relieve him, and the result was that eighteen or twenty thousand dollars were raised in New York and a few other cities at once, and sent to him, and in this way the whole debt and vastly more would have been raised in a few months, had his death not stopped all proceedings in the matter. His demands had at once been made urgent by the failure of his friend, William Cary Nicholas, for whom he had endorsed, and was forced to pay $20,000. Mr. Jefferson had great confidence in the integrity of Mr. Nicholas, and in his conduct towards him after the misfortune became known, displayed one of his most delicate, refined, and noble traits in not mentioning Mr. Nicholas's name, or allowing others to do so, in connection with his losses. As the case was finally left at his death, contrary to what he believed, his property was soon all swept away in the payment of his debts.

Martha, his daughter, the wife of Thomas Mann Randolph, outlived him. Her husband became greatly involved pecuniarly and died in 1828, leaving her without a home. But the people of this country, never slow in recognizing a case like hers as appealing directly to them, raised for her nearly $25,000, and would have given her much more only for the erroneous impression which got out that a very large sum had already been realized.

The 4th of July was approaching, and Mr. Jeffer

son had been invited to be present in celebrating the day at Washington City. But his health was fast declining, and he felt sure that he would never attend another celebration of the Nation's birth. Although he had been long afflicted with disease of the bladder, and had a chronic enterorrhoea, which he persisted long in keeping a secret, and which were greatly undermining his strength, he was really wearing out of old age.

To within a few weeks of his death he kept up his daily habits, and in his rides, as in his library and bedroom, he would submit to no assistance; and, finally, when he could not help himself, he would have only his servant, his daughter, his grandchildren, and his physician, Robley Dunglison, then a professor in the University, about him, and, true to the last to his principle of self-care, he gave them little trouble.

He had made a will, fortunately believing that he had something to bestow more than his blessing; and disposed, in an orderly way, of all his affairs, and only hoped that his time might be prolonged till the great national anniversary with which his name would be forever linked. After talking to all of his family, giving to each a parting word of advice, he sank down, and at ten minutes before one o'clock on the 4th of July, 1826, as he had desired, quietly breathed his last. According to his request, his remains were buried by his family at Monticello without any public demonstration. He had written his own epitaph, and given directions for a small monument to be placed at his grave by the side of his wife's; and this request was carried out.

The following is the inscription on his tomb, show

ing the three things in his life which he considered worthy of being perpetuated in such a manner :—

HERE WAS BURIED

THOMAS JEFFERSON,

AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,

OF THE

STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM,

AND

FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

Much of the bitter partisan feeling which had pursued Mr. Jefferson through life was now, for a time, lost in the general sense of public calamity, which was greatly intensified by the death of John Adams on the same day. Eulogistic orations were passed by men of all shades of political opinions throughout the country, and a nation, not a party, did honor to the name of the author of the Declaration of Independence.

The main points concerning Mr. Jefferson's family have already been given, and as but two of his children lived to attract public attention, and his wife died many years before he reached the height of his fame in the Presidential Chair, little is left which need be written here.

On the 1st of January, 1772, Thomas Jefferson was married to Martha Skelton, who had then been four years the widow of Bathurst Skelton. Mrs. Jefferson was born in 1748, and was the daughter of John Wayles and his third wife, Mrs. Martha Epes, whose maiden name was Eppes. John Wayles, her father, was a lawyer of fine standing, and became one of the wealthy men of Virginia.

Mrs. Jefferson's deceased husband, Skelton, was also a lawyer, and if tradition is trustworthy, he was