then in the city, a fugitive from prosecution
on account of that work, and in want of employ for his subsistence. This
was the first of my learning that Callender was the author of the work.
I considered him as a man of science fled from persecution, and assured
my friend of my readiness to do whatever could serve him. It was long
after this before I saw him; probably not till 1798. He had, in the mean
time, written a second part of the 'Political Progress,' much inferior
to the first, and his 'History of the United States.' In 1798, I think,
I was applied to by Mr. Lieper to contribute to his relief. I did so. In
1799, I think, S. T. Mason applied for him. I contributed again. He had,
by this time, paid me two or three personal visits. When he fled in a
panic from Philadelphia to General Mason's, he wrote to me that he was
a fugitive in want of employ, wished to know if he could get into a
counting-house or a school, in my neighborhood or in that of Richmond;
that he had materials for a volume, and if he could get as much money
as would buy the paper, the profit of the sale would be all his own. I
availed myself of this pretext to cover a mere charity, by desiring him
to consider me a subscriber for as many copies of his book as the money
inclosed (fifty dollars) amounted to; but to send me two copies only, as
the others might lie till called for. But I discouraged his coming into
my neighborhood. His first writings here had fallen far short of his
original 'Political Progress,' and the scurrilities of his subsequent
ones began evidently to do mischief. As to myself, no man wished more
to see his pen stopped: but I considered him still as a proper object of
benevolence. The succeeding year he again wanted money to buy paper for
another volume. I made his letter, as before, the occasion of giving him
another fifty dollars. He considers these as proofs of my approbation
of his writings, when they were mere charities, yielded under a strong
conviction that he was injuring us by his writings. It is known to many,
that the sums given to him were such, and even smaller than I was in
the habit of giving to others in distress, of the federal as well as the
republican party, without attention to political principles. Soon after
I was elected to the government, Callender came on here, wishing to be
made post-master at Richmond. I knew him to be totally unfit for it: and
however ready I was to aid him with my own charities (and I th