Thomas Jefferson on the Desalination of Seawater. JEFFERSON, THOMAS. 1743-1826. Printed document signed ('Th: Jefferson'), as Secretary of State. Washington, D. C., May 8, 1792. 1 page, folio (393 x 250 mm), folding case. A few separations along creases with old repairs verso, centerfold reinforced, some minor staining, hinged to another sheet, professionally cleaned. An official printing of the Congressional resolution promoting research in methods 'for obtaining fresh, from salt water,' passed by the First Session of the Second Congress, signed in type by President George Washington, Speaker of the House of Representatives Jonathan Trumbull, and President pro tempore of the Senate Richard Henry Lee. Provenance: James S. Copley (bookplate, sold Sotheby's, October 15, 2021, lot 615). In response to the very real need for potable drinking water on ships, desalination technology relying on thermal distillation was developed in the 1700s. In 1790, while visiting Newport and Providence Rhode Island, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson met Newport resident Jacob Isaacks, who claimed he had created a mixture that would desalinate water. Isaacks officially petitioned Congress to support his invention in 1791. Thomas Jefferson, who sat on the board of the patent office as the Secretary of State, received the petition, and bolstered by the promise of an efficient system that could create fresh water faster using less energy, he agreed to oversee testing of the method. He called on David Rittenhouse, James Hutchinson, and Caspar Wistar Jr., members of the American Philosophical Society, to help observe tests of Isaacks's experiment. In March 1791, Jefferson issued his report of the distillation experiments, finding that the invention did not work. Despite its failure, Jefferson still firmly believed that desalination by distillation should be promoted for use at sea. He recommended that instructions for desalination be printed on the revers of the permit issued for every vessel sailing from a U. S. port. Congress enacted the legislation in May 1792. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing