This passage illustrates how much times have changed. At one point navigation was taught my university professors and now that concept is laughable. We just use google maps. This works into the larger schema of interest in the rockfish gap report because it is such an obvious illustration of how different the times were. It is easy to take for granted the racist attitudes of the day etc but this helps the reader to better understand the time period this document was written in.

It is so interesting to note how seriously Jefferson took the security and safety of his staff and students. Obviously UVA today's till take security and safety seriously but he never once mentions slaves in this section. I also believe it important to note the fact that the words Professor and Student are capitalized, further emphasizing the difference between whites and blacks at uva in this time.

I was very surprised to see Hebrew on the course list. At this time in American history the jewish population was not very large and it speaks volumes to Jefferson's worldliness that he included this as a possible study at his University. At the time there were many conspiracy theories floating around Britain and the US about how the Jews ruled the world, (this is in part why they were originally offered Israel during world war 1) and it is possible that this is a reason Hebrew was being offered at the university at this time.

This sentence is almost laughable. Jefferson speaks of the comforts of human life while owning slaves. He says his goal is to enlighten his students through mathematics and physical sciences while willfully keeping humans in the dark. He made a point not to give slaves the physical comforts of science or the physical comforts of actual comfort.