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Morever, on March 22, 1802, he wrote Dr. Patterson, who had submitted a cipher to Jefferson as President of the American Philosophical Society, that "I have thoroughly considered your cypher, and find it so much more convenient than my wheel cypher, that I am proposing it to the Secretary of state for use in his office," a month later adding that "We are introducing your cypher into our foreign correspondences." Patterson's cipher was a columnar transposition with nulls at the heads of the columns, of a security in no way comparable to Jefferson's. That Jefferson did not see this does not speak too highly of his cryptologic perceptions.