THE WRITINGS OF



        THOMAS JEFFERSON











        Definitive Edition







        CONTAINING HIS







        AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NOTES ON VIRGINIA, PARLIA-



        MENTARY MANUAL, OFFICIAL PAPERS,



        MESSAGES AND ADDRESSES, AND OTHER



        WRITINGS, OFFICIAL AND PRIVATE,



         NOW COLLECTED AND







        PUBLISHED IN THEIR ENTIRETY FOR THE FIRST TIME



        INCLUDING







        ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS, DEPOSITED IN THE DEPARTMENT



        OF STATE AND PUBLISHED IN 1953 BY ORDER OF THE







        JOINT COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS







        WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS







        AND



        A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYTICAL INDEX















        ALBERT ELLERY BERGH



        EDITOR











        VOL. XIX.



















        ISSUED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF



        THE THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION



        OF THE UNITED STATES



        WASHINGTON, D. C.



        1907

















        COPYRIGHT,  1905







        By



        THE THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL



        ASSOCIATION

















        JEFFERSON AS A MAN OF SCIENCE.















  It is an interesting tribute to the value of the



scientific mind that two of the men among the most



important in the establishment of the United States



of America were at the same time its earliest and most



distinguished students of the natural and physical



sciences, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson,



and while the time of both of these men 'was



largely given to public affairs, their chief intellectual



interest lay in the discovery and the setting forth of



new truths. Jefferson wrote to a correspondent,



" Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of



science, by rendering them my supreme delight,"



but he was likewise impressed with the fact that



there was a relationship between science and repub-



lican institutions. To Monsieur d'Ivernois he uses



the phrase : " Freedom, the first-born of science, " and



to General Kosciusko he says: "The main objects



of all science are the freedom and happiness of man, "



while to another correspondent he declares that



" Science is more important in a republican than in



any other government. "







 The first public demonstration of Jefferson's capa-



bility as a man of science was the preparation and

















iv        Jefferson as a Man of Science







publication in 1781. of his " Notes on Virginia. " " This, "



according to the late G. Brown Goode, assistant sec-



retary of the Smithsonian Institution and the his-



torian of American science, "was the first compre-



hensive treatise upon the topography, natural history



and natural resources of one of the United States,



and was the precursor of the great library of scientific



reports which have since been issued by the State and



Federal governments. Though hastily prepared to



meet a special need, if measured by its influence it is



the most important scientific work as yet published in



America. " In this work he successfully overthrew



many of the arguments of Buffon, who was at the



time considered the highest living authority on natu-



ral history subjects ; and later, when he came to know



Buffon in Paris, the latter admitted some of the



errors that he had made.







  In a valuable paper published in the Magazine of



American History for 1885, Frederick C. Luther



points out that Jefferson " had a more or less prac-



tical knowledge of surgical anatomy, civil engineer-



ing, physics, meteorology, mechanics and astronomy;



and was at home in many departments of pure and



applied science, but it was in natural history that he



was most interested, and as a naturalist he made his



only original contribution to scientific knowledge."



* * * " He seems to have acquired nearly all the



knowledge the world then possessed of geology and



zoology, and while many of the theories advanced in



his ` Notes on Virginia ' have been rejected by mod-

















        Jefferson as a Man of Science.     v







ern science, in some of his conclusions Jefferson was



quite in advance of the best specialists of the age, and



notably so in the department of palaeontology."







 In fact palaeontology in the United States. had its



beginning in a paper filed with the American Philo-



sophical Society by Jefferson under date of March



10, 1797, announcing his discovery of the Megalonyx



Jeffersoni; this paper was published under the title,



"Memoir on the Discovery of a Quadruped in the



Western Parts of Virginia, " in the Transactions of



the American Philosophical Society. The original



specimen was deposited in the American Philosoph-



ical Society and subsequently transferred to the



Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where



it may still be seen. The announcement of this dis-



covery was coincident with his arrival in Philadelphia



to be inaugurated as Vice-President of the United



States, and upon that occasion he brought with him



a collection of fossil bones of the specimen in question,



which he had obtained in Greenbrier County, Vir-



ginia.







  But his interest in palaeontology did not stop here.



In February, 1801, during the excitement of the con-



test with Aaron Burr, he was corresponding with



Doctor Wistar with regard to some bones of the



mammoth which he had just procured from Shawan-



gunk, in New York.







 In 1808, when the excitement over the embargo



was highest and his policy was under the severest



denunciation, he was carrying on palaeontological

















vi        Jefferson as a Man of Science







studies in the White House. Under his direction



upwards of 300 specimens of fossil bones had been



brought from the famous Big Bone Lick, and spread



in one of the large unfinished rooms of the Presiden-



tial mansion. Doctor Wistar was asked to come



from Philadelphia and select such as were needed to



complete the collection of the Philosophical Society.



The exploration of the Lick was made at the private



expense of Jefferson, through the agency of General



William Clarke, and this may fairly be recorded as



the beginning of American governmental work in



palaeontology.







  But palaeontology was not the only scientific sub-



ject which engaged his attention. He was, when



Secretary of State in Washington's Cabinet, chairman



of a committee organized by the American Philo-



sophical Society in 1792, to collect materials for the



natural history of the Hessian Fly, whose ravages in



the wheat-fields threatened so great a danger to the



prosperity of the country. This appears to be the



first organized effort in economic entomology in the



United States.







  He was greatly interested in the discovery and



cultivation of plants useful in agriculture. He had



a table beautifully drawn up, giving the average



earliest and latest appearance of thirty-seven varie-



ties of vegetables in the Washington market during



the whole eight years of his presidency, and on his



journeys abroad he was always looking out for new



plants which might with profit be transplanted to

















        Jefferson as a Man of Science     xvii







America. When in later life he drew up a list of the



services he believed he had rendered his countrymen;



he enumerated, along with the disestablishment of a,



State Church, the abolition of entails. the prohibition



of slave importation, and the drafting of the Declara-



tion of Independence, " the introduction of olive plants



and heavy upland rice into South Carolina and Geor-



gia, " declaring that " the greatest service which can



be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant



to its culture. "







 His interest in agriculture even went in the direc-



tion of the invention of a new plow. As far back as



1788 Jefferson entered upon some speculations con-



cerning the improvement of plows, and attempted to



sketch an original and uniform mathematical rule for



shaping the mould-board of a plow, the object being



to secure the regular inversion of a certain depth of



the surface soil with the least application of force.



By 1796 his new plows were in use. A Mr. Strick-



land, a member of the English Board of Agriculture,



being on a visit to Monticello, saw there plows in



operation constructed on this principle, and mention-



ing them favorably on his return, the Board, through



its president; Sir John Sinclair, requested from Mr.



Jefferson a model and a description. These were



forwarded to England in 1798. The description was



published in the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia and in



the fourth volume of the Transactions of the Ameri- 



can Philosophical Society. The invention also



attracted attention in France. He is likewise

















viii        Jefferson as a Man of Science







credited with being the inventor of the copying



press. , He made observations in meteorology and



had a good collection of philosophical apparatus.







 It has been declared by Mr. Goode that "it is



probable that no two men have done so much for



science in America as Jefferson and Agassiz-not so



much by their direct contributions to knowledge, as



by the immense weight which they gave to scientific



interests by their advocacy."







 This statement is fully borne out by the impetus



which Jefferson gave to the relationship of the Gov-



ernment to scientific work. The inception of the



system of scientific surveys of the public domain was



the outcome of more than twenty years of earnest



endeavor on his part. It was he who suggested to



John Ledyard, of Connecticut, the enterprise of



exploring the western part of our continent by pass-



ing through St. Petersburg to Kamchatka, and pro-



curing passage in some Russian vessel to the United



States-a project which failed because of the arrest



of Ledyard. In 1792 he proposed to the American



Philosophical Society to set on foot a subscription to



explore the great West, and for this subscription



became responsible for raising one thousand guineas.



This was to have been undertaken jointly by Captain



Meriwether Lewis and Michaux, the botanist, but it



also failed. In 1803 he recommended to Congress



in a confidential message, the sending of an exploring



party to trace the Missouri to its source, to cross the



highlands, to follow the best water communication

















        Jefferson as a Man of Science    ix







which offered itself from thence to the Pacific Ocean.



Congress approved the proposition and voted a sum



of money for carrying it into execution. Captain



Lewis, who had been with Jefferson nearly two years



as private secretary, immediately renewed his request



to have direction of the party. The second expedi-



tion toward the West was also sent out during Jeffer-



son 's administration, being that under command of



General Z. M. Pike, who was, sent to explore the



sources of the Mississippi River and the western parts



of Louisiana, continuing as far west as Pike's Peak



the name of which still remains as a memorial of this



enterprise. It was during Jefferson's administration



too, that the project of founding the Coast Survey



arose. This was recommended to Congress by the



President in 1807.







     It was under his Presidency that the idea of Wash-



ington for the establishment of a Military Academy



at West Point was fulfilled, and Jefferson also had a



plan, realized later, for the establishment of a National



Observatory. It was he who proposed the unit of the



present coinage of the United States.







 He was elected President of the American Philo-



sophical Society in January, 1797, and held that



office until 1814, when he resigned on account of his



age. His connection with the Society, as may be



seen from the statements above, was by no means



perfunctory. During his residence in Paris he kept



four of the principal American colleges, Harvard,



Yale, William and Mary, and the College of Phila-

















x        Jefferson as a Man of Science







delphia, informed of all that happened in the scien-



tific circles of Europe. Even such a subject as aerial



invention attracted his attention. His letters of



1785 contain several references to the Montgolfier



balloon. At a time when the natural sciences were



but little cultivated in the established universities,



he wrote to Doctor Willard, the President of Harvard



urging their pursuit. " What a field, " he said, " have



we at our doors to signalize ourselves in. The botany



of America is far from being exhausted, its miner-



alogy is untouched, and its natural history or zoology,



totally mistaken and misrepresented."







  His devotion to science, coincident with his active



public life and the bitter enmities which it engen-



dered, gave the opportunity for much public criti-



cism, yet it afforded Jefferson, as it did to Franklin,



especial consideration as representative of the new



nation in France ; it earned him election in numerous



learned societies in Europe and gave an impetus to



the organization of science both in the learned socie-



ties, in the colleges and in connection with the Gov-



ernment of the United States, such as could only



have been exercised by a man who had occupied the



exalted office of President of the United States.

























        CONTENTS.







JEFFERSON AS A MAN OF SCIENCE.By Cyrus Adler,



Ph. D., Librarian of the Smithsonian Institution,



Washington, D. C.

...........................................................................    

            i











SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT COLLECTION. (Letters written from, 1780-



1825)..........................................................................

...................................1-288



To Horatio Gates, November 4,

1780................................................................1



To William Carmichael, June 22,

1785...............................................................2   



To Francis Hopkinson, July 6,

1785...................................................................5



To George Washington, July 10,

1785................................................................8



To St. John De Crevecoeur, August 22,

1785...................................................10



To James Currie, September 27,

1785..............................................................11



To Rev James Madison, October 28,

1785.......................................................15



To Francis Eppes, December 11,

1785.............................................................20



To George Washington, January 4,

1786..........................................................23



To William Carmichael, January 13,

1786.........................................................26



To James Madison, April 25,

1786...................................................................29



To Philip Mazzei, April 4,

1787........................................................................32



To I,'Abbe D'Arnal, July 9,

1787......................................................................34



To John Adams, July 23,

1787.........................................................................36



To Benjamin Franklin, August 6,

1787..............................................................38



To John Adams" December 31,

1787...............................................................39



To Edward Bancroft, January 26,

1788............................................................41



To Countess Barziza, July 8,

1788....................................................................45



To C. W. F. Dumas, July 30,

1788..................................................................46



To John Jay, September 5,

1788......................................................................47



To Francis Hopkinson, December 5,

1788.......................................................48













        Contents







SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT COLLECTION-CONTINUED                                                      

 page



To John Jay; March 1,

1789........................................................................52



To John Paul Jones, March, 23,

1789..........................................................54



To John Adams, May 20,

1789...................................................................60



To Nathaniel Cutting, June 7,

1789..............................................................62



To Thomas Paine, July 13,

1789.................................................................63



To John Bondfield, July 16,

1789................................................................64



To John Jay, August 5,

1789.......................................................................65



To Gen. Henry Knox, September 12,

1789.................................................67



To William Bingham, September 25,

1789...................................................69



To Baron De Geismer, November 20,

1789................................................71



To David Rittenhouse, June 12,

1790..........................................................73



To the Secretary of the Treasury (Alexander



Hamilton), June 25,

1791...........................................................................

.75



To T. M. Randolph, July 3,

1791................................................................76



To James Madison, July 21,

1791...............................................................79



To Gov. William Blount, August 12,

1791...................................................81



To George Hammond (British Minister),December 15, 1791.......................82



To George Washington, January 10,

1792..................................................86



To Peter Charles L'Enfant, February 27,

1792............................................87



To Thomas Johnson, David Stuart and Daniel



Carroll,March 8,

1792...........................................................................

....88



To Louis XVI, March 14,

1792.................................................................92



To Benjamin Hawkins, April 1,

1792.........................................................93



To Thomas Johnson, David Stuart and Daniel



Carroll, April 20,

1792...........................................................................

....94



To His Majesty George III, of England, June 6,

1792..................................96



To the Queen of England, June 6,

1792.......................................................97



To Stephen Cathalan, December 2,

1792....................................................98



To Gov. John Hancock,

[1793].................................................................101



To David Humphreys, January 3,

1793......................................................102



To John Garland Jefferson, April 14,

1793.................................................103













xii        Contents







SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT COLLECTION-CONTINUED...............................................PAGE



To Edmond C. Genet, August 16,

1793....................................................105



To Maria Jefferson, November 17,

1793..................................................106



To Alexander Hamilton, December 12,

1793............................................107



To the President of Bank of the United States,



January.-,

1794...........................................................................

.............108



To George Washington, February 23,

1795..............................................108



To Aaron Burr, January 7,

1797...............................................................114



To Louis, Prince of Parma, May 23,

1797................................................115



To Gov. James Monroe, April 13,

1800...................................................119



To Andrew Ellicott, December 18,

1800..................................................121



To Gen. Thaddeus Kosciusko, March 14,

1801.......................................122



To James Madison, April 30,

1801...........................................................124



To John Langdon, May 22,

1801..............................................................125



To James Monroe, March 31,

1802..........................................................126



To Abraham Baldwin, April 14,

1802........................................................128



To Thomas Law, May 31,

1802................................................................130



To William Punbar, March 3,

1803............................................................131



To Dr. Benjamin Rush, April 23,

1803.......................................................133



To Henry Dearborn, August 23,

1803........................................................134



To the Emperor of Morocco, December 20,

1803.....................................135



To John Langdon, December 22,

1803......................................................136



To Gov. John Page, December 23,

1803...................................................138



To the Dey of Algiers, March 27,

1804......................................................139



To F.. H. Alexander von Humboldt, May 28,

1804....................................140



To the Secretary of  War (Henry Dearborn),June 6,

1804..........................141



To Alexander, Emperor of Russia, June 15,

1804.......................................142



To the Brothers of the Choctaw Nation, March 13,

1805...........................144



To the Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, January 10,

1806............................146



To William H. Harrison, January 16,

1806.................................................150

















        Contents      xiii







SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT

COLLECTION-Continued...........................................................

..page



To Rev. Doctor G. C. Jenner, May 14,

1806.............................................152



To Albert Gallatin, June 21,

1806...............................................................153



To Pierre Auguste Adet, June 29,

1806......................................................154



To Andrew Jackson; December 3,

1806....................................................156



To John Langdon, December 22,

1806......................................................157



To Henry Lee, February 1,

1807................................................................158



To Andrew Jackson, March 21,

1807........................................................159



To Joel Barlow, June 14,

1807...................................................................161



To George Hay, October 11,

1807.............................................................162



To F. A. Delacroix, December 21,

1807.....................................................162



To George Hay, February 16,

1808............................................................164



To G. Hyde de Neuville, February 17,

1808................................................165



To Marquis de Lafayette, April 28,

1808.....................................................166



To Thomas Paine, July 17,

1808..................................................................170



To Archibald Stuart, October 22,

1808.......................................................171



To Robert. Fulton, April 16,

1808...............................................................172



To Dr. William Eustis, May 30,

1810..........................................................174



To W. B. Giles, November 12,

1810..........................................................175



To James Madison; December 8,

1810.......................................................176



To James Monroe, January 8,

1811............................................................179



To Rev. James Madison, December 29,

1811.............................................183



To Andrew Ellicott, June 24,

1812..............................................................185



To William Barton, October 2,

1812...........................................................186



To Alrichs and Dixon, January 14,

1813......................................................186



To Robert Fulton, March 8,

1813...............................................................187



To Elbridge Gerry, June 19,

1813...............................................................189



To James Madison, July 13,

1813...............................................................190



To Robert Fulton, July 21,

1813..................................................................192



To Abigail Adams (Mrs. John Adams), August 22,

1813.............................193



To Dupont de Nemours, November 29,

1813.............................................195



To Thaddeus Kosciusko, November 30,

1813.............................................200



To James Monroe, January 27,

1814...........................................................206

















xiv        Content            







SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT

COLLECTION--CONTINUED....................................................PAGE



To J. Correa de Serra, April  19,

1814.........................................................209



To Peter Carr, September 7,

1814...............................................................211



To William Caruthers, December 3,

1814.....................................................221



To B. S. Barton, February 26,

1815.............................................................223



To J. Correa De Serra, January 1,

1816.......................................................224



To Thomas Appleton, January 14,

1816.......................................................228



To P. S..Duponceau; January 22,

1816........................................................231



To Albert Gallatin, April 11,

1816................................................................233



To J. F. Dumoulin, May 7,

1816..................................................................236



To Marquis de Lafayette, May 17,

1816......................................................237



To Francis Eppes, May 21,

1816.................................................................241



To James Barbour, January 19,

1817...........................................................242



To James Monroe, April 8,

1817.................................................................243



To Joseph Delaplaine, April 12,

1817..........................................................246



To Jean Baptiste Say, May 14,

1817...........................................................248



To Joseph C. Cabell, October 24,

1817......................................................250



To the Secretary of the Treasury (William H.



Crawford), January 5,

1818........................................................................252



To Gen. John Armstrong, January 19,

1818................................................253



To Count Dagnani (Papal Nuncio), February



14,

1818...........................................................................

.........................254



To Albert Gallatin, February 15,

1818........................................................258



To Jacob Bigelow, April 11,

1818.............................................................259



To Charles. Jared Ingersoll, July 20,

1818..................................................262



To Joseph Milligan, October 25,

1818.......................................................263



To Nathaniel Bowditch, October 26,

1818.................................................264



To Marquis de Lafayette, November 23,

1818...........................................268



To Henry Dearborn, July 5,

1818...............................................................270



To Elijah Griffith, May 15,

1820.................................................................273



To James Monroe, August 13,

1821..........................................................274



To Levett Harris, December 12,

1821........................................................277



To John Quincy Adams, July 18,

1824.......................................................278



To James Madison; September 24,

1824...................................................278

















        Contents      xv







SUPPLEMENTARY MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERN-



MENT COLLECTION-Continued.



To Messrs. Adams, Fitzuhuylson and Brocken-



brough, October 18,

1824......................................................................279



To Marquis de Lafayette, January 16,

1825............................................280



To William H. Crawford, February 15,

1825..........................................282



To Edward Everett, July 21,

1825..........................................................283



To Marquis de Lafayette, August 8,

1825...............................................285



To James Madison, October 18,

1825....................................................286







MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE VIRGINIA STATE LIBRARY



COLLECTION. (Letters written from 1780-1781)........................ 293-356



To the Quarter-Masters of Frederick, Hampshire



and Berkeley, December 24,

1780........................................................293



To Major-General Baron Steuben, January 12, 1781............................294



To Major-General Baron Steuben, January 14, 1781............................294



To Colonel Timothy Pickering, January 15,

1781..................................296



To General Nelson, January 16,

1781...................................................297



To Colonel Carvington, January 16,

1781.............................................298



To Baron Steuben, January 19,

1781....................................................298



To Baron Steuben, January 19,

1781....................................................300



To Baron Steuben, January 29,

1781....................................................300



To Governor Nash, of North Carolina, February 2, 1781......................301



To Baron Steuben, February 7,

1781....................................................302



To Baron Steuben, February 7,

1781....................................................303



To the Virginia Delegates in Congress, February 7, 1781

......................304



To General Nelson, February 10,

1781.................................................305



To Baron Steuben, February 12,

1781..................................................306



To Speaker Harrison (House of Burgesses), 



February 12,  

1781...........................................................................

..309



To Baron Steuben, February 13,

1781.................................................310

















xvi        Contents







MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE VIRGINIA STATE LIBRARY



COLLECTION---Continued.........................................................

..page



To Baron Steuben, February 15,

1781.............................................311



To Baron Steuben, February 17,

1781.............................................312



To Baron Steuben, February 18,

1781.............................................313



To General Greene, February 19,

1781............................................314



To Baron Steuben, February 21,

1781.............................................315



To the Officer Commanding the Naval Force of



His Most Christian Majesty on the Coast of



Virginia,. February  28,

1781...........................................................316



To Colonel. Pickering, March 4,

1781.............................................317



To the Honorable Judges of the High Court of



Chancery, March 5,

1781...............................................................319



To the Speaker of the House of Delegates, March



9,

1781...........................................................................

...............320



To General Muhlenberg, March 16, 1781.......................................321



To the Speaker of the House of Delegates, March



17,

1781...........................................................................

.............322



To the Speaker of the House of Delegates,



March 17,

1781...........................................................................

..322



To His Excellency the Governor of Hispaniola,



March 24,

1781...........................................................................

..323



To His Excellency Governor Nash, March 24, 1781.......................324



To General Greene, March 24,

1781..............................................326



To Marquis de Lafayette, March 28, 1781.....................................328



To Baron Steuben, April 3,

1771...................................................330



To General Muhlemberg, April 3,

1781..........................................331



To Baron Steuben, April 6,

1781...................................................333



To Major General Nathaniel Greene, April 5, 1781........................334



To Colonel Henry Lee, April 13,

1781...........................................336



To Baron Steuben, April 14,

1781.................................................337



To the County Lieutenants of Fauquier, Lou-



doun, Caroline, Albezriarle, Fluvanna, Gooch-



land and Henrico, April  14,

1781..................................................338



vol xix - B

















        Contents     xvii







MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE VIRGINIA STATE LIBRARY



COLLECTION--Continued



To the Honorable Richard Henry Lee, April 16,1781......................340



To General Muhlenberg, April 16,

1781..........................................341



To John Page, April 18,

1781.........................................................342



To Baron Steuben, April 20,

1781..................................................343



To Marquis de Lafayette, April 23,

1781........................................344



To the President of the Board of War, April 25, 1781.....................345   

  



To Baron Steuhen, April 26,

1781..................................................346



To Marquis de Lafayette, May 6,

1781..........................................348



To His Excellency General Washington and the



Honorable Virginia Delegates in Congress,



May 10,

1781...........................................................................

....348



To His Excellency President Reid, May 22, 1781...........................349



To Major Richard Claiborne, May 23, 1781..................................350



To Marquis de Lafayette, May 29,

1781........................................352



To the County Lieutenants of York, New Kent,



Hanover, Gloucester, King and Queen, King



William, Middlesex, Essex, Caroline, Spotsyl-



vania, Lancaster, Richmond, King George,



Northumberland, Westmoreland, Stafford,



Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun and Berke-



ley, May 29,

1781........................................................................353



To Marquis de Lafayette, May 30, 1781.......................................354



To Marquis de Lafayette, May 30, 1781.......................................355



To the Surveyor of the County of Monongalia,



June 3,

1781...........................................................................

......356











MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA



COLLECTION. An Exact Transcript of the



Minutes of the Board of Visitors of the Uni-



versity of Virginia during the Rectorship of



Thomas

Jefferson..................................................................361-

499























        SUPPLEMENTARY



        MANUSCRIPTS



        FROM



        THE GOVERNMENT COLLECTION













        INTRODUCTORY NOTES.



















   After the publication of the Congressional Edition of the Writings



of Thomas Jefferson, in 1853, a great number of valuable letters and



papers were given to the world. These were mainly drawn from the



archives of the State Department. While the Congressional Edition



served the purpose of a representative selection of the immense



amount of Jefferson manuscripts at Washington, there still remained



(even after later examination and use) an interesting residuum worthy



of preservation in print. To this end a new research was instituted



which resulted in the collection to be found under the " Supplementary



Manuscripts" in the following pages. Therefore, excepting two



letters, one to the Reverend James Madison, October 28, 1785, and



the other to Edward Bancroft, January 26, 1788, both published by



the late Paul Leicester Ford, all these letters and notes are printed for



the first time in the present edition of Jefferson's Writings.







   While it was the original intention to incorporate in this division



of "Supplementary Manuscripts" material never before presented to



the public in connection with Jefferson's works, the two letters to



Madison and Bancroft were considered too important from an his-



torical standpoint to be omitted. In these letters Jefferson expresses



in a most forceful manner his impressions of the French peasantry



before the Revolution of 1789, and. his attitude toward the slave ques-



tion in the United States. Many of the letters touch upon serious



points and problems connected with the acquisition of the Louisiana



territory.







   Manuscripts of the letters are addressed to the celebrated men of



the period such as Washington, Monroe, Kosciusko, the Emperor of



Russia, Humboldt, and equally eminent personages. The group of



letters to Lafayette are probably more interesting than any hitherto



published. This new quota of correspondence covers a period



between 1780-1826, in fact up to a month of the writer s death.







   At Jefferson's death, the great mass of his manuscript papers



Came into the possession of his grandson and namesake, Thomas



Jefferson Randolph. A rough division was made of these papers

















xxiv        Introductory Notes











which separated those of a private nature from those of public char-



acter. In time the public papers were for sale to the United States



Government. The Congress, by an act of the 12th of April, 1848,



made an appropriation of 20,000 for the purpose of purchase. The



Supplementary Manuscripts have all been drawn from the Government



collection. The letters and memoranda have been selected with a



view to sustaining the standard of the preceding volumes. Not



alone do they embrace many of Jefferson's letters to notable corres-



pondents, but maintain the range of abstract thought and practical



suggestion that have placed Jefferson in the foremost rank of the



world's great letter-writers.





















        JEFFERSON'S WORKS.











        MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE GOVERNMENT COLLECTION.







        TO HORATIO GATES.







             RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 4, 1780.



 SIR,-Since my last to you the enemy have with-



drawn their force from the north side of James river



and have taken post at Portsmouth which we are



told they are fortifying. They have been some dis-



tance above Suffolk, but at present have retired below



that place. More accurate information of their force



than we at first had gives us reason to suppose them



from 2,500 to 3,000, of which 60 or 70 are cavalry.



They are commanded by Major-General Leslie and



were conveyed by the Romulus of 40 guns, the



Blonde of 32, the Delight sloop of 16, a 20-gun ship



of John Goodriche's and 2 row gallies conveying a



32-pounder in their bows, commanded by Commo-



dore Gayton. We are not yet assured that they



have landed their whole force ; indeed they give out



themselves that after drawing the force of this State



to Suffolk they mean to go to Baltimore. Their







  VOL. XIX-I

















2        Jefferson's Works







movements here had induced me to think they came



in expectation of meeting Lord Cornwallis in this



country; that his precipitate retreat has left them



without concerted object and that they wait for



further orders. Information yesterday said that on



being informed of Lord Cornwallis's retreat and a



public paper produced to them, wherein were printed



the dispatches you sent on. that head, they unladed



a vessel and sent her off either to Charleston or New



York. The fate of this army of theirs hangs on a



very slender naval force indeed.







  I am, with the greatest esteem and respect, Sir,



your obedient and most humble servant.















          TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.







                     PARIS, June 22, 1755.



  SIR,-Your letter of April 4 came to my hands on



the 16th of that month and was acknowledged by



mine of May 3. That which you did me the honor



to write on the 5th of April never came to hand till



the 10th of May, unwards of a month after the one



of the day before. I have hopes of sending the



present by a Mr. Jarvis who went from hence to Hol-



land some time ago. About this date I suppose him



to be at Brussels and that from thence he will inform



me whether in his way to Madrid he will pass by this



place. If he does, this shall be accompanied by a



cypher for our future use ; if he does not, I must still



await a safe opportunity. Mr. Jarvis is a citizen of

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     3







the United States, from New York, a gentleman of



intelligence, in the mercantile line, from whom you



will be able to get considerable information of Ameri-



can affairs. I think he left America in January. He



informed us that Congress were about to appoint a



Mr. Lambe of Connecticut their consul to Morocco



and to send him to their ministers commissioned to



treat with the Barbary powers for instructions. Since



that, Mr. Jay inclosed to Mr. Adams, in London, a



resolution of Congress deciding definitely on amicable



treaties with the Barbary States in the usual way and



informing him that he had sent a letter and instruc-



tions to us by a Mr. Lambe. Though it is near three



weeks since we received a communication of this



from Mr. Adams, yet we hear nothing further of Mr.



Lambe. Our powers of treating with the Barbary



States are full, but in the amount of the expense we



are limited. I believe you may safely assure them



that they will soon receive propositions from us, if



you find such an assurance necessary to keep them



quiet. Turning at this instant to your letter dated



April 5 and considering it attentively I am persuaded



it must have been written on the 5th of May. Of



this little mistake I ought to have been sooner sensi-



ble. Our latest letters from America are of the



middle of April and are extremely barren of news.



Congress had not yet proposed a time for their recess



though it was thought a recess would take place.



Mr. Morris had retired and the treasury was actually



administered by commissioners. Their land office

















4        Jefferson's Works







was not yet opened. The settlements of Kaskaskia



within the territory ceded to them by Virginia had



prayed the establishment of a regular government



and they were about sending a commissioner to them.



General Knox was appointed their secretary of the



War Office. These I think are the only facts we have



learnt which are worth communicating to you. The



inhabitants of Canada have sent a sensible petition



to their king praying the establishment of an assem-



bly, the benefits of the habeas corpus laws and other



privileges of British subjects. The establishment



of an assembly is denied, but most of their other



desires granted. We are now in hourly expectation



of the arrival of the packet which should have sailed



from New York in May. Perhaps that may bring



us matter which may furnish the subject of a more



interesting letter. In the meantime I have the honor



to be with the highest respect, Sir, your most obedient



and most humble servant.











 July 14, 1785. I have thus long waited day after



day hoping to hear from Mr. Jarvis that I might send



a cypher with this, but now give up the hope. No



news yet of Mr. Lambe. The packet is arrived, but



brings no intelligence except that it is doubtful



whether Congress will adjourn this summer. The



Assembly of Pennsylvania propose their bank on



principles of policy.

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     5















          TO FRANCIS HOPKINSON.







                     PARIs, July 6, 1785.



  DEAR SIR,-My last to you was of the 13th of



January. About ten days after that date I received



yours of November 18th ,and about three weeks ago



that of March 28th came, to hand. Soon after the



receipt of the first I published your proposition for



improving the quilling of the harpsicord. I enclose



you a copy of the advertisement. One application



only was made and that was unsuccessful. I do not



despair yet of availing you of it as soon as I can get



acquainted with some of the principal musicians;



but that probably will not be till the beginning of



winter, as all the beau monde leave Paris in the sum-



mer, during which the musical entertainments of a



private nature are suspended. I communicated to



Dr. Franklin your idea of mesmerising the harpsicord.



He has not tried it, probably because his affairs have



been long packed and packing. As I do not play on



that instrument I cannot try it myself.







  The Doctor carries with him a pretty little instru-



ment. It is the sticcado, with glass base instead of



wooden ones, and with keys applied to it. Its prin-



cipal defect is the want of extent, having but three



octaves. I wish you would exercise your ingenuity



to give it an upper and a lower octave, by finding out



other substances which will yield tones on those



parts of the scale, bearing a proper affinity to those



of glass bars. The middle octave of this is very

















6        Jefferson's Works







sweet. Have you any person on Dr. Franklin's



departure to attend to the receiving and forwarding



your volumes of the Encyclopedic as they come out?



If you have not, be pleased to lay your commands



on me. Do not be anxious about remitting the



prices as it would be a convenience to me to have



some little fund in Philadelphia to answer little pur-



poses. I wrote you for newspapers from thence and



shall hope to begin soon to receive them. The dearth



of American information places us as to our own



country in the silence of the grave. I also petitioned



you to know whether I am yet at liberty to permit a



copy to be taken of General Washington's picture,



because till I am I cannot trust it in the hands of a



painter to be finished. Another petition was for a



copy of our " Battle of the Kegs."







  Having slipped the opportunity of sending copies



of my " Notes " .for yourself and Mr. Rittenhouse



when Dr. Franklin's baggage went, T am doubtful



whether he can take them with him. If he can, you



shall receive them by him; if not, then by the first



good opportunity. I am obliged t : pray that they



may not be permitted to get into the hands of the



public till I know whether they will promote or



retard certain reformations in my own country. I



have written to Mr. Madison to inform me on that



head.







  No news. A tolerable certainty of peace leaves



us without that unfortunate species of intelligence



which war furnishes. My daughter is well. I

















        Supplementary Manuscripts      7







enclose a letter from my daughter to Mrs. Hopkinson,



which she wrote four months ago, and has lain by



me till I should write to you. Justice to her obliges



me to take this censure on myself. I take the liberty



of using your cover also for her letter to Miss Hetty



Rittenhouse.







 Present my most friendly respects to Mrs. Ritten-



house both of that name, to Mr. Rittenhouse and



family and accept assurances of the esteem with



which I am, dear Sir, your friend and servant.







 July 8th. P. S. Since writing the above, yours



of April 20 is put into my hands. I will pray you



to send the newspapers-trimming off the margins-



as the postage is not an object of so much value with



me as the knowing something of what is passing in



my own country. Whenever I find an opportunity



of sending you a copy of my " Notes " I shall send



also the Bibliotheque Physique to you. It is a col-



lection of all the improvements in the arts which have



been made for some time past. Let me add another



commission to those above given you, that is, to pre-



sent mine and my daughter's affectionate remem-



brance to Mrs. House and to Mrs. Trist if she be



returned. From the latter I shall hope for letters



as soon as she returns. I would write to her but for



the uncertainty where she is.

















8        Jefferson's Works











          TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.







                     PARIS, July 10, 1785.



 DEAR SIR,-Mr. Houdon would much sooner have



the honor of attending you but for a spell of sickness



which long gave us to despair of his reco very and from



which he is but recently recovered. He comes now



for the purpose of lending the aid of his art to trans-



mit you to posterity. He is without rivalship in it,



being employed from all parts of Europe in whatever



is capital. He has had a difficulty to withdraw him-



self from an order of the Empress of Russia a diffi-



culty which arose from a desire to show her respect,



but which never gave him a moment's hesitation



about his present voyage which he considers as



promising the brightest chapter in his history. I



have spoken of him as an artist only; but I can



assure you also that as a man he is disinterested,



generous, candid. and panting after glory ; in every



circumstance meriting your good opinion. He will



have need to see you much while he will have the



honor of being with you, which you can the more



freely admit as his eminence and merit give him



admission into genteel societies here. He will need



an interpreter. I supposed you could procure some



person from Alexandria who might be agreeable to



yourself to perform this office. He brings with him



a subordinate workman or two, who of course will



associate with their own class only.







  On receiving the favor of your letter of February

















        Supplementary Manuscripts      9







25, I communicated the plan for clearing the Poto-



mac, with the act of assembly and an explanation



of its probable advantages, to Mr. Grand, whose



acquaintance and connection with the moneyed men



here enabled him best to try its success. He has



done so, but, to no end. I enclose you his letter. I



am pleased to hear in the meantime that subscrip-



tions were likely to be filled up at home. This is



infinitely better, and will render the proceedings of



the companies much more harmonious. I place an



immense importance to my own country on this



channel of connection with the new western states.



I shall continue uneasy till I know that Virginia has



assumed her ultimate boundary to the westward.



The late example of the State of Franklin separated



from North Carolina increases my anxieties for Vir-



ginia.







  The confidence you are so good as to place in me



on the subject of the interest lately given you by



Virginia in the Potomac company is very flattering



to me. But it is distressing also, inasmuch as to



deserve it it obliges me to give my whole opinion.



My wishes to see you made perfectly easy' by receiv-



ing these just returns of gratitude from our country,



to which you are entitled, would induce me to be



contented with saying, what is a certain truth, that



the world would be pleased with seeing them heaped



on you, and would consider your receiving them as



no derogation from your reputation. But I must



own that declining them will add to that reputation

















10        Jefferson's Works







as it will show that your motives have been pure and



without any alloy. This testimony, however, is not



wanting either to those who know you or who do not.



I must therefore repeat that I think the receiving



them will not in the least lessen the respect of the



world if from any circumstances they would be con-



venient to you. The candor of my communication



will find its justification, I know, with you.







  A tolerable certainty of peace leaves little interest-



ing in the way of intelligence. Holland and the



Emperor will be quiet; if anything is brewing, it is



between the latter and the Porte. Nothing in pros-



pect as yet from England; we shall bring them,



however, to decision now that Mr. Adams is received



there. I wish much to hear that the canal through



Dismal is resumed€















          TO ST. JOHN DE CREVECOEUR.







                    PARIS, August 22, 1785



   SIR,-I have duly received your favor of the 15th



instant as I had before done that of May 18, but had



not answered it, supposing you would be on your



' passage. Mr. Mazzei delivered safely the packet you



mention. I should have been happy to have seen



you here ; but we are not to expect that pleasure, it



seems, till the fall. The derangement of the packet



boats will need your aid ; and there are doubtless



other circumstances here which may be improved



by your presence. The loss sustained by your

















        Supplementary Manuscripts    11







friend the Countess d'Houdetot in the death of her



brother, has doubtless been participated by you as



by all others of his and her acquaintance. I had



become of that number just early enough to take a



share in it which I did very sincerely.







  The confinement of the Cardinal de Rohan in the



Bastile has doubtless reached you. The public is



not yet possessed of the truth of his story, but from



his character and all other circumstances I have



little doubt that the final decision must be against



him.







  My daughter is well and thanks you for your kind



enquiries. I hope you found all your family and



friends well. I am with great esteem, dear Sir, your



most obedient and humble servant.















             TO JAMES CURRIE.







                PARIs, September 27, 1785



  DEAR SIR,-Your favor of August 5th came to



hand on the 18th instant, and I mark well what you



say, " that my letters shall be punctually answered. "



This is encouraging, and the more so as it proves to



you that in sending your letters in time to arrive at



New York the middle of the month, when the French



packet sails, they get to hand very speedily. The



last was but six weeks from you to me. I thank you



again and again for the details it contains, these



being precisely of the nature I would wish. Of politi-



cal correspondents I can find enough, but I can per-

















12        Jefferson's Works







suade nobody to believe that the small facts which



they see passing daily under their eyes are precious



to me at this distance ; much more interesting to the



heart than events of higher rank. Fancy to yourself



a being who is withdrawn from his connections of



blood, of marriage, of friendship, of acquaintance in



all their gradations, who for years should hear nothing



of what has passed among them, who returns again



to see them and finds the one-half dead. This strikes



him like a pestilence sweeping off the half of man-



kind. Events which had they come to him one by



one and in detail he would have weathered as other



people do, when presented to his mind all at once



are overwhelming. Continue then to give me facts,



little facts, such as you think every one imagines



beneath notice, and your letters will be the most



precious to me. They will place me in imagination



in my own country, and they will place me where I



am happiest. But what shall I give you in return?



Political events are scarcely interesting to a man



who looks on them from high ground. There is



always war in one place, revolution in another, pesti-



lence in a third, interspersed with spots of quiet.



These chequers shift places but they do not vanish,



so that to an eye which extends itself over the whole



earth there is always uniformity of prospect. ,







  For the moment Europe is clear of war. The



Emporor and Dutch have signed articles. These are



not published; but it is believed the Emperor gets



ten millions of florins, the navigation of the Scheld

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     13







to Saptinghen, and two forts, so that your conjecture



is verified and the Dutch actually pay the piper. The



league formed in the Germanic body by the King of



Russia is likely to circumscribe the ambitious views



of the Emperor on that side and there seems to be



no issue for them but on the side of the Turk. Their



demarkation does not advance. It is a pity the



Emperor would not confine himself to internal regu-



lation. In that way he has done much good. One



would think it not so difficult to discover that the



improvement of the country we possess is the surest



means .of increasing our wealth and power. This,



too, promotes the happiness of mankind while the



others destroy it and are always uncertain of their



object. England seems not to permit our friendship



to enter into her political calculations as an article of



any value. Her endeavor is not how to recover our



affections or to bind us to her by alliance, but by



what new experiments she may keep up an existence



without us; thus leaving us to carry our full



weight, present and future, into the scale of her



enemy. and seeming to prefer our enmity to our



neutrality.







  The Barbary corsairs have committed depreda-



tionson us. The Emperor of Morocco took a vessel



last winter which he has since restored with the crew



and cargo. The Algerines took two vessels in July.



These are the only captures which were known of



at Algiers on the 24th of August. I mention this



because the English papers would make the world

















14        Jefferson's Works







believe we have lost an infinite number. I hope soon



to be able to inform our countrymen that these



dangers are ceased







  There is little here to communicate in the arts and



sciences. The great desideratum which was to render



the discovery of the balloon useful, is not absolutely



desperate. There are two artists at Javel, about four



miles from here, who are able to rise and fall at will



without expending their gas, and to deflect 45 degrees from



the course of the wind. The investigations of air



and fire which have latterly so much occupied the



chemists,have not presented anything very interest-



ing for some time past.







  I send you four books, Rolend, Sigaud de la Fond,



Metherie, and Scheele, which will put you in posses-



sion of whatever has been discovered as yet on that



subject. They are packed in a trunk directed to J.



Madison of Orange, which will be carried to Rich-



mond. They are in French, which you say you do



not understand well. You lose infinitely by this,



as you may be assured that the publications in that



language at present far exceed those of England in



science. With respect to the Encyclopedic it is



impossible for me to judge whether to send it to you



or not, as I do not know your degree of knowledge



in the language nor your intentions as to increasing



it. Of this you must decide for yourself and instruct



me accordingly.







  I was unlucky as to the partridges, pheasants,



hares and rabbits which I had ordered to Virginia.

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     15







The vessel in which I came over was to have returned



to Virginia and to Warwick. I knew I could rely on



the captain's care. A fellow-passenger undertook



to provide them. He did so, but the destination of



the vessel was changed and the poor colonists all died



while my friend was looking out for another convey-



ance.







  If I can be useful to your circulating library, the



members may be assured of my zealous services. All



books except English, Latin and Greek are bought



here for about two-thirds of what they cost in Eng-



land. They had better distribute their invoices



accordingly. .I must trouble you to present assur-



ances of my friendship to Mr. and Mrs. Randolph of



Tuckahoe, Mr. Cary, and their families. My attach-



ment to them is sincere. I wish I could render them



useful to them. Tell Mr. Cary I shall enjoy a very



real pleasure whenever he shall carry his intentions



of writing me into execution and that there is no one



who more fervently wishes him well.







 Accept yourself assurances of the esteem with



which I am, dear Sir, your friend and servant.















        TO REVEREND JAMES MADISON.







             FONTAINEBLEAU, Oct. 28, 1785



  DEAR SIR,-Seven o'clock, and retired to my fire-



side, I have determined to enter into conversation



with you. This is a village of about 15,000 inhab-



itants when the court is not here, and 20,000 when

















16        Jefferson's Works







they are, occupying a valley through which runs a



brook and on each side of it a ridge of small moun-



tains, most of which are naked rock. The King comes



here, in the fall always, to hunt. His court attend



him, as do also the foreign diplomatic corps ; but as



this is not indispensably required and my finances do



not admit the expense of a continued residence here,



I propose to come occasionally to attend the King's



levees, returning again to Paris, distant forty miles.



This being the first trip, I set out yesterday morning



to take a view of the place. For this purpose I



shaped my course towards the highest of the moun-



tains in sight, to the top of which was about a league







  As soon as I had got clear of the town I fell in with



a poor woman walking at the same rate with myself



and going the same course. Wishing to know the



condition of the laboring poor I entered into conver-



sation with her, which I began by enquiries for the



path which would lead me into the mountain: and



thence proceeded to enquiries into her vocation, con-



dition and circumstances. She told me she was a day



laborer at 8 sous or 4d. sterling the day : that she had



two children to maintain, and to pay a rent of 30



livres for her house (which would consume the hire



of 75 days), that often she could get no employment



and of course was without bread. As we had walked



together near a mile and she had so far served me as



a guide, I gave her, on parting, 24 sous. She burst



into tears of a gratitude which I could perceive was



unfeigned because she was unable to utter a word.

















        Supplementary Manuscripts    17







She had probably never before received so great an



aid. This little attendrissement, with the solitude of



my walk, led me into a train of reflections on that



unequal division of property which occasions the



numberless instances of wretchedness which I had



observed in this country and is to be observed all over



Europe.







  The property of this country is absolutely con-



centred in a very few hands, having revenues of from



half a million of guineas a year downwards. These



employ the flower of the country as servants, some



of them having as many as 200 domestics, not labor-



ing. They employ also a great number of manufac-



turers and tradesmen; and lastly the class of laboring



husbandmen. But after all there comes the most



numerous of all classes, that is, the poor who



cannot find work. I asked myself what could be the



reason so many should be permitted to beg who are



willing to work, in a country where there is a very



considerable proportion of uncultivated lands ? These



lands are undisturbed only for the sake of game. it



should seem then that it must be because of the enor-



mous wealth of the proprietors which places them



above attention to the increase of their revenues by



permitting these lands to be labored. I am con-



scious that an equal division of property is imprac-



ticable, but the consequences of this 'enormous



inequality producing so much misery to the bulk



of mankind, legislators cannot invent too many



devices for subdividing property, only taking care







   VOL. XIX-2

















18        Jefferson's Works







to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the



natural affections of the human mind. The descent



of property of every kind therefore to all the children,



or to all the brothers and sisters, or other relations in



equal degree, is a politic measure and a practicable



one. Another means of silently lessening the in-



equality of property is to exempt all from taxation



below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions



or property in geometrical progression as they rise.



Whenever there are in any country uncultivated lands



and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of



property have been so far extended as to violate



natural right. The earth is given as a common stock



for man to labor and live on. If for the encourage-



ment of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we



must take care that other employment be provided



to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do



not, the fundamental right to labor the earth returns



to the unemployed. It is too soon yet in our country



to say that every man who cannot find employment,



but who can find uncultivated land, shall be at liberty



to cultivate it, paying a moderate rent. But it is



not too soon to provide by every possible means that



as few as possible shall be without a little portion of



land. The small landholders are the most precious



part of a state.







 The next object which struck my attention in my



walk was the deer with which the wood abounded.



They were of the kind called " Cerfs, " and not exactly



of the same species with ours. They are blackish

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     19







indeed under the belly, and not white as ours, and



they are more of the chestnut red; but these are



such small differences as would be sure to happen



in two races from the same stock breeding separately



a number of ages. Their hares are totally different



from the animals we call by that name; but their



rabbit is almost exactly like him. The only differ-



ence is in their manners ; the land on which I walked



for some time being absolutely reduced to a honey-



comb by their burrowing. I think there is no



instance of ours burrowing. After descending the



hill again I saw a man cutting fern. I went to him



under pretence of asking the shortest road to town,



and afterwards asked for what use he was cutting



fern. He told me that this part of the country fur-



nished a great deal of fruit to Paris. That when



packed in straw it acquired an ill taste, but that dry



fern preserved it perfectly without communicating



any taste at all.







  I treasured this observation for the preservation



of my apples on my return to my own country. They



have no apples here to compare with our Redtown



pippin. They have nothing which deserves the



name of a peach ; there being not sun enough to ripen



the plum-peach and the best of their soft peaches



being like our autumn peaches. Their cherries and



strawberries are fair, but I think lack flavor. Their



plums I think are better; so also their gooseberries,



and the pears infinitely beyond anything we possess.



They have nothing better than our sweet-water ; but

















20        Jefferson's Works







they have a succession of as good from early in the



summer till frost. I am to-morrow to get (to) M.



Malsherbes (and uncle of the Chevalier Luzerne's)



about seven leagues from hence, who is the most



curious man in France as to his trees. He is making



for me a collection of the vines from which the Bur-



gundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, Frontignac, and



other of the most valuable wines of this country are



made. Another gentleman is collecting for me the



best eating grapes, including what we call the raisin.



I propose also to endeavor to colonize their hare,



rabbit, red and grey partridge, pheasants of different



kinds, and some other birds. But I find that I am



wandering beyond the limits of my walk and will



therefore bid vou adieu. Yours affectionately.















            TO FRANCIS EPPES.







                 PARIs, December 11, 1785.



 DEAR SIR,-I wrote you by Mr. Fitzhugh Aug. 30



and to Mrs. Eppes by the same conveyance Sept. 22;



in those as in my former letters I had troubled you



on the subject of sending my daughter to me. To the



cautions then suggested I am obliged to add another,



which our situation with respect to the Barbary



powers calls for. You have doubtless heard loose



stories as to their captures on us without being able



to know the certainty. The truth is that the Empe-



ror of Morocco took one vessel from us the last winter,



but he did it merely to induce us to treat. He took

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     21







care of the crew, vessel and cargo and delivered the



whole up for us to the Spanish coast, clothing the



crew well. There is nothing further to be feared from



him, as I think he will settle matters with us on toler-



able terms.







  But the Algerines this fall took two vessels from



us and now have twenty-two of our citizens in.



slavery. Their dispositions are more hostile and



they very possibly will demand a higher tribute



than America will pay. In this event they will



commit depredations on our trade next summer.



I do not think the insurance against them on vessels



coming to France will be worth one-half per cent,



but who can estimate the value of a half per cent on



the fate of a child? My mind revolts at the possi-



bility of a capture, so that unless you hear from



myself-not trusting the information of any other



person on earth-that peace is made with the Alge-



rines, do not send her but in a vessel of French or



English property; for these vessels alone are safe



from prize by the barbarians. Mr. Barclay, our



consul here, expects to go to Philadelphia in the



spring and to return again here. He offers to take



charge of her. She would be then in the best hands



possible and should the time of his return become



well ascertained I will write you on the subject. In



the meantime it need not prevent your embracing



any opportunity which occurs of a sound French or



English ship, neither new nor old, sailing in the



months of April, May, June or July, under the care

















22        Jefferson's Works







of a trusty person. You see how much trouble I



give you till I get this little charge out of your hands.



 Europe is quiet. The treaty between the Emperor



and Dutch signed, and one between France and the



Dutch, very fatal to England. It is called a defen-



sive treaty only, but it is such a one as cannot but



give to France the aid of the Dutch in case of war



with England. Patsy enjoys a perfect state of



health; mine is become more firm. If I continue



through the winter as well as I am now I shall resume



confidence in my constitution. Mr. Short is at



present indisposed with the jaundice. We all pant



for America as will every American who comes to



Europe. Present -us affectionately to Mrs. Eppes



and the little ones. I make her always the bearer



of my kisses to dear Poll. Assure Mrs. and Mr.



Skipwith also of our love and believe me to be, with



the highest esteem, dear Sir, your sincere friend and



servant.







  P. S. I saw in a Virginia paper that somebody



gave me as the author of information that we had



nothing to fear from the Algerines. No such infor-



mation ever went from me. The writer probably.



had not distinguished between the pirates of Algiers



and Morocco. Of the peaceful disposition of the



latter I have written, but never of the former.

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     23















          TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.







                   PaRIs, January 4, 1786.



 SIR,-I have been honored with your letter of



September 26, which was delivered me by Mr. Hou-



don, who is safely returned. He has brought with



him a mould of the face only, having left the other



parts of his work with his workmen to come by some



other conveyance. Doctor Franklin, who was joined



with me in the superintendence of this just monu-



ment, having left us before what is called the costume



of the statue was decided on, I cannot so well satisfy



myself as I am persuaded I should not so Well satisfy



the world as by consulting your own wish or inclina-



tion as to this arrangement. Permit me, therefore,



to ask you whether there is any particular dress or



any particular attitude which you would rather wish



to be adopted? I shall take a singular pleasure in



having your own idea executed if you will be so good



as to make it known to me.







  I thank you for the trouble you have taken in



answering my inquiries on the subject of Bushnel's



machine.  Colonel Humphreys could only give me



a general idea of it from the effects produced rather



than the means contrived to produce them.







  I sincerely rejoice that three such works as the



opening the Potomac, the James river, Virginia canal



from the Dismal, are like to be carried through.



There is still a fourth, however, which I had the



honor, I believe, of mentioning to you in a letter of

















24        Jefferson's Works







March 15, 1784, from Annapolis. It is the cutting a



canal which shall unite the heads of Cayahoga and



the Beaver creek. The, utility of this and even the



necessity of it, if we mean to aim at the trade of the



lakes, will be palpable to you. The only question is



its practicability. The best information I could get



as to this was from General Hand, who described the



country as champaign and these waters as heading



in lagoons which would be easily united. Maryland



and Pennsylvania are both interested to concur with



us in this work.







  The institutions you propose to establish by the



shore in the Potomac. and James river companies,



given you by the assembly, and the particular objects



of these institutions are most worthy. It occurs to



me, however, that if the bill for the more general



diffusion of knowledge which is in the revisal should



be passed, it would supersede the use and obscure



the existence of the charity schools you have thought



of. I' suppose in fact that that bill, or some other



like it, will be passed. I never saw one received with



more enthusiasm than that was by the House of



Delegates in the year 1778 and ordered to €be printed



and it seemed afterwards that nothing but the



extreme distress of our resources prevented it being



carried into execution even during the war. It is an



axiom in my mind that our liberty can never be safe



but in the hands of the people themselves, and that;



too, of the people with a certain degree of instruction.



This it is the business of the state to effect, and on a

















        Supplementary Manuscripts    25







general plan. Should you see a probability of this,



however, you can never be at a loss for worthy objects



of this donation. Even the remitting that propor-



tion of the toll on all articles transported would



present itself under many favorable considerations,



and it would in effect be to make the state do, in a



certain proportion, what they ought to have done



wholly ; for I think they should clear all the rivers



and lay them open and free to all. However, you



are infinitely the best judge how the most good may



be effected with these shares.







 All is quiet here. There are, indeed, two specks



in the horizon, the exchange of Bavaria and the



demarcation between the Emperor and Turks. We



may add as a third the interference by the King of



Prussia in the domestic disputes of the Dutch. Great



Britain, it is said, begins to look towards us with a



little more good humor. But how true this may



be I cannot say with certainty. We are trying to



render her commerce as little necessary to us as pos-



sible by finding other markets for our produce. A



most favorable reduction of duties on whale oil has



taken place here, which will give us a vent for that



article, paying a duty of a guinea and a half a tun



only.







 I have the honor to be, with the highest esteem and



respect, dear Sir, your most obedient and most hum-



ble servant.

















26        Jefferson's Works











        TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.







                   PARIS, January 13, 1786.



   DEAR SIR,-I had the honor of receiving on the



1st instant your favor of Dec. 17. I had before that,



in a letter of Dec. 8, explained to you the cause of



the bill not being paid which appeared here in your



name, so far as I had been obliged to meddle in it.



My letter to Mr. Grand which I inclosed to you will



have shown you that I advised him to follow what



had been his practice as to your bills. I do assure



you, Sir, most solemnly that as to myself no question



ever arose in my mind but whether the bill was



genuine or not; and that had that been ascertained



I should never have presumed to doubt the propriety



of the draught. Of that you alone are the judge in



my opinion and accountable to nobody but Congress ;



but least of all to me who have nothing to do with the



application of the moneys here and am only forced



into the temporary interference by Mr. Grand's



refusal to pay anything but on my order. I have



sent representations on this subject to the board of



the treasury, and shall expect ere long to communi-



cate their orders to Mr. Grand for exercising this



office himself according to the rules they shall lay



down for his government.







 The mention made in your letter of some articles



of expense occasions me to observe to you that post-



age and couriers are allowed to be charged by an



express resolution of Congress. That etrennes and





















        Supplementary Manuscripts    27







house-rent have likewise been charged by the minis-



ters and allowed in the settlement of their accounts.



I conceive that illuminations and gala may with some



propriety be charged. I think it is the universal



custom tb allow all ministers charges of these descrip-



tions. I think Dr. Franklin told me he had made



diligent enquiry here of the diplomatic corps and had



only charged those things which were sanctioned by



general usage in the diplomatic accounts. I take the



liberty of mentioning these things to you that the



want of information may not occasion you to place



yourself on a worse footing than that on which you



have just title to stand. At the same time I will pray



you to make use of the information only for the erect-



ing of your accounts, as I should be unwilling to be



named as the author of an advice in which I might



seem to be interested. I omitted to observe on the



subject of your bill of exchange that I have not had



an opportunity of recurring to the letters written by



yourself and Mr. Grand to which you refer me. We



have been in expectation of receiving a renewal of



the bill and that you would be so good as to accom-



pany it with a letter of advice, a precaution which



the innumerable forgeries of this city are thought to



render necessary even in private cases.







  I suppose you will have heard that Dr. Franklin



is appointed President of Pennsylvania and has



accepted the office. Houdon went over on account



of the State of Virginia to take the moulds of General



Washington in order to make his statue. He is







,

















28        Jefferson's Works







returned. He tells me that he heard of the safe



arrival of the ass which the King of Spain had been



so generous as to send to the General. He could not



tell me where he was arrived. A letter from General



Washington of Nov. 2 informs me that of L50,000



sterling necessary for opening the Potomac, L44,000



was actually made up and no fear of procuring the



balance so that the work is begun. The whole money



for opening James river is made up. This is the only



American news I have worth communicating.







 This government has lately reduced the duties on



American whale oil to a guinea and a half a tun which



will draw that commerce from London wholly to this



country. Mr. Adams having made complaint to the



court of London of the ill behavior of Captain Stan-



hope I am informed though not from him that they



disavow his conduct and have severely reprimanded



him and given this official information to Mr. Adams.



He also required a re-delivery of our prisoners sent



to the East Indies. They have informed him that



they have given orders for their being brought back.



Mr. Barclay will have the honor of delivering you this



and of supplying any intelligence I may omit. I am



sure you will give him all the aid in your power as



to his object. Accept from me assurances of the



sincere esteem with which I have the honor to



be, dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble



servant.

















        Supplementary Manuscripts 29















        TO JAMES MADISON.











  LONDON, April 25, 1786.







  DEAR SIR,-Some of the objects of the joint com-



mission with which we were honored by Congress



called me to this place about six weeks ago. To-



morrow I set out on my return to Paris. With this



nation nothing is done and it is now decided that



they intend to do nothing with us. The King is



against a change of measures, his ministers are



against it, some from principle, others from attach-



ment to their places, and the merchants and people



are against it. They sufficiently value our com-



merce, but they are quite persuaded they shall enjoy



it on their own terms. This political speculation



fosters the warmest feeling in the King's heart, that



is his hatred to us. If ever he should be forced to



make any terms with us it will be by events which



he does not foresee. He takes no pains at present



to hide his aversion. Our commission expiring m a



fortnight there is an end of all further attempts on our



part to arrange matters between the two countries.



The treaty of peace being yet unexecuted it remains



that each party conduct themselves as the combined



considerations of justice and of caution require.







  We have had conversations on the subject of



our debts with the chairman of the committee of



American merchants here. He was anxious for



arrangements. He was sensible that it was for the



interest of the creditors as well as debtors to allow







i





















30        Jefferson's Works







time for the payment of the debts due to this country



and did not seem to think the time taken by Virginia



was more than enough. But we could not help



agreeing with him that the courts should be open



to them immediately, judgments recoverable, the



executions to be divided into so many equal and



annual parts as will admit the whole to be paid by



the year 1790 and that the payments should be in



money and not in anything else. IE our law is not



already on this footing I wish extremely it were put



on it.







 When we proceeded to discuss the sum which



should be paid we concurred in thinking that the



principal and interest preceding and subsequent to



the war should be paid. As to interest during the



war the chairman thought it justly demandable ; we



thought otherwise. I need not recapitulate to you



the topics of arguments on each side. He said the



renunciation of this interest was a bitter pill which



they could not swallow. Perhaps he would have



agreed to say nothing about it, not expecting to



receive it in most cases, yet willing to take the chance



of it where debtors or juries should happen to be



favorably disposed. We should have insisted on



an express declaration that this interest should not



be demandable. These conferences were intended



as preparatory to authoritative propositions, but the



minister not condescending to meet us at all on the



subject they ended in nothing. I think the mer-



chants here do not expect to recover interest during





















        Supplementary Manuscripts    31







the war in general though they are of opinion they



are entitled to it.







  I wrote you in a former letter on the subject of a



Mr. Paradise who owns an estate in Virginia in right



of his wife and who has a considerable sum due him



in our loan office. Since I came here I have had



opportunity of knowing his extreme personal worth



and his losses by the lace war. He is from principle



a pure republican while his father was as warm a tory.



His attachment to the American cause and his candid



warmth brought him sometimes into altercations on



the subject with his father, and some persons inter-



ested in their variance artfully brought up this sub-



ject of conversation whenever they met. It pro-



duced a neglect in the father. He had already settled



on him a sum of money in the funds, but would do no



more and probably would have undone that if he



could. When remittances from Virginia were for-



bidden the profits of the Virginia estate were carried



into our loan office. Paradise was then obliged to



begin to eat his capital in England; from that to



part with conveniences and to run in debt.







  His situation is now distressing and would be com-



pletely relieved could he receive what is due him from



our state. He is coming over to settle there. His



wife and family will follow him. I never ask unjust



preferences for anybody ; but if by any just means he



can be helped to his money, I own I would be much



gratified. The goodness of his heart, his kindness



to Americans before, during and since the war, the





















32        Jefferson's Works







purity of his political and moral character, interest



me in the events pending over him arid which will



infallibly be ruinous if he fails to receive his money.



I ask of you on his behalf that in pursuing the path



of right you will become active for him instead of



being merely quiescent were his merit and his mis-



fortunes unknown to you.







  I have put into the hands of Mr. Fulwar Skipwith



for you a packet containing some catalogues which



he will forward. I am with sincere esteem, ' dear Sir,



your friend and servant.



















             TO PHILIP MAZZEI.











                MARSEILLES, April 4, 1787







  DEAR SIR; I have had the pleasure of finding your



friend Soria alive, and one of the most considerable



merchants here. I delivered him your letter and he



has shown me all the attentions which the state of



his mind would permit. A few days before my



arrival his only son had eloped with jewels and



money to the value of ,40,000 livres and I believe



is not yet heard of. He speaks of you with friend-



ship and will be happy to see you on your way south-



wardly. He has promised to make me acquainted



with a well-informed gardener whom I expect to find



among the most precious of my acquaintances. From



men of that class I have derived the most satisfactory



information in the course of my journey and have



sought their acquaintance with as much industry as





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     33







I have avoided that of others who would have made



me waste my time (illegible] good society. For these



objects one need not leave Paris. I find here several



interesting articles of culture; the best [illegible]



the best grapes for drying, a smaller [illegible] the



same purposes without a seed, from Smyrna, olives,



capers, pistachio nuts, almonds. All these articles



may succeed on or southward of the Chesapeake.



From hence my inclination would lead me no further



[illegible] as I. am to see little more than a rocky



coast. But I am [illegible) here with the hopes of



finding something useful in the rice-fields of Pied-



mont, which are said to be but a little way beyond



the Alps. It will probably be the middle of June



before I get back to Paris. In the meantime I wish



to observe that if this absence, longer than you had



calculated, should render an earlier pecuniary supply



necessary, lodge a line for me at Aix poste restant



where I shall find it about the last of this month and



I shall with great pleasure do what may be needful



for you.







  Be so good as to present my respects to the Maison



de ia Rochefoucault and accept yourself my sincere



assurances of esteem and regard from, dear Sir, your



affectionate friend and humble servant.



























   VOL. xix-3





















34        Jefferson's Works















            TO LABBE D'ARNAL.











                      PARIS, July 9, 1787







  DEAR SIR,-I had the honor of informing you when



at Nismes that we had adopted in America a method



of hanging the upper stone of a grist mill which had



been found so much more convenient than the



ancient as to have brought it into general use.



Whether we derive the invention from Europe or



have made it ourselves I am unable to say. The



difference consists only in the spindle and horns.



On the former plan the horns were of a single piece



of iron in the form of a cross with a square hole in



the middle, which square hole fitted on the upper end



of the spindle. The horns were then fixed in cross



grooves in the bottom of the upper stone which was



to be laid on the spindle so as that the place of its



grinding surface would be perfectly perpendicular



to the spindles. This was a difficult and tedious



operation and was to be repeated every time the



stones were dressed. According to our method two



distinct pieces of iron are substituted for the horns.







The one in this form a of such breadth



and thickness as to support the whole weight of the



stone. Its straight ends are to be firmly fixed in one



of the cross grooves of the stone, the circular part



should rise through the hole in the center of the



stone so as to be near its upper surface ; in the middle



of this semicircular part and on the under surface-





















        Supplementary Manuscripts      35







at " 'a '-should be a dimple to which the upper end of



the spindle should be adjusted by giving it a convexity



fitted? to the concavity of the dimple. The other piece



of iron is only a straight bar to be firmly fixed in



the other of the cross grooves of the stone and to







have a square hole in its center, thus : --o- --



the corresponding part of the spindle must be squared



to fit this hole. The office of the first piece of iron



is to suspend the stone, that of the last is to give and



continue its motion. The stones being dressed and



these pieces firmly fixed in it, it is turned over on



the spindle so that the point of the spindle may enter



the dimple of the semicircular iron, and the stone



be suspended on it freely. It will probably not take



at first its true position, which is that of the plane of



its grinding surface being truly perpendicular to the



spindle.







  The workman must, therefore, chip it at the top



with a chisel till it hangs in that just position. This



being once done it is done forever ; for whenever they



dress the stone afterwards they have only to return



the upper one to its point and it will resume its



equilibrium. It sometimes happens that one side



of the stone being softer than the other wears faster



and so the equilibrium is lost in time. Experience



has shown that a small departure from the equili-



brium will be rectified by the bed stone which serves



as a guide to the running stone till it assumes its



motion in a true plane which it will afterwards keep.

























36        Jefferson's Works











But should a defect of the stone render this departure



from the equilibrium too considerable it may be



necessary to set it to rights at certain periods by



chipping it again on the top. I had promised, when



I had the honor of seeing you at Nismes, to send you



a model of this manner of fixing the mill-stones, but



the expense of sending a model by post, the danger



of its being lost or destroyed by the messagerie, and



the hope that I could render it intelligible by a



description and figures, have induced me to prefer



the latter method. I shall with great pleasure give



any further explanations which may be necessary for



your perfect comprehension of it, and the more so



as it will furnish me with new occasions of assuring



you of those sentiments of respect and esteem with



which I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient



and most humble servant.







                        TO JOHN ADAMS.











                                PARIS, July 23, 1797







             DEAR SIR--Frouille, the bookseller here who is



engaged in having your book translated and printed,



understanding that you are about publishing a sequel



to it, has engaged me to be the channel of his prayers



to you to favor his operation by transmitting hither



the sheets of the sequel as they shall be printed ; and



he will have them translated by the same hand,



which is a good one.







  It is necessary for one to explain the passage in





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     37







Mr. Barclay's letter of July 13 of which he writes me



he had sent you a duplicate wherein he mentions that



I had given him a full dispensation from waiting on



you in London. Mr. Barclay was arrested in Bor-



deaux for debt and put into prison. The Parliament



released him after five days on the footing of his



being consul and minister from the United States to



Morocco. His adversaries applied here to deprive



him of his privilege. I spoke on the subject to the



minister. He told me that the character of consul



was no protection at all from private arrest, but that



he would try to avail him of the other character. I



found, however, that the event might be doubtful



and stated the whole in a letter to Mr. Barclay,



observing at the same time that I knew of nothing



which rendered it necessary for him to come to Paris



before his departure for America. He determined,



therefore, to go to America immediately, which



indeed was his wisest course as he would have been



harassed immediately by his creditors.







  Our funds here have been out some time and Mr.



Grand is at the length of his tether in advancing for



us. He has refused very small demands for current



occasions and I am not clear he will not refuse my



usual one for salary. He has not told me so, but I



am a little diffident of it. I shall know in a few days



whether he does or not. I cannot approve of his



protesting small and current calls. Having had



nothing to do with any other banker I cannot say



what their practice is, but I suppose it their practice

















38        Jefferson's Works







to advance for their customers when their funds



happen to be out in proportion to the sums which



they pass through their hands. Mr. Grand is a very



sure banker, but a very timid one, and I fear he thinks



it possible that he may lose his advances for the



United States. Should he reject my draught, would



there be any prospect of its being answered in Hol-



land? Merely for my own and Mr. Short's salaries,



say 4,500 livres a month? You will have heard that



the Emperor has put troops into march on account



of the disturbances in Brabant. The situation of



affairs in Holland you know better than I do. How



will they end ? I have the honor to be, with senti-



ments of the most profound esteem and respect, dear



Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant.







          TO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.











                   PARIS, August 6, 1787.







 DEAR SIR,-This will be handed you by Doctor



Gibbons, a young gentleman who after studying



physic and taking his degrees at Edinburgh has



passed some time ,here. He has desired the honor



of being known to you, and I find a pleasure in being



the instrument of making him so. It is a tax to



which your celebrity submits you. Every man of



the present age will wish to have the honor of having



known, and being known to you. You will find



Doctor Gibbons to possess learning, genius and merit.



A.s such I ask leave to present him to you, and of













        Supplementary Manuscripts     39







assuring you at the same time of the sentiments of



profound respect and esteem, with which I have the



honor to be your Excellency's most obedient and



most humble servant.







             TO JOHN ADAMS.







                 PARIS, December 31, 1787.







  DEAR SIR,-Mr. Parker furnishes me an oppor-



tunity of acknowledging the receipt of your favors of



November I o, December 6, 10, 18, and 25, which I



avoid doing through post. The orders on the sub-



ject of our captives at Algiers have come to me by



the last packet. They are to be kept secret even



from the captives themselves lest a knowledge of



the interference of government should excite to



extravagant demands. The settlement of the prices



in the first instance is important as a precedent.



Willincks and Van Staphorsts answered that they



had money enough to pay the February interest and



our draughts for salary for some time, but that the



payment of Fiseaux's capital would oblige them to



advance of their own money. They observed, too,



that the payment of such a sum without the orders



of the treasury would lay them under an unnecessary



responsibility. I therefore concluded the business



by desiring them to pay the year's interest becoming



due to-morrow and paying Mr. Fiseaux to quiet the



lenders with that till I could procure the orders of



the treasury to whom I wrote immediately an account





















40        Jefferson's Works







of the whole transaction. I was the better satisfied



with this on receiving your letter of the z 5th by which



I find it your opinion that our credit may not suffer



so materially. The declining the payment came



from the Willincks, the Van Staphorsts having



offered to advance their money. I enclose you a



letter I have received from the Comptroller General



and an asset on the subject of our commerce. They



are the proof sheets, as, at the moment of my writing



my letter I have not yet received the fair ones, but



the French columns are correct enough to be under-



stood. I would wish them not to be public till they



are made so on the other side of the water. I think



the alliance of this court with the two imperial ones



is going on well. You will have heard of the Em-



peror's having attempted to surprise Belgrade and



failed in the attempt. This necessarily engaged him



in the war and so tends to continue it. I think it



settled that this court abandons the Turks.







  Mr. Parker takes charge of the ten ounces of double



Florence for Mrs. Adams, the silk stockings are not



yet ready. I had ordered them to be made by the



hermits of Mont Calvaire who are famous for the



excellence and honesty of their work and prices.



They will come by the first good opportunity. Be



so good as to present my respects to her and to be



assured of the sineere attachment and respect of,



dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble



servant.





















        Supplementary Manuscripts    41







          TO EDWARD BANCROFT.







                 PARIS, January 26, 1788.







 DEAR SIR,-I have deferred answering your letter



on the subject of slaves because you permitted me



to do it till a moment of leisure, and that moment



rarely comes, and because, too, I could not answer



you with such a degree of certainty as to merit



any notice. I do not recollect the conversation



at Vincennes to which you allude, but can repeat



still on the same ground on which I must have done



then that as far as I can judge from the experiments



Which have been made to give liberty to, or rather



abandon, persons whose habits have been formed in



slavery is like abandoning children. Many Quakers



in Virginia seated their slaves on their lands as ten-



ants; they were distant from me, and therefore I



cannot be particular in the details because I never



had very particular information. I cannot say



whether they were to pay a rent in money or a share



of the produce, but I remember that the landlord was



obliged to plan their crops for them, to direct all their



operations during every season and according to the



weather ; but what is more afflicting, he was obliged



to watch them daily and almost constantly to make



them work and even to whip them. A man's moral



sense must be unusually strong if slavery does not



make him a thief. He who is permitted by law to



have no property of his own can with difficulty con-



ceive that property is founded in anything but force.

















42        Jefferson's Works







These slaves chose to steal from their neighbors



rather than work ; they became public nuisances and



in most instances were reduced to slavery again.



But I will beg of you to make no use of this imperfect



information (unless in common conversation). I



shall go to America in the spring and return in the



fall. During my stay in Virginia I shall be in the



neighborhood where many of these trials were made.



I will inform myself very particularly of them and



communicate the information to you.







  Besides these there is an instance since I came



away of a young man (Mr. Mays) who died and



gave freedom to all his slaves, about zoo; this is



about a year ago. I shall know how they have



turned out. Notwithstanding the discouraging re-



sult of these experiments I am decided on my final



return to America to try this one. I shall endeavor



to import as many Germans as I have grown slaves.



I will settle them and my slaves on farms of fifty



acres each, intermingled, and place all on the footing



of the Metayers (Medictani) of Europe. Their chil-



dren shall be brought up as others are in habits of



property and foresight, and I have no doubt but that



' they will be good citizens. Some of their fathers will



be so, others I suppose will need government; with



these all that can be done is to oblige them to



labor as the laboring poor of Europe do, and to



apply to their comfortable subsistence the produce



of their labor, retaining such a moderate portion of



it as may be a just equivalent for the use of the





















        Supplementary Manuscripts      43







lands they labor and the stocks and other necessary



advances.







 A word now on Mr. Paradise's affairs. You were



informed at the time of the arrangement they had



established in their affairs, to wit, reserving four hun-



dred pounds a year for their subsistence, abandoning



the rest of their income, about four hundred pounds



more, all their credits (one which is eight hundred



pounds from an individual and another is one thou-



sand pounds from the State), and the cutting of a



valuable wood, to their creditors. Their whole debts



amounting but to two thousand three hundred



pounds, the term of payment cannot be long if this



arrangement can be preserved. I had hoped that



the journey to Italy would have fixed Mrs. Paradise



with her daughter and left him free to travel or tarry



where he liked best, but this journey has been a bur-



den instead of a relief to their affairs. In fact it is



evident to me that the society of England is neces-



sary for the happiness of Mrs. Paradise and is perhaps



the most agreeable to Mr. Paradise also; it is an



object, therefore, to obtain the concurrence of their



creditors in the arrangements taken. The induce-



ment to be proposed to them is Miss Paradise joining



in a deed in which these dispositions shall be stipu-



lated (which by the laws of Virginia will bind her



property there) so that the creditors would be



secured of their debts in the event of Mr. Para-



dise's death. The inducement to Mr. and Mrs.



Paradise is that their persons and property shall

















44        Jefferson's Works







be free from molestation and their substance not



consumed at law.







 We suppose that the creditors will name one trus-



tee and Mr. Paradise another (yourself), fully and



solely authorized to receive all remittances from



America, to pay to them first their subsistence money



and the rest to the creditors till they are fully paid.







 Miss Paradise will set out in a few days for London



to set her hand to this accommodation ; in the mean-



time they hope you will prepare the ground by nego-



tiating the settlement with the creditors; as far as



I have any influence with Mr. or Mrs. Paradise I used



it and shall use it for the joint interests, of their



creditors and themselves, for I view it was clearly



their interest to reduce themselves to as moderate



an expense as possible till their debts are paid ; if this



can be effected before my departure in April I will



not only aid it here, but have anything done which



may be necessary in Virginia when I go there, such



as the recording the deed, etc. This journey of Mr.



Paradise's will also be an experiment whether their



distresses will not be lighter when separated than



while together. I shall always be glad to hear from



you. Since Mr. Adams' departure I have need of



information from that country and should rely much



on yours; it will always therefore be acceptable. I



am with very sincere esteem, dear Sir, your friend



and servant.





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     45











        TO THE COUNTESS BARZIZA.











                      PARIS, July 8, 1788.







  MADAM,-The letter of March 15, which you did



me the honor to address me, came during my absence



on a journey through Holland and Germany, and my



first attentions after my return were necessarily



called to some objects of business of too pressing a



nature to be postponed. This has prevented my



acknowledging as soon as I could have wished the



honor of receiving your letter. The welcome recep-



tion which Mr. and Mrs. Paradise met with in Vir-



ginia was due to their own merit which had been



well known there before their arrival, and to the



esteem for your family entertained in that country.



You would experience the same, Madam, were any



consideration to tempt you to leave for a while your



present situation to visit the. transatlantic seat of



your ancestors. Heaven has already blessed you



with one child, for which accept my sincere congratu-



lations. It may perhaps multiply these blessings



on you and in that event your family estate in Vir-



ginia may become a handsome and happy establish-



ment for a younger child. It will be a welcome



present to a country which will continue to think it



has some claims on you. I felicitate you on the



prospect of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Paradise at Venice.



The happiness of your situation, your virtues and



those of the Count Barziza will contribute to re-estab-



lish that tranquillity of mind which an unhappy loss

















46        Jefferson's Works







has disturbed and continues to disturb. Sensibility



of mind is indeed the parent of every virtue, but it is



the parent of much misery too. Nobody is more its



victim than Mr. Paradise. Your happiness, your



affection and your attentions can alone restore his



serenity of mind. I am sure it will find repose in



these sources, and that your virtues and those of the



Count Barziza will occupy his mind in thinking on



what he possesses rather than on what he has lost,



and in due time to deliver him up fully to your



affections.







  I wish to you, Madam, a continuance of all those



circumstances of happiness which surround you, and



have the honor to be, with sentiments of the most



perfect esteem and respect, Madam, your most obe-



dient and most humble servant.







            TO C. W. F. DUMAS.







                    PARIS, July 30, 1788.







 SIR,-Your favor of the 24th has just come to hand



and that of the 20th June had never been acknowl-



edged. I congratulate you on the news just received



of the accession of New Hampshire to the new Con-



stitution, which suffices to establish it. I have the



honor to inclose you details on that subject, as also



on the reception of Mr. Adams, which you will be so



good as to reduce to such a size as may gain admis-



sion into the Leyden gazette. We may take a little



glory to ourselves, too, on the victory of our Paul





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     47







Jones over the Turks commanded by the Captain



Pacha, and we may be assured, if it has, been as signal



as the Russians say, that Constantinople will be bom-



barded by that officer. Why did the Swedish fleet



salute the Russian instead of attacking it ? It would



make one suspect that their whole movements had



in view to divert the Russian fleet from going round



if it could be done by hectoring without engaging in



the war, well understood that Turkey pays and



England guarantees them against all events. It is



scarcely possible, however, that all these things can



pass over without a war. I think the internal affairs



of this country will be settled without bloodshed.



I have the honor to be, with very great esteem and



respect, Sir, your most obedient humble servant.







              TO JOHN JAY.











                 PARIS, September 5, 1788.







 SIR,-I wrote you the 3d instant and have this



day received Mr. Remsen 's favor of July 25, written



during your absence at Poughkeepsie, and enclosing



the ratification of the loan of a million florins for



which Mr. Adams had executed bonds at Amsterdam



in March last. The expediency of that loan resulting



from an estimate made by Mr. Adams and myself, and



that estimate having been laid before Congress, their



ratification of the loan induces a presumption that



they will appropriate the money to the objects of the



estimate. I am in hopes, therefore, that orders are

















48        Jefferson's Works







given by the Treasury Board to the commissioners of



loans at Amsterdam to apply these moneys accord-



ingly and especially to furnish as soon as they shall



have it what may be necessary for the redemption



of our captives at Algiers, which is a pressing call.



I am not without anxiety however on this subject,



because in a letter of July 22d, received this day from



the Treasury Board, they say nothing on that subject



nor on the arrearages of the foreign officers. They



indorse me the order of Congress of the 18th of July



for sending to the Treasury Board the books and



papers of the office of foreign accounts. I shall



accordingly put them into the hands of a person



who goes from Paris to-morrow morning by the way



of Havre to America and shall endeavor to prevail



on him to attend them from the place of his landing



to New York that the board may receive them from



the hand which receives them from me.







  The re-establishment of the parliament and revo-



cation of everything which was done on the 8th of



May is expected to take place in three or four days.







  I have the honor to be, with sentiments of the most



perfect esteem and respect, Sir, your most obedient,



and most humble servant.







          TO FRANCIS HOPKINSON.







                PARIS, December 21, 1788.







 DEAR SIR,-My last to you was of May 8 and July



6, that of the latter date was only to enclose a book-





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     49







seller's proposals for sending books to America. The



one of May 8 acknowledged the receipt of yours of



Dec. 16. I informed you also in the letter of May 8



that the vinegar was at length lodged for you in the



hands of M. Limousin at Havre to be forwarded to



the first vessel to Philadelphia. He has never sent



it till the last month and then by a vessel bound to



Baltimore as you will see by the enclosed bill of



lading. However it was in the care of a Mr. Vanet



who was to go in to New York and who I hope



would give you notice of it. The books also which



were lodged with M. Limousin for yourself, Dr.



Franklin and Mr. Rittenhouse remained the whole



winter at Havre. However, I hope you have long



ago received them safe. I sent you as far as the



22d livraison of the Encyclopedie. We are now at



the 29th. To that number, therefore, and what more



may come out before April I, I shall bring to you,



for I have asked of Congress a leave of five or six



months' absence of the next year to carry my family



home and to arrange my affairs there which were



left at sixes and sevens under the idea of soon return-



ing to them.







  I shall hope therefore to see you in the course of



the summer. I have no doubt about continuing to



take out your encyclopaedia because I have had your



express approbation of doing it and you would



expressly desire me to cease if you meant to discon-



tinue. But I am more doubtful as to Dr. Franklin's



because my first doing it for him was without orders











   Vol. xix--4





















50        Jefferson's Works







and he has never intimated to me a wish to continue.



However I shall bring his also, unless he expressly



desires the contrary for which he will still have time



as I shall not sail till the middle of April. Be so good



as to mention these things to him with my sincere



respects.







   Not having one scrap of news in literature or the



arts I must be contented to give you those of the



political world. This country is proceeding steadily



to form a constitution. The noise in the earlier part



of, it threatened violence, but' as yet not a life has



been lost. All hands are employed in drawing plans



of bills of rights. Their States-General will probably



meet in March. They will obtain with little or no



opposition from the court their own periodical meet-



ing, their exclusive right to tax, and a share in the



legislation. Some will aim at a habeas corpus law



and free press. These will not be so sure in the first



session. These occupations render this country very



desirous of peace. The insanity of the King of



England leaves them tolerably sure of it, as regencies



are generally peaceable and there is no other quarter



from which they feared being forced into a war. We



had supposed the war in the North in a fair way of



being stopped when all of a sudden disturbances in



Poland seem to threaten a rupture between Russia



and Poland. In this case the former must make her



peace with the Turks by the cession of the Crimea and



the scene of war will be changed. As yet, however,



the symptoms are not decisive enough to say that it





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     51







will take that turn. I am happy to find our new



Constitution is accepted and our government likely to



answer its purposes better. I hope that the addition



of a bill of rights will bring over to it a greater part



of those now opposed to it; and that this may be



added without submitting the whole to the risk of a



new convention. It would still have one fault in



my eye, that of perpetual re-eligibility of the Presi-



dent. But if my fears on that should be verified in



the experiment I trust to the good sense of our chil-



dren that they will apply the remedy which shall



suit the circumstances then existing. Remember



me affectionately to Mr. Rittenhouse and his family.



Join my daughter in the same greetings as well as in



those I desire you to present to your mother. Be



assured yourself of the sentiments of esteem and



attachment with which I am, dear Sir, your friend



and servant.







  P. S. Jan. 1, 1789. My letter having waited a



conveyance till this date I will add a word on the



rigors of the winter in which we are. They have



been excessive since the middle of November and



are likely to continue. The mercury has been here



as low as 9.5 degrees of Fahrenheit below nought, that is to



say 41.5 degrees below the freezing point, which is more than



was ever known before. I received letters from



Marseilles this morning informing me the winter is



more severe there than it was in 1709, when they



lost all their olive trees. They apprehend the same

















52        Jefferson's Works







calamity now; and it will take twenty years to



replace them.







 Jan. 12. After sealing my letter yours of Oct.



23d came to hand. I am glad to hear of Dr. Frank-



lin 's health ; having had no news of him since July



we were in quiet. I have seen Mr. and Mrs. Tellier-



the vinegar you find is on its way. You will have



the enjoyment the longer. I have not had time to



read your vagary as you call it because I opened the



letter only in the moment this is going off. I am sure



it will please me as all your vagaries do. A.dieu.







               TO JOHN JAY.



 



                    PARIS, March 1, 1789.







  SIR,-My last letters have been of the 11th, 12th



and 21st of January. The present conveyance being



through the post to Havre, from whence a vessel is



to sail for New York, I avail myself of it principally



to send you the newspapers. That of Leyden of the



24th contains a note of the Charge des Affaires of



France at Warsaw which is interesting. It shows a



concert between France and Russia ; it is a prognosti-



cation that Russia will interfere in the affairs of



Poland, and if she does it is most probable that the



King of Poland must be drawn into the war. The



revolution which has taken place in Geneva is a



remarkable and late event. With the loss of only



two or three lives, and in the course of one week, riots

















        Supplementary Manuscripts     53







begun at first on account of a rise in the price of



bread were improved and pointed to a reformation



of their constitution, and their ancient constitution



has been almost completely re-established. Nor do



I see any reason to doubt of the permanence of the



re-establishment.







  The King of England has shown such marks of



returning reason that the regency bill was postponed



in the House of Lo_rds. on the 19th inst. It seems



now probable there may be no change of the minis-



try, perhaps no regent. We may be sure, however,



that the present ministry make the most of those



favorable symptoms. There has been a riot in Brit-



tany begun on account of the price of bread but con-



verted into a quarrel between the noblesse and Tiers-



etat. Some few lives were lost in it. All is quieted



for the present moment. In Burgundy and Franche-



cornpte the opposition of the nobles to the views



of government is very warm. Everywhere else,



however, the revolution is going on quietly and



steadily and the public mind ripening so fast that



there is great reason to hope a good result from



the States-General. Their numbers-about twelve



hundred-give room to fear, indeed, that they may



be turbulent. _







  Having never heard of Admiral Paul Jones since



the action in which he took part before Oczahow, I



began to be a little uneasy. But I have now received



a letter from him dated at St. Petersburg, the 31st



of January, where he had just arrived at the desire

















54        Jefferson's Works







of the Empress. He has hitherto commanded on



the Black Sea. He does not know whether he shall



be employed there, or where, the ensuing campaign.



I have no other intelligence which would not lead me



into details improper for the present mode of convey-



ance. After observing, therefore, that the gazettes



of France and Leyden to the present date accompany



this I shall only add assurances of the sincere esteem



and respect with which I have the honor to be, dear



Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant.























           TO JOHN PAUL JONES.











                   PARIs, March 23, 1789.







           (By courier of France.)







  DEAR SIR,-Your favor of January 20/31 from St.



Petersburg came safe to hand and is the only proof



we have received of your existence since you left



Copenhagen. I mention this that reflecting how and



what you have written heretofore you may know how



and what you may write hereafter. I shall put noth-



ing into this letter but what is important to you and



unimportant to any government through which it



may pass.







  To begin with your private affairs. I received



three days ago from M. Amoureux a bill for 1,900



louis payable at three (usances ?), which I have deliv-



ered to Messrs. Grand and Co., and desired them to



receive it when due and hold it subject to your order.





















        Supplementary Manuscripts     55







This Amoureux mentions as forming a une bagatelle



pres, the balance due you.







  Having been * * * * to carry into execution the



orders for the medals, I have contracted with