in time they shall be sent you by the bearer. They contain nothing material but the Secretary's progress in paying the national debt, and attacks and defences relating to it. The simple question appears to me to be what did the Public owe, principal and interest, when the Secretary's taxes began to run? If less, it must have been paid, but if he was paying old debts with one hand & creating new ones with the other, it is such a game as Mr. Pitt is playing. My granddaughter has been at death's door. The Doctor left us only this morning. She is now, we think, out of danger. While we sent for him for one patient, two others were prepared for him, to wit, my daughter & a grandson which she produced. All are now doing well, yet I think I shall not be able to leave her till about Tuesday, and even then it will depend on the little accidents to which her present situation leaves her liable. Adieu.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.'

J. MSS.

MONTICELLO, Sep. 18, 1792, 2 o'clock P.M.

DEAR SIR,-Your express is this moment arrived with the Proclamation on the proceedings against the laws for raising a revenue on distilled spirits, and I return it herein inclosed with my signature. I think if instead of the words "to render laws dictated by weighty reasons of public exigency & policy as acceptable as possible" it stood "to render the laws as acceptable as possible" it would be better. I see no

1 This letter is printed in Hamilton's Works of Hamilton, IV, 314, as written to Hamilton, and the termination slightly changed.

VOL. VI.-8

I

other particular expressions which need alteration. am sincerely sorry to learn that such proceedings have taken place; and I hope the proclamation will lead the persons concerned into a regular line of application which may end either in an amendment of the law, if it needs it, or in their conviction that it is right. If the situation of my daughter (who is in the straw) admits it, I propose to set out about a week hence, & shall have the honour of taking your commands for Philadelphia. I have now that of being with great & sincere respect & attachment, Dr. Sir, Your most obdt, & most humble servt.

P. S. The express is detained out about twenty

minutes.

TO JAMES MADISON.

MAD. MSS.

Georgetown, Oct. 1. 1792.

MY DEAR SIR,-I called at Gunstonhall, the proprietor just recovering from a dreadful attack of the cholic. He was perfectly communicative, but I could not, in discretion let him talk as much as he was disposed. I proceeded to Mount Vernon & had a full free & confidential conversation with the President, the particulars shall be communicated when I see you. He declares himself quite undecided about retiring, desirous to do so, yet not decided if strong motives against it exist. He thinks if he declares a month. before the day of election it will be sufficient; consequently that he may make his declaration even after the meeting of Congress.

Bishop Madison whom I met here is just stepping into the stage, therefore I can only add assurances of my sincere affection.

TO MRS. CHURCH.1

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1792.

DEAR MAD.-Your favor of July 6. was to have found me here but I had departed before it reached here. It followed me home, & of necessity the enquiries of our frd Ma de Corny was obliged to await mrs M's arrival at her own house. This was delayed longer than was expected so that by the time I could make the enquiries, I was looking again to my return to Philada. This must apologize for the delay which has taken place. Mrs M tells me that M. de C. was at one time in extreme distress, her revenue being in rents & then pd in assignats worth nothing. Since their abolition however, she receives her rents in cash & is now entirely at her ease. She lives in hired lodgings furnished by herself and everything about her as nice as you know she always had. She visited mrs M familiarly & freely in a family way, but would never dine when she had company nor remain if company came. She speaks seriously sometimes of a purpose to come to America, but she surely mistakes a wish for a purpose. You & I know her [illegible] too well, & her horror of the sea, to believe she could pass or attempt the Atlantic. Mrs M could not give me her address, so as to enable me to write to her, in all events it is a great consol" that her situation is easy.

1 From a copy in the possession of Miss S. N. Randolph.

We have here a mr Niemcewitz a polish gent. who was with us at Paris when M Cosway was there, and who was of her society in Lond. last summer. He mentions the loss of her daur the gloom into which that & other circumstances have thrown her, that it has taken the hue of religion, that she is solely devoted to religious exercises & superintend' of a school she has instituted for catholic chdrn. but that she still speaks of her friends here with tenderness & desire. Our Ires have been rare, but they have let me see that her gaiety was gone, & her mind entirely placed on a world to come. I have recd. from my young frd Cath a letter which gratifies me much as it proves that our friendly impressions have not grown out of her memory. I am indebted to her too for an acqu with your son whose connections suffice to raise the strongest prepossessions with me in his favor. Be so good as to present my respects to mr C. I hope he will find the state of society different in N. Y. from what it is in this place. Party animosities here have raised a wall of sepern between those who differ in political sentim's. They must love misery indeed who would rather at the sight of an honest man feel the torment of hatred & aversion than the benign spasms of benevolence & esteem. Accept assurances of the unalterable attachment of your sincere & affect friend & servt.

1

1 Jefferson has here struck out the following lines: "the oldest friends will cross the street to avoid meeting each other. People must have a wonderful propensity to self-torment who can prefer the harsher feelings of the mind, who would rather that."

There is a tradition to this day in Philadelphia that so strongly ran the class feeling against Jefferson that Logan, Thomson, and Rittenhouse were his only social equals who did not exclude him from the hospitality of their homes.

TO THE U. S. MINISTER TO GREAT BRITAIN.

(THOMAS PINCKNEY.)

J. MSS.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 12, 1792.

DEAR SIR-Your favor of Aug 7 came to hand on the 6th inst, and gave me the first certain information of your safe arrival. Mr. Otto being about to sail for London, furnishes me with an opportunity of sending the newspapers for yourself and Mr. Barclay, & I avail myself of it chiefly for this purpose, as my late return from Virginia and the vacation of Congress furnishes little new & important for your information. With respect to the Indian war, the summer has been chiefly employed on our part in endeavors to persuade them to peace, in an abstinence from all offensive operations in order to give those endeavors a fairer chance, and in preparation for activity, the ensuing season, if they fail. I believe we may say these endeavors have all failed, or probably will do so.-The year has been rather a favorable one for our agriculture. The crops of small grain were generally good. Early frosts have a good deal shortened those of tobacco & Indian corn, yet not so as to endanger distress. From the South my information is less certain, but from that quarter you will be informed thro' other channels. I have a pleasure in noting this circumstance to you, because the difference between a plentiful and a scanty crop more than counterpoises the expenses of any campaign. Five or six plentiful years, successively, as we have had, have most sensibly ameliorated the condition of our country; and uniform laws of commerce introduced by our new government have enabled us to draw the whole benefits of our agriculture. I inclose you the copy of a letter from Messrs. Blow & Milhaddo, merchants of Virginia, complaining of the taking away of their saylors on the coast of Africa, by the commander of a British armed vessel. So many instances of this kind have happened that it is quite necessary that their government should explain themselves on the subject, and be led to disavow & punish such conduct. I leave to your discretion to endeavor to obtain this satisfaction by such friendly discussions as may be most likely to produce the desired effect, and secure to our commerce that protection against British violence, which it has never experienced from any other nation. No law forbids the seaman of