pay for his coffee & sugar, the bread with which he formerly paid for them in the West Indies not being demanded in the European market. In fact the catalogue of Imports offers several articles more dispensable than coffee & sugar. Of all these subjects, the committee and yourself are the more competent judges. To you therefore I trust them with every wish for their improvement, & with sentiments of that perfect esteem & respect with which I have the honour to be, Dear Sir, your most obedient, & most humble servt.1 1 ESTIMATE OF THE EXPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. TO THE MARQUIS DE ST. LAMBERT. J.MSS. AUG. 8, 1786. Mr. Jefferson has the honour of presenting his compliments to Monsieur le Marquis de St. Lambert, and of thanking him for his thanking him for his very excellent ESTIMATE OF THE IMPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. From Europe and Africa. From the West Indies. Woollen cloths of every description, Linens of every description, Hosiery, Hats, Gloves, Shoes, Boots, Sadlery & other things of leather, Porcelaine, Glass, Earthenware, Silver, Copper, Brass, Tin, Pewter, Lead, Steel, Iron in Upholstery, Cabinet Work, Painters' Colours, Cheese, Pickles, Confitures, Chocolate, Wine, 2,000 tons, at 100 louis, 200,000 louis, Brandy, Beer, Books, Stationery, Mill Stones, Grind Stones, Marble, Slaves, Salt, 521,225 bushels, at 24 sous, 26,061 louis 6 Salt, 500,484 bushels, at 24 sous. Cocoa, 576, 589 lbs., at 12 sous. Coffee, 408,494 lbs., at 16 sous. Louis. 1. s. Louis. 1. s. 3,039,000 00 2,239 12 25,798 12 15,249 14 8 .168,007 ..186,281 19 4 927,438 8 8 1,395 1 4 Sugar, 10,232,432 lbs....... Molasses, 3,645,464 gallons, at 24 sous..... Rum, 3,888,370 gallons, at 2 livres 14 sous.437.441 15 An translation of the act of the Virginia Assembly. opportunity having occurred, before the receipt of it, of forwarding the act to some foreign courts where it was thought it would be well received, Mr. Jefferson had been obliged to print copies from a translation prepared for the Encyclopedie. He shall endeavour as soon as possible to avail the public of the better one of M. de St. Lambert. He begs leave to present to him, and also through him to Madame la Comtesse d'Houditat the homage of his respects. TO MRS. JOHN (ABIGAIL) ADAMS. J.MSS. PARIS, Aug. 9, 1786. and a half I think my but under DEAR MADAM,—It is an age since I have had the honor of a letter from you, and an age since I presumed to address one to you. last was dated in the reign of King Amri, which of his successors you wrote, I cannot recollect, Ocharias Zoachar, Manahem or some such hard name. At length it is resumed; I am honoured with your favor of July 23, and I am at this moment writing an answer to it. And first we will despatch busiThe shoes you ordered, will be ready this day and will accompany the present letter, but why send money for them? You know the balance of trade was always against me. You will observe by the inclosed account that it is I who am to export cash always, tho' the sum has been lessened by the bad ness. 1 I Virginia act for Religious Freedom. bargains I have made for you & the good ones you have made for me. This is a gaining trade, and therefore I shall continue it, begging you will send no more money here. Be so good as to correct the inclosed that the errors of that may not add to your losses in this commerce.-You were right in conjecturing that both the gentlemen might forget to communicate to me the intelligence about Capt? Stanhope. Mr. Adams' head was full of whale oil, and Col: Smith's of German politics. (-but don't tell them this-) so they left it to you to give me the news. De tout mon coeur, I had rather receive it from you than them. than them. This proposition about the exchange of a son for my daughter puzzles me. I should be very glad to have your son, but I cannot part with my daughter. Thus you see I have such a habit of gaining in trade with you that I always expect it. We have a blind story here of somebody attempting to assassinate your King. No man upon earth has my prayers for his continuance in life more sincerely than him. He is truly the American Messias, the most precious life that ever god gave. And may god continue it. Twenty long years has he been labouring to drive us to our good and he labours and will labour still for it if he can be spared. We shall have need of him for twenty more. The Prince of Wales on the Throne, Lansdown & Fox in the Ministry & we are undone! We become chained by our habits to the tails of those who hate & dispise us. I repeat it then that my anxieties are all alive for the health and long life of the King. He has not a friend on earth who would lament his loss as much & so long as I should.-Here we have singing, dancing, laugh & merriment, no assassinations, no treasons, rebellions nor other dark deeds. When our King goes out, they fall down and kiss the earth where he has trodden; and then they go to kissing one another, and this is the truest wisdom, they have as much happiness in one year as an Englishman in The presence of the Queen's Sister enlivens the Court, still more the birth of the princess, there are some little bickerings between the King & his parliament, but they end with a sic volo, sic jubes. The bottom of my page tells me it is time for me to end with assurances of the affectionate esteem with which I have the honor to be, Dear Madam, Your most obedient & most humble servant. ten. TO JAMES MONROE,1 J. MSS. PARIS, Aug. 11, 1786. DEAR SIR, I wrote you last on the 9th of July & since that have received yours of the 16th of June with the interesting intelligence it contained. I was entirely in the dark as to the progress of that negotiation, and concur entirely in the views you have taken of it. The difficulty on which it hangs is a sine qua non with us. It would be to deceive them & ourselves to suppose that an amity can be pre 2 1 Parts in italic are in cipher. 2 With Spain, concerning the navigation of the Mississippi. |