TO JAMES MONROE.

MON. MSS.

July 10. 96.

DEAR SIR,-Your brother received a letter from you a few days since in which he says you mention having received but two from me since you left us. I have not been a very troublesome correspondent to you, I acknoledge, but have written letters of the following dates to you, to wit 1794. Mar. 11. Apr. 24.

-1795. May 26. Sep. 6.—1796 June 12. In this last I acknoleged the receipt of yours of Nov. 18. and mentioned that your plan was not yet come to hand, which with the difficulty & expence of getting laborers at this season would prevent beginning your works till the new year. I have been in daily expectation of hearing of the arrival of Mr. Short, having no news from him since his leaving Madrid for Paris. I am often asked when you will return. My answer is when Eliza is 14. years old. Longer than that you will be too wise to stay. Till then I presume you will retain a post which the public good requires to be filled by a republican. I put under your cover some letters from M. de Liancourt. I wish the present government would permit his return. He is an honest man, sincerely attached to his Country, zealous against its enemies, and very desirous of being permitted to live retired in the bosom of his family. My sincere affection for his connections at Rocheguyon, and most especially for Madame D'anville would render it a peculiar felicity to me to be any ways instrumental in having him restored to them. I have no means however unless you can interpose

without giving offence. If you can, I should be much pleased. The Campaign of Congress is closed, tho' the Anglomen have in the end got their treaty through, and so far have triumphed over the cause of republicanism. Yet it has been to them a dear bought victory. It has given the most radical shock to their party which it has ever received: and there is no doubt they would be glad to be replaced on the ground they possessed the instant before Jay's nomination extraordinary. They see that nothing can support them but the Colossus of the President's merits with the people, and the moment he retires, that his successor, if a Monocrat, will be overborne by the republican sense of his Constitutents, if a republican he will of course give fair play to that sense, and lead things into the channel of harmony between the governors & governed. In the mean time, patience. -Among your neighbors there is nothing new. Rittenhouse is lately dead. Governor Brook has lost his lady. We have had the finest harvest ever known in this part of the country. Both the quantity & quality of our wheat are extraordinary. We got 15/ a bushel for the last crop, & hope two thirds of that at least for the present one-Most assiduous court is paid to P. H. He has been offered every thing which they knew he would not accept. Some impression is thought to be made, but we do not believe it is radical. If they thought they could count on him they would run him for V. P. their first object being to produce a schism in this state.

Mr.

As it is they will run Mr. Pinckney, in which they

regard his southern position rather than his principles. Mr. J. and his advocate Camillus are compleatly treaty-foundered. We all join in love to Mrs. Monroe & Elvie, and accept for yourself assurances of sincere & affectionate friendship. Adieu.

TO COLONEL JOHN STUART.

J. MSS.

MONTICELLO, Nov. 10, 1796.

DEAR SIR,-I have to acknolege the receipt of your last favor, together with the bones of the Great-claw, which accompanied it. My anxiety to obtain a thigh bone is such, that I defer communicating what we have to the Philosophical society, in the hope of adding that bone to the collection. We should then be able to fix the stature of the animal, without going into conjecture & calculation, as we should possess a whole limb, from the haunch bone to the claw inclusive. Whenever you announce to me that the recovery of a thigh bone is desperate, I shall make the communication to the Philosophical society. I think it happy that this incident will make known to them a person so worthy as yourself to be taken into their body, and without whose attention to these extraordinary remains, the world might have been deprived of the knowledge of them. I cannot, however, help believing that this animal, as well as the mammoth, are still existing. The annihilation of any species of existence, is so unexampled in any parts of the economy of nature which we see, that we have a right to conclude, as to the parts we do not see, that

the probabilities against such annihilation are stronger than those for it. In hopes of hearing from you, as soon as you can form a conclusion satisfactory to yourself, that the thigh bone will or will not be recovered, I remain, with great respect & esteem, Dear Sir, your most obedient servant.

TO JAMES MADISON.

MAD. MSS.

MONTICELLO, Dec. 17, 1796.

Your favor of the 5th came to hand last night. The first wish of my heart was, that you should have been proposed for the administration of the government. On your declining it, I wish any body rather than myself; and there is nothing I so anxiously hope, as that my name may come out either second or third. These would be indifferent to me; as the last would leave me at home the whole year, & the other two-thirds of it. I have no expectation that the Eastern states will suffer themselves to be so much outwitted, as to be made the tools for bringing in P. instead of A. I presume they will throw away their second vote. In this case, it begins to appear possible, that there may be an equal division where I had supposed the republican vote would have been considerably minor. It seems also possible, that the Representatives may be divided. This is a difficulty from which the constitution has provided no issue. It is both my duty & inclination, therefore, to relieve the embarrassment, should it happen; and in that case, I pray you and authorize you fully, to solicit on

my behalf that mr. Adams may be preferred. He has always been my senior, from the commencement of my public life, and the expression of the public will being equal, this circumstance ought to give him the preference. And when so many motives will be operating to induce some of the members to change their vote, the addition of my wish may have some effect to preponderate the scale. I am really anxious to see the speech. It must exhibit a very different picture of our foreign affairs from that presented in the adieu, or it will little correspond with my views of them. I think they never wore so gloomy an aspect since the year 83. Let those come to the helm who think they can steer clear of the difficulties. I have no confidence in myself for the undertaking.

We have had the severest weather ever known in November. The thermometer was at 12° here & in Goochland, & I suppose generally. It arrested my buildings very suddenly, when eight days more would have completed my walls, & permitted us to cover in. The drought is excessive. From the middle of October to the middle of December, not rain enough to lay the dust. A few days ago there fell a small rain, but the succeeding cold has probably prevented it from sprouting the grain sown during the drought. Present me in friendly terms to Messrs. Giles, Venable, Page. Adieu affectionately.

P. S. I enclose a letter for Volney because I do not know where to address to him.

Pray send me Gallatin's view of the finances of the U. S. and Paine's Ire to the President if within the compass of a conveyance by post.