joins me, and in tendering to you our affectionate souvenirs.

TO HENRY DEARBORN

J. MSS.

MONTICELLO, August 17, 1821.

DEAR SIR,-Your favor of the 8th came to hand yesterday evening. I hope you will never suppose your letters to be among those which are troublesome to me. They are always welcome, and it is among my great comforts to hear from my ancient colleagues, and to know that they are well. The affectionate recollection of Mrs. Dearborne, cherished by our family, will ever render her health and happiness interesting to them. You are so far astern of Mr. Adams and myself, that you must not yet talk of old age. I am happy to hear of his good health. I think he will outlive us all, I mean the Declaration-men, although our senior since the death of Colonel Floyd. It is a race in which I have no ambition to win. Man, like the fruit he eats, has his period of ripeness. Like that, too, if he continues longer hanging to the stem, it is but an useless and unsightly appendage. I rejoice with you that the State of Missouri is at length a member of our Union. Whether the question it excited is dead, or only sleepeth, I do not know. I see only that it has given resurrection to the Hartford convention men. They have had the address, by playing on the honest feelings of our former friends, to seduce them from their kindred spirits, and to borrow their weight into the federal scale. Desperate of

regaining power under political distinctions, they have adroitly wriggled into its seat under the auspices of morality, and are again in the ascendency from which their sins had hurled them. It is indeed of little consequence who governs us, if they sincerely and zealously cherish the principles of union and republicanism.

I still believe that the Western extension of our confederacy will ensure its duration, by overruling local factions, which might shake a smaller association. But whatever may be the merit or demerit of that acquisition, I divide it with my colleagues, to whose counsels I was indebted for a course of administration which, notwithstanding this late coalition of clay and brass, will, I hope, continue to receive the approbation of our country.

The portrait by Stewart was received in due time and good order, and claims, for this difficult acquisition, the thanks of the family, who join me in affectionate souvenirs of Mrs. Dearborne and yourself. My particular salutations to both flow, as ever, from the heart, continual and warm.

TO NATHANIEL MACON

J. MSS.

MONTICELLO, Aug. 19. 21.

DEAR SIR,-You have probably seen in the newspapers a letter of mine recommending Colo. Taylor's book to the notice of our fellow-citizens. I am pelted for it in print, and in letters, also complaining

of the unfair use made of it by certain commentators. For this misuse I cannot be responsible. But I inclose to you my answer to one of these letters and place it in your hands as the Depository of old & sound principles and as a record of my protest against this parricide tribunal. There are two measures which if not taken, we are undone. Ist.

to check these unconstitutional invasions of state rights by the federal judiciary. How? not by impeachment in the first instance, but by a strong protestation of both houses of Congress that such and such doctrines, advanced by the supreme court, are contrary to the constitution: and if afterwards they relapse into the same heresies, impeach and set the whole adrift. For what was the government divided into three branches, but that each should watch over the others, and oppose their usurpations? 2. To cease borrowing money & to pay off the national debt. If this cannot be done without dismissing the army & putting the ships out of commission, haul them up high and dry, and reduce the army to the lowest point at which it was ever established. There does not exist an engine so corruptive of the government and so demoralizing of the nation as a public debt. It will bring on us more ruin at home than all the enemies from abroad against whom this army and navy are to protect us. What interest have we in keeping ships in service in the Pacific Ocean? To protect a few speculative adventurers in a commerce dealing in nothing in which we have an interest. As if the Atlantic & Mediterranean were not large enough for

American capital! As if commerce and not agriculture was the principle of our association! God bless you & long continue your wholesome influence in the public councils.'

1 In reply to a question from Macon concerning this letter, Jefferson wrote to him:

"BUCKSPRING, Oct. 20, '21. "Absence at an occasional but distant residence prevented my receiving your friendly letter of Oct. 20. [sic] till 3. d. ago. A line from good old friends is like balm to my soul. You ask me what you are to do with my letter of Sep. [sic] 19. I wrote it, my dear Sir, with no other view than to pour my thoughts into your bosom. I knew they would be safe there, and I believed they would be welcome, but if you think, as you say, that 'good would be done by shewing it to a few well tried friends' I have no objectn to that. But ultimately you cannot do better than to throw it into the fire. My confidence, as you kindly observed, has been often abused by the publication of my ltres for the purposes of interest or vanity; and it has been to me the source of much pain to be exhibited before the public in forms not meant for them. I receive lres expressed in the most frdly & even affectionate terms, sometimes perhaps asking my opn on some subject. I cannot refuse to answer such letters, nor can I do it dryly & suspiciously. Among a score or two of such correspdts, one perhaps betrays me. I feel it mortifyingly, but conclude I had better incur one treachery than offend a score or two of good people. I sometimes expressly desire that my letters may not be publd, but this is so like requesting a man not to steal or cheat that I am ashamed of it after I have done it.

"Our govmt is now taking so steady a course as to shew by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit, by consolidn first, & then corruption, it's necessary consequence. The engine of consolidn will be the Fedl judiciary, the two other branches the corrupted & corrupting instruments. I fear an explosion in our state legislature, I wish they may confine themselves to a strong but pacific temper. Protestn Virge is not at present in favr with her co-states. An opposn headed by her would determine all the anti-Missouri states to take the contrary side. She had better lie by therefore until the shoe shall pinch an Eastern state. Let the cry be first raised from that quarter & we may fall into it with effect. But I fear our Eastern associates wish for consolidn, in which they would be joined by the smaller states generally, but with a foot in the grave I have no right to meddle with these things. Ever & affectly."

DEAR SIR, I have no doubt you have occasionally been led to reflect on the character of the duty imposed by Congress on the importation of books. Some few years ago, when the tariff was before Congress, I engaged some of our members of Congress to endeavour to get the duty repealed and wrote on the subject to some other acquaintances in Congress, and pressingly to the Secretary of the treasury. The effort was made by some members with zeal and earnestness, but it failed. The northern colleges are now proposing to make a combined effort for that purpose as you will see by the inclosed extract of a letter from Mr. Ticknor asking the co-operation of the Southern and Western institutions, & of our university particularly. Mr. Ticknor goes so ably into all the considerations justifying this step, that nothing need be added here, & especially to you; and we have only to answer his questions, whether we think with them. on the subject of the tax? What should be the extent of the relaxation solicited? What mode of proceeding we think best? And whether we will co-operate in our visitatorial character? I must earnestly request your thoughts on these questions, fearful of answering them unadvisedly, and on my own opinions alone.

I think that another measure, auxiliary to that of petitioning might be employed with great effect. That is for the several institutions, in their corporate capacities, to address letters to their representatives

VOL. XII.-14.