The Writings of Thomas Jefferson | Page 9

1788 431 To Monsieur Trouchin, Feb.

26, 1788 432 To John Adams, March 2, 1788 434 To John Jay, March
13, 1788 435 To John Jay, March 16, 1788 436 To C. W. F. Dumas,
March 29, 1788 441 To the Commissioners of the Treasury, March 29,
1788 443 To William Short, March 29, 1788 445 To General George
Washington, May 2, 1788 447 To James Madison, May 3, 1788 455
[Illustration: David Humphreys Photogravure from the Original
Painting by Herring]

ILLUSTRATIONS.
JEFFERSON AT SIXTY-TWO Frontispiece Photogravure from the
Original Crayon Drawing by St. Memin
FACING PAGE
THE FIRST PRAYER IN CONGRESS xx Photogravure from the
Original Painting by T. H. Matteson
DAVID HUMPHREYS xxvi Photogravure from the Original Painting
by Herring
JOHN JAY 366 Photogravure from the Original Painting by Stuart and
Trumbull

CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTERS WRITTEN WHILE IN EUROPE.
1784-1789.

JEFFERSON'S WORKS.
LETTERS WRITTEN WHILE IN EUROPE.

1784-1789.

TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.
PARIS, November 14, 1786.
SIR,--The house of Le Coulteux, which for some centuries has been the
wealthiest of this place, has it in contemplation to establish a great
company for the fur trade. They propose that partners interested one
half in the establishment, should be American citizens, born and
residing in the United States. Yet if I understood them rightly, they
expect that that half of the company which resides here, should make
the greatest part, or perhaps the whole of the advances, while those on
our side of the water should superintend the details. They had, at first,
thought of Baltimore as the centre of their American transactions. I
have pointed out to them the advantages of Alexandria for this purpose.
They have concluded to take information as to Baltimore, Philadelphia,
and New York, for a principal deposit, and having no correspondent at
Alexandria, have asked me to procure a state of the advantages of that
place, as also to get a recommendation of the best merchant there, to be
adopted as partner and head of the business there. Skill, punctuality and
integrity are the requisites in such a character. They will decide on their
whole information, as to the place for their principal factory. Being
unwilling that Alexandria should lose its pretensions, I have undertaken
to procure them information as to that place. If they undertake this trade
at all, it will be on so great a scale as to decide the current of the Indian
trade to the place they adopt. I have no acquaintance at Alexandria or in
its neighborhood; but, believing you would feel an interest in the matter,
from the same motives which I do, I venture to ask the favor of you to
recommend to me a proper merchant for their purpose, and to engage
some well-informed person to send me a representation of the
advantages of Alexandria, as the principal deposit of the fur trade.
The author of the political part of the "Encyclopédie Methodique"
desired me to examine his article, "Etats Unis." I did so. I found it a
tissue of errors; for, in truth, they know nothing about us here.

Particularly, however, the article "Cincinnati" was a mere philippic
against that institution; in which it appeared that there was an utter
ignorance of facts and motives. I gave him notes on it. He reformed it,
as he supposed, and sent it again to me to revise. In this reformed state,
Colonel Humphreys saw it. I found it necessary to write that article for
him. Before I gave it to him, I showed it to the Marquis de La Fayette,
who made a correction or two. I then sent it to the author. He used the
materials, mixing a great deal of his own with them. In a work, which
is sure of going down to the latest posterity, I thought it material to set
facts to rights as much as possible. The author was well disposed; but
could not entirely get the better of his original bias. I send you the
article as ultimately published. If you find any material errors in it, and
will be so good as to inform me of them, I shall probably have
opportunities of setting this author to rights. What has heretofore
passed between us on this institution, makes it my duty to mention to
you, that I have never heard a person in Europe, learned or unlearned,
express his thoughts on this institution, who did not consider it as
dishonorable and destructive to our governments; and that every
writing which has come out since my arrival here, in which it is
mentioned, considers it, even as now reformed, as the germ whose
development is one day to destroy the fabric we have reared. I did not
apprehend this, while I had American ideas only. But I confess that
what I