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Transcriber's Note:

  Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has been preserved.
  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

  Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

  Many spelling inconsistencies were noted and unchanged in the text
  (e.g. Geisner/Geismer, Eldridge/Elbridge, Williamsburg/Williamsburgh,
  Thoulouse/Toulouse, Albermarle/Albemarle).

  On page 20, "becames destructive" should possibly be "becomes
  destructive".

  Evident errors in the printing of the letter from the Count de
  Vergennes on pages 73 and 74 have been left as printed.

  On page 117, "public powder" should possibly be "public power".

  On page 271, "Crochet" should possibly be "Crocket".

  On page 582, the date May 27 is repeated.

  Inconsistent punctuation in the legal citations (pages 147 to 162),
  has been left as printed.




  [Illustration: Th. Jefferson]




     THE
     WRITINGS
     OF
     THOMAS JEFFERSON:

     BEING HIS
     AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS, MESSAGES,
     ADDRESSES, AND OTHER WRITINGS, OFFICIAL
     AND PRIVATE.

     PUBLISHED BY THE ORDER OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS
     ON THE LIBRARY,
     FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS,
     DEPOSITED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

     WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, TABLES OF CONTENTS, AND A COPIOUS INDEX
     TO EACH VOLUME, AS WELL AS A GENERAL INDEX TO THE WHOLE,

     BY THE EDITOR
     H. A. WASHINGTON.

     VOL. I.

     NEW YORK:
     H. W. DERBY, 625 BROADWAY.
     1861.




     Entered, according by Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by
     TAYLOR & MAURY,
     In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of
     Columbia.


     STEREOTYPED BY
     THOMAS B. SMITH
     216 William St., N. Y.




PREFACE.


Mr. Jefferson having, by his last will and testament, bequeathed to
his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, all his manuscript papers,
Congress, by an act of the 12th of April, 1848, made an appropriation
for the purpose of purchasing them for the Government; and, by the
same act, an additional appropriation was made to print and publish
them under the direction and supervision of the Joint Committee on
the Library. It is under the authority of this act that the present
publication is made. The immense mass of manuscript left by Mr.
Jefferson having been deposited with the Editor, he has carefully gone
through the whole, and selected from it, for the present publication,
everything which possesses permanent public interest either on account
of its intrinsic value, or as matter of history, or as illustrating
the character of the distinguished Author, or as embodying his views
upon the almost infinite variety of topics, philosophical, moral,
religious, scientific, historical, and political, so ably discussed
by him--thus making this work a complete depository of the writings
of Thomas Jefferson. Under the view which the Editor has taken of his
editorial duties, and the instructions of the Library Committee, he has
not felt himself at liberty to encumber the publication with matter of
his own farther than is necessary to illustrate the text. Such notes as
have been appended will, therefore, be found to be purely explanatory
and historical in their character. Under the impression that the value
of such publications as the present depends much upon facility of
reference, a particular Index has been appended to each volume as well
as a general Index to the whole.




CONTENTS TO VOL. I.


     BOOK I.

     AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 1.

     APPENDIX TO AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 111.


     BOOK II.

     PART I--LETTERS WRITTEN BEFORE HIS MISSION TO
        EUROPE--(1773-1783), 181.

     PART II--LETTERS WRITTEN WHILE IN EUROPE--(1784-1790), 338.

     Adams, John, letters written to, 205, 356, 358, 365, 370,
        376, 378, 416, 436, 437, 460, 486, 492, 497, 510, 501,
        511, 529, 569, 584, 591.

     Aranda, Count de, letter written to, 470.

     Auberteuil, Hilliard d', 535.


     Bancroft, Dr., letter written to, 535.

     Bannister, J. Jr., letter written to, 466.

     Bellini, Mr., letter written to, 443.

     Buchanan and Hay, letter written to, 578.


     Campbell, Colonel, letter written to, 295.

     Carmichael, William, letters written to, 392, 469, 473, 551,
        579.

     Carr, Peter, letter written to, 395.

     Cary, Colonel A., letters written to, 197, 507.

     Castries, Monsieur de, letters written to, 361, 374.

     Cathalan, Monsieur, letter written to, 600.

     Chastellux, Chevalier de, letters written to, 321, 339.

     Commissioners of the French Treasury, letter written to, 519.

     Crevecoeur, Monsieur de, letter written to, 594.


     Delegates in Congress, from Georgia, letter written to, 500.

     Delegates in Congress, from Virginia, letters written to,
        287, 307.

     Desbordes, Monsieur, letter written to, 462.

     Drayton, William, letter written to, 554.

     Dumas, W. F., letters written to, 528, 552.

     Dumas and Short, letter written to, 415.


     Forrest, Colonel Uriah, letter written to, 338.

     Franklin, Dr. Benjamin, letters written to, 204, 448, 525.

     Franklin, W. T., letter written to, 555.

     French and Nephew, letter written to, 362.


     Gates, Major General, letters written to, 238, 251, 254, 260,
        262, 266, 268, 275, 294, 314.

     Geisner, Baron, letter written to, 427.

     Gerry, Eldridge, letters written to, 454, 556.

     Governor of Georgia, letter written to, 499.

     Governor of Maryland, letter written to, 343.

     Governor of Virginia, letters written to, 402, 513, 599.

     Greene, Major General, letter written to, 509.


     Hartley, David, letter written to, 422.

     Henry, Patrick, letter written to, 212.

     Hogendorp, letter written to, 463.

     Hopkinson, F., letters written to, 440, 503.

     Humphreys, Colonel, letters written to, 496, 559.


     Izard, R., letter written to, 441.


     Jay, John, letters written to, 332, 339, 344, 380, 384, 403,
        408, 452, 457, 522, 537, 538, 543, 545, 571, 573, 574,
        582, 602.

     Jones, John Paul, letters written to, 391, 594.

     Jones, Joseph, letter written to, 353.


     La Fayette, letters written to, 311, 579, 596.

     La Luzerne, Chevalier de, letter written to, 326.

     Lambe, Mr., letter written to, 581.

     La Morleine, Monsieur, letter written to, 578.

     Langdon, John, letter written to, 428.

     La Valee, Monsieur de, letter written to, 429.

     La Rouene, Marquis de, letter written to, 512.

     Lee, Richard Henry, letters written to, 204, 540.

     Livingston, Robert R., letters written to, 320, 327, 330,
        331.

     ---- From, 329, 331.


     Madison, James, letters written to, 315, 324, 412, 431, 446,
        531.

     Marbois, Monsieur de, letter written to, 297.

     Mathews, Colonel, letter written to, 233.

     McPherson, Charles, letter written to, 195.

     Monroe,