dore; and Don Girolomo Chiappe to be their agent at Tangier; with which agents, it is their desire that their Ministers at Versailles and London should regularly correspond. Want of time prevents my having and sending you certified copies of these acts by this opportunity. My next shall contain what may be necessary to say further on these subjects.

Extract from the Secret Journal of Foreign Affairs, July 18, 1787.

On a report of the Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred a petition from Hannah Stephens praying that her husband be redeemed from captivity at Algiers; and also a letter from the honorable Thomas Jefferson proposing that a certain order of priests be employed for such purposes:

Resolved, That the honorable Thomas Jefferson, Esq. the Minister of the United States at the Court of Versailles, be and he hereby is, authorized to take such measures as he may deem most adviseable, for redeeming the American captives at Algiers, and at any expense not exceeding that, which European nations usually pay in like cases.

Resolved, That the Board of Treasury be and they hereby are directed, to provide ways and means for enabling Mr. Jefferson to defray the said expenses, either by remitting money from hence, or by a credit in Europe.

FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO JOHN JAY.

Sir,

Marseilles, May 4, 1787.

I had the honor of receiving at Aix, your letter of 9th February, and immediately wrote to the Count de Montmorin, explaining the delay of the answer of Congress to the King's letter, and desired Mr. Short to deliver that answer, with my letter, to Monsieur de Montmorin, which he, accordingly, informs me he has done.

My absence prevented my noting to you in the first moment, the revolution which has taken place at Paris, in the Department of Finance, by the substitution of Monsieur de Fourqueaux, in the place of Monsieur de Calonne; so that you will have heard of it through other channels, before this will have the honor of reach

ing you.

Having staid at Aix long enough to prove the inefficacy of the waters, I came on to this place for the purpose of informing myself here, as I mean to do at the other sea-port towns, of whatever may be interesting to our commerce, so far as carried on in our bottoms. I find it almost nothing, and so it must probably remain, till something can be done with the Algerines; though severely afflicted with the plague, they have come out within these few days, and shewed themselves in force along the coast of Genoa, cannonading a little town and taking several vessels.

Among other objects of inquiry, this was the place to learn something more certain on the subject of rice, as it is a good emporium for that of the Levant, and of Italy. I wished particularly to know, whether it was the use of

a different machine for cleaning, which brought European rice to market less broken than ours, as had been represented to me by those who deal in that article in Paris. I found several persons who has passed through the rice country of Italy, but not one who could explain to me the nature of the machine. But I was given to believe, that I might see it myself, immediately on entering Piedmont, as this would require but about three weeks, I determined to go and ascertain this point, as the chance only of placing our rice above all rivalship in quality, as it is in color, by the introduction of a better machine, if a better existed, seemed to justify the application of that much time to it. I found the rice country to be, in truth, Lombardy, one hundred miles further than had been represented, and that, though called Piedmont rice, not a grain is made in the country of Piedmont. I passed through the rice fields of the Vercellese and Milanese, about sixty miles, and returned from thence last night, having found that the machine is absolutely the same as ours, and of course we need not listen more to that suggestion. It is a difference in the species of grain, of which the government of Turin is so sensible, that, as I was informed, they prohibit the exportation of rough rice on pain of death. I have taken measures, however, for obtaining a quantity of it, which, I think, will not fail; and I bought, on the spot, a small parcel, which I have with me. As further details on this subject to Congress would be misplaced, I propose, on my return to Paris, to communicate them, and send the rice to the society at Charleston, for promoting agriculture; supposing that they will be best able to try the experiment of cultivating the rice of this quality, and to communicate

the species to the two States of South Carolina and Georgia, if they find it answer. I thought the staple of these two States was entitled to this attention, and, that it must be desirable to them to be able to furnish rice of the two qualities demanded in Europe, especially, as the greater consumption is in the forms, for which the Lombardy quality is preferred. The mass of our countrymen being interested in agriculture, I hope I do not err in supposing, that in a time of profound peace as the present, to enable them to adopt their productions to the market, to point out markets for them, and endeavor to obtain favorable terms of reception, is within the line of my duty.

My journey into this part of the country, has procured me information which I will take the liberty of communicating to Congress. In October last I received a letter dated Montpelier, October 2nd, 1786, announcing to me that the writer was a foreigner, who had a matter of very great consequence to communicate to me, and desired I would indicate the channel through which it might pass safely. I did so. I received, soon after, a letter in the folowing words, omitting only the formal parts:

"I am a Brazilian, and you know that my unhappy country groans under a most dreadful slavery, which "becomes more intolerable since the era of your glorious "independence-the barbarous Portuguese sparing no

thing to make us unhappy, for fear that we should fol"low your steps. And as we know that these usurpers "against the law of nature and of humanity, have no "other thoughts than of crushing us, we are determined to "follow the striking example which you have given us, "and consequently to break our chains, and to bring to life

"liberty, which is now dead and oppressed by physical

force, which is the only power Europeans have over "America. But as Spain will not fail to join Portugal, "it is necessary that a nation should assist us. And not"withstanding the advantages we have for defence, we "cannot do it, or at least it would not be prudent for us "to run any hazard, without being sure of success. Your "nation, sir, is, we think, that which should most suitably assist us, because it is her that has given us the example; and also, because nature has made us inhabit"ants of the same continent, and has consequently con"stituted us, in some sort, countrymen. We are ready,

on our part, to furnish all the funds that may be necessary, and to show, at all times, our gratitude towards "our benefactors. This is the substance of my inten

tions, and it is to fulfil this commission, that I am now "in France, as I could not do it in America without ex"citing some suspicions. It is for you to judge if they "can be realized. And in case you should wish to con"sult your nation on the subject, I am enabled to give "all the information that you may think necessary.

As by this time I had been advised to try the waters of the Aix, I wrote to the gentleman my design, and that I should go off my road as far as Nismes, under the pretext of seeing the antiquities of that place, if he would meet me there. He met me, and the following is the sum of the information I received from him:

"Brazil contains as many inhabitants as Portugal. They are, 1st, Portuguese; 2nd, native whites; 3rd, "black and mulatto slaves; 4th, Indians, civilized and "savages. 1st, the Portuguese are few in number, most