FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL. Paris, August 12, 1788.

Dear Sir,

Since my last to you, I have been honored with yours of the 18th and 29th of May, and 5th of June. My latest American intelligence is of the 24th of June, when nine certainly, and probably ten States, had accepted the new constitution, and there was no doubt of the eleventh, (North Carolina,) because there was no opposition there. In New York, two-thirds of the State were against it, and certainly if they had been called to the decision in any other stage of the business, they would have rejected it; but before they put it to the vote, they would certainly have heard that eleven States had joined in it, and they would find it safer to go with those eleven, than put themselves in opposition, with Rhode Island only. Though I am pleased with this successful issue of the new constitution, yet I am more so, to find that one of its principal defects (the want of a declaration of rights) will pretty certainly be remedied. I suppose this, because I see that both people and Conventions, in almost every State, have concurred in demanding it. Another defect, the perpetual re-eligibility of the same President, will probably not be cured during the life of General Washington. His merit has blinded our countrymen to the danger of making so important an officer reeligible. I presume there will not be a vote against him in the United States. It is more doubtful who will be Vice President. The age of Dr. Franklin, and the doubt whether he would accept it, are the only circumstances that admit a question, but that he would be the

man. After these two characters of first magnitude, there are so many which present themselves equally, on the second line, that we cannot see which of them will be singled out. John Adams, Hancock, Jay, Madison, Rutledge, will be all voted for. Congress has acceded to the prayers of Kentucky, to become an independent member of the Union. A committee was occupied in settling the plan of receiving them, and their Government is to commence on the 1st day of January next.

You are, I dare say, pleased, as I am, with the promotion of our countryman, Paul Jones. He commanded the right wing in the first engagement between the Russian and Turkish galleys; his absence from the second, proves his superiority over the Captain Pacha, as he did not choose to bring his ships into the shoals in which the Pacha ventured, and lost those entrusted to him. I consider this officer as the principal hope of our future efforts on the ocean. You will have heard of the action between the Swedes and Russians, on the Baltic; as yet we have only the Swedish version of it. I apprehend this war must catch from nation to nation, till it becomes general.

With respect to the internal affairs of this country, I hope they will be finally arranged and without having cost a drop of blood. Looking on as a by-stander, no otherwise interested than as entertaining a sincere love for the nation in general, and a wish to see their happiness promoted, keeping myself clear of the particular views and passions of individuals, I applaud extremely, the patriotic proceedings of the present Ministry. Provincial Assemblies established, the States General called, the right of taxing the nation without their consent

abandoned, corvées abolished, torture abolished, the criminal code reformed, are facts which will do eternal honor to their administration in history. But were I their historian, I should not equally applaud their total abandonment of their foreign affairs. A bolder front in the beginning would have prevented the first loss, and consequently all the others. Holland, Prussia, Turkey and Sweden lost, without the acquisition of a single new ally, are painful reflections for the friends of France. They may indeed have in their places the two empires, and perhaps Denmark, in which case, physically speaking, they will stand. on as good ground as before; but not on as good moral ground. Perhaps, seeing more of the internal working of the machine, they saw more than we do, the physical impossibility of having money to carry on a war. Their justification must depend on this, and their atonement in the internal good, they are doing to their country; this makes me completely their friend. I am, with great respect, sir, &c.

TH: JEFFERSON.

FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO JOHN JAY.

Sir,

Paris, August 26, 1788.

I had the honor to write to you on the 3rd, 10th and 11th, instant, with a postscript of the 12th, all of which went by Mrs. Barclay. Since that date, we received an account of a third victory obtained by the Russians over the Turks on the Black Sea, in which the Prince of Nassau, with his gallies, destroyed two frigates, three

smaller vessels and six gallies. The Turkish power on that sea is represented by their enemies, as now annihilated. There is reason to believe, however, that this is not literally true, and that, aided by the supplies furnished by the English, they are making extraordinary efforts to re-establish their marine. The Russian Minister here, has shewn the official report of Admiral Greigh, on the combat of July 17th, in which he claims the victory, and urges in proof of it, that he kept the field of battle. His report is said to have been written on it. As this paper, together with the report of the Swedish Admiral, is printed in the Leyden Gazette of the 15th instant, I enclose it to you. The Court of Denmark has declared, it will furnish to Russia the aid stipulated in their treaty; and it is not doubted they will go beyond this, and become principals in the war. The next probable moves are, that the King of Prussia will succor Sweden and Poland against Russia, by land, and a possible consequence is, that England may send a squadron into the Baltic, to restore the equilibrium in that sea. In my letter of the 11th, I observed to you, that this country would have two difficulties to struggle with till the meeting of their States General, and that one of these was, the want of money. This has, in fact, over-borne all their resources, and the day before yesterday they published an arrêt, suspending all reimbursements of capital, and reducing the payments of the principal mass of demands for interest, to twelve sous in the livre, the remaining eight sous to be paid with certificates. I enclose you a newspaper, with the arrêt. In this paper, you will see the exchange of yesterday; and I have inserted that of the day before, to shew you the fall.

The consternation is as yet too great to let us judge of the issue. It will probably open the public mind to the necessity of a change in their constitution, and to the substituting the collected wisdom of the whole in place of a single will, by which they have been hitherto governed. It is a remarkable proof of the total incompetency of a single head to govern a nation well, when with a revenue of six hundred millions, they are led to a declared bankruptcy, and to stop the wheels of government, even in its most essential movements, for want of money.

I send you the present letter by a private conveyance, to a sea port, in hopes a conveyance may be found by some merchant vessel.

I have the honor to be, &c.

TH: JEFFERSON.

FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO JOHN JAY.

Paris, September 3, 1788.

Sir,

By Mrs. Barclay, I had the honor of sending you letters of the 3rd, 10th and 11th, of August; since which I wrote you of the 20th of the same month, by a casual conveyance, as is the present.

In my letter of the 20th, I informed you of the act of public bankruptcy which had taken place here. The effect of this would have been a forced loan of about one hundred and eighty millions of livres in the course of the present and ensuing year. But it did not yield a sufficient immediate relief. The treasury became literal