第9章

from5。tillbedtimereadEnglish，write&c。

CommunicatethisplantoMrs。Hopkinsonandifsheapprovesofitpursueit。AslongasMrs。TristremainsinPhiladelphiacultivateheraffections。Shehasbeenavaluablefriendtoyouandhergoodsenseandgoodheartmakehervaluedbyallwhoknowherandbynobodyonearthmorethanbyme。Iexpectyouwillwritetomebyeverypost。Informmewhatbooksyouread，whattunesyoulearn，andinclosemeyourbestcopyofeverylessonindrawing。WritealsoonelettereveryweekeithertoyourauntEppes，yourauntSkipwith，yourauntCarr，orthelittleladyfromwhomInowinclosealetter，andalwaysputtheletteryousowriteundercovertome。Takecarethatyouneverspellawordwrong。Alwaysbeforeyouwriteawordconsiderhowitisspelt，andifyoudonotrememberit，turntoadictionary。Itproducesgreatpraisetoaladytospellwell。I

haveplacedmyhappinessonseeingyougoodandaccomplished，andnodistresswhichthisworldcannowbringonmecouldequalthatofyourdisappointingmyhopes。Ifyoulovemethen，strivetobegoodundereverysituationandtoalllivingcreatures，andtoacquirethoseaccomplishmentswhichIhaveputinyourpower，andwhichwillgofartowardsensuringyouthewarmestloveofyouraffectionatefather，P。S。Keepmylettersandreadthemattimesthatyoumayalwayshavepresentinyourmindthosethingswhichwillendearyoutome。

THEMAMMOTHANDWESTERNEXPLORATION

_ToGeorgeRogersClark_

_Annapolis，Dec。4，1783_

DEARSIR——IreceivedhereaboutaweekagoyourobligingletterofOct。12。1783。withtheshellsandseedsforwhichIreturnyoumanythanks。Youarealsosokindastokeepalivethehopeofgettingformeasmanyofthedifferentspeciesofbones，teethandtusksofthe_Mammoth_ascannowbefound。Thiswillbemostacceptable。PittsburgandPhiladelphiaorWinchesterwillbethesurestchannelofconveyance。IfindtheyhavesubscribedaverylargesumofmoneyinEnglandforexploringthecountryfromtheMissisipitoCalifornia。Theypretenditisonlytopromoteknolege。

Iamafraidtheyhavethoughtsofcolonisingintothatquarter。Someofushavebeentalkinghereinafeeblewayofmakingtheattempttosearchthatcountry。ButIdoubtwhetherwehaveenoughofthatkindofspirittoraisethemoney。Howwouldyouliketoleadsuchaparty?ThoIamafraidourprospectisnotworthaskingthequestion。Thedefinitivetreatyofpeaceisatlengtharrived。Itisnotalteredfromthepreliminaries。ThecessionoftheterritoryWestofOhiototheUnitedstateshasbeenatlengthacceptedbyCongresswithsomesmallalterationsoftheconditions。WeareindailyexpectationofreceivingitwiththefinalapprobationofVirginia。Congresshavebeenlatelyagitatedbyquestionswheretheyshouldfixtheirresidence。TheyfirstresolvedonTrentown。TheSouthernstateshowevercontrivedtogetavotethattheywouldgivehalftheirtimetoGeorgetownattheFallsofPatowmac。StillweconsiderthematterasundecidedbetweentheDelawareandPatowmac。

WeurgethelatterastheonlypointofunionwhichcancementustoourWesternfriendswhentheyshallbeformedintoseparatestates。

IshallalwaysbehappytohearfromyouandamwithveryparticularesteemDr。SirYourfriend&humbleservt。

MOREADVICE

_ToMarthaJefferson_

_Annapolis，Dec。11，1783_

MYDEARPATSY——Iwroteyoubythepostthisdayfortnight，sincewhichIhreceivedtwolettersfromyou。Iamafraidthatyoumaynothavesenttothepostofficeandthereforethatmylettermaybestilllyingthere。Tho’mybusinessheremaynotletmewritetoyoueveryweekyetitwillnotbeamissforyoutoenquireattheofficeeveryweek。IwrotetoMr。Housebythelastpost。Perhapshislettermaystillbeintheoffice。Ihopeyouwillhavegoodsenseenoughtodisregardthosefoolishpredictionsthattheworldistobeatanendsoon。Thealmightyhasnevermadeknowntoanybodyatwhattimehecreatedit，norwillhetellanybodywhenhemeanstoputanendtoit，ifeverhemeanstodoit。Astopreparationsforthatevent，thebestwayisforyoutobealwayspreparedforit。

Theonlywaytobesoisnevertodonorsayabadthing。Ifeveryouareabouttosayanythingamissortodoanythingwrong，considerbeforehand。Youwillfeelsomethingwithinyouwhichwilltellyouitiswrongandoughtnottobesaidordone：thisisyourconscience，andbesuretoobeyit。Ourmakerhasgivenusall，thisfaithfulinternalMonitor，andifyoualwaysobeyit，youwillalwaysbepreparedfortheendoftheworld：orforamuchmorecertaineventwhichisdeath。Thismusthappentoall：itputsanendtotheworldastous，andthewaytobereadyforitisnevertodoawrongact。Iamgladyouareproceedingregularlyunderyourtutors。YoumustnotletthesicknessofyourFrenchmasterinterruptyourreadingFrench，becauseyouareabletodothatwiththehelpofyourdictionary。RememberIdesiredyoutosendmethebestcopyyoushouldmakeofeverylessonMr。Cimitiereshouldsetyou。InthisI

hopeyouwillbepunctualbecauseitwillletmeseehowyouaregoingon。Alwaysletmeknowtoowhattunesyouplay。PresentmycomplimentstoMrs。Hopkinson，Mrs。HouseandMrs。Trist。IhadaletterfromyouruncleEppeslastweekinformingmethatPollyisverywell，andLucyrecoveredfromanindispostion。IammydearPatsyyouraffectionatefather，AMERICAN”POLITICS&POVERTY”

_ToChastellux_

_Annapolis，Jan。16，1784_

DEARSIR——L’t。ColoFranksbeingappointedtocarrytoParisoneofthecopiesofourratifnoftheDef。treaty，&beingtodepartintheinstantofhisappointm’t。furnishesmeahastyoppyofobtrudingmyselfonyourrecollection。Shouldthisprovetroublesomeyoumusttaketheblameashavingexposedyourselftomyesteembylettingmebecomeacquaintedwithyourmerit。Ourtransactionsonthissidethewatermustnowhavebecomeuninterestingtotherestoftheworld。Wearebusyhoweveramongourselvesendeavoringtogetournewgovernmentsintoregularandconcertedmotion。ForthispurposeIbeleiveweshallfindsomeadditionsrequisitetoourConfederation。Asyeteverythinghasgonesmoothlysincethewar。

WearedivertedwiththeEuropeanacc’ts。oftheanarchy&oppositiontogovmtinAmerica。Nothingcanbemoreuntruethantheserelations。Therewasindeedsomedisatisfactioninthearmyatnotbeingpaidoffbeforetheyweredisbanded，andaverytriflingmutinyof200souldiersinPhiladelphia，onthelatteroccasionCongressleftthatplacedisgustedwiththepusillanimityofthegovmtandnotfromanywantofsecuritytotheirownpersons。TheindignationwhichtheotherstatesfeltatthisinsulttotheirdelegateshasenlistedthemmorewarmlyinsupportofCongress&thepeople，thelegislature，&theExec。themselvesofPennsvtahavemadethemostsatisfactoryatonements。Somepeoplealsoofwarmbloodundertooktoresolveascommeesforproscribingtherefugees。Buttheywerefew，scatteredhere&therethroughtheseveralstates，wereabsolutelyunnoticedbythosebothin&outofpower，andneverexpressedanideaofnotacquiescingultimatelyunderthedecisionsoftheirgovernments。Thegreatestdifficultywefindistogetmoneyfromthem。Thereasonisnotfoundedintheirunwillingness，butintheirrealinability。Youwereawitnesstothetotaldestructionofourcommerce，devastationofourcountry，andabsenceofthepreciousmetals。Itcannotbeexpectedthattheseshouldflowinbutthroughthechannelsofcommerce，orthatthesechannelscanbeopenedinthefirstinstantofpeace。Timeisrequisitetoavailourselvesoftheproductionsoftheearth，andthefirstofthesewillbeappliedtorenewourstockofthosenecessariesofwhichwehadbeentotallyexhausted。ButenoughofAmericait’spolitics&poverty——

ScienceIsupposeisgoingonwithyourapidlyasusual。Iamindailyhopesofseeingsomethingfromyourpenwhichmayportrayustoourselves。Awareofthebiasofselflove&prejudiceinmyselfandthatyourpictureswillbefaithfulIamdeterminedtoannihilatemyownopinionsandgivefullcredittoyours。ImustcautionyoutodistrustinformationfrommyanswerstoMonsr。deMarbois’queries。

Ihavelatelyhadalittleleisuretorevisethem。Ifoundsomethingsshouldbeomitted，manycorrected，andmoresupplied&

enlarged。Theyareswelledtotreblebulk。BeingnowtoomuchforM。S。copiesIthinktheensuingspringtoprintadozenor20copiestobegiventomyfriends，notsufferinganothertogoout。AsI

havepresumedtoplaceyouinthatnumberIshalltakethelibertyofsendingyouacopyasatestimonyofthesincereesteemandaffectionwithwhichIhavethehonortobeD’rSirYourmo。ob。&mo。hblserv’tWESTERNCOMMERCE

_ToGeorgeWashington_

_Annapolis，Mar。15，1784_

D’r。SIR，——Sincemylastnothingnewhasoccurred，IsupposethecrippledstateofCongressisnotnewtoyou。Wehaveonly9

statespresent，8。ofwhomarerepresentedbytwomemberseach，andofcourse，onallgreatquestionsnotonlyanunanimityofStatesbutofmembersisnecessary。Anunanimitywhichnevercanbeobtainedonamatterofanyimportance。Theconsequenceisthatwearewastingourtime&labourinvaineffortstodobusiness——Nothinglessthanthepresenceof13。States，representedbyanoddnumberofdelegateswillenableustogetforwardasinglecapitalpoint。ThedeedforthecessionofWesternterritorybyVirginiawasexecuted&

acceptedonthe1’stinstant。IhopeourcountrywillofherselfdeterminetocedestillfurthertothemeridianofthemouthofthegreatKanhaway。Furthershecannotgovern；sofarisnecessaryforherownwellbeing。Thereasonswhichcallforthisboundary(whichwillretainallthewatersoftheKanhaway)are1。Thatwithinthatareourleadmines。2。ThisriverrisinginN。Carolatraversesourwholelatitudeandofferstoeverypartofitachannelfornavigation&commercetotheWesternCountry，but3。Itisachannelwhichcannotbeopenedbutatimmenseexpenseandwitheveryfacilitywhichanabsolutepoweroverbothshoreswillgive。4。Thisriver&it’swatersformsabandofgoodlandpassingalongourwholefrontier，andformingonitabarrierwhichwillbestronglyseated。

5。For180milesbeyondthesewatersisamountainousbarrenwhichcanneverbeinhabited&willofcourseformasafeseparationbetweenus&anyotherState。6。Thistractofcountryliesmoreconvenienttoreceiveit’sgovernmentfromVirginiathanfromanyotherState。7。ItwillpreservetousalltheupperpartsofYohogany&CheatriverswithinwhichmuchwillbedonetoopenthesewhicharethetruedoorstotheWesterncommerce。TheunionofthisnavigationwiththatofthePatowmacisasubjectonwhichI

mentionedthatIwouldtakethelibertyofwritingtoyou。Iamsureit’svalueandpracticabilityarebothwellknowntoyou。Thisisthemomenthoweverforseizingitifeverwemeantohaveit。Alltheworldisbecomingcommercial。Wasitpracticabletokeepournewempireseparatedfromthemwemightindulgeourselvesinspeculatingwhethercommercecontributestothehappinessofmankind。Butwecannotseparateourselvesfromthem。Ourcitizenshavehadtoofullatasteofthecomfortsfurnishedbythearts&manufacturestobedebarredtheuseofthem。Wemusttheninourdefenceendeavourtoshareaslargeaportionaswecanofthismodernsourceofwealth&

power。ThatofferedtousfromtheWesternCountryisunderacompetitionbetweentheHudson，thePatowmac&theMissisipiitself。

Downthelastwillpassallheavycommodities。ButthenavigationthroughthegulfofMexicoissodangerous，&thatuptheMissisipisodifficult&tedious，thatitisnotprobablethatEuropeanmerchandizewillreturnthroughthatchannel。Itismostlikelythatflour，lumber&otherheavyarticleswillbefloatedonraftswhichwillbethemselvesanarticleofsaleaswellastheirloading，thenavigatorsreturningbylandorinlightbatteaux。TherewillthereforebearivalshipbetweentheHudson&PatowmacfortheresidueofthecommerceofallthecountryWestwardofL。Erie，onthewatersofthelakes，oftheOhio&upperpartsoftheMissisipi。

TogotoN。York，thatpartofthetradewhichcomesfromthelakesortheirwatersmustfirstbebroughtintoL。Erie。SoalsomustthatwhichcomesfromthewatersoftheMissisipi，andofcoursemustcrossatsomeportageintothewatersofthelakes。WhenitshallhaveenteredL。Erieitmustcoastalongit’sSouthernShoreonaccountofthenumber&excellenceofit’sharbours，theNorthern，tho’shortest，havingfewharbours&theseunsafe。HavingreachedCuyahoga，toproceedontoN。Yorkwillbe970milesfromthence&

fiveportages，whereasitisbut430milestoAlexandria，ifitturnsintotheCuyahoga&passesthroughthat，Bigbeaver，Ohio，Yohogany(orMonongahela&Cheat)&Patowmac，&therearebuttwoportages。

ForthetradeoftheOhioorthatwhichshallcomeintoitfromit’sownwatersortheMissisipi，itisnearertoAlexandriathantoNewYorkby730miles，andisinterruptedbyoneportageonly。NaturethenhasdeclaredinfavourofthePatowmac，andthroughthatchannelofferstopourintoourlapthewholecommerceoftheWesternworld。

ButunfortunatelythechannelbytheHudsonisalreadyopen&knowninpractice；oursisstilltobeopened。ThisisthemomentinwhichthetradeoftheWestwillbegintogetintomotionandtotakeit’sdirection。Itbehovesusthentoopenourdoorstoit。IhavelatelypressedthissubjectonmyfriendsintheGeneralassembly，proposingtothemtoendeavortohaveataxlaidwhichshallbringintoaseparatechestfromfivetotenthousandpoundsayear，tobeemployedfirstinopeningtheupperwatersoftheOhio&Patowmac，wherealittlemoney&timewilldoagreatdeal，leavingthegreatfallsforthelastpartofthework。ToremovetheideaofpartialityIhavesuggestedthepropriety&justiceofcontinuingthisfundtillalltheriversshallbeclearedsuccessively。Butamostpowerfulobjectionalwaysarisestopropositionsofthiskind。

Itisthatpublicundertakingsarecarelesslymanagedandmuchmoneyspenttolittlepurpose。Toobviatethisobjectionisthepurposeofmygivingyouthetroubleofthisdiscussion。Youhaveretiredfrompubliclife。Youhaveweighedthisdetermination&itwouldbeimpertinenceinmetotouchit。Butwouldthesuperintendenceofthisworkbreakintoomuchonthesweetsofretirement&repose?IftheywouldIstophere。Yourfuturetime&wishesaresacredinmyeye。Ifitwouldbeonlyadignifiedamusementtoyou，whatamonumentofyourretirementwoulditbe！Itisonewhichwouldfollowthatofyourpubliclifeandbespeakittheworkofthesamegreathand。Iamconfidentthatwouldyoueitheraloneorjointlywithanypersonsyouthinkproperbewillingtodirectthisbusiness，itwouldremovetheonlyobjectiontheweightofwhichIapprehend。

Tho’thetaxshouldnotcomeintillthefall，it’sproceedsshouldbeanticipatedbyborrowingfromsomeotherfundtoenabletheworktobebegunthissummer。Whenyouviewmeasnotowning，noreverhavingaprospectofowningoneinchoflandonanywatereitherofthePatowmacorOhio，itwilltendtoapologizeforthetroubleI