3216
WantingtocompleteMably’sworkswhichIhavenotbeenabletoprocurelesprincipesdelegislationsurlesGrecssurlaPologne。
ChronologiedesempiresanciennesdelaCombe。5-0-0
del’histoireuniverselledeHornot……1。v。8vo。4f4-0-0
del’histoireuniverselledeBerlie……1。v。8vo。2f10rel。1f53-15
desempereursRomainsparRicher……2。v。8vo。8frel。2f1010-10
desJuifs……1。v。8vo。3f10rel。1f54-15
del’histoireuniverselleparDuFresnoy。2。v。8vo。13frel。2f1015-10
del’histoireduNord。
parLaCombe。2。v。8vo。10f。rel。2f1012-10
deFrance。parHenault……3。v。8vo。12f。rel。5f15-15
_livressousden_
MemoriesdeVoltaire。2。v。in1。2f10rel。15s……3-5-0
LinnaeiPhilosophiaBotanica。1。v。8vo。7frel。1f58-5
Generaplantarum1。v。8vo。8frel。1f5……9-5
Speciesplantarum。4。v。8vo。32frel。5f……37-0
Systemanaturae4。v。8vo。26frel。5f……31-0
Clayton。FloraVirginica。4to。12f。rel。2f10……14-10
D’Albonsurl’interetdeplusieursnations。4。v。
12mo。12f。rel。3f……15-0
SystemedelanaturedeDiderot。3。v。8vo。21fprohibited。21-0
CoussinhistoireRomaine。
2。v。in1。12mo。}
deConstantinople8。v。in10。}16。vols。
del’empiredel’Occident2。v。}12mo。36-0-0
del’eglise。5。v。in3。}
DroitdelaNature。porWolff。6。v。12mo。15frel。
4f10……19-10
VoyagedePaget8vo。3。v。in1……9
Mirabeau。Amideshommes5。v。12mo。}
Theoriedel’import2。v。in1。12mo。}12
BUFFON。SUPPLEMENTII。12。Oiseaux17。18。
Mineraux1。2。3。4……24。
LettresdePascal。12mo。2f。rel。15s……2-15
Lesagealacouretleroivoiageurprohibited……10-15
Principlesdelegislationuniverselle2。v。8vo……12-0
OrdonnancesdelaMarineparValin。2。v。4to……22
Diderotsurlessourdsandmuets}
12mo。3f12。surles}4。v。12mo。13-7
aveugles3f。surlanature3f。}
surlamorale3f15}
Mariana’shistoryofSpainII。v。12mo……21
2trunks&packingpaper……43-0——
1154-13
CLIMATEANDAMERICANCHARACTER
_ToChastellux_
_Paris,Sep。2,1785_
DEARSIR,——YouweresokindastoallowmeafortnighttoreadyourjourneythroughVirginia。butyoushouldhavethoughtofthisindulgencewhileyouwerewritingit,andhaverendereditlessinterestingifyoumeantthatyourreadersshouldhavebeenlongerengagedwithit。infactIdevoureditatasinglemeal,andasecondreadingscarceallowedmesang-froidenoughtomarkafewerrorsinthenamesofpersonsandplaceswhichInoteonapaperhereininclosed,withaninconsiderableerrorortwoinfactswhichIhavealsonotedbecauseIsupposedyouwishedtostatethemcorrectly。
fromthisgeneralapprobationhoweveryoumustallowmetoexceptaboutadozenpagesintheearlierpartofthebookwhichIreadwithacontinuedblushfrombeginningtoend,asitpresentedmealivelypictureofwhatIwishtobe,butamnot。no,mydearSir,thethousandmillionthpartofwhatyoutheresay,ismorethanI
deserve。itmightperhapshavepassedinEuropeatthetimeyouwroteit,andtheexaggerationmightnothavebeendetected。butconsiderthattheanimalisnowbroughtthere,andthateveryonewilltakehisdimensionsforhimself。thefriendlycomplexionofyourmindhasbetrayedyouintoapartialityofwhichtheEuropeanspectatorwillbedivested。respecttoyourselfthereforewillrequireindispensablythatyouexpungethewholeofthosepagesexceptyourownjudiciousobservationsinterspersedamongthemonanimalandphysicalsubjects。
withrespecttomycountrymenthereissurelynothingwhichcanrenderthemuneasy,intheobservationsmadeonthem。theyknowthattheyarenotperfect,andwillbesensiblethatyouhaveviewedthemwithaphilanthropiceye。yousaymuchgoodofthem,andlessillthantheyareconsciousmaybesaidwithtruth。Ihavestudiedtheircharacterwithattention。Ihavethoughtthem,asyoufoundthem,aristocratical,pompous,clannish,indolent,hospitable,andIshouldhaveadded,disinterested,butyousayattachedtotheirinterest。
thisistheonlytraitintheircharacterwhereinourobservationsdiffer。Ihavealwaysthoughtthemsocarelessoftheirinterests,sothoughtlessintheirexpencesandinalltheirtransactionsofbusinessthatIhadplaceditamongthevicesoftheircharacter,asindeedmostvirtueswhencarriedbeyondcertainboundsdegenerateintovices。Ihadevenascribedthistoit’scause,tothatwarmthoftheirclimatewhichunnervesandunmansbothbodyandmind。whileonthissubjectIwillgiveyoumyideaofthecharactersoftheseveralstates。
InthenorththeyareInthesouththeyarecoolfierysobervoluptuarylaboriousindolentperseveringunsteadyindependantindependantjealousoftheirownliberties,zealousfortheirownliberties,andjusttothoseofothersbuttramplingonthoseofothers。
interestedgenerouschicaningcandidsuperstitiousandhypocriticalinwithoutattachmentorpretensionstheirreligiontoanyreligonbutthatoftheheart。
thesecharacteristicsgrowweakerandweakerbygradationfromNorthtoSouthandSouthtoNorth,insomuchthatanobservingtraveller,withouttheaidofthequadrantmayalwaysknowhislatitudebythecharacterofthepeopleamongwhomhefindshimself。
itisinPennsylvaniathatthetwocharactersseemtomeetandblend,andformapeoplefreefromtheextremesbothofviceandvirtue。
peculiarcircumstanceshavegiventoNewYorkthecharacterwhichclimatewouldhavegivenhadshebeenplacedontheSouthinsteadofthenorthsideofPennsylvania。perhapstooothercircumstancesmayhaveoccasionedinVirginiaatransplantationofaparticularviceforeigntoit’sclimate。youcouldjudgeofthiswithmoreimpartialitythanIcould,andtheprobabilityisthatyourestimateofthemisthemostjust。Ithinkitfortheirgoodthatthevicesoftheircharactershouldbepointedouttothemthattheymayamendthem;foramaladyofeitherbodyormindonceknownishalfcured。
Iwishyouwouldaddtothispieceyourlettertomr。MadisonontheexpediencyofintroducingtheartsintoAmerica。Ifoundinthatagreatdealofmatter,verymanyobservations,whichwouldbeusefultothelegislatorsofAmerica,andtothegeneralmassofcitizens。
Ireaditwithgreatpleasureandanalysedit’scontentsthatImightfixtheminmyownmind。
Ihavethehonortobewithverysincereesteem,dearSir,yourmostobedientandmosthumbleservt。”THISBEAUTIFULART”
_ToJamesMadison_
_Paris,September20,1785_
DEARSIR,——ByMr。Fitzhugh,youwillreceivemyletterofthefirstinstant。Heisstillhere,andgivesmeanopportunityofagainaddressingyoumuchsoonerthanIshouldhavedone,butforthediscoveryofagreatpieceofinattention。InthatletterIsendyouadetailofthecostofyourbooks,anddesireyoutokeeptheamountinyourhands,asifIhadforgotthatapartofitwasinfactyourown,asbeingabalanceofwhatIhadremainedinyourdebt。I
reallydidnotattendtoitinthemomentofwriting,andwhenitoccurredtome,IrevisedmymemorandumbookfromthetimeofourbeinginPhiladelphiatogether,andstatedouraccountfromthebeginning,lestIshouldforgetormistakeanypartofit。Iencloseyouthisstatement。Youwillalwaysbesogoodastoletmeknow,fromtimetotime,youradvancesforme。Correctwithfreedomallmyproceedingsforyou,as,inwhatIdo,Ihavenootherdesirethanthatofdoingexactlywhatwillbemostpleasingtoyou。
IreceivedthissummeraletterfromMessrs。BuchananandHay,asDirectorsofthepublicbuildings,desiringIwouldhavedrawnforthem,plansofsundrybuildings,and,inthefirstplace,ofacapitol。Theyfixed,fortheirreceivingthisplan,adaywhichwaswithinaboutsixweeksofthatonwhichtheirlettercametomyhand。
Iengagedanarchitectofcapitalabilitiesinthisbusiness。Muchtimewasrequsite,aftertheexternalformwasagreedon,tomaketheinternaldistributionconvenientforthethreebranchesofgovernment。Thistimewasmuchlengthenedbymyavocationstootherobjects,whichIhadnorighttoneglect。Theplanhoweverwassettled。Thegentlemenhadsentmeonewhichtheyhadthoughtof。
Theoneagreedonhere,ismoreconvenient,morebeautiful,givesmoreroom,andwillnotcostmorethantwothirdsofwhatthatwould。
WetookforourmodelwhatiscalledtheMaisonquarreeofNismes,oneofthemostbeautiful,ifnotthemostbeautifulandpreciousmorselofarchitectureleftusbyantiquity。ItwasbuiltbyCaiusandLuciusCaesar,andrepairedbyLouisXIV。,andhasthesuffrageofallthejudgesofarchitecture,whohaveseenit,asyieldingtonooneofthebeautifulmonumentsofGreece,Rome,Palmyra,andBalbec,whichlatetravellershavecommunicatedtous。Itisverysimple,butitisnoblebeyondexpression,andwouldhavedonehonortoourcountry,aspresentingtotravellersaspecimenoftasteinourinfancy,promisingmuchforourmaturerage。Ihavebeenmuchmortifiedwithinformation,whichIreceivedtwodaysagofromVirginia,thatthefirstbrickofthecapitolwouldbelaidwithinafewdays。Butsurely,thedelayofthispieceofasummerwouldhavebeenrepairedbythesavingsintheplanpreparinghere,werewetovalueitsothersuperioritiesasnothing。Buthowisatasteinthisbeautifularttobeformedinourcountrymen,unlessweavailourselvesofeveryoccasionwhenpublicbuildingsaretobeerected,ofpresentingtothemmodelsfortheirstudyandimitation?Praytryifyoucaneffectthestoppingofthiswork。IhavewrittenalsotoE。R。onthesubject。Thelosswillbeonlyofthelayingthebricksalreadylaid,orapartofthem。Thebricksthemselveswilldoagainfortheinteriorwalls,andonesidewallandoneendwallmayremain,astheywillanswerequallywellforourplan。Thislossisnottobeweighedagainstthesavingofmoneywhichwillarise,againstthecomfortoflayingoutthepublicmoneyforsomethinghonorable,thesatisfactionofseeinganobjectandproofofnationalgoodtaste,andtheregretandmortificationoferectingamonumentofourbarbarism,whichwillbeloadedwithexecrationsaslongasitshallendure。Theplansareingoodforwardness,andIhopewillbereadywithinthreeorfourweeks。Theycouldnotbestoppednow,butonpayingtheirwholeprice,whichwillbeconsiderable。Iftheundertakersareafraidtoundowhattheyhavedone,encouragethemtoitbyarecommendationfromtheAssembly。YouseeIamanenthusiastonthesubjectofthearts。ButitisanenthusiasmofwhichIamnotashamed,asitsobjectistoimprovethetasteofmycountrymen,toincreasetheirreputation,toreconciletothemtherespectoftheworld,andprocurethemitspraise。
Ishallsendoffyourbooks,intwotrunks,toHavre,withintwoorthreedays,tothecareofMr。Limozin,Americanagentthere。
Iwilladviseyou,assoonasIknowbywhatvesselheforwardsthem。
Adieu。
Your’saffectionately,MARSANDMINERVA
_ToAbigailAdams_
_Paris,Sep。25,1785_
DEARMADAM——Mr。Short’sreturnthenightbeforelastavailedmeofyourfavourofAug。12。Iimmediatelyorderedtheshoesyoudesiredwhichwillbereadytomorrow。IamnotcertainwhetherthiswillbeintimeforthedepartureofMr。BarclayorofColo。Franks,foritisnotyetdecidedwhichofthemgoestoLondon。Ihavealsoprocuredforyouthreeplateauxdedessertwithasilveredballustraderoundthem,andfourfiguresofBiscuit。Theformercost192’t,thelatter12’teach,makingtogether240livresor10。Louis。
ThemerchantundertakestosendthembythewayofRouenthroughthehandsofMr。GarveyandtohavethemdeliveredinLondon。Therewillbesomeadditionalexpencesofpacking,transportationanddutieshere。ThoseinEnglandIimagineyoucansave。WhenIknowtheamountIwillinformyouofit,buttherewillbenooccasiontoremitithere。WithrespecttothefiguresIcouldonlyfindthreeofthoseyounamed,matchedinsize。ThesewereMinerva,Diana,andApollo。Iwasobligedtoaddafourth,unguidedbyyourchoice。
TheyofferedmeafineVenus;butIthoughtitoutoftastetohavetwoattableatthesametime。ParisandHelenwerepresented。I
conceiveditwouldbecrueltoremovethemfromtheirpeculiarshrine。WhentheyshallpasstheAtlantic,itwillbetosingarequiemoverourfreedomandhappiness。AtlengthafineMarswasoffered,calm,bold,hisfaulchionnotdrawn,butreadytobedrawn。
Thiswilldo,thinksI,forthetableoftheAmericanMinisterinLondon,wherethosewhomitmayconcernmaylookandlearnthatthoughWisdomisourguide,andtheSongandChaseoursupremedelight,yetweofferadorationtothattutelargodalsowhorockedthecradleofourbirth,whohasacceptedourinfantofferings,andhasshewnhimselfthepatronofourrightsandavengerofourwrongs。
Thegroupethenwasclosed,andyourpartyformed。Envyandmalicewillneverbequiet。IhearitalreadywhisperedtoyouthatinadmittingMinervatoyourtableIhavedepartedfromtheprinciplewhichmademerejectVenus:inplainEnglishthatIhavepaidajustrespecttothedaughterbutfailedtothemother。NoMadam,myrespecttobothissincere。Wisdom,Iknow,issocial。Sheseeksherfellows。ButBeautyisjealous,andillybearsthepresenceofarival——but,Allons,letusturnoveranotherleaf,andbeginthenextchapter。IreceivebyMr。ShortabudgetofLondonpapers。
Theyteemwitheveryhorrorofwhichhumannatureiscapable。
第15章