首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第15章

第15章

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  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。