首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第38章

第38章

  Thishasenabledmetoengagesomanypersonsintheexperimentastobetolerablysureitwillbefairlymadebysomeofthem。ItwillfurnishalsoacomparisonwiththatfromTimor。Ihavethesuccessofthisspeciesofriceatheart,becauseitwillnotonlyenableotherstatestocultivatericewhichhavenotlandssusceptibleofinundationbutbecausealsoifthericebeasgoodasissaid,itmaytakeplaceofthewetriceintheSouthernstates,&bysupersedingthenecessityofoverflowingtheirlands,savethemfromthepestilential&mortalfeversbroughtonbythatoperation。
  WehavelatelyhadintroducedaplantoftheMelonspecieswhich,fromit’sexternalresemblancetothepumpkin,wehavecalledapumpkin,distinguishingitspecificallyasthe_potatoe-pumpkin_,onaccountoftheextremeresemblanceofit’stastetothatofthesweet-potatoe。Itisasyetbutlittleknown,iswellesteemedatourtable,andparticularlyvaluedbyournegroe’s。Comingmuchearlierthantherealpotatoe,wearesomuchthesoonerfurnishedwithasubstituteforthatroot。Iknownotfromwhenceitcame;sothatperhapsitmaybeoriginallyfromyourislands。InthatcaseyouwillonlyhavethetroubleofthrowingawaythefewseedsI
  encloseyouherewith。Ontheotherhand,ifunknownwithyou,I
  thinkitwillprobablysucceedintheislands,andmayaddtothecatalogueofplantswhichwilldoassubstitutesforbread。Ihavealwaysthoughtthatifintheexperimentstointroduceortocommunicatenewplants,onespeciesinanhundredisfounduseful&
  succeeds,theninetyninefoundotherwisearemorethanpaidfor。Mypresentsituation&occupationsarenotfriendlytoagriculturalexperiments,howeverstronglyIamledtothembyinclination。I
  willaskpermissiontoaddressmyselftoyouforsuchseedsasmightbeworthtryingfromyourquarter,freelyofferingyoureciprocalservicesinthesameoranyotherlineinwhichyouwillbesogoodastocommandthem。Ihavethehonortobewithgreatrespect&
  esteem,SirYourmostobedt。&mosthumbleservt,”ASCOLDINGLETTER”
  _ToMarthaJeffersonRandolph_
  _Philadelphia,Dec。23,1790_
  MYDEARDAUGHTER——Thisisascoldingletterforyouall。I
  havenotrecievedascripofapenfromhomesinceIleftitwhichisnowelevenweeks。Ithinkitsoeasyforyoutowritemeonelettereveryweek,whichwillbebutonceinthreeweeksforeachofyou,whenIwriteoneeveryweekwhohavenotonemoment’sreposefrombusinessfromthefirsttothelastmomentoftheweek。Perhapsyouthinkyouhavenothingtosaytome。Itisagreatdealtosayyouareallwell,orthatonehasacold,anotherafever&c。,besidesthatthereisnotasprigofgrassthatshootsuninterestingtome,noranythingthatmoves,fromyourselfdowntoBergereorGrizzle。
  Writethenmydeardaughterpunctuallyonyourday,andMr。RandolphandPollyontheirs。Isuspectyoumayhavenewstotellmeofyourselfofthemosttenderinteresttome。Whysilentthen?
  Iamstillwithoutahouse,andconsequentlywithoutaplacetoopenmyfurniture。ThishaspreventedmysendingyouwhatIwastosendforMonticello。Inthemeantimetheriverisfrozenupsoasthatnovesselcangetout,norprobablywillthesetwomonths:sothatyouwillbemuchlongerwithoutthemthanIhadhoped。Iknowhowinconvenientthiswillbeandamdistressedatit;butthereisnohelp。IsendapamphletforMr。Randolph。Mybestaffectionstohim,Pollyandyourself。Adieumydear,AHERETICALSECT
  _ToGeorgeMason_
  _Philadelphia,Feb。4,1791_
  DEARSIR,——IamtomakeyoumyacknowledgmentsforyourfavorofJan。10,&theinformationfromFrancewhichitcontained。ItconfirmedwhatIhadheardmorelooselybefore,andaccountsstillmorerecentaretothesameeffect。IlookwithgreatanxietyforthefirmestablishmentofthenewgovernmentinFrance,beingperfectlyconvincedthatifittakesplacethere,itwillspreadsoonerorlateralloverEurope。Onthecontraryachecktherewouldretardtherevivaloflibertyinothercountries。Iconsidertheestablishmentandsuccessoftheirgovernmentasnecessarytostayupourown,andtopreventitfromfallingbacktothatkindofHalf-wayhouse,theEnglishconstitution。Itcannotbedeniedthatwehaveamongusasectwhobelievethattocontainwhateverisperfectinhumaninstitutions;thatthemembersofthissecthave,manyofthem,names&officeswhichstandhighintheestimationofourcountrymen。
  Istillrelythatthegreatmassofourcommunityisuntaintedwiththeseheresies,asisit’shead。OnthisIbuildmyhopethatwehavenotlabouredinvain,andthatourexperimentwillstillprovethatmencanbegovernedbyreason。Youhaveexcitedmycuriosityinsaying”thereisaparticularcircumstance,littleattendedto,whichiscontinuallysappingtherepublicanismoftheUnitedStates。”Whatisit?Whatissaidinourcountryofthefiscalarrangementsnowgoingon?IreallyfeartheireffectwhenIconsiderthepresenttemperoftheSouthernstates。Whetherthesemeasuresberightorwrongabstractedly,moreattentionshouldbepaidtothegeneralopinion。However,allwillpass——theexcisewillpass——thebankwillpass。Theonlycorrectiveofwhatiscorruptinourpresentformofgovernmentwillbetheaugmentationofthenumbersinthelowerhouse,soastogetamoreagriculturalrepresentation,whichmayputthatinterestabovethatofthestock-jobbers。
  IhadnooccasiontosoundMr。Madisononyourfearsexpressedinyourletter。Iknewbefore,aspossessinghissentimentsfullyonthatsubject,thathisvalueforyouwasundiminished。Ihavealwaysheardhimsaythatthoughyouandheappearedtodifferinyoursystems,yetyouwereintruthnearertogetherthanmostpersonswhowereclassedunderthesameappellation。Youmayquietyourselfintheassuranceofpossessinghiscompleteesteem。Ihavebeenendeavoringtoobtainsomelittledistinctionforourusefulcustomers,theFrench。Butthereisaparticularinterestopposedtoit,whichIfearwillprovetoostrong。Weshallsoonsee。IwillsendyouacopyofareportIhavegivenin,assoonasitisprinted。Iknowthereisonepartofitcontrarytoyoursentiments;
  yetIamnotsureyouwillnotbecomesensiblethatachangeshouldbeslowlypreparing。Certainly,wheneverIpassyourroad,Ishalldomyselfthepleasureofturningintoit。Ourlastyear’sexperiment,however,ismuchinfavorofthatbyNewgate。
  MONUMENTSOFTHEPAST
  _ToEbenezerHazard_
  _Philadelphia,February18,1791_
  SIR,——Ireturnyouthetwovolumesofrecords,withthanksfortheopportunityoflookingintothem。Theyarecuriousmonumentsoftheinfancyofourcountry。IlearnwithgreatsatisfactionthatyouareaboutcommittingtothepressthevaluablehistoricalandStatepapersyouhavebeensolongcollecting。Timeandaccidentarecommittingdailyhavocontheoriginalsdepositedinourpublicoffices。Thelatewarhasdonetheworkofcenturiesinthisbusiness。Thelastcannotberecovered,butletussavewhatremains;notbyvaultsandlockswhichfencethemfromthepubliceyeanduseinconsigningthemtothewasteoftime,butbysuchamultiplicationofcopies,asshallplacethembeyondthereachofaccident。Thisbeingthetendencyofyourundertaking,beassuredthereisnoonewhowishesitmoresuccessthan,Sir,yourmostobedientandmosthumbleservant。
  MEMORIESOFFRANKLIN
  _TotheRev。WilliamSmith_
  _Philadelphia,Feb。19,1791_
  DEARSIR,——Ifeelboththewish&thedutytocommunicate,incompliancewithyourrequest,whatever,withinmyknowledge,mightrenderjusticetothememoryofourgreatcountryman,D’rFranklin,inwhomPhilosophyhastodeploreoneofit’sprincipalluminariesextinguished。Butmyopportunitiesofknowingtheinterestingfactsofhislifehavenotbeenequaltomydesireofmakingthemknown。I
  couldindeedrelateanumberofthosebonmots,withwhichheusedtocharmeverysociety,ashavingheardmanyofthem。Butthesearenotyourobject。Particularsofgreaterdignityhappenednottooccurduringhisstayofninemonths,aftermyarrivalinFrance。
  Alittlebeforethat,Argandhadinventedhiscelebratedlamp,inwhichtheflameisspreadintoahollowcylinder,&thusbroughtintocontactwiththeairwithinaswellaswithout。Doct’rFranklinhadbeenonthepointofthesamediscovery。Theideahadoccurredtohim;buthehadtriedabull-rushasawick,whichdidnotsucceed。Hisoccupationsdidnotpermithimtorepeat&extendhistrialstotheintroductionofalargercolumnofairthancouldpassthroughthestemofabull-rush。
  TheanimalmagnetismtooofthemaniacMesmer,hadjustreceiveditsdeathwoundfromhishandinconjunctionwithhisbrethrenofthelearnedcommitteeappointedtounveilthatcompoundoffraud&folly。But,afterthis,nothingveryinterestingwasbeforethepublic,eitherinphilosophyorpolitics,duringhisstay;
  &hewasprincipallyoccupiedinwindinguphisaffairsthere。
  Icanonlythereforetestifyingeneralthatthereappearedtomemorerespect&venerationattachedtothecharacterofDoctorFranklininFrance,thantothatofanyotherpersoninthesamecountry,foreignornative。Ihadopportunitiesofknowingparticularlyhowfarthesesentimentswerefeltbytheforeignambassadors&ministersatthecourtofVersailles。ThefableofhiscapturebytheAlgerines,propagatedbytheEnglishnewspapers,excitednouneasiness;asitwasseenatoncetobeadishcookeduptothepalateoftheirreaders。Butnothingcouldexceedtheanxietyofhisdiplomaticbrethren,onasubsequentreportofhisdeath,which,tho’premature,boresomemarksofauthenticity。
  IfoundtheministersofFranceequallyimpressedwiththetalents&integrityofDoct’rFranklin。TheC’tdeVergennesparticularlygavemerepeatedandunequivocaldemonstrationsofhisentireconfidenceinhim。
  WhenheleftPassy,itseemedasifthevillagehadlostitspatriarch。Ontakingleaveofthecourt,whichhedidbyletter,theKingorderedhimtobehandsomelycomplimented,&furnishedhimwithalitter&mulesofhisown,theonlykindofconveyancethestateofhishealthcouldbear。
  NogreaterproofofhisestimationinFrancecanbegiventhanthelatelettersofcondolenceonhisdeath,fromtheNationalAssemblyofthatcountry,&theCommunityofParis,tothePresidentoftheUnitedStates,&toCongress,andtheirpublicmourningonthatevent。Itis,Ibelieve,thefirstinstanceofthathomagehavingbeenpaidbyapublicbodyofonenationtoaprivatecitizenofanother。
  Hisdeathwasanafflictionwhichwastohappentousatsometimeorother。Wehavereasontobethankfulhewassolongspared;
  thatthemostusefullifeshouldbethelongestalso;thatitwasprotractedsofarbeyondtheordinaryspanallottedtoman,astoavailusofhiswisdomintheestablishmentofourownfreedom,&toblesshimwithaviewofitsdawnintheeast,wheretheyseemed,tillnow,tohavelearnedeverything,buthowtobefree。
  ThesuccessiontoD’rFranklin,atthecourtofFrance,wasanexcellentschoolofhumility。OnbeingpresentedtoanyoneastheministerofAmerica,thecommonplacequestionusedinsuchcaseswas_”c’estvous,Monsieur,quiremplaceleDocteurFranklin?”_”itisyou,Sir,whoreplaceDoctorFranklin?”Igenerallyanswered,”noonecanreplacehim,Sir:Iamonlyhissuccessor。”
  Thesesmallofferingstothememoryofourgreat&dearfriend,whomtimewillbemakinggreaterwhileitisspungingusfromit’srecords,mustbeacceptedbyyou,Sir,inthatspiritoflove&
  venerationforhim,inwhichtheyaremade;andnotaccordingtotheirinsignificanceintheeyesofaworld,whodidnotwantthismitetofillupthemeasureofhisworth。
  CAPITOLONTHEPOTOMAC
  _ToMajorL’Enfant_
  _Philadelphia,April10,1791_
  SIR,——Iamfavoredwithyourletterofthe4thinstant,andincompliancewithyourrequest,Ihaveexaminedmypapers,andfoundtheplansofFrankfort-on-the-Mayne,Carlsruhe,Amsterdam,Strasburg,Paris,Orleans,Bordeaux,Lyons,Montpelier,Marseilles,Turin,andMilan,whichIsendinarollbythepost。Theyareonlargeandaccuratescales,havingbeenprocuredbymewhileinthoserespectivecitiesmyself。AstheyareconnectedwiththenotesImadeinmytravels,andoftennecessarytoexplainthemtomyself,Iwillbegyourcareofthem,andtoreturnthemwhennolongerusefultoyou,leavingyouabsolutelyfreetokeepthemaslongasuseful。IamhappythatthePresidenthaslefttheplanningofthetowninsuchgoodhands,andhavenodoubtitwillbedonetogeneralsatisfaction。Consideringthatthegroundstobereservedforthepublicaretobepaidforbytheacre,Ithinkveryliberalreservationsshouldbemadeforthem;andifthisbeabouttheTyberandonthebackofthetown,itwillbeofnoinjurytothecommerceoftheplace,whichwillundoubtedlyestablishitselfonthedeepwaterstowardstheeasternbranchandmouthofRockCreek;thewateraboutthemouthoftheTybernotbeingofanydepth。Thoseconnectedwiththegovernmentwillpreferfixingthemselvesnearthepublicgroundsinthecentre,whichwillalsobeconvenienttoberesortedtoaswalksfromtheloweranduppertown。HavingcommunicatedtothePresident,beforehewentaway,suchgeneralideasonthesubjectofthetownasoccurredtome,Imakenodoubtthat,inexplaininghimselftoyouonthesubject,hehasinterwovenwithhisownideas,suchofmineasheapproved。Forfearofrepeatingthereforewhathedidnotapprove,andhavingmoreconfidenceintheunbiassedstateofhismind,thaninmyown,Iavoidedinterferingwithwhathemayhaveexpressedtoyou。WheneveritisproposedtoprepareplansfortheCapitol,Ishouldprefertheadoptionofsomeoneofthemodelsofantiquity,whichhavehadtheapprobationofthousandsofyears;andforthePresident’shouse,Ishouldpreferthecelebratedfrontsofmodernbuildings,whichhavealreadyreceivedtheapprobationofallgoodjudges。SucharetheGalerieduLouire,theGardesmeubles,andtwofrontsoftheHoteldeSalm。Butofthisitisyettimeenoughtoconsider。InthemeantimeIam,withgreatesteem,Sir,yourmostobedienthumbleservant。
  ANOTEONINDIANPOLICY