will change its form. Now the balanced form is neces-
sary for the preservation of a revolving solid. The
Creator, therefore, of a revolving solid would make
it an oblate spheroid, that figure alone admitting a
perfect equilibrium. He would make it in that form
for another reason ; that is, to prevent a shifting of
the axis of rotation. Had he created the earth per-
fectly spherical its axis might have been perpetually
shifting by the influence of the other bodies of the
system, and by placing the inhabitants of the earth
successively under its poles it might have been de-
populated ; whereas being spheroidical it has but one
axis on which it can revolve in equilibrio. Suppose
the axis of the earth to shift 45, then cut it into 180
slices, making every section in the plane of a circle of
latitude perpendicular to the axis : every one of these
slices except the equatorial one would be unbalanced,
as there would be more matter on one side of its axis
than on the other. There would be but one diameter
drawn through such a slice which would divide it into
two equal parts ; on every other possible diameter the
parts would hang unequal ; this would produce an
irregularity in the diurnal rotation. We may there-
fore conclude it impossible for the poles of the earth
to shift if it was made spheroidically, and that it
would be made spheroidal, tho' solid to obtain this
nd. I use this reasoning only on the supposition
that the earth has had a beginning. I am sure I shall
read your conjectures on this subject with great pleas-
ure, tho' I bespeak before hand a right to indulge my
340 THE WRITINGS OF [1786
natural incredulity and scepticism. The pain in which
I write awakens me here from my reverie and obliges
me to conclude with compliments to Mrs. Thomson
and assurances to yourself of the esteem and affec-
tion with which I am, Dear Sir, your friend and
servant.
P. S. Since writing the preceding I have had a
conversation on the subject of the steam mills with
the famous Boulton, to whom those of London
belong, and who is here at this time. He compares
the effect of steam with that of horses in the follow-
ing manner : 6 horses, aided with the most advan-
tageous combination of the mechanical powers
hitherto tried will grind 6 bushels of flour in an
hour, at the end of which time they are all in a foam
and must rest. They can work thus 6 horses in the
24, grinding 36 bushels of flour which is six to each
horse for the 24 hours. His steam mill in London
consumes 120 bushels of coal in 24 hours, turns 10
prs of stones which grind 8 bushels of flour an hour
each, which is 1920 bushels in the 24 hours. This
makes a peck and a half of coal perform exactly as
much as a horse in one day can perform.
TO NICHOLAS LEWIS. J. MSS.
PARIS, 19 Dec., 1786.
DEAR SIR, I have duly received your favors of
March 14 & July 16. My last to you was of Apr. 22,
from London. I am obliged to you for the particu-
lar account you give me of my affairs, and the state
1786] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 34!
of the cash account made out by the steward. His
articles however were generally so shortly expressed
as to be quite unintelligible to me. Of this kind are
the following.
To James Foster & Benjamin Harris pr. Carter Braxton. .131.10.
To Richard James & Wm. Clark for cash. 20.
To Joseph Ashlin & C. Stone for cash at different times 74.10.2
To Vincent Markham & Richd. James pr. Doctr. Gilmer. 385.0
To Tandy Rice & Charles Rice for cash. 69.18.8^
To David Mullings & Henry Mullings for cash. 3I-I5
To Carter Braxton pr settlemt by Colo Lewis 119.12.8
To do for cash. 11.17.4.
The steward intended this account for my informa-
tion, but mentioning only names & sums without
saying in some general way why those sums were
paid to those names, leaves me uninformed. How-
ever the account having passed under your eye leaves
me also without a doubt that the articles are right. I
suppose, in the ist article for instance, that Carter
Braxton (to whom I was indebted for a doz. bottles
of oil only) stands in the place of some person to
whom I owed ^131.10, and so of the rest, as you
give me reason to hope that all other debts will now
be paid off. I am in hopes the shoulder can be laid
solidly to those of Farrell & Jones, & Kippen
& Co. to these objects. I would wish to apply the
whole profits of the estate, except the maintenance
& education of my sister Carr's two sons, & the
interest of my sister Nancy's debt. I shall propose
therefore to Jones & McCaul the paying them an
annual sum till their debts shall be discharged, & I
have asked the favor of Mr. Eppes, to consult with
you & let me know what sum you think I may
347 THE WRITINGS OF [1786
engage to pay them on an average of one year with
another ? and that you will be so good as to let me
know this as soon as possible that I may arrange the
matter by agreement with them. You mention that
the price of tobo. is at 22/6. I can always be sure
of receiving for it delivered at Havre 367 Virginia
money for the Virginia hundred weight. Whenever
therefore the price with you is less than this after
deducting freight, insurance, commission & port
charges, if a conveiance can be obtained for it to
Havre it would be better to ship it to me. You may
at the same time draw bills on me for the whole
amount taking care that they shall not be presented
till the tobacco is arrived at Havre, & that there be
such an usence in them as will give me time to sell
it & receive the money, or, for so much of the to-
bacco as can be destined to Jones & McCaul, no
bills need be drawn, as I can remit them the pro-
ceeds. In all this however you will act according to
your own good judgment which is much better than
mine. I cannot help thinking however that it might
be worth the experiment to ship me at any rate a
small adventure to see how it will turn out, but Havre
is the only port at which I could manage it.
I observe in your letter of March 14. after stating
the amount of the crop & deducting Overseer's &
steward's parts, transportation, negroes clothes, tools,
medicine & taxes, the profits of the whole estate
would be no more than the hire of the few negroes
hired out would amount to. Would it be better to
hire more where good masters could be got ? Would
1 7 86] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 343
it be better to hire plantations & all, if proper assur-
ance can be provided for the good usage of every-
thing ? I am miserable till I shall owe not a shilling :
the moment that shall be the case I shall feel myself
at liberty to do something for the comfort of my
slaves. * * * I am much obliged to you for your atten-
tion to my trees & grass. The latter is one of the prin-
cipal pillars on which I shall rely for subsistence when
I shall be at liberty to try projects without injury to
any body. The negro girl which I sent to Nancy
Boiling was not sent as a gift from me. I understood
she was claimed under a supposed gift from my
mother, which tho' I thought ill founded I did not
chuse to enter into disagreeable discussions about. I
meant therefore to abandon my right to her and I
have no further pretensions to her. With my letter
from London, I sent under the care of Mr. Fulwar
Skipwith a trunk containing some little matters for
Mr. Lewis & my sister Nancy. I hope it got safe to
hand. I have long had (as I once wrote you) a pretty
little piece of furniture, a clock, which I meant for
Mrs. Lewis. Tho it is so small that it might almost
be put into a pocket, I have as yet found it impossible
to get a safe conveiance for it. The case being of
marble, & very slender, it cannot bear transportation
but by water. I am obliged therefore to wait till
some person shall be going from Havre to Rich-
mond. Monsr. Doradour was to have carried it, but
he was not able. He is safely returned to his family
& in good humor with our country. He made a con-
siderable tramontane purchase. His trip upon the
344 THE WRITINGS OF [1786
whole turned out better than I had expected. I am
glad on account of Madame de Doradour who is a
lady of great merit. I have never seen her since the
departure of her husband ; but I suppose she will
decline further views on America. I shall endeavor
to send with this a packet of the seeds of trees which
I would wish Anthony to sow in a large nursery
noting well their names. There will be a little Span-
ish St. foin, represented to me as a very precious
grass in a hot country. I would have it sowed in one
of the vacant lots of my grass ground. I have but
just room to render you a thousand thanks for your
goodness, to make as many apologies for the details
I trouble you with, to recommend myself to the
friendly remembrance of Mrs. Lewis & to assure you
of the sincere esteem with which I am, Sir &c.
TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL. j. MSS .
PARIS Deer. 26, 1786.
DEAR SIR, * * * My Notes on Virginia, having
been hastily written, need abundance of corrections.
Two or three of these are so material that I am re-
printing a few leaves to substitute for the old. As
soon as these shall be ready, I will beg your accept-
ance of a copy. I shall be proud to be permitted to
send a copy, also, to the Count de Campomanes as a
tribute to his science & his virtues. You will find in
them that the Natural bridge had found an admirer in
me also. I should be happy to make with you a tour
of the curiosities you will find therein mentioned.
1786] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 345
That kind of pleasure surpasses much in my estima-
tion whatever I find on this side the Atlantic. I
sometimes think of building a little hermitage at the
Natural bridge (for it is my property) and of passing
there a part of the year at least. I have received
American papers to the ist of November. Some
tumultuous meetings of the people have taken place
in the Eastern states, i. e. one in Massachusetts, one
in Connecticut, & one in N Hampsh. Their princi-
pal demand was a respite in the judiciary proceed-
ings. No injury was done however in a single
instance to the person or property of any one, nor
did the tumult continue 24 hours in any one instance.
In Massachusetts this was owing to the discretion
which the malcontents still preserved, in Connecticut
& N Hampshire, the body of the people rose in
support of government & obliged the malcontents
to go to their homes. In the last mentioned state
they seized about 40, who were in jail for trial. It
is believed this incident will strengthen our gov-
ernment. Those people are not entirely without
excuse. Before the war those states depended on
their whale oil & fish. The former was consumed
in England, & much of the latter in the Mediter-
ranean. The heavy duties on American whale oil
now required in England exclude it from that mar-
ket ; & the Algerines exclude them from bringing
their fish into the Mediterranean. France is open-
ing her port for their oil, but in the meanwhile
their antient debts are pressing them & they have
nothing to pay with. The Massachusetts assembly
346 THE WRITINGS OF [1786
too, in their zeal for paying their public debt had
laid a tax too heavy to be paid in the circumstances
of their state. The Indians seem disposed to make
war on us. These complicated causes determined
Congress to increase their forces to 2000 men.
The latter was the sole object avowed, yet the
former entered for something into the measure.
However I am satisfied the good sense of the people
is the strongest army our government can ever have,
& that it will not fail them. The Commercial con-
vention at Annapolis was not full enough to do busi-
ness. They found too their appointments too nar-
row, being confined to the article of commerce.
They have proposed a meeting in Philadelphia in
May, and that it may be authorized to propose
amendments of whatever is defective in the federal
constitution.
Congress have at length determined on a coinage.
Their money unit is a dollar & the pieces above &
below that are in decimal proportion. You will see
their scheme in all the papers, except that the pro-
portion they established between gold & silver is
mistated at upwards of 20. to i. instead of about
151 to i.
It is believed that this court has patched up an ac-
commodation for the moment between Russia & the
Porte. In Holland they find greater difficulties.
The present King of Prussia is zealous for the Stad-
holder, & the fear is of driving him into the Aus-
trian scale of the European balance. Such a weight
as this, shifted, would destroy all equilibriums and
1786]
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
347
the preponderance once in favor of the restless pow-
ers of the north, the peace would soon be disturbed.
When I was in England I formed a portable copy-
ing press on the principle of the large one they make
there for copying letters. I had a model made there
& it has answered perfectly. A workman here has
made several from that model. The itinerent temper
of your court will, I think, render one of these useful
to you. You must therefore do me the favor to ac-
cept of one. I have it now in readiness, & shall send
it by the way of Bayonne to the care of Mr. Alex-
ander there, unless Don Miguel de Lardizabal can
carry it with him.
My hand admonishes me it is time to stop, & that
I must defer writing to Mr. Barclay till to morrow.
CORRESPONDENCE.
1787.
TO ALEXANDER McCAUL. 1 J. MSS.
PARIS, Jan. 4, 1787.
DEAR SIR, In the letter which I had the honor of
addressing you from London on the iQth of April
1 786, I informed you that I had left my estate in the
hands of a Mr. Eppes & a Mr. Lewis, who were first
to clear off some debts which had been necessarily
contracted during the war, & afterwards to apply the
whole profits to the paiment of my debt to you (by
which I mean that to the several firms with which you
were connected) and of my part of a debt due from
Mr. Wayles's estate to Farrell & Jones of Bristol.
Being anxious to begin the paiment of these two
debts, & finding that it would be too long postponed
if the residuary one's were to be paid merely from the
annual profits of the estate, a number of slaves have
been sold, & I have lately received information from
Messrs. Eppes & Lewis that the proceeds of that sale
with the profits of the estate to the end of 1 786 would
pay off the whole of the residuary debts. As we are
now therefore clear of embarrasments to pursue our
principal object, I am desirous of arranging with you
such just & practicable conditions as will ascertain to
1 See letter of Apr. 19, 1786, printed ante, vol. IV., page 203.
348
1787] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 349
you the receipt of your debt, & give me the satisfac-
tion of knowing that you are contented. What the
laws of Virginia are or may be, will in no wise influ-
ence my conduct. Substantial justice is my object, as
decided by reason, & not by authority or compulsion.
The article of interest may make a difficulty. I had
the honour of observing to you, in my former letter
that I thought it just I should pay it for all the time
preceding the war, & all the time subsequent to it,
but that for the time during the war I did not con-
sider myself as bound in justice to pay. This includes
the period from the commencement of hostilities Apr.
19, 1775, to their cessation Apr. 19, 1783, being
exactly eight years. To the reasons against this pai-
ment which apply in favor of the whole mass of
American debtors, I added the peculiar circumstance
of having already lost the debt, principal & interest,
by endeavoring to pay it by the sale of lands, & by
the depreciation of their price ; & also a second loss
of an equal sum by Ld. Cornwallis's barbarous &
useless depredations. I will therefore refer you to
that letter, to save the repetition here of those reasons
which absolve me in justice from the paiment of this
portion of interest. In law, our courts have uniformly
decided that the treaty of peace stipulates the paiment
of the principal only & not of any interest whatever.
This article being once settled, I would propose to
divide the clear proceeds of my estate (in which there
are from 80 to 100 labouring slaves) between yourself
& Farrell & Jones, one third to you and two thirds
to them : & that the crop of this present year 1787
shall constitute the first payment. That crop you
350 THE WRITINGS OF [1787
know cannot be got to the warehouse completely till
May of the next year, & I presume, that three months
more will be little enough to send it to Europe or to
sell it in Virginia & remit the money. So that I
could not safely answer for placing the proceeds in
your hands till the month of August, & so annually
every August afterwards till the debt shall be paid.
It will always be both my interest and my wish to
get it to you as much sooner as possible & probably
a part of it may always be paid some months sooner.
If the assigning the profits in general terms may seem
to you too vague, I am willing to fix the annual pai-
ment at a sum certain. But that I may not fall short
of my engagement, I shall name it somewhat less
than I suppose may be counted on. I shall fix
your part at two hundred pounds sterling annually,
and as you know our crops of tobacco to be incer-
tain, I should reserve a right, if they should fall short
one year, to make it up the ensuing one, without be-
ing supposed to have failed in my engagement, but I
would be obliged every second year to pay any arrear-
ages of the preceding one together with the full sum
for the current year : so that once in every two years
the annual paiment should be fully paid up.
I do not know what the balance is : having for a
long time before the war had no settlement, yet there
can be no difficulty in making that settlement, & in the
mean while the paiments may proceed without affect-
ing the right of either party to have a just settlement.
If you think proper to accede to these propositions,
be so good as to say so at the foot of a copy of this
letter, on my receipt of that, I will send you an ac-
1787] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 351
knowledgement of it, which shall render this present
letter obligatory on me for the paiment of the debt
before mentioned & interest at the epochs & in the
proportions before mentioned excepting always the
interest during the war. This done, you may count
on my faithful execution of it.
I avail myself of this, as of every other occasion of
recalling myself to your friendly recollection, & of
assuring you of the sentiments of perfect esteem and
attachment with which I am, &c.
TO WILLIAM JONES. J.MSS.
PARIS, Jan. 5, 1787.
SIR, When I had the pleasure of seeing you in
London, I mentioned to you that the Affairs of Mr.
Wayles's estate were left to be ultimately settled by
Mr. Eppes, the only acting executor ; that I had left
in his hands also & in those of a Mr. Lewis the part
of Mr. Wayles's estate which came to me, together
with my own : that they were first to clear off some
debts which had been necessarily contracted during
the war, & would after that apply the whole profits
to the paiment of my part of Mr. Wayles's debt to
you, & to a debt of mine to Kippen & Co., of Glas-
gow. Being anxious to begin the paiment of these
two debts & finding that it would be too long post-
poned if the residuary ones were to be paid merely
from the annual profits of the estate, a number of
slaves have been sold, & I have lately received in-
formation from Messrs. Eppes & Lewis that the pro-
ceeds of that sale, with the profits of the estate to the
end of 1781 would pay off the whole of the residuary
352 THE WRITINGS OF [1787
debts. As we are now therefore clear of embarrass-
ment to pursue our principal object, I am desirous of
arranging with you, such just & practicable condi-
tions as will ascertain to you the terms at which you
will receive my part of your debt, & give me the
satisfaction of knowing that you are contented. What
the laws of Virginia are, or may be, will in no wise
influence my conduct. Substantial justice is my object,
as decided by reason, & not by authority or compulsion.
The first question which arrises is as to the article
of interest. For all the time preceding the war, &
all subsequent to it, I think it reasonable that interest
should be paid ; but equally unreasonable during the
war. Interest is a compensation for the use of
money. Your money in my hands is in the form of
lands & negroes, from these, during the war, no use,
no profits could be derived, tobacco is the article
they produce. That can only be turned into money
at a foreign market. But the moment it went out of
our ports for that purpose, it was captured either by
the king's ships or by those of individuals. The con-
sequence was that tobacco, worth from twenty to
thirty shillings the hundred, sold generally in Virginia
during the War for five shillings. This price it is
known will not maintain the labourer & pay his taxes.
There was no surplus of profit then to pay an interest,
in the mean while we stood insurers of the lives of
the labourers & of the ultimate issue of the war. He
who attempted during the war to remit either his
principal or interest, must have expected to remit
three times to make one paiment ; because it is sup-
posed that two out of three parts of the shipments
1787] THOMAS JEFFERSON. 353
were taken. It was not possible then for the debtor
to derive any profit from the money which might en-
able him to pay an interest, nor yet to get rid of the
principal by remitting it to his creditor. With respect
to the Creditors in Great Britain they mostly turned
their attention to privateering, and arming the vessels
they had before emploied in trading with us. They
captured on the seas, not only the produce of the
farms of their debtors, but of those of the whole
state. They thus paid themselves by capture more
than their annual interest, and we lost more. Some
merchants indeed did not engage in privateering.
These lost their interest. But we did not gain it.
It fell into the hands of their countrymen. It cannot
therefore be demanded of us. As between these mer-
chants & their debtors it is the case where, a loss
being incurred, each party may justifiably endeavor
to shift it from himself, each has an equal right to
avoid it, one party can never expect the other to
yield a thing to which he has as good a right as the
demander, we even think he has a better right than the
demander in the present instance. This loss has
been occasioned by the fault of the nation which was
Creditor. Our right to avoid it then stands on less ex-
ceptionable ground than theirs, but it will be said
that each party thought the other the aggressor. In
these disputes there is but one umpire & that has
decided the question where the world in general
thought the right laid.
Besides these reasons in favor of the general mass
of debtors, I have some peculiar to my own case. In
the year 1776, before a shilling of paper money was
VOL. IV. 23
354 THE WRITINGS OF [1787
issued I sold lands to the amount of ^4200. In
order to pay these two debts I offered the bonds of
the purchasers to your agent Mr. Evans, if he would
acquit me, & accept of the purchasers as debtors in
my place. They were as sure as myself had he
done it. These debts, being turned over to you, would
have been saved to you by the treaty of peace, but
he declined it. Great sums of paper money were
afterwards issued. This depreciated, and paiment
was made me in this money when it was but a
shadow. Our laws do not entitle their own citizens
to require repaiment in these cases, tho' the treaty
authorizes the British creditor to do it. Here then I
lost the principal and interest once. Again, Ld.
Cornwallis encamped 10 days on an estate of mine at
Elk island, having his headquarters in my house he
burned all the tobacco houses and barns on the farm.
With the produce of the former year in them, he
burnt all the enclosures, & wasted the fields in
which the crop of that year was growing : (it was the
month of June) he killed or carried off every living
animal, cutting the throats of those which were too
young for service. Of the slaves he carried away
thirty. The useless & barbarous injury he did me in
that instance was more than would have paid your debt,