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river all its contents; of which he thought he could make no use。

Among these were the whole of the vocabularies。  Some leaves floated

ashore and were found in the mud; but these were very few; and so

defaced by the mud and water that no general use can ever be made of

them。  On the receipt of your letter I turned to them; and was very

happy to find; that the only morsel of an original vocabulary among

them; was Captain Lewis's of the Pani language; of which you say you

have not one word。  I therefore inclose it to you; as it is; and a

little fragment of some other; which I see is in his hand writing;

but no indication remains on it of what language it is。  It is a

specimen of the condition of the little which was recovered。  I am

the more concerned at this accident; as of the two hundred and fifty

words of my vocabularies; and the one hundred and thirty words of the

great Russian vocabularies of the languages of the other quarters of

the globe; severty…three were common to both; and would have

furnished materials for a comparison from which something might have

resulted。  Although I believe no general use can ever be made of the

wrecks of my loss; yet I will ask the return of the Pani vocabulary

when you are done with it。  Perhaps I may make another attempt to

collect; although I am too old to expect to make much progress in it。




        I learn; with pleasure; your acquisition of the pamphlet on the

astronomy of the antient Mexicans。  If it be antient and genuine; or

modern and rational; it will be of real value。  It is one of the most

interesting countries of our hemisphere; and merits every attention。




        I am thankful for your kind offer of sending the original

Spanish for my perusal。  But I think it a pity to trust it to the

accidents of the post; and whenever you publish the translation; I

shall be satisfied to read that which shall be given by your

translator; who is; I am sure; a greater adept in the language than I

am。




        Accept the assurances of my great esteem and respect。







        AMERICAN QUAKERISM




        _To Samuel Kercheval_

        _Monticello; January 19; 1810_




        SIR;  Yours of the 7th instant has been duly received; with

the pamphlet inclosed; for which I return you my thanks。  Nothing can

be more exactly and seriously true than what is there stated; that

but a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the

Jewish religion; before his principles were departed from by those

who professed to be his special servants; and perverted into an

engine for enslaving mankind; and aggrandising their oppressors in

Church and State; that the purest system of morals ever before

preached to man; has been adulterated and sophisticated by artificial

constructions; into a mere contrivance to filch wealth and power to

themselves; that rational men not being able to swallow their impious

heresies; in order to force them down their throats; they raise the

hue and cry of infidelity; while themselves are the greatest

obstacles to the advancement of the real doctrines of Jesus; and do

in fact constitute the real Anti…Christ。




        You expect that your book will have some effect on the

prejudices which the society of Friends entertain against the present

and late administrations。  In this I think you will be disappointed。

The Friends are men; formed with the same passions; and swayed by the

same natural principles and prejudices as others。  In cases where the

passions are neutral; men will display their respect for the

religious _professions_ of their sect。  But where their passions are

enlisted; these _professions_ are no obstacle。  You observe very

truly; that both the late and present administration conducted the

government on principles _professed_ by the Friends。  Our efforts to

preserve peace; our measures as to the Indians; as to slavery; as to

religious freedom; were all in consonance with their _professions_。

Yet I never expected we should get a vote from them; and in this I

was neither deceived nor disappointed。  There is no riddle in this;

to those who do not suffer themselves to be duped by the

_professions_ of religious sectaries。  The theory of American

Quakerism is a very obvious one。  The mother society is in England。

Its members are English by birth and residence; devoted to their own

country; as good citizens ought to be。  The Quakers of these States

are colonies or filiations from the mother society; to whom that

society sends its yearly lessons。  On these the filiated societies

model their opinions; their conduct; their passions and attachments。

A Quaker is; essentially; an Englishman; in whatever part of the

earth he is born or lives。  The outrages of Great Britain on our

navigation and commerce; have kept us in perpetual bickerings with

her。  The Quakers here have taken side against their own government;

not on their _profession_ of peace; for they saw that peace was our

object also; but from devotion to the views of the mother society。

In 1797 and 8; when an administration sought war with France; the

Quakers were the most clamorous for war。  Their principle of peace;

as a secondary one; yielded to the primary one of adherence to the

Friends in England; and what was patriotism in the original became

treason in the copy。  On that occasion; they obliged their good old

leader; Mr。 Pemberton; to erase his name from a petition to Congress;

against war; which had been delivered to a Representative of

Pennsylvania; a member of the late and present administration。  He

accordingly permitted the old gentleman to erase his name。  You must

not; therefore; expect that your book will have any more effect on

the society of Friends here; than on the English merchants settled

among us。  I apply this to the Friends in general; not universally。

I know individuals among them as good patriots as we have。




        I thank you for the kind wishes and sentiments towards myself;

expressed in your letter; and sincerely wish to yourself the

blessings of health and happiness。







        NEPOTISM AND THE REPUBLIC




        _To John Garland Jefferson_

        _Monticello; January 25; 1810_




        DEAR SIR;  Your favor of December 12th was long coming to

hand。  I am much concerned to learn that any disagreeable impression

was made on your mind; by the circumstances which are the subject of

your letter。  Permit me first to explain the principles which I had

laid down for my own observance。  In a government like ours; it is

the duty of the Chief Magistrate; in order to enable himself to do

all the good which his station requires; to endeavor; by all

honorable means; to unite in himself the confidence of the whole

people。  This alone; in any case where the energy of the nation is

required; can produce a union of the powers of the whole; and point

them in a single direction; as if all constituted but one body and

one mind; and this alone can render a weaker nation unconquerable by

a stronger one。  Towards acquiring the confidence of the people; the

very first measure is to satisfy them of his disinterestedness; and

that he is directing their affairs with a single eye to their good;

and not to build up fortunes for himself and family; and especially;

that the officers appointed to transact their business; are appointed

because they are the fittest men; not because they are his relations。

So prone are they to suspicion; that where a President appoints a

relation of his own; however worthy; they will believe that favor and

not merit was the motive。  I therefore laid it down as a law of

conduct for myself; never to give an appointment to a relation。  Had

I felt any hesitation in adopting this rule; examples were not

wanting to admonish me what to do and what to avoid。  Still; the

expression of your willingness to act in any office for which you

were qualified; could not be imputed to you as blame

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