Jefferson! The latter here carries the idea, that he expected to answer all these letters. We have already stated that it was his uniform custom to answer every one the matter and language of which gave it the appearance of having come from a respectable person. The number of letters for the year here referred to (1820), published in the larger or Congress edition of his works, is twenty -less than a sixty-third of those presumably written. He left, at his death, copies of about sixteen thousand letters written by himself-and this was a trifling number compared with those which he had written without retaining copies.

In a letter to William T. Barry, July 2d, Jefferson said:

"Whether the surrender of our opponents, their reception into our camp, their assumption of our name, and apparent accession to our objects, may strengthen or weaken the genuine principles of republicanism, may be a good or an evil, is yet to be seen. I consider the party division of whig and tory the most wholesome which can exist in any government, and well worthy being nourished, to keep out those of a more dangerous character."

The first part of this remark applies to the support of Monroe by the Federalists, at his second election, and the obliteration of ancient party lines during the "era of good feeling," as it was called. Mr. Jefferson was a compromiser in action among political friends, a conciliator in practice towards opponents, but never a syncretist in principle. He lived to believe that the fears above expressed were vindicated by the results.

Mr. Adams wrote to Mr. Jefferson, October 15th, saying that he had always imputed to the latter the measure of constructing vessels of war to protect our Mediterranean commerce, in Washington's Administration-that he believed "the navy was" Jefferson's "child." He assigned several reasons for this opinion, and said that he had "personal evidence" that "Hamilton was averse to the measure," and "that Washington was averse to a navy, he had full proof from his own lips, in many different conversations, some of them at length, in which he [Washington] always insisted that it was only building and arming ships for the English." He supposed Knox to have "assisted in ushering" the child "into the world," and that if the Attorney

And he had preserved about twenty-six thousand letters, addressed to him. We state both of these numbers on the authority of the legatee of his manuscript papers, Colonel T. J. Randolph.

General (whom he erroneously supposes to have been Bradford instead of Randolph) was on the same side, "the majority was clear."

Jefferson replied November 1st, that he had himself favored the construction of the vessels-that he "thought General Washington approved of building vessels of war to that extent " -that he knew General Knox did-that Hamilton and Randolph's opinions on the occasion were entirely forgotten by him -that his correspondent, Mr. Adams, "was well known to have ever been an advocate of the wooden walls of Themistocles," etc. To a grandson, absent from Monticello, Mr. Jefferson wrote the following letters:

TO FRANCIS EPPES, MILLBROOK.

MONTICELLO, Jan. 1, 1819.

DEAR FRANCIS,

Leschot has repaired Mrs. Eppes's watch, and changed the pipe of the key, but the watch was so short a time in his hands that she could not be well regulated; she will therefore probably need further regulation to make her keep good time. I am sorry you are disappointed in your teacher, but it depends on yourself whether this is of any consequence. A master is necessary only to those who require compulsion to get their lessons. As to instruction, a translation supplies the place of a teacher. Get the lessons first by dictionary, and then instead of saying it to a master, go over it with the translation, and that will tell you whether you have got it truly. Dacier's Horace is admirable for this. As to parsing, you can do that by yourself, both as to parts of speech and syntax. You can perfect yourself too in your Greek grammar, as well alone as with a teacher. Your Spanish, too, should be kept up. All depends on your own resolution to stick as closely to your book as if a master was looking over you. If Dr. Cooper comes to us he will open our Grammar School the 1st of April. We shall be decided in a few days, and I will let you know. Present my respects to Mrs. Eppes, and be assured

of my constant affection.

TO FRANCIS EPPES, MILLBROOK,

TH. JEFFERSON.

POPLAR FOREST, Sept. 21, 1820.

DEAR FRANCIS,

I leave at Flood's, with this letter, a packet containing three small volumes, from my petit format library, containing several tragedies of Euripides, some of Sophocles, and one of Eschylus. The first you will find easy, the second tolerably so; the last, incomprehensible in his flights among the clouds. His text has come to us so mutilated and defective, and has been so much plastered with amendments by his commentators, that it can scarcely be called his. I inclose you our measured distances expressed in miles and cents. We leave this to-morrow

morning, and shall be at Monticello the next night. From there you shall hear from me about the end of the first week of October. By that time I shall either see Dr. Cooper, or know that I shall not see him. I was deceived in the weather the day we left Millbrook. We passed through two hours of very heavy rain, and got to Flood's at 11 o'clock, where we staid the day. We didn't suffer ourselves, but the servants got very wet. Present our cordial love to the family. Ever and affectionately yours,

TH. JEFFERSON.

DEAR FRANCIS,

TO FRANCIS EPPES, COLUMBIA, South Carolina.

MONTICELLO, Oct. 6, 1820.

Your letter of the 28th came to hand yesterday, and as I suppose you are now about leaving Richmond for Columbia, this letter will be addressed to the latter place. I consider you as having made such proficiency in Latin and Greek that, on your arrival at Columbia, you may at once commence the study of the sciences, and as you may well attend two professors at once, I advise you to enter immediately with those of Mathematics and Chemistry; after these go on to Astronomy, Natural Philosophy, Natural History, and Botany. I say nothing of Mineralogy or Geology, because, I presume, they will be comprehended in the Chemical course. Nor shall I say anything of other branches of science, but that you should lose no time on them until the accomplishment of those above-named, before which time we shall have opportunities of further advising together. I hope you will be permitted to enter at once into a course of mathematics, which will itself take up all that is useful in Euclid, and that you will not be required to go formally through the usual books of Geometry. That would be a waste of time which you have not to spare, and if you cannot enter the Mathematical school without it, do not enter it at all, but engage in the other sciences above mentioned. Your Latin and Greek should be kept up assiduously, by reading at spare hours; and discontinuing the desultory reading of the schools, I would advise you to undertake a regular course of History and Poetry, in both languages. In Greek go first through the Cyropædia, and then read Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon's Hellenics and Anabasis, -'s Alexander, and Plutarch's Lives, for prose reading-Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Euripides, Sophocles, in poetry, and Demosthenes in oratory, alternating prose and verse as most agreeable to yourself. In Latin, read Livy, Cæsar, Sallust, Tacitus, Cicero's Philosophies, and some of his orations in prose-and Virgil, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Horace, Terence and Juvenal for poetry; after all these, you will find still many of secondary grade to employ future years, and especially those of old age and retirement. Let me hear from you as soon as you shall have taken your stand in college, and give me a general view of the courses pursued there, and from time to time afterwards advise me of your progress. I will certainly write to you occasionally; but you will not expect it very frequently, as you know how slowly and painfully my stiffened wrist now permits me to write, and how much I am oppressed by a general and revolting correspondence, wearing me down with incessant labor, instead of leaving me to the tranquil happiness with which reading and lighter occupations would fill pleasantly what remains to me of life. I had written to Dr. Cooper that I should leave Monticello for Poplar Forest, about the 11th of this month. He informs me he cannot be here so soon as that, but will call on me a'

Poplar Forest in the third week of the month. Adieu, my dear Francis. Consider how little time is left you, and how much you have to attain in it, and that every moment you lose of it is lost for ever. Be assured that no one living is more anxious than myself to see you become a virtuous and useful citizen, worthy of the trusts of your country, and wise enough to conduct them advantageously, nor any one more affectionately yours.

TH. JEFFERSON.

DEAR FRANCIS:

TO FRANCIS EPPES, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

POPLAR FOREST, Dec. 18, 1820.

Yours of Oct. 31st, came to me here Nov. 28th, having first gone to Monticello. I observe the course of reading at Columbia which you note. It either is, or ought to be, the rule of every collegiate institution to teach to every particular student the branches of science which those who direct him think will be useful in the pursuits proposed for him, and to waste his time on nothing which they think will not be useful to him. This will certainly be the fundamental law of our University, to leave every one free to attend whatever branches of instruction he wants, and to decline what he doesn't want. If this be not generally allowed at Columbia, I hope they may be induced to indulgence in your case, in consideration of the little time you have left, and which you cannot afford to waste on what will be useless to you, or can be acquired by reading hereafter without the aid of a teacher. As I do not know any professors at Columbia but Dr. Cooper, request in my name his interest and influence to be permitted to adapt your studies to your wants. Reviewing what you say are the courses of the four classes, I pass over the 1st and 2d, which you are done with, and should select for you from the 3d, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Natural Philosophy; and from the 4th, Logarithms and Chemistry, to which I should add Astronomy, Botany, and Natural History, which you do not mention in any of the classes. I omit Blair's Rhetoric, Watt's Logic, Kaimes, Paley, Butler, etc., which you can read in your closet after leaving college, as well as at it. And in Mathematics I do not think you have time to undertake either Conic Sections or Fluxions. Unless you can be indulged in this selec tion I shall lament very much indeed, the having advised your going to Columbia, because time is now the most pressing and precious thing in the world to you, and the greatest injury which can possibly be done you is to waste what remains on what you can acquire hereafter yourself, and prevent your learning those useful branches which cannot well be acquired without the aids of the college. Whether our University will open this time twelve month or be shut up seven years, will depend on the present Legislature's liberating our funds by appropriating $100,000 more from the Literary Fund. If you watch the newspapers you will see what they do, and be able to judge what may be expected. Ellen and Virginia are here with me. We leave this the day after to-morrow for Monticello, where we hope to meet your aunt, who will be returning at the same time from Richmond. We learn by

your letter to Virginia, that Wayles is with you. To him and to yourself I tender my affectionate attachment. To Dr. Cooper also, give my friendly souvenirs; the difficulty with which I write puts that much out of my power.

VOL. III.-31

TH. JEFFERSON.

DEAR FRANCIS:

TO FRANCIS EPPES, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

MONTICELLO, Apr. 8, 1821.

Yours of March 27th has been duly received. The effect of what our Legislature did for us at their last session is not exactly what you suppose. They authorized us to borrow another $60,000, pledging, however, our own funds for repayment. This loan enables us to finish all our buildings of accommodation this year, and to begin the library, which will take three years to be completed. Without waiting for that, it is believed that when the buildings of accommodation are finished, the Legislature will cancel the debt of $120,000, and leave our funds free to open the institution We shall then require a year to get our professors into place. Whether the Legislature will relinquish the debt the next session, or at some future one, is not certain In the meantime you cannot do better than to stay where you are until the end of 1822, confining your studies to Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Natural History, and Rhetoric; all other branches you can pursue by yourself, should we not open here by that date.

I note what you say of the late disturbances in your college. These dissentions are a great affliction on the American schools, and a principal impediment to education in this country. The source of discontent arising from dieting the students, we shall avoid here by having nothing to do with it, and by leaving every one to board where he pleases. Nor do I see why this remedy might not have been resorted to in your late case, rather than that of making it a ground of difference with the professors. There may have been reasons, however, of which I am uninformed. The family here is all well, always remember you with affection, and receive your letters with gratification. To theirs I add the assurance of my affectionate love.

TH. JEFFERSON.

DEAR FRANCIS:

TO FRANCIS EPPES, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

MONTICELLO, June 27th, 1821.

Your letter of May 7th was received in due time, and in it you ask my opinion as to the utility of pursuing metaphysical studies. No well educated person should be entirely ignorant of the operations of the human mind, to which the name of metaphysics has been given. There are three books on this subject, Locke's Essay on the Human Understanding, Tracy's Elements of Idiology, and Stewart's Philosophy of the Human Mind; any one of which will communicate as much on the subject as is worth attention. I consider Tracy as the most correct metaphysician living; and I inclose you a small tract of his worth reading, because it is short, profound, and treats an interesting question, to wit, that on the certainty of human knowledge. He prostrates the visions of Malebranche, Berkeley, and other skeptics, by resting the question on the single basis of "We Feel." With him who denies this basis there can be no ground of reasoning at all. To pursue the science further is following a will-of-the-wisp, and a very useless waste of time, much better given to sciences more palpable, and more useful in the business of life. Tracy's Review, or Commentaries on Montesquieu is the best elementary book on government which has ever been published. Being afraid to publish it in France, he sent his manuscript to me, 1809, and I got it translated and published in Philadelphia,