your favour of the 25th of last month, came to my hands yesterday and I am glad to find you so well pleased with your Retirement— I felt the Same delightful Satisfaction after my Return from Europe; and I feel still every summer upon my little farm all the Ardour, and more than all the ardor of youth: to such a Degree that I cannot bear the thought of writing or reading, unless it be some trifle to fill up a vacant half hour.

The Case of the Pays de Vaud is curious enough. Dr Cart the Writer of the Book I sent you is arrived at New York. and Mr Rosset whose Tryal and Sentence for high Treason, for dining at a civic feast and drinking two or three Patriotic Toasts, is mentioned in it, is here at Philadelphia. He has lent me in Manuscript a full account of his Tryal. As much as I have ever detested an Aristocratical Government, I did not believe that the Canton of Berne could have been So tyrannical, till I read this Manuscript.

I think nevertheless that “the Rights of one Generation of Men must Still depend, in some degree, on the Paper Transactions of another.” The social Compact and the Laws must be reduced to Writing obedience to them becomes a national Habit and they cannot be changed but by Revolutions which are costly Things. Men will be too Œconomical of their Blood and Property to have Recourse to them very frequently. This Country is becoming the Assylum of all 287 the ardent Spirits in Europe. The Bp. of Autun and Mr Beaumez, are arrived and Dr Priestley is expected.

The President has sent Mr Jay to try if he can find any Way to reconcile our Honour with Peace.1 I have no great Faith in any very brilliant Success: but hope he may have enough to keep Us out of a War. Another War would add two or three hundred Millions of Dollars to our Debt: rouse up a many headed and many bellied Monster of an Army to tyrannize over Us; totally dissadjust our present Government, and accellerate the Advent of Monarchy and Aristocracy by at least fifty years.

Those who dread Monarchy and Aristocracy and at the Same time advocate War are the most inconsistent of all Men.

If I had your Plantation and your Labourers I should be tempted to follow your Example and get out of the Fumum et opes strepitumque Romæ2 which I abominate.

I am sir with much Esteem your / Friend & sert

The only and lively zeal which has animated me for these 8 years past for the Welfare and prosperity of America has induced me to attempt a kind of agriculture hitherto unknown here. The encouragement which the President of the United States and some among you, Gentlemen, have been pleased to give me has undoubtedly contributed not a little to augment this zeal, and turn my labours into pleasures. Success having crowned my intentions beyond all expectation; I think it my duty to offer you herewith my acknowledgments; humbly praying that you will be pleased to continue to bestow your patronage on my vineyard which for reasons in which all men now agree and which at present agitate the politicks and interrupt our trade, is of the utmost importance for America. The best things in the world have nevertheless their enemies and it is for this reason that an improvement of this kind might meet with some 288 obstacles, if Your known patriotism did not induce you to prevent the effects thereof: this I am convinced of by the interest I am persuaded you would take therein if You had viewed the experiment with your own Eyes. This persuasion induces me to request that you will convince yourselves of the success of the culture of the vine in this new Empire, where formerly England made several unsuccessful attempts for the same purpose.1 I would spare you the trouble of a journey of thirteen miles, if it was in the power of mankind to transfer mountains, and to lay before you a natural vineyard as easily as a Geographer could present you with a Map of the world. A subscription has been authorized by Government in order to furnish America with wine, brandy, tartar &c. I beg of you not to subscribe until you have assured yourselves of the success which the goodness of your soil and the temperature of your climate have procured me since the beginning of my undertaking: vouchsafe then to honor my vineyard with your presence, and then you will be convinced from ocular demonstration that America need not go to foreign markets for her Wines as she can supply her own wants and gratify all the wishes of the inhabitants in that article at home.

I am with the greatest respect / Gentlemen / your most obedient humble / servant.