Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 2Jefferson, Thomas
History
Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 2
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
eternally before us. If death or bankruptcy happen to trip us out of
the circle, it is matter for the buzz of the evening, and is completely
forgotten by the next morning. In America, on the other hand,
the society of your husband, the fond cares for the children, the
arrangements of the house, the improvements of the grounds, fill
every moment with a healthy and an useful activity. Every exertion is
encouraging, because to present amusement it joins the promise of some
future good. The intervals of leisure are filled by the society of real
friends, whose affections are not thinned to cobweb, by being spread
over a thousand objects. This is the picture, in the light it is
presented to my mind; now let me have it in yours. If we do not concur
this year, we shall the next; or if not then, in a year or two more. You
see I am determined not to suppose myself mistaken.
To let you see that Paris is not changed in its pursuits, since it was
honored with your presence, I send you its monthly history. But this
relating only to the embellishments of their persons, I must add, that
those of the city go on well also. A new bridge, for example, is begun
at the _Place Louis Quinze_; the old ones are clearing of the rubbish
which encumbered them in the form of houses 5 new hospitals erecting;
magnificent walls of inclosure, and Custom-houses at their entrances,
&c. &c. &c. I know of no interesting change among those whom you honored
with your acquaintance, unless Monsieur de Saint James was of that
number. His bankruptcy, and taking asylum in the Bastille, have
furnished matter of astonishment. His garden, at the Pont de Neuilly,
where, on seventeen acres of ground he had laid out fifty thousand
louis, will probably sell for somewhat less money. The workmen of Paris
are making rapid strides towards English perfection. Would you believe,
that in the course of the last two years, they have learned even to
surpass their London rivals in some articles? Commission me to have you
a phaeton made, and if it is not as much handsomer than a London one,
as that is than a fiacre, send it back to me. Shall I fill the box with
caps, bonnets, &c.? Not of my own choosing, but I was going to say,
of Mademoiselle Bertin’s, forgetting for the moment, that she too is
bankrupt. They shall be chosen then by whom you please; or, if you are
altogether nonplused by her eclipse, we will call an _Assemblées des
Notables_, to help you out of the difficulty, as is now the fashion.
In short, honor me with your, commands of any kind, and they shall be
faithfully executed. The packets now established from Havre to New York
furnish good opportunities of sending whatever you wish.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account