Whatagame，too，willtheonepartyhaveintheirhandsbyeternallythreateningtheotherthatunlesstheydoso&so，theywilljointheirNorthernneighbors。IfwereduceourUniontoVirginia&N。
Carolina，immediatelytheconflictwillbeestablishedbetweentherepresentativesofthesetwoStates，andtheywillendbybreakingintotheirsimpleunits。Seeing，therefore，thatanassociationofmenwhowillnotquarrelwithoneanotherisathingwhichneveryetexisted，fromthegreatestconfederacyofnationsdowntoatownmeetingoravestry，seeingthatwemusthavesomebodytoquarrelwith，IhadratherkeepourNewEnglandassociatesforthatpurposethantoseeourbickeringstransferredtoothers。Theyarecircumscribedwithinsuchnarrowlimits，&theirpopulationsofull，thattheirnumberswilleverbetheminority，andtheyaremarked，liketheJews，withsuchapeculiarityofcharacterastoconstitutefromthatcircumstancethenaturaldivisionofourparties。Alittlepatience，andweshallseethereignofwitchespassover，theirspellsdissolve，andthepeople，recoveringtheirtruesight，restoretheirgovernmenttoit’strueprinciples。Itistruethatinthemeantimewearesufferingdeeplyinspirit，andincurringthehorrorsofawar&longoppressionsofenormouspublicdebt。Butwhocansaywhatwouldbetheevilsofascission，andwhen&wheretheywouldend?Betterkeeptogetherasweare，hawlofffromEuropeassoonaswecan，&fromallattachmentstoanyportionsofit。Andifwefeeltheirpowerjustsufficientlytohoopustogether，itwillbethehappiestsituationinwhichwecanexist。Ifthegamerunssometimesagainstusathomewemusthavepatiencetillluckturns，&
thenweshallhaveanopportunityofwinningbackthe_principles_wehavelost，forthisisagamewhereprinciplesarethestake。Betterluck，therefore，tousall；andhealth，happiness，&friendlysalutationstoyourself。Adieu。
P。S。Itishardlynecessarytocautionyoutoletnothingofminegetbeforethepublic。Asinglesentence，gotholdofbythePorcupines，willsufficetoabuse&persecutemeintheirpapersformonths。
WILDHORSES
_ToPhilipNolan_
_Philadelphia，June24，1798_
SIR，——ItissometimesinceIhaveunderstoodthattherearelargeherdsofhorsesinawildstate，inthecountrywestoftheMississippi，andhavebeendesirousofobtainingdetailsoftheirhistoryinthatState。Mr。Brown，SenatorfromKentucky，informsmeitwouldbeinyourpowertogiveinterestinginformationonthissubject，andencouragesmetoaskit。Thecircumstancesoftheoldworldhave，beyondtherecordsofhistory，beensuchasadmittednotthatanimaltoexistinastateofnature。TheconditionofAmericaisrapidlyadvancingtothesame。Thepresentthenisprobablytheonlymomentintheageoftheworld，andtheherdsabovementionedtheonlysubjects，ofwhichwecanavailourselvestoobtainwhathasneveryetbeenrecorded，andnevercanbeagaininallprobability。
Iwilladdthatyourinformationisthesolereliance，asfarasI
canatpresentsee，forobtainingthisdesideratum。Youwillrendertonaturalhistoryaveryacceptableservice，therefore，ifyouwillenableourPhilosophicalsocietytoaddsointerestingachaptertothehistoryofthisanimal。Ineednotspecifytoyoutheparticularfactsaskedfor；asyourknowledgeoftheanimalinhisdomesticated，aswellashiswildstate，willnaturallyhaveledyourattentiontothoseparticularsinthemanners，habits，andlawsofhisexistence，whicharepeculiartohiswildstate。Iwishyounottobeanxiousabouttheformofyourinformation，theexactnessofthesubstancealoneismaterial；andif，aftergivinginafirstletterallthefactsyouatpresentpossess，youwouldbesogood，onsubsequentoccasions，astofurnishsuchothersinaddition，asyoumayacquirefromtimetotime，yourcommunicationswillalwaysbethankfullyreceived，ifaddressedtomeatMonticello；andputintoanypostofficeinKentuckyorTennessee，theywillreachmespeedilyandsafely，andwillbeconsideredasobligationson，sir，yourmostobedient，humbleservant。
SUFFERANCEOFCALUMNY
_ToSamuelSmith_
_Monticello，Aug。22，1798_
DEARSIR，——YourfavorofAug4cametohandbyourlastpost，togetherwiththe”extractofaletterfromagentlemanofPhiladelphia，datedJuly10，”cutfromanewspaperstatingsomefactswhichrespectme。Ishallnoticethesefacts。Thewritersaysthat”thedayafterthelastdespatcheswerecommunicatedtoCongress，Bache，Leib，&c。，andaDr。Reynoldswere_closeted_withme。”Ifthereceiptofvisitsinmypublicroom，thedoorcontinuingfreetoeveryonewhoshouldcallatthesametime，maybecalled_closeting_，thenitistruethatIwas_closeted_witheverypersonwhovisitedme；innoothersenseisittrueastoanyperson。I
sometimesreceivedvisitsfromMr。Bache&Dr。Leib。Ireceivedthemalwayswithpleasure，becausetheyaremenofabilities，andofprinciplesthemostfriendlytoliberty&ourpresentformofgovernment。Mr。Bachehasanotherclaimonmyrespect，asbeingthegrandsonofDr。Franklin，thegreatestman&ornamentoftheageandcountryinwhichhelived。WhetherIwasvisitedbyMr。BacheorDr。
Leibthedayafterthecommunicationreferredto，Idonotremember。
IknowthatallmymotionsatPhiladelphia，here，andeverywhere，arewatched&recorded。Someofthesespies，therefore，mayrememberbetterthanIdo，thedatesofthesevisits。Iftheysaythesetwogentlemenvisitedmeonthedayafterthecommunications，astheirtradeprovestheiraccuracy，Ishallnotcontradictthem，tho’I
affirmthatIdonotrecollectit。However，astoDr。ReynoldsIcanbemoreparticular，becauseIneversawhimbutonce，whichwasonanintroductoryvisithewassokindastopayme。This，Iwellremember，wasbeforethecommunicationalludedto，&thatduringtheshortconversationIhadwithhim，notonewordwassaidonthesubjectofanyofthecommunications。NotthatIshouldnothavespokenfreelyontheirsubjecttoDr。Reynolds，asIshouldalsohavedonetotheletterwriter，ortoanyotherpersonwhoshouldhaveintroducedthesubject。Iknowmyownprinciplestobepure，&
thereforeamnotashamedofthem。Onthecontrary，Iwishthemknown，&thereforewillinglyexpressthemtoeveryone。TheyarethesameIhaveactedonfromtheyear1775tothisday，andarethesame，Iamsure，withthoseofthegreatbodyoftheAmericanpeople。
Ionlywishtherealprinciplesofthosewhocensureminewerealsoknown。Butwarringagainstthoseofthepeople，thedelusionofthepeopleisnecessarytothedominantparty。Iseetheextenttowhichthatdelusionhasbeenalreadycarried，andIseethereisnolengthtowhichitmaynotbepushedbyapartyinpossessionoftherevenues&thelegalauthoritiesoftheUS，forashorttimeindeed，butyetlongenoughtoadmitmuchparticularmischief。Thereisnoevent，therefore，howeveratrocious，whichmaynotbeexpected。I
havecontemplatedeveryeventwhichtheMaratistsofthedaycanperpetrate，andampreparedtomeeteveryoneinsuchaway，asshallnotbederogatoryeithertothepubliclibertyormyownpersonalhonor。Theletterwritersays，Iam”forpeace；butitisonlywithFrance。”Hehastoldhalfthetruth。Hewouldhavetoldthewhole，ifhehadaddedEngland。Iamforpeacewithbothcountries。Iknowthatbothofthemhavegiven，&aredailygiving，sufficientcauseofwar；thatindefianceofthelawsofnations，theyareeverydaytramplingontherightsofalltheneutralpowers，whenevertheycantherebydotheleastinjury，eithertotheother。But，asIviewapeacebetweenFrance&Englandtheensuingwintertobecertain，I
havethoughtitwouldhavebeenbetterforustocontinuetobearfromFrancethroughthepresentsummer，whatwehavebeenbearingbothfromher&Englandthesefouryears，andstillcontinuetobearfromEngland，andtohaverequiredindemnificationinthehourofpeace，whenIverilybelieveitwouldhavebeenyieldedbyboth。
Thisseemstobetheplanoftheotherneutralnations；andwhetherthis，orthecommencingwarononeofthem，aswehavedone，wouldhavebeenwisest，time&eventsmustdecide。ButIamquiteatalossonwhatgroundtheletterwritercanquestiontheopinion，thatFrancehadnointentionofmakingwaronus，&waswillingtotreatwithMr。Gerry，whenwehavethisfromTaleyrand’sletter，andfromthewrittenandverbalinformationofourenvoys。Itistruethen，that，aswithEngland，wemightofrighthavechoseneitherpeaceorwar，&havechosenpeace，andprudentlyinmyopinion，sowithFrance，wemightalsoofrighthavechoseneitherpeaceorwar，&wehavechosenwar。WhetherthechoicemaybeapopularoneintheotherStates，Iknownot。Hereitcertainlyisnot；&IhavenodoubtthewholeAmericanpeoplewillrallyerelongtothesamesentiment，&rejudgethosewho，atpresent，thinktheyhavealljudgmentintheirownhands。
Theseobservationswillshowyou，howfartheimputationsintheparagraphsentmeapproachthetruth。Yettheyarenotintendedforanewspaper。Ataveryearlyperiodofmylife，Ideterminednevertoputasentenceintoanynewspaper。Ihavereligiouslyadheredtotheresolutionthroughmylife，andhavegreatreasontobecontentedwithit。WereItoundertaketoanswerthecalumniesofthenewspapers，itwouldbemorethanallmyowntime，&thatof20。
aidscouldeffect。ForwhileIshouldbeansweringone，twentynewoneswouldbeinvented。Ihavethoughtitbettertotrusttothejusticeofmycountrymen，thattheywouldjudgemebywhatthey_see_
ofmyconductonthestagewheretheyhaveplacedme，&whattheyknowofme_before_theepochsincewhichaparticularpartyhassupposeditmightanswersomeviewoftheirstovilifymeinthepubliceye。Some，Iknow，willnotreflecthowapocryphalisthetestimonyofenemiessopalpablybetrayingtheviewswithwhichtheygiveit。Butthisisaninjurytowhichdutyrequireseveryonetosubmitwhomthepublicthinkpropertocallinntoit’scouncils。I
thankyou，mydearSir，fortheinterestyouhavetakenformeonthisoccasion。ThoughIhavemadeupmymindnottosuffercalumnytodisturbmytranquillity，yetIretainallmysensibilitiesfortheapprobationofthegood&just。Thatis，indeed，thechiefconsolationsforthehatredofsomany，who，withouttheleastpersonalknowledge，&onthesacredevidenceofPorcupine&Fennoalone，covermewiththeirimplacablehatred。TheonlyreturnIwillevermakethem，willbetodothemallthegoodIcan，inspiteoftheirteeth。
Ihavethepleasuretoinformyouthatallyourfriendsinthisquarterarewell，andtoassureyouofthesentimentsofsincereesteem&respectwithwhichIam，dearSir，yourfriendandservant。
APROFESSIONOFPOLITICALFAITH
_ToElbridgeGerry_
_Philadelphia，Jan。26，1799_
MYDEARSIR，——YourfavorofNov。12wassafelydeliveredtomebymr。Binney，butnottillDec。28，asIarrivedhereonlythreedaysbeforethatdate。Itwasreceivedwithgreatsatisfaction。Ourverylongintimacyasfellow-laborersinthesamecause，therecentexpressionsofmutualconfidencewhichhadprecededyourmission，theinterestingcoursewhichthathadtaken，&particularly&personallyasitregardedyourself，mademeanxioustohearfromyouonyourreturn。Iwasthemoresotoo，asIhadmyselfduringthewholeofyourabsence，aswellassinceyourreturn，beenaconstantbuttforeveryshaftofcalumnywhichmalice&falsehoodcouldform，&thepresses，publicspeakers，orprivatelettersdisseminate。Oneofthese，too，wasofanaturetotouchyourself；asif，wantingconfidenceinyourefforts，Ihadbeencapableofusurpingpowerscommittedtoyou，&authorizingnegociationsprivate&collateraltoyours。Therealtruthis，thatthoughDrLogan，thepretendedmissionary，about4。or5。daysbeforehesailedforHamburgh，toldmehewasgoingthere，&thencetoParis，&asked&receivedfrommeacertificateofhiscitizenship，character，&circumstancesoflife，merelyasaprotection，shouldhebemolestedonhisjourney，inthepresentturbulent&suspiciousstateofEurope，yetIhadbeenledtoconsiderhisobjectasrelativetohisprivateaffairs；andtho’，fromanintimacyofsomestanding，heknewwellmywishesforpeaceandmypoliticalsentimentsingeneral，heneverthelessreceivedthennoparticulardeclarationofthem，noauthoritytocommunicatethemtoanymortal，nortospeaktoanyoneinmyname，orinanybody’sname，onthat，oronanyothersubjectwhatever；nordidIwritebyhimascripofapentoanypersonwhatever。Thishehashimselfhonestly&publiclydeclaredsincehisreturn；&fromhiswell-knowncharacter&everyothercircumstance，everycandidmanmustperceivethathisenterprisewasdictatedbyhisownenthusiasm，withoutconsultationorcommunicationwithanyone；thatheactedinParisonhisownground，&madehisownway。Yettogivesomecolortohisproceedings，whichmightimplicatetherepublicansingeneral，&
myselfparticularly，theyhavenotbeenashamedtobringforwardasuppositiouspaper，drawnbyoneoftheirownpartyinthenameofLogan，andfalselypretendedtohavebeenpresentedbyhimtothegovernmentofFrance；countingthatthebarementionofmynametherein，wouldconnectthatintheeyeofthepublicwiththistransaction。Inconfutationoftheseandallfuturecalumnies，bywayofanticipation，Ishallmaketoyouaprofessionofmypoliticalfaith；inconfidencethatyouwillconsidereveryfutureimputationonmeofacontrarycomplexion，asbearingonitsfrontthemarkoffalsehood&calumny。
Idothen，withsincerezeal，wishaninviolablepreservationofourpresentfederalconstitution，accordingtothetruesenseinwhichitwasadoptedbytheStates，thatinwhichitwasadvocatedbyit’sfriends，¬thatwhichit’senemiesapprehended，whothereforebecameit’senemies；andIamopposedtothemonarchisingit’sfeaturesbytheformsofit’sadministration，withaviewtoconciliateafirsttransitiontoaPresident&Senateforlife，&
fromthattoahereditarytenureoftheseoffices，&thustowormouttheelectiveprinciple。IamforpreservingtotheStatesthepowersnotyieldedbythemtotheUnion，&tothelegislatureoftheUnionit’sconstitutionalshareinthedivisionofpowers；andIamnotfortransferringallthepowersoftheStatestothegeneralgovernment，&allthoseofthatgovernmenttotheExecutivebranch。Iamforagovernmentrigorouslyfrugal&simple，applyingallthepossiblesavingsofthepublicrevenuetothedischargeofthenationaldebt；
andnotforamultiplicationofofficers&salariesmerelytomakepartisans，&forincreasing，byeverydevice，thepublicdebt，ontheprincipleofit’sbeingapublicblessing。Iamforrelying，forinternaldefence，onourmilitiasolely，tillactualinvasion，andforsuchanavalforceonlyasmayprotectourcoastsandharborsfromsuchdepredationsaswehaveexperienced；andnotforastandingarmyintimeofpeace，whichmayoverawethepublicsentiment；norforanavy，which，byit’sownexpensesandtheeternalwarsinwhichitwillimplicateus，willgrinduswithpublicburthens，&sinkusunderthem。Iamforfreecommercewithallnations；politicalconnectionwithnone；&littleornodiplomaticestablishment。AndI