“ article of Confederations is surely worthy of your pen. it would form a most interesting addition to shew what have been the nature of the Confederations which have existed hitherto . . . ”

On October 9 Adams wrote to Jefferson: “I sent you a Copy of my second volume by Mr Barthelemy the French Chargé here, now Minister, with a Letter about Money matters. in your favour of Sept. 28. you dont mention the receipt of them . . .”

John Adams was appointed envoy to the Court of St. James, 1785. A third volume of this work was subsequently published, and is listed in Jefferson’s manuscript catalogue but was not sold to Congress in 1815.

Original calf (probably bound for Jefferson), gilt backs (slightly scorched), blue silk bookmarks. Not initialled by Jefferson who has written Philip Mazzei on the title, under the words “un Citoyen de Virginia;” par Condorcet is added in another hand to indicate the authorship of the quatre Lettres. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate in each volume.

Bought from Froullé, on December 27, 1788, price 12 (livres).

Jefferson himself provided portions of the materials for this work, written partly in refutation of the works of Mably and of the Abbé Raynal.

Mazzei’s explanation of the legal system of the United States (volume I) is based on a seven page letter written by Jefferson on this subject on November 28, 1785, at Mazzei’s request.

The Notes on the state of Virginia , described as imprimé en 1782, mais qui n’est pas encore publié (II, 115), is quoted on several occasions, and in volume IV, page 153, is an account of the Logan and Cresap affair, citeé par M. Jefferson dans ses Notes sur la Virginie, nous donne une juste ideé du caractère des Sauvages.

Several other quotations from the Notes on the State of Virginia occur, including (III, 92) a reference to Buffon, and (IV, 216) the statement that On trouve une excellente carte de la Virginie, de la Pensylvanie, & des parties adjacentes des états limitrophes, par M. Jefferson, dans son ouvrage intitulé Notes sur l’Etat de Virginie .

Volume II page 119 refers to Jefferson as the “rédacteur” of the Virginia code. Volume III page 96 gives an account of Jefferson’s attempts to introduce into Virginia the wine-producing grape.

In Volume I, page 140, is a mention of Dubney [sic] Carr, and the statement (in a footnote) that Un de ses parens, qui lui etoit tendrement attaché, en a consacré la mémoire par une inscription qu’il a fait graver sur son tombeau . Relative to this, after the sale of his library to Congress, Jefferson wrote to George Watterston on March 2, 1816: “ . . . I suspect that I stuck a paper containing an epitaph intended for Dabney Carr into the Recherches historiques of Mazzei where they speak of that gentleman. this work is Ch. 24. No. 246. if there, will you be so good as to inclose it to me? . . . ”

Jefferson mentioned this book more than once before its publication. A postscript in a letter to John Page dated May 4, 1786, reads: “ Mazzei is here and will publish soon a book on the subject of America.”