This translation was made by William Duane and revised by Jefferson. Jefferson himself was the author of the preface.

The manuscript was sent to Jefferson by Destutt de Tracy from Auteuil on June 12, 1809: “je suis saisi de la plus timide inquietude quand je pense qu’un ouvrage de moi sur les objets les plus importants au bonheur des hommes, va etre mis sous les yeux de l’homme de l’univers que je respecte le plus et dont j’ambitionne le plus le suffrage . . . je remette entre vos mains le livre de l’auteur. je serois charmé qu’on leur fit l’honneur de transporter ces idées dans votre langue maternelle, et qu’elles pussent etre publiées sous vos auspices. mais il est de plus grande importance pour moi qu’on ne saisse jamais, ou du moins qu’apres ma mort, que cet ouvrage vient de moi. Si meme le nom de Condorcet pouvoit conduire a le soupçonner, il seroit peut-etre a propos de le suprimer. disposez, je vous suplie, du tout comme il vous plaira, pour le corriger et l’ameliorer, si vous voulez bien en prendre la peine . . ”

Jefferson received this on September 29, and on August 12 of the following year, 1810, wrote to Duane: “ . . . I have another enterprize to propose for some good printer. I have in my possession a MS. work in French, confided to me by a friend, whose name alone would give it celebrity were it permitted to be mentioned. but considerations insuperable forbid that. it is a Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s Spirit of laws. the history of that work is well known . . . still every man, who reflects as he reads, has considered it as a book of paradoxes, having indeed much of truth & sound principle, but abounding also with inconsistences, [ sic -- Ed. ] apocryphal facts, & false inferences. it is a correction of these which has been executed in the work I mention, by way of Commentary and Review; not by criticising words or sentences, but by taking a book at a time, considering it’s general scope, & proceeding to conform or confute it. and much of confutation there is, & of substitution of true for false principle: and the true principle is ever that of republicanism. I will not venture to say that every sentiment in the book will be approved: because, being in MS. and the French character, I have not read the whole but so much only as might enable me to estimate the soundness of the author’s way of viewing his subject; and judging from that which I have read, I infer with confidence that we shall find the work generally worthy of our high approbation, and that it every where maintains the preeminence of Representative government, by shewing that it’s foundations are laid in reason, in right, and in general good. I had expected this from my knolege of the other writings of the author, which have always a precision rarely to be met with. but to give you an idea of the manner of it’s execution, I translate and inclose his commentary on Montesquieu’s II ^d book, which contains the division of the work. I wish I could have added his review at the close of the 12. first books, as this would give a more compleat idea of the extraordinary merit of the work, but it is too long to be copied. I add from it, however, a few extracts of his reviews of some of the books as specimens of his plan and principles. if printed in French, it would be of about 180. pages 8 ^vo. or 23. sheets. if any one will undertake to have it translated and printed on their own account, I will send on the MS. by post, and they can take the copyright as of an original work, which it ought to be understood to be. I am anxious it should be ably translated, by some one who possesses style, as well as capacity to do justice to abstruse conceptions. I would even undertake to revise the translation if required. the original sheets must be returned to me, and I should wish the work to be executed with as little delay as possible . . . ”

With this letter Jefferson enclosed his translation of the second book, written on 5½ pages folio.

Duane replied, undertaking the work, on August 17: “. . . The other work which you are so good as ”