as individuals bear the same relation to each other as nations, how much more criminal must he be, who, without cause, would represent a whole people as immoral and irreligious; as cockfighters, gamblers, and drunkards? impotently endeavouring to draw down the scorn and contempt of nations, on a people long distinguished for their liberality of sentiment, suavity of manners, and all the social virtues. Had a Hun, a Goth, or a Vandal, risen from the dead, and attempted to draw a national character of the citizens of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, he could not have misrepresented it more egregiously than Mr. Morse. No nation ever possessed a fairer fame, or stood higher, as a people, in the estimation of the world, than the citizens of the United States, at the close of their revolution, and for some years after; but, alas! Mr. Morse, like a noxious comet, that equally diffuses glare and pestilence, appeared with his Geography, and blasted that fine reputation, of a large portion of the States, which they had obtained after a long and bloody contest. His object was evidently to raise the character of the New England, on the ruin of that of the middle and southern States--a common enemy could not be more slanderous, and the reproaches of a common enemy would have been less injurious, because every one, who would read the productions of a person of that description, would naturally make allowances for the hatred and prejudices of the writer; but Mr. Morse being a native American his readers, whether here or in Europe, would readily infer that he, in his writings, instead of being governed by hatred and prejudice, would be partial to the virtues of his countrymen; and would, with a friendly hand draw a veil over those failings, which are the common lot of human nature; and from which no climate, nor soil, nor country, can exempt mankind.

Joseph Scott, geographer and author, a member of St. Patrick’s Society, was appointed in 1802 Marshal of the Virginia District. He planned a life of Washington with material supplied in part by Jefferson. In 1795 he published the first gazetteer of the United States, q.v.

These tables are contained in the Atlas François of Alexis Hubert Jaillot, published in 1695. Sanson published volumes of Tables separately but with different titles, so that in view of Jefferson’s entry in his manuscript catalogue and the entry in the 1815 Library of Congress catalogue, it seems proper to assume that Jefferson had this edition without Jaillot’s maps. The book was probably purchased in England; it is similarly entered in the undated manuscript catalogue with the price, 1/3.

Nicolas Sanson, 1600-1667, French cartographer, gave lessons in geography to Louis XIII and to Louis XIV.

Alexis Hubert Jaillot, 1632-1712, French geographer and cartographer.

This colleciton is no longer in the Library of Congress. Jefferson collected a large number of maps, and sometimes had them bound together. One of his bills from John March of Georgetown contains the following entry, under date June 16, 1805: “ To making an Atlas of Maps 16 by 22 Inches Ext. 1/2 bnd. Russia Gilt & lettered very thick Maps torn & difficult, 15.00.”

Some of the maps acquired by Jefferson, as shown in his correspondence and his bills, were as follows: