“ (two large quartos). As the empress has sent M ^r. Pallas still farther north than Petersburgh, I fear the work will never be finished. He has not given any specimens of the languages of the American nations . . .”

There is no further correspondence concerning this work in the Jefferson Papers in the Library of Congress until September 14, 1809, when Barton wrote to say that a new edition was in the press: “I have, at this time, in the press a new edition of my work on the Dialects of the American Indians, punct. sic.-- Ed.] This edition will be, in many respects, much more correct and satisfactory, as well as more ample, than the former, which you have seen. I am extremely anxious to possess specimens,--no matter how small,--of the languages which M ^r. Lewis met with beyond the Missisippi. I will think myself much gratified, and honored, if you will transmit to me, as early as your convenience may suit, such specimens. I do not ask, or wish for, copies of the entire vocabularies: but only a good selection of about ten or twelve words, from each of them. I need not tell you what words those should be--I am less anxious about the language of the Osages, as I have a tolerable specimen of this. Of the Mandan, I have only 4 or 5 words. of the Pawnees, not one, upon which I would wish to depend.--I shall not fail to make a public acknowledgement of the source from which I receive the words . . .”

Jefferson replied from Monticello on September 21: “ I recieved last night your favor of the 14 ^th. and would with all possible pleasure have communicated to you any part or the whole of the Indian vocabularies which I had collected, but an irreparable misfortune has deprived me of them. I have now been thirty years availing myself of every possible opportunity of procuring Indian vocabularies to the same set of words: my opportunities were probably better than will ever occur again to any person having the same desire. I had collected about 50. and had digested most of them in collateral columns and meant to have printed them the last year of my stay in Washington. but not having yet digested Capt. Lewis’s collection, nor having leisure then to do it, I put it off till I should return home. the whole, as well digest as originals were packed in a trunk of stationary & sent round by water with about 30. other packages of my effects from Washington, and while ascending James river, this package, on account of it’s weight & presumed precious contents, was singled out & stolen. the thief being disappointed on opening it, threw into the river all it’s contents of which he thought he could make no use. among these were the whole of the vocabularies. some leaves floated ashore & were found in the mud; but these were very few, & so defaced by the mud & water that no general use can ever be made of them. on the reciept of your letter I turned to them, & was very happy to find that the only morsel of an original vocabulary among them was Capt. Lewis’s of the Pani language of which you say you have not one word. I therefore inclose it to you, as it is, & a little fragment of some other which I see is in his handwriting, but no indication remains on it of what language it is. it is a specimen of the condition of the little which was recovered. I am the more concerned at this accident as of the 250 words of my vocabularies and the 130. words of the great Russian vocabularies of the languages of the other quarters of the globe, 73. were common to both, and would have furnished materials for a comparison from which something might have resulted. altho I believe no general use can ever be made of the wrecks of my loss, yet I will ask the return of the Pani vocabulary when you are done with it. perhaps I may make another attempt to collect, altho’ I am too old to expect to make much progress in it . . . ”

Jefferson was in correspondence concerning this work with Samuel Miller [q.v.], who in a letter dated from New York, March 4, 1800, mentioned: “. . . I hope you will excuse the liberty I take in asking your opinion of Dr. Bartons “ New Views ,” etc. You have doubtless observed, that his information does not, in all respects, agree with that delivered by Mr. Thompson, in his remarks subjoined to your “Notes.” . . .”

Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia was one of the source books used by Barton. On page xvii of the Preliminary Discourse, a paragraph begins: “I now proceed to state the opinions of two late writers concerning the origin of the Americans. These writers are our learned and excellent countryman Mr. Jefferson, and the Abbé