“ fail to deliver them safely. Several Weeks elapsing and none such casting up, I was exceedingly uneasy, and asked the favor of M ^r. Jameson, who is personally known to Count Rochambeau, to inclose and recommend them to him to be forwarded: not doubting but they would go with much greater certainty by one of the Counts Couriers than by any of the express riders from hence. The Count politely wrote in answer that he had sent them by a trusty Messenger--I assure you I was very unhappy for their long detention, and lament that I did not think of the Count sooner.--M ^r. Short left Richmond a few hours before your favor reached me, or I should certainly have written by him. Being obliged to attend the Board, I had not the pleasure of seeing him when he called at our House, but had desired M ^rs. Ambler to inform him how I had sent the letters--she forgot to do so it seems . . .”

On receipt of this Jefferson wrote on March 24 to Marbois: “ I am very sorry that the papers I had taken the liberty to trouble you with have been so unfortunately delayed. I retired from office in the month of June last, and was obliged by the movements of the enemy to retire from my house at the same time, to which I did not return till the month of Aug. I immediately engaged in the work of digesting the materials I had collected in answer to your quaeries and supplying their defects. this I completed in a short time except as to some few articles which requiring information from very distant parts of the country I referred [ sic -- Ed. ] forwarding the whole to you till our assembly should meet in October when I hoped to get the informñ I wanted. that meeting was unexpectedly protracted so that I did not go to Richmond till December. on leaving that place without having had a good opport ( ^~y ) of sending my lr( ^~e ) to you, I put that & some others in to the hands of the hoñble m( ^~ r) Ambler a member of the council desiring he would forward them by some of those safe conveyances which I supposed govern( ^~m ) t would have. on rec ^t of your favor of January--I became uneasy lest they should have miscarried, and wrote to m ( ^~ r) Ambler to be informed of the channel of conveyance. I take the liberty of subjoining his answer as it will explain to you the cause of the one letter being delayed while it’s companion went on safely. the trifle which has exposed you to this detail was not worth a thought on your part, and I trouble you with it merely to satisfy you of the attention I payd to your wishes. I hope before this you will have rec ^d it safely and that it will have effected the sole purpose I could expect which was that of showing you with how much respect I have the honour of considering what ever comes from you . . . ”

This was acknowledged by Marbois on April 22: “J’ai reçu les lettres que vous m’avés fait l’honneur de m’ecrire le 20. decembre et le 24. mars dernier. J’ai mis sur la navire marchand le Philadelphie les paquets pour l’Europe joints à la premiere et je crois que ce vaisseau a heureusement decapé malgré la vigilance des corsaires anglois.

"Je ne puis vous exprimer à quel point je suis reconnoissant de la peine que vous avés prise pour rediger des responses detaillées aux questions que j’avois pris la liberté de vous adresser. La Philosophie que les a Dictées, les lumieres que cet ecrit me donne sur un des plus importans etats de l’union et les circonstances dans lesquelles vous avés pris la peine de les ecrire en font l’ouvrage le plus precieux que je pusse emporter de ce pays-ci.

"J’ai vu surtout, Monsieur, avec un plaisir inexprimable la candeur et la franchise avec laquelle vous vous expliqués sur les objets que des Politiques à vue courte apelleroient secrets d’Etat. Vous avés jugé en veritable homme d’Etat que s’il y a des secrets dans les societés qui sont en decadence et tendent à leur ruine ou leur dissolution, il ne doit point y en avoir dans une republique qui se fortiffie et s’aggrandit tous les jours, et qui ne pourroit decroître quand même l’administration seroit momentanement vitieuse. Je vous prie d’etre bien persuadé, Monsieur, qu’on ne peut être plus touché que je le suis de vos bontés en cette occasion, et que j’en sens toute l’etendue, quelque peu de prix que vous vouliés y mettre vous même. ”