“ ginia, with a View to have it printed, but I inform’d them, that I had some reason to believe that a New Edition was coming out with corrections by the Author, & Col ^l. Smith Inform’d me that a large Map, was engraving for the Work, I have some doubts wether [ sic -- Ed. ] it would pay the expences, at same time have a Wish to publish it, with your Name, as I am convinced it is a Work of great Merit, I have spoke to M ^r. Adams & Col ^l. Smith on the Subject who wish much to see the Work published in England . . .”

On February 1, 1787, Jefferson wrote to John Stockdale concerning the publication of an English edition: “ You have two or three times proposed to me the printing my Notes on Virginia. I never did intend to have made them public, because they are little interesting to the rest of the world. but as a translation of them is coming out, I have consented to let the original appear also. I have therefore corrected a copy & made some additions. I have moreover had a map engraved, which is worth more than the book. if you chuse to print the work I will send you the corected copy, and when it shall be nearly printed I will send the plate of the map. I would not chuse that it should be put under a patent, nor that there should be a tittle altered, added, nor omitted. it would be necessary to have a small half sheet map engraved of the country of Virginia as when first discovered. this map is only to be found in Smith’s history of Virginia, a thin folio, now very rare. I was not able to find that work here, but surely it can be found in London. an exact copy of the map is all that would be wanting. I leave this place about the 11 ^th. or 12 ^th. be so good as to let me know whether you chuse to print this work under the conditions before named. if I receive your answer in the affirmative before I set out, I will send you immediately the copy. it is an octavo of 391. pages . . .

" P.S. it is not necessary to observe that as I have been at the expence of engraving the large map, I should expect to be paid for those you should have occasion for. a shilling a peice. ”

To this Stockdale replied on February 13: “. . . I shall be happy to receive your corrected Copy, which shall be neatly & correctly printed & published, according to your desire, without one title of Alteration, tho’ I know there is some bitter pills relative to our Country, as I shall not be above three Weeks in printing the Work, it may not be amiss to send the plate at the same time, as they will take some time to Work; I think a shilling for the use of the plate, for working each Copy, a very great price, & I am afraid much higher than the Work will bear, but this I leave entirely to your consideration. I intend to print 500 Copies, which from the Merit of the Work & the advantage of your Name, I hope will be sold, but all things are uncertain, in short, all that I wish is to be the publisher of your work & to be indemnified, without paying any regard to the profit.”

On February 27, Jefferson wrote to Stockdale: “ By the Diligence of tomorrow I will send you a corrected copy of my Notes, which I will pray you to print precisely as they are, without additions, alterations, preface, or any thing else but what is there. they will require a very accurate corrector of the press, because they are filled with tables, which will become absolutely useless if they are not printed with a perfect accuracy. I beg you therefore to have the most particular attention paid to the correcting of the press. with respect to the plate of the map, it is impossible to send it at the same time. it was engraved in London, and on examination I found a prodigious number of orthographical errors. being determined that it shall not go out with a single error, an engraver is now closely employed in correcting them. he promises to have it finished the next week, say by the 10 ^th. of March: but I suppose you must expect he will not be punctual to a day. the map will br [ sic -- Ed. ] worth more than the book, because it is very particular, made on the best materials which exist, and is of a very convenient size, bringing the states of Virginia, Maryland Delaware & Pennsylvania into a single sheet. it will make the book sell. I think it would be worth your while to print 400 copies of the book for America, sending 200. to Richmond in Virginia, & 200 to Philadelphia. if you have no correspondents there, you might send those for Richmond to mr James Buchanan merchant there, & those for Philadelphia to Aitken bookseller there. these are men on whose punctuality you ”