“ the two last are for m( ^~ r) Wythe in Williamsburgh, and m( ^~ r) Alex( ^~ r) Donald merchant in Richmond. the first contains the books for yourself which shall be noted at the close of my letter, together with the following for m ( ^~ r) Rittenhouse; viz. la Chymie de Fourcroi 4. vols 8 ^vo. Connoissance des tems 1788. 1789. and Dissertation de la Sauvagere. I have put into the same box 9. copies of the Notes on Virginia. that of the English edition, and one of the others are for yourself. the 7. remaining are for m ( ^~ r) Jay, m( ^~ r) Thomson, m( ^~ r) Hopkinson, m( ^~ r) Mercer (late of Congress) m( ^~ r) Rittenhouse, m( ^~ r) Izard & m( ^~ r) Ed. Rutledge, which I will pray of you to have delivered in my name to those gentlemen. I have also put into the box 100 copies of the map of Virginia, Pennsylvania & ^c. which be so good as to put into the hands of any booksellers you please in New York & Philadelphia to be sold at such price as you think proper, ready money only. I have sent some to Virginia to be sold at 5/6 of a dollar. if it should appear that a greater number might be sold, I would have the plate re-touched, and any number struck off which might be desired. it may serve to refund a part of the expences of printing the book & engraving the map . . . ”

On the same day, September 17, he wrote to Alexander Donald at Richmond, Virginia: “ . . . You made me a very unlucky offer of services in Richmond. probably you did not know how troublesome I should be to you. and if you had known, I still doubt whether it would deterred you [ sic -- Ed. ] from the offer, for I well remember that it was a part of your character to serve others tho’ you suffered yourself by it. I have taken the liberty to send to the care of m ( ^~ r) Madison at New York a box addressed to you which contains 100 maps of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania & Delaware, and 57 copies of a bad book called Notes on Virginia, the author of which has no other merit than that of thinking as little of it as any man in the world can. 17. of these copies are destined for yourself, Gov ^r. Randolph, Gen ^l. Washington, Col ^o. Monroe, Doct ^r. M ^c.lurg, Doct ^r. Turpin, Richard Henry Lee, Col ^o. Mason, m ( ^~ r) Jo. Jones of King George, m( ^~ r) Smith president of the P. Edw ^d. College, F. Eppes, H. Skipwith, C. H. Harrison, John Bolling jun ^r. m ( ^~ r) Zane, m( ^~ r) Stuard of Rockbridge, and m( ^~ r) Brown nephew to Col ^o. Preston. as you will probably see all these gentlemen, sooner or later in Richmond, you will have no other trouble than the delivery of the books with my request to accept of them. the remaining 40 copies, if any body will buy, at 10/ Virginia money apiece and the maps at half that, it may refund to me a part of the expences of impression. to save both to you & myself the trouble of accounts, part with them only for the cash in hand. the sums would not be worth the trouble of collecting . . . ”

Jefferson did not write to the people mentioned in these two letters to whom he destined copies of the Notes, but merely mentioned the matter if he had other reasons for writing. He had occasion to write to David Rittenhouse on the next following day, September 18, and mentioned that he was sending him a copy: “ I am now to acknolege the receipt of your favour of April 14. & June 26 as also of the 2 ^d. vol. of the Transactions you were so kind as to send me. It would have been a grateful present indeed could you have accompanied them with a copy of your observations on our Western country. besides the interest I feel in that country in common with others, I have a particular one as having ventured so many crudities on that subject. A copy of these with some late corrections I have put into a box of books sent to Mr Madison, another for m ( ^~ r) Hopkinson. I hope he will forward them to you from New York . . .”

Edward Rutledge, also mentioned in the letter to Madison, had already been promised a copy by Jefferson. On October 14 of the previous year, 1786, Rutledge had written a long letter to Jefferson, of which the closing paragraph read: “. . . Before I conclude I must acknowledge the Pleasure which I have received in reading your notes on Virginia. They do credit to your understanding & your Heart. They have not found their way as far South as Carolina; & from the injunction which you impose on those, whom you have favored with a Copy, there is no probability of their getting there. But there are some things which to know, would provoke a Voyage to New York . . .”

Jefferson replied to this from Paris in a letter dated July 14, 1787, and promised Rutledge a copy of the original edition: “ . . . I thank you for your obliging mention of my worthless Notes on Virginia. worthless & bad as ”