“ quels le megalonix du paragaij qui est dans le Cabinet d’histoire naturelle de madrid et dont vous avez trouvé des restes dans l’amerique septentrionale; aussitot que le second tome qu’on imprime, verra le jour, j’aurai l’honneur de vous le faire parvenir. . .”

On March 27, 1804, Jefferson lent this book to Dr. Caspar Wistar: “ . . . I send you by post herewith an interesting volume of Faujas de S ^t. Fond on the great fossil bones, which after reading may be returned either with La Cepede’s or otherwise as you please . . . I should be glad Doct ^r. Barton could have the reading the volume now sent, with my compliments to him . . . ”

On May 4, Wistar, in a long letter to Jefferson, closed with the request: “. . . I must beg the further loan of the very valuable work of Faujas which you were so kind as to send me--I have been particularly occupied since it came & cannot part with it (if you can spare it longer) without a complete perusal.”

To this Jefferson replied on June 7: “ . . . keep Faujas’ book as long as you please . . .”

Six months later, on January 4, 1805, Jefferson wrote to Wistar for the book: “ M ^r. T. M. Randolph being desirous of perusing the work of Faujas which I sent you some time ago, if you are done with it, I will ask the favor of you to inclose it to me by post . . . ”

Three years later Jefferson sent to Paris for another copy. On July 14, 1808, he wrote to Captain Nathan Haley at Paris, asking him to bring a number of books and articles on his return voyage, including “ Geologie de Faujas in 1. or 2. vol( ^~s ) 8 ^vo., perhaps more may have come out. his 4 ^to. work on the Mountain of S ^t. Pierre I have. ”

On November 25, 1808, Captain Haley having brought the book, Jefferson wrote to Wistar: “ I have lately recieved from France another copy of the 1 ^st. vol. of the Essaie de Geologie de Faujas, which enables me to request you to keep for your own use the one I lent you. the 2 ^d. vol. has never appeared. ”

The fact that this volume is entered twice in the Library of Congress 1815 catalogue (the entry dropped in the later catalogues) may indicate that the second copy was listed in the manuscript catalogue from which Congress bought the library.

A copy of the same work had been offered to Jefferson by Reibelt for 2 ½ dollars, sent on approval with a number of others, the list undated but probably late in 1804.

In this first volume the discussion on the elephant in Ohio (page 266) contains a reference to l’excellent Traité sur la constitution physique de la Virginie, par Monsieur Jefferson, pag. 70 de l’édition anglaise de 1782. On page 374 is an account of the mégalonix de Jefferson. The various references to the geology and zoology of North America include an account of the Peale Museum in Philadelphia.

In a letter to John Vaughan written on August 15, 1805, Jefferson discusses the views of Faujas-St. Fond on the classification of animals, as contrasted and compared with those of Cuvier and Buffon, with special regard to the megatherum and the megalonix.

On October 15, 1806, Faujas-St. Fond wrote to Jefferson that he was holding back volume II for the results of the expedition to the Mississippi: “. . . nous attendons ici avec une vive impatience les resultats du Beau voyage dans l’interieur de l’amerique que vous aviez ordonné, qui dans tous les cas ne peut qu’etre utile aux progrés des Connoissances hummaines. Comme l’histoire naturelle, et particulierement la geographie physique s’enrichiront de ce voyage; je vous aurois en mon particulier une grande obligation, Monsieur le president si vous pouviez avoir la Bonté de me faire parvenir une Courte Notice, des découvertes qui auront pû etre faites sur les deux Branches des Sciences Naturelles. C’est dans cette attente que j’ai fait suspendre l’impression du second tome Des essais de Geologie qui etoit deja Bien avancé, parceque j’espere que le voyage pourra fournir quelques nouvelles données, soit sur les grandes chaines de montagnes, sur leurs élévations, et sur quelques especes de quadrupedes . . .”

Early the following year, on February 16, 1807, Faujas de St. Fond (signing himself with de for the first time) wrote promising a copy of volume II: “. . . on imprime dans ce moment le second ”