ored with your letter of the 6th instant, and am sincerely sorry
that you should experience inconveniences for the want of the arrearages
due to you from the United States. I have never ceased to take every
measure, which could promise to procure to the foreign officers the
payment of these arrears. At present the matter stands thus. Congress
have agreed to borrow a sum of money in Holland, to enable them to pay
the individual demands in Europe. They have given orders that these
arrearages shall be paid out of this money, when borrowed, and certain
bankers in Amsterdam are charged to borrow the money. I am myself of
opinion, they will certainly procure the money in the course of the
present year; but it is not for me to affirm this, nor to make any
engagement. The moment the money is ready, it shall be made known
to Colonel Gourion, who, at the desire of many of the officers, has
undertaken to communicate with me on the subject, and to inform them,
from time to time, of the progress of this business. He will readily
answer your letters on this subject. I depart in a few days for America,
but shall leave such instructions here, as that this matter will suffer
no delay on that account.

I have the honor to be. Sir, your most obedient, humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CCII.--TO MR. VAUGHAN, May 17, 1789

TO MR. VAUGHAN.

Paris, May 17, 1789.

Dear Sir,

I am to acknowledge, all together, the receipt of your favors of March
the 17th, 26th, and May the 7th, and to return you abundant thanks for
your attention to the article of dry rice, and the parcel of seeds you
sent me. This is interesting, because, even should it not take place
of the wet rice, in South Carolina, it will enable us to cultivate this
grain in Virginia, where we have not lands disposed for the wet rice.
The collection of the works of Monsieur de Poivre has not, as I believe,
been ever published. It could hardly have escaped my knowledge, if they
had been ever announced. The French translation of the book on trade has
not yet come to my hands. Whenever I receive the copies, they shall be
distributed, and principally among the members of the _Etats Generaux_.
I doubt whether, at this session, they will take up the subject of
commerce. Whenever they do, they will find better principles no where
than in that book. I spoke with Mr. Stewart yesterday on the subject of
the distribution, and if I should be gone before the books come to
hand,