ts sessions to appoint a committee to receive and
despatch all executive business, so that Congress itself should meddle
only with what should be legislative. But I question if any Congress
(much less all successively) can have self-denial enough to go, through
with this distribution. The distribution, then, should be imposed
on them. I find Congress have reversed their division of the western
States, and proposed to make them fewer and larger. This is reversing
the natural order of things. A tractable people may be governed in large
bodies: but in proportion as they depart from this character, the extent
of their government must be less. We see into what small divisions the
Indians are obliged to reduce their societies. This measure, with the
disposition to shut up the Mississippi, gives me serious apprehensions
of the severance of the eastern and western parts of our confederacy. It
might have been made the interest of the western States to remain united
with us, by managing their interests honestly, and for their own good.
But the moment we sacrifice their interests to our own, they will see
it better to govern themselves. The moment they resolve to do this,
the point is settled. A forced connection is neither our interest,
nor within our power. The Virginia act for religious freedom has been
received with infinite approbation in Europe, and propagated with
enthusiasm. I do not mean by the governments, but by the individuals who
compose them. It has been translated into French and Italian, has been
sent to most of the courts of Europe, and has been the best evidence of
the falsehood of those reports, which stated us to be in anarchy. It
is inserted in the new _Encyclopedie_, and is appearing in most of the
publications respecting America. In fact, it is comfortable to see the
standard of reason at length erected, after so many ages, during which
the human mind has been held in vassalage by kings, priests, and nobles:
and it is honorable for us to have produced the first legislature who
had the courage to declare, that the reason of man may be trusted with
the formation of his own opinions.

*****

I thank you for your communications in Natural History. The several
instances of trees, &c. found far below the surface of the earth, as in
the case of Mr. Hay's well, seem to set the reason of man at defiance.

I am, Dear Sir, with sincere esteem, your friend and servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER XXXIII.--TO CHAR