You are punctual; and almost the only one of my
correspondents on whom I can firmly rely, for the execution of
commissions which combine a little trouble with more attention. I am
very sorry however that I have three commissions to charge you with,
which will give you more than a little trouble. Two of them are for
Monsieur de Buffon. Many, many years ago, Cadwallader Golden wrote a
very small pamphlet on the subjects of attraction and impulsion, a copy
of which he sent to Monsieur de Buffon. He was so charmed with it, that
he put it into the hands of a friend to translate, who lost it. It has
ever since weighed on his mind, and he has made repeated trials to have
it found in England. But in vain. He applied to me. I am in hopes, if
you will write a line to the booksellers of Philadelphia to rummage
their shops, that some of them may find it. Or, perhaps, some of the
careful old people of Pennsylvania or New Jersey may have preserved a
copy. In the King's cabinet of Natural History, of which Monsieur de
Buffon has the superintendence, I observed that they had neither our
grouse nor our pheasant. These, I know, may be bought in the market of
Philadelphia, on any day while they are in season. Pray buy the male and
female of each, and employ some apothecary's boys to prepare them, and
pack them. Methods may be seen in the preliminary discourse to the first
volume of Birds, in the _Encyclopedie_, or in the Natural History of
Buffon, where he describes the King's cabinet. And this done, you will
be so good as to send them to me. The third commission is more distant.
It is to precure me two or three hundred paccan nuts from the western
country. I expect they can always be got at Pittsburgh and am in hopes,
that by yourself or your friends, some attentive person there may be
engaged to send them to you. They should come as fresh as possible,
and come best, I believe, in a box of sand. Of this, Barham could best
advise you. I imagine vessels are always coming from Philadelphia to
France. If there be a choice of ports, Havre would be the best. I must
beg you to direct them to the care of the American consul or agent at
the port, to be sent by the Diligence or Fourgon. A thousand apologies
would not suffice for this trouble, if I meant to pay you in apologies
only. But I sincerely ask, and will punctually execute, the appointment
of your _charge des affaires_ in Europe generally. From the smallest
to the highest commission, I will