nts, distant
as they are, are important to a person who has spent the most valuable
part of his youth in the service of his country. As this indulgence
rests in the power of Congress alone, I am induced to request it of them
on behalf of the State, to whom it is very interesting that the office
be properly filled, and I may say, on behalf of the Continent also, to
whom the same circumstance is interesting, in proportion to its reliance
upon this State for supplies to the southern war. We should not have
given Congress the trouble of this application, had we found it easy to
call any other to the office, who was likely to answer our wishes in the
exercise of it.

I have the honor to be, with sentiments of the highest respect,

your Excellency's most obedient

and most humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER L.--TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS, March 28, 1781

TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Richmond, March 28, 1781.

Sir,

I forward to your Excellency, under cover with this, copies of letters
received from Major General Greene and Baron Steuben, which will give
you the latest account of the situation of things with us and in North
Carolina.

I observe a late resolve of Congress, for furnishing a number of arms to
the southern states; and I lately wrote you on the subject of ammunition
and cartridge-paper. How much of this State, the enemy thus reinforced,
may think proper to possess themselves of, must depend on their own
moderation and caution, till these supplies arrive. We had hoped to
receive, by the French squadron under Monsieur Destouches, eleven
hundred stand of arms, which we had at Rhode Island, but were
disappointed. The necessity of hurrying forward the troops intended for
the southern operations will be doubtless apparent from this letter.

I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect,

your Excellency's most obedient

and most humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER LI.--TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS, March 31, 1781

TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Richmond, March 31, 1781.

Sir,

The letters and papers accompanying this, will inform your Excellency of
the arrival of a British flag vessel with clothing, refreshments, money,
&c. for their prisoners under the Convention of Saratoga. The gentlemen
conducting them have, on supposition that the prisoners, or a part of
them, still remained in this State, applied to me by letters, copies
of wh