had sailed from
Havre with Mr. Dombey on board, who had sealed up his baggage and wrote
my address on them, to save them in case of capture; and that when they
were taken, the address did in fact protect them. He mentioned then
the death of Mr. Dombey, and that he had delivered his baggage to the
Custom-House at New York. I immediately wrote to M. L'Epine, disclaiming
any right or interest in the packages under my address, and authorizing,
as far as depended on me, the Consul at New York, or any person the
representative of Mr. Dombey to open the packages and dispose of them
according to right. I enclosed this letter open to Mr. Randolph, then
Secretary of State, to get his interference for the liberation of the
effects. It may have happened that he failed to forward the letter, or
that M. L'Epine may have gone before it reached New York. In any event,
I can do no more than repeat my disclaimer of any right to Mr. Dombey's
effects, and add all the authority which I can give to yourself, or to
the Consul of France at New York, to do with those effects whatever I
might do. Certainly it would be a great gratification to me to receive
the Metre and Grave committed to Mr. Dombey for me, and that you
would be so good as to be the channel of my acknowledgments to Bishop
Gregoire, or any one else to whom I should owe this favor.

You wish to know the state of the air here during the late cold spell,
or rather the present one, for it is at this moment so cold that the ink
freezes in my pen, so that my letter will scarcely be legible.

The following is copied from my diary:

[Illustration: page342]

In the winter of 1779-80, the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer fell
at Williamsburg once to six degrees above zero. In 1783-84, I was at
Annapolis without a thermometer, and I do not know that there was one
in that State: I heard from Virginia, that the mercury was again down to
six degrees. In 1789-90, I was at Paris. The mercury here was as low
as eighteen degrees below zero, of Fahrenheit. These have been the most
remarkably cold winters ever known in America. We are told, however,
that in 1762, at Philadelphia, it was twenty-two degrees below zero: in
December, 1793, it was three degrees below zero there by my thermometer.
On the 31st of January, 1796, it was one and three-fourth degrees above
zero at Monticello. I shall therefore have to change the maximum of our
cold, if ever I revise the Notes on Virginia; as six degrees