of bread
does not produce a commencement of disorder, I am of opinion the
other discontents will be stifled, and a good and free constitution
established without opposition. In fact, the mass of the people, the
clergy, and army, (excepting the higher orders of the three bodies) are
in as compact an union as can be. The National Assembly have decided
that their executive shall be hereditary, and shall have a suspensive
negative on the laws; that the legislature shall be of one House, annual
in its sessions and biennial in its elections. Their declaration
of rights will give you their other general views. I am just on my
departure for Virginia, where the arrangement of my affairs will detain
me the winter; after which (say in February) I shall go on to New York,
to embark from some northern port for France. In the mean while and
always, I am with great and sincere esteem, Dear Sir, your friend and
servant.

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER XV.--TO JOHN JAY, September 19, 1789

TO JOHN JAY.

Paris, September 19, 1789.

Sir,

I had the honor of addressing you on the 30th of the last month.
Since that, I have taken the liberty of consigning to you a box of
officers' muskets, containing half a dozen, made by the person and on the
plan which I mentioned to you in a letter which I cannot turn to at this
moment, but I think it was of the year 1785. A more particular account
of them you will find in the enclosed copy of a letter which I have
written to General Knox. The box is marked T. J. No. 36, is gone to
Havre, and will be forwarded to you by the first vessel bound to New
York, by Mr. Nathaniel Cutting, an American gentleman establishing
himself there.

Recalling to your mind the account I gave you of the number and size
of ships fitted out by the English last year, for the northern
whale-fishery, and comparing with it what they have fitted out this
year, for the same fishery, the comparison will stand thus:

Years. Vessels. Tons. Men.

1788. 255 75,436 10,710

1789. 178 51,473 7,476

Difference. 77 23,963 3,234

By which you will perceive, that they have lost a third of that fishery
in one year, which I think almost entirely, if not quite, ascribable to
the shutting the French ports against their oil. I have no account of
their southern fishery of the present year.

As soon as I was informed that our bankers had the money ready for the
redemption