grino, one of the Italian laborers
established in our neighborhood. I fancy it contains one for his father.
I have supposed it would not be unpleasant to you to have the delivery
of it, as it may give you a good opportunity of conferring with one of
that class as much as you please. I obey at the same time my own wishes
to oblige the writer. Mazzei is at this time ill, but not in danger. I
am impatient to receive further letters from you, which may assure me of
the solidity of your recovery, being, with great anxiety for your health
and happiness, Dear Sir, your affectionate friend and servant,

Th: Jefferson.

[The annexed is here inserted in the Author's MS. To whom
addressed, does not appear.]

The Minister Plenipotentiary for the United States of America finds
himself under the necessity of declining to authenticate writings
destined to be sent to the United States, for this main reason, that
such authentication is not legal evidence there. After a reason so
sufficient, it seems superfluous to add, that, were his authentication
admissible in the courts of the United States, he could never give it to
any seal or signature, which had not been put in his presence; that he
could never certify a copy, unless both that and the original were in a
hand-writing legible to him, and had been compared together by him,
word by word: that so numerous are the writings presented, that their
authentication alone would occupy the greater part of his time, and,
withdrawing him from his proper duties, would change the nature of his
office to that of a notary. He observes to those who do him the honor
of addressing themselves to him on this subject, that the laws for the
authentication of foreign writings are not the same through all the
United States, some requiring an authentication under the seal of the
_Prevote_ of a city, and others admitting that of a Notary: but that
writings authenticated in both these manners, will, under the one or the
other, be admitted in most, if not all of the United States. It would
seem advisable, then, to furnish them with this double authentication.

LETTER CLXXV.--TO DOCTOR GILMER, December 16, 1788

TO DOCTOR GILMER.

Paife, December 16, 1788.

Dear Doctor,

Your last letter of December the 23rd was unlucky, like the former one,
in arriving while I was absent on a call of public business in Holland.
I was discouraged from answering the law part of it on my return,
because