dice of his countryman.

When you shall be so kind as to recommend to me a correspondent in your
port during your absence, I will ask the favor of you also to give me
some idea of the time you expect to return.

I have the honor, after wishing you pleasant and prosperous voyages, to
assure you of the esteem and attachment, with which I am, Sir, your most
obedient, humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CLXXXVI.--TO DR. BANCROFT, March 2, 1789

TO DR. BANCROFT.

Paris, March 2, 1789

Dear Sir,

I have just received a letter of January the 31st from Admiral Paul
Jones, at Petersburg, which charging me with the execution of some
commissions, and these requiring money, he tells me you will answer my
drafts, to the amount of four or five thousand livres, on his account.
Be so good as to inform me whether you will pay such drafts.

A Monsieur Foulloy, who has been connected with Deane, lately offered me
for sale two volumes of Deane's letter books and account books, that he
had taken instead of money, which Deane owed him. I have purchased them
on public account. He tells me Deane has still six or eight volumes
more, and being to return soon to London, he will try to get them
also, in order to make us pay high for them. You are sensible of the
impropriety of letting such books get into hands which might make
an unfriendly use of them. You are sensible of the immorality of an
ex-minister's selling his secrets for money and, consequently, that
there can be no immorality in tempting him with money to part with them;
so that they may be restored to that government to whom they properly
belong. Your former acquaintance with Deane may, perhaps, put it in your
power to render our country the service of recovering those books. It
would not do to propose it to him as for Congress. What other way would
best bring it about, you know best. I suppose his distresses and his
crapulous habits will not render him difficult on this head. On the
supposition that there are six or eight volumes, I think you might
venture as far as fifty guineas, and proportionably for fewer. I will
answer your draft to this amount and purpose, or you may retain it out
of any monies you may propose to pay me for admiral Jones. There is no
time to lose in this negotiation, as, should Foulloy arrive there
before it is closed, he will spoil the bargain. If you should be able to
recover these books, I would ask the favor of you to send them to me b