to
Sir John Lambert, in your name. When the nursery man, whom you have been
so good as to employ to prepare the olives and olive plants, to be sent
to Charleston, shall be executing that commission, I shall be glad if
he will, at the same time, prepare a few plants only, of the following
kinds. Figs, the best kind for drying, and the best kind for eating
fresh, raisins, the best kind for drying, prugnolles, cork trees,
pistaches, capers. I desire only a few plants of each of these, that
they may not take too much of the place of the olives, which is our
great object, and the sole one we have at heart. If you will be so good
as to give the nursery man this order immediately, it will save you the
necessity of recurring to my letter, when the season comes.

I have the honor to be, with great and sincere esteem, Sir, your most
obedient and most humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CLVI.--TO JOHN JAY, August 20,1788

TO JOHN JAY.

Paris, August 20,1788.

Sir,

I had the honor to write to you on the 3rd, 10th, and 11th instant, with
a postscript of the 12th; all of which went by Mrs. Barclay. Since that
date, we have received an account of a third victory obtained by the
Russians over the Turks, on the Black Sea, in which the Prince of
Nassau, with his galleys, destroyed two frigates, three smaller vessels,
and six galleys. The Turkish power on that sea is represented, by their
enemies, as now annihilated. There is reason to believe, however, that
this is not literally true, and that aided by the supplies furnished by
the English, they are making extraordinary efforts to re-establish
their marine. The Russian minister here has shown the official report of
Admiral Greigh, on the combat of July the 17th, in which he claims the
victory, and urges in proof of it, that he kept the field of battle.
This report is said to have been written on it. As this paper, together
with the report of the Swedish admiral, is printed in the Leyden gazette
of the 15th instant, I enclose it to you. The court of Denmark has
declared, it will furnish Russia the aid stipulated in their treaty: and
it is not doubted they will go beyond this, and become principals in the
war. The next probable moves are, that the King of Prussia will succor
Sweden; and Poland, Russia, by land: and a possible consequence is, that
England may send a squadron into the Baltic, to restore equilibrium in
that sea. In my letter of the 11th, I observed to y