enry Watson, claiming
prize monies, as having served under Admiral Paul Jones, which I suppose
should go to the treasury, or war-office.

I have the honor to be, with sentiments of the most perfect esteem and
respect, Sir, your most obedient and most humble; servant,

Th: Jefferson,

LETTER CLIX.--TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE TREASURY, Sep. 6, 1788

TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE TREASURY.

Paris, September 6, 1788.

Gentlemen,

Your favor of July the 3rd came to hand some days ago, and that of July
the 22nd in the afternoon of yesterday. Knowing that a Mr. Vannet was to
leave Paris this morning to go to Virginia in a vessel bound from Havre
to Potomac, I have engaged him to receive the papers which are the
subject of those letters, to take care of them from thence to Havre,
and on the voyage; and when he shall have arrived in Potomac, instead
of going directly to Richmond, as he intended, he will proceed with them
himself to New York. I shall pay here all expenses to their delivery at
the ship's side in America, freight included: unless, perhaps, he may
find it necessary to put another covering over them, if he should not
be able to get them into the cabin; in this case, you will have to
reimburse him for that. I engage to him that you shall pay him their
transportation from the ship's side to New York, and his own reasonable
expenses from the place of his landing to New York, and back to the
place of landing. As he takes that journey for this object only, it
would be reasonable that you give him some gratuity for his time and
trouble, and I suppose it would be accepted by him; but I have made no
agreement for this. The papers are contained in a large box and a trunk.
They were sent here by Mr. Ast, during my absence in Holland. When they
arrived at the gates of Paris, the officers of the customs opened the
trunk, to see whether it contained dutiable articles; but finding only
books and papers, they concluded the contents of the box to be of the
same nature, and did not open that. You receive it, therefore, as it
came from the hands of Mr. Ast. A small trunk, which came as a third
package from Mr. Ast, and which has never been opened, I have put into
the great trunk, without displacing, or ever having touched a single
paper, except as far as was necessary to make room for that. I shall
have the whole corded and plumbed by the Custom-house here, not only to
prevent their being opened at the Custom-houses on