d having brought him
back on the coast of France, some accident happened to his balloon of
inflammable air, which occasioned it to burst, and that of rarefied
air combined with it being then unequal to the weight, they fell to the
earth from a height, which the first reports made six thousand feet, but
later ones have reduced to sixteen hundred. Pilatre de Roziere was dead
when a peasant, distant one hundred yards only, run to him; but Romain,
his companion, lived about ten minutes, though speechless, and without
his senses. In literature there is nothing new. For I do not consider as
having added any thing to that field, my own Notes, of which I have
had a few copies printed. I will send you a copy by the first safe
conveyance. Having troubled Mr. Otto with one for Colonel Monroe, I
could not charge him with one for you. Pray ask the favor of Colonel
Monroe, in page 5, line 17, to strike out the words 'above the mouth of
Appamatox,' which make nonsense of the passage; and I forgot to correct
it before I had enclosed and sent off the copy to him. I am desirous of
preventing the reprinting this, should any book-merchant think it worth
it, till I hear from my friends, whether the terms in which I have
spoken of slavery and the constitution of our State, will not, by
producing an irritation, retard that reformation which I wish, instead
of promoting it. Dr. Franklin proposes to sail for America about the
first or second week of July. He does not yet know, however, by what
conveyance he can go. Unable to travel by land, he must descend the
Seine in a boat to Havre. He has sent to England to get some vessel
bound for Philadelphia, to touch at Havre for him. But he receives
information that this cannot be done. He has been on the lookout ever
since he received his permission to return; but, as yet, no possible
means of getting a passage have offered, and I fear it is very uncertain
when any will offer. I am with very great esteem, Dear Sir,

your friend and servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER LXVI.--TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL, June 22, 1785

TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.

Paris, June 22, 1785.

Sir,

Your letter of April the 4th came to my hands on the 16th of that month,
and was acknowledged by mine of May the 3rd. That which you did me the
honor to write me on the 5th of April, never came to hand until the 19th
of May, upwards of a month after the one of the day before. I have hopes
of sending the present by a Mr. Jarvis,