, or those who think me a
fool. I am an enemy to her insults and injuries. I am an enemy to the
flagitious principles of her administration, and to those which govern
her conduct towards other nations. But would she give to morality some
place in her political code, and especially would she exercise decency,
and at least neutral passions towards us, there is not, I repeat it, a
people on earth with whom I would sacrifice so much to be in friendship.
They can do us, as enemies, more harm than any other nation; and in
peace and in war, they have more means of disturbing us internally.
Their merchants established among us, the bonds by which our own are
chained to their feet, and the banking combinations interwoven with the
whole, have shown the extent of their control, even during a war with
her. They are the workers of all the embarrassments our finances have
experienced during the war. Declaring themselves bankrupt, they have
been able still to chain the government to a dependence on them; and
had the war continued, they would have reduced us to the inability to
command a single dollar. They dared to proclaim that they would not pay
their own paper obligations, yet our government could not venture to
avail themselves of this opportunity of sweeping their paper from the
circulation, and substituting their own notes bottomed on specific taxes
for redemption, which every one would have eagerly taken and trusted,
rather than the baseless trash of bankrupt companies; our government,
I say, have still been overawed from a contest with them, and have
even countenanced and strengthened their influence, by proposing new
establishments, with authority to swindle yet greater sums from our
citizens. This is the British influence to which I am an enemy, and
which we must subject to our government, or it will subject us to that
of Britain.

*****

Come and gratify, by seeing you once more, a friend, who assures you
with sincerity of his constant and affectionate attachment and respect.

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CXXIV.--TO GENERAL DEARBORN, March 17, 1815

TO GENERAL DEARBORN.

Monticello, March 17, 1815.

My Dear General, Friend, and Ancient Colleague,

I have received your favor of February the 27th, with very great
pleasure, and sincerely reciprocate congratulations on the late events.
Peace was indeed desirable; yet it would not have been as welcome
without the successes of New Orleans. These last have established