ression
from rising to redress themselves. His restless spirit leaves no hope of
peace to the world; and his hatred of us is only a little less than that
he bears to England, and England to us. Our form of government is odious
to him, as a standing contrast between republican and despotic rule; and
as much from that hatred, as from ignorance in political economy, he had
excluded intercourse between us and his people, by prohibiting the only
articles they wanted from us, that is, cotton and tobacco. Whether the
war we have had with England, the achievements of that war, and the hope
that we may become his instruments and partisans against that enemy, may
induce him, in future, to tolerate our commercial intercourse with his
people, is still to be seen. For my part, I wish that all nations may
recover and retain their independence; that those which are overgrown
may not advance beyond safe measures of power, that a salutary balance
may be ever maintained among nations, and that our peace, commerce, and
friendship may be sought and cultivated by all. It is our business to
manufacture for ourselves whatever we can, to keep all markets open for
what we can spare or want; and the less we have to do with the amities
or enmities of Europe, the better. Not in our day, but at no distant
one, we may shake a rod over the heads of all, which may make the
stoutest of them tremble. But I hope our wisdom will grow with our
power, and teach us that the less we use our power, the greater it will
be.

The federal misrepresentation of my sentiments, which occasioned my
former letter to you, was gross enough; but that and all others are
exceeded by the impudence and falsehood of the printed extract you sent
me from Ralph's paper. That a continuance of the embargo for two months
longer would have prevented our war; that the non-importation law
which succeeded it was a wise and powerful measure, I have constantly
maintained. My friendship for Mr. Madison, my confidence in his wisdom
and virtue, and my approbation of all his measures, and especially of
his taking up at length the gauntlet against England, is known to all
with whom I have ever conversed or corresponded on these measures. The
word federal, or its synonyme &c., may therefore be written under every
word of Mr. Ralph's paragraph. I have ransacked my memory to recollect
any incident which might have given countenance to any particle of it,
but I find none. For if you will except the