amo Chiappi to be
their agent at Tangier, with which agents it was their desire that
their ministers at Versailles and London should regularly correspond;
that want of time prevented his having and sending to me the certified
copies of these acts by that opportunity, but that he would do it by
the next. It will be with singular pleasure that I shall be
instrumental in forwarding to you these testimonies of the sense which
Congress entertains of your personal merit, and of your dispositions to
be useful to the citizens of America.

In the meantime, I shall be very happy to receive from you such
communications, from time to time, as may be interesting to either
nation, and will avail myself of every occasion of making
communications of the same nature to you, and of assuring you of those
sentiments of esteem and respect with which I have the honor to be,
Sir, your most obedient, and most humble servant.

TO MR. GEORGE WYTHE.

PARIS, Sept. 16, 1787.

DEAR SIR,--I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your favors of Dec.
the 13th and 22d, 1786, and of Jan., 1787. These should not have been
so long unanswered, but that they arrived during my absence on a
journey of between three and four months through the southern parts of
France, and northern of Italy. In the latter country, my time allowed
me to go no farther than Turin, Milan, and Genoa: consequently, I
scarcely got into classical ground. I took with me some of the
writings, in which endeavors have been made to investigate the passage
of Annibal over the Alps, and was just able to satisfy myself, from a
view of the country, that the descriptions given of his march are not
sufficiently particular to enable us, at this day, even to guess at his
track across the Alps. In architecture, painting, sculpture, I found
much amusement; but more than all, in their agriculture, many objects
of which might be adopted with us to great advantage. I am persuaded,
there are many parts of our lower country where the olive tree might be
raised, which is assuredly the richest gift of heaven. I can scarcely
except bread. I see this tree supporting thousands among the Alps,
where there is not soil enough to make bread for a single family. The
caper too, might be cultivated with us. The fig we do raise. I do not
speak of the vine, because it is the parent of misery. Those who
cultivate it are always poor, and he who would employ himself with us
in the culture of corn, cotton, &c.,