till I am honoured with their orders
as to this medal, and the others also, when they shall be
finished.

With great respect and esteem,
Th: JEFFERSON.

In another letter to Mr. Jay, dated Marseilles, May 4, 1787, Mr.
Jefferson again refers to this subject:

- - - - -

I am in hopes Mr. Short will be able to send you the medals of
General Gates by this packet. I await a general instruction as to
these medals. The academies of Europe will be much pleased to
receive a set.

- - - - -

Mr. Jefferson's communication of the 14th of February was (p. xviii)
brought to the notice of Congress by Mr. Jay, and was referred back to
him by Congress. The result was the following report:

OFFICE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
July 11, 1787.

The Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign
Affairs, to whom was referred a letter from the Honourable Mr.
Jefferson of the 14th of February last,

_Reports_, Your secretary presumes that the following paragraphs
in this letter occasion its being referred to him, viz.: "The
workman who was to make a medal of General Greene brought me
yesterday the medal in gold, twenty-three in copper, and the die.
I must beg leave, through you, to ask the pleasure of Congress as
to the number they would choose to have struck. Perhaps they
might be willing to deposit one of each person in every college
of the United States. Perhaps they might choose to give a series
of them to each of the crowned heads of Europe, which would be an
acceptable present to them. They will be pleased to decide. In
the meantime I have sealed up the die, and shall retain it till I
am honoured with their orders as to this medal, and the others
also, when they shall be finished."

As these medals were directed to be struck in order to signalize
and commemorate certain interesting events and conspicuous
characters, the distribution of them should in his opinion be
such as may best conduce to that end. He therefore thinks that
both of Mr. Jefferson's hints should be improved, to wit, that a
series of these medals should be presented to each of the crowned