ce, was continued until he
was eighty-one years old. It contains memoranda of vegetable phenomena,
and statements of all kinds of information, in any way affecting the
economy of horticulture. He likewise kept a farm-book. His accounts
were noted, without the loss of a day, through his entire life, and
every item of personal expense was separately stated. We often find
entries like these: "11 d. paid to the barber,"--"4 d. for whetting
penknife,"--and "1s. put in the church-box." On the 4th of July, 1776,
we find:--"pd. Sparhawk, for a thermometer, L3 15s.--pd. for 7 prs.
women's gloves, 27s.--gave, in charity, 1s. 6d." His meteorological
register informs us, that, at 6 o'clock, A.M., of the same
memorable day, the mercury stood 68 deg. above; at noon, at 76 deg.; and at 9,
P.M., at 73-1/2 deg.. Entries were regularly made in this register,
three times a day. Separate books were kept for special accounts,
like the expenses of the Presidential mansion. In addition, he made
minute records of observation in natural history, and a curious
"Statement of the Vegetable Market of Washington, during a Period of
Eight Years, wherein the Earliest and Latest Appearance of each
Article, within the whole Eight Years, is noted." This table mentions
_thirty-seven_ different articles, and was compiled during his
Presidency. He made a collection of the vocabularies of fifty Indian
languages, and two collocations of those passages in the New
Testament which contain the doctrines of Jesus. One of these,
entitled, "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," is an octavo
volume, with a complete index. The texts are written out in Greek,
Latin, French, and English, and placed in parallel columns.

Mr. Randall makes a long argument to defend Jefferson from the common
imputation, that a man who was so fond of detail could not have had
much capacity for higher effort. It was hardly worth while to expose
a delusion which is so apparent, especially in the case of Jefferson.
Men are often seen with great aptitude for the accumulation of facts,
and none for the comprehension of principles. Such men, though never
great, are always useful. But the most useless and unfortunate
organization is that quite common one, where a speculative mind is
found which has not sufficient energy to lay hold of details. These
philosophers, as the foolish call them, are the ingenious contrivers
of the impracticable reforms, the crazy enterprises, and the
numberless pan