, that
he finds himself insulated in every society. However, the fever will
not last. War, land-tax, and stamp-tax are sedatives which must cool its
ardor. They will bring on reflection, and that, with information, is
all which our countrymen need, to bring themselves and their affairs to
rights. They are essentially republicans. They retain unadulterated
the principles of '75, and those who are conscious of no change in
themselves have nothing to fear in the long run. It is our duty still to
endeavor to avoid war: but if it shall actually take place, no matter
by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire,
without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must
try to extinguish it. In that, I have no doubt, we shall act as one man.
But if we can ward off actual war till the crisis of England is over, I
shall hope we may escape it altogether.

I am, with much esteem, Dear Sir, your must obedient, humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CCXXXV.--TO JAMES MADISON, May 31, 1798

TO JAMES MADISON.

Philadelphia, May 31, 1798.

Dear Sir,

I wrote you last on the 24th; since which yours of the 20th has been
received. I must begin by correcting two errors in my last. It was false
arithmetic to say, that two measures therein mentioned to have been
carried by majorities of eleven, would have failed if the fourteen
absentees (wherein a majority of six is ours) had been present. Six
coming over from the other side would have turned the scale, and this
was the idea floating in my mind, which produced the mistake. The second
error was in the version of Mr. Adams's expression, which I stated to
you. His real expression was, 'that he would not unbrace a single nerve
for any treaty France could offer; such was their entire want of faith,
morality, &c.'

The bill from the Senate for capturing French armed vessels found
hovering on our coast, was passed in two days by the lower House,
without a single alteration; and the Ganges, a twenty-gun sloop, fell
down the river instantly to go on a cruise. She has since been ordered
to New York, to convoy a vessel from that to this port. The alien-bill
will be ready to-day, probably, for its third reading in the Senate.
It has been considerably modified, particularly by a proviso saving the
rights of treaties. Still, it is a most detestable thing. I was glad, in
yesterday's discussion, to hear it admitted on all hands, that laws of
the Uni