The death of M. de Buffon you have heard long ago.  I do not know whether we shall have anything posthumous of his.  As to political news, this country is making its way to a good constitution.  The only danger is, they may press so fast as to produce an appeal to arms, which might have an unfavorable issue for them.  As yet the appeal is not made.  Perhaps the war, which seems to be spreading from nation to nation, may reach them this would insure the calling of the States General, and this, as is supposed, the establishment of a constitution.

I have the honor to be, with sentiments of sincere esteem and respect, Dear Sir, your friend and servant,

Th:  Jefferson.

LETTER CXLVI.—­TO E. RUTLEDGE, July 18, 1788

TO E. RUTLEDGE.

Paris, July 18, 1788.

Dear Sir,

Messrs. Berard were to have given me particular accounts of the proceeds of the shipments of rice made to them.  But they have failed.  I fear, from what they mention, that the price has been less advantageous than usual; which is unlucky, as it falls the first essay.  If on the whole, however, you get as much as you would have done by a sale on the spot, it should encourage other adventures, because the price at Havre or Rouen is commonly higher, and because I think you may, by trials, find out the way to avail yourselves of the Paris retail price.  The Carolina rice, sold at Paris, is separated into three kinds; 1. the whole grains; 2. the broken grains; 3. the small stuff; and sell at ten, eight, and six livres the French pound, retail.  The whole grains, which constitute the first quality, are picked out by hand.  I would not recommend this operation to be done with you, because labor is dearer there than here.  But I mention these prices, to show, that after making a reasonable deduction for sorting, and leaving a reasonable profit to the retailer, there should still remain a great wholesale price.  I shall wish to know from you, how much your cargo of rice shipped to Berard netts you, and how much it would have netted in hard money, if you had sold it at home.

You promise, in your letter of October the 23rd, 1787, to give me in your next, at large, the conjectures of your philosopher on the descent of the Creek Indians from the Carthaginians, supposed to have been separated from Hanno’s fleet, during his periplus.  I shall be very glad to receive them, and see nothing impossible in his conjecture.  I am glad he means to appeal to similarity of language, which I consider as the strongest kind of proof it is possible to adduce.  I have somewhere read, that the language of the ancient Carthaginians is still spoken by their descendants, inhabiting the mountainous interior parts of Barbary, to which they were obliged to retire by the conquering Arabs.  If so, a vocabulary of their tongue can still be got, and if your friend will get one of the Creek languages, the comparison will decide.  He probably may have made progress in this business:  but if he wishes any inquiries to be made on this side the Atlantic, I offer him my services cheerfully; my wish being, like his to ascertain the history of the American aborigines.