by naming him secretary of legation, so that he would act of course as charge des affaires during my absence?  It would be just, that the difference between the salary of a secretary and a secretary of legation should cease, as soon as he should cease to be charged with the affairs of the United States; that is to say, on my return:  and he would expect that.  So that this difference for five or six months would be an affair of about one hundred and seventy guineas only, which would be not more than equal to the additional expense that would be brought on him necessarily by the change of character.  I mention these particulars, that Congress may see the end as well as beginning of the proposition, and have only to add, ‘their will be done.’  Leave for me being obtained, I will ask it, Sir, of your friendship, to avail yourself of various occasions to the ports of France and England to convey me immediate notice of it, and relieve me as soon as possible from the anxiety of expectation, and the uncertainty in which I shall be.  We have been in daily expectation of hearing of the death of the King of England.  Our latest news are of the 11th.  He had then been despaired of for three or four days; but as my letter is to pass through England, you will have later accounts of him than that can give you.  I send you the newspapers to this date, and have the honor to be, with the greatest esteem and respect, Sir, your most obedient, humble servant,

Th:  Jefferson.

P. S. The last crop of corn in France has been so short, that they apprehend want.  Mr. Necker desires me to make known this scarcity to our merchants, in hopes they would send supplies.  I promised him I would.  If it could be done without naming him, it would be agreeable to him, and probably advantageous to the adventurers.  T. J.

[The annexed are the observations on the subject of admitting our whale-oil in the markets of France, referred to in the preceding letter.]

Whale-oil enters, as a raw material, into several branches of manufacture, as of wool, leather, soap:  it is used also in painting, architecture, and navigation.  But its great consumption is in lighting houses and cities.  For this last purpose, however, it has a powerful competitor in the vegetable oils.  These do well in warm, still weather, but they fix with cold, they extinguish easily with the wind, their crop is precarious, depending on the seasons, and to yield the same light, a larger wick must be used, and greater quantity of oil consumed.  Estimating all these articles of difference together, those employed in lighting cities find their account in giving about twenty-five per cent, more for whale than for vegetable oils.  But higher than this the whale-oil, in its present form, cannot rise; because it then becomes more advantageous to the city lighters to use others.  This competition, then, limits its price, higher than which no encouragement can raise it; and it becomes,