endanger our liberties, nor occasion bloodshed:  a land force would do both.  It is not in the choice of the States, whether they will pay money to cover their trade against the Algerines.  If they obtain a peace by negotiation, they must pay a great sum of money for it; if they do nothing, they must pay a great sum of money, in the form of insurance; and in either way, as great a one as in the way of force, and probably less effectual.

I look forward with anxiety to the approaching moment of your departure from Congress.  Besides the interest of the confederacy and of the State, I have a personal interest in it.  I know not to whom I may venture confidential communications, after you are gone.  I take the liberty of placing here my respects to Mrs. Monroe, and assurances of the sincere esteem with which I am, Dear Sir, your friend and servant,

Th:  Jefferson.

LETTER XXVII.—­TO MR. WYTHE, August 13,1786

TO MR. WYTHE.

Paris, August 13,1786.

Dear Sir

Your favors of January the 10th and February the 10th, came to hand on the 20th and 23rd of May.  I availed myself of the first opportunity which occurred, by a gentleman going to England, of sending to Mr. Joddrel a copy of the Notes on our country! with a line informing him, that it was you who had emboldened me to take that liberty.  Madison, no doubt, informed you of the reason why I had sent only a single copy to Virginia.  Being assured by him, that they will not do the harm I had apprehended, but on the contrary may do some good, I propose to send thither the copies remaining on hand, which are fewer than I had intended.  But of the numerous corrections they need, there are one or two so essential, that I must have them made, by printing a few new leaves, and substituting them for the old.  This will be done while they are engraving a map which I have constructed, of the country from Albemarle sound to Lake Erie, and which will be inserted in the book.  A bad French translation which is getting out here, will probably oblige me to publish the original more freely; which it did not deserve, nor did I intend.  Your wishes, which are laws to me, will justify my destining a copy for you, otherwise, I should as soon have thought of sending you a horn-book; for there is no truth in it which is not familiar to you, and its errors I should hardly have proposed to treat you with.

Immediately on the receipt of your letter, I wrote to a correspondent at Florence to inquire after the family of Tagliaferro, as you desired.  I received his answer two days ago, a copy of which I now enclose.  The original shall be sent by some other occasion.  I will have the copper-plate immediately engraved.  This may be ready within a few days, but the probability is, that I shall be long getting an opportunity of sending it to you, as these rarely occur.  You do not mention the size of the plate, but presuming it is intended for labels for the inside of books, I shall have it made of a proper size for that.  I shall omit the word agisos, according to the license you allow me, because I think the beauty of a motto is to condense much matter in as few words as possible.  The word omitted will be supplied by every reader.