Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters

Your letter from the Springs reached me a few days ago. I am anxious to learn the effect of the water upon your system & whether it has been as efficacious as I hope it has. If it fails you must trust to care & the hand of time, which may by degrees invigorate your frame—I am just returned from an incursion as far as St James Court house. Saw Winchester Col. Nicholas. Renewed Acquaintance with young Armand who was very polite, & insisted very strongly on my spending a few days with him at home He is an Acquaintance that I ought by all means to cultivate, as he has the prettiest sister within 50 miles & the Dad, “in money Weighs down an Alderman.” They were all very kind & made enquiries about You. Col. N. has a fine crop & has made an addition to his land of 3 or five acres front I do not well recollect which is the [. . .] number—White is the same old thing—I beleive I told you that he is in partnership with old Irvin relatively to a plantation somewhere about Plaquemine I am afraid he will be duped by the old Sharper. Black is getting into practice, I beleive. There are few that I esteem more than him, both as to his moral character and as possessing a sound discriminating mind. Miss Randalls nuptials were celebrated [. . .] about ten days ago. The Happy Man who received her virgin treasure, is one Capt. Hunt—Mr Tournillons crop is very fine, though his rattoons failed. He will probably make 100 hogsheads. It is reported here upon undoubted testimonies testimony, that Mr Louis Labranche was making 2 hogsheads to the acre with his ribband cane on the 27th Septr last. according to this, it comes to maturity sooner than the common cane, besides other advantages viz: That It lasts much longer, the rattoons being good for several years I do not know the definite numbr. it is not so sensible to the attacks of frost—The growth too is much [. . .] larger, but that exposes it the more to the injuriy of wind. I do not know Whether the grain of the sugar is as fine as that of [. . .] the Creole cane

We shall hardly make half of what we reasonably expected to make before the appearance of the caterpillar—but let us not despond. Perry will take the management in to his own hands, & we will strain every nerve to put up sugar works “au plutôt.” Ned Hampton our neighbour says that he will plant cane to be in readiness to grind when our mill will be up. He has eight or ten effective hands. V. Maurin is zealously bent on procuring some ribband cane, which will be the very thing for our [. . .] cocoa land. The proceeds of the gin will amount to something, but there are $200 to be deducted for the overseer’s wages

The Governor, whom I met at Mr Tournillon’s, made me a very kind offer; that is, to go and live with him next winter in New Orleans and attend the Court. There are several weg weighty reasons for embracing it. It would procure me some valuable acquaintances, & prospects might open perhaps [. . .] Which might have an influence on my future destinies—All to whom I have mentioned it have advised me not to let slip so advantageous an offer. Indeed I have been told that I ought to leave the hole I am now in, at any rate, though I Should expend the last cent of the property I now ha[ve] I think that I will go to the bar under good auspices, & carry with me the good opinion of those men whose good opinion is most desirable, both as to my capacity & character. This I may say without vanity to you. Whether I leave my present residence or not next winter, I am bent on one thing, that is to apply myself assiduously to my legal studies. I feel an appetite for study as the cool weather approaches, & my power of application & capacity for improvement increase, of course, with my years, so that I flatter myself on reaping a considerable harvest—however disappointment [. . .] is such a familiar acquaintance of mine that I will not be sanguine—Grandmother has been unwell. Il n’y a guère d’huile dans la lampe—Mr T. et elle ne se voient pas ni ne se parlent—Julien et Mary sont bien. Faites toujours beaucoup d’excuses a Ma Grandmaman, pour moi de ce que Je la néglige. Il me coute diablement de lui écrire