as an oblation of my friendship for you, which is as old almost as we
are ourselves. Mazzei brought me your favor of April the 27th. I thank
you much for your communications. Nothing can be more grateful at such
a distance. It is unfortunate, that most people think the occurrences
passing daily under their eyes, are either known to all the world, or
not worth being known. They therefore do not give them place in their
letters. I hope you will be so good as to continue your friendly
information. The proceedings of our public bodies, the progress of the
public mind on interesting questions, the casualties which happen among
our private friends, and whatever is interesting to yourself and family,
will always be anxiously received by me. There is one circumstance in
the work you were concerned in, which has not yet come to my knowledge;
to wit, How far westward from Fort Pitt, does the western boundary of
Pennsylvania pass, and where does it strike the Ohio? The proposition
you mention from Mr. Anderson, on the purchase of tobacco, I would have
made use of, but that I have engaged the abuses of the tobacco trade on
a more general scale. I confess their redress is by no means certain;
but till I see all hope of removing the evil by the roots desperate, I
cannot propose to prune its branches.

I returned but three or four days ago, from a two months' trip to
England. I traversed that country much, and own, both town and country
fell short of my expectations. Comparing it with this, I found a much
greater proportion of barrens, a soil, in other parts, not naturally so
good as this, not better cultivated, but better manured, and therefore
more productive. This proceeds from the practice of long leases there,
and short ones here. The laboring people here, are poorer than in
England. They pay about one half their produce in rent; the English, in
general, about a third. The gardening, in that country, is the article
in which it surpasses all the earth. I mean their pleasure gardening.