EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 175 



Thus*' that went to Jefferson and Madison are accounted for in the 

 following correspondence. Madison writes to Jefferson on May 7 : 



The in closed letter from Jarv is accompanied one to me on the subject of the Merinos. 

 I Irani that they have arrived safe, but the vessel is aground a few miles below 

 Alexandria. Joseph Doherty is gone to bring them up, mating the selections war- 

 ranted by Mr.Jarvis. As the means I shall employ to have my pair conveyed to 

 Virginia will suffice for yours, if will be unnecessary for you to attend to the matter 

 till you hear of their arrival at Orange. 



Jefferson acknowledged the receipt of Madison's letter on the 13th, 

 and at some length advanced his views as to the proper use to be made 

 of the increase of the Merinos, not failing to reflect somewhat severely 

 on the conduct of Livingston, Humphreys and others, who were then 

 ivalizing large prices for their sheep, Livingston having recently sold 

 some for $1,000 a head, and Humphreys receiving 86,000 for 2 rams and 

 L ewes. Others had the same views, and the editor of a far-off Indiana 

 paper, while advocating with great warmth the immense advantage to 

 be derived from the introduction of the Merino sheep, did not forget 

 to give a back-handed compliment to Livingston and Humphreys by 

 the expression of an opinion that, if the man who would part with a 

 sheep for $1,000 was a patriot, a much greater patriot was the man who 

 m -eived $1,500. Jefferson's letter was written at Moiiticello and was 

 in these words: 



I thank you for your promised attention to my portion of the Merinos, and if there 

 b. -inv expenses of transportation, etc., and you will be so good as .to advance my 

 portion of them with yours andnotify meof the amount, it shall be promptly remitted. 

 What shall we do with them! I have been so disgusted with the scandalous extor- 

 tions lately practiced in the sale of these animals, and with the ascription of patri- 

 otism and praise to the sellers, as if the thousands of dollars apiece they have not 

 been ashamed to receive were not reward enough, that I am disposed to consider ai 

 ricrht whatever is the reverse of what they have done. Since fortune has put the 

 occasion upon us, is it not incumbent upon us so to dispense this benefit to the farm- 

 ers of our country as to put to shame those who, forgetting their own wealth and the 

 honest simplicity of the farmers, have thought them fit objects of the shaving art, 

 and to excite by a better example the. condemnation due to theirs! No sentimenl 

 more acknowledged in the family of agriculturists than that the few who can al 

 ford it should incur the risk and expense of all new improvements, and give 

 benefit freely to the many of more restricted circumstances. The question then re- 

 curs what are we to do with them ? I shall be willing to concur with you in 

 von shall approve, and in order that we may have some proposition to begi 

 will throw out a first idea, to be modified or postponed to whatever you 



wive all the full-blooded males we can raise to the different counties of our State, 

 one to each, as fast as we can furnish them. And as there must be some nil 

 oritv for the distribution, let us begin with our own counties, which are conti- 

 and near] v central to the State, and proceed, circle after circle, till we have given a 

 rim to every county. This will take about seven years; if we add to tl 

 scendants those which will have passed to the fourth generation from common ewe*, 

 to make the benefit of a single male as general as practicable tot* 

 ask some known character in each county to have a sn,:,ll Bocietj 1- med w eft an* 

 receive the animal and prescribe rale* for his -an- and government. \\ 

 tain ourselves all the full-blooded ewes, that they may enable us the soonei to 1 



