MS (ViU); entirely in TJ’s hand; consists of undated fragment written on a small sheet, with text in margin partly torn away (see notes below); on verso in an unidentified hand: “Page 5—☞.”

These fragmentary notes evidently relate to the efforts of TJ and George Mason during the October 1777–January 1778 session of the Virginia General Assembly to address the growing problem of the state’s Revolutionary War debt. TJ arrived at the session as early as 22 Oct. 1777 and later, as a member of a committee, drafted a bill, submitted by Mason but ultimately deferred by the House of Delegates, that was intended to raise the credit of the state’s paper money by establishing a land office for the purpose, among other things, of using the proceeds from the sale of western lands in Virginia to help retire the state’s public debt. Mason, for his part, drafted a tax act, approved in January, that was designed to retire Continental and state bills of credit (see Editorial Note and group of documents on bills for establishing a land office and for adjusting and settling titles, at [8–14 Jan. 1778]); Robert A. Rutland, ed., The Papers of George Mason, 3 vols. [Chapel Hill, 1970], i, 375–97; and JHD description begins Journal of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia (cited by session and date of publication) description ends , October 1777–January 1778, p. 1–2). See also Selby, Revolution description begins John E. Selby, The Revolution in Virginia, 1775–1783, Williamsburg, 1988 description ends , 152–4.