Tadeusz Kosciuszko to Thomas Jefferson, [14 March 1815]
From Tadeusz Kosciuszko
[14 Mars 1815.]
Mon cher Ami
Les Grands et les petits les riches et les pauvres de notre Hemisphere admirent le devoument qui vous a porté à accepter la place de secretaire d’État, afin d’etre utile a votre Patrie, par vos connoissances parfaites du Pays, du courage du Peuple, de vos1 résources et de la Politique Européenne, qui n’est que l’art de mieux tromper. Comme je suis dans la classe des pauvres et que je ne veux rien accepter ni aller dans mon Pays jusqu’a ce quil ne soit pas rétablit en entier avec une Constitution liberale, je vous prierai bien et avec empressement de m’envoyer incessament mes interets et même Le fond de mon Capital après La ratification de votre paix avec l’Angleterre pourvue que je ne perd pas beaucoup2 car je n’ai plus3 rien pour mon entretien.
T Kosciuszko
PS: Souvenez vous d’etablir une grande École Civile et Militaire en même temps pour vos jeunes Gens de chaque provinces Sans en omêttre aucune, et Sous La Garde et l’inspection immediate du Congres; car il faut toujours entretenir l’Esprit Republicain, avec les moeurs et les connoissances necessaires Seule base solide d’un État libre5—.
Editors’ Translation
[14 March 1815.]
My dear Friend
The great, the small, the rich, and the poor of our hemisphere admire the devotion that moved you to accept the position of secretary of state in order to be useful to your native land through your perfect knowledge of the country, its people’s courage, your resources, and European politics, which is nothing but the art of deception. As I am counted among the poor and wish to accept nothing nor return to my country until it has been completely restored with a liberal constitution, I earnestly beg you to send me my interest and even the principal of my capital after the ratification of peace with England, so long as I do not lose very much, because I no longer have anything to live on.
T Kosciuszko
PS: Remember to establish for your young men a large civil and military school in each state, without exception, and place it under the jurisdiction and immediate supervision of Congress, because one must always nurture the republican spirit with moral values and knowledge, which are the only solid foundation of a free state—.
RC (ViU: TJP); undated, with date supplied from Dupl; endorsed by TJ as received 11 May 1815 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Hezekiah Niles, 26 June 1815, on verso; addressed in unidentified hands: “Hon. Th. Jefferson <Secretary of State Washington City> Monticello”; franked; postmarked Washington City, 6 May. Dupl (MHi); fully dated beneath signature; postscript on verso; endorsed by TJ; recorded in SJL as received 3 Oct. 1815. Translation by Dr. Genevieve Moene.
TJ was the United States secretaire d’état (“secretary of state”), 1790–93, but he accepted no public office after leaving the presidency in 1809.
1. Dupl here adds “grands” (“abundant”).
2. RC: “beacoup.” Dupl: “beaucoup,” followed by “ce pour cela je joins ici ma procuration d’agire comme vous voudrez” (“for this reason I hereby enclose my power of attorney for you to use as you see fit”).
3. Word not in Dupl.
4. RC: “Sincerre.” Dupl: “Sincere.”
5. Dupl here adds “comme le votre” (“such as yours”).
Index Entries
- Congress, U.S.; and education search
- education; military instruction search
- education; T. Kosciuszko on search
- Great Britain; peace with search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Public Service; as secretary of state search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; believes TJ to be secretary of state search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; financial distress of search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; letters from search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; on education in the U.S. search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; power of attorney from search
- Kosciuszko, Tadeusz (Thaddeus) Andrzej Bonawentura; remittances to search
- military; professional education for search
- Poland; government of search
- schools and colleges; military search