Th: Jefferson presents his compliments to mr Clay. he was mistaken in believing he had a packet of seeds from Italy, (he was led into the error by it’s being entered as such at the Custom house) & no letter of explanation came. it turns out to be a packet containing 2. kinds of the Peach-Apricot stones & a kind of plumb stone. the former are distinguishable from all others by a sheath in the side, through which you may thrust a pin. no other fruit stone has this peculiarity, so that there is no doubt what this is. but what kind of plumb-stone is that which came, he has no means of knowing. he will answer however for it’s being of distinguished merit. altho’ these may not be within the line of the gardener on whose behalf mr Clay applied, yet the Apricots are so valuable that they are well worth his attention. this particular species of Apricot is the finest fruit which grows in Europe. Th:J. therefore sends mr Clay some stones of each kind.