Thomas Jefferson to Joseph C. Cabell, 28 February 1816
To Joseph C. Cabell
Monticello Feb. 28. 16
Dear Sir
You enquire whether Say has ever been translated into English? I am certain he never has in America, nor do I believe he has in England. I have never seen his work named in their catalogues or advertisements nor do I believe it has been noticed by the Edinburgh reviewers. nor have they noticed the Review of Montesquieu, altho Duane sent them a copy. you will render this country a great service in translating it; for there is no branch of science of which our countrymen seem so ignorant as Political economy. the bulk & prolixity of Smith forbid venturing on him. I salute you always with affection
Th: Jefferson
RC (ViU: TJP); addressed: “Joseph C. Cabell esq. of the Virginia Senate now in Richmond”; franked; postmarked Milton, 2 Mar.; endorsed by Cabell. PoC (DLC); on verso of reused address cover of Cabell to TJ, 24 Jan. 1816; endorsed by TJ.
Jean Baptiste Say’s Traité d’Économie Politique was not published in English translation until 1821 (Say, A Treatise on Political Economy; or the Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth, trans. Charles R. Prinsep, 2 vols. [Boston, 1821]; Robert R. Palmer, J.-B. Say: An Economist in Troubled Times [1997], 125). For William Duane’s effort to have Destutt de Tracy’s work on montesquieu reviewed in the Edinburgh Review, see Duane to TJ, 14 Feb. 1813, and TJ to Duane, 4 Apr. 1813.
Index Entries
- Cabell, Joseph Carrington; and J. B. Say’s writings search
- Cabell, Joseph Carrington; letters to search
- Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws (Destutt de Tracy); TJ on search
- Destutt de Tracy, Antoine Louis Claude; Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws search
- Duane, William; and Destutt de Tracy’s works search
- Edinburgh Review search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Opinions on; J. B. Say’s writings search
- political economy; TJ on study of search
- Say, Jean Baptiste; Traité d’Économie Politique search
- Smith, Adam; works of search
- Traité d’Économie Politique (J. B. Say) search