1To Thomas Jefferson from Edmund Randolph, with a Memorandum by Jefferson, 9 February 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
As your excellency and the council probably have not access to Vattel, on whose doctrines this hasty answer is founded, I shall inclose the paragraph from his work, which treats of the right of soldiery to booty. They seem to amount to this: that booty does in strictness belong to the commonwealth; but that late usage has divided it among the captors, military stores excepted. Now I believe,...
2From Thomas Jefferson to Edmund Randolph, with Randolph’s Reply, 12 March 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Will you be so good as to tell me what answer to give to the interrogatory in the last sentence of this letter? [ Reply by Randolph: ] I do not see any absolute, or indeed probably necessity for the ancient treaties. But I am not certain, that it may not be satisfactory to have those, made with the state governments; since some of the commissioners are new in this kind of business; and might...