Your favour of the 28h Ulto was receivd this morning. I must apologise for the liberty of detaining your manuscript so long: but it was done upon the presumption that you wou’d not want it, during its detention; and that if any effort shou’d be made in Congress a recurrence to the manuscript wou’d be of importance to myself, in combating Mr L—s pretension before the legislature of the Nation. I shall return to Albemarle for a few days, as soon as we dispose of the Bills now before us, for military preparations: This will be effected I think in a very few days. As I do not think it quite wise to trust the Book to the mail: I will venture to detain it until I return. It gives me pleasure to learn that this work will be laid before the public: I must state that I have found some misconceptions relating to this Question, prevailing here: which I am sure, the examination of the question made by yourself, published, wou’d dispel. Mr L— and his friends have been active, I doubt not, in propagating crises and impositions on this Subject. These will be certainly removed by the publication of the Work—