To Thomas Jefferson from Favi, 12 February [1786]
From Favi
Ce 12 Fevrier [1786]
Favi a L’honneur de remercier Monsieur de Jefferson de l’ouvrage interessant, qu’il a bien voulu Lui envoyer. Il est très sensible à cette marque de son amitiè, et il Lira avec Le plus grand plaisir un Livre, dont on dît tant de bien, et qui donne une juste idèe d’un Pays, qu’il aime beaucoup. Il est confus cependant de tant de bontés, dont Monsieur Jefferson L’honore, et Le prie d’agrèer L’homage de son respect.
RC (Mhi); endorsed. Not recorded in SJL. The year has been supplied conjecturally in the date-line. It is possible, of course, that the present acknowledgment could refer to the French translation of Notes on Virginia, thus making the year 1788, but it is virtually certain that TJ would have presented to Favi, whom he regarded highly, a copy of the first edition. This copy has not been found and is not listed in the census compiled by Coolie Verner, “Mr. Jefferson Distributes his Notes,” N.Y.P.L., Bull., lvi (1952), 159–86.