Yours of Jan. 17. & 25. have been recieved. I conclude to let Brown go to mr Jordan as agreed between him & myself. I inclose you a letter for him which you may send to him at Lexington by Brown himself, for I suppose he may be relied on to go to him, & that is the place to which he desired me to address him.

you had better apply to mr Jefferson for a hogshead of molasses that it may be carried up before the hot weather sets in. so also for fish as you want it, because it will be best not to have any on hand when the fresh fish come on.   I think it will be the middle or last of April before I come home. I believe mrs Randolph informed you what were the articles & quantities of provisions usually laid in by mr Lilly for the use of the house during my spring visit. of the article of beeves two will suffice for that season, & about half a dozen muttons. for other articles be governed by her memorandum.

I am sorry you have not yet attacked the road up the mountain. I suppose the extra work at the mill has prevented it. Jerry with the light cart & 2. mules had better set off for this place as speedily as you can get him ready. Fanny need not come. the purpose of his coming is to carry home a number of trees to be planted. for these the ground lying Westward from the garden poles to the young hedge must be entirely cleaned up. where peach or other fruit trees already exist there in the regular rows, they may be left; but all out of the rows must be taken up. the trees he will carry will fill the whole space between the poles & hedge from East to West, & up & down the hill from North to South from hedge to hedge. will you be so good as to see that the water is drawn out of the ice house, once or twice a week, or as often as necessary.—I shall inclose for you in this letter 735. D. to be paid as follows

to mr	Thomas E. Randolph	300.
	Cleviers Duke	143.50
	James Walker	100.
	for pork	187.50
	on account	4
		735.

this with 300. D. sent to mr Higginbotham & mr Dawson make upwards of 1000. D. which is all it is in my power to spare at this time. I find by the sums you mention & those I knew of before that there will still remain due in that neighborhood about 2400. D. which I will pay off from month to month as I can. but really these immense calls from Monticello distress me beyond measure. it renders it essential to get the nail house under steady way, to meet the money calls generally, and to begin our endeavors to prepare a farm which may furnish the pork, muttons, oats, peas & hay necessary for me while there & for the place at all times. to get this under way, the new road, & the fence described in the instructions I left with you are indispensable & should be undertaken as early as possible. whether you will be able to get grounds ready to sow in oats & clover, & to plant cow peas, you alone can judge. I think we might have peas & potatoes in the ground you have to clean up for peach trees, and that oats & clover ought to be sown in that part from Bailey’s house upwards which had corn last year. whatever provisions we have to buy, I would rather buy from mr Craven than elsewhere. it accomodates both.   after all, I can only give you general ideas of the plan I wish to pursue; and leave you to be governed by circumstances, getting along on it as well as we can. accept my best wishes & respects.