To James Madison from the Reverend James Madison, 2 August 1782
From the Reverend James Madison
RC (LC: Madison Papers). Addressed: “The Hone. James Madison Esqr. Member of Congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM: “Revd J. Madison Aug 2. 1782 Mahmouth-Opossum.” At right angles to this and in a darker ink, JM also wrote, probably at a much later time, “Aug. 2. 1782.” Above the date is penned “Madison Js Revd” and below it “Natural history,” in an unknown hand.
Augst. 2d. 1782
Dear Col,
I recd. your Favr. with the Books & the Acts of Congress for both of wch. I was much obliged.1 I shd. have acknowledged their Reception sooner, but for one Accident or other. The Court of Admiralty here2 has afforded lately a fine Harvest for Lawyers. The Attorney has been a successful attendant. Two Flag Ships have been libelled, one of which was this Day condemned—for importing several Articles of Merchandize.3 Whether I may ever have the Chance to come in for a Dividend4 is uncertain—as yet I have derived no Advantage from your Favours—but shall look notwithstanding for a Copy of the other two Acts you spoke of, when they are pass’d.5 I hope you have not laid aside your Attention to the Law,6 for it seems absolutely necessary here to give Importance to an active Character, as well as the most profitable Business one can be engaged in.
When I spoke of the Mahmouth in my last, I did not doubt, but you wd. recollect, the vast Bones, wch. are found upon the Ohio—for that is the name wh. Buffen gives to that animal; whose Relics Gen. D’Abbesville thinks he has here also discovered.7 As to the opossum, he says, from his Observations, that 3 Days after Copulation, the young are emitted and put into the false Belly, & there nourished.8 But as I took the Liberty to introduce to you or to give Letters to three or four of9 the French Gentlemen10 for that Purpose, they will probably make it a Part of their Conversation. They discover a great Turn to Natural History. One eminent writer11 seems to have fixed the Taste of that Nation, for a while at least.
This Day week a Fleet of 13 or 14 Line of Battel French pass’d by our Capes. We hope New York is the object—Tho’ they gave out, that they were going to refit at Boston.12 By a Flag arrived here from Jamaica about 10 or 12 Days past,13 they say that the Dutch have certainly acknowledged the Independence of America.14 I hope, as you observe, that they will fully compensate for the Loss of the French,15 by some more active Exertions.
Every[bo]dy laments the Removal of the French Army.16 The Safety they ensured, & the Loss of the Specie are powerful Sources for Regret at their Departur[e], but besides that, their manners & Behaviour generally [r]endered them most agreable even to the coldest Whig.17 I hope you will write by the next Post, for we not only always rejoice at the Sight of a [Le]tter from you, but are anxious to know the Object of the Fleet, & whether the Attention of the whole World is to be engaged by the Seige of that American Gibraltar, or rather Pandemonium.18
I am most sincerely Dr Col Yrs
J Madison
1. See , III, 10; IV, 338; 339, n. 14. The letter, probably written by JM when he sent the books, has not been found.
2. Williamsburg, Va. The judges of the Virginia Court of Admiralty were Benjamin Waller, Richard Cary, and James Henry (ibid., IV, 20, n. 5; , III, 41, 75, 76, 116).
3. “The Attorney” was Edmund Randolph, attorney general of Virginia. The flag-of-truce ships which had been libeled for allegedly engaging in illegal trade were the “New York” and “Good Intent.” The former had been acquitted. See , IV, 394–95; 397, n. 3; 422–23; , III, 248; Randolph to JM, 6 August 1782.
4. That is, fees derived from practicing law. For the Reverend James Madison’s interest in preparing for the bar, and especially in qualifying to be an attorney in admiralty cases, see , II, 294; III, 12, n. 10.
5. JM may have written before 10 July and mentioned the pending ordinance, drafted by him, for the “better distribution of prizes in certain cases,” which Congress enacted on that day (, XXII, 379–80; , IV, 374). The other measure was probably the one directed toward “more effectually” preventing “illicit trade with the enemy.” This was adopted on 17 July 1782 (, XXII, 392–93).
7. Ibid., IV, 337–38; 339, n. 13. On 19 December 1781 Thomas Jefferson had written to George Rogers Clark, reminding him of his offer “to procure for me some teeth of the great animal whose remains are found on the Ohio” (, VI, 139). See also Georges Louis Leclerc (1707–1788), Comte de Buffon, Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, ed. by C. S. Sonnini (127 vols.; Paris, 1799–1808), XXVIII, 228–36 n. To Buffon, the mammoth was a “mammout.” For François Marie, Comte d’Aboville, see , IV, 339, n. 12.
8. Probably before the Reverend James Madison was told about the female opossum, Aboville had completed his experiments with a tame pair of the animals and concluded that the gestation period of the female was about thirteen days. His account was published in Voyages de M. le Marquis de Chastellux dans l’Amérique Septentrionale dans les années 1780, 1781 et 1782 (2 vols.; Paris, 1786), II, 425–30. A slip of the pen, faulty memory, or failure to understand Aboville may explain the clergyman’s “3” rather than “13.”
9. Between “four” and “of” the words “of the Gentlemen” are crossed out. None of the letters has been found.
10. These unidentified gentlemen could not have included François Jean, Chevalier de Chastellux, because he and JM had met in Philadelphia before the Reverend James Madison became acquainted with Chastellux at Williamsburg (, IV, 82).
11. Probably Buffon.
13. Although the name of the ship has not been identified, it had arrived in Hampton Roads about 10 July and departed about 25 July (, III, 268, 282; Virginia Gazette, and Weekly Advertiser [Nicolson and Prentis], July 20, 1782).
14. This had occurred on 22 April 1782. The first well-authenticated, although unofficial, report of this event had reached Philadelphia on 19 July (, IV, 431, n. 6).
15. The decisive naval victory of the British over the French in the Battle of the Saints on 12 April 1782 (ibid., IV, 257, n. 4; 337).
17. Ibid., IV, 83, n. 7; 424.
18. New York City, which had been occupied by the British for about six years. “Pandemonium” is used in the sense of “abode of demons” or “capital of Hell.”