Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 7 February 1787
From Thomas Jefferson
Paris Feb. 7. 1787.
Dear Sir
I leave the inclosed open for your perusal & that of your Collegues & others to whom you may chuse to shew it; only taking care that neither copies nor extracts be taken. Be so good, when you are done with it, as to stick a wafer in it and forward it to the Governor.1 I am with sincere esteem Dr. Sir Your friend & servt
Th: Jefferson
RC (DLC). The enclosures were forwarded to Randolph and are now at Vi.
1. Jefferson’s letter to the governor of Virginia, Edmund Randolph, also dated 7 Feb. 1787, which concerned the Lafayette bust ordered by the Virginia General Assembly as a gift to the city of Paris, and several French documents related to its presentation (, XI, 104, 105, 124–25).
2. John (“Jack”) Banister, Jr. (d. 1789), the son of Col. John Banister (1734–1788), a former delegate to Congress. At the time of his death the younger Banister owed Jefferson 3,173 livres (, XVI, 311).
3. Jefferson assumed Congress had met early in November, as scheduled, and proceeded to choose a presiding officer. In fact the required number of state delegations was not present and voting in a majority until 2 Feb. 1787, when Arthur St. Clair was elected.