The life and letters of Thomas Jefferson Author:Thomas Jefferson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTORY TO BOOK II. This division of the work includes all the Correspondence, official and private, of Thomas Jefferson, from 1762 to his death in 1826,... more » which possesses general interest or permanent public value. For the purpose of easy reference, it has been classified as follows: Part I.—Letters Written Refore His Mission To Ecrope.—The letters included in this division, consist principally of the private correspondence of the Author's youth, and his official letters while Governor of Virginia. The former ore interesting mainly as illustrating his character, his views, and his purposes in life. The latter, relating to the period of the invasion of Virginia, and the military operations in the South, possess no inconsiderable historical value. Part II.—Letters Written While In Europe.—The letters included in this division, relate principally to the objects of bis mission to Europe—his efforts to extend the commercial relations of this country with the European nations—the history of particular treaties of commerce—piratical depredations upon our commerce by the Barbary States—our Foreign Debt—our relations generally with Europe—the rise and progress of the French Revolution through its early stages—his views of the Confederation and the new Constitution—the political and social condition of Europe, Ac., all interspersed with the reflections by the Author upon every variety of topie, literary, scientifie, social, and political. Part III.—Letters Written After His Return To The United States To The Tub Of His Death.—To the great majority of readers, this will be found to be much the most interesting division of the work, ranging, as it does, over the whole field of Literature, Philosophy, Science, Religion, Morals, History, and Polities, and embodying the mature vi...« less