University of Virginia Library

TO JAMES MONROE.

Dear Sir,—I have written several letters within a
little time past which were sent to you partly by the
post partly by Mr. Burnley, a young Gentleman of
this County. In one of the letters I inclosed a
cypher, wch will serve all the purposes of our future
correspondence. This covers a letter from Mr. Jefferson
which you will be so good as to forwd. by the
first packet or other equally eligible conveyance.
Our Elections as far as I hear are likely to produce a
great proportion of new members. In some counties
they are influenced by the Bill for a Genl Assesst.
In Culpeper Mr. Pendleton a worthy man & acceptable
in his general character to the people was laid
aside in consequence of his vote for the Bill, in favor
of an Adversary to it. The Delegates for Albemarle
are your friend Mr. W. C. Nicholas & Mr. Fry. Mr.
Carter stood a poll but fell into the rear. The late
Govr Harrison I am told has been baffled in his own
County, meant to be a candidate for Surey & in case
of a rebuff there to throw another die for the Borough
of Norfolk. I do not know how he proposes to
satisfy the doctrine of residence.

I hear frequent complaints of the disorders of our
coin & the want of uniformity in the denominations
of the States. Do not Congress think of a remedy
for these evils? The regulation of weights & measure
seem also to call for their attention. Every day
will add to the difficulty of executing these works.
If a mint be not established & a recoinage effected

while the fœderal debts carry the money thro' the
hands of Congress I question much whether their
limited powers will ever be able to render this branch
of their prerogative effectual. With regard to the
regulation of weights & measures, wd it not be highly
expedient as well as honorable to the fœderal administration,
to pursue the hint which has been suggested
by ingenious & philosophical men, to wit, that the
standard of measure sd be first fixed by the length of
a pendulum vibrating seconds at the Equator or any
given latitude—& that the standard of weights sd be a
Cubical piece of Gold or other homogeneous body,
of dimensions fixed by the standard of measure. Such
a scheme appears to be easily reducible to practice;
& as it is founded on the division of time which is the
same at all times & in all places & proceeds on other
data which are equally so, it would not only secure a
perpetual uniformity throughout the U. S. but might
lead to Universal standards in these matters among
nations. Next to the inconveniency of speaking different
languages, is that of using different & arbitrary
weights & measures.