James Currie to William Short, 9 July 1786

Your favor of the 1^st. of July 86 Paris dated I had the pleasure to receive by D^r Lyons who arriv^d here about a month ago. I thank you for the Tropical Nosegay You offer up at the Shrine of my supercilious & unsuferable Vanity in your mode of wishing Lyons Medical <...> he seems to be an agreeavlee young man & has been studious while in Philadelphia & in Europe & I have no doubt of his doing well here under the Auspices of his relation & friend <...> his <...> real merit I shall surely pay him every proper attention in my power in sympathy to M^r J & your letters as well as on his own acc^t.— Your account of the French Genius I am satisfied is just & impartial how do you account for the Slow progress they have & still make in Agriculture etc etc you Mention is it the Genius of a Goverment formerly Arbitrary (tho none from <...> <...> Otherwise) that invokes such consequences. I congratulate you Sir on the accquirement of speaking better French as I ^ ^am well inform^d than any of your Countrymen in France w out Exception what will Shorts Genius with common application not Effect? I wish I was with you to be polish tho it would be only a little from my rude nature When Compar^d. with yrself & others of a softer mould. a variety of M<...>, fatigue of mind & body & distracting jarrings occupy the greater part of my time, Chagrin of disapointments without End. fill up the Chapter of my life I still have a distant hope ere long to retire with a Competence value being contented with a little to<...>Enjoy society & Books. the rest of my life, & surely shall visit Paris if I leave this Country pray when do you come home? do you even intend it inform me in your next if you please I am sorry with you that Mr Jay had any altercation on ^{such a} subject is Lt Page as it must hurt his feelings & in the end injure LittlePage in the Eyes of ministers who would have been his friends that excepted he certainly is a promising Brilliant young man & has done no dishoner to his Country wherever he has been if his heart is Equal to his head he is capable (or will be if he lives) of great things in my Opinion <...> I suppose the Faculty of France the five you mention excepted claim the memory of Moliere, tho that cause of their disrepute in general is certainly strongly aided by the cause you have alledged thank God as a Physician I did not think of France here tho the Profession is in no great respect yet it is tolerabel unless the Practitioner himself make it otherwise Lawyers & Doctors here are monthly more numerous, the Country Soil produces the former almost spontaneausly & Europe pours in her swarms of the latter, without End, it is a kind of Comedy now & I suppose will end tragically for many both D^rs & Patients— your friends here are all well at Col Skipwiths they were sick last spring now all well Four Miller the industrious County Court Lawyer died Consumptive some months ago, —  M^r Jefferson to whose Excellency I do myself the honor by this opportunity to write his letter will inform you of any little Domestick Anecdotes worth yr knowing that have ^occurred to me during my writings & to which I refer you, It gives me much pleasure & does me honor seriously I will to receive M^r Jeffersons letters or your wish I could give you any thing worth your knowing in return please accept the will for the Deed & consider my situation here & the grââl ^^{of my} soil ^^mind not Exuberantly productive as you know. I beg to have the pleasure of your correspondence regularly & as often as you please the oftner the more acceptable will it be in hopes of every thing I have ashr^d in this letter & more <...> from you allow me to subscribe Myself with every Sentiment of real Esteem & much Regard yr friendly & most Obed^t H Serv^t..