The Carolina
rice, sold at Paris, is separated into three kinds; 1. the whole grains;
2. the broken grains; 3. the small stuff; and sell at ten, eight, and
six livres the French pound, retail. The whole grains, which constitute
the first quality, are picked out by hand. I would not recommend this
operation to be done with you, because labor is dearer there than here.
But I mention these prices, to show, that after making a reasonable
deduction for sorting, and leaving a reasonable profit to the retailer,
there should still remain a great wholesale price. I shall wish to know
from you, how much your cargo of rice shipped to Berard netts you, and
how much it would have _netted_ in hard money, if you had sold it at
home.
You promise, in your letter of October the 23rd, 1787, to give me in
your next, at large, the conjectures of your philosopher on the descent
of the Creek Indians from the Carthaginians, supposed to have been
separated from Hanno's fleet, during his periplus. I shall be very glad
to receive them, and see nothing impossible in his conjecture. I am glad
he means to appeal to similarity of language, which I consider as the
strongest kind of proof it is possible to adduce.
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