Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) to Henry Remsen

Monticello, June 8 [18]99
Dear Sir,
Your favor of May 23. did not get to hand till yesterday. The price of 11. cents per lb [inserted: for tob.] is so much better than the Richmond price that we have no hesitation to order 10. hogsheads round immediately to your address. Mr. Jefferson of Richmond will do this, paying freight before it's departure. For the expenses of landing, storage etc. be pleased to draw on John Barnes of Philadelphia on my account who will honour it & will be advised by the next post. You may give any credit, short of Christmas, which may be necessary to encourage the purchases either as to price or quantity. On such a credit we are entitled to have it considered as old [tobacco] because it will be old before it is paid for (it is not considered as old till September, & then commands a much higher price than while called new.) This was always allowed me in Philadelphia. I have several times sold my tob. These to Mr. Lieper, who has declared to me that it is the very best he ever purchased except one crop once, made on lands adjoining mine, and a merchant who formerly shipped my tob. to Glasgow has repeatedly assured me that it was considered there generally as the very best crop landed at their wharfs. I have always had at Philadelphia, where it's quality is known, a dollar a hundred above the market priced for the best James river. The purchaser will observe that these tobacco are marked either T.R. or T.M.R. all of them, and that a part (one halfve [sic] direct) has the additional mark of P.F. for Poplar Forest, the place where it is made. There is a shade of difference in the quality between the P.F. & the other. Mr. Lieper gives rather a preference to the other, tho' no difference has ever been made in the price the latter to [inserted: my son in law] Thomas Mann Randolph, whose tob. it is. Our lands join both here and at Poplar Forest, so that our tobaccos are precisely of the same quality. His & mine will be in the whole about 83,000. weight, to which will be added about 10,000 lb. made on the lands of an adjoining neighbor of the same quality. The red mountain [inserted: or Southwest mountain] lands have been long [struck out, inserted: distinguished] in this state, Philadelphia, London, [2] and Glasgow as producing the very first quality of the tobaccoes made in this state. I believe it is used for snuff alone. I am persuaded your manufacturers will be glad to become acquainted with it, and possibly we may find a mutual accommodation furnishing them hereafter. - You mention that by cosigining it to you we may _ brokerage. It is by no means with this view that I do it. On the contrary I wish you to take as little trouble as possible with it, employing other hands to do whatever is requisite, so as to take to yourself only the trouble of a general superintendence. If this experiment succeeds we will on your advice ship the residue to N. York, only reserving a right to sell it here in the meantime should our prices become acceptable, as it would not do for us to lose sale here while we are uncertain whether a good one can be made in New York. I am with great & sincere esteem Dear Sir
Your affectionate friend & sevt
Th:Jefferson
Henry Remten, esq.