My dear Jem,

Can you descend so far from the minister of the cabinet to be the minister of my winter accommodation? – In fact the ex:member must have a boarding house this winter & he knows of no house except the house where he was all last session - at the close & on [undecipherable] Settlement he [undecipherable] in two days from [M?] Jones but suppose that would hardly [undecipherable] a ground of compl[undecipherable] to the old lady. If you could send to know if [undecipherable] would take it for this session I shall be most obliged & if you [undecipherable] [undecipherable] really grateful as we shall be near you. You perceive as I have often perceived that it is the most irksome & troublesome thing in this world to have friends – it really is so – but in this life it can not be avoided and as it is my last campaign I hope you will help me into so eligible a position.

The accounts from Baltimore that reach this place are all in favour of W. J. – & the party [undecipherable] w^d have us believe that all men of that town are for him, but I hear that Howard is to be their elector & he will be right – I hear not one word of Winchester as an Elector – however I hope always for the best –.

The French drive on wonderfully. Their memorial to the [undecipherable] of Madrid is well worthy of circulation in U. S. It 2 sets out with a flat contradicti to the material of the Jacobins of [undecipherable] country & those of the French [undecipherable] who for three years, Fauchet included, have harassed our politics. The favourite position of such & in particular of Fauchet, has been that, in the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] & only these [undecipherable] among Republics was in a Similitude of political form of [undecipherable] – In this exquisite memorial is the [undecipherable] emphatically said – That this is not the best basis – that interest is the best [undecipherable] I had not seen it til I met with it some days since in a London paper belonging to Col. Harrison – it is of March or May last & ought to be in [undecipherable] M.‘Adams indeed in 81 chose that principally as the basis of his memorial to the S.S. – & it helped him out much – It would [undecipherable] to our innocent & [undecipherable] philanthropy [undecipherable] the French out in different places, [undecipherable] diferent principles – & in Madrid language fight at symptoms without fixed theory – this is temporary good to them & very bad for others who [undecipherable] too warmly.

But my man says my seeding plough is broken & I must seed my corn ground –. So I conclude with a hope that I shall hear from you by [undecipherable] time in [undecipherable] if you have time to do me this favour.

I am affectionately

always [undecipherable]

WJMurray

Oct 01, 1796