The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-26
OLD NEW HAVEN LETTERS.
fl STUDY OF MAZZEI'S BOOK AND
 LETTERS FROM NEW HAVEN.

Judge Baldwin Explains the Letters Befor
 the Colony Historical Society Last Night Interesting Glimpses Into the Historica
 Past of the Country and of New Haven.
 Last evening at the meeting of tn
 New Haven Colonial Historical soclet!
 Judge Simeon D. Baldwin read a papel on 'The Four Letters from New Ha
 ven Citizen Published at Paris in 17SS
 in Mazzei's Historical and Political Re
 search in Regard to the United States.
 Philip Mazzei came to America abou
 177O with a company of Italian emf
 grants with the intention of founding
 an Italian colony in verginia. Mazze
 settled near Monticello, the home oi
 Jefferson, and became intimately ac
 quainted with him. He called his set
 clement Colle from the name of his ma
 tive town in Italy, and the neighboring
 virginians at the suggestion of Jeffer'
 son gave him $10,000 with which to car.
 ry out his agricultural schemes for his
 colony. All of the men of the colony
 were pledged to stay in the colony for five years, but before this period had
 elapsed the war began and most of
 them joined the colonial army. At about the same time MaZzei returned to Europe and was entrusted by the Virginian Colonial government with the commission of securing loans for the colony While in Paris he was very
 I. tSN,o A lea. and was well received everywhere as America was at that time favorite topic with the Frenehmen. He returned to America, settled his accounts with the colony, and was compensated for his services. He again left America in 17S5, and in the summer of that same year mingled in the brilliant society of Paris. While there he was invited to chateau of friend in Normandy and was persuaded by his acquaintances to write a sort of coHsitntional history of America. The work he at onee took up, and in one month finished the first volume, but at that time the confeder- alton of the colonies was in shaky condition, and he delayed the com pIetion of the book until he could get a draft of the new constitution, already beginning to be talked of, so that the book was not sent to press until 1788.
 As Mazzei did not write fluent Eng fish or French the book was first writ ten in Italian, but was afterwards translated into French. The work shows signs of nasty writing, and the parts are loosely put together. The so- called New Haven settlers" occupy one chapter, and in the French the name Is so translated as to read New Haven" Tn writing the book Mazzei drew largely from Jefferson's Notes on Virginia" which he highly praises as the best work of the. Kind then in existence. When the material for this book was collected New Haven had the promi- hence of being the first city organized In New England, even before Boston. Its city charter was granted in 1784 and by making it a free port for sev- eral years it's growth and prominence were greatly increased, and the town made great progress,
 Roger sherman, then one of the most thinkers in the colonies, was first mayor and continued in the office until his death in 1793. New Haven also being the seat of Yale college, was well known as an educa- tional center. President Stiles of Yale was also a very prominent man at the time, and probably no other place in the country could furnish men to write so intelligently on constitutional gov These facts would make it 4. f~r written by a New Havener, but on ac- count of it's prominence and the well known abilities of some It's citizens, The letters were purported to have been written from here, so to have more effect on the political situation in France. Mazzei was chiefly noted for being concerned in the events which brought about the estrangment between Washington and Jefferson, The latter lad written to Mazzei as a friend etters bitterly attacking the federalist party, never supposing they would ever De published, but in some way they got out and were first translated into Trench then back into English and were published in England, whence they were sent to Ameria. In the various many mistakes wese made, 10 that when the letters as published cached America they were far more bitter in tone than the originals, and incurred for Jefferson the displeasure f Washington.
 Judge Baldwin some time ago re- eived letter from bookseller in Paris aying that he had a book containing etters from old New Haven citizens. Ar. Baldwin purchased the book and in his way was led to look up their rigin and arrived at the above stated onclusion as to the authorship of the etters.
 The subject of the next monthly aper will be: "Personal "Reminiscences f Our Naval History and Naval War are Before the Introduction of Steam" y Captain D. Goffe Phipps.
 The society has recently been presented yith the chimney piece and mantel of he old Benedict Arnold house on Water treet by Mary Hunt Phipps. Several ther donations, mostly books have cen received from Miss Susan Gower. )r. Street, pr. Lewis Bishop, Professor TT