I recd last night a letter from Mr S. G. Goodrich of Hartford enclosing one from you dated the 5th inst. He requests me to give to you our views as to a disposal of the Copy right of the life of Washington, naming the price for it in case we are willing to sell & also the price per Copy for the exclusive privilege of publish<ing> the work, it being stipulated that 3000 copies at least shall <be> printed in two years. <We> are very well disposed to bargain with him for the exclusive privilege of printing 3000 Copies of the revised Copy, the Contract clearly expressing that it extends to the revised & not to the present work. The Chief Justice having published a revised edition of the first volume, as a seperate work, that to which this contract will relate must be the residue of the life beginning with the matter of the 2d volume, the whole of which, after it is revised will be contained in 3 volumes. These are the volumes of which we consent Mr G. may publish 3000 Copies on the terms formerly mentioned to you, that is to say, one dollar for each volume, one half of the amount to be paid to us. A part of the sum ought to be paid down & satisfactory security given for the balance. The particular terms of the Contract we leave to you to settle, not doubting that you will do the best for the common interest. The desire of the C. Justice to give to the world a corrected & less voluminous Copy of the work affords a strong inducement to us to enter into this Contract. The C. Justice has made considerable progress in the corrected work, and if no accident should happen to himself will probably have it ready for delivery by next winter. All this should be stated in the Contract. In addition to the price above mentioned, the C. Justice & myself will expect to recieve 20 Copies of the work half bound, clear of all charges.

     Respecting your proposition to print some copies of the 1st & 2d volumes of the first edition, for the purpose you mention we can have no objection if it should create here<w>ith t<he> purchaser of the corrected edition. We think however that it may well deserve your C<ons>ideration whether it will be worth your while to take this Step when a corrected edition of the work is offered to the publick— I am &c.