Mr. Jefferson died July 4th 1826, the day of the celebration, just half a century after that on which the Declaration of Independence was signed. Mr. Adams died on the same day. Mr. Jefferson is buried in the gronnde near his own house. A simple inscription, which was found among his papers after his death, recording him as the author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. and Father of the Univer sity of Virginia, is placed on his tomb. The fact of his having been president of the United States is not mentioned.
The latter days of Mr. Jefferson were embittered by pecuniary difficulties, which were owing in sonic measure to the neglect of his estates during his long absence on the public service; and in a great degree to an obligation which be incurred to pay a friend's debts.
In the 4th vol. of his Memoirs, &c, p. 439, are printed his 'Thoughts on Lotteries,' which were written at the time when he was making his application to the legislature of Virginia for per mission to sell his property by lottery, in order to pay his debts and make some provision for his family. The general arguments in defence of lotteries are characterised by Mr. Jefferson's usual felicity of expression and ingenuity, and they are also in like manner per vaded by the fallacies which are involved in many, if not all, of his political and moral speculations. But this paper has merits which entitle it to particular attention. It contains a brief recapitulation of his cervices; and is in fact the epitome of the life of a man who for sixty years was actively employed for his country. "I came," be says, "of age in 1764, and WWI soon put into !the nomination of justices of the county in which I live, and at the first election follow ing I became one of its representatives in the legislature; I was thence sent to the old Congress; then employed two years with Mr. Pendleton and Wytho on the revisal and reduction to a single code of the whole body of the British Statutes, the acts of our Assembly, and certain parts of the common law ; then elected governor; next to the legislature, and to Congress again ; sent to Europe as minister plenipotentiary; appointed secretary of state to the new government: elected vice-president and president; and lastly, a visitor and rector of the university of Virginia. In these different offices, with scarcely any interval between them, I have been in the public service now sixty-one years, and during the far greater part of that time in foreign countries or in other states."
This is the outline of Mr. Jefferson's public life; to fill it up would be to write the history of the United States, from the troubles which preceded the Declaration of Independence to Mr. Jefferson's retire ment from the presidency in 1809.
The paper from which we have already made one extract presents ns with his services in another point of view, still more interesting. It is sir epitome of those great measures which were duo mainly or entirely to his firm resolution, unwearied industry, and singleness of mind, in his pursuit of objects which ha believed essential to the stability and happiness of his country.
"If legislative services are worth mentioning, and the stamp of liberality and equality, which was necessary to be impressed on our laws in the first crisis of our birth as a nation, was of any value, they will find that the leading end moist Important laws of that day were prepared by myself, and carried chiefly by my efforts; sup ported, indeed by able and faithful coadjutors from the tanks of the House, very effective as seconds, but who would pet have taken the field as leaders.
"The prohibition of the further importation of slaves was the first of theae measures in time.
"This was followed by the abolition of entails, which broke up the hereditary and high-handed aristocracy, which, by accumulatiog immense masses of property In single lime of families, had divided our country into two distinct orders of nobly and plebeiaus But further to complete the equality among our citizens, so essential to the maintenance of republican government, it was neceereary to abolish the principle of primogeniture. I drew the law of descents, giving equal inheritance to sone and daughters, which made a part of the revised code.
" The attack on the establishment of a dominant religion was first made by myself. It could be carried at first only by a suspension of salaries for one year, by battling it again at the next session for another year, and so from year to year, until the public mind was ripened for the bill for establishing religions freedom, which I had prepared for the revised code also. This was at length established permanently, and by the strode of Mr. Madison, being myself in Europe at the time that work was brought forward.