I received your kind Letter of the 8th: of March, enclosing the Resolution of Congress, permitting my Return to America, for which I am very thankful, and am now preparing to depart the first good Opportunity. Next to the Pleasure of re-joining my own Family, will be that of seeing you, and yours well and happy, and embracing once more my little Friend, whose singular Attachment to me I shall always remember.

I shall be glad to render any acceptable Service to Mr: Randall. I conveyed the Bayberry Wax to Abbé de Chalut, with your Compliments as you desired. He returns his, with many Thanks.

Be pleased to make my respectful Compliments acceptable to Mrs. Jay, and believe me, ever, with sincere and great Respect and Esteem &c.

The forming of Dies in Steel, to strike Medals, or Money, is generally with the Intention of making a great Number of the same Form.

The Engraving those Dies in Steel, is, from the Hardness of the Substance very difficult and expensive: but, once engraved, the great Number to be easily produced, afterwards, by stamping, justifies the Expense, it being but small when divided among a Number.

Where only one Medal of a Kind is wanted, it seems an unthrifty Way to form Dies for it in Steel to strike the two Sides of it, the whole Expense of the Dies resting on that Medal.

It was by this Means that the Medal voted by Congress for M. Fleury cost one hundred Guineas. When an Engraving of the same Figures and Inscriptions might have been beautifully done on a Plate of Silver of the same Size for two Guineas.

The Ancients when they ordained a Medal to record the Memory of any laudable Action, and do Honor to the Performer of that Action, struck a vast Number and used them as Money. By this Means the Honor was extended through their own and neighboring Nations; every Man who received or paid a Piece of such Money was reminded of the virtuous Action, the Person who performed it, and the Reward attending it: And the Number gave such Security to this Kind of Monuments, against perishing and being forgotten, that some of each of them exist to this Day, though more than 2,000 Years old; and, being now copied in Books by the Arts of Engraving and Printing, are not only exceedingly multiplied, but likely to remain some thousands of Years longer.

The Man who is honored only by a single Medal, is obliged to show it, to enjoy the Honor, which can be done only to a few, and often awkwardly.

I, therefore, wish the Medals of Congress were ordered to be Money, and so contrived as to be convenient Money, by being in Value aliquot Parts of a Dollar.

Copper Coins are wanting in America for small Change. We have none but those of the King of England. After one Silver or Gold Medal is struck from the Dies, for the Person to be honored, they may be usefully employed in striking Copper Money, or, in some Cases, small Silver.

The nominal Value of the Pieces might be a little more than the real, to prevent their being melted down; but not so much more as to be an Encouragement of counterfeiting.