The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Correspondence and Miscellaneous Writings 1760–1774 Continued
• 1771 - to Thomas Adams 1
• To James Ogilvie 1
• “ Inscription For an African Slave ” 1
• Agreement With John Randolph 2
• To Inglis and Long, Merchants At Portsmouth 1
• To Thomas Adams 1
• To Robert Skipwith
• Argument In Godwin Et Al. Vs. Lunan 1
• 1772 - to Messrs. Inglis and Long, Merchants At Portsmouth 1
• 1773 - to Chas. Mcpherson 1
• To William Fleming 1
• Advertisement In “virginia Gazette”
• Advertisement In “virginia Gazette”
• Advertisement In “virginia Gazette”
• 1774 - Notice of Fast 1
• Resolution of Albemarle County 2
• Proposed Arms For the United States 1
• A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Set Forth In Some Resolutions
• “ Defects In the Association ” 1
• To Archibald Cary and Benjamin Harrison
• 1775 - Motion In Convention of Virginia 1
• Draft of a Resolution of the Virginia Convention 1
• To Dr. William Small 1
• Address to Governor Dunmore From the House of Burgesses 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• Drafts of Declaration On Taking Up Arms 1
• First Draft
• Second Draft
• Draft of Report On Lord North’s Motion 2
• To John Randolph 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To John Page 1
• To Francis Eppes 2
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To John Randolph 2
• Declaration Concerning Ethan Allen 1
• To John Page 1
• Report to Congress On Congress Committee 1
• 1776 - to Thomas Nelson 1
• Report of Committee On Canadian Affairs 1
• Proposed Constitution For Virginia 1
• First Draft
• Fair Copy
• Report On Cedars Cartel 1
• Report On Canadian Affairs 1
• To William Fleming 1
• Declaration of Independence 1
• First Draft
• Reported Draft
• Engrossed Copy
• To Richard Henry Lee 1
• To George Wythe 1
• Notes of Rules For Continental Congress. 1
• To Edmund Pendleton 2
• Resolution For Rotation of Members of Continental Congress 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To the Pennsylvania Convention 1
• Notes On Virginia-pennsylvania Boundary
• To the Governor of Virginia 1 (patrick Henry)
• To Col. Fielding Lewis
• To John Page 2
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To John Page 1
• To Francis Eppes 1
• To — 1
• To John Page 1
• Resolution to Encourage Desertions of Hessian Officers 1
• Resolutions On Peace Propositions 1
• To the President of the Continental Congress 1 (john Hancock)
• Notes On Religion 1
• Draft of Bill to Abolish Entails. 1
• Amendments to Bill to Abolish Entails 1
• Draft of a Bill to Remove Seat of Government 1
• Draft of a Bill For Raising Six Additional Battalions of Infantry On the Continental Establishment 1
• Draft of a Bill Establishing County Courts 1
• Draft of a Bill For Altering Rates of Copper Coin 1
• Report On Upshur 2
• A Bill For the Trial of Offences Committed Out of This Commonwealth.
• Draft of a Bill For Suspending Executions For Debt 1
• 1777 - Draft of a Bill For Providing Against Invasions and Insurrections 1
• Draft of a Bill For Regulating the Appointment of Delegates to General Congress 1
• To John Adams 1
• To Benjamin Franklin 1
• To John Adams
• First Report of Conference Committee 1
• 1778 - Second Report of Conference Committee
• Draft of a Bill Giving Certain Powers to the Executive 1
• Draft of Bill Designating Places For Holding Courts of Chancery and General Court 1
• A Bill Granting Free Pardon to Certain Offenders 1
• A Bill For the Speedy Recovery of Debts Due the United States 1
• Draft of a Bill For Providing a Supply For the Public Exigencies 1
• A Bill to Amend an Act Intitled “an Act For Raising a Supply of Money For Public Exigencies” 1
• Draft of Bill of Attainder Against Josiah Philips 1
• To Richard Henry Lee 1
• To —
• Resolutions Concerning Peace With England 1
• To Rev. Samuel Henley 1
• To David Rittenhouse 1
• A Bill For Giving the Members of the Assembly an Adequate Allowance 1
• 1779 - to George Wythe
• To the Governor of Virginia. (patrick Henry)
• To Richard Henry Lee 1
• To Gabriel Jones 1
• A Bill Concerning Escheats and Forfeitures From British Subjects 2
• Speech to General Assembly 1
• To John Page 1
• To William Fleming 1
• To Theodorick Bland, Jr. 1
• To Richard Henry Lee 1
• To Theodorick Bland, Jr. 1
• Report of the Revisors
• A Bill For Withholding British Property (chapter Xxxvi 1 )
• A Bill Concerning Slaves (chapter Li 1 )
• A Bill For Proportioning Crimes and Punishments (chapter Lxiv 1 )
• A Bill For the More General Diffusion of Knowledge (chapter Lxxix)
• A Bill For the Amending the Constitution of the College of William and Mary (chapter Lxxx)
• A Bill For Establishing a Public Library (chapter Lxxxi)
• A Bill For Establishing Religious Freedom 1 (chapter Lxxxii)
• To General Washington
• To the President of Congress (john Jay)
• Proclamation Concerning Escheats
• To General Baron De Riedesel 1
• To General Washington
• To the Governor of Canada (sir Guy Carleton)
• To Col. William Fleming 1
• To the County Lieutenant of Hampshire 1
• To the President of Congress (john Jay)
• To General Washington
• To General Washington
• To General Washington
• To Colonel George Mathews 1
• To the Speaker of the House of Delegates (benjamin Harrison)
• To the Speaker of the House of Delegates (benjamin Harrison)
• To the Speaker of the House of Delegates (benjamin Harrison)
• To the French Minister 1 ( Chevalier De La Luzerne )
• To the Governor of North Carolina 1 ( Richard Caswell )
• To the President of Congress (samuel Huntington)
• To General Washington
• Proclamation Laying Embargo
• To the President of Congress (samuel Huntington)
• To General Washington
• To the Speaker of the House of Delegates (benjamin Harrison)
• To the President of Congress (samuel Huntington)

to chas. mcpherson1

Albemarle, in Virga, Feb. 25, 1773.

Dear Sir,

—Encouraged by the small acquaintance which I had the pleasure of having contracted with you during your residence in this country, I take the liberty of making the present application to you. I understood you were related to the gentleman of your name (Mr. James McPherson), to whom the world is so much indebted for the elegant collection, arrangement, and translation of Ossian’s poems. These pieces have been and will, I think, during my life, continue to be to me the sources of daily pleasures. The tender and the sublime emotions of the mind were never before so wrought up by the human hand. I am not ashamed to own that I think this rude bard of the north the greatest poet that has ever existed. Merely for the pleasure of reading his works I am become desirous of learning the language in which he sung, and of possessing his songs in their original form. Mr. McPherson, I think, informs us he is possessed of the originals. Indeed, a gentleman has lately told me he had seen them in print; but I am afraid he has mistaken a specimen from Temora, annexed to some of the editions of the translation, for the whole works. If they are printed, it will abridge my request and your trouble, to the sending me a printed copy; but if there be more such my petition is, that you would be so good as to use your interest with Mr. McPherson to obtain leave to take a manuscript copy of them, and procure it to be done. I would choose it in a fair, round hand, on fine paper, with a good margin, bound in parchments as elegantly as possible, lettered on the back, and marbled or gilt on the edges of the leaves. I would not regard expense in doing this. I would further beg the favor of you to give me a catalogue of the books written in that language, and to send me such of them as may be necessary for learning it. These will, of course, include a grammar and dictionary. The cost of these, as well as the copy of Ossian, will be (for me), on demand, answered by Mr. Alexander McCaul, sometime of Virginia, merchant, but now of Glasgow, or by your friend Mr. Ninian Minzees, of Richmond, in Virginia, to whose care the books may be sent. You can, perhaps, tell me whether we may ever hope to see any more of those Celtic pieces published. Manuscript copies of any which are in print, it would at any time give me the greatest happiness to receive. The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. I hear with pleasure from your friend that your path through life is likely to be smoothed by success. I wish the business and the pleasures of your situation would admit leisure now and then to scribble a line to one who wishes you every felicity, and would willingly merit the appellation of, dear sir, Your friend and humble servant.

to william fleming1

May 19, 1773. Mrs. Carr’s.

2

Dear Fleming,

—You have before this heard and lamented the death of our good friend Carr.3 Some steps are necessary to be immediately taken on behalf of his clients. You practised in all his courts except Chesterfield and Albemarle. I shall think I cannot better serve them than by putting their papers into your hands if you will be so good as to take them. I once mentioned to you the court of Albemarle as worthy your attention. If you chuse now to go there I would get you to take his papers for that court also. They put you in possession of a valuable business. The king’s attorney’s place is vacant there, and might be worth your solliciting. If you think so you should dispatch an express for commission. Otherwise you may be prevented. Write me a line in answer to this and lodge it here within a week, as I shall about that time call here to take the law papers and put them into some channel. Your assistance in these matters will oblige, Dear Fleming your friend and humble serv’t.

advertisement in “virginia gazette”

May 20th, 1773.

On serious Consideration of the present state of our practice in the General Court we find it can no longer be continued on the same Terms. The Fees allowed by Law, if regularly paid, would barely compensate our incessant Labours, reimburse our expences and the losses incurred by Neglect of our private Affairs; yet even these Rewards, confessedly moderate, are withheld from us, in a great Proportion, by the unworthy Part of our Clients. Some regulation, therefore, is become absolutely requisite to establish Terms more equal between the Client and his Council. To effect this, we have come to the following Resolution, for the invariable Observance of which we mutually plight our Honour to each other: “That after the 10th day of October next we will not give an Opinion on any Case stated to us but on Payment of the whole Fee, nor prosecute or defend any Suit or Motion unless the Tax, and one half of the Fee, be previously advanced, excepting those Cases only where we choose to act gratis;” and we hope no person whatever may think of applying to us in any other Way. To prevent Disappointment, however, in Case this should be done, we think it proper to give this Warning, that no such Application, either verbal or by Way of Letter, will be answered to in the smallest Degree. We would feel much Concern if a Thought could be entertained that the worthy Part of our Clients could disapprove of this Measure. Their Conduct has been such as calls for our Acknowledgements and might merit exemption from this Strictness, were such Exemption practicable, but they will readily perceive this would defeat the Purpose, and that no distinction of Persons can by any means be attempted. We hope, therefore, from their Friendship, a cheerful concurrence in this Plan, since the Requisition is such only as their Punctuallity would of itself prevent.

Edmund Pendleton,

John Randolph,

James Mercer,

Thomas Jefferson,

Patrick Henry, Junior

Gustavus Scott.

advertisement in “virginia gazette”

July 15th, 1773.

To be sold.

Two Thousand five Hundred and twenty Acres of Land in Cumberland, commonly known by the Name of Saint James’s; one Thousand four Hundred and twenty Acres in the Counties of Goochland and Cumberland, on both Sides of James River, opposite to Elk Island; and one Thousand four Hundred and eighty Acres on Herring Creek, in Charles City County. The above Tracts of Land were of the Estate of the late John Wayles, deceased, devised to the Subscribers, and are now offered for Sale. Persons disposed to purchase may be informed of the Terms, on application to any of the Subscribers; and the Terms of Payment will be made easy, on giving bond and security to

Thomas Jefferson,

Francis Eppes,

Henry Skipwith.

advertisement in “virginia gazette”

September 16th, 1773.

To be sold.

Five Hundred and fifty Acres of Land in the County of Charles City, with a convenient Dwelling house and other Improvements.

Two Hundred and twenty Acres, in the same County, pleasantly situated on James River.

Two Thousand five Hundred and twenty Acres in the County of Cumberland, commonly known by the name of Saint James’s.

And one Thousand four Hundred and twenty-one Acres in the Counties of Goochland and Cumberland, on both sides of James River, opposite to Elk Island.

The above Tracts of Land were of the Estate of the late John Wayles, deceased, devised to the Subscribers, and are now offered for Sale. Persons disposed to purchase may be informed of the Terms, on application to any one of the Subscribers; and the Times of Payment will be made easy, on Bond and Security to

Thomas Jefferson,

Francis Eppes,

Henry Skipwith.

[1 ]A merchant in Edinburgh.

[1 ]From the Southern Literary Messenger, iii., 305.

[2 ]His sister’s home in Charlottesville.

[3 ]Dabney Carr, his brother-in-law, who died May 16, 1773. In the Virginia Gazette for June 24, 1773, are some commemorative lines to him by “J. B.”