Virginia Argus — Richmond, Va., 1810-12-21 00:00:00, page 3

\
vrd in the war which terminated in 1P63,
aga nst France, praying nn adjustment ot
alledged claims to lands in this country,
which they say were granted to them by
the British government. Referred to the
committee of claims.
Mr Van Horn presented a petition from
the president and directors of the bank of
Washington, praying the grant of a char
ter of incorporation, which was referred
to the committee for the District of Colum
bia.
Mr Morrow submitted a resolution, which
was adopted, instructing the committee on
the public lands to enquire whether any,
and what farther provisions art necessary
for settling and surveying the claims to
public lands in the territory of Orleans
and Louisiana,, and to report by bill or o.
the r wise.
Mr Fisk reported a bill for the.«pporti.
eminent of the representation among the se.
verai states. Read twice, and referred to
a committee of the whole.
Mr Mitchell submitted the following re.
solution, which was adopted.
Resolved, That a committee be appoint,
ed to enquire whether any, and what fur.
ther amendments are necessary to the se.
verai acts securing to individuals the exclu
sive right to their inventions, tSec. and that
said committee have leave to report by bill
or otherwise.
Mr Vdn Horn presented a petirlcb from
the president and directors of the Union
B aik ot Georgetown, prayinsrfor a charter
of incorporation which was referred to the \
committee for the District of Columbia.
A nie-sage w ts received from the Senate,
announcing the appointment of the Rev.
Mr Addison, as their chaplain 5 and the
pas> tgc of a bill relative to foreign coins.
This bill was then twice read by the
house, and referred to a committee ot the
whole.
Aojourned at half past 1 o’clock.
[Mr Kppcs is the chairman of the com.
mUtt-e on lureign reUi.ons.j
December 13.
Mr, Barrv, from Kentucky, appear
ed and took his seat; and also Mr Al
len, from Massachusetts; both new
member*.
Mr. Mumford presented a memori
al from sundry merchants cf the city
of N. York, stating that they had made
large purchases of British uianufac
turce antecedently to the issuing of the
late proclamation of the president an„
Bouncing the repeal ot the French de
creed ; that by the opera-inn of the non
intercuurcs law, unkss Great li-.itain
revoked her edicts, their goods would
be a rreat loss to thi msclves, nnd the
V capital a loss to the country ; and pray
ing relief in a case of such peculiar
hardship. The memorial was referred
to the committee on foreign relations.
Mr. Johnson submited the fdlowing
resolution, which was adopted :
Resolved, that the committee of
wars cud means te instructed to pre
pare and bri g in a bill, fixing the num
ber and compensation of clerks in the
several departments of the government,
of the United States.
Mr. Mitchell presented a petition
from the Cayuga Salt Manufacturer^,
of'the State of New-York, praying an
exemption from the payment of cer
tain duties on imported instruments or
boilers for the manufacture of salt, in
consideration of its value to the coun
try. Referred to the committee of
commerce and manufactures.
The house resolved itself into a com
mittee of the whole on the bill fixing
the apportionment of representation a
mong the several States—Mr. Basset
in the chair.
Mr. Fisk moved to fill the blank with
forty five thousand inhabitants for each
representative to this house. He tho’t
the number would increase the mem
bers to 155 at least.
The question was taken on this mo.
tion, and negatived ; yeas 39, nays 56.
Mr. W. Alston was in favor of a
larger number of inhabitants for ench
, rep’esentative. The house of repre
k sentatives would otherwise become too
numerous to transact the business of
♦he r»«kMnn. An enlargement of the e
lection districts would also destroy the
practice of electioneering, whUh had
become so prevalent in the northern
cour.trv, but which he believed was
not common to the eastward. If the
districts were more extensive, candi
• dates could not find time to ride thro1
every part of them for this purpose.
He therefore moved to fill the blank
with fifty thousand.
Mr. Boyd was in favor of a more
numerous representation ; and of act
ing upon the principle which had go«
verned the federal convention, in pro
viding that the people should be fully
represented.
Mr. Macon was desirous that the
number of representatives, to which
the house should be entitled, could be
fixed before the census was completed
—-kthen the ratio might be adjusted sc
ns to Rive to each state a due proporti
on of members according to their po
pulation. His objection to a large
number of members in the house oti.
ginated in the belief that it would b«
impossible for them to deliberate ant
debate to advantage, or able to heai
one another when they were speaking
As to electioneering, it was the neccr..
i nary efTect of free government. Ai
long as liberty existed in the counrrj
and ** lotig as ouc man was thought bj
I . I
the public to have more talents and in
tegrity than another, there would be
electioneering* Different methods
were pursued ia different parts of the
union. In some the candidates elec
tioneered in person for themselves ; id
others, their friends for them ; in o
thers again, committees and newspa
pers were used for the purpose of de
stroying elections ; and even the sa
cred Pulpit had been made subservi
ent to this object.-*-He believed that
less time was wasted at elections, than
in some other places. Nor was he a
fraid of a multitude of councils. He
would be in favor of saying, at this
time, that the number of members
should not exceed 150 or 160. The
population of Delaware would perhaps
be a good criterion : he was fearful,
however, that it might reduce the re
presentation.
The committee rose, and the bill
was postponed, to give further time for
consideration.
Mr. Lewis presented a petition from
pilots employed in the navigable wa
ters of Maryland, praying that they
may be allowed to receive fees within
the district of Columbia ; which war.
referred to the committee of com
merce and manufactures.
Vincennes, Oct. 18.
The editor finding a considerable a
larm has been spread by some informa
tion said to have been brought bv Mr.
Brouilette, who has lately returned
from the Prophet’s town Waited cn
Governor Harrison, who was obliging
enough to furnish him with the folio w
ing
vumiuiiicaiion*
The Governor assures his fellow
citizens, that there exists not the least
cliuse of alarm on account of Indian
hostilities—ail the information which
he has received, has produced a full
conviction upon his mind, that there
has not been for the last four years less
probability of a rupture with the In
dians, than at this moment. The par
ty attached to the Prophet, have dwin
dled t a very oontempnb’e numbe-,
and even these far from being united
and attached to him, are extreme! v
desirous to shake off the yoke which
he has so lor.g imposed upon them.
So far from thinking of war, the Pro
phet sent by Mr. Brouillette to request
that he would send him a cross cut
saw, and other tools for building hous
es.
He told Mr. Brouilett- indeed, that
he had with him 7 or 8 hundred men,
and could collect 13 hundred iu a day
—the governor knows this to he false
—•there are not j hundred in all the
neighboring villages. The Wineba
gos, who constitute hTs force, the go-!
vernor has lately caused to be c< untetl,1
and they were f-»und not to exceed 1
hundred—and the greater part of the
Putawatamies that are near him had
much rather go to war with him than
with the U. States.
WAITE'S LIST OF PKlZ-.S IN THE
Vineyard Lottery
Now Drawing*
Seventeenth Day’a Drawing. 0
3 Prize* oi ICG dollars—No*. 2399 10745 10794
4 50 da N<-»„ 27 ll 3283 7495 14729
i 2 2U do Not 4420 12365
And 112 prizes of 6 dollars.
. Wheel gained this day 768 dollars.
Eighteenth Day’s Drawing.
1 Prize ot *1000 dollar.*—jNo. 3707
1 *100 do No .0656
5 50 do Nos 1370 2350 3160
9661 12553
3 20 do No*. 8v/4 2728 1..094
And 123 prizes of 6 dullat*.
• Sold at Waite's.
JNuetcenth Day s Drawing
2 Prizes of *100 dollars—Nos 10591 K.883
2 *J0 do Nos 5+52 10+45
3 20 do No* 7089 I57i4 16257
And 120 piirnor 6 dollars.
• Raid at Waite's.
Sales at Au&ion.
ON Saturday morning, the 22d Inst at 11 o’
clock, a> my Vendue Office—Will he Sod
For cash, for ih.* benefit of the underwriters, am
others concerned, Two Packages
hardwar e,
marked W. G.M 50 &, 51, imported and djmrj*
cd in the *hip George and husan Capt. Wood
from Liverpool.
James Brown, jr.
December 20th, 1810, I
BOARD WANTED.
FROM F.e:gbt to Twelve G^ndemen wish t
p neme board in a r"spect*ble privs>e n^a-H
leg Home, snored in a c n"*' part of rt-e m*i
rreete~a si-na*ion on- the Bell Tavern w nid b
; preferred—a line wi h tV* name of the persot
diip.sed to receive them Icf: with the printer wi
have immedia e atee on.
Rtchmend, Pec 18 18 >0. "t
Port IP trie.
r|^HE SnH rriH»»s have for sale, a few car
1. SOperio e(va ity
. • PORT WINE.
• Toirpkini Sc Mutrav.
r Richmond, Dec. 1810.
t
imgtma ‘Hiroi#*
RICHMOND* -=«*
iFRIDAY, Deckmbkh 21, 1810.
Extract of a letter from a Correspondent
at the City oj Washington, dated Dec.
lJ7/i, 1810.
“ From present appearances the Ses
sion of Congress promises to be an
harmonious one* With respect to fo
reign affairs, the attention of the friends
of administration seems to be attract
ed to one point, to wit : the British Pa
per Blockades. Our present rulers were
never furnished with such strong proofs
of the rectitude of our demands upon
Great Britain on any subject as upon
this* You will have perceived, by the
document# already published, that the
leading federal as well as republican
authority is with administration. On
the head of paper or proclamation block
ades the three branches of government
are united, that is to sav, the Congress, j
the President, and the Judic.ary, at the |
head of which is Judge Marshall, who
g *es further than any hody else, and
tairly shake* hands with Champagny’s
definition. British counsels must, T
should suppose, give way to this una
nimity on this side of the wa'er t In
deed, I apprehend our disputes gene
r. l!y might have been long ago settled
if we had been mere an united people ;
or if even the great republican phalanx
had continued well knitted. The ral
lying word, however, is now, as it
ought to be, Union. Some of the fe
deral prints are trying to raise an out- ;
cry about the cccup .ncy of West Flori
da ; but they will not succeed in render
ing it unpopular. It wa9 not only, an
Qr 1 A f - »»rrsr hut it «n art a f *-*«•-.
t--oj '-- —
priety ; and it was effected without the
least gasconade. The federalists are
ready for a hue and cry in Congress,
bat they do not know how to raise it.
Out of doors the opposition hang their
heads, walk about with their hands in
their breeches pockets, whistle lillubu
Zero, and are totally at a loss at what
end to begin. Gen. Armstrong is ex*
peced here daily.”
Mr. Macon, (of Congress,) in de
bate gave, the other day, a very just
picture ©f electioneering. He very
justly reproved the sneers which the
people of the East are too much in the
habit of aiming in this respect at their
southern brethern. Electioneering,
>s he say*, prevails every where in the
united States. .The fashion varies to
Ire sure; writing is the weapon of
some; biibacues of others; dram
drir.king is another mode ; and preach
tng and priestly management a fourth
method. Let us, then, cease to revile ;
&ince the practice is grounded in the
nature of oar political constitutions.
FOR THjTaRGUS.
UPON THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
No. II.
To understand how far the com
plaints, against the present arrange
ment of the courts, are well founded,
it may not be amiss, to give a short
history of them, since the commence,
ment of our revolution.
To do which, I shall begin with the
most inferior courts first, and so as.
cend, as they graduate, to the dernier
resort. ,
The coporation and county courts
remain pretty much as they were be
fore that period.
The other couits, established under
the constitution, were the court of ad
miralty, general court, court of chan
cerv. and the court of
The court of adnriira.ty had three
judges in it.
i The general court five.
The court of chancery three, and
The court of appeals consisted of all
'he jiulgts* No one, I am persuaded,
can look at this arrangement of the
nnv system, without discerning in it,
[ the w I6D0M of our great revolutionary
patriots.
But, a few years,however, had pass
ed away, when it was said that, there
was a defect in the system: that the
' general court was too incsnvtnient to
the people ; and, too expensive, in the
trial of criminals.
rhi% at least, was a plausible ground,
and perhaps a correct one, and a change
was made, which I admit was for thi
, better.
Five judges were added to the gene
ral court; the state laid oir into cir.
I* cuitr, which were divided into conve«
i. nient districts ; and two judges, allot
ted to each circuit, who, were to hole
a court for ea<b district therein.
Aoout this time, the federal consti«
fill ion wa# changed, by which, we $ r^v»
* up the court of admiralty, whose jurlg
es, wi:h two from the chancery court
made up the requisite number, for fht
new arrangement, in the general court
| which left one for the court of chsnce
/
ry i nnd if this plan had hern carried
into effect our courts would then have
stood,
The corporation ahd County courts*
The superior circuit or district
courts*
The general court, and
The high court of’ chancery : still
leaving the court of appeals to consist
of all the judges.
But, some of them were not able to
perform circuit duty, which produced
a remonstrance, to the General Assem
bly, in A prill 788, signed by ten of the
judges, complaining of the unectmitu
tionality of some parts of the new ar
rangement, which, terminated in the
appointment of five judges to the court
of appeals; one to the court of chan
cery ; and ten to the general court,
with power to that court, to allot two,
to each circuit.
The system was then compleat; and,
in my judgment, could not have been
improved ; but by giving to the gene
ral court, appella'e jurisdiction, from
the circuits.
The courts then stood in the follow
ing order,
The corporation and county courts.
The superior courts of law.
The general court.
The high court of chancery, and
The court of appeals*
The friends of reform having suc
ceeded in the establishment of these
courts, began to turn their attention, to
the high court of chancery, and verv
justly complained of the delays that
took place there.
The judge was old : the docket was
Crouded •• and even the hope of his get
ting through, such a mass of business,
as, had, accumulated upon him, was
given up on all hands : under these cir
rmmt nr PQ it nn ■ A — #1 .?!..! J .
-, -- * ;— i
cne» court, and to appoint two other
chancellors, one at Williamsburg, and
the other at Staunton ; in the expecta
tion that the business would then be
done every where ; but this only gave
relief to the people Fast and West:
f> r time soon proved, that the venera
ble sage, who presided, in the court,
at Richmond, was too far advanced in
yearn, to do even the biminess of a dis
trict ; and many supposed, that a judge
could not be found, who could, in any
reasonable time, go throngh the dock-,
et. But, this opinion, was soon given
up, when the present chancellor look
place.
B fore this, however, the delay, in 1
the court of appeals, threatened much
more injury, to the justice of the coun
try. But, it was agreed, that, this, was
not the fault of the but of the
court i and might be remedied, by re*
dueing the number of judges, from five
to three, which would be sufficient; but
which could only be done, by an act of
the legislature, declaring that, the first
two vacancies* in the court, should not
be filled; and a law to this effect was
passed.
i And firuby the resignation of Judge
Carrington, and then by the death of
j Judge Lyons, this court, was reduced,
! to its present number of three judge*.
[More of this hereafter.]
This was boasted of as such an im
provement in our judicial system that,
it was then supposed, but one more
thing remained to be done, to make it
perfect, which was to add three judges
to the general court, divide the state,
into thirteen circuits, and allot one
judge to each circuit, who should hold
a court in each county therein : and
which was accordingly done
But, still the friends of reform are
not satisfied. They now say that, as
they have carried the courts of law in
to each countv, t’n^y should also carry
the courts of equity ; and so they should,
if there be the same reason for it.
But, I apprehend, there is not. IIow
..... tki. u. _i A.i_.L.
trial is by jury upon parol testimony :
in chancery by a singlet judge, upon
written evidence. At law, the parties
ancl the witnesses, are indispensable,
on a trial ; in chancery neither parties
nor witnesses are ever espected ; at
the issues are generally sent to the
courts of law. At law, it was though!
more reasonable that, tht; judge should
attend the suitors where their witness,
es were, in their respective counties,
than, that they and their witnesses,
should go out of their counties to a’<
rend him : and upon the score of con
venience and expenses, this w as all cor
rect : hut in chancery, it has beer
i shewn, that this is not the case: henct
the causes that led to a distribution o
■ the law courts, afford no ground, a< ii
seems to me, lor distribution of thf
• courts of cha .eery .• on the ^contrary
a judge in chancery, should be as sta
tlonary, as the court he sits in, that h<
may become at with efjual convenient!
by all: that he may in vocation, pf' pan
the business f'<r »he n~xt ter n ; a. th<
chancellor, at Richmond, does; and
, ! therefore, it is, that, he is able to g*
■ through his docket every te*m.
, Hot, this he could not do, it he hat
• to ride a circuit—lor then hv couid on
■ty do like other judges—all chat he
! could during term.
I will close* for the present, these
hints, by submitting this guestiou—
Whether it will be better for the people
of Loudon and Patrick counties, to have
their chancery business done, in liich.
naond, within a very reasonable time,
! and without ever going to that place*
or to have, if you please, another chan
cery court, in each of those counties*
which the people may attend ; but, in
which, their business, may not, as at
present, be done lor years f
The people, 1 apprehend, would pre
fer the former ; but, perhaps, some of
the gentlemen of die bar might not.
These hints are submitted until you
shall hear again from
A* B,
&ot£-i!?‘uhJnfton C!tV' Dec i*
. V** bdlfor the apportionment ot Repre
sentatives according to the third census
Renitsln.*^ P<**P<>ned ih the H^wse of
Representatives, by a majority of 15 votes
till the second Monday in February by
which course a determination is expressed
th*1 th? ratl° aPP°rtionment until ,
rrceueri''08^01" the ^5pcCtiVc *late* arc
received. The tune limited by law for the
transtmssmn of these returns Is the first day
of March next ; but it was supposed that
the returns would probably be ail received
pr:or to that day, so as to eoable Congress
to fix the apportionment before the consti
tutional termination of their present session"
^ ^ Nat, Int.
The following is an extract of a let
ter from a respectable gentleman at
Fort Sroddert, M, T. dated November
12, 1810:
“ The account of Pensacola being in
possession of the British is false.
Should England be disposed to take
possession of that place and of Mo
bile, this is doubtless the period at
ivllirh QlirK o mr «n __ _ . •
hle—most to be apprehended. The
Baton Rouge Floridian ar»ny is s-,.itl y
to be on its march to take these places. f
Col. Kemper, and some other chief*
of this new army are now in the vici
nity of the lort, associating with such
of our citizens, as affords much ground
to apprehend that there is something
wrong amongst them. If we have a
war with England, Pensacola and Mo
bile must be ours, or New-Orleans
will fall. At no place could the enemy
find so convenient a rendezvous for his
vessels, from which to annoy New
Orleans, as Pensacola: and the cattle,
and hogs and corn of this country, and
the Creek and Choctaw nations, and
the savages of these nations, who Jov*
the English, would contribute not a
little towards the support of such a
rendezvous.’*
Gen. Andrew Moore, is appointed
Marshal of the state of Virginia.
The editor of the Aurora says—*
the “ arbitration system has been to
th'19 state [Pennsylvania] equal to a
tax of two millions of dollars per an
num replaced in the pockets of the peo
ple.” When the “ laws delaythe
trouble, expence and time lost in at
j tending court is considered, we may
reasonably suppose the calculation is
under, rather than above, the truth.
Balt. £. Post.
Departed this life on the evening of
the 16th inst. at Mrs. Mary Mark
ham’s in the county of Chesterfield.
Mrs. ANNE CRAIG, late of the ci
ty of Williamsburg.
r The gentleman who took Waite's
List of prizes in the Vineyard Lottery
from this office, is requested to return
them, as there has come forward but
one copy cf those lists.
Port of Richmond.
f.ntere d.
Schr. Ariadna, Somers, Philad.
Voting Sachem, Bl->ck, N. York.
Brothers, Barren* Norolk.
Young Carpenter, Weeks, Phil.
CLEARED.
Schr. Mary Ann, Wood, N. York.
Brig Sally Barker, Luce, Boston.
Sloop Rising Village, Allen, N. Y.
William Wardlaw,
IT AS KRGElVtU in addition to hi* former
* A Stock on hand, by the Alnti*a from I. n<j<*i
la-el > arrived at Norfolk, a g> nerai supply of
Paints, Medicines, Sutgical I/utru.
mints &c.
Which he Can sell on g *«d trims to Uis corto-nets
1 by wholesale mb' t« ail,
D«c*mb«r2I, 1810. _ ! ■* 4 *r)
VV ANTED
A smar-ftet ve L AI > fto attend in an FrpBe s
, | Good* S.ore. R- quire at this -iSoa.
' DeCfm,J<r 3 > •’ . .-.MlUf.M
NO I ICE.
ON the firs* day of January wifi bs
hired at Hairy C**e»*s T tvern, in CS tter»
fi* d, rev rsl NKGROP.S, to th en-vinq /e«r,
, brlongirjf to the e ta-e of J hr. Jt* >r , ecM —».
* i mong .hem is a g ol Mil*ft-ngnt. A the tarn*
* time and place will be Rented, 0 a nndivkjvd
'moiety of a Grist 'li I, ->n Powhatan <■«•*
I Jimcs t ore, Adm’r.
Dec. 2»th IF.