The Potowmac guardian, and Berkeley advertiser. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1790-1798, 1797-03-30
,,,.- ..,.--~,,-s.s,,,.-...-pesasaAkrGpAalAn.
NJ. WILLS,


laNshl asainlt theI, by sg5. asssk," oc having
,,rss.1rrd petition to the laie usembly, by tier
renfr(enta ,;ve Mr.. b. the object Of which was TO
tax the people to raile moneYto support h7dr iaso
mt, for lands rhey had 20 rirht 70 or TO put into
their pockets ever,l boufsnd pounds the nominal
amount Of certificates which they had Purchaied
,fperhaps) at go ID the pound and which they
had paid into the ri-alnry sr that deprecated va.
lue for land arr ants, which they located not on
vacan, lands bnt cokands that were not vacant, and
fx DER cent intered upon the laid certificates, and
sllo for the colts apd charges Of taking up iald
land; and this vins'c.tion they attempt in this
manner-they fay, that h6ndreds in this. county
,wsre j,rerelted in A-tha il was iinnilar Petit
ons fron, HardY, Hmphire, andShenopdoab coun
ties which were ltsnsd by nearly q thouAand peo- !
ple of lheT countes, which petitions, together
with theirs. rhev fly prodpesd conpromie Ny
which tboufa nds were benefited. This led me to
look into the law and the Journals upon the fuhject,
and find tnore daring attempt oih2oie upon the
public was never made the S.'ii;as tor therswas
but oney from Hardy, Eampthre, and Shenandoah,
as as different from this light is from darkneIs,
ss black from White good from evil they were
- different in their Objects and how different their
fares The one produced fsaprpm;le, the 9:5.r was
ss;ef7eSin committee. The petition OF number OF
the inha bitan,s Of the counties of Hardy, Hamp,
ihire, and Shenandoah, itated fmply, +" that law
paIsed in the year i7S5, authorizing citizens of Ibis
ommon we ALL to make locations #of land in the =
Northern Neck that under the laid law, they had
proceeded to make locatons, and bad made conf
dcrahle improvements on the properly thus ac4ur-
ed . Gnce which, the heirs and representatives OF
Lord Fairfsx, claiming III the faid lands had initi
tured fui,s in the Federal Court and had Obtained
decree in their favour ;"-snd corcludrd by pray.
ing generally, the interference of the legislature
on the occaicn Upon which the Houie of Lee-
gates pa(sed relolve, propofng The eaima ntsS
under Denny Fairfax compromise, which was a.
greed to by the faid claimants, and a law Pafsed
confirming the fame. And what was the compro-
mile Ii was this--the claimants on their part :
iruuiihed to the Commonwealth all the right they
might have to landsain the Northern Neck which
were vacant, and NOT appropriated in any manner.
at the time of the death of Lord Fairfax and the
Legislature on its part, relipquihed TO the claim
ants all the right which the Comihonwesth nj chr
tave to lands in the Northern Neck, which had been
appropriated by Lord Fairfax, in his lie time,
either by deed actual inrvey, aud this all
theft petitioners wilhed for, becaue they had loca
ted no lands but whar were vacant and unappropri-
ated at ~ death of Lord fairfax
But what WIS the petition of thefe gentle
men! Very different from The other : it itated
nearly what the other did and great deal more,
which may be Teen by looking inte the jQfrnals and
Concluded by praying (moit zp,igbI as we'll as
asfJ)" that fun of money might be appropria-
ted by the ps5he employ able counlef for the pro
iecntion tthe laid aPpeal--(rhey had ,its,ed that
there had been deeiHon agalnit David Hunter, one
OF Them, in favour of Denny Fairfax, in the Federal
Court, from which the Executive had taken APP
peal the Supreme Court)- that the fsH amount
oftheJ jim paid By them into the Treaiury for the
putch4ie of the fsid lsSd warrants. with intereit
thereon after the rate IF per Per annu toge-
Their with the expenses they had incurred, might be
repaid TO them" This petition was rejected i'll the
committee. How then can thefe gentlemen-iay.
that their petition dmilsr to the, other. or
that IBIS co-operated with saaf, Prodsee a com
promiei The compromise did not felt them alto
gesher, beeause they had located mott of their
rats upon lands which appropriated by Lord
FAirfax in his life time, by deed lurvey, and
which by the compromise, ware given up to the
claimants; bur the aim of tbele gentlemen is pretty
evident; it was to benefit by the comp-omife 10 far
as they had lotased appropriated lands, and alto
so have another hnt benefit of their own fe.
cured, by getting few thouland sounds off the peo
pie Nv way of
7bsie gentlemen fay, that hundreds in the county
wer- nerefted in the petition 1; how could that be,
Cor believe they and perhaps one 1-o~, were
the only perfons who locsted lands in the county
that were appropriated BY Lord Fairfax in his life
time; and as to perfons who had located lands that
were not appropriated by Lord Fairfax, they we're
COL hfsfs Hunter havss babhe. ard IL the msa Pc
f''ze terms prahfbned THE 9f gibbs name any manur,
aukayoter, az connected qob The pr/eut biet7 IF da
ao~ ppm the ground baOiag eiber gnrd the peiioa
yUyd1dto IN III. EfEvbI,