The recorder, or, Lady's and gentleman's miscellany. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1801-1802, 1802-05-12


tenGye as the late kingdom of France, even
after tie viStorieS, or rather the rcbberieS OF
Louis the fourteenth, at the head Of four hun
drei shouiaad men, had iwelled ms 2oulinions
70 their tremendous magnitude. This mott
a5iurd and wanton gift had been feyerely
condemned in my hearing by general Mafon,
and by another perion Of eminent rank, in the
Service OF this commonwealth. Indeed, at
this enlightened time of DAYS there caa be but
one opinion about the bufinefs The maio-
rity OF that asernbly behaved like aman, who
has dozen hicts, and who throws eleven of
them into the fire, Z he atlembly mad no
title TO give away this land. 1t had been
earned by the valour and the blood OF their
conitituents. In point OF Legality, they were
rs much authorized TO have made the govern
Hlent prelent of the county Of Hcnrico; and
the delivery even OF iuch a narrow ipot into
the fangs ofan hungry jobbing majority ofcon-
erefs, at the diftance OF three hundred miles,
might perhaps have been regarded as an OBJ
jeetionable meafure. BY reierving this ~
valuable MATS of territory in her own hands,
Virginia might have been able to raiie her
telf to mott envisble pitch Of opulence and
Importance, BY telling off moderate por-
ton of 1t, yearly, to private purchaiers, ihe
mutt have been able to pay her ihare of the
own government, aud her lhare of the annual
expence of Importing the federal 1yitem,
could, with PERFECT facility, have been ex-
tra6ted from the fame fource. Without one
ihilling Of public debt, without one inter
ma AK OF any Description, this commonwealth
mutt, in courfe of time, have ari{en to be the
.-ranary, the work ihop, the exchequer OF the
""# ,ysria. Ensst.,',sa n4sit have thfoneed
from eyei.;r pafV 5f the continent. The far
EAers and s.se4tafturers, from England, that
much wanted, and mott defrablc elas of citi-
zens, mutt have looked forward TO Virginia.
as their pSedeltincd atylum. In the nineteen
years which have eiapfed fnce this non
wretched act of folly, the worth OF property
IN Richmond might have mounted to Ave
times IFS preient value. The adjacent high
Toaos, In every direction, might have been
transformed into the ramifications Of an ex-
tenttve manufacturing city. Manchester
might, by this time, have laid the foundation
of future uvaiiAip with the imlneniity and
the ipendour Of its Britifh namefake Eau
parted with his birthright for nels Of pot
tage. Eau was hungry. He received his
meal. The gener., afembIy were nat hun
cry, They gave away not only their own
birthright, but enrs, alto. They received,
they expected a0tbingf Two hundred and
twa.sfr iniiiests Of acres OF good land are not
s ae. ..sSbts hing. The flccefiive acts Of
Gong eftimated them at the prize of
foa, basassd md jorty mi}}ioe5 Of dollars.
his fun is, perhaps, very far below their in
frniic worth. Yet even property worth
any FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY MIL
LIONS OF DOLLARS is NOT abfoutcly undo
frrVing of public attention.
Some years after the cofe OF the Bntiih
war, congTcfs began to fpeak of di(chareing
the public debt. / hcy had moi, at that time,
their prefene unlimited power of taxation; for
rs yet, the federal contribution had not even
fqueaked in its BABY clothes. AS for ,la4y
monsy, chey might very fafeiy have laid, with
ST. Peer Silver, or gold, have / n3hs.''
heir jOle reiource was IN the iale Of thefe
North #ett, lands, with which they had
been conphmenred, Is gijt, by The bewitch-
ed commonwealth Of Virginia lnnenie
luFns were offered by wealthy fpecuiarors in
Europe {or tra63s of this lanj* 4 great part
of the public debt could aEtualy have been
diieharged by this means. But Alexander
Hamilton wanted to have large funded debt.
He caf obifacies in the way OF the lale.
The debt was funded
'hefe matters are brought forward here TO
prove that the worth Of this Weftcrn country
IS otan invidious, or foitar7 dream of mine.
I his beautiful and fertile portion of the globe
IS wide enough to hold in its lap, the Whole
German empire, with the kinedomof Bohc-
mia, the two PrutIias, and all together
Between federal and fate taxes, this com
monweaIth pays at prcfent perhaps three mil
lions Of dollars per annum. The fun can
not DC ruch lets. In Fewyears, it will mott
likely De much greater. IF you had kept your
land to yourielyes, as, in common Ienfe, you
thould have done, thcge was rot location to
nave nsid arr Eq-fb;ay cC fayat of 7av 6yft