The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-09-02
EXTRACT Of LETTER PROM THOMAS Isy.
FERsoN TO GEORGES wYrHR,

EXTRACT OF LETTER FROM THOMAS IsY.
FERsoN TO GEORGE wYrHR.
Monticello, January I6, 1896.
IN my letter which accompanied the box
containing my collection of printed laws. 7 Dro-
mi'rd 70 fend you by poft ftatement of the con.
tents OF The hox. On taking up the fubieet I
found II better TO take more eeHsral review of
tn whole Of the laws poiIefs, AZ well Manu-
fr'pt rs Printed. as alto of thofe which do
not cof5is. and fuppof- TO be no longer extant.
Thu zen raj view you will have in the incloCrd
psper, whereof the articles fated to be printed,
cooititute the contents of the box fent Won,
Tho!e in MS. were not fent, becau(e not fun.
poied to have been within your view, and be.
caufe fone ofthem will not bear removal being
10 rotten, that, on turning over leaf it fome
times tails into pow der. Thefe I prefcrve nv
wrapping AID frwing them up in oiled cloth.
10 that neither air nor moifture can have accef,
to them. Very early in the courfe of nv re-
fsarches into the laws of Virginia, / obferved
that many OF ITEM were already loft, and MANY
more on the point of hti1g loft, as exiting only
in Jingle copies in the hands of careful or curl
Gus INDIVIDUALS, on Whole deaths they world
PROBABLY be uied for waite parcr I Cet myfslf
therefore 20 work TO collect all which were then
exiting, in order that when the dav fbouId
conis IN which the public niould advert 10 thr
magnitude of Their Cf' rs thefe precious monu
hehiS OF our properly and or hiltOrv, a part
oftheir regret might be fparrd by inform ,tior,
that portion has been faved fror the wreck
which is worthy Of their attention and prefer.
vation. In fearching after thefe -enains.
fPared neither tirnc, troable, nor exoence aud
am OF opinion that icarcciy any law efcaDrd
me, which was IN 5sing As late as the wear 1870
IN the middle or fjuthern prrts Of the h,te
In the northern parts perhaps fomelhne night
fill be- found IN the clerks Offices in the ami
cnt counties fI;ne of hofe Ms. copiss of IN.
laws may politely ftl exit which ul-d to be
furniihed al the public expence TO every conn
ty before the ufe Of the Prefs was Introduced
and IN the Tame places, and ia the hands of an
tient magfftrates, or Of their families, fone of
the fugitive fleets of the laws Of feparate FIJI
ons, which ave been uiually diitribuied 6nse
the practice commenced Of printing them. Btt
recurrIngto what we actually polTefs the uueC
ton rs, wn1t means will be the mott eRrttusI
Tor preferving theie remains from future Iors ?
all the care can take of them will not preGerve
Them from the worm, from the natural decay
OF the paper, from the accident of fire, or thofr
OF removal, when it is ueceffary for any pub-
lie purpoie, as ~ the cafe of thOfe now fept
you. Our experience has proved to ~ that
hngle copy, or few, depOGited in MS in the
pubic offices, cannot be relied on for any great
length oftime. The ravages of fire and of e.
Tocious enemies have had but too much part II,
producing the very lofts We now deplore How
rnagy Of the precious works &c antiuaity wete
loft, while they exi1ed ony in manufcriut ,
has there ever been one Ion hnce the art of
printing has rendefed it practicable to- muItipv
& dlper!e copies This leads US then to the on.