The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-07-24
CuR1os1rIEs OF Axr1ovrrY.

Y.
To THE EDIroa OF THE ExouIRER
In my late researches among the ancient rec
ords relating TO Virginia, have discovered, some
important facts, both IL respects tie rights of
property, AMI as furnishing matter for the histo.
r'ah.-it rs now clearly ascertaned, that so ear
~ as the year l6S1, there was II printer in Virgil
ma, who was prohibited by the Governor 4 Co,in.
Gil from prosecuting his business, till the kings
pleasure should be known. II had been handed
down by tradition, thar by a issv of Virginia. the
art oil printing bad been suppI ess=d during some
period OF our suhject'on to the regal government
but the accuracy oftiat statement, had been
Questioned by the best Informed men among us ;;
no written or printed documents having been dis
covered to Justify it.-No doubt can now exist
OF the fact, that the liberty of ne PRESS was res
framed, not indeed by iIso, cut by an order Of
me Governor and Council -'rhe following Is the
minute OF their pr ,ceedngs, taken from NJ $
with which have been furnished by Mr. Ief
ferson, late President of the Uni.ed States. and
winch, on comparison with cotemporaneous Mss
is found TO be strictly accurate.
'' February 2lst 1852
John Buckner called before Lord Culpepers
and ms council for pri' ting the laws of 1880
without his excellency's license, and he aud
The printer ordered to enter into bond in IODc
&c nor 20 P'inf any M,ng hereafter, until has
majesty pleasure shall b., known" CYey6a
ton from the Bland NJ S, pa 1913 J
IL rs not probable taat the king did signify his
pleasure tor long series of years for ths first
evidence thereafter of any printing having been
done IN Virginia, was on the revised laws of
1888
g. Among the old books preserved in the clerks
once OF the I neral: court athere arc great
number OF Patents which ought to have been re
coded III The books which are now IN the Re
gister's ONCE This perhaps, accounts for The
many unsuccessful applications at the Registers
orhce' ior ancient patents, which Can be found
no where but IN the Office OF tie General Court,
linterspersed thro' great number ofvolumes Ia
belled as containing bonds" commissions" &c
FOR many years alter the first settlement of Vir
GINA, the Secretary boli the CLERK Of IKE
General Court and Register Of the Land \ flee md
~. the DOORS which are now in the two Off ces;
were deposited IN his alone.-It seems to have
been the practice among his clerks to record the
papers IN the first book which cane to hand
without regard to the subj ct matter, or to chro
aoioglcai order.--Thus we fnd in " Deed Hot, %
a great number of wills, and state naners. and
IN a" Viii Book" I'VE have the entire proceed
lnss OF the Court Martial held bySir w hliam
Berkeley, for the trial the adherents TO Ma
thsniel Bacon The abuses in the Ss:retar,.,s
once were SO great, that they called FIR the Il:
terpostlon, of the Legislature, who, by an ACT
passed III 1909, entitled" An act aoncernipe
the regulating the secietary's oaice," expressly
declare, " that It APPEARS tnSt there hath beene
greste neglect IN keeping the records in this
country" and appoint committee. to exam;ne.
INTO the subject, and propose areform.
am respectfully, yours
WM w. HENING.
a reference to our Laws will shew that
Lord CuipePer WAS Governor OF Virginia at ,,is
period.
The Mammoth. In the "Medical and
Phl seal Journal" of Dr.. Barton for 1908
there is description of the Nam
moth. which was discovered in the Ice, IN
the North of Asa" Mr.. Adams, of ST. Pc
tersburg. describes it to have been ON the
shores OF the Frozen Sea, near the month
OF the River Lena. Ii was originally met
with by Toungouse Chief, in f79o-near-
iy covered "Ith Ice and about SO PAGES frona
the shore-and it was not Till the end Of
the . ii year, that the Ice melted from a =.
roma 1t and left the monster, bare tor inspec
ZION. Mr. Adams sa W it in June, 1866
"hen few OF IT'S parts were LETT In state of
preservation, except its bones--yet these
RUNS were ample monuments of the size Of
the animal to which they belonged It's car
case was more than 10 feet high, and II
long from the tip OF the nose to the coccyx-
each OF its horns was 81 feet long. and 300
IDS. weight-its head alone, 400 lbs.-Tne
SKIN was OF such extreme weight, that 40
persons, who were employed to carry it TO
the seaside, in order to- stretch it on float.
ing wood, moved 1t with great difficulty''-
a long name was ATTACHED to its neck-jts
snIn was OF deep grey, covered with red
dish hair and black Eristles--and some of
THESE last, more than feet IN length. Such
is the monster, which was seen BY Mr., A -.
tour years ago---whose horns are frequent
iy met with on the banks of the seas and
rivers OF Si5eria--And which DIR. Barton
sees ht IN the following extract. to place
IN the class of the ELEPHANT:
Ertrdct of ketter from Dr. Barton Of
PhiEadeLhhid, to a Clhzeh If Virginia.
May 10Th, 1910.
have just received from Mr. TiIesius.
OF ut. Petersburg in Russia, some fine draw
'Ings OF the great Asiatic Mammoth: the
very one OF which you have seen an account
as having been discovered in the Ice. in the
North OF Asia. it proves to be true Ele
phant, though specifically distinct from anv
OF the known existing species of Elephant
and different from the common (oncc widely
eXtended) Mammoth Of North America
But am now pursuaded, that a species of
Elephant specifically the same as this OF A.
sia, was once native of North America for
have received its teeth, &c. from YOUR
state County OF Wythe)----irom 5. Carroll
ma, &c. lhe musCuine drawings Of Mr..
lIiesus---would have removed from NV
mind all doubts, if any had remained, that
the great and common MammOuth of Ame
rica that, whose teeth and other bones have
been Uncovered in Kentucky, Ohio, and so
many other parts 81 the " States that, of
which we have the mounted skeleton in the