Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-07-27


fhe Designs, the Easravings shall be The work
1 OF .4sisiicln Artists: the publication tldougou,
| shall afford evidence of'wiiat our ci,laens haze
done in politics and can do i'll art.
| PLAN AND TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
| When the Publisher submitted the prcceedng
notice his ritentoa 10 undertake Il liy.iNnaE
/ publication, although it had long occupied his
reflections, he WAS not fully aware of lis iInpo.
lance, for he had never suspected what TIE fact
| really IS, that there IS no wHEag exant III au-
| tllcntic published copy of the moss important
State Paper IN the annals of the world
4 The ORIGINAL Declaration Inderenlence as
deposited III tine Secretary of Stste's oiiice, was
happily preserved when so lnSny valuable papers
were consumed by the enelDy. Without dwell.
! ipg upon Slight differences, inaccuracies or cIl;s-
sions, the FIRST words Which presen. tile mzclI-es
iii orr prin ed copies, and even as they are of re-
cord on the journals of the Old Congress, are as
| follow:
| GA DEoLARATToE BT THE REPRESENTATIVES, OF
,rHs UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, TX cvSGREss
ssrNBLrD,"-whereas il. the origiiial Tie Decla-
ration Is thus headed -
"THE USASimoUs DECJAnkrIoH OF TIE TBIR-
TEEN USTrED STATES OF AMERICA"
This is not mere verbal distinction /; it in
wolves difference III principle Dues ii become
Americans 10 be careless on this subject, or ought
Interpolation or alteration of any kind 10 be per-
m.tted in public document so sacred Ought
II not 10 be iaithiuliy preserved and transmitted
to posteriy word for word, letter for letter, and
point for point Fne American public will nn-
! hesitattngly answer YES and HE Publisher
stands pledged 70 have il so engraved, and to
| company 1t wi h regular proof Oi authenticity
! The tl-e Of tb' Paper viii DE SO inches by 2+
| twill lie manufactured by MIR. Ames in hls best
manner and Of the very best materials.
| The Design, which is from the pencil of Mr.
- 4 H. =
Red +; and viii eucrcle the Declaration as a
GORDON Of houor, surmounted IS the ms Of The
| United States immediately underneath The
arms viii be large medallion portrait of g enc
raj GEORGE WaSHlNGTOT, supported By
cornuc0pie, and en6eGsSied rOi.h Spears, Fllgs
and pther .iiilfary rotiies and s6l5ieas. Gu one
| side Of ehis natleiiion portrait, wiz be similar
portrait Of JOHN HANCOCK, President oil Con
gress, July 4, I776i and on the other, portrait
of THOMAS JEFFERSON, author of the De-
ciaration OF Independence.
| The Arms (" of the Thirteen United States" in
medaliions, united with wreaths of owe Leaves,
will form the remainder of the Gordon, Which
viii be further enriched by some OF tie charac-
teristic productions of the United States such an
the Tobacco & Indigo Plants, the Cotton Shrub,
Rice, sc.
The whole of the design excepting the por-
irai,s,) will be engraved 81 MI Murray of Phila-
delphia, who has for some weeks been at work
on the plate.
Mr.. Leney, of New-Yorz, will engrave The
portraits.
BY the advice Of all tie Artists engaged, the
Publisher has abandoned the idea of printing the
! Declaration with TYPES, and has determined 20
! have the whole OF it ESGR4vED. The ornamental
| disposition and style of the engraving OF The Ds
claration of Independence, which vii. occupy tho
interior OF the Gordon, will be designed and exc
! cutcd by Mr. FIirman.
| The fie-sin.les will be engraved by Mr. Val
| lance. who Will execute tins important part q
tie publication at the city of Washington, where,
! by PERMISSION of the Secretary Of State, he wll
have the ORIGINAL SIGNATURES constantly uncet
his eye.
The public are we'll apprizcd that the gerrsle-
men whose names have been moatloned, as IN
| deftaking particular departments in the propo-
sed publication, are The frat Artists in the Uni-
ted States, and they have, one and ali, assured
the Publisher that they VIII sedulously devote
themselves TO the execution Of the several parts
hey have undertaken, and viii finish them in such
| 2 msnner, as 10 do credit TO themselves and Ia
the COUNTRY so far as depends on the anxious
! employment Of theiF rs Pcctiye talc3ts on this
national work
The goRTRATTs viii be engraved from 0rig;nl
pain uigs and ,he most esteemed iikenesses.
The Arms f ihe United States, and of the Sc
verzl States, VIII be faithfully executed rHc'
oryicIAL DgsCnfrrIoNs AND no-UNgSr5, and II
the manner directed by the most approved au
thors on the science Of HertIdry
From tie arrangements made, ard the dispo
stions manifested by the artists, il IS confidently
{ expected that this engraving viii he, Wien lin
ised, splendid and truly national publication
The Publisher thinks he can promise ,hat y sh7l
be ready to deliver 10 subscribers in February
next, at TEN dollars each copy, ts be paid o.
delivery.
The enSrav:ngs will be accompanied by
PAuPnLET, containing the oEciai documents con
ncctcd with the publication as authorities, and
list Of the Subscribers Names
The engraylEgs will be delivered to Subscri
bers in tic manner in which tsey may have sub
scribel.
II is contemplated TO have few copies printed
on paper prepared to carry colours TO have ti,t
Shields accurately tinct,ired in the modern style
r and the Plants &c cooured by one D; our mos
| approved water coourers The price Of thos
superb copies viii be THIRTEEN dollars each,
, As 70 more of those copies will be printed thai
shall be subscribed for, gentlemen who wish to-
them, are requested TO add Tie word eoloHrsd
) their subscription.
JOHN BINNS,
No. 10, Ciesnaf.saeet
Z'EHaikblia, Jtnc, 1916.
Il GTsunscaTrTross for tie Above brobased sb2c5