Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-11-06

or any other iUrei:sn court, at the suit OF any
oi her own citizens, or of any subject or Cit
zen oil any other state or nation shall be
acid to he guilty of high misdemeanor
aga;nS the rights and sovereignty of tbi.
Commonwealth, aud, on due conviction there.
OF, shall be adiudsed to pay, for the use OF
the literary fund, fine, in the discretion of In,
Jury, of not less than one Thousand, nor more
! ihan ten thousand dollars.
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
N'stS'efS q brfhS, Marriages and EsGths
observed this summer, copies of the Late
census posted up at many of the tavern doors
In one county, the women of given age were
o3', aiid the men of a corresponding age only
10. Nature makes no such inequalities in our
country this state of things will never hap
pen. Onenquiringtlle cause ofth;s outrage up
on common sense and reason, learned, that
the person employed to take the census was u
drtinkard, and a vagahond, who paid no at
tent'on To it: thus, to favor half dozen wills
Key drinkers, we have perhaps lost IA repre-
sentative m Congress and may have driven
Oh ooO young men To Florida, (where wish
they may be presented with the freedom of
the city OF Pensacola by Captain General
Jackson, in the Generals peculiar way, for
their want of gallantry,) convinced that they
can never make stand against such fearful
odds.
Things are managed better in Massachusetts,
connecticut, &c. There, no man, woman or
clnid Is omitted; indeed il is we'll for us, il
lilere are not more by the register than in fact
anu instead OF a representation Of living black
men, they have one of dead white ones {; and
thus, dead white man, is equal in political
rights, to "A living black one.
we virglnians should look into this matter.
was about to call the attention of the pubic
10 IL, when remembered a letter which re-
ceiVed IN 1916 on the subject, from distin-
S,hshed Philosopher and Political Economist
OF France, then residing in the U. S. He has
since died at Wilmington and now publish
translation of his letter, for the edfcatiun of
the public, and as small testimony of my sim
cere respect for the memory of his virtues and
talents.
III IS OF great Importance that there should
be established in the U. s. a regular method of
ascertanlng from actual registers, the births.
marriages, and deaths.
some OF the northern states have already
good regulations on this subject Others have
copies 81 marriage licenses filed. The regis
Ter OF rths IS most important, and in that the
u. ,: have great political interest.
when the British impress American scainen.
,hey pretend that they are English, Scotch or
Irish. The identity of language, and the num-
ner OF proper names which are common to all
the Jour countries, give Il color of plausibiIity
To ms supposition. But it could not be pre-
tended, II the person impressed presented an
extract IN legal form from tn register.
saewIns the birth OF one, with the same name,
on such state, county, or township. born of
such father and mother with the baptisn,al
name of each
me certificates heretofore used for this p,ir-
pose, are very imperfect substitute for AN au-
tnchtic register Faith cannot be allowed them.
we know that neighbor seldom refuses In
sign such acerilfcate. Any hearsay, or com
mon report, is enough To satisfy their consci
ences on the subject; hut this Is not sufficient
10 govern the intercourse between nations.
mere are many states which for want of
such a register, can certify only the national
NY OIL adopted citizens, because the act of ma
turallzatlon is public record. But these are
precisely the records which neither G. Britain
nor any other sovereign will respect: all CON
curing in the principle that the newly con
facted allegiance has the effect ascrbed TO il,
only within the territory of the adopted coun-
i'y' ana does not destroy the original aegi-
ance derived from birth
neSlsters OF marriages are of use, to distin-
guIsh legitimate from natural children. who
dIiler in the rights of sllccession in nearly eve
ry county.
registers of deaths are necessary TO decide
WIN eXactness the Inheritance of estates.
:. III most countries of Europe, the ecclcsias-
Iics preserve these re- listers. But it has been
louiid imperfect, be lausc they embace only
tilose OF their communion, and there are ma.
ny communlons and very religious ones, who
have no clergy
In France 1t has been found TO be advanta-
geouS 10 assign this duty to the MAYORS of mu-
inequalities, and their assistants, whose iuris-
uiI'ion embraces not only citizens, but all in
y, OF every denomination. The law OF
rance requires that the sex of the child should
be noted; because legacies are often given to
unborn children, on condition that they are of
particular sex, which may induce parents to
conceal the actual fact, as happened TO the ia
nous Chevalier Aiadam1 D'Eoy.
Ihere should be duplicates of the register
10 prevent destruction by fire, and other acct
dents copy should be deposited among the
archives of state. There was an instance l.,
france, when the curates were permitted To
make entries as long as the register remained
WIN mem, of return very prejudcia TO the
rl2nts OF the parties: it was however correct
Gu by the copy at the office of the department,
10 winch alone implicit credit was given.
III Incorporated towns, it is natural to leave
the registration to the officers of police, who
have many facilities for the purpose.
In this counryperhaps, the Jurisdiction of
justice OF the peace would be convenient.
There should not be citizen Of the II. s.
whom It's government could not al once idcn-
NY, when oppressed by a foreign power.
There should be no one whose mother, and
brth place at least could not be proved
Know many naturdIiZcd American citizens
whose children born in Europe, could prove
their iilIation and legitimacy ; but whose M
merous progeny born in the U. S. could not
claim their inheritance in any country of Eu-
rope, IT their brothers and uncles born there
should refuse it.