Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-17

Ia Allowing r"mfeI sallon II the Clerk, (tempnra
r'ly employed by tie COMMITTEE on Cla,msl for his
services rs suai
]? Transferring ccrtain ferry rights therein
"ntd, To G'o'gr ) Aiapp, James H. Harrison, al
jain II. Chahd-r;
20 Concernrng David S. Danner, Of Tie town c!
Winchester;
81 In authorize III. Second Auditor 10 cnplay ,e.:-
pcrariy an assistant Clerk.
Al hall past =, P. NJ he House took recess till
!, +. M.
FouR O'CLocK P. NJ.
On motion Of ~ h>DYrs"x
hfso'red 6y The Grn,rai .i>sen5ly, That The Govern
or he requested 10 invite Committee Of the Faculty
OF the University Of Virginia, aud the Presidents of the
several Colleges OF he SAFE, along with Tie Second
auoI'o', anu such ttaer scientific and literary rs
the uovrrn" may select, TO elect aud prepare in the
course OF the present ysur, all the materials hch may
be necessary 10 improve the CHER systems of fduca
,lon III The SAFE, well as the Il irn'ary schools
and TO report The result of their uhors The next ses
sion Of the General Assembly
a message was rscei.ed from Tie SpnGt, by Mr..
Rogers, that They had passed The act ':hanyng the
time OF holding the Circuit Superior Courts Of Lou
donn and Falrinx, and fur tther purposes, with an
amendment striking out the ryder changing the tine
oil holding The county court OF Prince William.
Mr.. BRAwsrR moved the indefinite postponement Of
tie bill md amendments
ms motion was opposed By Messrs CARTER and
GRIGsnf, supported by hless.s BEAwSEK and BrED Of
f.. and lost, ~ 10 30
Tue Senales amendment was then agreed to--39
to %
message vas received from The Senate by Mr.
Newman, that they had cd act "authorzng Loans
of arms TO Academies" with amendments in which
the House concnrred.
The Speaker laid before The House The following CON-
munlcaton from tae Governor
"ExEcurWE DEPARTMENT.,
'Ftbruary l5:b, l5il.
"I1 the General .7,sfmb!g:
81 have received from General John Mason of FAIR
fax county, "auoaraph copy OF the first d.aught Of
the Bl Of Rights of Virginia, :" together VII lit
from that gen i'man 10 your honorable body, beth rf
winch hive now the qualification, ut II $ request, 10
place III your hands.
"lf the Bill o! Rights aud The body of our frs, Con
st,ntion ale ton well authenticated n, presen, the
production OF George Maso", End the Preamble as that
If Mr.. Jirs TO give 10 this auto graph the hi sh in
erest winch The doubtful authorship If that instrument
might have attached To IT. 1t IS nevertheless, full OF
historical and personal interest, rich and chefshe
record oi great WORK and great and IS well en-
titled, as such to be passed from niHorgs! the mem1.
ta!s of family u those al State II has long been
preserved for tc sake Of The Father by TIE son. who
now, in TIE decline OF life when his Of il cannot
be greatly pFolonged oirrs i; 10 you lis best depos
tory, and asks that the Sti!e which that father 81
illustriousy contributed TO serve will consent to re-
ceive and 10 1t. Th,+ you will doubt consi-
der il az much privilege duty t, do.
"Oi the polite ii documents belonging Ia our coun
try, there which justly the SUBJECT
Of profound veneraom Than The very "Bll, the first
eraughi &C which IL now offered TO your acceptance,
and The Constitution first defined and written one
1t is believed, %! modern times which ia founded up
on il. Mol only has this "Ill the remark able meri;
Of having been adopted unanimously at two successive
periods Of our government, fifty years apart, and that
at each period by body Of Statesmen amongst the
wisest aad hest Of nkind-but ii has the farther
merit Of having led thu way for sister States, ard
clprnt .pn oII
rights and similar Constitutions Thus IL IL, that it
stands the foremost That series of events winch have
placed united country at the heud Of The popular
principle Of the world, aud have made il, Of al ether
INSTRUMENTS the chief Of this age, Tor enlargIng
the basis aud advancing the tumphs Of evil and re
gious freedom Ia this light-m every Iilht-ihe
noble encon,um pronounced by Mr.. Jiif.rson upon
is author, true Of his work, that IS mt oniy tru-
~ great bal te first in the order Of greatness II IS nm
honor /, Virgin, 10 have had them bath products
of her on and this cherished sentiment Of the St-tr
rejoice, one of her tunctionar'es, to have with
you so happy OCCASION 10 express.
"Wlth every consideration of respect,
81 am your most otedent servant,
"JA MCDOWELL"
The following is the letter of Mr.. John Mason, trans
United with thu Governors communication:
To the Honorable the General ASSEMBLY, Of Hrginia
As The only surviving son OF The late George Ma
son Of Gun>trn respectfully offer Ia the ptance
Of the General Assembly, the first drnugh' of the
Bill of Rights Of Virsra, IN the form in which IL was
reported by lis author u the Convention of l776.
1t i. believed be the only original daught OF that
instrumen, now ex,anl; none beng found in the ar
chiyes Of the Commonweal h. Beside the historic in
terest connected with it, The first written declaration
of popular rights and of the prime Piles OF popular Co.
vernmen I" which the tim-~ gave birth, with the fact
that II was closely followed by The other Sla,rs of The
Coniederucy, modelling their respective forms Of
government, it may be OF value al come future Gay as
IN authentic memorial OF Ike fundamental law.
The evidences VI It's authenticity are clear and I'M
doubted.
II came into my possession from the papers of the
author, after his death more than half century
since.
1t is. throughout, in his own handwriting. And
its character the fret draueht reported to the Con-
ven,ion, is declared, we'll by the memorandum with
his initials preixed, by the note ut the foot OF the
Should the General Assembly deem it worthy of nc-
ceptance by the State shall be gratIed and honored
BY their making such order for lis future preservation,
as to them shall seem proper.
And am, with very great respect,
Their most humble servant,
JOHN MASON
Clermont, Fairfax Co.. Jan. 23j, 1874.
rThe NJ S of the Bill of Rights in George Mason's
own hand writing, placed on the table during the
evening" and excited The llveest interest II IS indeed
most interesting relic, and vas well calculated TO car
nv back The mind 10 the great and vlrtuous men who
lived and acied in the times when II was framed ana
adopted 1t was carefully preserved in a neat frame,
and bears at the top and bottom the memoranda de-
scribpd BY the donor IL is written in bold, round
and firm hand which itself seems to bear the impress
of the spirit of the tunes in which II originated
After these documents were read Mr. Lacy offered
the following resolutions, which were unan lmously
adopted:
Whereas. the Governor of the Comm onwenth hath
this dav communicated t, this House MSS. copy of
the admirable Bill OF Rights, prefxed to the first Con-
s,tution of Virginia. and thence adopted into the pre-
sent Constitution, and this copy is IN the hand-wrl'
inv of its illusrlous author, George Mason, whose
Revolutionary services niex bic principles and emf
mont talents are held in by every Cit zen OF
V,roin;a--And the original Constitution, emanaung in
tho greater part from the pen ct the same author, ~
nerI,aos the first written Constitution that was ever
.do,,ed in America or established by free
People
Resplred, That this very interesting document be
thankfully received by the Legislature Of Virginia, and
donos,,cd with the archives Of our Government.
Resoto,d, also, That the Governor of this Common.
It ealb be requested communicate TO the family oi
George Mason, BY whom It was presented, the warm
Of the Legislature, for the patriotic
sprit which has prompted them 10 transfer this pre-
cious relic from their own family to their country
Mr.. Lacy was deputcd to convey the letters and re-
solutions 10 the Senate
on motion of Mr. WircTER, the House took recess
till 5 o'clock.