Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-02-27
MOND, VA.
sa,urday Morning, February "a, Isi9'

IONS birthday, was marked oy nioie ,s
;no;asr,s ,ban any similar occasion we remeihoe'
for a long period. Al dawn, a boomihS-suh -
,bs artillery aroused the sleeping city, anu lux
,rosnect was a gloomy one, truly. Inc ~hoe
n;,v seemed covered with The funeral mamie OF q
snow. wrea,h-and, from morn I'll la'e ID h's"
a regular succession Of snow ana id'h 'o
ohscured The sun and deluged The earth-S'i'l '"'
busy troops taitered not but paraded Inc slree''
and The nub,ic SQUARE. We saw in The line INT
Blues, Captain Geo. II. TomPkins; the hl''heiy
CAPTAIN Nimmo; the G 'eys,:Capsain E'iiou; 'h'
Eagle Infantry, Lieut.. Patton commaho'hsi ''
public Guard, Capt. Dimmock. Al Inc pfopfl
hour. the military occupied the Northeastern
gallery Of the House OF Delegates ana aooe'
n,uch 10 The effect OF the presentation scene.
All 10 O'clock The House assembled, and the
first business was The introduction oil an ex-
tremely Interesting report from the select com
m;,,se in reference 10 The Defence Of Cfaney
Island. when attacked by the British forces on
the 22d June. 1913. The report was presented
nv Inc Chairman OF the committee, Mr.. Cow
ner who slated that while he approved every
word Of IL. il was written MOI BY himself, bnI 10y
Mr.. Faulkner, a member ot The we
have read with great pleasure The report' IN PROOF
sheets, and we rejoice that The movement ma:
led 10 50 interesting and satisfactory a v'ndica'
tion OF The truth OF history, and has placed IN u
,rue lieh, an important %inciienl in the war q
1872, over which lime and conflicting accounts
had thrown much misrepresentation. Inc iepot
is made up from The best and most ausneniic eVi
dence Of eye witnesses, and from a personal ant
recen, examination OF the battle-ground by a Gicni
Der OF The committee. Ii viii serve 10 add new
lnstre 70 he gallant conduct Of Virginians OF
thai ~eveniiui occasion.
This ,utjrc, disposed OF, The House then tool
up The bill ior securing The completion ot I'M
Washington Monnmen, on the Capitol Square
which had been made he orter nt The day
on motion Of Mr.. While, and, with commcn
able patriotism, passed il unanimously. l. wa
then sent 10 tie Senate, which had been convened
for The purpose, AMI there also passed unaDi
mously and spontaneously. a noble work ior S,
noble a day! The ACT, St worthy Of a Virginia
Legislature, is in the following words:
A BILL yrocid,ng for the erection Of a Monumen
10 Washington.
The General Assembly, by resolutions, unan.
imously agreed 10 Oh the sixlee.h OF February
eighteen hundred and sixteen, requested, in n,
mai me OF the Sac. that the remains of her be-
loved son, George Washington, might be Iemov
ed from The family vault al Mount Vernon, anC
inferred near The Capi,o! oil Virginia, beneath =
monument To he erected al The public expense
and IL serve as a memorial to future ages, OF The
love OF a grateful people; and it not being though
proper To- separate The remains Of the lliusiriou'
deceased from those Of his amiabie and excellen
wife, then living inferred in The same vault, per
mission was requested 10 remove ais" the re-
mains Of Mrs. Washington, and 10 inter them
with those Of her husband under The same monu'
ment. The General Assembly could not, how
ever, attain It's wish in regard 10 the remains o
either, and acquiesced in This resni', because q
desire had been expressed in The will OF Wash
ineton. that a new vault should be bull. al Noun
Vernon, and his remains deposited therein with
those OF deceased relations, Chen in The cd vault,
and such Others OF his family as should choose Il
be enlombed there. Efforts were Afterwards mac,
by the Congress Of The United States, which The &c
neral Assembly viewed with ANXIOUS sollcitude
The fact that Virginia had been The birth place
OF The best and most iilusrious man that cvel
| lived, was naturally calculated 10 inspire her CT
tizens with a strong desire 10 Keep his remains en-
shfined IN The land Of his nativity; and This desire
was increased by The consideration, that he bu;i'
al ground was designated by the dying pdlrio
himself. The General Assembly, therefore, iy
resolutions unanimously adopted IN the lwenIi
eth OF February eighteen hundred and Inlrty-two
earnestly requested the proprietor, IN line name D
The people Of this Stale, not 10 consent 10 the re-
mcyal OF the remains Of Washington iron
Mount Vernon. And there they continue still.
The General Assembly, however, on the tween
ly-second Of February, eighteen hundred and Sc
venteeu, requested the executive 10 adopt means
10 give effect 10 so much OF the resolutions O
February. eighteen hundred and sixteen, Tor tht
erection Of a monument 10 Washington as werf
vet altainable. And under this and a subsequen
resolution Of the nlneleeth Of February, eighteen
hundred and eighteen, voluntary donations 10
wards deffayiEg The expense ui The monument
were made To a considerable amount, aud pait
into The public treasury. These donations, re
s,ricted by a provision in the resolutions OF eieh
teen hundred and sixteen, that no indlvi-
dual should be allowed 10 subscribe in In
own name more imam twenty dollars, Wef'
no, of themselves Sufficient 10 effect The Oh
iect. And me money remained for some year
in the treasury al the Stale unpfoducive, but al
WAYS djstinruishab,e as "lhe Washington Mon
ument fund" DESTROYS OF making 'his fund sui
fcienl 10 effect the object Of the donors, The Gen
erai Assembly, On the twenty second Of februa-
nv eighteen hundred and twenty-cIgh,, passed Z
law directing The money 10 b. invested al an IN
lcrest, TO be paid semi-annuallyi and direc'ic:
such interest 10 be Teinves'ed. And under TIM
law, the iund which a, Inc time Of The FIRST IN
....n.s ,.n,np4rt .air 10 III Ir;rFl inQuSal.
and slxly-lhree aoilafs ana ten cents, had increas
ed on The first day Of October, eighteen hundred
and for Eight, t. ior,y-one thousand seven hun
ured ans! tuifpy three dollars and slxty-one cents
And whclcaSit has bacn repeatedly declared A
The opinion OF The General Assembly al Virgi-
MIA, IN which the present Assembly cordially con
cur, that The most appropriate and enduring com
memuralion of The exalted virtues and pre-eml
nent services of the father Of his county, as vel
as the mosI suitable outward expression of tht
admiration, love and gratitude which they shou!,
inspire, is by The erecting Of a noble ana wcr'h,
monument, drdira;ed 10 The memory vi hcl Illus
Ilous son Therefore,
l. Be ii enacted hy the General Assembly
That the executive ht authorized anG empowered
TO appoint commissioners, VINO, under his dIiec
ton and control, sh4tt procure forthwith a mode
for the said monument, with all necessary plan
anu W - 80 Zf' Nv tsiNlStit SHdll hCNI
mine where ii is 10 b- placed, contract for il.
proper construction, anu appoint one or mos,
agen,s as shall he deemed advisable TO supefiD
| tend The execution .of the said monument, an,
lake all such Necessary measures AS may be ex
pedient 10 carry into effect a proper execution
hereof.
2. In order that The said funds may be turtle
increased The GoveIhor shall appoint one or NOR,
commissioner tuf each county, city and borough
| Of The Slate, 10 receive turner donations toward
| the monument. Tito commissioners thus appoin
ted shall pay into he treasury he amount Of sucl
donations, and return 10 The Governor lists OF tn
names OF The subscribers, with he places OF abode
| and the sums subscribed by them; which Isis, 10
gelher with the lists OF all who hay. hereiptor
subscribed, If they can be procured, with To-
names OF The commissioners, The governor shdl
cause 10 be copied iaIo a book; and such book
together with suitable records OF the age, shall b
| deposited ia he least deslIucIib'c part thereof
3 So soon after the model may be provided a
is hereinbefore directed. and The site determined
+, and all necessary contracts entered INTO, The tx
! ecu,ive shall cause The structure Of the monumen