Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-01-25
VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.


held on the 18th inst from which it will be sec that
the Society is vigorously and successfully prosecuting
ito interesting abors. We reoice to honr that thr
projected gallery Of tho portraits OF eminent Virgi
nians is rapidly increasing, and that shall snnn
have not only the lives Of our renowned worthless
covered from oblivion, but their very countenancrs
looking upon aud anmating their descendants. We
earnestly hope that the bill passed by the Senate
aid the Society in procuring and publishing the man
uscrpts relating to Virginia, known to be in the Brit.
ish archives, will be speedily acted upon BY the
House Of Delegates, and that this important work
may not be longer deoyed:
THE COMMITTEES REPORT.
Report made 10 tie F.rs!nta historical Socn IN by n<
ESecuttiy COMMITTEE, at lie -fmnu"i nne'tins uJan-
uory, 1856.
We are pleased tn have il in our power 10 inform
the Society, that the subcommittee consisting of
Messrs. Randolph. Giles and EIls,l have msdr SO
manifest the propre,y OF the action asked of the Gen
eral Assembly, under tho resolution adopted by the
Society at its meeting iu December, lSji-that the
Senate has, during the present winter, passed bill
making an appropriation 10 tho Society 0t one thuu-
sand dollars year, for live ycurs to enable il Ia pro-
cure from England, copies OF manuscripts rclany -
the early history of this State, anI 10 prnscu.. s
pua..raton of the earl voyages to America, and the
annals of Virginia. Ii this bill shall become law,
our arrangements are such that without ,ncurrirg
the expense OF sending all agent to England, We
shall be enabled 10 obtain and make ci I."res,
y manuscripts now asCertained to he n; London. in
the State paper office. We should publish in ON"
year from The pnssass Of the act IN accouu, OF the
voyages the Atlantic coast OF North Amcrica from
1873 tn lr; including i'll this period several letters
TO Sir Franf's Ild!MnsaGm, written By RdIih Lane.
in August and September, 1885, from what then
ca!lc! Virginia; and within two years from the I'ns
sage OF the uc we should publish the first volume OF!
Annals OF Virginia. coming down 10 1919 anu giving Il
fall report Of the proceedings in that Year ol The first
General Assembly un this continent. OF the Iar-
cular. that passed at this Assembly, no.hin. is iu Gr
found in Mr.. HcHihg'S collection OF the statutes,
nor in the volume of StNh, or Of any one wiz"
has yet undertaken 10 write the history OF rg:na. w
eau show iiuw that assembly was organized, nmd
what it didiis resolutions und acts or or,lmnncrs
and give the ni the two bur.csscs Tor eaci III.
corporation and plantation. The author q! The De-
curatiVn of Independence wnuld have been plrlsCd
to know that ul the burgessrs in 1919 Tor Flower
Gy Hundred bore the nalIie JrlfrS1H. Letters wr
m from Virginia in lGa!, by Gorge Harrison. will
be interesting u Others, well the HarriSDN of
Brandon and Of Berkeley. Yet they have hitherto
been ignorant of the existence oi such letters, !
sage Of Montpelier of the fact that Capt. i"r;''
Ncdt<Oa and Mrs. Mary .Iudi-0n were in the colony
i'll 1923. Many there may bu who will be in :r"scd
in the OF those living i'll Virginia in February,
1926 aud the list of the dead and the complete mus
ter Of the inhabitants III l6ai-a paper "H-
bracng lob pages. No Nirg nian should tr willing
to let such documents these bearing essentially m
the history Of his State continue TO depend on the
irail duration u. single piece OF paperand ta! II
Il foreign land. We dcsirr 10 obtain them, and. by
publication, to preserve Them aud in our publications
to Introduce matter obtained from the proceedings Of
| the old Virginia company, and from the record. OF
our State and other sources hitherto impcrtectlY ex-
! ploscd Time and labor are necessary 10 do what
we contemplate: but these shall freely give, with
out any other reward than such rs may arise from
doing that which the good name and credit oil the
State forbid should be left undone.
Let II not be supposed, however, that our thoughts
confined to the old colonial times; they are sr
given {" the early days Of the Republic the great
men OF those days are entitled 10 lnstin"
brance. II me of Virginia sons has written the life
of George Washington aud another tho litr oi Tho.
ma; Jefferson none has vet written the life nf Jas
Madison. Considering this work lofty -nnush for
any man and especially suitable for the President of
this Society, the committee, i'll June last resolve
that the President be earnestly requested to under
take this work and to devote to it large portion
of his tune may bn practicable the committee be-
ing we'll satisfied that its accomplishment "l'i alike
conduce to his honor and rebound to the credit o our
State and country We are gratllied tha; we are en-
abled to inform the Society Of the response made by
the President to this resolution. Approaching III"
exalted merits OF the great character, whose serene
wisdom embodied in the nnbest structure uf govern
npnt which the genius of man devised. will long
continue, it is devou,y hoped. shed blessings and
usre his native State, well rs the whole Cnlon
the President declares that exertiOns Of his shall
be wanting, according to the leisure aud opportun-
ties h. may have to collect and preserve suitable me-
MORALS of his l:f., .eryices talents and virtues
which, as his own rHre aud exemplary modesy, never
permitted him TO trumpet, it il the more incumbent
on just and grateful posterity to honor and COM
nemurate.
conmemora;ion in connection with the early Virginia
Conventions. The Convention Uf E1G WA the sub
i.ct of q discourse delivered in July last by Hugh
Blair Grigsby, Esq, before the Virginia Alpha of
the Phi Beta Kappa Society u the chapel Of William
l,,l lpf hat ind ia
Convention OF lS29'0, upon which, nso Mr.. Gr1gsby
ha. furnished valuable discourse, there wns an
other important Convention in this State, that of 'os,
called to deliberate upon the change OF government
then proposed By the Federal Convention, which
seemed the Committee every way fit tn emgaC" Mr..
Gr,gsby's thoughts and time. resolution has there
fore been adopted, requesting him to devote as much
of his time may be convenient, to the preparation
of discourse upon this Convention and 10 deliver
the same before the Society at future mee,ng'--
This task, glad TO say Mr.. Grigsby has under
tax EN- To- perform.
Our collection Of paintings has had valuable ad.
dtnn during the past yrar i'll the presentation, by
.Jag'.elin p Taylor, Esq., OF a portrait Of Edmwad
PenGlton, the first President Of the Court of Appeal.
of Virginia, painted by Thomas Suiiy of philudcl.
phiG, from miniature which Judge PcniLCtoH had
taken of himsef and gave to Mr.. Tav'"r'S mother.
We nave reason to anticipate that before another
yeur shall have passed away, four copies of the pnr
traits Of Wp,hiugton, JcGtrson, .Uadisoa. !MoHrUr
and Marshall, will adorn our rodln Valuable rs the
pornits Of such men nre III our day. they will be fer
more valued in a future age.
In the journal of proceedings for the puat yenr
is recorded the fact that H,Or@e ~ '0Eso Esq, the
Treasurer of this S0cety, died suddenly "n the night
of the Goth Of March last. This event spread gloom
over our whole city. Our departed frisnd was be-
loved for his many virtues our sentiments for him
while he lived, were those of the strongest esteem
and regard, and, now that death hes taken him from
u.s. we cannot but feel the highest respect for ha me-
mory In conclusion it OILY remains to say, that the
duty being levolved on the committee of proceeding
to tll the vacancy thus caused in tho office of Trcssu
rer, J,gmciin p. Taylor, Esq., was unanimously ap
pointed to the Office, and has accepted the appoint
ment and acted er-o9ciO a member of the commit
tee.