The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-24

his career ia the house of delegates Of Virginia and
IL affords pleasure say that his great services during
that period have been recorded by Mr. Randall with great
ulness with eminent ability, and in proper spirit Of
appreciation Whoever desires TO trace Jefferson leg
isator whether in the house Of delegates reyer
OF the laws, will ind in this chapter nearly all that be
wishes TO know. But wish this work 10 be ia the
hands of every reading in the country and 10 be
accurate and full possible, will make
two remarks by the way. We wish Mr.. Il. had stated
respecting the preamble to the constitution of 1776,
drafted by Jefferson that retained by the subse
quent conventions Of Virginia and still holds its honorcd
place. In speaking of the Of the house Of
delegates, Mr. X intimates the possibility that r. H.
Les might have had hand in the act reducing the dele
gates IN Congress from to four So far from his
having any connection with that scheme which be-
eve honestly designed by Jefferson expense
and TO curail a too delegation he complains in
letter to Henry in the Red Hill papers, that he believed
that it Was aimed expressly at him. MIR. jefferson
states in bis Memoir that two of the revisers, not
being lawyers Mason and Ludwen Lee,) declined
taking part He followed in this statement by
Professor Tucker and Mr. r. although he furnishes his
reader with the of correcting the follows the
professor. The fact is that Ludwel Lee able law
yer and elected Of the judges OF the general court
over some formidable opponents fact mentioned by
Mr. in his account of the Judiciary of Virginia On
page 2l4 is stated that the articles of confederation
ratified by the assembly unanimously. We cannot
blame Mr. r. for making statement which seems to be
confirmed by the journals of the assembly yet is
tain that there opposition, and manifested by
the who opposed the Declaration Of Independ
This fact is expressly stated by Henry in letter
H. Lee, dated December ls, l7I; and may add that
il is plain from this statement of Henry that if he had
himself hesitated in the cause of independence he would
have been the last living to cast eproach upon those
who acted with him that occasion. Mr.. r. quotes
from the of jefferson his account Of the debate
the bill creating court of chancery in which Jefferson
states that Pendleton had enasculaed the bill by an
amendment in four worostf either party choose. Now, it
is certain that Jefferson memory deceived him. There
such words in the bill it passed the assembly
As Pendleon defeating the act abolishing
tails by amendment of four words it is possible that Mr.
Jefferson may have confounded the two cases. 1T
have happened that the amendment really adopted
in the house where the battle fought and was struck
out by the senate.
sOnc record of Mr. r. deserves special notice 1t is
well known that Henry Lee the of Gen. Henry Lee
in his volume Of anmaversons the character of JEFF
ferson quoted the remark Of Wckham that the part of
the revision of the laws performed by Pendleton dis
tinguished by its superior precision Mr. Randall shows
that the whole of Pendletens part rewritten by
Wythe and Jefferson and, know Jeficrsons readi
and despatch it highly probable that the greater
portion of tho work done by him. SO the compli-
ment to Pendleton, which Henry Lee quoted in deroga
ton of Jefferson is in all probability actually due to JEFF
ferson himself
OF the letter written by Wythe to Jefferson in I776
saying that the constitution just adopted needed refoma
tion and expressing the hope that jefferson would affect
that change in October the Enquirer gives the following
explanation
= 1he convention OF May, Ifb, winch framed the con-
stisution and adjourned the 9Th of July did not ad
journ die but tl the first Monday in October next
then to meet in the city OF Williamsburg but in of
necessity at such other place the governor with the
advice of the privy council shall appoint The
bers had been elected in April to entire year
and the enemy at the time of adjournment still
within the waters of the Commonwealth it might hap
pen that the elections under the constitution, might
take place and the State be left without Legislature
Hence the convention adjourned from July October
but before aournng, the members had elected and In
duced governor and the council and had ordered the
election of the members of the senate. But tho
vention did order election of members of the house
Of delegates but what odd enough in times
when the mode Of making constitutions is familiar to
school boys, actually became The first house Of dyns undr
constitution ,chich framed 1t Is probable that the ex
may have had their influence
The Enquirer thinks it may possibly admit Of doub,
speaking of the alleged dictatorship proposed in 1870
whether the dictator be the dictator of Virginia
of the Union at large We conclude extracts from
the Enquirer with the following:
THE seventh eighth and ninth chapters contain most
elaborate and satisfactory account of Jefferson governor
and of the In Virginia. and in the South Vir-
g;na concerned They constitute tho best history
that epoch that written The narrative
the highest honor Jefferson Virginia. and must
add the able ard patriotic bographer Some has
said that Mr. H. q work is southern book, which is
doubtedly but is true only in the that the
Bible is southern book and that every book such which
regards country whole and which, in estimating
character and in weighing authorities does not look tc
degrees of latitude but TO truth and Justice alone Tho
history of Jeesons gubcmatoria term Is for the first
time fully and fairly given the ninth chapter concluding
with his unanimous vndication from the charges brought
against him in debate in the assembly, and the magnan
recantaton of George Nicholas While the author
traces the political history Of his subject he does not
look the of Jefferson day lfe his do
nestle empoymens the education of his daughters and
| his opinions about and things.
sIhe tenth chapter narrates the Of Jefferson in
his second congressional career and affords graphic
picture of his parliamentary services The eleventh opens
with his appointment to the court Of France and de
tails his residence in Paris his negotiations his social po
osophers of the day. and many interesting private and
public incidents The twelfth introduces the French
luton and have accurate account of the events Of
that day. of Jefferson opinions important topics and
stages the contest Of his estimates of the public
and of journey through France
The thirteenth chapter concludes the account of his
residence in France and announces his safe arrival al
Norfolk The fourteenth embraces his entrance into the
cabinet at Washington, the marriage of his eldest
daughter his interview with the dying Franklin, ac-
of the political in New York society the
archcal reaction among certain public men the views
the federal constitution held by Hamilton, g. Morris
John Adams Ames, Sedgwick Wolcot, and others, and
the proof of the opinions held by the first Pres
| dents as to the existence Of monarchical party
"The fifteenth and concluding chapter describes Wash
ngtons first cabinet and the principle which it
connected the funding act and all the foreign and do
nestle transactions of jefferson during the year 1871 the
author nerspesng throughout his gravcr narrative many
capital portraitures of such Morris, Knox and
other prominent in France and America and concur
ding his first volume with discriminating and
more fearless estimate of Hamilton than have ever