Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-15
FRIDAY MORNING.,

extracts are Mr.. RS. He cites ss his au.
| thority letter of Gen. Charles Lee to Patrick
Henry lam. Archives, Fifth Series vol. 1861 dated
May7, l776. In which Lee states the objections to an
Immediate declaration made by Henry in conversa-
tion the dsy BEFORE and endeavors to reute them
With tbi. letter of Lee we have been familiar for
ANNA time. and we can excuse Mr.. X. for being led
,.,r,y by its perusa Yetthe letter does not author
liza the assertion, or even inuendo that Henry 81
lent when the proposition of independence under
discussion in the Convention The utmost extent of
the statements Of Lse merely shows that eight days
before the resolution of independence adopted by
the Convention Henry had in conversation with Lee,
urged some arguments against an immediate declara
ZION of independence befors the pulse of France and
Spain was felt" Henry we'll knew the ability of
Lee aud his acquaintance with foreign topics, and
following his old and familiar habit of gathering in
telligence, might very naturally urge objections de-
rived from the temper Of foreign powers in order to
elicit the views and opinions of Lee. Strictly speak
ing, then, this letter of the 7th of May, referring
wholly to conversation held on tho 9th, can prove
nothing conclusocly concerning what of the par
ties said or did eight days later in public body
But, fortunately we not left to mere inferences
from the letter of Lee on this subject. We have d.
rect and positive testimony to show that Henry,
far from being neutral or silent when the resolution
proposing to instruct delegates in Congress to
propose independence was discussed in the Conven.
ton, he was it's boldes and its most eloquent advo-
cate. We know from the express declaration of
member Of the committee which drafted the Declare
ton OF Rights and the first Constitution of Virginia
and who was, at one time at least mortal enemy of
Patrick Henry, that the resolution of independence
was drawn by Pendleton, was offered in the commit
tee of the whole by Thomas Nelson and was support.
ed against all opposition by that abounding energy
and eloquenoe of which he was the master, and to
which hardly any writer has done more complete jus'
tice than Mr.. Randall himself Such was the tesmo.
ny Of Edmund Randolph, uttered four years after the
death of Henry In the Hall Of the House of Delegates
over the corpse of Pendleton Virginia Gazette, Nov.
3 ls03:) We cannot well blame Mr.. Randall for not
knowing the contents Of newspaper published more
than half century ago of which there s but single
copy known to exist but he had turned to the post
script attached to note the last page of the Dis
course on the Virginia Convention of l776 he would
have seen that the author of that Discourse having
discovered these facts while the last sheet of his dis
passing through the press, felt it to be his
duty to publish them important to the reputation
of three eminent men, albeit those facts in some de:
gree varied with the opinions expressed in the body
| OF his work. We have been more particular in no.
| tcing this inaocuracy of Mr.. r., because we know
from the tenor of his book, that next to Jefferson he
regards Henry with the warmest admiration, and
will welcome the intelligence as warmly as if he had
ascertained it by his own researches.
Following the order of time, Mr.. X. gives a most
amusing incident illustrative Of the tastes of Jefferson
son and John Randolph, the Attorney General. Jeffer
son was devoted to the vioin,on which he played with
much skill; and it seems he was anxious to obtain,
at almost any price, a violin owned by John Ran
dolph. But Randolph loved the violin as we'll as JEFF
ferson, and was determined not to part with during
his life. An agreement, however, was at last entered
into between them, was witnessed by Patrick Henry,
who no doubt, onged for the possession of the fiddle
as ardently as did Jefferson, by Wythe, and by five
Others and was duly recorded in the General Court
that in case John Randolph should survive Thomas
Jefferson the executor of Jefferson should deliver to
the said John eight hundred pounds stering OF the
books Of the said Thomas to be chosen by the said
john or, if not books sufficient the deficiency to be
made up in money aud III tho oed Th ziouu
survive the said John, the executor Of the said John
shall deliver to the said Thomas the violin which the
1alQ UOnn tWOuSnt Win Hllu NHSlHia, tOeouSi
with all his music composed for the violin, or in lien
thereof if destroyed by any accident, sixty pounds
sterling worth of books to be chosen by the said
Thomas. This agreement was made in l77I, and in
| l775 John Randolph withdrew, with Dunmore, to
England. The annexed entry, in Jeffsrsons account
book, shows the result of the bargain August IL,
l775 Delivered to Carter Braxton an order on the
treasury in favor Of John Randolph, Attorney Gene
ral for thirteen pounds the purchase money for his
violin. This dissolves our bargain recorded in the
General Court, and revokes legacy Of one hundred
pounds sterling to him, now standing in my will,
which was made in consequence OF that bargan."-A
So Randolph parted with his country and his fiddle
at the same time. Mr.. Randall gives the agreement
in full from the records Of the General Court and
quotes Jefferson saying, that "for dozen years Of
bis life he had played three hours day on the vio-
lin. Patrick Henry was, we know, from the best au-
thority, equally devoted to that instrument, and play
cd remarkably well. 1t is fact worth noting, that
the author OF the resolutions against the Stamp
Act and of the resolutions for putting the Colony into
military array, and the author of the Declaration Of
Independence, were the greatest ddlers of their day.
But it should seem, from Mr.. r. that Jefferson never
played, habitusy, from the date Of the revolutions
could not distinguish one card from another neither
smoked, nor chewed, nor snuffed and he was thrown
for amusement and excitement upon either bis books
or bis fiddle. 1t may also be ssid that Randolph's
violin would have fetched very high price in Lon
don. On the 3lst of March, l776 Jefferson lost his
mother. who died at ths age of 81. Had she lived
three months longer, che would have read the great
Declaration, written by her son, and had she lived
to the age Of the mother of Madison, she would have
seen him filling, second time, the fret office in the
gift Of the people.
The author proceeds next to give detailed state.
ment Of matters in relation to the Declaration of nde
pendence, and examines with critical severity the al
,egatops of John Adams in hs letter to Pickering
specug the circumstances which led to the selection
of Jefferson as the chairman of the committee for pre-
pairing the draft. He presents some deeply interest
ing revelations of the preudces and snmosties Of
early members of Congress but in bis free and fear
1888 canyassng Of mea and things we must express
modified dissent from the estimate which he places on
the character and talents of Richard Henry Lee. If
Lee had remained in his seat at the time of the eec-
ton of the Declaration committee we think, with Pro
fessor Tucker that in body noted for it's adhesion to
FORMS he would have been chosen to draft the Decls
ration called for by his own resolutions But he was
compelled to withdraw from Congress by the illness
of his wife who was at Chantilly and, as no human
sagscity could have OWNED the duration of that i'll
ness he left for an indefinite period. Consequently
ss no public body ever selects an absent member to
perform present duty, he could not have place on
the Declaration committee; and here the whole matter
would have ended but for the letter of John Adams
to Pickering, which assigns various reasons for the
non election of Lee on that committee. keeping out of
sight the great and controlling reason which was
sufficient in itself; and all of which reasons, or
nearly all, as shown by Mr.. Randall are proved
to be erroneous. 1t in this oOnne1ion that We think
that Mr.. r. has not shown that high appreciation of