Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-07-25

To the Editors of the Spectator

To the Editors of the Spectator:
GENTLEMEN-I had occasion week ago, to
examine the record of suit decided more than
half century ago, in the District Court of
Chancery, at Staunton. Among the exhibits
is document of so much general interest,"
that venture to ask the favor of you to pub
fish. 1t is a report, dated in. 1772, made by
George Washington to the Governor and Coun-
Gil of Virginia, and altogether In the we'll
known handwriting Of that distinguished man.
You will observe that the original paper is
characterized by his usual precision, neatness
and accuracy-there not being a single inter-
lineation or blemish in either of the four pages
of the report =.
1t appears that after the war known as
Braddock' S war; in 1855, the Governor and
Council made a donation of 2OO.O 900 acres of
land in the Valleys of the Kanawha and Ohio,
to the volunteers who served so CALAMITY in
that campaign, and George Washington was
sent out as the surveyor, to make the location
of the lands. The report above referred to,
shows the result of his labors. The style of
the suit in which the report is filed, is Fry VS..
Savage. Decided in 1875
Another suit was brought many years after
wards to have these lands (which were origi-
naly allotted to companiesl divided and allot-
ted to the individual members of the compa-
MES, and to correct inequalities in the allot-
ments which had been made. The style of
that suit is Coleman VS.. Morgan.
In this latter suit is a report of the part-
ton made by Commissioner Andrew Lewis
and his associates Burlington and Clendenin
That report is accompanied by plats and sur
veys, which may be valuable in ascertaining
boundaries of old tracts of land in that section
of Western Virginia. 1t is, also, interesting,
as affording authentic information of the
names of the gallant soldiers who were the
original grantees of these lands
A. Fl. H. s.
To His E:ccellency the Right Hon bic John
Earl of Dunmore, has MaJesty's Lieut.. and
Govr. General of the Colony and Dominion
of Virginia, and to the Hon bic, the Council.
MY LORD AND GENTLEMEN
The whole guam
tity of 10000 acres of land granted by the
Hon. Robt Dinwiddies Proclamation of the
10Th of February, 1854, being now fully OBJ
tanned, within the number Of surveys limited)
and the last certificates thereof lodged in the
Secretary's office, take ye liberty, humbly to
inform your Exceency and Honors, that the
surveys formerly made, are already Patented
agreeaby to an order of Council of the 9th of
Nov. 1772, and that the certificates lately re-
turned, and unappropriated, are for
acres
28,4OO
21,941
1875
1894
6,788
In all"....72, 2e9.........acres.
It is also necessary to inform the Board, that
the following claims, including not only those
which were given in on the - day of Octo-
Der, It'll, but all such as have been entered
since are
Zine here obliterated.)
to some of the J, to the serious consid
Grafton and determination of the Boards.
The first is-As none of the Patentees (un-
der the mode adopted of Granting ye lands to
numbers in the same patent) can be ascer-
tanned of their particular property, there is
| { a legal division is established, which las
| in ye case of like Grant of %, 627 acres to 60
odd Patentees is scarcely practicable to accom-
| plish, and of consequence, ye OF ye land
| by cultivation and improvement, next to i'm
possible, by which means the intended Bounty
| offered for valuable consideration is not only
rendered void, but to those who have contrib
uted to the expense evidently injurious, mas
much as they have paid for that which it is not
| in their power to come att L say under these
circumstances, whether some expedlent cannot
be hit upon to serve those who are willing and
DESTROYS of complying with the tenor OF We
Grant, either by prolonglng the time OF culti-
walton, if this can be done, or by directing
each mans share in any Patent to be laid Oft
| (if the division is not effected by consent OF
parties) within certain limited period, of
which publick notice to be given, as each Pat
entee thereafter that respectively apply to the
surveyor, who may be instructed to lay the
same in one body, and in a good figure, to pre-
vent injustice.
The second matter to be offered is-whether
something cannot and if it can, ought not to
| be done to compel those who have never paid
one farthing, or taken one single step towards
obtaining these lands, mot even the Fees of
| Office on their own particular Tracts) to con-
tribute in proportion to the quantity of land
they have, and are to receive? Without some
| thing of this sort can be done previous to the
Patenting, or in the Patenting of these lands
nothing is to be expected from them after
wards; for where men Il am speaking of those
who hold principal shares in this Grant, for as
to common sodiery, little ever was expected
from them) are found SO remiss, after repeated
exhortation, as neither to afford time or mon
ey for the purpose OF conducting work which
could not possibly have not gone on without
both; little of the latter is to be expected af
ter The business is at an end, and their Patents
delivered to them, unless litigious lawsuits
are commenced, some of which against infants,
and some against persons beyond sea, and
without this, must, after having been already
saddled with almost the whole trouble and
many expenses peculiar to myself, submit to
considerable loss; as l have been obliged to
advance each Fee of Ofice-answer many
drafts of the Surveyor-and considered, | dare
say, BY him. as liable for his whole Fees as