The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-07-12
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American Independence.

.sa-sss-
As each year is bringing us nearer to the
end Of our first century Of national existence,
and as political, commercial, and internal
changes in our country aremaking us more
and more unlike our ancestors, it becomes
so much the more necessary to study Amer
lean history. Each Fourth of July calls up
the Declaration Of Independence, and the
public men who backed that document with
their lives and fortunes. Ha,per's Maya
zine for July has very interesting article
on the "Signers of the Declaration of indie.
pendence," by Benson J. LOSING 1t i:
too long to be given entire, but we republish
the opening portion:
We are all familiar with the SIGNATURES
of the men who subscribed their names to
the Declaration of Independence, but few
OF US know how they wrote in the text oil
letters or other writings, or their methods
of expression in episiles. To reveal Their
their style of penmanship, and modes Of
some OF them in the expression of their
thoughts in letters, is the chief object Of
these papers.
The materials for such revelations have
been drawn from the full treasury of auto.
graphic and pictorial wealth of Thomas AID.
dis Emmet, nj. d., of the city of New York
He kindly gave the freedom of its range to
the writer, who has already, in preceding
number of this Magazine, spoken of Dr.
Emmets rare collections and his generous
use OF them. He owns autograph letters OF
every siener OF the Declaration of Independ-
ence excepting Button Gwinnet, of Georgia,
from whose hand, it is believed, none exists
in this country--only his signature to letters
and John Hart. Dr. Emmett also owns
large number of autograph letters Of per-
sons OF emlnence who correspondent with
the Signers, or with others, upon topics
connected with the earlier history of our
republic, together with valuable manuscript
documents. contemporary newspapers. polit-
ical brOadside publications, and thousands
of pictures, such as portraits of men and
women. buildings and scenery, in America,
and illustrations of remarkable events in our
history. These he has us ell liz illustratiny
In the peculiar manner known as LAYING
down, on fine drawing paper, Bioqraphv
ofhe Stgners Of The Declaration Of hide
pendence, written by John Sanderson. Rob-
ert Vain, Jun, and others, and published
originally in Philadelphia, in seven volumes.
By the mode of illustrating above alluded
to an edition of nine octave volumes has,
under the hand of Dr. Emmett, expanded
into nineteen folio ones, with a title-page
Tor each, and printed index for the whole
There are in the whole work. so enlarged
almost 5000 Illustrations, of which there are
1896 portraits 80 of them in water COLOR
935 views of places, things. and events, 354
Autograph letters and documents, and 136
head and tail pieces on India paper, and ex.
quisitelv engraved. Among the water-col.
or sketches are portraits of tifty-one of the
hfty-six Signers. In the introduction are
pOrl ra is and autographs of Charles the Sec.
Ond and the first three Georges, of Louis
! XIV, William Penn, the Duke of Marlbor.
ough, Oglethorpe. John Hamden. and 9th.
ers, with those of Napoleon the First. DR.
Emmet has illustrated the lives of the Gen.
erals of the Revolution in the same way.
From these superb, nay, wonderful vol
umes, illustrative of the lives of the Signers
have been drawn the chief materials for the
construction OF these papers. The ilustra
tons consist of an engraved fac-simile of @
sentence in letter. by which the STYLE Of
the hand writing Of each Signer is shown
Wit that of his signature to such letter
Full, copies. or extracts, or synopsis of the
60 Itents of these letters are given. with
notes explanatory OF facts and illusions con
tanned in them, with brief sketches of the
writer's. The names OF the Signers so treat
ed are here presented in alphabetical order
The following preliminary observations ART
made in calculation of the subject:
Early in June, l776. Richard Henry Lee
OF Virginia. offered resolution in the Con
tinental Congress, then sitting in the State
house at Philadelphia, That these united
! colonies are. and of right ought to be, free
and independent states; and that all polit
lcal connection between us and the state
OF Great Britain is. and ought to be- TOTALLY
dissolved.'' Further action on this resolu
ton was postponed till the lst Of July fol
lowing. Meanwhile a committee of FIVE, O
g which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, wer,
appointed to prepare Declaration of hide
pendence. that no time might be lost in thu
event OF the passage of Lees resolution. Tt
the ready pen of Jefferson was assigned tht
task of writing it; and after several amend
= Tments madeby others of the committee hat
been agreed to, copy, in the chairman.
small round hand, was reported with th,
resolution. On the I'd Of July that resolu
tiou was passed. but debates on the form O
the Declaration continued until the 4th
when it, too, was adopted, at about TIT
hour of-twe-o'clock- the afternoon. 1
wassigped on that day by John Hancock
the President of Congress, only. 1t wa!
ordered to be engrossed on parchment, ant
the copy SO prepared to be signed by all tn
delegates who had voted jim the afirma
tive. That important act was performed OIL
the second -of-Aagust- following, wher
the names of the 6fty-four delegates theI
present were affixed to the document. j
was ACKNOWLEDGMENT two others-Thoma
MKean, of Delaware. and Matthew Thorn
TONIC New Hampshire. The former wa
absentin August with regiment of Cit,
Associafors of Philadelphia, and the latte
was not a member of Congress until the enc