The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-08
Meeting OF the Virginia. Historical
Society.
AN INDIAN yocABuL&kY-rHE BYRD LErTE

| AN INDIAN yocABULGRY-THE BYRD LETTERS
SOCIETY HALL.
At the last meeting of the Executive Com.
| mittee OF the Virginia Historical Society
| there were present Messrs. a. NJ. Kelley,
chairman; W. A. Maury, W. Writ Henry,
Colonel Archer Anderson, DR.. W. 2. Palm.
er, and G. A. Barksdale, recording secretary
| R. A. Brock, corresponding secretary.
Mr.. Maury, on behalf of the committee
appointed at the January meeting to examine
| the manuscript compilation Of the letters oil
the three Colonels Byrd, of Westover, Va.
| recently presented to the Society, reported
| that q careful examination of the manu-
script had evidenced its interest and value,
and that it was deemed by the committee to
, be entirely worthy Of durable preservation.
Whereupon it was unanimously
| Resolved. /. That the thanks of the Vir-
ginia Historical Society be and they are
| hereby rendered to Miss Elizabeth Byrd
| Nicholas for the gift of a valuable collection
of letters written ior the most part by the
Byrds Of Westover. in Virginia, now first
| brought together with an interesting intro
duction by Miss Nicholas.
9. That it is the sense Of this Society that
this manuscript should be published without
delay.
A ph otographer is now engaged in taking
ctures Of the Westover mansion OF the
portraits formerly adorning its walls, and
which are now preserved at the seats Upper
and Lever Brandon, on the james; and ol
other objects Of interest, which are designed
| to illustrate the work. The same committee
was Continued to superintend Its publication
The corresponding secretary reported the
donation Of number OF books and pamph'
| lets from the following persons and institu
| tions-viz., Hon. r. c. Winthrop, Boston,
! Mass; DIR. G. II, Villas, Chicago, ILL.,; j.
Fletcher Williams, Esq, St. Paul, MINI.
General A. A. Humphreys, Bureau of Engi.
neers, and General John Eaton, Bureau OF
Education, Washington, D. c.. New Eng.
land Historic.G .Genealogic Society; Wiscon.
sin Historical Society; the regular issue OF
the Fredericksburg Neacs, from the editor,
A. a. Little, Eq.
Also, a valuable historical record being
the manu> cript proceedings of the Southern
Rights Associa ton of Richmond, Va, from
its organic ltioD, December I, 1850, to April
6, 1860, inclusive, from J. Bell Bigger, Esq,
lis final secretary. His predecessors were
William F. Richie, John NJ. Daniel, r. r.
Duval, and Roger A. Pryor.
An antique snufers' tray, an heirloom of
the Hedgeman family Of Virginia, was pre-
sented by Mrs. Susan 81. Rawlings, of Rich
mond.
Mr.. Brock read 70 the meeting a very in
terestiug letter from Mr.. Grigsby, the presi-
dent of the Society, conveying information
regarding the library of old William and
Mary College in 1776 and 1900, and the
number and character of the volumes be-
queatbed it by Commissary James Blair, its
first president, who died in 1743. We are
promised by Mr.. Brock a copy of this let
ter for publication in the Dispatch.1 He
also read an extract from letter from the
Rev. e. A. Dalrymple, D. D., Of Baltimore,
Md, who tenders donation of 500 to the
proposed fund for the erection OF Society
hall, as suggested by Mr.. Grigsby. DR..
Dalrymple also writes:
''Is the Governor Wood whose papers
you have secured the Wood under whose
auspices or by whom map Of Virginia was
made many years ago? If it be, tradition
says he made collection of al! the Pamuokey
and Mattaponi Indian words that were
known In his day. heard of this yocsbu-
larry over thirty years ago, and also that the
Hon. Andrew Stevenson, when young law
yer, was his executor. ] communicated with
Mr.. Stevenson at the time first heard Of the
matters and he sent me word that he also
had beard about that vocabulary, and did not