Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-04-03
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
The Declaration OF Independence and
Other Documents of Interest.


other Documents OF Interest.
The National museum has recently
placed on exhibition q collection of
relics possessed Of more than ordinary
interest. 1t includes the original draft
of the Declaration of Independence
drawn up at Philadelphia, July 8. 1776.
The signature of John Hancock. presi-
dent of the continental congress. is at
tached to document giving Washing
ton full command of the troops. with
all the powers of commanding general.
Dec. "a, 1776. Another Revolutionary
document is one signed by Washington
himself in 1888. giving a private his
honorable dismissal from the army.
Gen. Clinton, March 1878, writes from
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, ordering q regi-
ment, armed and equipped. to the forth
fcation at West Point
There are several very old Spanish
documents under royal seal, one Of
them dating 1854, but written so poorly
that your correspondent could not make
out even the signature. There is also
deed OF land signed by Lord Fairfax.
The signature Of Benjamin Franklin Is
affixed to another deed, but afterward
crossed out at the expiration OF the
loan. 1t bears the date of l747. Rob
ert Fulton's name Is signed to . letter
in regard to his patent
A series of very interesting letters.
beginning with one signed BY John
Adams and Timothy Pickering. his sec
rotary Of state, come next in order OF
consideration. This is a deed of land
in 1.-The territory northwest Of the River
Ohio, and above the mouth of the Ken
lucky river" signed and sealed 1898.
A letter by Madison and one signed by
"John Randolph of Roanoke" June.
1872, may be passed with mere men
ton. James Monroe, president, and
10. Adams have their signatures at
tached to a public document permitting
the governor of the territory of Michi-
gan to sign treaties with the Indians. L
make the following remarkable extract
from letter signed by E. Whitney:
The senate was worse than the Span
ish inquisition. 1t was turned into q
beer garden. The nomination of Mr..
Van Buren, was rejected by set Of
drunken senator's, who. when in secret
session, were traducing female virtue
and innocence. No other man than
Gen. Jackson could withstand the
damning facts srrayed against him for
a moment.
Only the last part of the letter is
shown, but l presume that President
Jackson made the charges which Mr..
Whitney quotes.
A letter dated Washington, Jan. 20,
1929, and bearing j. Q. Adams sigma
ture, is addressed to John Talisford,
ESQ. Adams tells him that he can not,
consistently with his duties as president
of the United States, interfere and par
don a young mail carrier who has COM
mitted some fraud. He holds that al
though young he was old enough to
know better, and that to pardon him
would be simply to give license to such
crimes by youths throughout the coun-
try. Adams adds. however, that, not
to appear too harsh, he will leave 1t to
his successor to decide whether the
crime ought to be pardoned on the plea
of the youth of the mail-carrier.
The famous letter written by Buchan-
an, when approached by his friend in
regard to his willingness to accept the
nomination for president, Is among the
other letters. He says:
II do not think the presidency worth
the effort necessary to reach it, and il is
very questionable whether any Penn
sylvanian in our day and generation
will ever win the prize"
There are autograph letters by Lin
coin, Grant, and ex-Gov. Hayes, Of
Ohio, the latter being a message to the
senate in regard to the Panama canal.
A number of confederate documents
are in the collection. One is a treaty
sionef Of the confederate states, with
the Indian tribes west of Arkansas,
sealed and tied with ribbons in all due
form. There is copy Of some resolu-
ton passed by the confederate senate
and house of representatives, and ap-
proved by jefferson Davis. A thing
that interested me most of all these con-
federate papers is bill at Richmond,
Aug. IA, 1868, for q ''black cloth coat
and pants" costing $40. A proclama-
ton interested me considerably, and I
copy it as it is:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE PEN
INsULA, ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENER-
AIS OFFICE, YORKTOWN, Dec. Is,
1861.-General Orders. No. 12O.-The
major general commanding desires to
announce to the Army of the Peninsula
that the troops will winter where they
now are.
IL the enemy attack us we will de-
feat him, and after the victory we will
have better quarters at Fortress Monroe
and Newport News.
By command of Maj. Gen. Magruder.
HENRY BRYAN, Assistant Adjutant
General.
There are several other letters. not
exactly historical, but nearly of equal
value. OF these / will mention only
three. There is one signed by Sir Wal
ter Scott requesting the payment of a
bill Of f20, written July 20, 1929. The
original copy Of Longfeliow's Excel
sior," with the authors autograph, is
among these papers. The verse ex-
posed to view is:
The shades OF night were falling fast
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth who bore, mid snow and Ice,
A banner with the strange device,
Excelsior.
IN lAst document is Thomas Moore's
poem. Like One Who, Doom d. ("
Is b In his own handwriting, with
mustc 10 accompany II. Il b 20 pretty
that I copied il: