The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-02-08

the State Library in this city and on is in the Yale College library. The i'm press of the printer on this rare edi
 ton is: Printed by Bartholomew | Green and John Allen, Boston," A | the October session of the Genera | Court in TIA provision was made fol
 the publication of a new edition of thi revision, together with the acts tha had been adopted during the interven ing years. The publication took place
 in New London in 1715, From ITO: | until 1742 no revision of the statutes
 was attempted in the colony
 Roger Wolcott.
 In 1742 a committee of four was ap' | pointed under authority of the Genera | Court to revise the statutes then 1T force. The members of this committed ! were Roger Wolcott, Thomas Fitcf
 Jonathan Trumbull and John Bulkley Three of these revisers, Wolcott, Fitch and Trumbull, afterwards became Gov ernors of the colony. Roger Wolcott was the eelf-made man of his day. He began life as a weaver, rising to fore most positions in the legal and military history of the period He was native of Windsor. He reached the Supreme Justice in TAI. This was one year be- fore the appointment of the revision committee. He was at the siege of Louisburg in 1745 in command of the Connecticut troops possessing the rank
 of Major General. He was elected Gov ernor in 1751 and held the office three years. He was a poet as well as q legalist and warrior.
 Thomas Fitch.
 Was native of Norwalk. He was born in 1700, the year in which Yale Col lege was founded. He was lieutenant colonel of the Ninth Connecticut Regi- ment In 1735 When Roger Wolcott was elected Governor at the special session of the General Court in November 1750, succeeding Jonathan Law, Colonel Fitch was made Deputy Governor. He was elected Governor in May, 1754 and retained the office until 1766. He died in Norv$alk, July IS, 1774 Until with in a few years the elm tree under which the Governors house stood, in Nor walk, was in state of fair preserva- tion. It was called the Norwalk King of Films. The old well that was used by the Governor is still pointed out on East Avenue, in Norwalk. The old homestead was purchased in 1655 and was laid out to Edward Church, one of the first settlers. The ancient elm that sheltered Governor Fitch century af- forwards was known as ''the Governor Fitch tree''
 Jonathan Trumbull.
 Third member of the commission, was a graduate of Harvard, receiving his diploma in 1727. He studied for the but afterwards adopted the legal profession. In 1766 he became Chief Justice of the Colony and held the place three years. During the Revo- lutionary War he was the Governor of Connecticut and the most trusted of General Washington's advisers.
 John Bulkley,
 The fourth and last member of the revision committee, was the son of the Rev. John Bulkley of Colchester and the grandson of the Rev. Gershom Bulkley. He was born in Colchester, April 19, 17o5, and died July 21, 175S He became a judge at the age of 40 and 1eld that position at the time of his ieath. He was only 37 years of age when the revision was begun. Judge 3ulkley was a graduate of Yale in the ,lass of 1726. The Rev. Elnathan Whit nan, who was the pastor of the South 'hurch in this city for forty-five years rom 1732 was a classmate. It was not lntil 1750 that the revision was com ,leted. No work of the kind was att empted after that until the independ- nee of the colonies had been estab- ished. The period was without ma- erial changes in legislation and the york of the revisers of 1750 answered II purposes. It was an intelligent and work being all that would have been anticipated from such agal lights as Wolcott, Fitch, Trum- ull and Bulkley.
 Fifth Revision.
 At the end of the Revolutionary War became necessary to adjust the laws l o the new situation in the State. Rich | I'd Law and Roger Sherman were en- rusted with the work. They were au- horized to make such alterations in | he statutes as might be considered | uitable to the new order of things. | The work was known as the Fifth | reHtIdl INeNlSlO1 Ol the statutes ana | 7as adopted at an adjourned session of | he Legislature in January, 17S4. An dition of this revision was reprinted | l this city in 17S6. The revisers, Rich- I'd Law, and Roger Sherman, were oted representatives of the period in mich they lived. Richard Law was orn in Milford, March r, 1733, and jed in New London, January 26, 1S06 Te graduated from Yale College in 751, being a classmate of Dr. Eli Todd, ne of the founders of the Hartford sylum for the Insane He was in the ontinental Congress, and was appoint l United States District Judge for onnecticut by President Washington. his was in 17S9. In 17S6 he became nief justice of the State. He was in- crested in local affairs and was mayor New London for a number of years fter the adoption of the city charter.
 ROGER SHERMAN.
 Tas one of the signers of the eclaration of Independence. Like oger Wolcott he was a self-made an. He began life as a shoemaker. e was born in Newton, Mass, April !, 1721. At the age of twenty-two he moved to New Milford in Connecticut aking the journey on foot and taking Is shoemaker tools with him. In 1761 , removed to new Haven and four ears from that time he was made 1 easurer of Yale College. He was ol11, 1f+ +1,a+ faI |