The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
EARLY DAYS
IN VIRGINIA
The Story Of Them to be Copied
and Preserved by Order
Of Congress.
1T WILL HELP JAMESTOWN.
Reproduced for shakcspcarc's
Friend and in Time Fell Into
Thomas Jefferson's Hands.

Henry wrltheslcy, Earl OF southarp-
ton and Baron OF Tlchfeld, to whom
shakespeare dedicated his Venus and
Odonls," was once the owner Of two biz
manuscript folios. now in the Library
OF Congress-, which are soon to be copied
and printed by order OF Congress- The
manuscript is record o. the transac-
lions OF tho Virginia Company OF London,
and throws a flood OF light on the early
| history Of that colony. 5 "
Aside from the valuable historical mat
ter contained within the leather covers
OF the tough old follos, tho history OF
| tho books themselves Is Of Interest. In
volving as 1t does the names Of mon OF
| world wide fame. Excerpts from the
volumes were made In 1856 by Conway
Robinson, and published by the virginia
/ Historical Society. @
Robinson, however. merely touched the
surface OF the matter buried In the
quaint relation OF the Virginia Company's
affairs. In the introduction to Conway
Robinsor's publication q sketch Is given
| Of the history of tho two old volumes.
4 This sketch Is In quotation marks though
the authorship or authority for It Is not
given
In one Of the old mansions Of Chel-
sea, England, which tradition says was
once the home OF Sir Thomas More, the
author Of Utopia" there lived IN lea
| Sir John Danvers,i prominent member
Of the Virginia Company, and the friend
| az tho Earl Of Southampton, president OF
| the company. Dnnvers had married the
| buxom widow Herbert, who brought to
| his homo ten little Herberts, one OF
! whom was afterward known to fame as
the gentle religious poet, George Her
| bert.
The King having resolved to annul the
charter Of the Virginia Company, and
an attempt having been made to senre
! tho records of the company, VISIT was
| made to Sir john Danvers by Edward
Collingwood, secretary Of the company,
| who suggested that q copy be maze
| OF the records. "A copyist was employed, y
nnd to insnre secrecy he was locked In
| panvers' house, where the two volumes
were filled with the records Collingwood
| then compared the copy, page by page,
with the original, and certified TO the
correctness of the transcript. His attest
| Is as clear to-day as 1t was on June w.
1924 when It was signed Ihree r aass
before tho work was done LORD ChleI
Justice Ley the cold man eloquent OF
N1ilton's sonnet, pronounced judgment
| against the Virginia Company
Sir John Danvers took the two manu-
| script volumes to the Earl OF Southafnp-9
ton who was highly gratified to nave
COPY of the company's transa ctlons, "and
EXPRESSED his pleasure by throwing his
arm around the neck OF Sir John. Then,
turning to his brother. he said Let
| them be kept at my house at Tlchtleld:
they are the evidences OF my honor. and
4 | value them more than the evidences OF
| my lands " s III
Tie Earl Of Southampton died IN that
yoar 1924. and was succeeded by his son
l. ,,,I,.> l,oco y,,o T,nrd High Treas
urcr OF England, and lived untls 1867, the
manuscript records were purchased from
I tlIs Earl for sixty guineas by william
| J3yrd auditor and receiver-general OF
tina colony of Virginia. This was the
| father of William Byrd. of Westove
who inherited the books and placed them
| in the library there.
The Rev William Stith, n brother-in-
lay of Peyton Randolph, first president
| o. the Continental Congress. wrote his
| tory OF Virginia In 1T46, drawing much
! Of his material from the manuscript vol
| umes In the Byrd library. Tho parson
| was living at the glebe Of Varlna, on the
James River. the old settlement OF Sir
| Thomas Dale, better known since the
| C!vi! War as Dutch Gap.
There are two accounts regarding the
ACQUISITION Of the records by Thomas JEFF
fcrson Ono is that the books fell into
the hands OF Pcyton Randolph, whose
library was purchased by Jefferson after
Randolph's sudden death In Philadelphia
IN 1175, Jefferson himself, however, wrote
to Colonel Hugh p. Taylor In 1923 that
hi purchased the books from tho library
Of Colonel Richard Bland who had Dor.
rowed them from tina Westover library
and had never returned them. Bland
was jealous antiquarian with noto-
,ous habit OF borrowing Oh books and
forgetting to return them,
When Jefferson's library was purchased
by the United States government IN 1915
the two folios were included In the lot.
They were placed In tho Library Of Con-
gross, where they have ever since re-
posed. At present they are kept In n
steel safe In the manuscript room, In
company with other priceless manu-
scripts.
The books contain record OF tho Wiz
Ciria Companys transactions from April
IS, 1912 10 June 7, 1924. Tho first volume
contains 354 pages and tho second Isl.
The handwriting Is. small and compact
and q copy in ordinary print would fill
severa. large volumes, Tho work OF
copying will be done, of course, by an
Q, rert who will be kept at the task for
many months. 1t Is proposed by Congress
to print 1000 copies of the records for
tho use Of the Senate, the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES and the Library OF Con.
gre ss.-New York Sun,