The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-03

W. much as we like, Dut
IVA, down it will not. In the
Y proceedings Of the
Massachusetts Histori-
- cal Society," for 1909
1910. are included several letters OF
lanes K. Polk, then President of the
United States, to George Bancroft,
then American minister to London,
relating to the "Mecklenburg Declara-
ton" These letters, we are told, were
found by Mr.. Frederick Bancroft Howe
while preparing his Life n Letters
Of George Bancroft but not being
considered appropriate for his BIZ
rap were presented by him to
the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The editor of the proceedings" DR..
Worthington C. Ford, introduces the
letters with the following comment:
Negative evidence IS often even
stronger than positive evidence in his
tcricaI treatment Outside of North
Carolina, and even outside of Neck
lenburg county, North Carolina, the
general consensus of opinion is that
there was no declaration other than
tina Of May 81, 1875. Andrew
Stevenson, when minister to the Court
Of ST. James, saw in the British
Archives the documents and des-
patches sent from North Carolina at
the time, and found no such declara-
ton as is claimed by It's advocates.
Ten years later President Polk asks
Bancroft, then minister to England,
to make an examination of the same
documents. Not only was Polk keen
ly interested in the subject for per
sonal as well as historical reasons,
but Bancroft, who owed so much to
Polk in his public career. had every
reason to crafty his wishes and
establish a fact that would so greatly
have redOuEded to the reputation OF
the Polk family. 1t is unfortunate
that Bancroft's replies to Polk have
not been traced; but it is known that
he found nothing to support the
claims Of the declaration of May 20,
1775."
The letters referred to are as fol-
lows, those portions not relating to
the Mecklenburg Declaration being
Omitted:
Washington City, June IT, 1913.
My Dear Sir-The accompanying
papers and printed volume have been
transmitted to me, by Ex-Governor
Swain, Of North Carolina, now presi-
dent of the University Of that State,
with a request that l would forward
them to you. Mr.. Swain has been for
some time engaged in making re-
searches into the early history Of the
two Carolinas. The Declaration Of
Independence by the people Of Meek
lenburg on the Goth of May, 1875,
QnI fhnjr rncnt-nc n occaJ - 49, OIL
of the same month are Interesting
events Mr.. Swain whom I saw a year
ago, when or a visit to the Unixersity
Of North Carolina, thinks it more
than probable that the reports Of the
%olonial Governor Afartin) to this
Government, may be found among the
archives of the British government
If he is right in this, and you could
obtain copies, or the substance of these
reports, they would be very interest
ing, especially to the people Of the
two Carolinas.
With the respectful salutations Of
MIS-. Polk and myself to Mrs. Ban
croft. | am, my dear sir, your friend.
etc, etc,
JAMES x. POLK.
p. S. AS Mecklenburg, N. c., is my
native county, I take a lively interest
in all that concerns the early history
OF tndl part OF North Carolina.
ours, &c, J. *. P.
Washington City, Sept. 18th, 1913.
Private and Unofficial.
My Dear Sir-I wrote a Ions letter
to you, a few days ago, and hone II
receive your answer as early as YOU
may find IT convenient to Civ it. T
was gratified to learn that you had
succeeded in finding in the British
Archives, evidence fully c]onfrning
the fact of the Declaration Of Tnde-
pendence, made by the people of
Mecklenburg, and the movements for
liberty in that part of North Carolina
as early as May, 1775. The authenti-
city of these bold and patriotic nro.
ceedings, though long since esta hIisb-
ed by satisfactory proofs, had stiu
been doubted by some. The fact which
you state that 'GoVernor Sir James