The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-11
VALUABLE PAPERS
NOW AT LIBRARY
DIR. MTLwArNE SUCCEEDS IN MIS-
SION TO RETURN STOLEN
MANUSCRIPTS TO STATE.
THE LOSING PAPERS
TAKEN FROM VIRGINIA DURING
CIVIL wAR--FoUND IN NEW
YORK-wAs NO HITCH
IN RECOVERING.
THE LOSING PAPERS

The valuable manuscripts missing
from the State library since shortly
after the War Between the States. and
about two years ago found TO be in
Losing, are once more in the posses
sion of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
DIR. II. r. McIlwaine, State librarian.
returned yesterday from New York,
where he succeeded in having the
documents tined over TO him. and
following him came the manuscripts
themselves by express. DR.. Nc
Ilwaine decided upon this means of
transporting the papers to Richmond
in order to insure their safe arrival.
OF the $50 manuscripts first claim
e1 by Virginia, DR.. McIlwaine was
States title to III. The remaining
thirty three turned out to be copies
instead OF originals or were manu-
scripts written to some State official
while not In flee or not on State
business, and for these reasons were
clearly shown not to be the property
OF the State of Virginia. There were
no marks whatever to show that
these thirty-three manuscripts had
ever been in the Virginia State library.
whereas the 1T were easily identified
and gracefully surrendered and the
$3.50 appropriated by the Vii sinia
general assembly paid for them.
Besides the intrinsic value of the
manuscripts from the standpoint OF
manuscript collector, II is the belief
OF DR.. McIlwaine that they are of
especial importance from the stand
point Of history. They throw much
new light on the period embracing the
War Between the States. and DR.. Nc
Ilwaine is OF the opinion that many
changes will be made In the histories
Of that time as the result of the re-
covery Of the manuscripts. The col
lection affords most interesting read
ing for a student of history.
Three OF the returned documents
were of great value and would have
easily brought $4,000 had they been
put up at auction, as was originally
intended. The first OF Importance, &C
cording to DR. McIlwaine. is a circular
letter sent by George Washington to
the governors of the original thirteen
States when he resigned as command
erin chief of the Continental army.
There were of course, only g of these
i
this one would have brought as high
as $500 at public auction. Only the
fact that II was addressed to Governor
BENJAMIN Harrison. Of Virginia. en-
abled DR.. McIlwaine to identify 1t as
the original and not copy, and.
therefore, secure its surrender This
manuscript is considered most valu-
able from a historical standpoint
The second manuscript in intrinsic
.tAI, |vn, OF
least $1,000 at public auction, accord
ing to DR. McIlwaine's estimate, liz
letter from George Washington. while
he was president OF the United States,
to Governor Robert Brooke, Of Vir-
rinia. Previous to this letter the
Commonwealth of Virginia had noti-
fed General Washington that tho
State wished to present him with loo
shares of the James River company
a State concern formed to improve the
navigation of James river.
The donation was desired to be
made in consideration of the service
Washington had rendered the nation
and his native State. Washington had
declined ~ accept the donation and
had suggested that he give the shares
to some educational institution. The
Virginia legislature accepted the sug
gestion and asked Washington to
name the school. In this letter Just
recovered he names Liberty Hall
academy. This academy later became
Washington college and is now known
as Washington and Lee university
The letter is in full autograph and
covers two pages.
The third most valuable manuscript
In the returned collection, which
might be considered the most valu-
able by some people. is the agreement
signed by the representatives of the
Southern Confederacy and the Com
monwealth of Virginia. whereby Viz
sinia placed her military forces at the
disposal OF the Confederacy. This
agreement was made before Virginia
had actually seeded. The agreement
was on parchment and signed by
Alexander Fl. stephens. representing
the Southern Confederacy. and John
Tyler and others, commissioners for
the State Of Virginia. BY that agree
ment a temporary union was formed
between Virginia and the Confederacy.
John Tyler was former president Of
the United States
DR.. McIlwaine will have some Of the
more important documents photo
graphed and placed on exhibition in
the State library. but most of them
will he filed away in the safe and
anybody that wants to see the origin
ais will have to take the matter up
with him.
The whereabouts OF these missing
documents was discovered about two
wears ago. following the death OF
Benson J. LOSING. well-known his
torian and manuscript collector. He
left large collection of valuable
documents, which his heirs turned
over to the Anderson Auction COM
pany, of New York. to sell. This con-.
Germ published an itemized list Ct the
documents in catalogue form, and this
was brough. to the attention Of the
Virginia authorities. DR.. McIlwaine
Immediately recognized that the docu-
ments properly belonged to the Com
monwealth OF Virginia and Governor
Mann took the matter up with the
auction house. asking that they be
withdrawn from sale pending adjust
ment of Virginia's claim to their
possession This was done. and when
virginia's claim was seen to be a Just
one, the heirs agreed TO surrender the
papers for a sum equal to the cost of
keeping them. The legislature APP
propriated $3.50 to cover this cost and
this amount was paid over to the
heirs yesterday by DIR. McIlwaine.
When DR. McIlwaina went to New