3. Jefferson’s Notes of Acts of Assembly Adopted October 1777 and May 1778, October 1777–May 1778

3. Jefferson’s Notes of Acts of Assembly Adopted October 1777 and May 1778

	Oct. 20. 1777.
	*	c.	1.	to be excluded from the operation of the repealing bill, as are all others marked thus *.1
+	*	c.	2.	see bill for amending this.
		c.	3.	unnecessary because fee bill prepared.
+		c.	5.	omit preamble and 2. last clause and copy it verbatim. qu. if not a bill already?
	*	c.	6.
	*	c.	7.	has been in[…]
		c.	8.	has had effect.

+		c.	9.	copy verbatim.
		c.	10.	has had effect.
		c.	11.	see amendments proposed. G. W. has also drawn a bill.2
		c.	12.	expired.
		c.	13.	other provision made.
+		c.	14.	see bill.
		c.	15.	bill prepared.
	*	c.	16.
		c.	17.	bill prepared.
	*	c.	18.
	*	c.	19.
	*	c.	20.
	*	c.	21.
+		c.	22.	copy verbatim. See 1778. c. 10.3
		c.	23.	bill prepared.
		c.	24.	G. W. has drawn a bill.4
	*	c.	25.
		c.	26.	had effect.
		c.	27.	provision made.
+		c.	28.	see bill.
	*	c.	29.
	*	c.	30.
	*	c.	31.
	*	c.	32.
	*	c.	33.
	*	c.	34.
	*	c.	35.
	May 4. 1778.
	*	c.	1.
	*	c.	2.
	*	c.	3.
+		c.	4.	see bill.
	*	c.	5.
		c.	6.	in G. W’s part.5
		c.	7.	provided for.
	*	c.	8.
		c.	9.	provided for.
		c.	10.	same as 1777. c. 22.
		c.	11.	the principal bill in G. W’s part.6
		c.	12.	had effect.
	*	c.	13.
	*	c.	14.
		c.	15.	provided for.
+		c.	16.	<see bill. should be a general bill establishing other clerkships> see bill7
	*	c.	17.
		c.	18.	provided for.
+		c.	19.	draw bill. <to invest that power in Gov. & council, to enable them to employ superintendants … genl. of the navy & put down naval commrs & to convert the navy board into a board of trade.>8
<no slave to be witness>
<not to go from tenements or dwelling of master overseer or employer without pass or token>
<not to keep arms>
<not to pass with arms.>
<riots, routs, unlawful assemblies, trespasses & seditious speeches.>

MS (DLC); two pages, entirely in TJ’s hand. The Acts passed Oct. 1777 and May 1778 (here designated as c.1, 2, 3, &c.) are to be found in Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 337–443; 445–70.

From this MS it is evident that TJ and Wythe concerned themselves with Acts of the General Assembly, which, according to TJ’s Autobiography, fell within Pendleton’s division.

1. The repealing Bill is Bill No. 126; the Act excluded is the Act for speedily recruiting the Virginia Regiments, &c.; see Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 337–49.

2. This Act corresponds to Bill No. 89; see Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 377–80.

3. This Act corresponds to Bill No. 7; see Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 428–9 and 462.

4. This Act corresponds to Bill No. 35; see Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 431–2.

5. This is the amending Act concerning invasions and insurrections and corresponds to Bill No. 6; see Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 458.

6. This is the Act giving speedy remedy to the United States against defaulters; it provided that the United States should have the same remedy against public defaulters as was given to the state. There is, of course, no such Bill in the Revisal, and TJ’s remark must have reference to the subject, not to the specific terms of the Act. See Bill No. 108.

7. TJ probably drew this general Bill; see Bill No. 14, above; also, Hening, description begins William W. Hening, The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia description ends ix, 467.

8. This Act (same, ix, 470) vested in the commissioners of the navy the power to vary the rates of pilotage according to the exigencies of the times; Bill No. 9.

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Source Project: Jefferson Papers
Title: 3. Jefferson’s Notes of Acts of Assembly Adopted October 1777 and May 1778, October 1777–May 1778
Author: Jefferson, Thomas
Date: October 1777 – May 1778

Reference

Cite as: “3. Jefferson’s Notes of Acts of Assembly Adopted October 1777 and May 1778, October 1777–May 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-02-02-0132-0005-0003. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 2, 1777 – 18 June 1779, ed. Julian P. Boyd. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950, pp. 661–663.]