Invoice of Dixon & Nicolson for Printing, [23 March–3 April 1781]
Invoice of Dixon & Nicolson for Printing
[23 March-3 April 1781]
Dr. The Commonwealth of Virginia to Dixon & Nicholson for printing sundries by order of the Governor & Council.
| 1781 | ||
| March 23. | Printing 100 Commissions of the Peace1 | 100℔. Tobo. |
| Ditto 100 Commissions of Oyer & Terminer2 | 200℔. | |
| Ditto 50 Governors letter to Coty. Lieuts.3 | 100℔. | |
| 29. | Ditto 150 Passports4 | 150℔. |
| Ditto 100 Governors letter to Coty. Lieuts.5 | 200℔. | |
| Ditto 150 Ditto relative to Brown & his deputys6 | 200℔. | |
| Ditto 80 Ditto —— to Commissioners7 | 50℔. | |
| Ditto 250 Act to remedy the inconveniences &c.8 | 300℔. | |
| 31. | Ditto in Gazette a Proclamation for Embargo9 | 100℔. |
| Ditto 80 Act for assertaining the No. of Militia8 | 50℔. | |
| Ditto 80 Act for exempting Artificers f’m Militia8 | 50℔. | |
| Ditto 80 Govrs. letter relative to Tobacco tax10 | 100℔. | |
| April 3. | Ditto 400 Passports for Deserters11 | 200℔. |
| 1800℔. Tob. | ||
| 1800℔. tobacco @ 20/. £18–0–0 |
I do certify that the above printing work was done by order of the Executive.
Archd. Blair C.C
MS (Vi: Contingent Fund Vouchers); in an unidentified hand; at foot of text: “to be signed by Mr. Blair.” Certification and signature are in Blair’s hand. Endorsed: “Dixon & Nicholson £18–0. June 12. 1782 Contingent. [In another hand:] 7 April 1781 Hays [James Hayes] commenced public Printer.”
This paper is printed here, under the date of its first entry, because it gives information not otherwise available concerning letters and documents issued by TJ which were printed for circulation. In some cases a document listed here has been found in only a single printed copy; in others as a MS file copy; and one entry (note 3 below) indicates a probable circular letter by TJ not now known to be extant in any form. For the sake of clarity, the notes below have been joined by superscript numerals to the entries to which they pertain.
1. Between 24 and 30 Mch. TJ appointed 18 new justices of the peace in Amherst, Buckingham, Halifax, and Loudoun counties (see commission to justices in Amherst, 24 Mch. 1781; , ii, 317, 320, 321, 323).
2. This was doubtless a reprinting of a regular form used by the Governor and Council. On 5 Mch. 1781 TJ was ordered to issue such a commission in the case of Mrs. Byrd (see Appendix i, Vol. 5: “The Affair of Westover.”
3. On 22 Mch. the “Board proceeded to consider the Act of Assembly to ‘remedie the inconveniencies arising from the interruption of the draught, and the procuring clothes, provisions and other necessaries for the army,’ and advise that the Execution of the Act of Assembly of October 1780, for recruiting this States Quota of Continental troops, be suspended until the further order of the Executive, in the Counties of Amherst, Rockingham, Augusta, Rockbridge, Green Briar, Buckingham, Bedford, Halifax, Charlotte, Prince Edward, Cumberland, Powhatan, Amelia, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Sussex, Southampton, Henrico, Botetourt, Washington, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Fairfax, Prince William, New Kent, Charles City, Prince George, Surry, Isle of Wight, Nansemond, Hanover, Caroline, Spotsylvania, and King William; from which a considerable proportion of Militia is absent on service; reserving nevertheless a power to the field officers of the said Counties to proceed in the Execution of the said Act, if, from the return of their Militia the progress already made in the execution of the said laws, or other circumstances, they shall be of opinion that it will be most for the ease of their County to go through with the same now; making report to the Executive that they have thought it best so to proceed” (, ii, 316). No copy of TJ’s letter to the county lieutenants advising them of this decision of the Council is known to be extant; but in his letter to James Callaway, county lieutenant of Bedford, 5 Apr., q.v., he refers to “a circular letter … from me accompanied by a resolution of Council for suspending your Draft till further order.” See Hugh Rose to TJ, 26 Sep. 1781, and Greene to TJ, 27 June 1781.
4. This entry is for printing passports for vessels engaging in trade with Bermuda (see TJ to David Ross, 27 Mch. 1781; , ii, 321).
5. This is evidently TJ’s letter to the county lieutenants of 26 Mch. 1781, q.v.
6. This is probably TJ’s letter to the county lieutenants of 30 Mch. 1781, of which one printed copy has been located.
7. Probably TJ’s letter to the commissioners of the tax, 28 Mch., q.v.
8. These Acts were printed to be enclosed in TJ’s letter to the county lieutenants of 26 Mch. (note 5 above). No copies of the separately-printed Acts have been found.
9. On 26 Mch. 1781 TJ renewed his embargo proclamation, which was printed periodically in the Virginia Gazette throughout his governorship.
10. This letter has not been identified.
11. No copies found.