To James Madison from William Branch Giles, 7 December 1827
From William Branch Giles
Executive Department Richmond December 7. 1827.
Sir,
You will observe from the enclosed note from Mr. White1 Contractor for printing certain Journals in conformity with an act of the General Assembly—that there are several more of the Senates Journals missing than were expected before the meeting of that body. In consequence of this discovery, it has become my duty, in compliance with the advice of the Executive Council, to represent the case to you, Sir, and to ask the favor of you, to inform me whether you are in possession of any of the Journals, mentioned in Mr. White’s note—so as to enable the Executive to avail themselves of your polite offer of a loan thereof, for the purposes of the said Act. I am Sir, with very great respect Your Obt Sert
Wm. B. Giles
RC and enclosure (DLC); letterbook copy (Vi: Executive Letterbook). RC cover docketed by JM. For enclosure, see n. 1.
1. The enclosure is a copy of the letter from Thomas W. White to Giles, 4 Dec. 1827 (1 p.), denoting the Virginia Senate Journals not in possession of the Senate clerk’s office. The missing journals were the May and October sessions for the years 1777 and 1779–84 and the October session of 1788. Thomas W. White (ca. 1789–1843) was a Richmond printer who established the Southern Literary Messenger in 1834 (“Death of Thomas W. White,” Southern Literary Messenger 9 [1843]: 65; Christine Modey, “The Southern Literary Messenger,” in A History of Virginia Literature, ed. Kevin J. Hayes [New York, 2015], 208).