BEING A COLLECTION PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO AN ACT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY "The Laws of a country are necessarily connected with every thing be- longing to the people of it: so that a thorough knowledge of them, and of their progress would inform us of every thing that was most use- ful to be known about them; and one of the greatest imperfections of historians in general, is owing to their ignorance of law." WE, Peter V. Daniel, Robert G. Scott, William H. Roane, and Alexander L. Botts, members of the executive council of Virginia, do hereby certify that the laws contained in the Eleventh Volume of HENING's Statutes at Large have been, by us, examined and compared with the originals, by Peter V. Daniel and Robert G Scott, from page 1 to page 184, inclusive, by Robert G Scott and William H. Roane, from page 185 to page 360, inclusive, and by Robert G. Scott and Alexander L. Botts, from page 361 inclusive, to the end, and have been found truly and accurately printed, except as to a list of errata, to the number of forty one at the end of the volume. Given, under our hands this 28th day of June, 1823. P. V. DANIEL. ROBERT G. SCOTT. A. L. BOTTS. TIBRARY UNIVETISY OF CALIFORNIA PREFACE TO THE Eleventh Volume of the Statutes at Large. In the ninth and tenth volumes of this work, we have seen the commencement and progress of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION; in this volume, we happily perceive its termination. Until the cessation of hostilities in April 1783,* Virginia never ceased in her exertions to furnish her full quota of men and money, in compliance with the requisitions of congress, under the articles of confederation, as her laws sufficiently attest. While the war continued, a sense of common danger formed a bond of Union between the states, which drew forth their resources for the common defence. But on the return of peace, the defects of the Articles of Confederation began to manifest themselves. So early as the year 1783, the British government, pursuing that policy which she has ever deemed essential to the preservation of her navy, on which, it must be admitted, her national existence depends, commenced a system of commercial restrictions, in relation to the trade between the United States and her West India islands. Congress proposed the adoption of countervailing regulations. But to give them efficacy, the assent of all the states became necessary. Virginia very early passed her act, conferring the power on congress; but suspended its operation until all the states in the Union should pass similar laws. The preamble to this act is well worthy of perusal. Experience evinced the difficulty of procuring the assent of all the states, to any commercial restrictious, as well as the grant of such powers to congress, as would best tend to raise a revenue from duties on imported articles; which revenue was essential to the restoration of public credit, and the discharge of the public debts. This power also was granted by Virginia, with a similar suspension. The necessity of vesting in a congress, differently organized from that under the confederation, powers competent to provide for the national welfare, gave rise to the present Constitution of the United States. * See the proclamation of congress of the 11th of April, 1783, declaring the cessation of arms, as well by sea as by land, page 549. See page 313, 388. * See page 350. Among other papers of less importance, the appendix to this volume contains the Proclamation for a cessation of hostilities;* the Report of commissioners, extending Mason's and Dixon's line, and fixing the south west corner of Pennsylvania, which was necessary to complete the series of papers heretofore published, a reference to the Laws of Virginia and Resolutions of Congress, on the subject of HALF-PAY, and COMMUTATION;‡ a Digest of the Laws concerning Land-Bounties and additional papers respecting the Cession of the North Western Territory, in which the origin of the mistake, which has operated so injuriously to the state troops of Virginia, it is believed, is satisfactorily explained.¶ WILLIAM WALLER HENING. * See page 549. page 559,565. † See page 554. ¶ See page 566. See page 556,557. | See |