Lexington, December 30, 1801.
Dear Sir, — I
have received as well your letter by Mr. H. Taylor, as the one written a few
days after, by the post.
I must request the favor of you to execute a small
commission for me. The Acts of the Virginia Legislature, passed prior to the
separation of this State, are extremely difficult to be procured, even by
collecting fugitive Acts, in this country; but few indeed of the public offices
possess entire collections. Will you be so obliging as to obtain for me, if you
can, the old revisal, which reaches, I believe, to the year 1766, the
Chancellor revisal, and the Acts passed since that, in a regular series to the year
1792. The last is most desired, but I could wish to possess all. Your revisal
of 1791 would not answer my purpose, because it contains laws not in force in
this country, and, if my recollection serves me, omits to give the respective
dates of the passages of each law, all-important in many cases. These books you
will be pleased to forward to William Taylor, Esq., merchant, in Baltimore,
from whom I can easily procure them; or to either of our representatives in
Congress, Mr. Brown, Mr. Breckenridge, Fowler, or Davis, who will contrive some
mode for them to get to me. I suppose they may be obtained from the Council
Chamber.
What has become of the son of my much regretted friend, your
brother? I feel myself under obligations of gratitude to the father, which I
should be happy of having an opportunity of discharging to the son. What is the
progress he has made in his education? We have in this place an university in a
very flourishing condition. Could you not spare him to me in this country for
two or three years? I live at a short distance from the buildings, have a small
family, and need not add, that from the cheapness of living in this country,
his expense to me would be extremely inconsiderable. We have, too, a distant
hope of getting Mr. Madison, from William and Mary, to take the management of
our seminary. Be pleased to let me hear from you on this subject.
_______________
* Mr. Clay and Judge Brooks, of Fredericksburg, Va., were
correspondent: for more than half a century.
SOURCE: Calvin Colton, Editor, The Private Correspondence of Henry Clay, p. 9-10
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