Large 8vo. 268 leaves: [ ]
4, B-Z, Aa-Zz, Aaa-Kkk
4, the last a blank, [ ]
4, B-I
4, in 24 letter alphabets, the last alphabet for the Index.
Rebound in straight grain cowhide with a new bookplate. Initialled by Jefferson at sig. I and T.
This is one of the books referred to by Jefferson in his letter to Hening on the publication of the
Statutes at Large
, written from Washington on January 14, 1807: “
. . . I hope you will take measures for having the typography & paper worthy of the work. I am led to this caution by the
scandalous volume of our laws printed by Pleasants in 1803. & those by Davis in 1796. were little better. both unworthy of
the history of Tom thumb . . .
”
[1868]
Supplement, containing the Acts of the General Assembly of Virginia, of a public and generally interesting nature, passed
since the Session of Assembly which commenced in the year one thousand eight hundred and seven. Published pursuant to an act
of the General Assembly, passed the tenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and twelve.
Richmond: Printed and published by
Samuel Pleasants, printer to the Commonwealth,
1812.
Law 22
Sm. folio. 110 leaves: [ ]
4, B-Z, A2-C2
4, C2
2,
[
sic
--
Ed.
] 24 letter alphabet.
Sheep; initialled by Jefferson at sig. I and T. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate.
A copy was ordered by Jefferson from
Samuel Pleasants in a letter dated May 21, 1813.
The manuscript catalogue calls for 2 volumes; the 1815 for 3 volumes. The missing volume may have been that published by Pleasants in 1808, a copy
of which was sent to Jefferson from Richmond by William H. Cabell on March 14, 1808: “The Acts of the last Session of the General Assembly having been just published, permit me to enclose a copy for your acceptance
. . .”
William H. Cabell, 1772-1853, was a brother of Joseph Carrington Cabell, q.v. He studied law at the College of William and Mary and in 1818 was one of the commissioners appointed to select a site for the University of Virginia. In 1805 he was elected Governor of Virginia. The initial H in his name was inserted by him to distinguish him from other William Cabells.
[1869]
J. 78
Beverley’s abr’ of the Virginia laws.
1815 Catalogue, page 75. no. 29, as above, 12mo. 1720. [sic]
[BEVERLEY,
William.]
An Abridgment of the Publick Laws of Virginia, in Force and Use, June 10. 1720. To which is added, for the Ease of the Justices
and Military Officers, &c. Precedents of all Matters to be issued by them, peculiar to those Laws; and varying from the Precedents
in England. The
second edition.
London: Printed for
F. Fayram and
J. Clarke at the Royal Exchange and
T. Saunders in Little Britain,
1728.
Law 151
8vo. 104 leaves: A
4, B-N
8, O
4.
Not in Halkett and Laing.
Sabin 5119.
Winsor V, 278.
This edition not in Church.
Clayton-Torrence 108.
Rebound in sheep, with the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate preserved. Initialled at sig. I by Jefferson, and with manuscript annotations by him including the dating and numbering of the laws throughout. On the title-page Jefferson has written
by Colõ William Beverley.
For a discussion of the authorship of this compilation see Clayton-Torrence 103, and also the Church Catalogue IV, 884, where
a copy of the first edition is described with the notation
by William Beverley written on the title-page. In spite of this the book, as is usual, is ascribed to Robert Beverley. Commenting on this Clayton-Torrence
writes:
As to the statements, in manuscript notes, which appear on the title pages of the 1722 edition of this work in E. D. Church’s
library and the 1728 edition in the Library of Congress, ascribing this Abridgment to
William
Beverley, we have absolutely no way of determining their accuracy or inaccuracy.
Clayton-Torrence was unaware that the note referred to in this copy is in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, which, although
not a proof, does seem to lend some authority to the statement.
The second edition is almost an exact copy of the first, with one or two changes including the name
T. Saunders in the imprint, replacing that of
T. Bickerton.
Both these editions are known in one or two copies only.
[1870]
