USA > Kentucky > The political beginnings of Kentucky. A narrative of public events bearing on the history of that state up to the time of its admission into the American Union > Part 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19
The Congressional established Troops, under the command of Colonel and Brigadier General Harmar, are supposed to consist of eight hundred men, comprehending two companies of Artillery attached to this corps, and they are in garrison from Venango in the east, on the northwest of the Ohio, to Post St. Vincennes on the Ouabache, in the west, in the following manner, viz: Brigadier General Harmar, at Fort Harmar, on the Muskingum, with five companies; Major Willis at the Falls of the Ohio, with three companies; Major Dougherty at Post St. Vincennes, with four companies, and Captain Doyle at Venango, with two companies. The other two companies cover the new establishment commenced at the mouth of the Great Miamis or Rocky river, under Judge Symms, where they occupy a redoubt at the forks of Great Beaver creek, the name of the commanding officer not known at present.
They are supposed not to be defective in Field pieces, and have spare Iron Ordnance at Pittsburg and Fort Harman.
People of property in the Western frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania must gen- erally be interested in the fate of Kentucky, but until the effects of a correspondence, carried on by a private committee, between these settlements, are better known, many names of the leading men of that description can not be given. Brigadier General Nevill, Colonel John Stephenson, of Pennsylvania, and Major General Lincoln, of the New Colony at Muskingum, and even Judge Symms, at the Great Miamis, are of opinion that their interest is inseparably connected with Kentucky.
The T'rade of this country is now confined to the internal barter of its inhabitants and the supply of the new emigrants, and lately to the exportation of flour and tobacco by special permits to New Orleans, and this intercourse will probably be increased through the medium of the colony establishing at New Madrid on the west shore of the Mississippi, opposite to the mouth of the Ohio, under the direction of Mr. Morgan.
The continual emigration from the Atlantic States, flowing from various causes, the result of the late revolutional war, must suddenly form very great and extensive colonies upon the Ohio, its lateral branches, and the Mississippi, which will eventually open a field for a more extensive commerce than what the northern parts of America have yet afforded, and consequently New Orleans must become, at no distant period, the great emporium of North America, and therefore highly worthy of the marked attention of the British Government as a commercial and manufacturing kingdom.
Lacassang & Co., at Louisville, and Tardezvous, at Danville, are Mercantile houses of note, in the interest of France. The latter carried on a trade from Bourdeaux to the States during the war, and are supposed once to have been prisoners at Halifax. D.
Endorsed: Observations upon the Colony of Kentucky. In Lord Dorchester's to Lord Sydney, No. 126, of 27th August, 1789.
257
Appendix.
No. IX.
PROCEEDINGS OF CONVENTION OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
[SEE TEXT, PAGE 202.]
At a Convention begun and held for the District of Kentucky at the Court-house in Danville, in the County of Mercer, on Monday, the third day of November, in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and Eighty-eight. On which day, being the day appointed by a resolution of a Convention held for the said District on the 31st day of July last past, several members appeared and took their seats; but the num- ber not being sufficient to proceed to business, the Convention adjourned till To-morrow, twelve of the Clock.
TUESDAY, THE 4TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
-
The Convention met according to adjournment. A majority of the members ap- peared and took their seats. The Honorable Samuel McDowell was unanimously elected President. Ordered that Mr. Thomas Todd be appointed Clerk to this Con- vention. Ordered that a Committee of Privileges and Elections be appointed. And a Committee was appointed, of Mr. Greenup, Mr. Morrison, Mr. Muter, Mr. Logan, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Irvine, who are to examine the Certificates of Election from the different Counties in this District, and make return thereon. Ordered, That the rules and regulations of the last Convention be the rules and regulations for the Government of this Convention. Resolved, That this Convention will To-morrow resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Convention to take into Consideration the present state of the District. Sundry papers and resolutions of the Congress of the United States, addressed to Samuel McDowell, Esquire, late President of the Conven- tion in Kentucky, was ordered to lie on the Clerk's Table. The Convention then adjourned untill To-morrow, Twelve of the Clock.
WEDNESDAY, THE 5TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
The Convention met according to adjournment. Several other members appeared and tool. their seats.
Ordered, That the papers and Resolutions of Congress, the Resolves of the Con- vention passed on the 22nd day of September, 1787, relative to a separation of this District from the State of Virginia together with the address from the Convention to Congress be referred to a Committee of the whole Convention.
Resolved, That this Convention do now resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Convention on the state of the District.
Mr. Wilkinson was elected to the Chair.
After some time spent therein Mr. President resumed the Chair, and the Chairman reported that the Committee had taken into consideration the matters to them referred, but not having time to go thro' the same, desire leave to sit again to-day, which was granted.
33
258
Appendix.
Ordered, That the resolution of the Convention of the 31st day of July, 1788, recommending the Election of & giving powers to this Convention, be referred to a Committee of the whole, which is to sit to-day.
Resolved, That this Convention do now again resolve into a Committee of the Whole on the matters to them referred. Mr. Wilkinson again Elected to the Chair. After some time spent therein Mr. President resumed the Chair, and the Chairman re- ported that the Committee had taken into consideration the matters to them referred, and had come to a resolution thereon which he was ready to report. Ordered, That the said resolution do lie on the Clerk's table. Ordered, That it be a standing rule of this Convention that the Convention do resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Convention from day to day to take into consideration the present state of the District.
Two petitions, one from the County of Mercer, and the other from the County of Madison, praying that a manly and spirited address be sent to Congress to obtain the Navigation of the River Mississippi, was read and ordered to be referred to a Commit- tee of the whole Convention, Resolved, That this Convention do now again resolve itself into a Committee of the whole to take into consideration the matters to them re- ferred.
Mr. Wilkinson was again elected to the Chair. After some time spent therein, Mr. President resumed the Chair, and the Chairman reported that the Committee of the whole Convention had taken into consideration the matters to them referred, and had come to a resolution thereon which he was ready to report. Ordered, That the said resolution do lie on the Table. Ordered, That the resolution for preparing an Address to the Assembly of Virginia be now read, & then the same was read, amended, and agreed to as follows, viz :
Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to draw up a decent and respectful ad- dress to the Assembly of Virginia for obtaining an Independence of the District of Kentucky agreeable to the late resolution and recommendation of Congress, and that they prepare and report the same to the Convention To-morrow. And a Committee was appointed of Mr. Edwards, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Muter, Mr. Jouitt, Mr. Allin, and Mr. Wilkinson. The Convention then adjourned till To-morrow, Twelve of the Clock.
THURSDAY, THE 6TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
The Convention met according to adjournment. Ordered, That the resolution re- ported yesterday from the Committee of the whole, upon the petitions from the Counties , of Madison and Mercer, be now read, and the same, being read, was ordered to be recom- mitted to a Committee of the whole Convention. Resolved, That this Convention do now resolve itself into a Committee of the whole on the said resolution. Mr. Innes was elected to the Chair. And after some time spent therein, Mr. President resumed the Chair, and the Chairman reported that the Committee of the whole had taken into consideration the matter referred to them and had come to a resolution thereon, which he read in his place and delivered the same in at the Table, where it was again twice read and agreed to as follows, viz :
Resolved, as the Opinion of this Committee, that the Petitions from the Counties of Madison and Mercer, praying this Convention to prefer an Address to Congress for pro-
-
.
259
Appendix.
curing the navigation of the river Mississippi are reasonable, and that a decent and respectful address be prepared, requesting Congress to take immediate and effective measures for procuring the navigation of the said river, agreeable to the prayer of the said Petitions.
Ordered, That a Committee be appointed to prepare the said Address ; and a Committee was appointed of Mr. Innes, Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Muter, Mr. Brown, Mr. Sebastian, and Mr. Morrison.
Mr. Edwards, from the Committee appointed to draw up an Address to the Assembly of Virginia for obtaining the independence of the District of Kentucky, reported that the Committee had taken the matter into consideration and prepared an Address, which he read in his place, and then delivered the same in at the table, where it was again read, and an amendment thereto proposed. Ordered, That the said address, together with the amendment, do lie on the Table.
A motion was made by Mr. Brown for the Convention to come to the following reso- lution, viz :
Resolved, That it is the wish and interest of the good people of this District to separate from the State of Virginia, and that the same be erected into an Independent member of the Federal Union.
Ordered, That the said resolution do lie on the Table. The Convention then ad- journed till To-morrow, Twelve of the Clock.
FRIDAY, THE 7TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
The Convention met according to adjournment.
A Letter from James Speed addressed to the President Convention was read.
Ordered that the same do lie on the Table. The Convention adjourned till To-mor- row morning, Twelve of the Clock.
SATURDAY, THE 8TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
The Convention met according to Adjournment.
A motion was made by Mr. Wilkinson for the Convention to come to the following resolution, which was read and agreed to as follows, viz :
Whereas, it is the solemn duty, so it is the ardent desire of this Convention, to pur- sue such measures as may promote the Interests and meet the approbation of their Constituents ; but the discordant opinions which at present divide the good people they represent, render it doubtful whether they can adopt any plan which will embrace the opinions of all, or even secure the support of a majority. In this state of embarrass- ment-perplext with doubts and surrounded by difficulties - in order to avoid error and to attain truth, to remove the Jealousies which have infected society, and to restore that spirit of harmony and concord on which the prosperity of all depends, They deem it most eligible to address their Constituents on the momentous occasion. Therefore,
Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to draft an address to the good people of the District, setting forth the principles and motives from which this Convention act ; representing to them their true situation, urging the necessity of union, concord, and mutual concession, and solemnly calling upon them to furnish this Convention, at their
260
Appendix.
next session, with instructions in what manner to proceed on the important subject to them submitted.
And a Committee was appointed, of Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Innes, Mr. Jouitt, Mr. Muter, Mr. Sebastian, Mr. Allin, and Mr. Caldwell. Resolved, That when this Conven- tion doth adjourn it will adjourn until Monday morning, Seven of the Clock. Ordered, That the address to the Assembly of Virginia be now taken up and read, and the same was read, amended, and referred to a Committee of the whole. The Convention then adjourned till Monday, Seven of the Clock.
MONDAY, THE 10TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1788.
The Convention met according to Adjournment.
Mr. Wilkinson, from the Committee appointed to draught an Address to Congress, requesting immediate and effective measures to be taken to obtain the Navigation of the River Mississippi, reported that the Committee had taken the matter into consider- ation and prepared an address, which he read in his place, and then delivered the same in at the Clerk's Table, where it was again twice read and agreed to as follows, viz :
To the United States in Congress Assembled :
The people of Kentucky in Convention assembled, as free men, as Citizens, and as a part of the American Republic, beg leave by this Humble petition to state their rights and call for protection in the enjoyment of them.
Fathers, Fellow Citizens, and Guardians of our rights : As we address you by the endearing appellation of Fathers, we rely on your paternal affection to hear us ; we rely on your Justice as men and citizens to attend to the wrongs done to men and Citizens, and as a People recognized by the solemn Acts of the Union, we look for protection to the Federal Head.
When the peace had secured to America that sovereignty and Independence for which she had so nobly contended, we could not retire with our Atlantic friends to enjoy in ease the blessings of freedom. Many of us had expended in the struggle for our country's Rights that property which would have enabled us to possess a compe- tence with our Liberty. On the western waters the Commonwealth of Virginia pos- sessed a fertile but uninhabited Wild. In this Wilderness we sought, after having pro- cured Liberty for our posterity, to provide for their support. Inured to hardships by a long Warfare, we ventured into almost impenetrable forests; without bread or domestic Cattle we depended on the Casual supplies afforded by the chace. Hunger was our familiar attendant, and even our unsavory meals were made upon the wet surface of the earth with the cloud deformed Canopy for our covering. Tho' forced to pierce the thicket it was not in safety we trod. The wiley savage thirsted for blood, lurked in our paths and seized the insuspecting Hunter. Whilst we lamented the loss of a friend, a Brother, a Father, a Wife, a Child, became a Victim to the Barbarian Toma- hawk; instead of consolation a new and greater misfortune deadened the sense of former afflictions. From the Union we receive no support, but we impeach not their Justice.
Ineffectual treaties, often renewed, and as often broken by the Savage Nations, served only to furnish them with the means of our destruction. But no human cause
261
Appendix.
could controul that providence which had destined this Western Country to the seat of a Civilized and happy people. The period of its accomplishment was distant, but it advanced with rapid and incredible strides. We derived strength from our falls and numbers from our losses. The unparalleled fertility of our soil made grateful returns, far disproportioned to the slight labour which our safety would permit us to bestow. Our fields and herds afford us not only sufficient support for ourselves, but also for the Emigrants who annually double our numbers, and even a surplus still remains for ex- portation. This surplus would be far greater did not a narrow policy shut up our navi- gation and discourage our industry. In this situation we call for your attention, we beg you to trace the Mississippi from the Ocean, survey the innumerable Rivers which water your Western Territory and pay their tribute to its greatness, examine the lux- uriant soil which those Rivers traverse. Then we ask, can the God of Wisdom and Nature have created that vast country in vain? Was it for nothing that he blest it with a fertility almost incredible? Did he not provide those great streams which empty into the Mississippi, and by it communicate with the Atlantic, that other nations and climes might enjoy with us the blessings of our fruitful soil? View the Country, and you will answer for yourselves. But can the presumptuous madness of man imagine policy inconsistent with the immense designs of the Deity ?
Americans can not. As it (is) the natural right of the Inhabitants of this Country to navigate the Mississippi, so they have also the right derived from treaties and national compacts. By the treaty of Peace, concluded in the year 1763, between the Crowns of Great Britain, France, and Spain, the free navigation of the River Mississippi was ascer- tained to Great Britain. The right thus ascertained was exercised by the subjects of that Crown until the peace of 1783, and conjointly with them by the Citizens of the United States. By the Treaty in which Great Britain acknowledged the Independence of the United States, she also ceded to them the free Navigation of the River Missis- sippi. It was a right naturally and essentially annexed to the possession of this Western Country. As such it was claimed by America, and it was upon that principle she obtained it. Yet the Court of Spain, who possess the Country at the mouth of the Mississippi, have obstructed your citizens in the enjoyment of that right. If policy is the motive which actuates political conduct, you will support us in this right, and thereby enable us to assist in the support of Government. If you will be really our fathers, stretch forth your hands to save us. If you would be worthy Guardians, defend our rights. We are a member that would exert every muscle to your service. Do not cut us off from your Body. By every tie of consanguinity and affection, by the remem- brance of the blood which we have mingled in the common cause, by a regard to Jus- tice and to policy we conjure you to procure our right. May your Councils be guided by wisdom and justice, and may your determinations be marked by decision and effect. Let not your beneficence be circumscribed by the Mountains which divide us. But let us feel that you are really our Fathers & assertors of Our Rights. Then you would secure the prayers of a people whose Gratitude would be as warm as their vindication of their Rights will be eternal. Then our connexions shall be perpetuated to the latest times, a Monument of your Justice and a Terror to your Enemies.
Resolved, That the President of this Convention inclose the said address to the President of Congress, requesting him to lay the same before that august Body.
.
262
Appendix.
Mr. Wilkinson, from the Committee appointed to draught an address to the people of this District, reported that the Committee had taken the matter into consideration and prepared an address, which he read in his place, & then delivered in the same at the Clerk's Table, where it was again read and ordered to be recommitted to a Committee of the whole Convention.
The Convention, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a Committee of the whole to take into consideration the state of the District. Mr. Innes was elected to the Chair.
After some time spent therein, the President resumed the Chair and the Chairman reported that the Committee had taken into Consideration the Address to the Assembly of Virginia and made an amendment thereto, which he read in his place, and then de- livered in the same at the Clerk's Table, where it was again twice read and again amended, and agreed to nemini Contradicente, as follows, to-wit :
To the Hon'ble the General Assembly for the Commonwealth of Virginia :
GENTLEMEN : The Representatives of the good people inhabiting the several Coun- ties composing the District of Kentucky in Convention met, beg leave again to address you on the great and important subject of their separation from the parent state and being made a member of the Federal Union.
To repeat the Causes which impel the inhabitants of this District to continue their application for a separation will, in our Opinion, be unnecessary ; they have been gener- ously acknowledged and patronized in former Assemblies, and met the approbation of that august Body, whose consent was necessary towards the final accomplishment of this desirable object, and who resolved that the measure was expedient and necessary, but which from their peculiar situation they were inadequate to decide on.
As happiness was the object which first dictated the application for a separation, so it has continued to be the ruling principle in directing the good people of Kentucky to that great end, upon Constitutional terms, and they conceive the longer that measure is delayed the more they will be exposed to the merciless Savage or (which is greatly to be feared) Anarchy, with all the concomitant evils attending thereon.
Being fully impressed with these ideas, justified by frequent examples, we conceive it our duty as free men, from the regard we owe to our constituents, & being encouraged by the Resolutions of Congress, again to apply to your Honorable Body praying that an act may pass at the present Session for enabling the good people of the Kentucky Dis- trict to obtain an independent Government and be admitted into the confederation as a Member of the Federal Union, upon such terms and conditions as to you may appear just and equitable ; and that you transmit such Act to the President of this Convention with all convenient dispatch, in order for our consideration and the final completion of this business ; this we are emboldened to ask, as many of the Causes which produced former restrictions do not now exist.
Firmly relying on the justice and liberality of your Honorable House so often ex- perienced, and which we are ever bound to acknowledge,
We again solicit the friendly interposition of the parent State with the Congress of the United States for a speedy admission of the District into the Federal Union, and also to urge that honorable Body in the most express terms to take effectual measures
263
Appendix.
for procuring to the Inhabitants of this District the free Navigation of the River Mis- 'sissippi, without which the situation of a large part of the community will be wretched and miserable, and may be the source of future evils.
Ordered, that the President sign and the Clerk attest the said address, and that the same be inclosed by the President to the Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Resolved, That this Convention highly approve the Address presented by Gen'l James Wilkinson to the Governor and Intendant of Louisiana, and that the President be requested to present him the thanks of the Convention for the regard which he therein manifested for the Interest of the Western Country.
Resolved, That when this Convention doth adjourn, it will adjourn to the first Monday in August next.
Resolved, That the President of this Convention shall, during the recess thereof, with the advice of three or at the request of five Members, call a Convention, and in case of death, removal, or other disability of the President, any six members shall have power to call a meeting of the said Convention.
Ordered, That the Printer of the Kentucky Gazette be requested to publish the pro- ceeding of this Convention.
The Convention then adjourned till the first Monday in August, next.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.