Note 15 — Thursday July. 26. in Convention. [12]
Reading edition
"Aug 1. 1787 Williamsb.
Dear Col.
"We are here & I believe every where all Impatience to know something of your conventional Deliberations. If you cannot tell us what you are doing, you might at least give us some Information of what you are not doing. This wd afford food for political conjecture, and perhaps be sufficient to satisfy present Impatience. I hope you have already discovered the means of preserving the American Empire united–& that the scheme of a Disunion has been found pregnant with ye greatest Evils–But we are not at this distance able to judge with any accuracy upon subjects so truly important & interesting as those wch must engage you at present–We can only hope, that you will all resemble Cæsar, at least in one particular: 'nil actum reputans si quid superesset agendum';–& that your Exertions will be commensurate to ye great Expectations wch have been formed....
"J. Madison." [A]
[A] President of William and Mary College, and the first Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Virginia. He was a second cousin of James Madison, of Orange.
(Mad. MSS.)
Richmond Augt 5. 87.
"Dear Sir,
"I am much obliged to you for your communication of the proceedings of ye Convention, since I left them; for I feel that anxiety about ye result, which it's Importance must give to every honest citizen. If I thought that my return could contribute in the smallest degree to it's Improvement, nothing should Keep me away. But as I know that the talents, knowledge, & well-established character, of our present delegates have justly inspired the country with ye most entire confidence in their determinations; & that my vote could only operate to produce a division, & so destroy ye vote of ye State, I think that my attendance now would certainly be useless, perhaps injurious.
"I am credibly inform'd that Mr Henry has openly express'd his disapprobation of the circular letter of Congress, respecting ye payment of British debts; & that he has declared his opinion that ye Interests of this state cannot safely be trusted with that body. The doctrine of three confederacies, or great Republics, has its advocates here. I have heard Hervie support it, along with ye extinction of State Legislatures within each great Department. The necessity of some independent power to controul the Assembly by a negative, seems now to be admitted by ye most zealous republicans–they only differ about ye mode of constituting such a power. B. Randolph seems to think that a magistrate annually elected by ye people might exercise such a controul as independently as ye King of G. B. I hope that our representative, Marshall, will be a powerful aid to Mason in the next Assembly. He has observ'd the actual depravation of mens manners, under ye corrupting Influence of our Legislature; and is convinc'd that nothing but ye adoption of some efficient plan from ye Convention can prevent anarchy first, & civil convulsions afterwards. Mr H–—y has certainly converted a majority of Prince Edward, formerly ye most averse to paper money, to ye patronage of it....
"Your friend & humble servt.
"James Mcclurg." (Mad. MSS.)