ne from Surrey County.

[608:B] Bancroft, vii. 277.

[609:A] Letter dated at Williamsburg April 27th, 1775, to Mann Page,
Jr., Lewis Willis, and Benjamin Grymes, in S. Lit. Mess., 1858, 26.

[609:B] Burk's Hist. of Va., iii. 406.

[611:A] Wirt's Henry, 137; Burk's Hist. of Va., iv. 13. This volume is a
continuation of Burk by Skelton Jones and Louis Hue Girardin, mainly by
the latter, who enjoyed the advantage of Mr. Jefferson's assistance.

[611:B] Vol. iii. 416.

[611:C] Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution, ii. 584. Wirt says that
the news reached Virginia before the assembling of the volunteers at
Fredericksburg.

[612:A] The following is a copy of the receipt:--

"DONCASTLE'S ORDINARY, New Kent, May 4th, 1775.

"Received from the Hon. Richard Corbin, Esq., his majesty's
receiver-general, L330, as a compensation for the gunpowder
lately taken out of the public magazine by the governor's
order, which money I promise to convey to the Virginia
delegates at the general congress, to be, under their
direction, laid out in gunpowder for the colony's use, and to
be stored as they shall direct, until the next colony
convention or general assembly, unless it shall be necessary
in the mean time to use the same in the defence of the colony.
It is agreed that in case the next convention shall determine
that any part of the said money ought to be returned to his
majesty's said receiver-general, that the same shall be done
accordingly.

"PATRICK HENRY, JR.

"_Test_: SAMUEL MEREDITH,
PARKE GOODALL."

[613:A] Burk, iv. 15.

[613:B] Richmond in By-gone Days, by Samuel Mordecai, 173.

[613:C] Page 102.

[614:A] Bancroft, vii. 335.

CHAPTER LXXXII.

1775.

Mecklenburg Declaration.

THAT there was a Declaration of Independence made at Charlotte, by
citizens of the County of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, on the 20th of
May, 1775, is the commonly received opinion in that State, and has been
often stated in print.[615:A] The closer scrutiny to which this
declaration has been of late years subjected[615:B] appears to
invalidate its authenticity. The patriotism, intelligence, and courage
of the Scotch-Irish inhabitants of Mecklenburg--the Alexanders, Brevard,
Polk, Balch, and others, are universally acknowledged; and that they
"acted" independence as early