Albemarle County, Anno Dom. 1788
To the Honorable Speaker, and House of Delegates Convened together at the City of Richmond; to take under their consideration, that may attend to the good of the Commonwealth of Virginia, etc. --
We your Humble petitioners sendeth these lines to the Honourable House, to inform you of our distressed condition, which is coming on us daily, for want of a circulating Medium among us, therefore we pray you to take in under your consideration, and grant our request, which is this, We pray and wish you to emit as much paper money as will pay our domestic debt, and said money to be a Lawfull Tender, in all debts dues and Demands, whatsoever (Except the Demands of Congress, which we shall ever be happy to be Taxed in Tobacco, Etc. to answer that of paying our Foreign debt & Loan Etc.) For admitting the enemies of said paper Money, Should depreciate it a little at first, it is better for a few to suffer a little than a majority of the State to become Servants to the rest, and it appears to your petitioners likely to be the case when we consider the quantity of money it takes to pay off our Sivel list annually, and also our Six per cent Interest Warrants, And we Consider it just and right, that the old british debts should be paid that was contracted before the War, but we also remember that when those debts was contracted, that there was a paper Currency among us that they generally was willing to recover, therefore we wish to pay them off in paper money, and then they will be willing to allow us a reasonable price for our Tobacco Etc., and leave our money among us, for we are not so doubtfoll of the faith of our State as many appearantly is, for we are heartoly willing to sell our property for said money, as well now, as when George the third was our head, for we believe, when said money is calld in by Taxation, that our Legislature has wisdom enough to lay it out on purchasing Tobacco Etc., to help to Rase a fund, and admitting some persons should say this cannot be done we are very clear that there can be as good a fund Rased to redeem this said money, as was done to redeem our Militia Certificates Etc.
and now, if this Honourable House will not grant this our request, we still will pray farther, for our property to be received in payment of our debts, at the valuation of two or three good men, and we wish to leave it to your wisdom to point out what kind of property shall be received in payments of our debts, and if something similar to our requests is done what heart can stand by and see his property that he hath laboured hard for, sell for one fourth of its value and in a few years perhaps not for over one tenth of it value, then power will naturally follow property, then God help the poor -- Therefore by these hints you may know what our prayers and wish is -- and now we wish that good Spirit above may inspire your breasts so that you may never consent to the Instaulment Act, for it alarms your petitioners when they consider that the Merchant is the channel by which the money must come through to the planter, then will they not consult together, And fix the price on our Commodity as they see fit, and will they not keep back more than six per cent upon all their debts due to them that they do not receive in the first years payment Etc. Etc.
Alass will Instaulment put a stop to that eating Canker of six per cent Interest Warrants, and also the old British Debts must be paid under the same Act which will make the old proverb true -- a new Broom sweeps clean, then that saying will soon come to pass They have taken Virginia without the fere of a gun, and now we conclude wishing that God May direct you for to act and do whatsoever may attend for the good of the Commonwealth of Virginia in general, Amen --
Then thy Humbel Petitioners shall ever Pray --
Hugh R.
Morris
Charles
Minx
John Burnley
William
Grayson Henry
Wood
Cornelyus Moping
John
Mills
Talton
Woodson
Petter Rosell
Grabriel
Mullens
his
John Taylor
John
Maupin
Jeremiah X
Cleveland
Wm. Coles, Sen.
Gabril
Maupen
mark
Edward Butler
Thos.
Reed
John
Williams
Michail Smith
Bartolomeh
Kindred George
Norvell
Chas. Hudson
Jno.
Brit
John Baly,
Sr.
Wm. Kenney
Joel
Wheeler
Samuel
Burch
his
John
Sproul
John
Alexander
John X Palhoof (?)
Jesey
Gooch
Wilson
Roberts
mark
James
Briget
William Shelton,
Sr.
Samuel Mun
Micajah Wheeler, Jr.
Anthony
Granning
Micajah Via
Bartlet
Ellis
John
Eades
Martin Gentry
Maxley
Ewell
Joseph Sutherland,
Sr. John
Matthews
Jno. Mopin,
sen. John Allen, Tax
P.
James Wood
James
Harris
Joseph
Burch
Daniel Maupin
Peter
Shaver
Moses
Gentry
Mourning Roberts, T. P.
John
Jones
Nelson
Thomas
William Humphreys T. P.
David
Gentry
William
Ramsay
Joseph Roberts T. P.
Wm. Macon,
Sen. Robt.
Sharp,
Jr.
John Bent
Wm.
Woods
John Buster,
Sr.
George Conner
James
Kingsolving John
Allphin
John Gillum, Senr.
William Thompson,
Tax John
Queritt
John Gillum, Jun.
Payer
James Siddearth,
Sr.
William Berry
Joseph
Mansfield James
Suddearth,
Jr.
Thos. Harlow
John
Martin
Samuel
Dedman
Philemon Snell
John
Hall
Josiah
Wallece
Samuel Brookman
Zackarius
Maupin John
Harris
Oliver Cleveland
John
Day
Solomen
Dolen
James Noland
Robert
Layne
John
Stockton
Andrew Pray
Banj.
Dedwheeler William
Davis
Mathey Mopin
Daniel Maupin,
Jr. William
Gooch
Robert Yancey
James
Reynolds
Alexander
Wetnell
David Mc. Caully
Thomas
Harlow
James
Brooks
William Sudderd
Claudius Buster,
Jr. Joseph
Nott
Joseph Claiborne
William
Fickenson John
Brown
John Sowell
David
Sowers
Evan
Watson
Thos. Cobbs
David
Burges
his
James Mayo. T. P.
John
Burnett
Joshua X
Grady
his
Daniel Mc.
Evay
mark
John X Brian
Peter
Belew
Obediah
Britt
mark
his
Benjemine
Thacker
William Johnson
George X
Procter Nathanuel
Thacker
William Clarke, T.
mark
West
Lanford
Robert Martin
James
Hayes
Claudius
Buster
John Spencer
Isom
Randolph
Barnett
Carter
Thomas Mopin
Ephraim
Musack
Micajah
Wheeler
John Given
David
Buster
Daniel
Maupin
Boling Burnett
Edward
Broaddus
Robert
Langford
Jo. Upton
John Spencer,
Jr. William
Sudderd
Wm. Mc. Gee
Nathl. Dedman, T.
P. Chas.
Yancey
Benj. Lacy
Jesse
Compton
David
Humphrey
Benj. Gentry
Robert
Field
Nathan
Harlow
John Woods
James
Reid
Richard
Sanford
Hugh Mc. William
Wm. Wood,
Jr.
John
Fergusson
Francis Craven
Benjamin
Taylor
Augustine
Shepperd
Horsley Goodman
Wm.
Langford
Philip Gooch
Daniel Cain James Kerr
his
John Gillom
John X
Randolph
William Wood
mark
Samuel Parr
William
Bailey
Samuel Black
Endorsement -- Albemarle Petition for an Emmision of Paper Money 3rd of Nov.,
1787, Petition A174, Nov. 3, 1787.
From William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Second Series, Vol. 2, No. 3, July 1922, pp. 213-216, Albemarle County Historical Society, Charlottesville, VA.