names were already illustrious, or destined to become so in the future history of the State and nation. Among them sat Marshall, Madison, Monroe, Mason, Nichols, Henry, Randolph, Pendleton, Lee, Washington, Wythe, Innes, Bland, Grayson, and many others "whose sound reasoning and eloquence shed a lustre upon the deliberations of that august body which has never been surpassed in the annals of the commonwealth." On the 25th an ordinance was passed ratifying the Federal Constitution, and the new government at once went into operation, nine States having previously adopted that instrument.

It was then that Virginia began her career as the central figure in the galaxy of States, and for fifty years her progress was such that it won for her the proud title of "the Old Dominion." But our space forbids us to notice in detail the minor events in her history during that period, and we must content ourselves with a brief mention of the most important only.

BURNING OF THE RICHMOND THEATER.

The saddest event recorded in the annals of the State is that of the burning of the Richmond theater on the night of the 26th of December, 1811. This terrible catastrophe carried heart-rending sorrow to many heretofore happy homes, and cast a gloom over the entire State.

On that evening a popular play was to be introduced, and an audience numbering six hundred, composed of the elite of the city, together with many others from distant parts of the State who were spending the holidays at the capital city, had collected to witness the performance, and just at the time the play was to commence the scenery in the rear of the stage became ignited by coming in contact with a chandelier. The alarm was given, and then at once began such a scene as has rarely, if ever, been witnessed. We let the editor of the Richmond Standard, who was an eye-witness, describe it:

"The performers and their attendants in vain endeavored to tear down the scenery; the fire flashed in every part of the house with a rapidity horrible and astonishing; and, alas! gushing tears and unspeakable anguish deprived me of utterance. No person who was not present can form any idea of this unexampled scene of distress. * * * There was but one door for the greatest part of the audience to pass. Men, women and children were pressing upon each other, while the flames were seizing upon those behind. The editor went to different windows, which were very high, and implored his fellow-creatures to save their lives by jumping out of them. Those nearest the windows, ignorant of their danger, were afraid to leap down, while those behind them were seen catching on fire and writhing in the greatest agonies of pain and distress. At length those behind, urged by the pressing flames, pushed those who were nearest to the windows, and people of every description began to fall one upon another, some with their clothes on fire, some

half roasted. Oh, wretched me! Oh, afflicted people! Would to God I could have died a thousand deaths in any shape, could undivided suffering have purchased the safety of my friends, my benefactors, of those whom I loved! The editor, with the assistance of others, caught several of those whom he had begged to leap from the windows. One lady jumped out when all her clothes were on fire. He tore them burning from her; stripped her of her last rags, and, protecting her nakedness with his coat, carried her from the fire. Fathers and mothers were deploring the loss of their children; children the loss of their parents; husbands were heard to lament the loss of their companions; wives were bemoaning their burnt husbands. The people were seen wringing their hands, beating their hands and breasts, and those that had secured themselves seemed to suffer greater torments than those enveloped in the flames.

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Oh, distracting memory! Who that saw this can think of it again and yet retain his senses! Do I dream? No, no! Oh, that it were but a dream! My God! who that saw his friends and nearest connections devoured by fire and laying in heaps at the door, will not regret that he ever lived to see such sights? Could savages have seen this memorable event, it would even soften their hearts.

"A sad gloom pervades this place, and every countenance is cast down to earth. The loss of a hundred thousand friends on the field of battle could not touch the heart like this. Enough. Imagine what can not be described. The most distant and implacable enemy, and the most savage barbarians, will mourn our unhappy lot."

About one hundred and twenty perished in the flames, among whom were the Hon. George W. Smith, governor of the State; Abraham B. Venable, United States ex-senator and president of the State Bank of Richmond, and many other distinguished persons. Lieutenant J. Gibbon, of the regular army, lost his life in an attempt to save that of a Miss Conyers, his affianced.

SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.

When the war of 1812 came, Virginia was ready. She contributed liberally of her treasure, and thousands of her sons from her eastern shores and from her wide western domain enrolled themselves in favor of "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights," and went to join the land and naval forces of the nation; and when the vandals of Ross, who laid the Federal capital in ashes, were ravaging her shores, her citizens rose en masse to repel the ruthless invader. At Hampton, at Craney Island, at Norfolk, at Fort Meigs, and along the shores of the Northern lakes, hundreds of her sons fell upon the battle-field, and other hundreds paid the forfeit of their lives in a climate which, to them, habit and nature had rendered uncongenial and fatal.

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES.

As already noticed, Mr. Archibald Cary, from the committee appointed for the purpose, reported, on the 24th of June, 1776, a plan of government for the colony. It was read a second time, on the 26th, and considered in committee of the whole on that day, and on the 27th and 28th. It was then reported to the House, with amendments, which were read twice and agreed to. After being fairly transcribed, it was read a third time on the 29th and passed unanimously.

This constitution or form of government was originally drawn up by George Mason. Mr. Jefferson had put a draft of one into the hands of Mr. Wythe, who reached Williamsburg after the other was committed to the committee of the whole. Two or three parts of Mr. Jefferson's plan were, with little alteration, inserted in the other, and his preamble was also adopted. This constitution was in force until superseded by the amended constitution or form of government for Virginia which, on the 15th of January, 1830, was submitted and proposed to the people of Virginia by their delegates and representatives in convention assembled. This amended constitution continued in force until January, 1852. A convention to form a new constitution was called in 1850. It assembled on the 14th of October of the same year, and the constitution which continued in force until the time of the civil war was adopted on the 1st of August, 1851. It was submitted to the people, who ratified it on the fourth Thursday in October following. On the second Monday of the succeeding December an election was held for the legislature, governor, lieutenant-governor and attorney-general. The first general assembly under the new constitution convened on the second Monday in January (the twelfth day of the month), and the first governor and lieutenantgovernor took the oath and entered upon the discharge of the duties of their respective offices on the 16th of January, 1852. Under the now liberal provisions of this constitution, the State entered upon a decade of unexampled prosperity. These were the halcyon days of Virginia, but the storm came on apace and civil war hovered near.

JOHN BROWN'S RAID UPON HARPERS FERRY, VIRGINIA, 1859.

On the 16th day of October, 1859, an event occurred at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which sent a thrill of terror throughout the State and astonished the entire nation, an event which was but the forerunner of mightier ones; it was the muttering of the storm in the distance, the rumbling of thunder below the horizon where lay the storm which was destined, erelong, to

break forth in all its fury and scatter destruction far and wide throughout the country.

May 8th, 1858, a conference was held at Chatham, Canada, composed of numerous representatives from various parts of the United States and British America, the object of which was to consult upon and determine the best plans for bringing about a consummation of their long-cherished hope, the abolition of slavery in the Southern States. The moving spirit of that body was John Brown, or "Old Ossawattamie Brown," so called because of his participation in the battle fought at Ossawattamie, Kansas, during the troubles in that State. What the action of that convention was, never has been, and never will be known, but an inference may be drawn from the immediate action of its principal leader.

Shortly after, Brown and his two sons, Oliver and Watson, appeared in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and under the assumed name of Smith, leased a farm in Maryland, only a few miles distant from the place selected as the scene of their future operations. Here a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition, shipped from an unknown source, was collected, and a force of twenty-two confederates joined him, of whom seventeen were white and five were colored. Brown's courage and resolute daring displayed in the long and bloody war which ended in making Kansas a free State, secured for him the leadership in the dangerous enterprise now to be undertaken. At length the day for action arrived; Brown issued his instructions to his followers and concluded by saying, "And now, gentlemen, let me press this one thing upon your minds. You all know how dear life is to you, and how dear your lives are to your friends; and remembering that, consider that the lives of others are as dear to them as yours is to you. Do not, therefore, take the life of any one, if you can possibly avoid it; but, if necessary to take life in order to save your own, then make sure work of it."

The hour was 10 o'clock P. M., when William Williamson, the arsenal guard on the Potomac bridge, while walking his beat, was seized and made a prisoner. The guard thus removed, Brown and his men quietly took possession of the armory buildings, in which were stored an immense quantity of arms and ammunition. When the midnight relief came to the bridge and found the lights out and the guard gone, he supposed it to be an attempt at robbery, and hastened away to give the alarm. About 1 o'clock in the morning several of the invaders went to the house of Lewis Washington, an extensive farmer and slave owner, and, arousing him from his bed, made him a prisoner, and after securing his arms and carriage and proclaiming freedom to his slaves, carried him to the arsenal. A similar visit was made to the residence of Mr. Alstatt, who, together with his son, was made a prisoner and