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About The Augusta chronicle and gazette of the state. (Augusta [Ga.]) 1789-1806 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1790)
AUGUST A, Augufiiu ( Judge Walton*;, Charge totheGrand jury ot Richmond County. Gtntlemtn of the G r and Jury* .. IT ha» been the peculiar misfortune of tn>* county, to have the place for holding its C ourts uncertain and fluctuating, (o as neithsr the citizens, the suiters, or their counsel, fr arce ever knew at one term where they were to efleiub.e the nett. Frfcm AOgufta to Brownf borough, alternately, and from both to the Xiokies, then back, and now here again— Changes direftly tending to destroy the con fidence of juthce, and the certainty of the law, Several plans have been formed, and expe dients attempted, to unite the different opi nions, and to flx the attention to some spot, the lituatisn of which might promise perma nency, and j iftify the ereftion of the necef f t ry buildings : but, unfortunately, this has hitherto been in vain Iu the principal feflion of the present year, the Legillature had before them a bill for di viding the county, which parted one House, and flopped in the other. Had this bill been carried into a law, there is no doubt but that the Court-house and jarl of the lower county would have been eftablilhed at Augusta j and as this event will, without question, feoner or later take place, and as proper buildings cannot longer be done without, will it not be ccconomy and security to ereCt them there? They would answer for the whole body of the county sot the present, and for one part, certainly, after a division; and the fame power and relources would be employed to ereft others where and when they should be fnuud necCtfary. In addition to this mod obvious reasoning, Jt Ihould be contidered that Augufla, beiug the place appointed for holding the Circuit and D (tntl Coutts ot the Union, a decent, as wen as an interefled, refpett for the gene ral uov eminent, Ihould incline us to an ar rangement ot accommodation. There must be a place alio lor the meeting of <>ur own Judges after the Circuits, on important qtief tion-, to cflibi th uniformity, and to correct criors ; and none so proper as the ieit of go vernment, or so convenient, for parties aud couniel, as Augutfa It might also be considered, that that ad mired and advantageous spot in the foutlietn Hates, beng the feat of government and of public otfice iu Georgia ; being alio the head of navigation, and the general flore-houfe of all the weflern productions, will soon become the gieat center of commerce, and of in ternal tranfadious *, and that the trouble of attending Coutts, will amply be compenfatcd fcy the opportunities of butinefs. fiefldcs, it ought to be well underflood, for it is indubitably true, that every man’s property in the county appreciates, in a just and inevitable proportion, with the rife and ptofperity of that metropolis.—l am aware ©f an objeftion with refpeft to elections, which have heretofore been held at theCourt-houfes; but this ihould be altered for the ease of the people; and, perhaps, regimental diftrifts would be the must eligible mode. Having frequently spoken t® the Grand Juries of the county upon this interesting fub jeCt, I hope 1 am now indulged without of. fence. These ate the only occafious allowed to me of avowing my sentiments upon fueh matters. My anxiety and perfeveraoce will, at leift, stand jollified by comparing the town now with what it was a few years past. Per iiaps no place from natural caules ever made a more rapid progress. In ancient hillory we find, that the face, the name and extent of Byzantium, were changed, and the em pire of the world removed fiom R.ome to Constantinople, by the ambition or luperfti tion of Conitantine and the power of the Ko. mans • and, in modern tunes, that the m>* yailes of me Fmdland Guiph were converted into a laige and elegant city, and the moil •xteniive monarchy now exiftmg rem »ved from Moicow to by the genius •t me gieat Pe.ei, ant the larriiict of mil lions of m »nev, and of thou Uadi of men. Bit Augufla, without uoie exnaurtmg exer tions, riles trom the uie o» the telling axe, me hoe, the Ipale and the plougniheai ; its itavigition to me city end port of savannah, our principal key m the ocean, and ns central p nil ion I by which it w II be the p uni tn pohuwai n* uamauon a# an# oonm, *4«a am I p!ire for receiving an 1 ! returning the i n -^ r- ' cou fe witfi the Union, the temporary feat of government of which being in a line with it, and the peimaneut one ftiH farther to the Weft. Above all, it is the principal feat of learn ing i. the southern states. What pity, (hould leller views, or the baneful influence of party measures, weaken or reftram its growth. Permit me, therefore, to hope that your Se nator and Reprelentatives will meet the next Legislature with minds disposed and deter mined to make the molt of such great advan tages. Gentlemen cf the Grand Jury y Our principal mart being within your coun ty, and the government of the state admi mfteied in it, your attention ought to be par ticularly directed to the condition of the public high-Ways. The tranfpbirtatiOn of produce, and the access to government and the public e ces, should be made as easy as possible. . Collected, as you are, from the different parts of the county, it is in your power to give information to one another, so as to bring to public view the' roads* which are in order, and' those which are not. Refiifals and negiefts are equally puniihable, and are propei fubjetts for your inquiry and prefer ment. One great error heretofore has beetr, a desire of increasing the number of roads, mote than the perfection of those already efta* blifhed. Instead, therefore, of contemplat ing new ones, it should be our aim to com plete those already laid out. Over some of the runs inefficient bridges have been erect ed, and the public money expended without effcCt. This is highly censurable ; and the utmost care ought to be taken to guard against such impolitions in future. The bridge over Little river, at Scott’s, has been swept away by the frefh. The con flruftion, it is said, was inefficient. Al though it was guaran'ced for seven years, the Grand Jury of Wilkes recommended that the bonds should be cancelled, upon the money be:ng refunded by the contractor j and so it was oidcied. This county being concerned, it is alfoI’fubmitted 1 ’fubmitted to your confidetation j the refu t of which you will please to report by way of recommendation. As the speedy re building hat bridge is important to the cul i vatiou weft *f it, and of course the gcneial exportation, effectual measures mult be taken tor that purpose before therifingof the Court. —When we fee a tourfe of ltupendous arches ftreiching over the broad furface, and rapid ft earn, of the Savannah, at Augusta, by the design and efforts of one man, something less than a difficulty ought to be felt and experi. enccd in perfecting the little palles of the county. The works of this fort hitherto made were flight and temporary : But the plenty aud strength of the coumry a* ft now equal to more substantial establishments. Let what we may hereafter do be well done and we may promise ouifelves it will be lading. The roads and causeways of the Roman empire were so firmly conftrutted, that the vestiges are to be seen at this day. What a lesson to the enlightened times of the preient age and country! Now, Gentlemen, to the immediate duties affigued you as your portion of the public ju risprudence. The Solicitor-General will give out to you, is the form of indsfrments, inch profecutious as he fball deem proper aud neceifary i and where he shall find a general complaint of abuses, without any one amount ing to a ground of criminal prosecution, he will charge you therewith, that you may make presentment thereof for public observation. The Legislature, in reviewing such prefer ments, will fee the way to a reform. When detached from the Court, and fitting as the Grand lnqueft, it will, in the lauguage of your oath, be your duty, 44 diligently to inquire* into the truth, and to prefer with out regard to any other confidcration. fear, hate and revenge j affeftion, favor and re ward ; all are equally out of the question. Holy and (acred truth mull be your only guide. Every wituefsto be examined by you, mu ft be pi evioufly iworu or affirmed in open Court. Testimony has been generally on the part of tue profecutiou ouly i But Irom the letter and (pint of your oath, you have a right to any evident* which you rtwuld know to be appli cable to the call before you, being flirt qua liked in Court, Be iliife our ruin, and jufkici will bi done, I Anllhi *J«| J* V# l/y^ Presentments. Richmond County, Superior Court, Augu/tlerm , 1790. WE, the Grand Jury for the county of Richmond, have taken under our con liberation, the<.harge of your Ho nor, delivered us at the commencement of the present term, and thereupon have deter mined to makeW following recommenda tions to the Court : . With reOeft to that part of your Honors Charge, which relates to the bridge to have been built over Little river, at Scott’s, with, the proceedings of Wilkes county accompa nying the fame, it h the opiaion of the Grand Jury we ought not to accede to the re commendation of the Grand Inquest of that county; but, on the contrary, we recommend, that the Commissioner appointed on the part of this county to attend to the contrast, do immediately take vigorous and effeftual mea-. fures to eplvtcc the fame. And in case it (hall be found necessary to commence a suit against the contraftor, that it be recommend ed to the Court to order a levy and collec tion of a fufficient tax in this county, to go in a just proportion with a tax in Wilkes county, towards a nevV cortraft for the fame, ; upon like principles. And We also recommend Mr. Sherwood Bugg, as a proper person to be appointed a commis sioner, to join the commiflioners appointed by the county of Wilkes, to attend to any future contrast that may be necessary, to be entered into relative to the building of a bridge over Little river, at Scott’s ; and also to execute any dutie that may remain unperformed by Mr. Barnett, former commissioner thereof, who hath removed out of the county. We recommend that the present and form er (heiiffa of the county, the former com miflioners for building court-houses and jails, be required to call on Robert Forfvtb, George Handley, and John Meals, Etquires, the pre tent commiffioneis appointed to fupenntcnd the building court-houi'es and jails; and to fettle their accounts of receipts arid expendi tures of monies coming into their hands frum the funds appropriated by law to that use. . We recommend that the lheriff be requir ed to call on the clerks of the Superior an<T Inferior Courts, and obtain certified lifts of ail persons who may have applied to the re fpedive courts for licences to retail fpintu ous liquors; and lifts of all forfeited recog nizances, arid to proceed to colled the fame, where monies (hall appear to be due the county, and pay over the monies collected a® afoie-direfted.* We recommend that the judges of the In ferior Courts do appoint some proper perfoa or persons, to call on the different commif lioners over the several roads iri the county, for a lift of the defaulters, who (hall have ne glected to yield the services required of them under the aft of Assembly, passed the 4th February, 1789, and to colleft all the fines arising from the aforefaid aft. We-recommend David Walker as a proper person to succeed Isaac Low, fen. deceased, as a commissioner to open the road from the head of Rocky Creek to Augusta, and to take charge of the remainder of the road over which Low was commissioner. We recommend Mr. Hargrove, jofhua Sanders, and John Cobbs, jun. as proper per son-s to fill up vacancies of the commiffioner® over the toad leading from the Kioka Mee.- ing-houie, to jolhua Sanders’s. We recommend that the river road, lead ing from Mr. John Wcreat’s to Augusta, which appears to have been difeontinued, be again opened as a public way, the lame hav ing been petitioned io to be ty Mr- Wereat, in behalf of the inhabitants on and near the lame. And we iccommeud that the inhabi tants, living between it and the river, be di rected to keep the fame in repair; and that Mr. M'Miliau be appointed commissioner the eot. We recommend that Spencer Reeves be exonemed tram paying his poll-tax. We do lincerely regret, with your Honor, the peculiar uiistoituuc of this counifi 1® have the place for holding its court! uncertain end fluctuating, so aa neither the ctti/eua. the fuiien, or their counted (carte evet bn**** one tein* *beie »h«* *eie w eileiublf tie J MM* Ihet the chan*** vcft.th have lahifi
