Petition for "The Protection of Oysters", 1843 - Gloucester Co. VA


GLOUCESTER COUNTY
	Legislative Petition
	February 8, 1843


The following document is located in the Virginia State Archives 
at Richmond, Virginia, in a fibredex box labeled "Gloucester 
County Legislative Petitions 1820-1864"; the two document 
identification numbers are: A6999, 13784. 

+-----------------+
| Augs. W. Robins |
|                 |
| pn. citizens of |
| Gloucester      |
|                 |
| Feby 8th 1843   |
|                 |
| refd. to select |
| com.            |
+-----------------+

The Petition of sundry citizens of Gloucester and Mathews 
counties residing on North river to the Legislature of Virginia 
asking for an amendment of the laws passed for the protection of 
Oysters.

Your petitioners who comprise the largest portion of the citizens 
of Gloucester and Mathews counties residing on North river, 
respectfully represent to your honorable body that the existing 
laws passed to prevent the destruction of oysters, have proved 
inadequate for the object intended. Your petitioners more 
particularly represent to your Honorable body that North river is 
a stream of very limited extent, at best affording a supply of 
oysters, not more than equal to the wants of those living in the 
vicinity who are suffering most grievously from what they 
consider a defect in the present laws. The acts of Assembly at 
present inforce prohibit the catching and taking of oysters by 
citizens of other states, but not their purchase and removal. 
Claiming the provision of this feature of the law, vessels from 
other states frequent our river in great numbers, but not with 
the view of trafficking lawfully with our citizens; but availing 
themselves of the nighttime, when the white inhabitants are 
asleep, they carry on a most ruinous and demoralizing trade with 
our slaves who are seduced by the promise of gain and the liberal 
supply of ardent spirits to expose themselves at all times of 
night to most inclement weather. The result of which is that 
oysters are taken in such quantities as to tend to their utter 
destruction, and the additional, and _______ greater evil is 
superinduced, of rendering our slaves corrupt, and worthless, 
which will eventually lead to their elopement, as the most ample 
facilities are afforded by the foreign craft. Your petitioners 
feel most sensibly the grievance under which they labour, which 
can only be removed by more efficient legislation, or by the 
resort to actual force, a resort justly to be deprecated by a 
peaceful and lawloving community. Your petitioners after due 
consultation are satisfied that no law, which does not prohibit 
the sale and exportation of oysters, except in such small 
quantities as to render it unprofitable for vessels coming from a 
distance to visit our river for the purpose of purchasing them, 
can avail, in preventing the utter destruction of the oysters of 
North river, and the ruin of the slave property. Now your 
petitioners are advised that such a provision of law as proposed, 
is perfectly within the constitutional powers of your Honorable 
body. The navigable waters of the several states, are free to the 
use of all the citizens of the several states, but the soil of 
each state, belongs exclusively to the citizens of the particular 
state. Whilst then vessels from other states have the right to 
the use of our waters, they have not the right to take from our 
soil, anything prohibited by our local laws, and in principle, 
are bound so to use their navigation priviledges, as not to be 
destructive of our rights or soil, and slave property. Your 
petitioners then respectfully ask of the Honorable Legislature of 
Virginia, to pass an amendatory law, prohibiting any vessel 
whatever from taking, catching, buying, receiving, or carrying 
away at any one time, from the North river or its branches, a 
greater quantity of oysters, than thirty bushels, and as in duty 
bound your petitioners will ever pray ..

R. Singleton
Alex. G. Taliaferro
W. Taliafero Sr.
W. Taliafero Jr.
Jas. R. Dabney
Jno. H. Tabb
Jas. Dabney
Jno. R. Ranson
Jos. S. Deans
Henry Yeatman
George E. Tabb
Wade Morly
Bartlet Gayle
John Gale
Wm. M. Roy
P. E. Tabb
Henry M. Tabb 


Submitted by Edwin B. Washington, Jr. <washingtoneb@erols.com>

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