88 HAYS — DRAUGHT OF DECLARATION OF IXDEPEXDENCE. [Ap. 1, 



A NOTE ON THE HISTORY 



OF THE JEFFERSON MANUSCRIPT DRAUGHT OF 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 



IN THE LIBRARY OF 

 THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



BY I, MINIS HAYS, M.D. 



{Read April 1, 1808.) 



As the precise historic relation of the Jefferson manuscript 

 draught of the Declaration of Independence, possessed by this 

 Society, to the document as adopted by the Congress, has been in- 

 volved in some indefiniteness, it seemed desirable to collect and 

 carefully examine all the information available on the subject. 



The draught was acquired by the American Philosophical Society 

 seventy-three years ago and the following entry appears in its 

 Donation Book : 



*' 1825, August 19. 



''The draught of the Declaration of Independence originally 

 presented to Congress. This venerable document was sent to R. 

 H. Lee (the mover of the resolution of Independence) by Thos. 

 Jefferson (in whose handwriting it appears to be, with the altera- 

 tions made previous to the adoption by Congress) on the 8th [j-/V] 

 July 1776 & has remained in Mr. Lee's family until the present 

 time when his Grandson, R. H. Lee, gave it to the A. P. Soc'y to 

 be added to the Documents presented on 17 June.^ It was accom- 

 panied by a copy of Mr. Jefferson's letter enclosing it. 

 " Donor. Richd. Henry Lee, grandson of R. H. Lee by hands of 

 G. W. Smith." 



On the margin of the page is written : 



" Received from the hands of Richard Henry Lee, Esq., by me 

 and in pursuance of his request presented to the American Philo- 

 sophical Society. 



''George W. Smith." 



''The autograph correspondence of R. H. and A. Lee. 



