Notes
This letter was written by Patrick Henry to the Governor's Council in February 1786. At this time, Henry was serving in his fifth and final term as governor of Virginia. His term lasted from December 1785 to December 1786.
The letter was sent to the "Council Chamber" of the Governor's Council, also known as the Privy Council and Council of State. Established in 1607, the Council and its twelve members were appointed by the British sovereign beginning in the 1630s.
On June 29, 1776, Virginia ratified its constitution, which distributed state power among three branches of the new government: the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. The Council, part of the executive branch, lost most of its formal powers and decreased its numbers to eight members. The councilors—appointed by the legislature—were primarily tasked with serving as advisors to the governor, who was also appointed by the legislature. Patrick Henry was required to get the advice of the Council for most of his actions. Where Henry and his council met was referred to as the Council Chamber.
The Council continued until delegates to the 1850 Virginia constitutional convention chose not to retain the Council as a formal body, vesting many of its remaining functions in the popularly-elected offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.
The letter discusses the payment of post-war debts with Europe. Although Henry mentions an enclosure with this letter, this has since been lost.
The PHMF purchased the letter in November 2013 from Don Smith.