1 The identity of "Miss Narcissa" and her family the editor is unable to discover. The family was one probably resident in Salisbury and with which the Harris brothers both were acquainted.

        2 The failure of the writer to complete the sentence relative to the "sons" seems from the context to indicate "unworthiness" on their part.

        3 Robert Harris had evidently informed his brother of a contemplated change in his occupation, probably indicating his purpose to return to their father's home to engage in agriculture and trade. The editor thinks it probable that he did reside with his father between the early winter of 1800 and the summer of 1802. At the latter date he established himself as merchant at Sneedsboro, in Anson county. See letters below.

        4 Rushlight (a rush candle, or its light; hence, a small feeble light). William Cobbett, English journalist was born at Fordham, in Surry, England, 1762. Coming to America by way of France in 1792, he set up a print-shop in Philadelphia, then the seat of the American government, and under the pen name of Peter Porcupine lashed French republicanism and American democracy with a scorn "as coarse and personal as it was always bitter." Cobbett reached his public mainly through pamphlets until 1797, when he established, March 4, "Porcupine's Gazette" as a daily, and in 1798 a tri-weekly mail edition of the same paper, without the advertisements, and called the "Country Porcupine." As a champion of Federalism and scourge of Republicanism Cobbett's productions were universally popular among the Federalists. In 1799 his paper was removed from Philadelphia on account of the yellow fever epidemic and continued as a weekly until early 1800 at Bustleton. Pennsylvania. About this date Dr. Benjamin Rush secured the $5000 verdict against him for libel (see an earlier note). Seriously crippled financially, Cobbett now launched the "Rushlight" to continue his attack upon Rush and other of his enemies, being careful however, to keep within the law. The "Rushlight" was in the form of a pamphlet and seven numbers in all were issued. Nos. 1 to 6 were published February 15, 28, March 15, 31, April 30, and August 30, 1800. Vol. 2, No. 1 (undated) has title: "The Republican Rushlight by William Cobbett." No. 6 was published in London. No place of publication is given for Vol. 2, No. 1. The other numbers were published in New York. Cobbett left America in the fall of 1800. In January, 1802, he began to publish in London his "Weekly Political Register" which he continued

without intermission until his death in 1835. This new publication was at first stoutly Tory in politics, but later became an uncompromising champion of Radicalism.

        5 Dr. Charles Harris, of Cabarrus, uncle of the Harris brothers.

        6 This was "presidential year," and there has been no period in our national history that presents an aspect of stronger partizanship in politics. Federalists and Republicans throughout the nation confronted each other in a spirit of utter distrust and rancor. Jefferson, the "hope" of the Republicans, achieved the presidency over John Adams and the latter retired from office in 1801 with utter bad grace and amid the gloomiest forebodings of his partymen as to the future of the country in the hands of the radicals. The western and southwestern counties in North Carolina remained staunchly Federalist during these stormy years, in general returning Federalist representatives to Congess from 1799 to 1803, a number of districts continuing to do so as late as 1813.

        7 Abraham Hodge, the editor. See supra.

        8 Halifax and the congressional district centering therein was strongly Republican. Willis Alston, a "rabid radical" in the eyes of the Federalists, represented the district continuously from 1799 to 1813.

        9 General William R. Davie, in conjunction with Oliver Ellsworth and William Vans Murray, had been appointed as commissioner to France in 1799 by President Adams in an endeavor to heal our differences with that country. Davie had resigned the governorship of the state to accept the mission. A treaty was signed with Napoleon on the 30th of September, 1800. Davie returned to America in December, reaching his home in Halifax on the 26th of that month.

        10 Mrs. William R. Davie was Sarah Jones, sister of General Allen Jones and Willie Jones of Halifax. The latter was the adroit political leader of the forces in the state which had successfully opposed the ratification of the Federal Constitution by the state in 1788, deferring the action of the state for more than a year. After North Carolina did enter the Union Jones withdrew from political life.

        2 This gloomy picture of court congestion and the multiplicity and character of the crimes before the County Courts in the year 1800 tends somewhat to soften the view, now so generally and justly prevalent, that our judicial system is inadequate and too slow-moving. The contrast is in favor of the present; but few would contend that our present system is a remarkable product for a hundred and more years of growth.

        3 Harris' appreciation of the fact that the West, or "back country" was at this date maintaining Federalist leaders in office, while the East generally was in control of the Democracy.

        4 Elections for the Seventh Congress and for president of the United States.

        5 Thomas Blount, representative from North Carolina in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Congresses (1793-1799) and again in the 9th, 10th and 12th Congresses, dying in office in 1812. He was a resident of Tarboro in Edgecombe. He was sixth in a family of ten, the offspring of Jacob Blount, of Craven. Three others of the brothers attained distinction in public life. These were William, Willie, and John Gray Blount. (For the family genealogy see Wheeler's Reminiscences, page 130, et seq.

        6 Willis Alston, of Halifax. Member of Congress from 1799 to 1815 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was a strong republican partizan and much hated by his opponents. During the War of 1812 he was Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee.

        7 Gideon Alston was a brother of Willis Alston and likewise an ardent Republican. He was in the state senate in 1805 and 1806. In 1807 he was elected a Councillor of State by the Assembly and to the same office in each successive year until 1831, one year excepted, 1815.

        8 Thomas McKean, member from Pennsylvania to the Stamp Act Congress, 1765, delegates from Delaware to the First Continental Congress, 1774, and to the Second Continental Congress, 1775, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the Articles of Confederation, author of the Constitution of Delaware. He was the only man who served continuously through all the sessions of the two Continental Congresses. In 1799 he was elected in opposition to the Federalists as governor of Pennsylvania where the transition to Republican control was accompanied by loud mutterings of discontent on the part of the Federalist party. Nevertheless he was chosen for three successive terms, retiring from the office in 1808.

        9 Forebodings as to what Jefferson would do with the appointing power, should he be elected president, was general among the Federalists throughout the country. Upon election, however, his use of the appointing power was much milder than his opponents had anticipated, though they refused to admit this. He made no clean sweep of the Federalist incumbents but attempted a policy of equalization by degrees removing a few Federalist office-holders directly, replacing others with Republicans as terms expired by limitation, and still others whom death removed from office. In other words, the first Republican president of the United States was not a "spoilsman."

        10 Spruce McCay, of Rowan, member of the Superior Court bench from 1782 to 1808, the date of his death. He was one of the most useful citizens of the state during the years of his service. He married Fannie Henderson, daughter of Judge Richard Henderson, founder of the Transylvania Company which made the pioneer effort, on an extended scale, in the settlement of Kentucky and Tennessee. Contrary to Harris' supposition, it does not seem

likely that Judge McCay was a candidate for Congress from the Salisbury district in 1800. In that year Archibald Henderson, McCay's brother-in-law, was the Federalist candidate for the district, to succeed himself, and was successfully elected.

        11 Edwin Jay Osborne, of Rowan, a member of the first graduating class at the University of North Carolina (1798). He became a useful lawyer, practicing first at Wilmington and later removing to Salisbury. He was the father of Judge James W. Osborne, who was born in 1811, graduated at the State University in 1830, and became one of the most brilliant lawyers the state has ever produced. He was a judge of the Superior Court from 1859 to his death in 1865, and was the father of the well-known former District Attorney of New York of the same name and now living in that city. Harris' reference above to Edwin Jay Osborne's marriage (buckle to?) with a Miss S---- S---- must have been based on mere rumor, which proved inaccurate. Osborne married a Miss Harriet Walker, of Wilmington.

        2 Harris made this voyage to sea before his death and failed to find the relief he anticipated. See below.

        3 In the electoral vote of 1800 Adams received 65 and Jefferson and Burr 73 each, the election in consequence being thrown into the House for a decision between Jefferson and Burr, and with the well known result. North Carolina had twelve electoral votes at this date, the electors being chosen by districts. Of these Adams secured four and Jefferson eight. Hence Harris' estimate of the probable Federalist strength exceeded it by one vote. In 1796 Adams had carried only one district in the state.

        5 One of the many false rumors that frequently reached America of Napoleon's assassination.

        6 General Davie did not arrive in America until the first week in December, 1800, landing in Norfolk. Hope in the favorable character of the treaty he carried immediately boosted the price of export commodities. (See Raleigh Register, Dec. 16, 1800).

        7 James Glasgow, secretary of state in North Carolina from 1777 to 1798, was brought to trial the 10th of June, 1800, before a special court composed, by an act of the Assembly for the especial purpose, of the judges of the four superior court districts into which the state was then divided. Judge John Haywood resigned before the court convened and became the chief advocate of the defense. The remaining three judges, Samuel Johnston, John Louis Taylor, and John Hall constituted the court. The charges against Glasgow embraced particular the fraudulent issue of land warrants by which he had materially profited. He was convicted, the court rendering its decision on the 17th June, the penalty being a fine of 2000 pounds and commitment to jail until the fine was paid.

        8 Willoughby Williams, of Greene County, Deputy Secretary of State, was indicted and tried with Glasgow for collusion and also convicted, his penalty being 500 pounds and jail until paid.

        9 The Blount brothers, Thomas and John Gray, were also indicted before the special court, charged with procurement of land warrants by fraud through James Armstrong, entry-taker of claims for western lands. The frauds charged were of date 1789, the lands concerned being now (1800) in the state of Tennessee. Both were ultimately acquitted. John Gray Blount was in early manhood a companion of Daniel Boone in trans-mountain exploration and had thus become interested in the western country. A resident of Beaufort, he was reputed at the date of the trial to be the largest land-holder in the state, much of it, however, being property in the new state to the west. It was the western land interests of the Blount family that carried two other of the Blount brothers, William and Willie, to the trans-mountain frontier. In 1790 William Blount was appointed by Washington as governor of the Territory south of the Ohio, just ceded by Virginia and North Carolina to the Federal Government. The northern portion became the state of Kentucky in 1792. Blount was president of the Convention which made the Constitution under which Tennesee became a state in 1796. In the same year he was chosen United States senator from Tennessee and in 1797 was expelled from the senate for inciting the Creek and Cherokee Indians to attacks upon Spanish territory. Willie Blount was secretary to his brother while territorial governor, and himself governor of Tennessee from 1809 to 1815.

        10 Blake Baker, the Attorney-General, was suspected by the public of lacking zeal in his efforts to uncover the land frauds. So general became this opinion that he published a defense of himself. See Raleigh Register, Sept. 9, 1800.

        2 As the presidential election of 1800 approached, party spirit ran so high that many public men seriously anticipated a dissolution of the Union. Partizan rancor was particularly stirred to white heat by the Alien and Sedition Acts and the trials that took place under the latter. Jefferson's followers believed these acts a clear invasion by Congress of the sphere of personal rights under state control. Centralization of all powers in the hands of the Federal government seemed to the Republicans the Federalists' program. The Virginia-Kentucky Resolutions voiced their protests and excitement continued to grow until Jefferson was actually in office. It was a critical year in American history, for the followers of Jefferson were doubtless inclined to go to extreme lengths to wrest control from the Federalist party.

        3 The followers of Jefferson were generally called "Jacobins" by their opponents during the last decade of the century. The purpose was to identify Republican principles with those of the extreme radicals, members of the Jacobin Clubs, in the "Terror" period of the French Revolution.

        4 Nathaniel Macon, of Warren County, representative in Congress from North Carolina from 1791 to 1817, speaker of the House from 1801 to 1807, and United States senator from 1817 to 1827. He was a stout supporter of the principals of Republicanism. Harris' reference to him as "citizen" Macon is ironical, citizen being the usual Federalist appellation given to the leaders of the democracy in America to emphasize their identity in principles with the extremists in France under whose influence titles of nobility had been abolished in the revolution and "citizen" decreed the only allowable prefix.

        5 A French nobleman resident in Warrenton, a refugee of the Revolution.