is Plan is the most important for the present purpose. The letter of William Fleming to Jefferson, 22 June, enclosed the printed Mason Plan as revised by the Committee up to 22 June, representing the approximate final form of the Constitution as it stood in the committee just prior to the arrival of Jefferson’s Draft. But the Mason Plan had undergone much change. Fleming’s copy of it bears numerous marginal comments indicating what changes had been made in the progress of the Plan through the committee. This Plan included fifteen numbered paragraphs; opposite paragraphs 1, 2, and 6 Fleming wrote the word “Agreed,” all other paragraphs having been altered or wholly deleted. A comparison of the Mason Plan as thus amended with the Constitution as adopted and with Jefferson’s Third Draft provides the basis for determining the extent of Jefferson’s contribution (see notes on Document vii, below).
The draft reported by the committee (Document vi below).
The final and complete Report of the Committee would be even more important for textual comparisons than the incomplete list of amendments and alterations of the Mason Plan as given by Fleming to Jefferson. Unfortunately, the full text of the Report of the Committee is not known to be in existence. But that there was such a complete Report, embracing some alterations made subsequent to those detailed by Fleming, is proved by the presence of a three-page MS in the Virginia State Archives bearing the caption “Amendments to the Plan of Government Continued.” These amendments, which were offered in Convention during 26–28 June, are unhappily incomplete, but enough are included to prove (1) that the Report of the Committee was not the printed Mason Plan with alterations written thereon, as in Fleming’s copy, but a new draft, now missing; (2) that it may have contained the preamble but probably no other parts from Jefferson’s proposed constitution; and (3) that, before reporting to the Convention, the Committee made alterations in the Mason Plan in addition to those reported by Fleming. The partial MS is printed in the following series (Document vi) in order to show, as far as possible, the progress of the drafting of the Constitution between 22 and 28 June. The notes to this MS indicate some of the reasons for the conclusions here stated.
But by far the most important contribution made by this list of amendments is that revealing the manner in which Jefferson’s Draft was employed by the Convention. Though this process cannot be followed in full, since the amendments are incomplete, it is possible now to state that the Convention at least considered the inclusion of that part of Jefferson’s constitution limiting the powers of the governor. One of the amendments embraces several sentences, copied word for word from Jefferson’s Draft; but his words were struck from the amendment before it was adopted. Another noteworthy contribution of this list of amendments is that revealing Wythe’s presence in the Convention and his offering an amendment drawn from Jefferson’s Draft.
The Virginia Literary Museum for 23 Sep. 1829 (I, 225–7) published what was described as “Original Draught of the Constitution of Virginia” with the statement that “the printed report of the constitution from which the subjoined draught is taken, is, perhaps, the only copy extant. The report is dated June 24, 1776.” This statement, taken in connection with the date given, would seem to indicate that the “Original Draught” was the printed Report of the Committee made on 24 June. An examination of the text given in the Virginia Literary Museum, however, reveals that the document printed is merely the original printing of the Mason Plan (there are two variations in section 6 and section 8 but these were obviously printer’s errors; the same text was printed in Richmond Enquirer for 6 Oct. 1829).
The constitution as adopted by the convention (Document VII below). This is obviously the MS copy of the Constitution that the Convention on 28 June ordered “to be fairly transcribed.” A few amendments and changes, some of them quit