To James Madison from Augustus B. Woodward, 31 January 1807
From Augustus B. Woodward
jan. 31. 1807.
The subject of the donations having been, through some discontented characters here, transferred to the press,1 I have enclosed what will serve as an explanation of it at the seat of government,2 and will shew that the source and object of the clamor do not merit serious attention, and that some little firmness is necessary in a government here, or otherwise the laws could not be supported.
A. B. Woodward.
RC and enclosure (DNA: RG 59, TP, Michigan, vol. 1). Cover docketed by Wagner. For enclosure, see n. 2.
1. For the donations, see William Hull to JM, 13 Nov. 1806, and n. 1.
2. Woodward probably enclosed an undated report (11 pp.) by a committee comprising himself and Frederick Bates on the rebuilding of Detroit and redistribution of land to inhabitants after the 1805 fire. The report rejected Detroit inhabitants’ calls for indemnification for their losses in the fire, contending that the act of Congress had stipulated only the distribution of equal amounts of land to all inhabitants over the age of seventeen affected by the fire. However, the report suggested dividing the inhabitants into four classes based on their status prior to the fire and distributing property according to their class, with the first class receiving the most valuable parcels and so on. The report also made provisions for the future care of the burying ground and amended the terms of credit for contracts between purchasers and the board of commissioners. For Bates and Woodward’s participation on the committee, see Burton, Governor and Judges Journal, 7–9.