University of Virginia Library

Behind Rotunda Wall

Painter Unearths Madison Gift

By Peter Shea
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

"I knew it was valuable when I
got it out," claimed Glenn Rouse,
the painter who discovered a lost
book that had been willed to the
University by President James Madison.

The manuscript, printed in
1788, is entitled "An Essay on the
Policy of the American Slave
Trade, in Two Parts, to which is
added an Oration Upon the
Necessity of Establishing at Paris a
Society to Promote the Abolition
of the Trade and Slavery of the
Negroes." The book was written by
a Reverend T. Clarkson while J.P.
Bressot de Warville authored the
"oration."

Mr. Rouse found the work on
the upper level of the Rotunda as
he was helping to refurbish it for
the University's sesquicentennial.
The old book had apparently fallen
behind the baseboard of what had
formerly been used as a shelf on the
library. The date the book was lost
is uncertain, however, it must have
disappeared sometime before 1938,
the year in which the library was
moved from the Rotunda to Alderman
Library.

According to Mr. Rouse, he was
working on the fourth level of the
Rotunda, cleaning out some old
bookcases, when he spotted something
behind the bottom shelf of
one section. To get to the book,
Mr. Rouse took the baseboard off
and reached under the shelf. He
realized that he had made an unusual
discovery and took the
crumbling pages down to the
offices of the University Guide
Service. The office was empty for it
was around lunchtime, but when he
returned, William W. Weaver saw
the work lying on the desk.

Mr. Weaver brought it to Mary
H. Betts, hostess and advisor for the
Guide Service. Mrs. Botts then delivered
the book to William H.
Runge, the University curator of
rare books. Mr. Runge examined
the work and identified it as one of
the volumes Mr. Madison donated
to the University in his will.

The book itself has lost its cover
to the ravages of time and worms.
The pages are also worm-eaten and
torn; however, the signature "J.
Madison" is visible on the upper
right hand corner of the title page.
Actually, it is believed that Mr.
Madison had signed the book "J.
Madison Jr." as he often wrote his

name when he was young, but the
last page is mostly torn away.

Mr. Madison, Mr. Jefferson's
successor as Rector of the University,
willed his private library to the
University. However, Mrs. Madison's
son sold many of the manuscripts
to raise money and the
University did not receive any
books until 1854. Much of the
donated material was lost in the fire
on October 27, 1895.