{"value"=>"<p>Abraham Yates Jr.'s \"canal\" writings, dated circa 1793-circa 1794, address constitutional aspects of the New York State Legislature's Acts of December 22, 1792 (dated by Yates as December 24, 1792) and March 9, 1793. The acts vested additional rights and powers of eminent domain in the Northern and Western Lock Navigation Companies, incorporated on March 30, 1792 for contractual improvement of navigation on rivers and lakes. In his published essay of March 3, 1794, Yates referred to possible further attention to the acts in the current legislative session.</p> <p>At least two serial essays were published under the name \"Sidney:\" the first on July 18, 1793 in the <span class=\"title\">Albany Gazette</span>, republished February 10, 1794 in the <span class=\"title\">Albany Register</span>, and an essay published on March 3, 1794 in the <span class=\"title\">Albany Register</span>. Complete autograph manuscript drafts for those pieces appear in the \"Rough Hewer\" manuscript under the dates of July 18, 1793 and March 3, 1794. Four related manuscript texts previously found in miscellaneous groupings are now arranged here: a fair copy draft of the July 18, 1793 essay; two variant incomplete or unfinished texts of an intended third essay; and an unidentified loose segment. The fair copy draft is in the hand of a copyist, with revisions by Yates; the remainder are in Yates' hand. The writings address the nature of sovereignty over natural resources in the state, rights of public and private property, and the potential abuse of power in matters of eminent domain.</p>"}