.^^^ '^'- A^^' ^-^p '- ^'^^'^/V "o o""' "^ v^ -^ /--^ X^^ ^''^- ,0 o^ :> ^> A3^ ^^^^-r:, o. "" ° " A ^ ^ - ■„■ . ' . >- ' .\ ' ..'V^^^ '^^^ -.. ,^^ \ %^ ^%^ '/%*J^-s" ^^■■% -^ ''/ '^^ / \ ■% / ^"".: ■^^ %-j" ; % } ■^% ; .x^"^ .0 o^ •>'% ''!'um .>^'' ■'-. ^ .5 "<>. ->:- c,"^ 'j> -'". ^^ ■x^^' '"^^^ ^\ ;i .^:^''% * .':>"• 'S-. -;-:V^-^\N^' -^^^-..^ .0 0. .\v .>. y ADVENTUllES ACHIEVEMENTS AMERICANS; SERIES OF NARRATIVES ILLUSTRATING THEIR HEROISM, SELF-RELIANCE, GENIUS AND ENTERPRISE. BY HENRY HOWE, AUTHOR OP HISTORIES OF VIRGINIA, OHIO, AND THE GREAT WEST; TRAVELS OF CELEBRATED TRAVELERS ; LIFE AND DEATH ON THE OCEAN, ETC. IlliistrattlJ ij $. ©. €^. I^ailtji anlj ot^tr5. % CINCINNATI: HENRY HOWE, 111 Main Street. N E W Y K K : GEO. F. TUTTLE, 100 Nassal' 8t. 1858: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, BY HENRY HOWE, In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Ohio. E. MORGAN & SONS, STEKEOTYPERS, TUINTERS, AND BINDERS, 111 Main Street. PREFACE. Since when, by the right of birth and the lapse of years, we were privi- leged to walk up, take the freeman's oath, and drop a ballot in the little box, so potent in this government of " the people," we have been almost wholly engaged in the preparation and in the publication of books for cir- culation by traveling agents exclusively. In the meanwhile, we have attained to a point where it has become " past meridian " with us, and we now pen the preface to our sixth octavo. All of these, derived from varied sources, original or published, in our own or in the language of others, have been constructed with an especial ref- erence to the wants of that class, who, either from habit or their isolation, rarely or never enter a bookstore, and who would, in a measure, be desti- tute of the information imparted by books, were they not brought for pur- chase to their very doors. We have the gratifying evidence that among these our publications have been widely popular; and have proved the means, as we believe, of lasting pleasure and instruction to the inmates of many a humble cabin that dots the prairies or skirts the forests of the more remote West. The title of this book was made before the book itself was begun. We have endeavored to adapt the contents to the name, in a collection of arti- cles exhibiting national character, and mainly by individual examples. Such as are already sufficiently familiar to the public are, in general, not in- serted, from a desire to render the work more attractive to our readers by its novelty. We have further aimed to gratify a variety of tastes, and to make this such, that it will be a favorite volume with every American family that may possess it. This work, in its variety, is adapted to all classes ; both male and female, young and old, the Christian, the philanthropist, those who read simply for excitement and those who read solely for information, will all find it a source of pleasure. We believe there is no work of our day that tends so greatly to gratify one's patriotism — to make one glad that he is an Ameri- can citizen — as this ; which shows so well the Heroism, Self-reliance, Genius and Enterprise of our Countrymen, in the Olden Time and in Our Time — in Peace and in War — on Land and on Sea — at Home and Abroad. Those who obtain it will be proud of the facts it contains, for there is much, very much in it to send a thrill of exultant joy to the heart of every American. (iii) iv PREFACE. We terminate the book in the twenty-third article, by a choice collection of about one hundred specimens of American Poetry, selected with refer- ence to diversified tastes and mental conditions. Contrary to general oiDinion, we believe that Poetry — giving that word a broad definition — is universally liked ; that is, some ideas expressed by versification please all, better than the same given in prose, though we do think that Poetry, usu- ally, relishes and digests easier, if, like sweetmeats, it is taken in small quan- tities at a single sitting. Our engravings, in the highest style of art, are by eminent American artists, and were designed expressly for the book. We add, for the informa- tion of certain of our readers, a fact which, as a publisher, it becomes us to state, that the expense of these alone, in cash, was to us more than the cost, at government price, of a square mile of our national domain ; yet, to many, this will be considered a u.seless expenditure, in view of the general want of appreciation of the excellent in Art, especially with the very large mass who judge of bulk, and not quality, in their guage of the cost of books, and who would be content with crude and cheap illustrations. But the " will do " is not our standard. We trust there is a vein of common sense, running through the great public, that in its final judgment duly ap- preciates those generous in their endeavors to render their offerings every Avay excellent. But, not resting satisfied with even these, we have, at an additional ex- pense of some four hundred dollars, had designed, ex^sressly for the sub- scribers of this work, by that Artist of surpassing skill, Mr. F. 0. C. Darley, and engraved in the mezzotint style, one of the most sublime and tragic scenes in American History, entitled, " The Last Words of Captain Nathan Hale, the Hero-Martyr of the American Revolution — ' Mij only reyret is, that I have but one life to lose for my country.' " On the left in this beautiful steel engraving, is shown the fatal Tree, with the Ladder, Eope, CofiSn, and Negro Executioner. In front stands the majestic figure of the young Patriot^ and that of the brutal Provost Marshal, the infamous Major Cunningham ; who, true to his character, had denied ' Hale his dying request for the Bible, and had also destroyed his letters to his friends ; giving as reason for so doing, " that the Rebels might not know they had a man who could die with such firmness." The Engraving is a "cabinet" picture. It is the first time that this sub- ject has been delineated by Art, and we can but feel grateful that we have been the means of thus having it perpetuated for all coming time, and in a design, too, which so greatly honors American genius. Each subscriber is given a copy, which is separate from the work, that he may frame it, and adorn his walls with a scene so elevating in its tendency, as an example of lofty Patriotism, and heroic Self-sacrifice. H. H. Cincinnati, Ohio, No. Ill Main-Street CONTENTS THE HERO MARTYR. , the Hero Martyr of the tion. 15 Captain Nathan Hale, the Hero Martyr of the American Revolu- EARLY AMERICAN ARTISTS. Achievements of some of the Early American Artists. - - - 25 Benjamin West. ------->_ 27 Charles Gilbert Stuart. 37 John Trumbull. ---43 BAND OF HEROES. An accurate and interesting account of the hardships and sufferings of that Band of Heroes, who traversed the wilderness in the Cami^aign against Quebec, in 1775. 51 EMINENT AMERICAN TRAVELER. The wanderings of that Eminent American Traveler, John Ledyard, in various parts of tho world. -.--__. 35 RESCUE OP GENERAL LAFAYETTE. The heroic adventure of Francis Huger, a young man of South Caro- lina, and of his companion. Dr. Bollman, in their attempted Rescue of General Lafayette from an Austrian Prison, at Olmutz. - - 109 (V) VI CONTENTS. EMINENT AMERICAN INVENTORS. PAGE. The triumphs of some of the most Eminent American Inventors. - 123 Eli Whitney, inventor of the Cotton-Gin. - - . . 124 Robert Fulton, the Steamboat Inventor. 132 Samuel F. B. Morse, and the Magnetic Telegraph. - - - 137 George Steers, the American Ship Architect. 140 Charles Goodyear, the inventor of Vulcanized India-Rubber. - 146 Samuel Colt, inventor of the Repeating Fire-Arm. - _ . 149 Cyrus H. M'Cormick, inventor of the Reaping Machine. - - 153 Isaac M. Singer, and the Sewing Machine. . - - . - 157 ADVENTURES OF A REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER. Remarkable Adventures of Israel R. Potter, who was a soldier in the American Revolution, and took a distinguished part in the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which he received three Avounds ; after which he was taken prisoner by the British and conveyed to England, where for thirty years he obtained a livelihood, for himself and family, by crying, " Old chairs to mend," through the streets of London. He did not succeed in obtaining a passage to his native country until the year 1822, when he was in the seventy-ninth year of his age, and after an absence of forty-eight years. -..--- 163 THE TWO ORATORS. The Two Orators of our Revolutionary Era. ----- 189 James Otis, of Massachusetts. ------ 189 Patrick Henry, of Virginia. 200 AMERICAN TEMPERANCE REFORMERS. The Achievements of the American Temperance Reformers, a histori- cal sketch. 213 DESERTION OF JOHN CHAMPE. The pretended desertion of John Champe to the British, in the War of the American Revolution, for the purpose of Capturing the Traitor, Benedict Arnold. 251 COXTENTS. Vll LAND AXD SEA TERILS. TAGE. Narrative of the Land and Sea Perils of Andrew Sherburne, in the War of the American Revolution, including his sufferings in the Old Mill Prison, England, and afterward in the Old Jersey Prison Ship, at the Wallabout, Brooklyn, New York. 261 CRUISE OF THE ESSEX. Narrative of the Cruise of the Essex, a United States frigate, under the command of Captain David Porter, made to the Pacific Ocean, in the years 1812, '13 and '14, the period of the last war with England. - 299 AMERICAN COLONY OF LIBERIA. The wise and heroic conduct of Jehudi Ashman, as shown in saving from destruction and in establishing on a firm basis the American Colony of Liberia. 357 MIER EXPEDITION. Narrative of the Mier Expedition, with the particulars of the decima- tion of the prisoners, and a history of the survivors, who were im- prisoned in the Castle of Perote, in Mexico. ----- 383 AMOS LAWRENCE, THE PHILANTHROPIST, incidents in the life of Amos Lawrence, the Model Merchant, and the Christian Philanthropist, who from an humble beginning became one of the wealthiest men in America, and remarkable for his enlarged benevolence — he having given away, in the course of his life, more than seven hundred thousand dollars for the benefit of mankind. - 411 FIVE YEARS IN THE U. S. ARMY. Five Years an American Soldier, comprising adventures at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, and in the battles in the Valley of Mexico, interspersed with anecdotes of mili- tary life in peace and in war. ------- 429 AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION, American Arctic Expedition, in search Franklin, under the command of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, U. S. N. - 485 PAGE Narrative of the American Arctic Expedition, in search of Sir John EMINENT AMERICAN MISSIONARY. The Achievements of that Eminent American Missionary, Adoniram Judson. 51] DIFFICULTIES WITH AUSTRIA. The Conduct of our Country and Countrymen in their difficulties with Austria and the Austrians. 541 Arrest and Imprisonment of a young American in Hungary. - 542 The Correspondence of Daniel Webster, the American Secretary of State, with Chevalier Hiilseman, the Austrian Minister. - - 564 American Intervention in behalf of, and Hospitality to, the Hunga- rian Exiles, including an account of Kossuth's visit to the U. S. 565 Heroism of Captain Ingraham in the Kosta affair. - - - - 568 PHILANTHROPIC ENTERPRISES. Narrative of some of the Philanthropic Enterprises in the Great Me- tropolis, New York, for the benefit of miserable, degraded classes. - 571 THE WORLD'S FAIR. America at the World's Fair, held in the Crystal Palace, London, in 1851 ; together with a description of the great Yacht Race off the Isle of Wight, in which the New York Yacht America gained a signal triumph. .--.---.-- 599 ACHIEVEMENTS OF AMERICANS ABROAD. Adventures and Achievements of Americans Abroad ; a collection of interesting miscellanies. 623 Adventures of the eccentric and patriotic Female Artist, Patience Wright. 623 Adventures of Elkanah Watson. - - - - - - - 628 Americans in Russia. .-.--.-- 639 American National Courtesy. ------- 642 Americans in Australia. -------- 646 American Enterprise. --------- 649 INDEX TO THE COLLECTION OF AMERICAN POETRY. In those instances in which the poetry is prefaced with a notice of the author, his or her first name is given in full helow. TITLE OP FOEMS. Yomo; America Taking his First Steps The Death of Captain Nathan Hale.. The Convict to his Mother 'Footsteps of Angels A Casfte iu the Air Stanzas The An erican Flag Family Meeting Sparkling and Bright Song of tte Drunkards A Whalina Song The Wife: The AVants of Man Blessed are They that Mourn The Day is Done The Choice ^ Woodman, Spire that Tree The Snow Stoim The Life Vovas;e— A Ballad On the Death of J. R. Drake Old Songs A Marriage Sonn; The Yankee's Return from Camp. . . Little Mary's Good Morning Hail Columbia The Battle Field Resignation The^'Last I«af Old Grimes Pictures of Memory W'hen other Fiieuds are round Thee. The Lapse of Time The Coral Grove A Psalm of Life. Cora M. Eager F. M. Fiuch Anonymous Henry W. Longfellow Levi Frisbie Richard H.Wilde Joseph R. Drake Charles Sprague Chas. F. HolFman Wm. B, Tappan John Osboru \nua P. Dcnnies John Q. Adams W. C. Bryant H. W. Longfellow Susanna Rowson Geo. P. Morris. Seba Smith Frances S. Osgood Fitz-Greene Halleck. . . . Willis Gavlord Clark.... Jas. W. Ward Anonymous .•Vnouymous Francis Hopkinsou W. C. Brvant H. W. Longfellow Oliver W. Holmes Albert G. Greene Alice C. Carey G.P.Morris.' |W. C. Bryant :Jas. G. Percival ':H. \\. Lonirfellow \fl 653 654 655 656 659 661 664 665 666 iG69 70 The Little Orator iThaddens Harris You'd scarce expect One of ray Age ;David Everett A Life on the Ocean Wave Epes Sargeant The Settler 'Alfred B. Street he Fire of Driftwood H. W. Longfellow 6/2 Marco Boz/.aris F. G. Halleck bui Song of Marion's Men W. C. Bryant b/4 The^Som; of Steam Geo. W. Cutter I" Rhvme of the Rail Johu G. Saxe jb^.> Gone •f'>l"i G. Whittier b/6 Snow Ralpli ^")'*^ 1 " (is) INDEX TO POETET. TITLE OF POEMS. AUTHOK. p. Jas. W. Lowell fi77 Woman G P Morris . . r)78 Mv Bird The Couuti'v Lovevs . , Thomas G. Fessendeu J. G. Percival fi7f) The Flio-ht of Time 681 A Soiig of the Western Pioiieers William D. Gallagher. . . . N P Willis Uiiseeii Spirits fiP-'' Annabel Lee E. A Poe In Blessing Thou art Blessed AVilliam W. Fosdick J R Lowell fiH3 The Heritaae On Listening to a Cricket Andrews Norton , . Emma C. Embury « Ballad fip-t ThePartiu"- s/The Babe and the Lilv The Village Blacksmith The Little Girl under the Snow The Wayside Spring J. W. Ward = H.W.Longfellow Mary Louisa Chitwood . . . Thomas Buchanan Read. . W. B. Tappan H. W. Longfellow Charles G. Eastman J W Ward fiRfi Extracts from " The Sons of Hiawatha." The Farmer Sat in his Easy Chair fiRS Ella <: Your Purse and Heart W. D. Gallagher J. G. Percival fiRq Poetrv The Pall of Niagara John G. 0. Brainard James C. Percival C. M. Eager Samuel Woodworth Jonathan Lawrence William C. Bryant Sarah J. Hale." Wm. Gilmore Sinims W. C. Bryant c: <: Will the New-Year Come To-Ninht, Mamma 1 The Old Oaken Bucket .^ 690 691 Look Aloft 690 It Snows 69-1 695 The Peath of the Flowers 696 697 The Star-Spanc;led Banner Thos Scott Key 698 W. C. Bryant 699 The Independent Farmer Susanna Rowson 0. W. Holmes 700 The Ballad of the Oysterman 701 Sweet Home John Howard Payne Cathai'ine H. Esling W. C Bryant 700 The Gladness of Nature 7m Chas. Fenno Hoffman. . . . 704 The Raven '. Edgar Allan Poe Benjamin Franklin Geo W Doane 70^ Paper 707 What is that, Mother '^ 708 The Frost Hannah F. Gould J G Percival 709 Consolation of Reli"'ion to the Poor Nathaniel P. Willis G P Morris 710 The West 719 W. C. Bryant 71 :< 7lfi Losing All — The Kuined Merchant C. M. Eaii-er W. Holmes 717 718 One Hour with Thee 719 It is great for our Country to Die J. G. Percival .'.720 ILLUSTRATIONS. SUBJECT. DKAWN BY. ENGRAVED BT. p. Yi'Tuctte Title Robert O'Brien... Felix 0. C. Darley. A. H. Ritchie. Eli D.Hayes 1 Captaia Ingraham promisiug Kosta the Pro- tectiou of the Ameiican I'lag ........ 2 Praneis Huger aiding Lafa3'ette to escape from the Austrians F. 0. C. Darley... Elias J. Whitney. . 109 Siguing away liis Liberty F.O.C. Darley... E. J. Whitney 213 The Essex aud her Prizes James Hamilton . . E. D. Haves 2.9,9 The Mier Prisoners drawiug the Fatal Beans F. O.C. Darley... E. D. Hayes 383 The Thirsty Soldiers at the Salt Water. . . F. 0. C. Darley... E.J. Whitney 429 Seizure of Judsou, the Missionary F. 0. C. Darley... E. J. Whitney 511 The Heathen of the Five Points E.J.Whitney — Felter 571 ■\'ictoi7 of the Yacht America F. 0. C. Darley . . E.J.Whitney.... 599 Young America Taking his First Steps . . . F.O.C. Darley... E.D.Hayes 653 Last Words of Captain Nathan Hale, the Hero Martyr of the American Revolu- tion F. 0. C. Darley. A. H. Ritchie. "Last Words of Captain Nathan Hale" is an engraving inches, and accompanies the book for the subscribers to frame. on steel, 10}^ by 7>^ (xi) CAPTAIN NATHAN HALE, THE HERO MARTYR OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. " Thus, while fond Virtue wished to save, Hale, bright aud generous, found a hopeless grave : With Genius' living flame his bosom glowed, And Science lured him to her sweet abode ; In Worth's fair path his feet adventured far. The pride of Peace, the rising star of War ; In Duty firm, in Danger calm as even — To friends unchanging, aud sincere to Heaven. How short his course ! the prize how early won ! While weeping Friendship mourns her favorite sou." The period of the American Pievolution was the heroic era in the history of our country. With its great events we are all familiar ; but of the steru virtues of our ancestors, their patient self-denial, their enduring fortitude, and their trustful hope in that time of trouble, the half can never bo known. In that charming little book, the " Past Meridian," by Mrs. Sigourney, is a simple narrative to this point, so touching that the memory of it should be impressed upon the heart of every youth in the land, as an elevating picture of patriotic virtue, worth more than the record of a score of battles. It was told to the writer by a good and hoary -headed man, the Rev. Dr. David Smith, of Durham, Connecticut, who, with unimpaired intellect and cheerful piety, had passed many years beyond the allotted age of man. " My father was in the army during the whole eight years of the Revolu- tionary war, at first as a common soldier, afterward as an officer. My mother had the sole charge of us, four little ones. Our house was a poor one, and far from neighbors. I have a keen remembrance of the terrible cold of some of those winters. The snow lay so deep and long, that it was difficult to cut or draw fuel from the woods, or to get our corn to the mill, when we had any. My mother was the possessor of a coffee-mill. In that she ground wheat, and made coarse bread which we ate and were thankful. It was not always that we could be allowed as much even of this as our keen appetites craved. Many is the time that we have gone to bed with only a drink of water for our supper, in which a little molasses had been mingled. We patiently received it, for we knew our mother did as well for us as she could, and hoped to have something better in the morning. She was never (15) 16 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS heard to repine, and young as we were, we tried to make her lovely spirit and heavenly trust our example. When my father was permitted to come home, his stay was short, and he had not much to leave us, for the pay of those who had achieved our liberties was slight and irregularly rendered. Yet, when he went, my mother ever bade him farewell with a cheerful face, and not to be anxious about his children, for she would watch over them night and day, and God would take care of the families of those who went forth to defend the righteous cause of their country. Sometimes we won- dered that she did not mention the cold weather, or our short meals, or her hard work, that we little ones might be clothed, and fed, and taught ; but she would not weaken his hands or sadden his heart, for, she said, a sol- dier's lot is harder than all. "VVe saw that she never complained, but always kept in her heart a sweet hope, like a well of living water. Every night ere we slept, and every morning when we arose, we lifted our little hands for God's blessing on our absent father and our endangered country." The story we have to relate is alike interesting and ennobling, but yet of a melancholy nature — being the most sad of all the episodes of the American Revolution. It is contained in the history of the young and gifted Nathan Hale. Of that long roll of patriotic men who died that we might be free, his last moments, beyond those of any other, were charac- terized by a sentiment so heroic, expressed under such circumstances, as to render it one of the most sublime and touching utterances that ever fell from human lips. Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, June 6, 1755. He was the son of Richard Hale, a substantial farmer of that town, and a man of note among his neighbors, being a justice of the peace, a deacon of the church, and a member of the legislature. Young Hale was bred in that strict morality characteristic of the Puritans. Early showing a fondness for books, he was prepared for college under the tuition of the venerable Rev. Dr. Huntington, with the design of entering the ministry. Six years before the Revolutionary war, he became a student in Yale. Little has been pre- served of his life there. He was noted, however, among his companions for extraordinary personal activity. He accomplished a feat in leaping on the New Haven Green, which so far surpassed everything of the kind before known, that the distance was long preserved by appropriate marks. On an- other occasion, he exhibited his activity by springing out from one hogshead into another, alternately. He graduated with honor in 1773, and for a short season taught school at East Haddam, where, it is said, " everybody loved him, he was so sprightly, intelligent, and kind." Next he took charge of a high school in New Lon- don, where " he soon had as many friends as there were individuals in the town." His leisure was partly given to reading and study, and partly to society, for which he had great fondness. The charms of the gentler sex were not lost upon him. He became ardently attached to Miss Hannah Adams of his native town, whom, doubtless, he would have married, had not his tragic fate intervened. Li person Hale was rather tall, being five feet ten inches in height, and though slender was gracefully formed ; his frame was elastic and wiry, as was shown by his extraordinary feats of agility ; his chest was broad, his OF AMERICANS. 17 face full, with blue eyes, light complexion, and brown hair. To these phys- ical qualities was added an amiable winning address. Intense excitement was i)roduced one evening in the latter part of April, 1775, in the usually quiet town of New London, on the arrival of a nties- senger, with the startling news that the "regulars" had fired upon our peo- ple on the green at Lexington. "Let us march immediately, and never lay down our arms until we gain our independence !" rang out the clear stern voice of Nathan Hale, to the excited assemblage that had gathered on the occasion. It was no difficult matter to infuse the sentiment into the minds of all present. It was resolved to send Captain Coit's company into the field, and Hale volunteered to go with it. The next day, he went to his school for the last time, to bid his pupils farewell. He addressed them in an appro- priate little speech, and closed with an earnest prayer to the Almighty for his blessings on them and on their countr3\ A letter which he wrote at this period to the managers of the school, is preserved in Stuart's Life of Hale, from which we extract it : " Gentlemen — Having received information that a place is allotted me in the army, and being inclined, as I hope, for good reasons, to accept it, I am constrained to ask as a favor, that which scarce anything else would have induced me to, which is to be excused from keeping your school any longer. For the purpose of conversing upon this subject, and of procuring another master, some of your number think it best there should be a general meet- ing of the proprietors. The time talked of for holding it is six o'clock this afternoon, at the school-house. The year for which I engaged will expire within a fortnight, so that my quitting a few days sooner, I hope, will sub- 'ject you to no great inconvenience. School-keeping is a business of which I was always fond, but since my residence in this town, everything has con- spired to make it more agreeable. I have thought much of never quitting it but with life, but at present there seems to be an opportunity for more ex- tended public service. The kindness expressed to me by the people of the place, but especially the proprietors of the school, will always be very grate- fully remembered." This letter shows the patriotism of Hale, his nice sense of honor, and modest, unassuming nature, lie also wrote to his father, whose designs for him in the ministry were now frustrated, "A sense of duty urges me to sacrifice everything for rny country." Hale was commissioned as a lieutenant in Webb's Connecticut regiment. This corps was first employed in guarding the seacoast, in the vicinity of New London, the appearance of the British in the Sound having alarmed the country. Early in the ensuing autumn, it marched to join the main army under Washington, in the vicinity of Boston. In December, Hale started "on foot, through snow ankle deep, to visit his friends in Connecti- cut." About this jieriod he was promoted to the rank of captain. During the winter spent in the siege of Boston, Hale became known, and he was, among all the younger officers, the one preferred for those duties requiring vigilance, activity, and skill. "I see," said a friend, in a letter written to him at this time, "you are stationed in the mouth of danger. I look upon your position as more perilous than that of any other officer in 18 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS the camp." When not engaged in military duties, Hale devoted mucli of his time to reading, especially works on the science of war. Feeling the importance of discipline, he gave such untiring attention to his men, that his company soon became one of the most thoroughly drilled and orderly in the service. When the American army was nearly annihilated by the defeat of Long Island, and the expiration of the terms for which the sol- diers had enlisted, Hale generously relinquished his own pay to induce the men of his company to remain. Hale's fondness for athletic sports suffered no abatement in consequence of his military pursuits, for we find him, when at leisure, engaging with his brother officers in wrestling, running, jumping, and in other amusements of that nature. He was also scrupulously observant of his religious duties, being a regular attendant at camp worship, when such a privilege was not denied by some professional duty. In the succeeding spring (1776), the regiment to which Hale was at- tached proceeded, with others under the command of General Heath, to the vicinity of New York. He there became the principal in a brilliant little affair, from which he gained considerable eclat. In the East River lay a British vessel filled with supplies for the army. Although not armed, it was protected by a sixty-four gunship anchored only a few rods distant. Hale formed the project of capturing and taking her into the harbor of New York. Under cover of night, he embarked with a small party in a rowboat, and dropped down near their intended prize, and then pulled in their oars to wait until the moon should go down. When it was entirely dark, the little party resuming their oars, silently rowed toward the doomed vessel. As they approached her, the figure of a solitary sentinel was dimly seen pacing the deck of the man-of-war by which the supply vessel was guarded. The sentinel suddenly paused — then gazed out upon the water. The approach- ing rowboat rested a moment, and its crew with beating hearts waited to see if they were discovered. In a brief time, "All's well," was heard from the lips of the lookout, as he turned and disappeared in the gloom. A few more pulls with the oars and the patriots were alongside. Not a soul was on deck — all were below and asleep. They took possession of the ves- sel, fastened the sleeping sailors in the hold, and in a short time, without alarming the guard of the neighboring man-of-war, noiselessly sailed away, and succeeded in gaining a Avharf with their fine prize, where an expectant crowd greeted them with loud huzzas and the waving of hats. The vessel Avas laden with stores of provisions and clothing, which were a valuable ac- quisition to the army. It was at a most gloomy period of the war of independence when Halo departed from the American camp, on a secret mission that sent a thrill of terror through those who were aware of its nature. The disastrous defeat of Long Island had just passed — Harlem Heights had been deserted, and White Plains had witnessed defeat. Shattered and depressed, the Ameri- can army, like a crowd of fugitives, hovered around King's Bridge. The victorious Howe, flashed with success, was pursuing an enlarged system of operations, and it became evident that the concentrated forces of the in- vaders were to be let loose upon the rebellious colonists. But where the OF AMERICANS. 19 blow was to fall, no human sagacity could foresee. Whether they were to take possession of New York, cut off the communication of the American army, and claim the country by conquest, or proceed southward and make a descent where no preparation would present a barrier, were questions of anxious import to the American commander, and the solution of which was of vital importance. With all his vigilance, ho could not unravel the de- signs of the enemy, whose movements were purposely contradictory. Never during that war, copious as are its records of difficulty, was Washington more perplexed or more filled with anxiety. Finally, he concluded that some one must enter the British lines and gain the requisite information, or he feared that all would be Post. In this emergency, he applied to the brave Colonel Kuowlton, of the Connecticut line, for him to endeavor to obtain an officer for this service pos- sessing the rare union of qualities necessary to success. Kuowlton assem- bled his officers, and made known to them the request of Washington, stat- ino- the exigency of the case, and appealing to their patriotism, in the hope that some one would volunteer for the service. No one responded. He then addressed himself individually to each of those present, but with no better success. Indeed, many of them seemed offended that such a request should be made, in view of the danger of the mission and the ignominious death that would result on detection. One of these, an officer remarkable for a spirit of hazardous adventure, replied, " No, no ! I am willing at any time, and on any terms, to fight the British ; but I wont go among thera to be hung like a dog." Kuowlton was about despairing of success, when from the assembled group came the slow, firm words, "Iioill undertake it!" The speaker had just recovered from a severe illness, and was late in joining the council, or *' I will undertake it," would have been heard sooner. All eyes turned toward the speaker, and a thrill of anguish pervaded the throng as they looked upon the pale, determined face of the universal fa- vorite, the young and noble Nathan Hale 1 They at once closed around him, and remonstrated by every appeal which consideration and friendship could dictate, to abandon his purpose — the love of home, the ties of kin- dred, future fame, and a felon's death, were all in vain urged to dissuade him. Among those most importunate was Lieutenant, afterward General, Hull, his old classmate at Yale, who plead with him almost with tears to abandon the project. Hale listened to the appeals, and replied in these memorable words : "I think I owe to my country the accomplishment of an object so impor- tant, and so much desired by the commander of her armies — and I know of no other mode of obtaining the information, than by assuming a disguise and passing into the enemy's camp. I am fully sensible of the conse- quences of discovery and capture in such a situation, but for a year I have been attached to the army, and have not rendered any material service, while receiving compensation for which I make no return ; yet I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish TO BE USEFUL, AND EVERY KIND OF SERVICE NECESSARY FOB THE PUBLIC GOOD, BECOMES HONORABLE BY BEINQ NECESSARY. If the exigencies Of mV 2 20 ADVENTURES AND ACHfEVEMENTS country demand a peculiar service, its claims to the performance of that service are imperious." This was spoken with that air of lofty heroism which showed that he was ready to sacrifice himself if need be, in any waj', for the good of his country, even by an ignominious death. Words embodying more truly the soul of patriotism were never expressed. Hale received instructions from Washington in person, upon the points on which he was to obtain information. The plan was for him to cross over the Sound and land on Long Island, of which the enemy had then full pos- session. Numerous difficulties were to be overcome at the very outset. The Sound was filled with British cruisers, while the adjacent shores were scoured by their foraging parties, so that he was liable to be apprehended at any moment. If he succeeded, great benefit was to accrue to his country ; if he failed, death on the gallows was to be his certain fate. He proceeded to Norwalk, a distance of fifty miles, and made arrangements there with Captain Pond to have him carried in his sloop across the Sound to the Long Island shore, some twenty miles distant. He assumed the disguise of a school-teacher, wearing on the occasion a suit of brown cloth and a broad- brimmed hat. At Norwalk, he dismissed his faithful friend Stephen Hemp- stead, and embarking on board the sloop was safely landed on the oppo- site shore, at " The Cedars," near Huntington Bay. In this vicinity lived the Widow Chichester, called "Mother Chick" by the tories, who made her house a sort of roost during their predatory incur- sions. Quite a flock of them might usually have been seen hovering around in the vicinity eager to enjoy the bounty of loyal Mother Chick. Hale passed this tory haunt without difficulty, and proceeded toward the settle- ments. His first pause was at the house of William Johnson, whose hospi- tality and confidence he for a few hours enjoyed. His exact route from thence is not known. The difficulties he encoun- tered — the narrow escapes he ran — the strategems he practiced, we can only conjecture. We do know that he succeeded in reaching the British camp, and in accomplishing the main object of his mission, from the drawings dis- covered in his possession when taken by the enem3\ Doubtless his peace- ful demeanor and unpretending attire as a village school-master, subjected him to the "jibes and jokes" of many a British red -coat, as he made his way into their camps ; but it facilitated his means of acquiring information. In the course of his investigations, it is supposed, he entered the city of New York, then overrun with British soldiers, where he was every instant exposed to arrest, as indeed was every citizen who went abroad without a royal protection in his pocket. In such an event, he was very certain to have been confined in the old " Sugar House," from whose fearful gateway the "dead-cart" daily bore away its victims, who had died by starvation or poison at the hands of the infamous wretches in charge. After spending a week or more among the enemy, Hale had accomplished the main objects of his enterprise. He then retraced his steps the way he came, encountered the same difiiculties in passing through a country in the possession of the enemy, and arrived in safety at " The Cedars," where he had arranged to meet a boat which was to convey him back to the Connec- ticut shore. OF AMERICANS. 21 It was early morning, and the bay doubtless presented to him a friendly appearance. He could plainly discern the shores of his native State, rising in beauty beyond the blue waters of the Sound. His perils seemed ended, and his heart must have swelled with emotions of pleasure, as he thought that in a few hours more his feet would again press friendly soil, and he should be enabled to render ri great service to his couutry. At length he saw, as he supposed, his boat approaching. Ho hastened to the waters' edge to meet it and get on board. It neared the shore — and, O ! how cold must have grown the blood around that gallant young heart, when, springing to their feet, he saw a dozen men with muskets cocked and aimed at his breast, and the summons to surrender fell upon his ears. The boat was a barge belonging to the Halifax, a British man-of-war anchored near by, but concealed by the projection of Lloyd's Neck. His captors took him on board the Halifax, Captain Quarme. He was searched, and between the soles of liis shoes were found drawings of mili- tary works, with descriptions in Latin. What had he, a plain school- master, to do with laborious profiles of intrenchments, forts, and batteries; and these the exact counterpart of those occupied by the royal army ? It Avas evident he was a spy ! As such Captain Quarme treated him, though with kindness, won by his noble bearing, and regretting, as he afterward said, " that so fi.ne a fellow had fallen into his power." His subsequent history is soon told. He was conveyed to New York, which he reached on the same day that nearly one half of it had been laid in ruins by a dreadful conflagration. He was taken into the presence of the relentless Howe. The notes found in his possession, the drawings of the British works, and other information collected for the use of the American commander, were proofs conclusive of his guilt. Before his judge he practiced no duplicity, resorted to no sub- terfuge ; his garb of a school-teacher made no screen behind which ho longer aimed to conceal himself from the British general. The case was soon made out and judgment rendered — such a one as might have been ex- pected — signed by Howe, in the name of his royal majesty, George III. He was condemned as a spy, and sentenced to be hung the next morning at daybreak. He was then conducted to prison, to reflect during the remaining few hours upon his melancholy doom. Young, full of life and hope, he was soon to be executed like a common felon, and sent into the presence of that God whose unsearchable riches he had one day hoped to have proclaimed to his fellow-men. What memories must have crowded upon him during the short interval before his execution ! How through the dim past must his thoughts have rolled back along the vista of his brief life, even to the scenes of his boyhood ! How the image of his dear mother must have presented itself to him, as he thought of the shock to her when she re- ceived the tidings, in her quiet New England home, that her son had been hung ! Then too, the image of his beautiful betrothed would appear lov- ingly before him, to remind him of the pure young heart his fate would make desolate ! But the die was cast. To-morrow, at daybreak, he was to be executed. No power could avert it. Yet he was to perish in the service of his country, and he resolved to meet death as became a Christian patriot. 22 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS. Major Cunningham, a brutal Irishman, whose infamous cruelties upon American prisoners were so notorious, was then provost marshal of the city. He declared, with an oath, that the harshest treatment was too good for such " traitors to undergo." He even murdered the prisoners by poisoning their food, that he might ajipropriate their rations to his own benefit. Such was the vile wretch into whose custody Hale was given. Their first interview was characteristic. Hale requested writing materials, that he might write to his parents and friends. This was refused. He then asked for the Bible, that he at least might have the benefit of religious con- solation. With an oath, this also was denied. A lieutenant of the royal army, then present, here interposed with entreaty, and his requests were finally complied with. There, on the verge of eternity. Hale for the last time communed with his loved ones. It is thought he wrote three letters; one to his parents, one to his brother, and the other to his betrothed. They were handed over to Cunningham for delivery. His eye ran eagerly over their contents, which so incensed him that he tore them to atoms, swearing, " that the rebels slwuld never Tcnoio they had a man who could die with such firmness !" A few hours more, and the fatal morning dawned — a beautiful Sabbath morning, in early autumn, 1776. The gray tint that streaked the eastern sky told Hale his hour had come. On many just such mornings, he had looked out upon the scenery of his New England home, and felt a thrill of delight ; on many such had his father gathered the little flock around his hearth for family worship, to prepare them for that eternity upon whose awful threshold he now stood. It was his last morning. The sun would rise again, but its rays would fall upon his grave. The provost marshal ordered the march to the place of execution to com- mence. With his hands tied behind him ; — a convict's cap on his head ; — wrapped in the habiliments of the tomb ; — beside the cart with his coffin ; — before and behind him, files of soldiers for his guard ; — close by, the mu- latto hangman of Cunningham, with rope and ladder ; — and behind, Cun- ningham himself; — to the cadence of the "Dead March," Hale proceeded to the fatal spot. They reached the place just as the sun was rising. A large crowd had assembled to witness the death of the spy. The limb of a tree was used for the gallows. Hale manifested no fear as the rope was adjusted around his neck. Though he was cheered by no friendly voice, the fire of freedom animated his bosom with holy inspiration. He mounted firmly upon the ladder on that still Sabbath morning, and looked calmly over the large as- semblage. Nowhere did he meet a glance of recognition, but on all sides he saw sympathizing hearts. The men were sad, and here and there the tear rolled down the cheek, expressive of the keenest compassion ; while the women, as they gazed upon the face of one so young and noble, gave vent to their overcharged feelings in sobs and lamentations. The arrangements being completed, Cunningham, in coarsest tones of fiend-like triumph, demanded of "the rebel" his "dying speech and con- fession ;" — evidentlv in the hope that the young man would make some remark that he would be able to turn into ridicule for the amusement of the depraved among the by-standers. Bitter, however, was his disappointment. OF AMERICANS. 23 At the thouglit of instant death, the face of Hale lit up with an expression of holy patriotism, and, in a clear, manly voice, he spake these heroic words : — "MY ONLY REGRET IS, THAT I HAVE BUT ONE LIFE TO LOSE FOR MY COUNTRY !" Stung bj' this unexpected speech, the enraged Cuuninj^ham exclaimed : "Swing the rebel up — Swing the rebel up!" — and, in a moment more, the spirit of Nathan Hale had passed from earth. The circumstances of this tragedy were officially conveyed to the Ameri- can head-quarters by Colonel Mantaznar, of the British army, and as much publicity as possible given to it by the royal officers, so as to intimidate such hardy spirits in the future. The address with which Hale penetrated their garrisons and camps, and the heroic manner in which he met his fate, in- spired the enemy with admiration, and made them feel that the subjugation of an army of such men was not an easy task. Even the brutal Cunning- ham, in his drunken bestiality, when with his boon companions, alluded to his conduct on the gallows in warm terras of commendation. Among those present at the execution, was Tunis Bogart, an honest farmer of Long Island, who had been impressed as a wagoner in the British service. In 1784, on being asked to witness a public execution, then about to take place, this man replied, " No ! I have seen one man hung as a spy," alluding to Hale, "and that was enough for me. I have never been able to efface the scene of horror from my mind — it rises up to my imagination always. That old devil-catcher, Cunningham, was so brutal, and hung him up as a butcher would a calf ! The women sobbed aloud, and Cunningham swore at them for it, and told them they likely enough themselves would come to the same fate." AVashington knew Hale well, and when he responded to the appeal of Knowlton, he expressed a regret that it had not fallen to the lot of one less gifted. His death deeply pained him, and he felt that an irreparable loss had been sustained. Nor to him alone were these feelings confined. Hale was well known in the army — a brother among the officers, beloved by all. A thrill of anguish went through the lines as his fate was told, and every brow was sad. But what must have been the agony produced in that home circle, where he was an object of so much affection ! In the simple words of one who knew them well, " It almost killed his parents." Though they approved of the spirit which induced their son to enter the army, they looked forward, with hopeful pride, to the time when the banner of liberty would be triumphant, and he would enlist under that of the Cross. But the blow had fallen. Nathan was dead ! — and such a death ! — the death of a spy ! The betrothed of Hale, Miss Hannah Adams, remarkable for her beauty and accomplishments, lived to old age, and died exclaiming, " Write to Nathan !" Thus his youthful image was blended with her latest recol- lections. Nor, in this connection, must be forgotten Hale's Aiithful camp attendant, Asher Wright. He mourned his fate with more than a brother's sorrow. Although ho lived seventy years after the sad occurrence, he never lost its vivid recollection, and wept as a very child whenever it was alluded to — 24 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS having become partially insane, in consequence of his continual brooding over the melancholy tragedy. A lofty monument of granite rises to the memory of Nathan Hale in the burial-place of his native town. There, among the graves of a simple- hearted rural people, overlooking a beautiful lake, stands this memorial of a young man, whose short life of twenty-one years ended in so much of sor- sow ; and who, dying the ignominious death of a spy, was rudely thrust into an unknown and an unhonored grave ! The death of Andre and that of Hale have often been compared. Each was young, in the morning of life, full of hope, ardent, accomplished, and possessed of those qualities that won all hearts. Each died bravely, and each was executed as a spy; but there terminates all similitude between them. The first was treated by his enemies with the greatest consideration and sympathy compatible with his offense : the latter, with the greatest barbar- ity, denied even the consolation of the Bible, and then hung " as a butcher would hang a calf." Andre entered on his mission without the expectation, if arrested, of being treated as a spy : Hale entered on his mission under a full sense of his awful peril. At his place of execution, the thoughts of the Englishman were upon himself, for he wished them " to bear witness that he died liJie a brave man:" at his place of execution, the thoughts of the Amer- ican were upon his country, for which he "regretted he had only one life to lose!" The one showed the heroism of the chivalrous soldier, who shrank only at the disgraceful mode of his death : the other showed the heroism of the Christian patriot, willing to die even an ignominious death for the good of his country. The name of Andre is known wherever tho English language is spoken : but that of Hale, the greater hero, is scarcely known even to his own countrymen ! This sketch is prefaced with lines written by one who knew Hale well, and loved him with ardent affection — the celebrated Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College. On the first page of our collection of poetry, at the latter part of this work, are " Lines on the Death of Hale," from the pen of Francis Miles Finch, a graduate of Yale. They form part of a poem de- livered by him before the Linonian Society of Yale, at its centennial anniversary, A. D. 1853. Nathan Hale, when a student, was a mem- ber of this society ; and among the eminent names found on its rolls, there is none, in all coming time, that will probably be more revered than that of the young " Hero Martyr of the American Revolution," THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF SOM E OF THE EARLY AMERICAN ARTISTS WEST — STUART — TRUMBULL. We outline three incidents as an introduction to this article. The first occurred in a Western State, on an autumnal evening. A gentleman, having finished his ofiice labors for the day, strolled into the garden with his young wife, when her attention was attracted by a huge mass of clouds, lit up by the last rays of the sun, in hues of crimson and gold ; save in one spot, where an opening in the parted rifts caught the eye, and led the vision to such an apparently immense distance beyond, that it seemed like a glance into eternity. " Look ! pray do look at that sky ! " exclaimed the admiring lady to her companion, who happened that moment to be in a bent attitude, his tall form arrayed in gown and slippers, and his fingers busy poking in the ground. "Pooh ! pooh ! never mind the sky," he replied, "here, just look at my roota-bagas ; I shall get at least twenty bushels out of this patch !" The scene changes ; and to the heart of New England, in the first days of June. " Nature uncorks her champaign only twice a day," says a popu- lar writer, " morning and evening." It was early morning and the cork had "pop't." A young man was sitting in the door of a quaint old farm- house, looking upon the valley of the smooth gliding Connecticut. The shadows were long upon the landscape, then in the freshness of the new- born spring. The foreground was occupied by a massive group of ancient trees, laughing in their green old age, in robes of luxuriant foliage ; while beyond, the grass-covered fields sloped away in picturesque curves down to the margin of the river, which lay bright and sparkling in its winding course. On the opposite side of the valley, arose the fine hills of old Hampshire, here in light and there in shadow, at the caprice of a bank of white, woolly clouds, that, floating grandly in the heavens, seemed soft and inviting to the nap of a summer's afternoon. As the eye of the j'oung man took in the glories of the panorama, valley, river, mountain, and sk)^ a sensation of pleasure stole over him ; the first of the kind — for so he told us — he had ever experienced ; it was the emotion created by the beautiful in Nature. The opening incident was in the history of a lawyer, and a graduate of Harvard; this, in that of a clergyman, and a graduate of Yale; both im- press us as to the esthetical culture of those renowned American uni- versities. f25^ 26 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS " I care nothing for pictures," said a farmer to a young man who was endea- voring to entice him into the purchase of a book, "ilhistrated by many pic- tures," "pointing morals and adorning tales." He spake the truth, for as he said so, his nostrils sniveled in a sneer, and his head jerked in a dis- dainful toss. lie despised them as puerile ; yet, as he had never wandered far beyond the sight of his chimney smoke, his brain held many good ideas solely derived from pictures; including the idea of the great wall in China, that in his boyhood he had from his school geography', to the idea of a newly invented plow he had seen in his newspaper, and that was then doing good service for him in his manly occupation as a tiller of the soil. These incidents are true ; and yet, among persons of equal intelligence, unlikely to occur in any country save our own. Americans have less fond- ness for the beautiful in Nature, and less appreciation of the excellent in Art, than any other civilized people. In the summer, when Young America takes his holiday, he will be found in the finest apparel, his feet pinched in patent leather, lounging under some piazza at a crowded watering-place ; or if he does ruralize, it is in the utter forgetfulness of legs ; for he is whirl- inf, in a slender cariole, over a straight hard road, amid clouds of dust, and behind a 2:40 nag, out of whom he is straining to get his mile within 2:39. At the same time, in England, multitudes will be seen, all over the coun- try, from the nobleman to the shop-keeper's cleric on his vacation, dressed in coarse checked suits and stout shoes, with their knapsacks, traveling on foot, and carrying opera-glasses ; seeking out fine points of view, from whence to enjoy the ever- varying, never-repeating combinations of scenery, created expressly for our gratification, by a common Father, On the con- tinent, poverty may deny to the humble peasant the many comforts we possess, but it cannot deprive him of the visible glories of Nature, or of the great in Art, that he sees in the cathedral where he worships, and in the galleries around him, free and open to all. He thus becomes familiar with the names of artists ; he is taught by their representations, and as he looks at Art, he is educated to look at Nature and then again at Art, until by re- ciprocation, from one to the other, a new sense is developed, and he grows appreciative alike in the works of God and in those of man. The life of the American has been hard and dry. He commenced in poverty, and what with the felling of the forest, and the elbowing away of the Indian to give him room, he has thought of little else. He has not tarried to take a lesson of patience from his ox, that calmly chewed the cud under the yoke ; nor one of enjoyment from the little robin, that cheerily sang all the day long in the tree near where he labored. Ever hurrying on, restless and nervous, applying to work with a never before known intensity, he brings up at length at the end of his days, without scarcely a single pause by the way, to inquire for what he has lived. He " has eyes, but he sees not;" he "has ears, but hears not;" seeing nothing nor hearing nothing, but bending all his energies, body and soul, to the one great end — " the main chance." This is wTong. "Man was not made to live by bread alone." Those finer faculties, our tastes, the love of Nature, Art, Poetry, and Music, were given to be cultivated, and the pauses to administer to them, are the rest- ing-places in this not altogether work-day-world. OF AMERICANS. 27 Art is so little appreciated among us, that scarcely a name of a successful American artist has impressed the American people at large, save perhaps one, a sculptor, and he only because he is said to have excelled all European cotemporaries in the carving of a nude female figure. A change is to ensue, The flush of a new dawn is shooting upward. And we trust the day will soon arrive, when the walls of even the cottages of the land will generally be attractive, from pleasant pictures of landscapes, of instructive scenes in history, and heart-improving delineations of domestic life. America h;\s produced some artists of note ; enough to show that this kind of talent, when required among us, will be forthcoming, and in no stinted measure. Possibly, at this moment, somewhere in the dark pine for- ests of Minnesota, or by the shores of the rolling Atlantic, or on the sunny slopes of the AUeghanies, is a white-headed, hatless, and bare-footed lit- tle urchin, playing in the sand before the door of a rude cabin, who is marked for a great career in Art ; to bless the future of our people by a matchless genius in illustrating the heroic in American annals, or by touch- ing pictures of American life, that shall sweetly influence to a more vivid appreciation and love of home. So little at an early day was Art cultivated in our country, that our men of genius in this line were obliged to seek out a field for their efforts mainly in Europe. We introduce the histories of a few of these. BENJAMIN WEST. Something more than a century since, the screams of a cat in sore distress issued from the farm-house of a Quaker, in Springfield, Chester county, Penn- sylvania ; and she had cause, for little "Benny" West held her in his grip, and was pulling out her fur by the roots, to make his paint brushes from ; genius was working in him, and poor puss had to suffer. When her hair was drawn through a goose quill, it answered his purpose very well. His resources for paints were the wandering Indians, w^ho supplied him with the red and yellow earths with which they daubed their skins, and his mother's indigo pot, from which he got his blue color. He early showed a fondness for Art. In 1745, when he was but seven years old, he was placed with a fly-brush to watch the sleeping infant of his eldest sister. As he sat there the child smiled in sleep. Struck by its beauty he attempted to draw its portrait in red and black ink. His sober parents encouraged this new taste, and in a little while, the quiet Quaker home was filled with his pictorial efforts. A Mr. Pennington, a merchant of Philadelphia, made a visit to Chester count}', where he saw some of these sketches of the boy-artist, and when he returned home he sent him a present worth more to him than a king- dom — "a box of paints and brushes, and several pieces of canvas prepared, and six engravings by Greveling." These were the first works or imple- ments of Art the boy had ever seen. " West placed the box on a chair by his bedside, and he was unable to sleep. He rose with the dawn, carried his canvas and colors to the garret, hung up the engravings, prepared a palette, and commenced copying. So completely was he under the control 28 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS of this species of enchantment, that he absented himself from school, labored secretly and incessantly for several days, when the anxious inqui- ries of the schoolmaster introduced his mother to h\s studio with no pleasure in her looks, but her anger vanished as she looked upon his performance. He had avoided copyism, and made a picture composed from two of the en- gravings, telling a new story, and colored with a skill and effect that was in her sight surprising. " She kissed him," says Gait, who had the story from the artist, "with transports of affection, and assured him that she would not only intercede with his father to pardon him for having absented himself from school, but would go herself to the master and beg that he might not be punished." When West was nine years of age, Pennington took him to Philadelphia, and introduced him to Williams, a portrait painter, who was so much de- lighted with a landscape that he had painted, that he warmly encouraged him to prosecute his studies. He gave him a couple of books, and an in- vitation to call whenever he pleased and see his pictures. The books and the pictures made the love of Art overcome all other feehngs, and he returned home resolved to become a painter. Williams' pictures, which were " the first specimens of true Art the boy had seen, affected West so much that he burst into tears." A story well authenticated is told by all his biographers, which goes to show that Benjamin was quite an ambitious little fellow for a Quaker. "One of his school-fellows allured him on a half-holiday from trap and ball, by promising him a ride to a neighboring plantation. ' Here is the horse, bridled and saddled,' said his friend, 'so come, get up behind me.' 'Behind you,' said Benjamin; *I will ride behind nobody.' 'Oh! very well,' replied the other, 'I will ride behind you ; so mount.' He mounted accordingly and away they rode. ' This is the last ride I shall have,' said his companion, ' for some time. To-morrow I am to be appeuticed to a tailor.' 'A tailor!' exclaimed West; 'you will surely never be a tailor.' 'Indeed, but I shall,' repUed the other ; 'it is a good trade. What do you intend to be, Benjamin? ' 'A painter.' 'A painter ! What sort of a trade is a painter? I never heard of it before.' 'A painter,' said this humble son of a Pennsylvania Quaker, ' is the companion of kings and emperors.' ' You are surely mad,' said the embryo tailor, 'there are neither kings nor emperors in America.' 'Aye, but there are plenty in other parts of the world. And do you really intend to be a tailor?' ' Indeed I do — nothing surer.' ' Then you may ride alone,' said the future companion of kings and emperors, leaping down ; ' I will not ride with one willing to be a tailor ! ' " A gentleman by the name of Flower, who lived in a neighboring town, saw some of West's first pictures, and was so well pleased with the boy that he invited him to visit his house. There he met a young Eng- lish lady, who was governess to his daughter. She was well acquainted with Art, and also intimate with Greek and Latin Poets, and loved to point out to the young artist the most picturesque passages. He had never before heard of Greece or of Rome, or of the heroes, philosophers, poets, painters, and historians, whom they had produced, and he listened while the lady spoke of them, with an enthusiasm which, after an experience of nearly seventy years in the world ho loved to live over again. OF AMERICANS. 29 His fame spread to Lancaster, where he was soon employed to paint por- traits. A Lancaster gunsmith, Mr. Joseph Henry, commissioned hira to paint the Death of Socrates. The artist knew none too much about the personage he was going to paint, and the gunsmith read to him a few pas- sages which spoke about hemlock and the philosopher. Once possessed of the idea, he began to work it out on canvas. The gunsmith gave him one of his men to stand for a model, and in due time this first historical picture of Benjamin West was finished. When West was fifteen years of age, Dr. Smith, Provost of the College of Philadelphia, proposed to his father to send his son to that city where he kindly offered to direct his studies. But before this Quaker father gave up his boy to the " worldly occupation of painting," he felt it to be his duty to lay the matter before the society of which ho was a member. The soci- ety assembled and waited for the moving of the spirit. It was a serious question with those serious men and women, whether they could give their consent that one of their own members should wander from the fold, to pursue an art which " had hitherto been employed to embellish life, to preserve voluptuous images, and add to the sensual gratifications of man." "The spirit of speech first descended on one John Williamson — 'To John West and Sarah Persons,' said this Western Luminary, ' a man-child hath been born, on whom God hath conferred some remarkable gifts of mind and you have all heard that, by something amounting to inspiration, the youth has been induced to study the Art of Painting. It is true that our tenets refuse to own the utility of that art to mankind ; but it seemeth to me that we have considered the matter too nicely. God has bestowed on this youth a genius for Art — shall we question His wisdom? Can we believe that He gives such rare gifts but for a wise and good purpose? I see the Divine hand in this ; we shall do well to sanction the art and encourage this youth.' " The assembly seems to have felt the force of these Avords, and the young painter was called in. He entered and took his station in the middle of the room, his father on his right hand and his mother on the left, surrounded by a com[)any of simple-hearted worshipers. A female spoke — for in the Society of Friends the pride of man has fastened no badge of servitude upon woman. There seemed to be but one opinion. If painting had been employed hitherto only "to preserve voluptuous images, in wise and pure hands it may rise in the scale of moral excellence, and display a loftiness of sentiment, and a devout dignity worthy of the contemplation of Christians. Genius is given by God for some high purpose — what that purpose is let us not inquire — it will be manifest in His own good time and way. He hath in this remote wilderness endowed with the rich gifts of a superior spirit this youth, who has now our consent to cultivate his talents for Art. May it be demonstrated in his life and works, that the gifts of God have not been bestowed in vain nor the motives of the beneficent inspiration, which induces us to suspend the strict operation of our tenets, prove barren of religious and moral effect." "At the conclusion of this address, the women rose and kissed the young artist and the men one by one laid their hands on his head." West pursued his studies at Philadelphia with an untiring devotion until summoned to the bedside of his dying mother. He arrived just in time 30 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS to receive the welcome of her ej'es, and her mute blessing. His affection and veneration for his mother was undying. "When he was old and graj', he recalled her looks and dwelt on her expressions of fondness and of hope, with a sadness which he neither wished to subdue nor conceal. While the companion of princes and noblemen, he used to go from scenes of splendor and gayety, and around his fireside talk to some kind friend about his mother. The tie that held him to home was now broken, and he left it to go out into the great world, to win fame and court fortune among strangers. He was eighteen years of age when he returned to Philadelphia to establish himself as a portrait painter. His merit was great and he had abundant employment ; first in that city, and then in New York, where he remained nearly a year. His extreme youth, the peculiar circumstances of his history, and his un- doubted merit brought him many sitters. Young as he was, he had the sagacity to see that travel influenced the public opinion, and that study* and long study, was necessary for him if he really wished to excel. He knew that the master- works of art were in other lands, and on Rome es- pecially he had already set his heart. The Italian harvest having failed, a consignment of wheat and flour was sent from Philadelphia to Italy, and put under the charge of one of the Aliens, who offered West a passage to Leghorn. It happened that a New York merchant, of the name of Kelly, was at that time sitting to West for his portrait, and to this gentleman the artist spoke of his intended journey, and represented how much he expected a year or two of study in Rome would improve his skill and taste. Kelly paid him for his portrait, gave him a letter to his agents in Philadelphia, shook him by the hand, and wished him a good voyage. Ere he reached his native place, after an ab- sence of eleven mouths, all the arrangements for his departure had been completed by Smith ; and when he presented the letter of Kelly, he found that it contained an order from that generous merchant to his agent to pay him fifty guineas — "a present to aid in his equipment for Italy." Thus all things seemed to conspire for the furtherance of the youth's advancement in the road to wealth and honor, for he found friends eager to assist him at every step. West, like most men of any imagination who visit Rome, was always fond of describing his first impressions. He had walked on while his trav- eling companion was baiting the horses, and had reached a rising ground, which offered him a view far and wide. The sun was newly risen, all was calm and clear, and he saw before him a spacious champaign bounded by green hills, and in the midst a wilderness of noble ruins, over which tow- ered the nobler dome of St. Peters. A broken column at his feet, which served as a mile-stone, informed him that he was within eight thousand paces of the ancient mistress of the world, and a sluggish boor, clad in rough goat-skins, driving his flocks to pasture amid the ruins of a temple, told him how far she had fallen. In the midst of a revery, in which he was comparing the treacherous peasants of the Campagna with the painted barbarians of North America, he entered Rome. This was on the 10th of July, 1760, and in the twenty-second year of his age. OF AMERICANS. 31 When it was known that a young American had come to Rome to study Raphael and Michael Angelo, some curiosity was excited among the Roman virtuosi. Many seemed to consider the young American as at most a better kind of savage ; and, accordingly, were curious to watch him. They wished to try what effect the Apollo, the Venus, and the works of Raphael would have upon him, and " thirty of the most magnificent equipages in the capital of Christendom, and filled with some of the most erudite characters in Europe," says Gait, "conducted the young Quaker to view the master- pieces of Art. It was agreed that the Apollo should first be submitted to his view ; the statute was inclosed in a case, and when the keeper threw open the doors, West unconsciously exclaimed, "My God — a j'oung Mo- hawk warrior!" The Italians were surprised and mortified with the com- parison of their noblest statute to a wild savage ; and AVest, perceiving the unfavorable impression, proceeded to remove it. He described the Mo- hawks — the natural elegance and admirable symmetry of their persons — the elasticity of their limbs, and their motions free and unconstrained. " I have seen them often," he continued, "standing in the very attitude of this Apollo, and pursuing with an intense eye the arrow which thej' had just discharged from the bow." The Italians cleared their moody brows, and allowed that a better criticism had rarely been pronounced. West was no longer a barbarian. Of his claim to mix with men of genius, however, he had as yet sub- mitted no proof; he had indeed shown his drawings to Mengs and to Hamilton, but they were, as he confessed, destitute of original merit ; nor, indeed, could they be commended for either neatness or accuracy. He waited on Lord Grantham — " I cannot," said he, " produce a finished sketch, like the other students, because I have never been instructed in drawing ; but I can paint a little, and if you will do me the honor to sit for your por- trait, that I may show it to Mengs, you will do me a great kindness." His lordship consented ; the portrait was painted ; and, the name of the artist being kept secret, the picture was placed in the gallery of Crespigni, where amateurs and artists were invited to see it. It was known that Lord Grantham was sitting to Mengs, and to him some ascribed the portrait, though they thought the coloring surpassed his other compositions. Dance, an Englishman of sense and acuteness, looked at it closely; "the coloring surpasses that of Mengs," he observed, "but the drawing is neither so fine nor so good." The company engaged eagerly in the discussion ; Crespigni seized the proper moment, and said, " It is not painted by Mengs." " By whom then?" they exclaimed, "for there is no other painter in Rome capa- ble of doing anj-thing so good." " By that young gentleman," said the other, turning to West, svho sat uneasy and agitated. The English held out their hands ; the Italians ran and embraced him. Mengs himself soon arrived ; he looked at the picture, and spoke with great kindness. " Young man, you have no occasion to come to Rome to iearn to paint." One day West was conversing in the British Coffee-House, when an old man with a guitar suspended from his shoulders, offered his services as au improvisator bard. " Here is an American," said the companion of West, 32 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS " come to study the Fine Arts in Eome ; take him for your theme, and it is a magnificent one." The old man burst into a song. " I behold," he sung, " in this youth an instrument chosen by Heaven to create in his native country a taste for those Arts which have elevated the nature of man — an assurance that his land will be the refuge of science and knowledge, when in the old age of Europe, they shall have forsaken her shores. All things of heavenly origin move westward, and Truth and Art have their periods of light and darkness. Rejoice, Rome, for thy spirit immortal and unde- cayed, now spreads toward a new world, where, like the soul of man in Par- adise, it will be perfected more and more." West visited Florence, Bologna, and Venice, carefully studying all the works of the great masters those beautiful cities contain. At Parma he was elected a Member of the Academy — he painted for the Academy a copy of the St. Jerome of Corregio, "of such excellence, that the reigning prince desired to see the artist. He went to court, and, to the utter confu- sion of the attendants, appeared vnih his hat on. The prince was a lover of William Penn, and received the young artist with complacency, and dismissed him with many expressions of regard. During his visits to Florence and Bologna he had also received the honors of their Academies. When he returned to Rome, he painted a picture of " Cimon and Iphige- nia," and another of "Angelica and Medora." These works established his reputation in Italy. He had no rival in Italy but Mengs and Pornpeo Bat- toni, and he soon left those painters for behind him. After four years of study and triumph in that unfortunate but beautiful land, he turned his face toward the Alps, with a determination to visit England and then return to his native country — but he little knew how brilliant a career he was to run. He arrived in London, June 20, 1763, and at a most auspicious period, for there was hardly an historical painter of genius then engaged in his Art in Great Britain. But before he could succeed he had to create a new taste. Such was the prejudice against everything modern, that no Englishman would have dared to have hung up any modern picture in his house, unless it was a portrait. A successful beginning, and the promise of full employment induced him to resolve on remaining in the Old Country. But he was attached to a young lady in his native land — absence had augmented his regard, and he wished to return to Philadelphia, marry her, and bring her to England, He disclosed the state of his affections to his friends, who took a less ro- mantic view of the matter, advised the artist to stick to his easel, and arranged the whole so prudently, that the lady came to London accompanied by a relation whose time was not so valuable as West's, and they were mar- ried. Dr. Drummond, the Archbishop of York, a dignified and liberal prelate, and an admirer of painting, invited West to his table, conversed with him on the influence of Art, and on the honor which the patronage of genius reflected on the rich, and opening Tacitus, pointed out that fine passage where Agrippina lands with the ashes of Germanicus. He caused his son to read it again and again, commented upon it with taste and feeling, and requested West to make him a painting of that subject. OF AMERICANS. 33 When the work was being proceeded with, the archbishop sought and ob- tained an audience of his majesty, then young and unacquainted with cares — informed him that a devout American and Quaker had painted, at his re- quest, such a noble picture that he was desirous to secure his talents for the throne and the country. The king was much interested with the story, and said, " Let me see this young painter of yours with his Agrippina as soon as you please." A gentleman was sent from the palace to request West's attendance with the picture of Agrippina. "His majesty," said the messenger, "is a young man of great simplicity and candor ; sedate in his affections, scrupulous in forming private friendships, good from principle, and pure from a sense of the beauty of virtue. Forty years' intercourse, we might almost say friend- ship, confirmed to the painter the accurac}' of these words. The king received West with easy frankness, assisted him to place the AgripjMna in a favorable light, removed the attendants, and brought in the queen, to whom he presented our Quaker. He related to her majesty the history of the picture, and bade her notice the simplicity of the design and the beauty of the coloring. " There is another noble Roman subject," ob- served his majesty, "the departure of Regulus from Rome — would it not make a fine picture?" "It is a magnificent subject," said the painter. " Then," said the king, " you shall jiaint it for me." He turned with a smile to the queen, and said, " The archbishop made one of his sons read Tacitus to Mr. West, but I will read Livy to him myself — that part where he describes the departure of Regulus." So saying, he read the passage very gracefully, and then repeated his command that the picture should be painted. West was too prudent not to wish to retain the sovereign's good opinion — and his modesty and his merit deserved it. The palace doors now seemed to open of their own accord, and the domestics attended with an obedient start to the wishes of him whom the king delighted to honor. There are minor matters which sometimes help a man on to fame; and in these too he had his share. West was a skillful skater, and in America had formed an acquaintance on the ice with Colonel, afterward too well known in the colonial war as General, Howe; this friendship had dissolved with the thaw, and was forgotten, till one day the painter, having tied on his skates at the Serpentine, was astonishing the timid practitioners of London by the rapidity of his motions, and the graceful figure which he cut. Some one cried, " West ! West ! " it was Colonel Howe. " I am glad to see you," said he, "and not the less so that you come in good time to vindicate my praises of American skating." He called to him Lord Spencer Hamilton and some of the Cavendishes, to whom he introduced West as one of the Philadelphia prodigies, and requested him to show them what was called " The Salute." He i^erforraed this feat so much to their satisfaction, that they went away spreading the praises of the American skater over London, Nor was the considerate Quaker insensible to the value of such commenda- tions ; he continued to frequent the Serpentine, and to gratify large crowds by cutting the Philadelphia Salute. Many to their praise of his skating added panegyrics on his professional skill, and not a few, to vindicate their applause, followed him to his easol, and sat for their portraits. 34 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS While West was painting the Departure of Regulus, the present Royal Academy was planned, and in its first exhibition appeared the Regulus. A change was now to be effected in the character of British Art ; hitherto historical painting had appeared in a masking habit; the actions of English- men seemed all to have been performed, if costume were to be believed, by Greeks or by Romans. West dismissed at once this pedantry, and restored nature and propriety in his noble work of "The Death of Wolfe." The multitude acknowledged its excellence at once. The lovers of old art, the manufacturers of compositions called by courtesy classical, complained of the barbarism of boots, and buttons, and blunderbusses, and cried out for naked warriors, with bows, bucklers, and battering-rams. Lord Grovenor, disregarding the frowns of the amateurs, and the, at best, cold approbation of the Academy, purchased this work, which, in spite of laced coats and cocked hats, is one of the best of our historical pictures. The Indian war- rior watching the dying hero, to see if he equaled in fortitude the children of the deserts, is a fine stroke of nature and poetry. West had now obtained the personal confidence of the king, and the favor of the public. His majesty employed him to paint a series of his- torical pictures for the palace, and when the king grew weary of these sub- jects, he took new ground and appealed to the religious feelings of the royal patron. He suggested to the king a series of pictures on the Progress of Revealed Religion. He selected eighteen subjects from the Old, and eighteen from the New Testament. They were all sketched, and twenty-eight executed, for which in all West received upward of twenty-one thousand pounds. A work so varied, and so noble in its nature, was never before undertaken by any painter. When the war broke out between England and her colonies, the feelings of West were sorely tried. His early friends and present patrons were in- volved in the bloody controversy. He was too much in the palace and alone with his majesty, to avoid some allusion to the strife. It is to the credit of that monarch that he never allowed the political opinions of West to interfere with his admiration of him as an artist, or his friendship for him as a man. Professor Morse relates an interesting anecdote about West and George III. The professor found West copying a portrait of the king. " This pic- ture," said the old painter, " is remarkable for one circumstance : the king was sitting to me for it when a messenger brought him the 'Declaration of Independence.' " It may be supposed that the question, " How did he re- ceive the news?" was asked. " He was agitated at first," said West; "then sat silent and thoughtful. At length, he said, ' Well, if they cannot be happy under my government, I hope they may not change it for a worse. I wish them no ill' " If such was George III, we find uo difficulty in re- conciling his attachment to Benjamin West, with the American's honest love of his native land. When Sir Joshua Reynolds died, the choice of the Royal Academy fell on West, and he was elected president with the "ready assent of the king." British writers seem to have had but one opinion on the propriety of this choice — there was no man in Great Britain whose title to the honor was so OF AMERICANS. 35 clear. The king offered hira on this occasion the honor of knighthood. Every American will rejoice that he rejected the nick-name. It had been the custom to confer this honor on the most distinguished painter in Eng- land. West was the only man who declined the title. Englishmen still call this American "Sir Benjamin." Well, as long as they do not know how such a " nick-name " belittles a man like West, we must overlook it. The new president delivered many discourses, all more or loss distin- guished for plain practical sense. He pressed upon the students the value of knowledge and the necessity of study, and the uselessness of both with- out a corresponding aptitude of mind and buoyancy of imagination — in other words, genius. He advised them to give heart and soul wholly to art, to turn aside neither to the right nor to the left, but consider that hour lost in which a line had not been drawn, nor a masterpiece studied. "Observe," he said, " with the same contemplative eye, the landscape, the appearance of trees, figures disjiersed around, and their aerial distance as well as lineal forms. Omit not to observe the light and shade in consequence of the sun's rays being intercepted by clouds or other accidents. Let your mind be familiar with the characteristics of the ocean ; mark its calm dignity when undisturbed by the winds, and all its various states between that and its terrible sublimity when agitated by the tempest. Sketch with attention its foaming and winding coasts, and that awful line which separates it from the heavens. Eeplenished with these stores, your imagination will then come forth, as a river collected from little springs spreads into might and majesty. If you aspire to excellence in your profession, you must, like the industrious bee, survey the whole face of nature and sip the sweet from every flower. When thus enriched, lay up your acquisitions for future use, and examine the great works of art to animate your feelings and to excite your emula- tion. When you are thus mentally enriched, and your hand practiced to obey the powers of your will, you will then find your pencils or j-our chisels as magic wands, calling into view creations of your own, to adorn your name and country." So regular were West's hours of labor, and so carefully did he calculate his time, that to describe one day of his life is to describe years. He rose early — studied before breakfast — began to work on one of his large pictures about ten — painted with little intermission till four — washed, dressed, saw visitors, and having dined, recommenced his studies anew. His works were chiefly historical ; he dealt with the dead ; and the solitude of his gallery was seldom invaded by the rich or the great clamoring for their portraits. Visitors sometimes found their way to his inner study while he had the pencil in his hand ; he had no wish to show off his skill to the idle, and generally sat as silent and motionless ou such occasions as one of his own apostles. His words were few, his manner easy ; his Quaker-like sobriety seemed little elevated by intercourse with nobles and waiting gentlewomen. On the Windsor pictures he expended much study, and to render them worthy of their place, he "trimmed," as he told the king, "his midnight lamp." So closely was he imprisoned by their composition, that his attend- ance at the burial of so eminent a brother artist as Gainsborough was men- tioned as something extraordinary. West lived to a great age. Elizabeth Shewell — for more than fifty yeara 3 36 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS his kind and tender companion — died on the 6th of December, 1817, and West, seventy-nine years old, felt that he was soon to follow. His wife and he had loved each other some sixty years — had seen their children's children — and the world had no compensation to offer. He began to sink, and though still to be found at his easel, his hand had lost its early alacrity. It was evident that all this was to cease soon ; that he was suffering a slow, and a general, and ea.sy decay. The venerable old man sat in his study among his favorite pictures, a breathing image of piety and contentment, awaiting calmly the hour of his dissolution. Without any fixed complaint, his mental faculties unimpaired, his cheerfulness uneclijised, and with looks serene and benevolent, he expired 11th March, 1820, in the eighty-second year of his age. lie was buried beside Reynolds, Opie, and Barry, in St. Paul's Cathedral. The pall was borne by noblemen, ambassadors, and academicians ; his two sons and grandson were chief mourners ; and sixty coaches brought up the splendid procession. West was the pioneer and father of American artists. Cunningham in his lives of eminent artists, thus gives the character of West, and his judg- ment upon his merits as a painter. How true or just this criticism, it is be- yond our knowledge or province to decide ; but the late Sir Martin Archer Shee, President of the Royal Academy of England, certainly a competent judge, said of him, that in his department — historical painting — he was "the most distinguished artist of the age in which he lived." Sir Thomas Lawrence also gave coramendatious equally strong. Says Cunningham : "Benjamin West was in person above the middle size, of a fair complex- ion, and firmly and compactly built. His serene brow betokened command of temper, while his eyes, sparkling and vivacious, promised lively remarks and pointed sayings, in which he by no means abounded. Intercourse with courts and with the world, which changes so many, made no change in his sedate sobriety of sentiment and happy propriety of manner, the re- sults of a devout domestic education. His kindness to young artists was great — his liberality seriously impaired his income — he never seemed weary of giving advice — intrusion never disturbed his temper — nor could the tediousness of the dull ever render him either impatient or peevish. Whatever he knew in art he readil}'- imparted — he was always happy to think that art was advancing, and no mean jealousy of other men's good fortune ever invaded his repose." "As his life was long and laborious, his productions are very numerous. He painted and sketched in oil, ujnvard of four hundred pictures, mostly of an historical and religious nature, and he left more than two hundred original drawings in his portfolio. His M'orks were supposed by himself, and for a time by others, to be in the true spirit of the great masters, and he com- posed them with the serious ambition and hope of illustrating Scripture, and rendering Gospel truth more impressive. No subject seemed to him too lofty for his pencil ; he considered himself worthy to follow the sub- limest flights of the prophets, and dared to limn the effulgence of God's glory, and the terrors of the day of Judgment. The mere list of his works makes us shudder at human jiresumption — Moses receiving the Law on Sinai — the Descent of the Holy Ghost on the Saviour in the Jordan — the Opening of the Seventh Seal in the Revelations — Saint Michael and his OF AMERICANS. 37 Angels casting out the Great Dragon — the mighty Angel with one foot on Sea and the other on Earth — the Resurrection — and there are many others of the same class ! With such magnificence and sublimity who but a Michael Angelo could cope? In all his works the human form was exhibited in conformity to academic precepts — his figures were arranged with skill — tlie coloring was varied and harmonious — the eye rested pleiised on the performance, and the artist seemed, to the ordinary'- spectator, to have done his task like one of the highest of the sons of genius. But below all this splendor, there was little of the true vitality — there was a monotony, too, of human character — the groupings were unlike the happy and careless combinations of nature, and the figures seemed distributed over the canvas by line aud measure, like trees in a plantation. He wanted fire and imagination, to be the restorer of that grand style, which bewildered Barry and was talked of by Reynolds. Most of his works — cold, formal, bloodless, and passionless — may remind the spectator of the sublime vision of the valley of dry bones, when the flesh and skin had come upon the skeletons, aud before the breath of God had infused them with life and feeling. Though such is the general impression which the works of West make, it cannot be denied that many are distinguished by great excellence. In his Death on the Pale Horse, and more particularly in his sketch of that pic- ture, he has more than approached the masters and princes of the calling. It is, indeed, irresistibly fearful to see the triumphant march of the terrific phantom, and the dissolution of all that earth is proud of beneath his tread. War and peace, sorrow and joy, youth and age, all who love and all who hate, seem planet-struck. The Death of Wolfe, too, is natural and noble, aud the Indian chief, like the Oneida warrior of Campbell, "A stoic of tlie woods, a mau without a tear," was a happy thought. The Battle of La Hogue, I have heard praised as the hest historic picture of the British school, by one not likely to be mis- taken, and who would not say what he did not feel. Many of his single figures, also, are of a high order. There is a natural grace in the looks of some of his women, which few painters have ever excelled. West was injured by early success ; he obtained his fame too easily — it was not purchased by long study and many trials — and he rashly imagined himself capable of anything. But the coldness of his imagination nipped the blossoms of history. It is the province of art to elevate the subject, in the spirit of its nature, and brooding over the whole, with the feeling of a poet, awaken the scene into vivid life, and heroic beauty ; but such mastery rarely waited upon the ambition of this amiable and upright man.'^ GILBERT CHARLES STUART. That most eminent of American portrait painters, the eccentric Gilbert Charles Stuart, was once asked at an English inn, in " what part of Eng- land he was born?" "I was not born in England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland." "Where then?" "I was born at Narraganset." "Where's that?" "Six miles from Pottawoone, and ten miles from Poppasquash, and about four miles west of Connonicut, and not far from the spot where 38 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the famous battle with the warlike Pequots was foiight." " In what part of the East Indies is that, sir? " " East Indies, my dear sir ! it is in the State of Rhode Island, between Massachusetts and Connecticut river." This was all Greek to his companions, and he left them to study a new lesson in geography. An anecdote of Stuart is given, in which he pretends to describe the kind of building in which he was born. As it is related in his characteristic style as a story teller, we give it. A few years before his death, two artists of Philadelphia visited Mr. Stuart, at his residence in Boston. These gentlemen, Messrs. Longacre and Neagle, had made the journey for the sole purpose of seeing and deriving instruction from the veteran. While sitting with him on one occasion, Mr. Neagle asked him for a pinch of snuff from his ample box, out of which he v/as profusely supplying his own nostrils. " I will give it to you," said Stuart, "but I advise you not to take it. Snuff-taking is a pernicious, vile, dirty habit, and, like all bad habits, to be carefully avoided." " Your practice contradicts your precept, Mr. Stuart." " Sir, / can't help it. Shall I tell you a story? You were neither of you ever in England — so I must describe an English stage-coach of my time. It was a large vehicle of the coach kind, with a railing around the top to secure outside passengers, and a bas- ket behind for baggage, and such travelers as could not be elsewhere ac- commodated. In such a carriage, full within, loaded on top, and an addi- tional uvfortunate stowed with the stuff in the basket, I happened to be traveling in a dark night, when coachee contrived to overturn us all — or, as they say in New York, dump us — in a ditch. We scrambled up, felt our legs and arms to be convinced that they were not broken, and finding, on examination, that inside and outside passengers were tolerably whole (on the whole), some one thought of the poor devil who was shut up with the baggage in the basket. He was found apparently senseless, and his neck twisted awry. One of the passengers, who had heard that any disloca- tion might be remedied, if promptly attended to, seized the corpse, with a determination to untwist the man's neck, and set his head straight on his shoulders. Accordingly, with an iron grasp, he clutched him by the head, and began pulling and twisting by main force. He appeared to have suc- ceeded miraculously in restoring life ; for the dead man no sooner experi- enced the first wrench, than he roared vociferously, ' Let me alone ! let me alone! I'm not hurt — I was born so!' Gentlemen," added Stuart, "I was born so ; " and, taking an enormous pinch of snuff, " I was born in a snuff-mill." This was partly true. His father, Gilbert Stuart, was a Scotchman, and erected a snufif-inill on the Narraganset, which was the first built in New England. He married a very handsome daughter of a Rhode Island farmer, by name Anthony ; and the year 1754, their son, Gilbert Charles, was born. He was a very capable, self-willed, and over-indulged lad. At thirteen years of age, he began to copy pictures, and soon after succeeded in making likenesses in black lead. When he was about eighteen years of age, a wandering Scotch artist, by the name of Alexander, came to Rhode Island, and being pleased with the talents of the lad, instructed him in his art, and finally took him with him to Scotland. Alexander died soon after, leaving OF AMERICANS. 39 young Stuart in a land of strangers. He went aboard of a collier bound to Xova Scotia, and worked his passage home, having been absent about a year. He washed off the coal dust, put on a new suit of clothes, and went to painting. Fully conscious of the great importance of drawing with ana- tomical exactness, he took vast pains to attain it, and hired a strong-muscled blacksmith to sit for him as a model. His mother died when he was in his eleventh year, and yet he, at this time, from recollection produced so striking a likeness that his uncle from Philadelphia recognized it the moment he entered the room. He soon had as much business iu the por- trait line as he could attend to. Stuart's Love of painting was enthusiastic, and the same with music, for he learned to play on a variety of instruments, and he also composed pieces himself. Lester says of him, in his biography, " He seems to have been gifted with the loftiest and best impulses of genius — whole days he passed in reading to his sister, in walking with her in the fields ; whole nights in playing the flute under her window — he never came home from his rambles in the country without bringing her wild flowers. He had a kind of wild wayward life, made ujd of gleams of light and thick clouds, of shadows and sunshine ; and yet he loved music, and it soothed him when he was sad — and when he was half forsaken he used to think and talk of that sister ; and when all was bright around him, for he was sometimes as happy as we ever can be in a 'naughty world,' he took up his pencil and dashed away 'hke Jehu;' and when such men as Reynolds looked at his pictures painted in this mood, they said the lines were 'gleams of sunshine, all light, in the midst of deep shadows.' " Stuart was bent on seeking his fortune in London. So one day, in the winter of 1776, he found himself wandering in the streets of that great city, without a friend in the place or a pound in his pocket. Waterhouse, a school companion of his, whom he expected to meet there, was absent at Edinburgh studying medicine. He went by a church door in Foster Lane, where he heard an organ play- ing. He stepped upon the threshold, and the "pew- woman" told him, in answer to a question what was going on, that the vestry were together test- ing the candidates for the post of organist. He went in boldly — asked if he might try. He was told he could — he did — he succeeded — got the place, and a salary of one hundred and fifty dollars a year 1 So much for the musical genius he had cultivated in America, when wise people were telling him he had better leave off serenading girls at night, playing the flute, and go to work. It gave him bread now, in the swarming wilderness of Loudon, where he needed nothing else. Stuart's proficiency in the theory and practice of music, was an additional evidence of the vigorous intellect and varied talents which constitute genius. He had that peculiar aptitude of mind, which would have made him excel in anything to which he chose to direct his strong faculties. Stuart was thougthless and improvident. His friends had to hunt for him occasionally in the sponging-house. He had been in London nearly two years before he made the acquaintance of West. Stuart says, " On appli- cation to West to receive me as a pupil, I was welcomed with true benev- 40 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS olence, encouraged, and taken into tlie family, and nothing could exceed the attentions of the artist to me — they were paternal." There are a hundred fine stories told of this eccentric, witty, improvident, but noble Stuart. He was full of genius, but he would not brook the requisite toil, or he would have made himself one of the first painters of any age. One day the blunt Dr. Johnson came into West's studio and ad- dressed something to Stuart — " Why ! you speak very good English, sir," said the lexicographer, " where did you learn it? " " Sir," replied Stuart, " I can better tell you where I did not learn it — it was not from your dic- tionary." Dr. Johnson had too much sense to be offended. He was, at one time, traveling in an English stTge-coacb, when his com- panions manifested a great curiosity to ascertain his business, and questioned him rather closely. He answered with a grave face and serious tone, that he sometimes dressed gentlemen's and ladies' hair (at that time the high craped pomatumed hair was all the fashion) — " You are a hair-dresser, then?" "What !" said he, "do you take me for a barber?" "I beg your pardon, sir, but I inferred it from what you said. If I mistook you, may I take the liberty to ask what j'du are, then?" " Why, I sometimes brush a gentleman's coat, or hat, and sometimes adjust a cravat." "0, you are a valet, then, to some nobleman?" "A valet! indeed, sir, I am not. I am not a servant — to be sure I make coats and waistcoats for gentlemen." " ! you are a tailor ! " " Tailor ! do I look like a tailor? I'll assure you, I never handled- a goose, other than a roasted one." By this time they were all in a roar. "What the devil are you, then?" said one. "I'll tell you," said Stuart. "Be assured all I have said is literally true. I dress hair, brush hats and coats, adjust a cravat, and make coats, waistcoats, and breeches, and likewise boots and shoes, at your service." " ho ! a boot and shoemaker, after all ! " " Guess again, gentlemen ; I never handled boot or shoe but for my own feet and legs ; yet all I have told you is true." " We may as well give up guessing." After checking his laughter, and pumping up a fresh flow of spirits by a large pinch of snuiJ", he said to them very gravely, "Now, gentlemen, I will not play the fool with you any longer, but will tell you, upon my honor as a gentleman, my bona fide profession. I get my bread by making faces." He then screwed his countenance, and twisted the lineaments of his visage, in a manner such as Samuel Foote or Charles Matthews might have envied. When his companions, after loud peals of laughter, had composed themselves, each took credit to himself for having " all the while suspected the gentleman belonged to the theater," and they all knew that he must be a comedian by profession ; when, to their utter surprise, he assured them that he never was on the stage, and very rarely saw the inside of a play-house, or any similar place of amusement. They now all looked at each other with astonishment. Before parting, Stuart said to his companions, " Gentlemen, you will find that all I have said of my various employments, is comprised in these few words : I am a portrait painter. If you will call at John Palmer's, York Buildings, London, where I shall be ready and willing to brush you a coat or hat, dress your hair a la mode, supply you, if in need, with a wig of any fashion or dimensions, accommodate you with boots or shoes, give you ruffles or cravats, and make faces for you." OF AMERICANS. 41 All wlio have written about Stuart, speak of his wonderful powers of conversation. " In this respect," says Waterhouse, " he was inferior to no man among us. He made it a point to keep those talking who were sitting to him for their portraits, each in their own wa}', free and easy. This called up all his resources of judgment. To military men he spoke of battles by sea and land ; with the statesman on Hume's and Gibbon's His- tory ; with the lawyer on jurisprudence or remarkable criminal trials ; with the merchant, in his way ; with the man of leisure, in his way, and with the ladies in all ways. When putting the rich farmer on the canvas, ho would go along from seed-time to harvest-time — he would descant on the nice points of the horse, ox, cow, sheep, or pig, and surprise him with his just remarks in the process of making cheese and butter, or astonish him with his profound knowledge of manures, or the food of plants. As to national and individual character, few men could say more to the purpose, as far as history and acute personal observation would carry him. He had wit at will — always ample, sometimes redundant." Stuart read men's characters as easily as h'e read newspapers. Lord Mulgrave employed him to paint his brother, General Phipps, who was going out to India. When the picture was done, and the general had sailed, the earl came for the piece. " This picture looks strange, sir," said the disturbed nobleman, " How is it? I see — I think I see insaniUj in that face." " It may be so," replied Stuart, " but I painted your brother as I saw him." The first account Lord Mulgrave had from his brother, was that his insanity, unknown and unapprehended by any of his friends, had driven him into suicide ! Stuart generally produced a likeness on the pannel or canvas, before ■painting in the eyes, his theory being, that on the nose, more than any other feature, likeness depended. On one occasion when a pert coxcomb had been sitting to him, the painter gave notice that the sitting was ended, the dandy exclaimed on looking at the canvas, " Why — it has no eyes ! " Stuart replied, " It is not nine days old yet." We presume our readers need not be reminded that nine days must elapse from the birth of a puppy, before he opens his eyes. Stuart had now become a fashionable and leading artist in London. But he lived in splendor and was the gayest of the gay ; his indulgencies and his improvidences wearied his friends. He was poor on money that would have enriched any other man. One day he was drinking with earls, dukes, and princes ; the next, cracking jokes with companions in a debtor's prison. But rich people would be painted, and they had to go to jail to get it done ; and so he painted his way out. In 1794, he turned his back on his good fortune and came home to America. His principal inducement was his great desire to paint the por- trait of Washington, for whom he had the greatest admiration. Stuart had been familiar with the highest society of England, but he was embarrassed when he entered the room where Washington w;is, and he said it was the first time he had ever felt awe in the presence of a fellow man. Stuart was now gratified in the accomplishment of the hope of years. Washington was standing on the highest eminence of glory any man had 42 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS yet stood on ; the gaze of the world was fixed steadily upon him. To leave for posterity a faithful portrait of him, and thus link his name forever with that great man's, had now become the most earnest wish of Stuart's life. Washington sat for his portrait — Stuart was not pleased with his first attempt. It may easily be imagined with what feelings the painter was stirred, when he gazed with the full, clear, earnest eye of the artist, upon that face which Guizot has declared more than half divine. It is a matter of little surprise that he failed on the first trial. He destroyed the picture. AVashington sat again, and then ho painted as good a portrait as ever was or can be painted. This picture is now in the Boston Athenajum. A couple of anecdotes are told in relation to Stuart and Washington, which are among the few authentic instances of Washington's losing his self-control. One morning, as the painter approached the house, the street door and inner door were open, so that his eye was led directly into the parlor ; and just as he was about to ascend the steps, he saw Washington seize a man by the collar and thrust him violently across the room. This being an awkward moment to enter the House, he passed on a short distance ; but immediately returned, and found the president sitting very composedly in his chair. After the usual saluta- tion, his first words were, " Mr. Stuart, when you went away, you turned the face of your picture to the wall, and gave directions that it should remain so, to prevent its receiving any injury, but when I came into the room this morning the face was turned outward as you now see it, the doors were open, and here was a fellow raising a dust with a broom, and I know not but the picture is ruined." It so happened, however, that no essential harm was done. Stuart, while engaged on this work, after several ineffectual attempts to bring that noble but restrained soul to the surface, to make the calm eye of the great man flash, and his patient features light up with excitement, prac- ticed a stratagem to effect his object. He got everything in readiness and then left the room just before the time of appointment, knowing Washing- ton's scrupulous punctuality, and his exaction of it in all with whom he had to do ; he waited in an adjoining room until he heard a loud exclama- tion of impatience, and the rapid steps that told of an angry mood. Then he entered, respectfully greeted Washington — who sternly resumed his seat — seized his palette, and, after a few touches, apologized by confessing that he bad practiced the ruse, to call up a look of moral indignation, which would give spirit to his delineation. Stuart lived after this thirty-four years, preserving his great powers to the very last. The portrait of John Quincy Adams was his last work. He died in 1828, and was buried in the cemetery of the Episcopal Church, in Boston. When an English ambassador was leaving England for America, he called on West, and asked him to recommend a portrait painter. "Where are you going?" "To the United States." "There, sir," said West, "you will find the best portrait painter in the world, and his name is Gilbert Stuart." When Sully wa? in Boston, he requested Allston to accompany him to see a portrait of Mr. Gibbs, by Stuart. " Well," says Allston, " what is OF AMERICANS. 43 your opinion?" The reply was, "I may commit myself and expose my ii;non\nce : but in my opinion, I never saw a Rembrandt, Reubens, Vandyke, or Titian equal to it. What say you?" "I say," replied Allston, "that all combined could not have equaled it." JOHN TRUMBULL. Our countrymen are much indebted to John Trumbull, whose genius and industry have preserved to them, for all time, the great scenes of our war for independence, with accurate portraits of those eminent men who risked their all in the struggle. He was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1756, and was the son of Jon- athan Trumbull, governor of that State through the entire war of the Revo- lution, and governor of the colony before the war ; being the only one of all the chief magistrates, who had served both the Crown and the Re- public. At six years of age, the future artist would read Greek " in a certain way." He says, in his autobiography : " My taste for drawing began to dawh early. It is common to talk of natural genius ; but I am disposed to doubt the existence of such a principle in the human mind ; at least in my own case, I can clearly trace it to mere imitation. My two sisters, Faith and Mary, had completed their education at an excellent school in Boston, where they both had been taught embroidery ; and the eldest. Faith, had acquired some knowledge of drawing, and had even painted in oil two heads and a landscape. These wonders were hung in my mother's parlor, and were among the first objects that caught my infant eye. I endeavored to imitate them, and for several years the nicely sanded floors (for carpets were then unknown in Lebanon) were constantly scrawled with my rude attempts at drawing. About the same time music first caught my attention. I heard a jews- harp — delicious sound ! which no time can drive from my enchanted mem- ory ! I have since been present at a commemoration of Handel, in West- minster Abbey, and have often listened with rapture to the celestial warblings of Catalani — I have heard the finest music of the age in London and in Paris, but nothing can obliterate the magic charm of that jews-harp, and even at this late moment, its sweet vibrations seem to tingle on my ear." Trumbull painted and studied till his sixteenth year, when he was entered at Harvard (1772), in the Junior class, " the best educated boy of his age in New England " — said the Greek professor. " My fondness for painting had grown with my growth, and in reading of the arts of antiquity, I had become familiar with the names of Phidias and Praxiteles, of Zeuxis and Appelles. These names had come down through a series of m.ore than two thousand years, with a celebrity and ap- l^lause which accompanied few of those who had been devoted to the more noisy and turbulent scenes of politics or war. The tranquillity of the art seemed better suited to me than the bustling scenes of life." He searched the library for all the books on art he could find, copied some fine paintings, anfi, on graduating the next year, returned to Lebanon, where he continued his artistic labors, by designing the death of Paulus Emilias, at the battle of Cannaj. 44 ADYENTUEES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS In the summer and autumn of 1774, the angry discussions between Great Britain and her Colonies began to assume a very serious tone. "I caught the growing enthusiasm," he says ; " the characters of Brutus, of Paulus Emilius, of the Scipios, were fresh in my remembrance, and their devoted patriotism always before my eyes ; besides, my father was now governor of the colony, and a patriot, of course surrounded by patriots, to whose ardent conversation I listened daily ; it would have been strange if all this had failed to produce its natural effect. I sought for military information ; acquired what knowledge I could, soon formed a small company from among the young men of the school and the village, taught them, or more properly we taught each other, to use the musket and to march, and military exercises and studies became the favorite occupation of the day. "When my mother was preparing and packing up my linen and clothes for this campaign, she said to me, ' My son, when I recollect the sufferings of your infancy, with your present feebleness of constitution, and anticipate the hardships and dangers to which you are about to be exposed, I hardly dare to hope that we shall ever meet again ; however, in all events, my dear son, I charge you so to conduct yourself, that if ever I do see you again, it may be with the pride and delight of a mother.' " On the 19th of April, 1775, the blood of our fathers began to flow on the plains of Lexington. Before the first of May a regiment of troops "started into view as by magic," and were on their march for Bunker Hill. Young Trumbull was adjutant of the regiment. He was the best draughtsman in the army, and his drawings of battle-fields, forts, and forti- fications, brought him to the notice of the commander-in-chief, who ap- pointed the young painter his second aid-de-camp. He was afterward de- tached from Washington's staff, and made a major of brigade at Eoxbury. When General Gates took command of the " Northern Department," he offered Trumbull the appointment of adjutant, and he attended him on his northern expedition, where he distinguished himself in the service of the Colonies. On the 22d of February, 1777, terminated Trumbull's " regular military career." The cause of his resignation he explained in a letter to the Presi- dent of Congress, His commission as deputy adjutant-general, was dated the 12th of December, 1776— he had served in that oflSce since the 28th of June, by the appointment of Major-General Gates, who was authorized to make the appointment by particular instructions from Congress. Trumbull was right in principle, but the manner of his resignation offended the congress. He would not yield a point of honor, and his course has been justified by some of the most distinguished officers of the Pievolution. " Thus ended my regular military service, to my deep regret, for my mind was at this time full of lofty military aspirations." Some time after this, he went to Boston and hired a room, in which to study painting. He occupied himself in his art by studies from some excel- lent paintings ; copies, by Symbert, from Yandyck, Poussin, and Raphael. '■ The war," said he, " was a period little favorable to regular study and deliberate pursuits : mine were often desultory. A deep and settled regret of the military career from which I had been driven, and to which there appeared to be no possibility of an honorable return, preyed upon my spirits ; OF AMERICANS. 45 and the sound of a drum frequently called an involuntary tear to my eye." In the summer of 1780, Trumbull went to Europe, with the intention of studying painting under Mr. West. He hud received the assurance, through the intervention of a friend, from the British Secretary of State, that, not- ■withstanding his past military life, he could pursue the study of art unmo- lested, provided he avoided all meddling with politics. He was received kindly by Mr. West, then in the noon of his glory, who, when he saw his copy of the Madonna, said, " Mr. Trumbull, I have no hesitation to saj- that nature intended you for a painter. You possess the essential qualities ; nothing more is necessary but careful and assiduous cultivation." A movement was set on foot against Trumbull by some American loyalist, and he was arrested for " high treason," and taken off at eleven o'clock at night to a lock-up house in Drury Lane. Examined the next morning by three police magistrates, who seemed to desire to know something about the traitor, he thus addressed them : " You appear to have been much more habituated to the society of highwaymen and pickpockets, than to that of gentlemen, I will put an end to all this insolent folly, by telling you frankly who and what I am. I am an American — my name is Trumbull ; I am a son of him whom you call the rebel Governor of Connecticut ; I have served in the rebel American army ; I have had the honor of being an aid-de-camp to him whom you call the rebel General Washington. These two have always in their power a greater number of your friends, prisoners, than you have of theirs. Lord George Germaine knows under what cir- cumstances I came to London, and what has been my conduct here. I am entirely in your power ; and after the hint which I have given you, treat me as you please, always remembering, that as I may bo treated, so will your friends in America be treated by mine." The painter's commitment was made out for a loathsome prison — the only one the Gordon riots had left standing in London — and the first night the son of the Governor of Connecticut slept with a highwayman. The moment West heard what had befallen his pupil, he " hurried to Buckingham House, asked an audience of the king, and was admitted." " I am sorry for the young man," said the king, " but he is in the hands of the law, and must abide the result ; I cannot interpose. Do you know whether his parents are living? " " I think I have heard him say that he has very lately received news of the death of his mother ; I believe his father is living." "I pity him, from my soul'." He mused a few moments, and then added : "But, West, go to Mr. Trumbull immediately, and pledge to him my royal promise, that, in the worst possible event of the law, his life shall be safe." With this kind answer. West hurried away to the prison. "I had now," says Trumbull, "nothing more to apprehend than a tedious confinement, and that might be softened by books and my pencil. I there- fore begged Mr. West to permit me to have his beautiful little Gorregio and my tools ; I proceeded with the copy, which was finished in prison during the winter of 1780-81, and is now deposited in the gallery at New Haven." After an Imprisonment of seven months, Trumbull was liberated on the condition of leaving the kingdom within thirty days, not to return during 46 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the war. On the restoration of peace, he again returned to England, and studied under West. He soon began to meditate seriously of events of the Ilevolution, which afterward became the great objects of his professional life. The death of General Warren at the battle of Bunker Hill, and of General Montgomery at Quebec, were first painted. " Mr. West witnessed the pro- gress of these pictures with great interest, and strongly encouraged me to persevere in the work of the history of the American Revolution, which I had thus commenced, and recommended to have the series engraved." This suggestion Trumbull followed up all through life, at a great sacrifice of time, money, and tranquillity. With a view to accomplish his object he visited Paris in 1785, at the invitation of Mr. Jefferson, who was a liberal and enlightened friend of art. The great statesman received Trumbull "most kindly at his house," where he made it his home. "My two paintings, the first fruits of my national enterprise, met his warm approbation, and during my visit, I began the composition of the Declaration of Independence, with the assistance of his information and ad- vice." He also made various studies for the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and the Battle of Trenton, and Princeton. He also painted, at this period, his celebrated picture of the Sortie from Gibraltar, which Horace Walpole said was " the finest picture he had seen painted north of the Alps." Trumbull returned the second time to the United States in November, 1789. Congress met in New York early in December. "All the world was assembled there, and I obtained many portraits for the Declaration of Inde- pendence, Surrender of Cornwallis, and also that of General Washington in the battles of Trenton and Princeton." He now spent a considerable time in journeying to distant parts of the country, painting portraits of the illus- trious men he introduced into his historical pieces — a work which no other man of his time seemed inclined to do. In 1792, he painted the best portrait extant of Washington as a general, in his heroic military character. It is a full length of Washington at Tren- ton ; and is now in the Trumbull Gallery at New Haven. He was at this time in the prime of life, about forty-five years of age. The portrait most familiar to his countrymen is that of Stuart, which represents Washington as the president, when he was an old man, and the expression of his mouth injured by a set of false teeth. " I told the president my object," says Trum- bull ; "he entered into it warmly, and, as the work advanced, we talked of the scene, its dangers, its almost desperation. He loolied the scene again, and I happily transferred to the canvas the lofty expression of his animated countenance, the high resolve to conquer or to perish." In the year 1815, Congress authorized the president to employ Trumbull to compose and execute four paintings, commemorative of the most impor- tant events of the American Revolution, to be placed in the Capitol of the United States. The choice of the subjects and the size of each picture, was left to the president, Mr. Madison. In the interview between the artist and the presi- dent, it was concluded to make the pictures of dimensions to admit the figures to be the size of life. The four subjects decided upon, were the Surrender of Burgoyne — the Surrender of Cornwallis — the Declaration of OF AMERICANS. 47 Independence — Eesignation of General "Washington of his Commission as Commander-in-Chief of the American Army, to Congress. He was cm- ploj'ed upon these about eight years, tlie last being finished in 1824, about which time he had the misfortune to lose his wife. He received thirty-two thousand dollars for these works, from government ; but some of his mercan- tile speculations had turned out badly, obliging him to sacrifice everything to meet his obligations. He says : "My contract with the government was honorably fulfilled. My debts were paid, but I had the world before me to begin anew. I had passed the term of three-score years and ten, the allotted period of human life. My best friend was removed from me and I had no child. A sense of loneUness began to creep over my mind, yet my hand was steady and my sight good, and I felt the vis vitce strong within me. Why then sink down into pre- mature imbecility? 1 resolved, therefore, to begin a new series of my paintings of revolution- ary subjects, of a smaller size than those in the Capitol, and to solace my heavy hours by working on them. I chose the size of six feet by nine, and began. Funds, however, began to diminish, and I sold scraps of furniture, fragments of plate, etc. . My pictures remained on my hands unsold, and to all appearances unsaleable. At length the thought occurred to me, that although the hope of a sale to a nation or to a State became more and more desperate from day to daj', yet in an age of speculation, it might be possible that some societj' might be willing to possess these paintings, on condition of paying me a life annuity. I first thought of Harvard College, my alma mater, but she was rich, and amply endowed. I then thought of Yale — although not my alma, yet she was within my native State and poor. I hinted this idea to a friend (Mr. Alfred Smith, of Hartford) — it took — was followed up, and resulted in a contract." A gallery, fire-proof, was erected by the college — his pictures arranged tinder the direction of the artist, and an annuity of one thousajid dollars settled upon him for the remainder of his life. Trumbull also made one noble condition in this final disposition of his works, which should alone give immortality to his name. After his death, the entire proceeds of the exhibition of the Gallery, were to be " perpetually appropriated toward de- fraying the expense of educating poor scholars in Yale College." He says in the close of his autobiogi-aphy : " Thus I derive present subsistence principally from this source, and have besides the happy reflection, that when I shall have gone to my rest, these works will remain a source of good to many a poor, perhaps meritorious and excellent man." The Trumbull Gallery at New Haven, contains about forty large paint- ings by the artist, beside nearly two hundred and fifty portraits of per- sons distinguished during the Revolutionary period, painted by him from life. Among them is that noble, full length of Washington at Trenton. There too are those inimitable battle-pieces — the Death of Warren, at Bunker Hill, and of Montgomery, at Quebec. In these two compositions, "the accuracy' of drawing, the admirable coloring, the variety of figures in- troduced, the force of ex^jression displayed in their attitudes and counte- nances, with their striking effect as a whole, stamp these productions as 48 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS master-pieces of the art." As battle-pieces, they are probably unequaled by those of any artist, living or dead. These pictures are familiar to most readers, from the engraved copies in the early histories of the United States. The painting of the Battle of Bunker Hill, '-represents the moment (the Americans having expended their ammunition) the British troops became completely successful and mastei-s of the field. At this last moment of the action. General Warren was killed by a musket ball through the head. The principal group represents him expiring ; a soldier on his knees sup- ports him, and with one hand wards oflf the bayonet of a British grenadier, who, in the heat and fury natural at such a moment, aims to revenge the death of a favorite officer, Colonel Abercombie, who had just fallen at his feet. Colonel Small (whose conduct in America was always equally distin- guished by acts of humanity and kindness to his enemies, as by bravery and fidelity to the cause he served), had been intimately connected with General Warren — saw him fall, and flew to save him. He is represented seizing the musket of the grenadier, to prevent the fatal blow, and speaking to his friend ; it was too late ; the general had barely life remaining to recognize the voice of friendship ; he had lost the power of speech, and expired with a smile of mingled gratitude and triumph. Near him, several Americans, whose ammunition is expended, although destitute of bayonets, are seen to persist in a resistance obstinate and desperate, but fruitless. Near this side of the painting is seen General Putnam, reluctantly ordering the retreat of these brave men ; while beyond him a party of American troops oppose their last fire to the victorious column of the enemy. Behind Colonel Small is seen Colonel Pitcairn, of the British marines, mortally wounded, and falling in the arms of his son, to whom he was speaking at the fatal moment. Under the feet of Colonel Small lies the dead body of Colonel Abercombie. General Howe, who commiinded the British troops, and General Clinton, who, toward the close of the action, offered his services as a volunteer, are seen behind the principal group. On the right of the painting a young American, wounded in the sword hand, and in the breast, has begun to retire, attended by a faithful negro ; but seeing his general fall, hesitates whether to save himself, or, wounded as he is, to return and assist in saving a life more precious to his country than his own. Behind this group are seen the British column ascending the hill — grena- diers, headed by an oflicer bearing the British colors, mounting the feeble intrenchments ; and more distant, the Somerset ship-of-war (which lay during the action between Boston and Charlestown), the north end of Bos- ton, with the batter}' on Copp's Hill ; and the harbor, shipping, etc. No part of the town of Charlestown is seen ; but the dark smoke indi- cates the conflagration." In the painting of the attack on Quebec, " that part of the scene is chosen where General Montgomery commanded in person ; and that moment, when by his unfortunate death, the plan of attack was entirely disconcerted, and the consequent retreat of his column decided at once the fate of the place, and of such of the assailants as had already entered at another point. OF AMERICANS. 49 The principal group represents the death of General Montgomery, who, together with his two aids-de-camp, Major M'Pherson and Captain Chees- raan, fell by a discharge of grapeshot from the cannon of the phicc. The general is represented as expiring, supported by two of his officers, and sur- rounded by others, among whom is Colonel Campbell, on whom the com- mand devolved, and by whose order a retreat was immediately begun. Grief and surprise mark the countenances of the various characters. The earth covered with snow — trees stripped of their foliage — the desola- tion of winter, and the gloom of night heightened the melancholy character of the scene." Trumbull's " Declaration of Independence " is the best known of any American work of art. "To preserve the resemblance of the men who were the authors of this memorable act, was an essential object of this painting. Important difficulties presented themselves to the artist at the outset ; for although only ten years had then elapsed since the date of the event, it was already difficult to ascertain who were the individuals to be represented. Should he regard the fact of having been actually present in the room on the fourth of Jul}', indispensable? Should he admit those only who were in favor of, and reject those who were opposed to the act? AVhere a person was dead, and no authentic portrait could be obtained, should he ad- mit ideal heads? These were questions on which Mr. Adams and Mr. Jeffer- son were consulted, and they concurred in the advice, that with regard to the characters to be introduced, the signatures of the original act (which is still preserved in the office of state), ought to be the general guide. That por- traits ought, however, to be admitted, of those who were opposed to, and of course did not sign, as well as of those who voted in favor of the declara- tion, and did sign it, particularly John Dickinson, of Delaware, author of the Farmer's Letters, who was the most eloquent and powerful opposcr of the measure ; not indeed of its principle, but of the fitness of the time, which he considered premature. And they particularly recommended, that wherever it was possible, the artist should obtain his portrait from the living person ; that where any one was dead, he should be careful to copy the finest portrait that could be obtained ; but that in case of death, where no portrait could be obtained (and there were many such instances, for, an- terior to the Revolution, the arts had been very little attended to, except in one or two cities), he should by no means admit any ideal representation, lest it being known that some such were to be found in the painting, a doubt of the truth of others should be excited in the minds of posterity ; and that, in short, absolute authenticity should be attempted, as far as it could be attained. The artist was governed by this advice, and spared neither pains nor ex- pense in obtaining his portraits from the living. Mr. Adams was painted in London; Mr. Jefferson in Paris; Mr. Hancock and Samuel Adams in Bos- ton ; Mr. Edward Rutledge in Charleston, South Carolina; Mr. Wythe at AVilliamsburg, in Virginia ; Mr. Bartlett at Exeter, in New Hampshire, etc. In order to give some variety to his composition, he found it necessary to depart from the usual practice of reporting an act, and has made the whole committee of five advance to the table of the president to make their re- l)ort, instead of having the chairman rise in his place for the purpose ; the 50 ADVENTUKES AND ACHIEVEMENTS. silence and solemnity of the scene, offered such real difficulties to a pic- turesque and agreeable composition, as to justify, in his opinion, this depar- ture from custom, and perhaps fact. Silence and solemnity he thought essential to the dignity of the subject ; levity or inattention would have been unworthy on such an occasion and in such an assembly. The dresses are faithfully copied from the costume of the time, the present fashion of pantaloons and trowsers being then unknown among gentlemen. The room is copied from that in which Congress held their sessions at the time, such as it was before the spirit of innovation laid unhallowed hands upon it, and violated its venerable walls by modern improvement, as it is called. The artist also took the liberty of embellishing the background, bj' suspending upon the wall, military flags and trophies ; such as had been taken from the enemy at St. Johns, Chambly, etc., and probably were actually placed in the hall. In fact nothing has been neglected by the artist, that was in his power, to render this a faithful memorial of the great event." The remains of Trumbull, with those of his wife, are deposited in a vault under the Trumbull Gallery. The following is a part of the in- scription on his monumental tablet : " Colonel John Trumbull, Painter and Artist, Friend and Aid of Washington, died, in New York, November 10, 1843, aged eighty-eight. To his Country he gave his Sword and his Pencil." Lester states, in his "Artists of America," that to no one artist "does the country owe so much as to Trumbull. Congress paid grudgingly eight thousand dollars a piece for his four great paintings in the Kotunda — but what representative of the American people would dare now to rise in his place, and propose to sell the Declaration of Indejjendence, I care not what sum were offered for it? It is the only picture in the world which has pre- served the forms and expressions of the great fathers of American liberty, and it would be sacrilege to ruin it, because it is above all price. As ages roll by, the wonderful events those pictures commemorate, will be graven more deeply in the minds of men, and to each successive generation they will become more invaluable. The early historical painters of nations have always ranked among their early historians — they stand side by side at the fountains of history, to rescue those sacred forms and relics, which, but for their holy vigilance, would have passed away forever." AN ACCURATE AND INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERINGS BAND OF HEROES WHO TRAVERSED THE WILDERNESS IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST QUEBEC, IN 1775. The above is the title of a little volume of about two hundred pages. It was written by the Hon. John Joseph Henry, for the instruction and amuse- ment of his children, and was not published until after his death, in 1812.* The author, the son of William Henry, Esq., the inventor of the screw-augur, was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1758. At the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to an uncle who was a gimsmith, and accompanied him to Detroit, where, however, his stay was short, on account of the scarcity of business. He returned on foot, with a single guide, who died in the wilder- ness which lay between Detroit and his home, and it was there that hard- ships and misfortune were first encountered. Soon after his return, the troubles of his country aroused attention, and his ardent mind panted for military glory. In the fall of 1775, he clandestinely joined a corps of Lan- caster men raised to reinforce Arnold at Boston. He was then a mere strip- ling, the youngest of that band of heroes who accompanied Arnold to Que- bec : the day he entered Canada being but his seventeenth birthday. While in prison in Quebec, where he lay for nine months, he contracted the scurvy which, on his return, assumed a most malignant form, and frus- trated all his plans of future military life, for which purpose a captaincy had been procured for him in Morgan's famous Virginia rifle regiment. After the war, he studied law and eventually was appointed by Gov. Mifflin, Pres- ident Judge of the Second Judicial District of Pennsylvania. He died in 1809, some of the leisure of his last years having been devoted to the writ- ing of the instructive narrative to his "dear children," here given in an abridged form. * It may interest persons not familiar with the demand for old scarce works illustrating American History to state, that this small volume, the original price of which was prob- ably not over one dollar, brought at an auction in New York City, of rare American works, ten dollars, which is more than its weight in silver — it weighiug but seven ounces. Another scarce American work, wcigliing but seventeen ounces was sold to the writer for thirty dollars ; yet these piices are low compared to what books coraprisiug tlie same amouut of matter were iu manuscript before the invention of printing. 4 (5U 52 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS My Dear Children. — There is a point, in the history of the American revolution, hitherto little attended to ; as yet imperfectly related, and now at this late day almost for- gotten ; which would deserve and require the talents and genius of a Xeno- phon, to do it real justice. As your father in early life had a concern in that adventure, permit him to relate to you in the words of truth, a compendious detail of the sufferings of a small band of heroes ; unused, to be sure, to military tactics and due .subordination, but whose souls were fired by an en- thusiastic love of country, and a spirit such as has often inspired our ances- tors, when determined to bo free. In the autumn of 1775, our adorable Washington, thought it prudent to make a descent upon Canada. A detachment from the American grand arm}', then in the vicinity of Boston, was organized, to fulfill this intention, by the route of the Kennebec and Chaudiere Rivers. It was intended as a co-operation with the army of General Montgomery, who had entered the same province, by the way of Champlain and Montreal. Colonel Benedict Arnold was appointed the commander-in-chief of the whole detachment, which consisted of eleven hundred men. Colonel Enos was second in com- mand. Riflemen composed a part of the armament. These companies, from sixty-five to seventy-five strong, were from the southward : that is. Captain Daniel Morgan's company from Virginia ; that of Captain AVilliam Uend- ricks' from Cumberland county in Pennsylvania, and Captain Matthew Smith's company from the county of Lancaster, in the latter province. The residue, and bulk of this corps, consisted of troops mainly from Massachu- setts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. All these men were of as rude and hardy a race as ourselves, and as unused to the discipline of a camp, and as fearless as we were. They were an excellent body of men, formed by nature as the stamina of an army, fitted for a tough and tight defense of the liber- ties of their country. The principal distinction between us, was in our dia- lects, our arms, and our dress. Each man of the three companies, bore a rifle- barreled gun, a tomahawk, or small axe, and a long knife, usually called a "scalping-knife," which served for all purposes, in the woods. Ilis under- dress, by no means in a military style, was covered b}' a deep ash- colored hunting-shirt, leggins, and moccasins, if the latter could be procured. It was the silly fashion of those times, for riflemen to ape the manners of savages. Our commander, Arnold, was of a remarkable character. He was brave, even to temerity, was beloved by the soldiery, perhaps for that quality only : — he possessed great powers of persuasion, was complaisant : but withal sordidly avaricious. Arnold was a short handsome man, of a florid com- jjlexion, stoutly made, and forty years old at least. On the other hand Morgan was a large strong-bodied personage, whose appearance gave the idea history has left us of Belisarius. His manners were of the severer cast; but where he became attached he was kind and truly affectionate. This is said, from experience of the most sensitive and pleasing nature ; ac- tivity, spirit and courage in a soldier, procured his good will and esteem. Hendricks was tall, of a mild and beautiful countenance. His soul was an- imated by a genuine spark of heroism. Smith was a good looking man, had the air of a soldier, was illiterate and outrageously talkative. The oflScers of the eastern troops, were many of them men of sterling worth. OF AMERICANS. 53 Our little army, in higli spirits, marched from Prospect Hill, near Cam- bridge, on the 11th of September, 1775, to Newburyport ; from thence we embarked in transports to the mouth of the Kennebec, run up that river one hundred and fifty miles to Colonel Cobourn's ship-yard, there obtained batteaux, and proceeded to Fort Western. Here it was concluded to dis- patch an officer and seven men in advance, for the purposes of ascertaining and marking the paths, which were used hy the Indians at the numerous carrying- places in the wilderness, toward the heads of the river; and also, to ascertain the course of the River Chaudiere, which runs from the height of land, toward Quebec. To give some degree of certainty of success to so hazardous an enterprise, Arnold found it necessary to select an officer of activity and courage ; the choice fell upon Archibald Steele of Smith's company, a man of an active, courageous, sprightly and hardy disposition, who was complimented with the privilege of naming his companions. These consisted of Jesse Wheeler, George Merchant, and James Clifton, of Morgan's ; and Robert Cunningham, Thomas Boyd, John Tidd, and John M'Konkey, of Smith's company. Though a very youth, yet in a small degree accustomed to hardships, de- rived from long marches in the American woods, Steele's course of selec- tion next fell upon your father, who was his messmate and friend. Two birch-bark canoes were provided ; and two guides, celebrated for the man- agement of such water-craft, and who knew the river as high up as the great carrying-place, were also found. These were Jeremiah Getchel, a very respectable man, and .John Home, an Irishman, Avho had grown gray in this cold climate. This small party, unconscious of danger, and animated by a hope of ap- plause from their country, set forward from Fort Western in their light barks, at the rate of from fifteen to twenty, and in good water twenty-five miles per day. These canoes are so light, that a person of common strength, may carry one of the smaller kind, such as ours were, many hundred yards without halting. On the evening of the 23d of September, our party arrived at Fort Hal- ifax, situated on the point, formed by a junction of the Sabasticoog and Kennebec Rivers. Here our commander, Steele, was accosted by a Captain Harrison, or Huddlestone, inviting him and the company to his house. The invitation was gladly accepted, as the accommodation at the fort, which con- sisted of old block-houses and a stockade in a ruinous state, did not admit of much comfort ; besides it was inhabited, as our friend the captain said, by a rank tory. Here, for the first time, the application of the American term "tory," was defined to me by the captain. Its European definition was well known before. In a very few days, we arrived safely at Norridgewoc Falls, and passed the portage. We ascended the river rapidly, blazing every car- rying-place. Having now seceded many miles from the last white inhabit- ants at Norridgewoc, it became us therefore to proceed cautiously. The party proceeded without molestation, but from natural rock, and a strict cur- rent (by the 27th of September), to the twelve-mile carrying-place. We searched for the carrying-place, and found a path tolerably distinct, which we made more so by blazing the trees and snagging the bushes with our tomahawks. Proceeding until evening, the party encamped at the margin 54 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS of a small lake, perhaps about half a mile wide, where there was plenty of trout, which old Clifton, who was good at angling, caught in abundance. Here, in a conference on the subject, it was resolved that two persons of the party, Clifton and M'Konkey, should remain (with about one half of the provisions), until the return of our main body, calculating the return would be in eight or ten days. B}^ the next evening we encamped on the north bank of the Dead Eiver, an extension of the Kennebec. The company, not apprehending the re- verses which fortune had in store for them, proceeded on next day full of courage and hope, through a strong drift of snow, which whitening all tlie surrounding hills, had fallen during the night. As we could not obtain food, in this miserable portion of the globe, we pru- dently began to hoard our provision ; half a biscuit and half an inch square of raw pork became this evening's meal. The day's journey had brought us to the foot of a rapid, which convinced us that the term " Dead River," was much misapplied. The night was spent, not upon feathers, but on the branches of the fir or the spruce. It would astonish 3'ou, my dear children, if there was leisure to explain the many comforts and advantages those trees afford to the way-worn traveler. In a few days, October 7th, we came to a succession of ponds at the head of Dead River, and in some cases the communication being shallow we were obliged to carry our canoes from one to the other. My wardrobe was light and scanty, and as winter was approaching I suffered from the piercing cold. About three p. M. the next daj^ we reached the extreme end of the fifth and last lake, where we obtained a full view of those hills which were then, and are now, called the "Height of Land." It made an impression upon us, that was really more chilling than the air which surrounded us. We hurried ashore — drew out our canoes, and covered them with leaves and brush- wood. This done, with our arms in our hands, and our provision in our pockets, we made a race across the mountain, by an Indian path, easily ascertainable, until we arrived on the bank of the Chaudiere River. The distance is about five miles, counting the rising and descent of the hill as two. This was the acme of our desires. To discover and know the course of this river, was the extent of our orders : beyond it, we had nothing to do. Our chief, wishing to do everything a good officer could to forward the service, asked if any one could climb a tree, around the foot of which we then stood ? It was a pine of considerable height, without branches for forty feet ; Robert Cunningham, a strong athletic man, about twenty-five years old, presented himself. In almost the twinkling of an eye he climbed the tree. He fully discerned the meandering course of the river, as upon a map, and even descried the lake Chaudiere, at the distance of fourteen or fifteen miles. The country around and between us and the lake was flat.- Looking Avestward, he observed a smoke ; intimating this to us from the tree where he sat we plainly perceived it. Cuuningliam came down ; the sun was set- ting seemingly in a clear sky. Now our return cemmenced and rapidly we ran in a single file, and it so happened that your father brought up the rear. Soon the rain began to pour in torrents, the night became dark as pitch, and in crossing a ridge my foot caught in a root or a twig, and I fell I know not how far, perhaps twenty or OF AMERICANS. 55 thirty feet. Stunned by the fall, the others had got far ahead ere I recov- ered myself. My arrival at the canoe place was delayed thereby until ten o'clock, an hour and a half after my companions, who had erected a wigwam of poles covered by branches of fir. Sleep came to my eyes, uot- withstanding the drippings of the pelting storm through the humble roof. We arose before day. The canoes were urged suddenly into the water ; it still rained hard, and at daylight we thought of breakfasting. Gracious God ! what was our fare ? What could we produce for such a feast ? Rum- maging my breeches pockets, I found a solitary biscuit and an inch of pork. Half of the biscuit was devoted to the breakfast, and so also by each person, and that was consumed in the canoes as we paddled over the lake. The rain had raised the lake, and consequently the outlets about four feet. Wo slided glibly along, over passages where a few days previouslj^ we had toted our canoes. At the outlet of the fourth lake, counting as we came up, a small duck appeared within shooting distance. It was a diver, well known in our country — a thing which we here contemn. Knowing the value of animal food, in our predicament, several of us fired at the diver. Jesse Wheeler, however (who all acknowledged as an excellent shot), struck it with his ball. A shout of joy arose — the little diver was safely deposited in our canoe. We went on quickly, without accident, till the evening, prob- ably traversing a space of more than forty miles. At night-fall we halted, weary and without tasting food since morning. Boyd and Cunningham, who were right-hand-men on most occasions, soon kindled a fire against a fallen tree. The cooks, according to routine, picked the duck, and when picked and gutted, it was brought to the fireside. Here it became a question, how to make the most of our stock of provisions. Finally, it was concluded to boil the duck in our camp-kettle, together with each man's bit of pork, dis- tinctively marked by running a small skewer of wood through it, with his particular and private designation ; that the broth thus formed, should be the supper, and the duck on the ensuing morning should be the breakfast, and which should be distributed by " whose shall be this ?" Strange as this tale may appear to you, in these tirnes, the agreement was religiously per- formed. Being young, my appetite was ravenous as that of a wolf, but honor bound the stomach tightly. We rose early, and each person selected his bit of pork, which made but a single mouthful ; — there was no contro- versy. The diver was parted most fairly, into ten shares, each one eyeing the integrity of the division. Setting out early, by the evening we made nearly fifty miles. The bit of pork and the rest of the biscuit became my supper. My colleagues were similarly situated. The morning sun saw us without any food. We did not despond. The consolatory idea, that on that, or the next day, we should certainly join the army, infused energy into our minds and bodies. The succeeding morning (11th), starting early, Ave ran at a monstrous rate. The waters, by additional rains above, had risen greatly. After some time, the light canoe, several hundred yards before us, (with Steele and Getchel in it), passed between the forks of a tree, which lay rooted in the middle of the stream, where most likely it had lain for many years. Seeing our friends pass through safely, and being unconscious that we were worse or less adventurous watermen than they were, we risked it. We ran with great velocity. My good Irishman steered. By an un- 56 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS lucky stroke, one of the prongs of the tree took tlie right hand side of the canoe, within six inches of the bow, immediately below the gunwale. Quick as lightning that side of the canoe was laid open from stem to stern, and water was gushing in upon us, which would inevitably have sunk us in a second of time, but for that interference of Providence, which is atheisti- cally called presence of mind, otherwise a host of men could not have saved us from a watery grave. Instinctively leaning to the left, we sunk the gun- wale of that side down to the water's edge, by which we raised the broken side an inch or more out of it. Calling loudly to our companions ahead, they soon saw our distress and put in. Carefully and steadily sitting, and gently paddling many hundred yards, we landed safely. Our situation was truly horrible. When we had examined the broken canoe, and had rum- maged both for the means of mending it, every heart seemed dismayed. Our birch-bark and pitch, had been exhausted in former repairs, — we were without food, — perhaps one hundred miles from the army, or perhaps that army had returned to New England. That sensation of the mind called " the horrors," seemed to prevail. Getchel alone was really sedate and re- flective. He ordered the other guide to search for birch-bark, whilst he would look among the pines for turpentine. We followed the one or the other of these worthies, according to our inclinations, and soon returned with those desirable materials. The cedar root was in plenty under our feet. Now a difficulty occurred, which had been unforeseen, and which was seemingly destructive of all hope. This was the want of fat or oil of every kind, with which to make the turpentine into pitch. A lucky thought oc- curred to the youngest of the companj^, that the pork bag, lay empty and neglected, in one of the canoes. The thought and the act of bringing it were instantaneous. The bag was ripped, and as if it had been so much gold dust, we scraped from it about a pint of dirty fat. Getchel now prepared an abundance of pitch. The cedar root gave us twine. The canoe was brought up to the fire. We found every rib except a few at the extreme points, actually torn from the gunwale. All hands set to work — two hours afterward, the canoe was borne to the water. ' We embarked, and proceeding cautiously, as we thought, along the shore, a snag, standing up stream, struck through the bottom of the canoe. It took an hour to patch the gap. The cup of sorrow was not yet full. As the men were bearing the wounded canoe to the water, sergeant Boyd who paddled in the small canoe, which was drawn up as usual, taking hold of the bow raised it waist high (as was right) intending to slide it gently into t'lie water — the bank was steep and slippery : Mr. Boyd's feet slipped — the canoe fell from his hands — its own weight falling upon the cavity, formed by the declivity of the bank and the water — broke it in the center, into two pieces, and which were held together by nothing but the gunwales. Now absolute despair for the first time seized me. A thought came across my mind, that the Almighty had destined us to die of hunger, in this inhosj^itable wilder- ness. The recollection of my parents, my brothers and sister, and the clan- destine and cruel manner of my deserting them, drew from me some hidden, yet burning tears, and much mental contrition. Getchel thoughtful and active, instantly went to work. The canoe was brought to the fire, and placed in a proper posture for the operation. The lacerated parts were neatly OF AMERICANS. 57 brought together, and sewed with cedar root. A large ridge of pitch, a.s is customary iu the construction of this kind of water-craft, was laid over the seam to make it water-tight. Over the seam a patch of strong bark a foot in width, and of a length sufficient to encircle the bottom, even to the gun- wales, was sewed down at the edges and pitched. Again, over the whole of the work, it was thought prudent to place our pork bag, which was well saturated with liquid fat. It was a full yard wide, and was laid down in the same manner. This work, which was laborious, nearly consumed the rest of the day. We set out notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. Hunger drove us along at a cautious but rapid rate. About dusk the lieutenant's canoe, four hundred yards before us, had within view turned a sharp point of land, when we heard the crack of a rifle, and presently another, and a huzza. Apprehending an attack from an enemy, we pulled hard to be enabled to sustain our friends. In a moment or two, observing them pulling for the north shore, which was steei?, we looked up it for the enemy. Good Heav- ens ! what a sight ! We saw a moose-deer, falling on the top of the bank. A cry of exultation seemed to burst the narrow valley of the river, Steele had struck the deer in the flank, as it was leaving the water, but it sprung up the bank with agility. Wheeler, with better fortune for us all, pierced its heart as it arrived at the top. Seeing this you can scarcely imagine the celerity of our movements. We were ashore in a moment. A fire was kindled, the secondary guide cut ofi" the nose and upper lip of the animal, instantly, and had it on the fire. What a feast ! But we were prudent. We sat up all night, selecting the fat and tit-bits — frying, boiling, roasting and broiling, but carefully eating little at a time. Toward morning, we slept a few hours, absolutely careless of consequences. We knew that we had arrived in a land where game was plentiful, and where there were no foes superior to our number, to oppose us. The next day we shot a moose and a large gray wolf; and on the morning of the 13th arrived at our first camp- ing ground on the "Dead River," in good health and spirits ; though pallid and weak, for the want of substantial food in due quantity. By this time the fat and marrow of the animals we had killed were ex- hausted, and our stock of salt had been long since expended. One who has never been deprived of bread and salt, nor known the absence of oleaginous substances iu his food, cannot make a true estimate of the invaluable bene- fits of such ingredients in the sustenation of the bodily frame ; nor of the extremity of our corporeal debility. It was immediately concluded to preserve our provisions by jerking or smoking. This operation is done by slicing the meat into thin strips ; then driving four forks into the earth, in a square position, at the required dis- tance perpendicularly, and laying poles from fork to fork, and poles athwart from pole to pole. A rack is thus made, about four feet high, on which the sliced meat is laid, and smoke-fires are made underneath ; this duty was soon performed. We now began to look about us, and discuss the subject of our return to the army, which we had, before this time, persuaded our- selves we should meet at this place. The non-appearance of the army and our distress, induced a conclusion that we were deserted, and abandoned to a disastrous fate, the inevitable result of which would be, a sinking into 58 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS eternity for the want of food, for though we might have killed more deer, the vigor of our bodies was so reduced, that we were convinced that that kind of food could not restore us to our wonted energy, and enable us to perform so rugged and long a march, as that to the frontiers of Maine. The notion of navigating the river was scouted as a fallacy, because we did not possess a sufficient degree of bodily force to bear the canoes across the twelve-mile carrying-place. As, in the case of the retreat of the army, we had determined to follow, it became requisite to finish the jerking, which would take six days, to make it the more portable, for our feebleness, and preservable if we should have wet weather on the march. It was further concluded, " that Lieutenant Steele, Getchel and Wheeler, should immedi- ately proceed on foot across the twelve-mile carrying-place, to meet the army : if they did meet it, that they should return to us with supplies by the end of three days, but in all events to return." Now we experienced the full extent of a new species of starving. Hav- ing neither bread, nor salt, nor fat of any kind, every day we remained here we became more and more weak and emaciated. We had plenty of meat, both fresh and dried, of which we ate four, five and six times a day, in every shape we had the means of dressing it. Though we gorged the stomach, the appetite was unsatiated. Something like a diarrhea ensued, which contributed to the imbecility of our bodies. Bears-oil would have made our venison savory, but such an animal as a bear we had as yet not seen in all our wanderings. On the evening of the fourth day, we looked out for our absent companions with much heartfelt anxiety. They came, not. In the morning of the next day, we consulted upon the question whether we should follow the army. A majority voted for staying a few days longer to complete the jerking. To show you the great bodily weak- ness we were brought to, it may be proper to relate the following anecdote a.s more evincive of the fact, than any other method which might be adoi^ted, to bring it fully to your minds. Sergeant Boyd (the strongest and stout- est man of the party, and perhaps of the army) and myself, taking our arms, started on in hopes of meeting the advance of the army. We stag- gered along through the plain, falling every now and then, if our toes but touched a twig or tuft of grass. Thus going forward, we arrived at the edge of a moss-bog. Here my worthy friend Boyd, unable to proceed, sunk down upon a log. My seat, in tears of excruciating grief, was taken beside him, endeavoring to infuse comfort and courage into his manly mind — it was in vain. The debility of his body had disarmed his courageous soul. Every art in my power was exercised to induce him to pass the bog — he would not listen to me on that subject. Melancholy of the desperate kind oppressed me. Convinced that the army hud retreated, a prognostication resulted in my mind, that we should all die of mere debility in these wilds. We sat here an hour. At length we agreed to return to our camp, though it was yet early in the afternoon. Our companions were pleased to see us, thinking our coming so soon indicated good news, but a gloom of desperation followed. As a last effort to save our lives, we all agreed to pass the river the next morning and follow the army, which we were now assured had returned to Fort Western. Each one put into his knapsack, as much of our mawkish food, as he could conveniently carry. OF AMERICANS. 59 "We started early, tlie next day passed the river, and moved forward, as fast as our feeble limbs would carry us. When we came to the log where Boyd had seated himself, we were filled with ecstatic joy to observe, on the far side of the bog, a party of pioneers forming a causeway for the passage of the army. Our strength redoubled — we passed the bog with considerable speed. Our wan and haggard faces, aud meager bodies, and the monstrous beards of my companions, who had neglected to carry a razor with them, seemed to strike a deep sorrow into the hearts of the pioneers. They gave us a little of their food ; but what exhilarated us more, was the information, that Major Febiger with the advanced-guard, lay at the next pond. We urged forward as fast as we could. Arriving at his fire a little before my com- pany, an incapacity to stand compelled me to sit. Febiger, in a hurried manner, asked who we were ? and from whence we came ? A few words explained the mystery and cause of our distress. A glistening tear stood in this bravo soldier's eye. As it were with a sudden and involuntary motion and much tenderness, he handed me his wooden canteen (which contained the last spirits in the army) ; from me it passed to Cunningham, who had just come up, the most ghastly and wayworn figure in nature ; from him it went round to the rest, who arrived gradually, but slowly. The heart of Febiger seemed overjoyed at the relief he had, and could afford us. The liquor had restored our fainting spirits, but this was not enough for his gen- erosity to exhibit. lie requested us to take seats around the fire, and wait the boiling of his kettle, which was well replenished with pork and damp- lins. This was all devoted to our use, accompanied by an open heartedness and the kindest expressions of interest for our sufferings, and regard for our perseverance in our duty as military men. This meal to all of us seemed a renewal of life. It was accustomed food. Our more immediate and inti- mate friends were still beyond the pond, but coming forward. By and by, Morgan came, large, a commanding aspect, and stentorian voice. He wore leggins, and a cloth in the Indian style. His thighs, which were exposed to view, appeared to have been lacerated by the thorns and bushes. He knew our story from Steele and Wheeler, and greeted us kindly. We now found ourselves at home, in the bosom of a society of brave men, with whom we were not only willing, but anxious to meet the brunts of war. This was the twenty-sixth day we had been absent from the army. In the evening we resumed our stations in our respective messes. We now turned our faces toward the north, and accompanied the army as a sort of guides in minute matters, for the paths and carrying-places we had sufficiently developed for the i^ioneers to open a way. The next day ■we reached our old camping ground on Dead River, where the three compa- nies of riflemen, under Daniel Morgan, remained encamped for several days waiting for the arrival of the remainder of the troops. During our stay it pleased me to observe that Morgan adopted certain rules of discipline abso- lutely necessary to the state we were in, but discordant with the wild aud extravagant notions of our private men. At this place, Morgan had given it out in orders, that no one should fire. One Chambcrlaine, a worthless fellow, who did not think it worth while to draw his bullet, had gone some hundreds of yards into the woods, and dis- charged his gun. Lieut. Steele happened to be in that quarter at the time ; 60 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Steele had but arrived at the fire, where we sat, when Morgan, who had seen him coming, approached our camp, and seated himself within our circle. Presently Chamberlaine came, gun in hand, and was 2;)assing our fire, toward that of his mess. Morgan called to the soldier — accused him as the de- faulter — this the man {_an arrant liar) denied. Morgan appealed to Steele. Steele admitted he heard the report, but knew not the party who discharged the gun. Morgan suddenly springing to a pile of billets, took one, and swore he would knock the accused down unless he confessed the fact. In- stantly, Smith seized another billet, and swore he would strike Morgan if he struck the man. Morgan knowing the tenure of his rank, receded. Such were the rough-hewn characters, which in a few subsequent years, by energy of mind and activity of body, bore us safely through the dreadful storms of the revolution. Morgan was of an impetuous temper, yet withal, prudent in war, as he was fearless of personal danger. His passions were quick and easily excited, but they were soon cooled. This observation is applicable to many men of great talents, and to none more than Morgan. His severity, at times, has made me shudder, though it was necessary, yet it would have been a pleasing trait in his character, if it had been less rigid. During our resting here, Arnold, accompanied by Steele and some excel- lent boatmen, proceeded to the head of the river. The rifle corjjs preceded the main body of the anny, both by land and water. The boats, which were heavily laden with baggage and provisions, took in no more men than were necessary to navigate them, that is, three to a boat. The remainder of the army marched by land, the river being generally the guide. After a week of intense labor and fatigue we reached the Chaudiere, Octo- ber 29th, and encamped on a plain on the river bank. Here we learned for the first time that Colonel Enos had basely deserted us. He turned back toward the New England settlements from the twelve-mile carrying-place, with five hundred men, a large stock of provisions, and the medicine chest. It damped our spirits much, but our commander conceived it was better to proceed than return. We were about a hundred miles from the frontier of Canada, but treble that distance from that of New England. Our provisions were exhausted. "We had no meat of any kind. The flour which remained, so far as I know, was divided iixirly and equally, among the whole of the troops, the riflemen shared five pints of flour per man. During the night and the ensuing morning, the flour was baked into five cakes per man, under the ashes, in the way of Indian bread. On the 30th of October, we set forward. The men were told by the ofiicers " that order would not be required in the march, each one must put the best foot foremost." The first day's march was closed by a charming sleep on fir-branches. The gentlemen of our mess lay together, covering them- selves with the blankets of each one. My memory does not serve to say that any stir was made by any one during the night. Happening to be the first who awaked in the morning, the blanket was suddenly thrown from my head, but what was my surprise to find, that we had lain under a cover of at least four inches of snow. This morning, the first of November, we took up the line of march through a flat and boggy ground. About ten o'clock a. m. we arrived, by a narrow neck of hmd at a marsh which was appalling. It was three fourths of a OF AMERICANS. 61 mile over, and covered by a coat of ice, half an inch thick. Here Simpson concluded to halt a short time for the stragglers or maimed of Hendrick'6 and Smith's companies to come up. There were two women attached to those companies, who arrived before we commenced the march. One was the wife of Sergeant Grier, a large, virtuous and respect'ible womau. The other was the wife of a private of our companj-, a man who lagged upon every occasion. These women being arrived, it was presumed that all our party were up. We were on the point of entering the marsh, when some one cried out "Warner is not here." Another said he had "sat down sick under a tree, a few miles back." His wife begging us to wait a short time, with tears of affection in her eyes, ran back to her husband. We tarried an hour. They came not. Entering the pond, and breaking the ice here and there with the butts of our guns and feet, as occasion required, we were soon waist deep in the mud and water. As is generally the case with youths, it came to my mind, that a better path might be found than that of the more elderly guide. Attemj^ting this, in a trice the water cooling my armpits, made me gladly return into the file. Now Mrs. Grier had got before me. My mind was humbled, yet astonished, at the exertions of this good woman. Her clothes more than waist high, she waded before me to the firm ground. No one so long as she was known to us, dared to intimate a disrespectful idea of her. Her husband, who was an excellent soldier, was on duty in Hendricks' boat, which had proceeded to the discharge of the lake with Lieutenant M'Cleland. Arriving at firm ground, and waiting again for our companions, we then set off, and in a march of several miles, over a scrubby and flat plain, arrived at a river flowing from the east into the Chaudiere Lake, which we reached, and encamped at its outlet with a heterogeneous mass of the army. It was soon perceived, that the French term Chaudiere, was most aptly applied to the river below us. Indeed every part of it, which came under our view, until we arrived at the "first house," in Canada, might well be termed a caldron or boiler, which is the import of its French name. It is remarkable of this river, and which, to me, distinguishes it from all others 1 had seen, that for sixty or seventy miles, it is a continued rapid, without any apparent gap or passage, even for a canoe. Every boat we put into the river, was stove in one part or other of it. On the morning of the 2d of November, we set off from the Chaudiere Lake, and hungered, as to my own particular, almost to death. What with the supplies to Shaeffer, and my own appetite, food of any kind, with me, had become a nonentity. My own sufferings, in the two succeeding marches, from particular causes, were more than ordinarily severe. My moccasins had, many days since, been worn to shreds and cast aside : My shoes, though they had been well sewed and hitherto stuck together, now began to give way, and that in the very worst part (the upright seam in the heel). For one to save his life, must keep his station in the rank — the moment that was lost, as nature and reason dictate, the following soldier assumed his place. Thus, once thrown out of the file, the unfortunate wretch must await the passage of many men, until a chasm, toward the rear, happened to open for his admission. This explanation will answer some questions which you might naturally put. Why did you not sew it ? Why did you not tie the shoe to your foot ? If there had been awl, and thread, and 62 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS strings at command, which there were not, for the causes above stated, one dared not have done either, as the probable consequences would ensue, "death by hunger in a dreary wilderness." For man when thrown out of society is the most helpless of God's creatures. Hence you may Torm a conception of the intolerable labor of the march. Every step taken the heel of the foot slipped out of the shoe : to recover the position of the foot in the shoe, and at the same time to stride, was hard labor, and exhausted my strength to an unbearable degree. You must remember that this march was not performed on the level surface of the parade, but over precipitous hills, deep gulleys, and even without the path of the vagrant savage to guide us. Thus we proceeded till toward mid-day, the pale and meager looks of my companions, tottering on their feeble limbs, corresponding with my own. My friend Simpson, who saw my enfeebled condition and the cause, pre- vailed with the men to rest themselves a few minutes. Bark, the only suc- cedaneum for twine, or leather, in this miserable country, was immediately l^rocured and the shoe bound tightly to the foot. Then marching hastily, in the course of an hour or more, we came within view of a tremendous cataract in the river, from twelve to twenty feet high. The horror this sight gave us, fearing for the safety of our friends in the boats, was aggravated, when turning the point of a steep cragg, we met those very friends, having lost all but their lives, sitting around a fire on the shore. God ! what were our sensations ! Poor M'Cleland, first lieutenant of Hendricks' was lying at the fire ; he beckoned to us — his voice was not audible, placing my ear close to his lips, the word he uttered, scarcely articulate, was, "Fare- well." Simpson, who loved him, gave him half of the pittance of food which he still possessed ; all I could was — a tear. Coming to a long sandy beach of the Chaudiere, for we sometimes had such, some men of our com- pany were observed to dart from the file, and with their nails, tear out of the sand, roots which they esteemed eatable, and ate them raw, even with- out washing. Languid and woe-begone, as your father was, it could not but create a smile, to observe the whole line watching with "Argus eyes," the motions of a few men, who knew the indications in the sand of those roots. The knowing one sprung, half a dozen followed, he who grabbed it, eat the root instantly. Though hunger urged, it was far from me to contend in that Avay with powerful men, such as those were. Strokes often occurred. During this day's march (about ten or eleven, a. m.), my shoe having given away again, we came to a fire, where were some of Captain Thayer, or Topham's men. Simpson was in front, trudging after, slipshod and tired, I sat down on the end of a long log, against which the fire was built, absolutely fainting with hunger and fatigue, my gun standing between my knees. Seat- ing myself, that very act gave a cast to the kettle, which was placed partly against the log, in STich a way, as to spill two-thirds of its contents. At the moment a large man sprung to his gun, and pointing it toward me, he threa- tened to shoot. It created no fear ; his life was with much more certainty in my power. Death would have been a welcome visitor. Simpson soon made us friends. Coming to their fire, they gave me a cup of their broth. A table-spoonful was all that was tasted. It had a greenish hue, and was said to be that of a bear. This was instantly known to be untrue, from the taste and smell. It was that of a dose. He was a large black Newfoundland OF AMERICANS. 63 dog, belonging to Thayer, and very fat. We left these merry fellows, for they were actually such, mauger all their wants, and marching quickly, to- ward evening encamped. We had a good fire, but no food. To me the world had lost its charrns. Gladly would death have been received as au auspicious herald from the Divinit}'. My privations in every way, were such as to produco a willingness to die. Without food, without clothing, to keep me warm, without money, and in a deep and devious wilderness, the idea occurred, and the means were in my hands, of ending existence. The God of all goodness insi^ired other thoughts. One principal cause of change (under the fostering hand of Providence) in my sentiments, was the jovial hilarity of my friend Simpson. At night, warming our bodies at an immense fire, our compatriots joined promiscuously around — to animate the company, ho would sing " Plato ;" bis sonorous voice gave spirit to my heart, and the morality of the song, consolation to my mind. In truth, the music, though not so correct as that of Handel, added strength and vigor to our nerves. This evening it was, that some of our companions, whose stomachs had not received food, for the last forty-eight hours, adopted the notion, that leather, though it had been manufactured, might be made palatable food, and would gratify the appetite. Observing their discourse, to me the experiment became a matter of curiosity. They washed their moccasins of mooseskin, in the first place, in the river, scraping away the dirt and sand, with great care. These were brought to the kettle and boiled a considerable time, under the vague, but consolatory hope, that a mucilage would take place. The boiling over, the poor fellows chewed the leather, but it w;is leather still : not to be macerated. My teeth, though young and good, suc- ceeded no better. Disconsolate and weary, we passed the night. November 3d. We arose early, hunger impelling, and marched rapidly. After noon, on a point on the bank of the river, some one pretended he de- scried the "first house," ten miles off. Not long after another discerned a boat coming toward us, and turning a point of land — presently, all perceived cattle driving up the shore. These circumstances, gave occasion to a feeble huzza of joy, from those who saw these cheerful and enlivening sights. We were now treading a wide and stony beach of the river. Smith, our captain, who at this moment happened to be in company, elated with the prospect of a supply of food, in the joy of his heart, perhaps thoughtlessly, said to me, " take this Henry." It was gladly received. Opening the paper, which had been neatly folded, there appeared a hand's breadth and length of bacon- fat, of an inch thick ; thoughtlessly, it was eaten greedily, inattentive to all former rule, and thanks to God, did me no harm. Here it was that for the first time, Aaron Bukr, a most amiable youth of twenty, came to my view. He then was a cadet. It will require a most cogent evidence, to convince my mind, that he ever intended any ill to his country of late years, by his various speculations. Though differing in polit- ical opinion from him, no reason has yet been laid before me, to induce a belief, that he was traitorous to his country. We marched as hastily as our wearied and feeble limbs could admit, hoping soon to share in something like an Abyssinian feast. The curvatures of the river, had deceived us in the calculation of distance. It was many hours ere we came to the place of slaughter. We found a fire, but no pro- 64 PVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS vision, except a small quantity of oaten meal, resembling in grit our chop- ped rye. Simpson warmed some of this in water, and ate with gusto. To me it was nauseous : this may have been owing to the luncheon from Smith's hoard. The French men told us, that those who preceded, had devoured the very entrails of the cattle. One of the eastern men, as we came to the fire, was gorging the last bit of the colon, half rinsed — half broiled. It may be said, he ate with pleasure, as he tore it as a hungrj' dog would tear a haunch of meat. We soon encamped for the night, cheered by the hope of succor. November 4th. About two o'clock, p. m., we arrived at a large stream coming from the east, which we ran through, though more than mid-deep. This was the most chilling bath we had hitherto received : the weather was raw and cold. It was the seventeenth and the harshest of my birthdays. Within a few hundred yards of the river stood the " first house" in Canada : we approached it in ecstacy, sure of being relieved from death by the means of famine. Many of our compatriots were unaware of that death which arises from sudden repletion. The active spirit of Arnold, with such able assistants as John M. Taylor and Steele, had laid in a great stock of provisions. The men were furious, voracious, and insatiable. Three starvations had taught me wisdom. My friends took my advice. But, notwithstanding the irre- fragable arguments the oflicers used to insure moderation, the men were out- rageous upon the subject ; they had no comprehension of such reasoning. Amongthese was one of our company, a good and orderly soldier, who, from my affection toward him, I watched like another doctor Pedro Posi- tive ; yet all reijresentation and reasoning on my part, had no influence. Boiled beef, hot bread, potatoes, boiled and roasted, were gormandized with- out stint. He seemed to defy death, for the mere enjoyment of present gratification, and died two days after. Many of the men sickened. If not much mistaken, we lost three of our company, by their imprudence on this occasion. The immediate extension of the stomach by food, after a lengthy fast, operates a more sudden extinction of life, than the total absence of aliment. At this place, we for the first time had the i:)leasure of seeing the worthy and respectable Indian, Natanis, and his brother Sabatis, with some others of their tribe (the Abenaquis) : he, his brother Sabatis, and seventeen other Indians, the nephews and friends of Natanis, marched with us to Quebec, and were in the attack of that place, on the morning of the first of Jan- uary following. This is the first instance in the course of our revolutionary war, of the employment of Indians in actual warfare against our enemies. To be sure, it was the act of a junior commander, unwarranted, so far as has come to my knowledge, by the orders of his superiors ; yet it seemed to authorize, in a small degree, upon the part of our opponents, that horrible system of aggression, which in a short time ensued, and astonished and dii- gusted the civilized world. Our severest personal sufferings for want of food were over. The march through the wilderness to this point had been dreadful ; one day when near the head of the Chaudiere, a mountain putting into that stream compelled us to pass the margin upon a log, which had been brought there by a freshet. OF AMERICANS. 65 The bark and limbs of the tree had been worn away by the rubbings of the ice, and the trunk lay lengthwise along the narrow passage, smooth and slip- pery, and gorged the pass. This difficulty had collected here a heteroge- neous mass of the troops, who claimed the right of passage according to the order of coming to it. The log was to be footed, or the water, of the depth of three or four feet, must be waded. There was no alternative. An eastern man, bare-footed, bare-headed, and thinly clad, lean and wretched from ab- stinence, with his musket in hand, passed the log immediately before me. His foot slipped, and he fell several feet into the water. We passed on re- gardless of his fate. Even his immediate friends and comrades, many of whom were on the log at the same moment, did not deign to lend him an assisting hand. Death stared us in the face. I gave him a sincere sigh at parting, for to lose my place in the file, might have been fatal. This pitiable beiug died in the wilderness. The hard fate of many others might be re- capitulated, but the dreadful tale of incidents, if truly told, would merely serve to lacerate the heart of pity, and harrow up the feelings of the soul of benevolence. Tears many years since, have often wetted my cheeks, when recollecting the disasters of that unfortunate campaign, the memorable exit of my dearest friends, and of many worthy fellow-citizens, whose worth at this time is embalmed solely in the breasts of their surviving associates. Seven died sheerly from famine ; and many others by disorders arising from hard service in the wilderness. The morning of the 6th of November, we marched in straggling parties through a flat and rich country, sprinkled, it might be said, decorated, by many low houses, all white- washed, which appeared to be the warm abodes of a contented people. Every now and then, a chapel came in sight ; but more frequently the rude, but pious imitations of the sufferings of our Saviour, and the image of the Virgin. These things created surprise, at least in my mind, for where I thought there could be little other than bar- barity, we found civilized men, in a comfortable state, enjoying all the ben- efits arising from the institutions of civil society. About noon of the next day, we arrived at the quarters of Arnold, a sta- tion he had taken for the purpose of halting and embodying the whole of our emaciated and straggling troops. We were now perhaps thirty miles from point Levi ; which is on the St. Lawrence, and nearly opposite to Que- bec. Here we found our friend Taylor, at a slaughter house worried almost to death, in dealing out the sustenance of life to others. Without hyperbole or circumlocution, he gave us as many pounds of beef-steak as we chose to carry. Proceeding to the next house, a mile below, some one of the party became cook. Good bread and potatoes, with the accompaniment of beef- steak, produced a savory meal. Believing myself out of danger from any extraordinary indulgence of appetite, the due quantity was exceeded, and yet, believe me, it was not more than an anchorite might religiously take. We soon became sensible of this act of imprudence. The march of the afternoon was a dull and heavy one. A fever attacked me. I became ac- cording to my feelings, the most miserable of human beings. The evening brought me no comfort, though we slept warmly in a farm house. November 7th. The army now formed into more regular and compact order, in the morning pretty early we proceeded. About noon my disorder 66 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS had increased so intolerably, that I could not put a foot forward. Seating myself ujion a log at the way-side, the troops passed on. lu the rear came Arnold on horseback. He knew my name and character, and good naturedly intj^ired after my health. Being informed, he dismounted, ran down to the river side, and hailed the owner of the house, which stood opposite across the water. The good Canadian, in his canoe, quickly arrived. Depositing my gun and accoutrements in the hands of one of our men, who attended upon me, and had been disarmed by losing his rifle in some one of the wreckings above, and Arnold putting two silver dollars into my hands, the Frenchman carried me to his house. Going to bed with a high fever upon me, I lay all this and the following day without tasting food. That had been the cause of the disease, its absence became the cure. The morning of the third day (10th November), brought me health. The mistress of the house, who had been very attentive and kind, asked me to breakfast. This humble, but generous meal, consisted of a bowl of milk, for the guest, with excellent bread. The fare of the family was this same bread, garlic, and salt — I had observed, that this was the usual morning's diet, for I lay in the stove-room, where the family ate and slept. This worthy family was composed of seven persons ; the parents in the prime of life, and five charming ruddy children, all neatly and warmly clothed in woolen, apparentlj' of their own manufactory. You might suppose, from the manner of their living, that these persons were poor. No such thing. They were in good circumstances. Their house, barn, stabling, etc., were warm and comfortable, and their diet such as is universal among the French peasantry of Canada. Proffering my two dollars to this honest man, he re- jected them with something like disdain in his countenance, intimating to me that he had merely obeyed the dictates of religion and humanity. Tears filled my eyes when I took my leave of these amiable people. But they had not even yet done enough for me. The father insisted on attending mo to the ferry some miles off, where the river takes a turn almost due north, to meet the St. Lawrence. Here my worthy host procured me a passage scot free, observing to me my money might be required before the army could be overtaken. Landing on the north bank of the river, the way could not be mistaken, the track of the army had strongly marked the rout. To me it was a most gloomy and solitary march. Not a soul was to be seen in the course of ten miles. Here and there was a farm-house, but the inhab- itants were either closely housed or absent from their homes. Afternoon, arriving at the quarters of our company, my gun and accoutrements were reclaimed with ardor. Having arrived at Point Livi we crossed the St. Lawrence in boats on the night of the 13th of November and landed at Wolf's Cove. November llth. The troops easily ascended the hill, by a good road cut in it slantingly. This was not the case in 1759, when the immortal Wolf mounted here — it was then a steep declivity, enfiladed by a host of savages. November 15th. Arriving on the brow of the precipice, we found our- selves on the Plains of Abraham, so deservedly famous in story. The morn- ing was cold, and we were thinly clad. While an adventurous party dis- patched by Arnold, under the command of one of Morgan's lieutenants, were examining the walls of the city, we were pacing the jilains to and fro, OF AMEmCANS. G7 in silence, to keep ourselves warm. The winter had set in — a cold north- wester blew with uncommon keenness. By the time the reconnoitering party returned, daylight was not very distant. The party found everything toward the city in a state of perfect quietness. This report was delivered, in my presence, to Morgan, however the contrary may have been represented since. Not even the cry of "All's well" was uttered, was a part of their report, yet we heard that cry from the walls, even vvliere we were ; but this in a direct line, was nearer to us than the voices opposite to the party. This was the happy moment, but with our small and disjointed force, what could be done ? There was scarcely more than three hundred and fifty men, will- ing and determined to be sure, but too few to assail a fortress such as Que- bec is. If that had been known this night, which was evidenced in a few days by the fugitives from the city, Arnold would most assuredly have haz- arded an attack. St. John's Gate, which opens on Abraham's Plains, and is a most important station, was unbarred, nay, unclosed : nothing but a single cannon under the care of a drowsy watch, was there as a defense ; we were not a mile distant, and might have entered unknown, and even unseen. These are uncertain opinions, resting on the vague reports of the moment, which might have been true, or untrue. My memory is, however, fresh in the recollection of the heart-burnings this failure caused among us. Prov- idence, for wise purposes, would have it otherwise. Near daylight, requir- ing rest and refreshment, the troo2:)s moved a mile, to a farm-house of Lieu- tenant Governor Caldwell's. This was a great pile of wooden buildings, with numerous outhouses, which testified the agricultural spirit and taste of the owner. He, good soul, was then snug in Quebec. The next day, Arnold had the boldness, you might say the audacity, or still more correctly, the folly, to draw us up in a line, in front and opposite to the wall of the city. The parapet was lined by hundreds of gaping citi- zens and soldiers, whom our guns could not harm, because of the distance. They gave us a huzza ! We returned it, and remained a considerable time huzzaing, and spending our powder against the walls, for we harmed no one. In some minutes a thirty-six pounder was let loose upon us ; but so ill was the gun pointed, that the ball fell short, or passed high over our beads. Another, and another succeeded — to these salutes, we gave them all we could, another and another huzza. It must be confessed, that this ridiculous affair gave me a contemptible opinion of Arnold. This notion was by no means singular. Morgan, Febiger and other officers, who had seen service, did not hesitate to speak of it in that point of view. However, Arnold had a vain desire to gratify, of which we were then ignorant. He was well known at Quebec. Formerly, he had traded from this port to the West Indies, most particularly in the article of horses. Hence, he was de- spised by the principal people. The epithet "horse jockey," was freely and universally bestowed upon him, by the British. Having now obtained power, he became anxious to display it in the faces of those v.ho had for- merly despised and contemned him. The venerable Sir Guy Carleton, an Irishman of a most amiable and mild character. Colonel Maclean, a Scotch- man, old in warfare, would not, in any shape, communicate with him. If Montgomery had originally been our commander, matters might have been more civilly conducted. 5 68 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Many of our wisest men, within the colonies, wrote and spoke of this bra- vading, as a matter of moment, and with much applause. Even some of Our historians (Gordon) have given it celebrity. But a more silly and boast- ful British historian (Amwell) says there was a dreadful cannonade, by which many of the rebels were destroyed. The truth is, that this day not a drop of blood was shed, but that of Governor Caldwell's horned cattle, liogs and poultry, which run plentifully. After this victory in huzzaing, which was boys' play, and suited me to a hair, we returned to quarters to partake of the good things of this world. The next day (November 15th), a scene of a different kind opened, which let us into the true character of Arnold. In the wilderness, the men had been stinted to a pint of flour by the day. This scanty allowance of flour had been continued since we had come into this plentiful country. Morgan, Hendricks and Smith, waited upon the commander-in-chief, to represent the grievance and obtain redress. Altercation and warm language took i)]ace. Smith, with his usual loquacity, told us, that Morgan seemed, at one time, upon the point of striking Arnold. We fared the better for this interview. On the following day (November 16th), the rifle-companies removed fur- ther from the city. About half a mile from Caldwell's house, our company obtained excellent quarters, in the house of a French gentleman, who seemed wealthy. He was pleasing in his manners, but the rudeness our ungovern- able men exhibited, created in him an apparent disgust toward us. Here we remained near a week. November 18th. Not being fully in the secret, it does not become me to recount the causes of our retreat, to Point Aux Tremble, which is at the distance of twenty or more miles from Quebec. The route thither, though in a severe winter, was interesting. The woods were leafless, except as to those trees of the fir-kind ; but numerous neat and handsomely situated farm-houses, and many beautiful landscapes were presented, and enlivened our march along this majestic stream. Ascending the river at a distance of ten or fifteen miles, we observed the rapid passage, down stream, of a boat, and soon afterward of a ship, one or other of which contained the person of Sir Guy Carleton. That it was the governor of the province, flying from Montgomery, who had by this time captured Montreal, we were informed by a special kind of messenger, which was no other than the report of the cannon, by way of feu-de-joie, upon his arrival at the capital. Point Aux Tremble, at this time, had assumed the appearance of a straggling village. There was a spacious chapel, where the ceremonies of the Eoman Catholic religion were performed, with a pomp not seen in our churches, but by a fervency and zeal apparently very pious, which became a severe and additional stroke at early prejudices. Quarters were obtained in the village and farm-houses, dispersed over a space of some miles, up and down the river. We enjoyed as much comfort as tight houses, warm fires, and our scantiness of clothing would admit. Provisions were in plenty, and particularly beef, which, though small in bulk, was of an excel- lent flavor. Being in a few days, as it were, domesticated in a respectable farmer's house, we now had leisure to observe the economy of the family. Every crevice through which cold air could penetrate, was carefully pasted with strips of paper of every color. To permit the cold air to intrude is not OF AMERICANS. 69 tlie only evil wliicli results ; but the smallest interstice with the air, also admits an almost impalpable snow, which is very inconvenient, particularly at night, when the winds blow most sharply. A stove of iron stood a small space from the wall of the kitchen chimney, but in such a way that it might be encompassed by the family or the guests. This stove was kept contin- ually hot, both by day and by night. Over the stove there is a rack so con- structed as to servo for the drying of wet clothes, moccasins, etc. When these people slaughter their beasts for winter use, they cut up the meat into small pieces, such as a half pound, two pounds, etc., according to the number of the family. In the evening before bedtime, the females of the house, prepare the dinner of the following day. It may be particularly described, as it was done in our view for a number of days together, and during the time was never varied. This was the manner : A piece of pork or beef, or a portion of each kind, together with a sufficiency of cabbage, potatoes and turnips, seasoned with salt, and an adequate quantity of water, were put into a neat tin kettle with a close lid. The kettle, thus replenished, was placed on the stove in the room where we all slept, and there it simmered till the time of rising, when it was taken to a small fire in the kitchen, where a stewing continued till near noon, when they dined. The contents were teemed into a large bason. Each person had a plate — no knife was used, ex- cept one to cut the bread, but a five or six pronged fork answered the pur- poses of a spoon. The meat required no cutting, as it was reduced to a mucilage, or at least to shreds. This, you may say, is trifling information, and unworthy of your notice ; according to my mind, it is important to all of us, to know the habits, manners, and means of existence of that class of society, which, in all nations, composes the bulk and strength of the body politic. Our dinner followed in a few hours. The manner of our cookery excited astonishment in our hosts. As much beef was consumed at a single meal, as would have served this family for a week. Remember, however, that the mess consisted of persons who were entitled to double and treble rations. Two rosy-cheeked daughters of the house, soon contrived the means and obtained the surplus. This circumstance, most probably, made us agree- able to the family, for we had nothing else to bestow. The snow had now fallen in abundance, and enlivened the country. Sleighs and sleds were passing in every direction. In December, January, and February, the snow lays in the country from three to five feet deep over the surface. On the first of December, General Montgomery, who was anxiously ex- pected, arrived with the main body of the army who had come on by the way of Champlaine. Arnold's corps, was paraded in front of the chapel. It was lowering and cold, but the appearance of the general here, gave us warmth and animation. He was well limbed, tall and handsome, though his face was much pock-marked. His air and manner, designated the real sol- dier. He made us a short, but energetic and elegant speech, the burden of which was an applause of our spirit in passing the wilderness ; a hope, our perseverance in that spirit would continue, and a promise of warm clothing ; the latter was a most comfortable assurance. A few huzzas from our freez- ing bodies were returned to the address of the gallant hero. Now new life was infused into the whole of the corps. The next day (December 2d), we retraced the route from Quebec. A Bnow 70 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS had fallen during the niglit, and continued falling. To march on this snow- was a most fatiguing business. The evening brought up the riflemen at an extensive house, in the parish of St. Foix, about three miles from Quebec. The next day (December 3d), Morgan not finding himself comfortable, moved a short space nearer to the city. Here, in low and pretty country houses, he and his men, were neatly accommodated. It seemed to me, that the Canadians, in the vicinage of Quebec, lived as comfortable, in general, as the generality of the Pennsylvanians did, at that time, in the county of Lancaster. December 12th. We remained about ten days at these quarters. The tours of duty, to Arnold's party, were peculiarly severe. The officers and men, still wore nothing else, than the remains of the summer clothing, which being on their back, had escaped destruction in the disasters of the wilder- ness. The snow lay three feet deep over the face of the whole country, and there was an addition to it almost daily. Many impediments occurred, to delay the transportation of the clothing which General Montgomeiy had procured for us at Montreal. Our miserable state, contrary to our principles, excited an illicit desire, to be appareled more comfortably. This desire would probably have lain dormant, but for a scoundrel Canadian, who in all likelihood, was an enemy of Lieutenant Governor Cromie's. One morning having returned from a cold night's duty, near palace gate, the fellow addressed Simpson, who was the only oflicer in quarters, and communicated the information: "That about two miles up the St. Law- rence, lay a country seat of Governor Cromie's, stocked with many things we wanted, and he would be our guide." Cariole's were immediately pro- cured. The house, a neat box, was romantically situated on the steep bank of the river, not very distant from a chapel. Though in the midst of win- ter, the spot displayed the elegant taste and abundant wealth of the owner. It must be a most delightful summer residence, in the months of July and August, when the heat of this northern climate, seems greater to sensation, than that of our country, in the same season. The house was closed ; knocking, the hall-door was opened to us by an Irishwoman, Avho, of the fair sex, was the largest and most brawny, that ever came under my notice. She was the stewardess of the house. Our questions were answered with an apparent affability and frankness. She introduced us into the kitchen, a large apartment, well filled with those articles which good-livers think ne- cessary, to the happy enjoyment of life. Here we observed, five or six Canadian servants, huddled into a corner of the kitchen, trembling with fear. Our prying eyes, soon discovered a trap-door leading into the cellar. In the country houses of Canada, because of the frigidity of the climate, the cellars are usually under a warm room, and are principally intended, for the preser- vation of vegetables. The cavity in this instance, abounded with a great variety of eatables, of which we were not in the immediate want. The men entered it — firkin after firkin of butter ; lard, tallow, beef, pork, fresh and salt — all became a prey. While the men were rummaging below, the lieutenant descended to cause more dispatch. My duty was to remain at the end of the trap-door, with my back to the wall, and rifle cocked as a sentry, keeping a strict eye on the servants. My good Irishwoman fre- quently beckoned to me to descend : her drift was to catch us all in the trap. OF AMERICANS. 71 Luckily she was comprehended. The cellar and kitchen being thoroughly gutted, and the spoil borne to the carriages, the party dispersed into the other apartments. Here was elegancy. The walls and partitions, were beautifully papered and decorated, with large engravings, maps, etc., of the most celebrated artists. Our attention was much more attracted by the costly feather beds, coun- terpanes, and charming rose-blankets, which the house afforded. Of these there was good store, and we left not a joint behind us. The nooks and crevices in the carioles, were filled with smaller ai'ticles ; several dozens of admirablj^ finished case-knives and forks — even a set of dessert knives ob- tained the notice of our cupidity. Articles of lesser moment, not a thou- sandth part so useful, did not escape the all-grasping hands of the soldiery. In a back apartment, there stood a mahogany couch, or settee in a highly finished style. The woodwork of the couch was raised on all sides by cush- ioning, and lastly, covered by a rich figured silk. This to us, was lumber : besides our carioles were full. However, we grabbed the mattress and pal- lets, all equally elegant as the couch : Having, as we thought, divested his excellency of all the articles of prime necessity, we departed, ostensibly and even audibly accompanied by the pious blessings of the stewardess for our moderation. No doubt she had her mental reservations ; on such business as this, we regarded neither. Near the chapel, we met a party of Morgan's men coming to do that, which we had already done. The officer appeared chagrined when he saw the extent of our plunder. He went on, and finally ransacked the house, and yet a little more, the stables. The joy of our men, among whom the plunder was distributed in nearly equal portions, was ex- travagant. Now an operation of the human mind, which often takes place in society, and is every day discernible by persons of observation, becamo clearly obvious. " Let a man once with impunity, desert the strict rule of right, every subsequent aggression not only increases in atrocity, but is done without qualm of conscience." Though our company was composed princi- pally of freeholders, or the sons of such, bred at home under the strictures of religion and morality, yet when the reins of decorum were loosed, and the honorable feeling weakened, it became impossible to administer restraint. The person of a tory, or his property, became fair game, and this at the de- nunciation of some base domestic villain. With one more disreputable exploit, marauding ceased. A returning sense of decency and order, emanating from ourselves, produced a species of con- trition. It is a solemn truth, that we plundered none, but those who were notoriously tories, and then within the walls of Quebec. The clergy, the nobles, and the peasantry, were respected and protected, especially the latter, with whom, to use a trite expression, we fraternized. December 15th. In a short time, the rifle companies moved and occupied good quarters on the low grounds, near St. Charles' Eiver, and about two miles from Quebec. Our clothing was still of the flimsy kind, before noted, but our hearts were light, even to merriment. During all this time, our daily duty was laborious in various ways, and every other night, we mounted guard at St. Roque. A guard-house, ere this had been established at this place, in a very large stone-house, which, though strong, being exposed to the enemy's fire, was soon battered about our ears, 72 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the distance scarcely more than three hundred yards. That position was changed for one more secure. A house, which had been a tavern, was adopted in its stead. This house was peculiarly situated. It was compara- tivel}' small with the former in its dimensions, but the walls were strong, and the ceilings bomb-proof. It stood under the hill, so as to be out of the range of the shot, from the ramparts contiguous to Palace Gate, which was elevated far above us. Simpson would say, Jack, let us have a shot at those fellows. Even at noon-day, we would creep along close to the houses, which ranged under the hill, but close in with it, till we came within forty yards of Palace Gate. Here was a smith-shoji, formed of logs, through the crev- ices, of which, we would fire, at an angle of 70°, at the sentries above us. Many of them were killed, and it was said, several officers. This was dis- honorable war, though authorized by the practices of those times. It is but fair and honest to relate to you an anecdote concerning myself, which will convey to your minds some notion of that aifection of the head or heart which the military call a panic-terror. Being one of the guard and having been relieved as a sentry about twelve or one o'clock at night, upon returning to the guard-house, in a dozing state I cast myself on a bench, next the back wall — young, my sleeps were deep and heavy ; my youth obtained this grace from Simpson, the officer who commanded ; about three o'clock, I was roused by a horrible noise. The enemy, in casting their shells, usually began in the evening, and threw but a few ; toward morning, they became more alert. Our station being out of sight, it was so managed, as to throw the shells on the side of the hill, directly back of us, so that they would trundle down against the wall of the guard-house. This had fre- quently occurred before, but was not minded. A thirteen inch shell, thus thrown, came immediately opposite the place where my head lay ; to be sure, the three feet wall was between us. The bursting report was tremen- dous, but it was heard in a profound sleep. Starting instantly, though un- conscious of the cause, I run probably fifty yards, through untrod snow, three feet deep, to a coal-house, a place quite unknown to me before : It was ten or fifteen minutes before the extreme cold, restored that kind of sensibility, which enabled me to know my real situation. Knowing nothing of the cause, the probable effect, nor anything of the consequences, which might follow from this involuntary exertion, it seemed to me to be a species of the panic, which has been known to affect whole armies. The circum- stance here related, caused a laugh against me ; but it was soon discovered, that those of the soldiery, though wide awake, were as much panic stricken as myself. The laugh rebounded upon them. During this period, we had many bitter cold nights. On the night of the 20th, or 21st uf December, a snow-storm, driving fiercely from the north-east, induced the noble Montgomery, to order an at- tack on the fortress. Our force altogether, did not amount to more than eleven hundred men, and many of these, by contrivances of their own, were in the hospital, which, by this time, was transferred to the nunnery. The storm abated — the moon shone, and we retired to repose, truly imwillingly. We had caught our commander's spirit, who was anxious, after the capture of Chamblee, St. Johns, and Montreal, to add Quebec, as a prime trophy to the laurels already won. Captain Smith, the head of our mess, as captain, OP AMERICANS. 73 had been invited to General Montgomery's council of ofiScers (none under that grade being called), like most of uninstructed men, he was talkative, and what is much worse in military affairs, very communicative. I believe blushing followed the intelligence he gave me : the idea of im. propriety of conducrin him, deeply impressed my mind. The whole plan of the attack on the two following days, was known to the meanest man in the army. How it was disclosed, is uncertain, unless by the fatuity of the captains. One Singleton, a sergeant in the troops which accompanied Montgomery, deserted from the guard at the suburbs of St. John's, and disclosed to our foes the purport of our schemes ; his desertion caused much anxiety. The general prudently gave out that it was by command, he would return soon with in- telligence. This was believed generally. The latter information came to my knowledge some mouths afterward, when a prisoner. The relation of Smith to me, is perfect on my memory. Youth seldom forget their juvenile impressions. It was this : " That we, of Arnold's corps, accompanied by Captain Lang's York artillerists, should assail the lower town, on the side of St. Iloque : General Montgomery was to attack the lower town by the way of Cape Diamond, which is on the margin of the St. Lawrence. A false attack was to be made eastwardly of St. Johns Gate. When Montgomery and Arnold conjoined in the lower town, then the priests, the women and the children, were to be gathered and intermingled with the troops, and an assault be made on the upper town." Visionary as this mode of attack was, from what ensued, it is sincerely my belief that Smith was correct in his information, as to the plan suggested by the general. In those turbulent times, men of gallantry, such as Montgomery, were imperiously necessitated, to keep up their own fame and the spirits of the people, to propose and to hazard measures, even to the confines of imprudence. There was another circumstance which induced our brave and worthy general to adopt active and dangerous means of conquest. Many of the New England troops had been engaged on very short enlistments, some of which were to expire on the first of January, 1776. The patriotism of the summer of seventy-five, seemed almost extinguished in the winter of seventy-six. The patriotic officers made every exertion to induce enlistments, but to no purpose. "We, of the "rifle corps," readily assented to remain with the general, though he should be deserted by the eastern men, yet this example had no manner of influence on the generality. The majority were either farmers or sailors, and some had wives and children at home. These, and other reasons, perhaps the austerity of the winter, and the harshness of the service, caused an ob- stinacy of mind, which would not submit to patriotic representation. Be- sides the smallpox, which had been introduced into our cantonments by the indecorous yet fascinating arts of the enemy, had already begun its ravages. This temper of the men was well known to the general. It was not until the night of the thirty-first of December, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, that such kind of weather ensued as was considered favorable for the assault. The forepart of the night was admi- rably enlightened by a luminous moon. Many of us, officers as well as privates, had dispersed in various directions among the farm and tippling houses of the vicinity. We well knew the signal for rallying. This was no other than a "snowstorm." About twelve o'clock p. M., the heaven was 74 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS overcast. We rei)aired to quarters. By two o'clock we were accoutred and began our march. The storm was outrageous, and the cold wind extremely biting. In this northern country the snow is blown horizontally into the faces of travelers on most occasions — this was our case. January 1st. (1776). When we came to Craig's house, near Palace Gate, a horrible roar of cannon took place, and a ringing of all the bells of the city, which are very numerous, and of all sizes. Arnold, heading the for- lorn hope, advanced, perhaps, one hundred yards, before the main body. After these, followed Lamb's artillerists. Morgan's company, led in the secondary part of the column of infantry. Smith's followed, headed by Steele, the captain, from particular causes, being absent. Ilendrick's com- pany succeeded, and the eastern men, so far as known to me, followed in due order. The snow was deeper than in the fields, because of the nature of the ground. The path made by Arnold, Lamb, and Morgan, was almost imperceptible, because of the falling snow : covering the locks of our guns, with the lappets of our coats, holding down our heads (for it was impossible to bear up our faces, against the imperious storm of wind and snow), we ran along the foot of the hill in single file. Along the first of our run, from Palace Gate, for several hundred paces, there stood a range of insulated buildings, which seemed to be store-houses ; we passed these quickly in sin- gle file, pretty wide apart. The interstices were from thirty to fifty yards. In these intervals, we received a tremendous fire of musketry from the ramparts above us. Here we lost some brave men, when powerless to return the salutes we received, as the enemy was covered by his impregnable de- fenses. They were even sightless to us, we could see nothing but the blaze from the muzzles of their muskets. We proceeded rapidly, exposed to a long line of fire from the garrison, for now we were unprotected by any buildings. The fire had slackened in a small degree. The enemy had been partly called off to resist Montgomery and strengthen the party opposed to Arnold in our front. Now we saw Colonel Arnold returning, wounded in the leg, and supported by two gentle- men, a parson Spring was one, and in my belief, a Mr. Ogden, the other. Arnold called to the troops, in a cheering voice, as we passed, urging us for- ward, yet it was observable among the soldiery, with whom it was my mis- fortune to be now placed, that the colonel's retiring damped their spirits. A cant term " we are sold," was repeatedly heard in many parts throughout the line. Thus proceeding enfiladed by an animated but lessened fire, we came to the first barrier, where Arnold had been wounded in the onset. This contest had lasted but a few minutes, and was somewhat severe, but the energy of our men prevailed. The embrasures were entered when the enemy were discharging their guns. The guard, consisting of thirty persons, were either taken or fled, leaving their arms behind them. At this time, it was discovered that our guns were useless, because of the dampness. The snow, which lodged in our fleecy coats, was melted by the warmth of our bodies. Thence came that disaster. Many of the party, knowing the cir- cumstance, threw aside their own, and seized the British arms. These were not only elegant, but were such, as befitted the hand of a real soldier. It was said, that ten thousand stand of such arms, had been received from England, in the previous summer for arming the Canadian militia. Those OF AMERICANS. 75 people were loath to bear them in opposition to our rights. From the first barrier to the second, there was a circular course along the sides of houses, and partly through a street, jirobably of three hundred yards or more. This second barrier was erected across and near the mouth of a narrow street, adjacent to the foot of the hill, which opened into a larger street, leading into the main body of the lower town. Here it was, that the most serious contention took place : this became the bone of strife. The admirable Montgomery, by this time (though it was unknown to us), was no more ; yet, we expected momentarily to join him. The firing on that side of the fortress ceased, his division fell under the command of a Colonel Campbell, of the New York line, a worthless chief, who retreated, without makin"- an effort, in pursuance of the general's original plans. The inevitable conse- quence was, that the whole of the forces on that side of the citj', and those who were opposed to the dastardly persons employed to make the false attacks, embodied and came down to oppose our division. Here was sharp- shooting. We were on the disadvantageous side of the barrier, for such a purpose. Confined in a narrow street, hardly more than twenty feet wide, and on the lower ground, scarcely a ball, well aimed or otherwise, but must take effect upon us. Morgan, Hendricks, Steele, Humphreys, and a crowd of every class of the army, had gathered into the narrow pass, attempting to surmount the barrier, which was about twelve or more feet high, and so strongly constructed that nothing but artillery could effectuate its destruc- tion. There was a construction, fifteen or twenty yards within the barrier, upon a rising ground, the cannon of which much overtopped the height of the barrier, hence we were assailed by grape shot in abundance. This erec- tion we called the platform. Again, within the barrier, and close to it, were two ranges of musketeers, armed with musket and bayonet, ready to receive those who might venture the dangerous leap. Add to all this, that the enemy occupied the upper chambers of the houses, in the interior of the barrier, on both sides of the street, from the windows of which we became fair marks. The enemy, having the advantage of the ground in front, a vast superiority of numbers, dry and better arms, gave them an irresistible power, in so narrow space. Humphreys' upon a mound, which was speedily erected, attended by many brave men, attempted to scale the bairier, but was compelled to retreat, by the formidable phalanx of bayonets within, and the weight of fire, from the platform and the buildings. Morgan brave to temerity, stormed and raged ; Hendricks, Steele, Nichols, Humphreys, equally brave, were sedate, though under a tremendous fire. The platform, which was within our view, was evacuated by the accuracy of our fire, and few persons dared venture there again. Now it was, that the necessity of the occupancy of the houses, on our side of the barrier, became apjiarent. Orders were given by Morgan, to that effect. We entered— this was near daylight. The houses were a shelter from which we could fire with much accuracy. Yet, even here, some valuable lives were lost. Hendricks, when aiming his rifle at some prominent person, died by a straggling ball through his heart. He staggered a few feet backwards, and fell upon a bed, where he instantly expired. He was an ornament of our little society. The ami- able Humphreys died by a like kind of wound, but it was in the street, be- fore we entered the buildings. Many other brave men fell at this place , 76 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS among these were Lieutenant Cooper, of Connecticut, and perhaps fifty or sixty non-commissioned officers, and privates. The wounded, were numer- ous, and many of them dangerously so. Captain Lamb, of the York artil- lerists, had nearly one half of his face carried away, by a grape or cannistor shot. My friend Steele, lost three of his fingers, as he was presenting his gun to fire ; Captain Hubbard and Lieutenant Fisdle, were also among the wounded. When we reflect upon the whole of the dangers at this barricade, and the formidable force that came to " annoy us, it is a matter of surprise, that so many should escape death and wounding, as did. All hope of success having vanished, a retreat was contemplated, but hesitation, uncertainty, and a lassitude of mind, which generally takes place, in the affairs of men, when we fail in a project upon which we have attached much expectation, now followed. That moment was foolishly lost, when such a movement might have been made with tolerable success. Captain Laws, at the head of two hundred men, issuing from Palace Gate, most fairly and handsomely cooped us up. Of the enemj', many were killed and many more wounded, comparatively, than on our side, taking into view the disadvantages we labored under ; and that but two occasions happened when we could return their fire, that is, at the first and second barriers. Perhaps there never was a body of men asso- ciated, who better understood the use and manner of employing a rifle, than our corps : which by this time of the attack, had their guns in good order. When M'e took possession of the houses, we had a greater range. Our op- portunities to kill, were enlarged. Within one hundred yards, every man must die. To the great honor of General Carleton, all the wounded, whether friends or enemies, were treated with like attention and humanity. The reason why the wounded of our side bore so small a proportion to the dead, seems to be this : In the long course we ran from Palace Gate to the first barrier, we lost many men who were killed outright, but many more died, who were merely wounded, yet in such a manner, as in a milder region, to make the case a curable one. A blow from a ball so large as that of a musket, staggers a man, whether the wound be in the arm, leg, or elsewhere ; if in staggering, he falls, he comes down into a deep bed of snow, from which a hale man finds it very diflicult to extricate himself. Five or ten minutes struggling in such a bed, benumbs the strongest man, as frequent experience -has taught me ; if the party be wounded, though but slightly, twenty or thirty minutes will kill him, not because of the severity of the wound, but by the intensity of the frost. About nine o'clock a. m., it was apparent to all of us, that we must sur- render. It was done. The commissioned officers, and some of the cadets, were conducted to the seminary, a respectable building. It became my lot, in one way or other, to be lost in the crowd, and to bo associated with the non-commissioned officers, in the company of some of whom, ardent and perilous duties had been undergone. These men are by no means to be less- ened in character, by contrasting them with the levies made in Europe, or those made since that time in our own country. Many of our sergeants, and even of our privates, were, v;ith good educations, substantial freeholders OF AMERICAXS. 77 in our own country. Many of these men, in the progress of the bloody scenes which ensued, became props of our glorious cause, in defense of our sacred liberties. Among those was Thomas Boyd, so often spoken of in the wilderness for his good humor, his activity and the intensity of his suffer- ings; struggled gloriously for his life as a captain, and died a dreadful death by the hands of the savages in 1779, in the expedition conducted by Gen- eral Sullivan against the Six Nation Indians. When under guard, in the morning of the first of January, Colonel M'- Dougal, a Scotch gentleman, near noon, came to review us : his person was known to me at Detroit, as an intimate of my uncle, three years before this time. The colonel was naturally polite and kind-hearted. When it came to my turn to be examined, as to name, place of birth, etc., besides making the proper answers to his inquiries, I was emboldened to declare, that he was known to me. He seemed surprised, but not displeased : a request was immediately added, "that he would order me to be transferred to the quar- ters of the officers." " Xo, my dear boy," said he, " you had better remain where you are ; the officers, as you are in rebellion, may be sent to England, and there be tried for treason." It became my determination to take this fatherly advice for it was really delivered in the parental style, and to adhere to it. He brought one of his sous, whom I had formerly known, to see me on the following day. About mid-day we were escorted to a ruinous mo- nastery of the order of St. Francis, called the Reguliers. It was now that we fully learnt the destinies of our dear and revered general, and his companions in death. But allow me before the detail of that sad story, to give you an anecdote : The merchants of Quebec, like those of England and our country, are a spirited and generous sect in socie- ty ; they applied to Governor Carletou, and obtained leave, to make us a " new-year's-gift." This turned out to be no other than a large butt of porter, attended by a proportionate quantity of bread and cheese. It was a present which exhilarated our hearts, and drew from us much thankfulness. We shared more than a pint per man. General Montgomery had marched at the precise time stipulated, and had arrived at his destined place of attack, nearly about the time we attacked the first barrier. He was not one that would loiter. Colonel Campbell, of the New York troops, a large, good-looking man, who was second in com- mand of that party, and was deemed a veteran, accompanied the army to the assault ; his station was rearward : General Montgomery, with his aids, were at the point of the column. It is impossible to present in words an accurate idea of the geographical situation of Quebec. I can only give you a few facts explanatory of General Montgomery's death and the reasons of our failure. From Wolf's Cove there is a good beach, down to, and around " Cape Dia- mond." The bulwarks of the city, came to the edge of the hill, above that place. Thence down the side of the precipice, slantingly to the brink of the river, there was a stockade of strong posts, fifteen or twenty feet high, knit together by a stout railing, at bottom and top with pins. This was no mean defense, and was at the distance of one hundred yards from the point of the rock'. Within this palisade, and at a few yards from the very point itself, there was a like palisade, though it did not run so high up the hill. 78 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Again, within Cape Diamond, and probably at a distance of fifty yards, there stood a block-house, which seemed to take up the space, between the foot of the hill and the precipitous bank of the river, leaving a cart-way, or passage on each side of it. A block-house, if well constructed, is an admi- rable method of defense, which in the process of the war, to our cost, was fully experienced. The upper story, of this building had four or more port holes, for cannon of a large calibre. These guns were charged with grape or canister shot, and were pointed with exactness toward the avenue, at Cape Diamond. The hero Montgomery came. The drowsy or drunken guard, did not hear the sawing of the posts of the first palisade. Here, four posts were sawed and thrown aside, so as to admit four men abreast. The column entered with a manly fortitude. Montgomery, accompanied by his aids, M'Pherson and Cheeseman, advanced in front. Arriving at the second palisade, the general, with his own hands, sawed down two of the pickets, in such a manner, as to admit two men abreast. These sawed pickets were close under the hill, and but a few yards from the very point of the rock, out of the view and fire of the enemy, from the block-house. Until our troops advanced to the point, no harm could ensue, but by stones thrown from above. Even now, there had been but an imperfect discovery of the advancing of an enemy, and that only by the intoxicated guard. The guard fled, the general advanced a few paces. A drunken sailor returned to his gnn, swearing he would not forsake it while undischarged. This fact is re- lated from the testimony of the guard on the morning of our capture, somo of those sailors being our guard. Applying the match, this single discharge deprived us of our excellent commander. Examining the spot, the officer who escorted us, professing to be one of those, who first came to the place, after the death of the general, showed the position in which the general's body was found.' It lay two paces from the brink of the river, on the back, the arms extended — Cheeseman lay on the left, and M'Pherson on the right, in a triangular position. Two other brave men lay near them. As all danger from without had vanished, the government had not only permitted the mutilated palisades to remain, with- out renewing the inclosure, but the very sticks, sawed by the hand of our commander, still lay, strewed about the spot. Colonel Campbell, appalled by the death of the general, retreated a little way from Cape Diamond, out of the reach of the cannon of the block- house, and pretendedly called a council of officers, who, it was said, justified his receding from the attack. If rushing on, as military duty required, and a brave man would have done, the block-house might have been occupied by a small number, and was unassailable from without, but by cannon. From the block-house to the center of the lower town, where we were, there was no obstacle to impede a force so powerful, as that under Colonel Camp- bell. Cowardice, or a want of good will toward our cause, left us to our miserable fate. A junction, though we might not conquer the fortress, would enable us to make an honorable retreat, though with the loss of many valu- able lives. Campbell, who w^as ever after considered as a poltroon in grain, retreated, leaving the bodies of the general, M'Pherson and Cheeseman, to be devoured by the dogs. On the third day of our capture, the generous Carleton dispatched a flag OF AMERICAXS. 79 to Arnold, to obtain what trifling baggage we had left at our quarters ; mine was either forgotten, or miserable as it was, had been plundered ; but as good luck would have it, the knapsack of one Alexander Nelson of our com- pany, who was killed when running to the first barrier, was disclaimed by- all of our men. Your father in consequence, laid violent hands upon the spoil. It furnished Boyd and myself with a large, but coarse blue blanket, called a " stroud," and a drummer's regimental coat. The blanket became a real comfort, the coat an article of barter. It was on this day, that my heart was ready to burst with grief, at viewing the funeral of our beloved general. Carleton had, in our former wars with the French, been the friend and fellow-soldier of Montgomery. Though political opinions, perhaps am- bition or interest, had thrown these worthies on different sides of the great question, yet the former could not but honor the remains of his quondam friend. About noon, the procession passed our quarters. It was most solemn. The coffin covered with a pall, surmounted bj- tranverse swords — was borne by men. The regular troops, particularly that fine body of men, the seventh regiment, with reversed arms, and scarfs on the left elbow, ac- companied the corpse to the grave. The funerals of the other officers, both friends and enemies, were performed this day. From many of us, it drew tears of affection for the defunct, and speaking for myself, tears of greeting and thankfulness, toward General Carleton. The soldiery and inhabitants, appeared affected by the loss of this invaluable man, though he was their enemy. If such men as Washington, Carleton and Montgomery, had had the entire direction of the adverse war, the contention, in the event, might have happily terminated to the advantage of both sections of the nation. M'Pherson, Cheeseman, Hendricks, Humphreys, were all dignified hy the manner of burial. On the same, or the following day, we were compelled (if we would look), to a more disgusting and torturing sight. Many carioles, repeatedly one after the other, passed our dwelling loaded with the dead, whether of the assailants or of the garrison, to a place, emphatically, called the "dead- house." Here the bodies were heaped in monstrous piles. The hoiTor of the sight, to us southern men, principally consisted in seeing our companions borne to interment, uncoffined, and in the very clothes they had worn in battle ; their limbs distorted in various directions, such as would ensue in the moment of death. Many of our friends and acquaintances were apparent. Poor Nelson lay on the top of half a dozen other bodies — his arms extended beyond his head, as if in the act of prayer, and one knee crooked and raised seemingly, when he last gasped in the agonies of death. Curse on these civil wars which extinguish the sociabilities of mankind, and annihilate the strength of nations ! A flood of tears was consequent. Though Mont- gomery was beloved, because of his manliness of soul, heroic braver}^ and suavity of manners ; Hendricks and Humphreys, for the same admirable qualities, and especially for the endurances we underwent in conjunction, which enforced many a tear : still my unhappy and lost brethren, though in humble station, with whom that dreadful wild was penetrated, and from whom came many attentions toward me, forced melancholy sensations. From what is said relative to the "dead-house," you might conclude that General Carleton was inhumane or hard-hearted. No such thing. In this 80 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS northern latitude, at this season of the year, according to my feelings (we had no thermometer), the weather was so cold, as usually to be many degrees below zero. A wound, if mortal, or even otherwise, casts the party wounded into the snow ; if death should follow, it throws the sufferer into various attitudes, which are assumed in the extreme pain accompanying death. The moment death takes place, the frost fixes the limbs in whatever situa- tion they may then happen to be, and which cannot be reduced to decent order, until they are thawed. In this state, the bodies of the slain are de- posited in the " dead-house," hard as ice. At this season of the year, the earth is frozen from two to five feet deep, impenetrable to the best pick-axe in the hands of the stoutest man. Hence you may perceive a justification of the "dead-house." It is no new observation, "that climates form the manners and habitudes of the people." About the first of January we were removed from the Reguliers to the Dauphin jail, where we were well accomodated. It was an old French build- ing in the Bastile style. We had scarcely got settled in our new quarters before we had a plan laid to effect our escape, and join the forces of our countrymen outside. Our scheme was for one jDarty of us to overpower the sentinels and seize their depot of arms, set fire to the jail and surrounding buildings to amuse or employ the enemy while we were running to St. John's gate. In the meanwhile another party were to proceed at once to attack and carry St. John's gate, and instantly to turn the cannon upon the city. We expected in this event to maintain our position on the walls until the Amer- ican army should arrive from without. In that case St. John's gate was to be opened. But if unfortunately beaten, we were to spring from the walls into the snow and each man to trust to his own legs. It was supposed, in the worst result, that the hurry and bustle created by so sudden, unforseen, and daring an attack would throw the garrison into consternation and disorder to such a degree as to admit of the escape of many ; sluggards might expect to be massacred. In an old room of the prison into which we broke was a pile of iron and iron hoo^ris and lumber from which we secretly constructed swords and spears, rough but serviceable weapons, sufficient in the hands of our dar- ing fellows to bring down the stoutest of the enemy. When evrything was ready our well-laid plan was foiled by the indiscretion of two youths ; my heart was nearly broken by the excess of surprise and burning anger to be thus accidentally deprived of the gladdening hope of a speedy return to our friends and country. Our leaders were carried before the governor's council. They boldly ad- mitted and justified the attempt. We did not fare the worse in our provi- sions nor in the estimation of the enemy; but we were, as a precaution against future attempts, put in irons. Several cart loads of bilboes, foot-hob- bles and handcuffs were required, although there were not quite enough for us all. A new species of interesting occurrences, mingled with much fun and sportive humor now occurred, which was succeeded by a series of horrible anguish. The doors were scarcely closed, before we began to assay the un- shackling. Those who had small hands, by compressing the palms, could easily divest the irons from their wrist. Of these there were many, who became the assistants of their friends, whose hands were larger. Here there OF AMERICAKS. 81 was a necessity for ingenuity. Knives notclied as saws, were the principal means. The head of tlie rivet, at the end of the bar, was sawed ofl', it was lengthened and a screw formed upon it, to cap which, a false head was made, either of iron or of lead, resembling as much as possible the true head. Again new rivets were formed from the iron we had preserved in our secret hoards, from the vigilance of the searchers. These new rivets being made to bear a strong likeness to the old, were then cut into two parts — one part driven into the bolt tightly, became stationary, the other part was move- able. It behooved the wearer of the manacle to look to it, that he did not lose the loose part, and when the searchers came to examine, that it should stand firm in the orifice. Some poor fellows, perhaps from a defect of in- genuity, the hardness of the iron, or th*e want of the requisite tools, could not discharge the bilboes. This was particularly the melancholy predica- ment of three of Morgan's men, whose heels were too long to slip through the iron which encompassed the small of the leg. It was truly painful to see three persons attached to a monstrous bar, the weight of which was above their strength to carry. It added to the poignancy of their sufferings, in such frigid weather, that their colleagues at the bar, having shorter heels, could withdraw the foot and perambulate the jail : where their companions left them, there they must remain seated on the floor, unless some kind hands assisted them to remove. Sentries, on our part, were regularly stationed at certain windows of the jail, to descry the approach of any one in the garb of an officer. Notwith- standing every caution to avoid detection, yet the clang of the lock of the great door was upon some occasions the only warning given us of the im- pending danger. The scamperings at those times were truly diverting, and having always escaped discovery, gave us much amusement. The clanking of the fetters followed, and was terrible ; such as the imagination forms in childhood, of the condition of the souls in Tartarus ; even this was sport. Happily our real situation was never known to any of the government officers ; unless the good blacksmith (a worthy Irishman, of a feeling heart), might be called such, and he was silent. We remained in irons for several months, until ono day in May, Colonel M'Lean visited the prison in company with Major Carleton and other officers. Being near the major I overheard that admirable man say to M'Lean " Col- onel, ambition is laudable. Cannot the irons of these men be struck ofi?" This the colonel ordered to be done immediately, and we were soon freed from the incumbrance. Toward the middle of April, the scurvy, which we had been imbibing during the winter, made its appearance iu its most virulent and deadly forms, preceded and accompanied by a violent diarrhea. Many of those who were first affected were taken to the hospital. But the disease soon became general among us. We were attended several times by Doctor May- bin, the physician-general, who, by his tender attentions, and amiable man- ners, won our affections : he recommended a cleansing of the stomach, by ipecacuanha and mild cathartics, such as rhubarb, together with due ex- ercise. Those who were young, active, and sensible of the doctor's salutary advice, kept afoot, and practiced every kind of athletic sport we could de- vise. On the contrary those who were supinely indolent, and adhered to 82 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS their blankets, became objects of real commiseration — their limbs contracted, as one of mine is now : large blue and even black blotches appeared on their bodies and limbs — the gums became black — the morbid flesh fell away — the teeth loosened, and in several instances fell out. Our minds were now really depressed. That hilarity and fun which supported our sjjirits in the greatest misfortunes, gave way to wailings, groanings and death. I know, from dire experience, that when the body suffers pain, the mind, for the time, is de- prived of all its exhilarations — in short, almost of the power of thinking. The elbow joints, the hips, the knees and ankles were most severely pained. It was soon observed (though the doctor's mate attended us almost daily^ and very carefully), there was little or no mitigation of our disease except that the dian-hea, which was derived from another cause than that which produced the scurvy, was somewhat abated ; and that our remedy lay else- where in the materia medica, which was beyond the grasp of the physician. The diarrhea came from the nature of the water we used daily. In the month of April, the snows begin to melt, not by the heat of the sun, but most probably by the warmth of the earth beneath the snows. The ground, saturated with the snow-water, naturally increased the fountain-head in the cellar. Literally, we drank the melted snow. The scurvy had another origin. The diet — salt pork, infamous biscuit — damp, and close confinement, in a narrow space, together with the severity of the climate, were the true causes of the scurvy. There was no doubt in any reflective mind among us, but that the virtu- ous and beneficent Carleton, taking into view his perilous predicament, did everything for us, which an honest man and a good Christian could. The seventh of May arrived. Two ships came to the aid of the garrison, beating through a body of ice, which perhaps was impervious to any other than the intrepid sailor. This relief of men and stores, created great joy in the town. Our army outside began their disorderly retreat. My friend Simpson, with his party, were much misused, from a neglect of giving him information of the intended flight of our army. Some few of the men under his authority, straggled and were taken in the retreat. They came to inhabit our house. Now, for the first time, we heard an account of the oc- currences during the winter's blockade, which to us, though of trivial im- port, were immensely interesting. The sally of this day, produced to the prisoners additional comfort — though the troops took a severe revenge upon our friends without, by burning and destroying their properties. The next day, more ships and troops arrived : a pursuit took place, the effect of which was of no consequence, except so far as it tended to expel the colonial troops from Canada. To the prisoners, this retreat had jjleasing conse- quences ; fresh bread, beef newly slaughtered, and a superabundance of vegetables, was a salutary diet to our reduced and scorbutic bodies. After we were relieved of our irons and had full bodily liberty a singular phenomenon which attends the scurvy, discovered itself. The venerable and respectable Maybin, had recommended to us exercise, not only as a mean of cure, but as a preventive of the scorbutic humors operating. Four of the most active would engage at a game of " fives." Having played some games in continuation, if a party incautiously sat down, he was seized by the most violent pains in the hips and knees, which incapaciated him from play for OF AMERICANS. 83 many hours, and from rising from tho earth, where the patient had seated himself. These pains taught us to keep afoot all day, and even to eat our food in an erect posture. Going to bed in the evening, after a hard day's play, those sensations of pain upon laying down immediately attacked us. The pain would continue half an hour, and often longer. My own experi- ence will authorize me to say two hours. In the morning, we rose free from pain, and the routine of play and fatigue ensued, but always attended by the same effects, particularly to the stubborn and incautious, who would not adhere to the wholesome advice of Doctor Maybin. Those who were inac- tive, retained those excruciating pains to the last, together with their dis- torted, bloated, and blackened limbs. Upon our return from Canada, in the autumn of 1776, I saw five or six of my cripj^led compatriots, hobbling through the streets of Lancaster on their way home. It cost a tear — all that could be given. By the mouth of August, the active were relieved from those pains. In the beginning of August, we were told by Captain Prentis, that the Governor had concluded, to send us by sea to New York upon parole, for the purpose of being exchanged ; that the transports, which had brought the late reinforcements from Europe, were cleansing and preparing for the voyage. Now there was exultation. On the seventh of August, we sub- scribed our written paroles. We embarked a day or two after in five trans- ports conveyed by the Pearl frigate and arrived in the harbor of New York on the 11th of September. Now it was for the first time that we heard of the dilemma in which our country stood. The battle of Long Island, on the twenty-seventh of August, had been unsuccessfully fought by our troops, many of whom were prisoners. In such hurrying times, intercourses between hostile armies in the way of negotiation upon any point, are effected with difficulty. AVe had waited patiently several weeks, to be disembarked on our own friendly shore ; yet tantalized every day with reports, that to-morrow we should be put on shore : some, and in a little while all, began to fear it was the intention of General Howe, to detain us as prisoners in opposition to the good will of Sir Guy Carleton. Near the end of the month our gloomy fears were set at rest by the in- telligence that we were to embarked in shallops and landed at Elizabethtown Point on the Jersey shore. Every eye sparkled at the news. On the next day, about noon, we were in the boats : — adverse winds retarded us. It was Morgan stood in the bow of the boat ; making a spring, not easily surpassed, ten or eleven at night, before we landed ; — the moon shone beautifully. and falling on the earth, as it were to grasp it — cried " my country." AVe that were near him, pursued his example. Now a race commenced, which in quickness, could scarcely be exceeded, and soon brought us to Elizabeth- town. Here, those of us who were drowsy, spent an uneasy night. Being unexpected guests, and the town full of troops, no quarters were provided for us. Joy rendered beds useless ; we did not close our ej'cs till daylight. Singing, dancing, the Indian halloo, in short, every species of vociferousness was adopted by the men, and many of the most resjjcctable sergeants, to express their extreme pleasure. A stranger coming among them, would have pronounced them mad, or at leiist intoxicated ; though since noon, 84 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS neither food nor liquor had passed our lips ; thus the passions may at times have an influence on the human frame, as inebriating as wine, or any other liquor. The morning brought us plenty, in the form of rations of beef and bread. Hunger allayed, my only desire was, to proceed homeward. Money was wanting. How to obtain it in a place, where all my friends and ac- quaintances were alike poor and destitute, gave me great anxiety and pain. Walking up the street very melancholy, unknowing what to do, I observed a waggon, built in the Lancaster county fashion (which at that time, was peculiar in Jersey), unloading stores for the troops, come or coming. The owner was Stephen Lutz of Lancaster ; on seeing me, he grasped my hand with fervor, told me every one believed me to be dead. Telling him our story in a compendious manner, the good old man, without solicitation, pre- sented me two silver dollars, to be repaid at Lancaster. They were gladly received. My heart became easy. The next day, in company with the late Colonel Febiger, and the present General Nichols, and some other gentlemen, we procured a light return- waggon, which gave us a cast as far as Princeton, Here we had the pleasure of conversing with Dr. Witherspoon, who was the first that informed us of a resolution of Congress to augment the array. It gave us pleasure, as we had devoted ourselves individually to the service of our country. The next day, we proceeded on foot, no carriage of any kind being j-jrocurable. Night brought us up at a farm-house, somewhere near Bristol. The owner was one of us, that is, a genuine whig. He requested us to tarry all night, which we declined. He presented us a supper, that was gratefully received. Hearing our story, he was much affected. We then tried to prevail on him, to take us to Philadelphia, in his light wagon. It was objected that it stood loaded with hay in the barn floor ; his sons were asleep or abroad. We removed these objections, by unloading the hay, while this good citizen prepared the horses. Mounting, we arrived at the " Harp and Crown," about two o'clock in the morning. To us, it was most agreeable, that we passed through the streets of Philadelphia in the night time, as our clothing was not only threadbare but shabby. Here we had friends and funds. A gentleman advanced me a sum sufficient to enable me to exchange my leggins and moccasins, for a pair of stockings and shoes, and to bear my expenses home. A day and a half, brought me to the arms of my beloved parents. In the course of eight weeks, after my return from captivity, a slight cold, caught when skating on the ice of Susquehanna, or in pursuing the wild- turkey, among the Kittatinny hills, renewed that abominable disorder, the scurvy and lameness, as you now observe it, was the consequence. Would to God ! my extreme sufferings, had then ended a life, which since has been a tissue of labor, pain, and misery. THE WANDERINGS OF THAT EMINENT AMERICAN TRAVELER, JOHN LEDYARD, IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD. John Ledyard was one of those intrepid men, who, "taking their lives in their hands," have, under the stimulus of a spirit of adventure, wandered into unknown and barbarous lands ; by their discoveries extended the boun- daries of geographical science, bringing to light new races of men, and re- vealing to human knowledge the physical and natural resources of other climes. Whether we contemplate Ledyard in his youth, descending the Connec- ticut in a frail canoe, when swollen to an impetuous torrent by the melting of the winter snows, or voyaging around the world — among the savages of New Zealand, or the gay revels of Paris ; in Bhering's Straits, or treading Siberian snows ; on the shores of Bothnia, clambering Uralian crags, or in the presence of the Irkutsh Tartar ; surrounded with the momentoes of Egypt's glory, amid the sands of Africa ; he presents that prompt decision iiud manly self-reliance that will attract all to whom his story is made known. This, the most eminent of American travelers, was born at Groton, Con- necticut, near Fort Griswold, of revolutionary memory, in the year 1751. He was the son of William Ledyard, who was master of a vessel in the West India trade. His father dying while John was a lad, threw the management of a large family of little ones upon his mother. She was left penniless by the loss of the will ; but being an energetic woman, she strug- gled successfully against misfortune. William, her second son, was the brave Colonel Ledyard, who was barbarously slain after the capitulation of Fort Griswold, which he had so gallantly defended. John, the subject of this sketch, was her eldest son. He was eventually sent to Hartford, where he first attended the grammar school, and then became a student in the law ofBce of his uncle and guardian, Thomas Seymour, and an inmate in liis family. When Ledyard was in his twentieth year. Dr. Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College, prompted by an intimacy which had existed between Ledyard's grandfather and himself, prevailed upon him to enter that institu- tion, with a view to his becoming a missionary among the Indians. The position of an Indian missionary, as the experience of Wheelock, Eliot, and (85) 86 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS others, proved, was one of hardship ; which to the adventurous disposition of Ledyard, was at first alhiring, and he began his studies with zeal. He soon, however, became restless and discontented. Steady, persevering application to books, was irksome to his nature. He had been at Dartmouth a few months, only, when he suddenly dis- appeared, and no one knew whither. It was his first expedition. He plunged into the wiklerness, and traveled among the Six Nations on the borders of the Canadas, where he spent nearly three months in wandering among the Indian tribes, to gain a knowledge of their mode of life, in view of his anticipated duties as a missionary among them. He reappeared at Dartmouth as un- expectedly as he had left, effectually cured of all missionary inclinations. On his return he was continually devising some plan for the gratification of his romantic fancy. His disposition was cheerful, and his conversation and manners so winning, that he was a great favorite among his fellow students. One winter's afternoon he persuaded a number of his companions to go with him and spend the night in the snow on the summit of a neigh- boring mountain, so that those who designed becoming missionaries among the Indians, might have a foretaste of the hardships in store for them. Over a pathless route, through forest and through swamp, he led his little band to the appointed spot. They had barely time to kindle their fire and make their beds on the snow when night closed in upon them. The hours passed wearily, and rarely has daylight been more heartily greeted than it was by all of that little party, save Ledyard, whose appetite only grew by indulgence. Eobinson Crusoe was evidently Ledyard's beau ideal of a hero. To the young mind which makes companions of its own dream, solitude is sweet, as it favors their growth, and throws a gorgeous mantle over their deformi- ties. Our young traveler seems to have early conceived the design of achieving a reputation, and in the meanwhile, until he should have made the first step, and acquired the right to exact some degree of consideration among mankind, the dim forest, or the lonely river, was a more agreeable associate in his mind, than any of those two-legged animals with which a residence at college daily brought him into contact. He therefore at once resolved to put an end to so mawkish a mode of life. Selecting from the majestic foi-est, which clothed the margin of the Connecticut Elver, a tree large enough to form a canoe, he contrived, with the aid of some of his fellow-students, to fell and convey it to the stream which runs near the college. Here it was hollowed out, and fashioned in the requisite shape ; and when completed, measured fifty feet in length by three in breadth. His young college companions enabled him to lay in the necessary store of provisions. He had a bear-skin for a covering ; a Greek Testament and Ovid to amuse him on the way ; and thus equipped, he pushed off into the current, bade adieu to his youthful friends, turned his back upon Dartmouth, and floated leisurely down the stream. Hartford, the place of his destina- tion, was one hundred and forty miles distant. The country, during much of the way, was a wilderness ; and the river, of the navigation of which he was totally ignorant, exhibited in many places dangerous falls and rapids. However, youth and ignorance are generally bold. He w-as, besides, too well pleased at escaping from the irksomeness of regular study ; and, indeed, OF AMERICANS. 87 too much enamored of clanger itself to have been terrified, even had he fully understood the character of the river. The canoe being carried along with sufficient rapidity by the force of tho current, he had but little occasion for using his paddles, and filled up the intervals of reflection with reading. He was thus employed when the canoe approached Bellows' Falls. The noise of the waters rushing with impetuous velocity through their narrow channel between the rocks, roused him to a sense of his danger, fortunately, in time to enable him by the strenuous use of liis paddles to reach the shore. His canoe was dragged round the fall by the kindness of the good people of the neighborhood, who were amazed at the boldness and novelty of his enterprise, and again safely launched upon the waters below. As the sun was rising on one of those clear, bracing spring mornings so common in Xew England, Mr. Seymour, with his family, was standing on a little mound near their house looking out upon the river, when they dis- covered in the distance, an unknown object floating down the stream. As it came nearer, they saw it was a canoe with a man wrapped closely in some garment, sitting in the stern. When nearly opposite them, it made for the shore, and stopped in front of their dwelling. The man then leaped on land, threw aside his bear-skin, and they recognized John Ledyard, whom they supposed was then at Dartmouth studying v/ith a view to missionary life. "Whether or not any efforts were made on this occasion to induce Ledyard to resume his missionary studies is not known ; but if there were, i.t was without success. His inclinations, as already observed, had now taken another direction. He was desirous of becoming a regular clergyman, and exerted himself, unfit as he was, to obtain a preacher's license. Inferior claims have sometimes been urged with effect ; but Ledyard's were rejected ; and in that reckless state of mind produced by disappointment and disgust, which none but those who have been buffeted by adverse fortune cau properly conceive, he threw himself into the first gap which he saw open, and determined to combat with the ills of life in the humble condition of a common sailor. In this capacity he sailed for Gibraltar, in the ship of a Captain Deshon, who had been a friend of his father. Though this gentle- man, we are told, regarded him more in the light of a companion than as one of his crew, Ledyard seems to have conceived no very favorable idea of a seafaring life from his voyage across the Atlantic, and on his landing at Gibraltar, determined to avoid a repetition of the experiment by enlisting in the army. By the solicitations of Captain Deshon, however, who at the same time strongly remonstrated with him on the impropriety of his con- duct, he was released, and returned with his liberator to New London, This voyage put to flight his romantic ideas respecting the life of a mariner ; and he once more saw himself dependent on his friends, without profession or prospect. From the conversation of some of the older members of his family, he had learned that in England he possessed many wealthy relations ; and tho idea now occurred to him, that could he but make himself known to these, he should be received with open arms, and lifted up at once to a respectable position in society, "With him to resolve and to act were the same thing. 88 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS He immediately proceeded to New York, where, finding a vessel bound for England, ho obtained a berth, probably on condition of his working as a sailor. Ou landing at Plymouth, he found himself penniless, and without u friend, in a strange country ; but his courage, sustained by the golden hopes with which he amused his imagination, was proof against misfortune. His calamities, he flattered himself, were soon to have an end. He was now within a few days' journey of his wealthy relations ; and provided he kept, as the vulgar say, body and soul together, what did it signify how he passed the brief interval which separated him from his island of Barataria ? Accordingly, relying upon that principle in our nature by which compassion is kindled, and the hand stretched forth to relieve, as often as real honest distress presents itself, he set out for London. On the way his good genius brought him acquainted with an Irishman, whose pockets were as guiltless of coin as his own ; and as it is a comfort not to be "alone unhappy " in this " wide and universal theater," these two moneyless friends were a great con- solation to each other. In fact, it is often among the poor and unfortunate that fellowship is most sweet. The sight of another's sufferings excites our magnanimity. We scorn to sink under what we see, by another man's experience, can be borne, perhaps, without repining. And thus two poor adventurers, without a penny, may be of use to each other, by reciprocally affording an example of fortitude and patience. Ledyard and his Hibernian companion begged by turns, and in this way reached London, where they separated, each to cherish his poverty in a different nook. Hunger, which has a kind of predilection for great cities, seems to sharpen the sight as well as the wits of men ; for, amid the vast throng of equipages which jostle and almost hide each other in the streets of London, Ledyard's eye caught the family name upon a carriage ; and he learned from the coachman the profession and address of the owner, who was a rich merchant. El Dorado was before him. He hastened to the house, and although the master himself was absent, he found the son, who, at all events, listened to his story. When he had heard him out, however, he very coolly informed our sanguine traveler, that he wholly disbelieved his representations, never having heard of any relations in America ; but that from the East Indies, he added, they expected a member of the lamily, whom Ledyard greatly resembled ; and that if in reality he was the person, he would be received with open arms. This reception, so different from that which he had anticipated, yet so extremely natural under the circumstances of the case, was more than Led- yard's philosophy, which had not yet been sufficiently disciplined by poverty, could digest ; and he quitted the house of his cautious relative with avowed disgust. How he now continued to subsist is not known. It appears, how- ever, that in spite of his distress he succeeded in making the acquaintance of several respectable individuals, to whom he related his story, and who, taking an interest in his fate, exerted themselves to effect a reconciliation between him and his wealthy friends, but without success ; for distrust on the one part, and haughtiness on the other, intervened, and shipwrecked their good intentions. Years after, when his name became famous, and all London was filled with the story of his adventures, his relatives made overtures to him, and OF AMERICANS. 89 even sent him money, begging his acceptance of it, as a testimonial of esteem. Though really in need, he rejected their offers with disdaiTi. "Tell your master," said he to the bearer, "that he does not belong to the race of Ledyards." While our traveler's affairs were in this precarious or rather desperate state, an account of the preparations which were making for Captain Cook's third voyage round the world, reached him in his obscurity. Ambition, which for some time seems to have been almost stilled in his mind, by liis distresses, now again awoke. He longed to form a part of the glorious enterprise, and to behold, at least, if he could not share in the achievements of the illustrious navigator. As a preliminary step he enlisted in the marine service ; and having procured an interview with Captain Cook, his energy and enthusiasm so strongly recommended him, that the great discoverer immediately took him into his service, and promoted him to be a corporal of marines. The expedition sailed from England on the 12th of July, 1776. It con- sisted of two ships, the Resolution, commanded by Captain Cook, and the Discovery, by Captain Clerke. After touching at Teneriffe, and the Cape of Good Hope, where they laid in a large stock of provisions, and live animals, designed to be left at the various islands on which they did not exist, they sailed toward the southern extremity of New Holland. In twenty-five days they arrived at Kerguelen's Island, then recently discovered. It was barren, and totally without inhabitants. There was, however, a scanty supply of grass, and a species of wild cabbage, which they cut for their cattle. Fresh water was found in abundance ; for it rained profusely, so that torrents came tumbling down from the hills, and enabled them to replenish their empty casks. Seals and sea-dogs covered the shore ; and vast flocks of birds hovered around. Never having experienced in their lonely island the danger of approaching man, they did not fly from their visitors, but suffered themselves, and more particularly the penguin, to be knocked down with clubs. Here they celebrated Christmas, and then proceeded to Van Dieman's Land. Within less than two months after leaving the Cape of Good Hope, they cast anchor in Adventure Bay, in this island, which was then supposed to form a part of New Holland. At first no inhabitants appeared, though, in sailing along the coast, they had observed columns of smoke a.sceuding be- tween the trees ; but in a few days the natives, men, women, and children, came down to the beach, exhibiting in their persons the extreme of human wretchedness. They were black, with negro features, and woolly hair, besmeared with red ochre and grease, and went completely naked. Bread and fish, which were given them, they threw away ; but of the flesh of birds they appeared fond. Their only weapon was a rude stick about three feet long, and sharpened at one end They had no canoes, no houses, and appeared to be, to a great degree, destitute of curiosity. Having laid in a sufficient stock of wood and water, the expedition pro- ceeded to New Zealand, where they remained a whole month, employed in laying in provisions, and in making observations on the character of the country and its inhabitants. They found the New Zealanders a race differ- ing, in many respects, from the natives of all the surrounding islands. 90 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEYEMEXTS Cannibalism of the most revolting kind flourished here in all its glory. The first thought of man on beholding the face of a fellow- creature, like Foute- nelle's on seeing a flock of sheep in a meadow, was what nice eating he would make ; and if they abstained from devouring their neighbors as well as their enemies, it was merely from R'ar of reprisals. Yet, united with propensities which, if found to be ineradicable, would justify their extermi- nation, these people are said to possess a vehement affection for their friends, constancy in their attachments, and a strong disposition to love. It is very possible that both their good and bad qualities may have been misrej^re- sented. The views and feelings of savages are not easily comprehended, and it is seldom that those who enjoy opportunities of observing them, possess the genius to divine, from a few flitting and often constrained mani- festations of them, the secret temper of the soul. During their stay at this island, one of the mariners formed an attachment for a young female cannibal ; and, in order to wind himself the more eff'ectually into her affections, he secretly caused himself to be tattooed, resolving, when the ship should sail, to make his escape, and relapse into the savage state with his mistress. I say relapse, because from that state we rose, and, whenever we can slip through the artificial scaffolding upon which we have been placed by philosophy and civil government, to that state we inevitably return. These two lovers, though deprived of the aids which language affords in the communication of thought and sentiments, contrived thoroughly to understand each other. When the time for the departure of the ships arrived, the sailor, tattooed, and dressed like a savage, was suffered to escape among the crowds of natives who were hurrying on shore ; but when the roll was called, to ascertain whether all hands were on board, his absence was discovered. A guard of marines, dispatched in search of him by the command of Cook, dragged him from the arms of his savage mistress, who exhibited every token of anguish and inconsolable grief, and leaving her in loneliness and bitter disappointment on the beach, hurried the culprit on board to take his trial for desertion. In considera- tion of the motive, however, the commander humanely remitted the punish- ment of the offense ; but it is extremely probable that his vigilance de- frauded a party of New Zcalanders of a feast, for as soon as the ships should have been out of sight, these honest people would, no doubt, have consigned the sailor to their subterranean ovens. Though desirous of making direct for Tahiti, or Otaheite, contrary winds and boisterous weather forced them out of their course, and as they now began to be in want of grass and water for the cattle, as well as fresh pro- visions for the men, it was judged advisable to sail away for the Friendly Islands. Many new islands M^ere discovered during this voyage, upon one of which, named Watteeoo, they landed. Here, to his great astonishment, Omai, the native of Tahiti whom Cook had taken with him to England, found three of his countrymen, who, having been overtaken by a storm at sea, had been driven in their canoe to this island, a distance of more than fifteen hundred miles. During the thirteen days that they had been hurried before the gale, without water or provisions, most of their companions had perished o^ hunger, or, stung to phrensy by their sufferings, had jumped into the sea. The survivors were now settled at Watteeoo, and refused his t OP AMERICANS. 91 invitation to revisit their native countrj^, the sight of which could only renew their grief for the loss of their dearest friends. This fact suffices to exphiin how islands extremely distant from the great hives of mankind have been peopled, and exhibit, in their population, resemblances to races from which they would appear to be separated by insurmountable barriers. From hence they sailed to Tongataboo, an island exceedingly fertile, and covered with forests, where they remained twenty-six days collecting pro- visions. The natives, who, having ingrafted the vices of civilized nations upon their own, have since exhibited themselves under a different aspect, now appeared to be a simple and inoffensive race. Much of their leisure, of which they appeared to have but too great plenty, was occupied in curious religious ceremonies, which, as among many civilized nations, were regarded something in the light of amusements. Their king, Poulaho, con- ducted himself with marked suavity and respect toward his strange guests. Few civilized individuals, indeed, coming suddenly into contact with a new race of men, could have shown more ease and self-possession than this savage chief. However, he declined Cook's invitation to go on board the day after their arrival; but entertained Ledyard, whose duty it was to remain on shore that night, in a kind and hospitable manner. It was just dusk, says our traveler, when they parted, and as I had been present during a part of this first interview, and was detained on shore, I was glad he did not go off, and asked him to my tent ; but Poulaho chose rather to have me go with him to his house, where we went and sat down together without the entrance. We had been here but a few minutes before one of the natives advanced through the grove to the skirts of the green, and there halted. Poulaho observed him, and told me he wanted him ; upon which I beckoned to the Indian, and he came to us. When he approached Poulaho, he squatted down upon his hams, and put his forehead to the sole of Poulaho's foot, and then received some directions from him, and went away ; and returned again very soon with some baked yams and fish rolled up in fresh plantain-leaves, and a large cocoanut-shell full of clean fresh water, and a smaller one of salt water. These he set down, and went and fetched a mess of the same kind, and set it down by me. Poulaho then desired I would eat ; but preferring salt, which I had in the tent, to the sea- water which they used, I called one of the guard, and had some of that brought me to eat with my fish, which was really most delightfully dressed, and of which I £^e very heartily. Their animal and vegetable food is dressed in the same manner here, as at the southern and northern tropical islands throughout these seas, being all baked among hot stones, laid in a hole, and covered over, first with leaves, and then with mould. Poulaho was fed by the chief who waited upon him, both with victuals and drink. After he had finished, the remains were carried away by the chief in waiting, who returned soon after with two large, separate rolls of cloth, and two little, low wooden stools. The cloth was for a covering while asleep, and the stools to raise and rest the head on, as we do on a pillow. These were left within the house, or rather under the roof, one side being open. The floor within was composed of dry grass, leaves, and flowers, over which were spread large, well-wrought mats. On this Poulaho and I removed and sat down, while the chief unrolled and 92 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS spread out the cloth, after which he retired ; and ia a few minutes there appeared a fine young girl, about seventeen years of age, who, approaching Poulaho, stooped and kissed his great toe, and then retired, and sat down in an opposite part of the house. It was now about nine o'clock, and a bright moonshine ; the sky was serene, and the wind hushed. Suddenly I heard a number of their flutes, beginning nearly at the same time, burst from every quarter of the surrounding grove ; and whether this was meant as an exhilarating serenade, or a soothing soporific to the great Poulaho, I cannot tell. Immediately on hearing the music he took me by the hand, intimat- ing that he was going to sleep, and, showing me the other cloth, which was spread nearly beside him, and the pillow, invited me to use it." The manners of the people whom Ledyard had now an opportunity of contemplating, indicated a character nearly the reverse of that of the New Zealanders. In what circumstances those extraordinary differences origin- ated, it is foreign to the present purpose to inquire. To account for them, as some writers have done, by the influence of climate, is willfully to sport with facts and experience. Within the same degrees of latitude, pursuing our researches round the globe, we have black men and white ; cannibals, and races remarkable for humanity ; men so gross in their intellects, that they retain nothing of man but the shape, and others with a character and genius so admirably adapted to receive the impressions of laws and civilization, that they turn every natural or accidental advantage of their position to the greatest account, and run on in the career of improvement with gigantic strides. This was not Ledyard's theory. He seemed everywhere to dis- cover proofs of the vast influence of climate in rendering men what they are, morally as well as physically ; though he could not be ignorant that while the climate of Greece and Italy remains what it was in old times, the physiognomy of the inhabitants has undergone an entire change, while their moral condition is, if possible, deteriorated still more than their features. The mind of man seems, in fact, after having borne an extraordinary crop of virtues^ knowledge, and heroic deeds, to require, like the earth, to lie fallow for a season. It cannot be made to yield fruit beyond a certain point, upon which, when it has once touched, no power under heaven can prevent its relapsing into barrenness. The population scattered over the innumerable islands of the Pacific, have been in a remarkably peculiar position from the time in which they were discovered up to the present moment. Civilization has, in a manner, been forced upon them. Their idols have been thrown down ; the bloody or absurd rites of their religion have, in many instances, been exchanged for the blessings and the light of Christianity; and although silly or aftected persons may lament for the disappearance of what they term a " picturesque superstition," every real friend of humanity will rejoice at seeing a church occupying the site of a moral ; and men, who once delighted to feed u[;on the limbs of an enemy, employing themselves in deriving subsistence from their own industry and ingenuity. The people of Tongataboo, at the period of Ledyard's visit, though neither cruel nor ferocious, were partial to athletic exercises, and not averse to war. It seems to have "yielded them great satisfaction to be allowed to display, in the presence of their visitors, their vigor and dexterity, which OF AMERICANS. 93 were by no means despicable. Their performances, which chiefly consisted of wrestling and boxing, always took place upon the greensward, in the open air ; and in order to prevent wliat was only meant for amusement from degenerating into angry contests, a certain number of elderly men pre- sided over and rcgvilated the exercises ; and when either of the combatants appeared to be fairly worsted, they mildly signified the fact, and this was considered a sufficient compliment to the victor. Like the boxers of antiquity, they wore upon the hand a kind of glove, composed of cords or thongs, designed to prevent their grappling each other, and at the same time to preserve them from dislocations of the joints, particularly of that of the thumb. Sometimes, however, they engaged each other with clubs, in which cases the performances were highly dangerous. Our traveler wit- nessed one of these contests, which, as the persons engaged were renowned for their superior skill, was protracted considerably, though they arc in general of brief duration. At length, however, the affair was decided by a fortuitous blow on the head. The vanquished champion was carried oft' the ground by his friends, while the conqueror was greeted with enthusiastic shouts of praise from the spectators ; and " when these shouts ended, the young women around the circle rose, and sang, and danced a short kind of interlude, in celebration of the hero." With the brilliant exhibition of fireworks, which, in return for their hospitality and politeness, Cook got up for their amusement, both Poulaho and his people were greatly astonished and delighted. The animals, like- wise, which were new to them, excited their wonder. Goats and sheep they regarded as a species of birds ; but in the horse, the cow, the cat, and the rabbit, they could perceive no analogy with the dog or the hog, the only animals with which they had till then been conversant. The ideas of these people respecting property, were either very vague, or very different from those of their visitors. Whatever they saw pleasing to the eye in the possession of the white men, without considering whether or not it was intended for them, they immediately appropriated to them- selves ; probably from the belief that these munificent strangers, who bestowed upon them so many wonderful things, were a kind of good genii, who, in their own case, stood in no need of such articles. Cook did not understand this simplicity. He attached the idea of a thief to every person who touched what did not belong to him, and punished these ignorant savages with the same rigid justice, if we may so apply the term, which he would have shown toward a hardened offender at the Old Baily. In one instance, even the justice of his conduct may be questioned. One of the chiefs stole some peacocks from the ships, and Cook arrested, not the offender, but the king, whom he kept in custody until the culprit came for- ward engaging to restore the birds. This was an absurd exercise of power, which could not fail considerably to abate the respect of the natives for the civilized portion of mankind. From Tongataboo the expedition sailed to Tahiti, where they arrived on the 14rth of August, Here Ledyard employed his leisure, which appears to' have been considerable, in studying the character and manners of the in- habitants ; and upon these points his opinions generally agree with the re- ceived notions respecting those people. la sailing northward from thia 94: ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS group they discovered the Sandwich Islands, where thej' remained ten daj's ; and then, steering still toward the north, arrived without accident in Nootka Sound, where they cast anchor in nearly five hundred fathoms of water. Ledyard was now on his native continent, and, though more than three thousand miles from the place of his birth, experienced on landing some- thing like a feeling of home. The inhabitants he found to be of the same race with those on the shores of the Atlantic. In stature they are above the middle size, athletic in their make, and of a copper color. Their long black hair they wear tied up in a roll on the top of the head, and, by way of orna- ment, smear it over with oil and paiut, in which they stick a quantity of the down of birds. They paint their faces red, blue, and white, but refused to reveal the nature of their cosmetics, or the country whence they obtained them. Their clothing principally consists of skins, besides which, however, they have two kinds of garments, of which one is manufactured from the inner bark of trees, and resembles our coarser cloths ; the other made chiefly from the hair of white dogs, and wrought over with designs, representing their mode of catching the whale, which our traveler considered the most ingenious piece of workmanship he anywhere saw executed by a savage. All their garments, like those of the Hindoos, are worn like mantles, and are invariably fringed, or ornamented in some fashion or other, at the edges. This species of border ornament, denominated ivampum on the opposite side of the continent, was found, not only all along this coast, but also on the eastern shores of Asia. On the feet they wear no covering ; and if they occasionally cover their heads, it is with a species of basket resembling that which is sometimes worn by the Chinese and Tartars. In character they were cunning, bold, ferocious, and, like the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, addicted to cannibalism. From thence they sailed along the coast of America to Behring's Straits, in passing through which, they observed that both continents were visible at the same time. The expedition having in vain transversed the polar seas in search of the northwest passage, returned toward the south. Before issuing through the belt of the Aleeootskian Islands into the Pacific, Cap- tain Cook remained some days at Oualaska, where Ledj-ard was engaged in an adventure highly characteristic of his intrepid and chivalrous disposition. Even on their fii-st landing, many peculiarities in the appearance and costume, no less than in the movable possessions of the people, strongly excited their curiosity ; for it was at once perceived that there existed two races of men upon the island, of which one might be supposed to be aboriginal, while the other might be presumed to be adscititious ; an offshoot, in all probability, from the great Asiatic stock. They were in possession of tobacco, and, in many instances, wore blue linen shirts and drawers. The circumstance, however, which excited most surprise, was the appearance of a young chief, bearing with him a cake of rye-meal newly baked, and con- taining a piece of salmon seasoned with pepper and salt, as a present to Captain Cook. He informed them, by signs, that there were white strangers in the country, who had come, like them, over the great waters in a large ship. This information excited in Cook a desire to explore the island. It was difficult, however, to determine in what manner the object was to be OF AMERICANS. 95 effected. An armed body would proceed slowly, and might, perhaps, be cut off — an irreparable loss to the expedition. The risk of a single indi- vidual would be imminent, but his movements would be more rapid ; and if he should fall, the loss to the public would not be great. Yet, as the commander did not think himself justified in ordering any person to under- take so perilous an enterprise, a volunteer was sought for ; and Ledyard pre- sented himself. The great navigator was highly pleased with this examjDle of intrepidity, for the brave always sympathize with the brave ; and after giving the traveler instructions how to proceed, "he wished me well," says Ledyard, " and desired I would not be longer absent than a week, if possible ; at the expiration of which he should expect me to return. If I did not return by that time, he should wait another we«k for me, and no longer," The young chief who brought Cook the rye-cake and the salmon, with two persons who attended him, were to serve as guides on the occasion. Beiu'' furnished with a small quantity of bread and some brandy in bottles, intended for jjresents to the Indians, our traveler departed with his Indian guides, and, during the first day, advanced about fifteen miles into the interior. About nightfall they arrived at a small village, consisting of about thirty huts, some of which were large and spacious, though not very lofty. These huts were composed of a slight frame erected over a square hole sunk about four feet into the ground. Below the frame was covered with turf, which served as a wall, and above it Avas thatched with grass. Though the whole village, men, women, and children, crowded to see him, it was not with the intense curiosity which their behavior would have exhibited, had they never before beheld a white man. Here they passed the night. Their course had hitherto lain toward the north, but they, next morning, turned round toward the southwest. About three hours before night they reached the edge of a large bay, where the chief entered into a canoe, with all their baggage, and intimating to Ledyard that he was to follow his other companions, left him abruptly, and paddled across the bay. Although rendered somewhat uneasy at this movement, he proceeded along the shore with his guides, and in about two hours, observed a canoe making toward them across the bay. Upon this they ran down to the water's edge, and, by shouting and waving bushes to and fro in the air, attracted the attention of the savages in the canoe. It was beginning to be dark, says he, when the canoe came to us. It was a skin canoe, after the Esquimaux plan, with two holes to accommodate two sitters. The Indians that came in the canoe talked a little with my two guides, and then came to me, and desired I would get into the canoe. This I did not very readily agree to, however, as there was no place for me but to be thrust into the space between the holes, extended at length upon my back, and wholly excluded from seeing the way I went, or the power of extricating myself upon an emergency. But as there was no alternative, I submitted thus to be stowed away in bulk, and went head foremost very swift through the water about an hour, when I felt the canoe strike a beach, and afterward lifted up and carried some distance, and then set down again ; after which I was drawn out by the shoulders by three or four men ; for it was now so dark that I could not tell who they were, though I was conscious I heard a language that was new. I was conducted by two of these persons, who appeared to be strangers, 96 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS about forty rods, when I saw lights and a number of huts like those I left in the morning. As we approached one of them, a door opened and discov- ered a lamp, by which, to my great joy, I discovered that the two men who held me by each arm were Europeans, fair and comely, and concluded from their appearance they were Russians, which I soon after found to be true. By these Russians, who had established themselves in Onalaska for the purpose of collecting furs for the markets of Moscow and Petersburg, Led- yard was received and entertained in a most hospitable manner ; and when he returned to the ships, was accompanied by three of the principal persons among them, and several inferior attendants. " The satisfaction this dis- covery gave Cook," says he, "and the honor that redounded to me, may be easily imagined ; and the several conjectures respecting the appearance of a foreign intercourse were rectified and confirmed." From Onalaska the expedition sailed southward for the Sandwich Islands, and in two months arrived at Hawaii. On entering a commodious bay, dis- covered on the southern coast of the island, they observed, on each hand, a town of considerable size, from which crowds of people, to whom the appearance offered by the ships was totally new, crowded down to the beach to receive the strangers. Their number was prodigious. No less than three thousand canoes, containing at least fifteen thousand men, women, and children, were crowded in the bay ; and, besides these, numbers sustained themselves on floats, or swam about in the water. "The beach, the sur- rounding rocks, the tops of the houses, the branches of trees, and the adjacent hills, were all covered ; and the shouts of joy and admiration proceeding from the sonorous voices of the men, confused with the shriller exclama- tions of the women, dancing and clapping their hands, the oversetting of canoes, cries of the children, goods afloat, and hogs, that were brought to market, squeaking, formed one of the most curious prospects that can be imagined." Yet, amid all this vast multitude, no signs of hostility, no dispo- sition to insult or annoy the strangers appeared. Both parties were very far, at that moment, from anticipating that tragical event which shortly after- ward dyed their shores Avith blood, and rendered the name of Hawaii memorable in the history of discovery. However, for the first few days extraordinary harmony prevailed. Visits were made and returned ; fireworks were exhibited by the English ; wrest- ling, boxing, and various other kinds of athletic exercises, by the savages. During this continuance of good humor, Ledyard obtained permission to make a tour in the interior of the island, for the purpose of examining the nature of the country, and of ascending, if possible, the peak of Moutia Roa, which, though situated in an island not exceeding ninety miles in diameter, is regarded as one of the loftiest in the world. He was accompanied by the botanist and gunner of the Resolution, and by a number of natives, some as guides, others to carry the baggage. Admonished b^v the snows which glittered in dazzling pinnacles on the summit of Mouna Roa, they provided themselves with additional clothing to guard against the effects of a sudden transition from the heat of a tropical sun to intense cold. Their road during the first part of the journey lay through inclosed plantations of sweet potatoes, with a soil of lava, tilled in some places with difficulty. Here and there, in moist situations, were small patches of sugar-pane ; and these, OF AMERICANS. 97 as fhey proceeded, were followed by open plantations of bread-fruit trees. The land now began to ascend abruptly, and was thickly covered with wild fern. About sunset they arrived on the skirts of the woods, which stretched round the mountain like a belt, at the uniform distance of four or five miles from the shore. Here they found an uninhabited hut, in which they p;issed the night. Next morning, on entering the forest, they found there had been heavy rain during the night, though none of it had reached them at the distance of about two hundred yards. They traversed the woods by a compass, keeping in a direct line for the peak ; and, finding a beaten track nearly in their course, were enabled on the second day to advance about fifteen miles. At night they rested under the shelter of a fallen tree, and early next morn- ing recommenced their journey. It was soon discovered, however, that the difliculties they had hitherto encountered were ease itself compared with those against which they were now to contend. To persons unaccustomed as they were to walk, a journey of so great a length would, under any cir- cumstances, have been a grievous task. But they were impeded in their movements by heavy burdens ; their path was steep, broken, and rugged ; and the farther they proceeded, the more dense and impenetrable did the thickets become. At length, it became evident that the enterprise must be abandoned ; and with those unpleasant feelings which accompany bafiied ambition, they returned by the way they had gone to the shi')s. In less than a fortnight after their arrival at Hawaii, the liscoverers, by their impolitic, or rather insolent behavior, had contrived to irritate the savage natives almost to desperation. They saw themselves, and, what perhaps was more galling, their gods treated with silent contempt or open scorn ; while their wives and daughters were contaminated by the brutal lusts of the sailors. How far these circumstances were within the control of Captain Cook, or, in other words, to what degree of blame he is liable for what took place, it is not our present business to inquire. But assuredly, according to the testimony of Ledyard, this great navigator seems, during the last few days of his life, to have been urged by a kind of fatality into the commission of actions highly despotic and unjustifiable in themselves, and, imder the circumstances in which they were performed, little short of insane. The mere idea of converting the fence and idols of the moral — objects sacred to them, however contemptible in our eyes — into firewood, argues a reprehensible disregard of the feelings of the natives. His offer of two hatchets to the priest in payment, reminds one of Captain Clapperton's promise of a couple of guns, a few flasks of powder, and some rockets to Sultan Bello, as the price of his putting down the slave-trade. But when the priest refused the proff'ered payment, not so much on account of its pre- posterous inadequacy — of which, however, savage as he was, he must have been fully sensible — because, in his eyes, no price was an equivalent for articles, to destroy which would be sacrilege, to proceed with a strong hand in the work of destruction, profaning the spot which contained the ashes of their ancestors, and throwing down and bearing away the images of their gods. This was an outrage which the tamest and most enslaved race would have found it difficult to endure. 98 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS However, force was triumpliaut ; but from that moment the souls of the natives were on fire, and revenge was determined on. A relation of the various incidents and small events by which the tragic action moved onward to its completion, would be Incompatible with my present design. Captain Cook, accompanied by an armed force, in which Ledyard was included, went on shore for the purpose of making the king a prisoner, and of keeping him in confinement on board, until certain articles stolen by his subjects should be restored. The savages, Avith a boldness worthy of admira- tion, opposed his designs, and compelled him to retreat toward his boats. Here, as the marines were endeavoring to embark, a contest took place ; stones were thrown by the natives ; the English flew to their firearms ; and a chief, rushing on Avith an iron dagger in his hand, stabbed Cook through the body. His guards, likewise, were all cut off excepting two, who escaped by swimming. The cannon of the Resolution were now fired at the crowd, and this produced an almost instantaneous retreat ; though the savages, mindful even in the midst of danger of the gratification of their appetite, took care to carry along with them the bodies of their fallen enemies ; in order, by feasting upon them at their leisure, to derive some trifling comfort from their disaster. The business now was to retire as quickly as possible from the island, Avhich they did ; and having again entered Bohring's Strait, and sailed about for some time among the ices of the Polar Sea, they returned bj' way of China and the Cape of Good Hope to England, after an absence of four years and three months. In 1782 Ledyard sailed on board an English man-of-war for America, not with a design to serve against his country, but determined on seizing the first occasion of escape which should oQ"er itself. An opportunity soon occurred. On arriving at Long Island, then in the possession of the English, he obtained permission of seven days' absence from the ship, for the purpose of seeing his mother, who then kept a boarding-house at Southold, occupied chiefly by British officers. " He rode up to the door, alighted, went in, and asked if he could be accommodated in her house as a lodger. She replied that he could, and showed him a room into which his baggage was con- veyed. After having adjusted his dress, he came out and took a seat by the fire, in company with several other ofiicers, without making himself known to his mother, or entering into conversation with any person. She frequently passed and repassed through the room, and her eye was observed to be attracted toward him with more than usual attention. He still remained silent. At last, after looking at him steadily for some min- utes, she deliberately put on her spectacles, approached nearer to him, begging his pardon for her rudeness, and telling him that he so much resembled a son of hers, who had been absent for eight years, that she could not resist her inclination to view him more closely. The scene that followed may be imagined, but not described ; for Ledyard had a tender heart, and affection for his mother was among its deepest and most constant emotions." He now visited his old friends and many of the places which youthful recollections rendered dear to him. He was everywhere well received, and employed the leisure which he now enjoyed for several months, in writing OF AMERICANS. 99 an account of his voyage round the world with Captain Cook, But when this was done, many motives, among which want of money was not the least, urged him to enter upon some new plan of life. His favorite project at this time, and indeed throughout the remainder of his life, was a voyage of commerce and discovery to the northwestern coast of America; and during the remainder of his stay in his native country he made numerous efforts to obtain wealthy co-operators in his design. Being constantly dis- appointed, however, he once more turned his thoughts toward Europe, where the spirit of speculation was bolder and more liberal, and proceeded to France. Here his projects were eagerly patronized, and as easily abandoned ; and during a long stay, both at L'Orient and Paris, he subsisted by shifts and expedients, associating by turns with every variety of char- acter, from Jefferson down to Paul Jones. How he existed at all, unless upon the bounty of his friends, is altogether inexjjlicable. He was now reduced to the character of a mere adventurer, and his life, during this period, affords no incidents worthy of being described. An Englishman, who had given him fifteen guineas at St. Germain, shortly afterward invited him to London, and procured him a passage in a ship bound for the Pacific Ocean, with a promise from the captain that he would set him on shore upon any point of the northwest coast which he might choose. He now once more appeared to be verging toward the accomplishment of his dearest wishes. He embarked ; the vessel sailed down the Thames, and put out to sea ; but before they were out of sight of land, the ship was brought back by an order from the govern- ment, and the voyage was finally abandoned. Ledyard's enthusiasm, however, in the prosecution of his designs, though it is probable that few could perceive the advantages to be derived from their accomplishment, procured him many friends in London ; and it is said that a subscription was set on foot by Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Hunter, Sir James Hall, and Colonel Smith. From the result of this measure, we must inevitably infer one or two things — either that the liberality of those gentle- men was exceedingly scanty, or that their opinion of Ledyard's prudence was very low. From several circumstances which afterward took place, the latter is the more probable inference. Be this as it may, we find him, on his arrival at Hamburgh, with no more than ten guineas in his pocket ; and these, with reckless and unpardonable absurdity, he bestowed upon a Major Langhorn, an eccentric vagabond, who, after accepting his money and reducing him to beggary, coolly refused to bear him company on his journey to Petersburg ; alleging, as his excuse, that he could travel in the way he did with no man upon earth. What his mode of traveling was, we have no means of ascertaining ; but from his conduct in this transaction, it may be inferred, without any great stretch of uncharitableness, that Ledyard was fortunate in getting rid of such a companion at the expense of all he was Avorth in the world. The man who is insensible of a generous action, could be no desirable companion in any circumstances of life; but to be linked with such an individual in traversing a foreign land, would have been a curse which few who have not experienced a similar calamity can conceive. 100 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Having at the same time bade adieu to his money and the graceless major, he began to experience the effects of his folly ; for had he not, by singular good fortune, found a merchant who consented to accept a bill on a friend in London, and pay him the amount, his travels must have terminated where he was. This supply, however, enabled him to pursue his route. On arriving at Stockholm, Lcdyard found that the Gulf of Bothnia was neither sufficiently frozen to enable him to cross it upon the ice, nor yet free enough from ice to be navigable. Under these circumstances he formed the, daring resolution of traveling round the gulf, a distance of twelve hundred miles, "over trackless snows, in regions thinly peopled, where the nights are long, and the cold intense — and all this to gain no more than fifty miles." Accordingly, he set out for Tornea, in the depth of winter, on foot, with little money m his pocket, and no friends to whom he could apply when his small stock should be exhausted. Of this part of his travels no account remains. Other travelers who have visited Tornea in winter, under the most favorable circumstances, describe in tremendous colors the horrors of the place. " The place," says Maupertuis, " on our arrival, on the 30th of December, had really a most frightful aspect. Its little houses were buried to the tops in snow, which, if there had been any daylight, must have effectually shut it out. But the snow continually falling, or ready to fall, for the most part, hid the sun the few moments that he might have showed himself at midday. In the month of January the cold was increased to the extremity, that Reaumur's mercurial thermometers, which, in Paris, in the great frost of 1709, it was thought strange to see fall to fourteen degrees below the freezing point, were now down to thirty-seven. The spirit of wine in the others was frozen. If we opened the door of a warm room, the external air instantly converted all the air in it into snow, whirling it round in white vortices. If we went abroad, we felt as if the air were tearing our breasts to pieces." Such was the country through which Ledyard made his way to Peters- burg, which he reached on the 20th of March, that is, within seven weeks from his leaving Stockholm, making the distance traveled over, about two hundred miles per week, upon an average. Here he was well received by Professor Pallas and other scientific men ; and through the interest of Count Segur, the French embassador, obtained the empress' permission to traverse her vast dominions. As he was compelled to wait several months, how- ever, for this indispensable document, and was destitute, on his arrival at Petersburg, of money, and almost of clothes, he drew a bill of twenty guineas on Sir Joseph Banks, which ho was fortunate enough to get some one to discount. This enabled him to await the leisure of Catharine, who wa-s too deeply plunged in her schemes of debauchery and ambition, to afford a thought on a poor houseless wanderer like Ledyard. But at length the passport was granted ; and a Dr. Brown happening at that moment to be proceeding with a quantity of stores to Yakutsk, for the use of Mr. Billings, who was then employed by the empress in exploring the remoter parts of Siberia and Kamtschatka, our traveler obtained permission to accompany him. They left Petersburg on the 1st of June, and in six days after arrived at OF AMERICANS. 101 Moscow. Here they hired a kibitka, and proceeded at the same rapid rate toward Kezan, on the Volga, where they remained a week ; and then set off on the full gallop for Tobolsk. It should be remarked, that Ledyard'3 object in this journey was not to see the country, but to reach the north- west coast of America, where he hoped to make some useful discoveries, as quickly as possible ; otherwise it would have been far wiser to have "made his legs his compasses," at the risk of consuming years in the journey. In the vast plain which stretches from Moscow to the Ural Mountains, there was, it is true, very little of the picturesque, and not much of the moral, to captivate the eye or interest the mind of a traveler ; but there is no country, the careful examination of which may not be made to yield both amuse- ment and instruction. Ledyard, however, was not answerable for the rapidity of his movements ; he accounted himself but too happy in being allowed to share Dr. Brown's kibitka ; and had it been in the empress' power to have darted him across Siberia upon an iceberg, or astride upon a cloud, he would not have objected to the conveyance. From Tobolsk they proceeded to Bernaoul, the capital of the province of Kolyvan, where Dr. Brown's journey terminated. At this place Ledyard remained a whole week, and was entertained in a very hospitable manner by the treasurer of the mines. He observes, that the immense plain he had traversed in reaching this city, was in many places dotted with large mounds of earth, which very much resembled those supposed monumental piles found among various tribes of North America, and the barrows or heroic tombs of ancient Europe. In the people the Tartar features- began to appear before they reached Kazan. But there existed great variety in the population ; the same village containing every variety of mankind, from those with fair skin, light hair, and white eyes, to those of olive complexion, and jet-black eyes and hair. Poverty, as may be supposed, was no stranger in these villages ; for they had not, like the Chremylus of Aristophanes, discovered the secret of restoring sight to Plutus ; but this did not dis- courage the fair moieties of the peasants from painting their faces, like a discontented English beauty, both with red and white. As these damsels are not niggardly of their kisses, it would be useless for them to adopt the custom which prevailed among the ancient Greek ladies, of painting the lips ; but this, it M-ould seem, is the sole consideration which opposes the introduction of the custom. " The Tartar, however situated," says Ledyard, "is a voluptuary ; and it is an original and striking trait in their character, from the grand seignior to him who pitches his tent on the wild frontiers of Russia and China, that they are more addicted to real sensual pleasure than any other people." This is a judicious remark, and corroborates the testi- mony of the ancient historian, who tells us that the Scythian ladies were accustomed to put out the eyes of their male slaves, that they might be ignorant of the name and quality of the mistresses to whose wantonness they were made subservient. From Bernaoul he proceeded with an imperial courier to Tomsk, discover- ing, as he rode along, marks of the tremendous winds which sometimes devastate Siberia. The trees of the forest were uprooted, and whole fields of grain were beaten into the earth. Hurrying onward in the same rapid 102 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS manner, he crossed the Yeiusei at Krasnojarsk, and entered a rough, moun- tainous country, covered with thick forests, which continued all the way to Irkutsk, where he arrived in ten days after leaving Tomsk. During his stay iu this town, he made an excursion, in company with a German colonel, to the Lake Baikal, which, in the Kalmuck language, signifies the "North Sea." Arriving on the shores of the lake, they found a galliot, which, in summer, plies a packet across the "North Sea." In this galliot they went out with line and lead to take sound- ings ; but having only fifty fathoms of line, which at one hundred feet from the shore was wholly taken up, they quickly abandoned their soundings, and returned through the rain in the galliot's boat to Irkutsk. On the 26th of August, he quitted Irkutsk, and proceeded toward the point where he was to embark on the River Lena for Yakutsk. The country in this part was well cultivated, and therefore cheerful ; but the forest trees had already begun to drop their foliage, and put on the garb of autumn. Having proceeded one hundred and fifty miles in his kibitka, he embarked with Lieutenant Laxman, a Swede, in a boat on the Lena, and commenced a voyage of fourteen hundred miles. Their boat was carried along at the rate of eighty or a hundred miles per day, " the river gradually increasing in size, and the mountain scenery putting on an infinite variety of forms, alternately sublime and picturesque, bold and fantastic, with craggy rocks and jutting headlands, bearing on their brows the verdure of pines, larches, and other evergreens and alpine shrubs." All the way to Yakutsk the river was studded with islands, which recurring at short intervals, added to the romantic effect of the scenery ; but the weather was growing cold, and heavy fogs hung over the river until a late hour in the morning. The mountains flanking the river were said to abound with wolves and bears ; and there was an abundance of wild fowl, of which our travelers shot as many as they pleased. Salmon-trout were plentiful in the river ; and the inhabitants fished with seines, and also with spears, like the natives of Tahiti, by torchlight. On the 18th of September he arrived at Yakutsk, where he immediately waited on the commandant with his letters of recommendation, and ex- plained his desire of proceeding with all possible celerity to Okotsk, before winter should shut in and cut off his progress. The commandant, however, had received secret orders to detain him ; and under pretense that the season was already too far advanced, informed him that he must pass the winter at Yakutsk. Though nothing could exceed the rage and vexation of Ledyard at this unexpected disappointment, he was sensible that it was necessary to submit ; the determination of the despots around him being as irresistible as destiny. He therefore bent his attention to the consideration of the objects within his reach ; and in these compulsory studies awaited the return of spring. In the journal of his Siberian travels, he discourses upon a variety of interesting topics. Among these was his celebrated eulogy on woman. This is regarded as the most beautiful and touching tribute to the moral superi- ority of the female character in the whole range of literature. It shows one OF AMERICANS. 103 of the sources of consolation to the lone traveler in his wanderings over tho world ; and exhibits, also, tho warm affections of a grateful heart toward the sex, to whom alone can be applied, the loving, tender words — " sister," "wife," "mother." LEUVARD S EULOGY ON WOMAN. " I have obseiTed among all nations that the women oniament themselves more than the men : that wherever found they are the same kind, civil, obliging, humane, tender beings j that they are ever inclined to be gay and cheerful, timorous and modest. They do not hesitate, like man, to perform a hospitable, generous action ; not haughty, nor arrogant, nor supercilious, but full of courtesy, and fond of society ; industrious, economical, ingenuous ; more liable, in general, to err than man, but in general, also, more viiiuous, nud performing more good actions than he. I never addressed myself in the language of decency and friendship to a woman, whether civilized or savage, without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man it has often been otherwise. lu wandering over the barren plains of inhospitable Denmark, through houest Sweden, frozen Lapland, rude and churlish Finland, un- principled Kussia, and the wide-spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, woman has ever been fiiendly to me, and uniformly so ; and to add to this virtue so worthy of the appellation of benevolence, these actions have been performed iu so free and so kind a mauner, that if I was dry I drank the sweet draught, and if hungry, ate the coarse morsel with a double relish." During Led3'ard's weary sojourn at Yakutsk, Captain Billings, who had been on an expedition by order of the Empress Catherine, arrived in the place. He was formerly intimate with Ledyard, having been an assistant to the as- tronomer Bayless, during the last voyage of Cook. He was astonished and gratified at meeting with Ledyard in the heart of Siberia. Remaining there during five weeks, they set out together for Irkutsk in sledges over the ice of the river Lena, a distance of fifteen hundred miles, which they reached in seventeen days ; there, by order of the empress, Ledyard was arrested on the 24th of the ensuing Februarj-, upon a false allegation that he was a French Bpj\ He was closely guarded, whirled in sledges over the snow, through the intense cold of a Siberian winter to Moscow, to answer the charge. In this condition he wrote the following : " My ardent hopes are once more bhisted, when almost half accomplished. What secret machinations havo been at work ? What motive ? But so it suits her royal majesty of all the Eiissias, and she has nothing but her pleasure to consult ; she has no nation's resentment to apprehend, for I am the minister of no State no monarch ; I travel under the common flag of humanity, commissioned by myself to serve the world at large ; and so the poor, the unprotected wanderer, must go where the sovereign will ordains ; if to death, why then my journeying will be over sooner, and rather differently from what I con- 104 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS templated ; if otherwise, why then the royal dame haa taken me much out of my way. But I pursue another route. The rest of the world lies un- interdicted. Though born in the freest of the civilized countries, yet in the present state of privation, I have a more exquisite sense of the amiable, the immortal nature of liberty, than I ever had before." He continues these remarks at some length, deploring his arrest, as an interference with his l^lans, but bowing with submissive stoicism to the strokes of fate. The result of his arrest, was his banishment to the frontiers of Poland, and being forbidden on pain of death to re-enter the Russian dominions. Speaking of this, he says : " Cruelties and hardships are tales I leave untold. I was disappointed in the pursuit of an object on which my future fortuno entirely depended. I know not how I passed through the kingdoms of Poland and Prussia, or from thence to London, where I arrived in the beginning of May, disappointed, ragged, penniless ; and yet, so accustomed am I to such things, that I declare my heart was whole. My health, for the first time, had suffered from my confinement, and the amazing rapidity, ■with which I had been carried through the illimitable wilds of Tartary and Russia. But my liberty regained, and a few days' rest among the beautiful daughters of Isreal, in Poland, re-established it, and I am now in as full bloom and vigor as thirty-seven years will afford any man. Jarvis says I look much older than when he saw me three summers ago at Paris, which I can readily believe. An American face does not wear well, like an American heart. It would be now idle to inquire into the motives which urged that old profligate despot, the Empress Catherine, into such an act of flagrant injus- tice, as the seizure of Ledyard. She had, no doubt, been told that his success might be in some Avay or another detrimental to her commerce ; and without consideration or inquiry, perhaps in one of her furious fits of rage or drunkenness, she issued the order for his recall, which was executed with no less barbarity than it was given. On his arrival at London, Ledyard, unsubdued by the bitterness of past disappointments, determined to enter upon some new theater of adventure; for, in his case, as with wanderers generally, the passion for travel but in- creased by indulgence. At this time he wrote an affectionate letter to his mother, from which the following is an extract : " I wrote you last from this place nearly two years ago, but I suppose you heard of me at Petersburgh, by Mr. Franklin, of New York. I promised to write you from the remote parts of Siberia. I promise everything to those I love, and so does fortune to me sometimes ; but we reciprocally prevent each other from fulfilling our eng;igements. She left me so poor in Siberia that I could not write ijou, because I could not frank tlie letter ! " He goes on to explain the nature of his anticipated trip to Africa, speaks of his engagement with the association, and amplifies upon its expected results, giving assurances in the meantime of his most intense filial love. He also sent her specimens of the wearing apparel he had used in Siberia : " Such as I have worn," he says, " through many a scene, and was glad to get them." " The surtout coat is made of reindeer skin, and edged with the dewlap of the moose. It was made for a riding coat, and I have rode both horses and OF AMERICANS. 105 deer with it. The first cap is of the Siberian red fox skin ; it is a traveling cap, and the form is entirely Tartar. The second cap is Russian, consisting of white ermine, and bordered with blue fox skin ; it cost me at Yakutsk twentj'-five roubles, which is four guineas and one rouble. The surtout coat cost seventy roubles ; and the fox skin cap, six. The gloves are made of the feet of the fox, and lined with Tartar hare, and cost five roubles. The frock is in form and style truly Tartar. It was presented to me, and came from the borders of the Frozen Ocean, at the mouth of the river Kolyma. It is made of a spotted reindeer calf; the edging is the same as that on the surtout. The boots are of reindeer skin, ornamented with European cloth ; the form is Tartar : they cost eight roubles. The socks are made of the skin of an old reindeer. The cloak in which they arc wrapped up, was made in London. I traveled on foot with it in Denmark, Sweden, Lapland, Fin- land — the Lord knows where. I have slept in it, eat in it, drank in it, fought in it, negotiated in it. Through every scene, it has been my constant and hardy servant, from my departure till my return to London. And now to give it an asylum — for I have none — I send it to you. Lay it up ; as soon as I can I will call and lay myself up with it." It seems that he sent his mother nearly a complete suit of his traveling clothes, sufficient, at any rate, to give a correct idea of her erratic son's appearance, among the frozen wilds of Siberia. 'Twas well he did — he never "called and laid himself up with them." Another field was now opened to the enterprise of Ledyard. He was taken into the service of the African Association, which was composed of some of the first characters in England, the object of which was to promote discoveries in the interior of that continent. *' For many ages the continent of Africa had been a neglected portion of the globe, of which the rest of the world had taken little account. The learning, and splendor, and prowess of Egypt were departed ; Carthage, with all its glory, had sunk into the dust ; the proud monuments of iS^umidian greatness had been blotted from the face of the earth, and almost from the memory of man. The gloom of this scene was heightened, not more by the ravages of time in destroying what had been, than by the contrasts which succeeding changes had produced. A semibarbarous population, gathered from the wrecks of fallen nations, enemies to the arts, and to the best social interests of man, had gradually spread themselves over the whole northern borders of Africa, and presented a barrier to the hazards of enter- prise, no less than to the inroads of civilization. Whatever might be the ardor for discovery, and the disregard of danger, nobody cared to penetrate into these regions, v/here all was uncertainty, and where the chance of success bore no proportion to the perils that must be encountered. There is no question, that the northern half of Africa was better known to the Romans at the time of Julius Cassar, than to the Europeans in the mid- dle of the eighteenth century, A few scattered names of rivers, towns, and nations, occupied the map of the interior, traced there by a hesitating hand, on the dubious authority of the Nubian geographer Edrissi, and the Spanish traveler Leo Africanus. The rhymes of Swift on this subject, were not more witty than true. 106 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS "Geographers, in Afiic maps, With savage pictures fill their gaps, Aud o'er uuhabitable downs. Place elephants, for want of towns." At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Leo penetrated as far as Timbuc- too and the Niger ; but so imperfect were his descriptions, even of what he saw, that very little geographical knowledge was communicated by them. He was on the banks of the Niger ; but it could not be ascertained from his account, whether this river ran to the east or west, nor, indeed, whether it existed as a separate stream. In short, down to the time when the African Association was formed, almost the whole of this vast continent, its geography and physical resources, its inhabitants, governments, languages, were a desideratum in the history of nature and of man. It could not be doubted, that many millions of human beings inhabited these hidden regions. Nor were the character and condition of these people, their institutions and social advancement, mere matters of curiosity ; they had a relation to the people of other parts of the globe, and, when discovered and understood, might be turned to the com- mon advantage of the great human family. There are no nations that may not profit by an intercourse between each other, either by an exchange of products peculiar to each, or by a reciprocal moral influence, or by both. On these broad and benevolent principles the society for promoting dis- coveries in Africa was instituted, and the scheme was worthy of the en- lightened philanthropists by whom it was devised." On the committee of the African Association, at the time the arrange- ment with Ledyard was made, was Sir Joseph Banks, through whose agency he became connected with the enterprise. The jDreliminary inter- view which Ledyard had with Sir Joseph on this subject, is thus described by Mr. Beaujo}', then secretary of the African Association : " Sir Joseph Banks, who knew his temper, told him that he believed he could recom- mend him to an adventure almost as perilous as the one from which he had returned ; and then communicated to him the wishes of the association, for discovering the inland countries of Africa. Ledyard replied, that he had always determined to traverse the continent of Africa, as soon as he had explored the interior of North America ; and as Sir Joseph had offered him a letter of introduction, he came directly to the writer of these memoirs. Before I had learned from the note the name and business of ray visitor, I was struck with the manliness of his person, the breadth of his chest, the openness of his countenance, the inquietude of his eye. I spread the map of Africa before him, and tracing a line from Cairo to Sennaar, and passed thence in the latitude and supposed direction of the Niger, I told him that was the route by which I was anxious that Africa might, if possible, be ex- plored. He said ho should think himself singularly fortunate to be trusted with the adventure. I asked him when he would set out. 'To-mohkow MORNING 1* was his answer. I told him I was afraid that we should not be able, in so short a time, to prepare his instructions, and to procure for him the letters that were requisite ; but that if the committee approved of his proposals, all expedition should be used." OF AMERICANS. 107 This interview is one of the most wonderful instances of decision of character on record. Notwithstanding his recent bitter experience, enough to have crushed the most romantic enthusiasm, Ledyard was ready to face death, by encountering new and unheard-of perils in the heart of Africa, Any other man would long have hesitated ere they would have decided to embark on such a mission, and none, except the bravest, but what would then have quailed in view of its dangers : yet Ledyard, superior to all fear in the prompt decision of an elevated spirit, gave the unexpected and sur- ]prising answer : " To-morroio morning, sir ! " Ledyard was in a situation now better suited to his wishes and nature, than ever before. From the position of seeker, he had attained, by the exhibition of his superior (jualities, that of the sought, and with entire inde- pendence he could press his restless foot on the plains of Africa. Buoyed up with expectation, he thus wrote to his mother : " Truly it is written, ' that the ways of God are past finding out, and his decrees unsearchable.' Is the Lord thus great ? So also he is good. I am an instance of it. I have trampled the world under my feet, laughed at fear, and derided danger. Through millions of fierce savages, over parching deserts, the freezing north, the everlasting ice, and stormy seas, have I passed without harm. How good is my God ! What rich subjects have I for praise, love, and adoration. I have just returned to England, from my travels of two years, and am going away into Africa to examine that continent. I expect to be absent three j'ears. I shall be in Egypt as soon as I can get there, and after that, go into unknown parts. I have full and perfect health. Eeniember me to my brothers and sisters. Desire them to remember me, for if heaven permits, I shall see them again. I pray God to bless and comfort you all. Farewell." The character he intended to assume in Africa, was that of a trader in a caravan, which was very appropriate ; such persons crossing and recrossing the country continually, in that position without molestation. On the 30th of June, 1788, Ledyard, for the last time, left London, en route for Africa. On the morning of his departure, in conversation with a friend, he spoke as follows, concerning his checkered life: "I am accus- tomed to hardships. I have known both hunger and nakedness, to the utmost extremity of human suffering. I have known what it was to have food given me as charity to a madman ; and I have at times been obliged to shelter myself under the miseries of that character, to avoid a heavier calamity. My distresses have been greater than I have owned, or ever will own to any man. Such evils are terrible to bear ; but they never yet had power to turn me from my purpose. If I live, I will faithfully perform, in its utmost extent, my engagement to the society ; and if I perish in the attempt, my honor will be safe, for death cancels all bonds." Ledyard proceeded direct to Paris, where he had encouraging interviews with Jeiferson and Lafayette. From thence he went to ISIarseilles, and crossed the Mediterranean to Alexandria, in Esypt, and passed up the Nile to Cairo. From Cairo he wrote the association a letter, which showed his zeal in their cause, and his great aims in life. " Money !" exclaims he, "is a vile slave ! I have at present an economy of a more exalted kind to observe. I have the eyes of some of the first men, of the first kingdom on 108 ADVENTUllES AND ACHIEVEMENTS earth turned upon me. I am engaged by those very men, in the most im- portant object that any private individual can be engaged in, I have their approbation to acquire or to lose ; and their esteem, also, which I prize beyond everything, except the independent idea of serving mankind. Should rashness or desperation carry me through, whatever fame the vain and injudicious might bestow, I should not accept of it ; it is the good and great I look to — Fame bestowed by them is altogether different, and is closely allied to a ' Well done,' from God." But little remains to be said of John Ledyard ; what toil, suffering, and hardship could not do, was accomplished by disease. Expecting soon to start with the caravan for Sinnaar, and ardently anxious to accomplish his mission to the satisfaction of the association, he wrote a long letter to Jeffer- son, in the course of which he said : " From Cairo, I am to travel southwest about three hundred miles, to a black king. Then my present conductors will leave me to my fate. Beyond, I suppose, I shall go alone. I expect to cut the continent across, between the parallels of twelve and twenty degrees of north latitude. If possible, I shall write you from the kingdom of this black gentleman." This was the last letter ever known to have been written by Ledyard to any one ; the next arrivals from Cairo, conveyed the mournful intelligence of his death. Exposed, as he was, to the heat of the tropics and uncongenial atmospheric influences, in the midst of the sickly season, he became tho victim of a severe bilious attack. To relieve it, he took a large dose of vitriolic acid, which produced an intense burning in the brain, that threatened the most serious consequences. Eesort was had to a tartar emetic, with hopes that the acid would be evacuated. It was of no avail. He con- tinued to sink rapidly, though the best medical skill that could be had was called into requisition. He died in November, 1788, in the 38th year of his age. Ledyard was amiable, and kind, grateful for benefits, humane, and re- markable for his disinterestedness. His primary object in his travels, was to benefit mankind by his discoveries. Mr. Beaujo^', the secretary of the African Association, thus describes him : " To those who have never seen Mr. Ledyard, it may not, perhaps, be uninteresting to know that his person, though scarcely exceeding the middle size, was remarkably expressive of activity and strength, and that his manners, though unpolished, were neither unpleasing nor uncivil. Little attentive to difference of rank, he seemed to consider all men as his equals, and as such he respected them. His genius, though uncultivated and irregular, was original and comprehensive. Ardent iu his wishes, yet calm in his deliberations ; daring in his purposes, but guarded in his measures ; impatient of control, yet capable of strong endu- rance ; adventurous beyond the conception of ordinary men, yet wary and considerate, and attentive to all precautions, he appeared to be formed by nature for achievements of hardihood and peril." Il,l((pllll . .XS4 W:^ THE HEROIC ADVENTURE FRANCIS HUGER, A YOUNG MAN OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AND OF HIS COMPANION, DR. BOLLMAN, IN THEIR ATTEMPTED RESCUE OF GENERAL LA FAYETTE, FROM AN AUSTRIAN PRISON AT OLMUTZ. During the frenzy of the French Revolution, nearly every citizen, emi- nent for worth or public services, became, in turn, the object of suspicion and denunciation to the violent men, who for a time controlled the destinies of France. La Fayette, whose devotion to the cause of liberty had been proved by his services and sacrifices in aid of the revolted American Colo- nies, did not escape the common fate of the patriotic and the good in that dark day of distrust and terror. He was denounced in the National Assembly, and Danton and Brissot had the extreme satisfaction of procuring a decree of accusation to be passed against him in that body. New commissioners were appointed and dis- patched to apprehend him, his property was confiscated, a price was set on his head, and all citizens were charged to assist in apprehending him, and were authorized to kill him wherever he should be found. Finding that no rehance could be placed on his army for protection, but that defection and desertion, through the influence of the Jacobin terror, were increasing ; and seeing, under such circumstances, no prospect of benefiting his country, La Fayette decided on flight as the only means of saving his life. With this intention, he invited three of his friends. Generals Latour Maubourg, Alexander Lameth, and Bureau de Puzy, the commandant of engineers, to come to his tent at midnight on the 19th of August. It was decided that they would leave an ungrateful country, governed by a faction, which sought for their blood, and that they would cross Brabant and reach Holland, from whence they could embark for the United States of America. Early the next day, La Fayette, accompanied by his three friends, who had been members of the National Assembly with him, and who alone were in the secret, together with their aids-de-camp, and a part of their staff, set off on horseback as if to reconnoiter. Having arrived at an inn, two or three leagues from the camp, they dismounted and entered the house, plac- ing sentinels at the door to prevent a surprise from the enemy's patrols. General La Fayette then confided to these officers, twenty-three in number, the state of the country; the feelings of the army; the before unknown facts, that the Jacobin society, and the municipality of Paris, had devoted him to proscription, that the corporation of the same city had caused the dies of the medal, which was to have been struck to his honor, to be broken [1091 110 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS by the hands of the common executioner, and that he was declared to be an enemy to his country, and a price was set upon his head. He finished, by informing them of his determination to quit the country for a time, and that he should consider as his enemy any man who should propose to ma^ch against her. Notwithstanding this injunction, these young soldiers unanimously de- clared, that there was but one way left, to save their country and their general, which was to march directly to Paris, and disperse the Jacobin faction at once. But the general soon convinced them that such a step ought not to be thought of, and as noqe of them had been proscribed except himself, he thought that all had better return peaceably and immediately to the camp, lest their absence should excite suspicion. Notwithstanding all his remonstrances to the contrary, several of them determined to leave France, and share the fate of their general, whatever it might be. These young men were the two Maubourgs, Bureau de Puzy, Lameth, Masson, Rene, Pillet, and Cardingan. His faithful valet, Ponten- nier, and Augustus one of his servants, who afterward voluntarily shared all his imprisonments from Luxembourg to Olmutz, asked the liUerty to follow their master. The rest w^ere persuaded to return, and take with them La Fayette's escort, consisting of one hundred and fifty cavalry. La Fayette then set out with his seven companions, harassed with the most trying reflections upon his own situation, that of his family and coun- try, and upon the danger which threatened him. After a rapid and unin- terrupted journey, they arrived, toward night, in the neighborhood of an advanced guard of the Austrian army. Here they halted, and deliberated upon the steps to be taken. It was near eleven o'clock at night, none of them knew the road, and the darkness was such as to make it impossible to find it. In this state of embarrassment, rendered more so from the fear that the French were in pursuit of them, they determined at all hazards to proceed, and, without discovering their names or rank, to demand permission of the Austrian commander to pass him, with the intention of taking refuge in Holland, at that time a neutral territory. This resolution being taken, Colonel de Puzy, the only individual of the party who spoke German, ad- vanced toward the Austrian officer, who received him very politely. He informed him that he and his companions had deserted from the French army, finding themselves compelled to leave the country, in consequence of intrigue and faction, and that they desired a safe passage into Holland. The officer expressed his regret, that he was unable to give a decided an- swer, without first consulting his superior; but that, in the meantime, he and his friends were welcome to rest and take refreshments in his tent, as the night w;is stormy. De Puzy having returned and made his report, they set out for the Austrian headquarters, and finally were conducted to Lux- embourg. Immediately on their arrival at this fortress, they were recognized by a crowd of refugees, who, looking on La Fayette as one of the first promoters of the revolution, treated them with the utmost insolence and contempt. Among the most virulent of these enraged emigrants, was Prince de Lambes, who rendered himself notorious by his abuse of La Fayette. As soon as the Governor of Luxembourg recognized La Fayette, he con- OF AMERICANS. HI fined each of the party in separate rooms, at the inn where they had stopped, and placed sentinels at their doors. They protested in vain against these proceedings and wrote to the Duke of Saxe Tschen, for the purpose of gaining their release, and obtaining passports. liis refusal was accompa- nied with a savage and useless threat of a public execution; and they re- mained in a state of close confinement, until the Governor of Luxembourg received orders from the Court of Vienna, to deliver them into the hands of the King of Prussia. They were transported in a common cart, like crimi- nals, under a strong escort of cavalry, during the night, from Luxembourg to Wesel, being confined in the common- jails of the country, whenever it was found necessary to stop. La Fayette's valet, only, was permitted to ride in the cart with his master. The Austrians sold their horses and arms, and retained the money. At Wesel, the poi:>ulace were permitted to insult them in the most savage manner. Here they were put in irons, placed in separate cells in the castle, deprived of all intercourse with each other, and told that the king intended to have them hanged, as wretches who deserved no favor. From Wesel, they were again transported in a cart to Magdeburg, where they were con- fined a year, in a dark subterranean dungeon, and during this time, all in- formation from their families was denied them. The King of Prussia now ordered La Fayette to be transported to Silesia ; General Maubourg solicited and obtained permission to accomj^any him. Here they were confined until about the period when a peace was settled be- tween France and Prussia, when they were delivered up to the Austrian government, and were conveyed to 01m utz. Here they were informed, as they were incarcerated in separate cells, that they would never again see anything but the four walls of their prison house, that they would never again hear a human voice ; their very names were proscribed, and that in future they would be designated in dispatches to government by the numbers of their respective cells ; and lest they should destroy themselves, knives, forks, and everything that could be used for that purpose, would be interdicted. The three prisoners they abandoned to their miserable reflections, were immured in the dungeons of the ancient castle of the Jesuits, the walls of which were twelve feet thick, and into which air is admitted through an opening two feet square, which is secured at each end by transverse massive iron bars. Immediately before these loopholes was a broad ditch, which was covered with water only when it rained, and at other times was a stag- nant marsh, from which a poisonous effluvium was constantly exhaling ; and beyond this, were the outer walls of the castle, which prevented tho slightest breeze from passing to the captives. On these outer walls were, in the daytime, four, and at night eight, sentinels, with loaded muskets, con- stantly watching the prisoners, and forbidden, on pain of one hundred lashes, to speak a word with them, and with orders to shoot them dead, if they attempted to escape. The cellar of this castle had a large saloon, two hundred feet long and twelve wide, in which was a guard, consisting of an officer and twenty-five men, and a corporal and four soldiers, who alter- nately kept guard before the door of the prisoners. These soldiers, whilo on duty, were forbidden either to speak, sing, or whistle. 112 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS As this castle had served as a prison for four years previously to La Fay- ette's confinement, there had been constructed for each cell two doors, one of iron and the other of wood, near two feet thick. Both were covered with bolts, and bars, and double padlocks. Every time the inspector of the prison entered, the whole guard stood to their arras. Four men were posted on each side of the door ; the sergeant, with his sword drawn, remained without, while the officer of the guard entered the inner door, with his sword also drawn. The men crossed their bayonets, while the inspector examined every corner of their cells with the greatest minuteness. When the jailer entered with their wretched pittance, twice a day, it was scrupulously ex- amined, particularly the bread, which was crumbled to pieces by the officer of the guard, to discover if there was any note or communication contained in it. A wretched bed of rotten straw filled with vermin, together with a broken chair and an old table, formed the whole furniture of each apart- ment. The cells were eight or ten paces deep, and six or eight wide ; and when it rained, the water ran through the loopholes, off the walls, in such quan- tities, that the prisoners would sometimes find themselves in the morning wet to the skin. Such is the shocking account given by General Ducondray Holstein, and as he states, on the verbal authority of the prisoners themselves. The sufferings of La Fayette in this dreary abode, brought him to the borders of the grave. " His frame was wasted by disease, of which, for a long period, not the slightest notice was taken ; and, on one occasion, he was reduced so low, that his hair fell from him entirely, by the excess of his sufferings. At the same time his estates in France were confiscated, his wife cast into prison, and Faijetteism, as adherence to the constitution was called, was punished with death." But a man so distinguished in the world, and so endeared to the friends of civil libertj', though shut up in a dungeon, and deprived of communica- tion with human beings, was not forgotten. The American ministers to foreign courts, were instructed to intercede for his liberation. The envoy from the United States to the Court at St. James, exerted himself for the same purpose. The Count Lally Tolendal, who sat with La Fayette in the National Assembly, and who admired his principles and his virtues, also made unwearied exertions to effect his enlargement. Washington, when President of the United States, wrote to the Emperor of Austria a private letter, laying La Fayette's case before him, and requesting his permission that he might be liberated, and come to America. The following is a part of that letter : "It will readily occur to your majesty, that occasions may sometimes exist, on Avhich official considerations would constrain the chief of a nation to be silent and passive in relation even to objects which affect his sensibil- ity, and claim his interposition as a man. Finding myself precisely in this situation at present, I have taken the liberty of writing this private letter to your majesty, being persuaded that my motives will also be my apology for it. In common with the people of this country, I retain a strong and cordial sense of the services rendered to them by the Marquis de La Fayette ; and OF AMERICANS. 113 my friendship for him has been constant and sincere. It is natural, there- fore, that I should sympathize with him and his family in their misfor- tunes ; and endeavor to mitigate the calamities they experience, among which his present confinement is not the least distressing. I forbear to enlarge on this delicate subject. Permit me only to submit to j-our majesty's consideration, whether the long imprisonment, and the confiscation of his estate, and the indigence and dispersion of his family, and the painful anxieties incident to all these circumstances, do not forni an assemblage of sufferings which recommend him to the mediation of hu- manity? Allow me, Sir, on this occasion, to be its organ ; and to entreat that he may be permitted to come to this country, on such conditions as your majesty may think it expedient to prescribe. As it is a maxim with me not to ask what, under similar circumstances, I ■would not grant, your majesty will do me the justice to believe, that this request appears to me to correspond with those great principles of magna- nimity and wisdom, which form the basis of sound policy and durable glory." To this humane and magnanimous request, his majesty the emperor either returned no answer at all, or such a one as made Washington under- stand that he declined setting the prisoner at liberty, or negotiating further on the subject. In 1793, Count Lally Tolendal, then in London, engaged Dr. Bollman, a Hanoverian of great sagacity, courage, and perseverance, to attempt the liberation of La Fayette. Dr. Bollman had before been employed by Madame de Stael, to effect the escape of Count Norbonne from France, who, in the reign of terror, had been proscribed. This he had performed, having, •with uncommon address, conveyed the count to England. But Dr. Boll- man's first attempt was so unsuccessful, that after all his exertions, he did little more than to ascertain that the government of Prussia had delivered La Fayette over to that of Austria. But where he was or whether he was still alive, were circumstances which Dr. Bollman found it impossible to ascertain. He therefore returned again to London, and reported to the friends of the prisoner the little information he had obtained. But the friends of La Fayette were not discouraged. In June, 1794, they again sent Dr. Bollman to Germany, to ascertain what had been his fate, and if he were still alive, to endeavor to procure his escape. With great difiiculty he traced the French prisoners to the Prussian frontier, and then a.scertained that an Austrian escort had received them, and taken the road to Olmutz. At Olmutz, Dr. Bollman ascertained that several state prisoners were kept in the citadel, with a degree of caution and mystery, which must have been not unlike that used by the half-fabulous personage in the Iron Mask. The following interesting account of Dr. Bollman's second visit to the continent, and the attempt to deliver La Fayette, is extracted from the "Edinburgh Annual Register," for 1809. "The narrative," says the editor, "was drawn up by the writer from personal communications with Mr. Huger." La Fayette had dragged on two miserable years in his solitary prison, when a stranger and a foreigner stepped forward from pure motives of com- 114 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS passion, and an anxious wish to be of service to a man who had signalized himself in the cause of liberty. BoUman was a Hanoverian by birth, young, active, intrepid, and intelligent. He rej^aired alone and on foot to Olmutz, to gain such information as might enable him to judge of the best means to execute the purpose he had in view, to assist La Fayette in making his escape from the power of Austria. He soon found that, without an- able coadjutor the difficulties which presented themselves were insurmount- able. He was forced, therefore, for the present to abandon his design, until he should be so fortunate as to find a man equally zealous with himself, and with ability sufficient to execute the hazardous plan he had formed. Accident threw in his way the person in the world best suited to the enter- prise by nature and education. At Vienna he entered into the society of young Americans, whom he thought most likely, from their veneration for the character of La Fayette, to dare such an undertaking. He soon singled out one, to whom, after proper precautions, he imparted his secret. Huger entered into and adopted his schemes with all the keenness of youth, and that enthusiastic enterprise peculiar to the inhabitants of the new world. Francis Huger was the son of Colonel Huger, of Chraleston, South Caro- lina, who lost his life in the service of his country, against the British troops, on the walls of the town, when besieged by General Prevost. The year before his death, he had retired to a small island off the Charleston Bar, with his family, for the purpose of sea-bathing. There happened one evening a violent storm ; the rejaort of cannon was heard at a distance : con- cluding the firing came from British shijw, then cruising in those seas, it was necessarjr to avoid giving suspicion that the island was inhabited. About midnight a knocking at the door of the cottage obliged Colonel Huger to open it. Two persons appeared, who, in a foreign accent, informed him that their ship had been driven on shore by the violence of the wind, and the crew had dispersed themselves over the island in search of assistance. They were hospitably received, and provided with such necessaries as they most stood in need of. When the strangers were made acquainted with the quality of their host, and his political principles, they made themselves and the object of their voyage known to him. The one was the Marquis de La Fayette, then about eighteen, and the other an elderly gentleman, a Chevalier de St. Louis, who, like another Mentor, had followed the fortunes of the Young Telcmachus. "They beheld," they said, "with indignation, the tyranny the inhabitants of North America labored under from the mother country ; and, animated with the true spirit of libertj^ they were resolved to espouse the cause of the congress, and either partake with them the happiness of emancipation, or perish with them in the glorious effort." Colonel Huger quitted the island with his guests, and, repairing to head- quarters, introduced them to General Washington, who gave each of them a command in the continental army. Francis Huger was only four years old when this happened, but the adventure remained deeply impressed on his memory ; and though he had never seen La Fayette since, yet he felt the greatest attachment to his person, and the highest admiration of his actions ; with ardor, therefore, he particijiated in Bollman's scheme for the release of his favorite hero. Thus agreed, they began their operations. It was necessary to conduct OF AMERICANS. 115 themselves with caution, for the Austrian police was vigilant, and particu- larly jealous of strangers. Huger pretended ill health, and BoUman gave himself out for a physician, who on that account traveled with him. They bought three of the best horses they could find, and with one servant set forward on a tour. After traveling many weeks, staying some time at dif- ferent places, the better to conceal their purpose, and to confirm the idea that curiosity was the motive of their journey, they at length reached Olmutz. After viewing everything in the town, they walked into the castle to see the fortifications, made themselves acquainted with the jailer, and having desired permission to walk within the castle the next day, they re- turned to their lodging. They repeated their visits frequentlj-, each time conversing familiarly with the jailer, and sometimes making him Httle presents. By degrees they gained his confidence, and one day, as if by ac- cident, asked him what prisoners he had under his care. He mentioned the name of La Fayette ; without discovering any surprise, they expressed a curiosity to know how he passed his time, and what iudulgencies he enjoyed ; they were informed that he was strictly confined, but was permitted to take exercise without the walls with proper attendants, and, besides, was allowed the use of books and pen, ink, and paper. They said, that as they had some new publications with them, it might add to his amusement if they were to lend them to him, and desired to know if they might make the ofi"er. The jailer said he thought there could be no objection, provided the books were delivered open to him (the jailer), so that he might see there was nothing improper in their contents. With this caution they complied, and the same evening sent a book and a note to the jailer, addressed to La Fayette, written in French ; who, though he did not understand that lan- guage (as it afterward appeared), yet did not suspect any treachery where everything was conducted so openly. The note contained apologies for the liberty they had taken ; but as they wished in any way to contribute to his happiness, they hoped he would attentively read the book they had sent, and if any passages in it particularly engaged his notice, they begged he would let them know his opinion. He received the note, and finding it was not expressed in the usual mode of complimentary letters, conceived that more was meant than met the eye. He therefore carefully perused the book, and found in certain places words written with a pencil, which, being put together acquainted him with the names, qualities, and designs of the writers, and requiring his sentiments before they should proceed any fur- ther. He returned the book, and with it an open note, thanking them, and adding, that he highly approved of and was much charmed with its con- tents. Having thus begun a correspondence, seldom a day passed but open notes passed between them, some of which the jailer showed to persons who could read them ; but, as nothing appeared that could create any suspicion, the correspondence was permitted. Their plan being at length arranged, the particulars were written with lemon juice, and on the other side of the paper a letter of inquiry after La Fayette's health, concluding with these words : Quand vous aurez lu ce billet, mettez le an feu (instead of dam le feu). By holding the paper to the fire the letters appeared, and he was made acquainted with every ar- 8 110 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS rangement they had made. The day following was fixed upon to put the plan into execution. The city of Olmutz is situated about thirty miles from the frontiers of Silesia, in the midst of a plain, which, taking the town as its center, extends three miles each way. The plain is hounded by rising ground, covered with bushes and broken rocks ; so that a man stand- ing on the walls might distinctly see everything that passed on the plain. Sentinels were placed for the purpose of giving an alarm when any prisoner was attempting to escape, and all people were ordered to assist in retaking him ; great rewards were likewise due to the person who arrested a pris- oner. It seemed therefore scarcely possible to succeed in such an attempt. Aware of these difficulties, Bollman and Huger were not intimidated, but took their measures with the greater caution. Under pretense that his health required air and exercise. La Fayette had obtained permission to ride out upon the plain every day in an open cabrio- let, accompanied hy an officer, and attended by an armed soldier, who mounted behind by way of guard. During these excursions he had gained the confidence of the officer so far, that when the carriage was at a distance from the walls they used to quit it, and Avalk together. The plan determined upon was this : Bollman and Huger were to ride out of town on horseback, the latter leading a third horse ; as neither of them knew La Fayette, a signal was agreed upon at their meeting. La Fayette was to endeavor to gain as great a distance as possible from the town, and, as usual, to quit the carriage with the officer, and draw him im- perceptibly as far from it as he could, without exciting his suspicions. The two friends were then to approach, and, if necessary, to overpower the officer, mount La Fayette upon the horse Huger led, and ride away to Beautropp, fifteen miles distant, where a chaise and horses awaited to convey them to Trappaw, the nearest town within the Prussian dominions, about thirty miles from Olmutz, where they would be safe from pursuit. In the morn- ing Huger sent his trusty servant to endeavor to learn the precise time that La Fayette left the castle. After a tedious delay, he returned, and told them that the carriage had just passed the gates. With agitated hearts they set out ; having gained the plain, they could perceive no carriage ; they rode slowly on, till they had nearly reached the woody country, but still no carriage appeared. Alarmed lest some unfore seen accident should have led to a discovery, they hesitated ; but, recollect ing that their motions might be distinctly seen from the walls, they retraced their steps, and had arrived at a short distance from the town, when they beheld the long wished for cabriolet pass through the gates, with two per- sons in it, one in the Austrian uniform, and a musqueteer mounted behind. On passing, they gave the preconcerted signal, which was returned, and the carriage moved on. They continued their ride toward the town, then turned, and slowly followed the carriage. They loitered, in order to give La Fay- ette time to execute his part of the agreement. They observed the two gentlemen descend from the carriage, and walk from it arm-in-arm. They approached gradually, and perceiving that La Fayette and the officer ap- peared to be engaged in earnest conversation about the officer's sword, which La Fayette had at the time in his hand, they thought this the favor- able moment, and put spurs to their horses. The noise of their approach OF AMERICAXS. 117 alarmed the officer, who, turning round, and seeing two horsemen coming up full galloi), he hastened to join the cabriolet, pulling La Fayette with him ; finding resistance, he endeavored to get possession of his sword, and a struggle ensued. Huger arrived at this, moment ; " You are free," said he •'seize this horse, and fortune be our guide." He had scarce spoken, when the gleam of the sun upon the blade of the sword startled the horse. He broke his bridle, and fled precipitately over the plain. Boll man rode after to endeavor to take him. Meantime linger, with a gallantry and generosity seldom equaled, but never excelled, in- sisted on La Fayette's mounting his horse, and making all speed to the place of rendezvous : "Lose no time, the alarm is given, the peasants are assem- bling, save yourself." La Fayette mounted his horse, left Huger on foot, and was soon out of sight. BoUman had in vain pursued the frightened horse, and perceiving he had taken the road to the town, gave up the chase, and returned to Huger, who got up behind him, and they galloped away together. They had not gone far when the horse, unequal to such a bur- den, stumbled and fell, and Bollman was so bruised with the fall, that with difficulty he could rise from the ground. The gallant Huger assisted his friend upon the horse, and again forgetting all selfish considerations, desired him to follow and assist La Fayette, and leave him to make his escape on foot, which he said he could easily do, as he was a good runner, and the v;oody country was close at hand. Bollman with reluctance consented. Upon the approach of the horsemen, the soldier, who had remained with the cabriolet, instead of coming to the assistance of the officer, ran back to the town ; but long before he arrived the alarm was given ; for the whole of the transaction had been observed from the walls — the cannon fired, and the country was raised. Bollman easily evaded his pursuers, by telling them he was himself in pursuit. Huger was not so fortunate ; he had been marked by a party, who never lost sight of him ; yet his hunters being on foot like himself, he might have reached his covert, had they not been joined by others who were fresh in the chase ; they gained ground upon him, and at the moment he had reached a place where he hoped he might rest awhile, quite exhausted with fatigue and breathless, he sunk to the earth, and a peasant came up ; he offered him his purse to assist his escape ; the Austrian snatched the money with one hand, and seized him with the other, calling to his companions to come to his help. Resistance was vain, and the intrepid Huger was conveyed back to Olmutz in triumph, inwardly consoling himself with the glorious idea, that he had been the cause of res- cuing from tyranny and misery a man he esteemed one of the first charac- ters upon earth. He was shut up in a dungeon of the castle as a state prisoner. Meanwhile La Fayette took the road he was directed, and arrived without any obstacle at a small town about ten miles from Olmutz ; here the road divided ; that leading to Trappaw lay to the right— unfortunately he took the left. He had scarce left the town, when perceiving the road turning too much to the left, he suspected he had mistaken his way, and inquired of a person he met the way to Beautropp. The man, eyeing him with a look of curiosity, at length told him he had missed his way, but directed him to take another, which he said would soon lead him right. This man, 118 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS from La Fayette's appearance, his horse in a foam, his foreign accent, and the inquiries he made, suspected him to be a prisoner making his escape ; he therefore directed him a road, which by a circuit led him back to the town, ran himself to the magistrate, and told him his suspicions ; so that when La Fayette thought himself upon the point o'f regaining the road which would soon secure his retreat, he found himself surrounded b}' a guard of armed men, who, regardless of his protestations, conveyed him to tlie magistrate. He was however so collected, that he gave the most plausible answers to the interrogations that were put to him ; he said that he was an officer of excise belonging to Trappaw, and that having friends at Olrautz, he had been there upon a visit ; had been detained there by indis- position longer than he intended, and, as his time of leave of absence was expired, he was hastening back, and begged he might not be detained, for if he did not reach Trappaw that day, he was afraid his absence might be no- ticed, and he should lose his ofiice. The magistrate was so much prepos- sessed in his favor by this account, and by the readiness of his answers to every question, that he expressed himself perfectly satisfied, and was going to dismiss him, when the door of an inner room opened, and a young man entered with papers for the magistrate to sign. While this was doing the young man fixed his eyes upon La Fayette, and immediately whispered to the magistrate; "Who do you say he is?" "The General La Fayette." "How do you know him ?" "I was present when the general was deliv- ered up by the Prussians to the Austrians ; this is the man, I cannot be mis- taken." La Fayette entreated to be heard. The magistrate told him it was useless for him to speak ; he must consent immediately to be conveyed to Olmutz, and his identity would then be ascertained. Dismayed and confounded, he submitted to his hard fate, was carried back to Olmutz, and the same day, which rose to him with the fairest prospects of happiness and libertj^, beheld him, at the close of it, plunged in still deeper miserj^ and imprisonment. BoUman, having eluded the search of his pursuers, arrived at the place where the chaise had been ordemd to wait their coming. Finding it still there, and yet no appearance of La Fayette, he foreboded mischief With as much patience as he could command, he remained till evening, not yet giving up all hope of a fortunate issue to their adventure. He dismissed the chaise, however, and made a circuitous journey, in hopes his friends might have escaped by a different route ; he could gain no information whatever, till, on the third day, a rumor of La Fayette having been retaken in attempting his escape, dissipated his hopes ; and, anxious to learn the truth, he took the road to Olmutz. He soon was told the melancholy tale, with the addition, that his friend Huger had shared a similar fate. In des- pair at having been the primar}' cause of his misfortune, and determining to share it with him, he voluntarily surrendered himself, and was committed a prisoner to the castle. Thus, by a train of most untoward accidents, which no prudence could foresee or guard against, failed a plan so long meditated, and so skillfully projected. The reader's attention must now be confined chiefly to Huger. The day after his entrance into the castle, Huger received notice from the jailer to prepare for an examination before the chief magistrate of the city. OF AMERICANS. 119 As he was not conscious of having committed any very heinous crime, he was under no apprehensions for his life ; but expected that, after he had told his story, and declared the motive of his actions, his judge might sub- ject him to some slight punishment, perhaps a short imprisonment ; what then was his amazement, when he heard himself accused of having entered into a conspiracy against the Austrian government. The examination was carried on by means of an interpreter, a young man of a benign aspect, who seemed to compassionate his situation, and who, when he gave such answers as he thought might tend to hurt his cause, made him repeat his answers, softening their import, assuring liim he did not exactly express himself in proper terms, and desiring him to recol- lect whether he did not mean to answer in such and such a manner. linger saw his good intentions, and determined to rely on his judgment, especially after ha had heard him say in a low voice, " I am your friend." After this, and many subsequent examinations, the magistrates informed him he musf not expect pardon, but advised him to prepare for the worst. This exhor- tation, so often repeated, began to have some effect upon him, and consider- ing he was in the power of an absolute monarch, whose will was .superior to law, he could not shake off some melancholy presages. His place oi confinement wiis a loathsome dungeon, without light ; he was fed with the coarsest food — chained to the floor during the night — his own clothes taken from him, and others sent him that had already been worn by many an un- fortunate prisoner. Thus he dragged ou the first three months of his con- finement. After that time, he was removed to a better room, into which glimmered a borrowed light ; better clothes, and more wholesome food were given him, and his circumstances, in every respect, were improved. But still he was uncertain as to his fate, and the jailer was the only human being that visited him. One day he was surprised with the appearance of his young friend the interpreter, Mr. W . Nothing could exceed his joy at once more beholding a kindly human face. He informed Huger, that the court of Austria had believed that all the garrison of Olmutz had been en- gaged in the conspiracy ; that many people had been arrested on suspicion ; for it could not be believed, that two such young men as he and Bollman could have formed and executed so daring a plan, without the aid of others ; but as no proofs had hitherto appeared, it was determined to bring them shortly to trial, and for that purpose, lawyers were to be sent from Vienna, to assist the magistrates of" the city. Huger now, for the first time, learned the complete failure of their scheme, and that Bollman was under the same roof with him. However sad the reflection was, that his friend's sufferings equaled his own, yet he could not express the joy he felt at being so near him. Soon after, he discovered that he inhabited the room above him. Thenceforward his treatment was much less rigorous ; even the jailer, who till lately had observed a profound silence, relaxed his caution, and came frequently to visit him ; and though a man of few words, yet as his pres- ence broke the dreary solitude, he felt happy whenever he made his appearance. Many were the experiments he tried, to hold communication with Bollman, and at length he succeeded. He discovered that the window which threw a borrowed light into his cell, served likewise to throw light into that of Bollman. He picked a 120 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS piece of lime from the wall, and with it scratched a few words upon a blade silk handkerchief he wore about his neck ; then fixing it upon a stick, he climbed up the side of the room, and raised the stick as near the common window as he could, till it had attracted the attention of BoUman, v/ho, after many efforts, made himself master of it, and returned an answer by the same method. Delighted with having overcome this difficulty, they never suffered a day to pass without some communication. To W , the}' were indebted for the means of rendering their situation still more comfortable, by engaging the jailer's wife in their interest ; a few presents, and now and then a small piece of money, induced her secretly to bring them books, food, wine, and warmer clothes ; and at length to procure a meeting between the two friends, at first short, but by degrees become more hardy, they were permitted to pass some part of every day together. The following is an extract of a letter, written by Huger to a near friend and relation, which, as it describes his situation and feelings in a forcible man- ner, ought not to be omitted. " I am equally ignorant how this affair may have been represented, or what may be thought, in these times, of an attempt to deliver M. de la Fayette. The motives which, however, induced me to engage in it, cannot be judged by those who examine all similar enterprises according to their success or failure. Believe me, it was neither unreasonably undertaken, nor rashly executed, but failed from accidents which prudence could not foresee. To the mortification of a failure, were added the miseries of a prison, which, in Austria, exceed anything known in England. In a small room, just long enough for my bed of straw, with eight-pence a day for my sup- port ; at night chained to the ground, and without books or light, I passed the first three months of my captivity. After this time my situation be- came gradually better, but I was not allowed to write to my friends to be delivered from my chains, or permitted the smallest intercourse with the worlrl, till a fortnight before my release. "In such a situation, the consciousness alone of having done nothing dis- honest or dishonorable, could afford that internal satisfaction, and inspire that stern patience, necessary to support calmly so sudden and severe a re- verse of fortune ; but it has convinced me, that a mind at peace with itself, can in no situation be unhappy. Daily habit also soon removed the un- pleasant sensations excited by disagreeable and unaccustomed objects, and the mind, which no power can restrain, will always derive consolation from hope, and rarely want some object to be actively employed upon. My friend and companion, Mr. BoUman, was in the same house, and our efforts to establish some communication, or to procure a momentary interview, af- forded exercise for invention ; and, in proportion to the difficulty of effecting our wishes, the smallest success rewarded days of projects and expectation. I once, also, found means to disengage myself from my chains, and felt an emotion beyond the power of words to describe. My long captivity has not then been wholly miserable, nor without some pleasure." At length, at the end of seven months, they were informed that the crown lawyers had arrived. The government by this time was satisfied, that the attempt to liberate La Fayette was planned independently by two adventurers, and that it was not a plot laid by the secret agents of France, OF AMERICANS. 121 in whicli the garrison at Olmutz at least was concerned, if it were not moro widely extended ; and upon their trial, the sole fact of having attempted to rescue a state prisoner was alleged against them. This fact being proved, they were remanded to their prison, to await the sentence which was to be pronounced against them by the supremo magis- trate. They were now, however, permitted every indulgence but liberty. It was some days before they heard from W , and when he came, they were astonished and confounded to hear from him, that their punishment was intended to be imprisonment for life. He however consoled them by hinting, that if they could by any means procure money, this sentence might be changed to one much less severe, as it remained with the magis- trate to pass what sentence he thought proper, or even to release them en- tirely. BoUman had no fortune, and as Huger had no credit in Austria, it would be a long time before he could receive a remittance from London. VV , their guardian angel, promised to do all he could for them. In the vicinity of Olmutz resided a Russian nobleman, of most polished manners, joined to the greatest benevolence of heart. With him W enjoyed a perfect intimacy and friendship ; they were congenial souls. \V had made him acquainted with the whole of their story ; through him he had been able to administer so frequently to their comfort ; and he now nobly offered to advance them whatever money they might want, to ac- complish their release, and to defray their expenses to Hamburg. Having thus removed the greatest difficulty, his next care was to sound the senti- ments of the magistrate. This he could easily effect, as, in the capacity of interpreter, he had constant communication with him. He soon discerned that the magistrate was not averse to his speaking in their favor : and when he artfully insinuated that a large reward would certainly attend his de- claring himself inclined to pardon, he found himself listened to with more attention. Having gained this point, he very soon came to an eclaircisse- ment. The magistrate made an exorbitant demand ; W said it was useless for him to go to the prisoners with such terms, and as he knew ex- actly the state of their finances, he could at once mention what they had to give, and therefore the utmost he could expect. This sum was fifty pieces. He refused to comply for less than a hundred. In answer to this, W desired him to consider, that if he delayed his determination, he might lose his prize altogether, for that great interest was making at Vienna for the re- lease of the prisoners, which he had no doubt would succeed, as among others, the English and American ambassadors had exerted themselves in their favor. This upright magistrate at last yielded to the impulse of ava- rice, and agreed that, if the prisoners would send him the money before they left the prison, they should be released the next day. To this he an- swered that they were so distrustful of all about them, that he was certain they would rather await the result of the petition at Vienna, than part with their little stock of money at an uncertainty, but added, that he himself would become their security, and be answerable to him for the money in case they did not pay it. To this he agreed, and W was authorized to negotiate with the prisoners. All matters being soon settled, the term of their imprisonment was first fixed at fourteen years, then shortened to seven, soon after to one, then to a month, and lastly to a week ; at the expiration 122 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS of which they were released from prison. They immediately repaired to the house of the magistrate, to return him thanks for the many indulgencies he had allowed them, and upon shaking hands with him, the stipulated sum was put into his hands. It is not to be supposed they made a long stay at Olmutz ; no longer than was necessary to pour out their grateful acknowledgments to the Russian nobleman, and above all, to the noble- minded, generous W , to whose kindness they owed all the comforts they had experienced in prison, and to whose friendly and humane exer- tions they were ultimately indebted for their liberation. " La Fayette, in the meantime, was thrown back into his obscure and ig- nominious sufferings, with hardly a hope that they could be terminated except with his life. During the winter of 1794-5, he was reduced to almost the last extremity by a violent fever; and yet was deprived of proper attendance, of air, of suitable food, and of decent clothes. To in- crease his misery, he was made to believe that he was reserved for public execution, and that his chivalrous deliverers had already perished on a scaf- fold ; while, at the same time, he was not permitted to know whether his family were still alive, or had fallen under the revolutionary ax, of which, during the time he was out of his dungeon, he had heard such aj^palling ac- counts. Madame La Fayette, however was nearer to him than he could imagine to have been possible. She (with her two daughters) had been released from prison, where she too had nearly perished ; and having gained strength sufficient for the undertaking, and sent her eldest son for safety to the care of General Washington, she set out accompanied by her two young daugh- ters, all in disguise, with American passports. They were landed at Altona, and proceeding immediately to Vienna, obtained an audience with the em- peror, who refused to liberate La Fayette, but, as it now seems probable, against the intentions of his ministers, gave them permission to join him in his prison. They went instantly to Olmutz ; but before they could enter, they were deprived of whatever they had brought with them, to alleviate the miseries of a dungeon, and required, if thej' should pass its threshold, never again to leave it. Madame La Fayette's health soon sunk under the complicated sufferings and privations of her loathsome imprisonment, and she wrote to Vienna for permission to pass a week in the capital, to breathe purer air, and obtain medical assistance. Two months elapsed before any answer was returned ; and then she was told that no objection would be made to her leaving her husband, but that if she should do so, she must never return to him. She immediately and formally signed her consent and determination to share his captivity in all its details." Notwithstanding the efforts which had been made for their release, La Fayette and his fellow prisoners remained immured in their dark and loathsome dungeons, until August, 1797, when Bonaparte settled the treaty of Campo Formio with the Austrian government. La Fayette had been confined five years, and Madame La Fayette and her daughters shared his imprisonment for twenty-two months. THE TRIUMPHS OF SOME OF THE MOST EMINENT AMERICAN INVENTORS WHITNEY— FULTON— MORSE— STEERS— GOODYEAR— COLT— M'CORMICK— SINGER, Etc. This world probably is not yet out of its babyhood. The united ages of one hundred individuals who have reached the allotted period of three score years and ten, sum up an amount of time greater than that which has elapsed since our common parents first walked in the groves of Paradise. Geologists demonstrate, and theologians assent to their evidence, that this round globe, whereon we all unexpectedly find ourselves, was probably millions of years in the process of forming for our habitation. Is it not fair, then, to infer that it will be occupied by our race for at least as long a period as it was preparing for them ? And this, it would seem, could be well afforded ; for let us assign its duration to any vast number of ages, nothing would be taken from eternity — nothing from the measureless glory and beneficence of Him, with whom " one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Beside, to our apprehension the world thus far would appear a failure. Very little has been accomplished by those for whom it was made. They have not even now completely explored its surface, and the great mass are yet in a savage slate, which, although the natural condition, can be so only in the beginning — the nature of man being to progress, to reach forward and improve his condition, through the aid of Art, Science, and Keligion, Art, mechanical and aisthetical, which ministers to labor, comfort, and the sense of the beautiful — Science, the sister and partner of Art, that opens the riches and workings of nature ; and Religion, which cements everything, by lifting up the soul in harmony with the righteous law of the Great Author. That this world is not yet out of swaddling clothes, seems further evi- dent from the fact, that the vital truth, that " all men are born free and equal," has just been discovered — the great American idea, that all have the same natural right to enjoy the benefits of everything which a common Father has provided — that no distinction in these respects exists between men, and no especial consideration is due to any one, other than that which arises from a mental or a moral superiority. It is the effect of this idea of freedom and equality, united to the conse- quent more general diffusion of knowledge, that does so fill the breast of the American with hope and cheerfulness, for with it bursts upon his view (123) 124 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS such a boundless field for enterprise, as never before gladdened the human heart. The great mass of mind that in other ages, and in other countries, was kept compressed has here burst its bonds, and is illustrating its power. The general freedom results in such an intensity of application in the in- dividual, and such an amount in the aggregate, that the progress made seems miraculous ; a few years giving results, that once centuries did not equal. In science, discovery after discovery, and in the mechanic arts, in- vention after invention crowd so thick upon us, that astonishment at the profusion of the riches of nature open to the genius of our race, is only equaled by our wonder in view of the eventual result of all these, present and to be, upon our condition. Some, in noting these great achievements of our time, think that the greatest must have been attained, as though there could be a limit to the wonders that, in the profusion of an Almighty Creator, will always remain for the discovery and the application of the mind of man. Were such a final point reached, the human intellect would at once sink and become dwarfed in the absence of the proper aliment for its highest powers. No ! neither in Time nor Eternity, can there be any want of the material for the development of the intellect and the affections, upward and onward forever and ever. We here give sketches of some of our countrymen, whose inventions have had so much to do iu changing the whole current of our national industry. These, great as they are, may have been equaled, and perhaps iu some in- stances surpassed in mental force by others not generally known, because of their limited utility. Furthermore the truth doubtless is, that in a majority of instances the wisest exertions of intellect have failed in this life by the iutervention of obstacles, as impossible to be foreseen as the passage of the meteoric stone, which falling from the skies on to the track at a critical moment, caused the whole train, with its precious freight of humanity, to go dashing over the precipice. But failure in the plans of this life are, perhaps, but temporary, Hope buoys us up with the thought that the strength gained by exertion here, may be continued to the spirit-world, where the ineffable glory of the Creator will be illustrated by the continuous progress of those who were originally made but "a little lower than the angels." ELI WHITNEY, THE INVENTOR OF THE COTTON-GIN. Eli Whitney, the son of a substantial New England farmer, was born in Westborough, Massachusetts, in 1765. He early showed a genius for me- chanics, and employed his leisure in such pursuits. AVhen a mere boy, ia the absence of his parents at church, prompted by curiosity, he took his father's watch to pieces to examine its mechanism. He put it together so skillfully that the machine ran as well as before. His father never dis- covered his audacity, until he himself, years after, revealed it to him. At the close of the revolution, a fashion prevailed among the ladies of fastening on their bonnets with long pins. These he contrived to make with so much skill and dexterity, that he nearly monopolized the business. Partly by the avails of his mechanical industry, and partly by teaching school, he provided the means to prepare himself for college, and in 1789 became a student of Yale. His propensity for mechanical operations there OF AMERICANS. 125 was occasionally shown. The skill with which he used the tools he bor- rowed of a carpenter, led to the exclamation, on the part of the man, " There was one good mechanic spoiled when you came to college !" In 1792, having graduated, Whitney went to Georgia, with a view of becoming a private teacher; but being disappointed in an engagement, temporarily accepted the hospitalities of Gen. Greene, who resided near Savannah. Ho there invented a tambour frame for Mrs. Greene, to be used in embroidery, the ingenuity of which delighted the whole household. Not long after the family were visited by a party of gentlemen, consisting principally of officers who had served under the general, in the revolu- tionary army. The conversation turning upon the state of agriculture, it was regretted that there was no means of cleaning the seed from the green seed cotton, which might otherwise be profitably raised on lands unsuitable for rice. But, until ingenuity could devise some machine which would greatly facilitate the process of cleaning, it was vain to think of raising cotton for market. Separating one pound of the clean staple from the seed was a day's work for a woman. While the company were engaged in this conversation, " Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, " apply to my young friend, Mr. Whitney, he can make anything," at the same time showing them the tambour frame and several other articles which he had made. She intro- duced the gentlemen to Whitney himself, extolling his genius, and com- mending him to their notice and friendship. He modestly disclaimed all pretensions to mechanical genius, and on their naming the object, replied that he had never seen cotton seed in his life. Mrs. Greene said to one of the gentlemen: "I have accomplished my aim, Mr. Whitney is a very deserving young man, and to bring him into notice was my object. The interest which our friends now feel for him, will, I hope, lead to his getting some employment to enable him to prosecute the study of the law." Encouraged by Mr. Miller, a teacher in the family, and a brother grad- uate of Yale, he shut himself up in his room, and set himself at work in- venting and constructing that machine on which his future fame depended. He labored under great disadvantages, being obliged to manufacture his tools, and draw his own wire. In the course of a few months, the machine was so far perfected as to leave no doubt of its success. Mr. Miller, who had funds at his command, united with Mr. Whitney, as a partner in the enterprise of making and vending the machine. An invention so important to the agricultural interests, and, as it has proved, to every department of human industrj^ could not long remain a secret. The knowledge of it soon spread through the State, and so great was the excitement on the subject, that multitudes of persons came from all quarters of the State to see the machine ; but it was not deemed safe to gratify their curiosity until the patent-right should be secured. But so determined were some of the populace to possess this treasure, that neither law nor justice could restrain them ; they broke open the building by night, and carried off the machine. In this way the public became possessed of the invention ; and before Mr. Whitney could complete his model and secure his patent, a number of machines were in successful operation, constructed with some slight devia- tion from the original, with the hope of evading the penalty for violating the patent-right. 126 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS As soon as the co-partnership of Miller and Whitney was formed, Mr. Whitney repaired to Connecticut, where, as far as possible, he was to perfect the machine, obtain a patent, and manufacture and ship for Georgia, such a number of machines as would supply the demand. At the close of this year, 1793, Mr. Whitney was to return to Georgia ■with his cotton-gins, where his partner had made arrangements for com- mencing business immediately after his arrival. The importunity of Mr. Miller's letters, written during the preceding period, urging him to come on, evinces how eager the Georgia planters were to enter the new field of en- terprise which the genius of Whitney had laid open to them. Nor did they at first in general contemplate availing themselves of the invention unlawfully. But the minds of the more honorable class of planters were afterward deluded by various artifices, set on foot by designing men, with the view of robbing Mr. Whitney of his just rights. One of the greatest difficulties experienced by men of enterprise, at this period, was the extreme scarcity of money, which embarrassed them to such a degree, as to render it almost impossible to construct machines fast enough. In April he returned to Georgia. Large crops of cotton were planted, the profits of which were to depend, of course, entirely on the suc- cess and employment of the gin. The most formidable rival to Whitney's machine, was the saw-gin. It was Whitney's gin, excepting that the teeth were cut in circular rims of iron, and it was principally in reference to this that the law-suits were after- ward held. In this year, 1795, misfortunes began to multiply upon them. Mr. Whitney's shop at New Haven was burnt, and all his machines and papers destroyed, so that the company began to be much straitened for want of funds. Miller wrote Whitney to endeavor to raise a loan of money in New Haven, and concluded his letter with some very sensible remarks. "In doing this," says he, " use great care to avoid giving an idea that we are in a desperate situation, to induce us to borrow money. To people who are deficient in understanding, this precaution will be extremely necessary : men of sense can easily distinguish between the prospect of large gains, and the approaches to bankruptcy." " Such is the disposition of man," he observes on another occasion, "that while we keep afloat, there will not be wanting those who will appear willing to assist us ; but let us once be given over, and they will immediately desert us." The cotton from Whitney's gins was sought in preference to all others ; but the value of the patent was almost annihilated by the extent of the en- croachments. The first patent suit, which was tried at Augusta, Ga., in the spring of 1797, went against them. The Judge gave a charge to the Jury directly in their favor. The imperfections of the patent law of that time, and the folly of trying an intricate case of this kind by a com- mon jury, were thus made manifest. Thus, after four j-ears of incessant labor, their hopes of success were blasted. Surreptitious gins were erected in all parts of the State, and few would buy a patent which they could use with impunity without purchasing. In 1801 and 1802, however, the patentees succeeded in selling their patent-right on advantageous terms to the States of South Carolina, North OF AMERICANS. 127 Carolina, and Tennessee, and the prospects were becoming favorable, when the legislature of South Carolina suddenly annulled their contract, and sued for the money which had been paid. In a letter written to Mr. Miller at this time, Mr. Whitney remarks : " I am, for ray own part, more vexed than alarmed by their extraordinary proceedings. I think it behooves us to be very cautious and circumspect in our measures, and even in our remarks with regard to it. Be cautious what you say or publish till we meet our enemies in a court of justice, when, if they have any sensibility left, we will make them very much ashamed of their childish conduct." But, that Mr. Whitney felt very keenly in regard to the severities after- ward practiced toward him, is evident from the tenor of the remonstrance which he presented to the legislature. " The subscriber," says he, " respect- fully solicits permission to represent to the legislature of South Carolina, that he conceives himself to have been treated with unreasonable severity in the measures recently taken against him, by, and under their immediate direction. He holds that, to be seized and dragged to prison without being allowed to be heard in answer to the charge alleged against him, and, in- deed, without the exhibition of any specific charge, is a direct violation of the common right of every citizen of a free government ; that the power, in this case, is all on one side ; that whatever may be the issue of the process now instituted against him, he must, in any case, be subjected to great ex- pense and extreme hardships ; and that he considers the tribunal before which he is holden to appear, to be wholly incompetent to decide, defini- tively, existing disputes between the State and Miller and Whitney. " The subscriber avers, that he has manifested no other than a disposition to fulfill all the stipulations entered into with the State of South Carolina, with punctuality and good faith ; and begs leave to observe, farther, that to have industriously, laboriously, and exclusively devoted many years of the prime of his life to the invention and the improvement of a machine, from which the citizens of South Carolina have already realized immense profits — which is worth to them millions, and from which their posterity, to the latest generations, must continue to derive the most important benefits, and in return to be treated as a felon, a swindler, and a villain, has stung him to the very soul. And when he considers that this cruel persecution is in- flicted by the very persons who are enjoying these great benefits, and ex- pressly for the purpose of preventing his ever deriving the least advantage from his own labors, the acuteness of his feelings is altogether inex- pressible." Doubts, it seems, had arisen in the public mind as to the validity of the patent, and the patentees were supposed to have failed in the fulfillment of a part of the contract. Great exertions had been made in Georgia, where it will be remembered, hostilities were first declared against him, to show that his title to the invention was unsound, and that somebody in Switzer- land had conceived of it before him, and that the improved form of the machine, with saws instead of wire teeth, did not come within the patent, having been introduced by one, Hodgin Holmes. The popular voice, stimulated by the most sordid motives, was now raised against him throughout all the cotton-growing States. The State of 128 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Tennessee followed the example of South Carolina, in annulling the contract made with him ; and the attempt was made in North Carolina, but a com- mittee of the legislature, to whom it was referred, reported in his favor, declaring " that the contract ought to be fulfilled with punctuality and good faith," which resolution was adopted by both houses. There were also high-minded men in South Carolina, who were indignant at the dishonor- able measures adopted by their legislature of 1803 ; and their sentiments had impressed the community so favorably with regard to Mr. Whitney, that at the session of 1804, the legislature not only rescinded what the pre- vious one had done, but signified their respect for Mr. Whitney by marked commendations. Nor ought it to be forgotten that there were in Georgia, too, those who viewed with scorn and indignation the base attempts of demagogues to defraud him. The proceedings against Mr. Whitney were predicated upon impositions practiced upon the public. At this time, a new and unexpected responsibility devolved on Mr. Whitney, in consequence of the death of his partner, Mr. Miller, who died on the 7th of December, 1803. Mr. Whitney was now left alone, to contend singly against those difficulties which had for a series of years amost broken down the spirits of both the partners. But the favorable issue of the affairs of Mr. Whitney, in South Carolina, during the subsequent year, and the generous receipts that he obtained from the avails of his contracts with North Carolina, relieved him from the embarrassments under which he had so long groaned, and made him in some degree independent. Still no small portion of the funds thus collected in North and South Carolina, was ex- pended in carrying on the fruitless, endless lawsuits in Georgia. In the United States Court, held in Georgia, in December, 1807, Mr. Whitney obtained a most important decision, in a suit brought against a trespasser of the name of Fort. It was on this trial that Judge Johnson gave his celebrated decision in favor of Mr. Whitney. In the course of his remarks upon the case, he said: " There are circumstances in the knowledge of all mankind which prove the originality of this invention more satisfactorily to the mind than the direct testimony of a host of witnesses. The cotton plant furnished clothing to mankind before the age of Herodotus. The green seed is a species much more productive than the black, and by nature adapted to a much greater variety of climate ; but by reason of the strong adherence of the fiber to the seed, without the aid of some more powerful machine for separating it than any formerly known among us, the cultivation of it ivould never have been made an object. The machine of which Mr. Whitney claims the invention, so facilitates the preparation of this species for use, that the cultivation of it has suddenly become an object of infinitely greater national importance than that of the other species ever can be. Is it, then, to be imagined, that if this machine had been before discovered, the use of it would ever have been lost, or could have been confined to any tract or country left unex- plored by commercial enterprise ? But it is unnecessary to remark further upon this subject. A number of years have elapsed since Mr. Whitney took out his patent, and no one has produced or pretended to prove the ex- istence of a machine of similar construction or use. With regard to the utility of this discovery, the court would deem it a OF AMERICANS. 129 waste of time to dwell long upon this topic. Is there a man who hears us V'ho has not experienced its utility ? tlio whole interior of the Southern States was languishing, and its inhabitants emigrating for want of some object to engage their attention and employ their industry, when the inven- tion of this machine at once opened views to them which set the whole country in active motion. From childhood to age it has presented to us a lucrative employment. Individuals who were depressed with poverty and sunk in idleness, have suddenly risen to wealth and respectability. Our debts have been paid off; our capitals have increased, and our lands trebled themselves in value. We cannot express the weight of the obligation which the country owes to this invention. The extent of it cannot now be seen. Some faint presentiment may be formed from the reflection that cotton is rapidly supplanting wool, flax, silk, and even furs, in manufactures, and may one day profitably supply the use of specie in our East India trade. Our sister States, also, participate in the benefits of this invention ; for besides affording the raw material for their manufacturers, the bulki- ness and quantity of the article afford a valuable employment for their shipping." Even Judge Johnson, in the above remarks, but feebly sets forth the advantages to our country which have accrued from this invention. Prior to that period cotton cloth was comparatively unknown. In 1784 an American vessel arrived at Liverpool, having on board, for part of her cargo, eight hags of cotton, which were seized by the officers of customs under the convic- tion that they could not be the growth of America, although the plant is natural to the soil. Now cotton is our great article of export, amounting annually in value to over one hundred millions of dollars. The demand is increasing in a greater ratio than we can supply ; such are our advantages of soil and climate, that none can compete with us. Instead of measuring the value of this invention by hundreds of millions of dollars, thousands of millions could scarce compass it. But for it, it is probable that the cotton- gi-owing States would have remained in a wilderness condition, and our country, as a whole, immeasurably behind her present state, in wealth, power, and population. The earliest seat of the cotton manufacture known to us was Hindostan, where it continues to be carried on by hand labor. America and Europe are now pouring back upon Asia her original manufacture, and under- selling her in her own markets. In the manufacture of no one article has the genius of invention been more called into exercise. It has not only built up our own Lowell and other thriving towns, but large cities in other lands, as Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Paisley, etc. It is estimated to give employment to over a million of persons, and an amount of capital of millions upon millions of dollars. " Cotton goods, to a great extent, may be seen freighting every vessel, from Christian nations, that traverses the globe ; and filling the warehouses and shelves of the merchants, over two-thirds of the world. By the in- dustry, skill, and enterprise employed in the manufacture of cotton, man- kind are better clothed ; their comfort better promoted ; general industry more highly stimulated ; commerce more widely extended ; and civiliza- tion more rapidly advanced than in any preceding age. When the 130 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS statistics on the subject are examined, it appears that nearly all the cotton consumed in the Christian world, is the product of the slave-labor of the United States." The London Economist, says : " The lives of nearly two millions of our countrymen are dependent upon the cotton crops of America; their destiny may be said, without any kind of hyperbole, to hang upon a thread. Should any dire calamity befall the land of cotton, a thousand of our merchant ships would rot idly in dock ; ten thousand mills must stop their busy looms ; two hundred thousand mouths would starve, for lack of food." In the year 1812, Mr. Whitney applied to congress for a renewal of his patent. In his memorial, he presented a history of the struggles he had been forced to encounter in defense of his right, observing that he had been unable to obtain any decision on the merits of his claim until he had been eleven years in the law, and thirteen years of his patent term had expired. He sets forth, that his invention had been a source of opulence to thousands of the citizens of the United States ; that, as a labor-saving machine, it would enable one man to perform the work of a thousand men; and that it furnishes to the whole family of mankind, at a very cheap rate, the most essential article of their clothing. Hence, he humbly conceived himself entitled to a further remuneration from his country. The very men whose wealth had been acquired by the use of this machine, and who had grown rich beyond all former example, had combined their exertions to prevent the patentee from deriving any emolument from his invention. Estimating the value of the labor of one man at twenty cents per day, the whole amount which had been received by him for his invention, was not equal to the value of the labor saved in one hour, by his machines then in use in the United States. Cotton is a more cleanly and healthful article of cultivation than tobacco and indigo, which it has superseded, and does not so much im- poverish the soil. This invention has already trebled the value of the land through a great extent of territory ; and the degree to which the cultivation of cotton may be still augmented, is altogether incalculable. This species of cotton has been known in all countries where cotton has been raised, from time immemorial, but was never known as an article of commerce, until since this method of cleaning it was discovered. It is objected that if the patentee succeeds in procuring the renewal of his patent, he will be too rich. There is no probability that the patentee, if the terra of his patent was extended for twenty years, would ever obtain from his invention one- lialf as much as many an individual will gain by the use of it. Up to the present time, the whole amount of what he has acquired from this source (after deducting his expenses), does not exceed one-half the sum which a single individual has gained by the use of the machine in one year. It is true that considerable sums have been obtained from some of the States where the machine is used ; but no small portion of these sums has been expended in prosecuting his claim in a State where nothing has been ob- tained, and where his machine has been used to the greatest advantage. " Your memorialist has not been able to discover any reason why he, as well as others, is not entitled to share the benefits of his own labors. He who speculates upon the markets, and takes advantage of the necessities of others, and by these means accumulates property, is called 'a man of enter- OF AMERICANS. 131 prise' — 'a man of business' — he is complimented for his talents, and is pro- tected by the laws. He, however, only gets into his possession that which was before in the possession of another ; he adds nothing to the public stock ; and can he who has given thousands to others, be thought unreasonable, if he asks one in return ? It is to be remembered, that the pursuit of wealth by means of new in- ventions, is a very precarious and uncertain one — a lottery where there are many thousand blanks to one prize. If you would hold out inducements for men of real talents to engage in these pursuits, your rewards must bo sure and substantial. Men of this description can calculate, and will know how to appreciate, the recompense which they are to receive for their labors. The number of those who succeed in bringing into operation really useful and important improvements, always has been, and always must be, very small. It is not probable that this number can ever be as great as one in a hundred thousand. It is therefore impossible that they can ever exert upon the community an undue influence. There is, on the contrary, much pro- bability and danger that their rights will be trampled on by the many." Notwithstanding these cogent arguments, the application was rejected by congress. Some liberal-minded and enlightened men from the cotton districts, favored the petition : but a majority of the members from that section of the Union, were warmly opposed to granting it. In a correspondence with the late Mr. Robert Fulton, on the same sub- ject, Mr. Whitney observes as follows : " The difBculties with which I have had to contend, have originated, principally, in the want of a disposi- tion in mankind to do justice. My invention was new and distinct from every other — it stood alone. It was not interwoven with anything before known ; and it can seldom happen that an invention or improvement is so strongly marked, and can be so clearly and specifically identified ; and I have always believed, that I should have had no difliculty in causing my rights to be respected, if it had beeu less valuable, and been used only by a small portion of the community. But the use of this machine being im- mensely profitable to almost every planter in the cotton districts, all were interested in trespassing upon the patent-right, and each kept the other in countenance. Demagogues made themselves popular by misrepresentation, and unfounded clamors, both against the right and the law made for its protection. Hence there arose associations and combinations to oppose both. At one time, but few men in Georgia dared to come into court, and testify to the most simple facts within their knowledge, relative to the use of the machine. In one instance, I had great difficulty in proving that the machine had been used in Georgia, although, at the same moment, thera were three separate sets of this machinery in motion within fifty yards of the building in which the court sat, and all so near that the rattling of the wheels was distinctly heard on the steps of the court-house." In 1798, Mr. Whitney being deeply impressed with the uncertainty of all his hopes, founded upon the cotton gin, directed his attention to the manufacture of arms for government. He selected a site near New Haven, and there erected a manufactory, around which grew up a beautiful little settlement of artisans. Owing to the low state of arts in our country, hia constant oversight and attention were required. " Mankind," said he, 132 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS " general!}^ are not to be depended upon, and the best workmen I can find are incapable of directing. Indeed there is no branch of the work that can proceed well, scarcely for a single hour, unless I am present." His genius, indeed, impressed itself on every part of the manufactory, extending even to the most common tools, all of which received some peculiar modification which improved them in accuracy, or efficacj^, or beauty. His machinery for making the several parts of a musket was made to operate with the greatest possible degree of uniformity and precision. The object at which he aimed, and which he fully accomplished, was to make the same parts of difi'erent guns, as the locks, for example, as much like each other as the successive impressions of a copper-plate engraving. It has generally been conceded that Mr. Whitney greatly improved the art of manufacturing arms, and laid his country under permanent obligations, by augmenting her facili- ties for national defense. Mr. Whitney died in 1825. In person, he was commanding, and of an open, manly countenance. His manners were modest, unassuming, and he invariably won the respect of all with whom he was thrown in contact. No American, by the single exercise of his powers, has added so much to the wealth and prosperity of his country as Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin. ROBERT FULTON, THE STEAMBOAT INVENTOR. Little Britain, now called Fulton, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was the birthplace of the indefatigable Robert Fulton. He was born of Irish parentage in 1765, the same year which gave birth to Eli Whitney. When a mere lad, he passed his leisure hours in the shops of mechanics, or in the use of his pencil. The four years previous to his majority, he sup- ported himself, in Philadelphia, by portrait and landscape painting. He then went to London to study painting under Benjamin West, with whom he remained for several years. He resided for a time in Devonshire, where he derived much benefit from the acquaintance of those eminent patrons of the mechanic arts, the Duke of Bridgewater, and the Earl of Stanhope. Internal navigation, by canals and improvements in machinery, now en- grossed his attention, and he abandoned his profession as an artist and became a civil engineer. In his profession he at once gained eminence, and was the author of several valuable inventions. In 1796 he published his Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Navigation, and soon after went to Paris, where he resided with Joel Barlow for seven years. At this time, his thoughts were turned toward the subject of political economy, and he wrote a work, addressed to " the Friends of Mankind," in which he labors to show, that education and internal improvements would have a good cflect on the happiness of a nation. He judged it would take ages to establish the freedom of the seas by the common consent of nations ; he therefore turned his whole attention to find out some means of destroying ships of Avar, those engines of oppression, and to put it out of the power of any nation to maintain such a system ; and thus to compel every government to adopt the simple principles of education, industry, and a free circulation of its produce. Out of such enlarged and philanthropic views and reflectiona grew Mr. Fulton's inventions for submarine navigation and explosions. OF AMERICANS. ^ 133 Having gained the patronage of the French government, in the summer of 1801 he went to Brest, to make experiments in submarine navigation. Ho embarked with three companions on board his plunging- boat in the harbor, and descended to the depth of five, ten, fifteen, and so on to twenty- five feet ; but he did not attempt to go lower, because he found that his im- perfect machine would not bear the pressure of the water at a greater depth. He found that she would tack and steer, and sail on a wind or before it, as well as any common sailing boat. He then struck her masts and sails ; to do which, and prepare for plunging, required about two minutes. Having plunged to a certain depth, he placed two men at the engine, which was intended to give her progressive motion, and one at the helm, while he, with a barometer before him, kept her balanced between the upper and lower waters. He found that with one hand he could keep her at any depth he pleased ; and that in seven minutes he had gone about the third of a mile. He could turn her round while under water, and return to the place he started from. These experiments were repeated for several days, till he became familiar with the operation of the machinery and the motion of the boat. He found that she was as obedient to her helm under water, as any boat could be on the surface ; and that the magnetic needle traversed as well in one situation as in the other. Satisfied with his boat, he nest made some experiments with the torpedoes, or submarine bombs. A small vessel was anchored in the roads, and with a bomb, containing about twenty pounds of powder, he approached within about two hundred yards, struck the vessel and blew her into atoms. A column of water and fragments was blown near one hundred feet into the air. This experiment was made in the presence of the prefect of the department and a multitudo of spectators. Through the summer he watched for English ships, to try the success of his invention in blowing up the enemy of France. No opportunity being afforded, the government refused him any farther encouragement, and, having received overtures from that of England, he proceeded to London. Several experiments were made, and some of them were failures ; but on the 15th of October, 1805, he blew up a strong built Danish brig of two hundred tuns burden, which had been provided for the experiment, and which was anchored in Walmar Roads, near the residence of Mr. Pitt. The torpedo used on this occasion contained one hundred and seventy pounds of powder ; and in fifteen minutes from the time of starting the machinery and throwing the torpedo into the water, the explosion took place. It lifted the brig almost entire, and broke her completely in two. The ends sunk im- mediately, and in one minute nothing was to be seen of her but floating fragments. In fact, her annihilation was complete. Notwithstanding the complete success of this experiment, the British ministry seem to have been but little disposed to have anything further to do with Mr. Fulton, or his projects. Their object, evidently, had been to prevent his engines being placed in the hands of an enemy ; and if this was accomplished, it was the interest of England, as long as she was ambitious of the proud title of the mistress of the seas, to make the world believe that Mr. Fulton's projects were chimerical. In December, IBOG, Mr. Fulton returned to his native country, and im- 134 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS mediately cugaged in the projects, both of submarine war and steam-naviga- tion. In the succeeding July, he blew up, with a torpedo, in the harbor of New York, a large hulk-brig, which had been prepared for the purpose. la 1810, congress granted him five thousand dollars to make further experi- ments in submarine explosions. We must now, however, revert to an early period of his life, to trace from the beginning the progress of that great improvement in the arts, for which we, and all the world, are so much indebted to him : we mean the practical establishment of navigation by steam. At what time his attention was first directed to this subject, we do not know ; but it is ascertained that, in the year 1793, he had matured a plan, in which, even at that early day, he had great confidence, Mr. Fulton, when he conceived a mechanical invention, not only perceived the efi"cct it would produce, but he could ascertain, by calculation, the power his combination would afford, how far it would be adequate to his pur^jose, and what would be the requisite strength of every part of the machine : and though his numerical calculations did not always prove exact, and required to be corrected by experiments, yet they assured him of general results. It would be great injustice not to notice with due respect and commenda- tion the enterprises of the late Chancellor Livingston, who had so intimate a connection with Fulton in the progress and establishment of steam-navi- gation. As early as 1798, Mr. Livingston represented to the legislature of New York, that he was possessed of a mode of applying the steam engine to propel a boat on new and advantageous principles ; upon which, they passed an act, vesting him with the exclusive right and privilege of navi- gating all kinds of boats, which might be propelled by the force of fire or steam, on all the waters within the territory or jurisdiction of the State of New York, for the term of twenty years from the passing of the act ; upon condition that he should, within a twelve-month, build such a boat, the mean of whose progress should not be less than four miles an hour. Mr. Livingston, immediately after the passing of this act, built a boat of about thirty tuns burden, which was propelled by steam ; but, as she was incom- petent to fulfill the condition of the law, she was abandoned. Soon after he entered into a contract with Fulton, by which it was, among other things, agreed, that a patent should be taken out in the United States in Fulton's name, which, Mr. Livingston well knew, could not be done without Mr. Fulton's taking an oath that the improvement was solely his. Fulton met Chancellor Livingston in Paris in 1802, and was induced by him to again turn his attention to the subject. In the summer of 1803, an experimental boat was built on the Seine, sixty-six feet long, and eight feet •wide. The experiment was satisfactory to the spectators— not entirely so to Mr. Fulton, she being deficient in speed, owing to defective machinery. He, however, was so well satisfied of ultimate success, that he ordered of Watt and Bolton, of Birmingham, England, certain parts of a steam-engine to be made for him, and sent to America. He did not disclose to them for what purpose the engine was intended ; but his directions were such as would produce the parts of an engine, that might be put together within a compass suited for a boat. Mr. Livingston had written to his friends in this country, and, through their interference, an act was passed by the legislature of the OF AMERICANS. 135 State of New York, on the 5th of April, 1803, by which the rights and exclusive privileges of navigating all the waters of that State, by vessels propelled by fire or steam, granted to Mr. Livingston by the act of 1798, which, we have before mentioned, were extended to Mr. Livingston and Mr. Fulton, for the terra of twenty years from the date of the new act. Very soon after Mr. Fulton's arrival in New York, he commenced build- ing his first American boat. While she was constructing, he found that her expenses would greatly exceed his calculations. He endeavored to lessen the pressure on his own finances, by offering one third of the right, for a proportionate contribution to the expenses. In the spring of 1807, Fulton's first American boat was launched from the ship-yard of Charles Brown on the East River. The engine from Eng- land was put on board of her, and in August she was completed, and was moved by her machinery from her birthplace to the Jersey shore. Mr. Livingston and Mr. Fulton had invited many of their friends to witness the first trial, among whom were those learned men, Dr. Mitchill and Dr. M'Neven, to whom we are indebted for some account of what passed on this occasion. Nothing could exceed the surprise and admiration of all who witnessed the experiment. The minds of the most incredulous were chano'ed in a few minutes. Before the boat had made the progress of a quarter of a mile, the greatest unbeliever must have been converted. The man who, while he looked on the expensive machine, thanked his stars that he had more wisdom than to waste his money on such idle schemes, changed the expression of his features as the boat moved from the wharf and gained her speed, and his complacent expression gradually stiffened into one of wonder. The jeers of the ignorant, who had neither sense nor feeling enough to suppress their contemptuous ridicule and rude jokes, were silenced for a moment by a vulgar astonishment, which deprived them of the power of utterance, till the triumph of genius extorted from the incredulous multitude which crowded the shores, shouts and acclama- tions of congratulation and applause. This boat, which was called the Clermont, soon after made a trip to Albany. Mr. Fulton gives the following account of this voyage in a letter to his friend, Mr. Barlow. " My steamboat voyage to Albany and back, has turned out rather more favorable than I had calculated. The distance from New York to Albany is one hundred and fifty miles ; I ran it up in thirty-two hours, and down in thirty. I had a light breeze against me the whole way, both going and coming, and the voyage has been performed wholly by the power of the steam-engine. I overtook many sloops and schooners beating to windward, and parted with them as if they had been at anchor. The power of propelling boats by steam is now fully proved. The morning I left New York, there were not perhaps thirty persons in the cit}', who believed that the boat would ever move one mile an hour, or be of the least utility ; and while we were putting off from the wharf, which was crowded with spectators, I heard a number of sarcastic remarks. This is the way in which ignorant men compliment what they call philosophers and projectors. Having employed much time, money, and zeal, in accom- plishing this work, it gives me, as it will you, great pleasure to see it fully answer my expectations. It will give a cheap and quick conveyance to 136 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the merchandise on the Mississippi, Missouri, and other great rivers, which are now laying open their ti-easures to the enterprise of our countrymen ; and although the prospect of personal emolument has been some inducement to me, yet I feel infinitely more pleasure in reflecting on the immense advan- tage that my country will derive from the invention," etc. Soon after this successful voyage, the Hudson boat was advertised and established as a regular passage-boat between New York and Albany. She, however, in the course of the season, met with several accidents, from the hostility of those engaged in the ordinary navigation of the river, and from defects in her machinery. On the 11th of February, 1809, Mr. Fulton took out a patent for his in- ventions in navigation by steam, and on the 9th of February, 1811, he obtained a second patent for some improvements in his boats and machinery. It having been found that the laws, granting to Livingston and Fulton exclusive privileges, were insufficient to secure their enjoyment, the legisla- ture of New York, in 1811, passed a supplementary act, giving certain summary remedies against those who should contravene the protecting laws. The act, however, excepts two boats which were then navigating the Hudson, and one which ran on Lake Charaplain in opposition to Living- ston and Fulton : without these exceptions, the law, as to these boats, would have been ex post facto. In respect to these, therefore, the parties M^ere left to the same remedies as before passing the last act. The opposition boats on the Hudson, were at first to have been propelled by a pendulum, which some thought would give a greater power than steam ; but on launching their vessel, they found the machinery was not so easily moved as when she was on the stocks. Having found, by experiment, that a pendulum would not supply the place of steam, and knowing no other way of apply- ing steam than that they saw practiced in the Fulton boats, they adopted all their machinery, with some small alterations, with no other view than to give a pretense for claiming to be the inventors of improvements on steamboats. On a trial for an injunction which ensued, the merits of the members of this Pendulum Company were contrasted with those of Fulton, by Mr. Emmet, the counsel for the appellants. He described them as "men who never wasted health and life in midnight vigils, and painful study, who never dreamt of science in the broken slumbers of an exhausted mind, and who bestowed on the construction of a steamboat just as much mathemati- cal calculation and philosophical research, as in the purchase of a sack of wheat, or a barrel of ashes." From the time the first boat was put in motion till the death of Mr. Fulton, the art of navigating by steam was fast advancing to that perfection of which he believed it capable : for some time the boat performed each successive trip with increased speed, and every year improvements were made. The last boat built by him was invariably the best, the most con- venient, and the swiftest. In the war of 1812, Mr. Fulton's ingenuity was called upon to furnish plans of his submarine warfare, as a defense to the harbor of New York. Congress also authorized him to build a steam-frigate for its defense, which OF AMERICANS. 137 was named Fulton the First ; but before she was launched this ingenious man was no more. During the whole time that Mr. Fulton had thus been devoting his talents to the service of his country, he had been harassed by lawsuits and controversies with those who were violating his patent-rights, or intruding upon his exclusive grants. The State of New Jersey had passed a law which operated against Mr. Fulton. He visited Trenton, the capital, and succeeded in obtaining its repeal. On his return he was exposed on the Hudson, which was very full of ice, for several hours. He had not a con- stitution to encounter such exposure, and upon his return, found himself much indisposed from the effects of it. He had at that time great anxiety about the steam-frigate, and, after confining himself for a few days, ho went to give his superintendence to the artificers employed about her. Forgetting his debilitated state of health in the interest he took in what was doing on the frigate, he remained too long exposed, in a bad day, to the weather on her decks. He soon felt the effects of this imprudence. His indisposition returned upon him with such violence as to confine him to his bed. His disorder increased, and on the 24th day of February, 1815, terminated his valuable life. Mr. Fulton was not the original inventor of the steamboat, nor never claimed to be. Many steamboats had been made before the Clermont, both in Europe and in America ; the most successful of which, was that con- structed by John Fitch, a Connecticut clock-maker. He built a steamboat on the Delaware propelled by paddles ; which, for about a month, in 1790, regularly plied as a passage-boat between Philadelphia and Bordentown ; traversing in that period over two thousand miles. Her speed was, at times, eight miles an hour ; and this with an engine manufactured in this country by common blacksmiths, under the supervision of Fitch. All that can be rightfully claimed for Fulton in this matter, is, that his experiment convinced the world of the practicability of steam-navigation ; so that steamboats have never ceased running from that day to this. S. F. B. MORSE, AND THE MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH. Samuel F. B. Morse, widely known as the inventor of the Magnetic Telegraph, is the eldest son of the Rev. Jedediah Morse, the first American geographer, and was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1791. He graduated at Yale College in 1810, and the year after went to London, to learn the art of painting. He made very rapid progress, and gave great promise of surpassing excellence in the profession. "On his return to America, he settled in Boston, but he met with so little encouragement that he removed to New Hampshire, where he found employment in painting portraits at fifteen dollars per head. He was induced by his friends to remove to Charleston, South Carolina, and there his art proved more profitable. About 1822, he took up his residence in New York, where he found his works and talents more justly appreciated, and his skill as an artist put in requisition. Under a commission from the corporation, he painted a full-length portrait of Lafayette, then on a visit to the United States. It was shortly after this, that Mr. Morse formed that association of artists, which resulted in the establishment of the National Academy of 138 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Design, of which he was elected president ; and it is worthy of note, that the first course of lectures on the subject of art read in America, was delivered by him before the New York Athenajura, and afterward repeated to the students of the academy. In 1829, he paid a second visit to Europe, and remained abroad three years. On his return from Europe, in the packet-ship Sully, in 1832, a gentle- man, in describing the experiments that had just been made in Paris with the electro-magnet, the question arose as to the time occupied by the electric fluid in passing through the wire, stated to be about one hundred feet in length. On the reply that it was instantaneous (recollecting the experiments of Franklin), he suggested that it might be carried to any dis- tance, and that the electric spark could be made a means of conveying and recording intelligence. This suggestion, which drew some casual observa- tion of assent from the party, took deep hold of Professor Morse, who undertook to develop the idea which he had originated ; and, before the end of the voyage, he had drawn out and written the general plan of the invention with which his name will be inseparably connected. His main object was to effect a communication by means of the electro-magnet that would leave a permanent record by signs answering for an alphabet, and Avhich, though carried to any distance, would communicate with any place that might be on the line. His first idea was to pass a strip of paper, saturated with some chemical preparation, that would be decomposed when brought in connection with the wire, along which the electric current was passing, and thus form an alphabet by marks, varying in width and number, that could be made upon the paper at the will of the operator, and by this means avoid separating the wire at the different points of communication. On his return to New York, he resumed his profession, still devoting all his spare time, under great disadvantages, to the perfection of his invention. Finding his original plan impracticable, he availed himself of the action of the electro-magnet upon the lever as a mode of using pens and ink, as in the ruling machine. Of these he had five, with the idea of securing the required characters from one of the pens. These he abandoned for pen- cils, and after a trial of various means for obtaining the end desired, and finding by experiment he could obtain any requisite force from the lever, he adopted the stylus or steel point for indenting the paper, and it is this he has since used. After great difficulty and much discouragement. Professor Morse, in 1835, demonstrated the practicability of his invention, by completing and putting in operation in the New York University a model of his 'Recording Electric Telegraph' — the whole apparatus, with the exception of a wooden clock, which formed part of it, having been made by himself. In 1837, he aban- doned his profession, with great regret, hoping to make his invention a means of resuming it, under easier and more agreeable circumstances. In the same year, he filed his caveat at the patent-office in Washington ; and it is somewhat singular that, during this year (1837), Wheatstone, in Eng- land, and Steinheil, in Bavaria, both invented a magnetic telegraph, differ- ing from the American, and from each other. Wheatstone's is a very in- ferior, not being a recording telegraph, but requiring to be watched by one of the attendants — the alphabet being made by the deflection of the needle. OF AMERICANS. 139 Steinheil's, on the contrary, is a recording telegraph, but from its compli- cated and delicate machinery, has been found impracticable for extended lines. At a convention held in 1851 by Austria, Prussia, Saxony, Wirtern- berg, and Bavaria, for the purpose of adopting a uniform system of telegraph- ing for all Germany, by the advice of Steinheil, Professor Morse's was the one selected. From the sultan of Turkey he received the first foreign acknowledgment of his invention in the bestowal of a nishan, or order — the 'order of glory : ' a diploma to that effect was transmitted to him with the magnificent decoration of that order in diamonds. The second acknowledg- ment was from the king of Prussia, being a splendid gold snuff-box, con- taining in its lid the Prussian gold medal of scientific merit. The latest acknowledgment is from the king of AVurtemberg, who transmitted to him (after the adoption of the Telegraph treaty by the convention above men- tioned) the ' Wurtemberg Gold Medal of Arts and Sciences.' In 1838, ho went to England, for the purpose of securing a patent there, but was refused, through the influence of Wheatstone and his friends, under the pretense that his invention had already been published there. All that could be adduced in proof of this was the publication in an English scientific periodical of an extract copied from the New York 'Journal of Commerce,' stating the results of his invention, without giving the means by which they were produced. In the following spring, he returned to this country, and in 1840 perfected his patent at Washington, and set about getting his telegraph into practical operation. In 184.4, the first electric telegraph was completed in the United States, between Baltimore and Washington ; and the first intelligence of a public character which passed over the wires was the announcement of the nomina- tion of James K. Polk, as the democratic candidate for the presidency, by the Baltimore convention. Since then, he has seen its wires extended all over the country, to the length of thousands of miles — an extent unknown elsewhere in the civilized world. His success has led to the invasion of his patent-rights by others, whom he has finally succeeded in defeating, after an expensive and protracted litigation." The greatest triumph of Professor Morse, we hope, will be found in the success of the submarine telegraph between America and Europe, efforts being now prosecuted to lay the cable across the Atlantic. "The honor of having laid the first permanent telegraph under water, belongs to the Eng- lish, in laying that from Dover to Calais. But the first conception of, and the first attempt at submarine telegraphic communication, were the fruit of the genius of our countryman. Professor Samuel F. B. Morso. In the New York Herald of 17th Octobei, 1842, the following paragraph occurs: 'Professor Morse will perform a highly interesting experiment with his electro-magnetic telegraph, by which a correspondence will be carried on between Castle Garden and Governor's Island.' On the follow- ing day the same journal refers again to the subject, and predicts that 'it is destined to work a complete revolution in the mode of transmitting intel- ligence throughout the civilized world.' On the night of 18th October, Professor Morse set out from Castle Garden in a small boat, with one man to row. In the stern sheets he had a coil of wire, insulated by being wrapped in cotton thread covered with a coating of 140 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS asphaltum and India rubber; this he 'paid out' as the boatman rowed across to Governor's Island, and had the satisfaction of making fast the end to a battery on the island some time before daybreak. Thus far all had been propitious. But when the sun rose, Professor Morse discovered, with dismay, that after he had laid his wire, two or throe vessels had anchored directly over it. He foresaw the consequence. When the people assem- bled, and the hour of trial came, the battery was set to work, and the professor, with a trembling hand, essayed to send a message to the island. He succeeded in transmitting a few marks, but they were illegible ; the anchors had fouled the wire and destroyed its insulation ; the crowd went home convinced that telegraphic communication under water was 'all humbug ; ' and the professor was hardly consoled by a letter of thanks and a gold medal from the institute, and a fair appreciation by the press. Somewhat discouraged, in truth, but, of course, firm in confidence, Pro- fessor Morse applied his mind to the transmission of the electric current across rivers without the aid of wires. This experiment was successfully performed, and the current sent across the canal at Washington, without in- tervening wire, in presence of many members of congress and distinguished persons, in December, 1842. Nothing came of it. But Professor Morse was so well satisfied that his failure at Castle Garden was only a stej) to the success of submarine telegraphs, that he wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury, on 10th August, 1843: 'The practical inference to be drawn from the law (which he had developed), is, that a telegraphic communica- tion may be established across the Atlantic. Startling as this may now seem, the time will come when this project will be realized.' Nor does the professor stand alone. In the winter of 1842-3, Colonel Colt laid a submarine telegraphic wire across from New York to Brooklyn, and from Long Island to Coney Island. This wire, which was laid for the purpose of obtaining early marine news, worked for some time to the public satisfaction. It was not till five years afterward that the Dover and Calais line was laid. Public opinion was against it ; and when the wire was actually laid, and messages passing to and fro, the wise men still said that it could not be. Some declared that the messages were a fraudulent imposture ; others simi^ly shrugged their shoulders. One of our leading periodicals, in allud- ing to the event, said, with a sneer, 'The thing actually seems to work, for the present.' Other lines rapidly followed — the Dover and Ostend line, the Liverpool and Dublin, the line to the Hague, the line from Piedmont to Sardinia and Corsica, and the Newfoundland line, on this side of the ocean," eic. GEORGE STEERS, THE AMERICAN SHIP-ARCHITECT. One of the most melancholy chapters in the history of almost every man of genius, whose beneficent labors have made the earth better by his residence upon it, is that which tells of the misdirection of his earliest efforts in the great battle of life, and the time lost, and the discouragements encountered in the vain attempt to do what nature never intended he should do. The right man has to fight his way into the right place, throufdi a thousand discouraging obstacles, but he finds it at last. OF AMERICANS. 141 Fulton spent the best years of his life in painting bad historical pictures, which are only remembered now because they were painted by him. Tho great engineer and inventor, whose beneficent genius has done so much for mankind, frittered away his early manhood in designing allegorical compo- sitions as illustrations of Jorl Banlewis epic poem. But Fulton found the place at last, and the glory of his name will never fade from the memory of men. It was the good fortune of George Steers to be born into the very sphere ■where his natural genius could be employed to the best advantage for him- self and the world. His father was a ship-carpenter, an Englislmuin by birth, and a resident of the City of Washington, where George was born, iu the year 1819 ; but fortunately for him, the elder Steers removed to the City of New York, to work at his trade ; and among the operations in which he engaged, was tho building of the famous Marine Railway, com- monl}' known as the Dry Dock. The father of George Steers was re- markable for his integrity of character and perfect uprightness ; and it is a circumstance worth mentioning, that when the distinguished son of this honest man had taken the contract to build the great steam-ship Adriatic, a gentleman, who was an entire stranger to him, volunteered to be one of his bondsmen, because he had been acquainted with his father, and knew him to be " as honest a man as ever breathed." The region of the Dry Dock was, and still is, devoted to the business of ship-building in all its branches ; it was here the young lad Steers passed his early years, and, in fact, his whole life. While his father was employed upon the Marine Railway, George made himself useful in the humble occupation of tending the "pitch-kettle;" but he did not confine himself to that humble employment : his mind was occupied in inventing models of boats and ships, which he put successfully into shape as opportunities occurred. His first practical effort at ship-building, was in the construction of a flat-boat, when he was but ten years old, which was eight feet long. His mind was of so practical a character, and his instincts so sure, that he never manifested any desire to obtain information from books, or cared to listen to the suggestions of others. Though one of the most modest natures in the world, he never had the slightest misgivings as to the- cor- rectness of his own theories, nor would he yield his own opinions to the dictations of another. It was, perhaps, unfortunate for him that he had not enjoyed greater advantages of schooling : not that schooling could have done anything for him toward making him a better builder of ships, but a better acquaintance with literature, and the scientific formula of his art, would have enabled him to appear to much better advantage, and have gained him a readier acknowledgment of his inventive genius. Those who knew him best, had unbounded confidence in his ability ; but to strangers, it seemed very naturally questionable that a man whose general education was so limited should so much excel all others in his noble profession. But it did not take long for him to gain the utmost confidence of those with whom he came in contact. He continued to make models for boats, until he became a master in his art, at an age when other boys were but beginning to learn. At the age of sixteen, ho tried and built a sail-boat sixteen feet long, named the Martin 142 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Van Buren : for George was always a decided democrat in his political principles. This boat beat the Gladiator, a famous sailer, three miles, in a, race of twenty-four. Tv;o years afterward, he built the John C. Stevens, a row-boat, twenty-one feet long, three feet ten inches broad, and thirteen inches deep ; it weighed but one hundred and forty pounds, and, with a full crew on board, drew but four inches of water. The John C. Stevens was believed to be the lightest and fleetest boat in the world ; but, however that might be, it is very certain that she beat the fastest boats that New York could produce, in several match races. George was never put to a regular apprenticeship, but, at the age of sixteen, he went to work in the ship-yard of Jabez Williams, with whom he continued a year and a half. While he was in the yard of Mr. Wil- liams, he asked the foreman to be allowed to do a certain piece of work, to " square the wales," which the foreman refused to do, on account of his youth. But George appealed to the " Boss," who granted him the privi- lege asked for, and he finished the job to the satisfaction even of the foreman. After leaving the ship-yard of Mr. Williams, he entered the employ of a ship-builder, named Hathome, whose partner he became subsequently. But he did not remain long with him as an employee : his object being to gain all the practical knowledge that could be acquired in a particular position, and when that was done, he transferred himself to the next best place. After leaving Mr. Hathorne, he was now employed by W. H. Brown, a celebrated ship-builder, in laying off the model of the frigate Kamschatka, built for the emperor of Eussia. Though not yet nineteen years old, he took the job of putting on the deck of this frigate. He also, in connection with two other young men, " lumped " a ship to build for the great ship- builder W^. H. Webb ; and found time to build a sail-boat, the Mauhaltes, of nearly thirty tuns. In 1843, when he was twenty-four years old, he entered into partnership with his old " boss," Mr. Hathorne, who was one of the first yacht builders in the country, and a favorite with the celebrated Stevens, of Hoboken, for whom he had built several steamboats and yachts. The first vessel built by the new firm was the steamboat Columbia, on which Mr. Steers per- formed the greatest day's work that any ship-carpenter was ever known to accomplish. He fitted and erected forty-five stanchions on the guard, cut- ting the holes in the oak plank sheer, tenanting them into the facing under- neath the beams. He was not, like many inventors, an idle dreamer, but a hard-fisted, thorough-going, conscientious mechanic. Though always ex- tremely temperate in his habits, he was the very reverse of niggardly, and never made money a primary consideration in any of his undertakings. His great pride was to excel in his profession. While in partnership with Mr. Hathorne, he built a great number of vessels of various kinds ; but one of his great successes was the pilot, W. G. Hackstaff", which beats all the boats of that class sailing out of the port of New York. On dissolving with Mr. Hathorne, Steers built a small steamer on Seneca Lake, and two pro- pellers, at Rochester, for Lake Ontario ; one of which, the Ontario, was one of the finest boats of her chiss. Returning to New York, he engaged again in his favorite business of vacht-building ; and among the vessels of that OF AMERICANS. 143 kind, which he modeled and constructed, was the beautiful schooner tho Una, which soon made a name for herself among the Yacht Squadron. In the year 1848, Mr. Steers engaged as foreman for W. H. Brown, the largest ship-builder in New York, and laid down the molds for two of the Collins' steamships, the Atlantic, and the ill-fated Arctic. The next step of Mr. Steers, was in the direction which has given him his great renown as an inventor in the modeling of sailing-vessels. In build- ing a pilot-boat, called the Mary Taylor, he brought to perfection his theory of hollow water lines ; and all his subsequent models were but little more than the expansion of the lines and proportions of this famous vessel.* The *" Tills system was couceived when a mere boy, and is based upon the assumptioa that for a vessel to sail easily, steadily, and rapidly, the displacement of water must be nearly uniform along the lines. When lie laid the keel of the pilot-boat Mary Taylor, he eugai^ed in advance, to make a faster, a diycr, and a steadier ciaft than had ever left the port of New York, so confident was he of his power, and he succeeded exactly according to his expectations. Previous to this achievement, a vessel had never been built where the center of displacement had not been forward of the beam. Fears were generally entertained that this ' new form ' would prove a failure. Some predicted that this vessel would plunge under water, others thought that in rough weather no one could live on deck, all of which prophecies are certainly contradicted by fact. For, en- countering less resistance from the narrow bows, the vessel went faster, and experienced no corresponding sti-ain, and suffered no more in rough weather than in the summer breeze. The advantages of Mr. Steers' system of ship-building may be thus summed up : greater speed with the same tunnage and canvas ; greater stability in the vessel — that is, an increased hold upon the water : greater evenness and equality of motion, re- sulting from au equalized leverage — since the masts, as levers, work more uuiformly upon the fulcrum of the ship ; greater endurance, because there is less strain in rapid sailing, or in rough weather ; steadiness of motion, which enables her, in sailing, to keep close to the wind, and lose but little leeway." " As most of our readers are uot conversant with the technicalities of ship-building terms, we have endeavored, in the accompanying diagram, to give the relative position of the beam — or extreme breadth — as it occurred iu the old style of vessels and iu those of Steei-s. Fig. 1, represents the shape of vessels on the old plan — the dotted line being the position of the beam. Fio. 2. Plau of Steei-s, as shown in the yacht America. 144 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Mary Taylor was a wonder for her sailing qualities, and excited unbounded admiration among amateur yacht-men and ship-builders. In 1850, the keel of the world renowned America was laid, and also that of the hardly less celebrated yacht Sylvia. The America has become one of the most famous vessels that ever floated. She was built expressly to compete with England in her own waters, for the championship of the seas, so far as speed was concerned, and she came off victorious. It was regarded as a national victory ; and the young ship-builder, who had been hitherto un- known, became at once one of the most famous men of the day, and the pet of his admiring countrymen. Mr. Steers went over in the yacht expressly to manage her in the great race. He had an instinctive knowledge in sailing a vessel, and would carry a sail to the last moment ; when all but himself were blanched with fear at his boldness, he kept his post at the helm per- fectly serene and self-possessed : for he knew the exact strain which his boat could bear, and the right moment to give her relief. The yacht America was built for the New York Yacht Club. The terms were that the builder should be paid forty thousand dollars, if she beat, in a race, the sloop Maria, and but half of that sum if she failed. There was never a fair trial of speed between the two vessels, and only the smaller sum was paid. On his return to New York, after his great victory at Cowes with the America, (See page 615), Mr. Steers was received with every mark of distinction and respect ; he was honored by a public dinner, given him by the mechanics of the city, and was also a guest at the dinner given by the Yacht Club, in commemoration of their victory. He bore all these honors modestly, and resumed his business again, with as much earnestness as ever, as though he had not achieved so great a success. He built a great number of yachts, and, at every regatta of the Yacht Club, some of his boats carried off the prizes. He also built several ships and steamboats. But his fame had not yet culminated. A larger and more honorable field was open before him. In the year 1854, congress having made an appropriation for six steam- frigates of the largest class, it was decided to allow one of them to be built by a private architect, or, at least, one not in the service of the government ; and though there was great competition for the honor of building this ship, which was to be the largest of all, the secretary of the navy, to the great satisfaction of the country, decided to bestow the favor upon Mr. " Amoug mechanical triumphs, nothing can be more beantiful than the models of George Steers' ships — they are like the handiwork of Cellini for delicacy of execution, and yet, like the torso of Angelo, suggest mighty results. It was in the closet — in the retivacy of his modest work-shop, that Steei-s solved the mighty problems which enter into naval architecture, and speculating, like another Franklin or Laplace, upon the laws of nature, studied to overcome friction in propelling the weighty argosies through the great deep ; and so perfectly did he enter into the arcana of nature's in- most temples, that every step of progress he made was through means sublimely simple, and accompUshed amid a halo of the most perfect beauty. His ships, like all master works cf art, seem to be born of inspiration — the intense labor which produced them is entirely lost sight of in the suggestion that they are the result alone of a creativo power." OF AMEKICANS. 145 Steers. It was a proud distinction for the young mechanic, and most nobly did he justify the choice of the secretary. The superb Niagara, the largest and fastest man-of-war afloat, was the result. Xo opportunity has yet been offered for thoroughly testing the capacity of this magnificent ship ; but enough has been done to establish her superiority over every other vessel in our own navy. She, as is well known, was the vessel selected to assist in laying down the telegraphic wire across the Atlantic. The launching of this huge vessel was a triumph of mechanical skill, and as she slid gracefully and swiftly from her ways into the water, her excited architect leaped from the ground in exultation at his success. " And then, the next moment," says a friend, who was with him, "as the united cheei-s of ten thousand rent the air, the modesty of the simple-hearted man re- ceived such a shock, that he at once shrank from observation, and becamo personally lost in the crowd of heaving, exultant human beings that sur- rounded him. Relieved from the presence of observers, and standing on the deck of the newly-born ship, he walked over the vast area, pointed out the advantages he calculated would be gained by her construction, imagined the stars and stripes floating aloft, and then coming to the immense em- bi-asures, in his glowing imaginings, he ran out the tremendous guns in- tended for the Niagara's armament, and asked, with a proper glow of pride, 'what vessel could successfully dispute her supremacy on her ocean home?' It was a sublime spectacle thus to witness the great commander triumphant upon his own deck — it was a new thing to behold a victory so complete, so mighty in its results, unaccompanied by the shedding of blood, unstained by a single aggressive act. We admired, nay, venerated, the man, and in- v/ardly thanked Heaven that among all our national blessings we could reckon the wealth of the constructive mind of George Steers, who was so eminently adding luster to our acknowledged supremacy of the seas, and thus collecting under our glorious flag not only the largest marine in the world, but also adding the additional graces of specimens unsurpassed in ex- cellence of shape, and unapproached in speed." But this monster ship did not engross all his thoughts, nor all his time ; while she was in process of construction he modeled and built another beau- tiful yacht the Widgeon, and took the contract for the steam ship Adriatic, for the Collins' line of steam-packets. The model of this ship has been pronounced nearer perfection than that of any other vessel afloat, while sho is the largest wooden ship that has ever been built ; the iron ship, Great Eastern, alone excelling her in dimensions. The Adriatic was his last work. She was launched in the presence of the greatest crowd that was ever assembled on a similar occasion. It was a splendid triumph for the self-reliant, self-taught mechanic. After the launch, the proprietors of the line gave a banquet, at a hotel in Broadway, in honor of the occasion, to which, of course, the builder of the ship was invited, and was expected to be the principal guest. But, when all the company were assembled there was the vacant chair at the head of the table ; all eyes were watching for the entrance of the man in whose honor the feast was given ; but he did not come. He was sent for, and found in his ship yard directing his workmen, not having deemed it worth his while to attend the festival. This was a characteristic trait of his modest nature. 146 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS All that he aimed at was to do his work perfectly. The glorification which followed he never thought about. The completion of the Niagara and the Adriatic was the culmination of his aspirations ; he had abundant!}' proved to the world that he was not a mere builder of yachts and pilot boats, and, in spite of all opposition had demonstrated on the largest scale that the principles he had adopted were as true in their application to the largest class of ships, as they were to the' smallest boats. The huge Adriatic of six thousand tuns burden was but a big yacht; and she was finished in every part with the accuracy and ele- gance that he bestowed upon his smaller craft. ! He had now reached the point at which he had been aiming ; his talents were recognized, and he had made grand calculations for the future. Preparatory to putting his new schemes in practice, he had dissolved partnership with his elder brother James, and there were large capitalists who stood ready to invest any amount of capital he might require in the prosecution of his plans. But it was not ordained that he should achieve any more triumphs. On the 26th of September, in the year 1856, he drove out on Long Island with a pair of gay horses, to bring home his wife and children, who had been spending the summer at a farm house. The horses took fright and he was either thrown or leaped from the carriage, and he was found a few minutes afterward lying upon the ground insensible. His fall was fatal and he never spoke again. His funeral was attended more largely than that of any private citizen who had died in New York, and every mark of affection and respect wa3 paid to his memory. He died, like Byron and Raphael, in his thirty-seventh year, just as his genius was at its full vigor, and when he seemed about to commence his career. But he had done enough to insure him renown, and his death was lamented as a national loss, as it undoubtedly was. In person George Steers was tall and vigorous, his complexion was florid, and his eyes were a dark blue. His countenance had a remarkable expression of honesty and simplicity. He was extremely liberal, yet careful in money matters ; and, though he had never thought of saving for his family, he left them in comfortable circumstances. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery and a very elegant marble monument, erected by his widow, marks the place of his interment. Among the testimonials he had received, was a very costly ring, set with precious stones which was sent to him by the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and, if he and his imperial admirer had lived, it is probable that he would have been employed to rebuild the Russian Navy. CHARLES GOODYEAR, THE INVENTOR OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER. Middle aged men recollect when they were boys that the only use of India-rubber was for the purpose of obliterating marks made by the lead pencil. But the manufacturing spirit of our days having formed an allianco with chemistry, the result has been that this among other materials has risen into great importance and of varied uses for the welfare of society. "With regard to the material itself, we shall just state that it was first seen in Europe about the middle of the last century ; that it was soon afterward discovered to be the gum, or, more properly, the coagulated juice of certain tropical trees, the chief of which is the celebrated Si^honia elastica of the OF AMERICANS. 147 Brazilian forests ; that by the natives it was callea caoutchouc ; by the chemists, from its singular elasticity, gum-elastic ; and by the common people, from its valuable property of cleaning paper, India-rubber. Its phy- sical properties, indeed, as a whole, are perfectly unique. By far the most elastic substance in nature, it is insoluble in water, in alcohol, or in any of the mineral acids ; but it dissolves readily in ether or naptha ; and, above all, it possesses the power of agglomerating, or, in plain language, of adher- ing again when cut, if the separate pieces are brought together. No other substance, we may add, is so valuable to the analytical chemist. We have the high authority of the Baron .Justus von Liebig for stating, that to the increased facilities which the flexible tubes and sheets of India-rubber have given in the laboratory, we owe many of the brightest discoveries in organic chemistry. Now, it happened about twenty-five years ago, that the method of pro- ducing thin sheets of India-rubber was applied to the invention of water- proof cloth garments ; and large manufactories for this purpose were estab- lished both in Europe and in America. The celebrated Macintosh fabrics, so popular in the days of stage-coach traveling, belong to this era of the trade. But, unfortunately, one or two awkward circumstances connected with the material, which had hitherto almost escaped notice, began to appear in the most unmistakable manner. India-rubber, it was found, like all other vegetable substances, had a tendency to unite with the oxygen of the atmos- phere, and decompose ; and while perfectly elastic at all ordinary tempera- tures, it had the fatal peculiarity of becoming soft with heat and hard with cold. It was related in South Carolina, that a stout gentleman, traveling one day under a hot sun with a waterproof coat on, became glued up into an outer integument, from which no skill could extricate him. Another unfor- nate man in Michigan, who wore a full suit of the treacherous fabric, was seen to leave a hot room on a cold winter evening, his clothes to all appear- ance quite soft and pliable. Next morning, he was found among the snow on the high road frozen to death, with the fatal garments around him as stiff as buckram, and as hard as iron." From these causes, among others we need not stay to mention, the original India-rubber manufacture gradually sunk in importance, and indeed soon became extinct. But in a few years it was destined to rise from its ashes, and through the persevering experiments of Mr. Charles Goodyear. This gen- tleman, the son of a manufacturer, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in the year 1800. He appears to have inherited a genius for invention, for hia father was the inventor of several useful articles, particularly of the spring steel hay and manure forks, which he manufactured, together with metal and pearl buttons, spoons, sythes, etc. In the year 1826, he went to Phil- adelphia with his family, and engaged in the domestic hardware business, in connection with the manufacturing establishment in Connecticut. This was the first establishment for the sale of domestic hardware in the United States, and was considered by many, a visionary enterprize, for to that period the whole trade in hardware had been in imported articles. It was however for a time eminently successful, and a handsome fortune was accumulated by the firm ; yet, in consequence of too extended operations in different 10 148 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS states, too liberal credits and heavy losses, in 1830 the firm was obliged to suspend payments. About two years after this the manufacture of gum-elastic was begun in the United States, but not in the immediate vicinity of where he then was. He observed all he heard or could ascertain respecting it with critical interest, and commenced experimenting with it, mixing the gum by hand and spread- ing it on a marble slab with a rolling pin. By the disinterested and timely aid of a friend, he was enabled to continue his experiments in this manner, and with the aid of a few hands ho succeeded in making a few hundred pairs of shoes. This manufacture was carried on during the winter of 1835-6, in a small cottage in New Haven, which served also as a family residence. The failure of these experiments was a signal one, as on the return of warm weather they all decomposed and became one mass of melted gum, " This circumstance was very discouraging, and might have induced an}' one of a less enthusiastic turn of mind to abandon the project altogether. But Goodyear, it should seem, was no common-place inventor. With astonish- ing perseverance, he set about acquiring the chemistry of the subject ; and it is pleasing to relate that in this direction his efforts were at length crowned with success. He discovered that if India-rubber were combined at a high temperature with certain proportions of sulphur and the oxide of lead, its whole physical nature was changed, that it was now proof against the process of vegetable decay, and that it remained uniformly elastic under the most considerable variations of temperature. This singular compound he ushered into the world in due time under the title of Vulcanized India-riihber." During the first years of his experiments, until after he had discovered the heating or vulcanizing process, and had become certain that he had obtained his object, he made it an invariable practice to test the various experiments by wearing some article of apparel made from the material, that he might aa soon as possible arrive at correct conclusions, the wearing of gum-elastic about the person being one of the severest tests to which it can be applied. An anecdote is related which exhibits in its true light, the opinion of the public as to his enthusiasm and also as to his poverty. A gentleman, asking how he might recognize him, received for an answer, "If you meet a man who has on an India-rubber cap, stock, coat, vest, and shoes, with an India- rubber purse without a cent of money in it, that is he !" Late in the summer of 1836, Mr. Goodyear removed to Roxbury, Massa- chusetts, where he carried on his experiments with indefatigable perseverance, notwithstanding frequent imprisonments for debt, and the strong opposition of his friends. It was during the winter of 1839-40, a year after the dis- covery of the vulcanization process, and that he became convinced of the real value of his discovery, that the greatest discouragements were met with. During this period his family were sometimes destitute of food and fuel. The great difliculty now remained to bring the minds of others to ap- preciate the subject as he did himself, and it was not until some years later that the manufacture was established on a profitable basis. The importance of this invention was very great. Vulcanized India-rubber after awhile became the rage ; all sorts of things were made from it — rail- way springs and buffers, machinery belts, elastic bands and air-cushions, waterproof garments of every description, all kinds of bandages, and a num- OF AMERICANS. 14^9 ber of surgical instruments. These things all created a large demand for the material ; but it was soon found that the article which consumed most and sold best was the waterproof shoes ; and in a few years after the invention was made public, there sprang up several large establishments in Connecticut, in Rhode Island, in New Jersey, and in Massachusetts, which manufacture about five million pair every year, and give employment to upward of five thousand people. Similar manufactories have also been established in England, Scotland, France, and German}'. It is estimated a capital of fifty millions of dollars, is now employed in the business of Vulcanized India-rubber. Mr. Goodyear, owing to the almost interminable lawsuits which follow upon the heels of every great invention, and the continuation of his expen- sive experiments in developing the applications and uses, and in improving the manufacture, has not to this day realized a competency sufficient to free him from business embarrassments. Large fortunes, however, have been made and are now making by manufacturers in the different kinds of India- rubber goods. SAMUEL COLT, THE INVENTOR OF THE REPEATING FIRE-ARM. War, appears to have been one of the principal occupations of our race. But as mind in this, as in all other callings, is certain to triumph, it so results that the less cultivated nations and races are conquered by the more intel- lectual, who introduce the knowledge of their own arts to the vanquished and thus in the end bless them, through an introductory suffering and defeat. "War is therefore called an instrument of civilization, and, so it is, if we read rightly the lessons taught by historj'. In the earlier ages of the world, wars were of long duration, for so im- perfect was the knowledge of the military art and so rude the weapons in use, that great length of time was necessary to inflict enough injury upon an enemy to compel him to peace. The day however is past, when a war com- menced in one's boyhood will last until he is a grandfather, and then, with a slight intermission be succeeded by another, of as long duration. The in- ventions of modern times have put an end to these interminable wars, by making them too terrible for long continuance, for they leave a memory of them so severe upon the generation engaged, that they are careful not to again rashly enter upon the arena of blood. The efi'ect now is, wars, short and severe, with long intervals of rest, which give the nations the leisure to advance in the arts of peace. In this view this class of inventors must be judged among the benefactors of the race. If a machine were invented and could be readily used, by which a few men could instantly and unfailingly, at once destroy a thousand lives, wars among civilized nations would cease forever, and nations low in the scale would more speedily, and with com- paratively little suffering, be brought under their pupilary subjection. The inventor of such a machine would prove a greater benefactor of bis race, than he who should endow a thousand hospitals. Colonel Samuel Colt, the eminent inventor of the repeating fire-arms, was born at Hartford, Connecticut, July 19, 1814. His father was a manufac- turer of wool, and cotton, and finally of silk, of which last article, he es- tablished the first manufactorv in New England. 150 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS When a lad, young Colt was placed at a school in Amherst, Massachusetts^ from whence, moved by a spirit of adventure, he ran away to Boston, and embarked as a boy before the mast on the ship Corlis, for Calcutta. He re- turned buoyant in spirits, and as much determined to make his own way in the world as ever. By a short apprenticeship in the manufactory of his father, particularly in the department of dyeing and bleaching, he became familiarly acquainted with the leading principles of chemistry which he soon turned to account, for when only seventeen or eighteen years of age he traveled throughout the length and breadth of the United States, and the Canadas " under the assumed name of Dr. Coult, burned more oxj-gen, and administered more laughing gas, to more men, women and children, than any other lecturer, we dare aflSrm, since chemistry was first known as a science. Without jiretension, of course, at this period of his life — then a youth of but seventeen or eighteen years of age — to anything like profound- ness of scientific knowledge, he yet managed, by a ready use of such expe- riments as were dazzling and amusing, and by his dexterity as a manipulator, to win 3, favorable public opinion, and to secure, what was then of especial value to himself, a profit from his entertainments varying from five to fifty dollars a night, and occasionally reaching several hundreds of dollars in amount. All these profits — beyond those required for the supply of his daily wants — were sedulously devoted by the youthful adventurer to the prosecution of that great invention which has since extended his renown throughout the civilized world. For, most remarkably, indeed, it was upon that voyage to which we have already alluded — which he made as a runaway sailor-boy to Calcutta — and while firing for amusement at porpoises and whales, oif the Cape of Good Hope and in the Indian Seas, that he first conceived, and wrought out with a chisel on a si^un-yam, with a common jack-knife and a little iron rod, the rude model, in a piece of white pine, of that fire-arm which now, from the shores of the Pacific to the Japan Seas — over the whole extent of the civilized world — itself reports the triumph of his skill and Hazes his fame. With unwearied assiduity, and a confidence in an ultimately prosperous result which never wavered — though against the vaticinations and dissention of numerous relations and friends — he toiled and improved upon his pet model, until at last he engendered confidence enough in the bosoms of a few capitalists to procure the establishment, at Patterson, New Jersey, of a company, with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars, for the manu- facture of his favorite arm. After having secured, in addition to a patent at home, patents also for his invention in England and in France — countries which he personally visited for the purpose — he returned to America to urge upon his own Government the adoption of his arm. But here at first he met with no success. The supreme authorities at Washington, and officers in the public service, both civil and military, frowned upon his invention. lie used the percussion cap — a bad substitute, it was thought, for the old flint-lock. His arms were more likely to get out of order than those of the old-fashioned construction, and when broken could not so easily be repaired as common arms. These were the main objections. But Colonel Colt, nothing daunted — for discour- OF AMERICANS. 151 agement is no element in his composition — met tlie objectors by careful ex- planations, by numerous experiments, and, what is more, by making constant improvements upon his invention. There was no suggestion, of practical value, from boards of officers convened to examine and report upon his arm, or from other quarters, to which he did not give heed — no thought of his own in this connection which he did not test by experiment — the company of which he was the soul, consuming for this purpose not less than three liundred thousand dollars — and the result was soon manifested in an arm so perfect in its construction as to rouse commendation wherever seen. Leading institutes and societies, within whose proper purview the arm came, and the journals of the country, to a great extent, vied with each other in its praise. The first premium of the American Institute, New York, and of the Me- chanics' Institute in the same city, was, at several fairs, bestowed upon its inventor. Both Colt's pistols and Colt's rifles were eulogized generally as splendid specimens of ingenuity and skill — as surpassing in beauty and cor- rectness of workmanship the best arms of European manufacture — as handled with the greatest facility and ease — as firing with astonishing precision — and as sending forth their successive messengers of death with marvelous celerity, force and effect. These justly merited commendations — and, what is of weightier importance still in this connection, the practical experience of mil- itary men, to a large extent, of the value of these arms — upon the battle- fields of Texas, in the everglades of Florida, and amid the fastnesses and over the plains of Mexico — finally commended their adoption by the Govern- ment of the United States. The testimony in their favor of such men as General Husk and General Houston, of Commodore Moore, of the Texan Navy, of Jack Hayes, Ben. McCuUoch, and numerous other gallant officers of the far-famed Texan Rangers, and of that brave and excellent officer, particularly. Colonel Harney, the Murat of the American army, could not be resisted. "We use them with the greatest possible success," they all af- firmed. " They have far surpassed our expectations. We would not be without them for the world !" This last named officer, Colonel Harney first became acquainted with their merits, in the war with the Semiuoles of Florida. In the hands of his hardy mounted Rangers, they at once became the terror of the red men, and the war was soon brought to a close ; for when the Indians saw their foes fire six times without lowering their weapons to load they knew their former tactics were useless, and surrendered. From the period of this adoption of his arm, the prosperity of Colonel Colt — as was his just meed after years of toil, of trial, of disappointment, but never of failure of hope, or abatement of industry — has run on in one limpid, sparkling, and unbroken stream. By contract demands for his arms from Texas — which he fulfilled, with straitened means, at Whitneyville, Connecticut — by contract demands also from the United States — he was enabled to transfer his enterprise to Hartford, his own native town, upon the banks of the Connecticut, where he has at last succeeded in founding an armory, the most magnificent of its kind, it may be safely alleged, in the known world — an establishment, built in the first place by damming out — a project deemed by many, in its inception, almost superhuman — the waters of the mighty Connecticut in their maddened freshet time — which 152 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS incorporates, in buildings and machinery, a full million of dollars, and gives employment to from six to eight hundred men inside tlie main build- ing, and to numerous hands outside — which dispenses daily, in wages alone, from one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars; and manufactures, year by year, from seventy-five to one hundred thousand arms. The result is the fruit of a market for arms, not confined to the United States, but extending over both the Americas — more or less to the Indias, East and West — to Egypt — even to distant Australia — to remote Asiatic tribes assembled at the great Fairs of Novgorood, and over Europe generally, but especially to England. Here the arms of Colonel Colt, first introduced in splendid style through the World's Fair, were warmly welcomed, and led to the speedy establishment in London of an extensive armory for their manufacture, and to their rapid adoption into the British army and naval service. "In whatever aspect the different observers viewed the American repeat- ers," says an account of the impression they made at the Crystal Palace, "all agreed that perfection had been reached in the art of destruction. None were more astonished than the English, to find themselves so far surpassed in an art which they had studied and practiced for centuries, by a nation whose existence was within the memory of man, and whose greatest triumphs had been in the paths of peaceful industry. Lord Wellington was found often in the American department, pointing out the great advantage of these repeaters to other ofiicers and his friends, and the different scientific as well as popular journals of the country united in one common tribute of praiso to the ingenuity and genius of Colonel Colt. The Institute of Civil En- gineers, one of the most highly scientific and practical Boards of its kind in the world, invited Colonel Colt to read a paper before its members upon the subject of these arms, and two of its meetings were occupied in hearing him, and in discussing the merits of his invention." He was the first American inventor who was ever thus complimented by this celebrated In- stitute, and he received at its hands, for his highly able and interesting paper, the award of a gold medal and a life membership. In addition to his presence before the Institute, Colonel Colt — in high compliment to his experience and skill, appeared, also, upon special invita- tion, before a Select Committee on Small Arms of the British Parliament — and there gave testimony which was gladly received, and deemed of supe- rior practical value. His own statements were amply corroborated at the time, before the same committee, by British officers, and others, who had visited his armory in America, and especially by J. Nasmith, the inventor of the celebrated steam hammer — who, in reply to the inquiry what effect his visit to Colt's manufactory had upon his mind, answered — " It produced a very impressive effect, such as I shall never forget. The first impression was to humble me very considerably. I was in a manner introduced to such a skillful extension of what I knew to be correct principles, but extended in so masterly and wholesale a manner, as made me feel that we were very far behind in carrying cut what we know to be good principles. What struck me at Colonel Colt's was, that the acquaintance with correct princi- ples had been carried out in a bold, ingenious way, and they had been OF AMERICANS. 153 pushed to their full extent ; and the result was the attainment of perfection and economy such as I had never met with before." All tests and examinations to which the repeating arms were subjected in Engh\nd were highly in their favor. Emphatically they spoke for them- selves. The enormous power, nay, the invincibility of British troops armed with them, was demonstrated. "The revolver manufactured by Colonel Colt," said the Dover Telegraph, a public journal, expressing the best and almost imiversal opinion of England upon the arm, "is a weapon that can- not be improved upon. It will, we unhesitatingly predict, prove a panacea for the ills we have so unhappily encountered in the Southern hemisphere. The Caffre hordes will bitterly ' rue the day on which the first terrific dis- charge is poured upon their sable masses.' " And so — a panacea — the re- volver did prove, both with the Cafl're hordes, and with the Scandinavian, upon the bloody plains of the Crimea. The marvelous extension of its use within a few years, in Europe, and over parts of Asia — the establishment by the British Government of an armory of its own, at Enfield, for its manu- ture — the establishment of another by the Russian Government at Tula for the same manufacture— the call upou Colonel Colt, aided in part by some other American establishments, to provide all the important machinery for these new armories — these facts, and hosts of testimonials from all parts of the world, and from the highest sources, attest the unrivaled excellence of the repeating arms of Colonel Colt, and rank him among the most remark- able inventors of the world. But it is not only in the department of arms that Colonel Colt's mechan- ical genius has displayed itself He also invented an apparatus for blowing up vessels, and for coast and harbor defense, which, in his own hands sig- nally successful, and for a time experimented upon under the patronage and at the expense of the American General Government, will yet, we cannot but believe, be adopted as a system, and, to a great extent, take the place of forts and bastions, and Paixhan guns, for maritime defense.' Aside from this, to him, belongs the rare honor, of first succeeding in transmitting tele- graphic communications under water, by an insulated wire, as spoken of more fully in the preceding sketch of Professor Morse. CYRUS H. M'CORMICK, THK INVENTOR OF THE REAPING MACHINE. Inventive talent, as a2)plied to the first great want of man, the produc- tion of food, is as yet in its early infancy. In no department of human in- dustry are the triumphs of inventors to be more signally displayed than ia this ; and although the decree that man by the sweat of his brow shall earn his bread, will never be removed ; yet the benefits which he is to derive through the aid of machinery, in the planting, tilling, and gathering of his crops, and in the application of science to the processes of agriculture, are to effect a revolution of the magnitude of which we can now have no concep- tion. The day is fast waning in which the success of the farmer is con- sidered as guaranteed simply by the exercise of plodding industry. Agri- culture is rapidly taking its true position as the noblest of all vocations, requiring for its successful prosecution the highest faculties of the intellect, and yielding, too, the best of all rewards, vigorous health, independence, and the absence of those temptations which are the curse of the competi- 154 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMEXTS tive avocations of a city life. All honor, then, to those laborers in science and invention, who are doing so mnch to elevate the condition of the agri- culturist, and to cause the earth to jneld more abundantly the riches of nature, for the sustenance and comfort of man. Among the inventions of our countrymen, in aid of agriculture, the reaper of Cyrus H. M'Cormick stands at the bead of the list, as a labor-saving machine, and as having brought honor to the American name, by the inge- nuity displayed in its construction. The inventor is a Virginian by Inrth — a native of the county of Rockbridge, which is in the heart of the State, and in that part known as the Valley of Virginia, long famous for the gen- erous crops which bless the labors of the husbandman. He commenced his career as an inventor about the year 1830, his mind having been given that bent at an early age by his father, Robert M'Cormick, a highly respect- able farmer, of excellent mechanical genius, who had himself patented several machines, and experimented upon a reaping machine as early as 1816, and again in 1831. The trial of this machine of the elder M'Cor- mick in 1831, which was measurably successful in strait, untangled grain, satisfied him that it would not answer any valuable purpose for ordinary harvest operations, and he accordingly abandoned it. His son Cyrus, however, had even then been employing his mind upon the subject ; for during this same harvest, he had actually succeeded in in- venting and putting in operation a machine containing most of the leading features in his present reaper, but wholly different from the plan of that in- vented by the elder M'Cormick. It operated quite well in cutting a por- tion of a late crop of oats on the farm of Mr. John Steele, which adjoined that of his father. The circumstances of this trial, and a description of the machine, were published in the spring of 1834, in the Mechanic's Magazine, of E. K. Minor, of New York. Aside from this, Mr. M'Cormick was at that period occupied Avith the invention of two plows, one of which, called a " hill-side plow," was patented in June, 1831, and the other, designated as a "self-sharpening, hori- zontal plow," was patented in November, 1833. These were both designed for horizontal plowing, and were ingeniously arranged ; and the last named, is said to be the most simple and eifective of its kind. It has not been ex- tensively introduced, for the reason that the reaper became of so much greater importance, as to consume the time and attention of the inventor, to the neglect of the other ; and on the expiration of the patent, he failed in obtaining a renewal by congress. Mr. M'Cormick's first patent for his reaper, was obtained in June, 1834. Several years elapsed before he had it suffi- ciently perfected to be fully satisfied to offer it to the public extensively vpon his own responsihility, which he deemed the proper way to introduce it. This lapse of time was owing to the very limited i:)eriod given in each year — the harvest season — for experimenting upon it, and making the imjirovements which experience suggested. In the year 1841, he first advertised his reaper in the public prints of Virginia, on a full guarantee of its performance. In this original advertise- ment, he says that, " Having satisfied himself that, after several years of labor and attention in improving and completing his invention, he had triumphantly succeeded in effecting his object with as much perfection as OF AMERICANS. 155 the principle admits of, or is now desirable ; performing all that would be expected, viz : the cutting of all kinds of small grain, in almost all the various situations in which it may be found, whether on level or mode- ratelj-^-hilly lands, whether long or short, heavy or light, straight, tangled, or leaning, in the best possible manner, by a machine operated by horse- power, with little friction or strain upon any of its parts, and without com- plication, and, therefore not subject to get out of order, but strong and durable — that operates with great saving of labor and grain." Soon after the advertisement of Mr. M'Cormick, and subsequent to the harvest of 1842, numerous testimonials, to the great value of the invention, were published in the papers of the State. One of these, from Mr. W. M. Peyton, an eminent agriculturist, we insert for its full description of its advantages as a labor-saving machine. " I have tested it satisfactorily in every grade and condition of wheat : in that which was very light, as well as that which would have yielded, but for the rust, from thirty to forty bushels per acre ; in that which was erect, and in that which was tangled and fallen, and found it to operate in every instance with surprising neatness and eflSciency — scarcely leaving a head and but slightly influenced in the number of acres cut in a given time, by the condition of the grain. It was found to cut tangled and fallen grain, wherever it was not too flat to be reached by the sickle, as well as that which was standing. The neatness and completeness with which the crop is saved, is scarcely conceivable to one who has not witnessed its work. Those most wedded to the cradle, admit that the reaper Avill save, on an average, at least one more bushel to the acre in standing wheat than the best cradling, while in tangled grain the saving would be augmented double, treble, or even quadruple that amount. So that the machine, which costs only a hundred dollars, will pay for itself in cutting an ordinary crop. " The machine, too, is simple and substantial ; of course, not liable to get out of order ; and when, from casualty, deranged or broken, easily rectified or repaired by an ordinary mechanic. It will cut with facility fifteen acres per day ; and when pushed, at least twenty. Two hands attend it with ease, as rider and raker, relieving each other regularly, and five or six will bind the grain with more ease, than they would bind the same quantity of grain after cradlers and rakers, as the machine leaves it strait, and in piles large enough for several sheaves. It is fully equal to five choice cradlers, who would require five rakers and five binders to follow them, making fifteen in all. Thus you see there is a saving of the labor of eight 'hands in every day's cutting of the reaper. It performs equally well on rolling and undulating as on level land, and by taking steep hills obliquely, so "as to graduate the ascent, the difficulty with them will in a great degree be obviated." Another prominent Virginia farmer. General Corbin Braxton, also testified: "It has been worked this harvest under almost every disadvantage which it was possible to bring to bear against it, in consequence of the unprecedented weather we have had. It will cut any wheat that is not too low for the reel and teeth to reach it. It docs not appear to mo to be as liable to get out of order as a common cradle, and I should think it would be very durable. The reaper has cut all descriptions of wheat : green, ripe, rusted as badly aa 156 ADYEXTUrvES AND ACHIEVEMENTS wheat could have it, lying and standing ; and I think that every farmer cutting fifty acres of wheat would find it to his advantage to have one. No weather has prevented the reaper from working, except when the ground was so soft as to mire the wheels." From this time the reaper went into public use, gaining favor regularly as it became more widely known, until the year 1845, when a second patent was granted for improvements in the cutting apparatus, and in the method of dividing and sepsirating the grain to be cut, from that to be left on tho field for the next swath. In 1847, Mr. M'Cormick obtained a third patent, for the improvement of so arranging his machine as to be able to carry tha man upon it, whose duty it was to discharge the cut grain from the plat- form of the machine on the ground, out of the track of the horses, iu passing the next time. With these patented improvements, together with such others as sug- gested themselves from year to year iu perfecting the details, "M'Cov- mick's Reaper" has been steadily winning its way into favor, and holding its position of superiority over all others. Its first trial with a competitor, was with Hussey's Keaper, at Richmond, Virginia, in the harvest of 1843, when there was no other machine of the kind known in the world. It was a signal triumph for M'Cormick's Reaper. But the event which more than anything else served to give it a wide reputation, was the honor it won at the "World's Fair," in London, in 1851. When first seen at the exhibition of the Crystal Palace, it was the great butt of ridicule of the English press. The London Times sneered at it as a curious affair, resembling "a cross between an Astley chariot, a tread-mill, and a flying-machine." When the English people had an opportunity of witnessing its working powers in a field of grain, their sneers were changed to cheers, and there appeared almost no bounds to the enthusiasm with which they alluded to it. The London Times said it was the most valuable article on exhibition from any country, and was of sufficient value to compensate for the whole expense of the World's Fair. In fact its triumph was the first and most important event of the exhibition in retrieving the reputation of our country, from the ridicule which the meagerness of our contributions had called forth, com- pared with the rich, elegant, and large display of fine goods and gew-gaws of other countries. Its success on this occasion resulted in the award to Mr. M'Cormick of " The Great Council Medal," which was the highest class premium granted, and which was given to no other single agricultural im- plement at the exhibition. No less signal was the triumph of M'Cormick's Reaper at the Great In- dustrial Exhibition of all Nations, at Paris, in 1855. It was there brought in competition with the American machines of Hussey and Manny — that of Bell's, of Scotland, with one or two others of French production. To it, then, as a combined reaper and mower, upon tho most thorough test of its powers made in the field, in cutting wheat, oats, and grass, was awarded tho only "Grand Medal of Honor" given to any single agricultural implement on exhibition. The Hon. Wm. Elliott, Commissioner of the State of South Carolina, who was present, in his report to the governor of that State, says : " I had the pleasure of witnessing the trial of M'Cormick's machine, and second triumph in the field of Trappes, where model implements, selected OF AMERICANS. 157 from France and England, were brought in competition with it only to test its superiority. Its success was so distinguished as to disarm envy, and bring down generous cheers from the vanquished parties." The "La Fresse," the most extensively circulated newspaper in France, on this occa- sion devoted no less than four columns to a minute historical sketch and description of the machine, in connection with an account of the extraor dinary results of these trials. At the Paris exhibitions of 1856-7, the first premiums were awarded to M'Cormick's Reaper ; and to the same was awarded the first premium of the United States Agricultural Society, in July, 1857, at a trial at Syracuse of about twenty of the most prominent reapers of the United States. The rapidity with which the farmer can, by this machine, cut his grain, when in the proper state, has greatly stimulated production in our countrv. For grass-cutting it operates with equal advantage, proportional to the amount of that crop. M'Cormick's Reaper may be said to be to the great West, what Whitney's cotton gin is to the South — a machine of incalculable advantages in developing the resources of the country. In the broad prairies of the West it has full scope for its triumphs ; some four thousand of them being annually manufactured at Chicago, mainly for the use of the Western farmers. ISAAC M. SINGEB, AND THE SEWING MACHINK. The SKWiNG MACHINK does great honor to the inventive genius of our countrymen. This machine is not, however, the result of the ingenuity of one mind, but appears to have been brought to its present state of usefulness by the successive inventions of many individuals, which, when properly combined has resulted in au invention, whose pecuniary benefits cannot be measured by millions, and which in the emanci- pation of the wives, mothers, and daughters of the land from a most unhealthy kind of labor, is destined to prove one of the greatest of human blessings. The magnitude of this invention, can hardly be appreciated. It is esti- mated that in civilized countries more than one half of the adult jjortion of the human race are almost wholly employed in the use of the needle, and much of this sewing is of a kind which rapidly wears upon the system, pro- ducing premature disease and death. The sewing machine was precisely the invention most needed by the world. The first sewing machine of which there is any account was of French invention, and was a tambour machine of simple contrivance, which was used for the purpose of ornamenting the backs of gloves, and marking cloths. It operated with one needle and a single thread, making what is commonly called the single chain stitch. This machine was not adapted to general purposes, the seam sewed by it could readily be raveled out, and therefore it never was much used. The next machine or machines for sewing, for there were two or more of them, differing in form and arrangement, but alike in their essential princi- ples of operation, were invented, constructed, exhibited, and sold by Walter Hunt, of the City of New-York, in the years 183-i and 1835. The next sewing machine in order, and the first upon which a patent was 158 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS obtained in the United States, was invented by John J. Greenough, Esq. His patent bears date February 1, 1842. Mr. Greenough's machine was made to sew with two threads, both of which were entirelj' passed through the cloth at every stitch ; a mode of operation which in actual practice pre- sents difficulties. George R. Corliss, of Greenwich, N. Y., was the inventor and patentee of the next sewing machine, his patent bearing date December 27, 1843. This was also a machine which sewed with two threads in a manner somewhat similar to that of Mr. Greenough, and was subject to the like objections. On the 10th of September, 1846, letters patent were granted to Elias Howe, Jr., a machinist of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This machine had been invented the year previous. The prominent feature of this invention, was the combination of the needle and shuttle. In 1849, Lerow and Blodget obtained a patent on what is called the Rotary Sewing Machine. Owing to the defects of these various machines, they failed to come into general use, and the public became so repeatedly disappointed and deceived, that they were prepared to regard any man as an imposter who should speak of offer- ing a sewing machine, no matter how perfect it should be. But intellect was at work, overcoming the defects of these previous attempts, until at last Isaac M. Singer, a native of Pittstown, Rensellaer County, New York, invented a machine, which was so superior to all its predecessors as to convince the public of the practicability of the sewing machine, for general use : and this was just what Fulton did for the steamboat. In October, 1851, he exhibited his machine at the Fair of the American Institute, and was awarded a premium of the first class — a gold medal. Similar testimonials have been awarded to this invention at seven fairs in the various States. It has rarely happened that any great invention, under the most favorable circumstances, has made an equal progress with this, in so short a time. The machines are in most profitable use in all parts of the country, and the world, and for a great variety of purposes. They are capable of stitching the finest linen or heavy leather, and any kind' or quality of materials between these extremes, and the work is strong and exceedingly beautiful. The Straight Needle Sewing Machine, has estab- lished its reputation as one of the most important labor-saving instruments ever devised. Since the first patent granted to I. M. Singer, for the sewing machine, on the 12th day of August, 1851, seventeen other distinct patents have been issued to him in the United States, upon the same subject. The same im- provements have also been patented in several foreign countries. Mr. Singer has, therefore, " the exclusive right to numerous mechanical devices, without the use of which no sewing machine can be made to ope- rate to advantage ;" and, where used by others, it is either by a contract with him or b}^ an infringement of his legal rights. Scarcely any invention is ever made without an infringement on the rights of the inventor. Persons unacquainted with patents are apt to sup- pose that if a man has a patent upon a device in a machine, he must there- fore have the right to make and sell such machine. This is a great mistake. There are at this moment between one hundred and a hundred and fifty patents in this country on the sewing machine. These patents are, for the OF AMERICANS. 159 most part, for minor improvements of little practical importance, and the law is that no patentee of an improvement on a machine can use anything secm-ed by a previous patent without the consent of the prior inventor. Hence it follows that it is now utterly impossible to make a sewing machine of any kind of any practical utility without directly infringing several sub- sisting patents, the validity of which cannot be questioned. In the year 1855, Singer's sewing machine, received the prize, in the French National Exhibition, in Paris. These machines are now used by the French government, for the manufacture of the clothes of the French army and navy. A manufactory has been established in Paris, and the right to use his patents in France sold for 100,000 dollars. On the 6th of February, 1849, a patent was granted to Charles Morey and Joseph B. Johnson, of Massachusetts, upon a machine which made a seam with a single thread by means of a needle and a hook, acting in combination ; and for certain pur- poses, it is a very valuable invention. Beside these are a large number of inventions, mostly worthless, or only very limited in the uses to which they can be applied. The four prom- inent sewing machines before the countrj^, which can be used for a variety of purposes, are Singer's, "VVheeleb and Wilson's, Gkoveb and Baker's, Hunt, Webster & Go's. These four machines, beside being covered by various patents peculiar to each, are indebted to the prior invention of Howe for the needle used. For the right to use his patent needle, the four pay Mr. Howe more than $100,000 per annum. The sewing machine has already been introduced to such an extent that some calculation may be made of its eflect as a social element. It was pre- dicted that its use would bear with peculiar hardship upon the sewing girl, whose oppressed condition has long excited the sympathies of the philan- thropic ; but it is evident this has not been the result, and the strong preju- dice which for several years resisted the introduction of the sewing machine, has been gradually overcome. The following incident, which occurred about four years ago, is related by Singeb, and shows the nature of the resistance then experienced : " We were sitting in our office one pleasant afternoon, when a tall lady dressed in black entered, and with rapid step advanced to the sewing machine on exhibition. 'Are you,' she asked, 'the inventor of this machine ?' ' I am,' was the reply. ' Then,' she rejoined, with a fierce expression, 'you ought to be hung!' Having delivered herself of this opinion, she abruptly left the office." It was not anticipated that the price of hand labor would advance, as the machines were brought into operation. Yet such is the fact. It is undenia- bly true, that the wages of hand labor in the principal branches of industry in which sewing machines are most employed, has advanced nearly or quite fifty per cent., within the last four years. With all the aid to be derived from the machines, many manufacturers find it difficult to procure their work to be done. The truth is that the quantity of work increases with the capacity to perform it, and, consequently, the mechanic will never be unem- ployed because of the introduction of machinery, while in common with the whole communitj', he will be directly benefited by the cheapening of articles of necessity and luxury which he may Avish to buy. 160 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS The sewing machine also stimulates various other branches of manufac- ture. Among those in connection with it worthy of notice, is the great im- provement which has taken place in the quality of sewing silk, twist, thread, etc., made necessary by the rapid and accurate movement of the sewing machine. We now produce thread in this country, which far exceeds any of foreign importation, in strength and evenness of texture. If the foreign and domestic are looped together and jerked asunder, the former, even of the best descriptions, has been found to yield in the greatest number of in- stances. Several thread factories have been established to meet the increased demand. We conclude this subject by quoting a few paragraphs from the pen of an intelligent writer upon the sewing machine, in its social and sanitary aspects. "We have from examination a most thorough conviction of the advan- tages of sewing machines for family use, and for sewing generally in all its varieties. They sew every kind of material, working equally well upon silk, linen, woollen, and cotton goods ; seaming, quilting, gathering, hem- ming, etc., with a strength and beauty superior to any hand work. They are elegant in model and finish, simple and thorough in construction, quiet and rapid in operation ; easily managed ; and make a firm and durable seam equally beautiful upon each side, with great economy of thread. The speed averages about twelve hundred stitches per minute, though it may be run at double this. In manufacturing skirts where about ten stitches to the inch are made, one tlwusand yards of straight sewing is an average day's work of ten hours. It is sometimes run as high as one hundred and fifty yards jjer hour. Fifty dozens of shirt collars, or six dozens of shirt bosoms are a day's work. They are estimated to do the work of twelve seamstresses. The wages of a good operator at family sewing, are, we believe, two dollars per day. They have done much to elevate and extend the sphere of female industry. The uses of the needle have been multiplied. Processes now executed by machines have been heretofore performed by various implements. The cheapening of manufactures has so much increased their consumption, that not only are the interests of humanity subserved, but avenues of employ- ment have been opened to female industry heretofore occupied by men. It is, however, rather from a professional and sanitarj- point of view that Ave purpose to consider them particularlj'. The physical evils resulting from the use of the needle are of modern date ; the few and simple robes of ancestral times, taxed but slightly the wives and daughters of those days. It is in this period of increased manu- facture of fabrics, that the burden has fallen so heavily upon woman : and resulted in such frightful consequences to health, virtue and happiness. We are inclined to analyze these phenomena rather than dismiss them with vague expressions. The attitude in hand sewing is unhealthfuh There is always more or less stooping of the head and shoulders, tending to retard circulation, respiration, digestion, and produce curvature of the spine. The erect, position is the healthy one. The head should be raised and the shoulders thrown back to give the lungs full play. The frequent long drawn breath of the seamstress, OF AMERICANS. 161 evinces the cramping and confinement of the lungs. Health cannot be ex- pected without free respiration. The life-giving element is in the atmo- sphere, and without it in due abundance disease must supervene. Again, the stillness required for hand sewing is destructive to health. The hands and arms alone move ; the body and lower limbs are motionless, which tend to paralysis. Confinement in the stocks would be hardly more barbarous. Strength and robustness must come from exercise. This con- fined attitude is in violation of correct theories of healthy physical develop- ment — the instincts of nature. Those accustomed to sit writing for hours, day after day, can form some idea of the exhausting nature of this work. The minute attention required, and the strain upon the eyes, are not the least evils resulting from hand sewing. Attention cannot be intermitted and have the work go on. The eye must be fixed, in order to measure the stitch. The fineness of the needle and thread, the various colored fabrics, and the precision that good work requires, tax the eyesight more than any other business. We must reflect, too, that this labor is demanded under most unfavorable circumstances : dim lights, dark and close rooms — day and night for years. Nothing could be better devised for ruining health. What wonder that needle women are pale, nervous, and careworn, or that our women generally look old at an early age ! The operation of hand sewing injures the intellect, also, by affecting the health, and deranging the nerves ; while the work itself is of a most belittling character, requiring no mental exercise, and furnishing no food for thought. The head grows dizzy and the eyes swim over the monotonous task. Ex- ercise invigorates the mind as well as the body. As the flesh becomes flabby, and the circulation languid from inaction, so the mind tends to im- becility without invigorating exercise. If the mental and moral constitu- tion of the mother molds that of the child, what results must flow from a constant occupation that belittles the soul and benumbs the intellect ? Chil- dren, healthy in body and mind, cannot be born of mothers whose constitu- tions have been undermined by employment so unhealthy. Physiological lectures and treatises are valueless if their teachings are thus systematically ignored. It is not the seamstress alone that suffers ; — the wives and mothers bear quite as wearying burdens. She who should be the light and life of the household, whose loving heart and cheerful voice and countenance should inspire gladness, is a drudge, a slave to the wardrobe, exhausting her ener- gies upon an endless task to the neglect of accomplishments, the culture of her children, and most of the charities and amenities of life. What but the most ardent attachment can blind any young woman to court such a destiny ? These evils may have been heretofore unavoidable, but the ne- cessity exists no longer. That the sewing machine is calculated to furnish full and permanent relief to the evils above specified, we most firmly be- lieve. The attitude of the operator is erect and graceful ; the movement of the lower limbs in giving it motion, is invigorating ; its mechanism, and rapid, precise, and beautiful operations excite mental energy, while the week-long work of the wardrobe is reduced to a few hours. It is indispen- sable in a well-regulated family ; and parents should regard the outfit of a 102 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS daughter incomplete without one. The piano, which she will have no time to use, is of secondary importance to an invention that will relieve her of so many hours of wearying labor. The expense is not to be compared with the saving in time and the curtailment of medical expenses. Woman's agency in the movements of the day is too valuable to be dis- pensed with. — Her position, sensibilities, and virtuous inclinations mark her as pioneer in the moral, social and hygienic reforms. Now that mechanical genius has redeemed her time, relieved her from the drudgery of hand sewing, and rendered it a pleasing and healthful employment, we hope to see her more appropriately fulfilling her noble mission." REMARKABLE ADVENTURES ISRAEL R. POTTER, WHO WAS A SOLDIER IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, AND TOOK A DISTINGUISHED PART IN THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, IN WHICH HE RECEIVED THREE WOUNDS ; AFTER WHICH HE WAS TAKEN PRISONER BY THE BHITISH AND CONVEYED TO ENG- LAND, WHERE FOR THIRTY YEARS HE OBTAINED A LIVELIHOOD FOR HIMSELF AND FAMILY BY CRYING 'OLD CHAIRS TO MEND," THROUGH THE STREETS OF LONDON. HE DID NOT SUCCEED IN OBTAINING A PASSAGE TO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY UNTIL THE YEAR 1823, WHEN HE WAS IN THE SEVENTY-NINTH YEAR OF HIS AGE, AND AFTER AN ABSENCE OF FORTY-EIGHT YEARS. I WAS born of reputable parents in the town of Cranston, State of Rhode Ishmd, August 1, 1744. I continued with my parents there, in the full enjoyment of parental affection and indulgence, until I arrived at the age of eighteen, when, having formed an acquaintance with the daughter of a Mr. Richard Gardner, a near neighbor, for whom (in the opinion of my friends) entertaining too great a degree of partiality, I was reprimanded, and threatened by them with more severe punishment, if my visits were not discontinued. Disappointed in my intentions of forming an union with one whom I really loved, I deemed the conduct of my parents in this respect unreasonable and oppressive, and formed the determination to leave them, for the purpose of seeking another home and other friends. It was on Sunday, while the family were at meeting, that I packed up as many articles of my clothing as could be contained in a pocket-hand- kerchief, which, with a small quantity of provision, I conveyed to and secreted in a piece of woods in the rear of my father's house ; I then re- turned and continued in the house until about nine in the evening, when, with the pretense of retiring to bed, I passed into a back room, and from thence out of a back door, and hastened to the spot where I had deposited my clothes, etc. It was a warm summer's night, and that I might be ena- bled to travel with the more facility the succeeding day, I lay down at the foot of a tree and reposed myself until about four in the morning, when I arose and commenced my journey, traveling westward, with an intention of reaching, if possible, the new countries, which I had heard highly spoken of as affording excellent prospects for industrious and enterprising young men. To evade the pursuit of my friends, by whom I knew I should be oftrly missed and diligently sought for, I confined my travel to the woods and shunned the -public roads, until I had reached the distance of about twelve miles from my father's house. At noon the succeeding day I reached Hartford, in Connecticut, and ap- 11 (1G3) 164 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS plied to a farmer in that town for work, and for whom I agreed to labor for one month for the sum of six dollars. Having completed my month's AV'ork to the satisfiiction of my employer, I received ray money and started from Hartford for Otter Creek; but, when I reached Springfield, I met with a man bound to the Cahos country, and who offered me four dollars to accomi:)any him, of which offer I accepted ; and the next morning we left Springfield, and in a canoe ascended Connecticut lliver, and in about two weeks, after much hard labor in paddling and poleing the boat against the current, we reached Lebanon, New Hampshire, the place of our destination. It was with some difficulty, and not until I had procured a writ by the assistance of a respectable innkeeper in Lebanon by the name of Hill, that I obtained from my last employer the four dollars which he had agreed to pay me for my services. From Lebanon, I crossed the river to New Hartford (then New York), where I bargained with a Mr. Brink of that town for two hundred acres of new land, lying in New Hampshire, and for which I was to labor for him four months. As this may appear to some a small consideration for so great a number of acres of land, it may be well here to acquaint the reader with the situation of the country in that quarter, at that earlj' period of its settlement — which was an almost impenetrable wilderness, containing but few civilized inhabitants, far distantly situated from each other and from any considerable settlement ; and whose temporary habitations with a few exceptions were constructed of logs in their natural state — the woods abounded with wild beasts of almost every description peculiar to this country, nor were the few inhabitants at that time free from serious ajj- preheusion of being at some unguarded moment suddenly attacked and destroyed, or conveyed into captivity by the savages, who from the com- mencement of the French war, had improved every favorable opportunity to cut off the defenseless inhabitants of the frontier towns. After the expiration of my four months' labor, the person who had jDro- mised me a deed of two hundred acres of land therefor, having refused to fulfill his engagements, I was obliged to engage with a partj- of his majesty's surveyors at fifteen shillings per month, as an assistant chain -bearer, to sur- vey the wild unsettled lands bordering on the Connecticut River to its source. It was in the wdnter season, and the snow so deep that it was impossible to travel without snow-shoes. At the close of each day we enkindled a fire, cooked our victuals and erected with the branches of hemlock a temporary hut, which served us for shelter for the night. The surveyors having com- pleted their business returned to Lebanon, after an absence of about two months. Receiving my wages, I purchased a fowling-piece and ammunition therewith, and for the four succeeding months devoted my time in hunting deer, beavers, etc., in which I was very successful, as in the four months I obtained as many skins of these animals as produced me forty dollars. With my money I purchased of a Mr. John Marsh, one hundred acres of new land, lying on Water-Quechy River (so called), about five miles from Hart- ford, New York. On this land I went immediately to work, erected a small log hut thereon, and in two summers, without any assistance, cleared up thirty acres fit for sowing. In the winter seasons I employed my time in hunting and entrapping such animals whose hides and furs were esteemed OF AMERICANS. 165 of the most value. I remained in possession of my land two years, and then disposed of it to the same person of whom I purchased it, at the advanced price of two hundred dollars, and then conveyed my skins and furs which I had collected the two preceding winters, to No. 4 (now Charlestown), where I exchanged them for Indian blankets, wampcag, and such other articles as I could conveniently convey on a hand-sled, and with which I started for Canada, to barter with the'*Indians for furs. This proved a very profitable trip, as I very soon disposed of every article at an advance of more than two hundred per cent., and received payment in furs at a re- duced price, and for which I received, in No. 4, two hundred dollars, cash. With this money, together with what I was before in possession of, I now set out for home, once more to visit my parents after an absence of two years and nine months, in which time my friends had not been enabled to receive any correct information of me. On my arrival, so greatly affected were my parents at the presence of a son whom they had considered dead, that it was some time before either could become sufficiently composed to listen to or request me to furnish them with an account of my travels. Soon after my return, as some atonement for the anxiety which I had caused my parents, I presented them with most of the money that I had earned in my absence, and formed the determination that I would remain with them contented at home, in consequence of a conclusion from the wel- come reception that I met with, that they had repented of their opposition, and had become reconciled to my intended union — but, in thi.s, I soon found that I was mistaken ; for, although overjoyed to see me alive, whom they had supposed really dead, no sooner did they find that long absence had in- creased rather than diminished my attachment for their neighbor's daughter, than their resentment and opposition appeared to increase in proportion — in consequence of which I formed the determination again to quit them, and try my fortune at sea, as I had now arrived at an age in which I had an unquestionable right to think and act for myself. After remaining at home one month, I applied for and procured a berth at Providence, on board the sloop , Captain Fuller, bound for Grenada. After this voyage was finished, I made several other voyages, the last of which was of three years' duration, in a whaler to the South Seas. I returned from my last voyage perfectly sick of the sea, remained with my friends at Cranston a few weeks, and then hired nn'self to a Mr. James "Waterman, of Coventry, for twelve months, to work at farming. This was in the year 1774, and I continued with him about six months, when the diffi- culties which had for some time prevailed between the Americans and Brit- ish, had now arrived at that crisis as to render it certain that hostilities would soon commence in good earnest between the two nations ; in con- sequence of which, the Americans at this period began to prepare themselves for the event— companies were formed in several of the towns in New Eng- land, who received the appellation of "minute men," and who were to hold themselves in readiness to obey the first summons of their officers, to march at a moment's notice. A company of this kind was formed in Coventry, into which I enlisted. It was on a Sabbath morning that news was received of the destruction of the provincial stores at Concord, and of the massacre of our countrymen 166 ADVENTUPvES AND ACHIEVEMENTS at Lexington, bj a detached party of the British troops from Boston : and I immediately thereupon received a summons from the captain, to be pre- pared to march with the company early in the morning ensuing. By the break of day on Monday morning, I swung my knapsack, shouldered my musket, and with the company commenced my march with a quick step for Charlestown, where we arrived before sunset, and remained encamped in the vicinity until about noon of the 16th June ; when, having been pre- viously joined by the remainder of the regiment from Rhode Island, to which our company was attached, we received orders to proceed and join a detachment of about one thousand American troops, which had that morn- ing taken possession of Bunker Hill, and which we had orders immediately to fortify, in the best manner that circumstances would admit of. AVe labored all night without cessation and with very little refreshment, and by the dawn of day succeeded in throwing up a redoubt of eight or nine rods square. As soon as our works were discovered by the British in the morning, they commenced a heavy fire upon us, which was supported by a fort on Copp's Hill ; we, however (under the command of the intrepid Putnam), continued to labor like beavers until our breastwork was com- pleted. About noon, a number of the enemy's boats and barges, filled with ti'oops landed at Charlestown, and commenced a deliberate march to attack us. We were now harangued by General Putnam, who reminded us, that ex- hausted as we were, by our incessant labor through the preceding night, the most important part of our duty was yet to be performed, and that much would be expected from so great a number of excellent marksmen, he charged us to be cool, and to reserve our fire until the enemy ap- proached so near as to enable us to see the white of their eyes. When within about ten rods of our works, we gave them the contents of our muskets, which were aimed with such good effect, as soon, to cause them to turn their backs and to retreat with a much quicker step than that with which they approached us. We were now again harangued by " old General Put," as he was termed, and requested by him to aim at the officers, should the enemy renew the attack — which they did in a few- moments, with a reinforcement. Their approach was with a slow step, which gave us an excellent opportunity to obey the commands of our gen- eral in bringing down their officers. I feel but little disposed to boast of my own performances on this occasion, and will only say, that after de- voting so many months in hunting the wild animals of the wilderness, while an inhabitant of New Hampshire, the reader will not suppose me a bad or inexperienced marksman, and that such were the fiiir shots which the epauletted red-coats presented in the two attacks, that every shot which they received from me, I am confident on another occasion would have pro- duced me a deer-skin. So warm was the reception the enemy met with in their second attack, that they again found it necessary to retreat; but soon after receiving a fresh reinforcement, a third assault was made, in which, in consequence of our ammunition failing, they too well succeeded. A close and bloody engage- ment now ensued — to fight our way through a very considerable body of the enemy, with clubbed muskets (for there were not one in twenty of us pro- OF AMERICANS. 1G7 vided with bayonets) were now the only means left us to escape. The con- flict, which was a sharp and severe one, is still fresh in my memory, and cannot be forgotten by me while the scars of the wounds which I then re- ceived, remain to remind me of it. Fortunately for me, at this critical moment I was armed with a cutlass, which although without an edge and much rust-eaten, I found of infinite more service to me than my musket. In one instance, I am certain, it was the means of saving my life — a blow with a cutlass was aimed at my head by a British officer, which I parried and received only a slight cut with tlie point on my right arm near the elbow, which I was then unconscious of; but this slight wound cost my an- tagonist at the moment a much more serious one, which effectually dis- armed him, for with one well-directed stroke I deprived him of the power of very soon again measuring swords with a Yankee rebel ! We finally, however, should have been mostly cut off, and compelled to yield to a su- perior and better equipped force, had not a body of three or^four hundred Connecticut men formed a temporary breastwork, with rails, etc., and by this means held the enemy at bay until onr main body had time to ascend the heights, and retreat across the neck. In this retreat I was less for- tunate than many of my comrades — I received two musket-ball wounds, one in my hip and the other near the ankle of my left leg. I succeeded, however, without any assistance in reaching Prospect Hill, where the main body of the Americans had made a stand and commenced fortifying. From thence I was soon after conveyed to the hospital iu Cambridge, where my wounds were dressed and the bullet extracted from my hip by one of the surgeons ; the liouse was nearly filled with the poor fellows who, like my- self, had received wounds in the late engagement, and presented a mel- ancholy spectacle. I suffered much pain from the wound which I received in my ankle ; the bone was badly fractured and several pieces were extracted by the surgeon, and it was six weeks before I was sufficiently recovered to be able to join my regiment quartered on Prospect Hill, where they had thrown up in- trcnchments Avithin the distance of little more than a mile of the enemy's camp, which was in full view, they having intrenched themselves on Bun- ker Hill after the engagement. On the 3d July, to the great satisfaction of the Americans, General Wash- ington arrived from the south to take command. I was then confined in the hospital, but as far as my observations could extend, he met with a joy- ful reception, and his arrival was welcomed by every one throughout the camp. The British quartered in Boston began soon to suffer much from the scarcity of provisions, and General Washington took every precaution to prevent their gaining a supply. From the country all supplies could be easily cut ofT, and to prevent their receiving any from tories and other dis- affected persons by water, the general found it necessarj' to equip two or three armed vessels to intercept them ; among these was the brigantino Washington of ten guns, commanded by Capt. Martindale. As seamen, at this time, could not easily be obtained, most of them having enlisted in the land service, permission was given to any of the soldiers who should be pleased to accept of the offer, to man these vessels— consequently myself 168 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS with several others of the same regiment went on board of the Washington, then lying at Plymouth, and in complete order for a cruise. We set sail about the 8th December, and had been out but three days when we were caj^tured by the enemy's ship Foy, of twenty guns, who took us all out and put a prize crew on board the Washington — the Foy pro- ceeded with us immediately to Boston Bay, where we Avere put on board the British frigate Tartar, and orders given to convey us to England. When two or three days out, I projected a scheme (with the assistance of my fellow prisoners, seventy-two in number) to take the ship, in which we should undoubtedly have succeeded, as we had a number of resolute fellows on board, had it not been for the treachery of a renegade Englisliman, who betrayed us. As I was pointed out by the fellow as the principal in the plot, I was ordered in irons by the officers of the Tartar, iu which situation I remained until the arrival of the ship at Portsmouth, England, when I was brought on deck and closely examined ; but protesting my innocence, and what was very fortunate for me in the course of the examination, the person by whom I had been betrayed, having been proved a British de- serter, his story was discredited and I was relieved of my irons. The prisoners were now all thoroughly cleansed and conveyed to the ma- rine hospital on shore, where many of us took the small-pox the natural way from some whom we found in the hospital affected with that disease, which proved fatal to nearly one half our number. From the hospital those of us who survived were conveyed to Spithead, and put on board a guard-ship, where I had been confined with my fellow prisoners about a month, when I was ordered into the boat, to assist the bargemen (in consequence of the absence of one of their gang) in rowing the lieutenant on shore. As soon as we reached the shore and the officer landed, it was proposed by some of the boat's crew to resort for a few moments to an ale-house, in the vicinity, to treat themselves to a few pots of beer ; which being agreed to by all, I thought this a favorable opportunity, and the only one that might present, to escape from my floating prison, and felt determined not to let it pass unimproved ; accordingly, as the boat's crew were about to enter the house, I expressed a necessity of my separating from them a few moments, to Avhich they, not suspecting any design, readily assented. As soon as I saw them all snugly in and the door closed, I gave speed to my legs, and ran, as I then concluded, about four miles without once halting. I steered my course toward London, as when there by mingling with the crowd I thought it probable that I should be least suspected. AVhen I had reached the distance of about ten miles from where I quit the bargemen, and beginning to think myself in little danger of apprehension should any of them be sent by the lieutenant in pursuit of me, as I was leisurely passing a public house, I was noticed and hailed by a naval officer at the door with " Ahoy, what ship ?" — " No ship," was my reply, on which he ordered me to stop, but of which I took no other notice than to observe to him, that if he would attend to his own business I would proceed quietly about mine. This rather increasing than diminishing his suspicions that I was a deserter, garbed as I was, he gave chase. Finding myself closely pursued and unwilling again to be made a prisoner, if possible to escape, I had now once more to trust my legs, and should have succeeded OF AMERICAES. 169 had not the officer, on finding himself likely to be distanced, set up a cry of "Stop thief!" which brought numbers out of their houses and workshops, who, joining in the pursuit, succeeded after a chase of nearly a mile in overhauling me. By the officer I was conveyed back to the inn, and left in custody of two soldiers — the former (previous to retiring) observing to the landlord, that believing me to be a true blooded Yankee, requested him to supply me at his expense with as much liquor as I should call for. The house was thronged early in the evening by many of the " good and faithful subjects of King George," who had assembled to take a peep at the " Yankee rebel " (as they termed me), who had so recently taken an active part in the rebellious war, then raging in his majesty's American provinces. As for myself, I thought it best not to be reserved, but to reply readily to all their inquiries ; for while my mind was wholly employed in devising a plan to escape from the custody of my keepers, so far from manifesting a disposition to resent any of the insults offered me, or my country, to prevent any susp cions of my designs, I feigned myself not a little pleased with their observations and in no way dissatisfied with my situation. As the officer had left orders with the landlord to supplj' me with as much liquor as I should be pleased to call for, I felt determined to make my keepers merry at his expense, if possible, as the best means that I could adopt to effect my escape. The evening having become now far spent and the company mostly retiring, my keepers (who, to use a sailor's phrase, I was hapi)y to dis- cover " half seas over") having much to my dissatisftiction furnished me with a pair of handcuffs, spread a blanket by the side of their bed on which I was to repose for the night. I feigned myself very grateful to them for having humanely furnished me Avith so comfortable a bed, and on which I stretched myself with much apparent unconcern, and remained quiet about one hour, when I was sure that the family had all retired to bed. I then intimated to my keepers that I was under the necessity of re- questing permission to retire for a few moments to the back yard ; when both instantly arose and reeling toward me seized each an arm, and pro- ceeded to conduct me through a long and narrow entry to the back door, which was no sooner unbolted and opened by one of them, than I tripped up the heels of both and laid them sprawling, and in a moment was at the garden wall seeking a passage whereby I might gain the public road. A new and unexpected obstacle now presented, for I found the whole garden in- closed with a smooth brick wall, of the height of twelve feet at least, and was [irevented by the darkness of the night from discovering an avenue leading therefrom. In this predicament, my only alternative was either to scale this wall, handcuffed as I was, and without a moment's hesitation, or to suffer myself to be made a captive of again by my keepers, who had already recovered their feet and were bellowing like bullocks for assistance. Had it not been a very dark night, I must certainly have been discovered and retaken by them. Fortunately, before they had succeeded in rallying the family, in grojnng about I met with a fruit tree situated within ten or twelve feet of the wall which I ascended as expeditiously as possible, and by an extraordinary leap from the branches reached the top of the wall, and 170 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS was in an instant on the opposite side. The coast being now dear, I ran to the distance of two or three miles, with as mucli speed as my situation would admit of. My next object now was to rid myself of my handcuffs, which fortunately proving none of the stoutest, I succeeded in doing after much painful labor. It was now, as I judged, about twelve o'clock, and I had succeeded in reaching a considerable distance from the inn, from which I had made my escape, without hearing or seeing anything of my keepers, whom I had left staggering about in the garden in search of their " Yankee captive !" It was indeed to their intoxicated state, and the extreme darkness of the night, that I imputed my success in evading their pursuit. I saw no one until about the break of day, when I met an old man tottering beneath the weight of his pick-ax, hoe and shovel, clad in tattered garments, and otherwise the picture of poverty and distress ; he had just left his humble dwelling, and was proceeding thus early to his daily labor ; — and as I was now satisfied that it would be very difficult for me to travel in the daytime, garbed as I was, in a sailor's habit, without exciting the suspicions of his royal ma- jesty's pimps, who (I had been informed) were constantly on the lookout for deserters, I applied to the old man, miserable as he appeared, for a change of clothing, offering those which I then wore for a suit of inferior quality and less value. This I was induced to do at that moment, as I thought that the proposal could be made with perfect safety, for whatever might have been his suspicions as to my motives in wishing to exchange ra}' dress, I doubted not that with an object of so much ajiparent distress, self-interest would prevent bis communicating them. The old man however appeared a little surprised at my offer, and after a short examination of my pea-jacket, trowsers, etc., expressed a doubt whether I would be willing to ex- change them for his "church ^uit," which he represented as something worse for wear, and not worth half so much as those I then wore. Taking courage however from my assurances that a change of dress was my only object, he deposited his tools by the side of a hedge, and invited me to ac- company him to his house, which we soon reached and entered, where a scene of poverty and wretchedness presented, which exceeded everything of the kind that I had ever before witnessed. There was but one room, in one corner of which was a bed of straw covered with a coarse sheet, and on which reposed his wife and five small children. The first garment pre- sented by the poor old man, of his best, or " church suit," as he termed it, was a coat of very coarse cloth, containing a number of patches of almost every color but that of the cloth of which it was originally made. The next was a waistcoat and pair of small clothes, which appeared each to have received a bountiful supply of patches to correspond with the coat. The coat I put on without much difficult}^, but the two other garments proved much too small forme, and when I had succeeded with considerable difficulty in putting them on, they set so tight as to cause me some apprehension that they might even stop the circulation of blood ! My next exchange was my buff cap for an old rusty large-brimmed hat. The old man appeared very much pleased with his bargain, and rep- resented to his wife that he could now accompany hor to church much more decently clad. He immediately tried on the pea-jacket and trowsers, and OP AMERICANS. 171 seemed to give himself very little concern about their size, although I am confident that one leg of the trowsers was sufficiently large to admit his whole body — but, however ludicrous his appearance, in his new suit, I am sure that it could not have been more so than mine, garbed as I was, like an old man of seventy ! From my old friend I learned the course that I must steer to reach London, the towns and villages that I should have to pass through, and the distance thereto, which was betv/een seventy and ei'ditv miles. He likewise represented to me that the country was filled with soldiers, who were on the constant lookout for deserters from the navy and army, for the apprehension of whom they received a stipulated reward. After enjoining it on the old man not to give any information of me, should he meet on the road any one who should inquire for such a person, I took my leave of him, and again set out with a determination to reach London, thus disguised, if possible. I traveled about thirty miles that dav, and at night entered a barn in hope of finding some straw or hay ou which to repose for the night for I had not money sufficient to pay for a night's lodging at a public house, had I thought it prudent to apply for one. In my expectation to find either hay or straw in the barn, I was sadly disappointed, for I soon found that it contained not a particle of either, and after groping about in the dark in search of something that might serve for a substitute, I found nothing better than an undressed sheep-skin. With no other bed on which to repose my wearied limbs, I spent a sleepless night, cold, hungry and weary, and impatient for the arrival of the morning's dawn, that I might be enabled to pursue my journey. By break of day, I again set out and soon found myself within the suburbs of a considerable village, in passing which I was fearful there would be some risk of detection ; but to guard myself as much as possible against suspicion, I furnished myself with a crutch and feigning myself a cripple, hobbled through the town without meeting with any interruption. lu two hours afterward, I arrived in the vicinity of another still more conside- rable village, but fortunately for me, at the moment, I was overtaken by an empty baggage wagon, bound to London. Again feigning myself very lame, I begged of the driver to grant a poor cripple the indulgence to ride a few miles, to which he assenting, I concealed myself by lying prostrate on the bottom of the wagon, until we had passed quite through the village ; when, finding the wagoner disposed to drive much slower than I wished to travel, after thanking him for the kind disposition which he had manifested to oblige me, I quit the wagon, threw away my crutch and traveled with a speed, calculated to surprise the driver with so sudden a recovery of the use of my legs. The reader will perceive that I had now become almost an adept at deception, which I would not however have so frequently prac- ticed, had not self-preservation demanded it. As I was passing through tlie town of Staines within a few miles of London, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, I was met by three or four British soldiers, whose notice I attracted, and who unfortunately for me, dis- covered by the collar, which 1 had not taken the precaution to conceal, that I wore a shirt which exactly corresponded with those uniformly worn by his majesty's seamen. Not being able to give satisfactory account of myself, I I was made a prisoner, on suspicion of being a deserter from his majesty's 172 ADVENTURES x\ND ACHIEVEMENTS serviee, and was immediately committed to tlie roimd-house— a prison so called, approj^riated to the confinement of runaways, and those convicted of small oOenses. I was committed in the evening, and to secure me tlie more effectually, I was handcuffed, and left supperless by my unfeeling jailer, to pass the night in wretchedness. My first object was to rid myself of my handcuffs, which I succeeded in doing after two hours' hard labor, by sawing them across the grating of the window. Having my hands now at liberty, the next thing to be done was to force the door of my apartment, which was secured on the outside by a hasp and padlock. I devised many schemes, but for want of tools to work with, was unable to carry them into execution. I, however, at length suc- ceeded, with the assistance of no other instrument than the bolt of my handcuffs, with which, thrusting my arm through a small window or aper- ture in the door, I forced the padlock ; and as there was now no other bar- rier to prevent my escape, after an imprisonment of about five hours, I was once more at large. It was now, as I judged, about midnight ; and although enfeebled and tormented with excessive hunger and fatigue — not having scarcely tasted food for four days — I set out with the determination of reaching London, if possible, early the ensuing morning. By break of day, I reached and passed through Brintford, a town of considerable note and within six miles of the capital — but so great was m}' hunger at this moment, that I was under serious apprehension of faUing a victim to absolute starvation, if not so fortunate soon as to obtain something to appease it. I recollected of having read in my youth accounts of the dreadful effects of hunger, which had led men to the commission of the most horrible excesses, but did not then think that fate would ever thereafter doom me to an almost similar situation. A laborer I met, near Brintford, informed mo that Sir John Millet, whose seat he represented but a short distance, was in the habit of employing many hands at that season of the year (which was in the spring of 1776), and he doubted not but that I might there meet with employment. With my spirits a little revived, at even a distant prospect of obtaining something to alleviate my sufferings, I started in quest of the seat of Sir John agreeably to the directions which I had received ; in attempting to reach which, I mistook my way, and j^roceeded up a graveled and beautifully-ornamented walk, which unconsciously led nie directly to the garden of the Princess Amelia. I had approached within view of the royal mansion when a glimpse of a number of "red-coats," who thronged the yard, satisfied me of my mistake, and caused me to make an instantaneous and precipitate re- treat, being determined not to afford any more of their mess an opportu- nity of boasting of the capture of a " Yankee rebel." Indeed a wolf or a bear of the American wilderness, could not be more terrified or panic-struck at the sight of a firebrand, than I then was at that of a British red-coat ! Having succeeded in making good my retreat from the garden of her highness, without being discovered, I took another path which led me to where a number of laborers were employed in shoveling gravel, and to whom T repeated my inquiry if they could inform me of any in want of help, etc. "Why, in troth, friend," answered one in a dialect peculiar to the laboring OF AMEEICAXS. 173 class of people of that part of the country, "me master, Sir John, hires a goodly many, and as we've a deal of work now, may-be he'll hire you. 'Spose he stop a little with us until work is done, he may then gang along, and we'll question Sir John, whither him be wanting another like us or no !" I found Sir John walking in his front yard, in company with several gentlemen, and on being made acquainted witli my business, his first inquiry was whether I had a hoe, or money to purchase one, and on being answered in the negative, he requested me to call early the ensuing morning, and he would endeavor to furnish me with one. It is impossible for me to express the satisfaction that I felt at this pros- pect of a deliverance from my wretched situation. 1 was now by so long fasting reduced to such a state of weakne.-s, that my legs were hardly able to support me, and it was with extreme ditiicuity tliat 1 succeeiled in reach- ing a baker's shop in the neighborhood, wliere with my lour .-eniuining pennies, which I had reserved for a last resource, I puroiuiscd two two- penny loaves. After four days of intolerable hunger, the reader may judge how great must have been my joy, to find myself in possession of even a morsel to ap- pease it. Although five times the quantity of the " staff of life" would have been insuflicient to have satisfied my appetite, yet, as 1 thought it im- probable that I should be indulged with a mouthful of anything to eat in the morning, I concluded to eat then but one loaf, and to reserve the other for another meal ; but having eaten one, so far from satisfying, it seemed rather to increase my appetite for the other — the temptation was irresistible, the cravings of hunger predominated, and would not be satisfied until I had devoured the remaining one. The day was now far spent, and I was compelled to resort with reluctance to a carriage house, to spend another night in misery. I found nothing therein on which to repose my wearied limbs but the bare fioor, which was sufficient to deprive me of sleep, however much exhausted nature required it. At eight o'clock precisely all hands were called, and preparations made for a commencement of the labors of the day. I was furnished with a large iron fork and a hoe, and ordered by my employer to accompany them, and although my strength at this moment w;is hardly sufficient to enable me to bear even so light a burden, yet I was unwilling to expose my weakness, so long as it could be avoided — but, the time had now arrived in which it was impossible for me any longer to conceal it, and I had to confess the cause to my fellow laborers, so far as to declare to them, that such had been my state of poverty, that, with the exception of the four small loaves of bread, I had not tasted food for four days ! I was not, I must confess, displeased nor a little disappointed to witness the evident emotions of pity and commiseration, which this woeful declaration appeared to excite in their minds. About eleven o'clock we were visited by our employer, Sir John, who, noticing me particularly, and perceiving the little progress 1 made in my labor, observed, that although I had the appearance of being a stout hearty man, yet I either feigned myself or really was a very weak one. On which it was immediately observed by one of my friendly fellow laborers, that it was not surprising that I lacked strength, as I had eaten nothing of con- sequence for four days ! Mr. Millet, who ai)pcared at first little disposed to 174: ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS credit the fact, on being assured by me that it was really so, put a shilling into ray hand, and bid me go immediately and purchase to that amount in bread and meat — a request which the reader may suppose I did not hesitate to comply with. My repast being over, one of the men was ordered by my hospitable friend to provide for me a comfortable bed in the barn, where I spent the night, on a couch of clean straw, more sweetly than ever I had done in the days of my better fortune. I arose early, much refreshed, and was pre- paring after breakfast to accompany the laborers to their work, which was no sooner discovered by Sir John, than, smiling, he bid me return to my couch and there remain until I was in a better state to resume my labors. Indeed, the generous compassion and benevolence of this gentlemen was unbounded. After having on that day partook of an excellent dinner, which had been provided expressly for me, and the domestics having been ordered to retire, I was not a little surprised to hear myself thus addressed by hira. " My honest friend, I perceive that you are a seafaring man, and your history probably is a secret which you may not wish to divulge ; but, whatever cir- cumstances may have attended you, you may make them known to me with the greatest safety, for I pledge my honor I will never betray you." Having experienced so many proofs of the friendly disposition of Mr. Millet, I could not hesitate a moment to comply with his request, and without attempting to conceal a single fact, made him acquainted with every circumstance that had attended me since my first enlistment as a soldier. After expressing his regret that there should be any of his countrymen found so void of the principles of humanity, as to treat thus an unfortunate prisoner of war, he assured me that so long as I remained in his employ he would guarantee my safety — adding, that notwithstanding (in consequence of the unhappy differences whicfli then prevailed between Great Britain and her American colonies) the inhabitants of the latter were denominated rebels, yet they were not without their friends in England, who wished well to their cause, and would cheerfully aid them whenever an opportunity should present. He represented the soldiers whom it had been reported to me were constantly on the lookout for deserters, as a set of mean and con- temptible wretches, little better than a lawless banditti, who, to obtain the fee awarded by government for the apprehension of a deserter, would betray their best friends. Having been generously supplied with a new suit of clothes and other necessaries by Mr. Millet, I contracted with him for six months, to super- intend his strawberry garden, in the course of which so far from being mo- lested, I was not suspected by even his own domestics of being an American, At the expiration of the six months, by the recommendation of my hos- pitable friend, I got a berth in the garden of the Princess Amelia, where, although among my fellow laborers the American rebellion was not unfre- quently the topic of their conversation, and the " d — d Yankee rebels," as they termed them, frequently the subjects of their vilest abuse, I was little suspected of being one of that class whom they were pleased thus to denominate. I must confess that it was not without some difliculty, that I wo«s enabled to surpress indignant feelings. OF AMERICANS. I75 I remained in the employ of the princess about three months, and then, in consequence of a misunderstanding with the overseer, I hired myself to a farmer in a small village adjoining Brintford, where I had not been three weeks employed before rumor was afloat that I was a Yankee prisoner of ■war. From whence the report arose, or by what occasioned, I never could learn. It no sooner reached the ears of the soldiers, than they were on the alert, seeking an opportunity to seize my person. Fortunately, I was ap- prised of their intentions before they had time to carry them into effect. I was however hard pushed, and sought for by them with that diligence and perseverance that certainly deserved a better cause. I had many hair- breadth escapes, and most assuredly should have been taken, had it not been for the friendship of those whom I suspect felt not less friendly to the cause of my country, but dare not publicly avow it. I was at one time traced by the soldiers in pursuit of me to the house of one of this description, in whose garret I was concealed, and was at that moment in bed. They entered and inquired for me, and on being told that I was not in the house, they in- sisted on searching, and were in the act of ascending the chamber stairs for that purpose, when, seizing my clothes, I passed up through the scuttle, and reached the roof of the house, and thence half-naked, passed to those of the adjoining ones, to the number of ten or twelve, and succeeded in makino' my escape without being discovered. Being continually harassed by night and day by the soldiers, and driven from place to place, without an opportunity to perform a day's work, I was advised by one whose sincerity I could not doubt, to apply for a berth as a laborer in a garden of his royal, majesty, situated in the village of Quew, a few miles from Brintford ; where, under the protection of his majesty, it was represented to me that I should be perfectly safe, as the soldiers dare not approach the royal premises, to molest any one therein employed. The overseer, ignorant even that I was an American, concluded to receive me on trial. It was here that I had not only frequent opportunities to see his royal majesty in person, in his frequent resorts to this, one of his country retreats, but once had the honor of being addressed by him. The fact was, that I had not been one week employed in the garden, before the suspicion of my being either a prisoner of war, or a spy, in the employ of the Ameri- can rebels, was communicated, not only to the overseer and other persons employed in the garden, but even the king himself! As I was one day busily engaged with three others in graveling a walk, I was unexpectedly accosted by his majesty : who, with much apparent good nature, inquired of me of what country I was. "An American born, may it please your ma- jesty," was my reply, taking off my hat, which he requested me instantly to replace on my head. "Ah !" continued he, with a smile, "an American, a stubborn, a very stubborn people indeed 1 And what brought you to this country, and how long have you been here ?" " The fate of war, your ma- jesty. I was brought to this country a prisoner about eleven months since." And, thinking this a favorable opportunity to acquaint him with a few of my grievances, I briefly stated to him how much I had been harassed by the soldiers. "While here employed, they will not trouble you," was the only reply he made and passed on. The familiar manner in which I was interrogated by his majesty, had, I must confess, a tendency in some degree 170 adventui:es and aciiievemi-]nts to prcjiossess me in his favor. I at least suspected him to possess a dispo- sition less tyrannical, and capable of better views than had been imputed to him ; and as I had frequently heard it represented in America, that uninflu- enced by such of his ministers, as unwisely disregarded the reiterated com- plaints of the American people, he would have been foremost to have re- dressed their grievances, of which they so justly complained. I continued in the service of his majesty's gardener at Quew about four months, when the season having arrived in which the work of the gardener required less laborers, I, with three others, was discharged ; and the day after engaged myself for'a few months, to a farmer in the town and neigh- borhood where I had been last employed — but, not one week had expired before the old story of my being an American prisoner of war, etc., was re- vived and industriously circulated, and the soldiers, eager to obtain the prof- fered bounty, like a pack of blood-hounds were again on the track seeking an opportunity to surprise me. The house wherein I had taken up my abode, was several times thoroughly searched by them, but I was always so fortunate as to discover their approach in season. I had been strongly of the opinion by what 1 had myself experienced, that America was not without her friends in England, and those who were her well-wishers in the important cause in which she was at that moment engaged ; an opinion which I think no one will disagree with me in saying, was somewhat confirmed by a circumstance of that importance as entitles it to a conspicious place in my narrative. At a moment when driven almost to a state of despondency, by continual alarms and fears of falling into the hands of a set of desperadoes, who for a very small reward would willingly have undertaken the commission of almost any crime ; I received a message from. a gentleman of respectability of Brintford, J. Woodstock, Esq., re- questing me to repair immediately to his house. I reached his house about eight o'clock in the evening, aud after re- ceiving from him at the door assurances that I might enter without fear or apprehension of any design on his part against me, I suffered myself to be introduced into a private chamber, where were seated two other gentlemen, who appeared to be persons of no mean rank, and proved to be no other than Home Tooke and James Bridges, Esqs. — names which ought to be dear to every true American. Finding me firmly attached to the interest of my country, so much so as to be willing to sacrifice even my life if necessary in her behalf, they began to address me with less reserve ; and after bestowing the highest encomiums on my countrymen, for the bravery which they had displayed in their recent engagements with the British troops as well as for their patriotism in pub- licly manifesting their abhorrence and detestation of the ministerial party in England, who to alienate their affections and to enslave them, had endea- vored to subvert the British constitution, they inquired of me if, to promote the interests of my country, I should have any objection to take a trip to Paris, on an important mission, if my passage and other expenses were paid, and a generous compensation allowed me for my trouble ; and which in all probability would lead to the means whereby I might be enabled to return to my country — to which I replied that I should have none. After having enjoined upon me to keep everything which they had communicated, a OF AMERICANS. 177 profound secret, thev presented me with a guinea, and a letter for a gentle- men in White Waltam, a country town about thirty miles from Brintford, which they requested me to reach as soon as possible, and there remain un- til they should send for me, and by no means to fail to arrive at the precise hour that they should appoint. After partaking of a little refreshment, I set out, at twelve o'clock at night, and reached White Waltam at half past eleven the succeeding day, and immediately waited on and presented the letter to the gentleman to whom it was directed, and who gave me a very cordial reception, and whom I soon found was as real a friend to America's cause as the three gentlemen in whose company I had last been. It was from him that I re- ceived the first information of the evacuation of Boston by the British troops, and of the Declaration of Independence, by the American Congress. He indeed appeared to possess a knowledge of almost every important transaction in America, since the memorable battle of Bunker Hill. I remained in the family of this gentleman about a fortnight, when I re- ceived a letter from 'Squire Woodcock, requesting me to be at his house, without fail, precisely at two o'clock the morning ensuing. In compliance with which I packed up and started immediately for Brintford, and reached the house of 'Squire Woodcock at the appointed hour. I found there, iu company with the latter, two gentlemen whose names I have before men- tioned, and by whom the object of my mission to Paris was now made known to me — which was to convey in the most secret manner possible a letter to Dr. Franklin. Everything was in readiness, and a chaise ready harnessed which was to convey me to Charing Cross, waiting at the door. I was presented with a pair of boots, made expressly for me, and for the safe conveyance of the letter of which I was to be the bearer, one of them con- tained a false heel, in which the letter was deposited, and was to be thus conveyed to the doctor. After again repeating my former declarations, that whatever might be my fate, they should never be exposed, I departed, and was conveyed in quick time to Charing Cross, where I took the post-coach for Dover, and from thence was imme^^liately conveyed in a packet to Calais, and in fifteen minutes after landing, started for Paris ; which I reached in safety, and delivered to Dr. Franklin the letter of which I was the bearer. What were the contents of this letter I was never informed and never knew, but had little doubt that it contained important information relative to the views of the British cabinet, as regarded the affairs of America ; and although I well knew that a discovery, while in the British dominions, would have proved equally fatal to me as to the gentlemen by whom I was employed, yet, I most solemnly declare, that to be serviceable to my coun- try at that important period, was much more of an object with me, than the reward which I had been promised, however considerable it might be. My interview with Dr. Franklin was a pleasing one ; for nearly an hour he con- versed with me in the most agreeable and instructive manner, and listened to the tale of my sufferings with much apparent interest, and seemed dis- posed to encourage me with the assurance that if the Americans should suc- ceed in their grand object, and firmly establish their independence, they would not fail to remunerate their soldiers for their services. But, alas ! as regards myself, these assurances have not as yet been verified. 178 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS After remaining two days in Paris, letters were delivered to me by the doctor, to convey to the gentlemen by whom I had been employed, and which for their better security, as well as my own, I deposited as the other, in the heel of my boot ; in which manner, to the great satisfaction of my friends, I reached Brintford, in safety, and without exciting the suspicion of any one as to the important, although somewhat dangerous, mission that I had been engaged in. I remained secreted in the house of 'Squire Wood- cock a few days, and then by his and the two other gentlemen's request, made a second trip to Paris, and in reaching which and in delivering my letters, was equally as fortunate as in my first. If I should succeed in re- turning in safety to Brintford this trip, I was, agreeable to the generous pro- posal of Doctor Franklin, to return immediately to France, from whence he was to procure me a passage to America. But, although in my return I met with no diificulty, yet, as if fate had selected me as a victim to endure the miseries and privations which afterward attended me, but three hours before I reached Dover to engage a passage for the third and last time to Calais, all intercourse between the two countries was prohibited. My flattering expectations of being enabled soon to return to my native country, and once more to meet and enjoy the society of my friends, after an absence of more than twelve months, being thus by an unforeseen cir- cumstance completely destroyed, I returned immediately to the gentlemen by whom I had been last employed to advise with them what it would be best for me to do, in my then unj^leasant situation — for indeed, as all pros- pects were now at an end of meeting with an opportunity very soon to re- turn to America, I could not bear the idea of remaining any longer in a neighborhood where I was so strongly suspected of being a fugitive from justice and under continual apprehension of being retaken, and immured like a felon in a dungeon. By these gentlemen I was advised to repair immediately to London, where, employed as a laborer, if I did not imprudently betray myself, they thought there was little probability of my being suspected of being an American. This advice I readily accepted as the plan was such a one as exactly accorded with my opinion. I ought here to state that before I set out for London, I was entrusted by these gentlemen with five guineas, which I was requested to convey and dis- tribute among a number of Americans, then confined as prisoners of war, in one of the city prisons. I reached London late in the evening, and the next day engaged board at five shillings per week, at a public house in Lombard street, where, under a fictitious name, I passed for a farmer from Lincolnshire. My next object was to find my way to the prison where were confined as prisoners of war a number of my countrymen, and among whom I was directed to distribute the five guineas with which I had been entrusted for that purpose by their friends at Brintford. I found the prison without much difficulty, but it was with very considerable difficulty that I gained admittance, and not until I had presented the turnkey with a considerable fee would he consent to indulge me. The reader will suppose that I must have been very much surprised, when, as soon as the door of the prisoner's apartment was opened, and I had passed the threshold, to hear one of them exclaim, with much OF AMERICANS. I79 apparent astonishment, " Potter ! is that you ! how in the name of heaven came you here !" An exclamation like this by one of a number to whom I supposed myself a perfect stranger, caused me much uneasiness for a few moments, as I expected nothing less than to recognize in this man, some one of my old shipmates, who had undoubtedly a knowledge of the fact of my being a prisoner of war, and having been confined as such on board the guard ship at Spithead. But, in this I soon found to my satisfac- tion tliat I was mistaken, for after viewing for a moment the person by whom I had been thus addressed, I discovered him to be no other than my old friend Sergeant Singles, with whom I had been intimately acquainted in America. As the exclamation was in presence of the turnkey, lest I should have the key turned upon me, and be considered as lawful a pris- oner as any of the rest, I hinted to my friend that he certainly mistook me (a Lincolnshire farmer) for another person, and by a wink which he received from me at the same moment, gave him to understand that a renewal of our acquaintance or an exchange of civilities would be more agreeable to me at any other time. I now, as I had been requested, divided the money as equally as possible among them, and to prevent the suspicions of the keej^er, I represented to them, in a feigned dialect peculiar to the laboring people of the Shire-towns, that, " me master was owing a little trifle or so to a rebel trader of one of his majesty's American provinces, and was 'quested by him to pay the balance to his brother Yankee rebels here imprisoned." I found the poor fellows, fifteen in number, confined in a dark filthy apartment of about eighteen feet square ; and which I could not perceive contained anything but a rough plank bench of about ten feet in length, and a heap of straw with one or two tattered, filthy looking blankets spread thereon, which was probably the only bedding allowed them. For four or five days, after 1 reached London, I did very little more than walk about the city, viewing such curiosities as met my eye ; when, reflecting that remain- ing thus idle, I should not only be very soon out of funds, but should run the risk of being suspected and apprehended as belonging to one of the numerous gangs of pickpockets, etc., which infest the streets of the city ; I applied to an intelligence office for a coachman's berth, which I was so fortunate as to procure, at fifteen shillings per week. My employer, J. Ilyslop, Esq., although rigid in his exactions, was punctual in his pay- ments, and by my strict prudence and abstinence from the numerous diver- sions of the city, I was enabled in the six months which I served him, to lay up more cash than what I had earned the twelve months preceding. The r.ext business, in which I engaged was that of brickmaking, and which together with that of gardening, I pursued in the summer seasons almost exclusively for five years ; in all which time I was not once suspected of being an American. Despairing of meeting with a favorable opportunity to return to America, until the conclusion of i)eace, and the prospects of a continuation of the war being as great then (by what I could learn) as at any period from its commencement, I became more reconciled to my situation, and contracted an intimacy with a young woman whose parents were poor and respectable, and who I soon after married. I took a small ready-furnished chamber in Red Cross street, where with the fruits of mv hard earnings, I was enabled to 12 .0, 180 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS live tolerably comfortable for three or four years — when, by sickness and other unavoidable circumstances, I was doomed to endure miseries uncom- mon to human nature. In the winter of 1781, news was received in London of the surrender of the army of Lord Cornwallis, to the French and American forces ! The receipt of news of an event so unexpected operated on the British ministers and members of Parliament, like a tremendous clap of thunder. Deep sor- row was evidently depicted in the countenances of those who had l^en the most strenuous advocates for the war — never was there a time in which I longed more to exult, and to declare myself a true-blooded Yankee. In September 1783, the glorious news of a definitive treaty of peace hav- ing been signed between the United States and Great Britain, was publicly announced in London. An opportunity indeed now presented for me to return once more to my native country, after so long an absence, had I pos- sessed the means ; but such was the high price demanded for a passage, and such had been my low wages, and the expenses attending the support of even a small family in London, that I found myself at this time in jdos- session of funds hardly sufficient to defray the expense of my own passage, and much less that of my wife and child. To make the best of my hard fortune, I became as resigned and reconciled to my situation as circumstances would admit of. I continued to work for very small wages, for three or four years after the peace — but still found my prospects of a speedy return to my country, by no ways flattering. The peace had thrown thousands who had taken an active part in the war, out of employment ; London was thronged with them — who, in preference to starving, required no other consideration for their labor than an humble living, which had a lamentable effect in reducing the wages of the laboring class of people ; who, previous to this event were many of them so ex- tremely poor, as to be scarcely able to procure the necessaries of life for their impoverished families. Among this class I must rank myself, and from this period ought I to date the commencement of my greatest miseries, which never failed to at- tend me in a greater or less degree until that happy moment, when favored by providence, I was permitted once more to visit the peaceful shores of the land of my nativity. Having in vain sought for more profitable business, I was induced to apply to an acquaintance for instruction in the art of chair bottoming, and which I partially obtained from him for a trifling consideration. It was now (which was in the year 1789) that I assumed a line of busi- ness very different from that in which I had ever before been enga|:ed. Fortunately for me, I possessed strong lungs, which I found very neces- sary in an employment the success of which depended, in a great measure, in being enabled to drown the voices of others, engaged in the same occu- pation, by my own. "Old chairs to mend," became now my constant cry through the streets of London, from morning to night : and although j found my business not so profitable as I could have wished, yet it yielded a tolerable support for my family some time, and prounbly would have continued so to have done, had not the almost constant illness of my children, rendered the expenses of my family much greater than they OF AMERICANS. 181 otherwise would have been. Thus afflicted by additional cares and expense, •although I did everything in my power to avoid it, I was obliged to alleviate the sulFerings of my family, to contract some trifling debts which it was not in my power to discharge. I now became the victim of additional miseries — I was visited by a bailiff employed by a creditor, who seizing me with the claws of a tiger, dragged me from my poor afflicted family and inhumanly thrust me into prison ! Fortunately for me, at this melancholy moment, my wife enjoyed good health, and it was to her praiseworthy exertions that her poor helpless chil- dren, as well as myself, owed our preservation from a state of starvation ! After having for four months languished in a horrid prison, I was liberated therefrom a mere skeleton ; the mind afflicted had tortured the body, so much is the one in subjection to the other. I returned sorrowful and de- jected to my afflicted family, whom I found in very little better condition. We now, from necessity, took up our abode in an obscure situation near Moorfields ; where, by my constant ai^j^lication to business, I succeeded in earning daily an humble pittance for my family, barely sufficient however to satisfy the cravings of nature ; and to add to my afflictions, some one of my family was almost constantly indisposed. However wretched my situation, there were many others at this period, with whom I was particularly acquainted, whose sufferings were greater if possible than mj' own ; and whom want and misery drove to the commission of crimes, that in any other situation they would probably not have been guilty of. While hundreds were daily becoming the wretched victims of hunger and starvation, I was enabled by my industry to obtain a morsel each day for my family ; although this morsel, which was to be divided among four, would many times have proved insufficient to have satisfied the hunger of one. I seldom ever failed from morning to night to cry "old chairs to mend," through the principal streets of the city, but many times with very little success — if I obtained four chairs to rebottom in the course of one day, I considered myself fortunate indeed, but instances of such good luck were very rare ; it was more frequent that I did not obtain a single one, and after crying the whole day until I made myself hoarse, I was obliged to return to my poor family at night empty handed. So many at one time engaged in the same business, that had I not resorted to other means my family must inevitable have starved — while crying "old chairs to mend," I collected all the old rags, bits of paper, nails and broken glass which I could find in the streets, and which I deposited in a bag, that I carried with me for the purpose — these produced me a trifle, and that trifle when other resources failed, procured me a morsel of bread, or a few pounds of potatoes, for my poor wife and children. In February, 1792, war was declared by Great Britain against the Repub- lic of France. So many poor people enlisted into the army, that it greatly improved the condition of those left behind. I no longer found it necessary to collect thp scrapings of the streets as I had been obliged to do for the many moirlns past. I was now enabled to purchase for my family two or three pounds of fresh meat each week, an article to which, with one or two exceptions, we had been strangers for more than a year— having subsisted 182 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS principally on potatoes, oat-meal bread, and salt fish, and sometimes but rarely however, were enabled to treat ourselves to a little skim milk. Had not other afflictions attended me, I should not have had much cause to complain of very extraordinary hardships or privations, from this period until the conclusion of the war in 1807 ; — my family had increased, and to increase my cares there was scarcely a week passed but that some one of them was seriously indisposed — of ten children of which I was the father, I had the misfortune to bury seven under five years of age, and two more after they had arrived to the age of twenty — my last and only child now living, it pleased the Almighty to spare unto me, to administer help and comfort to his poor afflicted parent, and without whose assistance I should, so far from having been enabled once more to visit the laud of my nativity, ere this have paid the debt of nature in a foreign land, and that too by a death no less horrible than that of starvation I As my life was unattended with any very extraordinary circumstance, except the one jnst mentioned, from the commencement of the war, until the re-establishment of monarchy in France, and the cessation of hostilities on the part of Great Britain, in 1807, I shall commence on the narration of my unparalleled sufferings, from the latter period, until that when by the kind interposition of Providence, I was enabled finally to obtain a passage to my native country ; and to bid an adieu, and I hope and trust a final one, to that island, where I had endured a complication of miseries beyond the power of description. The jDeace produced similar effects to that of 1783 — thousands were thrown out of employ and the streets of London thronged with soldiers seeking means to earn an humble subsistence. The cry of "old chairs to mend," and that too at a very reduced price, was reiterated through the streets of London by numbers who but the month before were at Waterloo fighting the battles of their country — which, so seriously affected my business in this line, that to obtain food, and that of the most humble kind for my family, I was obliged once more to have recourse to the collecting of scraps of rags, paper, glass, and such other articles of however trifling value that I could find in the streets. The tenement which I at this time rented, and which was occujMed by my family, was a small and wretched apartment of a garret, and for which I had obliged myself to pay sixpence per day, which was to be paid at the. close of every week ; and in case of failure, agreeably to the laws or customs of the land, my furniture was liable to be seized. In consequence of my illness, and other misfortunes, I fell six weeks in arrears for rent, and having returned one evening with my wife and son, from the performance of our daily task, my kind readers may judge what my feelings must have been to find our room stripped of every article, of however trifling value, that it contained. Alas, heavens ! to what a state of wretchedness were we now reduced ! If there was anj-thing wanting to complete our misery, this addi- tional drop to the cup of our afflictions, more than sufficed. Although the real value of all that they had taken from me, or rather robbed me of would not if publicly disposed of have produced a sum probably exceeding five dollars ; yet it was our all, except the few tattered garments that we had on our backs, and were serviceable and all important to us in our impoverished OF AMERICANS. 1S3 situation. Not an article of bedding of any kind was left us on which to repose at night, or a chair or stool on which we could rest our weaned limbs ! but, as de?titutc as we were, and naked as they had left our dreary apart- ment, we had no other abiding place. To add to our distress my poor wife fell very sick. The attendance that her helpless situation now demanded, it was not within my power to afford her, as early the next day I was reluctantly driven by hunger abroad in search of something that might serve to contribute to our rehef. I left my unfortunate companion, attend by no other person but our little son, desti- tute of fuel and food, and stretched on an armful of straw, which I had been so fortunate as to provide myself with the day preceding ; — the whole produce of my labors, this day (which I may safely say was the most mel- ancholy one of my life) amounted to no more than one shilling ! which I laid out to the best advantage possible, in the i3urchase of a few of the necessaries, which the situation of my sick companion most required. Thus situated, I was induced to make my application to the overseer for assist- ance, representing to him the deplorable situation of my family, who were actually starving for the want of that sustenance which it was not in my power to procure for them. The hard-hearted official thereu^wn said that I was a vile impostor, who was seeking by imposition to obtain that support in England, which my own country had withheld from me — that the American Yankees had fought for and obtained their independence, and yet were not independent enough to sui:)port their own poor! — that Great Britain would find enough to do, were she to afford relief to every d — d Yankee vagabond that should apply for it ! Fortunately for this abusive British scoundrel, I possessed not now that bodily strength and activit}-, which I could once boast of, or the villian (whether within his majesty's dominions or not) should have received on the spot a proof of " Yankee independence" for his insolence. I succeeded finally in persuading some gentlemen to use their influence to have my poor wife removed to the hospital. But it was too late. She lingered a few days in a state of perfect insensibility, and then closed her eyes forever on a world, where for many years, she had been the unhappy subject of almost constant affliction. My situation was now truly a lonely one, bereaved of my wife, and all my children except one ; who, although but Uttle more than seven years of age, was a child of that sprightliness and activity, as to possess himself with a perfect knowledge of the chair-bottoming business, and by which he earned not only enough (when work could be obtained) to furnish himself with food, but contribute much to the relief of his surviving parent, when con- fined by illness and infirmity. When my health would permit, I seldom failed to visit daily the most public streets of the city, and from morning to night cry for old chairs to mend — accompanied by my son Thomas. If we were so fortunate as to obtain a job of work more than we could complete in the day, with the per- mission of the owner, I would convey the chairs on my back to my humble dwelling, and with the assistance of my little son, improve the evening to complete the work, which would produce us a few halfpennies to purchase something for our breakfast the nest morning. But it was very seldom that 184 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS instances of this kind occurred, as it was more frequently the case that, after crying for old chairs to mend the whole day, we were obliged to return, hungry and wearj^, and without a single halfpenny in our pockets, to our humble dwelling, where we were obliged to fast until the succeeding daj' — and indeed there were some instances in which we were compelled to fast two or three days successively, without being able to procure a single job of work. The rent I had obliged myself to pay every night, and frequently when our hunger was such as hardly to be endured, I was obliged to reserve the few pennies that I was possessed of to apply to this purpose. In our most starving condition, when every other plan failed, my little son would adopt the expedient of sweeping the public causeways leading from one walk to the other, where he would labor the whole day, with the expectation of receiving no other reward than what the generosity of gentle- men, who had occasion to cross, would induce them to bestow in charity, and which seldom amounted to more than a few i^ennies. Sometimes the poor boy would toil in this way the whole day, without being so fortunate as to receive a single halfpenny — it was then he would return home sorrowful and dejected, and while he attempted to conceal his own hunger, with tears in his eyes, would lament his hard fortune in not being able to obtain some- thing to appease mine. While he was thus employed I remained at home, but not idle, being as busily engaged in making matches, with which (when he returned homo empty handed) we were obliged, as fatigued as we were, to visit the markets to expose for sale, and where we were obliged some- times to tarry until eleven o'clock at night, before we could meet with a single purchaser. Having one stormy night of a Saturday, visited the market with my son for this purpose, and after exposing ourselves to the- chilling rain until past ten o'clock, without being able either of us to sell a single match, I advised the youth, being thinly clad, to return home, feeling disposed to tarry myself a while longer, in hopes that better success might attend me, as having already fasted one day and night, it was indispensably necessary that I should obtain something to appease our hunger the succeeding day (Sun- day) or what seemed almost impossible, to endure longer its torments ! I remained imtil the clock struck eleven, the hour at which the market closed, and yet had met with no better success ! It is impossible to de- scribe the sensation of despondency which overwhelmed me at this moment ! I now considered it as certain that I must return home with nothing wherewith to satisfy our craving appetities — and with my mind filled with the most heart-rending reflections, I was about to return, when, Heaven seemed pleased to interpose in my behalf, and to send relief when I little expected it. Passing a beefstall I attracted the notice of the butcher, who viewing me probably as I was, a miserable object of pity, emaciated by long fastings, and clad in tattered garments, from which the water w;is fast drippling, and judging no doubt by my appearance, that on no one could charit)^ be more properly bestowed, he threw into my basket a beefs heart, with the request that I would depart with it immediately for my home, if any I had ! I will not attempt to describe the joy that I felt on this occa- sion, in so unexpectedly meeting with that relief which my situation so much required. I hastened home with a much lighter heart than what I OF AMERICANS. 185 had anticipated ; and when I arrived the sensations of joy exhibited by my little son on viewing the prize that I bore, produced effects as various as extraordinary ; he wept, then laughed and danced with transport. In long and gloomy winter evenings, when unable to furnish myself with any other light than that emitted by a little fire of sea-coal, I would attempt to drive away melancholy by amusing my son with an account of my native country, and of the many blessings there enjoyed by even the poorest class of people — of their fair fields producing a regular supply of bread- their covenient houses, to which they could repair after the toils of the day to partake of the fruits of their labor, safe from the storms and the cold, and where they could lay down their heads to rest without any to molest them or to make them afraid. Nothing could have been better calculated to ex- cite animation in the mind of the poor child, than an account so flattering of a country which had given birth to his father, and to which he had re- ceived ray repeated assurances he should accompany me as soon as an op- portunity should present. After expressing his fears that the happy day was yet far distant, with a deep sigh, he would exclaim, " Would to God it was to-morrow !" About a year after the decease of my wife, I was taken extremely ill, inso- much that at one time my life was despaired of, and had it not been for the friendless and lonely situation in which such an event would have placed my son, I should have welcomed the hour of my dissolution, and viewed it as a consummation rather to be wished than dreaded ; for so great had been my sufferings of mind and body, and the miseries to which I was still ex- posed, that life had really become a burden to me — indeed, I think it would have been difficult to have found on the face of the earth a being more wretched than I had been for the three years past. During my illness my only friend on earth was my son Thomas, who did everything to alleviate my wants within the power of his age to do. Some- times by crying for old chairs to mend (for he had become as expert a work- man at this business as his father), and sometimes by sweeping the cause- ways, and by making and selling matches, he succeeded in earning each day a trifle sufficient to procure for me and himself an humble sustenance. From the moment that I had informed him of the many blessings en- joyed by my countrymen of every class, I was almost constantly urged by my son to apply to the American consul for a passage. It was in vain that I represented to him, that if such an application was attended with success, and the opportunity should be improved by me, it must cause our sepa- ration, perhaps, forever ; as he would not be permitted to accompany me at the expense of government. At length, having learned the place of residence of the American consul, and fearful of the consequences of delay, he would give me no peace until I promised that I would accompany him there the succeeding daj', if my strength would admit of it ; for although I had partially recovered from a severe fit of sickness, yet I was still so weak and feeble as to be scarcely able to walk. My son did not forget to remind me early the next morning of my pro- mise, and to gratify him, more than with an expectation of meeting with much success, I set out with him, feeble as I was, fur the consul's. I was 186 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS never before so sensible of the effects of my long suffering — wliicli had produced that degree of bodily weakness and debility, as to leave me scarcely strength sufficient to move without the assistance of my son ; who, when he found me reeling or halting through weakness, would sup2)ort me until I had gained sufficient strength to proceed. Although the distance was but two miles, yet such was the state of my weakness, that although we started early in the morning, it was half past three o'clock p. m. when wo reached the consul's office, when I was so much exhausted as to be obliged to ascend the steps on my hands and knees. Fortunately I found the consul in, and after I had told my story, which at first he would scarcely believe, he informed me that he would procure me a passage at government expense : but that my son, being a British born subject, could not go with me. But that he would send my son at his own expense, provided 1 would agree on his arrival in America to his living with a connection of his. To this I joyfully consented, and my son took passage the next day on the London packet for Boston, while I, being too infirm to take the voyage, was boarded at a public inn at the consul's expense until my health should be in a measure re-established. In eight weeks, I was so far recruited by good living, as, in the opinion of the consul, to be able to endure the fatigues of a passage to my native country, and which was procured for me on board the ship Criterion bound to New- York. We set sail on the 5th April, 1823, and after a passage of forty-two days, arrived safe at our port of destination. Such were my pleas- ing sensations as we entered the harbor, caused by the reflection that on the morrow I should be permitted to walk once more on American ground, after an absence of almost fifty years, that it was in vain that I attempted to close my eyes in sleep. Never was the morning's dawn so cheerfully welcomed by me ; and as my feet touched the shore, I did not forget to offer up my unfeigned thanks to that Almighty Being, who had not only sustained me during my heavy afflictions abroad, but had finally restored me to my native country. From New York, I went to Boston, and there met my son. By his earnest request, I visited Bunker Hill, which he had a curiosity to view, having heard it so frequently spoken of by me while in London, as the place where the memorable battle was fought, and in which I received my wounds. I continued in Boston about a fortnight, and then set out on foot to visit once more my native State, My son accompanied me as far as Roxbury. It may not be improper here to acquaint my readers, that as I had left my father possessed of very considerable property, and of which, at his decease, I thought myself entitled to a portion equal to that of the other children, which (as my father was very economical in the management of his affairs) I knew could not amount to a very inconsiderable sura. It was to obtain this, if possible, that I became extremely anxious to visit immediately the place of my nativity. Accordingly, the day after I arrived in Providence, I hastened to Cranston, to seek my connections, if anywhere to be found ; and, if not, to seek among the most aged of the inhabitants, some one who had not forgotten me, and who might be able to furnish me with the sought for information. But, alas, too soon Avere blasted my hopeful expectations of findinf' something in reserve for me, that might have afforded me an humble OF AMERICANS. 1S7 support, the few remaining years of my life. It was by a distant connection that I was informed that my brothers had many years since removed to a distant part of the country — that having credited a rumor in circuUition of my death, at the decease of my father, had disposed of the real estate of which he died possessed, and had divided the proceeds equally among themselves ! This was another instance of adverse fortune that I had not anticipated ! It was indeed a circumstance so foreign from my mind that I felt myself for the first time, unhappy, since my return to my native country, and even believed myself now doomed to endure among my own countrymen (for whose liberties I had fought and bled) miseries similar to those that had attended me for many years in Europe. With these gloomy forebod- ings, I returned to Providence, and contracted for board with the gentleman at whose house I had lodged the first night of my arrival in town, and to whom for the kind treatment that I have received from him, and his family, I shall feel till death under the deepest obligations that gratitude can dictate ; for I can truly say of him, that I was a stranger and he took me in ; I was hungry and naked, and he fed and clothed me. As I had never received any remuneration for services rendered, and hardships endured in the cause of my country, I was now obliged, as my last resort, to petition Congress to be included in that number of the few surviving soldiers of the Revolution, for whose services they had been pleased to grant pensions — and I would to God that I could add, for the honor of my country, that the application met with its deserving success — but, although accompanied by the deposition of a respectable gentleman, satisfactorily confirming every fact therein stated — yet on no other prin- ciple, than that I was absent from the country when the pension, law passed — my petition was rejected ! Reader, I have been for thirty years, as you will perceive by what I have stated in the foregoing pages, subject, in a foreign country, to almost all the miseries with which poor human nature is capable of being afflicted — yet, in no one instance did I ever feel so great a degree of depression of spirits, as when the fate of my petition was announced to me ! To conclude : Although I may be again unfortunate in a renewal of my application to government, for that reward to which my services so justly en- title me, yet I feel thankful that I am privileged, after enduring so much, to spend the remainder of my days among those who I am confident are possessed of too much humanity to see me suffer ; and which I am sensible I owe to the divine goodness, which graciously condescended to support me under my numerous afflictions, and finallj' enabled me to return to my na- tive country in the 79th year of my age. For this I return unfeigned thanks to the Almighty ; and hope to give during the remainder of my life, convincing testimonies of the strong impression which those afflictions made on my mind, by devoting myself sincerely to the duties of religion. The preceding narrative of one of the more humble sufferers from our revolutionary contest, we trust, has been found interesting. A literary gentleman wrote down his memoirs from his lips, as here given, slightly 188 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS abridged. These were published in a small book, with a title nearly iden- tical with that which heads this article. A friend at our elbow, recollects when a boy — more than thirty years since — seeing a little, crooked, long- bearded old man, leaning on a cane, accompanied by a young lad, traveling about the country, peddling this "Life and Remarkable Adventures." Of his subsequent history, we are uninformed ; but he must long ere this have been gathered to his fathers — and a neglected spot, in some isolated country church-yard, is, probably the resting-place of the mortal remains of Israel R. Potter, " a native of Cranston, Rhode Island, who was a soldier in the American Revolution." THE TWO ORATORS OF OUR REVOLUTIONARY ERA; JAMES OTIS, OF MASSACHUSETTS, AND PATRICK HENRY, OF VIRGINIA. Oratory is an art more practiced by the American, than by any other people ; and because by none is it so much required. The nature of their institutions demands it, the business of government being with all, and open to all for public discussion. Their facility in extemporaneous oratory is the surprise of other people. That American embassador and historian who astonished English gentlemen at a public dinner in their country, by the force and polished beauty of an unexpected, unprepared speech, only sup- plied an example of what others of his countrymen could have equaled. We give in these pages sketches of two of the most eminent orators of the era of our revolution — James Otis and Patrick Henry. The history of the latter has been made widely known by the genius of Wirt, but of the former few memorials remain : many whose eyes trace these lines, herein, for the first time, learn his name. Yet before the year 1770, no American, excepting Dr. Franklin, was so well known, and so often named in the colonies and in England. His papers have all perished, none of his speeches were recorded, and he hircself was cut off just on the eve of the revolution, so that his name is not associated with familiar public documents. It is owing to this that the most learned, eloquent, and influential man of the time is now so little known, that the following language of President Adams seemed exaggerated, although Chief Justice Dana, and other eminent char- acters, used commendation equally strong. Says President Adams : " I have been young, and now am old, and I solemnly say, I have never known a man whose love of his country was more ardent or sincere ; never, one who suffered so much ; never, one whose services for any ten years of his life were so important and essential to the cause of his country, as those of Mr. Otis, from 1760 to 1770." James Otis was the son of Colonel James Otis, and was born at West Barnstable, Massachusetts, February 5, 1724. He was educated at Harvard, studied law, and settled in Boston, where he soon attained to the highest rank in his profession. He came upon the stage at a time when the mother country had doter- roined to enforce her "Acts of Trade," — laws of parliament which bore with crushing force upon the industry and enterprise of the colonies, especially (189 J 190 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS those of New England, These i^eople were descended from that virtuous, but stern and inflexible part of the English nation, who, determined not to bear the chains of religious and kingly tyranny, had sought and found a home in the wilds of a new continent at a vast expense of blood and suffer- ing. They owed nothing to the royal government but their charter, yet the moment they began to overcome the first great trials of their new settle- ment, they were doomed to submit to a system of restrictive laws, calculated to crush them to poverty. Having no great staple of agriculture, the only resource for accumulating the comforts and luxuries of life were commerce and manufactures ; but here their exertions were impeded by these laws. These forbade them to manufacture, because the manufactures of England would be injured ; they were restricted in their commerce, because the English shipping-interest would suffer. Even the fish they caught off their own coast, they were not allowed to sell for French and Spanish molasses, because the English sugar colonies in the West Indies would be thus deprived of the monopoly of supplying them with the finny tribe. They could not import teas from Holland, because it interfered with the East India Company ; in fine, they could not trade with Spain and Portugal, nor with any other nation. Everything brought to the colonies must be in English-built ships, owned in England, and manned by English sailors. The boasted protection of the mother countr}' was, to use the language of Sir Edmund Burke, " perfect uncompensated slavery." Immediately after the conquest of Canada, in 1760, the custom-house officers, in compliance with instructions from England, began to take measures to strictly enforce all these obnoxious laws, some of which had remained a dead letter. As a preliminary measure, an order in council was received to carry into effect these laws of trade, and to apply to the Supreme Court of the province for writs of assistame, a species of search warrant to be granted to the ofiicers of customs, to search for goods on which duties had not been paid. Hutchinson, the Lieutenant Governor of the province, was at this juncture appointed by the crown Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ; thus, for the time, having united in his one person the highest judicial and executive offices in the province. This extraordinary power conferred upon one man, evinced the unfriendly designs of government, and was a cause of just alarm to all reflecting minds. Otis was at this time Advocate General : believing these laws were illegal and tyrannical, he refused to give his official assist- ance, and at once resigned his office, which was not only very lucrative, but, if filled by an incumbent of a compliant spirit, led to the highest favors from the crown. The merchants of Boston and Salem engaged Otis and Thatcher to make their defense. The trial took place in February, 1761, in the council chamber of the old Town House in Boston, before Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson, as Chief Justice, with four Associate Judges. The court was crowded with the most eminent citizens, deeply solicitous in the cause The case was opened for government by Mr. Gridley, the old law tutor of Otis, and very ably argued : in all his points he made his reasoning depend upon this consideration — " if the parliament of Great Britain is the sove- reign legislator of the British Empire, then, etc." He was replied to by Mr. OF AMERICANS. 191 Thatcher, in an ingenious, sensible speech, delivered with great mildness. " But," iu the language of President Adams, " Otis was a flame of fire ; with a promptitude of classical allusions, a depth of research, a rapid summary of historical events and dates, a profusion of legal authorities, a prophetic glance of his eyes into futurit}', and a rapid torrent of impetuous eloquence, he hurried away all before him. American Independence was then and there born. The seeds of patriots and heroes were then and there sown. Every man of an immense, crowded audience, appeared to me to go away as I did, ready to take up arms against writs of assistance. TJien and there was the first scene of the first act of opposition, to the arbitrary clahns of Qreat Britain. Then and. there the child Independence was horn. In fifteen years, i. e. in 1776, he grew up to manhood, and declared himself free." In opening this case, Otis said, "I will to my dying day oppose with all the powers and faculties God has given me, all such instruments of slavery on the one hand, and villainy on the other, as is this writ of assistance. It appears to me the worst instrument of arbitrar}^ power, the most destructive of English liberties and the fundamental principles of law, that ever was found in an English law book." He then went on to speak of his resigning his office of Advocate General, that he might argue this cause, of the enemies he thereby had made, and how from his very soul he despised them. " Let," added he, "the consequences be what they will, I am determined to proceed. The only principles of public conduct that are worthy of a gentleman or a man, are to sacrifice estate, ease, health, and applause, and even life, to the sacred calls of his country. These manly sentiments, in private life, make the good citizen ; in public life, the patriot and the hero. I do not say that, when brought to the test, I shall be invincible. I pray God that I may never be brought to the melancholy trial, but if ever I should, it will then be known how far I can reduce to practice, principles which I know to be founded in truth." He then proceeded with the subject of the writ, which the officers of the revenue were afraid to use without the sanction of the Superior Court. That it was impossible to devise a more outrageous instru- ment of tyranny, one which naturally led to such enormous abuses. "This writ," said he, "being general, is illegal. I admit that special writs of assistance, to search special places, may be granted to certain persons on oath ; but I deny that the writ now prayed for can be granted. In the first place the writ is universal, being directed to all and singular justices, sherififs, constables, and all other officers, and subjects ; so that it is in short directed to every subject in the king's dominions. Everyone with this writ may be a tyrant in a legal manner, also, may control, imprison, or mnrder any one within the realm. In the next place, it is perpetual — there is no return. A man is accountable to no person for his doings. Every man may reign secure in his petty tyranny, and spread terror and desolation around him, until the trump of the archangel shall excite different emotions in his soul. By this writ not only deputies, but their menial servants, in the day- time, may enter our houses, shops, etc., at will, and command all to assist them ; and thus lord it over us. What is this but to have the curse of Canaan with a witness on us ; to be the servant of servants, the most despi- cable of God's creation V Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty, is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castlo ; and 192 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS while he is quiet, he is as well guarded in it, as a prince is in his. This writ, if declared legal, would totally annihilate privilege. Custom-house officers, with their menials, may enter our houses when they please, may break locks, bars, and everything in their way ; and whether they break through malice or revenge, no man, no court can inquire. Bare suspicion without oath is sufficient." He cited some facts in proof of this, and then went on to show, by an old statute, that any person, as well as the custom- house officers, had this power. " What a scene," said he, " does this open ? Every man, prompted by revenge, ill humor, or wantonness, to inspect the inside of his neighbor's house, may get a writ of assistance. Others will ask it from self-defense. One arbitrary act will provoke another, until society be involved in tumult and in blood." His argument lasted about five hours, and the summary of it can now only be given in the words of President Adams, scraps of which only have we room to insert. He divided it into five parts : " 1. He began with an exordium, mainly personal. 2. A dissertation on the rights of man in a state of nature. He asserted that every man, merely natural, was an inde- pendent sovereign, subject to no law, but the law written on his heart, and revealed to him by his Maker, in the constitution of his nature, and the in- spiration of his understanding and his conscience. His right to his life, his liberty, no created being could rightfully contest. Nor was his right to his property less incontestible. The club that he had snapped from a tree, for a staff, or for defense, was his own. His bow and arrow were his own ; if with a pebble he had killed a partridge or a squirrel, it was his own. No creature, man or beast, had a right to take it from him. If he had taken an eel, or a smelt, or a sculpion, it was his property. In short, he sported upon this topic with so much wit and humor, and, at the same time, with so much indisputable truth and reason, that he was not less entertaining than instructive. He asserted that these rights were inherent and inalien- able. That they never could be surrendered or alienated, but by idiots or madmen, and all such acts were void, and not obligatory by the laws of God. and man. Nor were the poor negroes forgotten. Not a Quaker in Philadel- phia, or Mr. Jefferson of Virginia, ever asserted the rights of negroes in stronger terms. Young as I was, and ignorant as I was, I shuddered aX the doctrine he taught ; and I have all my life shuddered, and still shudder at the consequences that may be drawn from such premises. Shall we say that the rights of masters and servants clash, and can be decided only by force ? I adore the idea of gradual abolitions ! but who shall decide how fast or how slowly these abolitions shall be made ? 3. From individual independence he proceeded to association. If it was inconsistent with the dignity of human nature, to say that men were gre- garious animals, like wild geese, it would surely offend no delicacy to say, they were social animals by nature ; that there were natural sympathies, and, above all, the sweet attraction of the sexes, which must soon draw them together in little groups, and by degrees, in larger congregations, for mutual assistance and defense. And this must have happened before any formal covenant, by express words or signs, was concluded. When general councils and deliberations were commenced, the objects could be no other than the mutual defense and security of every individual for his life, his liberty, OF AMERICANS. 193 and his property. To suppose them surprised by fraud, or compelled by force into any other compact, could confer no obligation of obedience. Every man had a right to trample it under foot whenever he pleased. In short, he asserted their rights to be derived only from nature, and the author of nature ; that they -were inherent, inalienable, and indefeasible by any laws, facts, contracts, covenants, or stipulations, which man could devise. . 4. These principles and rights were brought into the English constitu- tion as fundamental laws. And under this head he went back to the old Saxon laws, and to Magna Charta, and the fifty confirmations of it in parlia- ment. He asserted that the security of these rights to life, liberty, and property, had been the object of all those struggles against arbitrary power, temporal and spiritual, civil and political, military and ecclesiastical, in every age. He asserted that our ancestors, as British subjects, and we their descendants, as British subjects, were entitled to all those rights, by the British constitution, as well as by the laws of nature, and our provincial charter. 5. He then examined the Acts of Trade, one by one, and demonstrated, that if they were considered as revenue laws, they destroyed all our security of property, liberty, and life, every right of nature, and the English con- stitution, and the charter of the English province. He then proceeded to enlarge upon the odious Navigation Act, as the first in order among those acts, which were now to be enforced by the Writs of Assistance. The main provisions of this act prohibited importations to these colonies, excepting in British-built ships, manned by British sailors, and no goods of foreign production could be brought, even in English ship- ping, excepting from the countries that produced them. The Navigation Act, however, was wholly prohibitory, it abounded with penalties and for- feitures, but it imposed no taxes. The distinction, therefore, was vastly great between this and the Acts of Trade. Though no revenue was to be derived from this act, still it was intended to be enforced by these writs, and houses were to be broken open and ransacked under their authority to enforce it. He discussed most amply all the effects which the Acts of Navigatiou produced upon the colonies. From the Navigation Act he passed to the Acts of Trade, and these, he contended, imposed taxes, enormous, burdensome, intolerable taxes ; and on this topic he gave full scope to his talent, for powerful declamation, and invective against the tyranny of taxation witlwut representation. From tho energy with which Otis urged this position, that taxation without represen- tation is tyranny, it came to be a common maxim in the mouth of every one. And with him it formed the basis of all his speeches and political writings ; he builds all his opposition to arbitrary measures from this foundation, and perpetually recurs to it through his whole career, as the great constitutional theme of liberty, and as the fundamental principle of all opposition to arbitrary power. He showed by many sound and striking observations, how unjust, op- pressive, and impracticable, were these Acts of Trade ; that they never had been, and never could be executed ; and asserted, what must then have been considered rather extravagant, though it was doubtless true, ' That if 194 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the king of Great Britain, in person, were encamped on Boston Common, at the head of twenty thousand men, with all his navy on our coast, he would not be able to execute these laws. They would be resisted or eluded.' He further advanced principles, while commenting on the Sugar Act, that must have been heard by his audience with very strong, but very different emo- tions, when he asserted this act 'to be a revenue law, a taxation law, made by a foreign legislature, without our consent, and by a legislature who had no feeling for us, and whose interest prompted them to tax us to ihe quick.' The last ground taken by him in commenting on these later Acts of Trade, was their incompatibility with the charter of the colony. In advert- ing to the history of the charters and the colony, he fell naturally on the merit of its founders, in undertaking so perilous, arduous, and almost des- perate ail enterprise ; in ' disforesting bare creation ; ' in conciliating and necessarily contending with Indian natives ; in purchasing, rather than con- quering a quarter of the globe, at their own expense, by the sweat of their own brows, at the hazard and sacrifice of their own lives ; without the smallest aid, assistance, or comfort, from the government of England, or from England itself as a nation : on the contrary, meeting with constant jealousy, envy, intrigue against their charter, their religion, and all their privileges. He reproached the nation, parliament and king with injustice, illiberality, ingratitude, and oppression, in their conduct toward this country, in a style of oratory I never heard equaled in this or any other country." After the close of his argument, the court decided that it could see no foundation for the writ ; but as the practice in England was unknown, they would adjourn the question until the next term. It was never again there agitated, but it was generally understood that the court secretly granted the writs. It was of no avail, for the custom-house officers never dared to ex- ecute them. No cause in the annals of colonial jurisi^rudence had ever given rise to guch powerful argument. When the profound learning of the advocate, the powers of wit, fancy, and pathos, with which he could co- piously illustrate that learning and the ardent character of his eloquence are considered ; when we reflect upon the personal sacrifices he made to apj^ear on the occasion, the deep foresight he had of the oppression and tyranny that would have followed the success of this hateful application — when all these circumstances are recalled, the power and magnificence of this oration may be imagined. With a knowledge of the topics that were involved, and the fearless energy with which they were developed and elucidated, the time when, and the circumstances under which they occurred, we need not be surprised at the declaration of President Adams : " I do say, in the most solemn manner, that Mr. Otis' oration against writs of assistance breathed into this nation the breath of life." Beside the great public anxiety in regard to the results of this trial, some incidents of a personal nature, of an interesting character were attendant upon it. Otis was the pupil of Gridley, the attorney for the ofHcers of customs. He felt for his character a high respect, and sincere gratitude for his instructions ; and he never lost sight of these feelings on this occasion. " It was," says President Adams, " a moral spectacle, more affecting to me than any I ever witnessed on the stage, to observe a pupil treating his master with all the deference, respect, esteem, and affection of a son to a father, an(i OF AMERICANS. 195 that without the least afTectation ; while he baffled and confounded all his authorities, confuted all his arguments, and reduced him to silence ! " The crown, by its agents, accumulated construction upon construction, and inference upon inference, as the giants heaped Pelion upon Ossa, He dashed this whole building to pieces, and scattered the pulverized atoms to the four winds; and no judge, lawyer, or crown-officer dared to say, why do ye so ? Such was the storm of indignation he raised, that even Hutchinson, who had been appointed on purpose to sanction this writ, dared not utter a word in its favor ; and Mr. Gridley, himself, seemed to exult inwardly at the glory and triumph of his pui^il. From this moment a new epoch in political affiiirs arose. Political parties became more distinctly founded. The right of the British parliament to im- pose taxes, was openly denied. " Taxation without representation is tyranny," at once became the maxim and watchword of all the friends of liberty. Otis, who had never before interfered in public affairs, forthwith became the idol of the patriots, and the terror and vengeance of their royal enemies. He was almost unanimously chosen to the legislature in the en- suing May, and continued a member of that body for several years. " On the week of the election of Otis," says President Adams, " I happened to be at Worcester attending court. When the news arrived from 13oston, you can have no idea of the consternation among the government people. Chief Justice Ruggles said, on that day, ' Out of this election will arise a d — d faction, which will shake this province to its foundation.' " In 1762, a bill was brought before the legislature, to exclude the Judges of the Superior Court from being members thereof; it was lost by a majority of seven votes. The object of this was to prevent Hutchinson from uniting in his person an office as Legislator, in addition to his employments of Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice. Otis demonstrated with unan- swerable arguments the incompatibility of these offices, and the dangerous abuses which must follow from such a violation of the whole spirit of a free government. It is a striking proof (saj-s Mr. Tudor, in his Life of Otis, from which this article is derived) of the progress that has been since made in the science of constitutions, that a i)rinciple could not then be sustained in a legislative body, which is now felt by every citizen, to form the basis of all political liberty and civil security, viz : the separation of the legislative, judicial, and executive functions. At the session of September, 1762, Bernard, the governor of the province, sent in a message, informing them that he had increased the armament of the Massachusetts sloop, which had been sent out to protect the fisheries from the ravages of the French cruisers. This message gave rise to a re- markable discussion, and this trifling expenditure, without the knowledge of the legislature, may be considered as one of the preparatory causes of the revolution. Through the dissemination of the great principles laid down by Otis in his speech on the writs, viz : that " taxation without repre- sentation was tyranny," and that expenditures of public money, without ap- propriations by the representatives of the people, were arbitrary, unconstitu- tional, and, therefore, tyrannical, the people had become watchfully jealous of every encroachment on their rights. The public began to look at prin- ciples, and to resist every insidious precedent inflexibly. 19G ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS This state of feeling in America is thus finely described by Burke. " In other countries the people, more simple, of a less mercurial cast, judge of an ill principle in government only by an actual" grievance ; here they antici- pate the evil, and judge of the pressure of the grievance by the badness of the principle. They augur misgovernment at a distance, and snufif the approach of tyranny in every tainted breeze." Such was the superiority of Otis over every other member of the house in talents, information, and energy, that he at once took the lead ; and in his written reply, as chairman to the committee on this message, gave utterance to the following bold sentiments : " It is in effect taking from the house their most darling privilege, the right of originating taxes. It is, in short, annihilating one branch of the legislature. And when once the representatives of the people give up this privilege, the government will very soon become arbitrary. No necessity can be suflScient to justify a house of representatives in giving up such a privilege ; for it would be of little consequence to the people, whether they were subject to George, or Louis, the king of Great Britain, or the French king, if both were arbitrary, ns both would be, if both could levy taxes with- out parliament." "Treason! Treason!" here broke in a member, just in the same way as Patrick Henry, three years later, was interrupted. The answer closed with an appeal to the executive, that as he regarded the peace and welfare of the province, he should take no such unauthorized measures in the future. This reply was passed and sent into the governor. His excellency re- turned it forthwith with a letter, complaining of the disrespectful manner in which his majesty had been spoken of. The house finally acceded to his request, and expurged the so considered sacrilegious and traitorous passage. Other messages passed between the parties, but without any satisfaction to either. After the adjournment Otis wrote a pamphlet-history of the whole matter, justifying their course. This production was the original source from which all subsequent arguments against taxation were derived. The great princi- ples of constitutional liberty are shown to rest at last on this basis, that taxa- tion and representation are inseparable. The specious pretenses of public welfare, the mask to hide the encroachments of arbitrary power are all torn away; and the vigilance of a clear-sighted statesman is exhibited in tlie utmost plainness and energy. " How many volumes," saj-s President Adams, "are concentrated in this little pamphlet, the production of a few hurried hours. Look over the Declarations of Rights and Wrongs, issued by congress in 1774. Look into the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Look into the writings of Dr. Price and Dr. Priestly. Look into all the French constitu- tions of government ; and, to cap the climax, look into Mr. Thomas Paine's Common Sense, Crisis, and Rights of Man ; what can you find that is not to be found in solid substance in this vindication of the House of Repre- sentatives." The reader will, perhaps, be interested by a quotation or two from this vindication of Otis. The first line we take, is one which, afterward being adopted into our Declaration of Independence, is recognized as the most glorious idea in that great instrument : OF AMERICANS. 197 Qod made all men naturally equal. The ideas of earthly superiority, pre-eminence, and grandeur, are educated, at least, acquired, not innate. Kings were — and plantation governors should be — made for the good of the people, and not the people for them. No government has a right to make hobby-horses, asses, and slaves of the subject ; nature having made sufficient of the two former for all the lawful purposes of man, from the harmless peasant in the field, to the most refined politician in the cabinet ; but none of the last [slaves], which infallibly proves they are unnecessary. Though most governments are, in fact, arbitrary, and, consequently, the curse and scandal of human nature, yet none are by right arbitrary. The more elevated the person who errs, the stronger, sometimes, the obligation to refute him ; for the errors of great men are often of very dangerous consequences to themselves, as well as to the little ones below them. The world ever has been, and ever will be, pretty equally divided be- tweeu those two parties, vulgarly called the winners and losers ; or, to speak more precisely, between those who are discontented that they have no power, and those who think they can never have enough." In the year 1764, the alarm throughout the colonies began to be excessive, as it was evident that the mother country was taking measures to strictly enforce the Navigation Acts, and the Acts of Trade. Town meetings were held in Boston, Salem, and all the other principal ports in which instructions were given to their representatives to resist all attempts to tax them with- out their consent. These memorials were referred to a committee of the legislature, of which Otis was chairman, and upon them he made a very able report upon the injustice of taxation, "without the voice of one Ameri- can in parliament ? " " If," said he, " we are not represented, we are slaves: nay, the British colonists will be in a worse condition than those of any other province ; for, besides maintaining internal provincial governments among themselves, they must pay toward the support of the national, civil, and military government in Great Britain. Now it is conceived that no people on earth are doully taxed for the support of government." Shortly after this, Otis published a pamphlet entitled, " The Rights of the British Colonies asserted and proved," which attracted much attention. He also wrote, in 1765, a scathing answer to the servile "Halifax libel," — ^ published letter from "a gentleman in Halifax to his friend in lihode Island," in which the plan of representation was ridiculed, and British taxa- tion defended ; accompanied by miserable sneers and insolence against the colonists, as an inferior race of men, who ought to be submissive to the English parliament. In the same year, Otis produced another work, in a letter form : " Considerations on behalf of the Colonists." It is spirited and able, and is the last written by him : its chief topics are taxation and repre- sentation, and it was given as an answer to an English publication, by a Mr. J — s. "Remember, Britons," said he, therein, "when you shall be taxed without your consent, and tried without a jury, and have an army quartered in private families, you will have little to hope or to fear !" The Stamp Act had been passed, and the crisis so imraincnt, that these 198 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS questions were of vital importance. The manner in which that odious act was received by the colonists, is too well known for relation here. In October of this year the famous Stamp Act Congress, composed of delegates from nine colonies, met in New York ; and of this body no member stood higher for energy and talents than Mr. Otis. Their remonstrances led to the repeal of the hated act. The next year, 1766, and several successive years, Boston was represented in the legislature by Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Gushing, and James Otis ; and these four gentlemen exercised a wide influence in all the events which led to American Independence. Otis and Gushing only lived to see the dawn of their country's prosperity ; Adams and Hancock were destined to outlive the period of trial. Jo|iu Hancock was the most wealthy merchant in the province, and one of the most elegant and accom- plished men of his time. In private life, he was renowned for his benevo- lence and hospitality, and in public life, for his noble spirit. He was con- sulted when it was contemplated to burn Boston, to expel the enemy. lie answered, that although the great part of his fortune consisted in buildings within it, yet if its destruction would be useful to his country, it should be set on fire forthwith. He was not remarkable as an orator ; but as a presi- dent of a public body, he was unsurpassed. In 1776, he had the honor to be president of that immortal assembly which signed the Declaration of In- dependence. His bold signature to that instrument is familiar to every one. As he laid down his pea, he exclaimed : " There, the British ministry can read that name without spectacles ; let them double their reward," referring to a reward that had been offered for him and Samuel Adams : they being considered arch-rebels. He died in 1793, at the age of fifty-six years, and would have died poor, so entirely had he neglected his private affairs in his country's good, but for his originally immense fortune. Samuel Adams was one of the most remarkable men of his day. From his earliest youth his attention was drawn to political affairs. In 1743, on taking the degree of Master of Arts at Harvard, he proposed the question, " Whether it be lawful to resist the supreme magistrate, if the common- wealth cannot be otherwise preserved ?" and took the affirmative. In the legislature he was upon every committee, had a hand in writing or revising every report, a share in the management of every political meeting, and a voice in all the measures against the tyrannical plans of the administrations. The people found him one of their most steadfast friends, the government, one of its most inveterate opponents. When his character was known in England, and it was also understood he was poor, the partisans of the ministry wrote and inquired of Hutchinson, in a spirit of vexation, why he did not silence him by a good fat berth. That official replied : " Such is the obstinacy and inflexible disposition of the man, that he never can be conciliated by any office or gift whatsoever," — information which they could scarcely credit — so different was it from their experience in such matters. Adams was clerk of the Massachusetts' Assembly for ten years. Step by step, and inch by inch, he fought the enemies of popular liberty, and was the most active of the patriots of Boston in inciting the people to throw overboard the tea, in 1773. When General Gage, in 1774, sent to dissolve the colonial assembly, he found the door locked ; the key was in Samuel OF AMERICANS. 190 Adams' pocket. After he had received warning at Lexington, the night of the 18th of April, 1775, of the intended British expedition, as he proceeded to make his escape though the fields, he exclaimed, when the day dawned : " This is a fine day ! " " Very pleasant, indeed," answered one of his com- panions, supposing he alluded to the beauty of the morning. " I mean," he replied, "it is a glorious day for America!" A few days before the battle of Bunker Hill, Goge oflered a pardon to all rebels excepting Samuel Adams and John Hancock, "whose oflenses are of too llagitious a nature to admit of any other consideration than of condign punishment." Tliis virulent proscription, intended to be their ruin, widely extended their fame. As a member of the Continental Congress, he was an earnest advocate of the revolution, which declared the colonies free and independent States ; and when some members faltered through fear of failure, the stern Puritan exclaimed : " I should advise persisting in our struggle for liberty, though it were revealed from heaven that nine hundred and ninety-nine were to perish, and only one out of a thousand survive and retain his liberty ! One such free man must possess more virtue, and enjoy more happiness than a thousand slaves ; and let him propagate his like, aud transmit to them what he hath so nobly preserved." The very faults of his character rendered his services more useful, by con- fining his exertions to a single point, and preventing their being weakened by indulgence and liberality toward different opinions. There was a tinge of bigotry and narrowness both in his politics and religion. He was a strict Calvanist, and full of the feelings of the ancient Puritans. He was simple and frugal in his habits, which led him to despise all roj-al luxury and pa- rade. He had all the animosities and all the firmness that could qualify a man to be the asserter of the rights of the people. So inflexible was he in his principles, that sooner than pay an illegal tax of a sixpence, he would have been condemned as a traitor, and mounted the scaffold. He succeeded Hancock as governor, and died in 1803, at the age of eighty-two years. Notwithstanding his many years of eminent service, he must have been buried at the public expense, if the afflicting death of an onl}^ son had not remedied this honorable poverty. Such were the men associated with Otis in these years of struggle, pre- ceding the war, with the officials of the crown. The most important of the state papers of this period were drawn up by Otis and revised by Adams. Otis, whose great learning, keen preception, bold and powerful reasoning, made him the primarj' source of almost every measure, generally gave the first draught. Adams, who saw to everything, and blended great caution with excessive watchfulness and exertion, revised, corrected, and polished, where it might be requisite, though the aim at fine writing was too paltry a matter, compared with the magnitude of the cause in which they were en- gaged, to excite a moment's solicitude. In the summer of 17G9, Otis published some very severe strictures upon the conduct of the Commissioners of Customs. Happening in alone one evening into a coffee-house where Robinson, one of those commissioners, and a number of British officers were sitting, an altercation ensued, when the lights were blown out, and the party, armed with bludgeons, pounced upon him. He escaped death, but to meet a worse fate. His brain was injured, 200 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and his reason dethroned. A verdict of ten thousand dollars was awarded as damages in a civil suit against Robinson. Otis, in a lucid interval, very magnanimously forgave the base ruffian, and refused to receive a dollar of the damages awarded him. For many years, all through the scenes of the revolution, the patriot lived on, with his great intellect in ruins, compara- tively useless to the world, and a deep grief to his friends. When at times the cloud was lifted from his reason, he talked calmly of death, and ex- pressed a desire to die by a stroke of lightning. His wish was gratified. On the 23d of May, ]783, he stood leaning on his cane at the door of a friend's house in Andover, watching the sublime spectacle of an approaching thunder-cloud, when suddenly a bolt leaped from it, like a swift messenger from God to his spirit, and killed him instantly. Thus perished one of the master-spirits of his time, of whom few memorials remain ; but enough to show that the future historians of the United States, in considering the foundations of American Independence, must inscribe a chief corner-stone ■with the name of James Otis, PATEICK HENRY Patrick Henry, the second son of John and Sarah Henry, and one of nine children, was born on the 29th of May, 1736, at the family seat, called Studley, in Hanover county, Virginia. At the age of ten years he was taken from the school where he learned to read and write, and taught Latin by his father, who had opened a grammar-school in his own house. At the same time he acquired some proficiency in mathematics. Passionately ad- dicted to the sports of the field, he could not brook the toil and confinement of study. And the time which should thus have been employed, was often passed in the forest with his gun, or over the brook with his angling-rod. "His companions frequently observed him lying along, under the shade of some tree that overhung the sequestered stream, watching for hours, at the same spot, the motionless cork of his fishing-line, without one encouraging symptom of success, and without any apparent source of enjoyment, unless he could find it in the ease of his position, or in the illusion of hope ; or, ■which is most probable, in the stillness of the scene, or the silent workings of his own imagination." This love of solitude in his youth, was a marked trait in his character. The wants of a large family compeled his father to find employment for „ bis sons. At the age of fifteen, Patrick was put behind the counter of a country merchant, and the year following, entered into business with his elder brother, William, with whom was to devolve its chief management ; but such were his idle habits, that he left the burden of the concern to Patrick, who managed wretchedly. The drudgery of business became in- tolerable to him, and then too, " he could not find it in his heart," to dis- appoint any one who came for credit ; and he was very easily satisfied with apologies for non-payment. He sought relief from his cares by having re- course to the violin, flute, and reading. An opportunity was presented of pursuing his favorite study of the human character, and the character of every customer underwent his scrutiny. One year put an end to the mercantile concern, and the two or three OF AMEEICANS. 201 following Patrick was engaged in settling up its affairs. At eighteen years of age he married Miss Shelton, the daughter of a neighboring farmer of respectability, and commenced cultivating a small farm ; but his aversion to sj'stematic labor, and want of skill, compelled him to abandon it at the end of two years. Selling off all his little possessions at a sacrifice, he again cm- barked in the hazardous business of merchandise, llis old business habits still continued, and not unfrequently ho shut up his store to indulge in the favorite sports of his youth. His reading was of a more serious character ; history, anfcient and modern, he became a proficient in. Livy, however, was his favorite ; and having procured a copy, he read it through at lea.st once a year in the early part of his life. In a few years his second mercantile ex- periment left him a bankrupt, and without any friends enabled to assist him further. All other means failing, he determined to try the law. His un- fortunate habits, unsuitable to so laborious a profession, and his pecuniary Bituation unfitting him for an extensive course of reading, led every one to Buppose that he would not succeed. With only six weeks' study, ho obtained a license to practice, he being then twenty-four years of age. He was then not only unable to draw a declaration or a plea, but incapable, it is said, of the most common and simple business of his profession. It was not until his twenty-seventh year, that an opportunity occurred for a trial of his strength at (he bar. In the meantime the wants and distresses of his family were extreme. They lived mostly with his father-in-law, Mr. Shelton, who then kept a tavern at Hanover court-house. Whenever Mr. Shelton was from home, Henry took his place in the tavern. The occasion on which his genius first broke forth, was the controversy between the clergy and the legislature and people of the State, relating to the stipend claimed by the former. The cause was popularly known as the parscnis' cause. A decision of the court on a demurrer in favor of the claims of the clergy, had left noth- ing undetermined but the amount of damages in the cause which was pend- ing. Soon after the opening of the court, the cause was called. The scene which ensued is thus vividly described by Wirt : " The array before Mr. Henry's eyes was now most fearful. On the bench eat more than twenty clergymen, the most learned men in the colonj-, and the most capable, as well as the severest critics, before whom it was jjossible for him to have made his debut. The court-house was crowded with an over- whelming multitude, and surrounded with an immense and anxious throng, who, not finding room to enter, were endeavoring to listen without, in the deepest attention. But there was something still more awfully disconcerting than all this ; for in the chair of the presiding magistrate sat no other person than his own father. Mr. Lyons opened the cause very briefly : in the way of argument he did nothing more than explain to the jury, that the decision upon the demurrer had put the act of 1758 entirely out of the way, and left the law of 1748 as the only standard of their damages ; he then concluded with a highly-wrought eulogium on the benevolence of the clergy. And now came on the first trial of Patrick Henry's strength. No one had ever heard him speak, and curiosity was on tiptoe. He rose very awkwardly, and faltered much in his exordium. The people hung their heads at so unpromising a commencement ; the clergy were observed to exchange sly 202 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS looks with each other ; and his father is described as having almost sunk with confusion from his seat. But these feelings were of short duration, and soon gave place to others of a very diCferent character. For now were those wonderful faculties which ho possessed, for the first time, developed ; and now was first witnessed that mysterious and almost supernatural transformation of appearance, which the fire of his own eloquence never failed to work in him. For as his mind rolled along, and began to glow from its own action, all the exuvice of the clown seemed to shed themselves spontaneously. His attitude, by degrees, became erect and lofty. The spirit of his genius awakened all his features. His countenance shone with a nobleness and gran- deur which it had never before exhibited. There was a lightning in his eyes which seemed to rivet the spectator. His action became graceful, bold and commanding ; and in the tones of his voice, but more especially in his em- phasis, there was a peculiar charm, a magic, of which any one who ever heard him will speak as soon as he is named, but of which no one can give any adequate description. They can only say that it struck upon the ear and upon the heart, in a manner luhich language cannot tell. Add to all these, his wonder-working fancy, and the peculiar phraseology in which he clothed its images ; for he painted to the heart with a force that almost petrified it. In the language of those who heard him on this occasion, 'he made their blood run cold, and their hair to rise on end.' It will not be difBcult for any one who ever heard this most extraordinary man, to believe the whole account of this transaction, which is given by his surviving hearers ; and from their account, the court-house of Hanover county must have exhibited on this occasion, a scene as picturesque, as has been ever witnessed in real life. They say that the people, whose countenances had fallen as he arose, had heard but a very few sentences before they began to look up ; then to look at each other with surprise, as if doubting the evidence of tlieir own senses ; then, attracted by some strong gesture, struck by some majestic attitude, fascinated by the spell of his eye, the charm of his emphasis, and the varied and commanding expression of his countenance, they could look away no more. In less than twenty minutes, they might be seen in every part of the liouse, on every bench, in every window, stooping forward from their stands, in death-like silence ; their features fixed in amazement and awe ; all their senses listening and riveted upon the speaker, as if to co.tch the last strain of some heavenly visitant. The mockery of the clergy was soon turned into alarm ; their triumph into confusion and despair ; and at one burst of his rapid and overwhelming invective, they fled from the bench in precipitation and terror. As for the father, such was his surprise, such his amazement, such his rapture, that, forgetting where he Avas, and the character which he was filling, tears of ecstacy streamed down his cheeks, without the power or inclination to repress them. The jury seem to have been so completely bewildered, that they lost sight, not only of the act of 1748, but that of 1758 also ; for thoughtless even of the admitted right of the plaintifY, they had scarcely left the bar, when they returned with a verdict of 07ie pennij damages. A motion was made for a OF AMERICANS. 203 new trial ; but the court, too, had now lost the equipoise of their judgment, and overruled the motion bj^ a unanimous vote. The verdict and judgment overruling the motion, were followed by redoubled acclamations, from within and without the house. The people, who had with difficulty kept their hands off their champion, from the moment of closing his harange, no sooner saw the fate of the cause finally sealed, than they seized him at the bar, and in spite of his own exer- tions, and the continued cry of 'order' from the sheriffs and the court, they bore him out of the court-house, and raising him on their shoulders, carried him about the yard, in a kind of electioneering triumph. I have tried much to procure a sketch of this celebrated speech. But those of Mr. Henry's hearers who survive, seem to have been bereft of their senses. They can only tell you, in general, that they were taken captive ; and so delighted with their captivity, that they followed implicitly, whither- soever he led them : that, at his bidding, their tears flowed from pity, and their cheeks flushed with indignation : that when it was over, they felt as if they had just awaked from some ecstatic dream, of which they were unable to recall or connect the parti,culars. It was such a speech as they believed had never before fallen from the lips of man." From this time Mr. Henry's star was in the ascendant, and he at once rose to the head of his profession in that section. In the autumn of 176i, having removed to Roundabout, in Louisa county, he was employed to argue a case before a committee on elections of the House of Burgesses. He distin- guished himself by a brilliant display on the right of suffrage. Such a burst of eloquence from a man of so humble an appearance, struck the committee with amazement, and not a .sound, but from his lips, broke the deep silence of the room. In 1765, he was elected a member of the House of Burgesses, when he introduced his celebrated resolutions on the Stamp Act. Among his papers there was found, after his decease, one sealed and thus indorsed : " Inclosed are the resolutions of the Virginia Assembly, in 1765, concern- ing the Stamp Act. Let my executors open this paper." On the back of the paper containing the resolutions was the following indorsement : "The within passed the House of Burgesses in May, 1765. They formed the first opposition to the Stamp 'Act, and the scheme of taxing America by the British parliament. All the colonies, either through fear, or the want of opportunity to form an opposition, or from influence of some kind or other, had remained silent. I had been for the first time elected a burgess a few daj's before, was young, inexperienced, unacquainted with the forms of the house, and the members who composed it. Finding the men of weight averse to opposition, and the commencement of the tax at hand, and that no person was likely to step forth, I determined to venture ; and alone, unaided and unassisted, on the blank leaf of an old law-book, wrote the within. Upon offering them to the house, violent debates ensued. Many threats were uttered, and much abuse cast on me by the parties for submission. After a long and warm contest, the resolutions passed by a very small majority, perhaps one or two only. The alarm spread throughout America with astonishing quickness, and the ministerial party were overwhelmed. The great point of resistance to British taxation was universally established 204 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS in the colonies. This brought on the war, which finally separated the two countries, and gave independence to ours. Whether this will prove a bless- in"- or a curse, will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader, whoever thou art, remember this ; and in thy sphere, practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others.— P. HENRY." It was in the midst of the above-mentioned debate, that he exclaimed, in tones of thunder, " Ctesar had his Brutus — Charles the First his Cromwell — and George the Third — (' Treason ! ♦ cried the speaker — ' Treason ! treason ! ' echoed from every part of the house. Henry faltered not for a moment ; taking a loftier attitude, and fixing on the speaker an eye of fire, he finished his sentence with the firmest emphasis") — may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." Henceforth Mr. Henry was the idol of the people of Virginia, and his influence, as one of the great champions of liberty, extended throughout America. In 1769, he was admitted to the bar of the general court. Without that legal learning, which study alone can supply, he was deficient as a mere lawyer ; but before a jury, in criminal cases particularly, his genius displayed itself most brilliantly. His deep knowledge of the springs of human action, his power of reading in the flitting expressions of the countenance what was passing in the hearts of his hearers, has rarely been possessed by any one in so great a degree. In 1767 or '68, Mr. Henry removed back to Hanover, and continued a member of the House of Burgesses until the close of the revolution, acting upon its most important committees, and infusing a spirit of bold opposition in its members to the pretensions of Britain. He was a delegate to the first Colonial Congress, which assembled September 4, 1774, at Philadelphia. On the 20th of April, 1775, (less than one month prior to the battle of Lexington), the Virginia assembly of delegates met for the second time, and in the old church, St. Johns, which is still standing in the town of Rich- mond. In the session of the year previous, that body, while remonstrating with great feeling against their grievances, nevertheless avowed their deter- mination to support his majest}-, King George III, with their lives and for- tunes. These sentiments still influenced many' of the leading members. Not so Patrick Henry. He saw no alternative but abject submission, or heroic resistance. On the morning of the 23d of March, resolutions were oiTered, still breath- ing the spirit of loyalty to the crown. These were "gall and wormwood" to Mr. Henry. The house required being wrought up to a bolder tone. He thereupon moved a series of resolutions, to the effect that a militia force be raised, and the colony be put in a state of defense, to prevent the further violation of their liberties with which they were threatened. When these resolutions were read, a general thrill of horror ran through the assembly. They were considered rash and unadvised. Some of the ablest of the members arose and spoke against them. They felt that with a little more patience their long series of oppressions would be remedied, that they were too feeble to cope with the power of Great Britain, and that ruin to their country would inevitably follow an armed resistance. AYhen Mr. OF AMERICANS. 205 Henry replied, lie delivered that unsurpassed speech, so familiar to us all in our schoolboy days. Says Wirt : "He arose at this time with a majesty unusual to him in an exordium, and with all that self-possession by whioh he was so invariably distinguished. 'No man,' he said, 'thought more highly than he did of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who had just addressed the house. But different men often s.aw the same subject in differeut lights ; and, therefore, he hoped it would not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen, if, entertaining as he did, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, he should speak forth his sentiments freely, and without reserve. •This,' he said, 'was no time for ceremony. The question before this house was one of awful moment to the country. For his own part, he con- • sidered it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slaver}'. And in proportion to the magnitude of the subject, ought to be the freedom of the debate. It was only in this way that they could hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which they held to God and their country. Should he keep back his opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, he should consider himself as guilty of treason toward his country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of heaven, which he revered above all earthly kings. ' Mr. President,' said he, ' it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. "We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth — and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this,' he asked 'the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Were we disposed to be of the number of those, who, having eyes, see not and having ears, hear not the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation ? For his part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, he was willing to know the whole truth ; to know the worst, and to provide for it. 'He had,' he said, 'but one lamp by which his feet were guided; and that was the lamp of experience. He knew of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, he wished to know what there had been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten vears to justify those hopes with which gentlemen had been pleased to solace themselves and the house ? Is it that insidious smile with which our peti- tion has been lately received ? Trust it not, sir ; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourself to be betrayed with a kiss. ' Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation ? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love ? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation — the last arguments to which kings resort. ' I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission ? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it ? Has Great Britain any enemy iu this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies ? Xo, sir, she has none. They are meant for us : they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet npon us those chains which the British ministry have 206 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS been so long forging. And what have we to oppose them ? Shall we try argument ? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject ? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable : but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication ? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted ? * Let us not, 1 beseech you, sir, deceive om-selves longer. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned — we have remonstrated — we have supplicated — we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its inter- position to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and parliament. Our petitions have been slighted ; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult ; our supplications have been disregarded ; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. ' In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free — if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending — if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon, until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained ! — we must fight ! — I repeat it, sir, we must fight ! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts, is all that is left us '. 'They tell us, sir,' continued Mr. Henry, 'that we are weak — unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger. Will it be the next weeiv, or the next year ? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house ? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction ? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hug- ging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemy shall have bound us hand and foot ? Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. ' Three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God, who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alonei^ it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery ! Our chains are forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston ! The war is inevitable— and let it come ! I repeat it, sir, let it come ! 'It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry peace, peace— but there is no peace. The war is actually begun ! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms ! Our brethren are already in the field ! Why stand we here idle ? What is it that gentlemen wish ? What would they have ? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery ? Forbid it. Almighty God !— I know not what course others may OF AMERICANS. 207 take ; but as for me,' cried he, with both his arms extended aloft, his brows knit, every feature marked with the resolute purpose of his soul, and his voice swelled to its boldest note of exclamation — ' Oive me Liberty, or give me Death ! ' * He took his seat. No murmur of applause was heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance of a moment, several members started from their seats. The cry, 'to arms !' seemed to quiver ou every lip, and gleam from every eye. Richard H. Lee arose and supported Mr. Henry, with his usual spirit and elegance. But his melody was lost amid the agitations of that ocean, which the master-spirit of the storm had lifted up on high. That supernatural voice still sounded in their ears, and shivered along their arteries. They heard, in every pause, the cry of liberty or death. They became impatient of speech, their souls were on fire for action. Upon Lord Dunmore's seizing the gunpowder at Williamsburg, in the night after the battle of Lexington, Henry summoned volunteers to meet him ; and marching down toward the capitol, compelled the agent of Dun- more to give a pecuniary compensation for it. This was the first military movement in Virginia. The colonial convention of 1775, elected him the colonel of the first regiment, and the commander of " all the forces raised, and to be raised for the defense of the colony." Soon resigning his com- mand, he was elected a delegate to the convention, and not long after, in 1776, the first governor of the commonwealth, an office he held, by succes- sive re-elections, until 1779, when, without any intermission, he was no longer constitutionally eligible. While holding that office he was signally serviceable in sustaining public spirit during the gloomiest period of the revolution, providing recruits, and crushing the intrigues of the tories. On leaving the office of governor, he served until the end of the war in the legislature, when he was again elected governor, until the state of his affairs caused him to resign in the autumn of 1786. Until 1794, he regularly attended the courts, where his great reputation obtained for him a lucrative business. "In 1788 he was a member of the convention of Virginia, which so ably and eloquently discussed the constitution of the United States. He employed his masterly eloquence, day after day, in opposition to the pro- posed constitution. His hostility to it proceeded entirely from an apprehen- sion that the federal government would swallow the sovereignty of the States ; and that ultimately the liberty of the people would be destroyed, or crushed, by an overgrown and ponderous consolidation of political power. The constitution having been adopted, the government organized, and Washington elected president, his repugnance measurably abated. The chapter of amendments considerably neutralized his objections : but, never- theless, it is believed that his acquiescence resulted more from the con- sideration of a citizen's duty, confidence in the chief magistrate, and a hope- * Now and theu a sentence is originated on occasions of momentous public interest, which so vividly expresses a great idea, that it is at once seized upon, and becomes im- moi-tal. " Give me Liberty, or give me Death! " will never be lost. It is of the same character with " Opposition to Tyrants is obedience to God!" Other examples less staitliu^, but not less appropriate, are of more recent origin. " Your Strength is in your Wrongs! " "My Goods are for sale — not my Princijjles! " 20S ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ful reliance on the wisdom and virtue of the people, rather than from any material change in his opinions." In 1794, Mr, Henry retired from the bar. In 1796 the post of governor was once more tendered to him, and refused. In 1798 the strong and animated resolutions of the Virginia Assembly, in opposition to the alien and sedition laws, which laws he was in favor of, ' conjured up the most frightful visions of civil war, disunion, blood, and anarchy ; and under tha impulse of these phantoms, to make what he considered a virtuous effort for his country, he presented himself in Charlotte county as a candidate for the House of Delegates, at the spring election of 1799,' although he had retired to private life three years previously. On this occasion he encountered the eccentric John Randolph, who had presented himself as a candidate for congress, and opposed those measures Mr. Henry advocated. They met at the court-house, and supported a long and animated discussion. Mr. Henry was then in his sixty-seventh year ; the measure of his fame was full ; the late proceedings of the Virginia Assembly, in relation to the alien and sedition laws, had filled him with alarm — " had planted his pillow with thorns, and he had quitted his retire- ment to make one more, his last effort for his country." Enfeebled by age and ill-health, with a linen cap on his head, he mounted the hustings, and commenced with difficulty ; but as he proceeded, his eye lighted up with its wonted fire, his voice assumed its wonted majesty ; gradually accumulating strength and animation, his eloquence seemed like an avalanche threatening to overwhelm his adversary. Many present considered it his best efibrt. In the course of the speech, Mr. Henry said, " The alien and sedition laws were only the fruits of that constitution, the adoption of which he opposed. ... If we are wrong, let us all go wrong together," at the same time clasp- ing his hands and waving his body to the right and left. His auditory un- consciously waved with him. As he finished he literally descended into the arms of the obstreperous throng, and was borne about in triumph, when Dr. John H. Rice exclaimed, " The sun has set in all his glory ! " As Mr. Henry left the stand, Mr. Randolph, with undaunted courage, arose in his place. He was then about twenty-six years of age — a mere boy from college, who had, probably, never yet addressed a political assembly — of a youthful and unprepossessing appearance. The audience, considering it presumptuous for him to speak after Mr. Henry, partially dispersed, and an Irishman present, exclaimed, "Tut! tut! it won't do, it's nothing but the bating of an old tin pan after hearing a fine church-organ." But if " the sun of the other had set in all his glory," his was about to rise with, perhaps, an equal briUiancy. He commenced: "his singular person and peculiar aspect ; his novel, shrill, vibratory intonations ; his solemn, slow-marching, and swelling periods ; his caustic crimination of the prevailing political party ; his cutting satire ; the tout ensemble of his public dehut, soon calmed the tumultuous crowd, and inclined all to listen to the strange orator, while he replied at length to the sentiments of their old favorite. When he had con- cluded, loud huzzas rang through the welkin. This was a new event to Mr. Henry. He had not been accustomed to a rival, and little expected one in a beardless boy : for such was the aspect of the champion who now appeared to contend for the palm which he was OP AMERICANS. 209 wont to appropriate to himself. Ife returned to the stage and commenced a second address, in which he soared above his usual vehemence and majesty. Such is usually the fruit of emulation and rivalship. lie frequently ad- verted to his 3'outhful competitor with parental tenderness ; complimented his rare talents with the liberality of profusion ; and, while regretting what he deprecated as the political errors of youthful zeal, actually wrought himself and audience into an enthusiasm of sympathy and benevolence that issued in an ocean of tears. The gesture, intonations, and pathos of Mr. Henry operated like an epidemic on the transported assembly. The contao-ion was universal. An hysterical phrensy pervaded the audience to such a degree, tliat they were at the same moment literally weeping and lauo-hino-. At this juncture the speaker descended from the stage. Shouts of applause rent the air, and were echoed from the skies. The whole spectacle as it really was, would not only mock every attempt at description, but would almost challenge the imagination of any one who had not witnessed it. Mr. Henry was elected by his usual commanding majority, and the most formidable preparations were made to oppose him in the assembly. But " the disease, which had been preying upon him for two years, now hastened to its crisis ; and on the 6th of June, 1799, this friend of liberty and man was no more. By his first wife he had six children, and by his last, six sons and throe daughters. He left them a large landed property. He was temperate and frugal in his habits of living, and seldom drank anything but water. He was nearly six feet in height, spare, and raw-boned, and with a slight stoop in his shoulders ; his complexion dark and sallow ; his countenance grave, thoughtful, and penetrating, and strongly marked with the lines of profound reflection, which with his earnest manner, and the habitual knitting and contracting of his brows, gave at times an expression of severity. In private life, Mr. Henry was as amiable as he was brilliant in his public career. He was an exemplary Christian, and his illustrious life was greatly ornamented by the religion which he professed. In his will he left the following testimony respecting the Christian religion: "I have now dis- posed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they have that, and I had not given one shilling, they would be rich; and if they have not that, and I had given them the whole world, they would be poor." We continue this article with the statement of some facts and a few anecdotes. When fourteen years of age, Mr. Henry went with his mother in a car- riage to the Fork Church, in Hanover, to hear preach the celebrated Samuel Davies, afterward president of Princeton College. His eloquence made a deep impression on his youthful mind, and he always remarked, he was the greatest orator he ever heard. When a member of the Continental Con- gress, he said, the first men in that body were Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Roger Sherman ; and later in life, Roger Sherman and George Mason, the greatest statesmen he ever knew. When governor, he had printed and circulated in Richmond, at his own expense, Soarae Jenyns' View of Christianity, and Butler's Analogy of Natural and Revealed Religion. Sherlock's sermons, he afiirmed, was the work which removed 210 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS all his doubts of the truth of Christiauity ; a copj' of which, until a short time since, was in the possession of his children, filled with marginal notes. He read it every Sunday evening to his family, after which they all joined in sacred music, while he accompanied them on the violin. He never quoted poetr}'. His quotations were from the Bible, and his illustrations from the Bible, ancient and modern history. He was opposed to the adop- tion of the federal constitution, because he thought it gave too much power to the general government ; and in conversation with a friend, he remarked with emphasis ; '• The President of the United States will always come in at the head of a party. He will be supported in all his acts by a party. You do not now think much of the patronage of the president ; but the day, is coming when it will be tremendous, and from this power the country^ may sooner or later fall." In the British debt cause, of which Wirt gives a full account, Mr. Henry made great preparation. He shut himself up in his oGice for three days, during which he did not see his family ; his food was handed by a servant through the office-door. The Countess of Huntington, then in this country, ■was among the auditors, and remarked, after hearing the arguments of the several speakers, " That if every one of them had spoken in Westminster Hall, they would have been honored with a peerage." Mr. Henry had a diamond ring on his finger, and while he was speaking, the countess ex- claimed to the judge, Iredell — who had never before heard him — "The diamond is blazing ! " " Gracious God ! " replied he, " he is an orator, indeed." In this cause ho injured his voice so that it never recovered its original power. The following anecdote was related by President Madison, at the conclu- sion of the late war, to a party of gentlemen assembled at his residence in Washington. In the revolutionary war, certificates were given by the legis- lature to the Virginia line on continental establishment, stating the amount due to them, which was to be paid at a future time. The necessities of the soldiers, in many instances, compelled them to part with the certificates to speculators for a trivial sum. Madison brought a bill before the legislature to put a stop to it. He had previously asked Mr. Henry if he was willing to support it. The reply was " Yes ; " but having no further communication with him on the subject, Mr. Madison feared he had forgotten the circum- stance. After the bill was read, he turned to where Mr. Henry sat, with an anxious eye, upon which the latter immediately arose and addressed the house. Mr. Madison said, that upon that occasion be was particularly eloquent. His voice reminded him of a trumpeter on the field of battle, calling the troops to a charge. He looked alternately to the house and the audience, and saw they were with the orator; and, at the conclusion, one of the chief speculators jn tickets, then in the galleries, exclaimed, in an audible voice : "That bill ought to pass !" — it did pass, and unanimously. Many years ago (writes the Rev. Dr. Speece), I was at the trial, in one of our District Courts, of a man charged with murder. The case was briefly this : the prisoner had gone, in execution of his office as constable, to arrest a slave who had been guilty of some misconduct, and bring hirn to justice. Expecting opposition in the business, the constable took several men with him, some of them armed. They found the slave on the plantation of his OF AMEKICAXS. 211 master, withiu view of the house, and proceeded to seize and bind him. His mistress, seeing the arrest, came down and remonstrated vehemently against it. Finding her efforts unavailing, she went off to a barn where her husband was, who was presently perceived running briskly to the house. It was known he always kept a loaded rifle over his door. The constable now desired his company to remain where they were, taking care to keep the .slave in custody, while he himself would go to the house to prevent mischief. He accordingly ran toward the house. When he arrived within a short distance of it, the master appeared, coming out of the door with his rifle in his hand. Some witnesses said that as he came to the door he drew the cock of the piece, and was seen in the act of raising it to the position of firing. But upon these points, there was not an entire agreement in the evidence. The constable, standing near a small building in the yard, at this instant fired, and the fire had a fatal effect. No previous malice was proved against him ; and his j^lea upon the trial was, that he had taken the life of his assailant in necessary self-defense. A great mass of testimony was delivered. This was commented upon with considerable ability by the lawyer for the commonwealth, and by another lawyer engaged by the friends of the deceased for the prosecution. The prisoner was also defended, in elaborate speeches, by two respectable ad- vocates. These proceedings brought the day to a close. The general whisper through a crowded house was, that the man was guilty and could not be saved. About dusk candles were brought, and Henry arose. His manner was exactly that which the British Spy describes with so much felicity : plain, simple, and entirely unassuming. 'Gentlemen of the jury,' said he, 'I dare say we are all very much fatigued with this tedious trial. The prisoner at the bar has been well defended already ; but it is my duty to offer you some further observations in behalf of this unfortunate man. I shall aim at brevity. But should I take up more of your time than you expect, I hope you will hear me with patience, when you consider that blood is concerned." I cannot admit the possibility that any one who never heard Henry speak should be made fully to conceive the force of impression which he gave to these few words, "blood is concerned." I had been on my feet through the day, pushed about in the crowd, and was excessively weary. I was strongly of opinion, too, notwithstanding all the previous defensive pleadings, that the prisoner was guilty of murder; and I felt anxious- to know how the matter would terminate. Yet when Henry had uttered these words, my feelings underwent an instantaneous change ; I found everything within me answering at once, yes, since blood is concerned, in the name of all that is righteous, go on ; we will hear you with patience until the rising of to- morrow's sun. This bowing of the soul must have been universal ; for the profoimdest silence reigned, as if our very breath had been suspended. The spell of the magician was upon us, and we stood like statues around him. Under the touch of his genius, every particular of the story assumed a new aspect, and his cause became continually more bright and promising. At length he arrived at the fatal act itself. ' You have been told, gentlemen, that the prisoner was bound by every obligation to avoid the supposed necessity of firing, by leaping behind a house near which he stood at that 14 212 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS moment. Had he been attacked with a club, or with stones, the argument would have been unanswerable, and I should feel myself compelled to give up the defense in despair. But surely I need not tell you, gentlemen, how wide is the difference between sticks or stones, and double-triggered loaded rifles coclied at your breast.' The effect of this terrific image, exhibited in this great orator's peerless manner, cannot be described. I dare not attempt to delineate the paroxysm of emotion which it excited in every heart. The result of the whole was, that the prisoner was acquitted ; with the perfect approbation, I believe, of the numerous assembly who attended the trial. What was it that gave such transcendent force to the eloquence of Henry ? His reasoning powers wei"e good : but they have been equaled, and more than equaled, by those of many other men. His imagination was exceed- ingly quick, and commanded all the stores of nature as materials for illus- trating his subject. His voice and delivery were inexpressibly happy. But his most irresistible charm was the vivid feeling of his cause with which he spoke. Such feeling infallibly communicates itself to the breast of the hearer. "^ 7^'^ltf'if]ij '^•^^^VfT S^^ ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE AMERICAN TEMPERANCE REFORMERS, A HISTORICAL SKETCH. " What will yotj takk to drink? " united to a significant toss of the head, and an unmistal^able angular glance from the eye toward well filled decanters ; was a question and an action of almost universal occurrence in every house in our land, within the memory of many whose heads have not even yet become gray. And then came the step up to the sideboard ; the passing of the sugar- bowl and the water pitcher ; the cranch and the whirl of the toddy stick in the tumbler ; the decanting of the stimulant ; the pause of anticipation as the glass was held momentarily in the hand ; succeeded by the raising of the same to the lips, with the usual accompaniments of crooked elbow, thrown back head, open mouth — all ending by the final smack of satis- faction, as the empty goblet was laid down to make its moist, round mark on the tray. The imbibing of alcoholic liquids was then general among the American people. They were considered a necessity of life ; a certain panacea for all ills ; a crowning sheaf to all blessings : good in sickness and in health ; good in summer to dispel the heat, and in winter to dispel the cold ; good to help on work, and more than good to help on a frolic. So good were they considered that their attributed merits were fixed by pleasant names. The first dram of the morning was an "eye-opener;" duly followed by the "eleven o'clocker," and the "four o' docker ; " while the very last was a "night-cap;" after which as one laid himself in sheets, he was supposed to drink no more that day, unless, indeed, he was unexpectedly called up at night, when, of course, he prudently fortified himself against taking cold. Don't imagine that these were all the drinks of the day — by no means. The decanter stood ready at all times on the sideboard ; if a friend had called, he had been welcomed by "the social glass ; " if one had departed, a pleasant journey was tendered in "a flowing bumper;" if a bargain had been made, it was rounded by a liquid "clincher ; " if a wedding had come ofi',' " a long and prosperous life " was drank to the happy pair ; if a funeral had ensued, then alcoholic mixtures were a source of " consolation in afflic- tion." Drinking all the way from the cradle to the grave, seemed the grand rule. Dinah, the black nurse, as she swaddled the new-born in- fant, took her dram ; and Uncle Bob, the aged gray-haired sexton, with the weak and watery eyes, and bent, rheumatic bodv, soon as he had thrown the [2131 214 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS last spade full of earth upon the little mound over the remains of a fellow- mortal, turned to the neighboring bush, oA which hung his green baize jacket, for a swig at the bottle ; after which he gathered up his tools, and slowly, and painfully hobbled homeward, to attend to his duties to the living. Everybody, even Congressmen, drank ; and, what is queer, no one can fix the precise date at which they left off. The deacon drank, and it is said the parson, that good old man, after finishing a round of social visits, not unfre- quently returned to his own dwelling, so "mellowed" by the soothing in- fluences of the " cordial " welcomes of his parishioners, as to really feel that this was not such a very bad world after all. Before we enter upon the subject of this article, we wish to preface it with a few facts upon Alcdliol. Alcohol, as extracted from fermented liquor, was unknown to the world until about the year 1000. When this process was first accomplished in Arabia, no person knew what this product of distillation was ; nor was there any language that had for it even a name. They however called it Alco- hol ; and that is now the chemical name in every country. This word had previously been used in Arabia as the name of a fine powder, which the ladies used to give a brilliance to their complexions. Alcohol was soon ascertained to be a poison, and no one then thought of using it as a drink. About the year 1230, it began to be used in the south of Europe, as a medi- cine, and from thence, its use gradually extended, for that purpose, over various parts of the civilized world. Judging from its immediate effects, it was thought to increase life ; and was denominated aqua vitas, water of life. Theoricus, not long after, wrote a treatise upon its wonderful curative power ; in which ho says, " It sloweth age, it strengtheneth youth, it help- eth digestion, it cutteth flegrae, it abandoneth melancholic, it rclisheth the heart, it lighteneth the mind, it quickeueth the spirits, it cureth the hydrop- sia, it healeth the strangurie, it pounceth the stone, it expelleth gravell, it puffeth away ventositie, it keepeth and preserveth the head from whirl- ing, the eyes from dazzling, the tong from lisping, the mouth from snaffling, the teeth from chattering, and the throat from rattling ; it keepeth the weasan from stiffling, the stomach from wambling, and the heart from swelling ; it keepeth the hands from shivering, the sinews from shrinking, the veins from crumbling, the bones from aching, and the marrow frora soaking." Such were supposed to be its wonderful virtues ; and many began to think they could not live without it. Ulstadius, another writer, ascribes to it this most singular praise ; he says, " It will hum, being kindled." And this he considers as demonstrative of its peculiar excellence. It was not therefore strange, with such views of its power as a medicine, that men should begin to conclude that it must also do good in health, especially when they were peculiarly exposed, and under severe labor ; nor that they should introduce the use of it for the purpose of preventing, as well as curing diseases. This was the case, particularly in the mines in Hungary ; and afterward, in 1581, it was introduced by the English as a kind of cor- dial for their soldiers, while engaged in war in the Netherlands, and finally spread, as a common beverage, among all nations. No nation ever adopted its use without its producing an untold amount OF AMERICANS. 215 of crime and woe, more fatal than the most malignant pestilence ; yet, until within a brief period, men were blind to the evil, and constantly, everywlicre, increased its use, under the idea that they were promoting their own bene- fit. Some of the reasons for this delusion, and the causes why the quantity used was continually increasing, are given by an intelligent writer. " Such is the nature of alcohol, that its first effect on the human system is a quick- ening of action ; animation, excitement. This, by a fundamental law of our nature is a source of pleasure. This present pleasure, men mistake for real good. It also arouses for a moment the reserved and dormant energies of the system, which are not needed, and were not designed for ordinary healthful action, but were intended for special emergencies ; and which can- not be drawn out and used, on ordinary occasions, without necessarily short- ening human life. This awakening of dormant energy, men mistake for an increase of real, permanent strength. The system, by this poison, having been over-excited, becomes deranged ; and having been over- worked, without any new strength communicated, it is of course weakened, and therefore soon flags ; becomes tired, and is ex- hausted. Now, according to another fundamental law, there is pain, lan- guor, and inexpressible uneasiness spread through the system, as suffering nature under the awful abuse which has been practiced upon her, cries out for help. A man cannot thus chafe, irritate, and exhaust his system, and not afterward feel uneasiness, anj' more than he can put his hand into the fire and not feel pain. He violates a natural law, and must find the way of transgressors to be hard. Hence arise two motives to drink again. One is, to obtain the past pleasure, and the other is to remove the present pain. But as the system is unstrung and partly worn out, and is also lower down than it was before, the same quantity will not, the next time, raise it up so high ; or cause the wearied organs to move so briskly. Of course it will not fully answer the purpose ; will not give so much present pleasure, or produce so much effect as before. Hence the motive to increase the quan- tity ; and for the same reason, in future, to increase it more, and still more. As every repetition increases the difficulty, and also throws new obstacles in the way of its removal, the temptation to increase the quantity, grows stronger and stronger. The natural life of the system constantly diminishes, and of course, in order to seem to live, what there is, must be more and more highly roused, till, in one half, one quarter, or one eighth of the proper time, the whole is exhausted, and the man sinks prematurely to the grave. There is another principle which tends also strongly to the same result. The more any man partakes of this imnatural pleasure which alcohol occa- sions, the less susceptible he becomes of the natural and innocent pleasures, occasioned by the use of nourishing food and drink ; by the view and contemplation of the works of creation and providence : by the exercise of the social affections, and the discharge of the various duties of life. From the above, it is evident that the deranged and exhausted state of the system, from which the uneasiness, when not under the excitement of alcohol, springs, and which causes the hankering or thirst after the poison, IS not a natural state ; nor is that appetite a natural appetite. Such are some of the reasons why men who begin to drink alcohol, and receive from it nothing but injury, nevertheless, not only continue to drink 216 ■ ADYENTURES AND ACniEVEMENTS it, but to drink it in greater and greater quantity. Let us now consider how- it causes death. Alcohol is a substance which is, in its nature, unfit for the purpose of nutrition. It is not in the power of the animal economy to de- compose it, and change it into blood, or flesh, or bones, or anything by which the human body is, or can be nourished, strengthened, and supported. When taken into the stomach, it is sucked up by absorbent vessels, and carried into tho blood ; and with that is circulated through the whole sys- tem, and, to a certain extent, is then thrown off again. But it is alcohol ■when taken, it is alcohol in the stomach, it is alcohol in the arteries, and veins, and heart, and lungs, and brain, and among all the nerves, and tissues, and fibers of the whole body, and it is alcohol when, after having pervaded and passed through the whole system, it is thrown off again. Give it even to a dog, and take the blood from his foot, and distil it, and you have alco- hol, the same which the dog drank. Take the blood from the ami, the foot, or the head, of the man who drinks it, and distil that blood, and you have alcohol. You may take it from the brain, strong enough, on the application of fire, in an instant to blaze. Not a bloodvessel, however minute, not a thread of the smallest iftrve in the whole animal machinery, escapes its influ- ence. It enters the organs of the nursing mother, which prepare the delicate food for the sustenance and growth of her child. It is taken into the circu- lation, and passes through the whole system of the child ; having through its whole course, produced, not only on the mother, but also on the child, the appropriate effects of the drunkard's poison. This is a reason, why, after the mother has taken it, the babe, although before restless, sleeps all night like a drunkard ; and a reason, also, why such children, if they live, often have an appetite for spirit, and are so much more likely than other children to become drunkards. This is a reason, also, why, when the parents have been in the habit of freely taking it, their children are so much smaller, and less healthy than other children ; have less keenness and strength of eye-sight ; firmness of nerve, or ability of body and mind to withstand tho attacks of disease, and the vicissitudes of climates, and seasons ; and also a reason why they have less inclination and less talent for great bodily, and mental achievements. By the operation of laws which no man can repeal, or withstand, the iniquities of the fathers are thus naturally visited upon the children, from generation to generation. Were the human bodj^ transparent, and the operations of its organs in sustaining life, visible, every man might see tliat nature itself, teaches that the drinking of alcohol cannot be continued by a man without hastening his death. The receptacle for food is the stomach and intestines. From these after beinf changed, first into chyme, and then into chyle, it is taken up by ab- sorbent vessels and carried into the blood, and conveyed to the right side of the heart. From that it is sent to the lungs ; and by coming into contact with the air, and taking out of it what it needs, in order, with what it has, to nourish the body, it is sent back again to the left side of the heart. From that it is sent, in arteries, or tubes, prepared for that purpose, to all parts of the body, for the purpose of carrying the nourishment which it contains, and which each part needs, to its proper place. Along on the lines of these tubes or canals, through which the blood with its treasure flows, is a vast OF AMERICANS. 217 multitude of little organs, or waiters, whose office is, each one to take out of the blood, as it comes along, that kind and quantity of nourishment which it needs for its own support, and also for the support of that part of the body which is committed to its care. And although exceedingly minute and delicate, they are endowed by their Creator, with the wonderful power of doing this, and also of abstaining from, or expelling and throwing back into the common mass, what is unsuitable, or what they do not want, to be carried to some other place where it may be needed ; or, if it is not needed anywhere, and is good for nothing, to be thrown out of the body as a nuisance. For instance, the organs placed at the end of the fingers, when the blood comes there, take out of it what they need for their support, and also what is needed to make finger nails ; while they will cautiously abstain from, or repel that which will only make hair, and let it go on to the head. And the organs on the head carefully take out that which they need for their support and also that which will made hair, or, in common language, cause it to grow ; while they will cautiously abstain from that which is good for nothing, except to make eye-balls, and let it go to the eyes, and even help it on. And the organs about the eye, will take that and work it up into eyes, or cause them to grow. And so throughout the whole. And there is among all the millions and millions of these workers, day and night, all diligent in business, the most entire and everlasting harmony. And there is also the most delicate and wonderful sympathy. If one mem- ber suffer, all the members instinctively suffer with it ; and if one member rejoice, all the members rejoice with it. And when the blood has gotten out to the extremities, and been to all parts of the system, and left its treasures along on the way, as they were needed, for freely it has received and freely it gives ; then there is another set of tubes, or channels, prepared to take the blood, and with it what was not needed, or was good for nothing, or had been used till it was worn out, back to the right side of the heart. From this it is sent again with its load to the lungs, for the purpose, by expiration, of throwing off what is not needed, and what, if retained, would only be a burden and do mischief; and also, by inspiration, of taking in a new store, and setting out again on its journey around the system. And to give it good speed, the heart, like a steam engine, worked, not by fires which men can kindle, but by the breath of the Almighty, keeps constantly moving, day and night, summer and winter, through storms and sunshine, sickness and health, as long as life doth last. All the organs of the human body have as much work to do, as is consis- tent with permanently healthful action, and with the longest continuance of human life, when men take nothing but suitable food and drink. And if, in addition to this, you take alcohol, and thus throw upon them the addi- tional labor of rejecting and throwing off the poison, and at the same time, as by the taking of it you certainly will, weaken and exhaust their energies, you necessarily shorten their duration, and commit suicide as really as if you did it with arsenic, a pistol, or a halter. It also greatly increases the violence of diseases which arise from other causes, and often produces death, in cases in which, had not alcohol been used, a cure might have been easily 218 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and speedily effected. Nor is this all. There is another set of organs, the nerves, whose office is to furnish sensibility to the human system. For this purpose they are spread over the smface of the whole body, and in &uch vast numbers and variety, that you cannot stick into the skin, the point even of the finest needle, and not strike some of them, and thus occasion pain. They seem to form the link between the body and the mind, and to be the medium through which each reciprocally and instantly acts upon the other. Of course whatever affects them, affects not only the body but also the soul, and the influence which one has upon the other. Their seat is the brain. From this they derive excitement, and power to communicate it to all parts of the system. And in order to furnish this ex- citement, the brain itself must be excited. And what it needs for this pur- pose, is that, and that only, which is furnished by arterial blood, when men take nothing but suitable food, and drink, exercise, rest, and sleep. For this excitement it eagerly waits, and this it joyfully receives ; and cheer- fully, with the rapidity almost of lightni-ng, communicates to every part, spreading a glow of animation, and making even existence a source of con- stant and exquisite delight. But as it stands waiting to receive, and in- stantly and joyfully to communicate, the bread and the milk of Heaven, you throw in alcohol, and thus instead of bread, give it serpents ; instead of milk, scorpions ; and they go hissing and darting their serpent, scorpion-like influence through the whole man, body and soul ; turning husbands into demons, and fathers into fiends. Finally alcohol so affects the understanding that moral considerations are less clearly perceived ; and it so affects the heart, that moral obligation is less powerfuUy felt. It causes the conscience to lie more dormant, and the imagination to be more extensively and deeply polluted, and polluting. It corrupts the very source and springs of moral action, and brings a man pe- culiarly, in all respects, under the power of the devil. Mental iniquity, from which the mind, when not poisoned, instinctively recoils, becomes, when it is, the element of its delicious revel ; and crimes, from the thought of which it before started back with abhorrence, it now commits with greediness." The business of distillation first commenced in our country at Boston, about the year 1700, when West India molasses was converted into New England rum. In 1794, distilleries, chiefly for grain, had become numerous in the United States, especially in Western Pennsylvania, a rich grain-growing region. In 1815, the number of distilleries had increased to forty thousand, consuming, in successive years, more than ten million bushels of bread-stuffs, and pouring over the land more than thirty millions of gallons of ardent spirits distilled from grain, and more than ten million gallons distilled from molasses. With the mass of the population, distilleries were a long time considered a blessing to the country. They furnished, it was said, a ready market for the surplus grain ; they gave a new value to the orchard, whose superabun- dant fruit could at once be converted into brandy ; they brought ready employ to the carpenter, the cooper, the carrier, and furnished the nation ■with an excellent article, which it was importing from Holland and the West Indies at great cost. Pious men, deacons of churches, owned and OF AMERICANS. 219 labored in them, without loss of character. Many a neighborhood was filled with joy that an immense distillery was to be built, and a spring given to business which would bring riches to every family." Ardent spirits, for other than medicinal purposes, were not used in the early settlement of our country. This fatal error that they were useful for men in health, did not jircvail among the mass of our people until after the American Revolution. Spirituous liquors were furnished to the army by government, under the fatal delusion that they were of service in mitigating the hardships to which the soldiers were subject. The consequence was, that at the close of the war, they were carried into the community, and ex- tended through the country. From habits of intemperance formed during the war, very many of the soldiers became wandering vagabonds, so that, for a generation after, if a miserable drunken beggar stopped at one's door, he was often alluded to as an " old soldier." At the close of the first half century of our national existence, viz : by the year 1826, this diseased appetite had become so prevalent as to demand, annually, for its gratification, more than sixty millions of gallons of spiritu- ous liquors. Kotv/ithstanding the general indifference to the mass of evils arising from this source, a few clear sighted and benevolent individuals, from time to time, ventured to give to the world their opinions and expe- riences on the subject. Beside these, there were remarkable examples of literary and scientific names, of the highest authority, in favor of abstaining from all stimulating drinks : among whom it is sufficient to name Sir Isaac Newton, Milton, Locke, Dr. Johnson, the philanthropic Iloward, with the venerable John Wesley, who not only abstained himself, but made it a condition of membership in his church, that all who belonged to it should abstain from either using, making, trafficking, or dealing in spirit- uous liquors. In 1813, years before the great Temperance Reform, an association was formed in Boston, under the name of " The Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance." The object, as expressed in the constitution, was, " To discountenance the too free use of ardent spirits, and its kindred vices, profaneness and gaming, and to encourage and jiromote temperance and general moralitj-." As this society allowed the use of ardent sjiirits as a beverage, it was of no avail as a temperance society. It was then the general impression, that ardent spirits, if not absolutely ne- cessary, were at least of great use and importance as a support during labor ; and that, moderately used, they were an innocent stimulus. So deceived were the community, that the trade was thought to be proper. It was licensed by government, and sanctioned by the Christian churches. The crimes and misery arising from alcoholic drinks, were attributed to the abuse of what was considered, in itself, moderately used, beneficial to man. The great dis- covery at length came forth like the light of a new day, that the temperate members of society, were the chief agents in promoting and perpetuating intemperance. And it was perfectly evident that unless a new movement could be started, on a new plan, and one which should be equal in time and place with the evil — one which should strike at the root and exterminate it — drunkenness would always continue. At length associated efi"ort was 220 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS brought to bear upon the torrent of evil, and. " The Pledge," the great instrument of reform, came into use. The first Temperance Pledge of which we have any knowledge (at least in modern times), was one drawn np by Micajah Pendleton, of Nelson Count}', Virginia, in the year 1800. It was designed only for his own family, and was a total abstinence pledge. Through his influence, other families in Virginia, adopted the same in their households. The first Tem- perance Society, was organized in Moreau, Saratoga County, New York, in the year 1808. The pledge and constitution were prepared, and the move- ment inaugurated by Dr. Billy J. Clark, and the Rev. Lebbeus Armstrong. Forty-seven male members signed the pledge, and organized the society, called " the Moreau and Northumberland Temperance Society." The fourth article of thoir constitution, provided that no member should drink rum, gin, whisky, wine, or any distilled spirits. A fine of twenty-five cents was imposed for every violation of the pledge. The Eev. Lebbeus Armstrong delivered the address at their first quarterly meeting. In 1810, this society sent out one thousand circulars giving an account of the rise, progress, and objects of their body ; transmitting many of them to eminent gentlemen in Europe. The first general movement in the cause, was in 1811, when Dr. Push, of Philadelphia, presented printed copies of his "Inquiry," to the members of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, in session there. A committee was appointed on the subject, and the initiatory steps taken to pervade the whole land with a feeling of alarm, at the prevalence of intem- perance. But years elapsed before the public mind was sufficiently enlight- ened to embrace the great idea.. In 1825, the Eev. Dr. Justin Edwards wrote an essay entitled, " The Well Conducted Farm," exhibiting the result of an experiment upon an exten- sive farming establishment, in Worcester County, Massachusetts, which showing the great superiority of labor without alcoholic stimulants, pro- duced a strong impression on the public mind. The next year, the Amek- ICAN Temperance Society was formed at Boston, and on the principle of "the pledge," the invention of Micajah Pendleton, twenty-six years pre- viously. Among the most powerful of the early advocates of the reformation, were Rev. Mr. Hewitt, Dr. Lyman Beecher, Dr. Edwards, E. C. Delavan, Theodore Frelinghuysen, Dr. Channing, and numerous others, who, by ser- mons, tracts, public meetings, and periodicals, spread their views far and wide throughout the country. The sermons of Dr. Beecher, exerted a powerful influence in helping on the cause in this early day. In one of these, he says, " Can we lawfully amass property by a course of trade which fills the land with beggars, and widows, and orphans, and crimes ; which peoples the graveyard with pre- mature mortality, and the world of woe, with the victims of despair? Could all the forms of evil produced in the land by intemperance come upon us in one horrid array, it would appall the nation, and put an end to the traffic in ardent spirits. If in every dwelling built by blood, the stone from the wall should utter all the cries which the bloody traffic extorts, and the beam out of the timber should echo them back, who would build OF AMERICANS. 221 such a house? and who would dwell in it? What if, in every part of the dwelling, from the cellar upward, through all the halls and chambers, bab- blings, and contentions, and voices, and groans, and shrieks, and Availings were heard day and night? What if the cold blood oozed out, and stood in drops upon the walls, and, by preternatural art, all the ghastly skulls and bones of the victims dcstroj'ed by intemperance, should stand upon the walls, in horrid sculpture, within and without the building — who would rear such a building? What if, at eventide, and at midnight, the airy forms of men destroyed by intemperance, were dimly seen haunting the distil- leries and stores where they received their bane — following the track of the ship engaged in the commerce — walking upon the waves — flitting athwart the deck — sitting upon the rigging — and sending up from the hold within, and from the waves without, groans, and loud laments, and wailings ! Who would attend such stores? Who would labor in such distilleries? Who would navigate such ships? 1 were the sky over our heads one great whispering gallery, bringing down about us all the lamentation and woe which intemperance creates, and the firm earth one sonorous medium of sound, bringing up around us, from beneath, the wailings of the damned, whom the commerce in ar- dent spirits had sent thither ; these tremendous realities, assailing our sense, would invigorate our conscience, and give decision to our purpose of refor- mation. But these evils are as real as if the stone did cry out of the wall, and the beam answered it ; as real as if, day and night, wailings were heard in every part of the dwelling, and blood and skeletons were seen upon every wall; as real as if the ghostly forms of departed victims flitted about the ship as she passed over the billows, and showed themselves nightly about stores and distilleries, and with unearthly voices, screamed in our ears their loud lament. They are as real as if the sky over our heads collected and brought down about us all the notes of sorrow in the land ; and the firm earth should open a passage for the wailings of despair to come up from beneath." A little later in the history of the reformation, when many good men still clung to the belief that the moderate use of ardent spirits was proper, a public speaker of the time thus sang the praises of alcohol. "It is a pleasant cordial; a cheerful restorative; the first friend of the infant; the support of the enfeebled mother ; a sweet luxury given by the ])arent to the child ; the universal token of kindness, friendship, and hospi- tality. It adorns the sideboards and tables of the rich, and enlivens the social circles of the poor ; goes with the laborer as his most cheering com- panion ; accompanies the mariner in his long and dreary voyage ; enlivens the carpenter, the mason, the blacksmith, the joiner, as they ply their trade ; follows the merchant to his counter, the physician to his infected rooms, the lawyer to his office, and the divine to his study, cheering all and comforting all. It is the life of our trainings, and town-meetings, and elections, and bees, and raisings, and harvests, and sleighing parties. It is the best domes- tic medicine, good for a cold and a cough, for pain in the stomach and weakness in the limbs, loss of appetite and rheumatism, and is a great sup- port in old age. It makes a market for our rye and apples; sustains one 222 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS hundred thousand families who are distilling and vending, and pours annu- ally millions of dollars into our national treasury." This public speaker was the Rev. John Marsh. He was using the argu- ments of the friends of moderate drinking, only the more effectually to present a mass of statistics and facts which the industry of those of tem- perance had collected. As they are given in a vivid manner, we quote them below: "Look, my countrymen, at the ravages of intemperance. Fix your eye on its waste of property. At the lowest calculation, it has annually despoiled us of a hundred millions of dollars — of thirty millions for an article which is nothing worth, and seventy or eighty millions more to compensate for the mischiefs that article has done — money enough to accomplish all that the warmest patriot could wish for his country, and to fill, in a short period, the world with Bibles, and a preached Gospel. What farmer would not be roused, should a wild beast come once a year into his borders and destroy the best cow in his farmyard? But six and a fourth cents a day for ardent spirits, wastes twenty-two dollars eighty-one cents a year, and in forty years nearly one thousand dollars, which is a thousand times as much as scores of drunkards are worth at their burial. See the pauperism it has produced. We have sung of our goodly heri- tage, and foreign nations have disgorged their exuberant population that they might freely subsist in this land of plenty. But in this granary of tho world are everywhere seen houses without windows, fields without tillage, barns without roofs, children without clothing, and penitentiaries and alms- houses filled to overflowing; and a traveler might write — beggars made HERE. We are groaning under our pauperism, and talking of taxes, and hard times, and no trade ; but intemperance has stalked through our laud and devoured our substance. It has entered the houses of our unsuspecting inhabitants as a friend, and taken the food from their tables, and the clothing from their beds, and the fuel from their fire, and turned their lands over to others, and drove them from their dwellings to subsist on beggary and crime, or drag out a miserable existence in penitentiaries and alms- houses. Two thirds, or one hundred and fifty thousand, of the wretched tenants of these abodes of poverty in the United States, were reduced by intemperance. So themselves confess. It was rum, brandy, and whisky, that did it. And the Prison Discipline report tells of fifty thousand cases of imprisonment for debt annually in the United States, in consequence of the use of ardent spirits. 0, its sweeps of property can never be known ! Look at the crime it has occasioned. It is said that there is a spring in China which makes every man that drinks it a villain. Eastern tales are founded on some plain matter of fact. This spring may be some distillery or dram-shop ; for this is the natural effect of alcohol. It breaks down the conscience, quickens the circulation, increases the courage, makes man flout at law and right, and hurries him to the perpetration of every abomination and crime. Excite a man by this fluid, and he is bad enough for anything. He can lie, and steal, and fight, and swear, and fjlunge the dagger into the bosom of his nearest friend. No vice is too filthy no crime too tragical for the drunkard. The records of OF AMERICANS. 223 our courts tell of acts, committed under the influence of rum, which curdle the blood in our veins. Husbands butcher their wives ; children slaughter their parents. Far the greater part of the atrocities committed in our land, proceed from its maddening power. ' I declare, in this public manner, and with the most solemn regard to truth,' said Judge Rush, some years a"-o, in a charge to a grand jurj^, ' that I do not recollect an instance since my being concerned in the administration of justice, of a single person being put on his trial for manslaughter, which did not originate in drunkenness; and but few instances of trial for murder, where the crime did not sprinor from the same unhappy cause.' Of eight hundred and ninety-five com- plaints presented to the police court in Boston in one year, four hundred were under the statute against common drunkards. Of one thousand and sixty-one cases of criminal prosecution in a court in North Carolina, m.ore than eight hundred proceeded from intemperance. Five thousand com- plaints are made yearly in New York to the city police, of outrages com- mitted by intoxicated persons ; and the late city attorney reports, that, of twenty-two cases of murder which it had been his duty to examine, every one of them had been committed in consequence of intemperate drinking. 'Nine-tenths of all the prisoners nnder my care,' says Captain Pillsbury, warden of the Connecticut state prison, 'are decidedly intempe- rate men, and were brought to their present condition, directly or indirectly, through intoxicating liquor. Many have confessed to me with tears, that they never felt tempted to the commission of crime, thus punishable, but when under the influence of strong drink.' And the Prison Discipline re- port states, ' that of one hundred and twenty-five thousand criminals com- mitted to our prisons in a single year, ninety-three thousand seven hundred and fifty were excited to their commission of crime by spirituous liquors.' Look at its destruction of intellect. It reduces man to a beast, to a fool, to a devil. The excessive drinker first becomes stupid, then idiotic, then a maniac. Men of the finest geniuses, most acute minds, and profound learning, have dwindled under the touch of this withering demon to the merest insignificance, and been hooted by boys for their silly speeches, and silly actions, or chained in a madhouse as unsafe in society. Of eighty-seven admitted into the New York hospital iu one year, the insanity of twenty-seven was occasioned by ardent spirits ; and the physicians of the Pennsylvania hospital, report that one third of the insane of that institution were ruined by intemperance. What if one sixth of our maniacs were deprived of their reason by the bite cf the dogs, the friendly inmates of our houses, or by some vegetable common on our tables ; who would harbor the dangerous animal, or taste the poisonous vegetable? But one third of our maniacs are deranged by alcohol. Indeed, every drunkard is in a temporary delirium ; and no man who takes even a little into his system, possesses that sound judgment, or is capable of that patient investigation, or intellectual efl"ort, which would be his without it. Just in proportion as man comes under its influence, he approximates to idiotism or madness. Look at its waste of health and life. The worm of the still never touches the brute creation, but, as if the most venomous of all beings, it seizes the noblest prey. It bites man : 224 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and where it once leaves its subtle poison, farewell to health — farewell to long life. The door is open, and in rush dj^spepsia, jaundice, dropsy, gout, obstructions of the liver, epilepsy — the deadliest plagues let loose on fallen man — all terminating in delirium tremens or mania a pota, a prelude to the eternal buCfetings of foul spirits in the world of despair. One out of every forty, or three hundred thousand of our population have taken up their abode in the lazar-house of drunkenness, and thirty thousand die annually the death of the drunkard. These sweeps of death mock all the ravages of war, famine, pestilence, and shipwreck. The yellow fever in Philadelphia, in 1793, felt to be one of the greatest curses of heaven, destroyed but four thousand. In our last war with Great Britain, the sword devoured but five hundred a year ; intemperance destroys two hundred a week. Shipwrecks destroy suddenly, and the country groans when forty or fifty human beings are suddenly engulfed in the ocean ; but more than half of all the sudden deaths occur in fits of intoxication. It needed not a fable to award the prize of greatest ingenuity in malice and murder to the demon who in- vented brandy, over the demon who invented war. And look at its waste of human happiness. Yes, look — look for yourselves. The woes of drunkenness mock all description. Some tell of the happiness of drinking. 0, if there is a wretched being on earth, it is the drunkard. His property wasted, his char- acter gone, his body loathsome, his passions wild, his appetite craving the poison that kills him, his hopes of immortality blasted forever ; it is all ' Me miserable, "Wiiicli way I fly is hell, myself am hell.' And his family. I can never look at it but with feelings of deepest an- guish. 'Domestic lappiness, thou only bliss Of Paradise that hast escaped the fall,' thou art shipwrecked here. Sorrow, woe, wounds, poverty, babblings, and contention, have entered in and dwell here. Yet we have three hundred thousand such families in the land ; and if each family consists of four in- dividuals, more than a million pei-sons are here made wretched by this curse of curses." The Temperance Eeformation progressed beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. In six years from the commencement of the reform, viz : in 1832, there were, in the United States, over four thousand temperance societies, with over half a million of members; one thousand five hundred distilleries had ceased distilling, and four thousand merchants had ceased to trafSc in the poison. It was also estimated that a million and a half of persons had abstained from the use of ardent spirits, and that twenty thousand families were in ease and comfort, which otherwise would have been in poverty or cursed with a drunken inmate. A year later these statistics had nearly doubled, and it was estimated that there were seven hundred vessels afloat on the ocean, in which ardent spirits were not used. This year, the American Congressional Temperance Society, was formed at Washington, with Hon. Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, OF AMERICANS. 225 as president. A few months previously the issue of ardent spirits to the army had been prohibited. The United States Temperance Convention met in Philadelphia, in May 1833. Seldom had a body of men assembled of greater weight of character, and of higher and better influence in the countrj'. It Avas composed of over four hundred delegates, and from twenty-one States. It strikes us as singular, as showing how little progress had then been made in the views of the friends of temperance, that they should have "a long and animated debate," upon a resolution "which ex- pressed the sentiment, that the traffic in ardent spirits to be used as a bev- rage, is morally lurong, and ought to be universally abandoned." It was "passed after a long and animated discussion;" and, says a writer of the time, "had the convention done nothing else, but after examination ex- pressed their opinion on this point, they had done a deed which would have marked them as benefactors of their country." Up to this period, and for a year or two later, all the temperance societies had been organized on the principle of the voluntary pledge, which inter- dicted the use of distilled liquors as a beverage. It allowed the use of wine, cider, and malt liquors. Thus the reform stood until a society in Lancashire, England, perceiving the defect of what is now called the old pMge, adopted what was named the tee-total principle — total abstinence from all kinds of intoxicating beverages. The word tee, is one of the provincialisms of Lan- cashire, signifying there the same as "going the whole figure " signihes here. A member at one of their meetings said, "Wo must have a tee-to- tal abstinence from every kind of drink that will produce drunkenness, if we Avish to get rid of drunkenness itself;" and from this circumstance came the word. This idea, once started, soon became the basis on which the reform was conducted, and in the year 1834, many of our societies changed the words of their pledge from "ardent spirits," to "intoxicating liquors." In 1835, it was adopted by the American Temperance Society. In 1836, the American Temperance Union was formed, on the principle of total abstinence ; since which period it has been the leading society of the land. The pledge of the Union is : " We, the undersigned, do agree that we will not use intoxica- ting LIQUORS AS A BEVERAGE, NOR TRAFFIC IN THEil ; THAT WE WILL NOT PROVIDE THEM AS AN ARTICLE OF ENTERTAINMENT, OR FOR PERSONS IN OUR EMPLOYMENT, AND THAT, IN ALL SUITABLE WAYS, WE AVILL DISCOUNTE- NANCE THEIR USE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY." The tee-total pledge met at first with much opposition, and, in many cases, from those who had been very active in their advocacy of the old pledge. The principle, however, eventually overcame opposition to such a degree, that every temperance society in the land adopted it. AVe present the arguments for and objections to total abstinence as given by a writer of the time. " To the adoption of this pledge, one objection offered, was, that temper- ance men, having signed the former pledge, would, as light shone and duty was manifest, become right in their practice ; but it was found that all did not become right, and that such as did not, hung as a millstone upon the cause ; that by their use of wine, beer, and cider, they exposed the cause to 226 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS reproach, themselves to intemperance, and kept the miserable inebriate in his drunkenness. Another was, that it was not necessary to accomplish the desired result. But it was found that it was necessary ; that the yeomanry of the country Avould not give up their rum and whisky, while temperance men in the higher ranks drank wine ; that no drunkard could be reformed and saved, except on the principle of total abstinence from all that intoxicates ; and that the mass of young men in the higher walks of life, in colleges, in counting-houses, in the learned professions, who became drunkards, became so on wine, and not on distilled spirits. Another was, that it destroyed the simplicity of the obligation under which temperance men had acted with great harmony and success. But the pledge of total abstinence from all that intoxicates is a much more simple pledge ; far more intelligible, and one, as experience has proved, under which all who will, may gather with much greater harmony and success. Another was, that there is no call for such banishment of wine, beer, and the like, from society, as there is for the banishment of distilled spirits. But alcohol is in all fermented liquors, producing the same effects in kind in the system as when separated by the process of distillation. Nearly all the wines of commerce are brandied ; and much of the foreign wine, and wines of home manufacture, are nothing but distilled spirits and drugs. Burton ale, according to Brande's table, has eight per cent, of alcohol, the intoxicating principle ; cider, ten ; Champagne wine, eighteen ; Sherry, nineteen ; Madeira, twenty-four ; Port, twenty-three ; Lissa, twenty-six ; one-half of what is found in whisky, gin, rum, and brandy ; while beer, prepared as it often is by nux vomica, cocculus indicus, and grains of para- dise, is little behind the strongest drinks in its fatal tendency. For five thousand years, wine was the great source of drunkenness among the nations ; and who can deny that there was an amount of the horrid vice, under various forms, far exceeding all human conception. Another was, that it was at variance with the permission of the sacred volume to drink wine, and subversive of a divine ordinance. But it had no relation to a divine ordinance, being only a pledge to abstain from all intoxicating drink, as a beverage ; to which every man has a right, even though there were a permission to use it. No command of God makes it a duty to eat flesh, though it is permitted. And hence Paul was at liberty to say, " It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth ; " nor in so abstaining would he reproach the Saviour, or subvert a divine ordinance. Another was, that it was altogether impracticable. But it has been found to be not at all impracticable, but to be far easier gaining signatures to the pledge of entire abstinence from all that intoxicates, than it was origin- ally to the pledge from ardent spirits. Another was, that it would throw off from the temperance ranks the higher classes, he would not give up their wine ; and the farmers who would not yield their cider. But it was found that many of the higher classes were glad of a change in the habits of society, which would save their sons from ruin ; and that such farmers as had ceased using ardent spirits, did not want to be burned up with cider, and rejoiced in a change OF AMERICANS. 227 which saved them great toil, without profit, in the autumnal season ; and scenes of riot and drunkenness in their households, during the long even- ings of winter. Another was, that it would create a division in the temperance ranks, and destroy all activity. But if it has created a division, it has divided men who are resolved to extirpate drunkenness from the earth, cost what it may, from such as plead for a little self-indulgenco, and who, by that indul- gence, are palsied in their efforts ; and, instead of ruining the cause, it has raised up an army who are rushing on to victory." The discussion of the total abstinence pledge, included, also, what was called, in the popular language of the day, "the wine question." The Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, was among the most judicious in his advo- cacy of the new principle. " The great principle," said he, " contended for, is the moral expediency of this pure standard. Let it be granted that men may lawfully drink wine ; that in Palestine where grapes hung upon the boughs in the greatest profusion, men did drink wine ; that our Saviour himself drank wine, and sanctioned it by his example ; yet how different are the circumstances in which we find ourselves at this day. Then there was no such thing as ar- dent spirits, by which men were brutalized and destroyed, both body and soul ; and it might not have been necessary then to abstain from that which in our day we look upon as a temptation and a snare, leading men directly to intemperance. But now the case presents itself to us in this light. A great moral power which may be exercised to promote the welfi;re of our fellow men, is offered to us in this total abstinence principle. In a spirit of benig- nant feeling toward our race, we adopt it. We abstain from that which we might use lawfully and without injury to ourselves, hoping, thereby, by our example, to benefit others." At a later time he said, "Let example plead for the sake of a bleeding world. One says, ' I am not responsible, I am temperate, I drink moderately. If others drink to excess, I am not responsible for their conduct.' That principle never had its origin in the word of God, or in a generous bosom. There is not an individual who hears me, whose example is not going forth and influencing others, for good or ill. When we meet in the judgment, one of the first matters that will come up there will be the influence which our example has exerted upon others. And, when the subject of v/ine comes up here, how will the precepts of the gospel lead me to dispose of it? If my example is in danger of leading others astray, I must aban- don it; for 'it is good neither to eat flesh nor drink tvine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.' " " The fact," says another, " that our Lord, by a miracle, produced wine at the marriage of Cana, in Galilee, is urged as an invincible argument against total abstinence from alcoholic drinks. But this, like every other reason of the kind, is based upon the groundless assumption, that the term tm'ne always refers to the same kind of intoxicating drink ; whereas, history, science, and even modern usage, show that such a conclusion is altogether false. Among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans, there were various descrip- tions of wines. There were the drugged, fermented, and poisonous wines, injurious to the bodies, and stupefying to the minds of those who drank 15 228 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS them ; and there were also the sweet, delicious, nutrient, or delightfully- acid wines, which would delight and please every palate, would nourish the frame, quench thirst, refresh and cool the weary, and injure no one. Now, we ask the reader to judge, which of the two the benevolent Ee- deemer was most likely to produce? " In Greece, Rome, and Palestine, it was customary to boil down their wines into a kind of syrup. Columella, Pliny, and other Roman writers, tell us that in Italy and Greece it was common to boil their wines. These liquors must have been syrups, and every chemist knows that if they were thick syrups, they could not have undergone the process of the vinous fermentation. The practice of evaporating the juice of the grape, must have been adopted by the Jews in Palestine, as a wise precaution against the heat of the country, for by this operation a considerable portion of the water was boiled away, the solid and saccharine substances of the grape were brought into a thicker consistence, and the acetous fermentation pre- vented. This historical fact respecting the boiling of grape juice, furnishes us with proof that the wines of Palestine were not alcoholic, or did not obtain their inebriating power from vinous fermentation. Yet it is not intended to aiSrm that thy were all destitute of an intoxicating principle. Other substances beside alcohol possess inebriating and stupefying, or mad- dening properties. In the sacred volume, we have several allusions to such medicine or deleterious drugs. In Psalm Ix. 3, Ave read of "the wino of astonishment or giddiness ; " Ixxv, 8, of wine, " red, and full of mixture." Is. li, 17, mentions the "cup of trembling and giddiness." In Prov. xxiii, 30, we read of those who go to "seek mixed wine." The wine mentioned Prov. xxxi, 4-7, was a soporific drink. The wine mixed with myrrh and gall, or a species of laudanum, offered to our Lord, was intended to produce stupefaction, and therefore he would not drinlv." The next question that came up was the propriety of granting licenses to sell ardent spirits. Laws of this kind had been in force from the early set- tlement of the country. The first license law of Massachusetts was passed iu 1646. In April, 1838, the legislature of that State passed, by a ma- jority of more than two thirds, what was termed the " fifteen gallon law." It forbade the retailing of any spirituous liquors, under a penalty of twenty dollare, excepting by apothecaries and physicians, si^ecially licensed, and they were not permitted to sell in a less quantity than fifteen gallons. The sales were only to be made for use in the arts, or for medicinal purposes ; and none were to be drank on the premises where sold. The legislatures of Tennessee, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, also passed laws designed to more closely restrict, and in some cases to prevent entirely, the sale of ardent spirits, to be used as a beverage. Up to this period, the friends of temperance had relied for success, upon an appeal to the moral sense of the community — to ^^ moral suasion." What was the practical an- swer to this, on the part of the manufacturers and dealers in ardent spirits? " Pooh ! " said they, " we have millions upon millions of money invested in our trade, which yields us a handsome jn'ofit ; and do you think your whining and weeping, can induce us to abandon this trade? Your sons, fathers, and husbands are not obliged to drink. If they will drink what is that to us? Mind your own business." OF AMERICANS. 229 Coercion, or " legal suasion," then failed to accomplish the desired ends. First came secret evasion, and then open violation of these laws, until they were either repealed or remained a dead letter on the statute boobs. An incident which occurred at a general militia muster somewhere in Massachusetts, gained considerable notoriety at the time, as an amusing evasion of the fifteen gallon law. On a tent at the ground, was a show bill as below : GSEAT CURIOSITY. THE STRIPED PIG. • OO^ To he seen liere — Admittance 6^ ds. Crowds flocked to see the wonder, and what was curious to the unini- tiated, many were not contented with a single visit, but made repeated calls in the course of the day — often taking their friends with them — and as they came out, were in a jovial humor ; some of them at length showed such an uproarious hilarity, as to draw the attention of the authorities to the spot. On entering, they found a common white pig painted in black stripes, zebra like: near him stood a table well provided with Xew England rum, brandy, gin, etc., which the owner of the show had provided, at his own expense, for the refreshment of the curiosity-seekers. There being no law in Massa- chusetts against exhibiting a common pig 'daubed with black paint, nor none against giving away alcoholic stimulants, the exhibitor suffered no harm; indeed, he was said by some to have brought his pig to a good market. The political campaign of 1840, sometimes called " the Hard Cider Cam- paign," which resulted in the election of General Harrison to the presidency, occasioned a pause in the Temperance movement. It is said that some oppo- nent had declared he was unfit for the office, because he never had the ability to raise himself beyond the occupancy of a log-cabin, in which he lived very coarsely, with no better beverage than hard cider. It was an unfortunate charge for the wishes of the accuser. The taunt of his being a poor man, and living in a log-cabin, was seized upon by his political friends, as evidence of his incorruptibility in the many responsible stations he had held ; and " the log-cabin " became at once the symbol of the Whig party. Thousands of these were forthwith erected all over the land, as rallying points for political meetings. Miniature cabins were carried in political processions, and in some cases barrels labeled " hard cider." The public mind cannot be simultaneously excited on two subjects, nor 230 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS long upon one. In the whirl of this memorable campaign, evei-ything else was for the time forgotten ; and although perhaps not much hard cider was drank, yet it is to be presumed that poor whisky, rum, and other coarse forms of alcoholic drinks, in unusual quantities, ministered to and increased the wild furor of the day. " Principles never die ; " although great reforms may be temporarily crushed, yet, often at the very moment of the lowest depression, unseen causes are originating, destined to impart an unwonted vigor to the right. Such was now the case, for this very year gave birth to the Washingtonian phase of the Temperance Reform. Heretofore, the cure of those far gone In habits of inebriety was generally thought hopeless ! The main object of the pledge had been preservation not cure. It is true that many inebriates signed the old pledge. This proved of little avail while alcoholic wines were allowed ; and when the new pledge was instituted they were still Avithout the countenance of their former boon associates in their new relation, and in most cases relapsed into their old habits. When the Temperance Reformation arose, " there were supposed to be in the United States not less than three hundred thousand common drunkards. The most of them were husbands and fathers. Many had large families. Their houses were generally known by the broken door-yard fence ; the fallen gate ; the windows stuffed with old hats and rags ; the clapboards dangling in the air ; the barns held up by props and stripped of their boards, which had been used for fuel ; a half-starved horse standing in the street and several ragged children, who, without hats or shoes, spent their days in dragging brush-wood from the neighboring forests, or in begging pennies from door to door, to buy their mother a loaf of bread. In the interior, little was visible either of neatness or comfort. No bed but one of straw, laid on knotted ropes ; here a show of a table, and there a broken chair, A half dozen broken plates, rusty knives and forks, and iron spoons ; a mug for cider, and a bottle for rum. Neither carpet nor plaster- ing was there — if it was winter, the snow would often lie upon the bed, and the mother and her children be seen huddled together over a few embers, as their only refuge. Night would come, but no sound of a father's voice with comfortable food to cheer and gladden. The children would cry them- selves to sleep. The mother would sit and " watch the moon go down," till distant footsteps were heard, and horrid oaths vented at not finding the door, causing her heart to quail ; and a monster in human shape, but the father of her children, would burst upon her, and perhaps drive her out in the cold and dreary night, even in a pitiless storm, compelling her to leave her babes to his neglect or cruelties. These were homes witnessed in almost every neighborhood. The inhabit- ants were accustomed to the spectacle as a necessary appendage to their village, as the church, the school-house, the tavern, the dram-shop, or the comfortable home of the sober and the frugal ; and it attracted no particular notice, unless there went forth, at midnight hour, a cry of murder : and then, for a little season, all thought something must be done ; the wife must swear the peace upon her husband, and he, by authority, be sent to jail. But this she would not do ; he was her husband ; he promised to reform, and things would be left to pass on much as before. OF AMERICANS. 231 From tais very class originated a movement which astonished the country, and lifted the Temi:)erance Reform up tp a point it had never previously attained. On the evening of Friday, April 2d, 1840, six men of intem- perate habits met at Chase's Tavern, in Baltimore, to gratify their appetite for strong drink. They were Wm. K. Mitchell, a tailor; John T. Hoss, a carpenter; David Anderson, a blacksmith; George Steers, a wheelwright; Jas. McCurly, a coachmaker; and Archibald Campbell, a silverplater. " Thus they met as they had often met before ; but neither seemed inclined to call for the subtle poison that had so many times stolen away their reason. Soon the feelings of each became known to the others, and they felt a sudden hope springing up in their minds — a hope in the power of association. Sad experience had proven to each one of that little company, that alone he could not stand. But together, shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, and heart to heart, they felt that though the struggle would be hai'd, they could, and they would conquer I In that moral pest-house then, while inhaling with every breath the tempting fumes of the potations they loved, did this little band pledge themselves to each other, never again to drink any kind of intoxicating drink — spirits, wine, malt, or cider." They organized themselves into a society, and called it the Washington Temperaiice Society. Then they went to some of their old companions, told them what they had done, and invited them to join their society. A few were found to break away from their bondage and unite with them. Thus their power and influence became increased. Others soon followed the example, and it was not long before the society numbered over one hundred members, each one of whom had been for years in the habit of drinking, and most of them occasionally to intoxication. All this time, each member was using all his powers of reasoning and per- sl^asion to induce his old companions to come in. Some would, on the nights of their meetings, station themselves near the grog-shops they had formerly been in the habit of visiting, and intercept those whom they knew, before they had reached the doors they were seeking. Then they would reason with them, and persuade them to come to the society ; if not to join, at least to hear. In this way numbers were added. Such members as had no work, were aided as for as possible, and efforts were made to procure work for them." And thus the reformation went on. Their meetings were conducted by the relation of the experience of the speakers. Neither of these original six became distinguished speakers, but the president, Wm. K. Mitchell, a man of rare genius, vigorous intellect, and commanding influence, threw into tha association a power, which soon caused it to be felt through the whole city. The thrilling tales narrated by the reformed, as they signed the pledge, were widely spread abroad, and by the close of 1840, thousands had flocked to thek standard, many of whom had been miserable slaves to the intoxica- ting cup. One of these, John 11. W. Hawkins, a hatter by trade, was reduced, at tho age of twenty-two, to extreme drunkenness. He wandered far ofi" from his friends to the West, where he suffered every evil from poverty, degradation, and vice — lived years in Baltimore, without providing food or clothing for 232 ADVENTURES AND ACUIEVEMENTS. his family, a living death to them. His wife would sit up for him until miduight, and watch to see whether he came home drunk or sober ; often would he fall prostrate in his hall, and his little daughter would cover him with a blanket until morning light. This individual soon became a powerful public speaker. He traveled through the country relating his experience, and was the means of saving thousands from the drunkard's fate. In the course of two years he succeeded in attaining the signatures of more than eighty thousand persons to the pledge. "On the 15th of June, 1840," said he, in one of his public addresses, "I drank and suffered awfully — I can't tell how much I suffered in mhid — in body everything, but in mind more. I drank dreadfully the two first weeks of June — bought by the gallon, and drank, and drank, and was about taking my life — drunk all the time. On the 14th, I was a wonder to myself ; astonished I had my mind left, and yet it seemed, in the goodness of God, uncommonly clear. I lay in bed long after my wife and daughter were up, and my conscience drove me to madness. I hated the darkness of the night ; and when light came, I hated the light. I hated myself — my existence. I asked myself, ' Can I refrain ; is it possible ? ' Not a being to take me by the hand, and lead or help me along, and say you can. I was friendless ; without help or light ; an outcast. My wife came up stairs, and knew I was suffering, and asked me to go down to breakfast. I had a pint of whisky, and thought I would drink ; and yet 1 knew it was life or death with me as I decided. Well, I told my wife I would come down presently. Then my daughter came up and asked me down. I always loved her — more because she was the drunkard's friend — my only friend. " She said, ' Father, don't send me after whisky to-day.' I was tormented before, but this was an unexpected torture. I told her to leave the chamber, and she went down crying, and said to her mother, 'Father is angry with me.' Wife came up again, and asked me to take some coffee ; I told her I did not want anything of her, and covered myself in the bed. I soon heard some one enter the room, and I peeped out and saw it was my daughter. I then thought of my past life ; my degradation ; misery of my friends ; and felt bad enough. So I called her and said, ' Hannah, I am not angrj- with you, and I shall not drink any more.' She cried, and so did I. I got up and went to the cupboard, and looked at the enemy, and thought, 'Is it possible I can be restored ? ' and then turned ray back upon it. Several times, while dressing, I looked at the bottle, but thought I should be lost if I yielded. Poor drunkard ! there is hope for you. You cannot be worse off than I was ; not more degraded, or more of a slave to appetite. You can reform if you will. Try it — try it ! I felt badly, I tell you. " Well, Monday night I went to the Society of Drunkards, and there I found all my old bottle companions. I did not tell anybody I was going, not even my wife. I had got out of difficulty, but did not know how long I would keep out. The six-pounders of the society were there. We had fished together ; got drunk together. You could not break us up when drunk. We stuck like brothers, and so we do now, we are sober. One said, here is Hawkins, the 'regulator,' the old bruiser ; and they clapped me and laughed, as you do now. But there Avas no laugh or clap in me. I was too sober and solemn for that. The pledge was read for my accommoda- OF AMERICANS. 233 tion. They did not say so, and yet I knew thoy all looked over my shoulder to see me write my name. I never had such feelings before. It was a great battle. I once fought the battle at North Point, and helped to run away too, but now there was no running away. I found the society had a large pitcher of water ; drank toasts, and told experiences. There I laid my plan ; I did not intend to be a drone. Alcohol promised me every- thing, but I found him a great deceiver, and now I meant to do him all the harm I could. "At eleven I went home. When I stayed out late, I always went home drunk. Wife had given me up again, and thought I would be home drunk again, and she began to think about breaking up and going kome to mother's. My yard is covered with brick, and as I went over the brick, wife listened, as she told me, to determine whether the gate-door opened drunk or sober, for she could tell, and it opened sober and shut sober ; and when I entered, my wife was standing in the middle of the room, to see me as I came in. She was astonished, but I smiled and she smiled, as I caught her keen black eye. I told her quick ; I could not keep it back. * I have put my name to the temperance pledge, never to drink as long as I live.' It was a happy time. I cried, and she cried ; we could not help it, and crying waked up our daughter, and she cried too. I tell you this, that you may know how- happy the reformation of a drunkard makes his family. I slept none that night, my thoughts were better than sleep. Next morning I went to sec my mother, old as she was. I must go to see her and tell her of our joy. She had been praying twenty years for her drunken son. Now, she said, 'It is enough, 1 am ready to die.' It made all my connections happy." Possessed of a clear, strong, and mellow voice, and having unusually warm affections ; being entirely willing to relate the whole of his bitter experience, and doing it, not in a spirit of boasting, but contrition, he soon became a prominent speaker ; and under his addresses, large and intelligent audiences were often in tears. In the course of the ensuing winter, ho attended the anniversary of the Maryland State Temperance Society, at Annapolis, and related his experience before the members of the State Legislature, Avith much effect ; the house, it is said, were dissolved in tears. In the following March, he, with four other reformed men from Baltimore, came, by invitation, to New York, where, under the relation of their per- sonal experience, before immense crowds, commenced the Washingtonian Reform of that city. At the first meeting, while Mr. Hawkins was speak- ing, in the Green Street Methodist Church, a poor drunkard cried out in the galler}', "Can I be saved, too?" "Yes," said Mr. Hawkins, "j'ou can. Come down and sign the pledge." With a little solicitation, the man came down, and, supported by two others, came up to the altar and signed the pledge. The victory was now gained. The work of redemption among poor drunkards commenced. Another uttered forth the feelings of his heart, and was induced to come down and sign the pledge. Five or sis others of the miserable class soon followed, and some thirty or forty besides, well known as hard drinkers or drunkards. It was the first fruits of a great harvest. On another occasion, he said : " Go to Baltimore and see our now happy wives and families. Only look at our procession on the 5th of April, when 234 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS we celebrated our anniversary. Two thousand men, nearly half of them reformed within a year, followed by two thoiisand boys of all ages, to give assurance to the world that the next generation shall all be sober. But where were our wives on that occasion ? At home, shut up with hungry children in rags as a year ago ? No, no ! but in carriages, riding round the streets to see their sober husbands 1 My family were in a hack, and I carried apples, cakes, etc., to them, anxl Avife said, ' How happy all look ; why, husband, there is all dressed up — and only think, I saw old in the procession, as happy and smart as any of them ; ' and so she went on telling me who she had seen. And where do you think the grog-sellers' wives were ? Were they out ? Not they ! Some of them peeped out from behind their curtains ! We cut down the rum tree that day in Baltimore, under ground ; not on the top of the ground, leaving a stump, but under ground, roots and all !" Of the dangers and results of the drinking usages of society, and the horrid traffic in intoxicating liquors, he spoke.with an honest but just indig- nation, showing talents of no ordinary character. " This drinking has killed more men, women, and children, than war, pestilence, and all other evils together. You cannot bring upon man so awful a curse as alcohol ; it cannot be done ; no machinery or invention of death can work like it. Is there a moderate drinker, who says he can use 'a little,' or 'much,' and 'quit when he pleases?' I tell him from ex- perience, he can't do it. Well, he can if he loill, but he won't will, that is the difficulty, and there is the fatal mistake. Does he want to know whether he can ? I ask him to go without his accustomed morning bitters, or his eleven o'clock, to-mori-ow, and he will find how he loves it ! We have come up out of the gutter to tell him how he loves it, and how he may escape. It is the moderate use — the little, the pretty drink, the gen- teel and fashionable, that does the mischief — the moderate drinker is train- ing to take the place of the drunkard. This making the drunkard by a thousand temptations and inducements, and then shutting him up in prison, is a cruel and horrible business. You make the drunkard, and then, if he comes into your house, you turn him out; let him come to the church, and you turn him out; friends cast him otf; the grog-seller turns him out when his money is gone, or midnight comes. When he serves his time out in the prison, he is turned out with the threat of flogging if he is ever caught again : and yet you keep open the place where he is entangled and destroyed. You are bound to turn the whole tide of public opinion against the traffic. The seller will pour down your son's throat a tide of liquor, and you do so to his son and he would cut your throat. Ask him if he is willing you should make his daughter a drunkard, and why should he make your son one ? " Two others of these Baltimore reformers, Messrs. Pollard and Wright, were plain, uneducated men, but great inebriates. Their victories in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, almost surpassed belief. They attended over five hundred meetings, and obtained above sixty thousand signatures to the pledge. A third, Mr. Vickers, once one of the most abandoned of men, so debased as to leave his wife and five children eighteen months without a dollar to feed or clothe them, and who was so OF AMERICANS. 235 reduced and changed, that when he finally came home his wife did not know him ; this man, by his history and powerful appeals, kindled up a flame which spread over all the West, and he himself witnessed the signa- tures of seventy thousand names to the pledge. Another, George Ilaydock, an inhabitant of Iludson, N. Y., who seemed to embody in himself all the ravages of alcohol over body, mind, and heart ; who had been bereft by this destroyer, in blasting rocks, of one leg and one eye, and was viewed as perfectly irreclaimable, gathered over eight thousand signatures to the pledge — of which at least one thousand were from common drunkards. Another remarkable instrument in this work was Joseph Hayes, of Bath, Maine, of whom it was a proverb, " drunk as old Hayes." His poverty, destitution, and debasement, were the most extreme. He had one garment, for which no name could be given. The hat which he wore through the cold winter was made of straw. Boots he had none, and his shoes were in very bad order. But with an uncommon vigor of intellect and {wwerful frame, he traversed, as a perfectly reformed man, many parts of the State, waging an exterminating war with his old enemy ; extensively reclaiming inveterate drunkards, and breaking up the most profitable liquor establish- ments. In New Haven, Conn., lived a Mr. Abel Bishop, than whom, perhaps, no man ever passed through a more horrid fever of delirium tremens and lived. Men were about him, in his apprehension, to flay him alive. He saw them begin to cut his flesh with saws, and to pull off his skin in strings, and hang them on wires. At other times, it seemed to him a cage of wild beasts were let loose upon him. At one moment he thought his breast was full of animals : he asked a young man to draw them out, which ho did, and every time he drew one out a horrid sensation of faintness came over him. At another time, he thought his comrades were assaulting him with hooks, which they endeavored to strike into his flesh. He would stand on the defensive, fighting till the sweat from his body would stand in puddles on the floor. This man, reformed by this new instrumentality, became himself a public advocate of the cause, visited most of the counties in the State, and, by his relation of the awful consequences of rum drinking in his own case, everywhere produced great results. Even in death, two years later, the influence of Mr. Bishop still worked for good. On the day after his decease, a young man of promise, but fiist forming intemperate habits, came, at the instigation of a friend, into the shop where that cofiin was making, and expressed a wish to sign the pledge. The pledge was read to him. AVith an oath, he declared he would not thus give up his liberty ; and yet, said he, if I do not come to it, I shall soon want a coffin myself. Whose coftin is this ? The maker told him, and gave him in brief the history of Mr. Bishop, his dreadful career, his delirium, his reform, his labors, his triumph and happy death. Give me, said the much-affected young man, a pen. He took it, and there, over Mr. Bishop's coffin, signed the pledge. In every part of the Union, the meetings of the reformed men became the great attraction of the time. Curiosity drew to them the most abandoned drunkards, and the most heartless of the retailers of alcoholic drinks. The 236 ADVENTURES AND ACUIEVEMENTS latter ej-ed the reformed with a peculiar malignancy, that can be only ex- pressed by the term hellish. Signing the pledge, they stigmatized as "signing away of one's liberty." Invective, ridicule, aud every appliance which malice and selfishness combined could invent, were used to recover their lost customers. The reformed man, who had scarcely power to stand alone, was too often again enticed to ruin. Many a wife, and many a daughter, as was attested by the history of the times, has, on bended knees, and with streaming eyes, besought some one of these men to withhold the fatal draught from a husband or a father, and been denied with a laugh of fiendish exultation : nay, worse, driven away with blows. To such men, these meetings of the Washingtonians were viewed with anything but pleasurable emotions. Not unfrequently they witnessed one of their cus- tomers, in a state of inebriation, stagger up and sign the pledge, as is illus- trated in our engraving ; and, furthermore, often under these circumstances had the after disappointment, with all their arts, of not being able again to lure him within the embrace of their snaky, slimy coil. The mental power of the reformed, in many cases, burst forth to the sur- prise of all who knew them. " Men, who for years had been lost to tho world, and where known, known only as stupid, sottish, imbecile drunkards, in many instances exhibited rare powers of public address, and for hours commanded the attention of large and intelligent audiences, producing con- viction where all argument before had failed, exciting sympathies where none had before existed, and producing an almost complete revolution in society. Their self-respect and moral sense, too, rose at once as from a night of oblivion. Men who were lost to all sense of shame ; who were seen day by day ragged, filthy, unshaven ; who cared not who were their asso- ciates, how low their condition ; who would even make their bed with tho swine : men who would lie and steal, became well dressed, respected them- selves and their standing in society, abhorred vicious company and vicious conduct, and felt again, and perhaps far moi-e deeply than ever before, that they were moral and accountable beings, and responsible for all their conduct to the great Author of their existence. There was also a happy restoration of natural affection. The moment the dramshop was renounced, that moment the heart turned back to its long-forsaken home, to the abused wife, and to the wretched children. There were found objects of attachment, which melted the long brutalized spirit, and there was shown a devotion to their interests, a willingness to labor for them, and a determination to provide for their future welfare, soothing the sorrows and afflictions that were hurrying them to the grave. From these various results of the reformation of an untold number of drunken husbands, fathers, and sons, there was an actual relief of domestic misery and creation of domestic happiness probablj' never before realized from any one occurrence since the world began. The miserable men, who were throughout the country, especially in the large cities, the subjects of this reform, were at first without decent clothing, without food or employment, aud their families were destitute, afflicted, and exposed to the worst temptations. Though the drunkard had ever been cast off as an odious being, and his poor unfortunate family had been left to partake of his poverty and degradation, yet the moment he seemed to make a bold aud honest resolution to rise, the sympathies of many were OF AMERICANS. 037 moved toward liim. First, tlie reformed men themselves who sought hira out and took him by the hand, who led him to the Temperance meeting and encouraged him to sign the pledge, did what they could to minister to his necessities. In their temporary asylum, in some sail loft, they washed, and combed, and nurtured him, but they could not clothe him. Appeals in their behalf were made to the public, and some feeble aid was rendered ; but system was needed, and the heart of woman was touched. Ladies combined in several cities in associations, properly called Martha Washing- ton Societies, taking the work of supplying the wants of the reformed into their own hands, and the result Avas of the most heart-cheering character. Whenever the reformed men made a public manifestation of their joy and gratitude at their wonderful escape from the fangs of the monster which ground them in the dust, they were at once met with a most enthusiastic response from almost the entire community. At their first public procession in Baltimore, on the 5lh of April, 1841, the whole city came out to sea what new thing this was, and to bid them God speed in their glorious enterprise. The ne.Kt year, at New York, on the 29th of March, at Cincinnati on the 5th, and at Philadelphia on the 12th of April, the anniversary of the com- mencement of the Washington movement was celebrated by grand tri- umphant Temperance processions ; which, had they been surpassed by those of a civic character, which, it is believed, they seldom have, contained elements of moral sublimity deeply affecting. Hundreds and thousands looked upon these reformed men, numbering in each of the cities many thousands, waving their appropriate banners in glorious triumph over tlic worst of human foes, and iisserting before the world their dignity and happi- ness as free and sober men, and bade them onward to their wonderful enter- prise. The following notice from a Cincinnati paper, affords a specimen of the enthusiastic and sympathetic feeling in each of the three great cities. "When the column had arrived on Vine above Third street, they were received by the Juvenile Temperance Society of the Ninth Street Baptist Church. The band in front ceased playing, and the juveniles commenced singing a most delightful Temperance hymn. The effect was electrical. Many a cheek was bedewed with tears, in that column — tears that could not be restrained. As we turned into Fourth street from Vine, we found the juvenile societies posted on the left, as far as the eye could reach down the street — occupying the whole of the sidewalk almost to Western-Row ; and as the front of the column came opposite to each society, they com- menced their Temperance songs, prepared for the occasion, with great spirit and overwhelming effect. Every heart seemed to be moved by this, to most, unexpected welcome. The column marched along this line with uncovered heads, while on the opposite side of the street every inch of pavement, every window, and even the roofs of the houses, where it was practicable, were occupied with ladies, who welcomed the procession with their joj'ous smiles, the waving of handkerchiefs, and every possible ex- pression of their approbation. Along the whole line of march the streets were crowded with delighted and eager spectators. When the procession arrived at the park, it was received by the ladies of the Martha Washington 238 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Society, who were posted on tlie north side of the parlv. Here was another scene of great excitement and interest. Every side of the parli, and every street leading to it, were crowded to overflowing — all anxious to witness every movement of this great moral pageant." At this important era. Dr. Thomas Sewall, an eminent physician and dis- tinguished philanthropist of the City of Washington, exhibited to the public a series of plates, representing, from actual dissections, the influence of. alcohol upon the human stomach ; the state of the stomach of the perfectly temperate man, of the moderate drinker, of the habitual drunkard, of the drunkard after a debauch, and of the drunkard dying of delirium tremens. The exhibition was accompanied with a lecture upon the pathology of drunkenness, which was listened to with deep attention by three thousand citizens of Washington, and many members of the national government. Copies of these plates were extensively circulated everywhere, and proved of great service in imparting correct knowledge on the subject. The effect of the exhibition in Washington was electrical, and in a few weeks it excited the friends of total abstinence in Congress to unite in a Con- gressional Total Abstinence Society. The Congressional Temperance Society formed ten years before, on the principle of abstinence from the use of ardent spirits, was respectable and useful in its day. But while other in- toxicating drinks were continued in use, especially the wines of commerce, highly brandied, intemperance was not surpressed even among its members, and in a few years it languished and died. The time had now come for an organization on the principle of total abstinence from all intoxicating liquors as a beverage. Such a society was formed on the 9th of February, 1842. More than eighty members of Congress united with the society, by signing the total abstinence pledge. A new feature at this period, was the formation of Children's Temperance Societies, called the Cold Water Army. In the year 1841, in the single Stato of Massachusetts, thirty-five thousand badges, and twelve hundred chil- dren's banners were sold. In Sunday schools, too, all over the land, vast multitudes enlisted under the Temj^qfance standard. These gathered by thousands on the Fourth of July, and on other occasions, and marched forth singing : "With banner and with badge we come — Away the bowl, away the bowl," To some beautiful grove, there to partake of a plentiful repast in joy and thanksgiving. That department of Temperance action derived new interest from the Washingtonian Reform. With their father, the children of the drimkard had been outcasts from society. They had no place in the day- school or the Sabbath-school. Ragged and filthy, they had been left to roam about the miserable habitation of their parent ; and bring rum from the store for a drunken father, or drag -brush from the woods for a broken-hearted mother. But relief came. A jubilee was proclaimed for thousands on thousands. The drunken father was reformed, and the children were in a new world. They were clothed and fed, and found a place in the public school. Other children sympathized with them, and if there was one selected OF AMEFJCAXS. 239 to carry the banner on the public festival, it often was the drunkard's son, or the drunkard's daughter. Another feature of the times, was the immense number of hotels which sprang up all over the land, conducted on the Temperance principle. One cf the good stories told by the Washingtonians, was of a man who was in the country on a visit, where they had no liquor. He got up two hours before breakfast, and Avanted his bitters. None to be had ; of course he felt bad. " How far is it to a tavern ? " he asked. " Four miles." So off the thirsty soul started — walked four miles in a pleasant frame of mind, arrived at the tavern — and found it was a Temperance house. The Temperance Keforni was, by no means, confined to our country. In the year 1842, it was estimated there were ten millions of teetotallers on the globe. Early in the history of the reform. Temperance missionaries had gone out from our country to various parts of the world. Temperance soci- eties were established in Canada ; in Great Britain, in Sweden, and other parts of Europe ; in South Africa, and the Cape of Good Hope ; in the East Indies, and Australia ; in the West Indies, and in the Sandwich Islands. Our countryman, the Rev. Robert Baird, visited most of the northern coun- tries of Europe ; and it is said, the result of his labors led to the reduction or shutting up of not less than forty thousand distilleries. In August, 1846, a grand gathering of the friends of Temperance, took place at London, under the title of "The AVorld's Temperance Conven- tion." No less than three hundred delegates, appointed by their respective Temperance Societies, in various parts of the world, attended it — thirty of whom crossed the Atlantic, from our conntrj', for the special purpose. As King Oscar of Sweden and his amiable consort had, through the solicitations of Dr. Baird, done so much for the Temperance cause in Sweden, they united in an address to the crowned heads of Europe, in the hope that others might follow the example of the Swedish monarch. Another great event of the same year, was the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States at Washington, on the License question, which had been waited for by friends and enemies of the cause with the greatest interest. The constitutionality of State laws prohibiting the traflSc in in- toxicating liquors without license, had been doubted and denied, and by appeal had been carried from State courts to the Supreme Court of the nation. There it was ably argued by distinguished counsel, and after much delay, preventing and retarding prosecutions for the violation of license laws in several States, the court unanimously affirmed to the States the right of "regulating the trade in, and licensing the sale of ardent spirits." Tho decision was received by the friends of Temperance throughout the whole country with great rejoicings. At this period, comparatively few common drunkards were found in any part of our country. Where twenty years previously were from fifty to seventy in a village or town, now only here and there was an individual of that class. This of course does not refer to the masses of drunken men and women in the cities, mostly of the very lowest class of foreigners, idle, vicious, and abandoned wretches. The Washingtonian movement in a few years had, in a measure, spent its force, for the want of the material on which to operate ; and prevention, not cure, again became the leading question. 240 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS In addition to the regular Temperance Societies, the various orders of Rechabites, Sons, and Daughters, and Cadets of Temperance, Templars, Good Samaritans, etc., arose and spread over the United States and British America. The most numerous of these was the order of Sons. In 1850, they had thirtj'-five grand divisions, five thousand eight hundred and ninety- four subordinate divisions, and about three hundred thousand members. The order was elective, and had secret pass-words for admittance to their meetings. Weekly payments were required of the members, which gave abundant means for the erection of halls, and for the relief of distress. Its Fourth National Jubilee, or meeting of the National Division, held at Boston, June 11, 1850, was attended by thousands, from various States of the Union, clothed in their regalia, and forming a splendid pageant. The Cadets of Temperance were a younger order of the Sons, who, at maturity, were to pass into that order. They enlisted, on the principle of total absti- nence from intoxicating liquor, and also from tobacco, a large number of lads throughout the country. The year 1851 was signalized by the passage of the celebrated Maine Liquor Law. From one extremity of the country to the other, the enact- ment of the law filled the public mind with amazement. That a State of such magnitude, by an overwhelming vote of both branches of its legisla- ture, should expel a business so vast, affecting so many interests, and cut- ting off at once the indulgence of an appetite stronger, in a multitude of cases, than the appetite for food, seemed almost incredible. Distillers and brewers, importers and venders, were panic struck ; yet none believed the law could be enforced, or would remain more than a year upon the statute book of the State. For three years previously, the State of Maine had an entirely prohibitory statute. No man could engage in the liquor trade without a liability to pains and penalties. But in a thousand ways the law was evaded. Convic- tions were difficult. Prosecutions became infamous. With the liquor in possession, the vender had the sympathy of men who wished for the indul- gence of appetite, and found no difficulty in making himself rich without serious exposure. To the Hon, Neal Dow, a citizen of Portland, and long an advocate of the Temperance enterprise, belongs the honor of proposing a law which should not onlj^ forbid the traffic in spirituous and intoxicating liquors as a beverage, but which should declare them, when offered for sale, confiscated to the State, and consigruthem to destruction. This famous law was comprised in sixteen sections. As a matter of interest to the reader, we give in the language of an able writer the intent of the law, and the grounds upon which it was defended. " The grand feature of the Maine Law, consists in the fact, that it does not aim to regulate and limit the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors to be used as a beverage, but to prohibit them altogether. It is not a regulating, but a prohibitory law ; and in this respect differs from the License System. It makes the liquor business a crime, for which the offender is liable to be punished. It confiscates these liquors to the State, when kept for sale, and directs them to be destroyed. It outJaios them as an article of commerce within the limits of the State. Its aim is to break down the traffic, and thus relieve the community from the terrible evils OF AMERICANS. 241 consequent upon its continuance. It does not make the sale Unlawful, when the article is to be used for medicinal or meclianical purposes ; but by stringent provisions limits the sale to these uses, directing the appointment of agents therefor, who are placed under bonds to conform strictly to the provisions of the statute. Prohibition, exclusion, outlaivry, and not protec- tion or regulation— i\\\i, then, is the grand principle of the Maine Law, armed with a sufficient number of minor provisions to give force and certainty to the principle. Nearly all previous legislation had proceeded upon the assumption that the traffic is an evil to be regulated, which is the theory of the License System : this proceeds upon the assumption, that it is an evil to be suppressed or removed altogether. It is the " summit-level of entire pro- hibition." The principle of the Maine Law is the only one adapted to the result. Theoretically the question is a very simj^le one. Intemperance and its evils depend on two causes — the supply of intoxicating beverage, and the con- sumption. Remove either, and the vice is dead. There is a difficulty in directly attacking the consumption by law, in saying to a man under the solemnity of a statute, that he shall not make use of alcoholic beverage. This would be a kind of sumptuary legislation, likely to defeat itself, im- practicable in its operation, and at war with those notions of personal liberty, which are so thoroughly rooted in the American mind. Hence if the arm of law is to be interposed at all, it must operate upon the supply ; and this is the direction of all the legislation that has ever been attempted on the subject. The supply is the only point where law can make its agency felt. In respect, then, to the supply, you may take one of three grounds. Tho first is to have no law on the subject, leaving every man to manufacture or sell as much as he pleases, to conduct the liquor business just as he does any other, that is neither regulated nor restrained by law. Upon its face this is no remedy for the evil : it simply does nothing, and leaves the whole matter to the instincts of profit and appetite. A man may advocate this ground; yet he will not be so absurd as to call it a remedy. The second ground is that of regulation, which is the license system in its diS"erent phases. This system admits that the traffic is an evil too serious to be open to all, and that it must, therefore, be limited to a few persons, licensed by law to conduct it, and protected by law in doing so. Now it is a sufficient objection to this system, to say, that, in practical effect, it is, ever has been, and always must be, a ftiilure. It has been tried in various forms, and for a long series of years ; and this has been the uniform result. It never did, and never can reach the evil, as the most abundant facts conclu- sively show. Though it professedly undertakes to limit the number of the suppliers, it does not limit the supplg : this keeps pace with the demand, and by generating an appetite, creates and increases that demand. It is the Bober truth, that under every form of the license system, there has always been liquor enough in market to supply all the drinkers who want it, and can pay for it. The system therefore amounts to nothing as a remedy : it creates a monopoly to do a Lad business, on the pretense of limiting it, without accomplishing this result. It protects, by legalizing, tho evil it seeks to curtail Under it grog-shops, especially in cities, are almost as thick as the 243 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS locusts of E,i,'yyt, at all times sufficient in number to keep the drinkers per- fectlj^ supplied. The third ground is that of the Maine Law ; and, as we have already said, it is a ioiaX proldhition of the supph% except when the article is to be used for medicinal or mechanical purposes. Its penalties, in the way of fines, confiscation and imprisonment, are intended to be sufficiently search- ing and severe to carry this point. It is a thorotigh, radical, and stringent effort to destroy the liquor-traffic, and in this way, dry up the fountain whence issue the desolating streams of intemperance. It proposes no terms with the business ; it makes no compromise with it : its deliberate and un- disguised aim is destruction, and not regulation or toleration. Now, it must be evident to every reflecting mind, that this kind of legis- lation, if we have any, is of the right sort. It is adapted, as no other has been, and as no other can be, to do the work so far as law can do it at all. If you want to have intemperance tolerated and continued, then the license system will answer the purpose : but if you wish to banish the vice by removing its means, then the Maine Law, or some other one of similar aim and stringency, must be the instrument. You cannot reach the result without the use of law : neither can you do so by any system of legislation that falls short of this mark. If we have a legal remedy, we must have one that will do the work : and this feature is the glory of the Maine Law. The principle of the Maine Law, is a perfectl}' legitimate exercise of the powers that belong to civil society. By this we mean that every State in this confederacy is fully competent to enact such a law : it comes within the province of what is called the police poioer of the State. The general doctrine which lies at the foundation of the powers claimed and exercised by the Maine Law, is this : Society has a right to exist, and to protect itself against whatever is adapted seriously to harm or destroy it. It has the right to consult its own welfare, and use the requisite means. The individual living in its bosom, and enjoying its protection, is not so free that he may do what he pleases, make any use of his property which ho pleases, without reference to the effects upon others. The late Professor Stuart very properly observes : " Every society of men, united to protect each other's rights, and to secure the peace, and safety, and happiness of the whole, have the right to do what is necessary to accomplish these ends. It is the common law of our nature, and of all the nations of men. Who even questions the principle, whether a communitj^ has a right to abate a nuisance ? Of course it is their right, and duty, too, to judge and determine what is a nuisance. What has Maine done more than this?" This is sound doctrine. This doctrine, moreover, was most fully affirmed by the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, when giving their decision in a suit brought to test the constitutionality of certain prohibitory laws passed by Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Chief Justice Taney held the following language : " If any State deems the retail and internal traffic in ardent spirits injurious to its citizens, and calculated to produce idleness, vice or debauchery, I see nothing in the Constitution of the United States to prevent it from regulating or restraining the traffic, or from pro- OF AMERICANS. 243 hihiting it altogether, if it thinks proper." AVith this opinion the other justices of the court fully concurred. Let it be distinctly observed also, that the principle of the Maine Law- claims no greater power than has always been conceded and assumed in the License System. This system says to the many, that they shall not engage in the liquor-traffic ; while, at the same time, for a paltry tax, it grants the privilege to the/ew. Now, clearly, if the State has power to prohibit the traffic in respect to one half or nine tenths of her citizens, she has equal power to prohibit it in respect to all; if she may make the business un- lawful, except when licensed, if she may confer the right to sell, then she may withhold that license, and make the traffic unlawful to all her citizens ; and whether she shall do the one or the other, is not a question of power, but of expediency and duty. Hence, as you perceive, the Maine Law does not claim or exercise any new power on the part of the State. But it may be said, that this law confiscates and destroys private property when kept and used contrary to the provisions of the statute. This is true. Remember, however, that this is part of the penalty for the crime of such keeping and using, and, of course, affects none but the man who breaks the law. If he were a law-abiding citizen, the penalty would not harm the hair of his head. Those who lose their property by seizure and confiscation, aro those, and those only, who use it unlawfully. The tools and implements of a counterfeiter are seized and destroyed, being forfeited by their unlawful use. The fact that the confiscated property is not put into the public treasury, but destroyed by the State, does not in the slightest degree enhance the pecuniary damage of the individual. He simply loses it, as a penalty inflicted for violating the law of the land. In the light of this reasoning, the principle of the Maine Law is a per- fectly legitimate exercise of the powers belonging to civil society. It under- takes to abate and remove a nuisance ; and this is my answer to the objec- tion that it interferes with the property rights of the individual. He has no right to create or perpetuate a nuisance. The principle of the Maine Law ought to 1)6 put in action by every civil community that is burdened and cursed with the liquor-traffic. We have stated its end — the thing which it aims to do : we have also shown that it is the only system adapted to this end : we have farther considered the powers of civil society to do such a work. Now we take the ground that it is the duty of society thus to act. The body politic has duties to perform, as well as rights to exercise. Look at this point a moment. Civil society established, and operating through government as its agent, ISO. moral person, legitimately the subject of duty, and bound by its obliga- tion. This is a fundamental axiom of political ethics ; and it certainly is a Christian principle. The State can do wrong : the State is bound to do right : the principles of morality for the State and the individual are the same. The State is morally bound to provide for its own welfare — to con- duct over all its citizens an impartial and wholesome legislation— to enact and execute such laws as are adapted to promote the virtue, happiness, and general thrift of the whole community ; while, at the same time, they ought not to be tyrannical and oppressive toward any class. The State exists, not for a monopoly of benefits, but for the general good — not to license crime, 244 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS or patronize public evils, but to exert its legitimate powers for their sup- pression. We have, in this country, a great and towering evil, in the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors — an evil which, though profitable to the few, is nevertheless working untold mischief to the many. It burdens the laud with taxation, pauperism, and crime, impairing all the interests of the bodj' politic, and really profitable to none. This is not fancy, but fact : the statis- tics and testimony have often been gathered, and they are such as no honest and impartial mind can reject. We know in this age, as our fathers did not so well know, what are the consequences of the liquor business. Take a single statement. " President Everett computes, that the use of alcoholic beverages has cost the United States directly, in ten years, $1,200,000,000; has burned, or otherwise destroyed, $5,000,000 more of property ; has destroyed three hundred thousand lives ; sent one hundred and fifty thou- sand to our prisons, and one hundred thousand children to the poor-houses ; caused one thousand five hundred murders, two thousand suicides, and has bequeathed to the country one million of orphan children." Call this exaggeration if you choose ; yet no man, with his eyes half open, having a sound head and an honest heart, will deny the enormous extent of the evil incident to the liquor- trafiic, fostered by it, and growing out of it. What, then, is the duty of civil society ? Was there ever a case that called more loudly for effectual legislation ? Shall government suppress lotteries, gambling, and counterfeiting ; outlaw mad-dogs, and abate nui- sances ; establish and execute quarantine laws for the public health ; and yet leave alcohol to run at large ? Shall it prohibit minor evils, and yet be In- difterent to the greater one ? Shall it forsake the iino of duty just when the argument becomes most powerful, and the plea for action, loudest ? Shall it fold its arms in such premises ? Then, it will not perform its duty to God or man. If there be any case for legal interposition, this is such a case. But it may be said, this is amo7-al question, and ought to be left to moral suasion. So is gambling a moral question. Will you leave that to moral suasion ? Counterfeiting is a moral question. Will you trust it to a dis- pensation of argument, merely ? Murder is a moral question : and will you leave this to the mere force of argument ? Indeed, every use of property, in some aspects, involves a moral question. Shall society, therefore, with- hold all laws in respect to property ? It may be farther objected, that although society ought to do something, it ought not to use a remedy of so much severity as the Maine Law. This depends altogether upon a question of fact. If I could cure a disease with rose-water, I certainly would not use caustic : but L would use caustic rather than let the patient die. So in this case : if it be the purpose of the society to break up the liquor- traffic, on account of its evils, and to employ the arm of law for this end, then you must have law enough to do the work." If the preceding arguments are not based on truth, then an American com- munity has no legal power to prohibit any business that is, as a whole, in- jurious to it. Take this to be so, that they cannot legally help themselves, then the extent of the injury don't affect the principle involved, although that extent may reach the point, where one quarter of a community are OF AMERICANS. 245 sent by it into premature graves ; another quarter rendered insane ; another quarter made beggars and criminals ; and the remaining quarter, taxed to their last dollar to meet the expenses of confining the insane, supporting the paupers, and in bringing the thieves and murderers to justice. The llaine Law went into operation on the 4th of July, 1851. "It soon became the settled policy of the State, and was cheerfully acquiesced in by a large majority of the citizens. Its results surpassed expectation in dimin- ishing pauperism and crime, and increasing the comfort and prosperity of unnumbered families. With, the exception of Portland, the law was as well enforced in the large towns and cities, as in the rural districts. To secure its more proper observance, the Hon. Neal Dow was once more elevated to the mayoralty of Portland, and new and more stringent sections were added to the law. To create disaffection and disturbance, an attack was made at midnight hour, upon a quantity of liquor in possession of the municipal authorities, and, in their prompt and vigorous defense, a man was killed. It was as fire to powder amid all the disaffected classes. Accord- ingly the ensuing election, in September, 1855, for State officers, was one without parallel for fierceness ; and though the Temperance vote was fifty thousand, ten thousand stronger than in 1854, yet the combinations were greater, and by it an opposition legislature and opposition governor were elected ; and the Maine Law, after a fair trial of five years, was overthrown, and a license law, promising unusual strictness, placed in its stead. But it was a license law. It permitted, imder State authoritj-, the re-introduction of the traffic into the State. The prohibitory clauses were but little regarded, even by the civil authorities, and, as an inevitable consequence, the State became at once flooded with liquor. Cities, towns, and villages were filled Avith open rum-shops of every grade. Drunkenness, rows, crimes, again appeared, with a frightful increase. The people were alarmed. Wives wore distressed for their husbands ; parents for their children. The philan- thropist, patriot, and Christian, sprang to the rescue ; and, in the elections of September, 1856, though in connection with other great and most exciting national issues, the prohibitory ticket again succeeded, with a clear majority for governor of over fifteen thousand votes, and a legislature was returned of almost entire Maine Law men. The triumph was astounding and over- whelming to the liquor interest." From motives of polic}-, no action was taken to restore the law, until the year 1858, when the people of the State, by a direct vote, nearly unanimously adopted a Prohibitory law, substantially like that of 1851, in preference to a License law. Laws on the principle of the Maine Law, have with varying results, been adopted in several States. While public opinion is strong enough to enact such, the moral force to sustain them is usually wanting. The public move only under the smart of a wrong, and when that is past, all is forgotten until the forces of evil rally and scourge anew. The liquor interest never sleeps. Millions upon millions are invested in it. On the passage of a stringent law in opposition, the many thousands who live by the business, combine to wage an unrelenting war ; to render void its provisions, and to bring it into popular odium, that they may again open the sluices and wax fat to the injury of a forgetful, forgiving, and pre- 246 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS occupied public. It is with society as with the individual : the forces of evil are ever in conflict with the forces of virtue. And in viewing how much has been accomplished by society in this reform, we have faith that the future will measure a like degree of progress. One point remains to be touched upon in this article — the adulteration of liquors. This is now carried on to such a vast extent, that the intelli- gent physician hesitates to prescribe alcoholic liquors, even in the most ur- gent cases, for external or internal application, from the uncertainty of procuring anything but a poisonous imitation. An old revolutionary soldier, whom we knew " as a boy knows a man," thus called out one day to his daughter : " Hannah ! what is this delirium tremens I hear folks talk about so much ? When I was a young man no- body had the delirium tremens." Old Captain B y was right, for he it was that so spake. Delirium tremens, or mania-a-potu, in those days was scarcely known. The common alcoholic drinks of that time, New England and Jamaica rum, Monongahela and Bourbon whisky, were pure, and jjeople who did restrain themselves to " moderation," not unfrequently attained to the age of eighty or ninety years. Now-a-days, the drinking men die in a very few years, and often a single debauch with a man ordinarily temperate, brings on the delirium tremens, and then death. Such are the murderous effects of the terrible poisons now used by the manufacturers of liquors. Not only are nearly all foreign liquors of our time either imitations or adulterations, but it is the same with what purports to be our own made whisky and rum. It was thought that the native wines, from the grape of our soil, and the lager beer of our German citizens, would furnish a stimu- lus, that, by their comparatively innocuous qualities, would give an escape for the great mass of these evils. This hope seems liable to be frustrated, for even much of what is called " native wine " contains not a particle of anything so harmless as the juice of the grape ; and most horrible cases of delirium tremens, ending in the death of the wretched victims — if we may credit the public prints of the day — have occurred from drinking what pur- ported to be "lager beer." The poisonous articles mostly used by the manufacturers of liquors are, strychnine, cocculus indicus, opium, tobacco, henbane, potash, nitric acid, prussic acid, oil of vitriol, etc. Some j-ears since, Dr. Woodward, of Wor- cester, Mass., published an account of his visiting a man who had broken his leg, and when he had set it, he asked if they had any rum in the house. They brought him some, with which he wet the bandages ; but two days afterward, he was alarmed when he found the heads of the pins, which he used in binding it up, were corroded, and on examining the rum which was used, he found it contained a large portion o{ oil of vitriol ! Poisonous flavorings of various kinds, put up in packages of five, ten, and forty gallons, requiring only the addition of pure spirits to make every kind of drink which the debased taste of the community may require, are now publicly advertised in our newspapers. We annex some facts on adulte- rption, taken from reliable sources: "Brandy is almost universally a base adulteration. The imported article, as a general fact, is adulte- rated. The profit is so enormous, that the dealers cannot withstand the temptation to adulterate. Aqua fortis is the acid used in the preparation of OF AMEPJCANS. 247 counterfeit brandy : when combined with recti6ed spirits it imparts to it a brandy-like flavor. Potash, ashes, oil of vitriol, are used to give proof. To prepare and sweeten gin, etc., oil of vitriol, oil of almonds, oil of tur- pentine, oil of juniper berries, lime water, alum, salt of tartar, subacetate of lead, are used. Sulphate of lead is poisonous, and the use of it is frequent, because its action is more rapid, and it imparts to the liquor a fine com- plexion ; hence some vestiges of lead may often be detected in malt liquor. As with brandy and gin, so with rum. If whisky will sell for more money under the name of rum than under the name of whisky, it is as easy to turn whisky into rum as into brandy, gin, or wine. We now come to wine. Here the fabricators make their greatest profits, exercise their greatest skill, and probably do the greatest amount of injury. Unadulterated wine, according to its name and quality, must command a certain price, to make it worth dealing in. The fabricator's ingenuity is put to the greatest trial, to produce an article resembling the pure, so as to obtain, as near as possible, the price of pure ; and, as it is impossible to dis- tinguish the pure from impure ; and as the impure can be made at one tenth to one quarter of the value of the pure, the impure, as a natural conse- quence, takes the place of the pure, the same as the bogus dollar would tako the place of the pure silver dollar, provided it was settled by common con- sent a dollar was a dollar, whether bogus or not. Says Dr. Nott : " I had a friend, who had been once a wine dealer, and having read the startling statements made public, in relation to the brewing of wines, and the adulterations of other Hquors, generally, I inquired of that friend as to the verity of those statements. His reply was, ' God foroivo what has passed in my own cellar, but the statements made are true, and all true, I assure you.' " The process of adulteration is carried on in wine countries, as well as in this country, with regard to Madeira, Sherry, Claret, and all other kinds of wine. The Eev. Dr. Baird has stated, " that little or no wine is drank in France in a pure state, except it may be at the wine press. The dealers purchase it at the vineyards in a pure state, but in their hands it is entirely changed, by adding drugs or distilled spirit." Says Horatio Greenough, the eminent sculptor, " that although wine can be had in Florence at one cent a bottle, the dealers do not hesitate to add drugs and water, to gain a fraction more of profit." Champaign : A man who once worked in the office where this is jirii^led, is now engaged in making champaign, for the ladies and gentlemen of the country, at a cost to him of two dollars the dozen. Some cider or whisk}', some water, some fixed air, some sugar of lead, etc., form the compound. When this fabricated mixture circulates in the country, it is generally sold as pure, and our young men often quaff it, at two dollars the bottle, and an advance on the original cost of only one thousand one hundred per cent ! A physician in New York purchased a bottle of what was called genuine champaign, of the importers, had it subjected to chemical tests ; it was found to contain a quarter of an ounce of sugar of lead. Who would like to drink a mixture of sugar of lead and water ? A gentleman in New York, who made champaign, purchased some, of the 24S ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS regular importer, wishing to give his friends some of the genuine article. At a convivial party, he produced his pure as imported; when the corks began to fly, one dropped near him ; on examining it, he found it was his own fabrication. The supposed importer had purchased it, and, by his French tinsel and French labels, sold it back, as pure, to the original fabri- cator — bitinj the biter. Port : An Episcopal clergyman, recently returned from the continent of Europe, visited an immense manufactory of all kinds of wine. Logwood came in as a great ingredient — so great, that the proprietors kept a vessel iu their employ for its importation. The dyers in Manchester, England, say, "the wine brewers are running away with all the best logwood ; " and the London people say, " If you wish to get genuine Fort, you must go yourself to Oporto, malie your own wine, and ride outside of the barrel all the way home." In the manufacture of beer, nux vomica and cocculus indicus, are extensively used. Nux vomica is the substance which forms the poison in the upas tree ; and is so bitter, that one grain deposited in eighty pounds of water, produces a bitter solution. Cocculus indicus is a poison, of which ten grains will kill a dog.* In fine, it is believed by those who are competent judges, that there is scarcely a drop of intoxicating liquors, whether brandy, gin, rum, whisky, wine or beer, sold or drank in this country, which is not adulterated or drugged. Could the real truth be known upon this subject, it is evident that, with the exception of those already within the deadly embrace of the syren of intemperance, the whole community would at once and forever abandon the use of intoxicating drinks." The Temperance Reformation is the most surprising of all American achievements. To see the mass of a nation rise, investigate, and then con- quer an evil habit interwoven with all their customs, and cherished by all their prejudices, is a moral spectacle never before witnessed since the founda- tion of the world. A view of what has been accomplished within the memory of even the middle aged, is given in these contrasted columns. THEN. NOW. Then, nearly every family in the Now, the family which has intoxi- land had intoxicating drinks on their eating drinks on the table and side- table and sideboard. board, is an exception to the general rule. Then, the farms in the land were Now, not one farm in a hundred is worked with spirits. worked with spirits. Then, intoxicating liquors were Now, intoxicating drinks are sel- brought into all workshops. dom brought into a workshop. * The reader who may wish to pursue this subject ia full, is referred to Hunt's " Frauds iu the Liquor Traffic, elicited aud proved from the Standard Receipt Books aud Guides of Viutuers, Distillers, and Brewers." It not only proves the frauds beyond all cavil, but shows the deadly nature of the ingredients used. OF AMERICANS. 249 Then, all the merchant vessels Xow, no merchant vessels supply were supplied with spirit-rations for spirit-rations to the sailors, the sailors. Then, spirituous liquors were al- Now, spirituous liquors are seldom ways brought on at weddings and brought on at weddings, and never at funerals. funerals. Then, the Temperance Reforma- Now, no public press has the te- tiou was ridiculed by the press. merity to ridicule the Temperance Reformation. Then, everybody daily drank in- Now, comparatively few daily toxicating liquors as a beverage, and drink intoxicating liquors as a bev- it was regarded as a necessary of life, erage, and those who do so, are re- and perfectly proper. garded as in danger of filling the drunkard's grave. Then, in every village were ruin- Now, in every village, in place of ous, dilapidated houses, with broken the miserable homes of drunkards, windows, and all the marks of ueg- are the neat, thrifty dwellings of lect and decay ; the homes of miser- happy families, able drunkards, and their wretched families. Then, the retailing of ardent spirits Now, the retailing of ardent spirits was considered a respectable occupa- is considered the vilest of occupations, tion, and good men were engaged and how good are the men engaged in it. in it, let the reader judge. Then, the father, often ere his Now, the father who should put little innocents could well lisp, put the bottle to the lips of his little the bottle to their lips and taught child, to form the appetite for liquor, them to love the drunkard's drink, would be regarded with horror. Then, the young man who daily Now, the young man who daily visited the grogshop, was none the visits the grogshop, would be wel- less welcomed by a prudent father to corned by a prudent father to the the hospitality of his family. hospitality of his family, as soon as he would take a viper to his bosom. We close this article with an extract from an eloquent address, by the Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon, upon the progress of the Temperance Idea. "The most interesting aspect in which the Temperance Reformation pre- sents itself to my mind is, as an illustration of the slow but sure and certain I)rogress of one idea — of a simple, but great and just idea. That idea, when it was first announced, was announced in its legitimate connection with Christianity — it came from the bosom of the Church of God — it came from the head of Christianity. It was argued and proved with texts from the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the epistles of the Apostles. We wondered, those of us who composed it at that early period — wondered that 250 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS there should be so much resistance to it, and we ascribed it to the power of selfishness — for we saw in every direction, great interests — great commercial ambition, and powerful political interests united against the progress of this idea. And yet, I apprehend, we ascribed too much of this resistance to the power of selfishness and interest. We ought to have remembered more dis- tinctly prehaps that great ideas, simple and commanding as they are, make but too slow progress to dominion over the minds of nations and individuals. You may convince an individual of the truth of an idea in conversation with him alone, but he does not stay convinced ; the sympathy between his mind and that of the vast multitude is too strong, and it is with your argu- ment, as it fared with Cato, when he read "Plato on the Immortality of the Soul," he was convinced and believed ; but when he had shut the book, he could not remember the force of reasoning in the argument ; — it is therefore in this way — on this principle — that truth, simple and commanding as it may be, makes but slow progress toward dominion over communities and nations. Let us now look for a moment at the effects and results of the progress of this idea. An idea to many people is a particular conformation of the skull, an incomprehensible thing. An idea ! Why, they never saw it ! How large is it? They want to put their fingers on it, or judge in some such way as this. An idea is a spiritual substance simply, and they cannot see it or feel it, unless it be of the nature of ardent spirits. An idea ! It's an idea wrought out and applied, that has brought the continent of Europe within twelve days' distance of the continent of America ; it was the idea of steam navigation. It was an idea in the mind of Fulton that created the first steamboat that plied the North River. This same idea changes the face of nature. Any man who is familiar with the landscape, in any part of the country, for the last twenty years, certainly any one familiar with New England, knows that it has wrought great changes upon the fair face of the countrj', for everyone is remarking upon the increased beauty of the New England landscape. The neatness and simplicity of the farm-house strike the eye of the traveler as he passes by — there is more beauty in the fields, the very grass grows greener and richer than twenty years ago ; and the windows of the pretty cottages are festooned with plants and flowers that shed their sweet fragrance around the dwelling. What is the cause of it ? Cold water — it is this that has thrown off from the shoulders of the farmer, and the laborer a prodigious taxation he was wont to pay Oh ! how will the land smile when this idea shall have wrought all its triumphs ; from the farthest north and east, over all those broad and waving prairies, even beyond the Rocky Mountains, to where the streams of the west mingle with the ocean. And when this idea, the emanation of Christianity, proceeding from the Church of God, shall have reformed the people, how will Christianity itself regenerate this reformed and happy people !— a reformed and happy world ! God will shower his blessings like rain upon the fruitful field." THE PRETENDED DESERTION OF JOHN C H A M P E TO THE BRITISH, IN THE WAR OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, FOR THE rURFOSE OF CAPTURING THE TRAITOR, BENEDICT ARNOLD. John Chamfe, Sergeant-Major of Lee's Legion of Virginia Light Horse, in the Revolutionary war, was selected to undertake a very perilous and difficult project, which is thus well and fully narrated in " Lee's Memoirs :" The treason of Brigadier Arnold, — the capture of Andre, — with intelli- gence received by Washington, through his confidential agents in New York, communicating that many of his officers, and especially a major-general named to him, were connected with Arnold, — could not fail to seize the attention of a commander even less diligent and zealous than Washington. It engrossed his mind entirely, exciting reflections the most anxious as well as unpleasant. To Major Lee, afterward lieutenant-colonel of the legion of cavalry for whom he had sent, he said, " I have sent for you, in the expectation that you have in your corps individuals capable and willing to undertake an indispensable, delicate, and hazardous project. Whoever comes forward upon this occasion, will lay me under great obligations personally, and in behalf of the United States I will reward him amply. No time is to be lost ; he must proceed, if possible, this night. My object is to probe to the bottom the afflicting intelligence contained in the papers you have just read ; to seize Arnold, and by getting him, to save Andre. They are all connected. While my emissary is engaged in preparing means for the seizure of Arnold, the guilt of others can be traced ; and the timely de- livery of Arnold to me, will possibly put it into my power to restore the amiable and unfortunate Andre to his friends. My instructions are ready, in which you will find my express orders that Arnold is not to be hurt ; but that he be permitted to escape if to be prevented only by killing him, as his public punishment is the sole object in view. This you cannot too forcibly press upon whomsoever may engage in the enterprise ; and this fail not to do. With my instructions are two letters, to be delivered as ordered, and here are some guineas for expenses." Major Lee replying, said that he had little or no doubt but that his legion contained many individuals daring enough for any operation, however per- ilous ; but that the one in view required a combination of qualities not (151) 252 ADVEXTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS easily to be found unless in a commissioned officer, to whom he could not venture to propose an enterprise, the first step to which was desertion. That though the sergeant-major of the cavalry was in all respects qualified for the delicate and adventurous project, and to him it might be proposed without indelicacy, as his station did not interpose the obstacle before stated ; yet it was very probable that the same difficulty would occur in his breast, to remove which would not be easy, if practicable. Washington was highly pleased at finding that a non-commissioned officer was deemed capable of executing his views ; as he had felt extreme difficulty in authorizing an invitation to officers, who generally are, and always ought to be, scrupulous and nice in adhering to the course of honor. He asked the name, the country, the age, the size, length of service, and character of the sergeant. Being told his name, — that he was a native of Loudon county, in Virginia; about twenty-three or twenty-four years of age, — that he had enlisted in 1776, — rather above the common size, — full of bone and muscle ; with a saturnine countenance, grave, thoughtful, and taciturn, — of tried courage, and inflexible perseverance, and as likely to reject an overture coupled with ignominy as any officer in the corps ; a com- mission being the goal of his long and anxious exertions, and certain on the first vacancy ; — the general exclaimed, that he was the very man for the business ; that he must undertake it ; and that going to the enemy by the instigation and at the request of his officer, was not desertion, although it appeared to be so. And he enjoined that this explanation, as coming from him, should be pressed on Champe ; and that the vast good in pros- pect should be contrasted with the mere semblance of doing wrong, which he presumed could not fail to conquer every scruple. Major Lee, sending instantly for the sergeant-major, introduced the business in the way best calculated, as he thought, to produce his concurrence. Observing that the chance of detection became extremely narrow, and consequently that of success enlarged. That by succeeding in the safe delivery of Arnold, he not only gratified his general in the most acceptable manner, but he would be hailed as the avenger of the reputation of the army, stained by foul and wicked perfidy ; and what could not but be highly pleasing, he would be the instrument of saving the life of Major Andre, soon to be brought before a court of inquiry, the decision of which could not be doubted, from the universally known circumstances of the case, and had been anticipated in the general's instructions. That, by investigating with diligence and accu- racy the intelligence communicated to him, he would bring to light new guilt, or he would relieve innocence (as was most probable) from distrust ; quieting the torturing suspicions which now harrowed the mind of Wash- ington, and restoring again to his confidence a once honored general, possess- ing it at present only ostensibly, as well as hush doubts affecting many of his brother soldiers. This discourse was followed by a detail of the plan, with a wish that he would enter upon its execution instantly. Champe listened with deep at- tention, and with a highly excited countenance ; the perturbations of his breast not being hid even bj^ his dark visage. He briefly and modestly re- plied, that no soldier exceeded him in respect and affection for the com- mander-in-chief, to serve whom he would willingly lay down his life ; and OF AMERICANS. 253 that lie was sensible of the honor conferred by the choice of him for the execution of a project all over arduous ; nor could he be at a loss to know to whom was to be ascribed the preference bestowed, which he took plea- sure in acknowledging, although increasing obligations before great and many. He was not, he said, deterred by the danger and difficulty which was evidently to be encountered, but he was deterred by the ignominy of desertion, to be followed by the hypocrisy of enlisting with the enem}'- ; neither of which comported with his feelings, and either placed an in- superable bar in his way to promotion, lie concluded by observing, that if any mode could be contrived free from disgrace, he would cordially embark in the enterprise. As it was, he prayed to be excused ; and hoped that services, always the best in his power to perform, faithfully performed, en- titled his prayer to success. Major Lee entreated the sergeant to ask himself what must be the reflec- tions of his comrades, if a soldier from some other corps should execute the attempt, when they should be told that the glory transferred to the regi- ment of which he was one, might have been enjoyed by the legion, had not Sergeant Champe shrunk from the overture made to him by his general rather than reject scruples too narrow and confined to be permitted to inter- fere with grand and virtuous deeds. The e.sprit du corps could not be re- sisted ; united to his inclination, it subdued his prejudices, and he declared his willingness to conform to the wishes of the general ; relying, as he con- fidently did, that his reputation would be protected by those who had in- duced him to undertake the enterprise, should he be unfortunate. The in- structions were read to him, and each distinct object presented plainly to his view, of which he took notes so disguised as to be imderstood only by himself. He was particularly cautioned to use the utmost circumspection in delivering his letters, and to take care to withhold from the two indi- viduals, addressed under feigned names, knowledge of each other ; for al- though both had long been in the confidence of the general, yet it was not known by either that the other was so engaged. He was further urged, to bear in constant recollection the solemn injunction so pointedlj' expressed in the instructions to Major Lee, of forbearing to kill Arnold in any con- dition of things. This part of the business being finished, their deliberation was turned to the manner of Champe's desertion ; for it was 'well known to them both that to pass the numerous patrols of horse and foot crossing from the sta- tionary guards, was itself difficult, which was now rendered more so by parties thrown occasionally beyond the place called Liberty Pole, as well as by swarms of irregulars, induced sometimes to venture down to the very point at Powles-Hook, with the hope of picking up booty. Evidently dis- cernible as were the difficulties in the way, no relief could be administered by Major Lee, lest it might induce a belief that he was privy to the deser- tion, which opinion getting to the enemy would involve the life of Champe. The sergeant was left to his own resources and to his own management, with the declared determination, that in case his departure should be dis- covered before morning, Lee would take care to delay pursuit as long as practicable. Giving to the sergeant three guineas, and presenting his best wishes, he 254 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS recommended him to start witliout delay, and enjoined him to communi- cate his arrival in New York as soon as he could. Champe pulling out his watch, compared it with the major's, reminding the latter of the impor- tance of holding back pursuit, which he was convinced would take place in the course of the night, and which might be fatal, as he knew that he should be obliged to zigzag in order to avoid the patrols, whicft would consume time. It was now nearly eleven. The sergeant returned to camp, and taking his cloak, valise and orderly book, he drew his horse from the picket, and mounting him put himself upon fortune. Within half an hour Captain Carnes, officer of the day, waited upon the major, and with considerable emotion told him that one of the patrol had fallen in with a dragoon, who, being challenged, put spur to his horse and escaped, though instantly pursued. Lee, complaining of the interruption, and pretending to be extremely fatigued by his ride to and from head- quarters, answered as if he did not understand what had been said, which compelled the captain to repeat it. Who can the fellow that was pursued be ? inquired the major ; adding, a countryman, probably. No, replied the captain, the patrol sufficiently distinguished him to know that he was a dragoon ; probably one from the army, if not certainly one of our own. This idea was ridiculed from its improbability, as during the whole war but a single dragoon had deserted from the legion. This did not convince Carnes, so much stress was it now the fashion to lay on the desertion of Arnold, and the probable effect of his example. The captain withdrew to examine the squadron of horse, whom he had ordered to assemble in j)ur- suance of established usage on similar occasions. Very quickly he returned, stating that the scoundrel was known, and was no less a person than the sergeant-major, who had gone off with his horse, baggage, arms and orderly book, — as neither the one nor the other could be found. Sensibly affected at the supposed baseness of a soldier extremely respected, the captain added that he had ordered a party to make ready for pursuit, and begged the major's written orders. Occasionally this discourse was interrupted, and every idea suggested which the excellent character of the sergeant warranted, to induce the sus- picion that he had not deserted, but had taken the liberty to leave camp with a view to personal pleasure ; an example, too often set by the officers themselves, destructive as it was of discipline, opposed as it was to orders, and disastrous as it might prove to the corps in the course of service. Some little delay was thus interposed ; but it being now announced that the pur- suing party was ready, Major Lee directed a change in the officer, saying that he had a particular service in view, which he had determined to in- trust to the lieutenant ready for duty, and which, probably, must be per- formed in the morning. He therefore directed him to summon Cornet Middleton for the present command. Major Lee was induced thus to act, first to add to the delay, and next from his knowledge of the tenderness of I^Iiddleton's disposition, which he hoped would lead to the protection of Champe, should he be taken. Within ten minutes Middleton appeared to receive his orders, which were delivered to him made out in the customary form, and signed by the major. " Pursue so far as you can with safety Ser- geant Champe, who is suspected of deserting to the enemy, and has taken OF AMERICANS. 255 tlie road leading to Powles-IIoolc. Bring him alive, that he may suffer in the presence of the army; but kill him if he resists or escapes after being taken." Detaining the cornet a few minutes longer in advising him what course to pursue, — urging him to take care of the horse and accoutrements, if re- covered, — and enjoining him to be on his guard, lest he might, by his eager pursuit, improvidcntly fall into the hands of the enemy, — the major dis- missed Middleton, wishing him success. A shower of rain fell soon after Champe's departure, which enabled the pursuing dragoons to take the trail of his horse ; knowing, as ofScer and trooper did, the make of their shoes, the impression of which, was au unerring guide. The horses being all shod by our owu farriers, the shoes were made in the same form, Avhich with a private mark annexed to the fore-shoes, and known to the troopers, pointed out the trail of our dragoons to each other, which was often very useful. When Middleton departed it was a few minutes past twelve ; so that Champe had only the start of rather more than an hour, — by no means as long as was desired. The pursuing party during the night, was, on their part, delayed by the necessary halts to examine occasionally the road, as the impression of the horse's shoes directed their course ; this was unfortu- nately too evident, no other horse having passed along the road since the shower. When the day broke, Middleton was no longer forced to halt, and he pressed on with rapidity. Ascending an eminence before he reached the Three Pigeons, some miles on the north of the village of Bergen, as the pursuing party reached its summit, Cbampc was descried not more than half a mile in front. Resembling an Indian in his vigilance, the sergeant at the same moment discovered the party, to whose object he was no stranger, and giving spur to his horse, he determined to outstrip his pursuers. Mid- dleton at the same instant put his horses to the top of their speed ; and being, as the legion all were, well acquainted with the country, he recol- lected a short route through the woods to the bridge below Bergen, which diverged from the great road just after you gain the Three Pigeons. Reach- ing the jioint of separation, he halted ; and dividing his party, directed a sergeant with a few dragoons to take the near cut, and possess with all pos- sible dispatch the bridge, while he with the residue followed Champe; not doubting but that Champe must deliver himself up, as he would be closed between himself and his sergeant. Champe did not forget the short cut, and would have taken it himself, but he knew it was the usual route of our parties when returning in the day from the neighborhood of the enemy, properly preferring the woods to the road. He consequently avoided it ; and persuaded that Middleton would avail himself of it, wisely resolved to relinquish his intention of getting to Powles-IIook, and to seek refuge from two British galleys, lying a few miles to the west of Bergen. This was a station always occupied by one or two galleys, and, which it was known now lay there. Entering the village of Bergen, Champe turned to his right, and disguising his change of course as much as he could by taking the beaten streets, turning as they turned, he passed througli the village and took the road toward Elizabethtown Point. Middleton's ser- geant gained the bridge, where he concealed himself, ready to .pounce upon Champe when he came up ; and Middleton pursuing his course through 256 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Bergen, soon got also to the bridge, when, to his extreme mortification, he found that the sergeant had slipped through his fingers. Eeturning up the road, he inquired of the villagers of Bergen, whether a dragoon had been seen that morning ahead of his party, fie was answered in the affirmative, but could learn nothing satisfactory as to the route he took. While en- gaged in inquiries himself, he spread his party through the village to strike the trail of Champe's horse, a resort always recurred to. Some of his dra- goons hit it just as the sergeant, leaving the village, got in the road to the Point. Pursuit was renewed with vjgor, and again Champe was descried, lie, apprehending the event, had prepared himself for it, by lashing his valise (containing his clothes and orderly book) on his shoulders, and holding his drawn sword in his hand, having thrown away the scabbard. This he did to save what was indispensable to him, and to prevent any interruption to his swimming, should Middleton, as he presumed, when dis- appointed at the bridge, take the measures adopted by him. The pursuit was rapid and close, as the stop occasioned by the sergeant's preparations for swimming had brought Middleton within two or three hundred yards. As soon as Champe got abreast of the two galleys, he dismounted, and running through the marsh to the river, plunged into it, calling upon the galleys for help. This was readil}'- given ; they fired upon our horse, and sent a boat to meet Champe, who was taken in and carried on board and conveyed to New York, with a letter from the captain of the galley, stating the cir- cumstances he had seen. The horse with his equipments, the sergeant's cloak and scabbard, were recovered ; the sword itself being held by Champe until he i^lunged in the river, was lost, as Middleton found it necessary to retire without searching for it. About three o'clock in the evening our party returned, and the sol- diers seeing the well known horse in our possession, made the air resound with exclamations that the scoundrel was killed. Major Lee called by this heart-rending annunciation from his tent, saw the sergeant's horse led by one of Middleton's dragoons, and began to reproach himself with the blood of the high prized, faithful and intrepid Champe. Stifling his agony he advanced to meet Middleton, and became somewhat relieved as soon as he got near enough to discern the countenance of his officer and party. There was evidence in their looks of disappointment, and he was quickly relieved by Middleton's information that the sergeant had effected his escape with the loss of his horse, and narrated the particulars just recited. Never was a happier conclusion. The sergeant escaped unhurt, carrying with him to the enemy undeniable testimony of the sincerity of his desertion, — can- celing every apprehension before entertained, lest the enemy might suspect him of being what he really was. Major Lee imparted to the commander- in-chief the occurrence, who was sensibl}' afiected by the hair-breadth escape of Champe, and anticipated with pleasure the good effect sure to follow the enemy's knowledge of its manner. On the fourth day after Champe's de- parture, Major Lee received a letter from him, written the day before in a disguised hand, without any signature, and stating what had passed after he got on board the galley, where he was kindly received. He was carried to the commandant of New York as soon as he arrived, and presented the letter addressed to this officer from the captain of the OF AMERICANS. 257 galley. Being asked to what corps he belonged, and a few other common questions, he was sent under care of an orderly sergeant to the adjutant- general, who, finding that he was sergeant-major of the legion horse, here- tofore remarkable for their fidelity, began to interrogate him. lie was told by Champe, that such was the spirit of defection which prevailed among the American troops in consequence of Arnold's example, that he had no doubt, if the temper was properly cherished Washington's ranks would not only be greatly thinned, but that some of his best corps would leave him. To this conclusion, the sergeant said, he was led by his own observations, and especially by his knowledge of the discontents which agitated the corps to which he had belonged. His size, place of birth, form, countenance, hair, the cor2:)S in which he had served, with other remarks, in conformity to the British usage, was noted down. After this was finished, he was sent to the commander-in-chief, in charge of one of the stall', with a letter from the adjutant- general. Sir Henry Clinton treated him very kindly, and de- tained him more than one hour, asking him many questions, all leading, — first to know to what extent this spirifof defection might be pushed by proper incitements, — what the most operating incitements, — whether any general ofiicers were suspected by Washington as concerned in Arnold's con- spiracy, or any other ofiicers of note ; — who they were, and whether the troops approved or censured Washington's suspicions ; — whether his popu- larity in the army was sinking, or continued stationary ? What was Major Andre's situation, — whether any change had taken place in the manner of his confinement, — what was the current opinion of his probable fate, — and whether it was thought Washington would treat him as a spy ? To these va- rious interrogations, some of which were perplexing, Champe answered wa- rily ; exciting, nevertheless, hopes that the adoption of proper measures to encourage desertion (of which he could not pretend to form an opinion) would certainly bring off hundreds of the American soldiers, including some of the best troops, horse as well as foot. Respecting the fate of Andre, he said he was ignorant, though there appeared to be a general wish in the army that his life should not be taken ; and that he believed it would de- pend more upon the disposition of Congress, than on the will of Wash- ington. After this long conversation ended, Sir Henry presented Champe with a couple of guineas, and recommended him to wait upon General Arnold, who was engaged in raising an American legion in the service of his ma- jesty. He directed one of his aids to write to Arnold by Champe, stating who he was, and what he said about the disposition in the army to follow his example ; which being soon done, tlie letter was given to the orderly at- tending on Champe to be presented with the deserter to General Arnold. Arnold expressed much satisfaction on hearing from Champe the manner of his escape, and the effect of his [Arnold's] example ; and concluded his numerous inquiries by assigning quarters to the sergeant, — the same as were occupied by his recruiting sergeants. He also proposed to Champe to join his legion, telling him he would give him the same station he had held in the rebel service, and promising further advancement when merited. Expressing his wish to retire from war, and his conviction of the certainty of his being hung if ever taken by the 2 53 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS rebels, he begged to be excused from enlistment ; assuring tbe general, that should he change his mind, he would certainly accept his offer. Re- tiring to his quarters Chainpe now turned his attention to the delivery of his letters, which he could not effect until the nest night, and then only to one of the two incogniti to whom he was recommended^ This man re- ceived the sergeant with extreme attention, and having read the letter, as- sured Champe that he might rely on his faithful co-operation in everything in his power consistent with his safety, to guard which required the utmost prudence and circumspection. The sole object in which the aid of this individual was required, regarded the general and others of our army, im- plicated in the information sent to Washington by him. To this object Champe urged his attention ; assuring him of the solicitude it had excited, and telling him that its speedy investigation had induced the general to send him in to New York, Promising to enter upon it with zeal, and en- gaging to send out Champe's letters to Major Lee, he fixed the time and jjlace for their next meeting, when they separated. Major Lee made known to the general what had been transmitted to him by Champe, and received in answer directions to press Champe to the ex- peditious conclusion of his mission ; as the fate of Andre would be soon decided, when little or no delay could be admitted in executing whatever sentence the court might decree. The same messenger who brought Champe's letter, returned with the ordered communication. Five days had nearly elapsed after reaching New York, before Champe saw the confidant to whom only the attempt against Arnold was to be intrusted. This per- son entered with promptitude into the design, promising his cordial assist- ance. To procure a proper associate for Champe was the first object, and this he promised to do with all possible dispatch. Furnishing a conveyance to Major Lee, to whom Champe stated that he had that morning (the last of September) been appointed one of Arnold's recruiting sergeants, having enlisted the day before with Arnold ; and that he was induced to take this afflicting step, for the purpose of securing uninterrupted ingress and egress to the house which the general occupied ; it being indispensable to a speedy conclusion of the difficult enterprise which the information he had just re- ceived had so forcibly urged. He added, that the difficulties in his way were numerous and stubborn, and that his prospect of success Avas by no means cheering. With respect to the additional treason, he asserted that he had every reason to believe that it was groundless ; that the report took its rise in the enemy's camp, and that he hoped soon to clear up that mat- ter satisfactorily. The pleasure which the last part of this communication afforded, was damped by the tidings it imparted respecting Arnold, as on his speedy delivery depended Andre's relief The interposition of Sir Henry Clinton, who was extremely anxious to save his aid-de-camp, still continued ; and it was expected the examination of witnesses and the de- fense of the prisoner, would protract the decision of the court of inquiry, now assembled, and give sufficient time for the consummation of the project committed to Champe. A complete disappointment took place from a quarter unforeseen and unexpected. The honorable and accomplished Andre, knowing his guilt, disdained defense, and prevented the examina- tion of witnesses by confessing the character in which he stood. On the OF AMERICANS. 259 next day (the 2J of October), the court again assembled ; when every doubt that could possibly arise in the case having been removed by the previous confession, Andre was declared to Be a spy, and condemned to suffer accord- ingly. The sentence was executed on the subsequent day in the usual form, the commander-in-chief deeming it improper to interpose any delay. The fate of Andre, hastened by himself, deprived the enterprise com- mitted to Champe of a feature which had been highly prized by its pro- jector, and which had very much engaged the heart of the individual chosen to execute it. Champe deplored the sad necessity which had occurred, and candidly con- fessed that the hope of enabling Washington to save the life of Andre, (who had been the subject of universal commiseration in the American camp), greatly contributed to remove the serious difficulties which opposed his acceding to the proposition when first propounded. Some documents accompanied this communication tending to prove the innocence of the accused general ; they were completely satisfactory, and did credit to the discrimination, zeal, and diligence of the sergeant. Nothing remained to be done, but the seizure and safe delivery of Arnold. To this subject Champe gave his undivided attention. Ten days elapsed before Champe brought his measures to a conclusion, when Major Lee received from him his final communication, appointing the third subsequent night for a party of dragoons to meet him at lloboken, when he hoped to deliver Arnold to the officer. Champe had from his enlistment into the American legion (Arnold's corps) every opportunity he could wish, to attend to the habits of the general. He discovered that it was his custom to return home about twelve every night, and that previous to going to bed he always visited the garden. Dur- ing this visit the conspirators were to seize him, and being prepared with a gag, intended to have applied the same instantly. Adjoining the house in which Arnold resided, and that in which it was designed to seize and gag him, Champe had taken off several of the palings and replaced them, so that with care and without noise he could readily open his way to the adjoining alley. Into this alley he meant to have con- veyed his prisoner, aided by his companion, one of two associates who had been introduced by the friend to whom Champe had been originally made known by letter from the commander-in-chief, and with whose aid and counsel he had so far conducted the enterprise. His other associate Avas with the boat prei:)ared at one of the wharves on the Hudson River, to re- ceive the party. Champe and his friend intended to have placed them- selves each under Arnold's shoulder, and to have thus borne him through the most unfrequented alleys and streets to the boat ; representing Arnold, in case of being questioned, as a drunken soldier, whom they were con- veying to the guard-house. When arrived at the boat the difficulties would be all surmounted, there being no danger nor obstacle in passing to the Jersey shore. The day arrived, and Major Lee with a party of dragoons left camp late in the evening, with three led horses ; one for Arnold, one for the sergeant, and the third for the associate, never doubting the success of the enterprise, from the tenor of the last received communication. The party reached Hoboken about midnight, where they were concealed in the adjoining woods,— Lee, with three dragoons, stationing himself near the 17 260 ADVENTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS river shore. Hour after hour passed, — no boat approached. At length the day broke and the major retired to his party, and with his led horses re- turned to camp, when he proceeded to hiead-quarters to inform the general of the disappointment, as mortifying as inexplicable. In a few days, Major Lee received an anonymous letter from Champe's patron and friend, informing him that on the day previous to the night fixed for the execution of the plot, Arnold "had removed his quarters to another part of the town, to superintend the embarkation of troops, preparing (as was rumored) for an expedition to be directed by himself; and that the American legion, consisting chiefly of deserters, had been transferred from their barracks to one of the transports ; it being apprehended that if left on shore until the expedition was ready, many of them might desert. Thus it happened that John Champe, instead of crossing the Hudson that night, was safely deposited on board one of the fleet of transports, from whence he never departed until the troops under Arnold landed in "Virginia. Nor was he able to escape from the British army l^ntil after the junction of Lord Cornwallis at Petersburgh, when he deserted ; and proceeding high up into Virginia, he passed into North Carolina near the Saura Towns, and keep- ing in the friendly districts of that State, safely joined the army soon after it had passed the Congaree in pursuit of Lord Rawdon. His appearance excited extreme surprise among his former comrades, which was not a little increased when they saw the cordial reception he met with from Lieutenant-Colonel Lee. His whole story soon became known to the corps, which reproduced the love and respect of officer and soldier, heightened by universal admiration of his daring and arduous attempt. Champe was introduced to General Greene, who cheerfully complied with the promises made by the commander-in-chief, as far as in his power ; and having provided the sergeant with a good horse o.nd money for his journey, sent him to General Washington, who munificently anticipated every de- sire of the sergeant, and presented him with a discharge from further ser- vice, lest he might in the vicissitudes of war, fall into the enemy's hands when, if recognized, he was sure to die on a gibbet. When General Washington was called by President Adams to the com- mand of the army, prepared to defend the country from French hostility, he sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Lee to inquire for Champe ; being determined to bring him into the field at the head of a company of infantry. Colonel Lee sent to Loudon county, Virginia, where Champe settled after his dis- charge from the army, but learned that the gallant soldier had removed to Kentucky, where he soon after died. NA#feATIVE OF THE LAND AND SEA PERILS OF ANDREW SHERBURNE, I\ THE WAR OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, INCLUDING HIS SUFFERINGS IN OLD MILL PRISON, ENGLAND, AND AFTERWARD IN THE OLD JERSEY PRISON SHIP AT THE WALLABOUT, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. WRITTEN FOR THIS WORK BY ANDREW DICKINSON. Andrew Sherburne was born at Rye, once a part of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, September 30, 1765. He describes his childhood as dotted over witli misfortunes. He was about twelve years old, at that period of our revolutionary histor}-, when the American spirit was fully develojied by the battles of Bunker Hill and Lexington. He caught the spirit of the times ; yet ho owns that he was influenced, at first, more by a love of ex- citement and heroic adventure, than any rational feeling of patriotism. Ho longed to be old enough to take part in the conflict. The discipline of military drills, in those troublous times, was not lost upon boys of even seven or eight years. They would form into companies, with plumes and wooden guns, and their martial exercises were as exact as those of the men. When two or three boys happened to meet in the street, their military powers were tested by pitching into each other with sticks, instead of wooden guns. Meanwhile ships were building, privateers fitting out, prizes brought in, standards waving on forts and batteries ; while the exercising of soldiers, the roar of cannon, the sound of martial music, and the call for volunteers, completely infatuated him. His brother Thomas had returned from a cruise in the General Mifflin, which had taken thirteen prizes : this ■was another temptation. Our young hero was so much excited, that he was often heard talking in his sleep by his mother. Such are some of the dreams of glory and riches that infatuate youth, and, alas ! too many children of a larger growth. His parents were in continual fear of his wandering away and getting on board a vessel without their consent ; for it was a common thing for country lads to step on board of a privateer, and sometimes return home from a cruise ; their friends being ignorant of their fate till they heard it from themselves. Others would pack up their clothes, and with a cheese and a loaf, start for the army, without taking one look at the dark side of things ; indeed to them there appeared no dark side. The prevalence of this rash spirit, however, kept up the spirits of the despond- ing, and helped the country to make a successful struggle for libertv. (261) 262 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS At last his father consented that Andrew should go to sea in the Ranger, a ship-of-war of eighteen guns, though Be was not yet fourteen. Privateer- ing was the order of the day. This r^%tion deprived him of the advan- tages of instruction. He had a vile nawt of swearing, in which he then allowed himself ; an inexcusahle vice, which he endeavored to atone for by praying very hard when he turned in at night. He went to sea in June, 1779. His associates being raw and undisciplined in sea life, and very sea- sick, occasioned much ridicule and merriment by the sailors. One morning a man at the foretopmast-head cried out, " A sail 1 a sail \ on the lee-bow — and another there, and there ! " The young officers ran up the shrouds, and, with their spyglasses, soon discovered over fifty vessels of war ! many more prizes than they could take. They were now likely to have fighting to their heart's content. These vessels were but a part of the Jamaica fleet, of one hundred and fifty liue-of-battle ships and sloops-of- war ! The sight greatly alarmed our crew, and well it might. They could distinctly see their lights, and hear their bells. The fog was very thick, by which means they had the good luck to escape. Up to this time they had taken but two prizes ; Sherburne's share of the spoils being about $100. In a few weeks after his return from this voyage, he and his comrades had to betake themselves to the ships. And though it might seem unmanly to shed tears, yet the downcast, saddened look of a fond mother and sisters proved too much for Andrew. We next find him and his little squadron chasing a British ship, near the coast of Charleston. The Ranger attacked a small British battery on James' Island, and, after a severe can- nonading, the enemy's guns were silenced. At the beginning of this battle, Andrew was excessively alarmed ; but, like the redoubtable Gil Bias, cleverly managed to hide his fears from his associates. In another onset they were defeated. Captain Simpson and the Ranger's force were much exposed to the fire of the British. Sherburne relates : " While part of the officers and myself occupied an elegant house of Colonel Gadsden, a bomb fell through the roof and burst in the cellar, luckily hurting no one. Another fell within two feet of me ; but I threw myself behind the carriage, and escaped. Another burst over my head, and a large piece buried itself in the turf at my feet. A cannon ball struck the house, passing within two feet of me. Bullets flew like hail in every direc- tion. Bricks and plaster fairly darkened the air ; and shells fell over the city in a perfect shower : a dozen might be seen falling at once. The seige was closely pressed, and we were in great fear of our works being carried by storm. Finally we were obliged to capitulate on the 12th of May, 1780. The day after this battle, a dreadful accident occurred. While the British were depositing the muskets taken from us in the grand maga- zine, which was bomb proof, the powder in it exploded. The shock was like an earthquake, and a great many were instantly swept into eternity. I saw the print of a man's body, who had been dashed against a brick church thirty feet above the ground, and thirty rods from the magazine. The cause of this explosion was never known." Sherburne was now a prisoner. On his return home, after his imprison- ment, he was worn down with sickness and misfortune. Before he reached home, he heard of his father's death. On his way, with his little budget in OP AMERICANS. 263 hand, lie wept bitterlj', and till his tears were exhausted. His poor mother was now a widow ; and his brother Thomas, once so flushed with success, had not returned. Alas ! he never did return. As Andrew passed a house in Lyme, he was noticed by a woman standing at the door. She was im- mediately joined by another tender-hearted mother. Both had sons in the army, and might have had some hope of seeing or hearing of them. They stood over him and wept in silence, meditating on the fate of their sons. It was an hour of bitter sorrow ! The best their houses afforded, was pro- vided for the youthful wanderer. In a weeli more he reached Portsmouth, where he found his widowed and mourning mother. A scene like this, with its changes in one year, can neither be described nor imagined. Sherburne shall hereafter speak for himself in the remainder of this narrative. My mother was industriously employed in spinning, knitting, and sewing for others, as a means of support for her children. She would sit at her wheel for hours, diligent and pensive, without uttering a word ; and now and then tears would roll down her cheeks, and she would break silence by the narration of some event that took place in her father's day of prosperity. As the Ranger was built in Portsmouth, and had fallen into the hands of the enemy, the patriotic merchants of that place were anxious to retrieve their loss. They built another beautiful ship of twenty guns, called the Alexander, and gave Captain Simpson the command. A considerable number of the Ranger's officers and men occupied the same station, as formerly, in this new ship. I was invited by the captain to try my fortune in her again, and readily accepted the offer. We sailed from Portsmouth in December, 1780, and during a cruise of three months, took nothing. We never gave chase without coming up with an enemj', though we never met in battle. Before we reached home we were reduced to half allowance, and suffered greatly for water. I had left my mother a power of attorney to sell any part of my share she might require, by which means she was pro- vided with a cow, fuel, and other necessaries. On my arrival I found my mother and sisters well, but there was no news from my brother Thomas. I now began to feel as if the care of the family would devolve on me. My neighbors extolled me for my attentions, and this made me more ambitious. The Alexander was the best and fastest sailing vessel I ever saw, and it need not be wondered at if I should be invited to make a second voyage. However, while one day Avalking in the street, I was recognized by one of Neptune's fry, with the salutation, "Don't you want to take a short cruise in a fine schooner, and make your fortune ? " Making one's " fortune," was a matter of course ; yet what kind of fortune, remains to be seen. I answered that I should "go in the Alexander." "0," said he, "we shall be back before the Alexander will get ready to sail ! " This young man was Captain Willis, of Kennebunk, Maine ; and his vessel was the Greyhound, fitted out at Salem, Massachusetts. She mounted four pounders, was of sixty tuns burden, and made quite a warlike appearance. One Captain Arnold was the only person from Portsmouth going in her. He was prize- master, and anxious to have me join them. The others were all strangers to me. I was then about sixteen. Many fair promises, beside a share of 264 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS spoils, were made. Privateering was a very common thing, and was then sanctioned by public opinion, whatever may be said of it now. Having got on board, I was introduced to my new companions by Captain Willis, with a good deal of ceremony. He took me into the cabin, and I was much caressed by the officers. I was invited to sing a song, and in the course of the evening, I entertained them with several. There was a good deal of management in all this ; for they found it very difficult to get hands, and they wished to have me get attached to them,, so that my influence could secure others. The day after, we ran down to York, as it was needful for Captain Willis to form some plan to increase his numbers ; for ho had poor success in Portsmouth. The plan was td'get up a frolic at a public house, and lads and lasses were invited for a country dance ! Eum, coffee, and other attractions, were freely spread out to bait the unwary — the devil's usual trap. Having but one fiddler, and the company being large, it was requisite to have dancing in more than one room. I was, therefore, in lieu of fiddler number two, selected by the officers to sing for the other dancing department. This suited me, as I was no proficient in dancing. Every art and insinuation, however, only procured two recruits ! As might be ex- pected, the next day was one of the most melancholy I ever passed. The gloom, the horror, the despondency I felt, cannot be described by mortal tongue. I resolved to return home ; but in this resolution I could not obtain the least relief. The voyage before me looked as gloomy as death. It was " a horror of great darkness." Had I been in the middle of the ocean on a single plank, my situation would not seem more hoi^eless. In this forlorn situation, it came into my mind to go on board of the vessel and pray. The people were mostly ashore ; and, after spending some time in contemplation, I attempted to pray. The gloom in some measure subsided. I then told the captain I had made up my mind to return home. He acknowledged my right to do so, but being unwilling to part with me, he got Captain Arnold and other officers to persuade me to remain another evening. I reluctantly consented. The evening was spent much like the last. Only one xnore hand was procured. The captain being satisfied that he would have no success here, determined to push farther eastward, having gained my consent to make the voyage. At Kennebunk and Falmouth our success was equally indifierent. I now very much regretted that I had ever seen the accursed Greyhound ; yet nobody was more to blame than myself. My melancholy and forebodings came upon me witli renewed horror. Finally, I argued myself into a kind of unwilling resigna- tion to my hard fate. We visited Cape Porpoise, a place of little resort, except by coasters. There was by no means a dense population here. The visit of a vessel of so rakish an appearance as the Greyhound, with flaming flag and streaming jiennants, was quite a novelty. The captain's barge was rowed with four oars only, and I had the honor of being steersman of this little craft ; and when we put off from alongside, the captain was honored with a gun and three -cheers from the crew. This was something luiusual ; but we were privateersmen. With such inadequate recruits we went to sea. When we were off Halifax we were chased by a topsail schooner, larger than ours. AVith a OF AMERICANS. 265 fresh gale, and a heavy sea, and carrying sail so long, we were in great danger of our masts being carried away. The vessel chasing us was much faster than ours, and, of course, came up with us ; but, before she came up, we were obliged to take in topsail. This devolved on me alone, and I narrowly escaped being thrown off the yard, which was only a spar, about the size of a man's leg, affording a feeble support. The pitching and rolling of the vessel rendered my situation perilous beyond conception. Millions would not induce me to run such a risk again ! The vessel in chase proved to be the Bloodhound, an American ! After this we ventured a peep into Halifax harbor, where we saw a ship, apparently in distress, trying to get into port. The British had found out some of our Yankee tricks, and so played one themselves. We hoped to make a prize of her, but our suspicions increased as we apjDroached, and we drew off. No sooner had we changed course, however, than she made chase, which lasted several hours. By maneuvering and the fog, we happily escaped, but were in great danger of being completely outwitted. We had heard of rich prizes being taken here, but the captain thought it prudent to be off this ground altogether, and try our fortune on the eastern shore, near the mouth of the St. Lawrence. We had a trying time amid the island.s, for we could look in no direction without seeing a sail. We soon found it necessary to speak to one of them. From their maneuvering, we suspected they were in league, and we were at a loss to determine whether they were friends or foes. None of them were as large as ours, and we thought we need not fear any one of them singly ; but if they should prove enemies, then the case would be somewhat different ! However, we finally ascer- tained they were all Americans. Next day we parted with this squadron, except one of them that agreed to accompany us, but we soon parted with her. We visited a cluster of islands called the Birds' Island, and gathered half a dozen bushels of the eggs of wild geese, gannets, gulls, ducks, etc. It was interesting to observe the management of the feathered race. Their nests were as thick as hills of corn. There were low bushes, but no trees on these small islands. On landing, the birds took a general alarm, and would rise in masses, as in remonstrance against our intrusion. The best of these eggs, however, were no very delicate morsel. I have seen a Newfoundland shallop almost loaded with them. Near Fortune Bay we fell in with a Newfoundland shallop. W^e detained the captain (Charles Grandy) some time, and questioned him very closely, and were informed that an English brig had recently entered the bay, with supplies. We gave him some pork and bread, and dismissed him, to his great joy : for he fared much better than most of his countrymen did, when they fell into the hands of American privateers. We hoped to fall in with this brig, and obtain a fine prize, and visited several ports where fishing was carried on, and found no brig ; but we were informed one was expected. Having failed in this enterprise, the captain took two of the best shallops he could find, belonging to wealthy merchants, and loaded them with oil and dry fish, belonging to merchants in England. We then left the privateer, near Fortune Bay, and set out for Salem, but the wind drove us back, and we were compelled to anchor in the harbor of the island. 266 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS A dark cloud of adversity now seemed ready to burst upon me. As we were in a snug harbor where there were no inhabitants, we did not keep watch at night. One morning as I came on deck, I perceived that Captain Arnold was very different from what he had been. He had been exceed- ingly low spirited since we left the privateer. He now seemed somewhat deranged — now he would be quite sportive — now he would have a great weight on his mind. In the evening he requested me to get a light and come into the cabin to him. I staid with him all night. He talked tho whole night on every imaginable subject — sometimes he seemed rational — sometimes deranged. From all this, I gathered that he had a mortal dread of falling into the hands of the enemy. It was said by some one, that he ran away from Halifax with a king's cutter. In the morning he appeared very cheerful. In the course of the day, he seemed to imagine he was on board the privateer — would speak to this and that officer, and reply as though they had answered him. When night came on, I advised him to go into his cabin. I thought it fortunate that he complied. I made his bed, and proposed that he should lie down, which he did without hesitation, and was still. I was determined to secure him, and shut the door, buttoning it on the outside : then, with a thick stick of wood sawn square at each end, I fastened the door doubly secure, — one end against a bulkhead, the other against the door, pressing it down with my whole weight. Having had no sleep the night before, I was now prepared to rest without disturbance. The captain made no noise, and as he slept none the previous night, I hoped he would rest. About daylight, one of the hands, Annis, a stupid, shiftless, low-spirited fellow, came on deck, but soon returned, exclaiming, with surprise, "Sherburne, where is Captain Arnold?" "In his cabin," said I. " He is not on board," replied Annis. Going on deck, I saw the cabin door open. His clothes were all on deck, except his waistcoat. His shirt and silver sleeve-buttons on the top. The reader will judge of my surprise and distress on this awful occasion. The water was smooth and clear, and being only about fifteen feet deep, the white sandy bottom could be plainly seen. We hailed the other shallop, and informed our comrades. We then went round and round in a skiff, enlarging our circle, and carefully viewing the bottom for a considerable distance. Then we went on shore and walked round the beach, but discovered no tracks of bare feet in the sand. Thus our search was fruitless. My reader will have to decide what was his fate. How he got out of the cabin is a mystery. Our next plan was to get to Salem. We had great difficulty in deciding whether one or both of the shallops should be taken with us. Ours was the largest, and had the best cargo — the other had the best sails. I proposed that Annis and myself should go on board the other, and quit ours ; but Annis would not consent. My situation was critical : Annis knew not a point of the compass, could not steer, nor do anything to work the vessel : in short, he knew nothing. AVe were yet in an enemy's country, had to cross the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the wind was against us. Everything went wrong. Next day the wind was more favorable. Annis could assist me in getting up the anchor, and hoisting the sails, but he knew not how to trim them to the wind. An attempt to steer this little craft all the way to the United States would be madness. About noon we discovered a ship, OF AMERICANS. 2G7 and soon found she wished to speak with us. She chased us several hours, but the wind dying away, she sent her boats. She proved to be an Ameri- can privateer of about twenty guns. The men who boarded our vessel plundered us of some of our fishing-tackle, and let us pass ; but were not honorable enough to lot us know who they were. Early in the evening we had a breeze, which, by midnight, increased to a gale. Our vessel was la- boring hard. The night was dark. No moon or stars were seen. We as earnestl}'- " wished for the day," as St. Paul's company did oif the Island of Malta ; and when the day appeared, it was to make our danger visible. Our consort was half a mile ahead of us. We had lost our boat, which was towed at the stern. The clouds looked wild, and the ocean was rough. At sunrise we split our mainsail from top to bottom, and with great difficulty got it down and secured it. At that moment we were obliged to put away before the wind, and sail under a whole foresail. Our foremast, having so much sail upon it, was in great danger, for the wind was not steady, but blew in gusts, and the mast would bend like a whip. Our vessel being heavily laden, labored hard in so rough a sea, which caused her to leak so badly, that one was kept bailing all the time. The gale increased — the sea became more and more boisterous, and the leak also increased. We were fearful that we could not weather the storm, and expected every moment to see our mast go over the bow ; and if it should, we would founder in a few minutes. At twelve we discovered land ahead : it was a small island, and it appeared impossible to avoid running directly on it, and being dashed to pieces at the first blow. It seemed as if our fate was sealed. The other shallop, half a mile distant, could easily clear the island. When we came within a mile of it, we made out just to clear it. There Avas, however, a reef of rocks adjoining, over which we must pass, and did pass, without striking, so that we cleared it about twenty yards. We all arrived about the same time, and came to anchor in a small cove. Thus, by another merciful providence, we escaped inconceivable perils ! It was now more than twenty-four hours since I had tasted food. We threw over a hook and line, and soon drew in a large hallibut, and could have taken a hundred if Ave wished, but one sufficed. Cooking went rapidly on, and the fish disappeared with magic quickness. We congratulated each other on escaping destruction, and laid the two shallojDS as near to each other as we dared. Had the wind shifted and blown from the opposite point, nothing could have saved us. Two nights passed, and I had no sleep. I was worn down Avith care and anxietj-. The gloom that so depressed me at York Harbor, now rushed through my soul in a black tempest of horrors. After a vigorous dispute next day Avith Lloyd, the captain of the other shallop, and securing the friendship and co-operation of Willis (in case of farther difficulty Avith Lloyd), Ave got under way again. In the course of an hour Ave saw a small schooner making toward us. Various Avere our conjectures. The vessel gained on us. Wc Avere all convinced she Avas an enemy now, except old Mr. Lloyd. We tried hard to have him cut the shallop adrift, and try to be off Avith one, but he would not. The enemy noAv began to fire upon us Avith long buccaneer pieces, into Avhich they would put eight or ten musket balls for a cliarge. The first fire did not strike us, but Ave heard the bullets Avhistle over our heads. The second charge Avent through the head of our mainsail, and the third Avent 268 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS through the middle. Lloyd now thought it was high time to heave to, and ascertain who were our visitors. In a few minutes they were alongside, and twenty men sprang on board with those long guns in their hands, loaded, ijrimed, and cocked, and jiresented two or three at each of our breasts with- out ceremony, bitterly cursing, and threatening to kill us. We plead for quarters : they swore at us, and seemed determined to take our lives. After they had vented their bitter imprecations like so many demons, two or three of them interceded for us. One of these was their commander, but their entreaties seemed to increase the rage of the others. They acted like perfect fiends. We stood trembling and awaiting their decisions. At length the captain, and several others more rational than the rest, prevailed on these heady fellows to forbear. Their first business was to get their prizes under way for Grand Bank. These Newfoundlanders (I forbear calling them English) made it their business to know every minute particular that had transpired since we left the bay. Captain Arnold had a privateer's commission : this paper I j^re- served. We arrived at Grand Bank before night. The whole village collected to see the Yankee prisoners ; and we were completely surrounded. Among the people was an old English lady of distinction, who appeared to have an excellent education, and to whose opinions and instructions the greatest respect was shown. She was the only one who inquired for papers. Lloyd had none, and knew not that it was needful to have any. I presented the papers. The lady commenced reading them audibly, and without inter- ruption, until she came to the clause in the privateer's letter of marque and reprisal, which authorized to " burn, sink, or destroy," etc. Many of the people then became excessively exasperated, and swore we ought to be killed outright. They were chiefly West-countrymen and Irish, rough, savage, and uncultivated — in a complete state of anarchy — without minister or magistrate among them. They were very loyal to his " most gracious majesty." The old lady interposed, and called them to order, telling them we were prisoners of war, and ought to be treated with humanitj', and con- veyedi to a British armed station. She then continued the reading without further interruption. This good woman gave directions, and they began to prepare some refreshment for us : they hung on a jjot and boiled some cod- fish and salt-pork. They then took the pot out of doors and turned it upside down on a square board with cleats at the edges, and when the board was sufQciently drained, the j^rovision was set on a table, or rather, bench, somewhat higher than a common table, and the company stood round it, and without forks ate with their fingers. They had fish-knives to cut their pork, however. After this refreshment we were conducted into a cooper's shop and locked up, the windows secured, and a guard i:>laced out- side. We endeavored to compose ourselves as well as we could, but were ignorant of our fate. Next morning we were put on board a shallop and confined. Everything that we had except the clothes on our backs, was taken from us — even our shoes. We were taken up the bay to a small harbor, called Cornish, the residence of the man whom we had captured when we first came on the coast. This man (Grandy) did not forget our kindness in giving him his liberty, and would have done more for us had it been in his power. He gave us a large flour loaf and a plate of butter. He OF AMEPJCAXS. 2*39 seemed to be generalissimo of this little port. This little incident is a pleas- ing proof that generous deeds are not always unrewarded. Having had our refreshment, we were locked up in a warehouse. Next morning we had an early breakfast furnished by our good friend Grandy, whose partiality was evidently disgusting to some of our guard. We were taken several miles up a river and landed, iu order to strike across the cape to Placentia Bay. "VVe were guarded by seven sturdy fellows with long muskets ; some of them were rude and abusive. The distance from Fortune Bay to Placentia Bay was twenty miles through a dreary wilderness. The briars and underbrush were very injurious to our feet and legs, our shoes having been taken from us. Poor old Mr. Lloyd was most to be pitied, for he began to lag early in the day, and the soldiers frequently gave him blows with the butt-end of their guns. In the course of the day wo all received a hard biscuit and a small slice of raw pork. Though this might not be called hard fare, yet our journey was exceedingly fatiguing. It was night when we got over to the shore of Placentia Bay, and we were five miles from the station, where there was a small battery and a few regular soldiers. The post was ocaipied by a rich old man of the Isle of Jersey, who had a large number of shallops and fishermen in his service, some of whom had been rudely treated by American privateers. Ue was greatly infuriated when he found we were Americans, insisting that we ought to be killed forthwith. He swore he would give us neither food nor shelter. But our guard had received instruc- tions from the good old lady at Grand Bank, and they threatened to present him to his majesty's officers. The old man then abruptly quit them, and went to his house. The guard took possession of the brew-house, In which he had brewed that day. The floor was wet and muddy. I went out and broke off my arms full of fir and spruce boughs for my bed, and lay down exceedingly fatigued, and soon fell asleep. Some of the guard had been busy in getting something ready to eat. One of them came to me, gave me a shake, and bade me rise and oat my supper. Though my dinner had been scanty enough, yet I preferred rest, and declined to get up ; but he gave me a pretty heavy thump, saying, with an oath, "Get up, you Yankee, and take your supper ! " I thought it best to obey this summons. Our supper was in similar style to that at Grand Bank. We had saucers of sweet oil — no plates, knives, or forks. Each took fish in his fingers and dipped it in oil ! I tried to go through the same manual exercise, but had the greatest difii- culty in swallowing such disgusting victuals. This over, I returned to my bed of boughs, and slept soundly all night. In the morning, we had to walk five miles to the little battery, which was performed with even greater difficulty than the whole twenty miles the day before. We passed a promontory of tiresome, difficult, and dangerous ascent and descent — some- times almost perpendicular, and had to catch fast hold of the bushes to avoid falling headlong upon the rocks below. When we arrived, they fired one of their artillery pieces, for joy that some Yankee privateers had fallen into their hands ; for some had been much annoyed by them, and others had been prisoners, and their stores and shallops had been plundered. I think we were the only prisoners captured on their coast. From this place we were taken to another harbor, and put on board a shallop for Placentia, and our guard of seven returned to Fortune Bay. The guard now was only 270 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS three men, more humane than the others ; thej' had long muskets lying loaded by them. Having ascertained that we had had no breakfast, they hove to, and soon hauled in some fine cod, which they boiled with pork. This, with ship-bread, was quite in contrast with our execrable and disgusting supper. We were all kept forward and not allowed to come near tho quarter-deck, where lay the loaded guns. AVe arrived at Placentia at night, and a government boat took us to the commissary. He came into his room with a number of gentlemen, who examined us with great scrutiny. They were deeply hurt on seeing the condition of our feet and hearing of our ill- treatment, and gave us shoes and stockings, expressing great regret at the unhappy discord between the mother country and the colonies. The com- missary told us we must take up our residence in his garrison, and sent us some flour loaves and butter. After eating, we heard the sound of bagpipes at the door, and a messenger was sent to call us out. On going to the door we were taken into custody by a sergeant's guard of Highlanders, in their Scotch kilts, plaids, bonnets, and checkered stockings, with guns, fixed bayonets, broadswords, and all and singular the accoutrements and para- phernalia thereunto belonging. Annis, Ball, Willis and I, gazed with astonishment at this most singular novelty. Sandy changed his tune ; we had orders to march, and were conducted into the guard-room of the fort, and a sentinel was placed at the door. The governor of Placentia was Colonel Hawkins, a man of gentlemanly deportment. He had but a part of his regiment here. His wife was the daughter of an old Highlander, who was a private. He and a number of other soldiers had their wives and children with them in the garrison. The governor was not over thirty, and his wife twenty. She was cheerful and humane. We had not been long in the garrison before AVillis and I were invited by the governor to assist rowing his barge up the river, where he had salmon-nets. As we lads were more expert in rowing than the soldiers, Willis was taken for boatman, and I for strokesman. There were a number of islands in the river, where grew raspberries, gooseberries, and a variety of other berries, which were very good. The governor and his wife generally landed on one of these islands, to amuse themselves in picking berries, while we attended to the salmon-nets. The lady would amuse herself in asking questions about Yankees, their manners and customs, and regretted that we boys were prisoners, detained from our parents. She had two children of her own, and had the feelings of a parent. On our return from our excur- sions up the river, which generally took us the greater part of the day, we were sent into the governor's kitchen and furnished with a good supper, which was the more acceptable, as our allowance was scanty. After we had been several times up the river, we were all allowed to walk in the yard by day, but could not go out of the yard without a guard. But we never went out, except to bring water from a spring near the garrison. It was some time in May, 1781, that we came here, and September came without a prospect of release. About the 15th of the month, there came in a twenty-two gunship, the Duchess of Cumberland. She was built in Salem, and called the Congress, but, having been captured by the British, her name was changed. This vessel came to convey a number of English merchantmen. While in port, one of her men deserted. Diligent search OF xVMERICANS. 271 having been made without success, it was suspected that some of the inhabitants concealed him. The ofiScers retaliated by impressing a man named Baggs. Governor Hawkins i)ut us prisoners on board this ship, to take us to St. Johns, where were a prison-ship and a number of prisoners, and it was expected that a cartel would be sent thence to Boston that fall. Thus there was a prospect of getting home again, but our prospects were blasted ! On the second day out we had a gale, with rain. lu the afternoon, a strange sail appeared, for which we gave chase ; but, as the wind increased and we were going out of our course, it was given up. It now became necessary t|^ steer for St. Marys. The wind was furious. About three o'clock they thought best to put the ship away a little, supposing they had passed the cape. Mr. Baggs had been skipper of a shallop for twenty years ; he was therefore invited to take his place on the forecastle, the station of the most accomplished seamen. The forecastlemen steer by turns ; and when the helm was relieved, Mr. Baggs asked the helmsman what course they were steering ? and when he had ascertained, remarked, " If we run that course two hours, the ship will be on shore ! " The sailors were alarmed at this information. Baggs then went aft and told the other oCficers that he was well acquainted with the coast, and in his judgment the ship and their lives were in imminent danger. But those British officers scorned to be instructed by a Newfoundland fisherman, and commanded hira to be oif the quarter-deck or they would kick him off. Baggs went forward, not a little chagrined at their savage treatment. The sailors for- ward kept a good lookout, however, though the weather was so thick that they could see only a short distance. No pen can describe, no imagination conceive, the horrors that awaited us. On the 19th September, about sunset, loud and repeated cries were heard from the forecastle, " Breakers on the lee-bow ! Breakers on the lee-bow ! " This doleful sound made every ear to tingle. Immediately was heard, "Stand by to about ship ! Hard to lee, foretop bowline, jib and staysail sheets, let go ! " The ship instantly rounded to, head to the wind ; but before the foretopsail could be fitted on the other tack, the violence of the wind and waves gave the ship sternway, and she was dashed furiously against a rugged bluff of rocks standing twenty feet out of water. Two men siirang instantly from the vessel on a shelf of the crags. Another, at the helm, was knocked overboard by the sudden shock ; another made a desperate effort to reach the rock, and both were drowned. The ship could be governed no longer, and we were at the mercy of the waves. All was confusion, consternation, and despair ! The ship stuck fast upon a craggy rock, which lay under water about twice her length from the shore, and probably broke several of her floor-timbers. All this took place before half the people below could scramble on deck. Looking down the hatchway, I could see a stream, as big as a man's body, violently gushing up from the bottom. With the greatest difficulty I reached the quarcer-deck. The ship rolled fearfully ; the yardarms nearly touched the water, the sea breaking feather-white all round ! Under the fog bank which hung over the shore, we could see the mountain, but not the top of it. The wind blew most furiously, and the rain poured down in torrents. The sea roared like 272 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS thunder, while night came on apace. Some of the officers were ravine and swearing like bedlamites; some were cr^'ing, others praying; some inactive and desponding ; while others were active and courageous. The long-boat was gotten out, but as soon as it touched the water, a heavy sea dashed it against the ship's side, breaking it to pieces as quick as you would crush an egg-shell in your baud. The ship was fast filling, and there seemed to be no possibility of another person being saved ; while those on shore saw no prospect of release for themselves, and expected to see all their companions perish. The masts were now ordered to be cut away : after a few blows the main-mast fell, and the fore-mast and mizen-mast also fell without a stroke, by the power of the tempest. On the fall of the masts, the ship cleared from the rock on which she had been for some time hanging, and drifted toward the shore, thumping tremendously on the rocks under water, and throwing us furiously against each other. The ship finally drifted into a cove and brought up on some rocks, which were so near the surface that she could not get over them. Every sea gave her a tremendous shock. The decks opened in some places wide enough for a man to get through into the hold. The ship was situated someAvhat like that in Avhich St. Paul was wrecked on the Isle of Malta: "The fore-part stuck fast and remained im.movable, but the hinder-part was broken by the violence of the waves." There were five prisoners on board ; but I heard of no council to put us to death, for there was not the remotest possibility of our escape by swimming ; and it was equally impossible for any one to save himself on " boards, or broken pieces of the ship." By the time the ship stuck fast, the two sailors who jumped on the rocks, had, with immense difiiculty, got nearly abreast of us. Nothing astonished us more than their feat of getting from the rocks to the beach. A small sjDar and a rope made fast to it, were now hove over the stern. The waves carried the spar on shore, but the men could not reach it ; so it was drawn on board again. This was repeated several times, till at last the men on shore succeeded in catching it, and it was made fast round a rock as large as a haj'stack. The sailors on board drew it as straight as they could, and made it fast round the stump of the fore-mast. Had the shijD been driven over the reef she struck, she must have gone to pieces in going three times her length, and not a soul would have been saved. When the waves ran, they would bury the rope under water, for it was drawn so straight that it could not rise from the sea. A man attempted to get ashore by this rope, and succeeded very well till he got a couple of rods from the ship, when he was washed off and dashed against the rocks ; the next sea buried him, and he sunk to rise no more. Several others met the same fate. This must have been owing to too much exertion at first ; for the ship could not have been in a better position, being completely bound by large craggy rocks. The fate of those who had been washed off from the rope seemed to discourage the rest. At length another, and then another, ventured, and succeeded in getting on shore, and were joyfully received. The next one, however, was lost. Six or seven more were then successful. Night was coming on, and our situation was gloomy indeed. Several midshipmen made efforts, but drew back. Their cries of distress were bitter and heartrending. I now began to think of trying my- self, though the hope of success was exceedingly faint. I buttoned up my OF AMERICANS. 273 outside jacket, drawing mj' sliirt out of my trovvsers. I had on an old- fashioned Dutch cap, which fitted very tight. I could swim tolerably, and flattered myself that this would be in my favor; but as soon as I took hold of the rope, and fell into the water, I found I could make no use of my legs, as the water was so greatly agitated. The first swell was somewhat obstructed by the ship ; and I was completely buried in the sea for a short time. "When the second sea came, I was exposed to its whole violence, and it seemed as if I should be pressed to death, and the time seemed very long. There I was in the most perilous situation that can possibly be conceived, hanging on by my hands to the rope, stretched out horizontally, suspended in the air ; and before the swell retired, my right hand gave way. 0, the horror of that moment ! I was distracted ! Among my many fears, one was, that the left hand would continue its hold until I was drowned. My left arm got weaker and weaker, and I expected every moment to be in eternity and appear before the Eternal Judge. It would be labor in vain to give the faintest idea of my terrors, and the fear of death. The undertow swept me under the rope ; I threw my right arm over it, and instantly grasped fast hold of the collar of my jacket and other clothes, and, taking breath, made a frenzied effort to draw myself toward shore, before another sea could sweep over me. The third wave stretched me, but having my arm over the rope, I was better fortified, the sea being less violent than before. When the waves retired, I was left suspended by the rope, and I could almost touch the hideous, rugged rocks with my feet, but I feared to let go my hold, because the men on shore could not yet afford me any assistance. Another sea came, but its force was almost spent before it reached me. When the sea rolled back, two sailors followed it, holding on the rope with one hand, and drew me on the beach ! They laid me on my back, and left me more dead than alive. After a while I found myself struggling to get on my side, and finalh' made out to sit up, but I could not stand. On viewing the wreck, I felt deeply thankful to the good God for my deliverance, and inwardly vowed to serve him all my days. One of the men being courageous and uncommonly strong, made out to get ou board the wreck. He was an ofticer, but I do not remember his name or rank. He and others had now contrived a better means of rescuing those remaining on the wreck. They fixed a traveler on the rope, by which ho first went on shore, so that he could not wiish off, and the man took with him a rope, long enough to reach the shore : the end on the wreck was made fast round a man's body, and another equally long fixed to it. The man then fell into the water, and those on shore would run with their end, while those on board would pay out, taking care to keep the rope tight, so as to prevent the man from dashing against the rocks. By the time I could walk down to the edge of the water, they were hauling five or six men at once, on different ropes. More than one hundred were saved in this way ! The wind and rain continued, and we were without shelter. We could not ascend the mountain without great difficult}'. Night came on. The wreck, which might contain thirty persons, could not now be seen. We finally reached a hollo\v in the mountain, but there was not room enough for all of us to lie down without lying upon each other. But it was better to do this 27J: ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS than be exjwscd to the full fury of the cold storm. Sometimes those who lay lowest down on the steep ground, would slip down, several in a cluster, all the way to the beach among the rocks. When this happened, they did not forget to swear. At two in the morning, the wind shifted, and the sea was less noisy. At daybreak, our great anxiety was to know whether the wreck had gone to pieces. We were greatly rejoiced to find it had not. We were now able to converse with those remaining on the wreck. About nine in the morning, a few got on board, and in the course of the day nearly all escaped ; bringing the provisions, ammunition, muskets, tomahawks, cutlasses, and other implements, on shore. The crew was about one hundred and seventy, besides prisoners. Every man had secured a blanket ; and thus equipped, after our terrible misfortunes, all hands j^repared to ascend the mountain. Mr. Baggs, whose counsel had been despised an hour before the ship struck, was now in high feather, and looked up to with respect, even by the captain, whose name was Marsh : a man of respectability. He was not on deck when Baggs was so illtreated by those conceited, ruffian up-starts, who had threatened to kick him, for giving information that would have saved the lives of every soul on board, and incredible misery. It was also said that the ship's course was altered without the captain's knowledge. The number of the lost I do not remember. We saved the only woman on board, the cook's wife. Her husband, one of the surgeon's mates, with several others, were left in this place. This woman was delivered of a child a day or two after, and all the party were taken off in fishing-shallops. About two o'clock we began to ascend the mountain. In climbing a preci- pice twenty feet high, I could not walk without holding on by a rope. Some one jerked it out of my hands, and I fell on my face ; and when I had slipped down to the edge of the precipice, a person who had just got up, clapped his foot on me till I caught the rope again. Had I fallen over the precipice, I should have been killed. Reaching the top, I found myself on the border of a spacious plain. Looking northerly and easterly, a man mil'ht be seen a mile off : but not a tree or shrub. A mile and a half southerly was a wilderness of evergreens. The ground was covered with a thick moss, in which your foot would sink a foot at every tread. In the distance, our wreck did not look bigger than a boat. A company of one hundred and fifty of us now took up our journey for the woods, which we reached at sunset. We had no luck in making a fire, for every material was wet. We gathered green boughs for beds, and stowed closely together, covering ourselves with the blankets we brought from the wreck ; and after all, we were very uncomfortable, as the reader will believe, for our clothes were wet, and the night was frosty. In the morning, the captain and some other officers had a long consulta- tion with Mr. Baggs, as to the route we should pursue. We were about one hundred miles from Placentia, but the distance from St. Johns I do not know. Finally, it was decided to shape our course for Placentia. On the following morning, orders were given to have all the provisions collected, and everybody was to receive an equal allowance. It was thought best to remain where we were one day, however, that Mr. Baggs might examine the coast, and settle some question in his own mind. He and a number of OF AMERICANS. 275 officers set off for an exploration of the coast. In the evening they re- turned, bringing the unpleasant intelligence that the vessel which had chased us had gone entirely to pieces, and, no doubt, every soul on board was lost. On the following morning, according to arrangement the day before, we took up our pilgrimage, keeping along in the woods till noon, when we came upon the shore at the head of Distress Bay. Mr. Baggs told us, that for several leagues the water was not more than two fathoms deep, and that this bay abounded with rocks under water. It was supposed that the vessel must have gone to pieces several miles from the shore. We con- jectured that she was a brig, and knew her to have been American built, for on the foreheads of some of her carved images, we saw the letters "U. S. A." She might have been captured by the English, and employed in their service. There was no doubt of her having been to the West Indies, for we found several hogsheads of rum on shore. The officers, with tomahawks, cut holes in them, and emptied them, lest the sailors should linger for the sake of the rum. The remains of the vessel were scattered for miles along the shore. AVe picked up fourteen men and a boy of about fourteen, dragged them on the bank, and, with staves, dug a grave two or three feet deep, and buried the poor fellows as decently as we could. How narrowly had we escaped the same dreadful fate ! The only provision we found was a lump of butter, from a keg that had been stove to pieces ; and the sand was beat into the butter several inches. We scraped off the damaged part, and took the rest along with us. We spent several hours about the wreck. The largest pieces of the wreck we found were several planks of the quarter- deck, and some of the timbers. Next day we continued our pilgrim-progress through the woods, and in the afternoon reached Distress Bay ; and never was name more appropriate, so far as we were concerned. We kept along the "shore for many miles of horrid traveling, and were finally obliged to take to the .woods again, owing to the bold rocky coast. I have been accustomed to the wilderness of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio ; but never found any region so difficult of travel as Newfoundland. Three times a day Captain Marsh would sit down, with the bread-bag between his legs, and deal out a small portion, while an officer would dis- tribute a little meat and butter from the keg we found on the seashore. The whole amount to each man, did not exceed eight ounces a day. In about ten days we reached a little port, called Point Var, greatly exhausted. We were in the enemy's country — that is, we who were Americans. Here we were driven into storehouses as prisoners, and were furnished with a drink, called " Labrador tea," well sweetened with molasses. This tea, with ship-bread, made our supper. Before we were well housed we made free with some of the fish from the beach, but this was taken from us. I had the good luck to conceal one under my jacket, and found the othei"S had quartered on the enemy'by doing the same. Here we had a drj' floor and a good night's rest. The next day we had to walk five miles to Placentia, as prisoners, and were put in our old station, the guard- house. A Mr. Saunders, one of the principal merchants, gave me and others* some clothing. Governor Hawkins and his lady were very friendly, and so were many others of the garrison, and congratulated us on our return, after having 18 276 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS suffered so much in two short Aveeks — long weeks they were to us. Wo continued here about a month. My comrades were variously disposed of. My friend Willis and I were destined to serve his most gracious majestj', King George III, on board the Fairy sloop-of-war, under Captain Yeo, a perfect tyrant. We were all called upon the quarter-deck, and this cap- ti^in, after asking us a few questions, turned to his officers, saying, " They are a couple of fine lads for his majesty's service. Mr. Gray, see that they do their duty, one in the fore-top, the other in the main-top." Willis replied, that he was "afraid to go up, as he was subject to fits, and might fall and be killed." And I replied, " I am a prisoner of war, and will not serve against my country." After some hard words and furious threats, we were ordered off the quarter-deck, and commanded to do duty in the waist. We therefore left our tyrant in haste. In a day or two, all hands were called. The usual ceremony was on this wise : the boatswain's mate stood at the fore-hatchway, and called, or, with a pipe, blew a long and loud blast, and then hallooed, " All hands, ahoy." He performed this ceremony also at the main-hatchway, and the after-hatchway. I saw no necessity for all this parade, and always thought it was for no other purpose than to ferret out and overawe us two Yankee lads. After a suitable time for the men to get on deck, the boatswain's mate went down fore and aft between decks, to see if there were any skulkers. None disobeyed the summons but Willis and I, who were snug in the cable tier. He began to rave like a bedlamite, hastened toward us, commanding us to go on deck. " We are prisoners of war — American prisoners." " Tell me nothing about prisoners ! Upon deck immediately." We still kept our stations, and remonstrated, while he belched out a stream of horrid oaths, at the same time striking us furiously with his rattan. For some time we sternly refused to budge, while he thrashed us alternately, his rage increasing with every blow, and seemed determined to conquer. We should have continued our resistance, but saw it would be useless, and therefore went on deck Avith no small reluctance, the mate close at our heels repeating his blows. Having got on deck, I saw but little to do. Fox, the carjjeuter, observing me tearfully meditating on my hard fate, was looking on while the mate was whipping us. The reader will judge of my painful and forlorn condition, especially that of being com- pelled to serve the king. The carpenter kindly called me to him, and asked me to sit down. "I see, mj' lad," said he, "j-ou are obliged to do duty." "Yes, sir, much against my will," said I. "It is wrong," said the carpenter, " but it Avould not do for me to interfere ; but I was thinking to do you a favor. His majesty allows me two boys ; if you will come into my berth and take a little care here, I will excuse you from keeping watch, and all other duty." After some hesitation, I agreed to this iiroposal, the c^irpenter remarking that it would be more favorable, as there would be otherwise no escape from the tyranny of the captain, who was very arbi- trary, and hated by the crew ; adding, that he" intended to leave the ship when he got home, but enjoining secrecy, and promising to be my friend. In a few days we arrived at St. Johns. Here we found we were destined to see old England ! It was appalling to my feelings that there was no escape. While lying at St. Johns, we had an opportunity of seeing more of Captain Yeo's detestable character. No spiritous liquors were allowed to OF AMEEICANS. 277 be brought on board. This, of course, was a good regulation. It was thn custom to hoist in the boat at night, lest any should elude the guard, and steal away in the boat. One evening as the boat was hoisted in, a bottle of rum was discovered in it ! Not one of the boat's crew would own that bottle. Xext morning the whole six were seized at the gang- way, and their shirts stripped off; each receiving a dozen lashes on his bare back, with a cat-o'-nine-tails. He had a number of men in irons during the entire passage to England. We arrived in Plymouth the last of November, 1781, after a short but rough passage ; and though we had been several times called to quarters, through a kind providence, neither Willis nor myself were stationed at any quarters. On arriving at the land of my forefathers, I confess to peculiar sensation of reverence and solemnity, not to be described. Yet when I remembered the haughtiness, obstinacy, and cruelty of her monarch, I felt an indignant, if not a revengeful spirit. Several days passed without a prospect of release. In less than a week three times as many women as men came on board, and the number daily increased. The worthy carpenter proposed, that in case I could not get released, to adopt me as his son. lie had a wife, I think, in Bristol, but no child. He could, if he pleased, quit the ship, and work in the navy yard. I felt duly grateful for the ofler, but signified my earnest desire to get to America again. While in port we lived high, which was very joyful to me, after long famine and hardships. Captain Yeo, the disgusting tyrant, took leave of the ship, with- out the least mark of respect from anybody. The ship was now preparing for another cruise. The new captain (whose name I regret that I cannot recall), came on board, and was saluted witli three cheers. There seemed to be a possibility that my friend Willis and myself might find favor with him. A day or two after he came on board, Mr. Fox, the carpenter, said to me : " Sherburne, the captain is walking alone on the quarter-deck ; I think it a good time for you to go and speak to him : it may be he will consider you a prisoner of war." I trembled for fear of being unsuccessful : I felt a strange balancing between hope and despair, for it was our last chance ; and if we failed, our fate was sealed : unless Mr. Fox could get discharged from the ship, and take me with him ; and even then I would be considered a British subject. I immediately made known my plan to Willis, and as there was no time to lose, requested him to accompany me. With our hats under our arms, we addressed the cap- tain in a tremulous voice. He seemed willing to give us a hearing. " Wliat is your wish, my lads ? " said he. " We are American prisoners," said I, " and were taken on the coast of Newfoundland, and imprisoned all the last summer in Placentia ; and in September, were put on board his majesty's ship. Duchess of Cumberland, for St. Johns, expecting to have been sent from thence to Boston, and be exchanged ; but the Duchess of Cumberland was lost on Cape St. Marys, soon after she sailed. We were again taken to Placentia, and put on board this ship. It is our wish, sir, to be considered prisoners of war, and go to prison." The captain replied, " You may go for- ward, my lads, and I will inquire into your case." We bowed, and re- tired. Mr. Fox anxiously waited for our return. In about half an hour, word came for Sherburne and Willis to get ready to go into the boat. Wo were ready to leap with joy that we were to have the honor of going to 278 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS prison. I saw tears in Mr. Fox's eye, and they ran down my cheeks freely. He gave me shirts and stockings, and we parted. A midshipman accom- panied us in the boat, sword in hand, and a sergeant with several marines, with fixed bayonets ; and we left the Fairy in Plymouth Sound, and were put on board the Dunkirk, which lay near Plymouth Dock. All prisoners that were brought into port, were put on board this guard-ship. I had been on board but a few minutes before I fell in with an English lad, who was my former shipmate. His name was William Lamb. He was captured in the Ranger, in which I made my first venture. He had been captured four times by the British, and deserted, assuming different names each time. This information he gave me in a whisper, begging me, "for God's sake don't call me by name, as I have assumed one." I was grieved for the poor fellow, who was much respected by his comrades. I knew if he were de- tected in all this ho would be hung at the yardarm. There were no American prisoners on board the Dunkirk when we went on board of her, but in a few days a dozen or more came in ; and scarcely a night passed in which additions were not made by the press-gangs. These gangs are sturdy villiaus, and sometimes got a severe drubbing from their prisoners, who often got shockingly bruised. The prisoners first brought on board, were called for in a day or two, and sent ashore to pass an examina- tion before the judges of the admiralty, previous to commitment to Old Mill Prison. I was surprised and alarmed that those who came on board subsequent to us, preceded us in going to prison, having understood that the order would be in rotation, and had reason to believe vengeance was in store for us. At length we mustered courage to go to the office, and ask why we were not sent ashore in turn. The clerk asked what vessel we were of, and our names. He knew nothing about us ! Our very souls began to sink. We now feared that we might be put aboard another man-of-war. We went again to the office. The clerk was a true man, and a gentleman, and he promised to make diligent search for our names. We had lost all our clothing except what we had on ; everything else had been stolen. The ship was so near the shore that it was impossible to pre- vent spirits being brought aboard, so that it was an indescribable scene of drinking, swearing, fighting, stealing, brawling, scolding, and confusion, especiall}'- at night. A dozen more prisoners were now brought on board, and when the time came to send the prisoners ashore, we were greatly rejoiced to hear our names called first. There were thirteen of us ordered on board a boat, and we were landed at Plymouth Dock, said to be the best in England. I had an opportunity of viewing the Royal George, the largest ship in the navy. We were escorted from, the wharf to the Court of Admiralty by a guard of soldiers, and conducted into a room by ourselves. Here we waited some time in awful suspense. It was a trying scene to endure. The judges, in their examinations, were careful to select English- men and Irishmen for his majesty's service ; but sometimes Americans were challenged and sent on board ships of war, as British subjects. The judges were elderly gentlemen, with white wigs. My examination came : "la your name Andrew Sherburne?" "It is, sir. " "Where were you born?" "In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, North America." "What is your age ?" "I was sixteen the last day of September, sir." "What was OF AMERICANS. 279 your father's name?" "Andrew Sherburne." "What was his occupa- tion?" " A carpenter." "What vessel did you sail in." "The privateer schooner Greyhound." " How many guns did she mount ?" " Eight live- pounders." " Who commanded her ? " " Captain John Willis." " Where did she belong?" "To Salem, Massachusetts." "When did she leave Salem?" "Some time in the month of April last." " What were you taken in ? " "I was taken in a Newfoundland shallop, a prize to the Grey- hound." "By what were you taken?" " A small armed schooner from Fortune Bay, in Newfoundland." " Where were you taken to ? " " We were first taken to a place called Grand Bank, in Fortune Bay ; thence we were sent to Placentia, and imprisoned in the garrison till September. I was then put on board his majesty's ship, the Duchess of Cumberland, bound to St. Johns, and she having been lost on Cape St. Marys, I returned with part of the crew to Placentia, where I was put on board his majesty's ship, Fairy, and brought to this port." " How many are there of you ? " "Only two, sir ; three were put on board of merchantmen, at Placentia." After this catechising, I was .conducted back to my companions, when Willis was called in, whp went through a similar ordeal. When all had been ex- amined, I was called the second time, and most of the questions repeated. This much alarmed me. One of the judges asked a gentleman in another part of the room, whether my statement agreed with what I said before ; to which he assented. I heard a pen going during my examination, but did not know that they were writing down my answers. I felt fearful of a snare ; but it proved more favorable than I expected. The other twelve were now called in, and the judges pronounced the awful sentence, that we all be committed to Old Mill Prison, for rebellion, piracy, and high treason, on his Britannic majesty's high-seas, there to remain during his majesty's pleasure, or till he saw fit to pardon or otherwise dispose of us ! At the door, a guard now conducted us to prison. It was a mile and a-half distant. I had not walked so much on land since my dreary march through the wilderness of Newfoundland. I felt a high degree of anima- tion that my prospects were so favorable as a residence in Old Mill Prison ! The outer gate groaned on its hinges, and received us in the outer yard, where a sentinel always stood. Old " Aunt Annie " was constantly here, with her hand-cart, drawn by a boy, and supplied the prisoners with bread, butter, tobacco, needles, thread, and such nick-nacs as we needed. Several milkmen also took stations lif^re. Before the inner gate opened, we heard a shout from within, "More prisoners! more prisoners!" The inner gate then opened, well guarded by soldiers with fixed bayonets. We were urged forward into the great prison yard, while the inmates rushed from all directions to see if there were any acquaintance among the new-comers. One. and another would seize us by the hand, saying, " IIow are ye ? Where are j'e from ? " No one presumed to intrude on the little groups collected from particular locali- ties. I found a number from my own vicinity in New Hampshire. It was now near night. I had tasted nothing since morning, and found I had got to a hungry place. One of my townsmen brought me a penny roll and a halfpenny worth of butter, which was very acceptable. It was January, and my clothing was in a forlorn condition. Next day my towns- 280 ADVENTUIIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS man gave me a few articles. Thougli in his British majesty's dominions, the prisoners ventured to form themselves into a republic, framed a constitu- tion of wholesome laws with suitable penalties. My friends held a consul- tation concerning my hard case. One spoke on this fashion, " It will bo a pity if our young countryman should spend his time, as many boys do, at gaming : he is fatherless, and needs education. Perhaps he might be pre- vailed on to go to school." Another replied, " If he will, I will give him some papers." Another, "I will give him quills and ink." Another, (afterward Captain Tibbetts), "I will undertake to instruct him." A com- mittee conferred, and communicated to me their conclusion, and advised me to accept these offers. Grateful for such benevolence, though fond of cards, I forthwith repudiated them, and accepted their advice. I made rapid im- provement, and soon became indifferent to all kinds of gaming, finding sufficient amusement in my studies. Mill Prison took its name from windmills originally occupying the eminence near Plymouth Dock. According to tradition, one of the three buildings comprised in Mill Prison, was built in the reign of Queen Ann. The largest building was one hundred feet long, and twenty wide, and two stories high, built of stone, with no windows on the north front. Between this building and the commissary's office (which had no windows at the east end), there was a space of some twenty feet. A wall on the north, as high as the eaves of the prison, extended from the prison to the oflBce. A wall on the south joined the two buildings. Through this wall a gate led to the main yard. South of the yard was the cook-room, on the ground- floor. A space between the two prisons formed a yard for both. On the south of the common yard was a stone wall fourteen feet high, with broken glass bottles set in mortar, to prevent climbing. A similar wall was on the east. The whole included half an acre. In this yard was a lamp-post, and near the cook-room, a good pump. The reasons for this minute description will be hereafter apparent. There were one or two sentinels in the yard by day — at night, at least four ; as many outside, and four in the long prison, with a proportionate number in the other prisons. The whole number of American prisoners was from eight hundred to one thousand. There had been no release or exchange since the war began, and some had been in prison seven years. Numbers had escaped, and some shipped on board his majesty's ships, which absolved them from "rebellion and piracy." At an early period it was found necessary to adopt some government for the prisoners. If any one transgressed, he had a legal trial, and was punished. There had been some cases of tying to the lamp-post, and administering a dozen lashes on the bare back. The food was tolerable, but we had not half enough. The jiortion was about twelve ounces of bread, and twelve ounces of beef a day. At eleven each day, we drew a three pound loaf to each mess. It was made of rye, oats, barlej", and peas. In compliment to King George, it was called " Brown George." One divided the loaf in quarters, another would turn his back, and another, in the presence of the rest, touched a piece, saying to him who turned his back, "Who shall have that ?" till the four pieces were disposed of. Many dis- putes took place about the division of beef, which was weighed out to the cook in the gross, with an allowance to turn the scale for each mess. OF AMERICAXS. 281 Some were cmploj'ed in making punch-packllcs, of apple-wood, which sold for nearly half a guinea ; wooden spoons, busks, and knitting-sheaths, curiously wrought. One taught navigation, another made nets for drying glue. Ship-building was also extensively carried on ; I doubt not there arc ships in England, built in Mill Prison, though not large enough for priva- teering ! One prisoner, from Salem, exceeded all others in inventive skill. He built a ship a foot long, which he sold for four guineas, lie built also a three-decker, which he sold for twenty guineas ! It was some four feet long, with three tiers of guns, anchors on her bows, and cable bent. Bv pulling gently on one cable, the ports on one deck would all fly open ; by pulling another, the guns would all run out of the ports. The efifect was the same on the other decks. This curious work occupied about two years ! Dr. Franklin was then our minister at the Court of France. Previous to my arrival, he furnished each prisoner a shilling sterling a week ; but it was difficult for him to obtain funds, and this donation would often be discou- tinued for weeks. Various plans were used to get the news. Strange to tell, a newspaper would sometimes bo obtained in a loaf of bread. News of the capture of Cornwallis was obtained in this way. The prisoners were greatly animated on this eventful occasion ; and a number furnished them- selves with the American ensign, painted on a half sheet of paper, with the British flag also j^ainted below the Union ; and sticking this into their hat- bands, they paraded the prison yard, huzzaing so boisterously as to alarm the commissary. His name was Cowdray, a petulant old fellow, whom the prisoners, especially those from Marblehead, took pleasure in affronting. The whole guard came into the yard, and some of the prisoners had the hardihood to insult them, and dared them to fire on them ; but through the interposition of some of the American officers, the tumult subsided. Every evening before sundown a guard came into the yard and ordered every man into the prison. They were counted as they walked leisurely in, and the doors were then locked. One evening a prisoner in the upper story threw a bone, which he had been picking, out of the window through the iron bars, and it happened to fall on a sentinel's head. He immediately stepped up to the lower window, and fired wp through the floor, the ball entering a hammock in which a sick man lay. The report of the musket brought the whole guard into the yard. The prisoners were greatly enraged, and swore they would kill that soldier if he ever appeared again on guard. A dozen prisoners made their escape one night. They contrived to get through the grates of the chamber of the long prison, by putting a beam from the window obliquely, so as to reach a small out-house near the wall of the adjacent yard, and then lashing hammocks together, lowered them- selves from the beam into the yard. They were never brought back again, as was often the case. When deserters were caught, they were doomed to suffer in the "dark hole" certain days, and Avere also liable to be impressed on board a man-of-war. In the gate through the prison wall was a hole large enough to pass water- cans through it, but not large enough for a man to get through, unless he were very small. Every morning it was necessary to number as many persons out, as they had the previous evening. A good deal of ingenuity 282 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS was therefore required by the prisoners to conceal a fraud. A number of boys were in prison, and dependence was placed on those to make up for the escapades. A group of prisoners first out stationed themselves about the gate, and a lad was crowded through the hole and received inside, and he would go in the end door, and present himself at the fore door, and be numbered the second time. Then a second lad would be crowded through the hole, and a third, and so on. He would wear a cap, or go in bare- headed. Sometimes they would borrow a boy or two who had been num- bered out of some other part of the prison. The poor fellows would often get prodigiously squeezed, in passing through the hole, but their squalling was drowned by the boisterous laugh and shout set up for that purpose. This may be called a " Yankee trick," and it was played over and over, until many of our friends had an opj^ortunity to escape, or evade a hated regiment that might in turn be on guard. How all these escapes could be made, Avith sentries continually on guard, was to me most astonishing. It must be set down to Yankee enterprise. At length, however, the aforesaid hated guard came on, and there was no more squeezing through that hole ! " There was no small stir." What had become of thirteen prisoners ! These must have represented the thirteen States, never recovered ! " Tlie British king Lost States tliirteen." Colonel Laurens, of Charleston, was then our minister to Holland. On his way thither he was captured as a rebel, and imprisoned in the Tower of London. After the capture of Cornwallis, he was released on a parole of honor, and he visited Mill Prison. The prisoners considered this a high honor, and treated him with great respect. I diligently pursued my studies in navigation, but in the spring it became very sickly among the prisoners. At length I was taken ill myself. My distress was so great I could not assist others, as I had been accustomed to do. My sight left me. One morning, surrounded by neighbors, I remember hearing some one say, " Sherburne is out of his head ! " I was ordered to the hospital, where I was partially deranged several weeks. I was fearful I should not recover, and great was my horror of mind. My numerous deliverances from shipwreck and so many other perils, all came up before me, with all my forgotten vows to become religious — my solemn promises to God, my deliverer ! I was weighed and " found wanting ! " There was a person called "Uncle" Laurence, in the hospital. He went in at an early period, and while there, became a convert to the Christian religion. The physicians had great confidence in him, and he had the respect of all. However tyrannical and inhuman the British government was in some respects, they are to be praised for the provision they made for the sick in Mill Prison. When it pleased God to restore my reason, I was so weak as to be unable to raise myself in bed, and mended slowly, One day two friends said, " Sher- burne, why do you lie here ? Come, you must get up ! " I told them I could not. " We will help you," said they ; " The doctor has directed us to help you." They got my clothes on, and made out to get me into the yard, holding me by the arms, but I fainted, and was carried back to my OF AMERICANS. 283 coucli. The next day I was taken out again, and was able to stand, with the help of a staff. About this time news had been received, that the ship " Lady's Adven- ture " had got into Plymouth Sound to take home an exchange of prisoners. The joy among the prisoners was indescribable. To raise my spirits, the good doctor told me the ship would take us to our country, and would sail in three weeks, and that I must take the best possible care of myself that I might go in her. This ship was bound to Boston ; and in a week or two, another was going to Philadelphia ; and in a few weeks, another would take the remaining prisoners to some United States port. The time finally arrived for the doctor to discharge all who had sufficiently recovered. Everyone went to his own bed, and sat till the doctor passed by him. He passed me pleasantly, but did not take down my name ! My heart sank witjiin me. I rose and followed him, and as he was about leaving the hospital, said, "Doctor, I believe you have not got my name." He replied, "God bless you, my son, it will never do for you to think of leav- ing the hospital in your situation ! You are more fit to enter than leave it." " Sir," said I, deeply grieved, "you promised that I should go in this ship !" He replied, " I was in hopes you would be able, but you are so sick that it will never do : you would not live to get outside of the Eddystone : four hundred are going ; you will be crowded, and will die. I would be happy to discharge you, but we have had a hard time in raising you, and would be sorry to lose you now, through your own imprudence. You would never live to see America, and your blood would be on my head. There is another ship going in a week or two, and I am in hopes you will be strong enough to go — have patience." "But, sir," said I, "that ship is going to Philadelphia, and I should be a great way from home." "No matter for that, you will be in your own countiy," said the doctor. "But all my acquaintance and townsmen are going in this ship, and she is going near my home, and if I do not go in her I shall never get home." " Uncle Laurence," and twenty others, were listening to our conversation, and tears ran down his manly face ; and the reader can judge how it was with me. Uncle Laurence then said, "Doctor, I don't know but you may as well discharge him ; and as I go in the same ship, I give my word that I will pay par- ticular attention to him." " well, then," said the good doctor, " I will venture to discharge him ; I can trust him in your care, and hope he will do well : but if he dies, his blood must be upon his own head." " 0, sir," said I, " The sea always agrees with me, and I believe I should gain faster on shipboard than here." That same day, we were guarded from the hospital to the prison ! When our company entered the prison yard, the first townsman Avho spoke to me was John B r, a "respectable" young man, but would have been considerably more so if less intemperate and profane. " Why, d — n ye, Sherburne, are you alive ? We heard you were dead. Wh}', I thought the d 1 had got you before this time ! We did n't know but you might go to heaven ! Why, they said Sherburne was as crazy as the d 1 down there in the hospital, and that he prayed like a minister. I did n't know but that you might have gone to heaven." I knew not that a creature in existence ever heard me pray ; and if I had been detected in the grossest 284 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS villainy I could not have been more mortified. Alas ! that such should be the depravity of human nature, as to think it shame to show reverence for God, or any regard as to the eternal welfare of the immortal soul ! I hurried out of his sight as quick as possible. The time now came to embark for our native land. All was life and joy on this happy occasion. Some had been absent six years. I felt quite revived at my prospects, and made out to walk a little with two canes, and had to be put on board. My Portsmouth friends released my good friend Laurence from his charge. Thf ship's crew had but little to do, for there were many smart sailors among the prisoners, and it was mere diversion for them to work the ship. We had not been out many days before there was a revolution. His majesty allowed us only two-thirds of our provision, of which there was a great plenty on board. We Yankees were determined to have enough to eat; and as we had a number of native American officers, a plan Avas con- cocted, and at a certain signal, all were to rush on the quarter-deck, and seize the helm ; and our officers were to inform the captain we had com- mand of his sliip. Their number being less than fifty, no resistance was made to four hundred men. All we wanted was a full allowance ; and having obtained it, the ship was given up to Captain Humble. We had a long, though pleasant voyage. The ship was ordered to Boston ; but, as there was a very large proportion of jjrisoners belonging to Marblehead, it was insisted by our friends that we should land at that place, Willis and myself among the rest. Thus, by the mercy of God, after an eventful absence of fifteen months, we set foot once more on our dear native land. To me it was a theme of unceasing astonishment to call up in review the various changing scenes through which I had passed, since I first went on board the Greyhound. No high coloring has been attempted in these simple sketches : Simplicity and truth need not " the foreign aid of ornaments." Many were the shocks I have received in my wayward pilgrimage, but every shock has eventually tended to settle me. It was now two years since I landed at Ehode Island from Charleston. I then had a guardian : now I had none ; and what was worse, I was penniless. However, I remembered that the adventurers of the Greyhound had appointed an agent, a Mr. Foster, of Salem, Avhere I found him. But he knew nothing about us personally, though our names had been sent to him. He was, therefore, very inquisitive, for Willis and I had entered the priva- teer, after she left Salem. During the conversation, who should enter the room but Lieutenant Tucker, of the Greyhound ! It was some time before we recognized him, for his appearance was much more genteel now than formerly. From him we ascertained that nothing was known of our fate : it was supposed we were all lost at sea, a most natural conclusion. The Greyhound had taken a valuable prize, an English brig with a fine cargo, bound to Quebec, which was taken to Salem. The Greyhound was after- ward captured, and taken to Halifax, but her prisoners, after a short confine- ment, were exchanged, and all got home safely. Our share of the prize was £63 sterling, each. Mine had been drawn by a power of attorney which I left with my mother. Willis' father had drawn his, so that nothing was OF AMEIIICAXS. 285 coming. Lieutenant Tucker and Mr. Foster, however, had the kindness to give us each two or three dollars to bear our expenses home. We then took leave of our generous friends, and betook to our journey with pleasure indescribable. For a year and a quarter we had beeu com- panions in travel and suffering, and we never fell out by the way. With no company but ourselves, we took a full view of the eventful and sorrowful past. The gloomy scenes we had escaped afforded a pleasing offset to our anticipated joys of seeing kindred and friends once more. The light and shade of this picture were in striking and most delightful cont"rast. To my mother, sisters, and brethren, I was as one rose from the dead ; for, till recently, they had despaired of ever seeing me more. Some of my associates who were ahead of me, gave them information of my being on the way. This might be for the best ; for though I did not reach my home to them unexpectedly, my poor mother was almost frantic with joy, and literally cried out, " This my son that was dead is alive again ; he was lost and is found ! " And so they all " began to be merry." It was a joyous time of smiles and tears ! Tears ! for my mother was yet a mourner for her first born son, Thomas. Alas ! his fate was never known ! Smiles ! for her other son had returned, and my mother had "received him safe and sound." My friend Willis tarried with me one night. In the morning I accom- panied him to the wharf, where he found a coaster for Saco, four miles from Cape Porpoise, where he lived. We parted ; and never again met ! Nothing could be more entertaining to my friends and brethren, than to hear xVndrew tell his stories of his checkered life. In all this there may have been ambition and vanity. But men who have patience to read these pages, will remember that they were once boys. But however interesting it might be to narrate my " hair-breadth 'scapes in the imminent, deadly breach," and of being " taken by the insolent foe," this business v/ould not do to live by.. My health was now good. I had ambition, and was still in the prime of youth. It became a question with me what I should do. To beg I was ashamed ; to dig I had almost for- gotten. It was two years since I had landed at Ehode Island, from Charles- ton. After a full deliberation, it was decided that I must needs try the sea again. A brig named the Scorpion, was to sail for the West Indies, commanded by my good friend and tutor in Mill Prison, K. S. Tibbitts. This brig was soon ready for sea, and I left my mother and sisters again in tears. When out five days, we were descried by one of his most gracious majesty's frigates, the Bee, of sixteen guns, which came within a mile of us. Wo managed our vessel in a most masterly style, and finally escaped. This extraordinary chase and maneuvering must have been deeply interesting to a looker-on. It was my first voyage to the West Indies. We touched it Gaudaloupe and Montserrat. It was repugnant to my feelings to see the hungry and almost naked slaves sinking under their burdens, and suffering from the cruel scourges of their drivers. Some had iron collars round their necks, with four hooks, each fifteen to twenty inches long — one over each shoulder, one before, and one behind. Others had a heavy chain fastened to the leg; and sometimes two persons were chained together. Childreu 286 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS were entirely naked. Men had no clothing but a coarse apron, reaching a little above the knees ; and females had nothing but an apology for a petti- coat of coarse stuff. The women could balance a tub of water, or a laro-e basket of fruit, or of bottles, without putting their hands to them. Having discharged our cargo, and taken the proceeds in West India produce, we sailed for Alexandria, Virginia. On approaching the coast of Virginia, we had a terrific gale. In the morning we saw three large ships within a few miles of us, and we soon perceived they had experienced hard times as well as ourselves. We had no doubt they were British men-of-war. They made chase, and gained on us fast. We got out our long oars, and rowed all daj', and made prodigious efforts to get out of the way, flying for dear ' life, not taking time even to eat. Night coming on, and the wind increas- ing, we could not use the oars to advantage. We made all sail we could, however. At midnight we hove about, hoping to escape our pursuers. We did, indeed ; but alas ! they were not our only enemies ; for at two o'clock we fell in with another of his most gracious majesty's ships, the Amphion, of forty guns. We were now standing directly for each other. As soon as we discovered her, we hove about ; but all in vain, for we were within musket- shot ! It was said of the ancient Amphion, that by the music of his harp he built Thebes, the city of the hundred gates. The music of the modern Amphion M-as not so charming, but it was certainly powerfully telling ; for though she failed to bring us to by firing muskets, her heavy cannon did the work up most musically. To be within two days' sail of port, after all our hardships and imprisonment ! and to find all our hopes so nearly accom- plished ! In a word, I had fallen into the hands of the enemy the third time, in addition to numerous shipwrecks ! I had barely escaped with my life from two imprisonments, and now my prospects were darker than ever ! It was now the middle of November, 1782, and about a year since my release from the Fairy, in Plymouth Sound. Thirteen of us (a representa- tive number), were put on board the Amphion, and stowed in the cable tiers under two decks, where we found a hundred more of our countrymen who had fallen into their clutches. There wo were, crowded almost to suffoca- tion, with nothing to lie down on but cables. We might as well hope to sleep on a pile of split-wood. We remained in this select apartment for two miserable weeks, when we were overtaken by no small tempest, but finally reached New York. But, horror of horrors ! it was only to be put on board the floating Bastile — that thrice-accursed contrivance of fiends incarnate — the Old Jersey Prison- Ship ! The very name is enough to send a chill of terror through the soul. It is one of the fittest types of the in- fernal regions on a medium scale that Satan could invent, if that which I call a type be not a branch of the same business in which devils are employed. When I was imprisoned in the Old Jersey, it was toward the last of November, 1782, and I had just entered my eighteenth year. I now com- menced a scene of suffering almost without a parallel. The ship was extremely filthy, and abounded with vermin. A large proportion of the prisoners had been robbed of their clothes. The ship was much crowded ; the prisoners were low-spirited ; it would have been a miracle if otherwise ; and our provisions were horribly bad, and scanty. The beef was very salt, OF AMERICANS. 2S7 the bread worm-eaten, and had been condemned in the British Navy. The bread (so-called for want of a name), had been so eaten by weevils, that one might crush it in his hand and blow it away. The prisoners were divided into messes, and each mess made a division among themselves of the pro- visions that fell to them. The beef, as it was called, was all put into a copper five feet square and four deep, and would fill it within a few inches. The copper was then filled with water, and the cover put on. Our fuel was green chesnut. The cook would light his fire at seven or eight in the morn- ing. Sometimes he could not make the cauldron boil till twelve o'clock, and in stormy weather, it would take till three o'clock ! I have known it not to boil during the whole day. It was "Double, double, toil aud trouble, Fu"e bum. aud cauldron bubble." But it may be doubted whether "flesh of dog obscene," and Gipsey cookery, could out-do the meat in our celebrated "cauldron." It was like the kitchen of the infernal regions — if such a thing may be imagined. Yet bad as our food was, we could not have it without infinite trouble and vexation. This might be owing to the stupidity of the cooks, who were superseded by others in such cases. These unfortunate delays caused bitter complaints and heavy curses by the miserable, half-starved, emaciated, and imperious prisoners. Maddened with hunger each mess would take its mea,t, and divide it as it was. A murmur would be heard in every mess, and from every tongue. The cook was denounced ; and perhaps declined any further service ; another would volunteer, and in a few days, meet the same fate. There was a company of prisoners called " the working party," who brought water, fuel, provisions, etc. Thej', like the cooks, served a certain time, and had the privilege of being first exchanged as prisoners. There were several hospital or prison-ships lying at the Wallabout during the Eevolution — the Whitby, the Scorpion, the Strombolo, the Hunter, and the Frederick ; but the Old Jersey has acquired the most satanic renown in history. These Ships of Death were anchored about one hundred feet apart, and about the same distance from the beach. On both sides of Wallabout Bay, many human bones have been found. The late General Johnson, who resided in the vicinity all his lifetime, has often passed along the shore after a northeasterly storm, and "seen human skulls as thick as pumpkins in a field." He " examined the teeth, and found them those of young men." Nearly twelve thousand prisoners were poisoned, starved, or died of fevers on board of those prison-ships. It is probable that five or six thousand more died from ill-treatment and famine in the churches and sugar houses of New York, and at various naval stations. Those who were buried at the Wallabout, were sewed in their blankets. Those who died in the prisons of New York, were cast into the dead-carts at the prison doors, as they died, and were often stripped before they were buried in the pits pre- pared for that purpose. Manj' prisoners were barbarouslj' exiled to the East Indies for life. When I had been about a month on board, to my astonishment, my uncle, James AVeymouth, who was captured with me at Charleston, S. C, was Drought on board ! He also had been on a voyage to the West Indies, and 288 ADVENTUKES AND ACHIEVEMENTS was captured on his way home. It was with mingled sorrow and joy that we met on board this dismal ship. The Old Jersey was dismantled, and had no rudder or sails. The British ensign waved from a flag-staff at her stern. At ebb-tide the bottom of this infernal hulk could be seen ; and a most dreary and revolting spectacle of horror it was. Mr. Weymouth was one of my best friends. I desired to place him on the list with Bowers, Fox, Tibbitts, and others, who bestowed so much care on me in Mill Prison, and on board the Ladies' Adventure, The British were at this time 60 strong in New York, and their vessels were so numerous, that they scoured our whole coast, and exceedingly annoyed our commerce. In the fore part of the winter, they captured the frigate Chesapeake, of about thirty guns, with about three hundred prisoners. About tlie time they were brought on board, the prison-ships were all excessively crowded. The prisoners from the Chesapeake, being fresh hands, and only a few hours at sea before they were captured, died very rapidl3\ The contrast between a healthful mode of living on land, and the horrors of the prison-ship, would, of course, be the more speedily fatal to those who had suffered hardships for the shortest time. I have described the bread and meat we had, which a dog would refuse to eat in good times. In addition to this salt meat and wormy bread, we had a mess of what was called bungoo, or mush, made of oat-meal and water, something like Yankee hasty-pudding, only it was not. This oat-meal was musty and bitter, and none who did not suffer from hunger as we did, could make out to eat it at all. Most of the i^risoners, however, had some money when captured, and as there were boats alongside every day from the city, when the weather permitted, by this means soul and body were kept together a little longer, in the case of those who lived at all. As long as one's money lasted, he could have better fare than his most gracious majesty would allow. I had five or six dollars when captured, and used this pittance with the most rigid economy. Among the large quantities of provisions brought from the city, were livers of cattle, well boiled, chopped fine, and seasoned with pepper and salt, and filled into the small intestines of animals : a piece seven to nine inches long was sold for six cents. The most of my limited exchequer went for these meat puddings, and for bread. In January, 1783, I was taken sick and sent from the Old Jersey on board of the Frederick hospital-ship. It was a most distressing time for my- self and uncle, Avho had but a few dollars, and my money was now all gone. We were so much crowded that two sick persons had to lie in one bunk. I was put in with a young man named Wills, of Ipswich, Massachusetts. The bunk was set fore and aft, directly under the ballast-port, opposite the main hatchway. Wills was of a pleasant yet serious turn, and was persuaded he should die. My mind was confused and agitated, and occasionally do- ranged. My bed-fellow was running down very fast, though I was not at the time aware of it. For want of room, we were often obliged to lie athwart each other. I found the poor fellow very accommodating. He had his reason till he became speechless, and finally died, stretched over me ! A death in that place excited little attention. Not a day passed without one or more deaths. I have seen seven who died in one night, drawn ou' and piled together on the lower hatchway of the Frederick. There were OF AMERICANS, 289 about a dozen nurses for this sbip for an average of one hundred sick. Whatever property the prisoners left, fell into their hands. If the deceased had a good head of hair, it was cut off and sold. The depravity of tho human heart was as fully exhibited in these nurses as any other class of men. Some, if not all of them, were prisoners, and I believe thej' had some com- pensation from the British Government for their services. They would indulge in playing cards and drinking, while their fellows were thirsting for water and dying. Many of them were among the sick during the greater part of the day ; but at night, the hatches were shut down and locked ; and not the least attention was then paid to them, except by the convalescent, who were so frequently called upon, that they often relapsed and died, from over-exertion. After Mr. Wills, my bedfellow, was dead, I called the nurses to remove him, as his body lay across me, so that I could not relieve myself : but they gave me only hard words, and curses, and let him re- main nearly an hour. It was a great mercy they did not take away the two blankets we had under us, a great-coat, and a little straw in a sack ; yet even with these I suffered extremely from cold. The reader will form some idea of my dreadful suflferings when I state, that I frequently toiled nearly all night by rubbing my hands and legs to keep them from freezing. Some- times I would almost give up in despair, but again feel excited to renew my exertions. In consequence of these severe chills, I have worn a laced stock- ing for nearly thirty years. My bunk was directly against the balhist-port, which was not caulked ; and when there was a snow-storm, the snow blew through on my bed three or four inches deep. This was one advantage, as I could otherwise get no water to quench my thirst. A gill of very poor wine and twelve ounces of sour, musty bread, was the daily allowance for the sick. There was a small sheet-iron stove between decks, but the fuel was green and scarce ; but as there were always a number of peevish, surly fellows around it, I never had an opportunity to sit by it; though I was generally lucky enough to get some one to lay a slice of bread on it for toasting, to put into my wine and water. We sometimes failed to get our wine for several successive days ; and though we had the promise of its being made up to us, the promise was seldom kept, as might be expected. With the little money my uncle gave me, I sent ashore by one of the nurses and bought a tin pint-cup, a spoon, a few oranges, and a pound or two of sugar ; but I question if I got the worth of my money. The cup, however, was of infinite service. We were always careful to get our cups full of water before the hatches were shut, down for the night, though wo often had great difficulty in getting even this small favor, as the water was not easily got out of the casks which were frozen up. At the close of the day, a dozen would apply for water at one time, and I was frequently obliged to plead hard to get my cup filled. My bread I could not eat, and gave it to those who brought me water. I have given them three days' allowance for one cup. It was necessary to use the strictest economy, restricting myself to a certain number of swallows, and make them very small ; but my thirst was so extreme, that I sometimes overrun my number. This finally became a fixed habit for many years ; and to this day I find myself counting my swallows. For the honor of the good citizens of New York, I must not omit to tell 290 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the reader how they supplied all the sick with a pint a-day of good Bohea tea, well sweetened with molasses. This, I have no doubt, saved the lives of hundreds. I knew no person on board of this hospital-ship, and owing to the severity of my illness, and occasional derangement, cannot give full details, which, indeed, would be revolting, on account of its almost in- credible filthiness. My prevailing fear was that I should die ; and that in consequence of my ingratitude and wickedness, hell would be my portion. I had frequently, in times of great distress, promised an amendment of life ; and I now again prayed that God Avould spare me, and renewed my broken promises. It was God's good pleasure to raise me up again, so as to walk with difficulty, and I was returned to the Jersey prison-shijD. As I went below into this abode of despair, language would fail to convey any idea of its melancholy aspect. My first object was to find my uncle. Alas ! he was sick, and was required to return in the same boat in which I just came ; and I could only be indulged in an interview of five minutes. Yet even this was an unspeakable treat to me. He seemed discoui'aged, and with tears bade me adieu, with little hope of ever meeting again. I shall let the reader judge my feelings. I found a lad, named Stephen Nichols, very sick and low-spirited. We had known, and were much attached to each other. He informed me of the fate of Mr. Davis, our gunner, and this added to our melancholy ; and we stalked about the decks, lamenting our forlorn condition. In a few days orders came to remove all the prisoners from the Jersey to transport-ships, that the ship might be cleansed. As soon as we were removed, a heavy storm came on, and the ship being ex- cessively crowded and wet, our plight was absolutely distressing. There was not room for each one to lie down on deck, and many took violent colds, myself among the rest. In a few days after we were all again trans- ferred back to the Old Jersey, I was sent off again to a hospital-ship ; and on descending the hatchway, I met my uncle Weymouth ! Our joy at meeting again was equal to our despair when we parted some time before, yet it may well be believed there was bitterness enough in our cup of momentary pleasure. My uncle was depressed in spirit, but had his reason in his distressing ill- ness, and it pleased God to continue my own reason. He slowly recovered. It cannot be pleasing to the -reader nor myself, to give these doleful details ; yet it may not be unprofitable for the present generation to know the fearful sacrifices our fathers endured for our benefit. Nay, it is a duty to study all their sufferings, in these days of luxurious ease, and vain- glorious boasting. The trying scenes passed by these prisoners, were various and heart-rending. Here, for instance, near me, is one with his legs frozen; I have seen the toes and bottom of the feet fall off, and hang down by the heel ! Two brothers, John and Abraham Hall, of the Scorpion's crew, were dying, as one lay across the other; yet this was unavoidable. The men who were near swore hard at John, while Abraham cried out for him to get off. John made no reply. In the morning he was dead, and his brother died the same day. Finally, there were but five out of our crew of thirteen ; the rest left their bones here. Yet a larger portion of other crews died. I know of none belonging to the Scorjiion now living, except myself. John Stone, of Limington, Maine, was one of them, but he has probably been dead manv vears. OF AMERICANS. 291 While I was confined with my uncle on the second hosi)ital-ship, we received the joyful news of peace ! It would have been still more joyful for us if we were all prepared to leave this dreadful place. Large numbers were released from the Jersey some weeks before, ou what terms, I never knew. It was exceedingly trying to our feelings to .see our companions iu suffering daily leaving us, till the ship was almost deserted, without know- ing our own fate. However, we gained strength slowly, A cartel was soon sent from Rhode Island, to take home some from that State, and the com- mander of our hospital-ship had the humanity to use his influence to have us taken with them, and, to our unspeakable joy, he consented. When we left the hospital-ship, only seven or eight remained, and most of them were convalescent. On our departure we had to sign some kind of agreement, with a promise to report ourselves at the commissary's office in Rhode Island. We now most willingly bade adieu to the villainous Old Jersey, and all her hospital- ships. Considering the time of the year, our passage through the Sound was favorable ; and one morning before sunrise, we joyfully set our feet once more upon the land of liberty. According to promise, we gave our names at the commissary's office as prisoners from the Old Jersey. A trifling circum- stance happened on the morning of my arrival, which made a deep im- pression on my mind. As we passed a bake-house, we saw a fine heap of burning coals just drawn from the oven. We were much chilled, and went in to warm ourselves : we had not had such a favor for the whole winter. The baker, who saw us warming, came running down the stairs in haste ; but noticing two such odd figures, he suddenly halted on the stairs. Then he approached us slowly, and inquired if we were from the prison-ship. We told him we were. "Really," said he, "you look as if you want some friend ! Are you not hungry ? Come, go with me." So saying, he led us up stairs, where his family resided. I was so weak that I could hardly get up stairs, supporting myself like a child, by putting my hands on the steps. On entering the room we saw a beautiful young lady with a child on her lap. The room was handsomely furnished, and a nice looking woman was in attendance. "My dear,-' said the baker, "can't you give these men some breakfast ? They have come from the prison-ship." " yes," said the lady, with a very sympathetic and modest air ; and immediately gave directions to the girl to make ready. The contrast between our present and former situation was so striking that I felt extreme embarrassment, and therefore had great reluctance in accepting the hospitality. "Come, sit down, sit down," said the gentleman, "and make yourselves as comfortable as you can : you must have had a hard time of it ! You have been sick, but you have now got among your friends again 1 " " Sir," said I, " we are not fit to be where clean people are ; we are troubled with vermin." "0! never mind, sit down, sit down," said he. The modest and friendly de- portment of his charming lady deeply affected me, and my tears freely flowed. Instead of a haughty, disdainful air, which too many would have shown, on the introduction to a drawing-room of a couple of dirty fellows, she was in perfect contrast to all this prevalent pride. If I had not seen the tears in her eyes, I do not know that I should have shed any myself. I scarcely know of an event in all mv checkered life that has made so in- '19 292 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS dclible an impression. A thousand times I have said within my heart, "A thousand blessings rest upon thee !" I much regret that I do not know the name of our kind entertainers. I have never been in llhode Island since ; but if I were in the same street again, I believe I could point out the house, if it is still standing. Our breakfast was of chocolate, ham, eggs, and warm bread just from the oven. It was consoling that none were present at the table but ourselves, as it would have been very mortifying to persons in our situation. For months we had not made a comfortable meal : our appetites were keen : we were well nigh famished, and consequently, Ave were in great danger from over-eating. My uncle gave me a gentle jog to forbear ; but as he continued eating, I had the politeness to keep him companj'. When he left off, I also quit. We could only say to our kind host and hostess, " "We are quite obliged to you," without in the least doubting that we were as welcome as we were thankful. The next thing was to get to Providence. We were moneyless ; but the master of a packet agreed to take our hammocks which we brought from the hospital-ship. It was nearly night when we reached Providence. We had but little clothing, and rolling up our blankets for packs, and stringing them to our backs, we stepped on shore. In our forlorn condition, we had no thought of sleeping in a bed ; and we were a hundred miles from home. We stalked up the street in Providence, wondering where we should find a lodging. Yet this anxiety was but trilling, compared to our exultation at the thought of being in the land of liberty, and beyond the reach of British tyranny. We had not walked twenty rods from the wharf, when a gentle- man standing in the door of a drugstore hailed us. " Where are you from, friends ? — from New York ? " " Yes, sir." " Don't you want some refresh- ment ? Stop in that gate, and go into the house." The gentleman met us in the kitchen with a bottle and a glass, and gave us a cordial. He then ordered some victuals on the table, and requested us to eat ; which offer we were not slow to accept. We thanked our benefactor, and went on our journey. We had gone but a few rods, when a gentleman met my uncle, who was a little ahead of me, and viewed him closely. He then cast his eye on me, and having looked steadily for a moment, passed me. After going several rods, he turned quickly round, and followed me, putting a dollar in my hand, saying, "You are from New York — here, divide this between you." He turned in haste, and would hardly hear me say, "I thank you." I thought he seemed half inclined to give something to my uncle, when he met him, for he had his hands in his small clothes' pockets, but he did not. We walked on for half a mile : it was now sunset, and we thought of trying for a lodging, but did not expect more than to lie on the floor by a fire. I therefore knocked at a door, when a young woman appeared, looking quite astonished. "Madam, can we lie by your fire to-night?" inquired I. Without answering, she cried out, "Mother, I really believe these men came from the same place Jack Robinson did ! " The old lady then came rushing into the entry with one or two well-grown girls, and began rapidly questioning us. After answering some of her ques- tions, I began to urge some of my own ; and the first was to know where this Jack Robinson Uved ; for, as soon as the girl mentioned his name, I had an impression that we should have good quarters for the night; and I OF AMERICANS. 293 recollected a prisoner of that name, though I had no acquaintance Avith him. They then pointed to the house hard by. We almost broke away from the good woman and her girls, and called at Mr. Robinson's shop door. The good man came to the door himself, and as soon as we inquired if Jack Robinson lived there, the good old gentleman exclaimed, " God bless you ! Why here is some more of them ! Why, he is my dear sou ; come in, come in ! Whj', Jack has just got home : we thought he was dead, and never expected to see him again ! Come in, you dear souls, come in ! " The tears ran freely down his cheeks ; his house was open to receive us, and his wife and daughters were equally friendh^ Jack was as lively as a bird ; and well he might be, for he haxl not been sick. Wlien we were about to retire for the night, we requested that the carpet might be removed, that we might lie before the fire in our blankets. " no, you must go to bed." We objected that we were not in a fit condition ; and finally, the old gentle- man consented that we should lie on the floor, but would not agree to have the carpet removed, as we desired. After breakfast next morning, we took leave of this happy family. Our progress was only about four miles that day, and on the next, but one ; for the Aveather was cold, and we very sensibly felt the consequences of eating too freely. At Dr. Mann's tavern, his sons gave us some money. When we were within ten miles of Provi- dence, we called at a red house on the left side of the road. Here Ave Avere allowed to stay all night, but Avere expected to pay for our entertainment. We found Ave could get horses at this place. The landlord, a wealthy farmer, had tAvo sons, rather stupid, but fond of money. There were also one or two maiden ladies in the family, and a family of negroes. We plainly told them our situation, and that Ave only Avished to lie by their kitchen fire. The landlady furnished us an economical supper : her gene- rosity was quite in contrast Avith that of the baker, the apothecary, and the Robinson family. AVe bargained Avith the close old man and his sons, to take us to a certain village about tAvelve miles distant ; but I am not able to say Avhether it Avas Walpole, Dedham, or Attleborough. The money Ave got from Dr. Mann's sons, Avent as part payment for our horse fare and scanty supper. After all the family had retired, however, the negroes began, in Avhispers, to be very inquisitive, as to Avhether they Avere to have their liberty, Avith others, at the close of the Avar. The old black Avoman went on to say hoAv faithfully she had served her masser and missey, and hoAv deblish covetous they were : " Dey would starve poor negro. Dey old masser and missey had money enough, but dey am too stingy to lay out a copper ; and poor negro hab to steal bittles, or else dey Avould starve." The old Avoman granted herself the liberty to lay aside some provisions for her- self and children's supper. When the family Avere asleep, she made us Avclcome to take supper Avith them, and Ave did not need urging. The next day Ave mounted our horses and pursued our journey. I rode a small, gentle beast, but could not bear to have the animal go out of a Avalk. The old bachelor Avho went Avith us was in a hurry to return, and in the course of the day, gave my horse a clap, Avhich started him into a brisk trot, Avhich caused me to double down upon the saddle, and check the reins as quick as possible, for the severe jolting almost took my life. As soon as I recovered breath, I assailed the old fellow Avith such an avalanche 294 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS of hard words that he turned pale, and attemjoted no more to drive my horse. It was late in the afternoon when we reached the village. There had been a town-meeting that daj', and as there were man)- in the town who did not live on the public road, there was no small curiosity manifested at seeing such queer objects as ourselves, pass through the street. None were intoxicated, yet it would be strange indeed if some of them were not meny, especially as this was the first town-meeting since the joyful news of peace. Among the crowd were many old men, who, for the last seveu years, had assembled to talk of their country's adversity. They soon formed a circle round us, and were extremely inquisitive to know all about us, and how we had fared. We gratified their patriotic curiosity, while the bowl went round ; but we cautiously avoided drinking, having already suffered so much from over-eating, after the long famine we endured while prisoners. At length an old patriot made a motion that a little contribution be made to assist us on our way home. A handful of silver change, amounting to about three dollars, was collected, and the landlord agreed to give us snpper, and lodging in his bar-room. On our way next day, we called at an elegant house in Roxbury, to warm and rest ourselves. The lady had a dinner-party from Boston, but she came out into the kitchen richly dressed, exclaiming, " Bless me ! where did these poor creatures come from ! " Then turning to us, " Why, you must be in a suffering condition ! Don't you want something to eat ?" Saying to the servant, "Do get some wine for them — get me some eggs; let them take an egg with a little wine : it will be comforting to their stomachs. They must have some victuals — girls do set the table." My uncle had a violent paiu in one eye, and lost the sight of it for awhile. The good lady pitied him much, prescribed for him, and had it bound up. We feasted on roast-turkey, and other bounties, with which her table was loaded, and with many kind wishes, went on our way. At Boston, we received many atten- tions from Mr. Drown, a gentleman of about seventy-five, and a high whig. His estate had suffered much while the British were in Boston. The old gentleman said he " was born fifty years too soon, to see the glory of Amer- ica." He did not suffer us to go penniless, and called on some of his friends to assist us, though we still had most of the money collected for us at the town-meeting. We hired horses to take us on by short stages to Hampton Falls. Here I had to part with ray uncle. He had a journey of twenty miles to Epping, and I had about fifteen miles to travel. My younger brother, Samuel, hearing that I was on the road, met me several miles from home, and brought me a horse ; but I was still so weak that I could not bear to let him go faster than a walk. Thus it pleased a merciful Providence to return me to my afflicted mother. She wept bitterly to see her poor emaciated son. She was still a mourner for Thomas. My dear sisters were all affection. When my brother, who took me into another room to divest me of my clothing, saw my bones projecting here and there, he fainted. I was now taken very ill, but had every attention. It was most surprising how I could have per- formed a journey of several hundred miles, so feeble and ill-clad as I was, OF AMERICANS. 295 and in the depth of winter. But a reaction now took place, and I had a long and severe illness. In the spring, however, I began to amend very slowly. In the spring of 1785, I made another voyage to the West Indies, in the sloop Randolph. We discharged our cargo at Trinidad, and on our return, touched at Barbadocs and St. Eustatia to purchase provisions, ours havin<'- been exhausted in our long passage, and we arrived in Portsmouth in November. In the following spring, I made yet another voyage, in the ship Lydia, commanded by my old friend Captain Tibbits, to Lisbon, by way of Wil- mington, N. C, where we took a cargo of lumber and turpentine. Nothino^ uncommon occurred till we readied the coast of Portugal. AVe stood alono- the coast under easy sail, not wishing to approach near the land. The Algerincs, at this period, were committing depredations on our commerce. Not long before this, Captain O'Brien was taken by these pirates, with all his crew, and kept in slavery many years. We had good reason to be in fear of them, and kept a bright look out. One night, about twelve o'clock, as I lay in my berth, I heard what seemed the distant sound of a human voice. At this time the captain was on deck talking. Listening again, I heard the voice again ; and now felt greatly alarmed ; and soon discovered that the watch on deck heard the same sound. The sound became more and more distinct, and neared us rapidly. We were greatly alarmed. It was now time to be up and doincr. All hands were immediately on deck. There was no question that the sound came from an Algerine galley, within one hundred and fifty yards of us. She soon hailed us in diiferent languages. Captain Tibbitts, who had the helm, gave them evasive answers. Never were people more alarmed than we ; never did a crew make sail quicker. We set our top- gallants, hauled our wind a little, and got out our studding-sails. By the time we could do this, our pursuer was within twenty yards of us ! She feigned to be in distress, and designed to decoy us ; for, having lain under the land without anj^ sails set, she was not discovered hj us in the daylight, while all our movements had been closely watched : and the maneuver was, in sea phrase, to run athwart of our fore-foot. Being to the leeward, how- ever, she had to depend on oars. The original design was doubtless to board us, but when we were likely to shoot by, to decoy us. Not a rng of sail did she show till she had completely gained our wake, and the rhnsc was made with a full press of sail. But our ship was an excellent sailer, and soon began to leave her ; and after a brief chase, finding she was no match for us, she took in sails, and the Algerine pirate was soon lost sight of. Thus by the mercy of God, we escaped murder or slavery. The next day we got into Lisbon, and reported the particulars. A government brig immediately went in pursuit ; with what success, I never learned. Among the numerous objects of interest, was the destruction of Lisbon by earthquakes. Our ship lay near a large castle surrounded by water, which Avas said to have been sunk by an earthquake ; and our boat often passed over other sunken places. I also noticed tokens of those awful calamities on shore. What greatly astonished me, was the hundreds of wagon loads of fruits of all kinds piled up in the market square — grapes of many 296 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS varieties, figs, oranges, lemons, eveiytliing, in incredible abundance. Hun- dreds of females in companies were riding on jacks, with large hampers of fruit slung on each side, going to market. It was curious to walk through the market and see the great variety and abundance of fish. Fishermen had their families in boats, and I doubted whether many of tliem had any other habitation. In their boats they kept a small tub, with some gravel in it, and a small iron grate, on which they put coal, and cooked their fish in earthen pots. When they came from selling fish in the market, they would bring large Avater-melons in their arms, and eat them Avith stewed fish. They made free use of raw onions, some of which were as large as a com- mon saucer, and only an inch and a half thick. I did not notice that they had any other vegetable, bread, or meat. In one street, called " Rag Fair," all the shops were occupied by Jews who sold clothing. The moment one enters this odd-looking vicinage, his attention is arrested by the vociferations of these Israelites, standing in their shop-doors. They beckoned from both sides of the street, to inveigle a passenger inside. To effect this object, so dear to their hearts, all sorts of gestures and maneuvers are brought into play. When the door of any one of them is approached, he is beset and surrounded by a dozen of these shysters, all fully determined to drive a bargain. When any one succeeds in getting a person inside, he is shown articles in great variety ; this, that, and the other, is urged on him : the goods are cheapened again and again. "Here, take this for so much," and it is next to impossible to get out of their clutches without buying something ; and whatever it is, the buyer is done for. On leaving the shop he is sure to be seized hj a dozen more, and happy is he, if he escapes their importunities, and gets into the street again with a whole skin. We often passed through this street, for no other object but to see those unmitigated sharpers display their peculiar cunning, and tricks of trade. One evening about sunset, as I was going on board the ship, I saw about fifty men carrying a cable on their shoulders ; and when a certain bell began to ring, a large number of them left their burdens to others, and for the space of a minute attended to their devotions, crossing themselves, and telling their beads. It was curious to notice how patiently the others stood under their heavy burden, until their fellows returned. The streets were very narrow, but there was here and there an open square. At one of the largest in the city, in one comer, a wax statue of the Virgin was placed, about ten feet from the ground, inclosed in glass, and with the infant Saviour in her arms. All the Portuguese, gentle or simple, were careful to take off their hats when they passed on that side of the street where the image stood. As for me, having no proclivities of that sort, I took care to keep on the other side. One day a funeral procession came along, and having the curiosity to examine it, I stepped into a shoe- maker's shop. Suddenly I found a fellow fumbling about my head with a long pole, with which he nearly uncapt me, and would have succeeded if I had not held it on, might and main. This caused the fellow to be more resolute, and I got some pretty hard thumps on my head. The man of the shop then gave me the hint to take off my hat, which I was not slow to do, when I knew the cause of his holv rage. I afterward ascertained OF AMERICANS. 297 that it gave them great offense to remain covered in the presence of their sacred images, i^ictures, and wliat not. We live and learn, thought I. On another occasion I noticed a large collection of peoi^lo near a market- square. Drawing near, I observed a corpse on a bier, and a bald-headed friar standing at the head, in a tone of mock-solemnity, repeating over and over again a long sentence in some unknown tongue. On the stomach of the corpse, which was a female, was a large earthen basin. The bosom was bare, and just above the left breast, a deep wound had been inflicted with a large dagger. The priest and the Portuguese spectators looked sad, and a sad sight it was. One and another would drop some change into the basin, which contained about three dollars, which the priest appeared anxious to increase. We were informed that the husband of this woman committed the horrid deed, having suspected his wife's chastity ; for she had been walking in the evening with another man. The husband had followed, and killed her with the dagger he had concealed in his coat- sleeve. The murderer then fled to the church, and put his finger in the key-hole, which act protected him ! The use made of the money is for any intelligent reader to imagine. But it is time to think of returning to my native land. We took part of a cargo at Lisbon, and sailed to St. Ubes for the remainder, and were con- veyed off the coast with a number of other vessels, by a Portuguese frigate. On our passage homeward we had tempestuous weather. It was November. We Avere several times driven back by fierce winds ; our sails were split, and we were out of fuel and provisions. Our caboose was carried over- board, whence we were in great danger of following. My boxes of chocolate and some other merchandise, which I took as an adventure at Lisbon, I could not sell to advantage, and so I had to keep it for a home market. This bad luck, however, saved us from absolute starvation, having become reduced to a quarter allowance ; and we had a pint of chocolate twice a day, in consequence of my untoward luck in not being able to sell it ! In bad weather we had to pump all the time, as the ship was heavily laden. Once she leaked so much that we despaired of freeing her, and soon expected to find ocean graves ; but the same good, and gracious, and ever-watchful Providence, whose mercies had followed me all my days, in all my wvanderings, and ingratitude, and forgetfulness of Him, had better things in store for me, and designed me for some useful purposes then to me unknown. We reached the desired haven of Portsmouth, my native home, in safety, to the great joy of my surviving friends. My uncle Weymouth soon paid me a visit. He had not been at sea since his deliverance from the Old Jersey, To me it seemed a merciful Providence that I had been induced by the earnest entreaties of my uncle to abandon all thought of any future voyage, and settle down with him in the country on a farm, in New Hanf^shire, ' The preceding narrative is not without a wholesome moral, while it affords many vivid pictures of an age of heroic suflering, in the cause of 298 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Liberty. We may well wonder at our hero's strong propensity for sea- roving. While nearly all his early associates passed away " like the swift ships" on a tempestuous sea, he was spared to more useful ends. His tale of hardship and almost incredible suffering, is left not so much for imita- tion, as instruction and admonition. Not till he became weary in his long and vain chase of phantoms, did he give them up. His experience was of much value in after life, when he became a successful minister of the gospel. He died in 1831, at the age of seventy. NARRATIVE OF THE CHUISE OF THE ESSEX A UNITED STATES FRIGATE, UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN DAVID I'ORTKR, MADE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, IN THE YEARS 1812. i8l3, AND 1814, THE PERIOD OF THE LAST WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. The three years' cruise of the United States Frigate Essex to the Pacific Ocean, in the last war with Great Britain, was one of the most remarkable enterprises in the history of the naval marine of this or any other nation. She was the first American man-of-war that ever weathered the storms of the Cape of Good Hope, the first that ever unfurled the star-spangled banner over the blue waters of the Pacific. The journal of this cruise, by Captain Porter, the bold and skillful com- mander of the Essex, was published in two volumes in the year 1815, and is replete with novel and fascinating adventures. From it this narrative is mainly derived. The Essex was a ship of considerable note in our navy. She was a small frigate of thirty-two guns, and was built in the year 1799. She was em- ployed in the war with Tripoli ; and in that with Great Britain, had the first successful combat with the enerny. This event occurred in the sum- mer of 1812, when, after an engagement of eight minutes, off our Atlantic coast, his majesty's ship Alert struck her flag to the Essex, then under the com'mand of Captain Porter. It is true that she was far inferior to the American ; but so exaggerated had become the opinion of the British prow- ess, that impossibilities were sometimes looked for, and hence the feebleness of her resistance excited surprise. In the succeeding autumn, the Essex, Constitution, and Hornet were assigned to the command of Commodore Bainbridge. The last two were lying in the port of Boston, and the Essex in the Delaware. On the 26th of October, the last two got to sea; orders having been sent previously to Captain Porter, to rendezvous at Port Praya, in the island of St. Jago ; and secondly at Fernando Noronha. Other places were also pointed out to him, until a time mentioned, when, if he failed to fall in with the other vessels, he was at liberty to follow his own discretion. As he did fail in his attempts, his independent action resulted in the memorable cruise which we here outline. In obedience to instructions. Captain Porter left the capes of Delaware on the 28th of October, 1812. lie had a very full crew, 319 officers and men, (299) 300 ADVENTURES AND ACUIEVEMENTS and from the muster roll before us, it seems that they must nearly all have been natives of the United States, as is indicated by the names. Another fact is worthy of mentioning in this connection, as showing a custom of that dav : out of the whole number, two hundred and eighty-eight had not any middle names, and of the thirty-one who had, eighteen were officers. The vessel was well sui^plied with stores, and put in the best possible state for service, A double supply of clothing was provided, and fruit, vegetables, and lime juice, as anti-scorbutics. "We left the capes of the Delaware," says Porter, "with the wind from the northward, which gradually hauled around to the westward, blowing fresh, with thick ■weather, and it was with difficulty we were enabled to weather the dangerous shoals of Chincoteague. On the morning of the 29th, the wind hauled around to the westward, and increased to a ^ale. Got the ship under snug sail, and secured our masts by setting up the rigging, which, being new, had stretched considerably. The ship being very deep, we found her unusually laborsome and uncomfortable : her straining, occasioned by her deep rolling, opened her water-ways, and kept the berth-deck full of water, damaged a great deal of our provisions stowed on it, and wet all the bedding and clothes of the crew; found also the coal-hole full of water; found a leak somewhere between the cutwater and stem, but in other respects found the ship tight ; for, after scuttling the birth-deck and bulk- head of the coal-hole, found we could easily keep her free by pumping a few minutes every two hours. Previous to leaving the river, the crew had been put on allowance of half a gallon of water each man per day ; and being desirous of making our provisions hold out as long as possible, having views, at the same time, with regard to the health of the crew, I caused the allowance of the bread to be reduced' one half, and issued in lieu of the remainder half a pound of potatoes, or the same quantity of apples. Every other article of provisions was reduced one third, excepting rum, of which the full allowance was served out raw to the cook of each mess (the crew being divided into messes of eight, and a cook being allowed to each), who were accountable for the faithful distribution of it. For the undrawn provisions the purser's steward was directed to issue due-bills, with assurances on my part that they should be paid the amount on our arrival in port. Orders were given to lose no opportunity of catching rain-water for the stock, of which we had a large quantity on board, every mess in the ship being supplied with pigs and poultry. The allowance of candles was reduced one half, and economy established respecting the consumption of wood and the expenditure of the ship's stores. Habits of cleanliness and care with respect to clothing were strongly recommended to the officers and crew. I now gave a general pardon for all offenses committed on board ; recommended the strictest attention to the discipline of the ship ; held out prospects of reward to those who should be vigilant in the performance of their duty ; and gave assur- ances that the first man I should feel myself under the necessity of punish- ing should receive three dozen lashes, expressing, however, a hope that punishment during the cruise would be altogether unnecessary. I directed, as a standing regulation, that the ship should be fumigated in every part each morning, by pouring vinegar on a red-hot shot, and confided to Lieuten- OF AMERICANS. 301 ant Fincli the superintendance of the berth-deck, in order to preserve it in a cleanly and wholesome state. Lime being provided in tight casks, for the purpose of white- washing, and sand for dry-rubbing it, and orders given not to wet it if there should be a possibility of avoiding it, a comfortable place was fitted up for the accommodation of the sick on the berth-deck ; cleats were put up for the slinging as many hammocks as j^ossible on the gun- deck ; and orders given that no wet clothes or wet provisions should be permitted to remain on the berth-deck, or that the crew should be per- mitted to eat anywhere but on the gun-deck, except in bad weather. Having established the above and other regulations, as regarded the health and comfort of the crew, I exhorted the officers to keep them occupied con- stantly during working hours, in some useful employment, and directed that between the hours of four and six o'clock in the afternoon, should be allowed to them for amusement, when the duties of the ship would admit. Prior to the pilot's leaving us, I caused him to deliver into my possession all letters which might have been given him by the crew, apprehensive that, from some accidental cause, they might have become possessed of a knowledge of our destination ; they all however contained only conjectures, except one, the writer of which asserted, as he stated from good authority, that we were bound on the coast of Africa : as some of their conjectures were not far from being correct, I thought it best to destroy the whole of them, and forbid the pilot's taking any more without my consent. To the officers who were desirous of writing to their friends, I enjoined particularly not to mention the movements of the ship in any way." On the 23d of November, the Essex crossed the equator. The ceremony of crossing the line was duly performed. " We were honored," says Porter, " by a visit from the gods of the ocean, accompanied by Amphitrite and a numerous retinue of imps, barbers, etc., in his usual style of visiting, and in the course of the afternoon all the novices of the ship's company were in- itiated into his mysteries. Neptune, however, and most of his suite, paid their devotions so frequently to Bacchus, that before the ceremony of christening was half gone through, their godships were unable to stand ; the business was therefore intrusted to the subordinate agents, who per- formed both the shaving and washing with as little regard to tenderness as his majesty would have done. On the whole, however, they got through the business with less disorder and more good humor than I expected ; and although some were most unmercifully scraped, the only satisfaction sought was that of shaving others in their turn with new invented tortures." On the 27th, the Essex entered the harbor of Port Praya, in the Portu- guese island of St. Jago. The town contained about three thousand in- habitants, of whom not over thirty were whites, the rest being negroes, slave and free. The soldiers numbered some 400 men ; the officers were principally mulatoes, and their priest was an oily mannered gentleman of the negro race. The soldiers were generally naked from the waist upward, and in the whole place there were not five serviceable muskets. Most all of them were without any locks, their stocks broken off at the breech, their barrels tied into the stocks with a leather thong, or a cord made of the fibers of the cocoa-nut ; and it was no uncommon thing to see a naked negro mounting guard, shouldering a musket barrel only. Their cavalry were in 302 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS a corresponding style, mounted on jackasses, and armed with broken swords. The Essex remained several days getting on board refreshments and water. It is supposed that there had been collected on board not less than one hundred thousand oranges, together with a large quantity of cocoa-nuts, plantains, lemons, limes, casada, etc. Every mess on board were also sup- plied with pigs, sheep, fowls, turkeys, goats, etc., which were purchased very cheap; fowls at three dollars per dozen, and fine turkeys at one dollar each; many of the seamen also furnished themselves with monkeys and and young goats as pets, and when they sailed from thence, the ship bore no slight resemblance, as respected the different kind on board her, to Noah's ark. On leaving the port they shaped their course to the southeast, with a view of deceiving the people of Praya, and impressing a belief that they were bound to the coast of Africa ; when however they had got out of sight of the town, the ship's course was altered to a southwesterly direction. "My chief care," says Porter, "was now the health of my people, and every means that could suggest themselves to my mind to effect this great object were adopted. The utmost cleanliness was required from every, person on board, directions were given for mustering the crew every morning at their quarters, where they were strictly examined by their officers. It was recommended to them to bathe at least once a day, and the officers were requested to show them the example in so doing themselves ; they were required, also, to use every means in their power to provide constant employment for the men under their control during working hours, and amusement for them during the hours of recreation, and to be particularly careful not to harass them by disturbing them unnecessarily during their watch below, and also to guard against any improper or unnecessary ex- posure to the weather ; economy was recommended to the crew in the use of their supply of fruit, and permission was given to suspend it in the rigging and other airy parts of the ship, in nets made for the purpose, with a promise of the severest punishment to such as should be detected in steal- ing from others : with those precautions to procure exercise and cleanliness, with proper ventilations and fumigations, a young, active, healthj-, and con- tented crew, a ship in good order for the service we were engaged in, well found with the best provisions, and the purest water, perfectly free from all bad taste and smell, I do not conceive why we should be in greater apprehen- sion of disease originating on board now, than on the coast of North America. The clouds which overhung the atmosphere during the day, and nearly obscured the sun, served greatly to ameliorate the effects of its rays ; a pleasant and steady breeze from the east contributed greatly to refresh the air ; and sailing could not be more pleasant than was our passage toward the line. The landsmen on board were delighted with it, and the seamen felicitated themselves that it was not always the case at sea, 'or all the old women in the country — as they expressed themselves — would have been sailors.' " On the 12th of December the Essex took her first prize. This was the British government packet Nocton, mounting ten guns, M'ith a crew of thirty-one men. On board was found fifty-five thousand dollars in specie. OF AMERICANS. 3O3 Taking this out of her, Porter put a crew of seventeen men on board, under Lieutenant Finch, and dispatched her for the United States ; but she was re-captured on the route. Two days after they made the island of Fernando de Noronha, where Captain Porter obtained a letter from Commodore Bainbridge, who had touched there, informing him that he would find the other vessels off Cape Frio, near the City of Rio Janeiro. Fernando de Noronha was found to be well fortified, and its population consisted of a few miserable, naked Portuguese exiles, and as miserable a guard. No females were permitted to be on the island, as if to render this place of exile more horrible. Ten days later the Essex was off Cape Frio, on the Brazil coast ; but no signs were seen of the Constitution or Hornet. Three days afterward, in fact, the Constitution gained her victory over the Java, off St. Salvador, some nine hundred miles north of Cape Frio. On the morning of the 29th, the Essex made another prize — it was the Eliza- beth, an English merchant-vessel. Captain Porter, alter some farther cruis- ing on this coast, decided to run into the island of St. Catherines for water. They came to anchor on the 20th of January, 1813. This island is near the South American coast, some five hundred miles southerly from Rio Janeiro, and belongs to Portugal. "When the ship was anchored, I went on shore to fix on the watering place. We, in two days and a half, com- pleted watering our ship. The officers and men, in the meantime, pro- vided themselves with hogs, fowls, plantains, yam.s, and onions, in consider- able quantities, from the boats alongside ; but their anxiety to procure them, caused the Portuguese to take advantage of their necessities, and ask the most extravagant prices for everything, which some of our people had the folly to give, as if their stock of money was inexhaustible. This made my interference necessary, as those who were not disposed to squander their money were likely to go without refreshments. I first began by punishing a man for paying a dollar for a dozen of rotten eggs ; and next would not permit the boats to sell, after they had come alongside, until the price of every article was established as follows : three fowls one dollar ; nine water- melons for the same sum ; one dollar for a turkey ; and everything else in the same ratio. After thi.s, I kept persons to observe and report to me such as paid improper prices; and by these means brought the market down to tolerably fair rates. On the 2lst, I dispatched Lieutenant Wilmer to th-e town of St. Catherines, in one of the ship's boats, accompanied by Lieutenant Gamble, Mr. Shaw, purser, Doctor Hoffman, and Midshiimian Feltus. I directed Lieutenant Wilmer to wait on the governor, Don Luis Mauricio da Silvia, with my respects, and to thank him for the civilities I had met with, and gave him orders to return if possible the same day. I gave orders to Mr. Shaw to endeavor to procure a supply of beef, fiour, bread, and rum ; to remain in town until it was read}', hire a vessel, and bring it down. The weather was squally, with heavy rains, when they started, as indeed was the case the whole time we lay here. I felt uneasy that the boat did not return in the evening, but hoped, as- the weather had grown much worse, that they had determined on remaining that night ; however, at two o'clock in the morn- ing, Lieutenants Wilmer and Gamble came into my cabin almost naked, 304 ADVEXTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and shivering with the wet and cold, and informed me that the boat had been upset in a squall ; but that all hands had saved themselves, after hav- ing been four hours on her bottom. They fortunately were to windward of an island standing in the middle of the bay, where they drifted on shore and righted the boat. They lost all their clothes, as well as everything they had purchased in town, to the amount of six or seven hundred dollars, but were so fortunate as to find next day, among the rocks of the island, every article that would float. Lieutenant Wilmcr informed me, that there would be great difficulties in procuring the articles required. Next morning, Mr. Shaw came down with five puncheons of rum, fresh beef for two days, a quantity of onions, and a few bags of flour, which were all that could be procured. The beef was spoiled before it came on board, and we were obliged to throw it overboard ; and shortly afterward, an enormous shark, at least twenty-five feet in length, ros-e alongside, with a quarter of a bullock in his mouth. It would be impossible to describe the horror that this voracious animal excited. Several of our seamen, and most of the officers, had been swimming alongside the evening previous. A man would scarcely have been a mouthful for him. When he first made his appearance, every one was impressed with a belief that it Avas a young whale. During our stay here, we were constantly attended by an officer from the fort, who was indefatigable in his attentions toward" us. His name was Sabine, and his rank was that of sergeant-major. I waited on the com- mander of the fort the day after I anchored. He was a very old man ; his name was Don Alexander Jose de Azedido. He received me with great civility, and, as has been generally the case with the Portuguese, expressed great desire that our cruise might be successful. The fort has been erected about seventy years ; there are mounted on it fifteen or twenty honey- combed guns of different calibers. Vegetation has been so rapid, that the walls of the fortress are nearly hid by the trees that have shot up in every part. The gun-carriages are in a very rotten state, and the garrison consists of about twenty half-naked soldiers. There is a church within the fortress ; and, as a substitute for a bell, is suspended at the door, part of a broken crow-bar ; and at the entrance of the commandant's apartments is the stocks (for the punishment of the soldiers), which, from their greasy, polished ap- pearance, I have reason to believe are kept in constant use. On the 25th df January, 1813, I got under weigh and proceeded to sea. We were clear of all the islands about four o'clock on the morning of the 26th. It was then necessary to decide promptly on my future proceedings, as our provisions were getting short; I called on the purser for a report of them, and found that we had but three months' bre;.d at half allowance ; there was no port on this coast where we could procure a supply, without the certainty of capture, or blockade (which I considered as bad); to attempt to return to the United States, at a season of the year when our coast would be swarming with the enemy's cruisers, would be running too much risk, and would be going diametrically opposite to my instructions. I was per- fectly at a loss now where to find the commodore, as he had departed from his original intentions, and had already disappointed me at three rendezvous ; the state of my provisions would not admit of going off St. Helena's to inter- OF AMERICANS. 305 cept the returning ludiamen, nor would my force justify the proceeding ; to remain, however, longer here, where I could get no supplies, would be a folly, and it became absolutely necessary- to depart from the letter of my in- structions ; I therefore determined to pursue that course which seemed to me best calculated to injure the enemy, and would enable mc to prolong my cruise : this could only be done by going into a friendly port, where I could increase my supplies without the danger of blockade, and the first place that presented itself to my mind, was the port of Conception, on the coast of Chili. The season, to be sure, was far advanced for doubling Cape Horn ; our stock of provisions was short, and the ship in other respects not well sup- plied with stores for so long a cruise ; but there appeared no other choice left for me, except capture, starvation, or blockade ; this course, of all others, appeared to me also the most justifiable, as it accorded with the views of the honorable secretary of the navy, as well as those of my immediate com- mander. Before the declaration of war, I wrote a letter to the former, con- taining a plan for annoying the enemy's commerce in the Pacific Ocean, which was approved of by him ; and prior to my sailing, Commodore Bain- bridge requested my opinion, as to the best mode of annoying the enemy. I laid before him the same plan, and received his answer approving of the same, and signifying his intentions to pursue it, provided we could get sup- plies of provisions. I calculated that it would not take me more than two months and a half to get round to Conception, where I was confident of procuring an abundant supply of jerked beef, fish, flour, and wine. I calculated, that the prizes •we should make in the Pacific, would supply us with such articles of naval stores as we should require ; and although there was considerable responsi- bility attached to the proceeding, and the undertaking was greater than had yet been engaged in by any single ship on similar pursuits, time did not admit of delay, and, immediately on getting to sea, I directed my course to the southward. Before I proceed farther, however, it is necessary that I should say some- thing of St. Catharines. This island has been settled by the Portuguese about seventy years : the town which appears to be in rather a thriving state, is situated on that point of the island nearest the continent, and may contain about ten thousand in- habitants ; here the captain-general resides. The houses are generally neatly built, and the country' at the back of the town is in a state of considerable improvement. But nothing can exceed the beauty of the great bay to the north, formed by the island of St. Catharines and the South American Con- tinent : there is every variety to give beauty to the scene ; handsome vil- lages and houses built around, shores which gradually ascend in mountixins, covered to their summit with trees, which remain in constant verdure ; a climate always temperate and healthy ; small islands scattered here and there, equally covered with verdure ; the soil extremely productive ; all combine to render it in appearance, the most delightful country in the world. The people of this place appear to be the most happy of those who live under the Portuguese government, probably because the more they are distant from it, the less they are subject to its impositions and oppressions ; still, how- ever, they complain. There are two regiments of troops at St. Catharines : 306 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS if provisions are wanted for them, an officer goes to the houses of the pea- santry, seizes on their cattle or grain, and gives them a bill on the goy,ern- ment, for which they never receive payment. The peasantry are well clad, comfortable and cheerful in their appearance ; the women are handsome and graceful in their manners ; the men have the character of being ex- tremely jealous of them, and I believe they have sufficient reason to be so. As we proceeded southerly the cold began to be sensibly felt and woollen clothing to be more esteemed than it had been for some time past ; the old jackets and trowsers that had been lying about the ship were carefully col- lected as some suspicions of my doubling Cape Horn had got among the crew. I determined to make the best of my way round Cape Horn, and appre- hensive of some difficulties in going through the Straits of Le Maire, I de- termined to go to the eastward of Staten Land. On the 13th February at noon, I calculated that Cape St. Johns, the eastern port of Staten Land, bore South half West distant thirty five miles ; and although the thickness of the weather prevented our seeing more than a mile ahead, a confidence of being able to see the land in sufficient time to haul-off to clear it, induced me to continue my run ; breakers were dis- covered, bearing E.S.E. and S.E., distant about three-fourths of a mile, and in a few minutes afterward, the land appeared in the same direction ; we consequently hauled on a wind to the eastward, and sounded in forty-five fathoms water. We had now approached so close to the breakers, with the hope of weathering them, that we had not room to wear ; there was a tre- mendous sea running, the ship driving forecastle under; no chance of weathering the land, which could now be seen ahead, bearing E. by N., running out in small lumps, and surrounded with dreadful breakers. Our only hope of safety was in getting the ship in stays ; the mainsail was set with the utmost expedition, and we were so fortunate as to succeed : after getting the ship about, the jib and spanker were set, and the top-gallant- yards sent down ; but, in a few moments, the jib was blown to pieces. My first impression was that wc had been set by the currents to the westward, into the bay formed by the Cape St. Vincent and the coast of Terra del Fuego ; and, as the gale was increasing, and night fast approaching, the thick weather continuing, the wind directly on shore, with a tremendous saa, I saw no prospect of saving the ship, but by carrying a heavy press of sail to keep off the lee shore, until the wind changed. We kept the lead constantly going, and found our soundings verj' regular at forty-five fathoms, rocky and coral bottom. After standing to the W.N.W. about an hour, the water began to grow very smooth, which could only be occasioned by a sudden change of the current; and whales appeared alongside the ship : this gave me hopes of being to the eastward of St. Vincent, and in the Straits of Le Maire ; a sharp look-out was kept for the land, and at half past seven, to our unspeakable joy, the land was discovered ahead, and on both bows, distant about a mile. No doubts now remained, as to our being in the straits ; I therefore directed the helm to be put a-weather, and made all .sail to the southward, keeping the coast of Terra del Fuego close aboard, and as we undoubtedly had the first of the tide, we were swept through with great rapidity, and at nine o'clock we were clear of the straits. OF AMERICANS. 307 The land we first made and attempted to weather, was Cape San Diego, on the coast of Statcn Land : the appearance was dreary beyond descrip- tion ; perhaps, however, the critical situation of the ship, the foaming of the breakers, the violence of the wind, and the extreme haziness of the weather, may (all combined) have served to render the appearance more dreadful ; but from the impression made by its appearance then, and from the description given by others, I am induced to believe, that no part of the world presents a more horrible aspect than Staten Land. The breakers appeared to lie about half a mile from the shore ; while we were standing ofl", the whole sea, from the violence of the current, appeared in a foam of breakers, and nothing but the apprehension of immediate destruction could have induced me to have ventured through it ; but, thanks to the excellent qualities of the ship, we received no material injury, although we were pitching our forecastle under with a heavy press of sail, and the violence of the sea was such, that it was impossible for any man to stand without grasping something to support him- self. Those only can have an idea of our tormenting anxiety and dread, from the time we discovered the breakers, until we made the land of Terra del Fuego, who have, like us, supposed themselves in danger of shipwreck, on a dreary, inhospitable, and iron-bound coast, inhabited only by savages, where there was scarcely a hope, that one of the crew would survive the fury of the storm and waves, or, even if he succeeded in getting on shore alive, only to fall a victim to the merciless inhabitants of this gloomy region ; nor can he conceive the excess of our joy in discovering the land, unless he, in an instant, has been snatched from the danger of destruction which seemed pending over him. Our fears and subsequent joys may, however, be more easily imagined than described. Had we been, us we supposed, to the northward of Cape St. Vincent, it would have required our utmost exertions, under the heaviest press of canvas, to have kept the ship from going on shore ; and the loss of a single spar, or the splitting of a top-sail, would have sealed our destruction. Our making the breakers in the manner we did, proved most fortunate, for had we passed through the straits without discovering the land (which would have been the case, had we been one mile farther north), I should have supposed myself to the east of Staten Land", and after running the distance which I believed necessary to clear Cape St. Johns, I should have steered a course that would have entangled us in the night with the rocks and breakers about Cape Horn ; and had this happened, thick and hazy as the weather continued, our destruction would have been inevitable, as we could not have seen the danger one hundred yards from the shiji, even should we have been apprehensive, and on the look-out for it, which would not have been the case. At nine o'clock we were clear of the Straits of Le Maire, and in that part of the ocean so celebrated and dreaded for the violent gales and tremendous and irregular seas which prevail. On the meridian of the 14th, the horizon was somewhat clear ; the wind moderate, from the westward ; the sun shin- ing out bright; and, with the exception of some dark and lowering clouds to the northward, we had every prospect of pleasant weather. The cape was now in sight, bearing north ; and Diego Ramiries bearing northwest ; and the black clouds before mentioned, served well to give additional horror to their drearv and inhospitable aspect. But so different was the terapera- 20 308 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMEXTS ture of the air, the appearance of the heavens, and the smoothness of the sea, to everything we had expected, and pictured to ourselves, that we could not but smile at our own credulity and folly, in giving credit to (what we supposed) the exaggerated and miraculous accounts of former voyages. But, Avhile we were indulging ourselves in these pleasing speculations, the black clouds, hanging over Cape Horn, burst upon us with a fury we little expected, and reduced us in a few minutes to a reefed fore-sail, and close- reefed main-top-sail, and in a few hours afterward to our storm stay-sails. Nor was the violence of the winds the only danger we had to encounter ; for it produced an irregular and dangerous sea, that threatened to jerk away our masts, at every roll of the ship. With this wind we steered to the southward, with a view of getting an oflBng from the land, in expectation of avoiding, in future, the sudden gusts, and the irregular seas, which we sup- posed were owing to violent currents, and confined to the neighborhood of the coast; but in this expectation we were much disappointed; for, as we re- ceded from the coast, the unpleasantness of the weather, and the freshness of the gale, increased ; and it was in vain that we hoped for that moderate and pleasant weather, which former navigators have generally experienced in the latitude of sixtj^ degrees south, which we reached on the 18th. From the time we lost sight of the land, until this period, the gales blew hard from the northwest, accompanied with heavy rains, cold disagreeable wea- ther, and a dangerous sea. On the 24th, after experiencing a heavy gale from the N.W., I had the extreme satisfaction to find ourselves as far to the westward as eighty de- grees ; and as the wind shifted and blew from the S.W., I had no doubt of beinc able to effect our passage into the Pacific Ocean ; and I took an op- portunity of thanking my crew for their good conduct, during our boisterous and unpleasant passage around the cape ; encouraged them to a continuance of it, by holding out prospects of indulgence to those who should so dis- tinguish themselves ; and, as some thefts had been committed, for which the perpetrators were then under the punishment of wearing a yoke, I gave a general pardon, on condition that the first offender brought to the gang- way should receive three dozen lashes. It was with no little joy, we now saw ourselves fairh^ in the Pacific Ocean, and calculating on a speedy end to all our sufferings ; every hour seemed to brighten our prospects and give us fresh spirits ; and on the last of February, being in the latitude of fifty degrees south, the wind became moderate and shifted to the northward, the sea smooth, and every prospect of mild and pleasant weather. I consequently determined to replace the guns, and get the spars on the spar-deck ; but before we had effected this, the wind had freshened up to a gale, and by noon had reduced us to our storm stay-sail and close-reefed main-top-sail ; it, in the afternoon, hauled around to the Avestward, and blew with a fury far exceeding anything we had yet experi- enced, bringing with it such a tremendous sea, as to threaten us every mo- ment with destruction, and appalled the stoutest heart on board. To attempt to convey an idea of the fury of this gale by description, would be fruitless ; let it suffice to say, that it was rarely equaled, and I am sure never was ex- ceeded. From the excessive violence with which the wind blew, we had strong hopes that it would be of short continuance; until, worn out with OF AMERICANS. 309 fatigue and anxiety, greatly alarmed with the terrors of a lee-shore and in momentary expectation of the loss of our masts and bowsprit, we almost considered our situation hopeless ; and to add to our distress, our pumps had become choakcd by the shingle ballast, which, from the violent rolling of the ship, had got into them ; the ship made a great deal of water, and the sea had increased to such a height, as to threaten to swallow us at every in- stant; the whole ocean was one continued foam of breakers, and the heaviest squall that I ever before experienced, had not equaled in violence the most moderate intervals of this tremendous hurricane. The whole of the 1st and 2d of March, we anxiously hoped for a change, but in vain ; our fatigues had been constant and excessive ; many had been severely bruised, by being thrown, by the violent jerks of the shiji, down the hatchways, and I was particularly unfortunate, in receiving three severe falls, which at length disabled me from going on deck ; the oldest seaman in the ship had never experienced anything to equal the gale. We had done all in our power to save the ship (except throwing her guns overboard) which I reserved for the last extremity), and now patientl}- waited for the tempest to lull. It had already blown three days without abating ; the ship had resisted its violence to the astonishment of all, without having re- ceived any considerable injurj- ; and we began to hope, from her buoyancy, and other good qualities, we should bo enabled to weather the gale. We had shipped several heavy seas, that would have proved destructive to almost any other ship ; but, to us, they were attended with no other incon- veniences, than the momentary alarm they excited, and that arising from the immense quantity of water, which forced its way into every jjart of the ship, and kept everything afloat between decks. However, about three o'clock of the morning of the 3d, the watch only being on deck, an enor- mous sea broke over the ship, and for an instant destroyed every hope. Our gun-deck ports were burst in ; both boats on the quarters stove ; our spare spars washed from the chains ; our head-rails washed away, and hammock stanchions burst in ; and the ship perfectly deluged and water logged, imme- diately after this tremendous shock, which threw the crew into conster- nation. The gale began to abate, and in the morning we were enabled to set our reefed fore-sail. In the height of the gale, Lewis Price, a marine, who had long been confined with a pulmonary complaint, departed this life, and was this morning committed to the deep ; but the violence of the sea was such, that the crew could not be permitted to come on deck, to attend the ceremony of his burial, as their weight would have strained and endan- gered the safety of the ship. When this last sea broke on board us, one of the prisoners, the boatswain of the Nocton, through excess of alarm, exclaimed, that the ship's broadside was stove in, and that she was sinking ; this alarm was greatly calculated to increase the fears of those below, who, from the immense torrent of water that was rushing down the hatchways, had reason to believe the truth of his assertion ; many who were washed from the spar to the gun-deck, and from their hammocks, and did not know the extent of the injury, were also greatly alarmed ; but the men at the wheel, and some others, who were enabled by a good grasp to keep their stations, distinguished themselves by their cool- ness and activity after the shock ; and I took this opportunity of advancing 310 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS them one grade, by filling up the vacancies occasioned by those sent in prizes, and those who were left at St. Catharines ; rebuking, at the same time, the others for their timidity. On the 5th of the month, having passed the parallel of Chili, our suffer- ings appeared at an end, for we enjoyed pleasant and temperate weather, with fine breezes from the southward ; and we had a distant view of part of the Andes, which appeared covered with snow." They were all in high spirits and in momentary expectation of falling in Avith some of the enemy's ships. On the 6th she anchored at Mocha a small uninhabited land off the coast of Chili, where some wild horses were shot for fresh meat. " I now considered myself in a good position to meet vessels plying between Conception and Valparaiso ; and as the health of the crew, and state of my provisions, or the distresses of the ship, did not yet render my going into port absolutely necessary, I determined to keep the sea awhile longer, in hopes of meeting some of the enemy's ships, and thereby obtain such sup- plies as would render it entirely unnecessary to make ourselves known on the coast, until we were about quitting it. From the 8th until the llth^ the weather continued foggy, and the winds light and baflSing from the northward, which prevented us from making any headway, and during their continuation deprived us of all hope of discovering vessels. Nothing could now exceed our impatience. On the latter j^art of the 12th, light airs sprang up from the S.W., and the weather began to clear off slowly, and every eye was engaged in searching for a sail, as the fog moved to leeward. Nothing^ however, was to be seen but a wide expanse of ocean, bounded on the east by the dreary, barren, and iron-bound coast of Chili, at the back of which the eternally snow-capt mountains of the Andes reared their lofty heads, and altogether presented to us a scene of gloomy solitude, far exceeding anything I ever before experienced." The wind freshening up enabled the Essex to make sail to the northward for Valparaiso. They were disappointed in the appearance of the coast which had a wild desolate aspect, with no signs of inhabitants. It was skirted with a black gloomy rock against the perjiendicular sides of which the sea beat with fury. On the 13th the Essex rounded the point of Angels, when in an instant the whole town of Valparaiso, shipping with their colors flying, and the forts burst out as it were from behind the rocks. " The scene presented to us," says Porter, "was as animated and cheerful as it was sudden and unexpected ; and had I not hoisted English colors, I should have been tempted to run in and anchor. A moment's reflection induced me to believe, that, under existing circumstances, it would not be advisable to do so, as several large Spanish ships, with their sails bent, and in readiness for sea, were lying in the port ; and as those vessels were, beyond doubt, bound to the northward, and in all probability to Lima, I concluded on keeping the sea a few days longer, to give them time to get out, in order that intelligence might not be given by them of an American frigate being in this part of the world." The ship's head consequently was turned to the northward and she ran the town out of sight in an hour or so. Two days after she returned, went in and anchored. To the astonishment of Captain Porter, he now ascertained OF AMERICANS. 311 that Chili had declared herself independent of Spain. He also learned that the Viceroy of Peru, had sent out cruisers against American shipping, and that his appearance in the Pacific was of the greatest importance to the American trade, which lay at the mercy of the English letters of marque, and of these Peruvian corsairs. This was cheering intelligence after the fatigues and disappointments of so many months. Capt. Porter waited upon the governor, Don Francisco Lastre, who welcomed him in the most friendly reception, and returned his visit with a numerous suite of officers. Many of these had never before seen a frigate, it being the first that since their recollection had entered their port. They were much pleased and aston- ished that "Anglo-Americans" could build, equip and manage ships of so large a size. Agreeably to invitation, the officers of the Essex attended a party given by the governor, " where we found," says Porter, " a much larger and more brilliant assemblage of ladies, than we could have expected in Valparaiso. "VVe found much fancj' and considerable taste displayed in their dress, and many of them, with the exception of teeth, very handsome, both in person and in face ; their complexion remarkably fine, and their manners modest and attracting. This was our first impression on entering a room, containing perhaps two hundred ladies, to whom we were perfect strangers. Minuets were introduced ; country dances followed; and the ladies had the com- plaisance and patience to attempt with my officers, what they had never before seen in the country, a cotillion. The intricacies of their country dance were too great for us to attempt ; they were greatly delighted in by those who knew them, and admitted a display of much grace. With their grace, their beauty of person and complexion, and with their modesty, we were delighted, and could almost fancy we had gotten amongst our own fair country-women ; but in one moment the illusion vanished. The hallas de tierra, as they are all called, commenced : they consisted of the most graceless, and at the same time fatiguing movements of the body and limbs, accompanied by the most indelicate and lascivious motions, gradually in- creasing in cnergj' and violence, until the fair one, apparently overcome with passion, and evidently exhausted with fatigue, was compelled to retire to her seat ; her rosy cheeks and fair complexion disappeared in the large drops of sweet which ran trickling down her neck and breast, and were suc- ceeded by the sallow tinge which nature had bountifully bestowed. They daub themselves most lavishly with paint ; but their features are agreeable, and their large dark eyes are remarkably brilliant and expressive ; and were it not for their bad teeth, occasioned by the too liberal use of the matti, would, notwithstanding the Chilian tinge, be thought handsome, particularly by those who had been so long as we out of the way of seeing many women. The matti is a decoction of the herb of Paraguay, sweetened with sugar, and sucked hot through a long silver tube ; to the use of this beverage the Chilians are perfect slaves. The taste is agreeable, but it occasions terrible havoc among the teeth. We returned on board our ship, pleased with the novelties of a Chilian ball, and much gratified by the solicitude shown by every one to make our stay among them agreeable. The customs of the inhabitants of this place difTerso materially from our 312 ADVENTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS own (and perhaps from those of every other people), that I cannot help noticing a few particulars that struck me as the most singular. At all their entertainments, the principal guest is placed at the head of the table, the host on one side of him, and the hostess on the other ; and their principal business appears to be to cram him with a part of everything before him. This duty they are apt to perform most effectuallj', if he happens, like me, to be a stranger, and not aware of the variety of changes that are to be brought on, each one more and more inviting in their appearance and taste. There is another practice at their balls or evening parties, which at first gave me some embarrassment. A very large silver dish, filled with sweet jelly, was presented to me by a servant, as well as a silver plate and fork ; believing that the whole dish could not be intended for me, I attempted to take the plate ; this the servant objected to ; I then attempted to take the dish, but to this she also objected ; I felt, however, certain that it was in- tended for me to eat in some way or other, and was determined to do it in that way which appeared the most natural and convenient ; I therefore took from her the plate and fork, and helped myself to as much as I thought I should want. The eyes of all tlie company, however, were on me, and I perceived that I had made some mistake, which I was soon convinced of, for the servant brought another plate with a fork, which was handed with the sweetmeats around to the company, and each one made use of the same fork to take a mouthful, holding their heads carefully over the dish in order that nothing might fall from their mouths to the floor ; the fork was then laid on the plate, and passed to the next. The matti is taken with as little regard to the delicacy or cleanliness. When the cup containing it is brought in, one of the company blows into it, through the silver tube, until a high froth is produced ; it is then considered properly prepared. The same matti and tube is then passed around the room, and each one takes in turn a suck of it, with much apparent relish and delight ; but, considering the rotten teeth and unsavoury breaths of the Chilians, there could not be a dose of- fered more repulsive to a delicate stomach, than this same frothy matti, served up in their style. It is also a practice for one glass of water, one spoon, or one cigar, to be served to the whole company, and one would almost be led to believe that they had a particular relish for the taste of each other's dirty mouths. A Chilian lady would be ashamed to be seen walking arm and arm with a gentleman ; and their refinement is so great, that it is thought indelicate even to accept his hand in any way, except in dancing, when, to be sure, everything like delicacy is laid aside. They are, however, extremely hospitable and attentive to strangers ; and if they have their peculiar customs, which seem strange to us, we no doubt have our own, equally deserving their animadvei-sion." " For more than a week the Essex was employed in victualing, and during this time an American whaler came in from the islands. According to the accounts of the master of this vessel, the American whalers, which had left home during a time of peace, lay entirely at the mercy of those of the enemy, several of which had sailed as regular letters of marque, and all of which were more or less armed. Many of the American vessels, as they often kept the sea six months at a time, were probably slill ignorant of the war; and it was known that one of them, at least, had already fallen into OF AMERICANS. 313 tlie hands of the English, As soon us imperfectly victualed, the ship went to sea, to profit by this intelligence. On the 25th, the Esses fell in with the American whale ship, Charles, and learned that two other vessels, the Walker and Barclay, had been captured, a few days previously, off Coquimbo, by a Peruvian, with an English ship in company. Sail was made, in consequence, in the direction of Coquimbo, and, a few hours later, a stranger was seen to the northward. This vessel was soon ascertained to be a cruising ship, disguised as a whaler. She showed Spanish colors, when the Essex set an English ensign, fired a gun to leeward, and the Charles which remained in company, hoisted the Ameri- can flag, beneath an English jack. The Spaniard now ran down, and, when about a mile distant, he fired a shot ahead of the Essex, which that ship answered by throwing a few shot over him, to bring him nearer. When close enough, the Spanish ship sent an armed boat to board the Essex, and it was directed to go back, with an order for the cruiser to run under the frigate's lee, and to send an ofiicer to apologize for the shots he had fired at an English man-of-war. This command was complied with, and the ship was ascertained to the Peruvian privateer Nereyda, amied with fifteen guns, and with a full crew. The lieutenant, who now came on board, believing that he was on board of an English man-of-war informed Captain Porter that they were cruising for Americans; that they had already taken the Walker and Barclay ; that the English letter of marque Nimrod had driven their prize-crew from on board the Walker ; that they were then cruising expressly to look for the Nimrod, with the intention of obtaining redress ; and that they had mistaken the Essex for the latter ship. It would seem that the Peruvians cruised against the Americans, under the impression that Spain, then so dependent on England for her existence, would declare war speedily against the United States, in consequence of the war declared by the latter against the King of Great Britain, which might legalize their captures. An interview with the master of the Walker satisfied Captain Porter that the captured ship.s had been illegally seized ; and hoisting American colors, he fi.rcd two shots over the Nereyda, when that vessel struck. Her crew were all -sent on board the Essex, and the three ships stood, in-shore to look into Coquimbo, in the hope of finding the Nimrod and the prizes, but without success. The next morning the entire armament of the Nereyda, with all her ammunition, shot, small arms, and light sails, were thrown overboard, and she was otherwise put in a condition to do no harm, when she was re- leased. It is worthy of remark, that the guns of this vessel were of iron, while her shot of all descriptions were of copper; the abundance of the latter in that part of the world, rendering it cheaper than the metal usually employed for such purposes. From the master and crew of the Barclay, Captain Porter obtained a list of such of the whaling vessels as they knew to be in the Pacific. It con- tained the names of twenty-three Americans, and of ten English ships. The former was probably the most correct, as his informants added that quite twenty Englishmen were thought to be in that sea. The latter were, in general, fine vessels of near four hundred tuns burden, and, as has been said already, they were all more or less armed. 314: ADVENTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Captain Porter had now a double object ; to protect his countrymen and to capture the enemy. The latter were known to resort to the Gallipagos Islands, but he hesitated about striking a blow in that quarter, until he could be assured that the Standard sixty-four, had left Lima for England ; and, as he thought the prizes of the Nimrod and Nereyda would endeavor to go into that port, he determined to make the best of his way thither, in order to cut them off, as well as to reconnoiter. In the meanwhile Captain Porter disguised his ship, which was done in such a manner as to conceal her real force and exhibiting in its stead the appearauce of painted guns, etc., also by giving her the appearance of having a poop and otherwise so altering her, as to make her seem to be a Spanish merchant vessel. "On the 28th of April, the ship was up with the island of San Gallan, when she hauled off to the northward and westward, with a view to cross the track of inward-bound vessels. The next day, three sail were made, standing for Callao. Everything was set to cut the strangers off, particularly the one nearest in, who had the appearance of the Barclay. The chase, however, would have escaped, had she not been becalmed when she doubled the point of San Lorenzo. At this moment the frigate was near a league distant, but, fortunately, she kept the breeze until she had got within a hundred yards of the enemy, when she lowered her boats, and took posses- sion. The prize proved to be the Barclaj', as had been expected. There was now a good opportunity of looking into the harbor, and finding that nothing had arrived from Valparaiso to disclose his presence in the Pacific, Captain Porter showed English colors, while the Barclay hoisted the Ameri- can under the enemy's ensign. In this manner both vessels went into the ofiBng, where the Barclay was given up to her proper oflScers, though most of her crew having entered in the Essex, and declining to rejoin the ship, her master preferred keeping in company with the frigate, offering to act as a pilot in searching for the enemy. With this understanding, the two ves- sels stretched off" the coast, to the northward and westward. From the end of March until the middle of April, the Essex, with the Barclay in company, was standing across from the main toward the islands, and on the 17th, she made Chatham Island ; but no ship was found there. From this place the frigate went to Charles' Island, where she had the same want of suc- cess. Both of these islands belong to the Galapagos group. Lieutenant Downes went ashore at Charles' Island and returned with several papers taken from a box which he found nailed to a post, over which was a black sign on which was painted Uathawau's post-office. Thej' contained the information already received of the practice of whaling vessels touching there and cruis- ing among the other islands for whales. From these papers information was obtained that in the June previous, six English whale ships had put in there on their way to the island of Albermarlc, where they generally cruised for a year at a time. There were also letters from the commanders of three American whalers, showing that they had touched in there. Lieutenant Downes found near the post-office on this island several articles for such persons as might be left there in distress, and, besides a suit of clothes, tinder-box, and a barrel of bread, was left a cask of water. " This island is OP AMERICANS. 3I5 mountainous (as are the whole group), and is covered with trees from fifteen to twenty feet in length, scattered with considerable regularity, as to distance and appearance, on the sides of the hills, which all have evident marks of volcanic origin ; but what seems remarkable is, that every tree on the island at least all that could be approached by the boat's crew on shore, and such as we could perceive by means of our perspectives, were dead and withered. These islands are all evidently of volcanic production ; every mountain and hill is the crater of an extinguished volcano ; and thousands of smaller fis- sures, which have burst from their sides, give them the most dreary, desolate, and inhospitable appearance imaginable. The description of one island will answer for all I have yet seen ; they appear unsuited for the residence of man, or any other animal that cannot, like the tortoise, live without food, or cannot draw its subsistence entirely from the sea. On the east side of the island there is a landing called Pat's Landing ; and this place will probably immortalize an Irishman, named Patrick Watkins, who some years since left an English ship, and took up his abode on this island, built himself a miserable hut, about a mile from the landing called after him, in a valley containing about two acres of ground capable of culti- vation, and perhaps the only spot on the island which aifords suiScient moisture for the purpose. Here he succeeded in raising potatoes and pump- kins in considerable quantities, which he generally exchanged for rum, or sold for cash. The appearance of this man, from the accounts I have re- ceived of him, was the most dreadful that can be imagined ; ragged clothes, scarce sufficient to cover his nakedness, and covered with vermin ; his red hair, and beard matted, his skin much burnt, from constant exposure to the sun, and so wild and savage in his manner and appearance, that he struck every one with horror. For several years this wretched being lived by himself on this desolate spot, without any apparent desire than that of pro- curing rum in sufficient quantities to keep himself intoxicated, and at such times, after an absence from his hut of several days, he would be found in a state of perfect insensibility, rolling among the rocks of the mountains. He appeared to be reduced to the lowest grade to which human nature is capable. We were little prepared to meet our second disappointment, in not find- ing vessels at Charles' Island, but consoled ourselves with the reflection, that we should now soon arrive at Albermarle, and that in Banks' Bay, the gen- eral rendezvous, we should find an ample reward for all our loss of time, sufferings, and disappointments ; and as we had a fine breeze from the east, I made all sail, steering west from Charles' Island, to make the south head of the island of Albermarle, which was distant from us about forty-five miles, and in the morning found ourselves nearly up with it. When we had arrived within eight or nine miles of a point, which I have named Point Essex, the wind died away, and I took my boat and proceeded for the aforesaid point, where I arrived in about two hours after leaving the ship, and found in a small baj-, behind some rocks which terminate the point, very good landing, where we went on shore, and to our great surprise, and no little alarm, on entering the bushes, found myriads of guanas, of an enormous size and the most hideous appearance imaginable. In some spots a half acre of ground would be so completely covered with them, as to appear as though 316 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS it was impossible for another to get in the space ; thej' would all keep their eyes fixed constantly on us, and we at first supposed them prepared to attack us. We soon however discovered them to be the most timid of animals, and in a few moments knocked down hundreds of them with our clubs, some of which we brought on board, and found to be excellent eating, and many preferred them greatly to the turtle. We found on the beach a few seals, and one fine large green turtle. Sev- eral of the seals were killed by our men, and proved of that kind which do not produce the fur. Nothing can be more sluggish or more inactive than this animal while on the sand ; it appears incapable of making any exertions whatever to escape those in pursuit of it, and quietly waits the blow which terminates its existence. A small blow on the nose will kill them in an in- stant, but when they are in water, or even on the rocks, nothing can exceeii their activity : they seem then to be a different animal altogether ; shy, cunning, and very alert in pursuit of their prey, and in avoiding pursuit, they are then very difficult to take. After trying in vain to catch some fish, Ave left the cove, and proceeded along the shore to the northward, with the expectation of finding another landing-place, but were much disaj^pointed ; for, after rowing as far as Point Christopher, a distance of fifteen miles, we found the shore everywhere bound with craggy rocks, against which the sea broke with inconceivable violence. Multitudes of enormous sharks were swimming about us, and from time to time caused us no little uneasiness, from the ferocious manner in which they came at the boat and snapped at our oars ; for she was of the lightest construction, with remarkably thin plank, and a gripe from one of these would have torn them from her timbers ; but we guarded as much as lay in our power against the evil, by thrust- ing boarding pikes into them as they came up to us. Perceiving a breeze springing up, I hastened on board where, on my arrival, I caused all sail to be made, and shaped my course for Narborough Island, which now began to show itself open with Point Christopher. I was in hopes that the breeze would carry us clear of the northern point of that island before day-light, in order that we might have the whole of the next day for securing our prizes in Banks' Bay, which lies between Narborough and the south head of Albcrmarle. To Banks' Bay the fishermen resort every year, between March and July, to take the wliale, which come in there in great numbers at that season." My anxiety was such that I was induced to dispatch Lieutenant Downes to take a look around the point of Narborough and reconnoiter the bay ; for the ship had been swept bv the current during the night, into Elizabeth Bay. At one o'clock in the morning, Lieutenant Downes returned to the ship, which he was enabled to find by means of flashes made from time to time by us, and reported that he did not arrive at the north point of Naborough or Turtle's Nose, until near sundown, and that he could perceive no ves- sels in the bay ; but observed, at the same time, that the weather was hazy, and as the bay is about thirty-five miles from side to side, and about the same depth, it was possible for vessels to have been there without his being able to observe them. The winds continued light and a-head, and the current strong against us. OF AMERICANS. 317 and it was not till the afternoon of 23d that we were enabled to weather Narborough. On doubling the point of Narborough, our j'ards were com- pletely manned by seamen and officers, whose anxiety had taken them aloft, all examining strictly every part of the baj', but could discover no vessels ; at length the cry of sail lio ! and shortly afterward another, seemed to elec- trify every man on board, and it seemed now as if all our hopes and expec- tations were to be realized ; but in a few minutes those illusory prospects vanished, and as sudden dejection, proceeding from disappointment, took place ; for the supposed sails proved to be only white appearances on the shore. Still, however, we did not despair. Lieutenant Downes was dis- patched to reconnoiter, and returned to the ship at one o'clock in the morning ; and, to complete our disappointment, reported that he had seen no vesseflj. Early the next morniilg I took a boat and explored the basin which I found of surpassing beauty, with everything that could be desired to afford perfect security for a ship of the largest size. From the basin we proceeded to the watering place about half a mile distant. On the side of a rock at this place we found the names of several English and American ships cut, whose crews had been there ; and but a short distance from thence was erected a hut, built of loose stones, but destitute of a roof; and in the neigh- borhood of it were scattered in considerable quantities the bones and shells of land and sea tortoises. This I afterward understood was the work of a wretched English sailor, who had been landed there by his captain, destitute of everything, for having used some insulting language to him. Here he existed near a year on land tortoises and guanas, and his sole dependence for water was on the precarious supply he could get from tiie drippings of the rocks ; at length, finding that no one was likely to come to take him from thence, and fearful of perishing for the want of water, he formed a determination to attempt at all hazards getting into Banks' Bay, where the ships cruise for whales, and with this view provided himself with two seal skins, with which, blown up, he formed a float ; and, after hazarding de- struction from the sharks, which frequently attacked his vessel, and which he kept oQ" with the stick that served him as a paddle, he succeeded at length in getting alongside an American ship early in the morning, where his unexpected arrival not only surprised but alarmed the crew ; for his ap- pearance was scarcely human ; clothed in the skins of seals, his countenance haggard, thin, and emaciated, his beard and hair long and matted, they sup- posed him a being from another world. The commander of the vessel where he arrived felt a great, sympathy for his sufferings, and determined for the moment to bring to punishment the villain who had, by thus cruelly exposing the life of a fellow-being, violated every principle of humanity ; but from some cause or other he was prevented from carrying into effect his laudable intentions, and to this dialer xitlantic, of three hundred and fifty- 320 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS five tuns, twenty-four men, and eight eigliteen-pound carronades. This ship, however, was pierced for twenty guns. Another strange sail had been made while in chase of the Atlantic, and she was pursued and overtaken in the course of the night. This ship was the Greenwich, of three hundred and thirty-eight tuns, ten guns, and twenty- five men. Both the Atlantic and Greenwich had letters of marque, and being fast ships, were extremely dangerous to the American trade iu the Pacific. When the Essex took these vessels, every officer but the captain, the chaplain, captain's clerk, and boat-swain, were out of her, either in boats, or in prizes ; the first having been lowered in a calm to chase, and left to be picked up by the Montezuma, when a breeze struck the frigate." The captain of the Greenwich had taken a good stock of Dutch courage, and had made preparations to fire into the Essex, when a shot from the latter so intimidated him that he hove to and surrendered. The captain of the Atlantic was an American from Nantucket where he had a wife and family. "On his first coming on board the Essex, he expressed his extreme pleasure in finding as he supposed we were an English frigate in those seas. He informed me that he had sailed from England under convoy to the Java frigate, and had put into Port Praya a few days after the Essex, an American frigate, had left there ; and that the Java had sailed immediately in pursuit of her, and that it was the general belief the Essex had gone around the Cape of Good Hope. He parted with the Java after crossing the line, and on his arrival at Conception heard she had been sunk off Bahia by the American frigate Constitution. On inquiry respecting the American vessels in the South Seas, he informed me that about Conception was the best place to cruize for them, for he had left at that place nine of them in an unpro- tected and defenseless state, and entirely at a loss what to do with them- selves ; th' ■■♦hey were almost daily arriving there, and that he had no doubt, by going oil 'there, we should be enabled to take the most of them. I asked him how he reconciled it to himself to sail from England under the British flag, and in an armed ship, after hostilities had taken place between the two countries. He said he found no difficulty in reconciling it to himself, for, although he was born iu America, he was an Englishman at heart. This man appeared the polished gentleman in his manners, but evidently possessed a corrupt heart, and, like all other renagades, was desirous of doing his na- tive country all the injury in his power, with the hope of thereby ingratiating himself with his new friends. I permitted him to remain in his error some time, but at length introduced to him the captains of the Montezuma and the Georgiana, who soon undeceived him with respect to our being an Eng- lish frigate. I had felt great pity for the last two gentlemen, and had made the evils of war bear as light on them as possible, by purchasing of them, for the use of the crew, their private adventures, consisting of slop-clothing, tobacco, and spirits, for which they were sincerely grateful ; but to this man I could not feel the same favorable disposition, nor could I conceal my in- dignation at his conduct : he endeavored to apologize away the impression his conduct had made, by artfully putting the case to myself; and, with a view of rendering him easy, as I did not wish to triumph over the wretch, I informed him that I was willing to make some allowances for his conduct. OF AMERICANS. 321 After the capture of the Greenwich, I informed her commander, John Shuttleworth, as well as Obediah Wier, of the Atlantic, that I felt every disposition to act most generously toward them. Shuttleworth was however so much intoxicated, and his lan;^uage so insulting, that it was with difficulty I could refrain from turning him out of my cabin. Wier was more reserved during my presence there ; but, duty requiring me on deck, he, in the pre- sence of some of the officers, used the most bitter invectives against the governmeut of the United States ; and he, as well as Shuttleworth, con- soled themselves with the pleasing hope, that British frigates would soon be sent to ch;vstise us for our temerity in venturing so far from home. The next day I let them feel that they were dependent entirely on my generosity, which was greater than they either deserved or expected, and this haughty Englishman, who would wish to have terrified us with the name of a Briton, and this renegade, who would have sacrificed the interests of his countr}', were now so humbled by a sense of their own conduct, and of what they merited, that they would have licked the dust from my feet had it been required of them to do .so. Our fleet now consisted of six sail of vessels, without including the Georgiana. On board of the last captured vessels I put a sufficient number of men to fight their guns, giving lieutenant M'Knight charge of the At- lautic, and, for want of sea-officers, I put lieutenant Gamble of the marines in charge of the Greenwich. Volunteers continued to offer from the cap- tured vessels, and my whole effective force in those seas now consisted of the Essex, mounting forty-six guns, and two hundred and forty-five men ; Georgiana, sixteen guns, and forty-two men ; Atlantic, six guns, and twelve men ; Greenwich ten guns, and fourteen men ; Montezuma, two guns, and ten men ; Policy, ten men — making in all, eighty guns, and three hundred and thirty-three men ; together with one midshipman and six men c^^ board the Barclay. My prisoners amounted in number to eighty ; but ao I had di- vided them among the different ships, giving them full allowance of pro- visions, on condition of their giving their assistance in working, we found them as useful as our own men in navigating the prizes ; so that our whohi number, including the prisoners, amounted to four hundred and twenty, and all ih good health, with the exception of some of the prisoners, who wore slightly affected with the scurvy. It seems somewhat extraordinary, that British seamen should carry with them this propensity to desert even into merchant vessels, sailing under the flag of their nation, and under circumstances so terrifying ; but yet I am in- formed, that their desertion while at Charles' Island has been verj' common, even when there was no prospect whatever of obtaining water but from the bowels of the tortoises. This can only be attributed to that tyranny, so prevalent on board their ships-of-war, which has crept into their merchant vessels, and is there aped by their commanders. Now, mark the difference. While the Essei lay at Charles' Island, one-fourth of her crew was every day on shore, and all the prisoners who chose to go ; and I even lent the latter boats, Avhenever they wished it, to go for their amusement to the other side of the island. No one attempted to desert, or to make their es- cape ; whenever a gun was fired, every man repaired to the beach, and no one was ever missing when the cignal was made." 322 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Captain Porter now shaped his course for the mouth of the Tumbez on the northern coast of Chili where he anchored on the 19th of June. " As soon as they had got within two leagues, the leading vessel hove to and sent in a boat, on board of which was Mr. Downes. By this arrival au account of the movement of the Georgiana was obtained. While cruising near James' Island, Mr. Downes had captured the British whale ships, the Catharine, of two hundred and seventy tuns, eight guns and twenty-nine men, and the Eose, of two hundred and twenty tuns, eight guns, and twenty-one men. These two vessels were taken with no resistance, their masters having come on board the Georgiana, without suspecting her char- acter. After manning his prizes, Mr. Downes had but twenty men and boys left in the Georgiana, when he chased and closed with a third whaler, called the Hector, a ship of two hundred and seventy tuns, twentj'-five men, and eleven guns, though pierced for twenty. At this time, Mr. Downes had also fifty prisoners, most of whom he was compelled to plit in irons, before he brought the Hector to action. When within hail, the latter ship was ordered to haul down her colors, but refused, and the Georgiana opened a fire upon her. A sharp combat followed, when the Hector struck, with the loss of her main-topniast, having had most of her standing and running-rigging shot away. She had also two men killed, and six v;ounded. After manning the Hector, Mr. Downes had but ten men left in the Geor- giana ; and, including the wounded, he had seventy-three prisoners. Thu Rose being a dull ship, he threw overboard her guns, and most of her cargo, and paroUing his prisonei-s, he gave her up to them, on condition that they should sail direct for St. Helena. As soon as this arrangement was made, he made sail for Tumbez, to join the Essex. The little fleet now amounted to nine sail, and there was an opportunity to make new arrangements. The Atlantic being nearly one hundred tuns larger thaij, the Georgiana, as well as a much faster ship, besides possessing, in a greater degree, every material quality for a cruiser, Mr. Downes and his crew were transferred to her. Twenty guns were mounted in this new sloop- of-war ; she was named the Ussex Junior, and manned with sixty men. The Greenwich was also converted into a store-ship, and all the spare stores of the other vessels were sent on board her. She was also armed with twenty guns, though her crew was merely strong enough to work her." On first anchoring at Tumbez the governor came aboard to pay liis re- spects. "Although their appearance was as wretched as can well be imag- ined, policy induced me to show them every attention ; and, to impress them with a belief of my friendly disposition and respect, I gave theni a salute of nine guns on their coming on board ; and while they remained with me, which was until the next day, I paid every attention to them in my power, although their contemptible appearance, which frequently excited the risibility of my crew, made me sometimes blush for my guests. They left me with assurances of the most friendly disposition on their part, and the most pressing invitation for me to go to Tumbez, which I promised to do in the course of a day or two. The next day I visited the town or hamlet. It is situated about six miles from the river's mouth, on the left bank of the first rising ground you meet with ; from thence to the mouth of the river the land is all low, similar to that of the Mississippi, covered with rushes^ OF AMERICANS. 323 reeds, and mnngroves, and here and there, on the most elevated parts, are to be found the huts where the natives have settled themselves, for the purpose of cultivating the soil, which produces, in great abundance, cocoa, corn, plantains, melons, oranges, pumpkins, sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, etc. Their houses are formed of reeds, covered with rushes, open at all side?, and having the floor elevated about four feet from the earth, to protect them from the alligators^ which are here numerous and of enormous size. One of them fifteen feet in length, and of the most hideous appearance, I killed with a musket ball. The inhabitants of Tumbez gave me the most friendly reception, every "where invited me into their huts, where hogs, dogs, fowls, jackasses, men, women, and children, were grouped together, and from whence, in a few minutes, 1 was always glad to make my escape, from the innumerable swarms of fleas with which they were infested ; and the house of the governor was no more exemjjt from this plague than those of the plebeians, of which his wife and naked children bore innumerable testimonies, in the large red blotches on their necks and bodies. The men of this place seem to be of the lowest class of those who call themselves civilized ; and the women, although of fine forms, animated, cheerful, and handsome countenances, are destitute of all that delicacy, the possession of which only can render the female lovely in our eyes." "On the 30th, the fleet sailed, the Essex and Essex Junior keeping in company, with all the carpenters at work at the latter. On the -ith of July, a generiil salute was fired, principally with the guns and ammunition of the enemy. On the 9th, the Essex Junior parted company, bound to Valparaiso, with the Hector, Catharine, Policy, and Montezuma, prizes, and the Barclay, recaptured ship, under convoy. As soon as out of sight of the other ships, the Essex, Greenwich and Georgiana steered to the westward, with an intention of going among the Galapagos. On the 13th, three sail were made off Banks' Bay, all on a wind, and a good deal separated. The Essex gave chase to the one in the center, Avhich led her down to leeward, leaving the Greenwich and Georgiana a long dist;tnce astern and to windward. While the frigate was thus separated from her prizes, one of the strangers tacked, and endeavored to cut the latter off, but the Greenwich hove-to, got a portion of the people out of the Georgiana, and bore down boldly on her adversary ; w-hile the Essex continued after the vessel she was chasing, which she soon captured. The ship was the English whaler Charlton, of two hundred and seventy-four tuns, ten guns, and twenty-one men. Throwing a crew into her, the frigate immediately hauled her wind. It was now ascertained from the prisoners, that the largest of the strange ships was the Scringapatam, of three hundred and fifty-seven tuns, fourteen guns, and near forty men ; and the smallest, the New Zealander, of two hundred and fifty-nine tuns, eight guns, and twenty-three men. The Scr- ingapatam had been built for a cmiser, and she was probably the most dan- gerous vessel to the American trade to the westward of Cape linrn. Captain Porter felt a corresponding desire to get possession of her, and was much gratified with the bold manner in which the Greenwich had borne down on her. This ship was under the command of a very young officer, but he had 21 324 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS the advice of one of the sea-lieutenants, who was under suspension, and who behaved with great gallantry and spirit on this occasion. Closing with the Seringapatam, the Esses being a long distance to leeward, the Greenwich brought her to action, and after a few broad-sides, the Enghsh ship struck. Soon after, however, and before possession could be taken, she made an at- tempt to escape by passing to windward, in which she was frustrated by the perseverance of the Greenwich, Avhich vessel kept close on the enemy's quarter, maintaining a spirited fire, for the number of men on board. As the Essex was coming up fast, the Seringapatam finally gave up the attempt, and running down to the frigate, again submitted. In this aifair, as in that of the boats, and in the capture of the Hector by the Georgiana, the ofiicers and men engaged merited high encomiums for their intrepidity and coolness. The Greenwich, after obtaining the hands from the Georgiana, did not probably muster five-and-twenty men at quarters and the Seringapatam was much the better ship. The New Zealander was taken without any difficulty. The Seringapatam had made one prize, her master having turned his at- tention more to cruising than to whaling. On inquiry, notwithstanding, it was found that he had adopted this course in anticipation of a commission, having actually sailed without one. When this fact was ascertained. Cap- tain Porter put the master in irons, and he subsequently sent him to America to be tried. Finding himself embarrassed with his prisoners. Captain Porter gave them up the Charlton, and suffered them to proceed to Rio de Janeiro, under their parole, lie then took the guns out of the New Zealander, and mounted them in the Seringapatam, by which means he gave the latter ship an armament of twentj'-two guns, though, as in the case of the Greenwich^ her people were barely sufficient to work her. On the 25th of July, the Georgiana was dispatched to the United States, with a full cargo of oil. In making up a crew for her, an opportunity was found of sounding the feelings of the men whose times were nearly expired, and it was ascertained that few wished to profit by the circumstance. As soon as the vessels separated, the Essex, with the Greenwich. Seringapatam, and New Zealander in company, shaped her course for Albermarle Island. On the morning of the 28th, another strange sail was discovered ; but as she had a fresh breeze, and the frigate was becalmed, she was soon out of sight. When the wind came, however, the Essex ran in a direction to in- tercept the stranger ; and the next morning he was again seen, from the mast-head, standing across the Essex's bow, on a bowline. As the wind was light, recourse was now had to the drags, and the ship got within four miles of the chase, which was evidently an enemy's whaler. The stranger becoming alarmed, got his boats ahead to tow, when Captain Porter sent a gig and whale-boat, with a few good marksmen in them, under Acting Lieu- tenant M' Knight, with orders to take a position ahead of tlie chase, and to drive in her boats, but on no account to attempt to board. This duty was handsomely executed, though the boats had great difficulty in maintaining their position within musket-shot, as the enemy got two guns on the fore- castle, and kept up a warm discharge of grape. At 4 p. M., the ships were little more than a league apart, perfectly be- calmed, and Captain Porter ordered the boats into the water, to carry the OF AMERICANS. 325 stranger by boarding. As the party drew near, the enemy commenced firing, but intimidated by their steady and orderly aiii^roach, he soon lowered his ensign. The boats were about to take possession, when a breeze from the eastward suddenly striking the English shiji, she hauled up close on a wind, hoisted her colors again, fired at the gig and whale-boat as she passed quite near them, and \#nt off, at a rapid rate, to the northward. The party at- tempted to follow, but it was sunset before the Essex got the wind, and, dis- liking to leave her boats out in the darkness, she was compelled to heave to, at cine, in order to hoist them in. The next morning the chase was out of sight. This was the first instance, since her arrival in the Pacific, in which the Essex had failed in getting alongside of a chase that she did not voluntarily abandon. It produced much mortification, though the escape of the enemy was owing to one of those occurrences, so common in summer, that leave one ship without a breath of air, while another, quite near her, has a good breeze. On the ith of August, the ships went into James' Island and anchored. Here Captain Porter made the important discovery that a large portion of his powder had been damaged in doubling Cape Horn. Fortunately, the Seringapatam could supply the deficiency, though, in doing so, that ship was rendered nearly defenseless." On this island Captain Porter lost a most promising j'oung officer by a dis- graceful practice. Without his knowledge two of his ofiicers met on shore at daylight to engage in a duel and at the third fire Mr. Cowan fell dead. His remains were buried the same day in the spot where he fell, and the following inscription was placed over his tomb : Sacred to the memory OF LIEUT. JOHN S. COWAN, Of the U. S. Frigate Essex, Who died here anno 1813, Aged 21 years. His loss is ever to be regretted By his country ; And mourned by his friends And brother officers. "On the morning of the 20th August, got under way ; but, prior to my leaving the place, I buried a letter for Lieutenant Downes, in a bottle at the head of Mr. Cowan's grave, and a duplicate of the same at the foot of a finger-post, erected by me, for the purpose of pointing out to such as may liereafter visit the island the grave of Mr. Cowan ; and, with a design of misleading the enemy, I left in a bottle suspended at the finger-post, the following note : The United States frigate Essex arrived here on the 21st July, 1813, her crew much afflicted with the scurvy and ship-fever, which attacked them suddenly, out of which she lost the first lieutenant, surgeon, sailing-master, two midshipmen, gunner, carpenter, and thirty-six seamen and marines. 326 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS She captured in tliis sea the following British ships, to- wit : Montezuma, Policy, Atlantic, Catharine, Rose, Hector, Charlton, Georgiana, Greenwich, Seringapatam, and New Zealander; but, for want of officers and men to man them, the four last were burnt ; the Rose and Charlton were given up to the prisoners. The Essex leaves this in a leaky state, her foremast very rotten in the partners, and her mainmast sprung. Her crew have, however, received great benefit from the tortoises and other refreshments which the island affords. Should any American vessel, or indeed a vessel of any nation, put in here, and meet with this note, they would be doing an act of great humanity to transmit a copy of it to America, in order that our friends may know of our distressed and hopeless situation, and be prepared for worse tidings, if they should ever again hear from us," etc. Two days later, the vessels reached Banks' Bay, where the prizes were moored and the Essex sailed in a short cruise alone on the 24th. "After passing among the islands, without meeting anything, a sail was discovered on the morning of 15th of September, apparently lying to, a long distance to the southward and to windward. The Essex was immediately disguised, by sending down some of the light yards, and the ship kept turning to windward, under easy sail. At meridian, the vessels were so near each other, that the stranger was ascertained to be a whaler, in the act of cutting in. He was evidently drifting down fast on the frigate. At 1 p. m. when the ships were about four miles apart, the stranger cast off from the ■whales, and made all sail to windward. As it was now evident that he had taken the alarm, the Essex threw aside all attempts at disguise, and pursued him, under everything that would draw. By 4 p. m. the frigate had the stranger within reach of her guns, and a few shot well thrown, brought him down under her lee. This ship was the Sir Andrew Hammond, of three hundred and one tuns, twelve guns, and thirty -one men ; and she proved to be the vessel that had escaped, in the manner previously related. Fortu- nately, the prize had a large suppl}^ of excellent beef, pork, bread, wood, and water, and the Essex got out of her an ample stock of those great necessaries. On returning to Banks' Bay with her prize, the ship shortly after was joined by the Essex Junior, on her return from Valparaiso. By this arrival. Captain Porter discovered that several enemy's vessels of force had sailed in pursuit of him ; and having by this time captured nearly all the English whalers of which he could obtain intelligence, he determined to proceed to the Marquesas, in order to refit, and to make his preparations for returning to America. He was urged to adopt this resolution, also, by understanding from Mr. Downes, that the government of Chili no longer preserved the appearance of amity toward the Hnited States, but was getting to be English in its predilections." In summing up the important services rendered by the Essex in coming into the Pacific, Captain Porter says : " In the first place, by our captures, we have completely broken up that important branch of British navigation, the whale-fishery of the coast of Chili and Peru, as we have captured all their vessels engaged in that pursuit except the aforesaid ship Comet. By these captures we have deprived the enemy of property to the amount of two and a half millions of dollars, and of the services of three hundred OF AMERICANS. 327 and sixty seamen that I liberated on parole, not to serve against the United States until regularly exchanged. We have effectually prevented theru from doing any injury to our own whale-ships, only two of which have been captured, and their captures took place before our arrival. Shortly after my appearance in those seas, our whale-ships, which had taken refuge at Conception and Valparaiso, boldly ventured to sea in pursuit of whales, and on the arrival of the Essex Junior at Valparaiso, four of them had returned there with full cargoes. The expense also of employing the frigate Phoebe, the sloops of war Raccoon and Cherub, and their store-ship, should also be taken into the estimate of the injury we have done them ; for it is evident that they would not have been sent into the Pacific had it not been for the appearance of the Essex there, as for many years past they have employed no ships of war in this part of the world, nor were those sent until they had heard of our arrival at Valparaiso. It appears by my estimate, that the balance against the British, occasioned by our coming into this sea, is five million one hundred and seventy dollars ; for there cannot be a doubt that all our whale-ships would have been captured, had we not eflectually prevented it by the capture of all of theirs. We have also taken ten prize-ships. Those now in company are as follows : Essex Junior, twenty guns ; Greenwich, twenty guns ; Seringapatam, twenty- two guns ; New Zealander, ten guns ; and Sir Andrew Hammond, ten guns. We have dispatched two ships for America to-wit : Gcorgiana and Policvi and have three, the Montezuma, Catharine, and Hector safely moored under the batteries of A^'alparaiso. All these vessels are copper sheeted and fast- ened and in a state to proceed to the most distant part of the world, some of the remarkably fast sailors and all superior ships." On the 24th of October they discovered the island of Rooahooga, one of the Washington group of the Marquesas Islands. This group consists of three Islands, viz : Rooahooga, or Jefferson Island ; Rooapooah, or Adams' Island, and Novaheevah, or Madison Island. "Its aspect, on first making it, was little better than the barren and des- olate islands we had been so long among ; but on our nearer approach the fertile valleys, whose beauties were heightened by the pleasant streams and clusters of houses, and intervened by groups of the natives on the hills inviting us to land, produced a contrast much to the advantage of the islands we were now about visiting — indeed the extreme fertility of the soil, as it appeared to us after rounding the southeast point of the island, produced sensations we had been little accustomed to, and made us long for the fruits with which the trees appeared everywhere loaded. On rounding the southeast part of the island we saw a canoe coming off to the ship with eight of the niilives, one of whom was seated in the bow with his head ornamented with some yellow leaves^ which at a distance we supposed to be feathers. They approached us very cautiously, and would not venture alongside until we had run very close in. We had a native of the island of Otaheite on board, who enabled them, but with apparent difficulty, to comprehend our wishes, and who gave them repeated assurances of our friendly disposition. They frequently repeated to us the word taya, which signifies friend, an4 invited us to the shore. Their bodies were entirely 328 adventup.es and achievements raked, and their chief ornament consisted in the dark and fanciful lines formed by tattooing, which covered them. On their leaving us I bore away for several other canoes which were lanched from the different coves ■with which the coast was indented, but nothing could induce them to come near the ship. I was anxious to procure some refreshments, but more so to obtain a knowledge of a people with whom the world is so little acquainted. One of the canoes displayed a white flag : I caused a similar emblem of peace to be exhibited, and after waiting some time, perceiving that they were fearful of coming alongside, I caused two boats to be manned and armed, and proceeded toward them. I soon approached them, and directed the Otaheitan to inform them that we were friendly disposed, and were willing to purchase of them the articles they had to sell, which consisted of hogs, plantains, bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, etc., and through the same medium informed them that I should proceed to the shore, and there remain as a hostage for their safety. Some of them went off to the ship, but the greater number followed me to the shore, where they were collected in groups, armed with their spears and war-clubs, to receive me, and collecting in considerable numbers from every quarter. I went close in with my boat, where I made an exchange of pieces of iron hoops and other articles for their ornaments and fruits. In a few minutes the spears and war-clubs were laid aside, and swarms of natives swam off to me loaded with the produce of the is- land : all seemed greatly to rejoice that we had so precious an article to offer them as pieces of old iron hoops, which were held in such high esti- mation that good sized pigs were purchased for a few inches. Some, to ex- press their joy, were seen dancing on the beach with the most extravagant gestures, while others expressed the pleasure they felt by shouting and clapping their hands. But notwithstanding this friendly intercourse, it was very evident that they had strong suspicions of us. They always approached the boat with the greatest awe and agitation, and in every instance, where articles weye presented to them, they shrunk back with terror, and retreated to the shore with the utmost precipitation. One among them, however, ven- tured to raise himself by the side of the boat, and perceiving a pistol lying in the stern sheets, showed an evident desire to possess it. It was with some difficulty I could make him let go his hold of the boat ; and to inti- midate him I presented the pistol at him ; but it produced no other effect than joy, as he immediately held out both his hands to receive it, from ■which I concluded that they were unacquainted with the use of fire-arms. After leaving these friendly people I proceeded for the frigate, where I found the traffic with the canoes that had gone off, had been conducted with much harmony. Some of them I passed very close to on their return, and the natives on board them expressed their extreme satisfaction by expres- sions of the most extravagant joy. One of them in the fullness of heart, said he was so glad he longed to get on shore to dance. On rejoining the ship, I was informed by the officers that the natives who had been on board^ had expressed much surprise at the sight of the goats, sheep, dogs, and other animals, but what seemed most to astonish them, was one of the large Galapagos tortoises : it seemed as though they could not sufficiently feast their eyes on it ; and to view it more at their ease they stretched themselves at full length on the deck around it ; and this appeared to be their general OF AMERICANS. 329 practice when they wished to view leisurely any object that excited their . attention, a practice which seems to bespeak the natural indolence of this people. The men of this inland are remarkably handsome ; of large stature and well i)roportioncd : they possess every variety of countenance and feature, and a great difference is observable in the color of the skin, which for the most part is that of a copper color : but some are as fair as the generality of working people much exposed to the sun of a warm climate. The old men (but particularly the chiefs) are entirely black ; but this is owing entirely to the practice of tattooing with which they are covered all over, and it re- quires a close inspection to perceive that the blackness of their skin is owing to this cause ; and when the eye is once familiarized with men ornamented after this manner, we perceive a richness in the skin of an old man highly tattooed comparable to that which we perceive iu a highly wrought piece of old mahogany : for, on a minute examination, may be discovered innumer- able lines curved, straight, and irregular, drawn with the utmost correctness, taste and symmetry,- and yet apparently without order or any determined plan. The young men, the fairness of whose skin is contrasted by the or- naments of tattooing, certainly have, at first sight, a more handsome appear- ance than those entirely covered with it ; and in a short time we are induced to think that tattooing is as necessary an ornament for a native of those is- lands as clothing is for a European. The neatness and beauty with which this species of ornament is finished, served greatly to surprize us, and we could not help believing that they had among them tattooers by profession, some of them no doubt, equal in celebrity to M'Alpin and other renowned tailors of America, for we afterward discovered that the most wealthy and high class was more fully and handsomely tattooed than those of an inferior station, which is a sufficient evidence that tattooing has its price. The young girls, which we had an opportunity of seeing, were as I before observed, handsome and well formed ; their skins were remarkably soft and smooth, and their complexions no darker than many brunettes in America celebrated for their beauty. Their modesty was more evident than that of the women of any place we have visited since leaving our own country. Nakedness they cannot consider offensive to modesty ; they are accustomed to it from their infancy. I find no difficulty in believing, that an American lady, who exposes to view her face, her bosom, and her arms, is as modest and virtuous as the wife of a Turk, who is seen only by her husband ; or that a female of Washington's Group, who is seen in a state of nature, may be as modest and virtuous as either. That they have a high sense of shame and pride, I had afterward many opportunities of observing." At daylight next morning they bore up for Noaheevah or Madison'^s Is- land, where thej' put into a beautiful bay and came to an anchor. This harbor was named by Captain Porter, Massachusetts Bay. Here be was soon joined by the Essex Junior, which vessel had parted company to cruise, when he believed himself sufficiently secure tc commence a regular overhauling of the ships. Cooper, in his Naval History, says, " the situation of the Essex was sufli- ciently remarkable, at this moment, to merit a brief notice. She had been the first American to carry the pennant of a man-of-war round the Cape of 330 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Good Hope, and now she had been the first to bring it into this distant ocean. More than ten thousand miles from home, without colonies, stations, or even a really friendly port to repair to, short of stores, without a consort, and otherwise in possession of none of the required means of subsistence and ^efficiency, she had boldly steered into this distant region, where she had found all that she required, through her own activity and having swept the seas of her enemies, she had now retired to those little-frequented islands to refit, with the security of a ship at home. It is due to the officer, who so promptly adopted, and so successfully executed this plan, to add, that his enterprize, self-reliance and skill, indicated a man of bold and masculine conception, of great resources, and of a high degree of moral courage ; qual- ities that are indispensable in forming a naval captain." When the Essex stood into the land a boat come off from the shore with three white men in her, one of whom to Captain Porter's great astonishment proved to be John M. Maury an American midshipman, who had left the United States on furlough in a merchant ship. He had been left here by the master of the vessel to gather sandal wood while the ship was gone to China. As it was supposed the war would prevent the return of the ship, Mr. Maury and his party were received on board the frigate. Wilson, one of them, was an Englishman by birth. He had been many j^ears in these is- lands and with the exception of a cloth around his Ipins was completely naked. His body was all over tattooed and in every respect except color he had become an Indian. He assisted Captain Porter as interpreter, and with- out his aid he would have succeeded badly on the island. Captain Porter landed with a party of marines and sailors. " The drum appeared to give them much pleasure ; and the regular movements of the marines occasioned much astonishment. They said they were spirits or be- ings of a class different from other men. I directed them to be put through their exercise; and the firing of the muskets occasioned but little terror, except among the women, who generally turned away their faces and covered their ears with their hands. The men and boys were all attention to the skipping of the balls in the water ; but at every fire all habitually inclined their bodies, as if to avoid the shot, although behind the men who were firing. After remaining a short time with them, I distributed among them some knives, fish-hooks, etc., which they received with much apparent plea- sure ; but no one offered, like the natives of the other island, anything iu return. Observing the mountains surrounding the valleys to be covered with nu- merous groups of natives, I inquired the cause, and was informed that a warlike tribe residing beyond the mountains had been for several weeks at war with the natives of the valley, into which they had made several in- cursions, and had destroyed many houses and plantations, and had killed, by cutting around the bark, a great number of bread-fruit trees. I inquired if it were possible to get a message to them ; and was informed that notwithstanding they were at war and showed no quarter to each other, there were certain persons of both tribes, who were permitted to pass and repass freely and uninterrupted from one tribe to another : such for example as a man belonging to one tribe who had married a woman belonging to the other. I inquired if any such were present ; and one being pointed out to OF AMERICAXS. 331 me, I directed him to proceed to the Ilappahs and to tell them that I had come with a force sufficiently strong to drive them from the island : and if they presumed to enter into the valley while I remained there, I should send a body of men to chastise them ; to tell them to cease all hostilities so long as I remained among them ; that if they had hogs or fruit to dispose of, they might come and trade freely with us, as I should not permit the natives of the valley to injure or molest them. To the natives of the valley — who listened attentively and with apparent pleasure to the messa'^e sent to the Happahs — I then addressed myself, and assured them that I had come with the most friendly disposition ; that I wanted nothing from them -but what I paid for : that they must look on us as brethren : and that I should protect them against the Ilappahs should they again venture to de- scend from the mountains. I directed them to leave at home their spears, slings, and clubs — their only weapons of war — in order that we might know them from the Happahs ; and told them that I should consider all as my enemies who should appear armed in my presence. All listened with much attention : their spears and clubs were thrown on one side. My attention •was soon drawn to an object, which at the moment had presented itself. A handsome young woman, of about eighteen years of age, her complexion fairer than common, her carriage majestic, and her dress better and some- what different from the other females, approached. Her glossy black hair, and her skin were highly anointed with the cocoa-nut oil, and her whole person and appearance neat, sleek, and comely ; on inquiry who this digni- fied personage might be, I was informed that her name was Piteenee, a grand- daughter to the chief, or greatest man in the valley, whose name was Oatta- neioa. This lady, on whose countenance was not to be perceived any of those playful smiles which enliven the countenances of the others, 1 was in- formed was held in great estimation, on account of her rank and beauty, and I felt that it would be necessary, from motives of policy, to pay some atten- tions to a personage so exalted. She received my advances with a coldness and hauteur which would have suited a princess, and repelled everything like familiarity with a sternness that astonished me. Gattanewa, the chief of the Tayehs, the tribe who inhabited this valley I was informed at the time of my landing, was at a fortified village, which was pointed out to me, on the top of one of the highest mountains. The manner of fortifying those places, is to plant closely on end, the bodies of large trees, of forty feet in length, and securing them together by pieces of timber strongly lashed across, presenting on the brow of a hill, difficult of access, a breast-work of considerable extent, which would require European artillery to destroy. At the back of this a scaffolding is raised, on which is placed a platform for the warriors, who ascend by the means of ladders, and thence shower down on their assailants spears and stones. When the ship was moored, the shore was lined with the natives of both sexes ; but the females were most numerous, waving their white cloaks or cahoes for us to come on shore. The boats were got out, and proceeded to the shore, where on landing, they were taken complete possession of by the women, who insisted on going to the ship, and in a short time she was com- pletely filled by them, of all ages and descriptions, from the age of sixty years to that of ten ; some as remarkable for their boautv, as others for their 332 ADYENTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ■ugliness. The ship was a perfect Bedlam from the time of their arrival until their departure, wiiich was not until morning, when they were put on shore, not only with whatever was given them, but with whatever they could lay their hands on. The object of the greatest value at this as well as all the other islands of this group, is whales' teeth. No jewel, however valuable, is half so much esteemed in Europe or America, as is a whale's tooth here : I have seen them by fits laugh and cry for joy, at the possession of one of these darling treasures. Some idea may be formed of the value in which they are held by the natives, when it is known that a ship of three hundred tuns burden may be loaded with sandal-wood at this island, and the only object of trade necessary to procure it, is ten whales' teeth of a large size ; and for these the natives will cut it, bring it from the distant mountains, and take it on board the ship ; and this cargo in China, would be worth near a million of dollars. I have seen this sandal- wood, that is so highly esteemed by the Chinese ; — indeed their infatuation for it, falls little short of that of the natives for whales' teeth — it does not appear capable of receiving a high polish, nor is its color agreeable ; the odor arising from it is pleasant, and the principal uses to which the Chinese are said to apply it, is to burn it in their temples, and to extract from it an oil, which is said to be of great value." In a short time Gattanewa, the chief, came on board of the Essex. Most of the warriors they had seen were highly ornamented with plumes and were attired in all the gew-gaws of savage splendor. Thej^ generally carried a black and highly polished spear or a club richly carved and their bodies were elegantly tattooed. "What was my astonishment then," says Porter, "when Gattanewa presented himself; an infirm old man of seventy years of age, destitute of every covering or ornament except a clout about his loins, and a piece of palm leaf tied about his head : a long stick seemed to assist him in walking ; his face and body were as black as a negro's, from the quantity of tattooing, which entirely cov.ered them, and his skin was rough, and appeared to be peeling off in scales, from the quantity of kava (an intoxicating root) with which he had indulged himself. Such was the figure that Gattanewa presented ; and as he had drank freely of the kava before he made his visit, he appeared to be perfectly stupid. After he had been a short time on deck, I endeavored to impress him with a high opinion of our force ; and for this purpose assembled all my crew : it scarcely seenied to excite his attention. I then caused a gun to be fired, which seemed to produce no other effect on him, than that of pain ; he complained that it hurt his ears ; I then invited him below, where nothing whatever excited his attentions, until I showed him some whales' teeth : this roused the old man from his lethargy, and he would not be satisfied, until I had permitted him to handle, to measure and count them over and over, which seemed to afford him infinite pleasure. After he had done this repeatedly, I put them away ; and shortly afterward asked him if he had seen anything in the ship that pleased him ; if he did to name it and it should be his : he told me he had seen nothing which had pleased him so much as one of the small whales' teeth ; which on his describing, I took out and gave to him : this he carefully wrapped up in one of the turns of his clout; begging me not to inform any person that he had about him an article of so much value : I OF AMERICANS. 333 assured him I should not ; and the old man threw himself on the settee and went to sleep. In a few minutes he awoke, somewhat recovered from his stupidity, and requested to be put on shore : he, however, previous to his departure, wished me to exchange names with him, and requested me to assist him in his war with the Happuhs : to the first I immediately consented. He told me they had cursed the bones of his mother, who had died but a short time since : that as we had exchanged names, she was now ray mother, and I was bound to espouse her cause. I told him I would think of the subject, and did not think it necessary to make any farther reply to the old man's sophistry. Captain Porter now unbent the sails of the Essex and sent them on shore ; landed his water casks with which he formed a complete inclosure : the ship was hauled close within the beach and they began to make their repairs. A tent was erected and the whole placed under a guard of marines. In the meanwhile the Ilappahs descended in a large bodj' into the valley and dis- troyed an immense number of the bread-fruit trees. They sent word that inasmuch as the Americans had not opposed them they believed they were cowards an.d that they should visit their camp and carry off their sails. Before proceeding to extremities. Captain Porter thought he could try and frighten them out of their hostile notions. As Gattenewa made daily ap- plications for assistance. Captain Porter at length told him that if his people would carry a heavy gun, a six pounder up to the top of a high mountain which he jDointed out to him he would send men up to work it and drive away the Happahs who still kept possession of the surrounding hills. This was unanimously agreed to by every man in the valley. On the gun being landed he caused a few shot to be fired over the water first with ball and then with grape shot, which last particularly so delighted those simple folks that they hugged and kissed the gun and laid down beside it and caressed it with the utmost fondness. " While the natives were employed with their darling gun, I occupied ray- self in forwarding as much as possible the ship's duty. Xo work was ex- acted from any person after four o'clock in the afternoon ; the rest of the day was given to repose and amusement. One fourth of the crew being allowed after that hour to go on shore, there to remain until daylight next morning. Everything went on as well as I could have wished, and much better than I could possibly have expected. The day after the gun was moved for the mountains, the chief warrior of the Tayehs named Mouina, was introduced to me. He was a tall, well shaped man of about thirty-five years of age, remarkably active, of an intelligent and open countenance, and his whole appearance was prepossessing. He had just left the other warriors in the fortified village, and had come down to request me to cause a musket to be fired — which he called a bouhi — that he might witness its elfccts. Several individuals of the tribe of the Happahs were at that moment about the camp, and I was pleased at the opportunity which was afforded me to convince them of the folly of resisting our fire-arms with slings and spears. I fired several times myself at a mark to show them that I never failed of hitting an object the size of a man, I then directed the marines to fire by volleys at a cask, which was soon like a riddle. Mouina appeared much pleased with the effect of our musketry ; and 334 ADVENTURES AND ACIIIEVEilENTS frequently exclaimed, mattee, mattee ! killed, killed 1 The Happabs, wlio were present however, replied that nothing could i:)ersuade their tribe, that houhies could do them the injury that we pretended : that they were de- termined to try the effects of a battle, and if they should be beaten, that they would be willing to make peace ; but not before. I informed them that they would not find me so ready to make peace after beating them, as at present ; and that I should insist on being paid for the trouble they might put me to. Seeing that these strange people were resolutely bent on trying the effect of their arms against ours, I thought that the sooner they were con- vinced of their folly the better. Indeed it became absolutely necessary to do something ; for the Happahs present informed me that their tribe believed that we were afraid to attack them, as we had threatened so much, without attempting anything ; and this idea, I found, began to prevail among those of our valley, which is called the valley of Tieulioy, and the people Hav- ouhs, Parques, IToattas, etc., for the valley is subdivided into other valleys by the hills, and each small valley is inhabited by distinct tribes, governed by their own laws, and having their own chiefs and priests. On the 28th October, Gattanewa, with several of the warriors, came to in- form me that the gun was at the foot of the mountain, where I had directed it to be carried, and that it would have reached the summit by the time our people could get up there. I informed them that, on the next morning at daylight, forty men, with their muskets, would be on shore and in readiness to, march; and as I supposed it would be impossible for our people to scale the mountains, when incumbered with their arms, I desired them to send me forty Indians for the purpose of carrying their muskets, and an equal number to carry provisions as well as ammunition for the six pounder, which they promised me should be done, and every arrangement was made accord- ingly, and the command of the expedition given to Lieutenant Downes. On the morning of the 29th the party being on shore, consisting chiefly of the crew of the Essex Junior and the detachment of marines, each man being furnished with an Indian to carry his arms, and spare Indians to carry provisions and other articles, I gave the order to march. About elevea o'clock I perceived that our people had gained the mountains and were driving the Happahs from height to height, who fought as they retreated, and daring our men to follow them with threatening gesticulations. A native, who bore the American flag, waved it in triumph as he skipped along the moun- tains — they were attended by a large concourse of friendly natives, armed as usual, who generally kept in the rear of our men. Mouina alone was seen in the advance of the whole, and was well known by his scarlet cloak and waving plumes. In about an hour we lost sight of the combatants and saw no more of them until about four o'clofck, when they were discovered descendin"' the mountains on their return, the natives bearing five dead bodies slung on poles. Mr. Downes and his men soon afterward arrived at the camp, overcome witb the fatigue of an exercise to which they had been so little accustomed. He informed me that on his arrival near the tops of the mountains, the Hap- pahs, stationed on the summit, had assailed him and his men with stones and spears ; that he had driven them from place to place until they had taken refuge in a fortress, erected in a manner before described, on the brow OF AMERICANS. 335 of a steep hill. Here they all made a stand, to the number of between three and four thousand. They dared our people to ascend this hill, at the foot of which they had made a halt to take breath. The word was given by Mr. Dowries to rush up the hill ; at that instant a stone struck him on the belly and laid him breathless on the ground, and at the same instant one of our people was pierced with a spear through his neck. This occasioned a halt, and they were about abandoning anj' farther attempt on the place : but Mr. Downes soon recovered, and finding himself able to walk gave orders for a charge. Hitherto our party had done nothing. Not one of the enemy had, to their knowledge, been wounded. They scoffed at our men, and ex- l^osed their posteriors to them, and treated them with the utmost contempt and derision. The friendly natives also began to think we were not so formidable as we pretended : it became, therefore, absolutely necessary that the fort should be taken at all hazards. Our people gave three cheers, and rushed on through a shower of spears and stones, which the natives threw from behind their strong barrier, and it was not until our people entered the fort that they thought of retreating. Five were at this instant shot dead ; and one in particular, fought until the muzzle of the piece was presented to his forehead, when the top of his head was entirely blown off. As soon as this place was taken all further resistance was at an end. It was shocking to see the manner the friendly natives treated such as were knocked over with a shot ; they rushed on them with their war clubs and soon dispatched them : then each seemed anxious to dip his spear into the blood, which nothing could induce them to wipe off — the spear, from that time, bore the name of the dead warrior, and its value, in consequence of that trophy, was greatly enchanced. Gattanewa Avas astonished at our victory which, to him, seemed incredible ; and the number of dead which they had borne off as trophies had far ex- ceeded that of any former battle within his recollection ; as they fight for weeks, nay for months sometimes, without killing any on either side, though many are, in all their engagements, severely wounded. The Tayehs had, however, a short time before our arrival, lost one of their priests of the greatest note, who had been killed by an ambuscade of the Happahs ; and this circumstance had occasioned a tabboo of the strictest nature to be es- tablished, which was now in full force and continued as long as we remained on the island. I am not acquainted with the ceremony of layiug on these tabbooes, which are so much respected by the natives. They are, however, laid by tlie priests, from some religious motive. Sometimes they are general, and affect a whole valley, as the present; sometimes they are confined to a single tribe; at others to a family, and frequently to a single person. The word tuhhoo sig- nifies an interdiction, an embargo, or restraint ; and the restrictions during the Jjeriod of their existence may be compared to the lent of Catholics. They have tabbooed places, where they feast and drink kava — labbooed houses where dead bodies are deposited, and many of their trees, and even some of their walks are tabbooed. But, to proceed in my narrative : the Tayehs had brought in the bodies of the five men killed in storming the fort. We met with no loss on our side or on that of our allies. "We had two wounded, and one of the Indians 33G ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS had his jaw broke with a stone. The dead Happahs I was informed were lying in the public square, where the natives were rejoicing over them. I had been informed by the whites, on my arrival, and even by Wilson, that the natives of this island were cannibals : but, on the strictest inquiry, I could not learn that either of them had seen them in the act of eatinf human flesh. In conversing with Gattanewa on the subject, he did not hesitate to acknowledge that it was sometimes joracticed. He said they sometimes eat their enemies. I found it difficult to reconcile this practice with the generosity and benevolence which were leading traits in their character. They are cleanly in their persons, washing three or four times a day : and also in their mode of cooking and manner of eating ; and it was remarked, that no islander was known to taste of anything whatever, until he had first applied it to his nose, and if it was in the slightest degree tainted or offensive to the smell, it was always rejected. How then can it be possible that a people so delicate, living in a country abounding with hogs, fruit, and a considerable variety of vegetal)les, should prefer a loathsome putrid human carcass, to the numerous delicacies their valleys afiford ? I proceeded to the house of Gattanewa, which I found filled with women making the most dreadful lamentations, and surrounded by a large concourse of male natives. On my appearance there was a general shout of terror ; all fixed their eyes on me with looks of fear and apprehension. I approached the wife of Gattanewa, and required to know the cause of this alarm. She said now that we had destroyed the Happahs they were fearful we should turn on them : she took hold of my hand, which she kissed, and moistened with her tears : then placing it on her head, knelt to kiss my feet. She told me they were willing to be our slaves, to serve us, that their houses, their lands, their hogs, and everything belonging to them were ours ; but begged that I would have mercy on her, her children, and her family, and not put them to death. It seemed that they had worked themselves up to the highest pitch of fear, and on my appearance with a sentinel accompanying me, they could see in me nothing but the demon of destruction. I raised the poor old woman from her humble posture, and begged her to banish her groundless fears, that I had no intention of injuring any person residing in the valley of Tieuhoy : that if the Happahs had drawn on themselves our vengeance, and felt our resentment, they had none to blame but themselves. I had offered them peace ; but they had preferred war ; I had proffered them my friendship, and they had spurned at it. That there was no alterna- tive left me. I had chastised them, and was appeased. I then exhorted the wife of Gattanewa to endeavor to impress on the minds of every person the necessity of living on friendly terms with us ; that we were disposed to^ consider them as brothers ; that we had come with no hostile intentions toward them, and so long as they treated us as friends we would protect' them against all their enemies. The old woman was all attention to my dis-) course as delivered through Wilson the interpreter ; and I was about pro- ceeding when she requested me to stop. She now rose and commanded silence among the multitude, which had considerably augmented since my arrival, and addressed them with much grace and energy in a speech of about half an hour ; exhorting them, as I understood, to conduct themselves OP AMERICAKS. 337 with propriety, and explaining to them the advantages likely to result from a good understanding with us. After she had finished, she took me affec- tionately by the hand, and reminded me that I was her husband. All alarms now were subsided. I inquired for Gattacewa, and was in- formed that he was at the public square rejoicing over the bodies of the slain, but had been sent for. I proceeded for the place and met the old man hastening home. He had been out from the earliest dawn, and had not broken his fast. He held in one hand a cocoa-nut shell, containing a quan- tity of sour preparation of the bread-fruit, which is highly esteemed by the natives, and in the other a raw fish, which he occasionally dipped into it as he ate it. As soon however as Wilson gave him to understand that the practice of eating raw fish was disagreeable to me, he wrapped the re- mainder in a palm leaf, and handed it to a youth to keep for him until a more convenient opportunity offered for indulging himself. On my way to the square I observed several young warriors hastening along toward the place armed with their spears, at the ends of which were hung plantains bread-fruit, or cocoa-nuts, intended as offerings to their gods ; and on my approach to the square, I could hear them beating their drums and chanting their war-songs. I soon discovered five or six hundred of them assembled about the dead bodies, which were lying on the ground. We had but little opportunity of gaining a knowledge of the language of these people while we remained among them ; but from the little we became acquainted with, we are satisfied that it is not copious ; few words serve to express all they wish to say ; and one word has oftentimes many significa- tions ; as for example, the word inotee signifies / thanh you, I have enough, I do not want it, I do not lilie it, Tceep it yourself, take it away, etc. Mattee ex- presses every degree of injury which can happen to a person or thing from the slightest harm to the most cruel death. Thus a prick of the finger is mattee, to have a pain in any part is mattee; mattee is to be sick, to be badly wounded is mattee, and mattee is to kill or be killed, to be broke (when speaking of inanimate objects), to be injured in any way, even to be dirtied or soiled is expressed by the word mattee. Motakee, with slight variation of the voice, signifies every degree of good, from a thing merely tolerable, to an object of the greatest excellence ; thus it is, so, so good, very good, excellent: it signifies the qualities and disposition of persons ; thus they are tolerable, nicely, handsome, or beautiful, — good, Icind, benevolent, generous, humane. Ke- Iieva, which signifies 'bad, is as extensive in its use as motakee, and, by suita- ble modulations of the voice, has meanings directly opposite. This is the case with many other words in their language ; indeed, with all we became acquainted with. Kie-hie signifies to eat, it also signifies a troublesome fellow. The hogs of this island are generally of a small and inferior breed, but there are many as large and as fine as those of any part of the world. Ac- cording to the traditions of the natives, many generations ago, a god named Haii visited all the islands of the group, and brought with him hogs and fowls, which he left among them. Haii was, no doubt, some navigator, who, near four centuries ago, by their reckoning left the aforesaid animals among the natives. Our accounts of voyages made into this sea do not extend so far back, and even if they did, we should be at a loss to know him from the name given to him by the natives. We found it impossible for them to pro- 338 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS nonnce our names distinctly, even after the utmost pains to teach them, and the most repeated trials on their part. They gave me the name of Ojootec, which was the nearest they could come to Porter. Mr. Downes was called Onou; Lieutenant Wilmer, Wooreme ; Lieutenant M' Knight, i^/Mc/i(?ei^e, and the name of every one else underwent an equal change. These names we were called by and answered to so long as we remained with them ; and it is not improbable that we shall be so called in their traditionary accounts. If there should be no other means of handing our names down to posterity it is likely wo shall be as little known to future navigators as Haii is to us. The natives call a hog houarka, or rather PouarTca ; and it is likely that they still retain the name nearly by which they were first known to them. The Spaniards call a hog jporca, giving it a sound very little different from that given by the natives of these islands ; and as the Spaniards were the earliest navigators in these seas, there is scarcely a doubt that they are indebted to onfe of that nation for so precious a gift. The cocoa-nuts grow in great abundance in every valley of the island, and are cultivated with much care. This tree is too well known to ne^ a de- scription ; yet the mode used to propagate it may not be uninteresting. As the cocoa-nuts become ripe, they are carefully collected from the tree, which is ascended by means of a slip of strong bark, with which they make their feet fast a little above the ankles, leaving them about a foot asunder ; they then grasp the tree with their arras, feet, and knees, and the strip of bark resting on the rough projections of the bark of the tree, prevents them from slipping down : in this manner, bj' alternately shifting their feet and hands, they asceiul with great apparent ease and rapidity the highest tree. The tca-ra is a root much resembling a yam, of a pungent taste, and ex- cellent when boiled or roasted. The sugar-cane grows to an uncommon size here. The only use they make of it is to chew and swallow the juice. The l-ava is a root possessing an intoxicating quality, with which "the chiefs are very fond of indulging themselves. They employ persons of a lower class to chew it for them and spit it into a wooden bowl ; after which a small quantity of water is mixed with it, when the juice is strained into a neatly polished cup, made of a cocoa-nut shell, and passed round among them : it renders them very stupid and averse to hearing any noise : it de- prives them of their appetite, and reduces them almost to a state of torpor : it has the effect of making their skin fall off in white scales ; affects their nerves, and no doubt brings on a premature old age. They applied the word kava to everything we eat or drank of a heating or pungent nature as rum or wine ; pepper, mustard, and even salt. The bread-fruit tree of this island grows with great luxuriance, in exten- sive groves, scattered through every valley. It is of the height of fifty or sixty feet, branching out in a large and spreading top, which affords a beau- tiful appearance and an extensive shade from the rays of the sun ; the trunk is about six feet in circumference ; the lower branches about twelve feet from the ground ; the bark soft, and on being in the slightest degree wounded exudes a millcy juice, not unpleasant to the taste, which, on being exposed to the sun, forms an excellent bird-lime, and is used by the natives as such, not only for catching birds, but a small kind of rat with which this island is much infested. The leaves of this tree are sixteen inches long and OF AMERICANS. 339 nine inches wide, deeply notched, somewhat like the fig leaf. The fruit, when ripe, is about the size of a child's head, green, and divided by slight traces into innumerable six sided figures. This fruit is somewhat eliptical in its shape, ha.s a thin and delicate skin, a large and tough core, with re- markably small seeds situated in a spongy substance between the core and the eatable part, which is next the rind. It is eaten baked, boiled or roasted ; whole, quartered, or cut in slices, and cooked ; either way was found exceedingly palatable, was greatly preferred by many to our soft bread, which it somewhat resembled in tasto, but was much sweeter ; it was found also very fine, when cut into slices and fried in butter or lard. It keeps only three or four days, when gathered and hung up ; but the natives have a method of preserving it for several years, by baking, wrapping it up in leaves, and burying it in the earth : in that state it becomes very sour, and is then more highly esteemed by them than any other food. The bread-fruit tree is everything to the natives of these islands. The fruit serves them and their hogs for food throughout the year, and affords large sup- plies to be laid up for a season of scarcity. The trees afford them an agreeable and refreshing shade ; the leaves are an excellent covering for their houses ; of the inner bark of the small branches they make cloth ; the juice, which exudes, enables them to destroy the rats which infest them ; and of the trunk of the tree they form their canoes, manj- parts of their houses, and even their gods. Describe to one of the natives of Madison's Island a coun- try abounding in everything that we consider desirable, and after you are done he will ask you if it produces bread-fruit. A country is nothing to them without that blessing, and the season for bread-fruit is the time of joy and festivity : the season commences in December, and lasts until Septem- ber, when the greatest abundance reigns among them. On the first of November, Moioattaeeh, a chief of the Eappalis, and son-in- law to Gattanewa, came, accompanied by several others of his tribe with the white handkerchief which I had sent them, to treat with me for a peace. I received him with mildness, and gently expostulated with them on their im- prudence, in having insisted on hostilities with me. They expressed the ut- most regret for their past folly, and hoped that I would allow them in future to live on the same friendly terms with me as Gattanewa and his people, stating their willingness to comply with everything I should exact from them in reason. I informed them that as I had offered them peace, and they had rejected it, and had put me to the trouble of chastising them, it was proper that we should receive some compensation. We were in want of hogs and fruit, and they had an abundance of them, and I wished them to give me a supph', once a week, for my people, for which they should be compensated in iron and such other articles as would be most useful to them, Gattanewa and many of his tribe were present, and appeared charmed with the terms offered to the Happalis; said they would henceforth be brothers, and observing that I had not yet presented my hand, took it affectionately and placed in that of Mowattaeeh. After a short silence Mowattaeeh observed that we must suffer much from the rain in our tents, as they did not appear capable of securing us from tlie wet. Yes, said Gattanewa, and we are bound to make the Ilekai — a title which they all gave me — and his people comfortable while they remain with us. Let every tribe at peace with him, 22 340 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS biiild a liouse for their accommodation, and the people of the valley of TieiJioy will show them the example by building one for the residence of Opotee — Porter. This proposal met with general applause, and the people were immediately dispatched to prepare materials for erecting the fabric next day, at which time the Happahs promised to bring in their supply, and the day after to construct their house. In the course of the day, the other chiefs of the Happahs came in with their flags and subscribed to the terms proposed, and in less than two days I received envoys from every tribe in the island, with the exception only of the warlike tribes of Typees, of the valley of Yieehee, and the Hatecaalicottvjolios, in the distant valley of Hanna- Ticfio ; the first confiding in their strength, valor, and position ; the others in their distance and numbers for their protection. The first had always been vic- torious in all their wars and the terror of their enemies ; the others were their firm allies ; neither had they ever been driven ; they had been taught by their priests to believe that they never would be, and it was their constant boast that they had ever kept their valley free from the incursions of an enemy. All agreed to the terms proposed ; supplies were brought in by the tribes in great abundance, and from this time for several weeks, we rioted in lux- uries which the island afforded. To the principal persons of the tribes I always presented a harpoon, it' being to them the most valuable article of iron, and to the rest scraps of iron hoops were thrown, in which they took much delight. Agreeable to the request of the chiefs I laid down the plan of the village about to bo built ; the line on which the houses were to be placed was al- ready traced by our barrier of water casks ; they were to take the form of a crescent, were to be built on the outside of the inclosure, and to be con- nected with each other by a wall twelve feet in length and four feet in height ; the houses were to be fifty feet in length, built in the usual fashion of the country, and of a proportioned width and height. On the 3d November, upward of four thousand natives, from the different tribes, assembled at the camp with materials for building, and before night they had completed a dwelling house for myself and another for the oflBcers, a sail loft, a coopers' shop, and a place for our sick, a bake house, a guard house, and a shed for the sentinel to walk under ; the whole were connected by the walls as above described. We removed our barrier of water casks, and took possession of our delightful village, which had been built as if by enchantment. It seems strange how a people living under no form of government that we could ever perceive, having no chiefs over them who appear to possess any authority, having neither rewards to stimulate them to exertion nor dread of punishment before them, should be capable of conceiving and exe- cuting, with the rapidity of lightning, works which astonished us ; they ap- pear to act with one mind, to have the same thought, and to be operated on by the same impulse ; they can be compared only to the beaver, whose in- stinct teaches them to design and execute works which claim our admira- tion. Some time after this I sent a messenger to tho Typces to know if they wished to be at peace with us. In two days he returned and was desired by the Typees to tell Gattanewa and all the people of the valley of Tieu- OF AMERICANS. 341 hoy that they were cowards — that we had beat the Ilappahs because the Happahs were cowards ; that as to myself and my people, we were white lizards, mere dirt. We were, said they, incapable of standing fatigue, over- come by the slightest heat and want of water, and could not climb the mountains without Indians to assist us and carry our arms ; and yet we talked of chastising the Typees, a tribe which had never been driven by an enemy, and as their gods informed them were never to bo driven. I now inquired of Gattanewa the number of war canoes which he could equip and man ; ho informed me ten, and that each would carry about thirty men, and that the Happahs could equip an equal number of equal size ; he told me it would be six days before they could be put together and got in readiness ; but if I wished it his people should set about it immediately. I directed them to do so, and dispatched a messenger to the Happahs directing them to prepare their war canoes to be in readiness to go to war with tho Typees, and await my further orders. I gave them as well as the Tayehs to understand that it was my intention to attack them both by sea and by land, and that I should send a large body of men in boats and a sliip to i:»rotect the landing of them and the war canoes, and that the remainder of the warriors of both tribes must proceed by land to attack them in the part where they were most assailable. I now conceived the design of construct- ing a fort, not only as a protection to our village and the harbor, but as a se- curity to the Tayehs against further incursions, I had for some time past intended leaving my prizes here as the most suitable place to lay them up, and this fort would give them additional security. Assisted by the Indians I began the construction of a fort which was com- pleted on the 14th ; all worked with zeal, and as the friendly tribes were daily coming in with presents, all joined in the labor. The chiefs requested that they might be admitted on the sarae footing as the Tayehs, and everything promised harmony between us ; they would frequently speak of the war with the Typees, and I informed them I only waited for their war canoes to be put together and launched. On the 19th November, the American flag was displayed in our fort, a salute of seventeen guns was fired from the artillery mounted there, and returned by the shipping in the harbor. The island was taken possession of for the United States, and called Madison's Island, the fort. Fort Madison, the village, Madison's Ville, and the bay, Massachusetts Bay. A few days after this I took a party of sailors and marines in some boats and went some eight miles from our anchorage to examine a fine bay. We landed near a village at the mouth of a beautiful rivulet. On landing, many of the natives came to the beach, who seemed disposed to treat us in the most friendly manner ; but apprehensive of being troubled by their num- bers I drew a line in the sand at some distance about the boats, and informed them they were taUbooed, and as an additional security to us, I caused all the arms to be loaded and ready for service on the first alarm, and sentinels placed over them. Shortly after this the chief came down to invite me tD the public square, the general place in all their villages for the reception of strangers. Shortly after our arrival the women and girls assembled from all quarters of the town, dressed out in all their finery to meet us ; they were here free from all the restraints imposed by the tahhoos and were abundantly 34:2 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS anointed with tlie oil of the cocoa-nut, and their skins well bedaubed with red and yellow paint, as was their clothing ; some were also smeared with greenish paint, the object of which I found on inquiry, was to preserve the fairness and beauty of the skin, and indeed of this they seemed to take particular pains, every one of them being furnished with a kind of umbrella, formed of a bunch of palm leaves, to shield them from the effects of the sun : their care and attention in this particular had rendered them far supe- rior in point of beauty to the females of our valley, and the difference was so striking as to make them appear a distinct people. Some of the girls, probably in compliment to us, or to render themselves more attractive in our eyes, cleansed themselves (by washing in the stream) of their oil and paint, threw aside their bedaubed clothing, and soon appeared neatly clad in cloth of the purest white ; and I can say, without exaggeration, that I never have seen women more perfectly beautiful in form, features, and complexion, or that had playful innocence more strongly marked on their countenances or in their manners ; all seemed perfectly easy and even graceful, and all strove by their winning attentions, who should render themselves most pleasing to us. The girls formed a circle round us, and those of a more advanced age were seated outside of them ; the men showed us every kind attention, and strove to convince us of their friendship by bringing us cocoa-nuts, and cooking for us hogs and bread-fruit after their manner, which were found excellent. A daughter of Gattanewa was among them ; she was the wife of the chief who had met us on our arrival ; she seemed no less friendly disposed than her husband, and embraced me as her father, reminding me frequently that from the exchange of names I had become such ; from her filial affec- tio'n she bestowed on me a bountiful supply of the red and yellow paint with which she was covered, and insisted on my sending away my boats and people and remaining with them until the next day, and no excuse that I could offer for my return to the ship would satisfy her; they all joined in her solicitations, and, as an inducement for me to remain, promised me the choicest mats to sleep on and the handsomest girls in the village to sing me to sleep. After our repast all the women joined in a song, which was ac- companied by the clapping of hands ; it lasted near half an hour, and was not unmusical. I inquired the subject of it, and was informed by Wilson that it was the history of the loves of a young man and a young woman of their valley : they sung their mutual attachment and the praises of their beauty ; described with raptures the handsome beads and whales' teeth ear rings with which she was bedecked, and the large whale's tooth which hung from his neck. They afterward joined in a short song which they appeared to compose as they sung, in which I could plainly distinguish the words ^Opotee, tie ties, peepees, etc. (Porter presents beads, etc.), after which they strove in various ways who should most ainuse us, the men in dancing, the girls in playing scratch cradle (an amusement well known in America), at which they are more dextrous than any other I ever met with. Our time passed rapidly with these kind people, and the evening ap- proached before we were aware of it. It became necessary to hasten to the ship, and we bade them farewell, Avith a promise that we should shortly return and bring with us a larger supply of peepees and other tie ties, so much desired by them. OF AMERICANS. 3^3 On the 27tli November I informed the Tayehs and Happahs that I should next day go to war with the Typees, agreeable to my original plan. The Esses Junior sailed in the afternoon, and I proceeded next morning, at three o'clock, with five boats, accompanied by ten war canoes, blowing their conches as a signal by which they could keep together. We arrived at the Typee landing at sunrise, and were joined by ten war canoes from the Hap- pahs ; the Essex Junior soon after arrived and anchored. The tops of all the neighboring mountains were covered with the Tayeh and Ilappah war- riors, armed with their spears, clubs, and slings; the beach was covered with the warriors who came with the canoes, and who joined us from the hills ; our force did not amount to a less number than five thousand men. I had brought with me one of those whom I had intended to emjploy as ambas- sadors ; he had intermarried with the Typees and was privileged to go among them ; I furnished him with a white flag and sent him to inform the Typees that I had come to offer them peace, but was prepared for war ; that I only required that thoy should submit to the sanie terms as those entered into by the other tribes, and that terras of friendship would be much more pleasing to me than any satisfaction which I expected to derive from chastising them. In a few minutes after the departure of my messenger he came running back, the picture of terror, and informed me he had met in the bushes an ambuscade of Typees, who, regardless of his flag of truce, which he dis- played to them, had driven hirrfback with blows, and had threatened to put him to death if he again ventured among them ; and in an instant afterward we had a confirmation of his statement in a shower of stones which came from the bushes. To remain still would have proved fatal to us ; to have retreated would have convinced them of our fears and our incapacity to in- injure them ; our only safety was in advancing and endeavoring to clear the thicket, which I had been informed was of no gi-eat extent. We advanced a mile or more when we came to a small opening on the bank of a river, from the thicket on the opposite side of which we were assailed with a shower of stones, when Lieutenant Downes received a blow which shattered the bone of his left leg, and he fell. We had left parties in ambush in our rear, which we had not been able to dislodge, and to trust him to the Indians alone to take back was hazarding too much. The In- dians began to leave us ; all depended on our own exertions, and no time was to be lost in deliberation. I therefore dire'cted Mr. Shaw with four men to escort Lieutenant Downes to the beach ; this with the party I had left for the protection of the boats reduced my number to twenty-four men. As we continued our march the number of our allies became reduced, and even the brave Mouina, the first to expose himself, began to hang back ; while he kept in advance, he had, by the quickness of his sight, which was astonish- ing, put us on our guard as the stones and spears came, and enabled us to elude them, but now they came too thick even for him to withstand. We soon came to tbe place for fording the river ; in the thick bushes of the opposite banks of which the Typees, who were here very numerous, made a bold stand, and showered on us their spears and other missiles. Wo endeavored in vain to clear the bushes of the opposite bauKS with our musketry. The stones and spears flew with augmented numbers. Finding that we could not disloge them, I directed a volley to bo fired, threo cheers 344 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS to be given, and to dash across the river. We soon gained the opposite bank and continued our march, rendered still more difficult by the underwood, which was here interlaced to that degree as to make it necessary sometimes to crawl on our hands and Icnecs to get along. We were harassed as usual by the Typees for about a quarter of a mile through a thicket which, at almost any other time, I should have considered impassable. Ou emerging from the swamp we felt new life and spirits ; but this joy was of short dura- tion, for on casting up our eyes, we perceived a strong and extensive wall of seven feet in height, raised on an eminence crossing our road, and flanked on each side by an impenetrable thicket, and in an instant afterward were assailed by a shower of stones, accompanied by the most horrid yells. Finding we could not dislodge them, I gave orders for pushing on and en- deavoring to take it by storm : but some of my men had by this time ex- pended all their cartridges, and there were few who had more than three or four remaining. This discouraging news threw a damp on the si^irits of the whole party ; without ammunition our muskets were rendered inferior to the weapons of the Typees, and if we could not advance, there could be no doubt we should be under the necessity of fighting our way back ; and to attempt this with our few remaining cartridges, would be hazarding too much. Our only safety now depended on holding our ground until we could procure a fresh supply of ammunition, and in I'eserving the few charges on hand until it could be brought to us. I mentioned my inten- tions to my people, exhorted them to save their ammunition as much as possible, and dispatched Lieutenant Gamble with a detachment of four men to the beach, there to make a boat and proceed to the Essex Junior for a fresh supply. My number was now reduced to nineteen men ; there was no officer but myself; the Indians had all deserted me except Mouina; and to add to our critical and dangerous situation, three of the men remaining with me were knocked down with stones. Mouina begged me to retreat, crying mattee ! mattee ! The wounded entreated me to permit the othera to carry them to the beach, but I had none to spare to accompany them. I saw no hopes of succeeding against the natives, so long as they kept their stronghold ; and determined to endeavor to draw them out by a feint re- treat, and by this means to gain some advantage. For to return without gaining some advantage would, I believed, have rendered an attack from the Ilappahs certain. I communicated my intentions ; directed the wounded to be taken care of ; gave orders for all to run until we were concealed by the bushes, and then halt. We retreated for a few paces, and in an instant the Indians rushed on us with hideous yells. The first and second which advanced were killed at the distance of a few paces, and those who at- tempted to carry them off were wounded. This checked them, they aban- doned their dead and precipitately retreated to their fort. Not a moment was now to be lost in gaining the opposite side of the river. Taking advan- tage of the terror they were thrown into, we marched off with our wounded. Scarcely had we crossed the river before we were attacked with stones ; but bere they halted, and we returned to the beach much fatigued and harassed with marching and fighting, and with no contemptible opinion of the enemy we had encountered or the difficulties we should have to surmount in con- quering them. OF AMERICANS. 345 On my arrival I found the boat which had been missing, together with a reinforcement of men from the Essex Junior, and a supply of ammunition, I was desirous of sounding the Typees before I proceeded to further ex- tremities, as also to impress our allies with the idea that we could carry all before us. They told my messenger to tell me that they had killed my chief warrior — for such they supposed Mr. Downes to be — that they had wounded several of my people, and compelled us to retreat. They knew their strength and the numbers they could oppose ; and held our bouhies in moro contempt than ever, they frequently missed fire, rarely killed, and tho wounds they occasioned were not as painful as those of a spear or stone ; and, they added, they knew they would prove perfectly useless to us should it coma on to rain. They dared us to renew the contest ; and assured us they would not retreat beyond where we had left them. Overcome with fatigue and discouraged by the formidable appearance of their fortress, my men also fatigued and disheartened from the number of wounded, I determined to leave them for the present, but meditated a scvero punishment for them. The Happahs had now descended the hills with their arms ; the Shouemes appeared on the other side, and " the Typees have driven the white men," was the constant topic of conversation. Wo were still but a handful and were surrounded by several thousand Indians ; and although they professed friendship, I did not feel safe. I therefore di- rected everybody to embark and proceed to the Essex Junior, anxious to know the state of Lieutenant Downes. The next day I determined to proceed with a force which I believed they could not resist, and selected two hundred men from the Essex, the Essex Junior, and from the prizes. In the evening I caused the party to be sent on shore and determined to go by land. We had a fine moonlight night, and I hoped to be down in the Typee valley long before daylight, and to take them by surprise. I di- rected the party sent in advance to halt as soon as they had gained the top of the mountain until I came up with the main body. There I intended encamping for the night, should our men not be able to stand the fatigue of a longer march. Several gave out before we reached the summit, which wo did in about three hours, with great difBculty ; but after resting a short time, and finding ourselves refreshed, the moon shining out bright, and our guides informing us (though very incorrectly) that we were not more than six miles from the enemy, we again marched. Several Indians had joined us, but I had imposed silence on them, as we were under the necessity of passing a Happah village, and was fearful of their discovering us, and giving intelli- gence to the Typees^ Not a whisper was heard from one end of tho line to the other ; our guides marched in front, and we followed in silence up and down the steep sides of rocks and mountains, through rivulets, thickets, and reed breaks, and by the sides of precipices which sometimes caused us to shudder. At twelve o'clock we could hear the drums beating in the Typee valley accompanied by loud singing, and the number of lights in different parts of it induced me to believe they were rejoicing, I inquired the cause, and was informed by the Indians they were celebrating the victory they had obtained over us, and calling on their gods to give them rain in order that it might render our bouhies useless. We soon arrived at the pathway 346 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS leading from the top of the mountain into the valley ; but the Indians told us that it would be impossible to descend it without day-light ; that the mountain was almost perpendicular, and that in many places we should be under the necessity of lowering ourselves down with great caution, and that it would be even necessary for them to assist us in the day-time to enable us to get dowu with safety. I concluded that it would be most advisable to wait for day-light before we attempted to descend. We were in possession of the pathway to the valley, and could prevent the Happahs from giving them any intelligence of us ; we were on a narrow ridge running between the valleys of the two tribes and well situated to guard against surprise and defend ourselves from an attack from either ; and what added to the con- venience of our situation, we h?,d a stream of water not far distant. After placing guards we laid down on our arms. I had fallen into a dose when an Indian came to inform me that it was coming on to rain very heavy, and as he expressed himself would mattee ! mattee ! bouhie. This appearance of rain caused loud shouts of joy in the Typee valley and drums were beating in every quarter. I cautioned my men about taking care of their arms and ammunition ; but from the violence of the rain, which soon poured down in torrents, I had little hopes that a musket would be kept dry or a cartridge saved. Never, in the course of my life, did I spend a more anxious or disagreeable night, and I believe there were few with me who had ever seen its equal. A cold and piercing wind accompanied the deluge, for I can call it nothing else, and chilled us to the very heart ; without room to keep ourselves warm by moving about, fearful of stirring, lest we might be percipitated into eternity down the steep sides of the mountains, for the ridge had now become so slippery we could scarcely keep our feet — we all anxiously looked for morning, and the first dawn of day, although the wind and rain still continued, was a cheering sight to us, notwithstanding our apprehensions for the fate of the ammunition and the conditions of our muskets. We were all as perfectly wet as though Ave had been under -water the whole time, and we scarcely entertained a hope that a single cartridge or musket had escaped. The Indians kept exclaim- ing that our muskets were spoilt, and anxiously wished us to retreat in time ; but notwithstanding my fears on the subject, I endeavored to impress them with a belief that water could do them no injury. As soon as it was light enough I went among my men and inquired into the state of their arms and ammunition. The first had escaped better than I had any reason to hope ; but of the latter more than one half was wet and unfit for service. . The Happah village lay on one side of the mountain, as I before observed, the Typee on the other, and when it was light enough to see down into the valley of the latter we were astonished at the greatness of the height we were elevated above them, and the steepness of the mountain by which we should have to descend to get to them. A narrow pathway pointed out the track, but it was soon lost among the cliffs. The Indians informed me that in the present slippery state of the mountain no one could descend, and as our men were much harassed with fatigue, overcome with hunger, shiver- ing and uncomfortable, I determined to take up my quarters in the Happah valley until next day to enable us to refresh, and I hoped by that time the weather would prove more favorable. The chief soon arrived, and I com- OF AMERICANS. 347 municated to him my intentions, directing him to send down and have houses provided for us, as also hogs and fruit, all of which he promised should be done. Before I left the hill I determined by firing a volley to show the natives that our muskets had not received as much injury as they had expected, as I believed, under their impressions, at that moment, the Happahs would not have hesitated in making an attack on us, and to avoid any difficulties with them I thought it best to convince them we were still formidable. I had other motives also for firing, the Tayehs and Happahs, I knew, would accompany us into the Typee valley ; and as I had put off our descent until the next day, I concluded that it would be best to give them timely notice of our approach, that they might be enabled to remove their women and children, their hogs, and most valuable effects ; for although I felt desirous of chastising them for their conduct, I wished to prevent the innocent from suffering, or the pillage and destruction of their property by the Indians who accomi^anicd us. I accordingly directed my men to as- semble on the ridge and to fire a volley ; the Typees had not until then seen us, nor had they the least suspicion of our being there. As soon as they heard the report of our muskets, and discovered our numbers, which, with the multitude of Indians of both tribes who had now assembled, was very numerous, they shouted, beat their drums, and blew their war conches from one end of the valley to the other : and what with the squealing of the hogs, which they now began to catch, the screaming of the women and chil- dren, and the yelling of the men, the din was horrible. After firing our volley, which went off better than I expected, we de- scended, with great difficulty, into the village of the Happahs, and were shown into the public square. Around this place were several vacant houses which had, in all appearance, been vacated on our account : in these I quar- tered my officers aud men, assigning to each ship's crew their abode. The Happahs assembled about us, armed with their clubs and spears ; and the women, who had at first crowded round us, now began to abandon us. Every- thing bore the appearance of a hostile disposition on the part of the Hap- pahs : our friends the Tayehs cautioned us to be on our guard. I directed everyone to keep their arms in their hands, ready to assemble at a moment's warning. I now sent for their chief and required to know if they were hostilely disposed. I told him it was necessary we should have something to eat, and that I expected his people to bring us hogs and fruit, and if they did not do so I should be under the necessity of sending out parties to shoot them and cut down their fruit trees, as our people were too much fatigued to climb them. I also directed that they should lay by their spears aud clubs. Ko notice being taken of these demands, I caused many of their spears and clubs to be taken from them and broken, and sent parties out to Bhoot hogs, while others were employed iu cutting down cocoa-nut and ba- nana trees until we had a sufficient supply. The chiefs and the peoi>lc of the Happah tribe now became intimidated and brought the baked hogs in greater abuudance than were required ; friend- ship was re-established, and the women returned. When night approached, projier lookouts were placed, fires made before each house : those of the tribe of Tayehs remained with us, the Happahs retired. All not on guard devoted themselves to sleep, and at daylight, nest morning, we equally 348 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS divided our -imraunition, and the line of marcli was formed. All had put their arms in a good state for service, and all were fresh and vigorous ; each being supplied with a small quantity of provisions for the day. On ascending the ridge, where we had passed such a disagreeable night, we halted to take breath, and view, for a few minutes, this delightful valley, which was soon to become a scene of desolation. From the hill we had a distant view of every part, and all appeared equally delightful. The valley was about nine miles in length and three or four in breadth, surrounded on 'every part, except the beach, where we formerly landed, by lofty mountains ; the upper part was bounded by a precipice of many hundred feet in height, from the top of which a handsome sheet of water was precipitated, and formed a beautiful river, which ran meandering through the valley and dis- charged itself at the beach. Villages were scattered here and there ; the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees flourished luxuriantly and in abundance ; plantations laid out in good order, inclosed with stone walls, were in a high state of cultivation, and everything bespoke industry, abundance, and hap- piness — never in my life did I witness a more delightful scene, or experience more repugnance than I now felt for the necessity which compelled me to punish a happy and heroic people. A large assemblage of Typee warriors wera posted on the opposite banks of the river (which glided near the foot of the mountain) and dared us to descend. In their rear was a fortified village, secured by strong stone v/alls ; drums were beating and war conches were sounding in several parts, and we soon found they were disposed to make every effort to oppose us. I gave orders to descend ; Mouina offered himself as our guide, and I directed him to lead us to their principal village : but finding the fatigue of going down the mountain greater than I expected, I gave orders to halt before crossing the river, to give time for the rear to close, which had become much scat- tered, and that all might rest. As soon as we reached the foot of the moun- tain wo v/ero annoyed by a shower of stones from the bushes, and from be- hind the stone walls ; but iis we were also enabled to shelter ourselves behind others, and being short of ammunition I would not permit any person to fire. — After resting a few minutes I directed the scouting parties to gain the opposite bank of the river, and followed with the main body. We were greatly annoyed with stones, and before all had crossed, the fortified village was taken without any loss on our side. Their chief warrior and another were killed, and several wounded — they retreated only to stone walls situated on higher grounds, where they continued to sling their stones and throw their spears. Three of my men were wounded, and many of the Typees killed before we dislodged them ; parties were sent out in different directions to scour the woods, and another fort was taken after some resistance ; but the party, overpowered by numbers, were compelled to retreat to the main body after keeping possession of it half an hour. We were waiting in the fort first taken for the return of our scouting parties — a multitude of Tayehs and Happahs were with us, and many were on the outskirts of the village seeking for plunder : Lieutenant M'Knight had driven a party from a strong wall on the high ground, and had possession of it, when a large party of Typees, which had been lying in ambush, rushed by bis fire, and darted into the fort with their spears : the Tayehs and Hap- OF AMERICANS. 3^9 pahs all ran, the Typees approached within pistol shot, but on the first fire retreated precipitately, crossing the fire of Mr. M' Knight's party, and although none fell, we had reason to believe that many were wounded. Tho spears and stones were flying from the bushes in every direction, and although we killed and wounded in this place great numbers of them, we were satisfied, from the opposition made, that we should have to fight our whole way through the valley. It became now necessary to guard against a useless consumption of am- munition the scouting parties had returned, and some had expended all their cartridges ; I exhorted them to be more careful of them, and after having given them a fresh supply, forbid any firing from the main body, unless we should be attacked by great numbers. I now left a parly in this place, posted in a house, with the wounded, and another j)arty in ambush behind a wall, and directed Mouina to lead us to the next village ; but before marching I sent a messenger to inform the Typees that we should cease hos- tilities when they no longer made resistance, but so long as stones were thrown I should destroy their villages. No notice was taken of this message. "We continued our march up the valley, and met in our way several beau- tiful villages, which were set on fire, and at length arrived at their capital, for it deserves the name of one. "We had been compelled to fight every inch of ground, as we advanced, and here they made considerable oppo- eition ; the place was however, soon carried, and I very reluctantly set fire to it. The beauty and regularity of this place was such, as to strike every spec- tator with astonishment, and their grand site, or public square, was far su- perior to any other we had met with ; numbers of their gods were here de- stroyed, several large and elegant new war canoes, which had never been used were burnt in the houses that sheltered them ; many of their drums, which they had been compelled to abandon, were thrown into the flames, and our Indians loaded themselves with plunder, after destroying bread- fruit and other trees, and all the young plants they could find ; we had now arrived at the upper end of the valley, about nine miles from the beach, and at the foot of the water-fall above mentioned ; the day was advancing ; wo had yet much to do, and it was necessary to hasten our return to the fort first taken, where we arrived after being about four hours absent, leaving be- hind us a scene of ruin and desolation. I had hoped that the Typees had now abandoned all further thoughts of resistance ; but on my return to the fort I found the parties left there had been annoyed the whole time of my absence ; but being sheltered from the stones and short of ammunition, they had not fired on the enemy. This fort was situated exactly half-way up the valley ; to return by tho road we descended the hill would have been impossible, it became therefore necessary to go to the beach, where I was informed that the difficulty oi ascending the mountains would not be so great ; many were exhausted with fatigue, and began to feel the cravings of hunger, and I directed a halt, that all might rest and refresh themselves. After resting about half an hour I directed the Indians to take care of our wounded : we formed the line of march and proceeded down the valley, and in our route destroyed several other villages, at all of which we had some skirmishing with the enemy. 350 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS At one of those places, situated at the foot of a steep hill, thej'' rolled enor- mous stones down, with a view of crushing us to death, but they did us no injury. The number of villages destroyed amounted to ten, and the de- struction of trees and plants and the plunder carried off by the Indians is almost incredible. The Typees fought us to the last, and even at first ha- rassed our rear on our return ; but parties left in ambush soon put a stop to any further annoyance. We at length came to the formidable fort whick checked our career on our first day's enterprise, and although I had witnessed many instances of the great exertion and ingenuity of these islanders, I never had supposed them capable of contriving and erecting a work like this, so well calculated for strength and defense. There are but three entrances into this valley, one on the west, which we descended, one on the east, and one from the beach. No force whatever had before dared to attack them on the west, on account of tlie impossibility of retreating, in cixse of a repulse, which they calculated on as certain. The passage on the east led from the valley of their friends, and that from the beach was guarded by fortresses deemed impregnable, and justly so agaiast any force which could be brought against them unassisted by artillery. Oq viewing the strength of this place I could not help felicitating myself on the lucky circumstance which had induced me to attack them by land, for I believed we should have failed in an attempt on this place. On my arrival at the beach I met Tavee and many of his, the Shouema tribe, together with the chiefs of the Happahs. Tavee was the bearer of a white flag and several of the same emblems of peace were flying on the different hills around his valley ; he was desirous of knowing whether I in- tended going to their valley, and wished to be informed when he should again bring presents, and what articles he should bring : he inquired if I ^vould still be his friend and reminded me that I was Temaa Typee, the chief of the valley of Shoueme, and that his was Tavee. I gave him as- surances of my friendship, requested him to return and allay the fears of the women, who, he informed me, were in the utmost terror, apprehensive of an attack from me. The chiefs of the Happahs invited me to return to their valley, assuring me that an abundance of everything was already pro- vided for us, and the girls, who had assembled in great numbers dressed out in their best attire welcomed our return with smiles, and notwithstanding our wet and dirty situation — for it had been raining the greater part of the day — convinced us by their looks and gestures that they were disposed to give us the most friendly reception. Gattanewa met me on the side of the hill as I was ascending : the old man's heart was full, he could not speak ; he placed both my hands on his head, rested his forehead on my knees, and after a short pause, raising him- self, placed his hands on my breast, exclaiming, Gattanewa ! and then on his own said, Apotee, to remind me we had exchanged names. When I had reached the summit of the mountain, I stopped to contem- plate that valley which, in the morning, we had viewed in all its beauty, the scene of abundance and happiness — a long line of smoking ruins now marked our traces from one end to the other ; the opposite hills were cov- ered with the unhappy fugitives, and the whole presented a scene of des- olation and horror. Unhappy and heroic people ! the victims of your own OF AMERICANS. 35I courage and mistaken pride, while the instruments of your own fate, shed the tears of pity over your misfortunes, thousands of your countrymen — nay, brethren of the same family — triumphed in your distresses ! I shall not fatigue myself or the reader by a longer account of this ex- pedition ; we spent the night with the Ilappahs, who supplied us most abundantly, and next morning, at daylight, started for Madison's Villc, where we arrived about eight o'clock, after an absence of three nights and two days, during which time we marched upward of sixty miles, by paths which had never before been trodden but b}' the natives. Several of my stoutest men were for a long time laid up by sickness occasioned by their excessive fsitiguo, and one (Corporal Mahan of the marines) died two days after his return. The day of our return was devoted to rest ; a messenger was, however, dispatched to the Typees informing them I was still willing to make peace, and that I should not allow them to return to their valley until they had come on terms of friendship with us. The messenger on his return informed me that the Typees on his arrival, were in the utmost consternation ; but that my message had diffused the most lively joy among them : there was nothing they desired more than peace, and they would be willing to pur- chase my friendship on any terms. He informed me that a flag of truce would be sent in next day to know my conditions. On the arrival of the Typee flag, which was borne by a chief accompanied by a priest, I informed them that I still insisted on a compliance with the conditions formerly offered them, to- wit, an exchange of presents and peace : with myself and the tribes who had allied themselves to me. They readily consented to these terms, and requested to know the number of hogs I should require, stating that they had lost but few, and should be enabled to supply us abundantly ; I told them I should expect from them four hundred, which they assured me should be delivered without delay. Flags were now sent to me again from all the tribes in the island, even the most remote and in- considerable, with large presents of hogs and fruit, and we had never at any time since we had been on the island experienced such abundance. Peace now being established throughout the island, and the utmost har- mony reigning, not only between us and the Indians, but between the dif- ferent tribes, they mixed with one another about our village in the most friendly manner, and the different chiefs with the priests came daily to visit me. They were all much delighted that a general peace had been brought about, that they might now all visit the different parts of the island in safety ; and many. of the oldest men assured me that they had never before been out of the valley in which they were born. They repeatedly expressed their astonishment and admiration that I should have been enabled to effect so much in so short a time, and that I should have been able to extend my influence so far as to give them such complete protection, not only in the valley of Tieuhoy, but among tho tribes with which they had been at war from the earliest periods, and had heretofore been considered their natural enemies. I informed them that I should shortly leave them and should return again at the expiration of a year. I exhorted them to remain at ixjace with one another, and assured thorn that if they should be at war on my return, I should punish the tribes most in fault. They all gavo me the 352 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS strongest assurances of a disposition to remain on good terms, not only with me and my people, but with one another. I DOW was enable^ to make little excursions occasionally into different parts of the valley, and visit the natives at their houses, which was what J had not been enabled to do heretofore, as my various occupations had kept me much confined to our village. On these occasions I always met the most hospitable and friendly reception from tho natives of both sexes. Cocoa-nuts and whatever else they had were offered me, and I rarely re- turned home without several little tie-tics as a token of their regard. I generally took with me seeds of different descriptions, with which I was pro- vided, such as melons, pumpkins, peas, beans, oranges, limes, etc., together with peach stones, wheat and Indian corn, which were planted within tho inclosures, in the most suitable places for them, the natives always assisting in pulling up the weeds and clearing the ground for planting them. The nature of the different kinds of vegetables and fruit that each kind of graiu would produce was explained to them, and they all promised to take the utmost care of them and prevent the hogs from doing them any injury. I directed them not to pull any of the fruit until they had consulted Wilson to know if they were ripe. Among all *the seeds that were sown there waa none which gave them so much pleasure as the wheat, which they called male, which is the name they gave the bread-fruit ; they would not believe, however, at first that it was from this grain we made our bread (which they also called male, but sometimes potato) until I had ground some of the grain between two stones, and showed them the flour, which produced from them the most joyous exclamations of male ! male ! male ! and all began to clear away spots for sowing the grain, and bringing me leaves and cocoa-nut shells, begging that I would give them some to take home to plant. I endeavored to impress thera with an idea of the value of the seeds I was planting, and explained to them the different kinds of fruit they would produce, assuring them of their excellence, and as a farther inducement to them to attend their cultivation, I promised them that, on my return, I would give them a whale's tooth for every ripe pumpkin and melon they would bring me ; and to the chiefs of the distant tribes, to whom I distri- buted the different kinds of seeds, I made the same promise. I also gavo them several English hogs of a superior breed, which they were very anx- ious to procure. I left in charge of Wilson some male and fepiale goats, and as I had a number of young Galapagos tortoises, I distributed several among the chiefs, and permitted a great many to escape into the bushes and among the grass. In one of those excursions, I was led to the chief place of religious cere- mony of the valley. It is situated high up the valley of the Havvous, in a fine grove, and I regret extremely that I had it not in my power to make a correct drawing of it on the spot, as it far exceeds in splendor everything of the kind described by Captain Cook, or represented in the plates which ac- company his voyage. Some time previous to this I had been tabbooed at my request by Gatta- nowa ; this gave me the privilege of visiting and examining all their places of religious worship, and I now took advantage of my right in going into the grove among the gods, accompanied by the attendants on the place. OF AMERICANS. 353 Wilson could not accompany me there, and I was not enabled to make in- quiry on many subjects ; but observing that they treated all their gods with little respect, frequently catching them by their large ears, drawing my at- tention to their wide mouths, their flat noses, and large eyes, and pointing out to me, by signs, all their other deformities, I told Wilson to inform them I thought they treated their gods very disrespectfully — they told me that those were like themselves, mere attendants on their divinity, as they were on the priest ; that I had not yet seen their greatest of all gods, that be was in a small house, which they pointed out, situated at the corner of the grove ; and on my expressing a desire to see him, after a short consul- tation among themselves, they brought him out on the branch of a co- coa-nut tree, when I was surprised to find him only a parcel of paper cloth secured to a piece of a spear about four feet long ; it in some measure re- sembled a child in swaddling cloths, and the part intended to represent the head had a number of strips of cloth hanging from it about a foot in length ; I could not help laughing at the ridiculous appearance of the god they wor- shiped, in Avhich they all joined me with a great deal of good humor, some of them dandling and nursing the god, as a child would her doll. I endeavored to ascertain whether they had an idea of a future state, re- wards and punishments, and the nature of their heaven. As respects the latter they believed it to be an island, somewhere in the sky, abound- ing with everything desirable ; that those killed in war and carried off by their friends go there, provided they are furnished with a canoe and pro- visions, but that those who are carried off by the enemy, never reach it un- less a sufficient number of the enemy can be obtained to paddle his canoe there, and for this reason thej' were so anxious to procure a crew for their priest, who was killed and carried off by the Ilappahs. They have neither rewards nor punishments in this world, and I could not learn that they ex- pected any in the next — their religion, however, is like a plaything, an amusement to them, and I very much doubt whether they, at any moment, give it a serious thought; their priests and jugglers manage those matters for them ; what they tell them they believe, and do not put themselves to the trouble of considering whether it is right or wrong. They are very credulous, and will as readily believe in one religion as another. I have ex- plained to them the natiu-e of the Christian religion, in a manner to suit their ideas ; they listened with much attention, appeared pleased with the novelty of it, and agreed that our God must be greater than theirs. Onr chaplain Mr. Adams endeavored to collect from one of their priests some notions of his religion, and among other things inquired of him whether, according to their belief, the body was translated to the other world or only the spirit; the priest, after a considrable pause, at length replied, that the flesh and bones went to the earth, but that all within went to the sky : from his manner, however, the question seemed greatly to embarrass him, and it appeared as though a new field was opened to his view. Besides the gods at the burying-place, or moral, for so it is called by them, they have their household gods, which are hung round their necks, generally made of human bones, and others, which are carved on the handles of their fans, on their stilts, their canes, and more particularly on their war clubs ; but those gods are not held in any estimation, they are sold, exchanged, and 354 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS given away with the same indifference as any other object, and indeed tho most precious relics, the skulls and other bones of their relations, are disposed of with equal indifference. When we were at war with the Typees, the Happahs and Tayehs made a strict search in the houses of the enemy for the skulls of their ancestorsi who had been slaiu in battle (knowing where they were deposited) ; many were found, and the possessors seemed rejoiced that they had re- covered from the enemy so inestimable a relic. Dr. Hoffman seeing a man with three or four skulls strung round his waist, asked him for them, and they were given up immediately, although they had belonged' to his. father, brother, or some near relation. Next day several appeared at the village with the skulls to traffic for harpoons. A very old man came to the village as a representative from one of the tribes, and wishing to make me a present and having nothing else to give me, took from his neck a string of bones cut in the form of their gods, and assured me they were the bones of hig grandmother. In religion these people are mere children ; their morals are their baby- houses, and their gods are their dolls. I have seen Gattanewa with all his sons, and many others sitting for hours together clapping their hands and singing before a number of little wooden gods laid out in small houses erec- ted for the occasion, and ornamented with strips of cloth ; they were such houses as a child would have made, of about two feet long and eighteen inches high, and no less than ten or twelve of them in a cluster like a small village ; by the side of this were several canoes, furnished with their pad- dles, seines, harpoons, and other fishing apparatus, and round the whole a line was drawn to show that the place was tabooed ; within this line was Gattanewa and others, like overgrown babies, singing and clapping their hands, sometimes laughing and talking, and appeared to give their ceremony no attention ; he asked ma if the place was not very fine ; and it was on this occasion that he tabooed me, in order to give me an opportunity of approaching the gods and examining them more closely. The whole cere- mony of tabooing me consisted in taking a piece of white cloth from the hole through his ear, and tying it around my hat as a band : I wore this badge for several days, and simple as it was, every one I passed would call out taboo, and avoid touching me. I inquired the cause of this ceremony of Gattanewa, and he told me he was going to catch tortoise for the gods, and that he should have to pray to them several days and nights for success, during which time he should be tabooed and dare not enter a house fre- quented by women. Tattooing among these people is performed by means of a machine made of bone something like a comb with the teeth only on one side ; the points of the teeth are rubbed with a black paint made of burnt cocoa-nut shell ground to powder, and mixed with water ; this is struck into the flesh by means of a heavy piece of wood which serves the purpose of a hammer ; the operation is extremely painful and streams of blood follow every blow, yet pride induces them to bear this torture, and they even suffer themselves to be tied down while the operation is performing in order that their agony may not interrupt the operator. The men commence tattooing as soon as they arc able to bear the pain ; they begin at the age of eightoen or nineteen OF AMERICANS. 355 and are rarely completely tattooed until they arrive at the age of thirty- five. The womeu begin about the same ago ; they have only their legs, ai-ms, and hands tattooed — which is done with extraordinary neatness and delicacy — and some slight lines drawn across their lips. It is also the prac- tice with some to have the inside of their lips tattooed, but the object of this ornament I could never find out, as it is never seen unless they turn out their lips to show it. Every tribe in the island, I observed, wore tattooed after a different fashion, and I was informed that every line had its meaning, and gave to the bearer certain privileges at their feasts. This practice of tattooing sometimes occasions sores which fester and are several weeks before they heal ; it however never produces any serious consequences, or leaves any scars behind. On the 9th December I had all my provisions, wood, and water on board, my decks filled with hogs, and a most abundant supply of cocoa-nuts and bananas, with which we had been furnished by the liberality of our Nooa- heevan friends, who had reserved for us a stock of dried cocoa-nuts, suita- ble for taking to sea, and were calculated for keeping three or four months. I now found it necessary to stop the liberty I had heretofore given to my people, and directed that every person should remain on board and work late and early to hasten the departure of the ship ; but three of my crew determined on having a parting kiss, and to obtain it, swam on shore at night ; they were caught on the beach and brought to me. I immediately caused them to be confined in irons, and determined to check any farther disobedience of my orders by the most exemplary punishment. I next morning caused them to be punished severely at the gangway, and set thera to work in chains with my prisoners : this severity excited some discon- tent and murmurings among the crew, but it effectually prevented a recur- rence. Nooaheevah had many charms for a sailor, and had part of mj- crew felt disposed to remain there, I knew they would not absent themselves until the moment before my departure. This affair had, however, like to have ended seriously ; my crew did not see the same motives for restraint as myself, they had long been indulged, and they thought it now hard to be deprived of their usual liberty : one kiss now was worth a thousand at any other time ; they were restless, discontented, and unhappy. The girls lined the beach from morning until night, and every moment importuned me to take the taboos off the men, and laughingly expressed their grief by dipping their fingers into the sea and touching their eyes, so as to let the salt water trickle down their cheeks. Others would seize a chip, and holding it in the manner of a shark's tooth, declared they would cut themselves to pieces in despair ; some threatened to beat their brains out with a spear of grass, some to drown themselves, afji all were determined to inflict on themselves some dreadful punishment if I did not permit their sweethearts to come on shore. The men did not bear it with so much good humor : their situation, they said, was worse than slavery." On the 12th Commodore Porter, having the Essex and Essex Junior ready for sea, sailed for the coast of South America to cruise against the enemy. Previous to leaving he had the remainder of the prizes warped in under the guns of the fort. The command of the fort was given to Lieutenant Gam- 23 356 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ble, of the marines, who had under him Messers. Feltus and Clapp, two of the midshij>men, and twenty-one men. Captain Porter's object in leaving these vessels was to secure the means of future repairs to his ships, and to avoid an unnecessary detention, he gave Lieutenant Gamble orders to leave the island in five and a half months if he should not hear from him in the meantime. The Essex had no sooner disappeared than the savages began to 'show a turbulent disposition. This was for the time quieted. Soon after one of the men was drowned and four deserted in a whaleboat. In April a part of the men mutinied and sailed away in the Seringapatam. In May the natives attacked them and killed midshipman Feltus and three of the men and severely wounded another. The whole party was now reduced to eight in- dividuals of whom only four were fit for duty. With these Mr. Gamble got to sea in the Sir Andrew Hammond and went into the Sandwich islands where he was soon after captured by the Cherub. He there learned the fate of the Essex, which on the last of March, after a bloody and long sustained battle with the British ships Phoebe and Cherub, in the neutral harbor of Valparaiso, had surrendered. The action had been fought under great dis- advantages with a far superior force of the enemy, and with a bravery that reflected great credit upon Captain Porter : indeed he refused to surrender until his principal officers, and more than one half of his crew, had been killed or wounded. Just before going into the action a squall of wind had carried away the main topmast of the Essex, so that Captain Porter could not maneuver his vesseh She therefore lay completely in the power of the enemy who could choose his own position and distance and with his guns of longer reach pour in the shot upon his crippled antagonist, without the latter having the shadow of a chance of a successful defense. Thus terminated this enterprising and singular cruise. Its end was as disastrous as its commencement had been fortunate ; and its whole history was romantic and highly creditable to the spirit, i-esources and self-reliance of the master mind who originated and carried it into execution. Captain Porter was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, where he was born in 1780, so that at the time of starting on this eventful cruise he was but thirty-two years of age. On the termination of the war in 1815 he was appointed a naval commissioner, and performed the duties of that office until 1821. Subsequently, in relation to an insult offered the American flag at Forado, in Porto Rico, of which he was cognizant, he obliged the authorities of the place to make a due apology. He had no orders to do so ; and consequently was suspended for six mouths by a court-martial. He thereupon resigned his commission and joined the Mexican navy. In 1829, President Jackson appointed him minister to Constantinople, where he rendered his country most valuable aid, in the formation of treaties. He died in 1843, at the age of sixty-three years. Captain Porter was the author of the celebrated motto, " Free Trade and Sailor's Rights." On his return from his celebrated cruise, he was every- where received with the highest honors. Congress and the several States gave him a vote of thanks, and by universal acclamation he was called " t^ie Hero of the Pacific." THE WISE AND HEROIC CONDUCT JEHUDI ASHMUN: AS SHOWN m SAVING FROM DESTRUCTION AND IN ESTABLISHING ON A FIRM BASIS TliE AMERICAN COLONY OF LIBERIA. Among the subjects that have attracted the consideration of statesmen and l^hilanthropists of our time, that of African Colonization has been conspic- uous. Many of our ablest and purest men have regarded this as the only- practicable means to effect the ultimate regeneration of a degraded class of our population ; and also as the mode by which the whole continent of Africa will eventually have opened to it the blessings of Christian civiliza- tion. Among those names connected with the early history of the American colony of Liberia, is that of Jehudi Ashmun. He it was that in its darkest hour saved it from utter extermination, and by the exercise of masterly abilities in his agency of six years' duration, gained the reputation of having been one of the most remarkable of men. In the midst of the varying cir- cumstances of difficulty and danger, he exhibited most conspicuously every variety of quality and talent that could be called for — military skill and courage, political sagacity and address, all of which were united to such a spirit of self-sacrifice that finally his life became the forfeit of his devotion. Mr. Ashmun, was born in Ajoril, X794:, in Champlain, New York. His parents were respectable people in moderate circumstances. He was edu- cated at the University of Vermont, and for a while was a Professor of Class- ical Literature in a Theological Seminary at Hampden, in Maine. He also received a license to preach. The subject of foreign missions had taken a deep hold of his thoughts and it was his ultimate design to devote his life to that department of labor. The elements of intellectual strength are generally mingled in the human character with ardent feelings and powerful passions. The talents which render men capable of great and noble actions, may, if perverted, cover them with all the disgrace and infamj' of crime. Ashmun was naturally self- confident, proud, ambitious. His imagination was warm, his passions ardent, liis sensibility extreme. His religious sentiments at this time, were deeply tinged with a romantic enthusiasm. In allusion to this period, he some years after observed : "My genius and habits, much of the time, were de- cidedly of the ascetic cast. I determined not only to forsake the gay, but (357) 358 ADVEXTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS even the civilized world, and spend my life among distant savages. And from long dwelling on this prospect, and naturally directing my inquiries and reading by it, I came to acquire a passion for the sacrifice." Ashmun eventually moved to Washington City, where he took charge of the Theological Repertory, a monthly publication, the only one of a re- ligious character then published south of New York. The capacity he evinced as editor at once gained the attention of leading minds, especially as shown in an elaborate review of the second Annual Report of the American Col- onization Society. The introduction to this Review is iu the following words : "Never perhaps, in the history of man, has an object affording equal scope for the exercise of Christian benevolence, been found capable of en- gaging in its support such a compass and variety of powerful motives as that of the American Colonization Society. Though in itself this object is simple and definite, and to superficial observation, of limited and even questionable utility, the beneficial consequences of its success gradually un- fold to the mind, on a rational investigation of its nature, and may be traced up to the highest pitch of moral magnificence." " It is an opinion," he farther along adds, " which we believe is built on incontestible grounds, that an African colonj- in order to answer any benevolent design, must have for its basis the promotion of the Christian religion — first within the colony itself, and subsequently by means of the colony among the contiguous tribes." From this period, the subject of African colonization engrossed the thoughts of Ashmun, and he devoted all his leisure to the pre- paration of the life of Rev. Samuel Bacon, one of the pioneers in that cause. The work when issued was judged a production of signal ability ; but it failed in a mercantile sense, and, in connection with the want of patronage for the Repertory, involved him in pecuniary embarrassments. The periodical also failed through mismanagement and other causes over which he had no control. In settling the affairs of the Repertory suspicions became attached to him, which the busy tongue of detraction was not slow to reiterate. Few conditions are more perplexing to a noble, sensitive mind than now became bis. He was awakened from every bright dream of the future, by the calls of importunate creditors to satisfy delinquencies for the past. Friends, too, began to desert him, and looked upon him with reproachful disappointment at not coming up to their expectations ; for, meritorious so ever as one's ef- forts may be, so blinded is the public generally, that it judges only of merit by success. Reserved both by inclination and habit on matters of private concern, he perhaps sometimes was silent, when he should have made ex- planation ; and while acting in his integrity, forgot what discretion would have dictated, as due to the opinions of others. But he bowed his head to no useless sorrow. He was calm, uncomplaining, and active. He knew that to seek sympathy, is generally to lose in respect more than is gained in compassion ; and that for a wounded spirit, the only remedy is divine. No mortal eye can penetrate those deep and secret places of the heart, where griefs spring up and are nourished from the very fountains of life. As introductory to the new and important field in which the abilities of Ashmun shone so conspicuously, we give a sketch of the origin and progress of the Colony of Liberia to the period when his history became merged in it. OF AMERICANS. 359 Dr. Fotliergill, a member of the Society of Friends in England, first sug- gested, and Granville Sharp first executed the project of colonizing free men of color in Africa, by founding, in 1787, the Colony of Sierra Leone. The same year the philanthropic Dr. Wm. Thornton of Washington proposed to conduct a company of free colored emigrants from the United States to Africa, but circumstances beyond his control frustrated his design. The subject was discussed in the Legislature of Virginia early in the present century, and the General Government requested by that body to aid in the selection and acquisition of territor}' adapted to the purposes of the con- templated colony. But the establishment of the American Colonization Society resulted less from political motives, than from Christian benevolence. Long before the formation of the Colonization Society, there were generous souls in Virginia, and probably in other parts of the South, touched with a tender and affecting charity toward the people of color. And in a future world the fact may stand revealed, that from the sacred retirements of a few devout ladies in Virginia, emanated a spirit of zeal and charity in behalf of the afiiicted Africans, which has widely spread ; inspired ministers and statesmen with an almost divine eloquence in their cause. The American Colonization Societj'- was founded in Washington City, in December, 1816. The patriotic and pious from various parts of the country, united in its organization. Among the original members of this societ}^ wore Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Piandol^^h, and others of the most eminent statesmen from all parts of our country, North and South. They could not close their eyes upon these prominent facts : That the slavery of two millions of colored persons in the Southern por- tion of this Union was under the exclusive control and legislation of the slaveholding States — each having the sole right of regulating it within its own limits. That the two hundred thousand colored persons scattered throughout the Union and legally free, enjoyed few of the advantages of freedom. That there were powerful causes operating to frustrate all efforts to ele- vate very considerably men of color in this country, which could not exist to prevent their elevation in a separate community from the whites. That the success of any measures for the good of this race, must depend in a great degree upon the union of the wise and pious from every State and section of the country. That Africa was inhabited by fifty to one hundred millions of uncivil- ized and heathen men, and that to render, as far as practicable, the elevation of her exiled children conducive to the deliverance and salvation of her home population, was required alike by philanthropy and piety. In view of these facts, what humanity and benevolence to the colored race suggested, was embodied in the constitution of the American Coloniz- ation Society. It was expected that the operations of this Society, would unfetter and invigorate the faculties, improve the circumstances, animate the hopes and enlarge the usefulness of the free people of color; that by awakening thought, nullifying objections, presenting motives convincing to the judgment, and persuasive to the humanity of masters, they would en- courage emancipation ; that in Africa their results would be seen, in civil- 360 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ized and Christian communities ; in the substitution of a lawful and bene- ficial commerce for the abominable slave trade ; of peaceful agriculture for a predatory warfare ; knowledge for ignorance ; the arts that refine for vices that degrade ; and for superstitions vile, cruel and bloodstained, the en- nobling service and pure worship of the true God. It was believed that the fellowship of the North with the South, in African colonization would tend powerfully to produce just opinions on the subject of slavery, and prepare for the removal of the evil without endangering the integrity and peace of the Union. In the year 1818, the American Colonization Society sent out as agents Messi-s. Ebenezer Burgess and Samuel G. Mills, to ascertain if suitable terri- tory could be obtained on the western coast of Africa for the proposed colony. They visited Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Sherbro, and their report encou- raged the Society to proceed in its enterprise. Mr. Mills died on the return voyage. In 1820, the first band of colonists of the Society sailed for the coast of Africa. It consisted of eighty-eight emigrants under the charge of Eev. Sam'l Bacon, J. P. Bankson and Dr. S. A. Crozier, as agents. They landed on the Island of Sherbro, where, in the course of a few weeks, the climate and exposure brought on a disease by which all the agents and one quarter of the emigrants perished. Early the next year, 1821, the second expedition vpas sent out with a small number of emigrants who remained at Sierra Leone until suitable land should be obtained for the site of the intended colony. They were joined there by the surviving emigrants of the preced- ing year. Finally, by great skill and perseverance, a valuable tract of land was obtained of the native chiefs, including Cape Montserado, as a site for the first settlement. This purchase was made by Capt. Robt. P. Stockton of tho U. S. Navy, and Dr. Eli Ayres, the chief agent of the Colonization Society. The colonists, in tho beginning of the next year, removed from Sierra Leone to a small and unhealthy island on the mouth of Montserado River. The natives evinced much duplicity and a determination, if possible, to expel them from the country. In a contest with them, the storehouse took fire and most of the provisions and utensils of the colony were de- stroyed. In July of this year, 1822, the little band, having endured great trials and hardships, were enabled entirely to abandon the island and plant themselves beneath their own humble dwellings in the Cape. At this period their agent, Dr. Ayres, had been compelled to depart for the United States^ leaving the colonists in charge of one of their own number as a general superintendent. Pew and destitute, and exposed to the treachery of savage foes, far away from the abodes of civilized men, this feeble company pa- tiently awaited the arrival of those aids and supplies which their necessities demanded. Such was the condition of affairs, when Mr. Ashmun, accompanied by his wife, arrived at Cape Montserado, in Liberia, early in August of this year (1822). He was at this period in his twenty-ninth year. He had been sent out in the brig Strong, chartered by the managers of the Colonization Society, in charge of fifty-three emigrants ; eighteen of these were native Afri- cans, who having been stolen from their own country, had been delivered over to the Society to return them to their native soil. His instructions were that OF AMERICANS. 3G1 ^ in case be should return in the brig to report the condition and prospects of the colony ; but that if Dr. Ayres was absent, he should remain and tem- porarily assume the duties of agent. Finding that Dr. Ayres had left, Aslimun remained and took charge of the colony. He summoned all his energies, surveyed rapidly the field of labor, and deferred not an hour the commencement of his work. It is believed Mr. Ashmuu was impelled to leave his country, rather by a desire to realize from commercial operations, the means of discharging heavy debts, which, should he continue in America, he saw it impossible soon to pay, than by any expectation of occupying the station which Providence destined him to fill with such distinguished honor and success. That he felt for the cause of African Colonization an ardent aOection, and hoped essentially to promote it, is certain. But his thoughts were directed to a plan of exten- sive trade, which he imagined might prove of some advantage to himself, while it contributed to conciliate and civilize the Africans, and to augment the resources and facilitate all the operations of the Society. The informa- tion he would obtain by a visit to the African coast, must, he concluded, enable him to judge of proper measures for effecting his object ; and on his return, all the details of the plan might be satisfactorily adjusted with the various parties concerned. He regarded the scheme probably at the time of his departure, as something of an adventure, since it does not appear that he had submitted it to the consideration of the managers of the Society. Cape Montserado, elevated from seventy-five to eighty feet above the sea, forms tho abrupt termination of a narrow tongue of land, in length thirty- six miles, and from one and a half to three miles in breadth ; bounded on the south-west by the ocean, and on the north-east by the Elvers Mont- serado and Junk. The site chosen for the original settlement (now Monrovia Liberia), is two miles from the point of the Cape. This site, and a large portion of the peninsula, was covered with a lofty and dense forest, entangled with vines and brushwood ; the haunts of savage beasts, and through which the bar- barians were accustomed to cut their narrow and winding pathways to the coast. When Mr. Ashmun arrived, a small spot had been cleared, and about thirty houses constructed in ^ native style. The rainy season was at its height ; the i:)ublic property had been chiefly consumed by fire ; some of the settlers already on the ground, were but imperfectly sheltered ; and for those just arrived, no preparation had been made ; the settlement had no adequate means of defense, while the chiefs of the country could no longer conceal their hostile designs. The whole population of the settlement, in- cluding the emigrants by the Strong, did not exceed one hundred and thirty; of whom thirty-five only were capable of bearing arms. A comprehensive system of operations was immediately commenced, to relieve the wants and improve the condition of the infant colony, and afford security against the dangers to which it was exposed. As hostile demonstrations soon became manifest, the colonists prepared to fortify themselves. Within a few days after the arrival of Mr. Ashmun, a fortified tower was planned and commenced, and a particular survey taken of the military strength and means of the settlers. Of the native Americans, twenty-seven, when not sick, were able to bear arms ; but they were wholly 3G2 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS untrained to their use, and capable, in their ijrescnt undisciplined state, of making but a verj' feeble defense indeed. It was soon perceived that the means as well as an organized system of defense were to be originated, without either the materials or the artiiicers usually considered necessary for such purposes. The little town was closely environed, except on the side of the ri-ver, with the heavy forest in the bosom of which it was situated — thus giving to a savage enemy an important advantage of Avhich it became absolutely necessary to deprive him, by enlarging to the utmost, the cleared space about the buildings. This labor was immediately undertaken, and carried on without any other intermission, than that caused by sickness of the people, and the interruption of other duties equally connected with the safety of the place. But the rains were immoderate and nearly constant. In addition to these fatiguing- labors, was that of maintaining the nightly watch; — which, from the number of sentinels necessary for the common safety, shortly became more exhausting than all the other burdens of the people. No less than twenty individuals w^ere every night detailed for this duty, after the 31st of August. On the 25th of August, Mr. Ashmun experienced the first attack of fever. Sickness soon commenced among the company of recent emigrants, and prevailed so rapidly, that on the 10th of September, of the whole number, only two remained in health. Mr. Ashmun was enabled to maintain a dif- ficult struggle with his disorder, for four weeks ; in which period, after a night of delirium and suffering, it was not an unusual circumstance for him to be able to spend an entire morning in laying off and directing the execu- tion of the public works. About the first of September, the intercourse between the settlement and the people of the country had nearly ceased. Mrs. Ashmun was prostrated, by a far more serious attack than the one experienced by her husband. Protected from the rain only by a thatched roof, "on a couch, literally dripping with water," that devoted young wife continued to sink under the most malignant of fevers, until the 15th of Sep- tember, when she expired. It was in November before Ashmun sufficiently recovered to resume his labors. He soon learned that the chiefs were still secretly plotting the destruction of the colony. They met in war council, and while some few of them were friendly to the colonists, the voices of the majority prevailed, and it was resolved to exterminate them. Through a friendly chief, Ashmun was informed of all their movements and designs. He informed the belligerents, that he was apprised of their wishes, and that if they persisted in their hostile plans, they would learn what it was to make war with Americans. On the 7th of November, word was brought him that a combined attack would be made upon the settlement within four days. No time was to be lost. Everything was done to put their forces in a posture of defense, and to inspirit the men that could be. "A coward," exclaimed Ashmun, " it was hoped did not disgrace their ranks ; and as the cause was emphatically that of God and their country, they might confidently expect His blessing and success, to attend the faithful discharge of their duty." On the 8th an exam- ination by Mr. Ashmun of their locality showed thai a path to their fortifi- cation, had been overlooked, and thus an avenue of attack was afi'orded their enemies. Men were instantly posted along it, and instructed to keep vigilant OF AMERICANS. 363 watch. Ou Sunday, the 10th, the colonists assembled for worship. A messen- ger broke in upon their devotions, Avith the tidings that the enemy, in full force, had crossed Montserado River, and were actually within a few miles of them. That night thes3 men slept on their arms. The watch was instructed to "keep their posts till sun-rise ; but, in defiance of orders, the picket- guard left their station at early dawn. The consequences almost proved fatal. They had no sooner deserted their places than the enemy came upon them. They fired a volley of musketry, at the distance of sixty paces, shot down several of the colonists, and then rushed forward with spear in hand to take possession of the post. Some out-houses, and their contents fell into the enemy's hands. This proved most fortunate. For, bent on plunder, the na- tives, instead of following up their success, turned aside to ransack the buildings, Avhich afforded the colonists time to recover from their surprise and prepare for action. They seized their guns and poured upon the natives a raking, murderous fire. The savages began soon to recoil, and the colonists regained the western post that had fallen into the enemy's hand, in the be- ginning of the action, when they brought a long nine-pounder to rake the whole line of the enemy. Imagination can scarcely figure to itself a throng of human beings in a more capital state of exposure to the destructive power of the machinery of modern warfare ! Eight hundred men were here in line, shoulder to shoulder, in so compact a form that a child might easily walk upon their heads from one end of the mass to the other, presenting in their rear a breadth of rank equal to twenty or thirty men, and all exposed to a gun of great power, raised on a platform, at only thirty to sixty yards distance ! Every shot literally spent its force in a solid mass of living hu- man flesh ! Their fire suddenly terminated. A savage yell was raised, which filled the dismal forest with a momentary horror. It gradually died away ; and the whole host disappeared. On the part of the settlers, it was soon discovered that considerable in- jury had been sustained. One woman who had imprudently passed the night in the house first beijet by the enemy, had received thirteen wounds, and been thrown aside as dead. Another, flying from her house with her two infant children, received a wound in the head, from a cutlass, and was robbed of both her babes ; but providentially escaped. A young married woman, with the mother of five small children, finding the house in which they slept surrounded by savage enemies, barricaded the door, in the vain hope of safety. It was forced. Each of the women then seizing an axe, held the irresolute barbarians in check for several minutes longer. Having discharged their guns, they seemed desirous of gaining the shelter of the house previous to reloading. At length, with the aid of their spears, and by means of a general rush, they overcame their heroine adversaries, and instantly stabbed the youngest to the heart. The mother, instinctively springing for her suckling babe, which recoiled through fright, and was left behind, rushed through a small window on the opposite side of the house, and fortunately gained the lines, unhurt, between two heavy fires. It never has been possible to ascertain the number of the enemy killed or disabled on this occasion ; but it is estimated to have been about one hundred and fifty. The offensive effluvium from the numerous dead bodies in the adjacent forest soon became intolerable. 364 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Though victorious, they were by no means in an enviable position. Im- mediately after the action, their intrenchments were compressed, so as not to embrace so much area of ground, but to admit of greater concentration of their forces. This being done, they began to reflect upon their condition. It was deplorable enough — shut out from all help, in the midst of a nu- merous and barbarous people, and destitute of means either to advance or to recede. Then, too, what were they to do for provisions ? They had not two weeks' supply. Amid this gloom and depression, a day of thanksgiving and prayer was appointed and scrupulously observed. In this severe strait, relief for their most pressing wants was afforded by a small purchase from a Liverpool vessel that happened to touch at the Cape. Exasperated by their recent defeat, the natives combined in greater force for another attack. Early on the morning of the 2d, the works were again attacked simultaneously on both sides with great fury, when a few rapid, well-aimed discharges of artillery drove them back in confusion and dismay. In another quarter they rallied for the assault. To shield themselves from the guns, they fell flat on their faces, behind some projecting rocks, and large ant hills. Then suddenly they arose and again rushed to the charge. This was repeated several times, with disastrous results to themselves. No sooner did they become exposed than they fell in heaps, by the balls of the guns. They then filed around an eminence, with a view of attacking the south- ern posts which were undefended. Their design was discovered, and the colonists immediately occupied that station. Soon as the enemy came in full view, their guns were opened upon them with the same effect as before^ and they at length gave way on all sides. Thus, the colonists were again victorious. They lost several valuable men, however, in the action, Ash- mun himself had several balls through his clothes, but was not hurt. The natives showed great skill and bravery in this attack ; their plan of assault was the very best that they could have devised. It was certainly sustained and renewed with a resolution that would not disgrace the best disciplined troops. But they were not fully apprised of the power of well served artillery. None of the kings of this part of the coast are without cannon. But to load a great gun, is with them the business of half an hour, and they were seriously disposed to attribute to sorcery the art of charging and firing these destructive machines from four to six times in the minute. The result of this action disheartened the foe, and animated for a moment the hopes of the colonists. But the situation of the latter was most dis- tressing. The small number, still more reduced — no aid near — provisions scanty, so that for six weeks they had been on an allowance of meat and bread ; the sufferings of the wounded, relieved by little surgical knowledge, less skill and no proper instruments, indescribable ; and on an equal distri- bution of the shot among the guns, not three rounds remaining to each ! " We cried unto God," says Mr. Ashmun, " to send us aid, or prepare us, and the Society at home, for the heaviest earthly calamity we could dread." On the following night, an officer at one of the stations, alarmed by some movement in the vicinity, discharged several muskets and large guns, and this circumstance was the means of bringing relief to the almost despair- ing settlement. The British colonial schooner, Prince Regent, laden with military stores, OF AMERICANS. 365 and having on board Major Laing, the celebrated African traveler, with p prize crew commanded by Midshipman Gordon, and eleven seamen of his British majesty's sloop-of-war Driver, was at this time passing the Cape, on her way to Cape Coast Castle, when her officers, arrested by the sound of cannon at midnight from the shore, resolved to ascertain the cause of so ex- traordinary a circumstance. No sooner did they learn the truth, and be- hold a little company of brave men contending for their lives against the leagued forces of nearly every barbarous tribe on that part of the coast, than they generously offered all the aid in their power. By the influence of Captain Laing, the chiefs were bound to a truce, and to refer all matters of difference between them and the colony, to the judgment of the Governor of Sierra Leone ; while Midshipman Gordon, with eleven seamen, voluntarily consented to remain, and see that the agreement was preserved inviolate. As the chiefs had no just grounds of complaint, the provision for a reference was never afterward recollected. The Prince Regent left at the colony a supply of ammunition, and took her departure on the 4th of December. From that hour the foundations of the colony were laid in a firm and last- ing PEACE. And who was he, that "single lohite man," on that distant forest-clad shore, unbroken in spirit, though bowed beneath the heavy hand of sorrow and sickness, casting fear to the winds, directing and heading by day and night, a feeble, undisciplined, dejected, unfortified band of thirty-five emi- grants, against whom the very elements seemed warring, while a thousand to fifteen hundred armed savages were rushing to destroy them ? Who was he, that, in reliance on God for wisdom and might, imparted such skill and courage to this little company, — so ordered every plan and guided every movement, that the fierce foe retired panic struck before them, and they stood rescued and redeemed from impending destruction ? Was he a veteran soldier, inured to danger, familiar with suffering, and bred amid scenes of battle and blood ? Was he there adorned by badges of military honor, conscious of a reputation won by deeds of " high emprise," and stimulated to valor by hopes of glory and fears of disgrace ? That was no tried, no ambitious soldier. He was a young man, bred to letters, of retired habits, educated for the ministry of Christ, unknown to fame, — the victim of disappointment, burdened with debt, and touched by undeserved reproach. He had visited Africa in hope of obtaining the means of doing justice to his creditors ; and impelled by Humanity and Religion, had consented, without any fixed compensation, to give, should they be re- quired, his services to the colony. He found it in peril of extinction. He hesitated not. He failed not to redeem his pledge. He gathered strength from difficulty, and motive from danger. No thronging and admiring spec- tators cheered him ; no glorious pomp and circumstance were there to throw a brightness and a beauty even upon the features and terrors of death. He stood strong in duty, covered by the shield of Faith, His frame shaken by disease ; the partner of his life struck down by his side ; amid the groans of the afflicted and in the shadow of Hope's dim eclipse, he planned and executed, with the ability of the bravest and most experienced general, measures M'hich saved the settlement, and secured for Liberty and Chris- tianity, a perpetual home and heritage in Africa. 366 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS The agitations of this sanguinary conflict, were succeeded by the ravages of disease and the gloom of death. Within four weelvS from the time of the dei^arture of the Prince Regent, the graves were closed over Midshipman Gordon and eight out of the eleven seamen who remained with him. The conduct of these generous Englishmen, deserves to be remembered forever. Hardly had they stepped on the African shore, to assist a few humble, dis- tressed, but brave men, to whom they were bound only by the common ties of humanity, from whom they could expect no reward, and who might have perished almost unobserved, when they fell, and were borne in the arms and amid the lamentations of those whom they came to relieve, to the place of the dead. Mr. Ashmun's health being injured by excessive exertion, about the 16th of December he relapsed into a slow, constant fever, which at first resisted all ordinary remedies, and left him no hope of recovery. As a last resort, a strong potion was administered in which was a large spoonful of calomel. A distressing salivation ensued when the fever left him. It was in the middle of February before Ashmun was able to resume the active duties of his station. He saw that every possible exertion was re- quired to prepare for the approaching season of rains. With the exception of the store-house, there was but one shingled roof and frame house in the settlement. Many of the cabins were without floors, covered with thatch, affording but an imperfect shelter. The war had for months occupied wholly the attention of the colonists, and deranged all their habits of in- dustry and private afl"airs. " We long," said Mr. Ashmun at this time in a letter to the board, " for an arrival from home. Our provisions are short ; but we have some tobacco, and the country abounds in cattle, goats, fowls and vegetables, which tobacco, will always buy in almost any quantities. Our last barrel of salted pro- visions is to be opened next Saturda3^ But we do not complain. God has not, and will not fail to be our provider. I have only to regret, that the war has put back our improvements nearly or quite a whole year. But I firmly believe the work of fighting is over, and that future emigrants will enjoy without molestation, all the fruits of their industry." To the secre- tary of the Society, on the 20th of February, he wrote : — " Divine Provi- dence has, since my last, been gradually dispersing the clouds which then overhung us. My health is nearly restored. I stand a monument of God's mercy, and behold the graves of fifteen white persons around me ; all of whom have died since I landed on the Cape." On the 5th of March, he wrote, — " I have said, in several letters, that I thought myself recovering. But I am now convinced that, in this climate, it is vain to expect to recover the health I enjoyed in America : certainly im- possible for me, in my present situation, to be anything else but a sick man. It is not my nature to complain Avith too much facility. But think you see a young man formed for society, separated almost entirely from the civ- ilized and Christian Avorld; his constitution broken with a fever of six months; his only earthly comforter snatched away ; mingling for months together his own groans and sighs with those of the sick, wounded, and dying ; al- most for weeks together pained with the sight of the corpses of the whites who had undertaken to reside here for our protection ; the complaints of the OF AMERICANS. S67 colonists, a statement of their wants, their aiiplication for a thousand things with which it is impossible to supply them, constantly presenting them- selves ; every public work to be planned and superintended ; the move- ments of the natives to be closely watched, and their hostile designs to be pro- vided against ; provision made by trade, etc., for the subsistence of the people ; for their shelter against the approaching rains ; and a ceaseless anxiety to lay the foundation of the colony in a way that will not be de- trimental to its future prosperity ; the books to be kept and correspondence carried on ; think, of all this falling upon an individual, and say, can he recover his wonted health of body or strength of mind ? I might go on enumerating other causes of my feeble and crazy state of health, but it is painful to have said what I have." An account of the suffering state of the settlement, from the pen of Mr. Ashmun, in the Sierra Leone Gazette, with information derived from other sources, induced the commander of the Cyane, Captain Robert Trail Spence, though his health was impaired, and his crew enfeebled by a cruise of twelve months in the West Indies, to adopt efficient measures for the relief and safety of the colony. He saw the importance of leaving an armed vessel on the coast, and by the most energetic exertion, the hull of an old, abandoned schooner, the Au- gustine, was fitted for sea and manned by a crew of twelve men, under Lieut. Dashiell, to guard this coast, and render the colony every possible aid in any exigency. Capt. Spence, on his arrival with the Cyane, directed a large portion of his crew to assist for twenty ^\ys in the building of an ammuni- tion house for the agent, and a stone fortress. In the midst of his benevo- lent exertions, the fever attacked his men so fiercely that he was obliged to abandon the colonists, and the surgeon of his ship. Dr. Dix, and forty of his men, fell victims to the deadly climate. Mr. Richard Seaton, the first clerk of the Cyane, consented, with the approbation of Captain Spence, to remain as assistant to Mr. Ashmun, who saw, that alone and with health impaired, it was impossible to fulfill the nu- merous and arduous duties of the agency. On the 21st of April, Mr. Ashmun, " worn down with cares and fatigue," having organized the laboring force, and obtained the consent of Mr. Seaton to superintend the public works, sailed in the Augusta for Settra Kroo, two hundred miles south-eastward, for the purpose of conveying thither forty Kroomen (who had given three weeks' labor for their passage), and concil- iating the regards of the native chiefs of the country. During his absence o( twenty-one days, nothing escaped his observation ; he examined the fea- tures of the coast, visited and ascertained the dispositions of several tribes, and having engaged twenty-five Kroomen as laborers, and made some pur- chases of valuable articles from the natives and the English factory at Ses- ters, he returned to the Cape on the 13th of May. "One century ago," he wrote, "a great part of this line of coast was populous, cleared of trees, and under cultivation. The native towns are numerous, but not large. The people raise their own rice, cassada, and palm oil ; and procure their guns, powder, clothes, tobacco, knives, cooking uten- sils, and luxuries from French slave-traders. We saw at least three vessels of this description. 368 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Every tribe visited on this trip, declared by its prince or head man, its intention to preserve with us a good understanding, and to trade freely to the colony. The particulars of our late war, especially the result of the two engagements, have been reported far and near, and given to the colony a character for strength and invincibility, which must in different ways con- tribute greatly to its advantage." On the return of Ashmun, the colonists were found to have continued their labors, under the direction of one of their own number ; while Mr. Seaton had experienced a severe attack of the fever of the climate ; and which terminated a few weeks later in his too filling an African grave. Aware of the dangers of the settlement, the managers of tlie Society had, early in the preceding winter, determined to dispatch a reinforcement of emigrants, with stores, under the direction of Dr. Ayres, whose improved health now permitted him to resume his duties as principal agent and phy- sician in the colony, a station which he had filled prior to the arrival of Mr. Ashmun in Africa. This gentleman embarked at Baltimore with sixty- one colored passengers, on the 16th of April, and arrived at Cape Montse- rado on the 24th of May. Such an accession to the numbers and resources of the colony, could not fail to confirm the hopes and resolution of the earlier settlers who had so long borne up against want, and malevolence, and misfortune. Notwithstanding his many pressing engagements, and the illness which had so severely afflicted him nearly up to this time, Mr. Ashmun had ne- glected no opportunity of transmitting to the managers of the Colonization Society, an account of his proceedings, with all such facts and statements, as he thought might aid their deliberations, and light the way to measures best suited to promote the permanent welfare of the colony. He was earnest in his requests, that education, not only in letters and science, but in morals and religion, should be esteemed of vital importance. In a letter forwarded by the Cyane, after enumerating- sundry improve- ments which he designed to make, he observes : " Our little school is kept in operation, but it is a feeble affair. Our poor libei'ated captives [alluding to little children, that had been taken from a slaver and sent to the colony] vi^oriv hard and cheerfully, but receive little instruction. My heart often bleeds for them and others in similar circumstances. When can you send out an accomplished and pious schoolmaster ? Permit me to say a word about a minister of the Gospel. We are starving for want of the able, reg- ular administration of the word and ordinances. Does not evm the colony deserve the attention of some Missionary Society ? Let it be considered that zealous ministers, catechists, etc., residing in the town, may bestow any part of their time and labors on the heathen. They may open schools on the opposite side of the river, which will immediately be partially filled with heathen youth and children. They may form in town a missionary family. The people of this part of the coast have no inveterate anti-reli- gious prejudices to prevent their attending every Sabbath or oftener, to hear the Divine word." "I wish," continues Mr. Ashmun, "to afford the board a full view of our situation, and of the African character. The following incident I relate, not for its singularity, for similar events take place, perhaps, every month OF AMERICANS. 3G9 in the year ; but it has fallen under my own observation, and I can vouch for its authencity: King Boatswain, our most powerful supporter and steady friend among the natives (so he has uniformly shown himself), received a quantity of goods in trade from a French slaver, for which he stipulated to pay young slaves. He makes it a point of honor to be punctual to his en- gagements. The time was at hand when he expected the return of the slaver. He had not the slaves. Looking round on the peaceable tribes about him, for her victims, he singled out the Queahs, a small agricultural and trading people, of most inoffensive character. His warriors were skill- fully distributed to the din'erent hamlets, and making a simultaneous assault on the sleeping occupants, in the dead of night, accomplished, without dif- ficulty or resistance, the annihilation (with the exception of a few towns) of the Avhole tribe. Every adult man and woman was murdered ; every hut fired ; very young children generally shared the fate of their parents. The boys and girls alone were reserved to paj' the Frenchman." It has been stated already, that, from the first, Mr. Ashmun proposed, as one great object of his voj-age, to ascertain the resources, and make particular observations on the trade of Africa ; and to establish under the sanction and auspices of the Colonization Society, regular commercial intercourse between that country and the United States. His letters to the secretary of the Society, from the Capes of Virginia, and from Fayal, contain some of his thoughts on the subject. In Sei^tember, soon after his arrival in Africa, his opinions and plans were more fully de- veloped, and communicated from time to time to the board of managers. On his way to Africa, at Fayal, he had judged it necessary to purchase a small quantity of supplies, and give in payment drafts on the United States Government and the Society. Observing, on his arrival, the destitution of the colony, he obtained goods to the amount of fourteen hundred dollars, for which was taken in payment, an order on the Societj^, payable at the end of six. months. In his letter of advice, he suggested that the Society could either pay for these goods, and thus realize all the profits to be derived from them, or should he be appointed agent, and receive (as other agents had done) a year's salary in advance — the whole or such portion as the Society should choose, might be applied in payment. He did not, however, conceal his desire, that the obligation should be assumed by the Society, and that his salary (should there be one) might go to the extinction of his debts in the United States. Unfortunately, he stood not now in the clear light of public confidence. The malign eye of suspicion was upon him. The managers of the Society participated In the general distrust. He had left the country without offer- ing apology or explanation to those who were dissatisfied with his manage- ment of the Repertory ; feeling no obligation to unvail his private affairs, and cherishing too much respect for his own integrity, to volunteer in its defense, suspicions, which were at first, from misapprehension, indulged against him, borrowed shape and distinctness from the imagination — grew by time, and at length, gained with many, the weight of certainty and truth. On the 24th of May, Dr. Ayres had returned to the colony as principal agent, both of the Government p.nd Society. By dispatches that came with 370 ADVENTUllES AND ACHIEVEMENTS him, Mr, Ashmun had the mortification to learn, that his drafts, both on the Government and Society, had been dishonored ; that neither had made any appropriation for his benefit ; that he had been appointed to no agency by the Government; that the Society had invested him with no authority; but ■while it gratefully acknowledged his services, and engaged liberally to re- ward them, had left the amount of his compensation, for the past, unde- termined ; and for the future, a matter for negotiation with the principal agent. In June, he was appointed assistant agent, by the board, though it is not probable he received knowledge of the fact until late in the fall, when soon after Dr. Ayres left the station, and the colonial management once more de- volved upon his hands. Again at the head of affairs, he thus wrote ; " We are now one hundred and fifty strong, all in health, have about fifty houses, in- cluding three stores, and a heavy substantial stone tower, fourteen feet high, mounting six pieces of ordnance. We have a good frame house, sur- rounded with a piazza. Harmony, and a good degree of industry, at present prevail. Thus you see, that we are prepared to go on and fulfill the anxious wishes of the friends of the cause, in relation to the cultivation of the lands, and the formation of a regular moral and happy society." Never, perhaps, in the whole annals of pioneer civilization, was an active participant more needed to the success of a mission, than was Ashmun to that of African Colonization. The presence of Dr. Ayres diminished, for a time, the cares and responsi- bilities of Mr. Ashmun, who, considering how uncertain was the time he might remain in Africa, resolved to add as much as possible to his stock of general knowledge, and prepare himself for any change in his fortunes. Though he perceived that the tide was fast ebbing with him toward an ocean dark and unexplored, he knew that " wisdom is more precious than rubies," and v/hatever vicissitudes or dangers might await him, of whatever else he might be deprived, he would retain her incomparable treasure. Amid the perplexity and uncertainty of his affairs, he summoned his in- tellectual powers to their highest efforts. Probably, during no equal period of his life, did he pursue his studies with more enthusiasm or success, than from the arrival of Dr. Ayres, in May, 1823, to his departure in December of the same year. The following rules for conduct, dated September, 1823, indicate the principles which animated, and the spirit that then sustained him : 1. Never to be guilty of a meanness which my most virtuous and spirited, children (should I be blessed with children possessing these qualities) would blush to see published to the world as a part of a parent's biography. 2. Never, unless compelled by poverty, to accept of a situation, or engage in an occupation which experience or observation have taught me would cramp the exercise of abilities, either natural or acquired. 3. To study and avail myself of a quick sense of propriety, in all matters small or great, of morality, judgment, manners, dress and business. 4. To build on my own foundation, and to studj' none but the most per- fect examples, living or dead. 5. To prefer the society of dead authors of eminence, to that of living actors, of simple mediocrity. OF AMERICANS. 371 6. To regard the contracting of a debt, as a mortgage of personal liberty and moral principle. (John Basilworth II, of Russia, affi.Ked a brand of infamy on such as contracted debts they could not jiay, and sent them into banishment.) 7. To avoid exposing myself to the degradation of espousing measures, which the situation of a weaker or more ignorant man may give him the power to defeat. 8. Never to assert, without being able to prove to a candid and sensible man, my proposition : never to advise unless sure that the neglecter of my counsel will repent his folly. 9. Never to talk without the undivided attention of all to whom I address my discourse. 10. Always to utter my sentiments with precision and propriety — even should it cost me some previous reflection ; and never begin an expression without bringing it to a perfect close. 11. Let me search after truth, and contract such an affection for it as to endure in my mind no rival prejudices, or opinions, on any subject whatever. 12. To run the risk of being candid, open, sincere ; and abandon utterly the friendship and confidence of any civilized man base and depraved enough to attempt to gain an undue advantage of these qualities. 13. Never to commence an enterprise without being well assured of its utility ; and having undertaken, never to abandon it unaccomplished. 14. To do whatever I undertake in the best possible manner, — always allowing for the time and means I can employ on the object. 15. To acquire a style of writing and expression, of conception and feel- ing — of manners and deportment, which, destitute of servility, locality and mannerism, shall pass current among the best ranks of peo2)k of all profes- sions and in all countries. 16. To continue my inquiries and reflections on whatever subject may engage them, imtil either my information is perfectly exact, or the means of extending it exhausted. 17. To vitiate no one of the appetites so far as to render it necessary to health, to mental vigor, or bodily ease, to continue the indulgence. 18. To be rigorously exact in keeping my pecuniary accounts ; that I may not appear mean in my disbursements. 19. To turn every portion of my time to good account. 20. To have as little connection as possible with the conceited, the over- bearing, the pedantic, the blustering ; and finally, with all who are incapable of measuring and esteeming solid acquirements and intellectual superiority, even when sheltered from the vulgar stare by a plain and unassuming ex- ternal demeanor. 21. In my estimation of others, let ignorance, when no opportunity has been had to remove it, be treated with kindness and indulgence; where it co-exists with a wish and effort to remove it, let it command my fiivqj and assistance ; where jt is accompanied with the contented complacency of the fool whom it debases, let it make me blush for the heart of a brute in the form of a human being ; but, when with swaggering pretensions either to Knowledge or respect on some other grounds, it merits an equal share of the profoundest contempt and detestation. 24 372 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS To conclude, — I fully believe in a particular providence regulating and ordering the conduct and purposes of men ; so as to leave the voluntary agent accountable. We shall be instruments to fulfill the Divine purposes nolentes volentes. If wickedness succeed for a time, it prospers by the Divine decree, and can only proceed a given number of links in its chain." For more than twelve months, Mr. Ashmun had been on the continent, enduring every conccivible hardship and privation. Twice had the colony been on the verge of annihilation — a fate which was only averted by his heroic devotion and superior wisdom. Yet its friends at home were disposed to murmur. His drafts, protested, were returned to him. To aggravate his situation, some of the men began to show a spirit of insubordination. Twelve of the number united in open mutiny, and tried to carry others with them, upon which Ashmun gave the following public notice : " There are in the colony, more than a dozen healthy persons, who will receive no more provisions out of the public store, till they earn them." This, it was hoped would induce them to return to duty. Such Avas not the case. All restraint was thrown off, and they became more openly clamorous. The rations of the mutineers were thereupon stopped, upon which they assembled at the agency house, and stirred up quite an uproar, threatening to drive the agent out. Gaining nothing by this, they proceeded to the house of tho commissary who was then giving out the regular rations. They rushed upon him, when each seized a portion of the provision and made off. Ash- mun addressed them, with a dignified circular, setting forth iu firm tones their conduct, and warning them against a persistence therein. This had the desired effect. The better disposed returned to duty, and the others being deserted, were awed into acquiescence. Other events also transpired of great utility to the colony. In February, the United States ship Cyrus brought to their assiatance a reinforcement of one hundred and five emigrants, mostly from Virginia. During the voyage; universal health prevailed among the crew, so that when they were landed, much was expected from their buoyant vigor ; that contrasted advantageously enough with the worn down colonists. These hopes, however, were soon dampened. The emigrants were to a man soon prostrated with the fever that almost invariably attacked the unacclimated stranger. Provisions again gave out. Of rice, which was an essential article of food, to all, and almost indispensable to the sick, they scarcely had a pound. To these distresses, were added those of mutiny and anarchy. Uneducated and without even the remotest conceptions of relative duties, they were not slow to lay the blame of their sufferings upon Mr. Ashmun, whose authority the most reck- less began openly to throw off. It soon became necessary to reduce the daily rations, giving to each man but half allowance, which in no way tended to allay the excited feelings of the mutineers. Ashmun assembled the colonists and delivered to them an appropriate address, couched in tones of firmness and decision. Though this was not without good eflect, so general had became the spirit of insubordination, that it M'as some time before the united co-operation of the colonists could be secured. In the midst of these efforts for the good of all. Ashmun's name had been handled somewhat roughly, by some journalists at home ; and his conduct was a theme of censure. Their vindi OF AMERICANS. 373 cation mortified him very much. Things were in this state when he started on a visit to the Cape De Verde Islands, to regain his health, a measure made absolutely imperative by a complication of infirmities which had reduced him to a mere wreck. Before embarking he met with a serious accident. In endeavoring to pull a decayed tooth, an artery was cut. Profuse bleeding followed. While enfeebled from loss of blood, and trying to make his way to the vessel, he was robbed of what he had. A paper was left on the Cape, stating, that he had spent the prime of his life in the service, aiming to do his duty, claiming to have kept the boai-d correctly informed of the condition of affairs, disavowing any misuse of funds, or the reception of rcnumeration, save a slight gratuitous present — asserting that more than all the profits accruing from his traffic with the natives had been applied to the wants of the colony, and declaring that " whoever named that barter after his absence except to his advantage was an ingrate, who thrusts his viper sting into the bosom which has nourished his existence." Ashmun was now in the depths of misery. lie was so weakened from the loss of blood that had flowed from him for a whole day, that he could scarcely move ! Indeed his life was despaired of. The colony too was iu a distracted condition, and his name abused among his countrymen. At this period, an armed schooner, the Porpoise, had been dispatched from the United States to the coast of Africa, for the purpose of farthering the schemes of colonization. In July, 1824, she anchored in Porto Praya Harbor in the Cape De Yerde Islands, soon after the arrival of Mr. Ashmun, who immediately went on board. There he met Mr. Gurloy, who had been sent out by the Colonization Society to examine into the affairs of the colony. This gentleman afterward became his biographer, and, in his Life of Ashmun, thus speaks of the impression he made upon them at the time : "There was that in his presence and aspect, which once seen, is never forgotten. The officers of the ship who were strangers to him, felt that he was an extraordinary man. In his whole appearance were blended dignity and humility. The serene light of reason, of goodness, of meekness, soft- ened the stateliness of sorrow, and threw a charm on the grandeur of his storm-shaken, but self-sustained spirit. His soul seemed refreshed by ti- dings from his native land, and his social affections to gush forth, pure and simple, as those of childhood, from the deeply-stirred fountains of his heart. His remarks on the colony, showed an extensive and thorough knowledge of its interests, and the tone and manner in which they were delivered, left it hardly possible to doubt that they were among the most precious objects of his affection. The feelings expressed in his countenance were particularly observable, varying, as less or more intense, the light and shade, so that his features, as was said of those of a great poet, like " a beautiful alabaster vase, were only seen to perfection, when lighted up from within." Nothing was detected betraying a single motive or purpose which it was not honor to avow ; and the recollection that Satan himselfis sometimes transformed into, an angel of light, alone could guard the judgment against the instant ad- mission of his integrity. At our second interview, the proceedings of the board and govemmenS were developed, and the object of the special mission fully explained. He was told what representations of his conduct had been received from the 374 ADVENTURES AND ACPIIEVEMENTS colony, and ttat confidence iu his character and administration had givea way before the corroding power of suspicion, and the multiplied insinuations and all egations directed against both. * I will accompany you to the Cape,' said he ; ' my long and familiar acquaintance with the affairs of the colony may enable me to render you some aid in effecting the arduous duties of your mission.' As he spoke, you marked the show of an unalterable purpose not to abandon a cause for which he had sacrificed everything but life ; you admired the elevation of his soul above all selfish considerations, towering like an eagle against the storm and the thunder-cloud, and already catching glimpses of the purity and brightness of the heavens. But his moral great- ness was ordinarily sober and grave, as though it had felt unkindness, been touched by grief, and stood a solitary monument amid ruined hopes. My favorable impressions of Mr. Ashmun's character, received at our interview, were deepened by each successive conversation, inquiry, and re- flection on our passage ; nor should I have hesitated to predict confidently, that not a shadow of evidence existed, to substantiate the charges that had been urged against him. The prediction would have been verified. There was no evidence. Not a man in the colony dared to accuse him of an un- wise or an unworthy action. Every individual of the least standing, was examined personally by me on the subject ; and the result was, to my mind, moral demonstration, that no man could more faithfully, more disinterestedly, more resolutely, have fulfilled the duties of his station. The clouds that had darkened his reputation, arose from the low grounds of ignorance and the putrescent ingredients of malice, and the light of an investigation that revealed the sources of their origin, dispelled them forever." On the 13th of August, they safely reached Cape Montserado. Ashmun found the condition of affairs somewhat improved. The rebellious spirit seemed greatly quieted, and a partial supply of provisions had temporarily relieved their distress. Everything now looked well ; hospitals were built ; religious exercises attended to ; schools opened, and on all sides progress was seen. The condition of the colony Avas transmitted to the board in an early report., It was unsatisfactory. Their judgments warped by undue suspicions, and blinded by prejudice, they began to look around for a proper person, to assume the management of affairs. But before the selec- tion was made, " confirmation strong as holy writ," of Ashmun's efficiency was received. Everything imderwent a great change, in an almost^cred- iWe short space of time. Positive evidence came to hand, that thrcolony was prospering, beyond all precedent; laws were enacted, buildings erected, moral sentiments infused, schools opened, and the truths of religion success- fully proclaimed. It was just prior to this time that he was given an oppor- tunity to reply to the slanderous allegations that had been made against him in connection with the Repertory, and which had much to do with the change of oijinion on the part of the board. "We have alluded elsewhere to the unfortunate differences which arose between him and others, in consequence of the pecuniary embarrassments of the Repertory. These differences had their origin, principally, if not entirely, in misapprehension. A public notice, however, had been sent forth on the cover of that work, after Mr. Ashmun's departure from the country, charging him, by implication at least, with a breach of trust. Though this publication was early and deejjly regretted OF AMERICANS. 375 by some who lent it their sanction, others still retained the sentiments which dictated it, and to these sentiments as the main source must be traced, the suspicion and distrust of Ashmun which so long infected the mind of the board and of the community in which they resided. A respectable indi- vidual at this time frankly communicated the charges which existed against him, and he therefore felt required by duty to the cause in which he was engaged, as well as to himself, to meet and refute them. The conclusion of this letter to the board, is inserted to show how deep were his feelings on this occasion, and how eloquently he could express them : ! " However lightly the accusations in question may have been resolved on and publislied, the deed has drawn after it no trivial consequences. To have robbed an individual who is known to have the sensibilities of a man, of so great a share of his peace as I have sufifered and must, would, if truly weighed, be regarded as something ; to shake, for a season, and perhaps till the grave shall hide them from me forever, the confidence of two venerable parents, on whose names calumny never before dared to affix a stain, and who would sooner follow their nine children to the grave, than believe that one of them could disgrace it ; to blast, for a season, at least, the fond hopes of one of the most respectable and numei'ous families in the United States ; to poison, with suspicion, the minds of a numerous connection of beloved and confiding friends, in half the States of the Union ; to place me as an insulated being in the midst of the lower creation, bound to no part by the ties of a sincere respect; to injure the valued, and in some sense, sacred cause in which I have sacrificed much and hazarded more, by curtailing my usefulness and weakening the bonds of mutual confidence between my em- ployers and myself — between me and the colonists ; — thus to tie up, for months, from efficient exertion, the hands of a young man, whose advantages have been many, and whose obligations to be useful are felt to be imperious ; these are some of the actual fruits of that publication : the end of it, is yet to be awaited. The board have seen on what grounds that tremendous re- sponsibility has been incurred. As a dispensation of heaven, I accept it with penitence for the punishment of my sins. As far as it has been the work of man, I protest against it with all the abhorrence and force which its character inspires. And I have done it in language which must have its weight ; because it is the language of truth — of truth which, whoever lives, will see every opening circumstance in future to corroborate and establish. On leaving the United States, I formally assigned all the uncollected arrears of the Repertory to pay its debts. Availing myself, from conscientious mo- tives, of no insolvent laws, I delivered up every dollar of disposable property I had, in proportionate shares, to my creditors. The compensation I received as agent of your board, was so applied ; also a large edition of the Life of Bacon, which I have been mortified to learn, has not answered my expecta- tions in the sales, and consequently left a larger unsettled balance, to be otherwise paid, than I anticipated. I do not allow myself to cherish a bitter feeling toward any man living. * * I shall, I hope, never trouble your respectable body with a similar detail ; and most probably, let the whole matter slumber in silence, till a higher power shall call it up for a final de- cision before an unerring tribunal." The next report of Ashmun was warmly received, and his suggestions at 376 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS once acted upon. He now began to exi^erience those deliglitful thrills of satisfaction, incident to a just appreciation of laborious and well-meant ef- forts. In the spring of 1825, the number of the colonists was increased by the accession of over sixty settlers from the United States. Ashmun clearly saw the advantages to be derived from agricultural pursuits. To promote this branch of healthful industry, he wrote some elaborate articles for the Liberia Farmer, which, however, were not published at the time. With a view of advancing farming interests, and directing the minds of emigrants to that pursuit, he purchased a vast tract of country, lying on the Montserado and St. Paul rivers, of which final possession was taken, and everything went on thrivingly. Of this and all other transactions, Ashmun was careful to keep the board accurately advised. No longer was any distrust entertained toward him. The board met and unanimously recommended that he be continued, at the head of affairs in Liberia, intrusted with the full preroga- tives of chief colonial agent. Thus, after treading a bleak Zahara, without an Oasis to cheer his vision, standing alone self-exiled from his native land, facing danger, toil, affliction and death — no company but the ghost of his murdered reputation — he suddenly found himself under a cloudless sky, the recipient of merited fame, and an acknowledged benefactor of his race. Ashmun now exercised almost jDaternal authority over the natives, into whoso good graces he had completely ingratiated himself. He was anxious to es- tablish the colony upon a basis that would not be easily overturned or shaken — a basis upon which it would grow and develop so as not only to be a credit to the founders and the nation, but a model for those who hereafter should undertake schemes of colonization. Ho wished under the broad banner of civil liberty, and under religion's consecrated seal, to establish a republic every way worthy the name. With the passing years, his anxiety became more than ever intense ; for, as he felt the sands of life ebb away, the necessity of devoting the remaining portion of his days to the work became to him more apparent. Of his genius, heroism, prudence, and energy, the present Reiaublic of Liberia stands an imperishable monument. One thing caused him great anxiety. This was the slave trade. Vessels still engaged in the traffic, though the guns of the colonists frowned upon them. "The purchase money," said he, in July, 1825, "has, during this week been landed in our waters to the incalculable detriment of the colony, and disgrace, shall I say, of our American Government. The colony only wants the right, it has the power, to expel this traffic to a distance, and force it at least to conceal some of its enormities." Soon after this, he began to think of enlarging the limits of the colony. The coast from Trade Town to Cape Mount was explored, with a view to bringing that portion of the country in colonial possession. About this time, also, an English vessel was captured by a Spanish slaver at Monrovia. Under the supposition that many slaves were on board of the Spaniard, Ashmun determined to rescue them. With a small force, he proceeded against the Spanish factory which was taken without bloodshed : several slaves also were liberated. This was followed by the breaking up of two other slave factories, by Ashmun, whose antipathy to- ward that odious traffic was firm and deep-rooted. So far as the colony was concerned, it was now no longer an experiment. In January, he thus wrote concerning their prospects : " Our town begins to OF AMERICANS. 377 assume the appearance of a beautiful little commercial West India sea-port, and certainly has one of the most delightful situations on the face of the globe. In beauty and grandeur of prospect, no station on the coast is half BO charming or half so commanding. It would, I am confident, prove to the members of your board an ample renumeration for much of their disinter- ested labors for Africa, to make a single visit to their colony, and see a well organized, improving and Christian society, founded by their hands." At the same time, preparations were made for sending a large number of emigrants from the United States, and to increase the supply of books and stationery, needful for the success of the schools. These valuable accessions arrived in due time, and thus things continued to look well. A printing- press, and a missionary, two important levers of civilization, also arrived, amid the liveliest satisfaction. From these harbingers of peace, Ashmun hoped the greatest results. As these accessions came over, the limits of the colony continued to enlarge — spreading the lines of civilization and con- tracting those of barbarism and ignorance. One of the greatest nests of the slave-traffickers was at Trade Town. Ashmun resolved on its destruction. A Spanish vessel was there awaiting her cargo of slaves — not having her full number collected. Ashmun ordered what they had to be given up, and the vessel to leave, assuring them that in case of refusal, the whole town would be destroyed. This warning was not heeded. He then sent word to a French brig-of-war, by which the slaver was speedily captured. This tran- saction liberated several hundred slaves. The nest at Trade Town, however, was not broken up. Till this was done, Ashmun desired no pause. Two vessels on voyages of slave-traffic soon after arrived : the factories were all the time in full blast. Ashmun determined to stop the nefarious business. With no great number of troops, a vigorous attack was made upon the town. Considerable resistance was offered by the Spaniards, who drew up on the beach and gave them a warm reception. They succeeded in effecting their entrace into the place without heavy loss. The next day, Ashmun vainly tried to settle all differences without violence. The slaves were rescued, placed on board, and the town set on fire. The flames spread with great rapidity. Scarce had the last troops embarked, when, communicating to the magazine, the flames ignited six hundred casks of powder, and Trade Town was instantly blown to atoms. The destruction of this place, Ashmun hoped, would have an influence favorable to the suppression of the slave- trade, but several prominent natives leagued with the slavers to establish the iniquitous traffic on its old footing. Ashmun learned also that quite an armament of Spanish vessels, resolving to maintain Trade Town as a port for their business, were near with a show of fight. Upon this, he immedi- ately ordered the erection of strong fortifications, in close proximity to the town, overlooking the vessels in the roadstead. He also sent word to the secretary of the navy, that a suflicient force to overawe the slavers was in- dispensable on the coast. His own unbounded influence with the native chiefs, however, proved requisite to the task of holding them in check. Ashmun had now been several years in Africa. The colony was estab- lished and maintained principally through his own great exertions. Five stations were placed on a solid basis. Education was prospering, and com- mercial interests being regulated. Xever, perhaps, had so much, under cir- 378 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS cumstances so singularly embarrassing, been accomplished by one man. His most ardent aims had been gratified — for he had established the colonv on an unirnperishable basis. Peacefully now might he fold his arms, in the last quiet sleep of the grave, feeling that " well done," would be whispered to his soul. A celebrated writer has remarked, " that the greatest obstacle to the im- provement of the world is that prevailing belief of its improbability, which dampens the exertions of so many individuals ; and, that in proportion as the contrary opinion becomes general, it realizes the event which it leads us to anticipate. Surely, if anything can have a tendency to call forth in the public service the exertions of individuals, it must be an idea of the magni- tude of that work in which they are engaged, and a belief of the perma- nence of those benefits which they confer on mankind by every attempt to inform and enlighten them. As in ancient Eome, therefore it was regarded as a mark of a good citizen never to despair of the fortunes of the republic ; so the good citizen of the world, whatever may be the political aspect of his own times, will never despair of the fortunes of the human race ; and that, in the moral world, as well as the material, the farther our observations extend, and the longer they are continued, the more shall we perceive of order and design in the universe." These remarks will certainly apply to Ashmun in his early efforts at Afri- can Colonization, Not only was the scheme looked upon as improbable and visionary, but he was himself, as we have seen, the victim of prejudice and cruel mistrust. But, not despairing of a cause, in the furtherance of which he felt well assured he had the smiles and protection of heaven, he perse- vered until one by one the difficulties began to give way. His eminent suc- cess in founding the Colony of Liberia, elicited the high praise of all parties. Warm champions came to the rescue of colonization, whose ^practicability they thus saw demonstrated. Able pens were weilded, and eloquent voices were raised in its behalf. Amid these auspicious indications, Ashmun was gratified by the arrival, on the ]lth April, 1826, of nearly a hundred emigrants from South Carolina, and others shortly after from Georgia, bringing with them over two hundred re-captured Africans. He had for some time manifested an inclination to re- turn to his native land. Soon after the above arrival, feeling that it was an interesting period of his labors, he thus wrote to the board : " I am at length reluctantly compelled, by a sense of duty to the colony, to relinquish my in- tention, so long indulged and so fondly cherished, of visiting the United States the present season. The arrival of so large a company at so late a period of the dry season — the absence of my colleague — the multiplicity of arduous and delicate duties, devolving on a,n agent in consequence of the re- cent extension of our settlements, the very expensive improvements com- menced, and nearly but not quite completed, are motives for remaining to which I dare not oppose private inclination or any probable good which might grow out of my return to the United States. Mr. Howley has intimated to me his opinion of the impropriety of the step at the present time, and I confess that the report just received of the untiring and laborious struggle in which all the active friends of the cause in America are the present year engaged in its behalf, has affected me with no slight feeling of self reproach, for OF AMERICANS. 379 having so lightly determined myself to quit even for n season the important post of duty, assigned to me. My friends, I fear, will do little justice to these motives ; but I shall apologize to thorn in the best way I can — and put up with the accusation. I know they will accuse me of having trifled with their feelings, by exciting expectations which my present determination is obliged bitterly to disappoint." Much as he wished again to see the loved scenes of his youth, private en- joymentH, in this, as in every otlier instance, were sacrificed for the public duties of his high mission. About this time, a friendly schooner was blown ashore, and almost completeh' wrecked. The provisions with wliich she was laden, were much needed by the colonists. Their loss reduced them to the necessity of purchasing, at a high price, such articles as they were obliged to have. Nor was this the only loss. Ashmun was exposed to a four hours rain, while trying to save the vessel, which resulted in a severe fever, and rheumatism that brought him to death's door. For three weeks he suffered the most acute, agonizing j^ains and burning fevers. Soon after his recovery, a treaty of peace was concluded with the refractory chiefs, at Trade Town, by which mutual protection and encouragement were guaranteed by both parties. Hostilities now began between two of the native tribes, which Ashmun vainly tried to reconcile. His efforts, however, kept both of the belligerent parties on good terms with the colonists, which was the prime object of his mediation in the matter. At this time, he established an infirmary for the benefit of the sick and disabled, which went into operation under happy auspices, that insured the best results. The public schools, also, were re-organized, and put more efii- ciently to work. To secure that economy among the emigrants so essential to success and prosperity, he also recommended that such goods and com- modities, as were shipped by the United States, should be exchanged for the native products, as being much the cheapest, and easier procured. To internal improvements, too, he gave considerable attention, and put a good force to clearing the Montserado Eiver, so as to render it more navigable and better adapted to faciliate the operations of commerce. In this way, his genius and devotion were always actively on the alert for the benefit of the colony. Nothing conducive to a spirit of industrious enterprise, and pro- gressive refinement was neglected. Several militar}'- companies were also organized, as a defense against any depredations or unforseen emergencies that might occur. The stations had incre;ised to eight in number, and each was more efficiently organized than before. While all this had been accom- plished, remarkable as it may seem, such were the administrative talents of Ashmun, that nearly all the expenses had been defrayed by the internal workings of the colony, independent of exterior aid. In fact, the last year's operations developed a profit of several thousand dollars. Elated at his success, Ashmun left no means untried to maintain his hard-earned fiime, and ascendant advantages. Industrial pursuits and education he looked upon as subjects of primary interest, in the enlightenment of Africa. Farms were opened, and the natives incited to their tillnge. To the subject of schools, he continued his earnest attention. This he looked upon as being one of the most important objects of his mission. "Whether," says he, "we re- gard such schools as a cheap means of extending the power of the colony — 380 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS as the most efifectual instruments of civilizing the continent — as a nohle ex- ercise of Cliristian philanthropy, or the best expression of Christian piety (and the object, I think, is susceptible of either of these views) — no work connected with the rearing of the colony, is, in my opinion, more desirable. I think it nearly capable of moral demonstration, that the African tribes may be civilized without expulsion from their chosen settlements and villages, and without that fearful diminution of their population, which has, from causes that do not exist here, as in regard to the Indians of America, accom- panied the march of civilization in that hemisphere." By this time, through the active exertions of the colonists, not only were all things working well immediately at home, but the interior of the country was explored with re- ference to enlarging the colonial boundaries. The population they found tvas of an active, enterprising sort, and had made considerable progress in agri- culture. Early in the year 1828, a United States vessel reached Liberia, with over one hundred more emigrants. This arrival found Ashmun in the midst of perplexing engagements. Several vessels were in port, the affairs of which demanded his personal consideration. Such an accumulation of labor, he &aid, " I never felt pressing on me before. Days and nights were too short. But I dispatched, previous to the 25th, three of the vessels, when another arrived from Sierra Leone, with special claims on my attention." In addi- tion to this, a piratical Spanish vessel menaced the coast in a threatening manner, that required of Ashmun the necessity of keeping a sharp look-out upon her movements. Soon after this, he visited, in person, all the principal native chiefs of the vicinity, giving assurance of his good will to them. From excessive fatigue incident to this combination of arduous duties, he was attacked by a severe fever, from the effects of which he suffered for some time. His embarrass- ments were magnified also, by the sickness of the recently-arrived emigrants, among whom there was not a single well man. After awhile, however, things began to mend, and prospects to materially brighten up again. In Februarj', he thus wrote : " For the last four days, my strength has returned almost as rapidly as it went. But I hope the event will advertise the board, that the constitution of their agent here is not to be depended on — and that a most probable item of intelligence may very shortly be, that he too is numbered with the departed. May provision be made accordingly. For myself, alone, the event has no appalling features — but to leave the colony, to quit a field of labor forever, in which so little is yet done and so much ought to be done — here I fear will be the distressing pang of dying. But the colony depends, I am persuaded, on the life of no one or ten indivi- duals ; and it is a vanity I do not indulge, that it has any such dependence on my own. But it is a field of labor in which if better workmen are not employed, I wish to be myself so long as with the Divine blessing I can do any good." These thoughts, that he was approaching his final rest, were verified. He soon became so much enfeebled, that his physician gave his written opinion that the only hope for his life was in his return to the United States. On the 28th of March, he embarked on board of a vessel, and left Africa for- ever. Never were greater tokens of respect shown by any community on OF AMERICANS. 3S1 taking leave of their head. Xearly the whole of the inhabitants of Mon- rovia, men, -women and children, were out on the occasion, and nearly all of them parted from him in tears. He suifered so intensely on the voyage, that it was doubtful if he should survive to reach his native land. He arrived at New Haven, Connecticut, where he continued to sink until ho expired, August 25, 1828, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. On the next day, a large concourse of the citizens of New Haven, and of the neighboring towns, united in a solemn tribute of respect to his memory, and attended his remains to the grave. The assembly had already filled the Central Church, to which the body of the deceased was conveyed, and the minister of Christ just concluded his humble sujiplications to the God of all mercy and consolation, when a venerable, solitary female entered the con- gregation, and with a look which told what her tongue might in vain have essayed to speak, approached the corpse. It was the mother of Ashraun ! Every heart in that vast assembly beat fainter, as they beheld this aged matron, who had traveled for several days and nights from a remote part of the country, in the hope of embracing her living son, pressing her lips, and her heart upon the coffin which concealed all that remained of that son in death, forever from her sight. The discourse of the Rev. Leonard Bacon, on this occasion, was a just and eloquent defense of the spirit that animates the martyrs to a great and good cause, and under the power of which Ashmun had sacrificed his life in the service of Africa. "His example (said the preacher) shall speak. There have been men whose names are as way-marks ; Avhose examples, through successive ages, stir the spirits of their fellow-men with noble emu- lation. What has been done for God, and for the souls of men, and for the cause of wretched human nature, by the luster which gathers around the name of David Braiuerd. How many lofty spirits has the simple history of his toils and sorrows kindled and roused to kindred enterprise. Other names there are, which beam from age to age with the same glory. How- ard, Clarkson, Swartz, Mills, — what meaning is there in such names as these. Our departed friend will add another to that brilliant catalogue. He takes his place ' Amid th' august and never dying liglit Of constellated spirits who have gained A name iu heaven by power of heavenly deeds.' Let us praise God for the light of his example, which shall never be ex- tinguished, and which, as it beams on us, shall also beam on our children moving them to deeds of godlike benevolence. ' Praise ! for yet one more name with power euJoweJ, To cheer and guide us, onward as we press ; Yet one more image, on the heart bestowed, To dwell there, beautiful iu holiness.' We have come to his grave. A simple, but beautiful monument, erected by the managers of the American Colonization Society, in the church-yard of New Haven, bears the name of Ashmun. This monument may perish, but that name never. It is engraven on the heart of Africa. In his person, Mr. Ashmun was tall — his hair and eyes light — his features regular and cast iu the finest mould — his manners mild, vet dignified — and iu his counte- 332 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS nance an expression of tlie gentlest affections softened tlie lineaments of a lofty, firm, and fearless mind." Liberia, since having been placed on a firm basis through the exertions of Mr. Ashmun, has prospered beyond all example. It now extends along the Guinea Coast for a distance of four hundred and twenty miles, with an average breadth of forty miles inland. It consists of Liberia proper, and Maryland in Liberia, the latter being that part south of Cape Palmas. The country has been all purchased from time to time by the American Coloni- zation Society, and its climate greatly improved, although it is deadly to whites, by a systematic drainage and clearance of the woods. Until the year 1848, Liberia remained a dependency upon the United States, In that year, it was formed into an independent republic, and as such was recognized by Great Britain and France. Its government is upon the same model as that of the United States, consisting of a president, a vice president, and two houses of congress. The natural resources of Liberia are immense. Cotton is natural to the soil of which it produces two crops a year. Coffee thrives well, and the suf^ar-cane grows luxuriantlj'. Its annual exports, principally of tropical productions, amount to over half a million of dollars. The population of the Republic of Liberia, in 1850, was two hundred and fifty thousand, of whom fifty thousand speak the English language. A thirst for education has been awakened among the surrounding native tribes, for four hundred and five hundred miles ; many of them send their children to be educated iu the republic. The Liberians have built for themselves about thirty churches, possess numerous schools and printing presses. More than twenty thousand natives have requested to be taken under the protection of the state, while not less than one hundred thousand live on its territory and three hundred and fifty thousand are bound to it by treaties to abolish the slave-trade. At different times ten buildings, erected by slave-traders for the storage of slaves have been burned down by the Liberians, and hundreds of their fellow crea- tures therein confined liberated ; and they at all times afford a refuge for the weak and the oppressed. The adjoining English colony of Sierra Leone is far inferior to Liberia having but about one quarter of its population, and as yet remaining a dependency upon the English crown. Monrovia is the capital of Liberia. Ifc has a population of about twelve thousand ; beside this there are twenty other towns and villages in the terri- tory. It is said to be a beautiful thriving American-like town, with hand- some churches, elegant private residences, im.posing business stores of brick on almost every street ; all indicating, the most complete development of the amplest resources of mind and body on the part of its citizens. The men of color who have migrated to Liberia have felt the influences of enterprise and freedom, and are improved alike in their condition and character. Those who were slaves become masters ; those who were once dependent have become independent; once the objects of charity, they are now benefactors, and the very individuals who, a few years ago, felt their spirits oppressed and incapable of high efforts and great achievements, now stand forth conscious of their dignity and power, sharing in all the privileges and honors of a respected, a free and a Christian people. NARRATIVE OF THE MI Ell EXPEDITION WITH A HISTORY OF THE SURVIVORS WHO WERE laiFRISONED IN THE CASTLE OF PEROTE, IN MEXICO. The Texas Pievolution was a remarkable exhibition of American character. For nine years a population of twenty thousand of our people successfully contended against a nation of eight millions. It was a bloody struggle, marked by many thrilling episodes, illustrating the coolest bravery in peril, and the manliest fortitude in adversity. The history of the Mier Expedition well exhibits the character of those heroic people, as given by Thomas J. Green, one of the Texan officers, who subsequently published his journal of its events, and from which this article is derived. In the year 1842, the Mexicans having twice invaded Texas, marking tlieir course by the usual atrocities of that half-savage people, President Houston, in September, issued a proclamation calling for volunteers to " rendezvous at Bexar, pursue the enemy into Mexico, and chastise him for his insolence and wrongs." By November, some twelve hundred Texans assembled at Bexar, and were placed under the command of General Som- erville. Through various causes this force was dwindled down to a few hundred men, with which Somerville after much delay marched to the Rio Grande, the Mexican forces under General Woll retreating before them. Then Somerville abandoned all the objects of the campaign, alleging that " he thought it imprudent to remain longer, as the enemy might concen- trate." He started for home, accompanied by his staff and a few over two hundred men, leaving behind three hundred and four of his Texan com- panions in arras, who, having come to fight, determined to be gratified at all hazards. This little band elected Colonel William S. Fisher commander, and de- scended the Ptio Grande, part in barges and part on land. Colonel Thomas J. Green held the ofiice of commander of the flotilla and right wing of the forces. On the 21st of December, they arrived in the vicinity of Mier, next to Matamoras, the most important town on the Eio Grande. As the place was then destitute of troops for its defense, they marched into it without molestation. According to the customs of war, and which, more- over, their own destitute condition warranted, they made requisition upon the alcalde for various stores of provisions, clothing, arras, etc. This was acceded to, upon which the troops retired from the place, carrying with (-383) 384 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS them to tlieir camp loelow the city the alcalde, as a hostage for the per- formance of the agreemeut. Under various pretests its fulfillment was de- layed until on the 25th, when news came that seven hundred Mexicans, with two field-pieces, commanded by Ampudia and Canales, had arrived on the opposite or right bank of the river. The Texans crossed over to give them battle, upon which they retreated into Mier. Two of the most efficient of the Texan spies unfortunately had been made prisoners. One of these was the afterward much noted Captain Samuel II. Walker. On being interrogated by Ampudia as to the numbers and intentions of the Texans, with the threat of death if he told falsely, Walker replied, " that his life was in the general's hands, but that it was neither their Imbit nor natimality to lie ; — that the force of the Texans was about three hundred men." " They surely have not the audacity to pursue and attack me in town," rejoined Ampudia, " Yes, general," said Walker, " you need not have any doubts on that point ; they will pursue and attack you in !" The Texans continued in pursuit of the flying Mexicans, when night closed in upon them, just as they had reached the outskirts of Mier. Tho night being dark and drizzling with rain, the men were ordered to sit and protect their rifles from the damp until the general position of the enemy could be learned. This was done, when, after some little skirmishing, the Mexican outposts were carried, and the Texans fought their way by degrees in the direction of the military square, making openings through the adobe walls of the houses by crowbars. All night long the battle was kept up, and many a Mexican fell before the unerring rifle of those frontiermen. When day dawned they were in the very heart of the city, with the loss of only one man killed and two wounded, having beaten all opposition, and being strongly posted in some adobe houses. "In less than an hour," says Green, "after daylight opened upon us, their artillery was silenced and deserted, and the enemy had recourse to the house-tops, from whence they ventured to pour down upon the houses we occupied voUej^s of musketry. In the many thousand cartridges discharged at us, an occasional one would take eff"ect, and we had some valuable men killed and several wounded. In this situation, some of our best rifles and surest shots were brought into play, and they not permitted to fire except with dead rest and sure aim. This explains why a large majority of their killed and wounded were shot in the head and breast, the only part exposed in firing at us. However, to obtain a better position for some of our picked riflemen, holes were made in the roofs of the houses we occupied, through which they ascended, and in that position we soon cleared all the houses within reach. Thus the battle continued until 12 m., and it was perfectly clear, from the manner in which their fire had slackened in every quarter, that they were badly crippled. One movement more on our part was neces- sary to complete the victory, and that was by commanding the public square, their stronghold. About this time, a column of the enemy charged down a street upon the north of the building we occupied. Colonel Fisher, being at that point, threw himself, with some twenty men, suddenly into the street, and received their fire, which severely wounded several of his men, cutting ofi" also the OF AMERICANS. 385 ball of his right thumb. They effectually returned their fire, when the party fled. Up to this time, for the last sis hours, the artillery nearest us had been silenced, and no one of the enemy dared approach it. It had already, as we were afterward told, proved the death of fifty-five out of their sixty choice artillery company. To get it out of our reach, they had recourse to throwing a lasso over it from behind a corner, and dragging it off. Just about this time, they were blowing a charge in different directions. The writer was in the upper end of the buildings nearest the square, when he received information that Colonel Fisher was wounded : hastening to where he was, he found him vomiting from the effects of his wound. At this juncture, in the midst of victory, we date our misfortunes. Dr. Sinnickson, one of the eight men who had been taken prisoners over the Alcantra, having been brought to General Ampudia's headquarters, was put upon his examination as to our force, etc.; — it, however, corroborated AValker's statement. In General Ampudia's staff, as surgeon-general, was Dr. Humphries, a Scotchman by birth, formerly surgeon in the Texan anny. The surgeon-general knew Dr. Sinnickson in Brazoria, and as soon as he communicated the fact to the Mexican ofScers, the cunning Canales and Ca- rasco suggested, as a last alternative, that their old deception of a ivhiteflag should be tried upon us. At this time, so badly were they whipped, that we were told by Walker, Lusk, and other prisoners, tied at Ampudia's head- quarters, that the officers' horses were saddled, and held each by the bridle, and that the gate of the churchyard upon the Matamoras road was opened, and every preparation was being made for flight, when Dr. Sinnickson w-as started to us with a white flag. Walker and others, who had been prison- ers since the day previous, had witnessed the battle from where they were confined, knew the enemy was badly beaten, and knew their condition too well for either of them to be sent in to us. Dr. Sinnickson, having just been taken prisoner, and knowing but little of the condition of the enemy, had no chance to communicate with the other prisonei-s, and on this ac- count, as well as from his being surgeon in our army, he was selected to bring in the flag to us. At the time he started -with it, the other prisoners believed it was for the purpose of asking terms from us, nor were they un- deceived in this particular until they saw a portion of our men marching into the public square to lay down their arms. Dr. Sinnickson was ordered by General Ampudia to say to the Texan commander "that he had one thousand seven hundred regular troops in the city, and eight hundred fresh troops near by from Monterey, which would be up in a few minutes ; that it was useless for him to contend longer against such odds, and that, if he would surrender his forces, they should be treated w-ith all the honors and considerations of prisoners of war; and that our men should not be sent to Mexico, but kept upon the frontier until an exchange or pacification was effected ; — and that, if these terms were not acceded to, we should be allowed no quarter." Some few moments elapsed between Dr. Sinnickson's first communica- tion with Colonel Fisher, and the astounding information which was com- municated to our men, that it was a demand for us to surrender, for up to this time a general impression prevailed that they Avere asking terms of us. When this information was communicated to our men, it was promptly met 386 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS ' by a general burst of disapprobation, "that they never would surrender their arms." Colonel Fisher sought an interview with General Ampudia. During hi absence, such good use was made of the time by those in favor of fightinf it out, that on his return. not over twenty of the whole number were in favor of surrendering. Says Green : Colonel Fisher formed the different companies in the street, to corpraunicate the result of his interview with the Mexican commander, which was a reiteration of his former promises, and he concluded by saying, thatV'I have known General Ampudia for years — know him to be an honorable man, and will vouch for his carrying them out ; that if you are Avilling to accept of these terms, you will march into the public-square and give up your arms, or prepare for battle in five minutes ; that, in any view of the ease, your situation is a gloomy one, for you cannot fight your way out of this place to the Pwio Grande, short of a loss of two thirds or perhaps the whole; — but if you are determined to fight, I will be with you, and sell my life as dear as possible." This speech was a deathblow to all farther prospect of fighting, for it at once determined half of the men to surrender, who instantly se^mrated from the remainder, and moved off in the direction of the square. Now a scene commenced which defies description. In the countenances of those whom Colonel Fisher's speech did not induce to surrender, were disappointment, sorrow, rage ; many shed tears, some swore, while others maintained a sullen determination, which showed that they were prepared for the worst. Those who marched off with the intention of surrendering, showed in their countenances that they believed the act would purchase their lives. They did not pass Reese and Pearson's companies, which were still formed nearest the square, without a shower of imprecations upon their heads. " Go !" said one ; "I hope you may never enjoy the sight of your country and liberty again !" " Go," added another, " you cowards ! and rot in chains and slavery !" and such like anathemas, which, from their solemn truths, seemed to fall heavily upon their spirits, for they returned no answer, but marched into captivity in silent obedience. In a feeling of rage and contempt, which I was far from controlling, I pursued this party several steps, determined to exhaust the last shot of my repeater upon them, and take the consequences. Here I was met by an old friend, whose head was frosted by seventy winters ; he addressed me in a tone of feeling and friendship, that not onh' disarmed me of my intention, but possessed me of another feeling which absorbed my whole soul. I believed that we would be sacrificed, felt that I could stand it, and longed to see whether the others could. Under this feeling, I broke my arms upon the pavement, and said to them, " Now we will see who can stand shooting the best." In a few minutes I went into the square, where I found a groiip of ofiicers in front of several companies of infantry. Among this group was the Mexi- can surgeon-general, Dr. Humiihries, who knew me in Texas : he advanced and spoke to me cordially. I asked -him to show me General Ampudia, which he did. Unhooking my naked sword-belt, I advanced and delivered it to him, announcing myself at the same time. I remarked to hirp, that, " having opposed the surrender in vain, I was prepared either for the prison or to be shot, and was perfectly indifferent in the choice." lie received me OF AMERICANS. 387 kindly, and replied, that " he appreciated the feelings of the brave — but mine was the fate of war ; that his house and friendship were mine, and that he hoped I would consider myself his guest, and call upon him freely for any service in his power." I thanked him for his personal good feel- ings, and turned to look for the party who had preceded me, and found their rifles laid out in a row upon the ground, and two or three officers counting their catshin and tiger-tailed pouches with an indifference which showed they knew^ nothing of their value. This was a melancholy sight, from which I was relieved by some one calling to me from the iron grating of a window about forty yards distant. I approached the window, and found about one hundred of our men jammed into a small filthy room ; and the man who was calling to me wished me to " keep an eye upon the disposition of their arms, for," said he, "we find too late that you were cor- rect, and if we can get hold of our ^tools' once more, we will go it with a looseness." Thus soon did their repentance commence, and long will it continue. The balance of our men, as their arms were delivered up, were thrust into two other rooms, each distant from the other sixty or eighty steps. General Ampudia invited Colonel Fisher and myself to his headqjuarters, on the opposite side of the square adjoining the church. In this room was seated at a table the cunning Canales, drawing up the "Articles of Capitu- lation," which were soon after imposed upon us for what they did not con- tain. The aggregate number of Texans engaged in the battle was two hundred and sixty-one ; our loss being ten killed, twenty-three badly and several slightly wounded. The aggregate number of the Mexican forces engaged was twenty-three hundred and forty. Their loss was between seven and eight hundred killed and wounded. We were informed at Matamoras by the United States consul and several American and English gentlemen, who had it in confidence from the Mexican ofiicers, that their loss exceeded eight hundred in killed and wounded. Their official report to the war de- partment of the amount of ammunition expended in the battle was nine hundred cannon cartridges and forty-three thousand musket cai'tridges, be- sides three hundred rockets, etc., while ours was between fourteen and fif- teen hundred of every description. There never has existed, in any age, a nation who understood so well as the Texans this important matter, "never to shoot without killing;" and this will explain why a larger pro- portion than one to two of our shots took effect in this battle. With the permission of General Ampudia, I visited the church that evening to see our wounded, and carried them a quantity of bandages. Doctors Sinnickson, Brennem, and Shepherd were then attending them. All appeared to be cheerful, though most of them were badly and several mortally wounded. I have never yet seen a calamity so great befall Texans as to prevent their making fun ; and upon inquiry as to how they were ofiF for rations, they replied, "0 ! we have plenty of brains, general." In the same building, one hundred and thirty-six of the enemy's wounded wej;e stretched out on the floor, many of whom had been shot in the head, and their brains had oozed out, from the size of a marble to that of one's fist. It was a horrible sight, but will explain what our fun -making wounded 25 388 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS meant. The enemy were mostly wounded in the head and breast, a lar^-e portion of whom died the first night. Thus ended the battle of Mier, which, in its moral and political conse- quences to our country, was a glorious triumph. It was there that the peo- ple of Texas demonstrated the practicability of conquering and holding that rich valley against immense odds. It was there that the people of Texas pursued and fought them nine to one, killing treble their own num- ber, and proving themselves invincible to everything but duplicity and treachery ; and it was there that the Texan made the sound of his rifle and death synonymous terms throughout Mexico. On the 31st of December, General Ampudia took up his line of march for the City of Mexico, via Matamoras, with his prisoners. They were strongly guarded by artillery behind, and before and on each side by cavalry and infantry with fixed bayonets. The men were hurried along at a rapid rate, suffering greatly from fatigue and want of water. The first night they encamped opposite Comargo. Their blankets had been stolen from them, a bleak norther was blowing, and when their scanty fires had burned down, they raked away the burning coals, and laid in piles in the ashes to keep themselves warm. The next day. New Tear's day, 1843. they entered Comargo, where com- menced the grand menagerie show of the prisoners, which was continued during their zig-zag march of one thousand five hundred miles in Mexico. They were paraded through the town and around the public-square under the ringing of bells, firing of guns and crackers, and the vivas of the popu- lace. Little boys and girls preceded them, displaying long rolls of paper with bombastic mottoes — " Glory to the brave Canales — Eternal honor to the immortal Ampudia," etc. Continuing their march, H;hey were the next night herded in a cow-pen, like so many cattle. The fun-makers, to complete the character, dropped down upon all-fours, bowed their necks, pawed up the dirt, and lowed like bulls, to the no small astonishment of their captors. The next night, their lodgings being a sheep-pen, the comedians had a new character to play, and it is certain they "bleated more like sheep than any sheep in all Mexico." It was of much importance to their captors to get cow-pens to put the cap- tives in, and they were often resorted to on the march, for, being walled with lofty pickets, they were the more easily guarded. On nearing Matamoras many of the prominent citizens came out to meet General Ampudia, and to congratulate him upon his victory. "Among these," says Green, " were two of our acquaintances, Tom and Esau,. These gentlemen, now of so much consequence as to ride three leagues in a coach to congratulate General Ampudia upon his splendid victory, were General Sam Houston's two barbers, so well known to the public of Texas. Tom treated us with marked attention, spoke of his prospects in that country, his intended nuptials, invited us to the wedding, and said that General Am- jmdia was to stand godfather on the occasion. He remarked to General Ampudia, upon meeting him, in our presence, ' Well, general, I told you, before leaving Matamoras, that when you met these gentlemen you would catch it !' " The next day, January 9tb, they marched to Matamoras. Says Green : OF AMERICANS. 389 " Many women and girls came out with joyous countenances to meet their husbands and sweethearts ; but, alas ! for them, they had experienced the effects of the Texan rifles at Mier, and they returned with heavy hearts and bitter lamentations. A triumphal arch was thrown across the principal street through which we passed at every hundred yards ; and, to make the grand pageant as imposing as possible, soldiers were stationed upon each side of the street, about thirty feet apart, and what they lacked in soldiers they made up for the occasion by placing soldier-clothes upon citizens. Our men followed slowly and solemnly up one street and down another, to give the populace full opportunity to gaze at and heap upon them dirty epithets, of which their language is so copious. Among the populace were a number of negroes, who had absconded from Texas ; these were among the foremost in their abusive epithets, and our men, without the power of punishing such insolence, would gnash their teeth in rage." In the march from Matamoras, Colonels Fisher and Green, Dr. Shepherd, Adjutant Murry, S. C. Lyon, and the interpreter, Daniel Drake Henrie, were each furnished with a horse, placed under an escort of a company of cav- alry, and sent on their route in advance of the main body. These officers were generally treated with kindness. At Monterey, which they reached on the 22d of January, they remained six days inmates of the family of Colonel Bermudez, a fine hospitable old gentleman, with several beautiful daughters. "These amiable ladies," says Green, "to beguile our heavy hours, Avould sing and play upon the guitar and piano for us, and at even- ings would invite the elite of the city, some of them doubtless coming to see us Texans, whom they would introduce as ^muy valiente,' — very brave. At these evening coteries, we would endeavor to appear as if nothing had happened to us, and join in the dance as lightsome as any. The ladies would say, 'What wonderful people you must be ! here you are, prisoners in a foreign land, having already passed many dangers, and you must expect to fall into hands who will treat you unkindly — for all Mexicans are not what they should be — and still you appear as if nothing had befallen you-' How delightful it is to witness the salutations of Mexican female friends ! they trip across the room to meet each other with a gait superior to that of our women, and, instead of grasping the hand, they embrace with a be- witching, gossamer, ethereal touch, which cannot properly be described. In their ball-dress they look like winged creatures. Most of the Mexican dances are exceedingly beautiful ; there is a luxury in the music, and a fascinating swing in their women peculiarly winning. Nothing can exceed the grace of their quadrilles and contra-dances. Their fandango is a lively operation, mostly danced by the more common people, in which the gen- tleman leads his partner to the center of the room ; here they move face to face, the gentleman beating his feet against the floor in admirable time to the music, while the lady faces him in a regular monotonous hitch-up and back-down step, as uniform as the oscillation of a pendulum. Thus it is kept up xmtil each party is relieved by some other groups." On the 28th, Colonel Fisher and party, under escort, started for Saltillo, where they arrived on the 30th. The main body of the prisoners, under charge of Colonel Canales, with six hundred infantry and cavalry, arrived at Saltillo on the 5th of February, but not until they had all got one hun- 390 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS dred and twenty miles, to the hacienda Salado, which was on the 10th, did any chance oifer for private communication between the Texan officers and men. The latter were highly elated, and a plan was at once formed to charge their guards at daybreak the next morning, and make a bold stroke for liberty. The plot was successfully put into execution the next morning, but too late for the assistance or the benefit of the officers, who had been sent on with their escort, and had gotten nearly a mile from the place when the event took place. Green thus narrates the circumstances : " The 11th of February should be an ever memorable day in the history of Texan liberty, alike honorable to the country for the spirit in which that glorious movement was planned and executed. As our men advanced far- ther into the country, the more oppressive became the conduct of those un- der whose charge they were. On sundry occasions, the Mexican soldiers had been permitted to beat several of thom. This was in such gross viola- tion of our articles of capitulation, and afforded such a precious foretaste of 'Mexican magnanimity,' that they determined not to let slip this last opportunity of regaining their liberty ; and the prospect of having their officers with them in their glorious enterprise determined the blow. Among the privates foremost in the charge, as well as in bringing about the result-^ and to their lasting honor we record their names — were Dr. R. F. Brennem, S. H. Walker, J. D. Cooke, Colonel William F. Wilson, Patrick Lyons, and others. The officers were generally in favor of the attempt ; and at the appointed time, the lamented Cameron, with a quiet coolness peculiar to him in trying emergencies, raised his hat, and giving it a gentle flourish in the air, said, in a distinct tone, a little mixed with his Highland brogue, ' Well, boys, we will go it !' Thus saying, and suiting the action to the word, he grappled one of the sentinels at the inner door of their prison- yard, while S. H. Walker seized the other. It was the work of an instant to upset and disarm these, and get possession of the outer court, where the arms and cartridge boxes were guarded by one hundred and fifty infantry. These men were quickly driven out or made to surrender ; and while our men were arming themselves and securing ammunition, the cavalry had formed in front of the outer gate, which was also guarded by the company of 'Red -Caps.' In passing through the gate to charge this company and the cavalry, poor Doctor Brennem and Patrick Lyons fell, and several others w-ere wounded. That portion of the cavalry which M'as mounted quickly fell back beyond the reach of our fire, while the ' Red-Caps ' retreated round the main wall of the buildings to the south, through the gate into the court- yard, which our party had just before left. A portion of our men pressed around to force this gate, believing still that we were in our quarters. Here Captain Fitzgerald received his death-wound, and John Stansbury, quite a boy, had his left eye shot out. The company of 'Red-Caps' soon capitu- lated, and gave up their arms : the only condition which our men required of Colonel Barragan, in releasing them, was, that our wounded should be treated kindly. We had three killed — Dr. Brennem, Lyons, and Rice. Cai:)tain Fitzge- rald and John Higgerson were mortally wounded, and died soon after; and Captain J. R. Baker, privates Stansbury, Hancock, Trehern, and Harvey, wounded. The enemy's loss was nine or ten killed, and many more badly OF AMERICANS. 391 wounded. From the difficult}- of getting arras in the comnienceraent of the action, it was not possible that more than one half of our two hundred and fourteen men, with the exception of those who fought with brickbats, could have been engaged. Thus it was that the Texans gave the world another evidence of their superiority over the Mexicans, when one hundred unarmed men charged three hundred with arms, beat them, disarmed them, and then turned them loose as harmless things." By ten o'clock a. m., the Texans, to the number of one hundred and ninetj'-three, mounted their horses, and took up their line of march home- ward, leaving their wounded behind. They proceeded on for a day or two without especial molestation, when their leader, Captain Edwin Cameron, was influenced against his better judgment, to leave the main road and take to the mountains. Had they continued as they started, there is no doubt but that they would have got out of the country in safetj% as it was subsequently ascertained that the Mexicans were not in sufficient force ia that quarter to make any effectual opposition. Once in tbe mountains, their troubles commenced. The country was too rough for their horses, water was very scarce, and they made but little progress. On the night of the 14th, they encamped in a deep gorge of the mountains. The next morning they found water, the first they had seen in twenty-four hours. At this spot, they determined to kill their fattest horses, jerk the meat, and then proceed on foot. So, having stationed sentinels upon the peaks of the highest adjoining mountains, they led their horses dowu into the ravine and commenced the mournful task. In doing so, no language can describe the feelings of these bold men — men who, in battle, had slain their scores of Mexicans without winking — when they stood with unsheathed knives be- side their faithful animals, they found that their bursting hearts had un- nerved their arms. Many turned from the effort and wept, while others, as much affected, performed the bloody deed in conscientious duty to their families, their country and liberty. The lamentable groans of the poor horses, as the keen steel would press to the heart's core, were distressingly painful to hear. Some, in the agonies of death, would squeal and flounder, while others would seem to look upon their masters in deep sorrow, and press against the fatal blade. This never to be forgotten scene was the work of a portion of this day, as some built scaffolds with fire underneath to dry the meat, while others butchered, and some went with gourds still dt'cper into the ravine for water. At three o'clock p. m., the water was so nearly exhausted that the men could not fill their gourds, when the march was re- commenced. At ten o'clock r. m., they encamped in a deep ravine without water." They continued on for two or three days in a northerly course, sufiering terribly for want of water, until the ITtli, when, being unable to travel any farther, they halted in a deep valley. The sun was pouring down upon them with intense power. To screen themselves from its blistering rays, they scattered themselves over the spot, spread their blankets upon thom- bushes, and got underneath them. Water ! water ! was the all-pervading cry. In the delirium of consuming fires they sought — "The roughest berry ou the rudest hedge." 392 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Some were chewing and eating negro-head and prickly-pear leaves to produce moisture in their mouths, but these astringents greatly aggravated their sufferings ; while others, with tongues so parched and swollen that they could not close their mouths, were scratching in the shade of bushes for cool earth to apply to their throats and stomachs ; yet, even yet, their sufferings were to be increased. Wild delirium seized upon those who had most freely used the astringent plants, and in their last agony they had re- course to their own urinary secretion. This was drinking living fire ! and this they knew, for many were men of education ; but still they drank and drank ! Several expired, and all prayed for death to relieve them. The phosphate of lime contained in this liquid produces a consuming agony far worse than death without it. In the meantime, so slow had become their progress, that the Mexicans had time to rally and gather a large force to intercept them. That evening the fires of the Mexican cavalry camp were discovered in advance, illumin- ating the heavens. When the day dawned, the Texans were scattered, ex- hausted, and having thrown away their arms from mere inability to carry them, they had no other resource but to surrender to a force which, had they kept the original road, they could easily have beaten. Now began the return march to Solado. Their captors tied them in pairs with cords of rawhide. These were exchanged at San Antonio for handcuffs. Notwithstanding this precaution, the Mexicans showed great apprehension lest another charge would be made upon them, for they would not allow the Texans to stand up in camp. Under all these cruelties, the men bore up with astonishing fortitude. They received their irons with smiles, promised a fair remuneration the first opportunity, and concluded the evening's entertainment by telling old tales and singing, to the utter astonishment of their captors. On the 25th of March, they arrived at Solado, when the melancholy in- telligence was received that they were to be decimated, and each tenth man shot. Full particulars of the bloody drama which ensued are thus given by Green : " It was now too late to resist this horrible order. The men were closely ironed and drawn up in front of all their guards, with arms in readiness to fire. Could they have known it previously, they would have again charged their guards, and made them dearly pay for this last perfidi- ous breach of national faith. It was now too late ! A manly gloom and a proud defiance pervaded all countenances. They had but one alternative, and that was to invoke their country's vengeance upon their murderers, consign their souls to God, and die like men. The decimator, Colonel Domingo Huerta, who was especially nominated to this black deed, had arrived at Solado ahead of the men. The ' Red- Cap ' company were to be their executioners — those men whose lives had been so humanely spared by the Texans at this place on the 11th of Feb- ruary. The decimation took place by the drawing of black and white beans from a small earthen mug. The white ones signified exemption, and the black death. One hundred and fifty-nine white beans were placed in the bottom of the mug, and seventeen black ones were placed upon the top of them. The beans were not stirred, and had so slight a shake that it was perfectly clear they had not been mixed together. Such was their anxiety OF AMERICANS. 393 to execute Captain Cameron, and perhaps the balance of the officers, that first Cameron, and afterward they, were made to draw a bean each, from the mug in this condition. As the gallant Cameron stepped up, he said, with his usual coolness : ' Well, boys, we have to draw ; let's be at it !" So saying, he thrust his hand into the mug, and drew out a white bean. Next came Colonel Wm. F. Wilson, who w^as chained to him ; then Captain Wm. Ryan, and then Judge F. M. Gibson, all of whom drew white beans. Next came Cajitain Eastland, who drew the first black one, and then followed the balance of the men. They all drew their beans with that manly dignity and firmness which showed them superior to their condition. Some of lighter temper jested over the bloody tragedy. One would say, 'Boys, this beats raffling all to pieces 1' another, ' This is the tallest gambling scrape I was ever in !' and such like remarks. None showed change of countenance ; — and as the black beans failed to depress, so did the white fail to elate. The knocking oif the irons from the unfortunate alone told who they were. Poor Robert Beard, lying upon the ground near by exceedinglj' ill, and nearly exhausted from his forced marches and sufferings, called his brother William, who was bringing him a cup of water, and said, ' Brother, if you draw a black bean, I '11 take your place ; I want to die.' The brother, with overwhelming an- guish, replied, ' No, I will keep my own place ; I am stronger and better able to die than you.' These noble youths drew clear, but both soon after died, leaving this last Roman legacy to their venerable parents in Texas. Several of the Mexican officers who officiated in this cruel violation of their country's faith, expressed great dissatisfaction thereat, and some wept bitterly. Soon after, the fated were placed in a separate courtyard, where, about dark, they were executed. Several of the men were permitted to visit the unfortunate previously to the execution, to receive their dying requests. Poor Major Cocke, when he first drew the fatal bean, held it up between his fore-finger and thumb, and with a smile of contempt, said, ' Boys, I told you so ; I never failed in my life to draw a prize !' and then he said to Judge Gibson, 'Well, Judge, say to my friends that I died in grace !' The judge, much affected at this last sad parting, showed it from his tears. The major replied, ' They only rob me of forty years,' and then sat down and wrote a sensible and dignified letter of remonstrance to General Waddy Thompson, the United States Min- ister in Mexico ; and, knowing that his remains Avould be robbed of his clothes after his death, drew off his pantaloons, handed them to his surviv- ing comjades, and died in his under-clothes. Poor Henry Whaling, a native of Indiana, and one of Cameron's best fighters, as he drew his black bean, said, with as bright a look as ever lighted man's countenance, 'Well, they don't make much off me, any how; for I know I have killed twenty-five of the yellow-bellies ;' then demanding his dinner, in a firm tone, he continued, 'They shall not cheat me out of it,' — and ate heartily, smoked a cigar, and in twenty minutes after was launched into eternity ! The Mexicans said that this man had the biggest heart of any they ever saw. They shot him fifteen times before he expired. Poor Torrey, quite a youth, but in spirit a giant, said that he was 'per- fectly willing to meet his fate : that for the glory of his country he fought, 394 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS aiid for her glory he was willing to die ;' and, turning to the officer, said : 'After the battle of San Jacinto, my family took one of your prisoner youths, raised and educated him, and this is our requital.' Edward Este spoke of his fate with the coolest indifference, and said that he would rather be shot than dragged along in this manner. Cash said, 'Well, they murdered my brother with Colonel Fannin, and they are about to murder me.' J. L. Jones said to the interpreter, ' Tell the officer to look upon men who are not afraid to die for their country. Captain Eastland behaved with the most patriotic dignity; he desired that his county should not particularly avenge his death, but for her own honor he implored her never to lay down her arms until the most ample repara- tion and her unconditional freedom should be secured. He said, 'I know that some have thought me timid, but, thank God, death has no terrors for me.' Major Robert Dunham said ' he was prepared to die, and would to God that he had a chance to do the same thing over again ; that he gloried in the demonstration they had made, which showed Texans without arms to be more than equal to Mexicans with them.' James Ogden, with his usual equanimity of temper, smiled at his fate, and said, ' I am prepared.' Young Robert W. Harris behaved in the most unflinching manner, and called upon his companions to avenge the murder, while their flowing teai-s and bursting hearts, invoking heaven for their witness, responded nobly to the call. They one and all invoked their country to do both them and herself jus- tice. Captain Cameron, in taking leave of these brave men, and particularly of Turnbull, a brother Scotchman, with whom he had been in many dan- gers, wept bitterly, and implored the officers to execute him and spare his men. Just previous to the firing they were bound together with cords, and their eyes being bandaged, they were set upon a log near the wall, with their backs to their executioners. They all begged the officer to shoot them in front, and at a short distance ; that ' they were not afraid to look death in the face.' This he refused, and, to make his cruelty as refined as possi- ble, fired at several paces, and continued the firing from ten to twelve min- utes, lacerating and mangling these heroes in a manner too horrible for de- scription. The interpreter, who was permitted to remain with them to the last, says that ' fifteen times they wounded that iron-nerved soul, Henry Whaling ;' and it would seem that Providence had a special care in.prolonging his ex- istence, that he might demonstrate to his enemies the national character they had to contend with ; for he gritted his teeth at and defied them in terms of withering reproach, until they placed a gun to his head and blew his brains against the wall. Such was the effect of this horrible massacre upon their own goldiers, who were stationed as a guard upon the wall above, that one of them fainted, and came near falling over, but was caught by his comrades. During the martyrdom of these noble patriots, the main body of the men were separated from them by a stone wall of some fifteen feet in OP AMERICANS. 395 height, and heard their last agonized groans with feelings of which it would be moclicry to attempt the description." After this horrible tragedj', the main body of the Texans were marched on the road to the City of Mexico, a distance of five hundred miles. Their sufferings were dreadful. Many died on the journey ; others, too worn down to travel, were left in hospitals on the route, from which miserable sinks few ever returned. Among the incidents of their journej', the follow- ing is given by Green : "After thirty days' march, they arrived at the village of Huehuetoca, seven leagues from the City of Mexico, where they -were all crowded to- gether in a room too small to admit of their lying down, and into which not a breath of air could enter when the door was closed. In a very little time the air became so impure, from the exhaustion of the oxygen, that the candles went out, and respiration became exceedingly difficult. The men in vain appealed to the guards at the door to let in fresh air, and when death the most cruel stared them wholesale in the face, as a last alternative, they had i-ecourse to cutting holes in the door with their pocket-knives, and alternately breathing at these small orifices. This was, indeed, as the Mexican soldiers called it, la noclie trisie, — 'the sad night.' Their march of many leagues the day before, through an in- sufferable dust, a burning sun, the want of food and water, and then at night not even space sufficient of the stone floor to lie upon, and a suffocat- ing atmosphere to breathe, was not their full measure of woe. About eight o'clock at night, a menial murderer, with a pair of epaulettes upon his shoulders, and a guard of about a dozen men, under broad-brimmed hats, arrived with orders from the tyrant, Santa Anna, to shoot their leader, the bold and beloved Captain Ewin Cameron. The next morning, after the men were marehed for the City of Mexico, he was taken out in the rear of the village to the place of execution. A priest, the usual attendant of Mexican executions, was in waiting, and when Cameron was asked if he wished to confess to the father, he promptly an- swered, 'No ! throughout life I believe that I have lived an upright man, and if I have to confess, it shall be to my Maker.' His arms were then tied with a cord at the elbows and drawn back, and when the guard ad- vanced to bandage his eyes, he said to his interpreter: 'Tell them, No! Ewin Cameron can now, as he has often before done for the liberty of Texas, look death in the face without winking !' So saying, he threw his hat and blanket upon the ground, opened the bosom of his huntijig-shirt, presented his naked breast, and gave the fatal command — ' Fire !' " Arrived in the City of Mexico, the major part of the Texans were placed at most disgusting employments. Some were driven forth into the streets with sticks and bayonets by brutal overseers, as scavengers of filth too hor- rible to contemplate. Others, heavily ironed, were placed at work upon the pavement in front of the archbishop's palace. Disease and death rapidly thinned their numbers. The survivors, naked and emaciated, were eventu- ally consigned to the dungeons of Perote and San Juan d' Ulloa. Few of them escaped, many died, and the remainder were liberated in the latter part of the year 1844-, through the intervention of Governor Shannon, the then United States Minister in Mexico. 396 advp:ntures and achievements As tbe reader has been previously informed, Colonel Green's party had got fairly started on their journey on the morning of the rising of the pris- oners at Salado. They however were fully apprised of the event by the discharge of the musketrj', and soon had the pleasure of seeing the Mexi- can cavalry and infantry scampering in every direction, hither and thither, leaving clouds of dust behind them. Then, after a little pause, borne upon the still morning air, came loud shouts of victory from the Texans. "At this time," says Green, "a lieutenant came up at full speed, with orders from Colonel Barragan to Captain Romano, to shoot us and come im- mediately to his assistance. Both his countenance and actions showed de- termination to execute the order. He ordered his men to reprime their escopetas and make ready, which was instantly done. This was a critical moment, and it was necessary to be met with coolness and promptness on our part. Colonel Fisher and myself asked him, ' if he was most bound to obey the orders of Governor Ortega, to take us to Mexico, or any subse- quent order of Colonel Barragan ;' and that we expected ' we were in the hands of a gentleman and soldier, not a murderer.' His eyes were instantly lowered to the pommel of his saddle; and his countenance underwent hesi- tation, change and satisfaction in as many seconds, when he raised himself in his stirrups, and, proudly clapping his hand upon his bosom, ordered the interpreter to say to the gentlemen, ' that they are in the hands of a gentleman and a soldier, and that / will carry out Governor Ortega's orders.' Thus saying, our horses' heads were wheeled toward Mexico, and we were forced on, at full speed, by the lancers on each side of us." By very rajiid traveling, the prisoners reached San Luis Potosi on the 23d, where their number was augmented by sixteen of their companions, who, having remained behind at Salado, were again taken into captivity. In their journey through the country, they were subjected to more or less of brutality from their guards and from the people. " The only com- passion we met," says Green, "was in the countenances of the females. In my intercourse with the world, I have had frequent occasion to observe that women were better than men ; in Mexico this observation is forced upon you at every village." Some amusing incidents occurred on the route. " On one occasion," says Green, "a Mexican officer asked us where our musicians were ? We an- swered, 'We are all musicians in Texas.' 'Upon what instrument do you perform ?' ' Upon the rifle,' we answered — when suddenly the muscles of their faces would elongate from the pleasant to the most inexpressible blank. On this and similar occasions, when we would quiz them — and we let no op- portunity pass for so doing — they would always come to the conclusion that we were a strange people. It has been said that 'a Texan is born with a rifle in his hand,' and with equal truth it may be said, that 'the Mexican is born with a rope in his,' for at every Mexican settlement we noticed the children, from knee high and upward, with little ropes, catching the ducks and chickens. It ap- peared to be their only amusement; and they would throw them with re- markable certainty. The old roosters and drakes, that had been often taken in this manner, seemed to know how useless it was to attempt escape, and would squat to receive the rope when they saw it coming. In Mexico, the OF AMERICANS. 397 lasso is used for catching every animal, from a wild bull to the tamest dung- hill fowl; nor is its use unknown in recruiting their ^ volunteers ' for the army. Our comrades used to say, that ' these blanketed, pepper-eating fel- lows would not believe a thing was caught unless it was done with a rope.' " In about a month's continuous traveling, the party reached the famous Castle of Perote, the place of their destination, situated about one hundred miles east of the City of Mexico, on the road to Vera Cruz. They entered in by a winding entrance, crossed a drawbridge over the great moat, and passed through an archway into a large plaza in front of the prisoners' quar- ters. The bugle's blast, the roll of drums, and the din of arms and the clank of chains, which then saluted their ears, opened their eyes to the reality of imprisonment. There they met, in rags and chains, fifty of their countrymen, who had been kidnapped from their homes in Bexar, Texas, early in the preceding autumn. The Castle of Perote is celebrated in Mexican history. It is built in au elevated valley between mountains in the vicinity of the lofty Orazabo, with its beautiful conical peak rising to the heavens and crowned with perpetual snow. Although one hundred miles- from the coast, it is seen from vessels far out at sea, long before the intervening low-lands rise in view. The nearness of the castle to the snow-covered mountains, its altitude, and its shaded position such that the sun's rays reach it but for a few hours in the day, renders it an extremely cold jslace. It is quadrangular in form, and occupies about twenty-six acres of ground. It is built i^rincipally of vol- canic stone. The main wall is sixty feet in height. Within it is a ditch or moat some twenty feet in depth and two hundred feet in width. Inside of the moat are the main buildings, containing soldiers' barracks, work- shops, stables, cells for the prisoners, etc. The center is a paved courtyard or plaza, five hundred feet square, used as a military parade-ground. The walls are defended by eighty pieces of artillery. The whole works were the labor of many years, and cost several millions of dollars ; and but for the late improvements in the art of war it would be impregnable. Such is the great prison-house of Mexico, in which many a Texan, after dwindling out a miserable existence in chains and slavery, in rags and hunger, has at last perished, far from home and friends. . Before the prisoners were ironed, they had the privilege of walking about certain parts of the castle for three days. The time was well spent in ex- amining the place, estimating its strength, etc. Near the cells occupied by the Bexar men were the rooms of the Mexican chain-gang, convicts guilty of every species of crime, and almost without an exception sunk to the very lowest depths of human degradation. One of these fellows boasted that "it was the fourth time he had been imprisoned for rape, and it would not be the last ;" another, clapping his hand upon his breast, in the proudest tone, said, " I am no ladrone (thief) ; I am placed here for murder !" In Mexico, murder is considered more honorable than theft, though the m.a- jority would steal the value of a pin. The most genteel man among these convicts was in for killing a priest, who was caught kissing his wife. He had been in good circumstances, but in killing a priest, such was the influ- ence of the church, that all his money could not save him. His wife fol- lowed him to prison, with a devotion not uncommon amang the women of 398 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Mexico. He was a tall, graceful man, about thirty-five years of age, and his keen black eye and Roman nose bespoke a temper fierce as a lion ; nor did they belie him. His first act in chains was to beat one of the turnkeys severely for treating him as if he were merely a common prisoner. "In the next room," says Green, "and to the right of our Bexar prison- ers, myself and fifteen companions of the Mier men were lodged. At six o'clock in the evening, all the prisoners were counted and turned into their respective cells, where they remained until six the next morning, when the doors were again opened. At nine o'clock, we were, as usual, counted, and turned over to the officer of the new guard ; at which time our men were made first to take the filth out of the castle in handbarrows, and after that to pack in stone and sand to repair the fortification. The stone they had to pack from over a mile and a half from the mountain ; the sand a shorter distance. In the performance of this labor, our men, being chained in pairs bj"- the ankle w'ith large log-chains, and only about four feet between them, had to walk very close together, and on each hand was a file of guards with fixed bayonets to keep them in order. At nine o'clock of the fourth day after our incarceration, the Mier men were ordered to stand aside to receive their chains, a full tun of which had been brought out and laid in a heap, with a corresponding quantity of cum- brous, rudely-made clevises to fit around the ankles. Here stood the fat old officer in charge, a Captain Gozeraan, who, from the immense protuber- ance of his abdominal region, our boys dubbed ' Old Guts.' This genius was exceedingly civil at times. He desired Colonel Fisher and myself to make choice of our chain ; but, if fact, there was no choice between them, the lightest weighing about twenty pounds — and, even if there had been any difference, neither of us was in a temper to make the choice. I felt that placing those irons upon me would make Mexico greatly my debtor, which some day I would cancel with most usurious interest. We held out each a foot, the one a right and the other a left, and the son of Vulcan riv- eted us together, as though we had been a pair of unbroken oxen just being introduced to the yoke. It is the habit of soldiers, in walking together, to step at the same time with their right feet, and then with their left ; but these chains subverted this well-established and strictly-observed custom, as, one being chained by the right and the other by the left ankle, those even and odd had to move together, or they would pay the penalty by a severe jerk. Colonel Fisher and myself being first ironed, we laughed at the 'jewelry,' as the boys called the chains, but it was the laugh of a con- suming vengeance. We started to our cells, and upon reaching our apart- ment, we looked out for the means of breaking so large a chain, Texans are a most ingenious people, and are usually equal to the emergency. — We soon found means to accomplish our purpose. Our companions, in turn, were all ironed, and many were the devices they resorted to in order to free themselves from their chains when not in the presence of the officers. In that horriblj^ cold place, sleeping upon the cold pavement, and with the still colder iron for your bedfellow, is no very en- viable situation. Some would bribe the blacksmith to make them leaden instead of iron rivets, which, when blackened with charcoal, had much the appearance of iron, while they could be easily taken out and re headed. OF AMERICANS. 399 One medio would buy a leaden rivet ; and for some time this ruse was prac- ticed. Frequently, however, when the officers would enter our cells, they would find our comrades without chains, and as suddenly every fellow would jump to his 'jewelry,' and clamp it on with a magic celerity, which entirely bewildered the senses of the officers, and then as suddenly put on a demure, inoffensive countenance, after the manner of school-boys cutting up their juvenile antics upon the sudden appearance of the pedagogue. Our old friend with the large corporation, after much fretting about our not wearing the 'jewelry,' told the governor 'that it would take as many black- smiths to keep us ironed as there were Texans in the castle.' " Fisher and' Green being officers were excused from labor. The time, however, passed heavily, and the coldness of their quarters and the want of proper food so affected their health, that the surgeon ordered their irons to be taken off, when they had full liberty to walk about the castle uncon- trolled. The anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto approaching, the prisoners made preparations to celebrate the event. They purchased a few gallons of viyw mascal, a quantity of ass's milk, and several dozens of eggs, and such egg-nogg was compounded " as never before was seen or drank under the nineteenth degree of north latitude. We went around to the prison rooms, and summoned all hands to attend the thanksgiving. When these noble fellows stood round the bowl in rags, with their 'jewelry' riv- eted upon their ankles, brought up and tied around the waist with a cord hanging in a graceful festoon between each pair, the sight filled my heart to overflowing. Though the body was oppressed, they looked like caged lions, and every face bespoke the invincible spirit of a freeman." Various toasts were drank amid cheers and songs. Daniel Drake Henrie gave his best ditties with unusual eloquence — " Long, long Ago," " The Sol- dier's Tear," etc. "Thus," continues Green, "we were getting along swim- mingly, when our liberty-shouts rose high above the walls of the prison, and alarmed our keepers. They supposed that we intended to swallow them and take the castle. When our fat captain came round with the guard to know the cause of the riot, we told him it was a mode we had in our country of celebrating our saints' days, and hoped he would not disturb us in our worship, as we did not disturb him in his. He replied, ^ Bueno, sennr,' — Very well, sir, — and started, when we gave the wink to Trimble. Upon this, Trimble squared himself, rolled his eyes over in their sockets, twisted his head ' clean round ' on his shoulders, and gave a whoop that beat the best of owls." The prisoners were very much troubled with vermin. The first business of the morning was louse-hunting. Usually several dozen of these dis- gusting vermin were discovered upon each of the men. At times, when one of these animals showed himself particularly fleet on foot, he was cap- ■ tured and saved for the 7-aces — for the Texans soon fell into the customs of the place. Says Green: "This very delicate pursuit of louse-racing has long been known in Mexican prisons as one of the very few amusements of those' dull regions. The races come off in the following manner : The Mexican prisoners draw a circle upon a beef's hide about eighteen inches in diameter, inside of which they draw a smaller one, and in the center of this they make a holy cross — even to this vile purpose is that emblem of purity 400 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS prostituted ! The racers are placed on the outside of the inner ring, and the one that first crosses the double ring, and arrives at the holy goal, wins the stakes. We have witnessed the most ludicrous scenes around these pools. As the tiny animals start, their owners become as much excited, doubt- less, as those of Fashion and Boston at their great race. They jump and climb over each other to get a better view : it is, 'Hurra for the white,' and ' Well done for the red,' and many such expressions, accompanied with the most antic capers, each countenance being expressive of different degrees of hope and despair, according to the locality of their respective coursers. On these funny occasions, we have stood off to watch the countenances of the parties interested, and have witnessed grimaces which would have shaken the pencil from the hand of Hogarth. The only thing comparable to it are the negroes around a cock-pit, on a Whitsuntide in North Carolina or Virginia, a festival of ancient fashion in those good old States, where the negroes are as free of constraint as were the slaves of Rome on their Saturnalia. The Texan prisoners thus simplified this mode of racing : they drew a charcoal circle upon a plank, in the center of which the racers were turned loose, at a given signal, and the one that * first crosses the black ring is the winner.' " Green, growing wearied with confinement, and fully imbued with the great American desire, i. e.., to improve his condition, determined to escajDC or perish in the attempt. The project required caution, coolness, and calcula- tion. He made known his determination to Captain Reese, who agreed to join him in the enterprise. Their first plan was to escape, by scaling the walls, and they had all their arrangements perfected to that end, when they learned that in one of the prison rooms which contained thirty -six of their countrymen, a few lion-hearted fellows had determined also to make the attempt. They had commenced the operation of going through an eight feet wall ; Green and Reese thought it best to join them, and all escape to- gether. Green says : " Our arched cells were twenty feet wide by seventy long, with a door at one end opening in the castle, and a loophole at the other opening upon the outside, underneath which is the great moat. This loophole is a small aperture, upon the outside about four by twelve inches, and gradually widening through the eight feet wall upon the inside to about two feet. Could we have pursued this aperture by widening it, our labor would have been less ; but soon we found, from the hard character of the stones, and the secure fastenings immediately around the hole, difficulties which, with our poor means of operating, were impossible to surmount. We conse- quently struck off to the left, leaving these difficulties entirely to our right, and prepared to bore through the solid masonry. To avoid discovery, both from the sentinel at the door and the officers when they came in the room upon inspection, a careless rap upon the door or post by our lookout man, was sufficient for our operator in the hole to lie low. These men engaged in the work alternately, as only one at a time could operate, and he was secreted by the shutter inclosing the loophole, and blankets carefully hung about it. The labor was extremely tiresome, OF AMERICANS. 401 as the hole had to be made horizontally through the wall, and consequently required the operator to lay upon his abdomen, and rest upon his elbows, which position, after a few hours, became very painful. After making his tour, he would gather up the fragments of stone and mortar which his labor had detached, and bury them under some loose stone and brick in the floor. As the quantity thus buried would raise the pavement too high, it would be taken out under our blankets, and emptied into the co7niin — privy. The tools with which we operated were narrow, inferior carpenter's chis- els — the Mexican tools were generally of an inferior kind, which our car- penters would bring from the shop. As a water-drip will wear away the hardest granite, so the breach in the wall, in the course of a few weeks, gradually grew deeper under our incessant labor. This work was princi- pally accomplished by drilling holes into the stone and mortar with a chisel and prying off small pieces ; and frequently, after a day's hard labor, not more than a hatful could be disengaged. The greatest difficulty, however, was, that as the hole grew deeper, it grew smaller, and the position of the operator rendered it next to impossible to avoid this difficulty ; so that when the hole reached the outside of the wall, it had a funnel shape, the outer end being reduced to ten by fourteen inches. On the first day of July, the hole had been drilled down to a thin shell on the outer side, which could be easily burst out, after the final preparation was made for leaving. For some weeks previous to our escape, those who intended to go were busily engaged, every safe opportunity, in completing their arrangements — fixing their knapsacks, saving all the bread they could procure, laying aside every cent to purchase fat bacon and chocolate. We considered it impru- dent to start with less than two weeks' rations each, as we calculated to be all of that time in the mountains before venturing into a settlement to re- plenish our stores. It was considered the safest plan, after getting out of the castle, to pair off, and not more than two or three go together, as, the smaller the com- pany, the more easily they could secrete themselves, the whole not being sufficent to carry on either offensive or defensive operations to advantage. Under this arrangement, I had selected Dan. Drake Henrie, mainly on ac- count of his speaking the language of the country. Several, who had previously determined to come, from prudential mo- tives, now declined it, as they considered, and very rightly, that getting through the walls of the prison was the least difficult part of the undertak- ing. To escape several hundred miles through an enemy's country, speak- ing an unknown tongue, Avas a difficulty which could not be too cautiously weighed. If retaken, all calculated to be shot ; and we farther calculated the chances of success greatly against reaching our country in safety. Knowing President Santa Anna's personal hostility to myself, and believ- ing that all he wanted was some reasonable pretext for having me shot, I believed it was worth my life to be recaptured, and the chances of escaping were ten to one against me. Sixteen of our number finally determined to make the effort. I left a note upon my table for President Santa Anna, in which I stated, that, 'not having been trusted upon my parole, which neither the love of life nor fear of death could have induced me to forfeit, and the climate of Peroto 402 ADVEJ^TURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS not suiting my health, I should, for the present, retire to one in Texas more congenial to my feelings.' At half past five o'clock, 1 took leave of my friends, and a sad parting it v/as. Most of those who remained, believed it was a voluntary sacrifice of ourselves, and few believed it possible for us to escape. I never shall for- get that hour. As we grasped each other's hands, many believing it for the last time, the big tear filled the eyes of those brave men, and they wished me success with an utterance which showed their hearts were overflowing-. At six o'clock, we heard the turnkey, with his ugly load of securities clanking their dull music to the blast of many bugles in the great plaza. It ■was a moment of intense excitement, as a discovery of one man out of his place would blow up the whole plot. At seven o'clock, we commenced our final preparations before emerging from the room. This was to remove the shell of the wall yet upon the outside, then to make one end of the rope fast inside of the room, and pass it through, by M'hich we would have to let ourselves down to the bottom of the moat. When this was done, it was found that the breach was too small upon the outside to admit of any but the smallest of our men passing through it ; and it required two hours' hard work to scale some pieces of stone and mortar from one side of it, so as to permit the larger ones to pass. This required until nine o'clock. All things being now ready, John Toowig first got into the breach, and, feet foremost, drawing his bundle after him, inch by inch, squeezed out, and let himself down, hand over hand, about thirty feet, to the bottom of the moat. The depth and smallness of the hole rendered this operation exceeding slow. Another and another followed, and at half past twelve, after three and a half hours' hard labor, all of the sixteen had safely landed. I found much difiiculty in passing through, though I was now reduced from one hundred and sixty pounds, my usual weight, to one hundred and twenty. The gradual funnel shape of the breach made it like driving a pin into an augur-hole, for the deeper we went, the closer the fit. The smallest of us having gone through first, for fear that the largest might hang in the hole and stop it up, it now came to Stone's turn, who was a Inrge man. He hung fast, and could neither get backward nor forward. In this situation, being wedged in as fast as his giant strength could force him, our friends on the inside of the room, who had been assisting us, had to tie ropes to his hands, and draw him back. This operation was very like drawing his arms out of his body, but did not satisfy him. ' I have a wife and children at home,' said he, * and I would rather die than stay here any longer : I will go through, or leave no skin on my bones.' So saying, he disrobed himself: his great exertion, causing him to perspire freely, an- swered nearly as well for the second effort as if he had been greased, and he went through after the most powerful labor, leaving both skin and flesh behind. John Young, if anything, was a larger man than Stone, but was much his junior in years; he was as supple as a snake, and no Roman gladiator ever exhibited more perfectly-formed muscles ; nor was his determined tem- per in bad keeping with his physical conformation. He was the last who came out ; and while the balance of us sat under the side of the wall, we feared that it would be impossible r hira to get through. Presently, with ) OF AMERICANS. 403 the aid of a dim sky above us, we saw his feet slowly protruding, then his knees, and when he came to his hip-joints, here for many minutes he hung fast. When this part of his body was cleared, the angular use of his knees gave him additional purchase to work by; but still our boys said, 'Poor fellow ! it will be hardly possible for him to get his muscular arms and shoulders through,' We sat under him in an agony of feeling not to be described, while he ceased not his efforts. His body was now cleared to his shoulders, but still he hung fast. Having the full purchase of his legs, he would writhe, first up and down, and then from side to side, with herculean strength ; and when he disengaged himself, if it was not like the drawing of a cork from a porter-bottle, it was with the low, sullen, determined growl of a lion." As the castle bell tolled half past twelve, the whole party were in the open common outside of the castle. Here they divided into pairs, and after shaking hands and wishing each other good luck, they separated, each pair endeavoring to make the best way it could to the country a thousand miles distant on the other side of the Rio Grande. Colonel Green and "Dan" (Dan. Drake Henrie) started in the direction of Vera Cruz, following on the main road. In about an hour they were overtaken by Reese and Toowig, and the four kept on in company. Near daylight, they left the road, and for safety turned off to the right and made for the mountains. In a short time they had ascended so far as to leave all the settlements far below. At daybreak, they selected a dark cove and laid down to rest. Just before sundown, they started again and traveled all night, and the next morning again stopped to rest through the day. This course was followed for several days. With the assistance of a map and pocket compass, they ascertained their general course, but the almost bottomless ravines and inaccessible moun- tains succeeded so rapidly that their progress was slow and fatiguing beyond all expression. It was in the midst of the rainy season, and they were wet continually, which, in the lofty altitude they were traveling, occasioned in- tense suffering from the cold. The rain, too, made the sides of the moun- tains almost as slippery as soap. Weak from their long confinement in prison, and sore and stiff from cold and rains, they frequently slipped and fell with great violence. One dark night, they had a mo^t narrow escape, which Green thus details ; "Our course was over an excessively broken country, alternate mountains and valleys of exceeding height and fearful depth. Briers, thornbushcs, and sharp stones impeded our progress, and made the labor of the foremost much the most difficult. Accordingly, we alternately took the lead. When it camo to my turn to lead, we fell into a path comparatively level, which we pursued several hundred yards, carefully keeping the end of my walk- ing-stick always ahead of me about two feet, feeling the way. At length I felt no bottom, and from habit stopped as quick as thought, not making an- other step, at the same time speaking to my companions behind to halt. Stooping down where I stood, with my walking-cane I reached as far as my arm would allow, but still I found no .'iottom ; and, after laying down and straining our eyes, we discovered the appearance of tree-tops far below us. Changing our course, we felt our way down a steep descent of at least one 26 404 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS mile to a valley, the creek through which washed the base of the danger- ous precipice we had just escaped. How inscrutable are the ways of Prov- idence ! One step more, myself, then Eeese, and then Dan would have fallen a thousand feet ! — for no alarm from the foremost would have 'reached the next — leaving no one on earth a knowledge of our destiny !" When they looked back upon their narrow escape, they likened it to the "Valley of Death." Daylight found them again, as usual, lying under their wet blankets in some thick bushes. From the distance and general course traveled, they believed themselves not far from the City of Jalapa. The next night they heard the ringing of the city bells. Having understood that the city lay in a valley between two mountains, which were then plainly discernible in the light moonlight, they understood for the first time their precise locality. At first they thought to avoid the city by leaving it to the right ; but the more they tried to avoid it, the thicker seemed the settlements — so they concluded to enter the town and play their game boldly. By Indian file they passed up one street and down another, under their broad-brimmed ranchero hats, their shoulders covered by their blankets. To the frequent "quien viva" of the sentinels they made no reply, but continued silently on. The town w&s swarming with dogs, which, as if knowing they were strangers, kept up a continual barking as they moved on. At daylight they secreted themselves on an insulated conical mound of several hundred feet in height in the outskirts of the city, where they remained all day hid in the weeds. At dusk, they again went into the town and took up their quarters with an old and faithfully tested Mexican, Don . As they entered his house, they found his good senora preparing a warm supper, "with a most delightful toddy mixed." Our narrator continues : " Here we remained five days, and were treated with a kindness by these good people we never shall forget. Mexican women are kind-hearted to a degree, which makes their goodness contrast singularly with the vices of the men. Our feet and legs were bathed and poulticed ; and we sent out and purchased good shoes, and all the paraphernalia of the mountain ran- (Jiero, preparatory to our farther journey. At ten o'clock of the sixth night, the Don said to us, 'Prepare to follow me, and ask no questions.' We did so, and he led us through the city into a dark valley about two miles ofi"; where, after telling us to hide in the bushes, he went about one hundred yards farther down the hollow, and bringing a shrill whistle, a tall, well- made, active man, about thirty-five years of age came to him. A very few words passed between them, they having been together the night previous, and perfected all arrangements. The moon shone bright ; they came in the direction of where we Avere concealed in the shade of some bushes, and called to us to come forth. 'This man,' said the Don, 'you must follow — but ask no questions. My express ahead will complete every arrangement for you in Vera Cruz, and be under no alarm as to the result — this man knows his business.' Both the place and circumstances wore much the air of mystery: it looked like 'treason, stratagem,' and murder; and to our question, 'Might not this fellow betray us for the reward ?' 'No,' said the Don ; ' I have looked to that. ' He,' pointing to our conductor, ' is the most noted robber and murderer in Mexico, and is in more danger of losino: OF AMERICANS. 405 his head than you. He dare not show himself to the authorities.' Thus saying, we took affectionate leave of the generous Don, he returning to the city, and we following our silent conductor down the hollow. Silent!}', in single file, wc moved on ; and in a dismal-looking place, in a second ravine, we came upon his companion, holding by the bridle five mules and horses. A whistle and the answer told that all was right. The head man placed a bridle into each of our hands without saying a word, then drew from his goat-skin kig a bottle, out of which he drank, to satisfy us that it was not poison, and p;issed it to us — we all drank and returned it. Stowing it carefully away, he turned to the east, and placing the fore-finger of his right hand perpendicularly across his lips, which was a caution for silence, pointed in the direction he faced, and gave the sign to mount. "VVe mounted, and followed on a narrow winding path, leading through deep ra- vines and broken cliffs, until daylight^ not one word passing between us during this long ride. At the appearance of day he turned off the trail, and went into the hollow of a mountain covered with thick shmbbery. Here he dismounted, and giving us the sign, we did the same. Placing by our side his goat-skin bags filled with provisions and a gourd of water, he told us that night, precisely at eight o'clock, he would return, and we must answer a particular whistle, which he then made. So saying, he and his comrades led away the horses and mules. After eating, we laid ourselves upon the ground, and slept soundly until near night. At eight o'clock p. m., we heard the preconcerted whistle, and answered it, when our robber guide approached, with the never-failing caution of his fore-finger across his lips. He made the sign to follow, which we did, and after winding through a very rough tract for about a mile, another whistle and its response discovered to us his companion holding our animals. At the given sign we mounted, and followed this night, as we had done the last, under that dead silence, which made our journey the more oppres- sive. Our rugged and winding way through the mountains, which caused us frequently, in the same hour, to travel to every point of the comi^ass, showed that our conductor knew the country well. Our faithful animals, so well used to that mountainous region, were astonishingly sure-footed. Frequently, in passing around almost perpendicular cliffs, in paths exceed- ingly stony and frightfully narrow, with a dai'k abyss on the one hand and a perpendicular mountain on the other, the thought of our animals stum- bling would make our hair stand on end. Those, however, who are used to these paths seem not to apprehend danger, and they have the utmost confi- dence in their animals, which pick their way with a loose rein, and seem to know the necessity of a sure foothold. Nearly the whole of this night we rode in a heavy rain, and for two hours in the most tremendous storm. About one hour before daylight, we approached the Rio Antigua, near the Puente Nacional, and across the great road leading from Vera Cruz to the capital. Keeping the river to our right, we traveled through a flat marshy bottom until daylight, when we were told to 'dismount and lay low.' We had been drenched the whole night with cold rain, and had now to repose in water ankle deep, which covered the bottom. Excessive fatigue soon brought sweet sleep to us, from which we were aroused at noon by the known whistle of our guide. 40'6 ADVEXTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS He had under his blanket a delightfully-cooked chicken, eggs, and tor- tillas, smoking hot, which showed that he was in the vicinity of his accom- plices. We never enjoyed a meal better. After we had finished eating, he threw around his shoulders his dark-colored serape, and, with his usual sign of silence, disappeared through the bushes. Everything in this life is good by comparison. We had slept several hours, and a sumptuous meal made us feel vastly more comfortable ; but, yet, we were deprived of our desert, for Dan could neither sing 'Long, long Ago,' nor 'The Soldier's Tear.' After whispering to one another our anecdotes, we slept several hours more, when our well known whistle again started us. Our guide approached and beckoned us to follow him. After winding through the boggy bottom half an hour, we came to an un- occupied hut, built of bamboos, and covered with palm leaves. Here he told us we might sleep this night, as he must rest his horses ; that he had some friends at hand, and if any alarm should be given, we must disappear in the thick bushes near by. In a short time he again returned, with a new friend, a long gray-bearded, though athletic old man. This old man greeted us very kindly, with many professions of devotion to our interest, and from his signs we readily recog- nized him to be a brother in the same cause as our guide. We gave him two dollars to procure us supper, and, after an absence of an hour, he re- turned with one smoking hot, which we the more enjoyed, as our clothes were now measurably dry. The old man lived in the immediate neighbor- hood, and, true to his promises, he and his family kept a close watch over us that night and the next day. At sundown our horses were brought up, and an additional one for the old gray-headed man, with all his traveling paraphernalia, showed that he meant to see us safe through our journey. This veteran, with all the pride of many years, mounted upon a gay, plaited-tailed charger, rode ahead of the party. He was a man of ready words and many compliments ; next to him came our head man, of much less address, who knew that our greatest difficulty was yet to be encountered. This night we met frequent compa- nies of smugglers and robbers, but the gray-bearded old man passed them with as much ease of address as one could speak to his neighbor upon a court-green. We would iollow in our dark robber costume without saying a word, and doubtless passed as citizens in the same trade. Our course still lay down the River Antigua, and on the personal estate of Santa Anna, through a dense forest of large trees, many of which Avere new to our northern raising. It was necessary that the Antigua should be crossed before reaching Vera Cruz, and the only practicable point for doing so was at the small town of the same name near its mouth. This place, which we entered about ten o'clock at night, has for many years been noted for smuggling. Vessels anchor off the mouth of this river, under pretense of getting fresh water, which affords them an excellent opportunity to carry on the contraband trade. The wide and dense bottom which lay upon each side of this river, interspersed with circuitous paths, known only to smug- glers and robbers, affords ample shelter for this illicit trade. Here, our old man was well acquainted ; and when we entered the town, he drew up his horse opposite a store, with a light burning on the counter, where a Mexi- OF AMERICANS, 407 can cavalry officer was writing at the desk. lie whispered to us not to dis- mount ; that he would go in and buy some cheese and crackers for our sup- per, and ' see how the land lay.' Upon entering the house, he appeared to be well acquainted, and rolled out his salutations with his usual volubility. The cavalry officer first ad- dressed him, ' Who are those upon their horses in the street ? I have been sent here with my trooji these two weeks, Avith orders to send cverj- for- eigner without passports to the Castle of San Juan d' Ulloa. Do you know that sixteen of those daring Texans have escaped from the Castle of Perote, and several of them are yet abroad ?' Before the old man had time to re- ply, the officer added, 'As soon as I finish this note, I will examine their papers.' The old man, with his ready wit, replied, ' They have all got passports, and from the English minister at that, and they are going home,' at the same time setting a large tumbler of aguardiente before the officer, with many compliments. He drank to the venerable old man, and resumed his writing in much hurry, so as to examine our passports. The old man continued talking with his usual volubility, and threw an- other dollar upon the counter for more brandy, and before the note was finished, the officer had to stop and take another drink. Watching his op- portunity, the old man slipped out into the street, and spoke to the head robber to 'put off in haste, and cross the ferry as soon as possible,' while he would stay and drink with the officer. The ferry was at the other end of the town, about four hundred yards distant, and we made as little delay in reaching it and getting into the boat as possible. We had barely started from the store before the officer came into the street to examine our papers, when the old man remarked that he expected we would wait for him at the ferry. The old man now feigned to be highly excited with drink, and mounting his fiery horse, swept by them as though he could not control the animal. He reached the ferry just as we were getting into the boat, and the shortest explanation showed the necessity of our hurry. The old man had no sooner spoke to our head robber than he threw his lasso over the limb of a tree, and ran back to meet the officer. He knew that one minute of time was of the last importance to us ; and meeting the officer about one hundred yards from the ferrj', he said, ' They are waiting for us,' and drawing his bottle of aguardiente from his goat-skin bag, he passed it to the officer; then he took a drink with a long speech of saluta- tions, and begged the officer to let him pass it to his guards. This was ac- ceded to, and it gained us those few minutes of time necessary to our liberty. Wheu they arrived at the ferrj^, we were half way across ; the old man ap- peared in a towering passion, and bawled out to us, ' to stop upon the other bank until he came over;' he then turned to the officer and said, 'Senor, you need not trouble yourself farther about these foreigners : I'll vouch for their passports ; but if you would rather, you can go over with me and ex- amine for yourself.' In the meantime, while the boat was returning, the bottle was freely passed between them, the old man feigning both to drink and to be drunk. It was no sham with the oflicer, for by the time the boat returned for them, he was willing to take the old man's word for our pass- ports. 408 ADVENTUEES AND ACHIEVEMENTS As soon as we had crossed, we put off it the direction of Vera Cruz, and stopped upon the roadside to wait for our good old friend, and to keep a bright look-out who was with him. In a few minutes the boat recrossed, and we discovered that only one passenger was in it ; and as the old man galloped to where we waited him, he proudly clapped his hand upon his breast and said, ' It is useless for young boys to try their wits upon me ; I have been too long in the service.' The old fellow strutted to and fro, and recounted the adventure with the self-satisfaction of a Wellington after the battle of Waterloo. He finished his speech by turning to us and saying, ' Now, cahalleros, you have but one more danger before you, and trust this old head for that.' So saying, we moved on." They were now within fifteen miles of Vera Cruz, which was reached without any farther incidents of note. There they were secreted in a secure place until an opportunity was afforded, two weeks later, to escape in an American vessel to New Orleans. Several of their companions had been recaptured ; among these was the herculean John Young, who had fallen over a precipice in the mountains, badly crippling himself. We close this narrative with Green's account of their leave-taking with their robber guides, and the consternation among the Mexicans in the Castle of Perote on the discovery of their escape. "After we had been safely ensconced in our hiding-place, our three faith- ful guides came to take leave of us. They did so in the most feeling man- ner. The gray-bearded old man made the valedictory. He congratulated us upon our extreme good luck in falling into the hands of ^lionorahle men,' for, said he, 'as humble as your apparel appears to be, you must know that there are thousands in this country who would murder you for that dirty jacket,' pointing to the one I had on. 'I thank God,' said he, ' that as long as I have worn this gray beard, I have never once forfeited my word of honor.' During this speech, he strutted across the room with the utmost self- satisfaction, slapping his hand upon his bosom whenever he spoke of a vian of honoi: We then drew from the waistband of our pantaloons several ounces of gold, which we had been careful to keep dark until now, and dis- tributed among them as a gratuity over and above their contract. We thought this precaution would seal their allegiance, as we had been often told that the mo^t honest collectors of customs in Mexico will say to the im- porter, ' That, as thin as is a doubloon, no man can see through it.' When they saw the gold come forth from its hiding-place, a look of surprise was exchanged ; and when they fingered the yellow stuff, their countenances beamed with renewed devotion to our interest. We certified, in writing, that they had been true and faithful to us, and the tall dark-skinned robber, after kissing the paper, carefully stored it in a secret place under his shirt. Upon taking leave, the old man, after several facetious jokes, ' how we would surprise our sweethearts when we reached home,' embraced us with a Mexican hug, both long and short. In Mexico, one's regard for another is graduated in proportion to the length and the strength of the embrace. Thus each of these robbers embraced us, and thus we returned it : for if we found in all Mexico the most fearless devo- OF AMERICANS. 4O9 tion to our interest while in our misfortunes, it was in these three robber guides. Let us now for a moment look into our late prison abode at the Castle of Perote. On the night of our escaijc, and the next morning up to the time of counting the prisoners, as might have been expected, our companions were under the most excited apprehension, not only on our account, but also as to what the discovery might cost them. Under this excitement, everything remained quiet as usual, for no one in the castle except themselves knew a word of it. At nine o'clock next morning, ' Guts ' and the new guard camo around to the prison rooms with the sharp and often-repeated order, ' a-for- men — a-formen.' This order was well understood by our countrymen ; it meant ' to form,' and that in front of the prison doors, as usual, for inspec- tion, in the morning ; but still, believing every moment gained would in- crease our chances of success, and determining to favor us as much as pos- sible, they held back, and were slow to come out of the cells : some mak- ing one excuse, and others another. ' Guts ' raved and stormed at their tardiness ; he went into the cells in person to look where the absent were, and found them not ; he inquired of the balance, and received from one in answer, ' Perhaps they are at the comun ; and from another, ' They may be at the tienda.' These places were sent to and thoroughly searched, but still they were not to be found. Our boys would repeat among themselves, ' We will put them off to the last moment, for every minute will enable our comrades to get deeper and deeper into the mountains.' During all this time, 'Guts' swelled and raved : 'Where are they ?' he thundered out to the interpreter. ' Well, Van,' one of them said to Van Ness, *it is no use to put it off any longer; let him have it.' Van repHed, ' Diez y sets faltan ' — sixteen deficient. ' Where have they gone to, and how did they all get off?' bawled 'Guts,' in a still louder tone. ' Quien sale ?' — who knows ? was the reply. Here commenced the greatest possible row ; the whole castle was imme- diately alarmed — officers and soldiers turned out — the governor came forth with death-like horror upon his countenance — officers and guards flew all over the castle ; examined every nook and corner — the top walls — went round the great moat, but still did not discover the breach, the hole having been so carefully stopped with a blanket. The last place where they thought of looking was in the prison cells, and after much useless search, one of the officers pulled back the small shutter in the center room which covered the loophole, and found, to his inexpressible horror, our breach ob- liquing to the left. 'Who could have thought these daring Texans would have undertaken such a task ? They surely are akin to the devil. This castle has stood for these hundred~years, and no one ever dared such a thing before.' These, and many such exclamations of wonder and astonishment, burst forth from men, women and children, officers, soldiers, and culprits ; for they all, from the governor to the smallest child, came to satisfy themselves of what their astonishment mixed up with miracle. Our old comrades were doubly ironed, and guarded with increased vigil- ance. The officers now thought that nothing was impossible with Texans ; 410 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and one of my friends, writing from the castle, said that * they even believe that we will escape in a letter.' While the best informed Mexicans will admit our superiority in war, both in daring and the use of arms, the more uninformed entertained the most strange notions of us. Many believe that we have a magic power ; others believe us to be northern barbarians, of one of two tribes of white Indians, who form the connecting link between mankind and the other world — imps. The Texan, in fact, is looked upon by them with far more astonishment than was the Kentuckian, who said he was sired by a steamboat and came out of a penitentiary." INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE AMOS LAWRENCE, THE MOUEL MERCHANT AND CHRISTIAN PHILANTHROPIST, WHO, FROM AN HUMBLE BE- GINNING, BECAME ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST MEN IN AMERICA, AND REMARKABLE FOR HIS ENLARGED BENEVOLENCE — HE HAVING GIVEN AWAY, IN THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE, MORE THAN SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF MANKIND. It sometimes happens that the death of a good man, instead of bringing his usefulness to an end, as is commonly the case, only serves to augment that usefulness, by greatly enlarging the number of those whose characters are formed upon the model his life has presented. While men, whose chief distinctions lie in their goodness, remain among the living, their in- fluence is ordinarily limited within the sphere of their personal associations; but when such men die, if the story of their usefulness has been at all a memorable one, its publication at once, and largely, widens their field of influence. Their example is no longer bounded by the naiTow limits of their parish or town, but extends often to distant countries, to places the most re- mote, to hearts everywhere that can be moved by the narration of simple and single-hearted goodness, of unostentatious benevolence, or of munifi- cent generosity. The life of Amos Lawrence is illustrative of this truth. Few men have ever used their stewardship more wisely than he ; few or none, whose for- tunes were wholly the fruit of their own enterprise and labor, ever gave away so much in charities, both public and private, as Mr. Lawrence ; and yet, the good he did with his abundant means, while living, is probably much less than the good which will result, now that he is departed, from the recorded probity, conscientiousness and goodness of his daily life. On the 22d of July, 1775, Samuel Lawrence, the father of Amos, was married at Groton, a small village thirty or forty miles from Boston, to Susannah Parker. The young bridegroom Avas then a soldier in the army of the Revolution, and his marriage was necessarily a hasty one. When hostilities first commenced, he was a subaltern ofiicer in the Groton company of minute men. The morning of the 19th of April, 1775, General Prescott, whose residence was in the town, rode rapidly down the street of Groton to the homestead of the Lawrences, crying out, " Samuel, notify your men — the British are coming ! " In three hours, these minute men, scattered over seven miles of country, were on their march to Cambridge. At the battle of Bunker Hill, these Groton men gave a good account of themselves, particularly their veteran captain, Farwell, who was shot through the body (411^ 412 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS and taken off for dead. When the indignant captain heard himself so re- ported by those who were bearing him from the field, he broke out, " It aint true ! — dont let my poor wife hear of this ; I shall live to see my country free," and so he did. Young Lawrence carried off, as his trophies from the battle-field, two holes in his beaver hat, drilled by the same bullet which plowed a furrow, from front to rear, through his hair, beside a contusion on his arm from a spent grape-shot. He afterward served as adjutant to General Sullivan, who was in command in Rhode Island ; was next in ser- vice near New York, and subsequently returned with his regiment to Cam- bridge, in Massachusetts. While on a short leave of absence, from this latter station, his marriage took place ; his mother having given it as her opinion that in the event of anything fatal happening to her son, "it would be better for the youthful Susannah to be Sam's widow, rather than Sam's forlorn damsel." While the marriage ceremony was in progress, the half-wedded husband was summoned by the clangor of the alarm-bell, to join his regiment. Within the hour, he was hastened away from his wife to fulfill his military duties. His case was certainly a hard one, and so his colonel seemed to have thought, for he allowed him to return to Groton to his wife, to rejoin his regiment within three days, at Rhode Island. After this short furlough, husband and wife saw nothing more of each other for the next half year. Once after a battle, in which his friends knew he must have been engaged, but before it was known who had been killed or who had escaped, the anxious mother said to the agitated wife, " She did not know but Sam was killed." The possibility of such an event took away her strength, and she fell prostrate upon the floor. He had indeed been in great peril, but the desperate efforts of a company of blacks, together with the fleetness and strength of his horse, had saved him from capture. Soon after this, he passed a few days with his friends, not to be with them again till the autumn of the next year, when he retired from the army to be with his Susannah in her first confinement. This was the termination of his military services. His religious character may be inferred from the fact, that for many years, and until his death, he was a deacon in the Congregational Church, in Groton. As a citizen, he discharged the duties of the magistracy with fidelity and success. For thirty-three years, he was trustee of the academy in his na- tive town, which, in gratitude to him and his son, now bears the family name. Such was the father of Amos Lawrence. Of his mother, Mr. Lawrence always spoke in the strongest terms of ven- eration and love. Her form, bending over the bed of her children in silent prayer, when about leaving them for the night, was among their earliest recollections. She was a woman well fitted to rear a family through the troubled times in which she lived. To the kindest affection, she united energy and decision of character, and in her household enforced that strict and unhesitating obedience, which she regarded as lying at the foundation of all success in the education of children. Her hands were never idle, as may be supposed, when it is remembered that in those days, throughout New England, in addition to the cares of a farming establishment, much of the material for clothing was manufactured by the inmates of the family. Amos Lawrence, the second son of his parents, was born at Groton, the OF AMERICANS. 413 22d day of April, 1786. His constitution was naturally a feeble one, which in childhood, often kept him from the district school, near his father's house, where he acquired the first rudiments of knowledge. From this small vesti- bule of learning, he was transferred to the academy not far distant, where he concluded, at the rather premature age of thirteen, his school education. He then went from learning to trading, and soon penetrated the mystery of a New England country store. lie learned to sell rum and brandy by the puncheon and by the pint ; cloth by the bale and the yard ; tobacco in kegs and tobacco in plugs ; together with tea-kettles, molasses, silks, gimblets, indigo, grindstones, rhubarb, school-books, etc. Superadded to these mul- tifarious duties, was that of acting as a kind of a dispensatory clerk, to the medical profession of Groton, and the neighboring towns, who looked to this store of James Brazier for the replenishment of their exhausted saddle- bags. During this apprenticeship of young Lawrence, and for many years after it was customary, throughout New England, for clerks and apprentices, journeymen and employers, to prepare ardent spirits in some form, to be drank in the middle of the afternoon. In common with the other clerks of the establishment, he partook of the pleasant beverage, until he found him- self longing for the stimulus, as the hour for serving it approached, when he had the resolution to abandoned the dangerous habit. Many years afterward, he wrote to a young friend, respecting this incident in his life, as follows : "In the first place, take this for your motto, at the commencement of your journey, that the difference of going just right, or a little lurong, will be the difference of finding yourself in good quarters, or in a miserable bog or slough at the end of it. Of the whole number educated in the Groton stores, for some years before and after myself, no one else, to my knowledge, escaped the bog or slough ; and my escape, I trace to the simple fact of my having put a restraint upon my appetite. We five boys were in the habit, every forenoon, of making a drink com- pounded of rum, raisins, sugar, nutmeg, etc., with biscuit — all palatable to eat and drink. After being in the store four weeks, I found myself ad- monished, by my appetite, of the approach of the hour for indulgence. Thinking the habit might make trouble, if allowed to grow stronger, with- out further apology to my seniors, I declined partaking with them. My first resolution was to abstain for a week, and then for a year. Finally, I resolved to abstain for the rest of my apprenticeship, which was for five years longer. During that whole period, I never drank a spoonful, though I mixed gallons daily for my old master and his customers. I decided not to be a slave to tobacco in any form, though I loved the odor of it then, and even now have in my drawer a superior Havana cigar, given me, not long since, by a friend, but only to smell of. I have never in my life smoked a cigar; never chewed but one quid, and that was before I was fifteen ; and never took an ounce of snuff, though the scented rappee of forty years ago had great charms for me. Now, I s,nj, to this simple fact of starting yM5< right, am I indebted, with God's blessing on my labors, for my present position, as well as that of numerous connections sprung up around me." After leaving school and going into the store, he writes on another occa- 414 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEilEXTS sion : " There was not a month passed before I became impressed with the opinion, that restraint upon appetite was necessary to prevent the slavery I saw destroying numbers around me. Many and many of the farmers me- chanics, and apprentices, of that day, have filled drunkards' graves, and have left destitute families and friends." Few other details of his seven years' apprenticeship can now be gathered. On the 22d of April, 1807, Mr. Lawrence became of age. One week later, he w^as seen on his way to Boston, with twenty dollars in his pocket, his seven years' experience, and his good principles, as his only capital with which to begin the business of life. After a brief clerkship in Boston, he commenced business for himself, in December, 1807, in a small store, in what was then known as Comhill, having a Lancaster youth, by the name of Henry Whiting, for his only clerk. This lad afterward became better known as Brigadier- General Whiting, of the United States Army. The pecuniary condition of the Lawrence family, at this time, was not promis- ing. Speaking of this period, he says : "I was then, in the matter of pro- perty, not worth a dollar. My father was comfortably off as a farmer, somewhat in debt ; with, perhaps, four thousand dollars. My brother, Luther, was in the practice of law, getting forward, but not worth two thou- sand dollars ; William had nothing ; Abbott, a lad just fifteen years old, at school ; and Samuel, a child seven years old." This stout-hearted father, with "perhaps four thousand dollars," but "somewhat in debt," with four other sons and three daughters to provide for, voluntarily mortgaged his small farm, that he might loan the proceeds to his son. The history of this transaction is creditable to both. Forty years afterward, Mr. Lawrence wTote as follows upon the back of the original mortgage deed : " My honored father brought to me the one thou- sand dollars, and asked me to give hira my note for it. I told him he did wrong to place himself in a situation to be made unhappy, if I lost the money. He told me lie guessed I wovM'nt lose it, and I gave him my note. The first thing I did was to take four per cent, premium on my Boston bills (the difference then between passable and Boston money), and sent a thousand dollars in bills of the Hillsborough Bank to Amherst, New Hampshire, by my father, to my brother Luther, to carry to the bank and get specie, as he was going there to attend court that week. My brother succeeded in getting specie, principally in silver change, for the bills, and returned it to me in a few days. In the meantime, or shortly after, the bank had been sued, the bills discredited, and in the end, proved nearly ■worthless. I determined not to use the money except in the safest way ; and therefore loaned it to Messrs. Parkman, in whom I had entire confi- dence. After I had been in business, and had made more than a thousand dollai^, I felt I could repay the money, come what would of it ; being in- sured against fire, and trusting nobody for goods. I used it in my business, but took care to pay off the mortgage as soon as it would be received. This incident shows how dangerous it is to the independence and comfort of families, for parents to take pecuniary responsibilities for their sons in trade, beyond their power of meeting them without embarrassment. Had my Hillsborough bank notes not been paid as they were, nearly the whole amount would have been lost, and myself and family might probably have OF AMERICANS. 415 been ruined. The incident was so striking, that I have uniformly discour- aged young men, who have applied to me for credit, offering their fathers as bondsmen ; and, by doing so, I have, I believe, saved some respectable families from ruin. A young man who cannot get along without such aid, will not be likely to get along with it." How the young merchant got on in his new business, Avitliout capital, may in part, be guessed at from what he wrote years afterward to a friend : "I practiced upon the maxim, ^Business before friends,^ from the commence- ment of my course. During the first seven years of my business in this city, I never allowed a bill against me to stand unsettled over the Sabbath. If the purchase of goods was made at auction on Saturday, and delivered to me, I always examined and settled the bill by note or by crediting it, and having it clear, so that, in case I was not on dutj- on Monday, there would be no trouble for my boys ; thus keeping the business before me, instead of allowing it to drive me." Another extract referring to certain regulations adopted in the house where he boarded, may also throw some light upon his early course as a successful business man. " The only rule I ever made was, that after sup- ) er, all the boarders who remained in the public room should remain quiet at least one hour, to give those who chose to study or read, an opportunity of doing so without disturbance. The consequence was, that we had the most quiet and improving set of young men in the town. The few who did not wish to comply with the regulation, went abroad after tea, some- times to the theater, sometimes to other places, but, to a man, became bank- rupt in after life, not only in fortune, but in reputation ; while a majority of the other class sustained good characters, and some are now living who are ornaments to society, and fill important stations." Certain other principles by which Mr. Lawrence governed his conduct in business, are worthy the notice and imitation of young men. He writes : " I adopted a plan of keeping an accurate account of merchandise bought and sold each day, with the profit as far as practicable. This plan was pursued for a number of years, and I never found my merchandise fall short in taking an account of stock, which I did as often, at least, as once in each year. I was thus enabled to form an opinion of my actual state as a busi- ness man. I adopted, also, the rule always to .have property, after my second year's business, to represent forty per cent, at least more than I owed ; that is, never to be in debt more than two and a half times my cap- ital. This caution saved me from ever getting embarrassed. If it wero more generally adopted, we should see fewer failures in business. Exces- sive credit is the rock on which so many business men are broken. I made about fifteen hundred dollars the first year, and more than four thousand the second. Probably, had I made four thousand the first year, I should have failed the second or third year. I practiced a system of rigid economy, and never allowed myself to spend a fourpence for unneces- sary objects until 1 had acquired it." In rather less than a year after the name of Amos Lawrence had appeared in Cornhill, his young clerk, whose vocation seemed to lie in the direction of gunpowder and musketry, rather than in that of Manchester goods, left his clerkship vacant fur a successor, whose vocation, after events went to show, 416 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS lay about equally toward commerce, cotton-spindles, and diplomacy. On the 8th of October, 1808, Abbott Lawrence, late minister to England, took down the shutters of his brother's store for the first time. In one of Mr. Lawrence's letters, he speaks of his new clerk as follows : " In 1808, he came to me as my apprentice, bringing his bundle under his arm, with less than three dollars in his pocket (and this was his fortune) ; a first rate business lad he was ; but like other bright lads, needed the careful eye of a senior to guard him from the pitfalls that he was exposed to." But few details of Mr. Lawrence's life from this time to the year 1814 are now known. In 1811 (June 6), he thought himself sufiiciently pros- perous to take to himself a wife. Her name was Sarah Richards, the daughter of Giles Richards, whose machinery for the manufacture of cards for wool was one of the earliest examples of that aptitude for mechanical inventions, by which the New England mind, in later years, has so honor- ably distinguished itself. We learn from his correspondence that no man was ever more domestic in his tastes or was better satisfied with the refined enjoyments and pleasures of home. A few days after the birth of a daugh- ter, he writes to a friend : " I am the richest man, I suppose, on this side of the Avater, and the richest, because the happiest. On the 23d, I was blessed by the birth of a fair little daughter ; this, as you may well suppose, has filled our hearts with joy. ... I wish you were a married man, and then (if you had a good wife) you would know how to appreciate the pleasures of a parent. I have lately thought more than ever of the propriety of your settling soon. It is extremely dangerous to defer making a connection until a late period, for a man is more and more in danger of not forming one, the longer he puts it off"; and any man who does not form this connection, grossly miscalculates in the use of the means, which God has given him, to supply himself with pleasures in the downhill journey of life." He concludes by enjoining his friend, that Mrs. L has her eye on a wife for him — and after describing her accomplishments, remarks : " that the only objection to her, so far as he has observed, is that she has a few thousand dollars in cash ; but this, how- ever, might be remedied, for after furnishing a house, the balance might be given to her relations, or to some public institution." Six years after the Groton boy had first begun to do business for himself, he made a change in the proprietorship of the store, which he describes as follows : " On the first of January, 1814, I took my brother Abbott into partnership on equal shares, putting fifty thousand dollars, that I had then earned, into the concern. Three days afterward, the 'Bramble News' came, by which the excessive high price of goods was knocked down. Our stock "was then large, and had cost a high price. He was in great anguish, con- sidering himself a bankrupt for at least five thousand dollars. 1 cheered him by offering to cancel our co-partnership indentures, give him up his note, ?.nd at the end of the year give him five thousand dollars. He declined the offer, saying I should lose that, and more beside, and as he had enlisted, would do the best he could. This was in character, and it was well for us both. We still continue mercantile business under the first set of inden- tures, and under the Same firm, merely adding, '& Co.,' as new partners have been admitted." OF AMERICANS. 417 In about a year from the formation of this auspicious partnership, peace was declared between this country and Great Britain ; soon after which the junior member of the firm took passage on the first vessel that sailed from Boston to Liverpool. He carried with him the following written advice from his elder brother, which will help to illustrate the moral principles upon which Mr. Lawrence habitually acted : *' My dear brother, I have thought best, before you go abroad, to suggest a few hints for your benefit, in your intercourse with the people among whom you are going. As a first and leading principle, let every transaction be of that pure and honest character that you would not be ashamed to have appear before the whole world, as clearly as to yourself In addition to the advantages arising from an honest course of conduct with your fcUow- men, there is the satisfaction of reilecting within yourself, that you have endeavored to do your duty ; and, however greatly the best may fall short of doing all they ought, they will be sure not to do more than their princi- ples enjoin. It is, therefore, of the highest consequence, that you should not only cultivate correct principles, but that you should place your stan- dard of action so high as to require great vigilance in living up to it. In regard to your business transactions, let everything be so registered in j'our books, that any person, without difficulty, can understand the whole of your concerns. You may be cut off in the midst of your pursuits, and it is of no small consequence that your temjioral affairs should always be so arranged that you would be in readiness. If it is important that you should be well prepared in this point of view, how much more important is it that you should be prepared in that which relates to eternity. While here, your conduct has been such as to meet my enure approba- tion ; but the scenes of another land may be more than your principles will stand against. I say, maij he, because young men, of as fair promise as your- self, have been lost by giving a small latitude (innocent in the first instance) to their propensities. But, I pray the Father of all mercies to have you in his keeping, and preserve you amid temptations." In a subsequent letter, is found this additional advice : " My next and constant direction will be to keep a particular watch over yourself, that you do not fall into any habits of vice ; and as a means of preserving yourself, I would most strictly enjoin that your Sabbaths bo not spent in noise and riot, but that you attend the public worship of God. This you may think an unnecessary direction to you, who have always been in the habit of doing so. I hope it may be ; at any rate, it will do no harm." Amid the growing cares of his largely increased mercantile operations, Mr. Lawrence continued to find his chief solace and enjoyment in the bosom of his family. His evenings were passed at home, and urgent must have been the call which could then have drawn him from his fireside. So much did the interests of his little household transcend all other interests, in his regards, that he watched, on one occasion, by the side of a sick child, for an entire fortnight, day and night, and then had the satisfaction of wit- nessing its recovery, though physician and friends had pronounced it hope- less. These domestic qualities of Mr. Lawrence were soon to be subjected to one of the severest of earthly trials. In the spring of 1818, Mrs. Lawrence 418 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS was troubled with a cough, which speedily became so obstinate as to induce her to make trial of the pure air of her husband's native place. Within two or three months, he, in turn, was seized with an alarming illness, which brought her to his side. After a few weeks' watching, and when the hus- band's life was despaired of, the wife was seized with hemorrhage from the lungs. It seemed likely that their journey of life would terminate together, but He that controls such things had determined differently. Mr. Lawrence slowly and imperfectly regained his health ; and on the 14th of January, 1819, closed the eyes of her whom, a little more than seven years before, he had taken as his companion till death should part them. Previous to this bereavement, his constitution had been greatly shattered, but after this event, his sense of loss and mental depression became such that he was induced to make trial of a change of scene and occupation by a protracted visit to the Middle States and Virginia. On his return, with health somewhat improved, he sought to direct his mind from painful rem- iniscences, by devoting himself with increased ardor to his business. By pursuing this course, aided by the judicious sympathy and kindness of his brother Abbott, and his family, with whom he now resided, his mind re- gained its tone, his health was restored, and he was again the efficient and successful man of business. In April, 1821, Mr. Lawrence was married to Mrs. Nancy Ellis, widow of the late Judge Ellis, of Claremont, N. H., and daughter of Robert Means, Esq., of Amherst, in the same State. The same year, he was elected as representative from Boston to the legislature, which was the only occasion on which he served in a public legislative body. About this time he gave the subjoined valuable advice in a letter to Hon. Frederick Walcott, of Con- necticut, whose son was then a clerk in his employ, and subsequently became his partner. "H will have much leisure in the evening, which, if he choose, may be profitably devoted to study ; and we hope he will lay out such a course for himself, as to leave no portion of his time unappropriated. It is on account of so much leisure, that so many fine youths are ruined in this town. The habit of industry once well fixed, the danger is over. Will it not be well for him to furnish you, at stated periods, an exact account of his expenditures ? The habit of keeping such an account will be serviceable, and if he is prudent, the satisfaction will be great, ten years hence, in look- ing back and observing the process by which his character has been formed." From the passage by Congress of the tariff of 1824, the firm of which Mr. Lawrence was the senior partner, became largely engaged in domestic manufactures. To them, perhaps, more than any other single establishment, is New England indebted for the success of that system of manufacturing industry which, in multiplying so vastly her material wealth, has also de- monstrated the compatibility of female labor in factories, with intelligence, relf-respect, and rhany of the refinements of life, on the part of such opera- tives. Mr. Lawrence watched with great solicitude, the progress of Lowell and other manufacturing towns, not only in the increase of wealth, but also in morals, religion, and the facilities for instruction and education. Churches, libraries, hospitals, in these communities, found in him a munificent friend, and it was with feelings of exultation, both as a patriot and a manufacturer, that he could point an intelligent stranger to the industry of Manchester OF AMERICAXS. 419 without its vice, to the ingenuity of Birmingham, without its suffering and disease. For the thirty-eight years previous to his death, Mr. Lawrence was in the habit, annually, of noting down the amount of his jiroperty, both as a guide to himself and, in case of his death, as a means of facilitating the settle- ment of his estate. In the little memorandum book where these statements were recorded, occurs, under date of January 1, 1826, the following entry : "I have been extensively engaged in business during the last two years, and have added much to my worldly possessions ; but have come to the same conclusion in regard to them that I did in 1818. I feel distressed in mind that the resolutions then made have not been more effectual in keep- ing me from this over-engagedness in business. I now find myself so en- grossed with its cares, as to occupy my thoughts, waking or sleeping, to a degree entirely disproportioned to its importance. The quiet and comfort of home, broken in upon by the anxiety arising from the losses and mis- chances of a business so extensive as oure, and, above all, that communion which ought ever be kept free between man and his Maker, is interrupted by the incessant calls of the multifarious pursuits of our establishment. Property acquired at such sacrificos as I have been obliged to make the past year, costs more than its worth ; and the anxiety of protecting it is the ex- treme of folly." A year later he writes as follows : " The principles of business laid down a year ago, have been very nearly practiced upon. Our responsibilities and anxieties have greatly diminished, as also have the accustomed j^rofits of business ; but there is sufHcient remaining for the record of our labor to impose on us increased responsibilities and duties, as agents who must, at last, render an account. God grant that mine be found correct." On the first of January, 1828, after giving an account of his pecuniary circumstances, ho writes : " The amount of property is great for a youno- man under forty-two years of age, who came to this town when he was twenty-one years old, with no other possessions than a common country education, a sincere love for his own family, and habits of industry, econ- omy, and sobriety : under God, it is these same self-denying habits, and a desire I always had to please, so far as I could without sinful compliance, that I can now look back upon and see as the true ground of my success. I have many things to reproach myself with ; but among them is not idling away my time, or spending money for such things as are improper. My property imposes upon me many duties, which can only be known to my Maker. May a sense of these duties be constantly impressed upon my mind ; and by a constant discharge of them, God grant me the happiness at last of hearing the joyful sound, ' Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' " Few letters of Mr. Lawrence, previous to the year 1828, seem to have been found by his biographer ; but from that time to his death, his corres- pondence, particularly with his children, is mostly preserved, and fills many volumes. His advice, about this time, to his second son, then at school at Andover, is deserving the attention of other parents. He writes : "Get the habit firmly fixed, of putting down every cent you receive and every cent you expend. In this wav vou will acquire some knowledge of the 27 420 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS relative value of tilings, and a habit of judging and of care which will be of use to you during all your life. Among the numerous people who have failed in business, within my knowledge, a prominent cause has been a want of system in their affairs, by which to know when their expenses and losses exceeded their profits. This habit is as necessary for professional men as for a merchant, because, in their business, there are numerous ways to make little savings, if they find their income too small, which they would not adopt without looking at the detail of all their expenses. It is the habit of consideration I wish you to acquire ; and the habit of being accurate will have an influence upon your whole character in life." While Mr. Lawrence was most solicitous that his children should acquire just principles, as the most important of all earthly possessions, he did not under-value the worth of graceful and amiable manners. To his eldest son, then at school in France, he whites : " I beseech you to consider well the advantages you enjoy, and to avail yourself of your opportunities to give your manners a little more care and polish ; for you may depend upon it, manners are highly important in your intercourse with the world. Good principles, good temper, and good manners, will carrj' a man through the world much better than he can get along with the absence of either. The most important are good principles. Without these, the best manners, although for a time very acceptable, cannot sustain a person in trying situations. Do not omit the opportunity to acquire a character and habits that will con- tinue to improve during the remainder of life. At its close, the reflection that you have thus done, will be a support and stay worth more than any sacrifice you may ever be called on to make in acquiring these habits." Little is known, with certainty, of the extent of Mr. Lawrence's charities previous to the year 1829. Up to this time, he had kept no account of his benefactions, whether large or small. It can hardly be doubted, however, that his liberality was as great then, in proportion to his means, as it was known to be during the last twenty-three years of his life. On the same page with the estimate of his property in 1830, is the following memoran- dum : "With a view to know the amount of my expenditures for objects other than the support of my family, I have, for the year 1829, kept a par- ticular account of such other expenses as came under the denomination of charities, and appropriations for the benefit of others, not of my own house- hold, for many of whom I feel under the same obligation as for my own family." His son and biographer says : "This memorandum was commenced on the first of January, 1829, and is continued until December 30, 1852, the last day of his life. It contains a complete statement of his charities during that whole period, including not only what he contributed in money, but also all other donations, in the shape of clothing materials, books, pro- visions, and his custom was to note down the cost value of the donation, after it had been dispatched ; whether in the shape of a book, a turkey, or one of his immense bundles of varieties to some poor country-minister's family, 'as large,' as he says in addressing one, 'as a small hay-cock.' Two rooms in his house, and sometimes three, were used principally for the re- ception of useful articles for distribution. There, when stormy weather or ill health prevented him from taking his usual drive, he was in the habit of passing hours in selecting and packing up articles which he considered suit- OF AMERICANS. 421 able to the W3,nts of tliose he wished to aid. On such days, his coachman's eervices were put in requisition to pack and tie up ' the small hay-cocks,' and many an illness was the result of over-exertion and fatigue in supplying the wants of his poorer brethren. These packages were selected according to the wants of the recipients, and a memorandum made of the contents. Most of them contained substantial articles for domestic use, and were often accompanied by a note containing from five to fifty dollars in money. The distribution of books was another mode of usefulness to which Mr. Lawrence attached much importance. In his daily drives, his carriage was well stored with useful volumes, which he scattered among persons of all classes and ages, as he had opportunity. These books were generally of a religious character, while others of a miscellaneous nature were purchased in large numbers, and sent to institutions or individuals in remote parts of the country. Old and young, rich and poor, shared equally in these distributions ; and he rarely allowed an occasion to pass unimproved, when he thought an in- fluence could be exerted by the gift of an appropriate volume. While waiting one day in his carriage with a friend, in one of the principal thor- oughfares in the city, he beckoned to a genteelly dressed young man who was passing, and handed him a book. Upon being asked whether the young man was an acquaintance, he replied, ' No, he is not ; but you remember where it is written, 'Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.' 'A barrel of books,' is no uncommon item found in his record of articles almost daily forwarded to one and another of his distant beneficiaries." While Mr. Lawrence was thus doing good, in many quiet and unostenta- tious ways, and while his means for doing this good were rapidly augment- ing, under the successful cft'orts of himself and other New England cap- italists, to build up in her midst a great manufacturing communit}', the hand of God was laid heavil}^ upon him, depriving him suddenly of health, and of the capacity for fulfilling many of the duties of an active commercial life. On a very warm day of June, 1831, while in his counting-room, Mr. Lawrence drank too freely of cold water ; soon after he was seized with a violent and alarming illness, by which the function of the stomach seemed to have been destroyed, and which for a time threatened his life. Though he lived for more than twenty years after this aflliction, his life continually hung upon a thread. What the feelings of Mr. Lawrence were at this time, when his days were apparently drawing to a rapid close, will be seen from these extracts from two letters, one to his son in Europe, and the other to his honored mother. " In that dread hour when I thought that the next perhaps would be my last on earth — my thoughts resting upon my God and Saviour, then upon the past scenes of my life, then upon my dear children, — the belief that their minds are well directed, and that they will prove blessings to society, and fulfill in some good degree, the design of Providence in placing them here, was a balm to my spirits that proved more favorable to my recovery than any of the other remedies. May you never forget that every man is individually responsible for his actions, and must be held ac- countable for his opportunities ! " 422 ADVENTURES AXD ACHIEVEMENTS To his mother he wrote : " Daring that period in which I considered my recovery as hardly probable, my mind was calm, and while in review of the past, I found many things to lament; and in contemplation of the future, much to fear, but more to hope, I could find no other words in which to express my thoughts, than the words of the publican, * God be merciful to me a sinner ! ' All the small distinctions of sects and forms dwindled into air, and seemed to me more worthless than ever. The cares and anxieties of the world did not disturb me, believing it to be of small moment whether I should be taken now, or spared a few years longer." For many weary months, Mr. Lawrence was confined as an invalid to the seclusion of home ; but instead of making his ill-health an apology for self- indulgence, he finds occasion for it to widen the field of his benevolence, and to deepen his conviction of the necessity of doing all in his power for the benefit of his fellow-men. In speaking of some application for aid from a charitable institution, he writes to his son : " I think you will find great advantage in doing this part of your duty upon a system which you can adopt ; thus, for in- stance, divide your expenses into ten parts, nine of which may be termed for what is considered necessary, making a liberal calculation for such as your situation would render proper, and one part applied for the promotion of objects not directly or legally claiming your support, but such as every good citizen would desire to have succeed. This, I think, you will find the most agreeable part of your expenses ; and if j^ou should be favored with an abundance of means later in life, you may enlarge your appropriations of this sort, so as to be equal to one tenth of your income. Neither yourself nor those who depend upon you, will ever feel the poorer. I believe the rule might be profitably adopted by many who have small means ; for they would save more by method, than they would be required to pay." To the same general purport, is a letter written about the same time to his second son, at Andover : " It is one of my privileges, not less than one of my duties, to be able thus to minister to the comfort of a circle of very dear friends. I hope you will one day have the delightful consciousness of using a portion of your means in a way to give you as much pleasure as I now experience. Your wants may be brought within a very moderate compass ; and I hope you will never feel yourself at liberty to waste on yourself such means as by system and right princii^les, may be beneficially applied to the good of those around you. Providence has given us unerring principles to guide us in our duties of this sort. Our first dutj' is to those of our own household, then extending to kindred, friends, neighbors (and the term 'neighbor' may, in its broadest sense, take in the whole human family), citizens of our State, then of our country, then of the other countries of the world." A -subsequent letter, written soon after the preceding, speaks of some of the causes of his success in business. *' The secret of the whole matter was, that we had formed the habit of promptly acting, thus taking the top of tJie tide, while the habit of some others was to delay until about half-tide, thus getting on the flats ; while we were all the time prepared for action, and ready to put into any port that promised well. I wish, by all these remarks, to impress upon you the necessity of qualifying yourself to OF AMERICANS. 423 support yourself. The best education that I can secure, shall be yours, and such facilities for usefulness as may be in my power, shall be rendered ; but DO food to pamper idleness or wickedness, will I ever supply willingly to any connection, however near. I trust I have none who will ever misuse so basely anything that may come to them as a blessing." The great end for which Mr. Lawrence seems to have lived is thus ex- pressed in a letter to his daughter : " The tenure of my life seems frail ; still it may continue longer than the lives of my children ; but whenever it shall please God to call me hence, I hope to feel resigned to his will, and to leave behind me such an influence as shall help forward the timid and faint- hearted in the path of duty." During the summer and autumn of 1832, and the early months of 1833, it seemed probable that he would regain his health, and be able to resume the active duties of life. But this hope proved fallacious. While he was restored to such a measure of health as to be able to ride his horse almost daily (on which occasion he was constantly accompanied by some of the city clergy, without much regard, however, to the denomination to which they belonged), his liability to a relapse was constant. Bad news, annoying occurrences, anxiety of mind, or a slight cold, would so impair his digestion, as to reduce his strength to the lowest point. It was this unusual sensitive- ness of constitution which ultimately induced Mr. Lawrence to adopt that peculiar system of diet which he practiced for the last sixteen years of his life. His food was simple in kind and limited in quantitj'. To avoid all temptation to excess, his meals were taken apart from those of his family, after having been scrupulously weighed. In a letter to President Hopkins, of "Williams College, he says : "If your young folks Avant to know the meaning of epicurianism, tell them to take some bits of coarse bread (one ounce and a little more), soak them in three gills of coarse meal gruel, and make their dinner of them and nothing else ; beginning very hungry, and leaving off more hungry. The food is delicious, and such as no modern epicurianism can equal." Under all the perplexities and discouragements arising from shattered nerves and impaired health, his correspondence continues to show the em- inently conscientious, as well as practical character of his mind. To his son in the country, he writes: "I want you to analyze more closely the tendenc}' of principles, associations, and conduct, and strive to adopt such as will make it easier for you to go right than to go Avrong. The moral taiite, like the natural, is vitiated by abuse. Gluttony, tobacco, and intox- icating drinks, are not less dangerous to the latter, than loose principles, bad associations, and profligate conduct, are to the former. Look well to all these things." A letter to a young friend is also characteristic : " AVhcn you get married, do not expect a higher degree of perfection than is consistent with mor- tality, in your wife. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be careful, and do not choose upon a theory either. I dislike much of the nonsense and quackery that is dignified with the name of intellectual among people. Old fashioned common-sense is a deal better. . . . There was a part of Boston which used to be visited by young men out of curiosity, when I first came here, into which I never set foot for the whole time I remained a 424 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS single man. I avoided it, because I not only wished to keep clear of the temptations common in that part, but to avoid the appearance of evil. I never regretted it ; and I would advise all young men to strengthen their good resolutions by reflection, and to plant deep and strong the principles of right, and to avoid temptation, as time gives them strength to stand against it." Of the same character is the advice, as to marriage, which he gives to an- other young friend : "Take care that fancy does not beguile you of your understanding, in making your choice : a mere picture is not all that is needful in the up-and-down hills of life. The arrangements of the household and the sick-room, have more in them to fasten upon the heart, than all the beauties and honors of the mere gala days, however suc- cessfully shown off. Be careful, when you fish, to get a heart, a soul, and a body ; not the show of a body that has mere vitality." As years rolled over his head, Mr. Lawrence's conviction of his in- debtedness to the instruction and example of his now widowed and ven- erable mother, seems, from his correspondence, to have been greatly deep- ened. Writing to his sister, under date of October 25, 1835, he says : "My thoughts this morning have been much engaged with my early home. I conclude it best to embody them in part, and send them forward to add (if they may) a token of gratitude and thankfulness to that dear one who is left to us, for her care of our early days, and her Christian instruction and example to her children, grand-children, great-grand-children ; each gener- ation of whom, I trust, will be made better in some of its members by her. It is more natural, when, in our weakness and want, to turn our thoughts to those whom they have been accustomed to look to for assist- ance ; and thus to me the impression of the blessing I enjoy in having such a home as mine is, and the blessing I early enjoyed in having such a homo as mine was, under my father's roof, say to my heart, 'All these increase thy responsibilities, and for their use, thou must account.' I have had one of my slight ill turns, within the last two days, that has brought back all these feelings with increased force ; and I look upon these as gentle mon- itors, calculated to make me estimate more fully my blessings and my duties. Frequently as I am admonished of the frail .tenure by which I hold my life, I am negligent and careless in the performance of those high and every- day duties which I should never lose sight of fur an hour. I have also such buoyancy of spirits, that life seems to me a very, very great blessing, and I do, at times, strive to make it useful to those around me." In Mr. Lawrence's memorandum-book of property, under date of Decem- ber 31, 1835, occurs the following entry: "My expenses have been thousand dollars this year, of which about one half went for persons and objects that make me feel that it has been well expended, and is better used than to remain in my possession." A letter to his mother, written two years later, shows the habitual feeling which influenced Mr. Lawrence in his use of his property : " This day com- pletes thirty years since my commencing business, with the hope of acquir- ing no very definite amount of property, or having in my mind any antici- pation of ever enjoying a tithe of that consideration my friends and the public are disposed to award me at this time. In looking back to that period, OF AMERICANS. 425 and reviewing the events as they come along, I can see the good hand of God in all my experience ; and acknowledge, with deep humiliation, my want of gratitude and proper return for all his mel-cies. May each day I live impress me more deeply with a sense of duty, and find me better pre- pared to answer His call, and account for my stewardship. The changes in our family have been perlfaps no greater than usual in other families in that period, excepting in the matter of the eminent success that has attended our efforts of a worldly nature. This worldly success is the great cause of our danger in its use, and may prove a snare, unless we strive to keep constantly in mind, that to whom much is given, of him, will much be required. I feel my own deficiencies, and lament them ; but am encouraged and re- warded by the enjoyment, in a high degree, of all my well-meant efforts for the good of those around me. In short, I feel as though I can still do a little to advance the cause of human happiness while I remain here." The pecuniary embarrassment in the business of the country, in the year 1837, will long be remembered. At the close of this year, he writes in his diary: "The violent revulsion in the business of the country, during the past year, has been ruinous to many ; but so far as my own interests are con- cerned, has been less than I anticipated. My property remains much as it was a year ago. Something beyond my income has been disposed of; and I have no debts against me, either as a partner in the firm or individually. Everything is in a better form for settlement than at any former period, and I hope to feel ready to depart whenever called." The following admirable advice was written in an account-book, which he gave to his youngest son, when a lad of twelve years old : " My dear son, I give you this little book, that you may write in it, how much money you receive, and how you use it. It is of much importance, in forming your early character, to have correct habits, and a strict regard to truth in all you do. For this purpose, I advise you never to cheat yourself by making a false entry in this book. If you spend money for an object you would not willingly have known, you will be more likely to avoid doing the same thing again, if you call it by its right name here, remembering always that there is One who cannot be deceived, and that He requires his children to reuder an account of all their doings at last. I pray God so to guide and direct you, that when your stewardship here is ended, he may say to you, that the talents entrusted to your care have been faithfully employed." To his sister he writes, December 22, 1848 : " It is thirty-one years, this week, since I commenced business on my own account, and the prospects were as gloomy at that period for its successful pursuit, as at any time since; but I never had any doubt or misgiving as to my success, for I then had no more wants than my means would justify. The habits then formed, and since confirmed and strengthened by use, have been the foundation of my good name, good fortune, and present happy condition. At that time, my gains were more than my expenses ; thus strengthening and encouraging me in the steady pursuit of those objects I had in view as a beginner. From that time to this, I am not aware of ever desiring or acquiring any great amount by a single operation, or of taking any part of the property of any other man and mingling it with my own, when I had the legal right to do so. I have had such uniform success, as to make my fidelity a matter 426 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS of deep concern to myself ; and my prayer to God is, that I may be found to have acted a uniform part, and receive the joyful ' well done,' which is substantial wealth, that no man can take away." The band of brothers, five in number, vk'ho had, for so many years, gone hand in hand, united by a common affection, and rejoicing together in a common prosperity was now to be broken. Their father had early charged them "not to fallout by the way; for a three-fold cord is not quickly broken." This injunction had been to them a sacred one. Whoever has seen them walking arm and arm, on a Sunday evening, after service, can hardly have failed to feel " how good and pleasant a thing it is for breth- ren to dwell together in unity." The 17th of April, 1839, the eldest brother, Luther, then mayor of Lowell, while showing a relation through the buildings of the Middlesex Manufacturing Company, recently erected by his brothers, made a mis-step, which precipitated him into a deep wheel-ijit, causing almost instant death. This sad event was deeply felt by Mr. Lawrence, and by all who knew the character of the deceased. In a letter to his sisters, ho says : " Brother L.'s death may, perhaps, be more efficient in instructing us in the path of duty than would have been his life ; and the whole community is admonished by this event in a way that I have rarely seen marked. The homage to his character is a legacy to his children of more value than all the gold in the mint." The character of Mr. Lawrence's mind naturally inclined him to reverence for the past. He looked with great distrust upon some of the tendencies which an unprecedented prosperity had begun to develop in our country. "I hardly know when I have been more forcibly impressed with a plain truth than I was yesterda^^ while sitting alone on horseback, on the top of the redoubt on Dorchester Heights, and the considerations of the past, the present, and the future, were the subjects of my thoughts, connecting the men of those days with the present, and the men of these days with the future, the evidence is irresistable, that there is a downhill tendency in the character of the people, which in sixty years more, will make us more corrupt than any other enlightened nation so young as ours, unless we are checked by adversity and suffering. There seems to be a spirit of reckless adventure in politics and religion, not contemplated seventy years ago. How far our experience in self-government in this country is going to advance the cause of good government, and the ultimate happiness of man, is yet a problem. Our principles are of the most elevating character ; .our practices under them, of the most debasing ; and if Ave continue in this way another gen- eration, there will not be virtue enough in active use to save the forms of our government." On the thirty-third anniversary of his commencing business, he enters in his diary : " My daily aspirations are for wisdom and integrity, to do what is required of me ; but the excuses for omissions, and the hidden promptings of pride or selfishness in the sins of commission, take away all confidence that all is done as it should be. I am in the enjoyment of as much as be- longs to our condition here ; wife, children, and friends, those three little blessings that were spared to us after the fall, impart enjoyment that makes my home as near a heaven on earth as is allowed to mortals." OF AMERICANS. 427 At tliis time, the reputation of Mr. Lawrence, for benevolence, had be- came so establislied, that not only the necessitous, but such as make a trade of speculating upon the charity of the liberal, were frequent applicants for his aid. So serious had this annoyance become, that he felt himself con- strained to deny himself to all applicants, who were neither known to him- self nor properly commended by those in whom he had confidence. He was in the habit of keeping a record of the names, ages, occupations, etc., of those who solicted his assistance. These memoranda are sometimes both quaint and plain spoken ; — for instance : " June, 6. — G. M. called to sell a lot of sermons, called the , which he says he caused to be pub- lished to do good, but he repeated it so often that I doubted him. He seems to me a loooden-nutmeg fellow, although he has the Rev, ^Ir. 's cer- tificate." One of the most striking as well as amiable traits in Mr. Lawrence's char- acter was his absolute freedom from sectarian bitterness. Though con- nected with a Unitarian Church (that of Brattle street), from his first com- mencement in business, down to the day of his death, he had the pleasure of numbering among his most intimate friends, clergymen of all shades and theological opinions. It would be impossible, within the scope of this article, to give even a full outline of the life of such a man as Amos Lawrence. His Diary and Correspondence, a work of three hundred and sixty pages, duodecimo, com- piled by his son, was thought of such inestimable value to the young, that many of the Boston merchants presented a copy to each of their clerks ; one house taking sixty for that purpose. "The publication of the Diary of Amos Lawrence," states a print of the time, " naturally recalls many anecdotes of his life, and one of a cer- tain remarkable pocket-book that belonged to him, deserves to be repeated. We will trj' to relate the fact in the way it was once told by Father Tay- lor, of Boston. On the occasion of an anniversary celebration in that city, a large number of orthodox clergymen were seated on the platform, and among them was the well-known preacher to seamen. A remark had been dropped by one of the speakers, implying a doubt 'whether any Unitarian could go to heaven.' Father Taylor fired up at the word, and springing to his feet he exclaimed, in his indescribable manner : ' No Unitarian go to heaven ! Mr. Chairman, I have a word to say about that. I have this day seen Amos Lawrence's pocket-book. It is such a pocket-book as was never made before, Ou one fold of it is printed in gilt letters, 'What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loose his own soul?' You open another fold and read, ' The gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts.' On still another fold is printed, ' He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.' I asked Mr, Lawrence what all this was for. He told me that he remembered that, as men grew old, they sometimes grew selfish, and every time he looked to his money, he wanted to be reminded of the great prin- ciples of the Gospel, by which he ought to hold and use his worldly goods; and therefore he kept money in each of those folds of his pocket-book, for all good uses which Divine Providence might suggest. Now, Mr, Chair- man, what are you going to do with a man who carries such a book in his pocket ? Do you mean to send him to hell ? Do you think the devil and 428 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Lis angels would permit a man with principles like these to enter his do- mains? Why, sir, such doctrines carried to hell, would make an uproar and revolution there more terrible than ever before known, and it never could be easy till he was cast out. I ask again, what do you mean to do with him?' Father Taylor's question was not answered; but whatever trouble the case he supposed might create in the locality named, certain it is that his own speech made quite a sensation on the platform." Mr. Lawrence finished his earthly pilgrimage on the last day of the year 1852. All his temporal affairs had been arranged in view of this event ; and there can be no doubt but that he was fully prepared for that world of love to which he was undoubtedly called. "Eeligion was eminently a part of Mr. Lawrence's business — not the re- ligion of a dead faith only, but a religion in which an active faith, and the works of love and human charity were united with humility. His pastor remarks of him in his funeral discourse, that ' he was a constant worshipper in his (the old Brattle street) church for forty-six years, and, for more than forty years, was a communicant, and for ten years a deacon, which office he was compelled to resign on account of continued ill-health. His Diary and Letters show a heart full of reverence, and imbued with a Christian vitality, that might put many louder and more clamorous professors to shame.' He not unfrequently sent to his store for one or two thousand dollars at a time, in small bills, to be used in the service of his charities. He never gave without due examination, and his gifts were more generally voluntary, than the results of solicitation or personal appeals. His biographer esti- mates the sum, which he devoted to charities during his life, and mostly during the last ten years of it, to be not less than seven hundred thousand dollars, and remarks, that 'although many persons have done more, few have done so much in proportion to the means they had to bestow.' Amos Lawrence takes a place among the great men of his time. He was not a great scholar, nor a great orator, nor a great politician. He had not great learning, nor great genius ; but, nevertheless, he was a great man. He had a great heart, and any mind that could direct it so wisely as it was directed, is a great mind ; for wisdom in action, requires such a combination and proportion of quiiJities that any man who exhibits it, is pre-eminently entitled to the appellation of 'great.' " He was a living example of a successful merchant, who had from the earliest period of his business career, risen above all anticipation, and had never been willing to turn to advantage the ignorance or misfortunes of others. Even while an apprentice, in his native town, many of his customers relied upon his judgment, rather than their own, in the selection of goods for their purchase. He never deceived them. What " Amos " said was right, no one could gainsay. It was this sterling honesty, more than any other one thing, that contributed to his success in life. FIVE YEARS AN AMERICAN SOLDIER COMPRISING ADVENTURES AT PALO ALTO, RESACA DE LA PALMA, MONTEREY, VERA CRUZ, CERRO GORIJO, AND IN THE BATTLES IN THE VALLEY OF MEXICO, INTER- SPERSED WITH ANECDOTES OF MILITARY LIFE, IN PEACE AND IN WAR. If anxious mothers always had their own way, and if young men pos- little more knowledge, the business of the world would suffer. Both commerce and war, those agents of civilization, would be shorn of recruits, by the force of maternal influence and a vivid sense of the evils which these pursuits are apt to bring upon their followers. But young lads are ignorant, imagination is active, and they are often lured on by the charm of novelty to rush from the quiet scenes of home, and launch forth upon perilous adventures. It is well that it should be so. Nature has implanted this desire in young hearts, because the world has use for the-m. Many fall by the wayside — perish miserably through perils by sea and perils by land : others, with broken constitutions and blasted hopes, crushed by poverty and wasted by disease, eke out a miserable exist- ence ; — yet the race, as a whole, is benefited. Of this unfortunate class, I am one. A little more knowledge, in my start in life, would not only have saved me much suffering, but would have, probably, preserved to this day some quite respectable gentlemen of Mex- co, whom I, in the way of business in that country, assisted in gathering to their fathers. By my early ignorance, doubtless, you can here, at this late period, obtain a knowledge of the life of the American Soldier, including a glimpse at some of the ugly shadows that are cast athwart it. My name is C. M. Reeves. You never before heard of it — it is unknown to fame. The French have a proverb, that " the world never knows its great men." This is certainly a consolatory axiom to such of us as know the world better than it knows us. I was born in the year 1825, in Trum- bull County, Ohio, and nineteen years al'ter, viz: on the 9th day of Decem- ber, 184-1, descended from a stage-coach before the Monongahela House at Pittsburgh, entered the clerk's office, and wrote my name on the hotel register. Between these dates, I had passed from an infant into the suc- cessive developments necessary to constitute a raw youth, with nineteen years onlj^ of rural experience. My business at Pittsburgh was to enlist in the army. I had never seen any of the soldiers of the United States, and was under the impression that the army was composed of the elite of the country — that none were taken (429) 430 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS into the service, but gentlemen, fine, straight, good-looking Americans. So much was my mind exercised upon what the good qualities of men must be, that I greatly feared, upon being examined, I should not equal the requi- site standard. At the hotel, I took a room with a fire, and ordered up my baggage, con- sisting of an ancient hair-trunk, which contained a few quite common arti- cles of personal clothing. This was a first-class house and was crowded with guests, and as my attire was seedy, I expect I was the most plainly dressed of any in that numerous family. On retiring to my room, I thor- oughly overhauled my pockets, and was astonished to find that I only had just thirteen cents ! Well, here was a dilemma. How was I to settle my bill with that money ? My brain was so active with the project of enlist- ing, that I slept poorly, and arose very early next morning. While stand- ing by the stove in the office, I observed that the clerk surveyed me very attentiveh-. Thinks I, you look as if you suspect I am about to slip off without settling my bill. I walked out, still under the discomfort of his sharp vision, until I turned around a corner of the street. — I was in search of the recruiting rendezvous, which I soon found. The sergeant saluted me very blandly, and invited me in to see the men drill. When they were through, he took his seat beside me, and inquired if I wished to enlist ? I replied, " Yes." "Very well," he rejoined; " have you considered the consequences of such a step?" On my answering in the affirmative, he continued, "Well, as soon as the lieutenant comes in, you shall be enlisted." He then went on to state what the pay of a soldier was, his clothing, rations, etc. When the lieutenant entered, I was duly enlisted, and all the papers made out. From thence, the sergeant took me to the garrison, a mile above the city, to be examined by the surgeon and sworn into the sei'vice by a magistrate. I had some delicacy in divesting myself of my clothing, and standing naked for the inspection of the medi- cal gentleman. I passed through the ordeal, however, and before night was an American soldier, sworn to serve for the term of five years in the army of the United States. A recruiting rendezvous is generally under the charge of a lieutenant and a sergeant. The duty of the latter is to instruct the candidate in all the particulars of the service, so that, if he should subsequently repent of it, he can have no excuse. By the regulations, none are to be enlisted while in- toxicated, but, as a general thing, no sooner does a man make his appear- ance at a rendezvous, than the sergeant showers upon him a torrent of ful- some flattery, takes him to the nearest grog-shop, and pours whisky down his throat until his patriotism is at the flood, and then he is ready to " 'list." This is one of the reasons why so many of the very lowest foreigners enter our army, to the exclusion of a better class of men. The first night's experience as a soldier, is undying in my recollection, I do not believe I slept one hour. I lay in my coarse soldiers' bunk, covered with but a single blanket, shivering with the cold, and brooding over all the mishaps of my short life. I did not Hke the way things opened to me, being sadly disappointed in the kind of men taken into the service, in the clothing, rations, etc. In fact, nothing was as I had preconceived. A fore- boding sense of doing something wrong passed over me ; I felt as though I OF AMERICANS. 431 had forfeited, in a great measure, that inestimable boon to all Americans — liberty ! and that I had subjected myself to the authority of those above, whom to obey would be degradation, and for this there was no remedy. After following up this train of thought for awhile, I would chase away the phantoms hy the reflection, that I would be occupying an honorable posi- tion — the " military glory," sn to speak, would buoy me up. I thought too, that the army would bo a good school to me ; that if I did not find every- thing to my mind, I would be fully compensated by the knowledge I should gain of human nature and the world. In the morning, I awoke, feeling very bad from the loss of sleep. Our breakfast consisted of weak coffee, baker's bread, and a few slices of ham — no butter, no milk for coffee, and no kind of vegetables. "With the exception of bean-soup or potatoes some- times at dinner, this was all the variety of diet we had at the rendezvous. After breakfast, I had issued to me my first year's clothing. The next thing was to dispose of my citizen's clothing. John, the cook, introduced me to an old man, who kept a pawn-broker's shop, and bought and sold cast-off clothing. I bundled up my relics, passed them over to him, and got him to go with me to the Monongahela House for my trunk. Here he paid my bill, which was one dollar and fifty cents, seized one end of the trunk to help mo out with it, when the clerk, who had scrutinized me so attentivelj', called out in ringing tones, " Young man, what under heavens have you enlisted for — why have you thrown yourself away ?" I muttered something in reply — that it was " m}^ business." " Come on !" called out the old man, pulling at the other end of the trunk. " You have entirely ruined yourself," continued the clerk ; " you had better have gone down to a steamboat, and worked for your daily bread." " Come on !" again shouted my companion, getting out of patience, and dragging me and the trunk out of the door, from whence we made for his dingy shop as fast as possible. On returning to my quarters, I sat down on a bench and gave myself up to reflection. The words of the hotel clerk rang in my ears ; I saw how completelj^ I had deceived myself — that as a soldier of the United States, I was but little better than a slave, and with the most abandoned and dis- gusting of men as associates. I thought of my home in Ohio. Would I ever see the faces of the loved ones again ? I was the eighth of that " batch " of recruits. The term " batch " is ap- plied to any number of recruits collected and sent together to a military depot. Two others Avere afterward added. Seven of this batch were Irish ; one was a German, and two only Americans. The Irish were as filthy, debased, and illiterate creatures as could be got out of a whole ship load of paupers ; they were useless save to pour down bad rum and to quarrel — eventual!}', all of these either deserted or were dishonorably dis- charged. The German was a dirty, lazy lout, of whom I shall again speak. Keller, the other American, was a six-foot Pennsylvanian, who, like my- self, had taken a resolution not to drink liquor while in the army. A mu- tual separation ensued between us two and the others, and, as a natural consequence, a common enmity arose. The drunkards became very much enraged against us, for not joining in with them in stealing and smuggling liquor into the quarters, and swore revenge on the "spalpeens of Ameri- cans ;" they never attempted anything but once, however, when, in a dcs- 432 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS perate fight, we teetotallers came off victorious. In tlieir drunken orgies, they broke the furniture, yelled and laughed, and with demoniac expres- sions on their countenances, reminded me forcibly of a description I once read of fiends just emerging from pandemonium, to visit our earth and ter- rify and torment mankind. On January 18th, we learned we were to leave on the next day for New- port (Ky.) Barracks, there to join a large number of recruits ; from thence the whole were to be dispatched to supply a deficiency in the Fourth In- fantry, at Camp Salubrity, on Upper Red River, in Louisiana. I cheerfully packed up my things, and, as I had on my new, neatly-fitting suit, was, and it is not saying much, the best-looking man of the batch. Our Irish and the German were perfectly content with their bungling garments in any shape. As we were paraded in front of the quarters next morning, some of the boys of Pittsburgh — and worse cannot be found anywhere — gathered about us by dozens, and followed us to the steamer, all the while yelling out at the top of their voices, " Here's the dirty sogers 1" " Soger, will you go to work ?" Then they would answer the question themselves, "No, I'll sell my shirt first !" " Here, dirty soger ; going to be shot at — and missed, eh !" " What's the price of whisky, soger ?" etc. And thus they kept it up, hooting at us as though we were a gang of thieves on the way to a jail. I am naturally " thin skinned," and what were my emotions on this occasion, the reader may guess. Out West, when they wish to express contempt for any person, they say, " he's a miserable stern-wheel affair." The boat we were put upon was the Queen, and one of the worst of even stern-wheel steamers. She was an " old tub," and very dirty. We were put on deck ; a great portion of her weather-boarding had been torn off, letting in the cold and snow. A barrel of biscuit was set on board. This was to constitute our provision until we reached Newport — no coffee, no meat, and no place to cook any if we had it. " Well," thought I, *' Uncle Sam, you are quite a generous old fellow, after all !" Once, the sergeant condescended to come down from the cabin, to see how we were getting along. To our inquiries, if we had been left to starve, he replied, that " the lieutenant alloived a barrel of bread was enough for us !" We had the gracious privilege of an old stove, and plenty of wood. At night, we slept on some pork barrels, which we packed around the stove, and thus managed to keep from freezing. I confess, I felt as if I was an outcast from society — a criminal on his way to some penal colony. We remained at Newport three days. As this is a general recruiting sta- tion, sixty-five recruits were ready to go on with us. All were again sub- jected to a rigid examination by the surgeon at the ^xist. The whole were simultaneously ordered to undress in the large sleeping-room of the bar- racks. No sooner said than done — a hundred, nearly, of the genus homo, of the masculine gender, stood forth, ready to undergo the scrutinizing ex- amination of the medical inspector. After leaping over benches, jumping around, stooping down, raising up one arm, and then the other, as was com- manded, our examiner began to thump us in the breast, and beat us all over the person, as though we were some new kind of drums. He also looked into our mouths, examined our teeth, and, in short, did everything but turn OF AMERICANS. 433 us inside out. Finding no defects, he pronounced us able-bodied men, and ordered us to dress. — So ended tliis degrading scene. With three exceptions, I nev<:r suffered so much from hunger as wliile at. this post. Talie a man from citizens' life to that of the soldier, and hia powers of endurance will be most effectually tried, especially if, like my- self, he be at the time young and growing. This deprivation of the food that government had provided, was owing to the rascality of the first ser- geant of the barracks, who, having the management of the business, with- held our full rations, in order that he might save the flour, beans, sugar and coffee for his own purposes. I saw some poor recruits selling their spare clothing to the old soldiers, and then running to the grocery to buy addi- tional provisions. We left Newport for New Orleans on the steamer Champion. As deck passengers, we were allowed to go on the hurricane-deck, where I passed •whole days in gazing upon the river scenery. Upon the great "Father of Waters," I was especially delighted with the glorious panorama, and felt sorry when evening came to shut out the scene. Often, however, I would remain until late at night, scarcely knowing which most to admire, the gor- geous starry vault above, or the broad placid Mississipj^i, hedged in on both sides by the dark and silent forests, and flowing in ever-varying majestic curves on its return home to the gulf. The recruits were under the immediate charge of Crosby, an old soldier, and a complete scamp. Pie kept back from us our full allowance of rations, that he might sell the surplus at New Orleans, as we subsequently learned. Some of our men discovered and slyly tapped a barrel of Avhisky with a gimlet, and, until found out, sucked away at the vile stuff. For two or three days, I had observed some of my comrades cooking and eating eggs, very freely. Not being in the secret, I was envious of their good fortune in having the means to purchase such a luxury, which I supposed they had done at some of the landings on the river. On one of these occasions, I stood gazing at a soldier enjoying himself over a large dish, my mouth fairly watering over the scene, for our slim fare had put my stomach on the " qui vive," most anxiously hoping he would invite me to share with him, ■whien lie said, "Reeves, why don't you cook yourself some eggs? — real nice, old fellow !" " Humph !" I answered, " if I only had the money to buy them." " Whj^ God bless you, man !" he rejoined, "you don't want any money ; take them like the rest — only be sly about it, or you may be caught !" " Where do you get them ?" I eagerly inquired. " There !" continued he, pointing to a barrel that stood end-up amid a large number on their sides ; " take your haversack (a bag for food), watch your opportunity, slip along close to the wheel-house, and get as many as you can." " My eye !" I exclaimed, "and is that the way you have all got the eggs you have been eating the past two days ?" It is only necessary to add, that the collapsed state of my stomach blunted all my conscientious scruples, and ere long I had a realizing sense of the elBcacy of a good dish of fried eggs. There was some swearing when that pilfering was discovered ; but no one knew anything of it — the soldiers had bought their eggs ! At Vicksburgh, a Red River planter came on board with forty negroes. The drunken soldiers, the smell of the poor darkeys, and the yelping and 43tl: ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS filth of the crew, were all horrible. The slaves would throw themselves around the boilers — the hands ditto ; soldiers would trample and stumble over them; negroes would growl, soldiers curse, and the hands yelp — all forming a most delectable scene. Poor Wilson, from Maryland, a slave State, I pitied him from my whole heart ! for he was sick all the way down, and to have to eat, drink, and sl,eep with a pack of cotton-field ne- groes, took him down effectually — but he lived through it to see harder times. Such is a soldier's life. From New Orleans, we continued on up through wild and picturesque scenery three hundred miles, to Grand Ecore, and then, by a march of three miles, arrived one Sabbath afternoon at Camp Salubrity. Here, with twelve others, I was assigned to company " B." Two of these, Wilson and Ins- keep, were men for whom I had formed an especial liking, and whom I shall have occasion again to mention. Camp Salubrity was a collection of log-huts built by the soldiers, situated in a rich rolling country, interspersed with dark gloomy forests of pine, and well adapted to sugar and cotton. The original inhabitants, Spaniards and French, v/ere giving way to an American population. The mild climate produces myriads of fleas, red-bugs, musquitoes and chamelions ; the latter resembles our lizard in size and shape, is harmless, and occupies its time mainly in fly-catching. W'e were much annoyed by the fleas ; these, how- ever, were a light affliction compared to the red-bug — a sort of wood-tick that buries itself in the flesh, causing an intolerable itching, rendered ten- fold more tormenting by scratching. The only alleviating remedy was to grease well the parts affected. For awhile, every evening at camp, might be seen men and women greasing for red-bugs, for when this was neglected a sleepless night was certain to ensue. Our army oiBcers are mostly a meritorious set of men ; but, like all other human beings, have their failings. No kind of breeding will make gentle- men of naturally coarse-grained men. Oflicers of this class are generally tyrannical, and, as my experience taught me, almost invariably cowardly. It would be thought degrading in an ofiicer to be in the least familiar with the men. He is never to address a soldier as Mr., but to use his surname only. In addressing an ofiicer, a soldier must always call him by his title, and give the salute : his manner must be perfectly respectful and dignified, and he is never to enter the presence of his superiors except on business. Government designs that the oflicers should exercise a kind of fatherly care over the men, and those who do so, and many there are of this sort, win their love and gratitude. All this is necessary to discipline. It is the same at sea with sailors and their officers. I will digress to give an anecdote I once heard, as tending to show how an act of condescension on the part of an officer astonishes an in- ferior. The late Lieutenant K. S. Woodward, of the revenue service, was pacing the deck of his vessel, when a knife, dropped from above, passed close by his head, and stuck quivering in the deck at his feet. The lieu- tenant reprimanded a sailor he saw aloft for his carelessness. He subse- quently ascertained he had blamed the wrong man. On the first opportu- nity, he asked his pardon in the presence of his companions. The man was so flustered at such an unusual act o:: the part of his superior, that he OF AMEPJCx\.XS. 435 blusned and stammered to reply, but could not utter a word. An act like this wins the undying affection of the men, and they will follow such a man to the last. Many of the young graduates of West Point arc perfect tyrants ; but a campaign of heavy marches, lying out at night, and undergoing other hard- ships, takes the wind out of the sails of these young gentlemen amazingly. Often have I had my blood bcMl to hear some one of these youngsters, for a mere trifle, order a gray-headed old soldier to undergo a most painful and ignominious punishment ; yet there was no help for it — to resist an officer is a high crime, and to strike him, death. Tyrannical officers are hated like reptiles. If one is so gross as to be beneath the respect of his men, the po- sition must be honored. Often have I heard soldiers, in speaking of such, say : " It is not him that I rc&pect, but Uncle Sam's cloth which he carries on his shoulders !" The washing for the men is done by laundresses, of which there are a few to each regiment. These are generally soldiers' wives, and usually pos- sess rather questionable characters. Many a pure young girl, having be- come enamored of a good-looking soldier, has left home and friends to share his fortunes as a wife. For awhile she would continue a strictly chaste and lovely woman ; but life in a camp is polluting — temptations would come, and in a few short years she would be changed into a bloated, sot- tishly disgusting creature, too degraded for companionship with even the lowest of men. After a recruit is turned to duty, "guard " is the first he has to perform. In time of war, when near an enemy, it is the most responsible of all situations, for the safety of a whole army often depends on the vigil- ance of a single sentinel. It is a great military crime for one to be found sleeping on his post. Certain matters connected with the duty of a sentinel in standing post, require presence of mind : such as receiving aright the officer of the day, facing in the right manner, promptly giving his orders, hailing at night, recollecting the countersign, of whom to demand it, etc. Even old soldiers often get into trouble for allowing the officer of the day to come up before he hails, etc. When I first mounted post, I was under considerable trepidation lest I should blunder. As ill luck would have it, Major Allen, the officer of the da}', came unexpectedly toward me ; my heart was in my mouth, I trembled like an aspen, but managed to receive him aright. He asked, " What are your orders on this post, sir ?" Bless my soul ! I could not utter a word, though I tried with all my might; my chin quiverca''; my tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth, and I stood as mute as a dumb man. As it happened, the major was easy with the men, and relieved me by inquiring, " if I was a recruit ?" My tongue then obeyed me, and I answered, " Yes, sir." After admonishing mc, he turned and left. The next duty was " fatigue." Most of the time working parties were sent into the woods, to make shingles and clapboards for repairing the quar- ters. When I came off guard, I was ordered into the woods, and went at it with a will. One of the old soldiers saw me, and coming up, said, " That will never do ; you must old soldier !" I asked him to explain. " You must," continued he, " be awkward with the axe, and act as though you bad never chopped a stick in your life, otherwise these officers will kill you with 28 436 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS work." I now ."smelt a mouse," and saw why the other soldiers were, as I had thought, lazy. I was ravenous that day, and could have eaten three times my rations. Since I had enlisted, I had not been satisfied with but two or three exceptions. I often suffered from extreme hunger, and would beg food from the cook or of some of the old soldiers who lived on whisky. This working .in the woods brought on untold pangs of hunger. Others suffered in the same way ; many is the time I have seen men seize a dirty, mouldy biscuit that had been thrown away, and devour it with the eager- ness of starvation. And thus it was with me, until I actually got starved down to a point that my full rations were sufficient. This was not under two years. While here most of the hard stock deserted, so that we finally got win- nowed down to a pretty repectable body of men. Lambert, the dirty Ger- man, tried to desert ; not being very sharj^, he was caught and sentenced to receive fifty lashes, which were administered one Sunday afternoon. He yelled most vociferously under the infliction, and was a much better soldier afterward. In June, two events occurred : I was made corporal, and our regiment, the Fourth Infantry, was ordered to Texas, hostilities being threatened be- tween us and Mexico. We soon left for New Orleans, glad to escape from that flea-bitten country, and, on our arrival there, were ordered into the bar- racks until the vessels should be ready. We were joined by the Third In- fantry, and Bragg's company of artillery, afterward so famous at Buena Vista ; the whole under the command of General Taylor. In the latter part of July, we embarked to cross the gulf to Texas. The vessel which our regiment occupied was the Sophia, a slow sailer, very old, and a mere hulk. Not a berth was put up, and we were obliged to sleep on the decks, which were covered with filth. Our passage was a stormy one, and the crowding of so many between decks, and the filth consequent from so much sea-sickness, rendered it a very disagreeable voyage. It was on the 15th of August, 1845, when we arrived and encamped at Corpus Christi. We remained there until the ensuing March. Corpus Christi, i. e., Body of Christ, was a miserable village of a few huts only, a mile or so south of the Nueces, and in a prairie country. By November, from additions to our forces, we were four thousand and fifty strong. It was the purpose of government to collect a large force here, to be ready for anv emergency ; but when we finally moved it had been reduced to a mere skeleton, from disease and death, and other causes — many sinking imder the dysentery owing to the unhealthiness of the country. A kind of disease prevailed among many of the men here, which was called moon-blindness. Its effects were very singular. Men laboring under it would be stone blind when the moon was shining brightly, while at all other times they possessed their sight as usual. The medical men could not account for it. Like the yellow-fever, cholera, Tyler-gripe, or any other epidemic, the characteristics, and not the cause of the disease, are ever known. Our camp was on a shell bank, and in hot weather the rays of the sun were reflected upon our persons by the shells with such in- tensity, that at times it seemed as if we should suffocate. The skin of the dark complexioned men became tanned, while that of the light complex- OF AMERICANS. 437 ioned men peeled off; and the whole army grew of almost negro blackness. Having a light skin, my face peeled, and 1 presume I shed the skin off my lips, cheeks and tip of the nose fifty times. This continued peeling at last changed into a continuous sore — many being seen going round with patches of paper on their faces. I never witnessed .such severe thunder storms as here. A sentinel while one day walking his post with fixed bayonet was struck, his musket broken, the barrel twisted like an augur-bit, and, strange to say, the man was not killed. We lived in tents, and ours were old ones which, having been worn out in the Florida war, let in water like selves. We sufiered terribly in the winter season from the cold rains and cutting winds. I must relate a little incident that occurred while here, in which one of our drummer boys and General Taylor were concerned. This boy, Tatnall, by name, was often tipsey, and when so, uncontrollable in his propensity for practical jokes. A little after dark one evening, old Zack was sitting in his marquee, when Tatuall came along unperceived by any of the officers, and, being on a spree, was, as usual, on mischief bent ; so he out with his knife, and rip, rip, went the cords of the general's tent, and before he had time to escape, down it went burying him in its folds. Tatnall then ran away at full speed. As Taylor's orderly was absent, when he had crawled out he came over to Garland's tent, where I was stationed as orderly, and got me to go with a detail of men and put things to rights. This being done and my men dismissed, he inquired of me, " if I knew anything of the fellow that did it ?" Now, I had seen the whole transaction, and when Tatnall ran, he passed so near me that I recognized him. Not wishii;g to expose him, I evaded the question. " General, I did see some one run ; but the night is so dark that it is almost impossible to distinguisJi a man." " The scoundrel !" exclaimed old Zack, "if I knew who it was, I would pull his ears sorely." And this was all that was said about it by that easy tempered old gentleman. Time passed wearily at Corpus Christi — hard duty and plenty of it ; a soldier must take things patiently, and, like a machine, cannot move except at the bidding of a master hand. We Avere glad when the order came to break up and march to the Rio Grande. We moved in two divisions : that of Twiggs on the 8th, and Worth's on the 11th of March, 1846. Our regi- ment was in the latter division. This was my first march, and also that of a large part of the troops. The first day was one of incredible fatigue to me, for I had on an ill-fitting pair of shoes, so that my feet were soon badly blistered, and I was also detailed to watch a soldier who was so beastly drunk that he required constant help. At night I was so lame and sore that I could not stir without excruciating pain. Thinks I, if this is the way it is to be, I will never get through ; I shall die with miser}^ ! The soldier usually carries on a march, his musket, weighing fourteen pounds ; cartridge-box, if filled with ball, eight pounds ; which, with belts, bayonets, scabbard, haversack, etc., in all make a weight of about twenty -six pounds. Aside from these, is his knapsack, with overcoat, blanket and change of clothing, which brings up the total burden to over fortj' pounds. Generally we managed to get our knapsacks taken into the baggage wagons. A soldier on the march is bound up by his belts like a barrel, the cool air cannot circulate 438 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS under his thick woolen clothes, for he is not in a situation to throw open his coat to the bracing grateful breeze. We found the large men were the first to break down on a march. The light delicate fellows, that a stranger in such matters would suppose would be the first to give out, were the very- men to move with the most rapidity, carry the greatest burdens, stand the longest marches, and endure the greatest hardships. It is on the principle seen through all nature — strength never increases in proportion to weight. The man who weighs two hundred pounds has eighty pounds more to carry than one who weighs one hundred and twenty, yet his strength to carry that in- crease is by no means in a like proportion. Small sized men for a cam- paign are always best. When it comes to that especial duty for which soldiers are created, viz : fighting, a man should be, if possible, unincumbered, as much so as a laborer in a harvest field. How would it look for a farmer to order his hands upon his entrance into his fields of grain, to put on heavy woolen clothes ; then to button them up to the throat over a thick leather stock, or dog collar ; then to strap over these a parcel of belts ; then, again, to pack all their clothing into a knapsack, and strap this on their backs ? How much work would he get out of them ? Yet this is precisely the way that a soldier has to do. Fighting in battle is the most laborious work that ever fell to the lot of mor- tal man, and it would seem as if one should be dressed accordingly. Sailors, who are differcnth' situated, when they board an enemy's vessel, often strip everything but their trowsers. The country between the Nueces and the Rio Grande is mostly prairie. One day we were entirely out of Avater. The part of the prairie we then marched over had been burnt by the Indians, and a fine, suffocating dust arose from the ashes and sand, which got into our mouths and nostrils, and added to our sufferings. Several dogs belonging to the officers perished for want of water, and it was feared that some of the horses would likewise die. In the midst of our choking thirst it seemed as if the fates had turned against us. About noon, when man and beast were nearly exhausted, we came in sight of two small and beautiful lakes. " Thank God ! " — " Good ! Good ! " — " Now, we '11 drink 1" was shouted out by the poor men, as each company and division came in sight of those glorious sheets — " Water ! water!" was the cry; and as it passed to the rear, "Water! my God! water ! " was heard from a thousand dry and parched throats. The men began to quicken their pace ; they broke their ranks in their haste to get to the delicious liquid. The officers tried to preserve order ; but they might as well have tried to have stopped a herd of wild buffaloes. Each man rushed forward regardless of his neighbor, and ere they were within several hundred yards of the lakes a thousand tin cups had suddenly been un- strapped and fiercely clutched, ready to dip in the precious element. On we go ; now we ascend the little hillock on the edge of the lake ; down we rush madly, blindly, into the sparkling fluid, and jump in where there will be no trouble to get our cups full. We dip — we raise it hurriedly and nervously to our mouths. Ye Gods ! we dr — ! No we don't ! it chokes us ; we can't swallow that stuff. " What in is that ? " said an old sol- dier, who in his hurry had let some go down, and ere he had spoken the whole truth fiaslieJ on our minds. Salt! yes, salt! and so much so OF AMERICANS. 439 that pure salt had collected on the edge of the lake. "Don't driuk, men ! don't drink !" shouted out those who had been bitten ; but they all had to taste for themselves before they would believe. If those lakes had never before been the cause of any profanity, I think that on this occasion they re- ceived their full share. What bitter curses were poured out upon them ! We sullenly resumed our march, and moved on for about four miles when we came to a hole of rain-water, full of animalcula', manure, etc. ; it tasted to me most delicious, and I drank four cups, brim full, without stopping. On the 18th, having overtaken Twiggs' division, we arrived at the Colo- rado River. Some Mexican cavalry appeared on the opposite banks and signified that any attempt to cross would be an act of hostility. After we had got over, the whole army marched in battle array on the prairie, so as to be ready for those southern gentlemen should they be desirous of giving us a brush. I was peculiarly impressed by a singular kind of "fruit," that was here to be found in the chaparral ; large quantities of human skulls had been picked up by people traveling through, and hung on the bushes. These were skulls of whites and Indians that had lost their lives in the con- tinual warfare going on here from time immemorial. The skull of many a wealthy old Spaniard, that had lost its vitality by having been carried by its owner too far from home, graced the limb of some musqueet tree. On the 28th of March, we arrived opposite Matamoras, and planted the United States flag on the banks of the Rio Grande. The next day, a depu- tation of Mexican officers, dressed like peacocks, came over, and a conference was held as to the objects in advancing the army. The}' threatened to fire upon us if we did not leave, hence it became necessary to fortify our posi- tion, and Fort Mansfield, afterward called Fort Brown, was built. The country people began to come in with eggs, milk, bread, chickens, and a liquor called " Muscal," and with them some spies. Numerous guerrilla parties scoured the country, so that it became dangerous for single men or small parties to leave the camp ; these bands of prowling Mexicans were mostly banditti. The chief quarter-master, Colonel Cross, was killed by Mexicans, one afternoon, a little outside of camp. A few days later, a detail of men went out on a scout under Lieutenant Porter, when a heavy rain coming on rendered their flint-lock muskets useless ; they fell into an am- buscade of lancers who killed one man outright and mortally wounded their lieutenant. Our men tried to fire, but not a musket would go off ; the lancers seeing their situation charged upon them, and they, panic-stricken, ran, paying no attention to the cries of Porter for assistance. A more fright- ened set of men I never saw than were those when they entered the camp. In their flight they were separated, and came straggling in one after another, and no two of them told the same story. Poor Porter was afterward found w-eltering in his blood, stabbed in more than a dozen places. On the 24:th of April, Thornton's company of dragoons were attacked, sixteen killed, and the rest made prisoners. Three days later, the camp of Captain Walker's Texan Rangers was surprised. All kinds of rumors were now afloat about the strength and position of the enemy, and curious lights were continually to be seen during the night at Matamoras ; rockets were sent up, bugles sounding, drums beating, etc. Our men knew that we should soon have a fight, but they were calm and 440 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS cool ; a careless unconcern appeared to be the pervading feeling in that little array. Throwing a garrison into Port Brown, General Taylor, on the 1st of May, broke up the camp and started with the whole army for Point Isabel, to bring up a large depot of provisions to the fort ; we arrived there the suc- ceeding forenoon, and were set to work building entrenchments, while Cap- tain May and other officers were sent out to scour the country between the Point and the fort, to ascertain if possible where the enemy were lurking ; some parties were detailed to load up teams, and the rest worked on the entrenchments. For my part, I felt as if I had as lief fight as not — others were like me ; for with hard work on the trenches, marching and losing sleep, and living on bread and meat that was unfit for a dog, I became as careless and cross as need be. On Sunday morning, May 3d, about reveille, boom ! boom ! came down from the direction of Fort Brown. "What's that?" exclaimed a multi- tude of voices at once. For the first time there was considerable excite- ment ; the officers and men respectively gathered in groups. It was at the time scarcely believed to be, as it in truth was, a fight at the fort. The next day a party of dragoons galloped into camp, bringing the report that a large body of Mexicans were advancing on the prairie. The drum beat to arms, and the troops paraded ; but it proved a false alarm. On the 7th, the army set out on its return to Fort Brown, and after pro- ceeding about seven miles, we encamped beside a pond, where the musque- toes and rattle-snakes were so plenty that we could not sleep. The next morning we resumed our march, calculating to get through if nothing pre- vented ; but about noon, the dragoons brought intelligence that the enemy were in force in front. "Now we'll have it, boys !" said the men ; and, I must confess, I felt a sudden thrill at this intelligence. General Taylor in a few minutes ordered a halt beside a pond of water, for the men to fill their canteens. Here we got our first view of the enemy. " Look ! look ! Oh ! look at them!" cried several at once. "My stars! what a host!" exclaimed others. We now advanced slowly in order of battle, occasionally halting, until we were within a little over half a mile distant from them. Their appearance was exceedingl}'- grand : directly in front stood their infantry, ■with here and there an interval of artillery — their bright brass guns reflect- ing the rays of the sun. On each side, stretching over the prairie, was their cavalry, with a host of sharp-pointed, bright-shining lances with their pen- dants of red and blue. Vast masses of infantry, in rear of their front line, were moving into different positions for the coming fray, and their field- officers were galloping up and down, giving out their respective orders. When all was completed, their army stood perfectly still; their right rest- ing on a dense thicket of chaparral, and their left stretching across the road, and protected at the end by a swamp. Their whole line was about one mile in length ; they had eleven field-pieces and about six thousand men. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle — those Mexicans on the field of Palo Alto. Now let us look at our little army. Our regiments, from sickness anri other causes, had not over one-half of the usual number of men, and herr OF AMERICANS. 441 wo were on the day of battle in a mirferably weak condition. Tiie company to which I belonged, " B," had only sixteen bayonets. We had nine regi- ments, and they numbered, officers and all, but a little over twenty-two hundred men; but there was a self-reliance among them that seemed to augur success. No boasting was heard, none expressed a desire to have a brush with the enemy ; good soldiers never boast of what they are going to do or have done, nor speak in terms of derision of their enemy. I have heard boasting braggarts, with oaths, swear "I'll fix 'em! I'll put them through ! " and then, when the balls were flying thick and fast, I have seen these same men hide in ditches or behind rocks, crying like children. Good soldiers feel as if they were in a situation that was disagreeable — that they had rather not be in such business, but a sense of duty impels them on — a strong sense of honor not to disgrace their country and flag. It is said that a soldier is a mere mercenary machine : this is not so, for the more charac- ter and mind a man has the better is he as a soldier. In our battles in Mexico, I believe that the enemy would have been as thoroughly beaten if half the ofScers had been absent. It was a knowledge of the material of his army that led General Taylor to say to General La Yega, that " all his men were generals." Each man went into and fought a battle as though everything depended upon his individual exertions ; and it is this sentiment that nerves men to invincibility. It is very common to say that this officer did so and so — that officer took such a battery — when, in truth, in nine cases out of ten, the whole business was done ere they came up, and they had to walk over the dead bodies of their own soldiers before they could claim the honor, " To him that hath, much shall be given," peculiarly applies iu such cases. General Taylor, for simple hard fighting, was an excellent officer, but he knew little of tactics, rarely put any military evolution in practice, and had not the confidence of the army like Worth and Scott. In this battle we had two light batteries — Ringgold's and Duncan's — of four pieces each, and two eighteen-pound iron guns, under the command of Lieutenant Churchill, and the battle was mainly fought with artillery. The eighteen-pounders were on the right of our regiment, which was near the center of our line ; I was on the extreme left of the regiment. Churchill's guns were each drawn by two yoke of oxen. A Texan boy drove one of the teams ; as we were coming into position his coolness was remarkable, and his talk to his oxen amusing. "Go along, buck !" he said, "if you're killed, you are fat and will make good beef." When all was ready, both armies stood still for about twenty minutes, each waiting for the other to begin the work of death, and during this time, I did not see a single man of the enemy move ; they stood like statues. We remamed quiet with two exceptions ; General Taylor, followed by his staff, rode from left to right at a slow pace, with his right leg thrown over like a woman, and as he passed each regiment, he spoke words of en- couragement. I know not what he said to the others, but when he came up to where we stood, he looked steadily at us ; I suppose, to see what effect the circumstances in which we were placed had upon us, and, as he gazed, he said: ''The bayonet, vvj hardy cocks! the bayonet is the thing!" The other occasion was that of Lieutenant Blake, of the Engineers, who volun- 442 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS teered to gallop along the enemy's line, in front of both armies, and count their guns ; and so close did he go, that he might have been shot a hundred times. One of the officers of the enemy, doubtless thinking he had some communication to make, rode out to meet him ; Blake, however, paid no attention to him, but rode on, and then returned and reported to Taylor. Thus stood those two belligerent armies, face to face. What were the feelings of those thousands ! How many thoughts and fears were crowded into those few moments ! Look at our men ! a clammy sweat is settled all over faces slightly pale, not from cowardly fear, but from an awful sense of peril combined with a determination not to flinch from duty. These are the moments in which true soldiers resign themselves to their fate, and console themselves with the reflection that whatever may befall them they will act with honor ; these are the moments when the absolute coward suffei'S more than death — when, if not certain he would be shot in his tracks, he would turn and flee. Fighting is very hard work ; the man who has passed through a two hours' fight, has lived through a great amount of mental and physical labor. At the end of a battle 1 always found that I had perspired so profusely as to wet through all my thick woolen clothing, and when I had got cool, I was as sore as if I had been beaten all over with a club. When the battle commences, the feelings undergo a change. Reader, did you ever see your house on fire ? if so, it was then you rushed into great danger ; it was then you went over places, climbed up walls, lifted heavy loads, which you never could have done in your cooler moments ; you then have experienced some of the excitement of a soldier in battle. I always knew my danger — that at any moment I was liable to be killed, yet such was my excitement that I never fully realized it. All men are not alike ; some arc cool ; some are perfectly wild or crazy ; others are so prostrated by fear that they are completely unnerved — an awful sinking and relaxation of all their energies takes place, pitiable to behold ; they tremble like an aspen, slink into ditches and covert places, cry like children, and are totally insensible to shame — dead to every emotion but the overwhelming fear of instant death. We had a few, and but a few, of such in our army. As the two armies were facing each other, it was remarkable to see the coolness of our men ; there they stood, chewing bits of biscuit, and talking about the Mexicans — some wondering if they would fight ; others allow- ing that they would, and like demons, etc. I kept my eye on the artillery of the enemy, and happened to be looking toward their right-wing, when suddenly a white curl of smoke sprang up there from one of their guns, and then I saw the dust fly some distance in front where the ball struck. In- stantly another, and then another rich curl of smoke arose, succeeded by a booming sound, and the shot came crashing toward us. The enemy fired very rapidly, and their balls knocked the dust about us in all directions — some went over our heads, others struck the ground in front and bounded away. Our batteries now went to work, and poured in upon them a perfect storm of iron ; Lieutenant Churchill and his men began with his eighteen-pound- ers, and when the first was fired, it made such a loud report that our men gave a spontaneous shout, which SL-emed to inspire us with renewed confi- dence. I could hear every word the lieutenant said to his men. When the OF AMERICANS. 443 first shot was fired, he watched the ball, saying, " Too high, men ; try an- other!" — "too low, men ; try again — the third time is the charm !" The third shot was fired, and I saw with my own eyes the dreadful effect of that and the following shots. " Tiuit 's it, my boys 1 " shouted Churchill, jump- ing up about two feet ; "you have them now! keep her at that!" and so they did, and every shot tore complete lanes right through the enemy's lines ; but they stood it manfully. The full chorus of battle now raged ; twenty-three jiieces of artillery belched forth their iron hail. We were ordered to lie down in the grass to avoid the shot ; this puzzled the enemy, and they could not bring their guns to bear upon us, making our loss very small. While in this position, a six-pound ball grazed the head of Wickes, of G company, who yelled "I'm killed!" Many were the narrow escapes: one ball came within six inches of my left side. The force of the shot was tremendous ; a horse's body was no obstacle at all ; a man's leg was a mere pipe-stem. I watched the shot as it struck the roots of the grass, and it was astonishing how the dust flew. In about an hour, the grass caught on fire, and the clouds of smoke shut out the opposing armies from view. We had not as yet lost a man from our regiment. In the obscurity, the enemy changed their line, and the eighteen-pounders, supported by our regiment, took a new position on a little rise of ground. As we moved on to the spot, a six-pound shot carried away the lower jaw of Captain Page, and then took off a man's head on the right, as clean as if with a knife. The blood of poor Page was the first blood I saw ; he was knocked down in the grass, and as he endeavored to raise himself, he pre- sented such a ghastly spectacle that a sickly, fainting sensation came over me, and the memory of that sight I shall carry with me to my dying day. Corporal Howard was literally covered all over his back with the blood and brains of private Lee's head, and Lieutenant Wallen, who was near Page, had a tooth, either out of the head of Page or of Lee, driven clear through the back of his coat so that it pierced the skin ; he thought he was shot. A little later, Major Ringgold was mortally wounded, at his battery ; I saw him just after it. The shot had torn away a portion of the flesh of his thighs ; its force was tremendous, cutting off both his pistols at the locks, and also the withers of his horse — a splendid steed which was killed to relieve him of his misery. The enemy tried hard, but without avail, to hit our eighteen-pounders. The battle continued until night put an end to the scene. We bivouacked where we were, and laid on our arms ; we slept^ however, but little, thinking that we might be attacked in our sleep. During the battle, many were the remarks of the men upon its incidents; when the balls began to whistle over our heads, one who was not very bright sang out, ''I declare, I believe they are firing halls!" This single speech produced an explosion of laughter, and, afterward, we teased the fellow so about it that he almost hated himself. I was much amused at the conduct of one of our men, by birth a Prussian, and from his actions it was evident he had rather have been in Prussia than there. When a ball struck near him he made some of the most accomplished of bows ; one shot, in its wicked fancy, knocked a large mass of grass, with its roots and dust, plump into his face and breast. Between the force of the sod and his fright, he went pitching backward into a small water-hole ; I thought he was gone 444 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS sure enougli ; but presently he arose, pale and trembling, and when wo saw he was unhurt, he was the subject of a hearty laugh. An officer, near us, I noticed laboring under considerable excitement; he was pale and covered with perspiration, which, however, did not indicate any want of bravery. A major in the vicinity of our position, was a subject of contempt to the men ; he was evidently a sleepy, don't-care sort of a man, and had, it seemed to me, but a poor idea of military tactics. I believe he did not give or repeat a single order during the whole action ; for all the good he did there, he might as well have been in New Orleans. Men would prefer to see an officer do something — either act bravelj' or cowardly — this major did neither ; but sat on his horse in a perfectly listless manner, and had no control over his animal which followed along with the troops. I do not know what he might have done had the horse taken a notion to desert ; but of all the contemptible objects, he was the cap-sheaf — he had not even the ambition to draw his sword ; there he sat, his hands swinging by his side, his eyes set, his mouth wide open, like a dolt. The enemy had been very severely handled, owing to the superiority of our artillery. The gunners went into it more like butchers than military men ; each man stripped off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and tied his sus- penders around his waist ; they all wore red flannel shirts, and, therefore, were in uniform. To see them limbering and unlimbering, firing a few shots, then dashing through the smoke, and then to fire again with light- ning-like rapidity, partly hid from view by dense clouds of dust and smoke, with their dark-red shirts and naked arms, yelling at every shot they made, reminded me of a band of demons rather than of men. On the morning of the ninth, the sun rose in splendor. The enemy hav- ing retired into the chaparral, we resumed our march toward the fort. On arriving at the position the enemy had occupied the day before, the scene was shocking ; here lay a beautiful black horse and rider, both dead ; a little beyond was a heap of artillery-hien horribly mangled, some entirely head- less, others with their bowels torn out, and again others with a leg or an arm, sometimes both, shot away. One man, I noticed, had been shot in a siu'i-ular manner ; the ball must have bounded, and, as it was rising, struck its victim about his right haunch, then passing up diagonally through his body, came out under his left arm. The positions of the dead were in many instances peculiar ; some in their death-agonies had caught with their hands in the grass, and thus died ; some were in a kind of sitting posture : the countenances of some were horribly distorted, others had a smile — an absolute laugh. The enemy had left behind a part of their wounded ; one poor fellow who appeared to be quite intelligent, was badly wounded in the ankle : when we came near him, he called out piteously, ^'Bueno Ameri- cano ! Agua, Senor ! agua, Senor ! "—Good American ! Water, sir ! water, sir 1 We ran and offered him our canteens, and gave him biscuit, for which he appeared grateful. Our advance guard had been through, and ascertained that the enemy were posted at Resaca de la Palma, a few miles off. A ravine here crossed the road, and on each side it was skirted with dense chaparral ; the ravine was occupied by their artillery. We marched on the narrow road through the chaparral toward their position. The battle commenced with those in OF AMERICANS. 445 advance. The balls began to crash through the woods over our heads, when our regiment deployed to the left and then to the right of the road, and ad- vanced through the chaparral toward the enemy, whom we could not then see. Lieutenant llaller called out, "Fourth and Fifth Infantry, charge!" Both regiments responded with a cheer, and rushed on. In a few paces we came to a small pond, and here I had my first chance for a shot at the Mexicans, who were in line on the opposite bank, and were pouring their balls right into our faces. The bushes screened all below their waists. I kneeled down on my right knee, cocked my musket, and brought it to an aim on the mass in front of me, making my first shot at the human family. I fired four shots in this manner, the branches in the meanwhile dropping off and the dust springing up all about me from the shot of my friends across the little water. The word was then given to charge, and we dashed into the water which took me about half-thigh deep ; when in the middle, a ball just grazed my right ear, and another struck a lieutenant by me in the right arm. The Mexicans broke and ran, and we continued charging along the pond imtil we came to where their guns were stationed. Here our troops, of different regiments, got mixed up. The Mexicans fought desperately, and many were slain. When our infantry closed upon their artillery, some of our men were killed by shot from Duncan's battcrj-, which remained on the east side of the ravine. The fight was now confined to this central position ; their guns on the right and left of it having been taken. Here stood General La Vega almost alone, his men having been shot down around him from the combined effects of our infantry on the right and left, and Duncan's battery in front. Just at this moment, when the infantry of all the regiments there engaged rushed in upon La Vega's position, Captain May charged Avith the dragoons who received the last gun that the enemy fired ; but before the dragoons had got up, La Vega was captured with a large number of the officers and men of the enemy. The dragoons charged clear past this point, and having received a heavy volley from the enemy's infantry and cavalry who were rallying beyond. May ordered a retreat. As he was returning, La Vega, already a prisoner and held as such by the infantry, judging that May was a superior officer, gave up his sword to him. Thus Captain May got credit for what he never did, and thus drops into non-entity that great story about May's charge, which in reality effected nothing. After those guns were captured, about thirty of us went in pursuit of the retreating enemy until we came upon an open space of, perhaps, two acres ; here we found a large pack of mules and the abandoTied tent of General Arista ; we stopped a moment, and then continued on the road until we were charged by the lancers. Lieutenant Hays sang out, " They are too strong for us, boys ! — retreat 1 retreat ! " which we did for a short pace, and then faced the enemy. The lancei-s came down upon us, when we poured in a" volley which sent them back. Lieutenant Cochrane, instead of coming on with us, ran behind a small clump of bushes on the opposite side of the road, when a lancer rode up and deliberatel}^ lanced him. "We reloaded, and on they came again, headed by an ofticer mounted on a splendid white horse. Some one sang out, "Shoot that man on the white horse!" Wo poured in another volley, and down went both horso and rider, beside 44:6 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS numerous others ; among them was the man that had killed Lieutenant Cochrane. I went out and picked up his lance ; it was covered with the blood of the poor lieutenant. At this moment came up our light artillery and the dragoons, who pursued the enemy to the river where many were drowned in crossing, and thus was ended the battle of Resaca de la Palma. When the battle was over, I never heard such shouting as came from our men ; they seemed nearly crazy with joy. I cannot describe my feelings when I saw what a victory we had won. The next day we camped at Fort Brown. We had left our knapsacks at the fort when we departed for Point Isabel, and now many of our articles were missing; some men found nothing, others not half of their things, and others more than they had left. During the bombardment our knapsacks had been taken to help build bomb-proofs. I was at this time made sergeant. Preparations were made to cross the Rio Grande into the enemy's country. General Arista was in Matamoras, and we expected opposition to our land- ing. Our whole pontoon train consisted of one dilapidated old boa,t, and where that came from I know not. It would carry just one company, and ours was the one selected to cross first. On the morning of the 18th of May the embarkation commenced. When we struck the Mexican shore Captain Buchanan was the first man to set foot in Mexico, in the capacity of conqueror, and I myself was the second. As soon as we got out, the boat returned, and we posted ourselves in a cornfield, looking out for the enemy, who, however, unknown to us, were then on the full retreat for Monterey ; we, therefore, soon had quiet possession of Matamoras. This was the time that the enemy should have been followed up ; if our politicians at Washington had possessed genuine energy, they would have finished this war iu half the time, and at less than half the expense of blood and treasure that were actually incurred. We had then no means to advance, and the enemy were given full leisure to recover from their stunning defeats ere we were ready to do so. While we were at Matamoras several men were sentenced, for various offenses, by court-martial, to have their heads shaved, be dishonorably dis- charged, and drummed out of camp. One of them had very light, muddy- colored hair ; he was hired in the quarter-master's department, and after his hair again grew, it was of a beautiful auburn color. On the 17th of July we left for Comargo, one hundred and forty miles up the river, which was made one of the depots, and afterward became memo- rable for a new invention in the science of military engineering — the con- struction of a ditch inside of a breastwork. We lay there six weeks, wait- ing for reinforcements, and in the beginning of September continued our march for Monterey. We were badly off for means of trnsportation, owing to the neglect of government, and were obliged to hire of our enemy. Sixteen hundred muleteers with their mules were obtained, who entered our service iu oppo- sition to the commands of their government, which had forbidden any of their citizens from rendering aid and comfort to the "barbarians of the north." We were proceeding to the strongly fortified position of Monterey without any siege train ; one solitary mortar was the only gun we had heavy OF AMEEICAXS. 447 enough for this purpose, when we should have had at least a dozen. The veriest booby in our army knew that government was sadly neglectful of us. Beyond Mier the scenery grew bold, and on ascending a high ridge, a sol- dier exclaimed, " We are going to have a heavy storm ! — did you ever see such dark, heavy clouds?" Above the western horizon appeared a heavy mass of clouds, but I noticed a peculiar notch in those "clouds," which, as we advanced, did not alter in shape. In an hour more we saw that our clouds were mountains ; they were truly sublime, cutting their outlines against the clear sky, like huge masses of indigo. Although seeming in our vicinity, their nearest spur was more than seventy miles distant. This country from time immemorial had been infested with banditti, and along our route were immense numbers of crosses, reared by the relations of murdered travelers, at the places where they had been slain. These crosses were usually of wood, about four feet in height, with inscriptions neatly carved upon them ; some were venerable from age, and covered with moss. Here was one whose inscription portrayed the virtues and untimely fate of a promising young man ; there stood another to an aged father who, while on his way to visit an only daughter, was met by ruffians, and not only robbed, but left with his snowy locks weltering in gore. Again, a cluster of crosses met the eye, the inscriptions setting forth that a party — young men, old men, women, and children — while on their way to Matamoras to see their friends, were met by a band of savages and killed. Those artificial flowers, tacked to one of the crosses, were for the little child that was murdered with its mother. At the foot of the crosses were heaps of small stones — in some cases, large piles — each stone being the offering of some passer-by as a token of respect. Bad as were those banditti, they never touched one of those memorials, but on our return from Monterey, out of hundreds, I did not see scarcely a dozen left ; they had been used for fire-wood by our volunteers. Protestants generally have anything but a reverence for the cross. On a march a soldier is his own waslier-itw?ian, for which purpose soap is issued to the men. I got so practiced in keeping myself in gear, that I could march for any length of time without getting foot-sore. At every opportunity I bathed my feet and washed my stockings in cold water, by which I prevented the accumulation of perspiration, and so did not have a single blister in all the way to Monterey. We halted at Marin two days. Various rumors were afloat as to the Strength and intentions of the enemy at Monterey ; opinions were conflict- ing as to whether the Mexicans would make a stand there. General Tay- lor, as the result proved, was misinformed upon all these matters; he did not expect the resistance he met with. I had an opinion of my own, based upon indications I never knew to fail. When at Marin the conduct of our muleteers suddenly changed ; I saw them talking to their countrymen, and I knew by their manner — the way they shrugged up their shoulders — trouble was ahead. They, doubtless, ascertained the true state of aS"airs, and did not want to go further, for they naturally supposed we should be beaten. Fnmi this I knew the enemy were strong ahead. I asked an honest- faced old Mexican, at Marin, who seemed quite intelligent, whether or not *^m,uclio fandango, poco tiempo?" — his answer was, ^^Si, smor ; mucho fan- 448 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS la ultima en Monterey — muclio muertos !" which was : there would be much fighting and many deaths. I never knew a Mexican to say that there would be much fighting ahead, but his words were verified. Again, if fighting was in store for us, the people would be shy and look as if thev despised us ; when otherwise, they flocked around with things to sell, and acted in a confidential manner. We again took up our line of march, and as we neared Monterey, the volunteers were anxious " to see the elephant," and they crowded up at a hurried pace : but this anxiety was taken out of them in less than three days. These ambitious young men made considerable noise ; cheering when they saw some new object that indicated an enem}'. They even cheered as their general and staff-officers rode back and forth, and talked a great deal among themselves. Our men and officers were much amused at their enthusiasm. We felt serious in view of the bloody worl^ in store for us, as we knew from experience, that the terrors of the battle-field were too awful a reality to be heedlessly entered into in the spirit of a grand frolic. On the 19th of September, we arrived in the outskirts of Monterey and camped at a place called Walnut Springs. The city is in the valley of San Juan, and around it rise the lofty ridges of the Sierra Madre. Its natural and artificial defenses were very strong. Two days previously, Taylor wrote to the war department : " It is even doubtful whether Ampudia will attempt to hold Monterey. His regular force is small — say, three thou- sand — eked out perhaps to six thousand by volunteers, many of them forced." The truth was, the garrison numbered about ten thousand, of whom seven thousand were regular troops ; so little did even General Tay- lor know of the facts in the case. The little army destined to attack this strongly-fortified place was far inferior to the enemy. We had less than six thousand seven hundred in all, half of whom were volunteers. On the day succeeding our arrival, Sunday the 20th, Major Mansfield, of the engineers, made a reconnoisance of the enemy's works ; the exami- nation, for some unknown reason, appears not to have been sufficiently "thorough. General Worth was ordered to make a detour to the west end of the city, and act as circumstances should dictate. That night our regi- ment was ordered under arms, and thinking we should return to camp in a few hours, we went out without any provisions in our haversacks. We took up our pof^ition about eleven hundred yards from the Black Fort. Here we planted the ten-inch mortar and two twenty-four pound howitzers. No bed was made for the mortar, nor was any breastwork thrown up for the protec- tion of the guns ; for we had not a single entrenching tool. There stood those guns, exposed upon the open ground, to bombard a strong fort whose lightest gun was much superior, and whose heaviest was enough to knock ours to pieces. Some people may call this "military science ; " to us, com- mon soldiers, it seemed a farce. Some time after daylight, our battery opened upon the fort ; we soon saw we were too distant — especially the mortar, which might as well have been in Halifax, for every shell fell far short. Some of the twenty-fours' shells got into the fort, but I think they did not annoy the enemy much. In their reply they did not deign to notice the mortar, directing all their attention to the others. In about an hour a Mexican ball took off a leg from one of our OF AMERICANS. 449 men above the knee ; he died in a few minutes. Another struck and settled one of our ammunition boxes, and this was the sum of damage to us. It was well known that when General Worth attacked the north part ot the city, Taylor was to make a demonstration in his favor; that is, he was to make a false attack on the east end, so as to draw the attention of the enemy from Worth. By some "hocus-pocus" a real attack actually was made at the east end, and, as I think, many valuable lives thereby need- lessly thrown away. Well, about ten o'clock, Twiggs' division came down, took np a position, and got into trouble — it not being known there were any batteries on the east side of the town. Garland advanced with his brigade near to the ene- my, when, suddenly, they poured in upon his men, from masked batteries, such a perfect sheet of iron that they quailed before it. By this time, Taylor and Twiggs were on the ground, and the former ordered down the whole force, thinking that "the charge" would do everj'thing. The result was that our troops got into dreadful confusion ; some were here, some there, volunteers and regulars all mixed up together — some lying about this fence, some in this ditch, and others behind that wall ; and for two or three hours we were essentially ivhipped. Had the heavy body of lancers, that were hovering about, done their duty and came down upon us, we should have been all cleaned out to a certaintj% A new vigor at length seemed to inspire our troops, and they rallied and carried a fort and an old still-house which had been fortified. Many valuable lives were thus foolishly lost ; the colonel of the Baltimore battalion was killed, and after that, they seemed completely panic-stricken. For a time that day, "confusion worse con- founded " reigned supreme ; officers and all seemed to be laboring under some hallucination. Nobody knew what the orders were ; no officer gave orders to retreat or to advance, and things were in a most deplorable con- dition. General Taylor himself labored under intense excitement ; he came on the ground in the thickest of the storm, and gave orders to charge and carry the works. The men did charge, but it was murder. Finally, toward night, things began to assume a better face. Garland's brigade, to which our regiment belonged, was ordered to hold the captured works, and the rest of the troops were sent back to camp. In these works was an old sugar-house in which we found a quantity of sugar. At sun- down it came on to rain, and it rained profusely. That was one of the most miserable nights I ever passed. We had had nothing to eat since the even- ing before. We had been out all night, and had been fighting all day, nor was it until the next afternoon — making, in all, about forty-eight hours imder arms — that we had even a morsel except some sugar that had been trampled under foot. The next day a kind of skirmishing was kept up ; Taylor being content to act upon the defensive. We also buried many of our officers and men. I had escaped thus far without a scratch, although I had several very nar- row escapes ; many poor fellows I saw laid low all about me. On the even- ing of this day, Ampudia surrendered the town. Worth with his division had taken first the height above the Bishop's Palace, and then in turn the palace itself, when the guns of both were turned upon the town below, of 450 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS which this was the key, and there wiis no alternative left but for the enemy to surrender. A few hours before the surrender, our regiment which held the captured works was relieved by a regiment of volunteers, and we were ordered into camp at Walnut Springs. As we were moving on to the Springs, we came under a flank fire of sixteen-pounders and mortars throwing shells from Fort Independence. One of this latter class of customers came near drop- ping on my head. I heard it in the air, and glanced my eye up to view it, when, as I calculated, the gentleman was determined to scrape my acquaint- ance, I walked a few paces toward it, and when near, I dropped. With a "zoap!" it came down, and exploding as it struck, bespattered me with mud, as if in spite at having missed me. I arose and ran after the regiment, which had got some distance ahead. We soon entered a cornfield, and so accurate were the gunners of the distance we traveled in a given time, that they sent their " pills " right among us at every discharge until we were out of range. One of the balls caught a man of F company, and striking him about the haunches, cut him entirely in two, so that his body fell between his legs. Poor fellow ! he lived some few minutes ; it was a horrible sight that mangled body lying in the dirt in the agonies of death. Arrived at the camp our first desire was for something to eat. The com- missary, being out of hard bread, issued to us flour. What could a soldier do with flour ? — and that, too, without lard, butter, or shortening of any kind. Necessity teaches. We mixed it with water in our mess-pans, and took our spades that we had used for all purposes, and baked the *' dab" on them. It was a curious scene, that party of half-starved soldiers baking flour "dodgers" on their company spades. I finally had mine so that I could eat it, and — ! ye gods ! — I th6ught it the sweetest morsel I had ever eaten in my life. We remained some time at Monterey, and had much enjoyment there. The Mexican people are very fond of music and dancing, and our men took great delight in attending their fandangoes ; the Mexican girls in this part of the country are generally handsome, and formed the principal attraction of these gatherings. Among the incidents while there, was the murder of Lieutenant Eitchie, of Cincinnati, which cast a gloom over all who knew him. He was at one time attached to our company, and was a promising officer, unassuming and modest. He had been sent on under an escort of dragoons, with dispatches to General Taylor, who had moved forward to Saltillo with part of the troops. At a ranche, called Villa Garra, half-way between the places, they stopped a few moments to water, while Ritchie, leaving word to his men, rode slowly forward. On turning a corner just out of sight of his party, a Mexican threw a " lariat " over his neck, dragged him from his horse, mur- dered him, took his dispatches, and started off to Santa Anna. When his dragoons came up, there lay poor Ritchie, weltering in his blood, and his horse was nibbling the grass on the roadside. They in vain made an effort to overtake the assassin. It was evident Ritchie had been watched for some time by the Mexican, for the opportunitj'- he finally found. The capture of those dispatches undoubtedly led to the battle of Buena Vista. In December, the tidings were received that a part of the forces were to OF AMERICANS. 451 be sent to attack Vera Cruz, under General Scott, and from thence to pro- ceed against the capital of the country. Our men were anxious to go; it was thought there would be warm work there ; this, however, was not the reason — they wanted to see the country, and get under Scott. It was soon whispered that our regiment was to remain ; it was unfavorably received. Personally, I felt so down-hearted that I made up my mind, in that event, to change into the Third, so that I could go. About the 1st of January, we received the good news that our regiment was to be sent, and, better yet, that we were to be attached to the division under General Worth. Both Scott and Worth wore the choice of the whole army. The common soldier is keenly alive to the qualities of his officers. It is remarkable how soon a soldier discovers the capacities of his general. Worth had the respect and love of his men ; they knew he would not needlessly sacrifice them, that if he gave an order to storm a battery, or perform any other perilous duty, it was just right, and they sprang to obey with alacrity. There was one superior officer we would liked to have got rid of, for he did so hate to ex- pose his precious person to the enemy's pills that we regarded him with profound contempt. Yet too many good things at once were not to be looked for. On our march down, we found the appearance of the country changed by the passage of so many troops. The stench from multitudes of dead mules on the I'oadside was intolerable ; every once in a while, as the breeze wafted the odors of a decaying carcass to us, some one would sing out, " There 's another milestone !" Ere we reached the mouth of the Rio Grande, Lieu- tenant John H. Gore took command of our company ; he proved an excel- lent officer, and did justly by his men. Just before we took ship to sail for Lobos Island, the place of rendezvous of Scott's army, one of our men got brutally intoxicated^ and annoyed us by his continual yelling. Gore ordered his legs to be tied together with a rope, and had him shoved into the break- ers ; the other end was held by two men, who drew him to and fro until I certainly thought the poor scamp would drown. Having ducked him suf- ficiently, he was released ; by which time he was sobered and effectually cured, for I never afterward knew him to become drunk. When we anchored at Lobos Island, on the 22d of February, 1847, we found General Scott on the steamer Massachusetts, awaiting the arrival of his forces. A large mimber of volunteers were encamped on the island. When all was ready the whole fleet headed their prows for the famous castle of San Juan d'Ulloa. It was a beautiful sight that immense number of tall-masted vessels, with their snowy canvas spread to the breeze. How many a young man, the hope and support of a fond mother, was there, doomed miserably to perish and fill an unknown grave in a foreign land ! Our ships were filled with vermin, and ere the voyage was half over we were completely covered ; no accommodations existed for washing either clothes or persons. On the 6th of March, we anchored off Vera Cruz ; the next day we got the tidings, from an English vessel, of the battle of Buena Vista. The report was through the Mexicans, and to the effect that Santa Anna had had a battle with our volunteers under Taylor, and had defeated him ; neverthe- less that the Mexicans had fallen back for some purpose not stated. The 29 452 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS concluding clause proved to us that " our boys " were the victors, and we gave three hearty cheers for " Old Zach." Onr landing was effected on the 8th. Our division was the first to em- bark in the boats for the main laud ; when we were ready, Worth shouted in a loud voice, " By boats ! right wheel ! " then, "For^vard ! " and again, " For the shore ! " The sailors pulled heartily, and we sat with our arms in our hands ready for action ; as soon as we struck the beach, each regi- ment rallied around its flag in line of battle. This proved needless, as the expected opposition did not ensue. I never saw such a magnificent spec- tacle as that vast collection of boats with over five thousand men, moving in a regular semicircle toward the shore ; it was a sight worth a journey of a thousand miles. When the sun rose next morning, it shone on twelve thousand men on that beach. Vera Cruz stands on the sea shore, and is inclosed by a wall ; from it a plain extends about a thousand yards, and then rise sandhills from ten to thirty feet in height, formed by the northers, which prevail in the spring and autumn. The tops of these hills are covered with scrubby thorn bushes ; the ravines with lime and other tropical trees. Our forces com- pletely invested the city ; Worth's right rested on the shore, and although it was three miles distant, yet, on the day after our landing, a bomb-shell reached our camp. The landing of our guns, provisions, and munitions of war occupied several days ; the beach presented a scene of life and anima- tion, only when the northers prevailed, and then all had to seek shelter. While the sailors were attending to these duties, we soldiers were digging trenches and planting batteries. When we landed, and I stood upon one of those sandhills and saw the strength of the place, the immense distance at which the enemy threw their projectiles, and the wonderful weight of their metal, I despaired of our ever taking the place ; but science overcame all these difficulties. We had here the best military talent of our country' ; we had General Scott and a splen- did corps of engineers, and, ere I was aware, they had worked their way down through the ravines and sandhills, and were laying out entrenchments within eight hundred yards of the city. The army was detailed by regi- ments to work and relieve each other in the trenches. There was no run- ning the gauntlet here in daylight ; each detail remained and worked in the trenches twenty- four hours. The reliefs always marched down after dark, when there was but little risk of being fired on in crossing the level plain between the camp and the trenches, and which was open to a raking fire alike from the castle and city batteries. All this heavy work in the trenches had to be done at night. The first night our regiment was in the trenches, we had a sharp time. The engineers had got there first, and had stretched a rope along as our guide to work by. This was on the city side of the cemetery, where the ground was covered with the vegetation peculiar to this region. Here was an immense cactus, there a thicket of thorn bushes ; to the left a massy, broad-leafed, spongy plant with long sharp needles on the edges of the leaves ; beside it a large sapling, which certainly would cause us to alarm the enemy by our chopping ; everything bristled with thorns and needles, like a forest of spikes. We stuck our muskets by the bayonets into the ground beside us, hung our jackets and belts on OF AMERICANS. 453 the butts, and went at it, carefully at first, but soon were fully engaged chop- ping, knocking, and hauling away the brush. The use of a light was too perilous, the night was dark, and when one put forth his hand to take hold of a bush, it was sure to come in contact with a thorn or a needle, so that in a little while our bonds were streaming with blood ; there was no help for it, a soldier's blood is at the call of his country. Either by the noise of our chopping or through their pickets, the Mexicans got wind of our pro- ceedings, and in a little while they began to compliment us with specimens of their skill in gunnery. Suddenly the eastern sky was lit up by a luminous flash : " Look out, boys ! — shot ! here she comes ! " was shouted. The report and the shell came together ; loom ! lohiz ! hlooj) ! and she struck in the cemetery beside us, throwing up a cloud of sand and dust. " Look out sharp, boys ! another from the castle — a Paixhan fellow this time ! " I heard it and had just thrown myself behind a breastwork raised the night previous, when, smash, it struck into that very breastwork, exploding as it struck, and with a force that I thought would shake the whole place level. "Another, boys ! from the city — thirteen-iuch shell ! " which kindly ex-_ ploded in the air above, and the pieces went tchiz ! whiz ! whiz ! striking all about us. "Another, fellows ! — round shot from the city ! " Along she came, waist-high, and passing between two of our muskets, nipped off a piece from one of our jackets. " Well, by zounds ! this is getting quite comfortable ! " "Another, boys, from the castle ! — Paixhan this time ! " but it fell short, and in a little while the firing upon us ceased for the night. Having cleared off the brush, we took to the spades. The engineer came along and gave us our tasks ; each man was to dig a hole four feet long, five deep, and six wide : that is to say, twenty men were to make a trench eighty feet long of the above width and depth. When ready, the engineer told us that just as each worked, just so much of a protection would each Lave, at least against the round shot, when daylight disclosed us to the enemy. We went at it with a will ; the sand was as easy to excavate as an ash-heap. By three o'clock in the morning, where the enemy saw nothing before but a dense chaparral, was now a splendid trench, running, like a fine canal across the plain. It was beautiful to look upon, and the engineers were mightily pleased ; they said we had done more work that night than they expected to have accomplished in two — that wo were "good, brave boys, and deserved well of our country." When the morning light ex^wsed the long line of new earth to the view of the Mexican artillery-men, they pelted us awfully with round shot and shell; we lay snug and unharmed all day in our holes, and when night came were relieved. Such was the way those trenches were made and batteries planted. Magazines were also constructed of heavy planks and earth, with their doors from the direction of the city. Mule teams hauled down shells and shot during the night-time. The work of getting the heavy guns through the heavy sandhills to their respective positions, was very great ; large de- 454 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS tails of soldiers and sailors took hold of the ropes ; the sailors shouting in their sea-phrases, the soldiers swearing and laughing, the heavy guns swing- ing and getting fast in the sand, the enemy now and then sending a thirty- two pound pill, whose screaming and gyrations through the sand and chap- arral, all united to make a scene to be remembered. One night, after having been greatly fatigued by hard work, I rolled my- self up in my blanket, and fell into a refreshing sleep; in a few hours a norther came on and roused me by the flapping and shaking of my tent : I turned over and went off again until reveille. When I awoke, I felt a heavy weight upon me ; on throwing off my blanket from my head, a peck of sand poured into my face, filling my eyes, nose, ears, neck, etc. The drifting sand had come into my tent and covered me over like a mass of snow. On going out, the scene was dreadful ; the air was darkened by the fine sand, and everything was covered with it. Many of the tents had been blown down, the sea was lashed into fury, and the men looked miserably. The cook had the greatest difficulty in making us any coffee ; as for the pork, it was full of sand. Not a bite of anything could we take, but our teeth would grate on sand — everything partook of a gritty nature ; sand was here, there, and everywhere : everybody had sore eyes, our clothes were full of sand, a man's shirt felt like drawing a bag of gravel over his back, and his boots seemed as if they contained a "perch of stone." A few hours' exposure of a sleeping man to one of those northers, wovdd bury him so deeply as to be beyond all hope of a living resurrection. The fact was, sand and thorns were trumps with us all the time at Vera Cruz. We could not wash on board the ships, nor for days after our landing had we the time ; our persons and clothes got into a most healthy and lively condition : our bodies formed the worlds for multitudes of those little beings who carried out the injunction to "increase and multiply," with such unction that they became great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers in less than twenty-four hours. Why they were created I know not, except it be to punish people for filthiuess. It was not until near the close of the siege that we had an opportunity of dispossessing these non-paying tenants. One evening our company was sent out as a guard of observation, and took position behind a low cactus-covered sandhill. At ten o'clock next day one of our men in moving about, exposed our position to the enemy ; we were in point-blank range of all their batteries, from which thej' poured in upon us a tremendous storm of heavy shot. I never passed such a day. We had to lie close to the ground, and the shot then nearly grazed our heads. The cactus was knocked all to pieces, and the top of the hill was as effectually cut up as if a plow had passed over it. Night came ou and relieved us without the loss of a single man. Dreadful was that storm ; it was surprising we were not all knocked to pieces. There was some lovely embracing of mother earth that day, and if I had possessed the nature of a ground-hog, I should certainly have employed myself differently from what I did. Thus we proceeded, making trenches, planting batteries, and getting ready to answer the enemy at their own game. General Scott had his marquee pitched to the right and rear of our encampment. It was evident we had a OF AMEPJCANS. 455 master-mind in the field, and that an application of science was being made, instead of an entire reliance upon the bayonet. By the 25th of March, all the batteries were in full play upon Vera Cruz. The roar of our artillery, and the fall of shells and shot was heard all through its streets. I was afterward told by an Englishman that the scene was dreadful ; he showed me a house in which a family was eating supper, when a shell foil through the roof, and, bursting in the room, killed the whole of them ; and an old negro said to me, "Ah ! mister ! dat was awful time dar, de shells bustin' and blowin' eberyting to pieces." I need not re- count any farther these scenes, for abler pens than mine have portrayed them. The surrender was an imposing sight ; the soldiers and sailors stood in one line and the volunteers in another. We were ordered to appear in the best possible manner, cleanly shaved, with our arms, belts, and accouterments polished and whitened up ; we wore the extra suit which a soldier always has by him, and when we marched out to parade, each man looked as if just out of a bandbox. Worth was well pleased, for he loved a proud soldier. The sailors were dressed in their white pants, blue coats, and shirts with the blue collar, and took our right. The volunteers appeared dingy and dirty, some with long beards, others with one pant-leg in their boots ; the contrast was great. They wondered how we could make such a neat ap- pearance ; it was our business to be soldiers, and we lived under a strict discipline which provided for such emergencies. The Mexicans, as they marched out, looked heart-broken — some were fine-looking men; they stacked their arms and then hurried away to the interior, and were soon out of sight. When General Scott took possession he obtained an immense amount of the material of war ; he issued orders to prevent the commission of crimes against the people, and no army ever conducted with such humanity toward a conquered people as ours in Mexico. The only crime of moment committed at Vera Cruz was by a free negro from South Caro- lina, who, having violated a countrywoman as she was coming into the city with some marketing, was tried by a military commission and hung. He met his fate with the coolest unconcern. Our army was now preparing for an advance into the heart of Mexico. Quantities of ammunition, provisions, cannon, and arms are to be carried, yet the wagons, horses, and mules, which are to do this service, have not arrived. They are now perhaps descending the Mississippi, and will soon be here ; at length, one by one, dozen by dozen, they arrive. On the 8th of April, Twiggs with his division takes the road to Jalapa ; on the 13th, our division follows. By orders we took on with us only what was abso- lutely necessary ; all our spare clothing we packed and left behind, snugly stowed away. In our absence the volunteers got at our goods, and stole everything that the regular army had left — tents, uniforms, private clothing and -all. General Twiggs had advanced to a place called Plan del Rio, and, at Cerro Gordo, a mountain gorge beyond, found Santa Anna with seventeen thousand men, in a strongly-fortified position, awaiting the attack of the Americans. Twiggs, having made a reconnoissance, resolved to attack ; thinking perhaps to make a name, he was about to practice General Tay- 456 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS lor's method of fighting, and therebj' very likely would have been defeated ■with great slaughter. General Patterson coming up at this juncture, he did not attack. When Scott arrived he adoj^ted an entirely different plan ; ho was not an officer to plunge in headlong, get his men into trouble, and then, not knowing how to extricate them, do nothing but stand and swagger about, and let fly a volley of oaths. Our division reached the National Bridge on the 15th, and remained there until the next evening, when we were ordered up to Plan del Rio, sixteen miles beyond ; somehow we men understood we were to go only three or four miles that night, so we neglected filling our canteens with water. We marched on several miles, expecting every moment to be ordered to en- camp ; dense chaparral lined the roadside, and on we jogged ; all that could be heard was an occasional growl from some sore-footed and tired soldier, the continual cJinA; dinh of our tin cups, and the heavy tramp of many feet. I became so fatigued that I thought it impossible to go farther, but I kept on with my eyes partly shut, asleep. When we had gone a dozen miles — it seemed to me thirty — it was reported that the lancers were hovering around, and the officers warned the men not to fall out of the ranks or they would be murdered. Finally we halted for a few moments when Smith, of our company, and myself threw ourselves behind some bushes on the roadside to rest until the troops sliould start on. No sooner were we down than, contrary to our intention, we fell asleep ; nature was exhausted. How long we slept I know not. Suddenly I started up, wide awake, and listened ; all was still save the loud breathing of my companion. The lancers ! the lancers ! struck my mind. " Smith ! Smith 1 " said I, " up ! " He was awake in a moment. " Smith, we're left behind, as sure as fate ! " " Good heavens ! " exclaimed he, in a suppressed voice, which showed his vivid sense of our peril ; " let us arouse and go after the troops." "Certainly," I rejoined. We caught up our knapsacks and muskets, and sprang into the road, at first puzzled to know which way to go. We recollected we had lain down on the left side of the road, and so started on ; in half a mile we came to our men asleep, and a little beyond was the river at the base of Cerro Gordo. AVhen day broke, it presented to us one of the wildest of scenes, rough and mountainous. Here we found Patterson's and part of Twiggs' division. That afternoon, Twiggs had a smart skirmish with the enemy, and carried a lower hill south of Cerro Gordo, the main hill, where our soldiers planted some guns in the night. Upon the particulars of the battle which ensued the next day, I need not dwell. It is well known that the enemy were most thoroughly defeated, and exactly in accordance with the previous dispositions of our general. As we were ascending the hill called by the Mexicans Telegrafo, we came across General Scott ; how he got there we could not tell. As the men passed him they all cheered ; he looked as mild and pleasant as if on a pleasure excursion. On the top of the hill the scene presented all the hor- rors of the battle-field — dead and dying men all about. Worth ordered the captured guns to be turned on the enemy, who hoisted a white flag. OP AMEKICAXS. 457 " Never mind the flag," said he, " fire a few shots any way ! " which was done, and then he ordered them to cease. Among the dead I saw here was General Vasquez, a fine-looliiug man, who fell with his face to the foe ; a little stream of blood was oozing from a shot-hole in his head. One soldier lay near him with the top part of his head blown oft' ; the skull had been etruck on the back part and cut straight across above the ears, and in that shape thrown over where it still hung by the skin of the forehead like a hinge. One Mexican was in a singular position ; it was evident that at the last moment he had seen something which pleased him, and had turned around with his back to his own breastwork, when a ball passed through his head from behind ; he thereupon had sunk into a sitting-posture with the smile yet on his face and his musket resting on his arm ; he appeared as if yet alive and laughing. On the 19th, we took up our line of march for Jala^xa. All along the road were evidences of the pursuit of the flying Mexicans by llarney's dra- goons ; it was strewn with the dead and dying. Heaps of the dead lay upon the ground with their skulls literally split open by the sabers of our horsemen. We were evidently entering a better country, fine fields of grain were springing up all around, cofi"ee was seen growing, and the foliage was of a dark, heavy green. That night we bivouacked near Jalapa, and on elevated ground. Sunrise opened to us one of the finest of views ; toward Vera Cruz, in the lowlands, it was cloudy and doubtless raining. The clouds were beneath our feet, and as the deep thunder rolled and reverbe- rated through the valleys, we could see the lightning dart up out of heavy banks of mist whose tops were white iu the sun's rays. To the left was old Orizaba, topped with perpetual snow. Our ofiicers and men stood enchanted with the view. This was not all : there, to the west, right back of Jalapa, arose stupendous mountains piled on mountains until the tops seemed to pierce the skies ; over these lay our road to Mexico. Worth's division did not stop in Jalapa, but was ordered on to Perote. In a few miles we struck the mountains and entered the wild and gloomy pass of La Hoy a, called by our men the Black Pass. Ou the 22d, we reached the famous Castle of Perote, and were shown the room in which the Mier prisoners were confined. Captain Samuel U. Walker, of the Texau Kangers, was one of those prisoners. It is said, that having assisted with others iu soma repairs around the flag-staff, he dropped in a crevice a five cent piece, saying as he did it, that the day would arrive when he should have the authority to take it out. As, during the time we were in Mexico, he was appointed commander of the castle, I presume he recovered his sixpence. At Perote our brigade separated from the other part of Worth's division, and advanced eighteen miles to Tepeyahaulco ; we there quartered iu a mule yard, and I took up my berth in one of the troughs. On the 10th of May, we marched for Puebla, and ou the first day saw the singular effects of the mirage ; it made the distant landscape look like a lake of water. Our persons were reflected in the distance to a gigantic size, and our horses to the proportions of elephants. We crossed wide tracts of barren saud and met with large quantities of pumice-stone ; the mountains were bare and destitute of vegetation. At a mountain pass, " El Pinal," the enemy had 458 ADVENTURES AND ACUIEVEMENTS fixed large rocks to roll upon us, but when we came along, they were not there to roll them. On the fourth day from Perote we reached Amazoque, seven miles from the famous City of Puebla; we could discern the cupolas of the cathedrals with their shining and variegated tiles. Just before reaching Amazoque the road rises up on a high plateau ascend- ing which a most gorgeous panorama burst upon our view ; away toward the west arose those famous snow-capped mountains, Popocatapetl and Iz- tac-cithuatl, rearing their white heads far into the atmosphere. Between us and those mountains stretched away the Valley of Puebla, dotted here and there with the white houses of villages and haciendas ; and there in the cen- ter stood the large, beautiful City of Puebla de los Angelos — City of the Angels. The country around was fertile and prolific in everything for the comfort of man. On entering Amazoque the villagers greeted us kindly ; the ladies, good- hearted souls, ran and brought huge pitchers of water, and standing in the doors of their humble dwellings, offered us the sparkling liquid with pleas- ant words and smiling countenances. Feeling certain from the manner of the people, that our entrance into Puebla would be unopposed. Worth ordered us to clean up and put things in order, so that we might make a good appearance on the occasion. Our regiment went into a large fenced yard to clean up after our long and dusty march. Some went to work tak- ing apart their muskets and cleaning them ; others got out their whitening and were rubbing up their belts ; still others were overhauling their knap- sacks, and taking out and mending their extra suit ; again, others were shaving themselves — so that the appearance of the troops was as if they were in quarters in some part of the United States : no one dreamed of an enemy being near. It seems, however, that something must have revealed our situation to the Mexicans : suddenly the exclamations burst forth : " Hark ! what is that ? It 's the long roll. By heavens ! we are attacked ! " The scene that transpired cannot be described ; our confusion was most complete — men grasping their muskets, that lay all apart, and nervously at- tempting to put them together, others hurrying on their accouterments, etc. Notwithstanding our defenseless and dangerous condition, it was an ex- tremely ludicrous spectacle to us when we began to fall into line — some were half-shaven — some had on their jackets wrong-side out — others with the cartridge-box on the wrong side. While the confusion was at its height, a man at the gate shouted out, " The lancers are just upon us ! " I looked toward the city and saw an immense cloud of dust arising. While all this was transpiring, our light artillery ran out, and, by a few well-directed shots, sent the cowardly rascals galloping back. The result of this affair was that we looked worse next morning than usual. The next day we entered Puebla ; as we passed along the streets, we found them crowded with thousands of people anxious to get a sight of those men that had always proved victorious over their choicest troops. Tho balconies of fine tall houses were densely thronged with beautiful women who waved their handkerchiefs at us as we advanced. Our men were astonished at the splendor and apparent opulence of the city. We presented a most miserable appearance to the people ; we were worn down by our long march, covered with dust and dirt, and from fatigue and sickness, our faces wore a OF AMERICANS. 459 haggard look. The Pucblcse had expected to see something splendid in the aspect of that army that had proved itself so invincible ; great was their astonishment at beholding a collection of ill-dressed, poor, dirty, and sickly- looking men. Near Puebla, are the ancient ruins of Cholula, a city of the Tlascalans, which in the time of Cortes contained two hundred thousand souls and four hundred temples to idols. The famous pyramid of Cholula still marks the syot ; it is the most remarkable of all the ruins of the Aztecs. Its base covers the space of a quarter of a mile, and it rises to the height of one hundred and seventy-seven feet. Puebla is a beautiful city of eighty thousand inhabitants ; its streets are broad and lined with many elegant buildings. We were much pleased with the people, and, for my part, I had the good luck to ingratiate myself in the affections of the family of an old Spaniard, consisting of himself, wife, and two agreeable young daughters, with whom I passed many pleasant hours. Near our quarters in Puebla was an ancient church bearing the date 1628 ; in its thick walls were niches in which, according to the custom of the country, bodies of children had been deposited after death. While in this city verj' many of the troops died of the dysentery, brought on by the poor food and change of climate. The stoutest men were the first to sink, and the volunteers suffered far more than the regulars, particularly those from the Southern States. The New York and South Carolina regiments were quartered opposite each other ; the latter lost a dozen men to the other's one, and so it was all through the army. On our arrival at Puebla, our army had been reduced, by the expirations of enlistments and other causes, to less than five thousand men, and thus General Scott was obliged to await there several months for reinforcements. Had government promptly supplied him with troops we could have marched on immediately after the battle of Cerro Gordo, and in a very little while have reached the City of Mexico. The enemy, dispirited by defeat, would have made but feeble resistance to our arms ; but the delay gave ample time for Santa Anna to recover from the shock, to recruit his army, and to fortify the approaches to the city. Thousands of valuable lives were lost by the dilatory movements and the want of energy on the part of our government. Early in August, the army under Scott, having received the expected re- inforcements, marched out of Puebla in four divisions, numbering in all ten thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight men. About three thousand men, under Colonel Childs, were left at Puebla ; most of these were in the hos- pitals, over seven hundred of whom died in that city. Our division left Puebla on the 8th of August ; many of the citizens who had become acquainted with us assembled to see us start. Our course was through a beautiful rolling country, dotted with orchards and fruit-gardens ; the road was ascending and crossed, before entering the City of Mexico, the Anahuac range of the Cordilleras, the most magnificent portion of that chain of moun- tains which extends from Cape Horn to the Arctics. The lofty mountains, white with eternal snows, chilled the air at the distance of thirty miles. On the third day we reached Rio Frio, or Cold River, the highest point on the road — ten thousand one hundred and twenty feet above the Gulf of 460 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Mexico— forty-eight miles from Puebla and forty-five from the City of Mexico. The scenery was glorious ; at every turn in the road some new object of grandeur burst upon us calling forth exclamations of delight. Sol- diers generally seem to be almost entirely insensible to such things and to all the finer emotions of the human heart, but such is not the case ; it is owing to the nature of military discipline that the soldier acquires a taciturn habit; thinking, however, even in all despotisms, in free. The succeeding night the cold was intense ; soon after bivouacking, a cold rain came on, which put out our fires and wet us through, and before morn- ing my clothes had frozen stiff with icicles depending therefrom. The fol- lowing forenoon we came iu view of the beautiful Valley of Mexico. The air in those elevated regions is so very clear as to reduce the apparent dis- tance of objects fully one-half; the City of Mexico, thirty-five miles beyond us, was visible — a little speck in the valley. I heard no extravagant excla- mations at the beauty of the scenery : but one, made on a different subject, I well recollect. Our regiment happened to be iu the advance, and General "Worth and his staff were near us ; as we were descending, in the afternoon, into the valley, marching in platoons, the rays of the declining sun striking the mass of bright arras presented a beautiful appearance. Worth observed it, and turning to his staff, exclaimed : " Gentlemen, look at that ! just look at that ! Is not that enough to cheer the heart of any man ?" Worth was proud of his men and ambitious. This day's march was a long one ; we overtook Twiggs' division at the edge of the valley, at the village of Ayotla. At this point, which was on the main road to the city, we turned ofl' to the left and took post at Chalco, on the lake of the same name. The City of Mexico is approached only by causeways. Santa Anna, supposing that our army would take the main road, had more strongly for- tified the approaches to the city by it ; the strongest was the fortress El Penon, which completely commanded the road. It mounted fifty-one guns of the heaviest caliber, and was surrounded by a broad and deep ditch. On reconnoitering this position. General Scott saw that it was impossible to take it, except at an immense loss of life ; he, therefore, cut a new road to the left, around the western margins of the lakes, Chalco and Xochimilco, which struck the Acapulco road at the village of San Augustine. On the Acapulco road the prominent fortifications to be overcome were, 1. The Hill of CoN- TKERAS, thoroughly armed with batteries and breastworks. 2. The Bridge of Churubusco, a tete du pont at the crossing of a canal, armed also with cannon, 3. Nearer the city, the Hill of Chapultepec, on which was the military college. The ranche of San Antonio, and other points on the road were likewise fortified with batteries. Aside from these, the city itself was surrounded by a wall and ditches, with small forts at each of the gates bristling with cannon. Having overcome the various obstacles on our new route, our division reached San Augustine, on the Acapulco road, much to the surprise of its inhabitants who had not expected us in this direction. We knew that hard fighting was now close at hand ; the people were shy of us, and their manner indicated that they considered us already about as good as whipped. The next day, the 18th, our division marched out on the road toward OF AMERICANS. 461 the city. In a little more thau a mile we struck the pedregal (volcanic rock), and neared the strongly-fortified ranche of San Antonia ; we expected every moment to go into battle. Captain Thornton with his company had dashed ahead to reconnoitcr, when, loom ! loom ! struck our ears. Now we have it, boys ! and as the sound echoed through the valleys, I saw a deathly paleness come over the faces of the men. I looked on purpose to see the effect it was having on others, for I felt bad myself and wished to know if they appeared as I knew 1 felt. It was the same with the officers, for war is no respecter of persons, and death is terrible. But what is this com- ing ? It is Captain Thornton's horse ! The saddle was all over blood. One of the two shots we just heard, had struck the poor captain and cut him iu two. We moved on, and that night our brigade took up quarters in a huge stone barn. The enemy had a twenty-four pounder in their works at San Antonio and battered our hotel with great industry, but little effect. Ilere we lay inactive, awaiting, as it wa^i understood, for some of the other divi- sions to make a demonstration to the left of the pedrerjal on the heights of Contreras, where General Valencia, with six thousand troops, " the flower of the Mexican army," was strongly intrenched. During the 19th, it was fair weather all day. As our division of the army was not in those operations before Contreras, I will only give the facts that fell under my own observa- tion at the time. About four o'clock in the afternoon of that day (the 19th), we heard a sharp firing in the direction of Contreras, three miles in a right line from us across the pedregal, and five by the road. Clouds of smoke were discerned, and as no one came to us, Ave began to be suspicious that matters were not going on well. We knew the position of the Mexicans from the more dense masses of smoke and from the louder reports of their artillery — their guns being the heaviest ; we also noticed the fact that when night came on, our people were no nearer the position of the enemy than when they began. About dusk, word came to our officers, but nothing to us : this was omi- nous. Again, the officers stood by themselves, talked low, and suddenly had very long countenances. If any of us moved within hearing distance they instantly ceased talking. After awhile I got a chance to see Lieuten- ant Gore, commander of our company. He was standing by himself and I went up, saluted, and said : "Lieutenant, I wish, if you would please inform me, to know how it goes with our side over there this evening : I fear it is not all right ?" "Keep quiet, sergeant!" rejoined he, "and if you won't say anything to the men about it, I'll tell you. The Mexicans are very strongly intrenched over there in the valley, and General Scott ordered that point to be attacked this afternoon, not supposing the enemy were so strong as they really are. Our men had bad luck — they attacked and had to abandon their position. The fact is, sergeant," continued Gore, speaking very low, "our fellows are tvhipjjed, and we all feel very bad about it ; but it is the intention to do something to-night, and perhaps we will be called upon." "Not whipped !" said I. "No, not exactly whipped," rejoined Gore; "but you know, sergeant, Avhen we attack a place and don't take it, we might as tvdl be whipped." 4G2 ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS He then, again, requested me not to tell the men, as it would make a bad impression. When I returned, my companions flocked around to ascertaia what Gore had told me. I, however, "knew nothing" and said "be quiet," all of which they fully understood. In the course of an hour, when the men had mostly fallen asleep, and the non-commissioned officers were together, I revealed the whole to them. We sat there for hours discussing the matter, and finally concluded that, although hard work was in store for us, Scott was certain to take the city. One by one, we fell asleep. I dropped into a dreamy doze, my mind actively engaged with the scenes around us — j^et my thoughts would often be far away with home and loved ones in Ohio. Suddenly I would arouse, and the startling fact come upon me, in all its dreadful reality, that I was far, far away in an enemy's country. Thus the thoughts, continually active, kept flitting about, like some nervous unsteady spirit that could never find a resting-place. So the hours passed on, and in the meanwhile it began to rain. The dripping of the eaves fell at the great doors, and the drops pat- tered on the roof and leaves with a melancholy sound. "To-morrow," thought I, " may be my last day on earth ! " A sense of fear, of extreme reluctance to go in where Death was claiming his victims oppressed me, and then I would shake it off and resolve to go where duty called. I felt I was not the only one that might be sacrificed, and if I was doomed to die, I should be remembered by a grateful country. Two hours past midnight, I heard the gallop of a horse approaching. The rider passed around the barn and by the door, and kept on to our colo- nel's marquee. It was an aid-de-camp with orders. He dismounted and went in, and I then overheard voices there. A few minutes elapsed when in came our adjutant and called out : " Men ! men ! wake up ! wake up ! arouse up, all hands ! First sergeants, parade your men and call the roll immediately ! " This was the morning of the 20th of August, 1847, and ere the sun went down five distinct actions were fought with the Mexicans, and five victories won by American valor. These were : 1. The storm of Contreriis. 2. The capture of San Antonio. 3. The storm of the tete-dii-pont. 4. The battle and assault of the church and outworks of Churubusco. 5. The action in the rear of Ohunibusco with the right wing of Santa Anna's corps. These last three were parts of one drama, but distinct in the skill, the action, and the relative eff"ects. Ten batteries, mounting sixty-one guns, had been car- ried and the causeway laid open to the very gates of the city. The Mexi- cans numbered thirty thousand men, and their strength Avas doubled by their being in fortified positions. The Americans had nine thousand men only engaged. Seldom have such great results with such inferior means been attained in war. But to return. In thirty minutes the whole brigade was on the march — whither we knew not ; we only knew we were moving in the direction of San Augustine. The night was dark, the rain was pouring, the road was slippery with mud, and we were marching, half-asleep and burdened with our knapsacks. W^e had started off too without our coffee, and felt weak and miserable, for nothing is more trying to soldiers than to be called on duty from out of a sound eleep without their morning coffee. For days we had had nothing to eat but OF AMERICANS. 463 hard bread and our coffee, as we could catch time to make it. For my part, I felt in anything but a pleasant mood. Old Major took occasion to get drunk that morning. He must have begun to pour down the liquor as soon as he heard the order to march, for we had not gone more than two or three miles before he was "good ;" and then he thought the whole bri- gade was drunk, and " wondered where they got their liquor ! " It was easy to tell where he got his, for he always had a demijohn in the baggage- wagon : a soldier's knapsack would at any time be " chucked " into the road to make room for his jugs. We had marched some four miles from the barn when daybreak came on. The clouds rolled away, and we discerned all around us evidences of the previous day's work. Soon after, the rattling fire of musketry was heard in advance of us, and then the heavy booming of the artillery. The officers endeavored to urge us on at double quick time. It was impossible to move fast in the slippery state of the road, burdened as we were by our heavy knapsacks, and having had nothing to eat that morning but dry bread. The fighting ahead was the battle of Contreras, which lasted only twenty minutes. The enemy had been surprised, were driven from their guns, and in their flight were pursued with great slaughter. It was a happy termina- tion to the unfortunate prelude of the day before, and inspired us all with enthusiasm, although we were too late to join in the action. Worth, who had gone ahead, at this juncture returned to lead us on to the attack of San Antonio. He came galloping up at full speed, his horse in a foam, aiid his countenance full of animation. He was very angry at seeing us with our knapsacks contrary to his orders, and severely rejjri- manded the colonel, whose fault it was. " My men," said he, " instead of being fresh for a hard day's fight, are broken down already. Countermarch, sir, as soon as possible to our old po- sition, and await fresh orders to advance on the enemy ! Leave the knap- sacks there, and let the men rest a few minutes, sir !" The officer turned pale at the reprimand, and as all this was said in the presence of the men, they gave Worth one spontaneous, ringing cheer. When we were ordered to advance, our regiment struck into a cornfield intersected with ditches. We had marched some nine miles that morning, and under such circumstances that, when we entered that cornfield, I was in a state of desperation. My senses were in a measure blunted. I was savage and would havo fought, and finally did fight, like a fury incarnate, completely reckless of consequences. It seemed to me then that the only friend I had in the world was my musket. All the men more or less felt as I did. We floundered through the mud, which was deep and sticky in the cornfield, as well as we could. The ditches, which were four feet wide and three deep, delayed us in our advance. Several men tumbled into them in their attempts to cross. Our drunken major had to be helped over, for he was top-heavy from liquor and bottom-heavy from fat. We longed to see him tumble into one of the deepest, for he was despised by the men. Wo came in a few minutes to a place where I could, by stooping down, sea the Mexican breastworks between the rows of corn. We crept on in a stooping posture, wondering we were not discovered and fired ou. "Oh !" thought I, " you are reserving your fire until we get close to you. Very 464 ADVEXTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS well, you will have only one chance at us, for while you are reloading, those of us that are left will rush on and drive you out." On vvc go — we get close to the wall — our hearts beat quickly in momen- tary expectation of the awful sheet of flame that will flash in our faces. Here we are, fight at the breastwork ; we shout and rush in with our mus- kets firmly grasped, and at a charge and cocked : a hundred fingers press nervously on as many triggers, ready to send death broadcast among our enemy. At this exciting moment we find nothing but deserted forti- fications. Where are the enemy ? they had retreated and were on the full run toward the city. We rushed on in hot pursuit, and struck the road and entered the village of San Antonio, where we met the rest of our brigade. Clarke's brigade had made a circuit across the pedregal, and intercepted the retreat of the Mexicans, cutting them up dreadfully. Their route was strewn with all sorts of arms and with the wounded and the dying. Many were calling for "agua" — water. Amid the confusion, several Mexican women were running about crying and carrying large bundles of their house- hold goods : some with children in their arras, and others with them strap- ped to their backs in squaw fashion. It was here reported to Worth that some of our camp-followers were plundering the church. He ordered them to be seized, tied up, and given thirty-nine lashes apiece. Those fellows were gamblers from the States, who had followed the army from mercenary motives. Ten of these gentle- men were flogged at this time, and with an unction : our soldiers bore them no good will, for they had robbed and plundered them at every chance. When the enemy were driven out of San Antonio they took up a new position at Churubusco, where they were immediately attacked by the divi- sions of Twiggs and Pillow. Our division advanced to their assistance, shouting as we ran. As soon as we got under fire our men stopped their cheering, and all hands became as docile as lambs. It is wonderful to notice the leveling effect the getting into battle has alike on officers and men. It is a time when no one man feels more aristocratic than another : those iron balls are no respecters of persons. To our division was assigned the task of attacking the tete-du-po7it, or bridge-head. We deployed and approached through the cornfields, sinking ankle-deep in the mud, and leaping the ditches as well as we could. Some being weak in their underpins waded through. Not a few scenes occurred so ludicrous that a man would certainly laugh if he knew he was to be shot the next moment solely on that account ; for some, in their attempts to leap the ditches, jumped short, struck the opposite bank, and then fell backward full length into the dirty water. We were in full view of the enemy from their elevated positions : al- though they were pouring in upon us a murderous fire, which was taking off our men in all directions, yet we could not refrain from laughter when we saw a poor fellow in his awkwardness tumble into a ditch and then crawl out, like a half-drowned puppy, with the dirty water dripping from him and liis ammunition and musket rendered useless from the wet. It was severe work crossing those ditches and floundering about in the mud, water, and corn, all under a tremendous fire of grape and musketry. OP AMERICANS. 465 In that bloody field many were the men I saw instantly deprived of life. One circumstance occurred to me that I shall relate. I had leaped a ditch just as a heavy load of grape-shot from one of the guns in the tcte-du-pont struck all about me. I remained untouched, but an artillery-man immedi- ately in front of me sank heavily to the earth, struck by a grape-shot doubt- less in a vital part, for I did not hear him utter a groan. At the same instant I heard a cry in the rear calling piteously for helji. I had heard that cry often before, and supposing some one was wounded, would have paid no attention to it but for the fact that I had stopped to load my mus- ket. The cry for help was repeated so piteously that I looked back, and there was a poor follow, another of the artillery, who had fallen wounded into the water, where ho was struggling to extricate himself. I leaned my musket against a broken cornstalk to keep it out of the mud, and sprang to help him. He had been wounded in the knee and side. I seized his left hand with my left, put my right hand behind his left shoulder, and had raised him just on the edge of the ditch when another load of grape-shot came sweeping and clattering all about with dreadful velocity. My relative position to the gun was such that the shot came in a quartering direction to my right side and back. One of the grape-shots passed over my right arm and struck my poor comrade just behind the left ear, knocking out the back part of his head, killing him instantly. He gave a heavy lurch backward, falling into the ditch, and so suddenly was it done that I came near going in with him. My regiment had in the meantime got far ahead. Such are some of the bloody scenes of war. With more jumping of ditches, we come near enough to the enemy to discern the buttons on their coats. With a little more firing they break and run, and we have possession of the tete-da-pont. They crowd out the other eide, but our bayonets travel faster than they, and many fall as they run. Xow and then one, braver than his companions, turns and sends a bullet at our faces — zip ! it comes. Bless me ! if that had struck one in the mouth, it would be all the supper he would want this day ! Away they scamper, like some huge cloud, their muskets and great-coats, as they throw them down, strewing the road. Then we cheer with exultant victory. We feel full to overflowing with military enthusiasm. Big tears fill our eyes and run down our cheeks, for we have stormed the fort and it is ours. Thus ended this great day — a day of five distinct battles and of five vic- tories. The whole army remained near the field of battle. We now went to work gathering wood for the cooks to prepare our coffee. We had been too busy through the day to think of eating. Hunger most dreadful seized upon us, and, now that the battle was over, I thought of nothing and cared for nothing, but something to eat. As soon as I had drank my coffee and cleaned out my haversack of the remains of the hard bread, I wanted to sleep. I was covered with mud from head to foot, my clothes were stiff with mud and my body stiff with fatigue. I had lived and worked an age that day ; while hungry, I did not feel any fatigue. This sati.