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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 LIFE AND SERVICES 
 
 or 
 
 GEN. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 
 
 TOGETHER WITH HIS 
 
 Hdlf llIB so SI[M@H B®IL3I¥AB. 
 
 'To the Hero when his sword 
 Has won the battle for the free, 
 There is no need of prophet's word, 
 That from freemen vfill be heard 
 The thanks of millions now, ^nd yet to be«* 
 
 PRINTED AT THE WATCHMAN OFFICE, 
 
 MONTPELIER, VT., 
 
 1836. 
 
E 3<i2 
 
WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 
 
 The distinguished soldier, patriot, and statesman, 
 who is the subject of this notice, is descended from one 
 of the most illustrious families of that mother of states- 
 men, Virginia. His father was one of the delegates 
 from that commonwealth to, and a leading member of 
 the memorable revolutionary congress. When John 
 Hancock was elected President of that body, and hes- 
 itated, through modesty, to take his seat, Mr. Harrison, 
 being a large man, seized Mr. Hancock, who was small, 
 and carried him and placed him in the chair ; obser- 
 ving, that they would "let Mother Britain know that con- 
 gress would have the man she proscribed to preside 
 over them." During the revolution he was chairman 
 of the committee of foreign affairs, and was great, 
 among the great men of that day. In 1783, he was 
 appointed Governor of his native state, and was one of 
 the most popular Chief Magistrates that ever presided 
 over that commonwealth. He died in 1791, leaving 
 three son s,, of whom the subject of this short biographi- 
 cal notice was the youngest. 
 
 WILLL\M HENRY HARRISON, wa^ born at the 
 family seat, called Berkley, twenty-five miles below 
 Richmond, on James River, on the 9th of February, 
 1773 ; two years before the commencement of the 
 American Revolution. His early education was at a 
 Grammar School, and afterwards at an Academy in 
 Southampton county, and at the College of Hampden 
 Sidney. After the completion of his academical stud- 
 ies, he was placed by his father in his seventeenth year, 
 in the office of Dr. Leiper, a physician of Richmond, 
 as a medical student. After remaining there one year, 
 he went to Philadelphia for the purpose of completing 
 his medical studies. But before he reached the city, 
 his father died ; he now resolved to quit the medical 
 
profession, having entered it, only to gratify his parent. 
 Being born and educated in the stormy period of the 
 revoUition, the stirring events of that day had made too 
 sti'ong an impression upon his ardent mind, to relish the 
 routine of a profession. But the small estate, which 
 fell to him from his father, made it necessary for him 
 to engage in active life. 
 
 His father's standing, character, and public services 
 secured him many powerful friends, among whom, were 
 Edmund Randolph, Secretary of State, in the admin- 
 istration of Gen. Washington : Gen. Henry Lee, and 
 Robert Morris, the financier of the revolution. Mr, 
 Randolph offered him a place in his office, and Gen. 
 Lee proposed to him a commission in the anny. He 
 accepted the military offer, and lest his friends should 
 disapprove of the choice, attempted to conceal it from 
 them, until all was settled. Mr. Morris, however, heard 
 of it by chance, and sent for him, in order to dissuade 
 him from it. Young Harrison suspected the cause of 
 the summons, and having made up his mind to enter 
 the army, hastened to the War Office, receiving his 
 commission, and then repaired to the house of Mr. Mor- 
 ris to receive his advice when too late, to enter the of- 
 fice of the Secretary of State. 
 
 He received the commission of Ensign, in the first 
 regiment of the United States Artillery, then at Fort 
 Washington, the site of the present city of Cincinnati^ 
 and immediately set out to join the army, and reached 
 it a few days after Gen. St. Clair's memorable defeat. 
 
 He was at that time but nineteen years of age, tall, 
 slender, and apparently wholly unsuited, from the ten- 
 derness and luxuriousness of his education, to brave 
 the storms, encounter the hardships and perils, and 
 battle with the beasts and savages of the wilderness. At 
 that time the great valley of the Ohio and Mississippi^ 
 aov^r filled with millions of civiUzed men, was roamed 
 Dver by countless nations of hostile Indians, and the 
 mighty rivers, now covered with a hundred steamers. 
 
were navigated only by the light canoe. The subdueiS 
 and humble red man, that has now reluctantly retired 
 beyond the Mississippi, then stood in power upon the 
 banks of the Ohio, the Muskingum, the Sciota, the Mi- 
 ami, the Wabash and the Illinois. Gen. St. Clair's ar- 
 my having been defeated and cut to pieces, the whole 
 defence of this portion of the frontier devolved upon a 
 small body of men. It was just at the beginning of 
 winter, and such were the hardships in prospect, in this 
 then distant wilderness, surrounded by an exasperated, 
 victorious, savage foe, that the stoutest hearts might 
 have failed, and the hardiest veteran turned pale. Some 
 of his comrades advised the youthful, and unhardened 
 ensign to resign his commission and take to civil life^ 
 But young Harrison's was not a spirit to recoil at dan- 
 ger. The same persevering energy and boldness of 
 character, that distinguished him in after times, was here 
 displayed in his contempt of inglorious ease, and love of 
 arduous enterprise. The hrst duty confided to him, 
 was to guard certain pack-horses, bound to Fort Ham- 
 ilton. His duty was peculiarly uncomfortable, perilous 
 and difficult, leading to great exposure night and day, 
 and calling for much sagacity, and far more skill than 
 would be looked for in a mere stripling. This duty he 
 performed in a manner, which proved that his abilities 
 were equal to his spirit, and called forth the thanks of 
 Gen. St. Clair. 
 
 At this time intemperance destroyed a large propor- 
 tion of the young men, that entered the army. The 
 hardships and fatigues to which they were exposed, and 
 above all the fashionable customs of the day, reduced 
 at last to the slavery of the bowl, many of the finest 
 young men that entered the service. I3ut our young 
 ensign, strengthened by the advice of Gen. Wilkinson, 
 who succeeded St. Clair, in 1792, resisted temptation, 
 and laid the foundation of those habits of temperance, 
 which have characterised him through a long life, and 
 .which undoubtedly enabled him, as, much as, any other 
 
 1* 
 
6 
 
 cause, to undergo the privations of a frontier warfare, 
 amid the heats of summer, and the frosts of winter, m 
 the swamps and impenetrable wilderness of the north- 
 west. 
 
 In 1792, he was promoted to the office of Lieuteiw 
 ant, and in 1793, joined the army of Gen. Wayne. He 
 was shortly after appointed Aid-de-camp, to that gal- 
 lant commander. He acted in this capacity, in the 
 battle of the twentieth of August, upon the Maumee, 
 which resulted in the decisive victory over the savages ; 
 and his coolness, intrepidity and bravery, were such as 
 to call forth from Gen. Wayne the strongest express- 
 ions of applause. 
 
 In 1795, he was raised to the post of Captain, and 
 on the departure of Gen. Wayne for the East, was en- 
 trusted with the command of Fort Washington. An 
 end being put to the Indian war by the victory of 
 Wayne, Captain Harrison married the daughter of John 
 Cleves Symmes, the well known purchaser of the Mi- 
 ami country, and in 1797 left the army and was appoin- 
 ted Secretary of the Northwestern Territory. In 1799> 
 he was elected as a delegate to Congress from this Ter- 
 ritory, which then comprised Ohio, Indiana, Illinois^ 
 Michigan, and the whole country north of the Ohio, 
 and east of the Mississippi rivers. While he was ia 
 Congress, he originated the present system of land sales, 
 which has been ot immense benefit to the whole country. 
 
 When Ohio was made a state, Mr. Harrison was ap- 
 pointed Governor of Indiana, and removed to Vincennes 
 in 1801. He continued Governor until 1812, and was 
 then appointed by Mr. Madison, Commander-in-Chief 
 of the Northwestern Army. 
 
 The following eloquent and able appeal to the patri- 
 otism of the West and the whole Union shows the prin- 
 ciples, the talents and patriotic devotion to country, of 
 the man, who afterwards won the title of the Washing- 
 ton of the West. 
 
Extract of Gov. Harrison^ s Speech, while Governor of lit" 
 
 diana, to the Legislature of that State, delivered on 
 
 the I8th of August, 1807. 
 
 **I should fail to do justice to my feelings, and per- 
 haps disappoint your expectations, gentlemen, should I 
 neglect, on this occasion, to mention a subject which 
 has greatly agitated our country, and "called forth the 
 warmest expressions of patriotic ardor from every class 
 of its citizens. 
 
 "The United States, true to those principles which 
 ought to prevail in every Republic, preferring happiness 
 to splendor, and safety to glory, have endeavored to ab- 
 stract themselves from the entangling politics of Europe^ 
 and, by observing the most perfect neutrality to keep 
 clear of all those bloody wars, which have so long des- 
 olated the finest quarter of the globe. The justice and 
 impartiality of her conduct towards the belligerants, 
 have not however, been reciprocated ; and from one of 
 those powers, insult and injury have followed each oth- 
 er in quick succession, and promised satisfaction been 
 anticipated by further outrage. The ships of our mer- 
 chants, pursuing a legal commerce upon that ocean to 
 which all have an equal right, have been captured and 
 plundered, and their men impressed to serve a foreign 
 tyrant, and shed their blood in battles, in which they 
 have no interest. For these aggressions, our govern- 
 ment, without mingling with its politics those passions 
 which agitate the breasts of monarchs and which pro- 
 duce the greater part of those wars which overwhelm 
 their unhappy subjects in misery and ruin, have deman- 
 ded redress but in vain. Still calculating, however, up- 
 on the existence of a better disposition, on the part of a 
 power which had injured us, that last resort, which is lit- 
 erally a *'trial of who can do the other the most harm,'' 
 was deprecated by the people as well as by the Gov- 
 ernment ; and, so long as there remained the most dis- 
 tant hope of an amicable adjustment, argument and ne- 
 gotiation were thought preferable to war. This delu-^ 
 
8 
 
 sion has, however, passed away, and given place to thet 
 opinion that moderation and forbearance, have been 
 mistaken for timidity and fear. Some nations, like 
 some mdividuals, will not profit by the lessons of expe- 
 rience. Great Britain might have remembered that the 
 arms of America were not palsied by the previous use 
 of remonstrances. A bhnd fatuity hurries her on to 
 that destruction which America had no wish to accele- 
 rate ; and, an act of tyranny and injustice, surpassing 
 any thing that can be found even in the history of her 
 depredations upon neutrals, has converted a useful friend 
 into a foe, able to punish her for her multiplied aggres- 
 sions. The blood rises in my cheek, when I reflect on 
 the humiliating, the disgraceful scene of the crew of an 
 American ship of war, mustered on its own decks by a 
 British Lieutenant for the purpose of selecting the inno- 
 cent victims of British tyranny. But an act of this kind 
 was perhaps necessary to convince all our fellow.citi- 
 zens, that they had nothing to expect from British gen- 
 erosity or justice, when they were opposed to British 
 interests. The unheard of outrage has made a deep 
 impression upon the Americaa mind. Citizens of eve- 
 ry political denomination are rallying around the stan- 
 dard of their country ; and pledging their lives and for- 
 tunes in support of their rights. 
 
 "I should do injustice to the well known patriotism 
 of our territory, to suppose that either yourselves or 
 your constituents, gentlemen, felt less on this interest- 
 ing occasion than the rest of your countrymen. 
 
 "We are, from our situation, peculiarly interested in 
 the contest which is likely to ensue ; for who does not 
 know that the tomahawk and scalping knife of the sav- 
 age are always employed as the instruments of British 
 vengeance. At this moment, fellow-citizens, as I sin- 
 cerely believe, their agents are organizing a combina- 
 tion amongst the Indians within our limits for the pur- 
 pose of assassination and murder. And if these, their 
 worthy allies, are not let loose to slaughter our women 
 
id chiidreu it will not proceed from the humanity and 
 icrcy of a nation which vainly boasts of her attain- 
 icnts in every art and science. 
 
 "At this important crisis hut one sentiment should 
 limate the breast of every true American : disi-egard- 
 ig- every personal consideration, he should tliink only 
 r the tie which binds him to his country ; confiding- in 
 le wisdom and firmness of his government, he should 
 aticntly wait the signal which calls him to the field, 
 [ow deep the humiliation, how lasting the disgrace, how 
 ijurious to the cause of republicanism, should the blood 
 four murdered fellow-citizens remain unsatisfied or 
 m-evenged. But it cannot be. Americans must prize 
 »o highly their dear bought rights, tamely to surrender 
 lem to the proud nation from which they were wres- 
 sd. A beneficent and discriminating Providence will 
 lake us the objects of its peculiar care. Another 
 i^ashington will arise to lead our armies to victory and 
 lory, and the tyrants of the world will be taught the 
 seful lessons that a nation of freemen are not to be in- 
 ired with impunity." 
 
 Thus spoke the patiioi HARRISON, the very man 
 ho was called by the country to lead our armies to 
 ctory and glory. 
 
 Before his appointment of Major General as Gover- 
 or of Indiana, he commanded in person the troops rai- 
 id for the defence of the frontiers and to avenge the 
 Lidian murders, which had been committed by British 
 istigation, upon the inhabitants of our western settle- 
 lents. AVhen Governor, he fought and gained the 
 loody battle of Tippecanoe, upon the Wabash. 
 
 Tecumseh, and his brother the Prophet, had the ad- 
 ress to bring about a combination of several Indian 
 nbes against the United States. A number of outra- 
 es had been perpetrated, and the most shocking mur- 
 ers committed. Governor Harrison at the head of 
 le Indiana militia, a small body of the United States 
 oops, and a detachment of Kentucky militia and voj" 
 
10 
 
 unteers, marched to the Prophet's town upon the Wa- 
 bash, in order to break up the Indian league, or chas- 
 tise the savages into submission. The Shawanoe 
 Prophet, had collected a large number of warriors, ar- 
 med with British muskets, and supplied with British 
 powder, and inspired them with a belief of the certain 
 conquest of the whites. By a rapid march, and some- 
 what circuitous route. Gov. Harrison suddenly appear- 
 ed before the Prophet's town, and encamped upon the 
 Tippecanoe, a tributary of the Wabash, on the sixth of 
 November, 1811. The troops were ordered to sleep 
 upon their arms, and arrangements made in case of an 
 attack in the night. At half past 4 o'clock in the mor- 
 ning of the 7th, Governor Harrison, had arisen, and in 
 two minutes more, a signal would have been given for 
 the whole army to rise and form. At that moment the 
 gnard were killed by arrows, and the savages headed by 
 the Prophet himself, rushed so furiously to the attack, 
 with tremendous yells, that some of them entered the 
 camp, before many of our men could get out of their 
 tents. The troops were quickly formed, and Governor 
 Harrison, immediately, in person, repaired to the point 
 of attack, and ordered two companies to the support of 
 tlie assailed whose line had become broken. The In- 
 dians being repulsed in this quarter, commenced a hea- 
 vy fire upon the left of the front line of Infantry under 
 the command of Major Floyd. In a moment Govern- 
 or Harrison threw himself at their head, and perceiving 
 that the heaviest fire proceeded from some trees about 
 twenty yards in front, ordered Major Davies, a distin- 
 guished lawyer and orator who volunteered for the ex- 
 pedition, to dissolve them with his dragoons. Major 
 Davies gallantly advanced to the attack, but he was 
 mortally wounded, and his party driven back. Capt. 
 Snelling, at the head of his company, immediately mo- 
 ved forward, when they were dislodged, and driven from 
 their advantageous position. The attack then became 
 general along the left flank, the whole front, the right 
 
11 
 
 flank and part of the rear line, and lasted until aboni 
 day-break, amid deafening yells and terrible carnage. 
 Governor Harrison went along the lines, encouraging 
 the troops to hold out until da3^1ight, to keep the lines 
 entire, when a general and effectual charge would be 
 made. Foreseeing that the enemy would make the 
 last efforts upon the flanks, reinforced the right and left, 
 and gave orders for the charge as soon as the morning 
 appeared. As was anticipated, the Indians made, just 
 at day-break, a desperate assault upon the right and 
 left flanks, with a savage fury, uncommon even with 
 them. The judgment and foresight of the gallant Har- 
 rison had prepared the troops for their reception at these 
 points. Immediately after the assault, our troops were 
 ordered to charge, when the Indians were routed with 
 great slaughter, being driven at the point of the bayon- 
 et, by the infantry, and pursued by the dragoons into 
 a marsh, where they could not be followed. In this 
 battle, which resulted in a decisive victory over a sav- 
 age foe, nearly two hundred of our brave troops were 
 either killed or wounded. Gov. Harrison, himself, was 
 shot through the hat, and slightly wounded in his head. 
 The Indians suffered still more ; and many of the tribes, 
 disappointed at the result, left the fortunes of the Sha- 
 wanoe Prophet. 
 
 The Legislatures of Indiana and Kentucky, by the 
 following, showed how much the services of this patriot 
 were appreciated at the time. 
 
 The following is an extract from a communication of Gen. 
 
 W. Johnson,^ io his Excellency, William Henry* 
 
 Harrison, Governor and Commander-in-Chief 
 
 in and over the Indiana Territonj, JVov. 1811. 
 
 "Sir: — The House of Representatives of the India- 
 na Territory, in their own name, and in behalf of their 
 constituents, most cordially reciprocate the congratula- 
 tions of your Excellency on the GLORIOUS RESULT 
 of the late sanguinary conflict with the Shawanoe Pro- 
 phet, and the tribes of Indians confederated with him ; 
 
12 
 
 and when we see displayed in behalf of our country, 
 not only the consummate abilities of the genera], 
 but the HEROISM of the man ; and when we take into 
 view the benefits which must result to our country, for 
 those exertions, we cannot, for a moment, withhold the 
 meed of our applause." 
 
 The following resolution passed the Kentucky Legislature^ 
 January 7, 1812. 
 
 ''Resolved, By the Senate and House of the State of 
 Kentucky, that in the late campaign against the In- 
 dians upon the Wabash, Gov. William Henry Har- 
 rison has behaved like a Hero, a Patriot, and a Gen- 
 eral ; and that for his cool, deliberate, skillful, and gal- 
 lant conduct in the battle of Tippecanoe, he well de- 
 serves the warmest thanks of his country and the na- 
 tion." 
 
 After this battle. Governor Harrison issued his proc- 
 lamation for volunteers, and in a few days, more men 
 flocked to his standard than were wanted, and about 
 1200 from Kentucky returned home, but held them- 
 selves in readiness to march at a moment's warning. — 
 At the call of their beloved HARRISON, says a wri- 
 ter at the time, great numbers of mounted Riflemen, 
 j oined him for a term of forty days, and found them- 
 selves with provisions. 
 
 It was the original design of the Government, that 
 General Winchester, a respectable officer and soldier 
 of the Revolution, should have the command of the 
 Northwestern Army. In consequence of which, Gov. 
 Harrison, on his arrival at Fort Wayne, took leave of 
 the army, in an affectionate manner, and set out for 
 Indiana Territory, with a body of troops, to break up 
 the settlements of the hostile savages. But President 
 Madison, seeing the confidence the western people re- 
 posed in Governor Harrison, appointed him Comman- 
 der-in-Chief— and his commission reached him a few 
 days after bis resignation to Gen. Winchester. From 
 thence commenced one of the most difficult, importan, 
 
15 
 
 and finally successful scenes of operation, during the 
 kte war. 
 
 In the spring of 1813, he commanded the army, and 
 defended Fort Meigs upon the Maumee, successfully 
 against a large British and Indian force, with a garrison, 
 wholly inadequate to the duty, and with a small supply 
 of balls, which fact he kept secret. This defence was 
 amongst the most striking events of the war of 1812, 
 and inspired the Americans with confidence, from one 
 end of the Union to the other. Niles in his Register, 
 in giving an account of the defence, says, "We now 
 begin to see the fruition of our hopes in the gallant ex- 
 ertions of the western people and their beloved chieftain 
 HARRISON, whose official despatch, will warm the 
 heart of every ^^merican.^^ A series of disasters on the 
 Canadian frontier, and the clamor of a violent and un- 
 principled opposition had caused some of the best friends 
 of the country to begin to fear the result. But the gal- 
 lant defence of Fort Meigs by Harrison, turned back 
 the tide of war, loosened the bonds of that unholy alli- 
 ance between the British and the Indians, and gave 
 hope and vigor to the armies of the Republic. Gen. 
 Proctor, the commander of the British forces, fled, and 
 2000 of his Indian allies left the British service, in a 
 state of dissatisfaction at the result. 
 
 On the 5th of October, he fought the glorious and 
 memorable battle of the Thames, which drove the ene- 
 my from the North Western Territory, and gave secu- 
 rity to the inhabitants of the western frontiers. The 
 British and Indians under the command of Gen. Proc- 
 tor and Tecumseh, had taken up a strong position be- 
 tween the River Thames on one side and a swamp on 
 the other — a beach forest lay in front between the swamp 
 and the river, of about 250 yards in width. In a few 
 moments Gen. Harrison arranged the order of battle, 
 and by a manoeuvre never before tried, routed the Brit- 
 ish by charging them through the centre of his lines, 
 with his mounted riflemen ; General Trotter's brigade 
 
 2 
 
14 
 
 of 500 men formed the front line, his right upon the 
 centre and his left upon the swamp. Gen. King's hrig* 
 ade, a second line 150 yards in the rear of Trotter j 
 and Gc;^. Chiles' as a corps of reserve in the rear of it 
 These brigades were put under the command of Gen. 
 Henry. Gen. Desha's division was formed between 
 Gen. Trotter and the River Thames. He then direc- 
 ted Col. Johnson's regiment of mounted riflemen to be 
 formed in front of all, in two lines opposite the enemy, 
 and upon the advance of the infantry, to take ground 
 to the left, and forming upon the flank, to endeavor to 
 turn the right of the Indians. A moment's reflection 
 convinced Gen. Harrison, that, from the thickness of 
 the woods, and the swampiness of the ground, they 
 would be rendered useless on horseback. There was 
 no time to dismount and place their horses in security. 
 He therefore determined to break the British lines, at 
 once, by a charge of the mounted infantry. The meas- 
 ure was not sanctioned by any precedent ; but knowing 
 the character of the back-woodsmen, and that a musket 
 or rifle was no impediment to them on horseback, he was 
 persuaded that the enemy would be quite unprepared 
 for the shock, and could not resist it. He, therefore, 
 directed that the mounted regiment should be drawn up 
 in close column, and charge, with rifles, at full speed, 
 upon the enemy as soon as they had delivered their first 
 fire. The venerable Gov. Shelby, at the age of sixty- 
 six, was posted to command the wing near the river, 
 while Gen. Harrison placed himself at the head of the 
 front line of infantry,'to direct the movements of the 
 cavalry and give them the necessary support. Com- 
 modore Perry, the hero of Lake Erie, and Brig. Gen. 
 Cass, now Secretary of War, volunteered as Aid-de- 
 camps to Gen. Harrison, and assisted him in the exe- 
 cution of his orders. The army had moved on in this 
 order but a short distance, when the mounted men re- 
 ceived the fire of the British line, and were ordered to 
 charge. The horses in front recoiled at the fire of the 
 
15 
 
 enemy. Another fire came from the British line. The 
 whole American column moved vigorously to the at- 
 tack — the mounted riflemen charged with impetuosity, 
 and in a moment the American column broke through 
 the enemy with irresistible force. The British officers 
 seeing no hopes of reducing their broken ranks to or- 
 der, and the mounted men wheeling upon them and 
 pouring in a destructive fire, surrendered. Upon the 
 left the contest was more severe with the Indians. Col. 
 Johnson commanded on that flank of his regiment, and 
 received and returned a tremendous fire. The Indians 
 also attacked the right, but Gov. Shelby brought up a 
 regiment to its support, and the enemy receiving a se- 
 vere fire on the front by the division under General 
 Harrison in person, retreated with precipitation. The 
 whole British force was taken prisoners ; Gen. Proctor, 
 with a few others, alone escaping by the fleetness of 
 ■.heir horses. Such is a brief account of Harrison's 
 victory on the banks of the Thames. It drove the ene- 
 ny from our borders in the west, and restored a prov- 
 ace lost by the treachery of Hull. 
 
 After the war. Gen. Harrison retired from the army 
 o his residence a few miles below Cincinnati, upon the 
 )anks of the Ohio. Here, like Cincinnatus, he culti- 
 t^ated his farm for his support, beloved by his friends 
 md honored by his country. But he was not long suf- 
 fered to remain in private life. 
 
 He was elected to represent the congressional dis- 
 trict composed of Hamilton county and the city of Cin- 
 cinnati in the councils of the nation, in 1816 ; and 
 while there, endeavored to call the attention of the na- 
 'ional legislature to a better organization of the militia. 
 Considering the militia the only real republican de- 
 fence of the nation against foreign invasion and domes- 
 :ic insurrection, he advocated a plan of encouragement 
 calculated to raise this right arm of national strength in 
 public estimation. But the nation was not then pre- 
 pared to make the reform. Upon the news of the death 
 
16 
 
 oi the brave Kosciusko, the companion of WashiHgtotf 
 in the revolution, and the hero who fell covered with 
 wounds, for Polish liberty ; he offered a resolution of 
 respect to his memory, and supported his resolution in 
 a beautiful and classical speech, which is recorded in 
 Nile's Reg-ister for 1817, and which does great credit 
 to him as a speaker. At the end of his congressional 
 term he declined a re-election, and retired again to his 
 farm. But in 1822, he was elected to represent the 
 State of Ohio in the Senate of the United States, and 
 continued in that body until 1828, where he fully sus- 
 tained his high reputation. Coming into Congress at 
 the close of the war and continuing, either in the 
 House or the Senate, about eight years, he assisted to 
 bring the country into a train of measures which resto- 
 red the finances, which had become distracted during 
 the contest with Great Britain, built up our domestic 
 industry, and commenced that system of internal im- 
 provement which has in so short a period, changed the 
 very face of our country. 
 
 In 1828 and 1829, he represented the country, as 
 Minister to the Republic of Colombia, and since his 
 return, has retired to his residence upon the banks of 
 the Ohio, and literally, like the illustrious Roman, gone 
 back to his plough, and from the industry of his own 
 hands, supported a large family, which chance and mis- 
 fortune have made dependant upon him. He is repre- 
 sented as one of the most practical farmers in Hamiltoa 
 County. 
 
 Such are the outlines of Gen. Harrison's services. — 
 The details of it may be found in the history of the 
 country. He rose from his own merit, his activity, his 
 fearlessness, his integrity, step by step to one of the 
 highest stations in the army, to the highest civil trusts, 
 and has always filled every station with dignity, ability 
 and success. 
 
 Although lightly made, and effeminate in appearance 
 when young, yet he strengthened by hardships, an(^ 
 
17 
 
 hardened in the service. He has borne more hardships 
 than most soldiers that served under him. He never 
 slept more than four or live hours when near an enemy. 
 During the siege of Fort Meigs, which continued a week, 
 he had only one hour's sleep each night, and some- 
 times not even that. During his last campaign, which 
 terminated in the victory of the Thames, his bedding 
 was a single blanket fastened over his saddle, and even 
 this he gave up to a wounded officer. Although pos- 
 sessed of an ardent temperament and great decision of 
 character, he is generous, kind, and never revengeful. 
 He is proverbially strict, prompt and exact in all his 
 public and private duties. He was beloved by his sol- 
 diers ; and where he resides, has, from the earUeet 
 times, possessed great popularity. As a soldier, he was 
 brave, vigilant, prudent and successful ; as a statesman, 
 he has been sagacious, useful, and wise ; in private life, 
 respected and beloved. HIS MORAL CHARACTER 
 IS WITHOUT REPROACH. Although a brave and 
 successful commander, no man can accuse /dm of one dis- 
 obedience to the laws, or of one violation of the constitution 
 of his cowitry. He possesses the true bravery of the 
 school of Washington, for cruelty and violence never 
 found a place in his character. His services have been 
 many, his sufferings great, and verily he deserves the 
 gratitude of his countrymen. Such is an imperfect 
 sketch of the public services of that patriot and states- 
 man, Gen. WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 
 
 €€€»»^ 
 
 LETTER 
 
 •^Mdressed by WILLIAM H. IMRRISOJ^, to SI-^ 
 
 MOK BOLIVAR, President Liberator of Colombia, 
 when he was about to assume Despotic Power. 
 
 Bogota, 27th September, 1829. 
 Sir, — If there is any thing in the style, the matter, 
 
 2* 
 
18 
 
 or the object of this letter, which is calculated to give 
 offence to your Excellency, I am persuaded you will 
 readily forgive it, when you reflect on the motives which 
 induced me to write it. An old soldier could possess 
 no feelings but those of the kindest character, towards 
 one who has shed so much lustre on the profession of 
 arms ; nor can a citizen of the country of Washing-ton 
 cease to wish that, in Bolivar, the world might behold 
 another instance of the highest military attainments, 
 united with the purest patriotism, and the greatest ca- 
 pacity for civil Government. 
 
 Such, sir, have been the fond hopes, not only of the 
 People of the United States, but of the friends of liber- 
 ty throughout the world. I will not say that your Ex- 
 cellency has formed projects to defeat these hopes. 
 But, there is no doubt, that they have not only been 
 formed, but are, at this moment, in progress to maturi- 
 ty, and openly avowed by those who possess your en- 
 tire confidence. I will not attribute to these men im- 
 pure motives ; but can they be disinterested advisers 1 
 Are they not the very persons who will gain most by 
 the proposed change 1 who will, indeed, gain all that is 
 to be gained, without furnishing any part of the equiv- 
 alent 1 That that, the price of their future wealth and 
 honors, is to be furnished exclusively by yourself? 
 And of what does it consist ? Your great character. 
 Such a one, that, if a man were wise, and possessed 
 of the Empire of the Caesars, in its best days, he would 
 give all to obtain. Are you prepared to make this sac- 
 rifice, for such an object ] 
 
 I am persuaded that those who advocate these meas^ 
 ures, have never dared to induce you to adopt them, by 
 any argument founded on your personal interests ; ar^ 
 that to succeed, it would be necessary to convince you 
 that no other course remained, to save the country from 
 anarchy. This is the question, then, to be examined. 
 
 Does the history of this country, since the adoption 
 of the Constitution, really exhibit unequivocal evi-^ 
 
11^ 
 
 dence that the People are unfit to be free 1 Is the eZ" 
 ploded opinion of a European Philosopher, of the last 
 age, that, "in the new hemisphere, man is a degraded 
 being," to be renewed, supported by the example of 
 Colombia ? The proofs should, indeed be strong, to 
 induce an American to adopt an opinion so humiliating. 
 
 Feeling always a deep interest in the success of th& 
 Revolutions in the late Spanish America, I have never 
 been an inattentive observer of events, pending, and 
 posterior to the achievement of its independence. In 
 these events, I search, in vain, for a single fact to show 
 that, in Colombia, at least, the state of society is unsuit- 
 ed to the adoption of a free Government. Will it be 
 said that a free Government did exist, but, being found 
 inadequate to the objects for which it had been institu- 
 ted, it had been superceded by one of a different char- 
 acter with the concurrence of the majority of the Peo- 
 ple. 
 
 It is the most difficult thing in the world for me to 
 believe that a People in the possession of their rights, 
 as freemen, would ever be willing to surrender them, 
 and submit themselves, to the will of a master. If any 
 such instances are on record, the power thus transfer- 
 red has been in a moment of extreme. pubhc danger, 
 and, then limited to a very short period. I do not think 
 that it is by any means certain, that the majority of the 
 French People, favored the elevation of Napoleon to 
 the throne of France. But, if it were so, how differ- 
 ent were the ciicumstances of that country, from those 
 of Colombia, when the Constitution of Concuta was o- 
 verthrown. At the period of the elevation of Napoleon 
 to the first Consulate, all the powers of Europe were 
 the open or secret enemies of France — civil war raged 
 within her borders ; the hereditary king possessed ma- 
 ny partisans in every province ; the People, betrayed 
 by the factions which murdered and succeeded each 
 other, had imbibed a portion of their ferocity, and eve- 
 Tj town and village, witnessed the indiscriminate slaugh^ 
 
20 
 
 ter of both men and women, of all parties and princi- 
 ples. Does the history of Colombia, since the expul- 
 sion of the Spaniards, present any parallel to these 
 scenes ? Her frontiers have been never seriously men- 
 aced — no civil war has raged — not a portion of her for- 
 mer Government was to be found in the whole extent 
 of her territory — no factions contended with each oth- 
 er for the possession of power ; the Executive Gov- 
 ernment remained in the hands of those to whom it had 
 been committed by the People, in a fair election. In 
 fact, no People ever passed from under the yoke of a 
 despotic Government, to the enjoyment of entire free- 
 dom, with less disposition to abuse their newly acquired 
 power, than those of Colombia. They submitted, in- 
 deed, to a continuance of some of the most arbitrary 
 and unjust features which distinguished the former Gov- 
 ernment, if there was any disposition on the part of 
 the great mass of the People, to effect any change in 
 the existing order of things ; if the Colombians act 
 from the same motives and upon the same principles 
 which govern mankind elsewhere, and in all ages, they 
 would have desired to take from the Government a part 
 of the power, which, in their inexperience, they had 
 confided to it. The monopoly of certain articles of ag- 
 ricultural produce, and the oppressive duty of the Al- 
 cavala, might have been tolerated, until the last of their 
 tyrants were driven from the country. But when peace 
 was restored, when not one enemy remained within its 
 borders, it might reasonably have been supposed that 
 the People would have desired to abolish these remains 
 of arbitrary Government, and substitute for them some 
 tax more equal and accordant with republican princi- 
 ples. 
 
 On the contrary, it is pretended, that they had be- 
 come enamored with these despotic measures, and so 
 disgusted with the freedom they did enjoy, that they 
 -were more than willing to commit their destinies to the 
 
^dhcontrolled will of your Excellency. Let me assui'S 
 you, sir, that these assertions will gain no credit with 
 the present generation, or with posterity. They wiU 
 demand the facts, which had induced a People, by no 
 means deficient in intelligence, so soon to abandon the 
 principles for which they had so gallantly fought, and 
 tamely surrender that liberty, which had been ob- 
 tained at the expense of so much blood. And what 
 facts can be produced ? It cannot be said that life and 
 property were not as well protected, under the Repub- 
 lican Government, as they have ever been ; nor that 
 there existed any opposition to the Constitution and 
 law, too strong for the ordinary powers of the Govern- 
 ment to put down. 
 
 If the insurrection of General Paez, in Venezuelaj is 
 adduced, I would ask, by what means was he reduced 
 to obedience 1 Your Excellency, the legitimate head 
 •f the Republic, appeared, and, in a moment, all oppo*- 
 sition ceased, and Venezuela was restored to the Re- 
 public. But, it is said, that this was effected by your 
 personal influence, or the dread of your military talent, 
 and that, to keep General Paez, and other ambitious 
 chiefs, from dismembering the Republic, it was neces- 
 sary to invest your Excellency with the extraordinary 
 powers you possess. There would be some reason in 
 this, if you had refused to act without these powers ; 
 or having acted, as you did, you had been unable to 
 accomplish any thing without them. But you succee- 
 ded, completely, and there can be no possible reason 
 assigned, why you would not have succeeded, with the 
 same means, against any future attempt of General Pa- 
 ez, or any other General. 
 
 There appears, however, to be one sentiment, in 
 which all parties unite ; that is, that as matters now 
 stand, you alone can save the country from ruin, at 
 'least, from nmch calamity. They differ, however, ve- 
 ry widely, as to the measures to be taken to put your 
 Excellency in the way to render this important service. 
 
The lesser, and more interested party, is for placing tho 
 Government in your hands for life ; either with your 
 present title, or with one which it must be confessed, 
 better accords with the nature of the powers to be ex- 
 ercised. If they adopt the less offensive title, and if 
 they weave into their system some apparent check to 
 your will, it is only for the purpose of masking, in some 
 degree, their real object ; which is nothing short of the 
 establishment of a despotism. The plea of necessity, 
 that eternal argument of all conspirators, ancient or 
 modern, against the rights of mankind, will be resorted 
 to, to induce you to accede to their measures ; and the 
 unsettled state of the country, which has been design- 
 edly produced by them, will be adduced as evidence of 
 that necessity. 
 
 There is but one way for your Excellency to escape 
 from the snares which have been so artfully laid to en- 
 trap you, and that is, to stop short in the course which, 
 unfortunately, has been already commenced. Every 
 step you advance, under the influence of such councils, 
 will make retreat more difficult, until it will become im- 
 practicable. You will be told that the intention is only 
 to vest you with authority to correct what is wrong in 
 the Administration, and to put down the factions, and, 
 that, when the country once enjoys tranquility, the 
 Government may be restored to the People. Delusive 
 will be the hopes of those who rely upon this declara- 
 tion. The promised hour of tranquility will never ar- 
 rive. If events tended to produce it, they would be 
 counteracted by the Government itself. It was a 
 strong remark of a former President of the United 
 States, that, "Sooner will the lover be contented with 
 the first smiles of his mistress, than a Government cease 
 to endeavor to preserve and extend its powers." With 
 whatever reluctance your Excellency may commence 
 the career ; with whatever disposition to abandon it 
 when the objects for which it was commenced have 
 been obtained ; when once fairly entered, you will be 
 
borne along by the irresistible force of pride, habit o'' 
 command, and need, for self-preservation ; and it wil 
 be impossible to recede. 
 
 But, it is said, that it is for the benefit of the People 
 that the proposed change is to be made ; and that by 
 your talents and influence, alone, aided by unlimited 
 power, the ambitious chiefs in the different departments 
 are to be restrained, and the integrity of the republic 
 preserved. I have said, and 1 most sincerely believe, 
 that, from the state into which the country has been 
 brought, that you alone can preserve it from the horror? 
 of anarchy. But I cannot conceive that any extraor- 
 dinary powers are necessary. The authority to set 
 that the laws are executed ; to call out the strength ol 
 the country to enforce their execution, is all that is re- 
 quired, and is what is possessed by the Chief Magistrate 
 of the United States, and of every other Republic ; and 
 is what was confided to the Executive, by the Consti- 
 tion of Cucuta. Would your talents or your energies 
 be impaired in the council, or the field, or your influ- 
 ence lessened, when acting as head of a Republic 1 ^ 
 
 I propose to examine, very briefly, the results which 
 are likely to flow from the proposed change of govern- 
 ment : 1st, in relation to the country ; and, 2d, to your- 
 self, personally. Is the tranquility of the country to be 
 secured by it ? Is it possible for your Excellency to 
 believe, that when the mask has been thrown off, and 
 the people discover that a despotic government has been 
 fixed upon them, that they will quietly submit to it ? 
 Will they forget the pass word which, like the cross of 
 fire, was the signal for rallying to oppose their former 
 tyrants 1 ^\'ill the virgins, at your bidding, cease tc 
 chaunt the songs of Liberty, which so lately animatec 
 the youth to victory ? Was the patriotic blood of Co- 
 lombia all expended in the fields of Nargas, B&yacaU, 
 and Carebobo '? The schools may cease to enforce 
 upon their pupils the love of country, drawn from the 
 examples of Cato and the Bruti, Ilarmodius and Aris- 
 
u 
 
 togitiD, but the glorious example of patriotic devotiofty 
 ^exhibited in your own Hacienda, will supply their 
 place. Depend on it, sir, that the moment which shall 
 announce the continuance of arbitrary power in your 
 hands will be the commencement of commotions which 
 will require all your talents and energies to suppress. 
 You may succeed. The disciplined army, at your dis- 
 posal may be too powerful for an unarmed, undisciplin- 
 ed, and scattered population ; but one unsuccessful ef- 
 fort will not content them, and your feelings will be 
 eternally racked by being obliged to make war upon 
 those who have been accustomed to call you their fa- 
 ther, and to invoke blessings on your head, and for no 
 cause but their adherence to principles which you your- 
 self had taught them to regard more than their lives. 
 
 If by the strong government which the advocates for 
 the proposed change so strenuously recommend, one 
 without responsibility is intended, which may put men 
 to death, and immure them in dungeons, without trial, 
 and one where the army is every thing, and the people 
 nothing, I must say, that, if the tranquility of Colombia 
 is to be preserved in this way, the widest anarchy would 
 be preferable. Out of that anarchy a better govern- 
 ment might arise ; but the chains of military despotism 
 once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass away be* 
 fore they could be shaken off. 
 
 But I contend that the strongest of governments is 
 that which is most free. We consider that of the Uni- 
 ted States as the strongest, precisely, because it is the 
 most free. It possesses the faculties, equally to pro- 
 tect itself from foreign force or internal convulsion. In 
 both, it has been sufficiently tried. In no country upon 
 earth, would an armed opposition to the laws be sooner 
 or more effectually put down. Not so much by the 
 terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, as from the arou- 
 sed determination of the nation, exhibiting their strength, 
 and convincing the factious that their cause was hope- 
 less. No, sir, depend upon it, that the possession ci 
 
^5 
 
 arbitrary power, by the government of Colombia, will 
 not be the means of securing its tranquility ; nor will 
 the danger of disturbances solely arise from the opposi- 
 tion of the People. The power, and military force 
 which it will be necessary to put into the hands of the 
 Governors of the distant provinces, added to the nature 
 of the country, will continually present to those officers 
 the temptation, and the means of revolt. 
 
 Will the proposed change restore prosperity to the 
 country 1 With the best intentions to do so, will you 
 be able to recall commerce to its shores and give new 
 life to the drooping state of agriculture 1 The cause of 
 the constant decline, in these great interests, cannot be 
 mistaken. It arises from the fewness of those who la- 
 bor, and the nunaber of those who are to be supported 
 by that labor. To support a swarm of luxurious and 
 idle monks, and an army greatly disproportioned to the 
 resources of the country, with a body of officers, in a 
 tenfold degree disproportioned to the army, every branch 
 of industry is oppressed with burdens which deprive the 
 ingenious man of the profits of his ingenuity, and the 
 laborer of his reward. To satisfy the constant and 
 pressing demands which are made upon it, the Treas* 
 ury seizes upon every thing within its grasp — destroy- 
 ing the very germ of future prosperity. Is there any 
 prospect that these evils will cease with the proposed 
 change ? Can the army be dispensed with t — Will the 
 influence of the monks be no longer necessary. Be- 
 lieve me, sir, that the support which the government 
 derives from both these sources, will be more than ev- 
 €r requisite. 
 
 But the most important inquiry is, the effect which 
 this strong government is to have upon the people them- 
 selves. Will it tend to improve and elevate their char- 
 acter, and fit them for the freedom which it is preten- 
 ded is ultimately to be bestowed upon them? The 
 question has been answered from the age of Homer. 
 Man does not,learn under oppression those noble qualitiei 
 
 3 
 
26 
 
 and feelings which fit him for the enjoyment of Hber- 
 ty — Nor is despotism the proper school in which to ac- 
 quire the knowledge of the principles of Republican 
 government. A government whose revenues are deri- 
 ved from diverting the very sources of wealth from its 
 subjects, will not find the means of improving the mor- 
 als and enlightening the minds of the youth, by suppor- 
 ting systems of liberal education ; and if it could, it 
 would not. 
 
 In relation to the efi'ect which this investment of pow- 
 er is to have upon your happiness and your fame, will 
 the pomp and glitter of a court, and the flattery of ve- 
 nal courtiers reward you for the troubles and anxieties 
 attendant upon the exercise of sovereignty, every where 
 and those which flow from your peculiar situation ? Or 
 power, supported by the bayonet, for that willing hom- 
 age which you were wont to receive from your fellow- 
 citizens ? The groans of a dissatisfied and oppressed 
 people will penetrate the inmost recesses of your pal- 
 ace, and you will be tortured by the reflection, that 
 you no longer possess that place in their affections, which 
 was once your pride and boast, and which would have 
 been your solace under every reverse of fortune. Un- 
 supported by the people ; your authority can be main- 
 tained, only by the terrors of the sword and the scaf- 
 fold. And have these ever been successful under sim- 
 ilar circumstances ? Blood may smother, for a period, 
 but can never extinguish the fire of liberty, which you 
 have contributed so much to kindle in the bosom of 
 every Colombian. 
 
 I will not urge as an argument, the personal dangers 
 to which you will be exposed. But I will ask if you 
 could enjoy life, which would be preserved by the con- 
 stant execution of so many human beings — your coun- 
 trymen — your former friends and almost your worship- 
 pers. The pangs of such a situation will be made 
 more acute, by reflecting on the hallowed motive of 
 iTfiany of those who would aim their daggers at your 
 
27 
 
 $ 
 
 bosom. That like the last of the Romans, they would 
 strike, not from hatred to the man, bnt love to the 
 country. 
 
 From a knowledge of our own disposition, and pres- 
 ent feelings, your Excellency will not be willing to be- 
 lieve, that you could ever be brought to commit an act 
 of tyranny, or even to execute justice with unnecessary 
 vigor. But trust me, sir, that there is nothing more 
 corrupting, or more destructive of the finest and no- 
 blest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlim- 
 ited power. The man who, in the beginning of such a 
 career, might shudder at the idea of taking away the 
 life of a fellow being, might soon have his conscience 
 so seared by the repetition of crime, that the agonies 
 of his murdered victims might become music to his soul, 
 and the drippings of the scaffold aftbrd "blood enough 
 to swim in." History is full of such examples. 
 
 From this disgusting picture, permit me to call the 
 attention of your Excellency to one of a difterent char- 
 acter. It exhibits you as the constitutional Chief Mag- 
 istrate of a free people. Giving to their representa- 
 tives the influence of your great name and talents, to 
 reform the abuses which in a long reign of tyranny and 
 misrule, have fastened upon every branch of the admin- 
 istration. The army and its swarm of officers, redu- 
 ced within the limits of real usefulness, placed on the 
 frontiers, would be no longer permitted to control pub- 
 lic opinion, and be the terror of the peaceful citizen. 
 By the removal of this incubus from the treasury, and 
 the establishment of order, responsibility and economy, 
 in the expenditures of the Government, it would soon 
 be enabled to dispense with the odious monopolies, and 
 the duty of the Alcavala, which have operated with so 
 malign an etiect upon commerce and agriculture, and 
 indeed, upon the revenues which they were intended 
 to augment. No longer oppressed by these shackles, 
 industry would every where revive ; the farmer and the 
 artizan, cheered by the prospect of ample reward for 
 
^8 
 
 their labor, would redouble their exertions ; foreigner^^ 
 with their capital and their skill in the arts would 
 crowd hither, to enjoy the advantage which could 
 scarcely, elsewhere, be found ; and Colombia would 
 soon exhibit the reality of the beautiful fiction of Fene- 
 Ion — Salentum rising from misery and oppression, to 
 prosperity and happiness, under the councils and direc- 
 tions of the concealed goddess. 
 
 What objection can be urged against this course ? 
 Can any one acquainted with the circumstances of the 
 country, doubt its success, in restoring and maintaining 
 tranquility. The people would certainly not revolt 
 against themselves ; and none of the Chiefs who are 
 supposed to be factiously inclined, would think of op- 
 posing the strength of the nation when directed by 
 your talents and authority. But it is said, that the 
 want of intelligence amongst the people unfits them for 
 their own Government. Is it not right, however, that 
 the experiment should be fairly tried ? I have already 
 said, that this has not been done. For myself, I do 
 not hesitate to declare my firm belief, that it will suc- 
 ceed. The people of Colombia possess many traits of 
 character, suitable for a republican government. A 
 more orderly, forbearing and well disposed people are no 
 where to be met with. Indeed, itmay safely be assert- 
 ed, that their faults and vices are attributable to the 
 cursed Government to which they have been so long 
 subjected, and to the intolerant character of the reli- 
 gion, whilst their virtues are all their own. But ad- 
 mitting their present want of intelhgence, no one has 
 ever doubted their capacity to acquire knowledge, and 
 under the strong motives which exist, to obtain it, sup- 
 ported by the influence of your Excellency, it would 
 soon be obtained. 
 
 To yourself the advantage would be as great as to 
 the country ; like acts of mercy, the blessings would be 
 reciprocal ; your personal happiness secured, and your 
 fame elevated to a height which would leave but a 
 
single competitor in the estimation of posterity^ 
 If the fame of our Washington depended upon his 
 military achievements, would the common consent of 
 the world allow him the pre-eminence he possesses ? 
 The victories at Trenton, Monmouth, and York, brill- 
 iant as they were, exhibiting as they certainly did, the 
 highest grade of military talents, are scarcely thought 
 of. The source of the veneration and esteem which is 
 entertained for his character, by every description of 
 politicians — the monarchist and aristocrat, as well as 
 the republican, is to be found in his undeviating and ex- 
 clusive devotedness to the interest of his country. No 
 selfish consideration was ever suffered to intrude itself 
 into his mind. For his country he conquered ; and the 
 unrivalled and increasing prosperity of that country is 
 constantly adding fresh glory to his name. Geiieral, 
 the course which he pursued is open to you, and it de- 
 pends upon yourself to attain the eminence which he 
 has reached before you. 
 
 To the eyes of military men, the laurels you won on 
 the fields of Vargas, Beyaca, and Carcbobo, will be for- 
 ever green ; but will that content you ? Are you wil- 
 hng that your name should descend to posterity, amongst 
 the mass of those whose fame has been derived from 
 shedding human blood, without a single advantage to 
 the human race ? Or, shall it be united to that of 
 Washington, as the founder and the father of a great 
 and happy people 1 The choice is before you. The 
 friends of liberty throughout the world, and the people 
 of the United States in particular, are waiting your de- 
 cision with intense anxiety. Alexander toiled and con- 
 quered to attain the applause of the Athenians ; will 
 you regard as nothing the opinions of a nation which 
 has evinced its superiority over that celebrated people, 
 in the science most useful to man, by having carried in- 
 to actual practice a system of government, of which the 
 wisest Athenians had but a glimpse in theory, and con- 
 sidered as a blessing never to be realized, however ar- 
 
30 
 
 dently to be desired ? The place which you are to oc- 
 cupy in their esteem depends upon yourself. 
 
 Farewell. 
 
 W. H. HARRISON, 
 
 39 f 1 
 
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