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WASHINGTONIA^^. 
 
 C O NT AI NI NG 
 
 A Sketch of the Life and Death 
 
 OF THE LATE 
 
 ($m, (George 'Wasljington : 
 
 A COLLECTION OF ELEGANT 
 
 EULOGIES, ORATIONS, POEMS, &c. 
 
 SACRED TO HIS MEMORY. .,»«..««>=* -^ 
 AN A P P E N Kfe-I A, 'V,^- '-^ 
 
 COMPRISING ALL HIS MOST VALUAbYe %»#t-lC„ PAPERS, 
 AND HIS LAST WILL AND TES' 
 
 LANCASTER: 
 
 Printed and Sold by William Hamilton, Franklin's Head, 
 
 in West King-Street. 
 
 1 80 2. 
 

-^N O T E- 
 
 IN the arrangement of the Orations^ isfc. the Editors 
 have not attempted to decide on their respective merits, nor 
 to designate the post of honor. Thejr have been published 
 in the order in ivhich they were collected. The late receipt 
 of the few last, has inhibited the satisfaction of giving them 
 an entire publication, 
 
 F. Johnston J 
 
 W. HAMILfON, 
 
 
NATIONAL TRIBUTE. 
 
 IN the House of Representatives of the United States, De- 
 cember 23, 1799, general Marshal made a report from the 
 joint committee appointed to consider a suitable mode of com- 
 memorating the death of general Washington. 
 
 He reported the following resolutions, -which passed both 
 houses unanimously : 
 
 Resolved, By the Senate and House of Representatives of 
 the United States of America, in Congress assembled^ That a 
 marble monument be creeled by the United States at the Capi- 
 tol of the city of Washington, and that the family of general 
 Washington be requested to permit his body to be deposited 
 under it, and that the monument be so designed as to comme- 
 morate the great events of his military and political life. 
 
 A}^D be it further resolved. That there be a funeral proces- 
 sion from congress-hall to the German lutheran church, in me- 
 mory of general George Washington, on Thursday the 26th 
 instant, and that an oration be prepared at the rtquest of con- 
 gress, to be delivered before both houses that day ; and that 
 the president of the senate, and speaker of the house of repre- 
 sentatives, be desired to request one of the members of con- 
 gress to prepare and deliver the same. 
 
 AuD be it further resolved., That it be recommended to 
 the people of the United States, to wear crape on their left 
 arm, as mourning, for thirty days. 
 
 And be it further resolved, That the president of the 
 United States be requested to direct a^P>y of these resolutions 
 to be transmitted to Mrs. Washington, assuring her of the pro- 
 found respedl congress will ever bear for her person and charac- 
 ter, of their condolence on the late affefting dispensation of pro- 
 vidence, and entreating her assent to the interment of the re- 
 mains of general Washington in the manner expressed in the 
 first resolution. 
 
vi NATIONAL TRIBUTE. 
 
 j^i^i} be it further resolved, That the president of the 
 United States be requested to issue his proclamation, notifying 
 to the people throughout the United States, the recommenda- 
 tioii contained in the third resolution. 
 
 A PROCLAMATION, 
 
 Sr THE PjiESIDENT OF THE UNIfED STAfES OF AMERICA. 
 
 WHEREAS the Congress of the United States " in honor 
 of the memory of general George Washington," have 
 this day resolved, " that it be recommended to the people of the 
 United States, to wear crape on the left arm, as mourning, for 
 thirty days ;" and, " that the president of the United States 
 be requested to issue a proclamation, notifying to the people 
 throughout the United States the said recommendation." Non^y 
 VBEREFORE, I, JOHN ADAMS, president of the United 
 States, do hereby proclaim the same accordingly, 
 
 GivFN under my hand and the seal of the United States, 
 at Philadelphia, the tAventy-fourth day of December, in 
 the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and 
 ninety-nine, and of the independence of the U. States 
 the twenty-fourth. 
 
 |k JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 Bj the President^ 
 
 Timothy Pickkring, Sec'ry of State. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, - 9 
 
 Tribute, by Doftor Aiken, - - 25 
 
 Eulogium, by General Lee, '-^ - , - 27 
 
 Major W. Jackson, ■*" - - 36 
 
 S. Chaudron, - - 55 
 
 Dodor Linn, - 72 
 
 Fisher Ames, Esq. ; - - 89 
 
 Hon. Gouverneur Morris, ' - 110 
 
 William C. Frazer, Esq. - - 119 
 
 Gunning Bedford, Esq. - 133 
 
 John Vining, Esq, - - 155 
 
 David Ramsay, M. D. - 162 
 
 General Frelinghuysen, - - 181 
 
 Charles Pinckney Sumner, - 192 
 
 Samuel Bayard, Er|. - - 203 
 
 William Griffith, Esq. - 215 
 
 Rev. Rosewell Messenger, - - 226 
 
 Rev. Samuel S. Smith, - 2S4. 
 
 Capt. Samuel White, - - 260. 
 
 David M'Keehan, Esq. - 267 
 
 Rev. Dr. Robert Davidson, - 280 
 
 John Davis, A. M. - - 286 
 
 Rev. Uzal Ogden, - 293 
 
 John Croes, A. M. - - 501 
 
 Doaor E. C. Dick, - 504 
 
 , Lewis Fontanes, - - 305 
 
 Chara£\er of General Washington, from a London 
 
 paper, _ _ . 307 
 
 Portrait of General Washington — by IVW Chastelleaux, 310 
 
 Sxetch of General Washington, from Brissott's Tra- 
 vels in North America, - - - 311 
 
 Extracl from an Elegiac Poem—By Charles Cald- 
 well, A. M. M. D. - - - 312 
 
 Extradl from a Poem — by Richard Alsop, - 316 
 
 Tribute, by Mr Paine, of Massachusetts, - ~ , 319 
 
Tiii CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Lines, from a London paper, - - - 319 
 
 On the death of General Washington, from a late 
 
 London paper, - - _ 320 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Gen. Washington's Circular Letter to the Governors 
 
 of the several States, - 1 
 
 Farewell Address, to the Armies 
 
 of the United States, - 12 
 
 Address to the People of the U. 
 States, on his retiring 
 from Public Life, - - 17 
 
 Letter to the President of the 
 United States, on accept- 
 ing the appointment of 
 Commander in Chief, - 34 
 
 Last Will and Testament, - 37 
 
 Address of the Officers of the Army of the United 
 
 States, to Congress, December 1782, - 60 
 
 Gen. Washington's Letter to Congress, relative to 
 
 the celebrated Anonymous Letters, - - 63 
 
 First Anonymous Letter, - - - 64 
 
 Second, ditto, - - - 68 
 
 Gen. Washington's Speech to the Officers, relative 
 
 to the Anonymous Let- 
 ters, - - - 70 
 Letter to the President of Con- 
 gress, on the same subjedl, - 75 
 
SKETCH 
 
 OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 <§m, tTOasiiingtott. 
 
 THIS illustrious charafter, the second son by a second mar* 
 riage of Augustine Washington, was born on the 
 1 1th of February, 1732, in the county of "Westmoreland, in the 
 state of Virginia. His ancestors removed from Yorkshire, in En- 
 gland, about the year l657, and settled in America. The par- 
 ticular objcfts of his juvenile studies, were, a critical know- 
 ledge of grammar, mathematics, particularly surveying, of which 
 he became the most elegant and correct master ; geography, his- 
 tory and iirtLural and moral philosophy. 
 
 In the year 1753 the French and Indians having committed 
 depredations on our defenceless frontiers, along the Allegheny 
 and Ohio rivers, the governor of Virginia, solicitous of for- 
 warding a remonstrance on this subjedl, to the commander in 
 chief of the enemies forces, and of preventing farther inroads 
 on our settlements, used every precaution to find a proper cha- 
 radler for this purpose, when our American hero, at that time 
 not 21 years of age, inspired with true fortitude, offered his 
 voluntary services on this hardy and perilous enterprize ; and, 
 after having executed the important duties required of him, 
 with great promptitude and sagacity, returned to Virginia, 
 where he received the sincerest congratulations, and warmest 
 thanks, of the governor and council ; and, as a mark of the 
 high estimation in which they viewed his talents and merit, was 
 appointed a major, and also adjutant -general of the Virginia 
 .troops. Two years after he became colonel of a regiment of 
 Virginians- and, although not yet 23 years old, displayed the 
 greatest address and valor, by marching into the western coun- 
 try, in the most inclement season, under difficulties that none 
 
 B 
 
10 $kp:tch of the life of 
 
 but a Washington could have surmounted — and there for a con- 
 siderable time maintained a war against the French and Indians, 
 whose force exceeded his at least three times in number ; and, 
 finally, after a severe and bloody conflift, defeated them. 
 
 The enemy being soon after reinforced with a number of 
 fresh troops, reduced the gallant Washington, after a defence 
 which evidenced the most unexampled bravery, to capitulate ; 
 on terms, however, highly honorable. He quitted the fort at 
 the head of his troops with the honors of war, and carried with 
 him all his military stores and baggage. Soon after, the unfortu- 
 nate Braddock, by his zeal and impetuous valor, was led into 
 an ambuscadd, in which he not only lost his own life, but the 
 greater part of his army were either slain or put to flight — the 
 remnants of which the military genius and address of colonel 
 Washington, who, upon this melancholy occasion afted as a 
 voluntary aid, soon rnlliprl, nnrl brought off in perfedl safety, 
 although under a pressure of perhaps the most imminent danger 
 that ever presented itself. He was the only otiitcr on horse- 
 back who was not either killed or wounded. 
 
 The ensuing campaign being crowned with success, rendered 
 it no longer necessary for him to continue his military pursuits ; 
 he, therefore, retired to the walks of private life, where he con- 
 tinued until after a lapse of about twenty years. During this pe- 
 riod he filled many of the most important offices, in the execution 
 of which he was celebrated for his promptitude, accuracy and 
 integrity. In the year 1759 he married the present Mrs. Wash- 
 ington, then the amiable and beautiful widow Custisj with a 
 fortune of thirty thousand pounds sterling. 
 
 In the year 1774 our first congress, composed of the most 
 illustrious charadlers, were assembled to devise such plans as 
 •would be likely to secure our liberties, now threatened by the 
 powerful hand of Great-Britain. In this dignified assembly he 
 contributed essentially in pointing out the wise measur<;s, which 
 •were adopted by that honorable body. The fatal blow having 
 at length been struck by Great-Britain, it became immediately 
 necessary to raise an army for our defence, at the head of which 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 1 1 
 
 the undaunted Washington was placed without disunion of vote 
 or even a competition. 
 
 In 1775 at Cambridge he entered upon the duties of his dig- 
 nified and important station of commander In chief — and here 
 the eloquence of man would be too feeble to describe the ardu- 
 ous task he had undertaken, in order to introduce discipline into 
 his new raised army, to obtain from them any effective services, 
 to supply them with arms and ammunition, with provisions, 
 with clothing and other essential necessaries ; in short, to make 
 them assume, even in a small degree, the appearance of an army 
 fit to contend with the veteran bands of Great-Britain. Early 
 in 1776 the British army, which he had for sometime confined 
 within the narrow limits of the town of Boston, were, in a great 
 measure, by his consummate prudence, reduced to the humiliat- 
 ing necessity of evacuating that place. In consequence of this 
 event he not only received a moat flattering- and affedlionate ad- 
 dress from the people of Massachusetts, but also the most dis- 
 tinguished mark of esteem from congress, viz. a medal struck 
 with appropriate emblems to perpetuate its remembrance^ 
 
 His next positions were New- York and Long-Island, where 
 difficulties pressed upon him much greater than those he had 
 experienced at Boston. His army was composed of some regu- 
 lar troops, and an undisciplined militia. In opposition to which 
 were 30,000 of the best troops Great-Britain could boast of, 
 seconded by the most powerful navy in the world. Thus cir- 
 cumstanced, like the famous Fabius, he confined himself to a 
 defensive war ; — he held a post as long as he could, and then 
 retreated to some more favorable position ; and thus by delaj 
 obtained that conquest which he could not wrest from the ene- 
 mies hands by active force. This prudent system of retreat 
 drew much clamor and invedlive upon him from the malevolent, 
 time-serving, little politicians of the day, some of whom even 
 dared to doubt that courage and decision, ample proofs of which 
 he has since so often manifested, during his military career .- 
 but his prudential and sound policy ; nay, his genuine magna- 
 nimity, submitted to these approbrious insinviations, whereby 
 he not only concealed from the enemy the real situation of his 
 
13 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 army, but also prevented the country from being overwhelmed 
 with a general panic. In the autumn of 1776 the British troops 
 having been generally successful in all their enterprizes against 
 our feeble force, pursued our retreating army into the state of 
 New-Jersey, under the strongest conviclion, that they would 
 soon reduce it to perfect submission ; and indeed this event was 
 the more to be apprehended, as the whole garrison of Fort Wash- 
 ington on the Hudson river, was about this time made prison- 
 ers of Avar. Immediately succeeded the retreat of the flying 
 camp and several militia corps, whose times of enlistment were 
 expired, and who respedlively claimed their discharge. The 
 whole army of general Washington now consisted of about 
 3000 men, without blankets, shoes, tents, or necessary supplies 
 of any kind. Under these discouraging circumstances what was 
 to be done ? The wise, the persevering Washington. coudu£led 
 this little but virtuous band across the DelaAvare into Penn- 
 sylvania, pursued by an ciiciuy clvttctl -with success and pressing 
 hard on his rear. In this junfture of our affairs many prose- 
 lytes were made, who joined the royal standard ; among whom 
 were some distinguished characters from New- Jersey and Penn- 
 sylvania. The spirit of the country, for the first time, began 
 to flag, and serious doubts were entertained by many, as to our ob- 
 taining the objedl of our wishes, independence. Washington, 
 notwitlistanding, stood firm and unshaken. The state of Penn- 
 sylvania, whose metropolis was daily threatened by the enemy, 
 made a feeble but well-timed exertion by marching 2000 of the 
 flower of her militia to head-quarters. With this detachment 
 and the small force already at camp, the general's undaunted 
 spirit conceived the bold and enterprizing idea of recrossing the 
 Delaware and attacking the Hessians, then encamped near Tren- 
 ton. On the memorable 26th of December, 1776, propitious 
 heaven crowned the hazardous undertaking with complete suc- 
 cess. Their commanding officer was slain, and one thousand 
 killed, wounded and made prisoners. Immediately after suc- 
 ceeded one of the most brilliant achievements of general Wash- 
 ington's life. The consummate address, courage and enterprize^ 
 which he displayed in silently retiring, under cover of the night, 
 from the face of a powerful enemy, and attacking, many miles 
 in their rear, a strong detachment posted at Princeton, and en* 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. J 5 
 
 tirely routing them, with the loss of many hundreds killed, 
 •wounded and made prisoners, will ever be recorded, In grateful 
 remembrance, in the hearts of his countrymen, and will like- 
 wise be considered as one of the most prominent features of his 
 military fame. 
 
 With undeviating perseverance, the wise and prudent V^ash- 
 ington pursued his old system of policy, " that of avoiding ge- 
 neral adlions," as much as possible ; whereby he was not only 
 enabled to encrease his own army, but prevented that of the 
 enemy under Sir William Howe from obtaining possession of 
 Philadelphia, the metropolis of America, until late in the fall 
 of the year 1777 — a year in which his military prowess was not 
 less conspicuous than in any other. On the field of Brandywine 
 a variety of fortuitous circumstances prevented his success. At 
 the battle of Germantown he made a vigorous impression upon 
 the enemy, which must unavoidably have crowned him with 
 glory had his orders been stridly executed. On the 18th day 
 of June, 1778, Sir Henry Clinton, with his army, evacuated the 
 city of Philadelphia, and on the same day crossed the Delaware 
 into the state of New-Jersey. General Washington, apprized 
 of his movements, collecled his whole force, and after perform- 
 ing the most rapid and fatiguing marches, in a very sultry sea- 
 son, overtook the enemy at a place called Freehold, on Mon- 
 mouth, in the state of New-Jersey, on the 28th of the same 
 month, where he gave them battle. 
 
 Upon this occasion general Washington displayed more than 
 his usual coolness, courage and knowledge of military taclics, 
 in the disposition which he made for a general attack. A va- 
 riety of circumstances, not now necessary to be related, com- 
 bined in preventing his obtaining a complete vi£\ory, and pro- 
 bably of making the whole British army prisoners of war. He 
 however succeeded so far as to kill some hundreds of the enemy, 
 and with his army lay on the field of battle the ensuing night. 
 
 In Oftober 1781 the military career of general Washington 
 was rendered still more illustrious by the capture of Lord Corn- 
 wallis and his whole army at York-town, in the state of Vir- 
 
M Sketch OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 ginia. This brlUlant and conclusive military operation was ef- 
 fedcd by the combined armies of France and the United States. 
 In the year 1783 the peace, liberty and independence of the 
 country being acknowledged and secured, our beloved general 
 presented himself before congress, and returned into their hands 
 that authority which he had received from them, and which he 
 had so successfully exercised in conducing their armies through 
 the war. But as this grand and majestic scene cannot be so 
 well delineated as through the medium of his own words, we 
 here subjoin his resignation and the answer of the president of 
 congress upon that memorable occasion. 
 
 December 23cf, 1783. 
 According to order, his excellency the commander in chief 
 was admitted to a public audience, and being seated, the presi- 
 dent, after a pause, informed him, that the United States in 
 congress assembled, were prepared to receive his communica- 
 tions ; whereupon he arose and addressed congress as follows— 
 
 " Mr. PRESIDENT, 
 
 *' The great events on which my resignation depended hav- 
 ing at length taken place, I have now the honor of offering my 
 sincere congratulations to congress, and of presenting myself 
 before them, to surrender into their hands the trust committed 
 TO me, and to cUiim the indulgence of retiring from the service 
 of my country. Happy in the confirmation of our independ- 
 ence and sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded 
 the United States, of becoming a respeftable nation, I resign 
 
 v/ith satisfadion the appointment I accepted with diffidence a 
 
 diuklence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task ; which, 
 however, was superceded by a confidence in the redlitude of our 
 cause, the support of the supreme power of the Union, and th© 
 patronage of heaven. The successful termination of the war 
 has verified the most sanguine expedations ; and my gratitude 
 for the interposition of Providence, and the assistance I have 
 received frpm my countrymen, encreases with every review of 
 the momentous contest. 
 
 " While I repeat my obligations to the army in general, I 
 should do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge, in 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. IS 
 
 this place, the peculiar services and distinguished merits of 
 the gentlemen who have been attached to my person during the 
 war. It was impossible the choice of confidential officers to 
 compose my family should have been more fortunate. 
 
 " Permit me, Sir, to recommend In particular, those who have 
 continued in the service to the present moment, as -worthy of 
 the favorable notice and patronage of congress. 
 
 " I consider it an indispensible duty to close this last a<fl of 
 my official life by commending the interests of our dearest coun- 
 try to the protedion of Almighty God, and those who have the 
 superlntendance of them to his holy keeping. 
 
 " Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from 
 the great theatre of adlion, and bidding an affedionate farewel 
 to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acled, 
 J here offer my commission, and take my leave of all the em- 
 ployments of public life." 
 
 To which the president returned the following ansiver : 
 
 *' SIR, 
 
 *' The United States in congress assembled, receive, -with 
 emotions too affedling for utterance, the solemn resignation of 
 the authorities. under which you have led their troops, through 
 a perilous and a doubtful war. Called upon by your country 
 to defend its invaded rights, you accepted the sacred charge be- 
 fore it had formed alliances, and whilst it was without , funds 
 or a government to support you. You have condu<Sled the great 
 military contest with wisdom and fortitude, invariably regard- 
 ing the rights of the civil power through all disasters and changes. 
 You have, by the love and confidence of your fellow-citizens, 
 enabled them to display their martial genius, and transmit their 
 fame to posterity. 
 
 " You have persevered, 'till these United States, aided by a 
 magnanimous king and nation, have been enabled, under a just 
 Providence, to close the war In/reedom, safety and independence ; 
 
16 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 on which happy event, we sincerely join you in congratulations. 
 Having defended the standard of liberty in this new world; 
 having taught a lesson useful to those who inflidl and to those 
 who feel oppression, you retire from the great theatre of a£lion, 
 with the blessings of your fellow-citizens — but the glory of 
 your virtues will not terminate with your military command- 
 it will continue to animate remotest ages. 
 
 " We feel with you our obligations to the army in general, 
 and will particularly charge ourselves with the interests of those 
 confidential officers, who have attended your person to this af- 
 fecling moment. We join you in commending the interests of 
 our dtaiest country to the prote£lion of Almighty God, beseech- 
 ing him to dispose the hearts and minds of its citizens, to im- 
 prove the opportunity afforded them, of becoming a happy and 
 respeiftable nation. And for you we address to him our earnest 
 prayer, that a life so beloved may be fostered with all his care ; 
 that your days may be happy as they have been illustrious ; and 
 that he will finally give you that reward which this world can- 
 not give." 
 
 Our Illustrious hero, Clncinnatus like, Immediately returned 
 to his farm at Mount- Vernon, expecting there to spend the re- 
 mainder of his days, and determined that no public employment 
 should thereafter draw his attention from his favorite pursuit, 
 agriculture. With inexpressible delight, he laid aside his mi- 
 litary habit and assumed the simple garb of a plain Virginia 
 planter. Having enjoyed himself but a few years in this sweet 
 retireitient, and his country finding it impossible to secure ei- 
 ther peace, liberty, or independence , under the then inefficient go- 
 vernment, again required his services as a member of the grand 
 convention of the different states, of which that illustrious body 
 unanimously elet^ed him president. 
 
 Soon after, the new constitution framed by this assembly, 
 was adopted by the several states, and general Washington una- 
 nimously appointed the executive officer by the name of presi- 
 dent, which important trust he accepted with diffidence and re- 
 luctance, wishing for no farther honors, and desirous of spend- 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. It 
 
 lag his close of life in peace and retirement. Nothing but the 
 ardency of his afFedions for his country could have induced 
 him again to appear on the theatre of public life, Avhich the fol- 
 lowing elegant and original letters of his own will evince. 
 
 April 16, 1789. 
 To the major, corporation and citizens of Alexandria. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 Although I ought not to conceal, yet I cannot describe 
 the painful emotions which I felt, on being called upon to de- 
 termine, whether I would accept or refuse the presidency of the 
 United States. • The unanimity in the choice — the opinion of 
 my friends, communicated from different parts of Europe as 
 well as America — the apparent wish of those who were not en- 
 tirely satisfied with the constitution in its present form, and an 
 ardent desire, on my part, to be instrumental in conciliating 
 the good will of my countrymen towards each other, have in- 
 duced an acceptance. Those who know me best, and you, my 
 fellow-citizens, are from your situation in that number, know 
 better than any others, my love of retirement is so great, that 
 no earthly consideration, short of a convidlion of duty, cuuld 
 have prevailed upon me to depart from my resolution, " never 
 more to take any share in transadiions of a public nature." For 
 at my age, and in my circumstances, what possible advantages 
 could I promise to myself, from embarking again in the tempes- 
 tuous and uncertain ocean of public life. 
 
 I DO not feel myself under the necessity of making public 
 declarations, in order to convince you, gentlemen, of my at- 
 tachment to yourselves and regard for your interests. The whole 
 tenor of my life has been open to your inspeftion ; and my past 
 actions, rather than my present declarations, must be the pledge 
 for my future conduiSt. In the meantime, I thank you most 
 sincerely for the expressions of kindness contained in, your va- 
 ledldory address. It is true, just after having bid adieu to my 
 domestic connexions, this tender proof of your friendship is 
 but too well calculated still farther to awaken my sensibility, 
 and encrease my regret at parting from the enjoyments of pri- 
 vate life. All that now remains for me, is to commit myself 
 
 G 
 
18 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 and you to the protedlion of that beneficent Being, who on a 
 former occasion, hath happily brought us together, after a long 
 and distressing separation. Perhaps the same gracious Provi- 
 dence will again indulge us with the same heart-felt felicity. 
 
 But words, my fellow-citizens, fail me. Unutterable sen- 
 sations must then be left to more expressive silence, while from 
 an aching heart, I bid you all, my affedionate friends, and kind 
 neighbors, farewel. 
 
 (Signed) G° : WASHINGTON. 
 
 Answer of the president of the United States., to an address 
 from the citizens of Baltimore, on his ivaj to New-York, dated 
 . 17th April, 1789. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 The tokens of regard and affection which I have often re- 
 ceived from the citizens of this town, were always acceptable, 
 because I believed them always sincere. Be pleased to receive 
 my best acknowledgments, for the renewal of them on the pre- 
 sent occasion. If the affeftionate partiality of my fellow-citi- 
 zens, has prompted them to ascribe greater elFefts to my condudl 
 and charader, than were justly due, I trust the indulgent sen- 
 timent on their part, will not produce any presumption on mine. 
 I cannot now, gentlemen, resist my feelings so much, as to 
 withhold the communication of my ideas, respeding the adual 
 situation of our national affairs. It appears .that little more 
 than common sense, and common honesty in the transadlions of 
 the community at large, would be necessary to make us a happy 
 nation. For, if the general government, lately adopted, shall 
 be arranged and administered in such a manner as to acquire 
 the full confidence of the American people, I sincerely believe 
 they will have greater advantages from their natural, moral and 
 political circumstances, for public felicity, than any other peo- 
 ple ever possessed. 
 
 In the contemplation of these advantages, now soon to be 
 realized, I have reconciled myself to the sacrifice of my fondest 
 wishes, so far as to enter again upon the stage of public life. 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 19 
 
 I know the delicate nature of the duties incident to the part 
 ■which I am called to peiform ; and I feel my incompetence, with- 
 out the singular assistance of Providence, to discharge them in a 
 satisfadtory manner. But having undertaken the task/rom a 
 sense of duty, no fear of encountering difficulties, and no dread 
 of losing popularity, shall ever deter me from pursuing what I 
 conceive the true interest of my country. 
 
 (Signed) ■ G** : WASHINGTON. 
 
 This sense of duty, and steady attachment to the true inter- 
 ests of his country, were conspicuous through the whole of his 
 administration — an administration worthy of universal imita- 
 tion, being illustrious for its wisdom and justice, for its mild- 
 ness and lenity, for its order apd economy, for its virtue and 
 piety. 
 
 In council as in camp general Washington shone with unri- 
 valled lustre. Under the new government a new order of things 
 was to follow, and wisdom and political skill were necessary to 
 put the vast machine into motion. With a just and Impartial 
 expression of the gratitude his country felt towards those who 
 had served her during the revolutionary war, he filled tiie offices 
 directed by the constitution — and by his efforts the general boun- 
 ties of the government were early distributed, through every 
 part of the Union. The distresses of a long and destructive 
 war were remembered no more — the benefits of commerce and 
 agriculture — of peace and harmony, became the common pos- 
 session of all. 
 
 The storm that had long been gathering, now burst forth, 
 and France, shook to her centre by internal broils, plunged her- 
 self and Europe in one common destruftlve contest. Every 
 energy of our Washington was now called into acllon. Diffi- 
 culties and dangers crowded on every side — but difficulties 
 and dangers were to him only subjeiEls for new successes, and 
 his conduct once more saved his country. Unbiassed by preju- 
 dices, uninfluenced by political attachments, unmoved by the 
 opposition of a deluded mass of his countrymen, he determined 
 on neutrality. Peace, wealth and happiness have been the 
 
20 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 attendants cf that measure, while a ruinous war, poverty and 
 misery must have followed a contrary conduct. 
 
 On the 17th day of September, 1796, general Washington, 
 in the character of president, addressed the people of the United 
 States, announcing his intention of retiring from public life ; 
 which event soon after took place, and once, more he returned 
 to his beloved and calm retreat, at Mount- Vernon. He now 
 entertained a well grounded hope that no interruption would 
 break in upon his " present peaceful abode." The condufl, 
 however, of the direiSlory of France towards our country, in- 
 deed their manifest hostility to our government, soon rendered 
 it necessary to increase the present and raise ^Lprovisional^xmy—' 
 at the head of which the president of the United States, with 
 the advice and consent of the senate, placed our beloved Wash- 
 ington on the 11th of July, 1798. On the 14th of Decem- 
 ber in the following year, the melancholy and momentous pe- 
 riod arrived, when his relations and his country were at once 
 bereaved of their dearest Jriend and safest guide^ 
 
 By the report of his physicians, it appears that " having been 
 exposed to a rain on the preceding day, general Washington 
 was attacked with an inflammatory affeclion of the upper part 
 of the windpipe, called in technical language cynache tracbcalis. 
 The disease commenced with a violent ague, accompanied with 
 some pain in the upper and fore part of the throat, a sense of 
 stri£lure in the same part, a cough, and a difficult, rather than 
 a painful deglutition, which were soon succeeded by fever and 
 a quick and laborious respiration. The necessity of blood-let- 
 ting suggesting itself to the general, he procured a bleeder in 
 the neighborhood, who took from his arm in the night twelve or 
 fourteen ounces of blood. He could not by any means be pre- 
 vailed on by the family to send for the attending physician 'till 
 the following morning, who arrived at Mount-Vernon at about 
 1 1 o'clock on Saturday. Discovering the case to be highly 
 alarming, and foreseeing the fatal tendency of the disease, two 
 consulting physicians were immediately sent for, who arrived, 
 one at half after three, and the other at four o'clock in the af- 
 ternoon : in the mean time were employed two pretty copious 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 21 
 
 bleedings ; a blister was applied to the part afFefted, two mode- 
 rate doses of calomel were given, and an injedlion was admi- 
 nistered, which operated on the lower intestines, but all with- 
 out any perceptible advantage, the respiration becoming still 
 more difficult and distressing. Upon the arrival of the first of 
 the consulting physicians, it was agreed, as there were yet no 
 signs of accumulation in the bronchial vessels of the lungs, to 
 try the result of another bleeding, when about thirty-two ounces 
 of blood were drawn, without the smallest apparent alleviation 
 of the disease. Vapours of vinegar and water were frequently 
 inhaled ; ten grains of calomel were given, succeeded by re- 
 peated doses of emetic tartar, amounting in all to five or six 
 grains, with no other efFeft than a copious discharge from the 
 bowels. The powers of life seemed now manifestly yielding 
 to the force of the disorder ; blisters Avere applied to the extre- 
 mities, together with a cataplasm of bran and vinegar to the 
 tliroat. Speaking, which was painful from the beginning, now 
 became almost imprafticable ; respiration grew more and more 
 contrafted and imperfedl, 'till after 1 1 on Saturday night, re- 
 taining the full possession of his intelledl — when he expired 
 without a struggle. 
 
 " He was fully impressed at the beginning of his complaint, 
 as well as through every succeeding stage of it, that its conclu- 
 sion would be mortal ; submitting to the several exertions made 
 for his recovery, rather as a duty, than from any expe£lation of 
 their efficacy. He considered the operations of death upon his 
 system as coeval with the disease ; and several hours before his 
 death, after repeated efforts to be understood, succeeded in ex- 
 pressing a desire that he might be permitted to die without far- 
 ther interruption. 
 
 " During the short period of his illness, he economized his 
 time, in the arrangement of such few concerns as required his 
 attention, with the utmost serenity; and anticipated his ap- 
 proaching dissolution with every demonstration of that equani- 
 mity for which his whole life has been so uniformly and singu- 
 larly conspicuous." 
 
22 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 *' His fame, bounded by no country, "will be confined to no 
 age," — is the eulogy even of a stranger, across the atlantic ; 
 with whose elegant and truly pathetic description of general 
 Washington's virtues, we Avill conclude this short sketch of 
 his life. 
 
 " Genkral Washington was, we believe, in his 68th year. 
 The height of his person was about five feet eleven ; his chest 
 lull ; and his limbs, though rather slender, well shaped and mus- 
 cular. His head was small, in which respeft he resembled the 
 make of a great number of his countrymen. His e^'es were of 
 a light blue colour ; and, in proportion to the length of his face, 
 his nose was long. Mr. Stewart, the eminent portrait painter, 
 used to say there were features in his face totally different from 
 what he had ever observed in that of any other human being ; 
 the sockets for the eyes, for instance, were larger than what he 
 ever met with before, and the upper part of the nose broader. 
 All his features, he observed, were indicative of the strongest 
 passions; yet, like Socrates, his judgment and great self-com- 
 njand have always made him appear a man of a diflerent cast 
 in the eyes of the world. He always spoke with great diffi- 
 dence, and sometimes hesitated for a word ; but it was always 
 to find one particularly well adapted to his meaning. His lan- 
 guage was manly and expressive. At levee, his discourse with 
 strangers turned principally upon the iubjecl of America ; and 
 if they had been through any remarkable places, his conversa- 
 tion was free and particularly interesting, for he was intimately 
 icc|uaint5;d with every part of the country. He was much more 
 open and free in his behavior at levee, than in private, and in 
 the company of ladies still more so than when solely with men. 
 Few persons ever found themselves for the first time in the pre- 
 sence of general Washington, without being impressed with a 
 certain dt-gree of veneration and awe ; nor did those emotions 
 subside on a closer acquaintance ; on the contrary, his person 
 and deportment were such as rather tended to augment them, 
 llie hard service he had seen, the important and laborious of- 
 fices he had filled, gave a kind of austerity to his countenance, 
 and a reserve to his manners : yet he was the kindest husbandj 
 the most humane master, the steadiest friend. The whple range 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 23 
 
 of history does not present to our view a characler upon which 
 we can dwell with such entire and unmixed admiration. The 
 long- life of general Washington is not stained by a single blot* 
 He was indeed a man of such rare endowments, and such for- 
 tunate temperament, that every action he performed was equally- 
 exempted from the charge of vice or weakness. Whatever he 
 said or did, or wrote, was stamped with a striking and peculiar 
 propriety. His qualities were so happily blended and so niceJy 
 harmonized, that the result was a great and perfedl whole. The 
 power of his mind and the dispositions of his heart were admi- 
 rably suited to each other. It was the union of the most con- 
 summate prudence with the most perfeiV moderation. His views 
 though large and liberal were never extravagant : his virtues, 
 though comprehensive and beneficent, were discriminating, ju- 
 dicious and praclicdl. 
 
 "Yet his characler, though regular and tiniform, possessed 
 none of the littleness which may sometimes belong to these d-e* 
 scriptions of men. Jt formed a majestic pile, the efFeil of which 
 -was not impaired but improved by order and symmetry. There 
 was nothing in it to dazzle by wildness, and surprise by eccen- 
 tricity. It was of a higher species of moral beauty. It con- 
 tained every thing great and elevated, but it bad no false and 
 tinsel ornament. It was not the model cried up by fashion and 
 circumstance : its excellence was adapted to the true and just 
 moral taste, incapable of change from the varying accidents of 
 manners, of opinions and times. General Washington is not' 
 the idol of a day, but the hero of ages ! 
 
 *^ Placed in circumstances of the most trying diiFiculty at 
 the commencement of the American contest, he accepted that 
 situation which was pre-eminent in danger and responsibility. 
 His perseverance overcame every obstacle ; his moderation con- 
 ciliated every opposition ; his genius supplied every resource; 
 his enlarged view could plan, revise and improve every branch 
 ot civil and military operation. He had the superior courage 
 which can aft, or forbear to act, as true policy dldates, care- 
 less of the reproaches of ignorance, either in power or out of 
 power. He knew how to coHquer by waiting, in spite of ob- 
 
2-i SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 loquy, for the moment of vi£lory ; and he merited true praise 
 hy despising undeserved censure. In the most arduous moments 
 of the contest, his prudent firmness proved the salvation of the 
 cause which he supported. His condudl was, on all occasions, 
 guided by the most pure disinterestedness. Far superior to low 
 and grovelling motives, he seemed even to be uninfluenced by 
 that ambition, which has justly been called the instindl of great 
 souls. He adled ever as if his country's welfare, and that alcne, 
 was the moving spring. His excellent mind needed not even 
 the stimulus of ambition, or the prospeA of fame. Glory was 
 but a secondary consideration. He performed great aftions ; he 
 persevered in a course of laborious utility, with an equanimity 
 that neither sought distinftion, nor was flattered by it. His 
 reward was in the consciousness of his own redlitude, and in 
 the success of his patriotic efforts. As his elevation to the 
 chief power was the unbiassed choice of his countrymen, his 
 exercise of it was agreeable to the purity of its origin. As 
 he had neither solicited nor usurped dominion, he had neither 
 to contend with the opposition of rivals, nor the revenge of 
 enemies. As his authority was undisputed, so it required no 
 jealous precautions, no rigorous severity. 
 
 " His government was mild and gentle ; it wasbeneficient and 
 liberal ; it was wise and just. His prudent administration con- 
 solidated and enlarged the dominion of an infant republic. 
 
 " Involuntarily resigning- the magistracy which he had fil- 
 led with such distinguished honor, he enjoyed the unequalled 
 satisfaction of leaving to the state he had contributed to esta- 
 blish, the fruits of his wisdom and the example of his virtues. 
 
 ** It is some consolation, amidst the violence of ambition and 
 the criminal thiist of power, of which so many instances occur 
 around us, to find a charader whom it is honorable to admire, 
 and virtuous to imitate — a conqueror for the freedom of hIS 
 country I a legislator for its security I a magistrate for its hap- 
 piness ! His glories were never sullied by those excesses into 
 which the highest qualities are apt to degenerate. With the 
 greater, t virtues he was exempt from the corresponding vices. 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 25 
 
 He was a man in whom the elements were so mixed, that *' na- 
 ture might have stood up to all the world" and owned him as 
 her work. His fame, bounded by no country, -will be confined 
 to no age. The character of general Washington, which his 
 cotemporaries regret and admire, will be transmitted to poste- 
 rity ; and the memory of his virtues, while patriotism and vir- 
 tue are held sacred among men, will remain undiminished." 
 
 Tribute by doctor AlKEif* 
 
 Point of that pyramid, whose solid base 
 Rests firmly founded on a nation's trust, 
 Which, while the gorgeous palace sinks in dust, 
 
 Shall stand sublime, and fill its ample space : 
 
 £Iei^ed chief of freemen ! — greater far 
 
 Than kings, whose glittering parts are fix'd by birth ; 
 
 Nam'd by thy country's voice for long try'd worth. 
 Her crown in peace, as once her shield in war ! 
 
 Deign, Washington, to hear a British lyre, 
 That ardent greets thee with applausive lays, 
 And to the patriot hero homage pays. 
 O, would the muse immortal strains inspire. 
 That high beyond all Greek and Roman fame, 
 Might soar to times unbornj thy purer, nobler name 1 
 
THE 
 
 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ORATIONS. 
 
 funeral oration on the death of general JVashinct'oWj dc- 
 Ihered in Philadelphia, at the request of congress ; — By ma- 
 jor-general HWNRr Lee, member of congress from Virginia, 
 
 IN obedience to your * -will, I rise, your humble organ, with 
 the hope of executing a part of the system of public mourn- 
 ing which you have been pleased to adopt, commemorative of 
 the death of the most illustrious and most beloved personage 
 this country has ever produced ; and which, while it transmits 
 to posterity your sense of the awful event, faintly represents 
 your knowledge of the consummate excellence you so cordially 
 bonor* 
 
 Desperate indeed is any attempt on earth to meet corres- 
 pondently this dispensation of heaven : for, while with pious 
 resignation Ave submit to the will of an all-grar'^us Providence, 
 tve can never cease lamenting in our finite view of Omnipotent 
 Wisdom, the heart-rending privation for which our nation weeps. 
 When the civilized world shakes to its centre ; when every mo- 
 ment gives birth to strange and momentous changes ; Avhen our 
 peaceful quarter of the globe, exempt as it happily has been 
 from any share in the slaughter of the human race, may yet be 
 compelled to abandon her pacific policy, and to risk the doleful 
 casualties of war : What limit is there to the extent of our 
 loss ? None within the reach of my words to express ; none 
 -which your feelings will not disavow. 
 
 The founder of our fcederate republic — our bulwark in war, 
 our guide in peace, is no more. Oh that this was but question- 
 able ! Hope, the comforter of the wretched, would pour into 
 * The two bouses of congress. 
 
28 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 our agonized hearts its balmy dew. But, alas ! there is no hope 
 fcr us : our Washington is removed forever. Possessing the 
 stoutest frame, and purest mind, he had passed nearly to his 
 sixty-eigth year, in the enjoyment of high health, when, ha- 
 bituated by his care of us to negleft himself, a slight cold, dis- 
 regarded, became inconvenient on Friday, oppressive on Satur- 
 day, and defying every medical interposition, before the morn- 
 ing of Sunday put an end to the best of men. An end did I 
 say — his fame survives ! bounded only by the limits of the earth, 
 and by the extent of the human mind. He survives in our 
 hearts, in the growing knowledge of our chlldftn, in the af- 
 fedlion of the good throughout the world ; and when our mo- 
 numents shall be done away ; when nations now existing shall 
 be no more ; when even our young and far-spreading empire 
 shall have perished, still will our Washington's glory unfaded 
 shine, and die not, until love of virtue cease on earth, or earth 
 itself sinks into chaos. 
 
 How, my fellow-citizens, shall I single to your grateful hearts 
 his pre-eminent worth 1 Where shall I begin in opening to your 
 view a charafter throughout sublime. Shall I speak of his war- 
 like achievements, all springing from obedience to his coun- 
 try's will — all dired^ed to his country's good ? 
 
 Will you go with me to the banks of the Monongahela, to 
 see your youthful Washington, supporting, in the dismal hour 
 of Indian vidlory, the ill-fated Braddock, and saving, by his 
 judgment and by his valor, the remains of a defeated army, 
 pressed by the conquering savage foe ? Or, when, oppressed A- 
 merica nobly resolving to risk her all in defence of her vio- 
 lated rights, he was elevated by the unanimous voice of con- 
 gress to the command of her armies : Will you follow him to 
 the high-grounds of Boston, where to an undisciplined, coura- 
 geous and virtuous yeomanry, his presence gave the stability of 
 system, and infused the invincibility of love of country : Or 
 shall I carry you to the painful scenes of Long-Island, York- 
 Island and New-Jersey, when combating superior and gallant 
 armies, aided by powerful fleets, and led by chiefs high in the 
 roll of fame, he stood the bulwark of our safety ; undismayed 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 29 
 
 bv disaster ; unchanged by change of fortune. Or wHl you 
 view him in the precarious fields of Trenton, where deep gloom 
 unnerving every arm, reigned triumphant through our thinned, 
 worn down, unaided ranks : himself unmoved. — Dreadful was 
 the night ; it was about this time of winter. The storm raged — 
 the Delaware rolling furiously with floating ice forbad the ap- 
 proach of man. Washington, sclf-colle(Sled, viewed the tre- 
 mendous scene — his country called ; unappalled by surrounding 
 dangers, he passed to the hostile shore : he fought ; he con- 
 quered. The morning sun cheered the Americaa world. Our 
 country rose on the event ; and her dauntless chief pursuing his 
 blow, completed in the lawns of Princeton, what his vast soul 
 had conceived on the shores of Delaware. 
 
 Thence to the strong grounds of Morris-town he led his 
 small but gallant band; and through an eventful winter, by the 
 high efforts of his genius, whose matchless force was measura- 
 ble only by the growth of difficulties, he held in check formi- 
 dable hostile legions, condutled by a chief experienced in the 
 art of war, and famed for his valor on the ever-memorable 
 heights of Abraham, where fell Wolfe, Montcalm, and since 
 our much-lamented Montgomery ; all covered with glory. In 
 this fortunate interval, produced by his masterly condud, our 
 fathers, ourselves, animated by his resistless example, rallied 
 around our country's standard, and continued to follow her be- 
 loved chief, through the various and trying scenes to which the 
 destinies of our union led. 
 
 Who is there that has forgotten the vales of Brandy wine— . 
 the fields of Germantown, or the plains of Monmouth ; every- 
 where present, wants of every kind obstructing, numerous and 
 valiant armies encountering, himself a host, he assuaged our 
 sufferings, limited our privations, and upheld our tottering re- 
 public. Shall I display to you the spread of the fire of his soul, 
 by rehearsing the praises of the hero of Saratoga, and his much 
 loved compeer of the Carolinas ? No ; our Washington wears 
 not borrowed glory : To Gates — to Greene, he gave without re- 
 serve the applause due to their eminent merit ; and long may 
 
so V/ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the chiefs of Saratoga, and of Eutaws, receive the grateful 
 respeft of a grateful people. 
 
 Moving in his own orbit, he imparted heat and light to his 
 most distant satellites ; and combining the physical and moral 
 force of all within his sphere, with irresistible weight he took 
 his course, commiserating folly, disdaining vice, dismaying trea- 
 son and invigorating despondency, imtil the auspicious hour ar- 
 rived, when, united with the intrepid forces of a potent and 
 magnanimous ally, he brought to submission the since conqueror 
 of India ; thus finishing his long career of military glory with 
 a lustre corresponding to his great name, and, in this, his last 
 ad of war, affixing the seal of fate to our nation's birth. 
 
 To the horrid din of battle sweet peace succeeded, and our 
 •virtuous chief, mindful only of the common good, in a moment 
 tempting personal aggrandizement, hushed the discontents of 
 growing sedition, and surrendering his power into the hands 
 from which he had received it, converted his sword into a plough- 
 $hare, teaching an admiring world that to be truly great, you 
 must be truly good. 
 
 Was I to stop here, the picture would be Incomplete, and 
 the task imposed unfinished — Great as was our Washington in 
 war, and much as did that greatness contribute to produce the 
 American republic, it is not in war alone his pre-eminence stands 
 conspicuous : his various talents, combining all the capacities! 
 of a statesman with those of the soldier, fitted him alike to 
 guide the councils and the armies of our nation. Scarcely had 
 he rested from his martial toils, while his invaluable parental 
 advice was still sounding in our ears, when he who had been our 
 shield and our sword, was called forth to ad a less splendid but 
 a more important part* 
 
 Possessing a clear and i penetrating mind, a strong and a 
 sound judgment, calmness and temper for deliberation, with in- 
 vincible firmness and perseverance in resolutions maturely formed, 
 drawing Information from all, afling from himself, with incor- 
 ruptible integrity and unvarying patriotism : his own superiority 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 31 
 
 and the public confidence alike marked him as the man designed 
 bv heaven to lead in the great political as well as military event* 
 which have distinguished the a;ra of his life. 
 
 The finger of an overruling Providence, pointing at Wash'- 
 ington, was neither mistaken nor unobserved ; when to realize 
 the vast hopes to which our revolution had given birth, a change 
 of political system became indispensible. 
 
 How novel, how grand the speftacle ! independent states 
 stretched over an immense territory, and known only by com- 
 mon difficulty, clinging to their union as the rock of their safety, 
 deciding by frank comparison of their relative condition, to rear 
 on that rock, under the guidance of reason, a common govern- 
 ment, through whose commanding protedlion, liberty and order, 
 with their long train of blessings, should be safe to themselvesj 
 and the sure inheritance of their posterity. 
 
 This arduous task devolved on citizens selefted by the peo- 
 ple, from knowledge of their wisdom and confidence in their 
 virtue. In this august assembly of sages and patriots, Wash- 
 ington of course was found — and, as if acknov/ledged to be most 
 wise, where all were wise, with one voice he was declared their 
 chief. How well he merited this rare distindion, how faithful 
 were the labors of himself and his compatriots, the work of theif 
 hands and our union, strength and prosperity, the fruits of that 
 work> best attest* 
 
 But to have essentially aided in presenting to his countrjij 
 this consummation of her hopes, neither satisfied the claims of 
 his fellow-citizens on his talents, nor those duties which the pos- 
 session of those talents imposed. Heaven had not infused intQ 
 his mind such an uncommon share of its atherial spirit to re- 
 main unemployed, nor bestowed on him his genius unaccompa- 
 nied with the corresponding duty of devoting it to the common 
 good. To have framed a constitution, was shewing only, with- 
 out realizing the general happiness. This great work remained 
 to be done, and America, stedfast in her preference, with one 
 ifoicc sumjjipned her beloved Washington, unpradised as he was 
 
32 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 in the duties of civil administration, to execute this last aft Irt 
 the completion of the national felicity. Obedient to her call, 
 he assumed the high office with that self-distrust peculiar to his 
 innate modesty, the constant attendant of pre-eminent virtue. 
 What was the burst of joy throuoli our anxious land on this ex- 
 hilerating event is known to us all. The aged, the young, the 
 brave, the fair, rivalled each other in demonstrations of their 
 gratitude ; and this high wrought delightful scene was height- 
 ened in its tffedl, by the singular contest between the zeal of 
 the bestowers and the avoidance of the receiver of the honors 
 bestowed. Commencinf^ his administration, what heart is not 
 charmed with the recoUedVion of the pure and wise principles 
 announced by himself, as the basis of his political life. He 
 best understood the indissoluble union between virtue and hap- 
 piness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine max- 
 ims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards 
 of public prosperity and individual felicity : watching with an 
 equal and comprehensive eye over this great assemblage of com- 
 munities and interests, he laid the foundations of our national 
 policy in the unerring, immutable principles of morality, b?.sed 
 on religion, exemplifying the pre-eminence of free government, 
 by all the attributes which win the afFeftions of its citizens or 
 command the respeft of the world. 
 
 " fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint !'* 
 
 Leading through the complicated difficulties produced by 
 previous obligations and conflicting interests, seconded by suc- 
 ceeding houses of congress, enlightened and patriotic, he sur- 
 mounted all original obstruAions, and brightened the path of 
 our national felicity. 
 
 The presidential term expiring, his solicitude to exchange 
 exaltation for humility returned, with a force encreased with 
 increase of age, and he had prepared his farewel address to his 
 countrymen, proclaiming his intention, when the united inter- 
 position of all around him, enforced by the eventful prospers 
 of the epoch, produced a farther sacrifice of inclination to duty. 
 The eletSlion of president followed, and Washington, by the 
 unanimous vote of the nation, was called to resume the chief 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. Sa 
 
 magistracy : what a wonderful fixture of confidence ! Which, 
 attrafts most our admiration, a people so corred, or a citizen 
 combining an assemblage of talents forbidding rivalry, and sti- 
 fling even envy itself? Such a nation ought to be happy ; such 
 a thief must be forever revered. 
 
 o 
 
 War, long menaced by the Indian tribes, now broke out ; and 
 the terrible conflidt deluging Europe *with blood, began to shed 
 its baneful influence over our happy land. To the first, cut- 
 stretching his invincible arm, under the o.rders of the gallant 
 Wayne, the American eagle soared triumphant through dis- 
 tant forests. Peace followed vidory, and the melioration of 
 the condition of the enemy followed peace. God-like virtue 
 which uplifts even the subdued savage. 
 
 To the second he opposed himself. New and delicate was the 
 conjunfture, and great was the stake. — Soon did his penetrat- 
 ing mind discern and seize the only course, continuing to us all 
 the felicity enjoyed. He issued his proclamation of neutrality. 
 This index to his whole subsequent conduft, was san£lioned by 
 the approbation of both houses of congress, and by the approv- 
 ing voice of the people. 
 
 To this sublime policy he inviolably adhered, unmoved by 
 foreign intrusion, unshaken by domestic turbulence. 
 
 " Justum et tenacem propositi virum 
 " Non civium ardor prava jubentium, 
 " Nan vultus instantis tjranni 
 " Mente quatit solida." 
 
 Maintaining his pacific system at the expence of no duty, 
 America faithful to herself and unstained in her honor, conti- 
 nued to enjoy the delights of peace, while afflifted Europe mourns 
 in every quarter, under the accumulated miseries of an unex- 
 ampled war ; miseries in which our happy country must have 
 shared, had not our pre-eminent Washington been as firm ia 
 council as he was brave in the field. 
 
S4 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Pursuing stedfastly his course, he held safe the public hap-- 
 piness, preventing foreign war, and quelling internal discord, 
 'till the revolving period of a third eledlion approached,, when 
 he executed his interrupted but inextinguishable desire of re- 
 turning to the humble Avalks of private life. 
 
 o 
 
 The promulgation of his fixed resolution, stopped the anxi- 
 ous wishes of an affeftionarte people, from adding a third unani- 
 mous testimonial of their unabated confidence in the man so 
 long enthroned in their hearts. When, before, was aiFedlion 
 like this exhibited on earth ? — Turn over the records of antient 
 Greece — review the annals of mighty Rome, — examine the vo- 
 lumes of modern Europe ; you search in vain. America and 
 her Washington only afford the dignified exemplification. 
 
 • The illustrious personage called by the national voice in suc- 
 cession to the arduous office of guiding a free people, had new 
 difficulties to encounter: the amicable effort of settling our dif- 
 ficulties with France, begun by Washington, and pursued by 
 his successor in virtue as in station, proving abortive, America 
 took measures of self-defence. No sooner was the public mind 
 roused by prospeft of danger, than every eye was turned to 
 the friend of all, though secluded from public view, and grey- 
 in public service : the virtuous veteran, following his plough, * 
 received the unexpected summons with mingled emotions of in- 
 dignation at the unmerited lU-ireatment of his country, and of 
 2 determination once more to risk his all in her defence. 
 
 The anniinclatlcn of these feelings, in his affecting letter to 
 the president accepting the command of the army, concludes 
 his official conduct. ' 
 
 First in war — first in peace — and first in the hearts of his 
 countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endear- 
 ing scenes of private life ; pious, just, humane, temperate and 
 sincere ; uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was 
 
 * Gtneral Washington^ though opulent^ gave much of his time 
 and attention to practical agriculture. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. S5 
 
 ■as edifying to all around him, as were the effefts of that exam- 
 ple lasting. 
 
 To his equals he was condescending, to his inferiors kind, and 
 to the dear objeft of his affeftions exemplarily tender : correft 
 throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always 
 felt his festering hand ; the purity of his private charafter gave 
 effulgence to his public virtues. 
 
 His last scene comported with the whole tenor of his life. — 
 Although in extreme pain, not a sigh, not a groan escaped him ; 
 and with undisturbed serenity he closed his well spent life. — 
 Such was the man America has lost — such was the man for whom 
 ■our nation mourns. 
 
 Methinks I see his august image, and hear falling from 
 his venerable lips these deep sinking words : 
 
 " Cease, sons of America, lamenting our separation : go 
 •on, and confirm by your v/isdom the fruits of our joint coun- 
 cils, joint efforts, and common dangers : Reverence religion, 
 diffuse knowledge throughout your land, patronize the arts and 
 sciences ; let liberty and order be inseparable companions ; con- 
 trol party spirit, the bane of free governments ; observe good 
 faith to, and cultivate peace vath, all nations ; shut up every 
 avenue to foreign influence ; contract rather than extend na- 
 tional connexion ; rely on yourselves only : be American in 
 thought, word, and deed. Thus will you give immortality to 
 that union, which was the constant objeil of my terrestrial la- 
 bors ; thus will you preserve undisturbed to the latest posterity 
 the felicity of a people to me most dear, and thus will you sup- 
 ply (if my happiness is now aught to you) the only vacancy in 
 tht round of pure bliss high heaven bestows," 
 
36 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Eulogium on the character of general WAsniUGfovi ; pronounced 
 before the Pennsylvania society of the Cincinnati. By major 
 William Jackson, aid-de-camp to ihe late president of the 
 United States, and secretary-general of the Cincinnati, 
 
 TO consecrate the memory of illustrious men — to record 
 their adlions — and to celebrate their praise, has been the 
 laudable pradice of every age, aqd the grateful duty of every 
 peoplb. 
 
 The rudest nations have thus dispensed the rewards and the 
 motives of virtue — while the arts and sciences of polished so- 
 ciety have contributed their noblest efforts to this, their best> 
 and highest application, 
 
 CoN^FORMiNG to this venerable usage, and influenced by all 
 the nobler affe£tions, the veteran associates of the immortal 
 Washington have dedicated this auspicious day, to the review 
 of his glorious atchievements, and the celebration of his unri- 
 valled fame. 
 
 But their too partial choice has devolved on incompetent 
 powers, the performance of that duty, to which the highest or- 
 der of genius would have been unequal, 
 
 "Who shall delineate a just portrait of that charafter, which 
 vras perfedl in all its relations — or in what language shall the 
 story of that life be told, whose every adion was above all 
 praise ? 
 
 To confer the just meed of eulogium on this inestimable cha-r 
 rafter — to entwine the blended glories of the hero and the states- 
 man with them to mingle the milder radiance of religion and 
 
 ^Tiorals, would require an inspiration, not only of those senti- 
 ments, which pervade every class of men in this extensive na- 
 tion but of those opinions, which his unequalled worth ha? 
 
 impressed throughout the world, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 37 
 
 Of legislators, to whose labors and honors he was associated 
 by all that was useful and dignified. 
 
 Of armies, to whom he was endeared by every obligation of 
 gratitude and glory. 
 
 Of a people, by whom he was regarded as their father, guide 
 and prote<Stor. 
 
 Of the holy ministers of religion, by whom he was beloved 
 (and admired. 
 
 Of his enemies in war, by whom he was at once dreaded and 
 revered. 
 
 Of the wise and just of all nations, of whom he was the or- 
 nament and the example. 
 
 In contemplating this necessary subdivision of the panegyric, 
 which I am called to pronounce, this most respectable audience 
 will be led to indulge a candor, proportioned to the magnitude 
 of the subjeft, and the powers of the organ, to whom the ar- 
 duous duty has been confided. 
 
 The suffrages, perhaps the prejudices, of mankind, have con- 
 curred in assigning to the profession of arms, the first station 
 in the ranks of glory. 
 
 On the present occasion, however, the decision is of no im- 
 portance. 
 
 The hero, whom we now commemorate, was alike pre-emi- 
 nent in council, and in the field. The olive and the laurel had 
 equally contributed their honors to form the chaplet of his re- 
 nown. 
 
 It is only, therefore, in the order of his distinguished ser- 
 vices, that our attention is first attracfted to his military career. 
 
58 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Nor is it the less interesting, that the first display of his bril- 
 liant genius in war, should have been made in concert with the 
 troops of that nation, whose banners he was hereafter to brave — • 
 and whose legions he was destined to encounter in the defence 
 of his country, and in the maintenance of her freedom and in- 
 dependence. 
 
 Equally interesting is the singular fa<Sl, that a parent's fond 
 solicitude had been the happy instrument of preserving him to 
 that country, and to the high destination of his future honors — 
 for, impelled by the martial disposition of his mind, he was about 
 to engage in the naval service of Great-Britain at the infant age 
 of fifteen years. But, restrained by filial affedtion, he yielded 
 to the anxious entreaties of his mother, and relinquished the 
 obje£l of his choice. 
 
 Who does not bless the memory of this tender mother ! who 
 does not reverence the piety of her exalted son I 
 
 Thus was the stupendous fabric of his fame placed on the 
 everlasting ba'is of virtue : and thus were the immense advan- 
 tages, which flowed to his country, derived from the purest 
 source of a private duty. 
 
 SuMJioNED to the lists of glory at an age, when talents are 
 iniaidtd by experience, and when the ardor of youth is but lit- 
 tle tempered by the rules of prudence, he formed, in his first 
 essay in arms, a rare example of the most heroic valor, com- 
 bined with the most consummate skill. 
 
 The one was exerted to stem the torrent of viftory obtained 
 - by a vjndidHvc foe : the other was employed to rescue from ruin 
 the devoted remnant of an unfortunate army. 
 
 AoMiRtNG veterans resigned to the youthful warrior the pro- 
 teftion of their discomfited troops, and committed to his supe- 
 rior judgment the condu<Sl of a retreat, which covered him with 
 glory, and wreathed his brow with the laurel of success. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 29 
 
 The brave, but unhappy Braddock, expired in the anguish of 
 
 defeat the gallant and sympathizing Washington was consoled 
 
 by the safety, and honored with the applause of his surviving 
 firiendi. 
 
 The high promise, which was here given of a vast capacity 
 for war, was nobly realized in the command and guidance of 
 those armies, by whose aftive valor and inflexible fortitude, the 
 liberties and sovereignty of the United States were maintained 
 and established. 
 
 In that eventful moment, when representation and remon- 
 strance had been exhausted — when the alternative of resistance 
 alone remained to an injured"Beople — when every hazard was 
 preferred to abjecl submissiolT — and when that people had re- 
 solved to meet their parent-state in arms. 
 
 To whose care Avas the palladium of their liberties entrusted ? 
 On whom did the unanimous choice of their enlightened repre- 
 sentatives, devolve the daegerous honor of condu6ling thk last, 
 this dread appeal ? 
 
 To the virtue, the wisdom, the valor, and the fortitude, off 
 your immortal Washington — to the hero, who was at once the 
 sword and buckler of his country, was the momentous trust 
 confided. 
 
 To him was assigned the defence of our hearths and our al- 
 tars — the prote£lion of our women and children — and the pre- 
 servation of all that was dear to freemen, our national honor. 
 
 IIow well, how faithfully, the sacred trust was discharged, 
 let the splendid and important scenes of seven years conflict pro- 
 claim to an admiring world ! 
 
 Impressed by a perfect sense of the high responsibility at- 
 tached to his exalted station — and conscious of the pre-eminence 
 in toil and danger, to which he was called, he yielded implicit 
 obqdience to the summons — and, resigning the utmost enjoy- 
 
40 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ment of domestic felicity, he was solely devoted to those duties, 
 ■which involved the safety and hippiness of his country. 
 
 Repairing to the immediate theatre of military operation, 
 in the vicinity of Boston, he instantly communicated, to the 
 patriotic bands of New-England, that spirit of confidence, which 
 was the result of his presence, and that observance of order, 
 which was essential to efFeilive force. 
 
 The extraordinary spe£lacle was exhibited of a veteran army 
 invested by the hasty levies of a people, whom it had been sent 
 to coerce, and of that army indignantly expelled the land, 
 which it had been commissioned to subdue. 
 
 This great event, which was to some the termination of 
 their toil, and the period of their danger, was to him but the 
 renewal of equal labors, the commencement of more anxious 
 cares. 
 
 The invading army, strengthened by a vast accession of 
 force, and supported by a powerful marine, resumed its opera- 
 tions ; and, under leaders of distinguished bravery and talents, 
 extended its menace to the entire subjugation of our country. 
 
 Success, correspondent to these immense preparations, was 
 for a season obtained. 
 
 The firm, but unavailing, efforts of our intrepid chief were 
 restrained to defensive measures. Yet the hopes of America 
 were reposed on that skilful policy, wnich he adopted to protra£t 
 the war — and on that consummate prudence, by which he gave 
 to defence the highest advantages, of which it was susceptible. 
 
 The retreat from Long-Island, which excited the astonish- 
 ment, and extorted the praise of his enemy, will pass to poste*- 
 rity as a consummation in the art of war. 
 
 While the vi(f\orious enterprize of Trenton, and the suc- 
 tessful attack at Princeton, will be commemorated as the resto- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 41 
 
 ration of public confidence, and the rescue of our declining 
 cause. 
 
 ■ Where is the war-worn soldier, whose ebbing pulse does not 
 beat high at these remembrances ! 
 
 Where is the emulous and gallant youth, who does not thence 
 anticipate his own atchievements in his country's cause ! 
 
 Advancing to meet the incursion of a powerful army, he 
 encountered their force at the Brandywine — where his gallant 
 troops, though confident in the conduct, and animated by the 
 example of their heroic leader, were compelled to resign, to dis- 
 cipline and numbers, the hard-won honors of the field. 
 
 Repulsed, but not dismayed, he was soon in a capacity to 
 resume the oiFensive — and deeply impressing the energies of hia 
 charadler, and displaying the vast resources of his mind, in the 
 battle of Germantown, he unnerved the plans of subjugation, 
 and invigorated the hopes of his country. 
 
 The movements of the main army of the enemy were arrested 
 by the formidable position, which was occupied by our skilful 
 chief — .and their farther attempts were limited to the partial ope- 
 ration of detachments. 
 
 In assaulting the entrenched post at Red Bank, the German 
 troops, led by the gallant Donop, were repulsed with dreadful 
 slaughter, and their wounded leader was left a prisoner on the 
 field. 
 
 The god-like Washington dispatched, from his camp, an of- 
 ficer to assure him of his personal concern, and to offer every 
 attention which his situation might require. He was evea 
 charged with the care of his removal, if it should be desired, 
 within the British lines. 
 
 The profonnd sensibility of the hostile chief was expressed 
 in the following message— 
 
 F 
 
42 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 5' Convey, Sir, to general Washington, the deep impression 
 of my gratitude — iny situation admits not, at this time, of a 
 personal acknowledgement — but the first moments of my reco- 
 very, should such be the will of heaven, shall be devoted to 
 place before him the homage of my heart." 
 
 Where is the testimonial of equal impression with the praise 
 of a dying enemy 1 
 
 What powers of eulogy can hope to reach the pathos of such 
 praise I 
 
 The British army, alarmed for its safety in an untenable po- 
 sition, prepared to concentrate its force, and to re-occupy the 
 post of New-York. 
 
 The strenuous efforts of the American chief to engage a 
 battle, and to intercept their retreat, were .rendered abortive 
 by an error in the conduft of a subordinate attack, at the plains 
 of Monmouth, which enabled the British general to accomplish 
 his purpose. 
 
 Passing to the last scene of our military drama, we are cal- 
 led to contemplate, on this great occasion, the vast and various 
 powers, by which the hero of our country was distinguished. 
 
 Wisdom to conceive — prudence to conceal— judgment to di- 
 Tcdi — and valor to execute a plan of operations, the most im- 
 portant in its consequences, which the annals of war can furnish, 
 Tvere eminently exemplified in the whole train of measures, by 
 •which the investment and capture of the British army, at York- 
 town, were formed and atchieved. 
 
 The limits of this discourse do not admit a recital, which 
 would include the varied incidents of the revolutionary war. 
 
 Compelled to abridge the enumeration of events, I have 
 endeavored to give to the most prominent points of aftion, dis- 
 tinguished by the presence of our gallant chief, such illustra- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 43 
 
 tion as might mark the progress of the contest, and tend to de- 
 signate the vrisdom and vigor of that condudl, by which the ope- 
 rations of our armies were direfted, and the hopes of our coun- 
 try were completely realized. 
 
 It is with regret, as it is of necessity, that I pass, in sum- 
 mary relation, the judicious instruftions issued to subordinate 
 commands and detachments — the unremitting exertions, by 
 which the organization and discipline of a new-formed army 
 were efFeded — the anxious cares, by which that army was sup- 
 plied — the sublime influence, by Avhich it was continued in acn 
 tive service, through the rigor of the most inclement seasons, 
 and under the pressure of discouragement, which the mind shud- 
 ders to review. 
 
 On these topics, the delighted historian will dilate with in- 
 creasing praise — and instru^ed posterity will dwell with grati- 
 tude and pride. 
 
 At the approach of peace an occasion arose, in which the 
 best faculties of his superior mind were summoned to their ut- 
 most exertion — and in which the feelings of his heart were to 
 meet in strong collision with the dictates of his judgment, and 
 a paramount sense of public duty. 
 
 That army, by whose unshaken fidelity, and invincible for- 
 titude, the glory and fortunes of America had been upheld, in 
 all the vicissitudes of the war, was on the eve of dispersion. 
 
 Those faithful comrades, in honor and misfortune, were to 
 separate forever, under the most affliding circumstances of in- 
 dividual adversity. 
 
 To their country they had secured the blessings of peace, and 
 the boon of independence — and to every class of their fellow- 
 citizens a full participation in those blessings, enhanced by the 
 enjoyment of that property, which, in their proteAed avoca- 
 tions, they had been enabled to preserve or to acquire. 
 
41 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 To the disbanded veteran, in the decline of life, was opened 
 the cheerless prospeft of extreme penury, aggravated, in many 
 instances, by wounds and inability to labor. His honor and 
 his arms, " the instruments of his glory," were all that he pos- 
 sessed. 
 
 Maimed and disfigured by'honorable scars, he was become 
 a stranger in the place of his nativity — and he was no longer 
 remembered by the companions of his early years. His long- 
 left home was in the cccupanry of another, and his future abode 
 was only certain to be Wretched. 
 
 While oppressed by these sensations, and assailed by the an- 
 gry passions, which their situation excited, the army were in- 
 vited, by every consideration, which the most sedudlive persua- 
 sion could suggest, to redress their wrongs, and resent the aL 
 ledged ingratitude of their country. 
 
 Argument and eloquence were exhausted to efFedt the adop- 
 tion of this fatal advice. 
 
 To counteraft the dangerous measure — to preserve inviolate 
 the honor of his troops, and the safety of his country, the wis- 
 dom and firmness of the virtuous Washington were immediately 
 interposed. 
 
 With his heart wrung by the sufferings of the army-i-with 
 his mind deeply affected by the counsel, which had been offered 
 to remedy their grievances — conscious of their merits, and no 
 less sensible to the inability of the country to fulfil its spipula- 
 tions — he convened his officers — and presenting himself as me-r 
 diator between the distresses of the troops, and the public inca-r 
 pacity, at that time, to relieve them — he addressed himself to 
 their judgment, their honor, and their patriotism. 
 
 His opinions, framed on the irresistible conclusions of truth, 
 and urged with all the force of reason and sentiment, weie in- 
 stantly adopted — and the sublime speftacle was exhibited of 
 <' an army vidlorious over its enemy,' — vidorious over itself." 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 45 
 
 In the last exercise of his military fun£lions, the social inte- 
 rests of his country engaged bis benevolent attention, and a so- 
 licitude to promote her political prosperity, employed the reflec- 
 tions of his patriotic mind. 
 
 Addressing to the executives of the several states an affec- 
 tionate farewel, he unfolded to their view the matured lescons 
 of experience, in a system of advice, eminently calculated to 
 advance the happiness of their constituents — and worthy to be 
 transmitted, in indelible charadlers, to distant posterity. 
 
 Thus was the splendid strud^ure of his military charafter 
 completed — and thus was reared, to the glory of confederated 
 America, an evtr-enduring monument of the purest patriotismi 
 and tlie most important public services. 
 
 The rights of his country m.aintained — her independence ac- 
 knowledged — the complaints of his meritorious, suffering army 
 appeased — and his high trust, in all Its relations, sacredly ful- 
 filled, he appeared before the great council of the nation, to claim 
 the indulgence of retirement, and to resign the authority, with 
 •which he had been invested, 
 
 A MORE august scene has never been displayed. The triumph 
 of virtue and freedom was complete. He retired, amid the bles- 
 sings and applause of grateful millions, to the shade of private 
 life, and to the enjoyment of that domestic felicity, from which, 
 during eight years of anxiety, toil and danger, he had been de- 
 tained by an abstradted devotion to public duty. 
 
 However desirous to call your attention to the useful, the 
 virtuous and exemplary tenor of his private life ; yet the rapid 
 succession of public events, which scarcely permitted him to 
 repose from the toils of war, obliges me to refer this interest- 
 ing topic to a subsequent part of the discourse. 
 
 The voice of his country, to which he was ever obedient, 
 was again raised to call him from his tranquil and happy retire- 
 nient. 
 
46- WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 That frame of government, wliich, in a period of danger, 
 and under the pressure of foreign hostility, had been sufficient 
 to consolidate the interests, and to educe the resources of the 
 United States, was found incompetent, in the relaxation of 
 peace and fancied security, to control those obje£ts of national 
 concern, which Vvere essential to the safety and happiness of the 
 American people, 
 
 The fairprosped^ of our rising empire was obsctired — the fai- 
 lure of our national engagements — the dissolution of our union— . 
 the consequent evils of rivalry — and the eventual horrors of war, 
 were all impending. 
 
 The crisis wris alarming beyond expression, and required an 
 immediate interposition of the most patriotic exertions to avert 
 the threatened calamities. 
 
 In the delegated wisdom and patriotism of the several states, 
 the sage and virtuous Washington was again distinguished, and 
 3g;iin pre-eminent. 
 
 Elected, by an unanimous suffrage, to preside over those 
 deliberations, on which the fate of a mighty nation, and the 
 felicity of millions were suspended, the dignity of his charac- 
 ter, and the influence of his example, gave, to the discussion of 
 different Interests, a spirit of conciliation, which resulted in the 
 noblest concessions — and an impression of national deference, 
 in which subordinate considerations were merged and extin- 
 guished, 
 
 Yes, my fellow-citizens, to his accurate perception of our 
 several interests — ,to his just construftion of what was required 
 to reconcile them— no less than to his skill and valor, in the day 
 of battle, are we indebted for a large portion of our national 
 harmony, and social happiness. 
 
 It is not in language to appreciate, with just estimation, the 
 advantages, which, on this great emergency, were derived to 
 his country, from the mild dignity of his manner, and the \\dir-, 
 nionizing charafler of his deportment, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 4r 
 
 In theni was personified that accommodation, which the crisis 
 demanded, and which the great instrument of our. national safety, 
 most happily, proclaims in all its provisions. 
 
 On the adoption of this auspicious substitute to our imperfetfl 
 confederation— when the voice of united America was to desig- 
 nate the most deserving citizen, to administer the important 
 duties of the executive department — the choice was conformed 
 to the gratitude of the nation, and to the high desert of her 
 most beloved, and most respe£led patriot. 
 
 The Illustrious Washington was again the objeA of undivided 
 esteem, and the depositary of the public confidence. 
 
 To him, as to an unerring guide, were committed the diffi- 
 cult and delicate arrangements of a new-formed government^ 
 co-extensive with the limits, and embracing the various inte- 
 rests of " our wide-spreading empire." 
 
 Renouncing the pleasures and the elegancies of his chosen 
 retreat, he consented to embark the rich treasure of his fame 
 on an untried element — and, solely aftuated by the will of his 
 country, he resigned to her wishes the evening of that llfe> 
 whose morn and meridian had been devoted to her service. 
 
 To trace the merits of his civil administration — to remark 
 the judgment and impartiality, with which its most delicate 
 duties were discharged — to observe the unwearied investigation, 
 on which his judicious seledion to office was grounded — to re- 
 view those opinions, which were submitted, for co-operation, 
 to the other branches of government — to notice the scrupulous 
 delicacy, with which he abstained from encroachment on the 
 province of their authority — while he maintained, with unde- 
 viating firmness, the powers which the constitution had exclu- 
 sively assigned to the executive organ, would far exceed the 
 limits of an euloglum. 
 
 They are classed in the highest order of precedents, and are 
 most usefully referred to the historical amplification of his In- 
 strudtivc life. 
 
48 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The immediate efFe£ls of so much virtue, wisdom and exer- 
 tion, were obvious to the most superficial observer. 
 
 Under the auspices of that government, which the weight 
 of his opinions had so largely contributed to frame, and to esta- 
 blish, and under the happy influence of such an administration 
 of its provisions, the prosperity of our country was advanced 
 beyond the most sanguine expedlations of patriotism. 
 
 Hope and happiness were substituted to gloom and misfor- 
 tune — and national respedl succeeded to national degradation. 
 
 The labor of the husbandman, the industry of the mechanic, 
 the enterprize of the merchant, were all protected and rewarded. 
 
 The surplus produdls of our soil were exchanged in profitable 
 barter — the busy hum of men was again heard in our deserted 
 harbors — and the canvass of our commerce was spread to every 
 gale. 
 
 The restoration of public; credit gave confidence to private 
 transadion— and the stridl dispensation of justice silenced the 
 last murmur of complaint. 
 
 It was no less honorable to the people of the United Statest 
 than to their illustrious benefador, that the acknowledgment of 
 his transcendent merits was the delightful theme of every class 
 and condition. 
 
 Infancy was taught to lisp his praise — youth and manhood 
 poured forth the eftusions of their gratitude — and the blessings 
 of age were expressed with the fervor of feeling, and the so- 
 lemnity of religion. 
 
 States and individuals were emulous to express his worth. 
 He was the boast of our nation among strangers — and an objed. 
 of veneration to every people. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 49 
 
 In this happy conjundure of our aftairs, the torch of war 
 ■was lighted in Europe, and threatened to extend its flame to 
 this favored portion of the globe. 
 
 To that guardian care, whose unceasing vigilance watched 
 over us — to the hero, whose protefling arm, in the hour of ine- 
 vitable conflict, had borne aloft the conquering banner of our 
 country, were we indebted for the preservation of peace, and 
 an exemption from the distress and danger of foreign war. 
 
 Pboclaiminc to the people of the United States, and to 
 the belligerent powers, the determination of our government to 
 maintain an impartial neutrality, he continued, by an undeviat- 
 ing course of honorable policy, to ensure to his country the 
 blessings of peace, and the benefits of the most advantageous 
 position. 
 
 During the desolation of war her commerce was extended, 
 and her redundant harvests administered to the wants of less 
 favored nations. 
 
 On the revolution of his official term of service, an opportu- 
 nity was afforded to express the public sense of his administra- 
 tion — and it was manifested in the most singular demonstration 
 of gratitude and applause, that has ever been bestowed. 
 
 Having nominated, in the first instance, to all the offices 
 of the general government — and having unavoidably disap- 
 pointed the wishes of numerous expeiElants, — yet such had been 
 the propriety of his appointments, and such the purity of his 
 conduA, that, on the second eleftion of chief magistrate, there 
 was not found, among several millions of people, a single dis- 
 sent from the choice of this immaculate man. 
 
 He was unanimously re-elefted to preside over their political 
 concerns, and to continue the blessings of his administration. 
 
 Among the multiplied advantages of that administration, 
 the philanthropist will review, with peculiar pleasure, an inva- 
 
 G 
 
50 Washingtoniana. 
 
 riable attention to conciliate the aboriginal inhabitants of our 
 country, and an unrt-mitting endeavor to ameliorate their hap- 
 less condition. 
 
 Regarding the interests of this unfortunate race as sacred — 
 and viewing a compliance with their claims to proteclion, as 
 among the first duties of the government, his beneficent patro- 
 nage was extended to every objeft which might promote their 
 ■welfare, or prcveht the evils incident to their situation. 
 
 To the injunftions of public negociation, he united the ad- 
 ■ monitions of personal sensibility, and the most benevolent con- 
 cern for this unhappy people. 
 
 The astonished savage beheld, in the far-famed chief of an 
 hostile nation, the protestor of his tribe, and the zealous friend 
 of their happiness — his doubts of safety were changed to ad- 
 miring confidence — and the vindidlive spirit of revenge was lost 
 in a grateful sense of unexpe£ted favor and kindness. 
 
 Having obtained, by treaty, a surrender of the military 
 posts on our western frontier, he was enabled, in a great mea- 
 sure, to carry into efFeft the magnanimous policy, which he had 
 'instituted towards the Indian tribes — and to extend, at the same 
 time, to the white inhabitants, in that quarter of the Union, 
 the security of peace, and the benefits of a friendly intercourse 
 with their immediate neighbors. 
 
 While intent on the completion of a general pacific system, 
 in relation to the affairs of the United States, he was not in- 
 sensible to the mutable policy of nations, nor inattentive to the 
 'necessary measures of military -defence. 
 
 He believed it essential to the safety of our extensive com- 
 ' merce, and to the dignity of our national charader, to enter on 
 the formation of a naval establishment, which he considered as 
 the best, and the natural, defence of the United States. 
 
 The sanAion of his opinion was accordingly given to this 
 important measure. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 51 
 
 In reviewing the principal features of his public character, 
 and their beneficial results, we are led no less to applaud the 
 benevolence, than to admire the discernment, of his philanthro- 
 pic and capacious mind. 
 
 With native, and acquired, propensities to ipilitary gloiy — 
 ■with every incentive to the exercise of arms, whiGh copsurn,- 
 mate skill in war, or the hope of distinftion could supply — peace 
 was the ruling principle of his conduft, and the tranquil prospe- 
 rity of his country was the dearest objedl of his ambition. 
 
 In the grateful belief that tl^ls anxious wish ^ya? accomplish- 
 ed, he intimated his intention to decline the honors ojf his high 
 station, and to withdraw from all pulilic employnjeipt. 
 
 To this intimation, conveyed in an address to the people of 
 the United States, was subjoined a series of opinions, on the 
 subjed of their public concerns, the legacy of an affe(£lion?ite 
 father to a beloved family, containing the most ingtru (Stive, in- 
 teresting :^n4ijnportant advice that has ever been submitted to 
 any nation. 
 
 An observance of those maxims would ensure our political 
 welfare, and promote our social happiness — they are no less cal- 
 culated to improve the heart than to inform the judgment — the.yi 
 should be committed to the memory of the young, and the me- 
 ditation of the old — they are invaluable to the present genera- 
 tion—and they will be regarded by succeeding ages, as the best 
 gind highest euloglum of tjiis tjransc.endejit Qhara^er. 
 
 YiELDiJJG to his desire of repose, his grateful countrymen 
 invoked .tb,e, blessing of heaven on the close of his illustrious 
 life, and acquiesced in his intention to retire. 
 
 BEpotD l^im returned to the ?ta,t;ion of a .private citizen, en» 
 forcing, by corre,£l example, those rules of conduct, which, with 
 modest diffidence, he had offered to the consideration of his 
 fountry, 
 
52 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Divested of every distinftion, and without a personal at- 
 tendant, he mingled in the throng of citizens, and was the first 
 to express the homage of his esteem, vhich was respedlful, af- 
 fedlionate and sincere, at the inauguration of his successor — 
 to whom, no less than to the memory of the illustrious dead, 
 it is due to remark that, in their personal intercourse, and in all 
 their official relations, the most cordial friendship, and benefi- 
 cial harmony, had uniformly subsisted. 
 
 To attest the perfeftion of public principle, it will be for ever 
 remembered that the distinguished patriot, who had so long, 
 and so ably, presided in the concerns of the nation, consented 
 to accept a secondary commissionj at a period cf life, when no 
 consideration but the safety of his country, and complete confi- 
 dence In the measures of her government, could have required 
 or prompted the service of the venerable chief. 
 
 The sentiments of his judicious and comprehensive mind, as 
 expressed in his own words, on this important occasion, are too 
 honorable to his memory, too just in their application to his 
 successor, and too interesting to our country, in their relation 
 to future events, not to be here recited. See appendix, p. 34. 
 
 Such was the triumph of patriotism — and such the dignified 
 completion of his public character. 
 
 With the accomplishments of the hero, and the attributes 
 of the statesman, we are now to connect the interesting theme 
 of domestic life, and the useful virtues of his private charac- 
 ter. 
 
 Favored of heaven, he was blest in the most endeared re-, 
 lation of human society. 
 
 The amiable and much respefted partner of his happiness, 
 enjoyed his affe<Stion and esteem, and was worthy to participate 
 the honors of his exalted station. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 53 
 
 The praAice of his filial piety, which had been distinguished 
 at an early age, was continued until the death of his surviving 
 parent, with unabated tenderness and respedl. 
 
 His fraternal love was exemplary, as ii was sincere — and the 
 munificent provisions of his will, attest the affedlion which he 
 bore to his kindred, and the relatives of his family. 
 
 Nor was this munificence bounded by the limits of consan- 
 guinity. The interests of freedom and science were anxiously 
 consulted, and most generously advanced. 
 
 Age and infirmity were the objedls of his kind regard — 
 
 And the instruftion of youth was connecled with the eman- 
 cipation of the bondsman — as a mean of protecting his rights^ 
 and rendering him safe and useful to society. 
 
 The friend and the stranger were received with cordial wel- 
 come at his hospital mansion — and his beneficence to his neigh- 
 bors was returned with the most affedlionate attachment. 
 
 Combining, with a general patronage of science, and use- 
 ful institutions, a particular attention to the improvements of 
 agriculture, he diffused his observation and experience, in this 
 important pursuit, wherever they could be beneficial — extend- 
 ing his correspondence, on this interesting subject, to other na- 
 tions. 
 
 Such were the outlines of his domestic life — and such were 
 his private avocations. 
 
 Unable, on a careful review of eminent characters, to dis- 
 cover an apposite resemblance to the constellation of his virtues 
 and talents, I forbear to enter on partial comparisons, which 
 could not dignify, and would but Imperfedly illustrate the hero 
 of our country. 
 
54 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Enriched by nature with her choicest gifts — she had, with 
 equal liberality, bestowed upon him the greatest advantages of 
 external form, and the highest degree of intelleftual endowment. 
 To the noble part of a lofty stature, were united uncommon 
 grace, strength, and symmetry of person : and. to the command- 
 ing aspedl of manly beauty, was given the benignant smile, 
 which, inspiring confidence, created affeclion. 
 
 In being thus minute, I do not mean to arraign your delighted 
 remembrance of the hero, which the short lapse of a fleeting 
 year has not effaced. 
 
 Yet were mine the powers of description to produce a perfedl 
 image, I would present him to your enraptured imagination — as 
 he was seen in battle, calm and cplle^ed-=-as, he appeared in 
 council, dignified and serene — as he adorned society, graciou? 
 and condescending. 
 
 But, O mournful refie£lion ! that pleasing, that venerable 
 form now moulders into dust. Sealed in death are those eyes, 
 which watched over our safety : closed for ever are those lips, 
 which spake peace and happiness to our country. 
 
 Yet the dark night of the tomb shall not obscure the lustre 
 of his fame — and, when brass and marble shall have fallen to 
 decay, the sweet remembrance of his virtues, passing in proud 
 transmission to remotest ages, shall endure for ever. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 55 
 
 funeral oration^ delivered before the French lodge L'Amenite. 
 £j brother Simon Chaudiion. 
 
 o 
 
 Mj brethren^ 
 
 UR brother, Gkorge Washington, Is no more! 
 
 Anew speftacle bursts on the eye of philosophy. The whole 
 universe, perhaps, for the first time, will unite in offering a tri- 
 bute of gratitude to the memory of a mortal 1 
 
 We, my brethren, whom fate has placed on the theatre of 
 his glory, and near to his last remains, we ought to hasten, as 
 the apostles of humanity, to strew the earliest flowers on the 
 tomb of her hero. 
 
 Feae not, respected shade, that I would compare thy name 
 to the names of those unfortunately celebrated as demi-gods, 
 whose greatness was derived from the annihilation or destruc- 
 tion of mankind, and whose bloody triumphs foreboded slavery 
 or death. 
 
 Thy glory Is erected on the basis of thy virtues ; thou hast 
 extended thy conquests only in the hearts and over the opinions 
 of men ; and, on this very earth, which human corruption and 
 avarice have watered with blood and tears, thou art the first 
 who hast dared to establish the principles of justice and liberty. 
 
 Most just of mortals ! even thy death, for which a world is 
 bathed in tears, will result to the benefit of man. The grief 
 of nations for thy loss will be a terrible lesson to their oppres- 
 sors ; it will announce to them the near approach of the disso- 
 lution of thetr power, and the triumph of reason over the shame- 
 ful prejudices of slavery. It will convince ^em, how little is 
 'their greatness compared with the empire of virtue, whose only 
 limits are the boundaries of the universe. 
 
56 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 If now, disencumbered, as thou art, of the trammels of mor- 
 tality, thou canst still feel an interest in sublunary concerns ; 
 how afietiting to thee must be the view of those reAvards, which 
 the love and gratitude of thy country are this day lavishing 
 upon thee. These broken words, which terminate only in sobs ; 
 this heart-rending eagerness to announce the loss of a great man, 
 and the inability to do it except by tears ; this display of grief, 
 T,hich the chaims of youth and beauty render so powerful, that 
 each family appears to have lost its father and benefa£tor ; this 
 ccmnion burst of blessings and tears, must all declare to thee, 
 that, in quitting life, thou hast only hastened forward in the 
 road to .n uortality. 
 
 Brethren, if my soul were less oppressed, I would under- 
 take to rccal to your recollection, all those titles by which 
 Washington commanded the eternal grief of his country, and 
 the esteem of all the earth. 1 would undertake to follow him 
 in that diiHcult and glorious career, into which he was impelled 
 by his devotion to the cause of humanity. But, I find that 
 the feeling heart is better able to cherish and admire great men, 
 than to celebrate them. I find that the feeling heart cannot of- 
 fer any tribute to their memory which Avill not be weakened by 
 grief. 
 
 And how can I secure myself against that sentiment which 
 all feel, which every thing around me combines to inspire. This 
 immense portion of America, whose chains he broke asunder, 
 re-echoes with the voice of woe ; all hand.5 are raised to heaven 
 in search of the father, the deliverer of their country. The 
 sound of the muffled bells ascends on high, the temples of God 
 are shrouded with the badges of mourning, the deep-mouthed 
 engines of war, which, under his direftion, thundered only for 
 the public good — all, all, announce that a great calamity has 
 befallen this part of the human ^race, who owe to him their hap- 
 piness and independence. • 
 • 
 
 But the country which experienced his fatherly protedlion^ 
 is not suiHciently extensive for the display of his glory. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 4/ 
 
 Already those children of nature, -whoro European avarice 
 has, for two centuries, been hurrying to annihilation ; those sa-k 
 vages of the woods, who regarded the name of Washington, 
 as the barrier of their frontier ; yes, those men, without doubt, 
 are already assembled, and methinks I hear them say, " Our 
 father, the great warrior of America, has gone down to the 
 tomb ; who now shall guarantee to us the possession of ouf 
 lands ? Brethren, let us make an offering to his shade, that 
 it may protect us, and let us transmit his image to our chil- 
 dren." 
 
 How truly great must be the glory of that virtuous citizen, 
 whose likeness, in every quarter of the globe, graces every 
 dwelling, except, perhaps, the palaces of kings. How truly 
 great must that glory be, which is proclaimed by the savage o£ 
 the "woods in concert with all the civilized nations of the world ! 
 
 Violators of the sacred laws of humanity, to whom cri- 
 minal adulation erecled trophies and thrones, you, who, after 
 having spread devastation over the earth, dared to call youi'* 
 selves the masters of it ! What are you in comparison with the 
 modest hero, whom Impartial truth this day proclaims the de- 
 fender of the human race? Execrable tyrants, who dwelt in 
 midst of slaves and butchers, and whose existence your people 
 sorrowfully supported, what is become of your glory ? The sa- 
 lutary hand of death has suspended the sentiment of fear which 
 bore down your viftims, and all the monuments of your power 
 are fallen, with yourselves, into the dust. 
 
 Whe-s eternal Providence sends great men upon earth for 
 models and avengers, it, at the same time, watches over the 
 safety of innocence, and the proteftion of its altars. If virtue 
 had not also its defenders and proteftors, all the imprecations 
 vented by the unfortunate against divine Providence, would be 
 justified. 
 
 In his youth, Washington felt the sublime impulse of lov« 
 for man and liberty. Heaven had infused into him an abun- 
 dant portion of that ethereal fire, which raises the soul to the 
 
 H 
 
S8 tVASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 contemplation of great things. He could not feel all the dig's 
 nity of kis nature without groaning for the degradation of an 
 immense portion of his species. A single institution * brought 
 men under the level of equality ; he wished to understand its 
 principles — he wished to become one of its members. His soul 
 expanded with the pure flame of charity ; and, I have the pride 
 to believe, that the first step which he made in the tetople of 
 truth, had an influence on the fate of this empire ; and on the 
 improvements in the systems of other governments, what have 
 been the consequences of it ? 
 
 A SIMPLE education, by leaving the energy of his soul un- 
 impaired, and his body in full vigor, enabled him to pass his 
 youthful days between the noble employment of cultivating the 
 ground and pursuing the art of war. Notwithstanding, howe- 
 ver brilliant the career of his arms might have appealed to him, 
 whatever esteem his bravery and skill in the performance of his 
 duty might have acquired, whatever hopes of advancement the 
 elevated rank which he possessed when but twenty years of age, 
 might have held forth to him, the glory of being only a great 
 warrior, did not appear to him worthy of the sacrifice of his 
 prevailing passion for the innocent charms of agriculture and 
 domestic felicity. He took up arms only for the defence of the 
 soil that gave him birth, and only to prevent its devastation. 
 It was, without doubt, that, then fighting against Frenchmen, 
 he learnt what powerful aid might be derived from that brave 
 and gei>erous nation, for the establishment of liberty, in the new 
 world. 
 
 The unfortunately natural proneness of power towards op- 
 pression, had drawn on the American colonies all the abuse 
 which accompany pride and authority. Thb yoke become in- 
 sujiportable, called forth a spirit of resistance. The mother 
 country committed to the decision of the sword, the issue of a 
 quarrel, which justice and reason might have settled without 
 the eflTusion of human blood. Rarely does power suffer weak- 
 ness to express the sense of its innocence. It was, therefore, 
 thought proper to threaten with chains, or menace with death, 
 * MasQnrj, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 59 ^ 
 
 a people who boasted of Washington for their friend and de- 
 fender ; and war commenced with fury between men, whom a r 
 conformity of language and manners, it seemed, ought to have > 
 united by indissoluble tics. > 
 
 When the mother country threw her armies on the shores 
 of America, to support her pretensions, all eyes, all hearts, 
 were turned towards the peaceable farmer of Mount-Vernon. i 
 He undertook the defence and justification of his country with > 
 the devotion and modesty of true heioisra. All the friends of:r 
 glory and liberty flocked to his standard, and the proud aggres- ' 
 sors of Bunker's Hill soon found, that, a nation armed by jus- ' 
 tice and led by a great man, was not the conquest of a day/' 
 The haughty presumption of the enemy's generals causing them • 
 to forget what pity has a right to ex-peft from a civilized natidn, 
 even in a state of war, our hero, with the firmness of a republi- 
 can soldier, recalled to their minds the principles of honor and 
 humanity, the only alleviation to the severity of the warrior's 
 lot. 
 
 All those epithets which scorn invents to excite hatred and , 
 contempt against an enemy, lost their original meaning. Their 
 patience in marches, and military manoeuvres, their resignation 
 when in want of every thing, and their intrepidity in adlion, all 
 soon announced that these rebels against arbitrary and tyranni- 
 cal laws were sc many heroes ; all soon announced, that the 
 army, like its illustrious leader, was ec^ually inaccessible to fear 
 as to corruption. 
 
 The argument which enforces the necessity of oppressing 
 men in order to govern them, is a calumny against the human 
 race, invented by tyranny to palliate its excesses and to justify 
 its crimes. It is the example of superior chara£lers that has 
 the most p >werful influence over the morality of nations. Wash- 
 ington supported the perseverance of his soldiers and the hopes 
 of his fellow-citizens, only by the ascendancy of his virtues. 
 His sensibility for the sufferings of others, while his own ap- 
 peared to have been forgotten, inflamed the ardor of men, of 
 whose labors he was, at once, the direAor and partaker. 
 
60 . WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 His sacred regard to his engagements was the means of' fur- 
 nishing him resources, which were even witlnheld from the con- 
 querors for want of confidence. The Canadians provisioning 
 }iis army, upon the bare guarantee of his name, have rendered 
 immortal homage to the reftitude of his heart. 
 
 The enthusiasm which these first successes produced, aug- ' 
 mented his hopes, without intoxicating his soul. Boston re- 
 ceived him with acclamations of admiration and gratitude ; but, 
 the hero, regardless of himself in the midst of the joy Svhich 
 he had inspired, converted, to the profit of his country, the in- 
 terest which he had excited for himself. In modestly declining 
 the premature laurels which the love of his country decreed him, 
 he nobly gave all the credit to the companions of his arms, and 
 kept in reserve for himself only the treasure of public opinion, 
 by which he has since been enabled twice to save his country. 
 
 Hitherto the w^ar was but a simple and lawful defence on 
 the part of America. All the means of reconciliation being 
 vanished, it became necessary to declare the emancipation of a 
 great people, to give them a solid form of government ; and, 
 ■with J vigorous resolution to maintain it, to raise them to a 
 place among the nations of the earth. Whatever might have 
 been the manoeuvres of the enemy to prevent this separation, 
 so fatal to the mother country, the independence of the United 
 States was proclaimed and solemnly sworn to be maintained at 
 the head of the armies. 
 
 All the combinations of force were rendered abortive by re- 
 sistance, and the enemies of Washington and liberty conceived, 
 that, to immolate one, -would be the only means of destroying 
 the other. The life of the hero who seemed to hold the desti- 
 nies of America in his hands was to have been destroyed by the 
 assassin's dagger;* but, an ever a<^ive Providence watched 
 over him, and the bloody plot answered no other purpose to its 
 
 '^ Impartial History of the military and political events of tbe 
 laxt ivar^ vol. 1, page 184. Gordon's History of the United 
 States, vol. 2, page 71 ; idem, vol. 3, fol, 213. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 6\ 
 
 a-uthors, than to complete the measure of hatred and horror 
 %vhich they had inspired. 
 
 Whilst he was thus engaged in braving assassins and com- 
 bating armies, fortune was preparing for his great soul an op- 
 portunity to immortalize itself. His very reverses' had disco- 
 vered to him the secrets of the weakness of his enemies. The 
 difficulty of replacing their men, made the latter desirous cf 
 an active war, which might soon decide their fate, and leave 
 no time to the American soldiers for acquiring discipline. The 
 former, by seizing the opportunities for attack constantly of- 
 fered by European t?.ftics, had become alarmingly enfeebled. 
 Already the capital momently expected to bow to the law of 
 the conqueror ; but, Washington, superior to the sense of fear, 
 dared to hope every thing from the justice of his cause and the 
 greatness of his courage. Like another Leonidas, he had the 
 boldness to believe, that with three thousand soldiers of liberty, 
 he could face his numerous enemies. In faft, the imminence of' 
 the danger produced such increased ardor and devotion to the 
 cause, that he braved the English, received reinforcements, saved 
 Philadelphia, and crowned the glorious enterprize by reducing' 
 1,500 of the enemy's troops to the humiliating condition of lay- 
 ing down their arms. 
 
 Plains of Trenton ! your name is as immortal as the hero 
 whom I celebrate. The feeling traveller, "will stop, in everv 
 age, to contemplate the fields, where victory wove a wreath for 
 valor a.nd justice 1 
 
 Inhabitants of this peaceful country ! your children can 
 never again behold their deliverer : but let it be your delight, 
 to learl them to the field of battle, where W'ash'ngton saved 
 your independence, and let them water the place of his triumph 
 with tears of gratitude J 
 
 The plans of the enemy being disconcerted, it was expefted 
 the resources of a great nation, indignant of defeats, would all 
 36 displayed. And, indeed, neither money or men were spared 
 ;o stiflvT the new-born republic in its cradle. Three armies, 
 
6Q WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ■whose progress, all the genius of Washington, and all the bra- 
 very of his troops could, with difficulty arrest, threatened it 
 it from distant points. The conquest of the capital was the 
 chief objedl of their wishes. An army superior in numbers, 
 came for this purpose, to provoke the American army to a ge-f 
 neriil action. Its illustrious chief foresaw all the danger of ex- 
 posing the safety of a great city to the fate of a battle ; but, 
 congress having ordered it, he obeyed as a citizen and fought 
 as a hero. The viftory which escaped him at Brandywine, not- 
 withstanding the prodigies of valor exhibited by the American 
 army and the French auxiliary officers, opened to the enemies 
 the road to Philadelphia^ This blow, far from damping the ar-, 
 dor of Washington, served only to reanimace it. He conti- 
 nued the mode of warfare most favorable to courage, and con- 
 trived- to avoid the danger of general actions, by which his 
 country might have lest, in one day, the fruit of three years' sa-r 
 ciifices and battles. The happy advantage of sparing the blood 
 of his fellow-citizens, and wearying his enemy, was the result 
 of his system. Like a profound politician, he saw that in tem^ 
 porizing, he gave to the powers of Europe, always rivals, al- 
 ways at v/ar, always ambitious, time to interest themselves in 
 the fate of people, whose emancipation would deprive the richest, 
 the most aclive, and most jealous of all nations, of a part of 
 her resources. The event justified his expeftations. The French 
 government thought it incumbent on it to aid in humiliating 
 G»-eat-Britain ; and, regardless of the consequences which might 
 result to itselfj declared for the United States of America, 
 whose independence it acknowledged. 
 
 The warriors of France, in crov/ds, strove for the honor of 
 hastening to engage, under a new hemisphere, the natural ene- 
 mies of their country. The love of glory and liberty rendered 
 the allied legions invincible ; and England soon found herself 
 reduced to the alternative of losing the remainder of her posses- 
 sions in the new world, or of abandoning her vain and danger- 
 ous pretensions over the American republic. However, nothing 
 was left untried by that nation to recover its authorisy. Pro- 
 mises, threats, all were employed: all were of no avail. The 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. \ 6t? 
 
 treachery of one republican general vvas the only triumph gained 
 by corruption over the fidelity of the army ; nor did the defec- 
 tion of this officer cost England less than a soldier, for whose 
 fate Europe and America have wept. 
 
 Major Andre, a youthful hero, on whom nature and love 
 had been prodigal of their favors, had the weakness to engage 
 in the criminal projecl.s of a traitor. He was deserted by for- 
 tune from the very moment that he dared, for the first time, to 
 violate the sacred principles of military honor. His life was 
 doomed to pay the forfeit ! But so many virtues, and such un- 
 common grace, so powerfully plead for the pardon of his fault, 
 that imperious necessity alone could have determined the Order 
 for his death. Here the statesman, here the soldier, inflexible 
 in his obedience to the laws, was bound to stifle the emotions 
 of pity and indulgence. The chief of the republican army was 
 bound to confirm the sentence of death on a guilty foe, undaunted 
 by the apprehension of being charged with inhumanity. But 
 after the accomplishment of the painful duty, the compassion- 
 ate soul of the hero was at liberty to give a loose to all the emo- 
 tions of sensibility ! O Washington ! the tears with which thou 
 bathest the decree that sealed his fate, will, in the eyes of pi- 
 tying posterity, efface a crime, which the love of beauty and 
 love of his country extorted from the virtue of the unfortunate 
 Andre. 
 
 The capture of York-town, one of the most decisive acllons 
 of the war, put an end to the hopes of the enemies of America. 
 
 Washington gave to the French and American army, a. 
 proof of his esteem, which its intrepidity and patience in this 
 expedition, justly merited. The French soldiers, ever alive to 
 glory, found in the praise of a hero, amends for all their suffr-.r- 
 ings. The joy of this solemn fete was completed by the par- 
 don of all the faults of discipline, committed during the cam- 
 paign ; and this day was one of the most satisfaAory to the fa- 
 ther and friend of soldiers, since he had it in his power to ci,own. 
 it by an ad of clemency. 
 
64 / WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The war drawing near to a close, Washington assembled the 
 officers of the army to exhort them to maintain the example of 
 perseverance which they had unceasingly displayed, and to be on 
 their guard against the perfidious insinuations of the enemies of 
 their independence. This great man so completely Inspired the 
 companions of his glory with his own sentiments, that they again 
 renewed their oath to die for their country. 
 
 The period when an empire is to be organized, is ahvays a 
 time of trouble and anarchy. All the political ideas being newj 
 and every interest different, each one wishes to reap the b<ene-« 
 fits of the new establishments. The secret enemies of the new 
 Grder of things, which it may be' intended to establish, taking 
 advantage of this critical moment to introduce a discordancy of 
 opinions, war is the conse.quence of the division of sentiment, 
 unless a centre is formed which will unite all hearts. Wash- 
 ington, who had wrested America from the fury of oppression, 
 now saved it from its ov/n phrenzy. With his viftorious hands, 
 he extinguished the torch of civil war, which was about to enve* 
 lojis his country in flame. No one flattering himself with the 
 expeftation of gaining Washington over to his own party, the 
 Avhole nation became of his ; and the calm of confidence shc- 
 ceeded to the tumult of confusion. 
 
 The sacrifices made by the federal republic brought on a peaces 
 but so exhausted v/ere its resources, that it found itself utterly 
 unable to perform the promises made to its brave defenders. The 
 army complained to its general of the refusal of the government, 
 and loudly accused it of ingratitude ; the soldiers reminded him 
 cf their past sufferings and present necessities. The hero, be- 
 holding their misery, and convinced of the impossibility of ame- 
 liorating their situation, appeased their murmurs by the con- 
 cern only which he took in their suffering's. Having refused to 
 receive any compensation for himself, he was the most proper 
 person t(? demand a reward for his companions in arms, But, 
 however great might hiive been his desire to preserve the affec- 
 tion of his army, he defended the honor of the government 
 against the insinuations and att::cks of the discontented. Every 
 thing assumed the calm oi" his sotji : the fear of displeasing him^ 
 
WashingtonianA. es 
 
 seerecd to do away all distrust, to unite all sentiments ; and the 
 sublime letter with which he concluded his military career, af- 
 fixed the seat of immortality to the titles of his glory. 
 
 Affecting scenes were now preparing for the heart of Wash- 
 ington. He was about to leave that army, which six years of 
 fidelity and attachment, had so much endeared to him. He ap- 
 peared a Germanitus receiving the adieux of the Roman legions. 
 Every eye was suffused with tears, every heart was oppressed 
 vith grief, and a croud of heroes pressed around the great man, 
 each one eager to catch and preserve these affeAlng words : 
 *' With a heart full of love and gratitude, I take leave of you, 
 with an ardent prayer that the evening of your days may be as 
 happy and prosperous as theii- morning has been glorious and ho- 
 norable." The silence of grief was the eloquent reply of the 
 army. The friend of the people, perceiving, after he had left 
 the shore, all eyes direfted tov/ards him, respeftfully saluted this 
 family of brothers and friends, whose every heart was with him ; 
 and, with difficulty, he suppressed the painful emotions of his 
 soul. 
 
 His journey afterwards was a triumphal ptoccsslon. Testi- 
 monials of gratitude and veneration every where followed him. 
 The hero, apparently unconscious of the immortal honors with 
 which his brows were encircled, in a public manner, ascribed 
 his successes to the influence of heaven, to the courage of his 
 fellow-citizens and the justice of their cause. Then, bowing; 
 before the august depositaries of the law, he returned into their 
 hands that victorious sword, which he held by their authority, 
 thanked them for their confidence in him, rendered an account, 
 ■with his own hand, of the public money which had been ex- 
 pended by him during the war, expressed his wishes for the pros- 
 perity of his country, recommended to her her protestors, and 
 solicited only the favor of being permitted to pass the remainder 
 of his life in the peaceful shades of retirement, in the bosom of 
 his family, and near to the tombs of his ancestors. 
 
 His arrival at the delightful spot which contained all the ob- 
 jedts of hi8 afiedions, was a moment of ccstacy, which hU souj 
 
 I 
 
66 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 could scarcely support. The transports of an adored wife, wh»^ 
 for six whole years, had no other consolation than her tears and 
 the glory of her husband ; and, who again beheld him crowned 
 with the blessings of the whole world ; his eager neighbors and 
 faithful domestics, bathing with their tears the hands that saved 
 his country ! What a scene ! How powerful and how exquisite 
 must have been the sensations of his soul, ere he could find 
 words to express himself 1 O! Washington! how grateful 
 shouldst thou be to heaven for having preserved the simplicity 
 of thy heart, and enabled thee to say, in every period of thy 
 life, with the Theban general, " I wish not to forget how they 
 live at home." How pure must have been thy joy, since thou 
 thyself felt the happiness with which thou hadst inspired others. 
 
 Domestic tranquillity and the delightful harmony of nature, 
 so grateful to strong and feeling minds, had hardly begun to af- 
 ford him a taste of their charms, than the voice of his country 
 again called him to the theatre of civil life. He alone could 
 give that vigor to the laws, which a confidence in the chief ma- 
 gistrate of a country inspires. He saw the necessity of the sa- 
 crifice ; and, always devoted, always faithful to his duty, he 
 hastened to assume the reins of a government, which, in part, 
 owed its formation to him ; and which was to receive its first 
 lustre from the wisdom of his administration. The joy of the 
 people on again beholding the man of their choice, can only be 
 compared to the modesty of their benefaftor. The whole of his 
 route was lined with an immense concourse of people, assembled 
 from far and near. — Their joy was expressed by songs and tears ; 
 innocence and beauty strewed flowers in the path of the hero of 
 liberty, and the gratitude of wives and mothers was inscribed 
 by the hand of chastity on triumphal arches. 
 
 I HAVE seen the pompous entry of sovereigns. I have seen 
 the noisy acclamations of the people rewarded by throwing to 
 them, with disdain, a contemptable portion of the riches torn 
 from their industry by the prodigality of kings. Under cars, 
 glittering with gold and purple, I have seen misery and wretch- 
 edness disputing, at the rjgli; of life, for what cQuld afford them 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 6/ 
 
 Kut the relief of a day, and tears of humiliation and pity have 
 j'ollcd down my cheeks. 
 
 I HATE seen Washington, a second time, accept the most ele- 
 vated of stations. Grateful, and with respeft, before the source 
 of all lawful authority, before this same class of citizens, which, 
 in other places, I have seen cringing like slaves ; him, 1 saw, 
 adorned with laurels and his virtues, assume, with a noble pride, 
 the title of first servant of the people, and ray soul rising to the 
 sublimity of his, I have felt that I could neiifbr again belong to 
 mastcrsj after having been for a moment the equal of an hero. 
 
 Under the first presidency of Washington, the happiness of 
 his constituents was complete. Under the second, he could not 
 avert all the dangers with which the peace of his country was 
 threatened ; but he averted war, the greatest of evils. 
 
 All Europe was in arms. France, the obje£l of the jealousy 
 of all nations, was also become the objeft of their hatred. The 
 success of her invincible armies, and her revolutionary princi- 
 ples appearing dangerous to the safety of crowned heads, almost 
 all of them appealed to the sword for the maintenance of their 
 authority. The government of the United States solicited to 
 become a party, conceived itself not bound in duty, cither to 
 espouse the cause of kings, or to declare for an invincible peo- 
 ple, who braved with success a powerful coalition, and whose 
 rulers were, at that time, cutting each others throats, at the 
 altar of their country, 
 
 Washington, therefore, declared the neutrality of United 
 America ; and, opening to this nation, by this a£l of firmness, 
 all the sources of industry, from which a people in a state of 
 war arc debarred, he prepared it to profit by the errors of Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 Thus America became the asylum of all the unfortunate, 
 •whom severe measures of policy, persecution or misery, had 
 driven from their country. All here found the same succor, the 
 same proteftion j for the laws being founded in justice and li- 
 
68 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 berty, no fear existed cither of the projjrcss of reason, or the 
 influence of prejudice. 
 
 To us, Frenchmen, who have been so kindly received on these 
 peaceful sliores, it belongs to pay distinguished respeft to the 
 ■wisdom of the hero whom we deplore ; we, whom cruel fate 
 has torn from our homes, without suffering us to carry away 
 any thing but our tears and our innocence, to interest the pity 
 of mankind, should ever hold him in grateful remembrance. 
 What would have*brcome of that croud of wretched old men, 
 children and defenceless citizens, whom the daggers of assas- 
 sins had driven from their blazing habitations, if an inimical por 
 iicy had repulsed us from this hospitable land ? My country- 
 men, let us never forget to teach our children to bless the me- 
 mory of the protedor of their early days : let us never forget 
 to tell them, that, but for him, perhaps, the wide ocean had 
 been their tomb. 
 
 "Whilst Europe, inundated with blood, endeavored to force 
 the neutral powers to swell the number of destroyers and vic- 
 tims. United America, enjoying peace, wished to have nothing 
 to fear from European policy, and the raising of an army ap- 
 peared the surest mean to secure it against all foreign menace 
 and influence. The name, alone, of Washington, ought to 
 tave convinced the belligerent powers of the injustice of their 
 attempts on a nation whose defence he had undertaken. This 
 great man imposed no other conditions to his obedience than 
 those of Cincinnatus to the Roman senate — the liberty of re- 
 tiring to his fields, when the country should be placed in a state 
 of security. 
 
 It was in the midst of this career, that death snatched liim 
 ^rom the love and gratitude of the world. 
 
 Heaven and nature have taken back their gift in all the per- 
 feclion of his being, that he might carry to the tomb, a glory 
 unsullied by any human weakness. Serene in mind, above fear, 
 |U human obligations paid, at peace with God, I^is exalted soyl 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 69 
 
 is gone to enjoy in heaven the blessings which it recciv-^cs from 
 mortals. 
 
 O ! Washington, if in the abode of thy glory thou art 
 accessible to the sighs and lamentations of men, pardon their 
 grief, should it intrude for a moment on thy supreme felicity I 
 Thou canst not yet tear thyself from our love ; our sorrows 
 will pursue thee even to the bosom of the divinity, — Each day 
 will we do homage to eternal mercy in immortalizing thy me- 
 piory — each day -will we importune it, in imploring the resto-» 
 |:ation of it i 
 
 Shade of Washington^ rest in peace ! 
 
 Sovereign arbiter of worlds, supreme and inexhaustible 
 source of all good ! accept our thanks ! 1 hou hast bestowed on 
 the world a model of all human perfeftion, to re-animate the 
 germs of virtue implanted in our bosoms ! Deign, O great ar- 
 chiteiSt of the universe, to inspire the rulers of nations with a 
 sense of thy ineffable goodness ! Stay, with thine Almighty arm, 
 the blood and tears, with which pride and ambition are drench- 
 ing the earth ! Grant, O my God! that the desire of glory may- 
 be kindled in the souls of heroes, only by the love of justice 
 and humanity] 
 
 l^After the orator had ceased to speak, the ivorsbipful master 
 arose, and delivered in English the follovjing respectful address 
 to the grand master, and other grand officers and American vi~ 
 sitors ; and concluded the ceremonies of the day with a polite 
 (iddress, in French, to the ladies."} 
 
 R. W. grand master ; W. grand officers of the grand lodge of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 American brethren, 
 
 HOWEVER true may be the satisfaAion we feel every time 
 you honor this lodge with your presence, we cannot but 
 lament the occasion of your visit on this day. If the loss wc 
 all bewail, was but a common loss ; if the grief it occasions 
 was confined to American hearts, I might perhaps have at- 
 tempted tg- alleviate it ; but what comfort could you exped to 
 
70 washingtoniana; 
 
 receive from those who want comfort as much as you ! How can 
 I presume to dry up the tears you shed upon the tomb of your 
 illustrious countryman, when his eminent virtues have made him 
 the man of all nations, the idol of all hearts. Yes, brethren, 
 however proud America may feel of having produced such a 
 hero, it is long since she lost her exclusive claim to his glory ; 
 it is long since he became the ornament of mankind, and the 
 citizen of the world. Permit me, however, to tell you, that to 
 no nation on earth, after his own, was he so dear as to Framce ; 
 there the fame of his immortal aftions filled every heart with 
 pride and admiration ; there, his only name had the talismanic 
 power of ennobling the soul, and raising it to sublime things. 
 Such was, brethren, the opinion entertained of our illustrious 
 brother, at the time I left my native country. I trust these 
 noble sentiments have not degenerated, and sincerely hope, that 
 the ceremony you witness to-day in this lodge, will find imitat- 
 ors in our sister lodges of France ; there, also, a just tribute 
 will be paid to the memory of our hero ; there, also, the most 
 feeling part of the creation will blend their tears with those of 
 masons, and exhibit the afFefting scene of beauty weeping upon 
 the trophies of glory and virtue, 
 
 My amiable shte?-s, 
 
 Ix inviting you, this day, to become partners in our sorrows 
 and our tears, we have only done homage to a didate of nature, 
 and acknowledged a right, your title to which she herself is 
 proud to guarantee. Grief is the offspring and attendant of 
 sensibility, and beauty claims the privilege of preparing gar- 
 lands for the tombs of her heroes. It is for her smiles they 
 make suit during the career of their lives ; it is her tears they 
 solicit when they descend in their splendor, to the night of the 
 grave. Perhaps no mortal ever boasted a fairer title to this 
 glorious tribute, than he whose recent loss inflifts a wound on 
 every heart ! The tablature of his resplendent virtues has been 
 just pourtrayed to us by the hand of genius ; truth vouchsafed- 
 to guide the pencil ; sentiment furnished her magic colouring, 
 and your tears are sufficient evidence how irresistible was the 
 cffed ! 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 71 
 
 Had not grief the deplorable power of swallowing up every 
 other sentiment, I would declare to you what delight and glory 
 I derive from presiding in the lodge I'Amcnite, on an occasion 
 ■when you assemble to adorn its important labors. In lament- 
 ing with you, that it should be this same sentiment of grief 
 which has introduced beauty to the temple of wisdom, I am, 
 notwithstanding, bound to congratulate you on such a fortunate 
 occurrence, an occurrence of which the value should be deemed 
 proportionate to the rarity. The unusual splendor with whicli 
 your presence gilds the ceremonies of the day, the brilliancy of 
 sentiment with which you inspire our souls, the noble dignity 
 of woe which your deportment has manifested, should all con- 
 spire to swell our regret that the inflexible laws of masonry ex- 
 cludes you from a knowledge of her mysteries. But hov/ever 
 rigid you may deem those laws, beware of suspecting them of 
 caprice or injustice. Reje(ft the opinion of an ignorant popu- 
 lace, who hold this exclusion injurious to that lovely sex which 
 constiiutes its objed. Banish the idea, which would mortify 
 us by shading with suspicion the sublime opinion we entertain of 
 your virtues. Be assured, that, in thus retiring from your view, 
 we distrust ourselves rather than you. Be assured, that far 
 from undervaluing the gifts with which nature has so bounte- 
 ously favored us, we dread the dominion which they never fail 
 to exercise over our hearts. Finally, be assured that beauty is' 
 excluded from the temple of wisdom, only from an apprehen- 
 sion that the torch of love might obscure, by its brilliancy, the 
 sweet but feeble lustre of truth. 
 
 But, though strangers to the mysteries which reign in this 
 place, you do not fail, my dear sisters, to co-operate in the 
 grand work v/hich we have undertaken. It is in the bosom of 
 your domestic virtues, that -we prepare the precious elements of 
 a course of labor deveted to wisdom ; it is you, who In confer- 
 ring on us the sacred title of parent, open to our hearts all the 
 treasures of tender sensibility, and render them capable of those 
 emotions which beneficence and humanity have so often ap- 
 plauded in this place ; it is you whose mild resignation gives 
 calmness to those turbulent spirits ever prone to be restless un- 
 4er the pressure of adversity j it is you who sweeten the bitt«:r 
 
n WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 cup of a long and painful exile ; it is you who render tolerable 
 an existence remote from our country ; it is you who spreading 
 a veil over the retrospecl of opulence for ever lost, embellish, 
 with your charms, even the dwellings of indigence ; finally, it 
 is you Avho give us to know, that real misery is an empty sound, 
 when the conscience is a stranger to the pangs of remorse. Ac- 
 cept the tribute of gratitude, which we tender for so many fa- 
 vors received at your hands 1 Accept the tribute of our homage, 
 for all the virtues with which you inspire us '.—Persevere in the 
 glorious task wJiich Providence in his wise dispensation has as- 
 signed you. Implant in our children those sentiments with 
 which your own spotless bosoms are inspired. Render them 
 worthy of being one day consecrated on the altar which we 
 have here eredled to wisdom. Teach them to mingle their pray- 
 ers with ours for our final restoration to the bosom of our coun- 
 try. In a word, continue to be what you are, and you may 
 then flatter yourselves of being able to co-operate in the labor 
 which wisdom has enveloped in the shadows of mystery. 
 
 Visitants from every kindred lodge who this day honor us 
 with your presence, accept, in this form profane, such thanks 
 and acknowledgments as are your due. If the lodges which are 
 so fortunate as to be the dispensers of light to you, feel any in- 
 terest in our labors, give them to know, that you have seen the 
 French lodge I'Amenite prodigal of her tears over the tomb of 
 Washington. 
 
 funeral eulogy^ occasioned hy the death of general tVASHitfcroy. 
 Delivered before the Neiv-Tork State Societj of the Cincinnati. 
 By William Lin^; D. B. 
 
 ^ I ^HIS solemn assembly and these sable ensigns proclaim no 
 
 -^ common grief. Already has every American wept ; al-^ 
 
 ready have the sad funereal precessions moved ; and already 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. Vs 
 
 have the virtues and the services of Washington been celebrated 
 from the pulpit, and from the rostrum. 
 
 Why are we again assembled ? and why is the tomb unco- 
 vered ? It is that we may all take another look. This is the 
 birth-day of the beloved man. Was there no other which could 
 have been chosen than that on which we have so frequently re- 
 joiced ? It is kindly intended to give indulgence to our sorrow, 
 to teach us that no character is exempt from the stroke of death, 
 and especially to induce our submission to the will, and our ado- 
 ration of that Almighty Being who " gave and who hath taken 
 iiway." 
 
 We find from the. earliest records of time, that the pradlice 
 has been usual in all ages and in all nations, of honoring those 
 who were distinguished by their excellence, and were esteemed 
 public blessings. Trophies have been decreed to them while 
 living, and at their decease their bodies have been sometimes 
 embalmed ; monuments, elegies and funeral orations have per- 
 petuated the memory of their honorable deeds. 
 
 This has a happy tendency to ensure a noble and virtuous 
 condu£l, and to excite the imitation of others. The love of 
 fame, when subordinate to the general good of mankind, is in- 
 separable from him who is truly great ; and hccarries his views 
 beyond the grave to the reward which posterity shall bestow. 
 Were there then no other reason for praising the illustrious 
 dead, this would be sufficient. 
 
 But there is an obligation of still higher moment. Eminent 
 men are qualified for their work by God. They are his servants. 
 In honoring them, we honor Him. It is true that the heathen 
 glorified not God, but substituted creatures in his room ; and 
 there is danger that even we, with the clearest revelation, may 
 be guilty of idolatry in not lifting up our hearts to Him from 
 whom " Cometh down every good gift, and every perfe£l gift." 
 Let us ascribe the glory to God, and we may safely extol the 
 man whose loss this day we deplore, 
 
 K 
 
U WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 America claims as her own, one who was justly the admi- 
 ration of the world. And shall she be silent in his praise ? 
 Perhaps silence would have best expressed the merits of him 
 who is beyond all eulogy. The language of mortals can with 
 difficulty, if ever, reach so noble a theme. The name is above 
 what Grecian or Roman story presents, and it would require 
 more than Grecian or Roman eloquence to do it justice. One 
 advantage indeed it possesses, that hardly any thing can be said 
 which will be thought extravagant ; and what would, in other 
 cases, be deemed flattery, will sink, far below the conceptions 
 of the public mind. Flattery was ever confounded in the pre- 
 sence of Washington, nor will it dare to approach his ashes. 
 That humility, however, which was the constant ornament of 
 his virtues, should not now obstruiS: the offerings of a feeling 
 and grateful people at his shrine. Nay, they rush with greater 
 eagerness to testify their sense of his transcendent and inesti- 
 mable worth. 
 
 To the historian it belongs to relate in full, the birth, the 
 education, the early and the later atchievements of George 
 Washington. From the historic page we expeft a minute de- 
 sciiption of his civil and military, of his public and private life. 
 Though a simple recital of these might be the highest enco- 
 mium, and it might be said, 
 
 " Rais'd of themselves^ their genuine charms they boast^ 
 " And those ivbo paint them truest^ praise them most ;" * 
 
 yet they would lead the speaker into too large a field ; he would 
 not know what to selcdt, and what to refuse, where all power- 
 fully solicited his regard. Let history or biography, at present, 
 se.rve only to develope and illustrate the charadler. 
 
 When God in his adorable providence intends to accomplish 
 some glorious work upon earth, he provides and prepares his in- 
 struments among the children of men. Who does not see that 
 Moses, by the manner in which he was preserved, the instruc- 
 tion which he received, and the habits of life to which he was 
 inuredj was fitted to lead the people of Israel ? Who, that Cy- 
 
 * AddisQu's Campaigiu 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. YS 
 
 riis, had we not been expressly informed, was " girded by the 
 Lord ?" The intention is frequently hidden from the persons 
 themselves, and may not be obvious to others ; though they 
 will sometimes discern presages of future greatness. Wash- 
 ington was endued from his youth with a military spirit. When 
 a stripling, like David, he encountered the enemies of his coun- 
 try. His first destination was to enter as a midshipman in a 
 British vessel of War. This was happily prevented, that so, 
 instead of the admiral, he might become the general. He gave 
 such early and uncommon indications of heroism as occasioned 
 public mention of him by an eminent divine, in a discourse de- 
 livered soon after Braddock's defeat.* The subjcft was reli- 
 gion and patriotism. " As a remarkable instance," said he, 
 " I may point out to the public that heroic youth colonel Wash- 
 ington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto pre- 
 served in so signal a manner, for some important service to his 
 country." We will not call these words prophetic, but they have 
 been repeatedly quoted as a testimony of the budding honors of 
 the American hero. 
 
 God prepared his servant, and in due time opened to him a 
 vast scene, on which all his talents had their utmost exertion, 
 and expanded in full display. It having become necessary for 
 America to oppose by force the unjust pretensions of Britain, 
 he was ele£led a member of the great council, and soon after 
 unanimously appointed commander in chief of the armies. This 
 honor his modesty forbade him to seek, and his love of country 
 would not allow him to refuse. The choice was directed by 
 heaven. " I feel great distress," said he on his acceptance of the 
 command, "from a consciousness that my abilities and military 
 experience may not be equal to the extensive and important 
 trust : however, as the congress desire it, I will enter upon the 
 momentous duty, and exert every power I possess in their ser- 
 vice, and for support of the glorious cause." Modesty ever 
 accompanies great merit ; and diffidence of abilities, when it 
 
 * The Rev, Samuel Davies then settled in Virginia, and af' 
 terivards president of the college of Neiv-Jersey. 
 
76 V/ASHINGTONIANA^ 
 
 casts not into despondency, excites vigilance, and rouses ener- 
 gies of soul concealed from the possessor himself. 
 
 General Washingtok had not seen much military ser- 
 vice, and what he had seen Avas on a small scale. His army for 
 a long time was undisciplined, and continually changing by tem- 
 porary enlistments, or impatient militia ; and sometimes he had 
 scarcely the shadow of an army. He was destitute of the ne- 
 cessaries for their support, and of the instruments of war. He 
 was called to create before he could command. In this situa- 
 tion he had to oppose the numerous and formidable legions of 
 Britain, amply supplied with all the apparatus of death, and led 
 on by the most renowned generals. The hero of Monongahela 
 and the planter of Potowmac, nobly enters the list ; snatches 
 the laurels which had been gathered in Europe to adorn his own 
 brow. 
 
 To estimate properly the merits of a general, we must atten- 
 tlvelv consider the circumstances in which he is placed, and the 
 means in his power. The American leader was never at the 
 Iiead of such aimies as cover the fields of Europe. No ; with 
 a naked and distressed handful, he kept the enemy in terror ; 
 imposed on them by a parade of numbers and strength ; now 
 sought security in retreat ; and noAV dared the fight ; " swifter 
 than an eagle and stronger than a lion.'' He who thus baffled 
 the acknowledged skill and bravery of Britons, would, furnished 
 •vvith the means of war, march to the remotest ends of the earth. 
 
 A\"e are willing to listen to the highest strains in favor of 
 British valor, because these redound to tlie honor of our chief. 
 Every wreath which is woven, is transferred to him. Either 
 our invaders would not, or they could not subdue us. If they 
 ■wculd not, then they were unfaithful to their trust; if they 
 could not, then the barrier was the American arms. AVili any 
 rather chuse to compromise the matter, by resolving the inde- 
 pendence of America into the decree of heaven ? Great God, 
 we adore thy just decree I To thee was the appeal made 1 Thou 
 didst fight for us!, In transport we cry, *«"The sword of the 
 Lord, and of Gideon." 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 77 
 
 Permit me to say that he -whose obsequies we perfcirni, had 
 advantages -which few enjoy. The cause in wliich he engaged 
 -was of the most exalted kind, and he -was deeply penetrated 
 ivith its justice and importance. He undertook not from mo- 
 tives ox ambition or gain, but from the pure love of country, 
 to which he continually sacrificed his ease, his safety and his 
 life. 
 
 His attention to the duties of his station was incessant, la 
 the field no opportunity escaped him to harrass. or attack the 
 enemy ; and he was never found unapprehensive of their designs, 
 or unprepared to meet them. In winter quarters he revolved 
 and digested the operations of the next campaign. He was not 
 seen indulging in the amusements of a tlieatre, dissipating his 
 time at a gaming table, or reclining on the lap of a Delilah. 
 His bed at camp was often hard. He often laid down in his 
 daily dress. * His horse stood equipped near liim. Or, he sat 
 in council. Or, he examined the vigilance of his posts. Cr, 
 he penned the dispatch. The concerns of America wholly oc- 
 cupied his mind. Americans, you may well love him, for he 
 saved you much blood and treasure. He Vv'atched for your safety 
 -while you slept. 
 
 His patience and perseverance were unexampled. To br 
 obliged to retreat is at all times humiliating to a general, and 
 dangerous to his fame. To him solely is calamity imputed. 
 Though In condudling a retreat, the greatest skill is often dis- 
 played ; yet this and the necessity are not generally known ; 
 ^nd a people animated with the love of liberty, arc apt to lie 
 suspicious. Here was the great trial of Washington, and here 
 a principal trait in his military charadler. He retreated from 
 Long-Island in the face of a far superior foe. He retreated 
 from Nevvf-York island in the.face of total ruin. And he car- 
 ried the small and dejeftesl renialns of his army ; one while pre- 
 senting a feeble front to the enemy, and another while retreat- 
 
 * The night after the hatUe of Monmouth, he " reposed him- 
 self in bis cloak, )).nder a. tree, in hopes of rer.c-^'in^ the action 
 the next day." Ramsgj's Historj, 
 
n WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ing, until he crossed the Delaware. No hope was left but in 
 the presence of Washington, It pleased Gcd that he still lived ; 
 and he was, perhaps, the only man who did not despair. If 
 he had tumultuous passions, if fame was dearer to him than his 
 life, what a conflidl was here ! What a viftory over himself I 
 Whisperings and murmurings, Imputations of unskilfulness, of 
 cowardice ; and, it may be, of unfaithfulness, were infinitely 
 harder to bear, than to fight. These required a foi'titude su- 
 perior to what was necessa'-y to meet death in any shape. To 
 endure these shewed real greatness. Saul the first king of Is- 
 rael, after his defeat at Mount Gilboa, slew himself with his 
 own sword ; but Saul fell below Washington in every thing, ex- 
 cept the towering size of his person, * 
 
 The American chief, having colIec\ed a little strength, brav- 
 ing the wintry waves and skies, recrosses the Delaware ; and, 
 like an angry lion, chased by the huntsmen, springs upon the 
 foe, and those who flee not perish by his stroke. A far-famed 
 hero marches at the head of numerous and veteran troops, but 
 arriving near night, waits only the next dawn to revenge the 
 havoc. Let us be thankful that the American army was at this 
 time so weak ; for had there been any thing like an equality 
 to the enemy, or the most distant prospeft of success, the morn- 
 ing sun 'had shone upon fields of carnage and blood. Washing- 
 ton directing fires to be kindled in the night, and to be kept 
 constantly burning, led his army by a circuitous road ; and his 
 cannon at Princeton first awakened the drowsy Britons whoni 
 
 * Saul " was higher than any of the people, from his should 
 ders and upward.'' Washington was full six feet and half an 
 inch in stature. The historians and orators have generally uen-r 
 tioned his personal appearance. " His personal appearance i> 
 noble and engaging." Gordon's History. " His person was con^ 
 siderably above the middle size, but of a dignifed and graceful 
 form." Strong's Discourse. ^^ His form was noble — bis port 
 majestic." Morris's oration. " Mountain air, abundant eaper- 
 cise in the open country — the wholesome toils of the chase, and the 
 delightful scenes of rural life, expanded his limbs to an unusual 
 but graceful and ivell proportioned size," Ramsay's History, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. i9 
 
 he had left. The frozen clod was stained on the march with 
 blood from the naked feet of his men. * I'here was obtained 
 another, though a dear bought viftory. There Hazelet and 
 Mercer fell, two thunderbolts of war. Mercer I Let me lift 
 the mantle from thy mangled body ! — Covered with wounds like 
 Cxsar m the senate-house ! — Alas, not Csesar now, but Brutus 
 fell I 
 
 We find in general Washington a mind capable of planning 
 and executing great enterprizes. " The world," says an histo- 
 rian, " has been mistaken in one opinion respedling his excel- 
 lency, whose natural tem.per possesses more of the Marcellus, 
 and less of the Fabius, than has been generally imagined." t 
 We are assured that he meditated designs which the resources 
 of the country would not admit of being curried into effeft ; 
 and whenever his force promised the Iqast impression, we see 
 him either boldly receiving the enemy, or advancing to attack 
 them. Witness the battles of Brandywine, of Germantown 
 and of Monmouth. In these places, as well as at Haerlem and 
 Princeton, he exposed himself to the thickest dangers, and 
 courted a glorious death. A swell of passions had nearly buist 
 his manly breast. He saw viflory, but had not the means to 
 obtain it; he had vidlory, and it was suddenly snatched from 
 his grasp. | 
 
 * Dr. Ramsay in bis history mentions the same circumstan-ce 
 as happening on another occasion. " The American army," sajs 
 he, " might have been tracked^ by the blood of their feet., in 
 marching without shoes or stockings over the hard frozen ground, 
 between Whitemarsh and Valley-forge." 
 
 t Gordon, 
 \ When the enemy landed upon Ne-w-York island, the Ameri. 
 cans fed before an inferior force. General Washington rode up 
 and attempted.^ in vain., to rally them. This " raised a tempest 
 in his usually tranquil mind. He hazarded his person for seme 
 considerable time in rear of his own men, and in front of the 
 enemy. His aids and the confidential friends around bis person^ 
 by indirect violence, compelled him to retire. At Princeton, when 
 the centre of the Americans, being briskly charged, gave way, 
 
so WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 At length God interposed for his relief, and enabled him to 
 contend upon equal terms. Assisted by a fleet and some brave 
 legions from France, he plans the capture of York-town in Vir- 
 ginia, marches thither the allied army, and by one bold and de- 
 cisive effort accomi^'lishes the deliverance of hi.i country. The 
 -B^ritish hero, who had marked him as an easy prey at Trenton, 
 finds now his numbers, his skill and his bravery unavailing ; he 
 capiti:Iates at the cannon's month, and lays all his trophies a; 
 the feet of Washington. How applicable to our hero are these 
 lines — 
 
 '• So ivhen an angel by di'vine command 
 
 " JVit& 7-ising tempests shakes a guilty land., 
 
 " Such as of late o'er pale Britannia pasty 
 
 " Calm and serene be drives the furious blast ; 
 
 ** ylnd pleased the Almighty's orders to perform^ 
 
 " Rules in the ^^vhirhvind and dirrets the storm," * 
 
 As general Washington, like Ginciunatus, left his retirement 
 and the p\irsuits of agriculture, merely for the service of his 
 country, so when his work was finished, he returned with the 
 mbst heart-felt satisfaflion. He reckoned himself overpaid for 
 all h;s labors and hardships. How sweet this abode of rest and 
 peace after the toil and din of arms I How far superior his fame 
 to chat of Alexander or Cxsar I They fought for the sake of 
 conquest, and to enslave mankind ; he, in defence of their just 
 rights, and to make them happy. Tl.ey for personal aggran- 
 dizement ; he, for the best good of others. Gjesar usurped the 
 supreme dominion of the state ; Washington returned to the 
 Station of a private citizen. Hear his words at the resignation 
 of his commission to congress : " I consider It as an indispen- 
 sible duty to close this last solemn a£l of my official life, by 
 commending the interests of cur dearest country to the protec- 
 
 he placed himself between bis own men and the British., with bis 
 borses head fronting the latter. The Americans, eacouraged by 
 bis example and exhortations, made a stand and returned the 
 British fin. The general, though between both parties, was pro* 
 vidcntially uninjnred by either." Ramsay's History, 
 * Addison's Campaign » 
 
WASHINGTONIANAi 81 
 
 iion of Almighty God, and those who have the siiperintendance 
 bf them to his holy kcrplng. 
 
 <* Having' now fiuLs-hed the work assigned irie, I retire frorri 
 ;the great t,heatre of a<Slioa ; and bidding an affedlionate fare- 
 well to this aygwst body, under whose orders I have long 
 afted, I here offer my commission, aud take my leave of all the 
 employments of public life." So he wished and , naturally 
 ihought, but he had not yet finished all the work which God 
 bad assigned him. In entering again upon public life, he is in- 
 fluenced by the same modesty and disinterested motives. He 
 does not thrust himself forward to view, but submits to the 
 claim, and obeys the loud call of his fellow-citizens. He de-i 
 cliaes, as formerly, any compensation for his services. In this 
 Way he evinces- true patriotism, disarms envy, and enhances uni- 
 versal esteem. 
 
 WHE^f he retired from the command of the army, every one 
 Supposed that he had attained to the pinnacle of greatness, and 
 would recline in safety the remainder of his days beneath a 
 shade of laurels at Mount-Vernpn ; but we behold him renounc- 
 ing his retirement, and putting all his fame at risk. This was, 
 perhaps, the most magnanimous action of his life, and eclipsed 
 even his military lustre. By first assisting in framing a govern- 
 ment, the blessings of which we now enjoy, and then giving 
 stability and energy to that government, by accepting the of- 
 fice of chief magistrate at two different times, he secured to his 
 country all the consequences expected from the revolution. No 
 man can conceive the maghanimity of this cbiidufl, but he who 
 ajiproaches in some measure to the greatness of Washington. 
 
 During the time which elapsed between his first military ex- 
 ploits and the. revolutionary war, he had been attentive to the 
 science of gove;:nn>ent and employed in affairs of state. The 
 business therefore was not altogether new to hiiu. He had be- 
 sides the most excellent judgment, the most consummate pru-i 
 dence, and knew better than any man how to make the infor- 
 mation aud experience of others his own. He comprehended^ 
 
 L 
 
82 WASHIN+GTONIANA. 
 
 he separated, he cornbined, he Aveighed, he decided, and his de- 
 cision was ever wise aiid unshaken. 
 
 The question will be agitated bv posterity, Whether he vas 
 The g-reater general or statesman ? Those Avho read his official 
 letters, his addresses when he retired from the army, and from 
 the prtsidr-ncy ; and who ;ire intimately rcquainted with his ad- 
 ministration, will be inclined to pronounce in favor of the lat- 
 ter^ Those who h^ve not duly considered these, and more nar- 
 rowly survey his difficulties and success in war, will be inclined 
 to pronounce in favor of the former. The controversy can be 
 settled only by admitting that he was " first in war, and first 
 in peace." 
 
 Under his administration the offices of government were fil- 
 led by the first talents v>'hich could be found ; or the best which 
 the economy of the government could command ; and, let it 
 not be deemed too bold, by some of the greatest talents in the 
 world. Under his administration America was prosperous and 
 happy. It was impossible that the expeftations of all could be 
 gratified, and the opinions of all followed. The season was pe- 
 culiarly tempestuous, and the rocks many and dangerous. The 
 pilot was wise and firm, having always in view, as his pole-star, 
 the public good. When we consider the information which is 
 necessary to judge of public measures, the clashing of the in- 
 terests of men, and the fatal influence of prejudice and passion 
 on their minds, we are astonished at his unspotted fame. 
 
 How modest and beautiful are his words in that precious le- 
 gacy which he left us at his resignation. See appendix, p. 33. 
 
 W^HO, on hearing these words, is not tempted to exclaim — 
 Washington, live for ever ! — His fame, Indeed, is immortal. 
 Posterity will see, with rapture, sculptured on his tomb, wisdom, 
 liberty and justice. 
 
 Another time he retires with the benediftion of millions. 
 Eight years he wielded the sword — eight years he held the reins 
 of government. The stormy sea was passed, and he resigns the 
 
WASHINGTONIANA, 83 
 
 helm to other nanus. If desire always prompted, Increasing age 
 seemeJ to render it necessary that he should seek repose. Or, 
 •was it that he might enforce, by his example, the virtues and 
 duties of a private life ? That he might teach us industry, tem- 
 perance, charity and economy ? To be afFetftionare husbnnds and 
 tender masters ? That on the faithful performance each one of 
 bis several relations, depends personal and public happiness ? — . 
 V/hom do we see in yonder fields near the waters of the Potov^- 
 mac, surrounded by a group of laborers ? It is the late illustri- 
 ous commander of the armies, and the late chief magistrate of 
 the United States. How august the spe^acle ! Citizens of A- 
 jnerica, venerate the sickle and the plough, for they have been 
 dignified not only by the heroes and patriarchs of old, but by 
 the father of your country ! 
 
 Though naturally reserved, yet he was not haughty. Though 
 those who approached him felt his superiority, yet he did not as- 
 sume. He blended dignity and condescension. The greatest 
 and the smallest objeAs received from him a due attention. He 
 never betrayed any symptoms of vain glory. When he was once 
 asked, whether he had ever said, as was reported, " that he 
 knew no music so pleasing as the whistling of bullets," he an- 
 swered, " If I said so, it was when I was young." * Learn- 
 ing to estimate justly all human glory, and matured by expe- 
 rience ; accustomed to lofty conceptions, and moving always in 
 the important spheres of life ; impressed with a sense that he 
 derived all from God, and that all should be devoted to his ser- 
 vice ; his deportment was noble, equally removed from the su-. 
 percilious and the vain. Some men have been great at one time, 
 and despicable at another ; some men have performed a siijgle 
 great aftion, and never rose to the like again ; but to him great 
 adlions seemed common. Some men have appeared great at the 
 liead of armies, or when surrounded by the trappings of power, 
 and little when stripped of these, and alone j some men have 
 withstood the storms of adversity, and been melted by the sun- 
 shine of prosperity ; some men have possessed splendid public 
 talt^ntSj and disgraced these by sordid private vices j but it is 
 * Gordon's History,, 
 
84 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 difFxult to determine when and where Washington shone the 
 brightest. It can only be said, that he was uniformly great. 
 
 One part of his charafter remains to be mentioned, and which 
 crowns the whole ; that is, his reverence for the Sabbath, his 
 acknowledgment of a Providence, and his attendance upon the 
 institutions of religion. In all his public documents God is ho- 
 nored ; after deliverances or viftories, thanksgivings were by his 
 order offered ; and it is well known that he invariably attended 
 divine worship. The foolish and wicked cant of exalting hu- 
 man reason, and ascribing all to fortune, received from him no 
 countenance. Neither in the parade of military life, nor in the 
 cares of civil administration ; neither in a state of depression, 
 nor amidst the intoxicating sweets of power and adulation, did 
 he forget to pay homage to '' the Most High, who doe'.h accord- 
 ing to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants 
 of the earth." It is not wholly improbable that the fate of the 
 unhappy Braddock, who, it is said, expres;:eci himself in a boast- 
 ing and profane manner, left on the mind of young Washing- 
 ton an indelible impression. " Thus saith the Lord, Let not 
 the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man 
 glory in his might ; let not the rich man glory in his riches : 
 But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understa'ndeth 
 and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving 
 kindness, judgment and righteousnebs, in the earth." * 
 
 Hear the testimony which Washington bore for religion on 
 his resignation of the chief magistracy. See appendix, p. 27, 
 
 Incomparable man ! He devoted his time, his talents and 
 his labors to our service ; and he hath left his tdvice and his 
 example to us, and to all generations ! 
 
 There was in him that assemblage of qualities which con- 
 stitutes real greatness ; and these qualities were remarkably 
 adapted to the conspicuoas part which he was called to perform. 
 He was not tinsel, but gold ; not a pebble, but a diamond ; not 
 ct meteor, but a sun. Were he compared with the sages and 
 *■ Jer. ix. 23, 24. 
 
V/ASHINGTONfANA. 85 
 
 tlie heroes of antiqiuty, he would gain by the comp?>risoo ; or, 
 rather, he would be found to be free from the blemishes, and 
 to unite the excellencies of them all. Like Fabius he was pru- 
 dent ; like Hannibal he was unappalled by difficulties ; like Cy- 
 rus he conciliated affedlion ; like Cimon he was frugal ; like 
 Scipio he was chaste ; Like Pliilopemen he was humble ; and 
 like Pompey he was successful. If we compare him with cha- 
 rafters in the sacred records, he combined the exploits of Muses 
 and Joshua, not only by conducing us safely across the Red 
 Sea and through the wilderness, but by bringing us into the 
 promised land. Like David iie conquered an insulting Goliah, 
 and rose to the highest honors from an humble station ; like 
 Hezekiah he ruled ; and like (osiah at his death, there is a 
 mourning " as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of 
 Megiddon." Noi' is the mourning confined to us, but extends 
 to all the wise and the good who ever heard of his name. The 
 generals whom he opposed will wrap their hilts in black, and 
 stern Gornwailis drop a tear. 
 
 He was honored even in death. After all his fatigues, and 
 though he hud arrived near to the limit fixed for human life, * 
 yet his understanding was not imjiaired, nor his frame wasted 
 by any lingering disease. We did not hear of his sickness, un- 
 til we heard that he was no more. His acceptance of the of- 
 fice of lieutenant-general of the armies is a proof that " Save 
 my countj-y, heaven," was his last. What would have been to 
 most men the meridian of glory, was the setting sun of Wash- 
 ington. With an increased orb, its parting rays paint the clouds 
 with brightest colours, and Illumine all the mountain tops.— . 
 In the full possession of his reason, and without fear of death, 
 ■ which he had often faced in the field, he breathed his mighty 
 soul into the hands of his almighty and merciful creator. 
 
 Hark ! — A message from the tomb ! — 
 
 " Citizens of America, 
 *' You are assembled to express your gratitude for services 
 which you believe to have been rendered by me, and to testify 
 
 * He ivas born Feb. 22dj 1732 ; accepted the command of the 
 American army, June \&thy 1775, in the As^th year of his age ; 
 ^nd died Dec. Mth, 1799, in the Q8th year of his age. 
 
86 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 your sorrow for my death. Next to the testimony of a good 
 conscience, it was ever the summit of my wishes to deserve well 
 of my country. But, let your gratitude ascend to Him who 
 fashioned me as I was, who kept nie under his holy protection, 
 and who hath, in his sovereign will, recalled me from the earth. 
 My career was much longer than might have been ejtpecfVed. 
 It was anxious ; it was laborious ; it was we arisome — I now rest. 
 
 " Let the love you bore me, the confidence you were pleased 
 always to repose in me, and the regard you now profess for my 
 memory, be shewn in following those admonitions which I have 
 given you, and which I endeavored to enforce by my own ex- 
 ample. Banish party interest and party spirit. Suffer no fo- 
 reign influence to affecl your councils. Give support and sta-. 
 bility to your governruent. Honor and reward your public of- 
 ficers. Pay the strictest attention to the injunftions of religion 
 and morality. Then, under the propitious smiles of heaven, 
 you will long be a flourishing and happy people." 
 
 Thus, methinks, our deceased father addresses us this day. 
 
 In the eighteenth century have flourished a number of the 
 most eminent philosophers, historians, orators, poets, patriots, 
 and statesmen ; the close of it has been eventful and astonish- 
 ing beyond all precedent. In the end of the fifteenth century, 
 Columbus discovered this new world ; in the end of the eigh- 
 teenth, "Washington arose to give Columbia independence and 
 rank among the nations. To the lustre of so many names, and 
 to a period of such wonderful events, he joins his blaze. Me- 
 morable HJia! The age of great men, the age of extraordinary 
 revolutions, the age of Washington ! 
 
 Hk outlived many of his compatriots. Warren fell an early- 
 martyr. Hardy Putnrjn, brave Stirling, a£tive Sullivan, patri- 
 otic M'Dougall, incorruptible Reed, * Wayne, chief of Stony- 
 
 * This gentleman, ivben a large bribe vjas indirectly offered 
 him, ans<wered, " lam net worth purchasing, but such as I am, 
 the king of Great-Britain is not rich enough to do it." ^a»t"^ 
 saj's and Gordon's Histories, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 87 
 
 Point, Thomas, Nash, Wooster, Spencer, Thompson, Cadwal- 
 lader, MifHin, have all bowed to death* Undaunted Snialhvood 
 and Morgan, Butler surprised by a savage foe and brave in 
 death ; Steuben bred in European camps, skilled in military dis- 
 cipline, an adopted and favorite son, born alike to form the 
 battle's dread arrriy, and grace the festive board ; De Kalb, Pu- 
 laski, Scammel, Armstrong, Parsons, Gist, Poor, Maxwell, Wil- 
 liams, Glover, Herkimer, Stark, Yarnum, Woodford " How 
 
 are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished 1" * 
 
 Montgomery's career was short but glorious. On Abraham's 
 plains he found with Wolfe a deathless fame. Greene the great 
 compeer and friend of Washington survived the war, but lived 
 not to enjoy its fruits under a well-balanced goverilment. He 
 too sought the shade, and cultivated the arts of peace, after 
 
 * Tbis enumeration is not pretended to be complete ; and it 
 *iviis impossible to give every one bis due praise. Only general 
 oncers are mentioned, of rvbom nijie were slain in the field, 
 Tbose wbo contributed to the revolution by their councils are omit- 
 ted ; of ivbom there is a long and venerable list. Praise to liv- 
 ing characters is purposely avoided. Death will stanip their va- 
 lue, and posterity duly estimate their merits. 
 
 In this list, it would be needless to say to those 'ivho knew binif 
 that Armstrong combined, in a high degree, the great and ami- 
 able qualities. His age, and other circumstances, prevented his 
 taking a large and conspicuous part in the American ivar ; but 
 he bad the confidence of Washington ; and, like him, gave proofs 
 of a military spirit at an early period. He conducted the expe- 
 dition against the Kittaning, an Indian town, and was highly 
 honored by the proprietaries of Pennsylvania for his gallant be- 
 havior. On this occasion be and Merctr were both xvounded. He 
 had a principal share either in advising or directing all the sub- 
 sequent expeditions. He commanded the Pennsylvania militia at 
 the battle of Gcrmantown ; ajid it is a fact not generally known-^ 
 that the fort on Sullivan's island, S. C. would have been evacu- 
 ated as indefensible had it not been Jor bim and the brave Col. 
 Moultrie. His chief glory, however, i»as that he " fought the 
 good fight of faith," and is gone with the famous Col. Gardiner^ 
 whom be greatly resembled, to receive an immortal crown. 
 
■«6 -WASHlNGtONIANA. 
 
 obtahiing a fame everlasting as the high hills of Saiitee^ and 
 •^ui'e as tlie Eutaw spiings. 
 
 " In hours of peace content to he imknonvn, 
 
 " And only in the jield of battle shewn : 
 
 " To svtils like these in mutual friendship joined, 
 
 *' Heav'n dare? entrust the cause of human kind." * 
 
 vVhy should I mention others ? Or >vny have I mentioned these ? 
 Our griefs are all absorbed in tiiee, O Washington ! — ^-There is 
 Hot such another to die. Few such have ever existed in any 
 age. The world lessened when he died. 
 
 " Death, pre. thou hast kill'd another 
 '• Wne and great, and good as he, 
 " Time shall throw a dart at thee," f 
 
 Ye Cincinnati, his companions in arms, and sharers in his 
 glory, what scents does this day bring to your remembrance ! 
 In imagination you suiFcr all the toil?, and fight the battles over 
 again. Before you moves the majestic and graceful man ; 
 graceful when he steps, more graceful when he mounts the pranc- 
 ing steed. Serene at all times, most serene in misfortunes and 
 danger. The cares of America appear on his brow, and he wears 
 her defence by his side. Ah 1 had he been captured by the 
 enemy, your gleamy swords would have been drawn for his res- 
 cue. Or, had he been exposed in the front of battle, you would 
 have shielded him with your own bodies ; and had he fallen, a 
 thousand viJlims had avenged his death. Against jzafwra/ death 
 
 you could interpose no shield Seek not to restrain your tears. 
 
 'Tis scldier-like now to weep — True courage and sensibility are 
 intimately connected — Your general, your father, and your friend 
 
 • — is — no more The last time he and his band of brothers 
 
 were all together, you followed him with pensive countenances 
 to the banks of the Hudson, and on his entering the barge he 
 turned towards you, and by waving his haf, bade you a silent 
 adieu. He now bids you an adieu — for ever* Imitate him in 
 his love of country, in all his private and public virtues ; and. 
 then, like him, you will live beloved, and die lamented. 
 
 * Addison's Campaign* 
 t An epitaph of Ben Johnson's altered* 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 8d 
 
 Come, ye fair daughters of America, weep for Washington* 
 He saved your parents, friends and lovers. Come, mingle vouf 
 tears with the adored partner of his cares and joys at Mount- 
 V^ernon— — 
 
 Come all, and take a last look. Many of you remember his 
 triumphant entry into this city after the evacuation, and what 
 pleasure then swelled your besoms. You remember his second 
 entry when he accepted the presidency of the United States. 
 You pressed to see him. To the officer of the guard appointed 
 to attend him on his landing, he said, " My guard is the affec- 
 tion of my fellow-citizens." There, indeed, he reigned with- 
 out control. There, indeed, he had a security, and a testimony 
 of his worth, more valuable and durable than the pomp and 
 power of kings can afford. There he will live while there re- 
 iTiains one of the present generation ; and the faithful historian 
 will hand down his fame to the latest ages. The name of Wash- 
 ington will be revered while the American empire endures ; 
 yea, until this globe itself be wrapt in the last fires, and the 
 angel shall " swear by him that liveth for ever and ever, that 
 time shall be no longer." 
 
 Oration on the sublime virtues of general George WASHlNG^oi^i 
 
 pronounced at the Old South mteting-bouse in Boston^ before bis 
 honor the lieutenant-governor^ the council, and the two branches 
 of the legislature of Massachusetts, By Fisher Ames. 
 
 IT is natural that the gratitude of mankind should be drawn 
 to their benefaftors. A number of these have succes- 
 sively arisen, who were no less distinguished for the elevation 
 of their virtues, than the lustre of their talents. Of those 
 however who were born, and who adled through life, as if 
 they were born, not for them.selves, but for their country and 
 the whole human race, how few, alas ! are recorded in th» long 
 
 M 
 
90 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 annals of ages, and how wide the intervals of time and sipitt 
 that divide them ! In alPthis dreary length of way, they ap* 
 pear like five or six light-houses on as many thousand miles of 
 coast : they gleam upon the surrounding darkness, with an in- 
 extinguishable splendor, like stars seen through a mist ; but they 
 are seen like stars, to cheer, to guide, and to save. Washing- 
 ton is now added to that small number. Already he attrafts cu- 
 riosity, like a newly-discovered star, whose benignant light will 
 travel on to the world's and time's farthest bounds. Already 
 his name is hung up by history, as conspicuously as if it sparkled 
 in one of the constellations of the sky. 
 
 By commemorating his death, we are called this day to yield 
 the homage that is due to virtue ; to confess the common debt 
 of mankind as well as our own ; and to pronounce for posterity, 
 now dumb, that eulogium, which they will delight to echo, ten 
 ages hence, when we are dumb. 
 
 I CONSIDER myself not merely in the midst of the citizens of ' 
 this town, or even of the state. In idea, I gather round ine 
 the nation. In the vast and venerable congregation of the pa- 
 triots of all countries and of all enlightened men, I would, if 
 I could, raise my voice, and speak to mankind in a strain wor- 
 thy of my audience, and as elevated as my subjeft. But how 
 shall I express emotions, that are condemned to be mute, be- 
 cause they are unutterable ? I felt, and I was witness, on the 
 day when the news of his death reached us, to the throbs of that 
 grief, that saddened every countenance, and wrung drops of 
 agony from the heart. Sorrow labored for utterance, but found 
 none. Every man looked round for the consolation of other 
 men's tears. Gracious heaven ! what consolation 1 each face 
 ■was convulsed with sorrow for the past ; every heart shivered 
 with despair for the future. The man who, and who alone, 
 " united all hearts, was dead; dead! at the moment when his 
 power to do good was the greatest, and when the aspe£l of the 
 imminent public dangers seemed more than ever to render his 
 aid indispensible, and his loss irreparable ! irreparable ; for two 
 Washington's come not in one age. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ?l 
 
 A GRIFF SO thoughtful, so profound, so m-nglecl with ten- 
 derness and admiration, so interwoven with our national self- 
 love, so often revived by being diffused, is not to be expressed. 
 You have assigned me a task that is impossible. 
 
 O !. IF I could perform it, if I could illustrate hi? principles.in 
 my discourse, as he displayed them in his life ; if I could paint 
 his virtues as he pradtlsed them ; if I could convert the fervid 
 enthusiasm of my heart into the talent to transmit his fame, as 
 it ought to pass to posterity ; I should be the successful organ 
 of your will, the minister of his virtues, and, may 1 dare to say^ 
 the humble partal^^r of his immortal glory. These are ambi- 
 tious, deceiving hopes, and I rejeft them. For it is perhaps al- 
 most as difficult, at once with judgment and feeling, to praise 
 great anions, as to perform, them. AJavish and undistinguish- 
 ing eulogium is not praise ; and to discriminate such excellent 
 qualities as were charadteristic and peculiar to him, would be 
 to raise a name, as he raised it, above envy, above parallel, per- 
 haps, for that very reason, above emulation. 
 
 Such a pourtraying of charafter, however, must be addres- 
 sed to the understanding, and therefore, even if it were well 
 executed, would seem to be rather an analysis of moral princi- 
 ples, than the recital of an hero's exploits. It v/ould rather 
 conciliate confidence and esteem, than kindle enthusiasm and 
 admiration. It would be a pidure of Washington : and, like 
 a pidlure, flat as the canvass ; like a statue, cold as the marble 
 on which he is represented ; cold, alas, as his corpse in the 
 ground. Ah, how unlike the man late warm with living virtues, 
 animated by the soul once glowing with patriotic fires ! He is 
 gone ! the tomb hides all, that the world could scarcely con- 
 tain, and that once was Washington, except his glory ; that 
 is the rich inheritance of his country; and his example j that 
 let us endeavor by delineating to impart to mankind. Virtue 
 ■will place it in her temple, wisdom in her treasury. 
 
 Peace then to your sorrows. I have done with them. Deep, 
 as your grief is, 1 aim not to be pathetic. I desire less to give; 
 \itterance to the feelings of this age, than to the judgment of 
 
92 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the next. Let us faithfully represent the illustrious dead, a,s 
 history will paint, as posterity will behold him. 
 
 With whatever fidelity I might execute this task, I know 
 that some would prefer a piclure drawn to the imagination. 
 They would have our Washington represented of a giant's size, 
 and in the (harafter of a hero of romance. T!)ey who love to 
 ■wonder better than to reason, would not he satisfied with the 
 contemplation of a great example, unless, in the exhibition, it 
 should be so distorted into prodigy, as to be both incredible and 
 useless. Others, I hope but few, who think meanly of human 
 nature, will deem it incredible, that even Washington should 
 think with as much dignity and elevation, as he adted ; and they 
 ■will grovel in vain in the search for mean and selfish motives, 
 that could incite and sustain him to devote his life to his coun- 
 try. 
 
 Do not these suggestions sound in your ears like a profana- 
 tion of virtue ? and, while I pronounce them, do you not feel a 
 thrill of indignation at your hearts ? Forbear. Time never fails 
 to bring every exalted reputation to a stri(5\: scrutiny : the v/orld, 
 in passing the judgment that is never to be reversed, will deny 
 all partiality, even to the name of Washington. Let it be de- 
 nied : for its justice will confer glory. 
 
 Such a life as Washington's cannot derive honor from the 
 circumstances of birth and education, though it throws back a 
 lustre on both. With an inquisitive mind, that always profited 
 by the lights of others, ane was uncloiided by passions of its 
 own, he acquired a maturity of judgment, rare in age, unparal- 
 lelled in youth. Perhaps no young man had so early laid up a 
 lifes stock of materials for solid refleftion, or settle vl so soon 
 the principles and habits of his condu£\. Grey experience lis- 
 tened to his counsels with respeft ; and, at a time -when youth is 
 almost privileged to be rash, Virginia committed the safetv of 
 her frontier, and ultimately the safety of America, not merely 
 to his valor, for that would be scarcely praise ; but to his pry-, 
 ^ence, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 93 
 
 It is not in Indian wars that heroes are celebrated ; but it is 
 there tliey are formed. No enemy can be more formidable, by 
 the craft of his ambushes, the suddenness of his onset, or the 
 ferocity of his vengeance. The soul of Washington Avas thus 
 exercised to danger ; and on the first trial, as on every other, 
 it appeared firm in adversity, cool in aclion, undaunted, self- 
 possessed. His spirit, and still more his prudence, on' the oc- 
 casion of Rraddock's defeat, diffused his name throughout Ame- 
 rica, and across the Atlantic. Even then his country viewed 
 him with complacency, as her most hopeful son. 
 
 At the peace of 1763, Great-Bcitain, inconsequence of her 
 vidlories, stood in a position to prescribe her own terms. She 
 chose, perhaps, better for us than herself: for by expelling the 
 French from Canadi, we no longer feared hostile neighbors; 
 and we soon found just cause to be afraid of our proteflors. 
 We discerned even then a truth, which the condudl of France 
 has since so strongly confirmed, that there is nothing which the 
 gratitude of weak states can give, that will satisfy strong al- 
 lies for their aid, but authority. Nations that want proteclors, 
 will have masters. Our settlements, no longer checked by ene- 
 mies on the frontier, rapidly encreased ; and it was discovered, 
 that America was growing to a size that could defend itself. 
 
 In this, perhaps unforeseen, but at length obvious state of 
 things, the British government conceived a jealousy of the co- 
 lonies, of which, and of their intended measures of precaution, 
 they made no secret. 
 
 Thus it happened, that their foresight of the evil aggravated 
 its symptoms, and accelerated its progress. The colonists per- 
 ceived that they could not be governed, as before, by affedlion ; 
 and resolved that tliey would not be governed bv force. No- 
 bly resolved 1 foii had we submitted to the British claims of 
 right, we should have had, if any, less than our antient liberty ; 
 and held what might have been left by a worse tenure. 
 
 Our nation, like its great leader, had only to take counsel 
 from its courage. When Washington heard the voice of his 
 
^94 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 country in distress, liis, obedience was prompt ; and tliongh hia 
 sacrifices were great, they cost him no effort. Neither the oh- 
 je£l nor ths limits of my plan, permit me to dilate on the mili,- 
 tary events of the revolutionary war. Our history is biit a 
 transcript of his claims on our gratitude. Our hearts bear tes- 
 timony, that they are clainis not to be satisfied. When pv.er- 
 matched by numbers, a fugitive, with a litilc band of faithfijl 
 soldiers ; the states as ruich exhausted as dismayed ; he ex- 
 plored his own undaunted heart, and found there resources to 
 retrieve our aftairs. We have seen him display as much valor 
 as gives fame to lieroes, and as consummate prudence as ensures 
 success to valor ; fearless of dangers that were personal to him ; 
 hesitating and cautious, when they affedled his country ; pre- 
 ferring fame before safety or repose ; and duty, before fame. 
 
 Rome did not owe more to Fabius than America to Wash- 
 ington. Our nation shares with him the singular glory of hav- 
 ing conducted a civil war with mildness, and a revolution with 
 order. 
 
 The event of that Avar seemed to crown the felicity and glory 
 both of America and its chief. Until that contest, a great part 
 of the civilized world had been surprizingly ignorant of the 
 force and character, and almost of the existence, of the British 
 colonies. They had not retained what they knew, nor felt cu- 
 riosity to know the state of thirteen wretched settlements, which 
 vast woods enclosed, and still vaster woods divided from each 
 other. They did not view the colonists so much a people, as 
 a race of fugitives, whom want and solitude, and intermixture 
 ■with the savages, had made barbarians. Great-Britain, they 
 saw, was elate with her victories : Europe stood in awe of her 
 power : her arms made the thrones of the most powerful un- 
 steady, and disturbed the tranquillity of their states, with an 
 agitation more extensive than an earthquake. As the giant 
 Enceladus is fabled to lie under Etna, and to shake the moun- 
 tain when he turns his limbs, her hottility was felt to the exr 
 tremities of the world. It reached to both the Indies ; in the 
 wilds of Africa, it obstructed the commerce in slaves ; the whales 
 finding, in time of war, a respite from their pursuers, Qq^\^ 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. §$ 
 
 ventiire to sport between the tropics, and did not flee, as in 
 peace, to hide beneath the ice-fields of the polar circle. 
 
 At this time, while Great-Britain wielded a force not infe- 
 rior to that of the Roman empire, vinder Trajan, suddenly, asto-^ 
 nished Europe beheld a feeble people, 'till then unknown, stand 
 forth, and defy this giant to the combat. It was so une- 
 qual, all expected it would be short. The events of that war 
 were so many miracles, that attra£led, as much perhaps as any- 
 war ever did, the wonder of mankind. Our final success ex- 
 alted their admiration to its highest point : they allowed to 
 Washington all that is due to transcendent virtue, and to the 
 Americans more than is due to human nature. They considered 
 us a race of Washingtons, and admitted that nature in Ame- 
 rica was fruitful only in prodigies. Their books and their tra- 
 vellers, exaggerating and distorting all their representations, 
 assisted to establish the opinion, that this is a new world, with 
 a new order of men and things adapted to it ; that here v/e prac- 
 tice industry, amidst the abundance that requires none ; that 
 we have morals so refined, that we do not need laws ; and though 
 we have them, yet we ought to consider their execution as an 
 insult and a wrong ; that we have virtue without weakness^ 
 sentiment without passions, and liberty without faftions. These 
 allusions, in spite of their absurdity, and, perhaps, because they 
 are absurd enough to have dominion over the imaginaticn only, 
 have been received by many of the malecontents against tlte 
 governments of Europe, and induced them to emigrate. Such 
 allusions are too soothing to vanity, to be entirely checked in 
 their currency among Americans. 
 
 They have been pernicious, as they cherish false ideas of 
 the rights of men and the duties of rulers. They have led the 
 citizens to look for liberty, where it is not ; and to consider 
 the government, which is its castle, as its prison. 
 
 Washington retired to Mount-Vernon, and the eyes of the 
 world followed him. He left his countrymen to their simplicity 
 and their passions, and their glory soon departed. Europe be- 
 gan to be undeceived, and it seemed for a time, as if, by the 
 
96 WASHINGTONIANA* 
 
 acquisition of independence, our citizens were disappointed* 
 The confederation was then the only compact made *' to form 
 a perfeft union of the states, to establish justice, to ensure the 
 tranquillity, and provide for the security, of the nation ; and 
 accordingly, union was a name that still commanded reverence, 
 though not obedience. 'J'he system called justice was, in some 
 of the states, iniquity reduced to elementary principles ; and 
 the public tranquillity was such a portentous calm, as rings in 
 deep caverns before the explosion of an earthquake. Most of 
 the states then weie in fatt, though not in form, unbalanced de- 
 mocracies. Reason, it is true, spoke audibly in their constitu- 
 tions ; passion and prejudice louder in their laws. It is to the 
 honor of Massachusetts, that it is chargeable with little devia- 
 tion from i:)rinciples. Its adherence to them was one of the 
 causes of a dangerous rebellion. It was scarcely possible that 
 such governments should not be agitated by parties, and that 
 prevailing parties should not be vindiftive and unjust. Accord- 
 ingly, in some of the states, creditors were treated as outlaws; 
 bankrupts were armed with legal authority to be persecutors ; 
 and, bv the shock of all confidence and faith, society was shaken 
 to its foundations. Liberty we had ; but we dreaded its abuse 
 almost as much as its loss ; and the wise, who deplored the one, 
 clearly foresaw the other. 
 
 The states were also becoming formidable to each other. 
 Tribute, under the name of impost, was for years levied by 
 some of the commercial states upon their neighbors. — Measures 
 of retaliation were resorted to, and mutual recriminations bad 
 begun to whet the resentments, whose never failing progress 
 among states is more injustice, vengeance and war. 
 
 The peace of America hung by a thread, and fatftions were 
 already sharpening their weapons to cut it. The projeft of three 
 separate empires in America was beginning to be broached, and 
 the progress of licentiousness would have soon rendered her ci- 
 tizens unfit for liberty in either of them. An age of blood and 
 misery would have punished our disunion : But these were not 
 the considerations to deter ambition from its purpose, while 
 
WASHINGTONIANA.. 9T 
 
 there were so many circumstances in our political situation to 
 favor it. 
 
 ' At this awful crisis, which all the wise so much dreaded at 
 the time, yet which appears, on a retrospedl, so much mors 
 dreadful than their fears ; some man was wanting, who posses- 
 sessed a commanding power over the popular passions, but over 
 whom those passions had no power — that man was Washington. 
 
 His name, at the head of such a list of vvorthies as would 
 reflect honor on any country, had its proper weight with all the 
 enlightened, and with almost all the well-disposed among the 
 less informed citizens ; and, blessed be God I the constitution 
 was adopted. Yes, to the eternal honor of America among 
 the nations of the earth, it was adopted, in spite of the obsta- 
 cles which, in any other country, and perhaps in any other age 
 than this, would have been insurmountable ; in spite of the 
 doubts and fears, which well meaning prejudice creates for itself, 
 a.nd which party so artfully inHames into stubbornness ; in spite 
 of the vice, which it has subjedled to restraint, and which is 
 therefore its immortal and implacable foe ; in spite of the oli- 
 garchies in some of the states, from whom it snatched domi- 
 nion ; it was adopted, and our country enjoys one more invalu- 
 able chance for its union and happiness': invaluable ! if the re- 
 trospeft of the dangers we have ^scaped, shall sufficiently incul- 
 cate the principles we have so tardily established. Perhaps mul- 
 titudes are not to be taught by their fears only, without sufFerr 
 ing much to deepen the impression : for experience brandishes 
 in her school a whip of scorpions, and teaches nations her sum- 
 mary lessons of wisdom by the scars and wounds of their adverr 
 sity. 
 
 The amendments which ha%'e been projefted in some of the 
 states shew, that in them at least, these lessons are not well re* 
 membered. In a c.onfederacy of states, some powerful, others 
 weak, the weakness of the federal union will, sooner or later, 
 encourage, and will not restrain, the ambition and injustice of 
 the members. The weak can no otherwise be strong or safe, 
 but in the energy of the national government. It is this defetSt, 
 
 N 
 
98 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 which the blind jealousy of the weak states not unfrequiC^tiy 
 contributes to prolong — that has jjroved fatal to all the confede- 
 rations that ever existed. 
 
 Although it was impossible that such merit as Washing- 
 ton's should not produce envy, it was scarcely possible that, 
 with such a transcendent reputation, he should have rivals. Ac- 
 cordingly, he was unanimously chosen president of the United 
 
 States. 
 
 As a general and a patriot, the measure of his glory was al- 
 ready full ; there was no fame left for him to excel but his own, 
 and even that task, the mightiest of all his labors, his civil ma- 
 gistracy has accomplished* 
 
 No sooner did the new government begin Its auspicious course, 
 than order seemed to arise out of confusion. The governments 
 of Europe had seen the old confederation sinking, squalid, and 
 pale, into the tomb, when they beheld the new American re- 
 public rise suddenly from the ground, and, throwing off its 
 grave clothes, exhibiting the stature and proportions of a young 
 giant, refreshed with sleep. Com.merce and industry awoke, 
 and were cheerful at their labors ; for credit and confidence 
 awoke with them. Every where was the appearance of prospe- 
 rity ; and the only fear was, that its progress was too rapid, to 
 consist with the purity and simplicity of antient manners. The 
 cares and labors of the president v^ere incessant : his exhorta- 
 tions, example and authority, were employed to excite zeal and 
 aAivity for the public service : able officers were seleded, only 
 for their merits ; and some of them remarkably distinguished 
 themselves by their successful management of the public busi- 
 ness. Government was administered with such integrity, with- 
 out mystery, and in so prosperous a course, that it seemed to 
 be wholly employed in ads of beneficence. Though it has made 
 many thousand malecontents, it has never, by its rigor or in- 
 justice, made one man wretched. 
 
 Such was the state of public affairs ; and did it not seem per- 
 fe£lly to ensure uninterrupted harmony to the citizens ? Did 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 99 
 
 they not, in respeit to their government, and its administra- 
 tion, possess their %Yhole heart's desire ? They had seen and suf- 
 fered long fhe want of an efficient constitution ; they had freely 
 ratified it : they saw Washington, their tried friend, the father 
 of his country, invested with its powers. They knew that he 
 eould not exceed or betray them, without forfeiting his own 
 reputation. Consider, for a moment, what a reputation it was : 
 such as no man ever before possessed by so clear a title, and in 
 so high a degree. His fame seemed in its purity to exceed 
 even its brightness ; office took honor from his acceptance, but 
 conferred none. Ambition stood awed and darkened by his sha- 
 dow. For where, through the wide earth, was the nian so vain 
 as to dispute precedence with him ? or what were the honors 
 that could make the possessor Washington's superior ? Refined 
 and complex as the ideas of virtue are, even the gross could 
 discern in his life the Infinite superiority of her rewards. Man- 
 kind perceived some change in their ideas of greatness ; the 
 splendor of power, and e\xn of the name of conqueror, had 
 grown 4ir" in their eyes. They did not know that Washings 
 ton could augment his fame ; but they knew and felt, that the 
 world's wealthj and its empire too, would be a bribe far beneath 
 his acceptance. 
 
 This is not exaggeration : never Avas confidence in a man 
 and a chief magistrate jnore widely diffused, or more solidly 
 established. 
 
 If it had been In the nature of man that we should enjoy li- 
 berty, without the agitations of party, the United States had 
 a right, under these circumstances, to expe£l it : but it was Im- 
 possible. Where there is no liberty, they may be exempt from 
 party. It will seem strange, but it scarcely admits a doubt, 
 that there are fewer malecontents in Turkey, than in any free 
 state in the world. Where the people have no power, they en- 
 ter into no contests, and are not anxious to know how they shall 
 use it. The spirit of discontent becomes torpid for want of 
 employment, and sighs Itself to rest. The people sleep soundly 
 in their chains, and do not even dream of their weight. Tjiejr 
 lose, their turbulence with their enqrgy, and become as tradable 
 
100 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 as any other animals : a state of degradation, in which they ex-< 
 tort our scorn, and engage our pity, for the misery they do not 
 feel. Yet that heart is a base one, and fit only for a slave's 
 bosom, that would not bleed freely, rather than submit to such 
 a condition ; for liberty with all its parties and agitations is 
 more desirable than slavery. Who would not prefer the repub- 
 lics of antient Greece, Avhere liberty once subsisted in its ex- 
 cess, its delirium, terrible in its charms, and glistening to the 
 last with the blaze of the very fire that consumed it ? 
 
 I DO not know that I ought, but I am sure that I do, prefer 
 those republics to the dozing slavery of the modern Greece, 
 "where the degrading wretches have suffered scorn 'till they me- 
 rit if; where they tread on classic ground, on the ashes of heroes 
 and patriots, unconscious of their ancestry, ignorant of the na- 
 ture, and almost of the name of liberty, and insensible even to 
 the passion for it. Who, on this contrast, can forbear to say, 
 it is the modern Greece that lies buried, that sleeps forgotten in 
 the caves of Turkish darkness ? It is the antient Greece that 
 lives in remembrance, that is still bright with glory, still fresh 
 in immortal youth. They are unvvorthy of liberty, v.ho enter- 
 tain a less exalted idea of its excellence. The misfortune is, 
 that those who profess to be its most passionate admirers have, 
 generally, the least comprehension of ics hazards and impedi- 
 jnents ; they exped. that an enthusiastic admiration of its na- 
 ture will reconcile the multitude to the irksomeness of its re- 
 straints. Dehjsivc expeftation 1 Washington was not thus de- 
 luded. We have his solemn warning against the often fatal pro- 
 pensities of liberty. He had refleftcd, that men are often false 
 to their country and their honor ; false to duty and even to their 
 interest; but multitudes of men are never long false or deaf to 
 their passions : these will find obstacles in the laws, associates 
 in party. The fellowships thus formed are more "intimate, and 
 impose commands more imperious, than those of society. 
 
 Thus party forms a state within the state, and is animated 
 by a rivalship, fear and hatred, of its superior. When this 
 happens, the merits of the government will become fresh pro- 
 vocations and offences ; for they are the merits of an fnemy^ 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ]0l 
 
 Ko wonder then, that as soon as party found the virtue and 
 glory of Washington were obstacles, the attempt was made, by 
 calumny, to surmount them both. For this, the greatest of 
 all his trials, we know that he was prepared. He knew that 
 the government must possess sufficient strength from within ox 
 witliout, or fall a vidlim to fashion. This interior strength 
 was plainly inadequate to its defence, unless it could be rein- 
 forced from ivitbout by the zeal and patriotism of the citizens ; 
 and this latter resource ^vas certainly as accessible to president 
 Washington, as to any chief magistrate that ever lived. The 
 life of the federal government, he considered, was in the breath 
 of the people's nostrils : whenever they should happen to be so 
 infatuated or inflamed as to abandon its defence, its end must 
 be as speedy, and might be as tragical, as a constitution for 
 France. 
 
 * While the president was thus administering the govern- 
 ment, in so wise and just a manner, as to engage the great ma- 
 jority of the enlightened and virtuous citizens to co-operate 
 with him for its support, and while he indulged the hope that 
 time and habit were confirming their attachment, the French 
 revolution had reached that point in its progress, when its ter- 
 rible principles began to agitate all civilized nations. I will 
 not, on this occasion, detain you to express, though my thoughts 
 teem with it, my deep abhorrence of that revolution ; its des- 
 potism, by the mob or the military, from the first, and its hy- 
 
 * Tbe government of Massachusetts has manifested.^ more than 
 once.^ and so lately as the last year^ [1799] a wise discernment 
 of tbe pernicious tendency of certain usurping claims by states^ 
 and of changes proposed to abolish^ under the name of amending^ 
 tbe constiiution, 
 
 Tbe example has bad its proper iveight to produce, in other 
 states, alike zealous and prompt support of the national govern~ 
 fnent. 
 
 Long may sucb patriotic zeal continue, and ever may its ef^ 
 forts obtain a like success ' 
 
t03 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 pocricy of morals to the last. Scenes have passed there which 
 exceed description, and which, for other reasons, I will not at- 
 tempt to describe ; for it would not be possible, even at this 
 distance of time, and with the sea between us and France, to 
 go through with the recital of them, without perceiving horror 
 gather, like a frost, about the heart, and almost stop its pulse. 
 That revolution has been constant in nothing but its vicissitudes, 
 and its promises ; always delusive but always renewed, to esta- 
 blish philosophy by crimes, and liberty by the sword. The peo- 
 ple of France, if they are not like the modern Greeks, find 
 their cap of liberty is a soldier's helmet ; and, with all their 
 imitation of diftators and consuls, their exaclest similitude to 
 these Roman ornaments, is in tlieir chains. The nations of 
 Europe perceive another resemblance, in their all-conquering 
 ambition. 
 
 But it is only the influence of that event on America, and 
 on the measures of the president, that belongs to my subject. 
 It would be ungratefully wrong to his charafter to be silent in 
 Tcspedi to a part of it, which has the most signally illustrated 
 his virtues. 
 
 The genuine charatfler of that revolution is not even yet so 
 veil understood as the didates of self-preservation require it 
 should be. The chief duty and care of all governments is to 
 proteft the rights of property, and the tranquillity of society. 
 The leaders of the French revolution, from the beginning, ex- 
 cited the poor against the rich : this has made rich poor, but 
 it will never make the poor rich. On the contrary, they were 
 used only as blind instruments to make those leaders masters, 
 first of the adverse party, and then cf the state. Thus the 
 powers of the state were turned round into a. direftion exaftly 
 contrary to the proper one, not to preserve tranquillity and re- 
 strain violence, but to excite violence by the lure of power, 
 and plunder, and vengeance. Thus all France has been, and 
 still is, as much the prize of the ruling party as a captured 
 ship, and if any right or possession has escaped confiscationj 
 there is none that has not been liable to it. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. lOS 
 
 Thus it clearly appears that, in its origin, its cliara£\er, and 
 its means, the goveriinient of that country is revolutionary; 
 that is, not only different from, but diredlly contrary to, every 
 regular and well ordered society. It is a danger, similar in its 
 kind, and at least equal in degree, to that, with which antient 
 Rome menaced her enemies. The allies of Rome were slaves; 
 and it cost some hundred years efforts of her policy and arms, 
 to make her enemies her allies. Nations, at this day, can trust 
 no better to treaties ; they cannot even trust to arms, unless 
 they are used with a spirit and perseverance becoming the mag^ 
 nitude of their danger. For the French revolution has been,, 
 from the first, hostile to all right and justice, to all peace and 
 order in society ; and, tiierefore, its very existence has been a 
 state of warfare against the civilized world, and most of all 
 against free and orderly republics. For such are never withoat 
 fa(9;ions, ready to be the allies of France, and to aid her in the 
 work of destrudion. Accordingly, scarcely any but republics 
 have they subverted. Such governments, by shewing in prac- 
 tice what republican liberty ;.y, detedi French imposture, and 
 shew what their pretexts are not. 
 
 To subvert them, therefore, they had, besides the facility 
 that faction affords, the double excitement of removing a re- 
 proach, and converting their greatest obstacles into their most 
 efficient auxiliaries. 
 
 Who then, on careful refledlion, will be surprized, that the 
 French and their partizans instantly conceived the desire, and 
 made the most powerful attempts, to revolutionize the Ameri- 
 can government ? But it will hereafter seem strange that their 
 excesses should be excused, as the effefts of a struggle for li- 
 berty, and that so many of our citizens should be flattered, 
 while they were insulted, with the idea, that our example wa* 
 copied, and our principles pursued. Nothing was ever so false, 
 or more fascinating. Our liberty depends on our education, oub 
 laws, and habits, to which even prejudices yield ; on the disper- 
 sion of our people on farms, and on the almost equal diffusion 
 of property ; it is founded on morals and religion, whose au- 
 thority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these prqjt 
 
104 V/ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 duce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers. Jlei-e 
 liberty is restraint, there it is violence ; here it is miltl and 
 cheering, like the morning sun of our summer, brightening the 
 hills, and making the vallies green ; there it is like the sun, 
 Vrhen his rays dart pestilence on the sands of Africa. Ameri- 
 can liberty calms and restrains the licentious passions, like an 
 angel that says to the winds and troubled seas — be still. But 
 how has French licentiousness appeared to the wretched citizens 
 of Switzerland and 7enice ? Do not their haunted imaginations, 
 even when they wake, represent her as a monster, with eyes 
 that flash wild fire, hands that hurl thunderbolts, a voice that 
 shakes the foundation of the hills ? She stands, and her ambi- 
 tion measure* the earth ; she speaks, and an epidemic fury seizes 
 the nations. 
 
 Experience is lost upon us, if we deny, that it had seized 
 a large part of the American nation. It is as sober and intel- 
 ligent, as free, and as worthy to be free, as any in the world : 
 yet, like all other people, we have passions and prejudices, and 
 they have received a violent impulse, which, for a time, mis- 
 led us. 
 
 Jacobinism had become here, as in France, rather a seft 
 than a party ; inspiring a fanaticism that was equally intolerant 
 and contagious. The delusion was general enough to be thought 
 the voice of the people, therefore claiming authority without 
 proof; and jealous enough to aSt acquiescence without a mur- 
 mur of contradidtion. Some progress was made in training 
 multitudes to be vindictive and ferocious. To them nothing 
 •seemed amiable, but the revolutionary justice of Paris ; no- 
 thing terrible, but the government and justice of America, 
 The very name of patriots v,'as claimed and applied in propor- 
 tion as the citizens had alienated their hearts from America, 
 and transferred their afFeftions to their foreign corrupter. Party 
 discerned its intimate connexion of interest with France, and 
 consummated its profligacy by yielding to foreign influence. 
 
 - The views of these allies required that this country slv>uld 
 engage in war with Great-Britain. Nothing less would give 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 105 
 
 to France all the means of annoying this dreaded rivdl : no- 
 thing less would ensure the subjection of Ameilca, as a satel- 
 lite to the ambition of France : nothing eke could make a re- 
 volution here perfedlly inevitable. 
 
 For this end, the minds of the citizens were artfully en- 
 flamed, and the moment was watched, and impatiently waited 
 for, when their long heated passions should be in fusion, to 
 pour them forth, like the lava of a volcano, to blacken and 
 consume the peace and government of our country. 
 
 The systematic operations of a faiStion under foreign influ- 
 ence had begun to appear, and were successively pursued, in a 
 manner too deeply alarming to be soon forgotten. Who of us 
 does not remember this worst of evils in this worst of ways ? 
 Shame would forget, if it could, that, in one of the states, 
 amendments were proposed to break down the federal senate, 
 which, as in the state governments, is a great bulwark of the 
 public order. To break down another, an extravagant judiciary 
 power was claimed for states. In another state a rebellion was 
 fomented by the agent of France. And who, without fresh 
 indignation can remember, that the powers of governm.ent were 
 openly usurped j troops levied, and ships fitted out to fight for 
 her ? Nor can any true friend to our government consider with- 
 out dread, that, soon afterwards, the treaty making power was 
 boldly challenged for a branch of the government, from "which, 
 the constitution has wisely withholden it. 
 
 I AM oppressed, and know not how to proceed with my sub- 
 je^- — Washington, blessed be God ! who endued him with wis- 
 dom and clothed him with power — Washington issued his pro- 
 clamation of neutrality, and, at an early period, arrested the 
 intrigues of France and the passions of his countrymen, on the 
 very edge of the precipice of war and revolution. 
 
 This ail of firmness, at the hazard of his reputation and 
 peace, entitles him to the name of the first of patriots. Time 
 was gained for the citizens to recover their virtue and good 
 
 O 
 
106 V/'ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 sense, and they soon recovered them. The crisis was passeij, 
 and America was saved. 
 
 You and I, most respefted fellow-citizens, should be sooner 
 tired than satisfied in recounting the particulars of this illus- 
 trious man's life. 
 
 How great he appeared, while he administered the govern- 
 inent, how much greater when he retired from it, how he ac- 
 cepted the chief militaiy command under his wise and upright 
 successor, how his life was unspotted like his fame, and hoNy 
 his death was worthy of his life, are so many distinft subjects 
 of instruftion, and each of them singly more than enough fo* 
 an eulogium. I leave the task however to history and to pos- 
 terity ; they will be faithful to it. 
 
 It is not impossible, that some will aifedl to consider the ho- 
 nors paid to this great patriot by the nation, as excessive, idola- 
 trous, and degrading to freemen, who are all equal. I answer, 
 that refusing to virtue its legitimate honors, would not prevent 
 their being lavished, in future, on any worthless and ambitious 
 favorite. If this day's example should havls its natural efFeft, 
 it will be salutary. Let such honors be so conferred only when, 
 in future, they shall be so merited : then the public sentiment 
 will not be misled, nor the principles of a just equality cor- 
 rupted. The best evidence of reputation is a man's whole life. 
 We have now, alas ! all Washington's before us. There has. 
 scarcely appeared a really great man, whose charafter has been 
 iijore admired in his life time, or less corre£tIy understood by 
 his admirers. When it is comprehended, it is no easy task to 
 delineate its excellencies in such a manner, as to give to the 
 portrait both interest and resemblance. For it requires thought 
 and study to understand the true ground of the superiority of 
 his charad\er over many. others, whom he resembled in the prin- 
 ciples of adion, and even in the manner of ading. But per- 
 haps he excels all the great men that ever lived, in the steadi- 
 ness of his adherenee to his maxims of life, and in the unifor- 
 mity of all his condudl to the same maxims. These maxims, 
 though wise, wne yet not so remarkable for their wisdom, as 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. lor 
 
 for their authority over his life : for if there were any errors in 
 his judgment, (and he discovered as few as any man) v/c know 
 of no blemishes in his virtue. He was the patriot without re- 
 proach : he loved his country well enough to hold his success 
 in serving it an ample recompense. Thus far self-love and love 
 of country coincided : but when his country needed sacrifices> 
 that no other man could, or perhaps would be willing to make, 
 he did not even hesitate. This was virtue in its most exalted 
 charader. More than once he put his fame at hazard, when he 
 had reason to think it would be sacrificed, at least in this age. 
 Two instances cannot be denied. When the army was dis- 
 banded ; and again, wken he stood, like Leonidas, at the pass 
 of Thermopylx, to defend pur independence against France* 
 
 It is indeed almost as difficult to draw his charafler, as the 
 portrait of virtue. The reasons are similar. Our ideas of mo- 
 tal excellence are obscure, because they are complex, and 
 we are obliged to resort to illustrations. Washington's exam-. 
 ample is the happiest to shew what virtue is : and to delineate 
 his charafter, we naturally expatiate on the beauty of virtue. 
 Much must be felt, and much imagined. His pre-eminence ia 
 not so much to be seen in the display of any one virtue, as in 
 the possession of them all, and in the pradice of the most diffi~ 
 cult. Hereafter therefore his charadler must be studied before 
 it will be striking ; and then it will be admitted as a model ; a 
 precious one to a free republic ! 
 
 It is no less difficult to speak of his talents. They Avere 
 adapted to lead without dazzling mankind ; and to draw forth 
 and employ the talents of others, without being misled by shem. 
 In this he was certainly superior, that he neither mistook nor 
 misapplied his own. His great modesty and reserve would have 
 concealed them, if great occasions had not called them forth ; 
 and then, as he never spoke from the affeftatibn to shine, nor 
 adled from any sinister motives, it is from their effis£ls only that 
 ■we are to judge of their greatness and extent. In public trusts, 
 where men, afting conspicuously, are cautious, and in those pri- 
 vate concerns, where few conceal or resist theij- weaknesses,. 
 Washington was uniformly great ; pursuing right condud from; 
 
108 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Tight maxims. His talents were such as assist a sound judg- 
 ment, and ripen with it. His prudence was consumnnate, and 
 seemed to take the direftion of his po>vers and passions ; for, 
 as a soldier, he was more solicitous to avoid mistakes that might 
 be fatal, than to perform exploits that are brilliant ; and as a 
 statesman, to adhere to just principles, however old, than to 
 pursue novelties ; and therefore, in both charafters, his quali- 
 ties were singularly adapted to the interest, and were tried in 
 the greatest perils, of the country. His habits of enquiry were 
 so remarkable, that he was never satisfied with investigating, 
 nor desisted from it, so long as he had less than all the light he 
 could obtain upon a subjeifl ; and then he made his decision 
 without bias. 
 
 This command over the partialities that so generally stop 
 men short, or turn them aside, in their pursuit of truth, is one 
 of the chief causes of his unvaried course of right condudl in 
 so many difficult scenes, where every human adlor must be pre- 
 sumed to err. 
 
 If he had strong passions, he had learned to subdue them, 
 and to be moderate and mild. If he had weaknesses he con- 
 cealed them, which is rare, and excluded them from the govern- 
 ment of his temper and conduft, which is still more rare. If 
 he loved fame, he never made improper compliances for what is 
 called popularity. The fame he enjoyed is of the kind that 
 •will last forever ; yet it was rather the effeft, than the motive, 
 of his conduft. Some future Plutarch will search for a parallel 
 to his character. Epaminondas is perhaps the brightest name 
 of all antiquity. Our Washington resembled him in the purity 
 and ardor of his patriotism ; and, like him, he first exalted the 
 glory of his country. I'herc, it is hoped, the parallel ends : for 
 Thebes fell with Epaminondas. But such comparisons cannot 
 be pursued far, without departing from the similitude. For we 
 shall find it as difficult to compare great men as great rivers. 
 Some we admire for the length and rapidity of their curiosity, 
 and the grandeur of their catarafts : others, for the majestic si- 
 lence and fulness of their streams : We cannot bring them to- 
 gether to measure the difference of their waters. The unam- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 109 
 
 bitions life of Washington, declining farr:e, yet courted by it, 
 seemed, like the Ohio, to chiise its long way through solitudes, 
 difTusing fertility; or like his oAvn , Potowmac, widening and 
 deepening his channel, as he approaches the sea, and displaying 
 most the usefulness and serenity of his greatness towards the 
 end of his course. Such a citizen Avould do honor to any coun- 
 try. The constant veneration and afFeftion of his country will 
 shew, that it was worthy of such a citizen. 
 
 However his military f.-.me may excite the wonder of man- 
 kind, it is chiefly by his civil magistracy, that his example will 
 instruft them. Great generals have arisen in all ages of the 
 world, and perhaps most in those of despotism and darknes'?. 
 In times of violence and convulsion, they rise, by the force of 
 the whirlwind, high enough to ride in it, and direft the storm. 
 Like meteors, they glare on the black clouds with a splendor, 
 that, while it dazzles and terrifies, makes nothing visible but 
 the darkness. The fame of heroes is indeed growing vulgar : 
 they multiply in every long war : they stand in history, and. 
 thicken in their ranks, almost as undistinguished as their own 
 soldiers. 
 
 But such a chief magistrate as Washington, appears like the 
 pole star in a clear sky, to direct the skilful statesman. His 
 presidency will form an epoch, and be distinguished as the age 
 of Washington. Already it assumes its high place in the poli- 
 tical region. Like the milky way, it whitens along its allotted 
 portion of the hemisphere. The latest generations of men will 
 survey, through the telescope of history, the space where so 
 many virtues blend their rays, and delight to separate them into 
 groups and distin6l virtues. As the best illustration of them, 
 the living monument to which the first of patriots would have 
 ciiosen to consign his fame, it is my earnest pravcr to heaven, 
 that our country may subsist, even to that late day, in the ple- 
 nitude of its liberty and happiness, and mingle its mild glory 
 with Washington's. 
 
J 10 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Oration on the death ef general JVASHiNG-roK ; deli-oered at tbt 
 request of the corporation of the city of Nciv-Tork, By Gou^ 
 VERNEUR MoRRZS. 
 
 Americans, 
 
 ASSEMBLED to pay the last clues of filial piety to Iiini who 
 was the f;ither of his country, it is meet that we take one 
 last look at the man whom we have lost forever. 
 
 Born to high destinies, he was fashioned for them by the 
 hand of nature. His form was noble — his port majestic. On 
 his front were enthroned tlie virtues which exalt, and those which 
 adorn the human charafter. So dignified his deportment, no 
 man could approach him but with respecl. None was great in 
 his presence. You all have seen him, and you all have felt the 
 reverence he inspired ; it was such, that to command, seemed 
 in him but the exercise of an ordinary funclion, while others 
 felt a duty to obey, which (anterior to the injundlions of civil 
 ordinance, or the compulsion of a military code) was imposed 
 by the high behests of nature. 
 
 He had every title to command. Heaven, in giving him the 
 higher qualities cf the soul, had given also the tumultuous pas- 
 sions which accompany greatness, and frequently tarnish its lus- 
 tre. With them was his first contest, and his first victory was 
 over himself. So great the empire he had there acquired, that 
 calmness of manner and of conduct distinguished him through 
 life. Yet, tliose who have seen him strongly moved, will bear 
 Avitness that his wrath was terrible ; they h'ave seen boiling in 
 his bosom, passion almost too miglity for man ; yet, when just 
 bursting into acl, that strong passion was controlled by his 
 stronger mind. 
 
 Having thus a perfeft command of himself, he could rely 
 on the full exertion of his powers, in whatever diredlion he 
 might order them to ad. He was therefore, clear, decided and 
 ■unembarrassed by any consideration of himself. Such considera- 
 tion did not even dare to intrude on his refleftions. Hence it 
 was, that he beheld not only the affairs that were passing around 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. Ill 
 
 him, but those also in which he was personally engaged, with 
 the coolness of an unconcerned spe£latcr. They were to him 
 •as events historically recorded. His judgment was always clear, 
 because his mind was pure. And seldom, if ever, will a sound 
 understanding be met with in the company of a corrupt heart. 
 
 In the strength of judgment lay, indeed, one chief excel- 
 lence of his character. Leaving to feebler minds that splendor 
 of genius, which, while it enlightens others, too often dazzles 
 the possessor, he knew how best to use the rays which genius 
 might emit, and carry iftto a<5t its best conceptions. 
 
 So modest, he wished not to attraft attention, but observed 
 in silence, and saw deep into the human heart. Of a thousand 
 propositions he knew to dibtinguish the best ; and to sele£t 
 among a thousand the man most fitted for his purpose. If ever 
 he was deceived in his choice, it was by circumstances of social 
 feeling which did honor to his heart. Should it, therefore, in 
 the review of his conduft, appear that he was merely not infal- 
 lible, the few errors which fell to his lot, as a man, wUI claim 
 the afFeclions of his fellow men. Pleased with the rare, but 
 graceful weakness, they will admire that elevation of soul, 
 which, superior to resentment, gave honor and power, with li- 
 beral hand, to those by whom he had been offended. Not to 
 conciliate a regard, which, if it be venal, is worth no price, but 
 to draw forth in your service the exercise, of talents which he 
 could duly estimate, in spite of incidents by which a weaker 
 mind would have been thrown from its bias. 
 
 In him were the courage of a soldier, the intrepidity of a 
 chief, the fortitude of a hero. He had given to the impulsions 
 of bravery all the calmness of his charaAer ; and, if in the mo- 
 ment of danger, his manner was distinguishable from that of 
 common life, it was by superior ease and grace. 
 
 To each desire he had taught the lessons of moderation. Pru- 
 dence became therefore the companion of his life. Never in 
 the public, never in the private hour did she abandon him even 
 for a moment. And, if iu the small circle, where he might 
 
112 V/ASIinsGTONlANA. 
 
 safely thmk aloud, she should have slumbered amid convivial 
 joy, his quick tense of what was just, and decent, and fit, stood 
 ever ready to awaken her at the slightest alarm. 
 
 Knowing how to appreciate the world, its gifts and glories, 
 he was truly wise. Wise also in seledling the objeifts of his pur- 
 suit. And wise in adopting just means to compass honorable 
 ends. 
 
 Bound by the sacred ties of wedded love, his high example 
 strengthened the tone of public manners. Beloved, almost 
 adored by the amiable partner of his toils and dangers, who 
 shared with him the anxieties of public life, and sweetened the 
 shade of retirement, no fruit was granted to their union. No 
 child to catch with pious tenderness the falling tear, and soothe 
 the anguish of connubial affliction. No living image remains 
 to her of his virtues, and she must seek them sorrowing in the 
 grave. Who shall arraign, O God! thy high decree? Was it 
 in displeasure, that to the father of his country thou hadst de- 
 nied a son ? Was it in mercy, lest the paternal virtues should 
 have triumphed (during some frail moment) in the patriot bo- 
 som ? Americans, he hiid no child— but you — and be was 
 
 ALL YOUIl OWN. 
 
 Let envy come forward if she dare, and seek some darkened 
 spot in this sun of our glory. From the black catalogue of 
 crimes envy herself must speak him free. Had he (a mortal) 
 the failings attached to man ? — Was he the slave of avarice ? 
 No. W^eahh was an object too mean for his regard. And yet 
 economy presided over his domestic concerns ; for his mind was 
 loo lofiy to brook dependence. Was he ambitious ? No. His 
 ^spirit soared beyond ambition's reach. He saw a crown high 
 above all human grandeur. He sought, he gained, and wore 
 that crown. But he had indeed one frailty — the weakness of 
 •vreat minds. He was fond of fame, and had reared a colossal 
 reputation. It stood on the rock of his virtue. Ihis was dear 
 to his heart- There was but one thing dearer. He loved glory, 
 bat i..ill u'.ore he loved hii country. That was the master pas- 
 
WASHINGTONI ANA. 1 1 3 
 
 sion, and, with resistless might, it ruled his every thought, and 
 word, and deed. 
 
 We see him stepping, as it •were, from his cradle, into the 
 fields of glory, and meriting the public confidence, at a period 
 when others too often consume in idleness the moments lent fof 
 instru£tion, or (in pursuit of pleasure) waste their moral ener- 
 gies. While yet his cheek was covered with the down of youth, 
 .he had combined the character of an able negociator with that 
 of a gallant soldier. Scarce had he given this early pledge of 
 future service, when he was called on for the quick performance. 
 He accompanies to the western wilds Braddock, who, bred in 
 camps of European war, despised the savage. But soon entrap- 
 ped in the close ambush, military skill becomes of no avail* 
 The leaders, selefted by unerring aim, first fall — the troops lie 
 thick in slaughtered heaps, the viAims of an invisible foe. 
 Washington, whose warnings had been negleiS^ed. still gives the 
 aid of salutary counsel to his ill-fated chief, and urges it with 
 all the grace of eloquence, and all the force of conviftion. A 
 form so manly draws the attention cf the savage, and is doomed 
 to perish. The murdering instruments are levelled — the quick 
 bolts fly winged with death, and pierce his garments ; but obe- 
 jdient to the sovereign will, they dare not shed his blood. Brad- 
 dock falls at his feet ; and the youthful hero covers, with his 
 brave Virginians, the retreat of Britons, not less brave, but 
 surprized by unusual war. 
 
 These bands of brothers wefe soon to stand in hostile oppo- 
 sition. Such was the decree of Him to whom are present all 
 the revolutions of time and empire. When no hope remained 
 but in the field of blood, Washington was called on by his 
 country to lead her armies. In modest doubt of his own abi- 
 lity, he submitted with reluftance to the necessity of becoming 
 her chief; and took on him the weight, the care and the anguish 
 of a civil war. Ambition would have tasted here the sweets 
 of power, and drunk deep of intoxicating draughts, but to ths 
 patriot, these sweets are bitterness. 
 
I i 4 WASHINGTON! ANA, 
 
 Industrious, patient, persevering, he remalred at the h'ea'cf 
 of citizens scarcely armed ; and, sparing- of- blood, by skill, 
 rather than by force, compelled his foe to seek a mere favorable 
 theatre of war. And now all hope of union lest, America (by 
 her declaration of independence) cut the last slender thread of 
 connexion. 
 
 She had hitherto been successful ; but was soon shaken by 
 adverse storms. The counsel of her chief had been neglefted, 
 Hi-s army had been raised by annual enlistment. The poor rem- 
 nant of accumulated defeat, retreating before an enemy flushed, 
 with success, and confident in all superiority, looked with im- 
 patience to the approaching term of service. The prospefl was 
 on all sides gloomy ; and sunshine friends " (turning their ha- 
 lyccn beaks to fairer skies") sought shelter from the storm. But 
 though betrayed by fortune, his calm and steady mind remained 
 true to itself. Winter had closed the campaign. Solacing in 
 the enjoyment of what their arms had acquired, the vigors 
 tasted pleasure unalloyed by the dread of danger. They were 
 sheltered behind one of the broad barriers of nature ; and, safely 
 housed, beheld upon its farther shore, a feeble adversary, ex- 
 posed beneath che canopy of heaven to the rigors of an unpity- 
 ing season. It was hoped that, Avhen their term of enlistment 
 expired, the American troops would disperse ; and the chief (in 
 despair) throw up his command. "Such was the reasoning, and 
 such reasoning would (in ordinary cases) have been conclusive. 
 But that chief was Washington ! He shews to his gallant com- 
 rades the danger of their country, and asks the aid of patriotic 
 service. At his voice their hearts beat high. In vain the rag- 
 ing Delaware, vcxt with the wintry blast, fo'bids tiieir march. 
 In vain he rolls along his rocky bed, a frozen torrent, whose 
 ponderous mass threatens to sweep the soldier from his uncertain 
 footstep, and bear him down the flood 1 In vain the beating 
 snow adds to the dangerous ford a darkened horror I DiiEculties 
 and dangers animate the brave. His little band is arrived ; 
 Washington n within the walls — the enemy is subdued ! 
 
 Fortune now smiles — but who can trust to that fallacious 
 smile \ Preparations are already made to punish the American 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 1 1 ^ 
 
 leader for his adventrcus hardihood. And now he sees, stretched 
 oiit before him in wide array, a force so great that in the battle 
 there isjio hope. Behind him the impassable stream cuts off 
 retreat. Already from his brazen throat the cannon gives loud 
 summons to the field. But the setting sun leaves yet a dreary 
 night to brood over a'pproaching ruin. The earth is shrouded 
 in the veil of darkness ; and now the illustrious chief takes up 
 his silent march, and in Wide circuit leads his little band around 
 the unwary foe. At the dawn, his military thunders tell them 
 their reserve, posted far in the rear, is in the pounces of the 
 American eagle. They hasten back to revenge ; but he has al- 
 ready secured his advantage, and (by a well chosen position) 
 confines them to inglorious repose. The armies now rest from 
 their toil. But for him there is no rest. His followers claim 
 the double right of returning to their homes, and he stands al- 
 most alone. He dares not ask for aid, lest the enemy, emboU 
 dened by the acknowledgment of weakness, should dissipate his 
 shadow of an army. Nothing remains but to intimidate by the 
 appearance of a force, which does not exist ; and hide from 
 his own troops their great inferiority. Both are effedled by 
 skill rarely eq^ualled — never excelled. 
 
 Scarce hath the advancing season brought forward a few re- 
 cruits when he begins oflensive operations. His enemy foiled 
 in each attempt to advance, is compelled to ask from the ocean 
 some safer road to conquest. The propitious deep receives on 
 his broad bosom the invading host, and bids his obedient billows 
 bear them to some shore, where they may join the advantage 
 of surprize with those of number, discipline and appointments. 
 The hope is vain 1 Washington had penetrated their views, and 
 stands before them ! He is unfortunate. Defeated, not sub- 
 dued — he leads on again to new attack. The half-gained vie-, 
 tory, snatched from his grasp, at the head of an inferior, twice 
 beaten army, he passes the long winter in an open field, within 
 one day's march of his foe. 
 
 Here he w^as doomed to new difficulties, and dangers un-i 
 known before. Fadion had reared (in the American councils) 
 her accursed head, and labored to remove him from the com» 
 
116 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 jnand. That measure -would at once have disbanded his af- 
 fedlionate troops — the country around them was exhausted. He 
 had no means to clothe or feed his army — none to change their 
 position. Many perished — each day the numbers were alarm- 
 ingly diminished, and reinforcement was dangerous, because it 
 might encrease the farj-iine. Under these circumstances, a new 
 system of organization and discipline was to be formed, intro- 
 duced and enforced, while the solaier could seldom obtain even 
 ^lis poor pittance of depreciated paper. — 
 
 m " JVbo then halb seen 
 
 *' The gallant leader of that ruined band., 
 
 " Let bim cry praise and glory on his head.'^ 
 
 It was in the solitary walk of night— it was in the bosom of 
 friendship that he could aloue unburthen himself, of the vast 
 woe which weighed upon his heart. Here was indeed no com- 
 mon or vulgar care. Honor — liberty — his country, stood on 
 the dangerous margin of uncertain fate, and no human eye 
 could pierce the dark cloud which hung upon futurity. 
 
 FuGM this black night of gloomy apprehension, broke forth- 
 the sun of golden, glorious hope 1 — A mighty monarch had con- 
 neded his fortunes with those of America. In her defence the 
 flag of France was unfurled, and gratitude hailed the sixteenth 
 Louis, proteftor of the rights of mankind. His powerful in- 
 terference took off from what remained of the war, all reafon- 
 able doubt as to the final event. After a varied scene of ad- 
 verse and prosperous circumstances, that event varied, and a so- 
 lemn treaty acknowledged your independence. 
 
 Great v/as the joy and high the general expectation, for the 
 political state of America Avas not duly considered. Her band 
 of federal union had been woven by the hand of distrust. The 
 different states had been held together, in no small degree, by 
 the external pressure of war. That pressure removed, ihey 
 might fall asunder. There existed various causes of discontent, 
 which the intrigues of European policy might ripen into disgust. 
 Those who shared in the public counsels were filled, therefore, 
 with deep apprehension. The army, taught by years of painful 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ny 
 
 experience, became a prey to sinister forebodings. Conne^led 
 by the endearing ties of soldierly brotherhood, these gallant song 
 of freedom anticipated with horror the moment when they might 
 be called on to unsheath their swords against each other ; and 
 pour, in impious libation, the purest of their blootl upon the al- 
 tars of civil war. Some of the m.ore ardent spirits, smarting" 
 from the past, and fearing for the future, had formed a wish, 
 that the army might be kept together, and (by its appearance) 
 accelerate the adoption of an efficient government. The senti- 
 ment was patriotic — the plan of doubtful completion — the suc- 
 cess uncertain — but the prospeift was fair if the chief could be 
 engaged, 
 
 Ke knew their v/rongs 1 He knew their worth ! He felt their 
 apprehensions ! — They had strong claims upon him, and those 
 claims were strongly urged. Supreme power, with meretricious 
 charms, courted his embrace ; and was clothctl, to seduce him, 
 in the robes of justice. If, therefore, ambition had possessed a 
 single corner of his heart, he might have deliberated. But he 
 was ever loyal. He bid a last adieu to the companions of his 
 glory, and laid all his laurels at the feet of his country ! 
 
 His fame was now complete, and it was permitted him to 
 hope for ease in dignified retirement. Vain hope ! The defects 
 of the federal compaft are soon too deeply felt not to be gene- 
 rally acknowledged — America drrefts a revision by persons of 
 her choice. He is their president. It is a question, previous 
 to the first meeting, what course shall be pursued. Men of de- 
 cided temper, who, devoted to the public, overlooked prudential 
 considerations, thought a form of government should be framed 
 entirely new. But cautious men, with whom popularity was 
 an object, deemed it fit to consult and comply -v^ith the wishes 
 of the people. Americans 1 let the opinion then delivered by 
 the greatest and best of m.en, be ever present to your remem- 
 brance. He was coUed^ed within himself. His countenance 
 had more than usual solemnity. His eye wasfiixed, and seemed 
 to look into futurity. " It is (said he) too probable that no 
 plan we propose will be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful con- 
 iiid is to be sustained. If, to please the people, we offer what 
 
118 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 v/e ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our 
 v»"ork ? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest 
 can repair- The event is in the hand of God.'" This was the 
 patriot voice of Washington ; and this the constant tenor of his 
 condadl. With this deep sense of duty, he gave to our consti- 
 tution his cordial assent ; and has added the fame of a legislator 
 to that of a hero. 
 
 Again, in the shade of rctirenient, he seeks repose ; but is 
 called, by unanimous voice, to be the fiist magistrate of the 
 United States. Scarce are the wheels of government in mo- 
 tion, when he is struck by the view of that enormous revolu- 
 tion which stiil torments and terrifies the earth. The flames of 
 ■war were spread throughout Europe, and threatened to waste 
 the globe. The delegated incendiaries found America filled 
 with inflammable matter. All the bad passions, with some that 
 were good, stimulated her to engage in the contest. But the 
 president, still calm, discerning, and true to your truest interest, 
 proclaimed, observed, and maintained an exa£t neutrality. !» 
 vain was he assailed frdm abroad : in vain solicited, excited, 
 urged, by those around him. He stocd immoveable ! Vain also 
 ■were the clamors of mistaken zeal, the dark efforts of insidious 
 fadion, and the fcul voice of mercenary slander. You have 
 all lately seen his firm administration, and all now enjoy the 
 rich result of his inflexible wisdom. 
 
 Though he still turned with fond desire towards his domes-, 
 tic shade, he never left the helm during the fury of the storm, 
 but remained 'till he had the well founded expedation that A-. 
 jnerica miglit enioy peace, freedom, and safety — and then at last 
 he claims the right of age. A venerable veteran, in all honorr 
 able service, laving consecrated to his country the spirit of 
 youth, the stitngth of manhood, and the ripe experience of 
 laborious years, he asks repose. His body broken with toil 
 
 must rest. No — he is called forth again — again must he gird 
 
 on his sword and prepare for the battle ! — And see ! fresh in 
 renewed vigor, he decks his hoary head with nodding plumes of 
 var, and mounts the barbed steed. With countenance ereft 
 and firm, hrs eagle eye me?isures the lengthened file. Wonder- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ltd 
 
 fill man ! he seems immortal — Oh no — no — no, this otir pride, 
 our glory, is gone — He is gone forever. 
 
 But yet his spirit liveth. Hail ! happy shade — the broad 
 shield of death is thrown before thy fame. Never shall the pol- 
 luted breath of slander blow upon tibine ashes. We will watch 
 •with pious care the laurels which shade thy urn, and wear thy 
 name, engraven on our beans. — Oh 1 yet protccl thy 'country 1 — 
 Save her 1 — She is an orphan — Her father is mingled with the 
 dust. 
 
 No ! HE LIVETH HE SHALL LIVE FOREVER 1 And whca 
 
 the latest of your children's children, shall pronounce his dear, 
 his sacred name, their eyes shall be suffused with the tear of 
 
 GRATITUDE and LOVE. 
 
 Funeral oration on the death of brother George IVjsiiiNGros ; 
 delivered at Lancaster ^ before ledge No, 43, and a large and 
 respectable audience of ladies and gentlemen. By brother 
 William Clark Fraier. 
 
 Worshipful master^ junior and senior wardens, 
 junior deacons, brethren, ladies and gentlemen, 
 
 IN compliance with your directions, I rise to execute the task 
 you have assigned, conscious that every indulgence T/hich a 
 candid generous fraternity and audience are always d'.sposcd to 
 give to pfersons in my situation and of my capacity, will be 
 granted. The task is disagreeable, but a perfcrnicince of it is 
 necessary, as a tribute due from this lodge to the rremory of 
 our worthy deceased brother general GEoaGE WASHiivcTON. 
 It is necessary, as it calls to our recolleiTi-on ids sphr.dii vir- 
 tues. It is necessary, as a means whereby we can perpetuate 
 his name. It is necessary, as it presents to us a thorough-fi- 
 nished pifture of man ; in viewing which, independent of the 
 improvement, we derive exc^uisite satis:a<?wion from the contem- 
 
120 WASHINGTON J AN A. 
 
 f lation of its various beauties. These, as considerations of an 
 important kind, together with the pleasing refledlicns arising 
 from an idea of my complying witb the will of our great and 
 good government, as also with that of a social and friendly in- 
 stitution, lessen the weight of it. To become acquainted with 
 the value r,nd worth of an individual as great as Washinton, 
 yrc must contemplate his adions and atchievements with an eye 
 of impartiality, view the various sources and springs from whence 
 they have arisen. Thence we shall appreciate his true import- 
 ance, and the loss his country has sustained in his death. This 
 is the only accurate mode of trying charadlers, that has ever been 
 adopted by men of wisdom ; and if in following them I trespass 
 ■upon your patience and time, I must solicit your friendly indul- 
 gence. 
 
 While ignorance continued to darken the horizon of Europe^ 
 and intercept those rays coming from the fountain of wisdom, 
 priestcraft and bigotry seemed to have forged fetters for the 
 human mind ; and in the security of their own omnipotence, 
 slumbered away, little thinking that the enlightened few, the 
 chosen of heaven, exiled by their influence from their native 
 realms to this then desert northern country, would here, in course 
 of some few passing years, ereft an empire that would be the 
 ornament of the world, and overthrow their usurped and cursed 
 power. Yes, it was here they received the:r death blow. Yes, 
 it was here our persecuted ancestors found an asylum, esta- 
 blished the temple of knowledge, and through her, as a me- 
 ilium, worshipped the great First Cause, and adored the attri- 
 butes of his divinity. It was here wandering, harrassed protest- 
 antism, and morality, her foster sister, found a mansion of rest 
 and permanent security against the attacks of foes. From the 
 earliest period of settlement, we discover strong exertions to- 
 waid.5 the attainment of information, the disseminacion of cor- 
 rect religious principle;, and the expansion of science. To 
 these as causes we may indueQIy ascribe the greatness of our 
 country. 
 
 Our much-esteemed brother having formed his mind by an 
 Education built upon there then predominant principles, acquired 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 121 
 
 thut greatness of thought, that nobleness and heioisni of soul, 
 ivhich supported liim in difficulties, perils and dangers, such as 
 man never before witnessed or experienced. This also pointed 
 out to him those great duties which he always pertinaciously 
 praidised : 1, to serve his creator ; 2, his country; 3, his fa- 
 mily and himself. Impelled by such strong powers as those that 
 movfc the machine, man, with so much majestic grandeur and 
 dignified elegance, when his country called him to take an ac- 
 tive part against an invading savage foe, we see him obedient 
 to her call, like antient Sparta's sons, gird on the swoid of war, 
 call forth his brothers in arms, animate them by his own exam- 
 ple, stimulate them with the well-told tale of former hero's 
 greatness in such a well-fought battle, and raise in their glow- 
 ing breasts the pride of the experienced warrior. We see him 
 leaving the pleasures and solacing comforts of retirement, trac- 
 ing the almost impenetrable forests of our western country, scal- 
 ing the stupendous mountains of Allegheny, against which the 
 savage yell and dismal war-hoop striking, rebound with renewed 
 violence, and fill with horror the mind of the lonely traveller ; 
 buffeting with the sable waves of the numerous rivers that formi 
 the grand Ohio, ignorant of the lurking den of the savage, 
 from whence the arrows of death driven, so faithfully execute 
 the intentions of their master. He marches undaunted. We 
 see his little but brave band subsisting on the casual supplies of 
 the woods, and hunger, as a consequence thereto, their fami- 
 liar attendant ; the damp ground their bed, the canopy of hea- 
 ven, awful with the blackness of night, their covering. We 
 see them meet the enemy ; the fight ensues, and conquest is 
 Wrested from the tawney warrior, long famed and sung of for 
 hi« many feats. We see him here in a most amiable point of 
 view, extending humanity to the unfortunate in war, and alle- 
 viating the distresses of his wounded fellow-soldiers. Here he 
 plants his greatness as a soldier. Here he plants the laurel from 
 whence future heros may pluck the wreath of fame. We after- 
 wards see him progressing towards the temple of fame, at the 
 Big Meadows, where the malign shaft transfixed the brave, the 
 unfortunate Braddock, who so nobly fell. The army is sur- 
 rounded, deprived of their leader, the foe exasperated, the most 
 horrid imprisonment and excruciating punishments in view. 
 
122 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 They are in despair. Washington is thought of, he is called 
 upon to assume the command. lie flies from rank to rank, 
 calls upon tliem to bid defiance to a superior enemy, consolidates 
 his battalions, leads them on — the enemy fall before them like 
 the ripened harvest under the eastern storm — he secures a re- 
 treat. Here he shews, in the great general, the philosophic 
 niindj calm, coUedlcd, and resolved, in surrotindir,g dangers. 
 
 On the conclusion of this v/ar, Avhich had desolated the east- 
 ern and western worlds, he retires with that reward so much 
 prized by the worthy and good man — the thanks of his grateful 
 country. His name visits Europe ; he is applauded by the ad- 
 mirers of merit, and is envied by those who are jealous of our 
 rising country, and its growing charaifters. Prescience points 
 out his future fame and greatness. The pious, the reverend Da- 
 vies, prophecies fiom the sacred desk the miracles and the sal- 
 vation that he is to work. Peace, ever-blessed peace, always 
 sought for by the meritorious, justly valued by the prudent and 
 brave, is once more fixed upon her broad basis ; and, like the. 
 returning spring, that enlivens nature in so many beauteous 
 ■ways, she throws around plenty with happiness into every cot- 
 tage, content and cheerfulnese into every bosom. Washington 
 now lays down that sword which his government had entrusted 
 to his care, and by their desire returns it to its antient habita- 
 tion, with a promise that whenever his services are required, his 
 greatest pleasure will be in submitting to their authority. No\t 
 he withdraws to the shades of domestic tranquillity, cultivates 
 the soil, harmony in society, encourages literature, the arts, sci- 
 ences and manufa6\ures ; diffuses around in his small circle of 
 neighbors, and his own family, all the fine, delicate sensibility 
 of his more refined understanding. 
 
 Here let us stop, and admire the man, retreating from great- 
 ness in war to exercise the more peaceful funftions of the hus- 
 br.ndman. Perhaps som.e may be surprized ; no, it was here he 
 could hold intercourse with himself, and confer with his God. 
 It was here he could give a full scope for the display of the 
 wondrous powers of his mind. It was here he studied the les- 
 son he had learned ia the school of >var, and digested its crude 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 12S 
 
 and ponderous mass. It was hese he planned the measures 
 ■whereby he could make his country independent, and laid the 
 foundation of his glory. It v;as here he perfeded those princi- 
 ples that had been early instilled into his mind by a fostering, 
 attentive parent. Here it was that he obtained access to the 
 sacred temple of masonry', and beheld her lovelv in all her my- 
 sterious majesty. Here it was that he informed himself of the 
 heros of antient days. Those were the sweets and beauties that 
 allured him, when retiring^ from the tent of Mars. Those were 
 the advantages and benefits that resulted from silence and re- 
 treat, to his capacious and well- tutored mind. But how long 
 did he enjoy those inexpressible charms, arising from a worldly 
 absence, and flowing from the fountain of peace I O, life ! how 
 transitory are thy scenes ! they are all the vision of the moment ; 
 when we think that we have obtained thy blessings, and have 
 made sure of them, how soon do we lose them ! Scarce had a 
 few revolving suns traversed yonder sky, a few seasons pacetf 
 slowly on from the close of the war, until the afFedlions of his 
 countrymen snatched him once more from his heart-fond hom.e, 
 to join them in redressing those grievances laid upon them by 
 an unfeeling, unnatural parent, contrary to their unalienable and 
 natural rights, secured and guaranteed to them by their nume-' 
 Tous predecessors, and the most noble sovereigns that ever' 
 graced Britannia's throne. In this capacity he joins the grand 
 national council, protesting with a manly spirit against thbse 
 a€ls of usurpation, but at the sarhe time petiti'oiling with an 
 humble propriety for redress. Here, like Cincinnatus, he is' 
 jirmly resolved and determined to maintain his country's freedom,^ 
 let the consequences be what they might. Here, in this august 
 body, he acquired redoubled confidence in the hearts of his coun-' 
 trymen. Here he exhibited the wise man, by his correct con-- 
 du«5l, and cautious silence. The success of congress in obtain- 
 ing their desired objeft, every one must know : nothing like re- 
 dress or restitution, nothing like reconciliation were offered. 
 They are told that they have nothing to hope for from an of- 
 fended sovereign. Thev become roused, indignant ; quiet sub- 
 mission and passive obedience are now raised and enkindled into 
 revenge. They assume to themselves the determination to live 
 free, or fall with their liberty, in her proteftion and defence. 
 
124 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 These measures bring an army to enforce the decrees and op- 
 pressive mandates of their master. It is landed, and cruel ty- 
 ranny, hitherto a stranger to our land, now exerts her awful 
 sway. Our citizens are imprisoned and in chains. The groans 
 of the martyrs in our cause are heard, with heart-rending pangs, 
 to every bosom of sensibility. The clanking fetters that bind 
 down the aged fathers of families, din the ear of the passing 
 freeman, and in language more emphatic than that of words, 
 calls out, " Pity and revenge our cause !" The flames of churches 
 and mansions point out the way to the enemy. They embody 
 themselves in arms — a cry is raised from north to south ; the 
 soldier listens to the sound borne on the flying breeze — it is re- 
 venge ! They meet together in confidence, and demand of their 
 leaders immediate battle — it is granted. They march for the 
 fust time, glowing with all the ardent courage of youth, burn- 
 ing with the revenge of more mature years, n^eet the enemy, 
 and give them fight. A Warren, then first in glory, points out 
 the road to vidlory, and after wings his flight to worlds of bliss. 
 The foe is repulsed three successive times ; three successive 
 times is the battle renewed, each bringing with it new vigor 
 and redoubled slaughter. Their ammunition fails — their gene- 
 ral is gone^-.thence discouraged and disordered, they prudently 
 retreat to the lawns of Cambridge. 
 
 Whi^n congress had i-eceivcd the fatal news of Warren's 
 death, :.nQ the unsuccessful but honorable resistance that had 
 l^een made, a confusion of fear and astonishment overspread 
 every countenance, and every heart tottered from its centre. 
 The pulse of vital government stood still, and ceased to beat 
 the note of the passing moment. All is silent, solemn and 
 mournful, ominous of some important event. At this crisis of 
 despondency, a gleam of hope illumes the face of Franklin, the 
 precursor of Washington. It is observed by all — they are re- 
 animatedr— they look up to him as an augur — his advice is a la-w. 
 He rises, reverenced and respecfied, not for his age alone, but 
 his wisdom in council. All cyf s are upon him, all are immersed 
 in silent attention, waiting the didluifl of this oracle. He speaks 
 of their sitx^atipn, ^heir losses, tl)eir resources, the probabijity 
 
WASHINGTON I ANA. 125 
 
 of success in arms with an able general to command. Thej'^ are 
 in suspense, as to whom lie intended nominating. He at last 
 speaks of k man strong in years, tried in war, great in peace, 
 fpnd of his country, and firmly attached to her interests and 
 rights. — It is Washington, the savior of his country, and mes- 
 siah of America ! He is unanimously chosen commander in chief 
 of their armies. He appears at their bar with all that great ele- 
 gant simplicity;^ that manly grace, and native majesty, which 
 always command admiration — thanks them for the great trust 
 and confidence they had reposed in him, and assures them that 
 while he implores divine aid and assistance, that his own stre- 
 nuous exertions towards establishing their independence and re- 
 Epc£tability as a nation, sh<ill ndver be relaxed. The grand 
 sword is once more banded down from the armory, and given 
 to its known companion, to wield once more in battle. He pro- 
 ceeds to Boston, to command his brothers in glory, with th« 
 prayers of freemen descending on his head, for his preservation 
 in the hour of danger, and success in his great but arduous un- 
 dertaking. On him, as an axis, all their rights and interests 
 turn. The waiting eyes of all America are upon him. Europe 
 admires, while amazement confounds her. The enemy know 
 of his appointment : they fear his abilities — his name is an host. 
 On the second day of July, 1775, he arrives at his destined 
 place. His presence obliterates the just now uneasy sensations 
 that had settled on the minds of the late unfortunate but brave 
 in fight. They think that under him they can conquer, that 
 ■with him they can die. They contemplate regularity in arms, 
 a profusion of necessaries for the soldiers life, a sufficiency of 
 warlike instruments, so essential as a spur to courage, and from 
 the want of which they had met Avith a recent defeat. The 
 commander in chief considers them as a machine, with which 
 he must work at his appointed occupation ; he adds to this in- 
 spired determined courage, discipline and order. His time is 
 devoted to arrangements, and the organizing those brave but 
 unpolished sons of freedom. The work is great and momentous 
 — ^he wants aid — none to be found. Perseverance supplies the 
 defe£l of it. Those hours which nature allotted to rest are em- 
 ployed. 
 
126 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Metuinks I see the venerable hero, at the midnight hour, 
 sitting in his tent, when all but himself, and his faithful Gen- 
 try, are drowning their cares and sorrows in balmy slumbers— 
 the little taper, hanging from the arched roof, discovers his 
 pensive attitude, deeply engaged in planning operations for the 
 ensuing day. I see him rising at the sound of the morning 
 trump, wearied with multiplicity of cares, and perplexed with 
 thought, visiting his forces, executing his night-made plans, 
 harranguing his men, pointing out to them their duties as citi- 
 zen soldiers, the blessings of a continuance of their freedom, 
 and the sad, horrid consequences of a failure in their glorious 
 struggle. I see them leave him, and return at his solicitation. 
 i see them emaciated, and reduced with sickness, receiving his 
 attention and fatherly kindness, comforting and consoling them 
 in their various and numerous distresses. I see him discharge 
 an army of 30,000 men, and recruit another, within musket 
 shot of an enemy, furnished with every necessary military con- 
 venience, commanded by generals and officers grown old in ser- 
 vice, fraught with experience, great in numbers and well trained. 
 I see this army of monsters, terrified by his industry, boldness, 
 courage, depth of management, retire from the heights to the 
 town of Boston. I see them, alarmed by the thunder of free-- 
 dom's artillery, depart from their place of refuge — an exploit, 
 performed by men laboring through a tempestuous cold winter, 
 contending with the stings of hunger, sickness, fatigue, and 
 their family affe£llons and attachments, unrivalled in history, 
 never before done by man or men. — What conduced to this ? 
 Love of country, and zeal in her cause. Thus we find, that 
 no considerations whatever can draw men, when in pursuit of 
 such noble purposes, from the line of redlitude and straight con- 
 dua. 
 
 In this last situation he had the honor of being the first 
 mover cf an expedition, v4iich excited great curiosity and asto- 
 nishment, and encreased his military lustre and charadler as an 
 cfRcer, in the opinions of the enemy. But, alas ! it deprived 
 the country of the great and valiant Montgomery. Here he 
 was consulted by congress on all business of importance. Here 
 he laid that base upon which he built the courage and spirit of 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 127 
 
 his army : a superstruAvire that will command the admiration 
 of distant time. Here he appears as a great comet, shewing 
 itself in the solar system, after an absence of many years, roU 
 ling through the viist space of ether, with its own unborrowed 
 velocity and splendor, attrading the notice of every one. Here 
 he brings to light and military knowledge his brothers in arms^ 
 hitherto veiled in the gloomy mist of ignorance. Having se- 
 cured hife victory and advantages, gained with cautious and pro- 
 vident steps, he pursues the enemy to their supposed place of 
 retreat, and there awaits their anival. The enemy arrives— 
 he meets and gives them battle ; but fortune, who hitherto fa- 
 vored, leaves, and declares vi£lory to be against him. Having 
 secured a retreat, under the auspices of a guardian heaven, he 
 retires to Jersey, after making frequent attempts ; but, alas ! 
 all in vain, to cope with the foe. He is pursued — success fails 
 in all quarters — his soldiers are discouraged, poorly compensated ; 
 people of the country drawn from their allegiance to the cause, 
 their royal afFeclions reviving — treasury exhausted, no means of 
 supplying it, public credit lost ; ammunition, arms, necessaries 
 of life, scarcely to be procured ; traitors surrounding him, 
 snares laid for his destrudUon, government losing confidence in 
 him, snares laid for his destruction, government losing confi- 
 dence in him, a rival in the command, northern and southern 
 armies to dire£l ; a crouded hospital poorly attended, demanding 
 his most strenuous and humane exertions ; manoeuvres and mo- 
 tions of an er.emy, superior in numbers, to observe and watch ; 
 and, in particular, party animosity and disputes in the bosonj 
 of his encampment ! 
 
 Herk we see the great man — here we see the illustrlou'S 
 Washington, in his true light, and exalted point of view. Firm 
 ill his resolves — buoyed up by that support which hope and his 
 strength of mind afforded — undismayed at the gathering storro^ 
 apparently about to descend with all its violence and terrors — 
 placing his trust in that Supreme Diredlor of all armies, and 
 looking with an aching eye upon the approaching convulsions 
 of his country. Let me ask you, if there was a man at that 
 time, when placed in his situation, that would not have des- 
 ponded, and given up all hope of success ? Vievr hiia in the 
 
128 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 light that I have done (which every person must admit is a pro- 
 per one) and consider for one minute hi* situation, and you 
 ■will willingly conclude with me, that this would have been the 
 
 ease. Then, admittiHg this, we must be indebted to him for 
 
 all we have, possess and enjoy. 
 
 Retreating with 1,500 men, btfore a pursuing army of 
 30,000, he crosses the Delaware, takes a position, from which 
 , be reconno iters a detached part of them at Trenton. Finding 
 every thing favorable, and agreeable to his plan, he colleds his 
 small but determined band of patriots, in a dark, dreary, cold, 
 dismal night of winter, when the falling tempest seized with 
 chilling numbness upon their almost naked bodies, wearing only 
 the tattered remnants of what once was the uniform of better 
 times ; recrosses the river, contending with mountains of float- 
 ing ice, formidable and dangerous from the impetuosity of the 
 current, the precipitancy of the snow, hurled and driven by an 
 eastern wind. They silently approach their intended Thermo- 
 pylae, obscured under the cover of the storm, attack the enemy, 
 who make but a feeble resistance, and surrender — 1000 of Ger- 
 mania's forces, together with him who fought on the plains of 
 Saxony, submit to the superior prowess of Washington 1 
 
 How noble did he appear when combating with the elements 
 and man at the same time ! How grard when waving his sword 
 in the fleecy air, and pointing out the road to viilory, fame, and 
 freedom ! 1 his event leads to another equally as great, that con- 
 tributed to give the grand turn to American affairs, and taught 
 enemies to respeft the name of him, " first in war, first in peace, 
 and first in the hearts of his countrymen" — it is the battle of 
 Princeton. Horrid and vlrcadful is the fight ! Heros upon he- 
 ros fall. He is fiist in rank, and first in danger. The plain of 
 the muses becomes the field of adlion upon which Americans 
 contend for their just and lawful property. The enemy is van- 
 ijuished, and retires before the sword of pursuing vengeance. 
 Mercer and Hazelet, great In war, now sleep in death, so no- 
 bly earned. Plere v/here science reared her towering head, and 
 held converse with her votaries, no^y laid the bodies of those 
 who had fallen victims at the altar of liberty. Here, where oft 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 129 
 
 the student walked in all his glory, now laid the great in death. 
 In that solemn temple, dedicated to wisdom and piety, where 
 oft the sons of science sent up the mattin and evening song, 
 to the throne of heaven, were no more heard the profane revil- 
 ings and lascivious songs of an abandoned foe. Washington 
 having acquired viclory, retires with heavy and distressed heart 
 from the field, destitute of his favorites, his brothers in a try- 
 ing, glorious cause. These successes heightened the brilliancy 
 of his fame, gained us the alliance of a great and powerful mo- 
 narch, brought foreigners of military knowledge and integrity 
 to join us in arms, elevated the soldier drooping under his bur- 
 then of duties and misfortunes, recruited his army, and stopped 
 his country in her rapid passage to that vortex of ruin to which 
 she had been long verging. 
 
 -^ We can trace him from the heights of Morris-town to the 
 siege of York, and we shall find him Invariably the same, whe- 
 ther in prosperity or adversity, conquest or deleat, studying the 
 interest and welfare of America. At the latter place, where 
 he and La Fayette, the adopted son of Columbia, wrested the 
 viclorioiis palm and war-worn laurel from the aged brow of him 
 who since the conquest of India gained, he terminates his ca- 
 reer, having secured the liberty and freedom of half the world, 
 and acquired the name of father and deliverer of his country. 
 Brutus rescued from Tarquin a small state — -Washington from 
 a George the third half the globe. Xerxes marched to battle 
 with one million of soldiers, and v/as conquered— -Washington 
 with fifteen hundred, and gained a vidory : the one fought to 
 enslave, the other to free. Timoleon was first in Corinth — . 
 Washington in America. We had a Demosthenes in an Adams, 
 a Lycurgus in a Franklin, 
 
 Father and deliverer of his country! what sweetness dwells 
 in this najne — a name sounded by million-tongued fame, through 
 her golden trump, into distant worlds. The sooty African, that 
 traverses Niger's sandy waste — the Algerine, desperate in fight 
 —the half-lived Laplander — the Arabian, swift as the wind— . 
 the Scythian — the inoffensive Bramins, — have all heard it, and 
 when mentioned revere it. 
 
 R 
 
ISO WASHINGTON! AN A. 
 
 After the elapse of this event, we see him in a truly great 
 and admirable -way, improving his glory, and dissipating the 
 suspicions of sordid, selfish envy, by disbanding his army when 
 the country is evacuated by the enemy, and going forward with 
 a conscious dignity that arises from having done well, to that 
 power which had called him into service, resigning that com- 
 mission which they had delegated to his care, and which he had 
 faithfully discharged. — Then we beheld American gratitude. 
 Not an eye on that occasion was dry — not a heart that was not 
 ovei flowing with love and afFedlion for the viftorious veteran. 
 Then he lived in the hearts of his countrymen. Then every 
 bosom was a monument, a faithful recorder of his merit. This 
 conduct allayed the suspicions of those who supposed him an 
 aspiring Cxsar, an ambitious Cromwell. It convinced them 
 that he fought not for monopoly, for empire despotic, for fame ; 
 but for man's rights and justice. He retires once more to his 
 favorite abode, entitled the enterprizing, the intelligent, the 
 great general, the prudent, the virtuous man. How much more 
 eligible is fame of this kind, untarnished, unsullied by the blood 
 of the innocent, and not a trait of it tinged by an a<^ of op- 
 pression on the unhappy poor of our own country, than that ac- 
 quired by an Alexander of Macedon, and those generals of the 
 Roman government, who swam through seas of human blood, 
 waded through destruction and devastation, to worship at the 
 shrine cf fame. His retirement affords its usual delights and 
 amusements, and opens to his enquiring mind new measures sa- 
 lutary to the infirm state of the country, and essential to the 
 perpetuation of its freedom. The different states, as to their 
 connexions and views, were frequently clashing, and sometimes 
 a prospeft of all being destroyed that had been with so much 
 difficulty obtained. The union he considered as a remedy that 
 would effe<ft the wished-for end, and consolidate the interests of 
 the whole into one general body. With this view he hastens 
 it. He calls upon his fellow-citizens to join in grand conven- 
 tion, and accomplish it at once, as a sure means of preserving 
 what they had just acquired. He is obeyed. Internal discord, 
 the worst of fiends, just raising her serpent head, retires at his 
 command, and all is peace. He joins the convention, as a father 
 to guard his family, and watch their behavior j as such he is 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. . ISl 
 
 adored and respefled, and as theiv chief personage and head, 
 places his name and signature to that constitution, ^\hich afier- 
 wards, under his own a4iiiinistration, produced those conse- 
 quences he had so long anticipated. Having secured the union 
 of a great people — having taught that their individual inte- 
 rests should be the interests of the whole — having enjoined his 
 colleagues to abide by their respeftive resolutions, to consider 
 the constitution as the palladium of national security and li- 
 berty, as the indissoluble bond of union, as the master-piece 
 of mental architecture, as a great good that they had de- 
 rived from many evils, as a memento of the precious blood that 
 had been spilled as the price of it — he withdraws with heart- 
 felt satisfaftion, and if possible more great and valuable than 
 ■ever in the minds of the people. The constitution now formed, 
 and commencing its operations, let future ages, when perusing 
 the page of history, (that faithful record of the events of time) 
 te astonished, when it says, that he was twice called to fill the 
 chief executive department under it — gnanimoubly chosen by 
 three millions of freemen I 
 
 Let the love his country possessed for him — the faith and 
 Confidence they placed in him — the obedience he passively com- 
 manded, strike dumb the tyrant who sits enthroned on the de- 
 stroyed privileges and liberties of his subjedls. Let him reflect 
 that Washidgton efFefted by a word, what he must by an army. 
 Let him refledl that Washington's nightly slumbers were never 
 disturbed by the noise of a surrounding guard, or the screams 
 of an affrighted conscience. Let him be told that United Ame- 
 rica was his centinel, and that heavenly visions, floating on the 
 dreams of fancy, soothed his mind in rest, after the honest la- 
 bors of the day. 
 
 In this station he discovers the statesman, the sound politi- 
 cian, and impartial ruler. He governs the people, subject to 
 the constitution — forms alliances — his generals subdue a savage 
 enemy — he extends the circulation of commerce— encourages 
 beneficial institutions — lends a parental hand to every thing that 
 embraces the country's good — contends with the intrigues and 
 artful machinations of the emissaries of an insidious, faithless 
 jiation— cements the union by hi^ advice and counsel. The sa- 
 
132 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 tlsfaftion that accrued therefrom, must be known to yoii all* 
 Almost worn out in the service of his country, he wiilits to 
 spend the remainder of an ebbing life in that retirement he had 
 so often left to gratify his fellow-citizens, and not his own am- 
 bition. Finding her in the meridian of greatness and prosperity, 
 he presses his solicitation, and it is granted. He commits the 
 care of the national ship, and the guiding of its helm, to l.Is 
 experienced and wise fellow-mariner, by whose assistance he 
 had navigated her through a revolutionary storm, and brought 
 her, to the destined port of peace and tranquillity. He again 
 retires to Vernon's pleasing charms, to feast on luxuries and 
 dainties that oft have been the theme of the enraptured poet, 
 and such as man partook of in the golden age. 
 
 But his career Is not ended — he has not yet ran his race of 
 glory — he has not reached the }aU* When a prcspe£l cf dan- 
 ger is seen from that power which has deluged Europe in blood, 
 ivhich has spread misery and woe to every corner of the habita-' 
 ble globe, his country once more looks up to him for projec- 
 tion. So long accustomed to obey, he forgets how to deny, 
 and once more becomes our shield, our buckler, and rampart of 
 safety, against which the artillery of conquest must play in 
 vain. We are safe, we are secure, we are inaccessil)le ; we 
 repose ourselves in quietness and ease, and drink deep of the 
 cup of self-satisfaclion. But, alas ! how short-lived aie these 
 enjoyments. This much-valued fortress has been assailed, and 
 levelled by the armies of death, who of all enemies alone is in- 
 vincible ; and against whom man, powerful in strength, and 
 great in his own mightiness, cannot stand. With his breath he 
 sweeps thousands into eternity, and at his command nations fall, 
 and monarclis resign their sceptres. O, man ! where is thy 
 boasted power, that oppresseth the poor, and bindeth down the 
 pitiless child of sorrow ? Where is thy fame, honors and glo- 
 ries, raised upon thy slaughtered thousands and tens of thou- 
 sands ? In a few years all will be forgotten, and decayed with 
 thee in the dust ! 
 
 In contemplating this man in his public charadler, the mind 
 of the aspiring wretch is brought to its true level, and a sense 
 
WASHINGTON I ANA. 133 
 
 cT the inconsistency of sclf-iiTiportancej ami tliose pursuits that 
 debase and vilify humanity. Nothing could ever deter him from 
 reditiide, or the execution of afls set in motion by virtuous 
 prinriples. Vanity and pride coulu never persuade him to think 
 himself superior to his duty or fellow-mortals, nor could ambi- 
 tion influence him to prostrate tlie liberties of bis country. 
 Frequently has she enchantingly smiled upon him, and pointed 
 out the throne, tbe crown, the grandeur, the elegance and splen- 
 dor of state, and invited him to accept of tht;m as a tribute 
 from her, due to his superiority over moital man. All to no 
 purpose v.ere her alluring, cunning, artful guiles. Substantial 
 fame, built not on the gewd-iws cf the world, was his cbje£\ — , 
 h.is throne was in the afFeftions of his fellow-citizens, and his 
 grandeur and splendour in plainness and the common elegancies 
 of the country. The processions and triumphs that elevated 
 the generals cf antient Rome, t'ne civic laurels that graced their 
 consuls, and since far-famed magistrates of later times, he never 
 sought, bat always shunned. ITe considered them as incentives. 
 of a lesser kind to promote the elevation of virtuous and honest 
 a£ls, and as biubles that vanished with the day. Modesty, 
 meekness, humility, politeness, and respecl for the opinions and 
 feelings of other men, always charafterized his official condu£\. 
 But one particular feature, thiit shines with superior beauty 
 and lustre, is his adherence to the religion cf his ancestors with 
 uniformity. On all times, when his business permitted, his 
 heart dwelt in secret with itself, surveyed its thoughts, its du- 
 ties, its a£ls, and brought itself home, as it were, to the great 
 Supreme. Will it be detracting his merit:, or throwing a cloud 
 over his sun-shine cf glory, to say, that in his public duties he 
 was adiuated by it, and the ideas consequent thereto, of a fu- 
 ture and of an immortal state ? or will it be telling an untruth ? 
 No ! he prided in being a man, the first of the creation, and 
 next to none but God. Hence he has uniformly acted up to 
 that dignity, required by reason of every individual. How tie- 
 gant, how sublime, does he appear in religion 1 How conspicuous 
 and dignified in devotion ! — In them we behold a mirror, that 
 reflecls his beauties and excellencies with redoubled splendijr. 
 The atheist, the deist, may smile upon the mention of this ; 
 but let the truth of my assertion penetrate their obdurate, cal- 
 
,134 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 lous hearts, and bring them to convi£lIon, and a sincere, devout 
 repentance. Whenever any of you wish to disbelieve, rccolledl 
 instantaneously that the greatest and best of men supported that 
 very cause from which you are drawing your fiaelity and alle- 
 giance, and it will shew your error. What signifies all the plea- 
 sures and amusements that the voracious man can possess, and 
 \\hat do they avail him, unaccompanied with this the mother 
 of all virtues ? It is all vanity, when weighed in the balance of 
 the discerning m:r.d, a:id honor without it is but a name. In, 
 .his jdomesiic retirement, all the qualifications of the husband, 
 endeared him to his amiable, but now widowed, aged consort. 
 All the afTcftions of his bosom were occiipied by his country 
 and surrounding relatives. — The benevolent and humane dispo- 
 sition of his heart were extended to his domestics, and nothing 
 was left undone to ameliorate their condition. Complacent and 
 agreeable t^ his neighbors ; in company dignified, polished, jo- 
 cose' and familiur ; where merit claimed he knew no distinftion, 
 and to all alike was sociable. 'I he economical, industrious far- 
 mer — the punctual, the honest dealer, the charitable, just, hu- 
 mane man. 
 
 Ye affeclionate matrons, teach your little babes to lisp the 
 name of Washington,' and listen to the melodious accents com- 
 ing from their angel tongues. Ye fair of our country, chaunt 
 hymns and anthems to the memory of him who protedled you 
 from the poignant of an assassm foe, v,?hen resting in the bosoms 
 of your worthy and respeclcd mothers. Ye fathers, ye youth, 
 that are now present, view in him the great example, the great 
 pattern of human nature, from which you all can borrow, and 
 safely copy. When you wish your children or young relatives 
 to approximate to perfcdion, set him before them, paint his vir- 
 tues and unexampled chara(fter in the most glowing colours ; 
 tell them of his greatness, the esteem and love his country bore 
 him, and thence raise in their panting breasts the generous pur- 
 pose of emulation. Set yourselves the precedent, and precept 
 combined with it will have the desired effed. In this manner 
 you can immortalizei and rescue him fiom that oblivion so com- 
 mon to the grave. O, America 1 thy sun of glory has set fore-t 
 ver, below the gloomy horizon of life I The fairest flower in 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 135 
 
 thy garden is withered, by the cold, contratSling frost of time I 
 The most brilliant gem has fallen from thy crown [ Thy first- 
 born is no more ! his eyes are closed in everlasting sleep — he 
 has ceased to sorrow — his days were days of trouble — he rest- 
 eth from his labors - his soul is in the world of departed spirits 
 of heroes, and among his fathers — his body is with us, a testi- 
 mony of his absence — his atStions are on record, to ornament 
 the historic page of our country, and as an example for rising 
 generations. 
 
 When common chara£lers slide from the stage of life, those. 
 with whom they are conne«5led cannot but feel emotions of re- 
 gret, and pour forth nature's tears, as expressive of their grief 
 ard sense of loss. Then must we be less sensible ? Must we 
 not sympathize with our brethren, and fellow-citizens at large, 
 when so great a personage, connedled to us by so many ties, 
 has ceased to a£l any longer his illustrious part in the drama of 
 life ? Yes, we must weep, we must mourn, we must condole 
 •with his family, and much lamented, aged relic. It is manly, 
 and shews the man, the noble heart of sensibility. Invisibly 
 and insensibly he points himself out as adequate to the perform- 
 ance of the most feeling tasks of private and public society. 
 You that are present, and have been witnesses to his exploits in 
 the field, transactions in the cabinet, and benevolent ads to- 
 wards the destitute widows and orphans of our departed bro- 
 thers, must justify my assertion. 
 
 Brothers I he is gone — 1 e has left us in the lodge prepared 
 for us — he has given us his blessing — he has enjoined us to prac- 
 tise the duties of our association, to continue united, and as one 
 upon all occasions to aiSt. He remembert-d the grand road of 
 harmony in which he often walked with us, the line of beha- 
 vior he himself pursued, the happiness arising therefrom, and~ 
 therefore would be more ardent in his direclion for our so do- 
 ing. Methinks I hear him from the bed of languishing, ad-- 
 dress his country — Peace, union and prosperity attend you j 
 euppress division, cherish harmony, friendship, and watch your 
 rights and liberties with an eagle eye ; be not too su?picious of 
 «ach other, and let the welfare of your country be your pri. 
 
136 WASHINGTON! AN A. 
 
 mary objeft ; guard against foreign influence, and In ycur dis- 
 tant connedions adl the impartial part. This is my advice. I 
 know the value of your treasures : if you foUdw it you will ar- 
 rive at power, greatnefs and respeftability. Methuiks I novr 
 hear him, speaking with all the tenderness of paternal affefticu 
 to his surrcunding family, assembled to witness the most solemn, 
 distressing and mournful of all scenes. I hear those wholesome 
 words, of instrudlion, given to them, from the mouth of the dy- 
 ing sage — Fear your God, love your country, honour ycur pa- 
 rents, and yoii will live long and be happy. I see him extend- 
 ing his aged hand, to take the last long adieu of his dear com- 
 panion. For her he almost wishes to live. He checks the 
 thought, looks up to heaven, and says, " Father, thy will, and 
 not mine, be done." 1 see tfiat heroic fire which animated his 
 eye, dwindling away, like a dying lamp — the glow of colour, of 
 ■which age has not yet deprived his fun owed, manly cheek, fad- 
 ing gradually away. Alas ! I see him firm and unshaken, un- 
 daunted at the terrific form of death, expire. I see his vene- 
 rable corse, speaking the greatness of his just now departed spi- 
 rit. I see his pure, unspotted soul, mounting on seraphic wings, 
 iiscend to its place of rest. I sec myriads of angels, conduct- 
 ing him through vaulted skies, and welcoming the celestial stran- 
 ger. I see the gates of heaven unfolding to his sight the most 
 magnificent of all scenes, everlasting happiness, and an eternal 
 blaze of bliss. I see him enter with that humility which accom- 
 panied him through life. I hear songs of praise, exulting of che- 
 rubim and hallelujahs to the great king of heaven. 
 
 We have indeed lost a brother ; our association has been vi- 
 sited by death, the grand tyler of that lodge in realmns of bliss. 
 He has summoned our brother masonry's favorite to its grand 
 tribunal, to give an account of his workmanship and labors, and 
 receive the glorious plaudit-^ — " Wtll done, good and faithiul ser- 
 vant." 
 
 Hence this melancholy that pervades every countenance. 
 Hence these gloomy badges of death. Let us cease to mourn ; 
 let cur tears of sorrow become those of joy ; let the bright 
 beams of gladness enliven every face, and gratitude to Him who 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 137 
 
 sits abovCj swell our bosoms. Venerable shade ! peace attend 
 Tthy silent mansion in the tomb : and wretched let him be, who, 
 with unhallowed hands, disturbs thy sacred rest. Nature her- 
 self shall end, but for thee there is no possible bound. You 
 shaH behold the dropping of the great curtain of time, and be 
 present when nature shall groan through all her works. " Look 
 forward," brothers, fellow-mortals,.." dart an eye beyond the 
 present ; explore the future and the unknown." — " Let neither 
 the changes of time, nor the vicissittides of fortune, limit your 
 enlarged view." " In fond anticipation range the unbounded 
 universe." Visit the seats of bliss. " Bathe in the sea of di- 
 vine lOve, and refledl in celestial splendor the honors of the one 
 "Supreme." You shall be present with our departed brother, in 
 that ble'ssed lodge where all lodges are congregated, and with 
 him behold the grandest and most terrible of scenes. The works 
 tof mah you shall see then in their own insignificance. Crea- 
 tion shall shudder through all htrjibwers, and " strong convul- 
 sions disjoint her frame." High arid unmoved ye shall see far 
 beneath the livid flash of forked lightning, and hear the awful 
 thunder's repefctirsive' roar, loud, bellowing through the af- 
 frighted deep, " When new worlds in order and beauty ascend 
 from the confusioUj ye shall join the melodious choir of all the 
 children of light," and shout for joy. To restored nature 
 brighter suns shall roll in yonder firmament — *' sweeter harmony 
 warble among the spheres, while the intelligent creatures of 
 God shall muse in expressive silence on their unbounded bliss." 
 Assured of this, let then " the earth dissolve, let yonder sun 
 be struck from its centre," and wheel in disorder 'through infi- 
 nite space — '* let the stars and planets, rushing from their or- 
 bits, clash in horrid contention," — yoUr immortal souls shall 
 ascend in safety to that grand lodge above. 
 
 t 
 Now may that being, who gave him to us, to answer his 
 own purposes, and who in his infinite wisdom has taken him to 
 his fatherly bosom, long continue to protcft and prosper our 
 useful associations, and be a father to our fatherless, orphan 
 country. 
 
138 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Funeral oration on the death oj brother George Washincvov, 
 Prepared at the request of the masonic lodge^ No. lA:^ of JVil- 
 mington, state of Delaware^ and delivered on St. John the 
 Evangelist's day, being the 27 tb of December, anno lucis 5799t 
 By Gunning Bedford, A, M. 
 
 My friends and felloia-citizens, 
 
 CALLED upon by a respeftable society, with whom I am 
 connefted by the ties of friendship and brotherly love, to 
 aid them in paying funeral honors to their grand master, and 
 the most illustrious of men, I felt all that diffidence arising 
 from a want of abilities to do justice to so important a subject, 
 and from the shortness of time allowed for preparation. 
 
 But knowing that every one could make the same excuse, 
 though with less justice than myself ; and an affe<£lionate society 
 and grateful people, requiring some immediate testimony of re- 
 spedl to be paid to the memory of the beloved Washington, I 
 have ventured with unfeigned hesitation upon the diflicuh task. 
 
 To your candor I submit myself; and in the motives which 
 have brought me here, I trust in your generous bosoms I can 
 read an apology, for every defeft which may appear in that ora- 
 tion I shall now deliver. 
 
 Upon an occasion the most solemn ever witnessed by Ame- 
 rica, listen to the voice of eternal truth — " It is better to go 
 to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting ;"— 
 for none of us " liveth to himself, and no man dieth to him- 
 lelf." * 
 
 But there are some men, illuminated with a purer ray of di- 
 vinity — patriots of the first magnitude, who in a peculiar sense 
 may be said to live and die, not to themselves, but to others. 
 Endowed with that superior excellence, which does honor to our 
 •whole species, the virtuous of every nation claim kindred witk 
 
 * The exordium is principally taken from JDr» Smith's oration 
 to the memory of Gen, Montgomery and others* 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. IS9 
 
 Jthcm, and the general interests of humanity are concerned in 
 their charadlers. 
 
 In veneration for such men, to exchange the accustomed 
 walks of pleasure for the house of mourning — to bedew its sa- 
 cred recesses with tears of gratitude to their memory — to strive, 
 if possible, to catch some portion of their etherial spirit, as it 
 mounts from this earthly sphere, into perfeft union with conge- 
 nial spirits above — is a laudable custom, coeval with society, 
 and sandlioned by the example of the wisest nations. 
 
 It was the manner of the Egyptians, the fathers of arts and 
 sciences, not only to celebrate the names, but to embalm the 
 bodies, of their deceased heroes, that they might long be pre- 
 served in public view, as examples of virtue, and although dead 
 yet speaking. 
 
 But this honor was not easily to be obtained, nor was it in- 
 discriminately bestowed. It was decreed only by the public 
 voice of a venerable assembly of judges ; before whom the body 
 of the deceased was brought for trial, and solemnly acquitted 
 pr'condemned upon the evidence of the people. 
 
 Even kings themselves, however much spared when alive, 
 for the sake of public tranquillity, had still this more than fiery 
 ordeal before their eyes ; and by the example of some of their 
 number, who had been refused sepulchre in those very tomb« 
 which their pride had prepared to their own memory, were taught 
 both to venerate and to dread a law which extended its punish- 
 ments beyond the usual time of oblivion. 
 
 The moral of this institution was truly sublime, constantly 
 inculcating a most important lesson, that whatever distinftions 
 pur wants and vices may render necessary, in this short and imi- 
 perfeft state of our being, they are all cancelled by the hand of 
 death ; and through the untried periods which succeed, virtue 
 and beneficence will make the true distinctions, and be the only 
 fQundations of happiness and renownt 
 
140 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The enlightened Athenians had an express law, appointing 
 orations and public funerals in honor of those who gloriously 
 sacrificed their lives to their country. Thucydides has recorded 
 a celebrated oration of this kind, delivered by Pericles. The 
 illustrious speaker, after a most animated description of the amor 
 patria^ the love of country, which he exalts above all human 
 virtues, turns to the deceased — 
 
 " Having bestowed their lives to the public, every one of 
 them, says he, hath received a praise that will never die— a se- 
 pulchre which will always be most illustrious ; not that in which 
 their bones lie mouldering, but that in which their fame is pre- 
 served. The whole world is the sepulchre of illustrious citizens, 
 and their inscription is written upon the hearts of all good men." 
 
 The Romany rewarded deeds of public virtue according to 
 their magnitude, with statues, triumphs, peculiar badges of dress 
 at public solemnities, and songs of praise to the living as well 
 as to the dead. 
 
 Republican France, ever since her regeneration, has been 
 in the practice of decreeing funeral honors and orations to those 
 whom she has deemed worthy of them. 
 
 And congress early in our revolution resolved, that a funeral 
 oration should be delivered in honor of general Montgomery, 
 and those officers and soldiers, who magnanimously fought and 
 fell with him, in maintaining the principles of American lif 
 bcrty. 
 
 This mode of paying respe A to departed heroes and patriots, 
 seems well calculated for republican governments. They arp 
 necessarily careful of bestowing honors upon the living, but may 
 with great safety and propriety liberally bestow them upon the 
 dead. 
 
 It must therefore give pleasure to every citizen of America 
 to know, that the president of the United States, penetrated 
 with grief for the great loss his country has sustained, and en- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 141 
 
 tertalning the most exalted opinion of the charafter of the de- 
 ceased, has committed " to an afleftionate and grateful people, 
 in whose hearts he can never die, to pay suitable honors to his 
 memory." 
 
 Thy recommendation, worthy Adams, will be most faithfully 
 obeyed, by that honorable body to whom thou hast committed 
 the mournful trust. An afFei^ionate and grateful people will 
 raise a monument to his memory, which shall command the at- 
 tention and respedl of the world ! It is already begun ! the foun- 
 dations are laid ! America is weeping through all her forests— 
 her towns and cities are shrouded Avith black, and covered with 
 mourning — nothing is heard but the still sounds of woe, and 
 universal condolence — all business is suspended , and an awful 
 silence pervades our country, as if nature herself had made a 
 pause ! 
 
 Early in life this great man, whose death we now deplore, 
 was highly distinguished by his country. In seventeen hundred 
 and fifty-four, he held the co\nmission of colonel in the service 
 of Virginia, in the war tljen carried on by Great-Britain and 
 the colonies against the French and Indians, 
 
 In fifty-five he gave a striking instance of that disinterested- 
 ness which afterwards characterized all his aftions. By a royal 
 arrangement of rank, no officer who did not derive his commis- 
 sion immediately from the king, could command one who did. 
 Colonel Washington cheerfully relinquished his regiment, and 
 accompanied general Braddock, as an extra aid-de-camp. 
 
 In this capacity he rendered the most important service, by 
 extricating the troops from the fatal ambuscade, which cost the 
 life of general Braddock, most of his officers, and the discom- 
 fiture of the whole army. In covering the retreat, and saving 
 the wreck of this army, he displayed the greatest abilities. The 
 public prints in Britain and America, were full of applauses for 
 the essential service he had rendered upon so trying an occa- 
 sion* 
 
H2 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The regulation of rank being afterwards settled, to the $a- 
 tisfaftion of the colonial officers, Virginia, impressed v/ith a 
 due sense of his merits, gave him an extensive commission to 
 command all the troops raised or to be raised in that colony. 
 In this character he continued to defend and proteft the fron- 
 tiers, with the greatest skill and bravery, and commanded the 
 van brigade of gcaeral Forbs's army at the capture of Fort du 
 Qnesne, in fifty-eight. 
 
 Trakqtjillity being restored on the frontiers of the middle 
 colonies, and colonel Washington's health having materially 
 suffered, by incessant fatigue and unremitted attention to duty, 
 in fifty-nine lie resigned his military appointment. Authentic 
 documents exhibit the tender regret which the Virginia line ex- 
 pressed at parting with their commander, and the affedlionate 
 regard which he entertained for them. 
 
 Amidst the numerous great lights which civil calamity pro- 
 duced in our country, during her struggle for liberty and inde- 
 pendence, Washington shone with distinguished lustre, and rose 
 pre-eminently above the rest. 
 
 Blest with the most commanding figure — a dignity which 
 Corcibly impressed all beholders — a complacency of manners — 
 a mind highly cultivated, and stored Avith knowledge — and a 
 military fame so honorably acquired ; he seemed formed by na- 
 ture for great and glorious deeds, and pointed out by the hand 
 «f Deity to America, as her revolutionary chief. 
 
 It would be incompatible with our present design, to mention 
 \n detail the various plans he devised, or the systems he pursijed 
 to proteiSl and defend our country during a seven years' war, 
 against a most powerful enemy. They are fresh in the memory 
 of many of us, and recorded in the annals of America for the 
 information of all. Suffice it in this place to say, he surmounted 
 more difficuUies than any other general ever encountered. — his 
 attention to discipline, raised our army to respectability and rcr 
 nown — his vigilance and prudence, defeated all the plans and 
 devices of the enemy — his valor and military knowledge cxf 
 
- WASHINGTONIANA. 145 
 
 tited the wonder and conunanded the admiration of all. A fa- 
 ther to his soldiers, he endured in common with them all the 
 fatigues of war, in suminer's heat and winter's cold. A brave 
 commander, he always seized the most proper moment to at- 
 tack the foe ; but when inferior in force, and subjeded to pri- 
 vations which rendered adion imprudent, Fabius-like he eluded 
 •them by the most judicious movements, 'till they in their turn 
 were reduced by casualties and drawn from their resources- 
 then, sudden as the unexpedled whirlwind, would they behold 
 Washington before them, to their terror, confusion and defeat 1 
 
 Here let me borrow the animated description of a French 
 officer of great celebrity as a soldier and a philosopher, who 
 served under him : * — " Brave without temerity, laborious with- 
 out ambition, generous without prodigality, noble without pride, 
 virtuous without severity ; he seems always to have confined 
 himself within those limits, where the virtues by clothing them- 
 selves in more lively but more changeable colours, may be mis- 
 taken for faults. Let it be repeated, that Gonde was intrepid, 
 Turenne prudent, Eugene adroit, Gatinet disinterested. It is 
 not thus Washington will be charafterized. It will be said of 
 him, at the end of a long civil war, he had nothing with which 
 he could reproach himself. If any thing can be more marvel- 
 lous than such a charafter, it is the unanimity of the public suf- 
 frages in his favor. Soldier, magistrate, people, all love and 
 admire him ; all speak of him in terms of tenderness and the 
 highest veneration." 
 
 Behold, then, this illustrious general, having by his valor 
 and prudence conducted us as a " pillar of cloud" by day, and 
 a '* pillar of fire" by night, to a happy and honorable peace, 
 humbly bending before congress, in seventeen hundred and 
 eighty-three, surrounded by a numerous concourse of citizens, 
 and resigning his commission, accompanied with the following 
 pathetic address. See appendix, p. T7 » 
 
 It is easier to conceive than express the effeft such a solemn 
 scene lud upon those who beheld it. Tears gush from every 
 
 * Tbe liiarquis de Cifastelleux, 
 
144 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 eye— their bosoms swell -with the generous glow of the most 
 fervent gratitude and afFeftion— while congress, impressed with 
 the magnitude of the ad, in faultering accents assure him, 
 they receive with emotions too affeding for utterance, the so- 
 lemn resignation of the authorities under which he had led their 
 troops with success, through a perilous and doubtful war. They 
 tell him, he had accepted the sacred charge of defending his 
 country's rights, before any alliances were formed, and when 
 we were without funds, or a government to support him — that 
 he had condufted the great military contest, with wisdom apd 
 fortitude, invariably regarding the rights of the civil power 
 through all disasters and changes — that he had displayed the 
 martial genius of his fellow-citizens, and transmitted their fame 
 .to posterity — that in defending the standard of liberty in this 
 new world, he had taught a lesson useful to those who inflid, 
 and to those who feel oppression — that he retires from the great 
 theatre of aftion with the blessings of his country — that the 
 glory of his virtues will not terminate with his military com- 
 mand, but will continue to animate the remotest ages. They 
 join with him in commending the interests of their common 
 country, to the protection of Almighty God, beseeching him to 
 dispose the hearts and minds of its citizens to improve the op- 
 portunity afforded them of becoming a happy and respedlable 
 nation. And address the throne of grace in earnest prayers, 
 that a life so beloved may be fostered with all its care — that 
 his days may be happy as they have been illustrious ; and that 
 he finally may receive that reward, which the world cannot give I 
 
 This great scene can only be heightened by the refledlion, 
 that this hero, thus beloved by all, and almost adored by his 
 army, buoyed above the axioms of interest and ambition, 
 which govern most men, resolved, by the most magnanimous 
 sacrifice, to put it out of his own power to make use of their 
 affeftions to promote the one, or of his rank to advance the 
 other. 
 
 Ths world looked with astonishment and admiration, at so 
 disinterested and noble an aClion. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 145 
 
 The good sense of America, having convinced them of the 
 inefficacy of the first instruraent of their confederacy, a great 
 convention of the states is called, to new-model the league. 
 Washington presides in this venerable assembly — and by his 
 great weight and influence, added to the labors of others, our 
 present constitution was produced. 
 
 The current of the afTeftions of the people, had so long sat 
 towards this beloved man, and his great and illustrious deeds 
 having swelled it to a mighty stream, they look forward with 
 joy to the opportunity, which was about to be presented to,, 
 them, of making a noble display of that gratitude which had 
 swollen their bosoms, and was now ready to overflow. 
 
 Washington is called by the unanimous suffrages of a great 
 and free people, to take the chair of supreme magistracy. 
 
 The bright sun of American happiness then shone with me- 
 ridian splendor ! The protedlor — the defender — the political sa- 
 vior of their country, was now to diredl the helm of state, and 
 every man felt himself safe and secure under his guidance. Hi- 
 therto loved as a soldier, now adored as a statesman — clothed 
 ■with the power of the United States, and looking with native 
 majesty in his exalted seat, he seemed " a wall cf fire round 
 about us," and a " glory in the midst of us 1" 
 
 The wisest establishments arose — the most wholesome pro- 
 visions were made, for the peace, safety and prosperity of our 
 country — commerce flourished — agriculture was improved, and 
 every art encouraged. Our name rose with lustre upon the Eu- 
 ropean world. They admired — but they envied us. They could 
 not behold the rising glory of America without jealousy. 
 
 The time limited by the constitution for the continuance in 
 office of the president, at length expires. But the fountains 
 of gratitude, fixed deep in the inmost recesses of the heart, be- 
 ing ever inexhaustible, and now replenished by the merits of a 
 four years' labor and service devoted to the best interests of his 
 
 T 
 
U6 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 country, a faithful people again cry out, with one voice— All 
 bail, president Washington I 
 
 These instances of the affedlion and confidence of his coun- 
 try, so often repeated, fortified his mind against the difficulties 
 that were to ensue. 
 
 France had proceeded far in her new organization, and as- 
 sumed the appearance of a regular government. She was first 
 welcomed by Washington, in the name of America, as a sister 
 republic. We considered her contest for freedom, congenial 
 with that which we had accomplished. She gained upon our 
 afTctftions, and we felt an interest in every thing that regarded 
 her happiness, and ultimate success. But, alas ! ambition grew 
 out of her vi£lories ; and instead of confining herself within 
 the limits prescribed by her antient kingdom, she extended her 
 conquests abroad, encouraged revolution every where, and seemed 
 to aim at universal domination. 
 
 The pure mind of Washington, which had long studied and 
 perfeftly understood the rights of man and of nations, beheld 
 with regret the virtuous struggle of twenty-five millions of peo- 
 ple to rescue themselves from slavery, converted by the arts 
 and intrigues of designing leaders, to the wild enthusiasm and 
 extravagance of universal emancipation from government and 
 law. Insidious measures were taken to Involve this country in 
 the vortex of European politics. England, jealous of our at- 
 tachment to republican principles, and counting upon our par- 
 tiality to France, made great depredations upon our commerce ; 
 and every thing seemed to announce an approaching war. 
 
 Our government having taken the dignified attitude of neu- 
 trality, was Avilling to hold the scales even, and do equal jus- 
 tice to the contending nations. But we are threatened from 
 without, and assailed from within — The whisper of corruption 
 is heard ! 
 
 In the midst of these confli£llng dangers, the steady, intre- 
 pid Washington, who had so often exposed his life for his coun- 
 
WASHINGTON I AN A. 147 
 
 try, and was always ready to lay it down for her service, was 
 now even willing to risk a reputation more dear than life, to se- 
 cure her peace and prn?perity. "With a magnanimity truly he- 
 roic, colleci:ing all the energies of his great mind, and pursuing 
 the principles which had invariably governed his whole lile, to 
 do what be thought -was right, he signs a treaty with Great-Bri- 
 tain. 
 
 It would be highly improper to discuss the merits of this mea- 
 sure here. We ought to be satisfied in knowing and believing, 
 that through the whole tenor of the most important life, which 
 had been open to the inspection of all, he never decided upon 
 one public aft, without the most mature consideration, the ful- 
 lest convi£lion of its propriety, and having the best interests of 
 his country always at heart. 
 
 Who can now possibly calculate, or who ever could with any 
 certainty calculate, what might be the situation of this country 
 at the present raoment, if that treaty had not been concluded ? 
 Instead of that peace which we have thus long enjoyed, our 
 commerce might have been ruined, our sea-port towns burnt 
 
 and destroyed, and our sea-coast an howling desart ! But I 
 
 forbear. 
 
 Considerations like these ought ever to have closed the 
 mouth of censure, and checked the clamor of party. If it has 
 arose against the sacred name of Washington, what future cha- 
 rafter can escape its baneful influence 1 
 
 Oh, my fellow-citizens 1 on this mournful occasion, while 
 mingling my tears with yours over the *tomb of this most excel- 
 lent of men, my heart is rent at the anticipated evils and calami- 
 ties, that inevitably await our belovejl country, if this spirit of 
 discontent, jealousy and party, is not discountenanced and sup- 
 pressed. Why will ye yourselves, elevate men to the most dig- 
 nified and important situations, and then suffer their bosoms to 
 be wounded with calumny, and their spirits to be harrassed with 
 continual distrust ? Is not the constitution, the constitution of 
 your own free choice ? Are not the men who administer the go- 
 vernment the men of your own free choice ? Are not their times 
 
143 WASHINGTON J AN A. 
 
 of service limited to a short period ? and do they not then return 
 into the mass ct" citizens', to meet your censure, or receive your 
 applause ? Are not these sufficient securities for your liberties, 
 and a wise and faithful administration ? 
 
 The murmurs of discontent soon swell into party; party 
 rises into faftion, and faftion hath hitherto broke out into in- 
 surredlion. The strong arm of Washington is no more — the 
 steady and decisive Adams, will one day also be added to his 
 fathers. When the sword of the laws shall fall into feebler 
 hands, and the people array themselves into more equal and 
 more violent parties ; who can answer that intestine commo- 
 tion, civil war, and the destruftion of our government, will 
 not be the probable consequence ? 
 
 Reflect, I beseech you, in time ! Let us unite in calming 
 the minds of our countrymen — in healing the wounds party hath 
 already made ; and, as the best offering to the manes of our 
 departed friend and bencfaftor, let us bring all our political con- 
 tentions, at this solemn moment, and bury them forever in his 
 grave ! — His beneficent spirit will look down with complacence 
 upon the sacrifice, and accept it as the best tribute to his me- 
 mory. 
 
 This great man, at length worn down by the incessant fa- 
 tigue of public employments, solicits his fellow-citizens to suf- 
 fer him to retire ; and to spare him the pain of refusing to obey 
 their voice, by not calling him again from his retreat. He 
 prays them to sele£l some other charaiSler among those, whom 
 his generous diffidence assures them, are equally, if not better 
 qualified than himself, to diredl tl)C reins of government. 
 
 Gkatitude for his past labors — love and veneration for his 
 virtues, and a conviftion that his years required repose, induce 
 America to comply with his request. 
 
 A SECOND time we see this illustrious characler, disrobing 
 himself of the insignia of public office ; now voluntarily de- 
 scending from the seat of state, and joyfully mixing with his 
 fellow-citizens as a private man I— -Yet he could not leave a peo- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 149 
 
 pie who had so long been the objects of his vigilance, attention 
 and care, Avithout still some farther evidence of his esteem 
 Behold the memorial * of his love and afFeftion ! It is the fare- 
 well address of president Washington 1 Precious legacy I Read 
 it, my countrymen— treasure up its precepts in your hearts. Its 
 contents are the result of the experience of a life dedicated to 
 your service, with the best means of acquiring a knowledge of 
 human nature, of government, and the intrigues of courts. If 
 properly attended to, and followed, it will be worth more to 
 America than the wealth of the Indies. 
 
 We new see this good man in the bosom of his family, im- 
 proving his favorite seat ; surrounded with domestic bliss, and 
 enjoying that repose which he had so long wished for, and which 
 his feeling heart was so well fitted to relish. 
 
 One would think nothing could ever draw him from this re- 
 tirement, so necessary to his peace and declining years — and 
 that it would be almost ungrateful to ask it. But our country 
 liad not yet attained to that state of tranquillity which his 
 wishes had fondly hoped. In despite of the wise and honorable 
 policy pursued by our government, we are again alarmed from 
 abroad. The turbulent waves of war roll across the Atlantic 
 towards our coast, and threaten to break upon our shores. Ac- 
 tive measures of defence are taking, and an army is raising. All 
 eyes look anxiously around for a commander, and the good ge- 
 nius of America still directs them to Washington. Delicacy 
 almost forbids the approach. The wise Adams hesitates to 
 make the request : But the venQrable hero meets the wishes of 
 his country, — I come, he cries, to devote the remainder of my 
 
 life to your service, if I can do any more good. He did thus 
 
 devote it ; for in the charadler of commander in chief of the ar- 
 mies of the United States, he ended his days. 
 
 What a noble example of humility, disregard of personal 
 ease, and enthusiastic love of country ! Thrice has he exhibited 
 
 * Here the fareviell address ivas held up to the view of the 
 audience. 
 
150 WASHINGTONTANA. 
 
 to America, the most exalted proofs of disinterestedness and 
 niagnanimity 1 and thrice has he astouished the world 1 * 
 
 To all the distinguished features which charadlerize the illus- 
 trious man, he alr.o added a probity of heart which has never 
 brtn equalled, and a modest diffidence in his own abilities, 
 ■which gave the highest finish to his exalted virtues. 
 
 Hear this moving language, in his address to the people of 
 the United States. See appendix, p. 33. 
 
 EvRN in his last moments too ! as if every acl of his life 
 ■was to become instrui5tive, and every word a precept, he incul- 
 cates the most important lesson upon mankind — " I do not fear 
 death ; I have miade my will, my affairs are in good order, and 
 my public business only two days behind." — With caln^ness, 
 he resigns himself into the hands of his creator — with compo- 
 sure he falls asleep in death I 
 
 Well may the voice of lamentation be heard throughout our 
 land 1 never had a country so much cause for mourning ! Well may 
 Tsre cry out, " O 1 that our heads were waters, and our eyes 
 fountains of tears," that we might continually weep over so 
 irreparable a loss i Never can we again witness so solemn an 
 occasion to call forth universal sorrow. But once in eighteen 
 centuries, hath so perfeil; a charadler appeared to adorn the 
 ■world ! Happy the future age, that can boast cf such a man ! 
 And thrice happy America, which gave birth to so illustri- 
 ous a citizen 1 — Compared wilh him, the renowned sages of an- 
 tiquity — the niighty princes of the earth — and the great con- 
 querors of the v/orld — all shrink back, and yield him a most just 
 pre-eminence. 
 
 To abler orators, I leave a more particular description of the 
 numerous and varied virtues of this great man. By them his 
 
 * Alluding' to his resigning the command of the revolutionary 
 army at the end of the war — bis refusing to continue as presi- 
 dent of the United States — and bis afterwards acting in the sub- 
 ordinate character of commander of tbe armies. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 151 
 
 praise -will be sounded much further than my feeble voice ran 
 reach. The faithful page of history will record his fame. 
 There it shall live, while the smallest vestiges of literature re- 
 main upon earth — yea, 'till " the cloud-capt towers, the gorge- 
 ous palaces, the solemn temples, this great globe itself, and all 
 which it inherit, shall dissolve, and like the baseless fabric of a 
 vision, leave not a wreck behind." Nor shall it perish then— 
 but being the immediate care of heaven, " the great archangel, 
 when he sweeps suns and systems from their place, and kindles 
 up their last fires, stretching forth his mighty arm, shall snatch 
 the deathless scroll from the devouring conflagration, and place 
 it among the archives of eternity." 
 
 One further circumstance must not be omitted, In justice to 
 that society who have honored me with this place, and whose 
 boast it is that Washington was their grand master. To the 
 fashionable philosophers of the present day, it may appear of 
 little consequence, but upon this foundation are built all our 
 works. 
 
 To the chara(3:er of hero and patriot, this good man added 
 that of christian. All his public communications breathe a pure 
 spirit of piety, a resignation to tlie will of heaven, and a firm re- 
 liance upon the providence of God. In those atchlevements 
 which redounded most to his reputation, we hear him exclaim- 
 ing with king David, " Not unto us, not unto us, O ! Lord, 
 but to thy name be the honor and praise."- Although the great- 
 est man upon earth, he disdained not to humble himself before 
 his God, and to trust in the mercies of Christ. He regularly at- 
 tended in the temples of the Most High, and joined with his 
 fellow mortals, in paying adoration to the Supreme Governor 
 of tlie universe, and in supplicating blessings for his country, 
 and pardon and forgiveness for himsel f— - For thyself, christian 
 hero and patriot ! thy prayers have been heard. Thy blessed 
 spirit hath ascended from this terrestrial orb, to mingle with 
 congenial spirits above ! There thou wilt indeed receive thy 
 best reward ! There thou wilt drink of those rivers of joy and 
 gladness, that flow from the right hand of the throne of God I 
 7 here thou wilt be welcomed by the whole host of heaven ! — 
 
152 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Oh 1 that we liad angels' wings, that we might follow him, and 
 ■witness his joyful reception into those blest abodes ! — Behold 
 the gates of heaven are thrown wide open ! See the band of 
 heroes and martyrs in their country's cause, rushing out to meet 
 their chief, and welcoming him to immortal glory ! See the ve- 
 nerable train of patriots, sages and statesmen, advancing to bid 
 him hail, to mansions of eternal peace and rest ! Angels and 
 archangels, and ten thousand times ten thousand glorified spi- 
 rits, tune their harps at his approach, and the great vault of 
 heaven resounds with one universal song of " Hosanna to the 
 Highest 1" — " Come, come, thou blessf;d of" our " Father, in- 
 herit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the 
 world !" 
 
 On I that we may all " die the death of the righteous, and 
 may our latter end be like his !" 
 
 We, my brothers, lamenting in common Avith our fellow-ci- 
 tizens, over the grave of this great and good man, yet feel his 
 loss peculiarly afflicSling to us, in the relation he stood to our 
 lodges. 
 
 Although high and exalted in charader and rank, yet he 
 always walked upon the level with a brother. Although par- 
 ticularly attached to this his native country, which had so loved 
 and honored him, yet his extensive benevolence embraced the 
 great cihcle of mankind. In all his aftions he was governed 
 by thCvSCiUARE of doing unto others as he would wish they 
 should do unto him ; and he ever kept within the compass of 
 good will to all men. 
 
 He was indeed a great light, sent to us by the Grand Master 
 above, to illuminate our darkness here beloAV. But it has pleased 
 Divine Providence to call him back from houses built with clay, 
 to " mansions not built with hands, eternal in the heavens." 
 
 Thosk eyes which have looked with so much pleasure upon 
 a brother, are now closed in death. Those ears which have lis- 
 tened with so much attention to their complaints, are now stop- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 153 
 
 ped in dust. And those hands which have been so often ex- 
 tended to relieve their wants and distress, -will never be raised 
 more. 
 
 Let us, then, seeing that death cometh alike unto all men, 
 improve this solemn instance of mortality. Let us be up and 
 doing the work of our hands, while it is yet day, before the 
 night of death overtake us, in which no man can work. Let 
 us embrace the present moment, to provide for that great 
 change, when the pleasures of this world shall cease to delight, 
 and the refledlions of a life spent in the exercise of virtue and 
 piety, yield the only comfort and consolation. 
 
 Let us copy the bright example of this our most beloved bro- 
 ther, and by a sacred regard to his memory, and our own so- 
 lemn engagements, pursue with unremitted assiduity, the tenets 
 of our profession. Let us feed the hungry, clothe the naked, 
 visit the sick and the affli£led ; do justice, love mercy, and walk 
 humbly with our God. Then shall we be able to silence " the 
 tribe of scorners, and to convince them, the only qualities we 
 wish to honor, are those which form good men and good citi- 
 zens ; and the only buildings we seek to raise, are temples for 
 virtue and dungeons for vice." 
 
 Finally, let us with becoming reverence, supplicate the 
 throne of grace, that we may secure the favor of that Eternal 
 Being, whose goodness and power knoweth no bounds. Thus 
 shall our expedlation not be disappointed, nor shall we be hur- 
 ried unprepared into the presence of that awful Judge, to whom 
 the secrets of all hearts are known ; but may entertain the hum- 
 ble hope, that after we have performed our weary pilgrimage 
 here below, we shall each of us be received into the great tem- 
 ple above, with the cheering salutation, " Well done thou good 
 and faithful servant, enter tLou into the joys of thy Lord 1" 
 
 Oh ! thou great and mighty I AM ! who said, Let there be 
 light — and there was light ! who spoke this world into being, 
 by the word of thy mouth, and who disposeth of all events here 
 below, as to thee in thy wisdom seeraeth best ! Look down ia 
 
 U 
 
154 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 compassion, we humbly beseech thee ! upon the sorrows of a 
 •whole people ! May their sighs and tears, come up before thy 
 throne, as an acceptable sacrifice at the shrine of virtue 1 Al- 
 though thou hast wrote bitter things against us, yet let us ne- 
 ver distrust thy providence 1 In six troubles thou hast delivered 
 us, and in seven thou wilt not forsake us ! 
 
 Raise up, oh. Supreme Architedi ! for our distrest lodges, 
 another light, which shall be as a fire in the midst of us, and 
 a glory round about us ! — And oh I for our country, Heaverily 
 Fatlier ! raise up another Washington— one who shall be equally 
 loved— equally admired— equally confided in ; and to whom thou 
 shalt direct the eyes of this great nation, as thou hast done in 
 times past, to that ever to be lamented man I 
 
 Now to the triune God, * the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost, be ascribed all honor and dominion, for ever more— 
 Amen. 
 
 AjaEK .' So let it ever be. 
 
 After the oration, the follotoing elegiac ode, prepared for tie 
 occasion, was sung bj a choir. 
 
 TUHE AOMONIfJON. 
 
 DESCEND, St. John, attune the plaintive lyre. 
 And through Columbia's regions spread abroad, 
 The mournful loss of her beloved sire 5 
 Call'd to the bosom of his father, God. 
 
 The trump of fame annolinces his translation, 
 To the grand lodge of infinite duration. 
 
 • Here the masonic body rose^ and on mention of the words. Fa- 
 ther, Son and Holy Ghost, gave the sign or symbol of divine bo- 
 mage and obeisance ; concluding with the response^ 
 « AuEN ! So let it ever be .'" 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 155 
 
 The Master Warden summon'd him away, 
 
 On Jacob's ladder he ascends above, 
 To the bright regions of eternal day, 
 To join the chorus of redeeming love. 
 
 The trump of fame announces his translation. 
 To the grand lodge of infinite duration. 
 
 Cut can Columbians e'er forget the day, 
 
 When proud oppressio^i bath'd our fields in gore. 
 Great Washington withstood the dire affray. 
 
 And swept the invaders from our ravag'd shore ! 
 The trump of fame announces his translation, 
 To the great captain of his soul's salvation. 
 
 The monarch may forget his pearly crown, 
 
 The mother may forget her first-born souj 
 The bridegroom may forget his lovely bride. 
 But we'll remember thee, O Washington I 
 
 And while thy name adorns Columbia's story, 
 Her sons shall sound thy virtue and thy glory. 
 
 Eulogtum^ delivered' to a large concourse of respectable citizens, 
 at the state-bouse, in the town of Dover, in commemoration 
 of the death of general George WASHiNCfoN, By Johh 
 FiifiNG, Esq, 
 
 Friends and felloiv-citizens, 
 
 IT is with the greatest dijfidence I rise upon the present so- 
 lemn occasion to address this numerous, this respectable au- 
 ditory — 'tis with the utmost humility, I contrast myself with 
 the sublime theme that now occupies your attention. I feel, 
 that no language or expression of mine, can do the least jua- 
 
156, WASHINGTON! ANA. 
 
 tice to the elevation at which my ideas would aspire, or that my 
 ideas, can possibly correspond with the sublimity of my subjeft. 
 Indeed the very day, appointed for this commemoration, adds to 
 my embarrassment — and surely must to your sympathy and sen- 
 sibility. 
 
 This is the anniversary, that announced to the world the na- 
 tivity of the hero, the patriot, the sage — this is the day, that 
 by governmental recommendation, solemnizes, in funeral pomp 
 and in public eulogy, the dissolution of our Washington. 
 
 This is the anniversary, that used to fill every American bo- 
 som with the strongest emotions of gratitude and joy, — this is 
 the day that plunges America in deepest afHiftion, 
 
 This is the anniversary, that when the curtain was drawn 
 up, the grand — the novel spectacle was exhibited to the world, 
 of millions of free people, rendering just tribute and grateful 
 homage to their illustrious benefaftor— .to their chosen chief. 
 This, alas ! is the day that beholds the curtain drop, and hide, 
 forever from our view, tlof hero of our independence, the cham- 
 pion of our liberties — the preserver of our rights — and the faith- 
 ful guardian of our nation's glory — Sad vicissitude 1 — mourn- 
 ful contrast ! 
 
 To do justice to a subjeft like this, requires a reach of 
 thought extensive as the horizon, that encircles the globe— an 
 elevation of mind, that can soar to those immeasurable realms, 
 bounded only by the canopy of heaven. Here silence would be 
 eloquence, and expressive thought should eulogize his fame. 
 
 Like tlie refulgent luminary of day, he rose— he ascended 
 to his bright meridian — and like that splendid orb, retired at 
 eve, and left the world in darkness and in sorrow. In what 
 mansion of bliss, greatest and best of men, dost thou now re- 
 side ?-^What celestial planet does thy capacious soul, with all 
 the virtues that adorned humanity nfid enriched the universe^ 
 now illume ? 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 1 57 
 
 Methinks even now I see his radiant form, with smile be- 
 nign with courteous dignity — ministering to his country the 
 
 lesson, his life had taught — " Your destiny is at your own com- 
 mand — Be united — Peace and glory await you — Divide, disho- 
 nor and ruin mark your inevitable doom." 
 
 What though pompous mausoleums, rise upon his tomb ! — 
 What though pyramids of monumental marble be erefted over 
 his grave, still shall his deathless fame outlive them all. It will 
 triumphantly sail along the Stream of time, bearing his virtues 
 and his name to latest ages — with no adverse wind to impede 
 its course, — no sands or rocks to hazard its loss — but gently 
 passing on 'till it reach the last, most distant shore of all- 
 there eternity ready to rescue it from the general wreck will 
 seize the immortal trophy, and place it where its lustre can ne- 
 ver tarnish — where it must live forever. 
 
 The death of this transcendant — this elevated being, leaves 
 but one thought in our bosoms — that Washington is no more ! — 
 that the hero of the western world is gone for ever ! — a thought 
 extensive as the universe, — boundless as his virtues, — and li- 
 mited only by those skies, to which his great soul has ascended. 
 The bright effulgence of his charafter, shed its influence on all 
 around. Heroes sprang up at his name, and patriotism, kin- 
 dling into enthusiastic ardor, when foreign or domestic insult 
 threatened his country's honor, or its independence, filled his 
 ranks, — thousands flew to his standard. 
 
 When busy faction, the accursed scourge of almost every 
 land, loudly assunjing the name of public zeal, dared to raise 
 her head against the government and laws, and would have 
 spread her desolating rage — .he had but to give a stretch to his 
 arm, and with his thunder to speak the terror of disobedience 
 and opposition to the constituted authorities, — when the hydra, 
 but late so vociferous and confident, murmured and shrunk at 
 his awful approach — and, at his presence, in aa agony of dis- 
 appointment, expired. Mingling mercy with justice, the de- 
 luded, he spared—the leaders were punished, pardoned or se- 
 
n» WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 cured, as humanity suggested — as a wise policy di£lated, or ren- 
 tiered expedient. 
 
 Emperors and rnonarchs are great in their own dominion? 
 only — strip them nf their robes of royalty — their diadem — their 
 sceptre — the pageantry and pomp of power, and thousands of 
 iheir subjedls are their superiors. Not so the pre-eminent chief 
 whose loss we now deplore : " None hut himself was his paral- 
 lel" — Trace his illustrious actions from the etnbattled plain, 
 vrhere he was so gloriously distinguished, to the presidential 
 chair of the nation, whose affe£tions he so amply commanded, 
 and they were uniform as they were great. We find him in 
 a-H, the first and bravest of soldiers— the ablest and greatest of 
 statesmen — the wisest and best of citizens. Elevated without 
 pride — great without ambition—- superior without ostentation — . 
 like the finest vernal day, he was praised by all, and by all ««-» 
 envied. Conqueror of himself, and always prepared for the in-. 
 visible event, no difficulties deterred^ — no dangers alarmed him. 
 Brave without temerity, he knew when to check the ardor of 
 conquest— the fire of enthusiasm. Deliberate without passion, 
 he could coolly see, and avail himself of the great. — the im- 
 portant moment when fortune herself, yielding to his matchless 
 caution, acknowledged his superiority. Pious and exemplary, 
 ■no fastidious parade, no rigid distance marked his charafter. 
 The high standard by which his exalted worth was measured, 
 was known to all but himself. He ascribed to heaven, what 
 conquerors generally arrogate to themselves — vidcry. 
 
 'f Wisdom his guide, and providence his trust" he felt not 
 the ordinary motives that have aftuated most heroes of antient 
 and modern times. He fought, not for triumph, but for his 
 country. He gave not the rich emolument of his toils and long 
 career of military life, in securing her independence, for the 
 poor applause of vulgar fame- — he magnanimously gave them — , 
 and those emoluments were dearly earned. As midnight vigils 
 Icept — daily and hourly fatigue — thought profound and silent — 
 contributions made to his country ' in its hour of utmost need' — 
 as first in every danger — last to seek his safety, and all his gal- 
 lant exploits, can well attest. 
 
VVASHINGTONIANA. 15^ 
 
 What must have been the anguish, the trying conflict of i. 
 mind like his, at the awful crisis, -when the fate of the nation 
 was suspended, as it were, by a single thread — at the crisis 
 ■which was to decide the independence of his country, or to have 
 ■rivetted her chains, perhaps, for ever I What must have beea 
 his feelings, after the just renown he had gained, when he had 
 conquered, and a part of his army forgetting discipline, in- 
 flamed and irritated, would have destroyed or sullied the inde- 
 pendence, he and his brave comrades had atchieved ? What must 
 he have felt when he laid down his command, and bade his fel- 
 low-soldiers, his victorious troops, a long, a last adieu ? — And, 
 above all, how great— how more than great, and heroic beyond 
 example, must he have been, when, but a year before his exist- 
 ence was to close, he again exchanged the plough-share for the 
 sword, and forgetting age, ease and repose, and the tranquil- 
 lity so justly due to the evening of a life that had been passed 
 as his was, in the deep scenes of the cabinet and the dangerous 
 hazards of the field, when clouds of dark, portentous import, 
 menaced his country — voluntarily to accept the first military 
 command, and once more, should the councils of his nation so 
 will it, to encounter all the perils, turmoils and vicissitudes of 
 doubtful war 1 
 
 Scarcely a river that rolls through our immense territory, 
 but boasts some great exploit of our hero. The wild, rich 
 streams of the Monongahcla first watered the laurel, that adorned 
 the youthful warrior's brow. When the savage yell, dread he- 
 rald of death, struck with panic all but himself! — his general 
 slain — his legions routed — this beardless champion — cool and 
 colledled, to safety led, through slaughtered heaps, the scanty 
 relidls of a brave, but devoted army. 
 
 The rocky clifts of the Brandywine, where retreat was more 
 glorious than viilory, thickened those laurels. Then ponder- 
 ing on the sure destru(Slion of his presuming foe — scarce a 
 month had elapsed before his conquerors trembled and retired, 
 subdued before his superior genius. When he advanced, it was 
 with the cool resolution of the first Caesar — when he retreated, 
 it was with the wise policy of a Fabius. 
 
160 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The lofty, full flo\ving Delaware, when icy torrents menaced 
 death to all that approached, he with his little cohort braving 
 every danger, sharing in every toil and fatigue, and at that 
 great crisis, when all was at stake — when a disappointed, worn- 
 out army complained — when desertion thinned every rank — Yes I 
 the Delaware can tell how then he defied her dangers — how he 
 passed her rapid catarads — how he boldly led his handful of 
 troops to conquest and to fame. 
 
 The Raritan, that arrested the flying enemy and checked 
 his retreat, swells with pride when she relates how a gallant ve- 
 teran aimy retired before him. This, Columbia, was thy proud- 
 est moment — then revived a drooping nation's spirit — then her 
 pulscj new strung, beat afresh to patriotism and independence. 
 
 But shall the iron-bound Hudson be silent •' She who beheld 
 an infant army, like Hercules in his cradle, attacking every foe, 
 and defeated by none. United mercenaries and the gallant Bri- 
 tish, all opposing — yet still invincible. Yes, on her hardy mar- 
 gin, in letters never to be erased, is a Washington's glory, and 
 his nation's courage for ever recorded. 
 
 The majestic Chesapeake sealed and immortalized his valor, 
 his martial fame. The flower of Britain's army commanded by 
 her bravest general — the mighty conqueror of the east, there 
 laid at Washington's feet, the brilliant trophies, for ages heaped 
 together. Then independence stood ereft, and taking her might}' 
 champion by the hand — " This," said she, is my hero — immor- 
 tality I have given him. Engrave it, Americans, on your hearts — 
 his valor has saved you — his wisdom and example, if you regard 
 them, will forever secure you from foreign invasion — from do- 
 mestic convulsion," 
 
 Heke I should pause, and leave, to the concise eloquence of 
 a Lee, the bold elocution of a Morris, the manly and nervous 
 style of a Jackson, and superior abilities of many others of equal 
 celebrity, his companions in war and in the cabinet, more par- 
 ticularly to delineate his splendid aftions in the field — his vast 
 decisions in council I these his cotcmporariesj can best describe 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 161 
 
 the great atchievements that marked his life. How, with a hand- 
 ful of new, undisciplined soldiers, he performed prodigies of ge- 
 nius and courage. When utmost dijKculties surrounded, hovr 
 his great soul surmounted them. How undismayed he was by- 
 superior numbers. How his valor encouraged, his example ani- 
 mated, and his wisdom fortified his little army against an assail- 
 ing, powerful foe. How, in a conflict, when civil war menaced 
 his country, — when brother unsheathed the sword against bro- 
 ther, — when opinion almost equally vibrated, — how he united, 
 conciliated and conquered. 
 
 Merit so appropriate — virtues so uncommon and rare are 
 the rich inheritance, that this great man bequeathed to his coun- 
 try — let us cherish it — let us consider and prize it as the first, 
 the most inestimable, of public blessings. 
 
 While patriotism, in pensive sorrow, mourns her loss, she 
 impresses on her sons, this consolatory lesson, that millions yet 
 unborn, will retrace the annals of this her greatest champion— 
 and read in his history a nation's glory — a nation's happiest re- 
 fuge, — the rich depository of virtues formed in so peculiar a man- 
 ner, as to give, to genuine liberty, her only chance of gaining 
 and preserving her greatest conquest — of enthroning her in a 
 grateful people's hearts — of placing heron the everlasting basis 
 
 of an equal, a representative and an energetic government, a 
 
 government from which oppression flies — one to which misery 
 and persecution resort, as to their last and safest asylum, and 
 where religion, morality and law, are the only diredlories to 
 public virtue and to private happiness. 
 
 Ekect and sublime, fate itself could not subdue him. In 
 hiin. the pangs of dissolution were lost. At the awful moment 
 of death, when human nature bursting her fondest — dearest 
 bonds— and heaving with convulsive agonies, instin(Slively shrinks 
 and is appalled — we behold this god-like man, unmoved — 
 calm as in the hour of tranquil health. Though solicited to 
 live by all that could render life most desirable, — the al- 
 lurements of friendship and opulence — every domestic ele- 
 gance and comfort — his country'5'gratitude and love — a govern- 
 
 X 
 
164 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ington, after making a brave defence, to the necessity of sub- 
 mitting to honorable terms of capitulation. 
 
 The contest about these lands, becoming more serious, ge- 
 neral Braddock was sent with a regular force from Great-Bri- 
 tain, to support the claims of his Britannic majesty. His im- 
 petuous valor pushed him forward into an ambuscade of French 
 and Indians, in which he was killed, and his army routed. The 
 remains of it were rallied, and brought off in safety, under the 
 diredlion and by the address of colonel Washington. 
 
 The next expedition was more successful, and restored tran- 
 quillity to the province of Virginia. When this event took 
 place, the young citizen soldier, being no longer called to the 
 discharge of military duty, resumed his habits of civil life, and 
 continued therein until a nev.' and unexpected scene, about twenty- 
 years after, brought him forward on a much more conspicuous 
 theatre. 
 
 In the year 1774, the British ministry completed their sy- 
 stem for taxing their colonies. America was roused ; and, by 
 a simultane.ous impulse, formed a congress of her most enlight- 
 ened sons, to devise such measures as bid fairest to preserve her 
 endangered libtrtles. To this illustrious assembly Washington 
 was deputed, and he contributed his full proportion in forming 
 the wise plans which were by them adopted. Great-Britain 
 turned a^deaf ear to their petitions, and proceeded to coerce the 
 colonies by a military force. Massachusetts being immediately 
 attacked, had, in the first instance, embodied an army for its 
 defence ; but as soon as it was determined to make a common 
 cause Avlth that much-injured province, it became necessary that 
 her local army should be made the army of the united colonies, 
 and be officered by congress. 
 
 New ExGi.AND had her Pomeroy, her Ward, and her Put- 
 nam, aiid many others who hid seen as mucli, or perhaps more 
 service than Washington, yet their wise delegates concurred in 
 elevating the Virginian over their own favorite sons. The ap- 
 pointment of a cprrimander in chief of all the armies raised, or 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 165 
 
 to lie raised, was efTeiEled by an unanimous vote and without 
 competition. Not only congress, but the inhabitants in every 
 part of the united colonies, seemed, by one consent, to point to 
 Washington, as the chosen instrument of heaven, to guide them 
 through the storms of war, to the haven of peace and safety. 
 His native modesty begat distrusts in his own breast, from which 
 others were free. 
 
 In his acceptance of the office, he desired, " that it might be 
 remembered by every gentleman present, that. he declared, with 
 the utmost sincerity, he did not think himself equal to the 
 command with which he was honored." 
 
 On the third of July, 1775, he arrived at Cambridge, and 
 entered upon the duties of his high station. Great were the dif- 
 ficulties which pressed on ihe new commander in chief. To in- 
 troduce discipline and subordination among the free husband- 
 men, who had lately assumed the military charadler, and who 
 were accustomed to adl from the impulse of their ov/n minds, 
 ■was an arduous labor. To procure effeftive service from men 
 who carry with them the spirit of freedom into the field, re- 
 quires virtues which are rarely found in military characlers. 
 The greater part of the Americans, officers as well as soldiers, 
 liad never seen any service, were ignorant of their duty, and 
 but feebly impressed with the ideas of union, subordination and 
 discipline. To form an army of such materials, fit to take the 
 field against British veteran troops, was the tssk assigned to ge- 
 neral Washington. In effe£ling this he conduced with so much 
 prudence, as to make it doubtful whether we ought most to ad- 
 iTjire the patient, accommodating spirit of the man, or the con- 
 summate address of the general. 
 
 The American troops were only engaged for a few montlis ser- 
 vice, and were in a great measure destitute of ammunition. On 
 the 4th of August, 1775, and for fourteen days after, the whole 
 stock of powder in the American camp, and in the public maga- 
 zines of New-England, v/as not sufficient to make ten rounds 
 a man. Under all these disadvantages, the commander in chief 
 adopted such efficient arrangements, as proteded the country, 
 
164 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ington, after making a brave defence, to the necessity of sub- 
 mitting to honorable terms of capitulation. 
 
 The contest about these lands, becoming more serious, ge- 
 neral Braddock was sent with a regular force from Great-Bri- 
 tain, to support the claims of his Britannic majesty. His im- 
 petuous valor pushed him forward into an ambuscade of French 
 and Indians, in which he was killed, and his army routed. The 
 reniai-ns of it were rallied, and brought ofF in safety, under the 
 direftion and by the address of colonel Washington. 
 
 The next expedition was more successful, and restored tran- 
 quillity to the province of Virginia. When this event took 
 place, the young citizen soldier, being no longer called to the 
 discharge of military duty, resumed his habits of civil life, and 
 continued therein until a new and unexpected scene, about twenty 
 years after, brought him forward on a much more conspicuous, 
 theatre. 
 
 In the year 1774, the British ministry completed their sy- 
 stem for taxing their colonies. America was roused ; and, by 
 a simultane,ous impulse, formed a Congress of her most enlight- 
 ened sons, to devise such measures as bid fairest to preserve her 
 endangered liberties. To this illustrious assembly Washington 
 was deputed, and he contributed his full proportion in forming 
 the wise plans which were by them adopted. Great-Britain 
 turned a^deaf ear to their petitions, and proceeded to coerce the 
 colonies by a military force. Massachusetts being immediately 
 attacked, had, in the first instance, embodied an army for its 
 defence ; but as soon as it was determined to make a common 
 cause with that much-injured province, it became necessary that 
 her local army should be made the army of the united colonies, 
 and be officered by congress. 
 
 New Eng/.and had her Pomeroy, her Ward, and her Put- 
 nam, aiid many others %^ho h-.id seen as much, or perhaps more 
 service than Washingvon, yet their wise delegates concurred in 
 elevating the Virginian over their own favorite sons. The ap- 
 pointment of a commander in chief of all the armies raised, or 
 
WASHINGTON! AN A. 165 
 
 to lie raised, was efTefted by an unanimous vote and ■without 
 competition. Not only congress, but the inhabitants in every 
 part of the united colonies, seemed, by one consent, to point to 
 Washington, as the chosen instrument of heaven, to guide them 
 through the storms of war, to the haven of peace and safety. 
 His native modesty begat distrusts in his own breast, from which 
 others were free. 
 
 In his acceptance of the office, he desired, " that it might be 
 remembered by every gentleman present, that. he declared, with 
 the utmost sincerity, he did not think himself equal to the 
 command with which he was honored." 
 
 On the third of July, 1775, he arrived at Cambridge, and 
 entered upon the duties of his high station. Great were the dif- 
 ficulties Avhicli pressed on ihe new commander in chief. To in- 
 troduce discipline and subordination among the free husband- 
 men, who had lately assumed the military rharaAer, and who 
 were accustomed to a£l from the impulse of their ov/n minds, 
 was an arduous labor. To procure effe^live service from men 
 who carry Avith them the spirit of freedom into the field, re- 
 quires virtues which are rarely found in military characlers. 
 The greater part of the Americans, officers as well as soldiers, 
 had never seen any service, were ignorant of their duty, and 
 but feebly impressed with the ideas of union, subordination and 
 discipline. To form an army of such materials, fit to take the 
 field against British veteran troops, was the tssk assigned to ge- 
 neral Washington. In effisdling this he conduced with so much 
 prudence, as to make it doubtful whether we ought most to ad- 
 mire the patient, accommodating spirit of the man, or the con- 
 summate address of the general. 
 
 The American troops were only engaged for a few months ser- 
 vice, and were in a great measure destitute of ammunition. On 
 the 4th of August, 1775, and for fourteen days after, the whole 
 stock of powder in the American camp, and in the public maga- 
 zines of New-England, was not sufficient to make ten rounds 
 a man. Under all these disadvantages, the commander in chief 
 adopted such efficient arrangements, as proteftcd the country, 
 
1,66 Washingtontana. 
 
 confined the British army to Boston, and finally obliged them ta 
 evacuate that city on the 17th of March, 1776. His conduiSl 
 "was so 'pleasing to congress, that they ordered a medal to be 
 struck, -with suitable devices, to perpetuate the remembrance of 
 the great event ; and so much to the satisfaftion of the people 
 of Massachusetts, that he was presented with a most flattering 
 address from their council and house of representatives. 
 
 Hitherto general Washington had embarked in the war 
 with the fond idea of a reconcilement with the parent state. 
 Independence Avas an after-thought, forced on the colonies by 
 the refusal of Great-Britain to redress their grievances. Though 
 he was not among the first to embrace the scheme of indepen- 
 dence, yet as soon as he perceived the necessity of the measure, 
 he heartily came into it. Far from wishing such a turn of af- 
 fairs, as must necessarily lead to his personal aggrandizement, 
 as long as one ray of hope remained, he ardently panted for 
 such a return of moderation and wisdom to the rulers of Great- 
 Britain, as would have united the two countries in their antlent 
 habits of union and friendship. 
 
 Soon after the evacuation of Boston, general Washington, 
 with the army under his command, took their position In New- 
 York. Great were the difficulties he had to encounter at Bos- 
 ton, but much greater pressed upon him In New-York. In the 
 former situation, he commanded a force far superior In number 
 to the enemy ; In the latter, his whole army was short of 18,000 
 men ; and of these a great proportion was militia. To these 
 were opposed upwards of 30,000 British veterans, supported by 
 a powerful navy. In this situation, after much thought, ge- 
 neral Washington resolved on a war of posts. He stood his 
 grouTid, as long as It could be done, without risking too much, 
 and then prevented the last extremity, by evacuating and re- 
 treating. He rightly judged that to him delay was vidory ; 
 and not to be conquered was to conquer. By this policy he 
 wore away the campaign of 1776. Though the British counted 
 on the complete conquest of the colonies In that year, It was 
 the middle of September before they got footing in the city of 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 167 
 
 New- York, and beyond the middle of November before they 
 obtained full possession of New-York island. 
 
 The evacuating and retreating system, adopted by general 
 Washington, subjedcd him to the clamors of short-sighted po- 
 liticians, who questioned his decision and spirit. He had it al- 
 ways in his power to have vindicated himself, by stating the in- 
 feriority of his numbers, and the total unfitness of his raw 
 troops to contend with the veteran force opposed to them ; but 
 •with true magnanimity he bore those reproaches, and concealed 
 his real situation. 
 
 In the latter end of November, the British commanders, in- 
 stead of retiring into winter quarters, after driving the Ame- 
 ricans from the state of New-York, pursued them into New- 
 Jersey, with the fair prospeft of annihilating their whole force. 
 The moment was critical. Dangers and difficulties pressed on 
 all sides. On the sixteenth of November, 2,700 of the Ame- 
 rican army were taken prisoners in Fort Washington. In four- 
 teen days after that event, the flying camp, amounting to 10,000 
 men, having served out iheir time, claimed their discharge. 
 Other whole regiments, on similar grounds, did the same. The 
 few that remained with general Washington scarcely exceeded 
 3,000, and they were in a most forlorn condition, without tents, 
 or blankets, or any utensils to dress their provisions. Under 
 all these disadvantages, they were obliged to consult their safety, 
 by retreating tow ^s Philadelphia, from avidlorious army, pres- 
 sing close on thei. rear. As they marched through the country, 
 scarcely one of the inhabitants joined them, while numbers 
 ■were daily flocking to the royal army for protection. Not 
 ©nly the common people changed sides in this gloomy state of 
 affairs ; but several of the leading men in New-Jersey and Penn- 
 sylvania, adopted the same expedient. — Congress fled from Phi- 
 ladelphia to Baltimore. The hearts of many brave Americans 
 began to fail, and to give up all hope of maintaining their in- 
 dependence. 
 
 In this period, when the American army was rclinquiihing 
 their general — the people giving up the cause — som^ of their 
 
165 WASIIINGTONIANA. 
 
 leaders going over to the enemy, and the British commanders 
 succeeding in every enterprize, general Washington did not des- 
 pair. He slowly retreated before the advancing foe, and deter- 
 mined to i'all back to Pennsylvania — to Augusta county in Vir- 
 ginia — and, if necessary, to the westward of yonder mountains, 
 ■where he was resolved, in the last extremity, to renew the strug- 
 gle for the independence of his country. While his uncon- 
 qiiered mind was brooding on these ideas, 1,500 of the Pennsyl- 
 vania militia joined him. With this small increase of force he 
 formed the bold resolution of recrossing the Delaware, and at- 
 tacking that part of the enemy which v/as pootcd in Trenton. 
 Heaven smiled on the enterprize. On the 26th of December, 
 900 Hessians were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. This 
 bold enterprize was, in eight days after, follbwed by another, 
 which was planned with great address. General Washington 
 ■with his army stole away under cover of the night, from 
 the vicinity of a force far superior to his own, and attacked in 
 their rear a detachment of the British posted in Princeton : 300 
 were taken prisoners, and about 100 killed and wounded. These 
 two vidlories revived the drooping spirits of the Americans, and 
 seemed under Providence to have been the means of their politi- 
 cal salvation. They made the British so cautious of extending 
 their posts, that general Washington, with an army of 1,500 
 men, for several months, kept nearly 15,000 of the enemy 
 closely pent up in Brunswick. 
 
 The same wise policy of avoiding decisive engagements was 
 pursued by our hero through the campaign of 1777, with so 
 much effect, that it was as late as the 26th of September before 
 Sir William Howe possessed himself of Philadelphia. 
 
 In the various marches and counter-marches which took place 
 between the two armies, in the course of this campaign, repeated 
 proofs were given, that though general Washington was forward 
 to engage, when he thought it to his advantage, yet it was im- 
 possible for the royal commander to bring him to adion against 
 his consent. 
 
 I ci.AtT.r your indulgence for recapitulating* so much of the 
 history of our late revohuion, which is already known to you 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 169 
 
 all. Is it no digression ? It is all to my purpose. When gene* 
 ral Washington is the subjeft, history and eulogy are the same— 
 the speaker praises him best, who gives the most faithful narra- 
 tive of his actions. 
 
 If time permitted, I would run over every campaign, and 
 point out to you, in each, the m.any instances in which our hero 
 displayed the talents of an accomplished general, as well as the 
 mild virtues of the father of his country. I would particular- 
 ize how eager he was to attack when it could be done to advan- 
 tage; and with how much dexterity he avoided engagements, 
 •when his situation was unfavorable. With what address he kept 
 together a half naked — half starved — and unpaid army, parti- 
 cularly in the last year of the war, when gold and silver were 
 banished from circulation, and the continental currency had de- 
 preciated almost to nothing. — I would unfold how the magic of 
 his name produced union and concert among the jarring states, 
 and their discordant troops, — I would — but time fails me even 
 to enumerate the topics, from which, by the simple relation of 
 fa£ls, I could heighten your admiration of this extraordinary 
 man. — I shall, therefore, conclude my observations on his mili- 
 tary career, by observing, that in consequence of a most judi- 
 cious plan, in concerting, and executing which, general Wash- 
 ington had a principal share, lord Cornwallis, with 7,000 men, 
 was, in Ov3;ober, 1781, compelled to surrender to the combined 
 forces of France and the United States. This was the closing 
 scene of the revolutionary war. At Trenton the first, and at 
 York- town the last decisive blow was given to the British forces 
 in thtf United States, and both were conduced under the imme- 
 diate command of general Washington. 
 
 Though the capture of lord Cornwallis, in a great measure, 
 terminated the war, yet great and important services were ren- 
 dered to the United States, by our general, after that event. 
 The army which had fought the battles of independence was 
 about to be disbanded without being paid. At this period, when 
 the minds of both officers and men were in a highly irritable 
 state, attempts were made by plausible but seditious publica- 
 tions, to induce them to unite in redressing their grievances, 
 
 Y 
 
iro ' V/ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 while they had arms in their hands. The whole of general Wash- 
 ington's influence was exerted, and nothing less than his un- 
 bounded influence would have been availing to prevent the adop- 
 tion of nieahuresj that threatened to involve the country in an 
 intestine war, between the army on the one side, and the citi- 
 zens on the other. If Washington had been a Julius Cxsar, 
 or an Oliver Cromwell, all we probably would have gained by 
 the revolution would have been a change of our allegiance — 
 from being the subjefts of George the third of Great-Britain, 
 to become the subjects of George the lirit of America. 
 
 The war being ended— the peace, liberties, and independence 
 of these states being acknowledged and secured, our beloved 
 general presents himself before congress, and returns into their 
 hands his commission as commander in chief of their armies. 
 The scene was grand and majestic. After having successfully 
 served his country for eight years, and conducted its armies 
 through a revolutionary war, which terminated in the establish- 
 ment of the liberties and independence of these states — when 
 he is about to retire to private life, does he demand honors or 
 emoluments for himself, family, or friends ? No such thing. 
 In modest language, he recommended to the favorable notice,- 
 and patronage of congress, the confidential officers who were 
 attached to his person. For them he indiredly asVs favors, but 
 nothing for himself. The only privilege conferred by congress 
 on the retiring Washington, which distinguished him from any 
 other private citizen, was, a right of sending and receiving let- 
 ters free of postage. Think not, I mean to charge my country 
 "with ingratitude. Nothing would have been refused to him 
 which he wished to have ; but, to use his own language on ano- 
 ther occasion, " he shut his hand against all pecuniary compen- 
 sation." 
 
 Do you ask me how this illustrious general, after being used 
 for eight years to camps, bore the languid indifFerence of pri- 
 vate life ? Do you enquire whether he went to Europe in a pub- 
 lic or private charadler ? Had he been a vain man, fond of ap- 
 plause, or of glittering in the public eye, he would doubdess 
 have put himself in the way of receiving those flattering atten- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 171 
 
 tions, whici} are so eagerly coveted by the vulgar great. Very 
 different was the line of conduft he pursued. After resigning 
 his commission, he hastened with ineffable delight to his long- 
 negleded farm at Mount-Vcrnon — sheathed his sv/ord — laid 
 aside his uniform, and assumed the dress and habits of a coun- 
 try gentleman. Witj\ the same assiduity he had lately visited 
 camps and forts, he began once more to visit his fields and 
 his mills. In a short time, the first general of the ■world be- 
 came the best farmer in Virginia. 
 
 Do you enquire on what subjects this great man, after retir- 
 ing from an exalted public station, used to converse ? Was it 
 his praftice to *• fight his battles o'er again," and entertain his 
 company with a recital of the great scenes In which he had been 
 a principal aftor ? Ask the many gentlemen who partook of his 
 hospitality, and they will one and all tell you, tliat he rarely 
 spoke of the war, and stiU more rarely of himself, unless his 
 guests forced conversation upon these subjefls. His favorite 
 topics were agricultural ; on these he dwelled with peculiar plea- 
 sure, and rejoiced in every opportunity of giving and receiving 
 information on the first and best employment of man. In this 
 beloved retreat, from the cares and business of public life, he 
 wished to spend the remainder of liis days ; but, after having 
 enjoyed himself on his farm for four years, his country again 
 called for his services. 
 
 From the inefficacy of the articles of confederation, and from 
 several other concurring causes, a tide of evils flowed in upon 
 the United States, in the years that Immediately followed the 
 return of peace. A convention of the different states was cal- 
 led, to digest a form of government, equal to the exigencies of 
 the union. To this illustrious assembly general Washington 
 was deputed, and of it he was unanimously elefted president. 
 His wisdom had a great share in forming, and the influence of 
 his name a still greater in procuring the acceptance of the con- 
 stitution, which the convention recommended to the people for 
 their adoption. By this, one legislative, executive and judicial 
 power was made to pervade all the states, and the executive in 
 
172 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 particular was committed to an officer, by the name of presi- 
 dent. Though great diversity of opinions had prevailed about 
 the merits of the new constitution, there was but one opinion 
 about the person who should be appointed its supreme executive 
 officer. Three millions of people, by their representatives, una- 
 nimously gave their suffrages in favor of George Washington. 
 Unambitious of further honors, he wished to be excused from 
 all public service ; but that ardent patriotism, by Avhlch he had 
 always been governed, prevailed over his love of retirement, 
 and induced him once more to engage in the great work of mak- 
 ing a nation happy. The popularity of his name, and the confi- 
 dence which the people of all the stases reposed in his tried in<. 
 tegrity, enabled him to give an energy to the new constitution, 
 which it would not have had under the administration of any 
 other person. 
 
 I NEED not remind you of the great improvements which 
 have taken place in the wealth, resources and commerce of the 
 United States since Washington has been president. \ou know 
 them — you feel them — and the daily increasing prosperity of 
 our country attests them. 
 
 In the midst of this prosperity, a storm arose in a far distant 
 land, which threatened to involve these states in its wide spread- 
 ing devastation ; but our political pilot once more saved us 
 from impending danger. When the war broke out between 
 France and England, an artful minister'was sent from the for- 
 mer, with the avowed design of involving us in the contest. 
 The kindred name of a republic — unbounded love and gratitude 
 to France, for beneficial aid, afforded us in our struggle for in- 
 dependence — rankling hatred of Great-Britain, for the many in- 
 juries she had done us in the same period, all concurred to make 
 a strong party among us, favorable to the views of the French 
 •minister. This was increased by impolitic and illegal captures 
 of our floating property, by the vessels of his Britannic majesty, 
 WVien we were apparently on the point of being drawn into the 
 vortex of the war, president Washington, by virtue of his con- 
 stitutional powers, prevented it. He nominated an envoy ex- 
 traordinary to negociate with the coyrt of London, This, m^e 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ir« 
 
 the veto of a Roman tribune, put a stop to all further proceed- 
 ings ; for the legislature could not proceed to hostile measures 
 while the executive was negociating. The man who, in his mi- 
 litary capacity, had saved us from Great-Britain, now, in his ci- 
 vil charafter, saved us from ourselves. Thejeople, though di- 
 vided in parties, were so fully convinced of the reclitude and 
 purity of the condu£l of "Washington, that on a second elec- 
 tion they elevated him to the same exalted station, with an una- 
 nimous voice. If my time, or your patience, permitted, I would 
 go over the civil administration of our late president, and point 
 ©ut to you his judicious arrangements for makiii^ 135 happy at 
 home, and respedable abroad — for protecting our commerce — 
 for encouraging our agriculture — forgiving vigor to our inter- 
 nal police, by calling into ofRce upright and able men, in every 
 department. I would dilate, with particular pleasure, on his 
 unwearied endeavors to preserve the country in peace. While 
 some of our citizens were for France, and others for England— • 
 Washington was for the United States, and with great address 
 preserved us on both sides from the horrors of war. On these 
 subjedls I cannot dwell, and therefore hasten to observe, that 
 after having served his country with great ability, and fidelity, 
 for eight years, in the office of president, he once more retired 
 to private life, covered with honors, and followed by the love 
 and gratitude of all the people. Previous to this event he gave 
 his last parting advice to the citizens of the United States, in 
 the form of a valedi<S^ory address. This is in all your hands.. 
 Teach it to your children, in the house, and by the way, lying 
 down and rising up, going out and coming in. It Is an invalu- 
 able legacy — perhaps there never was so much important in- 
 struollon — so much good advice given by any mere man in the 
 compass of so few words, as was done by Washington on this, 
 and a similar occasion, when he retired from military command. 
 
 Our departed friend had not enjoyed his beloved retirement 
 two years, when his country again called for his services. The 
 rulers of France, having entirely departed from the princlpleg 
 on which they set out, plundered our commerce, insulted our 
 ministers of peace ; and some of their agents went so far as to 
 threaten us with invasion. This imposed a necessity to organ* 
 
174 WASHINGTOKIANA. 
 
 h:c an army, and prepare for the last extremity. All the world 
 Rnew, and Washington, though the most modest of men, could 
 ITot but know, that his name, at the head of our army, v.-ould 
 cither deter any European power from invading us ; or if they 
 <liouId madly make the attempt, would unite all our citizens as 
 a band of brothers for the common defence. He tliere-fore ac- 
 cepted the appointment, and though on the verge of three-score 
 years and ten, stood ready and pledged to take the £ekl, whene- 
 ver the necessities of the country required it. In this attitude, 
 and with a fixed resolution to serve his country in the last ebb 
 of his life, and with the last drop of his blood, our father has 
 been suddenly snatched from us. To lose such a man, at such 
 a crisis, is no common calamit)''. Well may you mourn on such 
 ;in occasion. Well may you shroud yourselves and your churches 
 in black. Well may the citizens of these states, from Nev/- 
 Hampshire to Georgia, mingle their tears in one great flood of 
 grief. It was wise and proper to set apart a day free from bu- 
 siness and care, to give undisturbed vent to j^our sorrows. Who 
 now will wield the sword of our country against our enemies ? 
 !Mnny brave and good officers we yet have : but none, like Wash- 
 ington, can by their very names strike terror into the breasts 
 of an invading enemy. None, like Washington, can unite all 
 hearts and hands in the common defence. 
 
 Having flnislied an historical review of the life of our de- 
 parted friend, bear with me a few minutes while I attempt to 
 draw his character. For the sake of those who have never seen 
 general Washington, it may be worth while to observe, that his 
 
 pcrscft was graceful, well proportioned, and uncommonly tall 
 
 When he was cheerful, he had a most engaging countenance — 
 v'hen p-rave, a most respeftablc one. There Avas at all times 
 an air of maj-sty and dignity in his appearance. 
 
 Kis learning was of a singular kind ; he overstepped the te- 
 dious forms of tlic schools, and by the force of a rorreft taste 
 and-sound iudgment, seized on the great ends of learning, with- 
 out the assistance of those means which have been contrived to 
 ■prepare less adivc m/inds for public business. By a careful study 
 ef the English langoage, by reading good models of fine writing } 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 175. 
 
 >iiid, above all, by the aid of a vigorous mhul, lie made himself 
 master of a pure, elegant, and classical style. His composition 
 ■was all nerve ; fall of corred and manly ideas, which were ex- 
 pressed in precise and forcible language. His answers to the 
 the innumerable addresses, which on all public occasions poured 
 in upon him, were promptly made, handsomely expressed, and 
 always contained something appropriate. — His letters to con- 
 gress his addresses to that body on the acceptance and resig- 
 nation of his commission — his g-«neral orders as commander in 
 chief — his speeches and messages, as presidiMU — and, above all, 
 his two farewell addresses to the people of the United States, 
 will remain lasting monuments of the goodness of his heart— 
 of the wisdom of his head— and of the eloquence of his pen. 
 
 The powers of his mind ^7ere in seme respciEls peculiar. Ha 
 was a great praflical, self-taught genius — with a h.ead to devise, 
 and a hand to execute projefts of the first magnitude and great- 
 est utility. Happily for his country he v/as not under the do- 
 minion of a warm imagination ; but he possessed, in an eminent 
 degree, what was of infinitely more conscqucncci — a corret\, so- 
 lid judgment. This was improved by close thinking, and 
 strengthened by daily exercise. Possessing a large proportion 
 of common sense, uninfluenced by prejudice, passion, or party 
 spirit — deliberately weighing in the balance of a sound judg- 
 ment, the possible and probable consequences of every step he 
 took, and being always under the influence of an honest, good 
 heart, he was imperceptibly led to decisions that were wi;e and 
 judicious. It is not pretended that he was infallible ; but it 
 may, with truth, be asserted, that in the multiplicity of busi- 
 ness, on which he had to decide, his errors were as fev/ in nupj- 
 ber, as venial in their nature, and as unimportant in their con- 
 sequences, as could reasonably be expcd.ed in t^e prsseut imper- 
 feft state of the wisest and best of men. 
 
 Enemies he had, but they were few, and chiefly of the sapie 
 family with the man, who could not bear to hear Aristides always 
 called the just.' Among them all, I have never heard of one 
 who charged him with any habitual vice, or even foible. There 
 are few men of any kind, and still fewer of those t^he world 
 
176 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 calls great, wlio have not some cf their virtues ecKpsed by cof* 
 responding vices. — But this was not the case with general Wash-* 
 ington — he had religion withouc austerity — dignity without 
 pride — modesty without diffidence — courage without rashness — » 
 politeness without affs£tation — affability without familiarity. 
 His private charafter, as well as his public one, will bear the 
 striftest scrutiny. Ke was punctual in all his engagements — 
 tipright r>nd honest in his dealings — temperate in his enjoy- 
 ments — liberal and hospitable to an eminent degree — a lover of 
 order — systematical and methodical in all his arrangements. 
 He was the friend of morality and religion — steadily attended 
 en public worship — encouraged and strengthened the hands of 
 the clergy. In all his public afts he made the most respeclful 
 mention of Providence ; and, in a word, carried the sp'yit of 
 piety wiih him, both in his private life and public administra- 
 tion. He was far from being one of those minute philosophers, 
 •who believe that '' death is an eternal sleep ;" or of those, 
 Avho, trusting to the sufficiency of human reason, discard the 
 light of divine revelation. 
 
 To dwell on all the virtues of general Washington, would 
 protradl my oration beyond the going down of the sun. I must 
 therefore confine myself to a few. Among the many that pre- 
 sent themselves, his patience and spirit of accommodation de- 
 serve particular notice. — He had to form soldiers of freemen ; 
 muny of whom had extravagant ideas of their personal rights.— 
 He had often to mediate between a starving army, and a high 
 spirited yeomanry. So great were the necessities of the sol- 
 diers, under his immediate command, that he was obliged to 
 send ont detachments to seize on the property of the farmers 
 at the point of the bayonet. The language of the soldier was, 
 " Give me clothing — ^give me food — or I cannot fight— -I cannot 
 live." The language of the farmer was, " Protect my property." 
 In this choice t?f difficulties, general Washington not only kept 
 his army together, but conducted with so much prudence, as to 
 command the approbation both of the army and of the citizens. 
 He was also dependent for much of his support on the concur- 
 rence of thirteen distinft, unconnefted legislatures. Animosi- 
 ties prevailed between his southern and northern troops; and 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 177 
 
 there were strong jealousies between the states from which they 
 grespe^lively came. To harmonize these clashing interests.^ — to 
 make uniform arrangements from such discordant sources and 
 materials, required no common share of address. Yet so great 
 was the effeiSl of the modest, unassuming manners of general 
 "Washington, that he retained the afFc(Slion of all his troops, 
 and of all the states. 
 
 Bravert is indispensible in a military man, though it stands 
 lowest in the least of the virtues of a great officer. Our hero 
 possessed a great share of it. In battle he was the bravest 
 among the brave. When the service required it, he cheerfully 
 risked his person. Of this I could enumerate many instances. 
 I could particularly relate, that on New-York island, and at the 
 battle at Princeton, he was so far in front of his troops, and 
 exposed to so much danger, that the preservation of his life can 
 only be accounted for by those who believe in a particular pro- 
 vidence. Having so many more important matters before me, I 
 cannot dwell on this subjeft. How rich in reputation must that 
 general be, whose courage must be thrown in the back ground, 
 to give place for the display of his more important virtues ? 
 
 General Washington also possessed equanimity in an. 
 eminent degree. One even tenor marked the greatness of his 
 mind, in all the variety of scenes through which he passed. 
 In the most trying situations he never despaired, nor was he ever 
 depressed. Propositions, supported by plausible assignments, 
 were made to him by honest, but despairing, timid Americans, to 
 save himself and his country, by negociating at the head of his 
 army ; but in the lowest ebb of affairs, he spurned at every such 
 proposal. The honors and applause he received from his grate- 
 ful countrymen, at more fortunate periods, would have made 
 any other man giddy, but on him they had no mischievous ef- 
 feft. He exafted none of those attentions : but when forced 
 upon him he received them as favors, with the politeness of a 
 well bred man. He was great in deserving them, but mucli 
 greater in not being elated with them. 
 
ITS WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 The patriotism of our departed friend, was of the most ar- 
 dent kind, and without alloy. He was very different from those 
 nois)^ patriots, who with love of country in their mouths, and 
 witli hell in theii' l>earts, lay their schemes for aggrandizing them- 
 selves at every hazard; but he was one of those who love their 
 country in sincerity, and who hold themselves bound to conse- 
 crate all their talents to its service. Numerous were the diffi- 
 culties with which he had to contend. Great were the dangers 
 he had to encounter. Various were the toils and services in 
 which he had to share ; but to all difficulties and dangers he 
 rose superior — To all toils and services he cheerfully submitted 
 for his country's good. 
 
 Possessing an ample, unincumbered fortune — happy at home, 
 ,in the most pleasing domestic connexions, what but love of 
 country could have induced him to accept the command of the 
 American army in 1775 ? Could it be hatred of Great-Britain ? 
 He then ardently loved her, and panted for a reconciliation with 
 her. Could it be partiality for a military life ? He was then in 
 the forty-fourth year of his age, when a fondness for camps ge- 
 i.ersliy abates. Could it be love of fame ? The whole tenor of his 
 life forbids us to believe that he ever was under the undue influ- 
 ence of this passion. Fame followed him, but he never pursued it. 
 Could it have been the love of power ? They who best knew the" 
 undissembled wishes of his heart, v/ill all tell you with what re^ 
 Itidance he was dragged from a private station, and with what 
 ineffable delight he returned to it. Had he not voluntarily de- 
 clined it, he would have died your president. Others have re- 
 signed high stations from disgust, but he retired at rather an 
 early period of old age, while his faculties were strong, and his 
 health not much impaired, and when the great body of the peo- 
 ple sincerely loved him, and ardently wished for his re-eleftion. 
 Ccutd it have been the love of money that induced him to ac- 
 cept the command of the American army ? No such thing — 
 when he was appointed commander in chief, congress made him 
 a handsome allowance ; but in his acceptance of the command, 
 he di;clared "that as nor pecuniary consideration could have. 
 tempted him to accept the arduous employment, at the expence 
 of his domestic ease and hai^pinesE, he did not wi«h to make 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 173 
 
 any profit from it." " I will keep," said lie, " an exafl ac- 
 count of my. expence? — .these I doubt not you will discharge, 
 and that is all I desire." At the close of the war, he produced 
 his accounts for th^ eight years it had lasted, all in his own hand- 
 writing, and with the same exactness that was required of com- 
 missaries and contradlors — the whole amounted to £. 14,479 
 18s. 9d. 3-4, sterling. Of this sum, about one-seventh was 
 for secret services. The amount paid, the time when, and the 
 occasions on which monies were advanced for secret services, 
 were all carefully noted, but for obvious reasons no receipts 
 were produced. For every other item of the account the most 
 regular vouchers were exhibited. The whole at the request of 
 general Washington was minutely examined by the proper ac- 
 counting officers, and regularly passed. A tin box, containing 
 these accounts, remains in one of the offices of the United 
 States. It is a monument of the disinterestedness of general 
 Washington. Bring your children, and your children's children 
 to examine its contents. Shew them the hand-writing of the 
 father of their country — teach them thereon lessons of eco- 
 nomy, of order and method in expences — teach them to love 
 their country, and to serve It on liberal terms. 
 
 I CALL upon antiquity — upon modern Europe, and especially 
 on the recent republic of France, to produce one of their he- 
 roes or statesmen, that can surpass, or even equal our disinte- 
 rested patriot. 
 
 Had I a voice that would reach across the Atlantic, I would 
 address the nations at war, and propose to their emperors, their 
 kings, their directors, tbeir generals, and their statesmen, the 
 example of our Washington for their imitation ; and call upon 
 them, if not too much abashed by the splendor of his virtues, 
 to learn from him to put far away avarice and ambition — and 
 like him to pursue nought but their country's good. If they 
 would thus copy after the great example of our American hero," 
 they would soon sheath their swords, and let the world have 
 peace. 
 
 But chiefly do I call on my fellow-citizens, to cherish the 
 remembrance of the virtues of the dear deceased. To learn 
 
180 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 from him to be all eye — all ear — all heart and hand in the ser- 
 vice of your country — to think no sacrifice too great — no labor 
 too hard, which public good requires at your hands. Rehearse 
 to your children, and instrudl them to rehearse to theirs, the 
 jioble deeds of your common father, and inspire them with a 
 holy resolution to go and do likewise. His great example, thus 
 improved, will be a germ of virtuous aftions through Wcceed- 
 ing generations, 'till time shall be no more. 
 
 But to return — the same reasoning will apply "with still 
 greater force to general Washington's acceptance of the office 
 of president of the United States. No motives, but those of 
 the purest kind, could have induced him, loaded with honors, 
 ^and possessed of a reputation that had carried his name to the 
 remotest corners of the globe, to quit his beloved retirement 
 for the second time, and embark on the perilous sea of civil life. 
 
 Where shall we find words sufficient to do justice to his 
 self-denying acceptance of his recent appointment to the su- 
 preme command of the army that .is now raising. View him 
 in the possession of all that his heart could wish— in the sixty-, 
 seventh year of his age, when repose and retirement must have 
 been not only desirable but even necessary. — View him under 
 all those circumstances, pledging himself to take the field when- 
 ever the situation of his country required it. How ardent must 
 have been his patriotism ! How great is the loss which we have 
 gu'^tained. 
 
 In losing him our people have lost their guide — our country 
 has lost its father — its sword and shield — its greatest benefac- 
 tor and ornament. Rome with all her heroes— Greece with all 
 her patriots, could not produce his equal. Not one Avho trod 
 the stage of life with equal dignity, and who departed from it 
 in old age with a reputation so brilliant, and at the same time 
 so spotless. 
 
 His virtues and example are an invaluable legacy to his coun- 
 try — to Europe — to the world. His councils are engraven on 
 the table of our hearts — his deeds are written with a pen of iron 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 181 
 
 and with the point of a diamond. His fame is a sea without a 
 
 shore His counsels — his deeds, and his fame will live forever. 
 
 But, alas ! those eyes which have watched so many nights for 
 the safety of the United States, are now closed in death— that 
 tongue, and those hands, which have so often, so long, and so 
 successfully been exerted for our benefit, are now mouldering 
 in the dust. 
 
 No more will he enlighten our councils by his wisdom^;— no 
 more will he lead our armies to viftory — no longer will his name 
 prove a bulwark of defence, by giving us one mind and one 
 heart, and by striking terror into our enemies. For these things 
 our hearts are faint — our eyes are dim and run down with wa- 
 ter. 
 
 This day is a day of trouble and distress — a day of darkness 
 
 and gloominess — a day of clouds and thick darkness But I 
 
 check myself — Washington's worth, and our sorrows, exceed 
 all speech. — I am therefore silent, that we may muse on his me- 
 yits and indulge our grief. 
 
 Oration on the death of general George WASHiucToif ; deli- 
 vered in the Dutch church in New-Brunswick^ New-Jersey, 
 By major-general Frederick pRELiNGHursEif. 
 
 My countrymen and friends, 
 
 SOLEMN 1 awfully solemn is the occasion, which this day 
 assembles us. We come not as ^heretofore, to commemo- 
 rate the birth of a nation, or to celebrate the victories of our 
 country : — we come not to proclaim the virtuous deeds of the 
 living patriot, or the warlike atchievements of the existing hero : 
 we come not to rejoice ; we come to mourn ! to mourn de- 
 parted worth, and to pay a tribute of gratitude to unparallclled 
 fnerit ; merit, once on earth, but now removed. 
 
18^ WASHINGTON J AN A. 
 
 How gladly, my countrymen, would I resign the task as- 
 signed me, into abler hands; but who is equal to such a task ? 
 Who can justly recount the praises of the hero, the statesman, 
 and the Christian, whose loss v/e lament ! — The faithful page of 
 history will make the attempt, and it will fail. The orator and 
 the poet will unite their efforts, and they will immortalize not. 
 half his worth. In the hearts, in the grateful hearts of his be- 
 loved countrymen, it is alone truly recorded: and who can ex- 
 press the feelings of those hearts, when the sad tidings are an- 
 nounced, that Washington is no b:oiie I 
 
 It has been the custom of most nations to celebrate the ac- 
 tions, and to resound the praises of their renowned heroes and 
 statesmen. They begaii it, impelled by affeiftion and sorrow ; 
 and they continued it from m.otives of duty and interest. But 
 never, in any country, did all these so evidently unite, to call 
 upon a people to deplore the loss, and to proclaim the virtues of 
 an illustrious character, as on this mournful occasion. If ever 
 affeftion and sorrow were sincere, such, Americans, must be 
 your affe£\ion and your sorrow, for the departed father of 
 your country. If ever duty prompted to a grateful remembrance 
 ^f past and signal services, or interest recommended for the ex- 
 ample of survivors to perpetuate the memory of great and vir- 
 tuous aftions, this sorrowful moment affords the most striking' 
 instance. 
 
 I WILL not, my countrymen, attempt a formal eulogy on this 
 great and good man, beloved by his own country, and admired 
 by all. For, besides, that his chara£ler is above all praise, 
 should I attempt it, the abilities of my head (as a writer ex- 
 presses it) would too little conspire with the feelings of my 
 heart. It will be sufficient for our present purpose, in order to 
 shew the greatness of our loss, to take a short and summary 
 view of our heroe's life, so nobly, so patriotically spent for the 
 public good. 
 
 At a period, which others devote to mirth and dissipation, 
 in his very youth, he was called by his native colony to perilous 
 and interesting services : and such were the early talent* and 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. ISS" / 
 
 heroism which he displayed, that all men foretold his future 
 greatness if his life v/as prolonged ; and such were the extraor- 
 dinary interpositions df Divine Providence in his favor on seve- 
 ral occasions, that devout men Avere inspired to predict, that he 
 ■was preserved for the future glory and defence of his country. 
 He continued to be honored by Virginia with important appoint- 
 ments, civil and military. Ke continued to do much good; in 
 war a hero, in peace a statesmau and a farmer. A statesman, 
 studying the good of his country, and with his brother patriots, 
 adopting measures to promote it. A farmer, cultivating his 
 lands, cultivating his mind, and cultivating every social and do- 
 mestic virtue. Heaven was preparing hini for more important 
 scenes — and thy blood-stained soil, O Lexington ! opened the 
 glorious drama. The contest between the colonies of America 
 and their mother country had not drawn to a crisis ; and the hos- 
 tile fleets and hostile armies of the ill-advised Britain, had com- 
 pelled the former to assert their rights, and to repel force by 
 force. But who shall lead the troops of freedom I By impulse 
 more than human, the American people cast their eyes upon the 
 Cincinnatus of Mount- Vernon, and he is eleded the commander 
 in chief of their armies. 
 
 His country calls. He hesitates not to resign the sweet de- 
 lights of domestic life, but with a modest diffidence in his ta- 
 lents, and an humble, but firm reliance on the god of armies, he 
 at once obeys her call. To detail the various events of the 
 bloody confiidl, all of which, whether prosperous or adverse, 
 evinced the greatness of his soul and the warmth of his patri- 
 otism, cannot now be exped'ted ; the historian will record them, 
 and the present and future ages will read and wonder. With 
 an undisciplined army, almost without arms or ammunition ; 
 his country without military resources ; against an enemy, brave, 
 determined, and enured to war ; and against a nation in the ze- 
 nith of her power, he nobly took the field. Under his auspices, 
 order sprang out cf disorder ; detachments of strangers v/ere 
 formed into a band of brothers, aad the sons of freedom spread 
 their embattled ranks around him, as the rock of our strength, 
 and under God, our sure defence. 
 
t84 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 During the eventful contest, his patriotic care extended to 
 every part of the Union. Did danger assail the north, there 
 was his Gates, and there his gallant Lincoln ; did .hostile bands 
 invade the south, there was his fnithful Greene ; and near their 
 chieftain's camp, there was the sword of the Lord and of Wash- 
 ington. There he protcdled us by day, and watched over us by 
 night ; there he cheerfully oflftred his precious life to the fate of 
 \var — and there he caused the enemies of our freedom to feel 
 
 " TJbe keen., rough searcbings, of a patriot's steel." 
 Throughout the bloody conflift, his country's good was the pole- 
 btar of all his conduit. The voice of praise could not betray 
 him into rashness, nor could the malignant tongue of slander 
 warp hiin from his duty. With the same steady mind he ad- 
 vanced ; with the same steady mind he retired ; — with the same 
 firm soul he fought the foe ; with the same firm soul he declined 
 the combat. When vidory held out to him her bleeding hand, 
 he clasped it with serenity, thanking his God. With calm com- 
 posure he bore every adversity, resigned to the will of heaven. 
 Possessing the full confidence of his country, the idol of his 
 army, and of all the militia, he was never elated. The admi- 
 ration of the age for military skill and heroic atchievements, he 
 never boasted. Though by his arduous struggle in the cause of 
 freedom, he had stamped an inestimable value upon a soldier's 
 name, the name of patriot was his great delight. 
 
 Various were the events of the important confllifl ; but hea- 
 ven at length crowned his military labors with success. With 
 all the joy which patriotism could inspire, he saw the indepen- 
 dence of his country established, and her peace restored. The 
 joy of ambition never entered his soul. Having received from 
 the United States in congress assembled, the most pathetic ac- 
 knowledgments for his long and faithful services ; having paid 
 due honors to his comrades in war, and leaving his country a le- 
 gacy too valuable to be forgotten, he nobly retired. The hero 
 of America became the faumer of Mount-Vernon. Methinks 
 I see the venerable patriot on his way ; every where met, every 
 where followed, every where accompanied and surrounded by the 
 afrcd\ionate wishes of a grateful people, Happy man ! glorious 
 ■retinue 1 Haughty despots, attend 1 bow before him^ and learn 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 185 
 
 how little you are. Ambition I for a moment stop thy pursuits, 
 and if thou canst, learn what greatness Is. 
 
 But the important work which he had begun, the political 
 happiness of his country, was not yet completed. The confede- 
 ration of the states, formed amidst the noise of war and the 
 din of arms, proved unequal to the purposes for which it was de- 
 signed. The band of union was incomplete, and the strength 
 of the nation could not be called into exertion. Rebellion be- 
 gan to rear its head. Private and public credit were nearly de- 
 stroyed ; and America, though strong in men and iull of re- 
 sources, presented to the world the piiSlure of a feeble and bank- 
 rupt people. His country called again ; he again obeyed, and 
 joined a band of worthies in forming a constitution for these 
 United States, founded on the purest principles of political free- 
 dom, and calculated to make his country great and happy. 
 
 To carry into efFeft this constitution, then became the all- 
 important work, on which depended the happiness or misery of 
 OUT country. Difficulties arising from various causes, presented 
 themselves to view. Discordant sentiments, ambitious designs, 
 and the intrigues of the enemies of our independence, were all 
 to be encountered. Washington lives I Washington lives ! is 
 again resounded from north to south, from east to west ; and 
 by th© unanimous voice of his grateful country, he is elected 
 chief magistrate of this rising empire. 
 
 Loaded with honors, and on the pinnacle of human glory ; 
 surrounded with friends, and in full possession of all the bles- 
 sings which affluence can bestow, and of every social and do- 
 mestic enjoyment, he again resolves to engage in the toils, the 
 dangers, and the anxieties of public life. Here let the histo- 
 rian pause, and search for language to bestow due praise. It is 
 the brightest plume in all his reputation. There was no still 
 voice to whisper in his ear, hero, thou hast enough. 
 There was no voice which dared to utter, hero, the risk is 
 TOO GREAT ! The illustrious patriot could hear but one voice, 
 
 Aa 
 
186 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the sacred voice of his beloved country ; to obey whicli, had been 
 the delight of his youth, and the sublime pleasure of his life. 
 
 Behold him advancing to the arduous taslc, and recolle6l the 
 feelings which then agitated every American breast. Did not 
 every bosom glow with gratitude and every heart expand with 
 joy and confidence ? See him engaged in the solemnities of tak- 
 ing upon himself the important office. The hero of America 
 •was not there ; the patriot and the Christian alone appeared. 
 The persevering patriot, again willing to devote his life, his for- 
 tune and his reputation to the welfare of his country. The 
 humble Christian looking up for aid to that Almighty Being, 
 under the shadow of whose influence he had walked in safety, 
 and by the strength of whose arm, he had atchieved. happiness 
 for his country, and for himself immortal fame. 
 
 For eight long years, all of them anxious, and some of them 
 extremely portentous of evil, he presided over the important 
 corrcerns of the Union. With unremitting care and attention ; 
 ■with unexampled wisdom and firmness, he discharged, the ardu- 
 ous trust. His country's good was again his only guide, and 
 its durable happiness his only wish. Superior to flattery, and 
 unawed by calumny, he pursued his course of well doing. 
 
 It is impossible, on this occasion, to detail the various mea- 
 sures,whlch he pursued during this interesting period — let us se- 
 ledl a few. 
 
 When a daring rebellion against the laws, evidently insti- 
 gated and designed to prostrate our government, broke out in 
 a neighboring state ; with all the tenderness and afTeftion of a 
 father, he endeavored to reclaim the disobedient. His charac- 
 ter now shone forth with more than usual splendor. Whatever 
 a sound head, or a benevolent heart could didlate to prevent the 
 eifusion of human blood, was attempted ; and at length, when 
 all his kind and paternal admonitions proved abortive, he, in 
 mercy, sent a force which forbade resistance, and without the 
 loss of a single life, order and obedience to the laAvs were hap- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 187 
 
 pily restored : great was the disappointment of our enemies — 
 glorious the result to us. 
 
 During his administration, a still more serious danger was to 
 be encountered ; a danger which threatened our peace, and the 
 ruin of our commerce. It was a time to try his soul, and his 
 soul was tried. The American people having their passions 
 heated by the condu£l of Great-Britain, respeding the treaty 
 of peace ; their former animosities not yet subsided, and their 
 minds enraged by the cruel and unjust depredations on their 
 commerce, were ripe for a rupture ; and but for their Wash- 
 ington, would have rushed into the horrors of another bloody 
 contest with the English nation. He knew their feelings, and 
 how little many of them wished for peace and reconciliation. 
 The incomparable patriot saw their danger, and happy for Ame- 
 rica, he knew his duty. He stepped in between the people and 
 the precipice to which they had arrived, and by the wisdom, mo- 
 deration and firmness of his condudl:, he, without the desola- 
 tions of war, procured for his country, what the loss of thou- 
 sands of lives, and millions of treasure, could but have eifeded-— 
 lionorabie peace, future safety, and complete justice. 
 
 But time will not permit me further to particularize his great 
 and good adions. It must again be left to the faithful histo- 
 rian, to record the various efforts of his genius to promote our 
 peace, our honor, and our safety. Let it sufiace at present to 
 observe, that all the measures which he adopted or recom- 
 mended, either as to our internal or external relations, provpd 
 him the friend and the father of his people ; and that under his 
 administration, these United States rose to a height of prospe- 
 rity, unequalled in the annals of history : happy and free at 
 home, honored and respeded abroad. His country thus flourish- 
 ing under its excellent constitution, and under just and equal 
 laws ; encfeasing in wealth and population beyond its most san- 
 guine hopes ; peace in all our borders, and the cup of blessings 
 overflowing in our habitations. The illustrious patriot. having 
 again given us the most paternal advice for our future happiness, 
 again retires, and is again followed by the blessings of a grate- 
 ful people, and ihe plaudits of an admiring world. 
 
188 washiNgtoniana. 
 
 Witness for me, my countrymen ; did not every American 
 heart then bespeak for him a rest from his public toils ? Did not 
 every patriot pray, that to the length of many years, might be 
 added his so long wished for repose from public cares ? 
 
 But, behold ! new dangers arise, and his country calls again. 
 Haughty, imperious France, threatens our happy union with fa- 
 tal divi^ons, and our government with destruftion. The de- 
 spoiler of nations denounces our independence, and menaces us 
 with ruin. Like Holland shall ye be plundered 1 like Switzer- 
 land shall ye be subdued ! and like Venice will we bring you 
 into market I wa6 their language to the American people. 
 
 As if the measure of his goodness could not be filled, the 
 FATHER OF HIS couNTKY is roused by the indignity offered 
 to his children. The ardor of the soldier is not yet damped ; 
 the patriot's pulse still beats in unison with the feelings of his 
 insulted country. He again obeys her call, and is appointed 
 commander in chief of her armies. He again resolves to risk 
 his life, and his exalted reputation, in the doubtful fields of w«r. 
 Glorious man ! who can do justice to thy merit? Who can find 
 thy equal ? Death I thou hast made a blow which thou canst not 
 repeat. 
 
 This, my countrymen, is a short, and as ycu all full well 
 know, a ver)"^ iniperfedl pi€lure of a life spent for your good, 
 and always devoted to your interest. But he is no more 1 Your 
 illustrious general, your wise and patriotic president, your con- 
 stant and immovable friend, is gone to that bourne from which 
 there is no return. And this his natal day, heretofore a day of 
 joy and festivity, is changed into a day of mourning and bitter 
 grief. Let us not, my countrymen, on this afflidtive occasion 
 impiously say, that our God has forsaken us at this eventful and 
 perilous period ; let us rather intermingle our sorrows with the 
 consolatory refledlions, that his co-patriot Adams lives ; that he 
 lives, and now presides with a mind capacious, and a heart sin- 
 cere to love his country ; that many worthies — statesmen— sol- 
 diers, still remain : a list too long for this days numbering. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 18« 
 
 Their past exploits are known, and tlieir future conduft, under 
 God, will promote our welfare. 
 
 But still we must recur to the melancholy truth, that Wash- 
 ington IS NO MORE. In him all hearts were united, and in 
 the day of danger he was himself an host. He was the choicest 
 gift that heaven could have bestowed, and his loss is the most 
 grievous dispensation. 
 
 Therefore let all the people mourn ! And thou, dear part- 
 ner of his life, his cares and his toils, let our tears assuage thy 
 sorrows. 
 
 Let the friends of science ntourn ! He was the patron of 
 learning, and in public and private life, endeavored to promote 
 tlie encrease of knowledge in his country. 
 
 Ye American farmers, mourn ! The farmer of Mount-Ver- 
 non was your friend ; to promote the interests of agriculture, 
 was an objeft of his peculiar attention. 
 
 Ye merchants of America, mourn ! To extend, promote, and 
 protedl your commerce, employed Ins assiduous care. 
 
 Ye ministers of the holy gospel, and all ye friends of reli- 
 gion, mourn ! He was your patron and your friend. Let infi- 
 dels hear it and repent. The great, the good, the illustrious 
 Washington acknowledged his God in all his ways, The poli- 
 tical savior of his country^ loved, worshipped and adored, the 
 
 SAVIOR OF the world. 
 
 Ye venerable matrons, and ye grey haired fathers, mourn ! 
 When your sons shall hereafter be called to risk their lives in 
 their country's cause, you will no longer exaltingly say, Wash- 
 ington leads. 
 
 All ye sons and ye daughters of Columbia, mourn ! when 
 dangers from without, or dangers from within shall hereafter 
 
190 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 assail us, we can no longer exultingly exclaim, Washington 
 lives. 
 
 Ye soldiers of America, mourn ! The soldier's pride, the sol- 
 dier':, boast, the soldier's friend is gone. 
 
 Ye veteran soldiers of America ; ye who have fought under 
 kis banners, and conquered by his side, I know not in what lan- 
 guage to address you. Shall I call to your remembrance the 
 days when, with all his country in his heart, he led you forth 
 into the crimson field of war ? Recolle6l the persevering patri- 
 otism with which he endured the toils, the haidships, and the 
 danglers of the bloody conflict ; recollect the unceasing atten- 
 tion which he always paid to your interest, and the unbounded 
 afleftion with which he always honored you. He called not on 
 you to fight, to make an addition to the sable list of tyrants ; 
 lie called not on you to bleed, to encrease the number of slaves. 
 Under his guidance you have reared a fabric of freedom, the 
 most glorious the world hath ever beheld. Your amiable gene- 
 ral ; your beloved Washington, is no more. My honored 
 friends, my heart bleeds for you ; I will not tell you to mourn.- 
 
 Ye departed ghosts of heroes, Avho have nobly fallen in this 
 your country's cause ; we envy you not this great addition to 
 your happiness ; receive your illustrious leader ; it is enough for 
 ycu ; bat if ye can, give us the consolation of a moment's grief 
 for us. 
 
 Yk angelic hosts-« — but ye cannot weep. O J then pity a 
 Tveeping nation. 
 
 But I forbear — words are not necessary to excite our sorrow. 
 Does not every eye bespeak our grief, and every heart with 
 rending anguish bemoan our loss. Let us rather look around 
 for some ray of comfort ; and is there any comfort ? Yes, my 
 countrymen, there is: to live, to die, is the lot of human na- 
 ture. *' An angel's arm could not have snatched him from the 
 grave ;" but O sweet consolation, ten thousand angels can't 
 (ipijae bill) there. Already his immortal spirit has been con- 
 
WASHING TONIAN A. 191 
 
 dufted to the regions of joy, and at the sound of the archan- 
 gel's solemn trump, he- will rise, cheerfully rise^ to receive an 
 ample reward for all his virtuous deeds, in those realms of bliss, 
 ■where rivers of delight incessantly flow, and where there are 
 pleasures for evermore. 
 
 And here, my countrymen, let us matce a solemn pause. - 
 
 It- has pleased the Almighty Ruler of the universe, who doth 
 his will and pleasure in the armies of heaven, and among the 
 inhabitants of this earth, to bereave us of our dearest friend — 
 " the first in peace, the first in war, and the first in all our 
 hearts," Let us improve this painful calamity in such a man- 
 ner, as to evince the sincerity of our grief, and the reality of 
 our sorrow. Let us emulate his many virtues, and. constantly 
 set before us his bright example. We cannot all be Wash- 
 ingtons ; he was the peculiar favorite of heaven j but wc can 
 all be patriots., and all Christians. , Like him, let u« love our 
 country, and in our different stations, exert ourselves to promote 
 its welfare. While we lament a Washington, dead ; let us ho- 
 nor and support an Adams, living. Like him let us love our 
 God, and revere his holy law j by so doing, we shall truly ho- 
 nor his memory, and prove to the world that our beloved Wash- 
 ington still lives ; that he lives in our hearts. Yes, honored 
 shade ! thy name is there engraven, and while gratitude remains 
 on earth it shall live. We will tell our children, and they shall 
 tell their children, of all the good thou hast done for us, for 
 them, and for the world. The aged parent shall recount thy 
 heroic anions, and the lisping babe shall repeat them. From 
 generation to generation, every father shall teach his son to ve- 
 nerate thy WORTH, and to honor thy tomb. 
 
192 V/ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Eulogy on the illustribus George Washington — pronounced at 
 Milton. By Charles PiNCKNEr Sumner. 
 
 INDUSTRY pauses from her once cheering labors— the so- 
 lemn dirge takes place of the song of mirth ; — our country 
 is in tears — her Washington is no more ! 
 
 This day she would fondly have numbered sixty-eight years, 
 since propitious heaven, regardful of her coming trials, had 
 given him to her aid : proud that he had fulfilled his high des- 
 tination, and still continued her faithful defender, she would 
 not have turned a melancholy thought to the perils, through 
 which he had conduced her. The lively cannon would have 
 been but the feint echo to her joy ; — the festal board, the spark- 
 ling glass and pleasure-beaming eye would have been but the 
 feeble emblem of national hilarity. Henceforth the night of 
 his death will be consecrated to sorrow, and shrouded in gloom 
 congenial with the majt;sty of her grief. The annual return of 
 this once joyful day will long be sacred to her most tender, lov- 
 ing sensations, and the smile her countenance may learn to re- 
 sume, will receive a melting charm from the tear she cannot 
 suppress. 
 
 When fame with swollen eye, first announced our public ca- 
 lamity ; we looked, we heard with a responsive sigh : and be- 
 cause she trembled while she spoke, — we permitted ourselves the 
 hope that report might prove illusive. But this uncertainty,—- 
 this painful uncertainty was too dear to endure ; the solemn 
 knell, the deepning, universal aspeft of woe soon placed be- 
 yond the reach of hope, what our boding hearts feared but too 
 true. 
 
 Here is a subjetSl, my friends, on which you all can be elo- 
 i|uent ; it becomes the sacrtd place devoted to its contempla- 
 tion ; it excites the best, and none but the best feelings of 
 Americans : — as they prize their country, they cherish the me- 
 mory of her hero, and love at a respedful, admiring distance, 
 to follow him through the vicissitudes of her fate. 
 
)fVASHINGTONIANA. 19:J 
 
 With a mind expanded by the most liberal pursuits, a heart 
 tnamored with the charms of honor, devotion to his country was 
 his first, his ruling passion. From an early military career, he 
 retired with a blooming reputation to the best, well-earned en- 
 joyment of life. With easy dignity he looses the soldier in the 
 citizen, and graces the arts of peace as well as war. Born for 
 the universe, a province is too small a theatre for the display ot 
 his talents ; and the situation of our country soon opened the 
 mightier field of his destiny. 
 
 With conscious pride he gloried in the prosperity of his king 
 and country j — -but for colonial degradation and subserviency he 
 had not drawn his ready, his vi£torious sword. American pa- 
 tience had been put to the intolerable test ; the plain of Lex- 
 ington had drank the blood of its peaceful cultivators ; when 
 from that illustrious band of patriots, where first concentred 
 the wounded sensibilities of our country — is Washington com* 
 missioned to marshal and diredl the rising energies of freedom. 
 
 It is a needless, as it would be a painful task, to dwejl on fa^la 
 all know too well ; or to resuscitate the feelings that are better 
 at rest : suffice it to remind you, that yonder hills almost in sight 
 first received the American hero to the toils of fame : retaining 
 still the vestiges of war, they will lecture succeeding genera- 
 tions, and teach them to guard their native soil from every insi- 
 dious, selfish friend, or haughty foe : their wounded fronts will 
 frown on degeneracy, if every hill in America does not rise, like 
 the heights of Dorchester, to expel invasion from our indig- 
 nant shores. 
 
 In the presence of Washington, resistance assumed a formi- 
 dable attitude, confidence looked cheerful, and valor renerved 
 the arm still bleeding from the carnage where Warren fell : but 
 the two transient duration of patriotic fervor, — the genius of 
 our valiant thousands too unfriendly to the restraints of disci- 
 pline, — the poverty and unprepareduess of the colonies to meet 
 the incalculable extent of their object, created anxieties and 
 embarrassments which very few were permitted to share ; which, 
 no one perhaps who does not, like him, combine in his character 
 
 Bb 
 
194 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the talents and the feelings of the statesman, the patriot and 
 soldier, can duly appreciate. 
 
 The hero's mind rose with the magnitude of his task. Op- 
 position and defeat itself served only to confirm his resolution, 
 and call forth the resources of an exhaustless mind. — Indepen- 
 dence was declared : and in the blackest hours of disaster Wash- 
 ington never dispaired of his country. 
 
 Once only (forgive him freemen) ere his army had become 
 inuied to the well directed voUies of discipline, the yielding 
 ranks of his retreating soldiery displayed the frightful inipres- 
 sions of a veteran enemy :— for one painful moment he thought 
 all was lost ; — that Americans were unworthy the freedom, for 
 which they too feebly contended ; and shocked to desperation, 
 wished by a fortunate, honorable death to free himself from the 
 intolerable spedable of his country enslaved. 
 
 When terror spread her darkest clouds over our land ; when 
 an unfed, unclothed army, marked the ice and the snow with the 
 blood of their retreating footsteps ; when the sword of destruc- 
 tion seemed suspended only by a hair ; while rumor with her 
 hundred mouths, if possible, magnified our distresses ; and tor- 
 tured, languishing hope almost breathed her last ; — the brilliant 
 achievement at Princeton turned aside the current of fate ; the 
 accomplished but too sanguine Burgoyne is overwhelmed in the 
 rising tide of our fortune ; — ^the close invested standards of York- 
 town droop submission to the allied arms ; — deluded despotism 
 soon gave up the fruitless toils of subjugation, the shattered 
 remnants of baffled invasion are withdrawn, and independence 
 is confirmed. 
 
 The patriot army now felt the too scanty, delusive recom- 
 pense for their heroic toils ; — seven years with joyful obedience 
 had they heard the orders of their chief thunder along the em- 
 battled line : the wounds of injured bravery bled afresh ; — they 
 recoiled at the idea of dissolution. Then might ambition have 
 seen hb time and smiled ; then would have trembled the liberties 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 195 
 
 •of America had Washington aspired to any other crown than 
 her happiness. In language ardent as his heroism, tender as his 
 affcdion, he appeals to their untarnished honor ; they revered 
 him as a father ; — the appeal was resistless. They saw the con- 
 flicling emotions of his breast ; those eyes, which had long wit- 
 nessed their toils, which had often smiled at their glory, and 
 wept at their suiFerings, with keen anxiety now pierced their 
 souls ; they forget themselves ; a pearly tear steals down every' 
 cheek ; the latent evil spark U quenched ; their patriotism re- 
 flames ; with one heart and voice they resolve to confide in the 
 justice of the country they had left all to serve, and give the 
 world the illustrious, rare example of ' an army viclorious over' 
 its enemies, viiSlorious over itself,' 
 
 His farewell interview with these his dear-loved companions 
 can now be faintly imagined : how he stood, — how he looked, 
 Avhen each advanced to take the last friendly, impassioned em- 
 brace ; — when with a glass in his hand and tears glistening in 
 his eyes he wished to eacli his future life might be happy, as his 
 past had been honorable ; — let those speak who have witnessed, 
 let those attempt to describe who feel themselves equal to th« 
 melting scene. 
 
 The war-worn veteran whose feelings have not rusted with 
 his sword, will relate the story to his listening son ; — smile to 
 see his warm heart susceptive to the touch of glory — and fondly 
 destine him for that profession of which no dalliance in the lap 
 of ease has obliterated the charms, no reverse of fortune allayed 
 his admiration. 
 
 Americans, what a vast weight of your revolution did this 
 mighty man sustain ! Taxes were indeed great, were burden- 
 some ; but think how often your army was obliged to evade a 
 decisive blow ; think of the complicated hardships they endured 
 (the relation of which might make you shudder) — because the 
 ilame of public spirit too soon died away, and the resources of 
 the country had become inaccessible. "What must Washington 
 have often felt 1 Every eye in America,-T-in wondering, doubtful 
 Europe, was fixt on him. He was a man of humanity j— ^not % 
 
196 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 eentinel felt a grievance he did not painfully commiserate ; he 
 ■was a man of consummate bravery ; — and to add to the full 
 measure of his calamity, the country, -whose fate was hourly 
 in his hand, began to murmur, to reproach him with delay : — 
 delicate situation ! unconquerable greatness of soul ! His repu- 
 tation, dearer to a soldier than life, he sacrificed to your good, 
 
 Americans, the hostile cannon has ceased to shake your 
 houses and your hills ; the falling shell no more with horrid 
 glare swells the terrors of the night ; — think one momt nt in 
 peace of the untold distresses that might, that would have been 
 your portion, had not your toils for freedom been crowned with 
 success* The Rubicon -was passed ; the hour of compromise 
 elapsed. Washington ! the heart recoils at his fate ; and re- 
 signs it to your own imaginations : As for you — you might 
 have received his majesty's most gracious pardon — might have 
 reposed in the tranquil despair of subjugated India — or been 
 blest with the liberty, under which distracfled, bleeeding Ire-^- 
 land now groans ; Cornwallis might here, instead of there, have 
 been governing the provinces his myrmidons had ravished ; 
 vf^aich his presumptions imagination had fondly marked out as 
 an empire for himself 1 Happy countrymen ! retire to your 
 homes, however humble y enjoy your peace, your competence and 
 your love ! — kiss the children that throng around your knee, teach 
 them to bless God, that they are not born to the inheritance of 
 slavery, nor doomed to the horrors of mutual destrudtion ! 
 
 Surrendering his commission and bidding adieu to public 
 life, Washington, amid the gratulations of thousands, through 
 •ways strewed with flowers, retired to those peaceful shades, of 
 ■which long absence and mighty cares had heightened the enjoy- 
 ment. 
 
 -He retired i but he did not retire -within himself. His mind 
 was intent to bless his fellow-men. Unprotecled worth found 
 in him a warm patron and friend : Poverty repressed her sigh, 
 forgot injustice and smiled complacent on the bounty of his soul. 
 The public -welfare was still the darling objeft of his heart, and 
 Y^hatever could promote it, it was his chief happiness to pursue^ 
 
WASHINGTOXIANA. 197 
 
 . The pldure which our common country presented on the at- 
 tainment of peace is fresh on every mind. — Her viftory had se- 
 cured her freedom : but such a freedom as secured too few of 
 the blessings of social life, and threatened to be of short dura- 
 tion. The states breathed hard from their struggle, and ex- 
 hausted with the burden and heat of the revolutionary day, 
 were divesting themselves of the bands of a too feeble confede- 
 ration ; and fast dissolving into imbecility and disgrace. Faith 
 was worn out ; credit had been swolen till it had burst ; justice 
 not only blind, but deaf and dumb, with scales reversed and 
 blunted sword, could neither help her votaries, nor protect her- 
 self ; the defenders of their country almost addressed themselves 
 to her compassion ; the poor soldier begged his bread through 
 the land he had saved ; and the fair but trembling f;ibric of so-^ 
 clety almost threatened ruin to those it scarcely sheltered. 
 
 The prescient sage of Mount Vernon had foreseen these ap» 
 preaching evils ; and early recommended to the several states 
 the adoption of such general measures as could alone give per- 
 manence to the national felecity, that independence jiut within 
 their reach. 
 
 The body politic still survived, healthful and strong in the 
 feelings, manners and principles, which immemorial virtuous 
 habit had incorporated into her nature. The heftic of internal 
 fa£lion had scarcely enfeebled her vitals, nor had foreign Intrigue 
 assumed the hardihood to seduce her from herself, and tear her 
 limb from limb. 
 
 At length " In order to form a more perfe£l union, establish 
 justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common de- 
 fence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of 
 liberty" — the federal constitution of the United States, the re- 
 sult of his presiding wisdom, was adopted, as it wa? formed in 
 * a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and conces- 
 sion, which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered 
 indispenslble.' God grant that in this spirit it be long preserv- 
 pdj that so it may preserve those for whose boon it is designed \ 
 
198 ^ WASHINGTOKIANA. 
 
 At the unanimous call of his fellow-citizens, which he coulct 
 never hear but with duty and respecSt, he relinquishes every pri- 
 vate consideration to make a people happy. Laborious days 
 and sleepless nights are now his welcome portion : The govern- 
 ment of your choice commences its auspicious operation, and 
 Washington presides. Say, did not then every countenance 
 look contentment ; every dwelling speak prosperity, and your 
 fields assume a more luxuriant smile ? Commerce, then safe in 
 her innocence, spread your rising name to the borders of the 
 earth, and wafted you the produflions of every clime. You ra- 
 pidly grtw, the envy of the world ; were acknowledged happi- 
 est, freest, of mankind, and disappointed the doating wish 
 of those who seek with eagle eye, in the miscarriage of repub- 
 lics, a pretext for the enormities of despotism. 
 
 Americans, this is a trait cf the enchanting pifture which 
 Europe admired, confessed.was yours, and kindled into freedom, 
 ■while she viewed. Will you disclaim it ? Does too close inspec- 
 tion and intimacy with tlie original destroy its truth ? Is it too 
 highly colored ? — Alas, Washington was not omnipotent I Earth 
 is not a paradise !— 
 
 For. eight years he condu(fled the bark of state ; the politi- 
 ca_l sky vvfas tempestuous, the winds and the waves were some* 
 times unhappily in adverse direflions ; her path was untraversed 
 and various minds prevailing with regard to her course, many 
 seemed more disposed to counsel the pilot than obey his orders. 
 — StriiTt justice was the compass by which he steered ; he rcs- 
 pe£\ed the wishes of all, and never went counter to the advice 
 of those whom it was his duty to consult ; amid innumera- 
 ble difficulties the way of safety was that of glory. — Sedulously 
 regarding the interests of all, he relied with just confidence on 
 the attachment of an omnipotent majority. With the consci- 
 ous invulnerability of virtue, he pardoned the harmless, expeft- 
 ed aspersions of the unworthy ; and pursued the firm resolve of 
 his unbiassed equal mind. The arduous difficulties of republi- 
 can elevation w-cre at lenth appreciated ; and all acquiesced in 
 his decree. Having navigated her through the dangers of her 
 outset, accustomed her powers to the gale ; and done all that 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 199 
 
 human wisdom and integrity could efied, if not all that extra- 
 vagance could wish ; he gave afL-dlionate farewell advice to 
 those on board, well calculated to make them wise to salvation, 
 and resigning the helm to able, faithful, experienced hands, 
 sought the tranquil privacy which a fur spent glorious life had 
 rendered ' as necessary as welcome.* i 
 
 But his feelings were too keen for his happiness. — Our rich 
 unprotedled commerce on all sides falling a devoted prey : our 
 country meeting the indignity abroad, which her upright pacidc 
 policy had not deserved, and compelled to assume a defensive 
 posture ; her Washington is still himself; though mighty cares 
 had impaired his strength, the venerable sage with ready hand 
 resumes his faithful sword — that sword, whose unsullied justice 
 did ' blind men with its beams,' — and like that of Eden flame 
 every way to guard invaded rig'ht. — America Avas in array ; for 
 who would not throng the standard he would raise — who would 
 not croud the ranks of war in the cause for which Washington 
 •would contend ? ■- 
 
 Here was the last stage of his long career of renown. The 
 pride of his country, the wonder of mankind has like a soldier, 
 obeyed the high summons of the God of armies. His associ- 
 ates, in the toils of glory, were hourly falling. He stood al- 
 most alone on the field of fame, and Vt-as prepared for the ex- 
 pelled stroke of fate. The calm fortitude.and presence of mind, 
 with which be had often stood the shock of battle, did not for- 
 sake him in his last unequalled triumphant confiid. 
 
 The worthy disconsolate partner of his heart, -s^ thank for 
 the life-long smile with which she smoothed his brow ; and gave 
 his magnanimous cares to the service of his country ; we wish 
 her every consolation, earth or heaven can bestow. May the 
 decline of her life's mild day be gilded with the calm sunshine 
 of the soul, and future generations rise up and call her blessed I 
 —His fellow-laborers in war and peace, v/e thank for the perse- 
 vering fortitude and wisdom with v;hich they aided our beloved 
 chief J they have claims on us which we cannot cancel, but with 
 
200 WASHINGTONJANA. 
 
 glory, — which j^iateful, admiring' postery -will be too proud ts 
 evade. These he loved, to these we resign with painful sympa- 
 thy, the sad pre-eminence of grief ; but, my fellow-country- 
 men, we were all near and dear to him,- — and his memory shall 
 endure — shall be revered forever. 
 
 Bright must be the talents that presume to illustrate one 
 adlion of liis life. The unanimity with which he was twice 
 elefted president — the universal, deep-felt regret, when he de- 
 clined their future suffrages ; — the constant devotedness to his 
 fellow-citizens, which no period of his life ceased to manifest ; 
 and the deep aspe£t of sorrow this day presents ; — these all desig- 
 nate the mafi who most pre-eminently united all hearts ; they 
 speak his only adequate, — exalted eulogy, and declare in lan- 
 guage unequivocally loud, a nation's unabated confidence and 
 love. To praise him in any audience the world could produce, 
 would be a dull display of arrogance ; — with Americans it would 
 be intolerable ; for who does not love his country, and revere 
 her best earthly benefaftor ? Who cannot see the sun in the fir- 
 mament ? Who cannot hear the thunder of the sky ? — The ta- 
 per only deadens itself that presumes to encrease the splendor 
 of noon day. 
 
 What is the noble endowment he did not possess ? with an 
 urbanity, that treated with the most obliging respeft those from 
 whose opinion he could not but assent ; and with a prudence 
 that in any other cliarafter might well have compensated the 
 greatest moral deficiency ; he marshalled the phalanx of his vir- 
 tues to the benefit of his fellow-men. The spirit of republica- 
 nism almost resigned to him the sceptre of your affedlions ; he 
 ruled in your hearts. Our history is scarcely more than his bi- 
 ography, our freedom and happiness the noblest, we trust unfad- 
 ing pidlure of his services and virtues. 
 
 What was once Washington has been deposited with evtvy 
 testimonial of gratitude our country can bestow : on this occasion 
 only does she lament her republican simplicity, unequal to her 
 pomp of woe ; but she consoles herself, that wherein her magni- 
 ficence has been deficient, her affedion has been transcendant ; 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 201 
 
 and that her hero has departed with a lustre that kings may sigh 
 for, but sigh in vain. •♦ 
 
 The sun of glory is set ; the hemisphere is darkened ; smal- 
 ler luminaries may now rise and shine : The sun of glory is 
 set — but his course is bright with inextinguishable beams. He 
 has thrown light on most beclouded regions, and taught man- 
 kind the dignity of man. Illustrious nation, over whom he has 
 shone, to whose temperament his mild radiance was congenial ; 
 — happy those, who, in other climes attempting to move in his 
 orbit, neither consume themselves nor their country In the flame 
 they raise, but cannot control.— Thrice blest mankind, where 
 liberty can wear a tearless smile, and virtue trust her constant 
 friends. 
 
 The shades of Vernon to remotest time, will be trod with 
 awe ; the banks of Potomac will be hallowed ground. The 
 aged oak shall sigh plaintive in the breeze. The little skiff shall 
 suspend the laboring oar, and in soft melancholy twilight glide 
 in silence by the sacred spot where drooping willows mark the 
 sage's tomb. The alert seaman, while his well trimmed bark 
 moves majestic on the moaning wave, shall with proud resped, 
 strike the topsail he has reared in every quarter of the globe. 
 
 In some far distant commercial port, our fellow-countrymen 
 hail this day with joy. The flags of all nations lightly wave 
 from a forest of masts ; all is gaiety. Around the bounteous 
 board they wish health and long life to him whose name on their 
 sea-letter has served them instead of cannon, ensured them res« 
 pe£t wherever they displayed the American stars. Some neigh- 
 boring fortress shakes the friendly coast with its responsive roar ; 
 the sons of Columbia cast a long look of filial respedl to their 
 native land, and unconscious of the mournful spedacle, she now 
 presents, — rejoice that her defender lives ! — Good souls ! let 
 them enjoy the passing hour of mirth, ' v^here ignorance is bliss, 
 'tis folly to be wise.' 
 
 Illustrious man ! in what region of the earth has not thy 
 *aine been heard with praise ? Posterity shall admire and love 
 
 Cc 
 
202 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 thee : — And If, In the vast orb of thy glory, our darkened op- 
 tics can descry a spot, we trust it will, like those of the sun, be 
 soon obsorbed in thy pure effulgence. The temporary cloudi 
 which, for thy country, thou hast permitted to obscure thy 
 deeds, time will soon dispel, and thy fame will brighten with 
 the flight of years. 
 
 Amesicahs, 
 For a life devoted to your service, what docs Washington 
 deserve ? The rising trophied column shall from far attradt the 
 admiring eye. The enduring statue with emulative care will 
 present to revering posterity his august attitude and awful form. 
 History shall be immortal, as just to his worth. Poesy shall 
 robe him in unborrowed charms. A city, after the majestic 
 model of his mind, bearing his name, shall concentrate our na- 
 tional glory, as he does our affedllons. — These a grateful empire 
 will voluntarily pay ; but, he deserves more ; — he deserves the 
 only reward he would ever accept, he deserves that you be faith- 
 'ful to yourselves, that you be free, united and happy : That par- 
 ty asperity from this memorable day subside ; and all with libe- 
 ral eye seek private interest in the common weal. 
 
 Thus shall your eleftlve government, the true mirror of the 
 general will, present an image that can never be disowned, and 
 millions rise a standing army in support of the constitution and 
 laws by which they are blest. Insurre£lion from the quiet sleep 
 of death will not rear her devoted head, — invasion never dream 
 of your shores, or be appalled at the view : Peace at home will 
 ensure invincibility abroad : You shall fear no shock but that 
 of the universe. The old worthies, who with Washington il- 
 lumed and cherished the tempered, undying flame of freedom, 
 shall never shake their white locks, and sigh that their labors 
 have been in vain. Your union shall subsist to everlasting ge- 
 nerations, the best, the deserved monument to his fame, who 
 led the army that achieved your Independence ; — who presided 
 in the councils, that commenced your endless career of happi- 
 ness. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 203 
 
 Funeral oration, occasioned by the death of general George 
 Washington ; and delivered in the episcopal church, at 
 Neio-Rochelle, in the state of Neiv-York. By Samuzl 
 BATARDy Esq, 
 
 Friends and fellow-citizens, 
 
 NOT to mourn with a mourning country — not to mingle 
 our tears with those of the American people on the pre- 
 lent melancholy occasion, would argue a reproachful want of 
 social sympathy. And not in some public manner to express 
 the regrets we feel at the irreparable loss our country has just 
 sustained, would be an impeachment of our sensibility as men, 
 and of our patriotism as citizens. 
 
 Through the channel of our public prints, we learn that 
 our country mourns the departure of her first and favorite son. 
 On this occasion " the mourners" emphatically " go about the 
 streets," and the traces of " grief unfeigned" are beheld in the 
 public countenance. On the arms of every class of our fellow- 
 citizens we see the emblems of that sorrow which their bosoms 
 feel. Our national council stand forward in the first rank of 
 mourners ; every public body through the union follows in the 
 sad procession. Our churches are clad in black. Their tolling 
 bells in unison with the public sentiment, add solemnity to the 
 scene, and deepen the gloom that beclouds the public mind. 
 Our army — our navy— every political circle — every religious de- 
 nomination — how divided soever in their sentiments on other 
 topics, all unite in deploring the loss of the most universally 
 beloved and respected charadler, which this, or any country on 
 earth ; which this, or any prior age has ever produced. 
 
 Yes, my friends, the sighs and tears of our affli^led country, 
 «n every side proclaim, that Washington is dead j As if an 
 angel from heaven had announced it, the melancholy intelligence 
 is every where heard with sorrow and dismay. We ask our- 
 selves if it be possible, that one so eminent for talents, so enob- 
 led by his virtues, so rich in the esteem and afFeAion of his 
 country, is indeed no more. Alas ! the event is but too certain. 
 
204 V/'ASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Washington, the hero, the sage, the friend of liberty, and the 
 fiither of his country, is now sleeping in his grave. Never 
 more shall his majestic form be seen at the head of our armies ; 
 never more shall his enlivening voice be heard in the hall of our 
 national senate ; his wisdom and experience shall no longer di-, 
 re£l our councils, nor his presence again call forth the enthusi- 
 astic admiration of his country. 
 
 Mute is that tongue, whose acccents were never beard but 
 with attention and respeft ; and lifeless that form which once at- 
 trafted the gaze of thousands. Low it lies beneath the ♦* clods 
 of the valley," never to rise again, till the trump of the great 
 arch-angel shall wake it from the dead. 
 
 Yet, could talents the best employed, or virtues the most 
 sublime ; could the prayers of surrounding friends, or the influ- 
 ence of medical skill ; could the wishes, or supplications of an 
 afFeclionate and grateful country have suspended the immutable 
 decree of heaven, his life would have been immortal as his fame. 
 But no, his work was finished — his tour of earthly duty closed— 
 and that awful moment had arrived when his manly frame must 
 <' return to the dust as it was," and his enlightened " spirit to 
 the God who gave it." 
 
 The removal of such a chara£ler from a state of trial, to a 
 state of rest, is an event calculated to inspire every refledling 
 mind with pious awe. It is calculated to awaken those senti- 
 ments of esteem and veneration which we have been accustomed 
 to cherish for the illustrious dead ; and it calls upon every 
 citizen who honors merit, or who loves his country, to pay the 
 tribute of a tear, to the memory of the -boast and ornament of 
 the present age. 
 
 Yet what can we do, or what can we say, that can add to 
 the lustre of his fame. As well might we by the aid of a taper 
 endeavor to add splendor to yonder sun, as to cncrease his repu- 
 tation by our praise. His own aftions, and his own sentiments, 
 recited with that simplicity which charadlerised his stile of writ- 
 ing and of speaking, will ever constitute his highest eulogium. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 503 
 
 Still, however his merits may transcend our praise, we can 
 express our admiration of his charafter, and our gratitude for 
 his services ; and although we have neither wealth nor power to 
 raise a mausoleum to his memory, we can embalm his virtues 
 with our tears, and raise a monument to his glory, in the affec- 
 tions of our hearts. 
 
 So many are the splendid and good aftions of his life ; so nu- 
 merous and impressive the maxims of sound and liberal policy 
 delivered to his country, since she first assumed a place among 
 the nations of the world, that merely to recite them, would fill 
 a volume. Be this the historian's duty ; and be it ours at pre- 
 sent simply to point out a few of those estimable tradls of cha- 
 racter, and of those eminent services which have raised our 
 Washington's, above every Grecian and Roman name ; above 
 every name that stands on the records of modern history. 
 
 There are two charadlers in which he has appeared most fa- 
 miliar to our minds ; as a hero, and a sage ; as our general 
 in war, and our president in peace ; in each of these charac- 
 ters, requiring qualifications so different, let us for a moment 
 contemplate this unequalled man. In both we shall find him ex- 
 hibiting those high endowments of mind, and those excellent 
 qualities of heart, which have rendered him an honor to his 
 country, and a blessing to the world, 
 
 *' In war" says an author* (now second in point of rank in 
 the federal government) " In war we have produced a Wash- 
 ington, whose memory will be adored while liberty shall have 
 votaries ; wliose name will triumph over time, and will in future 
 ages assume its just station among the celebrated worthies of 
 the world, when that wretched philosophy shall be forgotten, 
 that would arrange him among the degeneracies of nature." 
 
 Although not educated a soldier ; although unskilled in 
 military tadlics, and unpraftised in the European system of 
 war ; we behold him at the voice of his country, (expressed by 
 
 * Mr, Jefferson. 
 
306 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the unanimous vote of its delegates in congress) assumlijg the 
 chief command of an army, raised in defence of the rights, and 
 to prevent the subjugation, of these states. 
 
 He undertook this important and hazardous charge, not for 
 the sakij cf personal emolument. With a generosity as disin- 
 terested as it Avas unexampled, when he first accepted the ap- 
 pointment, he expressly declined receiving any compensation for 
 his services. From this resolution he never departed. Whate- 
 ver increase of fortune others may have derived from the Ame- 
 rican revolution ; whatever rewards other generals may have 
 received from the gratitude of their country, the commander 
 IN CHIEF declined every compensation offered for his unparal- 
 leled services. He wished for no reward, save the approving 
 voice of his own conscience and of his fellow-citizens. Nor 
 was honor more than emolument his aim, in accepting this ap- 
 pointment. What honor could he expedl to derive from com- 
 manding a body of undisciplined militia — a hasty association of 
 citizens ; who, whatever might'be tlieir enthusiasm for liberty, 
 or their native bravery, must prove unequal opponents to men 
 who had been trained to arms ; to veteran soldiers T.hose puo- 
 fcssion was war, and whom discipline had rendered obedient as 
 machines. 
 
 No, the great ruling principle of his life, was love to his 
 country, zeal for her interest and welfare, founded on rules of 
 eternal justice. It was this sublime principle which supported 
 him amidst the trials, the dangers and fatigues which he had 
 to encounter during the three first years of the American con- 
 test. It was from a conviction that his governing motive was 
 the public good, that tlie American people, notwithstanding 
 their early disasters, never lost their confidence in him. They 
 were satisfied of his talents, and they were still more assured of 
 his seal and sincerity in the cause he had espoused. What 
 other charafter beside himself could have kept together the shat- 
 tered remains of our army at the close of the unfortunate cam- 
 paign of '76 ? Had he through fear for his person or his proper- 
 ty ; through levity, disgust, or despondence, then abandoned 
 the cause of liberty, who afterwards could have rallied the brok- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 207 
 
 en, dispirited remains of our federal army ? Who couM have 
 roused a sufficient spirit in the country to oppose any efFedual 
 resistance to the vi£lorious troops of Britain ? This was a period 
 of trial ; and at this period the fijmness, the intrepidity, the 
 patience and heroism of our commander in chief, like the 
 beams of a bright and cheering star, suddenly bursting from be 
 neath a thick cloud in a stormy night, shone forth to the asto- 
 nishment and joy of United America. From the lowest state 
 of depression, the public mind -was now elevated to hope, and 
 encouraged to perseverance. 
 
 The eventful campaign of '77, though attended with some 
 disasters, terminated advantageously to the American cause. 
 The capture of one entire British army, and the resolute resist- 
 ance opposed to another, ensured us at the commencement of 
 the campaign of '78, the effedual aid of France. An aid, 
 prompted by whatever motive — whether by that of reducing the 
 power of an ancient rival, of aggrandizing herself, or of re- 
 venging former losses and defeats, was nevertheless of incal- 
 culable Importance in the establishment of American Inde- 
 pendence. From this time our affairs brightened till the 
 glorious campaign of '81, which ended with the capture of a 
 second British army, under the command of one of the most 
 able and enterprlzing generals that Britain could boast. This 
 decisive event satisfied the English government that the subju- 
 gation of America was impra£licable, and led to the final ac- 
 knowledgment of American independence. 
 
 The close of war, and the return of peace, so pleasing to 
 all, was peculiarly grateful to the heart of our excellent Wash- 
 ington. He loved retirement. He had left It with regret, 
 •wholly from a sense of duty, and not from a wish for change. 
 With pleasure he anticipated the moment when he should again 
 lose the commander of an army in the private citizen. That 
 moment had now arrived. His services as a general are no 
 longer necessary. His army is about to be disbanded. He is 
 about to be separated (possibly for ever) from the companions 
 of his cares and dangers, from men who for eight years had 
 shared his perils and anxieties, and who had been witnesses of 
 
208 WASHINGTOXIANA. 
 
 his wisdom and his valor. But at this closing scene of the dra- 
 ma, he is not permitted to sheathe the sword and return to his 
 loved retreat, without performing a memorable service to his 
 
 country a service in which his personal agency, his zealous and 
 
 >Yell timed exertions, prevented a great national evil ; prevent- 
 ed his army from tarnishing the laurels he had acquired through 
 a long and glorious war, and instead of defenders, becoming the 
 despoilers of their country. 
 
 The. pay of this army was greatly in arrear. They had re- 
 ceived already much of what was due to them in a depreciated 
 paper currency. In discharge of what their country still owed, 
 the same currency, and remote unsettled lands were to form the 
 materials of their compensation. They were about to return to 
 the pursuits of civil life, with only the shadow of reward, for 
 years of danger and of toil ; for health Impaired, and the prime 
 of life devoted to the public service. They expected more of 
 their country. Their country regretted that their exhausted 
 resources then enabled them to do no more. The army urged 
 by the artful insinuations of an anonymous writer, were on the 
 point of rising, while yet embodied, and of wresting from their 
 country by force, that compensation which they had in vain de- 
 manded of its justice. Never did zeal for the welfare of his 
 country, and the honor of his army, blaze forth with greater 
 splendor even in the anions of a Washington, than oirthls oc- 
 casion. By private influence ; by public persuasion ; by an ap- 
 peal to the honor of soldiers, and the patriotism of citizens ; 
 by the regard they owed, to their personal charadter, and their 
 country's good ; by every motive that could influence a gene- 
 rous mind, he conjured them to disband in peace, and to expeft. 
 from the justice and gratitude of their country, what they were 
 instigated to extort by violence. His influence was triumphant. 
 He succeeded in preserving the honor of his army and his coun- 
 try from an unnatural civil war. 
 
 This great objecfl accomplished, we see the American hero 
 resigning the chief command of the army, and retiring Into pri- 
 vate life, amid the plaudits and benediclions of his admiring 
 country. He hoped ; he believed lie had now taken a final fare- 
 
WASHINGTOMIANA. 209 
 
 Well of public life. His glory seemed to be complete. It ap- 
 peared to be placed beyond the reach of fortune's hand, and to 
 have had the seal of immortality impressed upon it. But no ; 
 the will of heaven had otherwise decreed. New cares and new 
 duties await him. Again his chiracler is to pass through the 
 furnace of general scrutiny, and his fame once more be launch" 
 ed on the restless ocean of popular opinion. 
 
 The feebleness of our general government every day becom- 
 ing more and more notorious ; the decay of our commerce ; the 
 decline of manufactures ; the loss of individual and national 
 credit ; the weakness of some states, and the interfering claims 
 of others, threatening to involve us in domestic broils, and ex- 
 posing us to the attack of any foreign invader ; imperiously de- 
 manded the review of our articles of confederation, and the 
 substitution in their place, of an efficient form of government. 
 A convention is according assembled. A plan of national go- 
 vernment is framed. It is recommended to the people. It is 
 adopted and put in operation* 
 
 Again. this great and good bian, by the unanimous voice of 
 his country is called to sit at the helm of the new government, 
 and to execute its laws. He accepts the call, but not for him- 
 self. Once more he expressly declines receiving any emolument 
 for his services. At the close of the first period, for v/hich he 
 had been eledled president, had he consulted only his person- 
 al case or enjoyment he would have quitted his elevated station, 
 and returned to private life. But higher motives influenced his 
 mind. Love to his country, and the critical state of her affairs, 
 induced him again at the uninfluenced, unanimous call of his fel- 
 low-citizens to accept the charge of presiding over the United 
 Sfates. With what fidelity ; with what judgment; with what 
 firmness and devotion of time and talents, he fulfilled the duties 
 of this high station, no American citizen need be informed. 
 
 We have seen him in all his measures, endeavoring to pro- 
 mote or preserve the peace, the welfare, and the happiness of 
 his country. We have seen him filling the various departments 
 of government with men of talents, of integrity, and of private 
 
 Dd 
 
210 WASHINGTON! AN A. 
 
 "\vorth» We have seen him sacrificing his personal attachments 
 on the altar of the public good ; and amidst all the obloquy heap- 
 ed on him by a few faftlous spirits, who were more friendly to 
 the views of a foreign power, than to the interests of their own 
 government ; we in no instance see him taking any measure from 
 resentment, but with a magnanimity above all praise, suffering 
 the slanders that were pr«pagated, to die unnoticed. 
 
 FiRMNEssi of mind was a quality for which he was eminently 
 distinguished. But when was this estimable trait of chara£ter 
 more strikingly displayed, than in the condudl he observed to- 
 wards the first ambassador of republican France. 
 
 When that bold, but ill-advised minister, seconded by a 
 powerful party among ourselves, endeavored to subje£t the 
 measures of our government, to the will of his own — when he 
 sought by every artifice to involve us in a war with Great-Bri- 
 tain ; and when, on discovering the fixed resolution of our go- 
 vernment, to preserve a neutrality amid the contentions of the 
 European powers, he threatened to appeal from the decision of 
 the PRESIDENT, to that of the people ; what was the conduct 
 of our immortal Washington ? Convinced of the reditude of 
 his own views, and the soundness of his policy j fearless of the 
 threatened resentment of France, and superior to the clamours 
 of -party, we see him stand like a firm and venerable oak, against 
 which the storms of fadion beat with fury ; but beat in vain. 
 
 Another crisis soon occurred in our affairs, which required 
 the exercise of inflexible firmness, and consummate prudence. 
 
 The first naval power in the world, proud of her own strength, 
 and fortified by an alliance with the governments, that first coa- 
 lesced to crush the democratic system of France, at the close 
 of the year '93, issued orders, the tendency of which was to 
 ruin the commerce of the United States. Our unarmed mer- 
 chantmen were seized, wherever met, by British cruisers ; con- 
 veyed into British ports, and there condemned. Their cargoes 
 without discrimination were confiscated, and our wretched sea- 
 men destitude of aid in foreign countries, and stripped of ever/ 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 211 
 
 thing valuable, by the hands of merciless captors, were obl'igTcl 
 to borrow, or to beg, the means of returning to their native 
 country. The public mind indignant at these spoliations on our 
 trader was prepared at e'very risk, for defensive war : Our na- 
 tional council too, feeling for the injured dignity, and adopt- 
 ing the sentiments of their constituents, commenced a system 
 of measures that must soon have led to an open rupture with 
 Creat-Britain. 
 
 All eyes were now direAed to the chief magistrate of 
 the Union. In circumstances so embarrassing, what conduct 
 could he pursne that would at once secure the interest, and pre- 
 serve the ho"nor of the United States. Uninfluenced by resent- 
 ment, or by party spirit, and consulting only the true honor and 
 interest of his country, he resolves on making one great effort 
 to avert the calamities of war ; persuaded that if unsuccessful 
 in the attempt, his fellow-citizens would be more united and de- 
 termined in measures of defence. 
 
 In prosecution of this system of pacific policy, we see him 
 with equal jadgment and patriotism, selecting as the messen- 
 ger of peace, a citizen* of known prudence and ability, whose 
 firmness, integrity, and eminent public services, had long en- 
 deared him to his country, and fixed him in her confidence. A 
 negociation takes place. Commenced with moderation and good 
 faith, it could not proye abortive. It resulted in a treaty, af- 
 terwards ratified by the president, with the approbation of 
 the SENATE, which preserved our national honor, and, what 
 was of more Importance than language can describe, saved us 
 from the fearful vortex of a most destructive Avar. 
 
 To prevent the ratification of this treaty, and thus to em- 
 broil us in a war with England, every artifice which French 
 intrigue could devise, was pradised, but happily without effed. 
 Neither flattery nor abuse could divert the steady, undeviating 
 mind of our enlightened president, from pursuing that line, 
 of conduit which became the government of a neutral nation.- 
 
 * Mr. Joy^ the present governor of New-YDrk^ 
 
•J 12 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 At tills momentous epoch, the friends of virtue, and the 
 lovers of peace, in Europe, as well as in America, btheld his 
 manly and judicious conduft, and beheld it with mingled aston- 
 ishment and delight. In their eyes, as in ours, he seemed, 
 
 " Like some tall rock that lifts its anvful fcrw.y 
 Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm ; 
 Tho' round its b"east, the rolling clouds be spread^ 
 Eternal sunshine settles on its head,''* 
 
 From the elevated place of puesident of the United 
 States, we see him now vohintaiily descend, and once more re- 
 tire to the humble duties and enjoyments of private life. He 
 retires, full of glory as of years ; and like the setting sun, re- 
 tains a fuller orb of greatness, than when in the meridian of 
 life and power. 
 
 The hostile language and conduct of France, within the las^ 
 three years having rendered defensive armaments necessary, by 
 land as well as by sea, once more his country claims his aid, as 
 the commander of her forces. He assists in organizing the ar- 
 my, and notwithstanding the infirmities of age, and his predir 
 lection for private life, stands prepared to take the field, should 
 it be necessary, in defence of his native land. But while dis- 
 charging the duties of this high command, he is summoned by 
 heaven to another scene. A mortal disease attacks him. Its 
 progress is rapid. It baffles the exertions of tlie most eminent 
 professors of medicine. From its first approaches, he foresees 
 its fatal issue. He arranges his affairs with composure. He 
 languishes scarce twenty-four hours ; then with a resignation 
 worthy of his useful life, on the fourteenth day of the last 
 month, he finished his glorious career on earth, and hastened 
 to that " bourne from which no tr3.veller returns." 
 
 Return then great and virtuous spirit, to the bosom of thy 
 Father and thy God ! While thy frame here moulders in the 
 dust, bedewed with the tears of the worthy and the wise ; thv 
 
 * Goldsmith* w 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 213 
 
 soulj freed from the shackles that chained it to the earth, shall 
 •wing its flight to regions of eternal bliss. May the tutchtry 
 angels who waitch over the interests of this great and growing 
 empire, welcome thee with triumph, to the abodes of the bkst. 
 There, amidst friends and companions of thine earthly labors ; 
 amid the sages and patriots of other ages, and other countries — 
 encircled by a Warren and Montgomery ; a Socrates and a 
 Cato ; a Sully and a Plampden ; may'st thou taste those pure 
 enjoyments, which saints and angels only know ; whicli " eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard ; neitlier hath it entered into the 
 heart of man to conceive." 
 
 To us, who still travel on in this " vale of tears" — to us it 
 belongs to honor his memory, and to imitate his virtues. While 
 his country records his glory, and ere6ls a monument to his 
 fame, American citizens, to remotest ages, will hold his cha-r 
 radler in remembrance gnd esteem. 
 
 With pride and pleasure they will remember their beloved 
 Washington, whose fame adds lustre to his age and country ; 
 in whose character were combined more exalted virtues, unalloy-^ 
 ed by the extremes to which such virtues' are most exposed, than 
 in the character of any man of whom we have heard or read. 
 Never did any man better understand the human characTLer, or 
 employ more suitable agents for the accomplishment of his 
 views and plans. In a remarkable degree, he united genius, 
 with judgment ; the enterprize of youth, with the caution of 
 age. He was brave, but not rash ; fearless of death, but not 
 prodigal of life. He possessed zeal without intemperance, libe- 
 rality without profusion, and oeconomy without avarice. His 
 piety was rational and si.ncere, tindured neither with supersti- 
 tion nor hypocrisy. His dignity never wore the garb of haugh- 
 tiness,, nor his modesty that of afleclion. Moderate in prospe- 
 rity, he never lost his equanimity in misfortune — faithful to his 
 friends, he pitied and forgave his enemies. He lived the hero, 
 the statesman, and the sage ; and died the humble, and resign- 
 ed believer. Behold the man, whom while alive, his country 
 esteemed and loved, and whose memory now, she " delights to 
 honor," 
 
2i.{ washingtoniaka; 
 
 Author of his being, and parent of everj' good I we bless 
 thee for having raised up so great and good a man, and for 
 having lent his precious life for such a lapse of years to the A- 
 merican people i 
 
 I CAKNOT close this addreas In a manner more becoming, or 
 in language so elegant and pathetic, as that used by our national 
 senate in their letter of condolence to the president of the 
 United States. 
 
 Adopting their words, every American may with truth, 
 and from the heart say — " With patriotic pride we review the 
 life of our Washington, and compare him with those of other 
 countries who have been pre-eminent in fame. Ancient and 
 modern names are diminished before him. Greatness and guilt 
 have too often been allied ; but his fame is whiter than it is 
 brilliant. The destroyers of nations stood abashed at the ma- 
 iesty of his virtue. It reproved the intemperance of their am- 
 bition and darkened the splendor of vidlory. The scene is clos- 
 ed, and we are no longer anxious lest misfortune should sully 
 Jiis glory ; he has travelled on to the end of his journey and 
 carried with him an encreasing weight of honor ; he has depo- 
 sited it safely, where misfortune cannot tarnish it, where malice 
 cannot blast it. Favored of heaven, he departed without exhi- 
 biting the weakness of humanity ; magnanimous in death, the 
 darkness of ihe grave could not obscure his brightness. 
 
 " Such was the man whom Ave deplore. Thanks to God, his 
 glory is consummated : Washington yet lires on earth in his 
 spotless example ; his spirit is in heaven. 
 
 " Let his countrymen consecrate the memory of the hefoic 
 general, the patriotic statesman, and the virtuous sage : Let 
 tbem teach their children never to forget that the fruits of his 
 labors, and his example, arc their inheritance." 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. .315 
 
 Oration, delivered to the citizens of Burlington^ in commemo- 
 ration of general George Washington, By William 
 Griffith, Esq, 
 t 
 
 THE DAY, ■which for so many years has never returned, 
 but to suffuse every eye with pleasurable recolleftion, 
 and to gladden every heart with delightful anticipation — this 
 day, which gave to human nature, an ornament ; to America, 
 her greatest benefador ; and to the world, a bright exemplar 
 of every virtue, by a mysterious providence, has become an 
 epoch of painful retrospedlion, and unavailing sorrow. 
 
 Whilst its annual returns gave to a grateful people, ano- 
 ther, and another, opportunity of honoring the living objedl of 
 their affe£lions, the rapture of their possession seemed to repress 
 the admonitions of time, or but faintly listened to the voice, 
 which told us that Wasaington must die. 
 
 This event, which all knew would happen, was by all post- 
 poned ; and each one cherished the fond Illusion, that he, who 
 had surpassed all others, in glory and in usefulness, might also 
 add a new prerogative to humanity, and exceed the ordinary li- 
 Hiits of mortal existence. 
 
 Vain were our wishes, and unrealized our hopes ! The 
 deep, the extensive, the unceasing lamentation, which is heard 
 throughout the American empire, proclaims to the wo^rld, that 
 Washington is no more ! 
 
 Yes I that mind which penetrated the destinies of his coun- 
 try — that courage which undertook her deliverance — that wis- 
 dom and fortitude which led her to independence — that love 
 which planted the tree of liberty here, and watered it with the 
 tears of parental solicitude — they no longer animate your Wash- 
 ington ! 
 
 To you, Avho have felt the public shock, and added so 
 many tears to the tide of public -jrief, it were unnecessary to 
 
file WASKINGTOISilANA. 
 
 describe its extent, and unkind to retouch the senslhlHty, 
 which an event so sudden and so affeiSting has produced in ouf 
 country. 
 
 Inviteb through your preference on this day, dedicated by 
 national rfspe<5l to the commemoration of the illustrious dead, 
 to exert my efTorts — alas how unequal ! in rendering homage 
 to Ills exalted charadler — it is due to my own convictions, and 
 to your expectations, that I renounce the design of personal 
 and historical panegyric. 
 
 I HAVE no expressions ■vvhich can convey an euloghim on 
 
 Washington ! 1 stand not here to delineate his person ! • 
 
 You, who saw him in the vigor of life, when prostrate freedom 
 first dyed his cheek v/ith flushes of resentment- — indignant at 
 her wrongs ! and the voice of his country summoned him to her 
 succour — you can never forget his graceful form, and his com- 
 manding aspeft'.^ — V7e, who have seen him bending with years, 
 and furrowed with public cares, can never forget the filial re- 
 verence which his presence inspired And to you, who have 
 
 never seen him — and to posterity — a West and a Stewart, have 
 given of his figure and countenance, whatever art could bor- 
 row from the life. 
 
 Nor do I stand here to recount his adions, or to grace with 
 the splendors of language, his intrinsic claims to present and 
 to future admiration. 
 
 The great drama, in which he bore so conspicuous a part, is 
 over. — To review its august scenery — to rehearse its wonder- 
 ful events — to follow him in all its vicissitudes, were eq^ually 
 supeifi'jous, and impossible. 
 
 You require no register of his achievements ; for you were 
 all witnesses of their performance, or partakers in their bene- 
 fits — adors with him, or spedators 1 they are imprinted on 
 every heart, and live in charaders indelible as his own unrival- 
 led pre-eminence. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 217 
 
 The faithful page of history will hand down, to succeeding 
 ages, his exploits of war, and arts of peace : — To other pens 
 must be committed the delightful ofRce, with glowing rhetoric, 
 and in immortal song, to trace the countless services which he 
 rendered to his country, in unceasing honors, and boundless 
 gratitude, by which they were rewarded. 
 
 While orators mount through the annals of time, and exa- 
 mine the lists of fame, for subjedls of historic resemblance, and 
 models of eulogistic contrast, while poets and historians are emu- 
 lous to transmit to other times, the striking incidents of his for- 
 tune and the varied brilliant succession of important adlions, 
 which distinguished him above other men — I would leave com- 
 parison to those who can find parallels ; and the relation of bat- 
 tles and triumphs, to those who excel in epic eloquence. 
 
 On this occasion you will permit me, my indulgent audience, 
 to pursue a less splendid — but, may I hope, not an unpleasing 
 theme. 
 
 I WOULD draw you' from the contemplation of those past 
 events, and personal objedls, which so dazzle and captivate our 
 senses — and fix your minds upon the inherent qualifica- 
 tions, which rendered his life so useful ; his example so im- 
 pressive ; and his precepts so invaluable. 
 
 My countrymen 1 If you have seen your enemy wasted, de- 
 defeated, and driven from your borders, under his military gui- 
 dance — if order, peace and happiness, have grown out of his 
 civil administration — if his experience in war and in govern- 
 ment claims your highest consideration, and his truth and love 
 give intrinsic weight to his opinions — it is of the utmost impor- 
 tance, and an obvious duty, that we imitate the conduct, and 
 pursue those maxims, which rendered him illustrious, and Ame- 
 rica powerful and happy. 
 
 His life — his virtues — and his principles address themselves 
 to our imitation, in every relation, which conneds us with each 
 other, and with our common country. 
 
 E e 
 
218 washingtoniana; 
 
 Toiin^- Mi'u of America ! 
 Tub; early years of Washington, -will teach you lessons of 
 temperance, of industry, and of virtuous ambition. 
 
 At an age, when other youth scarcely begin to think of their 
 future deststination, he had acquired those solid endowments 
 of mind, and those aftive habits of body, which were one day 
 to point him out, and qualify him to be, the leader of her ar- 
 mies, and the proteclor of his counry. 
 
 He despised the lethargy of indolence, and the allurements 
 of pleasure ; nor suffered himself to be enervated, by the soft 
 voluptuousness, and not always guiltles dissipations, of thought- 
 less minority. 
 
 Hk was, from his j'outh, fond of that fame which follows 
 merit : — He sought for that honorable promotion ; and wait- 
 ed, with modest expedation, for advancement to stations of high- 
 er rank, and more extensive usefulness. 
 
 Hi was in arms before lie gained his twentieth year : and 
 when not yet twenty-two, performed, with equal judgment and 
 intrepidity, a difficult and dangerous mission intrusted to him 
 by the councils of his native state. 
 
 He was not twentty-four, when he rescued from the rage of 
 savage conquerors, the remnant of Braddock's devoted army ; and 
 gave those signal proofs of gallantry and prudence, which, in 
 his general, had led to safety and honor. 
 
 The fatigues of a frontier war, and the progress of a pul- 
 monary disease, forced him, at twenty-seven, to resign the 
 rank of a colonel, which he then held in the provincial 
 army. 
 
 From that time, until he year 1775, when he accepted the 
 command of the American forces, he was occupied in domestic 
 duties, in agricultural improvements, and in executing the offices 
 of a magistrate, a judge and a member of the legislature. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 21^ 
 
 It was during this period of his life, a fpace of about six- 
 teen years, in which he investigated the principles, and ma- 
 tured his opinions, on the subjedof government ; and obtained 
 that extensve acquaintance with the rights of his country, and 
 the just liberties of his felloW-men ; which to assert, defend 
 and establish, ^ccame his arduous, but successful employment. 
 
 Lkt it not be said, that he owed his first elevation, or future 
 greatness, to opulent patrimony, extensive patronage, or acade- 
 mic favors. 
 
 He began without fortune ; and thought it no degradation 
 to turn his knowledge of geometry, to the purposes of an honest 
 independence. — He was an orphan at ten years old — and that 
 patronage was far from powerful, which had designated him to 
 an inferior naval appointment: — And in scholastic honors, of- 
 ten useless as they are undeserved, Ke commenced his important 
 life, with no degrees but those, which virtuous resolutions con- 
 fer on private diligence and useful study. How consoling 
 should it be to the ingenuous bosom, which, in seeming obscu- 
 rity, is panting for merited dlstinftion, to perceive, that the 
 most splendid hero, and accomplished legislator of the age, ow- 
 ed no share of his great reputation, to the accidental circum- 
 stances of birth and patronage — but raised his imperishable fame 
 upon the basis of a disinterested patriotism, and the native vir- 
 tues of an uncorrupted heart. 
 
 Be animated then, ye generous youth, to follow his great 
 example :• — Emulation must not be extinguished by despair ; 
 nor effort remitted from hopeless competition. 
 
 Be encouraged by the persuasion, that his usefulness and fe- 
 licity, were founded on those qualities of the heart, which are 
 of no uncommon growth ; and those properties of the mind 
 which are of no difficult acquirement. 
 
 Be diligent in your studies ; be temperate In your pleasures ; 
 be aftive and fearless, in the pursuit of duty ; aspire to honor 
 tlvough the paths of virtue j seek for public favors by public 
 
220 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 benefits : — And, if Washington, has left you no empire to 
 save, and no government to establish ; yet your country still 
 has room, for the display of all your talents — occasions for the 
 exercise of all your virtues — and rewards for your most distin- 
 guished services. 
 
 Defenders of your Country! 
 
 If foreign aggression, or civil discord shall call you to the 
 scene of war, let the image of Washington remind you of all 
 which can dignify the soldier, or sanction the triumphs of a 
 conqueror. 
 
 Rkmember, that he considered war, not as a trade, which 
 ■was to enrich him with spoils, or wreath his temple with laurels, 
 but as a necessary effort to wrest his country from oppression, 
 and to crown her with peace and liberty. 
 
 The history, and the eulogy, of the crowd of warriors, which 
 fame, or rather, which infamy, has perpetuated — what are they 
 but a register of crimes against heaven and virtue — against in-, 
 nocence and the rights of mankind ? 
 
 These, were like those lawless stars, which, with redden- 
 ing glare approach our orbit, shooting terror into the hearts of 
 men, and threatening the world with deluge and conflagration. 
 
 Not so, the Patriotic Chief of America ! — He was the sun, 
 which cheerpd and animated every heart, and spread around him, 
 the effulgence of his own pure fires : — And if, sometimes, clouds 
 obscured his ascent, his country never despaired — always confid- 
 ing in that constancy, which knew no change — and that vigor, 
 which was never exhausted. 
 
 In the history of those eight memorable campaigns, which 
 spread over the face of America desolation and blood, you will 
 learn the energies of his persevering fortitude — the resourses of 
 his exhaustless genius — and the triumphs of his undaunted va- 
 lor. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 221 
 
 And whilst you are fired with emulation of his ad\ions, let 
 his motives and his moderation, diredl and limit your ambition. 
 Prosperity could never, swell him into insolence ; nor disaster 
 sink him to despondence : — By the command of his passions, in 
 the hour of success, he triumphed over viftory herself; and he 
 rose from defeat, only to inspire neAv confidence, and seize on 
 glorious reparation. 
 
 In his ofncial dispatches, his veracity and his modest}'-, were 
 
 equally conspicuous : He thought it both vain and immoral 
 
 to overrate his good fortune ; and even his losses he would not 
 extenuate. 
 
 He softened the horrors of war, by offices of humanity — by 
 the respedl W'hich he shewed to civil authority — to personal im- 
 munities — ^nd to private property. He repressed the spirit of 
 popular fury — and shielded from its intemperance, those of his 
 countrymen, who from sincere, but misguided opinions, persist- 
 ed in a harmless neutrality. 
 
 While he exafted discipline, he was incapable of cruelty? 
 and, of his followers in arms, he demanded no pledge but fideli- 
 ity, and exposed them to no hardships, in which he did not him- 
 self participate. 
 
 He was ever unwilling to fling away the lives of his brave, 
 
 but humble companions, in rash adventure, or unequal conflidl . 
 
 always preferring their safety and the hopes of his country, to 
 his own renown. — He was content, rather to enjoy the blood- 
 less triumphs of a Fabius, than by bold and sanguinary enter- 
 prise, to grasp at the false and fatal glory of a Varro, 
 
 And when, at length, the liberties of America were confirm- 
 ed, and no longer required an armed protedor, he retired from 
 the embraces of his faithful veterans, and amidst the acclama- 
 tions of a grateful people, to the retreat from whence his coun- 
 try had drawn him — there to possess the rank of a free citizen, 
 the only title he aspired to ; and the love of his fellow-me-n, the 
 only, and to ' im the sweetest reward, for all his services. 
 
223 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Legislators of America ! 
 In the condiKTl and opinions of this great statesman, you pos- 
 sess an institute of national policy, recommended by all the 
 force of experience, and all the demonstration of success. 
 
 In that high office, which for eight years he filled with such' 
 dignity and ability, he exerted his extensive influence, and his 
 legitimate powers, to consolidate the confederacy, and give 
 un ty to the general government ; firmly convinced, however 
 social interests might suffer temporary loss, and the pride of 
 petty sovereignty revolt at imaginary humiliation, that the du- 
 ration of the American empire, and the real happiness of her 
 people, must depend on the coftstitutional pursuit, and exten- 
 sion of this cardinal policy. 
 
 In that memorable address to his countrymen, on his retire- 
 ment from office, he enforces this sentiment wiih repeated and 
 emphatic expressions of its importance : — " This unity (says he) 
 *' is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence ; the 
 *' support of your tranquility at home ; of your peace abroad ; 
 " of your safety ; of your prosperity ; of that very liberty, 
 " which you so highly prize." 
 
 The preservation of ^^ public fatb^'" he j^resses upon you, by 
 every motive of interest and honor — and as the source of public 
 ■wealth, and a guarantee of the republic itself. 
 
 With that spirit of moderation, and redlitude, which ever 
 governed his own conduct, he Invites you to the obfervation of 
 good faith and justice to all nations ; to avoid inveterate antipa- 
 thies, and passionate resentments ; and cautions you, against 
 the weakness of confiding \n foreign protestations of national 
 fraternity. — «' It is a folly," he says, " for one nation to look 
 for disi nterested favors from another ; it is an illusion, 
 which experience must cure, and which a just pride ought to 
 discard." 
 
 Against the arts of foreign intrigue, he warns you in the 
 language of one who had encountered it in all its forms, and 
 
WASHINGTONIAN/.; 223 
 
 saved his country a second ilme, from the subjugation which it 
 threatened — His own words are too expressive not to be re- 
 peated : — " Against the insidious wiles oi /oreign influence, I 
 conjure you to believe me, my fellow-citizens, the jealousy of 
 a free people ought to be constantly awake ; since history and 
 experience prove, that foreign influence is one of the most bale- 
 ful foes of republican government." 
 
 Discarding a slothful and penurious policy, he tells you, 
 *' That if you would avoid injury, you must be prepared to re- 
 sent it;" and, "That timely disbursements to meef danger, 
 frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it." 
 
 Knowing that a government resting on popular suffrage, can 
 exist only in the convidlion, which the people feel of its justice 
 and its benefits, he enjoins it upon you to " enlighten'^ the pub- 
 lic mind j and, by institutions for diffusing knowledge, to dis- 
 sipate the gloom of simple error, and the sedu£lions of artful 
 imposture. 
 
 Legislators of the Union! listen to this advicC) before 
 it becomes too late to profit from it. 
 
 Had but a small portion of the treasure expended in crush- 
 ing insurrection^ been applied to the dissemination of correal 
 injbrmation, ambitious traitors could never have wrought up ig- 
 norance into rebellion ; nor profligate calumniators plunged our 
 country into desperate factions. 
 
 How mistaken, and how dangerous, is that policy, which 
 suffers four millions of people, jealous of their rights, prejudiced 
 by local interests, and spread over a vast continent, to depend 
 for their knowledge of public measures, upon the scandalous 
 misrepresentations of inflamed partisans, and the daring for- 
 geries of a licentious press! 
 
 Taught by revelation, that " piety exalteth a nation ;" a 
 witness to the abominations of " illuminated atheism," and the 
 blasting influeuce, which it sheds over human happiness, he ha& 
 
224 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 left with you his own great example and his last exhortation, 
 as proofs, that he considered national prosperity only secure 
 whilst it rested on the basis of national religion : — " In vain," 
 he says, " can that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who 
 ■would labor to subvert religioii and morality — those great pil- 
 lars of human happiness — these firmest' props of the duties of 
 men and citizens." 
 
 People of America I 
 Let the advice of your greatest friend sink deep into your 
 bosoms. 
 
 Let not hireling presses — noisy and empty declamation- 
 canting and.cunning demagogues, cheat you out of your peace, 
 and real liberty. — These depend on the solidity of your govern- 
 ment ; and that, in a generous confidence, and manly support, 
 of those you appoint to administer it. 
 
 Think that you hear him saying, — " This government, the 
 offspring of your own choice, uninfluenced and unawed ; adopt- 
 ed on full investigation and mature deliberation ; completely 
 free in its principles ; in the distribution of its powers, uniting 
 security with energy ; and containing within itself a provision 
 for its own amenii-ment ; has a just claim, to your confidence 
 and support. Respe£l for its authorities— compliance with its 
 laws — acquiescence in its measures — are duties enjoined, by the 
 fundamental maxims of true liberty. — All obstructions to the 
 execution of the laws — all combinations, and associations, un- 
 der whatever plausible character, with the real design to con- 
 trol, counteraft, or awe, the constituted authorities, are 
 destru£live of your constitution, and of fatal tendency." 
 
 In what feeling accents, does he implore you to bury the ani- 
 mosities of party — to destroy the monster, fadlion — and to dis- 
 card the spirit of jealousy, which, by an unnatural direction, 
 urges you to distrust authorities of your own creation, and de- 
 pendent on your own will. 
 
 Every aft of this government, has come from the hands of 
 of your chosen represnutives, equally concerned with you in 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 225 
 
 the welfare of their common country ; and every aft from its 
 commencement, has received the official sandlin of your 
 Washington, or, of his no less illustrious successor, A- 
 
 DAMS. 
 
 Those, who would array your jealousy against the repre- 
 sentatives of the union, are alike insolent and cruel. — They dis- 
 honor the principles of a republic — and they offer you no sub- 
 stitute better entitled to your adoption and support. 
 
 Mr countrymen ! the example of Washington, is equally 
 instrudlive, whether seen in the splendid career of high employ- 
 ments, or in the milder lights of retirement. 
 
 Ke was not only content with, but he sighed for, the simple 
 and unruffled pleasures of private station. — Although engaged 
 in the most honorable and enviable situati )ns — admired, revered 
 and beloved — yet in that last address, which he dedicates to 
 you, he says, " I anticipate, with pleasing expe£lation, that 
 retreaty in which I promise myself, without alloy, the sweet 
 enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow-citizens, the 
 benign influence of good laws under a free government — the 
 ever favorite objeft of my heart, and the happy reward, as I 
 trustj of our mutual cares, labors and dangers." 
 
 Like him, let us be ready to serve the republic when she de- 
 mands our services ; and, like him, think ourselves no less 
 happy as private citizens — while we cherish the government, 
 •which guards our independence, and obey the laws, which only 
 can secure to us the blessings of social order. 
 
 It Is thus that your Washington will yet live for his coun- 
 try — to guide her councils — animate her warriors — and with his 
 own spirit^ refine and warm the patriotism of all her citizens. 
 
 Ah! how truly glorious is his memory — who, living, raised 
 his country to honor and felicity— and dying, bequeathed his vir- 
 tues for their preservation. 
 
 F f 
 
225 washiKgtoniAna. 
 
 Oration delivered at Old Torky on the death of George 
 JVashington ; by the Rev. Roseivell Msssinger, pastor 
 colleague tvitb the Rev. Ltman of the First Cburcb in Old 
 Tork, Maine, 
 
 HE sun In the firmament is not darkened ! The foundations 
 of the earth do not tremble! Rocks have riot fallen to 
 
 T 
 
 dust ! the mountains have not melted away I Bat the veil of li- 
 berty's temple is rent in twain. Her spotL^ss high-priest hath 
 retired to rest, through the portals of everlasting fame. 
 
 If our tongue were an angel's, it would falter ; if our hearts 
 were marble, they would bleed ; if our eyes were flint they 
 would swell with tears ; if the world were a Zembla, it would 
 melt and mourn, for Washington is no more. 
 
 Happy for the human race, his translation was not in a cha- 
 riot of fire ; not by a visible convoy of angels ; not by the 
 sound of the trump, but by the common, secret power of 
 dissolution, -which silently sprinkles Its fatal dust on the body 
 of man I Otherwise he might have been revered as a God. The 
 globe might have bowed in the attitude of worship at the feet 
 cf his likeness. 
 
 O Time I Empires and kingdoms are thy sport. The be- 
 •■wildered traveller of the desert, the prideful monarch of the 
 throne ; conquerors who have led the world in chains ; philoso- 
 phers who have scanned the heavens, and walked among the 
 stars ; virtue's sacred train ; all, all have been numbered among 
 thy trophies ; yet the greatest of thy spoils is the late Father 
 of our country. But, O time, his memory will mock thy ra- 
 vages : it will live in immortal bloom, " when death itself shall 
 die." 
 
 In a country whose climes are mild, whose features are love- 
 Iv ; in America, our " Her Oj patriot ^ sage" was born in 1732, 
 his life dawned on the fields of Virginia. There the sacred 
 genii bathed his infant soul ia the lucid stream of thought ; there 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 227 
 
 the enraptured cherubs shed on his heart the ambrosial dews of 
 innocence and love ; there the creative power planted the 
 Eden of humanity in his bosom ; there said the holy 
 Trinity, " wc will raise up a man, and fix upon him our 
 own image, in a stamp, that shall never be effaced. These 
 Mrere secrets only known to the visible world. For to human 
 eyes he was no more than a child of common cby. But 
 a few years began to reveal those gems of excellence that were 
 to enamor a gazing universe. 
 
 In the age of childhood, he was manly, frank and noble in 
 his manners ; cautious, yet faithful in his attachments ; gene- 
 rous in his heart, which knew no disguise ; he was attached to 
 the truth, which he never sacrificed ; persevering in every lauda- 
 ble atchievement ; his perception was quick, his fancy lively and 
 bold ; but always obedient to his judgment — his words, though 
 few, were " apples of gold in pi£lures of silver." Before he 
 reached the years of youth, he possessed an assemblage of all 
 the brilliant virtues, all the lovely sympathies, all the pious 
 sentiments, that lay within the compass of human aspiration. 
 He never trod the formal paths of science, within the walls of 
 a college ; but, the fields of nature, books and mankind were all 
 accessible to his exploring genius. Yea, his noble soul drank 
 intelligence from the rivers of God. These are some feeble and 
 scattered delineations of his early life. 
 
 It was now time for his glory to rise on the public mind. 
 While we were colonies, subjeft to Britain, and hostilities ob- 
 tained between England and France, our hero entered the mar- 
 tial field. As the shade of Braddock will testify, he then an- 
 nounced talents that would have honored the Cscsars of anti- 
 quity. He discovered a heart that would have given the laurels 
 of Titus a brighter lustre I 
 
 But it was In a later period, that his patriotism and love of 
 liberty burst with their full effulgence on the world. It was in 
 a later period, that the sons and daughters of Columbia leaned 
 on his bosom, and called him " Father," 
 
228 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 He longed to see that early destiny of Heaven accomplish- 
 ed, that we should be " a world by ourselves." Though wc 
 ■were separated for this purpose from foreign nations by the 
 waves of the sea, yet the dreary darkness of despotic night 
 reigned on the face of our land. But the spirit of Washing- 
 ton moved upon it. The first rays that betokened the resur- 
 redlion of liberty, beamed from his luminous soul. Being aid- 
 ed by the Adams and Franklin, he laid the foundation of the 
 temple of our glory. 
 
 This steady career of renown soon raised him to the head 
 of the continental armies. Here, how illustrious, how deified, 
 was the display of his abilities and heart ! He did not enter the 
 field as the servile minion of a despot ; he did not lead a band 
 of Catalines, plunderers and thieves ; he did not assume the ar- 
 mor of battle, that lie might be able to boast how many thou- 
 sand garments he had died in blood. But he fought and con- 
 quered for the salvation of his country, and the good of the 
 world. He resembled the condu£t of the holy God, whose na- 
 ture is love, and who designeth for the good of his creatures, 
 even when their sins oblige him to chastise them with scorpions. 
 
 Loaded with the immaculate laurels of vi6\ory, under the 
 grateful alleluia of millions, he retires from the toilsome scene 
 of war. The nation said (for they felt it) he is the saviour of 
 the west. He is the gift of Heaven, fame said, for it was 
 true, he is greater than the greatest of men ; his arm is thun- 
 der to oppressors ; the voice of his feet is an earthquake to ty- 
 rants ; but his smiles are a heaven to the sons and daughters of 
 liberty. 
 
 The war was ended. Britain was humbled. Washington 
 no longer wields the lightning of his power. He repairs, like 
 the gentle shepherd to the shades of Vernon ; but not there to 
 rest. By the voice of his country he is called to the presiden- 
 tial chair. If we view him in this important office ; he is still 
 on holy ground. His eye is still fastened on the flaming bush 
 to receive counsel. Here his wisdom, his unyielding firmness 
 and expansive patriotism, heightened the aiTe^ftion of his coun? 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 229 
 
 try. Every day in the cabinet poured lustre on those immortal 
 monuinents of his fame, which his own deeds liad already con- 
 struft?d. Though time consign to oblivion the acf^ions of the 
 wise and gieat, yet it will breathe divinity on the life and con- 
 du£l of our departed Sage. 
 
 Ten years of unspotted life in this office had now elapsed. 
 Without any uncommon admonition, he wa» conscious that sixty 
 five revolving suns must neaHy have numbered his days. He 
 asked an exemption from public cares. The enrapturing per- 
 speftives of eternity rose before him, yet he had engraven his 
 people on the palms of his hands. He did not forget us. He 
 bid us an affedlionate farewell. His address is stamped in let- 
 ters of gold on the rolls of unfading memory. Stoic eyes 
 beheld him with tears, retiring, as was thought, for the last, 
 to private life, and from thence to the bosom of God. The 
 belligerent powers of Europe, however, soon drew our nation 
 into a state of war. Wisdom did\ated the propriety of assum- 
 ing a posture of defence. The voice of timidity cried " We 
 have no millions to support a standing army ; no walls to defend 
 our cities ; no fleets to secure our harbors." Adams looked on 
 the noble Washington, and said, " O Washington I Thy 
 sword is a standing army. Thy name is a wall of fire. Thy 
 glory travels on the face of the deep." He appointed him com- 
 mander of the Columbian troops. The appointment was accept- 
 ed. Our country's eye sparkled with joy. The shadow of the 
 sun had gone back on the dial. The hours of his public life 
 were lengthened out. Our sage was ready to shed his venerable 
 blood, that liberty might continue to value our land as a tem- 
 ple meet for her dwelling. But he is now " removed to the ar- 
 mies above." Our harp is turned to mourning, and our organ 
 to the voice of them that weep. 
 
 O MY countrymen and fellow-mourners ! do you realize your 
 less ? If you did, you would not only discover the common tes- 
 timonials of grief, but tears of blood would roll from your 
 eyes. 
 
 Ye who followed him into the field, who aided him in repuls- 
 ing the cruel arm of foreign aggression, can ye believe that 
 
230 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 your beloved general is dead ; that his body sleeps beneath the 
 cold clay of the valley ? It cannot be forgotten. The Cyclops 
 of a despotic court were forging with unblushing insolencei 
 chains for our necks ; our land was infested with a plundering 
 soldiery ; our shores began to be marked with the bloody foot- 
 steps of the British dragon, when Washikgton, in the sight 
 of your eyes, delivered his country from slavery, from desola-. 
 tion and death. Did you not then think that he was almost an 
 immortal ; and now can you believe he is no more I O painful 
 sentence. I need more than lips of clay to pronounce it. Wash* 
 INGTON is dead I The first of^men, the paragon of goodness 
 is gone. How like an angel did he appear in youth ! In man- 
 hood how did the emanations of the Deity sublime his soul ! 
 A rarity in the list of mortals ; who could be told by an admir- 
 ing, world, that he was a god, yet retained the meekness of 
 a man? 
 
 His heart was pure and friendly — his head clear, its counsel 
 deep and lucid as the waters of Laplata. His firmness, like the 
 poles of the earth, to be moved by nature's dissolution alone. His 
 patriotism resembled the blaze of divine benevolence, uni^ 
 formly benignant, universal in expansion, and without diminu- 
 tion. Among all the stars of human glory, the steps of our 
 sage were the milky-way ; that path in the heavens always to 
 be distinguished by its superior lustre. 
 
 Impressed with this important truth, that God was not par- 
 tial to any particular se£t of christians ; he beheld them all with 
 an eye of charity. He believed that the eleft would be ga- 
 thered from all ranks and denominations of men. 
 
 If, at any time, great and good men differed from him in po» 
 litical opinion, it excited no animosity. He was ready to say, 
 " I myself also am a man ; I am not omniscient ; I am not infalli- 
 ble." If the disappointed and envious ever attempted to as- 
 perse his character, they were soon compelled to silence; for 
 this was the echo of their madness : " Feeble efforts, pitiful 
 phrenzy. Sooner shall the wing of the transient insedt darken 
 the face of day, than envy's pestilent tribe should tarnish the 
 glory of Washington," 
 
WASHINGtONIANA, S31 
 
 O, Adams ! thy grief must pierce the centre of thy heart. 
 More momentous than ever are the cares that devolve upon thee. 
 The prophet with whom thou hast walked hand and hand, is now 
 departed. Receive the mantle of thy brother. If the waters 
 of death threaten to flood our country, divide them as- 
 sunder — bid them roll on the right and the left, till they are 
 lost in the desert. God will make thee Columbia's second Sa- 
 viour. 
 
 Officers and army, oY whom the head is gone, every hftart* 
 string must thrill with anguish, for the bereavement is sudden 
 and great. What a noble pathos did the name of your general 
 excite in the patriotic bosom ! How did you leap to the de- 
 fence of your land, religion and liberty, when it was said, 
 *' The venerable Washington leads the van." When ye be- 
 held his ancient standard stamped with these Indelible letters, 
 " No party spirit — we fight for ourselves and children ;" ye were 
 all Americans. You spurned from your lips the cup, which 
 contained the hemlock of foreign influence. But alas ! your 
 hero is no more. Captains, officers and soldiers of the artillery 
 in this place, do you hear this ? Washington is gone to rest ! O, 
 V?e behold the emblems of sorrow planted on your countenance— 
 your eyes grow big with grief.— Behold how you loved him ! 
 
 Departed shade ! if it be permitted for spirits to visit 
 these abodes of clay, may it delight thee still to preside over 
 the army, that exulted in the light of thy counsel, and the as- 
 sylum of thy presence. Pity them. Ah ! they weep to embalm 
 thy memory with tears. If they must ever descend the field, 
 inspire them with an honest indignation against the hostile ag- 
 gressor ; ennoble them with courage and prudence ; let them be 
 pure and virtuous in the camp, ready to be immolated on the 
 Naming altar of battle, or to live in liberty and triumph. 
 
 Both houses of congress, your vistation is deeply afflictive, 
 your burden is great, the sense of your loss is poignant. You 
 remember the matchless services he hath rendered to his coun- 
 try ; for the glorious monuments of his martial deeds are before 
 you. You remember him when he shoae like the orb of day 
 
232 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ill the cabinet. You will not forget the times when dangers and 
 clouds have hovered around your heads ; when tempest of 
 dispute hath raged ; when parties have met like angry clouds 
 on the mountain, and thundered their vengeance from one to 
 the other ; for then the noble Washington forbade the storm. 
 He stretched "^ihe rainbow in the sky of debate, and there was 
 a calm. He hath taught you how to love your country. He 
 ■was the archetype of prudence and public excellence. Imitate 
 him as far as your powers will reach. Move with caution in the 
 doubtful paths of opinion. Imbibe the truth. In the centre of 
 light receive it. Refledl it again to cheer and gladden the heart 
 of your fellow-mortals. Contend as much to secure the chastity, 
 as to protratSl the life of liberty. 
 
 Judge of this district. Judges and political officers of all 
 ranks ; well may each of you say, " O, that my head were wa- 
 ters, that mine eyes were a fountain of tears ;" for you mourn 
 the best of friends, and the first of men. He duly appreciated 
 your beneficial influence in the civil and judicial system — your 
 importance with regard to the general good. He knew, that of 
 many members, unequal in dignity, faithful in their appropriate 
 spheres, a perfect body is composed. Be inspired by his exam- 
 ple, and you will strengthen the filaments of society ; you will 
 be guardians for the rights of individuals, as well as for thosa 
 of the nation. 
 
 Ministers of the gospel — A star has fallen from the firma- 
 ment of the visible church. A great patron and influential 
 advocate in the cause of religion is gone. As instruments in 
 the hand of God, to mould the heart, to lead the human race 
 to Christ, who opens the portals of eternal day, and bids his 
 children welcome, he loved us. O may we repair to the cypress. 
 Let the altars of Jesus be hung in sackcloth, for the gatesof 
 Zion do mourn. Let all the sons and daughters of piety flock 
 to his grave. In the midst of their grief, may they not forget 
 that blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than the 
 life of Washington. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 233 
 
 Ye merchants, who command your vessels to bear away the 
 surplus of our own produdions, and exchange them for the 
 fruits of other climes. The honor and importance you sustain 
 in the rank of citizens, the security you, afford to our rights 
 and liberties, the renowned name you contribute to give us 
 among the nations of the earth, were all realised by your ncble 
 friend and deceased father. While you weep at his urn, listen 
 to the voice of his spirit, which will always exclaim, " O citi- 
 zens, carry the scale of righteousness in your right hand, the 
 olive of peace in the left, and the love of your country engraven 
 on your hearts. 
 
 Ye, who cultivate the fruits of the earth ; he smiled as you 
 subdued the shrub and the thorn ; he blessed every blade of 
 wheat that grew in their stead. When he beheld you returning 
 from the field with your golden sheaves, he was more pleased 
 than to have seen you loaded with the glittering trophies of war 
 and conquest. He disdained the thought that the sweat of your 
 brow should become the price of the pleasures of vhe great. He 
 strove to give you a peaceful residence under your own vine 
 and fig-tree. But now he is gone. You will see him no more, 
 only in his adlions, till the harvest of the world. 
 
 In the immense group of mourners, there is one, whose atti- 
 tude and whose features announce a deeper sorrow than all rhc 
 rest. It is thou. Lady Washington. The voice of thy 
 grief IS echoed back by a pensive sympathetic world : " My he- 
 ro George is gone ! My hero George is gone I" Who among 
 the queens of the earth have been blessed like thee ? Permit the 
 waiting angel to wipe away thy tears. Let thy sighs bear to 
 the heavens an incense of gratitude ; for if we may measure 
 the length of life by enjoyment, and if enjoyment arise from 
 the goodness of a consort, thou hast lived forever. 
 
 Of all ranks and ages, he was the guardian and the friend. 
 Though they said he was a God, he died as a man : let us not 
 murmur, but rather wonder, that his great and immortal soul, 
 should be contented to reside in a human form so long. 
 
 Gg 
 
034. WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Should Gothic darkness envelope the glebe ; should the 
 stars of light rush together and dissolve, the tomb of Washing- 
 ton .will stand defended by a visible glory. Pillars of fire ■will 
 hover around it, ■when every monument of art shall be demo- 
 lished. Angels -will innocently envy the renown of him who 
 loved and saved his country ; who was commissioned to do the 
 divine pleasure among tjie inhabitants of the earth ; and who 
 is now orcUiined to set at the head of all the spirits of just men 
 made perfect, in the realms of eternal joy. 
 
 Oration upon the death of general GzoncB WashinctoN) 
 delivered in the state-house at Trenton, By the rev, Sa- 
 muel StANHOPE SMiTHf D. D, president of the college of 
 Neiv-Jersey. 
 
 GREAT GOD ! we adore thy sovereign providence, which 
 hath smitten the father of his country, and left a nation 
 in tears. 
 
 My fellow-citizens ! your griefs are manly — they are ap- 
 "■proved of heaven — you mourn a father. All America rrrbigies. 
 her sighs with yours — foreign nations, admiring his achieve- 
 ments and his virtues, will fhink that liberty has lost a proteftor 
 among them — and even that great people from whom he wrest- 
 ed our freedom and independence, forgetting that they have lost 
 an empire by his wisdom and valor, will honor him with their 
 griefs and their praises. 
 
 His country is ercdling monuments and statues to his memo- 
 ry. Brass and marble shall express his glory But brass and 
 
 marble will decay, and the glory that is committed to them 
 alone will perish. Eloquence and history shall rear to him more 
 durable trophies. Historians shall immortalize their page with 
 the name of Washington ; and future orators shall quote it 
 with the names of Epaminondas, of Aristides and of Gate, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 235 
 
 to illuminate their discourse, and to enforce, by great exam- 
 ples, the virtues of a disinterested and heroic patriotism. But 
 his most lasting, and most noble monument shall be the affec- 
 tions of his countrymen, who will transmit their admiration of 
 him as an increasing inheritance to their latest posterity. To 
 testify the esteem, and to announce to the world,, the profound 
 regrets of a grateful country, poets and orators, and the minis- 
 ters of religion, have come forth to pronounce and re-echo his 
 praises throughout all America. How sublime, and how singu- 
 lar the glory ! Thus to receive the voluntary homage of a free 
 and a great people — the homage of equals paid, not to pre-emi- 
 nence of rank, but of virtue — not extorted by the command of 
 power, but the unconstrained effusion of the heart ! I also, at 
 your invitation, appear among them, with a zeal disproportioned 
 tomy strength, to pay my feeble tribute to the memory of a 
 man, deservedly so dear to every worthy and honest American. 
 — ^But ah ! I feel, in the beginning, that my words are unable 
 to reach the conceptions of my own mind, and that they must 
 fall far below the ideas and emotions which already occupy yours.. 
 One advantage, indeed, I may derive from hence, the only one 
 that inability can yield, which is, that when I have bestowed on 
 this illustrious citizen the highest-praises, I shall have the testi- 
 mony of your hearts, that I have said even less than the truth' — 
 fl ^Mr i-j^ .T shall have no need to have recourse to the base arts oiji*^ 
 to praise the most modest of men, who spurned from him, while i 
 
 living, all insincerity and adulation Oh ! if the occasion, 
 
 and the presence of this numerous and enlightened assembly, 
 could light up within me a spark of that eloquence which they 
 are so well fitted to enkindle, and could raise above itself a ge- 
 nius so far inferior to the subje£l, and the demands of public 
 expeftation, with what noble ideas should I fill your minds ! 
 What a warm impression would the recital of achievements, 
 and the display of talents and virtues like his, make upon your 
 hearts ! Certainly no hero, modern, or ancient, has ever offered 
 to the orator a more illustrious or fertile subjeft of that elo- 
 quence that is calculated to touch the heart, or to raise men 
 to the heights of virtue by great examples. 
 
236 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 In whom have ever shone -with more splendor the taknts of 
 war, in creating an army ; in successfully maintaining- hiniself 
 in the face of a superior enemy ; in inspiring with courage raw 
 troops ; in attr.ching soldiers to order and their country in the 
 midst of extreme hardships, and the injustice of their country 
 itself; in seizing victories by an enterprising bravery, when 
 enterprise was safe for the republic, or in conducing retreatg 
 that gained him no less glory than vidlorles ; in vanquishing 
 Iiis enemies by a firm undaunted courage, or consuming and 
 wasting them away by a wise and noble patience ? Where can 
 ■we find a conqueror so humble, so disinterested, so devoted 
 solely to his country — so serene, so sublime in adversity — so 
 modest in the midst of triumphs — in dangers so intrepid and 
 calm — and possessing such control over events by his prudence 
 jind perseverance ? 
 
 Other nations begin their eulogies of great men, by trac-r 
 ing their birth to some royal house, or some noble family. 
 This is the pr;;ise of slaves. Virti^e, talents, services, aie c-ur 
 nobility. Wliat glory could he h<\ve derived from a noble pa- 
 rentage, whose virtues would have added their chief splmdor 
 to thrones ? Such adventitious and accidental distinclions might 
 have lessened, but could not have augmented, that high and 
 solid fame which he now possesses. '1 he name of Washington 
 is surrounded with a lustre that eclipses that of kings : An"3 
 not his smallest praise is, that it Is all his own — it is derived 
 from the intrinsic worth and merit of the man — not a ray of 
 it is borrowed — his father was a plain but virtuous citizen. 
 
 Socrates believed that he was attended by a genius which 
 often gave him counsel and irstruclion, and watched over liis 
 safety — The genius (f Brutus abandoned him at the plains of 
 Phi lippi ; but the guardian genius of our hero, which never 
 fjrsook him, was that divine providence, which he always de- 
 voutly ackr,o\\leJg."d, ?ni which seemed to preside over him 
 •with a peculiar pudileftion from his birth, giving his mind that 
 happy impulse and din(!\on, and combining those fortunate 
 coincidences of events, which we have seen leading to success 
 and fame in all the important scenes of his life. 
 
WASKINGTOKIANA. 237 
 
 His first cclucation was direfted only to solid ar>d useful at- 
 tainments. Mathematical science, which contributes, perltaps, 
 mote than any other to strengthen the mind, and which is so 
 jntimately connetf^ed with the military srt, was the earlie-st, 
 and his favorite study. His exercises were manly and vigOr 
 rous ; his constitution was ac\ive and strong ; his port noble 
 and commanding ; his person graceful and majestic ; his coun- 
 tenance expressive of that benignity, that honor, that grai'dcur 
 of sentiment, that profound reflection, for which he w:'s dis- 
 tinguished. B'iit these are vulgar praises. He had a mind 
 capable of combining all the interests of his country ; a dis- 
 cernment capable of penetrating and defeating all the dcsij^ns 
 of its enemies, a heart capable of daring every danger in its 
 defence. 
 
 His dawn of life gave some auspicious presages of the splen- 
 dor of its meridian. Scarcely had he attained his twentieth 
 year, when he was employed by the government of Virginia, 
 his native state, in an enterprise as hazardous, as it avhs ho- 
 norable, which requiied all the prudence of age united with the 
 vigor and fire of youth. The armies of France threatened to 
 environ these states, tlien colonies of Great-Brirnin, and to en- 
 close them in a chain of fortifications, from the Lakes to New- 
 Orleans ; and they were artfully attaching to their own inte- 
 rests, and exciting against us, tiic fury of the savage nations. 
 Young Washington was charged to remonstrate with their 
 commander, to penetrate their designs, to estimate their 4(jrce, 
 to observe their works, and to conciliate, if possible, the affc-c- 
 tions of the native tribes. In the discharge of this trust, vou 
 see him, at an inclement season of the year, traverse the im- 
 mense forest alone. Amidst incessant rains and snows, and 
 over vast rivers, rendered almost impassible by ice, and sur- 
 rounded with lurking parties of hostile savages, he pursues his 
 course. When his horses are exhausted, he continues on foot 
 bis dangerous and difficult route ; he observes every thino- with 
 the eye of a warrior ; he marks out cites for fortresses ; he 
 measures the fortres^t s of the enemy ; he displays a firmness of 
 mind in the greatest dangers, a patience of fatigue in the 
 greatest difficulties, and a colisummate address in the condudl 
 
23S WASHIGNTONIANA. 
 
 of the wliolej that would have been "worthy the reputation of 
 the oldest commanders ; and finally, executes an arduous com- 
 mission in a manner that deserved and obtained universal ap- 
 plause* At an agewhtn other youth are pursuing only plea- 
 sures, and softening their minds and bodies by indulgence, he 
 is already hardening himself for the toils and dangers of war — 
 lie is pradlically studying mankind — and applying the science of 
 liuclid and Vaaban, to the defence of his country. 
 
 The war, which then menr,ced these infant settlements, soon 
 began to rage. The brave but impetuous Braddocl: was com- 
 riissioned to defend, in America, the honor, and the interests, 
 of Britain. In all the pride of European discipline, and British 
 valor, he despised an enemy who fought by stealth, and scorned 
 the admonitions of Washington, who was only a youth, but 
 %vho was a warrior by intuition, and who perceived, in a mo- 
 ment, every change which that formidable art ought to assume 
 from new circumstances. Surrounded in the forest by an ene- 
 my invisible, but dreadful, his ranks cut down by a hidden fire, 
 bis principal officers slain, and himself mortally wounded, amidst 
 carnage and death, where valor was useless, and discipline only 
 offered surer marks to the destruftive aim of the foe ; terror* 
 and despair overwhelmed every heart. Then our hero, all calm 
 and intrepid, and now left to pursue his own ideas, was seen on 
 the spot, to change the whole order of battle. With his brave 
 Virginians, he protedled the astonished battalions of Britain, 
 covered them under the buckler of America, and in the name 
 ^f his country, saved those armies, whom in her defence, he 
 was one d;iy to conquer. 'Jliey shouted him their deliverer ; 
 and tlie shores of Europe and America re-echoed the applauses 
 of the camp. 
 
 But it was when America called him to the head of her ar- 
 mies, in the long and bloody war which she was obliged to main- 
 tain, in defence of her rights, and her existence, aga\nst that na- 
 rion, become haughty and unjuit, that he displayed the full ex- 
 tent, and Variety, of his genius. Britain had cherished her co- 
 lonies in the new world, merely as instruments of commerce, 
 till their growing 'prosperity rendered them at length an ob- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 2:59 
 
 ieft, both of avarice and of ambition. Flushed with her tri- 
 umphs, under the auspices of the great Chatham, and rcjefting^ 
 after profiting by, the counsels of that sublime statesman, she 
 bad already, in imagination, swallowed our treasures — divided 
 our provinces among her princes — our cities and fields among her 
 nobles — and destined our husbandmen to be tenants and laborers 
 for her. America, roused to defend rights that were dearer to 
 her than her existence, but unprepared to meet an attack v;hich 
 she had not expelled from a parent nation, had nothing to op- 
 pose to this formidable invasion, but her unconquerable love of 
 liberty, her virtue and Washington* 
 
 How unequal was the ccnfll£l between a young country, in the 
 very infancy of her Improvements — possessing, as yet, only a few 
 husbandmen scattered over, an unwieldly territory — nursed irt 
 habits of veneration and obedience to her invader — without an 
 organized government to condudl the necessary operations of her 
 defence — destitute of clothing, of ammunition, and almost of 
 arms, for her few soldiers- — and rendered still more in^potent by an 
 -injudicious system of finance bottomed upon no funds-i-and, on 
 the other hand, a mighty nation in the mjdst of her glory- 
 grown old in vidlories — whose numerous and veteran armies had 
 just humbled the first power in Europe — whose fleets covered and 
 ruled the ocean — and who commanded, by her commerce, half 
 the wealth of the world 1 If we counted only the resources of 
 America, and the number of her troops, wcrjld we not pronounce 
 that she was already vanquished ? But the talents of her leader 
 were in the room of armies, and of treasures ; and his success 
 undeniably ranks him among the greatest generals in the uni- 
 verse. He had to compensate, by address, the defecl of energy 
 in the government — to make personal influence supply the want 
 of money*, and of almost every necessary for a camp — to ma- 
 nage with skill the faprices of liberty itself, which are so often 
 ruinous to its own interests — to conciliate to the service, men 
 irritated by disappointment, and the injustice, though, perhaps, 
 the necessary injustice, of their country — and to raise the cou- 
 rage of those who were already subdued by want. You see him, 
 at one time, patiently preparing the train of events for some 
 g^eat effecl — at another, anticipating them by a bold and dec!- 
 
2-tO WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 sivc stroke. Sometimes he stoops upon vidlory like an eagle, 
 and sametinies lie renders it sure by a prudent deliiy. He always 
 rises tVoni deieat like a conqueror, and, in the end, obliges the 
 
 enemy to abandon the post which they had seized. In 
 
 all changes of fortune, he is serene, colle£led and sublime. 
 Success Cannot elate him. No reverse can sink his courage, 
 or s'uake his firnines. And you behold him with equal ad- 
 miration, when compelled to retire, with the broken remains 
 of iiis army, across the Jersies, as when he entered in triumph 
 over the demolished fortifications of York, and, by one splen- 
 did action, put a period to the war. 
 
 The details pf his e:xploIts I leave to the historian. They 
 will instruft the remotest ages. They are still recent in your 
 memory. The children of America repeat them with enthusi- 
 asm. Kis first acl was to expel the enemy from Boston, and 
 to restore to the nation that important capital. Afterwards, 
 when in the face of a thousand ships, and an immense army, he 
 was obliged to retire before superior numbers from the open and 
 defenceless city of Nev/-York, if, for a moment, ignorance and 
 impatience impeached his courage, or his skill, the returning 
 reflsdtion of his fellow-citizens approved his prudence, and ap- 
 plauded his firmness. Conscious of doing what a patriotic gen- 
 eral ought to do, he felt all the humiliation of unfounded cen- 
 sure ; bnt he was willing to bear the folly, and the injuflice of 
 his countrymen, for the salvation of his country. He was not 
 among those frantic heroes, who, to gain the vain reputation 
 of a thoughtless bravery, will hazard the safety of their coun- 
 try itself. Though he loved glory, the interests of America 
 ■were dearer to him than his own fame. Her circumstances, at 
 that moment, imperiously forbade him to risk the existence of 
 his smalKarmy. His lofty soul was incapable of fear : he even 
 seemed to acquire new energies at the approach of danger ; but 
 a cool and comprehensive wisdom tempered the ardent impulses 
 of his courage ; and he nov/ resolved, like a great general, to ex- 
 pose nothing to hazard which he could defend by prudence, and 
 not to force fortune where he was sure of gaining her by a wise 
 delay. He retired before the enemy, always commanding their 
 respect by his well chosen positions, till, having gained the farther 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 241 
 
 shore of the Delaware, he there arrested their progress, and 
 there triumphantly turned the tide of the war. The place on 
 which I stand is consecrated by his triumphs — your streets have 
 flowed with hostile blood — here viftory first returned to his stan- 
 dard, which, for a moment, she had abandoned. Trenton 1 
 and Princeton ! names rendered dear to your country by 
 exploits that will be forever combined with them in his- 
 tory, on your plains hope was first rekindled in the bosom of 
 America. 
 
 Despondency had begun to seize the public mind. It was 
 necessary to restore its vigor by some brilliant aclion ; aiid 
 Washington, who, at one time, so prudently retired from dan- 
 ger, was now determined to put all to hazard — he had been will- 
 ing to survive misfortune only to retrieve it — he was now pre- 
 pared to die, or resolved to conquer..- 1 see him, in the depth 
 
 of winter, with an army, scarcely half clothed, and small in 
 number, his mind laboring with some vast, and almost desperate 
 purpose, struggling with the ice, and with the torrent, forcing 
 his way across the Delaware. Supported by a few militia, brave 
 but undisciplined, his circumstances were infinitely critical. An 
 impassable river was now behind him, a superior enemy in 
 front, separated from him only by a small ravine. The evening 
 closed under a tremendous cannonade. Both armies, lighting 
 their fires, and setting their guards, were waiting, in anxious 
 suspense, the approach of the morning. The fate of America 
 seemed to be staked on the event of one great and decisive bat- 
 tle. Then the military talents of the American hero shone 
 forth with new splendor, and revived, and fixed, the wavering 
 confidence of his country. By one of those happy strokes of 
 genius that distinguish only great generals, he broke all the plans 
 of his foes, and rolled the waves of misfortune back upon 
 themselves. In the night he passed unperceived the army in his 
 front, attacked an important post in their rear, carried it sword 
 in hand, and awakened them to a sense of all their danger, and 
 their shame, by the sound of viclory from Princeton.— 
 Princeton ! thy fields rendered sacred by the blood of Mer- 
 Cer, and illustrious by the anions of Washington, shall be 
 
 Hh 
 
242 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 forever conneded in history with his glory — thy sons shall here- 
 after vie with one another in eloquence and song, to celebrate 
 his fame, and pointing to the spot where Washington triumph- 
 ed, shall perceive their genius kindled with new fires, and from 
 him derive, while they confer, immortality. 
 
 The plan of the general was to hasten to Brunswick, and 
 seize the enemy's arsenal, stores, and military chests, deposited 
 there ; but his troops, harrassed and exhausted with incessant 
 labors, marches and contti6ls, were unable to accomplish the 
 grandeur of his views. The British commander, in the ut- 
 most consternation, flew to their prote(f;iion. The American, with 
 a wisdom worthy the celebrated dicSlator who saved Rome, im- 
 mediately occupied the hills that overlooked the strong position 
 of the enemy, on the summits of which he hung like some dark 
 and terrible cloud impregnated with thunder, and continually 
 threatening to burst upon them.* He straitens their quarters— . 
 he drives in their posts — he cuts off their parties — he reani- 
 mates the courage of the militia of New- Jersey ; and, by prac- 
 tising them in daily combats, renders them at length, under the 
 condud of a few gallant officers, worthy to fight by the side of 
 veterans — he expels the enemy from a state which they had so 
 cruelly ravaged. 
 
 By the aid of their navy, they were enabled rapidly to trans- 
 port themselves to the greatest distances ; and the American 
 general was obliged to be ready to meet them at every point. He 
 met them on the Brandywine, where the timidity, or the treach- 
 ery of the men employed to bring him intelligence of their 
 movements, defeated on. of the wisest and most brilliant plans 
 of the war, which would probably have put in his possession 
 their artillery, their baggage, and their whole camp.f But 
 
 ♦ The image ivbicb Hannibal applied to Fabius, 
 
 t '^k^ intention of the general was, to permit the enemy to 
 cross the Brandywine above bim, and, while tbey imagined tbey 
 were taking bim injlank, to pucb forward bis main body, and 
 surprise their camp on the ether side of tbe rivtr, which would 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 243 
 
 Heaven had resolved to protradl their fate ; and they entered 
 the capital of Pennsylvania. 
 
 While encamped at the Valley forge under every disadvan- 
 tage to which a commander could be subjeft, and suiFering the 
 most cruel negledl, not to say injustice of his country, he sur- 
 prised a division of their army on the heights of Germantown, 
 and in the moment that victory was declaring for his arms, and 
 their routed legions were fleeing in every diredion, a voice, a 
 whisper, one of those invisible and unaccountable accidents 
 which so frequently decide the fate of battles, wrested the prize 
 out of his hands. But his unconquerable energy, his infinite 
 resources in misfortune, robbed them of all the fruits of their 
 success. They dared no longer venture out of their entrench- 
 ments, and he held them enchained in Philadelphia. 
 
 The generals of Britain, contending in vain against the inde- 
 fatigable courage, and the inexhaustible resources of the Ame- 
 rican hero, who, though at the head of a feeble and ill-appoint- 
 ed army, was often vidlorious, and who reaped even from defeat 
 the fruits of vidlory, resolved to abandon to him Pennsylvania, 
 as they had before yielded New-Jersey. 
 
 Then you saw him on the burning plains of Monmouth, ral- 
 lying his broken van, and leading it onto anew charge ; expos- 
 ing himself like a common soldier, present in every place almost 
 at the same moment ; and while men were fainting, and dying in 
 their ranks with fatigue, and heat, and thirst, refusing to rest, 
 or to taste refreshment till vidory gave him a right to repose. 
 
 have cut off their retreat, end been probably follo'wed by their 
 total ruin. His runners, whether intimidated, or corrupted, 
 persisted to assure binit in the most solemn manner, that the 
 British Jorce.s had not crossed in the places inhere he certainly 
 expected them, and deceived him with regard to their real move~ 
 ments, till it was too late to execute his design. He was com~ 
 pelled to retreat. And a few days afterwards, when he offered 
 them battle again in the Great-Valley the elements fought 
 (igainst him A 
 
244 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 With pleasure I see in this assembly your rxcELLEycY,* 
 and so many other brave officers, who were there -witnessfs of 
 his glory, and who bore no small share in the dangers, and the 
 honors of that memorable day. 
 
 The twenty-ninth June gave rest to the northern states ; 
 and Britain, despairing to be able to contend with Washing- 
 ton, determined to bend all her force against the south. But 
 there she met the wise aid gallant Greene, who was worthy 
 to be the brother of Washington. Greene was cutting ofF 
 her garrisons, and her armies in detail. But her main army, 
 under the conduft of the bravest and most enterprising of her 
 generals, was still reserved to adorn the triumphs of the first 
 hero of America. 
 
 Historians aviU relate with what admirable combination 
 he formed the plan, and concerted its execution, with an ally 
 separated from him by more than a thousand leagues, for sur- 
 prising and entangling in his toils his adive foe — with what 
 address he diverted the attention of the British commanders— 
 and how, after a march of four hundred miles, he had so a- 
 mused and blinded them, that he still found his enemy in the 
 place where he determined to seize him. America will fore- 
 ver record that happy day In which her vidorlous chief saw 
 Britain laying her last standards at his feet. I seem to partici- 
 pate with him that generous exultation, that noble triumph of 
 soul, which, in this moment, he felt. Not that he was capa- 
 ble, with unmanly insolence, of exulting over a prostrate ene- 
 my, but he saw, In their fall, the salvation of his country. 
 On the ruins of York he laid the Immortal base of the re- 
 public. How delicious ! How sublime was the moment ! Bri- 
 tain was humbled* — .America was delivered and avenged. 
 
 * Governor Howell, ivho followed the bier as chief mourner* 
 
 t Such expressions as this cannot reasonbly be supposed to 
 be intended to cherish national prejudices, or to inflame nation- 
 al antipathies* They are used by the writers of every country 
 in celebrating their eminent statesmen^ and their heroes. The^ 
 
WASHINGTONJANA. 245 
 
 The war terminated, PEACE restored, and tlie liberties of a 
 new world established on the firmest foundations, the concluding 
 scene was the most august and interesting that the history of 
 
 nations has, perhaps, ever presented. Other conquerors 
 
 have considered viftory as the mean of grasping unlawful pow- 
 er. — The soul of Washington was more sublime. — He regarded 
 in his viflories only the peace and happiness of a great nation. 
 A fine morality tempered and reigned in the midst of his heroic 
 qualities. The characfler of a patriot, he consideied as superior 
 to that of a hero ; and tobea renowned warrior was less in his es- 
 teem, than to be a good man. He hastens, therefore, to the 
 seat of congress, to resign into the hands of the fathers of his 
 country, the powers with which they had invested him, and 
 which he had so nobly employed in its defence. — August specla- 
 cle ! Illustrious chief ! He was so far elevated above the rest 
 of mankind, that no way was left for him to become greater 
 but by humbling himself. The hero enters the hall surrounded 
 with all his virtues, his services, and his glories, of which no 
 one but himself seemed to be unconscious. This awful assem- 
 bly received him as the founder, and the guardian, of the re- 
 public. Every heart was big with emotion. Silently they 
 retraced the scenes of afiiidlion and danger through which they 
 had passed together — They recalled to mind the peace and free- 
 dom purchased by his arm — They regarded with veneration 
 that great man, who appeared more great and worthy of esteem 
 in resigning, than he had done in gloriously using, his power. 
 In an impressive speech he laid down all his public employments, 
 and took of them an afFedionate leave. At the contemplation 
 of such rare virtue, and moved at the recolle«Slion of so many in- 
 teresting scenes, tears of admiration and gratitude burst from 
 every eye. The hero, touched with the general emotion, 
 wet his cheek with a manly tear, while he deposited his sword 
 under the laws, which he had covered with his shield. 
 
 indicate sensations that were natural and laivful on the occasion, 
 but are afterwards forgotten in the relations of amity-, and com- 
 mercial inlercourse. 
 
246 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Thk last acl of aspeftacle so afFefting was an a 61 of religion. 
 Great example for legislators, rulers, warriors — for all who 
 cither possess elevated stations, or who aim at high and solid 
 fame ! In that august presence, he worships the Ruler of the 
 Universe — he commends the interests of his dearest country 
 to the protedion of Almighty God — and there, in the temple 
 of the laws, he offers to heaven the incense of a nation, from 
 
 the altar of his own pure and noble heart. This done, he 
 
 retires, amidst the vows, and prayers, and blessings, of a 
 grateful and admiring country, to the peaceful shade of Vernon. 
 Not like those heroes who build their glory on the misery of the 
 human race, and whose restless souls are forever tossed in the 
 tempests of ambition, he sought only peace by war, and re- 
 turned from its cruel and bloody fields with delight, to the first 
 innocent employments of human nature. 
 
 Let us contemplate him, a moment, in this ketirement, 
 which he always chose with such predileftion when the service 
 of his country would permit him to enjoy it. 
 
 In private life he was as amiable, as virtuous, and as 
 great, as he appeared sublime on the public theatre of the 
 world. How many conquerors, renowned in history, have been 
 great only while they afted a conspicuous part under the obser- 
 vation of mankind! The soul, in such a situation, perceives 
 an artificial elevation — it assumes the sentiments of virtue cor- 
 responding to the grandeur of the objeds that surround it. In 
 private, it subsides into itself ; and, in the ordinary details 
 of life and condudl, the men, who seemed to be raised above 
 others by the splendor of some rare occasions, now sink below 
 them — they are degraded by their passions — those who were able 
 to command armies, have lost the power of self-command— 
 and when they are not heroes^ they are nothing. Washington, 
 was always equal to himself. There was a dignity in the man- 
 ner in which he performed the smallest things. A majesty 
 surrounded him that seemed to humble those who approached 
 him, at the same time that there was a benignity in his man- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 147 
 
 ners that invited their confidence and esteem, His virtues, al- 
 ways elevated and splendid, shone only with a milder light by 
 being placed in the vale of retirement. He was sincere, modest, 
 upright, humane ; a friend of religion ; the idol of his neigh- 
 bors as well as of his country ; magnificent in his hospitality, but 
 plain in his manners, and simple in his equipage. And the motives 
 of these virtues we are not to seek in a vain afFeftation of popula- 
 rity which has often enabled the cunning and the artful to make 
 great sacrifices to public opinion, but in the native impulse and 
 goodness of his heart. — His emotions, naturally strong, and 
 ardent, as they are, perhaps, in all great men, he had com- 
 pletely subjefled to the controul of reason, and placed under the 
 guard of such a vigilant prudence, that he never suffered him- 
 self to be surprised by them. Philosophy and religion in his 
 breast had obtained a noble triumph : and his first title to com- 
 mand over others, was his perfeft commandof himself. Such a sub- 
 lime idea had he formed of man, that in him you never detedl- 
 ed any of the littlenesses of the passions. His consummate pru- 
 dence, which was one of his most charadleristic qualities, and 
 which never forsook him for a moment, contributed to fix the 
 affeftions and the confidence of his fellow-citizens, which he had 
 acquired by his talents. — Eminently distinguished for his conju- 
 gal and domestic virtues, the perfe£l purity of his private mo- 
 rals added not a little to that dignity of charafter in which he 
 was superior to all men. There is a majesty in virtue, which 
 commands the respeft, even of those who do not love it, and 
 which gives to great talents their highest lustre. — Ah ! if the 
 ambitious knew, or were willing to estimate its influence on 
 reputation, and its powerful command over the minds of men, 
 they would study to be virtuous from self-interest. 
 
 Need I tell you, who know the terms on which he performed 
 the greatest services that were ever rendered to a nation, how 
 disinterested and noble was his nature ? How dear would not a 
 mercenary man have sold bis toils, his dangers, and above all, 
 bis successes ? What schemes of grandeur, and of power, 
 would not an ambitious man have built upon the affedions 
 of the people and the army ? The only wealth which he 
 sought to draw from them, was the riches of his country— 
 
248 WASHINGTON! AN A. 
 
 the only reward, the love cf his fellow-citizens, and the con-» 
 scioasness of his own heart. 
 
 His whole charadler was consistent. Equally Industrious 
 ■with his plough as with his sword, he esteemed idleness and inu- 
 tility the greatest disgrace of man, whose powers attain perfec- 
 tion only by constant and vigorous action, and who is placed 
 by providence in so many social relations, only to do good. 
 Every thing round him was marked with a dignified simplicity. 
 While so many afFeft fastidiously to display their wealth in sump- 
 tuous edifices, and splendid equipages, and incur infinitely 
 more expense to be envied and hated, than would be sufficient 
 to make themselves adored, 1:1s mansion was as modest as his 
 heart. Strangers from all nations, who visited it, went, not to 
 to admire a magnificent pile, but to gratify a noble curiosity in 
 seeing the first man in the world. Palaces, and columns, and 
 porticos, would have shrunk beside him, and scarcely have been 
 seen. Like the imperial palace of Marcus Aurelius at Rome, 
 the plain and modest walls resembled some august temple, which 
 has no ornament but the Diety that inhabits it.* You approach- 
 ed it with reference as the retreat of a hero, the venerable a- 
 bode of all the virtues. He had no need to seek a false glo- 
 ry by any exterior display of magnificence, who possessed such 
 intrinsic worth and grandeur of soul. Every where he goes 
 without any attendants but his virtues — he travel.^ without 
 pomp ; but every one surrounds him, in imagination, with his 
 vidoiles, his triumphs, his glorious toils, his public services. 
 How sublime is this simplicity ! How superior to all the fastu- 
 ous magn'ficence of luxury ! Thus he lived, discharging, with- 
 out ostentation, all the civil, social, and domestic, offices of life 
 — temperate in his desires — faithful to his duties — retiring from 
 fame, which every where pursued him — living like a beneficent 
 deity in the bosom of his family, its delight, and its glory. 
 
 Amiable woman ! ?ole partner of his dearest pleasures, who 
 enjoyed most intimately, and who best knew, his worth, your 
 
 * A speech put by Mr. Thomas into the mouth of Apollonius 
 a philcsGpher, and the friend of Marcus» 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 249 
 
 everwhelming griefs, the desolation of your heart, under this 
 stroke, testify the preciousness of what you have lost. In the 
 full tide of happiness, in a moment, in one terrible instant, more 
 than empires has been ravished from your embrace. Oh ! if a 
 nation's tears can yield you any consolation, the tears of a na- 
 tion are mingled with yours. But, alas ! while they console, 
 they remind you, by a new prodf, of the value of what heavea 
 has taken — has taken, perhaps in mercy, that, when your Savior 
 shall call also for you, earth may not have a rival to him in 
 your heart. 
 
 But, my fellow-citizens, among the noblest ornaments of this 
 extraordinary man, "was his humility and his respeft for religion. 
 Humility was the veil thro' which his virtues shone with a more 
 amiable, because less dazzling, lustre. Never, in conversation, 
 did you hear him mention those illustrious achievements, which 
 had rendered his name so famous throughout the world. In read- 
 ing his official letters, in which he is obliged by his duty to an- 
 nounce his successes, you would hardly suppose that any part of 
 them was to be ascribed to his valor, or his skill. You are even 
 in doubt if fame herself has not mistaken in attributing to him 
 such great adlions.* 
 
 What a spirit of piety, what a constant acknowledgement of 
 the agency and goodness of divine providence, breathes through 
 all his public addresses to his army, to his fellow-citizens, to 
 congress ! — Ah ! how difficult is it to receive the applause of na- 
 tions with humility ! to be exalted almost to heaven on the voice 
 of fame, and not to feel that elation of mind, which raises a 
 mortal above the lowly place which every creature ought to hold 
 in the presence of Almighty God ! Something there is in the 
 command of armies, where one man wields the force of thou- 
 sands, in the tumult of battles, in the splendor of triuniphs, 
 that is apt to intoxicate the heart, and to elevate it beyond it- 
 self. But this great general, after his vi<Slories, was always 
 found modest and humble before the throne of the eternal. 
 Like Moses, in the presence of God, he alone seemed not to be 
 
 * Ti>is was said also of ibe Marshal Tureiuie, 
 
 I i 
 
250 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 conscious of the splendor that surrounded himself.* The same 
 veneration fur religion, and the same profound respect for its in- 
 stitutions, marked all his private deportment : And we have 
 seen with what a serene and steady lustre his hopes from it shone 
 in the concluding scene of life. 
 
 The talents of this great citizen we have now to exhibit in a 
 new light — as a legislator — and the civil chief of the 
 American confederacy. — If it affords a subjedi less brilliant to 
 the orator than his military career, it is not less instruftive to 
 mankind. 
 
 Scarcely had he begun to enjoy his beloved repose when the 
 imbecility of that system, under which the states had originally 
 confederated, discovered itself by so many pernicious conse- 
 quences, destructive of national honor and prosperity, and dan- 
 gerous to national existence, that it became necessary to frame 
 a government invested with greater energy, more justly balanc- 
 ed, and able to adl more dire£lly upon all parts of the Union. 
 This necessity his penetrating judgment had long foreseen, while 
 he was yet commander of the army, and the wisdom of giving 
 a new form to the confederacy he had frequently urged. Ame- 
 rica, always enlightened, and wise even in the midst of her er- 
 rors, resolved, at length, to pursue this sage policy : And 
 Washington, whose prowess in the field had so conspicuously 
 contributed to establish her liberty, was the first among that 
 band of patriots who met to render it secure by placing it under 
 the protection of the most admirable laws. Here he displayed 
 the talents of a great legislator, and proved himself to be as wise 
 in council, as he had been glorious in arms. The excellence of 
 that constitution which was the illustrious fruit of their labors, 
 and which republican France, in repeated efforts, has, hitherto, 
 vainly attempted to imitate, has now been confirmed by the hap- 
 py experience of ten years. Public credit has been restored — 
 industry has received a new spring — commercial enterpnze is ex- 
 
 * Jb. Flecb. orais. funeb. Mar, Tur^ 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 251 
 
 tended to every spot npon the globe — agriculture flourishes- 
 towns and cities are daily founded, extended, and beautified — 
 population and riches increase — and even the debts of the revo- 
 lutionary war are converted into a species of wealth. 
 
 But, antecedently to that e-xperience which now justifies its 
 wisdom, the name of Washington was necessary to give it au- 
 thority, and to recommend it to the confidence of the Ameri- 
 can people. By their unanimous voice, throughout a region of 
 fifteen hundred miles in extent, he was called to hold the first 
 magistracy in the confederated republic. — Merciful God ! what 
 a felicity to my country, that this revered and beloved citizen 
 was yet preserved to assume, Avith his firm and resolute hand, 
 the helm of government in such a perilous and doubtful season 1 
 Inestimable patriot ! who wast willing to put to risk a reputa- 
 tion which it was believed, already above all addition, could on- 
 ly be diminished by any change. Ah ! thy fellow-citizens were 
 ignorant of the full extent of those talents which they have 
 since beheld, with astonishment, as great in peace, as in war, 
 in deliberation, as in execution — One of the noblest a£ls, in a 
 life full of illustrious aftions, was the resolution to stake his 
 unexampled fame, and to employ the whole force of his un- 
 bounded popularity, to rescue his country from the degraded 
 and imbecile state into which it had fallen under the old system, 
 and to give an operation, and efficiency, that would overcome 
 all opposition, to a government which he regarded as essentially 
 connected with its prosperity and glory. 
 
 On this high and untried office he entered with that modesty 
 which is one criterion of great minds, and which marked his 
 whole charafter through life — he executed it with that unshaken 
 firmness which is the result of conscious reftitude, of ripe and 
 wise deliberation, and of the imperious sentiment of duty in a 
 virtuous heart. Less splendor and eclat, indeed, attend the re-, 
 tired labors of the cabinet, than the march of armies, the cap- 
 ture of towns, and the triumph of vidtories ; but often they re- 
 quire talents of a superior kind, and often possess an influence 
 more extensive on the felicity of nations, 
 
252 WASHINGTONJANA. 
 
 Under his administration, the United States enjoyed prospe- 
 rity and liappiness at home, and, by tlie energy of the govern- 
 ment, regained, in the old world, that importance and reputa- 
 tion which, by its weakness, they had lost. — Arduous was his 
 task — innumerable were the difficulties he had to encounter, 
 from the passions, the confllcling interests, the ambition, and 
 the disappointment of men. His own virtue, and the confidence 
 of the nation, supported him. And, amidst all the clamours 
 which the violence of fudlion, or individual chagrin, have rais- 
 ed against the general administration, none have ever dared to 
 impeach the purity of his patriotism, or his incorruptible inte- 
 grity. 
 
 His retreat at Mount- Vernon, grown so dear to him by in- 
 clination, by habit, and by that love of repose natural to ad- 
 vancing years, he had forsaken only to serve the republic, and 
 to give, to a new and untried government, a firm tone, and a 
 steady operation. At the expiration of the first period of hii 
 magistracy, therefore, he was desirous of returning to that pri- 
 vate life which was dearer to him than all things else, except 
 America. Ambition had no charms for him. His felicity was 
 to see his country happy ; and his modesty led him to hope that 
 her happiness might now be equally secure in pther hands. All 
 true Americans, at this moment, resisted his inclinations with 
 the most affeflionate importunity ; and he was persuaded to re- 
 sume the arduous cares of the state. 
 
 The crisis was important. An universal war raged in Eu- 
 rope, and was carried on with the most rancorous and extermi- 
 nating passions. The hostile nations, inflamed against each 
 other with a fury beyond all former example, for they fought 
 for their existence, would scarcely endure a neutral. America 
 ■xras, every moment, threatened, by force, or by intrigue, to be 
 drawn into the vortex. Strong parties in her own bosom ren- 
 dered the danger more imminent ; and it required a government 
 firm, temperate, but inflexible, to prevent the evil. This great 
 and heroic magistrate, charged with all her foreign relations, 
 was not to be moved from her true interests. His objeft was 
 America. And her interest, in the midst of this terrible con-i 
 
WASIIINGTONIANA. 2^3 
 
 fl*i£l of nation', was to remain in peace. Faflion at home, and 
 intrigue and menace from ai)road, endeavor to shake him — in 
 vain — he remains serene and immovable in the storm that sur- 
 rounds him. Foreign intrigue he defeats — foreign insolence he 
 represses — domestic fiicTtion, dashing against him, breaks itself 
 to pieces. He meets the injustice, indeed, both of Britain and 
 of France, by negociation, rather than by a precipi.tate decla- 
 ration of war ; but maintains towards them that firm and com- 
 manding attitude which becomes the head of a free and great 
 republic. He obliges them to respedl him ; and preserves the 
 tranquility of his country. As an American, he knows no na- 
 tion but as friends in peace, in war as enemies. Towards one 
 he forgets ancient animosities when it is useless to remember 
 them. Towards another he renounces a chimerical gratitude 
 when it is claimed only to involve us in fruitless calamities ; 
 perhaps, to put into their hands a dangerous empire over our 
 own, and over other nations. 
 
 And now, my countrymen, behold, in the prosperity that 
 surrounds you, the happy effefts of this wise policy. See the 
 desolated regions of Europe — compare their endless revolutions, 
 their ferocious tyrannies, their murders, their massacres, their 
 brutal violations of virgin honor, and conjugal fidelity, their 
 ■wasted plains, their plundered cities, with our peaceful and flou- 
 rishing state ; and bless the memory of Washington, to whose 
 prudence and magnanimity, shall I not say in spite of your- 
 selves ? you owe it. Had not his firm patriotism, and his sa^e 
 councils prevailed, what might not have been our present con- 
 dition ? I tremble to imagine it. We might, by the audacity* 
 of foreigners, have been stripped of the power of self-govern- 
 ment — we might have looked only on pillaged towns, and a de- 
 solate shore— we might have seen the sacred asylum of our fami- 
 lies polluted with lust and murder — we might have been the prey 
 of civil discord — we might, like the wretched inhabitants of 
 Saint-Domingo, have been the dreadful viclims of domestic 
 
 treason Unhappy the nation who permits a more powerful 
 
 foreigner to obtain an ascendant in her councils 1 
 
254 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Let me not forget that, amidst his cares for our foreign re- 
 lations, he chastised and repressed the inroads of the savage 
 tribes upon our frontiers, by the arms of the gallant Wayne. 
 And, -when rebellion dared to raise an impious front against the 
 laws, he infused new energy into the government, by the promp- 
 titude and decision with which he crushed it. 
 
 To recapitulate, in one word, the events of an administra- 
 tion as wise as it has been successful — public credit has been 
 restored — public peace has "been preserved, notwithstanding the 
 most powerful efforts to disturb it-^domestic fa£lion has been 
 kept under control — foreign intrigue and insolence have been 
 defeated and repressed — foreign nations have been compelled to 
 respe£l the republic- — its power has been encreased — its resources 
 have been multiplied — a savage war has been terminated — rebel- 
 lion has been punished — the laws have been strengthened — and 
 energy and stability have been infused into the government. 
 
 With this wise statesman it was an Invariable principle of 
 policy, that we can never be secure against the injustice of fo- 
 reign nations while we do not possess the power of commanding 
 respeft, and punishing aggression. Weak intreaties, pusillani- 
 mous concessions, only invite indignities : For, unfortunately, 
 power is right in the morality of republics as well as of kings. 
 The defence of our commerce, therefore, the fortification of 
 our ports, and the effedual organization of our military force, 
 were objeds towards which he ever directed a solicitous atteur 
 tion. 
 
 Behold, then, this illustrious man, no less sublime as a 
 statesman, than as a warrior ! His character is a constellation 
 of all the greatest qualities that dignify or adorn human nature. 
 The virtues and the talents which, in other instances, are divid- 
 ed among many, are combined in him. 
 
 Having rendered such invaluable services to the state, and 
 accomplished every obje£t for which he had re-entered into pub- 
 lic life, his desire to return to privacy and retirement could no 
 longer be resisted. A second time he gave the world the great 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 255 
 
 an^ rare example of voluntarily descending from the first station 
 in the universe, the hea^ of a free people, placed there by their 
 unanimous suffrage, and continued there with a zeal only not 
 idolatrous, to the rank of a phiin and simple citizen, obedient 
 to those laws which ambition would have placed its glory in 
 controlling. The pride of reigning he despised. Its labors he 
 endured only for his country. And, whtn he could, he cast it 
 from him as a bauble to which his soul was stiperior. 
 
 On Mount- Vernon he enjoyed his family and his virtue ; but 
 still prepared to sacrifice all his dearest predilt£\ions whenever 
 his beloved country should demand his aid. Unfortunately, it 
 was too soon required. The injustice of a foreign nation had 
 compelled her to arm ; and he was coming forth to defend her 
 under the shade of those laurels which he had gathered in her 
 
 service. But the ruler of the Universe, the God of armies, 
 
 had otherwise determined. — Ah 1 in what an eventful crisis of 
 the world — in what a dubious and alarming moment for Ame- 
 rica, hath she lost her hero ! — Great God 1 thy councils are in- 
 scrutable ! 
 
 He died as he had lived, with that serenity of mind, and that 
 composed fortitude, which had ever distinguished his charafter. 
 Death has no terrors to a pure soul which already derives its su- 
 preme pleasures from virtue. There are ardent and impetuous 
 spirits who can affront death in the field, who are not able to 
 regard it with a calm and steady eye in the thoughtful scenes 
 of retirement, and under the pressure of disease. The fire and 
 tumult of battle transport them beyond themselves — honor im- 
 pels them — and the observation of thousands imparts to the 
 mind an artificial force. But, in the silent chamber, where no 
 foreign impulse supports the heart, and it is not sustained by a 
 consoling retrospect on life, they often shrink from the idea of 
 dissolution, and of the destinies of eternity ; and those who 
 seemed to be more than men in the terrible hour of conflift, have 
 been seen to be less than men upon the bed of death. Our he- 
 ro was the same in that moment as in all the past — magnani- 
 mous, firm, confiding in the mercy, resigned to the will, of 
 heaven^ Ah ! with what beauty does religion shine in the con- 
 
25G WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 cliidiiig scene of sugIi a life ! How precious the hope of iiTunor^ 
 
 taiity in such a moment ! Rising on his own faith, and on 
 
 the prayers of millions, to the throne of the eternal, he receives 
 in heaven the reward of those illustrious services to his country, 
 and to human nature, which could never be paid him upon earth.* 
 
 Such in peace and in war, in private and in public life, was 
 thctt illustrious man whom all America this day mourns, whom 
 foreign nations lament, and whom the most distant time shall 
 crown with cont^ ally new praises. If I have not been able 
 to rise to the dignity of my subje(5l, I have, at least, endea- 
 vored to 'scharge the office of a good citizen, in paying my 
 homage to the departed father of his country. Other orators 
 will rise to do him justice — history will preserve the remem- 
 brance of his great qualities to the remotest ages — his memory 
 will forever be his highest eulogy. 
 
 The praise that is now paid to such distinguished merit can 
 no longer be suspeiiled of adulation. The universal impulse of 
 the nation diftates it — the first magistrate of America, the 
 friend of Washington, in a stile worthy himself, and worthy his 
 great co-patriot, has given the example of it f — the supreme 
 legislature of the Union have decreed him the noblest ^nors — 
 communities and individuals vie with one another in the testi- 
 monies of their resped and veneration. It is a great republi- 
 can duty to crown with honors and with eulogies pre-eminent 
 merit, and. public services. Glory is the only reward which is 
 worthy free states to bestow, or patriots to receive. All others, 
 seizing on the principles of avarice, vanity, or pleasure, render 
 the love of country only a secondary passion. The rewards of 
 glory, to which sublime souls have always been devoted, still 
 
 * AnsT^'er of congress to his speech oji resig7iin^ his office of 
 (ommander in chief. 
 
 t See the president's answer to the address of condolence pre^ 
 s*i.tid by the senate. 
 
WASKINGTONIANA. 257 
 
 leave our country to be the first obje£t in the heart. They are 
 the homage which nations pay to superior virtue. Egypt, by 
 her funeral panegyrics, first taught the world the influence of 
 posthumous glory to create wise magistrates, illustrious heroes, 
 and virtuous citizens. Greece, by the aid of her laurel and her 
 ivy, of her statuaries and her painters, and above all, of her 
 historians and her orators, rendered her citizens the admiration 
 and the envy of the universe. Letters are more durable than 
 marble. Long since, the monuments of Trajan and Agriccla 
 have perished ; but the glory of the one, and the virtues of the 
 other, shall exist forever, embalmed by the genius of Pliny and 
 of Tacitus. Yet, brass and marble shall i\5|',be wanting^ to re- 
 cord his fame. A monument, worthy a great nation, shall rise 
 to him in the new capitol, that, like the capitol of /7ome, shtll 
 be the centre of a universe of its own. Yield ! excellent lady ! 
 who hast already known how to make so many sacrifices to thy 
 country, yield to our solicitations his precious remains, that, 
 laid at the foundation of those walls whence issue our laws, he" 
 may still seem to be the support of the republic* 
 
 Ah ! could I make my voice resound throughout the earth- 
 could I support, by my genius, the grandeur of the subject, I 
 would hold him out as a model to lawgivers, and to princes. 
 Heroes who place a false glory in overturning the peace and 
 liberties,of the world, should learn from him wherein true glory 
 consisc;, and restrain their intemperate ambition. His adtions 
 should instrudl the universe. 
 
 Rulers of the new world ! imbibe his spirit! govern by his 
 example! It is then only that our" tears for Wasliiii^ton can be 
 dried up when we see his image revived in y u. The gr.ef that 
 overwhelms us shall give place to the delicious tears of joy, 
 Avhen we see, springing from his ashes, so many illustrious and 
 virtuous citizens, the ornaments and defenders of their country. 
 
 * Since the delivery of this discourse tve have been assured that 
 Mrs. Washington has complied with the request nf congress. See 
 her admirable letter to the president of the United States, 
 
 Kk V . , 
 
258 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 It is by imitating only, tliat you can truly honor him, and per- 
 petuate the image of his virtues. Let statues and paintings ex- 
 hibit his noble port, express his manly countenance, and convey 
 to posterity the features of the man so honored, so beloved by 
 his cotemporaries, and who, by future ages, will forever be 
 ranked among the greatest benefactors of mankind. But, it is 
 jiot by a lifeless mould, or the chisels of art — it is not by the 
 produfts of the nuarry or the mine, that the soul of a patriot 
 can be represented, but by his spirit, and his aftions, transmit- 
 ted to posterity through a successson of wise, brave, and virtu- 
 ous, legislators and heroes. 
 
 I CANNOT forbear to remark the singular felicity of that ex- 
 cellent citizen whose memory we honor by the obsequies of this 
 day. The malignant attacks of envy, which elevation and me- 
 rit only provoke, he has almost wholly escaped. If faftion has 
 Ok sometimes ventured to rear her head, and shoot out her sting 
 against him, abashed by his virtue, she has instantly shrunk 
 
 back, and retired into her own coil. He has read his fame in 
 
 the histories of his own, and of other nations — he has enjoyed 
 the suiFrage of posterity — he has seen himself in that light in 
 •which he shall be contemplated by the remotest periods of the 
 -i^rorid — he has possessed ages of honor before his death. — Dy- 
 ing, his felicity has still followed him. Has the history of na- 
 tions ever exhibited such a scene of voluntary honors, of uni- 
 versal afflidion, of sincere and mournful homage ? — Illustrious 
 hero ! deign also to accept the unfeigned homage of our grief ! 
 
 Friends of humanity and of liberty throughout the 
 
 world ! it is for you to weep. Though America was the favor- 
 ed land which gave him birth, and is therefore entitled to be the 
 first in grief, yet he was born for the human race. 
 
 While Washington lived, the people believed that their 
 guardian angel was still among them. By the mysterious decree 
 of heaven he is taken from their vows and hopes In a momen'. 
 when the tempest, that has so long beat upon the old world, 
 threatens more and more to extend its fury to the new. Al- 
 mighty God 1 all events, and the hearts of all men, are in thy 
 hands save us from the cruel designs of hostile nations, who 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 259 
 
 may now gather presumption from the death of him who was 
 accustomed to humble them ! Save us from the curse of divid- 
 ed councils, which his influence tended to unite ! Save us from 
 the blind and intemperate rage of factious passions, which his 
 presence has so often overawed ! Confirm among the people that 
 union of sentiment, and that submission to the laws, which 
 have been so long aided by the commanding ascendant of his 
 
 genius I Our prayers are heard. Divine providence which 
 
 prepares those great souls who are the defenders and saviors of 
 nations, will continue the succession of them, while those na- 
 tions continue to respe«!l religion and virtue — and, though Mo- 
 ses be removed, Joshua shall be left. 
 
 Finally, every thing serves to remind us of our departed 
 and beloved chief, and to renew continually in our breasts the 
 most grateful, along with the most affli£ling, recoUedlions. If 
 the husbandman tills his lands, and calls them his own, have 
 they not been gained by his wisdom and valor ? Do we enjoy 
 our hearths, and our altars, in peace ? Have they not been pur- 
 chased by his toils, and his dangers ? There is not a village, 
 not a field, not a stream which he has not stained with the 
 blood of our enemies,* or where he has not inscribed on the 
 earth with his sword the charafters of American liberty. — Ah ! 
 by how many dear and tender ties does he hold possession of our 
 hearts ! Wives and mothers think they have lost him who pre- 
 served to them their husbands and their infants — the young 
 think they have lost in him a father — fathers that they have 
 lost more than their children — the republic that she has lost 
 her founder, and her savior — every citizen fears lest the peace, 
 the union, the glory of America, is entombed with him. — No 
 my fellow-citizens ! This fear shall not be realized. Wash- 
 ington, though dead, is not lost. His ashes shall defend the 
 republic that contains them — the capitol, that rests upon his re- 
 mains shall be immortal — his example shall live to instruct pos- 
 terity — his virtues shall descend as a precious inheritance to fu- 
 ture ages — the future lawgivers and rulers of America shall come 
 
 * This is almost literally true of all the middle counties of 
 New-Jersey, 
 
260 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 to his tomb to reanimate their own virtues. And, if it be true 
 that the wise and good, amidst the supreme felicities of their 
 celestial existence, are still occupied with the cares, and some- 
 times made the guardians, of that which was the dearest to 
 them upon earth, O spirit of Washington I will not thy beloved 
 country still be thy care ? 
 
 Oration upon the death of general George Washington, de- 
 livered by captain Samuel White,* of the Wth regiment, to 
 the Union Brigade, consisting of the Wth, \2th and \3t& 
 regiments, near Scotch Plains, New-'^ersey, 
 
 Friends and fellonv-soldierSy 
 
 THE honor of addressing you on this occasion was by me 
 unsought for : whilst I acknowledge tlie compliment, I 
 am ready to shrink from the responsibility of the task, and with 
 extreme diffidence solicit, for a few moments, your attention and 
 indulgence, while I attempt to discharge the important duty 
 assigned me. 
 
 To commemorate the birth, and pay a just tribute of respedt 
 to the memory of our late illustrious and beloved commander ; 
 and in obedience to the orders of the president of the United 
 States, " to testify publicly our grief for the death of general 
 George Washington ;" you are now assembled. This so often 
 welcomed as the natal day of the greatest, and the best of men, 
 since the establishment of American Independence, never before 
 returned without gladdening every heart ;- — but, alas ! — how 
 changed the scene ! The solemnity of our martial music, — ■ 
 your pensive and deje£\ed countenances ; declare that it is not 
 as usual the anniversary of festivity and joy, but a day of sad- 
 ness and of melancholy. 
 
 * Now senator of the United States^ 
 
WASHINGTON! AN A. 261 
 
 I AM not conversant in the style of panegyric, and only aspire 
 to address you in the pKiin, unvarnished language of a soldier. 
 Our country at this moment presents the novel spectacle of an 
 orphan republic, mourninf^ the loss of a departed father. — Wash- 
 ington, the illustrious Washington — formed in the profusion of 
 nature, and given to earth for universal good ; — in whom all 
 worth and virtue were united ; so lately the living objed of 
 your esteem and love, rests now in the silent tomb, and has pas- 
 sed from time to eternity — has exchanged for a state more con- 
 genial to his exalced mind. In this exchange the great society 
 of man has sustained a loss. To you, fellow-soldiers, and to 
 your country, it seems almost irreparable. Were I here to in- 
 dulge my feelings, I should pause, and leave to some abler friend 
 the discharge of this arduous duty. To become the eulogist of 
 a Washington requires a glow of fancy, a fertility of genius, an 
 expanded range of thought, and powers of elocution that I am 
 conscious I do not possess— language is too weak to do ample 
 justice to his memory ; but I flatter myself his venerable shade 
 will not revolt at the humble testimonies of a soldier's grief. 
 Alike regretted by all, the soldier and the citizen unite to min- 
 gle their sorrows together, and nobly vie with each other in the 
 evidences of their aiFedtion. Wheresoever'your eyes are turned, 
 whatever hour of your lives is retraced, presents you with some 
 new remembrancer of Washington, your father and your friend. 
 The freedom you enjoy ; the wisely constru6led fabrick of your 
 government, are his lasting monuments of worth and patriotism. 
 
 When the insolence of power, aided by proud ambition, pre- 
 sented its hideous front ; when tame submission to the iron 
 rod of despotism, or resistance, apparently desperate, was the 
 only alternative, then flamed the patriot's spirit high. Wash- 
 ington roused to vengeance by his country's wrongs, stood bold- 
 ly forth the champion of her rights, and rendered to the cause 
 of liberty the most essential service, in times of its greatest 
 peril. In days that tried men's souls, when danger and death 
 were at the door, and difficulties pressed on every side ; Wash- 
 ington, born to command, to " ride in the whirlwind and diredl 
 the storm," discovered to the astonished world, that in the 
 wilds of America had been reared a hero, to eclipse in glory the 
 
262 WASHINGTON IAN A. 
 
 Alexanders of Greece, the Cjesars of Rome and tlie Hamdens of 
 Britain — unrivalled in talents, and equal to the mighty task of 
 "Working the salvation of his country. 
 
 Recur, my fellow-soldiers, to the w'.-.iter of 1776 ; an xra 
 ever memorable in the annals of America ; when this state, nay 
 the very site of this cantonment, was the theatre of his military 
 honors ; when, from the summit of yonder lofty mountain* he 
 often reconnoitered the position, and viewed the manoeuvres of 
 the invading foe. This, fellow-soldiers, was the most trying 
 time your country ever knew. The smothered flame of patriot- 
 ism was near expiring ; dismay had seized some of the stoutest 
 hearts, and a brave people, despairing of success, were ready 
 to sink under increasing misfortunes and yield to their hard fate. 
 Such, before the battle of Trenton, was the lowering aspcft of 
 affairs ; when in one night the brave, the gallant Washington, 
 ever vigilant and prompt at expedients in moments of the great- 
 est adversity, — by his distinguished generalship, changed the 
 •whole aspetSl of the war and rescued his country from impending 
 ruin. By this success, and the train of vidlories that followed, 
 and resulted from it, he cheered the drooping spirits of his coun- 
 trymen and infused new life and vigor into the cause of liberty. 
 I cite this only as the great crisis of the Avar : to recapitulate 
 the splendid feats, the hard-fought battles and prominent ex- 
 ploits of Washington, to you who know them, would be 
 superfluous, and swell this address beyond its proper limits. 
 Contending against superior force, experienced generals, and 
 troops inured to the hardships of the field ; he surmount- 
 ed every obstacle, triumphed over an enemy that had proud- 
 ly affefted to despise his efforts, and settled permanently the 
 liberties you now enjoy.— Heaven grant they may be sacred- 
 ly guarded " and transmitted as pure as they have been given 1" 
 Had this unfortunately been the period of his life ; had the 
 
 * The cantonment mas immediately at the foot of the South- 
 Mountain^ on the summit of nvhich is a rock called " Washington's 
 JRock," from the circumstaiice of the GeneraVs frequently resort- 
 ing there to view the enemy^ particularly during the battle of 
 Short kills. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 253 
 
 establishment of Ameriean independence terminated the brilliant 
 career of this great man, even then would his glory have been 
 conipleat ; and the transcendant fame of Washington, foiling 
 the scythe of time itself, been sounded to latest posterity ; — but 
 happily for yon, my fellow-soldiers, — for your country and for 
 the world, he was preserved to still the tempest, and put in a 
 train of constitutional execution, what heaven had so wisely 
 planned : to moderate the licentious spirit of revolution, — to 
 bring order out of confusion, and to teach man true and rational 
 lil)erty — was the task assigned to him — a task worthy <.he noble 
 instrument. 
 
 When the great purposes of the revolution were accomplish- 
 ed, — peace and tranquillity restored to our land, and every man 
 could enjoy secure under his own vine and his own fig-tree the 
 fruits of his labor ; "t'hen, and not till then, did Washington 
 retire from the adlive scenes that had so long employed him, to 
 seek, in the calm retreats of Mount-Vcrnon, and bosom of his 
 family, rest from his toils. 
 
 Then fellow-soldier?, was presented to the world an instance 
 of unprecedented patriotism ; a vidorious general, the idol 
 of his army — resigning unlimited power, and returning again 
 into the mass of his fcllow-citizens — rewarded only for his in- 
 valuable services, by the plaudits of his ov/n m,ind, and the bles- 
 sings of his countrymen. But his day of retirement had not 
 vet arrived ; his country again soon needed the auspicious care 
 of a Washington. The constitution of these states, formed by 
 the collefted wisdom of America, required his fostering hand 
 to support, and guard its tottering infancy. To fill the presi- 
 dential chair, and set in motion the vast machinery of a new 
 and untried government, all hearts and voices were united in 
 Washington. Called by the unanimous suffrages of his country- 
 men, to this perilous and difHcult station ; his private interest, 
 and all the blessings that fortune and domestic happiness could 
 yield, when weighed against the wishes of his fellow-citizens, 
 and welfare of his country, sunk, and were forgotten. Relin- 
 quishing all other pursuits, he again embarked in the public ser- 
 vice ; nobis jeopaidizing, for the ^public good, on the tempes- 
 
2 51 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 tuous sea of politics, his unbounded popularity acquired in the 
 field of aij.ii. 
 
 AccoriPANY me for a moment, my fellow-soldiers, to the days 
 of his administration ; they aie now passing into the abys;> of 
 time ; but will forever be remembered. Had it not been for the 
 wise policy, the foresight, and firmness of Washington, these 
 states would now, no doubt, have been sharing in the miseries 
 of Europe ; sunk in all the horrors of a revolution, and groan- 
 ing under the calamities, that laid waste the fairest portion of 
 the world. None but Washington, whose wisdom and virtue 
 in the cabinet was equal to his bravery and conducl in the field, 
 tould have averted the gathering storm. Ever constant and 
 faithful in the service of his country ; unmoved by the tumults 
 of iadion, or clamours of party, he sought, with undeviating 
 bteps, the public gocd— supported the honor of the government — 
 defended the constitution sacred from the jacobin's unhallowed 
 touch, and preserved for you the freedom you now enjoy. When 
 the sparks of liberty were kindling in France, and all Europe 
 stood gazing in anxious expectation to behold the event ; Wash- 
 ington was among the first to discover from thfc fury of the blaze, 
 that, unless watched and guarded against, it would envelope the 
 universe in flames. Hence his proclamation of neutrality, and 
 the defensive measures of his administration that followed — 
 measures planned with more than human wisdom. — measures that 
 defied the proud ambitious views of England, and all the vile 
 insidious arts of France. Equal to every emergency at once, 
 whilst engaged in the great and national concerns of Europe, 
 he enforced submission to the laws at home ; the hideous spedlrc 
 of insurrection at his approach concealed its execrable head ; — 
 the name of Washington a host — his very appearance reduced to 
 order and obedience the deluded multitude, and compelled the 
 ■wretches who had seduced them from their duty, to sue for mer- 
 cy at the feet of justice. 
 
 At length, grown gray in the public service, he once more 
 determined to seek, in the peaceful retreats of private life, the 
 repose and comfort his declining years required. This was au 
 cccasion, fellow-soldiers, you all remember, an occasion that 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 26J 
 
 interested the heart of every patriot, that touched the sensibi- 
 lity of every honest American — the manner of his retiring- — his 
 affedlionate farewell address to his fellow -citizens, endeared him 
 still the more, and rendered the parting less supportable. But 
 the day was fast approaching when he should again stretch forth 
 the hand of assistance—his country had yet further claims upon 
 his patriotism* 
 
 When the wanton and continued aggressions of the F'rench 
 tiation threatened to involve these states in a war, all exulted 
 tliat we had yet a Washington ; and accustomed to view him as 
 iin invincible chief, and sure defence, against every danger, he 
 was again resorted to, and once more determined to unsheath 
 his sword, and lead the armies of his country : you, my fellow- 
 soldiers, are a pal't of those armies-^ — yes, you, though young, 
 have had the honor of being commanded by the founder of your 
 liberties, and father of your country. — Such was the greatest 
 and ths best of men— such the illustrious Washington — such 
 the man whose fame outstrips the fleeting winds : but he is now 
 no more ;-^heaven has been pleased to terminate a life glorious 
 beyond example, and useful as it was glorious. Here let me 
 pause for a moment : view, my companions, the picture thus 
 faintly colored, and imitate the grand original. 
 
 Abe ye eager then, fellow-soldiers, to live In the voice and 
 memory of men ? Be patriots. — Are ye ambitious to shine for- 
 ever bright in the annals of fame ? Be patriots. Patriotism is 
 the focal point where all the dazzling virtues center, and blaze 
 •with unextlnguishable lustra. 
 
 Is there a man so dead to the emotions of benevolence as not 
 to feel a congratulating glow of soul when his country is crown- 
 ed with success ? Is there a man, even in these degenerate days, 
 ■who does not in fancy hurl the Syllas, the Casars of the world, 
 from their baneful pre-eminence ; to chastise minion time-serv- 
 ing politicians ; designing, ambitious demagogues, or over- 
 grown haughty despots ? When slavery clanks her chains — when 
 danger threatens— when we are called together associated in arms 
 
 H 
 
256 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 fnr our country's good — " what bosom beats not In that coun- 
 try's cause ?" Methhiks resentment and indignation would 
 make the coward brave, and every man a patriot, — but not so, 
 fellow-soldiers. 
 
 Posterity will hardly credit the tale — posterity will incline 
 to think it an historical fi£lion, or a legendary fable ; — but there 
 are men at the present day ; — I speak it with grief, — with in- 
 dignation I speak it ; — who, whilst the friends of this country- 
 are endeavoring, by negociation, and measures of defence, to 
 ■ward off the threatened attacks of a foreign nation, and to pre- 
 serve the independence of your country ; — use every means in 
 their power to weaken the government — invite the insulting ene- 
 my to adls of hostility, and seek to reduce this free people un- 
 der a foreign yoke. Persons of such base and sordid spirits de- 
 serve not to be freemen — they disgrace their privileges-^ 
 they live despised ; happy could they die unknown. That we are 
 and ought to be free, the voice of nature rings in our ears— 
 that we can and shall live free depends solely upon ourselves : live 
 patriots, my fellow-soldiers, and you will die freemen. For, 
 
 " The man resolv'd and steady to his trust, 
 
 " Inflexible to ill, and obstinately just, 
 
 " May the rude rabble's insolence despise, 
 
 <* Their senseless clamors, their tumultuous cries ; 
 
 *' The tyrant's fierceness he beguiles, 
 
 " And with superior greatness smiles. 
 
 *' Not the rough whirlwind that deforms 
 
 <' Adria's black gulph, and vexes it v/ith storms ; 
 
 " The stubborn virtues of his scul can move ; 
 
 " Not the red arm of angry Jove, 
 
 " That hurls the thunder from the sky, 
 
 *' And gives it rage to roar, and strength to fly. 
 
 " Should the whole frame of nature round him break 
 
 " In ruin and confusion hurl'd, 
 *' He unconcern'd would hear the mighty crack, 
 
 " And stand secure amidst a falling world." 
 
^1 
 
 WASHINGTONIANA. '•67 
 
 Address delivered at Greensburgb, itt Westmoreland county, in 
 the state of Pennsylvania^ on the anniversary of the lirtb 
 of the late illustrious hero, statesman and citizen^ Georce 
 l/ASJii^icroK. By David M'Keehan, Esq, 
 
 Fellow-citizens^ • 
 
 THE twenty-second day of February, in the year 1732, on 
 the anniversary of which we are now convened, has beeri 
 distinguished in the annals of America, by giving birth to the first 
 of men — the hero — the sage — the founder and savior of our na- 
 tion, — the illustrious Washington. Who from his cradle ap- 
 peared elevated above the common imperfections and weakness 
 of humanity : with a mind clothed with solemnity and wisdom, 
 and splendidly serene. Whose youth foretold a momentous cri- 
 sis, and whose early manhood pointed to some great event, then 
 veiled in future time and the will of heaven. The sublime gran- 
 deur and majesty of whose form, illumined by his mighty soul, 
 prognosticated the days of war and fields of fame. — Whose first 
 martial deeds against a savage foe proclaim his valor, and whose 
 prudence and firmness corre(Sl the errors, and retrieve the disas- 
 ters of the experienced and renowned in arms. — Whose name 
 early graces the historic page, and shines resplendent in the rolls 
 of fame. 
 
 Fitted equally for the cabinet and the field, when the awful 
 crisis approaches, and the important work which providence had 
 fore-ordained and sent him to atchieve ; when the liberty and 
 safety of his native land is endangered ; when the powerful arm 
 of oppression is stretched forth, he appears august in its coun- 
 cils, and animates resistance. But the sAvord is unsheathed, and 
 
 ■who shall lead its sons ? None but Washington : to him all 
 
 eyes are turned and confessed he stands his country's choice. 
 
 V/iTH dignified diffidence and modest greatness he accepts 
 the important trust ; and while he nobly rejeds all pecuniary 
 compensation, stakes his life — his all in his country's cause- 
 How shall we trace his mighty course ? What aftions shall we 
 
268 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 seleft, where the least discernible, like the minutix of nature) 
 equally display the power and wisdom of their author ? 
 
 Shall we view him organizing and giving discipline to his 
 untrained followers ; or follow him to the field where calm and 
 vindaunted he stems the tide of battle ? Shall we view him when 
 by his wisdom and prudence, he shields from the powerful foe 
 his feeble force — contending with want, hunger, and nakedness 
 »— -the frequent dissolution of his army- — with treachery and trea- 
 son in his camp— harrassed with the applications, and vexed with 
 the insolence and presumption of foreign adventurers ? — Or when 
 distrust and want of confidence, so fatal both in war and peace, 
 defeat those systems and check those operations, which his war- 
 like genius and enlightened zeal had planned — and which, if pur- 
 sued, would have saved much blood and treasure — shortened the 
 •war — established our independence, and without the aid of fo- 
 reign arms ? Shall we contemplate him in his tent, when after 
 the toils, labors, and anxieties of the day, he employs the hours 
 allotted to sleep, to instruft the national councils of America — 
 to point out their errors, the perilous situation of his country, 
 and the path to its true interest. Or, shall we behold him with 
 his reduced army, when danger and despair had appalled the hearts 
 of his countrymen, supporting a winter campaign, and during a 
 nightly tempest, crossing the angry and congealing Delaware, 
 and on the hostile shore, surprising, defeating, and spreading 
 dismay in the ranks of the enemy- — restoring the hopes and cou- 
 rage of the nation, and animating them to perseverance ? Or, 
 shall we view him under the scorching beams of a summer's suq, 
 on the burning plains of Monmouth — meeting the advancing 
 foe, retrieving a disastrous retreat, defeating and pursuing their 
 brave and intrepid legions ? — But who can rehearse his immor- 
 tal deeds ? They are imprinted on the hearts of the people, and 
 recorded in the annals of his country. He fought and conquer- 
 ed ; and smiling peace returned to bless a new and rising en;- 
 pire. 
 
 Let us now see him after an eight year's war, during which 
 with his brave brethren in arms, he had with unparallelled per- 
 severance, contended with and surmounted the greatest dangers, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 269 
 
 sufferings and discouragements, crowned with the wreaths of vic- 
 tory and glory, afting alone, and with parental solicitude and 
 affedlion, before he resigns that appointment which he held in 
 the service of his country, making to the several states and the 
 people of the Union, his then supposed, last and official com- 
 jnunication, congratulating them on the glorious events, which 
 heaven was pleased to produce in their favor ; offering, with 
 candor and liberality, his sentiments respefting those important 
 subjefts, which appeared to him intimately connedted with the 
 tranquility of tlie United States ; taking his leave and giving 
 his blessing to that country, in whose service he had spent the 
 prime of his life ; for whose sake he had consumed so many 
 anxious days and watchful nights ; dilating on the subjefts of 
 their mutual felicitation ; pointing out the numerous advanta- 
 ges, scenes for enterprise and resources of their country, then 
 in the acknowledged possession of freedom and independence ; 
 the conspicuous theatre on which they were called to z€t — desig- 
 nated by providence for the display of human greatness and fe- 
 licity. Reminding them of the happy conjuniSlure of times and 
 circumstances, and the auspicious period at which our republic 
 came into existence, and assumed its rank among the nations. 
 That the foundation of our empire was not laid in the gloomy- 
 age of ignorance and superstition ; but at an epocha, when the 
 lights of mankind were better understood ^d more clearly de- 
 fined than at any former period ; when the researches of the hu- 
 jnan mind after social happiness, had been carried to a great ex- 
 tent ; when the treasures of knowledge acquired by the labors 
 of philosophers, sages, and legislators, through a long succes- 
 sion of years Avere laid open for their use, and their colledled 
 wisdom might be happily applied in the establishment of our 
 forms of government — when the free cultivation of letters, the 
 unbounded extension of comnerce, the progressive refinement 
 of manners, the growing liberality of sentiment, and that above 
 all, the pure and benign light of revelation, had a meliorating 
 influence on mankind, and encreased the blessings of society. 
 But that though such was their situation and such their prospers, 
 and the cup of blesising thus reached out ; yet that there was an 
 option still left, and that it was in their choice, and depended 
 ppon their conduftj whether they would be respedable and pros- 
 
270 WASHINGTON! AN A. 
 
 perous, or contemptible and miserable as a nation. That that 
 was the time of their political probation — the moment when the 
 eyes of the world were turned upon them — the moment to esta- 
 blish or ruin their national charader forever — the favorable mo- 
 ment to give such a tone to the federal government as v/culd en- 
 able it to answer the ends of its institution — or that it might be 
 the ill-fated moment for relaxing the powers of the Union, an- 
 nihilating the cement of the confederation, and exposing them 
 to become the sport of European politics, which might play one 
 state against another, to prevent their growing importance, and 
 to serve their own interested purposes ; that according to the 
 system of policy the states should then adopt, tlicy would stand 
 or full, and that it was still to be decided, whether the revolu- 
 tion would ultimately be considered a blessing or a curse — a 
 blessing or a curse not to that age alone, but that with their 
 fate, the destiny of unborn millions would be involved. Im- 
 pressing upon their minds that infallible truth, that there is a 
 natural and necessary progression from the extreme of anarchy 
 to the extreme of tyranny, and that arbitrary power is most ea- 
 sily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. 
 Inculcating the necessity of supporting and preserving public 
 credit ; of fulfilling the public engagements and public contradls 
 ■with p-ood faith — of observing and rendering complete justice to 
 all the public creditors, and especially to the brave defenders of 
 their country's cause : and with a heart always open to the suf- 
 ferings of others, recommending to their warmest patronage, 
 that meritorious classs of veterans, who, on account of their 
 wounds and sufferings, claimed the support of their country.—. 
 Impressing these and similar sentiments, as the legacy of one 
 who had ardently wished on all occasions to be useful to his 
 country, and who, even in the shade of retirement, \youId not 
 fail to implore the divine benedidion. Concluding with his ear- 
 nest prayer, that God would incline the hearts of the citizens to 
 cuhivate a spirit of subbordination and obedience to govern- 
 ment : to entertain a brotherly affedlion and love for one ano- 
 ther, and particularly for their brethren who had served in the 
 field — and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to 
 dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean them- 
 selves, with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 271 
 
 ■which were the charafteristics of the divine author of onr bless- 
 ed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example 
 in these thinjjs, they could never expedl to be a happy nation. 
 
 Let us now accompany him in the affecting scene, when he 
 comes to bid his brethren in arms, those whom he held most 
 dear, an aftedionate — a long farewell. When with them he re- 
 views the past, placing before them as the reward of their un- 
 paralleled distresses, and consoling them for their sufferings— 
 the recolIe(?iion of the uncommon scenes in Avhich they had been 
 called to ad so glorious a part, and the astonishing events of 
 which each had been a witness — the contemplation of the com- 
 plete attainment of the objeft for which they had contended, 
 and the singular interpositions of providence in their favor. Ex- 
 ploring with them their future prospeds, and pointing out the 
 road to happiness — advising the line of conuucl they ought to 
 pursue — recommending, that with strong attachments to the 
 Union, they would carry with them into civil society the most 
 conciliatory dispositions ; that they would not prove them.selves 
 less virtuous and useful citizens, than they had been persever- 
 ing and victorious soldiers ; that their conduft should be tem- 
 perate, conscious that their reputation was beyond the reach of 
 malevolence ; that a consciousness of their atchieyements and 
 fame should excite them to honorable adlions, under the persua- 
 sion that the private virtues of ceconomy, prudence and indus- 
 try would not be less amiable in civil life, than the more splen- 
 did qualities of valor, perseverance and enterprise were in the 
 field. Leaving it as his last injunction to every officer and eve- 
 ry soldier to add his best endeavors to those of his fellow-citi- 
 zens, to support the principles of the federal government, and 
 to efFed the increase of the powers of the Union, on which our 
 very existence as a nation depended, and without which the ho- 
 nor, dignity, and justice of the nation would be lost forever. 
 
 And while he acknowledges his obligations for the spirited and 
 able assistance he had experienced in the performance of his ar- 
 duous office, and professes his inviolable attachment and friend- 
 ship, with a heart overflowing with tenderness, solicitude, and 
 aiFeftion, offers his recommendations to their grateful country, 
 and his prayer to the God of armies, that ample justice might be 
 
272 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 done them here, and that the choicest of heaven's blessings 
 both here and hereafter, might attend those who under the di- 
 vine auspices, had secured innumerable blessings to others. 
 
 Let us now behold him in the last scene of his official career, 
 presenting himself before the august representation of America; 
 again offering his congratulations for the great events which had 
 taken place, again recommending to the favorable notice and 
 patronage of congress, his brave followers in the field ; acknow- 
 ledging his gratitude for the favorable interposition of provi- 
 dence — commending the interests of his country to almighty 
 God, and those who had the superintendance of them to his holy 
 keeping — resigning into the hands of the supreme power of the 
 Union, the commission of his important trust, bidding them an 
 afFcdtionate farewel, and retiring into private life amidst the ap- 
 plauses and blessings of his country. 
 
 Mighty Chief ! illustrious Patriot 1 benevolent 
 
 ^AGE 1 
 
 With such an example before them ; with such admonitions 
 and such advice, strengthened by the soundest reasoning, and 
 appreciated by such services and such virtues, who would have 
 supposed that the people of America would not have adopted 
 the wise and just policy which had been thus recommended ? 
 But unfortunately, mankind must too often learn from experi- 
 ence. The Americans sit down to " a costly and sumptuous 
 banqujst, while unseen, the sword of destruction is suspended 
 over their heads, supported by a single hair." The great and 
 important objefts ; " an indissoluable union of the states under 
 one federal head ; a sacred regard to public justice ; the adop- 
 tion of a proper peace establishment ; the prevalence of that 
 pacific and friendly disposition which would induce them to for- 
 get their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual 
 concessions which would be requisite to the general prosperity, 
 and in some instances to sacrifice their individual advantages to 
 the interests of the community," so strongly and solemnly en- 
 joined, are soon forgotten and neglected. — The voice of Wash- 
 ington is lost amidst the empty clamor of noisy demagogues : a 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 273 
 
 timid and procrastinating policy is adopted — the resources of the 
 Country cannot be called into operation — the fears and jealou- 
 sies of the people are roused and kept awake by those who were 
 preying upou the vitals of the country— -national faith is lost — 
 public credit and the justice of the nation languish — the just 
 demands of the patriotic creditors remain unsatisfied — the re- 
 ward of the faithful and viftorious defenders of their country — 
 the price of their toils, sufferings and blood, Continue undis- 
 charged and depreciated — national bankruptcy and disunion 
 threaten, with all the horrors of civil war, ths loss of liberty, 
 and independence. 
 
 At length on the brink of destruftion, they awake from 
 their security, and see the impending danger, and while with 
 silent astonishment they contemplate the dreadful abyss, they 
 remember the words of their father, the voice of Washington, 
 and the enlightened patriots of America is again heard. Again 
 the retired sage comes forth, and at the head of an illustrious 
 band of statesmen, digests and completes a form of govern- 
 ment, the wonder and admiration, not only of the wise and 
 enlightened legislators of our own nation, but of the civilized 
 world. Again he retires to the shades of private life, and tiie 
 proposed form of government, by the influence of his charader 
 on the public mind, and the confidence reposed in his superior 
 discernment, virtue, and integrity, is adopted and ratified, though 
 opposed and assailed by the clamors of discontent, the positive 
 and unrelenting obstinacy of ignorance, the fears of the timid, 
 the arts of the unprincipled and interested, the presumptuous 
 interference of fadlious and treacherous foreigners, the blasphe- 
 my of calumny and slander, and all the rage of party zeal. 
 
 But who shall be sele£led the chief magistrate of the Union, 
 and at the head of the national councils, organize and give 
 operation to that system which our American worthies had pro- 
 duced ? Who shall retrieve the errors of negleil and inaftion, 
 and heal the breaches which discord and fa£lion had made ? In 
 whom can the people repose unbounded confidence in this inte- 
 resting crisis I Again they give their united call, and again he 
 
 M m 
 
274 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 steps forth amidst the shouts of applause, the tears of gratitude 
 and blessings of his country. Triumphal arches mark his course 
 — crowns of laurel overhang his passage — the hoary patriot sa- 
 lutes his approach — and choirs of white robed virgins sing his 
 welcome and his praise. 
 
 With paternal solicitude he enters upon the duties of his 
 important trust — again spending many anxious days and watch- 
 ful nights, to secure the permanent happiness of his country, 
 until the mighty fabric of our political salvation, proteftion, 
 and honor, is reared and completed — quells domestic fadlion 
 and insurrection — overawes foreign intrigue — beats back from 
 our shores the destruftive storm, which has threatened the an- 
 nihilation of civilization — condudts his country in pe^ce through 
 the awful tempest — and exhibits to an admiring world an admi- 
 nistration worthy his wisdom, and his virtues. 
 
 " Admonished by the encreasing weight of years," and 
 anxious to entrust with his countrymen, the administration of 
 their government : having again pointed out that conduft and 
 policy which would lead it to honor, prosperity, and happiness 
 — he who had exchainged the charafter of the soldier — of the 
 heroic and virtuous general, for that of the plain industrious 
 citizen — he who had with so much dignity, prudence and firm- 
 ness, held the reins of administration and wielded the sword of 
 justice, always temperate with mercy — to complete the charac- 
 ter of unequalled worth and true greatness — resigns the chair of 
 state, that he might by his example teach his fellow-citizens, 
 what it was to be an obedient and faithful subjedt of the laws 
 under a free and efficient government. May the angel of peace 
 administer consolation and satisfadlion in his retirement, and 
 may no inauspicious event disturb his felecity. 
 
 The rights of the nation are violated ! Its honors insulted ! 
 Its liberty and independence menaced ! — Tribute is demanded ! 
 Its sons are roused and indignant ; they resolve to repel the un- 
 provoked aggression. They gather round their chief, the wise, 
 firm, and profound statesman, the worthy successor of their be- 
 loved Waihington ; assure him of their approbation and confi- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 275 
 
 dence, and their fixed resolution not to survive the honor, li- 
 berty, and independence of their country. 
 
 But where is the chief who now shall lead the patriotic 
 band ? Why does the nation anxiously bend its looks toward 
 Mount- Vernon ? Can they again venture to disturb the repose 
 of their aged father in the shades of peace and domestic happi- 
 ness J must he again " enter upon the boundless field of public 
 aftion, incessant trouble and high responsibility ?" — Why does 
 every face brighten with joy ? — Why those shouts of applause ? 
 
 The venerable hero is already armed I The watchful citizen 
 had observed the insiduous hostility of the foe, he joins in the 
 sentiments of approbation and confidence, expressed by his 
 country in the wise and prudent administration of our virtuous 
 president, and accepts the command of its armies. His name 
 
 is an host — the enemy offers peace. But behold his 
 
 TOMB ! — And is Washington no more ! Is that arm of power 
 —is that form of majesty ,< confined to " the narrow house I" Is 
 that eye which bespoke virtue and benevolence, closed in death ! 
 —Is that tongue from which flowed the words of truth and 
 wisdom, silent in the grave ! — Has that heart which ever melt- 
 ed at individual distress, and bled for his country's woes, ceased 
 to beat I — Has the mighty fallen ! No : thanks to God, Wash- 
 ington never fell. Like the resplendent orb of day, he has dis- 
 appeared from our horizon, only to continue his course. With 
 the same unshaken fortitude and equanimity, which he had dis- 
 played in the cabinet and the field, he meets death ; with a firm 
 and manly step, undaunted and serene he descends to the tomb,— 
 divests himself of his mortality, that he may run an immortal 
 course. Of him this world was unworthy — he has gone to ano- 
 ther, and a much better — to the enjoyment of a more perfeft 
 society. Let us remember his virtues — let us deplore our loss, 
 and around his grave mingle ours, with a nation's tears. 
 
 Let the fawning and tyrannic demagogue, elevated by false- 
 hood and corruption, attempt to stop the full tide of feeling 
 and heart-felt woe, " as inconsistent with the independence of 
 freemen 1" But freemen taught by the noble impulse of their 
 
276 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 own feelings, and the example of the good and virtuous of all 
 nations, in all ages of the world, will not be restrained in pay- 
 ing the full and grateful tribute to the memory of their great- 
 est benefa£lor — their father — the father and savior of their coun-^ 
 try. It is an offering pleasing to heaven. 
 
 Though we have lost our renowned hero and illustrious states- 
 man, he has left us his example and his works — they are an in- 
 valuable legacy. He has left us in possession of liberty, inde- 
 pendence, a free constitution and government, and cf that cer- 
 tain and uniform system of administration, which alone can pre- 
 serve that liberty, that independence and that constitution.-— 
 He has left us the religion of our fathers. — '» The altars of God 
 still remain." To that revolutionary, disorganizing and de- 
 stroying system of policy reared by modern philosophy on the san- 
 dy foundations of theory, speculation, infidelity, and insunedtion, 
 supported by falsehood, blood and crimes, and in Avhich liberty 
 is an empty name — he has opposed a system founded on the sure 
 basis of experience, practice, and the true rights of man ; and 
 supported by truth, the doflrlncs of the christian faith and mo- 
 rality, and the pleasing and animating hope of immortality. 
 
 This system of government and laws yet stands secure amidst 
 the awful storm ; but how long it may thus stand, it would be 
 presumption to anticipate. Who can be indifferent when he 
 sees so powerful an opposition, as that, Avhich failing openly and 
 direftly to overthrow our constitution, is now supping its foun- 
 dation by weakening the confidence of the people in its wise and 
 regular administration ? Or when lie sees the uninformed invit- 
 ed by enthusiasts and ignorant demagogues, to decide with po- 
 sitive confidence on a whole system of laws, which they have 
 never read ; and upon a system of administration, where a Wash- 
 ington and an Adams Avould hesitate ? But 
 
 " Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread." 
 
 When I see alien incendiaries and foreign traitors foremost 
 in that opposition, I must doubt the justness of its cause. And 
 \yben I hear the loudest cry in favor cf liberty, the rights of 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 277 
 
 man, and plain republicanism coming from the superb palaces 
 of southern aristocracy, swelled with the sounid of the lash, and 
 the tears, blood, and groans of their thousand slaves, I must 
 euspedl its sincerity. The daring advocates of the revolutiona- 
 ry, — <= tempestuous"* and infidel liberty of the present day, a'c 
 vigilant and indefatigable. To me our prospe£ls appear dark ; 
 and perhaps it may only be necessary to exchange our christian 
 chief magistrate for an infidel president, for the completion of 
 their plans, and to efFecl the destruiflion of our religion, govern- 
 ment, and union, plunge the nation into civil war and deluge it 
 with blood. Pause, my fellow-citizens, before you make the 
 awful trial, and contemplate the prospedt. , Beware of experi- 
 ments which wiH be purchased with blood, lest it may cry to 
 heaven. Consider what will be your situation when you have 
 run your revolutionary career. When, pursuing those princi- 
 ples, which you are invited to adopt, you have overthrown your 
 government ; — when the justice and faith of the nation are 
 lost ; — when your hands have been imbrued in the best blood of 
 tlie nation ;— when you have seen the hoary veteran, who had' 
 fought at the side of Washington in defence of your liberty, 
 and in purcha<!ing your independence, after again attempting to 
 save his country, flying for refuge, when his aged arm had fail- 
 ed, to the tomb of his beloved chief, and strewing it with his 
 silvered hairs, while the streams of life follow the assassin's 
 stab ; " when you have unplumed the dead for means to de- 
 stroy the living ;" when the sacred obligation of oaths has fail- 
 ed ; when you have abolished your sabbath ; when you have 
 renounced Moses and the prophets, and denied the divine author 
 
 * 3Ir. yefferson in bis letter to Mazzei seems much dissatisji- 
 ed with the people of yimerica, for not embarking' on what he 
 calls " the tempestuous sea of liberty." The tempestuous sea 
 of liberty ! And has liberty ceased to be the companion of order, 
 religion, peace, security, regular government, and social hap- 
 piness ? But why do we ask the question ? Let us turn our eyes 
 to France^ where we will see the jacobin system of goverjiment 
 in full operation ; founded on irrational reason, infidel religion, 
 ferocious humanity, and producing revolutionary security, and 
 tempestuous liberty ! 
 
278 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 of our blessed religion ; -when you have proclaimed, that " there 
 is no God, but the reason of man ; that death is an eternal 
 sleep ;" and in your rage, have demolished and prophaned your 
 temples, and thrown down your altars ; when you have perform- 
 ed and witnessed these ; and though your hearts hate become 
 as cold and malignant, as the principle of evil ; yet you may 
 again feel the stings of conscience, and like the founders of in- 
 fidel republicanism in France, when led to the slaughter by 
 friends of liberty and republicanism, if possible, more bloody 
 and ferocious than themselves, may believe that there is an here- 
 after, and may then repent that the precepts of Washington 
 were rejefted.* 
 
 Youth of America — natives of the land consecrated by his 
 birth, I invite you to the grave of your father, and there, as 
 if warned and animated by his spirit, let us pledge ourselves to 
 preserve the honor, liberty, and independence of our country. 
 Time has long since, been consigning the venerable founders 
 and defenders of our nation, " to that bourne from whence no 
 
 traveller returns." At length our arm of war and oracle in 
 
 peace is gone. The eyes of the world are fixed upon us. Let 
 us not suffer ourselves to be robbed of our birth-right; but let 
 ns possess and defend the rich inheritance of our fathers. Let 
 us beware of trusting our country and our dearest interests to 
 the cold and alien government of strangers ; to the guardian- 
 ship of the men of the world—those unsocial, ungregarious, 
 and ferocious monsters, who learn our accents that they may 
 more easily devour.f Will America's son want virtue ? Will 
 
 * It is said that a very interesting conversation took place 
 amorg the leaders of the Brissotine faction^ on their ivaj to the 
 Guillotine, respecting the irnraortalitji of the soul, 
 
 t It would he doing great itijustice to rank all foreigners in 
 the same class ; for though they must all want that superior 
 attachment which every man, who is wot thy of the name, feels 
 for his native land ; yet many of them possess those amiable 
 qualities and virtues which will in a great degree compensate 
 for that want, and which will render them useful citizens and 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 279 
 
 not his arm when called forth to defend his rative land, be 
 doubly nerved ? Will not the presence and contemplation of the 
 place of his birth — the enchanting scenery of his youthful joys 
 
 the temples and sepulchres of his fathers render him more 
 
 amiable and humane, and inspire him with fortitude ? — Let us 
 be united and imitate the example of him whose loss we this 
 day deplore, and our liberty will be secure. 
 
 Ye aged and respe£led matrons, accompany your sister to the 
 grave of her honored, affectionate, and valiant husband ; soothe 
 her anguish ; mingle your tears and speak consolation to her 
 
 woes. .Daughters of America, repair to Mount- Vernon : 
 
 youthful innocence enter the house of mourning ; and while you 
 join in paying the grateful tribute to the memory of your friend, 
 your father, and proteclor, learn from the example of her, who 
 parted from him in life that he might serve his country ; and 
 now at its call consents to a separation in the tomb. — Match- 
 less VIRTUE ! — Amiable disintkrestedness ! 
 
 Friends and fellow-citizens, attend to the advice and admo- 
 nitions of your departed father — collect his precepts — let them 
 
 obedient subjects of the laws of their adopted country. Sucb 
 strongly participate in the affections of the Americans ; sucb 
 tbey respect : of such they nvish to render their country tuorthy : 
 —-This ivas the recommendation of the great WASHiNCfONy when 
 president of the Union., to its legislature. But the most nume^ 
 rous and dangerous class is that which is composed of modern 
 philosophers and politicians^ ("and the ignorant of their coun" 
 try men, whom they can mislead J men of the world who disavow 
 all local attachment ; traitors to the country which they have left, 
 and every where enemies of order and happiness ; who come to 
 seize the reins of our government — to force our venerable and 
 virtuous patriots from their places, and under the mask of an 
 artificial character, deceive the people and insinuate themselves 
 into our councils. Against such desperate and unprincipled ad- 
 venturers, let all honest foreigners and Americans unite, strip 
 them of their mask, and expose them to the detestation of man- 
 kind. 
 
280 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 be placed next the system of faith and religion -which has beefl 
 handed down from your ancestors. — In this you will find the 
 Avords of eternal life, and in both those maxims of truth, mo- 
 rality, and policy, which will secure your individual, social, and 
 national happiness. 
 
 Let us support our constitution, our laws, and tiie adminis- 
 tration of our amiable and enlightened chief magistrate. He 
 ■who never deceived has told us that ' it ought to inspire 
 UNIVERSAL CONFIDENCE,' and while with reverence and an 
 humble resignation, we submit to the late awful dispensation of 
 providence ; and mingle our tears for the loss of the man " first 
 in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his country- 
 men," let us in his words pray " that God would incline the 
 " hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination 
 " and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affec- 
 " tion and love for one another, and that he would most graci- 
 *' ously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mer- 
 " cy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and 
 " pacific temper of mind which were the charadleristics of the 
 " divine author of our blessed religion, and without an humble 
 " imitation of whose example in these things, we can never 
 " expert to be a happy nation," 
 
 Funeral oration on the death of general Geouge WjSHiNC'roK, 
 delivered in the prcshyterian church of Carlisle, to a crowded 
 assembly of the military and other citizens* By Robert 
 Davidson, D. D. 
 
 Friends and fcllctv-citizens, 
 
 E are this day assembled, to pay funeral honors to the 
 late beloved chief of tlic armies of America, — general 
 George Washington. Tiie loss we have sustained by the 
 decease of this illustrious man can best be estimated, by that 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 281 
 
 clcep sentiment of grief which penetrates all our citizens, from 
 the president of the United States to the humblest peasant. 
 
 Posterity will scarcely believe, that one man could have 
 united in himself so many great and shining qualities, — could 
 have been in every point of view so accomplished, — as to attra^H: 
 the high admiration and unbounded confidence of all ranks and 
 descriptions of men, during so long a period ; and while dis- 
 charging the highest duties, and filling the highest stations to 
 whcih -he could have been exalted. Early did he begin his ca- 
 reer of glory ; and so remarkable were the first essays of his mi- 
 litary genius, that a pious divine,* as if moved by a prophetic 
 spirit, near half a century ago prcdidted, that his services would 
 one day be highly important to his country. 
 
 When these colonies found themselves aggrieved by the pa- 
 rent state, and driven to arms in defence of their dearest 
 rights, — the grand council of our nation, as if directed by some 
 heavenly Impulse, unanimously appointed him to the command 
 of their armies. Few and ill-provided were the troops committed 
 to his care ; — arduous beyond expression was the task assigned 
 him, to face the veteran, brave, and disciplined forces of Bri- 
 tain, with a few thousand yeomanry, hastily collefted, and un- 
 practised in the science of arms. What greatness of mind, 
 
 what confidence In the justice of his cause, — what reliance on 
 the God of armies, — were here displayed I At the head of a 
 
 * Tbe Rev, Samuel Davies, sometime president of the college 
 in Nev)-Jersey. The sentiment ivas advanced in a note to a 
 sermon, preached by bim, on religion and patriotism, to captain 
 Overton's independent company of volunteers, raised in Hanover 
 county, Virginia, August 17 tb, 1755. 
 
 Speaking of the revival of a martial spirit, he says, " as a 
 remarkable instance of this, I may point out to the public that 
 heroic youth colonel Washington, whom I eannot but hope provi~ 
 dence bath hitherto preserved in so signal a manner, for some 
 important service to his country." 
 
 Nn 
 
283 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 flu£luating army, sometimes almost dissolved in consequence of 
 short enlistments, and at some critical moments nearly in total 
 want of military stores, — how great must have been the firmness, 
 and how vast the resources, of his aclive mind ! Unwilling to 
 expose the life of a single soldier without necessity, or to risque 
 an action without some good hope of sucojss, — he was at the 
 same time eager to seize every opportunity that offered, for 
 striking some unexpefted and decisive blow. To enter into par- 
 ticulars here cannot be expe£led : the faithful historian will do 
 justice to the subjeft, in a full narrative of those campaigns, in 
 which his patience was put to the severest trial, and his patri- 
 otism and fortitude most fully proved. In the gloomy periods 
 of the revolution, — " the times that tried men's souls," — when 
 thousands were ready to despond, — his equanimity and persever- 
 ance gave animation to our troops and vigor to our councils. 
 He infused as it were his own spirit into those that were placed 
 under him, and may be said to have created as well as com- 
 manded, the armies of America. Never did a people look up 
 with more confidence, to any man placed at the head of their 
 affairs, than we looked up to the father of our country. How- 
 ever threatening might be the aspedl of the war, — as long as we 
 heard that our Washington was alive, and his countenance still 
 serene and wearing the placid smile of hope, we were confident 
 that all would be well. Had we been deprived of him at a cer- 
 tain crisis, there was abundant reason to fear, our armies would 
 have been dissolved, and our country brought to the brink of 
 ruin ! But, thanks to a kind heaven I that made his life and 
 health its care ; he was preserved to see the arduous contest 
 happily concluded. 
 
 As he had taken up arms, for the defence of his country, not 
 for military fame ; — .and as it was the height of his ambition, 
 to see his country independent and her liberties established ;— 
 so he cheerfully laid down his arms, and retired to his farm,* 
 when the angel of peace bid the warrior rest. What numerous 
 
 * With great propriety, therefore, is be stiled the American 
 Gincinnatus, and those who partook in bis toils, and nobly imi' 
 tated his example, Cincinnati. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 283 
 
 congraturatory addresses were now presented to the savior of 
 his country ! and how greatly admired were all his answers ; 
 how dignified, and how modest ! how replete with excellent sen- 
 timents, — and especially those of gratitude to the great dis- 
 poser of events, to whose favor he was always mindful to ascribe 
 his viiSlories ! I mention this, because it has always appeared to 
 be one of the brightest traits in his charadler. He ever show- 
 ed a profound reverence and sincere gratitude to that almighty 
 being, who " is governor among the nations," and who " rais- 
 eth up and casteth down at pleasure." 
 
 Happy in his retirement, — in the contemplation of our na- 
 tional prosperity, and in the consciousness of a well-spent life, — 
 he was again called by the unanimous voice of his country, to 
 preside over her councils, and to contribute his aid to cement 
 the union of the states. For the confederation was found on 
 trial to be only a rope of sand ; and a new constitution and 
 bond of union was absolutely necessary, to make us respe£lable 
 abroad, and to secure a general co-operation and harmony at 
 home. How much our illustrious Washington contributed to 
 this good work, his grateful countrymen will long remember. 
 Without this bond of union, we should have been, like some of 
 the ancient rival states of Greece, engaged in perpetual quar- 
 rels among ourselves, and an easy prey to some bold invader. 
 Under his wise and firm administration as first president of the 
 United States, we enjoyed a great degree of peace and prospe- 
 rity ;— while the fierce nations of Europe were seeking each 
 other's destruction. 
 
 When he had finished his course in this exalted station, he 
 again retired to the shade of private life, — hoping never again 
 to fill any public office. 
 
 But providence had something more for his chosen servant 
 yet to do, before he should enjoy the repose of the grave. He 
 must once more appear at the head of our armies. And we have 
 reason to think, that his acceptance of this high command wa? 
 of vast importance, both to call forth afresh the military spirit 
 of his country, and to show foreign powers, that we know hov/ 
 to maintain, as we knew how to acquire, our independence. 
 
284 . WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 But, ah ! how unexpedledly are we deprived of our accom- 
 plished chief ! How is the mighty fallen I No rank, or power, 
 nd virtues, or honors, however pre-eminent, can save us from 
 the great destroyer ! How exalted soever any man may have 
 been, and however long and prosperously he may have lived, — 
 the account must still be closed with the solemn sentence, he is 
 here no more ! 
 
 Weep, O America ! thy loss is great, let thy tears be ma- 
 liy ! for thy most accomplished and best-loved son is snatched 
 away ! The heroic general, the patriotic statesrr.an, the virtu- 
 ous sage 1 His glory was indeed complete. There is no 
 
 iifcrely human charafter, delineated in the page of history, round 
 ■which shine in fuller radiance the beams of every soul-exalting 
 virtue : we can scarcely conceive of any thing which could be 
 added, to give it a brighter lustre. Although far advanced in 
 years, and his aftive powers and military ardor somewhat per- 
 haps abated, — yst still his glory was full-orbed ; — and like the 
 setting sun, though less dazzling, still retained the same mag- 
 nitude, as at its meridian elevation. Providence unwilling, (if 
 I may be allowed the expression) that his glory should be tar- 
 nished in the least, by an exhibition of any of those weaknes- 
 ses that are incident to extreme old age, removed him to a 
 higher world, while yet his mental powers were entire, and his 
 life aftive and useful. It was a saying of Solon, one of the 
 wisest men of Greece, to one of the richest of kings, who 
 wished to be complimented as the happiest of men, that, nO 
 man should be called fortunate or happy, before death had finish- 
 ed his course. Not a few, who once were honored, have out- 
 lived their fame, and at last sunk, unnoticed or despised, into 
 the grave. Far otherwise the hero whose praises we celebrate : 
 as he was great in life, so he was great and magnanimous ih 
 death ; and he is '* gone to the sepulchre of his fathers," laden 
 with honors. Never perhaps was the death of any man, in any 
 age, more sincerely, more generally lamented. Every where is 
 heard the voice of condolence and the language of eulogy ;— 
 every where the sable tokens of mourning are seen 1 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 285 
 
 What an honor to a nation, to have given birth to such a 
 man ; and to have his name, as a hero, a patriot, and a states- 
 man, to adorn the first and brighcest pages of her history ! 
 
 How much soever, therefore, we may have cause to mourn ; 
 let us be thankful that he has been called away, full of years, 
 and with accummulated honors. 
 
 Let us see the hand of the Lord in all that befalls us ; and 
 pray to him, " whose arm is not weakened that it cannot save," 
 to raise up for us other Washingtons, to lead our armies, and 
 to inspire our councils. 
 
 Patriots of America, and military officers of every name ! 
 view the great example that is set before you. Emulate the 
 virtues of your departed chief ; and in due time, your heads 
 will also be adorned with the wreath of honor. Here you will 
 learn what is true and unfading glory. You will see, that it 
 is not the man, who is led on by the blind impulse of ambi- 
 tion ; — wl-# rushes into the midst of embattled hosts merely to 
 show his contempt of death ; or who wastes fair cities and de- 
 populates rich provinces, — to spread far the terrors of his name 
 — who is admired and praised, as the true hero and friend of 
 mankind ; — but the man, who, in obedience to the public voice, 
 appears in arms for the salvation of his country, shuns no pe- 
 rils in a just cause, endeavors to alleviate, instead of encrease 
 the calamities of war, and whose aim is to strengthen and 
 adorn the temple of liberty, as resting on the immoveable basis 
 of virtue and religion. The voice of justice, and the voice of 
 suffering humanity, forbid us, to bestow the palm of true valor 
 on the mad exploits of the destroyers of mankind. Our hero's 
 delight was to save, not to destroy. His greatest glory is, that 
 with small armies, and the loss of few lives, (compared with the 
 wastes of other wars) he made his country free and happy. 
 
 May America, while she admires his virtues, follow his 
 councils, and learn from his excellent writings those precepts df 
 wisdom, wliich, through the blessing of God, may exalt her to 
 the highest felicity, and glory ! 
 
2S6 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 May the great disposer of all events, when he takes away 
 the fathers of our country, who were first in council and first 
 in arms, raise up others, worthy to fill their places ! And may 
 he over-rule all that concerns us, for his glory, and the hap- 
 piness of his people ; and to his name be endless praises. 
 
 Extract from an eulogy, on general George WASHiNcroNj 
 
 pronounced at Boston, before the Ameri:an academy of arts 
 and sciences* By Johh Da vis, A. M. 
 
 IN common instances of mortality, when a father or friend 
 returns to dust, we do not take our final adieu, though the 
 funeral rites be accomplished. Grief first admits, then invites 
 consolation, from conversing on the lives of the deceased : a 
 recapitulation of their virtues and of their meritorious adlions 
 is like Ossian's music, at once, " pleasant and moijjnful to the 
 soul." 
 
 When the father of his country ; when a nation's friend de- 
 scends to the grave, it is fit that public commemorations should 
 min"-le with private condolence : thit we should frequently re- 
 cal to view his reverend image, and repeat our votive honors to 
 him, who was never weary in contributing to our happiness. 
 
 With such impressions, my literary fathers and friends, you 
 have appointed this solemn meeting : with such impressions on- 
 ly, could I prevail on myself to attempt the task, which it has 
 been your pleasure to assign to me. 
 
 Death has frequently taken a distinguished vidlim from the 
 circle of your association. You have mourned the loss of the 
 venerable Bowdoin, your revered president, your liberal patron, 
 the friend and promoter of all that was excellent and pure : the 
 public spirited, the munificent Hancock : the classical, eloquent 
 Cooper : Clarke, in whom shone forth all the beauties of holi- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 28r 
 
 ncsst "whose pious lips were ** wet with Castalian dews :" Belk- 
 nap, learned, devout, and unaffefted, worthy of being the bio- 
 grapher of Washington : Sumner, the cherished ornament of 
 the commonwealth : to these, and many more of your beloved 
 and respedled associates you have bidden a sad farewel : they 
 are removed from your pleasant meetings to the cold and silent 
 mansions of the grave. This day you lament the loss of one, 
 who was not indeed an attendant at your literary interviews ; 
 but who was still most dear : whose benign and happy influen- 
 ces traveUed to their objeft, unimpeded by distance, like the 
 mild and steady beams of planetary light. 
 
 " Thou sleepest the sleep of death, but we are not unmind- 
 ful of thee O ! Achilles : in life and in death, thou art equally 
 the objedl of our regard and veneration." Thus sang the Gre- 
 cian bard, to soothe the shade of a hero : with like affedlonate 
 reverence, with pious sensibilities, do we cherish thy memory, 
 departed Washington, and pay repeated visits to thy tomb. 
 
 In contemplating a life, whose maturer portion Avas so singu- 
 larly splendent, we are naturally prompted to look back to its 
 commencement. Corresponding to that consistency of charac- 
 ter, by which he was distinguished, marks of superiority are 
 imprinted on the very threshold of 'his days. 
 
 In the early dawn of manhood, delicate and important pub- 
 lic duties were committed to his charge. Then appeared some 
 of those heroic virtues, that presaged his future greatness. Un- 
 shaken fortitude, firm perseverance, and sound discretion. Be- 
 hold the intrepid messenger pursuing his weary way through a 
 pathless wilderness. The assaults of the savage do not intimi- 
 date him : the severities of winter do not arresc his progress. 
 He returns in safety and in honor : though Gallic artifice strew- 
 ed his way with thorns : though the waters of the Alleghany 
 had well nigh extinguished his valued life, when their impetu- 
 ous current rolled over his youthful head.* Illustrious man, 
 
 * See bis yournal, published in the Massachusetts Maga- 
 zinCf 1789. 
 
388 WASHINGT6NIANA. 
 
 then, as in all thy life, the conscious satisfaftion resulting from 
 a faithful discharge of duty, was thy sufficient, thy best reward : 
 but how might it have cheered thy exalted spirit to have known, 
 that far beyond the limits of thy long and arduous journey should 
 extend an empire, wJiich should acknowledge thee, as the most 
 distinguished instrument of its establishment. 
 
 The same memorable ground next becomes the theatre of hlg 
 military achievements ; and at the early age of twenty-seven, 
 he has attradled the admiration of his country and retired tQ 
 his beloved residence, with public testimonials of their approba- 
 tion and regard. 
 
 Agricultural employments, domestic endearments, and 
 the discharge of civic trusts dignify and adorn the next fifteen 
 years of his interesting life. But not these alone. In that 
 calm interval, when common minds might have been corrupted 
 by indulgence, or benumbed with satiety, the superior mind 
 of Washington was improving under the wholesome regimen 
 of systematic discipline. Faithful to the high obligations of 
 truth and duty, faithful to himself, he studied the various rela- 
 tions, that bind the man and the citizen, and, in the shade of 
 peace and retirement, prescribed to himself those rules and max- 
 ims of condu£l, on which was reared the lofty edifice of his fame. 
 
 With correal and extensive views of the rights and interests 
 of his country ; with lively sensibilities, when they were invad- 
 ed or endangered, he had a. just title to the high honor of con- 
 vening with that illustrious band of patriots and civilians, who 
 composed the first national councils of united America. By 
 that council, faithful and intelligent, deeply impressed with 
 the mighty interests intrusted to their care, and well apprised 
 that the fate of their country depended on their choice, he is 
 unanimously appointed to command the feeble armies of an op- 
 pressed people, against the veteran arms of the first European 
 power. He suffers himself to be advanced to that " painful pre- 
 eminence," though his strong and comprehensive m^ind could not 
 have been unmindful of the vast " sea of troubles," on which 
 he was embarking. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 289 
 
 With a less corredl sense of public duty, he might have 
 urged many claims to avoid the ponderous task ; and in a dubi- 
 ous contest, multitudes from political opinion, and many, from 
 an indulgent regard to an opulent and distinguished citizen, 
 would have dignified the cautious decision, with the name of 
 wisdom. He listens to no such unworthy suggestion. He 
 takes council with himself — he obeys the call of his country — 
 he hastens to the scene of adlion ; and at no period, perhaps, 
 does his conduct appear more elevated and interesting, than at 
 that impressive moment, when he placed himself at the head of 
 his applauded band of undisciplined husbandmen, on yonder 
 classic plains. 
 
 The purity and magnanimity, thanifested by the acceptance of 
 that arduous trust, taught his admiring country to expeft, with 
 firm reliance, that, with those hopeful pledges, were associated 
 all the protecting train of martial and of manly virtues. 
 
 Those animating hopes were completely realized. Modelled, 
 by his great example, the camp became a school of virtue, as 
 •well as of military science. There were seen unshaken fideli- 
 ty ; unsullied honor ; humane and social sympathies ; pure love 
 of country ; respeft for the magistracy, and reverence for the 
 laws. He sustained the standard of American liberty with 
 energies suited to her charadler : tempering authority with mild- 
 ness, bravery with discretion.— —Intrepid in danger, clement 
 in viftory, undismayed by disaster, he bore the precious deposit 
 through a long and perilous conflidl, animated by the applauses 
 of a grateful country and the admiration of the world. 
 
 The eventful occurrences that developed his talents and his 
 virtues, are too deeply impressed upon the momory of those 
 whom I address, to require a repetition. They were strongly 
 associated with all you held most dear. Revolving years, life's 
 multiplied concerns, a long and happy participation of succeed- 
 ing peace and prosperity, have not effaced them from your re- 
 membrance. And ye, ingenious youth, whose existence com- 
 menced in the age of Washington, who have seen only his set- 
 
 O 
 
290 WASHINGTON I AN A. 
 
 ting sun, in the mirror of history you will behold the bright re- 
 flection of his meridian beams. You will learn of your revered 
 sires, how they were animated by their benign and cheering in- 
 fluence. Ask of those who bare you : they will tell you, how 
 his guardian form dispelled distressing tenors, and protefted by 
 his arm, with what calm eomplacence they watched your infant 
 slumbers. 
 
 The elevated sentiments and expanded views, which inspired 
 the mind of every aftive citizen, during the memorable contest 
 for liberty and independence, were not satisfied with the firm 
 pursuit, or the assured prospetl of those interesting objefts. 
 During a struggle for political existence, you studied the liberal 
 embellishments of a state, and like Pliny on Vesuvius, attend- 
 ed to the pursuits of science, undismayed by the thunder and 
 the storm, by which you were assailed. This literary establish- 
 ment was a child of the revolution. Europe beheld it with ad- 
 miration. The friends of America contemplated it with de- 
 light. They considered it as affording renewed evidence, that 
 you were resolved on the attainment of freedom, and were wor- 
 thy of its enjoyment. 
 
 The illustrious man, whose loss we now deplore, was among 
 the first of your ele6\ed associates. It was a time of multiplied 
 calamities. The military operations of the enemy Avere to be 
 opposed in five different states of the Union. A mind occupied 
 with such immense concerns, could not be expefted to apply it- 
 self to the immediate objedls of your institution. Yet he ac- 
 cepts your invitation ; looking forward, doubtless, to the happier 
 days, when the arts of peace should succeed the horrors of war. 
 As the first among the public charad\ers of the age ; as the pride 
 and defence of your country, he was entitled to the earliest and 
 most respeftful expressions of your attention : but he was your 
 associate by still more appropriate chara£lers, by dispositions and 
 accomplishments, altogether congenial to the nature and end of 
 your institution. 
 
 It is among the declared objedls of your enquiry, to ex- 
 amine the various soils of the country, to ascertain their natural 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 291 
 
 growths and the different methods of culture : to promote and 
 encourage agriculture, arts, manufadlures and commerce : to 
 cultivate the knowledge of the natural history of the country, 
 and to determine the uses, to which its various produdions may 
 be applied. 
 
 Pursuits of this nature always commanded his attention, 
 and to some of them he was peculiarly attached. They were 
 frequently the topic of his conversation, and the subjedt of his 
 correspondence, with ingenious and public spirited men, in dif- 
 ferent parts of the world. 
 
 With a mind well-fitted to acquire just conceptions on any 
 subject, to which his attention was diredled, he would, I am 
 persuaded, have' been distinguished in the abstruser branches of 
 science, if the course of life, which he had chosen, or to which 
 he was impelled, had not been incompatible with the pursuit. 
 In patient investigation, unwearied assiduity, and systematic 
 arrangement, he was excelled by none. The uniform success, 
 which attended his operations in military and political life, evin- 
 ces great solidity of judgment : and he, who could produce 
 such corred and prosperous results, in the great affairs of a na- 
 tion, so liable to be defeated or impeded, by the ever varying 
 humors and prejudices of men, with like aj?plication, might 
 have been equally distinguished in the steady regions of science, 
 whose permanent relations and connedled truths, never fail to 
 disclose themselves to industrious research and attentive con- 
 templation. 
 
 But though a man of contemplative habits, he was still more 
 fitted for adtion. It became necessary for the repose and hap- 
 piness of his country, that he should leave the asylum of his de- 
 clining years. Obedient to that voice, -which he could ne\^r 
 hear but with veneration and love, he exchanges a retreat which 
 he had chosen with the fondest prediledion, for the anxieties 
 and toils of political elevation. How was he honored in the 
 midst of the people, in coming forth from the shades of his re- 
 tirement. " He was as the morning star in the midst of a, 
 cloud ; and as the moon at the full j as the sun, shining upon 
 
293 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 the temple of the most high ; and as the rainbow, giving 
 light in the bright cloud."* — 
 
 The duties of an employment, which is accepted with re- 
 luctance, are frequently discharged with symptoms of weariness 
 or disgust : but he engaged in the multiplied labors of his new 
 and arduous station, as if it were the fond objecl of his choice ; 
 and though enjoying a weight of charadter, which would pecu- 
 liarly facilitate his measures, yet he discovered a laudable soli- 
 citude, that tiiey should possess an intrinsic propriety, and con- 
 diiffted himself with as much caution and circumspeftion, as if 
 he were for the first time a candidate for public favor. 
 
 The interesting obje£ls of his care, and their direct and inti- 
 mate connexion with the solid interest and permanent welfare 
 of his country were indeed congenial to the best wishes of his 
 heart, and fitted to relieve the unavoidable solicitudes of his sta- 
 tion. To regard with comprehensive and equal eye the great 
 assemblage of communities and interests over which he presid- 
 ed : to settle pure and solid foundations of national policy, 
 consistent with the eternal rules of order and right which hea- 
 ven has ordained : to establish public credit : to revive mutual 
 confidence : to introduce with the native tribes on the frontiers, 
 a system, corresponding with the mild principles of religion and 
 philantrophy : to provide for the national security, by suitable 
 military establishments : to found the safety of the United 
 States, on the basis of systematic and solid arrangement : to 
 guard against infradlions of the laws of nations : to maintain 
 a friendly intercourse with foreign powers : to exhibit that sta- 
 bility and wisdom in the public councils, which should be a just 
 ground of public confidence : to adopt measures for the accom- 
 plishment of our duties to the rest of the world, and create a 
 capacity of exading from them the discharge of their duties 
 towards us : to maintain to the United States their due rank 
 among the nations of the earth : to vindicate the majesty of 
 the laws, against violence and irsurreftion : to turn the machi- 
 nations of the wicked to the confirming of the constitution : 
 
 * JEcclesiasticus, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 20^ 
 
 to extinguish the causes of external differences, on terms com- 
 patible with national rights and national honor : to mingle in 
 the operations of government every degree of modt-rati'-n avd 
 tenderness, which national justice, dignity and safety might 
 permit, and to exemplify the pre-eminence of a free gov * n- 
 ment, by all the attributes, which might win the ;'.ff;Cl«:.s of 
 its citizens and command the respeft of the world.* — these 
 were the momentous pursuits, Avhich occupied his elevated mmd, 
 and engaged his warmest affedlions : for these purposes, he in- 
 vited the aid and co-operation of the enlightened counsels of 
 the Union ; and, in spite of the petulance of opposition, or 
 the effusions of faftion, his prosperous country and its grateful 
 inhabitants, will testify that they have been accomplished. 
 
 Extract from a discourse, occasioned by the death of general 
 George Washington, delivered in Trinity-church, Nttvarky 
 NetV'Jersey, By the Rev. Uzal Ogden, D. D. 
 
 Text — ** Know ye not, that there is a prince, and a great man 
 fallen this day in Israel ?" J I. Samuel, iii. 38. 
 
 IT is declared by thfe Psalmist, that " the Lord is good unto 
 all, and that his tender mercies are over all his works." 
 The goodness of God to us, hath been exhibited in numerous 
 and striking instances ; particularly, not only in the great ho- 
 nor, dignity, and happiness of our original state ; in our re- 
 demption from sin and misery, through the son of his love ; in 
 " giving us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our 
 hearts with food and gladness ;" but in raising up illustrious 
 characters, in divers ages and countries, for the benefit of men ; 
 
 * See Washington's speeches to congress, from which the above 
 summary of his presidential pursuits is selected, with little va- 
 riation from his otvn impressive language. 
 
294 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 for their civilization ; for their knowledge of useful arts and 
 sciences ; for their advancement in morals and religion ; and 
 for their enjoyment of civil and religious liberty. 
 
 I MIGHT for hours, and even days, detail the names and me- 
 rits of such benefaftors of the world ; and it is with pleasure I 
 observe, that this infant country can boast of many such wor- 
 thies, in various professions of life ; but I mean only, at pre- 
 sent, as a testimony of unfeigned respeft to his memory, to 
 mention but one of these distinguished men, and to dwell a lit- 
 tle on his character. 
 
 When so ".great a man" as Washington " falls," in our 
 Israel, unaffevrted must we be by loss ; devoid also of sensibility 
 and gratitude ; regardless, likewise, of merit, decency ^nd ge- 
 neral custom, if we do^not mourn his death and attempt to pro- 
 claim his worth I 
 
 For what hath been more common, than, by panegyric, or 
 by mourning, publicly to notice the death of eminent men ? 
 The ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as the Jews, were 
 particularly attentive to such melancholy events. It was not 
 luicomm.on for the Israelites to lament the death of an illustri- 
 ous charader among them ; to refledt upon and recount his vir- 
 tues ; thus, particularly, we are informed, that " the children 
 of Israel wept for Moses, in the plains of Moab, thirty days." 
 And what was more common, than for the primitive christians 
 to deliver eulogiums on those distinguished for virtue and piety ? 
 
 Though Abner was not so eminent a charafter as Moses, 
 yet, as he was " a prince," and a famed captain in Israel, his 
 death was not suffered to pass unnoticed ; but was most sin- 
 cerely lamented by king David, and attended with funeral ho- 
 nors. " And the king said unto his servants, know ye not, that 
 there is a prince, and a great man fallen this day in Israel ?" 
 
 What rendered the death of this prince more aiHifling, was, 
 he fell by the hand of the assassin Joab ; who " took Abner 
 aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him 
 there under the fifth rib, and he died." 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 295 
 
 David declared his obhorrence of the murderous aft ; and 
 said unto the people that were with him, " rend your clothes, 
 and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And 
 king David himself followtd the bier, and they buried Abner 
 in Hebron ; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the 
 grave of Abner ; and all the people wept." 
 
 "The news of Abner's death (saith a Jewish historian) went 
 to the heart of David, insomuch, that the instant he heard it, 
 he stretched forth his right hand towards heaven, uttering exe- 
 crations against the assassin, whoever he was, and all his ac- 
 complices ; and this, not only in detestation of so base and Tin- 
 manly an adion, but also to declare, that upon the strictest 
 niceties of faith and honor, he had been true to Abner (who 
 had, joined the house of Saul against David) — for whom the 
 king, by proclamation, appointed a public mourning, with all 
 the solemnities of tearing of garments and putting on sackcloth. 
 He himself, with his great ministers and officers, assisting at 
 the funeral, and giving sufficient demonstrations, by wringing 
 of hands, beating their breasts, and other expressions of sor- 
 row, both for the veneration they had for Abner's memory, and 
 the sense they had of so inistimable a loss. He caused the bo- 
 dy to be interred at Hebron, with great state and magnificence, 
 composing an epitaph himself to honor the deceased. He was 
 the chief mourner, and a precedent to all the rest, who a(^ed 
 in conformity to his exajnple." 
 
 Ah ! dread event ! — How shall it be expressed ? — Washing- 
 ton, the " great man in our Israel ;" the glory of our country ; 
 the brightest ornament of human nature ; the admiration of the 
 world — " falls". ..dies !...Not by the hand of treachery, as did 
 Abner, but by the power of disease ! 
 
 O DEATH ! how great thy triumph ? Ah ! how cruel thy 
 stroke ? Who feels it not ? 
 
296 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Cease to weep, thou partner of his heart ; ye relatives and 
 friends of virtue ! Cease to weep, ye fathers in council ; ye ci« 
 tivicns of America ! For Washington weep not ! He died in 
 honor, in peace with his God ; in full resignation to the will of 
 heaven I 
 
 He lives ; he moves in a more exalted sphere ! He lives too 
 in your affecflions and remembrance ! And his fame shall live ; 
 shall be transmitted from age to age, with growing lustre, till 
 time shall be no more 1 
 
 Astonishing has been the effeft of general Washington's 
 death, in these states. See our venerable president, with the 
 members of both houses of congress, clothed in the garb of 
 sorrow, and reciprocating their language of condolence ! See the 
 hails of congress and our temples of worship, drest in mourning ! 
 See in our ships of war, and on our military staffs, the signals 
 of grief 1 See the officers of our army and navy, and our citi- 
 zens throughout the Union, displaying the badge of sorrow I 
 Hear the bells proclaiming the mournful event, — Washington 
 is dead ! See our public prints, clad in black, declaring the same 
 awful truth ! Behold numerous processions of mourning ! Hear 
 the pulpits wailing his death and announcing his worth ! Be- 
 hold him the mournful theme of lay orators of the first distinc- 
 tion ! Listen to the muse, which also mourns him dead, and 
 sings his praise ! See every countenance dejedled with grief, and 
 every heart torn with anguish ! 
 
 What an eulogy ? What mortal before, received such praise ; 
 such honors in life, and after death ! And what man, before, so 
 justly merited them ? 
 
 General Washington, it may be remarked, in several res- 
 pefts, hath been singularly fortunate. How many, with ex- 
 alted virtues and splendid talents, have commenced their career 
 of fame and usefulness to men, as heroes and statesmen ? But 
 bow few have reached the goal, and obtained the rewards of 
 merit ? 
 
WASHINGTON I AN A. 297 
 
 How many have been suddenly cut down by the scythe of 
 death ? And, among ourselves, did there not thus fall a War- 
 ren, a Montgomery and a Mercer ? How many through 
 error in judgment, have wandered from the path ? How many 
 have been checked, stopped in their course, by the power of 
 envy, pride, hatred, calumny or ambition ? And how many 
 have been turned aside by the force of gold ? 
 
 To our reproach, had we not one of this charafter among us ? 
 In the person of a general, of an hero, of a professed patriot, 
 had wc not a traitor ? I grate not your cars with the sound of 
 his name of infamy.* 
 
 But, to our honor, besides a Washington, have we not been 
 blessed with numerous heroea of patriotism ? With numerous 
 patriotic legislators of wisdom, who, to their country have ren- 
 dered very important services'? If all these services have not 
 been rewarded according to their deserts,t shall we be charged 
 with ingratitude ? Or shall poverty be our apology ? 
 
 It is painful to refledl that often, but too often, uniform, per- 
 severing and successful merit ; distrhguished deeds of bravery 
 and p^riotism, have not only been treated with neglccSl, but 
 even with insult and barbarity ! Among the several worthies 
 thus treated, whose names now occur to me, there is one whose 
 case is so afFe£ling, that I beg to be indulged the liberty of 
 reminding you of It. 
 
 Belisarius was general of the armies of the emperor Justi- 
 nian, and, most deservedly, high in the confidence and esteem 
 of his prince. This general possessed superior talents ; un- 
 daunted valor ; the striftest probity ; great modesty, and the 
 most ardent loyalty. He was justly regarded as the most illus- 
 trious captain of the age, and rendered his cotintry the most 
 eminent services, by his vidlories in Italy, Africa and Persia. 
 
 * Benedict Arnold. 
 
 t See Gordon's Historjy Vols, II and III* 
 
298 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 In the year five hundred and thirty-two, so formidable a sedi- 
 tion was excited at Constantinople, that Hypatius was pro- 
 claimed emperor ; and so powerfully was he supported by Pro- 
 bus and Pompeius, nephews of Anastasius, that Justinian was 
 on the point of fleeing the city. From this measure, however, 
 he was dissuaded by Belisarius, who soon suppressed the rebel- 
 lion : And so disinterested and faithful a subje£l was he, that, 
 having captured Vitiges, king of the Goths, and his whole fa- 
 mily, in the city of Ravenna, this general chose rather to convey 
 them to Constantinople, than to accept the Gothic crown, which 
 he was even pressed to receive. 
 
 But see the efFeiSls of envy I See the consequences of credul- 
 ity and injustice in a monarch ! 
 
 Belisarius, without proof, was accused of a conspiracy a- 
 gainst his prince. And behold ! in consequence of the accusa- 
 tion, the venerable patriot-soldier divested of authority, reduced 
 to poverty, — and, after having had his eyes plucked out, abandon- 
 ed, compelled to beg his bread in the streets of Constantinople ! 
 
 But our Washington nobly disclaimed the reward of gold 
 for his services ; nor did he covet the praise of men ! His coun- 
 trymen, however, with the most heart-felt pleasure, honored 
 him with their approbation ; with their gratitude and applause ! 
 He enjoyed also the applause of Europe and even of the whole 
 •world 1 
 
 But, to the disgrace of human nature, towards the close of 
 his administration, there were a few unworthy men, who had 
 the audacity and impiety to open their lips of calumny against 
 him ! Men who, from the baseness of their hearts and wicked- 
 ness of their views, were unworthy even to utter the name of 
 Washington ! — But men (among whom stood conspicuous the 
 noted sot and infidel, Thomas Paine) who "wtre as unable to de- 
 traft, by their language of scurrility, folly and falshood, from 
 the merits of a Washington, as would have been futile their 
 attempt to poison the Atlantic, by infusing into it the venom of 
 a reptile ; or their effort to have extinguished the sun, by ejed- 
 ing their filthy saliva towards it I 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 299 
 
 If vre view general Washington in private life, we shull still 
 perceive that he adled worthy of himself. 
 
 As an husband, besides his fidelity, he was attentive and atuc- 
 tlonate. As a friend, he was faithful and sincere. As a neigh- 
 bor, he was just, generous and obliging. As a citizen, he was 
 highly deserving praise ; for he not only honored the laws of his 
 country, but, in every respedV, promoted its interest to the ut- 
 most of his power ; especially by countenancing and promoting 
 semiirarles of learning and works of public utility. 
 
 To the poor, he was liberal ; to the stranger, hospitable. 
 As a master, he was lenient and kind, and, to all, his deport- 
 ment was affable, though grave ; benevolent, without pride ; 
 and pleasing, without affectation. His manners were plain, but 
 dignified ; in his conversation he was easy, instru£llve, but not 
 loquacious ; and he made no display of any superior knowledge, 
 virtue or talent that he possessed. 
 
 He encouraged modesty and virtue ; but frowned upon impu- 
 dence and vice. As he venerated truth, he discountenanced 
 falshood ; and, being generous himself, he abhorred meanness of 
 spirit. He was revered and beloved by all who had the honor of 
 his acquaintance. His person was tall and majestic ; his eye 
 intelligent and penetrating ; his countenance placid, serious and 
 thoughtful ; and his dress devoid of superfluous ornament, but 
 always neat and becoming the charadler in which he appeared. 
 
 But there is yet another point of view, in which we are to 
 behold general Washington, and in which he shines also with 
 great lusti-e ;— -we must see him in his christian character. 
 
 Educated in the principles of the christian religion, he con- 
 tinued to embrace it from a conviftion of its truth.* The im- 
 pious and infidel philosophy of the present day, excited only his 
 pity, his virtuous contempt and indignation ! His faith in Jesus 
 Christ, the Son of God, was unshaken ; and he was careful to 
 
 * He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church* 
 
300 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 venerate the precepts and public institutions of that holy and 
 divine religion he professed. He adorned it by a life of indust- 
 ry, sobriety, temperance and chastity ; humility, justice, charity, 
 pietj'-, faith and trust in God. 
 
 And is it not most reasonable to conclude, that to his christian 
 virtue it was principally owing, that in prosperity he was not 
 haughty ? That in adversity he did not despair ? That in the 
 hour of temptation he was inflexible ? And that, amidst all the 
 changes and vississitudes ; the storms and tempests of lif^, — he 
 remained calm, serene, unappalled, undismayed ; putting his 
 trust in that God who " is a present help in time of trouble ;" 
 and who " saveth the upright in heart?" 
 
 In this charaiSler, we behold him rising superior to every sin- 
 ful indulgence ; to every calamity or affliftion that awaited him ; 
 to all the praises and acclamations of men ; to all the pomp and 
 shew and grandeur of the world. 
 
 How peaceful and serene was his breast ! How happy his life ! 
 And what blessedness attended him at his death ! Though its 
 approach was sudden, it seems to him not to have come unex- 
 pefted 1 He received its summons without fear or dread !■ — 
 With calmness ; with dignity ; with perfedl resignation to the 
 will of heaven, and with rational hopes of a blessed immortal- 
 ity, he resigned his breath to him who gave it? ! 
 
 Happv spirit I Delivered from the clog of mortality, with 
 what holy triumph was it conveyed by angels to the world a- 
 bove ; ushered into the courts of God, and invested with that 
 palm of vi6:ory and crown of glory, which fade not away I 
 
 How, my brethren, should our hearts glow with gratitude to 
 God, for blessing us with so inestimable a charafter ? What 
 greater honor can we now do him — or what greater benefit can 
 we bestow on our country, than by our endeavors to imitate his 
 example ? And though we cannot hope, by our best condudl, to 
 be as useful to mankind, nor to enjoy his earthly fame ; yet, all 
 of us, through divine goodness, may equal him in christian vir- 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 301 
 
 tues, enjoyments and rewards ! Let us, then, devote our hearts 
 to God ; put our trust In him, and revere his holy laws I 
 
 Will God Almighty of his infinite mercy grant that such 
 may be our happiness ; — for the sake of the merits of Jesus 
 Christ, our Lord ; to whom, with the Father and Holy Ghost^ 
 three persons, but one God, be ascribed everlasting praise 
 
 Extract from, a discourse.^ delivered at Woodbury y in Neiv-'Jersey^ 
 on the death of general George JVashingto}/. By Joiiif 
 CuoES, A. M. rector of Trinity-cburcb^ at Swedesborougb. 
 
 THAT great and good man, that first of citizens, and first 
 of heroes, *' O ! how my heart trembles to relate it !" 
 is gone, irrevocably gone, to the mansions of the dead ! His 
 fine majestic form, so expressive of native dignity ; his mild 
 but animated countenance, so true an index of the excellencies 
 of his mind ; that corporeal mansion, in which he ran his glo- 
 rious earthly race, has ceased to be the habitation of his immor- 
 tal part, and, like all terrestrial things, is now rapidly decaying, 
 and mouldering to its native dust. Alas ! no more shall we 
 see that interesting figure, that placid but manly face ; to be- 
 hold which was the luxury of curiosity, and the pride and de- 
 delight of the heart. No more shall the music of his voice 
 charm our admiring ears. Ah ! no more shall our gallant sol- 
 diers follow their Washington to vi£lory and fame. No more 
 shall the influence of his name be the palladium of our republic, 
 and the terror .of faction. The loss we have sustained, accord- 
 to our finite calculations, is truly immense and irreparable. No 
 mortal's death, since the existence of man, has been more sin- 
 cerely and universally deplored. But while we grieve for the 
 excessive calamity we have experienced, let us remember, that 
 death is inseparable from our nature ; that nothing within the 
 limits of human excellence and attainments, can rescue any one 
 from that inevitable fate which awaits us all : that if the sum- 
 
S02 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 mlt of human glory, if the brightest virtues of man, if the 
 ttars and supplications of a nation, if the respeA and applauses 
 of a world ; in fine, if the whole assemblage of mortal honors and 
 perfeftions could have revoked that destiny of our nature, Wash- 
 ington, cur glory and our delight, would not have died. Un- 
 der the impression of this self-evident truth, however excessive 
 our loss, we should not repine ; but, with entire resignation, 
 consider that the ways of heaven, though inextricable by our 
 limited capacities, are notwithstanding fraught with infinite 
 ■wisdom, and consummate goodness. Let us therefore dry up 
 our tears, and while we cordially and cheerfully submit to a dis- 
 pensation of providence so peculiarly ailliclive, let us make our 
 grateful acknowlsdgements to the source of all good for his dis- 
 tinguishing favor, in sparing, so long, a life so precious, and 
 so useful. 
 
 Shall we stop here, my respe<Sled audience, and seek no 
 further for an alleviation of our sorroAv ? Are there not conso- 
 lations more ample and joyful yet remaining ? Yes, infinite- 
 ly more. Our Washington is not dead ! 
 
 ** Digmim laude virum musa vetat mori, Ctelo musa beat,* 
 
 He has only exchanged a world of temptation and woe, for a 
 world of bliss and glory eternal. " I am the resurrection and 
 the life ;" salth our Lord, " he that believeth in me, though 
 " he were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth, and 
 " believeth in me, shall never die." Having devoted a life, 
 full of years, to the most honorable and beneficial offices ; hav- 
 ing been the bulwark of his country in war, and her mentor in 
 peace, and having set the purest and brightest examples of vir- 
 tue, and piety, before his successors, before his countrymen 
 and the world, his course being finished, he left all that was 
 mortal behind him, and soared like a cherub to the realms of 
 perpetual day ; and is now resting, we trust, in the bosom of 
 Iiis saviour and God, and enjoying the sweet rewards of his 
 well-spent life. 
 
 * Horaee, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 303 
 
 O DIVINE revelation ! who openest to us such enchanting 
 hopes, who afFordcst us such sources of real consolation in the 
 calamity we deplore, and in others of a similar nature ; may 
 wc, like that incomparable man, never forsake thy luminous, 
 thy heart-cheering paths, for the dark, gloomy and uncomfort- 
 able mazes of infidelity and doubt. 
 
 Havimg, therefore, such ample reasons to be satisfied with 
 this dispensation of heaven, and to be resigned to his will, 
 •* whose wisdom is unerring, and whose goodness is unchange- 
 able and everlasting," will it be considered an improper conclu- 
 sion to dire^ our attention, for a moment, to the solemn event 
 of our own deaths ? We have seen that no virtues, however 
 excellent ; no services, however beneficial and extensive ; no 
 honorSj however numerous and grand j can deliver us from the 
 power of the king of terrors. Die we must. It becomes then 
 a subjedl of serious concern to us, whether or not we are pre- 
 pared to follow our beloved and admired brother into the world 
 of happy spirits. That we may draw a just conclusion, let us 
 remember, that it is by the arduous path of faith, piety and 
 benevolence, we must climb the heavenly mount. The beaten 
 road of unbelief, ungodliness and immorality leads directly 
 down to the shades of eternal' death. 
 
 If heaven be our objeft, we must follow the path that con- 
 dudls to it. If we hope again to behold our beloved and muck 
 lamented Washington, we must live as Washington lived, 
 *' Wc must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly, 
 righteously and godly in this present world." Thrice happy 
 they, who undeviatingly pursue this sublime course 1 At that 
 awful hour, so tremendous to the wicked, they may say, with 
 composure, as our Washington said in his last moments ; 
 I " have no fear to die." O blessed exit ! how devoutly to be 
 desired ! May infinite goodness make ours as happy! 
 
J04 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Extract from an oration, on the death of .general GEORca 
 WASHlSGfoN., delivered in Alexandria, at the request of 
 the committee of arrangements By Doctor Elisha Cul- 
 LEN Dick, 
 
 FOUR millions of the human race, free in their thoughts 
 and aiFecVions — unrestrained in their adlions, widely dis- 
 persed over an extensive portion of the habitable globe, are 
 seen devoted to a single purpose ; — A people detached by local 
 causes— aftuated in common life by opposite views, or rivals in 
 the pursuit of similar objecfls ; — jealous in all other matters of 
 general concern — are offering the tribute of affe»Siion to the 
 memory of their common friend. In vain shall we examine 
 the records of antiquity for its parallel. Worth so transcen- 
 dent as to merit universal homage, with a correspondent desire 
 to bestow it, mark an event in the history of our country, that 
 may be considered as a phenomenon in the annals of man. 
 
 Modest and unassuming, yet dignified in his manners — ac- 
 cessable and communicative ; yet superior to familiarity, he in- 
 spired and preserved the love and resped\ of all who knew him. 
 For the promotion of all public and useful undertaking, he was 
 singularly munificent. The indigent and distressed, were at 
 all times subjefts of his sympathy and concern. His charity 
 flowed in quiet but constant streams, from a fountain that was 
 at no time suffered to sustain the smallest diminution. No 
 pursuit or avocation, however momentous, was permitted to 
 interrupt his systematic attention to the children of want. 
 His anxious solicitude on this score is pathetically exemplified 
 in a letter written in 1775, at a time when the unorganized 
 state of the army might have demanded his exclusive concern. 
 Addressing himself to the late Lund Washington, he writes— 
 " Let the hospitality of the house be kept with respeft to the 
 " poor. Let no one go away hungry. If any of this kind of 
 ** people should be in want of corn, supply their necessities, 
 " provided it does not encourage them in idleness. I have no 
 " objeftion to your giving my money in charity, when yoir 
 « think it will be well bestowed. I mean that it is my desire, 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 305 
 
 ** ttiat it should be done. You are to consider that neither 
 " myself nor my wife are now in the way to do these good 
 « ofEces." 
 
 Such, my fellow-citizens, was the man whose memory we 
 have assembled to honor. It has been your peculiar felicity 
 often to have seen him on the footing of social Intimacy. 
 That the inhabitants of Alexandria, held a distinguished place 
 in his afFeclion, you have had repeated testimony. You have 
 seen his sensibility awakened, on occasions calculated to call 
 forth a display of his partiality. The last time we met to of- 
 fer our salutations, and express our inviolable attachment to 
 the venerable sage, on his retiring from the chief magistracy 
 of the Union, you may remember that in telling yon how pecu- 
 liarly grateful were your expressions, the visible emotions of 
 his great soul, had almost deprived him of the power of utter- 
 ance. 
 
 'But heaven has reclaimed its treasure, and America has 
 lost its first of patriots and best of men — its shield in war ; in 
 peace its brightest ornament, the a\^enger of its wrongs, the ora- 
 cle of its wisdom and the mirror of its perfection. His fair fame, 
 secure in its immortality, shall shine through countless ages with 
 undiminished lustre. It shall be the stateman's polar-star, the 
 hero's destiny ; the boast of age ; the companion of maturity 
 and the goal of youth. It shall be the last national office of hoa- 
 ry dotage to teach the infant that hangs on his trembling knee, 
 to lisp the name of Washington. 
 
 Extract from a funeral oration on general George JVashing- 
 ^OiV, delivered in tbe temple of Mars^ at Paris* By Louis 
 FokTanes, 
 
 FRANCE, unbiassed by those narrow prejudices which ex- 
 ist between nations, and admiring virtue wherever it be 
 found, decrees this tribute of respe£l to 4he manes of Wash- 
 
506 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ington. At this moment she contributes to the discharge of 
 a debt due by two nations. No government, whatever form 
 it bears, or whatever opinion it holds, can refuse its rcspe£l to 
 this great father of liberty. The people who so lately stigma- 
 tized Washington as a rebel, regard even the enfranchisement 
 of America, as one of those events consecrated by history and 
 by past ages. Such is the veneration excited by great charac- 
 ters. The American revolution, the contemporary of our own, 
 is fixed for ever. Washington began it with energy, and 
 finished it with moderation. — He knew how to maintain it, 
 pursuing always the prosperity of his country ; and this aim 
 alone can justify at the tribunal of the most high, enterprises 
 so extraordinary. 
 
 " From every part of that America which he has delivered, 
 the cry of grief is heard. It belonged to France to echo back 
 the mournful sound ; it ought to vibrate on every generous 
 heart. The shade of Washington, on entering beneath this 
 lofty dome, will find a Turenne, a Catinat, a Gonde, all of 
 ■whom have fixed their habitation here. If these illustrious 
 ■warriors have not served in the same cause during life, yet the 
 fame of all will unite them in death. Opinions subjeft to the 
 caprice of the world and to time ; opinions, weak and change- 
 able, the inheritance of humanity, vanish in the tomb : but 
 glory and virtue live for ever. When departed from this stage, 
 the great men of every age and of every place, become, in 
 some measure, compatriots and cotemporaries — they form but 
 one family in the memory of the living, and their examples 
 are renewed in every successive age. Thus, within these 
 walls, the valor of Washington attracts the regard of Gonde ; 
 his modesty is applauded by Turenne ; his philosophy draws 
 him to the bosom of Gatinat ; a people who admit the ancient 
 dogma of a transmigration of souls, will often confess that 
 the soul of Catiuat dwells in the bosom of Wnshingtcn. 
 
WASHTNGTONIANA. 30/ 
 
 The following elegantly drawn characler^ of general Georgb 
 JVjsnJNG7'oiiy "ivas published in London., Jan, 24, 1800. 
 
 THE melancholy account of the death of general Washing- 
 ton» was brought by a vessel from Baltimore, which has 
 arrived off Dover. 
 
 General Washington was, wc believe, in his 68th year. 
 The height of his person was .ibout five feet eleven ; his chest 
 full ; and his limbs, though rather slender, well shaped and mus- 
 cular. His head was small, in which respe£l he resembled the 
 make of a great number of his countrymen. His eyes were 
 of a light blue ^color ; and, in proportion to the length of his 
 face, his nose long. Mr. Stcwart» the eminent portrait painter, 
 used to say there were features in his face totally different from 
 what he had ever observed in that of any other human being ; 
 the sockets for the eyes^ for instance, were larger than what he 
 ever met with before, and the upper part of his nose broader. 
 All his features, he observed, were indicative of the strongest 
 passions ; yet, like Socrates, his judgment and great self-coni" 
 mand have always made him appear a man of a different cast 
 in the eyes of the world. He always spoke with great diffidence, 
 and sometimes hesitated for a word ; but it was always to find 
 one particularly well adapted to his meaning. His language was 
 manly and expressive. At levee, his discourSfe with strangers 
 turned principally upon the subjedl of America ; and if they 
 had been through any remarkable places, his conversation was 
 free and particularly interesting, for he was intimately acquaint- 
 ed with every part of the country. He was much more open 
 and free in his behavior at levee than in private, and in the com- 
 pany of ladies still more so than when solely with men. 
 
 Few persons ever found themselves for the first time in the 
 presence of general Washington, without being impressed with 
 a certain degree of vener;.tion and awe ; nor did those emotions 
 subside on a closer acquaintance ; on the contrary, his person 
 and deportment were such as rather tended to augment them. 
 The hard service he had seen, the important and laborious ofli- 
 
508 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 ces he had filed, gave a kind of austerity to his countenance, 
 and a reserve to his manners : yet he was the kindest husband, 
 the most humane master, the steadiest friend. 
 
 The whole range of history does not present to our view a 
 charafter upon which we can dwell with such entire and unmix- 
 ed admiration. The long life of general Washington is not 
 stained by a single blot. He was indeed a man of such rare 
 endowments, and such fortunate temperament, that every aftion 
 lie performed was equally exempted from the charge of vice or 
 •weakness.— Whatever he said or did, or wrote, was stamped 
 •with a striking and peculiar propriety. His qualities were so 
 happily blended, and so nicely' harmonised, that- the result wag 
 a great and perfect whole. The powers of his mind, and the 
 dispositions, of his heart, were admirably suited to each other. 
 It was the union of the most consummate prudence with the 
 most perfeft moderation. His views, though large and liberal, 
 were never extravagant : his virtues, though comprehensive and 
 beneficent, were discriminating, judicious and praftical. 
 
 Yet his charafter, though regular and uniform, pos<!essed 
 none of the littleness which may sometimes belong to these de-t 
 scriptions of men. It formed a majestic pile, the eiFe£t of which 
 was not impaired, but improved by order and symmetry. There 
 was nothing in it to dazzle by v/ildness, and surprise by eccen- 
 tricity. It was of a higher species of moral beauty. It con- 
 tained every thing great and elevated, but it had no false and 
 tinsel ornament. It was not the model cried up by the fashion and 
 circumstance : its excellence was adapted to the true and just 
 moral taste, incapable of charge from the varying accidents of 
 manners, of opinions and times. — General Washington is not 
 the idol of a day, but the hero of ages ! 
 
 Placed in circumstances of tjie most trying difficulty at 
 the commencement of the American contest, he accepted that 
 situation which was pre-eminent In danger and responsibility. 
 His perseverance overcame every obstacle ; his moderation 
 conciliated every opposition ; his genius supplied every re- 
 source ; his enlarged view could plan, revise, and improve 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 309 
 
 every branch of civil and military operation. He had the su- 
 perior courage which can adl or forbear to aft, as true policy 
 diclates, careless of the reproaches of ignorance, either in pow- 
 er or out of power. He knew how to conquer by waiting. In 
 spite of obloquy, for the moment of vidory ; "and he merited 
 true ])raise by despising undeserved censure. In the most ar- 
 duous moments of the contest, his prudent firmness proved the 
 salvation of the cause which he supported. 
 
 As his elevation to the chief power was the unbiassed 
 choice of Jiis countrymen, his exercise of it was agreeable to 
 the parity of its origin. As he had neither solicited nor usurp- 
 ed dominion, he had neither to contend Avith the opposition of 
 rivals, nor the revenge of enemies. As his authority was un- 
 disputed, so it required no jealous precautions, no rigorous 
 severity. His government was mild and gentle ; it was bene- 
 ficient and liberal ; it was wise and just. His prudent admin- 
 istration consolidated and enlarged the dominion of an infant 
 republic. In voluntarily resigning the magistracy which he 
 had filled with such distinguished honor, he enjoyed the une- 
 qualled satisfaAion of leaving to the state he had contributed 
 to establish, the fi nits of his wisdom and the example of his 
 virtues. 
 
 It is some consolation, amidst the violence of ambition and 
 the criminal thirst of power, of which so many instances occur 
 around us, to find a charad,er whom it is honorable to admire, 
 and virtuous to imitate. A conqueror, for the freedom of his 
 country ! A legislator, for its security ! A magistrate, for 
 its happiness ! His glories were never sullied by those exces- 
 ses into which the highest qualities are apt to degenerate. 
 With the greatest virtues he was exempt from the correspond- 
 ing vices. He was a man in whom the elements were so mix- 
 ed, that " nature might have stood up to all the world" and 
 owned him as her work. His fame, bounded by no country, 
 will be confined to no age. The charader of general Wash- 
 ington, which hi§ cotemporaries regret and admire, will be 
 transmitted to posterity ; and the memory of his virtues, while 
 patriotism and virtue are held sacred among men, will remain 
 undiminished. 
 
no WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Portrait of general George WashingTos. By Marquis 
 Chastelleavx. 
 
 THE marquis having arrived at general Washington's head- 
 quarters, was introduced to the American Cincinnatus, 
 of whom he speaks in the following elegant and animated lan- 
 guage : 
 
 Eravk without temerity — laborious without ambition — ge- 
 nerous without prodigality — noble without pride — virtuous with- 
 out severity — he seems always to have confined himself v/ithin 
 those limits, where the virtues, by clothing themseleves in more 
 lively, but more changeable and doubtful colors, may be mis- 
 taken for faults. — This is the seventh year that he has com- 
 manded the army, and that he has obeyed the congress. More 
 need not be said, especially in America, where they know how 
 to appreciate all the merit contained in this simple aft. Let it 
 be repeated that Conde was intrepid, Turenne prudent, Eugene 
 adroit, and Catinat disinterested. It is not thus that Washing- 
 ton will be charafterised. It will be said of him, at the end of 
 a long civil war, he had nothing with which he could reproach 
 himself. If any thing can be more marvellous than such a cha- 
 rafter, it is the unanimity of the public suffrages in his favor. 
 Soldier, magistrate, people, all love and admire him ; all speak 
 of him In terms of tenderness and veneration. Does there then 
 exist a virtue capable of restraining the injustice of mankind ; 
 "or, are glory and happiness too recently established in America, 
 for envy to have deigned to pass the seas ? 
 
 In speaking of this perfed whole, of which general Wash- 
 ington furnishes the Idea, I have not excluded exterior form. 
 His stature is noble and lofty ; he is well made and exactly pro- 
 portioned ; his physiognomy mild and agreeable, but such as 
 renders it Impossible to speak particularly of any of hig features, 
 so that in quitting him, you have only the recollection of a fine 
 face. He has neither a grave nor a familiar air ; his brow is 
 sometimes marked with thought, but never with inquietude. — 
 Inspiring rerped, he inspires confidence, and his smile is always 
 •the smile of benevolence. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 311 
 
 Sketch of general GzoRGE Washisctoh, from BRissor's Tra- 
 vels in Norlb America, 
 
 T'^HE general's goodness beams in his eyes. They have no 
 longer that fire which his officers found in them when at 
 the head of his army ; but they brighten in conversation. In 
 his countenance there are no striking features ; hence it is dif- 
 ficult to catch a likeness of him, for few of his portraits resem- 
 ble him. All his answers discover good sense, consummate pru- 
 dence, and great diffidence of himself; but at the same time, 
 an unalterable firmness in the part he has once embraced. His 
 modesty cannot but be particularly astonishing to a French- 
 man. He speaks of the American war, as if he had not been 
 the conduftor of it ; and of his viclories with an indifference 
 with which nd stranger could mention them. I never saw him 
 grow warm, or depart from that coolness which characterises 
 him, except when talking on the present state of America.— 
 The divisions of his country rend his soul. He feels the neces- 
 sity of rallying all the friends of liberty around a central point, 
 and of giving energy to the government. To his country he 
 is still ready to sacrifice that quiet which constitutes his hap- 
 piness. Happiness, said he to me, is not in grandeur, is not ia 
 the bustle of life. This philosopher was so thoroughly con- 
 vinced of the truth of this, that from the moment of his re- 
 treat, he broke off every political connexion, and renounced 
 every place in the government ; yet in spite of such a renunci- 
 ation, of such disinterestedness, of such modesty, this astonish- 
 ing man has enemies ! He has been vilified in the newspapers; 
 he has been accused of ambition, of intrigue, when all his 
 life, when all America, can witness his disinterestedness, 
 and the reftitude of his condu£l : Virginia is perhaps the sole 
 country where he has enemies ; for no where else have I heard 
 his name pronounced but with resped, mixed with affeclion 
 and gratitude. You would think the Americans were speak- 
 ing of their father. It would be wrong, perhaps, to compare 
 Washington with the most celebrated, warriors : but he is the 
 model of a republican ; displaying ail the qualities, all the 
 virtues of one. 
 
312 WASHINGTONIANA* 
 
 -Extract from an elegiac poem^ or. the death of general GeorGM 
 JVashington. Bj Ciiahles Calvivellj A. M. AL D* 
 
 AND is it so ? Is Washington no more ? 
 Fame blow a blast to startle every shore ! 
 Let every shore the solemn note rebound, 
 Till universal nature catch the sound — 
 The awful sound ! to announce that stroke of fate^ 
 The death of all that's glorious, good and great ! 
 Of all that kindred angels stoop'd to scan. 
 The brightest wonder of that %vonder man I 
 And could not goodness, could not greatness save ? 
 Nor human glory rescue from the grave ? 
 Could not a nation's sighs a nation's prayers, 
 Procure for ONE a ceaseless round of years ? 
 
 Hail, matchless mortal, heaven's distinguished care I 
 Epitome of virtues great and rare ! 
 Resplendent model of majestic mind ! 
 Where talents high their confluent lustre join'd I 
 Sure nature form'd thee of superior dust, 
 As Ciesar generous, and as Cato just ! 
 A soul, in war's emergence form'd to rule, 
 As Gyrus provident, as Fabius cool 1 
 When honor sumftion'd, as Achilles warm, 
 As Scipio promp, as Cincinnatus firm I 
 "When danger frown'd, and battle shook the skies, 
 As He<rtor daring, as Ulysses wise 1 
 
 Calm and serene amid the voUied storm, 
 Our hero smil'd at death in every form. 
 And still from heaviest clouds of hopeless fate, 
 Emerg'd and rose as Alexander great ! 
 To rear the towering fabric of his fame, 
 He rifled all of Greek and Roman name ; 
 And even, in war, imperial Albion's lord, 
 Bow'd to the splendors of his conq^uering sword I 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 313 
 
 Born with a mind untaught to shrink or yield, 
 In council deep, unfathoni'd in the field, 
 In charge resistless, dangerous in defeat. 
 In victory clement, dreadful in retreat ! 
 Cradled mid arms, a soldier from his birth, 
 He stood the awe and glory of the earth ! 
 
 But, not alone in scenes where glory fir'd, 
 He mov'd no less in civil walks admir'd ! 
 Though long a warrior, choice of humap blood, 
 As Brutus noble, and as Titus good I 
 To all that form'd the hero of the age, 
 He join'd the patriot and the peaceful sage. 
 The statesman powerful, and the ruler just. 
 No less illustrious than th.e chief august ; 
 And, to condense his chara£lers in one, 
 The godlike father of his country shone I 
 
 Such was the man ! let distant ages know, 
 For whom Columbia droops in weeds of woe ! 
 Peerless in life ! — .Yc wondering realms attend ! 
 His fame was brighten'd by his glorious end ! 
 By pain unmov'd, magnanimous in death, 
 He prov'd the hero with his latest breath! 
 And shot eternal splendours through the gloom, 
 That shrouds, in night, the confines of the tomb ! 
 His worth, increasing with his reverend days, 
 Had taught a nation virtue's radiant ways. 
 Then, greatly yielding life, without a sigh. 
 His last example taught them how to die ! 
 
 Shade of immortal Warren hither bend ! 
 Montgomery, Mercer, Lawrence, Green, attend 1 
 Mid files of angels, rang'd on either side, 
 And forms angelic your celestial guide, 
 Gonduft, in triumph, to the climes above, 
 The illustrious spirit of the chief you love! 
 
 Rr 
 
3U WASHINGTONIANA* 
 
 Ye hostile chiefs on Europe's hanass'd shore, 
 Who fiercely fan, with banners dipt in gore, 
 The dreadful flame of war ! revert your eyes, 
 Behold the death, Columbia's hero dies ! 
 In life how mild, how firm, how just, how brave I 
 And lo ! what glories issue from his grave ! 
 What weeping millions o'er his ashes bend ! 
 What bursts of woe his country's bosom rend I 
 What prayers, what eulogies ascend the sky. 
 What deathless monuments in embryo lye ! 
 
 Ye emperors, kings, and civil powers august I 
 Whose bleeding armies agonize in dust. 
 Whose rifled subjeils raise a general groan, 
 And cheerless realms mid deep oppression moan ! 
 Whose breasts a thirst for martial fame inspires ; 
 Whom love of wealth, of power, or conquest fires, 
 Ambition drags, in triumph, at her car, 
 While spurious glory dazzles from afar ! 
 To your throng'd courts, my feeble voice I raise, 
 To you address expostulary lays ! 
 Scan well our hero's lil'e, his death admire, 
 And burn your bosoms with a kindred fire ! 
 When dark oppression's clouds impend your land, 
 Like him, the avenging thunders in your hand, 
 Rush foremost, mid the fierce embattled hosts. 
 And hurl the bold invader from your coasts ! 
 But when, the vidory won, the conflidl o'er. 
 Mild mercy's accents whisper round your shore, 
 Like him command the storm of war to cease. 
 The love inspire and rear the arts of peace ! 
 Pluck from your brows the laurel wreaths entwin'd. 
 With radiant hand the blooming olive bind. 
 And let your swords, the glory of the brave, 
 To ploughshares turn, and golden harvests wave I 
 Like him, the fathers of your people prove, 
 Like him, expire amid your people's love 1 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 315 
 
 Come sages 1 co'.iie, and with the sorrowing tear, 
 Bedew the pall that shrouds your Idol's bier, 
 Ye statesmen, chiefs, and faithful patriots rise, 
 And sieze his mantle ere he reach the skies, 
 Ye virgins fair, and modest matrons come, 
 And strew, with flowrets fresh, your guardian's tomb, 
 With pearly sorrows bathe the hallowed ground. 
 And breathe the soul of plaintive music round ! 
 
 Ye war-worn veterans, faithful to your chief. 
 Torn by remorseless pangs of manly grief, 
 Who, oft, the fierce conflicting ranks among. 
 Where carnage, leagu'd. with terror swept along, 
 Crush'd the bold warrior, rent his bosom's core, 
 And lapt, with demon thirst, the streaming gore. 
 Where host with host, and man with man engag'd, 
 And all the tumult of the battle rag'd. 
 Have heard, Avith joy, his all-commanding word. 
 And seen the beamy terrors of his sword. 
 Have seen pale squadrons rally at his call. 
 And hostile legions struck with deep appal. 
 With slow and reverend step approach the grave, 
 That holds, enshrin'd, the relifts of the brave ! 
 On bended knee, salute the sacred ground, 
 And let your warlike honors burst around ! 
 Then, germs of olive, oak, and laurel bring, 
 And let them, mingling, o'er your hero spring 1 
 
 Strike, nature ! strike, with force, thy mighty bell, 
 And sound through all thy realms his funeral knell ! 
 
 Here let a statesman, there a reverend sage, 
 To mark and emulate his steps engage, 
 Columbia, widow'd count his virtues o'er, 
 Around his tomb her pearly sorrows pour. 
 And mild religion, of celestial mien. 
 Point to her patron's place, in realms unseen ! 
 Then stamp in gold, the monument above. 
 The mournful "TRiBurE of a nation's love! 
 
316 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 Extract from a poem^ sacred to the memory of general Georcz 
 Washington. By Richard Alsqp. 
 
 EXALTED chief — in thy superior mind 
 What vast resourse, what various talents join'd 1 
 Teniper'd with social virtue's milder rays, 
 There patriot worth difFus'd a purer blaze : 
 Form'd to command respeft, esteem inspire, 
 Midit statesmen grave, or midst the social choir, 
 With equal skill the sword or pen to wield, 
 In council great, unequall'd in the field. 
 Mid glittering courts or rural walks to please. 
 Polite with grandeur, dignified with ease ; 
 Before the splendors of thy high renown 
 How fade the giow-worm lustres of a crown ; 
 How sink diminish'd in that radiance lost 
 The glare of conquest, and of power the boast. 
 Let Greece her Alexander's deeds proclaim, 
 Or CsDsar's triumphs gild the Roman name, 
 Slripp'd of the dazzling glare around them cast» 
 Shrinks at their crimes humanity aghast ; 
 With equal claim to honor's glorious meed 
 See Attila his course of havoc lead 1 
 O'er Asia's realms, in one vast ruin hurl'd, 
 See furious Zingis' bloody flag unfurl'd. 
 On base far-difFcrent from the conqueror's claim 
 Rests the unsullied column of thy fame ; 
 His on the Avoes of millions proudly bas'd, 
 With blood cemented and with tears defac'd ; 
 Thine on a nation's welfare fix'd sublime. 
 By freedom strengthen 'd and rever'd by time. 
 He, as the comet, whose portentous light 
 Spreads baleful splendor o'er the glooms of night, 
 With chill amazement fills the startled breast. 
 While storms and eavthquakes dire its course attest, 
 And nature trembles, lest, in chaos hurl'd. 
 Should sink the tott'ring fabric of the world. 
 Thou, like the sun, whose kind propitious ray 
 Opes the glad mcrn and lights the fields of day» 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 317 
 
 Dispels the -wintry storm, the chilling rain, 
 
 Wiih rich abundance clothes the smiling plain, 
 
 Gives all creation to rejoice around, 
 
 Aud life and light extends o'er nature's utmost bound. 
 
 Tiiough shone thy life a model bright of praise, 
 Kot less the example bright thy death pourtrays. 
 When, plung'd in deepest woe, around thy bed, 
 Each eye was fix'd, despairing sunk each head, 
 While nature struggled with severest palnj, 
 And scarce could life's last lingering powers retain : 
 In that dread moment, awfully serene, 
 No trace of suffering mark'd thy placid mien, 
 No groan, no murmuring plaint escap'd thy tongue, 
 No low'ring shadows on thy brow were hung ; 
 But calm in christian hope, undamp'd with fear. 
 Thou saw'st the high reward of virtue near. 
 On that bright meed in surest trust repos'd 
 As thy firm hand thine eyes expiring clos'd 
 Pleas'd, to the will of heaven resign'd thy breath, 
 And smil'd as nature's struggles clos'd in death. 
 
 Ill-fated country — lo, of aid bereft, 
 Thy spear is broken and thy buckler cleft ! 
 What arm shall now a firm support bestow, 
 And shield thee harmless from the thrcat'nlng foe ; 
 Who, mid the storm, with fearless hand shall guide 
 Thy course in safety o'er the troubled tide ? 
 See faftlon lift on high his hateful head, 
 0'er4iis dark brow unwonted smiles are spread, 
 His lurid eye malignant triumph glares. 
 And joy infernal every feature wears ! 
 For now^ no more that piercing eye he fears. 
 No more that voice, with terror thrlU'd, he hears ; 
 That eye, from whose bright beam he shrunk dismay'd. 
 And veil'd his treasons in the midnight shade ; 
 That fateful voice which levell'd In the dust 
 His plots nefarious, and his high-rais'd trust ; 
 For, lo, in slumbers of the grave repos'd, , 
 
 Hush'd is that voice, that eye in darkness clos'd I 
 
318 WASHINGTONJANA. 
 
 Ye j'oiitb, Columbia's pride, to whom has heaven 
 In sacred trust her future welfare given ; 
 On whom devolves the high the important charge ; 
 Her rights to guard, her happiness enlarge ; 
 Fix'd to whose course immutably remains 
 Her bliss cr woe, her liberty or chains ! 
 O let your patriot father's precepts rest 
 Deep in your hearts indelibly imprest 1 
 Let his example bright your souls inspire, 
 To virtue kindle and to glory fire ; 
 Teach you the yells of faction to despise, 
 TJnmasque his arts and strip his thin disguise ; 
 To spurn, with generous pride and. mark'd disgrace, 
 The attempts insidious of a foreign race. 
 To spread their baleful influence o'er your land 
 Direct its councils and its strength command, 
 What means soe'er their end to gain they try, 
 Or force employ, or artifice apply. 
 If with the tiger's glare they mark the prey. 
 Or crafty serpent's subtleties display. 
 Nor e'er seduc'd. let discord's fiends abhorr'd 
 Tempt you to drav/ the parricidal sword. 
 Your country's breast to wound with mortal blow, 
 And lay the bulwark of her safety low ; 
 But, friends to order, firm, in union'd band, 
 Around your government collected stand, 
 That edi&ce on equal freedom rear'd, 
 By reason sandion'd, and by truth rever'd? 
 Let dire disunion, party rage expire, 
 And one great objedl all your bosoms fire, 
 Bid local hate and jealousy subside, 
 The oflspring mean of ignorance and pride ; 
 And teach the world Columbia's sons alone 
 One glorious objedt of contention own, 
 By virtuous ads, disinterested zeal, 
 And fond devotion to their country's weal, 
 With unremitting ardor to pursue 
 The path that Washington has op'd to view. 
 
WASHINGTONIANA. 319 
 
 Tribute, by Mr. Paine., of Massachusetts. 
 
 OH Washington ! thou hero, patriot, sage ! 
 Friend of all climes, and pride of everj'^ age ! 
 Were thine the laurels, every soil could raise, 
 The mighty harvest were penurious praise. 
 Well may our realms, thy fabian wisdom boast j 
 Thy prudence sav'd, what bravery had lost. 
 Yet e'er hadst thou, by heaven's seVerer fates, 
 Like Sparta's hero at the Grecian straits, 
 Been doom'd to meet in arms, a world of foes, 
 Whom skill could not defeat, nor walls oppose, 
 Then had thy breast, by danger ne'er subdued, 
 The mighty buckler of thy country stood ; 
 Proud of Its wounds, each piercing spear would bless. 
 Which left Columbia's foes one javelin less; 
 Nor felt one pang— but, in the glorious deed. 
 Thy little band of heroes too, must bleed ; 
 Nor throbb'd one fear— but, that some poison'd dart 
 Thy brfeast might pass, and reach thy Country's heart i 
 
 \^From a London Newspaper.] 
 
 GREAT without pomp, without ambition brave, 
 Proud, not to conquer fellow-men, but save j 
 Friend to the weak, a foe to none but those 
 Who plan their greatness on their brethren's woes ; 
 Aw'd by no titles — undefil'd by lust — 
 Free without faclion, obstinately just ; 
 Too wise to learn from Machiavel's school, 
 That truth and perfidy by turns should rule ; 
 Warm'd by religion's sacred, genuine ray. 
 That points to future bliss th' unerring way ; 
 Yet ne'er control'd by superstition's laws. 
 That worst of tyrants in the noblest cause. 
 
320 WASHINGTONIANA. 
 
 On the death of general George JVASHiNCfoNf from a late 
 London paper. 
 
 LAMENTED chief, at thy distinguish'd deeds, 
 The world shall gaze with wonder and applause ; 
 While on fair hist'ry's page the patriot reads 
 Thy matchless valor in thy country's cause. 
 
 Yes, it was thine, amid destrudlive war, 
 To shield it nobly from oppression's chain j 
 
 By justice arm'd to brave each threat'ning jar. 
 Assert its freedom, and its rights maintain. 
 
 Much honored hero, statesman, husband, friend, 
 A gen'rous nation's grateful tears are thine ; 
 
 E'en unborn ages shall thy worth commend. 
 And never-fading laurels deck thy shrine. 
 
 Illustrious warrior ! on the immortal base, 
 
 By freedom rear'd, thy envied name shall stand ; 
 
 And fame, by truth inspir'd, shall fondly trace 
 Thee, pride and guardian of thj native land. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 (No. I.) 
 
 elRCl/uAR LEffERy ADDRESSED fO 'THE COVERNORS OF fHE 
 SEVERAL STATES, BV HIS EXCELLENCr GeORGE WASHING" 
 TONy ON HIS RESIGNING THE COMMAND OF THE JlRMTy AND 
 RETIRING FROM PUBLIC BUSINESS, 
 
 HEADQUARTERS, 
 SIR, Newburch, June 18, 1783. 
 
 THE great objeft, for which I had the honor to hold an ap* 
 pointment in the service of my country, being accomplifhed, 
 I am now preparing to resign it into the hands of congress, and 
 return to that domestic retirement, which, it is well known, I 
 left with the greatest reluiSlance ; a retirement for which I have 
 never ceased to sigh through a long and painful absence, in which 
 (remote from the noise and trouble of the world) I meditate to 
 pass the remainder of life, in a state of undisturbed repose ; but» 
 before I carry this resolution into efFeft, I think it a duty incum- 
 bent on me to make this my last official communication, to con- 
 gratulate you on the glorious events which heaven has been pleased 
 to produce in our favor, to offer my sentiments respedling some 
 important subje£ls, which appear to mc to be intimately connefted 
 "with the tranquillity of the United States, to take my leave of 
 your excellency as a public character, and to give my final bles- 
 sing to that country, in whose service I have spent the prime of 
 my life ; for whose sake I have consumed so many anxious days 
 and watchful nights, and whose happiness, being extremely dear 
 to me, will always constitute no Inconsiderable part of my own. 
 
 Impressed with the liveliest sensibility on this pleasing occa- 
 sion, I will claim the indulgence of dilating the more copiously 
 on the subjedl of our mutual felicitation. When we consider the 
 magnitude of the prize we contended for, the doubtful nature o£ 
 
 A 
 
2 APPENDIX. 
 
 the contest, and the favorable manner in which it has terminated; 
 we shall find the greatest possible reason for gratitude and rejoic- 
 ing ; this is a theme that will afford infinite delight to every be- 
 nevolent and liberal mind, whether the event in contemplation be 
 considered as a source of present enjoyment, or the parent of fu- 
 ture happiness ; and we fliall have equal occasion to felicitate our- 
 selves on the lot which Providence has assigned us, whether we 
 view it in a natural, a political or moral point of light. 
 
 The citizens of America, placed in the most enviable condi- 
 tion, as the sole lords and proprietors of a vasttracl of continent, 
 comprehending all the various soils and climates of the world, and 
 abounding with all the necessaries and conveniences of life, are 
 Bov,', by the late satisfadory pacification, acknowledged to be pos- 
 sessed of absolute freedom and independency ; they are from this 
 period to be considered as the a£lors on a most conspicuous thea- 
 tre, which seems to be peculiarly designed by Providence for the 
 display of human greatness and felicity : Here they are not only 
 surrounded \vith every thing that can contribute to the completion 
 of private and domestic enjoyment ; but heaven has crowned all 
 its other blessings, by giving a surer opportunity for political hap- 
 piness, than any other nation has ever been favored with. No- 
 thing can illustrate these observations more forcibly than a recol- 
 leftion of the happy conjundure of times and circumstances, un- 
 der which our republic assumed its rank among the nations.— 
 The foundation of our empire was not laid in a gloomy age of 
 ignorance and superstition, but at an epocha when the rights of 
 mankind were better understood and more clearly defined, than at 
 any former period : Researches of the human mind after social 
 happiness have been carried to a great extent ; the treasures of 
 knowledge acquired by the labors of philosophers, sages and legis- 
 lators, through a long succession of years, are laid open for us, 
 and their colleded wisdom may be happily applied in the establish- 
 ment of our forms of government. The free cultivation of let- 
 ters, the unbounded extension of commerce, the progressive re- 
 finement of manners, the growing liberality of sentiment ; and, 
 above all, the pure and benign light of revelation, have had a me- 
 liorating influence on mankind, and increased the blessings of so- 
 ciety. At this auspicious period the United States came into ex* 
 
APPENDIX. 3 
 
 ittence as a nation, and if their citizens ftiould not be coinpletely 
 free and hippy, the fault will be entirely their own. 
 
 Such is our situation, and such are our prospers : but not» 
 withstanding the cup of blessing is thus reached out to us, not- 
 withstanding happiness is ours, if we have a disposition to seize 
 the occasion, and make it our own, yet it appears to me, there 
 Is an option still left to the United States of America, whether 
 they will be respe£lable and prosperous, or contemptible and mi- 
 serable as a nation ; this is the time of their political proba- 
 tion J this is the moment when the eyes of the whole world are 
 turned upon them ; this is the time to establish or ruin their 
 national charadler for ever ; this is the favorable moment to 
 give such a tone to the federal government, as will enable it 
 to answer the ends of its institution ; or, this may be the ill- 
 fated moment for relaxing the powers of the union, annihilat- 
 ing the cement of the confederation, and exposing us to become 
 the sport of European politics, which may play one state against 
 another, to prevent their growing importance, and to serve their 
 own interested purposes. For, according to the system of po- 
 licy the states shall adopt at this moment, they will stand or 
 fall ; and, by their confirmation or lapse, it is yet to be decided, 
 •whether the revolution must ultimately be considered as a bles- 
 sing or a curse ;- — a blessing or a curse, not to the present age 
 alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn millions be 
 involved. 
 
 WiTu this convidlion of the importance of the present crisis, 
 silence in me would be a crime ; I will therefore speak to your 
 excellency the language of freedom and sincerity, without dis* 
 guise. I am aware, however, those v.ho differ from me in po- 
 litical sentiments may, perhaps, remark, I am stepping out of 
 the proper line of my duty ; and they may possibly ascribe to 
 arrogance or ostentation, what I know is alone the result of the 
 purest intention ; but the reditude of my own heart, which dis- 
 dains such unworthy motives ; the part I have hitherto afled in 
 life, the determination I have formed of not taking any share 
 in public business hereafter ; the ardent desire 1 feel, and fliall 
 continue to manifest, of quietly enjoying in private life, after 
 
4 APPENDIX. 
 
 all the tolls of war, the benefits of a wise and liberal govern-. 
 ment, will, I flatter myself, sooner or later, convince my coun- 
 trymen, that I could have no sinister views in delivering with 
 §o little reserve the opinions contained in this address. 
 
 There are four things which I humbly conceive are essential 
 to the well being, I may even venture to say, to the existence 
 of the United States as an independent power. 
 
 1st, An indissoluble union of the states under one federal 
 head. 
 
 2dly. A SACRED regard to public justice. 
 
 3dly. The adoption of a proper peace establishment. And, 
 
 4thly. The prevalence of that pacific aqd friendly disposi- 
 tion among the people of the United States, which will induce 
 them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those 
 mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, 
 and, in some instances, to sacrifice their individual advantages 
 to the interest of the community. 
 
 These are the pillars on which the glorious fabric of our in- 
 dependency and national charader must be supported. — Liberty 
 is the basis — and whoever would dare to sap the foundation, or 
 overturn the strudlure, imder whatever specious pretext he may 
 attempt it, will merit the bitterest execration, and the severest 
 punishment, which can be inflided by his injured country. 
 
 On the three first articles I will make a few observations ; 
 leaving the last to the good sense and serious consideration of 
 those immediately concerned. 
 
 Under the first head, although it may not be necessary or 
 proper for me in this place to enter into a particular disquisition 
 of the principles of the union, and to take up the great ques- 
 tion which has been frequently agitated, whether it be expedi- 
 ent and requisite for the states to delegate a larger proportion, 
 
APPENDIX. S 
 
 of power to congress, or not ; yet it will be a part of iny duty, 
 and that of every true patriot, to assert, without reserve, and 
 to insist upon the following positions : — That unless the states 
 will suffer congress to exercise those prerogatives they are un- 
 doubtedly invested with by ;he constitution, every thing must 
 very rapidly tend to anarchy and confusion. That it is indis- 
 pensible to the happiness of the individual states, that there 
 should be lodged, somewhere, a supreme power to regulate and 
 govern the general concerns of the confederated republic, with- 
 out which the union cannot be of long duration. 
 
 That there must be a faithful and pointed compliance on the 
 part of every state with the late proposals and demands of con- 
 gress, or the most fatal consequences will ensue — that whate- 
 ver measures have a tendency to dissolve the union, or contri- 
 bute to violate or lessen the sovereign authority, ought to be 
 considered as hostile to the liberty and independency of Ame- 
 rica, and the authors of them treated accordingly. And, lastly, 
 that unless we can be enabled by the concurrence of the states 
 to participate of the fruits of the revolution, and enjoy the es- 
 sential benefits of civil society, under a form of government so 
 free and uncorrupted, so happily guarded against the danger of 
 oppression, as has been devised and adopted by the articles of 
 confederation, it will be a subje(Sl of regret, that so much blood 
 and treasure have been lavifhed for no parpose ; that so many 
 sufferings have been encountered without a compensation, and 
 that so many sacrifices have been made in vain. Many other 
 considerations might here be adduced to prove, that without an 
 entire conformity to the spirit of the union, we cannot exist as 
 an independent power. It will be sufficient for my purpose to 
 mention but one or two, which seem to me of the greatest im- 
 portance. It is only in our united charafter, as an empire, that 
 our independence is acknowledged, that our power can be re- 
 garded, or our credit supported among foreign nations. The 
 treaties of the European powers with the United States of 
 America, will have no validity on a dissolution of the union. 
 We shall be left nearly in a state of nature, or we may find by 
 our own unhappy experience, that there is a natural and neces- 
 sary progression from the extreme of anarchy to the extreme 
 
^ APPENDIX. 
 
 of tyranny ; and that arbitrary power is most easily establishe4 
 oil the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. 
 
 As to the second article, which respects the pcrfonnance of 
 public justice, congress have, in their late address to the United 
 States, almost exhausted the subjedt ; they have explained their 
 ideas so fully, and have enforced the obligations the states arc 
 under to render complete justice to all the public creditors, with 
 so much dignity and energy, that, in my opinion, no real friend 
 to the honor and independency of America, can hesitate a sin- 
 gle moment respe£l>ing the propriety of complying with the just 
 and honorable measures proposed. If their arguments do not 
 produce convidlion, 1 know of nothing that will have greater 
 iufluence, especially when we refleft that the system referred 
 to, being the result of the colledled wisdom of the continent, 
 must be esteemed, if not perfeft, certainly the least objedliona- 
 ble of any that could be devised ; and that, if it fliould not be 
 carried into immediate execution, a national bankruptcy, with 
 all Its deplorable consequences, will take place befor* any differ- 
 ent plan can possibly be proposed or adopted ; so pressing are 
 the present circumstances, and such is the alternative now of- 
 fered to the states. 
 
 The ability of the country to discharge the debts, which 
 have been incurred in its defence, is not to be doubted. And 
 inclination, I flatter myself, will not be wanting ; the path of 
 our duty is plain before us ; honesty will be found, on every ex- 
 periment, to be the best and only true policy. Let us then, as 
 a nation, be just ; let us fulfil the public contrails which con- 
 gress had undoubtedly a right to make for the purpose of car- 
 rying on the Avar, with the same good faith we suppose ourselves 
 bound to perform our private engagements. In the mean time 
 let an attention to the chearful performance of their proper bu- 
 siness, as individual;, and as members of society, be earnestly 
 inculcated on the citizens of Au-jerica ; then will they strengthen 
 the bands of government, and be happy under its protedlion. 
 Every one will reap the fruit of his labors : every one will en- 
 joy his own acijuisitionsj without molestation, and without 
 danger. 
 
APPENDIX. t 
 
 In this state of absolute freedom and perfeft security, who 
 \i\\\ grudge to yield a very little of his property to support the 
 common interests of society, and ensure the prote£lion of go- 
 vernment ? Who does not remember the frequent declarations 
 at the commencement of the war, That we should be com- 
 pletely satisfied, if at the expence of one-half, we could defend 
 the remainder of our possessions ? Where is the man to be found, 
 who wishes to remain in debt for the defence of his own per- 
 son and property to the exertions, the bravery, and the blood 
 of others, without making one generous effort to pay the 
 debt of honor and of gratitude ? In what part of the continent 
 shall we find any man, or body of men, who would not blush 
 to stand up, and propose measures purposely calculated to rob 
 the soldier of his stipend, and the public creditor of his due ? 
 And were it possible that such a flagrant instance of injustice 
 could ever happen, would it not excite the general indignation, 
 and tend to bring down upon the authors of r.uch measures the 
 aggravated vengeance of heaven ? If, after all, a spirit of dis- 
 union, or a temper of obstinacy and perverseness should mani- 
 fest itself in any of the states ; if such an ungracious disposi- 
 tion should attempt to frustrate all the happy eff'ei\s that might 
 be expe£led to flow from the union ; if there should be a re- 
 fusal to comply with requisitions for funds to discharge the an- 
 nual interest of the public debts, and if that refusal should re- 
 vive all those jealousies and produce all those evils which are 
 now happily removed ; congress, who have in all their trans- 
 aftions shewn a great degree of magnanimity and justice, will 
 stand justified in the sight of God and man I and that state 
 alone, which puts itself in opposition to the aggregate wisdom 
 of the continent, and follows such mistaken and pernicious 
 councils, will be responsible for all the consequences, 
 
 FoK my own part, conscious of having a£led, while a servant of 
 the public, in the manner I conceived best suited to promote the 
 real interests of my country ; having in consequence of my fixed 
 belief, in some measure, pledged myself to the army, that their 
 country would finally do them complete and ample justice, and 
 not wishing to conceal any instance of my official conduft from 
 the eyes of the world, I have thought proper to transmit to- 
 
6 APPENDIX. 
 
 your excellency the enclosed colledion of papers, relative ttf 
 the half-pay and commutation granted by congress, to the offi- 
 cers of the army ; from these communications, my decided sen- 
 timent will be clearly comprehended, together with the conclu- 
 sive reasons which induced me, at an early period, to recom- 
 mend the adoption of this measure in the most earnest and se- 
 rious manner. As the proceedings of congress, the army, and 
 myself, are open to all, and contain, in my opinion, sufficient 
 information to remove the prejudices and errors which may have 
 been entertained by any, I think it unnecessary to say any thing 
 more, than just to observe, that the resolutions of congress, 
 now alluded to, are as undoubtedly and absolutely binding upon 
 the United States, as the most solemn a£ls of confederation or 
 legislation. 
 
 As to the idea, which I am informed has, in some instances, 
 prevailed, that the half-pay and commutation are to be regarded 
 merely in the odious light of a pension, it ought to be exploded 
 for ever : that provision should be viewed, as it really was, a 
 reasonable compensation offered by congress, at a time when 
 they had nothing else to give to officers of the army, for ser- 
 vices then to be performed. It was the only means to prevent 
 a total dereliction of the service. It was a part of their hire ; 
 I may be allowed to say, it was the price of their blood, and 
 of your independency ^ it is therefore more than a common 
 debt ; it is a debt of honor ; it can never be considered as a 
 pension, or gratuity, nor cancelled until it is fairly discharged. 
 
 With regard to the dlstinftion between officers and soldiers, 
 it is sufficient that the uniform experience of every nation of 
 the world, combined with our own, proves the utility and pro- 
 priety of the discrimination. Rewards in proportion to the aid 
 the public draws from them, are unquestionably due to all its 
 servants. In some lines, the soldiers have perhaps generally 
 had as ample compensation for their services, by the large boun- 
 ties which have been paid them, as their officers will receive in 
 the proposed commutation ; in others, if, besides the donation 
 of land, the payment of arrearages of clothing and wages (In 
 ■which articles all the component parts of the army must be put 
 
APPENDIX. 9 
 
 upon the same footing) we take into the estimate, the bounties 
 many of the soldiers have received, and the gratuity of one 
 year's full pay, which is promised to all, possibly their situation 
 (every circumstance being duly considered) will not be deemed 
 less eligible than that of the officers. Should a farther reward, 
 however, be judged equitable, I will venture to assert, no man 
 will enjoy greater satisfaAion than myself, in an exemption, 
 from taxes for a limited time (which has been petitioned for in. 
 some instances) or any other adequate immunity or compensa- 
 tion granted to the brave defenders of their country's cause. 
 But neither the adoption or rejeftion of this proposition, will, 
 in any manner, afFeft, much less militate against, the aft of 
 congress, by which they have offered five years full pay, in lieu 
 of the half pay for life, which had been before promised to the 
 officers of the army. 
 
 Before I conclude the subjeft on public justice, I cannot omit 
 to mention the obligations this country is under to that meritori- 
 ous class of veterans, the non-commissioned officers and privates, 
 who have been discharged for inability, in consequence of the 
 resolution of congress, of the 23d of April, 1782, on an an- 
 nual pension for life : their peculiar suffisrings, their singular 
 merits and claims to that provision, need only to be known, to 
 interest the feelings of humanity in their behalf: nothing but 
 a punftual payment of their annual allowance, can rescue them 
 from the most complicated misery ; and nothing could be a more 
 melancholy and distressing sight, than to behold those who have 
 shed their blood, or lost their limbs in the service of their coun- 
 try, without a shelter, without a friend, and without tlTe means 
 of obtaining any of the comforts or necessaries of life, compel- 
 led to beg their daily bread from door to door. Suffer me to 
 recommend those of this description, belonging to your state, 
 to the warmest patronage of your excellency and your legisla- 
 ture. 
 
 It is necessary to say but a few words on the third topic 
 which was proposed, and which regards particularly the defence 
 of the republic — As there can be little doubt but congress will 
 recommend a proper peace establishment for the United States, 
 
 B 
 
1^ APPENDIX. 
 
 in which a due attention will be paid to the importance of 
 placing the militia of the Union upon a regular and respedablc 
 footing. If this should bt* the case, I should beg leave to urge 
 tli? great advantage of it in the strongest terras. 
 
 The militia of this country must be considered as the palla-p 
 dium of our security, and the first eSeclual resort in case of 
 hostility. It is essential, therefore, that the same system should 
 pervade the whole ; that the formation and discipline of the 
 militia of the continent, should be absolutely uniform ; and 
 that the same species of arms, accoutrements, and military ap- 
 paratus, sliould be introduced in every part of the United States* 
 !No one, who has not learned it from experience, can conceive 
 the difficulty, expence, and confusion, which result from a con- 
 trary system, or the vague arrangements which have hitherto 
 prevailed. 
 
 If, in treating of political points, a greater latitude than 
 usual has been taken in the course of the address, the import- 
 - ance of the crisis, and the magnitude of the objects in discus- 
 sion, must be my apology. It is, however, neither my wish 
 nor expeclatipn, that the preceding observations should claim 
 arky regar4, except so far as they shall appear to be diftated by 
 a good intention, consonant to the immutable rules of justice ; 
 calculated to produce a liberal system of policy, aud founded 
 on whatever experience may have been acquired by a long and. 
 close attention to public business. Here I might speak with 
 more confidence, from my actual observations ; and if it would 
 not swell this letter (already too prolix) beyond the bounds I 
 had presbribed myself, I could demonstrate to every mind, 
 op^n to conviclion, than in less time, and with much less ex- 
 pense than has been incurred, the war might have been brought 
 to the same happy conclusion, if the resources of the continent 
 could have been properly called forth ; that the distresses and 
 disappointments which have very often occurred, have, in too 
 many instances, resulted more from a want of energy in the 
 eontineutal government, than a deficiency of means in the par- 
 ticular states : that the inefficacy of the measures, arising from 
 the want of an ade<{uate authofity in the supreme power, from a. 
 
APPENDIX. ! I 
 
 partial eompli^nce ^ith the requisitions of congress, in some 
 of thie states, atid from a failure of pun(S\uality in 6ther§, -while 
 "they tended to damp the zeal of those who were niore -willing 
 to exert themselves, served also to accumulate the expences of 
 the -war, and to frustrate the best concerted plans ; and that 
 the discouragement occasiofied by the complicated difficulties 
 and embarrassments, in which our affairs were by this means 
 involved, would have long ago produced the dissolution of any 
 army, less patient, less virtuous, and less persevering, than that 
 which I have had the honor to command. But while I mention 
 those things, which are notorious fafts, as the defed^s of our 
 federal constitution, particularly in the prosecution of a war, 
 I beg it may be understood, that as I have ever taken a plea- 
 sure in gratefully acknowledging the ass'stance and support I 
 have derived from every class of citizens ; so shall I always be 
 happy to do justice to the unparallelled exertions of the indi- 
 vidual states, on many iuteresclng occasions. 
 
 I HAVE thus freely disclosed what I wished to make knoivn, 
 before I surrendered up my public trust to these who commit- 
 ted it to me. The task is now accomplished; I now bid adieu 
 to your excellency, as the chief magistrate of your state ; at 
 the same time, I bid a last farewel to the cares of office, and 
 all tlie employments of public life. 
 
 It remains, then, to be my final and only request, that your 
 excellency will communicate these sentiments to your le'gis Fu- 
 ture, at their next meeting ; and that they may be considered 
 as the legacy of one who has ardently wished, on all occasions, 
 to be useful to his country, and who, even in the shade of re- 
 tirement, will not fail to implore tht divine benediction upon it, 
 
 I NOW make it my earnest prayer, thait God would have yoil, 
 and the state over which you preside, in his holy proteftion ; 
 that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a 
 spirit of subordination and obedience to governmen: ; to enter- 
 tain a brotherly affection and love for one another ; for their 
 fellow-citizens of the Uflited? States at large, and partficalas-ly 
 
12 APPENDIX. 
 
 for their brethren who have served in the field ; and, finally, 
 that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do 
 justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that cha- 
 rity, humility, and pacific temper of the mind, which were the 
 charaderistics of the divine author of our blessed religion j 
 ■without an humble imitation of whose example, in these things, 
 we can never hope to be a happy nation, 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 with much esteem and respe<n:, 
 Sir, 
 your excellency's most obedient, 
 and most humble servant, 
 
 G«; WASHINGTON. 
 
 (No. II.) 
 
 FAREJVELL jiDDnESS OF GENERAL Wj SIUNGfON TO fHE AR' 
 MIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 RocKi'-HiLLy near Princeton^ 
 
 November "2, 1783. 
 
 THE United States in congress assembled, after giving 
 the most honorable testimony to the merits of the federal 
 armies, and presenting them with the thanks of their country, 
 for their long, eminent and faithful service, having thought pro- 
 per, by their proclamation, bearing date the 18th of Odober 
 last, to discharge such part of the troops as were engaged for 
 the war, and to permit the officers on furlough to retire from 
 service, from and after to-morrow ; which proclamation having 
 been communicated in the public papers, for the Information 
 and government of all concerned, it only remains for the com- 
 mander in chief to address himself once moie, and that for t lie 
 last time, to the armies of the United States (however widely 
 
APPENDIX, IS 
 
 dispersed individuals who compose them may be) and to bid them 
 an affeftionate — a long farewel. 
 
 But before the commander in chief takes his final leave of 
 those he holds most dear, he wishes to indulge himself a few 
 moments in calling to mind a slight view of the past : — he will 
 then take the liberty of exploring, with his military friends, 
 their future prospe£ls ; of advising the general line of conduct 
 which in his opinion ought to be pursued ; and he will conclude 
 the address, by expressing the obligations he feels himself un- 
 der for the spirited and able assistance he has experienced froni 
 them, in the performance of an arduous office. 
 
 A CONTEMPLATION of the Complete attainment (at a period 
 earlier than could have been expefted) of the objeft for which 
 we contended, against so formidable a power, cannot but inspire 
 us with astonishment and gratitude. The disadvantageous cir- 
 cumstances on our part, imder which the war was undertaken, 
 can never be forgotten. The signal interpositions of Provi- 
 dence, in our feeble condition, were such as could scarcely- 
 escape the attention of the most unobserving ; while the unpa- 
 rallelled perseverance of the armies of the United States, through 
 almost every possible suffering and discouragement, for the space 
 of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle. 
 
 It is not the meaning, nor within the compass of this ad- 
 dress, to detail the hardships peculiarly incident to our service, 
 or to describe the distresses which in several instances have re- 
 sulted from the extremes of hunger and nakedness, combined 
 with the rigors of an inclement season : nor is it necessary to 
 dwell on the dark side of our past affairs. 
 
 Every American officer and soldier must now console him- 
 self for any iinpleasant circumstance which may have occurred, 
 by a recolledion of the uncommon scenes in which he has been 
 called to ad no inglorious part, and the astonishing events of 
 which he has been a witness — events Avhich have seldom if ever 
 before, taken place on the stage of human aclion, nor can they 
 probably ever happen again. For who has before seen a disci- 
 
14 APPEN13IX. 
 
 pHned army formed at once from such raw materials ? Who that 
 was not a witness could imagine that the most violent local pre- 
 judices would cease so soon, and that men who came from the 
 different parts of the continent, strongly disposed by the habits 
 of education to despise and quarrel with each other, would in- 
 stantly become but one patriotic band of brothers ? Or who that 
 was not on the spot, can trace the steps by which such a won- 
 derful revolution has been effedled, and such a glorious period 
 put to all our warlike toils ? 
 
 It is universally acknowledged, that the enlarged prospf(f^s 
 of happiness, opened by the confirmation of our indepf-nd'': ce 
 and sovereignty, almost exceed the power of description : and 
 shall not the brave men who have contributed so essentially to 
 these inestimable acquisitions, retiring viftorlous frcm the field 
 of war to the field of agriculture, participate in ali the tIcs-» 
 sings which have been obtained ? In such a republic, vho Avill 
 exclude them from the rights of citizens, and the fruits of their 
 labors ? In such a country, so happily circumstanced, the pur- 
 suits of commerce, and the cultivation of the soil, will unfold 
 
 to industry the certain road to competence To those h.irdy 
 
 soldiers who are aftuated by the spirit of adventure, the fishe- 
 ries will afford ample and profkable employmenr ; and the ex-r 
 tensive and fertile regions of the west, ^vlII yield a mrst happy 
 asylum to those who, fond of domestic enjo)ment, ai-e sec-king 
 personal independence. Nor is it possible to conceive that any 
 one of the United States will prefer a national bankruptcy, and 
 the dissolution of the union, to a compliance with the requisi- 
 tions of congress, and the payment of its just debts ; so that 
 the officers and soldiers may expect considerable assistance, in 
 i-e-commencing their civil occujjations, from the sums due to 
 them from the public, which must and will most inevitably be 
 paid. 
 
 In order to effcfl this desirable purpose, and remove the pre- 
 judices which may have taken possession of the minds of any 
 of the good people of the states, it is earnestly recommended 
 to all the troops, that with strong attachment to the union, 
 they should carry with them into civil society the most concili- 
 
APPENDIX. ' 1^ 
 
 tLt^ng dispositions, and that they should prove themselves not 
 less virtuous and useful as citizens, than they have been vi£l<j- 
 rious as soldiers. What though there should be some envious 
 individuals, who are unwilling to pay the debt the public has 
 contracted, or to yield the tribute due to merit, yet, let such 
 unworthy treatment produce no invedive, or any instance of 
 intemperate condiiiSl. Let it be remembered, that the unbias- 
 sed voice of the free citizens of the United States, has pro- 
 mised the just reward, and given the merited applause. Let it 
 be known and remembered, that the reputation of the federal 
 armies is established beyond the reach of malevolence ; and let 
 a consciousness of their atchievements and fame, still excite the 
 men who composed them to honorable aftions, under the persua- 
 sion that the private virtues of economy, prudence and indus- 
 try, will not be less amiable in civil life, than the more splen- 
 did qualities of valor, perseverance and enterprize were in the 
 field. Every one may rest assured that much, very much of the 
 future happiness of the officers and men, will depend upon the 
 wise and manly conduft which shall be adopted by them, wbea 
 they are mingled with the great body of the community. And 
 although the general has so frequently given it as his opinion, 
 in the most public and explicit manner, that unless the princi- 
 ples of the federal government were properly supported, and the 
 powers of the union encreased, the honor, dignity and justice 
 of the nation would be lost forever : yet he cannot help repeat- 
 ing on this occasion so interesting a sentiment, and leaving it 
 as his last injunftion to every officer and every soldier who may 
 view the subject in the same serious point of light, to add hia 
 best endeavors to those of his worthy fellow-citizens, towards 
 effecting these great and valuable purposes, on which our very 
 existence as a nation so materially depends. 
 
 The commander in chief conceives little is now wanting to 
 enable the soldier to change the military charadler into that o€ 
 the citizen,- but that steady, decent tenor of behavior, which 
 has generally distinguished not only the army under his imme- 
 diate command, but the different detachments and armies through 
 the course of the war. From their good sense and prudence he 
 anticipates the happiest consequences j and while he congratu- 
 
!6 APPENDIX. 
 
 lates them on the glorious occasion which renders their services 
 in the field no longer necessary, he wishes to express the strong 
 obligations he feels himself under for the assistance he has re- 
 ceived from every class, and in every instance. He presents 
 his thanks in the most serious and afFedlionate manner, to the 
 general officers, as well for their councils on many interesting 
 occasions, as for their ardor in promoting the success of the 
 plans he had adopted. To tlie commandants of regiments and 
 corps, and to the other officers, for their zeal and attention in 
 carrying his orders promptly into execution — to the staff for 
 their alacrity and exaflness in performing the duties of their 
 several departments ; and to the non-commissioned officers and 
 private soldiers, for their extraordinary patience and suffering, 
 as well as their invincible fortitude in aftion. To the vari- 
 ous branches of the army, the general takes this last and so- 
 lemn opportunity of professing his inviolable attachment and 
 friendship. — He wishes more than bare professions were in his 
 power, that he was really able to be useful to them all In future 
 life. He flatters himself, however, they will do him the jus- 
 tice to believe that whatever could with propriety be attempted 
 by him, has been done. 
 
 And being now to conclude these his last public orders, to 
 take his ultimate leave In a short time of the military charac- 
 ter, and to bid a final adieu to the armies he has so long had 
 the honor to command, he can only again offer In their behalf, 
 his recommendations to their grateful country, and his prayers 
 to the God of armies. May ample justice be done them here, 
 and may the choicest of heaven's favors, both here and hereaf- 
 ter attend those who, under the divine auspices, have secured 
 innumerable blessings for others. With these wishes, and this 
 bencdidion, the commander In chief is about to retire from ser- 
 vice. The curtain of separation will soon be drawn, and the 
 military scene to him will be closed forever. 
 
APPENDIX. It 
 
 (No. III.) 
 
 GEORGE JVASHUtCroU fO THE PEOPLE OF 'THE UNITED SfAfESy 
 ANNOUNCING HIS INrENriON OF RETIRING FROM PUBLIC 
 LIFE, 
 
 Friends and J'ellonv-citizens, 
 
 THE period for a new eledion of a citizen to administer the 
 executive government of the United States being not far 
 distant, and the time adlually arrived when your thoughts must 
 be employed in designating the person, who is to be clothed with 
 that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it 
 may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, 
 that I should now apprise you of the resolution I ha've formed, 
 to decline being considered among the number of those out oi 
 whom a choice is to be made. 
 
 I BEG you at the same time to do me the justice to be as- 
 sured, that this resolution has not been taken, without a stridl 
 regard to all the considerations appertaining to the relation v/hich 
 binds a dutiful citizen to his country ; and that in withdrawing 
 the tender of service which silence in my situation will im- 
 ply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future 
 interest ; no deficiency of grateful respeft for your past kind- 
 ness ; but am supported by a full convidion, that the step is 
 compatible with both. 
 
 The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto, in the office to 
 which your suffrages has twice called me, have been an uniform 
 sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a defer- 
 ence for what appeared to be your desire. I constantly hoped 
 that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently 
 with motives, which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return 
 to that retirement from which I had been reludantly drawn. 
 The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last 
 election, had even led to the preparation of an address to de- 
 clare it to you ; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and 
 critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the una- 
 
 C . 
 
18 ' APPENDIX. 
 
 nimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence, impelled 
 me to abandon the idea» 
 
 I REJOICE that the state of your concerns, external as well 
 as internal, no longer renders the pursuit of inclination incom- 
 patible with the sentiment of duty or propriety : and am per- 
 suaded -whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that 
 in the present circumstances of our country, you will not dis- 
 approve of my determination to retire. 
 
 The impressions with which I first undertook the arduous 
 trust were explained on the proper occasion. — In the discharge 
 of this trust I will only say, that I have with good intentions 
 contributed towards the organization and administration of the 
 government, the best exertions of which a very fallible judg- 
 ment was capable. — Not unconscious, in the out-set, of the in- 
 feriority of any qualifications, experience in my own eyes, per- 
 haps still more in the eyes of others, has strengthened the mo- 
 tives to diffidence of myself; and every day the encreasing 
 weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade 
 of retirement is as necessary to me as it it will be welcome. 
 Satisfied that if any circumstances have given peculiar value to 
 my services, they were temporary, I have the consolation to be- 
 lieve, that while choice and prudence invite me to quit the po- 
 litical scene, patriotism does not forbid it. 
 
 In looking forward to the moment which is intended to tcr- 
 niinate the career of my public life, my feelings do not permit 
 me to suspend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of grati- 
 tude which I owe to my beloved country, for the many honors 
 it has conferred upon me ; still more for the stedfast confidence 
 with Avhich it has supported me ; and for the opportunities I 
 have thence enjoyed of manifesting my inviolable attachment, 
 by services faithful and persevering, though in usefulness une- 
 qual to my zeal. If benefits have resulted to our country from 
 these services, let it always be remembered to your praise, and 
 as an insiruftive example in our annals, that under circum- 
 stances in which the passions, agitated in every direftion, were 
 liable to mislead amidst appearances sometimes dubious— vicis- 
 
APPENDIX. 19 
 
 sjtudes of fortune often discouraging — in situations in which not 
 unfrequently want of success has countenanced the spirit of cri- 
 ticism — the constancy of your support was the essential prop of 
 the efforts, and a guarantee of the plans by which they were 
 efFeded. Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it 
 •with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing wishes, 
 that heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its be- 
 neficence — that your union and brotherly affeftion may be per- 
 petual — that the free constitution, which is the work of your 
 hands, may be sacredly maintained — that its administration in 
 every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue— 
 that, in fine, the happiness of the people of these states, un- 
 der the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so care- 
 ful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing, as will 
 acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, 
 the aflfeAion and the adoption of every nation which is yet a 
 stranger to it. 
 
 Here, perhaps, I ought to stop. But a solicitude, for your 
 welfare, which cannot end but with my life, and the apprehen- 
 sion of danger, natural to that solicitude, urge me, on an oc- 
 casion like the present, to offer to your solemn contemplation, 
 and to recommend to your frequent review, some sentiments, 
 which are the result of much reflexion, of no inconsiderable ob- 
 servation, and which appear to me all important to the perma- 
 nency of your felicity as a people. These will be offered to 
 you with the more freedom, as you can only see in them the dis- 
 interested warnings of a parting friend, who can possibly have 
 no personal motive to bias his counsel. Nor can I forget, as 
 an encouragement to it, your indulgent reception of my senti- 
 ments on a former and not dissimilar occasion. 
 
 Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament 
 of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to for- 
 tify or confirm the attachment. 
 
 The unity of government, which constitutes you one people, 
 is also now dear to you. It is justly so ; for it is a main pll- 
 
30 APPENDIX. 
 
 lar in the edifice of your real independence ; the support of your 
 tranquillity at home ; your peace abroad ; of your safety, of 
 your prosperity ; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. 
 But as it is easy to foresee, that from different causes and from 
 different quarters^ much pains will be taken, many artifices em- 
 ployed to weaken in your minds the conviclion of this truth. 
 As this is the point in your political fortress against which the 
 batteries of internal and external enemies will be most con- 
 stantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) di- 
 reifl^ed, it is of infinite moment, that you should properly esti- 
 mate the immense value of your national union, to your collec- 
 tive and individual happiness ; that you should cherish a cordial, 
 habitual and immovable attachment to it ; accustoming your- 
 selves to think and speak of It as of the palladium of your politi- 
 cal safety and prosperity ; watching for its preservation with 
 jealous anxiety ; discountenancing whatever may suggest even 
 a suspicion that it can in anj' event be abandoned ; and indig- 
 nantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to ali- 
 enate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble 
 the sacred ties which now link together the various parts. 
 
 For this you have every inducement of sympathy and inte- 
 rest. Citizens by birth or choice, of a common country, that 
 country has a right to concentrate your affe<5lions. The name 
 of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, 
 must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any 
 appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight 
 shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, ha- 
 bits, and political principles. You have in a common cause 
 fought and triumphed together ; the independence and liberty 
 you possess, are the work of joint councils, and joint efforts, 
 of common dangers, sufferings and successes. 
 
 But these considerations, however powerfully they address 
 themselves to your sensibility, are greatly outweighed by those 
 which apply more immediately to your interest. Here every 
 portion of our country finds the most commanding motives for 
 carefully guarding and preserving the union of the whole. 
 
APPENDIX. 31 
 
 The north, in an unrestrained intercourse -with the south, 
 protefted by the equal laws of a common government, finds in 
 the produftions of the latter, great additional resources of ma- 
 ritime and commercial enterprize and precious materials of ma- 
 nufafturing industry. The south in the same intercourse, be- 
 nefiting by the agency of the north, sees its agriculture grow 
 and its commerce expand. Turning partly into its ov>rn chan- 
 nels the seamen of the north, it finds its particular navigation 
 Invigorated — and while it contributes, in different ways, to nou- 
 rish and increase the general mass of the national navigation, 
 it looks forward to the proteftion of a maritime strength, to 
 which itself is unequally adapted. The east, in like intercourse 
 ■with the west, already finds, and in the progressive improve- 
 ment of interior communications, by land and water, will more 
 and more find a valuable vent for the commodities Avhich it 
 brings from abroad, or manufaclures at home. The west de- 
 rives from the east supplies requisite to its growth and com- 
 fort — and what is perhaps of still greater consequence, it must 
 of necessity ov/e the secure enjoyment of indispensible outlets 
 for its own productions to the weight, influence, and the future 
 maritime strength of the atlantic side of the union, direded by 
 an indissoluble community of interest as one nation. Any other 
 tenure by which the west can hold this essential advantage, 
 ■whether derived from its own separate strength, or from an 
 apostate and unnatural connexion with any foreign power must 
 be intrinsically precarious. 
 
 While then every part of our country thus feels an imme- 
 diate and particular interest in union, all the parties combined 
 cannot fail to find in the united mass of means and efforts, 
 greater strength, greater resource, proportlonably greater secu- 
 rity from external danger, a less frequent interruption of their 
 peace by foreign nations ; and, what is of inestimable value, 
 they must derive from union an exemption from those broils and 
 ■wars between themselves -which so frequently affliifl neighbor- 
 ing countries, not tied together by the same government ; which 
 their own rivalships alone would be sufficient to produce, but 
 •which opposite foreign alliances, attachments and intrigues, 
 would stimulate and embitter. Kence likewise thev will avoid 
 
22 APPENDIX. 
 
 the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which 
 under any form of government are inauspicious to liberty, and 
 ■which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican 
 liberty : In this sense it is, that your union ought to be consi- 
 dered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the 
 one ought to endear you to the preservation of the other. 
 
 These considerations speak a persuasive language to every 
 refledling and virtuous mind, and exhibit the continuance of the 
 union as a primary objedl of patriotic desire. Is there a doubt 
 •whether a common government can embrace so large a sphere ? 
 Let experience solve it. To listen to mere speculation in such 
 a case were criminal. We are authorized to hope that a proper 
 organization of the whole, with the auxiliary agency of go- 
 vernments for the respeftive subdivisions, will afford a happy 
 issue to the experiment. 'Tis well worth a fair and full expe- 
 riment. With such powerful and obvious motives to union, af- 
 fedling all parts of our country, while experience shall not have 
 demonstrated its impradlicability, there will always be reason to 
 distrust the patriotism of those, who in any quarter may endea- 
 vor to weaken its bands. 
 
 In contemplating the causes which may disturb our union, it 
 occurs as a matter of serious concern, that any ground should 
 have been furnished for charafterizing parties by geographical 
 discriminations— northern and southern — atlanjlc and western : 
 whence designing men may endeavor to excite a belief that 
 there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of 
 the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular 
 distrifts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other dis- 
 trlAs. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jea- 
 lousies and heart-burnings which spring from these misrepre-- 
 sentations : they tend to render alien to each other, those who 
 ought to be bound together by fraternal affeftion. The inhabi- 
 tants of our western country have lately had a useful lesson on 
 this head : they have seen, in the negociation by the executive, 
 and in the unanimous ratification by the senate, of the treaty 
 with Spain, and in the universal satlsfadlion at that event, 
 throughout the United Staies, a decisive proof how unfounded 
 
APPNNDIX. S3 
 
 were the suspicions propagated among them of a policy in the 
 general government, and in the atlantic states, unfriendly to 
 their interests in regard to the Mississippi : they have been wit- 
 nesses to the formation of two treaties, that with Great-Britain 
 and that with Spain, which secure to them every thing they 
 could desire, in respeft to our foreign relations, towards con- 
 firming their prosperity. Will it not be their wisdom to rely 
 for the preservation of these advantages on the union by which 
 they were procured ? Will they not henceforth be deaf to those 
 advisers, if such there are, who would sever them from their 
 brethren, and conne*St them with aliens? 
 
 To the efficacy and permanency of your union, a government 
 for the whole is indispensible. No allianqes, however strict, be- 
 tween the parts can be an adequate substitute ; they must inevi- 
 tably experience the infradlions and interruptions which all al- 
 liances in all times have experienced. Sensible of this moment- 
 ous truth, you have improved upon your first essay, by the adop- 
 tion of a constitution of government, better calculated than 
 your former, for an intimate union, and for the efficacious ma- 
 nagement of your common concerns. This government, the 
 offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted 
 upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free 
 in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting se- 
 curity with energy, and containing within itself a provision for 
 its own amendments, has a just claim to your confidence and 
 your support. — Respe£l for its authority, compliance with its 
 laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the 
 fundamental maxims of true liberty. The basis of our politi- 
 cal systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their 
 constitutions of government. — But the constitution which at 
 any time exists, until changed by an explicit and authentic adl 
 of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very 
 idea of the power and the right of the people to establish a go- 
 vernment, pre-supposes the duty of every individual to obey the 
 established government. 
 
 All obstruAIons to the execution of the laws, all combina- 
 tions and associations, under whatever plausible charafter, with 
 
24 APPENDIX. 
 
 the real design to direct, control, counteracl, or awe tlie regu- 
 lar deliberation and adtion of the constituted authorities, are 
 destriiclive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. 
 They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and ex- 
 traordinary force, to put in the place of the delegated will of 
 the nation, the will of a party, often a small, but artful and en- 
 erpriziug minority of the community ; and according to the al- 
 ternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public admi- 
 nistration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous pro- 
 jeAs of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and whole- 
 some plans, digested by common councils, and modified by mu- 
 tual interests. 
 
 However combinations or associations of the above descrip- 
 tion may now and tben answer popular ends, they are likely in 
 the course of time and things to become potent engines, by 
 which cunning, ambitious, and unprincijiled men, will be ena- 
 bled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for them- 
 selves the reins of government ; destroying afterwards the very 
 engines which have lifted tiiem to unjust dominion. 
 
 Towards the preservation of your government, and the per- 
 manency of your present happy state, it is requisite not only 
 that you speedily discountenance irregular oppositions to its ac- 
 knowledged authority, but also that you resist with care the 
 spirit of innovation upon its principles however specious the 
 pretexts. One method of assault may be to effe£l in the forms 
 of the constitution alterations which will impair the energy of 
 the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be diredlly over- 
 thrown. In all the changes to which you may be Invited, re- 
 member that time and habit are at least as necessary to fix the 
 true charafter of governments; as of other human institutions — 
 that experience is the surest standard, by which to test the real 
 tendency of the existing constitution of a country — that faci- 
 lity in changes upon the credit of mere hypothesis and opinion, 
 exposes to perpetual change, from the endless variety of hypo- 
 thesis, and opinion ; and remember, especially that for the effi- 
 cient management of your common interests, in a country so 
 extensive as ours, a government of as much vigor as is consist- 
 
Appendix, 25 
 
 eiit with the perfeft security of liberty. Is indispensible. Li- 
 berty itself will find in suoh a government, with powers pro- 
 perly distributed and adjusted, its surest guardian. It is, in- 
 deed, little else than a name, where the government is too fee- 
 ble to withstand the enterprizes of faftion, to confine each mem- 
 ber of the society within the limits prescribed by the laws, and 
 to maintain all in the secure and tranquil enjoyment of the 
 rights of person and property. 
 
 I HAVE already intimated to you, the danger of parties in 
 the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on. 
 geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more com- 
 prehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner 
 against the baneful efFeds of the spirit of party, generally. 
 
 This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, 
 having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. 
 It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or lesS 
 Stifled, controlled, or repressed ; but in those of the popular 
 form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst 
 enemy. 
 
 The alternate dorhination of one fadlion over another, sharp- 
 ened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissention, which 
 in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid 
 enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at 
 length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disor- 
 ders and miseries which result, gradually incline the minds of 
 men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an in- 
 dividual : and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing fac- 
 tion, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns 
 this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ru- 
 ins of public liberty. 
 
 Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind 
 (which nevertheless ought not to be out of sight) the common 
 and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient td 
 make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and 
 restrain it. 
 
 D 
 
26 APPENDIX. 
 
 It serves always to distradl the public councils and enfeeble 
 the public administration. It agitates the community with ill- 
 iounded jealousies and false alarms : kindles the animosity of 
 one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insur- 
 reclion. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, 
 which find a facilitated access to the government itself through 
 the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the "will 
 of one country ai-e subjected to the policy and will of another. 
 
 Thkre is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful 
 checks upon the administration of the government, and serve 
 to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits 
 is probably true ; and in governments of a monarchical cast, pa- 
 triotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the 
 spirit of party. But in those of the popular chara£ler, in go- 
 vernments purely ele£tive, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. 
 From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be 
 enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there be- 
 ing constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force 
 of public opinion to mitigate and assauge it. A fire not to be 
 quenched ; it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its burst- 
 ing into a flame, lest instead of warming it should consume. 
 
 It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking, in a 
 free country, should inspire caution, in those entrusted with its 
 administration, to confine themselves within their respedlive 
 constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of 
 one department to encroach upon another. — The spirit of en- 
 croachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the depart- 
 ments in one, and thus lo create, whatever the form of govern- 
 ment, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, 
 and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human 
 heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. 
 The necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of political 
 power ; by dividing and distributing it into different depositaries, 
 and constituting each the guardian of the public weal against 
 invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments an- 
 tienc and modern : some of them in our country and under our 
 
APPENDIX. 27 
 
 own eyes. To preserve them must be as necessary as to insti- 
 tute them. If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution 
 or modification of the constitutional powers, be in any parti- 
 cular wrong, let it be corredted by an amendment in the way 
 which the constitution designates. But let there be no change 
 by usurpation ; for though this in one instance may be the in- 
 strument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free 
 governments are destroyed. The precedent must always greatly 
 overbalance in permanent evil, any partial or transient benefit 
 which the use can at any time yield. 
 
 Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political pros- 
 perity, religion and morality are indispensible supports. In 
 vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should 
 labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness — these 
 firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere po- 
 litician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to 
 cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions 
 with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, where 
 is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense 
 of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instru- 
 ments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with 
 caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained 
 ■without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence 
 of refined education on minds of peculiar strufture ; reason and 
 experience both forbid us to expedl that national morality can 
 prevail in exclusion of religious principles. 
 
 It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary 
 spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with 
 more or less force to every species of free government. Who 
 that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon at- 
 tempts to shake the foundation of the fabric ? 
 
 Promote, then, as an objed of primary importance, insti- 
 tutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion 
 as the struclure of a government gives force to public opinion, 
 it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. 
 
28 APPENDIX. 
 
 As a very important source of strength and security, cherish 
 public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as spa- 
 ringly as possible ; avoiding occasions of expence by cultivat- 
 ing peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to 
 prepare for danger, frequently prevent much greater disburse- 
 ments to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, 
 not only by shunning occasions of expence, but by vigorous ex- 
 ertions in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoida- 
 ble wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon 
 posterity the burthen which we ourselves ought to bear. The 
 execution of these maxims belongs to your representatives, 
 but it is necessary that public opinion should co-operate. To 
 facilitate to them the performance of their duty, it is essential 
 that you should practically bear in mind, that towards the pay- 
 ment of debts there must be revenue ; that to have revenue 
 there must be taxes ; that no taxes can be devised which are 
 not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant ; that the intrin- 
 sic embarrassment inseparable from the sele£tion of the proper 
 obje£ls (which is always a choice of difficulties) ought to be a 
 decisive motive for a candid construdllon of the condudl of the 
 government in making it, and for a spirit of acquiescence in the 
 measures for obtaining revenue which the public exigencies may 
 at any time didlate. 
 
 Observe good faith and justice towards all nations, culti- 
 vate peace and harmony with all ; religion and morality enjoin 
 this conduft ; and can it be that good policy does not equally 
 enjoin it ? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and at no 
 distant period a great nation, to give to mankind the magnani- 
 mous and too novel example of a people always guided by an 
 exalted justice and benevolence.— Wl^o can doubt that in the 
 course of time and things the fruits of such a plan would richly 
 repay any temporary advantages which might be lost by a steady 
 adherence to it ? Can it be, that Providence has not connected 
 ■^he permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue ? The expe- 
 riment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which en- 
 nobles human nature. Alas ! is it rendered impossible by its 
 
APPENDIX. t9 
 
 lij the execution of such a plan, nothing Is more essential 
 than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular 
 nations, ajid passionate attachments for others should be ex> 
 eluded ; and that in place of them just and amicable feelings 
 towards all should be cultivated. The nation, -which indulges 
 towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is 
 in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its 
 afFedion, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its 
 duty and its interest.— Antipathy in one nation against another, 
 disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold 
 of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intradla- 
 ble, when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. 
 
 Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody 
 contests. The nation, prompted by ill-will and resentment, 
 fometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best 
 calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates 
 in the national propensity, and adopts through passion what rea- 
 fon would rejedl ; at other times, it makes the animosity of the 
 nation subservient to projecls of hostility instigated by pride, 
 ambition, and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peac<? 
 often, and sometimes, perhaps, the liberty of nations has been 
 the viftlm. 
 
 So, likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for ano= 
 ther, produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite 
 nation facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest 
 in cases where no real common interests exists, and infusing 
 into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a 
 participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter, without 
 adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to conces- 
 sions, to the favorite nation, of privileges denied to others, which 
 are apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions : by 
 unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained ; 
 and by exciting jealousy, ill-will, and a disposition to retaliate, 
 in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld : and it 
 gives to ambitious, corrupted or deluded citizens (who devote 
 themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray, or sacri- 
 fice the interests of their own country, without odium, scme-^ 
 
30 APPENDIX. 
 
 times even with popularity ; gilding v/ith the appearances of a 
 virtuous sense of obligation, a coniniendable deference for pub- 
 lic opinion, or laudable zeal for public good, the base or fool- 
 ish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. 
 
 As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable t\'ays, such 
 attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened 
 and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they af- 
 ford to tamper with domestic factions, to praftlse the arts of 
 sedu£lion, to mislead public opinion, to Influence or awe the 
 public councils? Such an attachment of a small or weak, to- 
 wards a great and powerful nation, dooms the former to be the 
 satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign 
 influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jea- 
 lousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake ; since his- 
 tory and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the 
 most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy 
 to be useful must be Impartial ; else it becomes the Instrument 
 of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defence against 
 it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation, and excessive 
 dislike of another, cause those whom they actuate to see dan- 
 ger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts 
 of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the 
 intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspefted and 
 odious ; v;hlle its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confi- 
 dence of the people, to surrender their interests. 
 
 The great rule of conduft for us, in regard to foreign na- 
 tions, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with 
 them as little political conneclion as possible. So far as we 
 have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with per- 
 fect good faith. Here let us stop. 
 
 Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have 
 none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged 
 in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially 
 foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise 
 in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties, in the ordinary 
 
APPENDIX. 31 
 
 vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and 
 collisions of her friendships or enmities. 
 
 Our detached and distant situation, invites and enables us to 
 pursue a different course. If we remain one people, under an 
 efficient government, the period is not far off, when we may- 
 defy material injury from external annoyance ; when we may 
 take such an attitude as will cause the neutrality we may at any 
 time resolve upon, to be scrupulously respected ; when belli- 
 gerent nations, under the impossibility of making acquiiitions 
 upon us, will not lightly hazard the giving us provocation ; 
 •when we may choose peace or war, as our intercat, guided by 
 justice, shall counsel. 
 
 ' Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation ? Why 
 quit our own to stand upon foreign ground ? Why, by inter- 
 weaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entan- 
 gle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, 
 rivalship, interest, humor or caprice ? 
 
 'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances 
 with any portion of the foreign world ; so far, I mean, as we 
 are now at liberty to do it ; for let me not be understood as ca- 
 pable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold 
 the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, 
 that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, 
 let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But 
 in my opinion, it is unnecessary, and would be unwise, to ex- 
 tend them. 
 
 Taking care always to keep ourselves, by suitable establish- 
 ments, on a respeftable defensive posture, we may safely trust 
 to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies. 
 
 Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recom- 
 mended by policy, humanity and interest. But even our com- 
 mercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand ; neither 
 seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences ; consult- 
 
32 APPENDIX. 
 
 ing the natural course of things ; diffusing and diversifying by 
 gentle means the streams of commence, but forcing nothing ; 
 establishing, with powers so disposed, in order to give trade a 
 stable course, to define the rights of our merchants, and to ena- 
 ble the government to support them ; conventional rules of in- 
 tercourse, the best that present circumstances and mutual opi- 
 nion -will permit, but temporary, and liable to be from time to 
 time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall 
 didatc ; constantly keeping in view, that it is folly in one na- 
 tion to look for disinterested favors from another ; that it must 
 pay with a portion of its independence for whatever it may ac- 
 cept under that charaAer ; that by such acceptance, it may please 
 Itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal 
 favors, and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not 
 giving more. There can be no greater error than to expeft, or 
 calculate upon real favors from nation to nation. 'Tis an illu- 
 sion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to 
 discard. 
 
 In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old 
 and affedionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong 
 and lasting impression I could wish — that they will control the 
 usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from run- 
 ning the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of na- 
 tions. But if I may even flatter myself, that they may be pro- 
 duAlve of some partial benefit, some occasional good ; that 
 they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spi- 
 rit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigues, to guard 
 against the Impostures of pretended patriotism ; this hope will 
 be a full recompence for the solicitude for your welfare, by 
 which they have been dilated. 
 
 How far in the discharge of my official duties, I have beeri 
 guided by the principles which have been delineated, the public 
 •ecords and other evidences of my condu£l must witness to you 
 and to the world. To myself, the assurance of my own con- 
 science is, that I have at least believed myself to be guided by 
 them. 
 
APPENDIX. S3 
 
 In relation to the still subsisting war in Europe, my procla- 
 mation of the 22d of April, 1793, is the index to my plan. 
 Sanctioned by your approving voice, and by that of your repre- 
 sentatives in both houses of congress, the spirit of that mea- 
 sure has continually governed me ; uninfluenced by any attempts 
 to deter or divert me from it. 
 
 After deliberate examination, with the aid of the best lights 
 I could obtain, I was well satisfied that our country, under all 
 the circumstances of the case, had a right to take, and was 
 bound in duty and interest to take, a neutral position. Hav- 
 ing taken it, I determined, as far as should depend upon me, 
 to maintain it, with moderation, perseverance and firmness. 
 
 The considerations which respedl the right to hold this con- 
 duft, it is not necessary on this occasion to detail. I will only 
 observe, that according to my understanding of the matter, that 
 right, so far from being denied by any of the belligerent pow- 
 ers, has been virtually admitted by all. 
 
 The duty of holding a neutral conduit may be inferred, 
 without any thing more, from the obligations which justice and 
 humanity impose on every nation, in cases in which it is free 
 to adt, to maintain inviolate the relations of peace and amity 
 towards other nations. 
 
 The inducements of interest for observing that conduit 
 will best be referred to your own refleftions and experience. 
 "With me, a predominant motive has been to endeavor to gain 
 time to our country to settle and mature its yet recent institu- 
 tions, and to progress, without interruption, to that degree of 
 strength and consistency, which is necessary to give it, hu- 
 manly speaking, the command of its own fortunes. 
 
 Though in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I 
 am unconscious of intentional error ; I am nevertheless too sen- 
 sible of my defedts not to think it probable that I may have 
 committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently 
 
Si APPENDIX. 
 
 beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which 
 they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my 
 country will never cease to view them with indulgence ; and 
 that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service, 
 with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will 
 be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the man- 
 sions of rest. 
 
 Relying on Its kindness In this as In other things, and ac- 
 tuated by that fervent love towards it, which is so natural to a 
 man who views in it the native soil of himself and his proge- 
 nitors for several generations ; I anticipate with pleasing ex- 
 pedlatlon that retreat, In which I promise myself to realize, 
 without alloy, the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst 
 of my fellow-citizens, the benign Influence of good laws under 
 a fi-ee government — the ever favorite objeifl of my heart, and 
 the happy reward and trust, of our mutual cares, labors and 
 dangers. 
 
 United States, Sept. 17, 1796. 
 
 (No. IV.) 
 
 A LETTER FROM HIS EKCELLEVCT GeORGE IVaSIIIKCTO^, TO 
 THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ON ACCEPTING 
 THE APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE AR- 
 MIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 Mount Vernon, ^uly 13, 179S. 
 
 DEAR SIR, 
 
 I HAD tiie honor, on the evening of the 1 1th Instant, to re- 
 ceive from the hand of the secretary of war, your favor of 
 the 7th, announcing that you had, with the advice and consent 
 of the senate, appointed me ♦' lieutenant-general and com- 
 mander In chief of all the armies raised or to be raised for the 
 service of the United States." 
 
APPENDIX. 35 
 
 I CANNOT express how greatly affeclcd I am at this new proof 
 of public confidence, and the highly flattering manner in which 
 you have been pleased to make the comm.unlcation ; at the same 
 time I must not conceal from you my earnest wish, that the 
 choice had fallen upon a man less declined in years, and better 
 qualified to encounter the usual vicissitudes of war. 
 
 You know, Sir, what calculation I had made relative to the 
 probable course of events, on my retiring from office, and the 
 determination I had consoled myself with, of closing the rem- 
 nant of my days in my present peaceful abode : you will there- 
 fore be at no loss to conceive and appreciate the sensations I 
 must have experienced, to bring my mind to any conclusion 
 that would pledge me, at so late a period of life, to leave scenes 
 I sincerely love, to enter upon the boundless field of public ac- 
 tion, incessant trouble, and high responsibility. 
 
 It was not possible for me to remain Ignorant of, or indif- 
 ferent to, recent transadions. The condudl of the diredory of 
 France towards our country ; their insidious hostility to its go- 
 vernment ; their various praftices to withdraw tfie affections of 
 the people from it ; the evident tendency of their a£\s and those 
 of their agents to countenance and invigorate opposition ; their 
 disregard of solemn treaties and the laws of nations ; tlieir war 
 upon our defenceless commerce ; their treatment of our mi- 
 nisters of peace ; and their demands, amounting to tribute, 
 could not fail to excite in me corresponding sentiments with 
 those my countrymen, have so generally expressed in their af- 
 fedionate addresses to you. Believe me, Sir, no one can more 
 cordially approve of the wise and prudent measures of your ad- 
 ministration. — They ought to inspire universal confidence, and 
 will, no doubt, combined with the state of things, call from 
 congress such laws and means as will enable you to meet the 
 full force and extent of the crisis. 
 
 Satisfied, therefore, that you have sincerely wished and 
 endeavored to avert war, and exhausted, to the last drop, the 
 cup of reconciliation, we can with pure hearts appeal to hea- 
 ven for the justice of our cause : and may confidently trust the 
 
56 APPENDIX. 
 
 final result to that kind Providence who has heretofore, and so 
 often, signally favored the people of these United States. 
 
 Thinking in this manner, and feeling how incumbent it is 
 upon every person of every description, to contribute at all times 
 to his country's welfare, and especially in a moment like the 
 present, when every thing we hold dear and sacred is so seri- 
 ously threatened ; I have finally determined to accept the com- 
 mission of commander in chief of the armies of the United 
 States ; with the reserve only, that I shall not be called into 
 the field until the army is in a situation to require my presence, 
 or it becomes indispensible by the urgency of circumstances. 
 
 In making this reservation, I beg it to be understood, that I 
 do not mean to withhold any assistance to arrange and organ- 
 ize the army, which you may think I can afford. I take the li- 
 berty also to mention, that I must decline having my accept- 
 ance considered as drawing after it any Immediate charge upon 
 the public ; or that I can receive any emoluments annexed to 
 the appointment, before entering into a situation to incur ex- 
 pence. 
 
 The secretary of war being anxious to return to the seat of 
 p-overnment, I have detained him no longer than was necessary 
 to a full communication upon the several points he had in 
 charge. 
 
 I have the honor to be. Sec. Sec. 
 
 G« : WASHINGTON. 
 
APPENDIX. sr 
 
 (No. V.) 
 
 Gen. WASHINGTON'S WILL. 
 
 VIRGINIA^ Fairfax^ ss. 
 
 J, George Dene ale, clerk of Fairfax county court., docertifyy 
 That the subsequent copy of the loft will and testament of 
 George WASHJUCfONf deceased, late president of the United 
 States of America^ with the schedule annexed) is a true copy 
 from the original recorded in my office. 
 
 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my band this 
 2Zd day of January^ 1800. 
 
 GEO. DENE ALE, C, F. C, 
 
 JN THE NAME OF GOD^ Amen. 
 
 I GEORGE WASHINGTON, of Mount Vernon, a citizen 
 of the United States, and lately president of the same, Do 
 make, ordain and declare this instrument, which is written with 
 my own hand, and every page thereof subscribed with my name*, 
 to be my last will and testament, revoking all others, 
 
 Imprimus, — AH my debts, of which there are but few, and 
 none of magnitude, are to be punftually and speedily paid ; and 
 the legacies herein after bequeathed, are to be discharged as 
 soon as circumstances will permit, and in the manner directed. 
 
 Item. — To my dearly beloved wife, Martha Washington, I 
 give and bequeath the use, profit and benefit of my whole estate, 
 
 * In the original manuscript, George JVashincton's name 
 is written at the bottom of every page. 
 
3S APPENDIX. 
 
 real and personal, for the term of her natural life, except such 
 parts thereof as are specially disposed of hereafter. My im- 
 proved lot in the tov/n of Alexandria, situated on Pitt and Ca- 
 meron streets, I give to her and her heirs for ever ; as I also 
 do my houshold and kitchen furniture of every sort and kind, 
 with the liquors and groceries which may be- en hand at the time 
 of my decease, to be used and disposed of as she may think pro- 
 per. 
 
 Item. — Upon the decease of my wife, it is my will and desire, 
 that all the slaves which I hold in viy avn right, shall receive 
 their freedom. To emancipate them during her life, would, 
 though earnestly wished by me, be attended with such insupe- 
 rable difficulties on account of their intermixture by marriages 
 with the dower negroes, as to excite the most painful sensa- 
 tions, if not disagreeable consequences to the latter, while both 
 descriptions are in the occupancy of the same proprietor, it not 
 being in my power, under the tenure by which the dower ne- 
 groes are held, to manumit them. And whereas among those 
 who will receive freedom according to this devise, there may- 
 be some who, from old age or bodily infirmities, and others who, 
 on account of their infancy, will be unable to support them- 
 selves, it is my will and desire, that all who come under the first 
 and second description, shall be comfortably clothed and fed by 
 my heirs while they live ; and that such of the latter descrip- 
 tion as have no parents living, or, if living, are unable or un- 
 Avilling to provide for them, shall be bound by the court until 
 th?y shall arrive at the age of 25 years ; and in cases where no 
 record can be produced, whereby their ages can be ascertained, 
 fhe jiulgment of the court, upon its own view of the subje£l, 
 shiill be adequate and final. The negroes thus bound, are (by 
 their masters or mistresses) to be taught to read and write, and 
 be brought up to some useful occupation, agreeably to the laws 
 of the commonwealth of Virginia providing for the support of 
 orphan and other poor children. And I do hereby expressly for- 
 bid the sale or transportation out of the said commonwealth, 
 of any slave I may die possessed of under any pretence what- 
 soever. And I do moreover most pointedly and most solemnly 
 enjoin it upon my executors hereafter named, or the survivors 
 
Appendix. s^ 
 
 of them, to see that this clause respecling slaves, and every 
 part thereof, be religiously fulfilled at the epoch at which it is 
 diredled to take place, without evasion, negleft or delay, after 
 the crops which may then be on the ground are harvested, par- 
 ticularly as it respedls the aged and infirm ; seeing that a regu- 
 lar and permanent fund be established for their support, as long 
 as there are subjedls requiring it, not trusting to the uncertain 
 provision made by individuals. — And, to my mulatto man 
 William (calling himself William Lee,,) I give immediate free- 
 dom, or if lie should prefer it (on account of the accidents 
 ■which have befallen him, and which have rendered him incapa- 
 ble of walking or of any adlive employment) to remain in the 
 situation he now is, it shall be optional in him to do so ; in ei- 
 ther case, however, I allow him an annuity of 30 dollars dur- 
 ing his natural life, which shall be independent of the viifluals 
 and clothes he has been accustomed to receive, if he chuses the 
 latter alternative ; but in full with his freedom, if he prefers the 
 first ; and this J give him as a testimony of my sense of his 
 attachment to me, and for his faithful services during the revo- 
 lutionary war. 
 
 Item.— -To the trustees(governors,orby whatsoever other name 
 they may be designated) of the academy in the town of Alex- 
 andria, I give and bequeath, in trust, 4000 dollars, or in other 
 words, 20 of the shares which I hold in the bank of Alexan- 
 dria, towards the support of a free school, established at, and 
 annexed to, the said academ.y, for the purpose of educating or- 
 phan children, or the children of such other poor and indigent 
 persons, as are unable to accomplish it with their own means, 
 and who, in the judgment of the trustees of the said seminary, 
 are best entitled to the benefit of this donation. The aforesaid 
 20 shares I give and bequeath in perpetuity, the dividends only 
 of which are to be drawn for, and applied by the said trus- 
 tees, for the time being, for the uses above mentioned ; the 
 stock to remain entire and untouched, unless indications of fai- 
 lure of the said bank should be so apparent, or a discontinuance 
 thereof, should render a removal of this fund necessary. In 
 either of these cases, the amount of the stock here devised is 
 to be vested in some other bank, or public institutionj whereby 
 
40 APPENDIX. 
 
 the interest may with regularity and certainty be drawn and ap- 
 plied as above. And, to prevent nriisconception, my meaning is, 
 and is hereby declared to be, that these 20 shares are in lieu of, 
 and not in addition to, the lOOOl. given by a missive letter some 
 years ago, in consequence whereof, an annuity of 501. has since 
 been paid towards the support of this institution. 
 
 Item. — Whereas by a law of the commonwealth of Virginia, 
 enaded in the year 1785, the legislature thereof was pleased 
 (as an evidence of its approbation of the services I had rendered 
 the public during the revolution, and partly, I believe, in con- 
 sideration of my having suggested the vast advantages which 
 the community would derive from the extension of its inland 
 navigation under legislative patronage) to present me with 100 
 shares of 100 dollars each, in the incorporated company esta- 
 blished for the purpose of extending the navigation of jfames 
 river from the tide-water to the mountains ; and also with 50 
 shares of lOOl. sterling each in the corporation of another com- 
 pany likewise established for the similar purpose of opening the 
 navigation of the river Potoivmac from the tide -water to Fort 
 Cumberland ; the acceptance of which, although the offer was 
 highly honorable and grateful to my feelings, was refused as in- 
 consistent with a principle which I had adopted, and had never 
 departed from — namely, not to receive pecuniary compensation 
 for any services I could render my country in its arduous strug- 
 gle with Great-Britain for its rights, and because I had evaded 
 eimilar propositions from other states in the Union : Adding to 
 this refusal, however, an intimation, that, if it should be the 
 pleasure of the legislature to permit me to appropriate the said 
 shares to public uses^ I would receive them on those terms with 
 due sensibility ; and this it having consented to, in flattering 
 terms, as will appear by a subsequent law and sundry resolu- 
 tions, in the most ample and honorable manner — I proceed, af- 
 ter this recital, for the more correct understanding of the case, 
 to declare. That as it has always been a source of serious re- 
 gret with me, to see the youth of these United States sent to 
 foreign countries for the purposes of education, often before 
 their minds were formed, or they had imbibed any adequate 
 ideas of the happiness of their own, contrading, too frequently, 
 
APPENDIX. 41 
 
 not only habits of dissipation and extravagance, but principles 
 unfriendly to republican government^ and to the true and genu- 
 ine liberties of mankind^ which, thereafter, are rarely overcome. 
 For these reasons, it has been my ardent wish to see a plan de- 
 vised, on a liberal scale, which would have a tendency to spread 
 systematic ideas through all parts of this rising empire, thereby 
 to do away local attachments and state prejudices, as far as the 
 nature of things would, or indeed ought to admit from our na- 
 tional councils. Looking anxiously forward to the accomplish- 
 ment of so desirable an objedt as this is (in my estimation) my 
 mind has not been able to contemplate any plan more likely to 
 efFe<St the measure, than the establishment of a university in a 
 central part of the United States, to which the youths of for- 
 tune and talents from all parts thereof might be sent for the 
 completion of their education in all the branches of polite lite- 
 rature in the arts and sciences, in acquiring knowledge in the 
 principles of politics and good government ; and, as a matter 
 of infinite importance in my judgment, by associating with each 
 other, and forming friendships In juvenile years, be enabled to 
 free themselves, in a proper degree, from those local prejudices 
 and habitual jealousies which have just been mentioned, and 
 which, when carried to excess, are never-failing sources of dis- 
 quietude to the public mind, and pregnant of mischievous con- 
 sequences to this country. — Under these impressions, so fully di- 
 lated, 
 
 Item, — I give and bequeath, in perpetuity, the 50 shares 
 which I hold in the Potowmac company (under the afcresald ad>.9 
 of the legislature of Virgini'd) towards the endowment of a 
 university, to be established within the limiis of the dlstrift of 
 Columbia, under the auspices of the general governn:ent, if that 
 government should incline to extend a fostering hand towards 
 it ; and until such seminary is established, and the funds arising 
 on these shares shall be required for Its support, my furtht^r will 
 and desire is, that the profit accruing therefrom, shall, whene- 
 ver the dividends are made, be laid out in purchasing stock in 
 the bank of Columbia, or some other bank, at the discretion of 
 my executors, or by the treasurer of the United States for the 
 ti;ne being, under the diredtion of congress, provided that ho- 
 
42 APPENDIX. 
 
 novable body should patronize the measure ; and the dividends 
 proceeding from the purchase of such stock are to be vested in 
 more stock, and so on, until a sum adequate to the accomplish- 
 ment of the objeft is obtained, of which I have not the smallest 
 doubt before many years pass away, even if no aid or encou- 
 ragement is given by legislative authority, or from any other 
 source. 
 
 Item. — The hundred shares -which I hold in the James river 
 company, I have given, and now confirm, in perpetuity, to and 
 for the use and benefit of Liberty Hall Academy, in the county 
 of Rockbridge, in the commonwealth of Virginia. 
 
 Item.'—l release, exonerate, and discharge, the estate of my 
 deceased brother, Samuel Washington^ from the payment of the 
 money which is due to me for the land I sold to Philip Peu" 
 dieton (lying in the county of Berkeley,) who assigned the 
 same to him, the said Samuel, who, by agreement, was to pay 
 nie therefor: And whereas by some contract (the purport of 
 which was never communicated to me) between the said Samuel 
 and his son Thornton Washington^ the latter became possessed 
 of the aforesaid land, without any conveyance having passed 
 from me, either to the said Pendleton, the said Samuel, or the 
 said Thornton, and without any consideration having been made, 
 by which negle£t, neither the legal nor equitable title has been 
 alienated, it rests thcicfore with me, to declare my intentions 
 concerning the premises ; and these are, to give and bequeath 
 the said land to whomsoever the said Thornton Washington (who 
 is also dead) devised the same, or to his heirs for ever, if he 
 died intestate, exonerating the estate of the said Thornton^ 
 equally with that of the said Samuel, from payment of the pur- 
 chase money, which, with interest, agreeably to the original 
 contrail- with the said Pendleton, would amount to more than 
 lOOOl. And whereas two other sons of my said deceased bro- 
 ther, Samuel, namely, George Steptoe Washington and Latvrence 
 Augustine Washington, were, by the decease of those to whose 
 care they were committed, brought under my prote£lion, and, 
 in consequence, have occasioned advances on my part for their 
 education at college and other schools, and for their board. 
 
APPENDIX. 43 
 
 clothing and other Incidental expences, to the amount of near 
 5000 dollars, over and above the sums furnished by their estate ; 
 ■which sum it may be inconvenient for them or their father's 
 estate to refund — I do, for these reasons, acquit them and the 
 said estate from the payment thereof, my intention being, that 
 all accounts between them and me, and their father's estate and 
 me, shall stand balanced. 
 
 Item, — The balance due to me from the estate of Bartbolo' 
 fjiew Dandridge, deceased (my wife's brother) and which amount- 
 ed, on the first day of 0£lober 1795, to 4251. (as will appear 
 by an account rendered by his deceased son, JohTi Dandridge^ 
 ■who was the afting executor of his father's will) I release and 
 acquit from the payment thereof. And the negroes (then 33 in 
 number) formerly belonging to the said estate, who were taken in 
 
 execution, sold, and purchased in on my account, in the year , 
 
 and ever since have remained in the possession and to the use of 
 Mary^ widow of the said Earth, Dandridge^ with their increase, 
 it is my will and desire, shall continue and be in her possession, 
 without paying hire, or making compensation for the same, for 
 the time past or to come, during her natural life ; at the expi- 
 ration of which, I direct, that all of them who are 40 years old 
 and upwards, shall receive their freedom ; all under that age 
 and above 16, shall serve seven years, and no longer ; and all 
 under 16 years shall serve until they are 25 years of age, and 
 then be free. And to avoid disputes respefting the ages of any of 
 these negroes, they are to be taken into the court of the county 
 in which they reside, and the judgment thereof, in this rela- 
 tion, shall be final, and record thereof made, which may be ad- 
 duced as evidence at any time thereafter, if disputes should 
 arise concerning the same. And I further direft, that the heirs 
 of the said Barth. Dcindridge. shall, equally, share the benefits 
 arising from the services of the said negroes, according to the 
 tenor of this devise, upon the decease of their mother, 
 
 Item.'—li Charles Carter., who intermarried with my niece 
 Betty Lewis, is not sufficiently secured in the title to the lots 
 he had of me in the towa of Fredericksburg, it is my will and 
 
44 APPENDIX. 
 
 desire, tlia my executors shall make such conveyances of them 
 as the law requires to render it perfe(5t. 
 
 Item. — To my nephew, William Augustine Washington^ and 
 his heirs (if he should conceive them to be objefts worth pro- 
 secuting) a lot in the town of Manchester (opposite to Rich- 
 mond) No. 265, drawn on my sole account, and also the tenth 
 of 1 or 200 acre lots, and two or three haif-acre lots, in the city 
 and vicinity of Richmond, drawn in partnership with nine others, 
 all in the lottery of the deceased William Bird, are given ; as 
 is also a Ipt which I purchased of John Hood, conveyed by 
 William Willie and Sam. Gordon, trustees of the said John 
 Hood, numbered 139, in the town of Edinburgh, in the county 
 of Prince George, state of Virginia. 
 
 Item. — To my nephew Biisbrod Washington^ I give and be- 
 queath all the papers in my possession which relate to my civil 
 and military administration of the aiFairs of this country ; I 
 leave to him also such of my private papers as are worth pre- 
 serving ; and, at the decease of my wife, and before, if she is 
 not inclined to retain them, I give and bequeath my library of 
 books and pamphlets of every kind. 
 
 Item. — Having sold lands which I possessed in the state of 
 Pennsylvania, and part of a tradl held in equal right with George 
 Clinton, late governor of New-York ; my share of land and in- 
 terest in the Great Dismal Swamp, and a trad of land which I 
 owned in the county of Gloucester — withholding the legal titles 
 thereto, until the consideration money should be paid— and 
 having moreover leased, and conditionally sold (as will appear 
 by the tenor of the said leases) all my lands upon the Great 
 Kenhawa, and a traft upon Difficult Run in the county of Lou- 
 don, it is my will and dire£lion, that whensoever the contrails 
 are fully and respectively complied with, accoi ding to the spirit, 
 true intent and meaning thereof, on the part of the purchasers, 
 their heirs or assigns, that then, and in that case, conveyances 
 are to be made, agreeable to the terms of the said contrads, 
 and the money arising therefrom, when paid, to be vested in 
 bank stock ; the dividends whereof, as of that also which is 
 
APPENDIX. 4S 
 
 already vested therein, is to inure to my said wife during her 
 life, but the stock itself is to remain and be subjed to the ge- 
 neral distribution hereafter direded. 
 
 Item. — To the earl of Bucban I re-commit " the box made 
 of the oak that sheltered the brave Sir William Wallace after 
 the battle of Falkirk," presented to me by his lordship in terms 
 too flattering for me to repeat, with a request " to pass it, on 
 the event of my decease, to the man in my country who should 
 appear to merit it best, upon the same conditions that have in- 
 duced him to send it to me." — Whether easy or not, to select 
 THE MAN who might comport with his lordship's opinion in this 
 respedt, is not for me to say ; but conceiving that no disposi- 
 tion of this valuable curiosity can be more eligible than the re- 
 commitment of it to his own cabinet, agreeably to the original 
 design of the Goldsmith's company of Edinburg, who presented 
 it to him, and, at his request, consented that it should be trans- 
 ferred to me — I do give and bequeath the same to his lordship ; 
 and, in case of his decease, to his heir, with my grateful thanks 
 for the distinguished honor of presenting it to me, and more 
 especially for the favorable sentiments with which he accompa- 
 nied it. 
 
 Item. — To my brother Charles TVasbington, I give and be- 
 queath the gold-headed cane left me by Dr. Franklin, in his 
 will. I add nothing to it, because of the ample provision I 
 have made for his issue. To the acquaintances and friends of 
 my juvenile years, Laivrence Washington and Robert Washing- 
 ton, of Ghotan£t, I give my other tv/o gold-headed canes, having 
 my arms engraved on them ; and to each (as they will be useful 
 where they live) I leave one of the spy glasses, which consti- 
 tuted part 'of my equipage during the late war. To my com-, 
 patriot in arms and old and intimate friend. Dr. Craik, I give 
 my bureau, or, as the cabinet-makers call it, tambour secretary, 
 and the ciixular chair, an appendage of my study. To Dr, 
 David Steivart, I give my large shaving and dressing table, and 
 my telescope. To the reverend, now Bryan Lord Fairfax, I 
 give a Bible in three large folio volumes, with notes, presented 
 to me by the Rt. Rev. Thomas Wilson, bishop of Sodor and 
 
46 APPENDIX. 
 
 Man. To general De la Fayette, I give a pair of finely ■wrought 
 steel pistols, taken from the enemy in the revolutionury war. 
 To my sisters-in-law, Hannah Washington and Mildred Wash- 
 ington — to my friends Eleanor Stuart, Hannah Washington, of 
 Fairfield, and Elizabeth Washington, of Hayfield, I give, each, 
 a mourning ring of the value of 100 dollars. These bequests 
 are not made for the intrinsic value of them, but as mementoes 
 of my esteem and regard. To Tobias Lear, I give the use of 
 the farm which he now holds, in virtue of a lease from me to 
 liim and his deceased wife (for and during their natural lives) 
 free from rent during his life ; at the expiration of which, it is 
 to be disposed of as is hereinafter diredted. To Sally B, Hay- 
 mie (a distant relation of mine) I give and bequeath 300 dol- 
 lars. To Sarah Green, daughter of the deceased Thomas Bi- 
 shop, and to Ann Walker, daughter of yohn Alton, also de- 
 ceased, I give each 100 dollars, in consideration of the attach- 
 ment of their fathers to me, each of whom having lived nearly 
 40 years in my family. To each of my nephews, William Au- 
 gustine Washington, George Lewis, George Steptoe Washington^ 
 Busbrod Washington, and Samuel Washington, I give one of the 
 swords, or cutteaux, of which I may die possessed ; and they 
 are to chuse in the order they are named. These swords are 
 accompanied with an injunftion, not to unsheath them for the 
 purpose of shedding blood, except it be for self-defence, or in 
 defence of their country and its rights ; and, in the latter case, 
 to keep them unsheathed, and prefer falling with them in their 
 hands to the relinquishment thereof. - 
 
 And now, having gone through thcsa specific devises, with 
 explanations for the more correft understanding of the mean- 
 ing and design of them, I proceed to the distribution of the 
 more important parts of my estate, in manner following — 
 
 First. — To my nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs, 
 (partly in consideration of an intimation to his deceased father, 
 vhile we were bachelors, and he had kindly undertaken to su- 
 perintend my estate during my military services in the former 
 war between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall 
 therein, Mount Vernon, then less extensive in domain than at 
 
APPENDIX, 47 
 
 present, should become his property) I give and bequeath all 
 that part thereof which is comprehended within the following 
 limits, viz. Beginning at the ford of Dogue Run near my mill, 
 and extending along the road, and bounded thereby, as it now 
 goes and ever has gone since my recolledion of it, to the ford 
 of Little Hunting creek, at the Gum spring, until it comes to 
 a knowl opposite to an old road which formerly passed through 
 the lowerfield of Muddy-hole farm, at which, on the north side 
 of the said road, are three red or Spanish oaks marked as a 
 corner, and a stone placed — thence by a line of trees to be 
 marked reftangular, to the back line or outer boundary of the 
 traft between Thomas Mason and myself — thence with that line 
 easterly (now double ditching, with a post and rail fence thereon) 
 to the run of Little iluning creek — thence with that run, which 
 is the boundary between the lands of the late H. Peake and 
 me, to the tide-water of the said creek — thence by that water 
 to Potowmac river — thence with the river to the mouth of 
 Dogue creek — and thence with the said Dcgue creek to the 
 place of beginning at the aforesaid ford : containing upwards 
 of 4000 acres, be the same more or less, together -with the 
 mansion house and all other building and improvements thereon. 
 
 Second, — In consideration of the consanguinity between them 
 and my wife, being as nearly related to her as to myself, as on 
 account of the afFeftion I had for, and the obligation I Avas un- 
 der to, their father, when living, who, from his youth, had at- 
 tached himself to my person, and followed my fortunes through 
 the vicissitudes of the late revolution, afterwards devoting hie 
 time to the superintendance of my private concerns for many- 
 years, whilst my public employments rendered it impradticable 
 for me to do it myself, thereby aiFording mc essential services, 
 and always performing them in a manner the most filial and re- 
 speclful — For these reasons, I say, I give and bequeath to 
 George Fayette Washington and Lawrence Augustine Washing- 
 ton, and their heirs, my estate east of Little Hunting creek, 
 lying on the river Potowmac, including the farm of 360 acres, 
 leased to Tobias Lear, as noticed before, and containing in the 
 whole, by deed, two thousand and twenty-seven acres, be it 
 more or less ; which said estate, it is my will and desire, should 
 
48 APPENDIX. 
 
 be equitably and advantageously divided between tbem, accord- 
 ing to quantity, quality and other circumstances, -when the 
 youngest shall have arrived at the age of 21 years, by three ju- 
 dicious and disinterested men ; one to be chosen by each of the 
 brothers, and the third by these two. In the mean time, if the 
 termination of my wife's interest therein should have ceased^ 
 the profits arising therefrom are to be applied for their joint 
 uses and benefit. 
 
 Third, — And whereas it has always been my intention, since 
 my expeftation of having issue has ceased, to consider the grand- 
 children of my wife, in the spme light as I do my own relations, 
 and to act a friendly part by them, more especially by the two 
 ■whom we have raised from their earliest infancy — namely, £/e- 
 anor Park Ciistis, and George Washington Park Custis, And 
 whereas the former of these hath lately intermarried with Law- 
 rence Le-ivisy a son of my deceased sister, Hettj Lewis, by 
 which union the inducement to provide for them both has been 
 increased ; wherefore I give and bequeath to the said Lawrence 
 Lewis and Eleanor Park Lewis, his wife, and their heirs, the 
 residue of my Mount Vernon estate, not already devised to my 
 nephew, Busbrod Washington, comprehended within the follow- 
 ing description, viz. All the land north of the road leading from 
 the ford of Dogue run to the Gum spring, as described in the 
 devise of the other part of the tra£t to Bushrod Washington, un- 
 til it comes to the stone and three red or Spanish oaks on the 
 knowl ; thence with the reftangular line to the back line (be- 
 tween Mr. Mason and me) thence with that line westerly along 
 the new double ditch to Dogue run by the tumbling dam of my 
 mill ; thence with the said run to the ford afore-mentioned ; to 
 which I add all the land I possess west of the said Dogue run 
 and Dogue creek, bounded easterly and southerly thereby ; to- 
 gether with the mill, distillery and all other houses and improve- 
 ments on the premises j making together about 2000 acres, be 
 it more or less. 
 
 Fourth. — Actuated by the principle already mentioned, I give 
 and bequeath to George Washington Park Custis, the grandson 
 of my wife, and my ward, and to his heirs, the Itzci I hold on 
 
APPENDIX. 49 
 
 Four Mile Run, in the vicinity of Alexandria, containing 1,200 
 acres, more or less, and my entire square. No. 21, in the city 
 of Washington. 
 
 Fifth, — All the rest and residue of my estate, real and per- 
 sonal, not disposed of in manner aforesaid, in whatsoever con- 
 sisting, wheresoever lying, and wheresoever found, (a sche- 
 dule of which, as far as is recollected, with a reasonable esti- 
 mate of its value, is hereunto annexed) I desire may be sold 
 by my executors, at such times, in such manner, and on such 
 credits (if an equal, valid and satisfaftory distribution of the 
 specific property cannot be made without) as in their judgment 
 shall be most conducive to the interest of the parties concerned, 
 and the monies arising therefrom to be divided into 23 equal 
 parts, and applied as follows, viz. To William Augustine Wasb- 
 ingtotty Elizabeth Spotsivood^ Jane Thornton, and the heirs of 
 Ann Ashton, son and daughters of my deceased brother Augus- 
 tine Washington, I give and bequeath four parts, that is, one 
 part to each of them : To Fielding Lewis, George Leivis, Ro- 
 bert Lewis, Hoivell Lewis, and Betty Carter, sons and daugh- 
 ter of my deceased sister Bettj Leivis, I give and bequeath five 
 other parts, one to each of them : To George Steptoe Washing- 
 ton, Lawrence A* Washington, Harriot Parks, and the heirs of 
 Thornton Washington, sons and daughter of my deceased bro- 
 ther Samuel Washington, I give and bequeath the other four 
 parts, one part to each of them : To Corbin Washington, and 
 the heirs of Jane Washington, son and daughter of my deceased 
 brother John A. Washington, I give and bequeath two parts, 
 one part to each of them : To Samuel Washington, Frances Bally 
 and Mildred Hammond, son and daughters of my brother Cba, 
 Washington, 1 give and bequeath three parts, one part to each 
 of them ; and to Geo. F. Washington, Cha. Aug, V/ashington, 
 and Maria Washington, sons and daughter of my deceased ne- 
 phew, Geo, A, Washington, I give one other part, that is, to 
 each a third of that part : To Eliz. Park Law, Martha Park 
 Peter, and Eleanor Park Lewis, I give and bequeath three other 
 parts, that is, a part to each of them : And, to my nephews, 
 Bushrod Washington and Law Lewis, and to my ward, the grand- 
 son of my wife, I give and bequeath one other part, that is, a 
 
 G 
 
50 APPENDIX. 
 
 tl ial thereof to each cf them. And if it should so happen, that 
 a;;y of the persoi/s whose nan:es are here enuinerated (unknown 
 to me) should row be dead, or should die before me, that in 
 either of these cases, the heirs of such deceased persons shall, 
 liotwithstandiiig, derive all the benefits of the bequest, in the 
 same manner as if he or she was aftually living at the time. 
 And, by way of advice, I recommend to m.y executors not to 
 be pitcipitate in disposing of the landed property (therein di» 
 redied to be sold) if from temporary causes the sale thereof 
 should be dull ; experience having fully evinced, that the price 
 of land, especially above the falls of the rivers and on the west- 
 ern waters, has been progressively rising and cannot be long 
 checked in its increasing value. And 1 particularly recommend 
 it to such cf the legatees (under this clause of my will) as can 
 liiake it convenient, to take each a share of my stock in the Po- 
 towmac company, in preference to the amount of what it might 
 sell for — being thoroughly convinced myself, that no uses to 
 which the money can be applied, will be so produdive as the 
 tolls arising from this navigation when in full operation (and 
 this from the nature of things it must be ere long) and more 
 especially if that of the Shenandoah is added thereto. 
 
 The fam'ly vault at Mount Vernon, requiring repairs, and 
 being improperly situated besides, I desire that a new one of 
 brick, and upon a larger scale, may be built at the foot of what 
 is commonly called the Vineyard inclosure, on the ground which 
 is maiked out — in which my remains, with those of my deceased 
 relations (new in the old vault) and such ethers of my family 
 Ks may chuse "o bt entombed there, may be deposited. Audit 
 is my exj.ress dtslre, that my corps may be interred in a private 
 jnynner, withoue parade or funeral oration. 
 
 Lastly. — I constitute and appoint my dearly beloved wife 
 3jartha Viasbington^ny nephews William Augustine Washington^ 
 Biisbrod Washington, George Steptoe Washington, Samuel Wash- 
 ington, and Lawrence Lewis, and my ward George Washington 
 park Custis (when he shall have arrived at the age of 20 years) 
 executrix and executors of this my will and testament— 
 in tlie construi^ion of which, it wiU readily be perceived; that 
 
APPENDIX. SI 
 
 no professional charaftcr has been consulted, or has had any 
 agency in the draught ; and, that although it has occupied 
 many of my leisure hours to digest, and to throw it into its 
 present form, it may, notwithstanding, appear crude and incor- 
 reft — but having endeavored to be plain and explicit in all the 
 devises, even at the expence of prolixity, jerhaps of tautology, 
 I hope and trust, that no disputes will arise concerning them ; 
 but if, contrary to expeftation, the case should be otherwise 
 from the want of legal expression, or the usual technical terms, 
 or because too much or too little has been said on any of the 
 devises to be consoiiant with law, my will and direftion ex- 
 pressly is, that all disputes (if unhappily any should arise) shall 
 be decided by three impartial and intelligent men, known for 
 their probity and good understanding — two to be chosen by the 
 disputants, each havijig the choice of one, and the third by 
 those two— which three men thus chosen shall, unfettered by 
 law or legal construftions, declare the sense of the testator's 
 intentions ; and such decision is, to all intents and purposes, 
 to be as binding on the parties as if it had been given in tiie 
 supreme court of the United States. 
 
 In fVifNESS of all and each of the things lerein contained^ I' 
 have set my band and secl^ this ninth day of Juh, in the 
 year one thousand seven hundred and ninety *, and of toe 
 ■independence of the United States the tiventy-fourth. 
 
 GE RGE WASHING TO N, 
 
 * It appears the testator omitted the word ninf. 
 
53 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 SCHEDULE 
 
 Of property comprehended in the foregoing will, directed to 
 be sold, and some of it conditionally is sold—^ivith descriptive 
 and explanatory notes thereto. 
 
 IN VIRGINIA. 
 
 
 Acres, Price, 
 
 Dollars, 
 
 Loudon CO. Difficult Run, 
 
 300 
 
 6,666a 
 
 Loudon and Faquier, 
 
 
 
 Ashby's Bent, 
 
 2,481 lOd. 24,810> ^ 
 885 8 7,080 3 
 
 Chattins Run, 
 
 Berkley, S. fork of Bouliskin, 
 
 1,600 
 
 
 Head of Evan's m. 
 
 453 
 
 
 In Wormley's line, 
 
 183 
 
 
 
 2,236 20 
 
 44,720c 
 
 Frederick, bo't from Mercer, 
 
 571 20 
 
 11,420c? 
 
 Hampshire, on Potowmac river, 
 
 
 
 above B. 
 
 240 15 
 
 3,600e 
 
 Gloucester, on North river, 
 
 400 about 
 
 3,600/ 
 
 Nansemond, near Suffolk, one-third 
 
 of 
 
 
 1,1 19 acres, 
 
 573 8 
 
 2,984^ 
 
 Great Dismal Swamp, my dividend 
 
 
 
 thereof, 
 
 about 
 
 20,0003 
 
 Ohio river, Round Bottom, 
 
 587 
 
 
 Little Kenhawa, 
 
 2,314 
 
 
 Sixteen miles lower down, 
 
 2,448 
 
 
 Opposite Big Bent, 
 
 4.395 
 
 . Dollars. 
 
 
 
 9,744 10 
 
 97,440; 
 
 GREAT KENHAWA. 
 
 
 Near the north-west, 
 
 10,180 
 
 
 East side above. 
 
 ■ 7,276 
 
 
 Mouth of Cole river. 
 
 2000 
 
 
 Opposite thereto^ 2,950 } 
 Burning Spring, 125 5 
 
 3,075 
 
 
 2O0,000A 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Acres, Price, 
 
 MARYLAND. 
 
 Charles county, 600 &d, 
 
 Montgomery ditto, 519 12 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 
 Great Meadows, 234 6 
 
 Mohawk river, 
 
 NEW-YORK. 
 
 about 1000 6 
 
 NORTH-WEST TERRITORY. 
 
 On Little Mian 
 Ditto, 
 
 ni, S39 
 977 
 
 Ditto, 
 
 1,235 
 
 
 3,251 S 
 
 
 KENTUCKY. 
 
 Rough Creek, 
 
 3000 
 
 Ditto adjoining 
 
 * 2000 
 
 • 
 
 5000 2 
 
 
 LOTS, «/z. 
 
 
 CITY OF WASHINGTON. 
 
 Two near the capitol, square 634, cost 963 dollars, 
 and with buildings, 
 Nos, 5, 12, 13, and 14, the three last water lots on 
 the Eastern Branch, in square 667, containing to- 
 gether 34,438 square feet, at 12 cents, 
 
 ALEXANDRIA. 
 
 Corner of Fitt and Prince streets, half an acre laid 
 out into buildings, three or four of which are let 
 on ground rent at three dollars per foot, 
 
 53 
 Dollars, 
 
 S,600f 
 6,22Sni 
 
 1,404n 
 
 60000 
 
 16,251ji 
 
 10,000^ 
 
 15,000r 
 
 4,132^ 
 
 4000f 
 
5'1 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 WINCHESTER. 
 
 A lot in the town of half an acre, and another in the 
 commons of about six acres, supposed 
 
 BATH OR WARM SPRINGS. 
 Two well situated, and had buildings to the amount 
 of 1501. 
 
 STOCK. 
 
 UNITED STATES. 
 
 3,746 
 
 500 
 
 Dollars, 
 
 400ti 
 
 800^ 
 
 Six per cent. 
 
 Ditto deferred, 1,873 
 Three per cent 
 
 1,873> 
 . 2,946 3 
 
 POTOWMAC COMPANY. 
 
 Twenty-four shares cost each lOOl. sterling, 
 
 JAMES RIVER COMPANY, 
 Tivc shares each cost 100 dollars. 
 
 6,246w 
 10,666m 
 
 eooj 
 
 BANK OF COLUMBIA. 
 
 One hundred and seventy shares, cost 40 dollars each, 6,800s 
 
 BANK OF ALEXANDRIA. lOQO 
 
 Besides tv.-enty shares to the free school — 5 
 
 STOCK LIVING, VtZ. 
 
 One covering horse, five carriage horses, four riding 
 ditto, six brood mares, 20 working horses and 
 mares, 2 covering jacks, and 3 young ones ; 10 
 she asses, 42 working mules, 15 younger ones, 329 
 
 head of horned cattle, 640 head of sheep, and a 
 large stock of hogs, the precise number un- 
 known. |Q" My manager has estimated this live 
 stock at 7,0001. but I shall set it down in order 
 to make a round sura, at 15,S5S 
 
 Aggregate amount, 530,000 
 
APPENDIX. 55 
 
 NOTES, 
 
 a. This tra£l, for the size of it, is valuable, more for its 
 situation than the quality of its soil, though that is good for 
 farming ; with a considerable proportion of ground, that might 
 very easily be improved into meadow. It lies on the great 
 road from the city of Washington, Alexandria and George- 
 Town, to Leesburgh and Winchester, at Difficult Bridge, nine- 
 teen miles from Alexandria, less from the city and George- 
 Town, and not more than three from Matildaville, at the great 
 falls of Potowmac. There is a valuable seat on the premises, 
 and the whole is conditionally sold for the sum annexed in the 
 schedule. 
 
 b. What the selling prices of lands in the vicinity ot these 
 two trails are, J know not ; but compared with those above 
 the ridge, and others below it, the value annexed will appear 
 moderate ; a less one would not obtain them from me. 
 
 c. The surrounding land not superior in soil, situation or 
 properties of any sort, sells currently at from twenty to thirty 
 dollars an acre. The lowest price is affixed to these. 
 
 d. The observations made in the last note, apply equally to 
 this tra£l, being in the vicinity of them, and of similar pua* 
 lity, although it lies in another county. 
 
 e. This trad, though small, is extremely valuable. It lies 
 on Potowmac river, about twelve miles above the town of Bath 
 (or Warm Springs) and is in the shape of a horse-shoe, the 
 river running almost around it. Two hundred acres of it are 
 rich low grounds, with .a great abundance of the largest and 
 finest walnut trees, which, with the produce of the soil, might 
 (by means of the improved navigation of the Potowmac) be 
 brought to a shipping port with more ease, and at a smaller ex- 
 pence, than that which is transported thirty miles only by land, 
 
 /. This traft is of second rate Gloucester low grounds. It 
 Las no improvements thereon, but lies on navigable water, 
 
56 APPENDIX. 
 
 abounding in fish ?.nd oysters. It was received in payment of 
 a debt (carrying interest) and valued in the year 1789 by an 
 impartial gentleman, at 8001. 
 
 N. B. It has lately been sold, and there is due thereon a 
 balance equal to what is annexed in the schedule. 
 
 g. These 373 acres are the third part of undivided pur- 
 chases made by the deceased Fielding Lewis, Thos. Walker and 
 myself, on full conviction that they would become valuable. — 
 The land lies on the road from Suffolk to Norfolk, touches (if 
 I am not mistaken) some part of the navigable water of Nanse- 
 mond river. The rich Dismal Swamp is capable of great im- 
 provement ; and, from its situation, must become extremely 
 valuable. 
 
 h. This is an undivided interest which I held in the great 
 Dismal Swamp Company, containing about 4000 acres, with 
 my part of the plantation and stock thereon, belonging to the 
 company in the said swamp. 
 
 /. These several tra£ls of land are of the first quality on 
 the Ohio river, in the parts where they are situated, being al- 
 most, if not altogether, river bottoms. The smallest of these 
 trads is actually sold at ten dollars an acre, but the considera- 
 tion therefor not received. The rest are equally valuable, and 
 will sell as high, especially that which lies just below the Lit- 
 tle Kenhawa ; and is opposite to a thick settlement on the west 
 side of the river. The four trafts have an aggregate breadth 
 •upon the river of sixteen miles, and are bounded there by that 
 distance. 
 
 k. These trads are situated upon the Great Kenhawa river, 
 and the first four are bounded thereby for more than 40 miles. 
 It is acknowledged by all who have seen them (and of the tra£t 
 containing 10,990 acres, which I have been on myself, I can 
 assert) that there is no richer or more valuable land in all that 
 region. They are conditionally sold for the sum mentioned in 
 the schedule, that is, 200,000 dollars, and if the terms of that 
 
APPENDIX. 57 
 
 sale arc not complied with, they will command considerable 
 more. The tra<Stj of which the 125 acres is a moiety, was taken 
 up by general Andrew Lewis and myself, for, and on account 
 of a bitumenous spring which it contains, of so inflammable a 
 nature, as to burn as freely as spirits, and is nearly as difficult 
 to extinguish. 
 
 /. I AM but little acquainted with this land, although I have 
 once been on it. It was received (many years since) in discharge 
 of a debt due to me from Daniel Jenifer Adams, at the value 
 annexed thereto, and must be worth more. It is very level — 
 lies near the river Potowmac. 
 
 m. This traft lies about 30 miles above the city of Wash- 
 ington, not far from Kittodan. It is good farming land, and 
 by those who are well acquainted with it, I am informed that 
 it would sell at twelve or fifteen dollars per acre. 
 
 71. This land is valuable on account of its local situation and 
 other properties. It affords an exceeding good stand on Brad- 
 dock's road from Fort Cumberland to Pittsburgh ; and, besides a 
 fertile soil, possesses a large quantity of natural meadow, fit 
 for the scythe. It is distinguished by the appellation of the 
 Great Meadows, where the first adlion with the French, in the 
 year 1754, was fought. 
 
 0. This is the moiety of about 2000 acres which remains un- 
 sold, of 6,07 1 acres on the Mohawk river (Montgomery county) 
 in a patent granted to Daniel Coxe, in the township of Coxbc- 
 rough and Carolina, as will appear by deed, from Marinus Wil- 
 let and wife, to George Clinton (late governor of New-York) 
 and myself. The latter sales have been at six dollars an acre, 
 and what remains unsold will fetch that or more. 
 
 j&. The quality of these lands and their situation, may be 
 known by the surveyor's certificates, which are filed along with 
 the patents. They lie in the vicinity of Cincinnati ; one tra<51: 
 near the mouth of the Little Miami ; another seven, and the 
 
 H 
 
§8 APPENDIX. 
 
 third ten miles up the same. I have been informed that they 
 •will readily command more than they are estimated at. 
 
 q. For the description of those traifls in detail, see general 
 Spotswood's letters filed with the other papers relating to them. 
 Besides the general good quality of the land, there is a valua- 
 ble bank of iron ore thereon, which, when the settlement be- 
 comes more populous (and settlers are moving that way very fast) 
 Avlll be found very valuable, as the Rough creek, a branch of 
 Green river, affords ample water for furnaces and forges. 
 
 LOTS, viz. 
 CITY OF WASHINGTON. 
 
 r. The two lots near the capitol, in square 634, cost mc 963 
 dollars only ; but in this price I was favored, on condition that 
 I should build two brick houses three stories high each : with- 
 out this reduftion the selling prices of these lots would have 
 cost me about 1,350 dollars. These lots, with the buildings on 
 them when completed, will stand me in 15,000 dollars at least. 
 
 5. Lots Nos. 5, 12, 13 and 14, on the eastern branch, are ad- 
 vantageously situated on the water ; and although many lots 
 much less convenient have sold a great deal higher, I will rate 
 these at 12 cents the square foot only. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA. 
 
 *. For this lot, though unimproved, I have refused 3,500 
 dollars. It has since been laid off into proper sized lots for 
 building on, three or four of which are let on ground-rent for 
 ever, at three dollars a foot on the street ; and this price is 
 asked for both fronts on Pitt and Prince-street. 
 
 WINCHESTER. 
 
 tt. As neither the lot in the town or common have any im- 
 provements on them, it is not easy to fix a price ; but as both 
 are well situated, it is presumed the price annexed to them ia 
 the schedule is a reasonable valuation. 
 
APPENDIX. 59 
 
 BATH. 
 
 9, The lots In Bath (two adjoining) cost mc to the best of 
 my recolleiSlion between 50 and 60 pounds, 20 years ago ; and 
 the buildings thereon 1 501. more. Whether property there has 
 increased or decreased in its value, and in what condition the 
 houses are, I am ignorant — but suppose they are not valued too 
 ^igh. 
 
 STOCK. 
 
 w. These are the sums which are aftually funded, and 
 though no more in the aggregate than 7,566 dollars, stand mc 
 in at least ten thousand pounds, Virginia money ; being the 
 amount of bonded and other debts due to me, and discharged 
 during the war, when money had depreciated in that rate — 
 ^CT' ^^^ was so settled by public authority. 
 
 X. The value annexed to these shares is what they adually 
 cost me, and is the price affixed by law ; and although the pre- 
 sent selling price is under paK my advice to the legatees (for 
 Avhose benefit they are intended, especially those who can af- 
 ford to lie out of the money) is, that each should take and hold 
 one— there being a moral certainty of a great and increasing 
 profit arising from them in the course of a few years. 
 
 J. It is supposed that the shares in the James river company 
 must also be productive : but of this I can give no decided opi. 
 nion, for want of more accurate information. 
 
 z. These are the nominal prices of the shares in the banks of 
 Alexandria and Columbia ; the selling prices vary according to 
 circumstances ; but as the stock usually divides from eight to 
 ten per cent, per annum, they must be worth the former, at 
 least, so long as the banks are conceived to be secure, although 
 circumstances may sometimes make them below it. 
 
 The value of the live stock depends more upon the quality 
 than quantity of the different species of it ; and this again upon 
 the demand and judgment, or fancy of purchasers. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 Mount Vernon, yulj S, 1799. 
 
60 APPENDIX. 
 
 (No. VI.) 
 
 ANONYMOUS LETTERS, &c. 
 
 [Jn order to sheiv the situation of the army at the time the cele- 
 brated anonymous letters nvere promulgated, nve think it ex- 
 pedient to precede them with the following interesting address.'\ 
 
 TO THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS AS- 
 SEMBLED. 
 
 fHE ADD-RESS AKD PEflflOS OF T'HE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY 
 OF THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 Humbly shenveth— 
 
 THAT we, the oSlcers of the army of the United States, 
 in behalf of ourselves and our brethren the soldiers, beg 
 leave, -with all proper deference and rcspeft, freely to state to 
 congress, the supreme power of the United States, the great 
 distress under which we labor. 
 
 At this period of the wra- it is with peculiar pain we find 
 ourselves constrained to address your august body, on matters 
 of a pecuniary nature. We have struggled with our difficul- 
 ties year after year, under the hopes that each would be the 
 last ; but we have been disappointed. We find our embarrass- 
 ments thicken so fast, and have become so complex, that many 
 of us are unable to go further. In this exigence we apply to 
 congress for relief, as our head and sovereign. 
 
 To prove that our hardships are exceedingly disproportionate 
 to those of any other citizens of America, let a recurrence be 
 be had to the paymaster's accounts, for four years past. If to 
 this it should be objedled, that the respedllve states have made 
 settlements and given securities for the pay due, for part of that 
 time, let the present value of those nominal obligations be as- 
 certained by the monied men, and they will be found to be 
 worth little indeed ; and yet, trifling as they are, many have 
 been under the sad necessity of parting with them, to prevent 
 their families from a<^ually starving. 
 
APPENDIX. 61 
 
 We complain that shadows have been offered tons, while the 
 substance has been gleaned by others. Our situation com- 
 pels us to search for the cause of our extreme poverty. The 
 citizens murmur at the greatness of their taxes, and are asto- 
 nished that no part reaches the army. The numerous demands, 
 which are between the first coIIe£iors and the soldiers, swallow 
 up the whole. Our distresses are now brought to a point. We 
 have borne all that men can bear — our property is expended — 
 our private resources are at an end — and our friends are wea- 
 ried cut and disgusted with our incessant applications. We 
 therefore most seriously and earnestly beg, that a supply of 
 money may be forwarded to the army, as soon as possible. The 
 uneasiness of the soldiers, for vrant of pay, is great and dan- 
 gerous ; any further experiment on their patience, may have fa- 
 tai effedls. The promised subsistence or ration of provisions, 
 consisted of certain articles specified in kind and quality. This 
 ration, without regard, that we can conceive, to the health of 
 the troops, has been frequently altered, as necessity or conve- 
 niency suggested, — generally losing by the change some part of 
 its substance. On an average, not more than seven or eight- 
 tenths have been issued j the retained parts were, for a short 
 time, paid for ; but the business became troublesome to those 
 who were to execute it. For this, or some other reasons, all 
 regard to the dues, as they respefted the soldiers, has been dis- 
 continued (nov,- and then a trifling gratuity excepted.) As 
 these dues respecled the officers, they were compensated during 
 one year and part of another, by an extra ration ; as to the re- 
 tained rations, the account for several years remains unsettled ; 
 there is a large balance due upon it, and a considerable sum for 
 that of forage. 
 
 The clothing was another part of the soldier's hire. The ar- 
 rearages on that score, for the year 1777, were paid off in con- 
 tinental money, when the dollar was worth about four pence ; 
 the arrearages for the following years, are unliquidated, and we 
 apprehend scarcely thought of, but by the army. Whenever 
 there has been a real want of means, and defecl in system, or 
 neglecl in execution, in the departments of the army, we have 
 invariably been the sufferers, by hunger and nakedness, and by 
 
a.3 APPENDIX. 
 
 -languishing in an hospital. We beg leave to urge an inimecli- 
 y.te adjustment of all dues ; that, as great a part as possible, 
 be paid, and the remainder put on such a footing as will restore 
 cheerfulness to the army, receive confidence in the justice and 
 generosity of its constituents, and contribute to the very desira- 
 ble effeft of re-establishing public credit. We are grieved to 
 find, that our brethren, who retired from service on half pay, 
 tinder the resolution of congress in 1780, are not only destitute 
 of any effeftual provision, but are become the objects of oblo- 
 quy. Their condition has a very discouraging aspeft on us, 
 •who must sooner or later retire, and from every consideration 
 of justice, gratitude and policy, demands attention and redress. 
 We regard the acl of congress respefting half pay, as an ho- 
 norable and just recompence for several years hard service, in 
 which the health and fortunes of the officers have been wofn 
 down and exhausted. We see with chagrin the odious point 
 of view, in which the citizens of too many of the states endea- 
 vor to place the men entitled to it. We hope, for the honor 
 of human nature, that there are none so hardened in the sin of 
 ingratitude, as to deny the justice of the reward. We have 
 reason to believe, that the objeftion generally is against the 
 mode only. To prevent therefore any altercations and distinc- 
 tions, which may tend to injtJre that harmony which we ar- 
 dently desire may reign throughout the community, we are wil- 
 ling to commute the half pay pledged, for full pay, for a cer- 
 tain number of years, or for a sum in gross, as shall be agreed 
 to by the committee sent with this address. And in this we 
 pniy, that the disabled officers and soldiers, with the widows 
 and orphans of those, who have expended, or may expend, their 
 lives in the service of their country, may be fully compre- 
 hended. We also beg, that some mode may be pointed out for 
 the eventual payment of those soldiers, who are the subjects of 
 the resolution of congress of the 15th May, 1778. To there- 
 presentation now made, the army have not a doubt that con- 
 gress will pay all that attention, which the serious nature of it 
 requires. It would be criminal in the officers to conceal the 
 general dissatisfaftion which prevails, and is gaining ground in 
 the army, from the pressure of evils and injuries, which, in the 
 fpurse of seven long years, have made their condition, in many 
 
APPENDIX. C^- 
 
 instances, -wretched. They therefore entreat, that congress, 
 to convince the army and the world, that the independence of 
 America shall not be placed on the ruin of any particular class 
 of her citizens, will point out a mode of immediate redress. 
 
 H. Knox, major-genera!^ "J 
 
 John Patterson, brigadier-general,] on the part oft be 
 
 J. Greaton, colonel, J> Massachusetts 
 
 John Crane, colonel, J line. 
 
 H. Maxwell, lieutenant-colonel, J 
 
 J. Huntington, brigadier-genet aL-s 
 
 H. Swift, colonel. Ion the part of the 
 
 Samuel B. Webb, colonel, l" Connecticut line, 
 
 E. Huntington, lieutenant-colonel, J 
 
 ^ „ , , con the part of the New, York 
 
 F. Cortlandt, colonel, i ,. 
 
 I line. 
 
 _ - _ ^ . C on the part of 
 
 John N. Gumming s, heutenant-colonel, < tb \' f I 
 
 ' ^,- „ . (ontbepartoftbeNenv-Hamp- 
 
 William Scott, maior, -J , . ,. 
 
 C sbire line. 
 
 -Mr -c- 7 . T Con the part of tbe gene- 
 
 W. EusTis, bosp:tal.surgeon, ^ ^^^ ^^^^.^^^^ 
 
 Moses Hazen, brigadier-general, 
 
 Castonments, Hudson's RiyER,~> 
 December, 1782, 3 
 
 UXfRACf or A LEl'TER FROM HIS EXCELLENCT CEUBRAL WaSN* 
 JNGfOlf, T'O THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS, DATED HEAD' 
 SlUARTERS, MARCH 12, 1783. 
 
 " TT is with Inexpressible concern I make the following report- 
 X to your excellency : — Two days ago, anonymous papers 
 were circulated in the army, requesting a general meeting of the- 
 officers on the next day, A copy of one of tljese papers is 
 enclosed, No. 1. 
 
64 APPENDIX. 
 
 " About the same time another anonymous paper, purport- 
 ing to be an address to the officers of the army, was handed 
 about in a clandestine manner. A copy of this is marked No. 2. 
 
 " To prevent any precipitate and dangerous resolutions from 
 being taken at this perilous moment, while the passions were 
 all inflamed ; as soon as these things came to my knowledge, 
 the next morning, I issued the enclosed order, No. 3 — and in 
 this situation the matter now rests. 
 
 " Since writing the foregoing, another anonymous paper has 
 been put in circulation, a copy of which is enclosed, No. 4, 
 
 (No. 1, referred to in the foregoing paper.") 
 
 MEETING of the general and field officers is requested at 
 the public building, on Tuesday next, at 1 1 o'clock. A 
 comiuissioned officer from each company is expeded, and a de- 
 legate from the medical staff. The objed of this convention 
 is, to consider the late letter from our representatives in Phila- 
 delphia, and what measures (if any) should be adopted, to ob- 
 tain that redress of grievances which they seem to have soli- 
 cited in vain. [Anonymous.] 
 
 (No. 2.) 
 TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 FELLOW-SOLDIER, whose interest and affeftions bind 
 him strongly to you, whose past sufferings have been as 
 great, and whose future fortune may be as desperate as yours — 
 
APPENDIX. 65 
 
 Ipould beg leave to address you. Age has its claims, and rank 
 is not without its pretensions to advise : but, though unsupported 
 by both, he flatters himself, that the plain language of since- 
 rity and experience Avill neither be unheard nor unregarded. — 
 Like many of you, he loved private life, and left it with regret. 
 He left it, determined to retire, from the field, with the neces- 
 sity that called him to it, and not 'till then — not 'till the ene*- 
 mies of his country, the slaves of power, and the hirelings of 
 injustice, were compelled to abandon their schemes, and acknow- 
 ledge America as terrible in arms as she had been humble in 
 remonstrance. With this objed. in view, he has long shared in. 
 your toils, and mingled in your dangers. — He has felt the cold 
 hand of poverty without a murmur, and has seen the insolence 
 of wealth without a sigh. — But, too much under the direction 
 of his wishes, and sometimes weak enough to mistake desire 
 for opinion, he has 'till lately — very lately, believed in the justice 
 of his country. He hoped, that as the clouds of adversity scat- 
 tered, and as the sunshine of peace and better fortune broke in 
 upon us, the coldness and severity of government would relax, 
 and that, more than justice, that gratitude would blaze forth 
 upon those hands, which had upheld her, in the darkest stages 
 of her passage ; from impending servitude to acknowledged inde- 
 pendence. But faith has its limits, as well as temper, and there 
 are points, beyond which neither can be stretched, without sink- 
 ing into cowardice, or plunging into credulity. — This, my friends, 
 I conceive to be your situation. Hurried to the very verge of 
 both, another step would ruin you forever. — To be tame and un- 
 provoked when injuries press hard upon you, is more than weak- 
 ness ; but to look up for kinder usage, without one manlj'' ef- 
 fort of your own, would fix your charafter, and shew the world 
 how richly you deserve those chains you broke. To guard against 
 this evil, let us take a review cf the ground upon which we 
 now stand, and from thence carry our thoughts forward for a 
 moment, into the unexplored field of expedient. 
 
 After a pursuit of seven long years, the objeft for which 
 we set out is at length brought within our reach! — Yes, my 
 friends, that suffering courage of yours, was adlive once — it 
 has conduded the United States of America through a doubt- 
 
 I 
 
66 A P P E N D I X. 
 
 ful and a bloody war 1 It has placed her in the chair of inde- 
 pendency, and peace returns again to bless— ■whom ? A coun- 
 try willing to redress your wrongs, cherish your worth and re- 
 ward your services ; a country courting your return to private 
 life, with tears of gratitude, and smiles of admiration ; long- 
 ing to divide with you that independency which your gallantry 
 has given, and those riches which your wounds have preserved ! 
 Is this the case ? or is it rather, a country that tramples upon 
 your rights, disdains your cries and insults your distresses ? 
 Have you not, more than once, suggested your wishes, and 
 made known your wants to congress ? Wants and wishes which 
 gratitude and policy should have anticipated, rather than evaded. 
 And have you not lately, in the meek language of entreating 
 memorial, begged from their justice, what you would no longer 
 expert from their favor ? How have you been answered ? Let 
 the letter Avhich you are called to consider to-morrow make 
 reply. 
 
 If this, then, be your ti'eatment, while the swords you wear 
 are necessary for the defence of America, what have you to ex- 
 peft from peace, when your voice shall sink, and your strength 
 dissipate by division ? 
 
 When these very swords, the instruments and companions of 
 your glory, shall be taken from your sides, and no remaining 
 mark of military distinflicn left, but your wants, infirmities 
 and scars ! Can you then consent to be the only sufferers by this 
 revolution, and retiring from the field, grow old in poverty, 
 wretchedness and contempt ? Can you consent to wade through 
 the vile mire of dependency, and owe the miserable remnant of 
 that life to charity, which has hitherto been spent in honor !— 
 If you can, go — and carry with you the jest of tories and the 
 the scorn of whigs — the ridicule, and what is worse, the pitf 
 of the world Go, starve, and be forgotten ! But if your spi- 
 rit should revolt at this ; if you have sense enough to discover, 
 and spirit enough to oppose tyranny undei whatever garb it may 
 assume ; whether it be the plain coat of republicanism, or the 
 splendid robe of royalty : if you have yet learned to discrimi- 
 nate between a people and a cause, between men and princi- 
 
APPENDIX. 67 
 
 pies — awake i — attend to yonr situation and redress yourselves. 
 If the present moment be lost, every future effort is in vain ; 
 and ycur threats then will \>s as empty as your entreaties now. 
 I would advise you, therefore, to come to some final opinion, 
 upon what you can bear, and what you will suffer. 1\ your 
 determination be in any proportion to your wrongs, cany your 
 appeal from the justice to the fears of government-^chr.nge 
 the milk and water style of your last memorial ; assume a 
 bolder tone — decent, but lively — spirited and determined ; and 
 suspe£l the man who would advise to more moderation and 
 longer forbearance. Let two or three men, who can feel as 
 well as write, be appointed to draw up your last remonstrance ; 
 for I would no longer give it the sueing, soft, unsuccessful epi- 
 thet of memorial. Let it be represented (in language that will 
 neither dishonor you by its rudeness, nor betray you by its fears) 
 what has been promised by congress, and what has been per- 
 formed — how long and how patiently you have suflered ; how 
 little you have asked, and how much of that little has been de- 
 nied. Tell them that though you were the first, and would wish 
 to be the last, to encounter danger ; though despair itself cau 
 never drive you into dishonorj it may drive you from the field t 
 that the wound often irritated, and never healed, may at length 
 become incurable ; and that the slightest mark of indignity 
 from congress now, must operate like the grave, and part you 
 forever : that in any political event, the army has its alterna- 
 tive. If peace, that nothing shall separate you from your arms 
 but death : if ivar, that courting the auspices and inviting the 
 dire£lions of your illustrious leader, you will retire to some un- 
 settled country, smile in your turn, and " mock when their fear 
 Cometh on." But let it represent also, that should they com- 
 ply with the request of your late memorial, it would make you 
 more happy, and tbem more respeftable : that while the war 
 should continue, you would follow their standard into the field — 
 and when it came to an end, you would withdraw into the shade 
 of private life, and give the world another subjecl of wonder 
 and applause : — an army victorious aver iis eneinies—-'aictorious 
 ever itidf. (;Akonymous.] 
 
68 APPENDIX. 
 
 (No. 30 
 
 GENERAL ORDERS. 
 
 HEjiD'OUAiii'ERS, March 11, 1783. 
 
 THE commander in chief having heard that a general meet- 
 ing of the officers of the army was proposed to be held 
 at the new building, in an anonymous paper, which was circu- 
 lated yesterday by some unknown person, conceives, although 
 he is fully persuaded that the good sense of the officers would in- 
 duce them to pay very little attention to such an irregular invi- 
 tation, his duly as well as the reputation and true interest of 
 the army, requires his disapprobation of such disorderly pro- 
 ceedings. At the same time he requests the general and field 
 officers, with one officer from each company, and a proper re- 
 presentative from the staff of the army, will assemble at 12 
 o'clock on Saturday next, at the new building, to hear the re- 
 port of the committee of the army to congress. After mature 
 deliberation, they will devise what farther measures ought to 
 be adopted as most rational and best calculated to attain the just 
 and important obje£l in view. The senior officer in rank pre- 
 sent will be pleased to preside, and report the result of their de- 
 liberations to the commander in chief. 
 
 (No. 4.) 
 TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 fTI'^'HE author of a late address, anxious to deserve, though 
 A he should fail to engage, your esteem ; and determined 
 at every risk to unfold your duty and discharge his own, woi Id 
 beg leave to solicit the further indulgence of a few moments 
 sitteution. 
 
APPENDIX. €« 
 
 Aware of the coyness with which his last letter would be 
 received, he feels himself neither disappointed nor displeased 
 With the caution it has met. He well knew that it spoke a lan- 
 guage which, 'till now, had been heard only in whispers, and 
 that it contained some sentiments which confidence itself would 
 have breathed with distrust. But their lives have been short, 
 qnd their observations imperfecl indeed, who have yet to learn, 
 that alarms may be false ; that the best designs are sometimes 
 obliged to assume the worst aspedl ; and that, however synoni- 
 mous surprize and disaster may be in militaiy phrase, in moral 
 and political meaning, they convey ideas as different as they are 
 dlstiuft. Suspicion, detestable as it is in private life, is the 
 loveliest trait of political charafter. It prompts you to en- 
 quiry, bars the door against design, and opens every avenue to 
 truth. It was the first to oppose a tyrant here, and still stands 
 centinel over the liberties of America. With this belief it 
 would illy become me to stifle the voice of this honest guar- 
 dian — a guardian who, authorised by circumstances digested 
 into proof, has herself given birth to the address you have read, 
 and now goes forth among you with a request to all, that it 
 may be treated fairly ; that it may be considered before it be 
 abused, and condemned before it be tortured ; convinced that, 
 in a search after error, truth will appear ; that apathy itself 
 will grow warm in the pursuit, and though it will be the last to 
 adopt her advice, it will be the first to adil upon it. 
 
 The general orders of yesterday, which the weak may mis- 
 take for disapprobation, and the designing dare to represent as 
 such, wears, in my opinion, a very different complexion, and car- 
 ries with it a very opposite tendency. 'Till now, the com- 
 mander in chief has regarded the steps you have taken for re- 
 dress with good wishes alone. His ostensible silence has autho- 
 rized your meetings, and his private opinion has sandlified your 
 claims. Had he disliked the objed in view, would not the same 
 sense of duty which forbad you from meeting on the third day 
 of the week, have forbidden you from meeting on the seventh ? 
 Is not the same subjed held up for your discussion ? And has 
 it not passed the seal of ofRce, and taken all the solemnity of 
 an order ? This will give system to your proceedings, and sta- 
 
ro APPENDIX. 
 
 bility to vour resolves. It -vvi!] riper, speculation into fa(fl. ; ar.d, 
 ■while it adds to the unanimity, it cannot possibly lessen the in- 
 dependency of your sentiments. It may be necessary to add 
 upon this subjec!:!;, that, from the injundlion with which the ge- 
 neral oiders close, every man is at libtrty to conclude that tlie re- 
 port to be made to head-quarters is intended for congress. Hence 
 ■will arise another motive for that energy which has been recom- 
 n'iended : for, can ycu give the lie to the pathetic description of 
 your representations, and the more alarming predictions of your 
 friends ? To such as make a want cf signature an objeftion to 
 opinion, I reply, that it matters very little who is the author of 
 sentiments which grow out of your feelings, and apply to your 
 wants ; tha.t in this instance diffidence suggested what ex- 
 perience enjoins ; and that while I continue to move on the high 
 road of argument and advice, which is open to all, I shall con- 
 tinue to be the sole confident of my own secret. But, should 
 the time come, when it shall be necessary to depart from this 
 genera] line, and hold up any individual among you as an objefl 
 of the resentment or contempt of the rest, I thus publicly pledge 
 nry honor as a soldier, and veracity as a man, that I will then 
 assmne a visible existence, and give my name to the army, with 
 as little reserve as I now give my opinions. 
 
 [Akonyjious.} 
 
 C'JNtONMENr, ]5tb March, 1783. 
 
 7'be officers of the aviny being convened, agreeably to a general 
 order of the 1 \tb instant, the bonorable major-general GjTes, 
 presid.nt, bis excellency the commander in chief was pleased 
 to address the meeting as foUoius — 
 
 GENTLEMEN') 
 
 Y ?n anonymous summons, an attempt has been made to 
 l3 convene you together. How inconsistent with the rules 
 of propriety, how unrailitary, and hoAV subversive of all order 
 and discipline, let the gQod sense of the army decide. 
 
APPENDIX. 71 
 
 In the moment of this summons, another anonymous produc- 
 tion was sent into circulation, addressed more to the feelings 
 and passions than to the reason and judgment of the army. 
 The author of the piece is entitled to much credit for the good-. 
 ness of his pen ; and I could wish he had as much credit for 
 the reiSlitude of his heart ; for, as men see through different op- 
 tics, and are induced, by the refleiEiing faculties of the mind, 
 to use different means to attain the same end, the author of the 
 address should have had more charity than to mark for suspi- 
 cion, the man who should recommend moderation and longer 
 forbearance ; or, in other words, who should not think as he 
 thinks, and adl as he advises* But he had another plan in view, 
 in which candor and liberality of sentiment, regard to justice 
 and love of country, have no part : and he was right to insi- 
 nuate the darkest suspicion to efftft the blackest design, 'j'hat 
 the address is drawn with great art, and is designed to answer 
 the most insidious purposes ; tliat it is calculated to impress the 
 mind with an idea of premeditated irijustice in the sovereign 
 power of the United States, and rouse all those reseniments 
 which must unavoidably flow from such a belief; that the se- 
 cret mover of this scheme, whoever he may be, intended to take 
 advantage of the passions, while they were warmed by the re- 
 colledlion of past distresses, without giving time for cool, deli- 
 berate thinking, and that composure of mind which is so neces- 
 sary to give dignity and stability to measures, is rendered too 
 obvious, by the mode of condudling the business, to need other 
 proof than a reference to the proceeding. Thus much, gentle- 
 men, I have thought it incumbent on me to observe to you, 
 to shew upon what principles I opposed the irregular and hasty 
 m.eeting which was proposed to have been held on Tuesday hist, 
 and not bec2.use I wanted a disposition to give you every op- 
 portunity, consistent with your own honor, and the dignity of 
 the army, to make known your grievances. If my conduct 
 heretofore has not evinced to you, that I have been a faithful 
 friend to the army, my declaration of it at this time would be 
 equally unavailing and improper. Ent as I was among the first 
 who embarked in the cause of our common country ; as I have 
 never left your side one moment, but when called from you oa 
 public duty ; as I have been the constant companion and wit- 
 
72 APPENDIX. 
 
 ness cf your distresses, and not among the last to feel and ac- 
 knowledge your merits ; as I have ever considered my own mi- 
 litary reputation as inseparably connected with that of the army ; 
 as my heart has ever expanded with joy when I have heard its 
 praises, and my indignation has arisen when the mouth of de- 
 tradlidn has been opened against it, it can scarcely be supposed, 
 at this late stage cf the war, that I am indifferent to its inter- 
 ests. But how are they to be promoted ? The way is plain, 
 says the anonymous addresser. If war continues, remove into 
 the unsettled country ; there establish yourselves, and leave an 
 ungrateful country to defend itself. But who are they to de- 
 feud ? Our wives, our children, our farms and other property, 
 which we leave behind us ! Or, in this state of hostile separa- 
 tion, are we to take the two first, (the latter cannot be re- 
 moved) to perish in a wilderness with hunger, cold and naked- 
 ness ? If peace takes place, never sheath your sw'ords, says 
 he, until you have obtained full and ample justice. This 
 dreadful alternative cf either deserting our country in the ex» 
 tremest hour of her distress, or turning our arms against it, 
 which is the apparent objeft, unless congress can be compelled 
 into instant compliance, has something so shocking in it, that 
 humanity revolts at the idea. My God ! what can this writer 
 have in view, by recommending such measures ? Can he be a 
 friend to the army ? Can he be a friend to this country ? Ra- 
 ther is he not an insidious foe ? some emissary, perhaps, from 
 New-York, plotting the ruin of both, by sowing the seeds of 
 discord and separation between the civil and military powers of 
 the continent ? And what a compliment docs he pay to our un- 
 derstandings, when he recommends measures, in either alterna- 
 tive, impradlicable in their nature ? But, here, gentlemen, I 
 will drop the curtain, because, it v/ould be as Imprudent in me 
 to assign my reasons for this opinion, as it would be insulting 
 to your conception to suppose you stood in need of them. A 
 moment's refleilion will convince every dispassionate mind of 
 the physical impossibility of carrying cither proposal into exe- 
 cution. There might, gentlemen, be an impropriety in my taking 
 notice in this address to you, of an anonymous prcdudlion ;— 
 but the manner in which that performance has been introduced 
 to the army, the cfftd it was Intended to have, together with 
 
APPENDIX. rs 
 
 feome other circumstances, will amply justify my observations 
 on the tendency of that writing. With respedl to the advice 
 given by the author, to suspect the man, who shall recommend 
 moderate measures, and longer forbearance, I spurn It, as every 
 man who regards that liberty and reveres that justice for which 
 ■we contend, undoubtedly must ; for, if men are to be precluded 
 from offering their sentiments on a matter which may involve 
 the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the 
 consideration of mankind ; reason is of no use to us. The 
 freedom of speech, may be taken away, and dumb and silent we 
 may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter. I cannot in justice to 
 my own belief, and what I have great reason to conceive is the 
 intention of congress, conclude this address, without giving it 
 as my decided opinion, that that honorable body entertain ex- 
 alted sentiments of the services of the army, and from a full 
 convi£lion of its merits and sufferings will do it complete jus- 
 tice : that their endeavors to discover and establish funds for 
 this purpose have been unwearied, and will not cease 'till they 
 have succeeded, I have not a doubt. But like all other large bo- 
 dies, where there is a variety of different interests to reconcile, 
 their determinations are slow. Why then should we distrust 
 them ? and in consequence of that distrust, adopt measures 
 which may cast a shade over that glory which has been so justly 
 acquired, and tarnish the reputation of an army which is cele- 
 brated through all Europe for Its fortitude and patriotism ? And 
 for what is this done ? To bring the objed we seek nearer ! 
 No, most certainly in my opinion, it will cast it at a greater dis- 
 tance. For myself, and I take no merit in giving the assurance, 
 being induced to it from principles of gratitude, veracity and 
 justice ; a grateful sense of the confidence you have ever placed 
 in me — a recoUeftlon of the cheerful assistance and prompt obe- 
 dience I have experienced from you, under every vicissitude of 
 fortune, and the sincere affedlion I feel for an army I have so 
 long had the honor to command, will oblige me to declare in 
 this public and solemn manner, that in the attainment of com- 
 plete justice for all your toils and dangers, and in the gratifi- 
 cation of every wish, so far as may be done consistently with 
 the great duty I owe my country, and those powers we are bound 
 to resped, you may freely command my services to the utmost 
 
 K 
 
74 APPENDIX. 
 
 extent of my abilities. While I give you these assurances, and 
 pledge myself in the most unequivocal manner to exert whate- 
 ver ability I am possessed of in your favor, let me entreat you, 
 gentlemen, on your part, not to take any measures which, viewed 
 in the calm light of reason, Avill lessen the dignity and sully 
 the glory you have hitherto maintained. — Let me request you 
 to rely on the plighted faith of your country, and place a full 
 confidence in the purity of the intentions of congress, that pre- 
 vious to your dissolution as an army, they will cause all your 
 accounts to be fairly liquidated, as diredled. in the resolutions 
 which were published to you two days ago,' and that they will 
 adopt the most efFe£lual measures in their power to reader am- 
 ple justice to you, for your faithful and meritorious services. 
 And let me conjure you in the name of our common country, 
 as you value your own sacred honor, as you respedi the rights 
 of humanity, and as you regard the military and national cha- 
 raiSler of America, to express your utmost horror and detesta- 
 tion of the man, who wishes, under any specious pretences, to 
 overturn the liberties of our country, and who wickedly at- 
 tempts to open the flood-gates of civil discord, and deluge our 
 rising empire in blood. 
 
 By thus determining and thus a£ling, you will pursue the 
 plain and dire£l road to the attainment of your wishes ; you 
 will defeat the insidious designs of our enemies, who are com- 
 pelled to resort from open force to secret artifice. You will 
 give one more distinguished proof of unexampled patriotism 
 and patient virtue, rising superior to the pressure of the most 
 complicated sufferings ; and you will, by the dignity of your 
 conduA, afford occasion for posterity to say, when speaking of 
 the glorious example you have exhibited to mankind — " Had 
 this day been wanting, the world had never seen the last stage 
 of pcrfedion to which human nature is capable of attaining." 
 
APPENDIX. 75 
 
 HEAD-^ARTERSy 
 
 NsivBURCHy March IStb, 1783. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 THE result of the proceedings of the grand convention of 
 the officers, which I have the honor of enclosing to your 
 excellency for the inspeftion of congress, -will, I flatter myself, 
 be considered as the last glorious proof of patriotism which could 
 have been given by men who aspired to the distindlion of a pa- 
 triot army ; and will not only confirm their claim to the justice, 
 but will encrease their title to the gratitude of their country. 
 Having seen the proceedings on the part of the army tf^rminatc 
 with perfect unanimity, and in a manner entirely consonant to 
 my wishes ; being impressed with the liveliest sentiments of af- 
 fe(Slion for those who have so long, so patiently and so cheer- 
 fully suffered and fought under my imaiediate direction ; having 
 from motives of justice, duty and gratitude, spontaneously of- 
 fered myself as an advocate for their rights ; and having been 
 requested to write to your excellency, earnestly entreating the 
 most speedy decision of congress upon the subjeAs of the late 
 address from the army to that honorable body ; it now only 
 remains for me to perform the task I have assumed, and to in- 
 tercede in their behalf, as I now do, that the sovereign power 
 will be pleased to verify the predi(!lions I have pronounced of, 
 and the confidence the army have reposed in the justice of their 
 country. And here I humbly conceive it is altogether unneces- 
 sary (while I am pleading the cause of an army which have 
 done and suffered more than any other army ever did in the de- 
 fence of the rights and liberties of human nature) to expatiate 
 on their claims to the most ample compensation for their meri- 
 torious services, because they are known perfedlly to the whole 
 world, and because, (although the topics are inexhaustable) 
 enough has already been said on the subject. To prove these as- 
 sertions, to evince that my sentiments have ever been uniform, 
 and to shew what my ideas of the rewards in question have al- 
 ways been, I appeal to the archives of congress, and call on 
 those sacred deposites to witness for me. And in order that my 
 observations and arguments in favor of a future adequate pro- 
 Tisifln for the officers of the army may be brought to remenx^ 
 
re APPENDIX. 
 
 brance again, nnd considered in a single point of vlev/, ■without 
 giving congress the trouble of having recourse to their files, I 
 will beg leave to transmit herewith an extra£l from a representa- 
 tion made by me to a committee of congress, so long ago as the 
 29th of January 1778, and also the transcript of a letter to- 
 the president of congress, dated near Pasalc Falls, Odlober 1 1th, 
 1780. 
 
 That in the critical and perilous moment when the last men- 
 tioned communication was made, there was the utmost danger a 
 dissolution of the army would have taken place unless measures 
 similar to those recommended had been adopted, will not admit 
 a doubt. That the adoption of the resolution granting half 
 pay for life has been attended with all the happy consequences 
 I had foretold, so far as respefled the good of the service, let 
 the astonishing contrast between the state of the army at this 
 instant, and at the former period, determine. And that the 
 establishment of funds, and security of the payment of all the 
 just demands of the army, will be the most certain means of 
 preserving the national faith and future tranquillity of this ex- 
 tensive continent, is my decided opinion. 
 
 By the preceding remarks it will readily be imagined, that 
 instead of retrafting and reprehending (from farther experience 
 and refledion) the mode of compensation so strenuously urged 
 in the enclosures, I am more and more confirmed in the senti- 
 ment, and if in the wrong, suffer me to please myself with the 
 grateful delusion. 
 
 For if, besides the simple payment of their wages, a farther 
 compensation is not due to the sufferings and sacrifices of the 
 officers, then have I been mistaken indeed. If the whole army 
 have not merited whatever a grateful people can bestow, then 
 have I been beguiled by prejudice, and built opinion on the basis 
 of error. If this country should not in the event perform every 
 thing which has been requested in the late memorial to congress, 
 then will my belief become vain, and the hope that has been ex- 
 cited, void of foundation. And if, (as has been suggested for 
 the purpose of inflaming their passions) the oiEcers of the army 
 
APPENDIX. 7t 
 
 are to be tlic only sufferers by this revolution ; *' if retiring from 
 the field they are to grow old in poverty, wretchedness and con- 
 tempt — if they are to wade through the vile mire of dependency, 
 and owe the miserable remnant of that life to charity, which 
 has hitherto been spent in honor," then shall I have learned what 
 ingratitude is, then shall I have realized a tale which will em- 
 bitter every moment of my future life. 
 
 But I am under no such apprehensions : a country rescued 
 by their arms from impending ruin, will never leave unpaid the 
 debt of gratitude. 
 
 Should any intemperate or improper warmth have mingled 
 itself amongst the foregoing observations, I must entreat your 
 excellency and congress, it may be attributed to the effusion of 
 an honest zeal in the best of causes, and that my peculiar situ- 
 ation may be my apology, and I hope I need not on this mo- 
 mentous occasion make any new protestations of personal disin- 
 terestedness, having ever renounced for myself the idea of pe- 
 cuniary reward. The consciousness of having attempted faith- 
 fully to discharge my duty, and the approbation of my country, 
 •will be a sufficient recompence for my services. 
 I have the honor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 G" : WASHINGTON. 
 
 His excellencj the president in congress. 
 
 address of general ivashingfos to concress, on rt^ 
 siqning his militasr commission. 
 
 December 23, 1783. 
 
 Mr. PRESIDENT, 
 
 'T^'HE great events on which my resignation depended having 
 jL at length taken plnce, I have now the honor of offering 
 my sincere congratulaiir.r.s to congress, and of presenting my- 
 self before them, to suncnJcr into their Lands the trust com- 
 
7& APPENDIX. 
 
 jnitted to me, and to claim the indulgence of retiring from the 
 aervice of my country. 
 
 Happy in the confirmation of our independence and sove- 
 reignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United 
 States, of becoming a respectable nation, I resign with satis- 
 faction the appointment I accepted with diffidence — a diffidence 
 in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task ; which however 
 was superceded by a confidence in the reiSlitude of our cause, 
 the support of the supreme power of the Union, and the pa- 
 tronage of heaven. 
 
 The successful termination of the war has verified the most 
 sanguine expedlatlons ; and my gratitude for the interposition 
 of Providence, and the assistance I have received from my coun- 
 trymen, encreases with every review of the momentous contest. 
 
 While I repeat my obligations to the army in general, I 
 fhould do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge, in 
 this place, the peculiar services and distinguished merits of the 
 gentlemen who have been attached to my person during the 
 war. It was impossible the choice of confidential officers to 
 compose my family should have been more fortunate. Permit 
 me, Sir, to recommend in particular, those who have continued 
 in the service to the present moment, as worthy of the favora- 
 ble novce and patronage of congress. 
 
 I CONSIDER it an indispenslble duty to close this last a£l of 
 my official life by commending the interests of our dearest coun- 
 try to the protedion of Almighty God, and those who have the 
 superintendance of them to his holy keeping. 
 
 Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from 
 the great theatre of adion, and bidding an affeftionate fare- 
 wel to this august body, under whose orders I have so long 
 a£ted, I here offer my commissionj aad take my leave of alj 
 the employmejits of public lifle. 
 
SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 BOROUGH of LANCASTER. 
 
 General Daniel Brodhead, 
 
 Matthias Barton, Eri][. 
 
 David R. Barton, 
 
 Chriftopher Brenner, 
 
 John Burg, 
 
 Henry Ben net, 
 
 Andrew Buchannon, Efq» 
 
 John Bradburn, 
 
 James M. Bailey, 
 
 George Briingard, 
 
 George Bryan, Efq. 
 
 John Burniide, 
 
 Jacob Backenftofs, jun. 
 
 Michael Barnitz, 
 
 David G. Cunningham, 
 
 William Cornman, 
 
 John Cunningham, 
 
 Emanuel Carpenter, jun. 
 
 Jacob Demuth, 
 
 Peter Diller, 
 
 Samuel Fahneftock, M. D. 
 
 John Muffer Funk, 
 
 John Frey, 
 
 Williaiii Ferree, 
 
 George Fifher, 
 
 George Filher, jun. 
 
 Peter Getz, 
 
 John GraefF, 
 
 Jacob Graeff, Efq* 
 
 George GraefF, Efq, 
 
 Andrew Graff, Efq. 
 
 Samuel Grubb, 
 
 John Graff, near Lancafter, 
 
 Jacob Grofs, 
 
 Henry Grimier, 
 
 George Glatz, 
 
 George Graff, 
 
 Benjamin Grimier, 
 
 John Hubley, Efq. 
 
 William Henfel, 
 
 Benjamin Wefl Henry, 
 
 Peter Hoofnagle, 
 
 Peter Hoofnagle, Efq. 
 
 Lewis Heck, 
 
 George IJeyd, near LancaRer, 
 
 John M. Hall, 
 
 Wiliiani Hf ury, 
 
 Nathaniel H;inc(h, 
 
 John 'i'. Hint, 
 
 John Hand, 
 
 Jacob Kruj, 
 
 George Karkman, 
 
 John Karch, 
 
 Jacob Lahn, 
 
 Lewis Lauman, 
 
 Major John Light, 
 
 Jacob Long, 
 
 John Leyiey, 
 
 George Lenhard, 
 
 John Lightner, jun. 
 
 Col. Jeremiah Mofher, 
 
 George Moore, M. D. 
 
 Wm. Michael, near Lancafterj 
 
 Charles M'Dowell, 
 
 James M'Cullough, 
 
 William Mufler, 
 
 John Muffer, jun. 
 
 Jonas Metzger, jun. 
 
 George Mefferfmith, 
 
 Michael Pigeon, 
 
 George Rofs, Efq. 
 
 Adam Reigart, fen. Efq, 
 
 Adam Reigart, jun. Efq. 
 
 John Rofs, ECq. 
 
 James Rofs, A. M. 
 
 Michael Rine, Efq, 
 
 Matthias Slough, 
 
 Jacob Shaeffer, 
 
 John Stone, 
 
 Cafper Shaffner, jun 
 
 John Vv^iert, jun. 
 
 Robert Wiiion, 
 
 John Yoft. 
 
 Paul Zaiitzinger, Efq. 
 
402 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 Ann Davis, 
 Chriflopher Heager, 
 William Kirkpatrick, 
 Emanuel Reigart, 
 
 Abraham Henry, 
 Laurence Wortman, 
 George Henry Keppele, Efq. 
 Henry Reigart. 
 
 COUNTY of LANCASTER. 
 
 General Thomas Boude, 
 
 John Bowman, 
 
 John Breckbill, jun. 
 
 Thomas Bailey, 
 
 John Bare, 
 
 John Barr, 
 
 Frederick Baker, 
 
 Edward Biicn, Efq. 
 
 Alexander Eoggs, 
 
 Henry Brenneman, Donegal, 
 
 James Calhoun, 
 
 Abraham Carpenter, Efq, 
 
 Chrlllian Carpenter, jun. Efq. 
 
 Joel Carpenter, 
 
 John Carpenter, 
 
 Henry Carpenter, jun. 
 
 James Crawford, 
 
 James Cochran, 
 
 Major John Cunrod, 
 
 Jofeph Charles, 
 
 Robert Coleman, Efq. 
 
 Samuel Enfminger, Efq. 
 
 JcPaua Evans, 
 
 Thomas Evans, 
 
 John Eckman, Efq. 
 
 Chrirtlan Frick, 
 
 Jofeph GeR, 
 
 Jacob Grofli, 
 
 Henry Bates Grubb, Efq. 
 
 John Huber, 
 
 Henry Hieftand, jun. 
 
 John Houfton, M. D. 
 
 Patrick Harrah, M. D. 
 
 David Herr, 
 
 Robert Henry, 
 
 John Harnaker, Efq. 
 
 Abraham Hoober, 
 
 Jolui Hufton, Efq. 
 
 William Hutchinfon, 
 
 George Haines, Efq. 
 
 John Hart, 
 
 Henry Herr, 
 
 Jonathan Hinkell, 
 
 John Hays, 
 John Hentzelman, 
 James Hullon, 
 Thomas Kerderfcn, 
 William HopJcins, 
 Maitin Inimel, 
 Matthew Irwin, 
 Cyrus Jacobs, Efq. 
 Emmor Jcffcries, 
 Samuel Jacobs, Efq. 
 Robert Jenkins, 
 Godfrey Klugh, 
 ChrJHiian Kaufman, 
 Francis Kindig, 
 John B. Luckie, 
 Adam Litzenberger, 
 Joel Lighlner, 
 Col. Hugh Long, 
 Peter MulTelman, 
 John M'Creary, jun. 
 David M'Kinfey, 
 James Mackey, 
 John Morrifon, 
 Major James M' Sparrcn, 
 William Neal, 
 William Pratt, 
 John Robinfon, 
 John Robertfon, 
 Col. Henry Ream, Efq. 
 John Roland, 
 Frederick Stump, 
 Frederick Seegar, Efq, 
 Capt. Henry Saiger, 
 Jacob Strickler, Efq. 
 John Smith, 
 John V. Smith, 
 Vincent Stubbs 
 Jacob Sherer, 
 David Scoit, 
 Adam Tate, 
 David Witmer, Efq. 
 Abraham Witmer, 
 Daniel V/ltmer, 
 
SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 Col. John Wrig-ht, 
 Ann W.lfon, 
 Daniel Buckley, Efq, 
 Peter tieiitzel.nan, 
 John Kenncy, 
 Brice ClaiK, Efq, 
 
 James Wright, 
 John Wallis, 
 Major Jofeph Lefever, 
 John Miller, 
 William Thomas. 
 
 PHI LA DEL PHIA. 
 
 Steplien Burrows, 
 Major William ArmHrong, 
 J. E. Addicks, 
 Charles Biddle, Efq. 
 J. H. Brinton, Eiq. 
 Richard Barrlni^ton, 
 Capt. W. Bainbridge, 
 George W. Biddle, 
 Daniel Bvodhead, jun. 
 Jacob Cox, 
 Mrs. Heftcr Cox, 
 Samuel S. Cooper, 
 
 D. Caldwell, Eiq. 
 John R. Coats, Efq. 
 Stephen Carmick, Efq. 
 John Clifton, jun. 
 
 E. Chandler, 
 
 William Cathcart, M. D. 
 William Davidfon, 
 David Doyle. A. M. 
 Afhbury Dickens, 
 Thomas R. Delany, 
 Daniel S. Delany, 
 N. Davidfon, 
 
 John Dunwoady, 4 copies, 
 Jacob Dunn, jun. 
 John B. Evans, 
 G. Evans, 
 Robert Frazer, Efq. 
 Walter Franklin, Efq, 
 Miers Fiflier, Eiq, 
 George W. Field, 
 Robert Fielding, 
 William Gray,' 
 Benjamin Gibbs, jun. 
 T. Greaves, 
 
 -W. B. Goldthwait, M, D. 
 George Gillafpy, 
 Lovelefs Corfu ch, 
 William C. Gait, 
 James Gallagher, jun. 
 
 E. Flallowel, E{q. 
 William Hudfon, 
 Thomas W. Hil'zheimer, 
 Reading Hov^ell, Efq. 
 James B. Harris, Efq. 
 John Huffnaj^U-; 
 Philip Habacker, 
 John Hill, 
 James Hartford, 
 Fzekiel Hall, 
 J. Hardy, 
 James Johnfon, 
 John Johnfton, 
 Conrad Ihrie, 
 Hugh Jones, 
 Michael Keppele, Efq. 
 Stephen Kingfton, Efq. 
 W^illiam Lewis, Efq. 
 Robert Latimer, 
 Benj. R. Morgan, Efq, 
 Benj. W. Morris, 
 James M'Curah, 
 Barnabas M' Shane, 
 Col. Francis Meatges, 
 Richard Maris, 
 Owen Mac Go wen, 
 Capt. John M'Collum, 
 William Miller, fen. 
 Peter Miercken, Efq. 
 James Moore, jun. 
 William Mott, 
 Abraham Morrow, 
 John M'Greggor, 
 John Maybin, 
 Jofeph Miles, 
 Richard Peters, Efq. 
 Richard Peters, jun. Efq, 
 Jonathan Penrofe, Efq. 
 Thomas Paffmore, 
 Ralph Peters. Efq. 
 Henry Pafchall, (county) 
 
404 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 Henry D. Hubley, 
 
 Ji^hn Hh)I, Efq. 
 
 Rev. Jofeph Hutchins, 
 
 John Robins, 
 
 I. Weft, 
 
 Tliomas Jenks, 
 
 Thomas Henefy, 
 
 Robert Hare, Efq. 
 
 Charles W. Hare, Elq; 
 
 Jackfon Hoyle, 
 
 William Biddle, Efq. 
 
 C. Chauncey, Efq, 
 
 Richard Renfnaw, Efq. 
 
 Francis Renfhaw, 
 
 y\nthony T. Boyd, M. D. 
 
 Mackey Brookficld, 
 
 Thomas Bradford, (2 copies) 
 
 John Morris, 
 
 William Ogden, 
 
 CoUlnfon Read, Efq. 
 
 Daniel Roberdeau, Efq. 
 
 "V^/illiam Serjeant, Eiq. 
 
 Charles Swift, Efq. 
 
 Philip Stein, 
 
 Jofeph Strong, M. D. 
 
 John Savage, 
 
 James Stewart, 
 
 Samuel Serach, 
 
 James Simmons, 
 
 Robert Shaw, 
 
 Tames Strawbridgc, 
 
 Andrew Summers, jun. 
 
 George l^ogan, M. D. 
 
 J. Pemberton, 
 
 Zachariah Poulfon, jun. 
 
 General Thomas Prodor, 
 
 W. Trueman, 
 
 St. Rofs, 
 
 James Cole, 
 
 John Peney, 
 
 N. Pryor, Jun. 
 
 Thomas Rofs, Efq, 
 
 Mifs Rachel Robinfon, 
 
 Mrs. Peters, 
 
 MifsLucretia Tod, 
 
 James ThompfOn, 
 
 Cornelius Trimmel, 
 
 James Willcocks, 
 
 John B. Wallace, Efq. 
 
 Jofeph Weim, 
 
 John Whitehead, 
 
 John Whitaker, 
 
 Peter Wager, 
 
 J. H. Watmough, 
 
 Edward Tiiompfon, 
 
 John Tomlinfon, 
 
 Mrs. Ann Thompfon, 
 
 William H. Tod, Efq. 
 
 C. Tatem, 
 
 Jofeph Williams, 
 
 William Warner, 
 
 S. Weilon, 
 
 Thomas Barton Zantzinger, Efq, 
 
 James Afh, Efq. 
 
 George Weed, Gray's Ferry, 
 
 CUMBERLAND C U N T T. 
 
 James Armftrong. M. D. 
 
 William Armor, 
 
 Col. William Alexander, 
 
 Ephraim Blaine, Efq, 
 
 John Carothers, Efq, 
 
 James Clendennon, 
 
 James Duncan, Efq. 
 
 John Delancy, 
 
 Lemuel Guftine, M. D. 
 
 Robert Grayfon, Efq. 
 
 John Hughes, Efq. 
 
 James Hamilton, Efq. 
 
 William Lyon, Efq. 
 
 John Lamb, 
 
 Samuel A. M'Golkry, M. D. 
 
 Samuel Poftlethwaice, Efq. 
 
 Richard Parker, 
 
 Chriftian Shade, 
 
 Nathaniel Weakley, 
 
 Hugh Wilfon, 
 
 John Douglas, 
 
 James M'Cormick, Efq. 
 
 William Cook, 
 
 Thomas Fiflier, 
 
 James Irvin, 
 
 Wilfon M'Clure, Efq. 
 
 Thomas M'Cormick, 
 
 John Montgomery, Efq, 
 
 Hugh Smith. 
 
 Brlce I. S'^rrct. 
 
SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 40i 
 
 CHESTER COUNTT. 
 
 Ifaac Wayne, efq. 
 W. R. Atlee, elii. 
 Jcjiiies Croffun, 
 William Clingan, efq. 
 Jofliua Weaver 
 Samuel Downing 
 Hunt Downing 
 Brinton Walter, 2 copies 
 James Dunwondy 
 Dennis Wheien, efq. 
 
 Major Jacob Humphrey 
 ThomrtS Henderlbn, efq, 
 John Humphrey 
 Jonathan Hudfon 
 AlexHiider Johnfton 
 Richard Robinfon 
 Thomas Marfliall, 
 Joseph Paxfon, jun. 
 Ifaac Pennock. 
 John McDowell, M. D. 
 
 NO RT HA M pro N COUNTY, 
 
 John Arndt, efq. 
 Jacob Abel 
 Frederick Gewinner 
 John Herller 
 
 Mifs Henrietta Hart 
 Samuel Longcope 
 Hugh Rofs, efq. 
 Maj. W. Dean. 
 
 YORK COUNTY, 
 
 John Clark, efq. 
 
 John Bricn, efq. 
 
 W. Baiber, efq. 
 
 John Forfyth, efq. 
 
 John Fiilier, jun. 
 
 John Greer 
 
 Yoft Herbach, efq. 
 
 George Lewis LelHer, efq. 
 
 George Hay 
 
 Col, Thomas Campbell, 
 
 Jacob Hay 
 Abraham Miller 
 John Morris, M. D. 
 Andrew Rutter 
 William Rofs, efq. 
 Col. Michael Schmyfer 
 John Spangier, M. D. 
 Martin Schmyfer 
 Philip Youfe. 
 
 FRANKLIN COUNTY. 
 
 Col. Jofeph Armflrong 
 Thomas Brown 
 Ifaac Caldwell 
 George Clark 
 George K. Harper 
 W. Henderfon 
 Col. Patrick Jack 
 
 Robert Johnfton, M. D. 2 copies. 
 
 Robert M'Clenachan 
 
 John M'Clelland 
 
 Samuel Riddle, efq. 
 
 Robert Smith 
 
 Jofeph Schibley 
 
 A. Thompfon. 
 
 WESTMORELAND COUNTY. 
 
 George Armftrong 
 Henry Coulter 
 ^Nicholas Day 
 Samuel Dennifton 
 Thomas Hamilton 
 Vv^'jiliam Johnfton 
 
 David M'Keehan, Efq. 2 copies 
 
 John Irwin 
 
 William Jack, efq. 
 
 James Irwine 
 
 Henry Weaver 
 
 John Young, efq. 
 
406 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES, 
 
 NORTHUMBERLAND C U N T T. 
 
 Epliralm Bonliam 
 William P. Bradjr 
 David Wiley 
 David Ta^gait 
 William Willon 
 Jonathan Walker, efq. 
 Simon Snyder, jun. 
 Thomas Stravvbiidge, 
 Capt. William Gray 
 Bernard Hubley, jun. efq. 
 Thomas Hamilton, efq. 
 James Lcman 
 (>aleb Hopkins 
 Charles Hall, efq. 
 Robert Irwin 
 Andrew Kennedy 
 
 James Cummings 
 John Weitzel 
 
 B-njamin T. Young, M. D, 
 Chriflopher Dering 
 Evan R. Evans, tfq. 
 John Frick 
 Mifs Eliza White 
 Thomas Grant, efq. 
 George Shiifler 
 Capt. William Spring 
 Enoch Smith, efq. 
 Daniel Reese 
 Alexander M'Donald 
 Samuel PvI'Cliatock 
 James Mackie 
 Alexander Hunter. 
 
 LYCOMING COUNTY, 
 
 John Carfon 
 James Davidfon 
 John Fleming 
 Benjamin Harris 
 C. Hufton, efq. 
 
 John Kldd, efq. 
 Sebaftian Shade 
 Andrew Tulloh, efq. 
 John Wall is, efq. 
 
 BEDFORD COUNTY. 
 
 Hugh Barclay, efq. 
 Samuel Davidfon, efq, 
 James Heydon 
 William Proftor, jun. 
 WiUiam Reynolds 
 
 David Reiley 
 John Scott, efq. 
 George Woods, efq, 
 Hon. Henry Woods 
 Henry Wirtz, jun. efq. 
 
 PITTSBURG. 
 
 William Ayres, efq. 
 Alexander Addifon, efq. 
 Tarleton Bates, efq. 
 Anthony Beelen 
 Major Ifaac Craig 
 Major Kirkpatrick 
 William Chiidy 
 Robert Galbraith, efq. 
 
 Ephraim Jones, efq. 
 Col. Prefsly Neville 
 General Neville 
 James O'Hara, efq, 
 Hon. James Rofs 
 John Woods, efq, 
 John Scull. 
 
 U N I NT W N, (Pejin.) 
 
 Samuel King, efq. 
 Thomas Hadcn 
 John Kennedy 
 John Lyon 
 
 General Ephraim Dougla> 
 James Morrifon 
 Z. Walker. 
 
SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 sor 
 
 WASHINGTON C U N T T, (Fenn.) 
 
 James Afhbrook 
 James AUilon, Jun. 
 Ifaiah Blair 
 David Bruce 
 Parker Campbell, efq. 
 John Hoge, eiq, 
 J. Jenkiafon, elq. 
 
 Thomas G. JohnUon, efij^, 
 William Mcetkirk, efq. 
 Jeremiah Nichols, jun. 
 J. Pencecort 
 John Simonfon, eiq. 
 Jofeph Swearingen. 
 
 CINCINNATI, (N. W. T.J 
 
 Col. John Armflronj 
 Jacob Burnet 
 James Finley 
 William Goforth 
 Jofeph Hall 
 Solomon Sibley 
 
 John Ludlow 
 
 John Reily 
 
 W. C. Schenck 
 
 Arthur St. Glair, jun. efq, 
 
 John Smith. 
 
 CHILLICOTHE, ( N. W. Terr.) 
 
 Reuben Abrams, 
 John Anderfon, M. D. 
 John Brown, 
 Michael Baldwin, 
 William Craig, 
 Ofmand Crabb, 
 John Carlifle, 
 William Creighton, 
 Jofeph Clark, 
 W. R. Dickinfon, 
 James Dunlap, 
 James Edmiflon, 
 Samuel Findley, • 
 James Fergufon, jun. 
 N. Gregg, 
 Jofeph Scot, 
 Thomas Harod, 
 William Irwin, 
 William Keys, 
 William Speer, 
 
 Elias Laughlan, 
 William Lamb, 
 Robert Slaughter, 
 John Lyon, efq. 
 Henry MafTie, 
 Thomas M 'Donald 
 Jeremiah M'Lane, 
 A. M'Laughlin, 
 John M'Coy, 
 Willidm Rutledge, 
 Elias Reftor, 
 Vv''illiam Robinfon, 
 George Sinclair, 
 Arthur Stewart, 
 Edward Tiffin, 
 Benjamin Urmfton, 
 Thomas Worthington, 
 Francis Wells, 
 Benjamin Yates. 
 
 jun. 
 
 FREDERICKSBURG, (Virginia.) 
 
 James Adams, 
 William Allen, 
 Thomas Allen, 
 John Alcock, 
 Francis F. Brookj 
 J. Beufon, 
 
 Richard Johnfton, jun. 
 Thomas S. Johnfton, 
 Jacob Kuhn, 
 John Lewis, 
 Robert Lewis, 
 Williiim Lovel, 
 
4t)» 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. 
 
 Antliony Buck, 
 ] >hn Brownlowe, 
 1). 8c James Blair, 
 
 Jnlin Chew, 
 
 Roger Cokharr, 
 
 Alexander Duncan, 
 
 William Drummond, 
 
 Benjamin Day, 
 
 Thomas Daniel, 
 
 FCobert Dykes, 
 
 H. Ellis, 
 
 Edmund Edfington, 
 
 George French, M. D« 
 
 Peter Gordon, 
 
 Thomas Goodwin, 
 
 Timothy Green, 
 
 Bafil Gordon, 
 
 Daniel Henderfon, 
 
 B. H. Hale, 
 
 Edward Hide, 
 
 Gil. Harrow^ 
 
 Jonathan Hazrisj 
 
 Samuel Howard, 
 
 Philip Henfliaw, 
 
 William Jones, 
 
 Richard johnfton, fen. 
 
 Thomas Legg, 
 Hugh Mercer, 
 John Mortimer, 
 George Murray, 
 John Newtown, 
 Robert Patton, 
 Thomas R. Roots, 
 William Robertibn, jurt< 
 James Rn{sj 
 John Rofs, 
 Alexander Roe, 
 James Smith, 
 Wilfon St Swann, 
 William S. Stone, 
 George H. B. Spooner^ 
 John Thone, 
 Eliflia Thatcher, 
 William Tayler, 
 John Taliaferro, M. D. 
 Thomas Wallace, 
 Bowker Waller, 
 Robert Walker, 
 William Welfh, 
 S. Wincheder, 
 Charles Yates. 
 
 STATE OF DELAWARE. 
 
 Paul Alfree, 
 Abraliam Brown, 
 Maxwell Bines, efq« 
 Caleb P. Bennet, 
 John Bird, 
 John Benret, 
 Jeremiah Bowman, 
 William Brady, 
 John Bael, 
 Andrew Barret, efq. 
 William Boftick, 
 Hon. Richard Baffet, 
 Jofeph Burn, efq. 
 Elijah Barret, 
 Gunning Bedford, efq. 
 Harlin Cloud, 
 James Campbell, 
 William Cooper, 
 Thomas Clayton, efq. 
 John Clark, elq. 
 
 y\ \ 
 
 William Haughy, efq 
 John Hilly ard, 
 Peter Jacquett, jun. 
 Jolhua Jackfon, 
 Peter Jaquett, 
 William Johnfton, 
 Thomas Jamefon, 
 Thomas Kean, 
 Ifaac King, 
 Henry Latimer, efq. 
 John Lockerman, 
 James M'Donaugh,, M, D< 
 Col. Allen M'Lane, 
 French M'MulIen, efq. 
 Thomas J. Macomb, efq. 
 Nimrod Maxwell, 
 Henry Molleflon, 
 Jonathan MilJer, 
 John Patton, efq, 
 Thomas Rumfey, 
 
SUBSCRIBERS* NAMES. 
 
 409 
 
 George Cummons, 
 James Clayton, 
 Thomas DufF, jun. 
 James Eves, 
 Capt. William Fraaerj 
 John Fleming) 
 Wafhington L. Finney, 
 William G. Frazer, efq^. 
 John Fifher, efq. 
 Ilaac Gibbs, 
 Alexander Hervey, 
 Charles Hamilton, 
 
 Brinckle Roe, efq. 
 James Rogers, 
 H. M. Ridgely, efq. 
 Gen. Thomas Robinfon, 
 Thomas Stockton, efq. 
 Ebenezer A. Smith, 
 William Steidham, efq. 
 James Sykes, 
 William Thompfon, efq. 
 George Truitt, 
 Crefar R. Wilfon, 
 Hon. Samuel White. ' 
 
 STATE OF MARYLAND. 
 
 Maj. John Adlum 
 Benjamin Briggs, efq. 
 Henry Brothers 
 Tobias Butler 
 John Barr 
 
 Nicholas Brewer, jun. 
 Benjamin Blackford 
 Jofeph M'GromwelJ 
 Francis Deakins 
 John Fifcher 
 Charles Glover 
 John Gib foil 
 
 Griffith Henderfon 
 Thomas Johnfton, efq. 
 John Rofs Key, Efq. 
 James Lingham 
 Mrs. Eleanor Murdock 
 James M'Coy 
 William Marbury 
 George Murdock 
 William Ritchie 
 Samuel Turner, jun, 
 John Witmer. 
 
 AW 
 
 W. Burrows 
 T. H. Cufhing 
 Daniel Carmick 
 William Dyer 
 Henry Dunlap 
 Charles W. Gollborough 
 Robert Rankin 
 Michael Reynolds 
 
 WASHINGTON C I T T. 
 
 Benjamin Stoddert, efq. 
 C. Swann 
 
 William Simmons, efq« 
 Thomas Turner 
 Abraham Thomas 
 James Thompfon 
 William Crawford. 
 
 CHARLESTON, (S. C.) 
 
 Gen. William Wafliington 
 Jacob Axfon 
 Frederick Beard 
 John Simmons Bee 
 Thomas Campbell Cox 
 O. Cromwell 
 Robert E. CocbraR 
 
 Jacob Martin 
 John Morrel 
 James Mank 
 J. D. Piircell 
 David Ramfay, M.D. 
 Francis Robertfon 
 Samuel Robertfon 
 
 M 
 
410 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES, 
 
 William Doughty 
 Jame3 Tuterall 
 Robert Foifters 
 Lyon Lee 
 
 Stephen Shrewfbury 
 Peter Smith 
 Joleph Sable 
 Felix Warbey. 
 
 r RU C KE RTO W N, (N. J.) 
 
 Ebenezcr Trucker, efq. 
 Samuel Deacon 
 Thomas French 
 John Forman 
 Walter Finney, efq. 
 Afa Galkill 
 
 William Grant 
 David Hnmphrcyvllle 
 David Stone 
 Ephraim S. Sawyer 
 Cornelius Trimmel 
 WilJiam Watfon, efq. 
 
 ARMY AND NAVY of vhe UNITED STATES. 
 
 Gen. James Wilkinfon 
 
 Major Conftant Feeeman 
 Jonathan Cafs 
 
 Capt. J. Sterrett 
 
 Campbell Smith 
 I. BiufF 
 Charles Hyde 
 Staats Morris 
 Theodore Meminger 
 Robert Wefcot 
 Daniel Carmick 
 Franklin Wharton 
 Francis Huger. 
 
 Lieut. Anthony Gale 
 
 N. R. Sheredine 
 
 Lieut. Philip Landais 
 
 George T. Rofs 
 
 Thomas Lee 
 
 W. M'Cleary 
 
 T. Wharton 
 
 W. L. Cooper 
 
 Robert Chamberlain 
 
 Robert Gray 
 
 William Yates 
 
 James Roe Middleton 
 
 D. Newman 
 
 Richard Somers 
 William Amory. Off. Marines 
 Jofeph Philips, Surgeon 4th reg, 
 
 SCATTERED, 
 
 Jofeph Arthur, Pinegrove Furn. Wm. Harris, efo. Uliffiiii co. P. 
 R. AUifon, efq. Huntingdon, P. Wm. Hartniorne, jun. Norfolk 
 Z. H. Beatty, Ohio County, V. G. Henderfon, near Winchester 
 Jacob Bowman, Brownsville, P. James Ilenderfon, do, 
 
 James Lang, do. Joli" Henderfon, do' 
 
 Wm. Brendle, Harrisburg £. W. Hale, Lfv.'isto'ivn, (P.) 
 
 Henry Orth, efq. do. Edward Williams do. 
 
 Chviftian B^r, Dauphin Co. P. Fred. Lauman, Lexi7igtonK. 
 
 John Moody, do. 
 
 William I/ittle, Williamsburg 
 
 Nathan Beach, efq. Luzerne, P. Gen. Henry Miller, Baltimore 
 
 Maj. Benj. Bartholomew Wm. M'Clellan, efq ^i^wj co. 
 
 General John Bartholomew James Magee, Shippensburg, P. 
 
 Tohn Bever, Georgetown, Ohio. John Shippen, efq. do. 
 
 Jofeph Buet, Somerset, P. David M'Clure do. 
 
 Benjamin Beale, Boston, Mas. John Raum do. 
 
SUBSCRIBERS* NAMES. 411 
 
 John Curven, Walnut-Hill., P. Dr. G. M'Culloch, Presqii'Isle 
 
 Judali Colt, efq. Erie, P. ]. Msc-phtr{on, East Buffaloe P, 
 
 Th. Cadwallader, efq. 2 copies, Nath. Malfie, N, IV. Territory, 
 
 Rev. J. Doddridge, 5ro3«f CO. r. R. J.Meigs, efq. Marietta 
 
 Philip Doddridge, efq. cio. Robert Oliver do. 
 
 John Elliot, Montgomery CO. P. John Pleini, Wommelsdorf V. 
 
 Thomas Hill, do. Samuel Rex, Heidelburg (P.) 
 
 John P. M'Knight do. John Reiley, Myerstown 
 
 Zebulon Potts, efq. dj. Richard Smith, efq. iTtnii/w^'-^ow 
 
 George Egc, efq. Berks co. P. Jonathan Shufter, Middletoivn 
 
 Paul Feanng, efq. Marietta. Tlio. Sinickfon, efq. N. Jers. 
 
 John Foulk, Trinidad, W. I. Benj. Saxton, Erie, (P.) 
 
 Tho. Fergufon, efq. Centre co. Jacob Schneider, Somerset, P. 
 
 Gen. John Patton, do. Wal. B. Selby, Sbepherdstoivn 
 
 David Whitehill, efq. do David Vance, N. W. Territory 
 
 James Giles, efq. jS?"/Jp-efo«'«,y, Jacob Y\xgtr, Detroit 
 
 David Hoge, efq. Steiibenville, Nich'? Wynkoop, efq. Bucks coi 
 
 /^enas Kimberly, efq. do. John D; Murray, efq. ditto, 
 
1! 
 

 
 
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