though they partook nothing of that dryness and sternness which accompany reserve when carried to an extreme; and on all proper occasions, he could relax sufficiently to show how highly he was gratified by the charms of conversation, and the pleasures of society. His person and whole deportment exhibited an unaffected and indescribable dignity, unmingled with haughtiness, of which all who approached him were sensible; and the attachment of those who possessed his friendship and enjoyed his intimacy, was ardent but always respectful.

His temper was humane, benevolent, and conciliatory; but there was a quickness in his sensibility to any thing apparently offensive, which experience had taught him to watch and to correct.

In the management of his private affairs, he exhibited an exact yet liberal economy. His funds were not prodigally wasted on capricious and ill examined schemes, nor refused to beneficial though costly improvements. They remained therefore competent to that expensive establishment which his reputation, added to a hospitable temper, had in some measure imposed upon him; and to those donations which real distress has a right to claim from opulence.

He made no pretensions to that vivacity which fascinates, or to that wit which dazzles, and frequently imposes on the understanding. More solid than brilliant, judgment rather than genius constituted the most prominent feature of his character.

As a military man, he was brave, enterprising, and cautious. That malignity which has sought to strip him of all the higher qualities of a general, has conceded to him personal courage, and a firmness of resolution, which neither dangers nor difficulties could shake. But candour will allow him other great and valuable endowments. If his military course does not abound with splendid achievements, it exhibits a series of judicious measures adapted to circumstances, which probably saved his country.

Placed, without having studied the theory, or been taught in the school of experience, the practice of war, at the head of an undisciplined, ill-organized multitude, which was unused to the restraints and unacquainted with the ordinary duties of a camp, without the aid of officers possessing those lights which the commander-in-chief was yet to acquire, it would have been a miracle indeed had his conduct been absolutely faultless. But, possessing an energetic and distinguishing mind, on which the lessons of experience were never lost, his errors, if he committed any, were quickly repaired; and those measures which the state of things rendered most advisable, were seldom if ever neglected. Inferior to his adversary in the numbers, in the equipment, and in the discipline of his troops, it is evidence of real merit that no great or decisive advantages were ever obtained over him, and that the opportunity to strike an important blow never passed away unused. He has been termed the American Fabius; but those who compare his actions with his means, will perceive at least as much of Marcellus as of Fabius in his character. He could not have been more enterprising without endangering the cause he defended, nor have put more to hazard, without incurring justly the imputation of rashness. Not relying upon those chances which sometimes give a favourable issue to attempts apparently desperate, his conduct was regulated by calculations made upon the capacities of his army, and the real situation of his country. When called a second time to command the armies of the United States, a change of circumstances had taken place, and he meditated a corresponding change of conduct. In modelling the

army of 1798, he sought for men distinguished for their boldness of execution, not less than for their prudence in counsel, and contemplated a system of continued attack. "The enemy," said the general in his private letters, “must never be permitted to gain foothold on our shores."

In his civil administration, as in his military career, were exhibited ample and repeated proofs of that practical good sense, of that sound judgment which is perhaps the most rare, and is certainly the most valuable quality of the human mind. Devoting himself to the duties of his station, and pursuing no object distinct from the public good, he was accustomed to contemplate at a distance those critical situations in which the United States might probably be placed; and to digest, before the occasion required action, the line of conduct which it would be proper to observe. Taught to distrust first impressions, he sought to acquire all the information which was attainable, and to hear, without prejudice, all the reasons which could be urged for or against a particular measure. His own judgment was suspended until it became necessary to determine, and his decisions, thus maturely made, were seldom if ever to be shaken. His conduct therefore was systematic, and the great objects of his administration were steadily pursued.

Respecting, as the first magistrate in a free government must ever do, the real and deliberate sentiments of the people, their gusts of passion passed over without ruffling the smooth surface of his mind. Trusting to the reflecting good sense of the nation for approbation and support, he had the magnanimity to pursue its real interests in opposition to its temporary prejudices; and, though far from being regardless of popular favour, he could never stoop to retain by deserving to lose it. In more instances than one, we find him committing his whole popularity to hazard, and pursuing steadily, in opposition to a torrent which would have overwhelmed a man of ordinary firmness, that course which had been dictated by a sense of duty.

In speculation, he was a real republican, devoted to the constitution of his country, and to that system of equal political rights on which it is founded. But between a balanced republie and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos. Real liberty, he thought, was to be preserved only by preserving the authority of the laws, and maintaining the energy of government. Scarcely did society present two characters which, in his opinion, less resembled each other than a patriot and a demagogue.

No man has ever appeared upon the theatre of public action whose integrity was more incorrup tible, or whose principles were more perfectly free from the contamination of those selfish and unworthy passions which find their nourishment in the conflicts of party. Having no views which required concealment, his real and avowed motives were the same; and his whole correspondence does not furnish a single case from which even an enemy would infer that he was capable, under any circumstances, of stooping to the employment of duplicity. No truth can be uttered with more confidence than that his ends were always upright, and his means always pure. He exhibits the rare example of a politician to whom wiles were absolutely unknown, and whose professions to foreign governments and to his own countrymen were always sincere. In him was fully exemplified the real distinction which for ever exists between wisdom and cunning, and the importance as well as truth of the maxim, that "honesty is the best policy."

If Washington possessed ambition, that passion

was, in his bosom, so regulated by principles, or controlled by circumstances, that it was neither vicious nor turbulent. Intrigue was never employed as the mean of its gratification, nor was personal aggrandizement its object. The various high and important stations to which he was called by the public voice were unsought by himself; and in consenting to fill them, he seems rather to have yielded to a general conviction that the interests of his country would be thereby promoted, than to his particular inclination.

Neither the extraordinary partiality of the American people, the extravagant praises which were bestowed upon him, nor the inveterate opposition and malignant calumnies which he experienced, had any visible influence upon his conduct. The cause

is to be looked for in the texture of his mind.

In him, that innate and unassuming modesty which adulation would have offended, which the voluntary plaudits of millions could not betray into indiscretion, and which never obtruded upon others his claims to superior consideration, was happily blended with a high and correct sense of personal dignity, and with a just consciousness of that respect which is due to station. Without exertion, he could maintain the happy medium between that arrogance which wounds, and that facility which allows the office to be degraded in the person who fills it.

It is impossible to contemplate the great events which have occurred in the United States under the auspices of Washington, without ascribing them, in some measure, to him. If we ask the causes of the prosperous issue of a war, against the successful termination of which there were so many probabilities of the good which was produced, and the ill which was avoided during an administration fated to contend with the strongest prejudices that a combination of circumstances and of passions could produce of the constant favour of the great mass of his fellow-citizens, and of the confidence which, to the last moment of his life, they reposed in him? the answer, so far as these causes may be found in his character, will furnish a lesson well meriting the attention of those who are candidates for political fame.

Endowed by nature with a sound judgment, and an accurate discriminating mind, he feared not that laborious attention which made him perfectly master of those subjects, in all their relations, on which he was to decide: and this essential quality was guided by an unvarying sense of moral right, which would tolerate the employment only of those means that would bear the most rigid examination; by a fairness of intention which neither sought nor required disguise: and by a purity of yirtue which was not only untainted, but unsuspected.

ing, forming a permanent connexion with a congregational society at Worcester, in 1785. He published a great number of sermons and addresses.* Many of these are on topics of religious education. He also took an active part in the affairs of his town, in the improvement of secular instruction, Ilis Life of Washington, a narrativo written with ease and simplicity, mainly based on the work of Marshall, in which he led the way for the pursuits of his son the historian, was published at Worcester in an octavo volume, in 1807. He delivered, on the 31st January, 1836, a discourse on the fifty years of his ministry at Worcester, which has been printed with historical notes. John Adams admired his Sermons on the Doctrines of the Gospel. In 1823, he acknowledges "the gift of a precious volume. It is a chain of diamonds set in links of gold. never read, nor heard read, a volume of sermons better calculated and adapted to the age and country in which it was written."

I have

Dr. Bancroft died at Worcester, in his eightyfifth year, August 19, 1840.

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

General Washington was exactly six feet in height; he appeared taller, as his shoulders rose a little higher than the true proportion. His eyes were of a gray, and his hair of a brown color. His limbs were well formed, and indicated strength. His complexion was light, and his countenance serene and thoughtful.

His manners were graceful, manly, and dignified. His general appearance never failed to engage the respect and esteem of all who approached him.

Possessing strong natural passions, and having the nicest feelings of honor, he was in early life prone keenly to resent practices which carried the intention of abuse or insult; but the reflections of maturer age gave him the most perfect government of himself. He possessed a faculty above all other men to hide the weaknesses inseparable from human nature; and he bore with meekness and equanimity his distinguished honors.

Reserved, but not haughty, in his disposition, he was accessible to all in concerns of business, but he opened himself only to his confidential friends; and no art or address could draw from him an opinion, which he thought prudent to conceal.

He was not so much distinguished for brilliancy of genius as for solidity of judgment, and consummate prudence of conduct. He was not so eminent for any one quality of greatness and worth, as for the union of those great, amiable, and good qualities, which are very rarely combined in the same character.

His maxims were formed upon the result of mature reflection, or extensive experience; they were the invariable rules of his practice; and on all important instances, he seemed to have an intuitive view of what the occasion rendered fit and proper. He pursued his purposes with a resolution, which, one solitary moment excepted, never failed him.

Alive to social pleasures, he delighted to enter into familiar conversation with his acquaintance, and was sometimes sportive in his letters to his friends; but he never lost sight of the dignity of his character, nor deviated from the decorous and appropriate behaviour becoming his station in society.

Thirty-five are enumerated in the notice of his life from which these facts are taken, in Lincoln's History of Worcester, p. 203.

He commanded from all the most respectful attention, and no man in his company ever fell into light or lewd conversation. His style of living corresponded with his wealth; but his extensive establishment was managed with the strictest economy, and he ever reserved ample funds liberally to promote schemes of private benevolence, and works of public utility. Punctual himself to every engagement, he exacted from others a strict fulfilment of contracts, but to the necessitous he was diffusive in his charities, and he greatly assisted the poorer classes of people in his vicinity, by furnishing them with means successfully to prosecute plans of industry.

In domestic and private life, he blended the authority of the master with the care and kindness of the guardian and friend. Solicitous for the welfare of his slaves, while at Mount Vernon, he every morning rode round his estates to examine their condition; for the sick, physicians were provided, and to the weak and infirm every necessary comfort was administered. The servitude of the negroes lay with weight upon his mind; he often made it the subject of conversation, and revolved several plans for their general emancipation; but could devise none, which promised success, in consistency with humanity to them, and safety to the state.

The address presented to him at Alexandria, on the commencement of his presidency, fully shows how much he was endeared to his neighbors, and the affection and esteem in which his friends held his private character.

His industry was unremitted, and his method so exact, that all the complicated business of his military command, and civil administration, was managed without confusion, and without hurry.

Not feeling the lust of power, and ambitious only for honorable fame, he devoted himself to his country upon the most disinterested principles: and his actions wore not the semblance but the reality of virtue: the purity of his motives was accredited, and absolute confidence placed in his patriotism.

While filling a public station, the performance of his duty took the place of pleasure, emolument, and every private consideration. During the more critical years of the war, a smile was scarcely seen upon his countenance; he gave himself no moments of relaxation; but his whole mind was engrossed to execute successfully his trust.

As a military commander, he struggled with innumerable embarrassments, arising from the short

enlistment of his men, and from the want of provisions, clothing, arms, and ammunition; and an opinion of his achievements should be formed in view of these inadequate means.

The first years of his civil administration were attended with the extraordinary fact, that while a great proportion of his countrymen did not approve his measures, they universally venerated his character, and relied implicitly on his integrity. Although his opponents eventually deemed it expedient to vilify his character, that they might diminish his political influence; yet the moment that he retired from public life, they returned to their expressions of veneration and esteem; and after his death used every endeavor to secure to their party the influence of his name.

He was as eminent for piety as for patriotism. His public and private conduct evince, that he impres

sively felt a sense of the superintendence of God and of the dependence of man. In his addresses, while at the head of the army, and of the national government, he gratefully noticed the signal blessings of Providence, and fervently commended his country to divine benediction. In private, he was known to have been habitually devout.

In principle and practice he was a Christian. The support of an Episcopal church, in the vicinity of Mount Vernon, rested principally upon him, and here, when on his estate, he with constaney attended public worship. In his address to the American people, at the close of the war, mentioning the favorable period of the world at which the independence of his country was established, and enumerating the causes which unitedly had ameliorated the condition of human society, he, above science, philosophy, commerce, and all other considerations, ranked "the pure and benign light of Revelation." Supplicating Heaven that his fellow citizens might cultivate the disposition, and practise the virtues, which exalt a community, he presented the following petition to his God: That he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion; without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.

During the war, he not unfrequently rode ten or twelve miles from camp to attend public worship; and he never omitted this attendance, when opportunity presented.

In the establishment of his presidential household, he reserved to himself the Sabbath, free from the interruptions of private visits, or public business; and throughout the eight years of his civil adminis tration, he gave to the institutions of Christianity the influence of his example.

He was as fortunate as great and good.

Under his auspices, a civil war was conducted with mildness, and a revolution with order. Raised himself above the influence of popular passions, he happily directed these passions to the most useful purposes. Uniting the talents of the soldier with the qualifications of the statesman, and pursuing, unmoved by difficulties, the noblest end by the purest means, he had the supreme satisfaction of beholding the complete success of his great military and civil services, in the independence and happiness of his country.

HANNAH ADAMS.

THE life of this lady presents an admirable example of self-reliance and perseverance. She was probably the first woman in the country to devote herself to a literary life, and this, too, at a time when the temptations such a career could offer to either sex, were insignificant, either in view of fame or gain. ̧

Hannah Adams was born at Medfield, near Boston, in 1756. Her father was a man of education, who endeavored to procure the means of support from a small country store. To the use of the books which constituted-the calls of his customers being taken as a standard-an undue proportion of his stock, his daughter attributed her early taste for literature. She was a diligent student, although ill health rendered her attendance at school extremely irregular. She obtained from some young divinity students, who boarded Latin, and from a small manuscript, containing an at her father's house, a knowledge of Greek and account of Arminians, Calvinists, and a few other leading denominations, in the possession of one of these, the hint of her first work, the View of Religious Opinions.

She had lost her mother at the early age of ten years, and the ill success of her father in busi

ness threw the family on their own resources. "During the American Revolutionary war," she informs us in her admirable little autobiography, "I learned to weave bobbin lace, which was then saleable, and much more profitable to me than spinning, sewing, or knitting, which had previously been my employment. At this period, I found but little time for literary pursuits. But at the termination of the American war, this resource failed, and I was again left in a destitute situation." Thus circumstanced, she commenced the View of Religious Opinions, giving instructions in Greek and Latin at the same time to three young students of theology in the neighborhood. Her "View," after various difficulties in finding a printer, was published in 1784. It met with a good sale, of which the printer reaped the profit. A second edition, enlarged and corrected, was published in 1791, which by the aid of friends, who made her bargain with the publisher and exerted themselves in obtaining subscribers for copies, was so successful, that, as she says, "the emolument I derived from it not only placed me in a comfortable situation, but enabled me to pay the debts I had contracted during mine and my sister's illness, and to put out a small sum at interest."

Her next undertaking was a History of New England, in the preparation for which she pored so assiduously over old colonial records and other dim manuscripts, as to seriously impair her eyesight. By a cessation from labor, and frequent use of "laudanum and sea water several times in the course of the day, for two years,' she recovered, and by employing an amanuensis, was enabled to print the book in 1799.

Her history meeting with a good sale, she formed the plan of abridging it for the use of schools. Before doing this, she "set about writing a concise view of the Christian religion, selected from the writings of eminent laymen." "I found it difficult," she continues, "to procure proper materials for the work, as I was utterly unable to purchase books. A considerable part of this compilation, as well as the additions to the third edition of my View of Religions, was written in booksellers' shops. I went to make visits in Boston, in order to consult books in this way, which it was impossible for me to buy or borrow." These difficulties, so simply narrated that we almost lose sight of their formidableness, surmounted, and the manuscript completed, others followed with publishers, and she was glad at last to sell the copyright for one hundred dollars in books.

Her abridged History of New England was anticipated by a work of a similar character by the Rev. Jedidiah Morse, author of the first American geography. This led to a controversy which excited much attention and warmth of feeling. Her book, when it appeared, unfortunately brought her no remuneration, on account of the failure of her printer. Her personal and literary merits had, however, by this time gained her many and influential friends, among whom President Adams was preeminent in rank and kindness, and by their aid she was enabled to supply her simple wants and prosecute her studies.

The labor to which she next devoted herself, was a History of the Jews. This subject engaged

Hannah Adams.

all her attention. "If you would know Miss Adams," said one of her friends, "you must talk to her about the Jews." She corresponded with the Abbé Gregoire upon the subject, and consulted every authority to which she could obtain access. In this last respect, her resources were less limited than at previous periods of her life, as she had free access to the Boston Athenæum, and the library of her friend the Rev. J. S. Buckminster. Her failing health, however, prevented the completion of her work.

In the latter years of her life, Miss Adams enjoyed a comfortable annuity raised by her friends. She died at Brookline, near Boston, 1832. Her autobiography, with a continuation by a friend, Mrs. H. F. Lee, was published in the same year.*

HENRY LEE.

HENRY LEE, the author of the Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States, was a member of a leading family in Virginia, where he was born, January 29, 1756. He was educated at Princeton College.

In 1776 he was made captain of one of the six companies of cavalry raised by Virginia. In September, 1777, these companies formed into one regiment were united with the Continental army.

Lee soon gained distinction by the high state of discipline and efficiency he maintained in his company, which at the battle of Germantown was selected by Washington as his body-guard. In January, 1778, when occupying with ten men a stone house, the rest of his troop being absent in search of forage, the building was surrounded by two hundred of the enemy's cavalry, who endeavored to take him prisoner, but were met with so determined a resistance that they were compelled to retreat. He was soon after this promoted to the rank of major, with the command of three companies of cavalry; and in 1780, having been made lieutenant-colonel, was sent with his

A Memoir of Miss Hannah Adams, written by herself, with additional notices by a friend. Boston, Gray & Bowen. 1832. 12mo. pp. 110.

troops to join the southern army under General Greene, where he remained until the close of the war, distinguishing himself in several actions.

In 1786 he was sent to Congress, where he remained until the new constitution went into operation. In 1792, having previously served in the house of delegates and the convention for the ratification of the federal Constitution, he was elected governor of Virginia. In the last of his three years of office, he was placed by President Washington in command of the forces sent to the western part of Pennsylvania to suppress the Whiskey Insurrection. In 1799 he was sent to Congress.

He was honorably distinguished by this body in being selected to deliver the funeral eulogy on Washington, in the course of which the memorable sentence, "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," occurs.

Lee remained in Congress until the accession of Jefferson in 1801, after which he did not again hold public office.

His profuse hospitality involved him in pecuniary embarrassment, which, however disagreeable to himself, proved advantageous to the public, as during and probably in consequence of his confinement as a debtor,* within the bounds of Spottsylvania county, in 1809, he wrote his celebrated memoirs. They were published without any preface in two octavo volumes, by Bradford and Inskeep, Philadelphia. In July, 1812, while in Baltimore, Lee took part in the defence of the house occupied by Mr. Hanson, one of the editors of the Federal Republican. This paper had shortly before published strictures on the declaration of war of June 19, and its office had in consequence been attacked by a mob, who destroyed the printing materials and building. The publication of the paper was soon after resumed in Georgetown, and the numbers distributed from a house in Baltimore. Anticipating an attack, Hanson had provided arms and been joined by General Greene, General Lingan, John Howard Payne, and others. The mob on the evening of the 27th attempted to force the door. Muskets were fired during the confusion, by which two persons were killed and several wounded. The military appeared, and the occupants of the house surrendered on promise of being protected within the city prison. On the following night the prison was attacked by the mob, who succeeded in effecting an entrance, killed Lingan and wounded eleven others, among whom was General Lee. Some of the rioters were arrested, tried, and acquitted. In consequence of the injuries thus received, the General's health declined. A visit to the West Indies proved of no benefit to him, and he returned to the United States in 1818, where he died on the 25th of March, at the residence of Mrs. Shaw, the daughter of General Greene, Cumberland Island, near St. Mary's, Georgia.

Lee's memoirs were reprinted in 1827 at Wash

A story is told, that, having been arrested for debt, as he was riding along with the sheriff, he remarked, that he was glad that he was on his way to a place of confinement, since having been bitten by a mad dog he needed to be taken care of. Soon after this introduction of the subject, he assumed such energetic symptoms of mania that the oflicial made off in hot haste.-Allen's Blog. Dic.

ington. The editor, H. Lee, in a brief preface, acknowledged the assistance of friends in providing for the expenses of the edition. Such aid should not have been needed, for the work, in addition to its historical value as the testimony of a prominent actor, is valuable on account of its literary merit as a life-like and spirited narrative. It is plain in style, and the want of dates renders it somewhat inconvenient in the absence of an index for reference.

One of the most valuable and interesting portions of the book is the minute narrative of the gallant attempt of Sergeant Champe to carry off Arnold from New York, after the detection of his treason, an object Washington was anxious to accomplish, from a humane desire to save André. Champe undertook the service at the request of Lee, who overcame the sergeant's scruples to desertion from the American army, a course essential to preserve secresy. He was instructed to obtain possession of Arnold if possible, but under no circumstances to take his life.

CHAMPE'S EXPEDITION.

Giving to the sergeant three guineas, and presenting his best wishes, Lee recommended him to start without delay, and enjoined him to communicate his arrival in New York as soon thereafter as might be practicable. Champe pulling out his watch, compared it with the major's, reminding the latter of the importance of holding back pursuit, which he was convinced would take place in the course of the night, and which might be fatal, as he knew that he should be obliged to zigzag in order to avoid the patroles, which would consume time. It was now nearly eleven. The sergeant returned to camp, and taking his cloak, valise and orderly book, he drew his horse from the picket, and mounting him put himself upon fortune. Lee, charmed with his expeditious consummation of the first part of the enterprise, retired to rest. Useless attempt! the past scene could not be obliterated; and, indeed, had that been practicable, the interruption which ensued would have stopped repose.

Within half an hour Captain Carnes, officer of the day, waited upon the major, and with considerable emotion told him that one of the patrole had fallen in with a dragoon, who, being challenged, put spur to his horse and escaped, though instantly pursued. Lee complaining of the interruption, and pretending to be extremely fatigued by his ride to and from headquarters, answered as if he did not understand what had been said, which compelled the captain to repeat it. Who can the fellow that was pursued be inquired the major; adding, a countryman, probably. No, replied the captain, the patrole sufficiently distinguished him as to know that he was a dragoon; probably one from the army, if not certainly one of our own. This idea was ridiculed from its improbability, as during the whole war but a single dragoon had deserted from the legion. This did not convince Carnes, so much stress was it now the fashion to lay on the desertion of Arnold, and the probable effect of his example. The captain withdrew to examine the squadron of horse, whom he had ordered to assemble in pursu ance of established usage on similar occasions. Very quickly he returned, stating that the scoundrel was known, and was no less a person than the sergeantmajor, who had gone off with his horse, baggage, arms and orderly book-so presumed, as neither the one nor the other could be found. Sensibly affected at the supposed baseness of a soldier extremely re