22G Bqt, A^ ^^>^^ .'^^ •% ^^" i'' •/', ,^^>• -^ -•b' -^. o'?-" 'y V" \ ' A"* ^^. '^r>/^^^!CT^^^^ ^-..,^^^ .-.s^ %. ^ .5 -^.^ 3 0^ .-is ■^^- ,vV ,#^ .0 o^ o\ ,0 a. ^' -0- o 0' 0"^ o,. ". » 1 « * "<-, SOME MATERIALS SERVE FOR A BRIEF MEMOIR JOHN DALY BURK, AUTHOR OF A HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HIS ONLY CHILD, JUDGE JOHIT JUN'IUS BUEK. EDITED BY CHAKLES CAMPBELL. ^p^y^. I ALBANY, N. Y. : JOEL MUNSELL 1868. \l PREFACE. When Burk undertook to write a Uhtory of Virginia, such a work was a desideratum. There were then several histories of detached periods, but there was no one compre- hensive history of the state. There were in existence many valuable historical documents and materials, which as yet had lain unnoticed and neglected. The time when Burk xindertook the task was opportune : the country had now recovered, in great measure, from the calamities of the revolutionary war, and its exasperations had subsided, and many readers now had both leisure and inclination to take a more deliberate retrospect of the past. It was time that there should be written a history of the state, which had given birth to Henry and Lewis, and Nelson and Mason, and Jefferson and Madison, and the Lees and Washington. ■Smith's General History is the ground work of all suc- ceeding histories of Virginia, as his map is the prototype of all succeeding maps of Virginia. The second and sixth books of his history were composed by Smith himself; the third was compiled by the Rev. William Simons, doctor of divinity, and the rest of the work by Smith, from the letters and journals of about thirty different writers. The Rev. William Stith, a native of Virginia, married a sister of Sir John Randolph, and \i§s, some time president of William and Mary College. He composed his History of JV PREFACE. Virginia, at Yarina. on the James river. It was published in 1747. and entitled A Ilidorij of the Discovery and Set- tlement of Virginia, to the j/ear 1624. He was a classical scholar, a true patriot, and a most faithful chronicler. His work is, in the main, a digest of the miscellaneous documents published bj Smith, to which is added an account of the proceedings of the London company, in the management of the colony. It is a subject of regret, that this honest, accu- rate and judicious historian did not receive encouragement enough, to induce him to complete his excellent work down to his own times. He died in 1755. Robert Beverley was born in Virginia, and educated in England. • The first edition of his History of Virgin ia^'was published at Loudon, in 17U5, and in the same year an edition was issued at Am.^terdam. The second English edition was published at London, in 1722. It differs but little from the first. The first book, the civil history of the colony, is brief, partisan and unsatisfoctory, yet, perhaps, was sufficient to gratify the curiosity of the readers of that day. The second book, which treats of the natural history and productions of A'irginia. is full, but deals no little in panegyric, as is usual with colonists, whose imagination is excited by the striking phenomena of a new region, and who, possessing vast tracts of uncultivated land, desire to attract immigrants to their country. The third book gives a full and minute account of the manners and customs of the Indians, and is illustrated by Gribelin's engravings. The fourth book gives a satisfactory account of the state and condition of Virginia, for which the author was very competent, having been long conversant with the records of the colony. • ' He married Ursula, daughter of William Bvrtl of Westover. PREFACE. V Sir William Keith, a governor of Pennsylvania, vras a cotemporary of Spotswood, governor of Virginia. His work is entitled : The History of the British Plantations in America. Part I. Containing the History of Virginia.^ with Remarks on the Trade and Commerce of that Colony. From this it appears, that he intended to compile a series of colo- nial histories, but that of Virginia is the only one which he actually published. It was published at London, in 1738. He brings the narrative down to 1723, the close of Spots- wood's administration. His style is good; his matter is drawn almost entirely from Stith and Beverley. Besides Smith, Stith, Beverley and Keith, Burk, in his first volume, made use of the Records of the London Com- pany^ which he says, fell into his hands by accident, but Hening says that they were lent to him by John Randolph of Roanoke, to whom they belonged. Burk's first volume comprises a period of eighteen years, ending with the disso- lution of the London company, in 1624. His second volume closes in 1710. The principal authori- ties referred to in it, are Beverley, and certain manuscript records, originally compiled by Hickman, clerk in the oflBce of the secretary of the colony, for the use of Sir John Ran- dolph, who, at one time, meditated writing a history of Virginia, which purpose, however, he did not carry into execution. The Hickman manuscripts were subsequently made use of by Hening, in the compilation of The Statutes at Large of Virginia.'^ Burk had also in his possession Colonel Byrd's Journal, in a manuscript volume. He does not appear to have had access to Chalmers's Political Annals 'See article by William Green, Esq., on Stith 's History of Vir- ginia, in Southern Literary Messenger, September, 1863. VI PREFACE. a rare and valuable authority, published in one folio volume, in 1782. In bis third volume, Burk cites but few authorities, and his narrative gradually widens into a history of the thirteen colonies, rather than of Virginia alone. However, the revolutionary story was abruptly interrupted by his prema- ture death, and comes down no farther than to the year 1775. Petersburg, Ya., January 4, 1868. INTRODUCTION. In October, 1866, William Green, Esq. of Richmond, Va., communicated to me some memoranda, whicli lie liad made witli a view to tlie preparation of a memoir of John D. Burk, author of a History of Virginia^ requesting, that I should combine his communications with such other facts as might be in my possession, or might be accessible to me, and prepare them for the press. I undertook the task, but rather reluctantly, as the facts regarding Burk, in my pos- session, were but few and meagre, and I much preferred that Mr. Green should himself go on to execute the plan which he had originated. Recollecting, some time afterwards, my having heard that Judge Burk, the only child of John D. Burk, was still N surviving, in Louisiana, I wrote to make iu(|uiry respecting him, and learned that the judge had died in 1866, at Baton Rouge, leaving a widow, several daughters, and a son. I addressed a letter to one of the daughters, Miss Junia A. Burk, made known to her my design, and requested her to communicate to me any information that might be in her possession, regarding her grandfather. She complied with my request, in the most attentive and obliging manner, and this, although, during our correspondence, she suffered 8 INTRODUCTION. another bereavemeut, in the loss of her mother, whereby she was involved in increased domestic cares. I have published her communications in the form in which they were received, my design being, not to prepare a memoir, but only to collect some materials for one. Indeed, her letters were so well expressed, though written with a running pen, that I could hardly have altered their phraseology without impairing their interest. Some account of Judge Burk appearing to appertain properly to the subject, I made some inquiries of Miss Burk in regard to her father. Her replies, on this head, will be found not the least interesting part of her communications. C. C. JOHN DALY BURK. Co-py of a letter from Miss Junia A. Burk. Baton Rov^'ge, August 2, 1867. Mr. Campbell, Sir: Yours of July 19, came duly to hand, and I make it a pious duty, as well as a plea- sure, to afford you all information in my power respecting my much beloved ancestor, John D. Burk. I have some few facts relative to his private life, hut they are very disconnected, and I fear will be of little use to you, unless you are already in possession of dates, which may connect the limited knowledge of the circum- stances of his private life, now in my possession. The short episode, which I am able to detail to you, I have often heard from my late father's own lips, who ever entertained a lively remem- brance of and sincere regret for his father. John Daly Burk was a native of Ireland, born of respectable parents, claiming descent 1 JOHN DA L Y B URK. from an ancient family of the country, of the house of Clanricarde. While very young, he was placed at Trinity College, Dublin, by an uncle (whether by the father, or mother's side, is not known), and there remained until he was eighteen years of age, when he contracted a private marriage with a lady of quality, by whom he had one son. Of the final destiny of this lady and her child, nothing was known to my father; but it is to be inferred, that they died, as the subject of the following sketch afterwards married, in Virginia, the widow Curtis,^ nee Borne. Under these circumstances, while hold- ing secret intercourse with his wife, he also became connected with the secret political cabals then so ardently and enthusiastically entered 1 She had two sons, Henry and Benjamin. Henry was a physician, and naarried a sister of John Tyler, sometime president of the United States. Dr. Curtis settled at Han- over town, in Hanover county, Ya., about the year 1818, and practiced medicine in that county, for near half a century. He was a man of talents, of cultivated mind and estimable disposition, and remarkable for his decision of character. He had a son named Tyler: another son, Armistead, is now living in the vicinity of Richmond, Va. Benjamin Curtis, brother of Henry, was a lawyer at Petersburg, in 1808. JOHN DAL T B URK. 11 into by the Irish gentlemen of the day, and continued in connection with the proscribed party until the untimely discovery of their plans forced him to Hy the country. The circumstance which obliged him to fly was an attempted rescue of a rebel while being led to execution, which, at the instigation of Burk, backed by twenty-nine others, young gentlemen, who were sitting on the steps of Trinity at the time, was very nearly accom- plished, when the police came up and dispersed them. Burk being a commoner, and already in disrepute with the party in power, was forced to fly for his life ; and being hotly pursued by the police, escaped through a bookseller's shop, where his dog kept them at bay until he was supplied with woman's apparel by one of the inmates of the house, a Miss Daly (which, by the way, is the only reason for his bearing that name, as he afterwards retained it through a romantic sense of gratitude towards the person who rendered him this service). Escaping from thence, he got on board of a ship then in port, and bound for America, to which country he sailed and arrived in safety, about the end 12 JOHN DAL Y B URK. of the term of the administration of the elder Adams. Fresh difficulties now assailed him, as the British government was then claiming her citizens under the alien and sedition laws, and Burk, having become odious to the president through his connection with a gentleman by the name of Smith, who had also incurred his excellency's displeasure, was warned by one of his friends to remove to Virginia, where he would meet with a liberal reception, if he lost no time in removing to that state.^ Having fairly escaped these difficulties, he adopted the liberal and enlightened principles of the framers of the American constitution, and entering into the views of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, with that fervor which could be best felt by the down trodden sons of Erin, he commenced in Virginia a semi- political and literary career, which he creditably sustained up to the time of his death. ^ I have sent you ia another envelope a criticism by the president on one of n'ly grandfather's dramas, to which my father has added a note in defense of his parent's memory, as a literary character, which I am happy to see gives some dates and confirms the facts already in my possession. JOHN DALY B URK. \ 3 It was on his way to Virginia, that he met with the widow Curtis [alias Christiana Borne) in Boston, whom he afterwards married, and by whom he had one son (my father). Meeting with a warm reception from the hospitable and chivalrous gentry of Virginia, he adopted that state as his own, and became, heart and soul, an American citizen. Appre- ciating in a high degree the generosity of the people, who took the houseless wanderer to their hearts and homes, he endeavored to requite their kindness by writing the history of that section of country, whose liberal institutions he had so much reason to admire. I have been told by my father, that much of this history was written on stray pieces of paper, found lying about his writing-desk, on returning from some convivial party, and in like manner many fugi- tive poems and comedies. The melancholy circumstances of his duel with M. Cocquebert, I have all in printed form, taken from the Petersburg Gazette, Saturday, April 23, 1808, which I will send jon, with as much more information as I can gather, as soon as I know that you have received this. I am 14 JOHN DA LY B URK. also in possession of McCreery's Collection of Irish Miisic, in which there are a numlDer of songs by John D. Burk, adapted to the airs therein contained. Hoping soon to hear from you, I remain, your most obedient, JuNiA A. Burk. John Adams's Critique. " In the last number of the Record of the Boston Stage published in the Boston Gazette, allusion is made to Burk's play of Bmiker Hill, and the following anecdote is related : ' The play of Bunker Hill was also performed in New York ; President Adams being in the city was invited to attend, and at the conclusion of the piece, he was conducted by the managers and lead- ing actors, to his carriage, with considerable pomp and show. Mr. Barrett, who had acted General Warren, ventured to express the hope, that the president had been pleased. ^ Sir,' replied Mr. Adams, ' My friend, General Warren, was a scholar and a gentleman, but your author has made him a bully and a JOHN DAL Y B URK. 15 blackguard.' Mr, Adams's critique was at once concise and correct." The above is a paragraph cut out of a news- paper, entitled The Dollar Newspaper, of October 27, 1852, and was productive of the following note by my father (Judge John Junius Burk), inserted, in the Hy-leaf of a copy of the Sup- pressed History of the Administration of John Adams, by John Wood,^ in which, by referring to chapter vii, page 162, will be found an expla- nation of the circumstances, which led to that gentleman's unbiased criticism, and will also throw some light on the information contained in my letter of August 2, 1867. "Burk 163, infra? [A reference to the page 1 Wood at one time edited a paper at Petersburg. 2 From The Suppressed Historij of the Administration of John ^Adams (from 1797 to 1801, as printed and suppressed in 1802), by John Wood, author of the Historij of Switzer- land, etc., pp. 162-3. " Dr. James Smith and Mr. Burk of New York, the former a citizen, and the latter an alien, were among the first who were arrested upon the sedition act. They were the editors of a newspaper called The Time-Piece, and had inserted a paragraph which did not meet with the approba- tion of the president." * * ^ * - " Burk knowing, as he was an alien, that he would not only receive the punishment which a federal court would gene- 16 JOHN DAL Y B URK. of Wood's Suppressed History in which Burk is mentioned.] My father, an Irishman, had just taken refuge in this country, from British des- potism in Ireland, tempore '98. He, while a student at Trinity College, Dublin, and a number of other students, were spectators of an Irishman, captive in the hands of the British sol- diery, going to drum-head execution. Burk cried out on the steps of the college to the other stu- dents, loitering there, for any of them, an Irish- man, to follow him to the rescue. It was done. He had to fly for his life, was pursued into a bookseller's shop, his Irish wolf dog keeping the constabulary at bay, until, attired in woman's clothes, he escaped from the back of the house, and embarked as Miss Daly, a name which he retained afterwards. The other students, young men of quality, made their peace with the government ; my father, a poor scholar and commoner, educated at his uncle's expense, fled. rally bestow, but be afterwards compelled to leave the United States, thought it most prudent to take himself oif, without waiting for the issue of a trial, llic Time-Piece was, in consequence, dropped, and this being the point which Mr. Adams wished to accomplish, the trial of Dr. Smith was never brought forward." JOHN DAL Y B URK. 17 These facts were known to the president, and it was determined to hand Burk over to a British frigate, then lying off Boston, where he would have been hung to the yard-arm. Col. Aaron Burr got wind of the purpose, and notified my father, whose escape he facilitated to Virginia. The extract from the newspaper — Adams's critique on the play — is natural to the man's character, who, however, seemingly a republican in the revolution, reserved the monarchical bias in his heart, and hoped for it in the country. Burk was obliged by his history and the drama, to make Warren speak and act the revolution- ary soldier. This, in the estimation of Adams, is acting like " a bully and a blackguard." I have read the play : it is not a deliberate effort of the author, but was thrown off rapidly, upon the requisition of the theatre for a national play, whefi politics ran high. Besides, it was a matter of course that the president, who had persecuted the author (see page 163) [of Wood's Suppressed History] should not value his work. There is a natural consistency between the vulgar criticism of the drama and the ruffianly censorship of the press, by John Adams, who 1 8 JOHN DAL Y B URK. hated liberty, even its real presence in the press." P. S. If you cannot procure a copy of the work, referred to in my father's note, T am able to supply it, if necessary : also the printed notices of his death, which I would desire to have returned, after inspection. I remain, sir, ' Your most obedient JuxiA A. BURK. P. S. I also send you the following letter, which I got my sister to copy from one inserted by my father, on the ^y lesii o^ McCreerys Songs. It can be of no other use than, perhaps, as it men- tions the names of some other Burks, whom you may know something of. JUNIA. Fi'om John Burk, Esq. Nachitoches, Locisiaka, IQth May, 1843. My Dear Sir, I feel much pleasure in sending you the lyrics of your able and lamented father. I have JOHX DAL Y B UBK 19 learned that my brother Edward, himself a young man of fine poetical and oratorical talents, who died many years ago at Petersburg, Vir- ginia, a few months after his arrival in America, had collected some of the disjecta membra of your father's works, and it may be, that Wil- liam Burk of Richmond knows something about them. Regretting that I can throw no light upon the biography of a worthy relative of the great Edmund, I remain, dear sir, your faithful friend and servant. John Burk. Polar Star and Boston Daily Advertiser} The publication of a daily paper with this title was begun in Boston, October 6, 1796. The imprint stated that it was printed by Alexander Martin, for the proprietors, but no proprietors were mentioned. The editor was John Burk, a fugitive from Ireland, where he had exposed himself to the vindictive power of From Buckingham's Reminiscences^ vol. ll, pp. 294-300. 20 JOHN DA L Y B URK. the government bj his connection with James Napper Tandy and others, of the band called United Irishmen. The first few numbers were on a crown sheet. It was then enlarged and printed on demy ; and in about six weeks appeared on a sheet of royal size. This, I believe, was the first attempt to establish a daily paper in Boston. The editor's opening address, and, in fact, all his editorials, indicate that he was master of a fervid style, and wrote with feelings intensely opposed to everything that was hostile to the liberty of speech and the press. After expressing his gratitude for the patronage his paper had received in advance, and descanting on the advantages of a daily paper, he proceeded to say : " This, fellow citizens, is a proof of the ad- vantages arising from a daily publication. I call you fellow citizens, for I too am a citizen of these states. From the moment a stranger puts his foot on the soil of America, his fetters are rent in pieces, and the scales of servitude, which he had contracted under European ty- rannies, fall oif ; he becomes a free man ; and ^ though civil regulations may refuse him the JOEF DAL Y B URK. 21 immediate exercise of his rights, he is, virtually, a citizen. He sees a moral, intrepid and en- lightened community, ranged under the banners of equality and justice; and by the natural sympathy that subsists between the mind and everything that is amiable, he finds his affec- tions irresistibly attracted ; he resigns his jore- judices on the threshold of the temple of liberty ; they are melted down in the great crucible of public opinion. This, I take to be the way in which all strangers are affected, when they enter these states ; that I am so, will be little doubted when it is known how much I am indebted to their munificence and liberality. I shall give better proofs of it than words : there is nothing that I would not resign for your service, but what there is little fear I shall ever be called on to surrender — my gratitude and love of liberty." The election of a successor to President Washington, was a subject of great interest at that time. With more modesty than was exhibited by some foreigners, who had the control of presses in New York and Phila- delphia, Burk refrained from vulgar epithets 2f2 JOnN DAL Y B URK. and personalities. In tliis second paper lie said : " Of the election of president we shall say nothing. We have promised impartiality ; we will keep our word. From an attachment to public liberty, we hope the future president may be as good a republican as Washington. Never has that venerable patriot been known to utter a sentiment favorable to royalty. The simile of the sublime Longinus may be applied to his resignation ; he appears like the sun in his evening declination ; though it loses its splendor, it retains its magnitude and pleases more, though it shines less. People of America ! with this great example of genius and patriot- ism before your eyes, you will be Avithout excuse, if you err. Let the man of your choice be a man of talent, information, integrity and republican modesty 5 a lover not only of your constitution, but of liberty in general. He ought to be a friend of the revolutions of Hol- land and of France ; he ought to be a hater of monarchy, not onl}^ on account of the danger, but the absurdity of it ; he ought not to be willing to divide the people by any distinctions. JOHN DAL Y B URE. 23 Americans should have but one denomination — the people." Burk's feelings were naturally strong against the British government, and, perhaps, almost as naturally, in favor of France. " France," he said, "goes on in the uninterrupted career of victory. On one side she is employed in regene- rating the degenerate sons of the old Romans. In Germany she trails the Austrian eagle in the dust, while the eye of the directory, like that of Alexander, is thrown with anxiety for worlds to conquer. England, under the iron sway of a profligate administration, exhibits the melancholy example to nations, of the dangers resulting from the too great security in the people. She fights like a desperate gamester, doubling stakes as she loses. The o-ame is almost run. The people are generous, brave, honest and unsuspecting ; when they open their eyes, the delusion vanishes." Burk's impartiality, at least so far as foreign politics were involved in controversy, is fairly illustrated by what follows : " The republic of America has been scarcely ever placed in so critical a political situation as at this moment : 24 JOHN DAL Y B URK. her commerce, on one side invaded by a Macliia- velian government, which, in defiance of the most solemn treaties, continues to take their vessels and impress their seamen ; on the other side, menaced by a people, who, from the nature of their government, ought to be, and we hope still are, the friends of America, but who con- ceive themselves injured and insulted by the treaty with England ; we hope and believe, that the men, who voted for and against this treaty, are alike friendly to the constitution of America and the liberties of mankind ; and we abhor that gloomy and monastic s^^stem of politics, which condemns to the Inquisition and Bastile, those who happen to differ in opinion. TJw Polar Star, like a stern and impartial tribunal of criticism, shall be open to the reasoning on both sides ; but it will hear only reasoning. It will curb the spirit of faction ; silence the clamors of revenge ; and heal the wounds of the unfortunate, who have been, or shall be, under the delusion of error." In the paper succeeding that in which the preceding extract appeared, after half a column of prudent and judicious remarks, upon the JOHN DAL Y B URE. 25 neutrality and impartiality of the Star, he says. '' Two compositions were sent to the office for insertion, the one ' A Federalist,' the other ' A Patriot of '76.' Both were party pieces. Both were violent. We excluded both." He states that the authors took umbrage at the neglect, and sent impudent letters, one calling him a royalist, and the other, a Jacobin. He says : " Both lie. One threatens, to attack the editor in the Chronicle : the other means he shall be bandied about in the Centinel. We probably have done them a service, by refusing them a place in our paper, as they were grossly and shamefully deficient in orthography, etymology, syntax and prosody. Their behavior appears to us the surest proof of the Stars impartiality." In some of the early numbers of the Star, Burk published an account of his trial and defence before the board of the University of Dublin, on a charge of deism and republicanism. The writings, which were a cause of this charge, were published in the Dublin Eveni7ig Post, a paper of great reputation, which strongly advo- cated the cause of the people against the crown. The agents of the government discovered that 26 JOHN DAL Y B URK. he was the author of the pieces, and used then' influence with the board to remove him from the university, and he was consequently ex- pelled. Tlie Polar Star and its editor were not treated with any superfluous degree of courtesy by their Boston contemporaries. Whether this was owing to jealousy of it's engrossing the public favor, or dislike to the intrusion of a foreigner into the pale of American editorship, or from some other cause, is not known. From some of its editorials, it appears, that it was attacked by the Chronicle, CeiUinel, and Mercury. In the course of a few weeks the editor pub- lished several articles, addressed, " To the editors of the several newspapers in Boston," concerning " the vices that existed in newspaper establish- ments." He said, " The period of election is ushered in by bickerings, by personalities, by feuds, by heart burnings, by animosity, by contentions and quarrels, which reflect a dis- grace on the amiable character of liberty, and are unworthy the literary advocates of a free people." Perhaps his neighbors did not relish this re- JOHN DAL Y B URK. 27 buke — doubtless a very wliolesome one — from one, who had just left his native country, to escape the consequences of too much freedom of speech. There is nothing, however, in the editorial columns of the Star, which merits a similar rebuke. Like many other editors — some not unknown at the present day — the publishers of the Star boasted frequently of the great amount of pub- lic patronage bestowed on their labors. This may sometimes be a successful finesse to procure support, but is rather dangerous and hardly an honorable experiment. The Star of October 25th, said : " Tlie Polar Star has gained by its impartiality, in fourteen days, two hundred and thirteen new subscribers. It has lost , two, because it supported the federal con- stitution, and did not rave in favor of the ridiculous and absurd establishments of royalty and aristocracy ; and it has lost one, because, to use the philosophers own elegant language, it is a milk and water paper, wants tone, and does not flatter one party more than another. Majority for the Star two hundred and ten." In another paragraph it is said, " A great 28 JOHN DA L Y B URK. philosopher, who inherits the science of Newton, the humanity of Rousseau, and the reasoning powers of Locke, was asked by a gentleman, to subscribe for the Star, and refused, because iJie editor was an Irishman" Burk was evidently chagrined at the silence of the Boston press, in regard to him and his paper. Two months after its first appearance, he said : " Whenever a new paper makes its appearance in Eurojoe, the established papers make honorable mention of their infant brother. They have, at least, the liberality to say : Such a jpaper made its appeai'ance on such a day, of such a month, of such a year. But the sublime sages and politicians, who compile the Boston papers, scorn to imitate such vulgar liberality ; they preserve the most profound and edifying silence on such occasions. If the parents of the Star had not been careful to register its birth, regularly, according to the rules of the church, in the temple of liberty, before its godfathers and mothers — the people — it might have died, and its existence been forgotten, before these statesmen would have deigned to notice the existence of such a reptile." JOHN DAL Y B URE. 29 Encouraged by prospects of success and pro- bably by hopes of assistance, the proprietors of the Star proposed to pubhsh a semi-weekly paper, in connection with their daily publication, to be entitled : The Columbian Citizen : a Gazette for' the Continent. But the project was never exe- cuted. Notwithstanding all their self-congratulations and assurances to the public of gratitude for unprecedented favor, they were obliged to call ■9 upon their subscribers, for a fulfillment of the conditions of subscription, in order to enable them to keep the Star above the horiz,on. But all was ineffectual. I cannot tell the exact date of its setting ; but the date of the last I have seen, is February 2, 1797. If this was not the last number, the publication was discontinued in a short time after, and Martin, the jjrinter of it, was engaged in the printing of another news- paper, in Philadelphia. While in Boston, Burk wrote a tragedy called The Battle of Banher Hill, or the Death of Gene- ral Warren, which Avas performed a number of times at the Hay market theatre. For many years the managers of the Boston theatre used vrr^t'vty tht* -^ "■ ' >m ot' tho pit and gaUory. Xho ir;i,i;:^iv ; ?» |>iirtiole ot* merit, extvpt ilist l«v>vu\\ U wi»^ wriueu in (Hutak tvi-s*^, if » i\>ttHx^tk>i\. having no aitribuU^ of jxxHrw cvhiW be a> OiAlUxi- U wasi a:? dt^^tiUite erf' pUn ami dktinotne^ of cbawcter, as it w*s of all claim to poeirw Bui^L afkerwani was the txlitor ot' a political pa^vr, in New York, calUxl JV JTii* ».^' publishing a libeU contRurv to the pn>visions of the sedition law of 1 «^S, The i$sne of the a^r. I never knew. About the \v^ ISOO [1S06] it was leponed, that he wsis killed, in a duel, in one v>t" the Sow:' - - ^ lu - ftn^rof May 3Tth,lS0S, were '^ - . : ..x^ads lor publishing by sr.Vs^ the Amieat ami Jtodfrn Mttsic o/" with c«fisrinal son^ suited to the cha- racter, ami oxprei^ssive of its beautiful melodies, whidi will shi^rtly be issued by John McCreerj- auid Skelton Joutesv In the me^Mitime the feil> lowing ess;»y fnsn the pen of the late John D. Burk, c«i the Irish music, is given to the publie^ /0/AV hA L 7 H i:fiK t\ in tft^Hx ihnki the hjvhrii (A the f' particfi! ;*teani : ' be admitted into t.. . , — . ..,, the claiiri« of' Ireland to tlie me; .^ c^^Tftj:jr;«^rd tho«^ melodife* thiat bi^e^t^;'^: *?:^; ^r^irr "/. >i of tenderrr'?*» rtael£ or the gfc hilarity an- -r. etc,'' TIj^ ; r of' nearly five colamn*, '. iK*- l//n//jJ. Effiifiy f/a ilte ClMfo/^iArf o,wl ArdvpMy of IriMh if Fetenlmrg, Va-^ vliteh wa« ynbhitiedf not kwg iinec, in tbe Pf'J/^^Airfj Iwlex. th " - - .---...,-. ilcCr^yferj's work was - addjEf " it is one «f the b«a^ diseertatiD$ ezsast <>n Imh mime \n m ' ^ : t „ _ , ^ - niftmf>ir of I>r Cre«;Ty'« work saggeftted to tinfe poes >iif>f>re. tiie wiea o« kis /riifA 3Ido*Jim. 3Io*jTe w. ' " - - -' - -'- - who Vtifjm* doubt, the atUii'/f Oi iO*; fessaji. ^ It stood where the Coart H ., ^ . . - ~ ... 3 2 JOHN DAL Y B URK. 4th of March, 1808, by John D. Burk; about four coUimns. This oration was dehvered five weeks before his death. In the Enquirer of May 6th, of the same year, is to be found an article of nearly the same length, signed B[enjamin] Curtis, giving an ac- count of Burk's duel with M Coquebert, which occurred on the 11th of April, 1808. The article is dated Petersburg, April 23, and is taken from the Petersburg Repuhlican, of that date. Apple ton's Cyclopcedia of Biography contains the following : " Burke, John Doly, author of a History of Virginia from its first settlement to 1804, and of two dramatic pieces, entitled, BurJce's Hill, and Bethlem Gabor. He was a native of Ireland, and first came to America in 1807, where he edited some political newspapers in Boston and New York. He was killed in a duel, by a Frenchman, named Coquebert, in 1808." The statement that Burk came over to America, in 1807, is erroneous. He came over about ten years previous to that. The mistake may be typographical — perhaps for 1797.^ lie probably came over in 179G. JOHN DAL Y B UEK. 33 Burk seems to have had some warm friends. It is said that John Randolph of Roanoke was attached to him. He, it is also said, was a regular and copious contril^utor to the Richmond Enquirer. Burk's History of Virginia, consists of four volumes, octavo. The tirst three were composed by Burk, himself, and are entitled, Tlie History of Virginia from its first settlement to the present day. These three volumes were printed in 1805, at Petersburg, Virginia. Burk, falling in a duel, was prevented from completing the work. The fourth volume was printed by M. W. Dunnavant at Petersburg, in 1816. It is entitled, The History of Virginia, commenced by John Burk, and continued by Skelton Jones and Louis line Girardin. Only a small part of the volume, sixty-three pages, were written by Mr. Jones, who also fell in a duel. Girardin brings the narrative down to the year 1781. Acker Uscmcnt from the Richmond Enquirer., 1816. The History of Virginia: (commenced by Skel- ton Jones and L. H. Girardin) is now completed and read}' for delivery to subscribers. 34 JOHN DA LY B UEK. A series of untoward and melanchoW circum- stances have long delaj'ed the publication of the above work, and its delivery to subscriljers. Soon after finishing three volumes of it, Mr. Burk was prematurely and fatally cut off, in the prime of life, and at a moment wdien his naturally powerful mind had derived additional vigor, from intense and vast researches, Mr. Skelton Jones was then induced to undertake the completion of the task ; but he died in the very threshold of that undertaking. Sixty-five pages only have issued from his brilliant pen ; and the printing of the part, written by Mr. Girardin, has been retarded by difficulties no less numerous than unexpected. The portion of the History of Virginia which fell to the lot of the last named gentleman, embracing the chief political, civil and military transactions of our great revolutionary period, is, from the very nature of the subject, entitled to national attention. There are in the human constitution, principles, which do not permit us to behold, without a deep and vivid interest, the arduous and glorious struggles, which his- tory often presents to our view. . We mean JOHN DAL Y B URK. 35 those struo'o-les in which truth contended with CO error, virtue with profligacy, freedom with tyranny. We feel, even at this distant day, for repubhcan Greece, armed against the invad- ing myriads of Persia; for the United Nether- lands resisting the despotism and bigotry of in thralled and inthralling Spain; for the brave and virtuous Swiss, hurling defiance in the face of proud Austria. How powerfully then, must our .sympathies be excited, both as men and as citizens, when we see not ancient, nor foreign patriots, but our own beloved and revered fore- fathers, opposing with successful energy a systematic and wanton infringement of their natural and their chartered rights ; creating a new Ijody politic ; in short, establishing by their wisdom and cementing with their blood, that political independence and those civil and religious liberties, which we now so happily enjoy; and which, if we continue faithful to our high destinies, no power upon earth, no foreign hostility, no domestic intrigue shall ever wrest from our possession. Surely if the pencil of historj- has at any time delineated scenes calculated to attract our attention, and 3 JOHN DA L i ' n L'RK. engage our sensibilities, such scenes are to be found in the present work. Let us add, that, in the prosecution of this Laudable under- taking, the continuator has been guided by a strict and undeviating regard for truth, ani- mated by an indefatigable ardor and research, and by a generous desire of perpetuating to the utmost of his individual exertions, that glorious spirit, those admirable and sacred principles, which dictated the measures and accomplished the exploits recorded in his narrative. He has brought to light a mass of interesting local facts ; detected and rectified errors of mischievous tendency, and all along adapted his style to the inherent grandeur and dignity of his su1)ject. The extracts from his part of the history, already before the public, must, we trust, justify our opinion ; and, indeed, we can produce in favor of the work, a testimonial of much higher authority than ours. Mr. Jefferson's extensive historical collection was kindly opened to the continuator's researches. That distinguished patriot, whose zeal and abilities were so early and so efficiently displayed in those yory scenes which Mr. Girardin undertook to retrace, has JOIIX DALY BURK. 37 with his usual afiability, condescended to read the manuscript, and bestowed on it his approba- tion in the following words : " Thomas Jefferson returns to Mr. Girardin his manuscript, which he has read with great satisfaction. And must express, with sincerity, his peculiar gratification on seeing this portion of American history, that of his native state, so ably recorded for posterity." Other gentlemen, eminent in the literary world, have spoken in terms equally favorable of those parts of the coutinuatiori, which have been submitted to their judgment ; but we deem it unnecessary to say more on this head. The work is now before the public. Let it be tested by its intrinsic merits. Conditions. — The whole work is composed in four volumes, of a large octavo size, on fine paper, with a new and handsome type. The fourth volume contains about six hundred pages. The three first volumes fiill little short of that quantity. The original price was to be, to subscribers, three dollars per volume, neatly bound in sheep, and lettered, or two dollars and a half in 38 JOHN^ DAL Y B UBK. boards. The present proprietors have deter- mined to reduce that price half a dollar per volume, as a small compensation for the una- voidable delay, which has taken place in pre- paring and bringing out the last volume. ^|^g=^ The above work is deposited for de- livery at the bookstore of Mr. Fitzwhylson, where city subscribers can be supplied; those in the country will be waited on with it, by an agent appointed for that purpose. August 29. 33tf. Girardin prepared material sufficient for an- other volume and meditated the publication of it, but the design appears never to have been carried into effect. It is somewhat remarkable, that in his preface to the fourth volume, he makes no allusion whatever to Jones, as one of the continuators, although the point of demarkation between the two, is indicated in a foot note, on page 63. Mr. Jones edited a paper at Richmond. A second edition of the first volume was pub- lished at Petersburg, in 1822. Printed by Dickson & Pescud, Bollingbrook street. JOHN DAL Y B UBK. 39 From the Catalogue of the Private Libraru of T. li. MorcU, Neio York, 1866. 74, Burk, John. The History of Virginia from its first settlement to the present day. With the Continuation by Skelton Jones and Louis Hue Girardin. Together 4 vols., 8vo. vols. 1, 2 and 3, boards, uncut, rough edges. Vol. 4, sheep. Petersburg, Va., 1804-05-16. Excessively rare. This is probably the finest copy ever oftered for sale. The fourth volume is seldom met with, nearly every copy having been destroyed by fire, and I believe it is conceded to be an established fact, that no copy of this very rare volume exists, in the original boards, everj^ one having been bound. 75, [Burk, John.] The Death of General Montgomery in storming the City of Quebec : a Tragedy. With an Ode in honor of the Pennsyl- vania Militia, who sustained the Campaign in the depth of Winter, 1777, and repulsed the British Forces from the Bank of the Delaware. Rare. Frontispiece, representing the death of Montgomery, engraved by Norman. Svo, pp. 40 J(JJL\ DALY BUIiK. 81, fialf morocco. Philadelphia, printed and sold by Robert Bell, 1777. This is one of the rarest of Mr. Burk's publi- cations, and the only copy I have met with. The plate is very curious, as an early specimen •Df American engraving. 76, Burk, John. History of the Late War in Ireland, with an Account of the United Irish Association, from the First Meeting in Belfast, to the Landing of the French at Kilala. 8vo, boards, uncut, rough edges. Rare. Philadel- phia, 1799. Curious, as being one of the few writings of John Burk, author of The History of Virginia, etc. In Appleton's New American Gyclopoidia, vol. IV, pp. 122-3, there is a more accurate ac- coiuit of Burk than that which has been quoted from the Cydo^jaedia of Biography published by the same house, though this also mistakes his name in the same manner as that. "Burke, John Doly, author of one of the best histories of Virginia, born in Ireland, educated in Trinity College, Dublin; was killed in a duel with a JOim DALY BURK. ■ 41 Frenchman near Cani[)beirs bridge, Va., April 12, 1808. He came to this country, in 1797 : edited a newspaper at Boston, and, subsequently, another, in New York, where he was arrested, under the sedition law. He afterwards removed to Petersburg, Virginia, where he practiced law and wrote his history. He was the author of a few dramas on historical subjects ; one of them was entitled Burk's Hill. Allen, in \i\s American Biograpliical Dictionary, calls him John Doh^ Burke, perhaps a typograph- ical mistake for Dal}', and says, "he was a native of Ireland and educated at Trinity College, Dub- lin. Coming to America in 1797, he conducted for a short time a paper at Boston and afterwards at New York, where he was arrested under the sedition law. At the Boston theatre he was made master of ceremonies. He was killed in a duel with Felix Coquebert, a Frenchman, in con- sequence of a political dispute, April 12, 1808. He published an oration, delivered March 4, 1808. Dunlop, in his Hi'^torjj of the American. Theatre, appendix, under head of John Burk, gives the 42 JOHN DAL Y B URK. following, in the list of American plays and their authors : Bunker Hill, Joan of Arc, Death of Montgomery, Fortunes of Argil, Inn- keeper of Abbeville, Bethlehem Gabor, Female Patriotism, Which do you like best, the Poor Man or the Lord? From AUibones Dictionari) of Autliors. Burk or Burke, John. The History of Vir- ginia from its first settlement to the present time; commenced by John Burk and continued by Shelton Jones and Louis Hue Girardin, 1804- 1816 : seldom found complete, as almost all the copies of vol. IV, by Girardin, published in 1816 were accidentally destroyed. Perhaps twenty or thirty copies of vol. iv may be in existence. Grahame, the author of the learned and ex- cellent Colonial History of the United States, in a note on page 88, of the first volume, sa3^s of Burk : " Tlie History of Virginia has derived the most valuable and important illustration, from the industry and genius of this writer. His style is defaced by florid, meretricious orna- ment." JOHN DA L Y B URK. 43 Reminiscences of Dr. Thomas Pleasants Atkinson., of DanvHk, Virginia^ relating to Burk. John D. Burk was a native of Ireland, who left his motherland, under the ban of the go- vernment, on account of his opposition to ita arbitrary acts and vindictive persecution. He filled a large share in the public eye, having written and published, in 1804, three volumes of The Ilistory of Vii^ginia, bringing it down to the breaking out of the American revolution. Mr. Burk was captain of a Petersburg rifle company, which he raised, and went with it, to the seaboard, during the difficulties between the United States and Great Britain, which followed the capture of the ship Chesapeake hy the Leopard. Mr. Burk was high and lofty in his carriage, haughty in his manners, and imperious and impulsive in his disposition. He owes his early and sad death to this last and character- istic trait. Although haughty in his manners, strange to say, he exerted great influence over the young men of his day, literally leading them captive at his will. 44 joh:s' I) a l y b urk. Among his intimate friends in Petersburg, were Thomas Boiling Robertson, afterwards governor of Louisiana, Townsend Stith, brother of Mrs. Robert Boiling of West Hill, John Monro Banister, a son of Colonel John Ban- ister of Battersea, and Roger Atkinson Jones, son of General Roger Jones. ^ There was then living in Petersburg another Irish refugee, one of the United Irishmen, John McCreery, a scholar and poet of genius. He published many fugitive pieces, among them. The American Star, the rival, in former days of Key's famous Star Spangled Banner. Burk, likewise, published many poetical effusions, mostly songs, his favorite of all which was Burk's Anna, which was on the lips of old and young in those days. He was also author of ^ From anotlier reminiscent it is learned that Burk was a fine looking man, of medium stature ; well built, of im- posing presence. Coquebert was of middle size, well bred and intelligent. Both associated with the principal families in Petersburg. Burk's most intimate companion was Mor- ris Miller; Daniel Kppes was another associate, and Jack Baker, a lawyer, who was one of the counsel that defended Aaron Burr in 1807. Burk, like a good many other young lawyers of that day. hud but little practice in the courts. JOHN DA LY B URK. , 45 several plays written for the Thespian Society of Petersburg. He sometimes personated his most important characters, on the boards him- self. One of these plays was entitled Bethlem Gabor. A copy of the play of Bethlem Gabor, that formerly belonged to J. D. Burk, is still preserved by his descendants. It is a duodecimo pamph- let, of about fifty pages, each page averaging about two hundred and eio-htv words. The title is " Bethlem Gabor, Lord of Transylvania, or The Man-Hating Palatine, an historical drama, in three acts. By John Burk, Peters- burg, printed by J. Dickson, for Somervell & Conrad, 1807." The pamphlet is covered with a part of an old play-bill, the play being Sheri- dan's comedy, The School for Scandal, for the benefit of Mr. Hopkins, a distinguished comic actor of that day. The date of performance, November 12, 1803. The character of Sir Peter Teazle appears to have been performed by an actor, named McKenzio. On the reverse of the title page of this copy of Bethlem Gabor is a list of the dramatis personw of the play in print, as acted by profes- 46 joim DA L Y n urk. sional actors and in manuscript, as performed by the Petersburg amateur Thespians. The pro- fessional actors are arranged as foUows : Bethlem Gabor, Mr. Green; Worotzi, Clare; AVallestein, Sandford ; Frederick, Hopkins; Lubin, Ruther- ford; Father Dominick, Comer; St. Leon, Mc- Kenzie; Spalatro, Bailey; Cornelia, Mrs. West; Rosalind, West Jr. (Nannette West). The arrangement of the Thespians was as follows: Bethlem Gabor, J. D. Burk; Worotzi, J. L. Edwards; Frederick, Warrell; Lubin, B. Curtis; Father Dominick, T. Stith; St. Leon, Stainback; Spalatro, L. Edwards. Some of the parts are not supplied. On the play-bill cover is written in tlie hand- writing of Burk, "Bethlem Gabor, by J. D. Burk." The autograph signature of B. Curtis is written on the title page and the first page. The theatre w^as a small, old, ill looking, wooden building, located between BoUingbrook and Back (now Lombard) street, in the rear of Mr. David Dunlop's lot. Here the actor, Placide, and his company used to figure ; and here, the people of the town were often gathered to witness the performance of the Petersburg JOHN DAL T B UJRK. 47 Thespians, a company composed of young gen- tlemen of the town. Dr. Atkinson, in his boyhood, has seen John Monro Banister, Benjamin Curtis, and others of Hke standing, taking part in these perform- ances. Besides Burk's play, above mentioned, the doctor remembers another written specially for these Thespians : Nolens Volens, or the Biter Bit, by Everard, son of Dr. Isaac Hall, then a resident of Blandford. Burk appears to have boarded, during the latter ^^ears of his life, at the house of a Mrs. Swail, an Irishwoman and a midwife, on Old street, a short distance below the present resi- dence of John E. Lemoine, Esq. It is said, that Burk, while living at Mrs. Swail's, was engaged in writing The History of Virginia. His office was on Bollingbrook street, near where the theatre, or Phenix Hall, formerly stood. Burk's proud, self-willed spirit finally led to his premature death. iVt the time of the Berlin and Milan decrees, which so excited the public, in 1808, Burk took occasion, on a Sunday, at the table of Powell's tavern, in Petersburg, to denounce the French nation as " all a pack of 48 JOHN DAL Y B URK. rascals." A young Frenchman, named Coque- bert, a boarder, being at tlie table, inquired of Burk, whether he intended to apply his remarks, personally, to idm. Burk replied, " Who are you, sir ? you can interpret what I said as you like." Coquebert answered, " \"ery well, sir." He was a clerk ^ in the store of Messrs. Bells & McNae. A challenge was accordingly sent by McNae, one of the firm. Burk's second was Mr. Richard Thweatt, who had, himself, killed an antagonist in a duel. Burk and Coquebert fought, at sunrise, the next morning (Mondaj^), with pistols, at the distance of ten paces, on Fleet's hill, beyond Campbell's bridge, in the county of Chesterfield, about half a mile from the town. Burk was shot through the heart at the second fire. He tore open his waistcoat, jumped up and expired. Coquebert and his second, mounting horses, escaped. Neither of them ever returned to Petersburg. Dr. Atkinson was, at this time. ' Captain Cliailcs Kent, who came to Petersburg in 1805, says that Coquebert was not connected with Bells &. McXae, in bu'^iness, but was, according- to his recollection, a tobacco aiicnt, engaged in buying tobacco. Another reminiscent, Avho knew Co(juebert, says that he was not a clerk. JOim DAL Y B UBK. 49 going to school, in Petersburg, to an Englishman, named Davis, author of a rhapsodical sort of romance, of which Pocahontas is the heroine. John Junius Burk, only child of John D., aged about eleven, was a schoolmate of young At- kinson, and had gone home with him in the afternoon of the preceding Friday, to Olive hill, a few miles distant in the county of Chester- field. Junius Burk was small, but brave and lion-hearted. As the two boys were returning to town on Monday morning, they learned from some countrymen, whom they met near Fleet's hill, that some one had been killed in a duel there that morning, and repairing to the spot, they found the ground wet with blood. The place was in a ravine, some two hundred and fifty yar^s from the road, in a field on the left hand, in coming to town. It was a piney old field. The two boys proceeding towards Campbell's bridge, young Burk presently heard that his father had been killed. Young Atkinson, in haste, accompanied his agonized schoolmate to Mrs. Swail's on Old street, where his father's body was laid out. It had been removed from the field in a carriage. 50 JOHN DAL Y B UltK. The body was borne on the following day (Tuesday), thence to the family burial ground of General Joseph Jones, at Cedar Grove near the town. The funeral procession was the largest ever seen in Petersburg up to that time.^ Ladies strewed flowers over the grave. No tombstone marks the spot. The grave-yard is near the Mt. Airy work-shops of the Petersburg rail-road.^ General Jones, belonging to the re- j)ublican party, was first, postmaster and after- wards collector of the customs, at Petersburg. John Davis, the teacher above mentioned, was author of The First Settlers of Virginia, an historical novel, exhibiting a view of the rise and progress of the colony at Jamestown, a picture of Indian manners, the countenance of the country and its natural productions. A second edition considerably enlarged, 12mo, sheep, was published in New York, 1806. This novel was much ridiculed by the Edinhurgli Review and others. Davis, in his second edition, 1 Mr. Allen Archer, now an octogenarian citizen of Pe- tersburg, was present at the funeral. '■i The land now (1868) belongs to Archibald G. Mcll- waine, Esq. JOHN DA LY B URK. 51 published extracts from these notices of his work. He wrote the following verses in honor of Burk, and they were published at Philadelphia in the Port Folio, 1809, p. 77. Bark's Garden Grave. John Daly Burk fell in a duel, at Petersburg, Virginia, and lies buried in the garden of Gene- ral Jones's villa, about a mile from the town. I climb'd the high hills of the dark Appomattox, The stream, poured its waters the wild woods among, All was still, save the dash of the surge from the white rocks, Where the sea-fowl indulged in his tremulous song. On my right, where the poplars with fair branches gleaming. Half embosom the high-vaulted villa of Jones, On the tombstone of Daly the liquid sun streaming, parked the spot, where the bard had found rest for his bones. Oh ! rare is the spot, hung with clustering roses, Where Virginia's sweet minstrel is gone to his rest, For the sun's parting ray on his grave oft reposes. And the redbreast delights there to build her soft nest. And oft shall the damsels with bosoms high swelling. Whose ruby lips sweetly his soft stanzas sing, Dejected repair to the bard's narrow dwelling, And deck the raised turf with the garlands of spring. 52 JOHN DALY BUUK. The verses were afterwards republished, with some alterations, in the Port Folio (1814), p.. 291, as follows: Mr. Oldschool: A very imperfect copy of the following tribute, was published in an early number of the Port loUo, under the signature of Atticus. Finding it has become popular, in conformity with Swift's advice, I avow myself its author; and having retouched and enlarged this tributary verse to my lamented friend, I entreat you will do me the honor, to insert it auctior et emendatioi; in your elegant miscellany. Burk's Garden Grave. — A71 Ode. BY Mil. DAVIS. John Daly Burke, an Irishman by birth, but an American by adoption, fell in a duel with a French gentleman, on the banks of the Appo- mattox, and was buried in the garden of his faithful friend, the worthy General Jones, a spot which Rousseau would have coveted for the place of his interment, beyond the sepulchres of kings. Burke's History 0/ Virginia has "placed JOHN DA LY B UBK. 53 a nation's fame amid the stars;" and his songs are often warbled b}^ our southern ladies in 1)0 wer and in hall: I climb'd the high hills of the dark Appomattox, The stream roll'd in silence the wild woods among; All was still — save the dash of the wave from the white rocks, Where the sea-fowl indulg'd his tremulous song. On my right, where the poplars, in fair clusters gleaming, Half embosom the sky-piercing turrets of Jones, The sun's liquid rays upon Daly's tomb streaming. Marked the spot, where the bard had found rest for his bones. Accursed be the hand, with resentment prevailing, That pointed the weapon, compelling thy fall; That brought from their bowers the Muses bewailing. Thy body convulsed with the murderous ball. On the river's stain'd margin, there Clio was seen. With Terpsichore mourning thy fine spirit fled; Thalia no longer retain'd her gay mien, BjLit hid in Melpomene's bosom her head. Yet sweet is the spot, hung with clustering roses, Where Erin's lov'd minstrel is gone to his rest; For the sun's parting beam on his green grave reposes. And the wren, sweetly plaintive, builds there her soft nest, And oft shall the damsels, with bosoms high swelling, Whose voices, in concert, his soothing lay sing, Dejected — repair to the bard's narrow dwelling, And deck the rais'd turf with the garlands of spring. 54 JOHN DAL T B URK. Obituaries of John D. Burk} FROM A RICHMOND PAPER. Died at Petersburg, Virginia, on Monday last, in consequence of a wound, received in a duel, John D. Burk, Esq., a native of Ireland, and, for a number of years last past, a resident of that place; author of various literary, historical and periodical works. On the following day his respected relics were to be interred with military honors. Those relics once delighted in the en- dearing domestic virtues, which constitute the citizen and worthy brother. Liberal and sub- stantial in his friendship, unsuspicious, open and generous, he concentrated in his bosom the no- blest qualities of human nature. He pitied little- ness, loved goodness, admired greatness, and ever aspired to its glorious summit! From the native amiableness of his heart when in the domestic circle, his humor spread around him cheerful- ness and gayety, like the refreshing zephyrs of a summer's evening. Alas ! he sleeps in death ! 1 These obituaries are preserved in printed form, but with- out the names of the papers. JOUI^ DAL Y B UBE. 55 " Till mould'ring worlds and trembling systems burst ! When the last trump shall renovate his dust ! Still by the mandate of eternal truth, His soul will flourish in immortal youth." Like the thunder-bolt, which rends the majestic oak, death levels its triumphant dart, and virtue and genius wither at the blow. It is rumored, in this city, that John D. Burk of Petersburg, the author of The History of Tirginia, fell yesterday morning, in a duel, in that town. At the second fire he fell to rise no more. We fear that this melancholy intelligence is too true. Mr. Burk was a man of a noble and expanded soul, of a rich and splendid genius. His death will leave a blank in the society of Virginia, which years will not fill up. (The above is too true) . s On Tuesday morning last, the remains of John D. Burlv were consigned to the grave. He had particularly desired, in his will,^ that his body should not be interred in a church-yard, and requested, too, that the usual religious formalities on funeral occasions, might be dispensed with. 'The will contains no such request. 56 JOHN DALY nUllK. His corpse was, therefore, conveyed to Cedar Grove, the seat of General Jones, in the suburbs of the town, and buried with mihtary honors. The volunteer companies of artillery, cavalry and infantry attended the funeral, as well as a numerous concourse of citizens. The causes, which led to a misunderstanding, between Mr. Coquebert and the deceased, and which finally produced so distressing a cata- strophe, were of a political nature. In a con- versation, at a public table, sometime during the last week, as we are told, the subject turned upon the letter of the French minister Cham- pagny, to General Armstrong, lately published : the deceased expressed himself with considerable warmth ; , reprobated the conduct of the French government towards the United States; and painted in strong colors the insolence of its minister. Mr. C. being a native of France, conceived himself individually assailed, by the words uttered, as well as insulted by the epithets applied to his nation and government : he demanded an explanation of the object of the speaker. Very few words, however, passed between Mr. C. and the deceased: the explana- JOHN DAL Y B URK. 57 tion required was not given, and the former, in a few moments, left the room. Soon after a challeno;e was sent bv Mr. C, which was accepted, and early, on Monday morning, the parties, with their seconds, met in a field adjoin- ing town. On the first fire Mr. C.'s pistol snapped and the contents of Mr. B.'s were dis- charged ineffectually. The second fire proved decisive. Mr. C.'s ball passed through the heart of his antagonist, who expired without a word or a groan. Such is the relation which we have had of the unfortunate affair. Petersbtjrg, Saturday, April 23, 1808. For The Repuhlican. But should some villain, in support And zeal for a despairing court, *^ Placing in craft his confidence, And making honor a pretence. To do a deed of deepest shame, While filthy lucre is his aim; Should such a wretch with sword or knife (vontrive to practice 'gainst the life Of one, who, honor'd thro' the land, For freedom made a glorious stand; Whose chief, perhaps his only crime, Is (if plain truth at such a time, May dare her sentiments to tell), That he his country lov'd too well : 58 JOHN BAL Y B TJRK. May he — for a noble curse, Which might liis very marrow pierce ! The general contempt engage And be the Martin of his age. Churchill. In all societies, there are men actuated, either by malice, or envy, to blast the fair fame of those eminent for their talents or virtues. Impressions and reports unfavorable to the character of John D. Burk, have gone abroad with great facility. Where and in whom these reports originated, I am unable to say. But I conceive it my bounden duty, to lay before the public every circumstance relating to the late unfortunate duel. " Saturday, Ajyril 9.' ''Mr. Burk, dining at a public tavern with his friends around him, expressed his sentiments, with regard to the French government, in the following manner : " What will the cavillers against the adminis- tration now say? What will they say to the letter of Mr. Armstrong, in answer to the arro- ' From this it appears, that the altercation occurred on Saturday. The reminiscence, on page 47. making it Sun- day, is erroneous. JOHN DAL Y B UBK. 59 gant note of Mr. Charapagny? I am in hopes, when they read the honest, manly and luminous remarks of an American citizen, in refutation of the pretensions of the French rascals, they will have honesty and modesty enough to withdraw their accusations, and be silent, for the French are all a pack of rascals. '^^Mr. Coquebert. Did you mean to apply those observations to me ? "J/?-, Bwrh. Sir, I do not know who jow are; what you are? I did not know there was such a being in existence. "Who are you, sir? What are you? I do not so much as know your country, or even your name. "Mr. G. I ask, if you mean to insult me, sir? '^Mj'. B. Seeing sir, that you have no right to intrude upon my concerns, or conversation, you must even take it as you please. " Mr. G. Very well, sir. " The observations of Mr. C. were uttered, at the public table, in a tone of defiance which precluded anything like gentlemanly or manly explanation." - ' The foregoing account was given by Mr. Burk himself, GO JOHN BAL Y B UHK. Sunday morning Mr. Burk received the fol- lowing note : Sir : I have been so long in the place, that you could not help knowing that I am a Frenchman. I sat so nearly opposite to you, at dinner, that you could not avoid seeing me. What you said, could not fail to hurt my feelings. I do not pretend to control the conversation of any man, inasmuch as it does not relate to me. But I cannot overlook what is said in my very face, let it be said directly, or indirectly. If, (alluding to politics) you did not mean to insult me, and had not observed that a Frenchman was within reach of your words, I suppose you have no objection to ease those feelings, by an acknowledgment of it, in as formal a manner as that I take to address you.^ F. COQUEBERT. Saturday^ April 9. to his friend, that in case the interview proved fatul to him, he should inclose it to me with the correspondence. 1 It was believed by some, that Burk had for some time evinced a strong dislike to Coquebert. JOHN DAL Y B URK. 61 To the foregoing note Mr. Kichcard N. Thweatt, the friend of Mr. Burk, deUvered the answer, as follows : Sir : My friend, Mr. Thweatt, who was privy to the conversation you complain of, will arrange with your friend anything necessary to discus- sion, or battle if it shall be so determined on. I hope you will excuse the inaccuracy of not replying to your polite note by a written answer. J. D. Burk. Sunday morning, April 10. Mr. Coquebeht. After, the preceding notes passed, no farther communication took place between the parties (as I understand), except Mr. Thweatt being calied upon to name the time and place for battle. The fatal event of which is known to the world. The situation, in which I stand, relative to the deceased, will plead my apology to the public, for publishing the cause, which led to the late unhappy catastrophe, together with the consideration of preventing misrepresentations. B. Curtis. April 21, 1808. 62 JOHN DAL T B URK. Cofy of the last Will and Testament of Johi Daly Burk. Know all men by these presents, that I, John D. Burk, being now in sound health of body and mind, do give, convey, bequeath and assign, sell and make over all my real and personal estate, together with the proceeds, which shall arise from the publication of my compositions, whether in prose, or verse, unto Townsend Stith, Roger A Jones, and Thos. B. Robertson, their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, in trust, however, for the payment of my debts, which, if not to be done by the profits of my share in Battersea paper-mills and otherwise, shall be vested in them, absolutely, in the hope, however, that, as men of honor they will accom- plish this, and appropriate the remainder accord- ing to their best judgment, to my sons, Benjamin Curtis, Henry Curtis, and John Junius Burk; and to this instrument I bind my heirs, execu- tors, and assigns, this 9th day of April, 1808. John D. Burk. [Seal.] JOHN DA LY B UBK. Q 3 And I do farther wish and require, that this conveyance shall be considered as bona fide my last will and testament. John D. Burk. [Seal.] I wish to annex a codicil to this testamentary bequest, a few observations respecting my youngest son (1 mention him only because, from his years, he is most helpless) . In my estima- tion, he possesses all the materials of a scholar, a gentleman and a hero. For the reasons assigned, I recommend him, especially, to the attention of my trustees, executors and friends, and my friends, if my principles were accurately understood, would . be the people of Virginia. I might go farther ; but I will stop here. T'est. J. D. BuRK. At a Hustings Court, continued and held for the town of Petersburg, at the Court House of the said town, Tuesday, the 7th day of June, 1808. The last Will and Testament of John D. Burk, deceased, and the codicil thereto an- nexed, were presented in court, by William Robertson, and there being no witnesses to the 64 JOUN DAL Y B UBK. said will, Townsend Stith deposed, that he is well acquainted with the hand-Avriting of the testator and verily believes, that the said will and the signature thereto, are all of the said testator's proper hand-writing: Whereupon the same is ordered to be recorded. And Townsend Stith, one of the executors or trustees named in the said will, refusing to undertake the execu- tion thereon, Tho. B. Robertson, another, being absent from this commonwealth, and the court being satisfied that Roger A. Jones, the other executor, or trustee, will not qualify as such : Therefore, on the motion of John M. Banister (and for reasons appearing to the court), who made oath and together with Theodorick B. Banister, his security, entered into and acknow- ledged their bond, in the penalty of five thou- sand dollars, as the law directs certificate is granted him for obtaining letters [of] adminis- tration of the estate of the said John D. Burk, deceased, with his said will annexed, in due form. Attest. J. GrAMMER, C. T. P. JOHN DAL Y B URK. 65 Will of EUzaheih Swail. In the name of God Amen : I Elizabeth Swail, of the Town of Petersburg, being weak in body, but of sound and disposing memory, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament, (hereby revoking all others). Impydmis. After my just debts are paid, I give the whole of my estate to Junius Burk, Valentine Swail of Telecarner, in the County of Down, in the Kingdom of Great Britain (Ireland) to be equally divided between the said Junius Burk, Valentine Swail, May Leed, and Jane Swail, but if the said Estate cannot be equally divided, unless a sale of the lot takes place, then it is my will and desire that the said lot, lyin'g on Old Street, be sold for that purpose by Benjamin Curtis, whom I do hereby appoint my executor and the proceeds of such sale to be equally divided betw^een the parties aforesaid. All my personal Estate not to be sold, unless in case of a deficiency of funds to discharge my Debts. In witness whereof I have here- unto set my hand and seal, this ninth day ee 'lOUN DALY BUEK. of October, one Thousand eight hundred and thirteen. her Elizabeth x Swail mark. Witnesses, her Martha x Heath mark. Mary Thayer, At a Quarter session Hustings Court Con- tinued and held, for the Town of Petersburg, at the Court House of the said Town, tuesda}', the 2d day of November, 1813. The hist Will and Testament of Elizabeth Swail, deed., was jd roved, in open Court, by the oaths of Martha Heath and Mary Thayer, the witnesses thereto, and is ordered to be recorded. And, on the motion of Benjamin Curtis, the Executor, therein named, who made oath & together with William Gilmour, his security, entered into and acknowledged their bond, in the penalty of two thousand four hundred dollars, as the law directs. Certificate is granted him, for obtaining a probat of the Said Will, in due form. Teste. J. GkAMMER, C. T. P. JOUN DAL Y B UBK. 6 7 Notice of Buries Hlsioru of Virginia^ from the Lynch- burg Star. The first volume of this interesting work has lately made its ajjpearance here. Than a correct, regularly digested history of this com- monwealth, there was no book more wanted ; and this want hy the work before us, as far as it goes, seems eminently supplied. The historical sketches extant were imperfect, too succinct, or disgustingly diffuse, and deficient generally in point of arrangement and method. History and biography, at the same time that they are of all knowledge the most amusing and interesting, are the most important and instructive. The world and its concerns, nations and nature, the sanguinary ravages of ruthless ambition, and the milder progress of civilization, science and philosophy, are, by the happy inven- tion of letters and the press, brought into full review, on the historic page, for our instruction and delight. The history of our own country is, of all others, the most important and interesting. Pride and self-love impel to this knowledge. Indeed, the passion seems interwoven with our 68 JOHN DAL Y B URK. very nature, as even the most humble and obscure thirst to claim origin from some remote and honorable source. The work before us is judiciouf^ly introduced by a glance at ancient usage; and by a succinct view of the political and commercial relations and posture of Europe, before the discovery of North America. The discovery of the country ; preparations for colonization; the dangers, difficulties and distresses to which the first settlers were exposed, are recounted with method, animation and sen- timent. The story progresses naturally, and although indispensably crowded with inference, quotation and authority, considerable force and diversity are given to certain incidents and events, by the masculine, energetic language of Mr. Burk. The memorable romantic story of Capt. Smith; his intrepidity, integrity, sagacity and miraculous adventures, dangers and delivery, both in Europe and America; his intercourse and connection with that independent, arrogant, yet shrewd and manly son of nature, the savage emperor, Powliatan, and his very amialjle daugh- JOUN DAL Y B URK. G9 ter, the princess Pocahaiitas (who saved his life at the hazard of her own), will be read and remembered with sympathy and interest, while either taste or patriotism exist in Virginia. Mr. Burk's marked abhorrence of slavery and usurpation, his ardent adoration of liberty and independence, fire his soul. Thought acquires strength by his pen ; nor are bold conceptions frittered. * * * Ccetera desunt. SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHAEACTER JUDGE JOHN JUNIUS BURK, Obitiiarij. From a Paper published, at Batou Rouge, Louisiana. Died. — At the family residence in this city, on Tuesda}^ morning, the 17th inst., Hon. J. J. Burk, a native of Virginia, aged 67 years.^ Death of the Hon. John J. Bark. It is witli pain and sorrow^ that we are called to record the death of this venerable gentleman. Judge Burk was a native of Virginia, but came to Louisiana, at an early age, making the parish of Iberville, his home and afterwards removing to Baton Rouge, where he continued to reside, almost uninterruptedly, up to the time of his decease. 1 It will be seen, on a subsequent page, that he was igno- rant of the (late of his birth. 72 JOHN JUNIUS BURK. He was possessed of an amiable character, being of a kind, polite and obliging disposition, and always seemed to bear up against the ills of life with that calm, patient and uncom- plaining spirit, which marked him the true philosopher. By profession a lawyer, he became through natural taste and habits of close application to study and research, distinguished for his erudi- tion and knowledge in legal science. He was, moreover, remarkably well versed in classic history, and in the varied branches of polite literature. The science and poetrj- of ancient Celtic literature and song we remember as a distinctive feature in his partialities and devo- tion to the more ennobling and refining subjects, with which he had stored liis mind. Honest and true in his purposes, with a heart keenly alive to the woes and sufferings of his fellow creatures, he commanded the confidence, love and respect of all who knew him. For several years he occupied the position of judge, in this judicial district; the duties of which he discharged with zeal and fidelity. If at any time he failed to manifest, in his official JOHN JUNIUS B URK. 7 3 or personal relations, that perfection of judgment and wisdom, which is beyond the ken and power of mortals, here below, to reach, it might be said of him, that : "E'en liis failings leaned to virtue's side." Judge Burk leaves a widow and several offspring, to mourn his loss. He died, at his residence, in this city, on Tuesday morn- ing, the 17th inst., at the ripe old age of sixty- seven. Green be the memory of the good old man, whose life was gilded by so many sterling though unostentatious virtues ; and may Heaven reward his soul with the crowning blessings promised to the pure and upright of earth. At a meeting of the members of the bar, of the fifth judicial district of Louisiana, held at the Court House of West Baton Rouge, on the 17th of Juty, 1866, a series of resolutions was passed, in honor of the memory of the Hon. J. J. Burk, late judge of that district, expressing their appreciation of his many virtues, his urbanity of manner, his firmness of character, 10 74 JOUN JUNIUS B UBK. his honesty of purpose, as a citizen and a man, and his sterling integrity as a judge. Tiie Hon. Reuben T. Posey was chairman of this meeting, and 0. M. Le Blanc, Esq., clerk of the court, secretary. The proceedings were published in the Baton Rouge newspapers. Letter from Miss Jiinia Bark. Baton Rouge, Oct. 4, 1867. Mr. C. Ciimpbell : Sir: I received your two letters, the one inclosing the extracts from my scrap-book, the other informing me of the return of the book (which however, I have not yet received) ; but I have only at present found time to acknowledge the receipt of them, my attention having been wholly engrossed with the care of my then only remaining parent, who departed this life on the 16th of last month, after a long and severe illness. Looking over my late mother's papers, I find the will of John D. Burk ; also a play in pamphlet form, entitled Bethlem Gabor, of which he is the author. The two sons of the widow Curtis were Benjamin and Henry, but whom JOHN JUNIUS BURK. 75 they respectively married, or what offspring tliey had, I have no means of ascertaining. As you wish for some particulars concerning my late father, T will endeavor to tell you what I know of his character, and the simple events which marked his life. He told us, that he was igno- rant of the date and exact place of his birth, as his mother had been dead some time before the fall of his father, whose premature end, deprived him of the means of ascertaining these facts. He was born in the United States, l^ut whether in Boston (the native place of his mother) or in Richmond, Va., he was totally ignorant. At his father's death, he was taken in charge by Mr. Thomas Boiling Robertson, then governor of Virginia,^ and one of the executors of his father's will, and was sent by him to William and Mary College, where he nearly completed his education, being considered a boy of sagacity and integrity, beyond his age; as a proof of which he was allowed to depose as a witness in ' This is a mistake : he was never governor of A^irginia, but, subsequently to John D. Burk's death, was governor of Louisiana. 76 JOHN JUNIUt< B URK. a criminal case at the age of nine. He was much cherished b}^ his father's friends, who contrived to fulfil the articles of liis last w^ll and testament, as far as was in their power, besides giving him free access to the Richmond theatre, where his fathers plays were repre- sented, and where as he has often told us, he imbibed much of his love for poetical and histo- rical composition. Being considered a proficient in the dead languages, and possessing a good English education, he determined to remain no longer dependent on his friends, and with this view came to Louisiana, where he studied law, and was soon received a member of the bar, which profession he followed with success, divid- ing his time, after his marriage, between his legal studies and the education of his children, with the added care of a young man, whom he assumed the charge of educating, under the same circumstances as those in which he was befriended hy Mr. Robertson, He performed the journey from Virginia to Louisiana, on foot, making a digression through the Lidian territory, with the idea of living a free life among the savages, as he afterwards related to us, when JOHN JUNIUS BURK. ' 77 recounting the eccentric aspirations of a wild bat poetical youth. He was habitually a student and given to literature in its various branches, but he was particularly fond of Irish history and took great pleasure in gathering information of its pristine glory as a country, and its probable future destiny among nations. Like his flxther, he was both poet and historian, but was dis- trustful or indifferent concerning the publication of his compositions, and it was only, at the urgent request of his friends, that some of his pieces were published. As for the events of his life, after he removed to Louisiana, and the date of his death, you find them in the printed ol^ituary, which I sent you, some time since. He married Margaret Alexandrine Millette, a lady of French extraction, by whom he had thirteen children, only five of whom are now living, four girls and one hoy. He also raised and educated Andrew S. Herron, whom he took at the age of twelve, after the death of his father Major Herron of Tennessee, who fell also in a duel ; the same young man, whom I men- 78 • JOHN JUNIUS BURK. tioned above, now a prominent lawyer of this place, late colonel in the Confederate army, and who has filled the several offices of secretary and attorney general of the state, under the old rule. I would be happy, if I possessed the talent of narration, in order to note my personal know- ledge of my late father, as I knew him. Affec- tion perhaps may bias my appreciation of his private character, but it is also true, owing to his extremely reserved nature, that only those who were in intimate relations with him, could tho- roughly know his worth as a private individual. He was a man of the most exalted moral views and unswerving integrity, in his transactions with his fellow men. He was totally incapable of a mean, or little action, and his inculcations to his children and those under his immediate influence, were all of the highest moral tone. I never knew liim, from my earliest childhood, to neglect pointing out to the observation of youth the beautiful and true in nature, history and life. His manners were an evidence of his character, though, in their outward demonstra- tions, savoring of the old style. While pursuing JOHN JUNIUS BURK. 79 his avocation of a judge, of this and other distant parishes, he educated, with the aid of his wife (herself a former pupil, as he married her while she was yet very young) and eldest daughter, four of his younger children, at the same time keeping open house for the entertain- ment of his friends and whatever professors of talent and learning, might be visiting the place at the time. I must not neglect to mention, that, for twenty odd years before his death, he was a strict vegetarian, although keeping the best of tables, whilst he was able ; he was extremely abstemious, drinking little or no liquor, and eating, sparingly, of vegetable food, though he told us, that in his younger days he was quite dissipated, but not assigning that as a reason for his later frugality; on the contrary, he seemed to have no wish for animal food, and only drank, rarely, to please his friends. I am in possession of several anecdotes, related to me by his friends, which would be irrelevant here, but which are indicative of his character. If, later, you should feel any interest in seeing them, I could supply you with the narration. 80 JOHN .iryius nuRK. I will send you, in another envelope, his likeness, with a copy of J. D. Burk's will, which will authenticate the names of the two Curtises, also my father's. Begging you to excuse the desultorj^ style of my letter, owing to my increased cares, since the death of my late lamented mother/ I remain, yours respectfully, J. BURK. P. S. Accept my sincere thanks for the interest you have shown in the memory of those, so dear to me, also for the tender of the notice of my grandfather, which you propose publish- 1 Judge John Junius Burk was born in the year 1800,* and died July 17, 18GG. He married Alexandrine 31illette, who was born in the Parish of Assomption, Louisiana, Feb. 4, 1813, and died at Baton Rouge, Sept. 16, 18G8. Children of John Junius Burk and Alexandrine, his wife : 1, Norah Mary; 2, Junia (deceased) ; 3, Junia Mary (deceased); 4, Junia Agnes; 5, Eve Margaret; 6, John Daly (deceased); 7, Kobert Emmet; 8, Maria llosa. 1, Norah Mary Burk married John W. Jones, of South Carolina, Oct. 17, 1850. Children: 1, Patrick Burk (deceased); 2, Dennis; 3, Annie Mary. * According to this date, he was only about eight years old at the time of his father's death, instead of eleven, as stated in some reminiscences on a fonner ])ao-('. I'lie jnd{>"e was ignorant of the date of his birth, but it was probably in ISOO. JOHN JUmUS BURK. 81 ing. I have many friends here, but I prize very highly those, who are connected with the memo- ries of past days, in the Old Dominion. Baton Rouge, Oct. 13, 1867. Mr. C. Campbell : Sir: As I promised to give j^ou some anec- dotes, illustrative of my ftxther's character, I will do so, although it is with a feeling of diffidence, as to my being able to relate them, and even after having done so, whether they are worthy the relation ; l)ut knowing that they are to meet the eye of a friend, I trust them, such as they are, hoping 3^ou will forgive the partiality of a daughter, whose affection makes her see all things, connected with her deceased parent, in an interesting point of view. I give them, as well as I can remember, in the words of those who related them to me. Anecdotes of Judije John Junius Burk. Judge Burk was a man of extremely reserved and quiet demeanor, in such a degree, that he was little suspected of possessing the light ac- complishments, usually affected by gentlemen, unless accident called forth their demonstration. 11 82 JOHN JUNIUS BURK. Being in company with some gentlemen, who were amusing themselves, shooting at a mark, in the grove adjoining his house, it was proposed, by one of the party, to try their skill respect- ively, at hitting an upright twig, at some yards distant. The proposal seemed, to most of the party, out of the range of probability, when quietly taking the pistol, Mr. Burk aimed at and split the twig, at the first shot. A short time after, a noisy politician, of opin- ions conllicting with those of Mr. Burk, becoming displeased at, and taking as a personal affront, some general remarks, published by him, in one of the newspapers, came to town, with the inten- tion of calling him out. One of the shooting party, overhearing him express his intentions towards his supposed enemy, took the occasion simply to remark, that he w^ould prefer, were he in his place, not to have a difficulty with a man whom he had witnessed split a rod, at ten paces, for mere amusement. The gentleman in question ceased his threats and from that time, also, his belligerent intentions. JOHN JUNIUS BURE. 83 Mr. Burk had a partiality for smoking a shuck, with a little tobacco enclosed, of which he would consume a quantity, every day, in the form of small cigarettes. A celebrated bully, who kept the faint-hearted of the village in con- stant awe of his displeasure, chose to make some rude remarks, concerning this peculiarity of Mr. B.'s in his presence and that of several others, directing his observations, pointedly and without mistake, with the intention of intimidating the object of his impertinence ; when to the astonish- ment and terror of all the bystanders (he being much the smaller man of the two) he coolly walked up to him and puffed, several times, the smoke of the ofiending cigarette, in his face and quietly walked away, without the slightest at- tempt on the part of the bully, to resent the offence. On another occasion, attending a term of court, in the parish of Assumption, he gave offence to some of the fire-eaters of the place, by a deci- sion, rendered contrary to their wishes and expectations, when (the interior position and feeble police of the community emboldening 84 JOHN JUNIUS BURK. them) tliey determined to take the kiw in their own hands, and with this intention, armed them- selves and waited in the lobby of the Court House, in order to intimidate him, into a compliance with their ideas of justice, as he had not yet set the final seal to his decision. The sheriff, learning of the circumstances, too late to put the parties under arrest, before the judge should enter the court, proposed supplying him with a proper guard, for defence; but this he refused and by the mere quiet and determination, evinced in his demeanor towards them, succeeded in completely disarming the ruffianly intentions of the malcontents, who submitted to the final decision, drawn up on the morning in question, without a murmur. Embarked on the steamer on a return trip from a term of court, held in the above-named parish, he became aware of the presence of , a delinquent who had escaped the justice which would have been awarded to him, in all likeli- hood, at the previous term of court, in his own parish. Seeing that the recognition was mutual, he came up to Mr. Burk, in private, and asked JOUN JUNIUS B URK. 85 him if he was not afraid of him: on being answered in the negative, he replied, that he knew he must be much mistaken in his man, if h€ could admit the possibility of his (the judge's) becoming informer. On the 27tli of February, 1859, the steamer Princess, on her down trip to New Orleans, exploded, causing great loss of life and property. Many honorable members of the bar were on board, on their way down, to plead in the supreme court. Mr. Burk being one of the number (his office as judge having expired some time before) , had taken a Tjatin Tacitus from his pocket, and gone by himself to a snug corner (as he thought) on the guards, in order to peruse his favorite author, when the boat ex- ploded, and (as he afterwards described it) from his comfortable seat on the chair, he found him- self on his face, with the clap-boards of the cabin about him. With much presence of mind, he waited a considerable time for the steam to dis- perse, and then watched his chance for getting off on the stage-plank, which was by this time extended some way into the river, but seeing it 86 JOHN JUNIUS BURK. crowded by the struggling unfortunate, he pre- ferred trusting to the waves. With this view he pulled off only his coat and swam the space of one-third the breadth of the Mississippi, with his mud-boots on, and arrived safely to shore. His benevolence was easily excited at the sight of misfortune in any form. On a cold wintry day, seeing a jDoor woman, wandering about in a forlorn manner, he was struck with her appearance, and inquired the cause of her trouble. On being informed, that she had been turned out of doors, by a cruel landlord, he immediately paid the rent due to the owner of the house and restored her to shelter. During the late war he spent most of his time, at a small farm, about twenty miles from town, as he preferred living there to remaining within the Federal lines. A Yankee company having occasion to pass that way, one of the party stole his only cloak. Mentioning the circumstance, some time afterwards, in a letter to his family, he wrote, '•' The rascally Yankees JOHN JUNIUS B URE. 87 passed here the other night and stole my only cloak, which they might have saved themselves the trouble of doing. Had they asked it, of me, I would have given it, cheerfully, as I have always heard that " the cloak of charity covereth many sins," and God knows they have enough to answer for. P. S. I enclose, at a later date for your inspec- tion, a passage taken from a work entitled The History of Ireland, by the Abbe Mac Geohegan, translated from the French by Patrick O'Kelly. The portion referred to is headed Christian Ireland: the pages 271 and 434. The substance of the passage referred to, was rekted to me, verbally, by one father Thomas Burk of St Louis, while speaking to me, con- cerning our family, of which he said }ie knew the origin. I have written to him, since I have been corresponding with you, but have not received an answer to my letter. I think he must be dead, as he told me, many years ago, that I must call upon him if I ever want in- formation on this subject. JuNiA Burk. 88 JOHN JUNIUS BUBK. The faiiiiW of Burke, otherwise de Bourk, or de Burgo, in Ireland, derives its origin from William Fitz Adelm, one of the first English, who landed in Ireland under Henry II. Fitz Adelm was descended from Serlo, or Harlowen de Bourgo, son of a Norman lord, named Eus- tace. Serlo having espoused Arlotte, mother of William the Conqueror, passed over with that prince into England. Of this marriage of Serlo with Arlotte, was born Robert, Earl of Cornwall, from whom descended William, wdio succeeded to the dignity of earl. The latter was father to Adelm and John, who was father to Hubert de Burgo,^ chief justice of England and Earl of Kent. He was deprived of his office, judged by his peers in full parliament, and degraded, for having counselled King Henry III, to annul the grand charter and the privileges of his subjects. Adelm was father to William, known under the name of William Fitz Adelm: he went with Henry II to Ireland, who confirmed to him, by charter, five military fiefs, in a place called Toth, 1 Cox is not in accordance with Nichols, respecting the descent of William Fitz Adelm. We do not mean to recon- cile them : they may be consulted by the reader. JOHN JUNIUS BURK. 89 where the Castle of Canice, at present Castle Connel, is situated. He then gave him large estates in Connaught, where the whole family of the Burkes, his descendants, became settled. William de Burgo, Earl of Ulster and chief of that family, having been assassinated, in 1333, without having any male heirs to succeed to the possession of his estates in Connaught, two noblemen of his name and famil}' made them- selves masters of all his lands in that pro- vince and formed two powerful families, dis- tinguished by the name of Mac William Eighter and Mac William Oughter, a distinction which continued for a long time. Their houses pro- duced several collateral branches, which gave origin to many private families. The sept of Burks was honored with four peerages, in the persons of Ulj^sses Burke, created Earl of Clanricarde, in 1543, by Henry VIII, Theobald Burk (commonlj^ called Tibbod ne Lung, that is to say, the naval, because he was conversant in naval pursuits), who was created Viscount of Mayo, in 1627, by Charles I, both which titles are still in being. There have been also two lord barons in 12 90 JOUN JUNIUS BURK. the family, namely, Castle Connel and Britta. These titles do not exist, at present, in Ireland, but are united in the person of N. Burke, captain in an Irish regiment, in the service of his most Christian Majesty. Refer to The History of Ireland, Ancient and Modern, taken from the most Authentic Records and dedicated to the Irish Brigade, by the Abbe Mac Geoghegan, translated from the French, by Patrick O'Kelly, Esq., Author of a History of the Irish Rebellion, of 1798. Refer to page 434, same chapter, and you will find several paragraphs — the last referred to, ends in these words: "These writers know how to change the names and signification of actions; they style those, who had betrayed their country, faithful subjects, while those who disdained slavery and chains, and fought valiantly to pre- serve their freedom, are spolven of, by them, as rebels." It was from the latter gentry that John Daly Burk claimed to be a descendant. FINIS. APPENDIX. Extract from a fetter from, Mrs. Attn E. MtDiford, dated at Richmond, Va., Feh. 9, 1868. John D. Burk married my grandmother, the widow of Benjamin Curtis, who had two sons, my father, Dr. Henry Curtis of Hanover county, Ya., and my uncle, Benjamin, who married a Miss Par- sons of Petersburg, and practiced hiw in that city to the time of his death. Letter from the same Lady. daUid at Richmond, Fehrnary 21, 1868. Ivam sorry not to have it in my power to give you more information of my grandmother, but she died when my father was quite a child. I have heard from others, that she was an ex- ceedingly elegant, dignified lady, and was particu- larly remarkable for her beautiful hair, which swept the floor as she sate in her chair. She died at Mr. Hodijah Meade's, in Amelia county, when on her way to the Virginia springs, and was buried in his family burying-ground. Uncle Junius Burk lived with my father for some time after his marriage, just before leaving for Louisiana, in which state he 92 APPENDIX. married and practiced law, being many years judge and afterwards mayor of the place in which he lived. He corresponded with my father, occasionally, and there were several letters of his with the papers of my father, which have been lost in the confusion and changes through which we have passed. I have never seen uncle Junius, but know, that he was a very promising young man, exceedingly clever, and have heard my father speak most affec- tionately of him. Father had in his possession a manuscript copy of Mr. Burk's songs, which has also been lost, I am sorry to say. Aunt Curtis, the widow of uncle Benjamin Curtis, would give you the desired information of her husband and children by directing a letter to Mrs. Eliza L. M. Curtis, Scotland Feck, N. C. The letter you speak of having addressed to my brother [Armistead Curtis] never reached him, I am sure: he left here with his family for Illinois early last summer, where I hope they may do very well. I have only two brothers, Lini and one other, Tyler, who lives in California. My parents had eleven children, only five of whom are now living. My father was born in Boston, Mass., 18th March, 1792: his father left only the two children, my father being the younger. On the 27th of June, 1813, he married my mother, Christiana Booth Tyler, daughter of Judge John Tyler and Mary Armistead. She died on the APPENDIX. 93 13th of January, 1842. My father died on the 31st of July, 1862. At your request I give the dates from the family Bible. I am sorry not to know the time of my grand- mother's marriage with Mr. Burk, or when they came to Richmond, or went to Petersburg. Aunt Curtis may be able to communicate more satis- factorily. I shall ever regret not asking my father more particularly of many events in his life. In much haste, Yours respectfully, Ann Muneord. [When the printing of this work was just about to be completed, there was received from Miss Burk a small dingy pamphlet, containing the following oration.] An Oration, delioered on the -ith of March, 1803, at the Court House, in Petersburg; to Celebrate the Election of Thomas Jefferson, and the Triinnph of Repuhlicanism. By John D. Burk, Aftonicij at Law. Friends and Fellow Citizens : When I consider the magnitude and difficulty of the undertaking, which your partiality has this day devolved on me, an undertaking no less than to celebrate in suitable language, (if indeed any lan- guage can reach it) the birth of a World, the regene- ration of a great and virtuous people : to pursue with deliberate and luminous stcj^ the grand career 94 APPENDIX. of the revolution through all its interesting vicissi- tudes of courage and defeat, of suffering and magna- nimity, until the whole is crowned with independence and glory ; and afterwards, when this people had lost l)y infatuation, what they had gained by the sword, to tell how on the fourth of March, 1801, another great victory was atchieved over tyranny by the energies of reason — When I reflect that I ought to take into calculation not merely the visible eifects of those grand events on the world as manifested in the improvements in the science of morals and government, but that the imagination enlightened by ardor and the spirit of prophecy, should be sent abroad to rend the curtain, which hides futurity from our view, to calculate their effects on distant posterity, I feel, I acknowledge my utter incompetence. In the first instance, the pride of having been thought worthy to execute this task, silenced the suggestions of discretion ; but now that the object of this meet- ing presents itself full on my viev/, in all its grandeur and sublimit)/, I am utterly confounded at my te- merity. I regret that when precision and order are so essential to my subject, I should be so much the slave of emotion ; but when I reflect, in the first instance, on the courage, the intelligence, the forti- tude, the heroism, the love of country, the contempt of death ; when I calculate the combination of virtues which was necessary to arm America against her tyrants : America, a confederacy of colonies badly cemented ; England, an empire ancient, vast APPENDIX. 95 and consolidated : America, poor and apparently dependant on the mother country for her existence : England, rich and grasping at universal domination: America, an infant in her cradle; England, an J.^^a5, sustaining the world on her shoulders: when I hear the shout of onset, and the shock of hattle between nations thus disproportioned in strength, the good- ness of whose cause was however in an inverse ratio with their political importance, I am assailed by the mingled sensation of terror and delic/hi — I mix with the combatants and" share their interest in the battle. And when again I reflect how after his toils and his labours, the American Samson, in an hour of fatal security, reclined his awful might in the lap of the Federal Delilah, I stand in amaze at the mass of internal vigour, which he must have exerted on the fourth of March to break in sunder the ignomi- nious sleep in which his faculties were steeped and plunged: and that too, just at the moment when the fatal scissors were lifted up, and he was about to be shorn of his might by the deceiver and betrayer : here indeed is a subject for the moral sublime; and cold and insensible must be that heart, wdiich can look on it without emotion. The discover}^ of this continent by Columbus, the declaration of Independence in '76, the acknowledge- ment of Independence by the peace of '82, and the regeneration of the people on the fourth of March, 1801, form together a constellation not exceeded in brightness by any in the firmament of history. 96 APPENDIX. My discourse then, following the order of events, will naturally divide itself into four heads to equal the number of those epochs. In my mind, it would be impertinent in any age like this, when the whole moral atmosphere of the world is irradiated with streams of literary glory, to go about to prove to Americans that man has rights which he inherits from nature ; rights, for which he stands not indebted to magistrates or kings, but which he received from the great God of the uni- verse in the beginning of things, for the comfort for the security, of his existence. Amongst those rights, those of primary importance (it is equally unneces- sary to specity) are, the right to life, to liberty, and to jiroperty. By a strange and (I must say) a monstrous inversion in the order of those terms, the sophistry of tyrants by giving to property, which was the last in the natural order, the first place in the order of language, had virtual)}' defeated man's title to his birth-right : property was every where made the base on which tyrants contrived to erect fabrics of government : property, a circumstance merely accir dental, became the site of a fortress from which they were able to overawe and finally to subjugate the earth. Hence the origin of oligarchies, aristocracies, and monarchies, forms, which government assumed according to the caprice of despotism : hence those dynasties of calyphs, of sultans, and of emperors, which grew and flourished by the extinguishment of science and the desolation of the earth. With the exception of the Dutch, Helvetic and Genevan APPENDIX. 97 states ; with the exception of two or three republi- can atoms in Italy, remnants of the freedom of the middle ages; and, with the exce[)tion of that awk- ward and unbahinced compound of aristocracy, democracy and monarchy in England, there was not even the appearance of a free state to be found upon the earth; and even in those states the little share of libei'ty enjoyed by the people, they were unable to procure but by violent struggles; by years of war, and oceans of bh)od. Man every where groaned in bondage, or poured out his blood in war, the wicked and blind instrument of power. The old world, was a spacious prison, every corner of which was examined with cautious and vigilant apprehension by tyrants: there was no hope of escape, no place of refuge, and to aggravate this various wretchedness, the fruits of the earth de- stroyed by the ravages of war, or wasted by the wicked prodigality' of courtiers and kings, became insufficient to feed the growing population. Famine, thai gaunt skeleton, took her place in the long and gloomy train of human evils. It was at this juncture, when human suffering was at its height, that the great Being, who with his glance, measures the immensity of space, pointed out an asylum to his creatures ; and Columbus was charged by the Almighty with the sublime com- mission of making the old world acquainted with the new. If there be any, who object that Columbus had no special inspiration from above, but that the general and immutable laws of creation by giving 13 98 APPENDIX. to man a fiery eneroy^ a danng- spirit of enterprise, were of tlioniselves sufficient to bring about this event, be it so; I am content; the glory of the creator is not diminished by ascribing to his creation an original and essential perfection, wliich rendered all after interference superfluous. To Columbus succeeded an host of adventurers, but they were not animated by the same enlarged and benevolent views and intentions — set on by the lust of dominion and the thirst of gold, wherever they touched, ruin and desolation followed; witness the cruelties of the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru, where millions of Indians were sacrificed at the shrine of bigotry and avarice. It is the good fortune of the people of those states that their fathers were not of the class of mere adventurers; exercised in hardships, and seasoned by misfortunes, they had acquired an habitual hardihood and independence of character, whicli enabled them to overcome the difficulties of their colonial situation : their own severe afflictions taught them humanity, and their attachment to liberty forbade them to encroach on the rights of others : the lands, which they miglit have seized by the sword, were procured by purchase, while treaties, on their part, religiously observed, secured to them the confidence and respect of the Indians. Assembled here from all parts of the old world, they forgot the prejudices, which agitated and divided their several countries; necessity and a sense of common interest drew closer the ties of APPENDIX. 99 friendship, and Aymrica became a grand altar of union for the irideb/ dispersed children of men. I proceed now to speak of the second grand sera in American histor}' ; and in doing* this, I cannot forbear noticing another peculiarity, by which the American colonists are distinguished from all others. They always had rights ; rights, which they always exercised ; which they never relinquished, and the least encroachment on wdiich, on the part of the parent state, they always resisted, always resented. Of this curious fact, the most incredulous, the most prejudiced will be assured by a reference to the history of those colonies : it is there demonstrated that various attempts had been made by Britain previous to the stamp act, and tax on tea, ])y tech- nical niceties, by forced constructions to fritter away the spirit of charters and of compacis; and that she was in evei-y instance repelled with a spirit becom- ing the hardy sons of the forest. If those circumstances be duly considered — the revolution in those states, will be matter of less wonder. It will be regarded as an event necessarily o-rowino- out of the temper and habits of the people. But setting reason aside, with its coldness and precision, and regarding this grand spectacle as it loarmly, forcibli/, as it sublimely impresses the senses : what imagination is there so languid, not to con- template it with awe: what heart so cold, so insensi- ble that does not glow with transport, throb with anguish, that does not tremble with expectation, as it successively unfolds its great, its eventful incidents 100 APPENDIX. to the view. In 76 England after a long and glori- ous war, through the former part of wliich slie had been conducted by the genius of Wiiham Pitt, found herself in profound peace. She was in the zenith of her power, and may not inaptly be com- pared to a vast colossus, ivith a foot resting on either hemisphere, holding in one hand a sceptre of Iron, ivith which, under the NAME of GOVRENMENT, she crushed the inhabitants of InD; while her other hand, outstretched over those states, scattered, showered down acts of Parliament, lohich left the people no aliernatice hut slavery or resistance : the other nations of the old world smarting under the lash of recent defeat or awed by her ascendance, were held in subjection by her glance. The spectacle of a tyranny like this, so vast, so impos- ing, so authoritative, so terrific, so unjust, as might be naturally expected, filled this continent with mourning and apprehension : but the people did not despair; they spake not, they thought not of submission. By petitions sincere and respectful, they sought to soften, to touch the heart of their unnatural parent: by remonstrances, bold, manly, and argumentative, they laboured to carry to her reason, conviction of her impolicy, of her injustice : but tyranny is blind ; tyranny is unrelenting. The petitions and remonstrances were rejected with con- tempt: the former alternative was again proposed with renewed harshness and contumely, the only answer with which Britain condescended to honor our remonstrance was the ultima ratio regum. This, by the bye, is not the last, only, it is the first, the APPENDIX. 101 last, it is indeed the ouly reasoning of kings: so much easier is it to ravage a country, and murder its inhabitants than it is to convince them that such conduct is moral or beneficial. Let us now jnmse — let us imagine what in this eventful, this terrific crisis, was the conduct, the deportment of America — so curiously organized is the human mind that though we all know the event of this contest; although every object we see; although the day, the meeting itself, bring fresh to our minds, numerous, glorious proofs of the result; toe are, notwithstanding, held by a sort of magic, in an agony of suspence, till description has moored safe from quicksands, and storms, the vessel of the state in the haven of Independence. The British minister, like Brennus, held in his hand the balance with which he weighed out the terms of submission ; and like him too, when re- monstrated with on his fraudulent attempt to kick the "^beam, he replied with the same barbarous brevity " that the only portion of the vanquished was to suffer." Did America bow to the tyranny she despaired of being able to combat ; did she coldly calculate the consequences of a contest with a power, compared with whom, in the ordinary scale of computation, she was but an atom ; did she attempt to ward off the threatening danger by any compromise inconsistent with her glory ? Had she acted in either of those modes, we had not been assembled here this da}^ to celebrate the anniversary of American happiness, of American 102 AI'J'ILXJJIX. regeneration. To God alone Ib known, what posi- tion eaeh of us had occupied in a different order of things; but for myself 1 will speak without hesi- tation ; had I been an American during this contest, and the result had been different from what it is, could I have found liberty no where else, I 'had sought it in the woods. I thank God however this case is merely hypothetical : the virtue of our fathers, the vigilance and intelligence of their de- scendants have happily given us a chance of enjoy- ing liberty in society. But let us return to the question. How did America act at this juncture? Finding the heart of her tyrant steeled against the voice of nature, and the suggestions of reason, leaving all inferior tribu- nals, she solemnly appealed to the God of Battles, and the ri()h.l hands of her people. Then was seen the sublime spectacle of thousands of warriors, with a thousand various weapons, issu- ing from their forests, or descending like torrents from their mountains, at the call of their country. I see the heroic yeomen in white frocks engaged at Lexington and the British retiring. There, a mother supports the head of her expiring son; /t2, 42. Burk, Alexandrine, wife of J. J. Burk, 77, 80. Burk, John Daly, Green suggests a memoir of, 7 ; early life, i)laced at Trinity College, Dublin, ])rivate marriage, joins United Irishmen, 9, 10 ; attempts rescue of rebel, pursued by police, escapes and comes to America about 1796, 11, 32 ; edits Time- Piece, 15 ; edits Polar Star, 19, 26 ; career at Boston and New York, 19, 41 ; removes to Virginia, 12 ; settles at Petersburg, and writes History of Virginia, 89 ; writes History of late War in Ireland, 40; writes tragedy of death of Gen. Montgomery, 39, 42 ; writes ode in honor of Pennsylvania militia, 39 ; list of his works, 42 ; captain of a Petersbiu'g rifle com])any, 43 ; his api)(>arance, manners, and associates, 43, 44 ; writes Joan of Arc, 42 ; his songs, 44 ; personates characters on tlie stage, 45, 46 ; notices of his History of Virginia, 32, 33, 40, 41, 43, 67 ; advertisement of 4th volume, 33 ; his oration, 44, 93 ; falls in a duel, 48 ; funeral, 50 ; obituaries, 54 ; vnW, 62 ; genealogy, 88. Burk, Judge John Junius, 7 ; death of his \^^dow, 8 ; his remarks on Adams's critique, 14 ; recollection of his father's duel, 49 ; a legatee, 62, 65 ; anecdotes of, 81 ; obituary, 71 ; resolutions in honor of, 73 ; sketch of, 74 ; sketch of life and (character, 71, 80 ; resided \\\\\\ Dr. Henry Curtis, 91 ; adopted by T. B. Ro- bertscm, 116. Burk, Miss Junia A., 7 ; letters from, 9,74, 81. Burk, Thomas, 87. Burk, William, 19. Burke, origin of name, 88; sept of, houort'd with four peerages, 89. Byrd, Ursula, daughter of William of Westover, iv ; Journal, v. Campbell's Bridge, 41, 48, 49. Cedar Grove, 56. Chalmers's Political Annals, \ Chiu'chill, ode on duel, 57. INDEX. 119 Clare, coniediau, 46. Coqiiebcrt, Felix, 15 ; his altercation with Burk, 32, 41, 48, 56, 59 ; his appearance, 44 ; challenges Bm'k, 48, 57, 60 ; kills him in a duel, 48, 49, 55, 57. Curtis, Arniistead, 92. Curtis, Benjamin, 10, 40, 47, 74, 91, 115 ; publishes account of Burk's duel, 61 ; a leg-atee, 62 ; do. of Elizabeth Swail, 65, 66. Curtis, Mrs. Christiana, 10, 13, 91. Curtis, Dr. Henry, 10, 62, 74, 91. Curtis family record, 115. Daly, Miss, rescues Biu-k, 11. Davis, John, author of romance, 49 ; monody on Burk's grave, 51, 52. De Bourk, or De Burgo, family of, 88. Dickson & Pescird pubhsh 2d edition, vol. I, History of Virginia, 38. Dickson, J., 45. Dollar Newspaper, 15. Dublin Evening Post, 25. Duel between Burk and Coquebert, 32, 48. Dvinlop, David, 46. Dunlop, History of the American Theatre, 41. Dunnavant, M. W., 33. Edwards, J. L., 46. Edwards, L., 46. Eppes, Daniel, 44. Female Patriotism, drama by Burk, 42. Fitz Adelm, William, 88. Fitzwhylson, bookseller, 38. Fleet's Hill, 49. Fortunes of Argil, drama by Burk, 42. Funeral procession, Burk's, 50. Genealogy of Burk, 88. Gilmour, William, ()6. 120 INDEX. Girardin, Louis Hue, coutiiiuator of Burk's History, 33, 34 ; his volume destroyed by fire, 39, 42 ; prepared material for another volume, 38, 43. Grahame, author Colonial History, United States, notice of Burk, 42. Grammer, J., clerk of court, 04, 60. Green, William, on Stith's History, v ; contemplated a memoir of Burk, 7. Green, tragedian, 40. Gribelin's engravings, iv. Hall, Everard, comed3% 47 ; Dr. Isaac, 47. Heckman manuscripts, v. History of Ireland by MacGeoghegan, 87, 90. Herron, Major Andrew S., 77. Hopkins, comic actor, 45, 46. Innkeeper of Abbeville, drama by Burk, 42. Introduction, 7. ' Ireland, Ancient and Modern Music of, 30. Irish Melodies, suggested by McCreery, 31. Irish Songs, historical essay on the character and anticpiity of, 31. Irishmen, United, 10, 40, 44. Jefferson, his historical collection used by Girardin, 36. Joan of Arc, drama by Burk, 42. Jones, Gen. Joseph, 50, 56. Jones, Roger A., 44, 63, 04. Jones, Skelton, a continuator of Burk's History of Virginia, 33, 39 : with J. McCreery ])roi)Oses to ])ublisli the Music of Ireland, 30 : edits a newspaper, 38 ; falls in a duel, 33. Keith, Sir William, governor of Pennsylvania, v. Kent, Capt. Charles, 48. LeBlanc, O. M., 74. Lenioine, John E., 47. INDEX. 121 Ijontlon Company, records of, v. Lvnchburo- Star, notice ofBurk's historv, 67. McC'reery, John, one of the United Irishmen, 44 ; his collection of Irisli Music contains songs of Burk, 14 ; proposes to ])ublish Ancient and Modern Music of Ireland, 30, 44. Mac Geoghegan, Abbe, 87, 90. Mcllwaine, A. G., Sr., 50. McKenzie, comedian, 45, 46. McNae, second to Burk, 48. MacWilliam, Eighter and Oughter, 89. Martin, Alexander, prints Polar Star, 19. Meade, Hodijah, 91. Millette, Margaret Alexandrine, 77, 80. Miller, Morris, 44. Montgomery, Death of, play byBurk, 39. Moore, Thomas, the poet, 31. Morrell's Catalogue, notice of Bnrk's works. 39. Munford, Mrs. Ann E., letter from, 91. Nolens Volens, comedy, 47. Obituary of J. D. Burk, 54. Obituary of Judge John J. Burk, 71. Ode, by Churchill, 57. O'Kelly, translator MacGeoghegan's History of Ireland, 87, 90. Olive Hill, 49. Oration of J. 1). Burk, 31, 93. Parsons, Miss E. L. M., 115, 116. Petersl)urg Gaz(!tte, 13. Petersburg Index, 31. Petersburg Republican, 33 ; extract from, 57. Petersburg theatre, descripti(Hi of, 46. Petersburg Thespian Society, 45, 46. Phenix Hall, 47. PhicLde, comedian, 4(i. 16 122 INDEX. Pocahontas, romance of, 49. Polar Star and Boston Daily Advertiser, 19, 26. Port Folio, Davis's Monody published in, 51, 52. Posey, Reuben T., 74. Powell's tavern, 47. Randoli)h, John, of Roanoke, v ; friend of Burk, 88. Randolph, Sir John, v. R(»cord of the Boston stage, 14. Richmond Enquirer, 30, 81 ; Burk a c()ntril)utor to, 88. Robertson, Thomas Boiling-, friend of Burk, 44, 02, U4 ; governor of Louisiana, 75, 76 ; William, 63 ; adopts Junius Burk, 116, Robinson, Dr. Thomas, biographical skt'tch of, 31. Rutherford, comedian, 46. Sandford, comedian, 46. Smith, B. H., Jr., letter from, 116. Smith, General History of Virginia, iii. Smith, Dr. James, editcn- of Time-Piece, 15. Somervell & Conrad, publishers, 45. Spotswood, governor of Virginia, v. Stainback, Mr., 46. Star Si)angled Banner, its rival, 44. Stith, History of Virginia, iii, iv. Stith, Townsend, 44, 46, 62, 64. Swail, Elizabeth, 47, 49 ; her will, 65 ; Valentine, ()5 ; Jane, 65. Tlleat^e of Petersburg, 46. Thesi)ian Society of Petersburg, 45, 46. Thweatt, R. N., second to J. D. Burk, 48 ; arranges the duel, 61. Time Piece, newspaper, edited by Burk, 15, 16, 30. Trinity College, Dublin, Burk student at, 10, 16, 40 ; tried by board of, and expelled from, 26. Tyler, Christiana Booth, 92. Tvlcr John, 9, 92. rnitcd IrisliiinMi. Hurk joins, 10. INDEX. 123 Viro-iuia, Histoiy of, a desideratum, iii ; Smith's History of, iii ; Stith's do., iv ; Beverley's do., iv ; Keitli's do., v; Burk's do., vi, 33, 39 ; Henniug's Statutes at Large, v ; Burk's History continued by Jones and Girardin, 33. War in Ireland, Burk's History of, 40. Warrell, Mr., 46. Warren, Gen., liis chai'acter by Jolm Adams, 14. West, Mrs., actress, 46 ; Nanette, 46. Which do you like best, the Poor Man or the Lord, drama by Burk, 43. Will of Burk, 63, 63. William and Mary College, 7o. Wood, John, author of History of John Adams's administration, 15. n.^' vi> '^>- ^- ,v, % .^^' '. -pj. .^ >- V,-' A '^ v 0' V - V. * ,-y' O 0' ■^o o""' ^"^^ 'ci:. ■^ * 7 ..^^ ^^. "o o'^ N*-^ "''e ■/■ .^^^■ > •^^ xO •C' aV 1 > " o" N^' •^/>. •>*, tN' O ->, ^-^.«^\/^ % aN' •\ -- '' ""^.. v^' ,^^ -n^. 5>. » 8 , A N^'% XV .v^"^' -^. V -r' •i oV v^-' •^.V'. /^ V ^\^^ v^/_ •\' > -^^ x\^'" -\- ■x^ >■ ./' v^^ '"<< o 0^ A^"- .V>' s\>' ■^.. .^■■ ^^ -^/. v^^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS^ 014 442 712 9