0. '•

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of
Walter So Alexander

THE

CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANIES

HON. JOHN COTTON SMITH, LL.D,
FORUEBLY GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT.

^n (^uUgs

PRONOUNCED BEFORE THE CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AT NEW HAVEN, MAT 27tH, 1846.

REV. WILLIAM W. ANDREWS.

NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
82 CLIFF STREET.
184 7.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
eight huudred and forty-seven, by
Harper &. Brothers,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District
of New York.

TO

THE CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
AN INSTITUTION MOST HONOURABLE TO THE
STATE,
THIS MEMORIAL
OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS
Ks rrjsjjf ctf ttUj) 3SetrCcatetr,

THE EDITOR.

PREFACE.

After the following Eulogy was pronounced, the
author was requested by the son of Governor Smith*
to edit his father's correspondence and papers. In
consequence of that request, the original intention of
publishing the Eulogy by itself, under the direction of
the Historical Society of Connecticut, was abandoned,
and it was thought best to prefix it as an introduction
to this volume.
The following letters and miscellanies are a selec
tion from a large mass of papers which the Governor
left behind him, and care has been taken to publish
only such as the public might reasonably be expected
to take an interest in. Several letters from the late
Rev. Dr. Holmes, of Cambridge, Mass., are inserted
(with the permission of his family), not only for their
intrinsic value, but as throwing light on the character
of his friend. They were classmates in college, and
although they seldom met afterward, they kept up a
familiar correspondence, and regarded each other with
fraternal affection. It seemed proper to perpetuate
the memory of their friendship by associating their
* William M. Smith, Esq., of Sharon.

VI PREFACE.
names in this public testimonial. Many of Governor
Smith's letters to Dr. Holmes have unfortunately been
lost. It may be proper to say a word or two in regard to
some of the opinions expi-essed and defended in these
papers. Gov. Smith was a thorough-going old-school
man in his views of politics, theology, and language ;
and he stated them with great plainness, and often
with warmth. It was no part of the editor's business
to make such selections as should express his own opin
ions, nor does he hold himself responsible for all that
is advanced in the following pages. He felt it a duty
he owed to the memory of this distinguished statesman
and Christian, to let him speak for himself, so far as
that a correct portraiture should be given of his char
acter and principles, while omitting every thing that
seemed Ukely to offend by its personal severity.
The publishers are not responsible for the orthogra
phy of this volume. Governor Smith's own spelling has
been strictly followed in his own writings ;* and this,
it will be seen, varied a little at different periods of his
life. He was much opposed to the innovations of Dr.
Webster, and some parts of his essays on that subject
are here reprinted. He contended with a stout heart
against all deviations from the Johnsonian standard ;
and, whichever way the tide may finally turn, his ar
guments will be found well worth reading.
* It is probable that some discrepancies may have crept in, from
the fact that the compositors are accustomed to foUow Webster.

PREFACE. Vii
The volume is now commended to the public as a
memorial of a man distinguished for many excellences,
and especially for this, that throughout a long life he
preserved from all stain the purity and nobleness of a
Christian gentleman.

CONTENTS.

rm

I. EULOGY .

. 13

II. LETTERS .

. 55

1. To President Dwight ....

. 57
2. From Dr. Holmes 
. 58
3. To Judge Daggett 
. 59
4. From Dr. Holmes 
. 63
5. From Dr. Holmes 
. 64
6. From Dr. Holmes 
. 65
7. To Judge Beeve 
. 70
8. From Dr. Holmes 
. 72
9. From Dr. Holmes 
. 73
10. To Dr. Holmes 
. 75
11. To Dr. Holmes 
. 76
12. From Dr. Holmes 
. 77
13. To Hon. S. W. Johnson
. 80
14. From Dr. Holmes 
. 81
15. To Dr. Holmes 
. 82
16. From Dr. Holmes 
. 83
17. To Dr. Holmes 
. 84
18. From Dr. Holmes 
. 94
19. To Mrs. Eeeve, on the Death of J. Burr Eeev
e
. 94
20. To Dr. Holmes 
. 95
21. To Eev. Leonard E. Lathrop, D.D.
. 98
22. To Hon. S. W. Johnson ....
. 99
23. To Dr. Holmes ....
. 100
24. From Dr. Holmes 
. 102
25. To Mr. Humphreys ....
. 105
26. From Hon. Theodore Dwight
. 107
27. To Hon. Theodore Dvright .
. 107
28. To Rev. Dr. Brigham ....
. 110
29. To Eev. Dr. Brigham ....
. 113
30. To Col. Geo. P. Morris ....
. 114
31. To Eev. Dr. Miller ....
. 115
32. To Col. Ward 
. 117
33. To Mrs. Eliza Evertson . . . •
. 118
34. To Mr. George W. Sterling .
. 119
CONTENTS.

35. To Hon. Calvin Goddard
36. To Mr. Frederick H. Wolcott
37. To Hon. Samuel Ingham
38. To Hon. Samuel Ingham_
39. To a Friend . _.  .__
40. To Dr. M. L. North
41. To the Eev. Joseph Harvey, D.D.
42. To a Friend .
43. To Dr. M. L. North
44. To a Friend .
45. To Eev. Dc. Brigham. .
46. To Judge Daggett . , .
47. To a Friend . .
48. To Mrs. L. JI. Sigounjey
49. To Eev. Joseph Alden, D.D.
50. To Hon. Samuel T. Armstrong
51. To Hon. Thomas Day . ,
52. To Eev. Payson WiUiston
53. To Judge Daggett .
54. To Gen. George P. Morris .
55. To Hon. Truman Smith
56. To Rey. Dr, Prondfit , . .
57. To Ee,v. Dr. Brigham. . .
58. To Dr. M. L. North
59. To Eev. Dr. Armstrong . ,
60. To Hon. Truman Smith .
61. To a Friend ...
62. To a Friend . : .
63. To Eev. Dr. Brigham .
64. To TiUy Gilbert, Esq. .
65. To Chief-juptice Spencer
66. To Eev. Dr.. Sprague . .
67. To Rey. Dr.. Brigham. .
68. To Eey. E.,W. Andrews
69. To Eev. Enoch Pond,.D.D,
70. To Eey. Dr. Brigham, .
71. To Judge Daggett .
72. To a Friend .
73. To Dr, M. L. Nqrth
74. To Judge Daggett . , .
75. To Gov. Baldwin . . .
76. To Judge Daggett .
77. To Dr. M. L. North

CONTENTS. XI

III. MISCELLANIES .... 195

Washington in 1800, with a brief Notice of the First Session of
Congress in that City  197
Thomas Jefferson  222
Federalism and its Fruits  225
Prelacy  233
A short Colloquy between an Episcopalian and a Neic School Con-
gregationaUst  238
Remarks on a Concio ad Clerum . . . • . . .242
Divorce  246
The Slavery Question  251
The Slavery Question — (coniiwued)  256
Remarks on Professor Robinson's Review of Dr. Grant's Work on
the Ten Tribes  261
The Purity of the English Language Defended . . . .268
The English Language  272
The Universal Prayer, with Alterations  279
Bombardment and Defence of Stonington  281

IV. APPENDICES . . . .289
A. Memoir of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith . . • -291
B. Obituary of Mrs. Smith  • -296
C. Address from the Connecticut Legislature to the President of
- the United States  297
D. Judicial Decisions of Grovemor Smith  298
E. Speeches to the Legislature  300
F. Fast-Day Proclamation  310
G. Bible Society Addresses  312
H. Address to the Litchfield County Temperance Society . . 322
I. Address to the Alumni of Yale College, at their annual meet
ing in August, 1845  323
K. Obituary of Kev. Gilbert Livingston Smith . . . -327

EULOGY, &c.

Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Historical Society, —
It is a noble work which you have undertaken, to
gather up and preserve for future generations the me
morials of Connecticut. It is worthy the sons of an hon
oured mother, to illustrate her ancient manners, to exhib
it the principles on which her institutions were founded,
and to rescue from oblivion and hold up to the admira
tion of posterity, the heroic deeds of her children. And
the ofiice which, by your request, I am now to perform,
of discoursing on the Life and Times of the late Gov
ernor Smith, is in entire accordance with the spirit of
your enterprise ; for while his high official rank and
eminent services to his native state make him worthy
of such honourable notice, his long retirement from pub
lic life has joined him to the Past. A generation has
nearly passed away since he left the gubernatorial
chair, and ceased to take any active part in political
contests and measures ; and nowhere could his public
career be made the subject of eulogy more fitly than
before the Historical Society of Connecticut. And, al
though there are many reasons why the task should
have been assigned to a civilian, yet, as the magistrates
and ministers of Connecticut (to use a favourite illustra
tion of our fathers) were formerly associated, as Moses
and Aaron in the deliverance of Israel, it may not be
unseemly for a successor of the Puritan clergy to pour-
tray the character, and eulogize the virtues, of the last

14 EULOGY.
of her Puritan governors. I claim, too, one qualifica
tion (somewhat rare, I fear) for the office of eulogist —
sympathy with his principles as a statesman, which
were those of the elder times of our commonwealth —
and I shall trust to be held guiltless of trespassing on
the proprieties of the occasion, if I exhibit and defend
them with manly freedom. Standing before a socie
ty which concerns itself with the past alone, and med
dles not with the controversies of the day, I shall speak
without reference to existing parties ; but if any shall
deem me to use words of too lofty encomium in speak
ing of a by-gone age, they will pardon something to
the fihal spirit which dictated them.
In the year 1639, the inhabitants of Windsor, Hart
ford, and Wethersfield entered into that compact by
which Connecticut was first constituted a common
wealth. At that time, the Rev. Henry Smith* was the
minister of Wethersfield, and, of course, a party to the
transaction which gave existence to our state govern
ment. A few years before, the Rev. John Cotton and
the Rev. Richard Mather, harassed by the persecutions
to which the Non-conformists were subjected, left their
mother-country and sought refuge in the feeble colo
nies of New England. The former had been a man
of great distinction in his native land, first as a learned
scholar and eloquent orator in the University of Cam
bridge, and afterward as a laborious, and successful
minister of the Established Church in Boston, Lincoln
shire ; and during the almost twenty years that he
was teacher of the Church in the infant capital of Mas
sachusetts, he wielded an extraordinary influence, both
* It is not known what year he came from England. He was not
the Eev. Henry Smith who waa at one time settled at Hingham, Mas
sachusetts.

EULOGY. 15
in civil and ecclesiastical affairs. The latter, who was
educated at Oxford, and laboured for many years as a
clergyman of the Church of England in Toxteth, Lanca
shire, landed on our coasts in 1635, and the next year
removed to Dorchester, where he resided till his death,
enjoying a high reputation as a theologian, and emi
nently useful in the controversies of his time. His son,
the Rev. Increase Mather, was for almost sixty years
pastor of the North Church in Boston, and for twenty
years president of Harvard College ; a man of strong
faith, much spiritual wisdom and prophetic insight, and
abundant in his labours for the Church and the State.
He will ever be remembered in the political history of
Massachusetts for the important diplomatic service he
rendered in obtaining a new charter, after four years
of indefatigable labour at the court of St. James. He
married a daughter of the Rev. John Cotton, and from
this marriage sprung the Rev. Cotton Mather, of world
wide reputation as the author of Magnalia C/iristi
Americana, and justly renowned for his multifarious
(though ill-assorted, and often ill-applied) learning, un
wearied industry, and boundless benevolence. Of his
daughter Jerusha,* who was married to a grandson of
the Rev. Henry Smith — Mr. Samuel Smith, of Suffield
— was born the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, the father
of the subject of our eulogy. He was for more than
fifty years the minister of the church in Sharon, in this
state, where his name is still preserved in the affection
ate traditions of the people, as a sound divine, a most
faithful and tender-hearted pastor, and a man of great
personal dignity, f His wife was a daughter of the
* She died in Sharon, in the family of her son, in 17 89 , aged eighty-nine,
t See Appendix A, for a memoir of Mr. Smith, written by his son,
and published iu the Connecticat Evangelical Magazine.

16 EULOGY.
Rev. William Worthington, of Saybrook, one of the old
Puritan women, in whom faith was the fountain of
mild dignity and earnest well-doing. She was the
Lady Bountiful of her husband's parish, where she was
revered as a mother ; and, in the circle of her own
household, she diffused a charm by the sweetness of
her disposition, as she blessed it by the wisdom of her
domestic management.*
Of these parents John Cotton Smith was born, in
Sharon, February 12th, 1765 ; and he could thus num
ber among his ancestors no less than seven of the cler
gy of New England, several of whom are illustrious
names in her history, and three of whom were among
the founders and framers of her institutions.
, I shall be pardoned for going into these details be
fore a historical society, especially as they furnish a
clew to one of the strongest influences in the formation
of Governor Smith's character. His ancestral attach
ments were very strong ; he gloried in his descent from
the Puritan worthies ; and, as much as any one of his
time, he was controlled by their principles, and actua
ted by their spirit.
It was the great blessing of his childhood to receive
his training in one of the best of the old New England
households, where Law stood embodied in patriarchal
authority and dignity, and Christian Faith gave the
key-note to the domestic harmonies ; and much of the
loveliness and elevation of his character was doubtless
owing to the pure and quickening atmosphere of his
father's house.f There he formed those habits of sub-
* See Appendix B.
t It is said of him that, when quite a child, he was reported to hia
mother as having been saucy to a poor man of the neighbourhood.
Though he firmly denied it, the proof waa so strong that she punished

EULOGY. 17
ordination, and acquired that lofty self-control which
marked his future life. No man had more of filial rev
erence than he ; his intercourse with his parents was
ever marked by a manner the most respectful, and their
memory was cherished by him with the most affection
ate veneration. He was one of many proofs, how much
the excellence of the New England character has had
its ground- work laid in the religious constitution of her
families. His early education, till he was six years old, was
committed to his mother; and he pursued his classical
studies, partly at Sharon, and partly with the Rev. Mr.
Brinsmade, of Washington. He entered Yale College
in 1779, being then in his fifteenth year.* Though so
young, he passed through his collegiate course with
honour, acquiring a high rank as a scholar, and pre
serving his moral principles and habits from the slight
est stain — a preservation which he always ascribed to
the affection he had for his mother, and his dread to
do aught that should grieve her. It was at the time
of the Revolution, the heroic era in our annals, when
the energies of the people were quickened to the ut
most — ^the birth-throes of our national existence, to
wards which we had been steadily advancing from the
first ; and, although the youthful student took no part
him. But his grief at being thought capable of such a thing, and at
falling under his mother's displeasure, was so great, that he never rest
ed till he had brought to her the man, who at once cleared him from
the charge.
* The following winter his father went to bring him home for the
vacation. A great snow-storm came on, and they were compelled to
leave their sleigh in Woodbury, and travel to Bethlehem on horseback.
By that time the roads had become impassable to horses, and, fearing
that they might be wholly blocked up, they set out, with Dr. Bellamy's
sanction, on Sunday afternoon, on snow-shoes, reached Washington
that night, Warren the next day, and home on the third.

18 EULOGY.
in the war, his whole heart went with his country in
her struggle for independence. His father was a zeal
ous patriot, having served as chaplain in the campaign
of 1775, and full of hope as to the issue, even in the
darkest reverses.* The son partook of the fathei-'s
spirit, and, with the hopefulhess of youth, anticipated a
high and honourable destiny for his new-born country. f
* I take the following from the " Connecticut Historical Collections."
" The approach of a large British army from Canada, under.General
Biu-goyne, and' the expedition up the North River, under General
Vaughan, in 1777, filled the whole covmtry vrith terror and desponden
cy, and created strong fears and doubts as to the issue of the contro
versy. The firmness and confidence of Parson Smith, however, re
mained unbroken, and hia efforts to revive the drooping spirits of his
people were unremitted. In the month of October he preached a ser
mon from these words, ' Watchman, what of the night ? The Watch
man saith, the morning cometh.' In this discourse he dwelt much
upon the indications, which the dealings of Providence aiforded, that a
bright and glorious morning was about to dawn upon a long night of
defeat and disaster. He told the congregation that he believed they
would soon hear of a signal victory crowning the arius of America ; and
he exhorted them to trust with an unshaken and fearless confidence in
that God who, he believed, would yet crovni with success the efforts
of the friends of liberty in this country. Before the congregation was
dismissed, a messenger arrived with the intelligence of the surrender
of Burgoyne's army. Parson Smith read -the letter conveying the in
telligence from the pulpit, and a flood of joy and gratitude burst from
the congregation.'!
A body of Hessians, belonging to the same army, marched through
Sharon after their capture, and their oflBcers were hospitably entertain
ed at Parson Smith's. The next inoming, when drawn up for march
they sang psalms in their noble language, and then moved on to the
sound of sacred music. His son, then twelve years old, w^as so much
dehghted -with it, that he followed them a long way on their march
and he often spoke of it vrith enthusiasin afterwards.
t The following extracts from a letter written to Governor Smith
while in college, by the late Noah Webster, LL.D., then residin<' in
Sharon, may throw some light on. his literary reputation and patriotic
feeUiigs at that time, as they show the high hopes which then stirred
the hearts of the young :
"I received with gratitude, and read vrith delight the oration you

EULOGY. 19
He graduated in 1783, the year of the termination
of the war, and immediately entered on the study of
law in the office of John Canfield, Esq., in his native
village. When he was to take his degree of master
of arts, he was appointed by President Stiles, in con
nection with his classmates, Morse* and Daggett (the
latter of whom, the late venerable chief-justice of the
state, a most intimate and beloved friend of Governor
Smith, yet survives, to honour us this night with his
presence), to take part in a forensic disputation on the
question " Whether Laws ought to be established in
the United States for the Regulation of Expenses in
Diet, Dress, and Equipage ;" but he does not appear to
have fulfilled the appointment.
sent me. It revives in my mind the endearing idea I ever had of your
amiable instructor, and makes me regret a separation from him and
from that sort of literature. The elegant and animated language of tho
oration does no leas honor to the head, than the manly, patriotic senti;
ments do to the heart of the author. It is a valuable, as well as agree
able production. It shall be laid at the bottom of my chest ; it shaU
be rescued from the rough hands of time, or careless readers, and pre
served as a monument of my affection for its author, when death or
other circumstances shall prohibit a reciprocal intercourse of friendship
and kind ofiBces." " You know the value of that quadrennial period
of life which students are apt to neglfect, and which, once elapsed, nev
er returns. And if I may give my opinion without the imputation of
flattery, I must think that a proper^cultivation of your genius can not
fail to satisfy the expectations of your friends. American empire will
be the theatre on which the last scene of the stupendous drama of na
ture' shall be exhibited. Here the numerous and complicated parts of
the actors , shall be brought to a conclusion ; here the impenetrable
mysteries of the.Divine system shall be disclosed to the view of the in
telligent creation ; here the disorders which vice has introduced shall
be corrected, and the happiness of the human race completed. You and
I may have considerable parts to act in this plan, and it is a matter of
consequence to furnish the mind with enlarged ideas of men and things,
to extend our wishes beyond ourselves, our friends, or our country,
and include the whole system in the expanded grasp of benevolence."
¦• Eev. Jedediah Morse, D.D.

20 EULOGY.
In 1786,* he was admitted to the oar in Litchfield
county, then inferior to none in the state for the brill
iant array of legal and forensic talent which it present-
ed,f and immediately entered on his professional la
bours. In spite of the formidable competition he en
countered, he soon attained a high reputation and a
lucrative practice ; and, in the words of a distinguishT
ed living member of that bar,J who knew him well,
" He was esteemed, and justly so, an accurate pleader,
and a well-read, learned lawyer ; and though some of
those mentioned excelled him in power and popularity
as advocates, none of them surpassed, and, in my judgr
ment, none equalled him in grace of manner or ele
gance of diction and utterance." The thoroughness
of his attainments in legal science appears from this,
that in the very latest years of his life, when long with
drawn from practice, he showed perfect famiUarity
with the great principles of law, and was able to cite
cases from memory with remarkable readiness.
In 1793, he was first chosen to represent his native
town in the General Assembly ; and from 1796 to 1800
(when he entered on his Congressional career) he was,
without interruption, a member of the Lower House.
At the October session, 1799, he was appointed clerk ;
and in both of the sessions of the following year he
was elevated to the speaker's chair.
* On the 29th of October of that year, he was married to Miss Mar
garet Evertson, of Amenia, Dutchess county. New York, with whom
he lived more thau fifty years. She died May 10th, 1837.
t I may mention Eeeve, not more distinguished for his wisdom and
learning as a jurist, gi-eat as these confessedly were, than for the extra
ordinary excellence of his moral and religious character; Tracy, sur
passed by none in sparkUng wit aud subduing eloquence ; and Nathan
iel Smith, who, by the energy of a most mascuhne understanding
forced his way through great disadvantages to the highest professional
eminence. t Hon. D. S. Boardman, of New Milford

EULOGY. 21
Mr. Smith, as might have been anticipated, early
espoused the cause of the Federal Union, and support
ed the administration to which the government was
first committed under the new Constitution. The Rev
olution, while it freed the colonies from the rule of the
mother-country, left them in an enfeebled, perplexed,
and almost chaotic state. They were reeling under
the burden of debts incurred in the prosecution of the
war ; a licentious, insubordinate spirit was every where
rife ; insurrections were breaking out ; the central gov
ernment (if, by a misnomer, I may call it a govern
ment) was utterly powerless as to the collection of
revenue, or the maintenance of authority ; the credit
of the confederacy was gone, at home and abroad ;
and the faces of men began togather blackness as they
thought of the future. It was soon felt that something
more than liberty, or freedom from foreign domination,
was wanted ; that some organific principle must be in
troduced to stay the process which was fast dissolving
us into chaos ; that a government — not a sham, but a
verity — must be established, to be the central heart and
the vigorous arm of the whole confederacy, and, with
out impairing the reasonable liberties of the states, to
be the strong and majestic representative of the na
tional unity, and the organ of the national resources.
We were in imminent danger of falling apart and be
ing irretrievably broken, through the inordinate power
of the separate sovereignties ; and there -wjas no escape
but by creating a strong centripetal force in our system,
which should bind every star in its harmonious orbit.
The question touching the Federal Constitution was a
vital one, and so the wisest statesmen felt it to be. The
retrieval of our credit, the organization of our industry,
the re-invigoration of the dominion of law, the awaken-

22 E U L O « Y,
mg of hope in the hearts of the people, all depended
on the establishment of a government with functions
of guidance and rule, with powers not advisory but
coercive, to keep every state in its rightful sphere, and
thus save us from bankruptcy, dishonour, and ruin.
The principles in which Mr. Smith had been educated
made him the firm friend of the Constitution, in which
he saw the only hope of national prosperity ; and he sus
tained with characteristic ardor and energy the party
which secured its adoption. He gloried to the last in
being of the school of Washington and Jay ; ' no regard
to a deteriorated public sentiment caused him to swerve
one hair's breadth from his original position, or made
him ashamed of the name of Federalist, /with which he
believed the brightest period in our annals to be indis
solubly associated.
The political character of our statesmen during most
of the time that Governor Smith was in public Ufe,
was determined by the views they took of two great
subjects — the Federal Union, of which I have just spok
en, and the principles and policy of revolutionized
France. He was in his early manhood when the Rev
olution took place in that kingd^om, and if he at first, in
common with the great body of his countrymen, who
could not but sympathize with the people that aided
them in their perilous struggles, mistook the lurid
flames of the volcano for the light of a new morning
rising on the nations, it was a momentary delusion.
His reverential feelings, his manly integrity, his do
mestic virtues, vtrereall shocked by the atrocities of the
direful tragedy which so quickly followed the dazzling
play of philosophical and philanthropical fire-works.
He saw the Revolution to be the struggle and triumph
of unbelief, the outburst and ravage of satanic pride in

EULOGY. 23
man, which the ordinances of society are appointed,
and are, for the most part, able to restrain. Though
occasioned by gross corruptions and abuses in the old
institutions of the kingdom, and therefore a righteous
retribution on the shepherds who had not fed the flock,
he felt it to be the most atrocious revolt against the
government of God, the most systematic rejection of
His truth, and the most daring defiance of His author
ity that the world had ever seen ; and he looked on
the horrible cruelties and shameless indecencies which
were perpetrated in its course, as the legitimate fruits
of its godless spirit. Liberty, of the French type, he
utterly loathed ; he feared the influence of France on
the principles and moral feelings of his countrymen,
and shrank from all intimate communion with her as
from contact with a lazar-house.*
* The following extract is from an oration pronounced by him iu
Sharon, July 4th, 1798 : " This revolution, the greatest scourge, per
haps, which a holy God has yet permitted to visit the earth, has hith
erto been ascribed to causes which, in truth, have had Httle or no agen
cy in producing it. The subject is now better understood, and we
discover with certainty that those principles which we had fondly be
lieved to be the efficient springs of this revolution, never, in fact, oper
ated at all. You doubtless thought, as all Americans, indeed, thought,
that oppression made the French people mad ; but it was not so. You
thought it was the Intolerable tyranny of the crown, the insolence of
the nobility, and the enormous exactions of a corrupt priesthood which
roused the nation to a sense of its wrongs ; but this is not true. You
thought, for you had yourselves felt the sacred flame, that it was the
enthusiastic love of liberty which rose hke a torrent, and with resist
less force bore down the throne, the bastile, the altars, arts, institutions,
every vestige of the former state of things, and buried all in one pro
miscuous ruin ; yet nothing is more incorrect. That the government
was arbitrary, and the people oppressed, can not be contradicted ; and
that the state of the former called loudly for reform, and the condition
of the latter for great amehoration, is equally evident. The destruc
tion of despotism, and the estabhshment of national liberty upon ita
ruins, is a consummation devoutly to be wished. But let it be remem-

24 EULOGY.
Such were his convictions early in his political Hfe,
and such they remained to the end. As he was not
led astray by the false shows of liberty during the days
of the Republic, neither was he dazzled by the fiery
splendor of Napoleon's career ; for he saw that one
spirit ruled under all these outward transformations,
and that the mighty monarch before whom Europe
trembled was but a Jacobin on "the throne. It is dif
ficult for us of this age to make real to ourselves the
intense interest, the mingled terror and exultation with
which the varying aspects of French affairs were re
garded, from the first breaking out of the Revolution
to the final catastrophe at Waterloo, Nor can the
character of any statesman of that time be understood
without knowing where his sympathies were in that
great struggle by which all Europe was convulsed,
and which constitutes a new and grand epoch in the
history of Christendom. The two great parties in our
country were divided upon the question : the one clung
to that past of which England, as a Christian state,
guarding its altars and its firesides from the slime of
Jacobinism, was the representative ; the other rushed
bered, the nation had submitted to a monarchy for ages without a sin
gle attempt to cast it off; they had become proverbial for their attach
ment to royalty, and for a species of idolatry to the persons of their
monarchs. It must also be admitted that the people laboured under
no new and unprecedented wrongs ; on the contrary, their last sover
eign was the most amiable in his character, the mildest and most mod
erate in his administration of any princes who had ever swayed their
regal sceptre. To what, then, shall we ascribe the convulsions which
are shaking Europe to its centre, and which threaten to shake our
Western world ? The answer to this question is of high importance ;
it has long been conjectm-ed by discerning men, but may be now said
to rest in positive proof. It seems well ascertained that the French
Eevolution is the result chiefly of a combination long since formed in
Europe, by infidels and Atheists, to root oat and effectually destroy re
hgion and civil government."

EULOGY. 25
towards that future which was imaged in imperial
France, rising out of the abyss of the Revolution, like
the gorgeous palace of pandemonium. Mr. Smith
went heart and hand with the former,* resisting every
attempt to entangle our country with French allian
ces, and allowing no lingering animosity towards Great
Britain to blind him to the noble struggle she was mak
ing for true freedom and the Christian faith. Now
that the battle with the mother-country had been fair
ly fought and fairly won, he was willing to let by
gones be by-gones ; and he would not, in recoiling
from brethren of the same race, and language, and re
ligion, rush into the arms of a nation by which the
truths and ordinances of Christianity had been cast off
in malignant hatred and scorn. So much needed to
be said to indicate and to justify Governor Smith's po
sition as a statesman.
In October, 1800, he was chosen a member of Con
gress, of the circumstances of which I find the follow
ing account among his papers : " A vacancy having
occurred in the delegation from this state, by the resig
nation of one of her members, a writ of election was
issued for the choice of a successor, returnable to the
session of the General Assembly in October. At that
session^ I was speaker, and under little or no appre
hension of being chosen to fill the vacancy just men
tioned, especially as there were two or three other
names standing above mine in the Congressional nom-
ination.f On canvassing the votes, however, both for
the special member, and for the entire representation
* See Appendix C.
+ " At that period our members of Congress were chosen by general
ticket, from a nommation of eighteen candidates previously made by
the electors." B

26 EULOGY.

of Connecticut in the seventh Congress, it was my lot
to be designated to both stations. The event was un
expected, and the question of acceptance occasioned
much embarrassment. I was in full practice at the
bar, and strongly, not to say passionately, attached to
domestic life ; both of which would, in no small de
gree, be sacrificed by a compliance with the wishes of
my constituents. No time was allowed to confer with
my beloved wife and venerable father, to both of whose
opinions I was accustomed to pay the utmost respect.
On the other hand, my assent to the call of the people
was urged by Governor Trumbull and other gentle
men in terms which, as a professed patriot, I found it
impossible to resist." Beautiful portraiture of the time
when office was regarded as a sacred trust to be con
ferred on the worthy, not as a prize to be scrambled
after for its spoils !
When he entered Congress, the Federal administra
tion was still in power ; but the close of that session
saw the sceptre pass out of its hands, and 4he party
with which he acted lost its national ascendency for
ever. During almost the whole of his Congressional
career, he was in the minority ; and the honours which
he received were not, therefore, the reward of a par-
tizan by a dominant faction. Nor did he ever seek to
conciliate his political opponents by any hiding of his
opinions; he was an open, decided, uncompromising
opponent ; and yet, such were his talents as a states
man, such his bearing as a gentleman, and such the
spotless integrity of his character, as to command the
respect and win the confidence of the House and of the
country during times of the most violent party excite
ment. After the first session, he was Chairman of the
Committee of Claims so long as he held his seat (with

EULOGY. 27
the exception of one winter, when his necessary ab
sence led him to decline it) ; a most laborious office at
that time, when there was less subdivision of duties in
Congress than now, but which he filled with great abil
ity and reputation. Clear-sighted, prompt, energetic,
and indefatigable, he was able rapidly to disentangle
the most perplexed subjects, and present them with
luminous distinctness ; while his lofty rectitude, never
soiled even by the breath of suspicion, gave moral
weight to his decisions, as coming from one who could
never sacrifice justice to party or even national ends.
But it was not in private committees, and by aptness
for business alone, that he was distinguished ; he was
a nobleman by nature, born for rule, and the qual
ities that had raised him to the speaker's chair in the
Legislature of Connecticut were more nobly develop
ed on the wider theatre of Congress. In an assembly
of gentlemen (for our National Legislature had not
then become an arena for blackguards and buffoons),
•no oiie was so well fitted to preside as he. His com
manding dignity, his manly firmness, the quick discern
ment which left nothing undiscovered, and the prompt
itude in decision which never hesitated, eminently qual
ified him to take the lead of the House in the stormiest
debates. With that lofty port and bearing which in
spired universal respect, there was joined great suavity
of manner, which had. power to charm the agitated
elements to peace. No man could control an excited
assembly with more majesty and grace ; none more
effectually win an antagonist, by the impartiality of his
decisions and tbe courtesy of his deportment. He did
not often engage in debate, but he could rule it, in its
wildest moods, with masterful skill. He was oftener
called to the chair in Committee of the Whole than any

28 EULOGY.
other member, especially when those questions were
before the House which were most fitted to awaken
party animosities ;* and during the celebrated discus
sion on the judiciary, in 1801, he presided to universal
acceptance — on one occasion, when the excitement
Was at its height, sitting immovable in his place, with
the firm endurance of a Roman senator, for twelve
hours. His Congressional career closed in 1806, when he
resigned his seat for the sake of his father, that he
might minister to the comfort of his old age. Public
life, in itself, had no charms for him, though he dis
charged its duties with religious fidelity; and when
filial affection and reverence threw their weight into
the scale with his strong domestic attachments, he
gladly withdrew from its honours and burdens 4o the
bosom of his family. His course had been eminent
ly honourable and Useful. His intellectual activity,
soundness of judgment, and habits of systematic indus
try qualified him for those business labours to which
mere eloquence is inadequate ; and as a high-minded
statesman and an accomplished gentleman, he had no
superior. There was a nobility about him which no
one could trifle with — such as extorted the admiration
and commanded the respect of that eccentric and fiery
spirit, John Randolph, who was never lavish of his
compliments on Northern men. It was his peculiar
honour, in an assembly which could boast of Otis, and
Griswold, and Bayard, and Lee, and Harper, and
* A distinguished member of Congress from Massachusetts thus play
fully wrote to him in 1806. " But, first and chiefest, instruct me con
cerning him who used so often, when presiding in Committee of the
Whole, to beckon us to be solemn, while Eandolph, executin" on his
party a holy justice with his whip of scorpions, made
' Strange horror seize them, and pangs unfelt before.' "

EULOGY. 29
Pinckney, to excel in those commanding qualities of
personal character which fit men for rule.*
On his retirement from Congress, he did not resume
practice at the bar, but devoted himself to the manage
ment of his farm, and to those literary pursuits which
were congenial to his refined taste. But his townsmen
would not suffer his talents to be wholly buried. He
was sent to the Lower House of the State Legislature
in the autumn of the same year, when he was chosen
.speaker ; and he represented his- native town without
intermission till 1809, when he became a member of
the Council. In October of that year he was elevated
to the bench ; and here I have the pleasure of speaking
in the words of another, a distinguished ornament of
the bar, and of this society,f who has drawn up the fol
lowing sketch at my request :
" In August, 1809, Governor Trumbull died ; and the
Legislature, at its session in October following, appoint
ed Lieutenant-governor Treadwell to fill the vacancy;
and the vacancy produced by this appointment was
iilled by taking Roger Griswold from the bench of the
Superior Court. Upon the same Legislature devolved
the duty of selecting the successor of Judge Griswold
on the bench. The Connecticut Bar had at no time
been adorned with a greater number of learned, able,
and experienced jurists than at this. Without the aid
of a caucus, or the influence of any party machinery,
* " The speaker, I believe, always appoints as Chairman of the Com
mittee of the Whole one of the five following persons : Varnum, Daw
son, Gregg, Tenny, or J. C. Smith; and the last-mentioned is the only
one that keeps order; indeed, he is by lar the most proper person for
speaker in the House."
The above, written by the Washington correspondent of some paper,
was published in the Hartford Oourant, 1806.
t Hon. Thomas Day.

30 EULOGY.
the choice fell upon John Cotton Smith. He had not
been in extensive practice as a lawyer ;* much of his
time and attention, since he became a member of the
profession, had been employed in legislative duties ; no
one supposed him to be as well versed in the tech
nicalities and positive institutions of municipal jurispru
dence as many others ; but the appointing power knew
that he had more important qualifications ; that his
mind was well stored with the principles of law ; that
he had quick discernment and sound judgment to, direct
their application ; that he had cultivated habits of pa
tience, diligence, and courteous bearing ; and, above
all, it was believed that he would exercise his judicial
functions with strict impartiality and incorruptible in
tegrity, fearing God rather than man. There were at
that time nine judges of the Superior Court, constitu
ting, when assembled, the Supreme Court of Errors.
Judge Smith took his seat beside Chief-justice Mitchell,
of depoi'tment no less dignified and courteous than his
own ; beside his venerated fi-iend, the learned Reeve ;
beside other able and acute jurists, of scarcely less em
inence. He felt himself at once among kindred mindsi
His n&w duties seemed not less congenial to him than
those of any former situation in which he had been.
placed. " At this time the Superior Court, when trying issues
in fact, and other matters cognizable by that court, was
composed of three of the nine judges, the eldest of
whom presided and charged the jury. Judge Smith,
being the youngest judge, was probably never called
upon to preside in court or to charge the jury. In that
* It would be more strictly ti:ue to say long practice, for his practice
was extensive for a country lawyer, ^fthe time of his election to
Congress.

EULOGY. 31
situation he had httle else to do than to give his opin
ion upon interlocutory questions arising in the course
of the trial, to aid his brethren in their consultations,
and to share with them the responsibility of the final
determination. As these proceedings have never been
chronicled to the public, and as an entire generation of
men, with here and thei-e an individual exception, has
passed away since they were had, it is difficult to as
certain the precise character of the part which Judge
Smith bore in them. From what is known of his qual
ifications, principles, and habits, it may safely be con
cluded that here, as elsewhere, he acted well his part.
" As a member of the Supreme Court of Errors, his
situation was different. It was made, by statute, the
duty of the judges of tha.t court to give their opinions,
in all matters of law by them decided, publicly and sep
arately. The practice adopted by the court, under
this statute, was to designate, in each case, one of their
number who was in the majority, to give the first opin
ion, in which the reasons of the decision were stated at
length ; and then the other judges concurred or dis
sented, according to their respective views. At the
only term of this court which was held while Judge
Smith was a member of it, he gave the first opinion in
four .cases, which appear with the other cases in the
reports of that period. A critical examination of these
opinions would be out of place here, and yet some no
tice of them seems appropriate to our subject..*
" Before another term of the court was held, a va
cancy occurred in the office of lieutenant-governor, by
the promotion of Roger Griswold to the chief magis
tracy of the state, and Judge Smith was called from
the bench to fill that vacancy. It is known to some of
* See Appendix D.

32 EULOGY.
his surviving friends, who were honoured with his con
fidence, that he left the court reluctantly. His judicial
duties were agreeable to him, and he was attached to
his associates. But he deemed it his duty to obey the
public voice ; and that was decisive with him."
Of his associates on the bench, the venerable Bald
win, the father of our late honoured chief magistrate, is
the only survivor. Far distant be the day when tlie
state shall be called to mourn for him I
In May, 1811, he was chosen lieutenant-governor.
The sickness of Governor Griswold during the summer
of 1812 imposed unusual duties upon him; and the
death of the chief magistrate, in October of that year,
made him the acting governor. For the four following
years, and until the political revolution of the state in
1817, he was elected to the«gubernatorial chair, which
he filled, as he had every office, with eminent ability
and faithfulness. The leading events of his adminis
tration grew out of the war with England ; and of
them I must briefly speak, in justice to his character,
though the embers be still glowing under the ashes.
He assumed the government at a time of great em
barrassment and perplexity. The war was unpopular
with the great body of the people of Connecticut, as
uncalled for, and, even if necessary, entered upon with
out the needful preparations for defence. Our har
bours and shipping were in an exposed condition ; the
fortifications along the coast had been neglected, and
were^ decaying ; and most of the regular troops had
been withdrawn from the sea-board, though it was
from the naval force of the enemy that the greatest
danger was to be apprehended. To increase the em
barrassment, the general and state governments had
been brought into collision; for Governor Griswold,

EULOGY. 33
acting with the advice of his council, had refused to
comply with a requisition for troops to be under the
command of the United States officer at Fort Trumbull
(near New London), on the two-fold ground that the
constitutional exigencies authorizing such a call did not
exist, and that the militia " could not be compelled to
serve under any other than their own officers, with the
exception of the president himself when personally in
the field."
• Such was the situation of affairs when Governor
Smith took the chair. He had been a warm opponent
of the principles and measures which led to the decla
ration of war ; he sympathized with Great Britain, not
with France, in their fearful struggle, on the issue of
which he believed the welfare of Christendom to hang ;
but when he saw his country actually involved in the
contest, he did not hesitate for a moment. To use his
own words, "he was resolved to defend the state at
every hazard, and to fulfil his Federal obligations up
to the spirit and letter of the Constitution." When the
American squadron, under Decatur, was driven into the
harbour of New London by a British fleet, to the great
consternation of the town and neighbouring coast, he
instantly called a large body of militia into service, and
took the most efficient measures to repel any attack.
The principles on which he acted — those of genuine
patriotism — were well stated in his speech to the Leg
islature in October of that year. " The government of
Connecticut, the last to invite hostilities, should be the
first to repel aggression. In my view, it was not a
time to inquire into the character of our enemy, or the
causes which made him such, when our territory was
ijivaded, and our citizens were demanding protection ;
and when no inconsiderable part of our gallant navy
B2

34 EULOGY.
was exposed, within our own waters, to instant capture
or destruction."*
And when, the next year (1814), the British fleet
threatened to lay waste our whole coast, and Petti-
pauge (Saybrook) was attacked, and all the shipping,
consisting of upwards of twenty sail, was burned, he
acted with equal vigour and efficiency ; and, although
the United States commanding officer. Brigadier-gen
eral Gushing, refused to recognize the Connecticut
troops as being in the service of the United States, be
cause they were under the command of their own ma
jor-general, and withheld all supplies, he did not with
draw them from the field, but assumed on the state the
responsibility of their pay and subsistence throughout
the whole campaign. He would defend the constitu
tional rights of Connecticut in respect to her militia
against all usurpation ; but he was ready to co-operate
with the General Government to the utmost, within
these limits, in defending the country. No reproach
was ever cast upon him by his opponents for his man
agement of the war, however much they might have
regretted his abstract opinions ; all admitted his pa
triotism, and applauded the promptitude and energy
with which he acted against the-foe.f
The fife of a governor of Connecticut is generally
tranquil, and furnishes few incidents for history. The
narrow limits of our territory, the orderly habits of oUr
people, and the fixed character of our institutions, leave
little to be done by our rulers beyond calm supervision
* See Appendix D.
t Proof of this wiU be found in looking over files of the newspapers
of that day. The Democratic press, with no exception worth speakiu"
of, spoke in high terms of praise of the governor's course in relation to
the war.

EULOGY. 35
and such gentle amendments as the change of circum
stances may require. Apart from the war, there is
nothing demanding especial notice in Governor Smith's
administration. He adorned the station by the con
summate grace and dignity with which he appeared
on all public occasions ; all the duties and proprieties
of the office were most faithfully discharged and ob
served, and his state papers were distinguished for per
spicuity and classic elegance. He was always equal
to the occasion.
Governor Smith was the last governor under the old
regime. He went out of office in consequence of a po
litical revolution in the state, which changed radically
the spirit, and led to a speedy change in the Constitu
tion of our commonwealth. This constitutes such an
epoch in our history as to demand a moment's notice.
Connecticut was planted by Christian men, and on
Christian principles. The grand aim of the colonists
was to build up a Christian state, a system of institu
tions which should be as a holy^ temple in honour of
Almighty God, founded on the recognition of His au
thority, reared in accordance with His will, and sol
emnly devoted to the glory of His name. They look
ed on civil government as a Divine ordinance, clothed
with a majesty descended from above, not derived
from beneath, and not as a mere earthly Contrivance
for the collection of revenue and the maintenance of
an efficient police. In fleeing from the oppressions,
and striving to be freed from the abuses, of the Old
World, they did not cast away the great truth which
has been the shaping law of Christendom — Christ's do
main — that the anointed Son of God, from whose birth
all Christian nations measure time, is the true centre
of the State as of the Church, who should be recognized

36 EULOGY.
in every civil and ecclesiastical institution, and to whom
every office-bearer owes allegiance. The magistracy
had, in their view, a jus divinum, being the ministers
of God, entrusted with the sword of justice by His au
thority, and responsible for the wielding of it in ac
cordance with His righteous will. Said John Robin
son, in his farewell letter to the little company of pil
grims in the May-flower — lambs of his own flock, who
were leaving him for the wilderness — " Lastly, where
as you are to become a body politic, using among
yourselves civil government, and are. not furnished
with any persons of special eminency above the rest,
to be by you chosen into office of government, let your
wisdom and godliness appear not' only in choosing such
persons as do entirely love and will diligently promote
the common good,. but also in yielding unto them all
due honour and obedience in their lawful administra
tions, not beholding in them the ordinances of their per
sons, but God's ordinance for your good ; nor be like the
foolish multitude, who do more honour the gay coat
than either the virtuous mind of the man or glorious
ordinance of the Lord. But you know better things,
and that the image of the Lord's power and authority,
which the magistrate beareth, is honourable, in how
mean persons soever."
The compact drawn up by the Pilgrims before they
left the ship, began, " In the name of God, Amen," and
proceeded to declare that, having undertaken " to plant
a colony for the glory of God and the advancement of
the Christian faith, they did solemnly, in His presence
¦covenant and combine," &c.
Nor was it otherwise in Connecticut. The original
Constitution, drawn up January 14th, 1639, at Hart
ford, states in the Preamble the duty of establishing

EULOGY. 37
*' an orderly and decent government according to
God," and that it was framed " to maintain and pre
serve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus ;" nor were the fundamental articles of the colony
of New Haven, which were adopted June 14th of the
same year, less explicit in the recognition of the Christ
ian faith. Connecticut from the beginning, in both col
onies,* was a Christian commonwealth, sealed and de
fended .with the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. The State, as God's ordinance
for civil rule, did not stand aloof from the Church, His
ordinance for teaching and worship. The one acted
as the representative of Christ the King ; the other, as
the representative of Christ the Prophet and the Priest.
The State sought to guide itself by the light of God's re
vealed will, and acknowledged, in all reverence of spir
it. His holy and overmastering providence ; and hence,
remembering that-" the priest's hps should keep knowl
edge, and that they should seek the law at his mouth,"
it looked to the Church to be instructed in the great
principles on which government must be administered,
and sought the blessing, and deprecated the anger- of
the Lord, in days of fasting and prayer. It was on this
ground that a sermon was preached at the opening of
every session of the Legislature, that the rulers might
be reminded of their obligations to God, and of their
dependence on Him for wisdom in counsel and rule,
and not because the clergy might lawfully interfere in
any of the details of the civil administration. The
Church was recognized by the State, and formally es
tablished and sustained as the teacher of the people.
* Connecticut and New Haven were distinct colonies until 1665,
when, happily for both, they were united under the name of Connec
ticut.

38 EULOGY.
That our fathers mi-stook sometimes in the applicaJ
tion of these principles, through ignorance of the propj
er boundaries of these two great institutions ; that they
were somewhat intolerant, and gave to their polity an
austere a.nd Jewish character, from want of insight into
the true freedom of Christianity, and the purely spirit
ual character of all ecclesiastical ordinances, were er
rors affecting the beauty and comfort of the super
structure, but not impairing the solidity of the founda
tion.* And I dare affirm that, in spite of all the faults
into which they fell, the true glory of our common
wealth may be traced to its Christian standing. It
was this that gave sacredness and dignity to the mag-
isti-acy, upholding it in honour in the hearts of the peo
ple, and securing it from those mutations which are so
injurious to the steady and healthful growth of any
country. It was such principles that made Theophi
lus Eaton to be the admiration of all spectators, for
" the discretion, the gravity, the equity with which he
managed all public affairs ;" and. that elevated him to
the chief magistracy of the colony of New Haven, by
the free suffrages of her citizens, for twenty successive
years. It was the reverent recognition of God in civil
and domestic, as w^ll as ecclesiastical institutions, that
secured such subordination in the family andl;he state;
and made the whole atmosphere of society so pure and
* Throughout all Christendom, since the conversion of Constantine,
the Church and the State have encroached each on the other's prov
ince. The one has usurped the functions of earthly rule ; the other
those of spiritual ministry. It is hard to say which has been the great
er loser ; for, if the pope has freed himself from that civil subjection
under which he ought to have remained, the king, in many lands  at
times, in every land — has intruded himself into the work of the priest,
and dared to dictate, both in doctrine and worship. Of the three altern
atives, movelnent in harmony, mutual interference, and entire divorce,
Christendom ia now chooaing the last and worst.

EULOGY. 89
healthful. There were evijs enough — strifes and dis
sensions numberless ; but, withal, there was a tough
ness of moral life, an unbending integrity, and a high
resolve, which carried the state safely through all its
perils.* Those were not faultless times, but they were
times of faith ; God's government was an awful re
aUty by which men sought to shape their earthly fife,
every region of which (though with many spots of
partial obscuration) was illumined by the light that
shineth from above. Give me the stern and ragged
cliffs, in the clefts of which many a stately tree is
nourished, and out of which many a flower of sweetest
fragrancy doth spring ; and keep to yourselves, ye
despisers of our Past, the yielding, treacherous quick-
* I can not resist the temptation of giving one or two extracts from
John Winthrop, the first governor of that name of Massachusetts, to
show how unlike the hberty for which our father's contended is to the
liberalism of the present day. " The questions that have troubled the
country have been about the authority of the magistracy and the hberty
of the people. It is you who have called us to this office ; but, being
thus called, we have our authority from God ; it is the ordinance of
God, and it hath the image of God stamped upon it; and the contempt
of it has been vindicated by God with terrible examples of his ven
geance." " Nor would I have you to mistake in the point of your own liberty.
There is a hberty of corrupt nature, which is affected both by men and
beasts, to do what they Bst ; and this liberty is inconsistent vrith author
ity, impatient of all restraint ; by this hberty sumiis ornnes deteriores ;
'tis the grand enemy of truth and peace, and all the ordinances of God
are bent against it. But there, is a civil, a moral, a federal liberty,
which is the proper end and object of authority ; it is a hberty for that
only which is just and good ; for this liberty you are to stand with the
hazard of your very Uvea ; and whatsoever crosses it is not authority,
but a distemper thereof. This liberty is maintained in a way of subjec
tion to authority ; and the authority set over you will, in all administra
tions for your good, be quietly submitted unto by such as have a dispo
sition to shake off the yoke and lose thefr true liberty, by then: mur
muring at the honour and power of authority."

4d B U L O G Yi
sands in which nothing can take root. Austere prin
ciples are better than none.
In the great revolution which immediately followed
the retirement of Governor Smith, and of which his re
jection was the first wave, Connecticut abdicated her
Christian standing. The ancient spirit which had
shaped her institutions, and linked her, in her corporate
capacity, to the throne of the Almighty for almost two
hundred years, was then expelled ; and the State ceas
ed, henceforward, to wield power as a religious trust.
New and alien principles obtained the ascendency, and
the divine life, imbreathed into the Commonwealth by
its godly founders, was no longer the controlling law.
The multiphcation of Christian sects undoubtedly ren
dered a strict adherence to the original constitution
both unwise and impossible, but could not justify such
a total departure from the old foundations. Schisms
in the Church can never necessitate the apostacy of the
State. If the truth and institutions of God exist in
fragments, they should be honoured as fragments, and
not cast aside as rubbish. But the few- remaining
usages of a religious character yet retained by our gov
ernment, are felt to be incongruous with the spirit of
the age, are barely tolerated as lifeless fonns, and will
soon be swept away.
It was the honour of Governor Smith tp close wor
thily the long line of chief magistrates in whom the
principles of the former era were represented, and to'
shed around the last days of the old Commonwealth,
the lustre it had in the times of Haynes, and Winthrop,
and Saltonstall. His state papers breathe the spirit of
religious reverence and faith ; he speaks in them as a
Christian ruler, the head and organ of a Christian peo-.
pie, unfolding the dealings of Almighty God, and sum-.

EULOGY. 41
moning them to acts of lowly worship at his feet.*
With his administration the Golden Age of Connecticut
came to an end.f
From his retirement in 1817 to his death, a period of
almost thirty years, he lived upon his estate in his na
tive town, wholly withdrawn from all participation in
political affairs, and devoted to the studies and employ
ments befitting a scholar, a gentleman, and a Christian.
He acted in the spirit of the words of the Roman poet,
MUitavi non sine gloria ;
Nunc arma defimctumque hello
Barbiton hie paries habebit ;
for, having served his country in so many and so im
portant trusts, he henceforward kept himself sternly
aloof from the strifes (he had never been concerned
with the plottings) of politics, impelled by that instinct
ive delicacy that ever shrank from a stain as from a
wound. J In no part of his life did his character man
ifest itself in lovelier forms. He was not soured by de-
* See Appendix F.
t I need hardly say that the above has no apphcation to individual
chief magistrates, of whom we have since had those that would have
adorned any period in our history, but to the great principles on which
the government is administered. The whole question ia viewed from
a Christian stand-point ; and the unanimous judgment of Christendom,
until within the last fifty years or so, is boldly reaffirmed. The relig
ious and ecclesiastical bearings of the revolution referred to above
were these. For a considerable time after the first settlement of the
state, it was homogeneous iu its faith, and all the people contributed, ac
cording to law, to the support of the Congregational churches. After
ward, when dissenters had become numerous, they were released from
all hability to support the estabUshed ecclesiastical communities, on
condition that they contributed to their own. All were required to sus
tain Christian worship in some form. But under the new Constitution
there is no such obligation ; and the state, as such, has nothing to do
with the Church, which it once piously sought to nourish and defend.
The change is unsound in principle, and has been mischievous in ita
finits. t Burke.

43 EULOGY.
feat; for he had never sought office, nor valued it for
its own sake; and he gladly withdrew from public
cares, to partake, without interruption, of household
joys, which no man appreciated more highly. He
threw a charm around the fireside, as great as he im
parted to the chair of state* There was a tenderness
as well as sti-ength in his domestic affections, a mild
dignity and winning gentleness in his manners, which,
penetrated and purified by the spirit of Christian love,
made the atmosphere of his household to be such as is
breathed in heaven. The elevation of his character
never sank in the privacy of social Hfe ; it was as
marked there as when he pronounced judgment from
the bench, or ruled majestically the .stormy debate.
And yet, there was no repulsive stateliness or, weari
some formality about him ; all was like the grace of
childhood, instinctive and unconscious, the spontaneous
manifestation of a pure and noble spirit.*
I know nothing more beautiful than this last period
of his life. His intellectual vivacity was undiminished
by his withdrawal from the excitement of the political
arena ; and he devoted himself to the management of
his farm, to an extensive correspondence, to literary
and theological studies, and to such public duties as,
from time to time, were devolved upon him, with as
*¦ He was very fond of children, and had great power of attracting
and interesting them. He seldom passed them in the street without a
kind word-
I may also add, in this connection, that as nothing could surpass hia
devotedness as a husband, so towards all women he showed a knight
like delicacy and respectfulness, reminding one of a remark of Nelson
Coleridge about his uncle: "I never was in company vrith him in my
life when the entry of a woman, it mattered not who, did not provoke,
a dim gush of emotion, which passed lilie an infant's breath over the
mirror of his intellect."

EULOGY. 43
much vigour as he had ever showed at the bar or in
the Senate-house. Rising with the early dawn, he gave
a portion of the morning hours of summer to labouring
in his garden, in the cultivation of which he took great
dehght ; and the remainder of the day was devoted to
his books and pen, and to the society of his family and
friends. Measured by the standard of his time, he was
a good classical scholar ; and within a year or two of
his death, when arrived at fourscore, he read the Tus-
culan Questions with unabated interest.* I see him, in
that ripe old age, which the hand of Time had lightly
touched, with his elastic step, his upright form, his man
ly and beaming countenance ; I hear the words of warm
and courteous welcomef with which he received all
* " You must pardon these classical infusions," wrote to him a Con
gressional friend, himself a finished scholar, " which I love to indulge
when in intercourse with those who rehsh such flavour. And I re
member a chairman of the Committee of Claims whose dehght it was
to associate vrith the high spirits of antiquity, notwithstanding fate had
condemned him, in his political career, at times, to consort with the
lowest of the modems.''
t The following beautiful illustration of his courteous reception and
treatment of his guests is from a letter addressed to him by a distin
guished literary gentleman :
" I never shall forget my visit to your hospitable mansion. I have
one association about it that has ever been present to my mind. Will
you forgive me if I record it here ? It taught me a lesson that has been
of service to me always. You may remember, I was quite a boy then.
I was very poor, but very proud. I knew nothing of the world, and
had never seen a governor iu the whole course of my life. When I
dehvered you my letter of introduction, I trembled from head to foot,
although you did not perceive it. You read it in the gravel-walk, in
the shade of a fine tree, just by the wicket-gate. I watched your fea
tures as you folded up the note, and forgot my uneasiness when you
t»ok me by the arm and introduced me to your family. I slept that
night well, and was awakened by the birds at early dawn. Sleep aud
the perfume of the flowers which stole in at nay window had complete
ly refreshed me. I felt like one who rests his foot upou the air, and
longs for vringa to momit to paradise. I had hterally a light heart and

44 EULOGY.
that entered his hospitable mansion, and the rich and
various discourse with which he charmed them, as the
conversation ran through the wide fields of history,
philology, politics, and Christian doctrine ; and admire
that he should have carried into the evening of life, not
only the fruits of large experience, but so much of the
freshness and sparkle of the dew of youth. He wrote
many fugitive essays in his later years on matters of
passing interest — chiefly such as were connected with
language and theology — all marked by discrimination
and acuteness, and a pure and flowing style. He was
a great lover of undefiled English, and a master of it
too ; few could use it in conversation or in writing
with more precision and elegance. His letters were
remarkable for their appropriateness — sprightly, ten
der, serious, as the occasion prompted.
Much of his time, after his retirement from public
life, was given to religious studies, and especially to
the Holy Scriptures. From his earliest childhood, his
principles had been sound and his life unblemished ;
but it was during his Congressional career that he be-
a light bimdle ; for I had brought with me but the apology of a ward
robe, and I waa wondering how I should make my toilet, when a knock
at the door called my attention emother way. ' Come in,' said I, The
door did not open. I went to it, astonished that any one should be
'stirring with the lark.' I opened it, and there stood Governor Smith,
with my boots hanging to one of his little fingers, a napkin thrown over
his arm, and shaving utensils in the palm of his hand. I wish you
could see that noble-hearted genfleman now as I saw him then, with hia
affable smile, his cheerful' good-morning,' and the true spirit of hospitality
sparkling in his eyes and irradiating his whole countenance; you would
not think me extravagant if I recommended him as a study for an artist.
I shall not attempt to describe my astonishment, nor the impression you
made upon my unfettered and inexperienced mind; but allow me to
say, you taught me a lesson of humility I have not forgotten, and never
can forget. I thanked you for it then, and though a lifetime has since
been numbered with the past, I thank you for it now."

EULOGY. 45
came a communicant in the church under his father's
care, and ever afterwards he led the life of an humble-
minded Christian. His religion was manly, earnest,
and sincere, without cant or ostentation — not a gar
ment, but a life. He was a Christian, not by intellect
ual conviction alone, but in the inmost affections of
his soul, by the surrender of his whole being to God in
Christ. But he was also an intelligent believer, hold
ing with clear insight, as well as tenacious faith, the
orthodox doctrines of the Church, the common herit
age of Christendom, the creed of his fathers, and de
fending them with great earnestness and ability. He
was a man of a very reverent spirittowards all the or
dinances of the Christian Church ; constant in his at
tendance upon its public services, even when deafness
debarred him from most of their benefits ; and holding
its ministry in honour, as seeing their Master in them.
His veneration for the Scriptures, and the diligence
with which he studied them,, were remarkable, and
that the more as age drew on, and he approached to
his final rest. Then the Word of God grew more and
more dear ;, he feasted on it as the Bread of Life ; he
drank of its springs, and plumed there his soul for her
eternal flight.
The connection of Governor Smith with the great
moral and religious enterprises of the age, was an im
portant feature of his later life. He rejoiced when the
Church, startled out of the sleep of the last century by
the shock that engulfed the monarchy of France, be
gan to grope her way in the morning twilight, and
with weak faith and dim vision to gird hers§lf for her
work, as the light of the world, and the pillar and
ground of the truth. The circulation of the Holy
Scriptures was a work which he deeply loved, be-

46 EULOGY.
cause of his reverence for them as the infallible and
perfect revelation of God's counsels and will, and of
his own experience of their power to guide, and corn-
fort, and bless ; nor was he less interested in that still
more appropriate labour of the Church, in carrying the
Gospel throughout the earth, and, by the mouths of liv
ing men, fulfilling her office as the teacher of the world.
He was the first president of the Connecticut Bible So
ciety, which preceded by 'several years the national
institution. In 1826, he was chosen president of the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis
sions, and in 1831, president of the American Bible So
ciety,* thus receiving the highest marks of confidence
and esteem which the Christian public could bestow
upon him. The former he resigned in 1841, on ac
count of the increasing infirmities of age, especially of
deafness, which disqualified him for presiding over de
liberative bodies ; but the latter, requiring; less onerous
duties, he retained till his death.f
It was a noble spectacle to see the retired statesman
consecrating his old age to such a work. Standing
wholly apart from political contests, though full of filial
anxiety for his country, he gave to the Church of God
the first place in his affections and labours. Nor was
it only in enterprises the magnitude of which might
seem to give them an outward magnificence, that he
felt an interest; he was equally ready for those hum
ble works of which the woi-ld takes little notice. His
wisdom and gentleness made him much sought for in
heahng the wounds of distracted churches, and never
was he more thankful than when he saw a blessing on
* See Appendix G.
t He was also the first president of the Litchfield County Temper
ance Society. See Appendix H.

EULOGY. 47
those labours of love. Verily, his sowing was in faith,
and his reaping shall be life.
Besides the political and religious honours already
mentioned, he received several of a literary kind. In
1814, the degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred on
him by his Alma Mater. In 1813, he was elected a
member of the Historical Society of Massachusetts ;
and in 1836, a member of the Royal Society of North
ern Antiquaries in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was
also elected an honorary member of the Historical So
ciety of Connecticut, into the aims and objects of which
he entered warmly, and gave it his cordial support.
But "the portraiture of Governor Smith's character
will be incomplete, without giving greater prominence
to the element of the Christian gentleman. He Was an
eminent ornament of a class of which very few sur
vive, commonly spoken of as gentlemen of the old
school. This is commonly understood to designate a
lofty tone of manners which belonged to a state of so
ciety now gone by, and the loss of which is as little to
be regretted as the obsolete fashions of our grandsires'
coats. The free-and-easy spirit of our age rejoices in
its deliverance from the uncomfortable restraints of
those punctilious times, and ridicules the antique forms
of social and public life. But manners are shaped by
principles. They are the expression of the sentiments,
of the moral and spiritual character of men ; and when
these are debased, they Will stamp their meanness on
the manners also. Outward coarseness and vulgarity
are a fruit and an index of moral debasement ; and the
stately and beautiful forms of life are the fit embodi
ment of high and honourable feelings, though they may
be the decorated sepulchre which hides the corruption
of death.

48 EULOGY.
The loftier manners of past ages grew out of their
loftier principles. The life of man was felt to be en
compassed by a heavenly Presence and illumined by a
heavenly Light. Society was a Divine structure, and
office-bearers therein were the representatives and
ministers of God. Hence a reverential spirit, and its
outward expression, a respectful manner, grew out of
the faith of men in the Invisible as symbolized in the
visible, in the Eternal as symbolized in the temporal.!
In the father they saw set forth the everlasting father
hood of God ; in the ruler, the majesty of the great
King. Admiration of the person was a distinct thing
altogether from reverence for the office-bearer ; the in
dividual properties of the stone were not confounded
with the powers given it by its place in the arch.
The effect on the manners of society, of thus recog-,
nizing God in men — jHiis ordinances, was strong and
wholesome. Ppwer was a sacred trust to be account
ed for to Him for whom it was held ; and this, while
it gave elevation to the character and loftiness to the
aims, laid strong bonds upon pride, and tempered au
thority with gentleness and mercy. And so, on the
other hand, submission and reverence were dignified,
because they were rendered to God — to God repre
sented in man — for there is nothing slavish in honour
ing Him. There is a profound truth hid under Burke's
paradox, where he speaks of the "proud submission
and dignified obedience" of the days of chivalry. No
other principle can take from authority its arrogance,
and free respectfulness from servility. The increas
ing debasement of our manners springs from the decay
of reverence, and this, again, from losing sight of the
Divine element in the structure of society, and degrad
ing it into a mere earthly mechanism. No man can

EULOGY. 49
rfevere his own workmanship ; and it should excite no
surprise that " the child behaves himself proudly against
the ancient, and the base against the honourable,"
since the magistracy are no longer regarded as the
ministers of Jehovah, but as the delegates and tools of
the populace. No wonder that through all the spheres
of life this change should be seen ; that all intercourse
should contract defilement; that the ancient majesty
should be disappearing from the bench and from the
chair of state ; for link after link is severing of that ce
lestial chain which once encompassed the earth, and
lifted it within the outskirts of the glory of the Eternal
Throne. The manners of Governor Smith were formed under
the control of other principles, and in another atmos
phere. He was trained from childhood to revere and
to obey ; life, in the forms in which it was developed
around him, was full of sacredness, and thus theground-
work was laid of that gentlemanly character, that union
of courtesy and suavity with a princely bearing, for
which he was so eminently distinguished. None who
ever enjoyed the privilege of his acquaintance, can for
get the charm of his deportment, the self-possession
and dignity which the presence of a monarch could
not have shaken, joined to a kindness and affability
that put the humblest at his ease.
Nor must I omit to speak of his position in society after
his retirement from office, which was a realizing of the
ideal of a country gentleman, and an illustration of the
strong and healthful influence which rank and wealth,
and the accomplishments of learning and manners, join
ed to ancestral ties, may exert upon a people. Elevated
above all around him by the official honours he had so
nobly worn ; possessed of an ample estate, which en-
C

§0. E U L O G Y.
abled him to live in the style of dignified simplicity
guited to his station, and which was the fit decoration
and instrument of his majestic character ; and standing
among his townsmen, not as a novus homo, but as the
scion of an honoured stock that, for more than half a
century, had struck its- roots deep in their soil, and thus
invested with, strong hereditary claims upon their af
fections, he entered on the last great period of his life
one of the oi dpiarot, a recognized guide and leader of
men.* And seldom are such gifts and instruments of
usefulness turned to nobler account. He was a fount
ain of purifying and ennobling influences. All loved
and revered him ; and well is it for men when they
can find, worthy objects to love and revere. Vice stood
abashed and insolence rebuked in his presence ; the,
tone of manners and of morals was elevated by his ex
ample; and his generous and public-spirited disposition.
made him prominent in every useful and merciful work.
He might alrnost appropriate the beautiful picture
drawn by the Eastern patriarch of himself while " the
Almighty was yet with him." '' When I went out to
the gate through the city, when I prepared my rest in
the street; the young men saw me, and hid them
selves ; and the aged rose and stood up. When the
ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye.
saw me, it gave witness to me. Because I delivered.
the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had
• His dwelling had a nobility about it iu harmony with the man.
Its position was one' of almost unequalled beauty, near the western
base of that range of hilla which separates much of the rugged county
of Litchfield from the gentle slopes of Dutchess, and overlooking a
landscape of considerable extent and great rural lovehness.. And then,
the old stone, mansion itself, with its spacious and lofty piazza, its batr
tlemented roof, its regal look — it Was a fit abode for one
" Whose Boul vras like a star, and dwelt apart."

EULOGY. 51:
none to help him. I put on righteousness, and it clothed
me ; my judgment was as a robe and a diadem."
In this, also, he was one of the last survivors of a
once numerous class. The time has been when almost
every village had its optimtites, its guiding lights and
centres of influence, men whose descent from ancient
and venerated families gave them a hold upon the
hearts of their townsmen, and in whom education and
wealth were felt to furnish additional claims to official
and social eminence. Then honours were heaped
upon the worthy in long succession, who became there
by perennial fountains of blessing: the spirit of envy
and the principle of rotation had not yet converted so*
ciety into a sand waste. But all is changed now, or
changing ; social distinctions can be no longer tolera
ted ; the staff of the tyrannic populace strikes at the
tallest flowers, and it is becoming as impossible to
maintain ^.position ainid the heaving mass, as out of
the waves of the ocean to build an enduring arch.
How refreshing to look back upon the better time,
when guidance was welcomed as a blessing, and the
gifts of God were not systematically perverted into in
struments of detraction ! No diffusion of knowledge,
no systems of benevolent working, can ever supply to
New England the loss of that class of which Governor
Smith was an eminent representative, the npsobvTepoi
of society.
But I must come now to the clpsing scenes of his
life. His last appearance in public was in this city, at
the last Commencement.* Yielding to the entreaties of
his friends against his own convictions, he consented to
preside at the meeting^ of the Alumni, j- The journey
in, the heat of summer, across the rough and rain-
** August, 1845, t See Appendix L

52 EULOGY.
washed hills of his native country, was too much for
his advanced years ; a night's severe illness followed ;
and when the morning came, he was too enfeebled for
the task he had undertaken. But he had never known
the pain of giving disappointment, and rallying his
strength, he passed with slow and trembling steps up
the lofty hall ; but how were we shocked at the death
like paleness of his countenance, so unlike its wonted
freshness ! Twice, in that stifling atmosphere, he faint
ed ; but even then we saw how painful it was for his
energetic will to relinquish its purpose. Never before
had he assumed a labour that crushed him. From that
illness he never fully recovered ; and after a few weeks
of extreme bodily suffering, under which he manifest
ed great patience and faith, on the 7th of December
the spirit of John Cotton Smith departed to its rest.*
That was the quenching of a great light. A Man
was taken from us — a man for whom all may mourn,
for the beauty and the majesty of manhood shone forth
in him. Noble aims, an unspotted life, a tender con
science, the simplicity and gentleness of childhood unit
ed wilh manly vigour — all were his. He was one
" who, if he rise to station of command,'
Eises by open means, and there will stand
On honourable term8,+ or else retire.
And in himself possess his own desire ;
* His fiimness of purpose aud systematic habits were retained to the
last. He was discovered at the usual hour upon his knees at his pri
vate devotions, when unable to hold intelligent intercourse" with his
family. He insisted on ahaving himself, as he had been accustomed to
do, but two or three days before his death, although his aberration of
mind awakened the fears of his friends. His journey seemed to have
made a deep impression on him, or, perhaps, old scenes w^ere floating
through his mind ; for to hia aon, who asked him if he knew hini, he re
plied, vrith his wonted emphasis, " Sir, we are in New Haven, and you
are David Daggett !"
+ His character in this respect was so well known, that when his

EULOGY. 53
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim ;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state ;
Whom they must follow ; on whose head must fall
Like showers of manna, if they come at all :
Whose powers shed round him in the common strife.
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a pecuhar grace ;
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment, to which Heaven has joined.
Great issues, good or bad, for human kind,
Is happy as a lover, aud attired
With sudden brightness, like a man inspired ;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw :
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need.
He who, though thus endued aa with a sense
And feculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a soul whose master-bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes."*
Such is a brief and imperfect sketch of one of the
noblest sons of Connecticut. And it is with filial joy
and pride that we claim him for our own. There were
no foreign elements in his character. Connecticut was
the mother that bore and nurtured him. Descended
from the first minister of the first settlement in the col
ony, born within her border, educated at her college,
a lawyer at her bar, her representative in Congress, a
judge upon her bench, the occupant of her chair of
state, and giving to her the mild lustre of his declining
years, he was emphatically her child and her Ornament.
And he was a true representative of his ancient moth
er, adhering, with a fidelity surpassed by none, to the
name waa once mentioned in a political circle with reference to the of
fice of presidential elector, the reply was, " He will never do ; we want
a man of an easier conscience.''
* Wordsworth's Happy Warrior.

:S4 EULOGY.
principles of the olden time, in government and in re
ligion. All that he was — the incorruptible statesman,
the pure-minded patriot, the gentleman of lofty bear
ing, and the Christian of enlightened zeal — was the
fruit, under God, of the nurture he received at her bo
som. His faith was the faith of Hooker and Haynes,
of Eaton and Davenport ; the faith which his vener
able Alma Mater was established to defend, and to
which the Legislature once solemnly set its seal. He
belonged to the Connecticut of history, to the old Com
monwealth which has gone by, and will return no more.
Be her faults and shortcomings what they may, she has
borne noble sons ; and may my tongue cleave to the
roof of my mouth if, in looking forward to a more glo
rious Future, I fail to do them honour. The rugged
Puritan stock has had life within it to bring forth many
a bright, consummate flower ; and when we look upon
the precious clusters that have adorned the Vine trans
planted into the wilderness, which bears as its pious
motto, Qui transtulit, sustinet, Hope longs to add, Et
semper sustinehit.

L E T T :E R S.

LETTERS.

No. 1.
TO PRESIDENT DWIGHT. Sharon, Nov., 1796.
Accompanying this is a tooth of unusual size and
appearance, which has been lately discovered in this
place, and which I take the liberty of submitting to
your examination. It was found by a farmer in my
neighbourhood, two and a half feet below the surface
of the earth, in a marsh where he was digging for
manure. The upper or grinding surface retains the appear
ance it wore when first dug up ; but the opposite side
has greatly changed on being exposed to the air. The
roots or prongs were six in number, more than three
inches long, and, as the extremities were very blunt, it
is probable an inch or two more must have been wasted
or broken off from their original length. The weight
of the tooth when first discovered, after being well
dried, was three pounds and twelve ounces ; its- pres
ent weight is two pounds and nine ounces ; the dif
ference must be charged to the loss of its roots, which
are now entirely mouldered away. I have directed
further search to be made for the corresponding bones ;
but, from the great decay attending this, I entertain lit
tle hope that any other, if deposited near the same
place, can have been preserved. Were I to conject
ure, I should say this was the front grinder of the
right under jaw, but of what animal my limited knowl-
C2

58 LETTERS.
edge of zoography does not permit me to form any
satisfactory opinion. , ,
You, sir, may perhaps at once recognize it as the
tooth or other bone of some well-known animal ; and
if not, it will not be difficult to ascribe it to the mam
moth, that incognitum which has so much occupied the
thoughts of the naturalist, and which has given birth
to so many fanciful theories. Should it be thought to
furnish additional proof that such an animal has ex
isted, the little trouble I have taken will be richly com
pensated ; and if you should consider it entitled to a
place in the miiseum, I shall be gratified^ in making
this addition to the collection.

No. 2.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, Nov. 26, 1800.
I suspend the composition of my thanksgiving ser
mon, designed for to-moirow, to give my valued friend
this little testimonial of remembrance and affection.
Since I wrote you last, I have seen the melancholy ac
count of the death of your excellent mother. Excel
lent, indeed, must she have been in disposition, princi
ples, and life, to have acquired the character ascribed
to her since her decease. With you, my dear friend,
and with your afflicted father, and the family, I ten
derly sympathize in this very sorrowful bereavement.
The sympathy which my love to you would naturally
have excited is heightened by my own deep experi
ence in the school of affliction. I once had a father,
discreet, affectionate, faithful. I once had a companion
of my bosom, tender, amiable, excellent. That parent
was lost to me in early life ; and my beloved Maria

LETTERS. 50
IS no more ! Let our losses and sorrows, my much-
loved friend, teach us to make a proper estimate of
human life, and point our thoughts, affections, and pur
suits to that world where the ties of friendship and
affection shall remain indissoluble, and our bliss shall
be uninterrupted and eternal. The removal of the ex
cellent of the earth ought, surely, to. excite in our bo
soms the sublime desire, the sacred emulation, to be
come reunited to them, and to enjoy their society and
their love, among the spirits of the just made perfect.

No. 3.
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. Washington, 6th Januaiy, 1802.
Your highly-esteemed favor of the 23d ult. broke a
silence which really began to alarm me. Although you
have no right to expect letters from me this winter,
yet my claim to letters from you is not to be disputed
— and oi. claims you must allow me, by this time, to be
a pretty competent judge.
I shall say nothing to you of politics, because, really,
it is a theme of too much scandal, and because you
know at New Haven as precisely what is done here
as we do. At least, the chief consul can tell you, and
probably does, what is agreed to be done, and this you
know, in equity dud good conscience, is done already.
Last Friday, being New Year's day, the president
held a formal levee, all his republican tendencies not
withstanding. On this occasion we were really le
vant, and not couchant, in his presence as heretofore.
We had cake, and wine, and punch. And lo I the
mammoth cheese was also presented by old Leland,
the Baptist minister, in whose parish the aforesaid

60 LETTERS.
cheese was collected and jumbled together. The pa
rade was ludicrous enough, but what is there apper
taining to the left-legged ruler of this ill-fated country
that is not ludicrous 1
" Sed paulo majora canamus." In the afternoon of
the same day, in company with several members of
Congress, I went to Mount Vernon. We reached
Alexandria the same evening and lodged there ; rose
early the next, morning, took carriages, and arrived at
the mount to breakfast. It was as lovely a day as
ever shone. O my friend, how can I describe to you
my emotions at approaching the hallowed retreat?
how can I describe to you the retreat itself? My
powers are unequal to the undertaking, nor shall I at
tempt it. Let me only say, I felt myself on enchanted
ground ; that I felt all the ecstasy which the unrivalled
beauty and grandeur of the scene could not fail to in
spire, joined to that deep melancholy which was irre
sistibly produced by the thought of its former illustri
ous and beloved inhabitant. Soon after we were in
troduced and had commenced conversation with the
amiable and venerable widow, I stole out imperceptibly,
and rambled through a winding gravel walk towards
where I imagined must be the tomb of the hero. On
the bank of the river, elevated about 200 feet above
the surface of the water, beneath four spreading oaks,
and surrounded by shrubbery, I found the family vault.
It is covered with a mound of earth, out of which grow
young cedars and the juniper. It faces the east. The
vast Potomac rolls along in gloomy majesty, and every
object around seems to infuse a kind of religious awe.
I stood at the door of the tomb, which was locked, and
indulged myself in a strain of reflections which you
may possibly conceive, but which I can never express.

LETTERS. 61
I contrasted for a moment the man in the grave with the
man now in power — the glory of our country once
with its degradation now. I could not but consider
the honor, the prosperity, the splendor of the Ameri
can nation as reposing themselves with the ashes of
the hero whose arm had achieved them. Was it un
manly to weep ? I assure you the tears flowed apace.
It would not do for me to tarry long ; I went back to
the house, and very soon breakfast was announced.
The good old lady did the honours of the tiible herself,
although there were three of her granddaughters pres
ent, who in turn offered their service. " No," said
she, "it will give me sensible pleasure." She knows
well those of Congress who respect the memory of her
husband, and she duly appreciates their motives in
coming to her house. Her dress was deep mourning,
and although she assumes a degree of cheerfulness and
is quite sociable, yet it is manifest her heart is oppressed
with unremitting sorrow. She said " she had lived
too long ; that though she had reason to thank God for
innumerable mercies, there was now nothing to attach
her to the earth." The walls of the room where we
breakfasted, as well as of several of the others, are
hung with pictures of battles and sieges, and the por
traits of very many of those warriors and statesmen
with whom he had been associated in his civil and inili-
tary career. After breakfast, we went over different
parts of the hoqse ; through the garden, the green-house,
the labyrinths, the serpentine walks — enjoyed the im
measurable prospect on every side, and, in short, gazed
at all the wonders of that little else than terrestrial
paradise. Having proceeded together to the tomb,
and plucked each of us a sprig of evergreen from the
consecrated mound, we returned to the house, sat an

62 L E T 'T E R S.
hour with Mrs. Washington in free and familiar cCti-
Versation, and then ordered up our carriages. We
Were pressed very strongly to stay to dinner, and until
the next day ; but having determined to reach the Capi
tol that night, we bade the old lady adieu with aching
hearts, reached Alexandria at three o'clock, dined, en
tered on board a packet-boat with a fine breeze, and
arrived at our lodgings by dusk. Thus, my friend, I
have given you a very imperfect sketch of one of the
most interesting occurrences of my life. And how
ever it may present itself to ,your imagination, this
pilgrimage to the tomb of Washington has made im-
ptessions upon my heart which will never be effaced.
I wish to say many things to you relative to the sad
aspect of our national affairs ; but prudential consid
erations restrain me. Through the alarming manage
ment of our post-offices, correspondence is now car
ried on. by letters patent. No confidence can be placed
in the mail. Deception, and distrust, and discord per
vade, indeed, every department ; and honesty, confi
dence, and truth, vpith her angel train of virtues, are
retiring fi-om the earth.
The attack upon the judiciary is at length com
menced in both houses. The subject, in our House, is
at present under the consideration of a select commit
tee. In the Senate, I understand the"^ batteries are to
be opened to-morrow. This day, in Senate, a reso
lution admitting stenographers within the area has
passed. Duane is to take his stand there. S. H.
Smith is already by the side of the speaker's chair-
So that the people are to obtain information from their
representatives through the most pure and correct
channels imaginable. I now assure you that the judi
cial system will be abolished 1 After which, do you

LETTERS". 63
believe the other branches of the government can be
said to possess a legitimate existence ? Must not the
Constitution be considered as buried in the ruins of the
judiciary ? These are solemn questions.

No. 4.
FROM REV. DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, Oct. 18, 1804.
An unusual pressure of business puts it out of my
power to write you a letter, as I had intended, by Mr.
Stedman. He sets out for Congress this morning, and
I must content myself with a few lines, in token of re
membrance and affection. Your communication from
the last Congress was early received, and it was not a
little pleasing to me to be able to impart the doings to
my literary friends here before they could be learned
from another source. You will gratify and oblige me
by any similar communication in future — the presi
dent's speeches, printed documents, &c. — the more of
your own, whether from the pen or the press, the bet
ter. You will not, I am sure, suspect me of adulation,
when I tell you that every thing in which you are con
cerned is very interesting Jo me. When I am with
Mr. Stedman, I have a thousand questions to ask about
rny old friend ; but, so far from worrying him, they are
answered as kindly on his ^art as they ever are hon
ourably on yours. Go on, my beloved friend, tp de
serve well of your country.
For several years I have been reading American
history, with a view of bringing its principal facts into
chronological order, that I might see them in their co
herence. What I commenced for my personal conven
ience and improverhent, I am at length concluding

64 LETTERS.
in a publication. The literary friends whom I have
consulted approve the plan of the work, and encour
age me to publish it. You will see the plan of it in"
the inclosed proposals, which I will thank you to place
in a bookstore (if there is one) at Washington, and at
the close of the session, if it have any names, return it
to me. I intend also to inclose you a specimen of the
work itself, if I can obtain [it] seasonably from the
press this morning.

No. 5l
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 30th April, 1805.
I should reproach myself, my dear friend, for not
making an earlier acknowledgment of your two very ac
ceptable and obliging letters of the 8th Nov. and 26th
Dec, had not imperious causes occasioned the delay.
For a considerable time after the receipt of thej^rsi, I
was engaged in the Conquest of Mexico. I had sup
posed that part of my work already done ; but, on re
view, it appeared to me expedient to extend it beyond
the dry chronological form in which it stood, and to
give it somewhat of an historical body. It hence be
came necessary to re-examine the original authors on
that subject, and to compose anew every thing relat
ing to. it. In this respect-^I hope without the phrensy
— I was obliged to copy after the Macedonian hero,
of whom, you remember, the poet says, that
" Thrice he fought his battles o'er,
And thrice he slew the slain."
When I had finished the Conquest, the uncertainty,
whether a letter would find you at Washington  as
you had informed nie that you intended to leave Con-

LETTERS. 65
gress early in the session — induced me to a farther de
lay. I now write, in the hope that my letter will find
you at the election at Hartford, with your face set to
wards Boston. The suggestion of a " long-proposed
visit," though in its connection with " the next season"
(now arrived) it is mentioned with the conditional term
should, has excited in my mind strong expectation.
Quod volumus — you know the rest. I have been
so incessantly , haunted (I hope the word has a good
meaning) with the idea, since your last letter, that it
has now become as much of a reality to me as though
you had absolutely promised a visit. I never think of
our election without thinking of you. This wizard
spell will continue until the 29th of May ; and I wish
nothing may dissolve it but your presence inpropna
persona. Your zealous attention to the subject of my pro
posed publication is a renewed proof of the sincerity
and permanency of your friendship. Accept, my es
teemed friend, my best thanks for your care of my in
terest and reputation. Your approbation of tlie plan
of my projected work encourages me to proceed with
new resolution in executing it. The number of hon
ourable names on the list of subscribers at Washing
ton is flattering. Your name and influence procured
their's. I cannot now want motives to endeavour to
render the work acceptable and useful.

No. 6.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 31st Aug., 1811.
It would indeed have been most grateful to me to
meet you " on that memorable ground" sacred to litera-

B6 L E T T E R Si
¦ture and friendship, there to renew mutual "assurances
of unabated affection." Such, however, are my paro
chial and other duties, that I can seldom allow myself
as much time abroad as the proposed interview would
require. Something, I allow, is due, if not to *' being
in general," as you remember some scholastic dispu
tants within college walk used to insist, yet to those
individual beings v?ith whom we were early associated,
and from whose society and friendship we derived im
provement and dehght.
We owe something to our Alma Mater, something
to our literary associates generally, something espe
cially to the select few with whom we walked to the
temple of science, and to the house of God in com
pany. I nefed not say to my endeared friend how sens
ible I am to these obligations, and how potently the
very thought of them attracts me to the spot, where
with him the scenes of juvenile life might be reviewed^
the events of later times recounted, the present allot
ments of Heaven to each described, and future pros
pects indulged. Of this " feast of reason and flow of
soul" I do not despair, and shall assuredly seize the
first favourable opportunity to attend it — without far
ther invitation. On " your Honour" I rely, and whether
I shall have the honour to salute you under this title or
not, I shall never doubt our mutual readiness to meet
and embrace under the old and ever-during one of
Friend. In your elevation to the second place of honour and
trust in my native state I most sincerely rejoice, not
merely because it is the promotion of one whose hap
piness and fame are always dear to me, but because I
consider it as an evidence of the present wisdom, and
a pledge of the future prosperity of a Republic, the

L 6 f t S R si .QI
5purest and the happiest, probably, on the face of the
earth. In this new and important station, my prayer
for you is, that you may have the wisdom profitable to
direct you ; that integrity and uprightness may pre
serve you ; that in you the citizens may behold a fair
example of the able statesman, blended with the ex
emplary Christian ; and that your influence may be
directed and blessed to the promotion of the best in
terests and happiness of men for both worlds.
- Your profession of that religion which furnishes the
highest possible motives to fidelity, and your presi
dency in an association formed for the diffusion of the
Divine Book which contains it, are presages of such a
happy use of your influence, which I observe with no
ordinary interest, and contemplate with no ordinary
delight. But unless I dismiss a theme on which I love to
dwell, I shall not answer your inquiries. "The awful
declension from primitive Christianity" about which
you inquire, is deeply to be deplored ; but we must
" stand in our lot," and leave the care of the Church to
its divine Founder, who will uphold it against all op
position, and amidst all declensions and apostasies.
How far the adversaries of the doctrines of the Refor
mation are agreed among themselves " in the manner
of denying the Lord who bought them," I cannot say.
Some are much more open than others on this subject ;
while, in general, there seems a wonderful agreement
in disputing or denying all those great doctrines
which, from the time of Martin Luther to this day,
have been held in all the Reformed churches in Chris
tendom to be the truth as it is in Jesus. A religion
under the flattering yet imposing name of rational, is
substituted for the religion of the cross. Mysteries

68 LETTERS.
are exploded. Christianity, it is conceded, ought to be
believed in general ; while, it would seem, nothing
need be believed in particular. As a whole, it is wor
thy of all acceptation ; but the several parts which
compose it may be rejected ad libitum. Religious
opinions are indiffwent; and it is no matter what a
man believes, provided he act right. Catholicism is
the order of the day ; and so " fierce for moderation"
are the Catholics, that the very charity contended for
is forgotten in the zeal to promote it. It is a Catholi
cism which wants one mark of the " wisdom from
above" (to say nothing of the " first pure"), that is,
"without partiality;" for while it tolerates with the
utmost benignity all the innovations of the Priestleian
school, it brands with opprobrium the tenets of the
Puritans. You will perceive, therefore, that a precept
of " a prophet of their own" (for they quote pagan
authorities with great respect) is not exactly regard
ed, though declared to have descended from Heaven.
Tvudc aeavTov.
But I cannot enlarge. There are, notwithstanding
this defection, many advocates for primitive Christian
ity a,mong ministers and people. Great is the truth,
and, wherever "spoken against," it will prevail.
The establishment at A., about which you inquire,
was originally projected on the principles of the Old
School, for the forming of a learned, orthodox, and
pious ministry. Before the scheme was carried into
effect, a similar establishment was projected by some
disciples of the New H-p-k-n School. To prevent
dissension or collision, an effort was made to unite
these diverse purposes, and to concentrate the dona
tions for each in one establishment. The effort suc
ceeded ; but some compromises were necessary, a,nd

LETTERS. 69
hence the mixed character of the institution. It is al
ready liberally endowed, and contains a large number
of students ; and though I have always thought it in
some respects liable to stricture, I can not but hope it
will be essentially beneficial to the Church and to the
country. I cannot answer your kind inquiries about myself,
my family, flock, and literary researches, in your la
conic manner. Your two first items, "healthy and
prosperous," may, through Divine favour, be strictly
applied to me. The bihous habit which I brought
from Georgia is eradicated, and I have regained a
good degree both of the health and flesh which I had
thought to be irrecoverably lost. My prosperity in
my domestic, parochial, and literary connexions has
been such as to call for my most devout acknowledg
ments to the Author of all good.
As to my studies, they are considerably diversified.
I love books as much as ever. To theology I have
pa:rd more exclusive attention since the completion of
the Annals — which receive so indulgent a share of
your approbation, a distinction which is not the least
grateful part of the reward of that labour.
I study the Hebrew and Oriental languages, read
authors On Bihlical criticism, historians, the ancient
classics, essayists, periodical journals, reviews, and
state papers. What an anticlimax 1 But I mention
every thing as it occurs. Yes, what a falling off is
here ! I blush for_ my country and for our common
wealth, and more than ever delight in the thought that
I was born in C  ^t. In much of my English
readings, I have the pleasure and benefit of the pres
ence and remarks of the. friend of my choice, espe
cially by the winter evening's fireside. But whither

70 LETTERS.
am I wandering ? Were you not a husband and a
grandfather, as well as a friend, I should not thus dis
close the penetralia. j >
As to the press, I do not now burden it, excepting
occasionally with a sermon. Notwithstanding your in
dulgence, I fear others will say, " Sat prata biberunt."

No. 7.
TO JUDGE REEVE. Sharon, 23d March; 1812.
The enclosed ,sheets would have been returned at-
an earlier day, if a. safe opportunity had presented.
Thev have afforded me much entertainment, particu
larly those which treat of the course of descent in
Virginia. So^ie part of her system is of very ques
tionable policy, and altogether without precedent ; al
though, perhaps, the states in her immediate neigh
bourhood, with their accustomed servility, may have
followed her example. I should not have disliked a
little more animadversion, from your pen upon the
monstrous doctrine of admitting the issue of an illegal
marriage to a participation of the inheritance.; believ
ing, as I do, that the provision resulted rather from in
difference, to say no more, with respect to, such con
nections, than from sentiments of justice or humanity
towards the unfortunate offspring. The stern rule of
the common law is unquestionably the strongest, the
most effectual preventive of the crime that human wis-^
dom can contrive. By relaxing itj you not only de-.
stroy the check-^you furnish a lure. More may be
said in favour of allowing the riullius filius to succeed.
to the estate of his njother. Even here, , perhaps, it
were better for the publick that his hopes should de-

LETTERS. 71
pend upon the testamentary provision of his parent,
than that the condition in which he is unhappily
placed should receive the slightest sanction from legis
lative authority. That the patres patricB. shovXA beat
the offender with one hand, and stroke him with the
other, is a political solecism to be found no where, I
believe, but in Virginia. With such features in her
code of laws, it is not strange — it was, indeed, per
fectly in character that her philanthropic Governour
Page should begin an address to the convicts in prison
with, " My dear unfortunate friends !"
I did hope, my dear sir, to have heard from you
once, at least, in the course of a very long winter. I
cannot feel indifferent to whatever may concern your
prosperity or that of your household.
A certain event, it seems, has not yet happened ; or,
at any rate, is not publicly announced. May I know
whether the parties from time to time " report prog
ress ?" If so, as far as depends on my vote, they
shall have " leave to sit again •" in full confidence,
nevertheless, that the discussion will not be unneces
sarily protracted.
My family, blessed be God, enjoy their usual health,
notwithstanding the general prevalence of disease the
present season.
A disorder similar to the one at New Milford has
proved fatal in four cases in the southern section of
this town, and is making terrible ravages in various
parts of Dutchess county. That " the judgments of
heaven are abroad" in our country, is most manifest.
If a heathen could say, "dehrant reges, plectuntur
Achivi," what shall, be said by us who have " a more
sure and certain word of prophecy ?"

72 LETTERS.

No. 8.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 2d Sept., 1812.
If we cannot meet to smoke the calumet, I am un
willing a year should pass without exchanging a belt
of wampum. While, therefore, I renew my assuran
ces of holding you in affectionate remembrance, let this
line be received as the belt, which confirms my words.
The situation of my family, were there no other cause,
must prevent my attendance at the Commencement of
our Alma Mater this year.
I had hoped you would do us the favour to keep one
commencement with us ; and I still think that, beside
all personal considerations, such a visit would have a
good political effect. An intercourse of statesmen and
patriots, who are " like-minded," must tend to unity of
counsels and measures, and to reciprocal esteem, that
must be conducive to the public welfare. Connecticut
has long stood high in the estimation of the most en
lightened portion of Massachusetts ; and that estima
tion is still heightened by the wisdom and firmness of
her measures since the Declaration of War. I wish
the governors of these states <nnd the principal states
men might meet on some of our great anniversaries,
and " hold high converse." But I forbear, and come
down to the simple, modest wish, that I might see my
friend. This pleasure I cannot but anticipate at some
time not far distant. Did I dare look forward a year,
in this uncertain world, I would fix the date at the next
Commencement at New Haven.
" We take no note of time but from its loss."
Are you aware, my dear friend, that, if we reach that
period, thirty years will have elapsed since we left the

LETTERS. 73
University ? How much of life is past 1 How solemn
our responsibilities I A crowd of tender and interesting
reflections rushes m, but I may not indulge them. Let
us cherish them in silence, to the improvement of our
virtue and our preparation for heaven.
Should it please God to spare our lives to another
anniversary of our Alma Mater, why should we not
take that epoch for a convention of as many of our
classmates as can be collected from the remaining
" dispersion ?" Why might we not dine together in
the hall, or sup together at a coffee-house ? If, how
ever, we do but meet, we may assuredly have the best
of all entei-tainments, " The feast of reason and the flow
of soul."

No. 9.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 1st June, 1813.
Did my time, at this busy season, permit me to write
long epistles, yours would not permit you to read them.
It is with us the period of the annual meeting of vari
ous literary and religious societies, as well as the great
political anniversary ; and no part of the year brings
with it so many duties and labours. What, at this
same period, must be those of my friend, elevated as
he now is to the chair of state ?
On that elevation I sincerely congratulate you, both
as it is the strongest expression of the estimation and
confidence of the citizens of an enlightened Republic,
and as it gives you an opportunity to render the most
important services to them and to our common country.
If the past is a pledge for the future, you will prove
yourself worthy of this exalted station by the fidelity
D

74 L E T T B B. Si
with which you will perform its duties. Those, at this
Crisis, must be great and arduous, far beyond the du
ties of ordinary times ; and my prayer for you is^ tbat
you may have wisdom and virtue adequate tb the exi.
gency. Esse quam tiideri is a sentiment that cannot
be too much commended ; but it heed not sully the pu
rity of your motives, should your friend say, he indul
ges the pleasing belief that you may, at no distant pe
riod, be enrolled among those enlightened, firm, and
patriotic statesmen of whom it shall be said, " They
saved their country."
The inclosed communication, which is the immedi
ate object of thi& letter, will show you that you were
lately (let. me add, unanimously) elected a correspond
ing member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The blank was filled up to yoiir " Honour" by the Re
cording Secretary before the election in Connecticut ;
the Corresponding Secretary purposely waited to have
the pleasure of addressing it to your " Excellency."
When I did myself the honour to nominate you to the
Society, I had no expectation of this office ; it is a high
gratification to me, that the first act I am called to per
form by virtue of it is to inform you of your election.
You say not a word, my dear sir, about a visit to
Massachusetts, nor about the proposed meeting of our
class at the next Commencement at New Haven. If
we may not see you here, it will give me great delight
to meet you there, if practicable ; for, with all your
" blushing honours," I shall depend on a fraternal in
terview, in the expectation that the governor will be
have as well as Clement XIV., who, when about to be
elevated to the papal throne^ said to his brother monks,
" I shall be Brother Ganganelli still."

LETTERS. 75
No. 10.
TO DR. HOLMES. SJiaron, 6th August, 1813.
My letter from Hartford of the 3d June last was
addressed to you wholly in your official capacity, and
could, therefore, contain nothing more than an expres
sion of the grateful sense I entertain of the high hon
our conferred upon me by a society the first in reputa
tion and consequence within our country. I was then
on the point of departing, " miles gladio cinctus," for
New London. The dulcet notes of lovt and friend
ship were lost in the din of arms. I have now returned
from the campaign, and, pressing as my public cares
still are, I am resolved the claims of my early and be
loved friend shall be no longer disregarded.
I have feasted the year round upon the idea of meet
ing you and our surviving classmates at our next Com
mencement. Your proposition for the interview has been indus
triously circulated, and a general attendance is expect
ed. Our Symposium, however, is in some danger of
being interrupted by the late proclamation for a nation
al /as^ , Were it not that we are indeed a sinful peo
ple, and have abundant occasion for humiliation and
deep contrition, I can perceive nothing, either in the
proclamation itself, or in the motives by which it was
dictated, that should prevent us from exclaiming,
" Diripiuntque dapes, contactuciue omnia foedant
Immundo."
I have, nevertheless, felt it my duty, especially under
the present adverse dispensations of Divine Providence
towards this state, to give effect to this same procla
mation by issuing my own requiring the day to be ob-

76 LETTERS.
served. It is, unfortunately, the day following the an
niversary of our Alma Mater. Unless the latter, there
fore, can be either hastened or postponed, the inconven
ience will be sensibly felt by both clergy and laity.

No. 11.
TO DR. HOLMES. Sharon, 25th June, 1814.
The resolutions you had the goodness to send me
are appropriate and excellent. I had before seen an
account of the " religious solemnities," and was struck
with their peculiar fitness to the occasion. (Excepting,
perhaps, that I had too much of the blood of one of the
earliest ministers of Boston in my veins, and too much
reverence for his pruiciples in my heart, to relish altOr
gether the " religious" character of some of your per
formers ; and, since I am now in a parenthesis, I may
as well utter, what I sensibly feel, a devout wish that
you, my beloved friend, may ere long be permitted to
celebrate, with truly " religious solemnity," the eman
cipation of your metropolis from principles as ruinous
to the souls of men as those of Napoleon have been to
their bodies and estates.) In contemplating these won
derful events, we hardly know which most to admire,
the stupendous revolution itself, or the felicitous man
ner in which it is accomplished.
Shall we not say of our Rock, " His work is per
fect ?" We anxiously inquire. What will be the bear
ing of these amazing dispensations of Providence upon
our own country ? I think it must be auspicious. Peace
will probably follow ; but this' is not all. The war in
Europe has bfeen no other than a war with Democracy.
It is now carried to the seat of the Beast ; his empire

LETTERS. 77
is destroyed ; and will not the effect of his overthrow
reach to whatever corner of the world his influence
extends ?********
Surely no one ought to wish more ardently for peace
than your friend. The cares attendant upon his situa
tion can neither be described by himself, nor conceived
by others. I reflect with great pleasure upon our short
interview in September — that momentary respite from
solicitude and toil. To my imagination, it is not unlike
one of those verdant hillocks, shaded with palm-trees
and watered by a spring, which we are assured now
and then regale the weary traveller in the deserts of
Africa. When shall I arrive at another of these de
lightful stages ? I recollect you expressed at that time
a desire for a profile, or some other resemblance, of
your most humble servant. The only one I have is
enclosed. You will perceive that it was taken when
the original participated in the Gallic mania of crop
ping. As he has recovered (pardon me) his queue
with his reason, you will probably not recognize it as
" vera effigies." Imperfect as it is, may I not hope it
will procure for me a more striking likeness of my ear
ly and highly valued friend ? My dear wife promises
to give it the best niche in her drawing-room.

No. 12.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 30th Aug., 1814.
Had I not been looking for an hour (such as I al
ways love to have when I write to you) of " calm con
templation and poetic ease," I should before this have
answered your obliging letter of the 25th June. It
was duly received, with its very estimable enclosure.

78 LETTERS.
for which I beg you to accept my most cordial thanks.
It is in itself precious to me, as presenting, always to
my view the lineaments of a face which I ever beheld
with delight, and as an index to talents and virtues
which I ever admired and loved ; but it is more pre
cious still as a memorial of our early friendship and a
pledge of its inviolable constancy. For these purposes
the likeness is sufficiently strong ; nor can the " Gallic
crop" materially lessen the effect. The characteristic
outline of the countenance is well drawn, and the en
graving is excellent. It. is suspended, in a neat frame,
in our best room ; and to-morrow (Commencement
day) I hope to have the honour of introducing Gov
ernor Strong and Lieutenant-governor Phillips to your
excellency. " O fallacem hominum spem !" How fondly have I
been hoping for the opportunity of a real introduction.
You, my dear friend, have encouraged that hope ; but
I will not forget that your office requires you to see
that the commonwealth receive no detriment. In this
perilous crisis, I do presume that you cannot consist
ently go out of the limits of your own. It gives me
great concern to find Connecticut so much harassed by
a war, neither the principles nor the policy of which
have had her countenance or support. The late move
ments of the enemy must have given you, no less than
the citizens, disquietude. The result of the Stonington
affair will, I hope, be favourable to your future quiet and
theirs. But the Capitol is go^e I What next is to suc
ceed in th® eventful history of our national calamity
and degradation God only knows. May he prepare
us for mercy by disposing us to penitence and amend'
ment. It is our happiness to be assured that his coun
sel will stand, and that he will cause the wraih of man

LETTERS. 79
to praise him. In this, or some equally unhallowed
passion, I fear the war had its origin. Were the au
thors of it the sole sufferers, there were less cause of
regret or lamentation. But such is not the constitution
of Heaven or the order of Providence.
" Quicquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi." Still,
while so many of the people " love to have it so," and
support men who support such measures ; while, espe
cially, there are so many impieties and vices prevalent
in our land, we ought not to " think strange of this fiery
trial." May its influence be to purify us, and to impart
to us that virtue so essential to a government like ours ;
so essential, especially, to the favor and benediction
of that Being .on whom all nations equally depend for
safety and prosperity. I hope events will prove the
correctness of your opinion respecting the auspicious
influence of "the late amazing dispensations of Provi
dence upon our own country." The^war is, indeed,
" carried to the seat pf the Beast." Did you imagine
your remark would so soon admit a direct application
to our own country ? It is carried to it here. But I
must not say. what I think and feel on this humiliating
subject. May the God of our fathers preserve us !
I thank you for your Fifth Report of the Connecti
cut Bible Society. It proves the enlightened zeal and
pious liberality of the inhabitants of the fairest portion
of our country.
Present me respectfully to yo.ur worthy lady, who
does me so much honour in reserving a niche for me in
her drawing-room. For that I have nothing that I can
offer ; but do assure her that I shall feel still more hon
oured by a portion of the same esteem of which her
husband has given me so dear a testimoniaL

80 LETTERS.

No. 13.
TO HON. S. W. JOHNSON. Sharon, 30th Dec, 1819.
I thank you for your kind letter. You do me just
ice in believing that I have felt truly anxious for your
safety ; you will, therefore, know how to appreciate
my joy on your recovery.
The signal interposition of Divine Providence in
your behalf may well awaken those grateful emotions
which you so happily express. To me it affords fresh
proof that the care of Heaven is extended, in a pecul
iar manner, to those who keep " the first commandment
with promise ;" in a word, that filial duty is sure of a
present as well as a future reward. Your account of
thelast moments of your venerable parent* is highly in
teresting. What abundant reason have you, my friend,
to bless God that you have had such a parent, and that
his long life has been" so extensively useful to his fel
low-men — useful, till he reached a good old age, by
the display of rare and exalted talents, and scarcely
less useful, during the remainder of his days, by the
mild ahd heavenly lustre of his example. Painful, as
the separation must have been, you cannot fail, in the
midst of sorrow, to experience the richest consolation.
I hope a detailed biographical memoir is. preparing of
one who has so nobly exemplified every public and
private virtue ; and I should be gratified to learn to
whom the important trust is committed.

* The Hon. WilKam Samuel Johnson, of Stratford, Conn. ; a man
moat distinguiahed for his acquirements as a scholar, and his accomplish
ments aa a gentleman.

LETTERS. 81
No. 14.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 23d August, 1824.
Our correspondence reminds me of an antediluvian
one in the Spectator, in which the intervals between
the letters were proportioned to the age of man, which,
you know, was reckoned by centuries. How long those
intervals were, I have forgotten ; but I am sure we have
great claims, in this particular, to the patriarchal char
acter. It becomes us, however, to recollect that hu
man life has been abridged since that period ; and that,
if we reckon by tens instead of hundreds, we are in the
last decade. Shall we not, my dear friend, meet again
ere " the silver cord be loosed ?" The very thought
of it is delightful, and the hope of it has had no small
influence in determining me to attend the approaching
Commencement at New Haven. Will you permit me
to expect you there ? I shall construe silence for con
sent ; but I would rather have the assurance under
your own dear signature. The number of our class
mates keeps on lessening; the estimable Storrs has
been taken from it since we last met. Let as many
of us as Heaven permits come together. I have writ
ten to Austin, and intend to write to Lyman, and Good
rich, and Leonard, and Williston, to solicit their attend
ance. I say not one word now upon any subject, reserving
every thing for the Talk at the Council Fire, where,
as you regard our old treaty of perpetual friendship
and amity, you will not fail to meet
Your faithful and affectionate friend.
D2

83 LETTERS.

No. 15.
TO DR. HOLMES. Sharon, 6th Sept., 1824.
The intervals allowed in antediluvian correspond
ence, to which you refer me, compare so nearly with
that which has elapsed since you must have received
my last letter, that I am not surprised you should avail
yourself of the precedent. " Sed non allocatur." In
the postdiluvian court of friendship, no such authori
ties can be admitted. Indeed, I have long intended to
summon you into that court ; where, let me apprize
you, your only justification must be, that you have
been so constantly occupied in preparing further mon
uments of your piety and learning for the benefit of
mankind at large, that no time could be spared for the
offices of private friendship. To such a defence, duly
supported by authentick documents, my philanthropy
will compel me to surrender my individual claims,
however costly the sacrifice. But, remember, I shall
insist upon the proof
I do not know, my dear friend, a higher gratification,
than would be afforded by the proposed interview with
our remaining classmates ; it is, therefore, a subject of
deep regret that a previous engagement to go in a dif
ferent direction obliges me to decline the invitation.
The occasion is every way interesting ; and when I
consider what a large portion of the survivors are
learned, pious, and orthodox divines, I calculate with
certainty that much spiritual improvement will be
blended with the pleasures of social intercourse.
How sincerely do I deplore the loss of so golden an
opportunity.

LETTEJIS. 83
No. 16.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 3d May; 1828.
If the signs of affection have been wanting a good
wliile, not so the thing signified. The intercourse of
mind is never broken. I think of you often, and of
" the days of othet years," when we held sweet coun
sel together, as we walked over the fields or reposed
in the cloister. The image of my early and beloved
friend is still vivid, without the aid of that which sa
lutes the eye at my study door. I long to see the orig
inal. When will it be ?
It long since occurred to me that, in case of another
edition of American Annals, 1 might ask your friendly
aid in an article of our history during the Madisonian
war. On solicitation, I have committed the work, re
vised and enlarged, to the press, and have already
come down to the year of Independence. My inten
tion is to close it at the end of 1826, and it will proba
bly be out early in autumn. For the political transac
tions during the late war, I want materials, and a Men
tor to advise me how to use them. The state papers
and documents of the United States I have, but not
those of particular states. As you were in the chair
at the period referred to, the whole subject must be fa
miliar ; and I persuade myself it would not give you
much care or trouble to furnish me with some matter
and some advice; I remember well what you told me
at the time concerning the ground you took as com
mander-in-chief of the militia of Connecticut, in refer
ence to the -putting of your men under the command
of United States officers. Will you, my dear sir, give
me a brief statement of any other facts pertaining to

84 LETTERS.
the local history of the state over which you so hon
ourably presided in one of the most difficult and crit
ical periods of our history, or refer me to books and
publications where I may find the most material facts
and documents ? Will you give me one word upon
the Hartford Convention; its origin; its result? This
subject, and that of the war generally, must, I know,
be cautiously handled. I purpose to be very brief,
and to let a few plain and principal facts speak for
themselves; but, my good friend, I do want your opin
ion and advice upon the subject, with whatever strict
ures may have occurred to you upon the Annals of the
first impression.

No. 17.
TO DR. HOLMES. Sharon, 7th June, 1828.
Your favour of the 3d ultimo has remained too long
unanswered ; but I know your partiality will acquit me
of intentional delay without requiring a formal defence.
I heartily reciprocate the kind feelings you express,
and proceed at once to the principal subject of your
letter. , " Infandum jubes renovare dolorem." I cannot re
flect upon the late war but with many painful emotions.
Not a pleasurable sensation does the retrospect afford
other than what arises from a grateful sense of the Di
vine beneficence towards our beloved country, and a
consciousness of having endeavoured to perform my
duty in the midst of unprecedented embarrassments. I
make no allusion to the real origin of hostilities with
England. Suffer me only to premise, that in. the whole
history of human affairs, ii is probable, no other in-

LETTERS. 85
stance will be found of an offensive war declared in
solemn form, without some preparation for the conflict.
We were not only unprepared, but the nation had been
drugged by the nostrums of political charlatans, until it
was nearly in a state of exhaustion. Still the blow
was struck, and .must be followed up by such means as
could then be obtained. One of the-first measures con
sisted in sending off the few regular troops then in serv
ice, upon an expedition through the wilderness into
Upper Canada. To man the fortresses, therefore, on
the maritime frontier, the president called upon the
governours of states for militia, to be placed under
officers of his own appointment. Governour Strong
of Massachusetts, Governour Griswold of Connecticut,
and Governour Jones of Rhode Island, upon whom
these requisitions were severally made, resisted the de
mand, on the two-fold ground that neither of the consti
tutional exigencies had arisen, and that the tnilitia could
not be compelled to serve under any other than their
own officers, with the exception of the president him
self, .when personally in the field.
This was in 1812 ; and as the enemy invaded neither
of those states during that year, the militia remained
unemployed. The Legislature of Connecticut, however,
from a view of our exposed and defenceless condition,
ordered a corps of regular troops to be raised, and also
a corps of volunteer exempts ; the organization of
which was effected the following winter.* Early in
June, 1813, and shortly after my election, the Ameri
can squadron, commanded by , Commodore Decatur,
was chased by a British fleet of superior force into the
harbour of New London. The town, as well as the
* The organization of these several corps devolved upon me as Lieu-
tenan1>govemour, in consequence of the death of Governour Griswold.

86 letters.
neighbouring coast, was thrown into great consterna
tion; and the squadron itself was in no sense secure
from capture or destruction. Without, therefore. Wait
ing for instructions from the general goveTnment, a
large body^ of militia was called into -service ; and as
the enemy continued in the chops of the harbour,
threatening, and in some instances attempting, a descent
upon our shores, successive detachments of militia and
of the regular state troops were kept in the field during
the whole campaign. Their pay and subsistence were
assumed by the national government, and they were
commanded exclusively by their own officers, the high
est of whom was a brigadier-general, although a Uni
ted States officer of the same rank was stationed on
the ground.
The year 1814 was remarkable for simultaneous
operations against New England by the public enemy,
and our own government 1 The former declared the
intention to lay waste the whole coast from Maine to
Georgia, and made demonstration of that intention by
the descent upon Pettipauge, and the destruction which
followed in that harbour early in April. Guards of
militia were consequently placed without delay at near
ly all the vulnerable points on our sea-board ; and
where troops could not be stationed, patrols of videttes
were constantly maintained. On the 3d of July, the
secretary of war, under directions from the president,
requested me to form a detachment from the militia, of
three thousand men, with the proper officers, and a ma
jor-general at their head, and have them ready for ser
vice at the call of Brigadier-general Gushing of the
United States army, then located at New -London. I
lost no time in complying with this request ; for, allow
me to say, without incurring the charge of egotism.

letters. 87
that whatever might be my opinion of the war, I was
resolved to defend the state at every hazard, and to
fulfil my federal obligations up to the spirit and letter
of the Constitution I had sworn to support ; and such
was evidently the disposition of every individual with
whom I was associated in the state government. In
August, the enemy attacked Stonington with a formi
dable naval force.- Although the assault was repelled
by the incredible bravery of a mere handful of militia
volunteers, still, as the enemy had greatly increased his
naval armament in the Sound, Bri^adier-generaf Gush
ing, apprehending hostile movements upon New Lon
don and other points adjacent, sent me a requisition for
seventeen huridred .men of the detachment lately formed,
to be commanded by a brigadier-general. I issued im
mediately the necessary orders for this purpose. But
as the number required constituted a majority of the
whole detachment, the major-general who had been de
tailed from the militia under the instructions of the pres
ident, through the secretary of war, insisted on his
right to command them. The claim, in my view,
was sustained by the strictest rules of military usage
and etiquette ; but, as the council were then in session,
I submitted the question to that body for advice. They
were unanimously of the same opinion. Accordingly,
ihe major-general was sent. No sooner had he ap-
|)eared on the ground, than Brigadier-general Cushing,
perceiving that he would thus be deprived of a com
mand of the militia, which, for ithe first time, he had
determined now to assume, refused to recognize either
the majflr-general or his detachment as being in the
service Of the United States, and accordingly withheld
all supplies ! ,
Had the danger been less.imminent, the troops would

88 LETTERS.
have been instantly ordered home. But I could not
feel insensible to the distress and importunity of my
fellow-citizens on the coast. Our own commissary-
general, therefore, was directed to furnish the neces
sary subsistence, and the detachment ordered to re
main in service Under the authority of the state.
Troops were also sent for the defence of New Haven,
and the guards augmented at other posts, and the
whole placed under the command of the same major-
general. Thus was the state abandoned by the gen
eral government, and exposed to the ravages of an in
censed enemy, with no other than its own resources,
and these continually diminishing by an onerous system
of taxation to supply the national coffers. The states
of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were nearly in the
same predicament. In the former, a large military
force was in the field for the protection of the Common
wealth ; but as Governour Strong, who had in one in
stance yielded a portion of his militia to the command
of a United States officer, had resolved not to repeat
the experiment, the general government, through their
military prefect at Boston, refused to acknowledge -the
troops as being in the national service 1 and all this at a
moment when the, administration were without either
money or credit; when they must have rejoiced, one
would think, if individual states would defend them
selves, and look to the national treasury for eventual
remuneration ! At this period, the enemy entered the
Chesapeake, captured the city of Washington, burnt
the Capitol, and dispersed the members of the govern
ment. Surely the state authorities were of some value,
when the whole federal system seemed to be thus prac
tically dissolved. Although these calamitous events
produced, in the sequel, no decisive effect upon the

LETTERS. 89
war, still, as the alarm and horror of the people were
immeasurably excited, the pressure upon the state gov
ernments, especially such as had been deserted, became
proportionably great. The Governour of Massachu
setts convoked the General Court of that commonwealth.
The Legislature of Connecticut were about to hold
their usual semi-annual session ; and the Legislature of
Rhode Island also assembled, but whether at a regular
or special session is not now recollected.
When these several bodies met, what should be done
in this unexampled state of affairs became a subject of
most solemn deliberation. To insure unity of views
and concert in action, the Legislature of Massachusetts
proposed a conference by delegates from the Leg
islatures of the New England States, and of any other
states that should accede to the measure.
Their resolution for this purpose, and the circular
letter accompanying it, are ptiblic documents, and need
not be here recited. They will, however, show that
the duty proposed to be assigned to these delegates
was merely to devise and recommend to the states, meas
ures for their security and defence, and such measures
as were " not repugnaht to their obligations as members
of the Union." The proposition was readily assented
to by the Legislatures of Connecticut and, Rhode Island,
and the delegates appointed in pursuance of it met at
Hartford on the 15th of December following, thus con
stituting the celebrated, and, I may add, calumniated
Hartford Convention. The characters of the gentle
men composing it ought assuredly to shield them from
the most distant imputation of unworthy conduct or
motives; for I doubt much whether more virtue and
talent have been imbodied within this nation at any one
period since the memorable Congress of 1774. With

90 letters.
the exception of three respectable individuals from the
counties of Cheshire and Grafton in New Hampshire,
and of Windham in Vermont, what was this Conven
tion but the committees of three state Legislatures ap
pointed to confer upon a question deeply affecting their
common interest, and to report their opinion and ad
vice ? Was this objectionable on any ground either of
constitutionality or expediency ? Is it not even now,
as it ever has been, the practice of contiguous states to
confer together by their legislative committees on ques
tions relative to roads and canals through their respect
ive territories, and other Subjects of internal improve
ment ? and are these of higher concern than thq, pres
ervation of life itself, with all its precious interests ?
If there is, then, nothing to which the most refined po
litical casuist can object in the organization of this body,
what will he find to condemn in their report? That
instrument is before the world, and will .speak for itself*
Suffer me, however, to say, that the Convention recom
mended in substance, 1. That the states they repre
sent take measures to protect their citizens from "for
cible drafts, conscriptions, or impressments, wo; author
ized by 4he Constitution of the United States." 2- That
an earnest application be made to the government of
the United States for their consent to some arrange
ment, whereby the states, separately or in concert, may
assume upon themselves the defence of their territory
against the enemy; and that a reasonable proportion
of the taxes collected within the states be appropriated
to this object. 3. That the several governours be au
thorized by law to employ the military force under
thmr eommand, in assisting any state requesting it to re-
» If you havs not this document, I vrill furnish you with my ofiScial
copy, under the autographical signatures of the membeis.

letters. 91
pel the invasion of the public enemy. 4. They recom
mend the adoption of several amendments of the na
tional Constitution, calculated, in their view, to prevent
a recurrence of the evils of which they complain.
Lastly, should the application to Congress fail of suc
cess — should the war continue, and the defence of these
states be still neglected, they recommend the appoint
ment of other delegates by their respective Legislatures,
to meet at Boston in the month of June then ensuing,
"clothed with such powers and instructions as the exi
gency of a crisis so momentous may require ;" closing
with a provision for again convening their own body,
if, in the interim, the situation of the country shall ur
gently demand it. Is there any thing here inconsistent
with strict loyalty to the national authorities, or with
the principles of a perfect union of these states ? In
deed, I have never heard of an objection to the meas
ures of the Convention. The most important of these
measures, as we shall presently see, were even sanc
tioned by Congress itself Their resolutions, it is true,
were preceded by a series of remarks calculated to in
flict a severe and merited castigation upon the authors
of a war, wholly unjustifiable both in its origin and in
the mode of conducting it. " Hinc illee lachrymce."
But for the preamble, it is believed, neither the report,
nor the Convention itself, nor the states appointing it,
would have met with either cavil or rebuke. The ef
fect upon the public mind in the aggrieved states, as
you may well remember, was both seasonable and sal
utary. The exasperation of the people at the conduct
of the administration, was evidently softened by the pro
posal to call a convention; and their entire confidence
in the wisdom and firmness of the men delegated to
that important trust, served greatly to allay the angry

92 LETTERS.
passions, and to inspire patience and hope. Nor was
the influence of this body upon the national councils
less perceptible. The daring project of filling the ranks
of the regular army by a conscription, was abandoned,
notwithstanding it had been officially recommended by
the secretary of war, and reported by a committee of
Congress. Within three weeks after the adjournment
of the Convention and the publication of their report,
an act passed both houses of the national Legislature,
and received the signature of the president, authorizing
and requiring him to receive into the service of the
United States any corps of troops which may have
been or may be raised, organized, and officered under
the authority of any of the states, and to be employed
in the state raising the same, or an adjoinirig state, and
NOT ELSEWHERE, cxccpt with the consent of the executive
of the state raising the same." Substantially the very
system of defence proposed by the Convention 1 Had
it been adopted in season, that body, in all probatility,
would never have assembled. Adopted as it was,
however, it served completely to authenticate their
doings, and to demonstrate the policy and the necessity
of their appointment. I will add, that before our com
missioners appointed to confer with the government,
could reach Washington, a bill passed the Senate pro
viding for the payment of the troops and militia already
called into service under the authority of the states,
and would undoubtedly have received the concurrence
of the other branch, had not the arrival of the treaty
of peace at this juncture arrested all further proceed
ings. You will probably, my dear friend, not soon for
get the delirium of joy which the auspicious but unex
pected return of peace produced throughout our whole
population. The reflecting portion of the nation, al-

LETTERS. 93
though they perceived in the treaty no reference what
ever to any one avowed object of the war, yet rejoiced
that an intolerable burden was removed — that we had
escaped, comparatively, with so little injury — that the
union of the states and the integrity of their territory
were preserved — that such resources had been devel
oped, and such courage and magnanimity displayed —
particularly that our little navy, reared in better times,
and saved by Divine Providence from the ruthless
hands of self-styled political reformers, had covered it
self with glory ; and they poured out their hearts in
gratitude to the God of our fathers at the prospect of
His having thus graciously rendered the folly and mad
ness of our rulers subservient to the future prosperity
and aggrandizement of the nation.
The foregoing relation, brief and plain as it is, may
be more minute than you desired. But as the events
were intimately connected, they seemed to require an
unbroken narrative. I have endeavoured to state the
facts truly according to my best recollection, aided by
such documents as are now at hand. Other and fur
ther evidence might have been obtained by applying to
the public records ; and, it is possible, for the want of
it, some errours may have intervened. I trust, how
ever, these are neither numerous nor material. It will
afford me much pleasure if I have suggested any thing
which may be of use in the prosecution of your inqui
ries. I am truly gratified that you are engaged in giving
to the world another edition of your Annals, brought
down to a late period. Although the limits you have
prescribed to yourself must preclude any very extend
ed details, still the call for a second edition is flattering
proof, if further proof were necessary, of the high es-

94 LETTERS.
timation in which that most valuable work is held by
an enlightened community.

No. 18.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 8th Jmip, 1^29.
If I have not before acknowledged your very obliging
and seasonable reply to my letter of inquiry written to
you a year since, the pressure of time for the prepara
tion of your papers and others for my work, then in the
press, with my pastoral duties, must be my apology. I
now very cordially thank you for the information you
gave me on a subject of great importance, but of diffi
cult and delicate touch.
If I have treated it justly and properly, it was by your
guidance and aid ; and it will give me great pleasure to
know that it proves satisfactory to you, whatever may
be the judgment of others.
I send you a copy of plain sermons, delivered not
long since to my society, from which you will perceive
the trials to which we are called for the steadfast main
tenance of those religious principles, which the pastor
and Church believe (and which it is delightful to me to
be assured that you, my dear friend, believe) to be the
essential principles of the Gospel.

No. 19.
TO MRS. REEVE, ON THE DEATH OP J. BURR REEVE.
Sharon, August 20, 1829.
I have this day received a letter from our mutual
friend. Judge Wolcott, announcing the death of young
Mr. Reeve! Out of the circle of my near relatives, no

LETTERS. 95
event of a simila.r kind could have been to me more
deeply afflictive. My own sensations enable me to es
timate the intensity of yours on this melancholy occa
sion — this eariy failure of the last earthly hope of your
lamented husband. Indeed, no case has occurred within
my experience, which, in all its aspects, so forcibly de
monstrates the instabihty of sublunary joy, the fallacy of
all human expectation ! You, dear madam, who have
ever shown to the beloved youth the fondness of a moth
er, and who must now feel the anguish of a mother, will
greatly need the consolation which the religion you pro
fess is so well calculated to afford. May you enjoy it
in all its extent, and be enabled to bless God that He
has imbued you with a just sense of the rectitude of His
government, and of the duty of quietly submitting to
His holy dispensations !

No. 20.
TO DR. HOLMES. Sharon, 2d Sept., 1829.
I received, a short time since, your letter under the
date of 8th of June last, accompanied by two volumes
of your " Annals of America," and the two sermons, the
whole constituting a precious memorial of your affec
tion, the more precious as it is the heaii: offering at the
shrine of friendship the finest productions of the under
standing. I should have acknowledged the favour im
mediately, but I had a strong desire first to examine the
volumes, and to read and digest the sermons. Of the
former I freely expressed my opinion when presented
with the flrst edition- — an opinion which your rhodesty
then ascribed to the partiality of a friend, but which, it
is delightful to know, has been fully sanctioned by the

96 LETTERS.
best judges and most enlightened critics on both sides
of the Atlantic. The additional matter contained in the
present edition will in no degree diminish the value and
the reputation of the work. It embraces a highly im
portant period in our national existence, one which call
ed into exercise all the bitterness of party spirit, and, I
might add, all the bad passions of the human heart. It
required, therefore, as you justly observe, " a delicate
touch." In other words, it demanded a strict adherence
to sober truth, without the least mixture of political prej
udice. And I do think you iiave accomplished the end
perfectly. I am particularly pleased with the just view
you have taken of the Convention at Hartford, so long
the subject of gross and unmerited abuse ; and I rejoice,
with all the friends of truth and justice, that the trans
action is at length placed in fair colours upon the page
of history.
Previously to the receipt of your letter, I had heard
of your parochial difficulties, and had read with deep
interest the result of the council convened at the call of
the pastor and church. Your two discourses, so feel
ingly, and, allow me to say, so admirably framed, have
led me to a full view of the merits of the case. I have
since learned from another source that .your adversa
ries, in the plenitude of their " liberality" have ishut the
doors of the sanctuary against you, and that you are
compelled to discharge your ministerial duties in some
other apartment. Blessed be God, he has set bounds
which they may not pass. His promises are sure, and
the Church is safe. Sections of it may indeed be thrown
into great tribulation — nay, the entire Bush may burn,
but we know it cannot be consumed. It is, however,
unnecessary, nor does it become me to point you to that
source of consolation from which you have so long

LETTERS. 97
drawn such copious supplies both for yourself and your
flock. Rest assured, my beloved friend, of my fervent
prayers that you may be upheld by the omnipotent arm
of the Saviour during the fiery trial which you are call
ed to sustain for the faith once delivered to the saints.
You have contended for it nobly, and, I doubt not, there
is in reserve for you a crown of unfading glory.
One word respecting your University. I am acquaint
ed with the new president, and think favourably of his
acquirements as a scholar, and of his manners as a gen
tleman. It is said that he contemplates great changes
in the system of education-^that, having visited the col
leges at the South, he has selected Mr. Jefferson's con
trivance at Charlottesville for his model, and that, con
sequently, your college edifices are to be converted into
pavilions, hotels, and dormitories ; the pupils to be con
fined to no particular course of study, and subjected to
no penal rules of discipline, and especially to no relig
ious observances whatever. I know not whether, in
the last particular, there would be much of a change.
Now, if Mr. Quincy has really become a disciple of the
" Sage of Monticello," it will excite my especial wonder.
When in Congress together, we agreed perfectly in
opinion that Mr. J. was as destitute of common sense
as he confessedly was of all pretensions to religion of
any kind. I have met with nothing since to change my
opinion. Mr. Q. may have been more fortunate. But
oh, my heart melts within me whenever I think of that
ancient institution, the pride and the hope of the Pil
grims. If their spirits take cognizance of things below,
what must be their sensations ?

E

98 LETTERS.

No. ^1.
TO REV. LEONARD E. LATHROP, D.D.
Sharon, 3d April, 1830.
My views of Freemasonry accord entirely with yours,
so far as I am acquainted with its object or its effects.
My personal knowledge of the system is extremely
limited. What little information I possess concerning
it, is derived almost wholly from the disclosures which
have been recently made by masons of the higher grades.
By all I can discover, I am irresistibly brought to the
conclusion that the institution is radically unsound, and
that in its operation, whatever may have been the orig
inal intention, it is essentially anti- Christian. I therefore
think professing Christians, who happen to be members
of the fraternity, should abandon it. To do this, it is
not necessary, in my opinion, that we should post our
selves in the publick newspapers, nor that we should
disclose the secrets of the order, nor that we should en
list under the banners of any anti-masonick combination.
It is sufficient, I humbly conceive, that we calmly and
frankly express, on all fit occasions, our altered views
of the institution, and our determination to hold no fur
ther communication nor correspondence with it. If the
individuals in your church and congregation who be
long to the lodge could be brought to view the subject
in this light, they might at once relieve their pastor,
and f hemselves also, from all embarrassment ; for in
that case, nothing more would be necessary than that
you state publickly, on some suitable occasion (and I
apprehend it could not be better done than in the very
terms of your letter), the sentiments now entertained by
yourself and theni in relation to the institution, and your
consequent resolution to recede from it altogether.

L E T T E as.

This might Hot wholly satisfy those who make opposi
tion a mere political engine, but it would be strictly
keeping a " conscience void of offence (in this respect)
toward Gpd and toward men."

No. 22.
TO HON. S. W. JOHNSON. Sharon, July 19th, 1830.
I have received and read with great pleasure the
patnphlet you had the goodness to send me. It is a re
spectable performance i in any point of view ; but its
chief value, in my estimation, consists in the handsome
though brief memorial which the writer has presented
of your illustrious father. I had long and anxiously
looked for a much more extended memoir, and even
now I am unwilling to abandon the hope of seeing it
accomplished ; for it does seem incredible that a long
life filled up with active and dignified employment,
should have left behind few traces of its useful and
briUiant career. And yet I am assured that such is
the lamentable fact with respect to nearly all the de
parted fathers of New England. A gentleman who
had undertaken their biography, and who is well quali
fied for the task, wrote me a short time since that he
was compelled to relinquish the attempt as altogether
hopeless ; that, after the most dihgent research, the ma
terials he was enabled to collect were too meagre to
furnish portraits which would be either creditable to
the individuals concerned, or satisfactory to the publick ;
and, as an instance illustrative of the subject, he states
" that scarcely even a business letter of the late Chief-
justice Ellsworth can be found I" Thus regardless were
these venerated statesmen and patriots of " the honour

100 L E T T E Jt S.
which cometh from man." But their "record is on
high ;" and if the monuments of their individual great
ness can now scarcely be seen, still the blessed fruits
of their labours are every where visible in the pros
perity and glory of our country. Had they devoted a
little time to autobiography, they would have conferred
a rich favour upon succeeding generations. If your
father, for example, after retiring from the presidency
of -Columbia College, had employed a portion of his
leisure in writing his own memoirs, what a fund of in
struction and entertainment would they have yielded to
posterity 1 How coniparatively easy then would have
been the task of filling up a fulUlength portrait of one
who, for ardent piety, profound learning, unrivalled elo
quence, beauty of person, and elegance of manners,
was justly the admiration of the age in which he lived ?
What his modesty probably prevented him from ac
complishing, it is the bounden duty of the present gen
eration, as far as possible, to supply.

No. 23.
TO REV. DR. HOLMES. •Sharon, 22d Nov., 1830.
My late visit to Boston appears like a dream ; pleas
ant indeed, but, as the best of dreams generally are,
imperfect. To render the vision complete, I should
have entered your domicil, have beheld there the ob
jects of conjugal and parental tenderness, and have ex
patiated a while in that library, where so much has been
achieved by its learned and indefatigable proprietor for
the benefit of the present and future generations. I la
ment that this deficiency must now be supplied by con
jecture alone. Still, it is a subject of devout thankful-

LETTERS. 101
ness that I enjoyed so much of your society, and es
pecially that we were permitted to celebrate anew our
early friendship at the table of our Divine Redeemer.
May we, " by a holy perseverance, pass on from shad
ows to substances ; from the typical, sacramental, and
transient, to the real and eternal supper of the Lamb."
This last sentence you will readily recognize as ex
tracted from the book which you so kindly presented to
me, which is so appropriate to my age and condition, a
portion of which I daily read, and always with a de
lightful reminiscence of my generous and highly-valued
friend. Your far-famed metropolis greatly surpassed my ex
pectations. I had anticipated a splendid array of wealth
and magnificence — of noble establishments for com
mercial, and literary, and charitable purposes, and the
whole enlivened by an active and intelligent, a hospi
table and high-minded population ; and these anticipa
tions, to say the least, were fully realized. But I had
formed no adequate conception of the magical effect
produced by standing on that memorable ground — of
the all-absorbing associations which the objects around
me would necessarily awaken. With what impressions
did I enter Faneuil Hall, the Cradle of Liberty — ^nay,
the genial bed on which she first saw the light ! What
were my emotions, when, from the summit of the State-
house, I beheld for the first time the surrounding coun
try, and selected from the rich and varied prospect the
early and blood-stained scenes of our glorious Revolu
tion ! emotions which admit of no description, and
which can never be felt but by those who lived at that
momentous period. You and I, my friend, are of that
favoured number. You therefore can appreciate the
thrilling sensations which agitated my whole frame.

102 LETTERS.
My stay in a place of so much enchantment was
certainly too short, but sufficiently long to create a rich
fund of reflection for the residue of my earthly pilgrim
age. The next morning after we Separated, I had the
pleasure of an interview with Messrs. Otis and Sulli
van. In the course of conversation, I asked their opin
ion of the continuation of your American Annals, of
the notice you had taken of the events of the late war,
and particularly of the Hartford Convention, of which
body, as you know, they were both members. Judge
of my surprize when both observed that they had not
seen the work ! Their surprize, however, at their own
inattention, seemed fully equal to mine. They re
proached themselves, and declared they should send
immediately for the volumes, a resolution which they
have doubtless carried into effect. I was happy to hear
them pay a just tribute of praise to the first edition, and
express their entire confidence in the faithful execution
of the last.
I enclose a copy of the letter addressed to Rev. John
Cotton by Oliver Cromwell. You will recollect a copy
was found amofigst the papers of the late Dr. W. S.
Johnson, and by his son delivered to me, with the assur
ance that his father considered it the copy of a genuine
letter. The enclosed is a faithful transcript of that
copy, even with a scrupulous observance of the orthog
raphy.

No, 24.
FROM DR. HOLMES. Cambridge, 10th Marfch, 1831.
When walking or sitting together, " thought meeting

LETTERS. 103
thought," we find no difficulty about words : " verba
baud invita sequentur." Why is it so much harder to
write ? In the one case, we choose and vary our sub
jects as we please ; find what is mutually interesting at
the time or in retrospect ; put frequent questions, and
give quick answers ; and are not conscious of care or
effort. It is a united and simultaneous exercise. If one
is silent fbr a moment, the other speaks. No time is
lost. Nor is it measured. " With thee conversing, I
forget all time." But when we write, so many feelings
rise up, and so many thoughts rush in, that we find it
hard to manage either the one or the other, especially
both together. There is all the difference which there
is between a dialogue and a soliloquy ; in the first, you
and I always agreed, and we closed, you remember,
our classical course with it ; not so easily, though not
less affectionately, in the other. But I am philosophiz
ing, instead of either talking or writing. Your letter,
with its enclosure, was duly received. It gave me great
pleasure to find that your visit to Boston and vicinity was
so delightful to you. It was my ardent wish to protract
it, that we might fairly see you at our own house in
Cambridge ; but, like another governor before you, you
" was doing a great work, and could not come down."
It was, my Christian friend, a great and good work
which you came to do, and I rejoiced to find you doing
it. Few, if any, associations in our country are so im
portant in design, or so useful in effect, as the Board of
Commissioners over which you preside. May the Di
vine blessing still attend your counsels and labours, and
may the united efforts of Christians in which we have
the privilege to partake, be the means of enlightening
" the dark places of the earth," and of saving many souls
that are ready to perish.

104 LETTERS.
The president fairly out-generaled me. I should not
have turned so readily on my heel at the college gate,
from my house towards his, had I known there would be
"nulla vestigia retrorsum." But I soon learned your
engagement, and was glad of even a short interview iii
the president's study. The opportunity of meeting you
afterward in Boston I shall ever consider, with you, " a
subject of devout thankfulness, and especially that we
were permitted to cement anew our early friendship at
the table of our Divine Redeemer."
Impressive as was this scene at the church, the im
pression of it after we retired was, and continues to be,
greater than I can tell you. To your pious wish in the
expressive words of Taylor, I truly respond t " May we,
by a holy perseverance, pass on from shadows to sub
stances ; from the typical, sacramental, and transient, to
the real and eternal supper of the Lamb."
The church which we were beginning to erect when
you were here, is finished in a style of chaste simplicity
that pleases every body. It is furnished with a good
bell, and was dedicated on the 23d of February. Your
friend (the senior pastor) preached the dedication ser
mon, from Jer., vi., 16. The hand of the God of our
fathers " has been upon us for good," and we still hope
for his presence and blessing. Most of the pews are
engaged ; and if we may be instrumental in retaining
here the principles of our pious forefathers — the princi
ples of the Protestant Reformation held by the revered
Shephard and the founders of this First Church in Cam
bridge, and accordant, as we believe, with the pure
doctrines of the Gospel — and in transmitting them to
our descendants, we shall not have lived in vain ; and
to God we will give all the glory.
The copy of the letter addressed to your venerable

LETTERS. 105
ancestor, the Rev. John Cotton, by the Lord Protector
Cromwell, which you obligingly sent to me, I commu
nicated to the Historical Society at a late meeting, and
it attracted much attention. It was delivered to the
Committee of Publications with an extract from your
letter, giving an account of it ; and I inserted this among
the communications to the society, to be officially ac
knowledged. I concur in judgment with you respecting President
Quincy's Centennial Address, and trust it has done
much towards illustrating the character and disabusing
the memory of our forefathers. The eloquent perora
tion I had thought, in the reading, approximated, if it
did not fully reach, the character which you assign to
it in an epithet which is always in high estimation among
the sons of the Pilgrims. That part of the Address was
received with great delight and applause by the " ortho
dox" Christians. '

No. 25.
TO MR. HUMPHREYS (tHEN A STUDENT AT COLLEGE).
Sharon, August 2, 1831.
'No apology was necessary for addressing me on the
subject of your letter. I feel that one is due to you for
my delay in acknowledging the receipt of it. To ad
vise you in the choice of a profession at this early stage
of your education, and without the advantage of a per
sonal acquaintance, would be presumptuous in me, and,
so far as my opinion could have influence, might be un
safe for you. The best advice I can give, is to post
pone a decision pf the question until the close of your
collegiate course. A decision now may tempt you to
pay attention prematurely to professional studies, where-
E2

106 LETTERS.
as the entire quadrennial period is sufficiently brief, for
the acquisition of that degree of general literature and
science which is deemed essential to a liberal education,
and, of course, to eminence in either of the learned pro
fessions. Your present views, moreover, may undergo
a material change ; for in the progress of academical
instruction, and as your mental powers expand, faculties
may be developed of which you are now unconscious,
but which may have a most important bearing upon your
future prospects. Having finished your collegiate ca-"
reer, you will be better prepared to examine the state
of your own heart, and to consult such discreet friends
as shall be intimately acquainted with your particular
endowments. By their advice, with a humble trust in
the Divine guidance, you may confidently hope that
your desire to be useful in the world will receive a wise
and auspicious direction. The respective professions
require appropriate qualifications, and it would be well
that every candidate for either should bear in mind the
Roman proverb, " Non ex quovis ligno Mercurius fit."
Stripped of its pagan allusion, the sentiment is a sound
one, and the neglect of the admonition it conveys has
doubtless blighted the hopes of many a youthful aspi
rant. I agree with you that a professor of religion may
consistently engage in either the legal or medical pro
fession ; indeed, it is highly desirable that every lawyer
and physician should be distinguished alike for talents
and piety. But, as you justly remark, these professions
are already filled to overflowing, and you admit that
the Church of Christ stands in great need of pious and
evangelical ministers. Now, under these circumstances*
what is the duty of a well-educated youth, of unfeigned
piety, and acknowledged ministerial gifts ? When he

LETTERS. 107
prays, as the Saviour has taught him to " pray, the
Lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers
into his harvest," will he not be constrained to add,
" here. Lord, am I, send me ?" But, as I have before
observed, it will be in season for you to answer these
questions when you shall have completed your academ
ical course ; and, in the mean time, I desire you to be
assured that the style and purport of your letter have in
spired me with respect for your scholastick attainments,
and with the warmest wishes for your prosperity.

No. 26.
FROM HON. THEODORE DWIGHT.
¦New York, July 22d, 1833.
I have not been able to ascertain, with a sufficient
degrtee of certainty, the number of men belonging to
the militia of Connecticut, that were in the field in 1813
and 1814. Supposing it possible that you might have
the means of ascertaining it with as much precision as
is necessary for my purposes, I have taken the liberty
to trouble you with this letter. The subject of the mi
litia is so immediately connected with my projected
book on the Hartford Convention, that I want to state,
as nearly as may be, the niimber of troops to justify
the appointment of a, major-general. If you should be
able to give me this information, without giving your
self too much trouble, you will greatly oblige me.

No. 27.
TO HON. THEODORE DWIGHT. Sharon, July 27th, 1833.
I fear it will not be in my power to furnish a very

108 LETTERS.
satisfactory answer . to your inquiry respecting the
number of Our militia in the field during the years 1813
and 1814. The muster-rolls and pay-rolls, as well as
the original correspondence with the general govern
ment and its officers during the war, relative to the
employment of our militia, were forwarded at the
peace to Senators Dana and Daggett, for the purpose
of substantiating the claim of the State upon the na
tional treasury for military services and supplies.
Amongst the papers still retained, I can not find any
document which will enable me to state the precise
number employed in 1813. No mihtia were in ser
vice until Com. Decatur's squadron entered the har
bour of New London, to escape from the pursuit of
the British fleet, 1st of June in that year. A whole
brigade was then called out to protect the squadron and
the town, and continued in service until repairs were
made at Fort Trumbull, and were commen.ced at Fort
Griswold, when they were relieved by regular and
successive detachments of militia, until the close of
the campaign. At no time, I believe, within that pe
riod, was there less than a regiment on duty ; and,
occasionally, in seasons, of alarm, a much greater
number. The wanton destruction of our merchant vessels in
the harbour of Pettipauge by a detachment from the
hostile squadron early in April, 1814, produced so
much consternation along the coast, that I deemed it
expedient, in compliance with the earnest entreaties
of our citizens, and in concert with Inspector-general
Kingsbury, United States officer at New London, to
station guards of militia at nearly all the assailable
pouits on our maritime frontier. Their aggregate
number is not recollected. On the 4th of July, 1814,

LETTERS. 109
the secretary of war sent me a requisition for 3000
militia, with -a brigadier-general and a major-general,
to be detached and held in readiness for service, at the
call, of Brigadier-general Cushing, recently stationed
at New London. Orders were immediately issued,
and the necessary details perfected without delay.
During the attack upon Stonington, early in August, a
brigade of militia in the vicinity were called into the
field ; and to relieve them. General Cushing sent me a
requisition for 1700 men from the detachment just or
ganized, to be commanded by their brigadier-general.
They were despatched accordingly, with an intima
tion, however (sanctioned, as you will remember, by
the unanimous advice of the council), that, as he had
asked for a majority of the detachment, the major-
general already detailed, who claimed the right to
command them, would be on the ground at an early
day. Meanwhile, the citizens of New Haven and the
adjacent ports, alarmed by the threat of the British
admiral to lay waste our whole frontier, presented an
urgent application for an augmentation of the force
already stationed at those points ; and by the advice
of the council, and the concurrent opinion of General
Cushing (an opinion expressed, probably, under an ex
pectation that they would be placed under his imme
diate command), six hundred men of the State troops,
commanded by Capt. Sanford, were ordered to those
posts. Thus, by the beginning of September, 2300 men
were in actual service. The major-general reached
New London about the same time, but no sooner was
his arrival announced, than General Cushing refused
to consider the troops as any longer in the national
service, and instantly stopped their pay and subsist
ence, although the necessity for their employment was

110 LETTERS;
then as urgent as at any previous moment, for the na
tional squadron still remained in the same exposed and
defenceless condition. By this unwarrantable proce
dure, the whole expense of the armament was thrown
upon the State, already suffering not a little, from the
ruinous policy and fiscal exactions of the general gov
ernment. It was whilst the people of Connecticut
were writhing under the pressure of the war, ahd the
unjust and ungenerous conduct of the admmistration
towards them, that the proposition came from Massa
chusetts, then in a similar situation, for "a conference"
upon the proper course to be pursued at this juncture.
The proposition was assented to, and hence originated
the Convention, a history of whose proceedings we
hope soon to receive from your pen. I rejoice that
the work is in such hands, and that justice will at
length be rendered to an assembly greatly calumnia
ted, but which, for patriotism and intelligence, for pu
rity and elevation of character, has been rarely equal
led, and never surpassed.

No. 28.
TO"" REV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, Jan. 4th, 1835.
Your remarks upon our recent affliction, in the death
of our beloved grandson,* are "alike just and consola
tory, and are indeed oil to our wounded spirits. Con
sidered in all its aspects, it is the sorest chastisement
we have ever received at the hand of our heavenly
Father. Shall we complain ? We may wonder and
weep, but not a murmur should escape us. " Just and
true are thy ways, thou King of saints !"
* See Appendix K.

LETTERS. Ill
Whilst I adOre with you the good hand of Gpd upon
the American Bible Society the current year thus far,
I must be allowed to express my surprise at the course
pursued by our Baptist brethren, to which you allude.
Did they seriously believe that our society, composed
as it is principally of those who differ toto caelo from
them, both as to the subjects and mode of baptism,
would tamely surrender their opinions, and directly
sanction an opposite doctrine ? And have they, with
out previous notice, appropriated the donation of the
society to the very purpose of procuring such a sanc
tion? Surely our brethren are not aware that they
thus expose themselves to the apostolic censure of
" walking in craftiness" and " handling the word of
God deceitfully" as well as to the suspicion that prose-
lytism rather than evangelism was their primary mo
tive in the missionary enterprize. I rejoice that Presi
dent Wayland and Dr. Sharpe entertain more liberal
views, and I can not but hope that thi-ough their influ
ence a corrective will be applied. Nothing certainly
is easier than to follow the example of our English
translators in adopting the original with an English
termination, wherever a word of strictly correspond
ing import could not be found, as in baptize, apostle.
Christians, and many others. Nay, they made no
scruple in taking the original itself without change, if
necessary, as in the Grceco-Syriac phrase "anathema
maranatha" in the memorable declaration of the Sav
iour, " I am Alpha and Omega," and numerous other
instances in the Old and New Testaments. But the
translators of our English Bible were wonderful men.
They felt, as all translators of the Scriptures should
feel, that a high responsibility rested upon them as
organs of communication from Heaven to their fellow-

112 LETTERS.
mortals, and that they were solemnly bound to be as
faithful in rendering, as the inspired penmen were in
recording, the messages of the Almighty. Witji this
estimate of their duty, it was • impossible for theni to
make the Word of God subservient to sectarian views,
to theological subtleties, or to the dissemination of
philological innovations. In short, we scarcely know
which most to admire, their directness, and purity of
purpose, or their profound learning and exalted piety.
I am sometimes enthusiastick enough to believe, that
the Enghsh language will finally become the vernacu
lar tongue of all nations, and the English Bible find a
place in every human habitation. At all events, it
becomes us, at this day, to guard the Sacred Text
with a vigilance proportioned to the violations with
which, either from design or from carelessness, it is
assailed. You suggested the same thing in a former
letter, and intimated, if I mistake not, the expediency
of a concert on the part of the Christian publick in dis
countenancing any other editions of the English Scrip
tures than such as proceed from an accredited institu
tion — ^a proposition to which I most heartily assent.
I am truly gratified at the favourable opinion you
express of the missionary candidates from the New
Brunswick Seminary. Would that their number were
increased a hundred fold. - It is happy for them and
for the cause, that they are to be associated with such
a coadjutor as Mr. Abeel; for of all the heralds of the
Cross who have hitherto been sent from our country
to the heathen, no one has appeared to me to possess
higher qualifications or a better spirit.

LETTERS. 113
No. 29.
TO KEV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, Feb. 12th, 1835.
I lament with you that the increased demand for
the Bible, through the influence of the A. B. Society,
should have induced private dealers to print, as well
as to circulate, copies so extensively. Besides the evil
you mention, there is evident danger that corruptions,
and very gross ones too, will be introduced into the
sacred text through the carelessness of these irre
sponsible printers. I have no desire to see the sacred
Volume- subjected to an imprimatur, nor its publication
promoted, nor in any degree affected, by the civil au
thority:; but it is most devoutly to be wished that
Christians of all denominations would unite in en
couraging and aiding the issues of that blessed Book
from a single establishment, in the management of
which all should be fairly represented. Will any one
deny that the American Bible Society is precisely such
an estabhshment? And is it not high time that publick
attention should be particularly directed to this ob
ject 1
I have just received a letter from a distinguished
literary character, an avowed friend of the Bible, in
which he deplores the attempt, now in successful pro
gress, Xo throw into circulation Mr. N. Webster's ver
sion ; an attempt which he deems inauspicious to the
cause of religion and of sound literature. I have not
yet seen a copy of the work, but I am informed the
ostensible object of the author is so to modify the lan
guage of the Bible as to relieve the mawkish sensibili
ty of fastidioiis readers, and render it a "safe book"
for the young ! while his real design is to make it a

114 LETTERS.
miversal school-book, and, in this way, the medium of
giving currency to some peculiar opinions of his own,
and of establishing his numerous innovations on the
orthography of the English tongue. Of the truth of
these suggestions I am not at present enabled to judge ;
nor will I arraign the motives, nor call in question the
modesty, of the individual layman who, uninvited by
the religious community, could engage single-handed
in such an enterprize ; but believing, as I do, that if in
spiration can be predipated of any human effort since
the apostolick age, it was enjoyed by the holy men to
whose prayerful and indefatigable labours we are in
debted for our present translation, I can feel no desire
for any other version. It might be well for some of
our heads of colleges and editors of religious journals,
to consider how far their adoption of Mr. Webster's
philosophical novelties may have encouraged him in
his bold undertaking.

No. 30.
TO COL. GEORGE P. MORRIS. Sharon, Feb. 21, 1835.
You greatly overrate my a.bility, but not my desire
to aid you in your laudable efforts tp maintain at once
the purity of our language and the inviolability of the
sacred Volume. Under my present circumstances,
however, the service assigned to me would be attend
ed with some hazard. If English criticks are charged
with publishing reviews of books they had never read,
I should incur the guilt of reviewing one I had never
seen. " Webster's Bible !" has not yet fallen under my
observation, and the thought has at times occurred to
me that it would be a species of sacrilege to even look

LETTERS. 115
into it. But I am led by your remarks to view the
matter in, a different, and, undoubtedly, more correct
point of light. Accordingly, I have inquired for the
book, and rejoice to learn that not a single copy is to
be found in our village. One may be obtained, it is
said, at Litchfield, and measures will therefore be
taken to procure it speedily. Some time must, of
course, be required to give it a fair examination, and
if any reflections which the subject may suggest, shall,
in my weak judgment, be worthy of your notice, they
shall be communicated without unnecessary delay.
This task ought, in good conscience, to have been
executed by other and more appropriate hands. Un-
fortunately, our reverend fathers of the Church, our
heads of colleges, and editors of religious journals,
have (not a few of them) in a luckless moment given
their sanction to Mr. Webster's philosophical " whim-
whams." Consequently, as lawyers would say, they
are " estopped from averring any thing contrary" to
his unhallowed mutilations of the sacred text, inti
mately connected, as they must be, with his manifold
corruptions of the language.

No. 31.
TO REV. DE. MILLER. Sharon, June 3, 1835.
You have been informed by my grandson that your
most acceptable letter and the accompanying volume
did hot arrive in due course, but by a series of unto
ward occurrences were detained in NeW York. I did
not, indeed, receive them until the eve of my departure
to attend the anniversaries in that city.
Presuming you may, by this time, have returned

116 LETTERS.
from the session of the General Assembly, I make no
further delay in expressing my hearty thanks for a
favour which I esteem as well for its intrinsick value,
a* for the courteous manner in which it is conferred.
I am so much in the habit of admiring your writings,
and of confiding in the correctness of your theological
views, that when these come into conflict with my
own preconceived opinions, the latter are necessarily
put in great jeopardy. My earliest impressions were
in favour of the Presbyterian organization, but were
removed by a series of essays against the office of
" Lay Elders," ascribed to the late Dr. Wilsoh, of
Philadelphia, and published several years ago in a
monthly periodical in this state. The essays certain
ly evinced considerable research, and an extensive
acquaintance with the Fathers ; and although I do not
now recollect the exact process by which the effect
was produced, yet I settled down in the conviction
that the Congregational was the primitive order of
Church government, nor have I met with any thing
to disturb that conviction, until taking up the volume
which you have had the goodness to send me. I free
ly confess you have presented an array of proofs and
authorities too powerful to be easily overcome ; so
that I am almost disposed to sympathize with the
Dutch magistrate in a neighbouring state, who felt no
difficulty in entering up judgment on hearing one side
only, but pronounced it "utterly impossible for any
man to decide a cause after hearing lawyers upon both
sides." But, on whichsoever side of this question the
weight of evidence and of argument may lie, there is
consolation in believing, as you charitably suggest,
that on neither side can the errour be fundamental.
The representative system is certainly the most beau-

LETTERS. 117
tiful in theory, most efficient, most in analogy with
our civil constitutions ; and even the venerable author
of " Ecclesiastical Polity" would have thought it best
adapted to Republican governments. And yet the
Congregational plan, although too democratick, and
even anarchical in form, is nevertheless, in practice,
scarcely less energetick than the other.
By appointing a standing committee of the Church,
of which the deacons, whose office is permanent, are,
ex-officio, members, we secure nearly all the benefits
of your church judicatory ; for although their acts and
decisions require the sanction of the Church, it is rare
ly, if ever, withheld ; and our deacons, besides their
appropriate duty, perform all, or nearly all, the minis
terial functions allotted to your ruling elders.
Thus the difference is, perhaps, more in name than
in substance ; at any rate, I ardently- hope it will never
be thought of sufficient magnitude to intercept our
union in the Church militant, nor, as I humbly trust, in
the Church triumphant.

Nt). 32.
TO COL. WARD. Sharon, Nov. 17, 1835.
I thank you, my dear sir, for your kind and consola
tory letter. We have indeed sustained no common
loss in the death of our beloved grandson. To great
sweetness of disposition, highly polished manners, and
intellectual attainments of the first order, he added a
sincere and ardent piety, and the consecration of all
his faculties to the service of God, and the best in
terests of his fellow-men.
Having just entered the field of labour, and by the

118 LETTERS.
few sermons he was permitted to preach, impressed
all who heard him with anticipations of his future use
fulness and distinction, he was suddenly arrested in
his career, and from the Church on earth, was removed,
we trust, to the Church of the First-born in Heaven.
Whilst we bow in humble submission to this mys
terious dispensation, we feel not a little consoled by
the sympathy of our kind friends. In the number of
these, your name, my dear sir, holds a conspicuous
place. Of the strength and constancy of your friend
ship, I have received numerous and unequivocal proofs,
and I beg you to feel assured that it is reciprocated
with all the warmth which a high sense of its value
can not fail to inspire.

No. 33.
TO MRS. ELIZA EVERTSON. Sharon, May 9th, 1836.
I should have informed you at an earlier day of the
illness of my beloved wife, if my solicitude and unre
mitting attention to her case had not prevented. But
I am compelled to write a letter of apology for my
necessary absence from the celebration of our anni
versaries, and can not, therefore, forego the opportunity
of making you acquainted with our condition.
Your sister was attacked four weeks ago with what
appeared a universal rheumatism. Her disorder pres
ently assumed the form of a bihous remitting fever,
and continues to the present moment. A fortnight
since, she was supposed by her physicians to be dy
ing ; but, God be praised, she revived, and we have
hoped and despaired in frequent alternations ever
since. The fever is somewhat abated, and we should

LETTERS. 119
indulge a little more hope were it not that her lungs
are evidently affected. Should there be sufficient
vital power to throw off the morbid matter before
ulcers are formed, there would be a rational prospect
of her restoration.* On this point we are, of course,
in a most painful state of uncertainty. Her strength
is indeed perfect weakness ; but, blessed be God, she
is in entire possession of her reason, and in the hap
piest frame of spirit. Her patience under great suf
fering, and her resignation to the will of our heaven
ly Father, are the admiration of all her attendants, as
is, also, her grateful sense of every favour conferred
upon her. So much like pure gold does she appear in
this furnace of trial, that the young ladies of the place
deem it a privilege to sit up with her during the night.
In short, I may truly say, I have never seen a finer ex
hibition of the loveliness of the Christian character. It
is twenty-nine years the present month, since either
of us has experienced any serious indisposition. Shall
we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not
receive evil ? We have both reached the ordinary
term of human life. If it is His will to separate us
now, may I be enabled by His grace to acquiesce. I
I know it must be the sorest of all trials, but I also
know the separation, in all probability, can not be long.

Np. 34.
TO MR. GEORGE W. STERLING. Sharon, Dec. 22d, 1836.
I am sorry it is not in my. power to answer your in
quiry as to the precise time when your fatherf entered
* Mrs. Smith recovered from this sickness, but died -the following
year. — Ed, t Tbe late Gen. Sterling, of Sahsbury, Conn.

120 LETTERS.
on the study of law in my office. He came to this
town, I think, in the autumn of 1787, a few weeks after
he graduated at Yale College, and took charge of our
academy, which had just been erected. He continued
at the head of the institution two or three years to very
great and general acceptance. To his scholastick at
tainments he added unwearied assiduity, and a thorough
but paternal discipline, and was thus enabled to carry
forward his pupils, the number of whom was unusual
ly large, with a rapidity and success of which there
are few examples. After resigning the charge of the
academy, he began his preparatory studies with me,
pursued them with his characteristical industry during
the usual period, and was admitted to the bar in 1791
or 1792.
Of his professional life it is unnecessary for me to
speak. Indeed, I was called into publick service so
soon after his appearance at the bar, as to be denied
the opportunity of . personally observing much of his
career. That he was a faithful and successful practi
tioner and advocate is unquestionable.
I can not forbear to express the grateful sense I en
tertain of the services rendered by your father during
the late war, both in the field and in the cabinet. The
tour of duty which he performed, as commandant of
a detachment at New London, was of special value at
that interesting crisis. It is well known that militia,
though highly efficient in a first onset, soon become
discontented and restive in camp. By his peculiar tact
in discipline, by keeping the men daily and actively
employed in various evolutions, and by his minute and
scrupulous attention to their comfort, he effectually
secured their orderly and patient, and even cheerful
submission to duty, and thus set an example to subse-

LETTERS.- 121-
quent detachments which was of incalculable benefit
to the service. He was soon after appointed by the
Legislature a member of the Council of Safety, then
recently constituted ; and it is enough to say of him in
this respect, that, composed as that body was of some
of the first men in the state, there was no one of them
in whose opinion I reposed more implicit confidence —
a confidence which his practical acquaintance with the
principal subjects of deliberation could not fail to in
spire. Allow me to add, the constancy with which your
father adhered as a statesman to the principles and
maxims of the Washington administration to the last,
unmoved by the seductive offers of promotion, has of
itself secured for his memory my most cordial respect ;
whilst the faith and piety which sustained and adorn
ed the lati<»r years of his life, have introduced him, I
trust, into the world of light and glory, among "the
spirits of just meii made perfect."

No. 35.
TO HON. CALVIN GODDARD. Sharon, April 18th, 1837.
Nothing could have been more acceptable than your
kind and truly excellent letter. I can not say it brought
you to my recollection, for I believe a day has not
passed during the twenty years of our separation, in
which I have not thought of you, and always with re
spect and affection.
The few precious names you mention — the "ran
nautes in gurgite vasto" — together with your own,
will never, while life remains, be erased from the
tablets of my memory. It would afford me unspeal^-
F

182 LETTERS.
able pleasure to meet you all once more before we go.
hence, to mingle, as I trust, with the spirits of "just
men made perfect." But the time you propose, the
session of the Legislature, must be so near " the week
of our anniversaries" in New York, where I am, ex-
officio, bound to appear, if the impaired health of my
beloved wife will permit, that it would be inconvenient,
if not impracticable, for me to be with you.
Allow me, then, to suggest the next Gomniencement
at Yale College as an equally convenient time, and a
much more appropriate occasion ; for, really, what
sympathy can we have with the Legislature as now
constituted ?
They can not but render the very atmosphere in
which they convene ungenial to patriots and states
men of the " Washington school," while we can exert
no salutary influence upon their deliberations. No,,
my dear friend, if we ever meet, we must expect our
own mutual comfort as the only profitable result. The
political evils under which we labour, I fear are in
corrigible. I am more and more convinced that the
true temperament, or diathesis, as physicians would
say, of our body politick, is sheer " loco foco" democra
cy, a real political insanity ; and that, accordingly, we
must consider the reign oi Federalism as but a lucid in
terval; and 0 how lucid, compared with the pitchy
darkness with which we have been since enveloped !
Never shall I discard the appellation of Federalist, be-
heving, as I firmly do, that the principles involved in
that name are those which alone, under God, can in
sure the prosperity of this nation. I feel, indeed, an
honest pride in seeing the men who have so long mis
directed our affairs, resorting, now and then, to those
very pTOciples to extricate thei^ fjroip the awk,war4

LETTERS. 123
embarrassments to which their ignorance or their profli
gacy had subjected our national interests ; and I even
forgive them for attempting to hide their mortification
bjr abusing all who glory in the profession of those
principles. God grant that they may be influenced
to pay the involuntary homage still oftener ; and I am
persuaded such will be the course of His Providence,
if it is His merciful design to save us from ruin. But
more ofthese and other things when we meet.

No. 36.
TO MR. FREDERICK H. WOLCOTT. June 1, 1837.
I have received the intelligence of your father's*
death with the most painful sensations — scarcely any
event could have been moi;e unexpected, or more sin
cerely deplored. Our acquaintance commenced at
college, became more intimat? as we entered the stage
of action, and was early matured into a pure and dis
interested friendship, which has continued through all
the vicissitudes of our eventful lives, increasing on my
side as time and opportunity have developed the esti
mable qualities'of his head and heart. Were it not for
my infirm state of health, I should certainly endeavour
to attend the funeral solemnities, and personally offer
my condolence to my relative, the afflicted widow, and
the fatherless children — an office which my recent and
sore bereavement has but too well fitted me to per
form. I pray you, my dear sir, to accept for yourself and
for them, the assurance of my tenderest sympathy.
We mourn, but not as those who have no hope. Let
* The- Hon. Frederick Wolcotf, <rf Litchfield.

124 LETTERS.
US bless God that our departed friend has left such a
bright example of private virtue and of publick useful
ness, such consoling evidence of his removal to the
world of hght and glory.

No. 37.
TO HON. SAMUEL INGHAM. Sharon, Aug. 23d, 1837.
I duly received your letter requesting information
relative to certain objections which are urged against
the claim of this state upon the treasury of the United
States. The claim is for moneys actually advanced by the
state, in behalf of the general government, during the
late war, for the necessary defence of the national
property, ahd, I may add, the national honour, as well
as for the safety of our citizens under the increased
hazards to which this service exposed the whole of our
maritime frontier. I do not understand the fact to be
denied that the state absolutely paid the amount now
claimed ; but it is said, among other things, we have
paid too much: first, to the commissary-general for
rations and vegetables ; and, secondly, to the quarter
master-general for services and military supplies. The
obvious answer to such exceptions is, these were the
proper officers to be employed in this service. They
were men of high standing for their honesty and their
patriotism. Their accounts were submitted to the
scrutiny and decision of the comptroller, the highest
fiscal officer in the state, and eminently distinguished
for his intelligence and integrity. In pursuance of his
adjudication, made tinder the solemnity of his official
oath, the amount now claimed was advanced by the

LETTERS. -125
etate more than twenty years ago, in money raised by
a direct tax upon the hard-earned property of our citi
zens. Admit, now, what no one would willingly beheve,
that instances of imposition in the accounts really ex
isted ; who shall bear the loss ? Shall it be sustained
by the state, that in good faith has paid the money for
the benefit of the Union, or by the entire nation, in
whose cause the expenditures were incurred ? Justice
and honour unitedly answer, by the latter. And such,
I am persuaded, will be the response of the accounting
officers of the United States, on a fair and impartial
view of the case.
The circumstances under which the state was placed
were peculiar. I believe it may be safely affirmed, that
the war pressed more heavily and constantly upon
Connecticut than upon any other state in the Union.
From the month of May, A.D. 1813, when Commodore
Decatur's squadron sought protection in our waters
from the British fleet, we were closely invested by the
latter, without one moment's intermission, to the term
ination of the war. For although the hostile ships
were chieflystationed before the harbour of New Lon
don to watch our squadron, and seize a favourable op
portunity to capture or. destroy it, yet their smaller
vessels and boats had an unobstructed sweep along the
whole extent of our coast, occasionally burning vessels,
and at all times keeping the inhabitants on the frontier
in a state of consternation and alarm. Hence the
hecessity, in the opinion of the officers both of the gen
eral and state governments, not only of maintaining a
respectable force at New London, but also of stationing
guards at the most vulnerable points on the coast, and
of having them well supplied with the munitions of war.
As the general government was not then in a condition

126 t E T T E R 9.
to carry these arrangements fully into effect, they were
devolved in a great measure upon the state govern
ment, whose officers, civil and military, I must be per
mitted to say, engaged in the service with a zeal and
alacrity which could proceed from no other principles
than those of loyalty to the nation and fidelity to the
state. The governour, accompanied by the adjutant-
general and the quartermaster-general, passed through
the several towns on the coast, from Stonington to
Greenwich, for the purpose of selecting suitable points
of defence ; of forming, as far as possible. Volunteer
companies from such citizens as were exempt by law
from military duty, but who, nevertheless, were able
to perform it on sudden emergencies until militia could
be brought to their aid, and of placing within their
reach mounted field-pieces and the requisite ammuni
tion. These measures of precaution seemed to give
the inhabitants a good degree of confidence in their
ability to do something for their own defence, and pre
vented those frequent calls upon the executive for large
draughts of militia, with which he had been so much
assailed. The salutary influence ofthese measures was
afterwards more especially visible at the bombardment
of Stonington. When the ships of the enemy appeared
before that place, neither militia nor regular troops
were there stationed. But cannon had been mounted,
and ammunition provided, and they were used on that
occasion by a mere handful of volunteers, in an action
which, for brilliancy and effect, was scarcely surpassed
by any achievement on land during the whole course
of the war. Other instances might be mentioned to
show, satisfactorily, I trust, that the rule to which you
allude, adopted by a former secretary of war, " not to
allow any charges for transporting military stores hy

Letters. 127
way of preparation to places where no militia wer6
stationed," ought to have no application to the present
case. Indeed, candour obliges me to say, in justifica
tion of preparatory movements, that if the then secre
tary of vrar had authorized, conformably to the earnest
solicitation of the state executive, a small guard in Fort
Fenwick, at the mouth of Connecticut River, merely to
sound an alarm at the approach of the enemy, the
memorable destruction of all the vessels in the harbour
of Pettipaug on the night of the 8ih of April, 1814, would
in all probability have been prevented. In truth, the
constant presence of the hostile ships in our waters,
with their disposition and capacity for mischief to al
most any extent, rendered a system of preventive and
precautionary measures absolutely indispensable.
Immediately on the receipt of your communication,
J addressed a letter to Colonel James Ward, the com
missary-general of the state, enclosing a copy of such
of your inquiries as relate more especially to his depart
ment. His answers to queries, numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
are herewith forwarded, and I hope will be deemed
satisfactory. The colonel displayed throughout his
whole period of service all the estimable qualities which
ought to characterize such a functionary — integrity,
activity, economy, and a truly accommodating spirit.
I fully concur with him in believing that it would have
been extremely difficult, if not impracticable, to retain
the militia in service under any course of treatment, as
to their diet, less indulgent than the one which was
actually pursued.
With respect to the quartermaster-general's depart
ment, we have to lament that both of the individuals.
Colonel Mix and Colonel Scarborough, who successively
sustained the office during that period, have both de-

128 LETTERS.
ceased. Mr. Colt, who then filled the office of comp
troller, has, as I am informed, followed them to the
grave. At this late day, and under these circum--
stances, it is not to be expected, nor, as I humbly con
ceive, ought it to be required, that the evidence on
which the accounts were adjusted, consisting, much of
it, no doubt, of oral testimony, should now be produced
for re-examination. At the time when Colonel Mix's
service commenced, it is my impression that, at a meet
ing of the council after the declaration of War, June,
1812, Governour Griswold was advised by that body to
direct the mounting of cannon and other preparations
for defence. In October, 1812, on the demise of Gov
ernour Griswold, the lieutenant-governour was particu
larly requested by.a resolution of the Legislature then
in session, to issue orders for mounting field-pieces at
New London on the earnest application of the citizens
of that town. The order was forthwith issued to Col
onel Mix accordingly. A copy of both the resolution
and the order shall be forwarded, if you desire it.
Your 6th and 7th inquiries relate to the objections
which were made by the auditor to the allowance of
certain charges in the quartermaster-general's account,
on the ground that they are not expressly stated to be
for the publick service, &c. Is not the " presumption
violent" that the state, through her comptroller, would
not have charged the United States with the articles
if they had never been applied to publick use ? I should
suppose the comity and the confidence which ought to
subsist between the Federal head and its members,
must utterly preclude even a suspicion to the contrary.
Nor can there be a rational doubt that the specified
articles were proved to the comptroller, by evidence
then existing, to be both pi-oper and necessary.

LETTERS. -129
The 8th inquiry embraces the objection that the
amount therein stated " was incurred by way of gen
eral preparation." The remarks already offered on
this point must suffice for a reply.
The 9th inquiry relates to the compensation paid to
the quartermaster-general for his services (amounting
to #1169 63), extending through a period of more than
two years. There can be no question in the mind of
any one acquainted with Colonel Mix, that he honestly
rendered the service and incurred the expense he has
charged ; and it is equally evident that the services
and the expenditures could be for no other than national
purposes. Does the compensation appear extravagant
when compared with like services performed by officers
of the general government ?
The 10th inquiry refers to the charge of munitions
of war furnished by the state. The objections are,
that the cos^of the articles is unsupported by proof, as
well as their application to publick use. If bills of
parcels are now demanded, I know not where they are
to be found. Of the application of these munitions, I
have probably said enough already. I know of no use
to which they were or could be applied, but to the na
tional service. It is evident to my mind that the free
distribution of them along the maritime frontier, in the
manner I have mentioned, was the means, under Provi
dence, of not only saving many lives, but property also
to an incalculable amount, and prevented the expense
oi militia services far exceeding the sum claimed as the
cost oi the articles. At the session of the Legislature
in October, 1814, the remainder of the powder was
directed to be sold, and the avails placed to the credit
of the quartermaster-general's department, with the
view of Ojbtainuig powder of a superiour quality. The
F 2

130 LETTERS.
proceeds of sale, I perceive, are credited to the United
States, inasmuch, probably, as no new purchase was
made. Of this, however, I am not positively informed.
A copy of the resolution shall be sent, if required.
The 11th inquiry regards the receipt rolls. I pos
sess no documents on the subjects, nor do I really see
much occasion for them. There surely can be no mis
take as to the amount. Mr. Perkins, the district pay
master, it appears, has paid a part, which stands credit
ed on the comptroller's books. The balance, of course,
unless he can produce evidence of payment, must be
justly due from the United States. The fact stated by
the auditor, that " Mr.- Perkins was in funds," will not
be urged as an extinguishment of the debt.
Thus, sir, I have endeavoured briefly, but as fully as
my memory and the few documents in my hands will
allow, to reply to the various matters contained in
your letters. Suffer me, in conclusion, to express my
firm belief that the claim of Connecticut, growing as it
does almost exclusively out of a manly and patriotick
defence of the national property, will ultimately receive
from the general government that high regard which a
sense of honour as well as of justice can not fail to in
spire.

No. 38.
TO HON. SAMUEL INGHAM. Sharon, 25th Nov., 1837.
I have attentively read the minute and interesting
statement of Charles L. Porter, Esq., relative to that
portion of the claim of this state against the United
States which is marked 'No'. 5, and I can not but ex
press my grateful sense of the Divine goodness that.

LETTERS. 131
while all the publick officers more immediately con
versant with the subject are removed by death, the life
of this respectable witness has been preserved to fur
nish explanations at once so circumstantial and satis
factory ! That his representation is entitled to implicit
credit, I have not a doubt, as in many particulars it ac'-
cords perfectly With my own recollection. In a former
communication, I stated the arrangements which were
made for the defence of the national squadron and of
our maritime frontier. It was undoubtedly in pur
suance of those arrangements that the arms and muni
tions charged in the amount were distributed and ex
pended. The first-issues of arms and military supplies
for New London were made under my personal no
tice ; and the subsequent distributions along the coast
by the quartermaster-general were duly authorized.
There was certainly nO occasion or exigency other
than for the national service, in which those expendi
tures and losses could have been incurred.

No. 39.
TO A FRIEND. Jan. 26, 1838.
Our country is in a wretchedly disordered condition,
and will always be so whenever we depart from the sys-
teni of policy adopted by the first administration of the
government. It is really laughable as well as sorrow
ful, to see upstart statesmen throw themselves and the
car of state off from the Federal track, as plain and
practicable as a rail-road, to flounce and flounder in a
swamp, and, after wallowing in the mud till their ener
gies are nearly exhausted, return besmeared and chop-
fallen to the strait course they had left. And all this

132 LETTERS.
repeated, after short intervals, over and over again.
If these disastrous somersets could be confined to their
authors, without involving the country in ruin, they
would be less deplorable. But it does seem that all the
lessons of wisdom and experience are wholly lost upon
these wiseacres. I rejoice to perceive that the people
are at length forming a just estimate of their incom
petency.

No. 40.
Vo DR. M. L. NORTH. Sharon, Feb. 7th, 1838;
Are you quite sure, my dear friend, that the condi
tion of the slaves at the South is improved ? Do you
-not remember that, cotemporaneous with the first meas
ures of the abohtionists, laws were passed by the slave-
holding states, prohibiting, under severe penalties, the
instruction of their slaves in writing and reading ; and ,
that, in execution of these laws, even religious instruc
tion was withheld by the masters ? and do you mean
to say that these laws are repealed, and that the slaves
are restored to their former privileges in these re
spects ? I suspect there must be some errour in the in-
.formation you have received in relation to this painful
subject. But what do Dr. H. and his associates pro-
.pose to do ? Several years have passed away already
since immediate abolition was to be accomplished. The
term " immediate," it seems, has acquired a very en
larged signification — implying the present moment, or
any future day, however remote. Why should it be
used at all in this case, when it is most obvious that
:nothing can be effectually done by the general gov-

LETTERS. 133
ernment consistently with their limited powers, and
with publick justice and the publick peace, until the
long, and tedious, and uncertain process of amending
the national Constitution has been successfully per
formed? The amendment required is to invest Con
gress with the authority exercised by the British Par
liament, to remunerate the master and liberate the
slave. I, for one, would most cheerfully pay my full
proportion for that object, even if a tax were necessa
ry. But the national domains are abundantly ade
quate, and could not be applied to a better purpose,
for slavery is a national evil, and its peaceful removal
must be effected by a combined national sacrifice. I
verily believe some such measure might. have been ul
timately adopted, and, in the mean time, colonization
have contributed much to its final accomplishment,
had not the intemperate conduct of Garrison arid his
abettors interposed what may prove a fatal obstacle.
I repeat the question, what measures do they propose ?
Would they shed fraternal blood in a civil war ; or
would they dissolve the Union at once ? The budget
of their committee of ways and means, I think, can
contain no other alternatives. Success in either case
would be at once fatal to the slaves and ruinous to our
whole country. No, my dear doctor, the immediate ab
olitionists have thus far succeeded only in postponing
emancipation to a distant futurity, and in extending
the operation of Lynch laws and the government of
mobs, to the lasting injury and dishonour of the nation.
Be assured, nothing can rightfully and effectually be
done in the premises by Northern men, but through the
instrumentality of the national government, duly em
powered for that end. Every attempt on our part to
intermeddle with the domestick concerns of individual

134 LETTERS.
states at the South, by insisting on the manumisMen
of their slaves, would be as officious in character, and
as impotent in effect, as a like attempt to emancipate
the serfs of Russia.

No. 41.
TO THE REV. JOSEPH HARVEY.
Sharon, March 16th, 1838.
I have given Dr. Day's work on the Will a hasty
perusal, and, with " a few gjains of allowance," I con
cur in the commendation you bestoVif upon it. What
ever Edwards may have left undone in respect lo this
highly interesting department of theology, is abundant
ly supplied by the present work. But I do exceed
ingly regret the very imperfect manner in which he
has stated the conflicting opinions of the Old and New
Schools on the subject of human ability. It is really
astonishing that he should declare that " one party be
lieve man has hot full power to repent, and the other
that he has some power," and then deliberately ask,
" Is there any contradiction in this ?" No, surely, for
there is really no difference in the two propositioris ;
nor does either of thetn express the belief 6f either of
the parties. And yet the Christian world must under
stand, from his subsequent remarks,' that " the notes of
discord and alarm are sounded from one end of, the
land to the other" (respecting Taylorism) on no better
foundation than this idle distinction. Is this a fair
statement of the controversy ? True enough, as you
intimate, the book furnishes a complete refiitation of
the doctrines taught in the theological department,.if
the application were once fairly made. Indeed, the
lucid arrangement of Scripture authorities in the last

L E t t E R S. 135
section, and the happy manner in which apparent con
trarieties in the testimony of Scripture are reconciled,
can not but carry conviction to every honest mind, not
excepting the writer himself, if he has adopted either
of the propositions which he ascribes to the belligerent
parties.

No. 42.
TO A FRIEND. Sharon, Sept. 5, 1838.
The article in relation to the Mississippi Valley
contains an ingenious and probable hypothesis, ac
companied with a highly-finished picture of that mar
vellous region. If I remember rightly, Volney, in his
" View of the Soil and Climate of the United States,"
also expresses an opinion that the valley was once
covered with water ; but what limits he assigned to
the internal sea, with the cause and manner of its
escape, ihy memory does not enable me to say. It
is more than thirty years since I have seen that work,
but an incident is brought to my recollection which
I will take the liberty to mention. Volney, soon af
ter its first appearance, sent a copy in the original
French to Congress, and a like copy to the presi
dent (Jefferson). The books arrived during the re
cess. On my return to Congress the following ses
sion, I perceived the volume in the library, and, with
the consent of the librarian, took it to my lodgings.
In his chapter on the dry lakes, to which the author
has given many localities in our country, he notices
the celebrated passage of the Potomac and Shenan
doah through the Blue Ridge, considering it an avul
sion produced by the draining of a vast lake. In a

136 LETTERS.
subjoined note he observes, in substance, that " a beau?
tiful description of this remarkable passage is found in
Mr. Jefferson's Notes on Virginia,. but that gentleman
forgot to give credit for it to a French engineer (nam
ing him), who wrote it on the spot." Shortly after-;
wards I waited on the president, and in the' course of
conversation alluded to Volney's book, and, rather
mischievously, asked his opinion of the work. He re
plied, and I thought blushed deeply, that the author
had sent him a copy, but he had not yet found suffi
cient leisure to take it up. The work was afterwards
translated into our language by Brown, of Philadel
phia, who, being a particular friend of Mr. J., sup
pressed the unlucky note, which, it is believed, has not
yet appeared in an Enghsh dress ; nor do I desire to
give it publicity, although it is strongly characteristic
of the individual named.* But, enchanting as your
pen has rendered the Mississippi Valley, I should feel
no disposition to exchange my present residence for
any portion of it, even if my life were to be protracted
to the age of an antediluvian. Not that my location
is so very ehgible ; but I entertain a suspicion that the
soil, which was once the bottom of a watery element,
is a cover, and a thin one too, of a lake of fire. That
the centre of the earth, indeed, is a vast magazine of
fire, is proved to my satisfaction by the increased tem
perature discoverable in deep perforations. Volcanoes
are probably the issues from this magazine ; and as
these are at times closed, and others opened in their
stead, I should surmise that in the event of a vacancy
in these terrible agents, the valley is as fair a candi
date for that office as could well te selected.
* We may admire Governor Smith's dehcacy, but there seems to be
no reason for -withholding this anecdote from pubUcatiou.  Ed.

LETTERS. 137

No. 43.
TO DR. M. L. NORTH.* Sharon, Sept. 21st, 1838.
I greatly rejoice that your health is in a course of
improvement from the use of the waters ; accordingly,
I can not but commend your resolution to sit down with
your family near the American " pool of Bethesda."
May your health be perfectly restored, and your use
fulness long continued a rich blessing to your family,
to the Church, and to " the great multitude of impotent
folk" who resort to those health-giving fountains, and
not only to the impotent, but also to the pleasure-
loving throng, whose least concern is a just regard to
their immortal interests! It is really an enchanting
spot. I saw it first in the year 1790,- when it was a
forest — a single house in the woods, small and uncom
fortable, filled with inmates of woe-begone counte
nances waiting the operation of the waters — the Rock
Spring the only fountain in use. I saw it the second
time a year ago, a compact, well-built, and delightful
village, retaining not one feature of its original aspect.
My stay was but momentary, so that I was not allowed
even to look at the several springs. I, however, beheld
chough in the place to astonish me at the contrast be
tween its present and former condition.
While I wait in humble hope for the blest hour of
meeting my beloved wifd, and the bright throng who
" through faith and patience have inherited the promis
es," I am at the same time desirous of filhngup the res
idue of life withwhatever of duty my heavenly Father
shall enable me to perform. " Work while the day
lasts," says the blessed Saviour ; " the hight cometh, in
* Then lately removed, or about to remove, to Saratoga.

' 138 LETTERS.

which no man can work ;" and He has mercifully con
nected our happiness with employment; for, really, I
can hardly conceive of a more irksome condition than
a stale of total inactivity.

No. 44.
TO A FRIEND. Sharofi, Nov. 18th, 1838.
When your traly acceptable letter of September the
18th arrived, I was labouring under a greater degree
of ill health than I have experienced for many years.
A kind Providence has graciously interposed for my
recovery, and I cheerfully embrace a few moments to
express my hearty thanks for the pleasure your fetter
and lucubration have afforded me. Such a savoury
dish of genuine Federalism I have scarcely ever before
enjoyed, and the relish is not a little heightened by the
daily abuse and profanation of a term which involves
the only principles upon which either the national or
state governments can ever be successfully adminis
tered. I regret the editors curtailed your remarks in
any degree ; at the same time, they are to be com
mended for allowing you to expose so freely the dis
astrous policy of Jeffei-son in his gun-boat project. If
you have never learned the secret cause of his con
structing gun-boats, I will tell you. One morning,
while the late Governour Griswold and myself were in
Congress, we took a walk to the Navy-yard, where
we observed a number of men 6mplo5ned in fishing up
and dragging out timber from the eastern branch of
the Potomac. We inquired the cause of such a strange
procedure, and were told the timber was the live oak
which had been procured for the seventy-fours ordered

LETTERS. 139
to be built during John Adams's administration. Jef
ferson, it seems, had directed the timber to be sunk
{in fresh water, observe), to season it. But, as might
be expected, it had begun to rot, and accordingly was
taken out — not, however, until decomposition had pro
ceeded so fer as to render it altogether unfit for sev
enty-fours. The timber was afterwai-ds converted —
more or less of it — into gun-boats, as well to conceal
the ignorance of the chief magistrate, as to gratify his
hostility to an efficient navy. When we reflect upon
the loss and the distress incurred by this nation under
Democratick sway, the desolation which has invariably
attended every departure from the system devised by
the oracular wisdom of Washington and Hamilton, it
seems little short of a miracle that our ruin has not
been absolute and irrecoverable. I say oracular, for
if prescience can be attributed to any of our race, it
was possessed by those patriots, when, with such claif-
wyance, they discerned both the latent springs of na
tional prosperity, and the causes which might retard
or destroy it. Let the crusade against the judiciary,
the navy, and all foreign commerce — let embargoes
and non-intercourse — ^let foreign war and Indian wars,
without preparation for either — and last, not least, let
the savage attacks upon the currency, the life-blood
of the body politick, attest how ineffectual are all the
barriers which the wit and viasdom of man can devise
against the ferocious spirit of our democracy.

140

LETTERS.

No. 45.
TO REV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, Feb. 21st, 1839.
I reciprocate from the heart your condolence on the
demise of our vice-presidents, Bolton and Van Rensse
laer. With Mr. Bolton my acquaintance, though lim
ited, was sufficient to inspire me with much respect
for his character. My knowledge of Gen. Van Rens
selaer commenced in the memorable month of Octo
ber, 1777, when his mother fled with him into our
vicinity, at the approach of Burgoyne's army from the
North. We were both then about twelve years of
age, and in a course of preparation for college. He
went to Harvard in 1778, and I to Yale in 1779.
From that period to his death he has been an unceas
ing object of my regard and veneration. Besides the
consideration due to his well-cultivated mind, I loved
him for his excellence in all the social relations, for
his unaffected piety, his enlarged benevolence, the dig
nified simplicity of his manners, and for that elevated
and rectilinear course in his publick life for which the
real disciples of Washington have ever been distin
guished. In short (if it can be said of any man), he
was " pure in heart ;" and, I doubt not, he is how par
ticipating in the blessedness which is assured to all
§uch by the express promise of the Redeemer.

JMo, 46. .
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. Sharon, Nov. 11th, 1839.
As my grandson contemplates a visit to your city,
I can not forego so favourable an opportunity of ten-

LETTERS. 141'
dering you my cordial salutations, and the assurance
of the deep interest I continue to feel in all that con
cerns you. The demise of your accomplished and be
loved daughter, so soon after the death of her excellent
mother, must have produced an accumulation of suffer
ing which nothing but divine grace could have enabled
you to sustain. I read the obituary notice of Mrs.
Dwight with sensations such as a long and cherished
acquaintance, and a high estimate of her worth, could
not fail to awaken. Thus, my friend, our dearest con
nexions are preceding us to the society of the bright
intelligences above, leaving us "to follow them who
through faith and patience have inherited the prom
ises." To be diligent in this hallowed pursuit is not
less our happiness than our duty.
Not long since I was equally surprised and delighted
by an interview, brief though it was, with our class
mate Fowler. Being a passenger in the post-coach,
he Was too much on the wing to pass many minutes.
If you also saw him during his visit to his native state,
you must have admired his green old age (he can not
be short of fourscore), his erect and vigorous frame,
with unbleached lockfe, on a journey of one thousand
miles from home, hastening back to the people of his
charge, to whom I dare say he reads the "incompara
ble Liturgy" iiLthe same tone and spirit with which he
edified the little West Haven congregation on Sundays
during nearly the whole of his collegiate career.
I sympathize with you on the result of the New York
city election. It is to be feared the whole state has
gone over to the insane and disastrous policy of the
national administration. Would time permit, I might
put forth a series of sombre speculations on our situa
tion and prospects. But, after all, where is the use of

142 LETTERS.
croaking ? Let us rather bless God for the measure
of prosperity we have enjoyed, notwithstanding many
grievous interruptions, and humbly rely on His mercy
to avert the evils we deprecate.
I rejoice to perceive from newspaper report, that,
greatly multiplied as colleges are in almost all the
states, our Alma Mater has nevertheless a goodly in
crease of academicat^gdents. May I not hope for
the usual expression of your kindness in furnishing me
with the annual catalogue ?

No. 47.
TO A FRIEND. 28th Jan., 1840.
I have received a copy of Dr. Bethune's address, de
livered at the Orphan Asylum, which, from the direc
tion and the initials, I conclude came from your kind
hand, and is an additional claim upon my gratitude for
the numerous instances of your courtesy to me as a
relative and friend. Feeling a deep interest in your
prosperity, I lately read with most painful emotion a
notice of your daughtei-'s death. The intelligence af
fected the whole of our little family very sensibly, and
brought afresh to our recollection the pleasure we
derived from the transient visit she once made to our
retreat. Transfent indeed has been her visit to this
fleeting world of ours, and yet sufficiently long to pre
pare for a brighter and better state of existence. In
deed, the utmost length of human life is but " a span ;"
and in tbe vastness of eternity, our continuance here,
whether for ten years or a century, will he compara
tively of noJmportance other than as a season of pro
bation. Still, ties are here formed which can not be.

LETTERS. 143
sundered without the keenest anguish ; and I envy not
the man who can maintain at such times a stoical in
difference. A great, change, indeed, must be wrought
in the temperament of such a beuig before he could be
happy even in heaven.
I know that you and Mrs.  can not but suffer in
tensely on this occasion, and I offer you both, with
your surviving children, my heartfelt condolence, with
the assurance of my earnest prayer that we may all
meet at last in that world of light and joy where friends
never part.
The loss of the steamer Lexington, with the awful
circumstances accompanying it, is a most heart-rend
ing occurrence. I have of late been led to doubt
whether, on the whole, the application of steam to navi
gation has been a blessing to this country. Consider
the prodigious waste of human life ; the millions vested
in this frail species of property ; the millions required
to keep the system in motion ; the millions in money
and time (and time is money) expended in useless
voyages and journeys by individuals who, but for this
attraction, would be at home, adding by their industry
to their own comfort and the national wealth. What
can we place on the credit side of the ledger, to balance
this overwhelming account? Do you bel'eve that a
square yard of canvass would now be seen on the
ocean, if an equal proportion of loss and disaster had
attended navigation in vessels propelled by wind? If
you do, it must be because you are (and I admit you
are) more shrewd than I am in the calculation of profit
and loss.
We have winter in earnest. Nothing like it since
the memorable winter of 1779-S0,when, at the age of
fourteen, I travelled half the distance from the college

144 LETTERS.
at New Haven on snow shoes, in company with thf
venerable father, who came after me with a sleigh and
horses, but which we were obliged to leave midway
until the close of the season ; and when, a fact of much
more importance, the sufferings of our Revolutionary
army were so severe, and were endured with such in
credible patience !
In many parts of the country the roads are now, and
have been wholly obstructed by the depth of snow
since the first storm, 14th, 15th, and 16th of December
last. We had then no mail for nearly a week ; and,
what I much regret, our friend General Morris's ele
gant miscellany failed for two weeks, particularly the
plate number, which has not yet arrived.

No. 48.
TO MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY.

Sharon, 16th July, 1840.
Through the kindness of the Rev. Mr. Ely, we have
received the " Tribute"* you have had the goodness to

To the memor'y of the Rev. Gilbert Livingston Smith, who died a few
weeks after leaving the Theological Seminary at Princeton, in the
autumn of 1835.
" Blest are the pure in heart." So saith the voice
That can not err. And thou didst bear within
That hallowed blessing as a pearl of price.
Even from thine early years. God's spirit made
Thy breast its casket. Beautified with all
The world might covet, thou didst meekly choose
The cross of Christ, and to his righteous wUl
Conform thine own.
How wouldst thou bow to teach
The ignorant and poor, c&sting aside

LETTERS. 145
render to the memory of my greatly-beloved and la
mented grandson. In the absence of the father on a
distant journey, I can not refrain from expressing the
deep and grateful sense we all entertain (and I am sure
he will unite in the same sentiment) of the truly appro
priate and not less beautiful manner in which this most
acceptable service has been performed. Never, prob
ably, was the phrase " mourning mother" more fitly
applied ; for, although she bowed with Christian sub
mission to the chastening rod of her heavenly Father,
still such was the uncommon loveliness of the son, and
so intense are her maternal feelings, that to this day
she is " affected to tears" even at the mention of his
name. Nothing could have proved more soothing to
her tender spirit, nor more consolatory to us all, than
the oil you have thus kindly poured into our wounded
hearts. The pride of learning, to array thyself
In s"weet humihty, and choose his path
Who sought and saved the lost.
But. the long toils
And fleeting pleasures of a life mature
Were not for thee. The sudden sickness came —
Fiery and bitter — biit.thy soul had peace.
And calmly waited to be offered up
To Him who gave it.
Mom-ning^mother, say,
Who o'er his couch so sleeplessly didst watch
The early fading of thy beautiful.
Is it not better that the pure in heart
Should see their God, ere weary years have left
Their earth-stain ou the spirit ?
Mother, say,
Is it not glorious that the faith he loved
Should have its perfect work, anii change to joy
UnspiBakable, eternal 1 G

146 LETTERS.

No. 49.
TO REV. JOSEPH ALDEN, D.D.
Sharon, 13th Oct., 1840.
I received a few days since the copy of your Quinc-
tilian, which you had the goodness to forward by Mrs.
Livingston, a favour for which I desire you to accept
my hearty thanks, as well as for the honour conferred
on me by its dedication.
It is a judicious and choice selection^ edited in a
handsome style, and can not, therefore, fail as a class-
book to be highly acceptable to our colleges, and, in
deed, to our literary institutions generally.
My Latin reading has been chiefly confined for
many years to writers posterior to the Augustan age;
I shall now endeavour to renew my acquaintance with
Quinctilian. I can never forget my early and deep
emotion at the eloquence of his grief on the loss of his
son, nor my sore regret that the hopes and consola
tions of the Gospel were unknown alike to the dying
boy and his afflicted, father. This interesting narra
tive, I perceive, is with evidently good taste contained
in the present selection, thus forming a beautiful epi
sode to the main subject of the work. I am a sincere
admirer of the Latin language; and who does not ad
mire its simple yet forcible structure^rthe literature it
imbodies — its duration of nearly one thousand years as
a vernacular tongue, without the change of scarcely a
letter in its orthography-r-and its continuance thence
forward to the present hour, the accredited medium of
intercourse between the learned of all nations ? Hap
py would it be, if our countrymen possessed more of
that Roman spirit which held the preservation of the
language unchanged a civick virtue 1 How soon would

LETTERS. 147
thejSue discrepant dictionaries of Dr. Noah "Webster be
utterly abandoned, and our literati, and especially our
heads of colleges, firmly united with our English breth
ren in maintaining with Roman constancy the integri
ty of our invaluable language, and in transmitting it to
distant posterity untarnished with the foul touch of
pseudo-reformers 1 It is admitted by all, even by
Webster, that the language reached maturity in the
reigns of Queen Anne and George the First. The
" membra disjecta," however, required a skilful organ
ization. This was happily accomplished by the " vi
ginti annorum lucubrationibus" of Johnson, to the entire
acceptation, and with the merited applause of the whole
English world. Can any good reason be assigned
why its orthography, so well settled, and so essential
to its identity, should be changed or varied in any de
gree whatever ? Is there a single pretext of the kind,
which, if fully carried out and applied to all parallel
cases, would not obscure the sense, multiply ambigui
ties, confound etymologies, and, in short, disturb the
whole texture of the language, thus rendering our fine
classick models unintelligible to a succeeding genera
tion, and the language itself unattainable by foreign
ers ? As for Webster, he is governed by no rules.
His numerous alterations are either thrown out at ran
dom, or on grounds so frivolous as would lead one to
suppose him sporting with the credulity of his readers ;
and hence no two of his dictionaries are alike. Indeed,
his wretched experiments upon his mother-tongue are
subjects both of reprobation and ridicule with the dis
interested and intelligent on either side of the Atlan-
tick. One thing is certain, our father-land will take no
lessons in this department from us ; nor can it be ra
tionally expected or desired. Our British brethren

148 LETTERS.
will persevere in their rectilinear course, preserving
with sleepless vigilance the purity Of a language ih
which are garnered the richest and noblest products
of the human mind. Meanwhile, we Anglo-Ameri
cans, unless we retrace our steps (of which I rejoice
to perceive many favourable indications), must put up
with a dialect of our own, as far removed from the
genuine English standard as the lingua Franca of
Barbary from the pure Italian.
This subject is intimately connected with missiona
ry Operations, inasmuch as there is an increasing de
sire to acquire the English language at nearly all our
foreign stations. Neither of Webster's dictionaries
will enable a foreigner to read the English Bible or
our most celebrated authors, for the variance of a let
ter between the text and the Lexicon, you are sensi
ble, is fatal to the progress of the learner until aid can
be derived from some other quarter. In Ceylon the
missionaries teach the language in its purity, as I was
happy to discover by a printed report, which one of
them sent to me, of the Jaffna Tract Society for the
year 1837. At that station there were then 1600 chil
dren and youth under a course, of instruction in the
English language, more than 1000 of-whom were read
ing portions of our inimitable version of thesacred vol
ume in the form of tracts, a privilege, I grieve to say,'
denied to the generality of our common schools in
America !

LETTERS. 149

No. 50.
TO HON. SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG. Sharon, 22d March, 1841.
I thank you for the copy you had the goodness to
send me of your communication to the Senate of Mas
sachusetts, and its favourable reception by that hon
ourable body. The transaction is highly creditable to
both parties, and the thanks of every member of the
American Board are due to you, for the very hand
some manner in which you have presented a truly ap
propriate testimonial of our gratitude for the " patro
nizing act" of your enlightened and munificent Com
monwealth. Your summary of the changes wrought
in the Sandwich Islands, by the blessing of Heaven
upon the labours of our missionaries, may well aston
ish the world, and awaken every where increased zeal
and energy in the prosecution of an enterprise so fruit
ful of glory to God and beneficence to men.
Will you allow me, my dear sir, to trouble you with
a few remarks on a much less pleasing theme ? Ban
croft's History of the United States has recently, and
for the first time, fallen under my observation. It is
not my design to dwell on the author's laboured imita
tion of Gibbon, both in his inflated style, and in the im
pious irony by which the poison of infideUty is infused
into the youthful mind more surely than by arguments
or by any other means. My object is simply to ex
press my regret, not to say disgust, at the author's un
just manner of exhibiting individual character. The
faithful historian, in assuming to act as a judge of the
conduct of individuals and nations, feels the high obli
gation resting upon him to hold the scales of justice

148 LETTERS.
will persevere in theii: rectilinear course, preserving
with sleepless vigilance the purity of a language ih
which are garnered the richest and noblest products
of the human mind. Meanwhile, we Anglo-Ameri
cans, unless we retrace our steps (of which I rejoice
to perceive many favourable indications), must put up
with a dialect of our own, as far removed from the
genuine English standard as the lingua Franca of
Barbary from the pure Italian.
This subject is intimately connected with missiona
ry Operations, inasmuch as there is an increasing de
sire to acquire the English language at nearly all our
foreign stations. Neither of Webster's dictionaries
will enable a foreigner to read the English Bible or
our most celebrated authors, for the variance of a let
ter between the text and the Lexicon, you are sensi
ble, is fatal to the progress of the learner until aid can
be derived from some other quarter. In Ceylon the
missionaries teach the language in its purity, as I was
happy to discover by -a printed report, which one of
them sent to me, of the Jaffna Tract Society for the
year 1837. At that station there were then 1600 chil
dren and youth under a course, of instruction in the
English language, more than 1000 of-whom were read
ing portions of our inimitable version of thesacred vol
ume in the form of tracts, a privilege, I grieve to say,
denied to the generaUty of our common schools in
America ! -

LETTERS. 149

No. 50.
TO HON. SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG. Sharon, 22d March, 1841.
I thank you for the copy you had the goodness to
send me of your communication to the Senate of Mas
sachusetts, and its favourable reception by that hon
ourable body. The transaction is highly creditable to
both parties, and the thanks of every member of the
American Board are due to you, for the very hand
some manner in which you have presented a truly ap
propriate testimonial of our gratitude for the " patro
nizing act" of your enlightened and munificent Com
monwealth. Your summary of the changes wrought
in the Sandwich Islands, by the blessing of Heaven
upon the labours of our missionaries, may well aston
ish the world, and awaken every where increased zeal
and energy in the prosecution of an enterprise so fruit
ful of glory to God and beneficence to men.
Will you allow me, my dear sir, to trouble you with
a few remarks on a much less pleasing theme ? Ban
croft's History of the United States has recently, and
for the first time, fallen under my observation. It is
not my design to dwell on the author's laboured imita
tion of Gibbon, both in his inflated style, and in the im
pious irony by which the poison of infidelity is infused
into the youthful mind more surely than by arguments
or by any other means. My object is simply to ex
press my regret, not to say disgust, at the author's un
just manner of exhibiting individual character. The
faithful historian, in assuming to act as a judge of the
conduct of individuals and nations, feels the high obli
gation resting upon him to hold the scales of justice

152 letters:
pect that his historical writings will secure for him an
elevated, niche in the temple of Fame.

No. 51.
TO HON. THOMAS hAY. Sharon, April 28, 1841.
* * i looked with no little eagerness amongst the
articles in the latter,* for a memorial of my greatly-
beloved and lamented Mentor and friend, the late Chief-
justice Reeve, but in vain. The thought has since
occurred to me whether you possess the requisite ma
terials for that purpose. I know not from what quarter
they can be drawn, except from the Funeral Sermon
hy Dr. Beecher. As you may be destitute of a copy,
I forward one herewith. The notes to the sermon, at
the request of the doctor, were furnished by myself,
except the last two ; and I now regret that I had not
made more inquiries, and extended the notes much
farther — so far, at least, as to include his literary hon
ours. That he received the degree of LL.D. I well
know, but from what college or colleges I do not pre
cisely recollect.
Your apology, in the Appendix, for conforming to
the English orthography, was surely altogether gra
tuitous. On my part, I thank you for setting such a
noble example of loyalty to your mother-tongue in
this backsliding age. Scarcely any thing has sur
prised and mortified me more than the disposition
manifested by not a few of even our learned men to
establish an American dialect ox patois, as disgraceful
to our civilization as it is discreditable to our litera-
* The Appendix to the 13th vol. of Connecticut Eeports, which Mr.
Day had forwarded to Gov. Smith. — En.

LETTERS. 153
ture. I am glad to perceive, however, strong symp
toms of returning to more correct views of the sub
ject. I rejoice to learn that historical collections flow
into the society so abundantly. The vest of the
heroick and murdered Ledyard is truly a most touch
ing relique. Of all the bloody scenes of the Revolu
tion, and I remember them all, no one affected me
more deeply than the tragedy at Groton — a blot upon
the British escutcheon which no length of time can
efface.

No. 52.
TO REV. PAYTON WILLISTON. Sharon, June 22d, 1841.
I have lately received a copy of your half-century
Sermon (without any direction, but undoubtedly from
your own hand), for which you will be pleased to ac
cept my hearty thanks. Little, did I expect, when we
were fellow-students at Yale, that I should live to read
the half-century sermon of a classmate. Alas ! how
few of our number are allowed the pleasure, and, I
will add, the privilege, of perusing your valuable dis
course ! You must have felt the scene deeply. * *
****** Nearly forty years ago, I heard
my venerable father address his people under simi
lar circumstances. The transaction is a subject of
frequent and cherished reminiscence with. me, and I
presume will not be easily effaced from the memory
of his surviving hearers.
I admire your sermon in all respects, and particular
ly for the cheering evidence it affords of your ad
herence, in this backsliduig age, to the genuine doc-
G 2

154 LETTERS.
trines of the Gospel. I perceive in it no trace of the
New Haven errours, much less of the abominations
of the German school, to which, by the way, those
errours directly tend, and may ultimately reach un
less seasonably renounced. The "facilis descensus
Averni" is fully exemplified by the Boston Unitarians,
first in their declension to Pelagianism, and thence,
through intermediate grades of infidelity, to the dark
abyss of Pantheism.
God grant that the Theological Seminary in our
Alma Mater may take warning, and retrace their steps
in season to escape the same catastrophe. They may
exclaim, " Hie labor, hie opus est ;" but they will be
richly repaid when they reach the pure atmosphere of
their Pilgrim Fathers.
I rejoice to hear that your health and mental powers
retain their wonted vigour.' Indeed, the sermon is no
slight proof that " mens sana in corpore sano" may
justly define your condition. There can not be much
difference in our ages. I was born the 12th of Feb
ruary, 1765, and, of course, have seen seventy-six years
and four months. I can not say that my " days have
been few and evil," consistently with a proper sense of
the numerous and unmerited blessings which God has
bestowed upon me, through a period extending beyond
the ordinary term of human life.
Blessed be His name that afflictions also have been
sanctified, especially the irreparable loss, foiir years
since, of my greatly beloved and deeply lamented
wife,' the wife of my youth, with whose sainted spirit
I trust ere long to be reunited. Meanwhile, all that
filial duty can perform to render the evening of my
pilgrimage pleasant is cheerfully afforded. " Bless the
Lord, 0 my^otil, and forget not all his benefits."

LETTERS. 165
Of our class who with us enjoyed the hospitality
of Judge Daggett in 1833, Goodrich and Holmes have
since passed, as we believe, to a brighter world. The
time of our departure, my beloved classmate, can not
be far distant. That the close of our protracted lives
may be the entrance into a glorious immortality, is the
earnest prayer of your affectionate friend.

No. 53.
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. Sharon, Sept. 13th, 1841.
I offer you many thanks for your kind letter by my
grandson, and for the accompanying catalogues. * *
The reduction of our number is not greater, I be
heve, than has usiially occurred ; still it imparts to the
few survivors a solemn, and, I hope, profitable admoni
tion. My health, with the exception of a recent and
severe cold, is generally sound. My hearing, how
ever, is greatly impaired. Accordingly, I have sent
my resignation to the A. B. C. F. M. as their president.
The meetings of the Board are much more numerously
attended than fortherly, by the admission of honourary
members to the right of debate ; and their discussions
conform so nearly to the rules of proceeding in legisla
tive bodies, as to demand of the presiding officer the
exercise of the faculty of hearing to a much greater
degree than I possess. Their committee have politely
pressed me to continue in the chair ; but I can not con
sent to hold an office of any description, the duties of
which it is physically impossible for me to discharge
in any satisfactory manner..,
I would say a word or two in relation to the aspect

156 LETTERS.
of our national affairs ; but, really, the course adopted
by OUT fortuitous president renders the theme any thing
but pleasant. The poor man is sadly afflicted with the
morbid constrictions peculiar to Virginia statesmen
(Washington excepted) ; and that a merciful Prbvi-
dehce would direct to, and bless means for his recov
ery, should be a subject of our devout aspirations. Of
one thing I am quite sure, that the presidential veto
should be abridged to the' limitation contained in the
Constitution of this and some mother states. Whenever
parties in Congress are nearly equally divided, the veto
of the president is, in effect, unqualified, and prevents
the monstrous paradox of the will or the caprice of one
man counteracting the views and the desires of the
majority of a great nation professing to be free.

No. 54.
TO GEN. GEORGE P. MORRIS.
Sharon, Sept. 14th, 1841.
I avail myself of my grandson's visit to your city,
to express my admiration of your inimitable sonnet,
" My Mother's Bible," and to convey the grateful sense
I entertain of the honour you have conferred upon me
by its dedication. Harely have I seen filial piety, a
virtue pre-eminently comrnerided inthat precious Book,
so feelingly displayed — never, more charmingly sung.
I greatly rejoice to perceive that your estimate of the
sacred Scriptures accords so entirely with. my own;
especially as it inspires the hope, that the" friendship
which I trust we mutually cherish, may ripeh into a
more intimate union — one which will receive its con
summation in a. brighter world. Why, my dear sir.

LETTERS. 157
will you not more frequently consecrate the rare gifts
derived from your beneficent Creator to themes select
ed from His blessed Word ? Think of the consolation
you would thus afford to your fellow-travellers in the
rugged journey of life, and of the delightful anticipa
tions which, through divine grace, you might safely
indulge, of finally joining in the choral symphonies of
the glorified spirits above.

No. 55.
TO HON. TRUMAN SMITH. Sharon, Jan. 18th, 1842.
For a copy of the president's message and accom
panying documents, just received, accept my hearty
thanks. Sorely as I was aggrieved at the course
adopted by the president during the extra session, let
me confess to you that I read his communication to
Congress at the opening of your present session, with
the mingled, emotions of surprize and gratification.
The gravamen of his veto, in my view, consisted
chiefly in his denial of the constitutionality of a na
tional bank^ — a question so. well settled by the only fo
rum competent to decide it. If he had rejected the
measure, solely oh the ground of inexpediency, not
only would that question have remained undisturbed,
but he might, ere this time, have won golden opinions
of his prescience ; for subsequent events, I think, clear
ly show, that if the bill. incorporating the bank had
passed, the stock would not have been subscribed,
even if our credit abroad had remained Unshaken.
The repealing and repudiating spirit which at that
time was threatened, and has since erected its snaky

158 LETTERS.
crest, would, in all probability, have deterred prudent
capitalists from embarking in the enterprize. Under
all circumstances, I am clearly of opinion, that the fis
cal project of the president, sustained, as it is, by the
able and luminous report' of the secretary of the treas
ury, with such modifications as the wisdom of Con
gress may suggest, is eminently worthy' of a fair ex
periment. Surely it is altogether less liable to objec
tion, both in regard to executive controul, and the safe
custody of the publick moneys, than the sub-treasury
scheme ; while the revenue is made subservient to the
twofold purpose of liquidating expenditures, and regu
lating the currency. Such, as far as my information
extends, are the sentiments of our political friends
throughout the state. The admirable speech of Mr.
Evans in the Senate — the magnanimity with which he
overlooks his disappointment on the subject of a na
tional bank, and his readiness to embrace the offered
substitute, with such improvements as a judicious com
mittee may devise and recommend, is surely conduct
deserving the highest commendation. I am exceed
ingly sorry to perceive among our Whig brethren in
Congress, such a vindictive spirit towards President
Tyler. From long experience, and I am on the verge
of my seventy-eighth year, I have learned not to be
too " strict to mark iniquity," but to forgive as I hope
to be forgiven.

LETTERS. 159

No. 56. ,
TO REV. DR. PROUDFIT. Sharon, Jan. 31st, 1842.
I thank you for your favour of the 22d instant, and
heartily reciprocate the kind sentiments you are pleased
to express. It is a subject of frequent and grateful rec
ollection to me, that I have been associated with you
for so many years in various institutions designed to
promote the best and highest interests of our fellow-
men, and, of course, have enjoyed the opportunity of
witnessing the ability and zeal with which you have
asserted and sustained their claims to the patronage
and beneficence of the publick. The Colohization So
ciety, especially, is indebted to you, in no small degree,
for its elevation from a really depressed state to its
comparatively prosperous condition ; I therefore re
ceive with regret the intimation that you propose to
retire from its service. I became connected with the
national Colonization Society at an early period, and
had the honour of being one of its numerous vice-pres
idents. Whether the distinction is continued I am not
informed. Although I have not found it consistent
with my other engagements to contribute to its funds
as I should have desired, still my tongue and pen have
not been restrained from vindicating the cause against
the malignant aspersions of its enemies. While great
good has been produced by the society, we must all
nevertheless admit that the entire removal of the curse
of slavery from our country is an undertaking too vast
for individual or associated effort in the free states to
accomplish. Nothing short of the strength and resour
ces of the nation, humanly speaking, can be deemed
adequate to the object. The proposition of the late

160 LETTERS.
Rufus King in the United States Senate, to appropri
ate the avails of the national domain to the redemption
of the slaves, and their restoration to Africa, would
have been, in my view, the best possible use to which
that " apple of discord" could be applied. As that
scheme is rendered abortive by the late " act of distri
bution," there appears to be no alternative but reliance
on divine grace to inspire the slaveholder with a spirit
of submission to the dictates of justice and humanity.
If this sacred influence shall be withheld, civil con
vulsions, sooner or later, would seem to be inevitable.

JNo. 57.
TO REV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, March 10th, 1842.
I duly received your favour of the 26th inst., and I
thank you for the various items of intelligence it con
tains. Should my health continue, I will endeavour,
by God's blessing, to attend the approaching anniver
sary of our society. The tenant who holds over his
term is styled in law a " tenant at sufferance." Such,
emphatically, is the condition of one who has passed
the ordinary term of human life. To make calcula
tions on a protracted occupancy must, in either case,
especially the latter, be vain and illusory. To be vigi
lant and active in the discharge of present duty, and
leave the future in humble submission to a superintend
ing Providence, is the dictate alike of prudence and
piety.
¦ I perceive by a late number of the New York Ob
server, that proposals are issued in Philadelphia by
anonymous "biblical scholars," for printing by sub
scription a new translation of the Bible, accompanied

LETTERS. 161
with extracts from the work. As you make no allu
sion to the subject in your letter, it may have proved
a mere hoax. Will you have time and patience to
let me know your opinion as to the probability of such
a monstrous act of folly and infatuation? also to fa
vour me with, a sketch of the propositions to be dis
cussed by the several speakers at the anniversaries ?

No. 58.
TO DR. M. L. NORTH. Sharon, July 12th, 1842.
I had begun to fear lest our future correspondence
should be confined to a mere interchange, and at long
intervals too, of pamphlets or newspapers. Happily,
ybur kind letter of the 5th instant has quieted that
sombre apprehension, and allows me the pleasure of
thanking you for your graphick description of the
Saratoga celebration of our national jubilee. I rejoice
that divine Providence has favoured you with the op
portunity, so long desired, of witnessing such a rational
observance of the day.
To your- benevolent inquiries respecting the state of
my animal functions, I answer, that my health is gen
erally as good as a subject in the seventy-eighth year
of his age could rationally expect or desire. I sleep
well, eat with appetite, and drink pure water with a
better relish than I ever did wine or the richest cor
dial. My sight, though defective in one eye, enables
me nevertheless to read fine print with glasses of mod
erate convexity. My hearing is greatly impaired, and
yet. I can hear any one who speaks with becoming dis
tinctness, and not too loud. This defect, however, in
duced me to vacate the chair of the A. B. C. F. M. — a

162 LETTERS.
body whose proceedings, at its annual meetings, so
nearly resemble those of civil deliberative assemblies,
as to demand of its presiding officer "the hearing ear"
in its highest perfection. The additional fact of a di
minished intonation of my voice, admonishes me that
I ought to make a similar surrender of the chair of the
American Bible Society, and such is my intention in
the course of the present year, should my life be con
tinued. In short, to relieve you of too much detail, I
rise early, read my Bible till breakfast, employ much
of the forenoon in bodily exercise, and the afternoon,
with the exception of occasional visitations, and other
interruptions^ in reading, partly the current literature
of the day, but chiefly^Ae Bible ; for, my dear friend,
if you live to my age (and God grant you may greatly
exceed it), you will realize, if you have not already,
the truth of the remark, which seems never to have oc
curred to Walter Scott till the last hours of his life,
when he requested Lockhart to give him the Book,
"What book?" "Why do you ask? there is but one
Book I" I have an assortment of commentaries which
I consult ; but, after all, they are merely tapers held
up to the sun. Thus " all the days of my appointed
time will I wait till my change come," in the blessed
hope, through the prevailing merits and intercession
of the Saviour, of uniting with my sainted wife, and
the glorified spirits above, in celebrating his redeem
ing love and mercy forever and ever.

No. 59.
TO REV. DR. ARMSTRONG. Sharon, Sept. 8th, 1842.
I perceive with regret that your deUberations will

LETTERS. 163
probably be interrupted by memorials from the Anti-
slavery Society — a society which has also assumed a
political organization, with its nominations of candi
dates for offices in the general and state governments;
and it is an association thus constituted, which invokes
the co-operation of an institution altogether sacred in
its character, and whose sole object is to bear the glad
tidings of salvation to nations shrouded in the darkness
of spiritual death. The objection urged by the memo
rialists to the reception of contributions to the funds
of the Board from slaveholders, involves the principle
that no unregenerate individual (for slaveholders are
not the only sinners in the world) shall be allowed the
privilege of affording pecuniary aid, either to the main
tenance of the Christian religion at home, or to its
propagation abroad — a discrimination as odious as it
is impracticable. However detestable slavery may
be (and no one holds it in greater abhorrence than
myself), it is an evil of which the American Board
can take no legal cognizance ; and, of course, all inter
ference in the case on their part by any act or resolu
tion whatever, must be deemed wholly gratuitous and
foreign to their proper sphere of action. The answer
of our Lord to those who sought his opinion oi Roman
bondage, furnishes an example eminently worthy of
imitation by a body exclusively occupied in publishing
His everlasting Gospel.

No. 60.
TO HON. TRUMAN SMITH. Sharon, Aug. 18th, 1842.
I thank you for the various documents you have
kindly sent me during your protracted session ; and I

164' LETTERS.
offer you and our other friends my sincere condolence
on the ill-fated' result of your patriotick efforts to re
deem our country from unexampled embarrassments.
I had hoped that Mr. Tyler would have been satisfied
with his two first vetoes, and that thenceforward his
co-operation might be expected in all constitutional
measures to satisfy the just claims of those who placed
him in power. It is vain for him to pretend that he
gave no pledges to the Whigs. He gave what, by a
man of uprightness, would be deemed the most sacred
of all pledges, his acceptance of their nomination. Their
enlightened views of the great interests of the nation,
and their determination to carry them into effect, were
perfectly known to him and to all the world.

No. 61.
TO A FRIEND. Oct. 26th, 1842.
* * And this leads me to express my deep solicitude
for the destiny of Daniel Webster, who, in my opinion,
has no superiour in eloquence, or in profound and en
larged views of national policy, or in a pure and eleva
ted patriotism. Next to Hamilton, he is unquestiona
bly the most gifted statesman this country has yet
produced. His late negotiation with Lord Ashburton
has shown him to be also the most adroit and dignified
diplomatist of the age — resulting, as it has, in a treaty
for which he deserves the thanks of every man, woman,
and child, both in Britain and America. Nor can the
magnanimity with which he remained in the cabinet,
when his compeers thought proper to retreat from
their posts, be vie\ved in any other light than a manly
sacrifice to the interest and honour of his country ; and

LETTERS. 165
it remains to be seen whether that country will dulv
recognize his services, or render him a distinguished
monument of the ingratitude which, I will not say with
what justice, has been attributed to republicks.
Do you know, my friend, that you have but just es
caped the loss of one of your few remaining cousins ?
I was seized -about three weeks since with an internal
inflammation, which threatened speedy dissolution, and
which nothing but repeated and protracted warm baths
and copious bleeding was found sufficient to allay. I
bless God not only for sustaining me under intense
bodily suffering, but for mercifully divesting death of
its terrours, and inspiring me with a hope full of im
mortality. I enjoy at the present moment a comfort
able state of health.

No. 62.
TO A FRIEND.
[This is vrithout date, but must have been -written in 1842.]
An attack of iiifiuenza, and other causes, have pre
vented me from acknowledging the receipt of your ac
ceptable letter of the 25th ult. Accept my hearty
thanks for the two valuable pamphlets accompanying
it. I know not that it will ever be ih my power to re
munerate you, otherwise than by a deep-felt gratitude,
for the many similar favours you have, from time to
time, so liberally conferred upon me.
Gen. Tallmadge's address is really admirable. It is,
in truth, the most statesmanlike view of our foreign re
lations and commercial policy which has met my ob
servation for a long period. Not to dwell on the sev
eral causes assigned by him of our present depressed
condition as the mere colonies 6f Great Britain and

166 LETTERS.
Frahce, I was particularly struck with his remarks on
the subject of discriminating duties upon foreign, ton
nage, as it brought fresh to my recollection an occur
rence in the early part of Mr. Jefferson's administration.
It was an essential element in Hamilton's policy to im
pose such duties as an encouragement to American nav
igation ; and it proved, as might well be expected, a most
beneficial measure. But at the second session (I think)
of the 7th Congress, a bill was introduced fi om the com
mittee of commerce to repeal those duties, on the falla
cious pretext of " encouraging free trade." We Feder
alists formed but a small minority ; we knew what must
be the disastrous eflect of such a measure,,if carried;
and we also knew that if we openly opposed it, the bill
would inevitably pass. We therefore resorted to the
expedient of a free conversation with individual gentle
men of the Democratick party, and particularly with
General S. Smith, of Baltimore, the chairman of the
committee of commerce. We stated to him, I remem
ber, as one sure result of abolishing the discrimination,
that a British vessel might arrive here fiill-freighted
with British manufactures,, receive payment, take in a
cargo of American products, carry them where we
were not suffered to go — to the British West Indies —
sell them, then take in a cargo of colonial produce, and
return to England, thus making three voyages in one ;
and we appealed to him, as an enlightened merchant
and a Revolutionary patriot, to avert the threatened
ruin of our navigation. He evidently had not contem
plated the subject in all its bearings; but he frankly ac
knowledged his conviction that we were right, and hap
pily stifled the bill. In 1815 the measure was revived,,
and, to my utter astonishment, adopted, without a sylla
ble of oppoBition,.and we are now reaping its bitter fruits.

LETTERS. 167
Your remarks on the political aspect of the country
accorded entirely with my own views at the date and
receipt of your letter. But I own to you, the message
of the president at the opening of Congress has some
what brightened the prospect. That document so far
transcends my expectations, that I can not but entertain
hopes of better times. If the Whigs will rally in earn
est, they may soon recover the ground we have lost,
carry out triumphantly the true policy of the country,
and thus bring us back to the halcyon days of the Wash
ington administration.

No. €3.
TO REV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, July 12th, 1843.
* * # * I. think very favourably of the proposal
(in your private letter) to hold a semi-annual Biblical
meeting in different sections of the United States, un
der tho direction of a deputation from the Board, and
attended by a neighbouring vice-president. I am fully
satisfied that the ambulatory sessions of the A. B. C.
F. M. have largely contributed to secure the confi
dence and consequent patronage of the religious com
munity. I fully concur in the regret you express at
the appearance in the New England Puritan of the
article entitled Evils of Methodism, and am truly sur
prized that the editors should have allowed it a place
in their' journal. Whatever may be said adversely
to our Methodist brethren, I, for one, admire their
religious zeal and activity, am thankful for their gener
ous efforts in the Bible cause, and have often thought,
and frequently said, that their organization is, in the
order of Providence, most happily calculated to coun-

168 LETTERS.
teract and finally to overwhelm the host of Jesuits and
emissaries of the Man of Sin who are overspreading
our Western States and Territories.

No. 64.
TO TILLY GILBERT, ESa. January 18th, 1843.
*****
Now my pen is in hand, I can not refrain from of
fering you my heartfelt condolence on the present as
pect of our country. Never, perhaps, were the hopes
of good men so completely withered as they have
been by the events which have followed the elections
of 1840. I allude to- the mysterious dispensation of
a holy Providence in the death of President Harri
son, the singular and unexpected course adopted by his
successor, and the consequent division and injudicious
conduct of the Whigs, added to the utterly unprin
cipled opposition of the Democratick party. Much
as I was dissatisfied with President Tyler, I do think,
if the Whigs had continued united, and all the mem
bers of the cabinet, like Webster, had retained their
places, tbey might so far have corrected the way
wardness of the president as to secure important hen-
efits to the country ; for, in my humble opinion, if
even now our friends would adopt the measures (the
remission of Jackson's fine always excepted) recom
mended in the last message, they would deserve well
of their constituents. But the session, and with it the
existence of the Whig dynasty, will doubtless pass
away, without fulfilling in any considerable degree the
just expectations of the people.
But of all the evils which either exist or threaten

letters; 169
the country, the tendency of the publick mind to abol
ish the adequate punishment of crimes, and particu
larly the unhallowed measure of repealing the Divine
law for. the punishment of murder, is, in my judgment,
pre-eminently deplorable. If there is an ordinance
of Jehovah which possesses any binding force upon
man, it is, "Whoso sheddeth nwn's blood, by man shall
his blood be -shed." It was delivered immediately
upoh the deluge to Noah, who, with his three sons, had
then become the progenitors and virtual representa
tives of the whole human race. Nor has any one
of the Divine precepts been so universally, and, I may
add, instinctively obeyed ; for in all ages since the
flood, wherever the law has not been enforced by judi
cial tribunals, it has nevertheless received a prompt
and thorough execution by the "avenger of blood."
Do the lawgivers of New Hampshire and of the en
lightened State of Vermont, propose to tread their steps
back to a condition of society, in which every man
must equip himself with pistol and dirk in order to
protect his own life and avenge the assassination of
his near relatives ?* Can they rationally expect to es
cape the divine displeasure for thus abjuring the gov
ernment of the Most High ? His vengeance has never
yet been withheld from governmental acts of open re
bellion, from the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat,
to this day. Have they forgotten the explicit renun
ciation of his authority by the French Convention, and
the ineffable horrours which followed? Do they re
member that Robespierre was at first an advocate of
* I suppose perpetual imprisonment is the proposed substitute.
Hqw often do prisoners even for life escape 1 and what security has
the keeper of the prison of his life, when the prisoner may take it
¦without fear of an increase of his punishment?
H

170 LETTERS.
the same misplaced benevolence which they profess,
and would they not shudder at the thought of imitating
his subsequent career of blood and carnage ? There
is, in truth, no calculating to what enormities we may
be led, after shaking off the restraints prescribed by in
finite wisdom and benevolence. And it is worthy of
solemn consideration, whether every individual mem
ber who gave effect by his vote to the repeal of the
law in question, will not be deemed in the sight of
Heaven an accomplice in the first and every other
murder which may be committed, henceforth, in the
state he represented. May God mercifully reclaim
those states from this their errour, and by his grace
prevent any other from incurring a similar exposure
to his retributive justice !

No. 65.
TO CHIEF-JUSTICE SPENCER.
Sharon, 21st January, 1843.
I thank you for your. kind salutation by Miss Ster
ling, but a cc|mmunication under your hand, by the
same bearer, would have been received with additional
satisfaction. So. many of our early associates have
preceded us to another world, my affection for the sur
vivors seems to increase in an inverse and duplicate
proportion to the diminution of their number. Of the
six classmates who celebrated the fiftieth anniversary
of our graduation with Judge Daggett, in 1833, we
have had occasion to lament the demise of the Rev
erend Mr- Goodrich, and the Reverend Dr. Holmes.
Of the triumvirate who entered the office of your fa
ther-in-law in 1783, you and I, by the recent death of
Reverend Dr. Lee, are sQrvivors ; and I think it must

LETTERS. 171
be deemed somewhat remarkable that all three of us
should have continued so many years beyond the ordi
nary term of human hfe. I was much gratified to per
ceive a handsome and just obituary notice of the doc
tor in one of our religious journals. His fine social
qualities, connected with his talents and piety, rendered
him an eminently useful parish minister ; and you will
concur with me in opinion, that he properly appreciated
his own capabihties when he left the bar for the pulpit.
Your new governor, I observe, considers the present
judicial system of the state inadequate to the prompt
and effectual administration of justice. How is this ?
When Kent was sole chancellor, and you chief-justice
of the Supreme Court, with only four auxiliaries, the
business of both tribunals was despatched without de
lay, to the entire satisfaction of your own community,
and the admiration of the neighbouring states. That
the present corps of nine or ten chancellors, and four
teen common-law judges, including those of the city
supreme court, besides your coutaty and corporation
courts (a number exceeding that of the judiciary of
England, with her greatly superior population), should
prove incompetent to satisfy, the just expectations of
suitors and the publick at large,' is an enigma which
I shall not attempt to solve. It is a proof, however,
that judicial strength does not wholly consist in numer
ical force.
I rejoice, my highly respected classmate, to learn
that you enjoy a fine, green old age. I rejoice that
your long hfe has been signalized by so much useful
ness and merited distinction, and that you possess,
what is desirable in advanced age, " otium cum digni-
tate." Although you are ten months or a year younger

172 LETTERS.
than myself) yet it becomes us both to bear in mind
that we are fast approaching the utmost limit of earthly
existence. From my delicate state of health, it is not
probable that I shall be allowed the privilege of an
other interview with you here below. That we may,
nevertheless, finally meet and rejoice together^ in that
bright world where friends never part, is the earnest
and devout aspiration of your friend.

No. 66.
TO REV. DR. SPRAGUE. Sharon, 13th Feb., 1844.
I am sorry it is not in my power to furnish you with
any incidents in the life of President Dwight, illustrative
of his character, other than such as are already before
the publick. My intercourse Avith him was official,
rather than intimate and confidential.
Our acquaintance with each other was not particular,
until I entered publick life. Even then, when the Leg
islature sat at New Haven, it was during the autumnal
vacation of Yale College, and the doctor was generally
absent on an excursion for his healtlu During the sev
eral years I was in Congress, I scarcely had an annual
glimpse of him. Our intercourse became more fre
quent while I occupied the executive chair of the state,
and was, ex-officio, a member of the corporation; but
you are sensible there is more of form than of familiar
ity in meetings of such bodies. Still we occasionally
corresponded, and I have been in various ways favour
ed with the means of forming a high estimate of his
character. He was not only, in the sense of Horace,
Homo ad unguem factus, that is, an accomplished gen
tleman, but a ripe scholar, a profound theologian, an el-

.LJJ-TTEHS. 173
oquent divine, whose mind was adapted to soar in hal
lowed flights of sacred poesy, or with equal ease to
sound the depths of metaphysical research ; a mind, in
deed, so wonderfully constituted as to dictate to two
amanuenses at a time, on two different subjects, and
keep both busily employed. Nor were his colloquial
qualities less remarkable. Such was their fascination,
that in social intercourse, although he gave to others
present full opportunity to take their part in conversa
tion, they rarely availed themselves of the privilege, un
less for the purpose of suggesting a new topic of dis
course, and of thus procuring a fresh fund of entertain
ment. But I beg pardon, my dear sir, for troubling you
with my opinion, instead of imparting facts which might
enable you to form your own.. These you will proba
bly derive from Other correspondents, and I rejoice at
the prospect that laudari laudato viro is to give addi
tional distinction to the venerable name of Dwight.

No. 67.
TO REV. DR. BRIGHAM. Sharon, Feb. 15th, 1843.
I heartily thank you for President D'Aubigne's Intro
ductory Address. Rarely have I read an article with
more unmingled satisfaction. We have reason to bless
God that the halcyon days of the Genevan school have
returned, and returned, it would seem, to i-estore the
true light of the Reformation to England, relapsing, as
she apparently is, into the darkness of popery. May
the same benign influence be felt in not a few of our
churches, and in more than one of our theological sem
inaries, infected more or less with the pestilent doctrines
of the German school 1 Thus, " When the enemy com-

174 LETTERS.
eth in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord setteth up a
standard against him."
The Rev. Mr. Cheever's address before the New
England Society fully deserved the commendation be
stowed upon it. He has proved himself the Worthy son
of a Puritan sire. The copy you kindly proposed to
send has not arrived, but I have been supplied by an
other hand. -,
I have not seen the book put forth by the Baptists,
called, and very properly, " Bernard's Bible," to distin
guish it from the holy Bible ; nor has it appeared, to my
knowledge, in this vicinity. I shall endeavor to obtain
a sight of it from some quarter. What are those peo
ple to do for a name ? They have already abjured their
nam de guerre.
Is it not wonderful that two several mutilated editions
of the precious Book of God should have issued from the
American press within so short a period ? One for the
purpose of giving a wider circulation to the editor's cor
ruptions of the English language, the other designed
as a measure of retaliation on the A. B. Society, for
withholding an appropriation of our funds to propagate
the distinctive opinions of the Baptists among the hea
then nations. I forbear to affix any epithet to such a
course. To the glorious Author of the Bible we may
safely confide the guardianship of his own blessed work.
" He will make the wrath of man to praise him."
With the exception of occasional distress from or
ganic affection, my general health is as sound as one
who had entered on his 79th year could rationally ex
pect. But the day of my departure can not be very
remote; and I bless my heavenly' Father that, by His
grace, I am permitted, with such a degree of comfort,
to contemplate its approach.

LETTERS. 175
No. 68.
TO REV. E. W. ANDREWS. Sharon, June 3d, 1844.
I reply with great cheerfulness to your inquiries rela
tive to the ecclesiastical polity of the Congregational
denomination in this state.
The churches of Connecticut have been enabled,
from large experience, to ascertain the comparative
merits of an independent, and a consociational organi
zation. They were at first, and for many years, under
the former system ; and if you will examine Trumbull's
History of Connecticut, it will be seen how incompe
tent it proved, either to prevent discord and alienation,
or to restore p_eace and harmony when disturbed by di
vision. Whenever serious difficulties arose in any par
ticular church with regard either to doctrine or dis
cipline, resort was usually had to a mutual council
selected from members of other churches. If the re
sult proved unsatisfactory, recourse was had to ano
ther, and, in the language of the historian already men
tioned, " As there was no general rule for the calling
of councils, council was called against council, and op
posite results were given upon the same cases, to the
reproach of councils and the wounding of religion."
This spiritual anarchy became at length so injurious
in its effects on the public tranquillity, and there being
scarcely any other religious denomination in the col
ony, the Legislature passed an act, at their May ses
sion, A.D. 1708, requiring the ministers and churches
(the latter by their delegates) to meet and form an
ecclesiastical constitution. The order was obeyed. A
convention of ministers and lay delegates met at Say
brook in September of the same year, and formed what

176 LETTERS.
is called the Saybrook Platform, comprising a Con
fession of Faith, Heads of Agreement, and Articles
for the Administration of Church Discipline. It was
reported to the Legislature at their session in the then
forthcoming October, wlio passed an act highly ap
proving of the plan, and recommending it to the adop
tion of the churches. Although its acceptance was
optional, yet it received their cheerful assent, I be
lieve, with scarcely an exception. Even at this day,
I know of but one Congregational church in the state*
(there may be more) not connected with a consocia
tion. You are aware that there is a ministerial as
sociation in each, county, and in several of the coun
ties two ^uch. The Consociation is composed of the
minister and a delegate of the Church in each parish
within the limits of the association, the delegates pos
sessing equal authority with the ministers. It meets
regularly once ih each year, and also whenever or
dinations or dismissions of ministers, or other exigen
cies of the churches may require. f Its authority, aside
from that of ordaining and dismissing ministers, is two
fold, advisory and judicial : that is, any church hav
ing a question pending before it of difficult solution,
may pray, the advice of the Consociation thereon,
which is always readily afforded, and although not
binding on the church, is rarely, if ever, disregarded.
In all cases of a judicial nature, an appeal lies to the
Consociation by the aggrieved party from the decision
of a church, and the judgment of the Consociation is
in such case final and concjusive. What are termed
" heads of agreement," consist of conciliatory modifi-
* There are several. — Ed.
t And at every meeting, whether annual or special, each church
sends up its delegate, chosen for the occasion.

LETTERS. 177
cations calculated to promote a spirit of union and con
cord, both in the adoption and preservation of the sys
tem. Without troubling you with further details, allow
me to observe, that this organization has existed for a
period of more than 130 years, during at least fifty
years of which I have been an attentive observer of
its operation, owing, probably, in some measure, to the
circumstance that my father was the pastor of this
church for more than half a century. And candour
compels me to say, that, in my estimation, the sys
tem combines Christian liberty with governmental en
ergy more perfectly than any other with which I am
acquainted; that, under God, it is a safe conservatory
of the fundamental doctrines of our holy religion, being
not less efficacious hi preventing schism, than in apply
ing the appropriate corrective to that or any other
spiritual declension which may infect a consociated
church; and, in short, that it is, in my view, strictly
conformable to the ecclesiastical model, so far as it
can be ascertained, of the apostolick age, making due
allowance for difference of circumstances.
- To your inquiries, then, my dear sir, I answer :
1. I have neither knowledge nor belief, that "the
Consociational system of Connecticut has operated op
pressively on the churches, or on the individual mem
bers of the churches." So far from it, according to
my experience and observation, its operation has been
uniformly just, benign, and salutary, in regard to both
churches and individuals.
2. To the question, " Have the clergy of Connecti
cut, through the instrumentality of the Consociational
system, usurped to themselves any prerogative or pow-'
er in derogation of the rights of the laity?" my an
swer is unequivocally in the negative, according to my

178 LETTERS.
best knowledge and belief Indeed, I have never heard
of any such complaint from an individual layman in
the state, and surely nothing could be more unrea
sonable ; for the power of the laity in consociation is
in every respect equal to that of the clergy, excepting
in the single act of the imposition of hands at an or
dination. On the contrary, the only complaint of the
system which has fallen under my notice, has proceed
ed, now and then, from a clergyman whose departure
from the ". faith once delivered to the saints" may have
rendered him obnoxious to the penalties of that system.
3. My reply to your third and last inquiry, relative
to the beneficial results of the consociational form of
church government, may be collected from the ob
servations already made. I will only add, that in re
gard to its effect " in maintaining sound doctrine and
Christian practice," if the Congregational churches of
Massachusetts had' adopted it at an early period, my
humble opinion is, the churches of Boston, founded
by the Pilgrim Fathers, would not at this day be fed
by pastors " who deny the Lord that bought them," but
would have remained, from generation to generation,
the precious monuments of the sufferings and sacri
fices, the holy lives and indefatigable labours of the
sainted Puritans,

No. 69.
TO REV. ENOCH POND, D.D.
Sharon, Conn., Aug. 1st, 1844.

Claiming kindred with the Mathers, I haVe read with
unspeakable pleasure, and, allow me to add, with deep-
felt gratitude, your excellent memoir of " the Mather
family." The dispassionate, luminous, and effectual

LETTERS. 179
manner in which you have refuted the malignant as
persions attempted to be cast upon the fair fame of
Increase and Cotton Mather, richly merits the applause
of all virtuous and honourable men. From a particu
lar acquaintance with Mr. Quincy in Congress, I should
not have thought him capable of departing on any oc
casion from the courtesies of civilized society, much
less of violating that high sense of truth and integ
rity which is the essential and indispensable element
in the character of an historian ; nor can I now as
cribe his injustice to the memory of the Mathers, to
any other cause than the inveterate hatred which Uni-
tarianism bears to the orthodox faith. Whether the
same apology, poor as it is, may be offered for the ma
levolence of Bancroft, I am not informed.
Accept, reverend and dear sir, my sincere thanks for
your able and generous vindication of my venerated
progenitors. If, unfortunately, your good name shall be assailed
in like manner by unprincipled men of a future gen
eration, God grant the noble spirit you have exhibited
may, by a like faithful advocate, be triumphantly dis
played in its defence.

No. 70.
TO EEV. DR. BRIGHAM. November 27th, 1844.
* * * The book, " Ancient Christianity," is a highly
seasonable as well as valuable publication. Great cred
it is due to the author, himself a Churchman, for his in
defatigable researches ; the result of which must prove
astounding not only to Puseyites, but to all those of the
Anglican Church who deem the Holy Scriptures unin-

18Q LETTERS.,
telligible without the " patristick" revelations of the two
or three first centuries. The author has indulged in
too much periphrasis. If the work could be condensed,
and the authorities presented in meet array, I do think
the effect would be most salutary. The Fathers, as
they are styled, have been too long idolized. It is
painful to perceive there is scarcely one to Ajvhom we
may apply the legal qualification of a juror, " omni
exceptione major;" and not one of celebrity who did
not approve of the perpetual celibacy of both sexes,
the fruitful source of all the abominations of popery.
Accept my condolence on the issue of the late presi
dential election — the evident effexst of the unprincipled,
nay, the nefarious conduct of the Abohtionists. Pro
fessing to be the exclusive friends of freedom, they
have constructively voted greatly to increase the num
ber of slaves, and render the condition of the whole ab
solutely hopeless. One of them, I understand', justifies
their conduct, and expresses their determination to per
severe ; alleging that they are in Jio degree discour
aged, remembering, as they do, that Luther was, alone
when he commenced the Reformation. To which it
might have been replied, Satan also was alone at the
commencement of his enterprize. While I deeply la
ment, for the honour of the nation, the brutality of the
Democratick press towards our excellent friend Chan
cellor Frelinghuysen, I derive, at the same time, strong
consolation from the reflection, that no man can more
justly than he appropriate to himself that precious por
tion of the Sermon on the Mount, " Blessed are ye
when men shall revile you and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is
your reward in Heaven." Never since the American

LETTERS. 181
Revolution, have I beheld a more unpromising condi
tion of our national affairs ; but thanks be to God, who
can make the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrain
the remainder.

No. 71.
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. November 30th, 1844.
I thank you for a copy of the Annual Catalogue, a
truly gratifying testimonial of the prosperity of our
Alma Mater.
We can not sufficiently express our gratitude to a
wonder-working Providence, when we reflect on the
humble origin of the College, the votive offering of
a few volumes by a small band of pious ministers, and
behold, in answer to their prayer of faith, a noble
institution, transcending immeasurably her numerous
competitors in the same beneficent career. I hope
your modesty will take no offence, if I say that, among
the means employed for its accomplishment, not the
least conspicuous has been a Faculty composed from
generation to generation of highly-gifted and eminent
ly-learned men, whose number has been increased as
exigencies required^ and whose benign but command
ing influence .has elicited from both publick and pri
vate munificpnce, funds enabling them to procure all
the necessary appliances for a thorough and syste-
matick education, until we are at length presented with
an array of teachers and pupils which would do honour
to any university on either side of the Atlantick.
Your pamphlet arrived just in season to sooth my
spirit, sorely wounded by the disastrous issue of the
presidential election ; an event, we have reason to ap-

182 LETTERS.
prebend, more inauspicious to the vital interest of the
Union than has occurred at any period since we be
came a nation.
Although the Abolition vote lost us New York, still
I believe the Whigs would have prevailed, if their
opponents had set up a gubernatorial candidate of
less celebrity than Silas Wright, undoubtedly the most
popular man that could have been selected, and whose
name gave a plurality to the whole ticket. I say plu
rality, for, after all, both Wright and Polk have fall
en thousands of votes short of a majority in that state.
The canvass has been attended with a bitterness of
spirit, a profligacy of conduct and of principle, hith-,
erto unparalleled in our brief history." I blush for my
country when I think of the brutal treatment which
the pure and lovely character of Frelinghuysen has
received from the Democratick press. Still, there is
comfort in the reflection that, like the ostracism of
Aristides, it will but add lustre to his name.

No. 72.
TO A FRIEND. Sharon, 21st Dec, 1^44.
The issue of that contest [the late presidential elec
tion] has settled the definition of American democracy.
It is, "personal slavery is essential to the existence of a
free government." Yes, from the press, at publick
meetings, and at the polls, the great object to be at
tained was declared to be the annexation of Texas,
as the only means of securing the perpetuity of South
ern slavery, and the consequent duration of the Union.
Accordingly, the friends of that " domestick institution"
are boasting that a vast majority of the electors have

LETTERS. 183
responded in favour of that proposition ; and such, in
deed, will be the construction put upon it by the whole
civilized world, who must and will pronounce it a par
adox unparalleled in the history of human affairs.
I know not what may be your feelings, but as to
myself, I am prouder than ever of the name of Fed
eralist ; a name " lovely and of good report," asso
ciated with the halycon days of Washingtoif and Ham
ilton, commemorative of their patriotick and invaluable
labours, and which in all future time will distinguish
the first twelve years of our national government as
the Golden Age of the American Republick ! Sure I
am that the principles then adopted are those alone
which, under God, can insure the prosperity and du
ration of the Confederacy. Of this, any careful ob
server will be convinced, when he reflects on the many
awkward and awful embarrassments in which subse
quent administrations were involved, when departing
from those principles, and the mortifying but absolute
necessity of again resorting to them to relieve the
country from the sad effects of their fatuity.
My grandson, who, with his wife, is spending the
winter in your city, sends us regularly the "Weekly
Mirror. I rejoice that our excellent friend General
Morris has resumed the editorial chair, heretofore oc
cupied by him with so much credit to himself and
advantage to the national literature ; and that he is
happily connected with a coadjutor of such acknowl
edged talents and celebrity. Not having before seen
any of the fruits of their joint labours, I can only
say the few numbers I have read of their weekly
edition impress me with a high estimate of its value.
Indeed, I consider it a periodical greatly superior to
any of themonthhes that have fallen under my ob-

184 LETTERS.
servation. Retaining, however, my adherence to the
genuine English orthography, I could not suppress a
feeling of regret on perceiving a few departures from
the standard, for its fidelity to which the New York
Mirror was pre-eminently distinguished. Whether this
pseudography, for so I must be permitted to call it,
proceeds from the editorial department, or from the
vain conceit of compositors and proof-readers, I should
like to ascertain.

No. 73.
TO DR. M. L. NORTH. Sharon, Feb.' 25th, 1845.
Your favour of the Oth instant was duly received, and
I desire you and my dear niece to accept my hearty
thanks for your affectionate salutation in view of my then
approaching birth-day. My niece has a correct regis
ter. On the 12th instant I attained to the age of eighty
years ! Yes, beyond all probable calculation, I have
lived four fifths of a century ; and, although much
younger than the patriarch Jacob, I can not adopt his
complaint, " Few and evil have been the days of the
years of my pilgrimage." On the contrary, it becomes
me to confess, with profound gratitude to my glorious
Benefactor, that " goodness and mercy have followed
me all my days," and that of the bounties of His provi
dence I haVe received a full share. Even the sore af
flictions I have experienced in the demise of many of
my nearest and dearest relatives and friends, including
the wife of my youth, have been greatly mitigated by
the well-grounded and fondly-cherished hope that they
had passed to a better and a brighter world.
I was educated at Yale College, and received a de-

BETTERS. 185
gree in 1783, admitted to the Bar as an advocate, March,
1786,, married. in October of that year to one of the best
and loveliest of her sex, who, in the month of August,
1787, made me the invaluable present of a son, and, for
more than half a century, by her admirable qualities,
realized all the high expectations which, in the ardour
of youth, I had formed of the happiness to be derived
from tha conjugal relation. After my admission to the
Bar, I was soon introduced into an active exercise of my
profession, arising from the pecuniary embarrassments
of the community in consequence of the Revolutionary
war, and particularly from the extensive and entangled
affairs of my uncle, who removed to Vermont, leaving
the management of his complicated concerns in my in
experienced hands. Thanks to a kind Providence, I
was enabled, through unwearied exertions, to extricate
him from a nearly hopeless condition, by the full pay
ment of all just demands against him, and successfully
contesting and repelling all such as were unjust, and
thus leaving him at last in the enjoyment of a handsome
estate. For all which, i am bound in justice to say, he
ultimately bestowed upon me a generous testimonial of
his gratitude and affection. My professional business
continued to increase, notwithstanding my frequent at
tendance m our Legislature, until called by my fellow-
Citizens of Connecticut to represent them in Congress,
the first session held at the city of Washington, A.D.
1800, and for six successive years. On resigning my
seat in that body, the good people of my native state
designated me to several important offices consecutive
ly, including the highest in their gift. For all which,
conferred as they were without solicitation, or " caucus"
management, I entertain a most grateful sense, with a
perfect consciousness, also, of having put forth my ut
most endeavours to fulfil their just expectations.

186 LETTERS.
In what an eventful age, my dear friend, have we
both lived! Your experience, however, commenced
lOng after mine. I was ten years old when the war of
the Revolution began with the battle of Lexington ; old
enough to appreciate its momentous object, but not suf
ficiently advanced to participate in the hazards, or con
tribute to the glory of the contest. All its tragical scenes
and soul-stirring events are nevertheless fresh in my
memory, and are frequently called to mind, but always
with sensations w-hich are utterly indescribable. After
the triumphant conclusion of the war, the" pecuniary
distress which followed, as one of its effects, engender
ed a spirit of discontent throughout the country, like the
murmurs of the children of Israel after the miracles
wrought for their deliverance, and which broke out in
open rebellion under Shays in Massachusetts. It was,
indeed, suppressed, though not without bloodshed, and,
under the direction of an all-merciful Providence, be
came the proximate and efficient cause of cementing
our Confederacy by the adoption of our admirable Con
stitution. I forbear to dwell on the organization of the national
government under Washington, and the illustrious states
men and incorruptible patriots who composed the Fed
eral administration for twelve years (including the
presidency of Adams), emphatically the Golden Age of
this Republick, or on the zig-zag course of their suc
cessors ; much less would I harrow up your feelings
by a reference to the revolutions which, for five-and-
twenty years, bathed Europe in blood.
It is, far pleasanter to contemplate, with you, the won
derful discoveries and improvements which have sig
nalized our age. Think of the almost unbounded and
successful researches of the astronomer in the stellary

LETTERS. 187
regions, the wonderful advancements in science, in lit
erature, in the useful and ornamental arts, combined
with the mysterious evolutions of s^eaTn and electro-mag
netism, and their astonishing results, as exhibited on the
land and on the water. All these things are truly mar
vellous ; but with what thanksgiving and adoration
should we recognize the right hand of the Most High in
the triumphs of the cross within the last sixty years, not
only in remarkable revivals of religion in various por
tions of our own country, and in the temperance refor
mation, but in the translation and circulation of His
blessed Word in more than one hundred and fifty lan
guages, and in sustaining a system of missionary opera
tions encircling the globe. I well remember the lam
entation of the civilized world at the foul murder of
Captain Cook and his attendants, by the cannibals of the
Sandwich Islands. Now, by the blessing of God on
missionary labours, those blood-thirsty savages are
changed into a civilized and Christianized race. Such
an exhibition of the power of the Holy Spirit has prob
ably no parallel since the day of Pentecost. Honolulu,
from the kind and hospitable spirit of its citizens, has be
come a place of pleasant resort, the Astor House, so to
speak, of all who traverse the great Pacifick.
My connection with the Bible and Missionary Socie
ties has been a rich source of enjoyment, and, I humbly
trust, is shedding a. bland, a sacred influence on the
evening of my life. But I am taxing your patience too
heavily. Charge the grievance, if such it is, to the gar
rulity of age.
My general health is good, subject, nevertheless, to
painful interruptions, from the cause of which you are
already apprised. No doubt, " shortly, I must put
off this my tabernacle." O that it may be exchanged

188 L E T T E R.S.
for " a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens !"
My daughter's infirmities are not wholly removed,
but she sustains them with most commendable patience
and resolution. Her consort is still indefatigable in his
endeavours to promote the spiritual interest of the ris
ing generation, and the general welfare of the Church.
They both contribute their utmost energies to render
my few remaining days serene and comfortable. I re
ally believe they have, thus far, rendered entire obe
dience to the first commandment with promise.

No. 74.
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. Sharon, Feb. 12th, 1845.
Your favour of the 31st of December last, announcing
your arrival, on that day, to the age oi eighty years, -vfa.s
duly received, and read with no ordinary sensations.
As my birth-day would occur in six weeks from that
date, I deemed it prudent, Deo volente, to wait its act
ual advent, that I might be better enabled to decide
whether to respond in the language of congratulation or
of condolence. And now, blessed be God, I have the
pleasure to say, I was born on the 12th day of Febru
ary, in the year of our Lord 1765 ; consequently, I have
this day reached the period of eighty years. Yes, my
friend, we have lived four fifths of a century !
******#.*
But let us come nearer home. With respect to the
bounties of a beneficent Providence, have we not re
ceived our full share of them ? Have not our domestick
enjoyments been unspeakably great? Have not our
fellow-citizens of Connecticut given the highest testimo-

LETTERS. 189
hials of their confidence, and are we not permitted to
rejoice in the perfect consciousness of having put forth
our utmost endeavours to fulfil their just expectations ?
To crown all, having, by Divine grace, as we trust,
enlisted under the banner of the Prince of Peace, shall
wei not rely on his merciful guidance through the even
ing of our days, and when our earthly course is ended,
receive His blessed passport to the world of light and
glory ?
In your interesting review, you justly ascribe the
present degeneracy of the national administration to the
precepts and example of Thomas Jefferson. The re
mark has been verified in the progress and result of the
late presidential election, and is made apparent in the
instances, so frequently occurring, of corruption and em
bezzlement in publick functionaries of various grades,
down to a clerk of the House of Representatives. What
a contrast to this state of things do the twelve years of
the Federal administration present — that glorious era
in our political history, illustrated by great statesmen
and incorruptible patriots, who, from elements and ma
terials most heterogeneous and discordant, elaborated a
beautiful system, precisely adapted to carry into full
effect all the important objects specified in the preamble
of the Constitution — that Constitution which a Demo
cratick Congress make no scruple to violate, whenever
it opposes any of their disastrous measures I God grant
the eyes of the American people may be opened to the
dangers which await, before it shall be too late ; " be
fore their feet stumble upon the dark mountains" of des
potism, " when there shall be none to deliver !"

190 LETTERS. No. 75.
TO GOV. BALDWIN. Sharon, May 19£h, 1845.
Accept my hearty thanks for a copy of your excel
lency's speech at the opening of the present session of
the Legislature. I had previously read and admired
the document, and, it is but justice to add, Iny admira
tion has suffered no diminution from a second perusal.
When reading in the publick journals an account of the
preparatory arrangements, the fine military array, and,
instead of an executive rescript, the personal appearance
of the chief magistrate before the assembled represent
atives of the people, addressing them with the living
voice on the' momentous concerns confided to their de
liberations, I could not help exclaiming, " Jam redeunt
Saturnia regna !" Indeed, the bright and glorious days
of our Republick were brought with an almost over
whelming force to my remembrance. God grant that
your administration may be the era of their revival,
and by His kind providence, the pledge of their contin
uance. I fully subscribe to every sentiment contained in the
speech. Our Federal relations are happily defined, es
pecially the principles applicable to the intercommunion
of the several states, with a just rebuke of the gross mis
conduct of resorting to vindictive legislation against a
sister state for a supposed violation of right, when the
Constitution has provided a forum precisely adapted to
any and eVery collision which could possibly arise. None
but the slave states, I believe, have resorted to such an
objectionable course ; nor would they, probably, adopt
it, but from a conviction that the nature of their cause
would scarcely permit them to enter a court of justice
" with clean hands."

LETTERS. 191
The prosperous condition of the state is jusdy made
a subject of profound gratitude to the God of our fa
thers ; Ihe elements of this prosperity you have displayed
in a manner which may well excite the surprise, ap
plause, and, I may add, the imitation of her confederates.
Where, in truth, shall we find a community so highly
favoured of Heaven ? Even Democracy, when in full
power, has been most mercifully restrained from exe
cuting all its pernicious projects. Nay, when a con
vention was called to form a new Constitution, and with
the ostensible intent of effacing every valuable and cher
ished feature of our ancient system, what but an unseen
and almighty hand not only withheld them from radical
changes, but, contrary to all human expectation, com
pelled them, nolentes volentes, to adopt a stable judi
ciary, of which we really stood in need, and which, in
some good measure, compensated for their unwise inno
vations in other departments ? Happy indeed would it
be for the nation, should the same all-merciful Being ar
rest and defeat the nefarious project of annexing Texas
to these states ; for, aside from its ruinous effect upon
our Union, what greater affront could be offered to the
God of justice than for a free and enlightened people to
covet and acquire territory for the avowed purpose of
multiplying and extending the horrours of slavery !
But I forbear to trespass on the time of your excel
lency further than to express a hope, that the Legisla
ture will respond to your recommendation in a firm and
dignified remonstrance against the unhallowed and dis
astrous measure.
I should be truly happy in an interview with your
venerable father, for whom I entertain a high regard.
We were contemporaries in college, and associates in
Congress, and for a short time in the Supreme Court. It

192 LETTERS.
affords me pleasure to hear that he enjoys a fine grSen
old age

No. 76.
TO JUDGE DAGGETT. Sharon, 28th August, 1845.
After leaving your hospitable mansion, we had a pleas
ant ride to Litchfield, where we arrived at an early
hour. I enjoyed an agreeable interview with Judge
Church, then and there holding his circuit, and with my
few surviving friends — alas ! how small the number !
The next day we reached home to dinner ; but over a
very bad road, so gullied by the storm of the preceding
night as to be nearly impassable in many places. Be
ing much enfeebled by- my illness at New Haven, the
ride from Litchfield nearly exhausted my little remain
ing strength ; but, thanks to a merciful Providence, I
am rapidly recovering my ordinary degree of health.
I reflect with much pleasure on mj' visit to your city,
notwithstanding my indisposition, and the painful occur
rence at the Library ; and even from the latter I hope to
derive a spiritual benefit.

No. 77.
TO DR. M. L. NORTH. Sharon, Sept. 4th, 1845.
Your letter arrived during my absence at New Ha
ven, whither I went in consequence of an urgent invita
tion and request of the committee of arrangemehts, to
attend the meeting of the alumni, on the day previous
to the Commencement, and to preside in their delibera
tions. The committee, aware of my age and infirmity

LETTERS. 193
seemed to feel confident that, as I had attended the last
annual meeting of the A. Bible Society in New York,
it would not be unreasonable to solicit a similar favour
in behalf of an institution in my native state. In reply,
I stated that my health was liable to sudden and painful
interruptions ; that I felt an ardent desire to meet my
friends on the occasion to which they referred, and if,
upon the near approach of the day, my strength should
be deemed adequate to the enterprize, I would make the
attempt. Meanwhile, a second letter arrived, reiterating
the request, with a tender of the hospitalities of their
families, &c..
I accordingly went.. As the rail-road was pronounced
uncomfortable as well a^ unsafe, I took my grandson
Robert in our private carriage, and on Monday, 18th
ultimo, proceeded over mountains and very rough roads
to the place of destination, reaching New Haven on the
afternoon of Tuesday, greatly exhausted by the journey.
The night following I was visited by strangury and
slight fever. The hour of meeting was nine o'clock the
next morning. Accordingly, accompanied by my friend
Judge Daggett, I repaired, " with fainting steps and slow,"
to the place appointed, being the new library edifice,
unfinished ; but the central room, sufficiently capacious
to seat a thousand persons, was temporarily fitted for the
occasion. It had a large skylight overhead, but no windows at
the sides ; of course, no admission of air but through the
door; the room crowded, and the weather warm; conse
quently, the air of the room soon became nearly as un
fit for respiration as an exhausted receiver. Being an
nounced as president of the day, on taking the chair I
commenced reading an address which I had on short
notice prepared (of ten or twelve minutes' length), but,
I

194 LETTERS,
from extreme faintness, I was unable to finish the peru-^
sal, which was kindly done by Professor Silliman, by
which time I had so far recovered as to perform the
duties of the chair until the adjournment, at 1 1 o'clock,
to the church, where a sermon* was to be delivered to
the alumni. I made the best of my way to my lodgings
and my couch, and was denied the opportunity of enjoy
ing any other publick exercises of " Commencement."
Thus, my dear friend, I have given you, in extenso,
the history of an occurrence, such as I had never expe
rienced during the whole course of my publick life, ei
ther at the bar, or in the national and state Legislatures,
or even in the chair of the A. B. C. F. M., or Am. Bible
Society, or wherever I had been called to preside. I
consider it the righteous visitation of a holy Providence,
mercifully intended for my spiritual benefit, and as such
it is received, I trust, with reverence and submission.
The journey was evidently injurious to my health, which
is, however, somewhat recruited since my return.
The high satisfaction has been afforded me of a short
visit (much too short) from Chancellor Walworth. I
had long desired to see him ; and the favourable im
pression I had before received of his character was not
merely confirmed, but augmented, by the interview.
For judicial eminence, combined with an engaging ex
terior, and an exemplary Christian deportment, he stands
unrivalled within the circle of my acquaintance.
* An oration. — Ed.

MISCELLANIES.

MISCELLANIES.

WASHINGTON IN 1800, WITH A BEIBF NOTICE OF THE
FIRST S-ESSION OF CONGRESS IN THAT CITY.
The first Congress under the Constitution was held
at the city of New York. Among the important meas
ures which occupied their deliberations, was that of
selecting the territory often miles square, within which
the national government should be permanently fixed,
and over which it should exercise exclusive jurisdic
tion. The states of Virginia and Maryland having,
for this purpose, ceded to the United States the terri
tory which now constitutes the District of Columbia,
comprising the cities of Alexandria and Georgetown,
with the projected city of Washington, it was resolved
to remove the government thither in the year 1800 as
its permanent residence, assigning the city of Philadel
phia as its location for the intermediate period. In
pursuance of this arrangement, the second session of
the Sixth Congress was by law directed to commence
at the city of Washington, on the 17th of November,
A.D. 1800.
A vacancy having occurred in the delegation from
this state by the resignation of one of her members, a
writ of election was issued for the choice of a success
or, returnable to the session of the General Assembly
in OctoTDer.
At that session I was Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives, and under little or no apprehension of
being chosen to fill the vacancy just mentioned, espe-

198 MISCELLANIES.
cially as there were two or three other names stand
ing above mine in the Congressional nomination.* On
canvassing the votes, however, both for the special
member and for the entire representation of Connec
ticut in the Seventh Congress, it was my lot to be des
ignated to both stations. The event was unexpected,
and the question of acceptance occasioned much em
barrassment. I was in full practice at the bar, and
strongly, not to say passionately, attached to domestick
life, both of which would, in no small degree, be sac
rificed by a comphance with the wishes of my constit
uents. No time was allowed to confer with my be
loved wife and venerable father, to both of whose
opinions I was accustomed to pay the utmost respect.
On the other hand, my assent to the call of the people
was urged by Governor Trumbull and other gentle
men in terms which, as a professed patriot, I found
it impossible to resist. Accordingly, I returned an
affirmative answer to the governor's letter of notifi
cation ; and as within three weeks my journey to
Washington must commence, I resigned the speaker's
chair with a respectful valedictory to the House of
Representatives, and made the best of my way to my
own domibil. My dear wife met me with a kind but
reproving countenance, as I expected, for the thought
of the approaching separation was truly painful to us
both. 'When the inchoate condition of Washington
was considered, and the consequent improbability
of procuring even comfortable accommodations, all
thoughts of her accompanying me were abandoned,
and we addressed ourselves to the necessary prepara-
* At that period our members of Congress were chosen by general
ticket, from a nomination of eighteen candidates previously made by
the electors.

MISCELLANIES. 199
tions for my departure. Mrs. S. accompanied me to
Poughkeepsie in our private carriage, there being then
no publick conveyance ; and as in those days neither
railways nor steamboats existed between that place
and New York, I proceeded to the latter in a stage,
where I found, on my arrival, several members of
Congress on their way to the seat of government, par
ticularly the Honorable Theodore Sedgwick, Speak
er of the House of Representatives, and the Honor
able Messrs. J. Davenport, Jonas Platt, and Henry
Glenn. The speaker proposed that we five should take
an entire stage-coach to Philadelphia, in comfortable
assurance of enjoying each other's society without
" democratick annoyance." To the proposition we all
assented, on my part, I confess, with less dread, though
a decidedFederalist, of "democratick annoyance" than
those gentlemen, whose feelings were rendered more
excitable by previous collision on the floor of Congress.
I had never visited any part of the country south of
New York. We were nearly two days in reaching
Philadelphia, a journey now performed in five or six
hours. The first day we dined with the Honorable
Jonathan Dayton, United States Senator, at Elizabeth-
town, who received us very courteously, and sped us
on our way in the true spirit of hospitality, " welcome
the coming, speed the going guest."
We arrived at Princeton in the evening, a place
justly distinguished for its celebrated seat of learning,
and scarcely less so by the matchless " i-use de guerre"
of Washington in blinding the eyes of the British com
mander at Trenton in the night by lighted fires, then
crossing the Delaware, and capturing a large body of
Hessians at Princeton, breaking the slumbers of the
British general by the roar of his artillery, an achieve-

200 MISCELLANIES.
ment than which no one was more important in its re
sults during that memorable contest. Near the close
of the next day we reached Philadelphia. On ap
proaching it, Mr. Sedgwick told me I must be pre
pared to meet on the sidewalks more beautiful women,
both in face and form, than in any other city on the
continent. An unfortunate remark, inasmuch as it
awakened expectations which subsequent observation
failed to realize, and excited a scrutiny injurious to
faces and forms which might have otherwise escaped
criticism. They were women, however, whose ap
pearance was highly respectable, and whose dress
and deportment conformed more precisely with the
" simplex munditiis" of Horace than is usual in our pop
ulous cities generally. Indeed, the city itself, though
its streets are- laid Out with the regularity of a chess
board, and admirably well paved, and the buildings
remarkable for a superiour style of neatness, and in
some instances of magnificence, exhibits, at the same
time, less of the noise and bustle of commerce, less
gaudiness of attire, and less splendour of equipage,
than any Other city of equal, if not a less population;
characteristicks probably derived from the plain and
simple manners of William Penn, and, his associates
and successors. After spending a day in Philadelphia,
and receiving the civilities of her most respectabfe
citizens, our party started for Washington through a
region and to a destination hitherto unexplored by
either of us. The first object of wonder was a float
ing bridge across the Schuylkill, composed of logs
chained together and planked ; but it was a fearful ob
ject to our unpracticed eyes when we beheld the hor
ses, though driven with great speed, sinking nearly to
their knees in water, and the wheels of the stage-coach

M IS QELLANIES. 201":
plunging to at least an equal depth. We passed on,
through a finely-cultivated country, over good roads,
and arched stone bridges even over the smallest riv
ulets, to the handsome village of Chester, where we
took breakfast ; thence sixteen miles to the river Bran
dywine, the dividing line between Pennsylvania and
the state of Delaware, on the south bank of which is
situated the small but beautiful city of Wilmington,
through which lay our course ; and after crossing the
state three miles to the Maryland line, we passed on
to Elkton, at the head of the Chesapeake, twelve miles,
to a late dinner. Hitherto the journey from New
York had been truly pleasant, cheered by the well-cul
tivated aspect of the country, and the intellectual con
versation of my fellow-travellers, in which, were dis
played the sound learning of Sedgwick, the polished
literature of Platt, and the piety and good sense of
Davenport, not excepting the eccentricities of our
friend Glenn.* But evening had set in when we rose
from dinner, and sixteen miles were now between us
and Havre de Grace, on the west bank of the Susque
hanna, where we were to lodge. Our course was
through a desolate region, and mostly a dense forest,
the road extremely bad, and a cloudy, dark night be
fore us. Glenn, who had a seat with the driver the
whole way, that he might better espy and escape dan
ger, insisted loudly on lamps for the carriage. The
driver assured him he could proceed more safely with
out ; that the lamps would show him danger after fall
ing into it ; that, as the light extended no farther than
the heads of the horses, the darkness was so much
* This gentleman ever carried vsrith him, on a journey, his death-
clothes, aa he called them, and a long rope to be tied to a bedstead,
when he slept in a chamber,, for escape in case of fire.
12

202 Miscellanies.
greater beyond, he could not see the general course
of the road. We were satisfied with his logick, and
held our peace. But Glenn murmured the whole dis
tance, and we were diverted to hear the driver sport
ing with his fears. At a late hour we reached the
Susquehanna, which in that dark and, doleful night
appeared, without much aid from the imagination, the
fabled Styx itself No habitation near but that of the
ferryman, who might, himself well pass for old Cha
ron. Thanks to a kind Providence, we safely passed
the river, more than one mile in width, and found at
Havre de Grace a very comfortable inn. The loca
tion of the village is pleasant, and was intended to be
come the site of a great commercial city, at the mouth
of what was to be rendered a large, navigable river.
The speculation, however, like many others of a more
recent date, soon exploded, and the river has since
been applied to the more practicable purpose of feed
ing canals in the neighbouring state of Pennsylvania.
We started at an early hour the next morning, break
fasted at Hartford, and arrived at Baltimore to dine.
In our course thus far through Maryland, we could not
suppress our wonder at the sterile appearance of the
soil, and the evident tokens of bad husbandry — the
Usual concomitant of slave labour — or our amazement
that not a school-house, nor a place of worship of any
description, met our observation the whole distance.
Indeed, on a near approach to Baltimore, we saw noth
ing which indicated the suburbs of a flourishing cityj
nor was any part of the city itself visible. We were
indulging these reflections while slowly ascending a
hill of considerable elevation. When near its summit,
one of us exclaimed, " Driver, where is Baltimore ?"
Giving his horses the whip, he cried out, " There it is,

miscellanies. 203
gentlemen !" And surely a more splendid panorama,
if I may be allowed the expression, could scarcely
have been conceived. We saw, in one vast survey,
the whole city in all its magnificence ; its harbour
filled with shipping. Fort M'Henry, the river Patap-
sco to its entrance into the Chesapeake, the Chesa
peake itself in nearly all its extent, with its indented
and enameled border, " till the whole stretching land
scape into smoke decayed." All, all met our ravished
vision at once, and never was admiration more deeply
felt or more strongly expressed. We found the ac
commodations at the Columbian Hotel on a large
scale, and in a superiour style, when compared with
any either of us had ever seen ; for, in truth, they
were then unexampled in our country, although sim
ilar establishments have since appeared in many of
our northern cities. When we called for dinner, we
were asked whether we would dine by ourselves or in
the ordinary. "What do you mean by the ordi
nary ?" we inquired. " It is a circle of one hundred
gentlemen who daily take their dinner here, being
chiefly merchants and citizens from Fell's Point, and
all respectable characters." We chose the ordinary,
and the arrangement was no sooner made than in
came the Honorable Mr. M'Henry, ex-Secretary of
War, to invite us to dine with him at his own house.
But as we stood engaged, and proposed to pursue our
journey immediately after dinner, he readily deter
mined to stay and dine with us. We were all politely
received at the ordinary, placed at the head of the ta-
hle, and abundantly supphed by the" gentlemen with
the great luxury of the Chesapeake, the canvass-back
duck, prepared by them on chafing-dishes, with jellies ;
a dish which neither of us had ever before seen, and

204 MISCELLANIES.
which we unitedly pronounced one of unequalled and
exquisite flavour. After dinner we proceeded over a
succession of steep hills, and a sadly-neglected road,
bordered in many instances by fields exhausted by to
bacco crops, and lying waste, to our station for the
night, fifteen miles from Baltimore. The next day we
arrived at the end of our journey, passing through a
region less hilly and less smitten with the blight of
slavery, particularly two plantations, one of which be
longed to the Honourable John Chew Thomas, then a
member of Congress, eighteen miles from Washing
ton. Our approach to the city was accompanied with
sensations not easily described. One wing of the Cap
itol only. had been erected, which, with the' president's
house, a mile distant from it, both constructed with
white sandstone, were shining objects in dismal con
trast with the scene around them. Instead of recog
nizing the avenues aud streets portrayed on the plan
of the city, not one was visible, unless we except a
road with two buildings on each side of it, called the
New Jersey Avenue. The Pennsylvania Avenue,
leading, as laid down on paper, from the Capitol to
the presidential mansion, was then, nearly the whole
distance, a deep morass covered with alder bushes,
which were cut through the width of the intended
avenue during the then, ensuing winter. Between the
president's house and Georgetown a block of houses
had been erected, which then bore, and may still bear,
the name of the Six Buildings. There were also two
other blocks, consisting of two or three dwelling hous
es, in different directions, and now and then an insula
ted wooden habitation ; the intervening spaces, and, in
deed, the surface of the city generally, being covered
with shrub-oak bushes on the higher grounds, and on

MISCELLANIES. 205,
the marshy soil either trees or some sort of shrubbery.
Nor was the desolate aspect of the place a little aug
mented by a number of unfinished edifices at Green-
leaf's Point, and on ah eminence a short distance from
it, commenced by an individual whose name they bore,
but the state of whose funds compelled him to aban
don them, not only unfinished, but in a ruinous condi
tion. There appeared to be but two really comfort
able habitations, in all respects, within the bounds of
the city, one of which belonged to Dudley Carroll,
Esquire, and the other to Notley Young, who were
the former proprietors of a large proportion of the
land appropriated to the city, but who reserved for
their own accommodation ground sufficient for gar
dens, and other useful appurtenances. The roads in
every direction were muddy and unimproved. A side
walk was attempted in one instance, by a covering
formed of the chips of the stones which had been
hewed for the Capitol. It extended but a little way,
and was of httle value ; for in dry weather the sharp
fragments cut our shoes, and in wet weather covered
them with white mortar. In short, it was a " new set
tlement." The houses, with two or three exceptions,
had been very recently erected, and the operation
greatly hurried in view of the approaching transfer
of the national government. A laudable desire was
manifested by what few citizens and residents there
were, to render our condition as pleasant as circum
stances would permit. One of the blocks of buildings
already mentioned was situated on the east side of
what was intended for the Capitol Square, and being
chiefly occupied by an extensive and well-kept hotel,
accommodated a goodly number of the members.
Our little party took lodgings with a Mr. Peacock, in

206 miscelLAni e s.
one of the houses on the New Jersey Avenue, with
the addition of senators Tracy, of Connecticut, and
Chipman and Paine, of Vermont ; and representatives
Thomas, of Maryland, and Dana, Edmond, and Gris
wold, of Connecticut. Speaker Sedgwick was allowed
a room to himself; the rest of us in pairs. To my ex
cellent friehd Davenport and myself was allotted a
spacious and decently-furnished apartment, with sepa
rate beds, on the lower floor. Our diet was various,
but always substantial, and we were attended by act
ive and faithful servants. A large proportion of
the Southern members took lodgings at Georgetown,
which, though of a superiour order, were three miles
distant from the Capitol, ahd of course rendered the
daily employment of hackney-coaches indispensable.
Notwithstanding the unfavourable aspect which
Washington presented on our arrival, I can not suffi
ciently express my admiration of its local position.
From the Capitol you have a distinct view of its fine,
undulating surface, situated at the confluence of the
Potomac and its eastern branch, the wide expanse of
that majestick river to the bend at Mount Vernon, the
cities of Alexandria and Georgetown,, and the cultiva
ted fields and blue hills of Maryland and Virginia on
either side of the river, the whole constituting a pros
pect of surpassing beauty and grandeur. The city has
also the inestimable advantage of delightful water, in
many instances flowing from copious springs, and al
ways obtainable by digging to a moderate depth ; to
which may be added the singular fact, that such is the
due admixture of loam and clay in the soil of a great
portion of the city, that a house may be built of brick
made qf the ea.rth dug from the cellar : hence it was
not unusual to see the remains of a brick-kiln near the

MISCELLANIES. 207
newly-erected dwelling house or other edifice. In
short, when we consider not only these advantages, but
what, in a national point of view, is of superiour import
ance, the location on a fine, navigable river, accessible
to the whole maritime frontier of the United States,
and yet easily rendered defensible against foreign in
vasion ; and that, by the facilities of internal naviga
tion and railways, it may- be approached by the popu
lation of the Western States, and, indeed, of the whole
nation, with less inconvenience than any other conceiv
able- situation, we must acknowledge that its selection
by Washington as the permanent seat of the Federal
government affords a striking exhibition of the discern
ment, wisdom, and forecast which characterized that
illustrious man. Under this impression, whenever, du
ring the six years of my connection with Congress, the
question of removing the seat of government to some
other place was agitated — and the proposition was fre
quently made — I stood almost alone as a Northern man
in giving my vote in the negative.
The second session of the Sixth Congress is mem
orable, not only as the first held at the city of Wash
ington, but also as the last under the Federal adminis
tration. Nor has it failed to derive celebrity from the
choice of a president of the United States, which,
through the failure of a popular election, had devolved
on the House of Representatives. The session was
opened by an excellent speech from the president, the
elder Adams, delivered before both Houses in the Sen
ate Chamber, in which he invoked, in eloquent terms,
the Divine blessing on the new residence of the gov
ernment, arid recommended a variety of salutary meas
ures calculated to improve and carry forward the ad
mirable system of policy .which had proved so auspi-

208 MISCELLANIES.
cious to the vital interests of the nation. The answei;
was drawn up by my colleague, R. Griswold, chair
man of the committee appointed for that purpose. It
was a handsome echo of the speech. Usage required
that the answer should be presented in a personal at
tendance of the whole House at the presidential man
sion. But how could this be done ? The only access
was by a road long and circuitous, to avoid the swamp
already mentioned, and the mud very deep. Fortu
nately, a recruit of hackney-coaches from, Baltimore, by
their seasonable arrival, enabled us to proceed in fine
style, preceded by the sergeant-at-arms, with the mace,
on horseback. We were received with great courte
sy, the answer was well read by the speaker, the mem
bers all standing, and the reply of the president truly
appropriate. After partaking of refreshments, the
House returned to the Capitol in the same order. Thus
ended the last official and personal interview between
a president of the United States and either branch of
the national Legislature.
The House of Representatives at that period con
sisted of one hundred and six members, -whexeoi fifty-
four were Federalists, that is, avowed friends of the
national Constitution as the bond of national union, and
fifty-two, who at first were styled anti-Federalists, from
their opposition to the adoption of the Federal Consti
tution, but who, in their sympathy for the Democrats
of revolutionary France, assumed their appellative un
til it became odious in the place of its nativity, when
it was renounced or exchanged for that of Republicans,
a name by which they chose to be designated at the pe
riod under review, although Democrats, or the Democ
racy, a very few years afterward became their cyno:
sure, and so continues at the present time. As a party,

M I S C E L L A N.I E S. 209'
they had opposed every measure of the administration
which wore a national aspect, from the accession of
Washington to the close of J. Adams's terra of service.
Consequently, from the nearly equal numbers of the
two parties in the House in 1800, the Federafists, hav
ing a majority of two only, were compelled to be punc
tual and constant in their attendance during the hours
of business, especially as the ayes and noes were taken
upon every question of any considerable importance.
Our chaplains were the Right Reverend Bishop Clag-
gett, chosen by the Senate, and, on the part of the
House of Representatives, the Rev. Thomas Lyell, a
young itinerant Wesleyan minister, now a D.D. of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the city of New York.
There was no place of publick worship, unless we ex
cept a smedl Romish chapel of squalid aspect, in a re
mote part of the city, and a tobacco-house, temporarily
fitted up by an Episcopal minister, who had recently
taken up his abode near the Capitol, in expectation, it
was thought, of obtaining the appointment of chaplain.
Congress Hall, however, was devoted to religious serv
ice on the Lord's day, and as many members, unhap
pily, felt themselves under no particular obligation to
occupy their seats on that day, there was room to ac
commodate such of the citizens as were disposed to
attend. The chaplains, on all occasions, acquitted
themselves to general acceptance.
• The Sixth Congress contained a fair proportion of
distinguished, men of both parties. In the House of
Representatives, T. Sedgwick, H. G. Otis, of Massa
chusetts ; R. Griswold', S. W. Dana, W. Edmond, C-.
and E. Goodrich, of Connecticut; J. Platt, J. Bird,
New York ; R. Wain, and J&ittern, of Pennsylvania ; J.
A. Bayard, of Delaware v T. Evans, Henry Leej of

210 MISCELLANIES.
Virginia, the funeral orator in Congress on the death
of Washington ; Henderson, of North Carolina ; R. G.
Harper, Thomas Pinckney, J. Rutledge, B. Huger, of
South Carolina, Federalists. And of the opposite par
ty, A. Gallatin, of Pennsylvania ; J. Nichols, J. Ran
dolph, then commencing his career, of Virginia ; E.
Livingston, of New York; J. H. Nicholson, S. Smith,
of Maryland. Many respectable names might be add
ed of both parties ; but I must not omit two characters,
less distinguished, indeed, as statesmen than as heroes
of the Revolution, General William Shepherd, of Mas
sachusetts, Federahst, and General Thomas Sumter,
of South Carolina, of the opposite party. A large ma
jority of the House were gentlemen of sound intelli
gence and courteous deportment. Although, in the ar
dour of debate, instances would often occur of chaste
satire, and occasionally of indignant rebuke, yet there
was never any approach to the coarse vituperation,
vulgar profanity, and even personal violence which
have so often disgraced the proceedings of the House
in later times. May we not pronounce them the le
gitimate fruits of unlimited suffrage !
As the president had recommended, both at the pre
vious and present sessions, an amelioration of the judi
cial system of the United States, which had imposed an
onerous course of circuit duty on the judges of the Su
preme Court, a bill was reported, and finally passed,
dividing the states into three circuits, and directing the
appointment of three judges to each circuit, subject to
the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court ; a
wise, a salutary, and highly necessary measure, but
which, alas ! at the Seventh Congress, under the fear
ful change which had then taken place, was repealed,
in palpable violation of the express provision of the

MISCELLANIES. 211
Constitution. What, at some future period of political
turmoil, is to prevent this precedent from justifying a
repeal of the law organizing the Supreme Court itself,
thus ejecting the judges from their seats, and then, by
passing a new law, filling the bench with political fa
vorites ? May we not say of party spirit, " Quid non
mortaha pectora cogis ?"
The committee of"Revisal and Unfinished Business"
recommended the revival of an act which was about
to expire by its own limitation, and to which party vir
ulence applied the odious title of the gag law, and which,
probably, had proved in the hands of the opposition as
effectual an engine as almost any other to overthrow
the Federal administration. And yet, what were its
provisions ? Simply affirming the principles of the com
mon law concerning libels as publick offenses, but di
recting that, in all publick prosecutions for libels against
the government or its officers, the accused Should
be allowed the privilege of giving the truth of the mat
ter charged as a libel in evidence for his justification ;
a privilege, as every jurist knows, which is wholly de
nied to the accused by the common law ! The title of
the act ought therefore to have been, " An Act further
to secure the Freedom of Speech and of the Press."
But as it had reference to an improvement in criminal
law, it was very naturally, though unfortunately, enti
tled, "An Act in addition to an Act for the Punish
ment of certain Crimes against the United States."
From the opposition candidates for the first offices
down to the politician of the bar-room and the spout-
er at the polls, the law was denounced as invading the.
imprescriptible rights of the people. To complain, it
was said, of any one act of the government or its offi
cers, is made a " crime," and "what is this but gagging

212 MISCELLANIES.
the citizen and muzzling the press?" When the re
port of the committee came up, for consideration, Mr.
Platt, the chairman, observed, in substance, that the
law now proposed to be continued would expire by its
own limitation on the 3d day of March then next. A
gentleman from Kentucky (Davis) has told us that on
that day " the sun of Federalism will set forever." If
so, may Heaven preserve us in the darkness which will
inevitably follow ! It truly is from an apprehension
that such may be thefate of our country, that we are
desirous to continue the operation of this law for our
protection ; 'lest, for uttering the truth concerning their
measures, "the rulers of the darkness of this world"
should subject us to the rigour of the common law.
The act can not injure them, while to us it would prove
a " shield and buckler." , Several members of the op
position denounced the act with much vehemence, re
iterating the false representations which the endless
repetitions of stump orators had rendered familiar to
their minds, among whom Mr. Nicholson, of Mary
land, distinguished himself by stating, or rather repeat
ing with great particularity, three cases of cruelty and
oppression which he alledged arose from the operation
of the law in question, and on which lie commented
wilh extreme severity. Mr. Harper at length arose,
and in a calm aiid dignified manner, presented unde
niable proofs (which he had taken the precaution to
obtain) that the cases stated by the gentleman from
Maryland had not even the semblance of truth ; that no
such cases had ever existed ; but that the whole were
sheer fabrications of the party press. The effect upon
the House was electrical, and the mortification of his
opponents can be better conceived than expressed.
He then administered to the opposition a severe and

MISCELLANIES^. 213
eloquent reproof for their disingenuous resort to these
and other gross misrepresentations of the measures of
the governhient to promote their ovyn political ad
vancement ; to force themselves into offices occupied
by men whose energy and patriotism, inthe brief space
of twelve years, had elevated their country from disor
ganization and bankruptcy to her present state of pros
perity and glory — and all this while constantly annoy
ed by unrelenting abuse, and resisted in every form that
envy of superiour worth could devise — [a time] even
signalized by two open insurrections, the first and most
formidable of which was aimed, incredible as it may
appear to posterity, at the administration of the Father
of his Country ! I give but a meagre sketch of what
was a most splendid and triumphant vindication, to
which not a word was offered in Teply. The report
of the committee was accepted, but the bill never
passed. It may be well here to mention an occurrence which
strikingly illustrates the feelings entertained by the
opposition toward the speaker. A man by the name
of Lane, a spectator in the gallery, being partially in
toxicated, was guilty of gross disorder. The speaker
directed the' sergeant-at-arms to remove him- The
order v^as immediately executed. The culprit went
forthwith to a 'magistrate, procured a warrant, and had
the sergeant arrested on a charge of assault and bat
tery. A letter, stating this transaction, was addressed
by the sergeant to the speaker, who laid it before the
House, and by their order it was referred to the Com
mittee of Privileges. Of that committee, instead of a
better, I was chairman. We made no delay in sum
moning the offending magistrate to appear before us.
He came with fear and trembling ; alledged that he was

214 MISCELLANIES.
utterly ignorant of the rules and usages of Congress ;
that Lane informed him that a member of the House had
advised him to prosecute ; and that, having obtained a
warrant and given it to an officer, he had absconded.
The magistrate then added, " I am satisfied the pro
ceeding was altogether irregular, and for which I
hope to be forgiven." The committee, after a brief
deliberation, informed the magistrate that we were
satisfied with his apology, which he was requested to,
state in a letter addressed to the committee ; that we
would report it to the House, and, if accepted by that
body, he might consider the affair as termihated. A
report of the whole case was accordingly prepared,
and appears at large on the, journal of the House. Its
acceptance, however, was resisted by the opposition,
and on the preposterous assumption that the speaker
had transcended his authority in removing the drunk
en and disorderly spectator from the gallery, although
they well knew it was done in strict conformity to a
positive rule of the House. The ayes and noes were
taken on different points no fewer than three times,
but the report was finally accepted by a vote of fifty to
thirty-eight. The approaching presidential election by the House
of Representatives, the first under the present Consti
tution, required the adoption of preparatory arrange
ments, and the rules necessary to be observed on the
occasion, all which occupied the House for many days.
The election for presidept had taken place under the
Constitution according to its original provision, which
required the electors to vote for two persons to be
president, and if both received a majority of all the
votes, the one which had the greatest number was to
be president, and the other vice-president ; and if no

MISCELLANIES. 215
one received a majority over all the candidates, the
election was to devolve on the House of Representa
tives, voting by states, and each state entitled to one
vote. On the part of the opposition, at the election
which had recently taken place, Thomas Jefferson and
Aaron ^urr were the candidates, a.nd caucus pledges
had been given that both should be voted for una voce;
and although there had been no official canvass, yet
satisfactory evidence was before the publick that those
two gentlemen had received a majority of eight votes
over all other candidates, and that their number was
precisely equal. It therefore became expedient to pro
vide for the anticipated contingency. A committee
was accordingly appointed, and a detailed report pre
sented, which, after much discussion, was adopted by
the House. The rules, for substance, were :
1. If the examination before both Houses should re
sult in no choice by the, electors, the representatives
were immediately to return to their chamber.
2. The doors to be shut against all but officers of
the House, and senators, for whom seats should be
provided. 3. That the delegation of each state should sit to
gether, appointing one or more of their number as tell
ers. That ballot-boxes should be provided for the re
spective states, and the vote in each delegation should
be by ballot, and the choice ascertained by the teller
or tellers, and the vote of the state thus ascertained
should be a written or printed ballot, with the name oi
the candidate voted for (or if their division be equal,
the word divided written or printed), and deposited in
the general ballot-box when presented by the sergeant-
at-arms, who was also to pass over the same ground
with another box, and receive from the several dele-

216 MISCELLANIES.
gations the vote ascertained by a second ballot among
themselves, and the result placed in like manner in the
general ballot-box, but by a different member of the
delegation. The two general boxes were then to be
examined by tellers, and, if the boxes agreed, the result
was to be declared by the speaker ; but' if the two
boxes varied from each other, the process must be re
peated. 4. After commencing the balloting for president, the
House shall not adjogrn until a choice be made.
5. All questions which may arise after the balloting
shall commence, to be-decided by the House, voting by
states. 6. In the event of a choice, immediate notice thereof
should be given to the Senate and to the President of
the United States.
Meanwhile, the Federal members of the House met
together for the purpose of agreeing oh the course it
might be advisable to adopt in the exigency which was
expected to occur. After solemn deliberation, we came
to the following unanimous conclusion: In the first
place, the candidates are neither of them such as we
should have chosen ; but as we are compelled by our
constitutional obligation to vote fOr one of them, we
can not rightfully avoid giving our suffrage to the one
who, in our view, is the least exceptionable. Second
ly, from Mr. Jefferson's declared opinions on the sub
ject of our national policy, such as his hostility to for
eign commerce, to navigation of a higher grade than
a fishing-smack, and to a navy of any greater force
than gun-boats for harbour defence — in short, from his
known opposition to the entire system devised and
perfected by Washington and Hamilton, so fruitful of
blessings to our country, we could not, in conscience.

MISCELLANIES.' 217
assent to his elevation to supreme executive authority;
but as Mr. Burr, with whom no one of us has holden
either intercourse or conversation on the subject of the
election, is not known to have committed himself upon
the points already mentioned ; as he unquestionably
possesses talents of a superiour order ; is wedded to
no visionary theories ; a man of active and practical
habits, and may be fairly presumed ambitious to sig
nalize his administration by endeavours to promote
the national prosperity, we feel bound to give him our
vote.* Thirdly, as both of the candidates, having re
ceived the undivided vote of the electors, must be
deemed alike the favourites of our opponents, it will
be in their power, by uniting with us, to give at any
moment, during the pendency of the election in the
House, a president to the Union of their own free
choice. Fourthly, we propose, therefore, to persevere
in our present determination until a choice is effected,
consigning to those who have produced this state of
things, the responsibility of leaving the nation without
a chief magistrate.
At length, the second Wednesday of February, A.D.
1801, arrived. At 12 o'clock a message came from the
Senate, requesting the attendance of the House in the
Senate Chamber ; accordingly, the members, led on by
the speaker, proceeded thither and took their seats,
when, in presence of both Houses, the president of the
Senate (Mr. Jefferson) opened the certificates of the
electors of the several states, and the tellers, Mr. Wells
of the Senate, and Messrs. Rutledge and Nicholas of
the House, declared the result, to wit, for Thomas Jef
ferson, votes seventy-three ; Aaron Burr, seventy-three ;
* The admirable manner in which Burr presided in the Senate, went
iw to confirm the above estimate of his talents and capacity for businesa.
K

218 MISCELLANIES.
John Adams, sixty-five; Charles C. Pinckney, sixty-
four; John Jay, one. The president of the Senate
then declared that, as the electors had failed to elect
a president, the choice devolved on the House of Rep
resentatives ; whereupon they immediately withdrew,
repaired to their own chamber, and having taken their
position by states, the speaker ordered the doors to be
shut, and called upon the states to prepare and send
up their votes for one of the two candidates presented
for their choice to be President of the United States.
The result having -been ascertained, the speaker an
nounced, " The tellers report; and the boxes agree, that
eight states have voted for -T. Jefferson, six states for
A. Burr, and two states are divided." There being
no choice, he repeated the. call for another ballot ; and,
thus a continuous balloting was kept up, with the same
result, until midnight, when the states voted to suspend
the ballot for one hour. In this interval, the boardings
houses sent refreshments to the committee-rooms for
the members. It may be proper to state a fact illus
trative of the temper of the times. Maryland was one
of the divided states, four and four. Nicholson, friend
ly to Jefferson, was confined to his bed With a fever.
The Federal gentlemen proposed to him, previous to
the commencement of the ballot, that his colleague,
Mr. Craik, a Federalist, being himself, in a delicate
state of health, would cheerfully absent himself, or, as
it was termed, " pair off" with him (Nicholson) until
the election should terminate, as it would make no dif
ference in the vote of the state, and might prevent any
evil consequences that might ensue from his exposure.
This humane, not to say generous and gentlemanly
proposition, was rejected, and the sick man, in spite of
the entreaties, of his friends, insisted on being, and ac*

MISCELLANIES. 219
tually was brought into the Capitol on his bed, and his
vote received from him in that position. The hour
having expired, the ballot was repeated, and at differ
ent intervals through the night, and through the next
day, 12tb, through the 13th, and Saturday the 14th,
when, after taking the thirty-third ballot, the result the
same, it was voted that the ballot be repeated on Mon
day the 16th, and not before. On Monday the thirty-
fourth ballot was taken, the result the same ; and it
was ordered that the ballot be repeated on Tuesday
at 12 o'clock, and not before. During this interval,
Mr. Bayard, of Delaware, requested a meeting of his
Federal brethren for further consultation, and it was
held accordingly. He began by inquiring whether
any gentleman present had received any communica
tion from Mr. Burr touching the pending election, or
could inform us why he tarried at Baltimore, when his
appearance here would undoubtedly secure his eleva
tion to the presidency ? But not one of us could give
him the information he desired, as ho one of us had
held any intercourse with him either before or during
the session in relation to the subject. He then ob
served, that unless Burr made his appearance here,
there was no prospect of our prevailing in the present
contest ; that the opposite party, he was well assured,
would persevere to the 4th of March -before they
would renounce their candidate, undismayed by what
ever disasters might result from leaving the nation
without a president, and, consequently, without a gov
ernment, an event which, so far from exciting any
fearful apprehensions on their part, would rather ac
cord with their disorganizing principles ; that he would
continue to vote as he had done until some one of the
gentlemen present of Burr's personal acquaintance

220 MISCELLANIES.
would address a letter to him on the point at issue, and
wait a reasonable time to receive an answer ; but that,
holding, as he did, the Vote of a state, he could not con
sent that the 4th of March should arrive without a
chief magistrate. The declaration of Mr. Bayard
rendered it quite unnecessary to address Mr. Burr, or
to prolong the conflict, inasmuch as his remarks be
came a subject of notoriety and of mutual gratulation
to the opposite party within one hour after they were
delivered. On the second ballot, therefore, on Tues
day, being the 36th, it was declared- by the speaker
that ten states had voted for Thomas Jefferson, /oar
states for Aaron Burr, and two states had delivered
blank votes, and accordingly he declared " Thomas
Jefferson President of the United States." The two
additional votes for Jefferson were given by the divid
ed states, Vermont and Maryland, a Federal member
in each casting in a blank. The two states which vo
ted in blank were Delaware ahd South Carolina. The
four states which persevered in the vote for Burr
were New Hampshire; Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
and Connecticut. Thus ended the electoral drama,
with a catastrophe sufficiently bitter in its effects on
the vital interests of the country. Of these, some no
tice will be hereafter taken. Suffice it for the present
to say, they were such as, in my judgment, fully justi
fied the vote we gave on that occasion.
The remainder of the session was devoted chiefly
to the passage of appropriation bills and other ordi
nary business. A few days before the close of the ses
sion, several of the Federal members obtaining leave of
absence, their political friends were left in a minority.
When, therefore, near the hour of twelve o'clock at
night of the third of March, Mr. Nott, of South Car-

MISCELLANIES. 221
oHna, rose, and, addressing the clerk of the House,
moved the customary vote of thanks to the speaker,
strange as it may appear, the motion was opposed by T.
T. Davis, of Kentucky, and G. Christie, of Maryland,
in a strain of the most vulgar abuse of that venerable
man ; ahd, what must seem incredible, this * * * *
was sanctioned by their party, except three or four of
the speaker's anti-Federal colleagues, who, by civilly
retiring from the floor, enabled us to carry the resolu
tion. It is indeed painful, at this day, to see on the
printed journal the names of A. Gallatin, N. Macon,
and E. Livingston among the herd who gave their
assent to a course as discourteous, as it was unpro
voked, unjust, and unprecedented. The speaker made
a truly fehcitous and dignified reply, and, to the evi
dent mortification of his opponents, without conde
scending to take the least, notice of their shameful ex
hibition of party venom ; but, near the close of his re
marks, he paid the following tribute to the merits of
his political associates : " On this occasion I deem
myself authorized, from the present circumstances, to
declare, that those with whom I have had the honor
here to act and think, whose confidence I have enjoy
ed, whose bosoms have been open to inspection, de
serve, in my cool and deliberate opinion, all the es
teem, gratitude, and affection which their countrymen
can bestow. As the last words I shall utter as a pub
lick man, I make this declaration in the presence of
the assembled representatives of the nation, and not
only so, but in the presence of that heart-searching
God to whom I feel myself responsible for all my con
duct." After the usual interchange of messages, the two
Houses adjourned w^ithout day.

222 MISCELLANIES.

THOMAS JEFFERSON.
The fourth of March, A.D. 1801, ushered in the new
administration under Thomas Jefferson. A few char
acteristicks of the president, derived from authentick
sources, may not be undeserving of notice.
In his inaugural address he eulogizes the national Con
stitution. And yet, in a letter to a foreign correspond
ent,* he bad charged the Federalists with endeavours to
impose upon the country "the substance, as they already
had the/or»i, of the British monarchy."
In the same address he pronounces the Constitution
"in the fiill tide of successful experiment," thus giving
his attestation to the purity, fidelity, and patriotism of
the very men whom, by falsehood and intrigue, he had
traduced and supplanted. In the same address, he ex
tols the virtues of Washington ; and yet, in the letter
already mentioned, he represents the administration of
Washington as conducted by those who had been "Sol
omons in council and Samsons in the field, but whose
locks had been shorn by the whore of England."
And in the Aurora, a paper established under his
auspices,' an article appeared on the day after Wash
ington's term of service expired, which quoted, with
impious exultation, the language of Simeon on the ad
vent of the Saviour, and with solemn mockery thanked
God that iniquity could no longer be sanctioned by the
name and authority of Washington.
In his inaugural address the new president asserted
that there existed in the nation no essential distinction
of political parties. " We are all Republicans, we are
all Federalists ;" expressing his determination, that in
* Letter to- Mazzio.

MISCELLANIES. 823
appointments to office his sole inquiry concerning a can
didate should be, " Is he honest ? is he capable ? is he
faithful to the Constitution ?" and yet he was no sooner
warm in his seat than the war of extermination began,
and continued until every Federalist was ejected from
overy office that was an object of desire to any of his
adherents, and their places filled with his favourites.
Notwithstanding his avowed reverence for the Con
stitution, and his solemn oath to support it, yet in his
first message to Congress he recommended the repeal
of the law organizing the Circuit Courts of the United
States, while the judges were in the full exercise of their
authority, who would of course be thus removed by a
legislative act, in direct violation of the Constitution,
which makes the tenure of their office "during good be
haviour;" and yet the recommendation, or, rather, man
date, was obeyed, and the judges hurled from their seats.
To the same Congress he recommended the utmost
frugality in the governmental expenditures, thus to avoid
*• taxing the mouth of labour ;" and yet he approved and
signed an act passed by the same Congress for the in
crease of the salaries of the heads of the departments
from $3500 and $3000 to $6000 each, which continue
to this day.
To illustrate Mr. Jefferson's aversion to our military,
naval, and commercial interests, let the three following
cases suffice. At his accession, our little army, a major-
general's command, barely sufficient to man our forts
and frontier posts, was by him reduced to a single
brigade ; in consequence of which, many of our most
important fortresses were consigned to desertion and
dilapidation, requiring a vast expenditure for their rep
aration on the approach of the war in which his success
or was involved.

224 MISCELLANIES.
The few frigates built by the former administration
were, in the new order of things, laid up in ordinary ;
and the live oak and other timber procured by that ad
ministration for six seventy-fours were, by the new
president's order, immersed in fresh water to season,
by which process they became rotten to such a degree
as to be utterly unfit for ships ; and, to cover the dis
grace of the transaction, were afterward cut up into
gun-boats- — a dead loss both of the timber and the ex
pense of their construction.
To destroy, as it would seem, the highly prosperous
commerce and navigation resulting to our country from
President Washington's proclamation of neutrality, Mr.
Jefferson recommended to Congress, in a secret message,
to pass an act laying an embargo, unlimited in duration,
on all our ships and vessels. The measure was adopted
in secret, and with indecent haste, by which a loss, es
timated at more than one hundred millions of dollars,
was incurred by the commercial and navigating inter
ests of our country, without computing the profits which
a continued exercise of their undoubted rights would
have secured to that enterprising class of our citizens.
If, in this brief survey, we look in vain for those en
larged views, that stern integrity, and high sense of
honour which should characterize a successor of Wash
ington, what shall we say of him as a subject of the
moral government of Jehovah ? Think of his visiting
the tomb of Washington, and shedding crocodile tears
over his remains ; a transaction evidently intended, for
it was extensively published, to favour his election to
the presidency, but which' was truly distressing to Mrs.
Washington. She assured a party of gentlemen, of
which I was one, at her house in January, 1802, that,
next to the loss of her husband, it was the most painful

MISCELLANIES. 225
occurrence of her life. He must have known, she ob
served, that we then had the evidence of his perfidy in
the house. Think of his spending the last years of his
advanced age in preparing his atheistical works for the
press, and the last moments of his life in charging his
grandson to publish them to the world, and such blas
phemies, too, as the world had never heard, and such as
it would be the height of impiety to repeat ; and who
was this grandson ? The son of his only surviving
daughter, a woman of rare accomplishments, of exem
plary piety, a professor of the Christian religion ! !
Strange that the Legislature of Virginia should have
appointed this blasphemer sole regent of their Uhiver-
sity I Against the remonstrances of the faculty, he ex
cluded every species of religious influence from the
students ; but scarcely had the clods of the valley cov
ered him, ere the exercises of Christian worship were
introduced and still continue to be faithfully observed.

FEDERALISM AND ITS FRUITS.
The contest for national independence, though by the
Divine blessing eminently successful, necessarily ex
hausted nearly the entire resources of the country, and
thus subjected our publick councils, both of the general
and state governments, as well as individuals in great
numbers, to serious embarrassments. The pressure fell
with redoubled weight on the New England States,
whose contributions to the war, both in men and money,
far exceeded those of any other portion of the Union.
Although, after the extinction of Continental paper
money, the loans obtained from France and Holland,
and the supplies furnished the troops and naval force of
our French allies, occasioned a visible increase of metal-
K2

226 MISCELLANIES.
lie currency, yet the eagerness with which our citizens,
long confined tO clothing and other articles of a coarse
domestic fabrick, supplied themselves with British goods,
sent hither in great profusion after the close of the war.
Soon swept no small part of the circulating medium into
the coffers of the foreign artisan and manufacturer —
precisely the effect which would now be xepeated, if
Southern policy is allowed to break down our manu
facturing establishments. Congress had contracted an
enormous debt in the prosecution of the -war, without
revenue to meet their engagements,' and without the in
herent power of raising for that or any other purpose a
single dollar. Their fiscal ability was limited to requi
sitions upon the several states ; a precarious dependence
even in war, and much more so in time of peace. There
was a large class, also, of private citizens, whose debts,
contracted before the war, had remained unpaid, and
Were now, with accumulated interest, along with de
mands of a more recent date, pressed for liquidation;
which, as might be expected, swelled the dockets of the
courts with law-suits, and augmented the number of in
mates in our debtor-prisons.
The condition of the country, therefore, in 1784-5,
gave rise to two distinct political parties. One party
was in favor of enlarging the powers of Congress, and
thus rendering the Federal, or central government, ef
fective in regulating our intercourse with foreign na
tions ; in promoting the agricultural, manufacturing, and
Commercial enterprise of the country ; in producing a
sound national currency; in securing the faithful admin
istration of justice ; and in thus uniting the several states,
without essentially impairing their sovereignty, into one
great confederated Republick.
The other party objected to conferring on Congress

MISCELLANIES. 227
any additional authority whatever, but strenuously con-
tended for a more vigorous exercise of sovereign pow
er in the states, particularly in alleviating the then exist
ing embarrassments by emitting a paper currepcy, and
making it a tender in payment of all debts and demands ;
which provision, it was said, would be adequate to a fund
for its redemption ; or by making personal property a
tender, at the appraisal of indifferent men, in satisfaction
of judgments and executions ; or by suspending the col
lection of debts for a limited time by a legal process ;
avowing their conviction that the prosperity of the
country would be more effectually promoted under the
exclusive administration of the respective states, than
under any Federal system that could be devised. Hence
the two parties were distinguished by the appellatives
EEDERALisTs and ANTI-FEDERALISTS. In many of the
states the party, last mentiol:ied comprised a majority of
the people, and in all others they composed large mi
norities. Whenever predominant, they gave effect to
their principles by adopting some one or more Of the
measures already recited. In Rhode Island they issued
paper money, which was made a tender of an unpre
cedented description, that is, by operating as an imme
diate extinguishment of the demand, whether received
by the creditor or not ; in other words, a tender was
payment. The State of New York also issued bills of
credit, and made them a tender on executions, and re
ceivable for all taxes and other demands due the state.
One or two other states also created a paper medium.
Still these, and the other expedients resorted to, were
found inadequate to the exigencies of the country. The
officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary Army remain
ed unrewarded for their services and sacrifices, while the
certificates of indebtedness given them in lieu of pay-

228 MISCELLANIES.
ment, like all other evidences of the publick debts,
whether of the general or state governments, were con
stantly depreciating in value ; in short, the people gen
erally appeared to have lost all confidence in their gov
ernment and in each other. To finish the dimax of
misfortune, an insurrection broke out in Massachusetts,
which shut up the courts of justice in two large coun
ties, and threatened the entire overthrow of the Com
monwealth ; and as symptoms of a similar spirit ap
peared in other states, the horrours of a civil war seem
ed inevitable. At this dark period, well might the heroes
and patriots of the Revolution feel that they had fought
in vain, "and spent their strength for naught." Yet,
though sadly mortified, they were not disheartened.
The correspondence of many of those illustripus men
with General Washington at this period is full of inter
est. They expressed their reliance on Divine aid in
upholding a nation which had. been so miraculously
preserved, and, notwithstanding the dark aspect of af
fairs, their confidence in the intelligence and energy of
the people to guard their independence with a vigilance
surpassed only by the valour which achieved it. At
length the sentiment became very general that a con
vention should be called to revise the articles of Confed
eration, and report the result of their deliberations on
the then existing posture of our national affairs. , Such
a convention met accordingly in Philadelphia, in May,
A.D. 1787, of which George Washington was president.
Meanwhile, the spirit of insubordination had been quelled
;in New Hampshire and several other states, and the in
surrection in Massachusetts effectually put down by the
military force of the state government; and the atten
tion of the whole Union was now directed with anxious
expectation to the concentrated wisdom of the several

MISCELLANIES. 229
states then imbodied in Philadelphia. That august as
sembly protracted their session to the month of Septem
ber, with little prospect of uniting in any useful result
until near the close of that period, when, on motion of
Dr. Franklin,* a chaplain was appointed to open the
sitting each morning with prayer, a duty which had un
happily been omitted. He reminded the Convention
that the room in which they sat was occupied by Con
gress during the darkest period of the Revolution, and
never did that body meet a day without commencing
with prayer. " If," said he, " a sparrow can not fall to
the ground without the notice of our heavenly Father,
can we expect an empire to rise without his aid ?" The
entire speech was an unexpected and admirable display
of native eloquence and undissembled piety. To the
praise of Divine Grace be it said, a spirit of conciliation
and mutual concession became immediately visible, and
the beneficial -result soon appeared in the draught of a
National Constitution, which was presented to Congress,
and by that body submitted to the several states for
their ratification. Jn the state conventions, the same
anti-Federal spirit which opposed the enlargement of
the powers of Congress was now exhibited with in
creased acrimony against the adoption of the new Con
stitution. It was not accepted by Rhode Island and
North Carolina, and encountered a violent opposition
in the large states of Virginia and New York. In the
latter, a large majority of the Convention was utterly
.hostile to its adoption.
- The state had established an impost for her exclusive
benefit, by which the other states, and particularly Con
necticut and New Jersey, were made tributary to her
' See Dr. Franklin's excellent speech in the Appendix to Pitkin's
.History of the United States.

230 MISCELLANIES.
custom-house. She was, therefore, strongly disposed
to rely on her own resources, and let the other states
take eare of themsel ves. But while the Convention was
near the close of the session, and obviously resolved, to
reject the proffired instrument, official intelligence prov
identially arrived that New Hampshire had adopted it,
and [that] being the ninth state, the Constitution, agree
ably to one of its articles, was to go into immediate op
eration. This event, which produced a burst of joy
through the country, and particularly in the city of New
York, whose delegates, and those of West Chester, were
the only Federalists in the Convention, was employed
by Colonel Hamilton with such subduing effect as to
produce a reluctant majority of three in favor of a rati
fication. Thus, during the year 1788, eleven states ac
cepted the Constitution. At the. elections which follow
ed, the man whose wisdom and valour, by the blessing
of God, had mainly achieved the deliverance of our
country from colonial bondage, was unanimously chosen
President of the United States, and tho first Congress
commenced its session in the city of New York, the 4th
of March, A.D. 1789. To that illustrious body duties
were assigned of no ordinary magnitude. Our national
affairs, to human View, were nearly in a hopeleiss coor
dition; like the pi-imeval elements of the earth, they
were " without form and void, and darkness was upon
the face" of them ; but the same glorious Being who
said " let there be light, and there was light," directed
the tried servants of the people to measures which, by
a salutary course of operations, " brought light out of
darkness," and " order out of confusion." A new organ
ization in every branch of the national service became
indispensable, and it was accomplished so perfectly as
to have hitherto escaped any material alteratbn amid

MISCELLANIES. 231
the political changes which have since occurred. The
treasury department was confided to Alexander Hamil
ton, who, by his incomparable defense of the national
Constitution on its first promulgation, was justly oonsid-
ered the most accomplished statesman of the age. His
reports on i-eyenue and finance, on the agricultural, man
ufacturing, and commercial interests of the country, on
the currency, on the publick debt, and the mode of fund
ing and of finally extinguishing it, by establishing a sink
ing fund of. his own felicitous invention, are all monu
ments of political wisdom which may serve as models
to future generations. Their effect on the publick mind,
even before they were acted on by Congress, was au
spicious, and emphatically so when they were adopted.
Publick securities, being the evidence of the pubHck.debt,
from a low state of depression rose at once above par
value, and a healthful action pervaded the various occu
pations of society. The offices of the government were
filled by men of talents and integrity, and without any
intentional distinction of parties. In short, the affairs of
the nation were in a prosperous train ; and it was hoped
that the bitterness of party spirit would be mitigated, if
not subdued, by the obvious amelioration in the circum
stances of the country. Vain hope ! Anti-Federalism
sympathized with French Jacobinism, earnestly contend
ing that our government should make common cause
with our French allies. Loud was the clamor when
President Washington expressed his disapprobation of
Democratick societies in our country, which had become
affiliated to those of Paris ; and still louder when he
issued a proclamation of neutrality, although no meas
ure could have been more just or more beneficial in its
consequences. Our neutral commerce became at once
a source of incalculable profit to the nation, and so con-

232 MISCELLANIES.
tinned throughout the entire period of the Federal ad
ministration, and until it was sacrificed to Mr. Jeffer
son's restrictive system at the instigation, or, as many
believed, the mandate of Bonaparte. Not to dwell long
er on a subject which might fill volumes, what, it may
be asked, did the Federal party accomplish for the ben
efit of our country, by the blessing of Heaven, although
resisted by unqualified and unrelenting opposition ?
Answer.
The formation of a confederated Republick, by the
adoption of a national Constitution.
The organization of the government under that Con
stitution, and in a manner so perfect as to discourage
any attempt to amend it.
Provision for a permanent seat of the government,
and the exclusive jurisdiction of the requisite territory.
The establishment of a fiscal and revenue system ad
equate to the national exigencies, without laying any
perceptible -burden on the people.
The , punctual payment of the loan obtained from
France and Holland during the Revolution.
Ample provision for the final extinguishment of the
debt, both of the general and state governments, incur
red by the Revolutionary War, and this through the
operation of a sinking fund so admirably constituted, as
that, by a process unperceived by the publick eye, not
only has the debt of the Revolution been extinguished,
but even the debts since contracted by the purchase of
Louisiana, as well as the debt incurred by the late war
with Great Britain.
The establishment of a national bank, and, as a neces
sary consequence, a sound national currency.
Encouragement of industry and the useful arts^in all
their forms, by a judicious tariff.

MISCELLANIES. 233
Encouragement of the fisheries by suitable bounties.
Protection of our carrying trade by a discriminating
duty on foreign tonnage.
Friendly relations formed with foreign nations and
the Indian tribes.
The forts and posts on our frontiers retained by the
British in violation of the treaty of peace, surrendered,
and articles unexecuted on our part settled by amicable
adjustment. A navy auspiciously commenced, and a handsome
provision for its enlargement.
The government administered in all its branches and
details with perfect fidelity, so that, on a thorough in
vestigation* by the following administration, not an in
dividual Federalist, clothed with an office of any grade
whatever, was found a defaulter to the amount of a
cent, or in any respect unfaithful to the trust reposed in
him.

PRELACY.
If Prelacy was authorized by Jesus Christ or his
apostles, have we not reason to, believe the New Tes
tament would have contained explicit evidence of the
fact, with rules to be observed in the selection of can
didates for such a distinction, and a specification of the
peculiar duties attached to it? While particular di
rections, in these respects, are enjoined relative to the
qualifications and choice of elders or bishops, a pro
found silence is maintained as to any such character as
a Prelate or Diocesan Bishop. That so much caution
should be required in the appointment of elders, and
* By a committee of seven members, of whom one only was a Fed
erahst. What was their mortification to find the only defaulters were
men of their ovra party, firom Edmund Randolph downward ! !

234 . M ISO B LL AN I E 3.-
not a word said respecting their subjugation to any
spiritual superiour other than the glorious Head of the
Church, is satisfactory proof that no such superiour can
rightfiilly exist. The apostles were essentiallj'' elders
and teachers, aside from their capacity of witnesses of
the Saviour's resurrection, and their miraculous or pre
ternatural gifts ; these were adjuncts to their office, di
vinely ordered to give effect to the first promulgation
of the Gospel. Peter and John claim the title of elders ;
and Paul declares that Christ sent him " to preach the
Gospel," and he styles himself a preacher, and an
apostle, and teacher of the (Jentiles. It is also re
corded that he was specially ordained to the office last
mentioned jointly with Barnabas at Antioch, by the
command of the Holy Ghost, and through the agency,
not of any apostle, but of an ordaining council, com
posed of prophets and teachers then in that city, who,
" having fasted and prayed, laid their hands on them,
and sent them away." Paul and Barnabas, thus com
missioned and sent forth, entered upon the scene of
their labours, and ordained elders in every city ; wher
ever converts to Christianity had associated together
as a church, they were thus supplied with elders, who,
we may fairly presume, were men of their choice.
Timothy was ordained an elder or teacher by the lay
ing on of the hands of the Presbytery.^ Paul, who also
officiated as one of the elders on that occasion, remind-^
ed him of the transaction as an incentive to exemplary
diligence and faithfulness- in the discharge of his min
isterial duties, conveying, at the same time, to every
unprejudiced reader the impression that ordination by
elders was the usual and legitimate method of induc
tion to that sacred office. That Titua, also, was thus
ordained, may be safely inferred from his performing

MISCELLANIES.- 235
the services of an elder, as both 'he and Timothy ex
ercised the ordaining power in numerous instances.
A late advocate for Prelacy has asserted that Timothy
and Titus were appointed by the apostles their suc
cessors, and that they acted as such in these cases.
How? "Nemo est hseres viventis." How could the
apostles have successors when they were in the full
exercise of their office ? Will it be pretended that the
apostles could add to their own number ? Surely ei
ther supposition is preposterous. And, in truth, what
can be more absurd than the pretence of an " apostol
ical succession?" The apostles were distinguished
from other presbyters and teachers sokly by their tes
timony to the resurrection of the Saviour, and the gift
of tongues and miracles, neither of which could be the
subject of inheritance, succession, or of transfer in any
mode whatever; they were absolutely inalienable.
The conclusion is irresistible that the apostles could
have no successors other than in the capacity of elders
or teachers ; and it is worthy of special notice, that
the final command of our Lord, "Go ye and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," was addressed to
the apostles emphatically as teachers, and extended to
all others who should thereafter sustain the office of
elder or teacher in every succeeding age of the Church.
The command was accompanied with the declaration,
" Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world :" not that the declaration imported a promise
that their existence in the flesh should be commensu
rate with the duration of the world, much less did it
hold out a lure to ambition, by assuring them of pre
eminence over a subordinate priesthood. No, it was
the cheering promise of his divine aid in the discharge

236 MISCELLANIES.
of their arduous duties, they knowing full well what
would be the final and glorious result of their fidelity.
That the apostles thus understood their ascending Sav
iour, is evident from the whole tenour of their official
conduct and demeanour ; for, although there were " di
versities of gifts" and " of operations," they were all
under the guidance of " the same spirit." Consider
their exalted devotion, their unwearied labours in word
and doctrine, and their unassuniing deportment toward
all engaged with them in the furtherance of the Gos
pel. Mark the courtesy of Paul ; for although, if oc
casion required, he could " reprove sharply'- " for edi
fication," yet his brotherly kindness to those employed
with him in the same glorious cause, styling them his
fellow-workers, and claiming no ascendency, is vv^orthy
of all praise, as is the noble and independent spirit
with which, on emergency, he could supply his wants
by the labour of his hands. Observe, also, the address
of Peter to the elders, not in the authoritative tone of
a superior, but with fraternal exhortation as a co-pres
byter, being himself "also an eldej:." Nor can we
overlook the humility and meek benevolence of John,
" the beloved disciple." Indeed, the apostles manifest
ed no pride of office ; they exacted from no one either
fealty or homage, in obedience to the Saviour's precept,
" Be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even
Christ, and all ye are brethren ;" language than which
none could more strongly express the parity of the
ministers of the Gospel, or more effectually annihilate
all claim to any degree of prelatical superiority.
Thus, from a review of Gospel history, it is obvious
that the functions of preaching, and of ordaining oth
ers to preach, were performed by men, whether apos
tles or others, in the character of elders and teachers ;

MISCELLANIES. 237
and we shall be sustained by the best commentators in
saying that the four-and-twenty Elders (presbuteroi),
who, in the vision of the Apostle John, surrounded the
throne of God, were representatives of the Church
militant under both dispensations, in the glorified as
sembly of the Church triumphant.
In conclusion, allow me to observe, that the careful
reader of ecclesiastical history, subsequent to the age
of the apostles, will readily discover the origin and
trace the gradual advancement of Prelacy. He will
perceive clerical, like political ambition, leading its as
pirants on with enticing prospects from year to year,
and, I might say, from century to century, until the
fourth, when, under the auspices of Constantine, it at
tained the elevation of an intimate union with imperial
authority. For its progress to a final consummation,
recourse may be had to the chronicles of the Vatican.
Painful, indeed, is the reflection that a reformed
Church should profess to iiphold, on Scripture testi
mony, an institution which constitutes at least one item
in the catalogue of papistical innovations. A Layman.
N.B. — Why is it that a diocesan of the Episcopal
Church, in ordaining a priest, calls two or more of his
presbyters to lay their hands also on the candidate ?
Is it not an unequivocal acknowledgment that their
authority to ordain is equal to his, or is it mere cere
mony, and, of course, the desecration of a solemn or
dinance ?
March 13, 1844.

238 M I SOEL L A N I E S,r

Septembisr, 1842.
A SHORT COLLOQUY BETWEEN AN EPISCOPALIAN AND 'A
NEW SCHOOL CONGREGATIONAL18T.
A, Will you oblige me with a perusal of the Confes
sion of Faith adopted by the church of which you are
pastor ?
B. The Bible is our only rule of faith and practice.
A. Ah ! then you are not connected with any par
ticular denomination. Suppose, now, you should " con
form" to your old Mother Church ; her Articles and
Liturgy fully acknowledge the Holy Scriptures as the
only foundation of our fai.th and hope. She will be
happy to receive you to her communion.
B. Although a bishop myself, I am not an Episco
palian, in your sense of that term.
A. Do you say you are a bishop, and yet subscribe
to no specifick creed ?
B. What can be more specifick, as well as compre
hensive, than the confession I have already mentioned ?
J.. Comprehensive indeed it is, in one respect; for
it comprehends every Protestant sect in Christendom,
inasmuch as all avow the Bible to be their rule of faith;
but if considered ^^ ^ criterion by which to distinguish
the various classes of nominal Christians, it is far from
being specifick. I take it, a creed is merely an epitome
of doctrines contained in the Bible, serving as a sym
bol of union to those who entertain similar views pf
those doctrines, and forming likewise a test of admis
sion to their fellowship — a measure which seems indis
pensable, since that blessed volume has been subjected
to such a diversity of interpretation. But I had sup
posed you, until now, to be the minister of what is
called "a consociated church."

MISCELLANIE.'*. 23&
B. And you supposed truly, for so I am.
A. How is this? I have seen your "Platform," and
it requires you not only to acknowledge the Bible as
your rule offaith, but, to entitle you to admission as a
member of the Consociation, you are expected also to
"own" one of the following creeds "to be agreeable"
to that Divine standard, to wit, either the Confession
prefixed to the Platform, or the Doctrinal Articles of the
Church of England, or the Westminster Confession, or
the Confession agreed on at the Savoy. Now which
ofthese four confessions did you "own" "to be agree
able" to the Holy Scriptures ?
B. " The first is not our rule^ in distinction from the
others named; and the Bible, in distinction from alt
these, is our only rufe of faith."
A. Then, as your language plainly imports, you dis
card all and each of the specified confessions ; conse
quently, you have no organic form to distinguish you
from other sects — no bond of union which can avail to
constitute your churches and societies religious corpo
rations, with their legal advantages, or which may
serve as a requisite test of admission to their commun
ion, if communion there can be without organization.
I am confident that all your churches are not liable to
such an "unworthy imputation." But pray inform
me, sir, how you obtained ordination without express
ing your assent to the interpretation of the Word of
God contained in some one of those confessions ?
B. You are rather more particular in your interrog
atories than is desirable. I hopej however, it will sat
isfy you to be informed that the only assent required is
"for SUBSTANCE OF DOCTRINE."
A. Is it possible? Who decides what is, or what is
not, substance of docti-ine, the examine? Or the can-

240 MISCELLANIES.
B. The latter, undoubtedly ; otherwise there might
be no escape from a rigorous inquisition.
A. Surely nothing could be more unsatisfactory or
more deceptive than such an assent. Under the sweep
ing generalities you have mentioned, how easily may
a ministerial candidate of grossly latitudinarian princi
ples obtrude himself upon an unsuspecting parish, and
poison it with his heresy, while he subsists, it may be,
upon a fund expressly Consecrated to the support of
evangelical truth ! It is not wonderful that some of
your churches are infested with pestilent doctrines.
I lament that there should be the least departure from
the pure principles of the fathers of New England ;
for, much as I love my own church, I can not withhold
from those godly men my profound veneration. While
I regret their severance from the Anglican Church, I ver
ily believe it proceeded from upright motives. Their
adherence to the doctrinal articles of that church re
mained unshaken to the last ; and I am happy to per
ceive an express recognition of them by their success
ors, the framers of the Saybrook Platform. In short,
it is my solemn conviction, that to the enlightened and
elevated views of the Puritans as a body, in relation
to the reciprocal duties of rulers and subjects, must be
attributed no small portion of the boasted freedom of
Britain, and the very existence, as well as aggrandize
ment, of our American Confederacy. I hope, there
fore, to be pardoned for testifying my respect foi: their
civil and religious institutions, and my sincere concern
for their preservation.
B. I thank you, sir, for the favourable opinion of those
good men which you so freely express. If they had
lived, however, at this period of the world, they might
have been imbued with "the spirit op tue age," much
to their advantage.

miscellanies. 241
A. The "spirit" to which I presume you allude is
not new. It appeared in the days of Augustine, as
well as at different periods since ; for, like certain bod
ies which visit the planetary system, it is not only er
ratic in its course, but nearly periodical in its visita
tions, "perplexing" churches "with fear of change,"
at least as often as once in a century. If I may ex
tend the figure, it was in its perihelion in President
Clapp's day ; and that eminently pious astronomer fa
voured the world with a pamphlet accurately describing
all the phenomena which then attended its appearance.
Suffer me to state, briefly, some of the characteristicks
of that spirit, as described by him. In the first place,
the man infected with it was exercised with an uncon
querable aversion to creeds and confessions, and de
clared the whole Bible to be his only rule of faith ; to
avoid embarrassment, however, he would " consent to
the substance of a catechism or confession." He main
tained that man is born into the world in as perfect a
state of rectitude as Adam was arhis creation; that
he is not obliged lo conform to any standard of moral
perfection other than the pursuit of his own interest
and happiness; that sin consists entirely in his not
pursuing his own interest, for the only criterion of duty
to God is self-interest : chat it is absurd to suppose that
God should impla»f grace or holiness in any man, or
keep hiin from sinning, as it would interfere with his
free agency, and the free and self-determining power
of the will i that the actions of moi-al agents can be
neither virtuous, vicious, nor free, unless they are done
by a man's own power, nor unless he has the power
to do the contrary ; and that the happiness of the crea
ture is the sole end of the creation.
Whether any, and what resemblance this descrip-
L

242 MISCELLANIES.
tion may bear to the spirit of the ag.e, is referred to
the decision of your own observation and experience.
It would seem incredible that the human intellect
could be so perverted as to deduce such sentiments
from the Holy Scriptures ; and it shows how liable to
suspicion is the pompous profession of the Bible as
the rule of faith, to the exclusion of any and every
epitome of Divine truth hitherto adopted by evangel
ical churches.
.B. As I am not disposed to engage in religious dis
putation, you will excuse me from replying to your
remarks.

REMARKS ON A CONCIO AD CLERUM.
[ To the Editor of the Watchman.-^
Sir, — In a late number of your valuable paper, a brief
notice was taken of three of ",the causes of disunion"
stated by the preacher of the Concio ad Clerum, at the
iate Commencement in Yale College. Will you allow
me to submit a few remarks upon the two remaining
causes assigned by him on that occasion? They are, "a
neglect to cultivate the spirit of the Bible," and "the
true principle of Christian liberty, practically too much
overlooked." " The spirit of the Bible" is, pronounced by the preach
er to be " a moral temper of spirit." Now, is this phrase
a mere pleonasm, or does it belong to the nomenclature
of the new theology, and convey a meaning which none
but the initiated understand ? Whatever may be its
import, the preacher complains that it has given place
to " a disproportionate attention to tfortnmaZ knowledge,"
to too much discussion and speculation, and the maih-
tenance of " an exact and rigorous orthodoxy." Whence

MISCELLANIES., 243
has all this arisen ? Did he imagine the Christian pub
lic had lost the po\Ver of recollection ? Is it necessary
to inform him that for nearly fifty years no portion of
Christendom enjoyed more perfect. union, or exhibited,
in a higher degree, the loveliness of the Christian char
acter, than the consociated churches of Connecticut,
until a teacher acquired unenviable celebrity by his
memorable Concio ad Clerum? until doctrines were
revived which had risen up and were put down more
than twelve hundred years before, and the revival of
which was accompanied with the same duplicity and
evasion which marked their first introduction, and which
were practiced with such success as to deceive, for a
time, even Augustine himself? It would seem that the
Concio ad Clerum, of pure and peaceful origin, has be
come the tocsin oi discord, and is now brought out to
sustain its predecessor by bewailing disunion, dispara
ging doctrinal knowledge, and denouncing a rigorous or
thodoxy. But a faithful ministry will not be diverted
from their work by artifices of any kind. They clearly
perceive the day has arrived foretold by the apostle,
when men " will not endure sound doctrine," and when,
of course, it is the solemn duty of the watchmen of Zion
to " speak the things which become sound doctrine," and
" by sound doctrine to exhort and convince gaihsayers."
To decry doctrinal knowledge is the resort of error-
ists of every name, especially of such as wrangle for
human sufficiency, and against the strictness of the Di
vine law and the sovereignty of its Author. But, Mr.
Editor, there is harmony in the truths of the Gospel, a
commhne vinculum, a connection so intimate that no
one doctrine can be withdrawn from the system with
out impairing, if not destroying, the beauty and symme
try of the whole. Strike out, for example, the doctrine

244 MISCELLANIES.
of original sin, as defined in the Westminster Catechism,
and as denounced by the preacher, and what is the
consequence but the necessary fall of the doctrine of
the atonement also ? For, if man is not born a sinner,
when does he become so ? Is it answered, " When he
transgresses a positive law ?" I ask. What is the earli
est age in which this may be done? "We do not
know,". is the reply. Being, then, a free agent, with
out moral stain, why may he not continue such ? For
if, as the new-school men alledge,.he is able, by his own
efforts, to renovate himself in case he does transgress,
why, by an equal exercise of power, may he not avoid
transgression, retain his native innocence^ and thus
render any atonement unnecessary f He assuredly
may, upon this theory; and hence, it is belfeved, ev
ery nominal section of the Christian Church who have
denied the doctrine of original and total depravity,
have also, with lamentable consistency, rejected the
doctrine of the expiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For
what can be more preposterous than to suppose that
glorious Being would offer his life a contingent ransom
for creatures who might or might not become sinners !
Vain is the attempt to escape from this dilemma by
talking about " evil tendencies" and " evil propensi
ties." None such can exist but in evil natures, nor
does either Scripture or reason admit that there can be
an intermediate state between innocence and sin, be
tween purity and impurity in moral beings. The
preacher and his friends may try to conceal the naked
fact by declaimuig against " physical depravity," " con-
created sin," with other epithets
" of learned length and thundering sound ;"
still, the humbling truth will remain, clearly revealed
in the Word of God, justly defined in our Confession of

MISCELLANIES. 245
Faith, fully confirmed by human experience, and hap
pily expressed by the great Christian poet, in language
which every individual of our race may adopt,
" I from the stock of Adam came,
Unholy and unclean ;
All my original is shame,
Aud all my nature sin."
Thanks be to God, a fountain is set open in which
all this impurity may be washed away I In a word,
we are assured from the highest authority that doc
trinal knowledge may be rendered the infallible test
of truth. " If any man," says the Saviour, " will do his
will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God." Let the faithful pastor, then, " reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine," in the con
fident expectation that " his labour will not be in vain in
the Lord ;" that " the fruit will be unto holiness, and the
end everlasting life."
It must be acknowledged, Mr. Editor, that a fearful
spirit of innovation is disturbing the tranquillity, as well
as sullying the purity, of the Christian Church. The
moral darkness Which has overspread the country that
gave birth to Luther, and was erst illumined by the
first rays of his mighty genius, is extending its lurid in
fluence to our own. While the tinsel of German liters
ature has dazzled the eyes, the pestilent dogmas of
German theology have poisoned the minds, of not a few
of our Countrymen. Especially are these effects visi
ble in more than one of our theological seminaries in
New England, and in no small number of her minis
ters and churches. Unless the God of our fathers
shall interpose, the fairest inheritance which any peo
ple under heaven have derived from a pious and mag
nanimous ancestry, is in danger of utter desolation.

246 miscellanies.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
between thfe porch and the altar, and let them say,
Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy herit
age TO REPROACH.

DIVORCE.
[.To the Editor of the Congregationatist.2
Sir, — Your efforts to awaken publick attention to the
alarming facility with which Divorces are granted -in
this state, entitle you to the thanks of the religious,
and, I may add, the patriotick portion of your fellow-
citizens, composing, I should hope, a majority of the
Commonwealth. I was not aware until lately that our
General Assembly had multipHed divorces to such an
unprecedented extent, that the practice had even
grown up into a system, so that a rule has been adopt
ed for the appointment, at the beginning of each ses
sion, of a Joint Standing Committee on Divorces ; that
is, in effect, a committee to report "the ways and
means" by which the most sacred of all human ties
may be dissolved. No doubt the business of the com
mittee will increase in a duplicate ratio from session
to session. Their report will furnish a scale by which
matrimonial discord may be graduated, and the dis
contented and the dissolute in married life enabled to
calculate with sufficient exactness, to what height do
mestick broils must be carried to insure a final separa
tion by legislative interposition. Who does not see
the fatal tendency of such a course, and that, if pur
sued, it will, in the end, not only poison the fountain
of domestick enjoyment, but sunder all the relations
that constitute the social state? And who can rise
from the contemplation of this most painftd subject

MISCELLANIES. 247
without being fully impressed with the wisdom, as
well as the authority of the divine precept, " What
God hath joined togethei*, let not man put asunder ?"
I was present, sir, when the eloquent and powerful
sermon of the late President Dwight was delivered, to
which you have referred. It was not the main object
of the preacher, if I rightly remember, to censure the
General Assembly for adjudicating in cases of divorce,
as comparatively few instances of such an ihterference
had then occurred, although that body did not wholly
escape animadversion ; but it appeared to be his chief
purpose to condemn the latitude of the existing statute,
and to urge the expediency of so modifying it as to
restrict a dissolution of the conjugal relation, when le
gally formed, to the case, and the only case, in which
the Saviour of the world heis permitted it to be done by
any human authority whatever. A strong and visible
impression was made upon the minds of the members
hy the president's unanswerable appeal to their intel
ligence and patriotism. Many, and, I confess, myself
of the number, who had previously justified the law,
avowed their conviction that it ought to be amended
by adopting the proposed limitation ; but the session
being near its close, the subject was not then taken up,
and, unfortunately, escaped further notice amid the
political agitations which preceded the adoption of the
present Constitution. Since that event, so far from
modifying the obnoxious statute, it would seem the Leg
islature is endeavouring to outstrip the courts of law
in the ungracious employment of annulling the most
inviolable of all contracts.
That a free allowance of polygamy and divorce, or
either of them, has been the precursor of national ruin,
is the melancholy testimony of all history, sacred and

248 MISCELLANIES.
profane. More than five hundred years elapsed from
the foundation of Rome before an instance of the lat
ter occurred, and the growing frequency of the prac
tice that soon followed, led, in the opinion of the
learned Puffendorf, to that corruption of morals which
was the true cause of the decline and fall of the Ro
man Empire. But that a professedly Christian com
munity should openly transgress a precept of the Sav
iour so clearly and unequivocally pronounced, at the
risk of incurring the awful retribution with which na
tional sins, sooner or later, are sure to be visited, must
be ascribed either to deplorable misapprehension, or
to the most daring presumption. I know it is said
that th§ precept should be considered as "drawn"
from the Saviour rather than as a free expression of
his views, whereas it is a constituent portion of his
Sermon on the Mount, and no one injunction of that
perfect code of morals is more explicit in its terms, no
one which more deeply affects the individual and so
cial interests of man, no one the violation of which
will more certainly provoke the righteous judgments
of Heaven.
Cases may undoubtedly, arise in which husband and
wife ought to be separated ; without the liberty, how
ever, of forming another matrimonial alliance, except
in the solitary instance authorized by the Saviour. If
the parties will quarrel, separate them from " bed and
board" with nb prospect of legally forming a new
connection, and how rarely would the remedy be
sought? Let the law of the land be thus modified,
and a more powerful pacificator of domestick feuds
could scarcely be devised. Provocations deenied in
tolerable under the present lax system, would lose
much of that character under the proposed modifica-

MISCELLANIES. 249
tion, and be followed, it is beheved, by a spirit of mu
tual forbearance and concession ; for it is impossible
to conceive of a stronger incentive to a disregard of
the marriage vow than the facility which the present
law and legislative indulgence afford for dissolving
that relation.
There is an evident departure from the divine law
upon this subject both in England and in Connecticut,
and, what is not a little singular, the departure is in
opposite directions. In England, the divorce a vincu
lo matrimonii, or " from the bond of matrimony," is al
lowed for no cause whatever arising subsequently to
the marriage, not even for adultery, but the divorce a
mensa et thoro, or separation from " bed and board," is
permitted ; while in this state the law recognizes
adultery* and three other grounds as sufficient on
which to decree a total separation, and makes no pro
vision for the divorce a mensa et thoro. It ought, how
ever, to be observed, that only one of the causes re
cited in our act can be said to militate against the di
vine law, and that is "three years willful desertion,
with total neglect of duty ;" for as to " fraudulent con
tract," and " seven years' absence not heard of," the
act is, in effect, merely declaratory, that- in the former
case no legal marriage had ever existed, being void
from the beginning ; ip the latter, that the lapse of time
shall be deemed presumptive evidence of the death of
the absent party ; accordingly, our courts have decided
that ho formal decree of divorce is necessary in the
latter case in order to legalize a second marriage.
The allowance of a divorce, or, more properly speak
ing, a separation from bed and board, so far from im-
' Adultery as defined by the common law, and not in the restricted
sense of the statute for the punishment of that offense.

250 MISCELLANIES.
pugning the divine law, as one of your correspondents
has alledged, is in accordance with the recommenda
tion of the apostle, 1 Cor., vi., and is a measure at
once preventive oT evil, and highly remedial where
evil exists. Barbeyrac, indeed, considers the chapter
just cited as authorizing a total divorce in case of
" willful desertion ;" and it is not improbable that the
original framers of our statute unwittingly adopted his
construction, although the apostle expressly directs
that the party shall remain unmarried or be reconciled.
At any rate, by no fair interpretation does he authorize,
in the case there under consideration, a dissolution of
the nuptial, contract so as to render either party again
marriageable ; nor can it be presumed that the apos
tle had the remotest design to abrogate a positive pre
cept of his Divine Master.
The alterations, then, which seem desirable in the
existing statute, are, first, to strike out from the first
section the clause, " willful desertion for three years,
with total neglect of duty ;" and, secondly, to add a
section authorizing the Superior Court to decree a
" separation from bed and board!' for desertion, and
such other causes as to the wisdom of the Legislature
shall seem proper, with the requisite regulation re
specting alimony; thus transferring the whole power
on this subject to the proper tribunal, and confining the
authority to declare the marriage contract dissolved
to the cases specified in the first section, when amend
ed, and to those only.
Having, in this manner, provided for a dissolution
of the conjugal relation when alone it is allowable,
and invested a cOurt of law with power, in suitable
cases, to decree the divorce a mensa et thoro, the mem
bers of the Legislature will not only have exonerated

MISCELLANIES. 251
themselves from a bui-densome and perilous responsi
bility, but will have manifested their deep concern for
the interest and honour of the state, and, what is more,
their reverence for the precepts of that glorious Being,
who has so freely IJiestowed upon us, as a people, the
inestimable blessings we enjoy.

THE SLAVERY QUESTION.
[.To the Editor of the Watchman.^
Sir, — It is the remark of a distinguished author, that
" if a writer were gravely to demonstrate that the sun
shines in a cloudless day, he would beget a doubt in
the mind of his reader, if not an attempt to refute his
argument." No one listens patiently to labored proofs
of a self-evident proposition, and if vituperation be
added withal, any thing but convictioh will be the re
sult. Such, it is believed, has been too much the
course of the " Anti-slavery Society." They have in
sulted our understandings at the North by officious at
tempts to enlighten us on the subject of the abstract
rights of man, and their violation in the persoh of the
Southern slave. They have offered to the slaveholder
of the South, not only the same indignity, but have
superadded charges of some of the blackest crimes to
be found in the records of human guilt. What are the
effects thus far ? Not the liberation of a single slave ;
on the contrary, the riveting of chains which ih many
instances we have reason to believe were ready to fall
off: not the conversion of a single slaveholder to their
views ; on the contrary, a disposition is engendered to
defend the strange paradox, that the perfection of the
social state consists in the combination of political lib-

252 MISCELLANIES.
erty with domestick slavery ! Would such a preposter
ous doctrine have ever entered the mind of an indi
vidual at the South, if he were not driven to it by the
indiscretion, not to say infatuation, of our pseudo-
reformers ? Never.
Let us look for a moment at the measures adopted
by the society to remove the curse of slavery, which
lies so heavily on our country. What efforts do they
put forth ? In the first place, a levy upon the publick
of some forty thousand dollars in a single year. For
what purpose ? Is it to redeem the children of bond
age, as far as the sum will go ? No ; it is to prepare
and disseminate publications touching the horrors of
slavery, and to send forth agents and missionaries.
Send them whither ? Is it to the South, to preach re
pentance to the slaveholder ; to entreat him, by all that
is tender in humanity and sacred in religion, to " let the
oppressed go free ?" No ; these modern missionaries,
male and female, possess little of the spirit of the apos
tles, and still less of that of the martyrs ; no, they are
to keep at a safe distance in the North, to hurl indeed
denunciations at the South, but chiefly to occupy them
selves in disabusing their fellow-citizens of their prejudi
ces, in demonstrating that there is really no fundament
al distinction between " black and white ;" that the tri
fling difference perceptible should be nobly disregard
ed, and, in short, wholly merged in a free and generous
amalgamation. It also appears to be the special duty
of these agents or missionaries to perform regular cir
cuits through the non-slaveholding states ; to enforce
these doctrines by appropriate harangues ; to exem
plify them by a publick and familiar commixture with
the colored race ; to establish a sort of political inqui
sition, by which the candidate for popular suffrage

MISCELLANIES. 253
shall, as he would avoid their displeasure, attest his
loyalty to their principles ; and, finally, to bear pa
tiently the scoffs of an indignant community, and look
with composure on the too certain consequences of
their labours, in the disturbance of the publick peace
by riotous assemblages, and the lawless destruction of
property and of hfe. Now, however pure may be the
views of the society, who does not see that the direct
tendency of their measures can be no other than to
perpetuate the bondage of the blacks, to sow dissen
sion between the North and the South, and ultimately
to sever the fraternal ties which so happily unite us as
one people ?
Is there, then, it may be asked, no remedy for the
enormous evil of slavery ? I answer, yes. If we are
inclined to "do justly," as well as " love mercy," the
remedy is within our reach. Let it be bOrne in mind,
that " we, the people of the United States," have all
participated, in a greater or less degree, at the North
as well as at the South, in the practice of holding the
African race in bondage. Our national Constitution,
in covert but intelligible language, recognizes a right
of property in slaves ; provides for the return of fugi
tives to their owners ; makes this species of property
a qualified basis of representation in Congress ; ren
ders the master liable for taxes thereon ; and, finally,
through our representatives, we, the people, have ac
tually augmented, as occasion required, the national
revenue from this very source. It is too late, then,
for the national government, if it possessed the power,
to tell the acknowledged proprietors of this taxable
property to surrender it at once, without any remu
neration whatever. No government professing to be
actuated by the principles of distributive justice could

254 MISCELLANIES*
do it ; nay, not an individual possessed of honesty or
honour would give his asseht to such a measure. The
British Parliament, although unlimited ih power, was
incapable of doing its colonial subjects the palpable in
justice of liberating their slaves without adequate com
pensation. While the American Congress is abun
dantly able to remunerate the slaveholder, a question
may arise whether it is clothed with sufficient author
ity to coerce his acceptance of a compromise. That
the offer, however, would be accepted, if made, there-
can be little doubt. My word for it^ the patriotism of
the South would, in that case, promptly respond to the
justice of the North. In the first place, then, has Con
gress power to make the offer? " To provide for the
publick welfare" is one of the specified objects of the
Federal government. I ask, without fear of an an
swer in the negative, whether a case can be imagined
which more vitally concerns the welfare of this Union
than the abolition of slavery ? Could Congress, in the
exercise of that beneficehce^ which ought to character
ize a Christian nation, grant to the unfortunate people
oi Caraccas the means of repairing, in some measure,
the desolations of an earthquake, and has it no power
to relieve our own country from the effects of a still
more dreadful scourge ? Is it objected by some high
ly sensitive abolitionist, that the proposed redemption
would be nothing less than governmental traffick in
slaves ? An answer to such ah objection will be in
season, when the Parliament of Great Britain shall be
condemned for a similar traffick, and our own govern
ment for a similar redemption of American citizens
from Algerihe and Tripolitan slavery.
Secondly, Have we the means of compensating the
slaveholders ? I answer, yes, abundant means, and

MISCELLANIES. 255
more than sufficient, from the avails of our national
domain. To no conceivable purpose could that fruit
ful source of future collision be more beneficially ap
plied. Two evils would be removed at once : the in
cubus oi slavery, and the " apple of discord" between
the old and the new states. And, in truth, can it be
more or less than sound pohcy, as well as substantial
justice, that a grievous calamity, which we have all, in
some degree, contributed to incur, should, under the
smiles of divine Providence, be taken wholly out of
the way by one united and patriotic oblation on the
altar of our country's, peace and safety ?
What disposition should be made of the slaves, when
liberated, is a consideration which belongs to the de
tails rather than to the main object of the measure.
In my humble opinion, the choice should be given
them, either of returning to their native land in our
national vessels, under the auspices of the Colonization
Society, or of remaining as free operatives in their
present location, where, I verily beheve, they would
prove more useful than ever to their former owners,
who, in return, I doubt not, would reward their fidelity
by studiously promoting their present and future hap
piness. Such, sir, are the impressions, briefly and imperfect
ly expressed, of an aged citizen upon a most painful
subject — a subject involving the highest interests
and brightest hopes of this great repubhck. Having
lived through the storm of the Revolution, and through
scenes, since that eventfiil period, scarcely less peril
ous, I am brought to the solemn conviction that our
existence as one nation has at no time been exposed
to more imminent danger than at this very moment.
Our deliverance, under God, must be achieved by de-

256 MISCELLANIES.
cisive action, guided by a spirit of mutual concession;
in short, by the union of honest hearts and strong
hands; and we may then confidently trust that the
glorious Being who has hitherto sustained us Will
crown our efforts with success.

THE SLAVERY QVmTIOJ<— (continued).
[To the Editor of the Northern Watchman.J
Sir, — I took up the Closely-printed pamphlet of one
hundred and twenty-five pages, entitled "Emancipation
in the West Indies," in the hope of finding a full account
of the measures which were adopted for the abolition of
slavery in the British colonies. Sent out as were
Messrs. Thome and Kimball, the special envoys of the
American Anti-slavery Society, we had reason to ex
pect that, after a "six months' tour in Antigua, Barba
does, and Jamaica," these gentlemen would have pre
sented a mass of information on the subject of their
mission sufficient to satisfy the most inquisitive reader.
They give us, indeed, ample details of the civilities and
hospitalities they experienced from all classes of the in
habitants, including the highest civil authorities, and es
pecially the " colored gentlemen," one of whom they
pronounce "in every respect the noblest man, white
or black, whom we met in the West Indies." They
also assure us, what will be readily believed, that eman
cipation is hailed with equal joy by the master and the
slave ; and they record, with apparent satisfaction, the
tone of exultation assumed by the British residents on
the occasion, and the severe terms in which they re
proached the United States for delaying the extirpation
of slavery ; it never once occurring to our patriotic en
voys to remind these gentlemen that, but for the inter-

MISCELLANIES. 2S7
vention of the British crown when we were colonies,
slavery would, in all probability, have ceased to exist
among us long before we became an independent nation,
and that British subjects, therefore, of all men, should be
the last to condemn their American brethren for coun
tenancing the traffick in human flesh. Every philan
thropist must rejoice that Britain has at length yielded
to the strong claims of justice and humanity, and that
she now furnishes to all slaveholding communities an
example eminently worthy of their imitation. It was
under this impression that I looked earnestly through
the pamphlet just mentioned for the act of Parliament
abolishing slavery in their West Indian territories ; or,
if not the entire act, at least such an abstract of its pro
visions as would afford a comprehensive view of the
whole subject ; but I looked in vain. We find, indeed,
a reference to the statute for the purpose of condemning
the apprenticeship system, but no details touching the
compensation awarded to the slaveholders, the manner
of its distribution, or the valuation of the slaves for that
purpose. In short, there is throughout a mysterious re
serve in relation to the act of Parliament ; from which I
infer, that neither in the preamble, nor in the body of the
act, is the slave proprietor declared to bea " robber and
worse than a robber."* If such had been its language,
we should probably have seen the declaration displayed
in very legible characters. I also infer that the Anti-
slavery Society, under whose auspices the pamphlet is
published, are opposed to the allowance of any indem
nity to their Southern brethren as a consideration for
* See the letter recently pubhshed in the New York Observer, from
Gerrit Smith, Esq., to John Tappan, Esq., in which these very terms
are applied to the Southern slaveholder. How many among us use the
same language, whose fathers or whose grandfathers were just such
robbers !

258 MISCELLANIES.
liberating their slaves ; otherwise they would have ap
pended the British statute to the narrative, with a rec
ommendation to the people and government of the Uni
ted States to •' gO and do likewise." And, in truth, Mr.
Editor, I have been both surprised and mortified at the
utter silence,^in this respect, of the numerous petitions
which have been presented to Congress for the abolition
of slavery within the District of Columbia. Even ex-
President Adams, through whom they were chiefly of
fered, who must certainly be conscious of what is right,
and is endowed, in a good degree, with the gift of utter
ance, has been profoundly taciturn upon the point in
question. Most of all am I astonished that the softer
sex, who owe so much of their loveliness to their nice
moral sense, should have overlooked, in their memorials,
the obvious duty of doing justice to the master, as well
as of showing mercy to the slave. The ex-president
possesses too much discernment not to perceive that the
case is encompassed with difficulties ; that, from the plain
import of the Constitution, Congress has no more power
to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia than in
any of the states of the Union. I am not about to deny
that constructively, its power, in the case under consid
eration, extends to both the District and the States, but
confident I feel that it can be exercised in neither upon
any other principle than that of allowing a just remuner
ation to the slaveholder. The Constitution, as was ob
served in my former communication, recognizes the right
of property in slaves, and guards it with strong remedial
provisions. Whatever, therefore, may be the merits bf
the abstract question of right, the national councils are,
in legal phrase, " estopped from averring any thing con
trary" to the plain terms of the Constitution, and their
own legislative enactments. The Constitution also der

MISCELLANIES. 259-
dares, '' Nor shall private property be taken for publick
use without just compensation." The argument in the
mouth of the slaveholder, then, is a short one, and as
unanswerable as it is brief "The slaves upon my
premises," he may say, " according to the Consthution
and laws of the country, are my property, and, being
such, may not be taken from me by the publick without
just compensation ;" an argument which, in a parallel
case, seems to have been allowed its full weight by a
British Parliament. We come, then, to the conclusion,
that if slavery is an evil — a great national evil, which
no one can doubt, a national sacrifice will be required
to remove it. What shall it be ? the sword ? the abo
lition of slavery by the extermination of both the slave
and his master? Who does not shudder at the^hought?
Let it be done, then, say the abolitionists, by the Leg
islatures of the slaveholding states. But are not the
states equally denied the power of releasing the slave
without remunerating the owner ? Does not the same
constitutional prohibition extend to them ? In a word,
is not the right of property ih slaves interwoven with
their whole legal code? Besides, the states separately
are without resources adequate to the object. Nor can
simultaneous action, which is here indispensable, be ex
pected from so many distinct Legislatures. Evidently,
therefore, the whole matter should be referred to the
national authorities, under their broad commission " to
provide for the general welfare." No coercion would
be necessary, even admitting it could be rightfully ex
ercised. The spirit of mutual concession — that noble
spirit which has already done so much for the preser
vation of our Union, would at ohce enable the govern
ment to put this last finishing touch to the temple of lib
erty. Let Congress propose the measure to tiie states

260 MISCEIiLANIES.
concerned, with a pledge of the requisite funds, setting
itself the example in the District of Columbia. The ap
plication of a portion of the national domain would, as
heretofore suggested, be a peculiarly fit appropriation ;
but it is wholly immaterial from what fiscal source the
contribution is derived. I do not believe a very large
sum would be required. Unless I am deceived in my
estimation of our Southern brethren, the bare offer of
the other states to do them justice in this momentous
concern would be met with the magnanimity which
forms so conspicuous a trait in their character. Not a
moiety of the slaveowners probably would avail them
selves of the pecuniary allowance. They would rejoice
rather in a fair and honourable opportunity of emancipa
ting themselves as well as their slaves, " without money
and without price." No doubt many individuals have
been restrained from pursuing this course, partly by
legislative impediments, thrown in their way at home,
but principally by the threats and denunciations which
have been showered upon them in no stinted measure
from abroad, from a quarter, too* whence they had a
right to expect nothing but Christian courtesy and fra
ternal kindness. In short, sir, the great question of
emancipation must be decided sooner or later, and the
sooner the better. We can not escape from it.
Let us, in the New England States, bfess God that
slavery, which existed here in a limited degree, was by
legislative acts in a course of extinction before the adop
tion of the national Constitution. Let us remember that,
in ratifying that instrument, we gave our assent to
the toleration OF- domestick slavery at the South.
If we erred, the error was committed solely from mo
tives of conciliation. Let us, in the same generous
spirit, unite with our Southern brethren in expiating the
crime, by blotting out the cause of it forever.

miscellanies. 261

[From the N. E. Puritan.\
REMARKS ON PROFESSOR ROBINSON'S REVIEW OF DR.
GRANT'S WORK ON THE TEN TRIBES.
The Review by the Rev. Professor Robinson, lately
published, of Dr. A. Grant's volume on " the Nesto-
rians," is an elaborate attempt to overthrow the au
thor's theory concerning the " lost tribes of Israel." If
I can not adopt the conclusion at which the reviewer
has arrived, it is from no want of respect for his per
sonal character or his useful researches. The case
presents a singular aspect. While the author professes
to have found in the Nestorians a portion, at least, of
the descendants of the " ten tribes," the reviewer, on
the contrary, contends that they never were lost, but
were safely restored from captivity to the land of their
forefathers. If he is right, there is an end at once of
the controversy, and, of the solicitude manifested by
the civilized world on the subject for a long succession
of generations. Let us, then, in the first place, consid
er what evidence is adduced in support of /tis theory.
There is ah incipient and obvious errour, I apprehend,
in the professor's calculation. He assumes that, at the
final captivity of Israel under Shalmaneser,, " a large
body of the people" still remained. He has, therefore,
overlooked the clear and unequivocal declaration of
the sacred historian, 2 Kings, xvii., 18 : " Therefore
the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed
them out of his sight ; there was none left but the tribe of
Judah only ;" meaning, no doubt, the kingdom of Ju
dah, including Benjamin and the Levites. If, after this
strong language, we admit that any were left, their
number, unless we do violence to the text, must have

263 miscellanies.
been exceedingly small.* Of the few who were thus
left, a part, or their descendants, in the pious reigns of
Hezekiah and Josiah, probably united with their breth
ren of Judah in the worship of the true God, and ulti
mately accompanied them into captivity. It is worthy
of particular notice, that each of the Assyrian mon
archs, Tiglathpileser and Shalmaneser, carried their
captive Israelites to " Hala and Habor, by the river
Gozan, and the cities of the Modes," territories in which
is understood to be embraced the identical region now
occupied by the Nestorians. The captives were allow
ed to hold lands, erect houses, and, in short, were per
mitted to enjoy the usual privileges of subjects.
About one hundred and forty years after the captiv
ity of all Israel, and their establishment in Assyria,
Nebuchadnezzar led Judah into captivity at three dif
ferent periods, the last in the reign of Zedekiah, when,
so thorough was the removal, " none remained save the
poorest sort of people, who were left to be vine-dress
ers and husbandmen." All these captives were car
ried to the province of Babylon, far short of the re
mote location assigned to the Israelites. There could,
consequently, have been little intercourse, between
them ; nor, after a separation of nearly one hundred and
fifty years, added to their long prior hostility, could
much of personal or national sympathy be presumed
to exist.
After seventy years of their captivity had elapsed,
the proclamation of Cyrus was issued for the restora
tion of the captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar to their
own land. Ezra informs us this measure was adopted,
in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah, which strict-
* The nation had been greatly reduced by previous captivities.
— Jer., xxix.

MISCELLANIES. 26S
ly confines the promised deliverance to "the people
whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from
Jerusalem to Babylon." Accordingly, the proclama
tion was limited to a single object, as was also that
which was subsequently issued by Artaxerxes, and
under which Ezra proceeded with his recruits to Jeru
salem. Nor does it by any means appear that all, or
even a majority, of -the captive Jews availed them
selves of the opportunity to revisit their native country
for the purpose of repairing the desolations of Jerusa
lem and the Temple. And as to the ten tribes, no license
to return was given them by either of the royal edicts,
much less any assurance that any part of the territory
of their forefathers would be restored to them. Nay,
if permitted to depart, why would they abandon their
comfortable establishments which they and their ances
tors had securely occupied for more than two hundred
years, without the remotest prospect of imprdving their
condition by a removal ? That Israelites taken cap
tive with the Jews might accompany them on their
return, is not improbable ; Nehemiah, however, after
setting apart, by lot, one tenth of the people to. dwell
at Jerusalem, says expressly, the rest " were in all the
cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance." Where
is the evidence that an individual of the ten tribes was
restored to his inheritance ? But, to remove all doubt
on this point, contemplate the number of Israelitesf and
Jews in Assyria and Babylon sixty or seventy years
after, when Haman conspired against them, as record-
* The appellatives Jews and Israelites were frequently confounded
after the \;aptivity . The discrimination, however, -will be easily made,
if understood as it ought to be, secundum subjectam materiam. As Ju
dah was carried captive to Babylon, the term Jews was there familiar
ly apphed, particularly in the Book of Esther, to the whole twelve
tribes.

264 MISCELLANIES.
ed in the Book of Esther. What must have been the
number of their fighting men, when more than seven
ty-five thousand of their enemies were slain by their
hands ? Certainly not less than one hundred thousand,
and their entire population exceeding one million. .
I ask now for evidence of the return of this people
to the land of their forefathers. None is stated by the
reviewer. He has furnished conjectures, and suggest:
ed probabilities, but as to proof there is absolutely
none that in my view deserves the name ; and it is
the absence of all positive evidence respecting the act
ual condition of the ten tribes which has given rise to
the epithet " lost," and the multiplied speculations con
cerning their probable destiny. The accurate and ju
dicious historian, Prideaux, expresses the opinion that
the tribes remained in the location assigned to them by
their conquerors, and, to a great extent, became amal
gamated with the neighbouring Gentile nations.
Let us, in the next place, consider whether any and
what light Dr. Grant has thrown upon a subject in
volved in so much darkness. It is not often that we
meet with a more thrilling narrative than the account
of his visit to the Independent Nestorians. Their pe
culiar situation, surrounded by implacable and sangui
nary foes, had strongly attracted the attention of our
worthy missionaries at Ooroomiah, especially after a
pressing invitation from their patriarch to visit them.
Having at length obtained the sanction of the Pruden
tial Committee of the American Board, it was resolved
that Dr. Grant should undertake the enterpi-ise, beset,
as it was, with dangers of no ordinary kind. Without
taking any extraordinary measures for either his ac
commodation or defense, he went forth with the hu
mility of a primitive disciple and the fortitude of a mar-

MISCELLANIES. 265
tyr ; an example of heroick benevolence rarely witness
ed, happily illustrating the spirit of a Christian soldier,
and the good providence of God in his preservation!
The fearless missionary passed the territory of the fe
rocious Koords unhurt; even hands red with the blood
of Shulz were extended to him in kindness. By a most
providential coincidence, a man whom the doctor had
formerly healed of a grievous malady, presented him
self at this juncture to express his gratitude, and ten
der his services as a guide ; and thus, after a difficult
and toilsome journey, the weary but joyful traveller
reached the place of his destination in safety. A most
cordial reception was given him by the whole popula
tion, and for several weeks he enjoyed the hospitality
of the pious and venerable patriarch. Suffice it to say,
he found in that sequestered region a better state of
society than he had expected, and a purer Christianity
than exists in any other part of Asia, as well as an
earnest desire, on the part of clergy and laity, for en
larged means of intellectual improvement, and, above
all, for copies of the Holy Scriptures in their vernacu
lar tongue. He ascertained, to his satisfaction, that
the people are descendants of Israelites— a fact verified
by immemorial and unbroken tradition, declared to be
such by patriarch, priests, and laymen ; that their an
cestors were early converted to the Christian religion,
and that they have maintained their independence
through all the revolutions which have swept over
every other part of Central Asia ; that this statement
is confirmed by the Hebrews in their vicinity, who
consider and pronounce the Nestorians as apostates
from the Jewish religion, and, on that account, refuse
to hold any communion or intercourse with them. In
corroboration of this statement, the doctor adduces
M

266 MISCELLANIES.
certain Israelitish usages and ceremonies as still ob
served by the Nestorians. In what light this latter
species of evidence is regarded by the reviewer will
presently appear. Let me now inquire,
1st. What should induce any people. Christian or
¦psigSLn, falsely to assume the name and character of
Jews or Israelites, a nation which, according to their
own Scriptures, had become " a hissing and a re
proach," a sad monument of God's retributive just
ice ? Is it credible that a people of plain and unsophis
ticated manners, like these Nestorians, could be guilty
of a deception so base and profitless, from any prin
ciple or motive which has ever influenced human
conduct ?
2d. If the Nestorians are not of Hebrew descent,
what could tempt the real Jews to declare them such,
and treat them as apostates ? Can we resist the con
viction that they declare the truth ?
3d. Immemorial tradition, uncontradicted by higher
testimony, is sufficient evidence of national origin. To
customs and prescriptions of such duration as that " the
memory of man runneth not to the contrary," great re
spect is paid in all our systems of jurisprudence ; and
if the question, whether the Nestorians are of Hebrew
derivation, were submitted to an intelligent jury, with
the evidence collected by Dr.. Grant placed before
them in a properly apthenticated form, I am persuaded
their verdict would be in the affirmative. • Indeed, few
nations could produce better evidence of their origin
than the independent Nestorians ; nor is there, proba
bly, another on the globe which has existed so long with
out revolution, or any of the radical changes to which
all human governments are exposed., I doubt wheth
er there is a Jew on the earth who. can substantiate

MISCELLANIES. 267
his claim to a descent from Abraham by higher evi
dence than tradition. As to relying on his observance
of Jewish rites and ceremonies, it would avail him little
in the estimation of Professor Robinson. The latter
might, as in the present case, draw from his Orieptal
fund instances of similar usages in other nations to al
most any extent. " I am circumcised," says the Jew.
" So are the Mohamn(iedans," the professor might re
spond. " I abhor swine's flesh." " So do the Copts."
" I observe fasts and festivals." "So do all the Ori
ental churches ;" and in this manner, and at this rate,
the poor Jew is completely denationalized.*
Thus, unless I am deceived, it must appear, first,
that the supposed restoration of the ten tribes to their
native land, in any considerable number, is wholly un
supported by proof; secondly, in the absence of all
evidence of their removal in any direction whatever, it
inevitably follows that they retained the location as
signed to them, according to the hypothesis of Prideaux.
And although many may have adhered to their national
faith, and although amalgamation with other nations
*' And yet the professor thinks that tithes and circumcision ought to
be practiced by the Nestorians if they were Jews originally. Tithes
and the whole Levitical priesthood had no existence in Israel from the
day that Jeroboam renounced the worship of Jehovah, and banished
the priests and Levites from his dominion, to the day of the final cap
tivity of the ten tribes, a period of more than two hundred and fifty
years. Surely tithes were not revived by the captives.
Circumcision, and all the-bloody rites and sacrifices tmder the Law,
I had supposed w^ere superseded and abolished by the new dispensa
tion. The professor, indeed, seems to intimate that the rite of circum
cision is still binding on the Jewish converts ; but I am un-willing to
believe that such is his deliberate opioion. His words are, " The
apostolic doctrine had reference only to the Gentiles, and not to the
Je-wish converts ; and Paul himself at a later day, circumcised Timo
thy !" To draw broad conclusions from narrow premises is consider
ed bad logic. Is it othervidse in hemieneutics ?

268 MISCELLANIES.
may have occurred to some extent, yet that a large
portion embraced Christianity, and, by a course of de
scent, are now identified with the Nestorians, is a po
sition fairly sustained by Dr. Grant's valuable publica
tion. That faithful and beloved missionary is now, I
trust, at his post, pouring through the press light and
joy over the benighted regions which, he had pre
viously cheered by his presence, and blessed with his
medical skill and spiritual instruction. With him I
have no personal acquaintance ; and if an apology for
this communication is demanded, it must be found in
my admiration of his character, and of the noble cause
in which he is engaged.

THE PURITY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEFENDED.
[Addressed to the Editors of the New York Mirror.^
While statesmen are manifesting their solicitude
for the soundness of the currency, suffer a plain citi
zen to express his concern for the purity of another
medium of intercourse not less important in ,its bear
ing on our social interests ; I mean the language, par
ticularly its orthography. If one is endangered by the
hicreased and increasing multitude of banks, the Other
is in equal peril from the multiplied innovations of pre
tended reformers. In the former case, indeed, the
evil exists in apprehension merely ; in the latter, it is
already realized in no small degree, and threatens to
proceed to an extent still more alarming. Let a lover
of pure English, from either side of the Atlantic, enter
an American readjng-room, where shall be spread be
fore him the diversified products of the periodical
press ; let him behold the discrepancies in orthography
which they exhibit, and the departures of nearly all

MISCELLANIES. 269
of them from the accredited standards of the language,
and he would be apt to imagine that our countrymen
had incurred the fate of the builders of Babel I He
would at least believe that a dialect is here springing up,
differing not less from his mother-tongue than the lin
gua Franca of the Barbary coast from the true Italian.
I believe it is generally admitted that the English
language, long in a state of pupilage, finally reached
maturity, both in orthography and style, during the
reigns of Queen Anne and George the First. The
form which each individual word then received, wheth
er from accident or design, and whether the best that
could.be devised or not, it has, until lately, been deem
ed the part of wisdom scrupulously to retain, because
under these precise forms are embodied all the rich
and varied effusions of genius and imagination from
Addison to Irving. Throughout the whole of that
bright and glorious period of our literature, scarcely a
word became obsolete, scarcely a letter was con
sidered either misplaced or superfluous. Wherefore,
may I ask, should this beautiful system be changed ?
Why must the works of our classick authors, by pre
tended reformations in spelling, be rendered unintel
ligible to the next generation ; or, if made intelligible
by glossaries or through interpreters, why must they
I)e doomed to lose half their sweetness, and all, their
freshness with the youthful reader, by their uncouth
and antiquated appearance ? Why, in short, should a
foreigner be compelled to learn the language twice
over, if he would acquaint himself with the best por
tion of our literature ? It is really difficult to conceive
what benefit it is to countervail these evident disad
vantages, and others that might be named. But it is
-pronounced, by some men of high literary distinction,

270 MISCELLANIES.
a great improvement to reduce our " cumbrous orthog
raphy" by stripping words of such letters as are not
essential to their sound. If this js correct doctrine, it
must be applicable to all cases without exception.
Let the experiment be made. Take, for instance, the
verb know (and what word calls more loudly for re
form ?) ; strip it of its first and last letters, which con
tribute nothing to the sound, and we have no, past
time nu, participle none. What a saving of types,
time, and space ! Proceed in like manner through the
vocabulary, erasing all silent or redundant letters, and
transposing and substituting others as the sound shall
require, and what would be the result? Nothing less
than to obscure the meaning of words, multiply am
biguities, confound etymologies, and, in short, to effect
an- almost total change in the written language; and,
as a natural and certain consequence, the fine classick
models, the splendid productions of British and Ameri
can genius, must, unless reprinted in the new dialect,
be utterly lost to all succeeding generations. Happily,
this renewed barbarism would be confined to our side
of the Atlantic. On the other side, both the language
and its precious literature would still remain, at once
the monument of British wisdom and American folly.
Surely we are not prepared for this ! If we are not,
let us not suffer that to be done in detail which we
should certainly resist if attempted in the gross.
The changes to which I hkve alluded are doubtless
to be ascribed chiefly to the two dictionaries published
by Noah Webster, Esquire, at different periods. It is
a singular fact, that two dictionaries of the same lan
guage should emanate from the same individual, differ
ing materially from each other, and still more essen
tially from all the vocabularies which had preceded

MISCELLANIES. 271
them. Far be it from me to speak disrespectfully of
th6 talents of this gentleman, or to engage in an ex
tended and critical analysis of his works. His defini
tions are satisfactory, and if he had confined himself
to this majn purpose of a lexicon, he would have ren
dered an important service to the cause both of sci
ence ahd literature. His etymology also may be gen
erally correct ; and yet, when, in the introduction to
his larger work, he gravely informs us that the Latin
word malum is derived from the Welsh word mall, I
must be permitted to receive his Persian and Arabic
derivations with some few "grains of allowance."
This branch of philology, however, is comparatively
of small moment. It is from orthography that lan
guage receives its " form and pressure ;" and as ours
has been settled by respectable authority, and sanc
tioned by the best usage, the chief merit of a lexicog
rapher, at this day, consists in suffering it to remain
precisely as he finds it. ' Unfortunately, our author
thought otherwise.
It is not niy purpose, Messrs. Editors, to trespass
upon your columns by a protracted view of these per
formances. I will merely, in conclusion, advert to the
peculiar hostility of the author to the vowel u, mani
fest in both dictionaries. This letter, it seems, was
too great a favourite with our English fathers to be
retained in a vast catalogue of words, in which they
had deliberately placed it, as neighbour, endeavour, &c.,
&c. They were also, as you know, particularly care
ful, when naturalizing a certain class of Latin words,
to give them the national mark of u, as in honour, fa
vour, and a multitude of others. The French adopted
a similar course, and, much to their credit, they firmly
adhere to it. But it ill accords, we must suppose, with

272 Ml^SCELLANIES.
our notions of independence, to tolerate these British
predilections. Accordingly, the author applies his
clipping instrument with merciless rigour, not indis
criminately, as consistency would require, but to every
case in which the operation would be most sensibly
felt. Few changes are necessary in any language
which has attained to a mature state ; none, indeed,
but such as proceed from the rejection of obsolete
words, and the admission of new terms, rendered ne
cessary, in the progress of human affairs, by new dis
coveries, and improvements in science and the arts.
But the precise dress given to any word wlien intro
duced into the vocabulary, it should be allowed, nay,
conipelled, forever to wear. The judicial maxim, stare
decisis, is as worthy of acceptation in orthography as
in jurisprudence ; and let us remember, that every in
stance of innovation in spelling is just one step taken
in the track of pseudo-reform, and tends directly to
the catastrophe which every sincere lover of his moth
er-tongue should most anxiously avoid.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
[ To the Editors of the. New York Mirror."]
Gentlemen, — A learned divine,* in a sermon lately
published, has advanced an opinion that the " English
language will probably, ere long, become the prevail
ing language of the whole world." The prediction, if
it may be Called such, is entitled to respect, as well for
the reasons which may be offered in support of it, as
for the appeal it makes to the honest pride of every
Briton and American. We need not dwell on the ev-
• The Rev. Samuel Miller, D.D., of the Theological Seminary,
Frineetou, N. J.

miscellanies. 273
idence derived from the superiour excellence of the
language, its copiousness, its unrivalled power of giv
ing expression to every shade of thought,jior on the fact
that it embodies all that is valuable in science, and all
that is useful and elegant in literature ; there are other
considerations of sufficient moment to render its uni
versal prevalence a highly probable as well as desira
ble event. Who can doubt that, under a benign Prov
idence, our country is destined to impart her language,
along with her free institutions, to the whole Ameri
can continent ? Nay, from her unequalled increase in
numbers and enterprise, who will say that even her
population may not ultimately overspread every hab
itable portion of this entire quarter of the globe? Then
contemplate for a moment the prodigious extent of the
British possessions, composing an empire upon which
it is no figure of speech to say " the sun never sets."
While over her vast domain Britain is spreading the
genial influence of her laws and her jurisprudence, her
benevolent societies, in concert with those in our own
country, are carrying the lights of science and religion
into Africa, Greece, Turkey^ Western Asia, Persia,
Hindostan, Burmah, China, the Indian Archipelago,
Australasia, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, thus
verifying, in its best ^ense, the mehiorable, boast of a
British statesman, "the mother and daughter against
the world !" for it must be admitted that, with the
exception of the United Brethren, nearly all the mis
sionaries and agents employed in the sacred enterprise
of reforming " a world lying in wickedhess" are chiefly
sustained by British and American munificence. And
the better opinion appears now to be, that our lan
guage ahd literature must be brought to bear upon the
great work of evangelizing the unenlightened nations

274 MISCELLANIES.
of the earth. The gross, idolatry, for example, which
sheds such a malignant influence over Eastern Asia, is
so intimately blended with the pride of false science,
that both seem destined to stand or fall together. His
religion, with its thousand gods, is not more sacred in
the eyes of a Hindoo, than his monstrous system of
astronomy, geography, and metaphysics ; -all are com
prised in their Shasters, and, in his view, are equally
invested with divine and infallible authority. Hence
the necessity of disabusing his understanding before
you can hope to make any successful impression upon
his heart. <Show him, for instance (and instruction in
modern geography will do it), the absurdity of believ
ing that this earth extends many millions of miles, with
successive continents, and intervening oceans of sugar
cane juice, and wine, and milk ; convince him of this
one fallacy, and the entire fabrick of his faith, theolog
ical and physical, falls to the ground. He abandons
the whole at once, and his mind is open to the recep
tion of philosophical and evangelical truths. Now, as
it is preposterous to even think of translating our works
of science and literature into the languages of Hindos
tan, the inference is plain that the English tongue, and
with it the treasures of sound learning, should be first
imparted to its wretched inhabitants, before we may
rationally expect their reformation to become thorough
and universal. The efficacy of this course is fully at
tested by intelHgent laymen "and experiehced mission
aries, long conversant with the institutions and habits
of that ill-fated country.* The same reasons apply,
with more or less force, to Byirmah, to China, and, in a
word, to all the pagan and heathen nations of the earth,
* See an admirable report of the Eev. Mr. Duff to the Gehend As
sembly of Scotland.

MISCELLANIES. 275
and it is to be hoped the plan of combining intellectual
with religious culture will shortly be adopted at all the
missionary stations now existing, or which mav be
hereafter established. Is it, then, too much to expect
that missionary zeal, under the guidance of heaven,
fostered by a spirit of enlarged benevolence at home,
and aided by the facilities resulting from a boundless
commerce, will, at no very remote period, give a uni
versal currency to the English language, and with it
the rich treasures of human science, and the inestima
ble blessings of "pure and' undefiled religion?" Is it
too much to anticipate the- day when the voyager,
British or Amei'ican, in visiting the most distant climes,
shall exchange salutations with the inhabitants in his
own native tongue ; shall recognize around him the sure
tokens of successful industry and of mental cultivation ;
shall listen to well-known accents of praise in temples
consecrated to Jehovah, and shall behold — delightful
spectacle ! — an English Bible the blessed inmate of ev
ery habitation ? Who does not rejoice at the prospect
of such a Consummation ? Who would not contribute
to accelerate its approach ?
If gentlemen, this high distinction awaits the En
glish language, surely it becomes the solemn duty of
the present generation to maintain its purity, and espe
cially to resist those invasions upon its orthography
which threaten not only to mar its beauty, but to de
stroy its identity. Every one in the least acquainted
with the difficulties to be encountered in learning a
foreign tongue, knows well the value of a precise and
uniform orthography. Let the learner discover the
variation of a single letter between his text and his
lexicon, and his progress is effectually checked until
he can obtain light from some other quarter. Now

276 MISCELLANIES.
this embarrassment is sufficiently great when occa
sioned by mere typographical mistake in omitting or
transposing a letter. What shall we say of those vvho
produce it purposely, by multiplying elisions and trans
positions, without sparihg. words of the most sacred
import, and without any other reasons than such as go
to destroy the whole structure of the language, if in
discriminately applied. The naked truth is, these al
terations are governed by no definite rule, but proceed
wholly from caprice and whim ; and, rare indeed are
the instances in which evils so serious have resulted
from experiments of mere sciolists upon the credulity
of the publick. Never, probably, since the day when
the " whole earth was of one language and one speech,"
has the settled language of any civilized nation suffer
ed such egregious injury from a frivolous love of change
as our own mother tongue, in this otherwise highly-fa
vored corner of the English world. We should feel
thankful to a kind Providence that the evil is confined
to this side of the Atlantic, and that even here these
wretched anomalies have obtained so limited a cur
rency, notwithstanding the attempts to circulate and
uphold them by certificates and testimonials more nu
merous, it is beheved, than ever accompanied any oth
er patented nostrum. The good sense of the publick
has prevailed. A few of our periodical journals, in
deed, have adopted them in part, whose editors no
doubt amuse themselves with the eccentricities of the
Downing Gazette, without seeming to reflect that their
own are scarcely less ludicrous.
" Who but must latlgh, if such a man there be !
Who would not weep, if Atticus were he ?"
Yes, gentlemen, I for one feel disposed to weep that
some of our religious journalists are of this number !

MISCELLANIES. 277
Although distinguished for learning and piety, they
send forth their useful intelligence in the garb of the
new pseudography ; sound doctrine it may be, and ex
pressed in language pleasant enough to the ear, but
frightful to the eye ; spelled in a manner which a few
years since would have subjected a schoolboy to se
vere rebuke, if not to chastisement. Why is it that,
professing to sustain the cause of the Bible, they devi
ate so widely from its orthography, and thus, as far as
their influence extends, discredit the sacred volume it
self in the eyes of the rising generation, and not only
the sacred volume, but the best and most approved
authors in every department of literature ? The Bible
is printed in England hy publick authority, according to
the accredited and established orthography. Our na
tional Bible Society, in their various editions, conform
to the English copy ; and it is not the least of the rich
blessings derived from the sacred volume, that its in
valuable translation thus becomes, for both nations, a
safe and unerring standard of the English tongue. It
is in conformity with this standard that our language
must be communicated to foreign nations ; unless we
mean to augment, in a tenfold degree, the labour of
acquiring it by exhibiting two or more distinct dia
lects, and unless we also intend to adopt a course of
instruction far different from that which will certainly
be pursued by our British brethren. Imagine, for a
moment, that the different modes of spelling find their
way to India, and a learned Pundit should thus inter
rogate an American missionary. " I perceive. Padre,
many words in your language which I am assured
are identically the same, but which are, nevertheless,
differently formed. Here, for example, I see in your
Bible the word Saviour, one of the names of the Re
deemer, and here in this book it is Savior ; why is this ?"

278 MISCELLANIES.
Missionary. — " The former word is used in the sa
cred Scriptures ; the latter, in common and more fa
miliar compositions."
Pundit.^" Ah, then you have your Sanscrit also, a
sacred language diverse from yoUr vernacular tongue.
It is strange that the English padre who taught me
your language never intimated any such thing. But
I pray you to inform me what could be the motive for
thus altering this holy name ?"
Missionary. — "The author of the reformed mode of
spelling considers Savior analogous to Senior and Ju
nior, and that it should have, therefore, the same termi
nation."* Pundit. — " Senior and Junior ! they are Latin words,
adjectives in the comparative degree. What possible
analogy can be supposed to exist between these sev
eral terms ? has your reformer no better reason to as
sign for the numerous changes everywhere visible in
the book which you have put into my hands ? As to
the alteration of this word, I consider it nothing less
than impiously trifling with a name which is declared
in your Scriptures to be ' above every name I' Allow
me to tell you. Padre,- that it will be a very difficult
undertaking to teach this double language of yours to
my countrymen."
Unable to frame a sa,tisfactory rejoinder for the mis
sionary, I resign the task to your readers, and con
clude with reminding our conductors of religious
journals, that the apostolical direction to "hold fast
the FORM of sound words" is not more applicable to
doctrinal truths than to the maintenance bf the purity
and stability of the language.
* See the answer of N. Webster to Senex in the~New York Mirror
of 8th March, 1834.

MISCELLANIES. 279
THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER, WITH ALTERATIONS.
[ To the Editors of the New York Mirror. ]
Gentlemen, — Warburton informs us that Pope wrote
the Universal Prayer to silence the cavils which his
Essay on Man had elicited ; not thinking, probably,
that the prayer itself would subject him to animadver
sions scarcely less formidable. The gratuitous and ir
reverent specification of names in the last line of the first
verse ; the uncouth combinations of fate and free-will
in the second and third verses, expressed, too, in bad
grammar ; the hyperbole, bordering on profanity, in the
fourth verse, and the licentious tendency of the fifth —
these are the principal objections offered to this other
wise delightful production. I have humbly endeavour
ed, by a few alterations, in italics, to deliver it from the
obnoxious passages, in the hope that if the versifica
tion is rendered thereby less melodious, the sentiment,
at least, will be more generally acceptable. The in
imitable author has, in my judgment, written few things
more creditable to his muse than this beautiful para
phrase of the -Lord's Prayer. Whether, as thus modi
fied, it shall be received into the " Family Circle" of
your elegant miscellany, is most respectfully submitted.
Father of all, in every age.
In every clime adored.
By saint, by savage, and by sage.
The same Almighty Lord !
Thou great First Cause ! best understood
WhUe ¦with an humble mind
I feel but this, that thou art good,
Aud that myself am blind ;
Yet gav'st me in the darkest hour
To see the good from ill.
And hast, though infinite in power.
Left free the human wiU.

280 MISCELLANIES.
What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do.
This teach me faithfully to shun,
"Sh&t firmly to pursue.
For blessings thy free bounty gives.
Let hourly thanks arise;
For God, to him who thus receives,
Adds joys beyond, the skies.
Yet not to earth's contracted span,
Thy goodness let me bound.
Or think Thee Lord alone of man,
When thousand worlds are round.
Let not this weak, .unknowing hand
Presume thy bolts to throw.
And deal damnation round the lano
On each I judge thy foe.
If I am right, thy grace impart.
Still in the right to stay :
If I am wrong, oh teach my heart
To find that better way.
Save me alike fixim foolish pride,
Or impious discontent.
At aught thy vrisdom has denieC
Or aught thy goodness lent.
Teach me to feel another's woi.
~ To hide the fault I see ;
That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.
Frail as I am, and wholly so,
WUh&ipt thy quickening breath
O lead me whereso'er I go
Through this day's hfe or death
This day be bread and peace my lot
All else beneath the sun
Thou know'st if best bestowed or not.
And let thy -will be done.
To Thee, whose temple is aB space,
Whose altar earth, sea, skiei!
One chorus let all beings raise !
All nature's incense rise !

MISCELLANIES. 281

[To the Editors of the New York Mirror. ]
Gentlemen, — The following account of the bombard
ment and defense of Stonington during the late war
with Great Britain, has been recently received from a
respectable citizen of that town, who not only was pres
ent through the whole affair, but, as I learn from other
sources, performed his full share of duty upon that mem
orable occasion- I have availed myself of his permission
to abridge the narrative in some measure, lest it should
occupy too large a space in your valuable paper ; no im
portant fact, however, is omitted. We have reason to
believe the transaction was highly beneficial in its con
sequences ; for, without doubt, the daimtless spirit with
which the people of Stonington resisted the invaders,
effectually deterred the enemy from any further attempt
to execute the threat previously announced, of laying
waste the whole maritime frontier of Connecticut. Not
having before seen a detailed statement of operations
during the attack, and believing that it deserves a more
faithful and enduring chronicle than mere tradition, I
cheerfully consign it to the columns of the Mirror.
BOMBAKDMENT AND DEFENSE OF STONINGTON.
No part of the sea-coast of Connecticut is more ex
posed to annoyance from an enemy, than the village of
Stonington. It is compactly built, on a point of land
extending into the sea, with a harbour easy of access and
wholly unfortified. During the late war, while the na
tional vessels were blockaded in the harbour of New
London by the British fleet, the inhabitants of Stoning
ton were under continual apprehension of a visit from
the enemy. The blockading ships were in fair view of

282 * MISCELLANIES.
the village, and their boats almost daily reconnoitered
along the coast, apparently with other objects than the
interruption of commerce. We implored the general
government for protection, but it was not found conven
ient to grant it. The governour of the state, however,
sent us a small guard of militia to aid the inhabitants in
keeping a nightly watch, and sound the alarm in case
the enemy should approach. Despairing of further aid,
the citizens, who were disposed to do their duty to their
country and to themselves, resolved to take their de
fense into their own hands. By voluntary labpur, three,
temporary breast-works were thrown up in different po
sitions. At the upper work a flagrstaff was planted
and a small platform prepared, on which were placed
two fine eighteen pounders, which had been obtained
from the national government previous to the war.
Scarcely were these hasty preparations made, when, on
Tuesday, the ninth of August, 1814, the hostile fleet was
perceived to be in motion, passing through Fisher's
Island Sound, and coming on in the direction of Stoning
ton. Various conjectures were formed as to their des
tination ; few of us, however, supposed that so formid
able a force could be arrayed for the attack of our de
fenseless village. As they continued to approach, the
female portion of our population expressed great alarm,
which soon rose to indescribable consternation when
the whole squadron was seen to enter our harbor, con
sisting of the Ramifies, seventy-four, the frigate Pacto-
lus, the bomb-ship Terrour, and the brig of war Despatch,
of twenty guns. Soon after they were moored, a barge
put off from the nearest ship and rowed toward the
shore, bearing a white flag. A momentary consultation
was held among the inhabitants who were then assem
bled on the question, What shall be done? when it was

MISCELLANIES. 283
decided, as by a general impulse, to meet the foe ! Im
mediately several gentlemen entered a boat and pro
ceeded to receive the flag. The officer of the barge,
the first lieutenant of the Ramilies, presented an unseal
ed communication, of which the following is an exact
copy, but refused to answer any interrogatories further
than to say he had performed his duty in delivering the
message of the commodore.
"His Britannic Majesty's ship Pactolus, 9th of August, 1814, )
halfpastSP.M. 5
" Not wishing to destroy the unoffending inhabitants
?esiding in the town of Stonington, one hour is granted
them from, the receipt of this to remove out of town.
" T. M. Hardy,
" Captain of his Majesty's ship Ramihes."
I shall not attempt to describe the agitation which
this message occasioned. Its brevity, its awful import,
the overwhelming force of the enemy, our defenseless
condition, and the short time allowed us to remove our
" unoffending" women and children, and to prepare for
the conflict, awoke sensations which can be more easily
conceived than expressed. The brief space allotted us
was diligently employed in taking our non-combatants
to places of safety, and in collecting whatever ammuni
tion could be found in the possession of individuals, while
ten determined volunteers took their stand at the breast
work, to observe the first movements of the enemy. All
remained quiet until eight o'clock in the evening, when
the Terrour commenced the bombardment by throwing
a shell into the town, and continued with short intervals
to fire bombs and carcasses through the night. Nothing
was done, at that period, on our part, except once dis
charging an eighteen pounder at the brig, which had
suspended a lantern ui her shrouds, but immediately

284 MISCELLANIES.
hauled it down from the apparent effect of the shot.
As soon as the day broke on Wednesday, the enemy's
barges appeared at a short distance from the east^ide
of the point, and commenced firing their rockets at the
buildings. Immediately a sufficient number of the vol
unteers dragged one of their guns across the point, at
tacked the barges from the open field, sunk one of them,
compelled the rest to retire, and, in the midst of a raking
fire from the brig, returned to the breast- work in safety.
At sunrise, the brig of war commenced firing upon the
town, approaching within grape-shot distance of the
shore. At the same moment the Terrour resumed the dis
charge of rockets, and throwing of shells and carcasses.
While the brave men at the guns were doing their duty,
others equally fearless followed the rockets and car
casses to the buildings, and extinguished the fires they
were kindling ; a perilous service, which they continued
to perform to the end of the conflict. - The men at the
breast-work had ammunition for one gun only, which
they aimed with deadly effect, hulling the brig at every
shot ; but their powder at length failing, they reluctantly
retired for a short time, until the express which they
had dispatched to New London should return with a
supply. This, to their great joy, arrived at eleven o'clock
A.M., when they instantly repaired to their post, nailed
their colors to the staff, opened their fire anew, and with
such effect that the brig, in no great length of time, to
avoid being sunk, cut her cable and retired, leaving her
cable and anchor behind, which were afterward secur
ed, and are still preserved. During this exhibition of
desperate valour, the men were driven to the expedient
of making cartridges with clothing torn from their bod
ies, and weeds collected around thfr breast-work ; and

MISCELLANIES. 285
when the match-rope failed, they fired the cannon with
a small gun snapped over the vent. The number of
men thus engaged at no time exceeded twenty, all equal
in command. The bombardment continued until Thurs
day, when a cessation of hostilities took place, and a
flag was sent from Commodore Hardy, with a message,
the purport of which was to require us to send on board
his ship Mrs. Stewart, the British consul's wife, then in
New London, and to give a pledge that we would not
send torpedoes to annoy his ships. On our compliance
with these terms, he engaged the bombardment should
cease. With a spirit becoming the occasion, he was
told, in reply, that no comphance could be expected from
us, and no favours were asked of him beyond what the
rules of honourable warfare required. The bomb-ship
then recommenced her fire of shells and carcasses ; and
on Friday, after the Ramilies had fired two broadsides
at the town, the squadron, about noon, retreated to the
place from whence it came, with little cause of triumph,
it is believed, at the result of the expedition.
Should it be asked how many lives were lost on our
part, I must answer, with gratitude to God, not an in
dividual was killed. One young man received a wound
in the knee, and died six months afterward. This state
ment may appear incredible, when it is considered that
during a part of the conflict the men were wholly ex
posed to the enemy's fire ; that their breast-work was
merely a mound of earth ; that the star-spangled banner,
which hung low over their heads, was pierced with
many balls, and the board fence and buildings in their
rear were perforated in a manner so remarkable, as
would seem to render it impossible that any of them
could have escaped uninjured. It will also be seen that
those who were engaged in watching the houses, and

286 MISCELLANIES.
guarding them against the effects of the rockets and
shells, were exposed to dangers of no ordinary kind.
Their unremitting efforts prevented a single instance of
conflagration, although many buildings were greatly in
jured by the balls and shells, and some were wholly
destroyed. The bombardment, it is perceived, lasted from Tues
day evening to Friday noon, during which many inci
dents bf an interesting nature occurred which can not
now be detailed. One instance, however, of female for
titude and filial piety united, I feel it a duty to record.
A few rods in the rear bf the breast- work stood a small
house, in which resided an aged .widow and her daugh
ter. The mother was sick and could not be moved.
Her daughter . remaihed alone with her through the
night of Tuesday and the battle of Wednesday, until
the mother died. The daughter then went forth to an
nounce the fact and obtain assistance to bury the dead.
No. female aid could be had ; all had fled. A few men
assembled, but perceived, they could do nothing with
the body except to take it with the bed and covering,
and bury them together. Accordingly, they carried all
to the nearest burying-ground, where they found a hole
made by the fall and explosion of a shell, in which the,
whole were interired, and where they have since re
mained. The composure, the passive courage as well,
as dutiful affection of the daughter, astonished all who
saw her. Without calling for aid or uttering a com
plaint, she continued at the bedside of her dying mother
until her death, while cannon-balls were often passing
through the house, and even the room where she sat.
Her name is Huldah Hall. She is still .living, poor in
worldly substance, but " rich in faith," and, I doubt not,
" an heir of glory."

MISCELLANIES. 287
The writer of the foregoing narrative has furnished
no estimate of the enemy's loss, as he probably possessed
no certain evidence of its aniount. But if we may cred
it the account published at the time, it was far from
proving a bloodless affair to the assailants.
Expresses were also sent to convene the neighbouring
militia, who promptly assembled, were organized in the
confines of the town, and stood ready to meet the enemy
if a landing had been effected.

APPENDICES.

N

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A.
Memoir of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith.
, The Rev. Cottdn Mather Smith was bom at Suffield, on the 16th of
October, 1731. His father, Samuel Smith, was grandson of the Rev.
Henry Smith, who came from England an ordained minister of the
Gospel, and was installed the first pastor of the cbiirch in Wethersfield
iu 1646. His mothfer was grand-daughter of the feev. Increase Mather,
president of Harvard CoUege, a distinguished father of the New England
churches, aud whose son, the Rev. Dr. Cotton Mather, was alike au
ornament to the evaiigeMcal ministry and to the republic of letters.
The subject of this memoir was named after the celebrated divine last
mentioned, and was early designed by his pious mother for the same
sacred employment.
At college Mr. Smith was distinguished for sprightliness of genius,
uiicommon agility of body, and a truly amiable disposition. He grad
uated at Yale in 1751. His Latin exercises, and varibus efiusions in
prose and verse, which are still preserved, evince that his time was not
misemployed, and that he deserved the character he acquired, of a
respectable scholar. From college Mr. Smith went to reside at Hat^
field, Mass., where his mind became seriously impressed, and after
makmg a pubhc profession of our holy religion, he immediately entered
upon the study of divinity -with the Kev. Mr. Woodbridge of that town.
While pursuing his theological studies, he was strongly sohcited, and
at length consented, to take charge of a school which had been recent
ly established among the Indians at Stockbridge. In this novel and
difficult situation, Mr. Smith acquitted himself beyond his own hopes,
and to the entire satisfaction of those who employed hira. He at once
ingratiated himself vrith the savages by mingling in their athletic
sports, and exhibiting feats of bodily activity that served not less to ex
cite their astonishment than to establish his ascendency over them.
They soon yielded him impHcit obedience. He was indefatigable in
his exertions, became a proficient in their language, and by his zealous
efforts to blend religious instruction vrith the elements of human knowl
edge, accomplished as much for their improvement and eventual ref
ormation as could weU be effected within the same period upon minds

292 APPENDIX A.
eo unpromising. Having completed the term for which he engaged,
Mr. Smith returned to Hatfield, resumed his studies, and was examin
ed for the ministry in 1753. He had preached two years as a candi
date when he accepted the call of the church and congregation in
Sharon, Conn., and was ordained their pastor, August 28, 1755. He
soon after married the second daughter of the Rev. William Worthing
ton, of Saybrook; a woman of singular accomplishments, and eminently
calculated for that truly delicate station, the wife of a country clergy
man. By her Mr. Smith had six children, two only of whom siu:vive
him. In the common round of pastoral duties, arduous as it imdoubtedly
is, there is a uniformity which furnishes but few incidents worthy of
particular notice. Mr. Smith, however, encountered trials which, a
reference to his diary would show, were of no ordinary kind. These
it is not the design of the writer to enun>erate. Let it be mei-ely ob
served that he found a people divided in sentiment, extremely loose in
their moral habits, and scattered over a parish nine miles in length and
seven in breadth. They had been overrun by schismatics, who had
left traces of heresy in almost all its forms, and the minds of no incon
siderable number had been poisoned by a club of professed infidels in
a neighboring province. For a situation attended, with such -pecuhar
embarrassments, few men were ever better qualified. Mr. Smith was
not only " a scribe well instructed" in the great doctrines of the Christ
ian religion, he also exempUfied its duties in his life. To great pru
dence aud circumspection of conduct, and a just sense of the dignity
of his muiisterial character, he added a demeanor highly courteous and
conciliating. While, therefore, "by a, manifestation of the truth he
commended himself to every man's conscience," by his gentle aud af
fable deportment he won irresistibly the favorable regard even of his
most bitter opponents. He -risited at short intervals every part of his
society, was " instant in season and out of season," and vrith his various
aud useful talents, having also acquired a considerable knowledge of
the healing art, he was frequently enabled in his parochial visits to
combine medical aid with the consolations of religion. His character
istic attention to the sick and afflicted of his flock, was strikingly mani
fested at the time the small pox raged with uncommon virulence
throughout the town. Within the space of two months nearly seven
hundred were subjects of the disease. It was in the midst of a severe
winter. • Nurses could not be obtained. The pastor, at this inclement
season, was almost unceasingly employed in relieving and comforting
the sufferers, insomuch .that he never put off" his clothes to rest for
nineteen successive days and nights.
But the spiritual welfare of his people was the chief object of his

APPENDIX A. 293
solicitude. That spirit of hcentiousness which existed among them at
the period of his settlement, and which discovered itself in gambling,
tavern-haunting, and their concomitant vices, filled him with the deep
est anguish. Not confining himself to general animadversions from the
desk, he descended to private and personal admonitions ; even entered
at the midnight hour the haunts of dissipation, and adding to the author
ity of a teacher the entreaties of a friend, dispersed at once the guilty
associates. This was done so prudently as never in any one instance
to give offense, and s6 effectually as to afford him the satisfaction, long
before the close of his ministry, of beholding his parish exceeded by
none for love of order and habits of sobriety. By attentions like these,
by unwearied diligence in his pastoral functions, by his fervent piety
untainted "with bigotry or enthusiasm, and by his peculiar talent at dis
playing the ease and cheerfulness of a companion vrithout losing sight
for a moment of the solemnity of his official station, it is not strange he
should gain the confidence, and secure the sincere and lasting attach
ment of his people.
Mr. Smith was the early and decided friend of his country in her
struggle for independence. Having received the appointment of chap
lain to the northern army, he cheerfully left his family and flock, and
served in the memorable campaign of 1775. The hardships aud priva
tions he endured proved too great for even his vigorous constitution.
He was attacked by a putrid fev'er, which brought him near the grave,
and ft-om the effects of which he never wholly recovered. His important
services during that trying season vrill be remembered by those of his
survivors who were then the partners of his toils. They consisted in not
merely denouncing the -rices of a camp, and exhorting to the love and
practice of piety, but also in comforting the sick, animating the dis
heartened, and enforcing the necessity of strict discipline and military
subordination. So eminently useful did Mr. Smith render himself in
these respects, that he attracted the particular notice of the command
er-in-chief,* who from that time forward entertained for him a, cordial
and unreserved friendship, manifested in a course of generous and af
fectionate conduct, that terminated only vrith his life.
Not to trace this laborious servant of Christ through all the active
scenes in which he was engaged, whether in his own society, or in his
missions to the new settlements, and other public appointments, it
would be doing injustice to his memory not to mention the esseutiaV
serrices which, in the character of a peace-maker, he was enabled to
perform for the Church of God. As a counselor in difficult cases of dis-
cipUne, he was highly distinguished. So singular was his address m
composing differences in societies, and in restoring harmony to contend-
* Major-general Schuyler.

294 .APPENDIX A,
ing brethre^a, that his assistance on such occasions was eage,rly sought
by all the neighboring churches, and even by those at a great distance.
And here, perhaps, it is no more than an act of oomnion justice to our
Presbyterian brethren to add, that near the close of his life, Mr. Smith
declared, as the result of long experience, his decided preference for
the Presbyterian form of church government, and expressed his ardent
desire that it might be embraced by all the Congregational churches in
New England. An opinion thus deliberately offered by one so exten
sively conversant in ecclesiastical affairs, and on a subject with which
the prosperity of Zion is so intimately connectedj th^ writer devoutly
hopes will be seriously considered by all those "who love our Lord
Jesus Christ in sincerity."
In the relations of private life, Mr. Smith shone with peculiar lustre.
A cheerful disposition, sweetness of temper and great tenderness of
heart, accompanied by divine grace, made him aU that could be desired
in the offices of husbsmd, parent, and friend. In him, literally, " tha
fatherless found a helper." Besides the necessary care of his.own fam?
ily, he had the principal charge of eighteen orphan children, ui the
course of liis active and useful life, aud not .unfrequently have ten of
this description been seen at a time round his charitable board. While
tlius alive to the miseries of otljers, he bore his own grievous and multi.^
phed afflictions with exemplary patience. Having buried several chil
dren, he sustained in the year 1800 an irreparable loss in the sudden
death of his excellent wife, when on a visit to her daughter iu Albany.
This severe and unexpected stroke was received with all the sensibility
of the man, mingled with the pious resignation of the Christian. But
so necessary to his comfort wag tl^e habitual tenderness of his affection
ate companion, that after her death, although his cheerfulness never
forsook him, his health nevertheless visibly declined. Perceiving at
length his inability to discharge his pastoral duties: in a manner satisfac
tory to himself, he requested of his society a colleague in the ministry.
The request was readily granted, and in the year 1804 he had the hap^
piness to " cast his mantle" upon " one of the sons of the prophets" not
less beloved by himselfthan acceptable to his people. For this " prec
ious ascension gift," as the aged pastor himself styled it, he failed liot
for the remainder of his life to offer his daily and fervent thanks to the
great Head of the Church.
In the year 1805, a period of fifty years having-elapsed since his or--
dination, Mr. S, preached his h,alf-ci,ntury sermon to a numerous and
deeply-affected audience, ironi Luk6, ii,, 29, 30 : " Lord, now lettest
thou thy servatit depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyesi
have seen thy salvation." ¦ j
It has been the lot of few clergyBjgn to preach ou such an occasion.

APtKNDlX A. 295
Few occasions, it is believed, are calculated to awaken in others a more
feeUng regard. Aa aiged minister of Christ thus calmly revie-wing the
labors of fifty years, and enterintg, so to speak,, into a solemn reckoning
with his people, was in truth a spectacle which mere men of the world
could not behfflH -with indifference, but which, to the pious observer,
was unspeakably interesting. Nor was the scene rendered less im
pressive by the circumstance that few, very few of those who were
present at his ordination. Were allowed, " by reason of deatii," to wit
ness this affecting transaction. Some extracts firom. the sermon, were
not this article already too far extended, would doubtless gratify the
reader. As the entire performajice may shortly be given to the pnblic,
let it suffice for the present merely to observe, that the, preacher, in the
course of his ministry, had delivered upward of four thousand public
discDurseSi and more than_^/i!ee» hundred at fimerals and other speciai
occasions. Mr. Smith preached his last sermon, and administered tbe sacrament
of the Lord's Supper for the last time, on the first Sabbath in January,
A.D. 1806. A disorder vrith which he had been for some time afflicted,
and which, on its fii'st appearance, he considered a» fatal, had now di»
abled him from a further attendance at the altar. He, however, con-
tinusd in a Ungering state for several months ; vievring the gradual and
certain approach of death without dismay, bearing the reiterated at
tacks of a most excruciating disease not only without a murmur, but in
a spirit of humble submission to the divine disposal, and employing his
intei'vals of ease partly in social, solemn, aud interesting conversations
vrith his friends, but principally in a dfligent perusal of the Holy Scrip
tures. The sacred volume had'occupied through hfe much of his time
and attention ; it was now his only " sbidy and delight." He seized
the occasion which a short respite from pain afforded him,. two days be
fore his. dealJi, to offer his dying testimony to the truth of the Holy
Oraolesi After recapitulating and briefly enforcing the essential doc
trines of the Gospel, he concluded with the following remarkable words :
" These things I have preached to others, and these things I myself be
lieve as fidly as that the Bible is the word of God ; and this I believe
as fully as that Ijie Son of God was made manifest in the flesh ; and thia
I believe as fully as that God governs the world'; and this I believe as
fully aa I believe in my own present existence and approaching disso
lution. Lord, help mine unbelief!" From that time few words es
caped him; fbr, although relieved from pain, and in the clear possession
of his reason, his power of utterance seemed to have failed; stilf, to an
appropriate prayer made by his colleague just before his decease, ha
added, " Amen," in an audible and emphatic manner. Remaining thus
in an apparently tranquil state oif body and mind, until the morning of the

296 APPENDIX B.
27th of November, 1806, he expired vrithout a struggle, in the seventy-
sixth year of his age, and fifty-second of his ministry.
Mr. Smith was an engaging and persuasive preacher. A comely
person, pleasant voice, and graceful manner ; a strong, discriminating
mind, well stored vrith sound and practical learning, and a heart ex
panded vrith love to God and man, united to render him a popidar and
successfiil champion of the truth. That he was a disciple of the Calvin-
istic school, is evident as ^e\\ from several of his occasional sermons
already published, as fi:om the uniform tenor of his pubhc ministrations.
Those doctrines of the Gospel which the spiritual fathers of New En
gland steadfastly maintained, but Which are the subject of so much pet
ulant cavil at the present day ; those doctrines which to the nominal
Christian are "a stumbling block," and to the open enemies of the
cross " foolishness," but which to the believer are the "wisdom of God
aud the power of God," found in him an active and faithfid advocate.
To his excellence in private life, let those attest who have enjoyed his
society, or participated in his extensive benevolence. If a rare combi
nation of useful talents long and steadily devoted to the interests of tho
Redeemer's kingdom vrill form a title to the distinction, it c£m not be
deemed presumptuous to assign to this excellent man a conspicuous
place iu the bright catalogue of worthies who have edified and adorned
the churches of New England.

APPENDIX B.
Obituary of Mrs. Smith.
[From the New York Spectator of 1800.]
Died, at the house of Judge Radcliff, in Albany, on the 26th of June
last, on her return from Ballston Springs, aged 68 years, Mrs. Smith,
the amiable consort of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, of Sharon, Con
necticut, and daughter of the Rev. William Worthington, an eminent
divine, formerly of Saybrook. There were traits in the character of this
¦woman too remarkable to be soon forgotten. To an understanding far
above the coinmon level of her sex, she united in as eminent a degree,
probably, as any one that ever lived, all those virtues that adorn and
add lustre to a female, untainted even by the semblance of weakness
or folly. In every domestic duty, equally with those which a long life
of singular usefulness had rendered conspicuous, and under every dis
pensation of Providence, the same complacency and equanimity, the
same dignified simplicity, the same reverence for our holy t-eligion,
shone -with uniform grace and beauty. Nor were prudence and fore
sight less distinguished features, the economy of her household discov-

APPENDIX c. 297
ering a mind rich in taste and resources. Her cares were not confined
to her own family. She sought out the poor and the afflicted, whom
she reheved by every means in her power ; and, possessing equal skill,
was often of more avail than a physician. So universal in its exercise
was this disposition of kindness and benevolence, that in an extensive
congregation she was claimed almost as a common parent. She knew
no distinction between hej own offspring and those whom the hand of
Providence had, in numerous instances, placed tmder her protection
and guidance. She was a pattern to all the wise and good ; her exam
ple admonished the refi-actory, and kept the licentious in awe : words
of sweetness dwelt continusdly upon her Hps, the natural effusions of her
pious and affectionate heart. When society and friends are bereft of
such models of excellence, they derive consolation from the behef
that the reward of superior worth will be found in the realms of bUss.

APPENDIX C.
Address from the Connecticut Legislature to the President of the United
States.
Sir : The Legislature of the State of Connecticut is not in the habit
of interfering in the administration of the general government, nor of
obtruding opinions or advice upon the councils of the Union. We have
been accustomed to exhibit, as a fair and sufficient proof of our affection
for the national Constitution, a uniform obedience to the laws, and an
undeviating respect for the constituted authorities. But at a time when
the American nation is deeply injured and insulted by the lawless ag
gressions and imperious claims of a foreign power — when our enemies
profess to confide in our disunion, and boast of " the means" of severing
the affections of our citizens from the government of their choice, it
woidd ill comport with our duty or our feelings to repress the senti
ments by which we are animated.
That the United States, extensively concerned in commercial inter
course, should have been in some degree affected by a war which des
olates Europe, was to be expected ; but that a neutraUty strict and im
partial should be openly and insidiously attacked— that intrigues of a
complexion and character the most formidable to our internal peace
should be industriously practiced— that one ambassador should be re
fused an audience, and that three envoys sent expressly as messengers
of peace should be b-eated vrith contemptuous neglect;. or, for their
overtures so just and honorable, demands shoujd be substituted the
most insolent and insufferable, by the government of a nation assuming
the high appeUation of a great and magnanimous repubUc, was not to

298 Appenbix d.
be believed till realized, and can be ascribed solely to a Itlst of dom
ination which knows no bounds, and to an abandonment of the princi
ples of morality and justice without example in the history of the world.
Filled with astonishment and indignation at events which threaten
bur national existence, we highly applaud the dignity and firmness so
conspicuously displayed by the executive, and the prompt and effica
cious measures adopted by the government, and we assure them of our
firm and hearty support.
We deprecate war, but we cherish our independence. It -was won
by a struggle too severe to be easily surrendered. 'We revere the
names,"the virtues, and the sufferings of our ancestors ; the inestimable
gift of ciric and rehgious freedom derived from them shall not be im
paired in our hands ; and no sacrifice of blood or treasure shall be es
teemed too dear to transmit the precious inheritance to posterity.
Accept, sir, in this perilous hour, our most sincere vrishes for your
personal happiness, and for the peace and honor of the nation over which
you preside. Reposing entire confidence in the wisdom and fortitude
of our rulers, we commit them and the interests of this great people to
the God of our fathers.

APPENDIX D.
Judicial Decisions of Governor Smith.
The first case involved the pri-rilege of a member of the Legislattire
from suits during the session. It was a^pparently not a very strong casO
in favor of the privilege. A writ of error was sued oat and delivered
to the officer, before the defendant was elected a member of the Legis
lature, and it was not returnable until after the close of the session ; but
it had been served upon the defendant, not by arresting him, but simply
as a summons during the session, while he was in actual attendance as
a member. This he pleaded in abatement of the writ of error. Judge
Smith was of opinion, I: That the service of the writ was an invasion
of the defendant's privilege ; and, 2. That this matter was a sufficient
ground of abatement. This opinion he supported by a few cogent
reasons, cleariy and neatly expressed, and there left the suhjeet. The
Other judges concurred ifrith him, except that one judge thought that
an abatement of the suit was not the necessary consequence of a viola
tion of privilege.
In another case, he led the way in asserting the doctrine that the
own^r of land bounded on a high-*^ay, owns the soil to the centre of
that highway, subject only to the public right of passage. In the estab
lishment of this doetrinerhe was aided by the vigototia mind of Judge

APPENDIX D. 299
Swift ; but he failed to gain for it tho assent of a majority of the court
and but for another point in the case, in which all were agi-eed, the re
sult would have been the other way. Judge Smith lived to see this
doctrine as well settled, here and elsewhere, as any maxim of the com
mon law, or any axiom of science. Being at that time the youngest
member of the court, this opinion illustrates the independence of his
mind, as well as the soundness of his judgment.
Another case in which Judge Smith gave the first opinion, wherein
a majority of the judges concurred, turned upon the diligence required
of the assignee of a promissory note under a special assignment, and the
competency of a witness under the circumstances of the case. These
subjects are treated by him with his usual perspicuity and neatness of
expression ; but the case is not of sufficient pubhc interest to require
further notice.
The last of the cases referred to is of a different character. It em
braced sOme important points in the ecclesiastical as well as civil polity
of the staite. It was an action brought by the Second Ecclesiastical
Society of Suffield against a lessee of the to-wn, for f* piece of land
called the Ministry Meadow, which in 1671 had been dedicated, by the
proprietors, for tlie use of the ministry, to continue and be improved
for that use forever. The second society was incorporated in 1740 ;
and in 1797, the first society released its interest in the land to the
second society for the use of the ministry. The lease of the town to
the defendant was executed in 1794. The question was, whether the
town had a right to appropriate this land to its own use. The court
decided unanimously that it had not, and designated Judge Smith to
give the first opinion. After a few introductory remarks, he laid down
the following principles: " The proprietors of a tract of land intended
for a town may appropriate or set apart a portion of their territory for
the support of the Gospel ministry ; and this is deemed a vahd aliena
tion although there is neither alienee nor trustee then in being.
" Whenever the to-wn is incorporated, it is at once possessed of an ec
clesiastical as well as civil capacity.
' "In -virtue of the former, it has power to call and settle ministers, to
build places of public worship, to receive and hold real and personal
estates for those uses, and to manage such lands or funds as may have
been originally dedicated to the same purposes.
" The town continues to perfoirm these functions, until a portion of
the mhabitants shall be formed mto a separate ecclesiastical society.
" By this operation, the remaining inhabitants become,, in fact and in
name, the>s< society, and, as such, are mstantly vested with all those
rights which the town, in its ecclesiastical capacity, had before exer
cised. The town thenceforth loses its two-fold character. It can no

300 APPENDIX E.
longer interfere in parochial afifairs, but exists -wholly as a civil corpo
ration." He then added : " Whatever might have been my opinion, if this
¦were -a. case of first impression, I now feel myself bound to regard
these as fundamental principles. They are so thoroughly interwoven
vrith our whole system of tenures, that to disturb them would be equally
inconsistent with private justice and public policy."
From these premises, he came to the evident conclusion that the
lease of the town was of no validity. The decision, it is beheved, met
the entire approbation of the profession and of the pubhc.

APPENDIX E.
Speeches to the Legislature.
The three following speeches, dehvered to the Legislature of Con
necticut in 1813 and 1814, are here given in full, chiefly for the hght
they throw on the course of Governor Smith during the war, but also
as specimens of his state papers. Their brevity stands in striking con
trast to the wearisome verboseness that has of late years become so
fashionable. Speech, May, 1813.
Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Representatives :
The events of the war in which we are engaged, admonish us that
the states situated on the maritime frontier will be left, during the
present campaign, to provide principally for their own defense. Hence
an important duty is devolved upon their several Legislatures ; one
which was, probably, not contemplated at the adoption of the national
Constitution, but which seems to have arisen, necessarily, from the new
and extraordinary condition in which we are placed. This state
bounded extensively on navigable waters, presents to an enemy many
inviting objects of attack. The inhabitants at the most exposed points
in the absence of other means, look vrith confidence to theu-' state gov
ernment for protection. The powers, vested /or this purpose in the
commander-in-chief by the resolutions heretofore passed, have been
executed as far as circumstances would permit. But other measures
¦will be found necessary, and you must allow me, gentlemen, to press
the subject upon your early and serious consideration. A system of
defense withiii the compass of our resources, and combining efficiency
¦with economy, you ¦will doubtless thiuk it expedient to adopt with the
least possible delay. The sums it may be necessary to appropriate to

APPENDIX E. 301
this object, we have a right to expect -will ultimately be refunded by
the general government ; it being an essential purpose of the confed
eracy, that expenses incurred in a common cause should be defrayed
from a common treasury. But, whatever- may be the prospect of au
eventual remuneration, I am persuaded you -will leave no effort un-
essayed to protect the lives and fortunes of your fellow-citizens.
While the adversary is multiplying his means of annoyance, it be
comes an interesting inquiry, fi-om whence our succors are to be ob
tained. The na-vy of the United States, although its achievements have
astonished the world, is confessedly inadequate to the protection of the
whole American coast. The regular army is employed in distant en
terprises. The militia, according to the decision of our executive,
sanctioned by the Legislature, and, I may add, by the people,-can not
be required, from the obvious construction of the Constitution, merely
to. wait at posts and in garrisons for the possible advance of an enemy.
In this state of things, we are, no doubt, prepared to appreciate those
measures of precaution "which were adopted at the last and preceding
sessions of the General Assembly. . .
The duties imposed on the executive by the " Act to estabhsh a
mihtary corps for the defense of the State," have been generally per
formed ; and, notwithstanding the difficulties experienced in accom
plishing the object, without materially deranging the ordinary militia,
and the short time which has elapsed since the recruiting sendee com
menced, I have the satisfaction to inform you that the enUstments have
surpassed expectation. A force is thus provided which may not indeed
be adequate to every emergency, but which vrill probably be sufficient
to meet the first approaches of the enemy, and to sustain the conflict
until the militia can be brought to their assistance. It vrill not, how
ever, escape your observation, gentlemen, that to render this force in a
high degree efficient, fiirther legislative pro^rision is indispensable.
The several companies of exempts associated under the "Act to
raise certain volunteer corps," have been regularly formed, and their
officers commissioned. Appointments to the higher grades of office
were delayed, from the difficulty of locating the regiments while asso
ciations were forming in different parts of the state. It is hoped that
at no distant day the organization may be completed.
We can not commend too highly the zeal and alacrity displayed by
the citizens composing these two distinct coi-ps. Men who have thus
promptly entered into the service of the state, allured by no splendid
promises of high wages and liberal bounties, exhibit a spirit of patrio^
ism, and an elevation of character which, in the hour of trial, wiU not
disappoint the hopes of theu- country.
Our militia establishment will claim a degree of attention proper-

302 APfENDii «.
tioned to the importaice of the crisis. Its rapid Advances in improve
ment, and the proSpebt that its entire Services may be Shortly required,
will induce you to complete the reforms heretofore suggested, and to
make those additional regulations tlie pubhc exigencies demand. Al
though the miUtia Of Cotmecticut are probably as well armed aS those
of our sister states, still we have to lament a Very considerable defi
ciency in that esSentlsd article j a deficiency, however, Which Would
have been nearly, perhaps Wholly supplied, if the state had received
her proportion of arms, pursuant to the " Act of Congress making appro
priations for arming the whole body of militia," passed the S3d of April,
1808. The expenditures under this act, and the manner in which the
arms already provided have been disposed of, will be Seen in a report
of the secretary Of war, transmitted in obedience to a resolution of the
House of Representatives at the last seisiOh of Congress. This docu
ment will be laid beforft you. Oi comparing it with the act just men
tioned, you vrill discover how far the provisions of the latter haV6 beets
carried ihto effect.
I have received from the Governor of NOrth Carolina a Copy of the
resolution lately adopted by the Legislature of thitt state, recommend
ing an ameUdment of the Constitution Of thft t/nited States in relation
to the choice of electors of president and vice-president, and Of rep
resentatives in Confess. I comply with the request of his excellency
in laying the resolution before you. But I feel it my duty at the Same
time to remind you, gentlemen, that the General Assembly havO hith
erto ¦riewed this mode of Originating amendments of the ConstitufiOii
as not recognized in that instrument, and, on that ground, acceptable as
the proposition may have beett in principle, they have rmiformly, I be
heve, refused their Concurrence.
Amid the serious embarrassments occasioned by the ¦War, aUd the
antecedent restrictions upon commerce, we have the consolatioii to
witness a remarkable progress in manufactures, aid itt the cultivation
bf the useful arts. Thfr increase of domestic fabrics, and the extensive
manufacturing establishments already in operation, furnifeh no slight
evidence that the mdustry and enterprise of Our Citizens, however
resti-ained, are not wholly sUbdU^d. As the relations of master and
apprentice are thus greatly multiplied, it merits consideration, should
time permit, what further provision is necessary to enforce their re
ciprocal duties. RegulatioUs especially which shall insure the ordi
nary means of education to the growing numbers of the yourig of both
sexes, eiuployed in the several factories, wiU evidently comport with
that soUcitnde which our public couricils, in all periods of our history,
have manifested for the intellectual and moral culture of the rising
generation. .7

APPENDIX E. 303
Vbe freemen having failed to elect a lieutenant-governor, you will
doubtless proceed at an early day in the session, to appoint a suitable
person to that office.
I will not detain you, gentlemen, by a particular allusion to the vari
ous matters which may properly employ your deliberations.
A detailed view of the funds and resources of the state vriU, as usual,
be submitted by the proper officers, and will demonstratet I trust, that
your fiscal concerns are managed with fidelity and success. The
prosperous condition of our finances, the steady operation of the laws,
and the internal tranquillity which has so happily prevailed, are subjects
of fervent gratitude to Heaven in the midst of the severe national judg
ments with which we are visited.'
Assembled to direct the affairs of the Common^wealth at this moment
ous period, you can not fail, gentlemen, to be impressed with the deep
importance of united councils and decided measures. To perform with
fidelity our federal engagements, and to maintain resolutely the indis
putable rights of this government against every aggression, vrith a hum
ble rehance on the protection of Divine Providence, are high aiid sol-
emu duties. On my part, there is a sincere disposition to co-operate
in every attempt calculated to secure the present safety and durable
prosperity of the state, and to advance the real interests of this nation.
John Cortou Smith.
Spbech, October, 1813.
Gentlemen of the Couneil, Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Representatives :
The severe pressure of the war upon the people of this state gives
unusual importance to the present session of the General Assembly.
As I have conceived it necessary for the public safety to avail my
self of the enlarged powers delegated to the executive by the resolutions
of the last Legislature, it is proper that I submit to your consideration a
brief statement Of the circumstances under which those powers have
been exercised.
When the United States' squadron took refuge m the harbor of New
London, it was at Once perceived that the decayed and feeble state of
the fortifications afforded a precarious defense. The menacing appear
ance of the hostile squadron at the entrance of the harbor, and the
strong probability that the town would be destroyed in the conflict,
which was hourly expected, produced among its inhabitants the great
est oonstematirin. In this moment of alarm, the major-general of tho
third division, and the brigadier-general of the third brigade, considered
themselves justified, at the earnest entreaty of the citizens, in summon
ing the fliilitia to their assistance. Havmg issued orders for that pur
pose, they immediately dispatched an express to me with intelligence

304 APPENDIX E.
of these h-ansactions, and requested my particular directions. On this
occasion,:! could not hesitate aa to the course which it became my
duty to pursue. The government of Connecticut, the last to invite
hostilities, should be the first t» repel aggression. In my view, it was
not a time to inquire into the character of our enemy, or the causes
which made him such, when our territory was invaded, and our citi
zens were demanding protection ; and when no inconsiderable portion
of our gallant navy was exposed, within our own waters, to instant cap
ture or destruction. I made no delay, therefore, in signifying to those
officers my entire approbation of their conduct. The necessary sup
phes were immediately forwarded, and, generally, such measures of
defense were adopted as the emergency evidently required. Informa
tion ofthese proceedings, and of subsequent operations at New London,
was duly transmitted to the general government ; and the instructions
of the president,^ in relation to this important subject, were requested.
I received assurances from the national executive, that measures would
be taken to put the fortifications on the eastern side of .the harbor of
New Londpn into a respectable state of defense ; that the wages of the
militia, thus called into serrice under the authority of the state, should
be paid from the national treasury ; and that prorision would be made
fbr hquidating and discharging the accounts of the commissary ai^d
quartermaster departments.
The cause which first occasioned the array of a military force at
New London has not ceased to operate. Accordingly, at the request
of the general government, a considerable body of troops has been
kept at that station. I have endeavored, conformably to the advice
of the council, to divide the duty between the militia and the military
corps, and to spread detachments of the former over the several bri
gades. To men, however, who are accustomed to other pursuits, the
service could not be otherwise than burdensome. The remark is par
ticularly apphcable to the regiments in the vicinity of New Loudon.
From their proximity to the scene of action, .they were, of course, first
brought into the field ; and although they were dismissed as speedily
as circumstances would permit, yet the frequent alarms produced by
sudden augmentations of the enemy's force as frequently compelled
them to return. They have suffet-ed losses and privations, which could
be equaled only by the patience and magnanimity vrith which they
were endured. Their hardships were unhappily increased by an oc
currence which, as it is intimately connected- with -these transactions,
ought not to be omitted. . An order from the war department for the
dismission of all the militia then on duty, arrived at the moment a de
tachment from the distant brigades was on the march to reheve those
who had been so repeatedly called into service. Believing the geiierjd

APPENDIX E. 305
government had the right of determining what degree of force would
suffice to protect the national property, and being unwilling to obtrude
the seivices of our citizens upon the public when they were not desir
ed, especially at a season so very important to our husbandmen, I issued
instructions giving full effect to the order. Scarcely, however, had the
disbanded troops reached their several homes, before a request for the
militia was renewed, enforced by an urgent petition from the principal
inhabitants pf New Loudon and Groton. This comliined application I
felt no disposition to refuse. The requisite aid was immediately order
ed, but, from the necessity of the case, men who had been just dis
charged were obhged to repair again to the post of danger, and to
remain uutU a new detachment could be leried and brought to their
relief. The ground of this procedure is hitherto unexplained.
The patriotism displayed by the officers and privates, both of the
mihtary corps and the militia, during the whole of this anxious period,
merits the highest commendation. While their ready obedience to
the first summons of their government has shown them to be the best
of citizens, their strict attention to every part of mihtary duty has
proved them to be the best of soldiers. They have given the state in
disputable evidence of their attachment to its institutions, and of their
abihty to defend them.
The British force stationed in our waters ha-ring occasioned great in
quietude along the -whole of our maritime frontier, every precaution
consistent with a due regard to the general safety has been adopted for
its protection. Guards are placed at the points most exposed. In
many towns on the coast, the citizens exempt from mihtary service,
animated by a laudable zeal, have formed volunteer companies of ar
tillery pursuant to the act, and the quartermaster-general has received
directions to supply them vrith ordnance. The resident mihtia, wheth
er infantry, artillery, or cavalry, have been excused from other duty,
and are allowed to remain as a local defense ; and sufficient quantities
of ammunition are distributed, suited to the various descriptions of
force. In our present state of preparedness, it is beheved a descent
npon our coast -will not be attempted ; or, if attempted, a well-ground
ed hope is entertained that it vriU be attended with little success.
Unfortunately, we have not the means of rendering our navigation
equally secure. Serious depredations have been committed even in
our harbors, and to such an extent that the usual communicatiou
through the Sound is almost wholly interrupted. Thus, while anxiously
engaged in protecting our public ships, we are doomed to witness the
unrestrained capture of our private vessels, and the consequent suspen
sion of commercial pursuits. These, it must be admitted, are necessary
effects of a state of war, but they are not the less to be deplored.

306 APPENDIX E.
In obedience to a resolution of the Assembly, passed at the last
session, I made immediate application to ijie government of the United
States for tlie proportion of airms to which the mihtia of this state is en
titled, under the Act of Congress making appropriations for that ob
ject ; and Ihave' the satisfaction to inform you that two thousand stands
are received. By the act just mentioned, it.is made the duty of the
Legislature to provide by law for their distribntiom
The various military supplies authorized by the resolves of the last
session, have been, for the most part, procured. The wisdom of the
Legislature in these preparatory nieasures became sufficiently evident
from the events which soon after occurred. As the United States were
not in a condition to provide tents, camp equipage; or the suitable am
munition, our troops were fiimished in these respects, and for a con^
siderable time with subsistence also, by tiie quartermaster-general and
commissary-general of the state.
You "will perceive the expediency, gentlemen, of carefully revie'wing
the " Act for forming and conducting the military force of this state."
Several obvious amendments are suggested by the present circumstan
ces of the country. Among others, it is desirable that the penalty for
refusing or neglecting to perform a tour of duty, agreeably to the pro
visions of the act, should be rendered more definite, if not more efficient.
You will alsp consider the propriety of prescribing rules for the govern
ment of the militia, while in actual service under the authority of the
state. Although recent experience may have shown that au habitual
love of order and subordination supersedes, in a great measure, the
necessity for any new restraints, still you will reflect whether it is
either prudent or safe to remain, in this, respect, destitute of any posi
tive regulations.
It will not be expected, gentlemen^ that I should recommend partic
ularly to your notice the various subjects which usually occupy the
deliberations of the Assembly. They are confined principally to affairs
of a local nature, aud will not escape your observation. Our political
system calls for no theoretical reforms, nor does our happy state of
society depend upon a multiplication of laws. I. should rejoice in
being permitted to announce to you that our prospects abroad corre
spond with that degree of quiet and security to be found at home.
Gentlemen, the progress of the war affords little hope that its calam
ities will soon come to an end. The characteristic bravery of our
seamen, in whatever setvice they are engaged, is indeed a just theme
of national exultation ; and it is devoutly to be wished that our naval >
triumphs may produce an auspicious effect upon this unhappy contest,
the evils of which are seen and felt in whatever concerns the real
prosperity, of the country. To mitigate these evils, you will be dispos-

APEENDtX E. SOT
ed to employ every feculty which the structure of otu- government
allows you to exercise ; and if any constitutional effort on your part
may contribute to remove them, I am persuaded it wiH not be vrith-
held. The sentiments of the people of Connecticut upon this moment
ous subject can not be misunderstood. Their disapprobation of the
war was pubhcly declared, through the proper organ, shortly sifter
hostilities commenced ; accompanied with an assurance that the ob
hgations imposed by the Constitution should, nevertheless, be strictly
fiilfiEed. If no event has occurred to vary their opinion, the highest
evidence is fiimished of fidelity to their engagements. They have
pursued that honorable course which regards equally the legitimate
claims of the confederacy, and the rights and dignity of their own
government. It is vrith peculiar satisfaction, gentlemen, that I meet you in General
Assembly at this interesting period. I cheerfully submit to your ex
amination those measures "which the crisis seemed to, demand, and
whieh my best judgment led me to adopt. And I shall cheerfully ac
cept your counsel and direction relative to that line of conduct which
the executive ought to observp, as well under the circumstances which
now exist, as iu those emergencies which will probably arise.
While we implore the smiles of Divine providence upon our en
deavors to promote the public welfare, let us be thankful that amid
the distresses of war so, mueh internal tranquillity has prevailed, and
that, notwithstanding the revolutions which agitate the world, we still
enjoy the privileges of freemen, with dispositions to defend and per
petuate these inestimable blessings. John Cotton Smith.
Speech, May, 1814.
Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker, and GentlemeTt of the House of
Representatives :
Since the last session of the General Assembly, it appears that nego
tiations for peace ha^e commenced between the United States and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. To the people and gov
ernment of this state, whose sentiments respecting the origin and prog
ress of the war are well known, any sincere and honorable endeavors
to bring it to a close could not fail to be acceptable. Negotiations,
however, in the midsiof active hostilities, are as unpromising as they
.ate unusual. If there existed no intrinsic difficulties in settling the
terms of accommodation, this clrcumstence alone should induce us to ad
mit with caution the expectation of a favorable-result.
I am not informed that any effectual ai-rangements are made by the'
national government to put our sea-coast into a more respectable state
df defense. . Should the plan of the last campaign be revived, and es

308 APPENDIX E.
pecially should the war retain the desolating character it has been
made to assume, the states on the Atlantic border can not be insensible
to the dangers which await them. " To provide for the common de
fense" was an avowed, and it may -with truth be said, the chief purpose
for which the present Constitution -was formed. How far this object
is promoted by aiming at foreign conquest, and resigning our most
wealthy and populous frontier to pillage and devastation, becomes a
momentous inquiry. Whatever measures, gentlemen, you may think
proper to adopt on the occasion, I feel assured they will flow from an
equal regard to your own rights and to the interests of the Union. In
any event, I am persuaded that we shall place no rehance on the for
bearance of a declared enemy, and that if the aid to which we are en
titled is withheld, the means which God has given us will be faithfully
employed for our safety.
It is with concern I lay before you an official account of the destruc
tion of a very considerable number of private vessels at Saybrook, by
a detachment from the British squadron. The misfortune is imbittered
by the reflection that it would probably have been prevented by a small
force stationed in Fort Fenwick, at the entrance of Connecticut River.
It vrill be recollected that a guard, authorized by the United States,
was kept at that post nearly the whole of the last season. It was dis
missed early iu December. Information of the exposed condition of
these vessels, aud of the consequent apprehensions of the. town for its
o-wn safety, -was duly transmitted to the war department, and the at
tention of the government to these important objects was earnestly so
licited. It was presumed, as there were regular troops in the vicinity,
either that the request would be promptly complied with, or, if such
an arrangement was inconvenient, that this government would be frank
ly and seasonably apprised of it. In the latter event, the force of the
state would have been apphed not less readily to the protection of the
persons and property of our citizens, than it had been to the defense
of the national squadron. Under the circumstances then existing, the
council, whom I particularly consulted, could not thiuk it advisable
for the state government to interfere.
The facility with which this enterprise, was effected having embold
ened the enemy to approach bther harbors on the Sound, I have felt it
my duty, at the urgent request of the inhabitants, to direct troops to
be stationed at various points, and to adopt other measures of precaution
suited to the occasion. I rejoice that so soon after these occurrences
I am permitted to avail myself of the assistance and direction of the
General Assembly.
In reviewing our means of defense, gentlemen, you will perceive a
deficiency iu field artillery. The particular deepriptjoji of guas which

APPENDIX E. 309
were ordered by a former resolution of the Assembly, it has been found
impracticable to obtain ; and yet such additions are made to the corps
of artillerists by the organization of the state troops, and the patriotism
of mihtary exempts, that we are brought to the alternative of disband
ing some of the companies, or of supplying them vrith ordnance. These
additions to our mihtary strength are indeed temporary, and vrill cease
with the causes that produced them; but the guns you may now pro
cure must be an acquisition of permanent value, especially if it should
be thought expedient to convert a portion of the cavalry hnio flying ar
tillery — a change which, it is believed, would be highly acceptable to
them, and which, it is obrious, must add greatly to our effective force.
While bestowing your usual attention upon the militia, you will not
lose sight of the importance of establishing a system of regulations for
their government, when in actual serrice under the authority of the
state. A plan for that purpose -was devised, but not matured, at the
last session. On this subject I will barely remark, that mihtia com
posed principally of substantial citizens, vrith whom war is not a pro
fession, aud whose love of civil order is habitual, must be presumed
not to require those rigid rules enforced by sanguinary punishments,
which have been deemed indispensable in a regular army.
Althoughour navigation vrill be necessarily embarrassed by a con
tinuance of the war, we have the consolation of beholding it at length
freed from the restraints of our own government. As the principal
reason assigned for imposing the last restrictions existed in full force
at the time of their removal, we have grounds to conclude that the
¦whole system is relinquished, from a persuasion that it is tmauthorized
by any provision of the Constitution, as well as from a conviction of
its injurious effects upon the best interests of the country. In this
view of the subject, we may indulge the hope that individual industry
and commercial enterprise wiUnot hi future be subdued nor discour
aged by novel and hazardous experiments, and that the benefits of a
correct and stable pohcy -will be seen and appreciated.
The encouragement already extended by the Legislature to the man
ufacturing interests of the state, has been amply rewarded. I trust
establishments for these objects are not multiplied beyond what the
probable condition of the country, upon the return of an active com
merce, -vn}! be found to justify, and that we may therefore congratulate
ourselves on an important increase of productive capita,!, vrith the pros
pect of its being permanently and advantageously employed. Should
the General Assembly also lend a fostering hand to agriculture and do
mestic manufactures, the effect could not be otherwise than eminently
beneficial. The cultivators of the soil have a just claim to the patron
age of every well-regulated government; while no principle in poht-

810 APPENDIX F.
ical economy is more evident than that an improved state of husbtuad-
ty, and of the arts associated vrith it, is a direct augmentation of the
essential resources of tiie Commonwealth.
The demands upon thfe treasury in consequence of our various mili
tary preparations, will suggest the expediency of improvin| the funds
of the state, if it can be accomplished Vrithout, adding materially to the
burdens already felt by our constituents. The exppase, both of blood
and treasure, arising from the present contest, is perhaps not more to
be lamented than its unhappy influence upon the political institutions
and moral principles of the nation. If we can not restore peace, we
may do much to diminish the baneful effects of war. Such eXpedientSj
gentlemen, as yOu may propose^ to oheok the progress of licebtiousness
and impart energy to the laws, shall receive ray zealous co-operation.
Gentiemen, notwithstanding the Uation is unfortunately involved in
the struggles which have long agitated the extern continent, let us be-
w^are of aUoWmg oUr passions or prejudices to be engaged in the con-
fli'ctimg interests of tiie Old World. The Wonderful changes continually
dcenrring in that region Will produce their proper effect here, by ad
monishing us of the evils ef Unprincipled ambition and a thirst of con
quest, and by teaching us to plaCe a just estimate upon our own happy
forms of government. We are urged by a sense of honor, as well as
of duty, to avoid foreign predilections, aud to cherish a real love of our
country; to extinguish, within the reach of our influence, that spirit
of political animosity, which is destructive of the remedial powers of
the CoUstiturion, to wait patiently for the free and efficient operation
of public opinion, and in the mean time,^-with an humble trust in Divine
Providence, to resist firmly, and from whatever quarter, every en
croachment upon our rights. John Cotton Smith.

APPENDIX F.
Fast'Day Provlamution.
As a specimen of the Christian character of his official papers, one of
his proclamations of the annual State Fast is here given. There is in
them a clear, distinct recognitioa of the Christian &ith, and a deep
Sense of the sovereignty Pf the Lord in all the aflhirs of men, such as is
most befitting to a Christian magistrate, and would ever find a quick
response in the hearts of a truly Ohristaau people.
Hy his Exeelltncy John Cotton Smith, Esq., Governour and Commandr
erdw-CkiefinakiovertheStideofConneetictd.: A Proclamation.
Fi-om a just view of theiJ depeadence upon the Motr Hioh far e-very

•APPfeNDiX f, 311
temporal and spiritual blessing, the people of this state have been ac
customed to devote a day in eacli year, to the sacred purpose of public
ly afcknowled^g the supremacy of that Being wliose Providence con-
trouls ahke the affairs of individuals and of nations ; of lamenting their
abuse of His mercies, and their insensibility under His frowns ; and of
beseeching him, i;hrough the merits of the Redeemer, to forgive their
past ingratitude, to bestow upon them those favours which are essential
to their eomfert here, and, hy a sanctified use of His dispensations, to
prepare them fOr the exalted pleasures of a fiiture and a brighter world.
To the intent, therefore,'that this laudable usage may not be neglect
ed, I have thought proper to appoint, and I do hereby appoint, Friday,
the twelfth Day of AprU next, to be observed throughout this state as
a day of Public Homiliation, Casting, and Prayer. And I earnest
ly c^l upon ministers and people of ah denominations, to assemble on
that "lay in their respective places of rehgious worship ; that before our
Heavenly Father we may bring to remembrance our individual and
national transgressions, the ungrateful returns we have made for His
unnumbered blessings, our disregard of his judgments os well as of the
great deliverances He has v^froUght for us, and our criminal neglect of
the denunciations of His Law, and the gracious invitations of His Gos
pel. And whilst with deep contrition and abasement we contemplate
our unworthiness iu his sight, let us ¦with humble hope and confidence
look for pardon and acceptance to that atonement which has been per
fected by the blood of His Son, and implore the assistance of His Holy
Spirit to reform our lives, and to consecrate them to His Service ; that
by a course of sincere and cheerftd obedience we may secure " His
favour, which is life," and " His loving kindness, which is better tljan
hfe." And I do recommend that fervent prayers be offered to Almighty
God for His blessing npon the various interests and concerns of the
state, upon our Civil and religious institutions, our schools and semina
ries of learning, and upon the several associations which have been
formed for the alleviation of human suffering, and for the advancement
of science and virtue : that He would graciously impart vrisdom to our
councils, fidelity to our judicial and executive officers, and a spirit of
concord and unanimity to our citizens : that He would impress us with
a solemn sense of His afflictive visitations, especially in remo-ring by
death those who have held distinguished places of pttbKc trust, and
have been the honoured instruments of promoting the prosperity of tho
Commonwealth ; and that from time to time He would raise up and
qualify such to fill the various departments of government, as shall be
influenced by a regard to His glory and the best good of their coun
try: that He would prosper us iU all our lavriul pursuits, in Our torn.

312 APPENDIX G.
merce, manufactures, and husbandry, and crown the openjijg year with
health and peace, and a competent supply of the fruits of his bounty :
that " with favour he would encompass us as with a shield," and make
us a people to his praise : that it would please him to afford his pater
nal care to the several states of the Union, and to the government es
tablished for their common interest and safety; that he would bless
the President and Congress, and so direct their consultations and en
deavours, as that the freedom and independence, the tranquillity and
happiness of this extensive Republic may be secured and transmitted
to the latest generations : that he would put an end to the sufferings
of mankind from ignorance, and violence, and oppression, and accom
pany with almighty power the efforts of the Christian world to extend
the knowledge of his glorious Gospel, until all nations shall receive
and obey its divine precepts, and own the universal reign of the Prince
OF Peace.
All servile labour and vain recreation on said day are by law^ for
bidden. Given under my hand at Hsirtford, the nineteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred aud sixteen,
and in the fortieth year of the Independence of the United States
of America. John Cotton Smith.
By his Excellency's command, T
Thomas Day, Secretary. J

APPENDIX G.
Bible Society Addresses.
Governor Smith was seldom absent from the annual meetings of the
Bible Society, and the addresses which he delivered on these occa
sions were distinguished for a felicitous succession of topics, and the
simplicity and chaste beauty vrith which they were handled. Two or
three of them are subjoined. Address, May, 1839.
My respected Friends :
There are few occasions more impressive than the annual meetings
of this society ; for no institution of human origin ceiu be more sacred
in its object, or more benign in its influence on the happiness and the
hopes of men. To be constituted almoners of God's richest gift to our
race ; to be enabled by his boUnty to offer the wandering and lost pil
grim a sure guide to his final home, cheering his way thither vrith the

APPENDIX G. 313
purest joys and the brightest anticipations, is a privilege and a distinc
tion for which we should render our most humble and grateful adora
tion. In view of the Divine Beneficence toward the American people,
it would become them to adopt the language of the shepherd-king of
Israel, when contemplating his elevation from the sheepfold to a throne,
" What am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought
me hitherto !" Who, at the period of our Revolution — and some of us
have a distinct remembrance of its soul-stuTing scenes — who, I repeat,
could have imagined that this young country, then bleeding at every
pore, would so soon not only attain to her present height of worldly
greatness, but would also exhibit the phenomenon of sending the Bible
to the Old World ! Yea, of sending the light of divine truth to the
region whence it first emanated, the sacred ground where the Redeem
er revealed his mission of love and sealed it -with his blood ! to coun
tries visited and taught by his apostles, to Persia, aud India, and those
far-distant islands, where the transforming power of this wonderful
book is at the present moment exciting universal astonishment ! Nor
have our aborigines, and Africa, and even civilized Europe, been whol
ly overlooked in this broad scheme of Christian philanthropy. If a re-
rie'w ofthese transactions may justly produce a virtuous exultation, ¦we
must look for its legitimate effect in corresponding exertions to meet
the multiplied appeals to our benevolence from these and other desti
tute portions of the globe. The increasing demand for the Holy Scrip
tures affords exhilarating evidence of the successful progress of truth,
and of the zeal and faithfulness of the excellent men who are employed
in its promulgation. To us these soldiers of the cross confidently look
for tlieir spiritual armor, for that mysterious word which is at once
" the sword of the Spirit" and " the balm" of heavenly consolation.
Shall they look in vain ? ShaU their draughts upon your board be dis
honored? Will the friends bf the Bible faint and tire in its cause?
Never, while there shall be found on earth one desolate heart to ask for
the Word of Life, or one empty hand extended to receive it !
In fiirtherance of the enterprise in which we are engaged, yonr Board
of Managers have rendered an essential service;^ by a careful collation
of their authorized copy of the sacred text vrith a/oc simile of our un
rivaled version as it came from the hands of the translators, and vrith
numerous intervening copies of different dates in the Sociefy's Ubrary.
The task was arduous, but the gentlemen who achieved it felt them
selves abundantly rewarded by the high gratification of findmg no ma
terial departure from the genuine copy— nothing more, indeed, than
discrepancies in punctaiation, and other particulars equaUy unimportant.
With augmented- confidence, therefore, have the board recommended
the Enghsh version as the model to all, who, under our auspices, are

311 APPENDIX a.
translating the Bible in other languages. Nor have they scrupled to
give their unquaUfied sanction to the course pursued by our translators
in adopting, or, as it is called, transferring the original word wherever
aa equivalent term can not be found in the foreign tongue. And a
perfect coincidence of this kind can scarcely be expected in any sup-
posable case. It certainly did not exist between the two most copious
and polished languages of pagan antiquity. The Greek and Latin
tongues reciprocated transfers in repeated instances. When the early
Christian fathers rendered the original Greek of the New Testament
into Latin, they found it necessary to adopt and Latinize the most im
portant of the identical words which, from the same necessity, were
subsequenfly adopted and anglicized by our translators. On the other
hand, when the Roman laws were translated into Greek for the use of
the Oriental Empire, the lesumed jurists of the imperial cotu-ts employed
in that service, found many cases in which the whole Greek vocabula
ry was utterly inadequate to a just expression of the meaning of the
original. What was to be done? Without hesitation, and "without
regard to Attic elegance," they transferred the original terra itself,
barely giving to the Latin word the sonorous termination of their own
more musical language. And -what course can be more unexceptiona
ble ? What more equitable, especially in cases where a diversity of
construction may possibly arise ? What thanks are due to a superin
tending Providence for thus allowing a perfect freedom of interpreta
tion to eivei-y section of the Christian Church !
But in extending our views to distant nations, let us not lose sight of
our own. From the rapid increase of our native population, as well as
from foreign accessions, many families in almost every part of our coun
try must now be destitute of a Bible. To whom shall this important
department be confided? If our American youth generally would
emulate the noble spirit of the young men in this city, the work, we
have reason to beheve, might be speedily accomplished. It is worthy
of particular notice, that of numerous auxiliaries, if many have equaled,
no one has exceeded the "Young Men's Bible Society" here in gener
ous and wisely-directed measures to promote the great objects of the
Parent Institution. This is, indeed, to "remember their Creator" in
its appropriate and most affecting sense, in a way to insiu-e blessings
not less invaluable to themselves than to the recipients of their bounty.
It is cheering to observe that the youth of some other cities are copy
ing, vrith commendable zeal, this bright example. Should it be fol
lowed throughout the Republic, -who can estimate its auspicious bearing
ou the destinies of this nation ! With what transport would the dying
patriot resign his country into the hands of a generation who shall have
consecrated the morning of life to so glbribus a purpose !

APPENDIX Gi 319
. While with grateful hearts we recognize the smiles of heaven upon
the operations of the board during the past year, ¦we deeply feel the
afflictive dispensations of a holy Providence in removing by death the
¦rice-preSidents Bolton and Van Rensselaer since the last anniversary.
The former, a highly-respected citizen, had Sustained the office from
the first organization of the Society ; and after his removal from Geor
gia to this city, he was punctual iu hi^ attendance at the Board of Man
agers, where his faithful services will be long and affectionately remem
bered. The gentleman last named has left testimonials of his worth
too numerous and distinguished to require the tribute of my humble
eulogy. Still it is due to private friendship to say, that from the com
mencement of our acquaintance in early youth to his lamented depart
ure, I have regarded his career ¦with unmingled admiration. Who, in
truth, has not admired the proofs of his Cultivated and Well-balanced
mind, his superiority to the blandishments of fortune, the dignified sim
plicity of his demeanor, his elevated and straightforward course as a
statesman, his humble and exemplary walk os a Christian, the monu
ments, on all sides, of his pubUc munificence, and, what is more, the
gentle flow of that heaven-bom charity whichj With the silence of the
dew, he shed on the cottage of the vridOw and the fatherless, and upon
"him that had no helper!" Surely his record and his reward are ou
high! During the Same period, also, we have been called to mourn the de
mise of the venerable Boyd, an active and useful member of the board
from its earliest establishment, and whose ¦virtuous life has afforded a
well-founded hope of a blessed immortahty. Would that I might here
have closed this sad obituary ; but we who have beheld iu the late
president of the Wesleyan University the steadfast friend and patron of
this Society, and have felt the power, of his eloquence at our annual
celebrations, must be indulged in the expression of unfeigned sorrow
at the early termination of his valuable hfe ; a life eminently devoted
to the advancement of rehgion and sound learning— in a word, to the
best and highest interests of his fellow-men. Short as has been his
pilgrimage, lasting ¦wUl be the memorials of his extended usefulness ;
and although his voice shall be no more heard with delight in an earth
ly temple, we trust it is attuned to more exalted strains in the paradise
above. Smce Such, my brethren and fiiends, are the consolations under sore
bereavements which are derived from the precious volume we profess
to cfrculate, let our sympathies be alive to the dark and hopeless con
dition of the many miUions of the human race upon whom the Sun of
Righteousness has never risen vrith healing m his beams.

316 APPENDIX G.
Address, May, 1842.
My respected Friends :
I trust it is ¦with a becoming sense of the Divine goodness that I am
allowed, at my advanced age, the unexpected pleasure of attending
this sacred festival, and of uniting vrith you iu a thankful acknowledg
ment of the smiles of Heaven upon the transactions of the Society the
past year.
We can scarcely commend too warmly the officers and agents of the
board for their active and meritorious services ; nor ought we to vrith-
hold the just meed of praise from the Auxiliaries, who readily comphed
¦with the desire expressed at the last anniversary for a re-survey of
their respective districts, and the supply of any fkmihes which might
be found destitute of the Holy Scriptures.
It is hoped the good work may be prosecuted by others to the fiill
accomplishment of the object.
The several affiliated societies in this city have uniformly manifested
a most exemplary liberahty in sustaining the general ol^ects of the
Parent Institution, and in distributing the Word of Life not only to the
needy of their own population, but also to seamen in merchant vessels,
and destitute foreigners arriving on our shores. Their example has
been followed in a truly praiseworthy manner by the Young Men's
Bible Society in Cincinnati, who have not only distributed vrith alacrity
the bounty of the Parent Board among the boatmen and river-men ou
the Western waters, but who have generously supphed from their own
fonds the steamboats on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers each ¦with two
copies of the Bible, to the number of two hundred and eighty-two ves
sels, since the commenceme;it of the operation. It is pleasant to add,
their bounty has proved so acceptable to the recipients, that the Society
has resolved to extend it to aX\ future cases.
The formation of a Bible Society in the Sandvrich Islands, recent
ly recognized by the board as an auxiliary, is an event not less aston
ishing, than dehghtful to every benevolent heart. Within the recol
lection of many in this assembly, those islanders exhibited a ferocity
of charsu;ter unstu^iassed in the history of savage Ufe. Such, however,
is the transforming power of the rehgion of the Bible, that in places
where deeds of unparalleled atrocity were perpetrated, may now be
seen spacious temples erected and consecrated to Jehovah, and throng
ed with enhghtened and devout worshipers. We may well adopt
the language of the Psalnnst, " This is the Lord's doing ! It is marvel
ous in our eyes !" '
You must have learned, vrith evident satisfaction, that at the instance
of the General Agent of the Virginia Auxiliary, the Secretary of the

APPENDIX G. 317
Navy has issued an order to the commandants of the Navy Yards to
supply each mess in the respective crews of public vessels entering on
service with a copy of the Holy Scriptures — an arrangement replete
vrith consummate ¦wisdom and an elevated Christian spirit. If the navy
may be justly pronounced the right arm of the nation, it eminently be
comes those who ¦wield that ai-m to acknowledge and to feel their de
pendence on " the right hand of the Most High," and their obhgation to
reverence and glorify his name. It is a cheering thought that the ex
terior defense of the country is confided to ships replenished with the
Word of God ; and that while our gallant seamen may carry terror and
discomfiture to our avowed enemies, they may bear to distant and bar
barous climes, instead of the thunder of artillery, the song of angels !
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good--wiU toward
men !" Should the other Christian powers adopt a similar course, no
conceivable measure would tend more directiy to promote the peace
and friendly intercourse of nations, and ultimately to insure the tran
quillity of the world.
Analogous to this beneficent operation is the late circular of the Sec-
retaty of State and Superintendent of Common Schools in the State of
New York, recommending the New Testament as a class-book in the
district schools of the state. The subject of furnishing schools -with
the Bible has seriously engaged the attention of this society ; and it is
gratifying to find the views here entertained ably supported in the doc
ument to which I have referred. The remarks of the secretary, how
ever, -would estabhsh vrith equal clearness the expediency of giving
the schools the benefit of the whole Bible. It is the glory of that pre
cious volume, that, aside from its intimate connection with our immortal
destiny, it contains treasures of vrisdom and knowledge adapted to ev
ery condition of human hfe, and to every grade of intellectual capacity.
While it fiirnishes themes for the vigorous exercise of the loftiest minds,
it affords abimdant means of illumination and improvement to the most
limited understanding.
If learners of mature years are edified and dehghted with the histor
ical and preceptive, the beautifiil and subUme portions of the Bible,
those of a tender age are scarcely less affected with its touching narra
tives, its divinely parental cotmsels, and the affectionate concern for
the present and eternal welfare of children and youth, so mercifully
revealed in its sacred pages. In short, no human being can be deemed
educated who has not been brought under- moral culture. And where
shall we look for a perfect system of ethics but in the Scriptures of
truth ? Surely that scheme of elementary instruction must be incom
plete whicli excludes them from the primary schools. And such was
the early sentiment of the fathers of this nation.

318 APPENDIX G.
They placed the Bible in aU their schools as an essential element of
education-^an indispensable preparative for usefulness in this hfe, as
well as for the joys of the life to <;ome ; and what was the result ?
Clear -riews of duty to God, and a just estimate of indiridual and social
rights and obligations, the only sure basis of private prosperity and na
tional greatness. If the hallowed influence of this system was triumph
antly tested during the memorable contest for our national sovereignty,
be assured it has in no degree lost its efficiency ; and faint is the hope
of perpetuating the rich inheritance then acquired, but by recurring to
the same system.
Among the applications to thte board for aid in translating and pub
lishing the Holy Scriptures in foreign lands, is an interesting communi
cation from the American Mission at Constantinople,' announcing that,
by the blessing of God, the translation of the Old Testament into the
Armeno-Turkish language is at length completed ; that of the New
Testament having been preriously accomplished. The task, it appears,
was attended vrith serious difficulties, and required several years for
its performance. A -well-grounded confidence iu the superior learning
and high Christian character of the translators, entitles the work to the
grateful acceptance of the numerous aud comparatively intelligent peo
ple for whom it is designed. Two things in the report are worthy of
particular observation. The first is, the thorough preparedness of the
translators for their undertaking. Although the missionary was well in
structed in the Hebrew-text, he felt, as every foreigner should feel, the
immeasurable importance of an intimate knowledge of the language
into which the original was to be rendered. He ¦was therefore indefat
igable in his efforts to acquire it. After all, he felt constrained, from
abundant caution, to employ a learned and pious native as his assist
ant : an example of prudence and fidelity worthy of imitation iu all
similar cases. Secondly : as these translators diligently consulted the
English version, an opportunity was thus afforded of comparing it crit
ically vrith the Hebrew original. The opinion, therefore, though inci
dentally expressed, that it should " remain untouched," commends it
self to the serious reflection of every considerate mind at the present
day. That we are favored with a translation of the Holy Scriptures
altogether superior to every other in any language, ancient or modem,
is the concurring testimony of the most competent judges iu every pe
riod since its promulgation.
It was executed vrith unexampled care, after years of prayerful de-
hberation and unwearied labor, by a body of men unrivaled for pro
found learning and eminent piety, at a period, too, most propitious to
a perfect exemption from sectarian partiahty or prejudice. Hence, the
various evangelical denominations which either previously or subse-

APPENDIX G. 319
quently appeared in the Christian Church, have, with remarkable uni
formity, given it their implicit confidence. As an entire work, I have
never heard of its condemnation in a single instance. If dissatisfaction
is manifested ¦with certain parts of it, even malcontents of this descrip
tion, it is believed, would be unwilling, in the present state of the
world, that a new translation, or even its modification, should be at
tempted, although proposed to be done by a convention of delegates
from all the respective denominations; for it is most obvious that una
nimity in such an enterprise must be utterly hopeless — as hopeless as
the voluntary surrender of their peculiar tenets, and their consohdation
into a religious community " one and indivisible.''
And such must have been the impression of the illustrious men who
fi-amed the Constitution of this Society. Aware of the evil which would
inevitably result from a love of novelty and of change, when applied to
the most momentous of all subjects, they ¦wisely exacted a strict con
formity, in all our issues from the press, to the version of the Holy
Scriptures "then in common use'' — a regulation imperative upon the
members of this society, indiriduaUy and collectively. As the English
version thus becomes, in effect, the conservatory of the Enghsh tongue,
it behooves us to acknowledge with heartfelt gratitude that, through
the good Providence of God, early in the eighteenth century, the or
thography of the translation was so amended as to render it conforma
ble to that of Addison and the other distinguished authors of that peri
od; a period deservedly styled "the Augustan age of English Utera-
ture," in which the language is justly considered as having arrived at
its maturity. The editions of the Bible since pubhshed " by authority"
ia England, and by this Society since it commenced operations, have
appeared in this purified form of the language, a form which embodies
the noblest products of the human mind — in a word, our best htera^
ture, as well as our brightest hopes. The unspeakable importance of
maintaining the existmg version imchanged, vrill be apparent if we
consider how rapid is the increase of our population ; how soon the
English language may pervade this entire continent, and the vast terri
tories subject to British sway, in all quarters of the globe ; and the con
sequent demands whieh must accumulate upon this Institution, and its
great exemplar, the British and Foreign Bible Society, to fiimish the
requisite supply of the Holy Scriptiires, in uniform orthography, for
these countless myriads of immortal beings.
But I may not enlarge. Permit me, m conclusion, to say, the sub
ject, independently of its intrinsic importance, is endeared to us by
many tender associations. This blessed book has come down to us
from ancestors who, we tmst, through faith and patience, haveinhent-
ed its promises. Every page has been wet with tears, either of " pen-

320 APPENDIX G.
itential sorrrow" orof sacred joy, from "eyes that vriU weep no more.''
On this Society, my respected and beloved associates, is devolved the
high trust of transmitting it uuimpau-ed, unaltered, to the remotest
generations. May its glorious Author incline -the hearts of aU through
out the world, who speak and -write the English tongue, to faithfully
preserve aud widely circulate the choicest gift of his munificent Provi
dence ! Address, May, 1843.
My respected Friends :
I had hoped for the pleasure of joining you in the celebration of our
twenty-seventh anniversary ; but denied by a righteous Providence the
privilege of a personal interview, I have presumed that a brief commu
nication may not be imacceptable.
It is vrith pecuhar satisfaction that I unite vrith you in a thankfiil ac
knowledgment of- the Divine blessing on the transactions of the Board
of Managers during a year of unusual pecuniary embarrassment ; also
in warmly commending the active co-operation of many of bur auxiha-
ries, the unwearied diligence and faithfulness of the secretaries, treas
urer, and agents of the Society, and, notwithstanding the pressure of
the times, the generous manner in which the judicious and salutary
measures of the board have been sustained by our fellow-citizens at
large, who seem more and more impressed vrith the infinite importance
of the enterprise in which we are engaged. Although the operations
of the board -will be disclosed in their report,. suffer me to point your
attention to a few particulars.
The managers have wisely authorized a Hberal distribution of the
Holy Scriptures in the Wisconsin and Iowa Territories, and in the
States of Alabama and Louisiana — a measure which must probably be
frequentiy repeated to render the supply commensurate ¦with the rap
idly-increasing population of those portions of the Repubhc. This in
crease is mainly produced by emigrants, not only from the E,astern and
other states, but in great numbers from foreign nations. As not a few
of these proceed from countries where " the Bible -without note or com
ment" is prohibited to the laity, all such should be cheerftdly supplied
with the blessed Book, and kindly assured that no prohibition of the
kind can rightfully exist here, even by the highest national authority,
much less by the interdict of any foreign power.
, The grant of English Bibles and Testaments to the " Schools for
Young Slaves" ia Santa Cruz, is an act of liberality happily calculated
to effectuate the humane intentions of the government in that island.
. Not less gratifying is the supply of copies of the New Testament af
forded to the soldiers stationed on the frontiers of our country, a meaa-

APPENDIX G. 321
ure corresponding vrith a former benevolent provision for the crews of
our ships of war in actual serrice.
The caU from Ceylon and Lodiana for English Bibles and Testa
ments to supply the native schools, furnishes additional evidence of the
increasing estimation in which our noble language is held by foreign
ers. It truly is a medium through which they may obtain access, not
only to all the treasures of human learning, but also to the enjoyment
of a version of the Holy Scriptures superior, it is beheved, to every oth
er, and which has suffered no diminution of its high character by pre
sumptuous attempts to amend it.
I forbear to detain you by a particular reference to the operations of
the board in Northern India, Syria, Russia, Turkey, or in relation to the
aborigines of this continent; you vrill allow me, ho^wever, to express
the joy, which I trust we all feel, at the prospect of diffusing " the light
of the glorious Gospel" thi-ough the' dark region of China. Whatever
may have been the merits of her controversy with the British govern
ment, we have reason to hope that, by the blessing of God, the late
pacification has opened a vride and effectual door for the admission of
divine truth to the many millions of her population. The cries of the
desolate, my friends, are reaching us from various directions. As these
multiply, so should our efforts to satisfy them increase, under a well-
grounded confidence in Divine aid, and the support of a community
who duly appreciate the exalted privileges they enjoy. The declara
tion of the apostle that " the time is short," is not less momentous now
than when first announced. It is a deeply affecting truth to such as
are perishing for the Bread of Life, and scarcely less so to those bn
whom are devolved the duty and the ability to fiimish it. Of the same
solemn truth we are admonished by the demise, since our last annivers
ary, of two of our vice-presidents, the Honorable Peter A. Jay and
Francis S. Key, in the midst of their days and their usefulness. The
former a distinguished jurist, endowed with personal and mental ac-
coraphshments consecrated to a discharge of the duty he owed to his
family, his country, and the Church of God. His attachment, as well
as that of his illustrious father, to this Society, became identified ¦with
their affection for that sacred cause which sustained their pious ances
tors amid the terrors of persecution in their native laud, and safely
brought them to this asylum of the oppressed, vrith whom, we trust,
they are now associated in, the participation of "joy unspeakable and
fill! of glory."
The latter was a celebrated advocate, who, with high professional
eminence, combined the spirit of humble and undissembled piety. Al
though prevented by his remote residence and the labors of his profes
sion from attending our regular naeetings, his veneration, nevertheless.

322 APPENDIX H.
for the Sacred Volume was ftdly attested by his cherished and uniform
practice of inculcating its precious and' sublime truths upon the chil
dren and youth of a Sunday-school. We- are assured that on the last
Lord's day prior to his decease, he was thus religiously employed. De
lightful transition, from the Sunday-school to the upper sanctuaiy, to
enjoy -vrith glorified spirits " a Sabbath that shall never end !"
It is among the mysteries of Divine Providence that I am allowed,
at my advanced period of life, to pay even a faint tribute of respect to
the memory of these excellent men, so much my juniors in- age. To
the same mercifiil Providence I earnestly commend your individual
welfare and the prosperity of this sacred Institution.

APPENDIX H.
Address to the Litchfield County Temperance Society.
The foUovring extract is from an address before the Litchfield Coun
ty Temperance Society, at its first meeting in Sharon; July, 1829 : '
" Entire abstinence, then, is the specific remedy. Let it be univer
sally and faithfully applied, and O, how soon would there be an end
of the whole race of drunkards, great and small, without successors
forever! Who would not rejoice at such a consummation? Who
would not exult, if our country, so favored of Heaven, so much ap
plauded by the world for all that is manly in sentiment and" heroic in
enterprise, should add the jewel of temperance to that crown of glory-
¦which encircles her head — should exhibit to mankind the subhme
spectacle of a nation not only 'victorious over its enemies,' but, what is
more, 'victorious over itself?' Nor is it too much to hope that this
blessed era is at hand. The success which has thus far attended the
exertions of the parent society, as evinced by the wonderful diminution-
in the sale and consumption of distilled spirits within a short period, is
at once a proof that the object is attainable, .and a pledge that it will be
accomphshed. The spirit of the nation is evidently rising. The youth
of the nation ace beginning to awake to this momentous subject, and
rest assured, their warm hearts and vigorous hands will finish the good
work for their own generation, if not for ours. But, my brethren, au
immense responsibility rests upon ' the men of this generation.' Let
us not conceafl from ourselves the painful truth that we have all con
tributed in a greater or less degree to the wide spread of intemperance.
Ah ! we know not how many of its wretched victims might justly as
cribe the commencement of their career of infamy and its fatal end-
to our ill-judged hospitahty, our unhallowed love of gain, or perhaps to
our example, of what is termed moderate drinking- This is a most sol-

APPENDIX I. 323
emu reflection ! Our only consolation is that we did it ignorantly — that
we were thoughtless of the consequences. But the plea of ignorance
can no longer avail us. Information, founded on indisputable facts, and
enforced ¦with resistless eloquence, is before the public aud in the pos
session of every man, and must therefore leave every man without the
apology of a mistake, either as to the nature and extent of the malady,
or the method and certainty of its cure. Let every indiridual then ask
himself. Can I, with all this evidence before me, put the cup of distilled
poison to my own lips, or present it to the lips of any human being, and
be innocent ? The question may be safely left to the decision of an en
hghtened conscience, and obedience to that decision can not fail to
produce the desired result. Yes, my brethren, total abstinence is the
only restorative. This is the consecrated censer which is to ' stay the
plague.' While we bless God that it is placed vrithin our reach, let us
seize it, and, Hke Aaron in the camp of Israel, hasten to take our stand
'between the dead and the living,' iu humble confidence that 'the
plague' wUl be ' stayed.' "

APPENDIX I,
Aiddress to the Alumni of Yale College, at their annual meeting in
August, 1845.
I meet you, ray brethi-en, on the present occasion, -with no ordinary
emotions. Those of us who received the honors of this -(/enerable in
stitution more than sixty years ago, are permitted by a kind Providence
to commune vrith our successors on this consecrated ground, the
object of our early reverence, and endeared to us by many, very many
precious recollections. But with what diminished numbers do we ap
pear ! Rari nautes in gurgite vasto. While we mourn the departure,
and cherish the memory, of the great majority of our coUegiate con
temporaries, let us bless God that we stiU live, and that, in his infinite
goodness, he has suffered us to Uve, in a period of the world distin
guished by signal displays of his power and beneficence— a period finiit-
ful of events bearing vrith mighty influence on the happiness and hopes
of mankind. AUow me to refer for a few moments to Some of the in
cidents of our coUegiate course. It occurred during the great contest
for our national existence. We were not in a condition to engage in
the hazards of the field, yet we were abundantly able to mark the
progress of events vrith intense soUcitude, and to participate in the al
ternations of hope and despafr, as victory or defeat attended its opera
tions I have not unfrequentfy indulged myself m drawmg a parallel
between the sbniggle of the counti-y for independence, and ours for an

324 APPENDIX I.
education. With both, there was a lamentable deficiency of means for
the prosecution of the enterprise. Were her soldiers poorly clad aud
as poorly fed? What was our clothing but piincipally the coarse
fabrics of the domestic loom? And as to sustenance, we were more
than once, by the events of the war, dismissed and sent into the coun
try for subsistence. Was she inadequately supphed vrith arms and
military stores ? We also were destitute, in a great measure, of the in
dispensable fumiture of a coUege ; for, instead of the splendid array we
now behold, if we except an air pump, the residue of our apparatus
would be thought at this day better fitted to provoke merriment than
to impart instruction. Shoidd it then be asked how our country gained
her independence, aud we our degrees ? Let it be answered. She
triumphed through the blessing of Heaven upon the invincible spirit
of her sons, led by her Washington, "himself a host." We prevailed
by God's Ijlessiug upon our indefatigable efforts, under the auspices of
the venerated Stiles, himself, as he said of another, " a hving, walk
ing hbrary." From his rich stores of erudition he poured instruction
into our minds, whUe by the dignity and loveliness of his deportment
he took entire possession of our hearts. I love to think of him. I re
joice that his memory is embalmed in a volume which does honor
alike to his name and to our national literature. We had no resident
professors except one of Theology ; but the deficiency was in a. good
degree suppUed by Uitors pre-eminently qualified for the station ; two*
of whom, I am happy to perceive, stiU survive. There unfortunately
existed at that period certain regulations of a peculieir description, not
found, probably, in the printed statutes of the college, but coeval vrith
its existence ; such as the habflity of freshmen to perform personal and
menial services for members of a superior grade, and, in addition to
other acts of humiliation, their subjection to the discipline of the senior
class. Most happUy, under the auspicious sway of the iUustrious
Dwight and his distinguished successor, and their justly celebrated as
sociates, we have seen this code of feudal homage and servitude whoUy
abolished, and the intercourse of the students regulated by the usual
courtesies of civUized society. Under the same benign influence, the
system of instruction has been greatly enlarged, embracing, indeed,
every branch of knowledge appropriate to a university, with numerous
professors, endowments, and aU the appliances and facilities requisite
for the attainment of a thorough, a finished education. Instead of a
^olitary building and adjoining chapel, occupied by us, we tehold a
range of edifices, which, for number, magnitude, location, solidity, and
even beauty of constraction, are unsurpassed by any simUar institution
in our country; with fippurtenant buildings devoted to chemical ex-
-* Hon. E. Goodrich and Hon. S. Baldwin.

APPENDIX i; 325
periments, to philosophical and astronomical exercises, to a miueralogi-
cal cabinet, to the preservation and exhibition of the monuments of art
which have immortalized the genius of TrambuU, and, lastly, this spa
cious and superb structure, for the accommodation of the respective
Ubraries appertaining to the college, the whole constituting a highly
ornamental appendage to this beautifiil city. What privileges, denied
to us, have been, aud stiU are possessed by the more highly favored
sons of our Alma Mater ! We rejoice at the superior advantages af
forded them, and rightfiiily expect in return a proportionate elevation
of character for inteUigence and usefulness.
I have said that it has been our lot to hve in an age fruitful of events
momentous in their bearing upou the present condition and future
prospects of mankind. Time wiU not permit me to enumerate them.
Suffer me, however, to say, -we have witnessed revolutions for good or
for e-ril unprecedented in the annals of our race, which have shaken
two continents to their center, and the effects of which vrill be felt by
remote generations. We have not only witnessed the birth of our na
tion, but have been permitted to mark its growth to dimensions which
may -weU excite our own aud the world's astonishment.
We have beheld the rise and establishment of free institutions, and
the evidence which experience affords that they are abundantly ade
quate to the government of an inteUigent people, and, in truth, consti
tute the strongest of all governments.
We have seen pubhc opinion taking high rank as an elementary
principle of political science, and graduaUy advancing to a supremacy,
which, if duly enlightened and wisely directed, must ultimately spread
the empire of freedom over the -whole earth. A theory, however,
which evidentiy demands the universal cultivation of pure rehgion and
sound learning.
We have witnessed a great enlargement of the boundaries of human
knowledge, and the introduction, if not of new sciences, yet of new
improvements, with their nomenclatures not a little startling, at first, to
scholars of a former century, but eminently beneficial in their effects.
We have contemplated with unmingled satisfaction the advance
ment of the learned professions to a superior degree of respectability,
and the attainment of high judicial distinction in the national and state
tribunals, contributing essentiaUy to elevate the character of the age.
We behold the useful arts carried to a degree of perfection which
utterly surpasses aU former example, particularly as exhibited in the
diversified and astonishing operations of steam, on land and water;
and in the no less wonderful process by which electricity is converted
into a vehicle of iuteUigence ! We see lakes, and rivers, and seas, aud
widely-extended territories connected by artificial streams and raU-

326 APPENDIX I.
ways. We enter our manufeotoriea and workshops, and admire the
successful efforts of genius in abridging the labor of man ; and when
there, we cast our eyes on fabrics which are not exceUed by the
proudest displays of European skiU ; and the thought forces itself upou
our minds, how many of our sister states at the South owe, in no mod
erate degree, the profitable cultivation of their staple production and
main source of their wealth to the matchless ingentuty of a northern
citizen, an alumnus of this coUege.
Finally, in addition to the scientific^ Uterary, mechanical, and other
improvements of the present age, we have cheering evidence ,that it is,
emphaticaUy, the " age of benevolence.'' This heaven-bom spirit has
shown itself, not only in sympathy for the unfortunate, and a readiness
to reheve them ; not merely in charitable establishments, I had almost
said, as. numerous and diversified as human sufferings — these offices
of humanity, creditable as they unquestionably are, have nevertheless
been chiefly confined to our o-wn country, and the bodily wants of a
short life — but the spirit to which I allude has manifested its celestial
origin in higher and holier efforts, iu endeavors to promote alike the
temporal and eternal interests of every being bom in the image of
God, wherever he may be found. It is this broad and expansive pria-
ciple now in operation, and encircling the globe, which inspires the
phUanthropist with new hopes, and imparts to the Christian sure e^ri-
dence of the approach of that blissful period, which the eye of faith
beholds vrith unerring certainty and unspeakable dehght.
My brethren, to have lived iu such an age forms of itself no unenvi
able distinction ; and to have discharged with fidehty its incumbent
duties, must prove an unfailing source of the richest consolation. Let
what remains of life to us, who are so near its close, be stiU devoted to
the great end of our existence ; let our younger brethren justly appre
ciate their high privileges, with a fiiU consciousness of their correspond
ing obhgations ; let us all cherish more and more the ties which bind
us to this noble institution, and to each other, in the blessed hope of
being finally united vrith the society of glorified spirits in the presence
of God and the Lamb.

APPENDIX K. 327

APPENDIX K.
Obituary of Rev. Gilbert Livingston Smith.
[From ihe New York Observer.]
Departed this Ufe, on Saturday, the 7th inst., at the house of his un
cle, Henry Beekman, Esq., in this city, Gilbert Livingston Smith, son
of WiUiam M. Smith, Esq., of Sharon, Conn., in the 23d year of his age.
The providence which has bereaved an affectionate circle of one of its
brightest ornaments, has at the same time deprived the Church of oue
of her most promising sons. It is indeed a pro-ridence shrouded in the
clouds and darkness which often envelop the throne-of Infinite Wisdom.
Nearly four years ago, he became the subject of the regenerating grace
of God, while at home during a college vacation, and on his return to
New Bruns^wick made a pubhc profession of his faith in Christ in the
Presbyterian Church in that place. Soon after he experienced this
happy change, his heart began to glow with an intense desire to preach
"the unsearchable riches of Christ." After finishing his collegiate
course, he entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, where for
three years he sustained the character of a faithful student and an ex
emplary Christian. A few months since he was licensed to preach,
and few young aspirants for the sacred office gave higher promise of
usefulness. Elegant in manners, concUiating in aU his deportment, ar
interesting speaker, and a devoted Christian, all who knew him, and
especiaUy those who hung vrith admu-ation upon the sweet intonations
of his fine voice, and -witnessed his ardent desire to do good, indulged
the pleasing anticipation that he would be a burning and shining light
in the candlestick of the Lord. Feeling the importance of a thorough
theological course, he returned after his Ucensure and finished his three
years at Princeton.
Having received an invitation to preach in Putnam county, he bade
farewell to the beloved seminary, to enter upon his new field of labor ;
and on his way, stopped at the house of Mr. B. to spend a night. Upon
his arrival he complained of partial indisposition, but very soon was
confined to his bed by disease which baffied aU the efforts of the best
medical skiU. The disorder marched on steadily to its consummation,
heeding not the tears nor the prayers of friends, until the evening of
the 7th, when " the earthly house of this tabernacle was dissolved,"
and his emancipated spirit took its flight to heaven. His mind, during
the last days of his iUness, was often wandering with delirium. Under
these circumstances the -writer saw him, a few hours before his depart
ure. Wishing to ascertain the workings of his soul, he spoke to him
about Jesus, and touched a chord which thriUed aud concentrated all

328 APPENDIX K.
his powers. He expressed the most perfect submission to the divine
¦wUl, and said, " I should love to be ¦with the Lord." From this time
he graduaUy sunk untU he feU asleep. Why the Lord of the harvest
removed this promising laborer from the field, as he was just entering
to reap it, is known only to Him whose are both the field and the reap
er. Our souls rejoice in the behef that what we know not now, we
shall know hereafter, and bow without a murmur to the vrill of God.
Blessed be his name for mingling in this cup of bitterness so many
sweet mercy drops of consolation to surviving friends.
" Thou art gone to the grave ; but 'twere wrong to deplore thee.
When God was thy ransom, thy guardian, and guide ;
He gave thee — He took thee, and soon vrill restore thee.
Where death hath no sting since the Savior hath died."

THE END.

baluabU Kijoj publications,
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Based on the German "Work of Francis Passow; with Corrections
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An Alirldj^ment of the above, by the Authors, for the Use of Schools, revised
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From the best Authorities, Ancient and Modern. 12mo Sheen py
tra. 90 cents. ^
In this volume, which may not unaptly be regarded as the thirdpart of the Latin
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antlion's ©aesar's Cttunmentartrs on the
©alltc ffl®ar;
And the First Book of the Greek Paraphrase ; with English Notes
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^nthm's ^cuefir of Wfrgtl,
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improved Edition. Portrait. 12mo, Sheep extra. $1 20.
The text of this edition is based upon that of Ernesti, and the notes are compre
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brilliant memorials of other days, and carefully and fully explaining the allusions in
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In this volume Dr. Anthon has done for Virgil's Pastorals what he had previously
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satisfactory, and make perfectly clear the sense of every passage.— iV. Y. Courier.

4 WORKS FOR COLLEGES AND DISTRICT SCHOOLS.
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CTonsjJtrata of (Katiline,
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The commentary includes every thing requisite for accurate preparation on the par'
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ers in the United States, and has been commended in the highest terms by some ol
the finest scholars in the country.
^uthon^js SWorfes o£ f^orace,
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This work has enjoyed a widely favorable reception both in Europe and our own
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of the timefamiiiar with the beauties of the poet. The classical student, in his earlier
progress, requires a great deal of assistance ; and the plan pursued by IProfessor An
thon in his Horace and other works alFords just the aid required to make his studies
easy and agreeable, and to attract him .still further on iu the path of scholarship,
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which the rules of inflection just laid down are fully exemplified, and which the stu
dent is required to translate and parse, or else to convert from ungrammatical to gram
matical Greek. ^ntfton^js etfreefe iarojsc (totnponition.
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Every eifort has been made to exhibit a concise outline of all the leading principles
of Greek philology.

WORKS FOR COLLEGES AND DISTRICT SCHOOLS, 5
anthon's Mtia ©frcefe ©rammar
From the German of Kiihner, Matthiae, Buttmann, Rost, and Thiersh-
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In order to render this grammar more useful to the student, recourse has been had
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^ntixon'n ©reefe ^rosotrg axOs ifWetre,
For the Use of Schools and Colleges ; together with the Choral
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ing to every scholar. This work, like the others of the series, has been republished
in England, and forms the text-book at King^s College Schoolf London, as well as in
other quarters. ^ntlxoxCu f^omer'js KUalr,
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to all the beauties of the scenery through which he has sped his way, and at the end
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is useful to the young student in furthering his acquaintance with the classic language
and noble poetry of Homer. The Glossary renders any other Homeric dictionarv
useless. antlion's CSriTtfe meatrer,
Principally from the German of Jacobs. With English Notes, crit
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This Reader is edited on the same plan as the author's other editions of the classics,
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Zumpt'js aattn ISperctses.
(In press.)

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^ntlion'js Sacfttts,
With English Notes, critic?! and explanatory, by Chasles ANTHotf,
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JW'Ctlintocft autr mwWu jFtrst Mook in
%atm,
Containing Grammar, Exercises, and Vocabularies, on the Method
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1 cheerfully bear testimony to the excellence of the "First Book in Latin;" it is
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Institute. ifWCCltntocft avCa ©roofes's Swontr iJoott: in
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Exercises for Imitation on Models drawn from Xenophon's Anab
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WlpMnCB ©utUnes of Kini>erfrtt antr Msov=
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eminently practical character of that knowledge which pertains to the human mind.
— Prof. Caldwell, Dickinson College.

WORKS FOR COLLEGES AND DISTRICT SCHOOLS. 7
SUphatw's JSltmcnts ot JHental Pvtlosojihg ;
Embracing the two Departments of the Intellect and the Sensibili
ties. 2 vols. 12mo, Sheep extra, f 2 .10.
An Abriflgment of the above, by the Author, designed as a Teit-book in Acad
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Professor Upham has brought together the leading views of the best writers on the
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aSjjJiam's STttatise on tht miSilh
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esfartrner'is iFarmer's Bictfonarg;
A Vocabulary of the Technical Terms recently introduced into Ag
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MutVu jFarmer'Js Ctomjiamon;
Or, Essays on the Principles and Practice of American Husbandry.
With the Address prepared to be delivered before the Agricultural
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man of his time. Judge Buel was a strong advocate for what is termed the New
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own practice, and the claims of which to the consideration of the farmer are ably set
forth in this volume. The work is written with great perspicuity, and the manner
in which the subject is treated shows the hand of a master. The clearness and sim
plicity of the style adapt it to all classes of readers ; and containing as it (Joes a co
pious Index, Glossary, <fcc., it is eminently suited as a text-book for country schools,
into which we hope it will be speedily introduced, and its principles thoroughly studied
and practically carried out. It is also a very suitable book to be given as a premium,
and we therefore recommend it to the notice of our Agricultural Societies.

A WEW Classified and Descriptive Catalogue of Harper &
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sess any reliable means of forming a true estimate of any pro
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logue, consisting of about two thousand volumes, combines the
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*„* Copies of this Catalogue may be obtained, free of ex
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iVeto York, January, 1847.

YALE

: UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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