were for France, and others for England, WASHINGTON was for the United States, and with great address preferved us on both fides from the horrors of war.

On these fubjects I cannot dwell, and therefore haften to obferve, that, after having ferved his country with great ability, and fidelity, for eight years, in the office of Prefident, he once more retired to private life, covered with honours, and followed by the love and gratitude of all the people. Previous to this event, he gave his laft parting advice to the citizens of the United States, in the form of a valedictory addrefs. This is in all your hands. Teach it to your children, in the house, and by the way, lying down and rifing up, going out and coming in. It is an invaluable legacy. Perhaps there never was fo much important inftruction, fo much good advice, given by any mere man, in the compass of so few words, as was done by WASHINGTON on this, and a fimilar occafion, when he retired from military command.

Our departed friend had not enjoyed his beloved retirement two years, when his country again called for his fervices. The rulers of France having entirely departed from the principles on which they fet out, plundered our commerce, infulted our minifters of peace; and fome of their agents went fo far as to threat en us with invafion. This impofed a neceffity to organize an army, and prepare for the laft extremity. All the world knew, and WASHINGTON, though the moft modest of men, could not but know, that his name, at the head of our army, would either deter any European power from invading us; or, if they fhould madly make the attempt, would unite all our citizens as a band of brothers for the common defence. He therefore accepted the appointment; and, though on the verge of threefcore years and ten, ftood ready and pledged to take the field, whenever the neceffities of the country required it. In this attitude, and with a fixed refolution to ferve his country in the last ebb of his life, and with the last drop of his blood, our father

has been fuddenly fnatched from us. To lofe fuch a man, at fuch a crifis, is no common calamity. Well may you mourn on such an occafion. Well may you fhroud yourselves and your churches in black. Well may the citizens of thefe States, from New-Hampshire to Georgia, mingle their tears in one great flood of grief. It was wife and proper to fet apart a day, free from business and care, to give undisturbed vent to your forrows. Who now will wield the fword of our country against our enemies? Many brave and good officers we yet have; but none, like WASHINGTON, can by their very names ftrike terror into the breafts of an invading enemy. None, like WASHINGTON, can unite all hearts and hands in the common defence.

Having finished an historical review of the life of our departed friend, bear with me a few minutes while I attempt to draw his character. For the fake of those who have never feen General WASHINGTON, it may be worth while to obferve, that his perfon was graceful, well proportioned, and uncommonly tall. When he was cheerful, he had a moft engaging countenance; when grave, a most respectable one. There was at all times an air of majefty and dignity in his appearance.

His learning was of a fingular kind; he overstepped the tedious forms of the schools, and by the force of a correct taste and found judgment, feized on the great ends of learning, without the affiftance of thofe means, which have been contrived to prepare lefs active minds for public bufinefs. By a careful study of the English language, by reading good models of fine writing, and, above all, by the aid of a vigorous mind, he made himself master of a pure, elegant, and claffical style. His compofition was all nerve; full of correct and manly ideas, which were expreffed in precife and forcible language. His anfwers to the innumerable addreffes, which on all public occafions poured in upon him, were promptly made, handfomely expreffed, and always contained fomething appropriate. His letters to Congrefs; his addreffes to that body on the acceptance and

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refignation of his commiflion; his general orders as Commander in Chief; his fpeeches and meffages, as Prefident; and above all, his two farewell addreffes to the people of the United States, will remain lasting monuments of the goodness of his heart, of the wifdom of his head, and of the eloquence of his pen.

The powers of his mind were in fome refpects peculiar. He was a great practical self-taught genius, with a head to devife, and a hand to execute projects of the first magnitude and greatest utility. Happily for his country he was not under the dominion of a warm imagination; but he poffeffed, in an eminent degree, what was of infinitely more confequence, a correct, folid judgment. This was improved by clofe thinking, and ftrengthened by daily exercise. Poffeffing a large proportion of common fenfe, uninfluenced by prejudice, paffion, or party fpirit; deliberately weighing, in the balance of a found judgment, the poffible and probable confequences of every step he took, and being always under the influence of an honeft, good heart, he was imperceptibly led to decifions that were wife and judicious. It is not pretended that he was infallible; but it may, with truth, be afferted, that in the multiplicity of business, on which he had to decide, his errors were as few in number, as venial in their nature, and as unimportant in their confequences, as could reasonably be expected in the prefent imperfect ftate of the wifeft and best of men.

Enemies he had, but they were few, and chiefly of the fame family with the man, who could not bear to hear Ariftides always called the juft. Among them all, I have never heard of one who charged him with any habitual vice, or even foible. There are few men of any kind, and ftill fewer of thofe the world calls great, who have not fome of their virtues eclipfed by correfponding vices. But this was not the cafe with General WASHINGTON. He had religion without aufterity; dignity without pride; modefty without diffidence; courage without rafhnefs; politenefs with

out affectation; affability without familiarity. His private character, as well as his public one, will bear the ftricteft fcrutiny. He was punctual in all his engagements; upright and honeft in his dealings; temperate in his enjoyments; liberal and hofpitable to an eminent degree; a lover of order; fyftematical and methodical in all his arrangements. He was the friend of morality and religion; fteadily attended on public worship; encouraged and ftrengthened the hands of the clergy. In all his public acts he made the most respectful mention of Providence, and, in a word, carried the fpirit of piety with him, both in his private life and public administration. He was far from being one of those minute philofophers, who believe that "death is an eternal fleep ;" or of thofe, who, trusting to the fufficiency of human reafon, difcard the light of Divine Revelation.

To dwell on all the virtues of General WASHINGTON, would protract my oration beyond the going down of the fun. I muft therefore confine myself to a few. Among the many that present themselves, his patience and fpirit of accommodation deferve particular notice. He had to form foldiers of freemen; many of whom had extravagant ideas of their perfonal rights. He had often to mediate between a ftarving army, and a high fpirited yeomanry. So great were the neceffities of the foldiers, under his immediate command, that he was obliged to fend out detachments to feize on the property of the farmers at the point of the bayonet. The language of the foldier was, "Give me cloathing-give me food, or I cannot fight-I cannot live:" The language of the farmer was, "Protect my property." In this choice of difficulties, General WASHINGTON not only kept his army together, but conducted with so much prudence, as to command the approbation both of the army and of the citizens. He was alfo dependent for much of his fupport on the concurrence of thirteen diftinct unconnected legiflatures. Animofities prevailed between his fouthern and north

ern troops; and there were ftrong jealoufies between the States from which they respectively came. To harmonize these clashing interefts-to make uniform arrangements from fuch difcordant fources and materials, required no common fhare of addrefs: Yet fo great was the effect of the modest, unaffuming manners of General WASHINGTON, that he retained the affection of all his troops, and of all the States.

Bravery is indifpenfable in a military man, though it ftands loweft in the leaft of the virtues of a great officer. Our hero poffeffed a great share of it. In battle he was the braveft among the brave. When the fervice required it, he cheerfully rifked his perfon. Of this I could enumerate many inftances. I could particularly relate, that on New-York island, and at the battle at Princeton, he was so far in front of his troops, and expofed to fo much danger, that the prefervation of his life can only be accounted for by thofe, who believe in a particular Providence. Having fo many more important matters before me, I cannot dwell on this fubject. How rich in reputation must that General be, whofe courage must be thrown in the back ground, to give place for the display of his more important virtues!

General WASHINGTON alfo poffeffed equanimity in an eminent degree. One even tenor marked the greatnefs of his mind, in all the variety of fcenes through which he paffed. In the most trying fituations, he never despaired, nor was he ever depreffed. Propofitions, fupported by plaufible affignments, were made to him by honeft, but defpairing, timid Americans, to fave himself and his country, by negociating at the head of his army; but in the lowest ebb of affairs, he fpurned at every fuch propofal. The honours and applaufe he received from his grateful countrymen, at more fortunate periods, would have made any other man giddy; but on him they had no mischievous effect. He exacted none of thofe attentions; but, when forced upon him, he received them as favours, with the politenefs of a well bred man. He was great in deserv