ART. 13.

The Life of George Washington, commander in chief of the American forces, during the war which established the independence of his country, and first president of the United States. Compiled under the inspection of the honourable Bushrod Washington, from original papers bequeathed to him by his deceased relative, and now in possession of the author. To which is prefixed an introduction, containing a com

on the patience of our readers. The volumes however, which succeed, as we approach nearer the personal knowledge of Judge M. regularly rise in accuracy, eloquence, and interest, and at every step we find the task of examination growing lighter. We shall therefore in some de

gree, contract our original design, and make the remarks which we division of the work, with all possi have to offer on the second grand ble brevity.

In the second volume the life of

ed by the English on the continent of North America, from their settlement to the commencement of that war, which terminated in their independence. By John Marshall. Philadelphia, printed and published by C. P. Wayne. Vol. 1, 1804, Vol. II, 1804, Vol. III, 1804, Vol. IV, 1805, Vol. V, 1807.

[Continued.]

WHEN we look back on what we have written, and recollect that we have only arrived at the commencement of the second volume of this work, we perceive that we have already made an alarming demand

We can scarce.

mence. All the circumstances of his birth, connexions, education and early habits, are narrated in somewhat less than a page and a half. This, we confess, excites our surprise and chagrin. ly think it possible, that tradition has preserved no record of any of the events of the private life of one, who, as it is evident from his early promotion, must have been consid ered as a youth of extraordinary promise. We regret therefore, that the occupations of Judge Marshall did not permit him to collect any of those anecdotes, which we take

for granted must exist, or that he could not find some American Boswell, who would relieve him of the task, and secure these fading memorials, which, if once suffered to be lost, can never be recalled. "Tradition," let us remember, " is but a meteor, which, if it once falls, cannot be rekindled." Cicero thought his discovery of the forgotten and neglected tomb of Archimedes, an event interesting and important enough to be introduced into one of the gravest of his philosophical disquisitions; surely therefore no man has a right to think it labour too humble for his talents, to investigate any circumstances, however minute, which may contribute to illustrate the character of Washington. There is scarcely any thing, which would give us greater pleasure than sit down to the examination of a work, which would acquaint us with the private habits of our hero; and notwithstanding any thing which has yet appeared, such a work is still altogether a desideratum. To the English edition* is annexed an account of the ancestors of Washington from the herald's office, which, as it supplies one of Judge M.'s deficiencies, and as we presume it is not very common among us, we shall extract; though, indeed, Washington is not a man whose fame can receive any additional lustre from any lineage however splen. did.

"Pedigree of Gen. Washington, communicated to the editor by Sir Isaac Heard, Garter King at Arms.

"It is presumed, upon good

We have examined both the quarto and octavo copies of this edition, and believe that it is incomparably the most incorrect book lately issued from the English press. To the American edition we can give the rare praise of being very accurate as well as extremely neat.

"This Sir William had, among other younger brothers, two, named John and Laurence; and the latter appears to have been a student at Oxford, in 1622.

"John and Laurence Washington, brothers, emigrated from the north of England, (according to the tradition in the family of the President) and settled at Bridge's Creek, on the Potomack River, in the county of Westmoreland. John was employed as General against the Indians, in Maryland, and the parish in which he lived was called after him. He was the father of Laurence Washington, gentleman, who died in 1697, leaving two sons, John and Augustine.

"Augustine died in 1743, at the age of forty-nine, leaving several sons by his two marriages. George, the President, was the eldest by the second wife, Mary Ball, and was born the 11th of February, 1732."

We have before hinted a wish that our author had given us a disquisition on the causes and grounds

This John had previously resided at South Cave, in the east riding of the county of York, upon an estate now the property and residence of H B. Barnard, esq. of Cave castle, South Cave, and he emigrated to America about the year 1657. ENGLISH EDITOR.