HAMILTON.

We have not the means of presenting a sketch of Hamilton's birth-place,

or of the incidents of his early life before he became a resident in

this country; and so much of his subsequent life was spent in the camp

and in the service of his country, wherever that service required him to

be, that he can hardly be said to have had a "Home" until a few years

before his splendid career was so suddenly and mournfully closed.

He was born in the year 1756, in the Island of St. Nevis, one of the

British West Indian possessions, whither his father, a native of

Scotland, had gone with the purpose of engaging in mercantile pursuits;

and he was himself at the early age of twelve, placed in the

counting-house of an opulent merchant, in one of the neighboring

islands. But such a situation was ill suited to his disposition; and his

ambition, even at that early period of his life, strongly developed,

could not find in those narrow colonies a sufficient field for its

exercise. The wishes of his friends favored his own inclinations, and he

was sent to New-York, that he might avail himself of the more ample

facilities for acquiring an education which that place and its vicinity

afforded.

He went through with the studies preparatory to entering college at a

school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, which was under the patronage of

Governor Livingston and Mr. Boudinot, in the former of whose families he

resided. He soon qualified himself for admission to King's (now

Columbia) College, and was then permitted to pursue a course of study

which he had marked out for himself, without becoming a member of any

particular class. At this early period he evinced those traits of

character which afterwards conducted him to such high distinction, and

which marked his career throughout. He brought to his tasks not only

that diligence which is often exhibited by more ordinary minds, but that

enthusiastic devotion of the soul, which was perhaps the most marked

trait of his character.

It was while he was yet in college, that the disputes between the

colonies and the mother country, just preliminary to the breaking out of

hostilities, arose; but they even then engaged his earnest attention. It

is probable that the tendency of his mind at that time, as in the later

period of his life, was towards conservative views; and indeed he has

himself said "that he had, at first, entertained strong prejudices on

the ministerial side." But a mind so investigating and a spirit so

generous as his would not be likely to entertain such prejudices long;

and having made a visit to Boston and become excited by the tone of

public feeling in that city, he directed his attention to the real

merits of the controversy, and this, aided perhaps by the natural order

of his temperament, produced in him a thorough conviction of the justice

of the American cause. With his characteristic earnestness, he threw

himself at once into the contest, and while but eighteen years of age he

addressed a public meeting upon the subject of the wrongs inflicted by

the mother country, and acquitted himself in a manner which amazed and

delighted his hearers, and drew to him the public attention.

A meeting of the citizens of New-York had been called to consider upon

the choice of delegates to the first Congress. A large concourse of

people assembled, and the occasion was long remembered as "the great

meeting in the fields." Hamilton was then, of course, comparatively

unknown, but some of his neighbors having occasion to remark his

contemplative habits and the vigor and maturity of his thoughts, urged

him to address the multitude, and after some hesitation he consented.

"The novelty of the attempt, his slender and diminutive form, awakened

curiosity and arrested attention. Overawed by the scene before him, he

at first hesitated and faltered, but as he proceeded almost

unconsciously to utter his accustomed reflections, his mind warmed with

the theme, his energies were recovered; and after a discussion, clear,

cogent, and novel, of the great principles involved in the controversy,

he depicted in glowing colors the long continued and long endured

oppressions of the mother country. He insisted on the duty of

resistance, pointed out the means and certainty of success, and

described the waves of rebellion sparkling with fire and washing back

upon the shores of England the wrecks of her power, her wealth, and her

glory. The breathless silence ceased as he closed, and the whispered

murmur--'it is a collegian, it is a collegian,' was lost in expressions

of wonder and applause at the extraordinary eloquence of the young

stranger."[13]

About the same time he published anonymously two pamphlets in reply to

publications emanating from the ministerial party, and in vindication of

the measures of the American Congress. The powerful and eloquent manner

in which the topics in controversy were discussed, excited great

attention. The authorship of the pamphlets was attributed by some to

Governor Livingston and by others to John Jay, and these contributed to

give to those gentlemen, already distinguished, an increased celebrity;

and when it was ascertained that the youthful Hamilton was the author of

them, the public could scarcely credit the fact.

Upon the actual breaking out of hostilities, Hamilton immediately

applied himself to the study of military science, and obtained from the

State of New-York a commission as captain of a company of artillery. His

conduct at once attracted the observing eye of Washington, who soon

invited him to become one of his staff with the commission of Lieutenant

Colonel.

Hamilton accepted the offer, and for the space of four years remained in

the family of Washington, enjoying his unlimited confidence, carrying on

a large portion of his correspondence, and aiding him in the conduct of

the most important affairs. A hasty word from the latter led to a

rupture of this connection, and Hamilton left the staff and resumed his

place as an officer in the line; but Washington's confidence in him was

not in the least impaired, and their friendship continued warm and

sincere until the death of the latter.

In thus separating himself from the family of the Commander-in-Chief,

Hamilton was influenced by other motives than displeasure at the conduct

of Washington. He knew that great man too well, and loved him too well,

to allow a hasty word of rebuke to break up an attachment which had

begun at the breaking out of the war, and which a familiar intercourse

of four years, an ardent love of the cause, and a devotion to it common

to them both had deepened and confirmed. But the duties of a secretary

and adviser, important as they then were, were not adequate to call

forth all his various powers, and the performance of them, however

skilful, was not sufficient to satisfy that love of glory which he so

fondly cherished. He was born to act in whatever situation he might be

placed a first rate part. He longed to distinguish himself in the

battles as well as in the councils of the war. He felt that his country

had need of his arm as well as of his pen; and thus the dictates of

patriotism, which he never in the course of his life allowed to stand

separate from the promptings of his high ambition, pointed out to him

the course he took. He would not, of his own motion, leave the immediate

services of Washington; but when the opportunity was presented by the

latter, he at once embraced it, and would not be persuaded by any

considerations to return to his former place.

A short time previous to his leaving the family of Washington he had

formed an engagement with the second daughter of Gen. Philip Schuyler,

of New-York, to whom he was married on the 14th of December, 1780, at

the residence of her father at Albany, and thus became permanently

established in New-York. His union with this lady was one of unbroken

happiness, and at a venerable age she still survives him.

His rank in the army was soon after advanced, and an opportunity for

exhibiting his military skill and prowess, which he had so ardently

wished for, was shortly presented. The falling fortunes of the British

army in the south, under Lord Cornwallis, invited an attack in that

quarter. The combined French and American forces were fast closing up

every avenue of retreat, and the British commander finding that to avoid

a general engagement was impossible, at last intrenched himself at

Yorktown with the determination of making a final stand against the

victorious progress of the American arms. In the decisive battle which

succeeded, Hamilton signalized himself by a most brilliant achievement.

Two redoubts in the fortifications of the enemy were to be carried in

face of a most destructive fire. The attack upon one of them was

assigned to a detachment of the French troops, and that upon the other

to a division of the American forces. The command of the latter, at his

earnest request, was given to Hamilton. At the appointed signal he "gave

the order to advance at the point of the bayonet, pushed forward, and

before the rest of the corps had ascended the abatis, mounted over it,

stood for a moment on the parapet with three of his soldiers,

encouraging the others to follow, and sprung into the ditch. The

American infantry, animated by the address and example of their leader,

pressed on with muskets unloaded and fixed bayonets. They soon reached

the counterscarp under a heavy and constant fire from the redoubt, and,

surmounting the abatis, ditch, and palisades, mounted the parapet and

leaped into the work. Hamilton, who had pressed forward, followed by the

rear-guard under Mansfield, was for a time lost sight of, and it was

feared he had fallen; but he soon reappeared, formed the troops in the

redoubt, and as soon as it surrendered gave the command to Major Fish.

"The impetuosity of the attack carried all before it, and within nine

minutes from the time the abatis was passed the work was gained."[14]

This brilliant exploit received the decisive commendation of Washington.

"Few cases," said he, "have exhibited greater proofs of intrepidity,

coolness, and firmness than were shown on this occasion."

The battle of Yorktown decided the event of the war of the Revolution.

The profession of a soldier could no longer give sufficient scope to the

restless activity of Hamilton; although then occupying a distinguished

place among the most illustrious of his countrymen, and yielding, though

not without regret, his arms for the _toga_, he selected for his future

employment the profession of the law--a pursuit for which his general

studies and the character of his mind, as well as his inclination,

eminently fitted him.

From the period of his admission to the bar until the assembling of the

convention which framed the constitution under which we now live, his

time and labors were divided between the practice of his profession and

the service of the public in various capacities. Of the convention he

was chosen a member, and he brought to the performance of his duties in

that body the purest patriotism, and abilities unsurpassed, if indeed

equalled, in that assembly of illustrious men. He took from the outset a

most conspicuous part in its deliberations, throwing upon every

important subject which was discussed, the blended lights of his genius,

experience, and learning. As the sessions of the convention were held in

secret, we have but an imperfect knowledge of its proceedings; and the

meagre and fragmentary reports which we possess of the speeches which

were delivered in it give us a very inadequate notion of the masterly

efforts of Hamilton. But the testimony of his associates in the

convention, and the imperfect records we have of its deliberations, join

in ascribing to him a foremost place; and an impartial student of our

constitution and history, himself a profound statesman and philosopher,

M. Guizot, has said that there is in our political system scarcely an

element of order and durability for which we are not in a great measure

indebted to the genius of Hamilton. Indeed he was the very first to

point out the radical defects in the old confederation, and the absolute

necessity of a government based upon a different foundation, and

invested with more ample powers. The restoration of the public credit,

the creation of a currency, the promotion of commerce, the preservation

of the public faith with foreign countries, the general

tranquillity--these were topics which he had discussed in all their

relations long before the meeting of the convention, and he had early

arrived at the conclusion that these great ends were to be reached in no

other way than by the establishment of a NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, emanating

directly from the people at large, sovereign in its own sphere, and

responsible to the people alone for the manner in which its powers were

executed. In the Constitution, when it was presented for adoption,

Hamilton saw some objectionable features. These he had opposed in the

convention; but finding that such opposition was likely to throw

obstacles in the way of any final agreement, and reorganizing in the

instrument proposed to be adopted the essential features of his own

plan, and wisely regarding it as the best scheme that could unite the

varying opinions of men, he patriotically withdrew his opposition and

gave it his hearty assent.

Hamilton was chosen a member of the convention which met at Poughkeepsie

to consider the question of ratifying it, and he urged the adoption of

it in a series of masterly speeches, which powerfully contributed to its

final ratification. At the same time, in conjunction with Madison and

Jay, he was engaged in the composition of those immortal papers, which,

under the name of the "Federalist," exercised at the time such a potent

influence, and which have even since been received as authoritative

commentaries upon the instrument, the wisdom and expediency of which

they so eloquently and successfully vindicated. In view of the

extraordinary exertions of Hamilton in behalf of the Constitution, both

with his tongue and pen, and of the fact that if New-York had rejected

it, it would probably have failed to receive the sanction of a

sufficient number of States, we think that it may without injustice to

others be said, that for the ratification of our Constitution we are

more indebted to the labors of Hamilton than to those of any other

single man.

When the new government went into operation with Washington at its head,

Hamilton was called to fill what was then the most important place in

the cabinet, that of Secretary of the Treasury. He then addressed

himself to the task of carrying out the great purpose for which the

Constitution was adopted--a task, the successful accomplishment of which

rested more in the skilful administration of the Treasury department

than that of any office under government; for upon this hung the great

issues of the currency and the public credit. With what ability he

executed his great trust in the face of a powerful and most virulent

opposition, the event has fully shown. The system of finance which he

concocted and applied has been adhered to without substantial change

throughout the subsequent history of the government, and well justifies

the magnificent eulogy which Webster has bestowed upon its author. "He

smote the rock of the national resources, and abundant streams of

revenue gushed forth. He touched the dead corpse of the Public Credit,

and it sprung upon its feet. The fabled birth of Minerva from the brain

of Jove was hardly more sudden or more perfect than the financial system

of the United States, as it burst forth from the conceptions of

ALEXANDER HAMILTON."[15]

From the Treasury department he returned to the practice of his

profession, and the calmer walks of private life; but his love for his

country and the anxiety he felt for her welfare would not permit him to

relinquish the prominent place he held as the leader of the Federal

party. He regarded with great distrust and apprehension the principles

and the practices of the rapidly increasing Democratic party. Many of

its leaders he believed to be destitute of principle, and he spared no

exertions in opposing them, and in endeavoring to stay the progress of

radical opinions, and to infuse a spirit of moderation and wisdom into

the politics of the nation.

He was now in the prime of life. A practice in his profession at that

time without parallel in extent and importance, afforded him an abundant

income, and held out a prospect of a competent fortune. He therefore

retired from the city, purchased a beautiful spot in the upper part of

the island of New-York, and there built the tasteful residence of which

an engraving is prefixed to this sketch, and which of the many places

where he resided may most appropriately be called his "Home." It is, we

believe, the only house in New-York, in which he lived, that is now

standing. Of the one in the island of St. Nevis, in which he was born,

we have never seen any representation or description. During a small

portion of his college life, he resided with Mr. Hercules Mulligan in

Water-street; but the house was long since torn down.

After the close of the war, and during the first years of his practice

at the bar, Hamilton occupied a house in Wall-street, nearly opposite

the "Federal Hall," the site of the present Custom House. It was on the

outer balcony of Federal Hall that Washington took the oath of

inauguration upon his first election, and Hamilton, with a party of his

friends, witnessed that imposing ceremony from the balcony of his own

house. This building has, with most others of its time, been taken down,

and a new one erected in its place to accommodate that mighty march of

commercial enterprise which is fast sweeping away the last vestiges

which mark the dwelling-places of the last generation.

The spot which Hamilton selected for his "Home," and to which he gave

the name of "Grange," from that of the residence of his grandfather in

Ayrshire, Scotland, was chosen with taste and judgment, both on account

of its natural beauty, and the interesting and inspiring recollections

which its vicinity suggested. It was, at that time, completely in the

country, without an object to remind one of the neighborhood of the

town; and even now the population of the city, so prodigiously expanded,

has not much encroached upon its original limits. It is situated upon

the old King's Bridge road, about eight miles from the heart of the

city, and something less than a mile above the ancient village of

Manhattan, and is about midway between the Hudson River on the one side

and the Harlem on the other. The west side, which lies on the King's

Bridge road, is adorned by a fine growth of large shade trees. From

these it extends with gentle undulations to a declivity, at the base of

which lie the Harlem commons. The grounds are simply but tastefully laid

out, chiefly with a view to take advantage of and display the natural

features of the place. The house is situated nearly in the centre of the

grounds, and is reached by a gently-winding carriage-way. The stable is

placed in the rear of the house and at a distance from it, and is

concealed by a thick growth of trees. A gravelled walk winds among the

shade trees along the road, and thence across the grounds and along the

other side. The space in front and on the left of the house is laid out

in a fine lawn, in which the uneven surface of the ground is preserved,

dotted here and there with fine trees, the natural growth of the spot.

Near the house and on the left are thirteen flourishing gum trees, said

to have been left by Hamilton himself when clearing the spot, as an

emblem of the thirteen original States.

[Illustration: Residence of Alexander Hamilton, near

Manhattanville, N.Y.]

The house itself is in form nearly square, of moderate size and well

proportioned. The front is on the southern side; it is two stories in

height, exclusive of the basement, and would have been at the time it

was built a handsome and expensive one. The basement is used for

culinary purposes, and the first story, which contains the parlors, is

reached by a short flight of steps. You enter a commodious hall of a

pentagonal form. On either side is a small apartment, of which the one

on the right was the study, and contained the library of Hamilton. At

the end of the hall are the doors, one on the right and the other on the

left, which open into the parlors. These are of moderate size and

connected by doors, by opening which they are thrown into one large

room. The one on the right as you enter the house, is now, and probably

was when Hamilton occupied it, used as a dining-room. The other parlor

is furnished for the drawing-room. It is an octagon in form, of which

three sides are occupied by doors, leading to the hall in front, the

dining-room, and to a hall in the rear. In two of the opposite sides are

windows reaching to the floor, and opening upon the lawn on the easterly

side of the house. The three doors before mentioned are faced with

mirrors, and being directly opposite the windows, they throw back the

delightful landscape which appears through the latter with a pleasing

effect. The story above is commodious, and divided into the usual

apartments. On the north the prospect is interrupted by higher ground,

and on the south by trees. On the west a view is caught of the beautiful

shore of New Jersey, on the opposite side of the Hudson. From the

eastern side, and especially from the balcony which extends in front of

the windows of the drawing-room, a magnificent prospect is presented.

The elevation being some two hundred feet above the surrounding waters,

a complete view of the lower lands and of the country in the distance is

commanded. Harlem with its river, the East River and Long Island Sound

now dotted with a thousand sails, the fertile county of Westchester, and

Long Island stretching away to the horizon, with its lovely and

diversified scenery, are all in full view.

This spot has, and probably had for Hamilton, its attractions in another

respect. In its immediate neighbourhood were the scenes of some of the

memorable and interesting events of the Revolution. He had passed

directly over it with the American army in its retreat from New-York,

after the disastrous battle of Long Island. Within a short distance from

it are the Harlem Heights, where by his bravery and address, while yet

but a boy, he had attracted the eye of Washington, and enjoyed his first

interview with him. A little further towards the north is Fort

Washington, in which the continental army made its last stand upon the

island, and the loss of which sealed the fate of New-York for the war.

It was this fort which, in the ardor of his youthful enthusiasm and

burning with chagrin at its capture, he promised Washington he would

retake, if he would place a small and select detachment under his

command--an enterprise which the Commander-in-Chief thought too

hazardous. Just across the river on the Jersey side is Fort Lee, which

fell into the hands of the enemy soon after the capture of Fort

Washington; and a short distance above, in the King's Bridge road, is

the house which after the death of Hamilton became the residence of his

bitter and fatal antagonist, Aaron Burr.

When he had fixed his residence in this beautiful and attractive spot he

was in the prime of life, in excellent health, and in prosperous

circumstances. He had been most fortunate in his domestic relations, and

had around him a happy family to which he was fondly devoted. His

unrivalled natural powers had been exercised and improved by a training

of thirty years in the camp, the forum, the senate and the cabinet. He

was almost worshipped by his friends and his party, and regarded by all

as one of the very pillars of the State. Every thing in his situation

and circumstances seemed auspicious of a still long career of happiness

and honor to himself, of usefulness and honor to his country. But in the

midst of all this, he was suddenly cut off by the melancholy and fatal

duel with Col. Burr.

The public and private character of Burr, Hamilton had long known and

despised. He regarded him as a dangerous man, and one wholly unfit to

fill any office of trust or emolument. And this opinion, although

avoiding open controversy with Burr himself, he had not scrupled to

express privately to his own political friends, for the purpose of

dissuading them from giving any support to one so little to be depended

on. He recognized himself no other claim to political distinction than

honesty of purpose, the ability and the will to serve the country,

united with what he deemed to be sound political principles, neither of

which recommendations could he discover in Aaron Burr.

Burr had, on the other hand, few ends in life save his own advancement,

and he scrupled at no means by which this object might be compassed; but

in his most deeply laid schemes, he saw that the vigilant eye of

Hamilton was upon him, and after his defeat in 1804 as a candidate for

governor of the State of New-York, stung with mortification at his

overthrow, and justly deeming the influence of Hamilton as one of the

most potent causes of it, he resolved to fix a quarrel upon him. Seizing

upon an expression which was contained in a letter, published during the

recent political contest, but which had been forgotten by every one save

himself, he dragged it before Hamilton's attention, tortured it into an

imputation upon his personal honor, demanded of Hamilton an explanation

which it was impossible for him to give, and made his refusal the

pretext for a peremptory challenge.

In accepting the challenge of Burr, Hamilton was but little under the

influence of those motives which are commonly uppermost in such

contests. To the practice of duelling he was sincerely and upon

principle opposed, and had frequently borne his testimony against it.

His reputation for personal courage had been too often tried, and too

signally proved to be again put at risk. His passions, though strong,

were under his control, and that sensitiveness on the score of personal

honor, which a man of spirit naturally cherishes, and which the habits

of a military life rendered prompt and delicate, was in him satisfied by

a conscious integrity of purpose. His disposition was forgiving and

gentle to a fault, and made it impossible for him to feel any personal

ill will even towards such a man as Burr. The manifold obligations which

as an honest and conscientious man he was bound to regard--his duties to

a loved and dependent family, and his country, which held almost an

equal place in his affections, united to dissuade him from meeting his

adversary. And yet these latter, viewed in connection with his peculiar

position, with popular prejudices, and the circumstances of the times,

were what impelled him to his fatal resolution. His theoretic doubts

respecting a republican form of government, while they did not in the

least diminish his preference for our political system, yet made him

painfully anxious in regard to its success. He thought that every thing

depended upon keeping the popular mind free from the corruption of false

principles, and the offices of trust and honor out of the hands of bad

men. To these ends he had been, and still was, employing all his energy

and influence. He could not bear the thought of losing or weakening by

any step, however justifiable in itself, that influence which he had

reason to think was not exerted in vain. These were the large and

unselfish considerations which governed him; and though a cool observer

removed from the excitement and perplexities of the time may pronounce

them mistaken, still if impartial he must regard them as sincere. They

were what Hamilton himself, in full view of the solemnity of the step he

was about to take, and of the possible event of it, declared to be his

motive. "The ability," said he in the last paper he ever wrote, "to be

in future useful, whether in resisting mischief or effecting good in

those crises of our public affairs which seem likely to happen, would

probably be inseparable from a conformity with prejudice in this

particular."

After some fruitless endeavors on the part of Hamilton to convince Burr

of the unreasonableness of the request which the latter had made, all

explanations were closed, and the preliminaries for the meeting were

arranged. Hamilton having no wish to take the life of Burr, had come to

the determination to throw away his first shot,--a course too which

approved itself to his feelings for other reasons.

The grounds of Weehawk, on the Jersey shore opposite New-York, were at

that time the usual field of these single combats, then chiefly by the

inflamed state of political feeling of frequent occurrence, and very

seldom ending without bloodshed. The day having been fixed, and the hour

appointed at seven o'clock in the morning, the parties met, accompanied

only by their servants. The bargemen, as well as Dr. Hosack, the surgeon

mutually agreed upon, remained as usual at a distance, in order, if any

fatal result should occur, not to be witnesses. The parties having

exchanged salutations, the seconds measured the distance of ten paces,

loaded the pistols, made the other preliminary arrangements, and placed

the combatants. At the appointed signal, Burr took deliberate aim and

fired. The ball entered Hamilton's side, and as he fell, his pistol too

was unconsciously discharged. Burr approached him, apparently somewhat

moved, but on the suggestion of his second, the surgeon and bargemen

already approaching, he turned and hastened away, Van Ness coolly

covering him from their sight by opening an umbrella. The surgeon found

Hamilton half lying, half sitting on the ground, supported in the arms

of his second. The pallor of death was on his face. "Doctor," he said,

"this is a mortal wound;" and, as if overcome by the effort of speaking,

he swooned quite away. As he was carried across the river the fresh

breeze revived him. His own house being in the country, he was conveyed

at once to the house of a friend, where he lingered for twenty-four

hours in great agony, but preserving his composure and self-command to

the last.[16]

The melancholy event of the duel affected the whole country, and

New-York in particular, with the deepest indignation and grief. The

avenues to the house where Hamilton was carried before he expired, were

thronged with anxious citizens. His funeral was celebrated by a mournful

pageant, and an oration in Trinity Church by Governeur Morris, which

stirred up the people like the speech of Antony over the corpse of

Caesar, to a "sudden flood of mutiny." Burr, with an indictment for

murder hanging over him, fled secretly from the city to the South, where

he remained until the excitement had in a measure subsided. His wretched

end, and the place which history has assigned to him, leave room at

present for no other emotions save those of regret and pity. In the deep

gloom which the death of Hamilton occasioned, his political opponents

almost equally shared. In contemplating his character they seemed to

catch some portion of his own magnanimity, and the animosities of which

he had been so conspicuous an object, were swallowed up in the

conviction that a great and irreparable loss had fallen equally upon

all.

There was not, we think, at that time, a life which might not have been

better spared than that of Hamilton. Certainly no man represented so

well as he, the character and the principles of Washington; and no man

was gifted with an array of qualities which better fitted him either as

a magistrate or a man to control aright the opinions and the actions of

a people like that of the United States. He was a man "built up on every

side." He had received from nature a most capacious and admirable

intellect, which had been exercised and developed by deep study and

large experience in the practical conduct of affairs. His education was

like that which Milton describes as "fitting to a man to perform justly,

skilfully and magnanimously, all the offices, both public and private,

of peace and war." His opinions were definite and fixed; were held with

the confidence which is the result of complete conviction; and came from

him recommended by a powerful eloquence, and a persuasive fairness and

magnanimity. The strength of his passions gave him an almost unbounded

influence over the minds of others, which he never perverted to selfish

purposes or unworthy ends.

A lofty integrity was one of the most prominent traits of his character.

It was not, as in his great contemporary Jay, clothed with the

appearance of austerity, nor did it, perhaps, so much as in the latter

spring from a constant and habitual sense of responsibility to a Supreme

Being; but it was rather a rare and noble elevation of soul, the

spontaneous development of a nature which could not harbor a base or

unworthy motive, cherished indeed and fortified by a firm faith and a

strong religious temperament. It was this which enabled him to spend so

long a period of his life in the public service in the exercise of the

most important public trusts--among them that of the Treasury

department, with the whole financial arrangements of the country under

his control, and come from it all without a stain or a suspicion. His

character for uprightness might be presented as an example in

illustration of the fine precept of Horace:

---- Hic murus aheneus esto

Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa.

Political hostility and private malice explored every corner of his life

with the hope of fixing a stain upon his official integrity; but these

miserable attempts had no other effect than to bring defeat and disgrace

on the authors of them. His honesty was as conspicuous in his private as

in his public career, and was indeed sometimes carried to an extent

which we fear might seem in our times like an absurd refinement. When

about to enter upon his duties as Secretary of the Treasury, he was

applied to by some friends engaged in monetary transactions for

information with respect to the policy which he proposed to pursue, the

disclosure of which would perhaps promote their interests, and not

injure those of the public. But this he utterly refused to give, holding

it as inconsistent with his duty as a public servant, to make his office

even the indirect means of contributing to the emolument of friends by

imparting to them information which was not open to all alike. While at

the bar, and practising only as counsellor, he was associated with the

Messrs. Ogden, who were then leading members of the profession in

New-York city, and he received only the retaining and trial fees, though

his reputation brought to the office a large proportion of all the

important suits which arose. It was proposed to him to form a connection

with other attorneys, by which engagement he might receive a portion of

the attorney's fees in addition; but this offer he at once rejected,

saying that he could not consent to receive any compensation for

services not his own, or for the character of which he was not

responsible.

In his disposition he was one of the most amiable and attractive of men;

and though capable of strong indignation, which made him always

respected and sometimes feared by his adversaries, he was yet of such a

mild and placable temper that no man could be long and sincerely his

enemy. In person he was rather below the average height, his form was

well proportioned, and his manner dignified and conciliating. The lower

features of his countenance were regular and handsome, and beaming with

the warm affections and generous sentiments of his heart. His brow and

forehead were of a massive cast, expressive of the commanding intellect

which lay behind. He was fond of society, full of the most lively and

various conversation, which made him the delight and ornament of every

circle he entered. During his time the Supreme Court used to hold its

terms at New-York and Albany alternately, and the bar was then obliged

to follow it back and forth between those cities, the journey occupying

at that time three or four days. Of course this was a season of

hilarity, and upon such occasions Hamilton was the life of the party,

sometimes charming the whole company by his ingenious and eloquent

discussions of the various subjects of conversation, and at others

calling forth shouts of laughter by his pointed and genial wit. An

anecdote has been related to us by one who was present on the occasion,

which well illustrates the power which lay in his fascinating manner and

conversation. During the hostilities between France and England, which

succeeded the revolution in the former country, a French man of war

having on board Jerome Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, and

afterwards king of Westphalia, was chased into the harbor of New-York by

two English frigates. It was during the visit which Jerome was thus

compelled to make to this country, that he became acquainted with and

married the beautiful Miss Patterson, of Baltimore. The genius and the

fortunes of Napoleon were then for the first time astonishing the world,

and caused Jerome to be received with the most extraordinary marks of

attention in the different cities of the United States. While he was in

New-York Hamilton made a dinner party for him, to which a number of the

chief personages of the time were invited. He was then living at

"Grange," and, as it happened, upon the very day of the party was

engaged in the argument of an important cause in the city, which

detained him there until after the hour for which his guests were

invited. A long delay ensued after the company had assembled, and the

embarrassment of Mrs. Hamilton may be imagined. There was evidently a

feeling of uneasiness and discontent springing up in the minds of the

guests, and especially was this the case with the distinguished brother

of the First Consul. He was affected with the usual sensitiveness of a

_novus homo_ upon the point of etiquette, and it seemed to pass his

comprehension how a man of Hamilton's private and official eminence

should be engaged in any of the ordinary pursuits of life, and

especially that such concerns, or any concerns whatever, should be

allowed to detain him a single moment from the society of his guests,

one of whom had the honor to be no less a person than Jerome Bonaparte.

At a late hour, after the quality of the dinner and the temper of the

guests had become about equally impaired, Hamilton arrived. He was met

by his desponding wife, and informed of the distressing predicament

which his delay had occasioned. After making a hasty toilet, he entered

the drawing-room, and found that the affair indeed wore a most perilous

aspect. The appearance of the distinguished Frenchman was especially

unpromising. But Hamilton was quite equal to the emergency. Gracefully

apologizing for his tardiness, he at once entered into a most animated

and eloquent conversation, drew out his different guests with admirable

dexterity, and enlisted them with one another, and especially

recommended himself to the late Miss Patterson by a lively chat in

French, of which language he was a master. The discontented features of

the Bonaparte began to relax, and it soon became evident that he was in

the most amiable mood, and one of the most gratified of the party. The

dinner passed off admirably, and it seemed to be generally conceded that

the delay in the beginning was amply atoned for by the delightful

entertainment which followed.

We should do injustice to one of the most amiable traits of Hamilton's

character if we omitted particularly to notice the strength and

tenderness of his friendships. Incapable of treachery, free from all

disguise, and imbued with the largest sympathies, he drew to himself the

esteem and affection of all who knew him; and such was his admiration

for noble and generous qualities, that he could not see them displayed

without clasping their possessors to his heart. He was a general

favorite in the army, and between some of the choicest spirits in it and

himself, there was an almost romantic affection. Those that knew him

best loved him most. The family of Washington were as dear to him as if

they were kindred by blood. Meade, McHenry, Tilghman, the "Old

Secretary," Harrison, and the generous and high-souled Laurens, were in

every change of fortune his cherished and bosom friends. The following

extract from a letter to Laurens, shows the nature of Hamilton's

attachment. "Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish my

dear Laurens it were in my power, by actions rather than by words, to

convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that till you bid us

adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you.

Indeed, my friend, it were not well done. You know the opinion I

entertain of mankind; and how much it is my desire to preserve myself

free from particular attachments, and to keep my happiness free from the

caprices of others. You should not have taken advantage of my

sensibility to steal into my affections, without my consent." The

openness of his heart and the flexibility of his manners made him a

great favorite with the French officers. Lafayette loved him as a

brother, and in one of his letters to him thus writes: "I know the

General's (Washington's) friendship and gratitude for you, my dear

Hamilton; both are greater than you perhaps imagine. I am sure he needs

only to be told that something will suit you, and when he thinks he can

do it, he certainly will. Before this campaign I was your friend, and

very intimate friend, agreeably to the ideas of the world; since my

second voyage, my sentiment has increased to such a point the world

knows nothing about. To show _both_, from want and from scorn of

expression, I shall only tell you, adieu." Talleyrand, the celebrated

minister of Napoleon, whatever may be said of the character of his

diplomacy, had a heart that was capable of friendship, and while in this

country conceived a particular fondness for Hamilton, and on his

departure for France he took from the house of the latter, without

permission, a miniature belonging to Mrs. Hamilton of her husband. When

fairly out of reach he addressed a note to Mrs. Hamilton confessing the

larceny, and excusing it on the ground that he wanted a copy of it, but

knew that she would not let him take the original away to be copied if

he had made the request. He had an excellent copy of the miniature taken

upon Sevres china, which he always kept in a conspicuous place in his

apartment until late in life, when he presented it with a lock of his

hair to a son of Hamilton, James A. Hamilton Esq., of Dobb's Ferry, N.

Y., who still retains it. The indignation of Talleyrand at the conduct

of Burr in bringing about the melancholy duel was unbounded; and when

Burr, subsequently to that event, was on a visit to France, he wrote a

note to Talleyrand, requesting the privilege of paying him a visit. Of

course the French minister could not refuse this favor to a man who had

been Vice-President of the United States, and in other respects so

eminent a person; but his answer was something like this: "The Minister

of Foreign Affairs would be happy to see Col. Burr at--(naming the

hour); but M. Talleyrand thinks it due to Col. Burr to state, that he

always has the miniature of General Hamilton hanging over his

mantel-piece."

In contemplating the life of Hamilton, it is of course impossible not to

feel the deepest regret that so much genius, so much usefulness, and so

much promise, should have been so prematurely cut off. Great as was his

actual performance, it is natural and reasonable to suppose that the

results of his youth and early manhood would have been far eclipsed by

those of his splendid maturity. But as it is, "he lived long enough for

glory." The influence of his presence and manners, the excitements in

which he mingled when alive--every thing which tends to give a

fictitious importance to present greatness, have passed away. But his

reputation, which some have thought to rest upon these very

circumstances, stands unaffected by their decay,--a fact which

sufficiently attests the enduring nature of his fame.

[Illustration: Monument To Hamilton, Trinity Church-yard, N.Y.]